It is hard to believe that this was cutting-edge technology when I was in high school.
Wow...were we easily impressed back then or what? Wonder what all those people would do if they instantly flashed forward to what we have available to us today. I bet they would all need resuscitation, LOL.
We've come a LONG way, baby!
Since I am behind on posting my 365 pictures this week, I think I am going to stick to just posting them on my 365 blog instead of both places, saving this blog for other posts. It is just getting to be a little too much posting in both. The link is still on the right side of this blog, or if you still need it, it is www.dlnc365.blogspot.com.
Thanks!
Both Noah and Cooper have always loved having a pile of change to save for extra spending money when there isn't any allowance, or they want something a little more expensive than the allowance will cover. However, money is starting to take on a whole new meaning for Cooper since he has started learning the names and values of the coins at school. Both boys were going through their stash today and Noah was helping Cooper count his change when he decided to go get his old Leap Frog counting bank to show to Cooper. They worked together, putting all of Cooper's change into the bank and watching the savings total get higher and higher. At the end, Cooper had $2.24. Noah decided that since he doesn't really use this bank anymore that he would pass it on to Cooper and they set a savings goal of $5. Now Cooper is looking for loose change everywhere.
Today Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America.
This was actually my favorite visual of the day. It just struck me as such a poignant moment, in silhouette, President Bush preparing to leave the White House for the last time as President with his successor by his side :
This day has been bursting with historical significance and it was a moment I will never forget. May God be with our new President and with our country.
Today's lesson was devoted to tomorrow's inauguration, not just the details of the transfer of Presidential power, but also the historical significance of this inauguration. Since today is MLK Day we talked about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the role he played in the Civil Rights Movement. We listened to a portion of his "I Have a Dream" speech and the changes that have occurred over the last 45 years.
We then moved on to reading about Barack Obama's life, family, and political background. The kids did a couple of craft projects together while I read about the history of Presidential inaugurations, the inaugural process,and what the order of events will be tomorrow. Noah is very excited about watching it with me.
We finished up with both kids writing letters to the new President which we will mail tomorrow. Cooper asked me to spell each word for him..." Dear Barack Obama, Tomorrow you will be the next President. Love, Cooper". Noah's letter was written completely on his own and he wrote that he was 9 years old, that he was excited about having a new President, and that he was going to watch the inauguration. He also said that he hopes he will be able to help the soldiers and the economy and then he decided to attach a quarter "to help the economy". Of course, Cooper had to do the same thing after he saw Noah's, but he only had a nickel. :)
Although he has always enjoyed a good craft project, Cooper hasn't been able to get enough of crafting since he started school. Cutting, gluing, coloring, painting...he loves it all. Today he was using the scissors to cut up some clay. He made snakes, pancakes, and a cactus.
This may look like a simple deck of cards, but it represents a huge change in our family. We truly don't have little kids any more.
For the first time in years we are at a place in our family where we can get together with our friends and the adults can play games or watch grown up TV while all the kids play in another room. None of us have toddlers anymore! So far this year we have had two card games with the Morrisons, once at their house and tonight at ours. We played cards while the boys all played video games. While it is really exciting to know that we have reached this point, I can't help but feel a touch of sadness to realize that our group of little boys just aren't little anymore.
This is our little school at home. We started homeschooling this year and everything we need is right here in our cabinet. I knew we were going to need something to keep everything in, but I wasn't sure what I would do. Then we found this cabinet, which is actually supposed to be a closet organizer, and I knew it was just what we needed. It even ended up fitting perfectly in this corner by my desk.
At the top is our school calendar black board and our portfolio folders. The cubbies hold all of our work and daily supplies. Underneath are all of our books, maps, art and science supplies. Everything has its place.
I love this cabinet because just seeing it reminds me of all the happiness that our decision to homeschool has brought us this year.
"If you don't like the weather in Atlanta, just wait 15 minutes and it will change," the saying goes. Well today that saying certainly seems to hold true. We have had weeks of unseasonably warm weather all through the holidays. This time last week, highs were in the high-60's to low-70's. Then came the cold front and here we are tonight. Today the high was in the low 40's and dropped all day. It is supposed to be around 15 degrees tonight with a whopping high tomorrow of 33. That is a 40 degree change in less than a week. Typical Atlanta weather. You never know what to expect or how to dress. Now if we could just get a little snow over the weekend...THAT would make it worth it! So for now, we'll just keep a nice warm fire and wait to see what's next.
Ever night Cooper plays his Leapster in bed while he is trying to go to sleep. Last night I checked on him in the middle of the night as I was getting ready to go to bed and I found him like this...asleep with his Leapster with the little stylus pen still resting in his little fingers.
Today Noah told me that the Guinness World Record for jumping jacks was 51 in one minute. He felt sure that he could do more than that, so he asked me to set up the video camera for a test. Sure enough, he was able to do 63 in one minute. After he calmed down from the excitement, we went to the GWR website to see what one has to do to actually submit a record attempt and we were able to submit an application for a kit. I am sure that there will be some stickler rules for jumping jacks (maybe even that a kid can't hold the record) but at least at our house, Noah is the reigning record holder for Most Jumping Jacks in One Minute!
After all of the excitement of the morning's record-breaking, I knew that would be our photo today, but now I have another big story from the day. This evening while Noah and I were at the table finishing our school work, Dwight came home from work and took the dogs out to play ball. On one throw, both dogs were running at full speed toward the ball and they hit, head on. Ruby (right) just froze and didn't move so Dwight went to check on her. He carried her inside and when he put her down she couldn't stand up or walk and she was completely unresponsive to him talking to her. He put her in her crate and rushed her to the vet while I stayed home with the scared boys. Halfway there she began to whine, like she would ordinarily do on the way to the vet and by the time he got her there she seemed to be ok again. After an exam by the vet (and a LOT of prayers on this end), it was determined that she suffered a concussion and she was able to come back home tonight with just a warning to watch her. What a scare!
We don't eat at home nearly as much as we should these days. When we do though, we all love to have breakfast for dinner. Tonight's version was scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and Belgian waffles with cherries and whipped cream or with chocolate chips. Cooper is such a picky eater these days, so it is nice to cook one meal once in a while that he doesn't have to be talked into eating something.
Tonight was very exciting. Noah had these early readers when he was in Kindergarten and they have been sitting among all of the other books in Cooper's bookshelf for quite a while. I was in Cooper's room tonight, putting away laundry and organizing the books back onto his bookshelf when I came across this book. Since Cooper has been working on sight words at school I thought, "What the heck" and asked Cooper to look at the book and see if he could read any of the words. With a little help sounding out a couple of words, he was able to read the entire book! He was so excited. In this photo, he has gone into the sunroom to show Daddy that he can read a book. So exciting...it won't be long now.
WHY HOME-SCHOOL?
Top reasons cited by parents (could pick more than one):
• Concerns about the school environment (including safety, drugs, peer pressure): 88%
• A desire to provide religious or moral instruction: 83%
• A dissatisfaction with instruction at other schools: 73%
• An interest in a non-traditional approach: 65%
Source: Top home-schooling reasons in 2007 Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey
By Janice Lloyd, USA TODAY
The ranks of America's home-schooled children have continued a steady climb over the past five years, and new research suggests broader reasons for the appeal.
The number of home-schooled kids hit 1.5 million in 2007, up 74% from when the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics started keeping track in 1999, and up 36% since 2003. The percentage of the school-age population that was home-schooled increased from 2.2% in 2003 to 2.9% in 2007. "There's no reason to believe it would not keep going up," says Gail Mulligan, a statistician at the center.
Traditionally, the biggest motivations for parents to teach their children at home have been moral or religious reasons, and that remains a top pick when parents are asked to explain their choice.
The 2003 survey gave parents six reasons to pick as their motivation. (They could choose more than one.) The 2007 survey added a seventh: an interest in a "non-traditional approach," a reference to parents dubbed "unschoolers," who regard standard curriculum methods and standardized testing as counterproductive to a quality education.
"We wanted to identify the parents who are part of the 'unschooling' movement," Mulligan says. The "unschooling" group is viewed by educators as a subset of home-schoolers, who generally follow standard curriculum and grading systems. "Unschoolers" create their own systems.
The category of "other reasons" rose to 32% in 2007 from 20% in 2003 and included family time and finances. That suggests the demographics are expanding beyond conservative Christian groups, says Robert Kunzman, an associate professor at Indiana University's School of Education. Anecdotal evidence indicates many parents want their kids to learn at their own pace, he says.
Fewer home-schoolers were enrolled part time in traditional schools to study subjects their parents lack knowledge to teach. Eighteen percent were enrolled part time in 1999 and 2003, compared with 16% in 2007. Kunzman says this might be because of the availability of online instruction.
The 2007 estimates are based on data from the Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the National Household Education Surveys. Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute, says the estimates are low because home-schooling parents "are significantly less likely to answer government-sponsored surveys."
Today we went to the mall to spend the afternoon. We had lunch, rode the carousel and the little train, and spent a lot of time at the Croc store. Of course, with money burning a hole in the kids' pockets, the main reason for the trip was to go to the Lego store. They each bought a couple of the new Bionicles that haven't made it to Walmart yet and Cooper bought this helicopter.
The best part is that Cooper was able to build this helicopter all by himself. Having an older brother, Cooper has always been ahead of his age in playing with the "big kid" Legos, but Noah would usually put them together for him and then he would play with them. If a part fell off, he would usually have to find Noah and have him put it back together. Later he was able to put the small Bionicles together by himself and eventually the large Bioncles too, but they are a lot easier to construct than the regular Lego toys. Seeing Cooper go to his room, instructions in hand, and assemble this helicopter all by himself was so cool.
I love having fish. They may not be fluffy and sit in our laps, but they are our pets, nonetheless. We have had this group of fish for so long...maybe 6 years...and they are still fascinating to me. Every night I am the one that feeds them and when the feeding hour arrives, they all gather in the corner and stare at me until I come over to feed them. As soon as I come near the tank, they immediate circle into their feeding places. It is so relaxing to watch them.
Basketball is Noah's favorite sport and since it only comes around for a couple of months once a year it is always very exciting when January gets here and practices start up again. This will be Noah's 6th season playing and Dwight has been his coach for all but the first season. I think it is so wonderful that they have this time to spend together on the court.
Tonight was the first practice of the season and for the first time BOTH of Noah's best friends, Joshua and Cameron, will be on the team. They have each been on Noah's team in the past seasons, but never at the same time. Even though tonight's practice was a gathering of good friends, the boys wasted no time acting silly and playing around...they got right into the game.
Go Vipers! Here's to a great start to the 2009 season!
Today is Wednesday, so that means dinner at Moe's. For years now we have gone there for Kids Eat Free every Wednesday night and usually the Morrisons and/or the Lillys meet us there. We always look forward to it because it gives us a great middle-of-the-week break to look forward to seeing our friends. All of the boys sit at their own table and play with whatever toys they brought that night while the grown-ups sit together and catch up. Tonight I grabbed the cell phone to get this shot of Noah playing with some Lego figures. Cameron, Connor, Joshua and Dylan were all there tonight, so the boys had a fun night together.
From the AJC:
Lake Lanier rising fast after heavy rain
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Remember Jan. 6, 2009. It could be the date climatologists and meteorologists look back on as the beginning of the end for North Georgia’s historic drought.
Lake Lanier, the drought’s most stubborn laggard, is expected to rise more than 3 feet by week’s end, thanks to Tuesday’s deluge. It had already made a dramatic, 1-foot climb by the afternoon.
John Feldt, hydrologist-in-charge at the National Weather Service’s Southeast River Forecast Center, said conditions had been primed for a big gain at Lanier, the region’s primary water source. The ground was saturated from earlier rain, evaporation is minimal, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the federal reservoir, is holding most of the water in Lanier to help it recover.
“It was just perfect,” Feldt said.
And also, perfectly normal.
When the region gets an average amount of rain in the winter, Lanier generally rises about 7 feet between November and April.
Through March, Feldt is predicting average rain, or more than metro Atlanta has seen during the past two winters.
My mom and George wanted to sneak away for a couple of days to see us around the holidays. Since Dwight was leaving to go on an overnight trip out of town today, it seemed like a great time for them to come up to see us since it would keep me company while Dwight is away, so they got here late yesterday afternoon and are leaving early in the morning...truly an in-and-out visit, but a good one nonetheless. Last night we exchanged our overdue Christmas presents and today we spent the day shopping (at Kohl's, BIG SURPRISE there, LOL), went to dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant, and then wandered around Barnes & Noble for a while. We came home and played a couple of board games with the kids ( What's in Ned's Head?, and, of course, Sorry) and then watched a little TV. Even though Dwight's trip is so short and we would've been perfectly fine alone, it was so nice to have them here to keep us company. Thanks, Mama!
Today Dwight went back to work, but Cooper doesn't start back until tomorrow so I let Noah take an extra day off before we start back with our homeschooling. While the weather has been unseasonably warm for weeks, it has been drizzly and rainy and today just wasn't a day that they could go outside to let out some of their energy, so the boys decided to play baseball on the Wii. Noah has learned how to do the fancy pitches, which Cooper can't keep up with, so I had to keep reminding Noah that he needed to keep it simple for his brother. Once he made the adjustment back to a "normal" pitch, they played about 3 full games. It was nice seeing them having so much fun and I love when you can see the age gap between them closing in a good way.
Since Dwight has been off for so long for the holidays, we have been trying to cram a lot of fun into our "staycation" and not too much work. Combine that with all the mess that comes with the Christmas gift explosion...let's just say that the house looked pretty rough. Well today is the last day before he goes back to work and the cleaning just couldn't be put off any longer. Bathrooms, bedrooms, carpets, counters....what a mess. But after several hours and lot of elbow grease, the house looks and smells clean and fresh. It's a lot of work, but it sure does feel good to have a clean house again.
Cooper has finally gotten old enough to play "big kid" games and Sorry is definitely the game of choice. Most of the time the game ends peacefully, but make no mistake...it is a very serious competition. Since this is Saturday night, there is also the customary football game on in the background. Tonight I had stopped at Chick-fil-A on the way home to get Peppermint Chocolate Chip milkshakes so it was a great night all around.
We went to see Marley & Me today and I snapped this photo with the cell phone. It was a great movie, but it really reminded Dwight and I about Taz, so it was rather sad. The kids and I go to the movies pretty regularly, but it isn't very often that Dwight gets to go with us. The kids have really been wanting to go to a movie all together and it was really nice to have a family movie night together.
I've started the new blog, but as promised, I will post the first few here too.
Our family. We don't do enough family photos so I thought the best way to start and end this project would be with a family shot.
We celebrated the New Year with the Morrisons, but as soon as the ball dropped and we had said our "Happy New Year"-s to everyone we came home to get the overtired kids to bed. The neighbors were still shooting fireworks while the kids were trying to get to sleep, but luckily it didn't go on too long.
We spent New Year's Day doing as little as possible, just relaxing .
What is Project 365? For me, it means committing to take at least one picture every day for the next year and post it to my blog. I think this will be an amazing way to document a year in our family. We take hundreds of pictures around here, but to take a picture every single day...from the big events and accomplishments, all the way to the most mundane details...seems like a great way to capture details and moments that ordinarily would slip through the cracks, either unnoticed or later forgotten.
I have set up a second blog for this project, but I haven't decided yet whether it will be easier to just post the photos here or keep the separate blog for my year in photos. To help me decide which I prefer, for this first week or so I will post at both places. You can visit my 365 blog at http://dlnc365.blogspot.com and I have added a button in my sidebar to make it easy to get to the other blog.
Also, while I am going to take a picture every day and I will post all of the pictures I take for this project, I may not post the pictures every single day. I may post them daily or once a week or something in between. The most important thing to me is that I take the pictures and have them where I can view them all together. While I am excited to share the photos, this is ultimately a personal project that I want to do for our family so I do NOT want it to turn into a chore to rush to get them posted every day (just me trying to take the pressure off of myself at the beginning so it stays fun).
Hope you will enjoy sharing a year with us. :)
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