Ireland

We learned a lot about Ireland this week. 
Taw shay egg curr bosh tee! (It's raining)

On Monday I was really not feeling well.  We still managed to learn about some animals from Ireland (Galway sheep, kerrybog pony). Really fun names. And speaking Irish is fun too. They pretended to be the animals we learned about. We watched a little river dancing and bagpipers and read a book about leprechauns.

Tuesday was really fun. We spent a lot of time glittering and gluing. Cedrik drew two leprechauns and a rainbow (he is really creative).

I wore myself out Tuesday (being sick), so I had to take it easy on Wednesday.  We watched a travel with kids Ireland video and part of a movie called The Secret of Kells. We did not understand the second one, and it seemed pretty intense, so we didn't finish it.

On Thursday we didn't do much.  We went on a hunt for leprechaun gold (Cedrik's request, and he made the map and guided the way.)

On Friday, Shiann (sister-in-law) was having her baby.  I told the boys that holidays are always fun to celebrate and learn about,  but it's best to do nice things for people. So, I made some cookies and we took them to the hospital. The boys loved seeing her and Cedrik wanted to know everything that was in the room.  

Today we painted pots that they'll be using on Monday.  :)

Then we went to Sacred Heart school and watched the Boise bagpipers and then, surprisingly, we were able to watch the Killarney Irish Dance Company. I had wanted to watch the dancers earlier in the day but we didn't have time.  I was so excited they were there.  We showed up because we thought it was just a free performance of the bagpipers. But, no. It was a charity event. They wanted $10 a plate. Since we had just eaten they allowed us to go in and sit on the side for free. We felt bad but they were so nice. They even offered us cake. (We graciously declined!)

Cedrik couldn't help but bop his head and clap his hands (to the beat!). There was one boy dancer and Cedrik thought he was awesome. The boy was having the time of his life and had the biggest grin. It was fun to see. They were pretty amazing and Cedrik asked as we were walking out if he could be an Irish dancer.  I would love that. 

The Hills

Saturday was a nice day. This week is supposed to be lovely, in the 60s.

We went to walk in the hills. Eloise fell asleep in the wrap quickly.  Freddie was in his element.  Outside, being carried.  :) Cedrik ran and ran... Then he ran up the hill and went under the fence. Jordan had to go up and get him to come back. He is very adventurous. 

Schooling

The nice thing about homeschooling is being able to take a break or slow down when we need to.  I had intended to make dreamcatchers during Thanksgiving but it didn't end up happening.  We went for a walk on one of the nice days and found willow branches on the ground. I already had the yarn, it was perfect.  We also learned about the Objiwe people, learned one of their dances and learned to story of where the dreamcatchers really come from-it involves a giant spider woman.  

I have had quite a few realizations lately.  I think it has something to do with mediating regularly.  On my friends blog she said recently that 3 things occupy her mind,  "food, religion, and schooling."  I have that and pregnancy/birth/nursing also included.  Anyway, one of my big priorities is to stop yelling. This is a bad habit, and not one I want my kids to develop (Cedrik already has). I know that if I can't learn to control my own emotions, I cannot teach my children to control theirs. That doesn't mean no expression; it does mean that there are more constructive ways of dealing with situations than anger and yelling.  I'm working on it.  This 

friend also sent me a post about rythym vs schedule.  I have always loved schedules.  I love a time frame.  But changing our day to a rythym has improved our happiness levels.  It allows me to give them more time to compete tasks. It feels like we have more time in the day.  

After a night of crying and praying, I woke up determined to let Cedrik choose school for the day.  I was silently hoping he'd choose the aquarium.  He did!  We had a lot of fun.  They fed the fish dead krill, and they actually touched them.  Cedrik touched the sting rays,  Freddie was too scared.  

Cedrik also said he wanted to learn more about trains. So, he helped color and cut one out and we read train books.

This week we went to Tim and Donnas twice because they are in North Carolina. The boys love playing with the girls.  We played hide and seek (grandparents' homes seem to have more places to hide). 

It has been pretty warm outside and it's been fun to finally be in the sun. 

The boys helped me scrub the floor and Cedrik helped sweep and pick up the leaves of the back porch because he stripped a screw off the cable outlet in his room.

We also painted some shamrocks. March is such a fun month.  We'll be studying seeds/ growth for the next couple of weeks.