Cooking and School and Hikes, OH MY!

Good Monday evening, my friends!

First off, I'm sorry I didn't get an update posted over the weekend, as I normally try to do. It wasn't the best weekend, and every spare moment was spent just treading water. However, it is a new week and we are on the up and up...I hope.

As always, we have worked hard on school. The girls were both in the last week of their current units (10 units to a year, 3 weeks to a unit). 

Alysia learned about:

• Language Arts: Story details, noun/verb/adjective/adverbs practice, main ideas, kinds of stories, comparative adjectives, suffixes, written directions, reading, written invitations, verb tenses, study notes, spelling, and subject-verb agreement
• Math: Plane and solid shapes, multiplication, lines and line segments, polygons, angles, rays, angle labeling, measurement, equivalent fractions, sequencing, and missing number problems
• History and Geography: Grasslands of the world including the geography and history of Ukraine and their steppes, Kenya and their savannahs and Argentina and their pampas, as well as touching briefly on the prairies of the Great Plains of the United States
• Science: Simple machines and the difference between them and complex machines
• Bible: Studying the Bible and different methods of doing so, Bible memorization, and living the Bible way including sections regarding obeying parents, being friends, gaining wisdom, working hard, living happily with others and telling the truth, as well as reading in Exodus, Leviticus, 2 Corinthians, and Galatians
• PE: Exercising and outdoor play, and a nature hike at Battle of Island Mound State Historic Site
• Art: Quilling and maze making
• Lifeskills: Home Economics - Introduction to kitchen safety

Kayla learned about:

• Language Arts: Reading, spelling, introduction to nouns, vowel and consonant review, penmanship, word patterns, vowel digraphs, singular vs. plural nouns, beginning and ending sounds, common/proper nouns
• Math: Number words to 100, addition facts to 18, subtraction facts to 18, place value, adding/subtracting 2 digit numbers number order, operation symbols, number sentences, fact families, story problems, patterns, and flat shapes
• History and Geography: Communities, the world in the beginning, Adam and Eve, creation, the flood, early exploration, Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, Native Americans, the Norse, Alibates Flint Quarries and Mesa Verde
• Science: Living/nonliving objects, creation, growing a bean seed, and God-made/man-made objects
• Bible: Who am I?, God loves us, the plan of salvation, the Bible, Daniel, as well as reading in Exodus, Leviticus, 2 Corinthians and Galations
• PE: Exercising and outdoor play, and a nature hike at Battle of Island Mound State Historic Site
• Art: Quilling and maze making
• Lifeskills: Home Economics - Introduction to kitchen safety

They both worked hard on their finals. Kayla is doing super well for just getting started with us. She was super proud of her final grades.

Kayla's Finals

The other night while Alysia was finishing up her schoolwork Kayla helped me make dinner. I was making sweet and sour pork, so while I trimmed, cut and browned the meat, Kayla made the sauce all by herself. She was so excited and was happy that it was so good.

Kayla's Kitchen Alchemy

Sweet and Sour Pork

On Thursday afternoon we made our way down to Butler, Missouri where we spent a couple hours at a park doing school. Then we met my mom, niece Audrey and friend Melissa for dinner at Tu Casa Mexican Restaurant before we went to the Battle of Island Mound State Historic Site where my Mom was leading a wildflower hike. There weren't many wildflowers blooming there yet, but it was a beautiful evening and a delightful walk.

My Mom Leads the Nature Walk

While we were finishing our walk we ran across a small snake. We weren't sure what it was so I contacted my friend, John. John is the author of the book Show-Me Herps. He identified it as a juvenile banded water snake. Cool find!

Our Reptilian Friend

In other news, what's going on currently? We'll let's see...

Our garden is growing super quick. Our beans are not only up, but they are probably about 5-6" tall already. Our cucumbers are up about 3" or so. I'm thinking I may need to reseed my herb pots. They haven't shown anything yet, which is really strange. I'm wondering if my seeds got washed away by overzealous waterers with too strong a stream of water.

Last winter I pruned my rose bush. I cut it back to about 4 inches. This spring it has gone crazy with new growth and foliage...and now...beautiful roses! I am so glad I trimmed it back.

Beautiful Roses

The girls cleaned and washed the car today. I think they like doing it mostly as an excuse to get wet when it's hot outside. By the time they were done they were both soaked...which was their intention to begin with as they had asked if they could put on their swimsuits with shorts over them. LOL.

I am working on a couple painting pictures that will be gifted to the girls for Christmas. They are fun, but are taking forever. They are the adult versions of paint-by-number on canvas, but some of the spaces and numbers are so small that I have to use a magnifying glass to ensure accuracy. So far I am making slow progress.

Project In Progress

Dinner is cooking and smelling so good. I have a pot of venison stew simmering. Once the veggies are a bit softer I am going to thicken it and we will be ready to eat. 

Aaron is at work tonight. He gets off in the morning and then has a couple days off.

Tomorrow we are going to Warrensburg and Knob Noster. We will have a chance to see both mothers on the same day. We will make a visit to my mother-in-law, and then we are going to Knob Noster State Park where my mother is attending Spring Interpretive Training for interpreters within Missouri State Parks. I taught at this training program for many, many years. But since I left state park employment I am just going for a visit in the evening. I will get a chance to see my mom as well as many good friends that I miss so much.

Let's see...what else is on the calendar coming up that I am looking forward to?

• June - catering job, a trip to the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, a trip to Hannibal with my mom, Father's Day, two nieces' graduation parties, and Aaron and I's wedding anniversary
• July - Independence Day, and Civil War Day Camp at Prairie State Park
• October - Quintrill's Raiders Reunion Reenactment at the Battle of Lone Jack

Well, my friends. That's it for now. I have to go finish dinner and help a child with math. A work of a mom is never done.

Have a good evening!

Amanda

P.S. Sorry for the delay in posting this. I had it prepared hours earlier other than spell check and post. But...I got busy dishing up supper and now it is nearing midnight. Have a good sleep!