November Wrap Up

November was filled to the brim with fall activities, mostly hanging out at Cornbelly's. However there are a few other things that don't really fit into the other post categories but still should be documented. 

#1- Our kids discovered Kong Kones at Macey's. For only a couple of dollars, you can get a MASSIVE Ice cream cone.   We've gone several times, with money the kids have earned and you just can't beat the joy on these faces. Sidenote: we've instituted "kids fast food" money. We already had a kids fast food budget but we've given the kids ownership over that budget and so if they say "Can we stop at McDonalds on the way home?" we can discuss how much money they have left in their fast food budget and then they get to decide if they want to stop or not. It's a little tricky because some of them might want to stop and others might not and I'm trying to keep a good balance for them. But mostly it's been really good at helping them learn the value of money when it comes to fast food. 

(David and I couldn't decide which Lucy ice cream picture to keep and which to cut. So even though it's going to mess with the formatting, we are keeping both because they are so cute.) 

#2- Melissa invited the girls to come to Disney on Ice with her at the Delta Center. We had such a fun time! Lucy loved the show and has talked about it regularly since we went. She's also started asking to go to "Princess World", which is darling. Melissa got tickets through her work and we got to go to her firm's suite and eat snacks and watch the show from their box. It was fantastic and just such a fun time to hang out with her. I was so grateful that she wanted to spend time with us and that she took the time and effort to make such a fun evening happen for my girls. I love this sister of mine. 

#3 - I occasionally like to document gas prices because I think it's an interesting glimpse into the economy and spending fluctuations. This time I had a particularly exciting time at the gas pump because gas had dropped to $2.99 a gallon, which is hasn't hit in a very long time, and on top of that I stopped at a Smiths gas station which I rarely do and apparently had some rewards which dropped by gas to 2.159! I don't even remember the last time I paid that! I was very excited and thus, documentation. 

#4 - It was Lydia's half birthday and whatever she wished for must have come true because that same week she bought a pet bird AND got to pet-sit Riley for 10 days. She was in pet heaven. All the kids chipped in to help care for Riley and everyone got a small portion of the pet-sitting fee (including mom and dad). It's a great thing for Lydia to have exposure to pets without a permanent commitment. 

#5 - Caleb is so cute. For breakfast one morning he wanted two fried eggs and two pieces of toast. He likes his fried eggs with the yolk all the way cooked through and his toast with melted butter. He's sometimes picky about the food that he eats, so when he asks for something good like this - we are happy to oblige. For how picky he is about dinner, he's kind of a breakfast guy! He likes almost all breakfast food and he eats a lot of it. 

Christmas Set-up!

Setting up for Christmas is one of our favorite traditions. Christmas music in the background, everyone helping to bring our Christmas bins up from the basement, the lingering satisfaction of a lovely Thanksgiving with family and good food. (Being of the portion of people that wait until the weekend after Thanksgiving to set up Christmas, of course.) The excitement of the kids and the festiveness of the decorations is just something really special. We didn't get many pictures of the setup this year, but we are already enjoying the Christmas Spirit that is filling our house. 

We tried a new placement for our tree this year, right in the center of the wall, and we really like it! 

We've been reading books by the tree, snuggling under it in the mornings before it's light outside, and drinking hot chocolate/apple cider by it before bedtime. I decided that I wanted to read the Book of Mormon before Christmas, and I've been waking up early to read by the light of the Christmas Tree and it's been so peaceful and nice. 


Austin has been so excited about Christmas and he wanted to be the one to wrap the first present to place under the tree. He knew what he wanted to buy and he enlisted David's help to wrap it and was eager to place it under the tree. 

Our Christmas season has officially begun! 

Homeschool November

We had a great homeschooling month this month. Sometimes it's hard to stay consistent during the holidays, but I feel like we are in a good routine and have enjoyed our time together this month. 

Austin has been waking up early to do his piano, which makes such a big difference in our day. He is especially loving playing by candlelight before the sun comes up. Austin is working hard and has such an incredible brain. I love watching him make connections as he learns new things and improves his skills. 

Lydia counting her money that she made from family ecomony and a dog sitting job. #financialliteracy 

Lydia also is taking a Makerspace class at Thanksgiving Point and she had a presentation day where we got to come see a coding/virtual reality project that she's been working on. While Lydia is at Makerspace, most days I've been taking the kids to the Children's museum to play. Lucy particularly has been enjoying that. 

The weather has been so beautiful and we found a new huge park that the kids love to go to. We are doing mini-coop on Thursdays with Austin, Caleb and two friends - and it's been fun to go with them. 


Also at mini coop this month we decided to have a "100s Party". Caleb reached lesson #100 in his book and requested this special party, so we learned about the number 100, had a 100 snack, watched a 100 movie, counted to 100 in as many different ways as we could, and made 100 cookies. It was a pretty good day. 

Caleb amazes me every time we do a math lesson. I constantly ask myself "Did we already learn this" because it seems to come so easy to him, like he already knows it. But I realize he doesn't, and we are just laying a solid math foundation for him. 

We've been enjoying reading books by the Christmas Tree. 

Lydia and Austin have been working hard on their Christmas Recital piano pieces. I'm really proud of both of them and their efforts and improved skills. 

We had a November coop Thanksgiving Party put on by Lydia and her events class. It was incredible! I'm so glad that we have other people who can step in and create neat opportinities for our kids. (I was increidbly grateful that I was not in charge of the activity and amazed at how great the activity was.) 

We've been seeking for a community and I feel like we are making progress! SPARK coop has been a good addition to our homeschool and our Field Trip groups is growing! 

It's sometimes hard to manage how many people are part of the group.  We went on a beautiful fall hike together (pictured above) - over 50 people came. We went to the Aquarium  (below) and only two other families came.  However, I've decided that this year is a gathering year and next year may be a sifting year. This year we are gathering as many people as we can and hoping that we find people that want to stay and attend regularly.

And speaking of gathering, I've been working hard to cultivate relationships and community with the other homeschool moms in my spehere. I'm putting myself out there and I'm making extra efforts to connect and surround myself with other women who can support and lift me up in the efforts I'm making in our homeschool.