Slices of Life

I've had some pretty great books to read this month.  I found a few new authors to try and some "new to me" books from some of my favorite authors.  I either get books through the local library, inter-library loan, or for free on my Kindle.  The Island House by Nancy Thayer-- Of course this book takes place on the island of Nantucket.  It follows one family and all of their friends through a pivotal summer that changes all of their lives.  I just love how deeply all the family relationships are outlined and the way they always ban together during tough times. A Bend in The Road by Nicholas Sparks-- When one deputy finally puts his life back together after tragically loosing his wife in a hit and run it all threatens to fall apart as evidence arises pointing to his wife's killer. While I'm Falling by Laura Moriarty-- One young struggling college student finds that her family is not always able to bail her out.  The year her parents go through their

I try so hard as a mom to keep my kids healthy.  Of course, that doesn't always work.  We all have bouts of illnesses from time to time. I try really hard though to make sure my kids eat right, get lots of fresh air and exercise, and educate them about their bodies and the choices they make.   I hope that these practices will help keep us in good health. October is healthy lung month and while I am not a doctor or a nurse I know how important healthy lungs are!  Today I am teaming up with the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance to bring you some important information about lung health. We know how important lung health is firsthand.  When Evan was a baby he was hospitalized for RSV and for the next several years he came down with pneumonia ever winter.  We were told the RSV had weakened his lungs a bit. When Ian was younger he had a touch of sports induced asthma  and we often had inhalers around for emergency use.  Thankfully, they  have both seem to have outgrown these problems.  Asthma

We took this week off from our school work.  We knew we'd probably spend one day working on our science fair presentations but other than that we set our books aside for some fall family fun.  Monday we went trick or treating at the zoo and watched all the animals.  Tuesday we headed to Great Wolf Lodge New England and spent both Tuesday and Wednesday enjoying a fun mini vacation with other homeschooling family and friends.  The rest of our weekly plans were canceled when we had an unexpected injury and a bout of  illness-- always a sure sign that we all just need to rest and relax.  So we took two days to just lay around the house, watching TV and resting. Art:  Evan and I made our own Harry Potter wands on Friday.  We found a few smooth and straight sticks, added some decorations using hot glue and then painted them. Geography:  The boys and I played a game of Brain Quest States Game . Math:  The boys all completed another set of pages in Multiplication games.  I

We had a chance to enjoy an overnight stay at Great Wolf Lodge.  We've been a few times before but this time was a little extra special since we were visiting in October and got to take part in all of their fun Halloween celebrations. We always arrive around 1 on the day of check- in since we can use the water park right away.  We spent a few hours playing in the water and going on all the slides.  It was so fun walking around and seeing all the Halloween decorations everywhere.  Even our wolf ears were bright orange this time! We had dinner in our room and then the younger boys dressed in their costumes for some trick or treating through the hotel.  They had 6 candy stations set up throughout the lobby, shops, and arcades.   We enjoyed some time on the ropes course and then the boys wanted to go back to the water park and ride a few of the water slides in the dark.  At the last minute Alec decided not to join them since all the bathing suits were cold and wet.  He brought down his

This week's list assignment: l ist of conversational favorites was so simple and fun.... because I was offered a copy/paste list to respond to (and add to).   So here it goes: Favorites  -  Favorite Color - Blue Favorite Season - Fall  Favorite Holiday - Thanksgiving Favorite Book - (changes often) but currently it's Flight Patterns  Favorite Movie - (also changes often) currently it's How to Loose a Guy in 10 Days Favorite Flower - Hydrangea  Either  /  Or  -  (Share your preference) Bath or Shower - Bath for relaxing; shower for cleaning  Coffee, Tea or Cocoa-  Iced tea or hot cocoa  Mountains or Beach-  Beach Vintage or Modern-  Um... both? Movie or Book- Always a book!  Store Bought or Handmade- Handmade Meats or Veggies or both- Veggies  Homebody or Social Butterfly- Homebody  Creature of Habit or Spur of the Moment- Creature of Habit Picnic or Restaurant - Picnic  City or Country- Country A few More: Hugs or Kisses- Hugs Early bird

I was feeling pretty guilty that we hadn't done any decorating for fall or Halloween.  My boys didn't want to carve pumpkins and while they were open to idea of painting pumpkins, I never got around to buying any. I saw a cute bat painting project on-line and thought my boys would enjoy this quick, Halloween themed craft. It was perfect for our 100 Days of Art Challenge and so much fun! I printed out some bat templates, cut 2-3 bats per person and put a few small pieces of rolled painters tape on the back. I had the boys arrange their bats however they'd like and then set about setting up paints and brushes.  I asked them each to pick a few colors to paint with and got everything all set up. I reminded them to use the bats like a stencil and work from the inside outward (since I did not and found that paint leaked under the paper bats). They gradually filled paint in along the whole background and we gently peeled the bats off of th