We'll just call her Elphaba from now on

This is the exact reason why Kate doesn't go to bed earlier than the other two kiddos:






I love that she actually looked ashamed for a moment in that picture. And, since I'm sure you're wondering, NO, it didn't come off in the bath. She's still plenty green today.

I'm not sure where exactly she found the paint, since it is a standing rule in our house that art supplies are not allowed up in the bedrooms. For those of you that followed my HSB blog, you will remember why:



Can I count that as "art" on our homeschool log?

At the Well: Sweet Talk

I'm taking a break from my Olympics-induced, coffee-slash-sleep-deprivation-euphoria to join in with the gals At the Well today. (Have I ever mentioned I start using big words when I'm tired? Yep, I actually sound smarter when I'm exhausted. Not quite sure that I like what that says about me.)

As soon as I saw the topic for today, I knew exactly what I wanted to talk about. When it comes to sweet-talking your spouse, I don't know any better than my Aunt Ruth. Ruth is a mama to six, a grandmother to four, and a lady who longs to know the heart of Jesus like no one I've ever met. I could go on and on about how she inspires me to worship, how welcome she makes me feel in her home, how transparent she is about her weaknesses...but one thing that is truly evident to me is how much she loves her man. Uncle Aaron has always been one of my heroes anyway, but she makes it clear that he's also her hero.

You see, one of the things that Ruth has taught me is that it's not only important to sweet-talk to your man. It's also important to sweet-talk about your man. Let other people know what you appreciate about him. If he's within earshot, even better! If someone else says something good about him when he's not there, make sure to tell him!

I think one of the reasons this works so well is that it takes away the pressure to reciprocate. If your husband's anything like mine, you try to sweet-talk him and you get one of two things: a grunt as he changes the channel, or one of those awkward compliments like, "Well...uh...gee, your hair smells terrific." That's just not the way he's wired. But talk about him, and he can just sit and enjoy!

How do you sweet-talk your man? Cindy Beall is hosting At the Well this week...head over to her place and let us know!

Wordless Wednesday

More Wordless Wednesdays here

20 Fun Links For You!

We're in full "back-to-school" mode here, which of course means trying to figure out why the printer isn't working and wondering where on earth that teacher's manual has gotten to. Here are a few of the links that we're utilizing in our home this week.

E-Books

I'm not usually a big fan of ebooks. I like to have something printed in my hand. But here are a few neat site for those of you without library access. (Or in need of something to help you sleep!)

Planet eBook- Free downloads of classic literature. Extremely readable print.

Read Print- Online classic literature and author biographies.

Full Books- Lots of harder-to-find online books.

Bibliomania- Online classic texts, study guides, interviews, poetry, short stories...

Diploma Guide's Archives- List of sites for free, unabridged online books. Links at the bottom for audio books!

And if you're having trouble deciding what to read:

100 Best Novels- Two Lists from The Modern Library, one from their board and one by readers.

Some more word fun:

Dr. Grammar's Frequently Asked Questions- Quick answers to those grammar questions that you usually don't think to ask, but your kids always will.

Etymologic- Touted as "the toughest etymology game on the Web." For word-geeks like me, pure bliss.

Chores & Housekeeping

Chore "Time Cards"- This download from Happy to be at Home is different than anything I've seen when it comes to chores.

Cooking & Recipes

World Hearth Recipe Collection- Recipes organized by country. This would be great for unit studies!

Chocolate Cake in 5 minutes in your microwave- I haven't tried this yet, but I'm just one "He's looking at me" fight away.

History & Geography

Outline Maps of Ancient Greece and Egypt- free downloadable pdf

Just Maps- Maps from anywhere in the world. Flags by country.

Art & Music

Musicovery- I can't even begin to describe how neat this site is. Basically, you pick your mood, what genres you'd like to listen to, which decades of music, and how far outside your circle of favorites you'd like to go. What you end up with is kind of a road map of music. Depending on which song you listen to, it will lead to other choices you might like. Unlike other online radio programs, it shows several choices at a time so you end up seeing music you wouldn't have thought to add in. Like Dr. John's Iko Iko. (What on earth is this song about, anyway???)

Sand Dancer- This guy's art is amazing! Think...crop circles in the sand.

This one doesn't have a title, but it's an amazing piece of art. See how many historical figures you can pick out. I was amazed at how many my kids knew! Click to zoom.

Their Circular Life- See and hear a full "day in the life" from a fixed point. Great to teach your kids observation. (Which means, great to sit your preschooler in front of while you're trying to cook and tell them "watch this and let mommy know if something moves.")

Art.com ArtPad- Make yourself a masterpiece. My kiddos love this one!

Amazing Stairs- Exactly what it sounds like. I especially like the bookshelf stairs.

Write Like an Egyptian- Your name in Hieroglyphs. Boy, I'm glad we don't do this today. I'm not much of an artist. People would have been mispronouncing my name all over the place.


Happy Surfing!

How you know the grammar lessons are stinking...er, sticking

Overheard at our house today:

"Hey, poop is a noun!"


(And of course, the only good "homeschool mom" answer:

Why, yes it is! And how do we turn it into a verb?)

The Simple Woman's Daybook- 8/4/08

For more daybook entries, click on the graphic to visit ~The Simple Woman~

Outside My Window... it is going to be a hot August day! I need to get outside in a few minutes and water my plants while it's still relatively cool.

I am thinking... of what a wonderful quiet time I had this morning. I'm following along with Prairie Chick on her Scripture schedule this week. This morning's reading was Genesis 39. The story of Joseph has always been one of my very favorites, but I gleaned a lot out of it this morning that I hadn't seen before.

I am thankful for... having the freedom to teach my children at home, especially as the public schools begin another year here today.

From the kitchen... a "use up the leftovers" day!

I am wearing... my pajamas. My clothes didn't get fully dried in the drier last night and I'm still waiting on them.

I am creating... lesson plans, chore charts, and checklists for the kids' schoolwork.

I am going... to the library today with the kids to find some books on explorers.

I am reading... The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

I am hoping... that even though I didn't get much sleep last night, I can stay on track today.

I am hearing... the air conditioner running...already!

Around the house... The girls are playing quietly in the living room, and Ben is still asleep upstairs.

One of my favorite things... is cuddling with my kids in the morning. Kate woke up early today and we snuggled together and watched a Blue's Clues video.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:
~ Moving back toward our school routine.
~ Possible company for Friday night dinner.
~ Printing off a few pictures, and inviting a friend over this weekend so that we can work on our scrapbooks together.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...(add your picture here)

That's "Dr. Lily," working her magic. Poor Kate was hornet stung last night while we were walking, and Lily was trying to cheer her up. Evidently it worked well, because Kate seems to be doing fine today!