Our First Week Back To School!!!!!

We had our first week back!!! It was a full week to say the least! The kids have so many new things to get used to this year so it was a learning experience. I am sure after a few weeks it will all be second nature and we will be good to go!

Here is the first picture of the new school year! The boys look like they are ready to go back to bed.

Skyler looks kind of happy at least. This is the first year we will start out with The Thinking Tree products. We used some stuff at the end of last school year but this will be the first time they are a big part of their school.

Skyler used a drawing book because she wanted her cat to be realistic, then she added a donut shirt so not quite sure where she was going with that!

Fox will hopefully be completing a few different science kits for the physics unit this is what he chose to start off with. I hope it comes out good because it looks amazing.

Both Fox and Skyler enjoy the ball to sit on. They wiggle quite a bit and it seems to help with their concentration so I am  fine with it.

Damian still hates pictures the poor kid.

This is one of her science type books she reads for her Kitty Doodle Journal.

Wednesday is big cat day for Skyler. She uses the drawing and research handbooks that are made by The Thinking Tree to learn about big cats. On this day she does not do her journal. She picks one of the big cats researches it, does the pages and then finds videos for it. I think her tiger is amazing!

Here she is doing the Web Game Design Class from The Teachers Schoolhouse site and using the free program scratch.

His roller coaster may take a while there seem to be quite a few pieces.

This is how I found Skyler Friday afternoon. She started her week with cats and apparently finishes it off with one as well. HAPPY BACK TO SCHOOL EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

My School Room Is Ready

Well I finally got my schoolroom together and organized for the new year! It usually takes all summer. I go through every little thing to see what we still can use what we can't and all that. So standing in my doorway this is what you will see. I just walked around the room taking pictures of everything.

When you turn the corner after walking in you see all this nature type stuff. The majority of the things the kids have collected over the years except for the rocks. The rocks which grew to a BIG collection have found there new homes outside in the fairy gardens. Now if you look past that you see another room that looks kind of schoolish. It is an extra little room, I believe it is suppose to be a dining room maybe since there is a built in china cabinet but we use it for something else. More on that later. 

These are the planets Fox hung for me because apparently every school room needs planets hanging from the ceiling. And as always our Magic School Bus. That school bus has hung in every school room they have ever had. They are big lovers of The Magic School Bus and will still even watch the movies!

So a bit further in...

You will see this. I just realized how filthy my windows are but I cannot keep the kids from touching them so I gave up a long time ago! This area is more nature science type stuff. All about animals, space, the ocean, rocks, volcanoes and of course bugs. Fox will always be BUG BOY!!!! The pizza box in the window is actually a solar oven not a dirty did not throw away box!

Little close up. They still have Lakeshore Learnings boxes of bugs, frogs, lizards and many other things. These are things the kids will never let me get rid of. There are also rock and mineral sets.

This little cubby is ocean on top and space on the bottom! My kids love both!

On to the TV area. The shelves have various pieces of pottery Skyler has made over the years. I have had to actually pack some away because there was so much. I believe some of my older daughter Devlin has some of her pieces up there as well. There are music instruments, a basket of educational type movies too. 

Now moving on over you see mostly art and writing type items. There are books about art, artists, music and musicians. There are poetry books and writer help type books as well. Of course there is more pottery too! 

In the baskets there are different art prints and drawing type books too. 

Moving on over there are more science type things and math. Behind that big body book are bunches of math books.

Those drawers house bunches of math and science stuff!

My huge shelf!! Books books and more books!!! Yes many many many science kits as well. I may have an addiction....

A few years ago we did Magic School based all around Harry Potter. It took forever collecting these books and making others so they will most likely never leave either. 

The monster book is my favorite book! I printed the whole monster book from the Harry Potter yahoo group for this!

Moving on, we get to geography. It has well, all things geography! 

This cool little basket has books about games around the world,dancing and even fables. I really like this little basket!

I have many books about Christmas around the world. These however are Christmas in the U.S.A. books. All kinds of books based on different states. 

These are my once beautiful continent boxes. Sadly they became a cats scratching post and I have yet to replace them. They are packed with all kinds of odds and ends from other continents. We have collected this type of stuff for years since my oldest was tiny.

Now onto that other little room. My desk lives here as well as my computer. The coke box is my dogs toy box. 

The kids workboxes live here as well. 

Over to the side you have the little kid area. I no longer have little kids myself but my adopted daughter Hannah has a step-daughter who is here every other week. So of course she needs a spot of her own as well!!

Now remember that built in china cabinet I mentioned? Well we use it as an art/game cabinet! The top has all the art stuff and below are all the games!

This is the kiddos movie cabinet but the top are where all my Dr. Seuss characters live. I have collected these for a long time as well. 

This is my basket! It has all my books and my Thinking Tree Journals in it. My pens, markers and crayons stay in this basket and they are not to ever be used by anyone but me!! That is about it for my schoolroom. It is my favorite part of the house!

Back To School Party!!!

     Well, Monday is our first day of the new school year so we of course had to have a party! Nothing says party like tons of junk food. 

They also for sure needed that typical brown bagged lunch and pouch juice drink.

We didn't have any guests this year so my kiddos were not as goofy as usual but I still got some pictures to humiliate them in years to come. That is the moms job is it not?

The boys are about fed up with a camera stuck in their face every waking moment. I am not a photographer by any means but I love taking pictures of my kids!!

It is hard to believe that is my baby! Even harder to believe I got pictures with no cat ears on, for that is rare!

My baby boy, Fox. Some days he never stops smiling some days he fights me over smiling. 

My BIG boy! He actually attempted a smile for me so I cannot be too upset. His smiles are hard won. They happen whenever he feels the urge.

Then there were three..... I miss having more in this all together picture. My oldest girl is a big time college girl now and wouldn't come for pictures. That is all right though, because I still have a beautiful picture of her!!

She is in her second year of college!!!! I am just a tad bit proud!!!

Now for some party pictures....

These two scarfed down their lunch to get to their sweets, Damian rushed off to be on the Xbox so no pictures of him. 

Fox really is my junk food junkie so he goes all out when he is cut loose!

That sundae even scares me!

At least Skyler was willing to take a goofy picture for me!

My centerpiece. 

My totally awesome chalkboard find!!! Every year for our party I paint place mats with chalk paint they usually last the party then go in the trash because the paint peels. I was totally over the moon to find these chalk boards to use from now on!!! 

I wish they were a bit bigger but I am still happy! I also love my little trays I found this year as well. I am always on the hunt for stuff I can use as party decorations for my back to school!

Well that is about it for our party. I hope everyone has a great start to their school year!!!!