A World without walls
everyday life while homeschooling overseas
Well, there's not a whole lot going on at our house right now. We finished another week of school with lots of little and big successes, funny moments, and frustrating times...which is really what life is made up of, right?
This week is a holiday week. Yesterday, Devin had the day off, since we were celebrating Columbus day. Hooray! We've been discovered! :) We spent the morning doing some cleaning and organizing (I can't help it--it's what I like to do!!!!!)--I was getting out the winter clothes and swapping the summer clothes out. I know it's still in the upper 70's, but it's getting cooler, and it's nice to have long sleeves. However, as we were doing this, I noticed that one of the shirts Josh put on was like 3/4 sleeves. So, I made him put on another one with the same result. In the end, we found that only 3 of his shirts remotely fit. What??!? I just bought these last fall! They're size 10-12--it should fit for awhile! Then, in a panic, I did the unthinkable: I wrote on the walls! Yes, I measured the kids against a wall. I haven't done it before because I know we'll be moving always, but I decided it's time. I'll take a picture before we magic eraser it off. I found that Josh is only 2 inches shorter than me. He wears the same shoe size AND the same shirt size as me. I don't know how I feel about this. Devin was tinkering around with the computer, so I decided to take Josh and Devika down to a local market to find some second hand clothes for Josh and for Claire (who is wearing all size 7-8 clothes right now, and while they sort of mostly fit, she's growing like a weed, too, and won't fit these clothes next year). We had a great time and found Josh some fun shirts. We also found a few for Claire and some pj pants for me. I spent less than 20JD ($30) for 6 new shirts and a nice hoodie jacket for Josh, 2 shirts for me, 2 shirts for Claire, a wool sweater for Claire, and 2 pair of pj pants for me. Not bad for an hour in a 2km long garage sale! :) It was a fun place and one that I will go back to, and bring friends!! Way better than ordering online! :) (Cheaper, too...clothes are so expendable) After shopping at the market, we took the kids swimming at the pool, then we went to the Burger Shack (aka Fatty Dabs)--BEST place to eat in Jordan! :) On Sundays, their 'small' meal is only 3JD! WOW! I like this place because not only are all the guys who work there super friendly (and speak English without any accent! It's impressive!), but their hamburgers are made from actual hamburger meat that they make while you watch...plus the french fries are actual potatoes that, again, they make while you watch! AND they do lettuce wraps and it's really good. :) We like them. It was a good Columbus Day. Today, well, this morning I got up to Peter who came in to tell me that his turtle smiled at him. He was so happy. He said, "Mommy, My turtle smiled at me! I looked at him like this (*scowly face here*), and he did this (*huge cheesy smile with dimples here*)!" It cracked me up. The silliness didn't end, though, as I came into the kitchen and Andrew was very focused on the rail where the sliding glass door to the back patio is. He was looking very hard, then saw me come in, and said, "Hi Mom! I'm hypnotizing an ant! He just keeps walking back and forth because I hypnotized him! Isn't that funny?" Boy, that kid cracks me up! Claire notified us today that she's NEVER going to move away. We told her that once she turns 24, the government won't see her as a dependent any more, so she'll have to go to work to pay her plane ticket so she can move to different posts with us, and she was very upset by that. Ha! We shall see. We ended up having another lovely day, though. The kids and I did some basic school this morning...math, spelling, handwriting, etc. Then we went off to the embassy to get some ice cream with Devin (two of the kids got free ice cream, so we wanted to redeem that). We picked up the mail, then met some friends at the park so we could all play together. We played for a few hours, then went to their house to make homemade donuts and watch a movie. Another fun and successful 'best day ever'. In other news, Josh has shown a surprising increase in personal responsibility. I've been very impressed as I've begun placing more of his schooling, etc., on his shoulders, that he has really risen to the task. As I've talked with Devin about this, we have felt like he's shown enough of that personal discipline that we can let him take the music lessons that he's wanted to take for so long! So, starting Saturday, he'll be the newest violin student in the family! I feel really good about the place where he'll be taking lessons. I really like the owners. They are a family business and are very warm and friendly and welcoming. I think Josh will do well there. And along those lines, I may be teaching clarinet again! I mentioned that I play, and they asked if I'd be willing to teach! It's not a very common instrument, but now that they have me, they're going to advertise that they have a teacher, and I get to pick my hours! I'm excited! We shall see! So, Columbus Day was yesterday, today Devin was back to work...and the rest of this week is Eid, so no more work! :) We get a 5 day
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It's quiet reading time at our house... My favorite half hour of the day! Claire is enjoying her book at her desk while the two older boys enjoy the library. Andrew loves this time as he can sit back and enjoy a massage while he reads! Ha! Perhaps I'm being a bit silly, but I think sitting at the park in Amman, Jordan and being able to update my blog is pretty much the coolest thing ever. Love my new toy! What could be better after a morning of school than a glorious afternoon at the park making volcanoes? So, it seems we are back in the swing of things...or as much as you can be when you're homeschooling 4 kids! :) Our first official day went really well--in actuality, we've been doing school now for quite awhile, but since it was all during our vacation time, we had to have a 'beginning' at home, too. That makes it feel more like we can be official, and the kids don't get too upset about it. I gave them a few days off when we got home, then on our 'first' day, we all sat down and had a planning meeting together. I had them tell me what our days should comprise of and when those subjects should happen. I was pleasantly surprised at their answers and reactions. They noted all the major and minor subjects, gave them days and time slots, and haven't moaned about it since! As a matter of fact, THEY remind ME sometimes! :) Claire and Josh have decided to take on Peter's preschool education, so they have 'Peter Preschool' every afternoon. Peter LOVES his time with his big brother and sister. They're doing the letter 'A' this week, and today, Josh took it upon himself to help Peter make applesauce because that starts with 'A'! They peeled and cut all the apples. I was impressed! :) It was really yummy, too! :) Yesterday, I took the kids to the pool for the afternoon. It was a glorious sunshiny day! I also got my iPhone up and running! Hooray! It works! I love seeing that little Zain JO up in the corner and knowing that I can use it as an actual phone now! Woohoo! I was SO worried about that the whole time we were in the states, especially after the whole fiasco with the first one. Whew. So, that's happy. In other news, Devin got a haircut today: No, I didn't let him leave the house like that. Sometimes the poor guy gets really desperate for a haircut. There's a decent barber at the embassy and he's pretty cheap, but I think Devin still prefers that I do it. Anyway, he was getting a little annoyed at the hair on his neck, and it looks like he decided to just keep going a little further. Ugh!! I couldn't help it, I laughed like crazy. I was tempted to let him go to his branch presidency meeting and subsequently to work tomorrow like that, but, well, I sort of like the guy, so I had to help him out. Ha! Now it looks a little better: and he's a little happier. So silly. What lengths he won't go to to get me to cut his hair... |
Who Am I?
As a Stay At Home Mom of 4 wonderful children, I have the amazing opportunity not only to home school them, but to do so in many different places! I am married to the most amazingly wonderful (and handsome) man in the whole world! Together, we seek out, every day, that Joy in the Journey that makes life exciting! Archives
November 2020
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Emily's books
by Dan Brown
I like that the plot twists and turns a lot...and it makes you think. However, I don't appreciate Dan Brown's endings in his books. I find the endings incongruent with the rest of his stories--why make it a romance for the last chapter...
by Shannon Hale
I loved this book. I'm a sucker for fairy tales/fantasy. This was so well written! I can't wait to read all the rest of her books!
by Shannon Hale
I'm reading this one again. I liked it the first time I read it. I'm still liking it for the second time around. I like all of Shannon Hales' books.
**Still lots of fun the second time around! I do like this book for a comfortable...
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