sometimes smart people do dumb things

Yep, this could have been the one lined caption to my weekend. Sometimes smart people do dumb things. Dumb thing number one is that hubby and I accidentally became landlords three years ago. It's a long story, but involved a work transfer from Indiana to Florida, a house in Indiana that wouldn't sell and a baby boy that was going to be born anytime. So, we reluctantly with fingers crossed became landlords.

Fast forward three years and we still have a house that won't sell. It went back on the market this past Monday. Hopefully, this story will come to a tidy close in the next month or two or three. If not, the story will get interesting again.... We try to focus on the tidy version.

There was a tremendous amount of cleaning and painting to do this weekend. We currently live 4 + hours from the house so getting there is a bit of an ordeal and this was the only weekend we really wanted to work on it. Getting listed ASAP was essential!

It seemed like there was so much work to do, however I know from hearing stories from my dad and my father-in -law, the damage was minimal and I should have been thankful.

Yikes.
It was good to see this little wood burning on the back porch.

And to see that the little playhouse I built for Bee was in tack. I'll have to share pictures of that another time.

Here is another dumb thing. See these stairs and the tall walls. I decided to paint here. The area along the banister was filthy. Apparently people dragged their hands along both walls as they walked up the stairs. So I painted what was supposed to be the same color.

Wasn't the same color. I am only so tall. I realized pretty quickly this was dumb. Thankfully a tall friend with a fancy stair ladder showed up and saved the day on this one.

The carpets were pretty much like this, which frustrated me to no end. We were crazy about cleaning up (and really not making) messes on carpet. In fact, my water broke in this same room about 5 years ago. It was the middle of the night and I was quite in labor. I scrubbed the spot out before heading off to the hospital because I didn't want any stains. Had I known it was ok to spill your coffee and cokes on the carpet and walls and leave it, I just might have done that.

All of this hard work will wear a kid out! Look closely and you'll find two nappers in this picture!

The good news is that it's done, the best news is that it's listed. I can't wait to share very soon about how it sold so quickly. We are doing lots of praying. Should you be looking for a lovely home (with now clean carpet and freshly painted walls) on the south side of Indianapolis Indiana, let me know. I'd love to share more pictures with you . Good ones, no pop stained carpets.

Happy Father's Day

I've been missing around here lately. This is what I've been working on. This and our crazy weekend of work.

Hubby's family did not know a lot about their family tree. My dear hubby has really been wanting to know where his family immigrated from. So, Lou and I dropped Bee off at bible school this past week and hit the local genealogy library. We spent hours there and discovered some missing pieces. After I learned how to access census records and marriage records online I was also able to do some additional work at home. I found two lines that I was able to trace back pretty far. We discovered two immigrants from Ireland and one from England. There is a lot of work that can still be done here.

The census records are really neat. Of all the regular excepted data you can see, you also can learn the occupation of your family member. We had some street car conductors, farmers and a ditch digger.


If you're looking to do some of your own research, I highly recommend ancestory.com. It's pretty much like the free library program (that is only available at the library), but the home version. It is a little pricey for a years membership but it offers some really great features. It really helps you along the way and allows you to see other member's trees. I am still using the 14 day free trial, but might pay for a month or two at least while I plug in more pieces.

Hubby was really excited about his gift. He had no idea what I was doing on the computer so much this week.

blah

No post yesterday, minimal one today... I don't know why I'm tired this week. I don't like it. I usually have more energy than I know what to do with . Also, we have one of those weekends where it is going to be a super long weekend, but will be over before we know it and then we'll be tired and sore. There is painting, cleaning, and yard work involved. I hear there is mold too.

I'm working like crazy on hubby's father's day gift. He asked me to please not spend any money on it, so I had to be creative. I can't wait it show him what I have come up with!

That being said, I'm going to get back to work. Here are some pictures that are making me happy and slightly more energized.

other favorite preschool resources

Yesterday I wrote about a favorite math site I've used. I thought while I was going through my bookmarked favorite preschool links for a friend, I'd just share my favorites here. I often get asked where I get ideas for projects, activities, songs, etc that I use with the nature center or when I taught little people. Here are some websites that I have used and like. Also, you can find my archived preschool posts on the right hand side of this page under the label preschool.

no particular order, some are more user friendly and rich with ideas than others...

Everything Preschool (sorted by themes: songs, art, stories, activities, etc)
Pre-K pages (excellent site with all sorts of resources. Sorted by theme and/or by skill)
Can Teach (songs and poems)
DLTK (by letter/theme)
Kids Craft Ideas (letters, nursery rhymes, holidays)
The Idea Box
Preschool Education (themes)
Gayle's Preschool Rainbow (songs and poems)
Toddler Toddler (crafts)
Artist helping kids (crafts)
Kinder By Kim (themed ideas and lots of class made books)

Blogs are were I get most of my ideas for activities I use with my own kids but many things would be great for classroom use also. Here are some blogs that I follow that are education/preschool related:
Teach Mama (a reading specialist mama who does a lot of literacy activities with her kids at home)
ABC 123 (collaborative effort- they generally choose and theme and people submit ideas)
counting coconuts (Montessori based)
no time for flashcards (preschool aged for sure- books and crafts that go with a theme or letter)
Filth Wizardry (hands on activities- more 'unschooling' than schooling)
4 Crazy kings (preschool things another mama does with her own kids as well as her own projects)
Confessions of a homeschooler
1+1+1=1 (more homeschooling resources)

Of course there are tons of other resources out there on line. I know there are. Do you have a favorite site I did not include? Are there other educational sites or blogs I should know about? Feel free to self promote your own blog if you think it has good preschool ideas!

my favorite math site

I just wanted to give a shout out to my favorite math web site. It's something I stumbled on about 9 years ago when it was first getting going. I've been using it ever since. If you have school age people at home, this is one you're going to want to bookmark. It's called The Math Worksheet site. Now, before I loose you with the whole 'worksheets aren't fun blah blah thinking,' just wait until you see what they have to offer.

I love how it started. It was a homeschooling dad that was looking for a resource for use at home. He created this generator to help him make work sheets for his kids, then shared it with other homeschoolers online. He was surprised when it was classroom teachers who were most interested. He's turned it into a full time deal for himself and offers now hundreds of kinds of sheets. I was a member once when I taught- allowing me to use the 220 additional member only styles. Without a membership you are still able to access lots of styles of sheets. For free, you can print off telling time, multiplication, measurement, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, graphing, fractions, mixed, and hundreds charts.

The best part is the customization. When I went to find addition sheets for this weeks school work, I got to choose from single digit or multiple digit, horizontal or vertical, carrying or no carrying. You can even choose which numbers you want in the sheet. I wanted low numbers since this is the first time Bee has seen a sheet like this. (Bee is using counters to solve her problems)

For my one level up math student, I allowed for some larger numbers, but still single digit.

For my oldest math student, I selected double digits with mixed carrying. All three of these were customizied and printed in under one minute! You can even select to print out an answer key.

When I taught in the public school, I did a lot of differentiation of work for my students. This was a life saver. I could mix and match and have 8 different levels of work going on at once with little extra work. I don't know what it costs now to be a member, but a number of years ago it was a real bargain.

A few quick thoughts on work sheets. I took one particular class in college that was uber anti-worksheet. I know the anti argument. I also see the necessity of them as well. While, I certainly don't do all instruction and assessments via worksheets, I see their importance in schooling. My biggest argument is that children are tested via paper and pencil assessments on state standardized tests so they need to practice on paper and pencil activities. Additionally, a hard copy of their work is an important element in accessing their performance. It's what parents want to see; it's concrete showing of performance. Anyway, I think they have their place in instruction and assessment and have found The Math Worksheet Site a valuable free resource.

garage sales and my entrepreneur

My whole neighborhood was supposed to have a garage sale this weekend. I think 8 people did. It's just as well, 8 was plenty for us for one morning. The back of my car is only so big. At some point we have to head home. I did manage to find a few goodies:

This wire basket brought back fond memories of my lifeguarding days. Actually, we used the old pool baskets upside down in the water for the kids to stand on during lessons. Safety first you know. Good grief, it's a surprise no one ever got tetanus standing on old rusty wire baskets. I had thought this could go in my sewing room but Lou took it to his room and filled it with monster trucks.


Plate for tea parties, wooden spools, yarn for this project.

Best find of the day- canner and rack. I've been patiently searching for months. Found it today for $4.
This adorable coat is for Bee... in like three years. It was so cute and in great shape and a steal, I won't mind storing it for a few seasons.

My entrepreneur Bee sold cookies and homemade pretzels and hydrangea flowers. Lou sold kettle corn. She set up at our neighbors house. Bee made almost $10. I think she did as much trading as selling; she came home with several little toys. She's saving for a Nintendo DS. I only agreed because I thought there was no way that a 4 year old could save up over $100. She only makes 35 cents a day for doing her chores. I may be proved wrong soon.

I got a really neat student desk that I plan to show later in the week. It makes my happy.

giveaway- the big reveal

I used random number generator to find the winner of our giveaway.

And the winner is..... number 8

Who is 8?

Julia who said... "Hi, Beth...I want to join the give away...Cousin Julia"

So, Yeah, my cousin won. My sister in law won my first giveaway. Luckily someone I didn't know won the second one. Otherwise this would look like a total conspiracy. In all fairness, I am related to 7 of the 23 entrants... chance were good that it might happen. I can't wait to hear what she uses her certificate for.

unrelated photo: My kids got to catch lightening bugs for maybe the first time ever. In my defense, we didn't have them in Florida. Plus, they are usually in bed about 7:30.

oh those lemon cookies

Don't forget to enter the giveaway. Click here to enter to win a 40$ gift certificate! (ends 6/11)

Did you ever try those lemon cookies that the girl scouts peddled a few years back. I've scoured the nation and can't find them being carried anymore. I now have a pretty close replacement. My Grandma gave me this recipe. I can't believe I've been holding onto it for so long without trying.

Oh, I love lemon, lemon cookies
1 box lemon cake mix
2 c. whip topping -thawed
1 egg
powdered sugar

mix cake mix, whip topping, and egg. It is a thick and sticky batter. Wash you hands and remove rings, you're about it get into this mess. We found that if you put powdered sugar on your fingers before the next step, it helps. Roll batter into balls gently with your fingertips. Roll in powdered sugar.
Bake 12ish minutes at 350 degrees.

I'm guessing you could use all kinds of cake mix. Yum, I'm thinking about all the possibilities.