Where did the week go??

Things kind of fell apart for me over the last few days.  I have been struggling for a while with the consequences of my hysterectomy, not that I would change anything.  I wouldn't go back and change a thing, I just didn't realize the possibility of being thrown into menopause and having to deal with all that that entails.  Oh well, I'm not the first woman to go through it and I'll definitely not be the last, I just pray that my family can survive it.

I have been taking pics, just not posting them.  I've been schooling the kids, just taking no joy in it.  I've been working, but my attitude stinks.  I've been doing things with my husband, wishing he would just let me go back to bed and sleep some more.  Hunter has had some more snow days, I told him if they cancel again I'll just be dropping him off anyway; he disrupts our day.  So obviously, I've been a pleasure to be around!!!

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 Everyone is hoping that this will help; they might be planning my demise as I type.

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On the way to work, where I go to hide.

We have a couple of reviews we are working on, one is an art program that the kids are really enjoying.  Look for a review of Artistic Pursuits, coming soon.  The other is an interesting program called Reading Kingdom which Ry is liking and Sissy is loving, that review will also be coming soon.  Koty is working on a couple of reviews too, I'm going to have him help write them, I think it will be a great opportunity for him to work on his writing skills.

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Koty's take on Impressionistic art.

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Sissy's take on Impressionism.  We are unable to share Rylan's as he decided to add a gun and blood to his, making it inappropriate and unacceptable, he is such a BOY!

I am also worried about something else,  the SUN disappeared, it is seriously MIA! (If you know where it is, please let me know.)  We haven't seen it in at least 5 days, it has been icy, snowy, cloudy, rainy, foggy and just plain depressing around here.  I am officially ready for spring.

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The fog has been so thick the last couple of days that I've been struggling with my photographs.  I love the depth that it adds, but I'm not sure if I captured what I was going for.

I found the reflection of the limbs in the water interesting and eyecatching, once again the fog was impeding or maybe it was enhancing; I'm just not sure.

One of the highlights of our week was Hunter's Taekwondo tournament.  He did great and was an awesome competitor.  It is so interesting to watch these tournaments, the judges can be really awesome or they can really suck.  I wasn't sure about Hunter's until after he competed, this judge pulled one of the other competitors aside.  The kid hadn't done very well and had gotten some really poor scores,  the judge was taking the time to build this kid back up and encourage him in his efforts.  It was awesome to witness, a judge can really make or break the experience for these kids; so I loved that he made the effort.  He was very stern, but also very caring.

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Well, I think I hit all of the highlights of what amounted to a very stressful week.  Honestly, it was only stressful in my eyes, it was pretty uneventful in everyone elses.  I'm working on that, I really am!  I plan on getting back to my daily Project 365 posts, sorry about the mega post.

Project 365/50

It was raining on my way to work tonight. I hate when that happens, I want to be home, curled up in bed and listening to the rain. I love the sound of rain on the windows, which is weird, usually any type of repetitive noise drives me bonkers!  I was snapping these as I was driving, can't say that I really recommend that, but I managed.

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project 365/49

I've been seeing all of these great shots of the moon and thought I would give it a try. I can't believe how awesome they turned out.  I played with the Kelvin settings, ISO and shutter priority.  I wish I could say what that all means, but I'm still learning.  I'm pretty sure I lucked into these.

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Reluctant Reader Solution by Kid Scoop-TOS Review

As a member of the TOS Review Crew, I received an awesome new product that helps you encourage your child to read and write, all while having a great time.  The Reluctant Reader Solution by Kid Scoop, created by Vicki Whiting, offers a 2-part program that helps you encourage and enable your child to engage with reading material.

Part One includes a download of a full years supply of worksheets, divided into topics with approx. 6 pages per topic.  From holidays to sports, animals to food, the Reluctant Reader solution has topics to meet all kids interests.  As the teacher you have two ways to use these; using the chronological calendar, holiday's and special events will be highlighted; using themes, you can pick and choose themes that complement you studies.

Packed with games, writing prompts and encouragement to read outside materials, each of these packets are stand alone studies.  We loved them, they are fun and engaging.  We used random themes rather than chronologically, but I can definitely see the benefit of both ways.  Head over here to download a sample topic to get a great idea of what is offered.  The great part about this is that once you download its yours to continue to use with as many students as you have.

Part 2 of the RR Solution is the down-loadable magazine.  When you buy the RR you receive a 12-month subscription to the Kidscoop news, a full color online magazine.  You can either allow your child to read it online or print off the magazine to use in quiet time or as an incentive to finish work on time.  Once again, each of these can be downloaded and saved for later, even when you don't have internet access.  The audio only works online though, but for my reluctant reader, this really didn't seem to matter.


Now, onto the specifics.  The Reluctant Reader solution, both parts, costs $97.  I personally didn't find this cost prohibitive, simply because I see the ability to download and reuse with multiple students as a huge bonus!  The other thing that makes it worth it is the 100% money back guarantee that the site offers.  Not happy, refund; don't see a difference, refund; doesn't work for your particular student, refund!  You really can't go wrong when you order this product, you have a 365 day, 100% reason to give it a try; you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Now, my family is weird  unique.  Things that work for us, might not work for others; don't just count on this family's opinion.  Head over here to see how other crew member's and their unique families put Kid Scoop and the Reluctant Reader Solution to the test.

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{As a member of the TOS Review Crew, I received the Reluctant Reader Solution from Kid Scoop, free of charge for the purpose of review.  I received no other compensation and was not required to write a positive review.}

Project 365/48

If you follow me at all, you know that our family has a love affair with the outdoors. We go to the zoo and our local nature centers often....I mean a LOT! We love every second of it and will go in any type of weather. Today was one of those rare 70 degree days, that gives you a taste of Spring, right before it rips the carpet out from under you.  We desperately needed to get some sun,  I especially needed some fresh air.

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Burr Oaks Nature Center

Even though it was cloudy and windy we decided to head over to the Conservation center to walk around and play for awhile.  The whole area is going through a meltdown, the creeks were running, the moss was rich and green.  We had such a wonderful time wandering around and watching for animals or birds.  We never saw any, turns out that a loud 7 year old is a deterrent to actually seeing any wildlife.  Who knew???

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Project 365/45

Took these on the way to work tonight.

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