November is Here!

November has arrived and I'm still looking for the cold weather. I'm thinking we are going to have a warmer Florida winter this year than last. Still, I'm craving some warm cocoa and soup. I just can't help it.

November makes me excited for the holidays! I can start thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas!! Woohoo. I love this time of year. I miss my family so much and can't wait to see them in a few weeks for good times and of course, the big turkey feast.

Yesterday was packed full of fun. That's how I like my weekends (except, it tired me out so much, we just sat home all day today being lazy).

We kicked off the day at the library, where Maddox got an armful of books AND more candy. Everyone is trying to get rid of their Halloween candy.

Then, we drove to Destin Commons and had lunch plus a playdate with Maddox's old friend, Everson. He had not seen Everson since July so they were both really, really excited. They are already talking about Skyping each other and when the next playdate will be.

Everson's mom took this adorable picture of them playing.

We wrapped up the day in Niceville at a friend's Harvest Party. Maddox got to wear his football costume one more time and added even more goodies to his candy stash. Thankfully, he and Jude have been sharing with me, but I probably don't need it. Sugar = cavities for this girl.

I was happy that Maddox got out there and played all the games and had a great time. He has come a long way in a year! Once so shy he wouldn't play at the park if any other kids were there, he now gets out there and has fun. I talk to him daily about being friendly, about not missing out, etc., and it has really paid off. I don't mind if he's an introvert and shy (I was as a kid too), but I don't want him to be scared. 

 He did the best at throwing ping pong balls into cups, but we need to work on the egg race! Haha. Poor guy dropped his egg before the race even started. But he tried everything, did a good job, laughed, ate goodies, and loaded up on candy. And with that, Halloween is wrapped up and now it's time for some November fun and hopefully cooler weather.

Halloween Week!

Halloween week included a lot of fun and a little bit of spooky. We met up with some friends and made homemade slime, aka "oobleck," out of water, food coloring, and corn starch. It was both a solid and a liquid and super icky, which the boys loved of course. Maddox wanted to make his own at home later but he dumped in all the food coloring before I noticed and then his hands went in it and...well, he looked like the Hulk for a few hours. Jude dipped his hands on purpose because he wanted really really badly to turn into the Hulk.

Maddox had fun with the Halloween theme this week. He drew us in the pumpkin patch and told me he had $10 so he could buy the biggest pumpkin there.

They made pumpkin graphs and Maddox designed a "13-eyed monster" with our abundance of google eyes. Apparently, monsters wear high heels.

I'm happy to say we wrapped up the Apple unit. I traced Maddox's hand/arm and he cut it out and added the "apples" with Qtips and red paint. 

On Halloween Eve, I surprised the boys with a spooky bath, complete with spider web, fake bugs,glow-in-the-dark spiders, and green-tinted bath water. Maddox loved it, but Jude was being grumpy. 

I re-used the spider web late that night, so they woke up to a spider web game where they had to crawl under it to claim a special treat (sour patch kids). Now that they are older, the holidays are even more fun!

After all this fun, Halloween Day was actually one of those days that went by too slow...AND it rained! The boys kept wanting to go trick or treating, at 3...at 4...at 5. FINALLY,  6 PM came and we hit the street. We left behind a cute little candy setup, complete with lights and a foam pumpkin stuffed with caramel apple suckers. Sadly, the wind blew the pumpkin into the bushes, along with the suckers :( But, I threw them into the candy bowl when we got back, and by 8:30 PM, all we had left were a few bat rings, a tattoo, and two airheads. 

It took a few hours before the sugar high wore off, but luckily we were all in bed by midnight.

Pumpkin Guts...and Sunshine

Sunday was a day of tears (plus some anger). It had been one week since the miscarriage began and I guess my hormones had completely bottomed out. I sat on the bathroom floor and let it all out. Sometimes you just have to do that and it makes things a tad bit better.

We were still sick, so we stayed home and carved our pumpkins. I saw an idea on Pinterest to use cookie cutters and a mallet to make shapes in pumpkins. It seemed genius, but it took a lot of strength to hammer the cookie cutter through. Thank goodness for dads!

I guess they turned out ok. The boys hated the smell of the pumpkins once they were cut open and they gagged at the "guts." It was pretty gross. Next year we're getting a pumpkin carving kit!

 

Today has been all about apples. I've even learned some stuff...like when you cut apples the "wrong" way in half, there is a star inside!

We made slices with the stars and hung them in the kitchen window. Then we used some to do apple stamping with paint. Jude went crazy. He loves PAINT.

 

We made applesauce too. I peeled and sliced the apples and then they simmered while we talked about what it means to cut an apple in half or in fourths. The boys mashed the apples once they were soft and added sugar and cinnamon. Jude went crazy. Again.

 Ohh, sour!

Needs more sugar! And cinnamon!!

We learned the parts of an apple, basic apple facts, you name it. I feel like an apple expert now (not really, but I'm ready to move on. Haha).

 

Then there is the not-so-fun stuff, like phonics worksheets and graphs and math and Maddox whining. But he did his phonics sheet today all by himself and I'm proud of him!

This afternoon, we drove to Crestview to visit a nursing home with other homeschoolers in the area. Jude almost fell asleep in the car, which would have been a disaster, so I let him have my last few sips of coffee frap. He was in heaven. And the best part - he didn't fall asleep.

 

 

 The kids dressed in their Halloween costumes and brought prizes and goodies to hand out during BINGO gametime.

Maddox and Jude both went to the front of the dining room and called out the BINGO numbers. Well, Jude only did it once (and he insisted he could do it ALL BY HIMSELF)and then he sucked on an apple caramel lollipop the rest of the time.

Maddox loved it. They both loved handing out goodies too. Maddox picked one special older lady and gave her a stuffed bunny.

After BINGO, we went down the halls to spread some Halloween cheer to the residents who didn't get to gametime. It was so, so sad. Some of these people had no pictures hanging up and their  rooms were bare. They laid in beds or sat in a chair, looking lost.

But...when they saw the kids their faces lit up. One lady didn't want any goodies. She just wanted the kids to sing a line of Amazing Grace to her.

One man cried the whole time and apologized. He was overwhelmed by just a small act of kindness. And then one of the ladies told us she used to make dolls and then she showed us one.

There is a lot of sadness there, but a lot of wisdom too.

I'm so thankful the boys got to participate and see what letting your light shine can do for people. I hope it opens their eyes that people are lonely and hurting, and we should be as kind and giving as we can, in the little things and the big things.

 

 

 

 

"Cool" October Things

We started the Apple unit. Maddox thinks it's hilarious that apples have names like Granny Smith and Pink Lady. We sampled a few kinds and his favorite: the very sour Granny Smith!

It's been a slow weekend. I'm battling a sinus infection and this morning Maddox started with the hacking and nose blowing, so...some plans got canceled. We mostly stayed at home today. Since we had a serious excess of apples, we made an apple crisp. Andrew went to the store not once, but twice, because I forgot to tell him to get ice cream the first time. Apple crisp is worthless without vanilla ice cream. He's a good man.

We made a "fruits of the Spirit" tree on Friday. You know - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I learned it as a song as a kid and haven't forgotten it. Maddox has really been working on self-control and patience and it shows. I see it in how he deals with his brother. And today, JUST as he opened his card from Mimi with $5 inside, the ice cream man came by. Instead of blowing his money (as he usually would), he said no to the ice cream and saved it. He really wants some light-up shoes. Since he already has a nearly brand new pair of tennis shoes, I told him he would have to buy the light-up shoes. He is being patient and saving up all his money for them. I'm proud of him! (And honestly, surprised he's made it this far.)

Jude gladly handed over his cash and got a giant Tweety Bird popsicle with blue gumball eyes. Maddox got lucky. Jude let him have one of the gumballs.

Lastnight Andrew took the boys to Postal Point's Trunk or Treat while I stayed home, coughing my head off. I did, however, get a nice, long, uninterrupted bath. :)

Maddox was bummed I didn't go, but...

...they had a blast. They collected candy, a toy snake, a play fingernail, a slinky, and some other Halloweenish stuff. 

It's been an up and down kind of week, and being sick has been awful on top of everything else, but there is something so nice about this time of year. 

Today I ran by the mall with Maddox because the weather has gotten chilly and he needed a jacket. I told him he was worse than a girl! Nothing was "cool enough." FINALLY, he settled on a blue jacket and then said he also needed a "cool hat." 

It's fun to watch him grow up and step into his personality.

He has been so sweet lately -helping around the house, growing his little garden, asking the funniest questions -hard to believe 5 years goes by so fast.

Tomorrow, we tackle our pumpkins with cookie cutters and a mallet!

Hopefully, they will turn out "pretty cool," as Maddox would say.