My Burn Book {parrots in the morning}

February 9, 2014 Jenn Rehmann

My Burn Book {moments I want to burn into memory}

We have a huge resident flock of parrots in our area. Sometimes they are all here, sometimes just a few. This morning, we had quite the ruckus. I love, love, love these parrots. When I hear them in the morning or evening, I love to close my eyes and pretend I am somewhere tropical.

join up and share a memory below:

7 Quick Takes -life edition

February 3, 2014 Jenn Rehmann

{1}

Josie is working on a painting for her arts highschool, they will be selling it at auction for a fundraiser. She continues to amaze me with her artistic talent.

{2)

My sister and I had to have our grandfather's driver's license suspended this Summer. He is suffering from alzheimer's and was not safe on the road. It was a hard thing to do. Now, my sister and I take turns taking grandma to her Dr.'s appointments, and a weekly shopping/lunch outing. My grandmother is a dear, I'm hoping to take her home with me some day <3

{3}

Oliver: A.K.A. Evil Kitty and I have come to a truce. I keep Emma-the-wonder-labradoodle away from the dog door at bedtime, and Oliver is free to use it without being chased. Win/win. (no more meowing at me at 2 a.m. to be let out) Here is a photo showing how in his world, Cat > Composition homework

{4}

I am giving up on my facebook fanpage for this blog, and concentrating on google+ (watching my post views continue to dwindle on fb because they want to sell ads, is frustrating and it has gotten worse) It's a bit of a learning curve over there, but I think I am going to like it. Leave your name or handle in the comments and I'll circle you!

{5}

We dropped Demi-Sky's online Latin class and I ordered Memoria Press First From Latin on dvd series to do instead. I'll report back on how it turns out. I also ordered First Start French for Josie to work with afterschool. The books arrived a day ago, and I am very excited. Am I the only nerd that gets super excited when the UPS truck leaves a box of books at my door?

{6}

I started back to college to finally finish a degree, decades later. It was really kind of scary for me. I am taking classes first, outside of my degree, for early childhood education. I'm thinking I would like to work with the HeadStart program part-time once Demi and Amie start highschool outside the home. The class is mostly young people, which makes me feel old, but there are a handful of moms about my age in there, too. The instructor has been very encouraging about me being a homeschool mom, I admit I was worried about what the reception would be about that. When I first started homeschooling, 13 years ago, I often got negative or hostile reactions from educators, but as the years went on, the general feeling seemed to warm up. I am really glad that with my first college class back, my instructor is sympathetic to homeschooling.

{7}

I love photography. I love the fact that a photo can take you back to a certain moment in time. I am going to try to post one photo memory a week that I want to cherish and I will be putting up a linky so others can share, too. I hope you will link up!

My Burn Book {moments I want to burn into memory}

*7 Quick Takes is hosted every Friday over at Conversion Diary blog

*join the Hot Homeschool Hop over at Homeschool Post!

My Burn Book {mom school}

February 1, 2014 Jenn Rehmann

My Burn Book {moments I want to burn into my memory...}

I started back to college, and Amie made a extra special label for my notebook

(share your recent photo memory below)

Lego pirate fail

January 28, 2014 Jenn Rehmann

I mentioned in an earlier post my deep, dark descent into Jenn-ville with a pirate report for Demi-Sky's composition class. I've had requests for the dark tale- so here are the details in all its Jenn-glory richness... So, Demi had to do a report on a famous pirate, and then dress up as a pirate and present his oral report to his Biola Star class. His class this year seems to be mostly boys, so I knew they were going to have fun with this.

A day or two after we had discussed a plan of attack for this, I saw this on pinterest:

And I knew that we had to do this. Imagine the delight of a room-full of homeschool boys when one of their own shows up in a lego pirate costume to deliver a report. It would be epic, in homeschool-world.

I had a little niggling of doubt about tackling this project...just a little, which I ignored.

and ignored

in typical Jenn fashion as I procrastinated the week away. We discussed methods to achieve this look. A bucket seemed easiest, but we couldn't find a yellow bucket at Target.

I nonchalantly assured Demi that we could just whip up a paper-mache head, easy.

I used a bucket for my shape and then used thin wire to make the form for the pirate head. I took lots of photos so I could share my step by step instructions here on the blog....

and then, two days before due date, I commenced with the glue/water/paper routine....

don't panic.

there is always plan B:

quickly spray paint my only bucket and drill holes into it for eyes.

...into my only bucket for household stuff...

and then the morning of the class, we abandoned the lego pirate idea and dressed Demi up as a traditional pirate.

The End.

(it's just a Jenn-thing...)

Wordless Wednesday -OC sunset

January 15, 2014 Jenn Rehmann

Happy Wordless Wednesday! #iphone #nofiliter

Homeschool 2013-2014

January 9, 2014 Jenn Rehmann

2013-2014 Homeschool Year at Cliffs of Insanity Day Academy:

{Teddy, my bonus student, went back to public school last school year. Meg graduated and is attending her first year of college. (Yes, I homeschooled her all the way, K-12) Josie auditioned for a performing arts high school (charter school) and will be there for 11th grade and 12th grade (unless she decides to come home, but she loves it so far). This year, we are down to two students; Demi-Sky is in 8th grade this year, and Amie is in 6th grade.} Here is a list of our studies and books we are using;

Amie 6th grade

Math Mammoth light blue series Aleks Math (online) Piano lessons Parkour classes (p.e.)

Science: Aha Science -online, and a few Science 2 U classes (monthly themed classes) Literature: independent reading

Test Prep: Buckle-Down Language Arts 6

Demi-Sky 8th Grade

Math: Teaching Textbooks Aleks Math (online) Piano lessons Lacrosse team (p.e.)

English: Intermediate Composition 8 with Biola Star (once a week class with a great syllabus):

*Teaching Writing: Structure and Style Seminar Workbook Institute for Excellence in Writing 978-0984099092 *Student Resource Notebook Pages IEW *Word Web Vocabulary Workbook Vol. 1 Sage Education Enterprises, Inc. The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth Speare Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom Miracle Worker, by William Gibson Across Five Aprils, by Irene Hunt

Latin: online Latin Class with Biola Star (twice a week)

*The Latin Road to English Grammar vol. 1 & 2

Oak Meadow Science 5 Buckle Down Science Standards Review 8 Independent reading