It's all gouda: I'm still here :-)

Thursday, January 28, 2010

I'm still here :-)

Hi everyone ... I'm still around but unable to post and visit due to caring for my sick wee one. Littlest gouda girl is very ill with strep throat. They also suspect she has viral meningitis. My poor baby (okay she's 10 but she'll always be my baby) feels miserable. She's a tough cookie, though, and I hope to hear her laughing again in just a couple more days.

Keep coming back and I promise lots of yummy recipes to share. I'll get over to visit all of you very soon, too. See you soon! xoxo, Paula

16 comments:

Mickle in NZ said...: Your poor darling girl, my mother had viral meningitis when I was 10 and I remember how unwell and tired she was. I hope your wee lass feels better soon.

Dear Paula, I so understand - look after your baby,

sending huggles and care,
Michelle and Zebbycat; January 29, 2010 at 2:08 AM
Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...: We certainly hope Little Gouda feels better soon:D; January 29, 2010 at 3:22 AM
Jan said...: Aww bless her, I really hope she's soon better xx; January 29, 2010 at 5:18 AM
pam said...: Oh poor thing! Remember to take care of yourself while you are taking care of her, so that you don't get too run down.; January 29, 2010 at 5:30 AM
Cathy said...: Oh no, I'm so sorry to read that your baby is sick. Hope she feels better VERY soon. Good thoughts are going your way.; January 29, 2010 at 5:33 AM
DayPhoto said...: We will be here. You take care of yourself and your baby. That is what is important!

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/; January 29, 2010 at 8:39 AM
Maria Verivaki said...: how awful for you paula - you will be in my thoughts; January 29, 2010 at 9:51 AM
noble pig said...: I'm so sorry! I hope she's better soon...stupid germs.; January 29, 2010 at 11:01 AM
Proud Italian Cook said...: Hope all is well Paula!; January 29, 2010 at 7:30 PM
theUngourmet said...: I pray your daughter is well very soon!; January 29, 2010 at 9:37 PM
Manggy said...: Oh no! Hope she recovers quickly. :(; January 30, 2010 at 9:51 AM
La Bella Cooks said...: Aw, I hope the little one is feeling better soon. Strep throat is just so miserable, poor kid.; February 2, 2010 at 10:06 AM
The Blonde Duck said...: I hope she feels better!; February 2, 2010 at 1:54 PM
Lyndas recipe box said...: I'm so sorry your baby is so sick! Hope she's better fast!
Take care of yourself, too!; February 3, 2010 at 3:52 PM
Pam said...: I hope your little one feels better soon.; February 11, 2010 at 4:32 PM
Lo said...: Hey Paula -- you've been missed, but I'm definitely sending warm fuzzies over to you and your little one. Get well soon!; February 12, 2010 at 11:02 AM

Homeschool Tips and Tools: 2010

Bananagrams! Not too long ago, my kids and I discovered a great new game called Bananagrams. Far more fast paced and loads easier to play than Scrabble, this game requires only a table top and kids to get the fun underway. Better yet, adults and kids of all ages can play together. The playing pieces come packaged in a delightful, banana colored and shaped, zippered cloth pouch. It's free formed fun, and great entertainment for the entire family.

From a homeschooling perspective, it's a great tool to segue into creative writing or story telling. My kids create their own Bananagram "puzzle" and then use the words they created to write or tell an impromptu story. Silly or serious, all type of stories are encouraged!

The book titled English from the Roots Up by Joegil K. Kundquist has rapidly become one of my favorite resources for building a strong vocabulary base for my children. This spiral bound book provides both Latin and Greek word roots that provides students with tools to help them determine word meanings. I absolutely love it, and the rapid results that I see in my children are amazing. This is way better than a spelling program; by studying word roots, my children are gaining a much broader understanding of language and the power of words. The lessons are very easy to administer, short in duration, and my kids enjoyed them.

On the writing frontier, there is a book called Story Starters, Helping Children Write Like They've Never Written Before by Karen Andreola that provides writing prompts in the form of partially written stories for children to complete. While I found the book to be just ok, my children love it. I read the partially written story aloud, and they write the rest. The kids really enjoyed doing this as each of them looked forward to hearing the other's completed versions. This ended up being a great experience as the kids really wanted to impress their siblings with their version, and thus put more effort into their writing.

And for the grammar enthusiast lurking inside your student, here's a great book that explains how to diagram sentences. Diagraming Sentences by Deborah White Broadwater is a 46 page workbook complete with an answer key, and is perfect for your middle schooler.

Does your student embrace Science? Do you need quality supplies to conduct more in depth experiments at home? Check out Home Science Tools. I'm very impressed with the quality of the products we just ordered. Beakers, flasks, stirring rods, thermometers, chemicals, safety equipment, and so much more can be found and ordered on their website. www.homesciencetools.com . The items we received were top quality, the customer service rep was super, and the items were extremely well packed and delivered as promised. Look out Bill Nye ... future scientists in the house!

Lapbooking and Notebooking are buzz words in the homeschool community. Here are two great resources for incorporating those strategies into your learning curriculum. Big Book of Books by Dinah Zike and The Ultimate Lap Book Handbook by Tammy Duby and Cyndy Regeling helped me enhance our homeschooling experience using lapbooks. The content found in these books enabled me to teach a group of homeschool mom's how to incorporate lapbooking into their curriculums. You'll want to laminate your copies as they will get pulled off the shelf over and over again.