Our Days

It is hard to believe that Christmas is almost here. It is supposed to be 70 degrees here today which does not make for a Christmas time feel. (Although it is pretty sweet to be able to wear shorts in December.) The boys have been working on Khan Academy. Andy has been learning code again, and is in the beginning stages of making his own programs. He really enjoys doing that, and it is nice to have him learning something that he really loves.This is a first for him as traditional school and book work has always been such a struggle for him mainly because he is such a daydreamer.  He is thinking about going to college to obtain a computer science degree which is good because I know that his love for all things electronic (much to my dismay) will serve him well as an adult. Joshua has been using Khan academy for the science and math portions of the program. He is trying to work his way up to Algebra. Right now he is working through the pre-Algebra.  He is also learning about the circulatory system and preventable diseases such as heart disease. Everyone is working on history together. Elizabeth has accelerated her reading as of late. She is eager to read to me everyday which I love because reading before was like pulling teeth. I am excited for her because I truly feel that once you can read fluently there is a world of opportunities presented to you. She can seek out whatever learning opportunities she would like. Sarah was getting extremely frustrated with her book work for various reasons and I didn't want to stress her out and cause a relapse. So we read a lot together. She helps me cook and we play a card came called Rummy to help her with her math skills. I am trying to teach her all of the skills that she will need to function as a disabled adult in this world. I want her to be able to live as independently as possible. My thought process is that if I can teach her these skills early enough she can find a work around for most of the daily things that you and I take for granted, but a visually impaired person would find difficult - things like cleaning, cooking, etc..Basically, everyday things that someone who is living independently will need to know how to do. She still works on her history with me and I have been having her work on crafts. All of this may sound completely ridiculous to some, but I know that she is learning by doing these everyday life skills with me. At this time in her life she would like to become a nurse. My job will be to make sure that she can accomplish that goal, and we will work on that together. First though, she needs to know how to care for herself.

We have cut our electronic time down immensely after my freak out. We are going to be cutting them out even more. I am okay with my boys playing games with their friends back in Ohio for a little bit, but other than that there is really no need for them in our home. That may sound extreme to some, but to me it makes sense. At the end of the day that is all that matters.

Here are some of the things that we have been doing these past couple of weeks:

Working on gingerbread houses. Thank you A.B.!

Josh's house.

Sarah's house.

Elizabeth's house.

Making decorations for my nephew.

Completed Ninja Turtle decorations for Michael Jr.

Decorating the tree.

Moon view from our front yard.

The girls recreated Assateague Island using play dough.

Sarah's mermaid.

Elizabeth's mermaid and child.

Another play dough creation by Sarah.

Working on letter decorations for their rooms. Sarah is painting her name. Elizabeth is painting 'Lizzie'. Josh is painting 'England' for his Arsenal English soccer team themed bedroom.

Elizabeth yelling at me for taking her picture. 

Making homemade candles - our first attempt. 

Finished product.

Painting yesterday.

Working on a thin canvas...

And that's it!