Time to say goodbye...

 

 

Well, after lots of thinking and agonizing I have finally decided to stop posting here on Goose and Binky. 

I haven't posted regularly in at least a year.

And I really want to focus on my second blog, Crochet Crowe.

I am sad but I am looking forward to a new chapter in

our lives.  We are still homeschooling, but after this coming school year,

Goose will be going to high school and Binky will be in the 7th grade.

The kids are busier than ever and this school year will be our busiest yet!

I have loved every minute of blogging here and will continue to follow all of my favorite blogs.  I am so grateful to have met some wonderful people!!

Thank you for following along!

 

 

art and greek mythology

 

 

Painting by Goose.

Reminds me of Georgia O'Keefe.

 

 

 

 

Greek mythological creatures by Binky.

 

 

Poseidon's Trident by Binky.

 

We are studying Greece and Greek mythology right now.

Binky read the Percy Jackson and The Olympians series by

Rick Riordan.  He LOVED it!!  So, we are learning all we can about the greek gods and

goddesses.  He has created files for many of the gods and mythical creatures.

Rick Riordan has a great site for learning about this time period and series.

This week we will be listening to The Iliad and then The Odyssey on audiobook.

I love audiobooks.  I love listening with the kids and being able to do other things, like art or

crochet.  It is very relaxing! 

It is already warm and sunny at 10am.

I was hoping to take the kids to the pool, but

they aren't open during the week yet.  So annoying!

Don't they know we homeschoolers like to swim, too?!

 

Botanical Gardens

 

I love this moss!

It looks so soft and inviting.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am fascinated by these lichen podentia!

They are the fruiting bodies erected for spore dispersal.

 

My favorite shot of the day!  I love fiddleheads!!

 

This guy was so quick!  I was lucky to get this shot.

 



 

 

 

It was such a beautiful morning.

It is always so relaxing for me to walk around with my camera and listen to

the birds singing, the bees buzzing and the creek babbling. 

I could do it all day long!

I must try and make it a weekly thing.

Relaxation is always a good idea!

 

 



Hearts, Boats and Faeries

 

 

Another busy week!

Binky drew this heart diagram for our human body study.

We watched some youtube videos by Bill Nye The Science Guy.

We love him! 

 

 

 

 

More boat building class.

I love that Binky works on boats in his top hat!

 

And, the play!

We are finally recovered from two days of performances.

Goose was a beautiful and perfect Peaseblossom.

She had so much fun!

 



 

Here is the full cast.

I had so much fun working with all of these kids.

 

 

 

My Peaseblossom!

Goose is becoming a young lady.

I can't believe she is going to be 13 this year!

Thirteen!

Watching her love being in this production with all of her friends

was such a gift.  She enjoyed every moment!

Seeing her giggle with the girls and watching the boys watching HER was

quite an experience! I hope both Binky and Goose will be in the play

together next year, as it will be Goose's last year at our

charter school.  We still haven't figured out what we are doing for

high school.  There are a couple of schools we want to check out.

I am looking forward to a nice calm weekend.

Some housework, crocheting and maybe some long walks.

What about you?

 

 

 

 

 

Faeries, Pi and Weekend Fun!

 

 

So, I mentioned in my last post that Goose is performing in our charter school's performance of

Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.  And, on top of lots of other writing

assignments, all the kids were required to turn in some sort of project relating to

Shakespeare or this particular play.

And since Goose is playing the faerie,  Peaseblossom, she chose faeries as her

subject.  I am in love with this project!!! 

 

 

She studied the history of faeries and made this beautiful display,

complete with real faeries!  She used battery-operated tea lights with cotton over them to make

them glow.  I also love the faerie door at the base of the tree.  I am so proud of her!  She did it completely on her own.  She is also very proud of herself! 

 

 

 



Of course, we had to make pie on pi day!

Apple pie, as requested by Binky.  We also listened to some very funny youtube

songs about pi.  Binky and I also drew some circles, measured the diameter, radius and

found pi! And we finished the pie the next morning for breakfast.

 

 



Today was beautiful!

We all hopped in the car, with Cody the dog, and headed to the bay.

The water was warm and very shallow.

Cody loved it!

 

 



 

Is that a happy dog face, or what?

 

 

Daddy, Goose, Binky and Cody had a great time playing

Frisbee in the water.

While I was watching them playing, I thought to myself,

"This is our moment."  It was a wonderful feeling, living in that moment!

We played, laughed, snacked, ran, played catch later with a friend at the park.

Goose and Binky didn't argue once all day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was the perfect day. 

Now back to the week ahead. 

 

busy week

 

 

 

Binky is taking a boat building class on Friday mornings.

Their first project was to make their own paddles.

They tested them out in boats made by other students.

Binky is loving this class!

By the end, he will have his own boat.

Very exciting!

 

Goose is performing in our school's production of

A Midsummer Night's Dream.

She is playing the role of Peaseblossom, which is the role she wanted! 

 I am sewing on all of these little

blossoms to her cape and skirt.  Goose is very

excited!  This is her second Shakespeare performance.

She was in Twelfth Night two years ago.  Our charter school

does a Shakespeare performance every year.  We usually alternate

between tragedy and comedy.  I am excited to see all

the hard work these kids have put into this performance.  I am so impressed with

how hard they work and how familiar they are with Shakespeare.

There are two performances on March 20.

 

We are also busy with writing group, martial arts 4 days a week, French group,

art group.  I know there are other things to add to this list, but I can't think of them right now.

We are loving the weather here by the bay right now.

It is so nice to get outside every day and be active.  The bees are very active, too,

right now.  We listened to a very interesting show on Science Friday about bees.

Here is the link.  If you don't listen to Science Friday on NPR, you must

give it a try!  We love it! And we are always sad when we miss it.  But you

can always go to sciencefriday.com to listen any time.

What are you busy with right now?

 



cooking

 

 

Goose has been spending a lot of time in the kitchen.

She made citrus chicken with kale and rice the other night and it was

delicious!!  There were no left-overs. 

She is always asking to bake something.  Cookies, cake, whatever we happen

to have the ingredients for.  She turns on the music and

gets into her zone.  I can see how it relaxes her. 

It does the same for me!

Peg Dolls and Blog Tour

If you don't know Margaret from We Bloom Here, please check out

her blog and her new book, Making Peg Dolls.

Her dolls are whimsical, fun and playful!

Margaret is having a blog tour and today's stop is Art is A Way.

This is a gorgeous blog, if you don't know it.

And Elsa is having a giveaway, one Making Peg Dolls book

to a lucky blogger who leaves a comment!

Stop by, if you can and leave a comment.

Have a great day!

2013

 

 

 

A new year.

I am trying to have a new outlook on life, as well.

I am a worrier.  Always have been.

But now I am trying to worry less and live more in the moment.

I have been using Reiki on a daily basis again. 

Every morning, and throughout the day, I repeat the Reiki principles to myself.

 

Just for today, I will not anger.

Just for today, I will not worry.

Just for today I will be grateful.

Just for today, I will do my work honestly.

Just for today, I will be kind to every living thing.

 

Of course, these all sound easy to do.

But the worrying is my struggle. 

So, 2013 is my year to let go of the worrying and live in the moment!

What are your goals for 2013?

 

 



Weekend

Well, our weekend was pummeled by the "Pineapple Express."

An atmospheric river that made its way here from

the Hawaiin Islands.

Lots of rain, rain, rain.

And since we are studying weather and climate, I thought this would

make an excellent lesson!  So Binky

made a diagram of the "Pineapple Express."

You can read  more about it here, if you like.

 

 



 

So while we were indoors, listening to all that rain, Goose

broke out some holiday decorations.

This is Binky's favorite christmas item.

I bought it for him at the Nutcracker several years ago.

 

 



 

 

 

I made some salt dough ornaments and we

had a blast decorating them!  Grandma came over with her

craft box and we went a little crazy with all that paint, glitter, and beads!!

I love how they turned out! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These two ornaments are for my two nephews.

I hope they love them!  I had so much fun making them!

 

 

 



 

 

 

I even made some for us.

It was a nice time.  Holiday memories in the making.

I asked the kids what they would like to do this holiday season

and we came up with a few ideas so far. 

 

Make snowflakes

birdseed ornaments for the birds

solstice walk in the woods

gift making for family and friends

light the lights for Hanukkah

watch Elf

go ice skating

 

Joy, over at You know how we're an art family...

has a beautiful list of advent activities she made with her family.

What special activities do you do with your family this

time of year?

 



R e s t

 

 

Sebastien found the best spot in the house the other

morning to enjoy the sun.

He loves to lay in the sun.  He will follow it around the house

just to soak up all that warm goodness.

I love his little face reflecting in the window.

I could use some rest like this.

I am not feeling too good right now.

I am functioning, but I am nauseas all the time,

especially after I eat.  I am really

starting to feel the effects of this chemo cream I have

to put on my face.  I can't see anything yet, but I can sure feel it.

I must try and fit some naps into my day!

Never easy while the kids are home.

Especially during the holidays!

 

 

 

 

Tosca

Wednesday afternoon was a good one!

Goose and I joined some friends for the final dress rehearsal of

Puccini's Tosca.

It was amazing!  I loved it.  This was our 4th opera together and

Goose said it was by far her favorite.

During the intermission there were cookies waiting for us and they left the curtain up

so we could watch the set change.

It was very interesting.  So many people working to

put it all together.  And so much larger than I realized backstage.

The San Francisco War Memorial Opera House is gorgeous!!

It takes us 15 minutes to get there from our house!

If there is no traffic, of course.

I am learning to really love the opera.

After seeing The Capulets and The Montagues in September

I was hooked.  The two women who played Romeo and Juliet

were absolutely amazing!!!!!

 

Don't forget about my Giveaway!!

Deadline to leave a comment is tomorrow night!

Have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

 



Giveaway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My first Giveaway!

I am giving away a scarf of your choice from my Etsy shop, Crochet Crowe!

Please go to my shop blog, Crochet Crowe and leave a comment letting me

know which is your favorite scarf!!

The deadline to leave a comment is Sunday, November 18 at 12pm Pacific Time.

I can't wait to hear from you!!

Happy November!

 

 

Antibubbles

 

 

Have you ever heard of antibubbles?

I had not until last week when Binky came home from

science class and was talking about bubbles.

An antibubble is a bubble underwater.  So it is water surrounded

by a thin layer of air, which is surrounded by water.

A little confusing, I know.

I have a link below that explains it with diagrams.

 

 

 

He also practiced blowing bubbles inside of bubbles.

Both Goose and Binky had fun with this.

At one point, they could blow 4 bubbles inside of each other!

I was amazed at how much fun they both had blowing bubbles all weekend.

And whenever a friend or family member came over they had to show

them how to do it!

 

 

 

 

Binky's teacher talked about antibubbles a little bit, but didn't

really get into it, so I found a great website that

explains what they are and how to make them!

Of course, we had to try and make our own.

It does take patience, but the results are worth it!

I also found this great youtube video.

We have to try this next!

And I thought we were long past bubble play!

Have a great week!

l i f e

 

Life is a little crazy right now.

When isn't it, really?

My mother's husband has brain cancer.

He was diagnosed 2 years ago with stage 3 anaplastic

oligodendroglioma. 

He had surgery to remove as much as possible as soon as he was diagnosed

and then 1 year of chemo.  It was an oral chemo that was very easily tolerated.

And then all was mostly well.  About a month ago, after one of his

usual MRIs, we could see that the cancer had started to grow again.

We knew it would eventually.

So he went in for surgery last Wednesday and his home now.

The surgery went very well at UCSF.

He had the best possible surgeon.

Joe, my step-father, is now scheduled to start brain radiation

in less than two weeks.  Treatment is EVERYDAY for 7 weeks.

And now they have opted to add chemo again while he is doing the radiation treatments.

I don't know how this will affect him. 

From what I have read online, it will not be easy for him.

But he is still young, in his mid fifties, and healthy otherwise.

But in the end, we all know this will take his life much earlier than

expected.  It is a lot to deal with.

I haven't even mentioned it here because then it becomes more real.

I am very concerned about my mom and how she is

handling everything.  We are going to visit tonight or tomorrow, depending on

how Joe is feeling. 

As for me, I am starting my chemo cream for my face today!

My insurance did not want to cover the prescription at first.

But my amazing doctor got on the phone and made it happen!

 

On a happier note, we are getting ready for Halloween!

Binky only needs 2 more things and then both kids are all set.

Goose will be a gypsy and Binky will be Jester, a comic book character.

I can't believe how grown-up they both look in their costumes.

I will post pics later.

I am looking forward to the distraction.

Watching all the kids with happy faces and fun costumes.

I hope your celebration is filled with fun!

Happy Halloween!

 

 

 

 

 



New Blog!!!

 

 

 

I created a new blog for my Etsy shop!

I am so excited to finally be doing this!  Crochet Crowe is

my shop for handmade scarves.  Crocheted cowls that are beautiful and cozy!

I will have some new scarves available later this week.

I hope you will stop by for peek!

 

 

 

 

home learning fun

 

Binky is up to his drawing again.

I love this one!

I love seeing him hang out in his room

and come up with these ideas of his.

I want to print this one on a tshirt to give him for

Christmas this year.  He will be so surprised!

 

Goose's science group is studying Earth Science and I taught a class on

volcanes.  We sketched and labeled the main types of volcanes.

The kids labeled a world map with a variety of different volcanoes.

We talked about the silica content of magma and how the more silica in the magma,

the more viscous the lava.

 

 



I poked a tiny hole in toothpaste tubes and the kids squeezed the tubes to watch how the

"magma" oozes down the side of the tube.

This is very viscous lava!  They made a chart of all the different elements

in igneous rocks formed from different lavas, like basalt, andesite, dacite and rhyolite.

It was a great class!  I only had two hours, but we covered a TON of information.

 

 



 

 

Goose decorated this lovely sarcophagus. 

She is still studying Egypt.

We attended a workshop at the local Egyptian Museum last Sunday

focused on Egyptian oils and perfumes. 

She loved it!  One more workshop this weekend and

 she will be able to attend a sleep-over at the museum.

How cool is that!

 

 

 

 

 

Goose has also spent a lot of time crocheting this week.

She made herself a little pouch yesterday.

So cute!  I love seeing her enjoy something I love so much.

 

We are looking forward to a cooler weekend here by the bay.

It has been in the 80s most of the week!

A little too warm for me right now.

I was getting used to wearing my scarves and boots

and then I had to break out my sandals and tank tops again.

But I have noticed a beautiful sparkle to the sun.

Every October the sun seems to sparkle.  I can't find a better word

to describe it.  Do you know what I mean?

Anyway, I love it.

It will be much cooler this weekend.

Hopefully I can break out those scarves and boots again!



s k y and s c h e d u l e s

 

 

While sitting in my room the other evening I could see a pink glow

seeping through the blinds.

When I peeked outside, the clouds were aglow with beautiful

shades of pink.

 

 

And the moon was gorgeous!

 

 





 

 

A day or two later we headed down to the water

to fly Binky's new dual-control kite.

There were a lot of sailboats out there!

How I wanted to be on one of them.

 

 

This is the new kite!

Binky is so excited about it.

He is quite good, too.

He told me his kite was really pretty up in the sky.

 

 



 

 

Here he is doing his thing.

 

 

 

 

We have been very busy.

Our lessons and groups and classes have begun

and I am just trying to get back into the

swing of things.

Goose is quite busy this fall. 

Her schedule is as follows

 

US Constitution

Epidemics

Earth Science Group

Egypt

Writing Group

French

Algebra

Cooking classes

Library Book Club

 

Binky's schedule

 

Maritime and Tallships

Science class

Math

Writing

Engineering

US History

Martial Arts

 

Actually, seeing this in print kind of scares me!

It is a lot, isn't it?!

For many years I was one of those under-scheduling moms.

My kids had plenty of time to just be.

  But now that they are older,

they have a lot more interests. So we are busy bees for now.

Besides, I like my job as chauffeur!!