book 'em danno

Can I just say, I am glad that Hawaii 5-0 is back on tv. I'm glad they kept the same music, it makes me want to dig my toes in the sand and listen to the ocean while eating li hing mango. The acting on the show, well, it isn't all that great from what I've seen so far, but I guess sometimes it takes a while.

It has been nice to hear some people on the show (locals, no doubt) speaking pidgin. When I was teaching on Moloka'i it bugged me for a while because I was trying to teach English grammar and it just didn't mesh well at all with pidgin. But now, hearing it on the show, I like it. I also learned to love it while on Moloka'i.

The local words, the inflection, the laid back tone of it all. I miss that. Now the scenery...oh, the beautiful scenery, it is probably the only reason I even catch the show every once in a while. It is fun to see places that I've been to many times. Places that I captured on film. Aaaahhhhhh, Hawaii. It is beautiful...and warm.

Anyway, that's not what I meant to talk about. We went on a field trip before Thanksgiving to the local sheriff's office. It was fun and informative. After meeting a couple of very nice deputies we all headed in for fingerprinting. My girls were a little apprehensive since they thought that was only for criminals, but they were quickly reassured that it was for safety reasons...and they wouldn't be carted off to jail.

A few lessons about stranger danger, gun safety, and dialing 911 and we were good to go. And no one got booked or tased. All of the kids had a fun time.
Now it's December and I can't figure out what happened to the rest of November. Not to worry though. I've got lists and fabric and gluten free flour. All I need is some time to get into the Christmas-present-making&baking groove. It's super windy and frigid outside today so this afternoon looks promising. xo ANG

tomatoes and those who eat them

Speaking of tomatoes, my grape, cherry, and lemon tomatoes have made a comeback. That super hot summer put everything on hold, and well, the deer feast didn't help either. But now, we've been getting tons of rain as well as copious amounts of dew every night so my tomatoes are thriving. So much so that it's like a jungle. We can pick a nice bowl full of tomatoes every day now and usually while picking I eat one or two. Delicious. This one, however, will eat as many as she can pick. So that lovely line of tomatoes you see at the top of this post didn't make it into the house. I'm not complaining. She loves her veggies, and fresh from the garden, too. Then, there's this guy...several of them actually. I am thankful it's late in the season and we've enjoyed lots of our homegrowns before the tomato hornworms found our yard. He enjoyed several tomatoes much like he enjoyed this one. But he got his. Take a look at him now. They all kind of look like this now. Gross, yet fascinating. A fly or parasitic wasp has decided to use him as a growing and feeding station for their larvae. Ah, the cycle of life...a beautiful thing...and a great science lesson! Happy Thursday. xoANG

learn with joy

Today was our first day of school. Yes indeed, we completed a very successful first day. I am not really sure how my babies have grown into a first grader and a third grader, but somehow the time flew. It is nice to have a routine again. The new chore chart was implemented and eagerly worked through. New school supplies were oohed over and quickly broken in. Lessons were completed with much excitement and ease. Our theme for the year is LEARN WITH JOY. I like it. It was easy today to learn with joy...we began with decorating our work boxes and much of what we covered in math and language was review. The thing is, our goal is to learn with joy even when it's not easy, when it's downright difficult. That's the great thing about homeschooling. When it's easy we can celebrate and when it's challenging we can take our time and make sure new and unfamiliar things are understood. A school bus drove by this morning, the girls did their morning chores while I made fresh laundry detergent. Some kids had a moment of silence this morning, the girls and I read a Bible story and studied Proverbs 15, then focused on verse 15b "a cheerful heart has a continual feast." Some kids had recess today, my girls had a healthy snack and a bit of recess while I hung the laundry on the clothesline. Some kids sat in desks in a beautiful classroom while they learned, my girls sat at the table to write, laid on the floor to read, and lounged on the deck outside to have a science lesson on magnets that somehow meandered into a lesson on germs, tomato worms, moths, and the purple tongues of giraffes. I'd say today was a success. Now, I must retrieve the laundry off the clothesline, start dinner prep, and take my girls for a walk.
xo ANG choose joy

settle down, beavis...or playing with fire

sunshine + magnifying glass = fire

sunshine + magnifying glass + slight breeze = small fire
sunshine + magnifying glass + slight breeze + broken flower pot = contained fire

sunshine + magnifying glass + broken flower pot + extreme heat = exploding fire

As you can see, the girls aren't in any of these pictures. They were very interested and amazed that Dad could start a fire just using the power of the sun and the curve of a magnifying glass. So, yes, there was some actual learning going on here (homeschooling at it's best), but the girls opted to keep their distance to be safe. They did collect leaves and sticks to make the fire bigger and bigger. Then, yes, the pot exploded from the heat. Just so you know, the pot was already cracked from being crushed by several feet of snow over the winter months so we knew it was a possibility. The fire was always contained but it was so hot that the concrete driveway was warm to the touch. Amazing! Playing with fire - check...learning about fire -check...being safe around fire - check. Now the girls want to start a fire by rubbing two stick together! Happy Tuesday xo ANG

macro monday::wishful thinking edition

St. Patrick's Day is on the brain here at the Clothesline. There's excitement brewing because we have an upcoming playdate, which for us is like a pot of gold at the end of our very long snowed-in, cabin fever of a winter. Don't get me wrong, we see our friends often and get together to play as often as we can-barring any illness, virus, or plague. The difference is...my girls don't usually know about any playdates until it's time to walk out the door. This one coming up though they know about, have made a chart to count down the days, and are planning which green things to wear so they don't get pinched, hence the St. Patrick's Day focus. All of that to say, we had several unseasonably warm days recently so the girls were on the hunt for four leaf clovers in our mostly muddy, terribly lumpy, springing back to life back yard. This is what was found by a very optimistic seven year old. Four leaves? Hmmm.

(f-stop 7.1~exposure time 1/100 sec.~iso 200)

So, things here are going well. School is coming along nicely and I really feel like we have accomplished a lot so far. Miss E is reading...and reading well. Miss O is plowing through second grade like it's old hat. It amazes me how much their minds are like sponges. I mean, really. I'm a teacher for crying out loud, I know kids can do way more than we ever give them credit for, but sheesh! Also, we have started receiving our postcards from the swap so the study of our great United States has begun. This swap will take us through the summer and well into the next school year. Some great things I expect to gain from this swap (for me and my girls) are: a greater appreciation for each state, some serious geography skills, an increased love of maps and map-making, and a massive list of must-visit places.

Also, we planted some seeds last week. We've got a variety of peppers, eggplant, and some flowers started in our little indoor greenhouse. I'm really trying to get a jump start this year so I don't have to wait so long to get some fresh veggies. We've got other seeds that have to be planted directly outside so we'll have to wait a few more weeks before we tackle those.

It's overcast and cooler these days but I know the warm days are coming back soon! happy monday! xoANG

beware of the caterpillar!

While we were playing in our backyard yesterday Miss O came across a strange caterpillar. Thanks to reading many bug books, she knew that if it looked too weird and dangerous for a bird to eat then it's best not to touch it. Boy was she right! This, my friends, is a Saddleback Slug Caterpillar. Bizarre is the best description. A tiny little guy, only about an inch long, but with some serious spikes and a crazy markings. Also, instead of 16 legs like a regular caterpillar this creature had the under body like a slug...although his sides are lined with sections of spikes. After reading up on this here Saddleback we discovered that touching it would result in many spikes coming out into our skin and stinging worse than a bee...with the pain lasting for several days also accompanied by nausea. Yikes! Plus, anyone with sensitive skin would have a more severe reaction. Double yikes! I thank God that neither of my girls nor Tim and I touched this caterpillar. In all of my years I have never seen one of these, but when I was telling a friend about it she had seen one as well. They are active during the day and can be seen as late as November, so like I said, beware of the caterpillar!

Then in the early evening as I was taking my laundry off of the clothesline I saw this super fast crawling, feathery, tiger-striped caterpillar trucking across my driveway. This was the only descent shot I could get because he just wasn't slowing down for anything. After doing a little more research I found out that it was a Milkweed Tussock Moth Caterpillar. Although bright and dangerous looking, he was safe to touch, although the girls refrained as a precaution. The bright fluffy coat he is sporting was just a warning for the birds. Evidently if a bird eats a caterpillar that's been feasting on milkweed it will die of a little birdie heart attack if it doesn't quickly regurgitate the milkweed stuffed meal.

Fascinating creatures, no? And right in our own backyard. If that's not a lesson in science, I don't know what is! So while you're out and about keep your eyes pealed because you never know what wondrous creature you may happen upon. And you know what? I plan on wearing my gardening gloves all the time while working in the garden...ya know, just to be safe :o) xo ANG

it's friday...we made it

This was our first official week of school. Second grade for my big girl and kindergarten for my baby...sheesh, time sure does fly! I made lesson plans, gathered manipulatives, prepared activites, formulated a daily schedule, researched craft ideas, and checked out books. Now that it's Friday and I look back over the week to see how much I accomplished, well, I didn't get it all done. However, I think we accomplished a lot. There are always a few kinks that need to get worked out, but for the most part I am pleased...and not as overwhelmed as I thought I would be. The girls adjusted well to the more structured schedule, there was still plenty of time for playing each day, and I even managed to squeeze in some pilates. (no pun intended:o) I do have to fight for my mat though because the girls like to join in and they try to steal my mat. Hmmm, I feel a sewing project formulating in my brain. I digress. So we started off the first day of school by giving the girls a schultute (school cone) filled with new school supplies and treats. I read about this German tradition and it sounded like a great way to foster excitement for the start of a new school year. It's a tradition that I'd like to continue each year because it was just as fun for me as it as it was for them. The school cones that I made were not as big as the German ones, but they were just as great. Also, the original schultutes were actual cone shapes. I was using recycled materials so I decided to make mine like a triangular pyramid. It worked out great. More on that in another post. So these are the school cones...um, pyramids, covered in fabric, lined with fabric and trimmed with eyelet. Yes, more stash busting.
And here are my bright eyed girls first thing in the morning on the first day of school. What a surprise to get a present for school!

New hair bows, butterfly tattoos (for science), ginormous smartees, some tiny notebooks, and a few little trinkets. Fun stuff, I tell you.

So as the week played out we accomplished our daily Bible lessons, math, and language arts. Then the plan was to do two days of science and two days of history/geography but that didn't quite work. We did three days of science and one day of history. So it seems that we may just alternate weeks so we can really focus on each subject. Anyway this week was the life cycle of a butterfly. Oh sure, a lot of that process is common knowledge and potentially boring. Fortunately I was prepared for that and made sure I had some great books that would expand their knowledge of caterpillars and butterflies. They learned so much and had such fun. What a great way to start! Here's a picture of a few books we used along with some information and crafting that we did.

Today, we did a few little things to wrap up the week then we went to our weekly co-op day. It was a fun way to round out the week. Happy weekend to you! xo ANG

a glimpse

What busy days!Thursday was nice and warm but busy. We had a lot of fun playing outside but we also got a lot accomplished. school work-done...laundry-done (washed, hung to dry on the line, folded, and yes, even put away) dishes-done, art class-done, playdate at the park-fun and done. Busy, busy, busy. Yesterday it rained but was still pretty warm...in the 50's. While it was cloudy in the morning the girls and I went on a scavenger hunt walk.

We walked a different route than we normally do so we saw new front porches, new yards, new blooming flowers. It was really nice...yes, we got sprinkled on a few times, but we survived. After playing outside for a while we headed back inside to do some hands on fun...kinda schoolish, but not. The girls spent some time sorting dried pasta, pretended to cook the pasta and feed it to the dolls, spilled the dried pasta all over the floor(eeek!) and cleaned it up, then I added a little yarn to the pile and they worked on making some pasta necklaces...it was nice to see distinct patterns being made and patience being practiced.

Then on to the joys of tinker toys. Not just any old tinker toys like the ones we had...these are special girly pink and purple tinker toys. I can see the girls thinking about all the things they can create. The final product, after much creating and recreating, was a tent for the doll. Oh, not just any old doll. That's Tallulah in that tent taking a rest from all of her camping fun with a full belly of yummy cooked pasta!

Amongst all of the playing I managed to enjoy some quiet time with them reading some new books from the library. A favorites right now is a new poetry book...this one. They like to take turns picking out poems from the table of contents page then looking at the great pictures that go with each poem. Another nice thing about the poetry book is that it is reinforcing miss E's progress in learning rhyming words. Also, not all of the poems rhyme so miss O is being introduced to other forms of poetry. I know, I know, not all things have to be about learning but life is learning. And no, I don't stop in the midst of building a doll swing set out of toys, or making fancy baubles with dried pasta, or snuggling on the couch reading funny stories to say we just covered this objective or you just mastered that skill. It just happens and I smile. I smile because I am blessed with two beautiful daughters. I am blessed because I have been given the opportunity to stay home with my girls and teach them and love them and lead them. I am blessed because I am the one that gets to be here when they struggle through something new. I can guide them and teach them the way that they learn best. I am here to see the look of accomplishment in their eyes and hear the excitement in their voices when they learn something new...and completely "get it." I love this life that I have been blessed with...my husband, my girls, my home.

...and yes, there is time for me to learn new things,too. Currently, I am working my way through a scarf pattern to match my pink hat.

works for me wednesday

This is my very first Works For Me Wednesday post! Yippee! I always find great tips and ideas from the list on Rocks In My Dryer, and now I finally feel like I have something worth sharing.

Preschool Scissor Practice

A wise woman (my mom...a pre-k teacher) once told me a great way to encourage scissor skills that not only builds confidence in the child but also recycles! You know all those reply cards for renewing subscriptions that are in and always falling out of the magazines you receive? Well, those annoying little cards are just perfect for those chubby little, scissor eager hands. All you need is:

those little postcard sized reply cards, a marker, and a ruler.

Draw thick lines across the length of the cards for the preschooler to cut.

Then, be brave...hand your little one a pair of safety scissors and let them have at it!

Because the cards are small they are the perfect size for little hands. Because the cards are thicker than paper they don't bend or flop around. Because the lines drawn are straight it strengthens those fine motor skill muscles. Because you let the preschooler cut up all of those reply cards it saves you from ripping them to shreds out of shear disgust because they fall into your lap every time you flip through your magazine wasting paper or spending money on scissor practice workbooks.

my first swap, school, and a stack of books

I have always been intrigued by the idea of a swap. There are a lot of swaps in the blogging community. There are apron swaps, book swaps, craft swaps...well, you get the idea. Well, Adrienne at Some of a Kind decided to host a Thankful Things Swap. I just couldn't resist...I tried, but it didn't work. The purpose behind this swap is to gather some tangible things that I am thankful for and mail them to my swap partner, and she'll do the same thing. Exciting! I know! There is a little more time left before the deadline and my stash is nearly gathered and ready to mail...but I received the swap box from my partner already! Yippee! Oh, there were so many things crammed in the box like...an oven mitt stuffed with recipes that I can't wait to try, a journal, some book beads, fuzzy, warm socks, a stash of fabric, beads, and ribbon, a pumice brush for beautiful feet, birthday party coasters, clever and cute recycled envelopes made from magazines, a beauty of a bird ornament, and a couple of pinwheels which the girls quickly claimed! Oh, Thank you Emily! I am enjoying ALL of thankful things! I assure you, you're swap box will be in the mail very soon!


Now for the school stuff. The girls have been doing very well with their school work. Miss O is a hard worker. She's like a sponge I tell you...always reading, remembering just about all of the details, and sharing what she has learned with anyone who will listen. Oh, I love her sweet spirit. Now, Miss E is still 3 years old but is eager to do school work, too. I've been finding great preschool things for her to do...like working on opposites, counting, letters, using lacing cards...but there's one thing that she has been waiting for...SCISSORS! I have always been hesitant to let her have her way with scissors. She's very energetic and carefree...and I've seen bad haircuts and heard horror stories...I just wasn't ready. Well, yesterday was the day. She got to use scissors for the first time. She did a great job. She concentrated and focused and furrowed her brow with serious dedication to the task at hand.

Okay, now the stack of books. Last week at the library I actually found quite a few books for my own personal enjoyment. Don't get me wrong, I always enjoy the books that I choose for the girls, but these...oh, such good finds, such yummy recipes, such fun sewing patterns, and oh, the story of Annie Londonderry...I am really enjoying that one! Read anything good lately?

i don't want to be one of those...

...you know, the blogs that aren't updated very often. You check in on them with great anticipation of the next post, yet there is nothing new. I do apologize to those of you that drop in to check out Clothesline Chronicles. It seems as though time has gotten away from me. With homeschool, vacation, car drama, fall cleaning, and working a little from home...it's been just a little crazy. The working from home part is something I love, but I work most efficiently when the girls are napping, therefore work took over my blogging time. Today, I have decided to write a new post. There is so much going on here that I just can't hold it all in. My mind and my camera are both overflowing. So prepare yourselves, my dear friends, because I've got pictures and stories for you.
*We went for an afternoon walk a couple of weeks ago and came across the coolest mushrooms I have ever seen. They looked just like golf balls on a tee, but bigger, like tennis ball size. The girls wanted to pick them, but alas, they were in someones yard and I didn't want to be traipsing through their grass stealing 'shrooms. **I found some cute lacing cards for the girls to use as part of their school work. The cards have pictures of shapes and words on them...English on the front, Spanish on the back. The girls already know their shapes but learning the Spanish word is fun and the lacing part is fun, too. I think this will be a great calming activity for E, especially when O needs a little quiet time to finish up her school work. I may work on creating some of my own lacing cards so they can have more to choose from...plus, it's the beginning of simple hand sewing and embroidery skills. Now, who wouldn't love that?!

***Play dates are always fun. I try to squeeze in as many as I can this time of year. The weather is perfect and it's before the onslaught of cold/flu season. Here are a few pictures from our most recent fun times at the neighborhood playgrounds. Now you know I have a lot more pictures from these play dates, but I have to draw the line somewhere, right?

I have more fun things to share with you, but nap time is coming to an end. I must awaken my sleeping children and take them outside. The clothesline is full of happy clothes. The smell of autumn is in the air. Go ahead, open your windows and take a deep breath, better yet, go outside and let this new season wrap around you.

thankful thursday

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you. Philippians 1:2-3

one - a break from the extreme heat...after a week of high humidity and 100 degree temperatures it is nice to have an 80 degree day with low humidity (my curly frizzy hair is thankful, too!)

two - funny little girls that say funny things...let me explain. Miss E is three years old now, but she always says I'm free, I'm free! Also, while we had the pool out the other day it was hot so I had my feet in the water. Miss O kept pouring water on my feet saying it was cool refreshment! How kind :o) ...then Miss E wanted a turn and said it's cool fresh mint. I tried to correct her by saying re-fresh-ment... she said yeah, fresh mint. Also, we checked out a book from the library about different sayings. The book was called "You Let the Cat Out of the Bag." Very funny. Miss O devoured it and began using the sayings. Her favorite, which she has used in the right context, is fly off the handle. It's really funny to hear a 5 year old use that phrase.


three - the best librarians in the world...okay I know I've been thankful for that before, but this time Mrs. Daniel was super helpful and encouraging yesterday when we were at the library. Right now Miss O is fascinated by all things Chinese. It started with a chapter book about a boy from China called "Bird Boy" We are loving it, so Mrs. Daniel found more books for us to go with the theme. She knows that I homeschool and it was like she could see my "unit on China" wheels turning :o)

perfectly pretty pictographs

Thanks again to everyone who told us your favorite fruit, whether through email or comments on the blog. Miss O was excited to see each and every response. Before we made our pictograph about favorite fruits we made one about families. (Thanks Heather for that idea!) Miss O chose the families and told me how many children were in each one. I wrote the names and amounts so she could use that info to create the graph. I found a cute baby graphic to represent each child in each family. Doing this really helped her grasp the concept...and it was fun!











Putting it together...the finished product!





Okay....here's what you've been waiting for.

The Favorite Fruits Pictograph

Step One: gather all data and materials needed

Step Two: use data to create perfectly pretty pictograph


Step Three: admire beautiful creation...using stickers makes it even more fun!

Step Four: application skills - use graph information to answer questions

We're now ready to enjoy the weekend and we hope you do, too. Please leave a comment so we can see how many people checked out our perfectly pretty pictographs. I'm sure we'll be making more soon because it was *so* fun!