kinesthetic phonics

We have been using some books called  Explode the Code for Phonics. I have been supplementing with some active games that I though of. I wrote each of the letters for the sounds we've been working on a piece of paper and set them around the room. For the first game (musical chairs variation) I sing and when I stop the girls stand on a letter and tell me what sound it makes and a word that starts with that letter. The second game we use the same papers and I call out a sound and everyone puts  foot on the letter that makes that sound (I plan to do this with blends, digraphs, sight words etc.)

Home schooling in full swing

http://homeschoolersla.blogspot.com/2011/10/getting-ball-rolling.html
See above link to see what we did this week.

I realized that I need to do more planning ahead of time. I just purchased some books to help with reading/phonics/writing instruction Explode the Code
I also want to purchase a Spelling curriculum but will wait and see how this works out.

We started attending Community Bible Study on Tuesdays and the kids have been learning Bible stories and verses while the women meet to study the book of Job. Afterward we go the the park to play with other home school families. Also joined MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)which meets every other week. This has been a nice break.

quilting

My latest kick is quilting. I've been obsessed with making quilt blocks during the past three weeks. I went to the first meeting of a new quilting group made up of moms from mom's club. We decided to work on a sampler doing on block per month this year. I got carried away and made 9 blocks so far for that project. Mark got excited about the idea too and he and I made our first 8 blocks of a joint venture. see photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68397681@N03/6220948691/in/photostream

I hope I can maintain my enthusiasm to see both these quilts to completion. I am nervous about the sashing and quilting and binding. One thing I am noticing is that the more you sew the more you learn and it doesn't take long to gain new sewing skills. The last two blocks I made for are much more sophisticated that the first 7. I wouldn't even have attempted them a few weeks ago. I'm gaining more confidence day by day and am hoping this will seep into other areas of my life. Except for the dining room table and chairs which are covered in fabric, I am actually maintaining more discipline in the are of tidying and cleaning the house. (Of course it helped that I had a babysitter Thrs morning for 4 hours and Mark took the girls on various adventures yesterday.)