Homeschooling update

Despite being sick, last week we continued with homeschooling. Last week was J, with the theme of Jesus and his miracles like feeding 5,000, healing people, how he loves the little children and then about his death and resurrection.
Mostly we did workbook sheets, coloring sheets and reading and discussing the stories.
Over the weekend, S wanted to use a new pencil to write "X" on her own. Not sure why she chose that particular letter but she tried it. It was cool to see the progress on her writing tab.
This week is K, with the topics of Kings and Kites. I think we'll also work on her last name.
Next week, S starts Patriot Preschool, a program offered at a local high school. It is 50 minutes, three days a week for four weeks. I think it will be a nice balance and good classroom and instructor exposure. Plus being with kids her own age.
Since it's only 50 minutes, I am not sure what M and I can do. It's really not enough time to really do much. I may have to find out a new route to the local library and we can hang out there for a bit.

When will this end??

We are still sick! When will this end?? I feel like this cold just keeps going around and around and around. It's one thing for one of us to be sick but for ALL of us....it royally stinks!
S and C have pink eye. C still has chest congestion but he says it is getting better. S also has an ear infection in her left ear.
I am OK during the day but at night I tend to cough or feel congested.
M seems to be OK but it's hard to say how long that will last given all the stuff floating around here!
We are taking the precautions to try to keep the germs at bay: hand washing, covering our mouths, and the like. And I am trying to keep the house clean. Lord knows the washer and drying have been running non-stop with all the linens and clothes. But there is still more cleaning that should be done. We just don't have the energy or time. And, really, I'm not concerned about the pile of dishes or the pile of clean, unfolded laundry. I really want to tackle the germs so I wipe down and spray areas.
Maybe we need one of those tent things to cover the house. And then we could get some healthy fog stuff to clean the house and us of this sickness. Maybe we need something that will zap everything and make us all better.
We keep praying for health. Pray with us!

Noggin

Shortly after S was born we discovered Noggin.
We loved it! It has wonderful, different programming like Maisy, 64 Zoo Lane, Franklin, Jack's Big Music Show, Oswald and more. And it was totally commercial free! In place of commercial were neat clips for things like math, art, music, later cooking and more.
It was also where we discovered Laurie Berkner. S would listen and dance over and over to "We Are the Dinosaurs" and other songs. And, we could always watch the videos on-line.
After a year or two, the programming started to go downhill. The biggest negative was Maisy was pulled off the air. Just gone. No explanation.
Then they started airing more Nick Jr. programming. S liked Dora and all but I kinda wanted to wait until she was a little older before introducing Dora, Diego, Backyardigans and more. Besides, adding more popular shows took the uniqueness of Noggin away. Mainstream shows replaced the time slots for the shows we liked and the network wasn't the same. Eventually we started watching Nick Jr. because S liked Dora and other shows.
It was all sad, really. Again, we liked Noggin because it was unique.
Well, we still tape shows on Noggin to watch. M especially loves Blue's Clues, which is a Nick Jr. show but they air on Noggin.
While watching it the other day, we noticed a "commercial" introducing a new show, Toot and Puddle, which is based on the books by Holly Hobbie.
S and I are excited because we discovered the books at the library. If you've never heard of them, I would encourage to you check out a book for your family. Toot and Puddle are two best friends as different as can be. One likes to travel, the other likes to be a homebody. There are plenty of adventures, abroad and at home with their friend in Woodcock Pocket.
My only concern is that we might not be able to watch the show. The first airing is at 6 p.m. Nov. 16. We only get Noggin on Dish until 5 p.m. Then it converts over to The N, which is a network for teens.
But I am keeping my fingers crossed that Toot and Puddle will appear during the daily line up. It would be refreshing to see a new show.
Yea! I just checked the DISH line up and we WILL get Toot and Puddle. Only we will get it at 4 p.m. on Nov. 17. It's great to see a new show on Noggin.

Wishing for sleep

I will be SOOOO glad, too, when we are all better so we can all sleep when we are suppose to.
S has come out of her room three times already, with various excuses.
I wish someone told me I had to stay in bed and go to sleep. Instead I have baskets of laundry to fold. (Yes, after I spend my time blogging.)
Maybe next time she comes out of bed, I will make her fold the laundry so I can get to sleep.

Praying for healing

We're still fighting off whatever has us.
We thought we were on the road to recovery but not so.
C and I are fighting with coughing and congestion issues. S complained tonight of ear aches. One of her eyes looks irritated too.
M, on the other hand, appears to be improving. Her last flare up with hives was this morning, after breakfast. But after her nap the welts were gone and by bedtime there were only a few red spots on her body.
Thankfully we go to the doctor on Wednesday for S's wellness check. We'll have a lot to tell him! Unless we see him before that!!!
It really bites having the whole family sick, especially with C and I out. It is hard to get stuff done around the house, get the energy to make meals, so forth.
I wish for that magic wand so all the laundry can fold automatically, so the dishes can get clean, so meals can appear on the table, so we have energy to play with the girls.
I just pray we are healthy and well by Saturday. We have company coming over for a birthday party for the girls.

Slight glitch

Sorry to those of you who get automatic updates and got a second blog about "Sick Day."
When I checked my blog tonight, it was not at the top. C discovered it in October. Weird.
So I tried to send it again and now it's in the right place. Maybe just some weird glitch.

Sick Day

C and I are both sick. I don't think we've even been sick at the same exact time.Yesterday was weird because he came home early from work with some symptoms. Later that night, I had the same ones. It's been an experience, trying to get better with two little ones around. It's been a bit of a tag-team effort as far as caring for and being with the girls go. Obviously we don't want to get them sick again. (They are both getting over colds, although M still has a cough but it's not the croup like stuff she had over the weekend.)Last night I rested on the couch after dinner while C tried to play with the girls. We tried to get them to bed quickly so we could rest. Thankfully the girls slept through the night. Or at least I did because I didn't hear anything! This morning C let me sleep in. He's been napping on and off today. He says he is getting better, although he looks like the dead now that he is up.I seem to be OK, with the exception of the sore throat and cough.A wonderful dear friend is making a meal for us tonight. She called last night to ask a question and when she heard we were both sick she wanted to do something to help. So sweet. We are blessed with the local family we have here. With any luck this will end quickly and we can get our life (and house...the play room looks like it exploded) back in order. And hopefully before we all go stir crazy.