SOTW & Nettflix

THIS LIST WAS UPDATED AND A LINK CAN BE FOUND ON MY 8/22/2011 POST.


I decided to make a list of movies compatible with Story of the World. So far, I've only made lists for Volumes 1 through 3. This isn't a list of every movie/documentary out there. Instead, I tried to focus on options that are available to Watch Instantly (as I'm TERRIBLE about remembering to put movies on my queue in time for us to watch them when we're studying a particular topic). Unfortunately, most of what I have listed are not available in the Watch Instantly format.

On the chart, I've listed the title of the movie/documentary; the corresponding SOTW book and chapter; a code to denote whether it is a documentary or, if not, then a MPAA rating; and whether the movie is available on Watch Instantly.

I hope this list is of use or value to someone!

LIST LINK

Wordless Wednesday

iPad Apps for Homeschoolers

I've been searching online for an article like this and, having been disappointed with what I've found thus far, decided to write my own.

[Disclaimer: I am not putting educational apps here; that's a post for another day. I am merely attempting to detail some apps I use (or in theory could use) to make homeschooling a bit easier.]

[Another disclaimer: I did not receive any compensation or offers from any developer of these apps; I just think they're useful and thought I would share!]

Netflix
Cost: FREE (with subscription to Netflix)
We LOVE Netflix! And I love it even more now that it's conveniently located by app on my iPad. I can't begin to count the number of documentaries and movies we've watched to supplement subjects we've covered! Netflix is definitely a must-have app!

Atomic Web Browser
Cost: FREE for lite version; $1.99 for full version
Safari is okay, but this is a superior iPad web browser. One important difference between this browser and Safari is that in a window with multiple columns, you can actually see all of the columns with AWB. (There are a couple of legal research sites I use where this is of particular importance for me.) With the lite version, one can have 4 (I think) web tabs open, but the full version allows more. The full version also allows you to open the browser to the last page or session you had open or to a home page you specify. Think of AWB as the Firefox of iPad browsers. [And at $1.99, the full version is worth buying!] By the way, I had to contact the developer to ask a technical question about the app. I got a response in about 10 minutes and my question was answered!

Mint.com
Cost: FREE
This app helps you keep your finances in check. The iPad version only lets you know your account balances and your budget info. You have to manage your information on the mint.com website. On the website, you can load up your bank accounts, credit card accounts, etc. You can also set up budgets and mint.com will automatically categorize your spending - although, you may need to do some manual tweeking. The only drawback I've found so far is that I have to manually update my account balances. And don't worry, it is secure - you can read all about the security on the website. Okay, this may not be DIRECTLY related to homeschooling - but if you set up a homeschooling budget, it may curb the need to buy EVERY bit of curriculum out there!

iDo - Notepad
Cost: FREE
Okay, I haven't used this extensively, yet ... However, I can see some practical uses especially with making To Do lists - since the app provides you with the ability to prioritize. The app also has a calendar function.

My Library
Cost: $4.99
This is one of my absolute favorites. I have it on my iPad just as a reference - where I REALLY use it is on my iPhone. My Library gives you the ability to scan the ISBN numbers on your books (okay, you may have to get an additional app, Red Laser [I believe] to have the scanning ability, but it is SO worth it). Once the number is recognized, you'll have the title, author, and genre - many books also have a picture of the cover and a brief description of the book. I love having this app - I've catalogued most of the homeschooling books I have in our school room. It's saved me from making a couple of duplicate purchases!

Craft Finder
Cost: FREE
Sponsored by Disney's Family Fun magazine, you can search for crafts to do with the kids (searching can be performed by age group, time you have for the craft, and/or occasion for the craft).

Wikipanion
Cost: FREE
I prefer the layout of this to the Wikipedia app. This app provides access to Wikipedia complete with the same information you would find at Wikipedia, they layout is just a bit easier to read, the information on each entry easier to sort through, and the searching a bit more user friendly.

Documents2
Cost: FREE
Allows you to view your Google docs or create new documents in text document, spreadsheet, sound, or paint format. Fabulous... and free!

So, this hasn't by any stretch of the imagination been an exhaustive list (or even an exhaustive review), but I hope it gives you a bit of an idea of the tools available for use for the iPad homeschooler!

Our Day at Home

The kids and I stayed at home today. The first day I haven't gone somewhere in at least 2 weeks. It was nice - and we got so much accomplished!

For starters, we got quite a bit of school done (yes, we go year-round at our house - we only school 4 days per week during the "school year" so, I have to go all year long). I also did A LOT of laundry today - WOOT!

Baby food was a priority for the day as well... making it, that is. Until Chaucer, I never made baby food (outside of mashing up some bananas, that is). I decided this time I wanted to try my hand at the fine art of pureeing. [For all my hard work stocking food for this child, he is resistant to eating. I put a bite in, he holds his mouth open... for several minutes, until it drools out of his mouth. But that's another story for another blog post.] I made acorn squash, sweet potatoes, and pears. (Pretty good for a self-professing vegetable hater like myself!)

I also made... COOKIES. HUGE chocolate chip cookies. [Thanks, Michele, for the cookbook, the baking emulsion, and filling me in on the joys of King Arthur flour!] How huge? Each cookie consists of 1/4 cup cookie dough.

And, by the way, they're delicious!

Baby Stuff - Gear and Wear

Wow! It's been a while since I've blogged! I've been meaning to pop online and write a blog on this topic for a while. The reason for my delay? I had to put pictures on my computer, but before I could do that, I had to archive the old stuff. And now that those tasks are done...

I have tried all sorts of carriers and slings, but I decided I wanted to try something new this go-around. I researched and researched, and found myself with my heart set on getting a mei-tai carrier. A mei-tai carrier (pronounced "may tie" I believe) was, traditionally, a Chinese carrier made of a square of cloth with straps coming off each corner. The modern version features padded straps and reversible sides (for two fashionable views). The baby can be worn on the front, side, or back, and is AWESOME for wearing a breastfeeding baby! If you're interested in how the mei-tai carrier works, there are many "how to" videos on YouTube.

There are some great makers of mei-tai carriers out there, but I settled on Dittany Baby. Dittany Baby stocks a number of baby items - from sling carriers to nursing covers! I found a beautiful mei-tai carrier in the fabric pattern Enchanted.

The baby and I LOVE this carrier. It's very easy on the back and shoulders - I've worn him for hours without pain. The trick is to wear the shoulder straps on the balls of your shoulders. Because there are no buckles or plastic attachments, this type of carrier is tied on. Naturally, knots adjust and become tighter with weight and time, so some adjustment (in the form of retying) may be necessary. However, it's very easy to retie.

While I was perusing the Dittany Baby site, I also found Skid Pants. Maybe you've heard of Baby Legs? Essentially Skid Pants are the same thing... leggings for babies and children. For babies, simply put the baby in a onesie then slide each legging on a leg. Too cute!

Thanks, Dittany Baby, for beautiful, quality baby items!

Mommy Pants

I recently came to the realization that I have different wardrobe selections depending on what is going on in my life. I suppose this follows for most, but I thought I would share my revelation nonetheless.

Richard and I went to a function on a Thursday night where other attorneys and judges were in attendance. The function began at 6:00 p.m., so many of these attorneys and judges had just left the office (or the courtroom). I, however, had been with the children all day and didn't feel the need to escape my "at home/weekend" wardrobe. Of course, I wore clean clothes, but I had already put my 3-day work week behind me and didn't feel the need to don dress pants or a suit. Once Richard and I arrived, I felt a bit out of place. My colleagues, or the better part of them, were wearing black or navy blue suits. Not me! I had on a decent pull-over blouse (I try not to even wear clothes that button up if I've been breastfeeding during the day) and my mommy pants (these particular pants were pink). No one said anything to me, but I did hear a woman commenting on an attorney's guest's interesting skirt and felt sure that she would soon turn her points of criticism to my pants.

Obviously, I can't say that I don't care - I mean, I'm blogging about it, for crying out loud! But I am secure in my excuse. I had been happily attending my sweet ones all day until the moment came for me to leave them with their Nonnie and re-enter the world of my legal profession.

However, instead of dressing the part... I proudly wore my mommy pants!

What We've Been Up To...

It seems as thought we've been on the go for the past several weekends - not to mention all of the ground we've covered in school. Where to begin?


A few weeks ago, we went on our first camping trip of the year. Yes, the wee one went, too - and loved it! Despite the temp dropping to 45 degrees that night, the kids and I stayed cozy in our tent, sandwiched between two down comforters. I didn't even wear socks! Richard wanted to test the warmth of his mummy bag beneath the stars.

Three weekends ago, we drove out to Louisiana to enjoy the wedding of Richard's cousin. During our stay, we visited Starr Homeplace - the family's home was built by the owner's father over the course of 30 years. It was a beautiful home. There was also a barn, a music house, some out buildings (an outhouse, a store), a garden, and two ponds. They were having a hammer in - blacksmiths showing their trade. We had a wonderful time!

Two weekends ago, we went with another family to the Georgia Renaissance Festival. I would say it was an appropriate field trip given our study over the course of this school year of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Appropriate since they have a smattering of things from both the Renaissance AND the Middle Ages. It also seems, given the costumes we saw, that anything old (pirates, antebellum era) or mythical (fairies, hobbits) also belonged. Oh! And shame on you if you didn't bring your worst British accent!

Last weekend, the baby and I started an infant massage class. We've both enjoyed it - and best of all, it's FREE! Free and fun are always a good combination.

On Saturday of this weekend, our family braved the Atlanta traffic to visit the High Museum of Art's Allure of the Automobile exhibit. I'm not into cars by any stretch of the imagination, but I thought this exhibit was fabulous! Among the several cars shown was Clark Gable's 1935 Duesenberg. The car looked like butter. No, really.

In addition to our fun outside the home, we've enjoyed ourselves at home, too. We've begun our Rocks and Minerals study - and during our discussion of dirt and sediments, we sampled a dirt cake. (School is always better when you can make a lesson out of something sweet to eat!) We've also started a Nature Study (using Anna Comstock's book) and put on our gardening gloves to make a wildflower bed and grow some herbs.

I've been busy purchasing books and planning for the next school year - and still trying to figure out where to put all of these new books!

Wordless Wednesday 3 31 2010

Fashion Friday - First Time, Potentially Last Time

I am unabashedly swiping this idea from another blog - the idea of Fashion Friday. [By the way, I used the word "unabashedly." I thought I was using it correctly, but - being the perfectionist I can be at times - decided to look it online up just to make sure. The first definition pulled up, "...in an unabashed manner." Uhhh... Didn't that website's mommy (or English teacher) ever tell it not to define a word with the same word?] Getting back on track... I doubt that this will become a regular entry for me as I'm not "into" fashion so much as I am "into" being comfortable - and oft times, fashion is sacrificed for comfort. Also, I don't buy clothes for myself very often - I've got four rapidly growing children, so their clothing needs take priority. Nonetheless, here I am, awake at 12:30 a.m. because I'm wondering if my husband and two of my children are freezing to death on the Appalachian Trail - on Blood Mountain (nice name especially considering my worries), so I'll participate in Fashion Friday.

In my neck of the woods, it's consignment sale season and two are going on within minutes of my house. Although I did find a few cute little numbers for the kids, I found even more clothes which were stained, faded, missing buttons, or were WAY overpriced. Here's a hint when you're consigning items: See what the same or similar items are going for on Ebay - not what the seller is selling the item for, but what people are actually paying for the item. I saw the ugliest, faded, stained dress priced at $8. Hello? I wouldn't buy that dress for $8 brand-spanking new - and I'd be surprised if someone pays $4 for it when the prices are discounted tomorrow[today?] afternoon at the half-price sale! (I should have taken a picture of it. Oh well, another Kodak moment lost, I suppose.)

I also went shopping with my mother (and a 3 year old and a 3 month old) to find something to wear for Easter and to a wedding the following weekend. I would love to have a new dress, but I am breastfeeding, therefore dresses are out. So is anything made of a silky, satiny sort of material - one drop of milk and I'll be spotty for the day (there's no way of hiding a liquid spill on shiny material, so I'm not risking it). Button-up blouses are also out - I would have to wear it untucked, not to mention that it's hard to be discreet when you're unbuttoning a blouse. (Granted, I've done it, do it, and will do it in the future; however, for a wedding and Mass on the most important holy day of the year, I'll pass on the under-the-receiving-blanket strip show witnessed only by my nursing baby... and anyone who catches a glimpse of me struggling with a button blouse and said blanket.) After searching for a while (well, 30 minutes, but shopping with the obstacles I had today wasn't as fun as it could be so the 30 minutes seemed VERY long), I settled on a skirt and blouse [sans buttons]. I think my mom liked the skirt better than I did, but her excitement for it convinced me I wore it well, so I got it. The ensemble wasn't cheap, but fortunately, it was on sale and... [drumroll, please] mom had her store card and a coupon for an extra 20% off. I got a SWEET deal on my Easter/wedding outfit.

Lucky for me, I have the perfect pair of pink crocs to go with my new outfit. [I am kidding. Seriously.]