The pics are little grainy...Sam forgot that he had the ISO set really high when we were taking pics at the beach.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Halloween 2009
Meghan is fascinated with all things Egyptian, so she decided that she wanted to be Cleopatra this year. We recycled the collar and belt from her 1ST GRADE costume and just made the dress part. I only added about 1 1/2 inches to the belt, if you can believe that....she's only that much bigger around than she was in 1st grade...geez. I'm not sure where she got those genes, but they weren't from me. I was a skinny kid, but not THAT skinny! The hardest part of the entire project was finding her something to wear under it. Nobody sells a slip for a 12 year old stick, lol. Or any other 12 year old, for that matter. She had a camisole, and I made her a half slip out of an old slip of mine.
The pics are little grainy...Sam forgot that he had the ISO set really high when we were taking pics at the beach.
The pics are little grainy...Sam forgot that he had the ISO set really high when we were taking pics at the beach.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sunset at Moss Landing....
We went down the street to the beach to watch the sunset tonight. It was spectacular...here are a few pics. There are more on my facebook page...
Can't believe it's the end of October...
It seems like Christmas was just last month and now it's time to start thinking about it, again.
No pics this time, just an update. Sam's computer is being retarded and we don't have the money to replace it yet. He downloads the pics to his external drive so we don't lose them, but it's hard to search, etc because the stupid computer keeps crashing. Being broke sucks.
In August, the company that contracts Sam said they couldn't pay him as a contractor anymore due to IRS issues. They offered him a salary lower than we've made in over ten years, but it's not like there's anywhere else to go at the moment. So we took it. We got insurance (pretty marginal insurance, but it's better than nothing) and paid vacation out of the deal, but otherwise it's a lousy deal. They still have him contracted to Apple, though, and we kind of like that. They have a shuttle that runs up there from Gilroy, which saves us about $500/month in gas. They rarely want him to work weekends or nights, a rarity in Silicon Valley. I'm guessing they're still paying the contracting company by the hour, so they don't want to go crazy with his hours. There are people at Apple that, I swear, live there.
So, we've had to be on a really strict budget; something we're not great at. But, we're getting better. If we'd been on a strict budget for the last two years while we were making good money, we'd be in better shape becuase we'd have more stuff paid off. Hindsight is always 20/20 and I guess the Lord needed to rein us in a bit and make us be more responsible. I'm trying to learn what I need to from this, so we can move on to something else.
On the upside, if you have to be broke somewhere, this is the place. We got a beach five minutes away, great friends, a beautiful place to live where most people just get to come vacation. I see the cruise ships in Monterey harbor and think, "Ha! WE get to live here!" (Even as I'm trying to figure out how to sneak on and get dinner, lol). As Sam dreads the end of DST, which means it'll be dark when he gets home from work, we ramp up our beach visits. We go nearly everyday, as soon as he gets home, to watch the sunset, and hang out until it's just too dark. The sound of the waves reduces my stress level significantly and we always see a few "critters"; usually seals or otters. Last week, we were treated to dolphins, a rarity in the Bay.
This week is Halloween costume week. Meg wants to be Cleopatra...not surprising, considering her current love of all things Egyptian. This year, though, she will get to sew most of her costume herself. She's not a bad seamstress and seems excited about the prospect. We have almost everything already to make it, so we won't have to buy much, which is good. I'm a Halloween scrooge...I hate spending money on Halloween junk. Sam's pirate costume that I made last year got put away somewhere "safe", which means I'll spend my week looking for it.
Lastly, I have to announce that Sam is, officially, the best husband ever. He spent the weekend catching up the laundry that I've been getting behind on. I haven't felt great for the last couple of months and a lot of things have been sliding. He did all the laundry, and put it all away. I hate laundry and dishes becuase they are never done, and when I don't feel well, they are the last things to get done. Granted, he may have been desperate for something to wear, but rather than complain, he just washed it all. I LOVE that guy. Besides, he's cute. :0)
No pics this time, just an update. Sam's computer is being retarded and we don't have the money to replace it yet. He downloads the pics to his external drive so we don't lose them, but it's hard to search, etc because the stupid computer keeps crashing. Being broke sucks.
In August, the company that contracts Sam said they couldn't pay him as a contractor anymore due to IRS issues. They offered him a salary lower than we've made in over ten years, but it's not like there's anywhere else to go at the moment. So we took it. We got insurance (pretty marginal insurance, but it's better than nothing) and paid vacation out of the deal, but otherwise it's a lousy deal. They still have him contracted to Apple, though, and we kind of like that. They have a shuttle that runs up there from Gilroy, which saves us about $500/month in gas. They rarely want him to work weekends or nights, a rarity in Silicon Valley. I'm guessing they're still paying the contracting company by the hour, so they don't want to go crazy with his hours. There are people at Apple that, I swear, live there.
So, we've had to be on a really strict budget; something we're not great at. But, we're getting better. If we'd been on a strict budget for the last two years while we were making good money, we'd be in better shape becuase we'd have more stuff paid off. Hindsight is always 20/20 and I guess the Lord needed to rein us in a bit and make us be more responsible. I'm trying to learn what I need to from this, so we can move on to something else.
On the upside, if you have to be broke somewhere, this is the place. We got a beach five minutes away, great friends, a beautiful place to live where most people just get to come vacation. I see the cruise ships in Monterey harbor and think, "Ha! WE get to live here!" (Even as I'm trying to figure out how to sneak on and get dinner, lol). As Sam dreads the end of DST, which means it'll be dark when he gets home from work, we ramp up our beach visits. We go nearly everyday, as soon as he gets home, to watch the sunset, and hang out until it's just too dark. The sound of the waves reduces my stress level significantly and we always see a few "critters"; usually seals or otters. Last week, we were treated to dolphins, a rarity in the Bay.
This week is Halloween costume week. Meg wants to be Cleopatra...not surprising, considering her current love of all things Egyptian. This year, though, she will get to sew most of her costume herself. She's not a bad seamstress and seems excited about the prospect. We have almost everything already to make it, so we won't have to buy much, which is good. I'm a Halloween scrooge...I hate spending money on Halloween junk. Sam's pirate costume that I made last year got put away somewhere "safe", which means I'll spend my week looking for it.
Lastly, I have to announce that Sam is, officially, the best husband ever. He spent the weekend catching up the laundry that I've been getting behind on. I haven't felt great for the last couple of months and a lot of things have been sliding. He did all the laundry, and put it all away. I hate laundry and dishes becuase they are never done, and when I don't feel well, they are the last things to get done. Granted, he may have been desperate for something to wear, but rather than complain, he just washed it all. I LOVE that guy. Besides, he's cute. :0)
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Adventures in Homeschooling
So, it's been nearly a month since I updated. Life goes on, but I just haven't felt like blogging, I guess.
Homeschooling has been kind of fun most days. We only have a meltdown (hers or mine) about once a week. Those days, I just try to kind of back off and we make it up somewhere. We usually start around 9 am, and finish about 1 or 2. She does some work in the car when we have to run errands, or when I have to be somewhere else. Or we use that time to discuss her social studies or science. I have a friend with a degree in creative writing that is coaching her with some other homeschool kids for her writing assessment. Another friend, who is an artist, is having an art class at her house once or twice a month. We have PE at the park on Tuesdays (when it's not raining). Meghan taught them how to play her funny little "poppy ball" game and one of the moms is teaching some of them how to play tennis.
So, a few pics of our adventures so far.
We went to a beach where the ocean is chipping away at a cliff, exposing seashell and sea critter fossils. You are allowed to pick up stuff that's already fallen, you aren't allowed to help the ocean erode the cliff. We got a few great samples, then Meg did the research to find out about them. They are about 2-3 million years old and were probably deposited after a storm, then covered in mud/silt/sand which hardened into rock.
She was studying the ancient Roman Empire in social studies. So, we did a little research on what the ancient romans ate and had a toga party, ate reclining on the couch, mostly roman (ish) food. Since the Roman Empire was pre-pasta, pre-tomato, etc, it wasn't as easy as you would think.
Don't you love our Roman Empire-era purple plastic cups??? And Meg's paisley toga.
Meg (and Bodie Hardy) making like Jackson Pollock in her art class. (See here for actual Pollock paintings) Frankly, I think she's better.
Last week, I played piano for the Hidden Valley Institute of the Arts Elderhostel. Retired people (mostly over about 70) come and spend a week in Carmel, learning choral music and a bit of dance, and they have a concert on Friday night. Meg went with me, of course, and was doing her schoolwork while I played. She even got to practice her piano on that gorgeous Steinway during the breaks (which she LOVED). A couple of days in, the director asked her if she wanted to sing. He had brought in some of his college students to help, also. I think she had a good time, and now has all kinds of extra grandma friends.
Oh, and we used Jenny's Hunger Games competition as our reading project last month. Our Educ Svpr was impressed by Jenny's bookclub, blog and contest. And, that we tied for first.
I've had lots of people tell me how "brave" I am to homeschool, but frankly, it's easier than I thought it would be. It certainly beats the crud out of begging her to do her homework every afternoon. I'm learning stuff, too, which is kind of cool. The Educ Svpr is very helpful and my other homeschooling friends have banded together for some fun classes. All in all, it's been a pretty positive experience. Someone asked Meghan if she liked homeschooling and she told them she did. Of course, I was sitting there, but it's not like she's tried to spare my feelings before. :0)
Homeschooling has been kind of fun most days. We only have a meltdown (hers or mine) about once a week. Those days, I just try to kind of back off and we make it up somewhere. We usually start around 9 am, and finish about 1 or 2. She does some work in the car when we have to run errands, or when I have to be somewhere else. Or we use that time to discuss her social studies or science. I have a friend with a degree in creative writing that is coaching her with some other homeschool kids for her writing assessment. Another friend, who is an artist, is having an art class at her house once or twice a month. We have PE at the park on Tuesdays (when it's not raining). Meghan taught them how to play her funny little "poppy ball" game and one of the moms is teaching some of them how to play tennis.
So, a few pics of our adventures so far.
We went to a beach where the ocean is chipping away at a cliff, exposing seashell and sea critter fossils. You are allowed to pick up stuff that's already fallen, you aren't allowed to help the ocean erode the cliff. We got a few great samples, then Meg did the research to find out about them. They are about 2-3 million years old and were probably deposited after a storm, then covered in mud/silt/sand which hardened into rock.
She was studying the ancient Roman Empire in social studies. So, we did a little research on what the ancient romans ate and had a toga party, ate reclining on the couch, mostly roman (ish) food. Since the Roman Empire was pre-pasta, pre-tomato, etc, it wasn't as easy as you would think.
Don't you love our Roman Empire-era purple plastic cups??? And Meg's paisley toga.
Meg (and Bodie Hardy) making like Jackson Pollock in her art class. (See here for actual Pollock paintings) Frankly, I think she's better.
Last week, I played piano for the Hidden Valley Institute of the Arts Elderhostel. Retired people (mostly over about 70) come and spend a week in Carmel, learning choral music and a bit of dance, and they have a concert on Friday night. Meg went with me, of course, and was doing her schoolwork while I played. She even got to practice her piano on that gorgeous Steinway during the breaks (which she LOVED). A couple of days in, the director asked her if she wanted to sing. He had brought in some of his college students to help, also. I think she had a good time, and now has all kinds of extra grandma friends.
Oh, and we used Jenny's Hunger Games competition as our reading project last month. Our Educ Svpr was impressed by Jenny's bookclub, blog and contest. And, that we tied for first.
I've had lots of people tell me how "brave" I am to homeschool, but frankly, it's easier than I thought it would be. It certainly beats the crud out of begging her to do her homework every afternoon. I'm learning stuff, too, which is kind of cool. The Educ Svpr is very helpful and my other homeschooling friends have banded together for some fun classes. All in all, it's been a pretty positive experience. Someone asked Meghan if she liked homeschooling and she told them she did. Of course, I was sitting there, but it's not like she's tried to spare my feelings before. :0)
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