It's Raining, It's Pouring...

Well, it seems California has finally decided to act it's season! We got a TON of rain today, the girls and I didn't even leave the house. Actually, this evening we all went out and ran some errands, just for something to do. Today I was working on finishing up the decorating in Luke's room. Soon I'll have to take a photo and post it for all to see. It looks pretty cute--Oh sorry, I've been informed by Savannah that boy stuff is NOT "Cute", it's "Nice or Cool". Hahaha...okay, so it looks pretty nice. It's all coming together and it makes me feel good because the stress is diminishing more and more each day. Not that I'm particularly stressed, but I like to have things done so I can just sit back and admire my handiwork. I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with the way the kids rooms have turned out...one of these days we'll have to treat ourselves to a room overhaul, now that would be fun!
Since we were house-bound today, I was trying to fit in some informal "homeschool" stuff today. I had the girls do a project that turned out really cute. I stapled 2 pieces of paper together to make a book. On the cover I wrote, "My Family". On the inside pages were: "My House", "My Mom", "My Dad", "Abby", "Savannah" and "My Cat, Daisy". I figured it was good reading practice as well as creative expression. Then the girls sat at the table in their room with markers, crayons, pencils, etc. and illustrated their books. Abby didn't quite get it as she hasn't picked up the skill of purposeful artistry yet--her pictures are still mainly scribbles, although she is getting more detail in the faces she draws...but Savannah's book is PRICELESS! Her pictures are too cute. I had her write her name on the back of the book and I dated it as well (I did this for Abby too), and I plan to put it away so one day, years from now, we can look back at what a cute way she illustrated the world around her. It's also a great way to measure progress in drawing/writing skills.
Speaking of which, I have subscribed to Wondertime Magazine. Inside the magazine they have something called an "Instant Journal". It's just a sheet of paper with a couple of questions to fill in about your child and then on the back it's got a little project for them to do...then you can pull it out and put it into a notebook as a keepsake. I thought this was a good idea to prompt the children to give their most honest answers--or most candid at least--to random questions. Tonight I asked the girls a couple of questions...their answers were pretty cute.

Q: How old will you be when you get married?
A:
Savannah--5
Abby--6

Q: Where will you live when you grow up?
A:
Savannah: In an apartment in the country, or in the house right next to us (for some reason, I don't doubt this one!)
Abby: Right next to Papa's House

Q: What country do you live in?
A:
Savannah: San Francisco (she has yet to distinguish between country, state, city, etc...I guess that should be next on our homeschool agenda!)
Abby: She answered yes or no to our prompting on where she lives: USA? Yes, California? No, Novato? No, Our House, Yes!

Q: What kind of pet do you want?
A:
Savannah: A pet cow named Crystal.
Abby: A Strawberry Shortcake Dog named Cupcake.

Q: What is your favorite color?
A:
Savannah: Pink and Yellow
Abby: Purple

Q: How many children do you want to have when you grow up?
A:
Savannah: 5 (after being revised from 76)
Abby: 4

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A:
Savannah: An Animal Doctor
Abby: A Flower Gardener

The last question sparked a debate about what we should be teaching our girls about their roles as wives and mothers...and that is a whole other discussion! The girls are out of their bath and it's time for me to read them a story and tuck them in! So I'm signing off for now! :)