It's KETChup Time!

I finished my Christmas cards, and tomorrow will brave the post office!  (secret sharing---I love the post office).  I sat down this evening after bible study and organized the pictures over the past 2 weeks.  Since my family surprised me with my Canon, the old Kodak has become the kids camera.  I upload both often, but I haven't blogged.  I want to "catch" every one up!  Hence the KETChup title!
When I last left you, the family had been playing Guestures and giggling at and with each other.  Now, please know that it isn't all fun and games at our home! I AM a home school mom after all! I lay awake at night thinking of new ways to torment my children. 
My 5th/6th combo class of Gabe and the twinks are studying biology.  Soooooooooooooooo...we disected flowers and learned all about reproduction in the birds and bee's kinda way.  Like bees and pollen and such. Gabriel cut into the first flower and those tiny little pollens rushed into his nostrils.  It was a sneeze feast.  I scored a nifty clear shelf paper and thought how cool to save our work for dissection.  Here are a few pics of the combo class in action:

They really do enjoy school? I love this curriculum and so like teaching as they get into the hands on part!

While we do Science on Wednesday, Eric has guitar practice.  The teacher, comes to our home, so I don't have leave. 

The next day, since we were in cutting and dicing, we just moved into fruits and vegetables.  Cut them up, drew pictures in our journals, and we didn't use the sticky paper, because we ate them!!

I was getting fancy with the camera, using objects in the foreground. I love Anna's face! Her new glasses are just so sweet on her.

I don't know if I have shared with any of you, but I am love with that curl on the front of Gman's head!  It is a wicked cowl lick and when short it looks like a tornado, but when longer, it is just the most twirlable bit of hair on earth! He loved slicing the fruits and vegi's.

His new glasses are taking some time for me to adjust to them.  He looks so GQ with his suit and curl all gelled and all, but the morning, I'm a home schooler, why comb my hair doesn't help?

I am mucho impressed with their science journals.  They are really good at doing examples and explaining what they saw or did. 

I interupt this blog for an unsolicitated ad for HOME Science ADventures.  I ordered the complete kits from Rainbow Resource.  The kits have EVERYTHING you need to do the experiments in the box.  I mean everything!! Dixie cups, piece of paper, balloon and more!  In one of the boxes, came this cool and wonderful pocket microscope.  It is more powerful than you would think.  We have looked at everything, including a small cut on Gabriel's finger. UBER gross! 

Back to the school room.  The light on the microscope burned out.  I read the little pamphlet in the box, and found the two extra light bulbs included in the box.  I could not get the new bulb to go in.  I called and left a message for the people on the box.  Stratton House.  Meanwhile, I gave it to Eric and in less than 3 minutes, he had the bulb in and it working.  Brianna Stratton (yes the owner) called me back, and we laughed about having the kids fix what was broke.  She was so awesome, I wanted to order things from her because she was so darn nice. 
So, we are almost caught up! I will show you the metamorphosis of our tree tomorrow!!