Lester Fizz: Bubblegum Artist

What an enjoyable children's book, definately a classic! Clever, witty, repetative, laughable & of course educational.

Here's what you can teach from this book:

--Introduce artists like Degas, Matisse, Picasso, Davinci, Frida, Dorthea Lange, Georgia Okeefe, Saurat... and many more

--Experience "illiteration" first hand

--Discuss personal talents & working hard to accomplish something

--Teach what to look for in art and how to get those creative juices flowing: What do you see; what don't you see; what to you want to see?

Six for Six: We are Grandparents

While I know there are actually only five chicks in this picture, our hen Charlie, does infact have six chicks. The sixth is also yellow. Only one blackie. Stan discovered the faint peeps on Tuesday morning last, where 4 eggs had hatched. Within the next two hours the last two eggs hatched and all six fertilized eggs were successfully born. Now the waiting begins. How many of the chicks will be roosters and how many will be hens. We won't know for about 4-6 months. I sure hope they are all hens so we can keep them.
What better way to learn science than to live it. How lucky we are to witness where eggs come from and where chickens come from, for that matter.

Brother Against Brother

This summer the boys took a trip back east to visit with Grandma Betty Yandell, Aunt Bonnie and cousin Cody. The visited American Civil War historical sites and experienced reenactments.

Xander and Niko visited the grounds of the Battle of Shilo. Niko dons the Yankee uniform and Xander, the Confederate uniform. Brother against brother.

Roman Travis Olson: 7 months

If he isn't the cutest baby, I don't know who is!

Roman has been the love of the family these last few months. I get to be his favorite, which is a blessing and a curse. Roman will be perfectly content until he sees or hears me...then he screams for me because only I can make him happy.

Roman LOVES food. I am sure he is one of my earliest eaters. His stomach is quite sensitive (he spits up ALL the time) and so I don't eat dairy very often, whic seems to lessen the spit up. He scoots all around and gets anywhere he wants to go.

Family Work

Family work is so important!

David O. McKay said, “Let us realize that the privilege to work is a gift, that the power to work is a blessing, that love of work is success” (quoted by Franklin D. Richards, “The Gospel of Work,” Improvement Era, Dec. 1969, 101).

You can't say I'm not a slave driver. Ella is a gleaming example of loving to work. Since toddlerhood, she has been an organizer and cleaner. And today she is just pooped!

A story by Xander, 2011

Here is a story that Xander wrote for a scouting assignment. It is his first draft, and I think it's pretty good considering...

A Frightening Tale by Xander Olson

As a homeshooling mom, I worry about "keeping up with the Jones" in an academic sense, even though leadership education is my long term goal and my educational philosophy with my children... nevertheless it's too easy to compare myself (and my children) to others anyway.

So here is a writting Xander put together as a first draft, for a scouting writting assignment. I thought he did pretty well. And he even enjoyed himself.

While I am sure we are not "keeping up" I am proud of his effort and accomplishment.