Month: June 2010

The Fashion Project

I’ve decided, now that we’re going to have a little vacation from school, to undertake a new project. A new scrapbook, to be exact. The unusual thing about this one, though, is that it’s going to be all about me. Or about my clothes, anyway.

To be honest, I don’t make a whole lot of appearances in our scrapbooks in general, partly because I’m often the one taking pictures, and partly because I’m not very photogenic. But, I’ve decided that I’d like to have more of a record of myself, and I also want to keep track of some of my very favorite outfits.

I’ve discovered that, for the first time in my life, I really like my wardrobe. Sure, I have some clothes that I don’t *love* that just serve a purpose, but I also have a lot of clothes that I *really* love. I’ve also recently really delved into the world of accessories, and I’ve found that I love finding the perfect necklace (or scarf, or earrings, or ring, etc.) to go with an outfit. And even though I may not be happy with my weight, or the way I look in pictures, I do still have clothes (and accessories!) that make me feel fabulous when I wear them, and I’d like to document that.

I also recently got a book (Klutz Paper Fashions), that while intended for children, makes me really happy, and I’m going to be using the fruits of that for my scrapbook, too. I would probably tell you that I got the book to have some mindless entertainment in the evenings, to work on something kind of crafty, even though that’s not really my thing, but the truth is, this is as close to be a fashion designer as I’ll ever get. I can’t sew or draw, so using stencils to create fashions is the best I can do, but I’m still really excited about doing it, and I think my creations will be the perfect embellishments for my album.

I even found the perfect scrapbook for this project–it from the Die Cuts With a View All Dressed Up line!

So, I found a way to combine my favorite personal fashions with my love of (if not skill for) fashion design, and do it in a way that also involves one of my favorite hobbies, scrapbooking. I have to say, I’m looking forward to getting started!

Why I Shouldn’t Play Video Games

A couple of weeks ago, Ryan ordered Red Dead Redemption, and suggested to me that he thought I’d enjoy the game, as it takes place in the Wild West. Being something of a Browncoat, and having grown up with a father who watched reruns of all the old TV westerns (and listened to the Old Time Radio versions, too), my interest was piqued. Anyway, he thought I should stick around while he played it (which I normally don’t do), so I agreed.

I got sucked into the game pretty quick, even though I wasn’t the one with the controller, and I discovered that I was enjoying the time we spent in the evenings, him playing, me watching. I grew attached to the characters in a way I usually reserve for books, I enjoyed the missions, I got nervous at the gang hideouts–I was totally engrossed. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a big fan of violence, but the themes were appealing–a main character trying to make up for his past and save his family; trying to do the right things after a lifetime of bad choices. So, I overlooked the general violence in order to follow the story.

That was all well and good until last night. The night we stayed up until almost 2 a.m. (and still hadn’t actually reached the final scene!). The night that I was awake half of, thinking about the game. After what I thought was the second “ending” of about four different events that felt like endings, I was feeling shocked and dismayed. I found that I had gotten into the story just like I would a movie–only it was a movie that has taken up almost three full days to get through, instead of two hours. I also found that I was left with more questions than answers, and unlike a movie, where you can rewind, I can’t go back and re-watch the scenes I’m puzzling over, or try to look for missed details, unless we start all over.

So, these are the thoughts that kept me up half of what was a short night, anyway. And now that we finished the game (for what seemed like the fourth or fifth time) for real tonight, I’m still thinking about it, trying to figure it out, and feeling generally unhappy about the last third of the game.

This is why I don’t play video games–it really doesn’t have anything to do with their violence, I just don’t have time for the after-effects!

Almost Done

Next week is our last week of first grade. I can’t believe it. We’ve completed almost two full years of homeschool. Given that I wasn’t sure we’d survive one year, I’m still kind of surprised at how (mostly) smoothly this has gone.

I have plans for a special summer school unit again this year, this time focusing on the Colonial and Revolutionary War periods, and all things American. I’ve planned a few fun crafts, including creating old-fashioned shop signs and making silhouettes. We’ll be reading a lot of fun books, including the American Girl Felicity series and a great series about early American history by Betsy Maestro. I’m especially excited that we’ll be watching the Liberty’s Kids series on DVD. I bought it last year at an amazing price, and have just been waiting for the right time to introduce it. The funny thing is, when I was planning summer school, it didn’t even occur to me to use the series until *after* I’d planned our other activities. I love when things unintentionally work out like that!

So, we’ll be finishing up that last of our first grade materials (which, at this point in the year, is primarily math, with some other stuff thrown in), have a small break before “summer school,” and then a bigger break after before we start on Sonlight’s Core 1.

I’m going to have two second graders soon…how is that possible?