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Category Archives: Germany

Trends

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If you know me at all, you know that I am a very trendy person. I am all about what is and what is not hot.

Just foolin’. I had you going there for a sec didn’t I?

I am, however, superbly keen on some of the newest trends that are ridiculous, dumb, hideous, and nonsensical. The kind that make you laugh out loud or perhaps you hear a slight whimper and realize that it escaped from your own lips.

For example, when traveling a couple of years ago from Athens to Frankfurt, I actually saw a woman wearing “Hammer pants.” Let me refresh your memory “Du du du du, du du, du du. Can’t touch this!” Apparently M.C. Hammer’s pants made a small comeback in Europe that year. I saw them several times. Continue reading →

The Last Week

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This was the 34th week of school for the Barker boys. Their mean old schoolmarm even made them do some work Friday – the very last day of school. They only had a few things to do. Earlier in the week they took their big geography test, which they have been learning all year. Tristan is still working on his country report. He wasn’t even assigned a report, but I thought he should do one. Aren’t you glad I’m not your teacher? Anyway, I got him started a little late. [...]

Gavin’s New Thing

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This school year has been eye-opening. I mean this in an awe-inspiring kind of way. Yes, there have been a few challenges, but not nearly as many as I had anticipated. I have had the privilege to watch my favorite little people grow and make significant academic progress.

Matt and I were blessed with having the option of choosing what the boys studied this year. They each had some input in the decision making process. I decided that among other subjects, Spanish would be beneficial for them both. Given that we hope to someday return to our native land and speaking Spanish is incredibly useful, we thought this selection was wise. Plus, Gavin had some Spanish last year and I was impressed with what he learned.

Fast forward from July to March . . . okay stop. I’m going to be honest here. Brutally honest. It may have seemed “wise”, but it was not a good fit. Ever try to force a puzzle piece into a puzzle shaped hole? Yeah. No.

Continue reading →

Update: Salty Science

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It took a long time, but it happened. The water from the salt water experiment finally evaporated. We were left with some serious salt formations. I have to admit that the boys were very patient with this experiment. They checked the progress regularly for many weeks. Honestly, I was ready to be finished two weeks into it. They continue to impress and amaze me. Good work little dudes.

Easter

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Here are the sleepy pictures of the boys upon discovery of their Easter Baskets. They were getting ready for church, which explains why Gavin was only wearing his undershirt. It was also his idea to set out all the eggs that we dyed. He wanted a beautiful presentation. Now, a month later, we still have Easter candy sitting in bags on the kitchen counter.

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They’re Back!

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They have returned from the abyss. Also known as Belgium.

Tristan and Matt made it back Tuesday afternoon. They had a good time, but they brought something home with them. Besides a mountain of laundry – they brought that too. They brought home something we have not had in this house for at least a year.

The suspense is killing you isn’t it? If so, just read the next line and you’ll be satisfied.

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Spring Break

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Did you ever go to summer camp?

The only camps I went to were volleyball camps. They were painful, yet lots of fun. The conditioning was painful. The drills and friends were the fun part.

This year for Spring Break, Tristan is going to camp. He’s going with a ton of other middle school aged children. That had me freaked out a little bit. Okay, a whole lot. I thought this spring break thing was like a VBS for middle schoolers. You know, drive them in everyday, they play games, eat snacks, go home, and repeat. I did not realize it was an actual camp. Continue reading →

Wrapping Up Russia

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We are wrapping up our study of Russia. The kids have learned about the country’s political history, language, people, culture, geography, and diverse landscapes. Let me be the first to say that I would not volunteer to go there. I am not tough enough. Plus, they probably would not let me in anyway.

I Homeschool My Kids – I Am Not A Leper

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When you think of homeschooling, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

I am going to guess that some negative stereotypes are the first things that pop into your mind. Am I right?

Homeschoolers are weird. Homeschoolers are religious nuts? Hippies? Those weird kids are all maladjusted and unsocialized. Well, I won’t argue that some are. Interestingly enough, an equivalent proportion of public and private schooled children and their families are, as well. I think it has more to do with environment and heredity more than with educational preference.

I won’t argue the first point, my family are weirdos. You bet we are and proud of it. If this is disturbing, then please stop reading now. Continue reading →

Salty Science

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Step 9 Make sure there are no more steps

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This year the kids are learning all about the different ecosystems. This week’s ecosystem is Oceans. This just happens to be my favorite ecosystem. We had the pleasure of experiencing a few years on the Aegean Sea. We spent nearly every summer day at our favorite beach just down the road from our house. We also drank our fair share of sea water – yuck! – when snorkeling & swimming around. The activities we did today were pretty fun and they were a reminder of all of the time we [...]