3inCasaClark

Montecito 2010

2011-01-12T12:39:00.000-08:00

Once again we went to Montecito with our chosen family, our friends. We love it there. There are activities for the kids and fun for the adults. I felt more at ease this year and even though the lodge was packed we made the best of it. This year we were joined by the Tootles, the Duttons, the Woodards, and the Stahls; our family keeps getting bigger. :)

Some archery for the boys.

And the girls too.

Dancing for the kids.

And some sledding too.

We came down the hill to see Aunt Mel and Uncle Tom too. It was nice to see them and spend some time with family.

All in all it was a wonderful family vacation.

Diving Diva II

2010-07-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

Well folks, Chloe is diving. She'll have to keep working on it, but this was a mental breakthrough for the little engine who kept saying she couldn't.

Diving Diva

2010-06-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I am a bit obsessed with getting Chloe into summer programs and this summer is no exception. We browsed through the city catalog and she got to pick what she wanted to do since Point Reyes camp was not an option this year. One of things that she picked was diving and I feel that she made the right choice. I personally think that she looks like a diver, bias? Absolutely!

It was fun taking her to the pool and seeing her stretch out and get better as the day went on . Following is a sequence of her best jump.

This is the warm up with the rest of her classmates.

Getting ready for jump.

Wait for it....

Wait for it.....

Getting some air.....

Taking the leap.

Sorry but even with it being on continuous sports mode I didn't hold the button long enough to get the actual dive. It was a cross between a belly flop and a dive. Having said that, she did great for it being her very first time doing this. She's really excited about getting better and taking her lumps (belly flops hurt) as she goes along.

Chloe's 10th Birthday Bash

2010-03-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

Our amazing daughter has finally turned ten; seriously where does the time go. We decided that this year we would fore go the traditional party scene and have a party that would be both educational and good for our community, so we had her party at Kaweah Oaks Preserve. It was a lovely day for a party although a bit windy. Our dear friend Niki took us on a tour and the kids had a good time learning and taking in some nature.

There was plenty of monkeying around too. The kids all seemed to have a good time. For snacks we offered homemade granola, organic baby carrots from KMK Farms, organic mandarins, and of course cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. All told, with the help of her awesome guests, Chloe's party helped raise $300 for local land conservation.

Thank you guys for making it such a lovely day and for helping Chloe make a real difference locally.

I'm a hockey mom through and through

2010-02-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

So as most of you know we went up to San Jose today for Chloe to attend a hockey camp for girls that was hosted by the San Jose Sharks Jrs, so no real Sharks for me today. It wasn't fun getting up and hitting the road by 6:30 am but it was all worth it. Chloe loves hockey as a fan, and now she actually wants to play hockey. How cute is she in all of that gear. We also got the opportunity to visit the Smiths which was fun and made me really miss those guys.

We got there early and caught the end of the New Jersey Devils' practice who we play on Tuesday night. Hooray! Loved the Olympics, but missed my hockey. They have a rep for having some big guys on the team, however, in suits they're not all that.

Ryan is helping tape the socks onto Chloe's body because she's so skinny.

At first it wasn't all smiles since Chloe has never had hockey gear on and she's never actually ice skated, but # 13 from the SJ Jr. Sharks girls' team was there to lend a hand and offer moral support.

Once she was off and running she was the slowest, but that didn't stop her determination. All the coaches saw how much effort she was making and were there to lend a hand.

By the end of the day she was a lean, mean hockey machine with the help of the awesome coaching staff. After hockey clinic we headed over to the Smiths house to have some lunch and got the pleasure of finally meeting that insanely cute Thomas.

What a handsome boy eating his quesadilla while we ate some really good Thai.

Even when things weren't going so well, he's still a really cute guy. Come on.

There was even time for some book reading. Those are really cute kids. Thank you Smiths for being such awesome hosts and sharing your darling boy with us.

Day 2

2009-11-17T17:16:00.000-08:00

We had a busy day today. I let Chloe sleep in because she's eating a ton, and I can only assume it's because she is growing. Our day started at 9:30.

9:30 to 10:00 am Breakfast.

10:00 to 10:30 am Chloe did an interactive online class via Elluminate. She is taking a writing class with a teacher and about 100 + kids.

10:30 to 11:00 am Study island. Please refer to yesterday's post about what this is.

11:00 to 11:30 am French.

11:30 to 12:30 pm Math. We did more multiplication today using 2 digits. She breezed right through it. I didn't make her do two lessons because I was concerned about the amount of work we had to do.

12:30 to 1:00 pm Lunch. Today we had some pasta with tomato sauce and some crusty bread.

1:00 to 1:30 pm Strategies for success. This is actually another test prep thing. She has to read and underline tips that will help become a better test taker. Today's lesson was centered around reading the questions first before looking at the answers.

1:30 to 2:30 pm Science. This is actually the course that I will be focusing on today. Chloe's keywords for this lesson were fluid, pascal, and pressure; you guessed it we did air pressure today. It was a really fun lesson and Chloe really liked the experiment. I tried to take pics of the can, but couldn't get a picture that showed the before and after very well. Today's assessment was actually doing the experiment and having Chloe answer the following questions. Her answers to these are also included.

1. Which has greater pressure- gas molecules or liquid molecules? Liquid molecules have more pressure.
2. Which takes up more space - gas molecules or liquid molecules? Gas molecules take up more space.
3. When you heated the can, into what state of matter did the water change? The water changed into gas.
4. When you turned the can upside down in the water, could air get into the can? Air could not get into the can.
5. When you place the can in the cold water, it cooled. What state of matter did the water change into then? The water changes into a liquid.

I like the lessons in Science because each has an experiment that helps make the lesson tangible.

2:30 to 3:00 pm break. Chloe wanted to take a shower so that she was ready for choir tonight.

3:00 to 3:30 pm composition. Chloe focused on writing a summary of the book and evaluating plot, characters, and setting for a book report. I will actually focus on composition once she has finished her book report.

3:30 to 3:45 spelling.

3:45 to 4:45 Literature. More Robinson Crusoe today. Will read the actual book tonight before bed.

Join us tomorrow for Math, spelling, Literature, vocabulary, composition, state history, history, art, study island, and French.

Day 1

2009-11-16T18:49:00.000-08:00

Well today was a crazy as it started not so well. Chloe spent the night with my folks and my dad didn't bring her back till around 10:30 am and we just finished school at 6:00 pm. Needless to say, it was a grueling day. I thought the best way to do this was to let you know what we accomplished and show examples of one subject a day, so it may take longer than a week. I will do a better job documenting actual time spent on each subject beginning tomorrow. I was so focused today and getting what we needed to get done, that I didn't log times. I apologize.

Our morning started with Study Island which is a place where kids go to get ready for the state exams. Today Chloe did a less in organizing writing in which she scored a 90.9 % and also a lesson in 3-dimensional solids in which she scored 76.9%. As I have stated earlier, Math is not her strong suit, however, the beauty of study island is that they'll give her puzzles and lessons in the areas she needs help with in order to get her "up to speed" sort of speak. Chloe is responsible of making sure that she does Study Island and that her efforts get progressively better as part of her student's responsibility.

Study Island was followed by her online French class. Chloe wanted to do this on her own, and she will not pass to a new lesson unless she pronounces things correctly and passes a daily quiz. She's doing well, but not sure what she's doing as she won't share. I only know that she passes daily when I log her in and see that she has moved onto the next lesson.

Literature followed with a lesson in Robinson Crusoe, a kid friendly version not the actual book. She had to read the sections and answer questions. She has to use complete sentences, etc, and I will show an example on the Literature day. As part of Literature she has to read out loud to me and I decided to have her read Robinson Crusoe, the actual book. We read it together, so it makes it special and fun.

Math was next with 2 lessons in multiplication. I like to double up on the easy Math lessons so that we can take as much time as needed on the harder lessons. She passed her assessments with flying colors, although she needs to take more time to read directions. At times Math takes twice as long as it should because she doesn't follow directions, and I make her erase her work and have her start from the beginning if needed. Luckily, that didn't happen today.

Language Arts was next with lessons in spelling, grammar, and vocabulary. I will share her spelling list and exercises on Friday because it takes all week to get through spelling. In grammar we focused on apostrophes that show possession as well as contractions. In vocabulary she is doing a review of units 1 - 4, and had to do some work showing that she understood their meanings and could use them correctly.

History's lesson today highlighted George Washington's Farewell Address. We've been following the French Revolution up to and including the beheading of Louis XVI, the terror, and Napoleon Bonaparte. Chloe learned how the Americans at the time wanted to help, but how Washington felt that staying out of European wars was more prudent. I will be highlighting History on Wednesday as it has her doing some research in which she has to compare Napoleon to Julius Caesar, so it should be fun.

Lastly, we did Art. The picture at the beginning of this post is Chloe's interpretation of a haystack. She's studying impressionism starting with Monet. I personally don't like this genre of art, but she seems to be enjoying the unit. Her assessment questions were T and F and are as follows:

Which of the following is true about Claude Monet's paintings?
1. Some are part of a series.
2. They never show the same subject.
3. Some show the same subject.
4. Claude Monet showed the same subject at different times of the day or during different seasons.
Answers: T, F, T, T

Join us tomorrow for Math, spelling, Literature, composition, Science, strategies for success, study island, and French.

A week with a Home Schooler

2009-11-09T08:38:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to write this post but haven't really had the time. My intent is both to inform about our family's commitment, and to dispel myths commonly associated with homeschooling.

Our decision to pursue this educational alternative was prompted by Chloe's underachievement in Math, at a private school. We thought we were doing the best for our daughter, namely by throwing money towards what we believed was a good education. We saw great progress in all subjects but Math. When your child comes home saying that she "sucks" at it and just isn't smart enough to understand it, then it's time to intervene. It became apparent that regardless of a school's reputation or a teacher's most genuine effort, no teacher has the time to sit one on one with each student to address individual obstacles. It was equally apparent that as involved as we already were, we weren't involved enough.

The homeschooling that we do is actually a state sanctioned and accredited virtual charter school. The state provides us with customized lesson plans in core subjects as well as lessons in Art History and Music Theory or Foreign Language (our choice). As parents we implement those lessons via books and the world wide web. Chloe is thriving and we love the challenging curriculum. Ryan mentioned that when people ask me about how it's going my tendency is to give unnecessary and very specific lesson examples we've done and it makes me sound insecure. Leave it to Ryan, right? Having heard what he has said I will be standardizing my answer to: Chloe is happy, we love the curriculum, and we feel we have a responsibility to, as well as, fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be so involved in our daughter's education. If anyone wants specifics they can read this and subsequent posts, and/ or join us for a day.

Contrary to a popular argument made against homeschooling, we could not, even if we wanted to, finish a year's worth of curriculum in a week. Although this and other comments have never been made directly to us, they have been made about us. I've personally heard this particular comment and have witnessed the roll of the eyes when our choice in schooling is discussed. These passive aggressive jabs have been made by persons that are teachers, and therefore have a vested interest in perpetuating the status quo. Perhaps they don't deal much with the rabble and are fortunate enough to teach the gifted AP kids (which by the way I am lucky enough to do). Perhaps they just don't realized the general public's disgust and embarrassment of the current educational system. When the system they defend produces High School graduates that are illiterate and/or incapable of writing in complete sentences, then what exactly are they proud of?

Enough of the ranting and back to the purpose of this post. I will be blogging daily about our schooling for a week, beginning November 16, 2009 and ending November 20, 2009. Our subjects include Math, Literature, Science, Language Skills, World History, State History, French, Spelling, Art History, and a supplemental course called Study Island, which helps her prep for the state exams. I thought I would highlight 2 to 3 subjects a day with pictures, my observations, and examples of Chloe's work. I will also be including a literal time line of our day so you get an idea of what my life really is like at Casa Clark. Hope you'll join us.

Organic Pastures Tour

2009-09-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

As those of you who know us know, we drink raw milk. I had the opportunity to set up a tour this morning of the farm in Fresno and it was a blast. The cows are out eating grass and enjoying the sunshine. There were calves and bulls as well, but most importantly there was the milk. Our CAVA teacher posted the outing so we had the opportunity to meet other families which made it extra special.

The cows that they have are Holstein, french normande, jerseys, and most importantly mixes of these breeds. The mixes usually produce the best milk which consists of 3/4 cream and 1/4 milk, so just imagine how amazing raw milk and raw milk products taste. We learned about their cows and how they are raised which was incredible.

We also got to meet Boo a cow rescued by PETA. Boo was about to be slaughtered because she had 3 teats instead of 4. Dairy men are becoming ever more picky about their cows and only want to keep and feed the perfect ones; all others are sold for slaughter. Boo has a bell around her neck so that PETA can pick her out of the crowd and take walks with her. I love this story and the fact that all of the cows are distinct, and even the aesthetically challenged ones have a good life. It only strengthens my resolve for raw milk.

Let us know if you want to head over for a tour. We would love to visit again.

Our home gets a makeover

2009-09-07T11:38:00.000-07:00

We FINALLY took the plunge and put in laminate flooring in the house. We are in love. The new flooring went into the kitchen, dining room, living room, and hallway. The house looks bigger and brighter with the new floors and new paint. We painted in teal and soft grey; we decided to keep the brown because we felt that it anchored the room. The kitchen cabinets got a new stain which blends into the brown very nicely. We've gotten lots of compliments from those of you that have come over so thank you. The hard work was all worth it.

Feta Update

2009-08-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

Feta is officially edible. Will post again with recipe and raw milk vs. pasteurized milk comparison.

Homemade Feta

2009-08-12T21:35:00.000-07:00

I'll have to try it to make sure that it doesn't kill anyone. Keep you posted. Not made with goat's milk which makes this REALLY cost effective. This first batch was made with raw milk, but I will make some feta with pasteurized milk to see which one has the better texture. I'll let you know, but I suspect the raw milk will win. Check back at casaclarkcooks.blogspot.com to see what happens.

Mid week box

2009-07-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

Went to the garden this morning and was able to harvest some food. The tomatoes are finally turning and are quite delicious. It's like getting a CSA box mid week. You'll see the dragon tongue beans (which I plan to pickle; hopefully they retain their amazing color), yellow cherry tomatoes, currant tomatoes, Italian heirloom tomatoes, one tiny Martino roma tomato, eggplant and garlic. It's totally awesome and we are all really excited about planning our fall plantings.

Chloe is finally a big girl with pierced ears. It's going to fast.

Look at those beets

2009-07-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

Went to the garden today because I didn't have room to pull some beets that were ready to go. Yesterday I came home with butternut squash, eggplants, spaghetti squash, zucchini, cucumbers (which I'm pickling), arugula, and some chard. Back to the beets; aren't they gorgeous? They are called chioggia and they are Italian heirlooms. You are able to keep the rings if they are cooked whole and cut right before serving. Just gorgeous!

I made homemade cornmeal!

2009-07-09T15:21:00.000-07:00

In order to concentrate properly, and let's be honest, have my VERY OWN food blog, I've decided to launch casaclarkcooks.blogspot.com. Visit this blog to discover our culinary adventures.

Grateful for....

2009-06-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a bad week at Casaclark. My dad was hospitalized, a story a bit long to get into, and was released after 5 days. I am grateful to have him around. I am not ready to be fatherless. Hooray.

I'm also grateful for my mini pot garden at home. We have a ton of basil, sage, rosemary, and beans (the picture is of our dragon tongue beans) . The tomatoes were planted later than I wanted, so they are off to a slow start. I know that we'll have a ton of tomatoes from mom's garden though. It's exploding! We've been eating squash, zucchini (basically the same), eggplant, arugula, chard, and daikons. We are expecting tons of tomatoes, carrots, beets, and peppers. I'm excited to be there more now that Chloe is done with school.

Lastly, I am grateful for my wonderful bosom of friends. I love you guys. Thank you for being such a good support system.

The Garden is in Progress

2009-05-05T16:48:00.001-07:00

The boxes are made and the veges are planted. We have 8 boxes with beets, greens, tomatoes, herbs, squash, melons, peppers and beans to name a few. We have 45 tomato plants so we should have some to share. All that's left to do is keep the plants alive and place the mulch in the walking paths. We'll keep you posted.

Garden Time

2009-04-13T17:24:00.001-07:00

Well Ryan tilled my mother in law's entire back yard so that we can start a family garden. I am super excited about this enormous undertaking and anticipating some delicious food. I started our heirloom tomato seeds and so far the jaune flamme and green zebras are the first to break through. Both basils are also coming in strong and we'll have sweet and amethyst to use. I'll keep you posted on our progress.

Delizioso!

2009-03-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

Chloe went on a field trip with CAVA and attended a workshop at Young Chefs Academy. I wish they had that franchise here. She learned to make pizza from scratch, including sauce and loved it. Although her pizza looks funny Chloe thought it was the best pizza ever, with the exception of Ethan's of course :( . Mom never wins.

Abundant living

2009-02-27T17:43:00.000-08:00

As you all know we are part of the csa Abundant Harvest Organics. We really have enjoyed our shipments and have been eating better than ever since early February. I just wanted to post because I wanted to brag about what we get to eat (take a look at the lettuce and rainbow chard). We also got some rapini and green garlic which I've never tried, but am excited to eat.

I also wanted to blog this week because I wanted to share my personal love of Raw Milk. We started getting it with our vege deliveries and we all agreed right off the bat that it is wonderful. I found this article about Raw Milk and wanted to share.

Chloe turned 9 and mom turned, well, we won't talk about that.

2009-02-16T14:43:00.001-08:00

Where has the time gone? I swear it feels like yesterday the day she was born. I want her to stay a kid forever, but I'm eager to see how she turns out. I had a lot of mixed feelings this birthday. Chloe is growing up way too fast.

She had a good birthday party at CCGI, which meant that I didn't have to clean up afterwards at home. She had 22 children join her, and she got a ton of awesome gifts. Among her favorites are Dad's MP3 player gift, Mom's custom made jewelry, and Harper's awesome T-shirt and bows. I was glad to see that all of the kids had a good time and that it was a stress free day for me too. I actually got to enjoy myself. Thanks to all of our friends and family for making this such a wonderful day for Chloe.

Guest Starring Chloe Clark

2009-01-29T11:26:00.000-08:00

I periodically log into Chloe's email to dump some of the spam she gets and came across this. It made me wonder what the 1st email must have been like. I thought it was too cute not to share. Disney Channel better get on the ball!

dear disney channel.com
you still havent ansewred my question about me being a guest star.
my house number is 802-3842
my mom's cell phone number is 302-9120
my dad's cell phone number is 308-2201
colette clark

Wilbur

2009-01-22T22:36:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post Chloe's poem about Wilbur from Charolette's Web before we submit it for a work sample.

Wilbur
some pig
crying,fainting,swallowing
loves fern, charolette's daughters, templeton
jumping, flipping, trembling
happy, loyal
runt

I love her poem. It makes me happy.

We love home schooling.

2009-01-13T11:42:00.000-08:00

I just can't state enough how much we love to home school. It's such a wonderful thing that we are able to do. Chloe is much more confident in math skills (she even corrects her friends and tells people that she is great at math), she knows about the line of demarcation, atoms, and what Aristotle and Plato thought of the world.

I just wanted to make this post because for science today we made a model of an atom. I thought it was an ingenious way of showing a complex idea. Our atom's nucleus is made up of the protons (green grapes) and the neutrons (purple grapes) and is surrounded by the cloud (toothpicks) in which the electrons (peas) swim in. I loved our lesson today. She really got into it. For fun we modeled a water molecule out of modeling clay. It's such an exciting adventure we are on. I feel so fortunate that Ryan provides us with the stability to be able to invest so much into our daughter.

Gaetano went into surgery today. I feel sad that he'll be out of it for a while, but glad that now he will be officially ours. I get to call the A KC tomorrow and get all of his paperwork and register his microchip with our information. YEAH! He truly is such a sweetie and Ryan allows him to break all of the rules.

For Christmas We got a Gaetano (aka Guy)

2009-01-06T21:39:00.001-08:00

The Spears found this adorable goofball at their house during Christmas. He was so matted that our groomer had to shave him so that he could be comfortable. Little did we know.....

The Spears put an ad in the paper and posted him on Craig's list, and I took the liberty of reporting him with the SPCA. I took him to the SPCA clinic today because he is going to get neutered on the 13th and found out that he is an A KC certified miniature schnauzer. He was microchip ed but had not been registered. As far as the A KC is concerned he is an abandoned pet. Basically the owners have until the 13th to "claim" him before we are allowed, with the county's and AK C's consent, to keep him as our own. He is the sweetest thing ever. He sleeps with Ryan when he takes a siesta. We just love him and have named him Gaetano. He is seriously the BEST gift ever. He has his own kennel which he loves and has been using the doggie door since day one.

Yes we did!

2008-11-11T20:29:00.000-08:00

Wow! What an amazing election. I am glad it's over and that we won. Chloe and I took the day off of school and spent the entire day looking at polls and having her color in her USA map both red and blue; also writing down electoral college numbers. It was a great lesson in civics. Ryan actually took her in with him to vote and she thought that was cool. Chloe, Gabe and I then headed over to the Holiday Inn and partied hearty with the Dems. It was a great night and one that we will all remember for a long time.

School is going great now that we are caught up. It's also nice that soccer is wrapping up so that we can focus on other stuff. I'm so done with soccer and the irony is that my team made it to playoffs. I'm doing my best to keep my spirits high so that I don't ruin the memory for the girls. Our end of the season party was on Saturday and it was great. I got an awesome "coach" chair that all of the girls signed. I almost cried. I'll make a great team mom next year, and if Chloe decides after that not to ever play again that would be alright.

Everything is great here and we're all healthy and happy.

I'm in love!

2008-10-21T17:54:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I got new bikes this weekend and I'm in love. We went to Wilson's bike shop downtown and picked up two Worksman Cycles, but they are more like tanks really. These heavy duty bikes are industrial bikes made in the USA as they are ordered. My bike is white with chrome baskets in the rear and one in the front. Ryan's bike is blue and his rack is being ordered by Wilson's as we speak. Our bikes are steel and the tires are made of kevlar, which means that we'll never have a flat. We are having Wilson's look into ordering some standby generator lights, but that may not be possible; these lights are powdered by you and the standby option keeps them on while you are at stoplights. If they can't find them then we'll just have them install basic generator lights. Either way we are stoked and we are desperately trying to teach Chloe to ride her bike so that we can have family rides. I've been to Borders, Costco, and Savemart (just to name a few places) already on mine and I love it! I feel really healthy and as if I am being a good world citizen by not driving my car so much. I've gotten many complements on my bike from senior citizens and children alike.

School is going well. We are still catching up, but I'm not going to worry about it since Thanksgiving vacation will give us ample time to catch up and maybe get ahead.

Week 5 and Going Strong

2008-10-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

My week started with a bang when Alicia (my mom) took Chloe and kept her an extra day without even a phone call. We are caught up with our core subjects except for music. I really dislike music theory. In retrospect I should have opted for the foreign language instead of music, maybe next year. I've discovered the schedule that works for Chloe and I is doing all subjects except for music and French during the week and music and French on the weekends. We are moving along and so far I'm intact.

I decided this week to make time for myself which will include my book club on Friday and I thought a local screening of Religulous. To my dismay, I was disappointed to see that OF COURSE it was not playing in Visalia. I just thought, wow, creationist propaganda is the only thing that sells in the Valley. It's disappointing that I have to drive to Fresno. It's disappointing that people don't actually challenge their beliefs by exposing themselves to different viewpoints. I suppose that's why we got Bush, people like being complacent.

What a home run Biden had last night! Palin didn't fuck things up as much as I had anticipated she would, but she never really answered ANY questions either. I was REALLY wanting to see another Couric fiasco so I was disappointed a bit. Obama should win. McCain and Palin are dangerous. She wants to be Cheney and expand on powers that constitutionally Cheney shouldn't have. She scares me for her lack of insight, intelligence, empathy (poor wolves), and willingness to admit that she's fallible. That smug anti-intellectual "I've got common sense" rant that she and Bush share is dangerous. I'm comforted by the fact that she didn't really help her ticket move up and disappointed that she will no longer hemorrhage the McCain campaign. She's no Maverick, just another stupid hick trying to bite off more than she SHOULD chew.

Whoa!

2008-09-14T08:59:00.001-07:00

Well week 2 was a bear but we got through it. We got most of math done and got through Art, History, Science, Music, and some reading. I can't imagine how much more hectic the schedule will be like once we get our Language Arts Materials. Since we're technically behind in language, I'm sure that we'll have to play catchup. I really want to "bank" some Math lessons so that we can just focus on Language when the materials arrive.

I suppose I just didn't realize how much work I would be doing. So far I think that the curriculum is great, it's just taking a long time to get through it. Chloe is taking notes, and I know that she wasn't working this hard in regular school. We both get a little frustrated at times, but breaks and outside walks help. This upcoming week we are going to the Coast for our first field trip. That will be really fun.

Sorry if I've been a bad friend, just busy.

Finally doing it!

2008-09-05T16:56:00.001-07:00

Well this week was our first official week with Chloe's new at home schooling option. I have really tried to keep my cool; from reminding myself that I'm not dealing with an adult to not having all of our materials here and ready to use. We started Math, History, Science, and Art this week so it's been eventful. I knew that Chloe was struggling with Math, but after being with her this week I wonder what they actually taught her at St. Paul's. Chloe is afraid to ask for help when she doesn't understand. I have really tried to emphasize to her that I am here to help and to give her tools that will facilitate her grasp of the information. It's helping, but I'm afraid we have a long way to go.
Chloe made a self portrait of herself this week and I have to say it's a masterpiece. She really loved Art and was amazed that paint can be made to look so real. This also made me realize that it's been much too long since we've been to a museum, so we're heading to the LA County Art Museum in November. It's going to be LOTS of hard work, but I know that we'll get through it.

Rock Band for Wii

2008-06-22T23:36:00.001-07:00

Well we bought Rock Band for the Wii the first day it came out, today. It is so much fun! Chloe wouldn't play it at first, but soon got a taste for those drums and away she went. She is very serious about it and says that she will be the only one in the family to play the drums from now on. If you have a Wii, you should invest in it.

Summer is going great. I'll keep you posted on any developments.

Zoo Day

2008-05-23T21:41:00.000-07:00

Well, today was our first outing with CAVA (CA. Virtual Academy) and what a horrid experience. Don't get me wrong, the school was fine, but the day and the facilities were truly unpleasant. First, let me start by saying that I've NEVER been to LA without it being disgustingly perfect, however, today was not. It was overcast, raining at times, and cold. A majority of the animals were unavailable for viewing because they were smart enough not to show themselves on such a cold day. Don't get me started on traffic. After living in the SF area you'd think that I would have gotten used to the traffic, but LA is unbelievable. I am just ranting and tired, so forgive my bluntness.

On a happier note, Chloe had fun. We saw most of the animals that she wanted to see and we ate junk food, which is a rare treat for her. All in all, I'm glad to be home with our dogs, my plants, and my family.

Test Results

2008-05-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

Well we got Chloe's test results back and WOW! We always knew that she was smart, but now we have it on paper. She tested above average in Math and English and could have skipped 3rd grade next year. Ryan and I decided to keep her in 3rd because we don't want her to miss any fundamentals. She could skip through High School stuff where it doesn't matter as much. The teacher is going to see where she is at mid year and we'll also know whether or not the skipping would be good.

We are going to a field trip for CAVA on the 23rd in Los Angeles. We are going to the zoo and botanical gardens, so it should be a fun and educational day. I can't tell you how excited I am about spending more time with Chloe and also taking on more responsibility in regards to her education.

I have purchased some Latin books and the goal this summer is to start Latin and then move onto French later in the year. Chloe really wants to learn French, so I thought Latin would be a good foundation for her, and also give her a grasp of word origins. It's going to be a great summer! I just can't wait.

Well, I'll update when there is more to tell.

At home Schooling

2008-04-18T10:36:00.001-07:00

We've taken the unusual step and decided that next year we will be home schooling Chloe. It is not what we ever thought that we'd be doing, but our kid is worth it.

We have loved having Chloe at St. Paul's. She has blossomed and was provided with an excellent academic foundation, but we wanted more for her. Chloe is an exceptional reader but struggles with math. Regardless of the school, no teacher can carve aside time to do one on one tutoring for each kid to excel where they are lacking. So let me explain how we decided that something different would be in Chloe's best interest.

I have been enrolling Chloe in different City programs to try and get her more exposed. She is not one to do sports, but I wanted to find something that she would like. During one of my many visits to the Recreation Center I came across a magazine full of camp ideas for the summer. I ran across an ad for the California Virtual Academy and decided to look some information up about it online. I liked what I saw and shared that with Ryan. We attended an orientation, and the rest is history.

California Virtual Academy is a public online charter school. All of the curriculum is done online with daily chats with a Teacher via phone or email. The program is fully accredited and she has a licensed Teacher at her disposal. We really liked the idea that she would be tested and based on her results would be given appropriate lesson plans. So let's say she is reading at Junior High level, she would be doing that work in the 3rd grade vs being stuck with 3rd grade reading. Or if she is at a High School level in math, then she would be doing that work vs 3rd grade math, etc. We just love the idea of Chloe being challenged at what she is proficient at and fostered with subjects that might not be her strong suit. I don't have to plan any lessons, it is all done in a structured manner, all I do is support. It's great!

Now that Chloe is enrolled and going through the testing process she will be sent all of the books, art supplies, etc that she will need for the year. That's another thing, they offer Art and Music as part of the curriculum. How awesome is that! When other schools have these programs cut, Chloe still has access to them.

I know that some of you are thinking, what about socialization? Well, there are field trips that she can go to. Each Teacher in the program is obligated to provide one field trip a month. The cool thing is that there are 4 Teachers in Visalia, so she could go once a week on an outing. We could also opt to join other Teachers outside of Visalia on their field trips throughout California. So if we wanted to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, then we could. No worries about missing school, she can make up her time over the weekend, without being overwhelmed.

We feel that this is a good thing for our amazing child. I'll let you know what she tests at when we get her results. I am so excited!

Update Again!

2007-06-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

Well, lots has been happening in our little family, and it's about time that we let you know all about it.

Ryan left TAG on April 15 and beginning June 11 will be working for cash edge as their IT Manager for US operations. The exciting thing about this company is that they are in expansion. They are also INC's 101 ranked privately owned company and they will go public next year. There is also room for him to climb the corporate latter, and he will more than likely be Director again in a year or so, we guess. We are all happy and excited for him.

I officially was diagnosed with a partially collapsed left lung and with asthma. I go to Stanford in July to either have my lung re-inflated or to be told that it did it on its' own. I have been feeling better since I've been exercising, but some days are completely unbearable. At least I know what I have and that really does help. I should be back and around to normal activity soon.

Chloe is almost out of school, and on her last day we are going to take her to the Montecito Resort for a couple of days. It's a surprise so we're looking forward to astonishing her. I'll update our blog when we get back. Ciao.

Just an update

2007-03-26T17:43:00.000-07:00

All is well in the Clark home. Chloe is still awesome, Ryan is fuzzy, and I'm still sick. The good news is that I either have asthma or a partially collapsed lung. I went to Stanford this last week and feel that I am finally getting to the bottom of what has been keeping me ill for months. As soon as I hear anything I'll post it so this way everyone knows without having to repeat myself multiple times.

Chloe's Party

2007-02-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

Chloe's party was a great success and full of fun. We can't believe that she's actually 7. God we're old!

The menu consisted of a Goat cheese tart, homemade pizza, lasagna, shrimp skewers, meatballs, and of course drinks. The royal jacks are deadly, so next time you guys come over, let me make you few. The food and conversation were good and the weather was perfect, so we were able to enjoy the patio for most of the day.

Things got a little heated however, when Ryan's family started playing the Wii that Ry got Chloe and I for our birthday. Needless to say, competitiveness runs in his family and it got frantic for a while. Chloe had 5 of her friends spend the night, and it won't happen again. Little girls are NUTS!

Well, I guess that's it. I want to Thank all of you that came. We really do appreciate and love all of you. Chloe scored with all of her AWESOME gifts and cards, as did I.
Love you!

Chloe is part of the club

2007-01-23T15:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Chloe and I went to the Optometrist and guess who needs glasses? Chloe is now part of the "sophisticates" club. Although she is in need of the glasses she also looks quite dapper in them. I told Ryan she looks like a mini lawyer.

At first, Chloe resisted, but once she saw them on her face, she commented on how pretty they made her look. Any suggestions from those of you that had to wear them as children to her would be great. You can email me, and I'll pass along her email address. For those of you coming to the party you'll see them on her.

As for me, I still have my reading prescription, so I was able to get a back up pair thanks to the insurance company. I'll take lots of pictures of her and I and post them on my "my space" page when we pick them up in a couple of weeks (just search for Katia Clark or the Visalian).

Chloe is the Top Dog

2007-01-09T20:44:00.000-08:00

Chloe is the "Top Dog" in her class this week. This honor involved us making a poster that symbolized who she is as a person. We included pictures and wrote down all of her likes and dislikes. She's adorable!

The crowning glory of this honor is having lunch with her teacher at McDonalds this Thursday. Chloe is very excited. I'll let you know what happens with that.

2006 Recap

2007-01-05T09:57:00.000-08:00

Our 2006 year was hectic to say the least. Our family got into a house and our Chloe bear started first grade. Chloe is growing so fast, we wish we could stop it a bit so that we can revel in all that is Chloe.

We are beyond happy with our home and what we've done with it. 1516 has had a great history in the "BOSSOM", and we're glad that we are now part of that too. We, meaning I, put a lot of elbow grease into the house. I painted, and pulled, planted, and remodeled a bit, and have created a haven for us. I love our Art Decco / Mid Century Modern home. It's new and old, and we all LOVE IT.

Our Baby Bear is still in a Private School and is thriving. She is one of the top readers in her class, and is doing well in all of her subjects. Big surprise, she talks too much and this keeps her from focusing sometimes. She's bright and funny, and larger than life. We don't know what our life would be without her.

Ryan is still working in the Bay Area during the week, and for those of you who know us know, he is frustrated with his job. It's been hard for him to work away from home. We'll just have to see what happens.

Katia is still working as a Massage Therapist. She loves the people that she works with. She has moved offices and although it's been great personally, it still hasn't panned out professionally. Cross your fingers.

2007 will most certainly be a better year we hope. We are very bad about keeping in touch so we really hope that this blog will allow our loved ones to participate in our lives more. All our love The Clark Clan.

Royal Jacks - Recipe / Food Network

2007-01-05T09:11:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I made these for New Years Eve 07' and they are fabulous. Will always be served on New Years Eve and at Chloe's party.

This is enough for two drinks

Ice
2 oz Apple Jack (we use Lairds Bonded)
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz lemon syrup (recipe follows)
1 to 3 TBS homemade grenadin (recipe follows)
Brut Champagne
Sliced or diced apples for granish

Lemon Syrup
2 lemons juiced and zest removed
1 c sugar (I use Splenda)
1 c water
Put lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 15 mins..
Cool before using. Can be stored in Fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Homemade Grenadine
2 c unsweetened Pomegranate juice
3/4 c sugar (I use Splenda)
Put juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and continue to cook until reduced in half.
Stir in the sugar to dissolve thoroughly and simmer to thicken slightly.
Cool before using. Can be stored in container in the Fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Back to the drink......

Fill shaker with ice and add Apple Jack, Lemon syrup, Lemon juice, and grenadine.
Cover and shake.
Strain equally into 2 Champagne flutes and top with the Champagne.
Garnish with apple.