(More) English Funnies

Homeschoolers have the most fun with English grammar. For example, when was the last time you had the privilege of studying verbals?

What's a verbal you ask? Well, to misquote Shakespeare, it's a verb by any other part of speech. Verb-like, verb-lookin' words, used as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. AKA gerunds, participles, and infinitives.  Trolling the recesses of my high school experience, I vaguely recall the first two (honestly, I think I learned participle form in German, not English) and the final one not at all. Thank goodness my college best friend, who lives 10 minutes away, was an English major and has taught this craziness.

Verbals get a nifty little bit of diagraming, on the ole sentence skeleton diagram. A slightly lopsided pedestal type thing in the simple subject position, that looks more or less like a headless hang man doing a jumping jack.

I think I like my darling daughter's interpretive take them better though. After all, it would never do to confuse verbals with furballs.

Dates & Updates

I've been dreadfully quiet on the blog front. We've had a few rounds of annoying little viruses (with rashes-bonus!) and a whole lot of get ready for school.  We're into week three now, and nearly ready to launch the MFW component. I've organized, and reorganized binders galore. Now to actually DO it! I lead up our church's Wednesday Night Children's Ministry too (the 3 year olds to 5th graders only) and have been busy with our team coming up with a new plan (and some new energy too!) We'll be using What's In The Bible, which looks to be fun (I love the blue haired Sunday School Lady!)

We've been blessed with travel dates, bringing us in country to meet the girls the very beginning of October. Other than missing the state fair and yummy Virginia Tech BBQ & milk shakes, I'm TRILLED to be finally meeting these children of my heart.  Don't know the whole itinerary yet, but we do plan to fly through Germany. Might as well go to the one country whose language I know a cursory bit of, right? I'll be doing my best to try to blog along, but don't know the degree of Internet access that I will have everywhere. I also need to figure out where the heck to track down a European plug adaptor. Somehow, I'm not envisioning this as an off the shelf item at office max, though it could be! I've swapped out my fall clothes and working on organizing  my travel bags (not actually packing, but thinking about how and what I'll pack.) Basically nesting.

The summer garden is winding down. I need to get the last of the peppers and tomatoes picked. If time allows for it, I'm hoping to get a few fall crops in. Like garlic...a goal of mine to try planting for like...ever lol!

 I will try to get some school shots updated and keep you posted on travel plans. Any and all advice (good advice, not travel horror stories, 'K?) are welcome. We are working on gathering up some footie pajamas for the P. crowd as well. The upward soccer league locally also donated uniforms from previous season (new, just not current, and they get a new colour combo each year) and BALLS! Not as traumatic to pack as you'd think, but I need to get this organized too. I'm wanting to put together photo books for the girls too. Somehow, I have more ideas than time. Go figure!

Well, that's about all that's new on the suburba faux-farm. Hope you & yours are well!