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How My Life is About to Drastically Change
By Kendra | February 12, 2010
You thought I was going to announce a pregnancy, didn’t you? While that would be a drastic change, no, it’s far less serious than that.
© VANOC/COVAN (that means this is an official Olympic photo)
I have two television vices in my life. One is the four Grand Slam Tennis tournaments and the other is the Olympics. Both summer and winter. My addiction to the summer Olympics of 2008 was so severe that it took me almost an entire year to break out of the 2 a.m. sleep pattern I got into during the two weeks of televised-from-China Olympic events.
I have to really work hard to watch these events because our television has no reception. My in-laws, living next door, have some insane amount of cable channels, however, so even viewing the lesser-televised but very-popular-in-the-Fletcher-home events like water polo is possible. At two in the morning.
But this time? This time is different. This time is monumental. This time my husband winked at me when he said, “For you, I will call the satellite company.”
So now all I have to do is figure out how to officially make the 2010 Winter Olympics from Vancouver, B.C. be considered academics. And how to get anything done during the day after being up until 2 a.m.
Topics: Musings and Miscellany | 24 Comments »
February 12th, 2010 at 1:56 am
I love it! You won’t believe it, but I just posted a ton of links on my blog, on how we are studying the Olympics.
I have seriously learned how to turn everything into a school lesson. And, if you need more links, let me know. I only posted half of them. 
Enjoy the Olympics and all the fun. I too am a serious junky and am right now staying at my in-laws who have an insane amount of channels. I will be up til 2 am watching them too.
February 12th, 2010 at 1:57 am
Oh yay! Thanks, Mommy Reg! I figure if three weeks in the hospital can be social studies for an 8-year-old, the Olympics ought to count for something, too ;D
February 12th, 2010 at 4:55 am
Oh Kendra, we are having a BALL with our huge Winter Olympics unit study and lapbook!! There are tons of wonderful resources around the web…
Here is Homeschool Share’s free lapbook (written to go with Amanda Bennett’s unit study, but can be used with our without.) It is HUGE!!
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/olympic2010.php
On my blog I listed some books and links for printable resources and ideas too:
http://candacemercyisnew.blogspot.com/2010/01/canada-and-winter-olympics-unit-study.html
HAVE FUN!!
I also love it…and LOVE doing a unit study based on the olympics. Makes school so fun! 
February 12th, 2010 at 5:11 am
*sheepishly raising hand* I, too, am an Olympic addict. There. I’ve said it. But I don’t want help. Hehe!
We stayed up all hours watching the summer (’o8) one, too. That summer two of our kiddos had a month long stomach bacterial bug-type-thing so the tv was practically on 24/7. The last time the winter olympics were on we were in the hospital with our little dude who had RSV and pneumonia…sharing a room with a nice hispanic gal and her baby (she didn’t speak English…very few conversations there!). So…I’m hoping this olympic season our household happenings will be so boring and uneventful for us that the olympics will be the main event and not background noise to the crazy world around us!
I’m definitely checking out your blog Mommy Reg! Yeah for Olympic school!!
February 12th, 2010 at 5:37 am
Oh, we’re totally tying the Olympics into school so I can justify the extra tv time. LOL We are using a huge lapbook from Amanda Bennett and some free downloads from Homeschool Share and have thoroughly enjoyed this pre-Olympic week learning (on a kindergarten level) about the ancient games and a little about the modern ones.
Happy watching!
February 12th, 2010 at 6:05 am
no tv here either. we will be crashing my mom when we can…she lives 3 miles away.
wish we could get cable for just those 2 weeks. how are you managing that?
February 12th, 2010 at 7:08 am
The solution to 2 am: DVR.
February 12th, 2010 at 7:09 am
I see Mommy Reg has you taken care of, Kendra (well…she and your hubby!). I was about to say that there are tons of free unit studies on the internet about the Olympics. And our public library has many resources that are easily acccessible. I feel a unit study about the Olympics and Canada coming on! (only…I do this every time the Olympics come around…..can I still call it school?)
Have fun!
February 12th, 2010 at 7:12 am
It’s PE! ;^) seriously though you can study the history of the olympics, how it began, how thankful we are that the participants aren’t all naked oily men anymore, how politics and world affairs have affected the olympics in years past and vice versa.
I love watching the olympics! Enjoy!
February 12th, 2010 at 7:19 am
HA! Direct TV just went in Tuesday!
I wanted the DVR so I don’t have to stay up! The digital antenna Mike put up has so much duck tape on it to hold it in place and any wind or rain messes with the signal. What a fiasco. (I hate paying for TV! and commercials!)
Cheers!
But it is so worth it!
I’m pulling out Evan Moor’s Winter Olymipc Study we did on the Torino Olympics. I’ll just change the country.
February 12th, 2010 at 8:40 am
I don’t know how to help you with functioning during the day after staying up until 2 am, but I can help you with how to make the Olympics count for school time! Check out this great link for ideas:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/olympics/
blessings,
Elizabeth
February 12th, 2010 at 8:52 am
I also love the Olympics! This year we’re doing a lapbook of them so watching them can be official school time.
I have the links and some of the books we’re using on my blog.
February 12th, 2010 at 8:58 am
Wow! Didn’t realize I would be in such good company. Love all the resources you gals have listed, too!
February 12th, 2010 at 9:15 am
I thought I was the biggest Olympic junkie! Vancouver is my home town, we live just across the water from it and I’m RATHER excited. Yay to satellite tv. We too just hooked up last week for Olympics. The tv will be back in the attic in March but until then I am on the couch. I can’t wait. As for homeschooling, I will be doing educational acrobatics to fit in the Olympics somehow. I consider it my gruelling event. Here is a link I’m using. http://www.olympicschool.ca And you have enough kids to do all those crazy relays!
February 12th, 2010 at 9:21 am
Good news for you Kendra. You are in the same time zone as Vancouver so you don’t have to wreak havoc with your sleep.
February 12th, 2010 at 9:56 am
I love watching them too, and this is the first year in 15 that we have had satelite tv. I can’t wait.
February 12th, 2010 at 11:52 am
You should come stay at our house & see some of it live! We are only 1 hour away!
We are excited about the biathlon here.
Happy watching. So glad you can do it with healthy kids!
Amy
February 12th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Glad to help out. It’s funny, the links I didn’t post, were posted by others. I think all great minds think alike.
The kids woke me up this morning reminding me the Opening Ceremony is tonight, just in case I forgot. Too cute.
February 12th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
That’s hilarious! In 2004, we had to rig a fabulous antenna with two sets of pliers and a hanger. That would be engineering, wouldn’t it? And I’m sure you can come up with geography at ANY hour of the day!
February 12th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
Seriously, when I started reading this, I thought Andy had arranged a sitter and was whisking you off to Vancouver. But, satellite is a great second place (I believe that would be a Silver medal).
February 13th, 2010 at 5:01 am
You could come stay here with us. Winter Olympics airs around 8.00pm by the looks of it. Hubby and older kids just watched the opening ceremony.
I’m not really a big Olympic fan, but if you come for a visit, I’ll bring you food and drinks
D.
In Him
Meredith
February 13th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Me, too! After five years with no TV, my husband just smiled at me w/ a DirecTV flier and said, “Merry Christmas!”
(He was deployed over the holidays.) My olympics and tennis loves are also the hardest times for me to be without tv. And my family lives about 1200 miles away. 
So…I’ll miss the first few days, but by the end of this week I’ll be watching the competition in my own living room! I’m so thankful for these ideas on the unit study options. Homeschooling rocks! Enjoy…
March 12th, 2010 at 7:12 am
Kendra,
I think that I just read an article that you wrote for the latest issue of Mary Jane’s farm…was that you or another Kendra Fletcher? I’ve followed your blog for a few months now…you’re doing a great job…thanks for the encouragement and good ideas.
Sincerely,
Brook
March 12th, 2010 at 9:07 am
Yes, Brook! That was one I wrote quite awhile ago.