The Homeschool Mother’s Journal- Week of 4.8.13

It’s really Spring!

In my life this week…
… Spring! I’m so glad that the weather is warming up, the grass is getting green and plants are budding. I just love Spring.

I’ve had sporadic headaches this week. The kind that catch me off guard. The kind that pop up for no apparent reason and then go away with no help from me.

Our family art poster- #2

Also I’ve been trying new foods. Today (Friday) I ate eggplant sandwiches I peeled an eggplant, then sliced it thinly. I added turkey deli meat slices, cheese and romaine lettuce. They were heated in a skillet until the cheese melted. The kids each had a small one but didn’t wish to have any more. I ate …a few. Quite yummy.

In our homeschool this week…
…Every day but Tuesday was ‘successful’. On Tuesday it was just so nice that we skipped school for the day and went to a Metropark for a few hours. I took quite a few photos. Some I’m sharing in this post. I don’t know if it was all this week but both of the kids finished some of the books on the ‘must finish by the end of the school year.’ Lee’s finished Pride & Prejudice, and Fox finished Taste of Chaucer. Both still have some extraneous work associated with each but I think it should be finished mid-week next week.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
…Take that day off when you get the chance. When the weather’s nice, go outside. Don’t wait for a day when it is scheduled. We usually schedule Nature Study for Fridays but it rarely gets done as I’d like –actually being outside. Usually the day isn’t nice.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
…This week we didn’t really go anywhere other than what I’ve mentioned. It’s been quite rainy and dreary. Next week, we hope to meet up with some friends. Lee will have someone to practice Sign Language with, while I get to ‘socialize’ with another homeschooling mom. You never hear “what about socialization” when it comes to the homeschooling moms. I’m not kidding when I say that being around your kiddos all day, every day with little interaction with other adults, does something to a homeschooling mom We need the adult interaction!

Our favorite thing this week was…
…Our time outside. There was only one day that was really nice enough to do anything; others were rainy and wet.

Things I’m working on…
…I asked my dh to give me an area that he’d like me to have ‘taken care of’ by the time he gets home. My house isn’t dirty but it’s not wonderfully clean either. It never takes long to clean it top to bottom. But I feel that I let things go sometimes that he just tolerates. He had a tough time finding something he wanted me to work on. I’m not sure if that’s cause there’s so much and he didn’t know where to start or that there’s really not much that needs attention. I hope it’s the second but…I doubt that.

I got out a cleaning list that my mother-in-law gave me years ago called “Total Mess to Total Rest Chart”. It breaks up the areas around the home, inside and out, into different tasks and then has a column to record how often it needs to be done. The last column, which I’m not sure I ever noticed, is for the estimated time it will take to do the job. I’m going to print off a copy for the three of us (the kids and I) and go through with the kids and fill it out. I used to clean on a regular basis. Now I just pick up some times lol.

I’m cooking…
…I’ve been trying some new things. Tuesday was just the usual tilapia with seasonings but I cooked up some asparagus for dh. Wednesday we had beef stew with the usual veggies: white potatoes and carrots. I also tossed in some whole radishes to see how they’d taste. Not bad. Next I think I will {shhhh} put them in potato salad. Thursday I made homemade chicken enchiladas. I made the sauce because I’d forgotten to buy it beforehand. Friday I made pepperoni pizzas. Saturday I’m going to make potato salad and possibly some crock-pot bbq chicken because it’s supposed to rain/snow and I was hoping for some bbq.

I’m grateful for…
…All the electronic devices we have. We have quite a few and I’m very grateful for them. They are definitely a convenience and by no means necessary for our life, but they help things go smooth.

I’m praying for…
…a young man named David who was in a bad car wreck and has head injuries. The daughter-in-law (Michelle) of one of the men at church; she has bone cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. The mother and father of another man at church; she is not doing well and he suffers from sciatic nerve pain. And many more.

I rewarded my kids this week by…
…Giving them a piece of candy  

Something I am ogling or have my eye on…
…A Kindle Fire keyboard. <that’s an amazon affiliate link. See disclosure/policies.

A photo to share…
…Do you see the little guy?

I’m linking up with Hammock Tracks, Collage Friday, Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers, and The Homeschool Mother’s Journal.