Weekly Wrap-Up HSMJ- Trying for More Organized

Wait, haven't I said that before? Trying for more organized, trying to get a handle on time management, etc.? Yes, yes. I've said it before; many times. Always a work in progress...

This post contains *affiliate links. See Disclosure/Policies.

I'm switching back to the Homeschool Mother's Journal "format" {which really doesn't even have a format now} for my weekly wrap-up because it is so organized {when/why did I leave it?}. The need for things to have a place, even here on the blog, is heavy on my mind lately. And so, here's the weekly wrap-up for us: Week 31 {don't bother looking for weeks 20+ as tags; I totally forgot what "week" it was for quite a while} of the 2013/2014 school year.

In my life this week…

...I started the Blogging through the Alphabet. Life-changing, I know. Okay, not really but last time I only got three submissions out of 26. I have drafted eight posts already this time. Perhaps that is life-changing {wink}

I also made a loaf of gluten-free, yeast-free bread on Monday. I didn't care if it was yeast-free but that's what the recipe was. In the greenhouse I planted some more things in pots. The composter is doing well; doesn't stink a bit and it is getting dark like real compost. It still has some to go {quite a bit actually- hubby jokes and says in a few years we may be able to get a wee bit of something to actually use for gardening!} but I'm so excited to see its progress. I've not taken photos lately. Perhaps sometime this week I will get to that.

Finally got around to taking photos on Thursday...but not of the compost lol. Some things had to be replanted because it got cold and snowed right after some sprouts had come up. They froze. Here's the post of when we first started the seeds.

In our homeschool this week…

...my Lee got a job {she started Monday} so things were somewhat shook up here for school. Not just for her. We had to do Round Table earlier some days to be able to include her and not have her too pressed for time. 

On Tuesday I let the kids have some, uh, self-directed time. The weather made it so Lee didn't need to work. They were allowed to do things that they wanted to as long as they fell in the category of school subjects. Fox decided to work on a physics experiment we got {Physics Quest Kit, Spectra 6}. Lee is working with sculpey clay* making mosaic tiles. That's for art and entrepreneurship. {wink} This was after we had Round Table {which included verses, German phrases, hymns, ASL vocabulary, James 1:26, 27 word study, and a density 'experiment'}, art with Fox, and Lee worked on the Weekly Barden; all before lunch! 

I'm getting the Term 3 exams started this week for the last week of May. Officially the last day of school for the 2013/2014 year is May 30. And because it is so close to the end of the year we are doing what we call "Elimination". For this, they figure what books they have less to go and put more focus on those to finish them. Of course, other subjects are not neglected but more effort is put towards those that can be finished sooner. When they are finished, the "elimination" continues on other areas. 

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

...Found this Career Exploration freebie from 7 Sisters Homeschool
...for the 'home' bit- http://www.pinterest.com/angie76/cleaning-schedules/ for help with keeping a clean home {struggling here}
...for mom- More Than Words: Using words to dig deeper into The Word.  {free word study; subscribe to email updates and get it free}

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

...umm, just the usual, I think. Grocery shopping on Thursday, library at some points in between, Lee to work when she gets to, Fox to Young Marines on Wednesday {edited: it was cancelled}, and church on Wednesday {edited: we didn't get home in time} and Sunday. Yeah, I think that is about it. 

The kids did ride their bikes to the library on Tuesday in the early evening after it dried up and got warmer. 

A favorite thing this week was…

...my loaf of bread turned out good! It was yummy and texture was good. I don't think my kids particularly liked it but they aren't really fans of anything but homemade white bread lol.

I made the loaf twice. You can read about it in the newest entry on the post Gluten Free Adventures.

Things I’m working on…

...making a blog plan/schedule again. It feels silly to keep repeating things that I'm working on and just never really get accomplished. Speaking of blog, did I mention that I'm now a contributor to The Homeschool Post? I'm excited and nervous. 

"We" are working on getting our Etsy shop up. We still need some inventory so it will be sometime in May before it actually opens. I'm not linking it yet because it's not ready. That is why Lee has been working on the mosaic tiles. I am trying to get better at using polymer clay. I really would like to make miniature dolls. 

Also I'm working on getting the house in shape. Before internet I used to have a clean house...I mean it is decent now but there's much room for improvement. At one point my mother in law had given me a binder with many reproducibles for keeping organized. I only have a few left and it makes me sad that the ones I really liked I no longer have. I don't even recall who originally designed and sold them.

What's cooking…

...Gluten-free, Yeast-free Oat Bread {if you head that way, I subbed 1/4 cup sweet rice flour & 1/4 cup cornstarch for the 1/2 cup tapioca starch, used 1 TBS honey and used 6 egg whites instead of 3 whole eggs; oh yes, and somehow I didn't add in the correct amount of oat flour.}

...didn't get a menu this week so it's spontaneity galore! {good and bad lol} 

I’ve been reading…

...One Realm Beyond by Donita K. Paul - 1984 by George Orwell - Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler - The Elizabeth Goudge Reader compiled by Rose ? {can't recall her last name} - ...do the kids' school books count?

Around the web: Words to Cut from Your Writing which I found at Chareen's blog. Beautiful poem by Wordsworth posted by Katie

Things to be grateful for…

...birds - sunshine - wonderful family - God's grace - blessed assurance - {coffee ...seems so insignificant after all those others -smile- and now I want some!}

Praying for…

...many unspoken...cleansing, constantly...confidence...ambition, motivation ...peace...for those affected by flooding and tornadoes... redirection/adjustments for hubby's work...

Some thoughts…

...that just keep cropping up again: do I really want to be a "teacher"? Is there another field that I would prefer when my kiddos are out of the house? I am not going to change direction now that I've started my Master's program but sometimes when I cannot keep focused with my kids, who are with me, right in my face and cannot be ignored {not well anyway lol}, how am I going to do with a classroom full of other people's kids? And I will admit that I'm quite nervous about curriculum in public schools. If I could open a private school, hire teachers that I know would teach for the love of the children and the sake of learning, and go off of a non-public school curriculum I might feel a little more at ease. I just don't know what will be in place when the time comes for me to find a teaching job. Just some thoughts.

A photo, link, or quote to share…

... 

Link:

http://chrissiemurphydesigns.blogspot.com.au/ 

Quote:

Against the just th' Almighty's arrows fly.

For he delights the innocents to try,

To show their constant and their God like mind,

Not by afflictions broken, but refined.

~Sir R. Blackmore 

(quoted by Matthew Henry, 

"Commentary to the Book of Job," 

chapter IX, verse 23)

Weekly Wrap-Up 04.25.14 Only 6 Weeks Left!

This post contains *affiliate links. See Disclosure/Policies.

Sunday- Easter Sunday. It's not about a bunny or chocolates or finding eggs. It's the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without the resurrection any hope that Christians think they have mean nothing. Our time at church centered around the resurrection.

I finally finished Amusing Ourselves to Death*, but still have one more post in the series to go. I started reading The Brimming Cup by Dorothy Canfield* but I'm not sure how far I can make myself read. It's... different. I can't say if that's a good or not so good thing. I'm not one to get overly worked up emotionally {not that I've never been known to at a few points in my life; but not recently} and this starts out with extreme emotion that fairly overrides sense. Tramples it in the dirt, really. Then it goes on with a busybody (?), the same the story started with who was so overcome by her emotions, who tells all about her neighbors to an older gentleman who will be living next door. It's just strange. We'll see how it goes. 

Monday- The kids started their day with a 'nice' exercise: bike riding. It was nice enough to do so. Then we had round table with Composer's Datebook, hymns, verses, foreign language box, The Attributes of God, prayer, chores, grocery shopping, and Pearls Homeschool Support Group. We got home a little before 4pm so that was the end of the school day. 

I got a book for review: One Realm Beyond by Donita Paul*. Haven't started it yet. 

Tuesday- Rain in the night and sprinkles in the morning. Kids woke up a little late {four minutes according to the clock in the kitchen..tsk, tsk} but I made them breakfast anyway. It's not supposed to be very warm today so I think it will be an inside kind of day. I do have a book to pick up from the library: 1984*. I figure since I've read Brave New World* I might as well see the other side. There is one other book that Postman suggests in Amusing Ourselves to Death that I've requested from the library but off the top of my head I cannot recall the title. Darkness at Noon? Perhaps... {edited later: it was indeed that title! my memory still works sometimes.}

Wednesday- Thursday ... ummm...

We'll just skip right onto Friday then. LEE GOT A JOB! No matter what else happened today that is what is in my head now. She starts on Monday. It was one that she'd seen the Help Wanted sign in passing a couple of times and then took the initiative to stop in on her own. She left her name and number but didn't hear anything before the Help Wanted message disappeared from the sign. She figured they'd gone with someone else. Well, this morning they called {we'd accidentally left the 'home' phone at home when we ran errands} and when she called back, they pretty much hired her over the phone. It is working in a garden center as a cashier. It should be fairly simple, maybe busy at times. I'm so excited for her.

And that's about been the week. It's felt scattered and not well put together. But everyone has survived and I don't think there is any lasting damage. 

Oh, yes, we got the WB put together, minus one page. Too much excitement today to be able to put in a recipe or fun activity apparently. You can find it on the WB page.

How was your week?

Common Core- Making Everyone ... Common?

I have followed only superficially the topic of Common Core (CC) because foolishly I felt that it only pertained to public schools and to those going through the elementary grades. I know, I know. Ridiculous. 

Today I went to Pearls Homeschool Support Group -and I am going to say right now that I wish that it was at least twice a month and not just once- to listen to Sarah Fowler, District 7 Ohio State Board of Education representative {not my district apparently} talk about CC. I'm going to request her presentation to share because I thought it well put together. 

In the meantime here are a few suggested articles and links she gave:

• What's Good for Bill Gates Turns Out to be Bad for Public Schools, And, actually, bad for Microsoft too, as we learned recently {November 2013}
• Two articles at the Pioneer Institute: The Road to a National Curriculum and Controlling Education from the Top Down
• If you are curious as to what kinds of questions are on assessments through CC this site should give an idea: Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers 

And although she didn't specifically recommend this link, I saw it when browsing at Pioneer Institute: What Reporters Think They Know about Common Core  I'm recommending it here because this is important to what is being 'fed' to people. Television and newspapers are big when it comes to 'knowing' what's going on. If we listen to just the reporters, we're going to be missing a lot of the picture. And boy will we be in for a surprise when we see what it is really. 

Common Core is not truly about being a more rigorous curriculum nor about making students think harder. It is about molding them into a particular kind of person. One thing Ms. Fowler pointed out was the benchmarks for CC are supposed to be internationally aligned when in fact they are up to 3 years behind the best. Ah, and I must add this in, because while I do not enjoy proofs in geometry they are fundamental: apparently the core aligned geometry is without proofs. How does that work? 

Another red flag that should have been evident at the start is that there are no research references in CC. Where there would be a footnote with a relevant study pertaining to a practice to be implemented, there is none. Or if I've misunderstood that it at least is not presented in the correct and current format that are expected. 

Right now the state of Ohio has said that they are only implementing CC for math and English but CC is in the process of writing new curricula for social studies. What's to stop them from messing with science and history?

And let's not get started on the database that they (CC) want to implement with 435 different identifiable "points"...

Common Core affects public schools -students, teachers, parents, employers- but it also affects private schools. Ohio, if I understood correctly, is one of the only states {or is it the only?} that goes through the Department of Education to issue high school diplomas to private secular schools. That means that whatever standards are adopted for assessments {end of year testing, necessary to graduate} are going to be required in those schools. In order to align to the assessments, the curriculum will have to change. Colleges are going to be using these assessments to admit students. The SAT was changed and I believe the ACT is or will be. And while I was naive about the effect on homeschoolers, it is evident to me now that those assessments will be paramount to homeschoolers being admitted to colleges. Many homeschoolers do not adhere to public school curriculum; one of the beauties of homeschooling. At what point will the government decide that homeschoolers must align their curriculum as well?

{This part I'm paraphrasing big time and totally going off of memory- she said that she'd found three distinct points that it violated and unfortunately, I can't really recall the specifics.} Ms. Fowler also mentioned that really CC is in violation of the constitution which states that the states are free to choose their own curriculum, and the local school districts are free to choose. Apparently there are many who do not know this, or are afraid to go against what is in place. As she said, what teacher knowing their very job is tied to assessments will not use a prepackaged curriculum to fit with those assessments? Another thing is that under the wording of CC, while the school districts may 'change' the curriculum, it specifically states that it means the school may only add to the curriculum, and only in the proportion of 15%. That means that the schools are 85% controlled by the federal government. That is completely against the constitution!

I think I should end here because I do not know more about CC than what I learned today. I have seen the many math sheets floating around facebook, and while I find them to be frustratingly complicated, I cannot say that they are evil. I have also seen the approved reading lists for all grades and while there are many titles that I would not read myself because of the content, I can't say that the whole program should be tossed because of that. No, it is much more than those things. There is something wrong when a big business pays the government to implement a program that is not only faulty, not backed by any research, but not even legal in our country. 

There are many who feel CC will brainwash the students. If by that they mean it will shove everyone into a mold where everyone is the same, I agree. Much of CC, from my understanding is not concerned with the right answers but how much effort is put in. But if that is how we are to be 'graded', on a curve, compared to everyone else's effort, isn't it just trying to make everyone equal and common? There would be no extraordinary. 

Here is one last link that I just came across {via Pioneer Institute I believe}: Common Core Razes Charter School Standards

Weekly Wrap-Up, 04.18.14, The One With Snow...?

It has become evident that if a post isn't begun early in the week, there will be no weekly wrap-up. Not that it would be terrible if there wasn't, -and there often isn't- it's fun to put one together and read over the week. 

Our weekly menu is in this menu planning Monday post. 

Sunday- Morning church, me doing dishes, kids and hubby cleaning vehicles, all of us going on a bike ride -and attempting to jump our bikes {only hubby can get all four wheels off the ground...every time! yeah, he is all sorts of amazing *smile*}, evening church.

At morning church, pastor talked about how God can use anyone and anything for His purpose. He can use someone with absolutely no talent, and work miraculously. Pastor had these main points {wait, I have to find my notebook...ah, found it!}: 

• God can use you beyond your capabilities {1 Cor. 1:26-29}
• God can use what we see as insignificant 
• God can use your testimony
• God can use you when you are willing

That last point he also added that God will only use you when you are willing because it is a decision we make to do things for God. But I do wonder, is that just in reference to doing things for God consciously? There are many instances where the person was unwilling and God worked through them anyway. I had thought first of Jonah but ultimately, he was willing to go to Nineveh. Then I thought of rulers who've turned against God but are still 'used' for God's purposes. Of course, I cannot think of a single name... But all those in power are put in place, or allowed to be there, by God. To say otherwise is to say that God is not a part of this world; He doesn't interact. Of course, He can interact in anyway He sees fit and we might see it as not interacting. Now I'm going off on a tangent perhaps.

Sunday was a very nice day.

Monday- Lee got to babysit for many hours. The family she sits for are back from their winter vacation. We had to drive to Mentor in the morning and then Fox and I came home. He and I first stopped at KMart to find a belt for dh and I. Found two at reasonable prices; real leather, too. Later we went grocery shopping. The weekly shopping has been about $100 for the past 4-6 weeks but I made sure I kept it down this week. I think it was around $60. I had 'set' $40...missed that mark! 

School was not happening as we didn't even get home until 5:30 pm. 

I got a book for review from Bethany House Publishers. The book is Out of the Depths. It is "an unforgettable WWII story of survival, courage, and the sinking of the USS Indianapolis." I'm really looking forward to reading it but, uh, I have too many other books in front of it! Other books in my review pile:

• Critical Condition by Richard L. Mabry, M.D. {finished it! review will be live on 4/26/14}
• Heaven & Hell by Christopher D. Hudson
• Shadowhand by Anne Elisabeth Stengl
• Lit! by Tony Reinke

It seems like there should be more on that list. Or I'm just thinking of all the "to-be-read" books I have either started or planning to start that are not review books. 

Tuesday- SNOW! At 2 pm there is white all over the ground and still flurries. Sigh. I haven't checked in the greenhouse yet to see how things fared because I don't want to open the door and let in any more cold than necessary. We'd watered  yesterday so no worry it needs water. Mostly I'm concerned that it got cold enough to damage the seedlings. They can be restarted if need be. 

I've been at the computer quite a bit this afternoon {Can you believe it: I had to wait my turn!?} and there are some good posts I'm reading. I'll share just a few; there's so many. Different topics.

• On Being Homeschooled {Reminisces of a Soon-to-be Grad}
• The Night on Which He Was Betrayed: A Psychological Interpretation
• Are You More Committed to Homeschooling or to Your Kids?
• Statistical Frauds (about "war on women" and women earning less than men)

And now, I have laundry to get done. 

Wednesday- Snow melted; by the day's end it was gone. Some of the seedlings were damaged but not too many. I covered them with a blanket after evening prayer meeting to attempt to keep them warmer. I don't think it quite got as cold as the night before. Better safe than sorry, eh? 

The day was pretty good. The basics were done for school. This week it seems is mostly a "get caught up" week. Or something like that. We did some errands, bought a few things {ziplock bags, a puzzle, garden soil}, and then went to evening church. I really enjoyed the short time before prayer where Pastor talked about Philippians 1:9-11. I wrote about my thoughts in the Weekly Barden that's coming out Friday, but also put it in a post. {And after I put it in the WB and posted it, I got to thinking perhaps I have the meaning wrong- if you read it in either place, please comment with your thoughts.}

Fox was to have Young Marines so I drove him there. He and another Young Marine are in "training" of sorts, in line to be promoted, and so they go a bit earlier than the rest of the platoon. Unfortunately, the location they meet in was going to be locked-down for a weapons inspection so Young Marines had to be cancelled, last minute. It is held at an armory. We got a pizza and some salad out of it though.

Lee trimmed my hair. It was a long needed task but I so dislike cutting my hair. It was longer than the middle of my back; now it is about at my shoulder blades. It was needed. I just keep telling myself that. And she did a really great job; it's straight and even. 

Thursday- Sunshine, glorious sunshine! I've not gone outside {yet} but Lee said it is nice but for the wind. We plan on going on a long drive today so that Lee can get more time. She was able to get 10 more minutes of night driving to prayer meeting; 20 minutes all together toward her total time. Up to 44 hours now. She is going to be doing a street survival course {did I tell this already?} later this month and she must have her 50 hours requirement met. 

Edited later: I did indeed go outside and it's wonderful! The kids rode their bikes to the library to pick up some books. 

Friday- Just like any other day. The kids have to finish their Ohio Study project {which includes a paper, Power Point presentation, and giving the presentation} but otherwise, I'm letting them relax mostly. As long as they get their chores done {the dishes!!} I think it will be alright. We also have tea-time today with much anticipated fudgy brownies thanks to Fox. I think Lee has a movie for Friday movie {she'll have to watch it alone as Fox is banned from screens for a while and I just don't like to watch movies unless I have to} and she wants to buy some of those sandwich cookies from the Dollar Tree. 

Tomorrow I think Lee is wanting to go on church visitation {that's going door-to-door and knocking on the doors- which I find to be a little "funny" because those who are not Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons really dislike when those people do it to them- we have a no soliciting sign on our house...anyway} and Fox has community service at the homeless shelter in downtown Cleveland with the Young Marines. I get to do dishes and hopefully I'll be motivated enough to do some cleaning. My house is a mess. Someone should come visit so that I'll have to clean *wink* {Uh, make sure you call first!}

And that's about all for this week. I'm going to wrap this up now although it's still very early in the day. Otherwise it won't go out until tomorrow evening. If anything exciting happens, I'm sure I'll update the post lol. 

Oh I do have something else to share: our greenhouse construction time-lapse. It took all of 2 minutes! The time-lapse that is *wink*

Weekly Wrap-Up 3.28.14- The One Where We Went to Severance Hall

Last week's wrap-up didn't materialize for some reason. Oh well. Starting early on this week so that it'll make it before next week *wink*. And I'm actually linking up this week at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers. 

Sunday- church, followed by science planning for next year for Fox. I mean really planning. Got all the books, making the detailed, weekly schedule. I need to have one because otherwise, I let it all slide. Can't keep doing that.

Monday- ever just want to say, "Stop! Everyone just stop."? Well, today I said that in terms of school. No school today. None of us feel 100% and I am still in the thick of planning science. I'm on a roll, too. Gotta keep going before I lose steam and all the 'great' ideas in my head. {pffft}

We do need to go to the library though at some point. And maybe the store. I do not want to do either. 

Tuesday- Dinner plans out with the family tonight. Something to look forward to *smile* 

Lee and I are not feeling our best. And this after I told someone that I was "healthier" than a lot of people I know. I meant that I don't get sick very often. Serves me right... 

Wednesday- Fox had Young Marines but he had to be there early so I had to take him. No big deal. Lee and I are still aren't not sick so we didn't go to prayer meeting; no need to spread our cooties. We {Lee and I} did watch Gone with the Wind though. I told her that she should read the book, and she may still, but after watching she said "I don't want to read it if it ends like that." Guess we'll see if she reads it.

Thursday- Not much but the usual today. I had a few errands to run but left the kids to their school work. 

Friday- Tea-time with specialty chocolates, and then Severance Hall tonight. I'm still stuffy and not 100% better but I'm doing well enough to enjoy all of those! This post will be live tomorrow {Saturday} so that we can experience Severance and then tell about it here. We are so looking forward to it! Dh isn't going because he wouldn't even be off work, I don't think, by the time we leave the house; he doesn't particularly want to go anyway. He's seen orchestras live; we haven't. I think it may be the highlight of our week. 

For tea-time we played card games and enjoyed our chocolates. 

Here are a couple images from Severance Hall. They are not the greatest because they are stills taken from a video. The performance was Beethoven's 9th. It was impressive. We all enjoyed it. 

Saturday- It's cold and dreary out today so we'll just relax inside. I'm going to be working on posts for the Amusing Ourselves to Death series, and a book review or two. Dh will be fiddlin' with his computer/video stuff. The kids? I know they'll have screen time at some point but otherwise, they're on their own! It's a day of do nothing.

Dinner tonight is chicken enchiladas, using the chicken I cooked in the crockpot Wednesday. Hubby says that is the best chicken for enchiladas. 

Tomorrow is church and then a new week starts. And a new month! 

Exam Week, Term 2- Weekly Wrap-Up 03.14.14

The week is rather uneventful and with it being Term 2 exams, there are only a few hours for school each day. 

Monday- Round table: sung hymns, kids recited all verses learned this year, and their recitations, ended with prayer. They both have six things to do each day this week for exams. I am undecided if I will put their work on the blog yet. Honestly, I've felt this term has been somewhat slacking and I'm sure it will be evident in their work. Vanity on my part, perhaps. It's undecided still. 

The weather is nice again but deceiving since we are in for another snow storm at some point. I went outside today for a bit but the kids didn't want to after 'school' was done. Their loss...but I probably should have made them. I put two entries on the Nature Journal page. The kids did go out later to ride their bikes.

We went to Goodwill in Eastlake today so that Lee could get in some driving time. Yes, that is truly why we went. But we found a full size iron board which I've been keeping an eye out for. Then we stopped at the library and came home. It was over an hour's driving for her. Only 23 more hours to go...

Tuesday Day #2 for Term 2 exams. Round table: hymns and prayer. Lee and I are planning on driving down to Akron for the Charlotte Mason book discussion group that meets at Barnes and Noble {Fairlawn, I think}. Edited: We went but uh, not much was covered. Lee and I mostly just sat and drank our tea. Long drive for tea...

Since the kids are 'busy' with exams- and that doesn't require much of me really- I want to get some made-ahead meals in the freezer. I don't really know why. I really like to have some meals premade and just need to be reheated or popped in the oven -or crockpot. Edited: I got some things made and in the freezer. I'd attempted a coconut flour biscuit recipe and wasted almost all of the coconut flour I had. They were not good. At all. Anyway, I made 12 bean and cheese burritos, 12 sausage, egg, and cheese on biscuit sandwiches, and a batch of scone 'biscuits'. Not even close to what I'd hope.

Wednesday Rain this morning and dark even at 8:00 am. It is partially because of daylight savings, but the clouds were full of rain. It did get to snowing about 9:00 am and now at 1:00 pm, we have lots of it again. 

No Round table this morning because I wanted to get to making stuff for the freezer. I got going slower than I'd planned though so when it was all said and done, all I got done was a batch of {strange} granola and pancakes. There is more granola to be made. The first batch of granola has no oats, just nuts and seeds, with egg white powder, coconut oil, cinnamon, stevia and erythritol. I'll eat it and they can have the other when it's done.

I was scouring the 'net for diy gf flours. I dislike using just what's at the store, which is primarily starches and rice flour. There are others, I know, but I have to go far to get the others. Finally, I found this site that has different diy gf flour mixes. I chose the Ancient Grains GF Blend. If I had a grain mill I might try the Milled GF Flour Blend. But honestly, I don't plan on ever having a grain mill. I wouldn't use it enough to justify the cost. 

While searching for gf related recipes, I was directed to Tammy's blog where I found a link to an article about Gluten Sensitivity and the Impact on the Brain. Interesting! Some other gf sites: Gluten Free Cooking School, A Year of Slow Cooking, and Marine Corps Nomads.

Thursday Shouldn't have had those sugar cookies yesterday... Fox made cookies in the afternoon and I had just a few. I didn't eat 'well' {which doesn't mean I ate poor choices- except for those cookies- but didn't eat enough} and suffered for it this morning. Headache and so. very. tired. Slept on the couch for a couple hours after the kids were up. 

The kids got their exam work done, their chores done, and some shoveling done. Now it's noon and Lee is making blondies. I. am. not. eating. ANY. Nope. They are actually for tomorrow's tea-time anyway. {Edited: I ate some. Of course.}

I started another book discussion post series. I really need to finish Amusing Ourselves to Death first but The Living Page is just so good. 

Dear hubby came home early with a migraine so the rest of the night was spent reading The Devil Walks in Mattingly {my review will be live 3/22/14} and starting The Book Thief. 

Friday Last day of Exam Week. It's such an easy week for me, this exam week thing. Lee said that it's a bit like having a week 'off' of school, although they still have hours of 'school' they do. Funny how the perspective is on that. Dh stayed home from work; still not 'well'. That meant I got to sleep in :) I forgot it was Friday and not Saturday, though. The kids didn't really want to get up and get going. They were done with their exams by about 11:00 am. I posted the results here and here. 

We did have tea-time. I'm sure it is because of the blondies set aside for today but Fox was practically sing-songing that tea-time was today. Silly boy. We played Stare and had tea. With blondies of course. 

The Weekly Barden still needs finished and some of my 'chores' need done. Hubby is still spending most of the day in bed so I might get out of those chores. 

I did get a box of foodstuffs I ordered on Wednesday {fast shipping!}, and am impatiently waiting for the other to arrive so that I can attempt some gf bread. I chose sorghum flour, brown rice flour, buckwheat flour, white rice flour, millet flour, and quinoa flour- all from Bob's Red Mill {from Amazon}. Hopefully I'll have some posts about my baking soon.

Tomorrow we are going to a police car auction, just because we can. None of us have ever been so it'll be an experience. Sunday is church and Monday is Pearls meeting. Those are the plans. 

And that's the week for us. How's your's been? 

Year 8, Term 2, Exam Results

These are my 9th grade ds' Y8 T2 results. I'm fixing all spelling errors. I just cannot type them incorrectly; any that remain are mine  I've put the questions and the answers here. 

Bible
1. Discuss in detail two of God's attributes.
A- I don't remember specific attributes. I do remember some things that were stated. God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He is merciful and kind, but set against sin. God will not change. How he was and is, He will be that way forever. God wishes none should sin and suffer the consequences, but rather join him in Heaven. 

2. Recite all verses learned thus far.
A- Recited. We use SCM memory box. Just a couple were not well memorized.

3. Relate a passage from your Bible reading that has been especially profound to you, and tell why.
A- I have been reading in Job. I am amazed at how Job reacts. He is complaining, yet never blaming God for any of his suffering. Job knew that he had done nothing wrong yet said "Blessed be the Lord." Job really shows how we should be when God gives us a trial. I found it inspiring how Job knew God's laws and rules so well, that he could say without a doubt, that he had done no wrong when others told him to repent.

Writing/Penmanship {he wrote in print, executed "perfectly." This is is own original poetry.}
Write 8-10 lines of poetry in your choice of verse.
A-
The Dishwasher

Off in the kitchen, there is a loud crack.
A plate had slipped right out of his hand.
It fell to the ground, almost hitting the cat's back.
The man sighed, this wasn't going as planned.
He was of noble blood, from the house of Asher.
As he picked up the pieces from the ground,
The cat rubbed itself against the noble dishwasher.
The man smiled, the feline was his only friend still around.
The End

Composition
1. Tell one episode from Westward Ho!
A- After sinking the Rose, Amyas and crew wandered the large island for three months. Out of the original 80 of the crew, only 50 or so remained. The Indian boy they had held captive decided to join them. The crew had been sick shortly after heading inland, killing a few. As they crossed a river, Indians shot some. Later they were going through a mountain pass and more Indians attacked them. Jack Brimblecombe and some others held them off so the others could escape. They all died heroically. Amyas remained calm and collected through all of it. Amyas decided the best path would be to try the mountain path again. The crew remains faithful and would follow their captain to the end of the world. The crew no longer has any shot left, but with the help of the Indian boy, have a large collection of bows and arrows. They head towards the mountains at the end of the chapter.

2. "All the world's a stage." Explain.
A- I believe this means that inspiration comes from everywhere. It could also mean that life is a story that we can watch others "act" in. Oh, the quote is from Shakespeare.

3. Tell something of Sir Walter Raleigh.
A- Sir Walter Raleigh was an author during Queen Elizabeth's reign. He wrote a book about a boat called the Revenge. It was a recording of a real battle. The Revenge held off many Spanish ships until there was little crew left. Only five or six lived to tell the tale. Raleigh wrote this book in memory of the men who died and as a sort of "it's the least I could do" type of thing, for Raleigh was originally called to go on the voyage with them, but had been sent back shortly before it left. Raleigh was thrown in the tower after Elizabeth died by the new king. The new prince would visit Raleigh. The two became good friends. Raleigh started to write a book for him, but as he was in the middle of writing it, the prince died in a riding accident. Raleigh was heartbroken and never finished his book.

English {we aren't doing grammar this year- working through POWA}
A- Worked in POWA.

History
2. Give an account of The Mayflower.
A- When Queen Elizabeth was in power, Puritans were very persecuted. A group of Puritans, wishing for peace, fled to Holland.They were there for 10 years before they decided they wanted to go to the new colonies in America. They talked with the Virginia Company, who was going to help them get over there. But first, they had to have the king's permission. The king, James I (for Queen Elizabeth had died whilst the Puritans were in Holland), asked them what they would do for a living. They told him fishing, and he granted them allowance to go. 101 people got onto a boat called the Mayflower. It took 2 1/2 months to get across but they did. They survived a tough first winter. That's all I remember.

4. Describe the New Model Army and trace the growth of Cromwell's power.
A- Cromwell's new model army was really simple. Back then, each general had their division. They all did what they thought was best. It caused confusion. Cromwell made it so there was a base attack plan for the entire army. This division did one thing every battle. And it worked quite well.

6. Tell about Johannes Kepler.
A- Mr. Kepler was smart and into astronomy. He often short sold himself. One example is when he was offered a position as an astronomy teacher. he worried that he couldn't do it. His friends rolled their eyes and told him to take the job. Kepler did and he enjoyed it immensely. 

Geography
1. Explain the theory Heyerdahl set out to prove. 
A- Heyerdahl lived in a group of islands that worshiped a god named Tiki. The natives believed that Tiki had come from far away by boat. Heyerdahl had found out that in South America, Tiki was worshiped there as well. Tiki had a different name, though. Heyerdahl knew about rafts that South Americans used out of balsa logs. Those rafts had been in use for as long as they had recorded history. Heyerdahl's theory was that Tiki was a South American who sailed to the islands on a balsa raft. 

2. Contrast Quito with the jungle of Quevedo. 
A-I don't recall where or what Quito is/was. So I will just explain the jungles of Quevedo. It is a jungle in South America. It is where Balsa trees grow. The jungle was hot and infested with bugs. Once, the author woke up and was going to put his shoe on, when a scorpion crawled out. 

3. "Not a day passed but we . . . were visited by inquisitive guests which wriggled and waggled about us . . ." What were some of these creatures?
A- If I recall correctly, this would be talking about the flying fish. "Not a day passed but we...were visited by inquisitive guests which wriggled and waggled about us." The "wriggled and waggled about us" is talking about how the fish would jump onto their raft and flop around until they died. One of the daily tasks of the chosen cook, would be to gather the fish on the deck up and make food out of them. The fish were silvery and shiny. They had large, long fins. Flying fish are not very large. 

Natural History and Chemistry
1. Write, in the style of Susan Fenimore Cooper about trees in your area.
A- The Red Maple. A red maple grows behind our house. It looks about 40 feet tall. These trees, Acer rubrum, can grow up to 89 feet. It can be used for maple syrup and lumber. The leaves are gone now, but they are in a W shape when grown. In spring it has fruit called Samara. We often call them "helicopters" due to the fact that they spin as they fall. 

2. Write an entry in your Nature Journal.
completed

3. What are some elements that you have learned and their abbreviations? Tell what else you know about the elements or the Periodic Table.
A- Over the term we have learned about many elements. First I will talk about Hydrogen. It is the lightest and first element on the periodic table. Its abbreviation is H. It has 1 proton. Hydrogen is an odorless, clear gas. Next I will talk about Silver. On the table it's abbreviated Ag. It is a metal, much like another element Gold, Au. It is known for its shine and softness. More metal elements are: Copper, Cu, Platinum, Pt and Iron, Fe. On the far right of the table are the 'noble gases'. These elements are nonreactive gases, meaning they don't combine easily with other elements into compounds. Some of the noble gases are Krypton, Kr, Argon, Ar and Neon, Ne.

4. Tell what you know about Sir Humphry Davy, Dmitri Mendeleev, or Ernest Rutherford.
A- Dmitri Mendeleev (De-mi-tree Men-de-lay-ev) {this was for *my* benefit because I cannot seem to pronounce the last name correctly lol} was born in Russia. He had many other siblings. His dad died whilst he was still young. After his siblings left home, Mendeleev's mother took him to a college. they denied allowing Mendeleev to study there. The two tried another college, and this time he was accepted. Whilst Mendeleev took a large pile of blank notecards and wrote down an element on each. He also wrote the atomic weight on each as well. He arranged them by weight and left gaps for elements that hadn't been discovered. He had created the first periodic table. using this he predicted the missing elements' weights and properties. He was spot on with all of them. 

5. Why does science matter?
A- Why I think science matters, is that it helps you understand how things work. Most humans desire to know things, especially how or why this does that. It also, for Christians, helps us to understand even more how great God is.

Citizenship/Government 
1. What is the difference between democracy and liberty?
A- Democracy is very different than liberty. Liberty is not being watched over by the government. Democracy is being "taken care of" by government. The founding fathers of the US did not want democracy. They wanted liberty-free of government, except for law enforcement. The government was not to add laws or tax people. They were simply to protect. 

2. Explain how the institution of slavery works in Utopia.
A-Slavery in Utopia was quite different than how normal slavery was. Slaves, first of all, were people who owed someone or broke certain laws. One way to become a slave was to travel twice without a permit. Slaves were given gold and jewelry as a sign of being a slave. Normal Utopians did not wear gold and jewels. Slaves were treated like a human, not some inferior life form. They could work out of slavery by meeting requirements. The requirements changed for each slave, as not all slaves had become slaves for the same reason.

3. Talk about "The Ways of Love".
A- One of the ways to love is pity. It is feeling sorry for someone. Another way to love is benevolence. This is forgiving and being kind to those who did something wrong to you.

Arithmetic
Do math for the day. {He did Khan Academy.}

Foreign Language
1. Have a conversation in ASL with Colleen and Mom. 
We did but... it was very short... need to work more on ASL.

2. Describe a picture from your German reader book, in German.
A- Die Katze un der Junge. 
Der Junge ist zeigt die Katze auf ein Zauberstab. Der Junge sagt "Hund ist Katze." Der Junge setzt sich auf der Stuhl. Die Katze setzt sich auf der Tisch.

Art/Picture study
1. Describe a picture from this term's picture study.
A- The Voyage of Life: Childhood
The picture was painted by Thomas Cole, one of the Hudson River school founders. It is the first in a series of paintings. This painting is set on a river. Behind the river are large cliffs. At the bottom of the cliffs are plains. As you get closer to the river you can see some purple wild flowers. On the river is a boat of wood. On the front of the small boat is an angel figure head. In the boat are an angel and an infant. The rivers comes out of a cave.

2. Submit any artwork completed this term.

Recitation
Gettysburg Address

Music Appreciation
1. Tell about your favorite piece of music from this term.
A- Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
This is a piece by Debussy. It is quiet and pleasant to begin with. As it goes on it gets more exciting. You can hear a wind instrument very well. The the strings come in. It jumps in volume here and there. 

2. Tell about your favorite composer from this term.
A- Debussy was my favorite composer from this term. I liked how his music was different from the other music of his time. His music was upbeat and energetic. He wrote piano pieces and a few ballets. We listened to his Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun.

Year 10, Term 2, Exam Results

I decided to go ahead and post the exam results for Term 2. I was overly concerned that they would be 'shabbily' done and I'd be embarrassed. I seem to have forgotten that this isn't about *me* necessarily. It is about what they have learned and retained. They did just fine, although I do see some areas that are in need of attention. That is, after all, the purpose of assessments.

These are my 11th grade dd's Y10 T2 results. Both questions and her responses. You can see the original AO exam questions at their website. 

Bible/Devotional (The Attributes of God and The Christian's Secret to a Happy Life)
1. Discuss in detail two of God's attributes.
A-One attribute is God's knowledge. An interesting point to this that I'd never thought about is that He knows all things because He has decreed them to be that way. It makes sense.

Speaking of decrees, that was another attribute. They are clearly linked with the omniscience of God. From the beginning of the world, God made decrees. All the universe follows them.

It's like planning an event. You say, "At this time there will be lunch." You know there will be lunch at a certain time because you planned it that way. Of course, we don't have the power to enforce things like God does.

2. Recite all verses learned thus far.
A- Recited. We use SCM memory box system.

3. Relate a point made in The Christian's Secret to a Happy Life that has been influential to you, and tell why.
A- There was a chapter on doubt about salvation. Many people don't get the 'feeling' that they are saved, and so feel that they have to recommit themselves again and again. First of all, we are not to base our spiritual position on emotions. Emotions are misleading, of the flesh. Second of all, picture someone who signed a contract. They don't worry and doubt and try to sign it again, because they don't 'feel' like it happened. Salvation is an act, not a feeling. The devil tries to weaken us by making us doubt our salvation. We must rest in the fact, and not the feeling, of our salvation.

This was helpful to me because I could not remember the exact time I was saved. It led me to doubt my salvation sometimes, and I felt I had to recommit myself. Reading that chapter, I learned to respond to the doubts by saying: "I AM saved." God has saved me; whether I 'feel' it all the time or not does not affect that.

Writing/Penmanship
Write 8-10 lines of poetry in your choice of verse. {She chose to write in cursive; executed 'perfectly'. This is her own poetry composition.}
A-
Why poetry? you ask.
Why beauty? I say.
Poetry is the beauty of life
In simple words.

Why poetry? you ask.
Why thoughts? I say.
Poetry is the deep thoughts
of the mind.

Why poetry? --
Poetry is life.

Composition 
1. Tell about John Keats, Charles Dickens, or Alfred Tennyson.
A- Unfortunately, I don't remember any of them well. 

'Born poor, managed to go to school, didn't finish college, considered being a lawyer or preacher, found he had no taste for it, got married, didn't have a good marriage, was a popular writer, but still struggled financially, an died in debt, loved and missed.' --This seems to be how most of the writers' lives went, and may or may not apply to the authors above.

2. Narrate an episode from Les Miserables.
A-The encounter of Jean Valjean with the Bishop of D-- (the town is written as that; I've taken to calling it Don in my head), or Monsieur Bienvenu (Bienvenu means 'welcome'), changed the former's life. Jean Valjean had run into deep poverty; desperate, he ended up stealing bread from a bakery. He got landed in jail for that, 5 years, I believe. But he tried to escape jail, and ended up more time. By the time he got our, Jean Valjean's time in jail was 20 years. He was very bitter inside. Jean Valjean had a yellow passport, which labeled him as a former convict. People, seeing this, wouldn't let him dine anywhere or lodge anywhere. Someone, however, told him of the good Bishop. Jean Valjean went to the Bishop's home, not really hoping for kindness at all. The Bishop gave him dinner and a bed for the night. However, Jean Valjean kept note of the silverware used for dinner, which were truly silver. He ended up stealing them and leaving in the early morning. The Bishop wasn't upset; he felt he had kept the silver from the poor, who needed it, and Jean Valjean needed it. Police caught Jean Valjean and brought him to the Bishop, automatically assuming he had stolen the silverware. Monsieur Bienvenu, however, said Jean Valjean had forgotten some other thing, and sent him on his way. This had such an impact on Jean Valjean. Before, he had been wicked as a matter of habit, but now he realized his wickedness. 

3. Summarize a poem you read this term by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
A- The poem, I believe, is called "He Giveth Sleep," or something along those lines. Browning writes about how life can be wearisome, but she can always know that "He giveth his beloved, sleep." She ends each 6-line section with that line. The very last section talks about when she dies; her friends should not mourn, because "He giveth his beloved, sleep."

Editing
Complete the next assignment reading/exercise in The Copyeditor's Handbook. Give narration for reading.
A- The chapter I read was on capitalization. There were several sections. Proper names are rather simple- they are capitalized, no matter where in the sentence they are. Now, trademarked names like Jell-O, Post-It, Frisbee, and Teflon are a little different. If you are referring to the specific brand, capitalize it. These terms, however, have become very generalized, and so need not always be capitalized (e.g., 'he shook like jello'). 

Titles, subtitles, and captions- there are several different styles for capitalizing these. There's UP/lc (uppercase/lowercase) style (How to Read a Book) or sentence style (How to read a book). For prepositions and transition words (e.g., an, the, in, out, by), there are three styles. Don't capitalize prepositions (Gone with the Wind), capitalize prepositions of four letters or more (Gone With the Wind), or capitalize prepositions of five letters or more (Literature Through the Years).

History 
2. Explain "the South saw itself as the slave of a Union dominated by Northern capital."
A-Banks, factories, export, import, schools- the North had these, but the South did not. Certainly, the South had slavery, but it could not live forever on it. They were very dependent on the North's economy. The Capitol of the Union was even in the North! Really, everything for a nation's success was in the North, and so the South was subject to it.

3. Tell what you know about the Battle of Gettysburg or George B. McClellan, or Jefferson Davis.
A-I will tell about Jefferson Davis. Davis was the President of the Confederacy during the Civil War, but he wasn't an excellent choice. Certainly, he was a Southern, a slave owner, and had a military background, but the rest of his character did not match up to a typical Southern man. Davis owned only about 70 slaves, as much as he could care for. He never split families, and preferred to let the slaves deal with matters of justice. Davis was not a man made for politics. (Continuing on the note of slavery,) Davis pushed for the South to not depend so heavily on slavery, and to have factories and schools and railroads. The only reason Davis was elected President was because of his forceful character. He had one opinion, and that was his, and he wouldn't hear anything to persuade him otherwise. That I know, Davis did not even pursue the Confederate Presidency; he was nominated and elected by others. 

4. Discuss the role of Uncle Tom's Cabin in the American slavery debate.
A-Uncle Tom's Cabin fueled the North's dislike of slavery, while the South felt that it was an attack by Northern abolitionists. Many Northerners were shocked by the scenes described in the book; some thought they were exaggerated. Stowe later published a Key to the book, showing the real side of the book. It did prick the South in their moral sides, but they felt Stowe was accusing them of all being evil. Stowe blamed the institution, which hurt both slave and master.

Geography
1. Describe Damascus.
A-I don't remember it well, it blurs with all the other middle-east places that the author of Eothen visited. The inhabitants were likely Islamic, likely eager to please anyone British because the British were the higher power, and likely had camels that the author borrowed. More definite details escape me. 

2. Describe the "great American desert," the prairie.
A-I can describe from reading and from experience. It is not your 'typical' desert, in that it's not just sand dunes and mirages. A desert is classified by how much rain a place gets yearly (by this classification, Antarctica is a desert). I would say, by that definition, the prairie isn't really a desert. There are thunderstorms almost daily during the summer, giving plenty of rain. But how much that amounts to over a year, I don't know. Anyways, the prairie is a large, featureless expanse. There are hills, gently rolling, and the occasional rivers, but for the most part you see tall, brown grass. You may see antelope, maybe buffalo (more so in the olden days). Like a typical desert, it's hot during the day, cold at night (the evening rain makes it especially cool).

3. Detail some "scenes from Fort Laramie," or at the camp.
A-From what I remember, Fort Laramie was made of mud bricks. It [was] two sections, sort of an outer 'box' and an inner 'box'. The innermost 'box' was designed as a final retreat in case of emergency. The gate to it had only a small opening, for passing items through. 

Many of the inhabitants were Indians, or Frenchmen. From the author's view, the Indians spent all day in idleness, just lounging around. 

'Feasts' at Fort Laramie consisted of dried buffalo meat and bread (the bread is what made it a 'feast').

At one point, Fort Laramie was visited by traders and Indians. They didn't get along very well; the Indians started demanding things of the traders, and violence threatened to break out. I think of the groups left before it did get violent.

Natural History and Chemistry
1. Write an entry in your Nature Journal.

completed

2. Describe a scene from "A Hundred Miles of Warblers" or "Mountain Meadows".
A-[she missed this one; will do later]

3. What are some elements you have learned and their abbreviations? Tell what else you know about the elements or the Periodic Table.
A-I don't remember abbreviations very well. Here's some I do: Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), Chlorine (Cl), Potassium (K), Iron (Fe), Gold (Au), and Silver (Ag). Elements are abbreviated for ease of use in formulae, such as the well-known H20. In the Periodic Table, elements are arranged by number of protons. The number of protons determines what element an atom is. Hydrogen is 1, then Helium (He) is 2, all the way to element 118 (which is a man-made element that I don't know the name of). At the far-right side of the Table are the Noble Gases, which are elements like Neon (Ne?), Xenon, and Argon, that don't like to mix with other elements.

4. Tell what you know about Sir Humphry Davy, Dmitri Mendeleev, or Ernest Rutherford.
A-Dmitri Mendeleev is often credited as the discoverer/maker of the modern Periodic Table. Of course, in realms like science, it's rarely (if ever) the work of a single person that leads to such discoveries. Anywho, Mendeleev built on the world of another man who had tried to organize the elements into a Table. The other man (I forget his name) had recognized groups of elements that were similar, such as the noble gases. He had tried to organize the whole Table that way, by an element's properties. Mendeleev got the key to the Table's organization a little more correct. He organized by weight. Mendeleev's Table even included gaps, for elements not yet discovered. His Table was so accurate (not perfect, though), he could predict the weight and properties of any missing element. 

5. Why does science matter?
A-Science matters because of the age we live in, which is largely centered on science. Technology is constantly moving forward. What makes technology possible? Science. Well, actually, science makes everything possible.* And, so, if we want to understand, perhaps, how the batteries in our cameras work, how the tallest buildings don't fall over, or how the newest supercar gets its power, an understanding of science can help us.
*A note: Perhaps I should clarify this. Science is the study of what makes things possible. Applying this knowledge is also science. Science itself, however, does not 'make the world go 'round.'

Citizenship/Government
1. What does "Temperance avoids every excess" mean?
A-It seems a rather redundant phrase. Let's follow a dictionary trail:
temperance: moderation and self-restraint
moderate: not excessive or extreme
excess: an amount or quantity beyond what is required
Using these, to be temperate is to be moderate, which is to be not excessive. So, it is a bit of a restating of 'temperance,' though this phrase does emphasize 'every excess.' What does this mean for us? Well, some people say temperance is not drinking (the dictionary lists this as a second definition), but true temperance is to be moderate in all things. Food, speech, sleep, all of these you can have excess of; this phrase says to be moderate in these things.

2. How many races are there? Why does our stance on racism matter?
A-Let's turn to our handy dictionary again, since I'd like to know the 'technical' meaning of 'race':
race: 1. a group of people distinguished by genetically transmitted physical characteristics.
2. a group of people united by a common history, nationality, or tradition.
3. a genealogical line; lineage.

Well, there are two different views on this. Evolutionists will claim that there are totally separate races, ones that evolved in Africa, some in Asia, etc. And by evolution standards, one race may have evolved to be better than another race, thus giving us a 'legitimate' reason for racism and assumed white superiority.

Now, on the other hand, Creationists know that we are all descended from Adam and Eve, and from Noah. After Babel, people split into language families and spread across the Earth. Over time, certain traits formed strongly in different groups. I think of it similar to cats; all breeds of cats are still cats, but some cats in Turkey tend to be white and orange and water-loving, while cats from the streets of America tend to be brown tabbies. We are all the same race, because we all come from the same source, and no one of us is better than the other.

3. Choose an issue from Evaluating Books and present the statist and "other side of the story."
A-The statists say that child labor laws are for the good of children. Now, the 'other side' says that, while the laws may have been necessary at one time, when working conditions were truly dangerous and harmful, nowadays the laws are a hindrance. Employers want people with experience, but kids can't get the experience they need, because they can't work. The old apprentice system has been done away with. Internships are similar, but you still have to be older. Once a person is old enough to work, they probably need to work, but finding a job with what little experience they have hard.

Arithmetic/Geometry
Do math for the day. {She did Khan Academy}

Foreign Language
1. Have a conversation with Jeffery and Mom. (Sign Language)
completed

2. Do a day's work in either Second Form or First Year Latin.
A- Completed Lesson XIV in First Year.

Art/Picture Study
Describe a picture from this term's picture study.
A- 'The Fifer,' by Eduord (?) Manet. It's a painting of a fifer boy against a plain tan-gray background. He's wearing a very fancy uniform, a black jacket with gold buttons and red pants with a black stripe down the sides of the legs. His shoes are those fancy kinds, black with white on the top. He has a fife holder strapped to his chest, and he has the fife raised to his lips, ready to play. He wears a triangular hat, which is red and black and has a golden tassel. 

Submit any artwork completed this term.

Recitation
Declaration of Independence

Music Appreciation
1. Tell about your favorite piece of music from this term.
A-I liked Claude Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. It is a very quiet, calm, pleasant piece that makes me think of spring. It almost sounds at first as though the faun is waking up from a nap, and birds are flying above him. The piece is mostly with wind instruments, flutes and clarinets. After the faun wakes up, the music gets a little louder and stronger for a bit, as though he has awoken in an amazing spot, maybe by a waterfall in the middle of a forest. It definitely sounds like music for a spring or summer forest. 

2. Tell about your favorite composer from this term.
A-None of the composers particularly stood out to me this term, but the one I liked most was Sir Edward Elgar (I may have gotten his first name wrong). He composed Pomp and Circumstance, which is often played during graduations. Elgar was an English composer (or should I say British?) who came at a time when England had long gone with [out?] any composers of its own. He wasn't born 'Sir', but later was given that title by the queen because of his great music.