Homeschool Mother’s Journal- Week of 5/14/12

In my life this week…
…it seems that I’ve been slacking but not really. I’ve had something that had to get done just about every day {and I *did* get at least that one thing done}. Otherwise it’s been a fairly laid back week.

In our homeschool this week…
…still exams. Well, they actually pretty much finished up yesterday. I thought that they might so left Friday as a ‘make-up’ day or refining day. I must admit {trying not to be negative rather, constructive} that effort was not put forth as well as I know it could/should have been on some parts. I forgot to do any posts yesterday about the exams {did I do it for Day #3 either??} but will probably write one up tonight or tomorrow about my thoughts {and their answers}.

Other than than, we have two neat review items that we have to really get into. One is Homeschool Spanish Academy {haven’t actually ‘received’ it yet- super excited about it though!}, the other Pearson Learning, Algebra 1. I am hoping that HSA can be used with both the kids but if not, then Lee will get the privilege. Fox is using Pearson {oh, he’s just overjoyed heehee} (Perhaps this is more of  a ‘next week’ thing)

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
…um…*cricket chirp*… OH! No mother is an island   Seek out other homeschoolers. The support you’ll get {or most certainly should} will help you even if you don’t realize it at first, or even if you didn’t know you needed it. At least once in a while is a good idea. I love being a hermit a lot of the time but sometimes… we do need interaction.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
…Saturday Fox is going to be serving lunch at a homeless shelter in downtown Cleveland and hubby will be in Elyria, for the 2012 International Learn to Fly Day. Lee and I aren’t really going to be doing much of anything. I had thought of taking Lee to Mentor for the chess meet but since I have to get Fox to his community service project, it’d be a lot of driving. Lee and I might hang out at the library somewhere. I have wanted to visit the Cleveland Public Library; that might be the perfect time.

Lee had an interview with a homeschooling family to watch their two boys every other week. It wasn’t a long drive {about 17 miles from us}. While she did that Fox and I went to the James A. Garfield historic site in Mentor, OH. We didn’t go through any of the buildings, just the visitor’s center. It wasn’t a planned visit.

My favorite thing this week was…
…finding out that the second WondLa book is available through the library! Oh yea, I requested it.

What’s working/not working for us…
…I’m telling ya, laziness just does not work. I knew this, right. Always have known it but sometimes…sometimes it feels so nice to be lazy. Until you have to do extra work because of the laziness.

Questions/thoughts I have…
…how am I going to schedule next year? We have a few goings-on at the start of our school year and we barely made it day-wise this year {lol did we actually make it? I’ll never tell- shush you over there who knows!}.

Things I’m working on…
…trying to preread books for next year. I got distracted by a few review books so it was set aside for a bit. Now that school is ‘done’ {with the exception of our review products} I can focus more- I hope. Books I’m reading for this ‘work’ are The Birth of Britain by Churchill, A History of the American People by Johnson,… oh, forget it, I’m not going to list them all here. If you’d like to see the books I’m trying to preread here’s where to find them- Y7Lite, Y9 {not all of the books lol- I wouldn’t make it!}.

Other than that, I am trying to get my house clean! Spring cleaning a bit late *wink*. We have a few areas that have dust bunnies and cobwebs. I just have a difficult time staying caught up with the every day things {doing dishes, washing clothes, watering, etc} that I forget the other things too often.

I’m reading…
…for my own enjoyment I’m still reading The Fort by Bernard Cornwall, Miracles by C. S. Lewis, King of Glory told by P. D. Bramsen and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. I finished Glamorous Illusions by Lisa T. Bergren and Heiress by Susan May Warren. I am still plugging away at Flatland by Abbott but uh, it’s a strange book!

I’m cooking…
…just enough to get by. I would love to have a farm where I could pick fruit and veggies, stock up on them, have some chickens lay eggs, and maybe have a goat for milk. I dislike shopping at the store, spending an exorbitant amount and still running low mid-month. Ridiculous.

I’m grateful for…
…after my complaining about running low on foodstuffs, I am so very grateful that we do have what we have. So often we have luxuries that I take for granted. Yesterday I was able to get the kids an ice cream treat at the Dollar Tree {and a Mt. Dew for myself}. When I do things like that I think to myself “I could have purchased a loaf of bread instead”. It’s not like we live without. We have  a lot in our lives and I am very grateful for God’s provisions; He also gives us our wants {I just need to be careful not to confuse the two}.

A photo collage…

		Camera Phone Friday 5/18/12 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

1) James A. Garfield at the historic site in Mentor, OH; 2) our resident birds- either Black-Capped or Carolina Chickadees (Parus atricapillus or carolinensis); 3) White Clover (Trifolium repens ) in the B&N parking lot; 4) wee little moth on my screen door this morning; 5) James A. Garfield and the Civil War plaque at the historic site in Mentor, OH; 6) A Hero for WondLa at Barnes &Noble; 7) Fox at B&N; 8) James A. Garfield’s “Lawnfield” in Mentor, OH; 9) Purple Clover (Trifolium ??) in the B&N parking lot
{I put the scientific names because I’ve just discovered them!}

I’m linking up with the following hops- stop by and join up

     

 

Mother’s Homeschool Journal Week of 4/16/12

 

In my life this week…
…this past week? Or the coming week? I’m always a little unsure what I’m supposed to put in this spot. This past week was our week back from South Carolina. It’s been quite mellow and laid back. No real drama {yippy!} so I’m gonna say it’s been a good week.

In our homeschool this week… 
…I think my post yesterday pretty much sums up how our homeschool is going. Which is great if you don’t want to head over from the link. Lots of new ‘learning’ on the horizon…scary and wonderful all at the same time.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
…Don’t let your kids exclude you from their learning. Wait, perhaps that should say, “Don’t exclude yourself from your kids learning.” Or if you have independent learners, you’ll miss out on so much of what’s going on in their heads and hearts. It really is easy to let them go to their own stuff but so much more interesting and fun to get involved with them.

I am inspired by…
…I cannot even begin to list all those who inspire me because it’d be a huge list and besides some have no name. I will say though, that Lee just the other day asked me what I do for God. What a stab to my heart! So often we feel insignificant, so small that really what can we do for God? We can be obedient, do as He asks and commands, and to be the most Christ-like we can so that others see Him through us. So, she inspires me.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
…Last week (well this week) we didn’t go anywhere or visit anyone. The usual library stops, grocery store, gas station, and maybe post office. The usual. But today we are going to the church for a Bible trivia ‘event’. It will be over the book of James. Tonight, if I don’t forget, we are possibly going to check out the observatory in Chardon, OH. Tomorrow we will be hanging out with some other homeschoolers who like chess. Lee really really likes chess. She got her first set when she was 7; a nice glass chess set, which she still has!
And then on the 24th, I, by myself, will be having my first ever mom’s night out. It won’t be for too long but I will get to meet up with some other homeschooling moms in the area (yay!) and enjoy some coffee. Beside grocery shopping and the occasional clothing shopping trip, I’ve not really ever gone ‘out’ by myself. Kids are always in tow. Not this night! I’m really looking forward to it!

My favorite thing this week was…
…It has been a very tiring week but so good. There hasn’t been anything bad this week. All good stuff. That’s my favorite part.

What’s working/not working for us…
…It is all working for us. We get up at a decent time, school is started at a decent time, attitudes are not always wonderful but they are checked before getting out of hand, school is completed at a decent time; narrations are going well, math is going well, foreign language is going well; really it’s all working.

Questions/thoughts I have…
…Where oh where do I find very young German books? Picture books in German? Not at my library that is for sure!

Things I’m working on…
…nothing new here: time management (doing much better); attitude (always room for improvement); catching up with ‘friends’ (whether irl or online); exercising my brain (don’t use it, you lose it!).

I’m reading…
…A History of the American People by Paul Johnson; Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte; The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis; Charlotte Mason Volume 1, 4 & 6; Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott.

I am reading other books and such but for some reason I’m drawing a blank. I’ve wanted to get back to reading other’s blogs but I’m not there yet. I did stop by both Ellen’s (The Bluestocking Belle) and Barb’s (Harmony Art Mom) for just a bit. There are so many more that I want to catch up on! Perhaps tonight.

I’m cooking…
…just the necessities! I keep feeling like I want to make something ‘special’ but it just hasn’t happened. I might make stew over the weekend. Maybe.

I’m grateful for…
…Coffee. Really. Nice weather. A netbook, a laptop and my Kindle Fire. All luxuries that I am so grateful to have.

I’m praying for…
…A cleansed heart; a ‘pricked’ heart; more passion, drive, motivation; peace.

I’m going to try (harder than two weeks ago) to visit other’s blog posts. We will see :)

Relax, Cold, Stress {not in that order}- Weekly Wrap-Up (2/10/12)

In my life this week…In our homeschool this week…
It’s been a fairly normal week here. Monday I worked {but not my usual hours- which threw us off a bit}, Tuesday we enjoyed the cold outdoors, Wednesday we did it again, Thursday I worked {again not my usual hours- which didn’t throw us off this time} but was able to get a book review in, and Friday I worked again {normally I don’t work on Fridays at all…so you can imagine how much that threw us!}. We finished up week 24, only 12 weeks to go!

t’s also the week before break week so we get a little lax in our work towards the end. Friday the kids both did just one thing…and I am mostly okay with that. They spent the day in a relaxing manner {while I slaved away at work- lol, I’m kidding! my job is extremely easy}. Right now as I look outside, it is completely white. We’ve no plans to go anywhere today {although I had wanted to go the store for a few things} and it looks like shoveling will be the biggest chore. I wish we had some hot cocoa to make after the cold job of shoveling- perhaps I’ll make warm vanilla milk. It’s really easy to make:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 spoonful (small spoon lol) sugar

Mix milk and sugar, heat in microwave until desired warmth. Mix in vanilla and enjoy! Of course you can tweak it – add cinnamon, use more/less sugar, or try it with other flavors. It’s a good replacement for hot cocoa.

I had intended on going to evening church on Wednesday {I’m still working on my goals of being closer to my church ‘family’- slow going} but found out something that made me need to stay home with my dear husband and comfort him. I’m aware that the enemy will do anything to prevent us from being close to God, which includes secluding us from church, but God also uses those times to let us be a light- His light. {and everything is alright now but prayers are always appreciated}

Last night was Friday movie night. Generally the kids will choose a movie for them to watch downstairs. It isn’t something that we all usually participate in. Sometimes I watch; sometimes I don’t; hubby rarely watches. But last night hubby got a movie for us to watch together- as a ‘treat’. We watched It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. At it is aptly described as Goofy! Hilarious movie!! We all laughed so hard. Also we stayed up way past the kids’ bed time so they liked that. They don’t make movies like that any more.

Also, yesterday before I went to work {was actually late getting ready because I was so preoccupied} I worked on an ATC card for a group we are in. The theme is Yellow. My favorite color! Here are the cards we made:

Our chances of winning the lottery they do each month is higher since we have three entries Some of the cards made by the group are absolutely stunningly beautiful.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
We are going to visit a museum in Dayton, OH, area this weekend. While we are there we will be visiting my oldest sister and her family. It will be the first time that my sister (along with her husband and two kids) and my husband will have met. I’m super excited! My hubby is really interested in the museum; I’m more interested in seeing my sister and her family {shhh, don’t tell lol}.

Things I’m working on…
There are a lot of reviews in our house right now! On the right side bar you can see upcoming reviews for TOS Crew. There are 8 of them. I am extremely grateful and thankful for being chosen to review all of them but I must admit that I am feeling a tad bit stressed {okay, I feel very stressed}. I also have agreed to help with the Teacher’s Toolbox, do a review for Vocabulary Spelling City, am still helping my mom with some things {drawing}, and there are a few other things that I *want* to work on but probably won’t get to. Time management, always working on time management. I can do all this, if I manage my time well. {we’ll see *wink*}

I’m reading…
I’m still reading Surprised by Laughter by Terry Lindvall. I’m really enjoying it. There are still over 200 pages to go and a review of this book will be a long one, I think. I’m also reading the book written by Heidi Kreider, The Secret of Counting Gifts. There will be a review of that book soon but I’ll give you a heads up- I like it

I’m cooking…
Tonight, or very very early tomorrow, I will be cooking a Green Bean Casserole and Mashed Potatoes for church tomorrow. I still don’t know what’s for lunch, let alone dinner, for today!

Some photos to share…
Taken with my phone, all are from Euclid Creek Reservation, a Cleveland Metro Park.

 

 

I’m linking up with

  

    

    

Field Trip! Weekly Wrap-Up (2/2/12)–LOTS of photos!

Day #108-112- WOW!

In our homeschool this week…In my life this week… {because it all meshes together anyway}
I won’t say the week’s been a wash for school because it hasn’t been –completely. I wrote about Monday and Tuesday and how I tried to finagle recordable stuff from just about everything we did. It worked okay.

Places we are going and people we are seeing…
Wednesday…what happened Wednesday? Oh! Fox had Young Marines and Lee went with me to evening service at church. She went to the Teen’s Group {there are only 3 to 4 teens- love the small group} where they discussed where ‘teenagers’ fit in the Bible. Actually they don’t. If you think about, there are no teens mentioned in the Bible. There are babies, young children, young adults and the rest {lol, the ‘rest’ just sounds funny but you know, adults and the elderly}. I think it gave Lee a better understanding about herself at this time in her life- she’s not a little girl and she isn’t an in between. She is a young adult. Earlier we had shared an interesting moment when I read out loud that John Donne had gone to University at the age of 11. Both the kids’ jaws dropped at that.

Thursday I worked until 4:00 pm and then we went grocery shopping. Major shopping. The kids had to help me with everything. Normally they sit in the deli area {where there are a few tables} and read. Not this time. I made them help with what brand to buy; which one was the best value; did we really need this or that. I ended up spending a little more than planned but came away with quite a bit more than I thought I would. And some yummy fresh fruit…yum. They came away with some sense of what is a good deal and also a lesson in self-control; just because we want it doesn’t mean we have to get it

Friday! We picked up dear hubby from the airport {he’d been away at training all week- in New York!} and then went to the Cleveland Zoo. We had a great time! I will close this with photos. Lots of photos. You may want to just look at the slideshow The zoo was mostly empty of other patrons but for the occasional mother pushing a stroller. My dh made the observation that it must be what mothers with young children do during the day- go to the zoo. I agreed- I used to go to the park a lot when the kids were younger. Most of the shops were also closed but we were able to see quite a few animals. We walked from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm, almost non-stop. It was a good day.

Photo(s) I’m sharing…

		Cleveland Zoo 2.2.12 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

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