Wordless Wednesday // Spellbound

Watching the paper come out of the printer…

Last Week of School Daybook // May 2012

Outside my window...hearing the garbage trucks and occasional bird. Still a little early. We’re supposed to get rain later today and I can’t wait.

I am thinking...that it’s hard to believe we are wrapping up school. And that I will have a third grade daughter! I have strong memories of my third grade year in school – it’s one that I remember very vividly. We had moved to Texas the summer before so that my Dad could go to seminary and it was a new year in a new school. I remember loving my teacher who had dark hair (even though I can’t remember her name) and learning the multiplication tables that year. I really loved third grade.

I am thankful...for a truly restful weekend. From Thursday afternoon until Sunday morning I was home (with the exception of running to get pizza Friday night). I can’t tell you the last time I had such a long stretch of not leaving the house. I put several hours in on reorganizing the school room on Saturday – moving our craft supplies out of the closet in that room and out where they are easier for the girls to use, and moving all our curriculum into the closet for storage. T also helped me trouble-shoot a few computer issues I was having and rearrange wires and cables that were making me NUTS. For the first time in weeks I ended the day with a clean desk for working on and a work space that doesn’t make me cringe when I look at it. Now, if I could just find my camera that was on my desk when we started cleaning and wasn’t when we finished… (FOUND! In the boy’s room…)

In the kitchen...nothing fancy this week. I managed to make it all week last week without a trip to the grocery store and my cupboards are feeling it. We have eaten all our fresh produce and most of our frozen veggies, so I think I’m going to have to get out today and pick up a few things! I had a scare Saturday when I found our freezer defrosting itself and thought I was going to spend Saturday in a marathon cooking session with an giant unopened bag of chicken breasts and a few other items. I stuffed everything into the small fridge in the kitchen and managed to catch it before anything really started to thaw. And, I’m extra-thankful it was just a tripped fuse (or something like that) and we are back in business. However, this just again brought to my attention that groceries need to be on this week’s to-do list - we’ve done such done a good job of eating out of our pantry and freezer that it’s now really empty except for the aforementioned chicken breasts and some popsicles. : )

In the schoolroom…I posted our learning plans for next year here and my brain is tired now. : )

I am wearing...jammies. Must get dressed.

I am creating...order from chaos. See above mentioned reference to my newly reshuffled school room.

I am going...to hopefully pick up my new glasses sometime the week. Last week I had an eye appointment and am waiting for my new glasses to come in. I had to finally give in and move to bifocals because I can’t see to read anymore. And, while I’m sad about the needing the bifocals, (and what they cost! WHOA!) I can’t NOT be able to read.

I am reading...I have a stack to choose from. I finished my reread of Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home and also a reread of Meet the Austins: The Austin Family Chronicles, Book 1 by Madeleine L’Engle this weekend. N1 checked out A Wrinkle in Time at the library last week (I don’t think she’s read it yet), and the Austin family series called to me. Book two is in the basket next to my bed along with several other options…

I am hoping...to get the girls to the library today to sign them up for the summer reading program. They have an adult program this year for the first time, and I’m going to check that out.

I am looking forward to...our week. The last full week of school for us, with one or two little scraggly days that we’ll need to tackle next week. Then we are taking a break until July!

I am learning…and working on slowing down for a true break next month. Between homeschooling and extra activities, this last year was busy. This weekend at home just intensified my desire for a lot of downtime for all of us for the next few weeks with little to no agenda.

Around the house...laundry today. Can I just share that I had a laundry epiphany last week? I moved ALL my little girls’ clothes out of their bedroom and it cut my laundry loads in half last week. Their clothes are all stored in our laundry room on shelves and in the closet there and they aren’t allowed to get anything out without permission. These clothes will eventually be moved again into our bedroom. (We have a second closet in our master bedroom that is empty and we are going to move a dresser in there.) I have a little girl who loves to change clothes a LOT and all the consequences and discipline that I could muster just wasn’t keeping her out of her closet. Clean clothes were getting put into the laundry basket when they were shuffled through as well.

I did the first round of clothes-moving and shuffling while T and N1 were on their trip and it has worked beautifully the last week and a half. After school winds up, I’ll shuffle it all down the hall again and call it good.

One of my favorite things...a date night with a girl one-on-one. Trying to do better about making those a priority and not a happy accident. B will be my grocery shopping date tonight while the other girls have music lessons with T and she has already requested a special drink (a.k.a. frappachino) like I bought the other girls a while back. Sounds good to me. : )

A few plans for the rest of the week…not a whole lot!

• library
• dinner with our small group Bible study
• a nephew baseball game at some point this weekend (we have a couple of game options but are making sure to hit at least one!)

A peek into my day...

A last week of school mid-day movie treat for (a-hem) science. : )

Visit Peggy at The Simple Woman to see more daybook entries.

2012-2013 Homeschool Plans

Pages of notesheets in my journal and a couple tucked in my planner. Lots of things pinned and bookmarked for the coming school year. This post is for myself as much as anyone else interested in what I would like to do with my little people over the next school year – just to see if I can get it laid out in a somewhat organized manner! : )
Upfront notes to refresh:

• this is our fourth year homeschooling!
• I will have three official students this year.
  • N1 will be in 3rd grade (age 8, turning 9 in October)
  • N2 will be in 1st grade (age 6, turning 7 in January)
  • B will be in Kindergarten (age 5, turning 6 next May, so a young K in my book compared to the other girls)

Overall plans and disclaimers. : ) First, we are moving to a year round school plan this next year on a trial basis. I have found, that if we start everything up in August and / or September, by the end of May I am feeling very pushed to get days in before I have to turn in year-end grades/reports to our umbrella school. Ergo, we start in July this year. We’ll take June off (with the exception of some math drilling) and plan on lots of time to play and swim and read for fun. June also hold ballet camp for a couple girls (our concession to not paying for yearly lessons), a Classical Conversations practicum/training that we will all attend, church VBS and time with T’s family. Our July school will also be a bit different because I still want to make sure and allow time for summer fun (lots of time at the pool hopefully!), but I do want to log some time in a few subjects that won’t fit during our regular school year. More on summer plans later, I hope. : )
Therefore, and without further ado, the nuts and bolts of our 2012-2013 year are as follows:
Bible (the same for all girls):
Awana: N2 and B will both be in Sparks this year, N1 starts T&T, and the boy will probably start Puggles this year (for ages 18mo to 3 years). Puggles is a fairly new program at our church and the girls are dying to take the boy to Awana with them … and he wants to stay and play when he sees his friends who are a few months older so we’re going to try it.
CBS: at this point, we are going to continue with CBS again this fall. Our class (both kids and adults) will be studying Old Testament history through the books of 1&2 Kings and Chronicles and several of the minor prophets. N1 and N2 (and myself) will have Bible study workbooks to complete this year and we’ll do those together during our school time, and include B in our scripture reading and discussions.
Language Arts:
N1, 3rd grade:
Explode the Code, book 6 & 6 1/2
A Reason for Handwriting C
Writing with Ease, Volume 3
First Language Lessons, Volume 3
Natural Speller (switching from A Reason for Spelling which I didn’t care for)
N2, 1st Grade:
Explode the Code, 2 & 2 1/2 (probably will start book 3 as well since she’s ending Kindergarten about almost 1/2 way through 2)
A Reason for Handwriting B
Writing with Ease, Volume 1
First Language Lessons, Volume 1
Natural Speller (possibly by the end of the year)
B, Kindergarten:
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
Get Ready for the Code (finish), Get Set for the Code, and Go for the Code
A Reason for Handwriting K
Will listen along with N2 on both Writing with Ease and First Language Lessons and participate orally, as she is able
Lots of picture books!
Math:
N1: Saxon 3
N2: Saxon 1 (she’s about 1/3 of the way through this already)
B: Saxon K
Music/Art:
N1: Guitar Lessons with T
N2: Piano Lessons with T, Sunday night Kids Praise choir
B: Sunday night Kids Praise choir
For the rest of our schooling (history and science), we will be following plans laid out with Classical Conversations which we are joining this year. They will be going through their Cycle 1 material (which didn’t mean anything to me as of a few weeks ago). : )
The catalog states that Cycle 1 history covers World: historical empires, peoples, and countries (ancient through modern). The focus, from what I can tell will be ancient civilizations and empires. Each week the girls will have a history fact to memorize about a different civilization / people group. I can then take and run with it in whatever direction I want to at home during the week.
Now. Last year we started ancient civilizations with Story of the World (which we all were thoroughly enjoying) and I was impressed at a homeschool seminar that I needed to set that aside and work on general American History reading in the spring. I had no problem with ancient civilization studies at all – the cultures and how country lines were draw was fascinating. It was the introduction of Greek and Roman mythology to my pre-K and K girls that I wasn’t ready for. So, how will that look this next year as we are starting the same cycle of history over again?

• All three girls will memorize the CC history fact for the week. It might be about ancient Greece, ancient China, or ancient Africa, but they will all memorize just the facts.
• Since N1 will be entering 3rd grade, I think she’s ready to start with some of the mythology in her readings. I haven’t made specific booklists yet, but D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths comes to mind as an example of a jumping off place. She will have assigned reading to take some of these memorized facts to the next level and I’m working out figuring out a time that she and I can have a book-date and talk about what she is reading.
• there will picture books and stories on the different civilizations as we come across them, with a goal of learning about the people and their lifestyles, but without a focus on ancient religion.
• the little girls (and all of us) will immerse ourselves in our Bible study work – studying the ancient civilization of Israel, its kings, and how great our God is. This will give them plenty of history for a K and 1st grade year right there and I don’t feel pressured to push them into studies that I’m not ready for them to tackle yet. If, Lord willing, we stay with Classical Conversations for some time, we’ll hit this cycle again in three years when they are in 3rd, 4th and 6th respectively, and then I can hit it more fully with all of them.

Science will cover biology and earth science with related experiments and projects. Again, each week there will be a science fact that we will all memorize, Then, again, we’ll supplement with lots of reading at home, nature / outdoor activities as they tie in, etc. I will spend some time in the next few weeks going through my Classical Conversations book and taking each week’s fact and seeing how we can enrich that at home. My hope for science is to have all three girls on the same page and pace in this subject, age appropriate of course.
I’m sure that I’m leaving something out, and will remember it as soon as I hit post, but there it is in a nutshell. Now to start the fun part – actually planning the lessons and making booklists and plans!

Project Life Week 18 // May 6-12

The one with all the inserts. : )

On the left:

• a pic of all 4, all looking at the camera – a rarity! It was taken later in the week, after the boy’s haircut, but I decided it went better in the “title” spot.
• a photo taken by a friend of the boy’s little Sunday school class. That’s a lot of little kids. : )
• my date card + a pic of B swinging.
• thoughts during my Tuesday quiet time while the girls were having rest time.

Up close. The “everyday” card is from here. (Be warned – her shop is ADORABLE.) “Photograph Notes” from a recent Elle’s Studio purchase. The “4” sticker is from Amy Tan (came in an Elle’s Studio kit), and the “you’re my favorite” stamp is from here.


“Words to live by” from Miss Tiina.

Insert #1. We wrapped up Bible study for this year and on the last day I made sure and got a picture of each munchkin with their teachers. This is one of the alternative Project Life inserts that came with the big variety pack I purchased a while back. Four 6x6 slots.

On the back, I tucked in a few mementos – a card from one of the girl’s teachers (I have a few more that have since come in the mail that I need to add), the little girls’ name tags and a few pictures from their spring performance for the moms.

Insert #2. Three 4x6 photos of B on her birthday.
 
Tucked under the middle picture are a few birthday thoughts on the girl. : )

On the back, I slipped in three photos that T texted me throughout the day. T & N1 were off on their adventure / mission trip to Guatemala and left EARLY in the morning. This was N1’s first time on an airplane since she was about 2 years old so it was a pretty big start to her trip!

On the right…

• the top row is devoted to the shaving of the boy. A few gummy snacks and Daddy with the razor and it went MUCH better than the salon experience! And, yes, I love the short boy hair.
• On the bottom … packing!
• Birthday B. Out for our traditional birthday donuts. Typically, I would sneak out and bring the donuts home, but since T and N1 were already gone, we all went out to breakfast.

Journaling cards on the left and middle are Paislee Press, I believe. The right is a folded card from the Project Life kit with some details on B’s birthday date and sleepover with Grandma and Grandpa. We opted to save most of her birthday celebrating until after the rest of our family returned from their trip and she handled it like a champ. Grandma took her to Build-a-Bear at the mall (a first-time experience for any of our girls so that was a pretty big deal to do something before her big sisters!) and she picked out and built a bear that was so very her.
 
“Noted” and “I love this” in the last photo, both from Elle’s Studio.
 
Whew. A full, FULL week! Now it’s time to turn around and tackle the next one! : )
Happy Friday … we’re going to try and get a day of school in (not our norm for Friday since we would normally have Bible study), but we’re pressing on so we can wrap almost everything up next week.

Read Aloud Thursday // The Cricket in Times Square

We finished The Cricket in Times Square today at lunch and I gave a great sigh of enjoyment at the end of this one. Such a fun trip down memory lane, reading this one to the girls.

This is the delightful story of Chester Cricket, who inadvertently finds himself transported to New York City (Grand Central Station, no less!) smushed underneath some sandwiches in a picnic basket. He is found by Mario, a young boy who’s parents own a newspaper stand in the station. Mario’s mama is sure that the cricket is going to bring the bad luck, and while a few unfortunate incidents do happen, all ends well for the cricket and the family. Chester is befriended by a street-wise mouse named Tucker and a gentle cat named Harry (maybe my favorite character besides Chester, of course). : )

This is the first read-aloud we finished in my attempt to bring back chapter book reading to our lunchtimes. The boy is now old enough that he can manage his lunch on his own (provided he doesn’t start one of his favorite tricks of throwing food which I’m trying to nip in the bud!) This leaves my hands free to read to the girls while they eat and we’ve all enjoyed adding this back into our noon routine. The chapters in this are short enough that I could generally read two in one sitting before lunches were finished and littlest girls were ready to be excused and run around the house a few laps to get some wiggles out.

Two thumbs up from our crew on this one! For more read-aloud inspiration, visit Amy at Hope is the Word!

{Almost} Wordless Wednesday

“Even cookies are math!”

Mid-May Daybook

Outside my window...it’s looking to be a beautiful sunny day today. Our weekend was quite wet so while I will miss the 70 degree weather of last week, the return of sun is quite welcome!

I am thinking...about finishing well. We are all ready for our June break for school-ish business and the end is in sight!

I am thankful...to have my family all at home. T and N1 spent eight days in Guatemala on a mission trip and we were so glad to see them on Saturday night! It had been a long time since T had travelled (the last I can remember was when B was about 1 1/2, and she turned five last week so … a while.) And N1 has never been apart for me for that long before. The fact that she was with her Dad truly helped my anxiety on that issue. : )

N1 is working on a letter to send to their supporters and I’ll share it and more photos when it is finished.

In the kitchen...Last week … not a lot went on in there. : ) I had an easy time of it - the little girls and I made a giant batch of rice, black beans and salsa and ate off that with a giant bag of tortilla chips for several days. This week, it’s back to regular meals! I’m trying to cook from my pantry, fridge and freezer this week and hit the grocery store this weekend. Tonight is salsa chicken in the crockpot – literally, salsa + chicken and we’ll eat it with tortilla chips or tortillas or salad or something. But the chicken is cooking! I’m sure my tortillas will be sad disappointment after the homemade ones they enjoyed last week on their trip… : )

I am wearing...comfy clothes. Yoga-ish pants and t-shirt. It’s a go-nowhere day so I dressed for the occasion.

I am creating...lists and lists and lists. Lists of summer plans and ideas, lists of books I need and want to buy next year, households lists and so on. I do have a week of Project Life to post and last week to put together. And now we have a Guatemala photo album to assemble, too! That may be a summer project for N1 and myself.

I bought her a mini-smash journal for her trip and she wrote me letters at the end of every day (and T added his thoughts one day). What a treasure for all of us.

I am going...very few places this week. Woohoo! We had an easy school day yesterday – giving N1 an easy day since she was still wiped from her trip. We did a little morning work, then went to her last chess club and the library. And eye doctor appointment for me finished the day and that is it for our scheduled activities for this entire week. Now, Saturday is a different matter, but I am going to enjoy my at-home days on Tuesday through Friday. : )

I am wondering...pondering a plan for my morning quiet times for the summer. The Bible study we were attending (Community Bible Study) ended a little over a week ago and am contemplating a plan for the next few months. There is no lack of ideas … I just need to pick something and start. What are you working on right now?

I am reading...bits and pieces of several things. Revisiting Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home by Elizabeth Foss, one of my favorite homeschooling resources. Underlining new spots and being inspired. I read the second, third, and fourth books of the Gregor the Overlander series last week while T was traveling and am refraining from downloading or checking out book five for a little bit longer. I would put the boy and little girls to bed last week and then crawl into bed myself and read until I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. It was delightful. I had forgotten how much I enjoy doing that because I enjoy hanging out with T in the evenings an awful lot as well. : )

I am hoping...to hear from our neighbor-girl / babysitter because…

I am looking forward to...a date night on Saturday night if we can get our neighbor / babysitter to firmly commit. Super ready for a night out with T (and hopefully going to see The Avengers! I am a total sucker for superhero movies.)

I am learning…that I need to do a better job before my children, modeling skills that I want them to learn. Therefore…

Around the house...new housekeeping routine is being put into place. The past six months I have felt swallowed by home responsibilities and (like a LOT of homeschooling mamas) we manage to either get school done or the house work done, but not both. Last week, with one less child and husband, I had a little more think time, and thanks to some inspiration from another homeschooling mama, I think I may have worked out a plan to get us on track. We shall see. Will be testing this for the next few weeks and see how it works. Days 1 and 2 have been successful so far!

I am pondering...and putting together a fun project for our family for this summer. Based off a little idea that Dawn posted on her site (something she’s doing with one of her boys) and this book, we are going to be Eating the Alphabet this summer and trying all sorts of new fruits and vegetables (and trying old favorites prepared in new ways.) I’m very excited about this – we presented the idea to T last night at dinner and he’s in with us. This week we are starting with the letter “A”, of course, and we have plans to partake of apples (with a fun activity), apricots (new to the girls), and artichokes (new to ALL of us). A field trip to the grocery store will happen (probably tomorrow) to pick up our fruits and veggies and then we’ll get to work!

A favorite quote for today...

Attachment parenting is about keeping my eyes steadfastly fixed on my own work--the most important work I'll ever be called to do.  Social media is most definitely about keeping my eyes on everyone else's work. It's fairly benign for me in very small doses, lethal in anything bigger.

From this post by Elizabeth Foss. Pondering.

One of my favorite things...new dishcloths and hand towels for my kitchen. It was beyond time. A dozen new white kitchen towels and dishcloths so I can bleach them out clean when I wash them.

A few plans for the rest of the week…I’ve touched on a few plans above but in a nutshell:

• lots of time at home
• a grocery store field trip for our Eating the Alphabet adventure
• a date night on Saturday!

A peek into my day...

Creative boy containment. He didn’t last long like this.

Happy Tuesday!

Visit Peggy at The Simple Woman to see more daybook entries.

Mother’s Day 2012

“Mommy.” She said it and I knew. She was mine. I was captivated. Because Mommy is forever.

It’s such a powerful name. Mommy means “I trust you.” Mommy means “You will protect me.” Mommy is for shouting when you need someone dependable and for laughing with when you are excited; Mommy is for crying on and cuddling with when you are sad or giggling and hiding behind when you are embarrassed. Mommy is the fixer of boo-boos and the mender of broken hearts. Mommy is a comfort place, a safe place. Mommy means you are mine and I am yours and we are family.”

-- Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption

So thankful today for my crew that made me a Mommy and that we are all back under one roof after T and N1 spent a week serving on a mission trip in Guatemala. (Yes, Guatemala!)

Happy Mother’s Day.

Insta-Friday on 5.11.2012

It’s been an off-week here at our house – some family members have been traveling (more on that soon) and one little guy felt quite lousy for 2-3 days, so there has been lots of time for resting and reading and just being this week. I’ve done some thinking and list-making re: summer intentions. We are so close to wrapping up our 2011-2012 school year that I can’t stand it.

Monday night walk before dinner.

The little girls and I cleaned the patio and had a picnic lunch one day … the first of the season and the first for the boy.

 

Zoo. I love these bright blue McCaws. I take their picture every. single. time. we go to the zoo.

They really were happy to be at the zoo. : )

We made time to go to the short animal wildlife show (which we never remember to do) and it was on animals native to Tennessee. (Did you know that Tennessee has the most wildlife of all the contiguous 48 states? I did not. Alaska and Hawaii are the only states that top it. New fact for me!)

Giraffes are just so cool. (This one here is expecting a baby in about six weeks!) I timed it so that we could sit and eat our lunch/snack at the giraffe enclosure and just watch them.

In contrast, flamingos are just kinda freaky looking. Beautiful and exotic, but also freaky.

Happy Friday. We have a little schoolwork and a little housework on the agenda today and our people come back home tomorrow. We are ready!

Then and Now :: Any May a Beautiful Change

October 2009

 

She was just about 2 1/2. Spunky, busy, twinkly. All the things that we absolutely love about her. But not long after this something shifted. She was very much a two-going-on-three year old, and while this age had is share of challenges for me with her big sisters, it was nothing like it was going to be with her.

There was stubbornness. Defiance. Running the other way.

But she would snuggle. And we would keep working.

There was biting. And hitting. And more biting. Trying to keep up with her big sisters and sometimes using force was the only way that made sense to her.

But she would sing. A lot. And we would keep working.

She quit napping. Her energy was never-ending. Constantly on my guard because I had no idea what she was up to if I didn’t see her. (And woe to the mama, that couldn’t see her or hear her!)

But she had the best twinkly, crinkly eyes. And we would keep working.

May 2012

But then there was a beautiful change. Somewhere around March of this year we noticed some new things about this girl.

She listened.

We heard “yes, Mama!” and “yes, Daddy!” with speed and quickness to obey.

She took ownership of a couple jobs around the house and does them faithfully and well.

She started playing soccer this spring and does it with such joy that we delight in postponing dinner on Tuesday night so that she can practice with her little team, and in getting up early on Saturday to get her to games. When she runs, she smiles.

Some changes in your children come on suddenly and without warning. A turn of their head or a phrase out of their mouth that lets you know they are getting older and wiser.

Some changes are made with lots of hard work, perseverance, and love. This was one of those. And, I think we are the better for it.

This post is linked to an special bloggy book party celebrating the release of Katherine Willis Pershey’s new book, Any Day a Beautiful Change: A Story of Faith and Family . It is a memoir about being a wife, a mother, a minister in the church and I found it beautifully written. Katherine’s sister, Elizabeth, invited me to be part of this special celebration of literary birth and I am honored.  

Project Life Week 17 // April 22 - 28

This was the week that was supposed to be a week-in-the-life/project life week. It didn’t happen. : ) Here’s what I ended up with for the week.

On the left:

• Sunday night included a little mama/N1 (with boy tag-a-long) outing to Barnes & Nobles for a frappachino and some train table time.
• T and his trumpet. Yes, trumpet.
• N1 and the boy and shot that I thought was super cute.

In my journaling spots I included a screen capture from Facebook of some fun family news (names blurred since it’s my PL album and not theirs). : ) The “favorite” tag on top card on the far right is from Elle’s Studio.

I stuck the notes I attempted to take for week-in-the-life in 8 1/2 x 11 page protectors and called it good! Monday’s was pretty detailed, Tuesday was about half-done.


On the right:

• on Wednesday, the day revolved around getting some important papers in the mail.
• bath time. Photo blocked to protect the innocent.
• snuggling a new friend.
• a sign of true love … T cleaned out my van on Saturday before taking us to run a few errands.

The tag on the van shot is also from Elle’s Studio. : )

And, that’s it. My weeks seem like they have been pretty simple of late – probably because I’ve been pressed for time as we are wrapping up our extra activities and our school year. I already know that week 17 will contain at least two inserts full of photos!
Happy Tuesday! We have a full day at home today (woohoo!) and I’m hoping to get quite a bit checked off my lists. We shall see what happens. : )
Linking up with Jessica at The Mom Creative for Project Life Tuesday.