Tuesday, January 12, 2010

52 Books in 52 Weeks?!?!

Call me crazy (and those who know me may actually do so!), but I am giving this a try.
I still need to sign up with the actual group, but thought I'd admit it "outloud" here first and see how it goes.

I've already read two books in 2010 so I'm actually ahead, which is perhaps the reason for this sudden burst of bravery!

Anyway, I'm going to try and write about the books I read here...and the plan is to get the first two logged in later tonight.

Welcome back to the blogosphere, me! :)

Monday, June 29, 2009

Lazy summer days?

Not really...it's been drizzly, drippy, damp, downpour-ish, and depressing!!

It's making us a bit stir-crazy to say the least. We are making the most of it but I'm hoping for sunshine soon.

So in recent days we've taken to baking, playing games, watching mind-numbing TV (an activity which makes the kids wonder if I've taken ill!), listening to Michael Jackson music, practicing the moonwalk, and tonight we got a movie from the library and rented a Wii game.

Honestly? I could suggest they rearrange furniture and they'd do it just to call it summer vacation and not have math & writing assignments!

Truth: The sun was out on Saturday and it was HOT. I just yearn for more. :)

Saturday, June 27, 2009

A chapter closes.

Michael Jackson offered the sountrack to my middle school and high school years. The years between then and now aren't ones that I have much postive to say with regard to him, but there is no question that his music does and will live on.

It's the beat. It's contagious and makes it hard to sit still.

How can you not start moving when the bass line of "Beat It" comes on, or "Thriller" or "Smooth Criminal"... Within the course of a couple of days I have relived years of teenage fashion, attitude, and dance moves, much to the humor of my children. But rather than think I'm old or that the music is boring, they fell in love instantly with the contagious rhythms and together we have taken a bizarre and unexpected stroll down memory lane this weekend...mine, that is.

Now, I have a 10 year old who is practicing her moonwalk. I love it.
Here's to memories!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Skipping Spring

Well, spring came...and went. Apparently it is summer though the weather tells a different story. I have not been online much for numerous reasons, so for fun, here is a completely incomplete list of those reasons:

Spent February/March involved in fighting for state homeschooling freedoms.
Coffee Man picked up extra work (my hero!) and I have had less time.
Sometime in April my laptop died...it is literally no longer living with us.
The sun shone in April and for some of May as well!
Standardized testing week.
End of co-op year celebrations, final assignments, etc.
I am a perfectionist...I began to think, "If I can't post on my blog more often, why post at all?" but now I'm over that.
I am taking less pics and have less to post because of that laptop issue, and I really liked including pics in my posts.
My parents are home from Florida, so before their arrival we did LOTS of yardwork.
Spring means soccer & softball at the same time--what were we thinking?!

Dance rehearsal & recital in early June for all 3 girls.

I've spent much more time reading my Bible.
I've begun a "couch to 5k" running program!

This last item is near and dear to me...I've been working on it for over a month now, and while I haven't lost a single pound to speak of, I can actually RUN for about 15 minutes with stopping! This is big. My oldest is 10 and since then, I have had sporadic episodes of exercise blended with long bouts of sedentary behavior, mixed with occasional doses of meaningless self-pity. :)

I have a dear WTM boardie to thank for getting me started on this journey of health, strength, and goal-setting of a new variety. I honestly can't believe I've been at it for over a month, but here I am!!

Okay, well that's a long enough post for my first day back. More again soon! I'm baaaaaack!!

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Weekly Report

This week felt a little chaotic, but it went well overall. We were a little unfocused mid-week, but I prefer to chalk that up to winter doldrums rather than blame myself. :) Truth be told, when I'm off, we're all off...but you all know this already about your own life as teacher-moms.

Let's start with the littlest academic this month. View my previous post to see what she thinks about her home "education" experience, and now here's what really goes on...

Munchkin:
Right Start Math level A has been fun. She loves saying "quadrilateral" but it comes out more like "quad-i-wata-wul" which is incredibly endearing. I do try not to giggle. :) We've been identifying "parawew" and "perpa-dikler" lines around the house in the striped wallpaper and criss-cross window panes. Writing tally marks, counting up to 10, and adding to 10 using "Yellow is the Sun" song are what make up math lessons right now. Matching games are played with big sisters too.

Phonics Pathways is going well, and ETC workbook time is a favorite activity. There is a "Bag a Bug" game in PP that literally makes Munchkin lose control laughing. I highly recommend games for learning--maybe that's why she says we don't learn anything. :) We have read all but one of the Bob Books in box 1.

In addition to these activities, Munchkin has about 10 books on tape/CD from the library which she loves, and she plays on Starfall for about 15 minutes most days during her sisters' lessons.

Cupcake:

In math, she is working on subtraction. Practice sheets are going slowly, but she is now timing herself and graphing her results, proving to herself that she is indeed improving. On Monday, the lessons involve the drawing board which she cannot wait to do!

Co-op writing assignments have been the focus here, practicing IEW skills of keyword outlines and then dress-ups. The library class on creative writing is going well. Cupcake's story involves several "chapters" of journal entries now about a Union soldier boy. Her illustrations are coming out as she has hoped, and I cannot wait to post photos here when it's done.

In TOG, we are working through WW II which has been heartbreaking. We are approaching the end of the war, and working on labeling a map of the Middle East to prepare for next week's history class at co-op. Cupcake is really struggling with the sinful nature of humanity.

Memory work now involves Awana verses as well as Latin review. Science reading is done with Dad, which got bumped to Saturday this week...it's always fun no matter when it happens!

Sweet Pea:

Math continues to be a battleground when we're not studying Geometry...Sweet Pea despises it when we work in BJU. I waffle between wanting to make her work through it on principle or choosing something new that doesn't create this tension. Her mistakes are careless and not related to the new material. Ugh.

TOG's WWII studies have been intense but she is enjoying history a lot and works through tons of reading each week without complaint, sometimes working in the Dialectic column, but mostly UG. Angels of Mercy is an enjoyable read about WWII nurses. For co-op next week, she is preparing a presentation about the Battle of the Bulge.

Writing has been diverse....in addition to the library's story book project, she had two co-op assignments this week--one that was a creative short story using a humorous prompt, with mandatory dialogue for practice in punctuation, and one was an IEW based assignment for which she chose some text (science), created a keyword outline, wrote a summary, and added 6 dress-ups to the paragraph. This was a practicum for the class before moving on to new writing techniques, and Sweet Pea did a great job with it.

Memory work, Awana, Latin, and Science are all done with Cupcake, so their work this week was similar.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

5 yo throws Mom under the bus...film at 11.

So we're at a family birthday party the other day, and I hear through the grapevine about something Munchkin said to Aunty P a few weeks before. Munchkin has been home from a full-time preschool since the first of the year, which has been the subject of conversation from time to time, but never like this!

Aunty P: So, Munchkin, are you enjoying being home and doing school with your sisters?

Munchkin: Yup. (big smile)

Aunty P: What are you learning?

Munchkin: Oh, I don't learn anything...I'm homeschooled!


Thanks. :)

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Wordless Wednesday--let's be real, I'm never wordless!

Ice storm antics during our week-long power outage in December. This is the room we literally lived in all week. On day 3, the girls began to perform to radio songs. From choral Christmas tunes to U2...
Munchkin is channeling Bono in this shot. :)