School update

yes I understand that a school update should not come at the beginning of a week but at the end! Oh well we do what we have to do right! We had an incredibly busy week last week! I am glad it is over!!!!

Monday- Actually a day at home, but Kaitlin gone to her MawMaw's so we didnt get a vast amount of school done but I worked with Emily and Matt!
Oh and Monday Dave and I had a date night! It was wonderful! We have missed two and I really felt it plus him working so much so this was a great time! We ate at Kim Son, went to Half Price books and Barnes and Noble in search of a book for Matt's school list- didnt find it so I had to order it off Amazon! Oh well we had a great time!

Tuesday- first day back to American Heritage Girls. I still didnt have a co leader so I was nervous but Becky stepped up so I am good! It was the mandatory parents meeting so we had new girls. There were 11 + probably 4 more so that is a full house! It will hopefully be a really good year!

Wednesday- I did errands for my stuff on Thursday and Saturday, we did school and finished up our science reading. We also went to the library. Kate made brownies which we took to the Garden Oaks church for their homeless ministry! A good day over all!

Thursday- Big day... I had our first science day with Margaret and the kids so I had to get over there by 11:00 but I had stops to make first so we left at 8:50! We went to the bank, Sams, the grocery store, CVS, Hobby lobby and Clairs! After all the errands we went to margarets house for Science. We are getting together to do the experiments as a group which my kids will love! This week was camouflage. We had different colored M&Ms in a basket and the basket was full of balled up papers the same color as the M&Ms. The kids (the predators) had to hunt their prey ( the M&Ms) The kids really enjoyed this!

After science we had the BSCH Back to school BAsh! I could not believe how many people showed up!!! It was a mad house! We had crafts, snacks, balloon animals, curriculum for sale, a few sign up tables, our Leadership Team (Board) had a table to answer questions and get the Statement of Faith signed... It was a FULL DAY! I was exhausted afterward but Amy took Matt and Emily so I just had Kate and we went home. Dave got off at 5:00 and the three of us went and ate so that was a nice time!

Friday- we did a little school but mostly I got ready for Allison's 80's party! Whoo hoo!

Saturday- Allison's 80's party! It was definitely some blasts from the past!

Sunday- We vegged most of the early afternoon and then went to Hal and Vickie's for dinner. Dave Hal and Matt (yes I said Matt) went to the shooting range. Still not sure how I feel about this but trying to go with the flow! Yall know how good I am at that now dont you!

Anyway, a full, full week! Now hopefully on Friday of this week I will tell you how this week went!

On a side note, Matt just called me outside because he found an owl in our tree in the back yard. Sure enough it is a small owl about 8 inches tall. It is CUTE! He even cocked his head like you see them do in movies! It was neat!

School days or School daze...

I cant make up my mind, which one it is!

So today it started... I had a plan.

The kids were all dressed, fed and at the table at 9:00 a.m. sharp! Yeah for them.

We did our devotion and then I went blank. I freaked out. I was like Okay, dont know what we are gonna do now! I really dont know what happened. But I worked through it and we got all of our school work done that I had planned! Whoo HOO!

So Dave took these shots of our DECIMAL STREET for Math U See.

We studied the Seminole Indians for the beginning of our 7 weeks of Native Americans...

I am going to have to balance doing to much "kid" stuff with Kaitlin... I dont want to always send her off while we do fun stuff, but yet she has work that the other kids dont have and there are only so many hours in the school day... whats a girl to do.

A prayer...

Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, grant, we pray,that we might be grounded and settled in your truth by the coming of your Holy Spirit into our hearts. What we do not know, reveal to us; what is lacking within us, make complete; that which we do know, confirm in us; and keep us blameless in your service, through Jesus Christ our Lord. ~ Amen

Pope Clemont of Rome

Updated and Revised curriculum...

Okay some changes and my book list is not done yet, still working on! Wow that looks like quite a year. The kids will be doing more on their own because of Math U See so that will be helpful. They will also have computer time for typing, math games and spelling games.


Bible-
24 Ways Family Devotion
History for Little Pilgrims
Reading the actual Bible ( I know, right!)
Animal devotions and scripture memorization

Math-Math U See (all three kids have different levels)

Spelling-All about Spelling

Language Arts (I never know what all to put in the category!)
240 Vocabulary Words to know (Kate and Matt)
Writing Storybook (Writeshop)- Kate and Matt
Write Shop Workbook A- Emily
Write Shop Workbook B- Kate and Matt
First Language Lessons- Matt Emily and I am sure Kate will listen again.

Reading-
Read Alouds as a family---going along with animals and history time period
Wind in the Willow
Where the Red Fern Grows
Johnny Trumain
Across Five Aprils
Beatrix Potter
Sing down the Moon ?
Rifles for Watie ?
Stuart Little


Assigned reading for both topic
Katie- The Call of the Wild

Book club will take up some time
The Secret Garden
Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs
Little Pilgrims Progress
Where the Wild Things Are
possibly- My Side of the Mountain


Explode the Code- Matt and Emily

Learning thru Literature- Emily

Home Economics- All three kiddoes

Science-
Apologia Zoology 3- VERY excited about this!
The Complete Book of Animals- Emily in addition to listening to Apologia
Notebooking

History-
Still working on that...
Us History, starting with native American unit, going from Leif Erickson (explorers) to sometime around the mid 1800's
Own unit study coupled with unit study I found online, interspersed with From Sea to Shining Sea. I feel good about this and already have totally planned, printed out, in a folder with books requested from the library... 7 weeks! YEAH!

Presidents- lapbook of each president Weekly.

States- study of each state, weekly but can drag out some if needed.

Art
visiting the HMFA at least once a month hopefully more.
Will have some study on Early American painters and Native Indian Art
Draw Write NOW

Extra-
Both girls are doing American Heritage Girls again
All three kids are participating in Book Club
All three kids have classes at the HMNS for Wildness Labs (science)
possible zoo class for Kate and Matt ( we will see- probably wont happen)
Kate- art we are considering holding off on art until the Spring... money and time wise.
Emily- Gymnastics
Matt- Matt is particpating in a golf class... he is definitely wanting to play golf! YEAH.

Today was a good day...

Do you generally feel you have more good days or bad days? I think I am just a pretty pessimistic person because I think I have more bad days. But I think they are bad based on my on standard... they might be great days compared to someone else, right!

So my new favorite thought:

Being thankful is an emotion.
Giving thanks is an act of will.

All too often during the day I find myself thankful that such and such happened OR DIDNT HAPPEN! But rarely do I start the day Giving Thanks!

I read the biography of Amy Grant called Mosaics, and she said almost every morning she would wake up and say to the world,

"This is the day that the Lord hath made, I will rejoice and be glad in it."

I want that. I want the kids to have that kind of mom. A mom who gives thanks, not just a mom who is thankful. I have good days ALL the time. My kids are healthy. My kids are smart. My kids are fairly obedient- they have their moments. My family has a home, electricity, food, cable! My husband has a job. My car is working.

So many things to Give thanks for, not just to be thankful that I got through another BAD day. Give thanks FOR THE DAY. I will rejoice and be glad in it...

I am planning the school year. I am Giving thanks that I am able to home school. I am Giving thanks that our finances allow me to stay home with our children. I am Giving thanks that as parents we both agree that home schooling is an absolute for our family, without equivocation! I am Giving thanks that on Monday morning I get to wake up and sit across the table from my children and educate them, to teach them our world view and to teach them truth. I am Giving thanks for my immediate family... sisters, brothers, moms, dads, grandparents- all of whom support my family in this journey!

My day could really be bad, but it isnt.

My days are all good... I just have to look at it a different way,

by giving thanks, every day.

Hmmmm.

So it is that time of year... the planning of curriculum. The searching out of new home school techniques, books and classes! I generally love this time of year. I love the research. USUALLY. In fact I usually love the actual planning more then the implementing! But I am a planner.

So I usually have a freak out of some kind around this time of year and I think it is starting. My problem was that I kind of felt I had most of my stuff "planned", and I wasnt really freaking out at all and then... I went surfing. Yes, people I opened up my browser and typed in home school curriculum. BIG MISTAKE. If that in itself wasnt bad enough I also started reading blogs... blogs that belong to other awesome home schooling moms who have awesome years planned out. (I wonder what the percentage of these same moms actually finishing the curriculum?) I digress. So I started reading website after website and blog after blog. After shooting out about 60 dollars on three separate books (pretty much spur of the moment after reading someones awesome blog!) I put a stop to it. ---Something I am sure Dave is glad of!

Now in my defense I did want a very basic writing curriculum and I found it! Yeah. I am actually very happy with it. I also already thought I was going to buy something vocabularyish (not a word I know) so that wasnt bad either! BUT the whole problem is that if I keep reading I will RUN OUT OF HOME SCHOOL FUNDS! And I will become unhappy with what I have and know is good! That is not a good feeling.

As a matter of fact it is a bad feeling!

So here it is:

Bible-
Reading the actual Bible ( I know, right!)
Animal devotions and scripture memorization

Math-Math U See (all three kids have different levels)

Spelling-All about Spelling

Language Arts (I never know what all to put in the category!)
240 Vocabulary Words to know (Kate and Matt)
Writing Storybook (Writeshop)- Kate and Matt
Write Shop Workbook A- Emily
Write Shop Workbook B- Kate and Matt
First Language Lessons- Matt Emily and I am sure Kate will listen again.

Reading-
Read Alouds as a family---going along with animals and history time period
Assigned reading for both topic
Book club will take up some time

Explode the Code- Matt and Emily

Learning thru Literature- Emily

Home Economics- All three kiddoes

Science-
Apologia Zoology 3- VERY excited about this!
Notebooking

History-
Still working on that...
Us History,
Presidents
and States
but unsure of curriculum. It is between My Fathers World, Beautiful Feet, My own mix- which I am not happy about, and a few others.

Art
visiting the HMFA at least once a month hopefully more.
Will have some study on Early American painters and Native Indian Art

Extra-
Both girls are doing American Heritage Girls again
All three kids are participating in Book Club
All three kids have classes at the HMNS for Wildness Labs (science)
possible zoo class for Kate and Matt ( we will see- probably wont happen)
Kate- art
Emily- Gymnastics
Matt- REALLY GOTTA FIND THE KID AN INTEREST!



As far as themes go. I will do my best to plug through the curriculum making it as theme orientated as possible. I will do what I can!

And the walls came crumbling down...

well not the walls but the beer light up sign! So we are eating at Taco Cabana, having a nice breakfast with my mom when the neon beer sign falls off the wall onto Matt! I freaked out! There was glass everywhere and this sign is laying half on Matt and half on! Once we got the sign off him and checked him out, he appears to have No injuries whatsoever. I mean his shoulder is red and we are going to watch it for a few days for soreness or swelling. His ear is red and there is a scratch on his arm from glass but really...he could have been seriously injured!

Mom and Vickie said his angels were working overtime! Guess they all enjoy a good tortilla too!