No more Teacher's dirty looks! Hopefully!
I was planning to "do school" until May 29. But I am so tired of it! We have well over 1,000 hours, T. and B. are both done with (enough) math, we are done with science, done (enough) with spelling....they each have one book to finish that they are reading for history, and I have one I am reading aloud to them that we are halfway through. I think we will finish that and that's it.
I have a hard time differentiating "school" from "life". I guess I look at "school" as things they have to sit down to do - math, grammar, etc. Or maybe it is the stuff I have to make them do that constitutes school! We read aloud every night before bed - picture books with J. and H. and chapter with T. and B. We are reading Where The Red Fern Grows now. I think of that as literature. And we are reading a devotion a day from Training Hearts, Teaching Minds, which is based on the Westminster Catechism. So, that could be Bible. They are working on their Awana handbooks this summer (Bible) and we will do art (Art Pacs) because we need to have some projects going together. But mainly in the summer we play in the yard, work on the garden, go to the pool, and do church activities and library activities. Most of which I could (and do) record as "school/hours". But don't tell them, or they won't want to do any of it.......
I am so looking forward to getting everything ready for next year, taking some time to relax and reflect on what we did this year. I am moving to more things that the older boys can do on their own, and that seems to work well. They only need Mom to read so much to them. This was their first year to really work independently, and it has gone well. Plus, I need that time to get the little guys off to a good start.
So, almost done......
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
People, get along already!
I had sort of an eye-opening thought (for me, at least). Tuesday morning I got up and was perusing my inbox. And there was an email from Worldview Weekend/Brannon Howse about the dangers of the Emergent Church, etc. And I looked at it and I got so disgusted and deleted it. With all the horrible things that are going on in the world, with the socialist direction Obama has taken our country (I am having to work on this - I have found I truly hate Obama. When I see his picture I almost foam at the mouth I am so mad. Probably not a great testimony), with Iran with nukes and the CIA unable to interogate, with them wanting to take my SUBURBAN (14.5 mpg, baby!) and make me wedge my kids into a golf cart.....when I think of how our kids are not going to have the world we have.......
Who the HECK cares about the Emergent Church and WHY are we fighting each other!!!! I am SO GLAD that ANYONE out there cares enough to start a church!!! I am just FED UP with the people that have to keep us upset at others (all in the name of Christ, of course) and fighting within ourselves when there is a BIG enemy (I mean Satan, not Obama, though the edges are blurring.......) out there trying to destroy us.
Okay, that was my rant.
Who the HECK cares about the Emergent Church and WHY are we fighting each other!!!! I am SO GLAD that ANYONE out there cares enough to start a church!!! I am just FED UP with the people that have to keep us upset at others (all in the name of Christ, of course) and fighting within ourselves when there is a BIG enemy (I mean Satan, not Obama, though the edges are blurring.......) out there trying to destroy us.
Okay, that was my rant.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Wrapping Up A Year....
Sunday night I sat down and updated our hour log. In Missouri, you are to record hours of instruction, and to complete 1,000 hours in the calendar year. Our year runs July 1 to June 30. As of April 30, one child had 955 hours and one had 959. Could that be right? I expected that we'd need to push through into June, and it looks like we'll have our 1,000 next week. So, we are wrapping up the year. We'll finish science this week, and just do a final review next. B. finished math last month and T. will work until this unit is complete. And we'll stop the last day of May. Over the summer we'll still do daily Bible reading and I'll read aloud to everyone, but I am not going to have them do their independent history reading (we use living books for history and they read on their own every day). We will participate in the library reading program, and they can choose their own books for that.
July will be a very busy month, with VBS and Art Camp at church, and visiting family. There will always be park days, going to the pool, activities at the library, family trips, etc. But I have no obligations outside of my for the entire 2nd half of May and all of June. Nothing. Okay, I teach Sunday School. But no big activities to plan, nothing to host, nothing. What am I going to do with myself?
Get a tan?
Okay, probably not that. But I know that I am going to work on my outline and get my planning done for J. and H. for next year - 1st grade and kindergarten. We are going to do 100 Easy Lessons for H. and move into easy readers for J. We are doing Singapore math and Getty Dubay handwriting and Art With a Purpose (ArtPac 2). But I think our overall "theme" this year will be Children Around the World. We'll do geography and stories of other countries, some crafts and foods, missionary stories, etc. Just sort of weave that into everything. And my goal is to NOT buy much - almost everything can come from the library.
T. and B. are pretty much covered. We are switching to BJU grammar this year, continuing with Singapore math, and starting Christian Kids Explore Biology. For Bible, they do daily readings and they participate in Awana, so they work on their books in that every day. In history we started US history last fall, and we are on a 3 year course, based loosely on Sonlight. We are at the beginning of the American Revolution right now, so hopefully we will finish that up this month and be ready to move into the Constitution in August. We are doing art/art appreciation with Great American Artists for Kids, and also Art With a Purpose (ArtPac 4).
That seems like a lot to try to cover with four children. Fortunately, T and B can do most of their work independently. I just need to answer questions, and we'll do science together. I read aloud part of their history, and will work on art with them (but that's just once a week).
I started using Homeschool Tracker last week for their scheduling and recording, and I think this is going to work very well for us. I was reaching a point where I was writing down what to do, then writing down what we did, and there was a whole lot of duplication. This is much easier. I'd like to upgrade to the deluxe version - I have the free version, which is fine, but I'm finding other things already that I'd like to do (like save a reading log) that are not done (or at least not done easily!) in the standard version. But - it is $49 and I am trying to be frugal.
But that is another post.
For now, it is a beautiful day, and the future looks good!
July will be a very busy month, with VBS and Art Camp at church, and visiting family. There will always be park days, going to the pool, activities at the library, family trips, etc. But I have no obligations outside of my for the entire 2nd half of May and all of June. Nothing. Okay, I teach Sunday School. But no big activities to plan, nothing to host, nothing. What am I going to do with myself?
Get a tan?
Okay, probably not that. But I know that I am going to work on my outline and get my planning done for J. and H. for next year - 1st grade and kindergarten. We are going to do 100 Easy Lessons for H. and move into easy readers for J. We are doing Singapore math and Getty Dubay handwriting and Art With a Purpose (ArtPac 2). But I think our overall "theme" this year will be Children Around the World. We'll do geography and stories of other countries, some crafts and foods, missionary stories, etc. Just sort of weave that into everything. And my goal is to NOT buy much - almost everything can come from the library.
T. and B. are pretty much covered. We are switching to BJU grammar this year, continuing with Singapore math, and starting Christian Kids Explore Biology. For Bible, they do daily readings and they participate in Awana, so they work on their books in that every day. In history we started US history last fall, and we are on a 3 year course, based loosely on Sonlight. We are at the beginning of the American Revolution right now, so hopefully we will finish that up this month and be ready to move into the Constitution in August. We are doing art/art appreciation with Great American Artists for Kids, and also Art With a Purpose (ArtPac 4).
That seems like a lot to try to cover with four children. Fortunately, T and B can do most of their work independently. I just need to answer questions, and we'll do science together. I read aloud part of their history, and will work on art with them (but that's just once a week).
I started using Homeschool Tracker last week for their scheduling and recording, and I think this is going to work very well for us. I was reaching a point where I was writing down what to do, then writing down what we did, and there was a whole lot of duplication. This is much easier. I'd like to upgrade to the deluxe version - I have the free version, which is fine, but I'm finding other things already that I'd like to do (like save a reading log) that are not done (or at least not done easily!) in the standard version. But - it is $49 and I am trying to be frugal.
But that is another post.
For now, it is a beautiful day, and the future looks good!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
What I Read in April
26. Cream Puff Murder – 3 – Joanne Fluke – this series may (should!) be coming to its’ end – the characters’ storylines seem to be winding down. Without giving away too much, there is now no doubt as to which man Hannah should choose, and if she just drags it out further – then it is just being drug out. I knew who the murderer was as soon as the character was introduced. The recipes weren’t even really original this time. I hope this series goes out on a good note, one or two more books, one for getting engaged and all that goes with it, and maybe the last one could be “Wedding Cake Murder”, and then wrap it all up and let them live happily ever after.
27. Evenly Choirs: A Constable Evans Mystery – 3.5 – Rhys Bowen – not a bad little murder mystery. Constable Evans does not carry a weapon, though, and he always apprehends the killer, who is armed. I wonder what he will do when he runs up against a killer who is actually willing to use a gun, or is a decent shot………other than that, a basic little murder, set in the mountains of Northern Wales, with the usual cast of eccentric village characters and the complicated love triangles.
28. Emma’s Journal – 3 – Ed Rowell –The story of Emma, who had a powerful impact on everyone around her. When she dies, her personal “Living on Purpose” journal goes missing. The story shows how we live our lives affects other people. It was a quick read, but the bad guy was so over-the-top bad, and there were just so many clichés that it really took away from it.
29. One Perfect Day – 3 – Lauraine Snelling – Nora is trying to make Christmas perfect this year – her twin children are seniors in high school, and she’s afraid this will be that last Christmas Day that she can count on them all being together. Jenna is also trying to make Christmas perfect for her 20-year-old daughter, Heather. Heather is on the list for a heart transplant, and failing fast. The book is the two stories running parallel – Nora’s son Charlie dies in a car accident a few days before Christmas and his heart is given to Heather. It is about Nora’s family picking up the pieces and Jenna and Heather being able to start planning to live. Good, not great.
30. Living On The Devil’s Doorstep – 3.75- Floyd McClung – from YWAM’s International Adventures series. Story of Floyd McClung and his wife who began ministering to American and European young people in Kabul in the early 70s. During this time thousands of young people were “dropping out” and becoming heavily involved with drugs and Eastern religions. Kabul was a stop-off on “The Trail”, a path from Amsterdam to Nepal. Later they moved to Amsterdam and established ministries serving the Red Light District. Interesting book about a family getting truly involved with the people they are ministering to.
31. Louder Than Words: A Mother’s Journey In Healing Autism – 3.25 – Jenny McCarthy – this is a hard one to rate. On one side, it is an extremely interesting story – nowhere near as good as her later book Mother Warriors, though. BUT – I could not get past the person of Jenny McCarthy. Every other page of the book was filled with profanity, and she is just a crude person. Plus, she is very into all kinds of New Age things (tarot cards, “energy”, etc.) that she combines with praying to God, a healing service performed in her home by Mormon missionaries, praying to her grandfather and other people who have passed away…….just weird combinations. She has “faith in the universe” would probably be the easiest way to describe it. Anyway, a good story but all the profanity really took away from it.
32. Mother Warriors – 4 – Jenny McCarthy – I think I read this back in January or February, but I don’t see it on the list, so I will include it here. This was an excellent book, telling the stories of families who are dealing with autism and the steps they have taken to lead their children to recovery. A whole lot of anger at the medical establishment, that is for sure! Goes into a lot of detail about the effects of the immune system, vaccinations, “gut” issues, diet, supplements, etc. The profanity was toned down quite a bit from the previous book, but the “f” word is still sprinkled liberally. A lot of talk about her relationship with Jim Carrey, some New Age-y stuff (energy of the universe stuff). Aside from just the “personal” don’t care for Jenny McCarthy stuff, though, a very good, very informative book.
33. The Revolution: A Manifesto – 3 – Ron Paul – good information, pretty boring in its’ overall presentation. I kept falling asleep while reading it. Took me 4 days to read +/- 150 page book.
34. A Time Of Murder At Mayerling – 3.75 – Ann Dukthas – interesting premise. A mysterious man, Nick Segalla, never dies or grows older. His name is mentioned in connection with various courts and governments through European history. In the early 1990s, he approaches historian Ann Dukthas and provides her information solving some of the greatest murder mysteries of history. This one is set in Vienna, 1889 when the heir to the Hapsburg throne is found murdered along with his mistress. Segalla was sent there as an envoy of the Pope to investigate the Crown Prince’s death. A different sort of story from the usual period-mysteries.
35. Evan and Elle: A Constable Evans Mystery – 4 – Rhys Bowen – next in the series of the Welsh Constable. This time there is a serial arsonist and a mysterious French woman who has come to the small village of Llanfair. This was pretty good – more of a detective story with plot twists (though if you’ve ever watched a soap opera, you knew how some of this was going to turn out!). Pleasant, easy read.
27. Evenly Choirs: A Constable Evans Mystery – 3.5 – Rhys Bowen – not a bad little murder mystery. Constable Evans does not carry a weapon, though, and he always apprehends the killer, who is armed. I wonder what he will do when he runs up against a killer who is actually willing to use a gun, or is a decent shot………other than that, a basic little murder, set in the mountains of Northern Wales, with the usual cast of eccentric village characters and the complicated love triangles.
28. Emma’s Journal – 3 – Ed Rowell –The story of Emma, who had a powerful impact on everyone around her. When she dies, her personal “Living on Purpose” journal goes missing. The story shows how we live our lives affects other people. It was a quick read, but the bad guy was so over-the-top bad, and there were just so many clichés that it really took away from it.
29. One Perfect Day – 3 – Lauraine Snelling – Nora is trying to make Christmas perfect this year – her twin children are seniors in high school, and she’s afraid this will be that last Christmas Day that she can count on them all being together. Jenna is also trying to make Christmas perfect for her 20-year-old daughter, Heather. Heather is on the list for a heart transplant, and failing fast. The book is the two stories running parallel – Nora’s son Charlie dies in a car accident a few days before Christmas and his heart is given to Heather. It is about Nora’s family picking up the pieces and Jenna and Heather being able to start planning to live. Good, not great.
30. Living On The Devil’s Doorstep – 3.75- Floyd McClung – from YWAM’s International Adventures series. Story of Floyd McClung and his wife who began ministering to American and European young people in Kabul in the early 70s. During this time thousands of young people were “dropping out” and becoming heavily involved with drugs and Eastern religions. Kabul was a stop-off on “The Trail”, a path from Amsterdam to Nepal. Later they moved to Amsterdam and established ministries serving the Red Light District. Interesting book about a family getting truly involved with the people they are ministering to.
31. Louder Than Words: A Mother’s Journey In Healing Autism – 3.25 – Jenny McCarthy – this is a hard one to rate. On one side, it is an extremely interesting story – nowhere near as good as her later book Mother Warriors, though. BUT – I could not get past the person of Jenny McCarthy. Every other page of the book was filled with profanity, and she is just a crude person. Plus, she is very into all kinds of New Age things (tarot cards, “energy”, etc.) that she combines with praying to God, a healing service performed in her home by Mormon missionaries, praying to her grandfather and other people who have passed away…….just weird combinations. She has “faith in the universe” would probably be the easiest way to describe it. Anyway, a good story but all the profanity really took away from it.
32. Mother Warriors – 4 – Jenny McCarthy – I think I read this back in January or February, but I don’t see it on the list, so I will include it here. This was an excellent book, telling the stories of families who are dealing with autism and the steps they have taken to lead their children to recovery. A whole lot of anger at the medical establishment, that is for sure! Goes into a lot of detail about the effects of the immune system, vaccinations, “gut” issues, diet, supplements, etc. The profanity was toned down quite a bit from the previous book, but the “f” word is still sprinkled liberally. A lot of talk about her relationship with Jim Carrey, some New Age-y stuff (energy of the universe stuff). Aside from just the “personal” don’t care for Jenny McCarthy stuff, though, a very good, very informative book.
33. The Revolution: A Manifesto – 3 – Ron Paul – good information, pretty boring in its’ overall presentation. I kept falling asleep while reading it. Took me 4 days to read +/- 150 page book.
34. A Time Of Murder At Mayerling – 3.75 – Ann Dukthas – interesting premise. A mysterious man, Nick Segalla, never dies or grows older. His name is mentioned in connection with various courts and governments through European history. In the early 1990s, he approaches historian Ann Dukthas and provides her information solving some of the greatest murder mysteries of history. This one is set in Vienna, 1889 when the heir to the Hapsburg throne is found murdered along with his mistress. Segalla was sent there as an envoy of the Pope to investigate the Crown Prince’s death. A different sort of story from the usual period-mysteries.
35. Evan and Elle: A Constable Evans Mystery – 4 – Rhys Bowen – next in the series of the Welsh Constable. This time there is a serial arsonist and a mysterious French woman who has come to the small village of Llanfair. This was pretty good – more of a detective story with plot twists (though if you’ve ever watched a soap opera, you knew how some of this was going to turn out!). Pleasant, easy read.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Lord, please keep me a Kindergartener
I have discovered the WHY of "Why I love teaching kindergarten Sunday School". I started teaching last October, and have "re-upped" for the next year.
When my kindergarteners show up they are smiling. They are happy to see us, and they are looking forward to what we have planned. They color pictures, make a craft, work on memorizing scripture, sing songs, listen to the story and ask lots and lots of questions.
We get to spend a whole hour together talking about how God created us, God loves us, Jesus takes care of us, Jesus is so powerful He can heal the sick and raise the dead. That He died for our sins and rose again and has prepared a place for us!
During the precious time we have together, my kindergarteners do not complain about the pastor or staff, the sermon, the tidiness of the restrooms, the choice of music the soloist performed, whether or not anything was spelled wrong in the bulletin, if the coffee is too strong/weak, or any of the upcoming activities. Our time is PRECIOUS. We can never get through, in only one hour, the things we want to do and say and learn.
They seem to assume that we, their teachers, have only their best interests at heart, and they follow our lead without second-guessing, debating, or whispering amongst themselves about our true motives. Believe me, we are not seeking fame, glory or power through teaching kindergarten. This is a labor of love, and they seem to sense that.
Kindergarteners are not perfect, of course. They are at the stage where they need help with nose blows. There are some Sundays when I have just about hand-sanitized myself to my armpits, I've wiped so many noses.
But they are so doggone grateful for someone to help them with their noses. They are almost like.......new Christians. Would that we could all hang on to that feeling in our lives and hearts, that time of it all being "new" - the wonder of discovering the love of Christ for the first time.
We can't get to "new" again - and some of us are pretty old. But spend some time with the little ones......you get the same kind of feeling in your heart.
When my kindergarteners show up they are smiling. They are happy to see us, and they are looking forward to what we have planned. They color pictures, make a craft, work on memorizing scripture, sing songs, listen to the story and ask lots and lots of questions.
We get to spend a whole hour together talking about how God created us, God loves us, Jesus takes care of us, Jesus is so powerful He can heal the sick and raise the dead. That He died for our sins and rose again and has prepared a place for us!
During the precious time we have together, my kindergarteners do not complain about the pastor or staff, the sermon, the tidiness of the restrooms, the choice of music the soloist performed, whether or not anything was spelled wrong in the bulletin, if the coffee is too strong/weak, or any of the upcoming activities. Our time is PRECIOUS. We can never get through, in only one hour, the things we want to do and say and learn.
They seem to assume that we, their teachers, have only their best interests at heart, and they follow our lead without second-guessing, debating, or whispering amongst themselves about our true motives. Believe me, we are not seeking fame, glory or power through teaching kindergarten. This is a labor of love, and they seem to sense that.
Kindergarteners are not perfect, of course. They are at the stage where they need help with nose blows. There are some Sundays when I have just about hand-sanitized myself to my armpits, I've wiped so many noses.
But they are so doggone grateful for someone to help them with their noses. They are almost like.......new Christians. Would that we could all hang on to that feeling in our lives and hearts, that time of it all being "new" - the wonder of discovering the love of Christ for the first time.
We can't get to "new" again - and some of us are pretty old. But spend some time with the little ones......you get the same kind of feeling in your heart.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
What I read in March, 2009
Not that I am really wierd, but I rate my books 1-5. There won't be many 1s, because if it is that bad I usually don't finish it!
16. The Succesful Homeschool Family Handbook – 3.5 - Raymond and Dorothy Moore – very encouraging, one I had never read before. Parts of it were pretty dated, though. I think it is from the early-mid 80s.
17. William Penn: With Liberty and Justice for All – 3 - Janet and Geoff Benges – Heroes of History series, read aloud. I like the missionary stories better, but overall this was pretty good. Bogged down a lot with the politics of England in the 1670s, but that was what shaped the times.
18. Christy – 5- Catherine Marshall – read for my church book group – I had read it 5 or so years ago and got a lot more out of it this time.
19. Laughing in the Dark – 4 – Chonda Pierce – the story of her walk through depression.
20. Book of Time II: Gate of Days – 3 – bedtime read aloud. I think if I was 12 it would be really, really good. The characters take the Lord’s name in vain (OMG) which I changed to “gosh” as I read (that bothers me more than just regular profanity). The character is traveling through time, trying to save his father, who is trapped in another time period. This is book 2 in the trilogy.
21. How Starbucks Saved My Life – 4.5 – Michael Gates Gill – story of a well-off, privileged, middle-aged white guy who loses his cushy job. Then with too much spare time on his hands…..he loses his marriage. He ends up getting a job at Starbucks, and working for a young African-American woman. It is a really neat story of how his life changes, his perceptions change, and the person he becomes.
22. Aunt Dimity Takes a Holiday – 3.5 – Nancy Atherton – at least this time Lori didn’t get overly attracted to the handsome man. Another enjoyable Aunt Dimity story, though I don’t like Lori.
23. The Seat Beside Me – 4 - Nancy Moser – very good book. All these people sitting for hours on a plane, waiting to take off. And then the plane crashes and the five survivors deal with how their lives were changed by the chance encounter with the people they met in the seat next to them. Some parts were emotionally hard to get through, but overall, a very good story. This would be a good one to recommend to my book discussion group at church.
24. Heart and Soul – 4 – Maeve Binchy – more Irish soap operas. This was better than some, not as good as others. It is really sad how many people just don’t have any connection with God. The charactersd talk about being Catholic, but they never go to church – it’s just an Irish/cultural thing to them. There is always a priest or two, but that is it. And the people who are religious are shown as superstitious. Really a shame, since the book is full of unhappy people, and everyone accepts s*x outside of marriage as a given.
25. Jumping Ship – 4 – Michael and Debi Pearl – in 2006 NGJ magazine ran a series of articles about homeschool families whose grown children were rebelling and “jumping ship” – basically turning their backs. This book is the articles, re-edited with some new info added. I always find the Pearls to be very encouraging.
16. The Succesful Homeschool Family Handbook – 3.5 - Raymond and Dorothy Moore – very encouraging, one I had never read before. Parts of it were pretty dated, though. I think it is from the early-mid 80s.
17. William Penn: With Liberty and Justice for All – 3 - Janet and Geoff Benges – Heroes of History series, read aloud. I like the missionary stories better, but overall this was pretty good. Bogged down a lot with the politics of England in the 1670s, but that was what shaped the times.
18. Christy – 5- Catherine Marshall – read for my church book group – I had read it 5 or so years ago and got a lot more out of it this time.
19. Laughing in the Dark – 4 – Chonda Pierce – the story of her walk through depression.
20. Book of Time II: Gate of Days – 3 – bedtime read aloud. I think if I was 12 it would be really, really good. The characters take the Lord’s name in vain (OMG) which I changed to “gosh” as I read (that bothers me more than just regular profanity). The character is traveling through time, trying to save his father, who is trapped in another time period. This is book 2 in the trilogy.
21. How Starbucks Saved My Life – 4.5 – Michael Gates Gill – story of a well-off, privileged, middle-aged white guy who loses his cushy job. Then with too much spare time on his hands…..he loses his marriage. He ends up getting a job at Starbucks, and working for a young African-American woman. It is a really neat story of how his life changes, his perceptions change, and the person he becomes.
22. Aunt Dimity Takes a Holiday – 3.5 – Nancy Atherton – at least this time Lori didn’t get overly attracted to the handsome man. Another enjoyable Aunt Dimity story, though I don’t like Lori.
23. The Seat Beside Me – 4 - Nancy Moser – very good book. All these people sitting for hours on a plane, waiting to take off. And then the plane crashes and the five survivors deal with how their lives were changed by the chance encounter with the people they met in the seat next to them. Some parts were emotionally hard to get through, but overall, a very good story. This would be a good one to recommend to my book discussion group at church.
24. Heart and Soul – 4 – Maeve Binchy – more Irish soap operas. This was better than some, not as good as others. It is really sad how many people just don’t have any connection with God. The charactersd talk about being Catholic, but they never go to church – it’s just an Irish/cultural thing to them. There is always a priest or two, but that is it. And the people who are religious are shown as superstitious. Really a shame, since the book is full of unhappy people, and everyone accepts s*x outside of marriage as a given.
25. Jumping Ship – 4 – Michael and Debi Pearl – in 2006 NGJ magazine ran a series of articles about homeschool families whose grown children were rebelling and “jumping ship” – basically turning their backs. This book is the articles, re-edited with some new info added. I always find the Pearls to be very encouraging.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Busy March
I haven't posted much - and not because there isn't much going on! Sometimes I have weeks at a time where life just flows so smoothly, and we do lots of "traditional" school - you know, the kind where we hang out in the family room, do math and grammar, read lots of fun books together. The last few weeks have been so busy though! But so much fun stuff! That is what makes scheduling hard - it is not all the things I don't want to do (generally, I just don't do them, anyway!). It is all the things I DO want to do. And I think I already have life pared down to priorities. I try to be at home, but I also have to work at the shop. And it is nice to have those days where I can run errands while I am there, knowing that the kids are doing school and having fun at Grandma's house. But just this week, besides regular housework and shopwork, I have my homeschool meeting on Monday night, church on Wednesday night, a prayer meeting for the new Pregnancy Care Center on Thursday night, my Sunday School class meeting on Friday night, my church book discussion group on Saturday morning, a baby shower Sunday....plus this is our "season" of birthdays (4 in 6 weeks, 3 of those within 2 weeks in March!). Add in things like getting a hair cut, Awana and my Bible study on Sunday night...it just all sort of "clumped up" this month. None of this is weekly - homeschool and class meetings are monthly, book club every other month, the PCC meeting is a one-time thing. Just all at once this month.
I also want to take the boys to the Mastodon Art and Science Fair this week, Ben wants to work with his dad one day, and I had hoped to have another family over one day. But then the week after next - nothing except one birthday (last of the season!).
So, what to do, where to prioritize.....some things will have to fall off the schedule this week. Nevin also wants to take this Saturday afternoon and go do something. The house needs to get cleaned at some point. There is a 2' stack of books next to my bed, all calling my name. I guess these are good problems to have - so many things that I want to do, and am ABLE to do, and the boys are able to do.
Speaking of able to do, today we are going out for pizza at Pizza Hut. We participate in their Book-It program, so the boys each get a free personal pan pizza. Not enough to fill Tony and Ben, so I buy one more for them, and for Henry and I. We are also going shopping for Nevin's birthday gifts, and then going skating with our homeschool group.
I think I am going to clean house tomorrow morning.
Ben joined a chess club this month. It meets once a month on Wednesday at the library. After only one meeting he can now beat me in 10 minutes (it used to take 20!). He bought a tournament set with his birthday money, and I got him a couple of "strategy" books, and he is having a blast with that. I may have already posted this, but Tony was in the Awana Bible Quiz and his team took 2nd in their division. I'll take the Mom option of bragging on a couple of pretty smart guys! Henry cut his own hair and lit matches in the bathtub. Okay, maybe some bragging should get toned down. And Joe is just being Joe and having fun being a kindergartener.
Nothing much else to say, just keeping on keeping on for another day that we've been blessed with!
I also want to take the boys to the Mastodon Art and Science Fair this week, Ben wants to work with his dad one day, and I had hoped to have another family over one day. But then the week after next - nothing except one birthday (last of the season!).
So, what to do, where to prioritize.....some things will have to fall off the schedule this week. Nevin also wants to take this Saturday afternoon and go do something. The house needs to get cleaned at some point. There is a 2' stack of books next to my bed, all calling my name. I guess these are good problems to have - so many things that I want to do, and am ABLE to do, and the boys are able to do.
Speaking of able to do, today we are going out for pizza at Pizza Hut. We participate in their Book-It program, so the boys each get a free personal pan pizza. Not enough to fill Tony and Ben, so I buy one more for them, and for Henry and I. We are also going shopping for Nevin's birthday gifts, and then going skating with our homeschool group.
I think I am going to clean house tomorrow morning.
Ben joined a chess club this month. It meets once a month on Wednesday at the library. After only one meeting he can now beat me in 10 minutes (it used to take 20!). He bought a tournament set with his birthday money, and I got him a couple of "strategy" books, and he is having a blast with that. I may have already posted this, but Tony was in the Awana Bible Quiz and his team took 2nd in their division. I'll take the Mom option of bragging on a couple of pretty smart guys! Henry cut his own hair and lit matches in the bathtub. Okay, maybe some bragging should get toned down. And Joe is just being Joe and having fun being a kindergartener.
Nothing much else to say, just keeping on keeping on for another day that we've been blessed with!
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