What are You Up To?

So, we are finishing our first quarter. It seems like we have not done much, but when I sit down to remember it all, well, I guess we have been busy.

We are fully into the swing of homeschooling now. I think I finally have a system for Isaac. HE is working into being more independent. He takes four online classes. HE LOVES them. The teachers are great. They definitely offer him more than I could with all of the little ones running around.They teach him, he gets a homework list, I work through that with him if he needs me to, I check his work, and he then turns in what is due. He has had to write 2 papers and is working on his 3rd for his writing class. He has created a travel brochure enticing families the New Switzerland for Literature class and he has reconstructed the Matthew for History. I tend to put projects off for the older ones because of all I have to do with the little ones. Thankfully, has to turn things in for a grade, by a certain time. He is taking piano lessons and in a choir class. The choir teacher puts on an incredible musical every year. This year it is Pirates of Penzance. Isaac is going to be a policeman. My goal for Isaac over the next few weeks is to help him become more organized.

Sarah, is my self learner. I work with her and teach her everyday, but most of the time she has it figured out before I am done. She LOVES to read and could read all day. We have done a few Literature projects and she helped her brother with his ship since they are studying the same history. She spends a lot of her time writing a book and designing clothes. She is actually pretty good, if I may say so myself.She is very into the violin. She takes private lessons and this year has been blessed with the opportunity to be in an orchestra class. She is loving it. Her goal when she picked up the violin a few years ago was to play in a symphony. She has not lost that dream. So, she loves the orchestra class. She takes the same choir class as Isaac. My goal for Sarah over this next quarter is to beef up her projects.

Zachary is loving Kindergarten. We are working on a pumpkin lap book right now. I found this great company that sells everything you need all put together in a kit. I do not have to do anything. They even make your copies and and fold your folder for you. They are a bit costly, but I saw them at a homeschool convention and they had boxes of clearance kits for 50 to 75% off. He is learning to read quickly and his favorite subject is math. He also loves the fun co-op we go to. He takes violin, but sports continue to be his thing. In his free time you will most likely find him skateboarding or shooting hoops. My goals for him are to do more hands on activities.

As a family we have done a few local field trips and read fun books and made some fun and educational meals. We are spending a few days Thanksgiving week at Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg. We will tour Jamestown as well. They just studied Jamestown so that should be fun. Also, the co-op we are in does a feast for each time period represented. The families who are studying the time plan the feast, but everyone brings food. Since we are studying Explorers to 1815, we are planning a traditional Thanksgiving Feast. It should be fun. The kids will bring projects that they have done to present to the group and they can also take a minute to recite anything they are working on.

That is a quick glance at our first quarter. What have you guys been up to?

Convicted Once Again

Okay not convicted that way! We are doing a couples study at church. Once again I was reminded of my legacy. I forget from time to time that a legacy can be good or bad. It was pointed out to me that everyone has a legacy. It may be good or even bad, but there is one left. I have been told this many times, but a reminder is always nice.

What a Week

Wow! I need a week to recover from this past week. We had decided to take the week off and only work on projects. That was great because we had company through Tuesday. This allowed the kids to be more relaxed with their schooling while the guests were here. What we did not count on was me getting sick. Last Sunday I woke up with a killer headache, chills and hives on my head and face. By Monday my face was swollen and the hives moved to my torso. Sarah told me I looked like I had the opposite of beauty sleep! When I said I was going to the doctor, Isaac was beyond humiliated that I would go out in public. Anyway, the hives and fever worked their way through my body and now I am well. But, after spending those days in bed, well, you know what happens when mom gets sick. Therefore, we could not start projects until yesterday. One is going great, the other...let's just say we have to think of another project. Now we are headed out of town. Oh yeah and we had church pictures yesterday! I will not even attempt to tell how that went. I am just glad it will not happen again for a very long time!

Wow!!

So, the value of the Nobel Peace Prize was knocked down a few notches today. Do not get me wrong. There have been plenty of people who have received the award that I thought,"huh?" But, for the most part you could always see that there was some thought put into the process. After today, I am not so sure. When I discovered he would have had to of been nominated only 11 days into his presidency to get the award, I went from scratching my head to just plain shaking it in horror, awe, and maybe even a little fear.

Another Reason I Love Homeschooling

I am constantly asked how do I classically home school so many kids. First, I feel like I fail everyday, Second, it's hard. Third, we have long days. But, there are a few things I have found that make things easier. I realized very quickly that I could not get it all in without short cuts. My favorite short cut is having the mindset of killing two birds with one stone. One of the things I do along those lines is buy children picture books which coincide with what the older kids are learning. I am going to read to the little ones, right? Why not read quality books that also break it down a little more for the ones who are reading the real thing. So, I was thrilled this morning when I heard Jack(3) say, "Hey Isaac, did you know Beowulf killed Grendel. He took his arm off. But, then the dragon killed Beowulf. That is sad. Bad Dragon!!" Then a whole Beowulf conversation began amongst the children and of course it was followed by a reenactment which quickly spiraled out of control. I will pretend that did not happen and save you the details.:)As I am typing this I hear him saying, "Sarah I HAVE to tell you about Grendel. He is a very bad boy." Anyway, when these things happen, for just a minute, I stop feeling like a failure and believe that we are accomplishing something.

Week's Menu

I trying to get back into bogging. I realize I may have little to no readers any longer and what I write may be incredibly boring, but I enjoy going back and reading about our life. I forget how much fun my kids are and the things God has delivered us from. I have found the blog to be very uplifting that way. So, in the name of getting back into the swing of blogging, I am going to start with posting our weekly menus again. Here goes:

Monday- Ham Loaf, Buttered Noodles, Creamed Peas (Very Lancastrian of us, I know)
Tuesday- Slow Cooker Pork Chops and Gravy, Rice, Left Over Creamed Peas
Wednesday- Sweet and Sour Pot Roast, Potatoes, Asparagus
Thursday- Beef Burritos, Spanish Rice, Corn, Salad
Friday- Date Night-Left overs for the kids

Making TIme for Fun

5 weeks into school and I am feeling blah. The older my kids get, the harder it is to be fun. Isaac's work is serious stuff and it takes us all day to get it done. In between working with him there is Sarah. She can be done by 1 or so. Then there is Zachary. He is LOVING Kindergarten, but I am feeling bad for him. With helping the older ones and getting them to their activities, I feel like their is no time for "fun" with Zach. So, I am taking my own advice and revamping. Yesterday at church, a friend told me that she was feeling the same thing. A couple of weeks ago she did nothing but Math and fun stuff with her kids. So, I am making a new goal. Actually 2 new goals, 1. Do at least 1 fun thing a week with Zachary and Jack (even if it has to happen at night or on the weekend) 2. Take a week off every quarter to do nothing but projects and enrichment things. We do a lot of projects in the summer and we do a lot of family field trips. We almost always build our vacations around something educational. So, I guess things are not that bad, I am just hating that things have to be different for the little guys than it was for the older ones. I guess if I were looking at this in a "the glass is half full" kind of way, I would see the joy in the older kids reading to the little ones, the fun Zachary and Jackson have playing all of the educational games together while I am working with the older two, the fact that the little ones pick up so much from the older ones that I can teach them in half the time as I did the older two, and just imagine the incredible education Micah will get when he is the only one I have to work with.:)