I may never make any of these things, but it's nice to know that I CAN.
KNOCK-OFF WOOD
I even love the clever name.
You can also become a fan on facebook where she'll link to her posts. (If that link doesn't work, just look on the right sidebar of her blog for Facebook widget).
Feb 7, 2010
Feb 1, 2010
Multitude Monday
...continuing to count my multitudinous blessings...
60. That there are things like this Multitude Monday to help me see the good in a Monday morning
61. Dh and I being of one mind on an important topic, even though it is a hard decision
62. God loves me even when I make mistakes, and reminds me that mistakes and outright sin are two completely different things
63. light snow is easy to shovel
64. the beautiful sparkles of crystals in the early morning light. God's universe is so remarkably beautiful
65. another chance to get things done school-wise this week
66. electronic machines to help me climb Mt. Laundry
67. Birthday Month!
68. that homeschooling allows me to say yes when my 4yo asks if she can wear shorts over her pants today. ;-)
69. warm showers
70. haircuts!
...
Jan 25, 2010
Multitude Monday
...continuing to count my many blessings...
51. Noises in the wee hours of the morning that were just the howling, slamming wind and not an intruder
52. A dh who will take bat in hand to defend me ... against the wind
53. A house that shelters us against the storm
54. Making some progress on the organization/declutter front, some clarity of mind (thank you Holy Spirit)
55. Little faces who brighten my morning
56. Hot chocolate with real cocoa and a dash of cinnamon
57. Electricity
58. Running water
59. Audubon Birds, even when they are all chirping at once
Jan 23, 2010
An Epiphany
I am regretting renaming my blog, LOL
No, that's not my epiphany.
My epiphany is this: I keep many things around the house...books, craft supplies, curriculum, etc, for that "just in case."
"What if my daughter wants to knit! I have a selection of yarn and needles right here."
"What if the mood strikes my younger daughter that she wants to read some American girl books. They're right here!"
"What if I (ahem) feel like we should change curriculm again. Hey, I've got a school supply store RIGHT HERE in my BOOKCASE!" LOL
By having everything at our fingertips, we can just move as the mood strikes us. Tired of playing this game, play another! Tired of reading this book, read another! Want to craft something, it's all there to mess with!
I'm not sure that's a good thing.
What if by keeping those things, I am preventing my children from living a more intentional life. If I pass along my fabric, yarn, craft supplies, extra books, clothes, etc to people who need them, when my children develop a desire to, for example, knit - my daughter will have to plan and think. Plan how to save for the yarn. Work for the yarn money. Figure out how to get me to drag all the kids to the craft store. Plan what to make. Wonder if it is really worth it, and if she really wants to do it at all.
Her actions will be more intentional, her product most likely a lot less disposable after all that effort. She will eventually learn to focus on the important and the enduring. Such a child will be ahead of the game when it comes time to run her own household, and her own spiritual life.
I think that's a good thing.
No, that's not my epiphany.
My epiphany is this: I keep many things around the house...books, craft supplies, curriculum, etc, for that "just in case."
"What if my daughter wants to knit! I have a selection of yarn and needles right here."
"What if the mood strikes my younger daughter that she wants to read some American girl books. They're right here!"
"What if I (ahem) feel like we should change curriculm again. Hey, I've got a school supply store RIGHT HERE in my BOOKCASE!" LOL
By having everything at our fingertips, we can just move as the mood strikes us. Tired of playing this game, play another! Tired of reading this book, read another! Want to craft something, it's all there to mess with!
I'm not sure that's a good thing.
What if by keeping those things, I am preventing my children from living a more intentional life. If I pass along my fabric, yarn, craft supplies, extra books, clothes, etc to people who need them, when my children develop a desire to, for example, knit - my daughter will have to plan and think. Plan how to save for the yarn. Work for the yarn money. Figure out how to get me to drag all the kids to the craft store. Plan what to make. Wonder if it is really worth it, and if she really wants to do it at all.
Her actions will be more intentional, her product most likely a lot less disposable after all that effort. She will eventually learn to focus on the important and the enduring. Such a child will be ahead of the game when it comes time to run her own household, and her own spiritual life.
I think that's a good thing.
Jan 22, 2010
Seven Quick Takes
1. I thought it was so cool that my "security words" when posting a link about ending abortion on Facebook were "Thanks" and "provide".
2. Writing haiku lately is like trying to sqeeze blood from a stone. I believe it's miraculously possible, but it's HARD! :-P We're still the same old people we were years ago when I started, and we're still doing the same things. I feel like there are only so many ways to get 17 syllables out of talking about Teaching Textbooks, YKWIM?
3. I am ever so slowly making a dent in tackling the car-full of stuff that came into our house last week. I think I am learning that God is challenging me on all the things I spout off so easily to others - it's just stuff! Give it all away! You don't need it and other people do, so it's not a waste! The money is already spent!
Do I mean it or not? This is a good test of that.
But man, I wish it didn't hurt so much.
4. My whole family is loving the Bejeweled Blitz game on Facebook. It's a fun way to waste a minute. Or 75.
5. I'm amazed that a body that was only nursing 2x a day can be in such a hormotional mess a week after weaning. I try to remind myself that it's been almost 5 years straight since I started nursing these last two, and add another 3 years on top of that for being pg and or nursing almost continually. (I had a break between kids 1&2 and kids 3/4/5.) Hopefully it won't take as long to get back to my "new normal."
6. I was starting to knit a blanket for charity (and to help use down my stash) when I got an email from a friend about a fleece-blanket tying party for charity. Why am I knitting a blanket, which will probably take me 3 cold winters at the sluggish speed I knit, when I can just cut and tie fleece in a few hours?
But then what do I do with my yarn stash? (you yarnies probably don't want it, it's almost all cheap, off the rack, one color worsted) There isn't a ton of it, but it's taking up storage space we don't have, and isn't doing anyone any good if we are not using it.
7. Dd is making tea, and the mail man just came, so this 7-quick-takes is officially over. Tea and mail trumpr everything. :)
For more 7 Quick Takes, please visit Jen at Conversion Diary!
Jan 18, 2010
Blog Business
Just an FYI, I moved my old haiku blog from Homeschooljournal.net to Blogger. I really liked Homeschooljournal.net, but I have several blogs here at blogger and it was basically to keep my head from exploding by having too many places to control. :)
The new link is http://haikuofahomeschooler.blogspot.com
It is very bland right now. Maybe someday I'll get a nice banner photo or something. And maybe even write haiku again.
ETA: Ahhhhh! In trying to upload another template I have royally messed things up over there. Hopefully soon it will look normal!!
The new link is http://haikuofahomeschooler.blogspot.com
It is very bland right now. Maybe someday I'll get a nice banner photo or something. And maybe even write haiku again.
ETA: Ahhhhh! In trying to upload another template I have royally messed things up over there. Hopefully soon it will look normal!!
Somebody talk me down...
There has been much talk in my circles about decluttering and simplifying lately. Anyone who has been reading me for awhile knows I am slowly but surely trying to live simply, and have been decluttering, sometimes radically, for years.
Well, about half a year ago, in preparation for what we thought was going to be an imminent move, I packed up a bunch of boxes and totes and moved them into a friend's basement. It wasn't a ton of stuff and it all fit (although precariously) in the van with the five kids. I even brought 2 bins and a box back into our home in October, containing material and costumes/dress-ups.
Meanwhile, I continued to declutter and hit a point where I didn't feel *done* but it was liveable, and there was peace in most of our days at least as far as STUFF was conerned.
Fast forward to last night. I meet up with the friend to take our boxes back, since it isn't fair to her to store them when we are not going anywhere right now. They all fit in my husbands sedan sized car. Not much, I think, I can deal with this.
OH MY WORD.
I feel *completely overwhelemed* and am having a nasty anxiety attack, all because I am opening these boxes and trying to see how these things can fit back into our life. They are all good things! Stuffed animals that my kids have missed and have been playing with all morning. A box of books from Sonlight's Core 4. Handbells. Paint. Board games. Admittedly one box of toddler toys I could do with out - who needs 5 plastic trucks and two play phones? (What kills me in that case is that they were all gifts from my parents, who don't have the money to be throwing away on gifts. So if I get rid of them, I *really* feel like I've thrown their money in the garbage. I get rid of enough stuff they give me, I have to draw the line somewhere.)
I look at these things and I don't want to get rid of them. Me! I'm ashamed of myself. Then I start to get grumbly and mad at my situation. If we only had a room downstairs there would be wall space for shelves! If only we had moved when we had a chance! If only...if only...if only...
One car's worth of stuff has thrown my life into a tailspin.
Pray for me as I take a deeeep breath, and dive in, and get all this under control.
Well, about half a year ago, in preparation for what we thought was going to be an imminent move, I packed up a bunch of boxes and totes and moved them into a friend's basement. It wasn't a ton of stuff and it all fit (although precariously) in the van with the five kids. I even brought 2 bins and a box back into our home in October, containing material and costumes/dress-ups.
Meanwhile, I continued to declutter and hit a point where I didn't feel *done* but it was liveable, and there was peace in most of our days at least as far as STUFF was conerned.
Fast forward to last night. I meet up with the friend to take our boxes back, since it isn't fair to her to store them when we are not going anywhere right now. They all fit in my husbands sedan sized car. Not much, I think, I can deal with this.
OH MY WORD.
I feel *completely overwhelemed* and am having a nasty anxiety attack, all because I am opening these boxes and trying to see how these things can fit back into our life. They are all good things! Stuffed animals that my kids have missed and have been playing with all morning. A box of books from Sonlight's Core 4. Handbells. Paint. Board games. Admittedly one box of toddler toys I could do with out - who needs 5 plastic trucks and two play phones? (What kills me in that case is that they were all gifts from my parents, who don't have the money to be throwing away on gifts. So if I get rid of them, I *really* feel like I've thrown their money in the garbage. I get rid of enough stuff they give me, I have to draw the line somewhere.)
I look at these things and I don't want to get rid of them. Me! I'm ashamed of myself. Then I start to get grumbly and mad at my situation. If we only had a room downstairs there would be wall space for shelves! If only we had moved when we had a chance! If only...if only...if only...
One car's worth of stuff has thrown my life into a tailspin.
Pray for me as I take a deeeep breath, and dive in, and get all this under control.
Multitude Monday
...continuing to count my many blessings...
41. Book club friends, a chance to laugh
42. Hugs from a little boy who misses his mama
43. Love, true love
44. Compliments from dh on how homeschooling is going
45. "hand-me-overs" - clothes from a friend with girls, for our girls
46. Christmas in January: getting our boxes out of storage at a friend's
47. Friends to visit daughters and the hours long giggle-fest that will ensue
48. Blue skies
49. When someone puts my thoughts into poetry
50. Humor found in the midst of a trying time
52 Books in 52 Weeks: Book #3
Finally, a book I can plow through in a weekend. :) My kind of book in this stage of my life. I found Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange to be a fun, entertaining look into the mind of Mr. Darcy of Pride and Prejudice fame. I'm sure it helps that I have been enamored by all things Pride and Prejudice lately. The language is a bit more modern than the original Pride and Prejudice (except for the large portions of actual text taken from P&P when quoting dialog). My only beef was the constant switching from past tense to present, due to it being a diary format where he was talking of past events (in past tense) and then simultaneously quoting the dialog of the event (in present). It made my head spin. I also don't think it would be the best stand alone book - a person would get MUCH more out of it had they read the original Pride and Prejudice first.
I guess it's not a "classic," and I am no real book critic, but I liked it. :)
For more on this book challenge, visit Robin's site: Read 52 Bookks in 52 Weeks.
Jan 15, 2010
52 Books in 52 Weeks: Week 2
Notice how I didn't say BOOK 2. This week we are going to practice new math: When does 1/2 + 2/3 + 1/3 + 1 + 1 = 1? When I am trying to convince myself that finishing 1/2 of one book, 2/3 of another, and 1/3 of a third book is equal to reading one whole book, because I actually watched movies of one of the books. Twice.
Hey, this is my world and I can make up the rules.
I started Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.. I just. couldn't. do it. Dropped that one half way through. A combination of a classic, wordy book and a distracted and tired brain just weren't a good combination.
So of course I learned my lesson and went on to a much different book. Pride and Prejudice! (I'm being sarcastic). I made it through 2/3 or so before I had to take it back to the library. But see, this one counts, because I watched both the BBC and the A & E movie versions of the book. ;-) I'm actually inspired to read the book again, because seeing it played out on screen has given me a deeper appreciation for what the characters were getting at with some of the dialogue, and where I missed some sarcasm.
Anyway, several half books and 2 movies later, I picked up The Resilient Child by George S. Everly. It's a quick read, but it's reading more like the start of a book than a full work. Lots of bullet points, not enough meat for me. I need someone to tell me how to do something, or at least give nice examples, when they say "do this." Then again, I'm only about half way through so that could change. I do not think I will chose this book to finish for next weeks 52 Books challenge, though. I'd like to pick something I can actually finish and review! What a concept!
Hey, this is my world and I can make up the rules.
I started Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.. I just. couldn't. do it. Dropped that one half way through. A combination of a classic, wordy book and a distracted and tired brain just weren't a good combination.
So of course I learned my lesson and went on to a much different book. Pride and Prejudice! (I'm being sarcastic). I made it through 2/3 or so before I had to take it back to the library. But see, this one counts, because I watched both the BBC and the A & E movie versions of the book. ;-) I'm actually inspired to read the book again, because seeing it played out on screen has given me a deeper appreciation for what the characters were getting at with some of the dialogue, and where I missed some sarcasm.
Anyway, several half books and 2 movies later, I picked up The Resilient Child by George S. Everly. It's a quick read, but it's reading more like the start of a book than a full work. Lots of bullet points, not enough meat for me. I need someone to tell me how to do something, or at least give nice examples, when they say "do this." Then again, I'm only about half way through so that could change. I do not think I will chose this book to finish for next weeks 52 Books challenge, though. I'd like to pick something I can actually finish and review! What a concept!
Jan 13, 2010
A Last
I think I nursed for the last time, forever, last night.
One tiny part of me knows it was the right decision. He's 2, for cryin' out loud, and he's ready, and I have never liked nursing or the hormonal mess it makes me. I've been nursing straight for almost 5 years. My family deserves at least a few months of normalcy before menopause mood swings kick in, LOL.
But most of me just wants to cry. I don't WANT to be done having kids, I don't WANT to have to make hard decisions like this.
I don't like lasts.
I don't like goodbyes.
One tiny part of me knows it was the right decision. He's 2, for cryin' out loud, and he's ready, and I have never liked nursing or the hormonal mess it makes me. I've been nursing straight for almost 5 years. My family deserves at least a few months of normalcy before menopause mood swings kick in, LOL.
But most of me just wants to cry. I don't WANT to be done having kids, I don't WANT to have to make hard decisions like this.
I don't like lasts.
I don't like goodbyes.
Jan 11, 2010
Multitude Monday
...continuing to count my many blessings...
31. the cuteness that is toddlerhood
32. dimples in 2yo cheecks
33. forgiveness, given and taken
34. a husband who will cook dinner
35. a chance to go back to bed after an "underslept" night
36. is it possible the sun is setting just a tad later?
37. a beautiful house to ponder, even if it will never be mine, the pondering itself a gift
38. friends, especially those who when you get together it's like you never left
39. the touch of hands at the kiss of peace, that brings a little light to a tired, suffering man
40. books and the opportunity to read and discuss them
Jan 8, 2010
Our Patron Saints for 2010
I can't believe we forgot to do this on New Year's Eve! Every year we put our Holy Traders cards in a bag and pick a patron saint for each of us for the new year. We like to think they pick us. This year we were a little late, but here there are:
DH: St. Camillus de Lellis
me: St. Tarsicius
Juliet: St. Vincent de Paul
Maggie: St. Maximilian Kolbe
Grace: St. Crispin of Viterbo
Leah: St. Faustina
Jeffrey: St. Hallvard
Holy saints of God, pray for us!
DH: St. Camillus de Lellis
me: St. Tarsicius
Juliet: St. Vincent de Paul
Maggie: St. Maximilian Kolbe
Grace: St. Crispin of Viterbo
Leah: St. Faustina
Jeffrey: St. Hallvard
Holy saints of God, pray for us!
Jan 6, 2010
Upside of a water main break?
I have more blogging time! :)
I was going to give the little ones a much needed bath, and also do the dishes, when lo and behold, we have NO water. A phone call reveals there has been a water main break down the street. Good thing I did the laundry this morning!
A few people have asked me about some of our new curriculum and how our days are shaping up lately, so with this little gift of time, I was hoping to get a post out on that.
I'm going to give you an approximation of how our day went, with descriptions of our curriculum and style thrown around willy nilly, as you know I am wont to do. (Can you tell I have been reading Sense and Sensibility? I used the word wont. LOL)
The morning started slowly - everyone but Juliet was up early for some reason - I emptied the dishwasher, threw in laundry (thank goodness, right?), and showered (again, good thing!). By 9 everyone was up and fed and dressed, except Jeffrey who insists on spending much of his day in his pajamas. I don't normally "choose my battles," but this one is not worth fighting if it keeps him happy while we are doing school! One less thing for me to do. Anyway, onward and upward.
Today the top two, and sometimes three (so a 12, 10, and almost 7yo) sat with me on and around the couch while we read and discussed most of our curriculum. The youngest two (and sometimes three - the 2yo, 4yo, and almost 7yo) ran around in front of us, climbed on us, and were generally loud. I am getting better at being happy that they want to be with us and just reading louder. But sometimes I do shoo them away or encourage them to play "Sleeping Bears" (they lie down and the first one to move or speak loses) :)
Our sit down work now includes:
-Bible reading. I try to do this first. One chapter in the OT, one in the NT. I offer to read but my girls like to do it instead. They ask questions and I try to answer as best I can. Now and then I offer what I know even if they don't ask - but I try not to talk too much. I found a New American Bible Pocket edition at Goodwill over Christmas break, so now we have two and each older girl can read along.
- Next came Catechism. Every few days I read another chapter of our St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism #1. Sometimes on the inbetween days I quickly go over the questions we've covered so far, sometimes not. I *want* them to memorize these things, but I want it to be more in a natural/repetitious way than in a "YOU MUST MEMORIZE THIS OR I WILL BANG YOU WITH A RULER" kind of way. Really, I want the gist and understanding of the answers to be theirs when they are older, not necessarily the word for wordiness of it. So I say and they repeat, but I don't test them on it. (as of now) Memorizing is a BEAR for my dyslexic. I'm not going to make her hate religion study by requiring too much of it.
-I have dialed WAY back on history lately. Some days we read Famous Men of Rome which goes well with our Latin study (Latina Christiana includes some questions you can use with FMOR). To shake things up, we listen to the chapter on audio. Saves my voice, too, since I'm reading/talking much of the morning now. Today we needed something lighter, so I read half of Modern Rhymes About Ancient Times: Ancient Egypt. We love these books (we have Ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece) - and I see that I am lucky I bought them when I did as they are now out of print. :-( Oldest dd did half of Oak Medow 6 last semester, so these rhymes are a nice/cute/fun reminder of what she read back then. I will probably throw in a few historical fiction selections on ancient times before our study is over, but only a few. Simplify, simplify, simplify! Just FYI, my 6yo has been listening in and absorbing most of our morning, I count that as her history and religion also. Her other work is covered in a big 2nd grade workbook I got from Barnes and Noble, which I need to sit with her and do more - she needs my presence even though she knows the work.
- After yukking it up with the poems (...In Egypt when a pharaoh died they didn't use formaldehyde. Instead they used a secret way to keep his body from decay...) we move on to Grammar Town at the insistence of all three girls. We are almost done with it, having covered the parts of speech and the parts of a sentence over the past few weeks, and today the facts about phrases - prepositional, verbal, and appositives. I *really* learned a lot today! And promptly forgot as much (lol, I just had to look up what we covered today). The series also has practice books which we will make much use of as soon as I have finished Grammar Town. That's how they recommend using it - intro the basics quickly even though it's a lot to remember, then re-teach as you apply it over and over. When we're done with GT there is a vocabulary book, a paragraph writing book, and a poetry book all at this level. I'm honestly not sure how I will make that all fit together - and I do want to continue with rewriting short fables the way Classical Writing Aesop introduces...so I will probably flip flop weeks, always doing SOME language arts on every day but not always the same thing.
-That filled their brains quite a bit, so they sat back and drew while I read from the Burgess Animal Book. This book, while looking all cute and easy --they name the animals things like Peter Rabbit, Chatterer the Squirrel, and Danny Meadow Mouse for goodness sakes -- is actually CHOCK full of great information on the lives, appearance, and habits of the animals it is discussing. I thought about doing much more for science, but why? My children are listening and remembering much about these little creatures. We'll go observe what we can when the weather improves. When I'm *done* with this, then we'll move on to something else. Not sure what.
-All of that took us to our early lunch. Maggie flipped through our Latin flash cards while the others got their lunches ready. She also zipped through two Teaching Textbooks 5 lessons right after lunch, and then two pages of cursive. BTW, the people at Teaching Textbooks are very kind, patient, and helpful. I spent an hour on the phone with them yesterday while the lady helped me back up, uninstall, and reinstall 3 levels of TT due to some problems we were having.
- I put Jeffrey down for a nap right after lunch, and the three middle girls played on the Wii after Maggie finished her work. Juliet takes longer on her math so she has to go last or all our other work gets backed up. One lesson of TT7 for her.
-Then as I was writing up this post I realized we hadn't done ANY spelling for her since the break. BAD BAD BAD - she is my dyslexic and if we skip to much time she loses a lot of ground. She is working in Apples and Pears Spelling A, which due to it's constant review seems to be helping. She just didn't click with All About Spelling even though I think it's a great program. I still use some of the rules we learned with her ("now, remember why we use 'ck' here!") - but the tiles and cards were JUST not her cup of tea. So we would just orally go over and over the spelling word lists and phrases....and, yawn, none of it would stick. Apples and Pears has constand varied review, and it is keeping her interest. Interest is everything with my sanguine dyslexic! :)
So that's it - we covered religion, math, language arts (grammar, vocab, latin roots, spelling for one dd), history, science, Latin (more grammar, vocab) - we had fun, and it wasn't too much or too rushed. Crossing my fingers that we are finally finding our groove, because I'd love to continue on like this.
I was going to give the little ones a much needed bath, and also do the dishes, when lo and behold, we have NO water. A phone call reveals there has been a water main break down the street. Good thing I did the laundry this morning!
A few people have asked me about some of our new curriculum and how our days are shaping up lately, so with this little gift of time, I was hoping to get a post out on that.
I'm going to give you an approximation of how our day went, with descriptions of our curriculum and style thrown around willy nilly, as you know I am wont to do. (Can you tell I have been reading Sense and Sensibility? I used the word wont. LOL)
The morning started slowly - everyone but Juliet was up early for some reason - I emptied the dishwasher, threw in laundry (thank goodness, right?), and showered (again, good thing!). By 9 everyone was up and fed and dressed, except Jeffrey who insists on spending much of his day in his pajamas. I don't normally "choose my battles," but this one is not worth fighting if it keeps him happy while we are doing school! One less thing for me to do. Anyway, onward and upward.
Today the top two, and sometimes three (so a 12, 10, and almost 7yo) sat with me on and around the couch while we read and discussed most of our curriculum. The youngest two (and sometimes three - the 2yo, 4yo, and almost 7yo) ran around in front of us, climbed on us, and were generally loud. I am getting better at being happy that they want to be with us and just reading louder. But sometimes I do shoo them away or encourage them to play "Sleeping Bears" (they lie down and the first one to move or speak loses) :)
Our sit down work now includes:
-Bible reading. I try to do this first. One chapter in the OT, one in the NT. I offer to read but my girls like to do it instead. They ask questions and I try to answer as best I can. Now and then I offer what I know even if they don't ask - but I try not to talk too much. I found a New American Bible Pocket edition at Goodwill over Christmas break, so now we have two and each older girl can read along.
- Next came Catechism. Every few days I read another chapter of our St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism #1. Sometimes on the inbetween days I quickly go over the questions we've covered so far, sometimes not. I *want* them to memorize these things, but I want it to be more in a natural/repetitious way than in a "YOU MUST MEMORIZE THIS OR I WILL BANG YOU WITH A RULER" kind of way. Really, I want the gist and understanding of the answers to be theirs when they are older, not necessarily the word for wordiness of it. So I say and they repeat, but I don't test them on it. (as of now) Memorizing is a BEAR for my dyslexic. I'm not going to make her hate religion study by requiring too much of it.
-I have dialed WAY back on history lately. Some days we read Famous Men of Rome which goes well with our Latin study (Latina Christiana includes some questions you can use with FMOR). To shake things up, we listen to the chapter on audio. Saves my voice, too, since I'm reading/talking much of the morning now. Today we needed something lighter, so I read half of Modern Rhymes About Ancient Times: Ancient Egypt. We love these books (we have Ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece) - and I see that I am lucky I bought them when I did as they are now out of print. :-( Oldest dd did half of Oak Medow 6 last semester, so these rhymes are a nice/cute/fun reminder of what she read back then. I will probably throw in a few historical fiction selections on ancient times before our study is over, but only a few. Simplify, simplify, simplify! Just FYI, my 6yo has been listening in and absorbing most of our morning, I count that as her history and religion also. Her other work is covered in a big 2nd grade workbook I got from Barnes and Noble, which I need to sit with her and do more - she needs my presence even though she knows the work.
- After yukking it up with the poems (...In Egypt when a pharaoh died they didn't use formaldehyde. Instead they used a secret way to keep his body from decay...) we move on to Grammar Town at the insistence of all three girls. We are almost done with it, having covered the parts of speech and the parts of a sentence over the past few weeks, and today the facts about phrases - prepositional, verbal, and appositives. I *really* learned a lot today! And promptly forgot as much (lol, I just had to look up what we covered today). The series also has practice books which we will make much use of as soon as I have finished Grammar Town. That's how they recommend using it - intro the basics quickly even though it's a lot to remember, then re-teach as you apply it over and over. When we're done with GT there is a vocabulary book, a paragraph writing book, and a poetry book all at this level. I'm honestly not sure how I will make that all fit together - and I do want to continue with rewriting short fables the way Classical Writing Aesop introduces...so I will probably flip flop weeks, always doing SOME language arts on every day but not always the same thing.
-That filled their brains quite a bit, so they sat back and drew while I read from the Burgess Animal Book. This book, while looking all cute and easy --they name the animals things like Peter Rabbit, Chatterer the Squirrel, and Danny Meadow Mouse for goodness sakes -- is actually CHOCK full of great information on the lives, appearance, and habits of the animals it is discussing. I thought about doing much more for science, but why? My children are listening and remembering much about these little creatures. We'll go observe what we can when the weather improves. When I'm *done* with this, then we'll move on to something else. Not sure what.
-All of that took us to our early lunch. Maggie flipped through our Latin flash cards while the others got their lunches ready. She also zipped through two Teaching Textbooks 5 lessons right after lunch, and then two pages of cursive. BTW, the people at Teaching Textbooks are very kind, patient, and helpful. I spent an hour on the phone with them yesterday while the lady helped me back up, uninstall, and reinstall 3 levels of TT due to some problems we were having.
- I put Jeffrey down for a nap right after lunch, and the three middle girls played on the Wii after Maggie finished her work. Juliet takes longer on her math so she has to go last or all our other work gets backed up. One lesson of TT7 for her.
-Then as I was writing up this post I realized we hadn't done ANY spelling for her since the break. BAD BAD BAD - she is my dyslexic and if we skip to much time she loses a lot of ground. She is working in Apples and Pears Spelling A, which due to it's constant review seems to be helping. She just didn't click with All About Spelling even though I think it's a great program. I still use some of the rules we learned with her ("now, remember why we use 'ck' here!") - but the tiles and cards were JUST not her cup of tea. So we would just orally go over and over the spelling word lists and phrases....and, yawn, none of it would stick. Apples and Pears has constand varied review, and it is keeping her interest. Interest is everything with my sanguine dyslexic! :)
So that's it - we covered religion, math, language arts (grammar, vocab, latin roots, spelling for one dd), history, science, Latin (more grammar, vocab) - we had fun, and it wasn't too much or too rushed. Crossing my fingers that we are finally finding our groove, because I'd love to continue on like this.
Jan 5, 2010
52 in 52: Book #1 - Simplicity Parenting
Hey, I finished book #1 before week #1 is actually over! Be quiet all you over there who know I started it in mid-December.
Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne is about simplifying the life surrounding your children - their environment, daily rhythms, schedules, and filtering out the adult oriented world (news, mature topics, etc). Payne is a Waldorf educator and parent counselor, and I can really see the "Waldorf way" shine through this entire book. I think it is an excellent book for a non-Waldorf parent to learn how to reduce the amount of toys, books, and activities surrounding your child(ren) - however, if you have read many books on Waldorf style parenting already, this is nothing new. That being said, the book contains good examples of how and why to simplify your parenting lifestyle, and is an enjoyable read. A plus for me was that it took the Waldorfy-way of parenting and removed it from the "spirituality" (Anthroposophy) of Waldorf/Steiner education, which as a Catholic I have trouble with. So it was nice to be told the underlying benefits of rhythm and simplicity for my children, without being told it must be related to something anthroposophic. A nice intro into simplicity for mainstream parents.
I give it 4 stars. :)
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If you enjoyed this garbled, overwordy review, there will hopefully be another next week on Sense and Sensibility. ;-)
Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne is about simplifying the life surrounding your children - their environment, daily rhythms, schedules, and filtering out the adult oriented world (news, mature topics, etc). Payne is a Waldorf educator and parent counselor, and I can really see the "Waldorf way" shine through this entire book. I think it is an excellent book for a non-Waldorf parent to learn how to reduce the amount of toys, books, and activities surrounding your child(ren) - however, if you have read many books on Waldorf style parenting already, this is nothing new. That being said, the book contains good examples of how and why to simplify your parenting lifestyle, and is an enjoyable read. A plus for me was that it took the Waldorfy-way of parenting and removed it from the "spirituality" (Anthroposophy) of Waldorf/Steiner education, which as a Catholic I have trouble with. So it was nice to be told the underlying benefits of rhythm and simplicity for my children, without being told it must be related to something anthroposophic. A nice intro into simplicity for mainstream parents.
I give it 4 stars. :)
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If you enjoyed this garbled, overwordy review, there will hopefully be another next week on Sense and Sensibility. ;-)
