Wow!  It is September?  Really?

We had a light week.  First, we had tons of playdates planned as well as Dr visits and portraits for Cutiepatootie since she turned 7.  However, strep throat is going around these parts and Bugaboo ended up in the Dr office Monday.  Yep, he had strep throat.  Cancelled playdates through Wednesday.  School was scheduled lighter this week and we stuck to that.  It was so hot anyway!

We are looking forward to the weekend.  Family is visiting and we will camp one night with them.

Have a wonderful weekend!

T

Whoohoo, we had another great school week!  We took Tuesday off b/c we all felt like it and I had a migraine yesterday hit after lunch, but we still got everything done   Super cool!

Math:  They do a lesson a day in Horizons.  We had a test this week and both were at 98%   Super proud of my kids.  Even with our summer off they have jumped right back in and seem to be remembering more this year than in the past.

Language Arts:  This is my own weak spot.  It is why I like Classical Education.  I am learning as much as they are learning!  They do a page in Daily Grams, work on their cursive letter of the day, do a spelling lesson and then work in their writing programs.  This is new for us and this week was exciting.  Bugaboo’s program had him write a rough draft last week of the story he had read in his own words.  I walked away and let him work alone unsure how he would do.  Well his story was awesome!  This week he had to change the story and make it different…more details or change the characters some…it’s always Aesop’s Fables so the animals are characters.  It again was a great story and his changes were great.  His sentences were almost all run-ons, lol, but he did allow me to guide him in structuring one a little better.  He did not want to, but he did allow me to help.  The only issue was the first sentence that I honestly wasn’t sure about.  I couldn’t decide if it needed a comma to separate the ideas or if it flowed well enough to leave it alone.  Grammar/writing is my weak point and I wish I could have better been able to answer my own question.  He of course thought it was perfect, so we left it alone!  We will type it up Monday and print it out to put into a book for him to save.  He was so excited!

Cutiepatootie has a wonderful Aesop writing program that allows her to read the story and rewrite one sentence of a picture from the story.  Usually the next page has her think more about the story and write sentences about a topic.  This week was letter writing and how to set up the letter and envelope.  So she’s ready to write thank you notes….her birthday is tomorrow!!!

They are doing great in Language Arts this year and moving along with no complaining this year. 

Science:  We are reading about cells this week.  We like the Sonlight science program.  This is new to us this year, but I like how it’s done every day.  I was worried about the reading selection being too short but by the time they need to do the worksheets it’s enough for them to remember.  Science is getting done.  They are learning lots of new material.  We are happy with our choice to try this program.

History:  We are studying explorers and this week was focused on Columbus.  After our readings we worked on History Pockets and watched, “Drive Thru History: Columbus”.  The video was fascinating!!!  We bought the series at convention this year and am so glad we did.  Very interesting to watch.  Dave is funny, but connects dots from the larger picture of History.
Music:  Lessons are going very well.  The kids like their new teachers.  Bugaboo has moved into an electric guitar since he’d mastered the ukulele and all the songs we could find for it.  Ok, there are more out there but he was running into trouble when his instrument couldn’t play certain notes due to it having 4 strings.  His teacher had him work back through everything he knew to fine tune them.  He then worked on chords since up until now he was only picking.  And so, we got an electric guitar.  Bugaboo is beyond thrilled.  Daddy is signed up for drum lessons this fall.  You see how this is going to become a family band right?  Cutiepatootie still loves her violin and would be happy to play ‘fiddle’ like.

So we have been super busy this week with playdates.  The kids are learning and then playing most days.  We are finding our way about town.  Daddy is busy at work.  Mommy needs to clean the floors.  But tomorrow is Cutiepatootie’s birthday and we will be celebrating at a local water park and then having crab legs and cake

Have a great weekend,
T

YAY!  It’s FRIDAY!

Luckily this week has flown by and I am ready for the weekend.  Why?  So I can sleep late!  We are adjusting to the early mornings here.  I actually got up several days with dh this week.  And the kids were up today too!  It means it’s not even 8am and we are in the schoolroom ready to work.  I am not ready, lol, but they are here, so we will go with it!

Here’s our weekly report:

Math:  They did 4 math lessons.  Bugaboo did some logic work too.  Cutiepatootie is doing a math logic book with coloring pictures and she loves it.

Language Arts:  We are doing spelling 3x’s a week.  They are also working on cursive.  Letters c,a, d were covered this week and how to connect them.  In writing both have started new programs.  Bugaboo likes his program a lot.  He had copywork, vocabulary, sentence structure and today a rough draft of rewriting the story he was working on.  Cutiepatootie had several stories that she had to color and write sentences about.  She too likes her program.  Daily Grams is going well too.  Yay!

Science:  This is a new program for us and we really do like the pace and layout.  It gives them more accountability with the worksheets and I do think they are retaining more.  With it being short lessons it doesn’t make the day too long.

History:  Native Americans is our focus this week.  We have read some great books.

Music:  Lessons are going well.  They like their teachers!  Bugaboo will be moving over to electric guitar since his teacher says he has learned all the songs available for the ukulele as it only has 4 strings.

PE:  Well I put the idea out there for a free PE group that us moms organize and we had 10 of us show up yesterday to put it together.  I am very excited.  All the kids had fun.  The park is great.  And they will be playing volleyball, soccer and school yard games this fall!

All in all a great work week. We are still adjusting to being in the room on time, still adjusting to spending our time in the basement doing school, but we are making new friends and getting settled into a great fall routine.  The place is almost all unpacked with just a few things left to hang on the wall and some stuff in the garage to be moved to a new storage spot.  We like the area very much and think it’s going to be a good place to live

T

Well, we actually started some school this week   We did grammar review and math most days.  Next week is the big, all subject, marathon that will wear us out week.  It’s hard to get the ball rolling and not just for the kids!  But I am proud we got a few lessons going this week.

So here’s the lineup for this year’s subjects:

Daily Grams for grammar review

Writing Tales(Bugaboo)/Royal Fireworks Press Aesop’s Fable (Cutiepatootie)

All About Spelling 3 and probably 4

Horizons Math

Sonlight Core 3 History: Early American

Sonlight Science 3

Latina Christiana Latin I

music lessons( ukulele for Bugaboo and violin for Cutiepatootie)

PE:  forming a PE group for games and sports weekly

Music/Art: Composer/Artist study quarterly

That is our plan.  Already we are finding the math for Bugaboo is much longer and detailed than previous years.  He is liking the grammar this year much better than last years choice and so next year we may go with their full grammar program.  Cutiepatootie liked last years program and so she may go with that one.  Whatever works for them.

We pick up the rest of our stuff from the house this weekend and get to visit with our friends one last time.  I don’t know how often we will get back that way honestly.  We really do like it here in our new city.  We are excited about all the new things to do.  And we are kinda excited to see what winter brings here.  We know it will snow some.  How much?  A blizzard like last year?  The kids are going to need boots….so Christmas gift idea for you all right now

t

It’s fall and we get the question everywhere we go, “Are you kids excited about going back to school” ?  And the kids look at me funny because this person is asking this question, and they smile and say, “We homeschool!”.  And the person asking is confused why the kids are smiling about school.

We phase in our school every fall.  It allows us to get going again without the shock of a full day that can burn anyone out the first day!  This year we are starting Daily Grams, math and Sonlight Science our first week.  Next week the goal is to have everything else added in.  This week is hot and park days have to be in the mornings, so the best laid plans are already gone.

This is our first year with Sonlight for Science but after loving the History we have high hopes that science will be fun this year.  Math is math.  But it’s Bugaboo’s 4th grade math year, so it’s important and will be interesting to see how he does.  Both kids are working a grade level ahead in math and language arts.  So far no problems, but I expect it to slow down this year or next for Bugaboo and another year for Cutiepatootie.  I can’t believe we will soon be moving into middle school territory!

We are excited about all our lessons this year and hope to get a lot of local field trips in this year with our new location being so close to so much.  We really need to hit the road back home though for some early history topics but if we have to hang out here I am sure I can find plenty to see and do.

I am off to wake up the sleeping kids who have no clue what early in the morning really means

It’s August.  WOW!  Our move went well.  As well as 100+ degree temps along with lifting heavy items can go.  We are in our new place and most boxes are out of the place and stored away in the garage.  We go back soon for the last few items.  Our workout equipment would cost more to replace, so we are driving back to get it and the christmas tree

Our first week in our new place has been good.  We have met a few people through the homeschool group nearby and even had a playdate with one family!  We are also spending more time on the tennis court and are meeting people at that park every time we go.   I remember one gal who told me when she moves she never turns down an invite.  I am taking her advice and trying to follow up with people and do things just to get out.

We spent most of last week looking for new music teachers.  We finally put money down on one place an they start next week.  The price shock is wearing off and the kids realize they may not do anything else this fall.  I am hoping to sign them up for soccer with a homeschool group out in the country, but it depends on the price of soccer shoes first.  Moving meant a pay cut, which means we all must cut back.  So family, when you think about birthday presents, think money toward sports ok?  The kids really want to play some things.  To give you perspective….their music lessons are now more than the car payment.  ACK!

We plan to start school after our last moving weekend this month.  We have a full schedule planned and are excited about our new studies.  We start American History this year as well as picking Latin back up.  In Science we are doing a spiral program, so the kids will get lots of different topics this year.  We are also starting a writing program to focus on this year with daily grammar as well.  We plan to alternate our focus in language arts from writing to grammar each year.  This is our writing year.

So life is at times hectic, at times boring, and at this point, always something new.  We do like the town a lot and the job is going well.

T

Personally, I am ready for Saturday.  But we did have a great week and I shouldn’t focus on the horrible dentist/cavity filling experience from this morning.

We keep working through math daily.  Bugaboo is doing long division now!  Cutiepatootie is working on pictographs and multiplication facts.  Both are also doing logic puzzles and love them.  We are finishing up two books from our history curriculum that revolve around missionaries in different time periods/locations and are enjoying reading about other people in this world.

We went bowling twice this week and to the pool.  Plenty of time playing with neighbor kids and water guns too.  It’s going to be a fun summer

Happy Father’s Day!  We hope to surprise Daddy this year with a gift…we just need to go shopping

It’s FRIDAY!  It’s homeschool convention weekend!  We are heading up today as a family to view the vendors and see if anything new has hit the market.  We are set for fall and anything I find today would be ‘gravy’ for our studies.  I have a few things I am looking for though such as logic workbooks or software.

We have had a great week in our studies.  We wrapped up the history reading portion of our curriculum and now have two books to finish reading.  Both are about missionaries so the kids really enjoy them and I don’t think we will wait all summer to read.  A  little each day and before fall we will finish.  Math is consistent with one lesson a day.  I wish they would want to do more to get done but honestly, if they keep at this pace they won’t have the long break and I won’t have to reteach things come fall   They also do logic every day.  Once they finish…which could be 30 minutes or HOURS depending on the day/attitude/lack of sleep/stubborn will, they are off to play.  They are also watching Avatar:The Last Airbender from Nickelodeon on Netflix/Wii and are happy it’s been hot or rainy to get an episode in each day.  Dh and I loved the series and now the kids are enjoying as well.  Cutiepatootie commented, “The world would sure be different if we had airbending or waterbending.”  Yep, it sure would be!

We went bowling this week, to the pool, to the park with friends, to music lessons and had outside play time with the neighbor kids.  Summer is shaping up to be a fun one.

Have a great weekend!

It was a short school week but we have gotten a lot done!  We are moving ahead in math….finally at lesson 120.  We have to get through to 160 though, so lots more to learn!  Bugaboo is adding fractions now and doing division with remainders.  Cutiepatootie is in the thick of multiplication facts and graphs.  In History we have moved through World War I and II very quickly this week.  We are also trying to wrap up our Aesop Fables and poems.  We plan on doing all the history readings and then finish the read alouds we have left.

Music lessons continue going well.  Cutiepatootie has to practice on her recital piece and Bugaboo is learning the music notes now instead of playing from tabulature.

We went to the pool once this week but I expect it to be more often in the future.

The kids had dentist appointments today.  Bugaboo has a cavity.  One of his sealants had fallen off at some point and the tooth will be filled in two weeks.  Even with insurance it’s almost $200. 

We plan to do the Home Depot Kids building event tomorrow and kayak some.  Church Sunday and maybe the pool.  Going to relax!!!  Have a good one!

It’s FRIDAY!  I am so glad.  Not glad about cleaning bathrooms and the floors but glad the week of catching up is over!  We somehow managed to get the laundry caught up and have more to do.  We actually cooked all our meals this week and did not have to go out.

In school we moved past the Industrial Revolution to touch on American Native Americans in the Great Plains and how their land was lost.  We also started reading a book set in WWII in Holland.  We are going through math one lesson a day now and hope to get a few extra lessons in here and there.  The pool opens this weekend so we expect to be there a LOT this summer.  Motivation to get things done

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! Thank you servicemen and women!