Saturday

This is not my idea of a wonderful Saturday, but I'm sure it will pay dividends later. I'm choosing to be joyful about it. LOL

I spent 7 hours working on lesson plans. We realized last week that Mondays are so horrendous because it takes me a solid hour to get the older ones lined out for the week...then I have to do us. My big confession is that after 18 years of homeschooling - I DON'T USE LESSON PLANS! I haven't for many years. I teach directly from the assignment sheets of TOG - before that it was SL....which had the plans there anyway. I simply do what we do.....and it works. HOWEVER, for the older children it was getting very time consuming to explain over and over how to FIND ALL THE ASSIGNMENTS of TOG.... Mike and I decided it would be a good investment for me to spend a few hours at the library on Saturdays. It went well.

I spent 4 hours at the library. I got Jamin and Jared's plans done. I picked out books on cows and butterflies (Monarch's are coming). I corrected a lot of work.....I put in a solid hour on Jamin's portfolio from LAST year which needs to be turned in by December.

I came home and spent an hour with each boy going over the assignment sheets.

Meanwhile, Michael kept the younger ones and they had FUN...and I'm choosing joy! ::snort::

Ah yes...we figured out what the bouncing in the van was all about....it seems we did not throw a counter-weight.....the tread was separating from the INSIDE. I shudder to think of all the freeway driving I did on Friday. SO....we now have new tires - and truck tires are not cheap. ::sigh:: Jamin offered us a no interest loan. ::snort:: Sure love these young men.

Mike took me out to DQ this evening. We came home and played charades.

I made an "assignment sheet" form, and then typed in all the assignments for each boy. Next week - I will take my LAP TOP to the library...then I could type in lesson plans, check websites I need etc.

Unfortunately, all my Sat. chores - menu planning, grocery shopping, cleaning....didn't get done....feel like I'm on a bit of a teeter totter here. ::snort::

What makes me think that if I throw enough forms at this problem it will go away? ::snort:: Actually, we DID get all our TOG finished by Wed this week and we did a lot of fun projects....so we're doing well....I want to do better. I want more play/down time.

Fall Into Reading 2007...

Begins on 23 September and runs through Dec 21st. Don't miss the fun...be sure to check out the info on Katrina's blog here. Really, there are very few rules, unless you want to be considered for the gift certificate at the end of the challenge.

WHEW FRIDAY

Wow. Fun week. Today we had a play date. We never quite made it to school.

I dropped Jared off to mow a lawn at 9:00 a.m. When we got home from playing about 12:20 and he wasn't home I began to worry. When he wasn't home at 1:00 p.m. I went to track him down. I found the tell tale gas cans and knew I'd found the right spot. ::snort:: I knocked on the door and spent the next 30+ minutes visiting with a delightful seasoned citizen. She told me that Jamin (who did her yard last year) and Jared are great boys. She asked questions about Stacia. We chatted. I sensed that she is lonely....and she is very security conscious. She told me to drop by any time as I was leaving.

This all put our schedule off - but I felt it was well worth it to have those moments of well...ministry. All I had planned for the day were some hands on things.

I got word that my name was drawn to win a DK Family Bible - and I'm totally excited. I didn't have the $30 to purchase this and have been using the libraries copy. I can return it shortly - for all you local folks who have been wanting it. LOL

Tonight was PWOC Project night. Low numbers tonight - but we had fun visiting. I DID put 14 sheet protectors on. ::snort::

I got home earlier than usual on Project Night. Mike and the kids at home were playing charades. I joined in and totally grossed out Stacia by washing her feet with my "tears" and drying them with my hair. ::snort::

I'm rethinking tomorrows plans...we have three different directions to head....I think I may simplify the plan.

Stacia has only attended chapel. I'd not realized she hadn't seen a baby before. She told Deja she wanted to hold the baby and Deja is very generous with Elisha. She examined his toes, hair, nose, and lips....pointing them all out to us....Ah...Elisha is a doll.

Thursday

Thursdays are our busy day. This one was a bit different.

I began with a workout and then ran up to the base with the 6 youngest ones to see this:

After years of planning today was the ground breaking for a new Chapel Center on our base. Our Wing Commander said this is somewhat of a miracle as this is the first Chapel to be built on an Air Force base in the last 15 years.

Bizarre Can-can line? (Michael is 3rd from right, Father Jim is next to him in Uniform - back from deployment YIPPEE on Tuesday night, Our Wing Commander is in the white hat and the man in the suit is our congressman.

We came back home and did school (see post below). Then we dropped Jamin and Jared at HoF for their weekly ministry volunteer time. I made FOUR phone calls while they were gone - some of you KNOW how long it takes me to make a phone call! When I went to pick them up, I noted that the van was bouncing rather much. I was sure I was losing a tire - but wasn't. Still not sure what is up. I took Jamin to work. I drove Jared to CAP. Ch. B called and said he'd bring Jared home. MICHAEL CAME HOME!!! What a treat, he usually works until 9 or 9:30 on Thursday night. Thanks Ch. B, for the ride home - it sure was a special treat for us!

I was bummed that we can't do produce co-op tomorrow (low members), but this worked out great. Mike was home and I wasn't busy getting ready for co-op. Tomorrow a.m. we have a play date. It's good!

Tonight the fantastic four, Michael, and I played charades. Krista sent some decks of cards with transportation and community workers on them. We drew a worker from a hat and then acted it out. When we ran out of cards we kept going. Josiah came home and joined us. Ignore the red eyes, I need to load Adobe and learn to touch up photos. LOL

Nolan, the Pilot

Arielle, the Chef

I drew "religious leader" - I have the DK family Bible from the library in my hands

Michael, the Cowboy He had the OTHER hat on first, but I wasn't quick enough with the camera and he refused to do it again! We laughed until we cried.

The two little cowboys - note the OTHER hat

Cy, the Tamale Vendor - Bre & Krista brought the sombrero home from their Mexico trip

School Today

I can't believe it. Things are clicking. It made a huge difference to move Nolan around on a few things and let Arielle speed ahead on extra Lit readers. I decided to let her read some of the dialectic lit in addition to her assignments, as she is somewhat bored with the Upper Grammar lit... We finished all the TOG for the week, yesterday(including literature and history SUPPLEMENTS). That left today for library books I'd picked up that looked fun and hands on projects.

I even cooked DINNER this week. ::snort:: I'm getting it. It took the first week of panic. The second week to adjust Jamin. The 3rd week to adjust Nolan and Arielle....we're getting it.

We each made a cartouche. We decided to follow the Egyptian practice of leaving out the vowels...which greatly sped up this project. LXNDR is much easier than ALEXANDER.

They all liked this project...even Stacia

RLL - Arielle

Stacia kept saying, "Mommy, I dit, I dit!" I looked...she was playing and eating clay. She was saying "I did it".

We also made apple mummies. I wanted to do something to bring the whole salt/drying thing alive and I think this will do it. We'll compare the apples at 2, 4 and 6 weeks. I liked this project as it required NO harming of animals...and no purchasing of dolls. ::snort::

Hmmm....all these hands on for Zander and he looks less than thrilled, doesn't he? ::snort::

I'm a bit skeptical about these apples on a plate lasting in TX for 6 weeks - seems like ant bait, but they've not found the pyramids yet. We have plans for more fun things next week - and maybe tomorrow afternoon.

Building Rockets

Last night Nolan and Zander talked Michael into working on rockets with them.....

hmmm...they measured the distance from the net to the ground.....

He built the rockets...

Not exactly the father/son bonding time we expected...but it will work. ::snort::

Michael has been home at decent hours all week....it's strange. It's wonderful.

Wednesday! Wow! Over the Hump!

Quote of the Day: "Eww....why do they always have to kiss?"

School....The youngers and I actually got ahead in many of our subjects. The older boys are on track. I think we're adjusting. I planned on doing hands on things the next couple of days....but um....I made a big mistake. More on that later. ::snort::

I took two boys for haircuts.

Nolan wasn't expecting quite this short - but I love it! Jared's Grumpy Face ::snort::

I helped Jamin start a blog. We're thinking of another one for the kids - or maybe we'll just put more of their writings on HERE, I'm still deciding.

I planned to make 4 meatloaves today - 2 for dinner and 2 for the freezer....but instead we're burning 3 lbs of burgers and I made 3 lbs of breakfast sausage.

The infamous package and Jamin

I swear I don't know where they got the idea to have a war with the peanuts!

OK- the mistake? I had planned to order an Ancient World History Kit. I thought it would combine a few experiments from Egypt, Greece, and Rome; countries we are studying. I bought the kit and two extra student kits. They arrived today. They look fabulous! There are even 3 homeschooling magazines included for FREE. I'm really thrilled with the kit....except I ordered the Ancient Far East kit (China, Japan, Tibet). I think we only spend one or two weeks on those countries this year, and if I remember right they are packed weeks. I was terribly frightened when I saw those three fish. I had some bizare sense that they would KNOW that I wasn't supposed to HAVE ordered them and they'd spoil or explode before we could use them. I really want to recommend Hands and Hearts. Kate has been a cyber friend via the SHS yahoo group for years. She and Jeff are the proud parents of Baby Noah to the right in the side bar. Our service was quick. The kit looks amazing! Fun!!! Jeff called tonight to assure me that the fish were going to be fine. I can send these kits back - but they look great! I don't think I'll order the Egypt kit. Actually we've already done a couple of the activities he mentioned are included in it....shoot if I'd bought THAT kit I would still have wooden spoons. ::snort:: I would like to make a senet board and they have a mummy project in the kit.... BUT I think I'll buy the Greece and Rome kits....I did order the Roman coins.....I guess because they went so well with Ancient Far East in my sleep deprived mind?

I briefly contemplated telling the kids that authentic Egyptians ATE with chopsticks and made fish prints....they just didn't show that in our books. ::snort:: We will briefly touch on China so maybe I can use that part of the kit and save the rest for later. I don't know. Has anyone out there used TOG year 2? Do we cover ancient China, Japan, Tibet etc?

OH - Stacia has twice had a strange reaction when getting dressing on her face. She breaks out in a red rash and welts....once all the way down her neck. Someone on SHS mentioned today that it could MSG. I realized that both times have been when she had store bought dressing. Tonight she had some Ranch - store bought since I'd run out sometime and bought this after our trip.....she turned red all around her mouth and up one side of her face. I checked the ingredients: MSG. The other types of dressing were Honey Mustard and Italian so the common ingredient seems to be MSG. I believe God is going to be sure I'm honest with my crunchy credentials. ::snort::

Dinner is over, clean up has commenced....think I'd best end this.