The Homeschool Mother's Journal - 2

In my life this week.....it was a busy week, that's for sure!  Lots of errands, lots of chores (that may or may not have gotten done), lots of things on my mind.  Unfortunately, this translates to lots of anxiety for me.  Although I'm still coughing, it IS much better!

In our homeschool this week....our main focus has been on virtues.  We discussed that virtues are "habits" that are pleasing to God.  I pointed out some of my personal "habits" that are not pleasing to God...and that led to some very good discussions.  I could see their wheels turning and I'm pretty sure we all did some self examination.  Olivia was reviewing the letter "A" and that called for an "A"pple craft!

Amelia had a math test this week and she did very well.  We read stories about when Jesus was a little boy and how he showed us how to honor our parents.  We talked about the attributes of Mary (beautiful, handmaid of the Lord, Mother & sinless) and of Joseph (carpenter, husband, teacher, foster father).
Nathan stuck to his schedule...for the most part.  He also did a project on virtues.  He was asked to cut a boat shape out of paper, then in the boat, he was to write down several virtues for which he was grateful to God.  Then, he had to glue the boat to a larger sheet of paper and draw water below it.  In the water, he was to list things or traits that he has that are unnecessary or harmful to his soul....in other words....the things that he could "throw overboard".  This was a great project for helping him to visualize getting rid of those bad habits.  I asked his permission to take a picture of his project....but he didn't want to.  I don't blame him.  He also managed to do some map skills and read some great stories about King David.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...This week was Catholic Schools Week and our relationship to our parish school has remained a close one even though we aren't there on a daily basis anymore.  Each year during this week, the school sponsors a Used Book Sale!  We stopped by the sale and picked up some good books and a couple of videos all for $4.50!  We also dropped off all the Labels for Education we had been saving and some old uniforms that we don't need anymore.  We also were able to prepare and deliver a meal for a parishioner who is ill and dealing with cancer treatment.  The kids made cards for Mrs. H.   Another great thing was that I was able to meet one of Dan's cousins Thursday night  What a wonderful lady she is! And last...but NOT least, we were also able to make a trip to the post office to mail off a package to my swap buddy!

My favorite thing this week was...watching and listening as the kids were making the get well cards for Mrs. H.  My kids have a way of turning absolutely everything into a competition!  Do your kids do that?  Anyway, they had a very heated discussion about which card was going to make Mrs. H. feel better!  I heard things like this, "I'm going to make my flower BIGGER than YOURS!"  They crack me up!

What's working/not working for us....I'm still researching curriculum for next year.  I've pretty much decided on using Teaching Textbooks for Nathan's math.  I will also add some Seton as I've heard from a very good source that their readers are excellent.  I will definitely keep some CHC.  It's so hard to homeschool only part time.  This is the part that is NOT working very well.  Because of this, there is very little consistency in their school time.  It's very structured on Mondays and Tuesdays when we do school...but then the rest of the week they have a lot of idle time that is not very conducive to a good learning environment.  I'm going to begin a Novena to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.  Our family needs to have clarity about hour homeschool situation.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...I spent quite some time on the phone this past week with a very dear friend and homeschooling mom!  She is always so willing to share her experiences and ideas with me!  Her encouragement and support have been invaluable!  She's had a bout with the flu since we spoke the other night.  Please pray for her speedy recovery...she has students that need her!

A photo to share...I'm sharing two today...

Prayer before Nathan's basketball game!

Happy 7th Birthday, Amelia!!

Please join Sue at The Homechool Chick to add your journal....or view them all!

The Homeschool Mother's Journal - 1

Sue at The Homeschool Chick has started a new weekly meme called The Homeschool Mother's Journal.  I think this is a wonderful way to review our week, see what's working and what's not, what we've done and where we've been!  If you'd like to join us, hop on over to Sue's blog and leave your link!

In my life this week...still dealing with this upper respiratory infection!  No one has been allowed to make me laugh...because laughing begets coughing....and coughing begets the possibility of hacking up a lung...and that's just not good no matter how you look at it!  I'm hoping that the coughing will be over soon...it's wearing me out!

In our homeschool this week....we really had a rhythm going!  We didn't fight.  There was no yelling, crying or fit pitching!  We all had fun working together! There was a fairly heated discussion over the proper way to print a capital "J" between Dan and Nathan.  Although I kept my mouth shut (because it was between them), Nathan was correct.  We had age appropriate discussion about abortion and we prayed for all mothers and their babies.  It was a good week!

Places we're going and people we're seeing...I wanted to attend the Stand for Life in front of the courthouse in downtown Jacksonville, but I had an MD appt and couldn't be in two places at once.  So, instead we spent a few minutes in the Adoration chapel.  Everybody was quiet and courteous!  I think we'll do this again!  Dan took the kids to the zoo on Thursday.  They had a close up encounter with a gorilla they call "Bubba" who is 16 years old.  Apparently, Bubba was very interactive and animated with the kids!  I wish Dan had taken a picture!

My favorite thing this week was...sitting around the dining room table with the kids, drinking coffee, discussing our lessons and listening to their laughter! It was cold and rainy outside, but we were warm and cozy inside....together!  NOTHING makes me happier!

What's working/not working for us....I've begun to think about next year and what curriculum we will use.  We're currently using CHC and while I really, really like it, I'm also getting bored with it.  I don't know, a lot will depend on whether or not I continue to work 3 days a week.  There are 2 homeschooling conferences this summer that I plan on attending.  Perhaps something will feel right then.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...The art class with the city that we paid for at the beginning of the year fizzled out.  For whatever reason, the teacher flew the coop and now we don't have an art class to go to on Thursdays.  Because this happened right before the holidays, I didn't think much about it.  But now, I'm realizing that we need to be doing something to foster the creative side.  I need to come up with something.  Suggestions?

A photo to share...

I am totally amazed at how my lettuce is doing!  I will get another bunch cut this weekend!  It just keeps growing and growing and growing!  The kids love to check it everyday!  Look who's watching over it!