The Homeschool Mother's Journal 11/18/13

In my life this week...

We had a big rehearsal night for our upcoming Christmas musical. The rehearsal portion of the rehearsal was actually the shortest part of the night. It was more about staying overnight at the church. The kids had a blast, and, as tired as I was on Saturday (and Sunday!!!), so did I. After this whole spending the night with 15 children thing(the rest went home early), I was pretty much useless. No, really. I fell asleep sitting up while trying to fix a problem with our Netflix account. That's when the kids sent me to bed.

In our homeschool this week…

The children are in the middle of a cooperative project that might have run a little amuck today. We've been learning about the reasons the Pilgrims left England and the Netherlands. They're creating a commercial to advertise for more people to join the Pilgrims (this brilliant idea was not my own, and I can't remember where I found it or I would link you to it). My intention was for this to be a fun, light way for them to dig a little deeper and maybe even retain some details. The first day they worked well together. Today? Not so much. There might have been 10 minutes of silence mandated by me followed by 20 minutes of diligent cooperation. I'm sure this will turn out great. Right? Sure it will.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

Take time for the fun stuff. Being serious all the time isn't good for anyone.

I am inspired by…

C.S. Lewis. I'm not talking about Narnia, although I love that series and find it to be unbelievably brilliant. I'm talking about everything else Lewis wrote. This man used his God-given gifts to influence generations of people. That's a legacy we should all notice.

 
Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

Our homeschooling co-op has our fall presentation night tomorrow. The music class I teach will be performing as will the pre-schoolers and guitar students. Artwork and science projects will be on display. It's going to be a fun evening!

Also in the coming week is our church's Thanksgiving dinner, which we're sharing with another local church this year. I'm excited to celebrate this season with our church family and with friends from the local Nazarene church too!  

My favorite thing this week was…

The over-nighter. Who knew?

My kiddos favorite thing this week was…

Ava's favorite thing was her art class (she might say this nearly every week), and Lukas' favorite thing is playing the guitar. And I mean, he plays the guitar all.the.time. It's music to this music teaching mama's ears.


I couldn't resist.

What’s working/not working for us…

Non-traditional spelling curriculum. I won't explain it on-line since a very knowledgeable person created this approach and deserves the credit. I attended a seminar by Dr.Karen Holinga, The Reading Doctor, and we have stuck strictly to her spelling plan for the past 2 1/2 months of school (she also did our assessments when we lived in the Columbus area. Highly recommend!). My girl is not a great speller,and maybe she never will be, but her progress in that time period is astounding! We're graduating from Arnold Lobel books and moving onto more challenging passages to copy and dictate. Woot! Go Ava!

Things I’m working on…

Someone needs to fold the laundry. It's my favorite, but I am completely and totally out of time (I might be exaggerating a little since I'm taking time for blogging).   

I’m reading…

The Starch Solution. I'm not yet convinced since it goes against everything I've ever understood about nutrition, but, at the recommendation of a friend, I'm reading and researching.

I’m cooking…

Gluten-free meatloaf, baked sweet potatoes, sauteed cabbage, and green beans.

I’m grateful for…

Feeling connected.

I’m praying for…

How each of us will handle the reality of two empty chairs at our Thanksgiving table. Pray for those you know how have recently lost loved ones.

I rewarded my kids this week by…

Eliminating a subject or two after a hard few days of learning.

A photo to share…

My little 80s Rocker

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