Books ...

I was sitting with my daughter, working my way through yet another painful math session, when I glanced to my left and saw the vignette pictured above. It struck me as majestic, simple yet bold in its statement - Books! I love books. There is nothing I desire to spend money on more than books. Professional haircuts, manicures, and nice clothes are not a priority when lounging pajamas and hair pulled back in a headband are way more comfortable for the travels that await me in a book. I wait with eager anticipation when it is time for new books to arrive. You would never catch me with a Kindle or any other device meant to replace the tactile pleasures of an actual book - its weight in my hands, whether a tome or a simple picture book meant to please my young uns, the smell of an old book versus a new one, the spine of a well-worn volume that is hanging on by a thread as opposed to the tight binding of yet unexplored territory . Books line my shelves, lay waiting for me in the car, are stacked three to six high on my nightstand, and are safely ensconced in my purse, less a spare moment present itself to me unarmed. I hate finding time to fill, yet having no reading material with which to fill it.

I keep a stash of books at the hospital now. I have a book of fairy tales and one of poems and prayers to read to Emma. As she snuggles in my arms, I share the wonders of reading with her, just as I would be doing if she were home with us - just as we should have been doing. I imagine how different our days would be with an infant in the house, how we would be pressed to include her schedule in our daily routine, take her needs into consideration when planning our days. But one cannot get too caught up in the "if only" s in life. I have at times, only to find myself becoming stagnant, unable to move forward because, after all, life is just not how it was supposed to be. I oftentimes think that situations like ourselves are exactly what health care reform policies seek to avoid in the future - do not allow people to be faced with these dilemmas that cause loss of work time, loss of efficiency in all things, emotional stress ... money. If life hands you lemons, throw them away before they sour the life you really wanted. The truth is, yes, I would not have ever imagined this to be our life, and I do wish it away on certain days. But it is not the child I wish away - just the situation. While it is difficult and stressful and expensive, it is our life. There is something to be said for not always getting what you want in life. It may be cliche, but it is true that these are the times that make you stronger and allow you to reflect on your blessings and see your growth in character and fortitude. I have seen my children as youngsters who are not as selfish as I feared and capable of love that far surpasses that which I ever expected.

How did I get started on this? Oh, yeah, books. Well, suffice it to say, I love books.

We Took It Outside...

The Young Pup

The Awful, Never-Ending, Layer-Upon-Layer of Leaves

The Serious Scholar

The Artists In Deep Concentration

Today was a rough day. Perhaps it was the time-change ... Perhaps it was yet another whirlwind weekend ... Whatever the reason, by 11 am I had had enough. Attitudes were poor (mine included), and the thought of the long hours that stretched before us until bedtime just was too overwhelming to bear. So, we packed up our sketch books and the video camera and headed outside. We spread an old comforter across the lawn and the kids settled in to complete their assignment - pick a vista, snap a picture of it, and then sketch it. I mowed the leaves (that's right, I mowed them) as they rather contently sketched the house, the rock beds, and the mailbox. They did a very good job. My serious student was very precise with her architecturally detailed drawing of the house. My Mark Kistler fan added cartoon characters to his rock bed, and gave the house a fun-house feel. My Little Bear did such a good job with her drawing - I am always surprised by the effort she puts into her work, because I think of her as so young still. It was wonderful for Rocky to be out of doors, so he could race about like the young pup that he is. We even had some time for PE - football practice. After a few hours, we took a break to get some food and then the kids spent a few more hours outside. We completed our academic work in the evening. Non-traditional but time well-spent. It was a glorious fall day, cool but not cold, brisk, not too many bugs to spoil the air. The children really enjoyed it, it helped break the hold the bad mood of the am had on us, and I got some yard work done.

I think the bad moods and poor attitudes are partially my fault. I have committed an egregious parenting error - I have felt sorry for my children. I feel sorry for them for having to go through the emotional turmoil of this situation with Emma, and I feel sorry for them that I have to leave them so often and disrupt our normal way of life. But pity never did a body good. So I need to just stop. I need to reinstitute my high expectations for my children. Chores need to be done again with efficiency and regularity. School requires effort, concentration, and time. And life does not have to be fun. It is nice when it is. Today it was. Tomorrow? We'll see.

Break Time ...

We are off this week. Technically, although we are not counting the week towards our school year, we are finishing up a few odds and ends. So, to me, we are off - to the kids, not so much. They really can't complain. A few math bits to solidify, a few pages to read, one grammar test to finish up a unit, and some Hamlet.

That which does not kill you, only makes you stronger, my children.

I have also been working on our schedules for the next six weeks. We will be returning to Latina Christiana, reviewing the first book and beginning the second. The Oldest Twin wants the structure of the video, workbook, and activity book. I have spent today reviewing the first book myself, making some notes, and wondering why we left. Oh, yeah, the little bothersome bit about me dozing off during the videos played a part in that decision. Really, it is a good, structured program. But, as I was reviewing it today, I wanted to be clear about my goals as to why we are pursuing this particular subject. While the grammar is interesting and reinforces what we are learning in our formal studies, and translation is fun, I want to emphasize roots and derivatives, and I feel that is a shortcoming of the program. But I have found this to be lacking in Lively Latin and Song School or ... oh, whatever other one I tried out. So I need to be more vigilant with this aspect of our studies, and make sure I add the emphasis which the program itself lacks. We may start up our Greek studies again, if I can find the time. Adding another area of study that just serves to compromise our core studies is not going to serve any purpose. Slowing things down, going into more depth is really reaping the rewards around here. Both of the twins scored in the high 90s on their grammar unit test, and their narratives in their respective history studies have blossomed.

If I had to pick one subject that has had the biggest impact on our studies it would have to be grammar. The twins have been with Rod & Staff for three years now, beginning with Book 3. They have really utilized the skills they are learning - in particular, this year, outlining - across the curriculum. I only schedule grammar three times a week, with two or three actual lessons and the supplementary worksheets. Most of the lessons are done orally. And, while I often look longingly at other grammar programs - ones with fancier books, a bit of spice to them - I realize, if it ain't broke, don't mess with it. I tried to jump into the R & S 9 book with my oldest in my earlier days of home-schooling, and it was impossible. So my goal is to bring these two along the path from the beginning. By Book 6, my understanding is that they will have more grammar than most high school graduates.

Well, back to the schedules and my Latin studies. I will leave you with a snippet of an Emma video. I was supposed to see her yesterday, but I felt unwell. Can't be too careful around her. (At least, that is what I say to console myself and ease my guilt. It doesn't work too well.) She is currently at 10 ml on her feeds, and weighs a whopping 6 lbs 5 1/2 oz. Go, Emma ... Go, Emma ... Now, to appreciate this video and its content, you must imagine having a child with whom you have had limited contact from the time of their birth - almost as though they have been in a coma, unable to respond to you. And slowly, over the course of many, many, many months, they begin to awaken and attain the many milestones your other children came to with ease. You just cannot imagine the way a simple interaction such as Emma displays here has made my heart soar with hope. I watch, rewatch, and then ... play it again. It is simply a miracle. She is simply a miracle. And if you want to put a price tag on that miracle, go right ahead. My question to you is, what are we developing all the new technologies for, if not for the attainment of these types of miracles? Allow smokers to sue tobacco manufacturers and continue to smoke, and then provide them with surgeries and drugs to combat the damage they have inflicted upon themselves. Let alcoholics drink themselves to the brink of death, and then give them a life-saving transplant. Allow motorcyclists the "right" to choose whether or not to wear a helmet, get mangled in an accident, and, after emergency personnel have finished cleaning their brains off the pavement, allow them to rehabilitate in expensive facilities so that they may one day feel the wind in their hair again. But, if you allow all that in the pursuit of the individual's right to choose for themselves, then do not tell me that the child born too soon - without any fault in that event - has no right to at least be given a chance at life.

We Are Not in the Money ...

I am supposed to go to Philly tomorrow. So I posted the kids' "Math Problems a la Mom" tonight. Oldest Twin's problem: Tom's salary is $200,000 annually. He spends 24% on food, 16% on electricity and other utilities, 21% on car and related expenses, and 19% on housing. How much $ does he spend on each area of expenses, and how much money does he have left to pay his 20% in taxes? Well, the oldest twin saw the problem already written out and had two questions: One, is Tom the brother of Jim from the previous problem, and just what do those two do for a living???

The Wall of Education...

Today is a busy, emotionally charged day. The baby is to resume feeds, albeit verrrrrry slowwwwwly, and my father is to undergo surgery. So, since I cannot be with either one of them, I will focus my attention on the children. I will torture ... eh, uhm, I mean, educate them. I changed things up a bit here last week, and made a major wall in our home into the school wall. I put up two dry erase boards, our world and US maps, and some posters. I have once again caved to the reality of our life - we homeschool. No one room can contain what is the main focus of our lives. So let us embrace the books, the papers, the various writing implements, the building blocks and math manipulatives, the Lego men ... basically, the mess. And each morning we now begin with math problems on the board. Now, while this may sound "schoolish", it has real value in that it has enabled me to use what the kids are "supposed" to be learning in the texts and apply the concepts in different ways to see that they are mastering the material. Case in point: the oldest twin is using Math-U-See Zeta and Life of Fred: Decimals and Percents. As has happened each year we have been with Math-U-See, I sometimes do not understand Mr. Demme's explanations/methods. And if I have not followed from the beginning close enough, I cannot possibly explain it to my student in his way. So to the board we go for a re-explanation a la Mom. Once she has seen the light, I focus on those types of problems for a bit. Otherwise, the oldest twin will get really down on herself, feel like a failure, and convince herself that math is her nemesis, not her friend. Today's problem was the following:

Jim spent 15% of his $100,000 salary on a new car. He paid 18% sales tax. He also bought new tires for $1200, each. How much did he spend in all? How much money did he have left from his salary?

This one problem required her to use addition, subtraction, and multiplication, and remember how to figure percents. She did it with ease. Just a few minutes each morning focusing on "Mom's Math Problem of the Day" has helped quell her math phobia, and it has really given her confidence that she can indeed do math.

(We also make use of the pictures on the walls in Art and Art Appreciation. We study the artist, the actual picture depicted, and the children attempt to re-create the scene in their art notebooks. They have become quite adept at this. My 8 year-old has used the skills she has learned to draw various items around the house, including the china cabinet and the armoire. It is really amazing to see the lessons in art and drawing take root and blossom.)

Pandora, the Sloth, and Bach ...

My second son is ... well, to put it succinctly, he is lay zee!!! Lazy as can be. Lazy as a dog on a hot day. Lazy as ... his nickname is the sloth. Get the picture? He is also very bright - learning comes very easy to him, requiring little effort. In other words, he gets a lot out of doing very little. This academic year, I decided to challenge him a bit more, and he has met those challenges. But it irks me, while doing our studies, when I feel he is not very attentive to the subject at hand. So, it is with no small suprise on my part that, today, while I was correcting his math, he remarked on the music playing on Pandora (a free music station that streams over the internet, allowing you to customize your choices): "Ah, a Bach cantata, I believe." I quickly checked for myself, throw off by his words, his perception, his abilty to utilize the Fine Arts lessons we have been focusing on as a group. Sure enough, he was right. It was a Bach cantata. Unbelieveable.

Saving My Sanity ...

Our lives have been in such upheaval for the past few months. The uncertainty surrounding Emma has made such commonplace activities as food shopping a huge undertaking - when is it "safe" to go, dare I chance missing a phone call from the hospital, dare I spend money on groceries that I may not be here to prepare for the children. The one thing that has kept all of us "sane", I believe, is our schooling.

We have completed week #9 of our Summer Term. I have changed some things that did not work, added some things that might make the whole year a bit more fun. Monday through Friday, we know that we will get up, get ready for a school day, and learn. There have been interruptions - an unexpected break taken for me to be near Emma. But in all reality, it is impossible for me to be near her each day while she is in Philadelphia - practical issues like travel expenses and time spent in traffic need to be taken into consideration. Plus, the children are not allowed to accompany me, so there is child care to consider. While my heart desires to be near the most critically ill member of my family all the time, it is just not possible. So off to school we go.

Today, we began our foray into the world of classical music. We have treaded into this water before - well, the twins and I have. But now we are using the guide from Beautiful Feet Books, and it looks like an interesting and fun study. There are so many wonderful resources out there - CDs, books, videos. But this guide will provide me with the structure I need to pull it all together. It will be easier to schedule all the extras when I have the skeleton of our study in front of me. This morning, we made our cover pages, illustrated The Ride of the Valkyries, and studied a bit about what made the Baroque Period The Baroque Period.

We used to have Fine Arts Friday, and I think I will try to implement that once again. It lends an ease to transitioning into the weekend, and ends the week on a light note - a reward for the hard academic toil of the previous four days!

Some people have remarked, "You're not actually doing school during this time, are you?" My answer is a simple, "Yes". School for us is as routine as brushing our teeth. It is us, it is our norm, it is part of our life together. Yesterday, the children put on a play for me. Their dialogue was punctuated with old English and Latin phrases, and their use of accents is simply charming. It was imaginative, and required the cooperation of a 6 year-old, who is not real big on conformity. It served as a reminder to me of how our non-traditional ways have so many rewards. When they are grown, I hope my children will be best friends with one another, and recall fondly the numerous plays, skits, and anecdotes of their academic years. Of course there are moments of tears - math is not a favorite subject of the twins, and Latin last week only required one paragraph of translation while this week it morphed into four paragraphs! Egads!! However, overall, I would not trade this time of family bonding for a schedule of buses to catch, lunches needing to be bagged and permission slips to be signed for anything.

And now, the individuals who comprise the class of 2009-2010 ...

The younger twin, posing with his new-found favorite book (and series) - The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle. He will be studying Adventures in the Sea and Sky, by Winter's Promise. He will also be studying Singapore Math, Rod and Staff Grammar 5, Writing Tales II, A Beka Readers for 5th Grade, Mark Kistler's On-line Art Academy, supplementary literature from Beautiful Feet Books, and a Shakespeare play each month.

This is the Oldest Twin. She is currently reading the sequel to Gone Away Lake - Return to Gone Away. She will be studying Sonlight Core 5, Eastern Hemisphere this year. She will also be studying the Language Arts for level 5, Science 5 (Human Anatomy, Physiology, and Medicine), Rod & Staff Grammar 5, Life of Fred: Fractions & Decimals, Math-U-See Zeta, supplementary readers from A Beka's 6th grade, Latin with Lively Latin and Latina Christiana plus supplementary resources, God & the History of Art, a composer per month, and a Shakespeare play each month.

This is our class clown. He will be studying Sonlight 3/4. Now, this is geared for a younger age, but I believe it to be the perfect fit for Kindergarten. It has fairy tales, lots of picture books, and short stories for short attention spans. After much thought, I decided to give him his own 45-minutes in the morning and again in the afternoon, and it went well today. He is also doing Horizons Math, Queens' Language Lessons, and Explode the Code.

Little Bear will be studying World History with Sonlight Core 1/2. She is continuing with Primary Language Lessons, Explode the Code, Rod & Staff Mathematics, Rod & Staff Spelling, McGuffey Readers for copywork, Pictures in Cursive, Sonlight Science 2, Sonlight Language Arts 2, and art history lessons with various resources from Sonlight. She is also doing the Mark Kistler On-line Art Academy drawing lessons, as well as sitting in on our Shakespeare studies.

My oldest is studying independently, intent on completing some advanced placement courses prior to the new year and beginning college next January. We are all studying different things, and hoping it will work out. Combining just didn't appeal to the kids this year based on their interests. I have made much use out of my Homeschool Tracker program over our break, planning out all 36 weeks. We will see how it all goes. Wish us luck, and see if we are still smiling in our end-of-the-year pictures! There will be an addition to the family in the next few months, in between terms (how fortuitous!). Things may get complicated and disorganized without proper planning and the implementation of good habits now. So that is my goal for each of the kids, and I will do my part to keep on schedule. Organization is the key, and that is what I have done - organize, organize, organize.

It's Time for ...

The Weekly Report!!!

In school news this week, much was accomplished. Despite my continued health struggles, the kiddies plodded on. Having chosen resources for each level has been the best decision I have made thus far. My twins have their own ancient history resources and are working independently. The oldest twin completed another full week of My Father's World: Creation to the Greeks. She has the teacher's manual, and is completely responsible for her work. The highlight of the week was listening to the Vivaldi biography on Classical Kids. (I think that is the name - forgive me if I am confusing it with another.) We did supplement a bit with extra readings in both Story of the World, and Child's History of the World. But, those are like treats to my kids - time to color maps and extra coloring pages, play quietly while Mom reads. Even Rocky has requested the maps to color from the STOW activity book. I love when he asks to join it.

The younger twin completed his second week in The Mystery of History. This is working out well for him - bite size readings with a bit of meat. He likes to ask for supplementary readings to correspond with what he was reading about. We had a conversation about dinosaurs, the meaning of "behemoth" in the Bible, references to dragons in ancient literature and their cultural significance in ancient times, especially in Asian countries. We then happened to stumble across the movie The Water Horse on Netflix. They really enjoyed that. In case you never saw it, the movie explores some of the myths surrounding the Loch Ness Monster. It was very good. I showed him how to do a time-line to sum up what he learned this week. (Of course, I inserted the picture here, but blogger put it at the top.) And he completed all three books I had assigned him for the month of February - a biography on Louis Braille, a complilation of Arabian Nights, Aladdin, etc, and The Incredible Journey. Finding books that fit him has been a bit of a struggle, but we are doing well now.

In grammar, we completed Chapter 5 lessons, minus the ones related to writing skills. We will do the review lesson, and the writing skills next week. I continue to be impressed with Rod & Staff. The lessons are simple and clear, and the worksheets help to bring it all together. Plus, they serve as automatic documentation for the portfolio (Blah!!!). I purchased the R & S 6 science for my oldest twin, 'cause, you know, she wasn't burdened enough. I felt it was time for an actual science text. She is liking it, so far. I am teaching her how to outline the chapter, paying particular attention to vocabulary, and answering chapter summary questions. She did complete the first two lessons. And she is on lesson 17 in Life of Fred. I am having her complete some fraction worksheets from Math Mammoth because Fred is a bit light on the number of problems. The younger twin is still working on Singapore, all on his own, no more complaints since he can write in the books. I think he will be done with all the 3B books in a month or so, and he wants to continue with the program. I am glad he found a niche in math, too - finally!

We reviewed our Shakespeare play, read our "life" (Plutarch), began reading Homer Price and The Tanglewood Secret, and continued to work on drawing skills. The oldest twin completed another lesson in Latin, and read Plain Girl and All of a Kind Family. (She is a bibliophile in making - she has a stack of no less than 20 books on her nightstand, and is currently reading three books at once, not assigned reading, just for fun. One she keeps on the dining room table, one open on her desk, and one in her bed - I am so proud!) Little Bear has completed 5 lessons in ETC 4, is on lesson 15 in Primary Language Lessons, and completed lesson 6, a review lesson, in spelling. We decided to continue with Rod & Staff for math, and, once the books arrived, she began them immediately. She is reading through the literature selections from Sonlight level 2 readers, and is doing very well with them.

All in all, a good week. Thanks for stopping by.

Changes ...

We've made some changes around here in the past few weeks. While I am fighting this illness that grabs hold of me every couple of months, I needed my oldest daughter to be able to continue her work on her own - something she is quite capable of, and willing to do. So I purchased My Father's World: Creation to the Greeks for her, and she is loving it. It is for grades 4-8, so I look at it as a middle ground between the Dialectic level work she was doing with Tapestry of Grace (which required too much from me) and the grammar level of SL Core 1. My 9 yo son is working his way through The Mystery of History, Volume 1, and my little ones will still do SL. When we do get together as a group, we still do SOTW, and the activity pages, as well as CHOW. But the pressure is off to make sure the group is all together every day. My 10 yo is loving MFW, and she loves the freedom of getting up early, beginning her work, checking off all the things she has completed. She is very much the independent learner.



So since this blog is to serve as my "diary" of our homeschooling journey, I should take a moment to jot down where we are for the new school year.



Oldest Twin, 10, 6th Grade

My Father's World: Creation to the Greeks (history, geography, theology, music and art history, art applied, literature)

Rod & Staff: Grammar, Spelling, Science 6

Life of Fred: Fractions

Rod & Staff Mathematics 7

Lively Latin

Latina Christiana

Ludere Latin

Literature from MFW, SL Core 4 (readers and read-alouds we did not get to)

Shakespeare and Plutarch, one per month from each



Younger Twin, 9, 4th grade

Mystery of History, Volume 1

Our Young Folks' Josephus

SOTW, Volume 1

Studying God's Word, Book E

Rod & Staff: Grammar, Spelling

Singapore Math 3B with all the supplemental workbooks

Saxon 65

History of Medicine, supplemental science encyclopedias and lit.

Lit. from Ambleside On-line, Years 1-5 (anything we missed)

Shakespeare and Plutarch, one per month from each



*They are both still working on an independent lap-book project of the United States Presidents.



Assigning a grade level has been a difficult thing to determine. The 10 yo just took the 5th grade CAT, and the 9 yo took the 3rd grade one. I only gave them those levels because I did not want to be forced to give them the higher levels at a mandated time in the future (every two years is required here) just because the school district expected it. In other words, if I gave my 9 yo the 5th grade test this year (which he could have taken with ease), then he would have to take the 7th grade test at the age of 11. I do not want that, because who knows if he will continue to be as advanced in his work as the work gets progressively harder? I am calling my 10 yo a sixth grader only because she just took the 5th grade test. And it provides some structure for me as I plan out the higher grades.





I am looking to add a writing program to our studies. My dilemma is I really enjoy R&S Grammar. Most of the writing programs that teach the progymnasmata have their own grammar programs scheduled, or incorporate grammar. I did use Imitations in Writing one year, and my daughter enjoyed it. I may choose that again for her, and allow her to continue with R&S. As for my son, I think Writing Tales is looking promising. Working within the framework of the LCC for him is the best approach. The structure of Writing Tales, as far as I can tell from the samples, seems to fit that very nicely.



Well, I've updated, droned on for a bit, and now it is time to do some actual work. So, adieu for now.

Weekly Report, Winter Term 2009 Week 2

Another week, come and gone. It was a hard week. It lacked flow. The whole Tapestry/Sonlight meshing that looked so great on paper just sucked the life out of me. Three days in and I chucked the schedule. Instead, I just began with Sonlight, and added from my home library so there was something age-appropriate for all. And we just read - every day, for two hours straight, we sat on the couch and read. Charlotte's Web, Hero Tales, Child's History of the World, Story of the World - no concerns over properly fitting the chapters to correspond to one another. We colored some maps and reviewed our US Geography. We also enjoyed The Bard of Avon, and some videos on United Streaming about early Egyptian life along the Nile River. My 9 yo son made up a skit - he names each US President, and does a bit about something "significant" that happened during his time in office. Now, "significant" is a loose term when it comes to this particular child - his favorite book on the Presidents is "Don't Know Much About the Presidents" . (I believe that is the title, anyway.) His performance was actually quite humorous, especially when he has William Henry Harrison delivering a speech while uncontrollably sneezing and coughing, and Ulysses S. Grant turning his pockets inside out while declaring, "I could have sworn I had twenty dollars in there."



In grammar, we learned how to diagram predicate nominatives, and how to properly use lay/lie & raise/rise. The younger twin polished off Doctor Doolittle in two days(loved it), completed a summary of each chapter, and parlayed it into a book report - all without any complaints! This was an amazing feat for this child. The older twin is working her way through The Golden Goblet. She did another Lively Latin lesson, took a test in Rod & Staff Math 7, and is now working her way through Life of Fred: Fractions by herself. She has always "hated" math, in her words, so I have high hopes for Fred. Don't let me down, boy!



I made the switch to Singapore for the younger twin. And I started him in book 3B. I felt there was some stuff in there that just had not been covered by Saxon. He did all of Ch. 1 in the text, WB, Challenging Word Problems, and Intensive Practice. Having a write-in book for this child has made a world of difference. And he is very much a mental math kid to begin with. It will be a challenge to get him to show his work.



Little Bear is doing so well with her 2nd grade work. Rod & Staff Spelling has been a wonderful addition to her written work. She loves it. She loves all workbooks - ETC, Wordly Wise, Spelling, copywork ... The more, the better. And she is loving the addition of the Story of the World activity pages. She just loves school.



Rocky listened in when he wanted to, continues to announce multiplication facts he has just figured out for himself, and keeps us safe from the dragons and demons that are in our midst. I took all five kids to the dentist yesterday, and he was so wonderful. He has really matured this year. There are times when I really question myself, my parenting, my children's "normalcy" & appropriateness. But, he was just so amiable with the staff, and allowed them to take x-rays, and even did a fluoride treatment. I guess, when my older children went through all this, I did not pay much attention because there was always someone younger to fret over. But, with my littlest guy, he just seems so little. Everything he does seems so ... big to me - too big for such a little guy. Interesting, huh? Yup, that is some insight into how my brain is operating these days.



As for my Prince, he has been working at a ski shop, and started his senior year of studies. He is studying for his permit, and conquering the mountain of work that is required of him in Anatomy & Physiology. He is doing Life of Fred: Statistics, but, so far, I am not particularly enthusiastic about this course. I think it leaves out too much in the way of explanation. I can better judge it as we get further along.



So, that's about it. Other than trying desperately to keep warm, life here is plodding along. Hope the week went well for all. Thanks for reading this far!

A New Year, A New School Term Begins ...

Today was the start of our Winter Term. Since we homeschool year round, I have scheduled three 12-week terms, with one week off each month, and plenty of days available for ... whatever. I finally decided to use Tapestry of Grace, Year 1 with my 10 yo and SL Core 1 with my 5 & 7 yo, and allow my 9 yo to sort of glide between the two as the assignments fit. TOG is the challenge my 10 yo needs and wants, and I did not want to deprive my little ones of SL. The years I spent doing SL Cores 1 & 2 with my now 10 & 9 yo were the happiest, smoothest days of our homeschooling journey. Combining the two programs was not that difficult, and was just the intellectual exercise my brain had been craving.

It may be hard to imagine it - five kids, a house to keep up, piles of laundry, extra-curricular activities, complete and total responsibility for their education resting on your shoulders - and yet, you are bored. There are days when I look around and wonder, Isn't there anything I could be doing right now? But it really isn't just anything that I am searching for - it is something to challenge me intellectually, that requires a bit of creativity, that will cause me to feel a sense of physical exhaustion afterwards. Tweaking our schedules, finding creative approaches to our studies helps to keep things interesting around here. But there needs to be more than academics to make our lives interesting. My challenge in the new year is to find affordable, interesting things we can do with some sort of regularity to spice things up. My tendency is to become complacent in my home life, satisfying the introvert in me. And when the weather is so cold my fingers refuse to dance for the keyboard, it is even harder to motivate me to venture beyond these walls.

Speaking of cold, does anyone else have a desire to seek out Al Gore in his McMansion, with his "borrowed" carbon footprint, and strip him of his Nobel Peace Prize? Just wondering ...

Weekly Report, December 19

December's scheduled studies are done!

Bible - check

Latin - check

Math - check

Grammar - check

Science - check

History - check

Reading, reading, and some more reading - check

Fine Arts - yeah, there was some

I'm satisfied. Have a wonderful holiday - whatever that may mean for you and your family.

Draw Squad Earns Its Place ...

Sometime in September or so, Drawing with Children began to wear me down. It was definitely not pick-me-up-and-go. And I was out of ideas on how to proceed. Now, please don't misunderstand - what it does, it does well. But I felt it was limited in its scope. So we made the switch to Draw Squad. And we could not be happier! These are some of the drawings the kids worked on yesterday. They tend to just pick up where they left off, and never need any help - a big plus.

After wrestling with Blogger over my preferred formatting of this post, I am relegated to a post-script in order to give credit to the artists. The first and last pictures were completed by my 10-year-old, the second one by my 7 yo and the comic-strip types by my 9 yo.

Weekly Report, December 12

With one week to go before our Christmas Break, the kiddies are working hard. I gave them a schedule for the entire three weeks of December, so they know what is expected of them. The older twin is working ahead, as usual. I know her pretty little head is filled with the notion of completing all her work by next Wednesday, and extending her vacation by a few days. As long as her work retains the quality of excellence that I have come to expect from her, I do not care if it takes her three days - or three weeks. Well, that is a bit of an exaggeration, but I think you get the point. On the other hand, I have the younger twin who aims for three weeks - leaving all to the last minute. Must be nice to be able to not feel pressured.



Here is the run-down of the highlights of our academic achievements this week:



In Latin, the oldest twin and I began Lesson 4 in Lively Latin. We are meshing this with a repeat of Latina Christiana I, in which we are on Lesson 6. The vocabulary and grammar review is really going well, and she is breezing through the exercises. Also, and more importantly for what I have defined as the goal of our Latin studies, the derivatives are coming to her more easily. Last year, the derivatives were a stretch, especially during the Ludere exercises, which are very ambiguous. I know Memoria Press schedules LCII over a period of 1 1/2 years, but I think she is getting more from a repeat of LCI, laying down a stronger foundation for later Latin study. Since I have not decided on her Latin studies for junior high yet, (Latin in the Christian Trivium looks very enticing to me), I am comfortable not rushing her at this level. I am much less inclined to rush through any program now - only nine years later in this journey. I had to learn, through teaching subjects like Latin, and reading about the teachings of Charlotte Mason, as well as studying resources like Ambleside On-line, how to slowly digest information, savoring it like a fine wine, swirling it around, allowing only little bits so as not to overwhelm the taster. This approach has made a significant difference in our studies and the retention of the material. Multum non multa - perhaps the most significant words I have ever read concerning home-schooling, and life. Thank you, Andrew Campbell!

I would like to add a bit here about Lively Latin. When I first purchased this, I was looking for a change from LC. The videos were driving me mad. I alternated between dozing off and yelling at the kids for making fun of the (occasional) stuttering of the teacher. I did not really "get" Lively Latin, at first. It was hard for me to plan, because I did not have an actual book in hand. Reading the lesson directly off the computer is hard for me. And printing the teacher's lesson is cost-prohibitive. The layout of the lessons was so different from LC. I was confused as to what was being taught. It has taken a few false starts, and a few months of shying away from Latin, to bring me to realizing that LL 's strength lies in grammar, a weakness in LC, in my opinion. And LC is strong in vocabulary. So, the meshing of the two has worked very well for us. Utilizing Ludere has helped bring it all together in a very purposeful manner.

In math, we have been using the Teaching Company's Basic Math videos to supplement our study of fractions. Even my little guy got in on the lesson, explaining to me that if you have two-thirds and take away one piece, you will only be left with one. Sometimes he comes up with answers at the least expected moment. It is a little freaky! Watching the video and doing some supplementary worksheets has worked well. The Older Twin also did four lessons in her Rod & Staff 7 book, all focusing on units of measure - time & time zones, length, area, volume, etc. I am still at a loss as to what text to use with the Younger Twin. Switching publishers is more difficult than I imagined. We are doing math each day, just without a text as a spine. I feel time spent reviewing basic operations at a lower level is working well with this particular child, simply because he is not motivated. The Bear is almost done with Singapore 1B, and Rod & Staff 1. This combination has worked so well with her. Singapore does well with the mental math, and Rod & Staff has really helped with daily drill of math facts. I am a bit concerned with how teacher-intensive Singapore is, as we approach level 2. But I know it will be worth the effort.

The Twins, Little Bear, and Rocky listened as I read The Story Book of Science. From our readings, we learned about ants, and we did some research using United Streaming and the encyclopedia. The idea of ants as milk maids and lice as cows was fascinating to them. United Streaming has quite possible been the best investment of the year. (The exception being the time I wanted to watch a modern-day interpretation of Twelfth Night - when I have some time, I will share that with you.) I turn to it frequently to supplement our studies. (Video supplementation has come a long was since the infrequent and oftentimes boring supplementation of the projectors of my school days.) Surprisingly, the Older Twin requested that we continue with Real Science- Chemistry. She loves it! (Her words.) She even loves the philosophy and history supplements. So, onward we go. We covered Chapter 2, and she was thrilled (thrilled!!!) when we came upon the activity that required her to create her own planet out of candy. Fifteen minutes later, she had designed a planet made out of candy, with its inhabitants made up of lollipop heads, licorice hair, and twizzler limbs. The water was syrupy, the animals edible gummi bears, and the clouds made of cotton candy. She even wrote about the planet, in rhyme!

"Turn the page to see
All the happiness there could be

If we lived on a world
Made of candy"

We did a read-aloud from SL - My Father's Dragon. I am doing my best to make sure Rocky and Little Bear are not deprived of some of the books I already read to the Twins. The Twins really do enjoy hearing them again, and have not complained at all.

Of course, we covered the basics, such as vocabulary, spelling, and art. Music is mostly Christmas-related. And, I think this has certainly been long enough. So, if you read this far, thank you. And enjoy your weekend!

Weekly Report

With three weeks planned before Christmas, I need to do this weekly report to assure myself that we are moving forward. We began our study of the history of Christmas, using History Scribe's The History of Christmas. We are using it very loosely, and ended up on the History Channel, watching a series of videos detailing some of the history of the secular holiday.

My 7-year-old began Rod & Staff Spelling this week, and she loves it. She is almost finished with ETC 3, and will begin division in her Singapore 1B text. She has worked her way through the Rod & Staff math workbook independently, and has made progress with multiplication. She is filling out a blank multiplication table up to the 12s two or three times a week, and is doing really well with it. I also have her using the abacus and some rods to help with multiplication. She reports that math is her favorite subject.

The younger twin absolutely dreads Saxon Math. I found an A Beka worktext from his sister, and I am using it while I decide if I want to change him to another program. He is doing well on his tests, but he does not like writing out the problems on a separate sheet of paper. I vacillate as to whether or not this presents a real problem, or it is just laziness on his part. I need to remember that the goal is for him to learn math, and not hate doing it.

The twins both touched on metric system measurements and conversions this week. They did very well with it. They also learned how to diagram direct objects. They completed their study of Taft's presidency, and we watched a United Streaming video on the Titanic. We also studied the Pacific Coast states, found a video on the Scrambled States, read The Hundred Dresses as our read-aloud, learned about Rachel Carson as our biography, and enjoyed As You Like It as our Shakespeare play for the month.

The older twin is continuing with chemistry, but I am questioning this decision on my part. It seems too heavy with all the supplements. I want her to enjoy science, and I do not think this is the way to go right now. I may buy some science kits and keep science light for the next year.

My oldest is working hard to finish this academic year so he can begin a new one - his senior year! The books have been ordered and received (you gotta love Rainbow Resources). I need to work on lesson plans. It will be a challenging year for him, including AP Biology and a world geography and cultures study. We will focus a great deal of time and effort on writing, an area in which I feel he needs improvement. He has finished math through Pre-Calc., and completed Consumer Math this year. I am not sure where to go with his math for the next year. I was thinking Business Math, or accounting - something "light" and practical.

Well, another week down, two to go, two off, and then a new year. Baby steps really add up, don't they? I mean, when you are just going through the daily grind, it can seem so tedious, and you can feel like you did not accomplish anything. But then you put it all together, and you realize another year has passed, the kids have grown physically and mentally- and emotionally - and you can feel good about the efforts everyone has put in to making it all happen. It is a team effort and it is working. Yay, team!!!

And Now for the Words ...

We listened to The Legend of Squanto this morning. The crafts were done during this. And it occurred to me, it is during moments like these that I am truly able to see the growth in my children. When we first listened to this recording a few years back, they went into hysterics when Squanto, bullied into revealing his ability to speak, muttered, "Ugh". Today, it was Squanto's difficulty comprehending Christianity, and the various ways man has devised to worship and honor one God and His Son that caught their attention. I know I have periods of deep ... self-doubt, concern, even fear at times about what I am doing. Do they know all they need to know, how they need to know it, when they need to know it? What happens if I am not allowed to do this anymore? Will they fit in? To where can I flee? The future is uncertain, but for now, moments like these help give me the little lift, the tiny pat on the back, the reassurance I need to believe they will be okay. That they are indeed growing, and maturing, and learning.

Wisdom of the Day ...

Oldest Prince: "I'm really making some progress in history".
Me: "Good. What year are you up to?"
OP: "Well, I'm going to be studying the turn of the (20th) century - your generation".
Me: " ................................................"

Decisions - I finally made one!

I have finally made a decision regarding the upcoming term. After much indecisiveness caused by my second daughter "coming of age" - the age of portfolio, that is - I have decided to use December as our first month of the third term, bringing our year officially to a close in February. So we will finish our Modern Studies, and begin the history cycle anew in April. Or March. Probably as a group. Or maybe not. Well, all I know is that I definitely have December planned. (If I knew how, I could post the schedule - but ...?!!!)

Summer Vacation in November?

Alllll-righty! Enough messing around with the computer. I have decisions to make. You see, we are officially finished with the second term. So, we could take a break until January. Gives you a shiver up your spine, eh? Me, too. I picture kids sleeping 'til ten, running amok, with large callouses on their fingers from the video game controllers. We need structure, discipline, books, structure, books, structure ... I think you get my point. So, in the interest of fairness to my children, to whom I foolishly explained my reasoning about school during the summer months with promises of an extended break around Thanksgiving and Christmas, I have decided to reflect on what we have done thus far - and what we have learned. And then I will think about what I would like to have be the focus of our infra-session. (You know, like in graduate school, when you had a one-week class, eight hours each day for five days straight. You drank copious amounts of coffee, popped Vivarin pills in your Coke bottles, and just didn't sleep for the entire week. Now, I will amend this structure for the children, but the idea is the same - we will study something we don't have the chance to do during the regular year. I am leaning toward science, which normally gets much less attention than history.)



In history, we are more than half-way through SL Core 4. This includes lots of supplementation, videos, extra readings. I hated history in school. Blech, yuck, yawn ... Now, it is my favorite subject, and easily takes up the majority of our day. We have also learned all the states - geographical locations, postal code abbreviations, vital industries, major bodies of water, etc. And the twins have learned the presidents through the end of the 19th Century, along with pertinent events that marked their presidency. This is helpful for them in constructing a time-line of American History. We have also -very informally - been studying World History with SOTW Volume 4. We have completed some narrations and some note-booking along with that. We will be finishing some studies related to Canadian History this week, but they do not know that yet. Shhhh!



Math varies from child to child, but I am proud of what they have accomplished. I want to loosen up the reins and have them do some exploratory type lessons related to using the metric system, and I have a few other ideas. I also want to continue with the Teaching Company Basic Math videos, up to the point of fractions. I believe this will serve as good review, and does not require much on their part.



Latin has been comprised of review of last year's Latina Christiana's vocabulary and grammar. I also added Lively Latin, and, while I tried to add Little Bear and the Younger Twin, I just felt it was more geared toward the Older Twin. She is approaching Lesson 5. We are supplementing with Ludere Latin, and some on-line declension exercises and vocabulary word searches.



Art is going very well, with their portfolios filling out nicely. Art appreciation has been sporadic, but I plan on planning it better for the third term. The same goes for music appreciation. The girls are working on the recorder on their own. Ballet, tap, and jazz continue as usual.



In science, we did finish The World in a Drop of Water last term. And we have done a good deal of nature study. They have read a dozen or so books about inventors and scientists, etc. The John Hudson Tiner books were popular. The Younger Twin is now reading Pagoo. The Older Twin and I were working our way through The Elements, but we stalled. Now I will begin using Real Science-4-Kids, Chemistry, with History & Philosophy supplements. We did the introduction of all three parts of this program already, and will try to accomplish Chapter 1, at the very least, this week.



Our memory work has consisted of the following:

The Pater Noster, in Latin, & the Our Father, in English

The Table Blessing in both Latin & English

The First & Second Declensions

Numbers to ten in Latin

The story of the founding of Rome

The parts of speech

Conjugation of the being verb in Latin

Mathematical Operations and their constituent parts

The Presidents (up to number 24)

Gettysburg Address - speech itself as well as why it was written

Preamble to the Constitution

United States Government

Name of Lincoln's plan for unification following the Civil War, as well as the competing plan

States that comprise certain geographical area (such as, name the Mid-Atlantic States)

Tell me about the advent of catalogs, department stores, and unions in the United States

Discuss the development of cities and tenement homes

Tell me about the railroad, its development, and the beginnings of suburbs



You know what, this list is getting too long. Obviously, the kids have earned a break. I have not even touched upon our language arts program. I guess I will just plan to focus on some fun science projects for the younger ones, and give the Older Twin time to focus solely on her science course. Of course, I believe we should continue to do some math each day. And if Latin is left to flounder until January ...