The Homeschool Mother’s Journal ~ 10

In my life this week...

One of the highlights of our week was finding out that we are – officially – going to Florida in May.  We knew it was a possibility, but were leaning on the side of not getting excited ‘til we knew for sure.  Now we know, so the countdown chain was created yesterday and we’ve got 52 days to go!  (If you’re attending the FPEA convention in Orlando, be sure to stop by the TOS booth and say “hi”.)

I’m getting used to my new van.  I think I might actually be able to get attached to this one.  It’s weird, but I still see our first van around town and think of it as mine.  Our second van, the one we just traded in, never really felt like mine (more like my mom’s).  Anyway, we’re all enjoying the new van. :)  It’s just so pretty! 

In our homeschool this week...

We’re winding up our 3rd quarter (on our planner forms).  I say that because we’ve got lots of field trip days that are counted up separately.  And we’ve got some “other” days that I consider educational, even though they might not have included textbooks.  Anyway, the goal is to finish school COMPLETELY before heading to Florida (we learned from experiences – some extenuating – last year, that it just doesn’t work to come home from vacation and do school!)

We’ve been doubling up a lot again lately.  For the next several Tuesdays, we’re babysitting a sweet little one-year-old and on Thursdays Ashley works.  So, it’s hard to do school on these days.  So, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, we’ve been doing double days, which actually means getting 6 days done in a week’s time, rather than 5.  Oh, and we even did school on Saturday this week.  Call us crazy!

Thanks to our Kindles, Ashley and I can report that we are 83% of the way through Jane Eyre.  We should finish it soon – and then we’ll watch the movie.  I’ll share my thoughts later.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...

Ian is counting the days until we go to see the Monster Truck Nationals.  It should definitely prove an interesting experience! 

My favorite thing this week was...

In addition to the news about Disney . . .

I had been looking for a birthday gift for my friend Jodi and finally, on Friday, I found it!  I hope she likes it as much as I do.  When I saw it, it just reminded me of so many things, and I just knew it was “the gift”.

What's working/not working for us...

Gracie has been working through Level 3 of Hey Andrew, Teach me Some Greek this year and LOVING it!  She’s already put in her order for Level 4 for next year.  I love this, since I took Greek in high school and thought it was so much fun!  Ashley was the one who wanted to take Greek, and she kinda dropped out – so I’m glad that Gracie has continued with her study and has been enjoying it.

I’ve mentioned my science fail where Gracie is concerned and have  been learning to be more open-minded about so many things that we do each day/week being classified as science.  Ashley just completed her Marine Biology (Apologia) for the year and wanted us to find something else to fill in the rest of the year with.  I had The Ocean (from the Wonders of Creation series from Master Books) on the shelf – so I pulled that out and we (Ashley, Gracie, and I) started with the Introduction on Friday.  It’s got 10 chapters, and we’ve got 10 weeks of school to do yet, so it’ll fit in perfectly.  And, I was pleased that they offer a FREE downloadable study guide to accompany this course. 

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...

I’m thinking back to when I first decided to homeschool Ashley.  The teachers in our school district were on strike and there wasn’t an end in sight. I got to thinking how I was certainly more than qualified to teach her kindergarten and, since I loved her, I was much more willing to dedicate my time to her (obviously more so than any teacher would be, especially considering the circumstances). 

Here it is, 13 years later, and she’s ready to start her senior year in high school.  And I’m ready to start child #3 in kindergarten.  There’s an upcoming vote in our county concerning raising taxes – if the vote doesn’t pass, they say they will have to discontinue several school programs, such as kindergarten, sports, and things like woodshop, home ec, etc.  For me – I don’t care.  I’ve learned, from experience, that my kids are better off at home.  I wonder if more parents will choose homeschooling?  It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...

We had a wonderful sermon in church this morning, so I’m feeling inspired to share Psalm 63.  This is the English Standard Version, compliments of Bible Gateway.com.

Psalm 63
My Soul Thirsts for You
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

¹O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
   as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
²So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
   beholding your power and glory.
³Because your steadfast love is better than life,
   my lips will praise you.
⁴So I will bless you as long as I live;
   in your name I will lift up my hands.

⁵My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
   and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
⁶when I remember you upon my bed,
   and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
⁷for you have been my help,
   and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
⁸My soul clings to you;
   your right hand upholds me.

⁹But those who seek to destroy my life
shall go down into the depths of the earth;
¹⁰they shall be given over to the power of the sword;
   they shall be a portion for jackals.
¹¹But the king shall rejoice in God;
   all who swear by him shall exult,
for the mouths of liars will be stopped.