The Homeschool Mother’s Journal ~ 9

In my life this week...

We’ve had a good week, and the weekend (so far) has been even better!

The weather has been beautiful and we even dug the bikes out of the shed so the kids could ride – they rode to the park and enjoyed playing on the new park equipment.

In our homeschool this week...

We worked a little more on our “need to buy” list for next year.  I always enjoy working on those lists.  I can’t believe this is the last year I’ll be making a list for Ashley (but it’s the first year I’m making a list for Ian).

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

Last night, Ashley and I went with some friends from church to see Chris Tomlin in concert.  It was a wonderful concert.  I didn’t even realize how many Chris Tomlin songs that I knew!  Louie Giglio is an amazing speaker and I was really moved by his message.  It was great to be in an arena full of Christians, all worshipping God together. 

My favorite thing this week was...

Going this morning to pick up our new van!!!  Out with the old:

(seeing it here, it doesn’t look 1/2 bad!)

And in with the new:

(I don’t mean to brag, but this van rocks!)

No, this wasn’t in OUR plans (to have to purchase another vehicle and add a 2nd car payment to our lives.  But, it was obviously part of God’s plan.  I’ve certainly learned over the years that God’s plans and God’s timing often don’t line up with my own.  But, His ways are so much higher than my ways.  So, I’m going to rejoice in my new van!

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

Something that doesn’t work for us is getting up early in the morning and starting school.  It never has.  My girls aren’t morning people.  This is just one of the many things that is so neat about homeschooling – we can set our own schedule. 

I get up earlier than they do and spend several hours in the morning working (on TOS stuff), so that I’m mostly done with my work before they  get up and can focus my energies more on their schoolwork.

Ian IS more of a morning person, so I may start working with him before the girls are up and about – we’ll see. . .

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...

Are you a curriculum hoarder?  I used to be, but I’m trying to overcome my curriculum addiction!  I have so much stuff here that we’ll never be able to use it all.  If you’ve made your list for next year, you might want to check my “for sale” list – I’ve got some great things on here, at great prices!

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

Yesterday, before the concert, Ashley and I decided we were overdue for haircuts, so we headed to the mall (a bit out of the way, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do, right?)

We had some time to kill before meeting up with friends, so we visited the town that I grew up in and took some pictures at an old abandoned church:

Then we went to the cemetery so I could show Ashley the view:

(I grew up in the house at the bottom of the hill, the brown roof you can see in the foreground of this picture)