Three Little Jewells

In my life this week…

Such a busy week!   On Monday I had dinner with an old teaching friend, on Tuesday evening I took Mary to Tae Kwon Do, on Wednesday evening I had a meeting about a new Classical Conversations Co-Op I’ll be joining and on Thursday the children had their first lesson with their new piano teacher and I had dinner for 25 people  here at our house!   Our neighbor, who has been a wonderfully supportive of our homeschooling, is moving to Philadelphia so we invited everyone on our street plus a few others from the neighborhood for a pot luck cookout.  For sure, by Friday I was wiped out.   Mixed in all this is caring for our home, meals, laundry, a very busy 15 month old baby and schooling the older three children.    There were several days I hardly sat down and we didn’t make it to the pool all week.   I don’t think next week will be any less busy but hopefully after this coming week things will calm down.

In our homeschool this week…

We are starting up week 4 of our school year and we are fully immersed in the 1800′s.   We’ve added Evan-Moor’s History Pockets: Moving Westward.   It is for grades 4-6, so a little bit above Mary & Nathan’s 2nd and 1rst grade levels.   With guidance they can do most of the activities & I read the information to them out loud.   We’ve also added in Tapestry’s mapwork- so far they’ve labeled a world map with continents and oceans and they’ve started their year long cumulative map project of the United States.   History is taking a LOT more time this year but we are also having a LOT of fun!

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

My Dad is coming for a visit this week so I think we will take one day and go to the Natural Science Center- we’ll try to do the zoo & Science area and  maybe go out to lunch.   The children have Vacation Bible School every night this week as well.  We are really looking forward to our 3 1/2 days with my Dad- the children love having him here & I especially love having him here during the school week because he always helps with the children’s school work.   An extra pair of hands is SO helpful!

Things I’m working on…

On my list this week is a blackberry pie, a coconut cream pie for Kip and a lemon pie for Dad.   The book I’m reading (see below).    In the link at the bottom of the page, the blog author talks about intentionally trying to incorporate five things into their week- baking, painting with watercolors, modeling, drawing & crafting.  I really love this idea and am trying to incorporate these more often into our days.

I’m reading…

To Learn With Love: A Companion for Suzuki Parents

Mary & Nathan have recently started Suzuki piano lessons.   They’ve been taking lessons for several years but their first two teachers went back to teaching in the public school system.   The teacher they’ve had for the last year six months decided to take the summer off so she could work at some summer camps & do some traveling.  I really did not want to take that much time off so thought it would be a good time to try out a new teacher.    Their new teacher is a very nice elderly gentleman.  He has been teaching piano for 40ish years and has been teaching the Suzuki method for the last 26 years.  Plus, he is *significantly* cheaper than the rate we were paying before.   At our last lesson he brought me the above book to read so I’m working my way through it & enjoying it!

I’m cooking…

Saturday- Herb Crusted Porkchops, green beans, salad & left over baked beans from the cookout we had on Thursday.

Sunday- Breakfast for dinner

Monday- Chicken & Zucchini Stir Fry

Tuesday- Hot dogs & Hamburgers cooked out on the fire pit with chips, fruit, etc.

Wednesday- Chicken & Sausage Baked Ziti

Thursday- not sure yet!

Friday- pizza

I’m grateful for…

The first entirely free weekend we’ve had in months!  No where to go, no company here, Kip isn’t working, no big projects taking up our time- it’s been lovely!   We had a glorious day today.   Kip helped me catch up on math with Mary & Nathan.   For our nature studies we are using One Small Square: Backyard.  They roped out a square yard in a wooded corner of our property.   After observing for a while with Kip they made some sketches for their nature journals.   Later, Kip gave the children another drawing lesson and they all worked on water color painting on our back deck.

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

An inspirational post- I loved the photos of the crafting area she made and was inspired by her thoughts on incorporating baking, crafting, water color painting, modeling and drawing into her week.            SMALL THINGS

In my life this week…

I’m gearing up for the next two weeks.   I’ve already hosted family dinners on Saturday, 4/30 & Sunday, 5/8.     This Saturday will be a busy day of running errands & preparing to go to the beach.   Saturday is also my birthday so we’ll be celebrating it with Kip’s family that evening.   My Dad will arrive on Monday, 5/16 to spend the night & we will probably host a family dinner that evening.   Later on we’ll be heading out to Beaufort/Emerald Isle to see Christopher Columbus’ ships, the NC Acquarium, NC Maritime Museum, etc.   We’ll have about 2 days at home before family arrives from Florida- they’ll be spending several days with us visiting.  Then I’ve got the NCHE convention on Saturday, 5/28 in Winston-Salem.

In our homeschool this week…

We are wrapping up our study of the Revolutionary War.   We’re moving into the Articles of the Confederation & the Constitution.  We are only 2 or 3 weeks away from finishing up Year 2 of Tapestry of Grace!  

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

Replicas of Christopher Columbus’ ships & Uncle Ron & Aunt Alice will be here soon after!

My favorite thing this week was…

Mary and I have been learning to embroider!   This is a skill a girl of her age would have been learning during Revolutionary times.    I’ve wanted to learn to do this for years so I’ve been thrilled that we’re finally doing it!    My first project that I’d like to work on is embroidering outlines of the children’s handprints.

What’s working/not working for us…

Nancy Larson Science is working wonderfully for us!    Here’s a short review I recently wrote:

We’ve been using Nancy Larson Science for about 5 weeks now with my 1rst grader & Kindergardener. We are so, so pleased with it. I was initially not sure how I would like using a scripted lesson because I am very much someone who likes to tweak, do my own thing, etc. But it turns out that, for a non-science person like myself, the scripting is wonderful. I’m not struggling with how to explain a concept or how to word things. The kits come with everything you need & my kids have REALLY enjoyed the hands-on sets that come with it as well as the picture cards.

Another reason that I chose Nancy Larson Science over the others I was considering (R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey, A Reason for Science, Noeo Science) is because it required far less writing than the others. With two emerging readers & writers, I just felt that we already do so much writing between their handwriting assignment and the writing they do in their phonics, math, grammar, spelling & writing books that I really did not want to add a bunch more writing to their day.

For the first time ever, Science is getting done on a regular basis. The kids are learning & really look forward to our science lessons.

(I started out the year with Apologia but because our main curriculum is literature/reading heavy- Tapestry of Grace- I was just totally overwhelmed with Apologia.)

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have…

I’m thinking a lot about our next school year & what I want to include.  More & more I feel impressed upon that we, as parents, have such a short time to lay a truly solid Biblical foundation for our children.   I read two things recently that have shaken me.  #1- James Dobson quoted some studies that say if a child has not experienced a born again salvation by the time they are 14, they have only a 6% chance of ever being saved in their lifetime.   #2- Someone recently posted a question on a homeschooling message board- “If you used to be a Christian but aren’t now, when/how did that happen?”    Almost universally everyone answered something like this “about the time I was 12/13 I started having questions & no one could answer them (either because the parents didn’t know or they were emotionally unavailable).

With that in mind, I’m feeling driven to place a larger emphasis on Bible teaching this year.  We read the entire Old Testament aloud last year and the entire New Testament this year.   This year I think I’d like to choose a few books of the New Testament- James, maybe?  I haven’t decided which yet- and really focus on reading them aloud & tearing them apart, explaining what is meant, how to apply it in their lives, etc.    At lunch time, once we finish “Step Into the Bible”  and our study of “the Fruits of the Spirit” from Galations 5:22-23, I’d like to go back to “Leading Little Ones To God” which I think does an exceptional job of explaining what we  believe and why to children.    I am also considering shifting the majority of their memory work to Bible Verses or possibly even memorizing one or two long passages.

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

A few favorite links lately-

Aunt Leila- I feel guilty not working!     (One of my favorite bloggers!)

10 Reasons Not to Do Alter Calls       I am not a fan of alter calls!

Trickle Down Divorce   As the child of divorced parents, I think this is so true!