First, I'd like to congratulate my daughter, E, age 7. Yesterday she completed test 8, and lesson 80 of her second grade Horizons Math, which means she is exactly half way done with second grade math. She also took her test for week 10 in Spelling. She earned an A+ on both tests.
Last night C, age 12, told me a disturbing comment her dad made to her on his nightly phone call. He told her he "probably wouldn't be calling on Thanksgiving because he had nothing to be thankful for." Now, after 13 years of knowing her dad I am used to his negative thinking, but I was a bit appalled that he told his own daughter that!
As tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and his comment was on my mind, I've been sitting here this morning thinking of all I am thankful for. I have always tended to be on the more positive end of the spectrum, and I USUALLY try to live my life with "an attitude of gratitude", as a good friend says. I thank God every day, sometimes several times a day, for the least little things in my life, and I KNOW how blessed I am. Sometimes I tend to forget, though, that not every one has such an attitude, so I thought it appropriate to take this blog and use the opportunity to just list a few of the most important things I thank God for in my life.
First and foremost I am thankful for knowing God in my life. Without Him I would have none of the following blessings.
I am thankful for my daughters, C and E, They are the loves of my life, my reason for living, and I consider it a privilege to have been entrusted by God to raise them. I am thankful for their health. I am thankful for their unique personalities and abilities. I am thankful for each day I spend with them, and I know full well how quickly I could be gone from this earth, or THEY could be gone, and I never let a day go by without telling them how special they are, and letting them hear me pray to God thanking Him for allowing me to be their mom.
I am thankful that I have the opportunity to home school my girls. I am thankful for each and every book I am able to provide for them, and each day that they are home, learning at their own pace, and not sitting a third of their day in a classroom away from me.
I am thankful for the good family life I had growing up, my childhood seems almost idyllic...all the traveling and vacations, memories, my parents, my brothers, my beautiful house and yard, and a mother who let me be me! I am thankful God gave me a dad on this earth for 17 years, and a mother that doubled as my best friend for 26.
I am thankful for all the good years I had with my ex husband, all the good times, and even for the bad times. Without the bad times we would never appreciate the good. And I'm thankful that he and I still maintain a friendship, and that he kept his promise to the girls of a year ago and calls them every night, sees them every other weekend, (sometimes more), and when the alcohol doesn't get in his way for him being a good dad.
I am thankful for a few GOOD friends, M in particular. M also accepts me for me, puts up with me, and has been there no matter what time of day or night this past year. He provides stability, consistency, food, advice, a listening ear, laughter, and moral support for the girls and I.
I am thankful for my house and yard. They are both a bit ramshackle lately, as I am not the carpenter D was, and don't have the energy or time most days to do yard work, but they are mine, and they are paid for, and they are HOME. I could be living in a card board box in Kenya, or a garbage dump in India, but God blessed me with a beautiful house and yard here in the United States, where at least we still have a FEW of our freedoms.
I am thankful for our pets....my 5 dogs, 6 cats (plus a few strays I feed outside), and the 2 dogs that D was able to take. They are expensive, and sometimes we choose between paying the bills or buying dog food, but they bring us all joy and unconditional love, and on some of the days when I'm NOT feeling so thankful there is nothing more comforting than a cat or two purring on the couch next to me.
I am thankful for so many little, material things that make my life easier or more comfortable....my couch, my computer, my books, my piano, the hot water heater, the washer and dryer, and microwave and my coffee maker. I could go on and on, but there's too many to name. Rest assured I'm thankful for everything I own materially.
I'm thankful for a working vehicle, albeit the windshield is cracked, the headlight is out, and most months I can't pay the insurance. LOL It's better than trying to walk or borrow someone else's car, or take the city buses. I don't think I've had more than a quarter tank of gas in it in over a year, but God always provides enough to get me where we need to go.
I could go on and on, but everything I mentioned above are things I am thankful for, and my girls hear me say each one of those things every night when we say prayers together.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING! And if you're reading this, be thankful you have a computer, and electricity to run it.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Been Awhile Since I've Updated About School
For anyone who reads this with any regularity, I apologize for not posting any school updates for so long. The past 6 weeks have been nothing but doctor appointments, vet appointments, and trying to just catch up on chores and the bare minimum of school work. At least that's the way it has seemed, although as I think about what we've accomplished with school, we've done more than I thought. Somehow, no matter what life throws at us, school for my daughters is always my #1 priority.
E is doing wonderfully in all her second grade work. She loves math, and is currently completing lesson 73 as I type this. She has vastly improved her speed on her addition and subtraction drills, has learned about half of her multiplication tables, and no matter how difficult the assignment she always gets As, and many days begs to do another lesson.
E's handwriting has also vastly improved, and I would even call it "pretty" some days. She is reading chapter books fluently now, both out loud to me, and to herself for enjoyment. She and I are working slowly through Phonics and Spelling. She does well remembering spelling rules and applying them to her assignments, but tends to forget when writing stories, cards, or in other assignments that spelling correctly is meant to be done ALL the time, with ALL writing, not just in a workbook.
E and I have begun reading, "Little House in the Big Woods" each day for History. We usually read about 20 pages a day, and she reads roughly a third of those pages aloud.
As for C.....she is still doing fine with math. She is becoming a little less lazy on her first go-round, which is earning her higher grades (A's) and less time spent re-doing problems she already well knows how to do. She is on lesson 77 today. She is working through her 7th unit for English, and this week through Thanksgiving week is researching and writing a Research Paper on an Historical Place of her choosing. C chose to write about Pompeii.
I have to really hand it to C. We have had so many unexpected interuptions in our schedule since the beginning of October, and without complaint she often doubles up on lessons to make up for days lost, so she isn't behind at all.
Both girls and I are still enjoying our Anatomy and Physiology course this year. We have completed the units on cells, reproduction, the skeletal system, muscles, the digestive system, and the renal system. This week we began a Health and Nutrition unit.
Coinciding with our anatomy study, C has been plagued by unexplained wrist pain intermittantly for the past few years. The past few months the pain has increased, in severity, duration, and instances. I took C to her regular pediatrition, and was able to get a referral to an orthopedic sports injury specialist. C has had X-rays, and yesterday, and MRI, and we await the doctor's verdict next week. I pray she won't need surgery, but the pain has increased to the point she often times refuses to play, and wakes up at night from a sound sleep needing ice packs. E and I were present for all of C's appointments, and I think the radiologist was pretty impressed by 7 year-old E exclaiming upon viewing the X-rays, "I see C------'s phalanges! And there's her ulna and radius! Wow! I can see her metacarpals, too!" If the radiologist wasn't impressed, she sure got a big chuckle at least. LOL
As for C's social studies...I have altered a bit from HOD's curriculum. I will still employ several of their books, and use their art, poetry, literature, and Bible, but I have incorporated more of our own "living" books, along with Story of the World Volume 2, and Mystery of History Volume III. The biggest change is that I decided to scrap the notebooking work, as C and I were both dreading the tedium and repetitiveness of it, and the hour and a half every day it was sucking up of our time.
That's about it for an update for now.....long story short...both girls are not only doing well....they are ahead, and we'll keep plugging away. Please pray for C and her wrist, and that she may be healed without surgery, but that if surgery is required, that it will all go safely and well, and as painlessly as possible.
E is doing wonderfully in all her second grade work. She loves math, and is currently completing lesson 73 as I type this. She has vastly improved her speed on her addition and subtraction drills, has learned about half of her multiplication tables, and no matter how difficult the assignment she always gets As, and many days begs to do another lesson.
E's handwriting has also vastly improved, and I would even call it "pretty" some days. She is reading chapter books fluently now, both out loud to me, and to herself for enjoyment. She and I are working slowly through Phonics and Spelling. She does well remembering spelling rules and applying them to her assignments, but tends to forget when writing stories, cards, or in other assignments that spelling correctly is meant to be done ALL the time, with ALL writing, not just in a workbook.
E and I have begun reading, "Little House in the Big Woods" each day for History. We usually read about 20 pages a day, and she reads roughly a third of those pages aloud.
As for C.....she is still doing fine with math. She is becoming a little less lazy on her first go-round, which is earning her higher grades (A's) and less time spent re-doing problems she already well knows how to do. She is on lesson 77 today. She is working through her 7th unit for English, and this week through Thanksgiving week is researching and writing a Research Paper on an Historical Place of her choosing. C chose to write about Pompeii.
I have to really hand it to C. We have had so many unexpected interuptions in our schedule since the beginning of October, and without complaint she often doubles up on lessons to make up for days lost, so she isn't behind at all.
Both girls and I are still enjoying our Anatomy and Physiology course this year. We have completed the units on cells, reproduction, the skeletal system, muscles, the digestive system, and the renal system. This week we began a Health and Nutrition unit.
Coinciding with our anatomy study, C has been plagued by unexplained wrist pain intermittantly for the past few years. The past few months the pain has increased, in severity, duration, and instances. I took C to her regular pediatrition, and was able to get a referral to an orthopedic sports injury specialist. C has had X-rays, and yesterday, and MRI, and we await the doctor's verdict next week. I pray she won't need surgery, but the pain has increased to the point she often times refuses to play, and wakes up at night from a sound sleep needing ice packs. E and I were present for all of C's appointments, and I think the radiologist was pretty impressed by 7 year-old E exclaiming upon viewing the X-rays, "I see C------'s phalanges! And there's her ulna and radius! Wow! I can see her metacarpals, too!" If the radiologist wasn't impressed, she sure got a big chuckle at least. LOL
As for C's social studies...I have altered a bit from HOD's curriculum. I will still employ several of their books, and use their art, poetry, literature, and Bible, but I have incorporated more of our own "living" books, along with Story of the World Volume 2, and Mystery of History Volume III. The biggest change is that I decided to scrap the notebooking work, as C and I were both dreading the tedium and repetitiveness of it, and the hour and a half every day it was sucking up of our time.
That's about it for an update for now.....long story short...both girls are not only doing well....they are ahead, and we'll keep plugging away. Please pray for C and her wrist, and that she may be healed without surgery, but that if surgery is required, that it will all go safely and well, and as painlessly as possible.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
In Memory of...
...my daughter's grandma.
The girls dad lost his mother this week. I have had a VERY busy month and haven't had time to write anything here, but I wanted to at least pop on here and extend my sympathy to my ex husband and his sister.
I have very mixed feelings about this woman, but let's concentrate on the positive. B was a great cook. She was sensitive. She never failed to frustrate me, but she also never failed to make me laugh. I will never forget the fun times we DID share with her playing games, listening to music, talking, and eating her wonderful food.
I regret my daughters never really were able to know her and have a grandma. C has some memories of her, but E remembers only 2 times meeting her, and both times were mere minutes.
My sympathy goes out to Danny, his sister, and his father. (His parents were divorced, but his mom and dad still loved each other, talked several times a day, and did everything in the world to help each other out.) I'm sorry guys! While she and I had major differences, I know B was a bright light in your lives, and I feel for all of you.
The girls dad lost his mother this week. I have had a VERY busy month and haven't had time to write anything here, but I wanted to at least pop on here and extend my sympathy to my ex husband and his sister.
I have very mixed feelings about this woman, but let's concentrate on the positive. B was a great cook. She was sensitive. She never failed to frustrate me, but she also never failed to make me laugh. I will never forget the fun times we DID share with her playing games, listening to music, talking, and eating her wonderful food.
I regret my daughters never really were able to know her and have a grandma. C has some memories of her, but E remembers only 2 times meeting her, and both times were mere minutes.
My sympathy goes out to Danny, his sister, and his father. (His parents were divorced, but his mom and dad still loved each other, talked several times a day, and did everything in the world to help each other out.) I'm sorry guys! While she and I had major differences, I know B was a bright light in your lives, and I feel for all of you.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Just an Update
Well, the girls are still doing well with school. C is still not doing as well as normal with her math, although when made to redo any problems she misses, she gets them all correct, so it's still a laziness factor. She will be doing Lesson 65 today.
She is taking an English test today for her 4th unit. This unit was on "Writing a Persuasive Editorial." As it was an editorial, and therefore she could write on anything she wanted to give an opinion on, she, of course, chose to write about animals. To be precise, she wrote about why people should buy pets from animal shelters, as opposed to pet stores. She worked very hard at it, and even looked up numbers for the local shelters in our area, called them herself, stated her reason for calling (My name is-----. I am a sixth grade student writing an English paper, and I would like to ask a few questions, if I could have a few minutes of your time...."), and did brief phone interviews to get solid facts and quotes for her paper.Her final paper was very well-written, although she got her first B (a 91%) on anything she has written in over 2 years. The reason for the B was not her writing, it was the technical stuff, such as not capitalizing her title, leaving out a few commas, and....for the first time I can recall....a spelling error. (She spelled neutered wrong.)
C and I are muddling through HOD's studies. Go figure...a literature based program has (you guessed it!) tons of reading. *I* actually enjoy it. C tolerates it. We read excerpts from several different sources, research further online, and she follows the instructions to complete the entries in her student notebook. The other day she said something to me that sums this program up: "Mom, I thought all these books would be fun because I like reading. But they're boring, and the only time i like them is when YOU read them out loud to me and explain them. Then they're fun." Well, I'm flattered that I am able to make them FUN for her, but the point is that SHE should be reading most of the things independently, and not only understanding the material, but retaining what she reads. I'm reserving judgment until we finish out the year, but I doubt I use a lit-based program for C again. I think, in the future, I'll go back to a strictly textbook based program for history and related subjects.
Both girls are still LOVING Anatomy and Physiology. We finished our 3rd unit on the Skeletal System. E loves sitting in class, listening, answering questions, while C does the accompanying notebook work. Last week, I began to teach that days section, and C just began RAMBLING off the names of EVERY bone in our body. EVERY SINGLE BONE. I noticed the previous night she had spent about 3 hours with the science book and a piece of paper, and she had been looking them all up and listing them in order. On her own she memorized all 206 bones. Now...while I was not only flabbergasted that C had taken this initiative, and thrilled that the skeletal system interested her so much, little E was not quite so happy. With each bone C said, E's eyes began filling with tears, and soon she was just sobbing. E was upset because she didn't know all these bones. I told C, "Stop for right now.." C kept going. I said, "Honey, E doesn't know these, and she feels bad." C kept going. I said, "C! PLEASE stop for a minute. I am VERY impressed you know all this, and you may tell me later, but for right now please just stop." C kept going. She would NOT stop until she proved to me she knew all the bones. E cried harder. I felt so bad for her, because E loves being able to answer questions, and yet there was no way she could have read or pronounced all these scientific names on her own. Finally C finished. I tried to comfort E. I began asking about 20 questions in a row that I knew E could answer, glaring at C all the while. E slowly calmed down. C got mad that I was letting E answer all the questions. Ahhh......the joy of homeschooling. LOL
E has finished the printing section in her handwriting book. We will soon be starting cursive writing. For the next few weeks, though, the girls and I are doing "light" school work, so cursive will have to wait about a month.
E and I are both still loving R&S phonics and spelling. Well, ok, we both love Phonics. We haven't started the actual spelling book, because the phonics books are so wonderful that she is learning the spelling rules just from doing phonics. E is SO proud that she gets A+'s every lesson, and can remember when to use which spelling for words, and I am just proud of her period, for working so hard this year. : )
E's abilities in math never cease to amaze me. Every time we start on a new concept that *I* think will be difficult to teach, and difficult for E to grasp, she catches on after only one example by me, and she continues to Ace every lesson, every assignment, every test. She is currently on lesson 54. Horizons Math does NOT go lightly on the assignments. Each lesson takes E about an hour to complete, yet she never complains, never asks to skip a problem, and she figures each and every one out on her own.
E's reading is becoming more fluent, although I would like her to be able to be reading chapter books on her own to herself, and she isn't quite there yet. I don't know what's normal for a child of 7; I merely go by my own reading abilities, and her sister's. She has EXCELLENT comprehension skills, though, and I think one of these days she will take off reading on her own very soon.
In social studies, E has cemented her 7 continents, and is working on the 4 oceans. She, occasionally, still thinks Alaska is a continent, but now she giggles as soon as she says it, so I think she just says Alaska to get a rise out of me. LOL She and I have also been studying farming. (Oh, how utterly exciting....no offense to any farmers reading this. LOL) We are talking about the differences in farming today vs. farming in the Colonial days. E was completely awestruck that I have actually been to a real farm. I think I need a farmer friend to let us visit one of these days, so E can experience the thrill of a real, live farm for herself.
Well, this is long enough for today's update. There's so much more I wanted to write about too. Maybe if I tried to be more consistent in my blog-writing, I'd get it all said. Till next time....
She is taking an English test today for her 4th unit. This unit was on "Writing a Persuasive Editorial." As it was an editorial, and therefore she could write on anything she wanted to give an opinion on, she, of course, chose to write about animals. To be precise, she wrote about why people should buy pets from animal shelters, as opposed to pet stores. She worked very hard at it, and even looked up numbers for the local shelters in our area, called them herself, stated her reason for calling (My name is-----. I am a sixth grade student writing an English paper, and I would like to ask a few questions, if I could have a few minutes of your time...."), and did brief phone interviews to get solid facts and quotes for her paper.Her final paper was very well-written, although she got her first B (a 91%) on anything she has written in over 2 years. The reason for the B was not her writing, it was the technical stuff, such as not capitalizing her title, leaving out a few commas, and....for the first time I can recall....a spelling error. (She spelled neutered wrong.)
C and I are muddling through HOD's studies. Go figure...a literature based program has (you guessed it!) tons of reading. *I* actually enjoy it. C tolerates it. We read excerpts from several different sources, research further online, and she follows the instructions to complete the entries in her student notebook. The other day she said something to me that sums this program up: "Mom, I thought all these books would be fun because I like reading. But they're boring, and the only time i like them is when YOU read them out loud to me and explain them. Then they're fun." Well, I'm flattered that I am able to make them FUN for her, but the point is that SHE should be reading most of the things independently, and not only understanding the material, but retaining what she reads. I'm reserving judgment until we finish out the year, but I doubt I use a lit-based program for C again. I think, in the future, I'll go back to a strictly textbook based program for history and related subjects.
Both girls are still LOVING Anatomy and Physiology. We finished our 3rd unit on the Skeletal System. E loves sitting in class, listening, answering questions, while C does the accompanying notebook work. Last week, I began to teach that days section, and C just began RAMBLING off the names of EVERY bone in our body. EVERY SINGLE BONE. I noticed the previous night she had spent about 3 hours with the science book and a piece of paper, and she had been looking them all up and listing them in order. On her own she memorized all 206 bones. Now...while I was not only flabbergasted that C had taken this initiative, and thrilled that the skeletal system interested her so much, little E was not quite so happy. With each bone C said, E's eyes began filling with tears, and soon she was just sobbing. E was upset because she didn't know all these bones. I told C, "Stop for right now.." C kept going. I said, "Honey, E doesn't know these, and she feels bad." C kept going. I said, "C! PLEASE stop for a minute. I am VERY impressed you know all this, and you may tell me later, but for right now please just stop." C kept going. She would NOT stop until she proved to me she knew all the bones. E cried harder. I felt so bad for her, because E loves being able to answer questions, and yet there was no way she could have read or pronounced all these scientific names on her own. Finally C finished. I tried to comfort E. I began asking about 20 questions in a row that I knew E could answer, glaring at C all the while. E slowly calmed down. C got mad that I was letting E answer all the questions. Ahhh......the joy of homeschooling. LOL
E has finished the printing section in her handwriting book. We will soon be starting cursive writing. For the next few weeks, though, the girls and I are doing "light" school work, so cursive will have to wait about a month.
E and I are both still loving R&S phonics and spelling. Well, ok, we both love Phonics. We haven't started the actual spelling book, because the phonics books are so wonderful that she is learning the spelling rules just from doing phonics. E is SO proud that she gets A+'s every lesson, and can remember when to use which spelling for words, and I am just proud of her period, for working so hard this year. : )
E's abilities in math never cease to amaze me. Every time we start on a new concept that *I* think will be difficult to teach, and difficult for E to grasp, she catches on after only one example by me, and she continues to Ace every lesson, every assignment, every test. She is currently on lesson 54. Horizons Math does NOT go lightly on the assignments. Each lesson takes E about an hour to complete, yet she never complains, never asks to skip a problem, and she figures each and every one out on her own.
E's reading is becoming more fluent, although I would like her to be able to be reading chapter books on her own to herself, and she isn't quite there yet. I don't know what's normal for a child of 7; I merely go by my own reading abilities, and her sister's. She has EXCELLENT comprehension skills, though, and I think one of these days she will take off reading on her own very soon.
In social studies, E has cemented her 7 continents, and is working on the 4 oceans. She, occasionally, still thinks Alaska is a continent, but now she giggles as soon as she says it, so I think she just says Alaska to get a rise out of me. LOL She and I have also been studying farming. (Oh, how utterly exciting....no offense to any farmers reading this. LOL) We are talking about the differences in farming today vs. farming in the Colonial days. E was completely awestruck that I have actually been to a real farm. I think I need a farmer friend to let us visit one of these days, so E can experience the thrill of a real, live farm for herself.
Well, this is long enough for today's update. There's so much more I wanted to write about too. Maybe if I tried to be more consistent in my blog-writing, I'd get it all said. Till next time....
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
One month into the school year...
Both girls (and I) are doing well with school. I am actually very pleased with their progress already, and I am much more motivated to get school done this year, as opposed to last year.
I THINK I have FINALLY found something that I not only like, but that is working for E's spelling confusion. After much research, I opted to order Rod & Staff's "Spelling by Sound and Structure" for grade 2, and Rod and Staff's Phonics for grade 2. We have had the Phonics for 2 weeks, and E just LOVES it. She asks to do it every day, and most days she asks to do more than one lesson. This is the FIRST program she and I have used that teaches the RULES of spelling, such as "the long a sound can be spelled 'a_e, ai, or ay'. We only use 'ay' when we hear the long a sound at the end of a word." Or...if a word begins with the /k/ sound, has a short vowel sound in the middle, and the vowel is a,o,or u, the first letter has to be "c". If the vowel is e or i the first letter has to be k." No other program I've used sets forth the rules of HOW to spell like this, and now E has something concrete to memorize and fall back on when unsure of how to spell a word. I had hesitated on buying the Phonics....almost only bought the Spelling, but it is the Phonics lessons that are teaching her how to spell. Ironically, this is the least expensive program I have ever used, and it is the best. (so far, check back at the end of the year, and we'll see if E's spelling has improved as much as I hope it to. LOL)
In other 2nd grade news, E is also still doing fabulously with her Horizons Math. She is on lesson 47, as of today, and still maintaining all A's. She, for some reason, really likes doing Handwriting every day, too, and if try to skip it, she asks for it. And I must admit, her handwriting IS improving. Within a couple of months she will begin learning cursive. In Social Studies E is still learning about communities, but we will soon be moving on to a very simple history of the U.S. She and I have also been reviewing the globe, the continents, and the oceans.
E and C are still doing science together. We are on the 3rd unit in Anatomy and Physiology. We all 3 still love it, although C tries to complain and get out of doing her note-booking activities. I've never seen a child who detests writing more than C. Yesterday we did a demonstration to show how cerebral-spinal fluid makes a huge difference protecting our brains. Each girl put an egg in a container full of water, and ran around my house shaking the container. The eggs remained unbroken. (The egg was our brain, the water was our cerebral spinal fluid, and the container was our skull.) Then we poured the water out of the container, and they again ran around shaking the egg in the container. Much to their delight, the eggs shattered, and suffered extreme "brain damage". LOL This experiment was so much fun they got more eggs out and damaged some more "brains". LOL
C is on lesson 58 in Math. She is not doing as well in math this year, as in years past. She is consistently getting about a C average on her assignments, but this is completely due to her rushing through, not reading directions thoroughly, and making careless mathematical errors without double checking her work. After I grade her work, hand it back to her to correct, she easily finds her mistakes, and corrects them, so it is not a lack of understanding causing her lower grades; it is simply laziness.
C is so far getting all A's in English again this year, and she is just finishing her 3rd unit in that, too. She wrote a BEAUTIFUL "personal narrative" a few weeks ago....definitely her best writing yet, and she did it all on her own, with NO assistance from me at all, from choosing the topic to the final draft, it was completely her own doing.
I FINALLY received her HOD unit study on "Resurrection to Reformation" 2 weeks ago, so we have only completed 1 week's worth of work in that so far. It adds a ton of time to our school day; there are several different books, projects, and activities each day, but overall she and I like it. I will reserve judgement on this for awhile, until we have gotten further into the program. I like the books HOD has chosen for this unit, and I love that one course incorporates History, Geography, Bible, Literature, and art, along with the optional Shakespeare study I ordered with it. I don't like the amount of time this is taking to complete each day, or how disorganized some of the lessons seem to be, but when I look at the entire week's worth of lessons altogether it all flows together at the end.
Every afternoon I see some of C's friends walk home from the bus stop at 3:40, home from their days as 6th graders at the WORST school in our district, and I just Thank God that C is able to be home another year with me. She is learning more, expected to be accountable for her learning and mistakes, and away from a HORRID environment that my older 2 step-daughters spent 3 years of their life in. I dealt with the appalling attitudes and behaviors reigning in that school for a total of 6 years, and I remember vowing NEVER to expose C or E to that way back when April attended that school. Again...Thank GOD I found home-schooling, and that I have the patience, time, and ability to do this for my daughters.
I THINK I have FINALLY found something that I not only like, but that is working for E's spelling confusion. After much research, I opted to order Rod & Staff's "Spelling by Sound and Structure" for grade 2, and Rod and Staff's Phonics for grade 2. We have had the Phonics for 2 weeks, and E just LOVES it. She asks to do it every day, and most days she asks to do more than one lesson. This is the FIRST program she and I have used that teaches the RULES of spelling, such as "the long a sound can be spelled 'a_e, ai, or ay'. We only use 'ay' when we hear the long a sound at the end of a word." Or...if a word begins with the /k/ sound, has a short vowel sound in the middle, and the vowel is a,o,or u, the first letter has to be "c". If the vowel is e or i the first letter has to be k." No other program I've used sets forth the rules of HOW to spell like this, and now E has something concrete to memorize and fall back on when unsure of how to spell a word. I had hesitated on buying the Phonics....almost only bought the Spelling, but it is the Phonics lessons that are teaching her how to spell. Ironically, this is the least expensive program I have ever used, and it is the best. (so far, check back at the end of the year, and we'll see if E's spelling has improved as much as I hope it to. LOL)
In other 2nd grade news, E is also still doing fabulously with her Horizons Math. She is on lesson 47, as of today, and still maintaining all A's. She, for some reason, really likes doing Handwriting every day, too, and if try to skip it, she asks for it. And I must admit, her handwriting IS improving. Within a couple of months she will begin learning cursive. In Social Studies E is still learning about communities, but we will soon be moving on to a very simple history of the U.S. She and I have also been reviewing the globe, the continents, and the oceans.
E and C are still doing science together. We are on the 3rd unit in Anatomy and Physiology. We all 3 still love it, although C tries to complain and get out of doing her note-booking activities. I've never seen a child who detests writing more than C. Yesterday we did a demonstration to show how cerebral-spinal fluid makes a huge difference protecting our brains. Each girl put an egg in a container full of water, and ran around my house shaking the container. The eggs remained unbroken. (The egg was our brain, the water was our cerebral spinal fluid, and the container was our skull.) Then we poured the water out of the container, and they again ran around shaking the egg in the container. Much to their delight, the eggs shattered, and suffered extreme "brain damage". LOL This experiment was so much fun they got more eggs out and damaged some more "brains". LOL
C is on lesson 58 in Math. She is not doing as well in math this year, as in years past. She is consistently getting about a C average on her assignments, but this is completely due to her rushing through, not reading directions thoroughly, and making careless mathematical errors without double checking her work. After I grade her work, hand it back to her to correct, she easily finds her mistakes, and corrects them, so it is not a lack of understanding causing her lower grades; it is simply laziness.
C is so far getting all A's in English again this year, and she is just finishing her 3rd unit in that, too. She wrote a BEAUTIFUL "personal narrative" a few weeks ago....definitely her best writing yet, and she did it all on her own, with NO assistance from me at all, from choosing the topic to the final draft, it was completely her own doing.
I FINALLY received her HOD unit study on "Resurrection to Reformation" 2 weeks ago, so we have only completed 1 week's worth of work in that so far. It adds a ton of time to our school day; there are several different books, projects, and activities each day, but overall she and I like it. I will reserve judgement on this for awhile, until we have gotten further into the program. I like the books HOD has chosen for this unit, and I love that one course incorporates History, Geography, Bible, Literature, and art, along with the optional Shakespeare study I ordered with it. I don't like the amount of time this is taking to complete each day, or how disorganized some of the lessons seem to be, but when I look at the entire week's worth of lessons altogether it all flows together at the end.
Every afternoon I see some of C's friends walk home from the bus stop at 3:40, home from their days as 6th graders at the WORST school in our district, and I just Thank God that C is able to be home another year with me. She is learning more, expected to be accountable for her learning and mistakes, and away from a HORRID environment that my older 2 step-daughters spent 3 years of their life in. I dealt with the appalling attitudes and behaviors reigning in that school for a total of 6 years, and I remember vowing NEVER to expose C or E to that way back when April attended that school. Again...Thank GOD I found home-schooling, and that I have the patience, time, and ability to do this for my daughters.
Friday, August 13, 2010
2 Weeks Down; 34 to Go
The girls and I have now completed our first two weeks of school this year. (With the exception of C's social studies unit studies, which NOW won't be in till after the 18th).
C finished her first unit in English, and got a 90% (B) on her 1st test yesterday. She will be doing Lesson 50 in Math today. As we got so far ahead with math this summer she only has to do math 3 days a week. C and I also finished her first unit in science (Anatomy and Physiology). She LOVES this subject, and I have to admit, so do I. She learned about the history of the study of anatomy, and about cells, parts of cells, and how they function. I wish we had a microscope!
E has been working VERY hard. Some days I wonder what I was thinking when I chose to get her advanced curriculum. She isn't having any trouble with math, though....straight A's. She now can count by multiples of 2,3,4,5,6,and 9. (and of course 1, 5, and 10, but she's known those for 2 years.)She has learned to "carry" in double, triple, and quadruple digit addition problems. She is reading very fluently, and she is earning A's in language and reading.
E's struggles still seem to lie in Spelling. I, and my older daughter are "natural" spellers,which means we instinctively know how to spell. E has not inherited this ability, and I have yet to find a spelling program that suits her, and that she actually learns from. She has so far gotten all A's on her spelling lessons and tests, but it is purely memorization, and she doesn't "get" the phonics rules or how to apply them.
I bought E the book, "How to Draw 50 Animals" as she has quite a creative, artistic streak, and I am pleased with the beautiful drawings she has been producing.
As for non-school life....the girls have been bored to tears with softball over, all their friends have been busy the past 2 weeks, and the weather here has been one heat advisory after another. So...the majority of our daytime is taken up with school. I've even skipped mowing for this entire past week. Mind you, I'm not complaining. This is the life I enjoy...spending my days with my girls, doing school, NOT mowing. I miss going places, though, and I'm hoping when the weather cools down I can take them out to some parks, at least.
So, school is off to a fine start. I know when our Heart of Dakota curriculum arrives, C's (and my) days will be lengthened considerably, so we're getting ahead in other subjects, and enjoying adjusting to a 5 day a week schedule while we can.
C finished her first unit in English, and got a 90% (B) on her 1st test yesterday. She will be doing Lesson 50 in Math today. As we got so far ahead with math this summer she only has to do math 3 days a week. C and I also finished her first unit in science (Anatomy and Physiology). She LOVES this subject, and I have to admit, so do I. She learned about the history of the study of anatomy, and about cells, parts of cells, and how they function. I wish we had a microscope!
E has been working VERY hard. Some days I wonder what I was thinking when I chose to get her advanced curriculum. She isn't having any trouble with math, though....straight A's. She now can count by multiples of 2,3,4,5,6,and 9. (and of course 1, 5, and 10, but she's known those for 2 years.)She has learned to "carry" in double, triple, and quadruple digit addition problems. She is reading very fluently, and she is earning A's in language and reading.
E's struggles still seem to lie in Spelling. I, and my older daughter are "natural" spellers,which means we instinctively know how to spell. E has not inherited this ability, and I have yet to find a spelling program that suits her, and that she actually learns from. She has so far gotten all A's on her spelling lessons and tests, but it is purely memorization, and she doesn't "get" the phonics rules or how to apply them.
I bought E the book, "How to Draw 50 Animals" as she has quite a creative, artistic streak, and I am pleased with the beautiful drawings she has been producing.
As for non-school life....the girls have been bored to tears with softball over, all their friends have been busy the past 2 weeks, and the weather here has been one heat advisory after another. So...the majority of our daytime is taken up with school. I've even skipped mowing for this entire past week. Mind you, I'm not complaining. This is the life I enjoy...spending my days with my girls, doing school, NOT mowing. I miss going places, though, and I'm hoping when the weather cools down I can take them out to some parks, at least.
So, school is off to a fine start. I know when our Heart of Dakota curriculum arrives, C's (and my) days will be lengthened considerably, so we're getting ahead in other subjects, and enjoying adjusting to a 5 day a week schedule while we can.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
This Year's Curriculum (2nd and 6th grade)
This is the latest in the year I've ever posted about our curriculum choices. It is also the latest in the year that I've ever decided on, and then ordered our books. In fact, I am actually still awaiting one more box that was back-ordered until the first week of August. Any other year I had my decisions made and the girls' school books ordered in January and February. This year, on such a limited budget, I was unable to order it all at once, and had to order it piece by piece.
You will notice I have a much shorter list this year. This is partly due to financial restraints, and partly because a few of the girls' subjects are complete programs, with several subjects wrapped up into one particular program.
So....without further ado, the girls and I will be doing:
MATH: 6th grade-Saxon 76. C has already completed 1/3 of the book. She will be "beginning" 6th grade on Lesson 41. As seems to be the case every year, she has completed so much of the book already she will only need to do math 3 days a week.
2nd grade: Horizons 2 for E. I can not say enough wonderful things about this math program. E has already completed 25 lessons and 2 tests, and this is just the BEST math program for advanced children I've ever seen. Horizons Math is promoted as the most advanced math available for elementary students, and I have to agree that it is certainly advanced. This math program is very challenging, very fast faced, and it actually is a ton of work. (for both teacher and student)I think so highly of this math that I intend to do a full review of it soon.
ENGLISH: C chose (and I happily agreed) to do another year of BJUP English 6. 5th grade went so smoothly, and she learned so much, that neither of us saw any reason to change a good thing.
E will be doing McGruffy's full Language Arts program. This program actually consists of 5 subjects all tied together: SPELLING, PHONICS, READING, LANGUAGE, (grammar and writing), and HANDWRITING
SCIENCE / HEALTH: We are still reading through Apologia's Zoology series, and I ordered Apologia's ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY the second it was published. Being a nurse, I am impressed with this program for elementary students. It looks awesome, and I splurged and actually bought the accompanying student notebook, instead of being cheap and trying to run all the pages off in black and white. (ok, so my printer is broken and I CAN'T print pages off the internet, LOL) It looks to be a worthwhile expenditure. I've had these books now for 2 months, and I am as excited as a child on Christmas to actually begin this with C, and as always, E may sit in as she wishes.
SOCIAL STUDIES: C is reading "Story of the World" Volume 1 aloud to E this year. As some of you may recall, C liked this overview of Ancient History so much we actually did it twice...once for a grade, and once for fun, and if I have to read this book in it's entirety one more time I may just puke. I will be supervising the readings, and I will, of course, be doing most of the geographical aspects of this program, but I just can't sit and read it myself again this soon. LOL I also bought BJUP Heritage Studies 2, with the intention of working through it with E, but she fell in love with the textbook, absconded with it, and reads it herself.
C will be doing Heart of Dakota's "Resurrection to Reformation" with the optional Shakespeare literary study. This program is technically a "history and geography" study, but as Heart of Dakota is basically a Charlotte Mason style/ literature style unit study, it covers history, geography, cultures, art, Bible, and literature / writing. There is a TON of reading involved, a TON of notebooking, writing, mapwork, and hands-on activities. I am anticipating this to be the most time-consuming portion of C's day. This also happens to be the program in which a few books are on back-order, so I must wait to start it. I have all the other portions of the program; however I do NOT have the Teacher's Guide, the Student notebook, or the Student's Shakespeare notebook. In other words, I have all the reading, the main text, the CD's, but not the actual "workbooks" or Teacher's Manual, so it is impossible to begin until I have those.
Both girls will also be doing Thinking Skills daily. I bought "Building Critical Thinking Skills" at the age-appropriate level for each girl. E also has a Learning to Draw Animals book for Art.
That's it. A much shorter list than previous years, but very comprehensive, and I think they will both actually have to work a lot harder than in years past. C, for sure, will have much more "homework", and E's math alone take 60-90 minutes per day.I'll let you know how it goes.....
You will notice I have a much shorter list this year. This is partly due to financial restraints, and partly because a few of the girls' subjects are complete programs, with several subjects wrapped up into one particular program.
So....without further ado, the girls and I will be doing:
MATH: 6th grade-Saxon 76. C has already completed 1/3 of the book. She will be "beginning" 6th grade on Lesson 41. As seems to be the case every year, she has completed so much of the book already she will only need to do math 3 days a week.
2nd grade: Horizons 2 for E. I can not say enough wonderful things about this math program. E has already completed 25 lessons and 2 tests, and this is just the BEST math program for advanced children I've ever seen. Horizons Math is promoted as the most advanced math available for elementary students, and I have to agree that it is certainly advanced. This math program is very challenging, very fast faced, and it actually is a ton of work. (for both teacher and student)I think so highly of this math that I intend to do a full review of it soon.
ENGLISH: C chose (and I happily agreed) to do another year of BJUP English 6. 5th grade went so smoothly, and she learned so much, that neither of us saw any reason to change a good thing.
E will be doing McGruffy's full Language Arts program. This program actually consists of 5 subjects all tied together: SPELLING, PHONICS, READING, LANGUAGE, (grammar and writing), and HANDWRITING
SCIENCE / HEALTH: We are still reading through Apologia's Zoology series, and I ordered Apologia's ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY the second it was published. Being a nurse, I am impressed with this program for elementary students. It looks awesome, and I splurged and actually bought the accompanying student notebook, instead of being cheap and trying to run all the pages off in black and white. (ok, so my printer is broken and I CAN'T print pages off the internet, LOL) It looks to be a worthwhile expenditure. I've had these books now for 2 months, and I am as excited as a child on Christmas to actually begin this with C, and as always, E may sit in as she wishes.
SOCIAL STUDIES: C is reading "Story of the World" Volume 1 aloud to E this year. As some of you may recall, C liked this overview of Ancient History so much we actually did it twice...once for a grade, and once for fun, and if I have to read this book in it's entirety one more time I may just puke. I will be supervising the readings, and I will, of course, be doing most of the geographical aspects of this program, but I just can't sit and read it myself again this soon. LOL I also bought BJUP Heritage Studies 2, with the intention of working through it with E, but she fell in love with the textbook, absconded with it, and reads it herself.
C will be doing Heart of Dakota's "Resurrection to Reformation" with the optional Shakespeare literary study. This program is technically a "history and geography" study, but as Heart of Dakota is basically a Charlotte Mason style/ literature style unit study, it covers history, geography, cultures, art, Bible, and literature / writing. There is a TON of reading involved, a TON of notebooking, writing, mapwork, and hands-on activities. I am anticipating this to be the most time-consuming portion of C's day. This also happens to be the program in which a few books are on back-order, so I must wait to start it. I have all the other portions of the program; however I do NOT have the Teacher's Guide, the Student notebook, or the Student's Shakespeare notebook. In other words, I have all the reading, the main text, the CD's, but not the actual "workbooks" or Teacher's Manual, so it is impossible to begin until I have those.
Both girls will also be doing Thinking Skills daily. I bought "Building Critical Thinking Skills" at the age-appropriate level for each girl. E also has a Learning to Draw Animals book for Art.
That's it. A much shorter list than previous years, but very comprehensive, and I think they will both actually have to work a lot harder than in years past. C, for sure, will have much more "homework", and E's math alone take 60-90 minutes per day.I'll let you know how it goes.....
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Where Have I Been?
My posts have really slipped this past year. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I have been working hard this past year, but for several months I've let my schooling slide to the way side. I think I may have been going through a bout of depression, and for awhile I was being very self-centered. I spent more time worrying about money (I don't have to worry about THAT anymore, because I don't have any to worry about! LOL) and feeling sorry for myself for having to do "man" jobs, (don't have to worry about THOSE anymore either, because I'm getting proficient at figuring things out or, GASP! asking for help.) I also spent much of my time helping out my dear friend, and I don't have to worry about THAT anymore, because he and I seem to have gotten this scheduling thing down pat, for the most part.
So, where have I been for 2 months? Well, I've been mainly getting my daughters and I lives back on track. C completed her 5th year of softball, alternating between the positions of pitcher and first-base, and contributing to her team finishing 2nd place for the season, and 2nd place in the tournament. This year, I had the added fun of simultaneously watching TWO softball games on TWO different fields, as E completed her 1st year of softball. Her team ended up in 3rd place for season, and 3rd in tournaments, which was much better than I expected at the beginning of the season. Five years into this softball stuff, and all 3 of us still love it, still haven't missed a single game.
Ex-husband, D, is now living with his girlfriend, and that has helped with him seeing the girls more often. He now gets them for entire weekends, and the girls really enjoy getting to spend more time with him. He coached C's softball team this year, had them for many weekends this summer, and so far, things are working out pretty well.
I have also spent the last couple of months FINALLY not only deciding on curriculum for both girls, but ordering it, organizing it, and preparing for C's 6th grade year, and E's 2nd grade year. I normally begin back to full-time home-schooling the first week of August. With 2 yards to mow, being a single mother, and all the extra work that entails, I'm not sure if I will get the year off to as productive a start as normal, but I can't do any worse than LAST school year! LOL
I have everything planned out. I have everything ordered. I am only awaiting one last shipment that was back-ordered to arrive next week. The girls have intermittently been doing math through the summer, but other than that, we will start all other subjects fresh on the first day of school. All 3 of us have been very busy this summer, but it's really been a great few months, and I am actually excited (for the first time in a year) to start school. I hope to post once more before our actual start-date with the list of curriculum and plans for this upcoming year.
Hope everyone is doing well. We are!
So, where have I been for 2 months? Well, I've been mainly getting my daughters and I lives back on track. C completed her 5th year of softball, alternating between the positions of pitcher and first-base, and contributing to her team finishing 2nd place for the season, and 2nd place in the tournament. This year, I had the added fun of simultaneously watching TWO softball games on TWO different fields, as E completed her 1st year of softball. Her team ended up in 3rd place for season, and 3rd in tournaments, which was much better than I expected at the beginning of the season. Five years into this softball stuff, and all 3 of us still love it, still haven't missed a single game.
Ex-husband, D, is now living with his girlfriend, and that has helped with him seeing the girls more often. He now gets them for entire weekends, and the girls really enjoy getting to spend more time with him. He coached C's softball team this year, had them for many weekends this summer, and so far, things are working out pretty well.
I have also spent the last couple of months FINALLY not only deciding on curriculum for both girls, but ordering it, organizing it, and preparing for C's 6th grade year, and E's 2nd grade year. I normally begin back to full-time home-schooling the first week of August. With 2 yards to mow, being a single mother, and all the extra work that entails, I'm not sure if I will get the year off to as productive a start as normal, but I can't do any worse than LAST school year! LOL
I have everything planned out. I have everything ordered. I am only awaiting one last shipment that was back-ordered to arrive next week. The girls have intermittently been doing math through the summer, but other than that, we will start all other subjects fresh on the first day of school. All 3 of us have been very busy this summer, but it's really been a great few months, and I am actually excited (for the first time in a year) to start school. I hope to post once more before our actual start-date with the list of curriculum and plans for this upcoming year.
Hope everyone is doing well. We are!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Making It
The time flies by...one minute it is November, all of a sudden it is the end of May. What happened to this lost year? I don't think I've ever been so busy in my life...not even when I was single, working 3 jobs, taking care of my dying mother 3 states away. And yet I haven't been busy doing the IMPORTANT things. Every day seems like just another day of chores to get through. The bare minimum of schoolwork for the girls because I just couldn't bear to sit still, to slow down and study, do lessons, assignments, grade papers and tests. Slowing down meant thinking, and for the past 6 months slowing down was perilously close to just stopping altogether.
I do all these mundane chores because SOMEONE has to, and yet....the next morning they are all waiting to be done again. The dogs need fed, the cat boxes need changed, the dishes need washed, garbage needs out, floors need vacuumed, grass gets mowed, only to grow right back again. E needs to learn to spell, C needs to learn...EVERYTHING it seems. There's so little time to teach it all, so little inclination to teach ANY of it. The girls grow, they need fed, and that entails stores, and cooking, and more dishes, and new shoes, and bigger clothes. And ironically, I need smaller clothes that don't fall off. And I can afford neither bigger clothes for the girls, or smaller clothes for myself. And Mom doesn't like this....this seeming waste of time on the things that don't matter as I look back on my life. And I don't like the girls growing, because soon this 6 months that has gone by in what seems to be only a few weeks will turn into 6 years, and then 12 years and they will be gone too.
Softball games begin in 6 days. For the first year in 5 years I don't care. I don't want to go. Softball used to be so much fun. But this year I don't WANT to talk to people. I don't want to watch the man coaching that is somehow no longer my husband...he's just "the girls dad" who sees them maybe once a week. I don't WANT to enter the summer months knowing C will be staying home all day every day because I can't afford to let her take the kids' enrichment classes at the local community college. We will ALL stay home all day because I can't afford to just waste the days going to bookstores, shopping, out to lunch, and I can not BEAR to go hiking, playing at the parks, searching for rocks and shells at the river because...half the people who should be out at the rivers and parks with us are gone. Half a family is gone. 6 divided by 2 is 3. 6 divided by 2 = just me, and C and E. Anywhere I go, anywhere I could take the girls seems empty. I see the ghosts of April, and Brittany, and Danny in all these places, and it's not right that it should be only 3.And who suffers for this? The girls, of course....begging to go here or there, and hearing "No" so often they don't even ask anymore.
It's not ALL darkness, though. Every once in a while the sun actually shines through. I think this week I set a record for "number of good days in a row" within the past 6-7 months. I managed to do school every single day. I managed to get PAST the never-ending daily chores, and wash windows, wash curtains, scrub things that haven't been scrubbed since LAST spring. I actually walked into my kitchen this morning and SMILED at how bright and pretty and CLEAN it looked. I actually have tons of completed work in E's math folder, and I feel proud that she has worked so hard, done so well. C has helped me with housework, she has giggled, we have had happy moments, and we have actually been productive this week.
Thank you, God, for protecting my daughters, for giving me strength, and for this week.
I do all these mundane chores because SOMEONE has to, and yet....the next morning they are all waiting to be done again. The dogs need fed, the cat boxes need changed, the dishes need washed, garbage needs out, floors need vacuumed, grass gets mowed, only to grow right back again. E needs to learn to spell, C needs to learn...EVERYTHING it seems. There's so little time to teach it all, so little inclination to teach ANY of it. The girls grow, they need fed, and that entails stores, and cooking, and more dishes, and new shoes, and bigger clothes. And ironically, I need smaller clothes that don't fall off. And I can afford neither bigger clothes for the girls, or smaller clothes for myself. And Mom doesn't like this....this seeming waste of time on the things that don't matter as I look back on my life. And I don't like the girls growing, because soon this 6 months that has gone by in what seems to be only a few weeks will turn into 6 years, and then 12 years and they will be gone too.
Softball games begin in 6 days. For the first year in 5 years I don't care. I don't want to go. Softball used to be so much fun. But this year I don't WANT to talk to people. I don't want to watch the man coaching that is somehow no longer my husband...he's just "the girls dad" who sees them maybe once a week. I don't WANT to enter the summer months knowing C will be staying home all day every day because I can't afford to let her take the kids' enrichment classes at the local community college. We will ALL stay home all day because I can't afford to just waste the days going to bookstores, shopping, out to lunch, and I can not BEAR to go hiking, playing at the parks, searching for rocks and shells at the river because...half the people who should be out at the rivers and parks with us are gone. Half a family is gone. 6 divided by 2 is 3. 6 divided by 2 = just me, and C and E. Anywhere I go, anywhere I could take the girls seems empty. I see the ghosts of April, and Brittany, and Danny in all these places, and it's not right that it should be only 3.And who suffers for this? The girls, of course....begging to go here or there, and hearing "No" so often they don't even ask anymore.
It's not ALL darkness, though. Every once in a while the sun actually shines through. I think this week I set a record for "number of good days in a row" within the past 6-7 months. I managed to do school every single day. I managed to get PAST the never-ending daily chores, and wash windows, wash curtains, scrub things that haven't been scrubbed since LAST spring. I actually walked into my kitchen this morning and SMILED at how bright and pretty and CLEAN it looked. I actually have tons of completed work in E's math folder, and I feel proud that she has worked so hard, done so well. C has helped me with housework, she has giggled, we have had happy moments, and we have actually been productive this week.
Thank you, God, for protecting my daughters, for giving me strength, and for this week.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Wow! Hard to Believe, but....
....today is April and Lance's first anniversary! What a year of changes in this family! It has been a very sad year, but the newly-weds have made it through their first year.
Congratulations, and Happy Anniversary! We love and miss you guys!
Congratulations, and Happy Anniversary! We love and miss you guys!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
So much catching up to Do
If anyone still reads this, I haven't forgotten. I just have not been in much mood to write, and I also haven't had a lot of time lately, either.
In a nutshell....D and I's divorce was final a month ago. E finished first grade, and I've begun working with her on 2nd grade. C finished 5th grade, and we are on an extended break. Both girls are signed up for softball again this year. It will be E's first year playing, and C's 5th year. D will be coaching C's team again. The weather has turned warm and beautiful here, so girls have been spending every day outside playing with their many friends on the street from the minute the other kids get out of school until dark, if I let them. LOL
I've been busy trying to take care of the house, the 12 pets, 2 daughters, home schooling, and helping my friend. As the only "adult" (I use that term loosely, LOL) in the house all winter, I learned how to light our boiler in less than 5 minutes, without crying, panicing, or blowing up the house. I figured out how to install a new screen for my front door. There was some crying with that task, but I managed. And I have added mowing the lawn, and scooping dog poop to my list of chores. Oh, and I had to kill a spider all by myself....ALL my "spider-killers" have moved out.
One of these days I will try to get on here and update our curriculum lists, and plans for next school year. God Bless anyone who still reads this.
In a nutshell....D and I's divorce was final a month ago. E finished first grade, and I've begun working with her on 2nd grade. C finished 5th grade, and we are on an extended break. Both girls are signed up for softball again this year. It will be E's first year playing, and C's 5th year. D will be coaching C's team again. The weather has turned warm and beautiful here, so girls have been spending every day outside playing with their many friends on the street from the minute the other kids get out of school until dark, if I let them. LOL
I've been busy trying to take care of the house, the 12 pets, 2 daughters, home schooling, and helping my friend. As the only "adult" (I use that term loosely, LOL) in the house all winter, I learned how to light our boiler in less than 5 minutes, without crying, panicing, or blowing up the house. I figured out how to install a new screen for my front door. There was some crying with that task, but I managed. And I have added mowing the lawn, and scooping dog poop to my list of chores. Oh, and I had to kill a spider all by myself....ALL my "spider-killers" have moved out.
One of these days I will try to get on here and update our curriculum lists, and plans for next school year. God Bless anyone who still reads this.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Happy Birthday E
E is 7 today. From the time I was 13 weeks pregnant, she hasn't stopped moving. Her personality hasn't swayed since birth. Labor with E was 46 hours...it was time to be born, but she just didn't want to leave her Mama. LOL
She was born with a gorgeous head of dark hair, and had dark eyes. She's looked just like me all her life, but her personality is all her own. She is slow to warm up to new adults, but once she approves of someone, she gives her heart to them fully. This child is SMART! If it seems impossible, E will work and work to figure a solution out. She gets things on the first try, and is ready to move on to more new things.
E is imaginative. She's talked to herself her entire life, spinning stories, conversations, and making up songs. We have stood outside many a public bathroom, laughing because we can hear her clear outside the door talking, and taking on both imaginary parties conversations. She loves music, and will compose her own songs on the piano. When she is sad or thoughtful, she makes up the most beautiful, sad-sounding songs. When she is happy and excited, I have to tell her to quit banging on my piano keys. When she isn't singing, or playing the piano, she is "drumming" on everything in the house...or whistling...or playing the recorder. She loves to dance, spin in circles, and exercise with Mommy. (Shhh...I don't do that! LOL)
School with E is interesting, to say the least. She learns quickly, and on first try, so thankfully, it doesn't take long. Thankfully, because she is constantly making up stories about the illustrations in her book instead of writing answwers. She rarely has her pencil on the paper; instead it is being poked through her socks, her shirt, my comforter, and occasionally her own skin.
E is the only child I've met who can be sitting perfectly still and fall off a bed or out of a chair. She loses EVERYTHING. We have a place for things like coats, shoes, pencils, etc....but E's things are mysteriously never where they belong. How do you lose a coat??? LOL
She feels things very deeply. She cries tears of joy and amazement, and she cries when she feels life is unfair. She is the child who, if Mommy or someone else is upset, will not say a word, just quietly make a picture to cheer me up, or bring me her own blanket, even if she is cold. E's nickname is "Cuddlebug"....she's my hugger, my lap-sitter, the one who for the first 3 years of life couldn't fall asleep without clutching Mommy's ear. When she's sick, she will still reach up and hang on to my ear for comfort.
When we say nightly prayers, E is the one who remembers to pray for people or situations C and I forget to mention. E is the one who, not one night of her life, has ever forgotten to ask God to tell her litany of pets and people who have died, that she loves and missed them. (Bandit, Sonny, Goldie, Kristi, and Thumper...every night!)
E is the most active of my children, the smartest in figuring out new things and grasping new concepts. E is the most, by far, imaginative, and the most sensitive, empathetic little girl. She is caring, loving, and considerate without a single reminder.
E was quite a surprise to me when I found out I was pregnant, and she has been a challenge to mother, and yet she is the biggest blessing, the example we all should follow. I ADORE my E, and am so thankful God blessed me with her. I just can't think of one thing about my little E that I don't love and appreciate. HAPPY BIRTHDAY my dear, little one.
She was born with a gorgeous head of dark hair, and had dark eyes. She's looked just like me all her life, but her personality is all her own. She is slow to warm up to new adults, but once she approves of someone, she gives her heart to them fully. This child is SMART! If it seems impossible, E will work and work to figure a solution out. She gets things on the first try, and is ready to move on to more new things.
E is imaginative. She's talked to herself her entire life, spinning stories, conversations, and making up songs. We have stood outside many a public bathroom, laughing because we can hear her clear outside the door talking, and taking on both imaginary parties conversations. She loves music, and will compose her own songs on the piano. When she is sad or thoughtful, she makes up the most beautiful, sad-sounding songs. When she is happy and excited, I have to tell her to quit banging on my piano keys. When she isn't singing, or playing the piano, she is "drumming" on everything in the house...or whistling...or playing the recorder. She loves to dance, spin in circles, and exercise with Mommy. (Shhh...I don't do that! LOL)
School with E is interesting, to say the least. She learns quickly, and on first try, so thankfully, it doesn't take long. Thankfully, because she is constantly making up stories about the illustrations in her book instead of writing answwers. She rarely has her pencil on the paper; instead it is being poked through her socks, her shirt, my comforter, and occasionally her own skin.
E is the only child I've met who can be sitting perfectly still and fall off a bed or out of a chair. She loses EVERYTHING. We have a place for things like coats, shoes, pencils, etc....but E's things are mysteriously never where they belong. How do you lose a coat??? LOL
She feels things very deeply. She cries tears of joy and amazement, and she cries when she feels life is unfair. She is the child who, if Mommy or someone else is upset, will not say a word, just quietly make a picture to cheer me up, or bring me her own blanket, even if she is cold. E's nickname is "Cuddlebug"....she's my hugger, my lap-sitter, the one who for the first 3 years of life couldn't fall asleep without clutching Mommy's ear. When she's sick, she will still reach up and hang on to my ear for comfort.
When we say nightly prayers, E is the one who remembers to pray for people or situations C and I forget to mention. E is the one who, not one night of her life, has ever forgotten to ask God to tell her litany of pets and people who have died, that she loves and missed them. (Bandit, Sonny, Goldie, Kristi, and Thumper...every night!)
E is the most active of my children, the smartest in figuring out new things and grasping new concepts. E is the most, by far, imaginative, and the most sensitive, empathetic little girl. She is caring, loving, and considerate without a single reminder.
E was quite a surprise to me when I found out I was pregnant, and she has been a challenge to mother, and yet she is the biggest blessing, the example we all should follow. I ADORE my E, and am so thankful God blessed me with her. I just can't think of one thing about my little E that I don't love and appreciate. HAPPY BIRTHDAY my dear, little one.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
School Update
E, in first grade, is flying right along. She has completed 200 pages in her math book, 12 of which she did this week. She continues to learn a concept immediately, which I'm thankful for. Her handwriting is still a bit sloppy, but I have been correcting her more, and she can write beautifully when she takes her time. She also completed 8 pages in her English this week, and LOVES finding word opposites, and counting syllables. She is still reading well, but her spelling is not doing as well as I would hope. She spells more phonetically, than correctly, but for being only 6 she is normal in that area.
C, in 5th, has now completed 99 out of 120 lessons in math, and still earns A's with each assignment. If she would consistantly double check her work she would get A+'s. We finished her unit on pronouns this week. Somehow they had 2 extra lessons, so Monday and Wednesday she did 2 English assignments. Again, all A's. A+ in Spelling, as always, and a very imaginative journal entry for her this week. Not the best writing she has ever done, but I love her imagination. C also did 4 lessons in Bible, and 2 pages in geography.
She and E completed chapter 9 in Zoology. I'm amazed at how fascinated E is with science. It is the only class she is never bored in, and actually sits still to listen, and answers comprehension questions.
As for myself, I learned what antecedents and reflexive pronouns are. I'm not really sure why they are important, and have never heard of them before, but always nice to learn new things. LOL
D and I have come to an agreement with the attorney, and signed all the papers Friday. We both must attend mandatory parenting-of-children-going-through-a-divorce classes next month, and then it will be final. Still waiting on child support. For the first time in my 38 years of life I've had to get my home phone disconnected, and cable TV is next on my list of cutting back on expenses. I have also had to apply for assistance with my power bill, so we still have power for another month or two. Thanks to my friend, M, the girls and I have been eating very well, though. So, even though I am having to make adjustments, and dont like things such as applying for assistance, God is, as He always does, providing, and the girls and I are very blessed.
C, in 5th, has now completed 99 out of 120 lessons in math, and still earns A's with each assignment. If she would consistantly double check her work she would get A+'s. We finished her unit on pronouns this week. Somehow they had 2 extra lessons, so Monday and Wednesday she did 2 English assignments. Again, all A's. A+ in Spelling, as always, and a very imaginative journal entry for her this week. Not the best writing she has ever done, but I love her imagination. C also did 4 lessons in Bible, and 2 pages in geography.
She and E completed chapter 9 in Zoology. I'm amazed at how fascinated E is with science. It is the only class she is never bored in, and actually sits still to listen, and answers comprehension questions.
As for myself, I learned what antecedents and reflexive pronouns are. I'm not really sure why they are important, and have never heard of them before, but always nice to learn new things. LOL
D and I have come to an agreement with the attorney, and signed all the papers Friday. We both must attend mandatory parenting-of-children-going-through-a-divorce classes next month, and then it will be final. Still waiting on child support. For the first time in my 38 years of life I've had to get my home phone disconnected, and cable TV is next on my list of cutting back on expenses. I have also had to apply for assistance with my power bill, so we still have power for another month or two. Thanks to my friend, M, the girls and I have been eating very well, though. So, even though I am having to make adjustments, and dont like things such as applying for assistance, God is, as He always does, providing, and the girls and I are very blessed.
Friday, January 8, 2010
A Few More Small Life Changes
Since our seperation D has been living in a motel room. He has now found a place to rent, with 2 bedrooms so the girls can visit, and has permission from the landlord to take 2 of our dogs. We have 8 dogs, and he will be taking the 2 largest ones, Lucky, his 9 year old yellow lab, and Shadow, MY 2 year old black lab. These are 2 of the best, smartest dogs I've ever known. In fact, Lucky is the dog that made me begin liking dogs. I will miss her, but she belongs with D, as she is crazy about him, and miserable here with him gone. Shadow, on the other hand...I'm REALLY going to miss him. He really IS my shadow, following me from room to room, laying beside me wherever I am. Shadow knows and obeys all commands, worries about me when I'm sick, or upset, and is fiercly protective of me, and our home. I have posted about him before, check my May and June 2008 archives on this blog, when I nursed him through near-death. He is the largest dog we have, at 95 pounds, so I suppose the bright side to this move is that those 50 pound bags of dog food I buy every week might last a little longer, but I AM GOING TO MISS HIM SO MUCH! This dog, even though huge, is MY baby, and the only reason he is going to live with D is that Shadow is a little OVERprotective sometimes, and D and I feel he would be better off without 5 other male dogs in such close proximity.
Below is Lucky, tucked in with her stuffed animal. (Yes, she's spolied, LOL) and Shadow, who grew tired of waiting for dinner time, and brought us the dog bowl, and the water jug. He feels it is HIS responsibility to let us knw when food or water needs refilled.
Often, people dont think about pets when they hear the word "divorce", but each and every one of our pets are special and very dear to us, they are ALL definitely members of our family. I can't just get rid of them; they have been part of our family for years, and we intentionally kept each of them. I will still have plenty of animals here, 6 dogs, and 6 cats, plus D's one remaining fish (maybe he can take that...I'm not too into fish, LOL, but there's going to be yet another hole in this family, with the 2 labs moving. At least I will still be able to see them when I drop the girls off for visits with their dad.
Below is Lucky, tucked in with her stuffed animal. (Yes, she's spolied, LOL) and Shadow, who grew tired of waiting for dinner time, and brought us the dog bowl, and the water jug. He feels it is HIS responsibility to let us knw when food or water needs refilled.
Often, people dont think about pets when they hear the word "divorce", but each and every one of our pets are special and very dear to us, they are ALL definitely members of our family. I can't just get rid of them; they have been part of our family for years, and we intentionally kept each of them. I will still have plenty of animals here, 6 dogs, and 6 cats, plus D's one remaining fish (maybe he can take that...I'm not too into fish, LOL, but there's going to be yet another hole in this family, with the 2 labs moving. At least I will still be able to see them when I drop the girls off for visits with their dad.
Monday, January 4, 2010
First Day Back After Christmas Break
Since this is technically supposed to be a blog about homeschooling, I thought I'd post about our first day back after a 2 week break. We had a very productive day.I know I haven't been very good about keeping on topic lately, but personal life affects homeschooling, too.
C spent more time than usual on math today, almost an hour, but she only missed one problem. She got an A+ on Spelling, and 2 A+'s in English. (We did 2 lessons, a cumulative review, and the first lesson on her pronoun chapter.) She didn't do as well with Bible as she normally does....missed 3 questions, but understood better after we went over the assignment again. C also did some "social studies", ironically through her English text. Each unit has a theme, and this unit's theme is Australia/New Zealand. We looked New Zealand up on the globe, talked about Sydney, the "outback", Aborigines, how English prisoners were the original white settlers of a continent now predominantly white, the differences between seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres, the awesome, and unusual animal life in Australia (kangoroos, koalas, Tasmanian devils, and platypusses [platypii???lol]). I wonder if we could take a field trip to The Outback Steakhouse....? LOL
E did 2 pages in math, 1 page in English, read me a book, and practiced skip-counting by 5's. As of this writing, she still needs to do her Bible lesson.
Both girls together did science, an introduction to pterosaurs. Almost every child is fascinated by dinosaurs, and pterosaurs are similar, but NOT (as the science book informed us) dinosaurs. The 3 of us ended up spending 45 minutes to get through 4 pages. We always tend to get into long discussions when doing science and social studies.
While it was nice to have a break, and I dreaded getting back to school every day, it went well, and we accompished lots. It was kind of nice to be back doing something productive, and while C may complain about doing school, I think she secretly likes it. I know it sure helps her attitude, which has been sorely lacking in repect and kindness lately, part of that due to boredom. E is always happy to do school, just not too much at a time.
C spent more time than usual on math today, almost an hour, but she only missed one problem. She got an A+ on Spelling, and 2 A+'s in English. (We did 2 lessons, a cumulative review, and the first lesson on her pronoun chapter.) She didn't do as well with Bible as she normally does....missed 3 questions, but understood better after we went over the assignment again. C also did some "social studies", ironically through her English text. Each unit has a theme, and this unit's theme is Australia/New Zealand. We looked New Zealand up on the globe, talked about Sydney, the "outback", Aborigines, how English prisoners were the original white settlers of a continent now predominantly white, the differences between seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres, the awesome, and unusual animal life in Australia (kangoroos, koalas, Tasmanian devils, and platypusses [platypii???lol]). I wonder if we could take a field trip to The Outback Steakhouse....? LOL
E did 2 pages in math, 1 page in English, read me a book, and practiced skip-counting by 5's. As of this writing, she still needs to do her Bible lesson.
Both girls together did science, an introduction to pterosaurs. Almost every child is fascinated by dinosaurs, and pterosaurs are similar, but NOT (as the science book informed us) dinosaurs. The 3 of us ended up spending 45 minutes to get through 4 pages. We always tend to get into long discussions when doing science and social studies.
While it was nice to have a break, and I dreaded getting back to school every day, it went well, and we accompished lots. It was kind of nice to be back doing something productive, and while C may complain about doing school, I think she secretly likes it. I know it sure helps her attitude, which has been sorely lacking in repect and kindness lately, part of that due to boredom. E is always happy to do school, just not too much at a time.
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