Wow, it has been a BUSY 2 months since I last wrote! I'm still "computerless", but hopefully I'll be able to get one in the next few months. In the meantime, though, I can't post all the happenings in our lives, or all the thoughts running through my head that I'd like to write about. So I will make do with just a very brief update.
Last time I wrote we had a deathly ill kitten. I'm happy to report that Moses is doing very well, and a joyful addition to our already cat-laden house. We are also "dog-sitting" for my ex-husband's 2 dogs....an elderly yellow lab, and a gigantic, 4 year old black lab. Both these dogs lived with us prior to the girls' dad leaving back in 2009, and although they add a lot of time to chores and the cost of dog food, (Shadow eats a LOT) we are happy to take care of them until he is able to again. I am beginning to feel like an animal hoarder, though....
School is going very well with the girls. E had a birthday this month, and turned 9. She finished her Horizons math 3rd grade, and, quite by accident, began doing Saxon 54. I had some of C's old books out one day, and C decided to start giving E the tests in Saxon. E, who is always a whiz with math, whizzed right through 3 of them. Since I hadn't figured out yet what I would use for her for 4th grade math, we just decided to keep going with Saxon. It is a little slow for her, and much of the material is "review' from concepts she had already learned well in 2nd and 3rd grade math, but we just completed lesson 40, so we may as well finish it out since she's done a third of the book already. LOL
Another change with E is that after doing 3 units of R&S English, it was beginning to be a bit much for her in the writing department. After researching, I chose to begin her in "Learning Language Arts Through Literature" the yellow book. (which is grade 3, so she will be a little behind grade level.) We have only been doing it for 4 weeks, so we'll see how it pans out, but so far both E and I are loving the approach. The lessons are short, but complete with spelling, grammar, handwriting, thinking skills, writing, and literature. They all focus on the copy/dictation method, and using real books (as opposed to textbooks) for her English skills.
E is also VERY into me reading aloud to her. She couldn't stand this when she was "little", but now she is enthralled by our read aloud choices, and begs me to read more, and more, and more. We recently finished "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" (what a phenomonal book! I recommend every adult who read this as a child go back and re read it as an adult.) and are now back to one of MY childhood favorites: "Charlotte's Web".
C is also back to Saxon for math. No matter how much *I* loved BJU math, it was just too much for her, and was to the point math was a constant struggle and battle of wills. She is doing much better with Saxon Algebra 1/2.
We only have one unit left in Lighening Literature. While C detests the writing assignments, she has done all right with them. I bought Apologia's Jump In to try for her writing next year, and I don't have a CLUE what I will use for the rest of her English yet. I am really, REALLY looking forward to Jump In, because it is broken up into very small lessons, yet really gives a wonderful instruction in the how-to's, and the do's and don'ts of writing. And, as the publisher famously claims for this program, it is geared toward "the reluctant writer", which definitely is C! LOL
C just completed her 12th module (out of 16) in Apologia's general science. She has loved this course, and gotten A's in all her work. I will miss the apologia scieonces, but next year we plan to go a little different route, and try using DVDs from BJU for Physical science. I've never used DVDs for my children, but I think it will be nice, not only for C to have someone else do the teaching, but for mE to have someone else do the teaching! LOL
We still work at least one day per week at the animal shelter, and still love it. C has not done violin lessons since December, because the torn ligamant in her wrist has really been acting up again this year. She plans to go out for softball again in a few months, but she will no longer be pitching, due to her wrist pain. We haven't had much of a "winter" this year, and the girls have actually had MANY days warm enough to be outside playing with their friends. And we have been seeing lots of their grown sister, April, since she moved back to our town last fall.
While that doesn't NEARLY cover all of our lifes goings-ons, it is all I intend to write about this morning. I miss being able to write as often as I used to. Hope everyone is doing well.
