ladydusk

The Simple Woman's Daybook for February 20, 2012

2012-02-20T15:36:00.003-05:00

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... is sunny and cold.

I am thinking... about yesterday's sermon. It was fantastic!

I am thankful... for a pastor who is so serious about preaching God's Word.

In the kitchen... I haven't cooked for a few days.

I am wearing... jeans and a pink sweater.

I am creating... a pile of ironing ... Jason needs it ironed.

I ~~am going~~... went ... to see Arrietty this morning with the chidlren. It was wonderful and we had a great time.

I am wondering... if the Advil I took is going to kick in still.

I am reading... haven't started anything new since Evening in the Palace of Reason.

I am hoping... to read something else I like that much.

I am looking forward to... grocery store with Jason tonight.

I am learning... about the differences between Classical Prophets and the Apocolyptic Bible writers.

Around the house... let's not go there right now.

I am pondering... reason, the Enlightenment, Baroque, education, kings and queens ...

A favorite quote for today... "Once they had [new, foreign] music in hand, old or new, Walther and Bach -- like every other conscientious composer of their day -- went about studying it as they had been taught in school to study oratory, through the threefold discipline of praeceptum, exemplum, and imitatio (learning principles, studying examples, and imitating good execution). In just this way, Bach and Walther studied the Italians: first by copying out their works note for note, then by arranging them for various instruments, finally by transfiguring them in works of their own." pg 125

One of my favorite things... visiting with old friends. I got to meet my High School best friend's children yesterday. The children loved playing with her 6 year old and I got to play with the 2 month old. Win-win!

A few plans for the rest of the week...school, cleaning, art!

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Commonplace Entries: Evening in the Palace of Reason

2012-02-18T12:04:00.001-05:00

My full review is here. I folded down many more corners that only really make sense in context. These are the quotes that are related to issues I've been considering and that are easily pulled out. I hope they give you an idea of why I liked this book so much.

Gaines' premise:

A work that may be read as a kind of last will and testament, Bach's Musical offering leaves us, among other things, a compelling case for the following proposition: that a world without a sense of the transcendent and mysterious, universe ultimately discoverable through reason alone, can only be a barren place; and that the music sounding forth from such a world might be very pretty, but it can never be beautiful.

We may be grateful that Bach had spent a lifetime developing a musical language in which to say all that without fear of discovery or retribution, because his Musical Offering to Frederick represents as stark a rebuke of his beliefs and worldview as an absolute monarch has ever received. Not incidentally, it is also one of the great works of art in the history of music. pg 12

Nature vs. nurture (a battle we still fight today):

Of the deaths in [Bach's] adult life, it is enough to say that he buried twelve of his twenty children. Against this backdrop, the elaborately formal topiary gardens of the Baroque, inspired by the idea that nature needs to be tamed and improved, seem entirely understandable. pg 40

On church music:

Luther's idea of music as the faithful servant of theology inspired every Baroque composer's defining challenge: to devise melodies and harmonies that could carry and dramatize meaning, or, to put it a bit oversimply, to make music speak in words. pg 81

On education:

Once they had [new, foreign] music in hand, old or new, Walther and Bach -- like every other conscientious composer of their day -- went about studying it as they had been taught in school to study oratory, through the threefold discipline of praeceptum, exemplum, and imitatio (learning principles, studying examples, and imitating good execution). In just this way, Bach and Walther studied the Italians: first by copying out their works note for note, then by arranging them for various instruments, finally by transfiguring them in works of their own. pg 125

On secular-sacred divide:

... and in that respect his sacred and secular music were the same. Bach did not seprate them even in his filing system, and both like bore the epigram S.D.G (Soli Deo Gloria, "All Glory to God") At the moment of the direst atonement in a cantata Bach not infrequently breaks into a dance, since in his worldview (Luther's worldview) the knowledge of weakness was precisely the way to grace and the ultimate joy. pg 136-7

On family life:

Plainly, Bach enjoyed the role of haus-pater to all of his children, and a family life that was traditionally and devoutly Lutheran: Children were to show respect for the parents, and parents were to learn patience and diligence in dealings with their children and each other in that challenging nexus of family relationships which Luther called the "school for character." pg 167

more education

... Luther's educational ideal of "training of men toward God as a consequence of the practice of music to the glory of god." pg 182

Bach vs. Enlightenment

The Enlightenment's way of knowing a thing was to identify, separate, and classify it, the encyclopedic impulse. Bach's way of understanding something was to get his hands on it, turn it upside down and backward, and wrestle with it until he found a way to make something new. pg 185

Making a statement without words:

Bach's music makes no argument that the world is more than a ticking clock, yet leaves no doubt of it. pg 273

Family Read Aloud: The Cat of Bubastes (Audio Book)

2012-02-18T10:22:00.001-05:00

We've been studying ancients in school for a while, and last summer sometime I downloaded The Cat of Bubastes by GA Henty from Librivox.org. The children and I have been listening when we had 30 minute car trip here and there. For a time R-girl hated it, so we backed off, but finally convinced her to keep trying and she ended up enjoying it.

We all ended up enjoying the story of Amuba and Jethro, their treatment by Ameris' family during their enslavement in Egypt, their daring escape and return to the land of the Rebu with Ameris' children.

The reader either actively improved during his recording of the book, or we just got used to him. We'd all recommend the story despite its occasionally slow chapters.

Book Review: Evening in the Palace of Reason

2012-02-18T10:05:00.001-05:00

Evening in the Palace of Reason: Bach Meets Frederick the Great in the Age of Enlightenment by James R. Gaines

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Own.

Gaines has written a beautiful book exploring the transition of generations during the Enlightenment. The writing itself draws the reader in, is lucid, and develops its structure beautifully. The story is that of a clash of titans who's thinking is at polar extremes. The thinking has been bred through the generational and personal history of each man.

Frederick the Great is shown in his complexities; his duality is explored in depth. His love and his hatred of his father. His complete focus on music, poetry, philosophy, and all things French. Or his complete focus on war and militarism. These lives stand in stark contrast.

Gaines shows that sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. Frederick the Great and CPE Bach eventually come to be like the parent they had such mixed emotions about. A cautionary tale for parents and children.

But the real beauty here is Gaines' love for Bach: for his music and his respect, at least, for his faith. Bach is the sympathetic character of the piece, and although Gaines shows him in his imperfections at times, his strength of character and genius are thoroughly reveled in. Bach's love, character, and genius are all directly related (at least by Bach himself) to his love of God and His glory.

As a non-reader of music and one not as conversant as I'd like to be in musical language, there were places where Gaines was explaining music and what was going on that were just difficult to read. But the sense of what he explained came through nicely. I did not stop to listen (I had to keep reading despite the entreaties to stop!) but I plan on going back and listening to as much as I can using this book as a guide.

Gaines tells us a glossy overview of that night in Frederick's palace, then delves into the history of the two men, beginning with their ancestry. He shows how Prussia was brought together, how it became a "Kingdom," how authority was held by Frederick's line. He shows how Bach's family had, for generations, been musicians and writers of music.

He leads us through Frederick's and Bach's biographies. The device he uses is alternating chapters, and I don't see how he could have done otherwise. He was able to keep the reader in both story lines simultaneously so that the conclusion where he goes more in-depth into that Evening in the Palace of Reason is explored and can be both felt and understood (sensus and ratio?) by the reader.

The final chapter helps the reader see what happens in the world since the time of Bach and Frederick the Great ... and their influence (or supposed influence) upon it.

I can't recommend this book enough. I received it on Sunday and read ravenously to finish it (at 2 a.m. this morning!) The period, the thinking, the influences on today all resonate. The idea of clash between generations is as pronounced today as then, and we can use it as an instructive on education, parenting, discourse, and, for the Christian, encouragement in the faith.

A couple of negatives (if you've gotten this far), I wish the layout had included a timeline and family trees for the main characters. A glossary of minor players would have been helpful as well. The map in the front is so strange. Everything to the south and the east is approximately useless information, and Prussia and Poland (which would have been helpful) are barely included.

I plan on adding quotes from on my blog which I'll link here.

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Weekly Report for 2/13-217/2012

2012-02-17T21:57:00.001-05:00

The week is done. [phew] It was quite a gauntlet. We had Thursday off for Bible Study, but otherwise got through quite a bit.

Phonics:

R-girl: is finished with the double vowel section in OPG! She's reading very well, but needs continual practice and is really ready to work on r-controlled vowels and multi-syllable words.

Assigned Reading:

M-girl: finished Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle which she really liked and began Sarah, Plain and Tall. She read the first two chapters today, and wanted to keep reading. I had her wait :) She also read more of Perseus by Geraldine McCaughrean and from some other history, science and geography books.

N-boy: is still reading Jesse Owens, and not liking it a whole lot at that. He really enjoys sports books, but I think maybe this one is a bit out of his league reading-wise. He also read The Hero and the Minotaur (again, but narrated a different part) and a book on the digestive system and a book on Earth and Sky.

R-girl: read the first three stories from Biscuit. Have I loved that she hates being left out of doing something her brother and sister "get" to do?

Math:

M-girl: began a lesson in Primary Challenge Math. She also did three MEP lessons. She has been working on measurements and seeing mirror images. She could probably skip to Y2, but these exercises have been very stretching for her.

N-boy: completed three math lessons, beginning adding up to 15 today.

R-girl: is working on differing combinations of 0, 1 & 2. Today she worked on cardinal and ordinal numbers, placement, and location.

Logic:

M-girl: completed three pages of logic, including putting together a month calendar.

N-boy: completed three pages. He's gotten much better at figuring out Venn diagrams.

Grammar:

M-girl: did one lesson in Music of the Hemispheres, where we talked about trochees. She also completed three lessons in FLL2 including her first composition. I love how she was eased into it by making a list, selecting and ordering a paragraph, then copying the paragraph.

N-boy: finished FLL1! Hooray!

Writing:

M-girl: did two lessons from WWE and copied her grammar composition.

N-boy: completed three lessons from WWE. He narrated today from The Princess and the Frog.

Spelling:

M-girl: did spelling for one lesson. I think the only word she missed was "Christmas." That pesky "h."

N-boy: did two spelling lessons. The other day he had long /e/ words. Today long /i/ words. Those "wh-" words were a little tricky, but he figured it out. He didn't really have many problems with his -igh words, though.

Latin:

M-girl: completed her lesson. She learned "Ego amo te." and that's been fun this week.

N-boy: completed his lesson. He learned "amo" this week, which was a nice tie-in with M-girl's lesson. He's been learning about verbs.

Penmanship:

M-girl: I don't think she finished much, but wrote most of her composition in very nice cursive.

N-boy: learned "h" and "k" this week.

R-girl: worked on 4s and 5s.

History: we did some history on Monday. We did some old mapping that I hadn't realized we missed and made Pharos lighthouses. The kids did some other reading, too.

Science: we read and narrated about teeth on Monday. We also attempted to make bird feeders on Tuesday, but they broke apart into little bits :( We'll still use the food to feed the birds, though.

Art: we painted our bas relief from last week. They loved that. The projects turned out better than expected!

Hopefully, you see a butterfly and two giraffes.

Read Alouds: we finished The Cat of Bubastes! Hooray! We're about half-way through Little Britches. M-girl has decided it is her favorite read-aloud so far.

Bible: we read tonight about God's inspiration of the scriptures and His giving the law to Moses. N-boy and M-girl astounded Daddy with their catechism questions from the 10 Commandments (N-boy has the first 4, M-girl has all of them). It was great! They've worked so hard. They have the first two Beatitudes memorized, next week we'll add another. We finished learning "To God Be the Glory."

Wordless Wednesday for February 15, 2012

2012-02-15T07:49:00.000-05:00

The Simple Woman's Daybook for February 13, 2012

2012-02-13T08:46:00.001-05:00

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... it is one of those really sunny, really cold days.

I am thinking... I wish my "a" key worked better.

I am thankful... for my family, immediate and extended.

In the kitchen... I tried this Honey Almond Flourless cake on Saturday. It was OK, but not one to make again.

I am wearing... jeans and red v-neck sweater.

I am creating... piles of laundry to be ironed ...

I am going... to the library and Whole Foods.

I am wondering... if the birdseed hearts we're planning to make tomorrow will work.

I am reading... Evening in the Palace of Reason. It's awesome. I'm only on page 8.

I am hoping... to start Circle Time sometime soon. Monday mornings are hard.

I am looking forward to... Whole Foods tonight. I love meeting Jason there and shopping together.

I am learning... or should be learning about whatever Bible Study is on Thursday since I'm leading. I should get to work!

Around the house... I should make an effort to take down the Christmas decorations ...

I am pondering... why I don't seem to be pondering anything.

A favorite quote for today...

One of my favorite things... coffee in the morning.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Bible Study. Retreat Committee? I think that's about it.

A peek into my day...

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Book Review: How to Tutor Your Own Child by Marina Koestler Ruben

2012-02-11T20:40:00.000-05:00

How to Tutor Your Own Child: Boost Grades and Instill a Lifelong Love of Learning--Without Paying for a Professional Tutor by Marina Koestler Ruben

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Library.

This was surprisingly helpful. I was thinking it might have a few ideas worth skimming through, but really I found a lot of good ideas and reminders.

It doesn't hurt that she is supportive of, and willing to learn from homeschoolers. Ruben regularly recommends homeschooling resources from the Well Trained Mind to their forums. She has good reminders and suggestions on how to use technology, how to engage your student, ways to encourage, and engage your children.

The book might be worth reading for her checklists to read through for essays and math homework.

It isn't one I'd own, but I appreciated what she had to say, as tutoring being truly parenting, not just the responsibility of someone else. Good for re-energizing during the February slump.

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Weekly Report: February 6-10, 2012

2012-02-10T19:22:00.002-05:00

Our week was both good and difficult. We got through a good amount of work, but it was like pulling teeth most days. Tuesday was my birthday, so we skipped Circle Time and did a "fun" day where we read living math books, started Primary Challenge Math with M-girl, did a lot of poetry reading with N-boy & R-girl and some Music of the Hemispheres with M-girl. Hard to believe my age will be in the next decade this time next year.

N-boy finished Book 1 of his piano lessons. We're all very pleased with his progress!

Phonics:

R-girl: has been working through her phonics lessons and doing so well. She's reading (easy) books and readers. I think I'm going to assign "Biscuit" to her next week. She seems ready to start reading out of the OPG book instead of the typed pages I made. This is good, 'cause that means I don't have to type up some more!

Assigned Reading:

M-girl: is still reading Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, she only has one more chapter. She really likes it and thinks it's funny. She's also read history and science books including The Legend of the Persian Carpet, which she enjoyed today.

N-boy: continues to read a biography Jesse Owens. He likes sports books. He's also done history and science reading this week. Mostly history, we're studying Alexander the Great this week and he's been enjoying that.

Math:

M-girl: got 100% correct on her adding up to 20 test this week. She started working on measurements. She is really enjoying the Primary Challenge Math. Thanks, Grammy!

N-boy: is working on adding up to 14. He had a rough day today, but that was mostly attitude.

R-girl: is doing very well with her math. She worked on 0, 1, & 2 this week and was introduced to the number line. I love that MEP introduces >, <, & = before it really works on numbers.

Logic:

M-girl: I didn't get independent work set out this week [boo!] but since they do so much reading during their independent work, I don't think it is much of a problem.

N-boy: N-boy has solved all of the Kanoodle problems, on his own, with no help from me. The spatial logic is really good for him.

Grammar:

M-girl: began a study of Meter in poetry, particularly iambic feet. She was able to make connections with measurements in math, and our reading about Shakespeare during Circle Time. Love it when synchronicity happens through absolutely no planning on my part. She is almost done with FLL2. She started learning "All Things Bright and Beautiful" today.

N-boy: learned about statements, commands, questions, and exclamations this week. He had fun with this as his stuffed animals "taught" him his lessons.

Writing:

M-girl: finished the week with excerpts from Pollyanna. We talked about doing a complete narration and not just stopping at a couple of words because she doesn't want to write so much.

N-boy: worked on lessons from Alice in Wonderland. His writing - at least during writing - has obviously improved.

Spelling:

M-girl: had a little trouble with doubling consonants when adding a suffix to a short vowel word. I think her trouble is that she wasn't paying attention.

N-boy: is still doing his spelling orally. Since he is spelling correctly and we're trying to determine where to start, I've been OK with that. However, at the zoo I noticed he spelled the word tail "tial," so I think we'll start having him write on the white board for his spelling lessons.

Latin:

M-girl: worked on finishing up her last lesson.

N-boy: worked on finishing up last week's lesson.

Penmanship:

M-girl: worked on suffixes and practicing all the lower case letters.

N-boy: worked on lower case h.

R-girl: worked on 4s.

History: We read the chapter on Alexander the Great from Story of the World. N-boy and M-girl both read Usborne's Alexander the Great. N-boy also read The Great Alexander the Great (from the Library). We did the map work. I'd like to make lighthouses of Pharos from the AG, maybe Monday.

Science: we added the digestive tract to our "My Body" posters.

Art: The children made bas relief from self-hardening clay. We're planning on painting them on Monday.

Read Alouds: We read a chapter of Little Britches. Our evenings have been busy this week. We'll probably read another tonight. M-girl has determined that this is her favorite read aloud we've done - we're not to the end yet, and I think that may color her preferences.

Bible: We finished the lesson book about David & Saul and are ready to move on to Solomon in Lesson 17. We read a little in the Mighty Acts of God story Bible about Moses and the plagues.

Book Review: Words to Eat By by Ina Lipkowitz

2012-02-06T23:51:00.002-05:00

Words to Eat By: Five Foods and the Culinary History of the English Language by Ina Lipkowitz

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Library.

This was one of those books that was on the 14 day shelf and looked pretty interesting from the title and cover. It was OK.

I enjoyed the ideas presented. The tracing of words. The connection of food words to two separate linguistic pasts: Germanic and Latin. The comparison between our "public" foods to our "private" foods, what we eat when out and what we eat when home, what is "special" and what is "comfort." The dichotomy in the fledgling Christian religion between the Mediterranean, Greek/Latin words and foods and the Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, Celtic people of England. It was most interesting when she tied these ideas to the Reformation and how even food and home culture split from Rome (milk drinking countries, mostly versus the wine drinking south). Sometimes her connections seem a stretch ("Milk" is seen as something for babies by Mediterranean countries and Paul talks about going from milk to meat, yet in the north, milk was consumed by all. Yet she talks about milk as a good thing in the Jewish culture, and Paul was certainly a Jew ... ).

Some of the most interesting discussions in the book were related to food in a "natural" state or process vs. a "nurtured" state. Apples or fruit that was wild vs. grafted and "improved", leeks that were as much a weed as anything vs. leeks and onions the Romans cultivated, milk vs. yogurt or cheeses, meat vs. flesh, and bread vs. loaf vs. panification (which is almost an opposite example, but not.) These discussions of the complete cultural differences between the Roman/Norman cultures and the Anglo-Saxon/Celtic cultures, climate, and attitudes toward food based on them and religion was by far the best part of the book.

The ideas were all pretty good, the writing was where I had problems. Sometimes the author's ideas were redundant and didn't add upon themselves; there were whole paragraphs I'm sure I read more than once on different pages. Sometimes the writing was just a slog to push through. On occasion interesting tangents were begun, then the reader was just sort of left there with no resolution. I could've done with more dates throughout the text (although a timeline was included in the back of the book).

I'm not sorry to have read it, but I can't say I would recommend it except to someone willing to fight through for the ideas.

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Weekly Report:January 30-February 3, 2012

2012-02-03T22:37:00.000-05:00

We had an unseasonably warm, lovely week. I let the kids off in the afternoons a bit more than usual and we went to the park or rode bikes and today we spent the day at the zoo. We had a fantastic time at the zoo, it was pretty empty, the weather was sunny, and the animals were moving right along.

Phonics:

R-girl: read Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss to the family last week. She did a great job, and got her own "grown up Bible." (she was ecstatic) The extra confidence of that success bled over into lessons this week and she powered through with ease. Woo-hoo!

Assigned Reading:

M-girl: is continuing Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and she keeps giggling and wanting to read parts to me. She's enjoying it. She's also reading Geraldine McCaughrean's Perseus and chose some other books for science or geography reading.

N-boy: read more of a book about Jesse Owens. He read some other books about history and science too.

Math:

M-girl: has a big test coming up on Tuesday for addition up to 20s.

N-boy: worked on adding up to 13s this week.

R-girl: continued to work on skip counting, inequalities, and patterns.

Logic:

M-girl: flew through her packet of independent work.

N-boy: had a few difficulties with some of the spatial work in his packet, but did very well with the venn diagram he had to deal with.

Grammar:

M-girl: In-terjections!

N-boy: learned about the difference between a sentence and a fragment. He learned the first of four kinds of sentences: the statement.

Writing:

M-girl: Finished the week of work from The Happy Hollisters.

N-boy: Finished the week on Rumplestiltsken. I'm pleased with his improvement even since the beginning of the year.

Spelling:

M-girl: completed one lesson on changing -y to -ies when plural.

N-boy: completed one lesson on short /o/.

Latin:

M-girl: Completed lesson 21.

N-boy: Completed lesson 3.

Penmanship:

M-girl: is done with lower case letters!

N-boy: finished lower case f.

R-girl: finished learning 1.

History: We read the chapter about the Parthenon, Greeks & Persians, and Peloponnessian War. The children have really enjoyed studying the Greeks.

Science: We read and narrated the chapter about digestion.

Geography: We finished reading and narrating the section about the Lower Atmosphere with reading about the mesosphere.

Art: We took our nature journals to the zoo today. [oops]

Read Alouds: We read more chapters from Little Britches. We listened to an audiobook of Geronimo Stilton. I don't love it, but the children think it's funny. We also listened to several chapters of The Cat of Bubastes ... We need to finish it soon.

Bible: We read from First Samuel about Saul's failure as king. The Covenanatal Catechism curriculum compares and contrasts Saul as the people's choice with David as God's choice for King of his people. We also got to read David and Goliath, which is always a favorite.

The Simple Woman's Daybook for January 30, 2012

2012-01-30T09:44:00.003-05:00

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... it's cold, frosty, and snowy.

I am thinking... about getting school started and how I wish I had done more planning last week.

I am thankful... that we can muddle through even without the planning.

In the kitchen... I made Ina Garten's Panna Cotta. It was easy, tasty, and a hit! I think I want to try with coconut milk and tropical fruit some other time.

I am wearing... Jammies, but I'm gonna wear jeans and my black shirt in a few minutes.

I am creating... not much of anything.

I am going... to the library and grocery later.

I am wondering... at God's willingness to be a helper and refuge. What a great God He is!

I am reading... still working on Words to Eat By. I've got to finish it by next Monday!

I am hoping... to have a better week of lessons.

I am looking forward to... book club next week.

I am learning... about leeks.

Around the house... well, things kinda fell apart last week while I was sick, so there's a lot to catch up on, in particular folding and ironing (you knew that was coming, didn't you?)

I am pondering... Loving the Little Years and how to talk to, encourage, and give grace to my children.

A favorite quote for today...

One of my favorite things... well, Panna Cotta is now pretty high on the list ...

A few plans for the rest of the week... pretty quiet week planned.

A peek into my day...

Fun reading material ...

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Book Review: Loving the Little Years by Rachel Jankovic

2012-01-28T11:08:00.000-05:00

Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Own.

I was sick this week and thought I'd pick up something quick and easy to read. I chose poorly.

Quick, yes. Short chapters, easily read in the spaces of time or for a couple minutes before turning off the light for sleep.

Easy, not so much.

Jankovic has written a book that forces the reader to consider parenting techniques, philosophy, the ends and the means. It turns parenting on its head in many ways. It has me considering, as a recent sermon, who my audience is in parenting: the children or others for my own glory. (Oh, no! A theme!) It has me considering my use of time, words, and interaction with my children. How to train them and love them and enjoy them and have fun with them. I found it helpful with some fleshing out of Charlotte Mason's idea that children are born persons.

My children are mostly out of the baby/toddler stage, but I still found (too) much to think on and will have to re-read. Happily, it is a very short book with very short essays.

The only reason for four stars instead of five is that some of the essays seemed a little esoteric and left me thinking "huh?" what was that about.

I can happily recommend the book to others.

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And then there were three

2012-01-27T20:44:00.000-05:00

Readers, that is!

R-girl read Hop on Pop to us tonight! She did a great job with a little help here and there. We're so proud of her and her hard work.

Weekly Report 1/23-1/27/2011

2012-01-27T12:36:00.001-05:00

Despite my having a head cold and sore throat this week since Wednesday afternoon, we got quite a bit of school done. Hooray for having things planned for the week. We didn't do table work or Circle Time as planned on Thursday or Friday, but the children did their independent work those days which was a good amount of learning. I don't know how I'll get planning done for next week if I'm not feeling a lot better tomorrow.

Phonics:

R-girl: read two lessons this week.

Assigned Reading:

M-girl: finished Ramona the Brave and began Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. She also read some of Geraldine McCaughrean's Perseus, What Happens to a Hamburger?, What's So Special About Planet Earth?, and a book about Carbohydrates.

N-boy: began a book about Jesse Owens, read some of McCaughrean's Theseus, read Jason and the Argonauts, and parts of some other science book.

Math:

M-girl: finished two lessons.

N-boy: finished two lessons.

R-girl: finished two lessons.

Logic:

M-girl: completed four pages.

N-boy: completed four pages.

Grammar:

M-girl: did two lessons, including one where we identified all the parts of speech in a sentence. She also had a dictation sentence, which for some reason she loves to do (note, she also is writing in cursive most of the time):

N-boy: did two lessons, but I don't remember what they were.

Writing:

M-girl: completed two lessons, the improvement from this time last year is marked.

N-boy: completed two lessons. He shows he's capable of careful neat writing only during this lesson.

Spelling:

M-girl: did one lesson, missing one word: officer

N-boy: orally did one lesson, missing none.

Latin:

M-girl: worked on the review lesson.

N-boy: is almost done with Lesson 2.

Penmanship:

M-girl: worked on 'z.' she is almost done with lower case letters and is writing almost everything in cursive :)

N-boy: finished learning 'f.' Started to learn the stroke for "hump" letters.

R-girl: finished writing 1.

History: We only did history on Monday, project day, and that was map review of where different cities and sites are in and around Greece. The children did read some more about mythology (see assigned reading).

Science: We did nature journaling on Monday at the park during the only perfect weather part of the day (yay me!) It was warm (well, for Ohio) and sunny while we were there, but there was still snow on the ground in the woods. We were able to observe animal tracks in the snow and note what happens when the snow melts and how the runoff affects creeks and streams.

Raccoon prints (we think)

Not sure what these are? Rabbit? Thought maybe possum? R-girl's boot for size reference.

M-girl wanted in the pic with deer tracks.

Last summer there was no water here, now there's a quick stream. We all drew different parts of this stream.

This fast running river was a slow, shallow, gentle creek when Jason and the puppy were in it last summer.

Yesterday, we watched parts of a video about the human body from Netflix yesterday (I wouldn't recommend it).

Art: We did nature journaling on Monday and worked on color with the Mahers Hill Academy for art on Wednesday. We read, compared and contrasted two books that use either warm or cool colors then did collages and watercolors.

Read Alouds: We only read a little bit of Little Britches this week.

Bible: We began reading about Saul and David, comparing and contrasting them. Interesting in Covenantal Catechism and gave me a lot to think about. We also read some from The Mighty Acts of God with Jason.

Weekly Report: Week 2 (January 16-20, 2012)

2012-01-21T10:31:00.000-05:00

Well, the novelty of the first week wore off and this week was a bit harder (which is not surprising) but it was still good. Jason was home on Monday for the bank holiday, but he had to work, so we did school with the exception that our piano teacher came that day. That worked out well because we did some science experiences while she was here.

I finally set up WTM-style notebooks, and already M-girl is enjoying using them.

You can always see our curricular choices here.

Phonics:

R-girl: is getting better and better. She read Lesson 83 this week. I wrote out one of the lessons on pages like a book, and she illustrated after she read:

Assigned Reading:

M-girl: read a few more chapters in Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary.

N-boy: finished The Lighthouse Family: The Whale by Cynthia Rylant.

Math:

M-girl: continued working on adding up to 20s. She's doing very well in this section, although she could use some help with her addition facts. Need to pull out the flash cards.

N-boy: is working on adding up to 13s. He's got the logic down pretty well.

R-girl: started learning about inequalities. She's doing a great job with some challenging thinking.

Logic:

M-girl: finished a packet. We need to work some more on Venn Diagrams and reading directions, but she gets most of the logic.

N-boy: finished a packet. He did a nice job thinking through the logic problems.

Grammar:

M-girl: we did two lessons in grammar talking about synonyms and antonyms last week, then reviewing the concepts with a picture narration and a story narration. Friday we did some more of Music of the Hemispheres and put some of the definitions we've learned in her Grammar notebook under "Poetry."

N-boy: did three lessons, a lot of poetry review at the end of FLL1.

Writing:

M-girl: did three lessons. We need to do the fourth, maybe today as it is just a narration.

N-boy: did four lessons. I love how hard he's working to do them well even as he grumbles over how hard it is.

Spelling:

M-girl: is spelling very well, she did have any review words this week. Hooray for natural spellers!

N-boy: orally spelled three lists today. He's spelling very well.

Latin:

M-girl: looked through her flash cards.

N-boy: finished up Lesson 1.

Penmanship:

M-girl: learned to write x and y. She has almost all the lower case letters down, we'll keep going through them so we can correct any bad habits, but she's ready for those pesky uppercase letters.

N-boy: is working on f and it is hard.

R-girl: reviewed the round numbers, wrote 7s and 1s.

History: We read about Greek mythology this week, with several books on mythology, some pictures drawn, and listened to Jim Weiss' Greek Myths. M-girl and N-boy did some reading and narrating.

Science: We finished the five senses with some science experiences: we did the tongue mapping exercise and the taste and smell trial from our curriculum. We read about the kidneys, spleen, pancreas, and gall bladder from the My Body book and colored and hung those pictures. M-girl and N-boy did some reading and narrating.

Art: M-girl took a lot of pictures this week and is learning how to use her camera.

Read Alouds: We read some from Little Britches, which we're all enjoying. We read a little bit of House at Pooh Corner and The Bronze Bow as well. We're enjoying Starr Meade's The Mighty Acts of God as a family.

Bible: We learned about the Judges, Ruth, and Samuel's call this week. We focused on Samuel. It is good to be back into using the Bible curriculum, the kids and I all really like it and have learned a lot from it.

The Simple Woman's Daybook for January 16, 2012

2012-01-16T07:44:00.002-05:00

FOR TODAY January 16, 2012

Outside my window...it is dark and cold.

I am thinking...how quiet the house is when the dogs and I are the only ones up.

I am thankful...that the children got to sled at Mama & Papa's yesterday.

In the kitchen...spaghetti with Trader Joe's frozen eggplant for dinner. I might try to make a run for milk and coffee this morning, too.

I am wearing...Jammies and my OBX hoodie. It's chilly!

I am creating...hm, I should work on a new project

I am going...maybe to the store

I am wondering...what kind of project to start next.

I am reading...Words to Eat By, it's kind of fun.

I am hoping...to finish that and another book this week.

I am looking forward to...Bible Study this week.

I am learning...how my children best learn

Around the house...need to do some laundry and take down the Christmas decorations.

I am pondering...yesterday's sermon about parenting.

A favorite quote for today..."Woven through the disciplines of true knowledge is the golden thread of God's character, manifest in Jesus Christ. Following the thread, students discover the beautiful tapestry of God's revealed wisdom." J. Faulkner

One of my favorite things... Pinterest ... it is just so fun :)

A few plans for the rest of the week...Bible Study, Whole Foods CAP meeting, peace, quiet, regular routine.

A peek into my day...


From N-boy's sixth birthday party last week.

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Book Review: Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books by Tony Reinke

2012-01-15T00:05:00.004-05:00

Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading Books by Tony Reinke

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Own.

This book came highly recommended from all sorts of places (Challies, World Mag, and the referrals on the book itself: Ryken, Alcorn, Packer) and I really wanted to love it. I at least wanted to like it, not feel merely [eh] about it. Who am I to disagree with all those professional writers?

Last year I loved Alan Jacobs' The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction and Marilyn Chandler McEntyre's Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies and I hoped that this would be a nice continuation in that theme.

I was disappointed.

Oh, the book is fine, if a bit technical and dull. In places, I wish he had left out whole chapters because other books do a much better job discussing them. I love the gospel, don't get me wrong, but I get weary with Christian Living books that are written to and for Christians feeling the need to explicate the gospel, and sometimes make it dry and uninteresting. I felt like I trudged through is section on Christian Worldview, which I could see the necessity of, but seemed a bit ponderous.

The chapters following these introductory ideas were at least new material, and often helpful. Unfortunately, they also seemed a bit like extended blog posts. A lot of short points (without bullets) with bolded thesis statements; self-referencing earlier chapters; extended quotes from other authors; and references to a lot of modern books. To be fair, he did have some sections recommending older books.

All this to say, this book did not energize me to read more books. Maybe it helped me to think more Christianly about the books that I read, but I found it to be generally over-hyped and not as good as hoped for. Would I discourage others from reading it? No, but I'd recommend Jacobs or McEntyre much more readily.

View all my reviews

2012 Plans: Academics

2012-01-14T16:12:00.004-05:00

Generally, we do "Content" together during Circle Time or other specified gathering times and "Skills" on an individual basis. Obviously those categories are not hard and fast, but it is as good a division as any. I also want to have some individual work for the children to give them something to do when I'm focusing with their other sibling; I'll mark those with (*).

This will be a permanent tab under 2012 Academics (I probably use it as much as anyone!)

Content:

Memory Work: Hymns; Bible Verses (To Be Determined); Nicene Creed and Apostle's Creed; IEW Poetry - Level 2 for M-girl and N-boy, Level 1 for R-girl; Catechism for Young Children (mostly, but not exactly the same as this one); we do skip counting, science, history, and geography memory work, too.

Morning Reading: Continue reading through Poetry books (finish A Child's Garden of Verses, start one of the Poetry for Young People books) We're also going to finish the Family Book of Manners and Fifty Famous Stories Retold. I'd like to read some of Lamb's Shakespeare and other literature selections from Ambleside Year 1.

Bible: Covenantal Catechism supplemented with Bible Lessons for Juniors from Reformation Heritage books. We should finish Book 1 and I need to purchase Book 2. For Family Devotions, we're starting the year with Starr Meade's Mighty Acts of God.

History: Story of the World I moving into Story of the World II

Science: God's Design for Life and start God's Design for Heaven & Earth

Geography: A Child's Geography

Art: Artistic Pursuits K-3 Book 1 and Book 2

Music: Piano Lessons, Choir (but not this spring)

Phys Ed: Soccer, Baseball, swimming

Skills: M-girl (Second Grade)

English:

First Language Lessons 3 (we have a little bit of FLL2 to finish)
Writing With Ease 1 and start 2
Spelling Power
McGuffey Readers and CLP Nature Readers (reading practice)
Music of the Hemispheres (occasional she loves this)

Penmanship: Cursive First

Math: Mathematics Enhancement Programme (finish Year 1 and Year 2) and Kitchen Table Math

Latin*: Finish Prima Latina, then Song School Latin, then start Latin for Children A

Logic*: Critical Thinking Activities then Lollipop Logic

Geography*: Evan-Moore Beginning Geography

Reading*: Assigned Literature, related Science, and related History with narrations

Skills: N-boy (First Grade)

English:

First Language Lessons 2 (we have a little bit of Level 1 to finish)
Writing with Ease 1
Spelling Power
McGuffey Readers and CLP Nature Readers (reading practice)

Penmanship: Cursive First

Math: Mathematics Enhancement Programme (Finish Year 1 and Year 2) and Kitchen Table Math

Latin*: Prima Latina, then Song School Latin

Logic*: Critical Thinking Activities

Geography*: Evan-Moore Beginning Geography

Time*: Ready-Set-Learn Time

Reading*: Assigned Literature, related Science, and related History with narrations

Skills: R-girl (Preschool)

English:

Penmanship: Cursive First

Math: Mathematics Enhancement Programme Year 1 and Kitchen Table Math

Logic*: Wedgits, Puzzles, etc and Mindbenders Warm-up

Read Alouds (I'll try to add links throughout the year on the 2012 Academics Page)

Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody

2012 Plans: Hymns

2012-01-14T14:59:00.002-05:00

Here are our selections for the year. This gets harder every year, because I love more and more hymns! The numbers are for with the new Trinity Hymnal. I put the date we should begin the hymn, Lord willing, we tend to do one verse per week.

January - Review month.
February - (1/30) - To God be the Glory (#55)
March A - (2/20) - O Sacred Head now Wounded (#247) (during Lent)
March B - (3/12) - Sing Choirs of New Jerusalem (# 271) (our pastor loves this one on Resurrection Sunday)
April (4/9) - Like a River Glorious (#699)
May (4/30) - Praise My Soul the King of Heaven (#76)
June (6/11)- Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise (#38) (we have a week off in June)
July (7/2) - Come, Thou Almighty King (#101)
August (7/31) -O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus (#535) (this is only 3 verses for 5 weeks ... I'm trying to build in some cushion)
September - (9/3) - Great is Thy Faithfulness (#32)
October (9/24) - For All the Saints (#358) (we've done this before, but not completely or well)
November (11/5) - Come, Ye Thankful People, Come (#715) (Yes, it is four verses in two weeks, three if you do school the week of Thanksgiving)

Weekly Report: Week 1 (January 9-13, 2012)

2012-01-13T18:42:00.001-05:00

Ah, the first week back. It always seems to be good and bad to return to a "set" schedule. Our schedule is *tight* with a lot to do in what suddenly seems to be not nearly enough time.

One big change we've made this year is that we have all 5 days together. Since M-girl was 3 months old, my parents have blessed me by keeping the children one day a week so I could run errands by myself. I've been so thankful for all they've done for us! This year, though I decided that we really need that day for lessons. Now to find a time to grocery shop.

Because we have that whole extra day, I'm spreading out some of our Circle Time so we aren't trying to do everything every Circle Time anymore! I've been able to shorten, then, from an hour and a half to an hour and its so much more manageable.

We've been reviewing Memory Work this week, and I had kind of planned on an all-review January, but the kids seem to have picked up pretty much where they left off. We'll keep reviewing hymns, but I think we'll be moving forward in most everything else.

Another big change is that I'm having M-girl and N-boy do a lot more assigned reading during their independent work. They still have some assigned written work (logic worksheets and geography worksheets that they love, a workbook on telling time for N-boy), but not as much. I'm completely dropping Explode the Code and Math Mammoth for them unless they become necessary.

I'm a bit at a loss as to what to have R-girl do during her independent time. She is a bit, er, flighty. She likes to work on some things, but will just stop in the middle and walk away at times, but she is almost incapable of entertaining herself. Unfortunately, she isn't reading well enough to follow directions on her own ... or assign books too.

Phonics:

R-girl: is having a bit of a time picking back up where we left off. In particular, she's having a difficult time with /ch/ and blends like /scr/. Happily, there's plenty of review in OPG, so we'll keep plugging away. She finished Lesson 81 today.

Assigned Reading:

M-girl: is reading Ramona the Brave for her literature reading. She chose from stacks of library books a history and a geography or science book to read and narrate each day. I did the scribing for her, but she illustrated the narration and did quite well with this as a whole.

N-boy: is reading The Whale by Cynthia Rylant. He also chose a history and science or geography book each day to narrate from. I scribed for him too. When he draws a picture - or wants to draw - this is excellent. We need to work on this. He didn't quite finish today's. He'll be working with the Headmaster (read: Daddy) on these over the weekend ...

Math:

M-girl: is working on adding up to 20s in MEP. She's doing really well with this, I'm chomping at the bit to be further on.

N-boy: is working on adding up to 12s in MEP. He's doing pretty well, although struggling a bit with the relationship between adding and subtracting. Sometimes, his math intuition is spot on ... and sometimes he's just guessing. We need to work on not getting frustrated when it is just a little challenging.

R-girl: started MEP Y1 and she's doing a great job. Y1 starts nice and slowly and there's a lot of movement (read: jumping) that appeals to her. She also seems to really like copying the pattern.

Logic:

M-girl: worked through her four logic pages, and was very logical. I pre-copied this year so all I have to do is pull out the pages, staple, and say "this is due Friday." She likes the autonomy of choosing how and when to accomplish her work.

N-boy: worked through four logic pages, and these were his favorite independent work. He also likes the self-directed packets due by Friday.

Grammar:

M-girl: is working on chanting prepositions. She also learned about Synonyms, Antonyms, and Thesauri this week.

N-boy: is working on Mr. Nobody (and they always say, by "Mr. Nobody")

Writing:

M-girl: did the Velveteen Rabbit copywork and narrations.

N-boy: started Writing with Ease 1 with "Pa owned a pig." He had to concentrate hard to use upper and lower case letters and spaces between words correctly. I really think this curriculum is a nice gentle way to introduce writing.

Spelling:

M-girl: starting learning about changing -y to -ies for plural.

N-boy: started working through the pretests to determine where he needs to start. He is doing this orally for now, but will switch to written when we find out.

Latin:

M-girl: did none this week.

N-boy: started Lesson 1. He really liked it, but we didn't get the workbook until late this week, so we'll spend some time catching up here.

Penmanship:

M-girl: learned to write "v."

N-boy: is working on "b."

R-girl: should get started here, I think she'll really like it.

History: This week we read about the Persians and Cyrus the Great. Happily, the chapter started with a bit of review. We did the map work and looked at the globe.

Science: This week we read about the last three senses: hearing, taste, and smell. We learned about frequency and amplitude of sound waves. We learned about taste and smell being closely related. We're looking forward to doing a "tongue mapping" project early next week before moving on to the spleen, pancreas, gall bladder, and urinary system (which is in My Body but not in God's Design for Science: The Human Body) There don't seem to be a lot of books on this at the library, either.

Art: We did our "self portraits" on Monday and had our friends over for Art on Wednesday where we studied how artists see line.

Read Alouds: We finished Mary Poppins recently and the children liked it while Jason and I didn't care for it. We started Little Britches and think we'll really like it. We read a little bit of House at Pooh Corner this week and worked a bit on The Bronze Bow over break.

Bible: We finished the Vos Children's Story Bible last night! Yay! We are happy to recommend it, we really enjoyed reading it. The kids and I did a review week for Covenantal Catechism, reviewing the Psalms, Memory Verses, and the songs for The Books of the Old and New Testaments.

The Simple Woman's Daybook for Jan 9, 2012

2012-01-09T15:02:00.001-05:00

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... it is warm(ish) and nice (for January).

I am thinking... about taking a nap, but need to make a menu and grocery list.

I am thankful... for a great morning of lessons.

In the kitchen... it is getting a little bare ...

I am wearing... jeans and pink striped blouse.

I am creating... library lists.

I am going... to the store with the children.

I am wondering... about Job's friends and their advice, motives, etc ... and if I emulate them or if I encourage my friends.

I am reading... A Praying Life by Paul Miller and it is great! I picked up two books from the library today that look pretty good too ...

I am hoping... today's successes are continued in the coming year.

I am looking forward to... getting back into our routine.

I am learning...

Around the house... I'm still enjoying my Christmas decorations. I'll probably take it down next weekend.

I am pondering... the similarities and differences between Joseph and Jesus.

A favorite quote for today... "What you meant for evil, God meant for good." contrasted with "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."

One of my favorite things... my kids' birthday weekends.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Piano Lessons. A date with my huband. Trying out the Firstfruits meeting.

A peek into my day...

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The Simple Woman's Daybook for 1/2/2012

2012-01-02T15:50:00.002-05:00

FOR TODAY January2, 2012...

Outside my window... cold and snowy.

I am thinking... my house looks a lot bigger without the Christmas tree.

I am thankful... we've had such a great Yuletide Session. Next week may be a tough transition.

From the learning rooms... planning, planning, cleaning.

In the kitchen... snackety snacks for "New Years" bowl day.

I am wearing... the jammies I made in a sewing class with Heather.

I am creating... a new schedule and plans.

I am going... to Bible study on Thursday.

I am wondering... how it is possible that N-boy will be 6 on Thursday.

I am reading... Lit! and A Praying Life.

I am hoping... to get the planning done this week.

I am looking forward to... getting back into routine, despite being nervous about it.

I am hearing... the Buckeye Gator Bowl game. Not looking so great.

Around the house... I'm considering some rearranging in the loft.

I am pondering...

One of my favorite things... Bowl season.

A few plans for the rest of the week: organizing, cleaning, planning, Birthday partying.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

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Books Read in 2011

2011-12-30T20:12:00.004-05:00

This year I completed one book more than last year, with 42. I really had a good reading year: many books I loved, few that I disliked. There are a number that I began and never finished (including two from the online book club ... [boo]) but would very much like to complete.

Here's the official list. (Bolded were books I enjoyed, strikethrough books I didn't)

My 2011 Reviews:

1. Her Daughter's Dream - Francine Rivers
2. Island of the World - Michael O'Brien (AMAZING! Best fiction for 2011)
~~3. Mennonite in a Little Black Dress - Rhoda Janzen~~ (Worst book of the year)
4. Cinderella Ate My Daughter - Peggy Orenstein
5. Devil's Cub - Georgette Heyer
6. Keeping a Nature Journal - Clare Walker Leslie and Charles E Roth.
7. Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization (Audio Book) - Anthony Esolen
8. Excellent Women - Barbara Pym
9. The Abyssinian - Jean-Christophe Rufin - this one is almost struck through, but I thought it well written and it made me think because I disagreed with its premises
10. In the Company of Others - Jan Karon
11. One Thousand Gifts - Ann Voskamp
12. Regency Buck - Georgette Heyer
13. Bath Tangle - Georgette Heyer
14. The Convenient Marriage - Georgette Heyer
15. The Organized Heart - Staci Eastin
16. Your Home: A Place of Grace - Susan Hunt
~~17. Christian Encounters: Jane Austen - Peter Leithart~~
18. Bambi: A Life in the Woods - Victor Salten
19. Aunt Jane's Hero - Elizabeth Prentiss
20. The Magician's Nephew (Audio Book) - C.S. Lewis
21. The Horse and His Boy (Audio Book) - C.S. Lewis
22. Beauty for Truth's Sake - Stratford Caldecott
23. A Mother's Rule of Life - Holly Pierlot
24. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
25. Persuasion - Jane Austen
26. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
27. Real Love for Real Life - Andi Ashworth
28. Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies - Marilyn Chandler McEntyre (tied for best non-fiction in 2011)
29. The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction - Alan Jacobs (tied for best non-fiction in 2011)
30. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
31. The Waiting Sands - Susan Howatch
32. Prince Caspian (Audio Book) - C.S. Lewis
33. Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien (review forthcoming)
~~34. Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen~~
35. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
36. The Two Towers - J.R.R. Tolkien
37. The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien
38. Lady of Quality - Georgette Heyer
39. Come Thou Long Expected Jesus - edited by Nancy Guthrie
40. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
41. North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell

I'm currently reading Lit! by Tony Reinke (and not loving it, it's OK but a bit ponderous) and The Praying Life by Paul Miller (which is quite good, helpful, and approachable)

Book Review: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

2011-12-30T13:23:00.005-05:00

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Borrowed book from sister. Free download on Kindle.

For the first half of this book I dreaded the picking up. It was so dark and heavy and dreary. I completed the book on Kindle and ended up enjoying it tremendously.

A study in contrasts ... North and South, Man and Gentleman, Man and Woman, masters and "hands", past and present. Margaret Hale's world is turned upside down and inside out, death and difficulties surround her, trouble and conscience confound her, and she learns to be self-possessed and self-controlled. She sins and repents and is forgiven. She learns to live with a world that ever changes even as she seeks that One who is constant.

There are several plot similarities and parallels to Pride and Prejudice, but this book is very different in tone and theme.

I'm glad I have more Gaskell works to explore.

View all my reviews

Just a further note for my blog readers; have a care of Gaskell's Unitarianism. It doesn't show up much in this book, despite Mr. Hale's leanings in that direction. Margaret seems to be, and insists that she remains, a Christian and woman of the church.

The Simple Woman's Daybook for December 27, 2011

2011-12-27T09:33:00.002-05:00

FOR TODAY Tuesday December 27, 2011 ...

Outside my window... grey and rainy with probable snow tonight.

I am thinking... how nice it is to be *home*

I am thankful... for a wonderful Christmas with our families.

From the learning rooms... time to plan for 2012.

In the kitchen... Baked chicken tonight. Simple food after and before the excess ;)

I am wearing...jammies and Jason's brown blanket.

I am creating... blog posts ... I hope to upload more Yuletide pictures.

I am going... to stay home today.

I am wondering... at the incarnation of Christ.

I am reading... My Christmas Kindle. [grin] Working on North and South again.

I am hoping... to finish A Christmas Carol and North and South by Saturday, I'll have read one book more than last year if I do.

I am looking forward to... lots of reading from my dear Sister-in-Law! and putting away all this stuff [eep]

I am hearing... happily, quietly playing children.

Around the house... the loft (school room) became a catch-all. Time to dig out.

I am pondering... breakfast. Probably should have some.

One of my favorite things... Christmas. I love everything about it from the music to the family to church to the busyness. I love it.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Grocery shopping. Maybe a visit with friends. Zoo? Easton? New Years!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

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Happy Christmas to all!

2011-12-24T11:06:00.000-05:00

Glory to God in the Highest!

On Earth,

Peace among those with whom he is pleased!

Last week ... was fun and crazy

2011-12-12T14:39:00.003-05:00

We're having a lot of fun with this Yuletide Season, but not getting a lot of my plans accomplished. I'm OK with this. We're barely finding time to read A Christmas Carol, but we'll finish when we finish.

Monday, my parents took N-boy to Cambridge for their Victorian Christmas and light show. He had a grand time. The girls and I went shopping, to Marcella's for lunch, and painted their finger and toe nails.

Tuesday, we had a "slow" day. That was pretty nice. We did have choir practice and returned a gift that Target mis-sent.

Wednesday, we had big adventures in downtown Columbus:

First, the State Auto Nativity display, huge and impressive ...

Second, the train display in the main library:


Do you see the working waterfall below the castle?

Third, we took a free tour of the Ohio Statehouse and saw a choir perform some Christmas songs.

Then, we ended our day with a visit to CoSI. What a great day!

Thursday, we started preparing for our Saturday party, cleaning and starting some of our baking. We ran some errands, too.

Friday, was Jason and my Anniversary. We took the kids to see "A Dickens of a Christmas" at the Ohio Village. It was so fun! We ended up hurrying through the end so we could get to dinner, but I was wishing we could have spent more time in some of the buildings and done more of the projects there.

M-girl and N-boy sharing a desk in the one-room schoolhouse ...

Saturday was the family Progressive Dinner and we had a great time with family!

The Simple Woman's Daybook for December 12, 2011

2011-12-12T08:40:00.001-05:00

FOR TODAY Monday December 12, 2011 ... Less than 2 weeks before Christmas!

Outside my window... quite chilly this morning, a hard frost, but sunny and bright.

I am thinking... about doing some laundry.

I am thankful... the family progressive dinner went well this weekend.

From the learning rooms... we're enjoying our break. We're getting all of the "activities" done but not much else.

In the kitchen... the cupboards are getting a bit bare, but I think some sort of chicken will be for dinner ...

I am wearing... jammies!

I am creating... those two Christmas presents ... I'd better get finished [eep]

I am going... to stay home today. Maybe run to return some library books, but other than that home.

I am wondering... how the rest of the week will go.

I am reading... Lit! (I don't know what I think yet) and Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus (devotionals for Advent, very good and convicting)

I am hoping... to finish a couple more books before the end of the year, but I'm not counting on it.

I am looking forward to... the children's choir concert on Friday (and a visit from Grammy!)

I am hearing... N-boy humming while waiting to lose to me at Uno.

Around the house... the downstairs is in good shape (company, you know) the upstairs needs some attention.

I am pondering... yesterday's sermon, Pastor said John 14:15 could be rightly said, "Since you love me, you'll keep my commandments." and tied it to Ezekiel's replacing hearts of stone to hearts of flesh. Beautiful.

One of my favorite things... our family tradition of a "Progressive Dinner" where we have heavy appetizers at one family's house and desserts at another's.

A few plans for the rest of the week: The Works, choir, Bible Study, grocering?

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... Croquembouche!

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Christmas Tree Decorating

2011-12-04T18:42:00.001-05:00

Christmas Tree Hunting

2011-12-03T22:24:00.001-05:00

First Friday on Main Street Delaware

2011-12-03T22:09:00.001-05:00

Pomanders!

2011-12-01T18:08:00.001-05:00

The Simple Woman's Daybook for November 28, 2011

2011-11-28T12:08:00.001-05:00

FOR TODAY November 28, 2011 ... 27 days until Christmas ...

Outside my window... rainy, but warmish.

I am thinking... that I stayed up way way too late last night.

I am thankful... it isn't snowing yet.

From the learning rooms... Yuletide Session started! My Mother in Law got us a copy of Jotham's Journey to read, so I've added that to our readings, too.

In the kitchen... Jason's hunting so food will be kiddie food ... Mac and Cheese tonight [grin]

I am wearing... jeans and Buckeye t-shirt.

I am creating... gotta get back on those Christmas presents ...

I am going... to take the children to the Muppets at The Strand this afternoon. [shhhh ... it's a secret] Come to think of it, maybe we'll Bob Evans tonight ...

I am wondering... if we'll get everything done. We did our readings for our Jesse Tree, but don't yet have a Jesse Tree and there's a lot of cleaning to be done ...

I am reading... [sigh] North and South. It has to get better, but I'm not loving it. I'm far enough in, though, that I don't want to give up.

I am hoping... North and South gets significantly better.

I am looking forward to... Jason coming home!

I am hearing... Jars of Clay's Christmas album and two children playing Sequence for Kids :)

Around the house... need to deep clean and organize before getting a tree on Saturday.

I am pondering... "Mommy, why do we start Christmas studies with creation?" Love those kiddo questions.

One of my favorite things... Christmas lights. We drove around a few extra parts of our neighborhood on our way home last night.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Bible Study!, cookie baking with my mom, Christmas tree, cleaning and decorating [yay!]

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... we did get our camera, but I don't have many pictures taken yet ...

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Yuletide Session 2011

2011-11-25T22:05:00.001-05:00

This coming week begins our Yuletide Session 2011. I'm always very excited for the start of a new season. Last year I explained our rationale for Yuletide Session, how it fits in educational plan. A lot of what we did last year is what we're going to do this year, same poem, same carols, similar activities. There are two, rather large, differences for this year's plan.

I've enjoyed using bits and pieces of Brandy's plan over the past couple of years and wanted to incorporate her manners studies this year, so I "borrowed" them. for our schedule this year (thanks Brandy! I've given you credit here and at Scribd).

I planned our Jesse Tree and Epiphany study to be generally seamless. I'm going to need to make some new ornaments, but after Christmas, there are verses and ideas for symbols.

Some of the "Events" are unfilled because I want to be able to play things, like the Zoo Lights, by ear based on weather or other situations.

Below is my planning file (it's layout is similar to Brandy's too). Scribd took out some of my fonts, so mine is way prettier than this! Hope you enjoy anyway ....

Yuletide Session 2011

Academic Year 2011 in Review (R-girl)

2011-11-25T12:16:00.001-05:00

R-girl has done very well in the last year. She's learning about doing lessons and how the schedule works. She definitely wants her "turn with Mommy" and gets upset when she doesn't get her individual lessons. She has gone from dreading her phonics lesson to it being easy and liking it. She loved her math lesson all year long.

She hasn't really shown as many tendencies regarding independent work as the other two have. She has show a need for more discipline in general. She is our wiggliest child and I'm having a hard time with balance (we're homeschooling so we can deal with strengths and weaknesses and you've got to sit still!)

English:

Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading and Bob Books have both been great choices. R-girl is working on long vowels and is trying to (and often succeeding) read words in other places. We love this reading program! It has given our children strong reading proficiency and confidence.
Explode the Code has been hit or miss with R-girl. She happily works on some but not so much on other parts.

Math: MEP Reception was an absolute hit! It helped R-girl be interested in math. It gave her strong skills for going into MEP Y1. Beyond arithmetic, it introduced a lot of ideas like seasons, months, days, time, polygons, holidays, travel, small motor skills, etc. It is a well-designed program.

R-girl continues to love puzzles and Wedgits and Qwirkle and other logic building games and activities.

She finished the Kumon cutting book quickly, and has the best cutting skills of any of the children by this age.

Academic Year 2011 in Review (N-boy)

2011-11-25T11:51:00.001-05:00

N-boy had a wonderful year! He, too, improved in his skill areas at a great rate. I'm very pleased with his seemingly natural understanding of math and his reading prowess.

N-boy, also, gets frustrated if he doesn't learn easily, but his frustration is much more physical. We are working on it. He works pretty well independently, but could use some support in this area.

English:

Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading and Bob Books: N-boy finished the book! He worked hard to complete it this year and his reading is very good. He enjoys reading aloud to Daddy and R-girl and reading on his own as well. He is very ready for spelling. I'm hopeful that Spelling Power will be as good for him as it has been for M-girl.
First Language Lessons 1: he doesn't really care about grammar, but has learned and done well with this. He is definitely ready for writing practice! He loves to write stories and pictures (when it is his own choice), but needs help with the mechanics.
McGuffey Readers & CLP Nature Readers (reading practice) didn't do as much of this as I had hoped. We'll have to fold this back in for 2012.
Explode the Code he did a good job with this, and it seems to help, so he'll be continuing.

Penmanship: Cursive First has not been as consistent with N-boy as it had been for M-girl. We'll hit this running in 2012.

Math: MEP with Math Mammoth supplement. N-boy has done magnificently with MEP. He's not far behind M-girl (20 or so lessons behind!) and his understanding is quite good. The Math Mammoth practice has also been good for him, but we may cut back and change how we use it.

Logic: Mindbenders Warm-Up then Critical Thinking Activities have been good thinking skills for N-boy. I need to do a better job of having the Critical Thinking Activities ready for his use.

N-boy also started working on a "Telling Time" workbook and the Evan Moore Geography workbook. These were very well received and effective for self-teaching with him.

The Simple Woman's Daybook for 11/21/2011

2011-11-21T08:49:00.001-05:00

FOR TODAY November 21, 2011 ...

Outside my window... cold, grey, and rainy.

I am thinking... about pastor's sermon yesterday discussing the ordinariness in the Christian faith.

I am thankful... for a wonderful church where the gospel is preached.

From the learning rooms... nothing. We're on break this week!

In the kitchen... that's a very very good question. Maybe beans?

I am wearing... jammies, but soon my sweatsuit and warm socks so I can be creating

I am creating... a clean basement. At least the kids side which is a grand disaster.

I am going... probably nowhere.

I am wondering... how long it'll take today.

I am reading... North and South by Gaskell. It's pretty dark and heavy. I'm also going to start reviewing WTM as I prepare for the 2012 academic year.

I am hoping... for a wonderful week of Thanksgiving.

I am looking forward to... Thanksgiving with both our families.

I am hearing... children making beds.

Around the house... the ironing is almost caught up. A Thanksgiving miracle?

I am pondering... the takeover of the work of the church by the government. Fascinating discussion from Sunday School yesterday.

One of my favorite things... history. That Sunday School discussion was so intellectually stimulating and intriguing. I want to know more.

A few plans for the rest of the week: errands, cooking with my Mom on Wednesday, Thanksgiving twice, the Muppet movie?, finish Yuletide planning, Advent starts!, cleaning the basement ... should be super busy!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...still no camera ...

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Academic Year 2011 in Review (M-girl)

2011-11-18T17:12:00.001-05:00

M-girl had a great year! She improved in every skill area. While my curricular choices don't tend toward the flashy, I've been pleased by their effectiveness. In particular, M-girl's writing, both in legibility and thought, are cleaner and more beautiful.

M-girl is very bright and gets easily frustrated at even a little bit of difficulty. I need to challenge and encourage her more to be patient and keep working and thinking. She also needs help improving her independence and diligence (hm, wonder who she gets *that* from).

English:

First Language Lessons 2 (we have a little bit of FLL1 to finish) We got most of the way through FLL 2. M-girl finished learning the list of prepositions ... now to keep them in her head over break.
Writing With Ease 1 has been a great way to improve M-girl's handwriting, writing, narrations, and recall.
McGuffey Readers & CLP Nature Readers (reading practice) were used sparingly. She reads a lot and has done a lot of reading this year both assigned and unassigned. She finished Little House in the Big Woods, The Cricket in Times Square, and is working on Pilgrim Stories for assigned reading. She has read many other books and is happy to read aloud to her brother and sister, too.
Spelling Power has been a good choice for her. She's a "natural speller" from her phonics training and wide reading, Spelling Power lets her only study words she misspelled rather than working on a list of words she could already spell.
Explode the Code has been assigned as independent work, and the only issue she has with doing it is actually doing it. I'm considering dropping this entirely, I don't think she needs it and would prefer to change up her independent work.

Penmanship: Cursive First has been *wonderful* for M-girl. It isn't flashy or exciting, but M-girl has enjoyed learning cursive and all her writing has improved. We should work to finish learning all the letters and connections.

Math: MEP with Math Mammoth supplement (mostly for when we're stuck and need more practice). I think I've raved about MEP enough recently, but, seriously, we love MEP. The Math Mammoth pages I've assigned are not nearly as well received and the supplementation has not been necessary. This is one of the big changes I'm making next year. M-girl, in particular, really likes MEP. I wish we had finished Y1, but we're very close and should hit Y2 in stride.

Latin: Prima Latina has been one of her favorites. She does this independently and likes the independence of the video. She dislikes the independence of the actual work which has tripped us up a couple of times. We have four or so lessons to finish in the new year.

Logic: Critical Thinking Activities then Lollipop Logic ... but only to Lollipop Logic if we finished the CTA book. She really likes these activities and they make her think. We'll keep going and try Lollipop next year.

Geography: Evan-Moore Beginning Geography is another workbook that she has really liked doing and has actually taught her something. I don't like workbooky things, but these activities are well designed and fitting.

Academic Year 2011 Review (Content Areas)

2011-11-18T16:37:00.001-05:00

We had a good year. I'm pleased with the advancement in knowledge and skills the children made. I'm disappointed in my own inconsistencies because I think we could have easily gotten further. I, particularly, wish we had gotten through more of the content areas of Bible, history, and science. All in all, though, I'm content and happy. I'll be doing separate posts for the children's skill areas, but maybe not today.

Content Areas:

Memory Work:

Hymns - We learned Amazing Grace; Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted; Oh, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing; Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah, O My Soul; Praise to the Lord, the Almighty; Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken; All People That on Earth Do Dwell
Genesis 1-2:3 - This continues to be a work in progress, we continue to recite a day of creation every day.
Psalm 130 - I added this for Lent from my original plan. I'm so glad I did!
Galatians 5:22-23 - I also added this because it kept coming up in discussion.
Psalm 1 - they learned this quickly and it is a favorite.
Psalm 100 - we're still working on the order, they know the verses but have a hard time remembering what comes after what.
Nicene Creed - I don't know if they could recite this on their own, but as it is generally recited in unison, that's OK with me.
IEW Poetry - M-girl and N-boy need to recite Level 1 for Daddy and they're done with the first level. R-girl is partway through, learning "There Was an Old Person Whose Habits" by Edward Lear. I'm absolutely *thrilled* with this.
Catechism for Young Children - M-girl has learned through Q108, N-boy has learned through Q83, R-girl has learned through Q46 and has been working on 47-51 for a couple of weeks.
Science - we memorized different lists about plants, the 11 systems of the human body, and the 5 senses.
History - we're still working on our sentences, I've made a few changes but am pleased with the recall they have because of these sentences from Hannah's HS Helps.
Geography - We love Geography Songs! We learned all the states in the United States and the provinces & territories of Canada.

Morning Reading:

Poetry books - finished Mother Goose and are most of the way through A Child's Garden of Verses.
The Burgess Bird Book - finished the blasted thing ... an exercise in perseverance.
The Burgess Animal Book - decided against it.
Fifty Famous Stories Retold - not done, decided hit! We all love this.
Family Book of Manners - pretty dated, but we've enjoyed it and it has led to discussions of why some things are good manners and why some aren't.
Aesop's Fables - I found a beautiful hardbound Milo Winter edition second hand and we've enjoyed reading the fables and talking about them.

Bible: Covenantal Catechism supplemented with Bible Lessons for Juniors from Reformation Heritage books. I really, really like this pairing. We really learned a lot from Covenantal Catechism, but got derailed part way through. This is something we need to address in our new schedule in January. I really want to complete all this series, I'm very impressed.

Spanish: El Espanol Facil Jr (supposedly we did this last year ... it may get dropped again this year) ... and it was completely dropped. Too much.

History: Story of the World I supplement with Mystery of History ... Dropped Mystery of History immediately. Story of the World was enough. We had fun with the stories, projects, and mapping. The last few weeks we were just ready to be done. We'll finish up and go with part II in 2012.

Science: God's Design for Life supplement with Elemental Science ... Dropped Elemental Science. It was too much for me to arrange. I do like God's Design for Life. It's a tad dry, but gets the job done ... when we do it.

Art: Artistic Pursuits ... did more art this year! We've loved having our friends over and doing projects with them. We loved doing some of the projects that lined up with SOTW (clay bowls, cave drawings, Minoan art, etc.)

Music: Piano, Choir ... Piano and Choir are both big hits! All three children are in Piano as of September. M-girl and N-boy are both in choir and love it.

Phys Ed: Gymnastics, Soccer, Baseball, swimming ... our athletic choices have been pretty good. We'll be continuing Soccer and Baseball. Trying to find a reasonable way to get swimming lessons scheduled.

Weekly Report: 11/14/2011-11/18/2011

2011-11-18T15:26:00.001-05:00

We're done! We're done, we're done, we're done, we're done! Did I mention we're done for the year? Yippee! Now for Yuletide Session. I'm planning on a year end wrap up and a Yuletide Session 2011 psot.

Phonics:

R-girl: learned about to, too, and two today. NB: (we'll keep working on phonics with her over Yuletide Session because 1) she's this close to reading and 2) I don't want her to lose her progress.)

Assigned Reading:

M-girl: is working on Pilgrim Stories.

N-boy: read several different Thanksgiving books this week.

Math:

M-girl: worked on adding up to 18s. I love how MEP started introducing multiplication here with two sets of 9, three sets of 6, etc. She already knows multiplication is coming and kinda what it means ... this just wets her whistle :)

N-boy: finished through lesson 140

R-girl: we did some more work with size and shapes and matching. She is absolutely ready for MEP Y1 in January. I was a little concerned earlier in the year, but she has matured and grown so much. MEP Reception was great and the other free work we did after convinced me.

Logic:

M-girl: lots of Qwirkle

N-boy: lots of Uno and Qwirkle

Grammar:

M-girl: finished lessons through a friendly letter in FLL2. Heads up, for Miss Patricia :)

N-boy: finished Lesson 81 about capitalizing titles of poetry. He had his first copywork today, just to get ready for next year.

Writing:

M-girl: we got through Week 21 in WWE1. I'm a little disappointed here with not finishing or getting close, but I'm thrilled with the improvement in M-girl's writing.

Spelling:

M-girl: finished through half of Level C.

Latin:

M-girl: did none this week. Reviewed flash cards with a friend.

Penmanship:

M-girl: did a review page.

N-boy: erm. Gotta get working on this.

R-girl: see N-boy ...

History: worked with our History Sentences, discussed AD/BC versus CE/BCE.

Science: reviewed our memory work.

Art: no art party this week. Was totally not ready for it.

Read Alouds: I'm hoping to finish Mary Poppins tomorrow, but don't think it's going to happen. We've read a good bit this week, though.

Bible: Psalm 100 needs a lot of polishing. We may work on that next week.

The Simple Woman's Daybook for 11/14/2011

2011-11-14T08:22:00.001-05:00

FOR TODAYMonday, November 14, 2011...

Outside my window... cold, rainy, I think I heard some sleet (ETA Jason tells me it's 60 and I can't have heard sleet ... but maybe it was hail instead, I know I heard something more solid than rain).

I am thinking... it can't be our last week of "school" yet

I am thankful... it is our last week of school until January.

From the learning rooms... review and close.

In the kitchen... I'm going for the chicken and biscuits we never had last week.

I am wearing... jammies. I'll get dressed soon.

I am creating... Yuletide Session plans.

I am going... to the library.

I am wondering... what the children are doing; they're supposed to be getting dressed & making beds.

I am reading... North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. It's drearier than I expected.

I am hoping... to finish Mary Poppins by Saturday so we can read our traditional Thanksgiving read aloud then our Christmas read alouds without stopping in the middle like we did with The Jungle Book last year.

I am looking forward to... some of our exciting plans for Yuletide! Particularly a tour of the Statehouse.

I am hearing... children.

Around the house... gotta work on folding laundry!

I am pondering... Christ's blessings as described in yesterday's sermon.

One of my favorite things... our church. I find more and more that I look forward to Sunday mornings and worship.

A few plans for the rest of the week: library, choir, piano ... LAST SCHOOL DAY for 2011!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... sorry, none today ...

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Weekly Report for 11/7/2011-11/11/2011

2011-11-11T16:08:00.001-05:00

We had a good, exhausting week. Sorry no pictures; our camera died and I didn't take any on the phone this week.

Phonics:

R-girl: has worked through Lesson 73. She's working on long /o/ words.

Assigned Reading:

M-girl: has read more Pilgrim Stories.

N-boy: seems to be enjoying The Landing of the Pilgrims, now.

Math:

M-girl: worked on adding to 17s this week.

N-boy: worked on adding to 11s this week.

R-girl: Finished MEP Reception! I am happy to recommend this program as an interesting way to introduce, discuss, and figure math concepts.

Logic:

M-girl: [ahem]

N-boy: [ahem]

Grammar:

M-girl: worked on the Friendly Letter and reviewed all of the poems from First Language Lessons 1& 2. She's also working on prepositions.

N-boy: worked on reviewing poems from First Language Lessons 1. He continues to work on initials and abbreviations.

Writing:

M-girl: worked on initials and proper capitalization.

Spelling:

M-girl: completed two spelling lists.

Latin:

M-girl: Completed Chapter 21.

Penmanship:

M-girl: worked on "u" and "w" and a review sheet.

N-boy: none.

R-girl: none.

History: um, er, we watched a video on the Ancient Greeks.

Science: we didn't do any.

Art: our friends came and we studied how Artists use "form." This was one of the harder projects in AP K-3 Book 1 so far, but they turned out pretty well over all.

Read Alouds: We've read more Mary Poppins. I hope to finish it before our break. We also read two chapters from The House At Pooh Corner. Actually, Jason read them while home today and we all laughed and laughed.

Bible: We're getting closer and closer to finishing Vos. We read about Peter and John preaching in the Temple last night. We are close to having Ps 100 memorized.

Book Review: Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer

2011-11-10T13:26:00.001-05:00

Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Own.

I picked this up at the library book sale and it was just the thing to read after the heavy-reading Lord of the Rings books. A light, witty, quick read with a happy ending for all involved and not a lot of effort on the reader's part.

I do appreciate Heyer's examination of the theme of independence, Annis is "independent" in many ways, Lucilla and Ninian are under a forced "dependence," Miss Farlow is dependent because of a lack of means, etc. Heyer does a good job of showing how inter-dependent we are despite our circumstances, yet she doesn't hit us over the head with the idea.

Look, I'm not trying to say that Heyer's writing is great literature by any means. As light romances, I appreciate what other reviewers on GoodReads find a negative: the older mores. I enjoy Heyer's writing, though; she often introduces themes to consider in interesting ways, and I find the Regency Period fascinating. However, I've found that one at a time seems the best policy, and will read something else next.

View all my reviews

Wordless Wednesday: Sisters

2011-11-09T21:01:00.003-05:00

Memory Work Monday

2011-11-07T22:25:00.001-05:00

Memory Work for the week of ... : November 7, 2011

Bible: Psalm 100

Catechism/Creed: Nicene Creed

Hymn: All People that on Earth Do Dwell

Poetry: Polishing Level 1 for M-girl & N-boy. R-girl, "There Was an Old Person Whose Habits" Hooray!

Counting: Skip Counting by 8s

Other Memory Work: We're working on the history sentences, the 5 senses (although maybe they have that down and we have a different list - I'll have to double check), and the Provinces & Territories of Canada from Geography Songs.

The Simple Woman's Daybook for November 7, 2011

2011-11-07T22:20:00.002-05:00

FOR TODAY November 7, 2011 ...

Outside my window... it is night. But it was a gorgeous day today!

I am thinking... I should be in bed.

I am thankful... to have been nominated for a Homeschool Blog Award in the Best SUPER Homeschooler category. Please vote for someone else (like my vote: I'm Nobody, Who are You?)

From the learning rooms... two weeks left ... the final slog!

In the kitchen... was supposed to be cashew chicken, but that doesn't work so well when you don't have any hoisin sauce in the house.

I am wearing... skirt I got at the GAP outlet when Heather and I went outlet shopping with M-girl and Matthias as babies and a black short sleeved shirt. I wore my denim jacket when I was out for the day.

I am creating... blah blah blah

I am going... to vote tomorrow - don't forget!

I am wondering... where all the library books are ...

I am reading... a new Georgette Heyer ... something light following The Lord of the Rings.

I am hoping... to read something a little more substantial next. Maybe something off the pile of "laid-aside" books from the year ...

I am looking forward to... Yuletide Session! I'd better get to planning, it'll soon be here!

I am hearing... De Falla "Seven Popular Spanish Songs" on Musical Choice Classical Masterpieces.

Around the house... hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I am pondering... Christmas poems for this year. Got anything good?

One of my favorite things... homeschooling. It is so great to see where my kids were at the beginning of the year and where they are now.

A few plans for the rest of the week: voting, lessons, choir, library, piano, Daddy home on Friday!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...jumping in the leaf pile at Aunt Kristy & Uncle Matthew's

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Book Review: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

2011-11-07T20:48:00.001-05:00

I recently read the whole series, I only wrote a "review" on The Return of the King, but what (little) I had to say there applies to the whole series.

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Own.

An epic struggle between good and evil; dark and light.

I was interested to compare the books with the movies, and as good as the movies were Tolkien's plot and execution are better.

The Christian themes, actions, thought processes of the characters were on the surface and an encouragement.

Buried low was discussion and example of teaching and mentoring that encouraged my thoughts in several places (noting them would have been smart, but I just wanted to *read*)

I'm glad I didn't really read this seriously until now. (I've read the series before, but don't remember really anything from previous reading).

View all my reviews

Weekly Report for10/31/2011-11/4/2011

2011-11-04T13:20:00.002-04:00

With only two more weeks after this one, we're feeling the home stretch. We accomplished a lot this week and I'm thrilled.

Phonics:

N-boy: FINISHED!

R-girl: She's starting to get it! Which makes phonics lessons go so much more smoothly. We've lone lessons on long /a/, long /e/, and long /i/.

Assigned Reading:

M-girl: is enjoying Pilgrim Stories.

N-boy: seems to finally be liking The Landing of the Pilgrims.

Math:

M-girl: is adding up to 16.

N-boy: is adding up to 11.

R-girl: is almost done with MEP Reception and I can recommend it happily. She finished Math Mammoth's pages of "K" math that are now included in Math Mammoth 1A, but I decided 1A is going to be too much for her yet. I'm trying some other basic math pages that she's liking and succeeding with.

Logic:

M-girl: didn't have any assigned this week.

N-boy: didn't have any assigned this week.

Grammar:

M-girl: is memorizing prepositions ... "Aboard, about, above ..."

N-boy: wrote his address this morning, abbreviating Dr. and our State.

Writing:

M-girl: is working on Week 20.

Spelling:

M-girl: worked on Level C Group 16 today. She had to spell "round" and I used "Round on the End and Hi in the Middle" as the sentence and had to play the song.

Latin:

M-girl: finished Lesson 19.

History: We watched a video on Ancient Greece and read some Greek Myths.

Science: We had eye appointments? Hmmm ...

Art: We had art with Mahers Hill Academy:

Read Alouds: We read a little more from Mary Poppins.

Bible: We are almost done with the Gospels in the Vos Story Bible. Thinking about what to read next. We started memorizing Psalm 100.

Piano News!

2011-11-03T20:34:00.003-04:00

M-girl finished Book 1A tonight! Exciting success :)

Wordless Wednesday: Finished!

2011-11-02T14:15:00.003-04:00

Trick or Treat 2011

2011-10-31T21:09:00.000-04:00

Pinkalicious:

Odysseus:

Daisy:

The Simple Woman's Daybook for October 31, 2011

2011-10-31T09:03:00.001-04:00

FOR TODAY Monday, October 31, 2011 ... Reformation Sunday and All Hallow's Eve ...

Outside my window... cold and grey and supposed to rain.

I am thinking... about waking up.

I am thankful... for a busy and fun weekend.

From the learning rooms... more Greece and 5 senses this week.

In the kitchen... I'm going to try baking apples in the crockpot for tonight.

I am wearing... jammies.

I am creating... Halloween costumes: a Daisy, Pinkalicious, and Odysseus.

I am going... to Meijer to get candy and cider.

I am wondering... how to get everything done.

I am reading... The Return of the King.

I am hoping... to make it to the zoo some other day. Sorry, Michelle!

I am looking forward to... Art day on Wednesday.

I am hearing... NPR and children playing.

Around the house... well, it was a busy weekend, need to get a move on this morning.

I am pondering... getting a move on this morning, and how I'd rather not.

One of my favorite things... this recipe for Pumpkin Gingerbread I made over the weekend. Two loaves are already gone! The Pumpkin Streusel Cake was amazing, too.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Trick or Treat, Art group, Eye Dr appointments. Buckeye Game with my Dad and brothers on Saturday.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...Leeds Farm 2010 vs 2011. Nephew isn't there this year, but the differences are noteworthy.

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Weekly Report for 10/24/2011-10/28/2011

2011-10-28T14:46:00.001-04:00

We had a pretty good week. Circle Time three days, art with friends, accomplished history and science lessons. Ended the week with "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" after lunch and before Quiet Time. Our camera seems to have given up the ghost, but I did get a couple of pictures on my phone ... and I'm going to post them (exciting, I know).

Phonics:

N-boy: is down to the last few lessons in OPG! Hooray!

R-girl: finished the section on blends and started long vowels! Hooray! Her confidence is starting to take off and she's trying (and succeeding) at reading other things!

Assigned Reading:

M-girl: is working on Pumphrey's Pilgrim Stories.

N-boy: is fighting me on the Landing of the Pilgrims, he thinks it looks boring and won't read it. [sigh] Or so he thinks. Maybe he'll read to Daddy tomorrow.

Math:

M-girl: missed only one on her most recent "test" and succeeds when she makes any effort at all.

N-boy: is doing very well working through 10+ a single digit. He seems to intuitively understand place value and how it generally works (not that I'm not emphasizing it in my explanations ... he just gets it and tires of me repeating [grin])

R-girl: has completed all but one page of the K level of Math Mammoth 1A. She's only a few days shy of finishing MEP Reception. I'm really proud of her!

Logic:

M-girl: none this week, I didn't get their independent work filled.

N-boy: none this week, I didn't get their independent work filled.

Grammar:

M-girl: is memorizing prepositions. She is able to identify different parts of speech pretty well.

N-boy: was able to identify nouns, pronouns, and action verbs in his lesson today.

Writing:

M-girl: her writing has improved so much this year; now to get faster at it.

Spelling:

M-girl: still having a hard time with 'whose,' 'field,' and 'neighbor.' But we'll keep practicing.

Latin:

M-girl: I think she finished Lesson 18 today.

Penmanship:

M-girl: we haven't been working on the sheets, but have been talking about joining letters (particularly o and b and w) and smoothing out some of the rough edges when she writes. She prefers to write in cursive for spelling, grammar dictation, and writing. I find this to be a good thing.

N-boy: need to get back on the ball.

R-girl: is working on all of her numbers and writing them very well.

History: we studied about the Ancient Greeks, caught up on map work, and read some of D'Aulaire's Greek Myths.

Science: we studied about the sense of sight and our eyes. The easy activities in God's Design for Science: Human Body were a hit.

Art: we worked on the color wheel and drawing "experiences" with our friends on Wednesday. The younger half of our group mixed colors with water and food coloring. If I were smart, we would have used that water on coffee filters, but I'm not that smart.

Read Alouds: we started Mary Poppins and are enjoying it. We didn't read any of The Bronze Bow and only read one or two stories from The House at Pooh Corner. I'm totally slacking.

Bible: We've memorized Psalm 1. We read about Judas' betrayal, the upper room, Jesus' death and resurrection in the Vos Story Bible this week. It's good.

Wordless Wednesday: Off to Cousin Rachel's Wedding

2011-10-26T07:43:00.001-04:00

Memory Work Monday: 10/24/2011

2011-10-24T16:34:00.000-04:00

Memory Work for the week of ... October 24, 2011:

Bible: We're finishing Psalm 1 this week.

Catechism/Creed: Continuing on the Nicene Creed and the same sets of Catechism questions from last week.

Hymn: Finishing Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken this week.

Poetry: November, Something Told the Wild Geese, and My Shadow. I'm hoping to polish the Level 1 poems in November and start Level 2 for M-girl and N-boy in January. I need to select our Yuletide Session poem; last year we did Christmas Carol from the Wind in the Willows and I'm considering revisiting it.

Counting: 7s.

Other Memory Work: History, continuing on the sentences through Nebuchadnezzar. Science, we've got the 11 systems of the human body down, so we'll probably do the Five Senses. Geography, we should finish up the Middle States song this week.

2011-10-24T08:36:00.001-04:00

FOR TODAY October 24, 2011...

Outside my window... cold and rainy ... maybe thunderstorms later.

I am thinking... we need to replace the light fixture in the laundry.

I am thankful... for a wonderful, busy weekend.

From the learning rooms... more Greeks, the five senses, and more.

In the kitchen... transitioning from summer foods to winter & fall foods.

I am wearing... jeans skirt and black sweater.

I am creating... I really need to bring up those Christmas presents and get back to work.

I am going... to stay home today. Ah.

I am wondering... if we'll enjoy Mary Poppins as a read-aloud.

I am reading... The Two Towers, still.

I am hoping... to see pictures of little Emily soon ...

I am looking forward to... making art with friends on Wednesday.

I am hearing... dishwasher, washing machine, playing children.

Around the house... we need to get back into our chore habits. Good start this morning.

I am pondering... clearing out our garden and herbs.

One of my favorite things... cutting fresh herbs off the deck for cooking.

A few plans for the rest of the week: last soccer game for M-girl, piano lessons, choir, art ... nice and quiet.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

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Weekly Report: 10/17/11-10/21011

2011-10-21T21:31:00.002-04:00

We had a pretty good week. It is always slow returning after vacation - even 2 weeks later. Need to get us all aback in the chores habit ;) We had a long library trip on Monday, two solid days of lessons on Tuesday and Thursday. A light day today ... and a trip to Leeds Farm to round out our educational experience for the week.

Phonics:

N-boy: has only 18 lessons left in OPG!

R-girl: read a lesson or two, but read directions on a dot to dot page on her own for the first time. She's doing awesome!

Assigned Reading:

M-girl: finished Cricket in Times Square before vacation, started Pumphrey's Pilgrim Stories sometime since.

N-boy: finished The Storm by Cynthia Rylant. I need to come up with something else at his level.

Math:

M-girl: did 3 lessons in math. We did addition practice today and started to talk about units of measure.

N-boy: started working with adding groups of 10 and units together.

R-girl:worked on symmetry (mirror images), patterns, and grouping. She started the Math Mammoth K pages and is doing very well.

Logic:

M-girl: did a couple of logic pages (see below)

N-boy: started Critical Thinking Activities (K-3)

Grammar:

M-girl: is learning Prepositions. She's having fun with the memory list.

N-boy: has been learning about seasons, months, what to capitalize and what to abbreviate.

Writing:

M-girl: is working on when to capitalize what pronouns.

Spelling:

M-girl: did several groups of spelling lists. Talked herself out of spelling field and whose correctly, but we're working on it.

Latin:

M-girl: finished Lesson 17.

Penmanship:

M-girl: wrote s and t.

N-boy: has been working on b.

R-girl: is still working in numbers, but didn't do these pages this week.

History: none other than memory work.

Science: none other than memory work.

Art: none.

Read Alouds: We read more of The Bronze Bow, started The House at Pooh Corner, and finished The Wind in the Willows. I think we'll read Mary Poppins next.

Bible: finished memorizing Psalm 1, are through Pilate washing his hands over Jesus' crucifixion in the Vox Story Bible.

Book Review: The Wind in the Willows (Family Read Aloud)

2011-10-21T20:30:00.001-04:00

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Own.

We enjoyed this read aloud as a family. It was a challenging book to read loud, but that is part of its charm. We loved Mole and Ratty, and Mr. Badger. Their friendships, their hospitality, their care for one another and for Mr. Toad were generous, loving, and fine examples. We each had our favorite parts: I (Dawn) enjoyed the portion in Mole's home with the carolers, Jason liked the part where Mr. Toad first saw motor cars, N-boy appreciated the Return of Ulysses, M-girl Mr. Toad's adventures.

This edition had a nice series of questions to consider and we enjoyed discussing those.

This is another book I can imagine revisiting in several years.

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Book Review: Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

2011-10-18T20:29:00.002-04:00

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Library.

This was a quick read, and a little more [ahem] *adult* than I generally prefer. The story is predictable, but engrossing. The writing is occasionally really really good, and occasionally heavy handed and obviously trying too hard. It is a first novel, so I can excuse some of that.

Allen explores themes of constancy and aimlessness, permanence and impermanence, control and lack of control, fear and love. Sadly, she hits you over the head to make sure you notice what she's trying to say: there was an awful lot of familial determinism -- this family is always such and so; and characters even come out and say things like, "She likes things that don't go away. So don't go away." The build-up to the climax was the best done and longest portion of the book, the climax and denouement were short and somewhat disappointing, like she ran out of story to tell.

I can imagine reading some more of Allen's work, but in small doses.

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A brief note for my blog readers, one of those familial determinisms is that the main characters are magical. If that bothers your conscience, this is definitely a book to avoid.

Memory Work Monday 10/17/2011

2011-10-17T16:54:00.001-04:00

Memory Work for the week of ... :October 17, 2011

Bible: We should be finishing up Psalm 1. Happily, yesterday's sermon? Yep, Psalm 1. We're also reviewing 1 day of creation each day.

Catechism/Creed: N-boy is moving on to the first two commandments, M-girl is moving on out of the 10 Commandments, and R-girl will continue on the Atonement, Justification, and Sanctification questions. It is my experience that that section takes a while.

Hymn: We're working on Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken, we're skipping "Come, Thou, Almighty King" from my original list at the beginning of the year. Next year, I want to be sure to add All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name, it was the offertory yesterday and M-girl didn't recognize it. Mystie found the Listen While We Sing CDs and along with our earlier purchase of Hymns for Kith and Kin and we're loving them for accompaniment. I'm hoping that I'll have some pianists soon, too [smile]

Poetry: M-girl is working on Something Told the Wild Geese by Rachel Field and N-boy is working on November by Elizabeth Coatsworth for their final selections in Level 1 of IEW's poetry program. R-girl is still working on My Shadow. Forever and Ever, Amen.

Counting: We're skip counting by 7s. This is a challenge for Mommy. Happily, Homeschool Creations has some cute Skip Counting Charts for the numbers 1-12 for 12 skips. I don't let the children see them, though. I'm so mean.

Other Memory Work: Still working on the Middle States Song . We're also doing History Sentences from Hannah's Homeschool Helps from Amenhotep through Homer. For science we're memorizing the 11 Systems of the Human Body.

The Simple Woman's Daybook for October 17, 2011

2011-10-17T09:21:00.002-04:00

FOR TODAY October 17, 2011 ...

Outside my window... cool with crisp blue skies. A perfectly autumnal day.

I am thinking... about getting chores and lessons started.

I am thankful... for the wonderful time we had for M-girl's birthday party.

From the learning rooms... nature walk and library trip today. An art project, and someone needs to write thank you notes.

In the kitchen... fried rice or frozen tortellini for dinner tonight.

I am wearing... jammies. I should get dressed.

I am creating... back to the presents.

I am going... to enjoy a calm week. Lord willing.

I am wondering... at the Way of Righteousness that the Lord trod.

I am reading... The Two Towers. Finished Fellowship of the Ring on Saturday.

I am hoping... to get our routine back together.

I am looking forward to... the end of soccer season. I love the season, but it is so busy!

I am hearing... children playing and not doing chores [frown]

Around the house... party yesterday, things look pretty good. Need to do the last dishwasher load from the party and it'll be all put away.

I am pondering... checking out Thanksgiving books.

One of my favorite things... library book sales ... I got several things I'm excited about, not the least of which is Eating the Plates. I don't have to check that one out.

A few plans for the rest of the week: a bit of soccer and a lot of lessons. My sister's Fall Festival and Jason's cousin's wedding.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... We made the front of the local paper ...

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Happy Seventh Birthday, M-girl!

2011-10-13T12:40:00.000-04:00

Before:

During:

After:

Wordless Wednesday for October 12, 2011

2011-10-12T08:33:00.001-04:00

The Simple Woman's Daybook for October 10, 2011

2011-10-10T10:14:00.002-04:00

FOR TODAYMonday, October 10, 2011 ... Columbus Day!

Outside my window... kinda grey, but I can't really tell ... need to clean the sliding door.

I am thinking... how nice it was to sleep in my own bed.

I am thankful... for the wonderful trip we had to Hilton Head, Jason's 20th reunion, and both drives.

From the learning rooms... we'll read some about Christopher Columbus today.

In the kitchen... I made pancakes this morning!

I am wearing... jammies and a sweatshirt

I am creating... I really need to get to work on those Christmas presents ... Christmas is coming! (the goose is getting fat!)

I am going... to a soccer game. Probably should go grocering too, probably won't, though.

I am wondering... at the glorious changes of fall ... the mountains along I77 were simply breathtaking.

I am reading... The Fellowship of the Ring. And sundry others.

I am hoping... to get everything settled today so we can do school tomorrow.

I am looking forward to... M-girl's birthday on Thursday! Yipes!

I am hearing... children who aren't being told "hush" all the time for the first time in a week. It's loud.

Around the house... the foyer is full of luggage ... the van too!

I am pondering... debunking. We listened to Prince Caspian on the way home yesterday and I kept thinking, he's debunking, he's debunking. Thanks, Cindy and Kelly.

One of my favorite things... I love Hilton Head. Always so relaxing.

A few plans for the rest of the week: soccer, soccer, piano, birthdays, big fun!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

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Book Review: Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis (Audio CD)

2011-10-09T23:02:00.001-04:00

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Own.

We enjoyed listening to this Audio CD version of Prince Caspian on our way home today. The children enjoyed the battle scenes, I enjoyed the more "mystical" portions with the trees and the dryads and such. I loved Dr. Cornelius and his wisdom and instruction of the young prince. (forgive any misspellings, I didn't *read* it ...) The more we listen to these books, the sorrier I am that I haven't read them before now.

Lynn Redgrave was a very good reader and did wonderful voices for the characters, although Jason didn't care for her Aslan, not deep enough.

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Book Review: The Waiting Sands by Susan Howatch

2011-10-08T18:58:00.002-04:00

The Waiting Sands by Susan Howatch

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Library. Reread.

I love Susan Howatch. Nice, clean romantic suspense set in the wilds of Scotland. Well written, the story hangs together pretty well and the plot moves pretty quickly. Complicated characters leave you guessing.

Great beach read :)

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Book Review: Because of Winn-Dixie (Audio Book)

2011-10-07T16:06:00.000-04:00

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Library.

We listened to this on our way to the beach.

We really enjoyed the story and the friendships. I appreciated the inter-generational friendships made by the characters.

There are some quibbles and modernist ideas here and there, but overall it was a fun story with some good lessons about relationships.

Cherry Jones, the reader, was superb.

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Book Review: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

2011-10-07T16:00:00.001-04:00

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Borrowed.

I put off reading this and put off reading this. I don't read much modern fiction; I had read such conflicting reports: wonderful book, the narrative falls apart, unrealistic fantasy ... But, my book club chose it, so I had to do it.

I've been working on it slowly this week, then read most of it yesterday. Bawled through a lot of it last night.

It was an interesting story, several portions difficult to believe, several sorry to believe, several horrifying and the fear palpable. It was not a particularly nuanced or subtle tale, she wanted the reader to get the point that people are people and that but for the grace of God there go I.

I hate the device of changing the character who tells a story. Especially if the change isn't obvious. I think Stockett did a good job of giving each character a distinct voice, but constantly changing first person confuses me.

There were some loose tails that I would've loved to see tied up. I liked seeing a woman of faith so prominently well-portrayed. I could have done without the love story, while it did some to advance the plot, it wasn't necessary and solely played on emotion, IMO.

Overall, I'm glad to have read it. Now I can go to book club whenever we schedule it :)

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Book Review: Winnie-the-Pooh (Family Read-Aloud)

2011-09-30T10:13:00.002-04:00

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Own.

This was our lunch time read aloud in in Aug-Sep 2011. We had great fun laughing at some silly things. M-girl and N-boy laughed with me, R-girl fell in love. Perfect.

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Book Club: The Abolition of Man - Men Without Chests (pt1)

2011-09-30T07:42:00.003-04:00

I’ve read this first essay in The Abolition of Man three times this year and am finally starting to have even a glimmer of what on earth Lewis is talking about.

And, that glimmer? It scares the heck out of me.

I’m pretty sure I debunk and misappropriate words and am putting assumptions into my children’s heads *every *day.

I often consider that I’m homeschooling for my grandchildren. I pray my children will be standing on my educational shoulders so that maybe, just maybe, their children will have an education where they don’t have to look up all of Lewis’ literary allusions (Coleridge? Waterfall?), vocabulary (bathetic?), and Latin expressions (“pons asinorum”?) I am thankful for the wide margins in my edition!

Even more mentally challenging than the specifics of Lewis’ writing craft are the ideas he presents. Every word written is specifically designed to support his argument. Which is great modelling, because he’s arguing that the words we use are important in meaning and the usage in assumption. Lewis argues that we are whole people, not just minds, not just bodies, not just emotions, not just souls, but integrated wholes. He means that we can teach in a way that doesn’t subvert any of these improperly, which is what mis-used and mis-applied reading does.

When he talks about “debunking” I think about 10 Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child and all the recommended ways of accomplishing that destruction. Two of those are looking down on patriotism and heroes. If we discount heroism and love of country based on peccadillo (or outright sin), we destroy both the imagination and those future decisions based on incomplete assumptions.

I love the picture of irrigating deserts. It reminds me, of course, of Psalm 1 and that tree planted by the river, by water, which leads to wisdom as described in Proverbs, and to bearing fruit. It brings to mind that Jesus is living water – he satisfies our being. The sated soul is not hungering after pabulum.

All this leads, of course, to the concept of ordo amoris – the ordering of affections. The idea that

“objects did not merely receive, butcould merit, our approval or disapproval, our reverence or ourcontempt.”

is pretty heretical in our modern thinking; let alone the idea that some things vary in level of approbation.

When I consider this concept, I think of the 19th Century idea of training taste. Jane Austen gives us a vision for this training and ordering in Mansfield Park. Even though under the same governess, Maria and Julia are so different from Fanny in character and taste. Some of this is disposition, certainly, but a great deal of the difference is due to Edmund’s mentoring of Fanny. He teaches her to order her affections rightly through planning and discussing her reading, listening to her, caring for her, and encouraging her. When we consider the eventualities of the three girls, we can see which teaching was better suited for true education.

I’m currently also reading Give Them Grace. I’m only one chapter in, yet appreciating Fitzpatrick’s emphasis on parenting with the gospel, not only the law. She argues that failure to completely obey the law should be a stepping stone to the gospel for our children. She shows even everyday teaching of the Bible is incomplete if we stop at “obey” but must go on to “trust Christ who can.” (I’m still waiting as I read, to see how she recommends handling disobedience, but I’m hopeful.) But this reading of The Abolition of Man makes me think about the assumptions I’m teaching regarding God and his work in our lives. Are the assumptions I’m teaching “obey and be saved” or “trust Christ and obey.”

I was talking to my sister about ordo amoris as part of an general educational philosophy as opposed to the pragmatism of Dewey. I told her how as a more mature Christian I’m more interested in many areas: art, history, math, science, etc. This interest is solely because my love for God has grown and those disciplines fall under his domain, pointing to him and his character. Now the questions are, am I going too far in my assumptions? How do I teach and encourage my children in this manner?

The Simple Woman's Daybook for September 26, 2011

2011-09-26T08:37:00.001-04:00

FOR TODAYMonday, September 26, 2011 ...

Outside my window... dreary and rainy. Hard to get motivated this morning.

I am thinking... about the wonderful Women's Retreat we had this past weekend.

I am thankful... for the ministry of Susan Hunt, her graciousness, joy, and love of the Lord.

From the learning rooms... that is a very good question ...

In the kitchen... baked chicken tonight. Everyone's favorite!

I am wearing... jeans shorts and blue blouse.

I am creating... vacation plans!

I am going... to get N-boy's hair cut and AAA.

I am wondering... whether we can get everything accomplished.

I am reading... Desiring the Kingdom, I like it but I don't ... we'll see how it goes.

I am hoping... I end up liking it.

I am looking forward to... Hilton Head!

I am hearing... washer and dryer doing sheets, R-girl finishing chores.

Around the house... things are pretty good. We cleaned well for Grammy's visit.

I am pondering... Mrs. Hunt's message of community and love.

One of my favorite things... is that my wonderful Mother in Law happily comes to take care of my children so I can go on retreat. Love you!

A few plans for the rest of the week: planning, packing, school.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... not today ... maybe later :)

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Weekly Report for 9/19-9/23/2011

2011-09-26T08:30:00.002-04:00

We had a short week last week because the Women's Retreat was on Friday. We still had a good week and got through quite a bit of work. I do have pictures, but want to get posted quickly, so this will be pictureless, sorry 'bout that.

Phonics:

N-boy: finished reviewing two-syllable words. Only 40 or so lessons. Then Latin!

R-girl: reads better than she thinks she does. She worked on /sh/ and /ch/.

Assigned Reading:

M-girl: finished a couple of chapters of Cricket in Times Square.

N-boy: cracked me up with his narration of The Lighthouse Family: Storm. "such-and-so didn't happen in this chapter, but I think it will in the next chapter because of the pictures ..."

Math:

M-girl: did one lesson of MEP and some Math Mammoth.

N-boy: did two MEP lessons.

R-girl: didn't do any math. I was trying to focus on those reading lessons. She was sad, she loves MEP.

Logic:

M-girl: I don't think she did any.

N-boy: is almost done with Mindbenders Warm-up.

Grammar:

M-girl: read one lesson of FLL and one lesson from The Music of the Hemispheres (which she loves).

N-boy: did several lessons from FLL, including the short "Abbreviation" lesson ;)

Writing:

M-girl: finished two lessons. WWE isn't her favorite, but *I* love it and it has improved her writing so much.

Spelling:

M-girl: did one Review Test perfectly.

Latin:

M-girl: Watched one lesson and reviewed flash cards.

Penmanship:

M-girl: learned to write p.

N-boy: worked on something.

R-girl: none.

History: We read about the Minoan civilization. The children told back to Daddy.

Science: We read about learning through our senses; nerves & reflexes; and the sense of touch. We did three experiments: poke with a toothpick to find nerve endings, holding an ice pack and trying to zip a jacket, and tricking our hands with hot and cold water. It was pretty fun and I liked the simplicity of the activities.

Art: We did art *twice* last week. On Monday, we did the Artistic Pursuits Minoan "fresco" activity, drawing with black crayon than filling in with watercolor crayon. We had a great time with that. Our friends came over on Wednesday and we did another, first a page talking about Line from How to Teach Art to Children. Then we did portraits from Artistic Pursuits. Fun!

Read Alouds: We read some from The Wind in the Willows, but soccer and piano makes reading more difficult. We have only one story left from Winnie the Pooh. I don't think I read any from the Bronze Bow, but maybe did on Monday.

Bible: We enjoyed reading from Vos last week. Need to get back to more regular work in Covenantal Catechism.

Wordless Wednesday: Contortions of a reader

2011-09-21T15:57:00.002-04:00

Memory Work Monday for 9/19/2011

2011-09-19T16:06:00.001-04:00

Memory Work for the week of ... : September 19, 2011

Bible: Psalm 1:1-4

Catechism/Creed: Still working on the Nicene Creed. They're also working on Catechism questions, M-girl is learning the 9th and 10th Commandments, N-boy is working on the introduction to the 10 Commandments, and R-girl is working on the questions about what is atonement, justification, and sanctification.

Hymn: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty verse 3

Poetry: R-girl is finishing My Shadow. N-boy and M-girl are going to memorize something autumnal ... I'm going to let them choose from several options that I've found. I'll let you know net week.

Counting: We're skip counting by sixes for September.

Other Memory Work: We're still working on History Sentences 1-12, we're memorizing the 11 systems of the Human Body for science, and we're finishing working on the Middle states from Geography Songs.

The Simple Woman's Daybook for September 19, 2011

2011-09-19T14:36:00.003-04:00

FOR TODAYSeptember 19, 2011 (really?!?)...

Outside my window... rainy and grey.

I am thinking... we may not make it to the fair this year.

I am thankful... for the perfect afternoon we had yesterday at the park.

From the learning rooms... we read about the Minoans this morning, King Minos and the Minotaur.

In the kitchen... Black Pepper Ice Cream for Jason's birthday ... definitely strain it if you try it! (the flavor is surprisingly good ... the chunks of peppercorns, not so much!)

I am wearing... jeans shorts

I am creating... not a lot. Should be working on those Christmas presents ...

I am going... to have a busy week ... retreat this weekend!

I am wondering... how to get everything done.

I am reading... Desiring the Kingdom

I am hoping... to finish some other started books.

I am looking forward to... retreat!

I am hearing... silence. Love Quiet Time.

Around the house... don't ask.

I am pondering... a nice cup of tea and a nap.

One of my favorite things... a nice cup of tea and a nap.

A few plans for the rest of the week: soccer, piano, retreat! Yay!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... Kickoff!

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Book Review: The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs

2011-09-17T11:41:00.001-04:00

The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Own.

I really enjoyed this book. I found Jacobs to be witty, engaging, smart, and considered. He discussed several issues related to reading that I had never thought about before.

I'm not certain I'm his audience. I'm a reader, but I don't tend to be a "lose myself, read-only" kind of reader. I like football, TV, and the internet too much. But I can identify with the lose myself reading. When I read Island of the World earlier this year, the World Stopped.

I loved his emphasis on reading at Whim, which is a directed, purposeful whim; that we, as readers, should read for interest and direction and toss out the "should" read lists. Jacobs' instruction to read that which influenced the ideas and writing of favorite authors is inspired. Also, I think a case could be made from this that one's reading interests will be expanded rather than narrowed by this type of directed Whim.

I'm not so certain about that "reading slowly" concept, though. Also, Jacobs didn't address my particular issues of reading too many books at once and losing the threads of each book ... and then not finishing. Maybe I need to do a better job of annotation and creating for myself a "cone of silence" to help focus.

I was particularly interested, and wished he developed it more, his discussion of Book Groups, both online and in person. I'm part of a newly formed Book Group with some ladies from church, and we're trying to be serious about the discussion, but some more direction might be helpful. His discussion of Online Book Groups, made me think of the "group" that Cindy has inspired. This group works very well and has covered some important literature for our niche reading genre (even though I can barely be called a participant as I've yet to finish a book for that group). I find this kind of intellectual interaction to be one of the most valuable uses for the internets.

Overall, I found this an engaging, interesting read, particularly following on the heels of Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies.

Some practicalities: I love footnotes. I particularly love footnotes where the author lets us in on little side thoughts and jokes. Jacobs' footnotes were great. Second, and less great, I was disappointed that the margins were so small, particularly in a book that extolled the virtues of annotation and wide margins. Third, he almost made me want a Kindle. Almost.

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Weekly Report: 9/12-9/16/2011

2011-09-16T15:10:00.001-04:00

This week we were able to enjoy some of the flexibility of homeschooling. Monday, we all awoke tired and grumpy, so we hit the library, got a bunch of books, then read all morning. Tuesday, a friend had an outpatient procedure done and her husband had to work on Wednesday, so we had her children over all day. It was great! We did projects and read alouds and played and learned a lot. Fun. And it was still "school."

Phonics:

N-boy: has read several lessons, finishing today with "ti" sometimes saying /sh/.

R-girl: learned today about sh saying /sh/ and blending /sh/ with r.

Assigned Reading:

M-girl: read and narrated another chapter of The Cricket in Times Square. I'm hoping for another later today.

N-boy: read and narrated two chapters of The Lighthouse Family: The Storm by Cynthia Rylant.

Math:

M-girl: completed three lessons about adding to 14.

N-boy: completed three lessons about calendars, months, and season.

R-girl: worked some more on 10s and how to add up to them.

Logic:

M-girl: I don't think she completed any logic pages this week.

N-boy: He answered 3 questions. We're almost done with that book and he'll start behind M-girl.

Grammar:

M-girl: We completed one lesson, a narration. We also read a section of Music of the Hemispheres about rhyme in poetry.

N-boy: completed two lessons including this narration:

Writing:

M-girl: completed two lessons.

Spelling:

M-girl: completed one lesson on spelling with short /u/

Latin:

M-girl: finally caught up!

Penmanship:

M-girl: worked on j

N-boy: worked on qu

R-girl: didn't work on any

History:

We read two chapters from Story of the World this week. The first was about Ashurbanipal and the Assyrian Empire (well, Jim Weiss read that) and I read the next chapter about Nebuchadnezzar and his Hanging Gardens.

(They were all interested by the Hanging Gardens but not so much by the Library. I was pretty surprised by that!)

Science:
We read some more about the brain and how we learn. Specifically we introduced the concept of the Five Senses.

Art:

We did art! Woo-hoo! With our friends, we made bowls:

Read Alouds: We've read four stories from Winnie the Pooh, a part of a chapter from The Bronze Bow, and a little more of The Wind in the Willows.

Bible: We finished our discussion of Joshua, Ai, and Achan. I appreciate how the curriculum handled the stories.

The Simple Woman's Daybook for September 12, 2011

2011-09-12T08:47:00.001-04:00

FOR TODAY January 12, 2011 ...

Outside my window... cool and sunny. Autumn seems to have arrived.

I am thinking... that I wish I weren't so tired.

I am thankful... for my children.

From the learning rooms... clay bowls, work on our Egyptian Death Mask, and a library trip.

In the kitchen... baked chicken, a family favorite.

I am wearing... jeans shorts and blue polo.

I am creating... still working on those Christmas presents.

I am going... to the library.

I am wondering... how late some of our books are. Thankful they don't charge late fees.

I am reading... The Pleasures of Reading in An Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs. It's wonderful, too!

I am hoping... in Jesus.

I am looking forward to... soccer games this week. R-girl and N-boy both played amazing games on Saturday.

I am hearing... children bargaining over stickers.

Around the house... oh, that laundry. But we caught up on the cleaning stuff this morning.

I am pondering... how, what, and why I read.

One of my favorite things... quiet.

A few plans for the rest of the week: soccer and piano and retreat committee (I think).

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... R-girl scored 4 goals on Saturday (we're not supposed to keep score ... )

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Weekly Report: 9/5/2011-9/9/2011

2011-09-09T17:16:00.001-04:00

We had a pretty good week school-wise and got a bunch accomplished. R-girl started piano lessons, and she was so excited! Unfortunately, that means another 30 minutes on Thursday evenings, so a later supper and less reading. Soccer season (yay for PE!) adds to business for our evening Read Alouds.

Phonics:

N-boy: read two lessons, continuing with his multi-syllable learning.

R-girl: read three lessons. I started pulling out the magnetic letters and white board again to help keep her interest.

Assigned Reading:

M-girl: read and narrated three more chapters of Cricket in Times Square. She seems to like it pretty well.

N-boy: read and narrated three chapters of The Littles. And finished it! I need to choose something else for him.

Math:

M-girl: finished three lessons of MEP, working through adding up to 14.

N-boy: finished the MEP lessons on shapes and began working on calendar.

R-girl: did two lessons of MEP and worked on making up to 10s.

Logic:

M-girl: finished three pages of her logic book including Venn diagrams, shapes matching, and pattern making on a 100s chart.

N-boy: answered three logic questions from Mindbenders Warm-up.

Grammar:

M-girl: identified adverbs and adjectives and did a dictation exercise.

N-boy: continued working on Verbs and learned about initials today.

Writing:

M-girl: continued to work on copywork and dictation related to Dates as Proper Nouns.

Spelling:

M-girl: completed two spelling lists and only missed two words.

Latin:

M-girl: I think we are now caught up with the workbook through Lesson 15.

Penmanship:

M-girl: learned i and j and is trying to write everything in cursive ... even letters she hasn't yet learned.

N-boy: worked on o.

R-girl: didn't work on any specifics.

History: We made purple dye from cabbage and alum. Then we died string and pasta to make necklaces. We read about Phoenicia (actually, we let Jim Weiss read), narrated the chapter, and cut up strips of a piece of paper to spread around and see how much "land" we could set off to trick the landlord into selling us like Dido did (mine is the long, skinny one that goes out around the family room [grin])

Science: We took a nature walk with Jason on Monday. There is a nice wetlands park that was established when the new Meijer shopping plaza was put in, so we took the dogs for a walk there. The kids and I drew in our Nature Journals and I took some pictures:

This week in our study of Anatomy, we studied the Brain and Nervous System. We read and narrated on Tuesday and today we made Ellen McHenry's Brain Hats.

Daddy worked from home today, so we made one for him, too:

Art: Um, er, Nature Journals and brain hats? [grin]

Read Alouds: We read some more from The Bronze Bow and Wind in the Willows. We also started Winnie-the-Pooh. I was excited to re-read this. I remember when we first read Winnie-the-Pooh, I thought it was *so *much reading. Now, it seems like nothin' compared with our other books [grin]

Bible: We studied some about Joshua becoming leader of the Israelites. We read some more in Vos.

Book Review: Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre

2011-09-06T22:35:00.002-04:00

Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies: Stewardship of Language in a Culture of Lies by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Own.

I first heard of this book when Ken Myers interviewed Marilyn Chandler McEntyre for Mars Hill Audio Journal (#99). I thought it sounded interesting and added the book to my Amazon wishlist. It continued to haunt me every time I looked at the list, so I finally ordered it and am so glad I did.

I've had a particularly good year of reading this year with few bummers, and in a good year this is one of the three best books I've read.

McEntyre writes beautiful prose, which would be expected from a poet. The images, examples, and ideas she chooses and proposes are clear, apt, and intriguing. The early paragraphs on the word "felicity" are worth the price of the book.

She weaves the Christian faith in and around ideas so that the reader is awed, while thinking they ought to have made the connection themselves.

I did get bogged down in the paragraph on long sentences, where she practiced long sentences, but even there I was encouraged and my faith strengthened.

You should see how many pages I folded down in my copy. Beautiful, beautiful book.

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Memory Work Monday 9/5/2011

2011-09-05T21:19:00.003-04:00

Memory Work for the week of ... : September 5, 2011 (almost forgot what with the holiday ...)

Bible: Psalm 1:1-2, reviewing Gen 1 and Gal 5:22-23

Catechism/Creed: We almost have the Nicene Creed down. M-girl is going to be working on the 9th and 10th Commandments, N-boy is going to work on the introduction to the Commandments, and R-girl is going to be working on Atonement, Justification, and Sanctification.

Hymn: "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" verse2

Poetry: M-girl and N-boy are working on the final pre-selected poem of Level 1 and R-girl is working on "My Shadow".

Counting: skip counting by 6s.

Other Memory Work: The 11 body systems, the first 12 History Sentences, the Middle States.

The Simple Woman's Daybook for September 5, 2011

2011-09-05T08:06:00.003-04:00

FOR TODAY Labor Day ... September 5, 2011 ...

Outside my window... grey and rainy and cooler. Septemberish.

I am thinking... September?!?

I am thankful... that my children are sleeping in. They've been really tired recently.

From the learning rooms... we're going to have a fun day; work on our paper mache and a making clay bowls project.

In the kitchen... manicotti, I think. Not very Labor Day-ish, but it should still be yummy.

I am wearing... jammies. I just got up. No coffee yet ...

I am creating... I'm 1/6 of the way done with grandparent Christmas presents ...better keep going!

I am going... to sit quietly for a while and try to finish my book.

I am wondering... how long everyone will sleep ... hope it's a while.

I am reading... Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies. I've only 3 chapters left once I got started again.

I am hoping... to finish today sometime.

I am looking forward to... spending the day with my family.

I am hearing... quiet.

Around the house... things are in really, really good shape.

I am pondering... breakfast.

One of my favorite things... having Jason home on a holiday.

A few plans for the rest of the week: soccer starts and R-girl starts piano lessons!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... from the beach this summer:

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Book Review: Real Love for Real Life by Andi Ashworth

2011-09-03T08:14:00.002-04:00

Real Love for Real Life: The Art and Work of Caring by Andi Ashworth

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Own. I would probably give this 3.5 stars if I could.

I liked the book. But, I'm not sure who its audience is. I thought she was making the case for "caregiving" being a calling greater than that of the general Christian calling, and at times I saw that as so. At other times, it seemed that anyone, Christian or no, could practice "caregiving" as she describes it. I'm not sure she made her case that it is a Christian "vocation" beyond the call all Christians have to feed, quench thirst, visit, etc. So, because I'm not sure whether I was her intended audience here (or indeed who is the audience), I have some feelings of ambivalence about the book.

I will say though, that I felt inspired at times as I read, to be more intentional in feeding, quenching, visiting, etc. To be more a part of my neighborhood. To be a vital member rather than a hanger-on.

Mrs. Ashworth's stories are generally interesting, and help pull the reader through the book as real-life examples help show the viability of this "art and work of caring."

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Book Review: The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White (Family Read Aloud)

2011-09-02T17:45:00.002-04:00

Three Beloved Classics by E. B. White: Charlotte's Web/the Trumpet of the Swan/Stuart Little by E.B. White

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Own.

We've now read all of these, but it was supposed to be for The Trumpet of the Swan.

We all loved it. We being the children and me. It was weird. I didn't expect it to be weird in the same way as Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web are, but I suppose I should have. I loved the book, it was a joy to read.

N-boy and R-girl liked the part about Camp KooKoosKoos. M-girl liked when Louis got his trumpet. I loved the chapter at the zoo where he negotiated freedom (although I was disappointed in some of his negotiation!)

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Weekly Report: 8/29/2011-9/2/2011

2011-09-02T17:29:00.002-04:00

We had a pretty good week. We did a lot of our work, but didn't do History or Science. We are keeping up on our new chore system, and the house looks like it! I'll try to post about it next week.

Phonics:

N-boy: is flying through two-syllable words. He liked banging on the table for each syllable.

R-girl: is moving more slowly. She can read the words, has no trouble when she tries, but she's a young 4 and not wanting to try very hard ... it's her last choice lesson.

Assigned Reading:

M-girl: read three chapters in The Cricket in Times Square. She wrote a sentence and drew a picture for each chapter.

N-boy: read four chapters in The Littles. He wrote many sentences (some more legible than others) and drew pictures for three of the chapters, too.

Math:

M-girl: had a really good math week, understanding and seeing the concepts for adding to 13.

N-boy: is doing so well! He had his first "test" and only missed one on a careless mistake. He's started into shapes after that.

R-girl: is working on 9s. Seeing what groupings "add" to 9 and considering placement. She had a great week in MEP Reception.

Logic:

M-girl: finished three logic pages. One was deciding how to follow instructions (what's the first step?) ... this was a good exercise for her.

N-boy: answered three Mindbenders, including one he doesn't have the math for yet (9+5) and he got it right! We've been working very hard at paying attention and answering the question after only one reading, and it's paying off.

Grammar:

M-girl: started in on Adverbs. She's really liking those. She's also doing quite well with dictations.

N-boy: is working on Verbs, but it's been a light week: picture narration, poetry recitation day, and acting out a poem. I've started assigning occasional copywork assignments from FLL for him.

Writing:

M-girl: We started the week with The Railway Children, and after the first selection in WWE, *I* want to read it.

Spelling:

M-girl: did two lessons, only missing one word, "catch."

Latin:

M-girl: We're almost done with our go-back-and-catch-up-on-your-pages. We also did flash cards more consistently. I can tell.

Penmanship:

M-girl: reviewed the letters she's learned this week.

N-boy: worked on "g"

R-girl: wrote a few 9s. And I taught her to make an "R" instead of a circle with two legs.

History:
An episode of Liberty's Kids. [grimace]

Science:
None.

Art:

None.

Read Alouds:

We're through Chapter 5 of the Bronze Bow. We finished The Trumpet of the Swan [hooray!]. I really liked it, as did the children. We're a good way through The Wind in the Willows, Toad has just tricked Rat into going for the Doctor and Lawyer. We'll see what happens next!

Bible: We started talking about Joshua and the entrance into Canaan. We read Hebrews 11 today, as a lot of the Bible memory verses have been from there. In our Vos reading at night, we read through the Good Samaritan last night.

Wordless Wednesday: Water Sliding

2011-08-31T17:26:00.002-04:00

Curriculum Meme

2011-08-31T16:33:00.000-04:00

I'm such a follower ... I almost did this meme yesterday when Mama Squirrel posted it (unbidded, even). But look, Brandy tagged me anyway. And, so, here is some content ;)

ONE HOMESCHOOLING BOOK YOU HAVE ENJOYED

Dr. Perrin's (free download!) booklet "An Introduction to Classical Education" ties the best parts of The Well-Trained Mind and Wisdom & Eloquence together.

ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULDN'T BE WITHOUT

We love, love, love the Mathematics Enhancement Programme. I wrote about it here. M-girl is almost done with Year 1 and it has given her such a solid foundation in addition, subtraction, equalities and inequalities, with variety and logic problems thrown in. Did I mention it is free for the printing? If you ask any of my three children what their favorite subject is, it's math.

ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH YOU HAD NEVER BOUGHT

I somehow ended up with three phonics programs: Alphaphonics, Phonics Pathways, and The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, I would keep Ordinary Parents Guide and not purchase the other two. Probably because I tried to start teaching M-girl too soon.

Oh, and Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready.

ONE RESOURCE YOU ENJOYED LAST YEAR

"Last Year" is now. We've enjoyed Covenantal Catechism. We enjoy the songs, Bible Memory, seeing God's unfolding Line of Promise, and the discussion the curriculum has provided.

ONE RESOURCE YOU WILL BE USING NEXT YEAR

We're going to move to Song School Latin and Latin For Children for M-girl. We've liked Prima Latina a lot (and N-boy will use it next year, R-girl the year after), but I like where the Classical Academic Press's curriculum is going a lot better than finishing with Henle in the Memoria Press sequence.

ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUY

The Homeschool in the Woods History Through the Ages timeline figures ... Oh, and I drool over The Lost Tools of Writing, but I'm waiting patiently.

ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH EXISTED

I'm pretty good, really. I'd like to have had a Classical Education myself ...

ONE HOMESCHOOLING CATALOGUE YOU ENJOY READING

The Rainbow Resource Catalog .... ha! No, I do enjoy Memoria Press' The Classical Teacher.

ONE HOMESCHOOLING WEBSITE YOU USE REGULARLY

The Well-Trained Mind Forums It is a rare day that the Hive doesn't know or hasn't used something. There is a collection of very knowledgeable people there.

TAG FOUR SIX FIVE OTHER HOMESCHOOLERS It has long been my personal policy here at ladydusk to not tag others, but there are a few of you who know who you are!

Memory Work Monday: August 29, 2011 (oops!)

2011-08-29T22:05:00.000-04:00

Memory Work for the week of ... : August 29, 2011

Bible: Psalm 1, reviewing Gen 1 and Gal 5:22-23

Catechism/Creed: We almost have the Nicene Creed down. M-girl is working on the 7th and 8th Commandments, N-boy is working on Christ's offices, and R-girl is working on what Jesus undertook in the Covenant of Grace. [still]

Hymn: "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" verse 1

Poetry: M-girl and N-boy are working on the final pre-selected poem of Level 1 and R-girl is working on "My Shadow".

Counting: skip counting by 6s.

Other Memory Work: The 11 body systems, the first 12 History Sentences, the Middle States.

The Simple Woman's Daybook for August 29, 2011

2011-08-29T09:34:00.000-04:00

FOR TODAY Monday, August 29 ...

Outside my window... beautiful, cool, crisp, autumn is on its way!

I am thinking... about all the school stuff that needs done.

I am thankful... for a weekend with much accomplishment.

From the learning rooms... we're going to make dye and dye pasta sometime this week.

In the kitchen... bread machine needs run later this morning.

I am wearing... jeans shorts and red frilly t-shirt.

I am creating... still working on those Christmas presents ...

I am going... maybe to the library. A quiet week before soccer (for three!) begins.

I am wondering... how we're going to make all the soccer games this fall.

I am reading... I finished Sense and Sensibility and am working on Real Love for Real Life which I picked up recently after reading Megan talk about it for years.

I am hoping... to have another good week.

I am looking forward to... Jessica's visit this morning.

I am hearing... children play with baby toys and Little People.

Around the house... things are pretty good. Need to do some work in the loft.

I am pondering... the start of football season on Thursday.

One of my favorite things... We pulled the baby toys up for our visitors, and they always think it is fun to play with the baby toys when they're out.

A few plans for the rest of the week: lessons, lessons, lessons.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... don't have one this week ...

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Weekly Report: 8/22/11-8/26/11

2011-08-26T14:45:00.001-04:00

We had a pretty lovely week. There were definitely snags here and there, attitudes and such, but we accomplished all the work I had put together. Sorry for the lack of pictures, I know that makes WRs more interesting, but I'm pretty happy to be getting through our work!

Phonics:

N-boy: Read 3 McGuffey's lessons and was itching for more. He also made it into multi-syllable words (finished his second to last chart and is now on the home stretch!)

R-girl: is fighting me a little, but capable of the reading. We press on. She read 3 lessons this week.

Assigned Reading:

M-girl: We cannot find Little House in the Big Woods which M-girl should have finished months ago, like January. So I assigned The Cricket in Times Square. She's enjoying it. She also finished, finally the CLP K Nature Reader.

N-boy: For N-boy's first real sojourn into assigned reading, he's reading The Littles and finding it fun.

Math:

M-girl: is working on adding up to 13s.

N-boy: finished the section on 10s today.

R-girl: is talking about 9s. I'm so glad I stuck with MEP Reception.

Logic:

M-girl: did 3 logic pages. Played several rounds of SET with N-boy.

N-boy: answered three questions correctly, including 2 which didn't give enough information from which to draw a conclusion. He also played a bunch of SET with M-girl.

Grammar:

M-girl: Narrated The Three Billy Goats Gruff and reviewed the Parts of Speech and punctuation she's been learning.

N-boy: We're to VERBS! Yippee! We've been talking about action verbs this week.

Writing:

M-girl: She finished three lessons.

Spelling:

M-girl: did 2 review lessons and only misspelled "o'clock."

Latin:

M-girl: We did flash cards each day this week and tomorrow we're going to work through some of the pages she's left unfinished. (What's that about completing what's checked? Bad Mommy!)

Penmanship:

M-girl: learned "h" and "k" this week.

N-boy: learned loops below the base line and "d" this week.

R-girl: wrote some beautiful 8s and 9s.

History: We worked on our Egyptian Death Mask on Monday and have more to work on. Happily, our Bible and History lined up this week with Moses and the Exodus.

Science: This week, we read a lot about muscles and bones and how they work together. The children did some narration pages and added to our body cutouts.

Art: We did "cave drawings" from Artistic Pursuits. They turned out pretty well!

Read Alouds: We're still enjoying The Trumpet of the Swan, The Bronze Bow, and The Wind in the Willows.

Bible: We studied the Exodus, reviewed memory work, reviewed the songs for The Old Testament Books of the Bible and The New Testament Books of the Bible. We read in the ESV Bible Atlas about possible routes for the Exodus and why Mt. Sinai's location is contested. We read through where Jesus walked on water in the Vos story Bible.

The Simple Woman's Daybook for August 22, 2011

2011-08-22T11:40:00.000-04:00

FOR TODAYAugust 22, 2011...

Outside my window... sunny and it was cool this morning but seems to be warming up.

I am thinking... that our first-ever Notice of Intent to homeschool should arrive at the school offices today.

I am thankful... that Jason's parents were able to worship and spend the afternoon with us yesterday.

From the learning rooms... paper mached an Egyptian Death Mask this morning. And read about bones and muscles.

In the kitchen... I crockpotted the chicken for lunch yesterday then returned the carcass and added water for stock. I need to do something with that today.

I am wearing... jeans shorts and Buckeye shirt ... 12 days until kickoff!

I am creating... Egyptian Death Mask ... and some Christmas presents (never the twain shall meet!)

I am going... to the library and the pool ... two of my favorites!

I am wondering... at the great love and glory expressed by and for the Trinity.

I am reading... not a lot ... the summer slump is upon me.

I am hoping... the summer slump will go away!

I am looking forward to... football season ... 12 days!

I am hearing... M-girl & N-boy playing SET, R-girl playing cars and otherwise quiet ... the Dishwasher, Washer, and Dryer are done with their chores ...

Around the house... we got our start the day chores done in the 30 minutes assigned to them for the first time ever (the past 3 weeks) this morning! Woo-hoo!

I am pondering... our fall schedule.

One of my favorite things... I'm copying Heather ... Cooks Illustrated ... of course, I introduced it to her, so in a way she's copying me ;)

A few plans for the rest of the week: art projects, map work, individual work, play date? We'll see.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

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Wordless Wednesday: Hiking

2011-08-17T09:22:00.000-04:00

The Simple Woman's Daybook for August 15, 2011

2011-08-15T08:56:00.000-04:00

FOR TODAY August 15, 2011...

Outside my window... cloudy, grey, cool ... opened all the windows :)

I am thinking... about prairies and the travel pioneers had to do to get through them.

I am thankful... to have finished the Preservation Parks Letterbox adventure for the first time this summer!

From the learning rooms... project day ... trace human bodies to start that science project and start paper mache Egyptian burial mask (maybe ... pray for us!)

In the kitchen... quiet after a busy weekend. [ah] "Good" hot dogs I think.

I am wearing... shorts and Buckeye t-shirt ... 'tis almost that wonderful time of year!

I am creating... still working on those Christmas presents ... and probably will be for a while!

I am going... to the Library today :)

I am wondering... why someone awoke on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

I am reading... about the same ... which means not much.

I am hoping... to read some more this week.

I am looking forward to... wedding shower at church. I need to make certain to get what I need for that.

I am hearing... children coloring. Finally calm.

Around the house... laundry is going, ironing ... oh that ironing ...

I am pondering... science and history

One of my favorite things... open windows in August :)

A few plans for the rest of the week: library, wedding shower, piano, housewarming for new family at church, ... a lot of fun :)

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... later, from our letterboxing yesterday.

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