Homeschool Mother's Journal - Week 23

In my life this week…

Actually have just been trying to keep up...as usual.  Basketball started back up, and I was invited to help start a Booster Club for the boys Sports Club.  And for some reason, I have been really thinking about American Girl projects.  So my brain has been in overload all week.  

But the pain has been minimal this week.  Some regular fibro pain, and some allergy issues. I don't know if it's the up and down temps, but stuffy nose has been a big thing this week.  Wednesday I will have an MRI on my liver and hope to find some answers for the side pains.  Trying not to over think about it though.  They found two masses in my liver, so not sure what to think yet.  Praying that the dr. is right and they are just there.

In our homeschool this week…

Wow....we finished everything this week!  Doing a little happy dance.  We finished our Science info on bones.   We finished our Geography...and even made two yummy Ohio snacks.  I really tried hard not to overplan this week.  I have to come to grips that we need a lot more time on certain subjects than other families may.  So we will not cover the same amount of material.

Lydia is progressing great in Math and phonics.  Still struggling a bit on remembering her site words....but we are trying.  Brayden gave me a struggle all week about finishing his work.  Thought he would win the battle, and then he learned that we will pull his video game power cord and his iPad is not essential.  

Joey did great attempting to finish his work.  He is struggling with organization.  We do use workboxes (for most subjects), and he knows what needs done.  But he tries to do it his way and doesn't listen to suggestions.  Eventually (I hope) he will come around and listen.  Until then I will keep looking in his bedroom for the worksheets I cannot find or to check for unfinished work.  He also will learn that if I have to search for a worksheet that is missing, he will have to re-do the worksheet (even if he already done it).

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

I have found that certain of our kids, due to their short attention spans and attitudes, need to have some of their lapbooks preassembled before we start.  I actually have been working on different projects with each of the older kids.  Brayden does not like me to cut out his pieces ahead of time.  He enjoys that most days, but there are other days where I need to cut out the pieces for him. Joey and Lydia are also a split like that.  

I have found that they are giving more attention to the project if they do not feel overwhelmed either by the large amount of possible writing (and with our kids....writing their name is overwhelming) or cutting for the day.  I have been experimenting with the process for a couple weeks now, and for right now helping the kids to cut out the items or even allowing them to type the information out on the word processor  is working for us.

The other thing I am trying to using lapbooks to promote some independent work/research with Joey.  It hasn't been that independent yet, but he has enjoyed learning something different than Brayden.  So I have them both working on individual topics.  Joey on Guitars and Brayden on Automobiles.  Lydia will be working on Tigers this next week.  I try to leave them in different workboxes so that I can work with each of them.  

I am inspired by…

I have to thank everyone who takes the time to leave comments when they read our blog.  I love to read the comments, and they make me feel really good.  Thank you soooooo much!!!

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

This week we hung alot at home.  Lydia and I went to the library.  The boys started basketball this week.  And they had bowling also.  I am grateful that we were able to stay home and finish some work.  Next week...hoping to get some more done like that.  Lydia and Caty have their ballet recital Friday afternoon also.

My favorite thing this week was…

Getting work done.  We actually only have a couple things to do Friday morning.  So we are going to get to relax and watch a movie.  I am soooo looking forward to that!  We'll play some games while watching a movie together.  What a great treat at the end of the week.

What’s working/not working for us…

I don't know what tide.....weather phenomenon.....moon beam or time change that is causing the mood swings in the kids.  But if someone does, please let me know.  We have gone through so many manic episodes in the last couple weeks, I am ready to lose my mind.  They are having meltdowns constantly.  This is definitely not working for us.  :(

Things I’m working on…

My next project is the storage room.  Need to clean it up.  It is horrible....and I mean horrible.  This week I have been making a huge effort to make sure we live in a "Clean" cluttered environment and not just a pig sty.  Even pigs live cleaner than we do....or that's just the way I feel sometimes.  We need to move some recycling around in the garage and move a storage shelf that is making it hard to get to and use the treadmill.  Working on that in the next couple days, when it will be a bit warmer outside.

I’m reading…

Still working on the same books.  

I'm cooking...

This week we have had two Ohio inspired snacks.  I re-created a saurkraut ball recipe for those of us allergic to everything and we made buckeyes today.  I also re-worked a smothered chicken recipe, which everyone really liked!  We even made 

I’m grateful for…

For a week of feeling semi-ok.  We were able to get alot done with school, and even got some house cleaning done.  I have very few times where I feel little bits of pain.  Usually it's the majority of the day and I have to keep stopping for breaks for not move around a lot.  So this week has been nice.

I'm praying for....

Continued patience and control.  Each of the children have been challenging us in different ways.  Sometimes it's individually, but sometimes they bombard us to an overwhelming scale.  So I keep praying for the ability to stay calm and try to avoid the fighting.  And let me tell you...at times these kids could make Ghandi cry!

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

The power of Magic School Bus....yes they are all sitting.  There was minimal fighting.  I had to catch it on film!

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