Homeschool Mothers Journal - Week 29

In my life this week.....

I planned on reading this week....just sitting and reading books and watching movies with the family.  Haha...didn't finish one single book.  I did read a lot of great homeschool blogs and spent too much time on Pinterest though pinning activities for the kids.

I struggled keeping things cleaned and then felt overwhelmed.....needed to take some deep breathes.  There is always too much to do, and not enough time.  It's the story in everyone's life.  I have one big project planned for this weekend.....finally cleaning out Joe's office and our bedroom.  It needs done in the worst way.  The shelf my clothes are on is breaking, and something must get done ASAP....

In our homeschool this week.....

Lots and lots of movie marathons.  We watched Batman movies (the Christian Bale ones).  We watched Magic School Bus.  We watched Shirley Temple...and we watched Goosebumps.  We are only doing a light amount of schoolwork one day this week.  And 3 days next week.  We did play some games too.

Projects I am working on....

Planning ahead blog posts is a big thing for me.  I am trying to blog more of our recipes that we adjust to feed our family.  Due to our food allergies, I am always "remaking" something.

I moved all the board games from the antique sideboard.  They were stacked so high, it was dangerous. I tried to get a game down to play with Lydia and couldn't.   It was awful.  I still need to finish putting the ones away in the storage room...those we don't play that often.  So they are easily assessable, but not in the way.  I also made sure to keep the "educational" ones more handy...so I can use them to fill in gaps on busy or tiring days.

I need to clean the office area this weekend....it's definitely going to be a two day project.

I am also working on several homeschool projects...field trips, club projects, and just planning out a couple week's lessons.  I made an outline for the remainder of the year, but we have already changed a couple things.  So getting the weekly activities written up.

Things I am reading....

I just couldn't settle on one book.  I read a couple romance or started to read them.  I read on a couple homeschool titles...and I will be finishing those this week.

 



Things I am cooking....

I made gluten/corn/soy/dairy-free chicken enchiladas this week.....and WOW were they good!!!  I have wish the pan would keep refilling itself.

The girls and I made gluten/corn/soy/dairy/egg-free chocolate chip cookies too.  My parents loved them and so did the kiddos.  I didn't get a picture of those.  I think the girls had more fun eating the raw cookie dough than the baked ones though..lol.

I made a peanut chicken tonight that was pretty yummy with cilantro rice.  Also another recipe I tried was stovetop stuffing....allergen friendly. I sauteed chicken thighs in coconut oil with celery, shredded carrots, and thyme/salt/pepper.  When almost cooked I added about 3 cups cubed tapioca bread.  After the bread started crisping some, added just about 1 cup of water to the mixture and covered for about 5 minutes.  Turned it off then and added 1 cup of dried cranberries.  The only thing that would've made it better was maybe adding some pecan pieces.  It was really good!

Helpful advice to share....

We spend all this time planning out lessons and shopping for the perfect curriculum.  But is it what the kids want?  I'm not saying let the kids go wild and rule everything they learn or are exposed to....but maybe let them help choose the topics they want to study.  I had every intention of continuing our Plants unit in Science with Lydia.  We stopped at the library to get books and she decided out of the blue that she wanted to study sharks.  I was emptying our library bag and before I was able to get even to the kids section she met me with a handful of shark books.  So what to do....I guess we'll be studying sharks next week...lol.  She even sat down and started watching Shark Week Discovery channel videos tonight, no complaints.  Less whining...means less stress for me :)

Oh and this....

When life gets you down...

 Pick yourself back up...Find a new way to conquer that hill

 And slide right down :)

***Our first snow of the season was disappointing...about an inch.  The kids were sledding down my parents driveway incline, which is really nothing at all.  It was cute!

Photos from this week....

Our first snow of the year...the kids were sledding down my parents driveway....

We played some Monopoly....

 We made Geode eggs with my niece, Bryce.

Ours didn't turn out as pretty.  We only had one egg completely crystalize.  We'll have to try it again.

The guys worked on building a K'nex Roller Coaster.....it's still in construction.

You would think with this nasty look, we were getting a massive storm.  We were under a Winter Storm Warning....we got about an inch.  The kiddos were so disappointed.  To go from a possible 8 inches to 1.....yeah.  It made sledding a bit difficult.

Brayden discovered my stash of Michael's wooden model kits.  He loves...loves...loves these.

He taught Caty how to do them.

We had a decent week....we were not rushed or stressed too much.  But now it's time to start getting back into the swing of things.

Linking up with other Homeschool Mom's at