Our Weekly Triumphs and Accomplishments

What a week.....what a week.  I keep saying we need to slow down, but life just doesn't let us.  We had a 3 day school week this week.  We did "school" on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  And then Thursday we ran some errands and went to some yard sales (since they were so conveniently exactly where we had to go to take Grandpa his meds).  Friday we spent the day with Daddy before he left for a short trip to Tennessee.  I think Friday may have been the most memorable day of the week...lol.

Joey, Lydia and Caty are doing the summer reading program at the library in our town.  We even went to storytime when our plans changed at the last minute on Thursday.  Joey hasn't reported a book yet because he is reading a chapter book, and for some reason had a rough "reading" week.  Who knows....

Lydia was playing teacher with all the stuffies at the library.  There was Barney, Clifford and Junie B. Jones.

 Joey had his guitar lesson.  They were playing a bit outside.

 At storytime, they played animal golf.

 Lydia is playing with her friend Zachary.  She so loves going to play with Zachary and Tyson.

Lydia is still working on reading.  In math she is working on addition facts, currently 0 and 1.  She is really struggling with remembering sounds and keeping her brain on task.  Wow!!!  The boys specialist was not wrong when he said that ADHD in our house is genetically going to go through the kids like a common cold.  In our case, I see it in the girls.  Of course the boys are already on meds.  I am still in a mental denial though with the girls....trying to keep them off meds as long as possible.  We started our horse project for the Ohio State Fair.  And also memorizing her address and phone number, which so far she has not found it necessary to remember.  She just doesn't care whether she knows it or not.

Of course Lydia also had the frog dissection this week.

 Her friend has chickens!!!

 And a really neat creek to play in.

 The microscope got a lot of attention this week.

Joey worked on his platypus project from Homeschool Share.  He practiced his multiplication facts, and his handwriting of course.  He took pictures for his 4H project pack, and attended his first 4H meeting.

Brayden didn't have an extra project this week.  He is doing some extra thinking activities in workboxes that would have had projects.  He is happy and doing his work, so I am not arguing.  He was super excited to put together his puzzle for the the millionth time.  He can do 100 piece+ puzzles, but wants to get high fives for finishing this one.

 Caty is working on the Letter K.  A little difficulty in distinguishing upper and lower case K.  But she is enjoying the activities.  She also worked in her Mickey Mouse pack from 1+1+1=1.  And we started working on the On The Farm pack from 2 Teaching Mommies.  She'll finish these next week.  And then we'll start more fun packs!!

 Lydia reading.

 Brayden working on a large seek and find page.

 Lydia working on her phonics

 An I'm Bored activity.  A bike/toy car wash int he back yard.

 Then we marked another item off our Summer Bucket List...sponge fight.

 Lydia pretending to be a chicken that is laying sponge "eggs".

 Picking strawberries with dad.

 Then we got home Friday and had a family Nerf battle.  It was daddy, Joey and Caty....vs.

 Mommy and Lydia

 Somehow Joey and daddy got the better guns, and they were on the same team.  Unfair to Lydia and I.

 Then we started to play noodle hockey...but we were all too tired from strawberry picking and the Nerf batter.

 So we enjoyed homemade strawberry ice cream instead!!!  It's coconut milk, sugar and frozen strawberries pureed and then put into the food processor.  Everyone had 2nds.....yummy!!!

 Bought two more bags of playsand for the box...What do you do with 100 pounds of new playsand?  Apparently build a deep hole...

As I mentioned earlier, Joey and Lydia attended their first 4H meeting.  Lydia is a Cloverbud and Joey will be working on the Photography project pack.  Not sure what he will pick next year.

We worked on a schedule and I discovered that writing it on paper, doesn't mean that it will happen exactly like you want.  Lydia is struggling finishing work.  So I thought if we had a schedule, maybe it would help.  She seems to crave a bit more structure than the boys.  So I figured...why not try it.  We seemed to be running behind on all the days we used it.  We are going to make sure to continue working hard on this though.  It will be an ongoing learning experience for us both.

It was a good week, with only a few things not completely started/finished.  That would be history and geography.  We'll catch up..lol.

Linking up with other families at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Homeschool Mother's Journal - Week 2

In my life this week...

We are struggling and struggling more.  Our 3 week break was not kind to us.  Lydia is off track.  The boys and Caty seem to be able to slowly merge back where they should be, but not Lydia.  So after banging my head into a pillow repeatedly this week, I have decided that a schedule for Lydia is very much needed.  On school work days, we will be following a schedule so that we can get our work done.  The boys do not work well under a schedule.  So I have been really easy going, but I can't with Lydia.

We are also working very hard on reading program.  This is the only area that Lydia is struggling in.  She handles all subjects at grade level and above, except in reading.  Only the second week of school and adjustments being made.

I was pretty excited at some wonderful yard sales we went to today.  Found a ton of clothes for myself and Joe.  You can't beat mens dress pants for only $2.00 a pair (name brand) or jeans for myself for $1.00 a pair.  Got the girls some shorts and sweats, and a winter coat for Lydia.  Bought Caty a bunch of ISpy books at one sale for $3.00.  The retail value of the books new was about $36.00.  Can't beat that savings for books for her to look at in the van.

I am on my ongoing quest to keep things picked up.  I haven't been feeling great the last couple weeks.  I am having some fibro issues, and also experiencing symptoms from my unknown illness.  Seems to come in waves of pain and inability to think clearly or eat very well.  Some days I can't eat enough, others I don't want to eat.  And those days my blood sugar does weird...weird things.  Still trying to stay active though and take the kids places.

Joe will be in Tennessee over the weekend and part of next week.  I am a bit jealous, but we are staying home.  I am making my list I would like to accomplish over the weekend.  On top of my work, I promised Joey I would teach him how to make my homemade lasagna and we will be watching the Brave Little Toaster movies and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  And probably play UNO, Qwirkle and possible Blokus.

In our homeschool this week.....

We fell behind in History.  How sad...because that's my favorite subject.  But pretty much stayed on task and got things done.  I did do a little switching up for Caty.  I printed the Mickey Mouse pack from 1+1+1=1 and she is loving it.  So I found some Farm Animals sheets to add to her social studies drawer.  We worked all over with her this week.  The Letter K was our letter, and we are going to work one more day on this letter.

We are doing the summer reading program at the library in our town.  It's only a couple weeks, so we are going to also do the program at the library we use the most.  No we do not use the one here in town alot.  They do not have access for the materials we need for school.  But the girls enjoy the walk down.

Joey didn't finish his platypus lapbook, but he did learn a new fact about a platypus.  I didn't know that they can shoot venom.  But that the females lose this pouch at a year old.

This was a 3 day school week for us, and next week Lydia will be attending Cloverbud camp 3 mornings.  So need to sit down and figure out how to schedule our schooling around this.  I will most likely just keep her working on phonics/reading and just practicing her math facts for 0 and 1.

We are going to work on our PBS stories this weekend.  The girls and I have been talking about their story ideas.  They are both excited.

Homeschooling reminder to myself....

Go with the kids.  Homeschooling provides such flexibility.  If a child is struggling in one area....take extra time there.  Since we do not have to follow a strict curriculum, we can take extra time and play with the plan!!!  I am reminding myself of this as we work with Lydia on her reading. She is almost there, but so resistant to learn.  I don't want to force her, but I also don't want her to lose the amount that we have gained.  She is a child that you have definitely use a mix of Charlotte Mason and Unschooling techniques all mixed into a pretty bowl.

My favorite thing this week....

When Lydia read a library book almost completely by herself!!!  She needed help with funny and something.  I really like Margaret Hillert books.  They are older, but she reuses those site words to create some cute stories.

Things I'm working on....

Currently my to-do list!  Lots of things to finish over the next week.  Joe is going to be working on our new play gym in the backyard when he gets home from Tennessee.  I also am trying to find a "gotcha" moment for Joey (that's what I call when he realizes that he needs to pick them up) when it comes to leaving Nerf darts all over the house.   I am picking those up everywhere!  They are almost as bad as LEGOs.

I'm reading....


Love this area so much...and so far this book has been interesting.  A lot of legends about the Lost Colony so far.

I'm cooking....

Not much this week.  Made meatloaf earlier in the week.  But since Joe won't be home for a few days.  Pretty simple meals planned....lol.  The kids do not care so much.  But Joey is still asking for lasagna.  So will make one maybe Wednesday for when Joe gets home.

Photos to share....

Lydia playing school at the library.

Workbox Wednesday--Lydia's boxes

Lydia is our 1st/2nd grader.  If you ask her, she will scream 2nd.  But in all honesty she would be in 1st grade if she was in public school.  She is working higher on some levels, but still working on level in other subjects such as reading.

 Math - She is working on +1 this week.  The index cards are the flashcards we made.

Reading Eggs and Language Lessons.

 More Reading practice.  She and I are also playing some site word games.  She is going to do the reading club for the library in our little town and also the one for the normal library we use.

This drawer is full.  We are working on a horse project for the State Fair and also she is working on a story for the local PBS TV station that I read about the other day.

This is her handwriting folder and our American Girl drawer.  Our club is off for the summer break, so we are doing Lanie on our own.  Today we are going to do a nature collage that is in her book. For handwriting she is working with Getty Dubay Book B, and also practicing writing her full name, address and phone number.

That's Lydia's boxes today.  Oh and she is watching the Big Bird in China video with Joey today too.  I bought it at the library sale for our library.  China was the first country Joey received from his Highlights Top Secret club.