Homeschool journal: Lots of reading is good!

  

In my life this week...Hubby's back and hip are still giving him problems.  He has some days where he feels a little bit better, but most of the time he comes home from work halfway bent over and ready to lie down.  He started physical therapy this week, and they confirmed that it is a pinched disc.  The plan for him now is physical therapy for the next several weeks.  It has been kind of a bummer for him and for us as a family.  We miss doing fun stuff with him, and we had to cancel our biggest camping trip this summer that we were supposed to go on next week.  I keep thinking of all these fun things that we'd like to do with Daddy, but it's all on hold for now.

In our homeschool this week...April read the first book in A series of Unfortunate events in just a few days!  She really liked it, and she's onto the 2nd one.  It must be really good because the only other books she reads that fast are American girl usually.  Aaron also discovered Flat Stanley, he liked the first book so much that we read it in just a few days.  Now he's onto Flat Stanley's worldwide adventures #3:  The ninja surprise.  It's so cool when they find books they are really interested in!  And, an update on our Charlotte's web read-aloud...we've only got a few chapters left.  I can tell Aaron's really paying attention to it, he's asking questions, and making observations.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share...Write ideas and inspiration somewhere.  Keep a separate notebook or notepad for homeschool ideas and inspiration because those moments are fleeting, and are sometimes hard to remember what it is you came up with.  That has saved me more than once this week.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...Monday was library day again, and the kids were thrilled to turn in their summer reading charts for their book prizes.  Wednesday April's BFF came over for a sleepover and to celebrate April's 11th birthday.  I loved this low key birthday celebration.  The next day (Thursday) we went to an Asian market (the girls wanted to), the Dr. (unplanned for baby Alexander), and the mall.  Friday we will be going to homeschool park day to enjoy the water fountains.

My favorite thing this week was...Seeing my 1 year old run around in the back yard chasing chickens.  It's so cute, and brings such a simpleness to life to watch the kids with the chickens.

What's working/not working for us...I feel like I don't have a lot of curriculum together yet, and that's not working for us.  I was not planning on buying a lot this year, but I feel like I need to have a better curriculum plan which may mean I need to buy more than originally thought.  I feel like I don't have enough to pull from to last us the whole year, but then we do still have a lot left over from last year too.  I just don't feel like a lot of stuff from last year fits anymore (with a few exceptions), does that make sense?  We may have something in the works for April.  We were offered the whole Switched On Schoolhouse 6th grade 5 subject curriculum, and that may be just perfect for her.  I don't know yet though, we finally get it at homeschool group day tomorrow, so I can finally look it over and see if it will work on our computer.  It is a great blessing to have this offered to us though, and I know we'll use a good portion of it.  I'm still pondering a lot of this though. 

Questions/thoughts I have...Where oh where is my copy of Mrs. Piggle Wiggle?  I know it's here somewhere, but I cannot seem to find it.  My bookshelves are in desperate need of re-organization, maybe alphabetizing?  That would be so lovely to have done...someday. 

Things I'm working on...finding more to read for myself.  Actually, making more time to read for myself.  I think I need to find some more good homeschool education for Mom books too like A well trained mind, etc.  I should find a list of recommended books to go through.

I'm reading...I have picked up Little House on the Prairie again.  I need to finish that so I can move onto the rest of the series because I have never read any of them, and I'd like to say I have.  That's about all the reading I did for myself this week.

I'm cooking...I made a great set of enchiladas this week.  My best yet, I think.  I took some of the BBQ pulled pork meat from the batch that Hubby made over the weekend, and used that for the stuffing.  They were pretty delicious to me anyway.  Hubby still didn't like them too much.  I thank him for trying them anyway.

I'm grateful for...good friends, they don't always stay, so treasure the ones you have when they are close.  Also, I'm thankful for Aprils BFF, and that she found such a great best friend who just happens to be homeschooled too!

I'm praying for...guidance in curriculum choices.

A photo to share...


A single sunflower finally bloomed in our garden.  Our garden isn't doing so well this year, I have not tended to it like I should, but it was exciting to see this sunflower!


 April and her BFF getting the tent ready to sleep in for their sleepover.

Our Charlotte's web spider craft.  They turned out pretty cute, I think.

 
 You can see more Homeschool mother journal posts here at iHomeschool network.

Desiree