Today I am thankful for libraries. They are such a great resource and provide an atmosphere for learning. We were able to hunker down in a library in Springfield on Tuesday while we waited for Aaron to finish up his in-person labs. We played some games and enjoyed this nice view. Such a nice library!
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| Yep, this is a picture of MUD from one of our hikes |
Life this week...
Sometimes I'd just love to get more done by the end of the week, but as always I feel like I am 5 steps behind in just about everything. My tiredness this week didn't help. I think overall it was a good week though. We did some fun things like an escape room, 2 hikes (one with lotsa mud), and a trip to the mall.
Homeschool this week...
We are working through a Snap Circuits lapbook from Homeschool Share. We also got a new kit as some of the parts of our older ones (that all the older siblings used very well) are broken or not working or missing. He did his favorite circuit with the fan to break in the new kit. Then he filled in one of the lapbook elements.
Our Friday school day was busy. While Alex was in his classes I worked with Aric on math. We went over to the library at one point to be more comfortable. They had some nice tables and I sat and read while he worked. I helped him when he needed it.
Mom-school this week...
I decided to play with a Snap Circuits set right along with Alex while he was doing his. I had fun! I want to work through the projects as well. This will also give me the opportunity to see what parts are not working. I already came across one in the first few projects I did. The LED light wasn't working.
Places we're going and people we're seeing...
We went on 2 hikes this week. It was cold! This is the only way I survive in the cold. I have to keep moving.
We also spent several hours at the mall on Friday night for a homeschool teen night. I invited a friend for the tween and mom to hang out with and we had a lot of fun.
Things I'm working on...
My friend gave me this kit to build Multnomah Falls. The pieces are a lot smaller than LEGO, so it's very interesting. I am excited to finish it.
What we're reading...
I am reading The book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel. I picked it up random at Costco one day because it looked interesting. Started reading it last week and a friend saw me reading it and said it was a good one. Yay! So far I am really liking it.
We started reading The Phantom Tollbooth for a morning read-aloud. Surprisingly I have never read this one before.
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| The Phantom Tollbooth with an I spy page for the kids to do while listening. |
Alex chose Mozart to work on in his Heroes and Villains Funschooling journal, so we started reading that aloud together.
Movies/TV we watched...
We are working our way through The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Currently on #2.
LEGO...
I made some Valentine's day LEGO decorations.
Something that worked out great or didn't work out for us this week...
This worked out so great. Starting on Monday morning with a math game and listening to some Minecraft on Pandora.
Other thoughts from the week...
I must love Costco because now I have sheets with little Costco images on them.
I'm grateful for...
Books and a new week.
Life this week...
I have felt as charged as that LEGO battery pictured above! Which means, no charge at all, really. It was another week that flew by faster than I could keep up, but so many good things happened too! We had a date night, made a new recipe, watched Avatar, and ate yummy tacos!
Homeschool this week...
I need to get refocused in our homeschool. We're still trying to pick up after the winter break, and it's hard to get back into full swing. We used a little more of The Thinking Tree Journals this week because it was needed. Those allow a little more freedom in what the children are learning because they can pick the topics. Hoping to dive into those a little more often the rest of this school year. Especially for Alex.
Mom-school this week...
I did my Duolingo Spanish lessons everyday this week and I'm up to a 101 day streak! I've been trying to sit down and read as often as I can. I am finding my before bedtime hours to be the best time for me. I enjoyed tea and reading by booklight to be very relaxing.
Places we're going and people we're seeing...
Alex started some new classes at a homeschool community school on Friday. He is doing a creative writing class and a tween hangout. He enjoyed his first day. Alex also tried the inflatable swim at a different pool for the first time. He said it was a lot of fun, but some parts were challenging. I enjoyed watching him from the bleachers.
Some favorites from the week...
Building LEGO (mom), and getting boba (Alex) after new classes
Things I'm working on...
I was able to work on my 4 seasons cross-stitch project. I started the winter portion of the tree. I am wondering how many years it will take me at this rate that I'm going.
What we're reading...
We are currently listening to Harry Potter Book 7, and we started The Phantom Tollbooth for morning read-aloud time. I also picked this book up to read on my own, Skippack School. I had never read it and want to see if it's one that Alex will like.
Movies/TV we watched...
I enjoyed at date night at home watching Avatar with the hubby. We are also working on The Lord of the Rings movies. We finished the first one and started on the 2nd one. Those are some long movies!
Outdoor time...
Unfortunately, I think we didn't get more than probably 15 minutes outside this week. A combination of not getting out on any of our hikes, the rain, not feeling well, and just unmotivated, left us inside pretty much all week. I need to get back outside this week.
Games we played...
We played Harry Potter themed Sequence, and I'm pretty sure we played Uno too.
I'm cooking/eating...
I made this Creamy Tuscan Sausage Pasta for dinner one night. It was delicious!
I'm grateful for...
Date nights with hubby, and the best tacos our town has to offer.
Today I'm thankful for trying new things recommended by friends. I'm excited to try this honey powder.
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Life this week...
It was a very gray/dull week as far as weather, and I'm sure that has been affecting my energy level. I was also very cold all week. That's how you'll find me in the fall/winter months anymore cold, covered in fleece or sweats and a hoodie because I'm just so darn cold all the time. I don't remember always being this cold during the winter. I guess that comes with getting older.
Homeschool this week...
It was only a partial week for us as Monday and Tuesday (kind of) were still days off for Christmas break. We did manage to get some math lessons in. I used a lot of time though for teacher prep. Getting my head back into the game and getting school work organized. It is definitely a hard time of the year to find any motivation to do anything.
Helpful homeschool tips and advice to share...
If you have a hard time starting on a Monday morning, pull out a game. Start with that. Also, works for getting back into the groove of things after a long break or vacation. I really like this advice from Wadlock Way for getting back into the school groove after a holiday break.
Places we're going and people we're seeing...
We went on 2 hikes this week. On Monday we went as a family to Suavie Island up in Portland. There's a pretty easy loop around Virginia Lake and we did a very small portion of it because the kids were just not thrilled about it. Also they were hungry. The 2nd hike was on Thursday with our new Wild + Free group. We were a bit more close to home in Wilsonville at the Memorial park nature area. There are some trails in the wooded area by the river there. Both were nice low-key hikes.
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| The bird watch at the Virginia Lake hike. |
My favorite thing this week was...
Building one of my new LEGO flower sets. It turned out so pretty and I had fun making the different flowers. LEGO continues to bring me joy and relieve stress. It's something that I can focus on and complete in a short time with something pretty/nice to look at.
My kids' favorite thing this week was...
I'm pretty sure this is hands down Alex's favorite thing from the week. He has been saving up money for a while and he realized he had enough money to get a really nice RC car. He took the plunge and purchased this one from Hobby Town USA on Monday. He has been having fun driving it all week. We went to the park and we've walked it around the block a few times. He just keeps saying how much he loves this car everytime he drives it.
Outdoor time...
We reached our first benchmark of 10 hours since starting over on Jan. 1 with our 1000 hours outside challenge. That's huge for us, and a great accomplishment. I'm going to take it! It's hard to get out on these cold/gray days of January.
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| A picture of the river on our walk around Virginia Lake on Sauvie Island. |
Games we played...
Alex got this Animal Crossing Monopoly game for Christmas so we decided to open it up and play on Tuesday morning to get back into the swing of things. It is a fun version of Monopoly!
I'm cooking/eating...
I made muffins, poppy seed and chocolate chip. They were so good. Especially the poppy seed.
I'm grateful for...
A relaxing Saturday.
We finally have our Christmas tree up! It's super late this year, but I'm thankful that it's finally here.
