3/17/14 Weekly Wrap Up

So here's my weekly wrap up.  I'm linking up with

Last weekend Becca spent night at a friends house and I watched Demolition Man (love that movie...."All restaurants are Taco Bell" LOL).  I made a trip to the library and checked out 2 books by Dean Koontz, not sure if I'll actually read them or not:) and I got a travel book on Jamaica.  On Sunday I had a HOA meeting (I'm on the board for our neighborhood HOA).  I also ordered Brandon's HS graduation announcements, that's CRAZY!!

Every day we start off watching CNN Student News while we eat breakfast followed by bible study listening to Bible Gateway.

Monday:  Cold/Rainy day.  Happy St. Patricks Day!  We listened to Genesis 37-39.  We had a very laid back school day.  Becca and Logan were just happy they'd finished their middle school projects last week.  Becca doesn't have her National Math Lab (NML) class this week because they're on spring break.  NML is a small group class she attends every day except Friday, they go over math concepts in depth and at a slower pace than her regular 8th grade class.  She really enjoys this class.   We did some house cleaning and I finally got around to mopping the floors.  In the late afternoon a friend of mine came over to visit and have dinner with us, no green food or corned beef (we did that last week), we grilled out burgers:)

Yes 90% of the time Logan wears PJ's all day....at least today their green

(which just so happens to be his favorite color)

 

Tuesday:  Cloudy and drizzly day.  We listened to Genesis 40-42.  Kids worked on a few things before bowling.  Found out we only have 2 more weeks left before league ends, next week we'll organize a party for the last week.  Over the weekend I signed the kids up for the free bowling over the summer at Stars and Strikes Kids Bowl Free.  Yesterday my friend also brought over some great resources she used with her son to study and prepare for SAT/ACT tests.  I looked through SAT Vocabulary Cartoons book, which looks like a really fun way to learn words.  I'm not sure when he'll take SAT test but he can start studying/refreshing his mind over the summer.  Today I also called our travel agent and got travel insurance for our trip.

Wednesday:  Another drizzly morning, sun popped out later.  We listened to Genesis 43-45.  Today I worked with Brandon for 3 hours to help catch him up in his math class.  It's so frustrating that he's not more motivated to learn on his own.  Becca's been reading The Tale of Emily Windsnap, a book about a mermaid.  It's not on her reading list, honestly the books on her list are too hard for her and very boring.  Since Becca detests reading I feel if she shows any interest I let her read what she wants!  Some reading is better than no reading in my book.  Also found out today that luggage for our flight costs $25/bag, may look at upgrading to 1st class when we get to the airport because bags are included.

Thursday:  Sunny and in 70's.  Today is the FIRST DAY OF SPRING!!!  We listened to Genesis 46-50, finished Genesis today.  Worked more with Brandon on math.  Did typical Thursday errands, grocery store and SAM's club with hubby.  Before Sam's we went to Logans Roadhouse for lunch.  (Just don't tell Logan we ate there he'll be really upset we ate a restaurant named after him LOL).  Travis and I caught up on our show Revolution.

Gorgeous Bradford Pear trees lining entrance to my neighborhood

Friday:  Frost in the morning, but Sunny and 70's in afternoon.  We didn't listen to bible today.  Logan worked on German lessons and Brandon worked on Nutrition/Wellness and Government classes.  Becca had therapy at 10am, she has a friendship bracelet she needs to finish making before next week.  We stopped in at Goodwill and Walmart looking for some sandals for Becca for her dance next week, no luck.  Found her some new flip flops and an organizer for me to use to help organize all our travel cups.  I found 2 sundresses at Goodwill.  After her riding lesson we went to a friends house so she could hang out and play Minecraft.  We visited for about 3 hours.  I finished reading Insurgent by Veronica Roth on kindle.  Brandon's graduation announcements came in mail today.




Travel cups organized thanks to
Pinterest idea.

    
Brandon's Graduation Announcements

Thanks for stopping by and reading about our week! 

 

 

3/10/14 My First Week In Review

So....I'm going to try to start linking up with Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers Friday link up.  I've been reading the link ups for years! 

Since January Becca and Logan have been watching CNN Student News while they eat a most nutritious breakfast of cereal and poptarts!  After breakfast we gather on the couch to follow in our bibles while we listen to a dramatized reading of the bible on Bible Gateway.

So here's a recap of our past week.....

Monday:  Today was a beautiful spring day, sunny and 73 out, the spring flowers have started to bloom.  Today is also my mom's birthday :)  In the bible we listened to Genesis 26-27.  The kids worked on school until lunch.  Then Becca had a make-up horseback riding lesson so we left about 12:15 to head there.  On the way home we stopped at Goodwill to see if we could find any cute shoes to go with her dress for the semi-formal spring dance she's going to at the end of the month, no luck.  We also stopped at the post office to mail off my mom's gift (I'm always late!).  Later that evening Becca and I headed to the Starbucks in Target so I could meet some friends for book club and she met her friend so they could walk around and visit.  This month we read Finding Alaska by John Green.  The book was ok, definitely not a book I would allow my teen child to read and that's the age group this book targets.

Crocheted wreath I made for my mom

Tuesday:  Today was another sunny, spring day in the 70's.  In the bible we listened to Genesis 28-30.  Becca worked some on her middle school project that's due at the end of the week on Horses.  She worked on creating questions for a trivia game she's making up.  Logan worked on his middle school project which is on the History of the United Kingdom.  He researched some info on Prince Henry the Navigator and UK and Australia.  Becca and Logan are part of a homeschool bowling league that bowls Tues. at 1pm, today we pre-bowled at noon since hubby and I have an appt.  Hubby and I are going on a 20th anniversary trip this summer to Jamaica so we had an appointment today at the Post Office to apply for passports, very exciting.  Unfortunately the lady told me my birth certificate was not an actual birth certificate and I couldn't get a passport:(  So....I have to contact state I was born in and get my certificate.  Once we got home however I contacted the Dept. of State and asked them about certificate I have and they said it meets requirements as proof of citizenship, my mom also has same certificate I have and she was successful in obtaining a passport.  So tomorrow I'll call back PO and reschedule applying for my passport, what a pain!  (But it'll be worth it in a few months when we're in Jamaica!!)  For dinner we has yummy corn beef.  Hubby and I watched the new show Resurrection that was on ABC it was pretty good.

Wednesday:  Today was rainy, chilly and very WINDY!!  On CNN Student News this morning I learned that 25 years ago on this day the World Wide Web appeared (where would we be without the internet!!)  It got me thinking about the "old days" when we had dial up internet!  In the bible we listened to Genesis 31-33.  Becca worked more on her project, she created a horse collage and wrote a poem.  Logan finished gathering his information and we started putting it into a powerpoint presentation.  I called PO and rescheduled my appt. for tomorrow afternoon.

Thursday:  Today was sunny but cold, last night was down in the 20's and we had to turn the heat back on in the house (such crazy weather down here).  In the Bible we listened to Genesis 34-36.  Today our library books were due so I renewed them to avoid late fees.  Logan kmailed his project to his homeroom teacher.  Becca finished questions for her trivia game and worked on her detailed paragraph on horses.  We finalized her powerpoint presentation, we'll finish work cited page and turn it in tomorrow.  I had my rescheduled appt. at PO for my passport.  Tonight was Bunco for me in neighborhood with friends, I won $4.00 and two cool prizes (a scarf and make-up travel bag).

Friday:   Today was sunny in 60's.  We didn't do bible today.  Today, for those that didn't know, was National Pi day!!!  We have pumpkin pie for dessert later tonight.  Today is our busy, run around day.  Becca started physical therapy a few weeks ago and she usually has her riding lesson at noon, it got cancelled today.  Becca was recently put in special education at her online school and diagnosed with minor fine motor integration so she does 1 hour of therapy once a week.  On the way home I stopped at store to pick up ingredients to make Stuffed Sandwiches for dinner.  Becca and I left around 3pm to meet friends at Chick-Fil-A, the kids get together and visit and play Minecraft on 2nd and 4th Fridays.  We usually hang out till around 5pm.  Today we took one of Becca's friends home to spend the night.

Stuffed Sandwiches

 

2 lb ground beef, browned and fat drained

2 cans Campbells Cheddar Cheese soup

1/2 green pepper, diced (you could also add some diced onion)

Several dashes Worcestershire sauce (add to your liking)

Sub rolls, slice and hollow out, add removed bread to mixture

Fill sub rolls and top with American cheese slices, put lids back on and put in 350 oven to toast and melt cheese.

I hope you enjoyed catching up with our doings for the past week.  We have a relaxing laid back weekend planned.

So Much for Keeping Up with my Blog!!

Well so much for blogging once a week!!  I read tons of homeschool blogs every week and just can't seem to commit to blogging myself.  Well the kids are doing GCA again this year.  Brandon is finishing his senior year, we're in the homestretch!!  I ordered his cap and gown for graduation back in December and his graduation ceremony is the end of May.  Becca is struggling and I'm looking into other options for next school year, we'll see what happens.  Logan is Logan and he's doing just fine :)  He is fortunately a more relaxed, natural learner and picks things up very quickly.  Both Logan and Becca are part of a homeschool bowling league that bowls every Tuesday and they both really enjoy that.  Through GCA Becca has made several new friends and we enjoy getting together with them every Friday either to do Minecraft, do Wii Just Dance, or Lego activities.  Becca has been taking horseback riding lessons for 4 years and this past fall she finally started jumping and really loves it! 

This week we're looking to get some nasty ice/snow mix and after the fiasco 2 weeks ago (we live outside Atlanta area) we're hoping people prepare better and stay off the roads.  The joy of homeschooling (even though it's virtual public school) is we don't have to worry about buses!!

We'll hopefully I can blog (let's aim for once a month!!) more often.  I really do enjoy the glimpses into others homeschool adventures :)  Speaking of glimpses into our live....here's and updated picture of the kids (since the one at the top is over 4 years old!!)  I do love pictures by trees though...this was part of our Christmas/Graduation photo shoot we did over in SC.

WOW.....Time Goes Fast

Well I started this blog almost 3 years ago to document our homeschool journey and.....didn't do it! What a shame, so many things have happpened. This post is going to be brief, just a way for me to say "get back to blogging" to myself! We're finishing our 4th year of homeschooling soon. My oldest is finishing 11th grade, DD is finishing 7th grade and youngest son is finishing 5th grade. This year we decided to try Georgia Cyber Academy, an online virtual public school. I'm going to write a post of our experience but overall....I'm not sure how I feel, not sure what next year holds. I'm going to try to be better about blogging, hopefully at least once a week (maybe link up to some weekly things). I'm thinking of opening an Etsy shop to sell some homemade creations, so this would be a great way to get that info out there too:) Thanks for stopping by (if anyone is still out there reading!).

Our Schedule 2010/2011

This week on Not Back to School Blog Hop at Heart of the Matter Online it's post about your schedule.

We've had a tough time getting into a routine that works well this school year. We started school the end of July knowing we would take 4 weeks in August to visit family in Massachusetts and Long Island. We are currently still visiting family so a routine is hard since we're always doing something (this is after all a vacation!). Even though too much flexibility is sometimes stressful it's this flexibility that is one of my favorite aspects of homeschooling! Anway, here's our schedule that we will hopefully adhere to once we return home sometime after Labor Day.

6:00-7:00 I get up and some days attempt to work-out!
7:00-7:30 2 younger kids get up and have breakfast (no chance teenager would be up this early)
8:00 Bible devotion - START getting Teen up!
8:30 GET teen up!! Go over work with 2 younger kids (if they have new material we'll sit together otherwise they can do work on their own). Math/LA/Handwriting/Spelling
9:00 Get teen working on his assignments. I createde a weekly print-out in Word for him because he can do most work independently. He's usually done in 4 hours.
9:30 Go over keyboarding with 2 younger kids
10:00 Snack
10:30 Since 2 younger kids do American History and Science (Astronomy) together we'll do these. American History M/W/F and Science T/TH. I'll do reading and then we'll work on any projects or workbook assignments.
11:30 We're going to start Rosetta Stone Spanish I (2 younger kids and I-teen is doing German I on his own). We haven't started yet since our schedule has been crazy.
12:00 Go over any art projects with 2 younger kids, they can do either before or after lunch.
12:30-2:00 Kids have chores and free time (no TV or video games though)
2:00-3:00 Quiet reading in their rooms
After 3:00 kids can watch TV or play on their video games if they choose.

Our extracurricular activities are as follows:
MON- Girl Scouts - Becca
TUES- Martial Arts 6:30-7:30 pm - Logan
WED- Awanas/Studio 6:00-8:00 pm - All
THURS-Horseback Riding 10:00-10:30 am-Becca
Police Explorers 7:00-9:00 pm -Brandon

So this is what I hope to use as a guide once we get back home in a few weeks.

Pictures for School Year 2010-2011

Here are some pictures from our 2nd year of homeschooling for the Not Back to School Blog Hop at Heart of the Matter.


I almost didn't get a chance to post this because we are currently on vacation visiting my parents up in Massachusettes.




This is my oldest son Brandon he is starting 9th Grade.




This is my daughter Becca she is starting 5th Grade.




This is my youngest son Logan he is starting 3rd Grade.

Curriculum 2010/2011

I am new to this so I am going to attempt to link to the "Not Back-to-School blog hop" at Heart of the Matter.

We officially started our 2nd year of homeschool on July 19th. I've been doing some tweaking to our schedule to find something that works well for us. Since we are getting ready to go on vacation in a week I probably won't have something workable until September. I am also discovering that some of our curriculum needs to be adjusted, like our handwriting. Here's our curriculum to-date:

Brandon - 9th Grade

MATH: Saxon Geometry
LANGUAGE ARTS: Abeka Gr. 8 Grammar & Comp., Of Place Literature and an
assortment of novels.
HISTORY: Abeka Gr. 10 World History & Cultures and Current Events
SCIENCE: Apologia Exploring Creation with Biology
FOREIGN LANG: Rosetta Stone German
PE: Starting back to Martial Arts in Sept.
BIBLE: Not sure yet
Brandon will also be working on keyboarding skills.

Rebecca - 5th Grade

MATH: Abeka Gr. 5
LANGUAGE ARTS: Abeka Lang. A Gr 4
HANDWRITING: Abeka Penmanship Mastery I Gr. 4
READING: Abeka readers Gr. 4
SPELLING: Spelling Connections website lists
PE: Becca does Horseback Riding

Logan - 3rd Grade

MATH: Abeka Gr. 3
LANGUAGE ARTS: Abeka Language 3
HANDWRITING: Abeka Cursive Skillbook 3
READING: Abeka readers Gr. 3
SPELLING: Spelling Connections website lists
PE: will be starting back to Martial Arts in Sept.

Rebecca and Logan will be doing the following subjects together:
HISTORY: BJU Heritage Studies 3 (once we complete Revolutionary War)
SCIENCE: Apologia Exploring Creation with Astronomy
Rosetta Stone Spanish
ART: Abeka Art books Gr. 3 and 5
BIBLE: Currently doing a devotion a day and they will be starting Awana's soon. Hoping to do "Journey from Creation through Ice Age" by Ruth Martin and Cathy Canen starting in Jan.

Last year we didn't do very many field trips and I am hoping to do more this year. We are hopefully going to go into Boston next month while visiting family so we can see some of the places we are learning about in Revolutionary War. I am also hoping to visit a Planetarium.