Round Up Of The Week

A fun but busy week. If I thought things would be slower post Bible school I was wrong.

L did basket weaving, hemp jewelry and crochet classes. She also took a placement test to see if pre-algebra is where she needs to be next year. She also filled up her library summer reading sheet. She also worked concessions at the ball park.

F-man did a bowling class on Wednesday and of course did vision therapy daily. He also did math, Writing Strands and read, read, read. Yeah!

Miss Mel-she did bowling with F-man along with dance. Math, LA and reading happened and baseball of course.

Miss Ads is quickly working her way through Before Five In A Row books and did dance.

Don't think it's all work though...lots of swimming, playing, friends and ice cream have been enjoyed too.

Week #2

Well, we went from humid, hot August like weather back to cool, sunny May weather. Both of which are fine but it's June. Probably not much swimming this week. Here's what we do have
L-crochet, hemp jewelry and basket making. She's also working concessions at the ball park and orthodontist Thursday.
Miss Mel-two baseball games and bowling and dance on Friday. We'll start CLE math 204 and we're still working on first grade LA
F-man-the boy is lucky enough to have lots of friends in town and at 10 they are all old enough to go off on their bikes. He will also do bowling with Mel. He will continue Math 407, Writing Strands and library reading.
Miss Ads-dance on Friday and listening to library books.

The older kids continue running, dentist appointments and hanging out.

Great

What perfect weather today-sunny and 75! We walked all the Bible School kids between 4 churches to sing. The girls hung out with me while the boys went to see Super 8. I made a fire and we made pudgy pies and s'mores and played badminton. Not a bad summer day.

Rain-Oh Surprise

After a horribly wet May we've had some scorching days but today it's pouring again. I feel so bad for the farmers not to mention my own water logged garden. Luckily today's plan didn't include mandatory sun. The little two have Parks Dept. Dance classes and L has her last drawing class this morning. We'll fit school around that. Yesterday while I was gone Miss Mel did what she thought was her lesson. It was the unit test. She missed one question so I guess we can move on to the next unit! Tonight is the last Bible School. They've done a good job. F-man didn't want to go but by last night 4or5of his buds were there too. If you can get 10yo boys interested you've done a good job.

Summer Day 2

I can't imagine I'll remember to make daily posts, but this will hopefully let me look back in August and remember we did do more that sit around.

Today's Line Up
deliver kid who stayed all night after Bible School
Mel~math and LA lesson, read 30 minutes
F~man~math, writing strands lesson, read 30 minutes, vision therapy

F-man will go to Bluffton MMO with me to hang with a friend while Lily is at drawing class. The weather is gray and drizzly today instead of 100 degrees so we may bake this afternoon. We might fit in a game of science trivia too. Mel has a baseball game scheduled tonight but it's not looking good for that. The day could change though. We also have night 4 of Bible School. They have had fun but it runs until 8:30 which has made for a cranky Ads. We're early to bed, early to rise people. Can't help it.

Summer!

Even though everyone was done with school by the end of May this week feels like the first week of summer. Last week was sort of a long weekend where I let them gorge on TV and computer and video games. This week is different. For starters I've declared no TV between 9 and 4 unless it's history or science. That mollified the older kids who watch that stuff for fun and earned me a rare temper tantrum from the 7 yo. She's the one most likely to sit in a Nickelodeon stupor so mission accomplished. So far since the heat has zoomed into the mid-nineties that means lots of reading and hanging out in the kiddie pool for the 7 and 3 yo. The 10 yo takes off with his friends and mostly just reappears when the pack of "dudes" gets a hankering for a Popsicle. I love he can do that in our bitty town.

There is still learning going on. We are working through math, grammar and reading each morning. F-man is also trying Writin Strands. He is working hard on his vision therapy. Next week is his 8 week evaluation. I feel there has been improvement. We are taking full advantage of free programs this summer. The library reading program of course, which includes a story/craft time for littles and other activities for the older kids. L is taking a drawing class through the parks dept this week. We'll be picking her up, having a picnic and going swimming today. I've got to make a trip to the "big town" worth it. Actually after pricing art/drama classes the gas to drive her to free classes is a bargain. The youngest three are also going to Bible School this week ( I'm helping with snacks) and L is helping to corral the pre-schoolers. Lastly we are still playing soccer and baseball. I've booted the yard work to the teen boys and Emma is taking classes and working. The first one who tells me they are bored gets sold to the carnival.

Um, ok ....

We'll just ignore that three month gap. Suffice it to say life has gone on, we are busy, school has been going well and seven older kids are easier than littles in some ways and harder in others. Our biggest news school wise is that I took a deep breath and spent actual money for a curriculum. I've decided we will all benefit from a year that doesn't include mom cutting out down to the basics once winter hits. We get plenty of academic work done but fun is important too, KWIM? I've chosen Heart of Dakota Bigger. Miss Mel needs to be the focus for a change. She has tagged along with F-man her whole school career. He will do extension pack activities. Another read on for the change is F-man and his eyes. He will be having vision therapy 1xweek for the next ten months. That'll mean 3hours out of our day every Tuesday. We will also be doing therapy at home daily. Miss Ads will start pre-school in September and I'd like to spend a little more time with her the other days of the week doing story time at the library and learning very casually at home. Miss L will also be home next year, which won't require too much from me (for 12she's pretty directed and responsible) but it will change the dynamic during the day and I for see some adjustment. And then there's scouts, cubs, carefree, daisies that I somehow end up leading or co-leading and sports and piano, band, choir, the girl's wanting to do another play... Oh, and cooking and laundry and my poor dh who actually likes my attention too...I just think a year with no planning worries will benefit us. If I can go with the flow.

Week #21~Cookie Edition

I apparently didn't take one stinking picture this week. That's because
Yep, Girl Scout cookie time. I've got two scouts sellingand evidently both troops mistakenly think I'm good with this sort of thing so I've been banking and selling and delivering and sitting with girls doing all of the above

It's also We love scouts of all kinds but it can be overwhelming. I am NOT going to the Klondike Derby next weekend. I just can't fit it in. We've also got play practice and basketball games.
We did manage to do some school.

Miss Mel finished her reading primers and moved into the 'big' story book. She is thrilled. She worked on more math facts. We learned about plants and seeds in science and she and I read Dr. Doolittle and Raggedy Ann & Andy.

Fman is working on decimals, mixed fractions and dividing with remainders. He read some of Baldwin's Fifty Famous Stories Retold. In history we finished the Revolutionary War. We enjoyed

. We finished the read aloud Toliver's Secret and he read
Paul Revere's Ride. He read about oceans for science. I let him pick the topic this week and that was his choice.

Week #20

Well, I've been off the posting band wagon because nothing we've done has had any pictures or been especially interesting but if I don't get back on the band wagon I won't at all (d*mn Facebook almost makes blogging pointless).

Our big news is that Miss Mel and L have gotten parts in the local production of

They have never even tried out before so I was shocked. Miss Mel is a mouse and L is one of the step-sisters.
What else? Miss Mel began piano lessons so I'm thinking her performing arts are covered. F-man had no interest in either but he is all prepared for the Pinewood Derby so I guess we can count woodworking among his skills.
The weather has been crazy which hasn't helped our outdoor time. Monday it shot up to 40 and the snow melted. Wednesday we had ice, ice, ice and we couldn't get out. Last night it snowed and now we're back to about 4 inches.We did get out to the spot we're observing in all four seasons. Today is -12 so that may be it for the week.
We also began . So far so good. I just wanted an easy introduction to Latin to add to our Spanish study. F-man will begin studying Latin in earnest in June. Otherwise we're just chugging along through grammar, reading and math. We're sort of stalled in history at the revolution right now because it's interesting. I plan on moving on next week though. We still are reading Toliver's Secret aloud. F-man read Aaron and the Green Mountain Boys, This Time Tempe Wick and The Bears on Hemlock Mountain this week. Science is still scattered. I just can't find something they like so we'll just go on researching things as we find interest.
The older kids are all fine. J-term is almost over for E and then she'll start second semester. High school is high school for the boys. L is the lucky one this week. Not only did she win a part in the play but she received a Kindle for having the highest lexile at the school. I'm still not clear on who donated this or why she was chosen. The principal has not returned my e-mails. I guess I just won't look a gift horse in the mouth. Oh, and it's Girl Scout Cookie time. Ack! See I told you we didn't have much to report. I need to get out the camera.