Change - a new world for both of us!

Watermelon eating contest at the White Pine County Fair 8/21/10

Hunk # 3, JT, will be starting a new adventure tomorrow.  So will I!

His dad and I decided to enroll him into the new school hunk #2 is attending! Calvary Chapal Green Valley Christian Academy!

JT has been homeschooled since 4/07.  He is very bright, loves science, engineering, anything military, and reading!

The opportunity came up for us to enroll Hunk #2 a month ago.  We were asked if we were going to consider putting JT in as well, since he is in highschool. I think my efforts for homeschooling a highschooler were doubted.

We said no.... or I did anyway.  JT needs to work on 2 items, writing skills and penmanship. He needs to work on fine motor skills for his penmanship.

Well, come last Friday morning, Hubby and I were sipping coffee on the back patio.  Hunk #2 had just left for school.  I said something like.... ' I'd almost be interested in putting JT in to the CCGVCA as well.'   My Hubby, who is usually very much against spending any money, immediately said 'Yes, let's do it.'  Hunk #2 was given a very generous scholarship, and I asked the school if they would do that for JT.  Immed. they said 'Yes!'

So it's done!

He starts tomorrow. They are happy to work with him on his writing skills. They are happy to work with him on his fine motor skills (I will be as well here at home.) He is so excited! I am so excited for him! I am soooo sad!  My baby! Leaving me! Huh?

This is opening up a whole new world for me.  The dynamics will be different here during the day.  Hunk #4 and Chicklet do their own diff. math lessons, but otherwise, everything else is together.  I wonder if we'll be done earlier or later?  JT is a very good student, does his work without complaining, doesn't require a lot from me. However, I made sure we interacted, he wasn't totally alone, and I was always within talking distance if he needed me for lessons.  However, his absence during the day will have some effect.  I will miss him!  I think, though, the other 2 and I can go more into depth and fun with our studies.

A challenge. A new adventure.

I just let one son go, (hunk #1 to the USNA), I'm not sure I'm ready to let another one go so soon, even if it's only for a few hrs a day.  Does that make sense?

I don't have to make sense, it's my blog.

Breathe deeply!

After me being gone for a week, home one day, off camping w/ the family for 5 days... we are finally preparing for school.

The kids did math today, Chicklet getting through 5 lessons! WOW!

Hunk # 3 started Biology - we use Apologia. It's one of our fav. publishers. Very easy to use, to understand, and all the supplies needed for experiments are typically found around the house.

Hunk #4 has been reading 2 books, one on John Adams, and another one called The Iron Scout of the Confederacy.  He wrote a half page essay on John Adams and added an illustration.
Chicklet read more about Abigail Adams, and wrote 1+ pages about what she read today! Very good!

We also did some 'Life Skills' - i.e. laundry, dishes, making beds, etc.  House needs some attention!

We did our Bible too. We read Psalms 25 & Prov. 25.  I have 2 books for a Bible study, although we may end up just reading through the Gospels this year, over & over.

That's it for now. We'll add grammar next week, and maybe science.

 

A slow start...

I had the best of intentions. Really!

We started school on Monday.  Kind of.

We have done math 3 days this week. We've read 3 days this week. Pretty sad.

I will definitely need to plan next week.

I will be leaving for the East Coast to see Hunk#1 on Wednesday. Hubby will be here with the others.  He'll have to get on them about their school work.

Can't wait to be in a routine. That's the hardest part for me.

Wake up! It's time to school!

It's just about that time!

Woo hoo!

Monday, August 2nd, we will start school - granted - we will gently ease into our school year!

We will start back up with math, Bible, and history.

We will add language arts and science the 23rd - maybe sooner. (I'll be back east for Parents' weekend and to help my parents)

We'll add one - two more subjects each week till we are on full blast!

Once I get our curriculum all squared away (still have to order one or 2 things) I'll post what we're doing.

I am excited to start the school year. I didn't mean for us to have such a long break this summer, but that's what usually happens!

Break Time!

Some mornings, when the kids appear sleepy or easily distracted, I send them outside to the trampoline.

I have them jump a few hundred times.
They start having fun, and they wake up a little.

A good breakfast with protein helps keep them on task.  An apple or banana with peanut butter is my fav.  One of my favorite lunches is a string cheese w/ some nuts. Very yummy!

Things have been very busy around our home, as our oldest gets ready to move on to the Naval Academy.  Hubby and I fly with him to the east coast next week.  It will be bittersweet.

Next in line...

http://www.christianbook.com/christian-history-daily-glimpse-powerful-work/e-michael/9780842355070/pd/55073?item_code=WW&netp_id=293442&event=ESRCN&view=details

After we read from Proverbs, we read from this awesome book  -

'One Year In Christian History'

Some call this a devotional, some call it a short history/biography....

Each day is a 1 page article on someone, or something, in Christian history.  It could be about someone who wrote hymns and died on that day you are reading... it could be the day Martin Luther hung his articles... or John Wesley gave his life to Christ.  We all enjoy this book.

If this is not in your library, it should be!

In the beginning...

In the beginning was the Word.

We start our homeschool day with prayer and the Bible. This year we have been reading Proverbs every day. There are 31 Proverbs, one for every day in the month.

 Most days, I split up the number of verses equally. Most days, someone has to read an extra verse, GASP! You'd think, some days, that was torture!

I do tell them, in some countries, it is against the law to sit around the table and read the Bible! They gasp again.

After we read, we will each talk about specific verses that may have applied to us.

Today, it was Prov. 16, v: 32..

'He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; He who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.'  Perfect for 3 bickering children, isn't it?  The Lord works in mysterious ways!
I explained to them why that man who controls himself is mightuer... because the tongue and flesh are harder to control than an army, than anything else!  So I had them copy it down on a small piece of paper, and they have to memorize it. Anytime I ask, they have to pull it out to read it to me. It will be memorized and they will recite it at dinner.

Handwriting - some days I have them write the first 4-6 verses of the Psalm for the day. Eg... today is June 16th, they'd have to write from Ps. 16.

Love it!