Tuesday, April 30, 2013

How to Keep It All Straight

In response to my Lasagna Learning post, Amy (of Trivium Tuesdays- take a minute and go link-up!) and Laura both asked how I keep it all straight. I thought I would share with you what I do that helps me remember what we are doing and where we are going.

I over plan in the spring and summer for the following school year. Basically I get all BIG ideas regarding school, education and the kids out of my head (think GTD), gather as many resources as I can, consider all of the classes and co-ops and extras that we can afford and decide to do it all. On days when my pessimism hasn't totally taken over I am obnoxiously optimistic about what we can get done. During this planning time I lay it all out there- every little thing- I dream BIG and thrill to the idea of all that we'll know and all that we'll be doing in the coming year.

Iit makes life, and homeschooling, so much easier to have a place for everything and everything in it's place. Each student has their OWN school bin- with all of their stuff in it, texts, CD's, etc. Things that are used collectively are stored in a common area, but woe to him or her that doesn't put it back where it goes.

When it's time to actually start doing school (we usually start "fresh" each fall when Tutoring Center begins, even on those years when we do school throughout the summer. I list everything for each child on a separate 5 x7" card and place it predominately at our desk (I do this at the beginning of each semester and add and subtract to it as needed).  Woe to the kid who loses their card (because then I'm lost). I list EVERYthing on this card- books, read-alouds, CD's, DVD's, on-line programs, down- loads, classes, co-op,etc . A good 1/2 of our school is done electronically or outsourced in one way or another- each "class" or activity is coded by how it's done- DVD, CD, Tutoring Center, etc.

We have an established routine each day- skills in the a.m./ content in the afternoon. Math is always first. We do math text, Perplexors, 1/4 Mile Math, Grammar, Latin, etc. In the afternoon we History, Science, etc. Because we are doing so much on the computer (Rosetta Stone, Spanish, Computer programming, 1/4 Mile, Adventus) x 2-3 kids, we are rotating between computers (there is a non-Internet linked one in the office) through-out the day. In addition we do some DVD's- (Physics, Latin) and have to coordinate with whomever is using the downstairs computer. If anyone gets bored or doesn't know what to do, they just look at their card- there are plenty of "small" and "easy" tasks along with the more difficult ones. For instance, Latin is more overwhelming to Cub (13) than Fallacy Detective or Diagramming. If he has time, and I can't help him, he'll grab something he can do independently.

Here's the key to it all. We are diligent about studying. We find great joy and peace in learning (most of the time) but we are also deeply pragmatic. We are re-building a house and have other responsibilities. Always (I mean always, not often or sometimes) I don't get everything done in a year. My over planning is too much and things fall by the wayside. And that is O.K. I let it go with no regrets. I know this will be the case when we start out. We cover the basics and much more and whatever else doesn't get done, will at a later point, or not at all. Ce la vive. We've graduated 2 (almost 3) kids so far and they are all well-educated, decent people who know how to learn. Furthermore, Dr. Dh and I are still learning. So, I take a lot of pressure off of myself at the "go" mark and realize I won't get it all done and my kids will be educated regardless.

And here's the other key to learning. In order to know you must over-learn. In order to truly "OWN" the material (vs. short term, learn to the test, regurgitate and forget) you must store the info in your long-term memory. The way we approach this is to focus on certain areas and then invest in those areas. We are history buffs and theology crazed so we have tons of materials and resources in those areas- magazines, CD's, DVD's, Texts, novels, etc. For areas that don't come naturally to us, I am on the look-out for resources that WORK- this often means a DVD, like Great Courses perhaps, or a Tutoring Center Class alongside a work text at home. I'm not opposed to doing more than 1 "Curriculum" at a time, if it meets the needs of our goals for the year. For instance, this year Feeche was taking Physics and Cub was taking pre-physics with separate texts. In addition they watched a GC non-math oriented "Physics and Your Life" course. The goal this year was to understand the fundamentals of Physics, not to get through a curriculum. As a result, we got through more than one curriculum.

How to keep it all straight? Over plan and then go with the flow. And no regrets.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Home School in the Woods- TOS Review

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 Home School in the Woods has been a long time homeschooling friend of ours, so when I had the chance to review a  unit study created by them, I jumped at the chance. Since we’re deep into World History overview I choose Great Empires

 
The 14 Great Empires covered by this study are:
  1. Ancient Egypt
  2. Ancient Greece
  3. Ancient Rome
  4. Ancient China
  5. Arab-Muslim Empire
  6. Mongolian Empire
  7. Viking Empire
  8. Spanish Empire
  9. French Empire
  10. English Empire
  11. German Empire 
  12. Japanese Empire
  13. Russian Empire
  14. The United States of America
   Even though we do a lot of history study, Cub and Flower were a bit surprised to find a few of empires listed above as    "Great," which was a terrific first lesson in and of it-self.
 
   With this study you will receive
   History Lessons for 14 Great Empires
   Activity Pages summarizing activities for each Great Empire (the projects lists include recipes, games, maps, hands-   on projects based on the text, crafts and literature references for more in-depth study)
   Activity Directions -detailed steps for each activity provided in the lessons
   Timeline and Timeline Figures - for all 14 Empires 
   Maps for Each Empire and a World Map

   This study is a complete stand-alone and can easily be done in several weeks, spending 1-3 days on each Empire. Or,     you can use it as the foundation, like we did, for further study on a specific Empire or as part of a world history      overview, and take your time delving in. The text included is a brief (1-3 pages) overview of the Empire specified. This      was great for my kids, as they integrated information from previous studies, our current reading and from our extensive   collection of history books. The intro to each Empire had them cross checking facts in their favorite history books! Love that!
 
   If you haven’t discovered the elegant beauty of creating time-lines for history study, this unit will convince you. The    print-ables are the excellent, high-quality you can expect from Home School in the Woods.  Amy Pak is a graphic artist    and it shows- there is plenty of personalization and attention to detail that goes into the figures and maps. As a closet artist with a tribe of art lovers, I really appreciate that.  
   Maps- we love them, study them, pour over them, argue about them, color them and label them! They’re in here, too! I    always wondered if it would matter if my kids studied ancient maps along with current, but when they can have a    discussion about how ancient trade routes contributed to the rise and fall of Empires, I’m convinced!  
   If you can't get enough history, like us, Great Empires is a great addition to what you are already doing. If you want to    love the study of history but don't yet- this study will convince you!
   Not only is this a terrific, and affordable addition to your history study, but this would make a great unit study for a co-op class. Available for $18.95 as a download or $19.95 on CD.
   Home School in the Woods offers many other products, including freebies and samples. Check it   out!
   Content -excellent
   Presentation- excellent
   Organization-excellent
 Click to read more reviews from the sensational Schoolhouse Review Crew
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Sunday, April 28, 2013

Veritas vos Liberabit

The last 2 books I've read have been confessions of faith: From Home to Rome by the Hahn's (Former Calvinist Protestant pastor/wife team and now apologists for the Roman Catholic church) and The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosario Butterfield (a former postmodern lesbian scholar, now a married Reformed Presbyterian pastor's wife). Both are compelling testimonies. Both are encouraging and convicting and exhort the reader to own and embrace their life and faith, to ask hard questions, and to search for Truth until it's found.

What I found especially interesting in reading them back to back was the discussion by both of Sola Scriptura. Both left their faith traditions because of this doctrine- one finding a fullness of the charismata in another Christian Tradition (Catholicism rather than Protestantism), and one finding Christ, the Son of God (leaving behind Paganism)
Perhaps it's a small point but I was struck by how this single concept was law and limiting for one and grace and freedom for another.

I'm working through postmodern theory and social constructivism and how you can narrate your way into or out of whatever you will or want. It's a lazy way of living, imho, if this is your worldview (rather than a tool to use), because it never takes responsibility. It does not assign cause and effect, it never asks the hard questions. It does not search for Truth until it's found. In fact, there is no big "T" Truth, there's just my truth and your truth and my meaning and your meaning, and a whole lot of feeling, kookookachoo. Which doesn't bode well for anything requiring covenant, because hey, nothing is objective, it's just my subjective and your subjective which leaves profound concepts like marriage for life in the dust and honoring relationships expendable and covenant laughable. I think the conversation on Fireproof sums it up, "When Catherine and I got married, we were in love. Today we are two very different people." Well, duh. But for many, that is reason enough for divorce and dissolution and kids left with vague relations instead of parents that live with them and love them sacrificially, albeit imperfectly.

Butterfield does a whole discussion on hermeneutics and worldview and the importance and relationship between the two.
Traditional hermeneutics is the study of the interpretation of written texts, especially texts in the areas of literature, religion and law
Worldview is the overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world. 2. A collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group.

There is a feedback loop between the two and they inform, critique and define each other. (don't you just love the MFT cybernetic influence here?)  I hear a lot of talk in the homeschool and Protestant community about worldview- and what a good curriculum to teach it is, but very much less so about hermeneutics. Which I think is problematic. Because, while we might hold the "correct" worldview, if we don't have a way to critically study the text, we are stuck in law, not walking in the Way, not on the path of Truth (because law always gets us stuck and unyielding- even if that is the law of license and postmodern me-defined, emotionally feel good kookookachooism).

The thing I appreciate about both of these authors is that they are willing to check their presuppositions and hold them accountable hermetically. Both the Hahns' and Butterfield were trained to explore the Truth of the text. While Butterfiled was a post-modern, she was a scholar, just one who had not, as of then, encountered a Word that was living and sharp as a double edged sword. As a trained scholar, the text must hold true to itself, which is how she came to a place of faith in Christ. The veracity of truth always supports itself, which is why people of faith should never be afraid of scholarship.

Stories like the Hahn's and Butterfields compel me. They compel me because they are about people who are willing to give up their worldview for one that challenges them and train wrecks them based on hermeneutics. The authors gave up not only their world view, but their careers, their relationships, their way of living. They gave up all of that for something unknown and unsure. And they committed themselves to the Truth. It wasn't a new Truth. It was the Truth, newly discovered by them.

While it might appear that Hahn and Butterfield are creating their own truth- after all, they both came to different conclusions based on one compelling idea: Sola Scriptura, I don't believe that this is so. It's not a post-modern hermeneutic or worldview that they came to. They both earnestly sought the meaning behind the words, they were compelled by something bigger than themselves, something challenging and unsafe. God took them to different conclusions about how to live in obedience. For both it meant giving up doctrinal idols, and laying down the life they knew for the life HE offered.

And that is the vast difference I see between people of faith who disagree and those without who disagree. A post-modern lives for themselves and their interpretation.  It is a predatory existence, full of law and license, which ever fits the situation and the needs of the moment. Faith lives for Truth, regardless of what it will bring you, what you must sacrifice, what you must do and leave un-done. It is the ultimate freedom, even while being enslaved.

Veritas vos Liberabit.
The truth will set you free 

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Share it Saturday!

Last week's featured party go-ers!







 
Got Graduates? You'll want to stop by the Jewlery Making Journal to find out how to create grunge inspired jewlery! I'm there, cause Feeche has about a month to go- woot!
 
Cause you gotta have art, right? I was just thinking I needed to do a whole post on our latest art projects. Would LOVE to create an art studio! Growing book by book is my kinda place- books and art ; )
We are tea- party-ers 'round here. If you aren't you should start the tradition. If you are, you'll find fun inspiration at Princesses, Pies and Preschool Pizazz!
And don't forget to stop by Teach Beside Me and The Sugar Aunts, whose blogs are full up of educational and living inspiration!

And now, here's the HOP:
  • Have a link back to this post if you are participating (on your blog or in your post)
  • If you link up, click on at least one other link for each one that you share.
  • You don't have to comment or follow, but I really do love both of those things! (A Lot!)
  • HAVE FUN! On to this week's link. Bring it on.....

  • Spring!

    *1*
    Is winter gone?
    photo via Ruth!
    Mrs. Thompson (of Sense and Sensibility fame) advises keeping remarks pleasant or about the weather. When you live in the Territories, those don't always go hand in hand. In 2 weeks, we've had tree cracking ice-storms, a blizzard and now 70+ degrees. Yesterday was glorious- warm, sunny and bare-foot worthy. A bit surreal as there was still snow on the ground, but we'll take it after the 3rd snowiest April on record.

    *2*
    A long week with another physical challenge that changed my plans. I'm on "off your feet" status for another week or two and throwing back the aspirin to ward off the pain, nausea and headaches. It's finally nice out and I'm on chair rest (sniffle, sniff, sniffity). I would like some cheese (sharp) with my whine (red and dry).

    *3*
    Cub finished Grid Perplexors D, Apologia's General Science and Famous Men of the Middle Ages. We've started Famous Men of Modern Times and Flower has listened to almost the entire Story of the World 1-4 in the past 2 months She also did an American History unit in co-op. She loves history. Which I love. But, seriously, try reading a chapter of history outloud to these yokels. We stop every 3rd sentence to add in related and interesting fun facts to know and tell.
    Latina Christina is cruising along, they are all doing RS German and we've thrown Spanish into the mix. It's been fun, really. Adventus, Math, grammar, science and all of the rest of the regulars.
    Co-op ended yesterday with the traditional concert. We love co-op but are glad it's over for the spring.

    *4*
    I tortured the kids by making them watch "Gone with the Wind." My offer was the 4 hour movie or the 1000+ page book. Yes, the southern histrionics were plentiful and painful, but the analogies are rich and we had a great time discussing the whole thing. Flower has been galvinized by the idea of slavery in America since watching The Help. It's interesting to watch her wrestle with the issue. I'm not sure GWTW actually alleviated any of her questions, but it gave a broader context to the time period.

    *5*
    Dr.Dh has been a trim cutting, affixing fool, but you'll have to come back and see pictures of it cause it deserves a post to itself. It is very precise work and he is doing the work of a craftsman. Lucky me to be married to someone smart and exceptionally handy with tools. And mostly funny (he's a punner, what can I say?) . He made such a GREAT joke this week I was still laughing the next day.
     
    *6*
    I am reading the Secret Life of an Unlikely Convert by Rosario Butterfield. It is beautiful and compelling. Come back later for a full review. Yes, I'm still studying; drowning in postmodernism is more like it, which is apropos given Rosario's book. . Here is a YouTube, an interview of her. If you love words, you'll love her writing. If you love a compelling story, this is a must read.
    *7*
    Have you seen the new Memoria Press catalog (sign up here)? It is an entire issue dedicated to an apologetic for grammar study; really fantastic. If you don't see the need for formal grammar study, this issue will convince you of the worth of it.

    How was your week ?

    Tuesday, April 23, 2013

    Rhetoric Skills and the Bard

    TimelineTuesday: 4/23/1616, William Shakespeare dies. To honor his life, imitate him by making a will in which you leave your "second best bed" to your spouse. Your spouse will then be inspired to re-enact the marital strangling from the end of "Othello." (from our friends at Peace Hill Press- they are as funny as they are brilliant!)

    We like Shakespeare around here. We've been reading and studying it for years. It's really come alive for our kids because of the amazing Shakespeare Camp for homeshcool high schoolers we participate in each year: The Tempest, and MacBeth and this year I hear another King will be involved.

    I've written more about a list of Bardology resource here. What's so great about Shakespeare? It makes history come alive. Yesterday, during our Famous Men of the Middle Ages reading, we had a great discussion about the Henry's, which can get confusing because there were enough of them, who did what, and Henry the IV and Vth were all totally gotten because they'd read the plays. And performing the plays takes it to the next level because it means they have internalized the language and the flow of the vocab and the meaning. They get it.  Love that.


     

    Monday, April 22, 2013

    April 22- Seriously?!

    Another day of cancellations for Dr. Dh due to snowstorm to the West.
    He is a redeem the day kinda Man and is trimming out windows on the 2nd floor.
    LOVE that!
    (stay tuned for pictures of the inside of the house next!)

    Sunday, April 21, 2013

    Tons of Curriculum FOR SALE!


    (Sorry for the wonky formating!) The first price is the list price, the second is what I'm asking. Many of these items are new or like new. Cd's are not in the original cases, but in new condition. Confirmation #, add $1. Insurance, add $2. paypal preferred. Any questions, pm me!
    Name                                                    List price              Asking Price

    Biology                                                                                                                

    Apologia High School Physics 2 hb book      $149.00     $90 as set of 3
    Solutions and Test                                          
    CD with experiments/ Rusty Hughs                        

    Moody Science DVD's- set of 19       125.00   $75.00 for set of 19
    Biology 101, Westfield Studios- 4 CD's      69.95     $50                                        
    Chemistry 101, Westfield, 4 CD's               69.95     $50
    Physics and Your Life (Great Courses)       99.99     $30
    Anatomy Coloring Book (2pgs neatly colored)         19.99     $10
    Real Science Life (level 1) bent corner       68.00     $35
    201 Experiments (Van Cleve) sb                  12.95     $8                                          
    Biology (100+ Reproducible Activities) sb                 12.00     $4

     
    Writing:                                                              

    Rod and Staff English 3                                 12.95     $8
    Rod and Staff English 5                                  16.95     $8
    Rod and Staff Eng. 9 and 10, part 1            38.80     $20
    Rod and Staff Eng 9 and 10, part 2            38.80     $20
    all hardback, 9 & 10 incl TM and SM, test and eval sheets- both brand new)                                                                                                         
    IEW The Phonetic Zoo- Level A 1-5 CD's     79.00     $50
    IEW The Phonetic Zoo- Level B 1-5 CD's      79.00     $50
    IEW Student Writing Intensive Cont. Course, Level A 1-9 CD's      199.00   $100
    IEW SWI, Cont. Course, Level C 1-9 CD's (w/o book)                        199.00   $100
    IEW Adv. Communication Series 1-4 Cd's (w/obook)      69.00     $40
    IEW High School Essay Intensive 4 CD's
    (without book, available separatly)                65.00     $30
    EIW British Literature, Campbell                   29.00     $20
    EIW American Lit, Campbell- back cvr loose)          29.00     $10
    Seton, Handwriting, level 3                                         20.00     $10                        
    Jenson's Format Writing                                             19.99     $12 (shows shelf wear)                                
    Memoria Press Lit guide (all brand new)                                             
    Treasure Island TM & Student Study Guide     22.00     $16.50
    Anne of Green Gables TM and SM                                               $16.50
    The Trojan War, Teacher Guide only                        12.95     $9.50
    The Illiad and Odyssey SG only (comb bound)        16.95     $8.00
    I have the TM but it is stapled, I'll throw that in for free)               
                              
    Math & Logic:                                                   
    The Art of Argument SM & TM                       47.00     $30 for set of 2
    (there are a couple of pages that have pencil erased on them in SM)
    Discovery of Deduction SM &TM                   57.00     $40 for set of 2                 

    Foreign Language:                                                          
    Powerglide Latin                                                        141.49   $50 for set
    includes: 7 CD's, test book, learners guide and TM- SM is $18.99 and readily available)                                    
    Powerglide Spanish                                                   163.00   $50 for set
    (includes 9 CD's, test book, TM and SM)                               

    Geography:                                                       
    The Ultimate Geography & Timeline Guide,     39.95     $25
    Memoria Press Geography 1, Student Text          12.49     $7 (shows some use)    
                                   
    History, Law                                                      
    Augustus Ceaser's World, G. Foster                      19.95     $12 -shelf  wear                                           
    Constitutional Law, M. Ferris                                  50.00     $40
    Veritas Press Omnibus II,                                         75.00     $50 hb, name on cover                                 
    Story of the World, Vol 1 Ancient Times               16.95     $13
    World History, J.Stobaugh, SM & TM           40.00     $30
    Law, Law Study & the Lawyer's Role           8.00       $5          

     VP cards                               

    Bible:                                                   
    MP Christian Studies I, SM                                      19.99     $15
    MP Christian Studies I, TM -comb bound              13.99     $7
    Good & Evil Graphic Bible, NGJ                      24.95    $6

    Mics.
    Living Memory, sb, cover bent)                              34.95    $20
    j. Stobough SAT PREP                                               30.00    $20
    Vision Forum Entreprenuerial Bootcamp            85.00      $65.00 (20 CD's)                                               
    Hirsch, What Your 2nd Grader Needs 2 Know    18.00     $12
    Hirsch, What Your 5th  Grader Needs 2 Know     15.00     $10
                                                               
    Computer - CD's                                              
    Magic School Bus Computer Games Bundle -6)    45 for 3) asking $24 for
    incl: Dinos, earth, solar sys, bugs, rainforest, animals                                      
    Sim Computer Bundle- 3 Discs                                   $10
    (Sim Aunts, Safari, Tunes)                                                           
    Dynamic Memory  Study Skills                                99.99     $50
                    4 CD's- College Plus                        

    Saturday, April 20, 2013

    Share It Saturday

    Just What I Need does a lovely study on Paul Revere- a beautiful tribute given the events of this past week.
     
    Despite the actual weather, we are hoping for spring some time soon. Be Inspired Momma shares a simple way to make a spring bouquet!
     
    You know how much I love memory work. Homeschool in the Hills has a great tutorial on memorizing the capitals!  
     
    And don't forget to stop by Teach Beside Me and The Sugar Aunts, whose blogs are full up of educational and living inspiration!

    And now, here's the HOP:

  • Have a link back to this post if you are participating (on your blog or in your post)
  • If you link up, click on at least one other link for each one that you share.
  • You don't have to comment or follow, but I really do love both of those things! (A Lot!)
  • HAVE FUN! On to this week's link. Bring it on.....

  • Here is this week's code:

    Wednesday, April 17, 2013

    Deadwood

    It's a challenge to get trees to grow on the Prairie, but when they do, they take.
    Dr. Dh had felled some 80+ year old ash several years ago when we were heating with wood and has been a bit busy with other concerns since.
    A neighbor came by to ask if he we'd be willing to give him the wood for his clearing it and has been cutting and cording since, stopped only by the April blizzards and ice storms.
    Ash wood is super hard when it cures- it's also known as "ironwood"- we've burned a chainsaw out on it, and the neighbor didn't want to cut this without more horsepower than he'd brought with him.

    Tuesday, April 16, 2013

    Lasagna Learning

    Lasagna Learning is my take off on Lasagna Gardening. Layer upon layer. Take history for example.


    We are reading The Famous Men series, outloud, again. In addition, Flower (and sometimes Cub) are listening to The Story of the World, volumes 1-4, again. Along with that we are watching The Last 100 years- last night's snippet on the Armenian holocaust was horrifying, and we usually have some kind of history book going. We are also doing a lap book of sorts on the Great Empires, reading BAR and the Economist and everyone has a book or two going- often historical fiction, that has us checking maps and cross checking people groups with each other. We are 1/2 heartedly memorizing VP cards again- 1/2 heartedly becaue our schedules are pretty full and the kids have it far more clear in their heads than I do in mine - though I can usually give you a 100 year ballpark of many historical events.

    We do the same thing with English- diagramming, using FLL or Mary Daly's First Book of Diagrams, grammar and language study with MP Latin resources, along with modern language studies via Rosetta Stone.

    Math- Perplexors, text, 1/4 Mile, Lone Star.

    Seems like every subject we do, we utilize several resources so that we can hear it, see it, touch it, know that we know it. When you have a choice between 2 good curriculum's instead of asking, "should I use this or this," maybe a better questions might be, "when should I use x and when will I use y?"

     

    Sunday, April 14, 2013

    Study Induced Ramble....

    Dr. Dh has been a trim cutting fool. Our upstairs is going from nekked to clothed and it's a beautiful transformation. All long boards are cut, many of the door frames, window frames and quarter round....It is demanding and exacting work. 1/16 of an inch off and it looks home-made, unprofessional and doesn't fit. Me? I can put about anything together. Cut wood straight? Enough mostly, but consistently, not so much.
    Definitely a case of making your pathology (in this case a bit of OCD) work for you. That's probably not so funny to anyone else in the universe but when you have a couple of therapists (or people raised by them) in the same house your jokes tend to run downhill.

    I am sick of studying. I want chocolate. I want to read Dorothy Sayers. I think Experiential Therapists are from the dark side. Once I'm licensed I'm writing a paper on it condemning them which I will publish widely. Yes, it's personal.
    Chocolate. With caramel. And hot coffee with cream. And a chick flick with a fire place. In the Alps. Nononoo. Somewhere warm... Puerto Rico with iced tea. A tan. Dorothy Sayers poolside.....

    Saturday, April 13, 2013

    Evacuees- From the Country!

    *1*
    Spring storm this week. Lots of ice and wind with trees snapped and cracked all over town and lines down coming and going. We ended up evacuating our house after the 2nd day of very intermittent power and motel-ed it. No pool, but very hot showers (total love), great service and spankin' clean!
    April 11

    *2*
    We still did school. That's just the fun kinda Mom I am. Despite the fact that we couldn't do Latin, Spanish (review to come!) German, Adventus, Lone Start or Supercharged Science we still managed to get a few things done. Flower finished Perplexors "C" and Cub has a 1/2 chapter left of Apologia's General Science left. Cub and Flower continued diagramming, Cub with Mary Daly's Complete book of Diagrams and Flower with FLL IV. She is LOVEing it; it is much more interactive than Rod and Staff. She's memorizing Ozymandias this week, so we took a break from Horatius. Feeche is almost done with Spielvogel and has been listening to another World History lecture series. The kids are listening to Story of the World again during their free time, but they love it so much (literally) that they beg to listen whenver they can fit it in.
    We have Gone With the Wind up next for our viewing pleasure. Prepare to be quoted to death in the coming weeks. Feeche is still doing 20th century but we are mostly out of order. And Flower is fascinated by The Help; she's watched it several times and keeps asking why they didn't just quit and move and tell that lady off and who did she think she was, etc. etc. I didn't think we'd get into in-depth civil rights in 4th grade.

    *3*
    We are easily amused. This is good since life if hard and we live on a budget. Thanks to Jannell's dd for How Animals Eat Their Food.  You will find this a) highly amusing or b) totally stoopid c)so funny you eat like animals at your next meal!

    *4*
    Took Miss. Flower to BooksRUs to inventory the "Blue Nosed Buddies" and found THIS
    Front Cover
    You know the saying, right? If you have 2 loaves of bread, sell one and buy a lily. Plants are always appropriate, especially flowers, but if you can get a book out of the bargain, all the better. Especially a book by the likes of Sayers. Word nerd love, right there, baby.

    *5*
    Curriculum reviews of the week:

    *6*
    Once the trim is up, we'll be painting the exterior of our house. Oh, and the stairs sanded and stained and fixed since the wallboard stops at the kickboard, leaving a nice gap, and the plaster is ruined on the landing where the kickboard was... I forgot about that little mountain of pure remodeling joy.
    Color ideas, anyone?
     
    *7*
    Photo
    One more from this week.
     
    Share it Saturday is live. Stop by and link-up!
     
    How was your week?

    Share It Saturday!

    Featured Party-goers from Last Week:
    Life with Moore Babies shows how they made their own compass as they read Katy and the Big Snow, totally appropriate for this week!
    I love nooks so much I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to them. Here is a simple one for you to build from We've Got Our Hands Full.
    My Nearest and Dearest shows how to have to create a tin can sculpture. What I loved about this idea is that you could really use this with any kind of theme or unit study- like an inverse diorama. Simple and clever!

    And don't forget to stop by Teach Beside Me and The Sugar Aunts, whose blogs are full up of educational and living inspiration!

    And now, here's the HOP:
  • Have a link back to this post if you are participating (on your blog or in your post)
  • If you link up, click on at least one other link for each one that you share.
  • You don't have to comment or follow, but I really do love both of those things! (A Lot!)
  • HAVE FUN! On to this week's link. Bring it on.....