Sunday, September 30, 2012

September 23-29

We added Wednesday afternoon gymnastics for 14yo this week.  It was kind of crazy.  I had to have supper cooked by 3:30pm.  No easy feat for me when it comes to my procrastinating disorganized self.

Friday we took the day off from school to go camping at the coast.  Let me say that I don't care much for camping or the coast.  Just being honest.  Camping means being cold and smelling like campfire smoke.  And camping at the coast adds in wet, foggy, and windy.  BUT, this time was different.  It has been very dry here and it was SUNNY!

We camped at Nehalem Beach.  We witnessed elk grazing on the dunes.  My husband used a magnet to pick up iron ore out of the sand.  10yo decided to body surf the dunes bringing home lots of sand in her clothes.  The second beach, Indian Beach, we visited was more typical of the rocky Pacific Northwest coastline.  The actual beach was small and surrounded by rocky cliffs.  17yo enjoyed rock collecting.  14yo was able to find an intact sand dollar and a few jellyfish.  10yo enjoyed dancing in the waves.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

September 16-22

Another full week of early morning seminary.  I was dying by the end of the week.

14yo has already passed off eleven scripture mastery verses.

17yo finished knitting her first vest.  It fits her nicely.

Both girls are blessing us more and more with their cooking skills.  17yo recently made eggplant parmesan and coconut/chocolate/almond extract cupcakes.  14yo made rolls and snicker doodles. 

The highlight of school this week was a field trip to Cascadia Cave to view petroglyphs made by the Kalapuya Indians.  It was an all day event with an enthusiastic tour guide/archaeologist.  Our girls were the youngest participants. "The cave is an 8,000 year old American Indian petroglyph site considered to have the largest concentration of rock engravings in western Oregon."


After the hike, we received some exciting news...our son-in-law passed the bar!

Today was a tough day for me.  My parents permanently moved out of our duplex.  They have spent their summers here for six years. I can't imagine summers without them.

Life with teenagers will be back in full swing by next week.
17yo - choir
14yo - gymnastics
both - early morning seminary and weekly co-op




Sunday, September 9, 2012

Homeschool goes better when...

My efforts to homeschool actually go better when public school and the local private school are back in session.  There aren't any friends to play with so 10yo attends to her school work rather than thinking about what she is missing out on.  Add in our return to early morning seminary this week also and life felt comfortably routine.

Okay, so .... it didn't last long.  Lol!  I had a meltdown Friday morning when we returned from seminary.  The kitchen counters and dining room table were so loaded with junk that it made me want to cry.  I was so mad about living in a pig sty that I decided dejunking should trump academics.   I know it isn't the way to handle a very REAL problem (level 2 hoarders?), but at the time it was an emotional emergency.  Today I decided (again!) that doing a little dejunking each day will be better than losing an entire day of school.

Saturday the family attended a Renaissance Faire.  This is the 3rd(?) year my 17yo has attended with her best friend.  In the past she has worn one of her friend's dresses but this time she made her own.  I'm so proud of her!  My mother mentored her through the pattern fitting, cutting, and sewing process but she tried to let my daughter do the work. 

Back to the Faire.  There were a lot of vendors and my husband commented that he couldn't believe he had paid money to enter the faire just so he could spend more money ;)  Overall, it was enjoyable and I think it will make our history studies more meaningful.  People watching and jousting were probably our top activities though we enjoyed the music and crafting also.


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Planner Love

I can't plan worth beans.  I have these vague goals rolling around in my head, but I can NOT seem to get specific plans on paper.  It works out in a "do the next thing" kind of way.  We do stuff for school and then I record what we did in an academic Monthly/Weekly planner.  The problem?   Things fall through the cracks if I don't have a to-do list in front of me.  Whole subjects have been forgotten for weeks at a time.

This school year I am trying something new with my ten year old.  It is so simple and yet it works!  It is like a combination to-do list and log book.   Here is a short YouTube video demonstration for My Student Logbook. 

You can find more information by checking the My Student Logbook Facebook page.  There are pictures of the different covers, etc.  Be sure and click on the "about" page for details and ordering information.

~ A Happy Customer