Day 22—I’m still alive!

This post is part of a series showing the realness of homeschooling---the ugly, frustrating, and wonderfulness of it all. 

I missed three days of posting!   I am fine—so sorry for the worry I caused by not posting the last three days.  Thanks for the notes of concern.  

I have been fine.   My oldest daughter got some glass in her foot.  After many doctor’s visits and x-rays, we think all of the glass was removed.   And that was the reason for my disappearance from the blog world. 

I’m working hard on finishing strong!

Day 18--Mom has a headache

This post is part of a series showing the realness of homeschooling---the ugly, frustrating, and wonderfulness of it all. 

This mom has a headache. 

And spent most of the day laying on the couch wasting time on the computer to keep herself awake.
  
And now her day is over.

Goodnight.

Day 17—A Day in the Life

This post is part of a series showing the realness of homeschooling---the ugly, frustrating, and wonderfulness of it all. 

7:15---I drove my husband to work while my two youngest dragged themselves out of bed.  My husband drove my high schoolers to seminary at 6:00.   He himself played basketball from 6:00-7:00.

7: 40—home.   Girls are finishing up breakfast.  

8:10—ready for the day, we start our school day with Megawords.   Both girls have passed the spelling section of what they are doing and are working on reading with more fluency and speed.

8:30—the girls work on writing for a half hour.   I-E is working on a longer paper about the Revolutionary War, while E-R spends some time free writing.
 
9:00---Both girls work on picking out quotations that show suspense from “The Most Dangerous Game.”   Next week they will be writing their first literary analysis paper.   This week we are working on the building blocks of that paper.   While the girls work, I get supper started in the crockpot---lentils cooked with potatoes and hambone.

9:30—we hope in the car to take a friend to the train station.   Her train will be late, so we take the time to visit a bit. 

11:15—back home.   The girls snack while alternating between reading for an hour and working on math for an hour.    I clean up the kitchen and can some chutney I made yesterday.
 
1:30—time for grammar.   We read the lesson on loose, periodic, and balanced sentences, complete the oral exercises, and take study notes.   Then move on to the next lesson which covers coherent paragraphs.   After reading the lesson, the girls put some guidelines from the lesson into their writing notebooks for when they are editing and revising.  

2:40---time for me to pick up A-M and E.   While I am gone E-R and I-E read their science lesson on ionic bonds and complete the exercises.

3:20---I am home.   We go over the lesson and exercises and look up ionic bonds in our science encyclopedia.   E-R and I-E take notes on the info in the encyclopedia while E and A-M have a snack.  

3:45—time for E-R to go to rehearsal.   I-E rides along so we can talk alone on the ride home.   E and A-M get started on homework.   E has to prepare for a debate.  A-M is studying for a calc test.
  
4:30---I’m back home.    E and A-M are still working.   I hop in the shower.  

5:15---I leave to pick up J from work.  

5:40---We are home.  J and A-M work on calibrating a catapult for a physics project.   E, I-E, and I eat supper and leave to pick up E-R from rehearsal and head to church.
 
9:00—all home.   J is working on school work and the rest of us head to bed--where I write this post.
 
Good night!

Day 16—Free Resources

This post is part of a series showing the realness of homeschooling---the ugly, frustrating, and wonderfulness of it all.

I’m that girl.   The one that has 101 Pinterest boards

I’m a visual person who loves ripping off borrowing others ideas!   So it didn’t take me long to jump on the bandwagon and pin, pin, pin.
   
I’ve found it an excellent tool to help me remember and organize all the free resources available.
   
Remember when you had to buy a cookbook or magazine for recipes?   Not anymore.   I’ve even utilized Pinterest as a free menu planning tool.  

 

 

                 I have posted tons of recipes that I weekly pin onto my

 

                                          

                                                     or my

 

I’ve also organized more  free homeschooling resources than any sane person could use.   In fact, I kind of think buying resources is simply a convenience thing these days as so many quality free resources are available.  Pinterest has changed my homeschooling world.

                         A few of my favorite homeschooling boards:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                   Happy clicking around!   

Day 15—Planning vs Doing!

This post is part of a series showing the realness of homeschooling---the ugly, frustrating, and wonderfulness of it all. 

I use to spend vast amounts of time planning.   I love planning.   In fact, I love planning more than I love doing.   But I’m in a place in my life that I need to be doing so much, I don’t have so much time to be planning.
 
And along the way during that time doing without so much planning, I’ve learned that simply doing consistently is more important than finding the perfect curriculum or creating the most awesomest lesson plans ever.  

If all I have is a dull encyclopedia that I teach from everyday, that is better than getting to the fifteen most exciting living books in random spurts. 
 
It only took me 10 years or so to get to this realization, but here is where I’m at!