School Update - Part 1

Today we started our third quarter. (As a side, that means we're officially halfway through the school year already!) Since I didn't blog at the beginning of the school year, I thought I'd share with you what we've been up to. I love that at this point in homeschooling (seven years in), I'm happy with almost everything we're doing and have very few changes/decisions to make each summer.

Religion: This year we took a break from formal catechesis to focus on growing in virtue. A friend of mine recommended PACE (Program for Achieving Character Education), and I have found it to be a great resource. I started out intending to focus on one virtue each month (there are ten), but there was so much good stuff (prayers, short stories, recommended novels and biographies for book reports, quotes to copy and memorize, Bible verses, saint studies, discussion questions, writing exercises, plus additional enrichment activities, including art, music, and nature studies) that I decided to focus on one virtue each quarter and stretch the program out for two years. One of the best parts has been reading and discussing the short stories from William Bennett's The Book of Virtues and The Moral Compass around the dinner table as a family. It has also been good to have such an extended period of time to concentrate on getting better at one thing. I highly recommend this program for use in any Catholic family, homeschooling or not.
 

Math: Math has been a weak point (for the girls at least) since the beginning. We started out in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade with MCP. Then we switched to Shiller Math, a Montessori-based curriculum -- which does have its strong points and worked really well for The Boy. (If you're interested, I'm looking to sell ours -- I have all seven student and teacher books and most of the manipulatives.) This year we switched to Math-U-See and I'm happy to report my fifth and sixth grader are (finally!) learning their multiplication tables with ease. I had all three of my older ones take the placement test and they all three ended up in the same book, much to the girls' dismay. I've been making them work double time in math this year, so that by the end of the summer they should be back on track. Happily, also, their math grades this year are much improved and the level of math complaining and tears have decreased dramatically.

 

Latin: We continue to use Memoria Press for our Latin instruction. The Boy will complete Prima Latina this year and the girls will complete Latina Christiana II. I'm not sure where to go with them next year. Any suggestions?

More to come ...

Seven Quick Takes - Volume 17

 

-- 1 -- 

The absence I took from blogging was unintentional, but, I suppose, necessary.

I've missed it and hope I'm here a little more regularly in 2013. 

-- 2 --

I've been thinking a lot about this quote I saw on Facebook earlier this week: 

"What screws us up most in life 

is the picture in our head of how it is supposed to be."

Hmmm ... I have so much to say about this ... perhaps a future post?

-- 3 --

 I hate stinky dishclothes.

I started knitting some new ones for myself.

(I've only knit dishclothes as gifts in the past.)

This year I'd like to break away from dishclothes and learn how to make caps.

I wish Ginny, or her son, could show me how.

-- 4 --

My sister-in-law painted a North Dakota landscape for our living room.

Now I can get started on painting and decorating that room.

First order of business, scraping the "popcorn" off the ceiling.

Anyone ever done this? Any advice?

-- 5 --

 Ever heard of the paleo diet?

 

The Paleo Diet is based upon eating wholesome, contemporary foods from the food groups our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have thrived on during the Paleolithic era, the time period from about 2.6 million years ago to the beginning of the agricultural revolution, about 10,000 years ago. These foods include fresh meats (preferably grass-produced or free-ranging beef, pork, lamb, poultry, and game meat, if you can get it), fish, seafood, fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and healthful oils (olive, coconut, avocado, macadamia, walnut and flaxseed). Dairy products, cereal grains, legumes, refined sugars and processed foods were not part of our ancestral menu.

I'm not into "diets," so I'd rather refer to it as a lifestyle.

This one intrigues me and I'd like to learn more about it.

I'm especially reluctant regarding the absence of dairy products.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

-- 6 --

The best part of our day this fall and winter 

has been the half hour after our "recess."

This is the time we spend all together around the fireplace.

I read to the kids; they listen and color or knit or just lounge.

We read The Hobbit in the fall and just started The Fellowship of the Ring.

Many days our half hour gets stretched -- 

 I can't ignore the pleas of "just a little more, Mom."

-- 7 --

Today is Friday. I am looking forward to date night.

Enough said.

For more quick takes, visit Jen, and say a little prayer for her and her baby while you're there.

Wordless Wednesday - "Eager"

Lent - Week V

Wow! Doing this once-a-week review has really made me realize (1) how quickly a week goes by, and (2) how much we do around here in a week -- and I only list the out-of-the-ordinary stuff!

Since last week ...

... our Lenten calendar has gotten browner.


… we celebrated the Solemn Feast of St. Joseph (and a name day at our house).

… I took my husband out for dinner to celebrate the Joseph he is to our family. (And we finally tried the fried cheesy pickles at our favorite local place -- yummy!)

… I surprised my husband by picking up his dry cleaning, only to be surprised myself -- he had brought in my summer dresses to be cleaned! (I smiled at the lady at the dry cleaners -- "That's what married people do, right?")

… we celebrated the Feast of St. Benedict with some Baileys before bed -- the University where my husband teaches is Benedictine after all.

… The Boy, The Baby, and I attended the local Stand Up for Religious Freedom rally at the capitol with over 700 other attendees.


… the girls attended their second Greek mythology class at the University. This time they learned about Antigone. (By the way, they know way more about Greek mythology than I ever have.) (And they're ready to be University students!) (Hold up! Slow down!)

… the girls also attended a series of art classes at the University offered by Artists Celebrating Christ.

… The Boy visited the fire station at the airport.

… The Baby had bad dreams about Rumpelstiltskin’s long fingernails (from a play we saw a few weeks ago) and ended up in our bed. (The Baby really needs a new blog name. Sad.)

… I found myself with two hours alone. I couldn't remember the last time that had happened. It was so quiet.

… my DH and I went out to dinner with some of his colleagues and Denis McNamara and David Hooker -- in town for the Artists Celebrating Christ art show.

… I attended a lecture by Dr. McNamara based on his book How to Read Churches. (It was very good, I thought -- this is the part of being married to an academic that I love.)

… we made it to Stations of the Cross at our parish.

… I stayed up too late at our monthly Young Adults gathering.

… I ordered and received The Boy's first communion suit and his gift. (Prayer request here, please -- April 14 is the big day.)

… after three weeks, I officially fell in love with on-line grocery shopping -- totally worth the $6 delivery charge. Totally.

… I finished and filed our income taxes. (Yeah, federal refund!)

… Miss Sunshine made chocolate peanut butter chip cookies. (And I can eat them today!)

... we all ran errands as a family -- Easter outfits, including shoes (!) are all in-house (except for Mom's shoes, that is -- I don't have the patience to shop for myself with the whole family in tow). We then celebrated with dinner at the Chinese buffet and snuggled up to watch Hugo together. (By the way, this was a fantastic movie -- except for the one brief, stupid, irrelevant-to-the-plot dialogue that the kids didn't seem to hear anyway -- and I highly recommend it.)

... we attended another Knights of Columbus sponsored pancake breakfast.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday. It's cloudy and chilly here ... jammies, books, and games all around for the rest of the day.

Blessed final weeks of Lent.

Lent - Week IV

Since last Sunday …

... I had a hard time getting out of bed almost every morning due to the long (fun) weekend, combined with the Daylight Saving dark in the morning. Here's to a new week.

… I took The Boy to observe an Aikido class.

… the girls were bummed about having no Irish dance performances this St. Patrick’s Day for the first time since they can remember.

… we watched The Odyssey (minus Circe and Calypso).

… we studied the digestive, respiratory, and circulatory systems.

... we enjoyed our first week with Pip and gave her her first bath.

… we went out for muffins after Mass on Thursday just for the fun of it.

… we had a pizza picnic at the park.

… we played bingo with the residents of a local nursing home.

… we attended a soup and sandwich supper at our parish.

… we tried to attend an evening Lenten program based on the Stations of the Cross after a long day. We left before it was over.

... the girls slept over at some friends' house.

... the girls decided (thankfully) not to audition for the spring ballet.

… we decided Thursday evening to host a last minute St. Patrick’s Day party on Saturday and had a great time -- 15 adults, 24 kids, corn beef, potatoes, assorted snacks, Guiness, Irish creme and Irish ale, a bonfire, a snake hunt, Irish jigs, and lots of green.

... The Boy attended a birthday party.

... we enjoyed another week of beautiful weather.

We're all in bed early tonight. Have a blessed week! (Sorry, too tired to upload pictures.)

Lent - Week III

Since last Sunday …

... the kids enjoyed making snowmen, but sadly watched them rapidly melt away.


… we enjoyed reading Longfellow’s poem, Evangeline.

… I tried a new soup recipe -- a delicious ham and vegetable.

… I began reading Winnie the Pooh to The Baby.

… we made a sticky mess devouring some really sweet grapefruit.

… I took Miss Rose shopping for an Easter dress.

… my DH and I voted in the ND Republican primary (and our guy won).

… I hosted our monthly Little Flowers meeting. The girls studied piety and St. Cecelia. They made bracelets and ate fruit kebabs while they were learning the colors of the robe of piety (a la Father Lasance).


… I got lost trying to find the pool where phy ed swim classes are going to be held this month.

… The Baby got mad at me that she couldn’t swim with the big kids during phy ed.

… I went out with some other great moms for Brazilian barbecue for our monthly Mom’s Night Out.

... I tried a yummy new fruit.

… I left my family for thirty hours for a night at a hotel with a couple of girlfriends and a Saturday Lenten retreat.

... I laughed with my girlfriends.

… I cried at the retreat. a lot. It was good.

… we celebrated Miss Sunshine’s tenth birthday with Mass, an afternoon at the zoo, a wonderful dinner, chocolate peanut butter ice cream, and a couple rounds of Apples to Apples (Disney Edition).

... we loved the baby goats.


... The Baby got the hang of feeding the goats on her own.


… we gloried in a weekend of warm weather (almost 70 degrees!) and sunshine (ahhh, Vitamin D!).

… we welcomed Pip to our family.


Happy Lent! See you next week!

Lent - Week II

Since last Sunday ...


... my husband has been on spring break.

... we were forecast to get a foot of snow and looked forward excitedly to a blizzard.

... we got less than an inch of snow and were very disappointed. (I think I will encourage my children to pursue meteorology -- in what other profession does one get paid so much even when one is so wrong so often?)

... our homeschool phy ed class performed the Irish jigs and reels the girls and I taught them for their parents. And they did pretty well, if I do say so myself.

... we spent two nights at a local hotel -- swimming, playing cards, watching Little House on the Prairie, and relaxing together.

... my baby turned three!


... I missed a step and thought I broke a bone in my foot. It's still sore, but I'm not limping anymore -- I think it's just bruised.

... I appreciated my husband. a lot.

... I got a haircut.

... we attended Stations of the Cross at our parish.

... I got my menus done and groceries in the house for all meals through next Sunday.

... my DH and I watched Courageous -- good movie.

... we attended a pancake breakfast fundraiser for Saint Gianna's Maternity Home.

... we went to the zoo and the library and grilled pork chops.

I pray you are all having a blessed and fruitful Lent. Until next week ...