Moving Forward into 2016

This week has been a week of closing chapters and saying goodbyes. I'll begin with the goodbyes.

My husband and I were able to help send off a wonderful family of 11 (!!!) that we have gotten to know over the past 8 years. They have certainly been an example to me with their faithfulness, kindness, and generosity. Their move was bittersweet. Of course we were sad to see them go, but we are so happy that they have received an answer to their prayers and will begin a new chapter of their lives. Thank goodness for modern technology allowing us to stay connected.

The rest of the week was mostly uneventful for us. It has been rather wet outside, though the weather has been warm. I am hoping that over the weekend, the sun will be shining and I will have a chance to rake up the leaves in our backyard.

The children had some changes this week that will continue to take place through  the new year. One of the biggest changes will be to this guy here. He will finally be moving out of the nursery at church and into the larger primary with the "big kids".

Our church moves the children up to the next class at the beginning of each year and it is done by the year you were born. Because George is a January baby, he did not get to move up to the primary last year and instead had to remain in the nursery. He is one of the biggest kids in there, but I know he has enjoyed every minute of it. He was asked to bring a snack for their last Sunday together and he wanted to bring homemade peanut butter cookies.

I know that the transition from nursery to primary may come with an adjustment period for him, or he may surprise us and dive right in. I do know for certain that his new teachers are wonderful women. I look forward to hearing about all of the fun he will be having in his big kid Sunday school class.

This not-so-little girl will also be moving up to the 6-year-old class. It is not as big of a transition as what George has, but she will be getting a new teacher and the children in her class may change some. Currently, they have combined the 5 and 6 year olds, but they may change this and the classmates she knows could move up to the 7 year old class and may no longer be with her. We'll just have to see.

This baby boy here does not get a major change in his life until the end of January when he turns 18 months old and joins the nursery at church. I am anxious to see how that will turn out. When Bridget was that age, she screamed every Sunday for what seemed like months every time I attempted to leave her in there. George on the other hand walked right in and didn't look back. I am hoping that Liam will do the same.

I also have a few changes of my own that will be taking place in the new year. I have goals that I have set for myself. Many of them will help me when my life will change drastically in mid-January when my husband's busy season begins and I will be doing this parenting thing primarily on my own. Last year things ran so smoothly as I had the children on an excellent bedtime schedule that made the rest of their day easy for me. After my husband's busy season ended, the routine eventually stopped being followed. This year, my goal is to keep it going. 

My biggest goal, however, has to do with making goals. I will not necessarily be starting all of my goals on January 1st. I plan to implement them gradually so that I don't get burned out trying to stay on top of things. I also plan to list my goals here soon so that hopefully I can be more accountable for them. 

I am certainly ready for a fresh new beginning.

Week in Review 2015: #50

Life

We did a couple of fun things last Friday night. We drove to Raleigh to attend a Nativity Celebration and to watch Disney on Ice. We had a blast at both events. You can read about them in more detail by clicking on the links.

On Saturday, my husband took the boys to his parents house while Bridget and I spent the day together and watched a performance of The Nutcracker Ballet. It is an annual tradition of ours and we enjoyed it just as much this year as we have in the past. 

This week was also the last week of the year for all of our extracurricular activities. No gymnastics or dance until January! I'm a little excited about that. I really do not mind taking them to their classes, but it does feel nice that the only place we need to be for the next two weeks is church on Sunday.

In other news, we are getting closer to going under contract with our new house. There are a few more details to iron out and with my husband being an accountant, it makes the process take longer because he wants to know where all of the money is going, did we get a credit back for not including something, why does this cost this much when Lowes sells it for this much, it should not cost $1000 to install an oven... I could go on but I will stop there.

I was also forced to get a new phone this week. So far, I have been able to avoid having a smart phone. A few months ago, my dumb phone completely died. The battery would not hold a charge for even 5 minutes. My husband changed my phone to one of his old phones. This worked out for the first month, but the longest phone call I could have was 10 minutes before the phone shut off without warning. I had had enough of not having a reliable phone, so my husband ordered a brand new phone and phone plan and now I am rocking a smart phone with a pink case. I would still prefer not to have a smart phone, but technology will not let me stay behind. So far, my new phone is still being used only for phone calls and an occasional text message, so don't get too excited. I might decide to take a selfie one day, but don't hold your breath.

Homeschool 

We did a lot of math drill sheets at the beginning of the week and Bridget has gotten so much better at her +9 problems. She is also wanting to read more. No more nagging at her to get a boo kto practice reading. Instead, she grabs the Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading off of the bookshelf and sits at the homeschool table and reads whatever words she can. This is done during her free time, might I add.

We are still trying to get back on track but I am learning now not to stress it. We will be doing school next week to make up for the days we missed due to sickness. 

Linking up to:

Disney on Ice 2015

Last week, a dear friend of mine offered us her Disney on Ice tickets, as her family would be unable to attend the show. Not wanting the tickets to go to waste, she thought of my little family. I accepted her offer and the children were excited for the rest of the week and asked many times each day, "Is it time to go see the ice dancers now?" 

We were already planning on going to the Raleigh area that evening for a Nativity display, even though that plan was not yet set in stone because we had no idea what to expect and did not want to make the journey just to have it be a big flop (although it ended up being fantastic). The Disney on Ice tickets made the trip extra special. We took Bridget and George, leaving Liam at home with my parents. 

I loved seeing the looks of wonder on my children's faces as they watched the skaters dance on the ice dressed as some of their favorite Disney characters. I had never seen ice skating before (other than on television), so I was just  as excited. The show started with one of my favorites, Jiminy Cricket singing "When You Wish Upon A Star", with the Blue Fairy dancing on the ice.

Then came Bridget's favorite Disney characters from Beauty and the Beast! She was so excited and giddy! Rarely ever have I seen her express that sort of excitement in public. She was applauding and everything. 

Then many of the other Disney princesses came out. I tried to take photos of all of Bridget's favorites.

The dancers devoted a large segment of the show to the movie Frozen. My kids did not mind this at all. When Olaf came out, George started yelling, "It's Olaf! Look Mommy, it's Olaf!!!! Take a picture of Olaf!!!!!". I had the camera on him because of how excited he was, and he kept yelling at me over and over again and pointing his finger to Olaf. I finally turned the camera and got one of Olaf to make him happy.

A few other highlights of the show were of Aladdin and the Genie dancing to "Friend Like Me" (I still get teary-eyed when I hear Robin Williams' voice... brings back so many childhood memories of some of my favorite movies.)

I also liked the Mulan performance. I feel that this Disney "princess" does not get as much attention as the others, but I like her just the same.

The Lion King seemed to get the biggest audience reaction when Rafiki first came out and the "The Circle of Life" began playing. I failed to get pictures of that, but I did get Simba and Nala dancing to "Can You Feel the Love Tonight".

The finale:

We had such a great time. I am the worst at trying to remember to get tickets for shows like this and most often times don't even know they're playing until after the fact, so I know I would have never taken my kids to see Disney on Ice if the tickets hadn't been offered to me. Thank you!!

Week in Review 2015: #49

Life

Last Friday night we attended our church's annual Christmas party. During the party, the primary children got up to perform a few songs while dressed in costumes related to the Nativity. Bridget is always shy during this, and she had herself almost completely covered by her costume (she was a woman shepherd). George decided not to go up and that is okay since he is technically not a part of the primary yet (he's still in the nursery).

We also made a couple of Christmas ornaments out of perler beads this week. I brought them out while Liam was taking his nap. Bridget had a blast and could not decide what to make. George thought it was neat for awhile. He made the outer blue border around his star, but then wanted me to finish it while he picked the colors. Neither of the ornaments are very Christmas-y, but it is what the children wanted to make. They were very proud of their creations.

George and his blue star ornament

Bridget and her rainbow heart ornament

On Friday, Liam did not feel too good. He did not wake up until after 9 o'clock and by 10:30, he was asleep again in my arms. He didn't feel like he had a high fever or anything but was just very sleepy. He fell asleep again after lunch, this time in daddy's arms. That night, we had made plans to go to Raleigh for a couple of things (which I will blog about later) and my parents watched Liam at their house. He fell asleep there around 7:30 in the evening, which is rather early even for him. He is however, back to his normal self again.

I also took a break from blogging this week because I have been working on a homeschool-related project. My computer time is very limited, so I can either blog and/or browse Facebook, or I can get some actual work done. I opted for the latter this week and was able to get a good amount of work done, considering the interruptions I get every two minutes.

Homeschool 

As I had mentioned last week, we had gotten behind on our history notebook pages because I had only been making them a few at a time, but I am now working on just getting it all done for the year (and getting ahead for next year). In addition to that, I've made my own timeline cards. Nothing I found online was exactly what I wanted (I also need things to be very uniform). Because history is my favorite subject ever, my thoughts fly all over the place when I am teaching and I just need to stop and breathe and pick just a few additional topics to add to the curriculum (I could probably spend an entire year on ancient Greece). It is so easy to get lost in the study of the ancient world. Now that I've got it figured out, hopefully things will run more smoothly. 

I did manage to put together our Reading List for Story of the World, Volume 1 (Ancient Times) which will be an ongoing project, as we are barely halfway through the school year. 

Family Movie Night

With it being Christmas, we have been watching all of our Christmas movies almost daily. It has been nice and a real treat for the kids. 

Linking up to:

Reading List: Story of the World, Volume 1 (Ancient Times)

We are using Story of the World, Volume 1: Ancient Times in our homeschool this year. I knew the moment the first book came in the mail that this would be our history curriculum for the grammar and logic stages. We absolutely love it! Using this as our guide to the past, the real fun comes in with the additional reading! (We do not follow a separate literature curriculum, as all of our literature is based primarily on what we are studying in history. They go hand in hand.)

I have spent way too much time looking through our local children's library for books that would accompany each lesson (I can do this all online!). We have already read so many great books this year that I needed a place to document them so that I know what books to borrow when we cycle back around in four years with my younger children. I have also found books online that are highly recommended that I wish our library had. Some I was able to purchase, others I have not. I've included those here as well.

While I am currently only homeschooling a child in the grammar stage, I have come across a few books that are more appropriate for the logic stage and am recording them here for my own future use.

If you are unfamiliar with classical education, the "Grammar Stage" refers to grades 1-4 (or ages 6-9) and the "Logic Stage" refers to grades 5-8 (or ages 10-13). Books appropriate for the Grammar Stage are marked as "(G)" and books appropriate for the Logic Stage are marked with "(L)".

This list is still a work in progress.

Introduction: How Do We Know What Happened?

What is History?

Me and My Family Tree by Paul Showers (G) (L)

What is Archaeology?

Archaeologists Dig for Clues by Kate Duke (G)

The Magic School Bus Shows and Tells:A Book About Archaeology by Joanna Cole (G)

Chapter 1: The Earliest People

One Small Blue Bead by Byrd Baylor (G)

The First Dog by Jan Brett (G)

Little Grunt and the Big Egg by Tomie dePaola (G)

Discovery in the Cave by Mark Dubowsky (Step into Reading) (G)

The Secret Cave: Discovering Lascaux by Emily Arnold McCully (G)

The First Drawing by Mordicai Gerstein (G)

The Cave Painter of Lascaux by Roberta Angeletti (G)

First Painter by  Kathryn Lasky (L)

Boy of the Painted Cave by Justin F. Denzel (L)

Painters of the Caves by Patricia Lauber (L)

Maroo of the Winter Caves by Ann Turnbull (L)

Chapter 2: Egyptians Lived on the Nile River

Two Kingdoms Become One

---

Gods of Ancient Egypt

Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile by Tomie dePaola (G)

Croco’nile by Roy Gerrard

The Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt by Leonard Everett Fisher (G)

The Star-Bearer: A Creation Myth from Ancient Egypt by Dianne Hofmeyr (G)

The Voyage of Osiris by Gerald McDermott  (G)

Chapter 3: The First Writing

Hieroglyphs and Cuneiform

Seeker of Knowledge: The Man Who Deciphered Egyptian Hieroplyphs by James Rumford (G)

Chapter 4: The Old Kingdom of Egypt

Making Mummies

You Wouldn't Want to Be an Egyptian Mummy! by David Stewart (G)

Egyptian Pyramids

Zekmet The Stone Carver: A Tale of Ancient Egypt by Mary Stolz (G)

You Wouldn't Want to Be a Pyramid Builder! by Jacqueline Morley (G)

Chapter 5: The First Sumerian Dictator

Sargon and the Akkadians

The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella Story by Rebecca Hickox (G)

The Three Princes: A Tale from the Middle East by Eric A. Kimmel (G)

Chapter 6: The Jewish People

God Speaks to Abraham

The White Ram: A Story of Abraham and Isaac by Mordicai Gerstein

Joseph Goes to Egypt

The Coat of Many Colors by Jenny Koralek

Chapter 7: Hammurabi and the Babylonians

Hammurabi's Code

Ten Kings and the Worlds They Ruled by Milton Meltzer (L)

Chapter 8: The Assyrians

Shamshi-Adad, King of the Whole World

---

The Story of Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh the King by Ludmial Zeman (G)

The Revenge of Ishtar by Ludmila Zeman (G)

The Last Quest of Gilgamesh by Ludmila Zeman (G)

That is all for now! Check back in the future for additions to our reading list as we work our way through the ancient world! 

If you have a recommendation for a book that is not on my list, please let me know. We'd love to find it and read it for ourselves!

Meal Plan: Week 49

SUNDAY

Breakfast
Cereal
Lunch
Pancakes and Vegan Sausage
Snack
none--late lunch
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: Tomato Soup with Israeli Couscous

MONDAY

Breakfast
Toast with Peanut Butter, Fresh Fruit
Lunch
Chik'n Patty with Whole Wheat bun, Sweet Potato Fries, Mixed Fruit
Snack
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: Hawaiian-Style Tofu with Brown Rice

TUESDAY

Breakfast
Homemade Bread with Fruit Preserves
Lunch
Gardein Mandarin Chik'n, Brown Rice, Green Beans, Mandarin Oranges
Snack
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: Enchiladas, Refried Beans, Mexican Rice

 

WEDNESDAY

Breakfast
Pancakes and Vegan Sausage
Lunch
Southern Chickpea Salad, Crackers, Yellow Squash, Grapes
Snack
Chewy Ginger-Molasses Cookies
Dinner
Veggie Starter: Broccoli
Main Course: Baked Macaroni and Cheese

THURSDAY

Breakfast
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Lunch
Quesadillas, Apples
Snack
Chewy Ginger-Molasses Cookies
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: Sweet 'N Sour Meatballs and Vegetable Lo Mein

FRIDAY

Breakfast
Special K Red Berries with Soy Milk, Banana
Lunch
Gardein Fishless Filets, Whole Wheat Roll, Salad, Pineapple
Snack
Spiced Applesauce Cake
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: Leftovers

SATURDAY

Breakfast
Spiced Applesauce Cake
Lunch
Pigs in a Blanket, Tater Tots, Corn on the Cob
Snack
---
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Dinner: Copycat Wendy's Chili


Recipes for the meals above are provided in the appropriate link or will be provided in a later post.

Week in Review 2015: #47 and #48

Life

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at our house and both sets of grandparents were able to join us. We ate our dinner in the homeschool room, which is really our formal dining area. It is the only place that would accommodate two tables and enough chairs for all of us. This is where you can read about our Thanksgiving in more detail.

The weekend after Thanksgiving, we bought our Christmas tree and I let the older two children decorate it themselves. My youngest has done a great job at showing us how destructive he is. Thankfully, he has calmed down a bit and is used to the tree by now. He loves the colorful lights and admires them often.

 
Bridget often sets up the little chairs in the homeschool room to play "church" with her dolls. She sets it up as the primary room at church and has singing time and a lesson. Sometimes she is able to convince George to play with her. George was busy with other toys so this time, Liam became her live student. He was so proud to be included and he sat very nicely in the chair with all of the other students.

Bridget was absolutely tickled with Liam's cooperation. They were both being so very sweet.

After Thanksgiving, Amazon had some really great deals on some toys (I prefer to do all of my Christmas shopping this way... isn't online shopping just great?!?). Along with the more "fun" toys to be saved for Christmas, I also got a few "educational" toys and gave these to the kids early. One of them is this marble run. They had a blast! I put Liam down for his nap and set it up for them in their room so that they could see what it's all about. This occupied them for THREE HOURS, until Liam woke up and I made them put it away.

They just love seeing how things work and building things. I couldn't believe they played so well together for that long. It was a blessing because I have had a cold for the past couple of days. I really needed that break from the children where I can rest my voice and try to get better.

Homeschool 

We started off the week very strong but because of my cold and inability to read aloud without having a coughing fit, Bridget has had to do most of her work independently. This is where I love math drill sheets and writing copywork.

In an attempt to still be productive while I am sick, I spent my alone time at the computer working on notebook pages for history. I had gotten behind on that. I'm also revamping the lessons, adding lessons that are not part of SOTW and changing the SOTW lesson order around a bit. It's our first year of a full curriculum and I knew things would need to be tweaked after we got started.

Family Movie Night

With it being Christmas, we have been watching all of our Christmas movies almost daily. It has been nice and a real treat for the kids. 

Linking up to: