Homeschool Mother’s Journal

In my life this week…  I am on my own as Bryan goes back to work…, 5 kids and me.  It proves to be as chaotic and challenging as imagined!!

In our home school this week…  Letter A and beginning Letter S for Shand… The boys are studying a little sun and ocean currents and the water cycle… all the usual stovetop / kitchen experiments ensued… and we are beginning YOGA  for the Flexibly Impaired. 🙂  Sounds like us!! Some great mornings at the park with the soccer ball.  I just hold Zeke and Talia when she screams from dog-fear and lawn mower-fear

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing… Just our usual… Sports and Drama class, Keenan’s QUEST Language Arts classes, and we began the Swan Valley Rally… completing 5 of the clues before we had to end so the girls could nap.  Sister back from Melbourne trip… SO good to see them when they flew in!!

My favorite thing this week was… eating outside with the kids this evening, going to the park with the whole family in the mornings

Things that are working / not working for us… Bryan working the afternoon / evening shift.  I miss him in the evening, but it definitely works for now having him home to help get the day started!

A New Direction

or something like that.  Our lives.  Our home school.  Our parenting.  It’s bending in a new direction, though we are unsure exactly where that is going.

Our lives… trying to sell the house.  SO looking forward to less space and less stuff.  Moving to Australia in September or October.  Becoming more ‘green’ – more natural, more local, more organic, less pre-prepared food, less medicine.  Talking about Australia in using the trains system and buying bikes for everyone.  Finding all the local places for raw milk, meat, eggs, honey, veggies and fruit… self sustaining… though that is so far off its hardly a dream 🙂

Our home school… less school.  more life.  practical.  including them in our lives in the kitchen in the workshop (which we don’t have, but you get the idea).  more thinking.  more opportunities.  less planning. less tv and screen time.  less superheroes (is that possible – i think that is only my goal :)) more learning in context and interest led.

Our parenting… more positive. less punitive. more imaginative. less power struggle. more listening. less talking. more respect and honor all round. beginning with us.  more lead by example.  more family worship and family study and family learning.  Family meetings.  more follow through and consistency. more joy.

Its been happening a long time.  But now it feels like it is the both of us adults, not just me blabbing away and Bryan saying, sure, sounds great!

The next question we are dealing with.  Will I get dreads or not?  I have wanted them for a long time.  Bryan thinks its great.  We’ll see.

SQUASH and other seasonal frivolities

See the picture on my header?  That’s just the first of three squash shopping excursions… We have this need to eat squash at the moment, it seems… I don’t even LIKE squash.  Its ok.  I want to like it.  I know it’s good for me…

We had had regular baked squash, stuffed squash (like stuffed green peppers kind of, but squash), a new pumpking soup which was REALLY yummy, pumpkin blondies (not that great but the frosting?   oh my!! maple cream cheese), great pumpkin cookies… which weren’t great.  Here’s the stuffed squash:

I have another 15 or so recipes I am hoping to try! 🙂  So far we have eaten a small jack-o-lantern pumpkin that we stuffed (will try a different kind next time!), a blue kuri squash, a sweet mama, and another I forget…

Here’s an updated picture of the kitchen sill… check out the cool turban squash on the left… its multi colored and… turban shaped

In other news… Bryan cleaned the outside of my windows.  Yes. It is news-worthy!! We’ve talked about it for a long time, he inherited the monster ladder from Big Grandpa, and I feel thoroughly loved, besides my days being literally brighter!

The garage is cleaned out and I am now parking inside… which is fabulous as it was 18 degrees this morning.  Its so brown and dreary, and we are READY for some snow to brighten up the landscape!!! Anytime now!!

Yesterday,  Bryan got called in to take an ‘on-call’ day.  Which worked out great since Talia doesn’t sleep anymore since she has been sick… so I slept in. YEAH!  Then after a late coffee, we played Farkle (basically Zilch, or Krunch… depending on what you called the dice game you grew up with).  Had an early lunch since, somehow we forgot to feed the kids breakfast. (could be because they didn’t get up til NINE!! ?!?)  oops! LOL.  and then Bryan and the boys made nunchuks after lunch while the girls and I napped and did laundry.  What a wonderful, wonderful day!  I love home schooling!!

Phonics from a first grader

Thad: Mom, can’t it just be any letter that makes that sound?

unfortunately, no, our English language is not that simple.  Though I agree with him.  It should be! 🙂