For the Family's Sake

WEEKLY WRAP-UP ~ The Third Week of Advent

2011-12-17T11:54:00.000-08:00

Nothing spectacular going on - just PREPARATION. I love, love, love Advent and the message of preparing for Jesus' birth. I love Advent hymns especially with their haunting melodies. This week was an exceptional week for preparation - slow, time to rest, pray, and prepare - thanks to a brief illness that forced me to slow down.

Princess had two games this week - a win and a painful loss - and a chance to scout a team they will be playing in January. She also used the extra time at home to clean her room. Very important to my borderline OCD girlie, but sometimes life gets in the way and the little things, like dusting the corners, don't get done. She also did a chapter in Chemistry - more school than usually gets done in December! :) The senior high youth cooked dinner (breakfast for dinner) again on Wednesday and she got to do her favorite thing - make and eat pancakes.

With a 40% Off coupon from Hobby Lobby, Flower Child bought the ink pens. She is in love and has spent most of the week experimenting with them. Oddly, her interest in ink as a media started with a black india ink pen she found somewhere.

This isn't the best picture, but I wanted to share it because I thought the color was so cool. She was experimenting with the colors when she drew this. One wing without anything attached. Sometimes I worry she'll never finish anything...
I struggle with letting her go, letting her spend hours playing with paper and ink. But with her computer gone, math just isn't a possibility! :D

I thought this picture was funny. I got her a new sketch book to go along with the pens - normally she likes to use composition books (don't ask me why, the lines drive me nuts!) but the paper is too thin and ink bleeds through. Some day it will be a testament to the year Mama Lost Her Mind and 'gave up' on school.

Flower Child also STARTED cleaning her room. New clothes for her birthday necessitated the chore. She had to clean up the floor before she could get to the closet and start thinning the old clothes. :p Wish I would have taken a before picture! It's always a struggle because she finds lost projects and starts working on them again when she should be cleaning.

The Weekly Wrap-Up is taking a break until after Christmas, but I think this might be my last entry. I'm thinking of trying to write more daily updates as a journal of what the girls are doing. I tend to change my mind often, though, so who knows?

That's what we've been up to here in Wingfield. For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

A Day in the Life...

2011-12-15T11:53:00.000-08:00

What does unschooling look like in Wingfield?

It's a rainy, gray day here in Kentucky which means sleeping in - we get up with the sun and tend to sleep in when it isn't shining. This morning that meant 8:00am for me. Thirty minutes checking email and thirty minutes showering and getting dressed, then I head to the kitchen to make my to-do list and think about breakfast. I do the handful of dishes that are dirty all while giving thanks that Princess and I did the big pile of them last night. Did NOT want to wash dishes before bed, but it paid off this morning. :)

Einstein Bros Winter Blend in a pretty Christmas mug

At 9:45, I mention to the girls how late it is. They've both had a nagging cough for over a week, so I figure the extra rainy day sleep is a good thing. They get up and do their chores - litter box cleaning, bunny feeding, chicken feeding and egg gathering, switching the clothes to the dryer, etc. - while I start breakfast. Irish Oatmeal! Yum! With leftovers for oatmeal pancakes tomorrow morning. (Happy times!) As the oatmeal is cooking, I make coffee (no idea how I forgot to do this earlier :p) and start the next load of clothes.

We sit together for breakfast and talk about the day. Nothing big on the agenda today. When life is less rushed, we will do our morning devotion right after breakfast. Sadly, I haven't got back into the routine since I got back from staying with my mom. Everyone washes their own dish today - normally I would do it, but the only dirty dishes are our oatmeal bowls.

Flower Child and I clean out the wood stove. It really doesn't need it, but I decided to take advantage of our 70 degree weather and let the fire go completely out yesterday. It's MUCH easier cleaning when the coals aren't hot. Princess pops out of her room to sweep the floor when we're finished.

I decide to make Pioneer Woman's White Chili for tomorrow's dinner. Okay. I admit it, I *have* to make it today because I forgot to freeze the chicken thighs I bought at Sam's Monday. First, I sit and play advent hymns for about ten minutes. Flower Child reads the new Back Home magazine and asks me a million questions about tar and mortar, few of which I can answer. Princess is hiding in her room working on her DIVE Chemistry. I'm sure there's some texting and FB happening, too.

Flower Child helps me with the chili and also makes chicken noodle soup for her lunch with my leftover broth, some chopped celery, a handful of the chicken, and egg noodles. I show her how to chop the celery smaller after it's already partly chopped. In the middle she stops to play piano for a bit. After I fold the towels, finally, another cup of Winter blend and Facebook! While I'm writing this blog post Flower Child folds the load of lights. (The girls take turns each load, I fold the towels because I'm *cough* rather fastidious about how I like them folded.)

Flower Child decides to make Christmas cards from scrapbook paper and cardstock. She was inspired by a homemade card sent to us by one of my e-maginary friends. I'm desperately trying to finish this post, talk to the husband who arrived at 1:30, direct lunch making, finish the chili, and talking to everyone who keeps interrupting me. (Argh!) Princess needs the wrap changed on her splint and I need to change out of my grubby clothes and into basketball spectator attire!

At 2:30 pm, we'll pack up and head out to Columbia, Tennessee for Princess's basketball game. In the car, she and I will eat lunch (dad and Flower Child have already eaten) while she talks with her dad about the game. Flower Child will read and often we'll listen to music and sing along. Three games tonight - Boys JV, Girls Varsity, and Boys Varsity. We'll leave around 8:30 pm and look for somewhere to eat dinner.

Drive home. Chores. Crash.

Start all over again tomorrow!

WEEKLY WRAP-UP ~ more Life School!

2011-12-09T09:20:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to feel a bit like winter here in southern Kentucky. Cold. Gray. Rain. Time to break out my WINTER mug! (I also have a Christmas mug... I'm sure it's picture will pop up here soon.)

Cough and congestion came to visit this week along with the rain and cold weather. On top of that Flower Child's hard drive bit the dust, so no computer for math, science, or playing on the internet. More life school!

Because of the above, Flower Child read this week. A lot. Terrier, Bloodhound, and Mastiff from The Legend of Becca Cooper series, Clockwork Angel, and Real Lives: Eleven Teenagers Who Don't Go to School Tell Their Own Stories. Her iPod Touch has been glued to her hand, sometimes even when she's reading.

Funny truth. Real Lives is required reading at our house. Rest assured I do see the irony in ASSIGNING as required reading a book about UNSCHOOLING. :)

Princess had her usual basketball games and practice. Heartbreaking loss on Tuesday. Tonight she's playing against her long-time rival. I'm praying for a win! She's spent her week hanging out with her friend - home from public school after having her tonsils out, editing senior pictures she's taken, and baking cookies.

Last night we Austin FINALLY put up the Christmas Tree. Granted, it's not decorated. We're thinking we may not decorate it until just before Christmas. Two kittens in the house. Need I say more? It's a start. My November 'vacation' has really messed with my coping ability.

Speaking of Austin, he is LOVING his job. It's hard, dirty work, but he loves how every job is different and presents new challenges. My dad was able to see 'art' in his bricklaying and now my son sees 'art' in HVAC ducts. Pretty cool.

That's what we've been up to here in Wingfield. For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

WEEKLY WRAP-UP ~ back in the saddle... sort of...

2011-12-02T15:52:00.000-08:00

After spending pretty much the entire month of November in northeastern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin, I finally came home Sunday. My mom is still in the hospital, but after a valve replacement, bypass, and all the physical and occupational therapy that goes along with that she's doing far better than the last time I posted. This week was filled with our attempts to 'Get Back in the Saddle'!

After spending a month in a hospital room I just couldn't stay away. Just kidding. Princess's bff had surgery on Monday (tonsils out) and we went to the hospital so she could see her. We waited with bff's parents until she was out of surgery - which was successful PTL! - and then hurried off so we wouldn't be late for Princess's basketball game. Geography lesson of the week (which we, of all people, should have already understood!): there are no restaurants or gas stations 30 minutes south of the boonies. Royals lost by one point. :'(

OOPS! Not a design project, a SCIENCE EXPERIMENT....

Tuesday, I didn't have time to clean the kitchen (picked up during my absence, but not CLEANED, iykwim) *AND* make breakfast, so we packed up and went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. -blush- Basketball practice and the rest of the day is a blur... I think we ate dinner at home...

Wednesday, we deep-cleaned the dust and crumbs that had accumulated during November, brought in enough wood to last through the weekend (meaning, no need to sweep Thursday and Friday!), and I washed my smoke-infested sweaters. Cooking Advent dinner at church we learned the Proper Way to make lemon-pepper baked potatoes (roll... don't sprinkle) and got to spend time with our church family before service. Honestly, there's nothing I enjoy more than working with members of my church family. Yea, it's hard, sometimes boring, but the fellowship is always worth it. Thankful I didn't have to come up with something for dinner!

Flower Child was sick on Thursday, so sleeping in was on the agenda. Princess worked on college apps and then WE PICKED UP HER SENIOR PICS! Princess spent the night at her bff's while the husband, Flower Child, and I went out for dinner (still not organized enough to cook at home). I did manage to make cranberry relish (grabbed some cranberries and an orange when we flew into Kroger to get apples - our favorite snack) because I missed having it for Thanksgiving.

Today. Friday. Finally. A somewhat 'normal' day. Princess had early practice - we picked her up from bff's house and headed out. Flower Child decided to stay home. She baked. Sewed. Read. School-y stuff. There's evidence all around the house that tells me she had a very productive day. (Evidence that will make a very productive tomorrow. :D)

That's what we've been up to here in Wingfield. For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

WEEKLY WRAP-UP ~ the one where all plans for the year fly out the window...

2011-11-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

Once again school has to take a back seat to circumstances beyond our control. No worries, there's always room for real life in Life School.

As I mentioned yesterday, my mom is in ICU after a bad fall which worsened some other ongoing health problems. She is being evaluated for open heart surgery over the next few days and we are hopeful that surgeons will be able to repair her faulty heart valve, which will in turn improve the condition of her kidneys.

Princess is at home, working on chemistry, college applications, and going to basketball practice. I'm sure she's also getting a crash-course in home economics as she manages the house while her dad and brother are working. Life school.

Flower Child came with me, just in case Dad couldn't get off work and stay home. I don't like her home alone for long stretches with everyone more than an hour away. No problem. She brought some schoolish stuff to work on - her computer, Columbus and Sons (what she's reading right now), and her art stuff. I threw a Martin Luther biography at her as we were walking out the door. But mostly she has watched television (she swears The Discover Channel, but last night Discovery Channel sounded an awful lot like Dr. Who...) and hung out with her cousins. Life school.

The greatest benefit of home educating is the freedom to let LIFE dictate what's most important in the moment rather than a rigid school calendar. Life School.

That's what we've been up to here in Wingfield AND Waukegan. For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Welcome to the Stretch Generation

2011-11-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

Where to start...

I'm sitting in a hospital ICU room nearly 500 miles away from home with my mom. My older teenagers are at home with their dad and my 13yo is a few miles away with her cousin at my sister's house. Lots of time sitting and waiting leads to a lot of thinking. And I've decided we need to scrap the term 'sandwich generation'.

Sandwich implies that the filling in the middle is hugged by the two outside pieces of bread and all of the elements work perfectly in harmony with each other. That is certainly not how I feel! Maybe in the conservative Amish community or in families a hundred years the idea of three generations working and living together in harmony would stand up. Not so much today.

Another thought is that sandwich implies the 'filling' being squished between the outside pieces of 'bread'. This, too, implies a close relationship, where the middle generation is smothered by the younger and older ones. I can see this being valid for a family with three generations living together under one roof, but it still doesn't fit my family.

So forget 'sandwich'.

I'm going to call myself part of the Stretch Generation. As in, Stretch Armstrong, the amazing man who could have his arms stretched from here to tomorrow without breaking. I am stretched thin - pulled in one direction by my mom and her failing health, pulled in another by my high school senior who is in the midst of college and scholarship applications, basketball season, and a knee problem that needs to be seen by her orthopedist.

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

WEEKLY WRAP-UP ~ the week we needed

2011-10-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

Tough week to give a title.

I came out of the closet. It's hard to say much after an announcement like that, right?

Honestly, because of my health issues I didn't pay detailed attention to what was going on in the house.

Flower Child spent the greater part of the week drawing with chalk out on our sidewalk and patio, watching pastel tutorials online, and drawing with soft pastels on paper. Lots of pumpkins! There was a tiny chicken snake caught (by the cat), stuck in a jar, and studied in detail. She's also reading Treasure Island, but not enjoying it much because of the language. Not sure if it will get finished at this point.

Princess took a day to recover from her over-scheduled weekend - ACT on Saturday, lock-in for junior youth on Saturday night, and having to give one of the talks about last summer's mission trip with almost zero sleep at both services on Sunday morning. The Apologia Advanced Biology (The Human Body) came from Sonlight but we didn't open the box until today. She also spent one morning having her senior pictures taken and another day taking a friend's senior pictures.

We slept in whenever possible, hung out with Dad (who was home to take me to my doctor appointments this week), and watched some Friday Night Lights together. Not the most productive week, but the week we needed.

That's what we've been up to here in Wingfield. For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

It's beginning to look like...

2011-10-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

AUTUMN!

Another influence...

2011-10-23T17:30:00.000-07:00

I am in love with this poster. It rocked my world, reminded me of my own growing up years.

I have always been overly curious about the world around me. And my curiosity was both inspired and nurtured through the books I read. NOT the books I was assigned to read, but the books I found on my own. At the library, at yard sales, loaned to me by friends, in a box in my grandma's basement, in the paper bags my aunt and cousins sent to our house... and at my Most Favorite Place on Earth when I was a young teen: St. Vincent De Paul thrift store (they had an ENTIRE wall of books, old and new).

I'm not going to say I learned nothing from my public education, but I will say that the things I *remember* were the things I learned or reinforced through my reading, both fiction and non-fiction.

I can trust that my voracious reader WILL learn AND remember if I give her the time to read.

"Today for Show and Tell, I've brought a tiny marvel of nature: a single snowflake. I think we might all learn a lesson from how this utterly unique and exquisite crystal turns into an ordinary, boring molecule of water, just like every other one, when you bring it in the classroom. And now, while the analogy sinks in, I'll be leaving you drips and going outside."
~ Calvin, from Calvin & Hobbes

Coming out of the closet...

2011-10-23T17:21:00.000-07:00

I'm not even sure I can put this in print. Someone might come back and hold me to what I say ~~when~~ if I change my mind. AGAIN.

I am going to give this thing called unschooling a try.

Why now? Too much reading, for one.

For another, a health issue that's come up unexpectedly. It's going to chew up some of my time AND it's made me evaluate my priorities.

We've also realized that Flower Child isn't an ideal candidate for public school. Creative and curious while outspoken and opinionated... not the best combination for a place where sit-down-shut-up-spit-back is better appreciated.

My goals for the girls don't really change much because with the exception of introducing Flower Child to more classical literature, I made those goals with their personal goals in mind. Oh. And the Geography. I may have to let the Geography go. Or maybe I'll print off the workbook pages and see if they draw her interest. I've already had to table the geography for Princess - she asked to add a better Anatomy & Physiology course so she'll be better prepared for college. Exit Trail Guide to World Geography, enter Apologia Advanced Biology.

Maybe now my blog won't be so much philosophical meandering and I can get back to writing about what we're doing. ;)

WEEKLY WRAP-UP ~ The Quiet Room

2011-10-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, we're still living life at the speed of life, working out the little speed bumps, and trying to enjoy this season as much as possible.

My biggest stress this week was running out of lunch food - last weekend was overbooked and I never made it to Sam's. We ate out Thursday and Friday. Ugh. Sure, we have extra money in the budget but it is earmarked for gas. Time to let go of my Food Prejudices for a while, I think. Maybe I don't need to bring on the chips, but there might be some whole food cracker alternatives that would work. I think more sandwiches would be a good idea, too. Know of any great sandwich food blogs? I've got a couple from The Pioneer Woman Cooks, but they need to be grilled. I'm looking for cold sandwich ideas.

But what about the Quiet Room? When Princess is on the court, Flower Child and I sit in a classroom just next to the gym. For 2 1/2 hours she does school with minimal distraction. This is working better than coffee in the morning! No birds at the feeder, horses in the pen, room filled with 'stuff', neighbors cutting hay, or brothers to annoy. I am amazed by how much she gets done in that time. It's always fun to find a blessing in the midst of a stressful life!

Other than driving, school, and basketball we aren't doing much else here in Wingfield. For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

WEEKLY WRAP-UP ~ Living at Light Speed

2011-10-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

Given a week of rest and recharging last week, it's only natural that we'd have a crazy busy week when we got back. It didn't disappoint.

MONDAY
Orthodontist, trip 1 1/2 hours southwest to Ft. Campbell (prescription pick-up), drive 1 hour straight east to Gallatin for basketball practice, driving 1 1/4 hours north to home.

TUESDAY
Teen Meet! Lunch with friends, and basketball practice.

WEDNESDAY
School AT HOME! Laundry (exploding everywhere from the trip), orthodontist, and youth group at church. Flower Child decided to sort through her clothes. Ack! She overflowed into every room of the house.

THURSDAY
Morning at home, still working on laundry. Still trying to get Flower Child to contain her clothing in her own room. Basketball practice, evening with friends.

FRIDAY
Vanderbilt endocrinology appointment, basketball practice, Princess goes to her FIRST football game for her own school, birthday party for the older teens, home WAY too late after we lost track of time.

SATURDAY
Basketball practice (and to think she complained that in year's past they didn't practice enough!), home (briefly), Canadian Thanksgiving dinner with friends

SUNDAY
EARLY SERVICE! (WHAT were we thinking? Oh yea... Flower Child acolyting.) Home for a bit - Flower Child to a friend's house for the day, dad, me, and Princess back to town for SENIOR PICTURES, dinner out for the old folks, dad heads to Glasgow to pick up Flower Child, mom waits in town for Princess to finish up her night with friends.

Mileage grand total? 1,153 miles on Big Red (doesn't include the trips to Glasgow in dad's car)

Whew.

What a great week for Life School. Weeks like this used to destroy my emotional health. I *hate* being away from home that much. I *hate* doing all that driving. I *hate* having to eat convenience foods for breakfast, out for lunch, and quick packaged food for dinner. I *really hate* not getting to play online! Week's like this are enough to try the patience of Mother Teresa (who I guess is actually Blessed Teresa of Calcutta now, but that didn't have the same ring to it!

Long ago I learned to enjoy the small moments during those crazy weeks. Because even in the midst of a lot of rushing around, there are still little pockets of slow contentment to enjoy. Especially if you aren't busy obsessing about your horrible, busy life.

Smoking barns
Trees changing color
Lunch with the girls, laughing and talking
Eating and sharing with friends
Washing the smashed bugs of Big Red's windshield
The comfort of my bed after an especially busy day
A kind Pharmacy Tech at Ft. Campbell
Joking with the people in line at Wendy's
Watching Princess practice shooting for an hour - amazed at how much better she's getting
Discussing history and literature and science with Flower Child
Shopping the import store with Princess

What do I say to my next crazy-busy week? BRING IT ON!

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Defining educational needs...

2011-10-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm still at this. And I still haven't come up with any satisfactory answers.

I have come to the conclusion that the answer will be different for every family, and often different for each child within a family. If it's this complicated for such a small unit I see little hope for the system at large to ever get a 'right' answer to this question except for the vaguest 'reading', 'writing', and 'artithmetic' answers. (Maybe our ancestors were on to something?)

The most important goal I had for my children when we started this home education journey was to teach them to love the world. All of the world. While my heart was telling me to keep them close to home always, my head was telling me that I have no control over God's plans for my children's future vocation. I've always felt a certain responsibility to prepare them for work in the mission field overseas in the event that's what God had planned for them. It was sort of my way of giving up control.

Sonlight was my vehicle to accomplish this Herculean task.

The problem is that somewhere over the years my own love of history led to teaching history taking over my more important goal. Both my older two (one a graduate, one a senior) admit that while they don't much like history, it is/was their best subject. Ouch.

I have one year left to teach Princess, five left to teach Flower Child. I want to get back to that vision I had in 2000, that excitement I felt because we were going to do things differently than traditional school. I don't want to copy-cat what our culture THINKS we should be doing, but find a groove (glorified rut ;)) that combines both my desire to teach them about the rest of the world and their personal goals and needs.

My goals for both girls for the rest of this school year:

Continuing to study geography and the cultures of the world. Thankfully, they each have an excellent background in world history to help better understand each culture we study.
Learning to write confidently and well.

For Princess:

Prepare for the October 22nd ACT.
Have a solid foundation in College Algebra, Trigonometry, and Pre-Calculus before college (she's still considering majoring in math).
Continue to learn from her basketball coach (life and basketball skills), mentor the younger players on her team (even as she is being mentored), and practice all of those skills.
Continue to read classic literature and do more in-depth analysis of it (her personal goal).
Complete Chemistry to fulfill the Kentucky colleges graduation requirement.

For Flower Child:

Lay the foundation for future science studies with Integrated Chemistry & Phyics (her goals for the future tend to include options that will require a solid science background).
Introduce her to classic literature.
Continue her math studies (as preparation for her future vocation - see science).
Continue to study history, not in depth and with more emphasis on people, culture, and the arts.

Nice to have that written out. I want to continue having them read poetry weekly (NOT that it will be difficult to fit it in or get the kiddos to do it) and listen to a composer a week. I'm also hoping that within the schedule there will be enough free time for them to explore their interests as they pop up, even with the heavy basketball schedule. While I still feel the need to help schedule the 'needs', I'm hopeful I will also be flexible enough to allow an interest to take over our formal plans when they pop up. Even though I can't find it in me to be an unschooler, I still see the value of learning because the student chooses to learn something. :)

Another week of LIFE SCHOOL!

2011-10-03T19:32:00.000-07:00

What was I thinking?

I may use up all that extra emotional and mental energy I stored up last week at the beach before the end of our FIRST week back!

It is my own fault that this week is over-scheduled. Two orthodontist appointments, one morning of Teen Meet, an orthopedist appointment, and an endocrinologist appointment. I also had to run to Ft. Campbell (1 1/2 hours west) to pick up prescriptions between the orthodontist and basketball practice (1 hour east of Ft. Campbell) this morning. And did I mention basketball practice is four days a week starting this week?

It's unfortunate that everything is in the same week, but sometimes that's just how life happens. I've taken a deep breath, bought some of those convenience foods I normally turn my nose up at, and have done my best to map out how to get everyone where they need to be with the least amount of work. And I'm not stressing about school. Some days book work isn't the Main Thing.

And that's what REAL life is about.

Our school is all about learning in a real life setting, which is why I call it Life School. Not to worry, though, living in Southern Kentucky guarantees a handful of snow days every winter. Which means eight hours of school work with a few hot chocolate and movie breaks thrown in. Like real life, it all evens out in the end. No one part of our life is Most Important all the time (like brick & mortar school thinks it should be) and we can be flexible when one area does need a little more time than usual.

WEEKLY WRAP-UP ~ The one with the ultimate field trip

2011-10-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

After a smooth week of near-normal activity we did what every good homeschooling family should do: we drove eight hours south so we could have a week of school at the beach!

For the first time ever, Austin didn't go on vacation with us. It was nice only being a family of four when it came time to get a table at restaurants and our food bill was probably a third of what it normally is... but I would rather have had him with us.

We spent more time pool-side than last spring because the first few days the beach was infested with jellyfish. Great for science, not so great for swimming. S'okay - the pool was MUCH warmer in September!

For PE and more science (physics) the girls and dad tried kayaking. Loads of fun!

And Princess worked on her art - collage and photography.

I confess, this last minute trip was for my mental health. Next week Princess will start practicing four days a week, then the season will start followed by the holidays and cold weather. I wanted to start this busy season with my mental and emotional batteries recharged and the best way I know to do that is to spend time at the beach. It worked. :) And I didn't even read ONE book about educational philosophy or home education all week!

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ THE ONE WHERE THIS NEW LIFE FEELS ALMOST NORMAL

2011-09-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

While I've done a lot of thinking about what our year will look like this week, it still turned out to be a very productive one. Two hours of focused studying - much of it at her own direction - without all of the distractions of home in a windowless classroom has made Flower Child into a different student. A much happier one. At home there are animals (too many), the refrigerator, her room, internet access (think Webkinz & Facebook), the pool, birds at the feeders... you get the picture.

Thinkwell Math was a great choice for Flower Child! It's nice to not have the Math Battle every day. Even with my 'new direction', math still classifies as a need, so no amount of battles or tears will keep me from leading this kid to math. :)

Princess is still plugging away studying for the ACT and doing her DIVE Chemistry lessons. She likes it better than straight Apologia, but that doesn't mean much. Chemistry is just a box to check. She's working incredibly hard every day, practicing 2 1/2 to 3 hours, and her basketball skills are improving drastically. Her shooting percentages are incredible now! It's also been fascinating to watch them practice - her coach has them go through certain moves over and over and over again. Learning muscle memory just like at dance class. All those fancy Michael Jordan moves? They don't come naturally - they are practiced until they are second nature. A. Maze. Ing.

College mail is stacking up! Her first choice (Lindsey Wilson) hasn't changed, but she has added at least two that I know of to her list (Maryville in Tennessee and University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky). It cracks me up how persistent some of these places can be! There are quite a few now in the 'maybe' stack that were once 'nos', so I guess their mass mailings our worth the effort.

Aren't they so grown-up looking?

Austin started a new job on Wednesday. He went that first day with much trepidation and after a little verbal sparring with mom. He came home filled with excitement, telling me everything he did. Very cool. He is working for a neighbor who owns an HVAC company, crawling around under people's houses, tearing out ductwork, and learning how to install the new. It's a bit bittersweet... my grandpa was an HVAC guy, owned his own business when I was little until he retired. He would have been proud to watch his great-grandson learn this trade.

Flower Child (taken by Princess at the bonfire)

Friday night was the first teen social event of the school year: the annual bonfire and capture the flag night. It's always a big hit and even Austin ventured out of Wingfield to take part in the festivities. Princess is feeling her age a bit and felt a little out of place with all the younger kids (not too many older girls came, I guess.) Probably the last event all three will ever attend together. :'(

Next week we're taking our fall vacation - the one put off because of Irene. Austin won't be with us for the first time ever because of the new job. I'm sad. And not sad. It's cool to see the man he is becoming. The man he is. So we are off to Pensacola Beach again with the girls to enjoy the sun and surf. And to fill my floorboards with more white sand to replace that which the husband vacuumed up about a month ago.

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Renaissance Lady by Flower Child

2011-09-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

What is most amazing about this picture is that she drew it in Paint using nothing but her touch pad.

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

2011-09-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

This dude is our composer of the week. My goal is to listen to the music together in the car as we're driving to and from Gallatin.

I actually like his music, but as far as listening to it in the car? On sleepy, rainy days?

Not a good plan.

I think Bach is next. That is very, very good! We love Bach.

It's probably not nice to call one of the greatest Renaissance composers 'dude', huh?

Paradigm Shift

2011-09-20T21:55:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I am going to walk my 13yo through the steps to create her own blog. She doesn't know it yet. ;)

I really shouldn't have read that book. THAT book.

In my attempt to allow her more fluidity in learning, today Flower Child spent the afternoon (our 'school' time) writing about Cosimo d'Medici, learning German, and 'sketching' characters on the computer using her touch pad. She played basketball with a friend and read a good fluff book. It IS funny watching this fantasy-loving kid read Amish fiction. But I have mentioned before that she is my mini-me. :p

Princess studied for the ACT - she's on the math section of her prep book, watched last night's episode of a series she missed, had basketball practice for about 3 hours, went out for dinner with some new friends, sat in on a meeting, and chatted with me and texted a friend for the hour ride home.

Tomorrow is Science Day. LOL... it has to be, it's the only day we're home to do experiments. Princess will watch her experiment on the DIVE dvd and write up the lab. Flower Child will find everything to do her experiment and have at it. When she's done, she'll find new and unusual ways to play with the remnants of her science experiment. I will ask her if she finished the lab write-up... Last week wasn't too bad - instead of the typical post-experiment mess, we all had a snack of M&Ms. :D

Is it really a paradigm shift? Not really sure. I've always had odd ideas about education, I just don't always have the knack for putting my ideas into practice. Finding that right balance between formal classes and personal exploration is TOUGH. It would be so awesome to have a group of progressive friends to sit around with, drink coffee (or tea.. or water...) and discuss stuff like this!

Is history an educational 'need'?

2011-09-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

Unschooling Rules
#3 Learn something because you NEED it or because you LOVE it.

"The bloating of curricula comes from a simple flaw. Each generation believes that what they LOVE the next generation NEEDS."

Home educators seem to place an much stronger emphasis on teaching history than traditional brick & mortar schools.. I know I do... I *LOVE* history.

See where this is going?

So what say you - Is in-depth history a NEED? What would you consider to be an educational NEED?

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ GO, MOM, GO!

2011-09-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

Do you like my hat?

Confessions of an ADD homeschooling mom...
I got a little carried away trying to find a nice hat to add to this post. Eventually I remembered that this really isn't about the hat, I just liked the catchy Go, Dogs, Go! play on words. :p Isn't that a lovely purple hat, though? Oops! There I go again. :D This post is REALLY my Weekly Wrap-Up!

Yes, if I had to assign one word to our week this week it would be 'GO'. Two extra appointments, one field trip (postponed from last week because my car was in the shop), regular basketball practice, monthly yearbook meeting, and Wednesday night Catechism and senior high bible study made for one busy week. I estimate I put close to *700* miles on my beloved Big Red. Stressful. I want Big Red to last forever and ever because she is my favorite car ever and I know I have to buy something smaller when she finally dies.

This is Big Red. Isn't she pretty?

The combination of so much time out of the house, Flower Child's breakdown over a simple grammar assignment, and my reading the book Unschooling Rules has me questioning my whole approach to this school year. Again. What's really important? I have NOT dedicated myself for the last eleven years to my children's education so I can follow in the footsteps of traditional brick and mortar school. Yet I keep finding myself falling into that rut.

Monday was a good day. A typical day. Princess started her regular school schedule, Flower Child started Thinkwell math after finishing last year's BJU, I worked more on fall school schedules. The weather was beautiful.

Tuesday was not too bad. Austin had his annual ophthalmologist appointment in the morning. Flower Child sat with me at the office while Princess took senior pictures for a friend downtown. Lunch at Culver's with a friend and then practice in Gallatin. Princess had an unfortunate accident with a Route 44 Power Aid and she entertained us all the way home with her hyped-up self. (Note: Lots of sugar drink isn't a good plan for someone who normally only drinks water.)

Wednesday was busy, but awesome. Flower Child and I spent the day at the Frazier History Museum in Louisville. The exhibit Da Vinci: the Genius lined up perfectly with our traipse through The Renaissance. Lunch at an (almost) real Italian deli downtown made me a little homesick for Philly. We got home just in time to turn around and drive into town for church.

Thursday was a long day. Three sick kiddos. Ran to town to fill a prescription and pick up some Mucinex with REAL Sudafed so Princess could take it well before practice. Left early from practice so we could make it to the FIRST Yearbook meeting of the year. Yearbook is always fun - great fellowship and incredible food.

Friday is our rest and catch-up day. Thankfully, no practice on Friday afternoons so NOWHERE to go. Both girls are finishing up their school work for the week while I blog and clean up my old email accounts on yahoo and aol. You gotta love home education because where else can you use M&Ms for your science experiments?

This weekend will be the last weekend of work for the older two. Sunny, but cool, it will be a nice last weekend at the amusement park. Maybe not so nice for Princess at the water park. The highlight of the weekend will be the installation of our new pastor at Holy Trinity!

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Redundancy at its finest... (or yo-yo homeschooling revisited)

2011-09-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

#3: Learn something because you need it or because you love it.

The bloating of most curricula comes from a simple flaw. Each generation believes that what they love the next generation needs.

Only $0.99 for the Kindle download. What a bargain! How could I pass it up?

I should have passed it up. Not that the book is bad. Not that the author isn't presenting some thought-provoking ideas. Exactly because this is a good book filled with though-provoking ideas.

There are so many ideas about educational theory swimming around in my head. Yet, I still lack the courage to let go of the 'old'. I still find comfort in the 'usual'. But I am haunted by the 'possibilities'.

I don't agree with everything the author has written, but even those ideas where we disagree are great food for thought. I highly recommend this book!

A New Revelation

2011-09-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

We've been at this for so long that new revelations are few and far between, so today was extra special exciting.

Flower Child started her very first online course. Thinkwell 8th Grade Math. Here she is diligently *cough* working on her computer:

The first lesson is a review of Algebra. Having done Horizons Math through 5th grade she'd already been exposed to quite a bit of it, so the lesson was a tad redundant. The new revelation?

YOU CAN TALK BACK TO A VIDEO TEACHER AND NOT GET KICKED OUT OF CLASS! Evidently, it's fun to talk to the teacher at the same time he's talking. And then it's fun to switch the teacher's language to Spanish, even though you barely know how to count in Spanish.

Who knew math could be so entertaining?

(Sorry for the fuzzy pictures! I'm still taking them with my phone.)

The first week...

2011-09-11T18:38:00.000-07:00

Why is it always so hard to get that first week scheduled on paper? Once I get the first week done, the rest of the year seems to fly. But the first one in August? Usually doesn't end up done until September!

I am working on Princess's schedule. (That's her in the picture - isn't she cute? :D) She starts back full time TOMORROW. All I have to schedule are four subjects, two of which are very self-scheduling:

Saxon Advanced Math ~
I decided yesterday to have her keep going from where she stopped last year until after the ACT in October. Anything new she learns can only help her score. After the ACT, I'll have her start Thinkwell. Its purpose is to build an understanding she doesn't think she's getting with Saxon.

DIVE into Chemistry with BJU text ~
All I have to do is print the schedule from their website. They've done all the work for me. What could be simpler?

Lightning Literature British Lit: Early-Mid 19th Century ~
Honestly? They have a schedule already done, too. I just have to decide whether to use the semester or year plan. Or something in between. I'm a bit of a rebel that way - always needing to put my own spin on things.

Trail Guide to World Geography ~
Okay. THIS one actually has a bit of work to it. And I haven't even opened the books since the week they came.

I love everything she's doing this year so I have no idea why this is so difficult. Maybe it's just a bit of momma denial. Since her brother had no plans to go away for college this year nor did he participate in any graduation activities, his graduation was a bit anti-climactic. Everything stayed much the same except that I'm only planning school for two. This one has Plans, though. Plans that don't include living at home next year even if she's at the university in town.

Nah. I have this problem every year. I even posted about my procrastination a year ago on Facebook. A post I read as I was procrastinating working on schedules.

Anyone else have this problem?

UPDATE: I finished! Once I started writing it all sort of flowed. One week down!

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ VACATION... ?

2011-09-09T06:56:00.000-07:00

Traditionally, since beginning our homeschool journey we take a big family vacation the week after Labor Day. When the first two started working full time that shrunk down to Tuesday through Friday since they work weekends and the holiday. This year, with Hurricane Irene and dad's new job we just stayed home. Being the nice mom I am, I didn't make anyone do official school work this week. Flower Child and I did spend a *very chilly* day at Beech Bend with friends on Monday.

Planning for the fall term is going well and I'm happy with the way I've set the schedule up for Flower Child. Once we finish the Renaissance I need to choose between sticking with Tapestry alone, switching to Sonlight Core 100 alone, or doing a hybrid of the two. I hate decisions.

The arrival of my Hewitt Homeschooling Resources order was the highlight of the week - maybe the whole year! This is one curriculum that I wish I would have given a closer look years ago. Like before my teens started high school. I've never been 100% satisfied with Sonlight language arts and both of the older two were the victims of much experimenting for those years.

What do I like about Lightning Literature? First, I like that they have the students study fewer books more in depth. The literary analysis lessons are clear and concise (very much unlike Sonlight) while still being very thorough. I'm also pleased with the quality and quantity of the exercises in the Workbook. My only complaint is that I would like to see the junior high Student Guide and Workbook in a 3-ring binder (I paid $15 to have them cut and punched so I can put the pages in a binder.) The high school guide (which I haven't looked at yet) is in a binder.

The variety of high school literature studies (and recommendation from friends) drew me to the company - it's nice to see more than the tired old American and British literature selections. The World Literature I and World Literature II are also TRULY world literature courses, too. Selections are from Africa, Japan, the Middle East, Latin America, India, and China. It was really tough not to force Princess to do World Literature because *I* am so excited about it.

In the end, I let Princess choose which course she'd like to study this year. She chose British Literature: Early-Mid 19th Century because she enjoys reading literature from this period. It may have had something to do with the fact that she's already read Pride & Prejudice and Jane Eyre, too... :D In any case, I'm more interested in her putting her energy into the actual analysis rather than the reading, so I don't have a problem with her studying books she's already read.

I'm looking forward to opening that high school binder and planning for Princess! First, I'd like to finish Flower Child's schedule through the end of the Reformation. If I can quit procrastinating I *should* have that finished by the end of the weekend.

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Timelines

2011-09-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

I started our homeschool adventure using the Book of Time published by Sonlight for both of my students. It didn't take long to realize that a concrete-sequential seven year old girl and an artistically-inclined visual-spatial nine year old boy were NOT going to have the same vision of what that timeline should look like.

For the next few years, I used a homemade timeline printed on card stock and each child had his or her own binder. These were large and unwieldy, especially as we added maps and notebook pages to the binder. Eventually, as the older two entered the high school years and time became a premium, the timelines were left to gather dust on a shelf. Although I never quite figured exactly how I wanted to use them in my school, I never gave up the thought that they can be a valuable tool.

Today's ~~procrastination~~ lesson planning involved researching timeline information out on the 'net. Flower Child is moving into the Age of Discovery in history and one of the suggested assignments is a timeline. Given she is my second visual child, I've decided to have her create a timeline that will include the voyages of each major explorer as well as other science, art, and religious happenings of this period.

SQUIDOO LENSES
How to Make a Timeline: How to Easily Create any Kind of Timeline
Timelines for Homeschool
Timeline Templates

How To Set Up a History Notebook Using a Timeline and Notebook Pages
Homeschool in the Woods ~ wall-sized and notebook-sized timeline figures
Book of Centuries ~ free download from Simply Charlotte Mason
Timeline Printables ~ Guest Hollow
Charmaine Wistad's Timeline Book
Timeline Forms ~ Donna Young
History Timeline / Book of Centuries Notebooking System ~ Notebookingpages.com
Timeline Notebooking Pages ~ Notebooking Fairy
Notebooking Discovery ~ free timeline figures

At least everything is blue...

2011-09-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ FINDING THE GROOVE

2011-09-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

I spend a lot of time these days mourning the ‘perfect’ Charlotte Mason style school I’d love to have. This has been an annual occurrence for the last few years. High school has been fun, scary, interesting, wild, unpredictable… so many things. But it has not been what I envisioned all those years ago when we first start homeschooling. Yet the opportunities for my children to participate in organized sports in high school are the very reason they are home.

Another full week of basketball practice, this time without extra appointments and outside activities to juggle. I can see already that not having to leave until 1:00pm verses previous years' 11:30am - noon is making a huge difference. Just that one hour gives us time to do school in the morning, get ready for practice, and not feel rushed as we walk out the door.

Princess is working on ACT test preparation - she'll be taking the test for the second time in October. Flower Child finished reviewing where we left off last spring in Tapestry of Grace and added math, science, and Bible. No kinks yet with the schedule, but I really won’t have a good idea how everything is going to fit until the Lightning Lit arrives and I have time to read through teacher’s guides.

One wrench in my current plans is that Flower Child is considering playing basketball on the middle school team. For now she’s conditioning with the middle school and Varsity team alongside her sister. There are a lot of details that would need to be worked out for this to happen, plus there would have to be no Dive team during the winter.

It's difficult to write these updates when we really aren't doing school! But, I figure I'd better get in the habit right from the start, that way when life gets really crazy it'll be second nature. :)

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

2011-08-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

Cultivating an attitude of gratitude ~ #483-518!

watching the 2011-2012 junior high youth group together for the first time

Pastor Andrew Toopes - accepted the call to Holy Trinity this week

relief from financial pressures

a new homeschooling year, with new rules and new life lessons

Aaron Academy

grace

Words with Friends

calulators

A God who lets me start over every morning!

zinnias planted on the side of the house that thrived and took over my flower bed

kittens

hearing sweet things about my oldest daughter

caffeine

sunny days

house plants

DIVE science DVDs

the flexibility of homeschooling

Mirado black warrior pencils

the 'new normal' of three teenagers - more time alone with the husband

3-ring binders

good literature

adults who invest their time mentoring and training the next generation

young adults willing to invest themselves in the next generation - Amy and Heather

watching the 13yo getting excited about science

sitting at the table with the husband working and the daughter studying

highlighters

farmers' markets

Hardee's chicken biscuits

soft pillow cases

renewing and growing friendships through Facebook

parking lots

the chance to stay home with my children during their teen years

smiles

the privelege of praying with old and new friends

peace that passes all understanding… (see above)

sunflowers drawn by my daughter

Weekly Wrap-up ~ BACK-TO-SCHOOL BLAST!

2011-08-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

Back in the day, when homeschooling was still new and exciting we use to blast into our school year - we were never one of those families who added one or two subjects each week and eased into a full schedule. The first full day of public school we took a field trip to somewhere very public that would be very filled with kids on field trips in only a few weeks. My philosophy was that none of the schools had time to get permission slips back by the first day of school! But home education isn't static - it never should be static, its flexibility is one of its greatest assets - and teen-agers aren't as keen to take field trips as elementary students, so these days we just go with the flow of life.

I had good intentions to start the 2011-2012 school year on Monday. But life had other plans. In other words, I really should have looked at the calendar before making such a grand assumption that this would be a great week for school.

MONDAY
This was my last week of physical therapy, and Princess pointed out that Flower Child NEEDED to get her ears pierced before her ankle finishes healing. (I never did post that Flower Child broke her ankle, did I? She did - 5 1/2 weeks ago, doing nothing more exciting than standing. I should have posted.) Of course, we had to make it girls day out. Mom's PT, lunch at Panera, and Flower Child's ears.

TUESDAY
Our second Teen Meet of the school year was just as much fun as the first. This something new planned by another mom here in our county. Organization is definitely her gift and she is doing a FABULOUS job! And the timing of her starting this is perfect as Flower Child is starting to need more of a social life than in previous years, but she doesn't have the circle of friends her sister has. This week's topic: MANAGING A CHECKING ACCOUNT. The mom time is great, too. :)

With the Teen Meet in the morning and basketball in the afternoon, it was a sure thing that Princess wouldn't get any work done. BUT, amazingly, Flower Child and I sat in the classroom at the gym and got started. I introduced her to our new notebooking pages and we discussed a little about where we left off last fall. I had her re-read her assignments in Famous Men of the Renaissance & Reformation and the Historical Atlas to help set the stage for the year. Before that we made a trip to Walmart (now THAT was exciting - let's just say Hendersonville/Gallatin is an interesting place to get around!) to buy one of those fancy glue-tape contraptions that scrapbookers use for her notebooking pages. I figured it would travel better than glue or glue sticks.

WEDNESDAY
Physical Therapy again in the morning - last one, I'm now a GRADUATE! :) Princess bought her camera at Best Buy after weeks of excruciating research and debate.

Lunch at Wendy's. Hair cuts for all the girls, including mom. Plus color for mom and highlights for Flower Child to repair the color I did for her in July. That took all day. Guess how much school got done?

THURSDAY
NO CLUE what we did Thursday morning, but there must have been an errand in town because we ate lunch there before we headed to Gallatin. Much to my chagrin, Steak & Shake was packed (okay... NOT!), so we decided to try out the new HOME Café & Marketplace. The food was AMAZING, made all the better because the owners are committed to buying as much as possible locally. After that we headed to Gallatin for basketball practice and more school.

FRIDAY
Lazy morning waiting to hear if dad made it out of Philly. His flight had been cancelled the night before courtesy of Irene. Worked on lesson plans some and then headed to town for the BRHSA Back-to-School Bash and first yearbook meeting of the year. It's good to be getting back into the swing of things!

SATURDAY/SUNDAY
Back to work for the older two. Grocery shopping, cookie making, and a home-cooked dinner on Saturday. Church, youth planning, and junior high picnic on Sunday. Nice weekend!

So, not the big charge into the school year, but just a little wading, barely getting our toes wet. It was the perfect plan since we ended last year in the middle of Tapestry of Grace, Year 2, Week 11. Even though we had a lot of out-of-the-ordinary errands and are just getting used to being gone all afternoon, school added a bit of normalcy to the week and took the edge off the craziness. I'm looking forward to all the one-on-one I'm going to get with Flower Child this year while Princess is at practice!

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Accidental unschooling?

2011-08-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

We intended to start our school year this morning. Intended.

The week's schedule is turning out to be much fuller than I'd anticipated so we're going to wait another week. I can see this becoming a pattern....

Looking back....

2011-08-22T17:40:00.000-07:00

Six years ago today we landed in Kentucky. I wrote a long post about those horrible first months, but changed my mind about publishing it. Suffice to say it wasn't the best time.

I like to think that the experience has made me a more compassionate person.

Although sometimes I think I'd rather be a little less compassionate and live on the beach! :D

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ 2011-2012 Curriculum

2011-07-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

Summer is winding down and it's time to start thinking about the new school year. These are my first go at planning for the fall and are in no way my final choices. Once I start actually scheduling, it will be easier to see what we have time for and what fits together. :)

FLOWER CHILD - 8th grade

A Bible History
Thinkwell 8th grade Math
D.I.V.E. Integrated Chemistry & Physics
Trail Guide to U.S. Geography

English, History, Art, and Music will be pulled from Tapestry of Grace and Sonlight Core 100 (American History).

My goal is to focus on writing this school year. Given the possibility she will be in public high school, I'd like to ensure she has strong writing skills before she starts. Someone on The Well Trained Mind forums posted a link to these McGraw-Hill composition downloads and I plan to use parts of the 8th and 9th grade workbooks with her.

PRINCESS - 12th grade

:')

Thinkwell Pre-Calculus
D.I.V.E. Chemistry with BJU text
Trail Guide to World Geography

She'll also continue Government and Philosophy from Tapestry of Grace.

Hard to believe this may be our last year at home. That melancholy feeling is making planning more difficult.

And that's how things are shaping up here in Wingfield! To see what plans other homeschoolers around the world are making check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ the one where we find our summer routine

2011-06-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

We started the week with a surprise thunderstorm that rolled through right after church. Just in case the teens needed us, we decided to stay in town. I took a picture of the time and temperature because I can't remember the last time we had 60s during daylight hours. :) (No, it didn't last long...)

I haven't done a Weekly Wrap-Up for a few weeks because life was rushing at a pace I couldn't control. The older two started back to work, first only part of the week and then full time the week of Memorial Day. I've been packing lunches, driving back and forth, trying to coordinate my trips to town with their work schedule. Eventually, I found the courage to let Princess drive them to work. This week we seem to have settled into a nice ~~glorified rut~~ ~~groove~~ routine.

Since the older two leave for work at 8:30am, Flower Child and I have been getting up much earlier than we do during the school year. Generally, everyone is up by 7:30 am. (Actually, I've been waking up with the sun at 5:30, cursing the beautiful, but VERY sheer curtains in our bedroom.) I have to admit, though, that I've enjoyed getting up and going to bed earlier.

As soon as they leave at 8:30, I pick up the kitchen and wash the dishes. When the weather cooperates (and it has every day this week), I start a load of laundry in the washer. Flower Child does all the outside chores as I'm doing mine. She's getting paid $20/week to do her sibling's chores on top of her own.

By 9:30 at the latest, the two of us are sitting together in the family room reading through the first math lesson. Our goal is for her to finish two lesson every day, except when she has company. So far, so good. I check email while she does the first lesson, then after I've done the teaching part of the second lesson I'll get up and do another chore. Like hanging the laundry out. After math, she does as much science as she wants.

MONDAY was Turtle Science. Every year Flower Child brings home at least one box turtle, rescued from impending suicide on the road. She read the chapter on turtles in Anna Botsford Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study and also found some interesting turtle sites using Google. After her research, she made a few changes to her turtle's habitat. Somehow, the two days of Singapore science didn't quite measure up to playing with the turtle. ;)

TUESDAY she decided to try one of her dad's MREs for lunch.

Sloppy Joes. The meal itself was pretty good, but some of the side items were not so good. The bread looked downright scary, but it actually tasted good with the sloppy joe on it.

WEDNESDAY night she had training for VBS, which is next week. This will be Flower Child's first year as a youth helper and she's pretty excited. She made a BEAUTIFUL t-shirt for the week - pictures in next week's update, since it's still at church drying. It was a little bittersweet for me since neither Austin nor Princess will be there because of their work.

A friend of Flower Child's spent the night after VBS training and all day on THURSDAY. The sweet girls started the day with The Addams Family. I had forgotten how funny that show is! Then they walked back to the swimming hole, noting that the creek is mostly dry :'(, and spent an hour or so swimming and exploring. Grilled cheese for lunch, a couple more Addams Family episodes while the thunder passed through (no rain here), and then swimming in the pool. A near perfect day for a pair of 13yo nature lovers!

Yesterday, working *15* full days with no time off finally caught up to Princess and she asked if she could get off early. She spent the afternoon with her friends shopping at the mall and getting their nails done. Today, it was very apparent that her spirits are much improved!

Austin is working every day, but since he's been assigned to the games this year he rarely has to work until closing. Since he has to wait until Princess gets off, he hangs out with his friends at the park. This has been good, because he hasn't been nearly as tired this year. At first he didn't want to work in games, but now he loves the hours and the fact that he's out of the sun.

Today, we've been taking it slow. Flower Child is hanging out with dad, I've been doing laundry and playing on the computer, Austin is at the park (he got a day off) with his cousin. Princess is working until 7 and then going out for dinner with her lifeguard buddies.

This weekend is going to be another busy one! Princess is set to take the ACT Saturday morning, graduation party in the afternoon, and yearbook pick-up and signing in the evening. Sunday, Flower Child has to acolyte at 8am, so no sleeping in!

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ 2nd week of 'summer' vacation

2011-05-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

At least our weather was somewhat summery this week!

We stayed up late watching tv and slept in. Didn't do much around the house. We did manage two trips to the library and to read more than a handful of books, the older two went to a movie with friends, Flower Child had lots of dive, and Princess helped another friend get ready for prom. Thursday the girls went to Beech Bend with two other life guards, enjoying their last days of freedom before the water park opens. Poor Austin had to work Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

The highlight of MY week was raw fish on Thursday. :)

Saturday was the last day of regular season soccer. This is the first season in our five years here that we have not had a single game cancelled for weather. Yet, this last game was alternately hot and humid and cold and rainy!

Princess the ferocious Keeper Chick! (Don't you love the lime green?)

Flower Child - her chance to play on the field since big sis is taking care of the goal. (Stylin' in her kerchief!)

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ 1st week of 'summer' vacation

2011-05-06T10:19:00.000-07:00

I seem to have a mental block when it comes to remembering to put the Weekly Wrap-Up logo on the top of my posts. No idea why. At least I'm remembering to POST, right?

WILL WE KEEP POSTING UPDATES DURING THE SUMMER? Inquiring minds want to know. :)

All three kiddos are finished with scheduled school for the 2010-2011 school year. Time is going so fast! If I had to rate the year I'd say it was a very good one. Maybe one of our best. Figures we'd get it right just as the older two are graduating. ;)

I had some 'housekeeping' things on my to-do list for this week, things that need to be done to wrap up the school year, but we ended up actually cleaning house instead.

MONDAY - TUESDAY

We rearranged the living room (our gas fireplace was blocking the television and too big for its spot) and did some spring cleaning on the walls and baseboards. Not a huge, soul-lifting change, but enough to keep me happy for a bit. Yes, I still suffer from Post-Traumatic Moving Syndrome. One of the ways to overcome the symptoms is to occasionally rearrange the furniture in an attempt to trick your brain into thinking you've moved.

All the cleaning was to prep for Princess having a sleep-over with her 'peeps' (except the one in public school). Yup, six 15-17 year old girls in my house for almost 24 hours. :) They played some dance game on the Wii (I can never remember the name...), talked, goofed off, ate, talked some more, watched movies. They had planned to go outside and take pictures, but the weather didn't cooperate. They used to do this all the time during the year, but basketball interferes during the school year and work during the summer.

WEDNESDAY - THURSDAY

Dad unexpectedly came home two days early, so we've spent the last two days mostly goofing off with him. :) I met friends at Starbuck's and he took the kids to the movies. Best of all, he got to see Flower Child diving for the first time, including her first flips on the trampoline.

I've been working on an old blog that I've given a new design. Writing IS my outlet, but I always struggle with WHAT I should be writing. I've decided to make my Hidden Art of Homemaking blog specifically about food. It's not a huge leap, cooking IS my personal 'hidden art'. I love to cook and I love to try new things.

We tried two new restaurants in town this week. The first is Thai and it was very good. Moderately priced - about the same as the other Thai restaurant in town. The second is reasonably priced and serves Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese dishes. YUM!

FRIDAY

More goofing off. As I'm typing this, the chipper truck from our local line clearance tree trimming company is stuck in our field. :p They are here to drop of some wood chips for us. The men are off to help them out. Trying hard not to laugh. UPDATE: Elwood and Austin DID pull the big bucket truck out with our F-150! Oh, yea - Ford Tough! :D

Princess is going to a tea party this evening at a friend's church, Flower Child is 'creating', the boy is helping get the truck out of the mud, and I'm writing out my grocery list for tonight's shopping (stop laughing).

On the agenda for this weekend: pancake breakfast at some ungodly hour on Saturday morning, Austin's first day at work, Princess will be helping her bestie get ready for prom and then taking pictures, and the rest of us will be working around the house. I'm planning on a nice Sunday dinner, too, since it looks like no one has other obligations after church.

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Burying expectations...

2011-05-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

I am 45 years old and I still don't really know what I want to do when I grow up. Why, then, am I pushing my 19yo to figure out NOW what he wants to do?

I spent 17 some odd years in the soul-sucking maze we call public school. Culminating with that coveted prize - the bachelor's of science degree. Why? Because it was expected. It took me nearly ten years from start to finish (with quite a few years off in between) to actually finish that degree, mostly because I had no idea what I wanted to do and college seemed expensive and pointless.

Just before my 34th birthday, at the dawn of the 21st century, I quit my paying job and gave up the office that I'd worked so hard to earn (because it was expected) to stay home with my kiddos. Flower Child had just turned two and the older two were about to turn six and eight. Frankly, it was one of the scariest things I've ever done and yet once I was home there was incredible peace.

Previously, my older two had been enrolled in the local public school. Because it was expected. After one semester at home, I discovered that my son learned much better at home without the distraction of classmates and with the benefit of enough sleep and play time. We quit the public school and our kids came home to learn. (Flower Child has never been in a public school, although she went to our church preschool for one year.)

Over the last three years I have been slowly turning towards unschooling. First, relaxing my scheduling expectations to give my students more time for personal exploration. Also by choosing non-traditional materials and methods to teach traditional school subjects. I've encouraged my more traditional student to explore the arts, like photography and drawing, and I've tried not to complain when there was too much video game playing. These are my yo-yo years. :)

At 45, I'm ready to let go of my public-school, traditional-subject expectations for something new. It's about time.

I didn't choose to step so radically outside of the education box only to fill my children with expectations...

I want them to head out into the world, full of POSSIBILITIES.

Bento obsession....

2011-05-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

Remember my new obsession?

Here's my second go at it:

This isn't a meal, it's a snack for Flower Child to eat after dive tonight. I made one similar, but dairy-free for Princess, since she'll be tagging along with us. And one for me with CARROTS (I don't have braces ;)) and a roll.

Lettuce
Ham wrapped around string cheese (just ham for Princess)
Apple slices
blueberries
(2) strawberries
goldfish
chocolate chip cookie bar

What do you think? Am I ready for teddy bear sculpted hard-boiled eggs?

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ The one with all the water

2011-04-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

Five days of school, four days of rain, three days of serious storms. Springtime in Kentucky. One morning without electricity. Not enough good sleep, waiting and watching for tornado warnings. The rain and the resultant flooding may be a curse, but it was also our blessing on Wednesday as it kept the sun from coming out, keeping the temps lower. Lots of thunderstorms, some severe, but without that warming we avoided the tornado outbreak they were predicting. We came out of this week in much better shape than our neighbors to the south in Tennessee and Alabama!

MONDAY

The girls stayed home and worked on their school work. Me? I had to get up at the crack of dawn. Austin had to be dropped off for his orientation at 8:00 am. From there I drove the husband to the Nashville airport. Accuweather said sunny skies. Elizabetheyesweather said rainy, rainy, rainy. I got home just in time to turn around and drive back into town to pick up Austin. Lovely. Home again for a quick nap and time to drive back into town AGAIN for dive. I don't want to know how many miles I racked up and I *really* don't want to know how much I spent on gas!

TUESDAY

Flower Child enters the Renaissance! "The Renaissance is my favorite because nobody dies a horrible death and most of them are artists." This is the last week of Tapestry she'll do until next fall because we're going to spend some extra time in the period studying the artists, art, composers, and music of this era. Math was a battle again and I grudgingly recognized that during the school year she HAS to have caffeine in her coffee or she'll be in 7th grade math until she's thirty.

It's the last week of the month, so that means 4H. Today was Poultry Club where they talked about brooders and brooder design. In groups, they had to use various materials to 'build' the perfect chicken brooder:

They also talked a bit about mixing feed and the ratio of the the various grains that go into 50 lbs of feed.

WEDNESDAY

4H again. This time our general homeschool 4H club. A gentleman from the Department of Transportation came and gave a lecture on the physics of a car crash. Incredibly interesting! Princess, ever my 'little' mathematician, furiously worked through the worksheet, finishing the problems well before the end of the program. Flower Child had more fun with the hands-on demonstration of 'an object at rest tends to stay at rest until it's acted upon by another force.'

After that, Princess had her orientation at Beech Bend (didn't find out until later that she could have gone on Monday morning with Austin). We dropped her off and went to Starbuck's, not wanting to get out of the car in the rain. (Yes, I picked up a bag of leaded coffee!) :p That got boring so we decided to face the rain and go to the library after all. (While we were there another round of storms came through and a big tree was blown down not to far from the library.) It's good to have books to read!

Aislin had her first practice for dive team. Dive team, you ask? She's wanted to do this since she saw the high school team practicing during a swim team practice over five years ago. We're thrilled for her to have this opportunity because we've been looking for an outlet to fill her need to engage in risky behavior. She's being coached with six other teens by the WKU diving coach. This practice was on dry land at the college. Lots of strengthening and flexibility exercises, plus time on the trampoline. I stayed to watch, but probably won't in the future.

Dinner OUT at Puerto's and then home, sweet home.

THURSDAY

Home for a full day of school and chores. SUN! Not that we could do much in the yard since it more resembled a lake than a lawn.

Later in the evening, Flower Child's first dive team practice in the pool. (Sorry the picture is blurry, I took it with my phone.)

She LOVED it! It took her a while to get good posture on her front approach, but she did get it and had a little time to practice the back start.

Princess is very nearly done with her school work for the year and had some time to sit and read for fun. She came along to watch her bff, who is also on the team.

FRIDAY

Free time! Flower Child hung out with the neighbor all day, even skipping soccer practice. They spent time on the horses and just vegging.

Princess finished her last Advanced Math assignment - her LAST assignment for this year - and then had piano lessons in the afternoon. I went to Starbuck's for a Venti Mocha Frappuccino (yum!) and then sat and read. Beautiful sunny day with a nice breeze. Perfect. That thing was SWEET, though!

Princess decided to stay the night at her bff's, so after soccer practice the husband and I had a date night. Most awesome! We tried the new Thai restaurant in town - both of us give it a thumbs up.

Typical weekend with soccer and grocery shopping. No more school planning for this year, so it must be time to start obsessing about NEXT year! I have some serious thought about completely unschooling Flower Child once we finish the Renaissance unit. I figure I've made a good start by journaling each week with the Weekly Wrap-Up!

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Yo-Yo Homeschooling ~ Part Two

2011-04-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

Why am I obsessing about home education methods this late in the game? Charlotte Mason's methods have always been a good fit for my family. Yet, being more unschoolish and relaxed in those months after such a rigid schedule is a good fit, too.

While both methods feel 'right', sometimes I am frustrated by the fact that *I* am not the one in charge of the string.

And maybe, just maybe, if we give unschooling an honest to goodness chance, I'll find that it is a true fit for this family. And there won't be that sudden stop when the string runs out.

If I'm not in charge of the string in the first place, why shouldn't I let go of the yo-yo completely and see where our explorations might lead?

Yo-Yo Homeschooling

2011-04-28T15:34:00.000-07:00

This is what I'd like to call my personal method of educating my children. Maybe someday it will be known as the Elizabeth Hawks Method (just like Charlotte Mason's name ended up on her method) but for now I think it needs a more visual name. I'm a visual person, so that makes sense, right?

WHAT IS YO-YO HOMESCHOOLING?

Yo-Yo Homeschooling is a method that one grows into.

Many years of home educating generally coincides with many years of researching home education materials and methods. Did you know that there are easily 7,509,338,512 different home education materials available to home educators. (If you don't believe me, order the Rainbow Resource catalog.) 7,509,338,512 different choices, most of which are really good. There are also close to two million methods of home educating.

Life is good in the early years, when ones knowledge of Other Things is limited. I mean, it was really easy to choose between The Well Trained Mind and Sonlight. But then the Rainbow Resource catalog came in the mail and I actually read it. Cover to cover. (Don't laugh. I know I'm obsessive. And I read it cover to cover for at least three years running.) There was SO MUCH that I was missing!

Eventually a good homeschooling mentor told me that it wasn't about the materials, but about the method.    Yes, you already guessed it (I said, STOP LAUGHING!), I decided to research each and every one of those two million methods. Thankfully this is the internet age so I didn't have to lug thousands of books back and forth from the library, I could just sit at my desk and surf. Yes, I admit it, I also lugged hundreds of books back and forth from the library. And I ordered a couple from Rainbow Resource.

At this point, most home educators start to settle in to what works best for them and their children. Some stick with a very specific method and dove-tail their materials into that choice. Some overlap one or two closely related methods, still able to safely choose materials that reflect their style.   Then there are those who are drawn to two or three, somewhat similar methods and pick and choose as if they were in the grocery produce aisle. In polite circles this is called Eclectic Homeschooling. (Do you think they feel 'safer' since their inability to choose has a name?)

And then there is Yo-Yo Homeschooling.

Parents like me who are drawn to two very distinct, completely opposite methods of home education. (In polite circles this is usually considered some kind of mental illness, but I can't tell you the name of it because no one talks to me about it. Can't imagine why they don't....)

I consider myself primarily a Charlotte Mason educator.   Short lessons, lots of reading, nature study, art and music appreciation, history and literature twined together, and narration verses testing.   One of the key components of Ms. Mason's methods is DISCIPLINE.

(This is where it gets funny.)

I am also drawn to unschooling and the unschooling lifestyle. In the beginning, I wanted to homeschool because I was looking for my children to have a different kind of education. Vastly different from the regimental traditional school method that leaves little room for creativity and exploration. I see a plethora of a books and projects strewn through the house on all matter of subjects - from underwater basket weaving to organic chemistry. I envision weekly visits to art galleries and concerts from Bach to Bachman–Turner Overdrive! (Eek! Did I just date myself there?!)

The struggle between DISCIPLINE and FREEDOM.

In most years, I let down the yo-yo and it merrily goes on its way. Basketball season has a way of demanding a disciplined schedule with specific seat work and deadlines. And at this point it feels good to be Super Mom with Super Students.

Eventually the yo-yo gets to the end of the string. Usually with a strong jolt, before it's jerked in another direction. Field trips, sleeping late, piano practice for hours, six day internet searches on Gustav Klimt, and a lots of glitter. And at that point it feels good to be Super Mom with Super Students.

Discipline vs. Freedom. Charlotte Mason vs. Unschooling. Up vs. Down.

Yo-Yo Homeschooling

I think we need a support group.

Bento Boxes

2011-04-24T18:35:00.000-07:00

I am obsessed.

I think this is what happens when a mom home educates her kids for eleven years, during that time when she could have been making cutesie lunch boxes for her kiddos, and they suddenly are required to bring a lunch from home for work. No matter that they are 17 and 19. No matter that I pretty much sucked at the whole make-their-lunch thing when they were still in public school.

This is the latest object of my obsession. Aren't those Pooh-bears CUTE?! Don't you think every 19yo boy wants one in his lunch box?

Okay. I admit I am NOT seriously considering sending Pooh-bear decorated hard-boiled quail eggs in my 19yo's bento lunch box. Even though they really are CUTE, aren't they?

But I'm at a loss. What on earth does one put in a bento box for a 19yo bottomless pit? I did plan somewhat ahead. I bought two sets (eight containers) of the Easy Lunchboxes so I can send two a day - one with lunch stuff and one with snacks. Now I just have to figure out what to put in them! If you know any great links for bento blogs or cookbooks, let me know in the comments. Especially ideas for teen-age athletes. I'm hoping to keep up the tradition during basketball season next year so the girls and I aren't eating out as much.

Who I am feeding?
One previously mentioned 19yo bottomless pit who is a somewhat picky eater, but will eat almost any fruit. I imagine I'll be buying pepperoni in bulk (even if I hadn't bought the bento boxes!) and lots of different types of crackers.
One 17yo dairy-allergic lifeguard who doesn't eat much fruit (just strawberries, really) but is pretty experimental with anything else. I can see her boxes with lots of vegies - broccoli, cauliflower, carrots - and sushi at least once a week.

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ cough, sneeze, hack

2011-04-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

Allergies? Illness? Both? This was the week of illness in Wingfield. Lots of sleeping and not a lot of schooling going on. I think I'll still do the day-by-day just to keep me in the habit. ;)

MONDAY

Austin's regular endocrinologist appointment in Nashville. Made a Trader Joe's run so the pantry is stocked with pasta, meatballs, and pie crusts. The girls stayed home - Princess slept and Flower Child cleaned her room.

TUESDAY

Princess still too sick to do much but sleep. Flower Child worked more on her room, finished a math lesson, wrote a notebook page on John Wycliff, and did two loads of laundry (all hers). I have no memory of Tuesday, but evidently I blogged. There's a post to prove it. OH! Soccer practice for Flower Child - the weather was BEAUTIFUL! We stopped on the way home for PIZZA. First time in ages and it was yummy.

WEDNESDAY

Slept WAY late after being up all night because of the storms. We managed to do chores and eat breakfast in the morning. ~~Socialization~~ Socializing in the afternoon. All three kiddos went to the bowling alley with some friends while I ran errands. Princess still sick. :( She had me pick her up rather than go to the mall, she didn't have any energy left after the bowling alley.

THURSDAY

Typical school day. Princess worked on government and math. Machiavelli - just what every teen-age girl wants to read, right? Chased ~~the hummingbird~~ Flower Child around the house and threatened to sit on her if she didn't do her work. The sad truth is that caffeine free has been great for my health but not so great for her ability to concentrate.

I managed to clean off the kitchen island in between chases. Also got a bunch of the laundry out of the hallway. Whoo-hoo!

The husband blew in from parts north and decided at the last minute that he wanted to have soccer practice for the older kids. Yes, storms forecast AGAIN for Friday evening. The good news is that I got two and a half hours home alone. So what did I do? Lunch dishes and made dinner. :p

FRIDAY

Home, home all day. Love listening to the rumble of thunder. Especially from a gentle spring storm. During the day. Was entertained by Flower Child doing her geography assignment, she wasn't too happy she couldn't put Stockholm on the map she has. Soccer practice indeed cancelled due to more storms.

Leaving for church in a few. Looking forward to the solemn Good Friday service.

This weekend will be crazy busy. Soccer game in the morning for Princess, double header late afternoon for Flower Child. Setting up for Easter breakfast in between. It will be a LONG day in town, but at least we can look forward to lunch at the Chinese buffet. ;) Breakfast and worship Sunday morning and then a lazy day at home.

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

New recipe ~ Greek-Style Garlic Shrimp over Rice

2011-04-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

I modified this from the Greek-Style Garlic Shrimp and Orzo in Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats -- A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners cookbook. It is #149 on page 133. I didn't have orzo or enough cherry tomatoes to make the recipe as written, so I improvised with GREAT success.

1 lb shrimp, deveined and peeled, tails removed.
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 Tbs dried oregano or 2 Tbs fresh, chopped
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
Cooked rice

Add the 1/4 cup EVOO, onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes to your skillet. Turn on the heat to medium high and cook until the onions are translucent.
And the shrimp to the skillet and cook for a minute or so - make sure you stir and coat the shrimp with the mixture.
Add the can of diced tomatoes, olives, and oregano to the skillet. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the shrimp are firm and pink, then turn off the heat.

Serve over cooked rice (I started with about 2 cups of dry rice) and sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese.

This was INCREDIBLE! And so easy. I think it's good enough to make without the shrimp. I think I would let it cook longer, though, to give the juices some time to reduce.

It. Is. Finished.

2011-04-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

High school that is. Austin technically 'graduated' in December, but he's still had Government and Chemistry assignments to finish. On Thursday, he finished the last assignment.

I am officially not his teacher anymore.

I'm incredibly glad to have that burden lifted from my shoulders, yet incredibly sad (and scared?) that we won't spend as much time together anymore. But I guess that's what we're supposed to be working towards... independence. It's a bittersweet goal to meet!

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ school at last!

2011-04-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

No outside appointments, regular soccer practice, normal weather. FINALLY!

MONDAY

We did have another round of storms on Monday. Is this going to be a weekly thing? This round wasn't too bad out here in Wingfield so we had a full day of school and chores. The timing was great, too, since Flower Child was too sick for soccer practice and it ended up cancelled because of the weather. She slept most of the day and I even took a short nap with her. Princess finished an entire Advanced Math lesson and some of her reading.

TUESDAY

Wrapped up the some loose ends from our last week in The Middle Ages. Flower Child is OVERJOYED because that means she's one step closer to the Renaissance and all those wonderful painters. Every one just working one day at a time.

I finished Princess's school schedule for the rest of the year. And then I cried. It was the last history I will plan for her. Ever. Next year she will only do math and chemistry (or maybe physics... working on this.) It seems like overnight I've gone from three students to just one. Oh wait... it WAS overnight! :'(

Soccer practice, dinner out, and some shopping with the girls. Got to hang out with a friend for a bit during practice. We were freezing, but it was fun anyway.

WEDNESDAY

Another beautifully sunny morning, but had to start a fire in the fireplace. :( Low 60s in the house in the morning just doesn't work. We warm it up to about 74, let the fire die out and that's enough to keep us until the next morning. Thankfully, we did keep some wood up on the porch after Austin cleaned up the winter mess for 'just in case' so we had dry wood.

A little bit of school done and then we all headed to town so the kiddos could help a friend celebrate his birthday. They went to the movies, the mall, and the bowling alley. *I* got a pedicure. Finally. (Those nails were getting long!) After the movie, I took Flower Child to get a new go-phone and then the two of us went to church.

THURSDAY

Austin was off hauling cedar logs with a friend, so we had a nice quiet day here at home. Flower Child started Singapore Science... the first chapter is a little dry, so not a good first impression. Princess had another math problem I couldn't help her with. Ugh. Definitely hiring a tutor or sending her to the college next year!

Dad got home and came with the girls and I to town. Princess had her piano lesson and the rest of us went to Starbuck's. We tried to play a game of Scrabble, but the game is in sad shape. Missing letter, can't read some of the tiles, somehow two Qs, and the tiles don't stay where they should. Words with Friends is MUCH easier!

FRIDAY

More strong storms predicted. Assuming soccer practice will be cancelled tonight.

The girls weren't planning to go, they have the semi-formal contra dance tonight. :) They are doing hair as I type this even though it's only 11:46 am. I'm wondering how their curly hair straightened will hold up in all this rain and humidity. I'll add pictures tomorrow.

Austin has less than two scheduled days to go and then he is DONE. Ready to GRADUATE! As much as I love planning school, it will be a huge relief not to have to do battle with him about this any more. He says that he will finish today. Fingers crossed.

Soccer games this weekend and yard work. Typical spring weekend. Sunday is Palm Sunday and I'm REALLY looking forward to that! I *love* the traditional hymns we sing for that day. Ride On, Ride On in Majesty... All Glory, Laud, and Honor... Hosanna, Loud Hosanna...

"Hosanna!"

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

"Blessed is the King of Israel!"

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Learning to surf...

2011-04-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

The girls first try surfing ~ Pensacola Beach, Florida ~ March 2011

All those ballet lessons paid off. :) Austin didn't do too badly, either, but by the time I started taking pictures he had gone back inside. Bummed that I didn't get any of him!

Fun with lunch...

2011-04-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

I'm not the most creative mom on the planet. I did, on occasion, cut sandwiches into flower or star shapes at lunch time. On occasion.

A friend posted a link to Easy Lunchboxes.com. These are incredibly cool! I bought two sets. :)

With two teens who will need to bring their lunch to work all summer, these will come in very handy. With three separate compartments, I'll remember to add a variety of healthy foods. With only two pieces, they are less likely to get lost.

I think Austin (age 19) would LOVE this one! :D

They'll come in handy for Flower Child and I, too, as we go off on our adventures this summer. One of my goals is to eat out less. A LOT LESS. The combination of the great containers plus several blogs with ideas for filling them gives me hope that I'll be able to keep this goal.

2011-04-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

Cultivating an attitude of gratitude ~ #470-482!

singing 'You are my sunshine' to my sick 13yo

just like I did when she was little

a full day at home, nowhere to go

dinner with friends and all our kiddos

watching my long-legged girlie take the ball down the field

coffee already brewed and ready to go first thing in the morning

driving to our creek with the husband and youngest

sitting and listening to the water rush over the rocks

sound of rain on the patio

my sweet 17yo home from her spring break trip to Branson

a week of sunshine and warm weather

that makes this rain a welcome change

a bluebird in the tree outside my window

(we don't see many this close to this house)

touring the new farm store in town with the family

hot dogs at Sam's

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ Really and truly spring!

2011-04-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

The weather this week has been most beautiful - definitely spring-like. Still just a bit too cold for morning coffee outside unless I'm wearing sweats and a hoodie, but the bite is gone from the air and it won't be long before I'll get to spend my quiet time on the patio.

It's spring break for the public school kids, so no soccer practice this week. (Hooray!) It's nice not having to run into town at night. We dropped Princess off at one of her bffs Tuesday night - she's spending the rest of the week with her family in Branson, Missouri. Her absence, coupled by the fact that no one finished all of their work from last week, made this week another one of those 'out of normal' weeks. Austin and Flower Child have been getting along so well I've let them play xBox every night for hours. I'm starting to wonder if we even HAVE 'normal' weeks around here!

Why do they get along when Princess is gone?

MONDAY

Definitely spring. Temps in the low 80s. Of course, 80 degree temps in spring time can only mean one thing: STORMS. Monday did not disappoint. Thankfully, we had no reason to be in town so we just hunkered down at home and watched the sky. And the local television coverage of the storm. We did have a couple of scary moments, but thankfully no hail or wind damage here.

When we weren't staying away from the windows, the girls finished up their work from last week. Advanced Math for Princess, history and geography for Flower Child. I missed a great opportunity to talk with Flower Child about the earthquake in Japan - her geography assignment was Japan. -smacks forehead- Austin was home and worked diligently (NOT!) on his last few assignments.

For the first time this year, Princess had a math problem that neither of us understood. It was fun working through it together (we both did it differently than Saxon Teacher) and then researching to find out why she did it differently. I am AMAZED at how much geometry and trig I remember!

TUESDAY

Loved these two, but they weren't the winners.

Spent the day in town. :) Dress shopping for both girls for the upcoming semi-formal Contra Dance. Shoe shopping for both girls for the upcoming semi-formal Contra Dance. And then an unplanned stop at Victoria's Secret for someone who I found needs more than Justice has to offer. (And a funny visit by our pastor - lots of teasing, not everyone gets to see their pastor at VS, right? His dd was shopping with us.) Lunch at Panera Bread and then a quick stop for Princess to have her bangs trimmed before the Big Trip. Austin and friends hit the arcade and went to a movie. Somehow dress shopping didn't appeal to him. :p

WEDNESDAY

Nothing exciting. Just chores, school work, and church. I mowed the front yard because the wild onions looked funny. We had dinner at Cheddar's and I tried the Buffalo Chicken wrap. YUM-OH! I'm going to figure out how to make them at home!

The girls are moving into the Renaissance and Reformation in Tapestry of Grace and I decided to look for poetry books from that time period. (Something I've not done before.) I ordered Poetry for Young People: William Shakespeare and The Penguin Book of Renaissance Verse: 1509-1659. They came in the mail today. :) I'm not assigning the Renaissance book... just letting Flower Child read it at her leisure picking out the poetry that's interesting to her. (Is that sort of unschoolish?) Oh... and she LOVES both books! The illustrations in the Shakespeare books are incredible.

THURSDAY

Another full day at home. More gorgeous weather. We let the dogs out for over an hour and just sat and watched them. Austin also cleaned all of the ashes out of the wood stove while all three of us swept the hearth and cleaned up the family room for summer. I'm hoping we won't need the stove again until next fall!

Notice the Peace Lily on the stove? A sure sign of summer!

Aislin has moved into a pre-algebra chapter in math. SING PRAISES! She loved it and said it was EASY. I pray that ALL of algebra gets the same attitude. ;) It does make me feel better about her starting algebra next year - her mental lapses regarding fractions makes me nervous.

FRIDAY

I thought today was going to be a quiet day a home. At home, but too much thought going on for it to be quiet. :p First thing had to make a decision about whether to drive down to Ft. Campbell and beg for insulin, just in case they are closed when Austin runs out because of the shut-down (decided NOT to go).

Austin and Flower Child are working on school. Earlier he did the dishes for me (hooray!) while I was paying bills online. In a bit, we're going to drive back and see if the fire did any damage to our woods - whoo-hoo, mudding! Later, soccer practice and dropping Flower Child off at the mall so she can spend the night with a friend. MAYBE dinner out for the hubby and I - ALONE!

This weekend, soccer games Saturday at 10:30am and 4:30pm. Hopefully moving off the nasty practice fields and to the Bermuda fields. Dinner and auction at the fire house, always something to look forward to. We've missed it the last two years because of middle-of-the day soccer games. Anxiously awaiting Princess's return on Sunday!

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

So, I have to feed them... again?!

2011-04-07T11:22:00.000-07:00

One of my goals for this new blog was for me to open up more and be real about our daily lives. Somewhere in my journey I picked up the habit of never sharing anything negative about our family, especially about school. Probably during those days when all of the grandparents were skeptical and their first answer to every problem was, "Send them to school!"

Honest moment for April.

I struggle to cook good, healthy meals for my family. Actually, I struggle to cook at all. Which is just plain weird because I *love* to cook! My problem is with the mundane planning, the mundane day in and day out chore of putting food on the table. I have very little appetite and would most likely forget to cook anything if the kiddos weren't here every day. NOT good. NOT healthy.

Add in one who is allergic to dairy and probably one or more other foods. And I am overwhelmed thinking about the process of determining what else she is allergic to. Wheat really needs to go. Yet I can't cook with normal parameters, how will I cope with something more restrictive?

Any ideas? How have you managed this?

Once upon a time I was GREAT at meal planning. I have a weekly chart that I print on Friday. In the past, I would jot down any activities for the week in small letters and then plan for the full week of meals. From that, I would make my grocery shopping list. I was a model of organization and planning!

Now, I print out the chart, jot in the activities, and stare blankly at it for days. :( Occasionally a new recipe will fall in my lap that I *must* try, so ONE lunch or dinner will be planned. Yesterday we had sandwiches for lunch. We had to run up to our country store and buy the lunch meat. I ended up taking Austin and Flower Child out after church because I just couldn't think of anything else to make.

I guess I've taken the first step. I've admitted I have a problem. What next?

2011-04-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

Cultivating an attitude of gratitude ~ #448-469!

spring thunderstorms WITHOUT hail and tornadoes

big brothers and little sisters hanging out together

Pr. Mader singing the liturgy Sunday morning - SO beautiful!

rain to fill ponds
and water newly planted vegetables and flowers

WBKO weather live :)

Zuma (not to be confused with ZumBa)

warm, sunny weekend - perfect for planting and mulching

working together, as a family, spreading mulch and planting

Kohl's - always ready when a certain someone needs dress pants

Sunday dinners with the kiddos

Congregation at Prayer

thunder

son helping me with a dirty, nasty chore this morning

nowhere to go - snug safe at home - on this gray, rainy day

decaffeinated coffee

teen-age daughters who aren't embarrassed
to want to be princesses

prom dresses

GOOD defenders
(any mom of a goalkeeper will understand this one!)

redbud trees

teen-age daughter learning a PRICELESS life lesson,
without too much pain

watching entire families communing together at the Lord's Table

BEING that family at the table

THAT kind of childhood...

2011-04-03T19:19:00.000-07:00

Leave Those Kids Alone
Childhood is more than merely a springboard to adulthood.
By Christina Schwarz

Playtime has been replaced by lessons with professionals. And, while parents have always constrained children’s activities out of fear for their safety—“kite flying … could frighten horses and cause accidents,” cautions a catalog of games from 1802—the effort to protect children from every possible hazard has intensified so much that kids during recess are no longer allowed to chase, climb high, or hide (and that’s if they’re even lucky enough to get recess at all). These factors have made unstructured play nearly impossible. Even if an individual kid has a moment of free time and is allowed out of the house on his own, his friends are trapped in after-school care, reporting to soccer practice, or feverishly learning Mandarin, portrait painting, or trapeze artistry. Of course, everyone knows this story, which has now reached the chapter about childhood obesity and video games.

Home educators seem doubly cursed with this need for 'structured' activity. The need for every. little. thing. to somehow be an Educational Activity. And little time leftover after all those Educational Activities to just hang out at the park and climb up the slide backwards. (I confess that I'm guilty, too. I think my kids thought the only words I could say at the park were, "Slides are for going down, not up.")

Reading this reminded me of one of my favorite home school memories. Years ago, when we still lived in central Illinois, a group of families got together every Friday afternoon for 'soccer'. The little ones played in the safely fenced playground, moms sat together and talked, and the bigger kids played 'soccer'. At least that was the plan. That group of kids - aged 7 to 19 - played the game they wanted with the rules they wanted, no adults interfering. Most days it was soccer, some days it was flag football with special rules. Like 10 year old boys can 'tackle' 19 year old boys... and get a free piggy-back ride in the process. It's been nine years since those Friday afternoons and the memory is still fresh in my head - because it was so much fun for all of us!

I'm thankful that my kids have been able to have THAT kind of childhood - filled with free play, imagination, and lots of opportunity to get in 'trouble'. :) Not only have they had free time (thanks to home schooling), but we've been blessed to have neighbors available for them to play with.

LOL... just one more reason that we're ODD! :D

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ nothing exciting

2011-04-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

This week was so 'normal' that I had to go back to my calendar to remember exactly what we did this week! It was a typical school week with only one interruption.

The big excitement of the week was Tuesday morning. Flower Child became the last one to get braces. For now only on the top, but in about three months she'll have them on both top and bottom. As a sign of her contrary nature, she chose NOT to get the clear brackets like Princess just because Princess has them. -insert rolling eyes smiley-

Our morning bible study/devotion is going GREAT! We started doing this again after taking a year off and trying something different (without success) last fall. LOL... these days, I feel like we've had a successful day if this is the ONLY thing we get done. Small goals equals happy mom.

This was also my first full week caffeine-free. It's working well for me, not so well for my little ADD hummingbird Flower Child. I'm embarrassed to admit that I've resorted to morning Mountain Dew Throw-backs for her... :p I feel MUCH better, though! Each tiny change brings a tiny victory that brings me one step closer to the healthy person I was six years ago. I may never make it all the way back to that person, but closer is still better!

I wonder if I should blame the sudden loss of basic math skills on the lack of caffeine, the spring weather, or the 13-yo brain. For about twenty-four hours, a certain 13yo had a complete mental math breakdown and forgot how to divide fractions and convert fractions to decimals. Thankfully, a quick ten minute lesson and a Mountain Dew remedied the situation. (What WILL I do when this kid is in Algebra?!)

We almost missed Princess's soccer game on Saturday. Embarrassing considering her dad is the coach! Caught the mistake at the last minute - whew! She played a great half in the goal - allowing three goals. She also got plowed illegally TWICE by someone on the other team. Her dad had words (nice words ;)) with the referee... who chuckled when dad's last words were, 'you know that's my baby girl in the goal.' (All six foot of her!)

The warmer weather is still making my mind wander towards unschooling. Does this happen to anyone else in the spring? I know it's a natural response to our overly structured basketball season days and it usually goes away after a couple of weeks. This year the desire seems to be lingering... probably because of our trip to the BEACH!

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Homeschool Hypocrisy

2011-03-31T16:53:00.000-07:00

One thing Sharee wrote in her blog, Dangerous Minds, really resonates with me...

State homeschool conferences are limiting the free exchange of ideas. They are limiting parental choices. They are attempting to take away the very freedom that attracted most of us to homeschooling to begin with.

This is hypocrisy in its purest form.

I think it's important to note that this hypocrisy isn't anything new.

As long as I've been home educating, HSLDA and Home Education Magazine have agreed on one point. (LOL... and I think ONLY one point!) Lobbying against charter schools of all types at all costs.

I've always thought it odd that the very people who fought long and hard for the freedom to educate their children as they saw fit turned around and are now fighting to limit the educational choices of other families.

Rational fear...

2011-03-31T16:33:00.000-07:00

Circling the wagons has been a huge part of the homeschool world in all the years I've been teaching my own kids at home. Once upon a time, just being Christian was enough. But as the movement has grown and more and more families are choosing to educate at home, the wagons are being drawn in to a smaller and smaller circle. Where before we were only to fear unbelievers, today we are expected to fear 'liberal' Christians, Catholics, and (as evidenced by the response to Ken Ham's professional faux pas) old earth creationists.

I feared this was the direction the Christian homeschool movement would head years ago. I read somewhere (where? it was at least ten years ago! :p) that Christian homeschool leadership was NOT to be elected, but rather new leaders would be chosen and groomed by the old, thus ensuring the 'purity' of the organization. Today we have organizations who claim to speak for all Christian home educators who actually represent only a minority.

We've come to a point where a nationally known homeschool speaker felt he could accuse other speakers of not being Christian (at a convention where both were speaking) without recourse. Except this convention wasn't run by those hand-picked state leaders, it is private enterprise attempting to serve ALL home educators. And he got called out on his bad behavior.

I wish I could say that was the end of the controversy, but I think it's only just beginning. *sigh*

For now, I share with you a great blog post by a fellow Sonlight curriculum user.
Dangerous Minds

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ home ??? school

2011-03-26T18:35:00.000-07:00

MONDAY
Recover. Laundry. Groceries. Enjoy nice weather. Grocery shopping (ugh).

TUESDAY
More laundry. Orthodontist (moved earlier in the day at the last minute.) Barnes & Noble. Poultry Club.

Love Flower Child's Poultry Club! The ADULTS are just as excited about it as the kids. :) After the orthodontist visit, I'm encouraging her to do show AND production... we're going to need the $$$ to pay for her orthodontia! :p

WEDNESDAY
More laundry. School. Basketball for Princess. Regular 4H for Flower Child. Paid my debt to ~~society~~ the library so we can check out books again. Both girls practiced piano.

THURSDAY
HOME! Princess worked on her chemistry and advanced math. Flower Child made bracelets, did some spanish, a math lesson, and messed around with her new shell collection. I cleaned out my closet and got rid of three big bags of clothes. (Yea! Room!) They took turns playing piano.

FRIDAY
Princess and a friend hung out at the mall while I got my hair done. Princess had piano lessons. NO idea what Flower Child did at home. :) That was dad's responsibility. ;)

It doesn't seem like much written out, but I am exhausted! And there wasn't even any soccer practice this week. Flower Child's coach is on vacation and Princess's got rained out. Next week promises to be a more typical week with the exception of Flower Child getting her braces Tuesday. I imagine there will be a stop at Starbuck's for a smoothie afterwards.

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Processing...

2011-03-24T07:11:00.000-07:00

Complete honesty? I've been having significant regrets in recent months for keeping my older two home through high school. Something about winter seems to magnify all the holes I think they have in not just their education, but their lives. Things like basketball, soccer, FBLA, FFA, food fights in the cafeteria (okay... kidding on that one!), prom, AP classes, academic team, drama, art... and the list goes on.

Yesterday all that changed in a blink of an eye. A friend, my room-mate at the last Sonlight meet-up, lost her only child in a crazy car accident. Completely unexpected. An Eagle Scout. A good kid. Sometimes I think we forget that bad things DO happen to good kids. Even when we do everything 'right'. My heart is broken for her.

Today? I am thankful that I've had eleven years with my kids at home. Yes, pretty much eleven years of 24/7 parenting, schooling, and playing. Life was good before home education. Just good, not great. When I finally left my job I was surprised by how much I liked being home for them, being around them. I think homeschooling was written on the wall when I sent the older two back to school that first fall with MUCH reluctance! And even now, when I think about getting a part time job, all I can think about is what I will miss if I'm not available for them.

Today I'm letting them sleep in. I'm going to make a great breakfast and then we'll do our morning devotion and then play games all day. Something where we can talk and goof off. Enjoy each others company. And I'm sure they'll be more than the usual amount of hugs from mom.

And I remember reading a quote years ago when I was still working that went something like this...

As parents, we need to do the best we can
within our abilities,

and trust that the Lord will take care of the rest.

Amen.

From rest to rush.... how did that happen?

2011-03-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

Last week was the quintessential sabbatical... the lazy week of doing nothing many homeschool moms dream about. This week, however, has turned into the kind of week that makes me want to tear my hair out!

Note to self: Do NOT, under any circumstances, schedule an orthodontist or doctor appointment the third week of the month. And next year? Encourage all 4H leaders to stagger their meetings - doing it all the same week is stressful. :p

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ surf school!

2011-03-21T12:47:00.001-07:00

After saying for years that I was going to drive south until I hit the ocean as soon as basketball season was over, we FINALLY did it! On Sunday, March 13th, we got in the car after church and drove eight hours through the states of Alabama and Florida until we hit the beach - Pensacola Beach that is. Just in time for 70-80 degree weather and great surf.

Physical Education

Science

History
(Historic Ft. Pickens)

Engineering

What a great week! I'm almost ready to get back into the glorified rut (groove) of what passes as normal around here. I can't wait to post more pictures from the trip - as soon as the camera comes home from its extended vacation in Georgia.

That's what we're up to here in ~~Wingfield~~ Pensacola Beach! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ barely hanging on!

2011-03-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

I made the mistake of saying out loud that I was amazed we've missed the latest two rounds of viruses that have gone through the area. OF COURSE, we all immediately started falling. I should have known we were next, given that my birthday was Tuesday. I'm ALWAYS sick on my birthday. Something to do with allergies and the time of year I was born. :p

We went to bed early and slept in every morning. Sat around the fire and did slow school. Thankfully we had long days at home so there was no rush. Managed one soccer practice, two thankfully rained out. I think the most energy expended was Wednesday when Princess made mass quantities of baked goods for Ash Wednesday supper at church.

I should point out that we don't 'do' sick days here. My philosophy is that we need to get as much done as possible when we're sick so we can take days off to go OUTSIDE and do things when we're well and the weather is awesome. The kiddos seem to enthusiastically agree with this philosophy when we are doing something special on a nice day and not so much when they are sick. :p

Just as we were feeling better, I took my car in to have it aligned. Only the alignment made things worse. Yesterday and today were spent dropping off the Expedition and waiting. I managed to get my hair cut in the meantime. Turns out one of the tires has a defect. They moved it to the back and we should be good to go for our trip - not too much shaking - and when we get back I'll see if Sam's will replace it.

Given we're taking our spring break trip NEXT week, I really didn't have time for this cold or the problems with my car. Now I'm scrambling trying to get everything together so we can leave right after the pot luck on Sunday! I'm looking forward to the SUN and the SAND and the SURF! That's my favorite remedy for sinus congestion, doncha know. :)

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Lesson learned - research carefully before spending money!

2011-03-09T12:28:00.000-08:00

HOLY MACKEREL! I wrote a review on the Notebookingpages site and Mrs. Reed refunded the entire amount of my purchase! I feel like a heel. Evidently, there was an announcement letting everyone know that those who had made purchases in the past would be eligible for a free year of treasury membership. I'm much less stressed now and plan to spend time (when I can find it!) going over the whole site so I can write a more informed and less in-the-heat-of-the moment review. :)

I will freely admit up front that I should have done better research. I should have put more thought into this purchase and I should have looked closer at the newer pages she had to offer. But I didn't. Now I've spent $52 for an annual membership to the Notebookingpages.com treasury and the only pages I can use I could have bought for $4.95.

I was a little miffed to begin with since I purchased the Ancient Notebooking pages set last fall just prior to the change to 'treasury' access - somewhere around $18 for the set, I think. In essence, I've paid for the same thing twice. Ugh.

Worse, I was expecting the same high quality pictures that she'd used in the sets I've already purchased. The first page I looked at was for Marco Polo. The new page that is part of the Middle Ages set is amateurish compared to the original in the Explorers set. I will say that I just looked at a page for Martin Luther and it is better than the Middle Ages Marco Polo page, so maybe there is hope.

That is assuming the Renaissance and Reformation pages we need will be available when we need them. There are currently only a handful of pages for this time period and we have already done half of them. Ugh again. It seems to me that if I'm going to charge for a product, that product should be complete before I start taking money from people. Ugh again.

Finally, the new format with the history time period labeled on the top doesn't work with what we've been doing. Visually, the new borders are distracting to me.

Lesson learned. I need to not be so quick to spend money on things I could do myself. Meanwhile, I hope that time will reveal other pages on the site that we don't need just yet that will make this purchase worth the money.

Sunshine in the morning...

2011-03-09T07:44:00.000-08:00

The Cake

2011-03-08T18:34:00.000-08:00

My very first absolutely-from-scratch cake ever. I stumbled across this recipe for Old Fashioned Caramel Cake last week and I just KNEW I had to have it for my birthday. With one change. Because it isn't possible for me to use a recipe as written. :D I thought the cake would be too rich with caramel as the filling as well as on top - and I was right about that! - so I filled my caked with whoopie pie filling. It's sort of like white butter-cream frosting, but not as sweet. (Recipe below.)

This is what it should look like:

This is what MINE looked like in all its glory:

The caramel frosting was supposed to flow over the top and down the sides of the cake before it hardened. As you can see, mine decided it liked the top of the cake best and hardened into an unappealing mass right there. I tried to smooth some along the sides with little success. :p My best guess is that I either cooked the caramel too long or beat it too long with the mixer. The minute I saw the frosting would require a candy thermometer, I should have deleted that recipe right out of my bookmarks!

In any case, it tastes DELICIOUS! The addition of the filling, in my most humble opinion, made all the difference.

Whoopie Pie Filling
from Cooking from Quilt Country by Marcia Adams

1/3 cup plus 3 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
3 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Place the flour in a medium sauce pan, add the milk gradually, whisking smooth. Cook over moderate heat, cooking and whisking until the mixture becomes thick and bubbles up in the center. Simmer over low heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. (Note: this will be very thick.)

Place the butter in a large mixer bowl and beat it until it is slightly softened. Ad the salt, vanilla, and sugar gradually and beat for 2 minutes. Gradually, one large spoonful at a time, add the cooled milk mixture to the butter mixture. Then beat on high speed for 1 minute until filling is smooth, light, and fluffy.

I didn't blow up the kitchen or poison the kids. Like many of my experiments it tastes much better than it looks. So... yea... I may actually try to make another cake from scratch in the future.

Looking back ~ 2010/2011

2011-03-08T13:29:00.000-08:00

White Girls Can Jump!
Sounds like a good title for a movie, don't you think? ;)

2011-03-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

Cultivating an attitude of gratitude ~ #430 - 447!

crocuses BLOOMING

warm, spring rains

National Geographic

Fortify - youth program that has caught Austin's attention

watching four of Flower Child's classmates confirm their faith

soccer coaches

Can I say mucinex with sudafed and olbas oil a second time?

open windows

wonderful teacher to lead the 4H Poultry Club

online recipe searches

cake

quiet in the house - are they doing school? Probably not! :p

new church friends

markers

pancakes on Fat Tuesday - MY BIRTHDAY THIS YEAR!

front-loading washer that saves water

books with pictures

reading Job with study notes - a whole new world

Monday, Monday...

2011-03-07T10:51:00.000-08:00

Da, duh. Da, duh, duh.... Love that song!

After a weekend of not accomplishing much, I feel almost better enough to get back to real life today. Last week I made the mistake of contemplating our lack of sickness this winter. We had some lung crud around Christmas, but it didn't really slow any one down. OF COURSE, we all immediately started falling like flies... Nasty head cold and virus for me, Austin, and the girls. Food poisoning (hopefully!) or a stomach virus (please, NO!) the husband.

Today I'm well enough to make fried chicken (for a friend), wash dishes, do laundry, fold those towels that have been waiting since last week, make bread, read my November/December issue of Mother Earth News, and make plans for the cake I'm making tonight and tomorrow. There was also a little bit of school thrown in there. I've even got enough energy left for a Sam's run before soccer practice. The dogs will be grateful at dinner time!

Now that my brain is clearing I really need to get our next nine week of Tapestry of Grace scheduled. I noticed Friday that the girls only have two more weeks left in Unit 1! Those deadlines have a way of sneaking up on me... no reason the next nine weeks should remain unscheduled. Except for my perfectionist tendencies... And the lost art schedule... And a head cold...

Weekly Wrap-up ~ just another week

2011-03-04T12:11:00.000-08:00

Like March, this week came in like a lion and is going out like a lamb. :) I'd say that about the entire month, but Monday was still February.

With wicked bad storms and enough rain that neighbors were considering building the second arc, we spent most of the day quietly doing school work and watching the rising water. It was one of those gloomy days that just beg for a nap. By evening the rain was only a memory so we drove into town for our second Teen Night at Whahbahs. A little too crowded for us... we'll remember to be late next time!

New soccer season started Tuesday. I look forward to this time every year - March, April, and May are our most productive months in school every year. The only months we don't have anyone working full time or basketball practices in the middle of the day. We can stay out late, sleep in, and still put in a full day of school. I don't stress about afternoons spent horseback riding or playing in the creek because we have five full days every week.

Of course, with this in mind, we went on a FIELD TRIP Wednesday. The fruit tart from Whole Foods, a stop at Trader Joe's, and some power mall shopping.

We're lounging in the High Middle Ages for the next two weeks in history. Time to wrap up loose ends, prepare for our spring break vacation, and enjoy the first days of spring. Princess dropped her college class due to an unresponsive teacher (grr) and we'll use this time to tweak her schedule again. Flexibility is the key to successful home education! This gives Flower Child more time to study the Crusades in depth and time to think about all she's learned thus far about the Middle Ages.

Thursday night marked the official end of basketball season as we joined together with all of the families for our annual banquet. Definitely a bittersweet moment. Princess has ONE season before she graduates. The three young men who are graduating this year were still in junior high when Austin played on the JV team. On the other hand, the banquet marked Flower Child's first year on the team. I *love* the banquet because every spring I can look forward to seeing the entire girls' team dressed up with their hair down (usually straightened) - it's quite the shock after six months of basketball gear and pony tales!

Today is another slow day. School was finished before lunch so Flower Child is off with the neighbor. No idea if they are riding - it's still really muddy. Princess is babysitting for her favorite cousin's four year old - ~~indoctrinating~~ introducing her to the wonderfully PINK world of Barbie.

The house is clean. Dad and Austin are off to the doctor (sinus infection). The windows are open and the breeze is lovely. And it's quiet. These moments always make me feel a little unsettled. :p

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Now that was a long day!

2011-03-02T20:53:00.000-08:00

Austin asked for a fruit tart for his birthday cake. Yes, his birthday was nearly a month ago. Today we finally had time to drive to Nashville and retrieve said fruit tart from Whole Foods. (Thankfully, we were able to fill up my gas tank in the city for $3.23/gallon - by the time we got back to BG it was up to $3.49!)

Lunch at Burger Up was a big hit. I had the shrimp NOLA Po Boy. Yum! Flower Child had the Bison burger. Even yummier! We also hit Trader Joes, Rivergate Mall, and Greenwood Mall before dropping the girls off at church. My feet hurt.

But I have whole wheat gnocci! Oh... and I got to spend the day with all three kiddos. What more could a mom want?

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ Wishy-Washy Mommy

2011-02-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

This week was a bit paradigm shifting for me. Basketball season is officially over for the year, we added some new activities, the weather was unseasonably warm, and I've only had two students. Big change always leads me to re-evaluate what we've been doing and what we should be doing. No basketball practice and warm weather ALWAYS makes me want to relax our school, to be more flexible, and to step outside of my comfort zone regularly.

What did we do this first week freed from our rigidly scheduled basketball season schedule and life?

Monday morning we drove into town so I could meet some friends for coffee. We haven't been able to get together much since before Christmas because of our competing schedules. The girls decided to hang out at the mall together for two hours. PRINCESS DROVE BY HERSELF FROM STARBUCK'S TO THE MALL! Ack! (Okay, it's right across the street, but the first time we set them free is always scary, right?) They brought me orange slices from Candy Craze!

That night I stepped out of my comfort zone for the second time in the same day and took the girls to TEEN JAM at Whahbah Steak house. It was incredibly cool! We got there towards the end because of yearbook running late, but we were still entertained. And we got to hear a friend of Princess's play! We had no idea he would be there so that was a bonus. We plan to go as many Monday's as possible and get there earlier so we can hear the younger teens play, too.

Tuesday we started slow: made breakfast together, read our family devotion, and sat and talked about school. Princess shared that she'd like to concentrate on her college class and Advanced Math, so she'll have more free time for a bit. I'm cool with that. Flower Child is still my little hummingbird flitting from one flower to the next, so no pinning her down. I took a picture of her doing her math...

*cough*

Flower Child has decided to give 4H one more try. She joined the newly formed Poultry Club. She went to her first meeting Tuesday night and it looks like its going to be a good fit. Nice kids and a GREAT, enthusiastic leader. Wednesday was our regular club meeting and she was happy to some old friends. Our first 'unschoolish' project - learn about genetics. Evidently, public school kids in Kentucky start leaning the basics in 5th grade and she wants to get up to speed.

Yesterday, another slow day doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I'm trying to put together a schedule loosely based on Tapestry of Grace, but heavy on the arts. Government thrown in for Princess and Singapore Science for Flower Child. We sat together at the table, alternately working and talking. It was one of those lovely companionable days. :)

We capped the day off with the annual GIRLS vs. MOMS/ALUMNI basketball game. After a heartbreaking loss last year, the girls pulled together and handed the moms/alumni a solid defeat. Very entertaining game! Girls team party tonight and banquet next week and then we can put basketball to rest for a few weeks before we start fund-raising for NEXT season.

Today is another home day. A little math, a little music, a little more frantic searching for the art project book (hoping to find it before Flower Child loses her interest in Fresco painting...), room cleaning (foot stomping), and a trip to Beech Bend's job fair. All in a day's work!

What your missing in between the lines of this update is my battle between moving more towards unschooling and my love of planning and box checking. "Do your math!" "Oh, sweet, Flower Child is playing piano." "Come and sit by me and do your math!" "Sure, you can draw your design for the new chicken coop." "Math. Now!" "Let's go to 4H early and stop at Starbuck's." "What about math?" "Eh."

In any case, we definitely have a home library conducive to unschooling. There's not much a kid could want to know more about that we don't have a book about! :p

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

The New Normal

2011-02-24T09:40:00.000-08:00

This has been an interesting week. Unsettling. Quiet. Busy. Different.

Austin went on vacation with a friend to the Gulf Coast. He's been gone since last Friday, so only the girls and I have been home. So, only two students. Two girls. No young men in and out of my house during the day. The three of us picking up Austin's chores - his are the heavier ones. And then the weather has finally warmed up making me want to be OUTSIDE.

The change has been good. No bickering between the oldest and youngest during the school day, although Flower Child still needs prodded. Cheaper to eat out. ;) We all tend to like the same foods, so meals in general have been a breeze. Ha! Not to mention I haven't had to worry about filling up the bottomless pit! I'm really amazed at how quickly we found a rhythm with just the three of us.

I still miss him, but it's nice to know that life will still be good when he's on his own.

Important Things

2011-02-22T19:05:00.000-08:00

~ reading God's word ~

~ praying together as a family ~

~ cooking breakfast together ~

~ letting the dogs out to run and swim in the pond ~

~ catching up on email ~

~ clean clothes ~

~ reading a good book ~

~ Advanced Math (at least for Princess) ~

~ 4H Poultry Club meeting ~

I'm tired of fighting the tyranny of the urgent. Actually, I find myself in that place every year at this time - as six months of intense scheduling and running around comes to a close (also known as basketball season). Six months of strict structure and scheduling generally leads me to the place where I want to let go and become a radical unschooling family.

As the dogs ran today, obviously enjoying every moment of their extended freedom, I realized that our time spent with them really was more important than studying the middle ages or fractions or Longfellow. Our time at THAT moment.

We have our time of intense seat work and rigid scheduling and we have our times of freedom and exploration. Both are equally valid ways of home educating and both fit our family in certain seasons of the year. And that, my friends, is called BALANCE.

2011-02-21T11:26:00.000-08:00

Cultivating an attitude of gratitude ~ #412 - 429!

coffee with friends to start out the week :)

weekend with the 'baby' and husband, just hanging out

a brand new, LARGE PRINT study Bible, bought on sale

warm weather = open windows = fresh air

crocuses poking up through the dirt

the promise of spring flowers any day

church heirarchy and oversite

a state with BEAUTIFUL resort parks

Great Backyard Bird Count

National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds, Eastern Region

sisters hanging out together at the mall

studying together, playing together, praying together

antibiotics and steroids :(

books, books, books, books, books, books, books

the gift of music

liturgy

new soccer cleats, new soccer ball, and new UnderArmor, all in the right size

preparing spring plant beds

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ SPRING AT LAST!

2011-02-18T12:18:00.000-08:00

There are three signs that spring is on its way to Southern Kentucky.

1) My allergies go into full-blown high alert. (check)
2) The weather spikes into the sixties for more than a day. (check)
3) The girls play their last basketball game of the season. (check)

In light of all the checks, it MUST be spring at last!

The girls took a peak at life in the High Middle Ages and the social stratification of feudalism. Fascinating stuff. To me, anyway. ;)

Flower Child is reading this rendition of Canterbury Tales written by Barbara Cohen and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman for her Tapestry of Grace literature assignment. She's enjoyed looking at the detail of the beautiful illustrations as much as reading the story. This is a great resource for visual kids who need a little more than just black text on white paper!

Flower Child, in the background, is working hard on her science. Somehow she managed to use the Pink Panther to demonstrate her knowledge of The First Law of Thermodynamics. Don't ask.

Princess, hard at work on her computer, is creating a magazine page for her New Media Literacy college class. She's emailing files to me (sitting next to her), I'm saving them in Word, and then sending them back to her. Very tedious. We've come to the conclusion that she needs her own copy of Microsoft Word. Last semester her teacher had trouble opening the Works files, so she had to convert everything before sending it. This semester, she's finding that the converted files won't work in the media applications her professor uses in his assignments. Lesson learned.

On Tuesday, they played their last game of the basketball season. Princess scored a season-high 13 points and while I don't have specific numbers, she was also double-digits for assists and rebounds. True to herself, Flower Child managed to get one foul in the short time she played. Lady Blazers win! In regular season play, they only lost two games - both to the same team. More than anything, I'm proud of the hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship of my girls!

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield! For a peak at what other homeschoolers are doing, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT - THIS WEEKEND!

2011-02-17T11:18:00.001-08:00

Click on the link in my sidebar!

Flower Child and I will be counting at Land Between the Lakes, somewhere near Lake Barkley. I'm excited and hoping we'll get to count some new and interesting birds this year!

Forgiveness

2011-02-17T07:12:00.000-08:00

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32 (NKJ)

I understand the concept of forgiving.

The problem is when things DO need to be changed once the forgiveness is given. How do you move forward making those changes without being accused of holding a grudge?

Bi-Polar Weather

2011-02-16T21:03:00.000-08:00

One week ago Princess and I very nearly got stranded in town because predicted snow came a few hours early and the roads were incredibly slick. I was thankful to be driving a heavy Expedition!

Our LOW today was warmer than our HIGH last Wednesday.

February 9th: HIGH 24 LOW 15
February 16th: HIGH 70 LOW 46

Insanity!

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ SNOW-BOUND. AGAIN.

2011-02-14T15:02:00.000-08:00

Not much to report for this week. It's getting a little old to report about being stuck at home because of the snow. Of course, the odd thing, is that as I'm writing this (Monday) it is now in the mid 50s and last week's below zero temps and snow are just a memory.

We spent the week studying Developments in the Viking Age, Alfred's Book of Dooms, and Beowulf. Not very exciting when you're stuck at home five days in a row in the middle of nowhere.

I was able to spend the day Tuesday reading science curriculum reviews. Without a lot of enthusiasm, I've decided to let Flower Child give Singapore Interactive Science for Inquiring Minds a go. I figure she has the rest of this year to see if this will work and if not, she can do Apologia Physical Science next year and not be behind. Science education curriculum is just plain boring. Or it's too expensive. *sigh*

Princess and I ventured out on Wednesday and very nearly didn't make it back home. Maybe we should be studying the National Weather Service and the accuracy of its weather predictions... Snow, that was not supposed to arrive here until dinner time was in full-blown Kentucky blizzard by the time she finished her orthodontist appointment at 1pm. Yay, NWS. (Not!)

Friday we were able to get out and drive to Nashville for my appointment at Vanderbilt. All three teens decided to come along - I guess that's a great testimony of how bad their cabin fever was!

If you want to read more exciting reports of what's going on in the homeschooling world, check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP at weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers.

Visual-Spatial Learners

2011-02-10T15:31:00.000-08:00

I have two at my house.

One of them is done with his education at home and is the source of my deepest regret. Homeschooling made his issues much less than what they were in public school, but because I was just barely hanging on for so many years I never took that next step to help him not just survive, but thrive.

The really sad thing is that there is very little out there about helping a young adult visual-spatial learner.

I'm throwing this out now - mostly because Harmony Art Mom blogged about the subject. :p But, maybe someone will happen by with a resource I've missed. In the meantime, you can read more about visual-spatial learners:

Helping the Visual-Spatial Learner
The Visual-Spatial Learner in School

THIS is home education!

2011-02-08T13:31:00.000-08:00

Somehow the act of getting down a can of tuna fish for lunch has led to an afternoon of mouse-trap building....

I'd love to say I'm hip with this, but unschooling just isn't in my genetic make-up. Or maybe it is, but 15 years of public education has done a pretty thorough job of wiping out any remnant.

2011-02-07T07:41:00.000-08:00

Cultivating an attitude of gratitude ~ #405 - 411!

snow day

re-reading a gift from a special friend

tax preparation software and e-filing

giggles from the end of the hall

Sonlight books

menu planners

days to rest, nowhere to go, after a REALLY busy ten days

~~~

Lesson Planners

2011-02-05T07:40:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned before - somewhere in my blogging life - that I have an obsession for making lesson planners. After ten years of educating at home I've gone from creating them by hand with a black-line printer and glue sticks to making them in full color in Word. I love the freedom the computer has given me and how much less time it takes - now I can change things up as often as I want and it doesn't take days. The best part of both these options is that they can be uniquely tailored for each child. Awesome!

Both girls are doing Tapestry of Grace right now. I write the topic for the week in the blank space at the top of each schedule.

Princess's schedule only has ToG assignments by week - she has a college class, plays basketball, and has an active social life, so she prefers to plan out her week on her own. She's also my most diligent student and I don't have to worry about her not finishing.

Flower Child still needs daily guidance so her main school work is scheduled by day for the week. She also loves art, so I try to find an art project each week to go with her current art studies. If I can't find from the same period, I'll have her do other projects.

Believe it or not, we've only been using these schedules since the first week of January and I'm already looking at revising Princess's. :p Her current college class is much more work than we anticipated, so I need to rethink the next 16 weeks. No problem! It'll be fun. :)

Weekly Wrap-Up ~ BIRTHDAY TIMES TWO

2011-02-04T07:49:00.000-08:00

My 'twins' both celebrated a birthday this week. Most years we take a break the first week of February to celebrate and run around town. This year was no exception.

No, they aren't really twins. They were born almost exactly two years apart, but growing up they've been inseparable. Since the day Austin finally realized she WASN'T going home somewhere else and was going to be his very own playmate. Or maybe since the day when Princess forgave him for 'sharing' the Barney doll that very nearly suffocated her... They've always had mostly the same friends and until last year were in the same grade in school. In fact, it's been weird with my youngest sending her off to things like youth group by herself.

Princess turned SEVENTEEN on Monday and became a licensed driver on Wednesday. It was a lot to take in. We'll be celebrating with her at a WKU Lady Hilltoppers basketball game on Saturday.

Austin turns NINETEEN today. It's hard not to think about the fact that in 365 days he will no longer be a teenager. Our sweet little boy has changed considerably from the days when he more closely resembled ET than his father or I. We'll celebrate with him snowboarding at Paoli Peaks at the end of the month. Well, the siblings will be boarding, I will be warmly ensconced in the lodge. Where all smart mothers go.

Next week it will be back to the regular school schedule. Only one more practice and two more games for this basketball season and then we'll try to speed up our pace until soccer season starts in March. Princess and I are also making the final plans for her whirlwind south central Kentucky college tour.

That's what we're up to here in Wingfield. Wonder what other homeschooling families are doing around the world? Check out the WEEKLY WRAP-UP on weird, unsocialized, homeschoolers!

Why the change?

2011-02-03T18:18:00.001-08:00

Over the past 5 1/2 years I've been blogging here and there. For the majority of that time I found myself at home with Wordpress. I had three separate blogs for three separate topics, none of which I could keep current. Recently, I tried to merge them together into one place, but the look and feel of the place was just too jumbled and confused. Kind of like my life...

It feels like time for a new direction and time for me to focus more on that which is most important to me. My family.

I'm going to do my best to keep my blogging focused on my every day life as a...

.....disciple,

....wife,

.....mother,

......teacher.

Yes, I have a history!

2011-02-01T18:11:00.000-08:00

A blogging history, that is.

Just in case you might be interested, you can read my schizophrenic blogging history at Muddy Boots.

2011-01-31T20:20:00.000-08:00

Cultivating an attitude of gratitude ~ #395 - 404!

a weekend with company every

long hours drinking tea and catching up with a friend

muddy girls

"Mom, this weekend has been EPIC."

sweet tea

birthday shopping with princess

orange slices (the CANDY)

eggs benedict

daughters who are thrilled that daddy is home for all three games this

Hiro, the wanderer, should now not wander quite so much thanks to a trip to the vet