In my life/homeschool this week: Monday was my birthday. It was a fun day. Kiddo #1 had his first Chemistry class. Other than it being "too early," lol, he seemed to enjoy it. After that, the Kiddos and I played hookie from school work and hubby and I spent the day with them at the park and out to lunch. Hubby and I even got to go to the movies twice for my birthday-- once over the weekend and once on the actual night. Wow. :-) We saw "Last Ounce of Courage" over the weekend. I SO highly recommend the film. It truly has to be one of the best films I have seen in years. It was uplifting, inspiring, encouraging..... We saw "Expendables 2" on Monday. I did more laughing than I have in a long time. It was funny to see the "action heroes" of my youth now in their 60s. The rapport between them was hilarious, as well.
On Monday, I also posted about our weekend-- trip to the zoo, Kiddo #4's "Chocolate Pigie" and Kiddo #1's RC club picnic. You can see some awesome pics here.
Tuesday was an uneventful day. Grateful that a bad storm averted our area, and we ended up with just rain. We stayed close to home and indoors most of the time, as I wasn't taking for granted the tornado watches that were being posted. Got lots of school work done. Kiddo #2 is really enjoying his Oceanography study and both he and Kiddo #1 are progressing well with their Algebra I. Italian class was canceled this afternoon. I understand that the teacher didn't want to risk coming out in severe weather. The only time I ventured out was to take Kiddo #4 to sewing class. Her teacher couldn't make it on Thursday, so rescheduled for today. Kiddo put on the finishing touches on "Chocolate Pigie," sewing up the bottom and sewing his nostrils on.
I did host my recipe linkup. Lots of awesome recipes shared this week. I already tried one of them and will post all about it next week. :-) The party will remain open for the entire week, so if you have a recipe to share, please come and join us. If not, come by and check out some good fall recipes here.
On Wednesday, Kiddos #1 and 2 started an online class with Homeschool Connections. I am really pleased with not only the class, but with the WebEx feature that allows them to see and communicate with the teacher and the other students while simultaneously seeing the power point slide lecture. It was a very nice day (one would never know there was any bad weather the day before), so the kids enjoyed lots of backyard time. Have to love the feel and smell of fall in the air! :-) They also made me chocolate chip cookies and I got a belated "singing-to" for my birthday. I posted about it and shared more photos here.
On Thursday, Kiddo #4 had her make-up lesson for IEW that she had missed on Monday. She already was a very good writer, but today wrote a full rough draft for a paragraph that she is working on and is having fun while doing it. Everyone worked diligently on their subjects and enjoyed more outdoor time, as well. We were at church for our classes this afternoon. Kiddos #3 and 4 take class and Kiddos #1 and 2 are volunteer helpers. I am teaching 5th graders this year. Pray that I can inspire these youngsters to get to know and love Jesus. I made up a bingo game for them and brought in a fun film for today's class.
On Friday, after some school work in the morning, we will be heading over to church to help setup for our flea market, which will be held Saturday and Sunday. The proceeds from the flea market help offset the cost of our Family Retreat in October, so we are really hoping it will be successful. :-)
My favorite resource this week: Definitely the Saxon Teacher CDs. These videos go through the instruction, practice sets and problems of every chapter in the math book. This has been invaluable with Kiddos 1 and 2 in their study of Algebra. They can work on it independently which is awesome.
What I'm praying for: A local police officer was killed in the line of duty this week. He leaves behind a pregnant wife and their 5-month old daughter. I read part of her eulogy in the newspaper today. It was so beautiful and full of faith. I don't know them, but cannot help but be so incredibly moved and saddened by the tragedy and senseless loss. I cannot help but think that that could have been me. I was pregnant with 3 little ones when my husband shipped to Iraq for a year. I still thank God for sending my husband home to us safely and realize more everyday just how fragile and short life is. We never know the day or time.....
A quote or photo to share: My friend Theresa at Red Oak Road posted this quote on her blog this week. She talked about the importance of children getting outside and enjoying nature. "An environment-based education movement- at all levels of education- will help students realize that school isn't supposed to be a polite form of incarceration, but a portal to the wider world."-- Richard Louv in "Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder."
Linking up with Create with Joy, Homeschool Mother's Journal, Weekly Wrap-Up, Favorite Resources, NOBH, Show-Off Friday and Learn and Link
