Tomorrow, Tomorrow...

You're only a day away.

Tomorrow we start our new academic year! Sundays will be our lighter days, with geography, art, music, Shakespeare, and the like. So today's plan is to get as ready as possible... library (forgot they are closed for Labor Day weekend), crafts/art supplies store, and getting our baskets organized, writing up The Boy's first weekly planner (and one for The Girl, and one for their studies together), find my Kindle, etc. I even have a special breakfast planned, though I am swapping out these amazing strawberries (minus the agave) for jam.

While many of our books have arrived, I totally forgot to order The Giggly Guide to Grammar until this morning, and The Boy's prealgebra books have gone awry. Unfortunately, the seller transposed 2 digits in my zip code, so the books went to another city entirely, arriving and being rejected yesterday. Apparently they are back in transit now--I am hoping to my home, and not back to Illinois--though the seller did tell me that if they are returned to her, she will ship them back out via priority mail, at no cost to me. I'm going to have him work in Zacarro's Challenge Math until the new books arrive.  UPDATE: The math books arrived today!! Thanks to the Post Office for rerouting them rather than returning them! I still might have him play around with The Book of Perfectly Perilous Math, perhaps on Sundays (?)

And while I love Drawing: A Complete Course, it seems a little advanced for what I want at the moment, so one of today's library books to be picked up is Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, though I think my mom might have a copy I'm researching other art lessons focused specifically on drawing. Speaking of my mom and books, The Girl saw a copy of Dr. Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures on a bookshelf there yesterday, and decided that should be her first book of the year (for me to read to her), while The Boy chose The Phantom Tollbooth and Lord of the Flies as his first assigned book. I have a few chapters left in The Twenty-One Balloons to read aloud, and then we'll start The Princess and the Goblin, or The Marvelous Land of the Snergs... or maybe Black Ships Before Troy.... And I still haven't quite decided if I want to accompany The Human Odyssey with the Famous Men books, OR we might go ahead with The Ancient Greek World.

I do have an artist picked out for our first month of "picture study" -- I simply put printouts (full color) of the artist's work on the fridge, a new one each week, and the kids study it as desired. And for music study, we listen to a composer each month while working on our art projects. We'll be listening to Mozart tomorrow, since it is the last day of the month, and they haven't revealed September's Composer of the Month yet. I might have the kids start watching Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts again too.

I think we're almost ready!

Monday Musings...

First, I'll share a picture of my girl at halftime...

Isn't her new jersey awesome? All the girls on the team really loved them--a big move up from logo'd t-shirts! I think she looks tough too.

She only got in once in her first game, which turned out to be okay because the visiting team was brutal. We actually thought one broke someone's nose with a shoulder to the face, but thankfully the girl was okay. They were sending girls flying every which way by the second half. The Girl was a bit disappointed not to be on the track more, but she understood that it was her first game, and that's pretty common for that, and she appreciated that her coaches had concerns for her safety. Afterwards, she did get an awesome "Hey, that was your first game, right?" from another (really good) player, who then added "I'm glad to have you on the team." Really sweet, and it made The Girl feel really good.

She will be skating a lot more in an upcoming game in October. They couldn't find another junior team to play, so they are calling in all the juniors around here and splitting them into two teams for the night, which means the teams will be smaller. She's really looking forward to it already!

The Earthquake...
So at about 3:20 in the morning yesterday, we were rudely awakened by the earth heaving and rolling under us. Not a pleasant sensation. it woke everyone up, and The Boy told us afterwards that he literally leapt from his loft bed since the shaking freaked him out. There was a blinding flash in the sky (blown transformer? Earthquake lights?), and the power went out for a few seconds. It was the biggest earthquake we've had since 1989's Loma Prieta--which I remember all too clearly and which was much worse--and the first major quake my kids have felt. Thankfully there was no real damage around here, though the town of Napa sustained a fair amount of damage and will be cleaning up for a while.

Outside My Window...
Mornings have been cool and foggy/overcast for a few weeks now, though it clears off to warm and sunny afternoons, usually in the 80s. Everything is crisp, dried out, and golden brown, thanks to the continuing drought. We've had a spot or two of rain here and there, but it never is enough.

Around the House...
We're adjusting to having both M and I working outside the home again. He worked all weekend, and is off today through tomorrow. We'll get his new schedule tomorrow. I need to get my cleaning routine down a bit better, and I need to get rid of more books.

In the Kitchen...
I really need to try out freezer to slow cooker recipes in preparation for Mondays, generally our most tightly scheduled day, as I work until noon, have a class from 4-6:30, and The Boy has fencing at 7. Today I took the day off from work to take my dad in for a kidney scan, so I can cook ahead for tonight. I did make a shrimp & corn chowder recently that was awesome!

Plotting & Planning...
We'll be starting our new academic year in less than a week... if all goes as planned. The kids and I have been hard at work choosing resources, etc. to use for the year, and now I am just hoping all my books will come in on time (or maybe we'll have a later start)! I did get these yesterday, which look fantastic for our Sunday art lessons...

Watching & Reading...
We haven't been watching much besides Xena and Top Gear, but are more than halfway through our second trip through The Twenty One Balloons. I'm still working on my list of read-alouds for the upcoming year, trying to (when possible) alternate good historical fiction with other good fiction.

This Week's Happenings...
I have a class this afternoon. The Boy has fencing, The Girl has derby practice. there are two more doctor's appointments to take my dad to, and M's work schedule to work into all of this. Should be fun!

Have a good week!

So, I guess you want the...

that I promised earlier this week. Well, I'm not telling.

Just kidding! I wanted to wait until we were 100% sure this was happening, as we have had our hopes up before, only to be sorely disappointed. Any suspense yet? The big news is this... after two years of unemployment--only one of which was covered by state unemployment insurance--culinary training, a couple of temp jobs, too many resumes sent out, any number of job interviews, etc., M has a job!!!! He starts tomorrow. He'll be working in the kitchen of a large, snazzy hotel, which has a full restaurant and room service. It is technically "part-time" but that's normal in the culinary industry, and they told him that if he is willing, they offer a good amount of overtime. The pay is a tad on the lower side, but IT IS EMPLOYMENT, so we are not complaining about that! We are simply relieved at this point... we both feel like we can breathe a little easier.

Truthfully, the last year has been incredibly hard financially. We barely scraped by in paying our mortgage (thanks in part to a loan from my generous brother), we had to delay paying the fencing instructor (who allowed The Boy to fence for two months on the promise we'd pay eventually, and we've already paid more than half of that), and we're on both Medi-Cal and food stamps. I do expect the food stamps benefit to be greatly reduced or even eliminated at this point, but it was incredibly helpful in restocking the pantry and freezer.

I've lain awake nights, worrying, calculating, re-calculating. How little could I pay on x to make sure y was covered? Last night's sleep was so much more restful.Yes, our budget will still be tight. I can manage tight, just not nonexistent. So...

In other news, The Girl will be skating in her first official bout this weekend! She found at at last night's practice that she made the roster--I haven't been hugged that tightly in a while! Her coaches told me, while both grinning from ear to ear, that she's totally earned this. She never misses practice (except when we had the flu and she literally couldn't stand for more than a few minutes without getting ill), did a summer derby boot camp, and tries really hard. I am smiling even as I type this! She is proud of herself, as she should be, and I am over the moon for her. It is so rewarding when hard work pays off.

I'll make sure to get some pictures at the bout!

I hope you all have a good weekend!

Countdown...

The days of "vacation" are quickly running out. I have ordered this year's books, decided we need more art supplies, and  have started designing  found a [very basic] "planner" for The Boy, as he wants more autonomy this year. I think it is good practice for college/after high school, so I'll give it a go!

Thankfully I was able to find the books we needed used, and inexpensively. I did settle on a slightly older version of the physics text for The Boy, as I could get both the student and teacher books at a great price that way, plus I have been reassured that unless he's doing an advanced course in physics, older editions are fine.

I have also decided to practice writing a transcript this year. With both kids planning to start at the local junior college first, I won't really need them, but if either child changes their mind and wants a different college approach, I think it is better to be prepared than not. Thankfully, the same site that offers the school calendars I use, etc., has a simple transcript form!

In the meantime...

We've been hunting down a few "needed" items at thrift stores! I put needed in quotation marks, as The Boy felt he needed a blazer for his coat collection. We were very lucky and found a gorgeous wool one for only $3...

The Girl found a pretty new shirt, and I got some great capri pants as well as a new top for work.

The Girl has discovered Xena: Warrior Princess this summer. This has brought about a rekindling of the love for foam weaponry (sorry this one is a little blurry, but it IS an action shot!)...

Can you believe that at 11, she's only about 3 inches shorter than me? And no, I'm not short, but rather am 5'7". Well, I did stop growing at 13, so she might be aiming for the same timeline.

I've been back at work for a few days now. The Other Secretary did nothing in my absence (I guess she started her other position?), so it's been a lot of catch up. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now, so I feel better. And I met my new supervisor, and liked her! I also start back to school today, with the lecture series on law, ethics, and society being offered through the Philosophy department. The syllabus looks interesting. The other class I am taking, on adolescent development, starts next week.

Now it is down to choosing which books I'll choose first for The Boy and The Girl. I think we'll go with A Wrinkle in Time for The Boy's first assigned reading (or should he read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer first?), and  either Hitty: Her First 100 Years OR  The Girl Who Could Fly, for The Girl and I to enjoy together. Right now, we are working on finishing our re-read of The Twenty One Balloons, and then we'll move into  The Phantom Tollbooth or  Black Ships Before Troy.

Both kids (thanks in part to Xena for The Girl) are really looking forward to starting the year with some Greek history. This will be the focus of history for the first block of our year, and I'll be fleshing out the 6 or so chapters in  So... Human Odyssey with Famous Men of Greece  OR  The Ancient Greek World? I know The Boy really wants Rick Riordan's new book too. And I have A Wonder Book for Boys & Girls, and Tanglewood Tales, on hand, which are beautifully written. I know, I know... too many resources! But, while we've skimmed through ancient Greece before, we want to settle down in it a bit this time around.

I may have some other very good news to share later in the week -- I am hesitant to share it now as we aren't 100% sure (and NO, it isn't another baby or anything along those lines).

Have a good week!

Language Arts Lineup...

We're getting ready to start a new academic year at the end of the month, and are taking a mishmash approach to language arts. It blends the Brave Writer Lifestyle with some great tools I have compiled, and I think it will work well for us.

So, here's the WRITING plan...


Each day (Monday through Thursday anyway), we'll start with a rotating focus, with both kids and I working together (a lot of this will be oral work, a little more so than written).

Mondays (our short day due to my college schedule) will be for poetry. Now, I have not quite decided yet if I want to use a poetry teaching resource (Rose, Where Did You Get That Red?, or Knock at a Star: A Child's Introduction to Poetry, or ???) OR if I simply want to introduce the kids to poets and go for the full poetry teatime experience. Hmmm. This will be followed by free writing for both (just 10-15 minutes). The Boy will be using Unjournaling for ideas when needed, while The Girl and I are embarking on a year-long adventure (see below).

Tuesdays will have a grammar focus. We're going to try out The Giggly Guide to Grammar, which is described as "Shel Silverstein meets Strunk and White and the results are both hilarious and instructive." Then the kids will split up for other work (see below).

Wednesdays will be all about literary elements, with Figuratively Speaking, again followed by independent work.

And on Thursdays, we'll explore the history of our language, and its oddities, word roots, and more, with The Word Snoop. This will also be another day of more independent work for each, though sometimes I am sure we'll take a break from the "work" of writing to play language games.

As far as independent work, The Boy will be working on more academic writing -- essays and the like. We've decided that he will finish working through Thinking in Threes, which is really thorough for basic essay writing. After that, he'll move into BWL writing projects and written history/science narrations, creative writing, etc.

For The Girl, we (she and I together) decided to really foster creativity and just get her more at ease with writing. So on Mondays and Tuesdays, she'll be working on free writing -- short stories, or longer ones if she chooses. Tuesday evenings, I can correct spelling, etc., and then on Wednesday and Thursday, she can work on copying (copywork!) the story out and illustrating it. Sometimes we may work in other ideas/activities, and leave the "rough drafts" as is. At the end of the year though, the hope is her spelling will improve in context, AND she'll have a whole book of her own illustrated writings!

As fa as the READING plan, The Girl will continue to work through the Reading Horizons program, then I'm hoping she'll move into active reading. After reading my friend Jessica's posts on this series, I think The Girl may enjoy many of the titles. And she's been talking about wanting to read the original Oz series, which we are lucky enough to own in its entirety. And of course, I will continue reading aloud to her -- you can see the list of hopefuls here.

I also plan on actually assigning some reading to The Boy, just one book per "block" of scheduled study. He's interested mainly in dystopian/Steampunk/sci-fi literature right now, so his list of assigned books (bottom of the post) reflects that. I will re-read/skim them alongside him, so we can discuss the books, something we enjoyed doing with The Hunger Games trilogy. I am certain he will continue his fairly heavy load of free reading as well!

Can't wait to see how it all works! And if you have any recommendations on the poetry bit, I would love to hear them!

Checking In...

First, the "big" news... I got my job back! The Other Secretary, the one who bumped me from my position when hers was eliminated, found another job within the organization, so I head back to the office this Thursday.

My college semester starts next week. I have shifted my focus at this point, as, though much introspection and several deep conversations with my husband, I am not cut out to be a teacher, at least not of an entire classroom. Every semester in my grad program, I have had to "teach" one of the classes, and a) I am honestly not that good at it, and b) it became something I really dreaded. So, long story short, I am taking a class in human development, and a lecture series on law, ethics, and society. I may also train for the CASA program. So, in a nutshell, I am looking at social work. I am particularly interested in helping displaced/homeless families and children, as well as LBGT teenagers.

We'll start up our homeschooling year on August 31, since we plan on going Sunday through Thursday. I am/we are finally happy with our plans for the year, though as always they are subject to shifting and changing!

We've been enjoying our last few days of vacation, with a trip to a pool with friends, time at the beach and river, more evening bike rides, grilling late night dinners, sleeping in, watching movies... it's been lovely.

Hope you all are having a great summer!