Hello March! Monday Musings....

...Celebrating!!!...

This week we are celebrating The Girl's TWELFTH birthday! She's asked for a special dinner, time at the local mini-golf/family fun center, and to get her ears (re) pierced. I thought we might also go out and get her a couple of new tops, etc. at a lovely little thrift store. She also wants a couple of books, but overall, she's not asking for much. I have a hard time grasping that my "baby" is turning 12!

 ...Outside My Window...

The weather is all over the place! On Saturday, we had a brief though intense rain-thunder-lightning storm. Then it was sunny and almost warm again! This morning is cold, overcast, and a bit dreary, with a drizzle, or another possible thunderstorm, on the way, though the rest of the week is supposed to be "pleasant and sunny".

We are getting some awesome clouds though!

...In My House & Kitchen...

Tonight I am making Veracruz-Style "Red Snapper", but with swai, because that it what I have on hand (I might leave out the jalapeno). Last night was spaghetti and meatballs, always a hit, and a couple of the other meals for the week include a chicken enchilada casserole, and my turkey 3-bean chili (a special request for The Girl's birthday).

...In Our Garden...

We're getting the raised beds built! My mom gave us a bunch of old lumber, so we are re-purposing it. I can't wait to have actual soil for my veggies to grow in, rather than the hard-as-stone stuff our yard is made of. The cherry and apple trees are leafing out, and the chickens have finally started laying eggs again -- we got three yesterday! We adopted four rabbits recently that are settling in nicely.

...In Our Homeschooling...

We're shaking things up a bit, and The Girl will be spending some time with Fred... we're lucky enough to have a friend that owns the whole series up through Beginning Algebra, so we can borrow books as needed. The Girl's really frustrated with Saxon lately, and I hate to see her starting to dislike math. She'll also be starting her online dinosaur paleobiology course this week (do note -- she's just watching the videos, etc., not really "doing" the class). The Boy is about midway through his online course in Scratch programming, and is already looking ahead at other courses he can take. He might "take a look at" LoF Beginning Algebra this week too, but will likely stick with Jacobs. He's also starting a foray into chemistry, so I've been gathering books, online resources, ACS's free middle school program, and he's going to check out some Crash Course Chemistry videos. This will be instead of physics for the time being.

...Reading & Watching...

The Girl and I are starting The Dragon in the Cliff today. On her own, she's got a stack of books she's picking and choosing from, including Beezus & Ramona, Little House in the Big Woods, A Mother Goose Treasury, A Light in the Attic (she's discovered she really enjoys poetry!), and several non-fiction titles too. We've gone from not reading, to having to check on her late at night to make sure she's not still up reading! [enter mock exasperation]

The Boy also has a stack of books going, ranging from Chemistry for Dummies to a re-reading of The Kane Chronicles. Of course, he's stuck on the computer a lot lately, which I need to curb, so he has more time for all those books!

Together, we are still reading about northern California, and The Hobbit. I am about to start Quartet for the End of Time, which looks intriguing. I'm always on the hunt for good new (at least new to me!) novels. We finished season 5 of Downton Abbey last night, and though I am truly sorry it is over already, I loved, loved, loved the last episode! So we are back to Lost. And of course Big History, Walking with Dinosaurs (Cassia), and various other science documentaries, etc.

...Doing & Making...

The Girl is still sculpting.

Rollin' the Dice

 The Boy is combing through The Art of Tinkering and The Art of the Catapult for fun projects. I'm still working on finishing up a scarf, and I've got another batch of cat toys to sew.

...What We've Been Up To & What We're Doing...

 We were lucky enough last Thursday to get to see The Mayhem Poets perform in a "school" show. The kids had never seen poetry performed before, and it was a fantastic experience, and probably is part of the fuel behind The Girl's current poetry adoration. And of course, we went to park day with friends, had fencing and derby practice, though The Boy missed one fencing session due to allergies.

And then, to be done: The birthday. Fencing. Derby practice. Taking my dad shopping for The Girl's birthday. Maybe meeting with a friend that wants me to tutor her 8th grade, 13 year old daughter in algebra. Park day. More exercise (me). And we're planning a two-night camping trip for next weekend at a local campground!

Have a good week! And enjoy some tree pictures from our last park day...