Monday Musings... 4 weeks to go!

I always get both excited and a bit panicked when we reach the end of our school year, and with only four more weeks to go, I am definitely feeling both those things!

Outside My Window...
We had some rain last week! This week looks like it will be cloudy at least half of each day, but no rain on the forecast. It is definitely cooler than it was a couple of weeks ago, back in the 60s and 70s. I've seen a lot of gorgeous wildflowers lately, and despite some seasonal allergies, we are enjoying spring!

Blue Chicory (Cichorium intybus)

In Our Garden...
We have been eating a lot of artichokes this year -- two of my three plants are about 6 feet tall, and there are probably still about 12-15 artichokes waiting to be harvested. Our cherry tree is covered in tiny green fruit, and the first apples are beginning to round out. M and I just watched a documentary called Urban Fruit, which has given us both renewed interest in really gardening. I think my kids should watch it too... And Straw Bale Gardens is a gorgeous book, full of inspiration!

In Our Home and Kitchen...
I made some simple checklists of what needs to be done daily and weekly in each room, so I could assign rooms to the kids for cleaning and maintenance. I figure this way they can't tell me they don't know what needs to be done! And I think they are both old enough to help out more than they have been. Luckily, they seem to agree!

I also need to get back to better meal planning. Lately it's been more of a catch-as-catch-can approach, which isn't quite as good for the budget as planning ahead.

In Our Homeschooling...
The Boy is on track to finish his prealgebra book by the end of our school year, and The Girl will likely finish at least two more of the Elementary books. The Boy will be doing the last prealgebra book over the summer, and plans to tackle a few more of the earlier books. Writing work (plus grammar for The Boy, spelling for The Girl) is ticking right along!

Reading and Watching...
We're more than halfway through An Everyday History of Somewhere, which I am using both as science/nature readings and California history. We've decided also to review ancient Roman times over the next few weeks with the first volume of K12's Human Odyssey, so we'll be ready to move into medieval history in the fall. We're about done with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and then I think we might read In Search of a Homeland for our last school year read-aloud. The Boy is slogging through Frankenstein (he's actually really enjoying it), and The Girl loves The Emerald City of Oz!

We've started watching The Amazing Race again, tracking the journeys on a large-scale map I printed out. And we are on season 10, the final season, of Friends. Both kids have been talking about watching Lost again, so they can discuss it with their friends. I think we stopped somewhere in late season 2. The Boy has caught up on his Top Gear watching, and The Girl has been making a second, or third, pass through the Dear America series.

What We've Been Up To...
Both kids were in the local annual parade this weekend! Trying to get each of them, with the appropriate gear, etc., to separate staging areas was a bit of a challenge, but we managed... I'm really glad M was off work and could help.

The Girl skating in the parade

The Roller Skate "float"

The Boy walking in the parade with his fencing club, stopping here & there to fence

On the Agenda...
We have a fourteenth birthday coming up this week! And then there is work, fencing practice, derby practice, a car show, a fencing tournament, and a derby bout. I think by Saturday night, we will be officially worn out! Plus I have the final for my juvenile justice class, but I have all week to approach that, online, so it isn't too much trouble.

Unfortunately, we need to get the water pump checked on the car, as it appears to be leaking. The Boy thinks it might be as simple as the gasket... we will see.

My grease monkeys tracking the leak

Have a good week!