Nose to the Grindstone...

image courtesy of Saxton Studio

My winter break has come to an end. Today, the junior college starts back up, and next week, the university. So I am prepping like crazy for classes next week! I have almost finished my syllabus and a reading schedule for the first few weeks, so I just need to polish those up. This week, I am visiting the classes I work with as an instructional assistant, and next week, I will be teaching and studying. This semester, I am teaching the same students as last semester, moving them from English 100A to English 100B. The class I am taking is in composition theory/application and rhetoric... a practical class for a college instructor!

The Boy is also gearing up for classes, which for him start tomorrow. He's taking Figure Drawing and Comparative Mythology. The mythology class will likely be the most academic class he's taken so far, but I am pretty sure he can handle it. It will provide us with a great opportunity to practice his essay skills!

We started homeschooling again last week, so here is a brief run-down:

Math: Both used their "new" textbooks to do review work, which went well. We're using Jacobs Elementary Algebra (The Boy) and AGS Basic Math Skills (The Girl).

History: We started reading A Little History of the World (3 chapters), and watched the first episode of Mankind: The Story of Us, which lined up very nicely.

Literature: We read 3 or 4 more chapters in The Messenger, which we'll probably finish up in the next week or two. We'll most likely then read the fourth book, Son, before moving on to something else.

I also found our science book for spring! It seems very readable, I love the illustrations (as do the kids), and I love how it presents everything in an interconnected fashion. We'll start reading from it this week, and I'll weave in a few hands on projects here and there, though the bulk of our hands-on work will be gardening and nature observation.

 

I hope things continue to go as smoothly for the rest of the spring! I still have writing to work in as well, and spelling for The Girl, but we'll get there.

January Tidbits...

I always find Kim's monthly planning posts so inspirational, so here are some January plans of my own, mixed with some Monday musings!

New Year's Eve Cat's Cradle fun

January 1st: New Year's Day
We enjoyed a relaxed day, mostly at home. I made the kids some great pancakes for breakfast, and we checked out a new neighborhood park.

January 6th: Twelfth Night
We'll take down the Christmas tree, and I'd like to experiment with some Three Kings Bread (though this recipe for an orange bread looks really good too!), or we'll make The Girl's Applesauce Honey Cake. Maybe board games by the fireplace!

January 12th: Full Moon
I'd really like us to start paying more attention to the Full Moons, starting with this one, the Wolf Moon.

January 16th: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
We'll read or watch his "I Have a Dream" speech.

January 28th: Chinese New Year
We will celebrate the Year of the Rooster with a Chinese inspired dinner, probably something with long noodles (healthy Chow Mein?), fish, and other good-luck goodies (dumplings, etc.). Maybe we'll try making fortune cookies again, and/or Chinese lanterns.

Plans This Week
We're starting our Minimalism overhaul. Actually, The Boy started yesterday, of his own free will, in his bedroom. Like his dad, he collects odds and ends for projects that rarely happen. Unlike his dad, he's willing to get rid of some of it. I haven't asked the kids to go through their rooms, just to help with the rest of the house, so this is impressive! I'm starting today with the living room. We've discussed what to do with everything too: clothes will go to Goodwill and a local women's and children's day shelter; books to the library bookstore and the shelter; toys to the shelter.

I'm also going to start work on my syllabus for the spring semester!

Homeschool Thoughts
We're leaving TabletClass behind, and are returning to Jacobs' Elementary Algebra for The Boy. It is not that TabletClass was bad -- on the contrary, it is very good, but Jacobs is just a better fit. And The Girl will start using AGS Basic Math Skills alongside the Key To Math series. The Boy is also gearing up for two classes at the junior college this semester: figure drawing and comparative mythology. We plan to start back up officially in a week or two (depending on the arrival of The Boy's math books), though we're still reading from the Afternoon Basket in the meantime (which I need to update!).

Lovely recent afternoon walk

Around the House, Kitchen, and Garden
We've got nothing but rain in the forecast for the next week or week and a half, after a gorgeous two weeks of icy cold sunshine, so no yard work really.

I'm making plenty of veggie-heavy soup these days, as this is definitely soup weather. Meal planning is going well these days!

Rainy days will be focused on housework, reading aloud, and planning (as detailed above), maybe watching some documentaries and movies.

Have a great first week of January!

Up and Coming...

I didn't realize how long it had been between posts! Ooops! So I thought since I have a moment, I would stop by and give an update, Monday Musings style.

...Outside...
It's been alternating between quite cold, and very wet. It's almost time for the annual apple and olive tree pruning. I already cut back the lavender, rosemary, etc., and took out dead annuals. I also took cuttings of my geraniums and Mexican sage, and potted some baby spider plants! Almost everything seems to have taken nicely. I'm still planning to put in raised beds in late winter/very early spring, so I've been pricing lumber, soil, and more. The Boy is still on board for helping me design a new chicken hutch, and we're hoping to get some chicks around the same time we put in the raised beds, which means maybe we'll have fresh eggs by mid-late summer!

...Inside...
My seasonal cleaning and purging urges have hit. I'm weeding out books for donation to the local library, donating clothes that don't fit, and am urging the kids to follow suit. We've also been thinking paint colors for spring renewal, and after watching reruns of Friends, I think I want more colors than I originally planned... for example, we plan on going with a soft, warm brown (on the lighter side) for the kitchen walls, and a warm cream for the cupboards (currently a yellowing white), and I think I might add accents of robin's egg blue. That should all go nicely with the dark olive-y green tile backsplashes. Our Christmas decorations are mostly in place, though we still need to get the lights hung outside.

...Cooking...
M wants to spend the month of January as a vegetarian, sort of a cleanse, I guess. So I've been thumbing through my moderate collection of vegetarian cookbooks for menu ideas. I figure it will save us money too. In the meantime, we've been eating a lot of soup, to counteract the cold weather.

...Homeschooling...
We're on an unofficial break from most subjects. We've decided to go ahead and read through a number of the Little Histories (world, American, science, philosophy, and religion) starting in January, and will pick math back up at that time. The Boy is taking figure drawing and comparative mythology at the junior college next semester, so I am trying not to overload him at home. He's on a break from the truck rebuild project until after the holidays, and in January, trainings start back up for the wildlife rescue center for The Girl.

...Watching and Reading...
Lots of Christmas movies this time of year! And we've got the kids hooked, at last, on Star Trek Next Generation. After that, I think we'll tackle Voyager. We're still reading both Dickens and the Street Children of London, and Lois Lowry's Messenger. This series has been such a good read for us! One more book to go, and then we'll have to find something new.

...Work and College...
I'm wrapping up my first semester of teaching! Overall, it has been a very good experience. I really like my students, and feel much more at ease teaching than I did at first. I'm eagerly planning for spring while trying to wrap up a lot of end of the semester grading, and my own essay for my British lit seminar.

And... I've got a timeline for actually graduating! I'm taking a teaching seminar in the spring and am reading my lit list at last for the comprehensive exam, then starting my language work (one year foreign language) and thesis work in the fall of next year, with a planned graduation date of May, 2018. In the meantime, I will teach another year in the teaching associate program, and will continue working as an assistant at the junior college.

...Everything Else...
M still loves his job at the wholesale nursery, and is looking at a supervisor position by next spring. The Girl has been on a sewing craze since we read Gathering Blue, and she's developing some nice embroidery skills. I might have her learn some more from my mom soon, who used to embroider all the time. I'm maintaining my 40 pound weight loss, with another 18 pounds, approximately, to go. Exercise is a huge mood stabilizer for me, and I've developed a good friendship with the core group of women I work out with. The kids joined a local teen club with a fantastic art room, rock climbing, a computer/game room, a music studio, and more, and have started hanging out there a couple of late afternoons/early evenings each week. They're having fun, working with cool artists, and making new friends!

Monday Musings... Metamorphosis...

Susan Seddon Boulet, Dreamworlds, 1990

I think my approach to this blog is shifting. For years, I have put up planning posts, Wordless or Wordy Wednesday notes, Weekly Reports, and so on, and so forth... but it doesn't feel natural or necessary any more. Our approach to learning has shifted so much, and so many times, over the years, that I think it is time this blog shifts a little with it! We've tried classical schooling, Charlotte Mason, unschooling, unit studies, and more, and I like to think we have found our own little path through all of it.

I'll likely still share book lists, as I love compiling lists of books I hope to share with my children. I'll gladly post accomplishments and milestones, as well as challenges and struggles. But there might not be so much focus on what I'm planning in homeschooling, or what approach I might try, as all that has more or less slipped by the wayside.

Oh, we still do math. We still work on writing, spelling, grammar, and more. Just not in such a regimented way, or necessarily as separate from everything else. We also experience life together in so many ways that can't be quantified strictly as homeschooling. I know, I know... that sounds rather esoteric. But I just don't feel the need to separate things quite so much into categories of this is homeschooling, this is gardening, this is playing a board game for fun.

So how about I just post about life?

Here's what we're up to, just living...

With weather in the 80s, it is no wonder my thoughts keep drifting to summer! This picture, though older now, is to me the epitome of summer satisfaction with my children...

Weren't they cute?

Now they're all tall, and older, and all that, though they still love watermelon!

I finish with my secretarial position in a mere three weeks, and while I'll be working at the junior college this summer (starting the week before I finish secretarial work), it will be a lighter schedule, since much of it, at least half, is done from home—the grading, the email consultations/advice, etc. So I've been thinking of fun things to do with the leisure time...

Work on transforming our yard into a certified wildlife habitat

Go to one of my soon-to-be-former coworker's house to swim

Head out to the river for swimming, and the beach for bodyboarding

Take a picnic to Golden Gate Park, where we can visit numerous attractions, such as the Botanical Garden, the Garden of Shakespeare's Flowers, the Japanese Tea Garden, the Conservatory of Flowers, the Carousel, and of course, the California Academy of Sciences (a day's worth of activities on its own), and the DeYoung Museum, another day's worth on its own.

Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, and visit Fort Point

Go to the zoo (we have two in the Bay Area to choose from!)

Read aloud to the kids... a lot

Play around with The Private Eye 

The Girl will keep playing on Prodigy all summer, and The Boy will be working on math a couple of times a week (still TabletClass)

Spend some time on my own in the hammock M put up in the backyard, reading, daydreaming...

The Girl spends too much time playing with her Kindle, so it will be nice when I am around more and can get her doing other things

The Boy has visited a couple of car shows lately, and is working on compiling videos for his YouTube channel. While I love that he enjoys filming/editing, he's spent a lot of time on the computer lately, and I'd like to curtail that a bit

The house is a mess, as always. When both parents work full time plus, and kids are home all day, that seems to happen. I really want to get a better system in place before fall!

Keep working out. I use our Bowflex and treadmill pretty regularly, as does The Boy, and we plan to keep that up

The Girl might try volleyball this summer, in addition to roller derby

We have a follow-up with the podiatry specialist scheduled June 13th for The Boy, as he is still having ankle pain

Monday Musings Flyby....

I'm short on time at the moment, but thought I'd quickly post so that it doesn't seem we have fallen off the face of the earth!

What have we been up to? Well.....

This boy went and turned FIFTEEN on Saturday. FIFTEEN. We took him, along with his best buddy, to a classic car show, and out for burgers, so it was a good day! 

I am in constant disbelief that it's been that many years already. I mean, it seems like this was just yesterday...

Anyhow, here's this week's super quick agenda:

Math -- chapter four in Algebra for The Boy

Prodigy for The Girl (I adore this program!)

Some writing/spelling

More of A Wind in the Door

More Downton (we're on season 5 now!)

I have to finish grading essays

Working out

Housework

I hope you all have a great week!

 

Monday Musings.. Countdown...

image courtesy of knisha.wordpress.com

We have started the countdown!!!

Seven weeks left as a secretary

Seven weeks left in our "school year"



...Outside My Window...
The mornings have been very cool and overcast, after bouts of rain last week. Sometimes the sky clears off mid to later afternoon, sometimes it doesn't. It should stay cool, in the 70s all week!


...In Our House & Kitchen...
The family room has been seeing double duty the last week, as a bedroom, since The Boy sprained his foot and could not comfortably go up the ladder to his loft bed. The sprain itself is not bad, and should heal quickly. But, the ER xrays showed previous damage, from an ankle sprain years ago, which has left a bruised spot on the bone, also called an "osteochondral lesion of the talus", meaning that without any ankle support, if he keeps jumping about (ahem, parkour), he could have arthritis in that ankle in the next ten years. He's thinking about other sports. Anyhow, so hopefully soon he'll be back in his room at night, and I can remove all bedding, etc., from the family room.

In the kitchen, I've been better overall about prepping meals ahead of time, and planning more carefully. Tonight it's turkey burgers, tomorrow a roasted chicken, and then good use of leftover roast chicken!

And I was given this lovely orchid as a pre-Mother's Day gift! It's on the kitchen windowsill, which actually looks out into the family room (room was added on where there was a patio, sometime in the 70s).


...In Our Garden...

image courtesy of pinterest

The front yard is coming together beautifully. I removed a bunch of grass yesterday, while The Girl planted some more marigolds, and then we placed the slate stepping stones, although we might put gravel underneath them, sort of like this....

We've decided on a Santa Rosa plum to replace the recently deceased maple. I've got yarrow, sunflowers, and something blue I can't remember the name of all sprouting up in reused containers. I'll transplant them in later. The garden is sort of coming together as a flower/herb garden, and I am very happy with it so far! The Girl has been a big help with planting, and keeping things watered.

I also got an outdoor plant for Mother's Day, which I really love....

...In Our Homechooling...
Math this week, with TabletClass and Prodigy. Spelling and writing. More Downton Abbey. More pondering next year. We're keeping it simple right now, so that we actually feel like we're getting things done!

...Reading & Watching...
I just finished A Sudden Light, by Garth Stein, and very much enjoyed it! The Boy finally found The Martian, and only has about 10-15 pages left, so that'll be my next book. The Girl has been thumbing through a half dozen library books on various animals/sea creatures, and such, alongside her continued reading of Harry Potter. We haven't touched A Wind in the Door recently (lack of time), but did read about smallpox in Outbreak! Plagues that Changed History.

On Saturday, we read about Twelfth Night in Stories from Shakespeare (by Marchette Chute), and then we went to see the play as produced by the local junior college. It was very well done, and we were glad we went!

Our movie night featured the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film, which was not nearly as good as the first three. Though we're still enjoying season four of Once Upon a Time!

...Otherwise...
Next week, my office is being moved, so at work I am packing and sorting. I've just about finished school for the semester myself — just a final paper, and one more biology colloquium to go! Then, I have an all-day workshop in August for my new teaching position. Over the summer, I'll be working with the junior college program, and I hope to spend some time in the classroom observing, in order that I can learn more about teaching before I teach!

The Girl has derby, The Boy is off sports (and between them), and M is working about 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, so you can imagine how exhausted he is at the end of the day!

Have a good week!

Monday Musings...

...Outside My Window...

It's been gorgeous here lately, though quite warm, with the last few days in the 80s! It is supposed to cool back down to the 70s tomorrow, and there might be some rain by the weekend. The dryness, and high pollen counts, have got The Boy in constant allergy agony, so we're going to try switching allergy meds, and taking him in for allergy testing. Poor kid.

With such clear skies though, we have seen plenty of these!

...In My Yard...

I spent the late morning/early afternoon yesterday weeding, and relocating some lamb's ear. I also finally got a gift of daylilies situated too, as well as the tiny euphorbia my mom found next to her big one, and gave to me.. M's been trying to keep up with rapidly growing grass in both the front and backyards, but with the rain, then warmth, then rain, then warmth... the stuff is growing like crazy!

...In the House and Kitchen...

I've been getting bits of the house deeply (spring) cleaned... a little at a time. I'll get it done yet! And the kids are working on choosing paint colors for their rooms for this summer's big project (besides the bathroom plumbing).

I'm getting better at planning ahead food-wise. I cook several breakfast items ahead for the kids to pick and choose from, and then they add fruit, tea, etc., and I pack my own snacks/lunch the night before. On the dinner menu this week are: turkey burgers; roasted chicken; quesadillas made with leftover roasted chicken; and probably this awesome casserole from Kalyn's Kitchen.

...In Our Homeschooling...

The Boy is starting chapter three in algebra this week, after doing very well on his end-of-chapter 2 test last week. The Girl is working on multiplication more in-depth, because fluency with it will only help her as she moves along.

In language arts, I really need to get The Boy working on his expository essay! The Girl did another 3 lessons in Spelling Workout, and will do more this week. I am also hoping to have each of them memorize a poem by the end of April (free choice of poets and pieces), and maybe do a freewrite this week.

...Reading and Watching...

A Wind in the Door is going well, though we're only a couple of chapters in so far. The Afternoon Basket is high up on my to-do list this week! On their own, they are continuing with The Martian and Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone. I just finished a very odd and intriguing page-turner.. The Children's Home. The Boy wants to read it when he finishes his current book, so we'll switch at that point.

We watched another few episodes of Downton Abbey, and will watch another couple this week. I'd really like to get in another episode of Human Planet as well. And we've been enjoying the end of Once Upon a Time's season three!

...On the Agenda...

For me, running and weight training, plus introductory karate tomorrow night. I tried, and loved, TRX resistance training over the weekend, so I really want to do more of that!

The kids have parkour/roller derby, afternoon skating tomorrow, and maybe (just maybe) a fencing session this week.

Other than that, my class was cancelled today (phew!). I do have tutoring tomorrow, and office hours at the junior college on Wednesday. So altogether, it is a lighter week than usual!

I'll leave you with The Girl's last puppy petting session for the "R" litter. The "S" litter is due in early May, so we should be playing with puppies by mid-late May!

Have a great week!!!

Monday Musings... A Weekend Hike & More...

Yesterday, we added another name to our list of local mountain peaks conquered... Mount Tamalpais. Tamalpais, by the way is a combination of Coast Miwok words, meaning "coast [or sea] mountain". And I believe we have one Miwok ancestor, so visiting what was once theirs is an interesting experience. 

We ended up hiking just over 7 miles during the afternoon, and of course, I took plenty of pictures, as did the kids!

On top of the world

Photographing wildflowers

The view

Above the fog

Amazing views that stretch out seemingly forever

After the fog cleared

Wildflowers 1

Wildflowers 2

Wildflowers 3 (and more)

It was beautiful weather, and we could see so much from the top—San Francisco, the East Bay, bridges, the ocean, lakes, boats, the clouds... We enjoyed a picnic at the top, and spent the rest of the afternoon exploring.

...On the Agenda This Week...

Math, of course

Language Arts: 4 spelling lessons for The Girl (all review work); the beginnings of an expository essay for The Boy

Reading, to include the book on the Romanovs, and A Wrinkle in Time (no, we haven't quite finished it yet)

Then, I am trying to decide between a couple of books... either The Plant Hunters: True Stories of Their Daring Adenvtures to the Far Corners of the Earth, or Frost Hollows & Other Microclimates. The Boy was commenting a lot yesterday on all the microclimates he noticed during the hike, so that one might be good. 

The Girl and I plan to work on identifying all the wildflowers we found, hence all the pictures. We know a few already, but there are some we're not sure about.

More Downton Abbey, naturally. We're in season three now!

Parkour (The Boy); derby (The Girl); roller skating for both (recreational); workouts for me, including a karate class.

We're also getting this book this week, and I already got these supplies to go with it (thanks, Erin!). I'm going to pick up a spiral-bound sketchbook for each of us too.

...Around the Home, Garden, & Kitchen...

The front yard, and backyard, look so much better with all the crazy-tall grass cut down! This week, I'm hoping we can move the Spanish lavender we had planned to move last week. My hyacinth beans, a gift from a friend, are coming up nicely—I'm hoping in time they will cover the chain link fence. My artichoke plants are ginormous, and have already given me two very tasty artichokes. The apple and cherry tree have bloomed, and there are the beginnings of tiny green cherries already!

I've decided against Monday as a slow-cooker day, because I'm gone for too long—the food overcooks. Instead, it is quick, pre-prepared foods on Mondays (like stir fry, which I can prep the night before!), or tonight's chicken burgers (again, prepped and waiting in the fridge). Wednesdays, when I can stop at home briefly on my lunch break, are better crockpot days.

And we're going to try to finish reorganizing and rearranging the family room this week.

...Random Thoughts...

Years ago, I purchased the book for Mapping the World With Art. I think it might be fun to break it out once a week, and draw the maps in a sketchbook. Maybe do some of the activities too. The Girl has been playing more of her virus game and is learning some geography, but since both enjoy drawing, making their own geography books might be fun!

And I've decided, since we primarily learn history and science through interest-led activities and readings, that I won't wait for "next year" (fall) to start things, like the map book. Strike while the iron is hot! There's my new motto for you.

Have a great week, and happy trails ahead!

Monday Musings...Spring Has Sprung!

Well, I had great plans for today, and celebrating spring, but then the skies opened up and are dumping gallons of water on us. A little too damp for great outdoor happenings! Although I did get a pre-rain workout in at a park with my wellness coach. And I did SIX assisted pull-ups! For someone who has never managed one pull-up before, that was pretty awesome!

So, as I am (mostly*) off from work this week, I have plans for home and homeschooling...

*I do have papers to mark, of course, and tutoring

...Around the House...

My plans for the week include:

Rearranging the family room

Spring-cleaning and decluttering!

Cleaning out the fridge and freezer

...Other Plans...

Watching some StarGate Universe with The Boy (our replacement for Lost)
Two more park workouts (Wednesday, Friday)
Fencing for The Boy, as there is no parkour this week
A biology lecture
Tutoring
Finish A Wrinkle in Time
Watching some more Downton Abbey 
Derby practice for The Girl

It'll be a full, and I hope good, week! Enjoy your first week of spring!

Monday Musings... Pi and Einstein...

First of all, Happy Pi Day!

I'm not sure if we'll actually get around to eating pie today or not, but perhaps so!

It is also this guy's birthday!

The Boy and I have been talking about him a lot lately, with all the news on gravitational waves fascinating both of us.

...What We've Been Up To...

Watching Downton Abbey

Reading more about the Romanovs

Catching up on a couple of episodes of Once Upon a Time

Watching the skies pour down on us daily (though there's a several day break in the rain this week!)

Working [somewhat] diligently on math, which is going well

Going through clothes, as the author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up suggests, though, no, we aren't doing it all in one fell swoop!

Talking to the Boy about The Big History Project (with an emphasis on science) for fall, and writing a research essay for now

Looking at new volunteer opportunities for The Girl, now that she's THIRTEEN!

Cooking bake sale goods with The Girl for derby, and then watching her chat with a boy all evening while helping out at the bake sale table!

The Boy also tried a parkour class last week, as he's a little burnt out on fencing -- he loved the parkour class, and will be taking it weekly. Best of all, it is during derby practice, and only two minutes away!

I lost another 2.6 pounds

...Plans for the Week...

More math

The beginning work on a research essay

Ordering a new spelling program for The Girl (I'm really tempted by Spelling Workout, and I think she could move through a couple of the lower books pretty quickly, though her spelling is fairly dreadful) 

Looking ahead to next week, when I am off work and school for spring break

More cleaning and clothes sorting... we're getting there

I wear we will finish A Wrinkle in Time!

And there you have it. Nothing fancy, just going along.

Enjoy your Pi Day!

Monday Musings...

...Outside My Window...

Clear and sunny again after last week's rain, though on the cooler side again. I'm back to wearing a sweater most, if not all, of the day. We'll get some rain again late next week, I think.

...In My House & Kitchen...

I was definitely more organized over the last week, as far as cooking goes. For example, I had today's crockpot meal (yellow chicken-chickpea-veg curry) prepped and stored in the fridge last night, so I could just throw it in this morning. And I'm planning a bit better! We're using leftovers more, and more creatively, and meals seem to be pretty well balanced overall. As far as housework, I am currently reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. We'll see how it goes! Glancing through it though, I think both the clothing donation bins and the local library may well be getting some more donations from us soon.

...In Our Homeschooling...

I asked The Boy to set 4 days a week for math, and so he chose Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Now I just need to get him to work through a whole lesson at a time! He's easing into TabletClass Algebra 1, so I've been letting him do problem sets A & B one day, C & D the next, but honestly, I think he could handle A-D in one day. The Girl is doing well with Life of Fred Fractions—she even handled long division fairly easily yesterday. I'm hoping to work in some extra math this week for her, though I haven't decided if it will be Math Essentials, Math Mammoth, or Key to Fractions, all of which I have handy (probably either the first or the last choice). She's also working on spelling this week, and I have some writing work set up for her. The Boy will be  working through lesson 3  oops... finishing up lesson 2 in The Lively Art of Writing.

And history is going well! As for science, well... at least they're reading things (see Reading & Watching below).


...Pondering...

Since I backed off on science, interest has ramped up. I don't think I'll be adding anything much more to our homeschooling load in the near future. Instead, I hope to allow time for exploration, and then soaking in what they have explored.

...Reading & Watching...

The kids are both reading for science at the moment: The Boy is reading Mysterious Universe: Supernovae, Dark Energy, & Black Holes, and he and I are talking about reading Death By Black Hole: and Other Cosmic Quandaries together. The Girl has books on animals, the ocean, butterflies, and of course, diseases (history and science!). He's still reading Magnus Chase & the Gods of Asgard, book 1, and she's still reading Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone. I'm reading the book mentioned under House & Kitchen above, and I am hoping to start Wickett's Remeday: A Novel this week. We're making good progress together on the Romanovs book, and A Wrinkle in Time.

We finished watching Lost together on Saturday. I have to say that the series certainly led to a lot of interesting discussions about time, nature, human nature, alternate universes, etc.! We're watching a few episodes of Downton Abbey this week (season 2), and will be watching World War 1: Cause & Effect, and we will try the first episode of WW1: The People's Story. 

...Crafting/Arts/Doing...

The Boy is teaching himself wildlife illustration from a library book, trying to expand his repertoire past simply automotive drawings. The Girl is working on acrylic painting, alongside her sculpture work. The Boy will be getting some more hours logged on his automotive internship this week too, and The Girl got to pet new puppies!

...On the Agenda...

Fencing tonight for The Boy, derby on Thursday for The Girl. Birthday planning for The Girl. M had a job interview Saturday for a job he really, really wants—unfortunately, he won't know about it until the 25th to 29th. No doctors appointments, or things of that nature this week.. just home life, work, and college!

Exercise: I am doing well with this these days. I've been strength training, and getting in good cardio (jogging, walking, biking). Definitely on the agenda!

On that note, I'll leave you with a couple of pictures from last night's bicycle ride, just M and I, as the kids spent the night at my mom's house...

Have a good week!

Monday Musings...

Today we begin the Year of the Fire Monkey! We love celebrating holidays from around the world, though we're usually pretty low key about it, so tonight we'll have homemade Chow Mein with shrimp, and hopefully some homemade fortune cookies! If we get a chance, we'll celebrate National Kite Flying Day today too

...Outside My Window...

We're getting a preview of spring, with temperatures in the low 70s, and plenty of sunshine! Everything is green and yellow, with mustard flowers blooming in the fields, and wild calendula by the roadsides. Our trees are putting out new leaf buds like crazy, so I had better get to pruning as quickly as possible!

...In the House and Kitchen...

Normally today would be a crockpot day, with 2 jobs and school. But, I only have one job today, so I have time to cook! On the menu so far this week: Chow Mein loaded with veggies; Stuffed Baked Potatoes (one of M's specialties); and Chicken Fricassee (for Lincoln's birthday). I have a few days to fill in there, but I'll figure it out.

And I'm hoping to get some extra housework in this week. Playing catch-up is never fun!

...In Our Homeschooling...

Math is of course on the agenda for the week. And language arts! Sadly, as much as I love Coursera, and think it is fabulous, it just isn't working for us at the moment. The kids want to do science, and learn together. So we're moving back toward a shared approach to science. I think right now, we'll be focusing on birds in anticipation of the annual Great Backyard Bird Count. History is going well overall, though we're behind a bit in our reading and we still haven't watched Iron Jawed Angels!

...Reading and Watching...

We're more than halfway through A Wrinkle in Time, so I am starting to think about what to read next as our literature read-aloud. I've been reading through L'Engle's books on my own as well -- her writing always makes me think, and makes me feel something, so I count that as good.

M and I are back to watching Numbers, as Netflix added a couple of seasons. I really want to watch Michael Pollan's new documentary mini-series, Cooked, which is coming to Netflix later this month. I am a huge Pollan fan! Besides that, we finally picked back up on Once Upon a Time, and The Boy and I are about a third of the way through the final season of Lost.

...On the Agenda...

Two doctor's appointments for my dad this week. One derby practice, one or two fencing classes. Work most days. One biology lecture (lecture series I am taking for fun). M may or may not have a job interview - fingers crossed! More February celebrations coming up quickly.

...What We've Been Up To...

We had our "Valentine's" celebration at the park with friends early this year, as a few of the families are heading out of town in the next week or so. No card exchange this year, just good food, lots of laughs, and some touch football!

We went hiking on Saturday at a park M and I used to hike all the time. The kids haven't been there since they were babies, so it was fun reintroducing them to it. And yesterday, we took advantage of the gorgeous weather by taking a long family bike ride!

I'll leave you with some pictures from our hike!

Monday Musings... February Plans...

...Plans for February...

Inspired greatly by Kim's post over at Enchanted Learning, here are some notes for this month!

February 2nd: Groundhog Day and Candlemas/Imbolc

We'll be watching Groundhog Day, at the request of the kids; lighting a candle in each room at sunset; and have a small-animal themed dinner/dessert, with M's family recipe for porcupine meatballs (as close as I could think to a groundhog inspired dinner), and this cute dessert idea borrowed from the blog linked above.

February 8th: Chinese New Year and Kite Flying Day

It will be the Year of the Monkey! M is a Monkey, so this will be a good year for him. It's also supposed to be good for me, decent for The Girl, and complex for The Boy.

We have kites, so we plan to head to a local park. Then we'll come home, and make Chinese food for dinner. We've never made fortune cookies, but it doesn't look too hard!

February 11th: National Inventors Day

We may read a biography or watch something on Thomas Edison.

February 12th: Lincoln's Birthday

I wonder of my kids would be ready to watch Lincoln? Thanks to this article on the former President's favorite foods, I think I might try my hand at chicken fricassee for dinner, with a side of biscuits.

February 14th: Valentine's Day

I'm glad it's on a weekend this year, so I have time to make a special breakfast... probably coconut pancakes with a strawberry sauce and some whipped cream.

Every year, we make Valentine's to exchange with our park day friends. We bring treats, and do the exchange the Friday closest to the holiday.

I'd also like to have a special dinner and dessert! And I'd like to try my hand at making heart shaped pretzels with pink salt, using the recipe from The Organic Family Cookbook for "Lotus Pretzels".

February 12th-15th: The Great Backyard Birdcount

We did this last year, and really enjoyed it. We'll count the birds in our yard of course, but might also go for a hike and count birds!

February 15: President's Day

Since we will have celebrated Lincoln's birthday already, this day will be more about George Washington for us. Maybe a book or documentary? And then, it seems he loved Green Beans Almondine, and steak and kidney pies, so that might help with dinner planning, as I have a great recipe for steak pies (minus the kidneys). Cherry-something for dessert, though if we have steak pie for dinner, probably not pie for dessert too!

February 26th: Tell a Fairy Tale Day

Definitely a day for beautiful picture books, and maybe Fairy cakes (for which I will likely use Nigella Lawson's recipe), hot apple cider (think of Snow White's poison apple), and maybe these Peter Rabbit Garden Pies!

[February does seem to be a very pie-friendly month, doesn't it?]

February 29th: Leap Day

I do like the idea of Leap Day time capsules, so we will aim to make one, to be opened in 2020. We might make some origami frogs, perhaps watch Leap Year (or at least, I might!), and I think I will make British Toad in the Hole for dinner (close enough to frogs and leaping, right?). I suppose I could make the American Toad in the Hole for breakfast too.

General Things to Do in February
Finish dormant pruning and general plant clean-up
Start some veggie seeds in our greenhouse/garden: lettuces, peas, spinach, chard, onions, and potatoes
Work on building our raised beds
Clean out the garage
Clean out the bookcases (I have to do this regularly!)

Looks like we'll be keeping busy this month!

A New Year...

Here we are, in a fresh new year. I am hoping the ride will be a bit smoother than in 2015!

First off...
The Boy got all As his first semester at the junior college! He is very proud of himself, and he should be—he worked hard for those grades!

I spent the holidays sick. I got a nasty cold just before Christmas, and by Christmas day, I was laying low. It turned into a lovely (ha ha) middle ear infection, which is just now clearing up. Despite sickness though, I enjoyed my time off from work! We ended up not homeschooling over the break (no big surprise!), but instead relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. The kids loved their presents, I loved mine, M loved his. At least before I got sick, we made it out to the coast for Christmas Eve, gathered mussels for dinner, and watched the sunset.

It was, overall, a lovely holiday!


...Homeschooling... Yesterday, we started back with homeschooling. After some brief discussion of what interested the kids, and Saturday's re-watching of the movie Titanic, we've decided to use Downton Abbey as a jumping off point for history. We can watch the series from the beginning, and I'll be bringing in books, documentaries, and movies that cover some of the world events in the Downton timeline, as well as other events taking place at the time. Of course, the Titanic sinking was one of those events. In addition to the movie, which always leaves me a little blue, we read On Board the Titanic, and leafed through Titanic in Photographs.

We'll be reading The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia, as an additive to our studies. I love Russian history, and have always been intrigued by Anastasia. There's a really lovely miniseries I may try to watch with the kids if they are interested enough. I'll be adding in a few movies, documentaries, and other books as the mood strikes, though I know I would like to read The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood with The Girl.

Anyhow, the kids also did a math lesson each yesterday. I am still very pleased with our math programs at the moment!

And I am reading A Wrinkle in Time aloud to the whole family, including M. Very enjoyable! I plan to make it through the whole Murry family series (4 books), then find other good books to read. I am not worried about them matching up with history. 

We also finished chapter one in The Fellowship of the Ring, which is our bedtime reading these days. The Girl has been asking that we read it for some time now, and The Boy says he really likes it. Now that series might take us a while to read!

...On the Agenda...
Homeschooling: 
More math; writing/grammar work; viewing of episode 1 of Downton Abbey; reading from A Wrinkle in Time, and our nature book and travel/geography books (when I get the geography one!); and The Girl starts her Dinosaur Paleobiology course.

Around the House: 
the house is pretty clean after I had two weeks off from work! I am still reorganizing bookcases and such, and there is some deep cleaning to be done, but it looks a thousand times better. The kids will be taking down the Christmas tree tonight, and when the current rain stops, we can take down the outdoor lights. The kids do need to finish cleaning their rooms as well.

Around the Yard: 
picking olives, at last, since we've got a bumper crop and my mom offered to brine them! Deadheading a few more plants. Pruning of the olive and apple trees in the next month. Building raised beds, tearing up the front yard... all things to look forward to in the next few months!

Other Stuff: 
I'm back at work, but just the one morning job until late January. The Boy wants to start back with fencing later this week, and derby practice starts back on Sunday, though The Girl has decided, at this point at least, no to boot camp this time around, just regular Sunday practice. Boot camp is primarily targeted at "newbies", so I get her decision. M's hours have been cut (post-holiday slow down), so he's looking for supplemental/other work. Thankfully, I had saved some money over the fall, so we're just okay there.

My dad is still in the rehabilitative center, at least until tomorrow, although the physical therapist is trying to get his insurance to approve at least another week. My sister and I found that we can move him to another apartment at his senior living facility, that is much closer to the dining room and all. Since his mobility is not what it was, I think this is for the best. We're trying to get everything lined up to make the transition back to mostly independent living as easy, and safe, as possible for him.

I'll leave you with a couple of picture collages from our holiday break... have a great week, and Happy New Year!