The Homeschool Mother's Journal - Week 2

In my life this week…

our first earthquake experience and Hurricane Irene!  We felt our first little shake of the earthquake this week.  It was a strange feeling that we all weren't sure we even felt until looked at each other and said "did you feel that?".

We began to get rain and wind starting around 1:00am Saturday morning and it didn't let up until about 2:00am Sunday morning so all day long was rainy and windy.  We lost power for most of the day but it came back on just in time for supper.  :)  We were blessed with very minimal damage - a couple of trees down, shingles blown off, and a window to the garage blown out but we were all safe.  Thank you Lord!!

In our homeschool this week...

In school, we added in a few more subjects this week.  Monday we start part of our regular fall routine schedule adding back in full dance classes.  After Labor day we add back soccer and Classical Conversations Foundations and Essentials.  So, it is already indicating fall time to me.

Challenge A - getting our feel for this still.  The requirement in geography was to draw free hand without looking the US with all the states, capitals, rivers, lakes, mountains, etc.  Our personal goal is to just accomplish the states and we're still working on that one!


Bible
MFW Bible readings - we read from our Bible this week.  We discussed the different languages of the world and the fact that God made us all and all will bow to Him one day.



Math
all review at this point - everyone is doing well and loving the ease



Geography
Learning the states and capitals, the equator, continents and oceans and drawing them all.



Grammar
I had to ditch Primary Language Lessons and Intermediate Language Lesson this week.  It just wasn't a good fit for our family.  I have ordered Rod and Staff's Beginning Wisely for Sarah and Stephen will just work from CC Essentials and Our Mother Tongue.



Classical Conversations
Cycle 3 - Week 2 (although we haven't started back yet - the kids were BEGGING to begin so we did ;)



History
Columbus - reading Pedro's Journal



Science
no science this week as we waited for our Apologia Anatomy Notebooking Journals to arrive and they came in today!!

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

Dance schedules start back in the afternoons with Monday, Thursday, and Friday practices.

My favorite thing this week was…

the fall like temps and seeing the excitement of my younger kids first hurricane experience.  Living only a few hours from the NC coast I have experienced many with the last one of real impact for us being Floyd but Jonathan was little during that one.

Questions/thoughts I have…

I'm still pondering how to fit everything in!!!!! I'm also planning to join rubymoms (a yahoo group of homemakers that I've been a part of for 10 years now!) in starting The Holiday Grand Plan this week with my own tweaks.  I've done the plan in the past but it has been a few years.  Here is my Christmas notebook.

We're reading…

Me
The Core (again!)
Read Alouds:  The Witch of Blackbird Pond and Pedro's Journal


Jonathan
The Magician's Nephew



Stephen
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain
The Skippack School



Sarah
The Courage of Sarah Noble (and she loves the fact that she has a brother named Stephen too :)


Our week in pictures.....

Riding out the storm :)

No more Bradford Pear Trees for me - they are just too weak.  At least the one that we take our annual spring picture by is still standing!

playing US state/capital bingo