Cornerstone Home Learning

Lisa's Logbook - January 28

2012-01-28T19:56:00.001-05:00

Challenges:
1 - Innovation for Endurance 30 Day Challenge (30 days of activity - today is Day 28)
2 - The vehicles are giving us trouble - 2/3 are inoperable right now. And the other one is having some battery issues.
3 - Perfecting my karate form WITH POWER, and also the other things we need to know for our test in one month
Successes:
1 - Weigh-in Wednesday showed 11.6 lbs down in 3 weeks
2 - Finally got the Regency Ball portraits displayed! Not exactly how I wanted, but at least they're up instead of in a stack in the hutch, right?
3 - Finished the Daniel Fast!

Projects:
1 - Making denim Christmas stockings - I've cut out six of them.
2 - Getting my Mixbook album done for 2010
3 - getting at least one of my finished books e-published for Kindle

From the Library: A whole SLEW of books - see my post on Mirkwood Reflections.
On My Kindle: Craving God: A 21-Day Devotional Challenge by Lysa Terkeurst
Netflix: finished up the second season of Parenthood
Theater: One for the Money (based on Evanovich's book) - liked it!

Recipes: I made some good chili and Suzy made some delicious cornbread. I think it was so good because we used butter in it instead of oil like my other recipe calls for.
What's New: Bought David a cell phone since he's gone so much lately. Got a great deal on a Net10 phone at Kmart. He has 4 months of service and after that, he'll be on his own with paying for it.

Serendipity: The poems composed by my writing class were quite good, on the whole!
Obsession: PINTEREST! (I swore I wouldn't get sucked in. But now, I don't remember why. It's so wonderful! lol)
Fun Times: Book club was wonderful! Two days later, I got together with two good friends for dinner and a DVD and some discussion. :-) And last night, I got together with 7 other ladies for a movie and dinner out. When it rains, it pours!

Anticipating: Sister Weekend!
Writing Progress: oh, never mind. :-)

Daniel Fast Report

2012-01-24T13:31:00.000-05:00

Today is the last day of my three-week-long Daniel Fast. You can read my longer post explaining it here, but basically the fast entails eating only vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nuts and drinking only water. No sweeteners are allowed on this fast. No yeast either, though I was a bit looser with that interpretation.

Giving up caffeine was not as difficult as I thought. Usually I drink 2-3 cups of coffee a day and most days I also have a can of Diet Coke. The only other beverage I usually drink is water. I went cold turkey on the caffeine - just stopped drinking it on Day 1. That day was fine. Day 2 I had a headache, though not debilitating. The rest of the 1st week, I suffered from some fatigue. But after that I was fine. I drank a lot of water during the fast and in the mornings when I normally would have had coffee, I replaced it with hot water with a lemon slice. I found that I missed having the warm mug to hand since it's so cold out. Probably in summer, I would have been fine without that.

What did I eat?

Breakfast every day was a piece of Ezekiel bread (sprouted whole grain) with a tablespoon of natural peanut butter (no sugar) and a tablespoon or so of natural fruit jam (again, no sugar). Ezekiel bread does have yeast, but this was pretty much the only yeast I consumed.

Lunch and dinner I ate something separate from the rest of the family. This took a lot of extra time for me because my kids usually make the meals and I didn't think it was really fair to ask them to make something separate for me.

Common meals for me were oven-fried sweet potato strips, soups (canned and homemade), whole grain pasta with spaghetti sauce (no sugar), brown rice with veggies and chili. A couple times I had corn tortillas with refried beans and salsa. I only had one stinker of a meal - some expensive wild rice/odd grains mix.

Some special situations included dining out a couple times, hanging out with friends, and book club.

Book Club is known for its deliciously abundant potluck, especially the desserts. I brought something I knew I could eat (vegetarian chili and a big fruit salad) and another friend mentioned she'd have something I could eat (couscous with veggies). I only ate one other thing there and it was a bit of a departure from the Daniel fast - whole wheat scones. They had no sugar, but I did eat lemon curd on them.

I took the kids to lunch one day at Wendy's when we were running errands. I had a boring lunch of plain baked potato and plain salad. If I had been a TEENSY bit more prepared, I could have brought along some salsa to adorn the potato. I never bothered to find any dressings that would work on the fast, though there are some. I just ate all my greens plain the whole time, with one exception.

Friends wanted to go out to dinner during the middle of the fast. They knew I was participating but I didn't want to miss out on a relationship-building time in order to stick to the fast strictly. We went for Thai food. I had vegetarian pineapple fried rice. Since I didn't cook it, I was not sure what was in it, but I asked for no eggs and no meat. The rice was white, which was again a bit of a departure, but it was so far from what I would normally order when dining out, that I thought it was a good compromise. I ate the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Hanging out with friends one night to watch a movie presented another challenge. Usually these evenings involve chocolate! LOL They made kettle corn, which I declined. I brought grapes and natural potato chips, which were good munchies. I also brought hummus and some whole grain crackers (Kashi) but we didn't even need those.

Along with the fast I participated in the 30 Day Nissan Innovation for Endurance Challenge which included 3 strength training workouts and 3 cardio workouts each week.

And the weight loss report? I lost 11.6 lbs in 3 weeks!

I plan to go out to eat on Wednesday!! And have something TASTY with CHEESE! And a Diet Coke! And some COFFEE with FLAVORED CREAMER! :-) :-)

Lisa's Logbook - January 20

2012-01-20T23:38:00.002-05:00

Challenges:
1 - Innovation for Endurance 30 Day Challenge (30 days of activity - today is Day 20)
2 - Doing the Daniel Fast for 3 weeks (am on Day 17)
3 - Perfecting my karate form WITH POWER
Successes:
1 - Weigh-in Wednesday showed 8.2 lbs down in two weeks
2 - Got the Brit Lit essays and the Wordsmith book reviews graded and returned
3 - Sorted through all the upstairs books and have a huge pile of books to get rid of.
Projects:
1 - Getting rid of those books! lol

2 - Finding a deal on a new laptop
3 - Helped the girls clean up their room - wow, THAT was a project!

From the Library: The Art of Reading DVD course (The Great Courses) - I am halfway through listening to the 24 lectures.
On My Kindle: one of the Lord John books by Diana Gabaldon (borrowed from the library!)
Netflix: a little Parenthood (one while I was on the treadmill!)
Redbox: Cowboys and Aliens (Liked it! Especially Daniel Craig in cowboy gear!), and Midnight in Paris (sweet movie!)
Recipes: Made myself some vegetable rice soup with a couple cans of vegetable broth, some leftover brown rice and some leftover stirfry veggies - YUMMY! I have enough left for one more meal.
What's New: a couple medium size bowls that are painted like my really large Italian ones

Serendipity: Suzy and James had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with their dear friends who moved to Texas a year and a half ago. They were in heaven!
Difficult Decision: Had to decide whether or not to hold the high school essay writing class since I only had about half the target enrollment. Waffled on it for days. Finally decided to cancel it.
Fun Times: went out for Thai food with friends on the spur of the moment. First time eating Thai and I ate vegetarian pineapple fried rice. (Because it was white rice, it was not QUITE in line with the Daniel fast, but I thought it was better to go and enjoy my friends than to stay home and eat my legalistic food. :-)
Anticipating: BOOK CLUB! This month is Persuasion!
Writing Progress: Disappointed to report there is no writing progress. I'm not Superwoman, you know! :-)

Daniel Fast

2012-01-16T00:15:00.001-05:00

So for some reason I felt like I needed to do something drastic this month with my eating. December consisted of feast after feast. And the scale reflected it. The book I've been reading on prayer has made me think more and more about my faith as a living breathing way to relate to God. But I don't want to give you the wrong impression. I'm doing this fast to be healthier. The spiritual benefits are present, but this is incidental.

A cleanse was my first thought, but I've never done it and didn't really know where to start or if it would do what I wanted. I'd heard about the Daniel fast and it just felt like the right thing to do.

Basically it's eating like Daniel did in Babylonian captivity when he didn't want to eat the foods from the king's table. I assume the foods were mostly non-kosher. But he said he and the other Hebrew boys would eat vegetables and water and be healthier than the rest of the captives. The word used for vegetables evidently means foods grown from seed, which would include all fruits, all vegetables and all grains.

So that's basically the limits of the Daniel fast - fruits, veggies, whole grains, and only water to drink. No sweeteners, no meat, no dairy, no eggs, no added chemicals. NO CAFFEINE. lol

I have followed it rather closely. The main exception is that I've included some yeast that is not allowed in the strictest interpretation of the Daniel Fast. I also have done my best to read labels but I don't want it to become A Huge Thing.

I'm anticipating a few questions, so here are my answers to those. If you have other questions, let me know.

So what have I been eating?
For breakfast every day, I have 1 slice of toasted Ezekiel bread with natural peanut butter and all-fruit jam.
My other meals are mostly soups or rice and beans or whole grain pasta with tomato sauce. I make a big batch of whatever it is and eat it until it's gone. I only had one unpalatable meal thus far. I eat several fruits every day and a couple veggies at each meal. Also sweet potatoes! YUM!

I found a few snacks that have worked well for me - a certain rice crisp chip I found at Meijer that has no sugar (most snacks have sugar! even when you wouldn't expect it), popcorn made with olive oil and sea salt, rice crackers. I like to have crunchy snacks. When I need something sweet, I go for fruit. I've treated myself to some fruits I don't often buy out of season, like blueberries. And for some reason, Meijer has had blackberries (in pints?) 2 for $1 for a couple months.

Am I hungry all the time?
No. Believe it or not, that's a NO! In fact tonight, I worked through dinner and I wasn't starving. I just skipped it. I never skipped meals before.

How hard was it to go off caffeine?
The first day was no problem. The next several days were harder - headache and fatigue. But now I'm good. I drink hot water with lemon in the AM because I like having the warm mug. I am not sleeping any more than I was before either - still about 6 hours a night during the week.

And I've already lost almost 8 pounds in the 12 days I've been doing the fast! Admittedly, I have also upped my exercise. I'm following the Nissan Innovation for Endurance 30 Day Challenge - 3 strength training sessions and 3 cardio sessions per week.

I plan to fast for 21 days total, so I will finish on January 24th. Just 9 more days.

Lisa's Logbook - January 13

2012-01-15T12:36:00.005-05:00

Decided to do the logbook on Fridays this year. So I wrote it on Friday. But I forgot to post it on Friday! LOL

Challenges:
1 - Innovation for Endurance 30 Day Challenge (30 days of activity)
2 - Doing the Daniel Fast for 3 weeks (am on Day 10; will post separately about it)
3 - Vehicle broke down - Bob needs to fix. I need to be flexible.
Successes:
1 - Weigh-in Wednesday showed 6.8 lbs down in one week
2 - No cheating at all on the Daniel Fast
3 - Did my first run since August! And it was lovely outside - upper 40's, sunny, no wind!
Projects:
1 - Deep-cleaning the house one room at a time - have only made it through the kitchen. LOL
2 - Decluttering - why is that so HARD?
3 - Selling some items online - check my facebook album

From the Library: V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
Entertainment: a little Parenthood on Netflix - mostly I've been reading at night

Recipes: Did you know you can microwave popcorn in a brown lunch bag? EASY. YUMMY.
What's New: new fingerless gloves (which I use almost daily in the winter since I do so much typing and my house is rather chilly)

Serendipity: Van broke down 2.5 miles from writing class. Called my friend and she picked us up and took us there. Then needed a ride from writing class to karate and one of my students' moms volunteered. Very kind of her!
Fun Times: a little short on those this week
Anticipating: seeing Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with friends if we can; maybe the Van Halen concert in February?! (Anyone wanna go with me? Bob won't.)
Writing Progress: Helped Suzy with some of her editing. None of my own yet. :-( Maybe this weekend?

Lisa's Logbook - December 19

2012-01-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

Realized I had a partially done logbook that I never posted. So here it is. A flashback to mid-December.

Outside: partly cloudy and 46

Wearing: jeans, Browncoats tee, pink hoodie

Tunes: Christmas music

Kids Are: Working on their lessons

Hubby Is: at work

Something Yummy: lemon bars!

Blessings: time with extended family

Reading: Just finished The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon (liked it better than I thought I would!), working on my second go-through of A Praying Life by Paul Miller. Also in the middle of The Count of Monte Cristo (abridged) by Alexandre Dumas (for Brit Lit class)

Watching: I can't remember watching anything since book club last Saturday. Maybe an episode of Parenthood? But mostly I've been reading instead.

Considering: changing up the logbook again, for the New Year....

Working On: Christmas preparations

Accomplishments: so many loose ends and details had to come together last week

Looking Forward To: seeing the new Sherlock Holmes movie, seeing the kids open their gifts, to Christmas Eve service

A Look Ahead at January

2012-01-08T20:39:00.002-05:00

This week we head back to the lesson sheets after taking off two full weeks for Christmas. We worked up until December 23.

I have done monthly lesson sheets for my kids for a couple years now. Even for Suzy (age 9), it works well for us. They like crossing off their work in each little square. (For a pic of the lesson sheets, go to the end of this post.)

Why do I do it this way?
They can work ahead if they want to (though they almost never do). It's once-a-month planning for me (which streamlines things). A lot of their work is independent, so they can work on their own anyway.

They don't have to accomplish their work in any certain order, other than I do tell them what to start with - mainly because we have to schedule computer time and mom-time for some of the work.

So, here's what's going to be happening this month:

Bible -This month our hymn is "He Keeps Me Singing" by Luther Bridges. We will also review 6-8 previously learned hymns or choruses each week. Our Bible study will cover Elijah and the book of James.

Math - David will pick back up in Algebra 2, which he is doing on his own with Teaching Textbooks; I aim for him to spend 90 minutes on it each day. Emily will be doing over some lessons as well as doing some remedial work; she also does 90 minutes. (Math is her difficult subject.) James and Suzy will be working in their Teaching Textbooks math - James does 60 minutes a day in TT6 and Suzy does 45 minutes in TT4.

Literature - David and Emily are both reading The Count of Monte Cristo (abridged version) and writing chapter summaries as they go along. James will be reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Reading -
Suzy is doing some work in Phonics Pathways Pyramid (multi-syllable words) and also Reading Reflex. We are going to be done with Pyramid this month and I will move her into some real books after that.

Language Arts - We will all be working on editing our National Novel Writing Month novels. I am going to have each child spend 30 minutes a day working on that. Everyone will write in their communication journals once a week. Typing, penmanship and spelling fill up James and Suzy's schedules, while Emily and David work on grammar and typing.

Science - David is working his way through an free online physics curriculum, supplemented with Khan Academy videos. Emily is teaching Considering God's Creation to the younger two (a real challenge for everyone!) and this month they will be working on plants (photosynthesis, parts of a plant, fungus, trees).

History - David and Emily are studying the modern age, guided by the Billy Joel song "We Didn't Start The Fire". They are going year by year to understand the events mentioned in the song. This month they will cover 1959-1961. They are creating a presentation to explain the names and events. ~~James and Suzy are not doing History this month~~. EDITED: James and Suzy (along with Emily) are attending a once-a-week Michigan History class which will last 12 weeks.

Other - David will also continue with his ACT prep course through Kaplan. His practice scores look good. He'll likely take the test in April. I've got to figure out those details.

David is also going to be very busy with Robotics for this rest of this month. He is participating in First Robotics Competition with a local high school's team and they will be working on their 'bot 6 days a week. (5 evenings for 2.5 hours each night and Saturday all day)

Lisa's Logbook - January 6

2012-01-06T19:41:00.000-05:00

Changing up the blog for the New Year. 2012 promises to be a blessing!

Challenges:
1 - Innovation for Endurance 30 Day Challenge (30 days of activity)
2 - giving up caffeine for 3 weeks
Successes:
1 - bought my ticket for the April homeschool conference in CINCINNATI!
2 - cleaned out my food cupboards
3 - Learned my new karate form
Projects:
1- Deep-cleaning the house one room at a time
2 - January lesson sheet
3 - Grading essays

Books at hand: Persuasion by Jane Austen (for book club) and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (for Brit Lit) - Also, I won THREE Austen fiction books by modern authors!
On my Kindle: At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson (Highly recommend!)
Entertainment: Parenthood, Limitless, Just Dance 3

Recipes: Amish Friendship Bread - my friend Laura gave me a starter and it's time to BAKE!
What's New: a dietary adventure I am on - will share details NEXT week, after I have a few more days under my belt (HA! Under my belt! LOL)

Serendipity: Found a lovely large green enamel bowl at the thrift store - no chips, even. Also today was sunny and warm! More like April than January.
Fun Times: Dinner out with the homeschool leaders - had STEAK and LOVED it! And Sweet potato fries - yummmmy!
Anticipating: seeing Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with friends
Motivation: List making is usually my motivation.
Writing Progress: none yet, going to be editing next week. Do or die!

Lisa's Logbook - December 27 (Tuesday edition)

2011-12-27T12:06:00.002-05:00

Current Mood: annoyed

Outside: snowing and 33

Wearing: yoga pants and a sweatshirt - gonna get dressed up later

Tunes: Wicked soundtrack

Kids Are: all vanished upstairs instead of doing their chores

Hubby Is: matching socks

Something New: my Book Nerd necklace

Something Yummy: FUDGE - I love fudge!

Blessings: Working from home on a flexible schedule

Reading: just finished Black Silk by Judith Ivory, re-reading A Praying Life by Paul Miller.

Watching: mostly Parenthood. Also watched Under the Greenwood Tree (period drama) and Nativity! (a Christmas movie with Martin Freeman - the dude that will play Bilbo and played Watson in the BBC Sherlock).

Considering: all the things I can choose for New Year's Resolutions.....

Working On: lesson sheets for January, essays to grade, setting up a new essay class for January

Accomplishments: Beat Suzy on Just Dance 3 (Wii) - lol; also I got through Christmas.

Looking Forward To: seeing WICKED tonight and going out to eat with friends, hopefully getting together with another friend this week, New Years' Day (my fav holiday!)
Pic: Getting a decent pic of all 4 kids is harder than one might imagine.

Lisa's Logbook - December 11

2011-12-11T14:06:00.001-05:00

Current Mood: relaxed

Outside: sunny and 35

Wearing: jeans and a sweatshirt

Tunes: Christmas music

Kids Are: Three are working on decorating the tree, 1 is being anti-social

Hubby Is: working on decorating the tree

Something New: Christmas-y blog background; also bought myself some wool socks at the mall.

Something Yummy: Tarla's mystery balls! lol

Blessings: sleeping in!

Reading: Henry Tilney's Diary by Amanda Grange, A Praying Life by Paul Miller.

Watching: Sherlock (BBC) - all 3 episodes with my Rollicking Readers, Parenthood, Psych, Camille (1984 w/Colin Firth & Greta Scacchi)

Considering: some gift ideas

Working On: Christmas preparations

Accomplishments: got the tree up!

Looking Forward To: seeing the new Sherlock Holmes movie, getting together with family this weekend, staying in a hotel with the kids
Pic:

NOTE: I have a personal blog, mostly a review of our weekly activities - NOT school related. If you need the link, let me know. It's not private, but I don't link to it. It's called Quingly Things.

Elbow Grease

2011-12-05T17:59:00.001-05:00

It's Elbow Grease Week here at Cornerstone Home Learning Academy. What does this mean?

Working 25 hours a week from home means I don't have a lot of time for house cleaning and chores. The students here at the academy are on a work-study program (meaning they do the cooking, cleaning, and yardwork).

My children's approach to chores tends toward minimalism. Also, they appear to be wearing blinders when doing their tasks. For example, one might clean all the normal surfaces in the bathroom, but since the floor is not a daily chore, the child would probably ignore a muddy streak in the middle of the floor.

Each child is responsible for two rooms/areas during each week, with normally specified chores to be done daily and weekly. The instructions I give do explain that the entire room is supposed to be clean, but the children seem to be ignorant of how to tell if that's the case.

In an effort to improve their thoroughness, I have declared this week Elbow Grease Week. I have put forth a challenge: choose one additional (normally unassigned) area in your assigned room that needs some cleaning or organizing attention. And Clean It!

The area that shows the most effort and benefit will get a prize each day! And the best for the week will get an even better prize! You know that great feeling that you get when you've done a good job and that surface is now shiny clean and organized? Hopefully they'll get that reward too.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Lisa's Logbook - December 4

2011-12-04T12:17:00.001-05:00

Current Mood: wistful

Outside: 45 and damp, was raining, more rain coming

Wearing: black jeans, long sleeve blue tee, multicolor top, socks, slippers, wet hair

Tunes: Christmas music mainly - Michael W. Smith, Straight No Chaser, Relient K, more

Kids Are: Three upstairs - making themselves scarce; 1 cleaning muddy boots

Hubby Is: laying on the bed

Something New: flannel sheets

Something Yummy: Mint Moosetracks ice cream!

Blessings: Warmth!

Reading: The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn, A Praying Life by Paul Miller.

Watching: Persuasion (95), Parenthood, Monarch of the Glen

Considering: purchasing a swing-arm towel rack and a Kindle decal

Working On: Christmas shopping

Accomplishments: December lesson sheets ready, finished book club book early!

Looking Forward To: going out with friends; getting my new pillow; Christmas season being over
Pic:

National Novel Writing Month - The Wagner Report

2011-11-30T20:40:00.001-05:00

This is the 5th year I've participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the 5th year I've won! For those not in the know, the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel (or the start of one, since most novels are longer than that) in 30 days (the month of November).

The kids have been participating along with me as part of the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program (YWP) for three years now. This is actually David's fourth year! All of them met their goals this year! WTG kids! I am so proud to see you writing!

Suzy wrote 4,500 words!

James wrote 18,536 words, exceeding his goal of 13,000 words!

Emily wrote 32,311 words, exceeding her goal of 30,000 words!

David participated in the adult challenge this year - he wrote 50,000 words!

Isn't that awesome! I am so excited they've done it again!

How did I get them to do it? Well, I don't assign much other language arts work during NaNoWriMo - no Spelling, no Vocabulary, etc... This year they actually did more language arts than I've required in the past.
Suzy had phonics and reading; Emily and David had their Brit Lit class for co-op (reading and writing assignments), and James and Emily have their Wordsmith (writing class) assignments. James also did his reading assignments. I also did not require any History assignments during the month for anyone. David did not have to do computer programming or ACT prep. Emily did not have to do her Spanish lessons. If they chose NOT to participate in NaNoWriMo (which is an option), they'd have ALL their regular work.

I also reward them periodically - setting goals at 10%, 20%, 30% and so on. Sometimes small rewards, sometimes larger ones. Even when we've been basically penniless, I was able to offer free or low cost rewards. Some would include computer time, movie rentals (even from the library), sleepovers, chore-free coupons, etc... I was able to offer more lucrative rewards this year, but it's not necessary for participation.

So, basically I bribe them and make it so attractive to participate that NOT participating would be a poor choice. But, hey, it works!

NaNoWriMo YWP has some of the best fiction writing curriculum I've ever seen and it's FREE. You don't have to even participate in NaNo to use it. It would be great in any situation where you'd like to motivate children (elementary through high school) to write fiction. If you go to the website, also check out the Resources and Educators sections. There are lesson plans available, though I haven't used them so I can't vouch for the effectiveness or lack thereof.

Editing will happen in January. This is the place I usually lose my motivation with the kids. I have a plan in place though; it may or may not include bribery! LOL I'll keep you updated.

Lisa's Logbook - November 29

2011-11-29T20:50:00.001-05:00

Oh, lookie, another of the Tuesday editions - not so rare anymore. ;-)

Current Mood: Grumpy and feeling a bit icky

Outside: Windy, winter storm warning, rainy, No Snow Yet

Wearing: PJ's, robe, wool socks

Tunes: Christmas Music

Kids Are: 1 is getting ready for bed, 2 are writing, 1 is doing Who-Knows-What

Hubby Is: puttering around getting ready for bed

Something New: Waiting on new flannel sheets, pillows, and towels to arrive - thanks to Black Friday ONLINE

Something Yummy: thinking about making Nanaimo bars

Blessings: Bob being able to re-roof the barn rather than having to hire that done

Reading: A Praying Life by Paul Miller. Recently finished 3 books that I was reading all at the same time, but haven't started a new one.

Watching: Super 8 (liked it!), Metropolitan (1990 indie movie - boring), and some other stuff I can't remember right now....

Considering: how we can make a "built-in" storage area upstairs where there USED to be a closet

Working On: The Rollicking Readers' Guide to Jane Austen (my NaNoRebel Book)
Accomplishments: Finished my NaNo book - 50,000 words, Read my book club book for the month already

Looking Forward to: staying in a hotel with the kids in a couple weeks

Lisa's Logbook - November 20

2011-11-20T13:16:00.000-05:00

Current Mood: I have a headache, so a bit down...

Outside: Overcast and low 40's

Wearing: jeans, Browncoats tee, pink hoodie, slippers, wet hair

Tunes: Mandisa, Straight No-Chaser, Wicked soundtrack

Kids Are: 3 are outside and 1 is working on a robotics fundraiser.

Hubby Is: puttering around in the dining room

Something New: bought a "new" fluffy pink robe at the thrift store yesterday and also a Panthers football tee, as well as a couple pair of navy pants. I've needed navy pants FOREVER!

Something Yummy: Had a couple slices of pumpkin creme roll at the ladies craft day yesterday - I love that!

Blessings: I love Netflix instant! and fast internet!

Reading: A Praying Life by Paul Miller. Jane Austen: A Life. Lady Susan by Jane Austen

Watching: continuing my Austen theme with Northanger Abbey (2007), Emma (2009), Pride and Prejudice (1995), Mansfield Park (2007), Mansfield Park (1999) & The Jane Austen Book Club. Also watched The Change-Up (HORRIBLE! BLECH!) and Gamer on DVD, and The Immortals in the theater.

Considering: the differences in convictions between Christians who all believe in the same God and are saved by the same Savior! Interesting thoughts...

Working On: The Rollicking Readers' Guide to Jane Austen (my NaNoRebel Book)Accomplishments: finished teaching Oliver Twist

Looking Forward to: Brit Lit movie night, Thanksgiving weekend - calm and quiet!

Lisa's Logbook - November 13

2011-11-13T21:16:00.001-05:00

Current Mood: Relaxed
Outside: Dark, 58, and really really windy!
Wearing: PJ's - flannel pants, wool socks, tee shirt, sweatshirt
Tunes: No tunes except in the car
Kids Are: Emily is here with me at the B&B and the other 3 kids are at home with Bob
Hubby Is: probably in bed - he worked hard this weekend on the barn roof. David helped too!
Something New: "Bought" a whole bunch of free Kindle e-books on writing. Enough to keep me busy the whole rest of the year. LOL
Something Yummy: chocolate/peppermint fudge at book club last night - delish!
Blessings: spending the night here at a local B&B with my daughter - a little writing retreat for us
Reading: A Praying Life by Paul Miller (continuing my re-read - I HIGHLY recommend this book!). Oliver Twist (for Brit Lit - on the last 6 chapters of the book). Jane Austen: A Life.
Watching: Pride and Prejudice (1995 - yeah, Colin Firth!), Bright Star, The Secret Garden (1993), Sense and Sensibility (2008), Sense and Sensibility (1995) (Do you sense an Austen theme here? lol)
Considering: whether or not I really want to break wood at the Break-a-thon for charity tomorrow. What if I hurt my hand? I need my hands!
Working On: The Rollicking Readers' Guide to Jane Austen (my NaNoRebel Book)
Accomplishments: Hit 21,000 words this afternoon! Finally my bar graph has caught up!

Looking Forward to: watching more Jane Austen movies, going to the theater sometime this week

Lisa's Logbook - November 8

2011-11-08T11:15:00.002-05:00

This is the rare Tuesday Edition of the Logbook. :-)

Current Mood: Stressed
Outside: 50 and overcast with rain coming
Wearing: brown pants, pink and brown striped long sleeve top, slippers
Tunes: nothing
Kids Are: working on their lessons
Hubby Is: at work
Something New: a new 10" skillet; had to throw my old one out as all the food would stick. I am trying to replace my kitchen tools bit by bit as they are looking a bit old and grungy.
Something Yummy: Halloween candy! Mmmm.....
Blessings: my job
Reading: A Praying Life by Paul Miller (Re-read - 50% done). Oliver Twist (for Brit Lit - on the last 1/3 of the book). Jane Austen: A Life.Watching: Parenthood, Glee Season 2, Emma (Paltrow, 1996), Persuasion (2007)
Considering: going to see a movie soon! But what?
Working On: The Rollicking Readers' Guide to Jane Austen (my NaNoRebel Book)
Accomplishments: Hit 10,000 words this morning. Way behind, but plugging away.
Looking Forward to: the Leader Dog field trip later today, watching Pride & Prejudice, book club on Saturday

Lisa's Logbook - October 30

2011-10-30T14:14:00.001-04:00

Current Mood: Cheerful and rested
Outside: 49 and sunny
Wearing: jeans, long sleeve magenta tee, heavy blue hoodie - all bought for $1 each at the thrift store on Friday
Tunes: mostly Tron or nothing. lol
Kids Are: 3 are carving pumpkins, 1 is showering
Hubby Is: sitting, drinking coffee, and listening to the Tron soundtrack
Something New: got a few items of clothing for $1 each
Something Yummy: Sheryl's cornbread - sooooo yummy!
Blessings: David's robotics team is a blessing!
Reading: A Praying Life by Paul Miller (Re-read). Oliver Twist (for Brit Lit). Listening to Voyager by Diana Gabaldon again. Going to start The Secret Garden. This is funny. I've read ALL FOUR of these books before and am re-reading them now.
Watching: Lie to Me, Firefly, The Three Musketeers (in theater), Equilibrium, X-men Origins: Wolverine
Considering: reading aloud to the kids again - it is one of my failings that I can't seem to get into a routine with that.
Working On: lesson plans for November, figuring out a costume for Emily
Accomplishments: Did NOT volunteer for something that I was being asked to do (and guilted into). Huge for me!
Looking Forward to: writing for NaNoWriMo, trick or treating with the kids

James - Soccer Fall 2011

2011-10-29T15:29:00.002-04:00

Finally got some pictures of James - his LAST game of the fall season. James is in his second year of U12 AYSO soccer. He has realized that he does not really like playing goalkeeper. He usually plays very hard as a forward and has made three goals this season. His team does not have a great record, but they are improving. Aren't the blue uniforms pretty? :-)

Lisa's Logbook - October 23

2011-10-23T14:45:00.002-04:00

Current Mood: Cheerful
Outside: Sunny and 61
Wearing: black exercise pants, green tee, grey Pistons hoodie, slippers
Tunes: mostly listening to audiobooks this week
Kids Are: 1 is doing dishes, 1 is cleaning her room, 1 is testing our new Wii, and 1 is at loose ends
Hubby Is: folding laundry
Something New: bought a used Wii (for Christmas), also bought some brown leather dress boots to wear with pants
Something Yummy: pizza with bacon
Blessings: being able to take my concerns to God in prayer. I know that sounds trite or commonplace, but it means more and more to me as time goes on.
Reading: A Praying Life by Paul Miller (Re-read). Oliver Twist (for Brit Lit). Started listening to Voyager by Diana Gabaldon again. LOVE IT.
Watching: Glee Season 1 (finished it), Lie to Me, The 5th Quarter, Psych, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Considering: future book choices for Rollicking Readers
Working On: counting calories, Halloween costumes, learning my Tang Soo Do forms, basic actions, and self-defense moves (for testing Nov 11)
Accomplishments: stayed in bed til noon today! Taught week 1 of Oliver Twist.
Looking Forward to: seeing The Three Musketeers (at book club this weekend) & Anonymous (and yes, I know it's fiction, lol). Also looking forward to James and Suzy's last soccer games.

Co-op Classes 2011-12

2011-10-22T18:41:00.002-04:00

I thought you might like a taste of the classes my kids are taking this year at co-op. The co-op meets every other Friday and each child takes 4 classes.

David (age 16)
1 - assist in Visual Basic Scripting (which he took last year) (computer programming)
2 - Government
3 - British Literature+
4 - Sports (PE)

Emily (age 14)
1 - Babysitting
2 - Chill Out (games and fellowship, to connect teens)
3 - British Literature+
4 - Writing for the Love of It

James (age 11, almost 12)
1 - Babysitting
2 - Junkyard Art
3 - Karate (same teachers we take karate with on M/Th)
4 - Reptiles

Suzy (age 9)
1 - Destruction (taking things apart to see how they work)
2 - Art Masterpieces
3 - Cooking
4 - What's Under My Skin (human body)

Lisa's Logbook - October 16th

2011-10-16T17:46:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: Bleh
Outside: Overcast and 58 with moments of sunshine and showers threatening
Wearing: jeans, black top, black boots
Tunes: Tron soundtrack, listened to some Ed Byrne comedy on youtube, slacker radio
Kids Are: 2 are riding bikes, 1 is upstairs, 1 is in here getting a back scratch from his daddy
Hubby Is: heading out to replace brakes
Something New: a fancy new mouse - very comfy
Something Yummy: good thing I like rice cakes
Blessings: writing back and forth with my kids in their communication journals
Reading: A Praying Life by Paul Miller (Re-read). Oliver Twist (for Brit Lit). Can't find anything else I want to read. Reading slump....
Watching: Glee Season 1, Scrubs, Real Steel (in the theater), something else I can't remember
Considering: signing Suzy and James up for a more competitive soccer team
Working On: Oliver Twist lessons, counting calories
Accomplishments: can't think of any
Looking Forward to: the end of the soccer season, NaNoWriMo

Lisa's Logbook - October 9th

2011-10-09T20:59:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: relaxed

Outside: 81 and sunny
Wearing: black exercise shorts (since I packed my summer clothes away!), Ted Logan tee (brown) and barefeet.
Tunes: Have been listening to slacker radio online - Christian rock, new country, 80's hits
Kids Are: 1 is at Improv class, 1 is playing xbox, 1 is at a friend's and 1 is riding bikes.
Hubby Is: napping as usual on Sundays
Something New: a new wireless mouse, but I am not sure I am happy with it.

Something Yummy: Dove chocolates filled with caramel!
Blessings: this lovely Indian summer!

Reading: A Praying Life by Paul Miller (Re-read). Oliver Twist (for Brit Lit)
Watching: Friday Night Lights (finished all the episodes....Sigh...), North and South, A Knight's Tale, Bridesmaids, The Hangover, She's The Man
Considering:
Working On: getting back to exercising (hard to fit into my schedule), a denim quilt made from old jeans (if I can ever get started)
Accomplishments: Got all my work hours done so I could have a FUN WEEKEND!

Looking Forward to: getting my Rollicking Reader badges; National Novel Writing Month! Seeing Three Musketeers, Anonymous, Machine Gun Preacher, and a few others....

Lisa's Logbook - October 2

2011-10-02T13:01:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: Lazy
Outside: Sunny and 51 - brrr!
Wearing: jeans, navy tee, white socks, slippers, wet hair
Tunes: Christian music on the radio all day today (Bob's choice)
Kids Are: 1 is painting the stairwell, 3 are supposed to be cleaning their rooms.
Hubby Is: helping 1 with the painting.
Something New: found refills for my eyelash curler at Sally Beauty - looked at Walmart without success.
Something Yummy: Brownie sundaes for my birthday - delish! (No cake - bleh)
Blessings: My writing class is going very well. The great curriculum (Wordsmith) gets most of the credit for that!
Reading: A Praying Life by Paul Miller (started my re-read). Getting ready for a quick re-read of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, in preparation for teaching it to Brit Lit. Thinking about some Gabaldon.....
Watching: Glee Season 1 (kind of a guilty pleasure), Moneyball (in the theater, long and very slow), Friday Night Lights (season 5 is on Netflix instant now!)
Considering: churches again....
Working On: Oliver Twist lessons, writing class lesson plans, sorting books and getting rid of things.
Accomplishments: Finished Three Musketeers! Got the October lesson plan sheets completed and printed. Finally made it in to get my hair cut - love it!
Looking Forward to: Seeing Twelfth Night at GVSU. Girl time coming up this weekend!
Pic:

David Soccer

2011-09-27T20:26:00.000-04:00

David plays varsity soccer for a local homeschool team. He plays right center defense or sweeper. This is his third year on the team.

Suzy Soccer

2011-09-26T18:21:00.000-04:00

Suzy is playing AYSO U10 soccer again this year. She is a good player and works hard on the field. She has made 2 goals so far this season.

Lisa's Logbook - September 25

2011-09-25T18:07:00.000-04:00

Note: I just posted last week's entry today, though it is dated Sept 20. Scroll down and take a look!

Current Mood: Relaxed
Outside: Overcast but bright, and about 72.
Wearing: black jeans, grey AYSO tee, white socks.
Tunes: Church music on the radio all day today (Bob's choice)
Kids Are: 1 is sorting clothes, 3 have vanished upstairs.
Hubby Is: helping 1 sort clothes
Something New: Ordered NaNoWriMo tee shirts and a NaNo mug and they arrived this week. Those will stay put away until November though.
Something Yummy: hot apple cider at Tim Horton's!
Blessings: James blew out his karate pants but a friend is giving us a replacement pair outgrown from her son.
Reading: A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter by William Deresiewicz. A Praying Life by Paul Miller. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. The End of Molasses Classes by Ron Clark.
Watching: Glee Season 1 (kind of a guilty pleasure), Abduction (in the theater), Henry's Crime (Keanu!)
Considering: What to buy myself for my birthday. Oh yeah, I mean what to ask for.....
Working On: getting through the soccer season
Accomplishments: Got the summer and winter clothes switched out.
Looking Forward to: my birthday! Also to getting Season 5 of Friday Night Lights.
Pic:
Here (finally) are the "First Day Sundaes" pix.

Lisa's Logbook - September 20

2011-09-20T22:54:00.002-04:00

Current Mood: satisfied
Outside: Dark and 54
Wearing: PJ's
Tunes: yeah, the 80's music still
Kids Are: 3 are in bed (hopefully 2 are asleep). 1 is supposedly doing his algebra.
Hubby Is: asleep
Something New: a new toilet plunger! It has a cool case! :-)
Something Yummy: Sheryl made something DELICIOUS and chocolate-y for the belt promotion tonight.
Blessings: Our family reunion turned out wonderful!
Reading: A Praying Life by Paul Miller (80% done). The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. The End of Molasses Classes by Ron Clark.
Watching: Glee Season 1, 24 Season 1, Castle Season 2, Hanna, Something Borrowed
Considering: if we can afford the karate tournament which is a TON more expensive than I expected it to be. Even just for David to participate would be pricy. :-( Also trying to see if we can go camping one more time this year.
Working On: Seeds of Faith directory
Accomplishments: Got my orange belt tonight!
Looking Forward to: getting the house in shape this weekend, maybe going to a movie?
Pic:

Lisa's Logbook - September 11

2011-09-11T15:02:00.000-04:00

Oops, once again I forgot to post this. Was waiting on a pic, but I never got one. Sorry! LOL

Current Mood: cheerful
Outside: 78 and sunny! Perfect!
Wearing: green and brown top, brown capris and bare feet.
Tunes: Dugongs, dugongs, living in the ocean, causing a commotion.....
Kids Are: 1 is at her friend's house across the street, 1 is eating cereal, 2 are on the computer. Yeah, I should boot them all outside. We will go for a walk after Bob naps.
Hubby Is: napping
Something New: Teaching a new writing class starting this week. Looking forward to working weekly with eighteen students ages 11-15.
Something Yummy: Roza's pizza with bacon!
Blessings: I love September!
Reading: A Praying Life by Paul Miller (which is EXCELLENT. As soon as I finish it, I'm going to start over!). The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. Have a book by Ron Clark to peruse.
Watching: Friday Night Lights (Completed season 4!), The Help (LOVED it; go see it if you didn't already), Psych season 5
Considering: what to put in the side yard to replace all the juniper trees Bob cut down this weekend.
Working On: lesson plans for homeschooling
Accomplishments: Finally cut all 4 kids' hair!
Looking Forward to: James' 1st soccer game, season 5 of Friday Night Lights, getting my orange belt!
Pic:

Lisa's Logbook - September 4

2011-09-04T16:19:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: a bit ungracious
Outside: 73 and rainy
Wearing: Firefly tee, brown capris and flip flops. And a feather in my hair. Thinking about putting on jeans and socks though. Chilly now!
Tunes: nothing really
Kids Are: 3 are impatiently waiting for me to be ready, 1 is with a friend
Hubby Is: at work on a Sunday!
Something New: bought a DVD of a movie I love - Management. Also bought sheets for the camper - in GREY, lol. Oh, I also bought 2 large flower pots that look ceramic but are plastic (and they were on clearance). Want to put mums in those.
Something Yummy: I am loving Greek yogurt. Any kind, any brand. If I buy plain, I add a swirl of honey and a dribble of real vanilla extract. And I eat it with Kashi Go Lean.
Blessings: I was able to BE a blessing to a family in need at the campground. Maybe I can post the story separately.
Reading: A Praying Life by Paul Miller (which is EXCELLENT. As soon as I finish it, I'm going to start over!). The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. Have a book by Ron Clark to peruse and several magazines also.

Watching: Friday Night Lights (Completed season 3! LOL), I Do (But I Don't)
Considering: memory verses
Working On: last minute co-op stuff, last minute soccer registration stuff, Brit Lit plans and preparations, lesson plans for homeschooling
Accomplishments: Went through the entire camp "week" (4 full days) without getting online at all.
Looking Forward to: Seeing The Help, the first day of co-op, James and Suzy's 1st soccer games
Pic: These are the black belts from the record-breaking testing last Sunday. Since I was IN the big group of everyone all together, I couldn't get a photo of that. You can see how large the facility was. This is only part of the large soccer field and there were THREE fields in the building! Amazing.

Lisa's Logbook - August 27

2011-08-27T21:12:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: tired
Outside: 69 and dusky
Wearing: pink tee, white and pink plaid shorts
Tunes: Toto and more tunes of David's choosing, like Black Veil Brides, Abney Park, Saviour Machine, etc...
Kids Are: 1 is showering, 1 is probably dozing, 1 is packing, and who knows what the other is doing
Hubby Is: getting the van and camper ready
Something New: bought some new pants - 2 pair of jeans, 1 brown lounge pants, 1 pair dark brown. Also joined the Star Teacher club at Office Depot and got a goodie bag and some yummy breakfast today!
Something Yummy: I have a couple HEATH BARS in hiding.
Blessings: homeschool camping week!
Reading: Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. Also reading A Praying Life by Paul Miller (which is EXCELLENT. As soon as I finish it, I'm going to start over!). Listening to Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Going to start The Three Musketeers.
Watching: Friday Night Lights (almost finished with season 3! LOL), Limitless
Considering: how to get out of my soccer commitment sooner! lol
Working On: lesson plans
Accomplishments: Got the van packed and camper ready the NIGHT BEFORE CAMPING!
Looking Forward to: karate testing with 2000 other people, camping week!
Pic: Lake Huron - Suzy and a friend

Lisa's Logbook - August 21

2011-08-21T20:46:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: calm and cool

Outside: sunny and 72
Wearing: pink tee, white and pink plaid shorts

Tunes: nothing new really

Kids Are: 1 reading a book, the other 3 have vanished

Hubby Is: reading the newspaper
Something New: We have a new ALTERNATOR! Woo-hoo! I also have new running shoes!

Something Yummy: Suzy made delicious brownies. And I made a yummy crunchy coleslaw salad.

Blessings: my book club!

Reading: The Passion of Mary-Margaret (recommended by my mom!). Also reading A Praying Life by Paul Miller. Listening to Voyager by Diana Gabaldon, and soon will listen to Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare.

Watching: Friday Night Lights (finished season 2! LOL), Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (theatrical edition), the new Jane Eyre with Michael Fassbender (liked it!), and at book club we watched True Grit (both versions - the John Wayne and the Jeff Bridges)
Considering: Bible Memory and hymns for the upcoming school year

Working On: learning my karate terminology and self-defense moves, also working on lesson plans and getting ready for camp week!

Accomplishments: logged 6 miles today (please note I did NOT say "ran" 6 miles. Not sure I can call THAT running, but I surely slogged through every yard of 6 miles.)

Looking Forward to: going to Lake Huron, our karate testing, camping week!

Pic:

Lisa's Logbook - August 14

2011-08-14T19:30:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: sweaty

Outside: overcast and 70
Wearing: black yoga capris, blue striped tank (running clothes)
Tunes: right now the radio is playing some gospel quartet music (Bob picked that)
Kids Are: 1 doing dishes, 1 painting the landing walls, 1 on computer, 1 bored
Hubby Is: reading the newspaper ads
Something New: I can't think of a single "new" thing!

Something Yummy: Creamsicles
Blessings: having someone else to handle the soccer uniform order

Reading: Current audiobook is Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Also reading A Praying Life by Paul Miller.
Watching: Friday Night Lights (finished season 1 and now I'm HOOKED with a capital H), Soul Surfer (loved it!), Unknown (could have skipped this one)
Considering: lessons for the upcoming year, also considering the specifics of the writing class I'm teaching this year
Working On: my to-do list - some real doozies on there!

Accomplishments: sewed curtains for David's room and the landing, ran 5 miles again today, made some progress on the literature class I am co-teaching this coming year.

Looking Forward to: Girls night, book club
Pic:

Reading About Education

2011-08-13T18:02:00.000-04:00

I've been reading a few things on education. One is The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner, which was recommended by my friend Sarah (two blogs: Teach a Fish and Ordinary Canary). This book makes me much less worried about my kids missing out on a public school secondary education. (Not that I was very worried about that in the first place.) It's clear that most high schools are not doing enough to prepare kids for a high tech future in a world where you can't make a living on the assembly line. Am I doing enough, though? Well, there are a few things I am going to change after reading the book - much more writing, more discussions to encourage critical thinking, more experiences designed to make my teens comfortable in the business world. How will I do this? Not sure. But textbooks are not part of it.

You should read this book.

Something else I've been skimming through is The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education by Grace Llewellyn, first published in 1991 when the author was 26. This one isn't as valuable to me for a number of reasons. The author was briefly a middle school English teacher and then began to promote unschooling and even anarchy to teens. The book is written directly towards the teenager and includes advice a homeschooling parent may not want them to consider, such as drug use might not be all bad. The subject area chapters do seem to be fairly useful, but this is a book to be seasoned with a whole salt shaker. Skip this one, unless you are truly into counter-culture and the concept of total unschooling.

I also recently finished reading I Saw the Angel in the Marble by Chris Davis. I started this years ago and read a little bit at a time. The book is a collection of essays on education and homeschooling by the owners of the now-defunct Elijah Company, Chris and Ellyn Davis. I highly recommend this to give you a new outlook on education.

I have my set of Chris Davis seminar audiotapes back again. I'd lent them out and almost despaired of ever seeing them again. We'd been listening to them in the car and we will again, when we are driving in the vehicle with the antiquated audio cassette deck. I'm trying to find a place online that you can download these. Thought I had found one a couple years ago, but now having no luck at all. If you have the opportunity to hear these seminars, do it.

Chris Davis has a blog - http://chrisdavis.wordpress.com/

What have you been reading to encourage you in your homeschooling and to enrich your knowledge of education?

Lisa's Logbook August 7 & 8

2011-08-08T13:41:00.000-04:00

Started this yesterday but didn't finish. So you get partly today's answers and partly yesterday's - just to be confusing! lol

Current Mood: Cheerful and tired
Outside: dark, 70, raining
Wearing: Black tank, pink pj pants
Tunes: David made a CD of some of his stuff for us to listen to in the car.
Kids Are: 1 is in my bed, 1 is in his bed, 1 is on the computer, 1 is on X-box Live
Hubby Is: in bed reading the Bible
A Giggle: Laughed at a commercial - here it is. (I don't usually watch TV with commercials, so when I do, they're all new to me!)

Something New: Bought a set of double-12 dominos so the kids can play Chicken Foot. Also bought Farkle.
Something Yummy: Fudge is tasty! Had some at Golden Corral.
Blessings: Got to spend a sunny afternoon at Lake Michigan
Reading: Current audiobook is Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Finished my other book and haven't picked out a new one yet.
Watching: Friday Night Lights, Psych (finished season 5), The Adjustment Bureau, Who is Simon Miller?
Considering: Camping at a Lake Michigan campground next year. Also thinking exactly when I will teach the writing classes that have been requested this fall.
Working On: finishing up some soccer details and co-op details.
Accomplishments: Ran 5 miles twice (combination of jogging and walking), gave my mom a perm
Looking Forward to: Seeing a movie, scrapbooking, finishing my digital scrapbook and ordering it.
Pic: The kids with my parents.

Lisa's Logbook - July 31

2011-07-31T19:27:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: Cautiously relaxed
Outside: 87 and Sunny.
Wearing: black shorts, hot pink tank top, bare feet
Tunes: David played some of "his" music for me. Hmmm....
Kids Are: 1 is at a friend's house, 1 is scrubbing rust off her bike wheels, 1 is upstairs, 1 is bored
Hubby Is: helping the rust-scrubbing child
A Giggle: lots of laughs in The Tempest, which I saw with my book club at a park in Royal Oak last night
Something New: school supplies! LOVE buying those!
Something Yummy: Chicken chimichangas at Grand Azteca! Delicioso!
Blessings: Having someone to take over the uniform ordering process!
Reading: The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner (no relation); Current audiobook is Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Watching: Friday Night Lights, Source Code, A Shine of Rainbows

Considering: when the heck I am going to do lessons for the upcoming year!
Working On: printing out soccer rosters in preparation for coach meetings this week and also raising my Zuma Blitz score
Accomplishments: organizing the book club trip to Shakespeare in the Park, also got through co-op registration! Printed out all 37 soccer team rosters! Ran 2 miles without stopping at all!
Looking Forward to: swimming with friends twice this week, going away with the family over the weekend
Pics: Karate Tournament

Lisa's Logbook - July 24

2011-07-24T16:46:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: a little unsettled
Outside: 81 and Sunny. Another hot week ahead, but not quite as hot as LAST week.
Wearing: khaki capris, red tank top, bare feet
Tunes: Daft Punk, also put some new tunes on my MP3 player
Kids Are: 1 is at a friend's house, 1 has a headache, 2 are upstairs
Hubby Is: looking at ads online
A Giggle: Lots of funny lines in Captain America! I laughed a lot - in the right way!
Something New: Got my hair cut chin-length. I love it. The family is not as appreciative. :-(
Something Yummy: Heath bar.... yummmmmmmmmy.....
Blessings: Being able to read is a huge blessing!
Reading: The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen & The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner (no relation); Current audiobook is Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Watching: Friday Night Lights, some of Matrix: Reloaded, Captain America
Considering: a trip to Lake Michigan or maybe camping. We have one free weekend in August and we're making some plans.
Working On: getting the soccer rosters completed, also finishing my digital scrapbook; going through my scrapping stuff to sell most of it.
Accomplishments: 10K training Week 5 (including a 4 mile run, the longest I've done so far!)
Looking Forward to: Shakespeare in the Park, seeing friends at registration
Pics: Once again, I have no pix to share. Sorry!

Lisa's Logbook - July 18

2011-07-19T17:26:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: Calm but still rather tired
Outside: Sunny, hot, and humid. This is going to be a VERY hot week.
Wearing: brown capris, brown & white tank top, bare feet
Tunes: audiobooks
Kids Are: 1 is sanding our dining room chairs, 2 are outside playing (I think) and 1 spent the night at a friend's recuperating from tactics camp
Hubby Is: at work until 5
A Giggle: running across bubble wrap trying to be as silent as a ninja. Not succeeding. lol
Something New: tried digital scrapbooking and I LOVE IT!!!!
Something Yummy: Maryann's cooking is always tasty!
Blessings: Good friends! And new friends!
Reading: Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving--and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity by Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell (on the Kindle)
Watching: Friday Night Lights, The Lincoln Lawyer, National Treasure, The Wedding Date, 17 Again, Australia, Family Man, and more I can't think of now..... (Scrapping weekends are movie-watching weekends, and we always repeat our old favs. We only watch the good parts. lol)
Considering: a trip to Lake Michigan
Working On: a digital album for 2010 (from mixbook.com) & getting the soccer rosters ready to release, putting new music on my MP3 player to run by
Accomplishments: 10K training Week 4b, edited and uploaded all 2010 photos I plan to use, chose my kids' co-op classes
Looking Forward to: seeing Captain America! Karate picnic this weekend.
Pics: I don't have a pic and I am procrastinating posting, so I better just click Publish!

Lisa's Logbook - July 10

2011-07-10T16:16:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: relaxed
Outside: Kinda hot! Sunny and about 90
Wearing: Navy shorts, sapphire blue v-neck tee, bare feet
Tunes:my 80's CD's
Kids Are: Tired but happy! They loved camping! 3 are unpacking and doing chores. 1 is at her grandparents.
Hubby Is: getting ready to take a nap and describing the pain in his elbow
A Giggle: James tells me corny jokes like - When is a door not a door? When it's ajar. lol
Something New: Bought some plastic squirt guns that were junky. :-( Should have held out for the better ones at the other store.
Something Yummy: Grand Traverse Bay Cherry Fudge ice cream (Amaretto flavored ice cream, cherry pieces and thick fudge swirls.)
Blessings: Being able to get together with family and have the cousins play together so well!
Reading: Ann Patchett's State of Wonder and Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving--and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity by Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell (on the Kindle)
Watching: Northanger Abbey, The Prestige, The Matrix, Friday Night Lights, Life on Mars (finished the series)
Considering: camping trips that fit into our busy summer schedule
Working On: creating soccer teams, co-op registration preparation, scrapbooking, getting everyone where they need to be
Accomplishments: not going crazy?

Looking Forward to: getting together with friends, used book sale this week, getting back into my 10K training (missed a week.....)
Pics:

SMALL

MEDIUM

LARGE

Lisa's Logbook - July 4th

2011-07-04T19:00:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: pleased
Outside: PERFECT! Sunny and 78
Wearing: Navy shorts, light blue v-neck tee, bare feet
Tunes: nothing special

Kids Are: Tired but happy! They loved camping!
Hubby Is: Happier than I can remember about a camping trip.
A Giggle: Singing nutty campfire songs, including one where we put our shirts over our heads. So silly....

Something New: Camped at a new campground this past weekend. Wonderful! I towed the trailer! Not so scary.

Something Yummy: Had a great watermelon today!

Blessings: Being able to work through problems with friends and STILL BE FRIENDS afterwards!

Reading: the new Anne Perry novel about Thomas Pitt and Ann Patchett's State of Wonder and Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving--and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity by Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell (on the Kindle)
Watching: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King in the theater, Psych Season 5. Nothing else.

Considering: a trip to Lake Michigan

Working On: creating soccer teams, planning my half of the Brit Lit+ class

Accomplishments: Completed week 3 of 10K training. Towed the trailer myself! First time ever!

Looking Forward to: Fireworks, Cousin Camp

Pic:

Leaping Lemurs! A trip to the zoo....

2011-06-29T23:18:00.000-04:00

Three of the kids and I headed out today to the Detroit Zoo with the promise of a lovely temperate sunny day. Everyone else in Metro Detroit apparently had the same idea! I've never seen the zoo parking lot overflowing with so many vehicles. The zoo itself was busy but not too overcrowded. We wandered about looking at everything and taking pictures. We haven't been in a long while. Suzy didn't even remember the place!

My favorite were the leaping lemurs - both ring-tailed and ruffed. They were fighting - so cute! We were also impressed with the meerkats, crocodiles, peacocks, prairie dogs, and polar bear.

Check the slideshow for some pictures.

Lisa's Logbook - June 26

2011-06-26T23:40:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: A tad annoyed
Outside: Sunny and 74
Wearing: brown capris, brown top, brown sandals
Tunes: 80's tunes
Kids Are: Suzy (and her bad attitude) is cleaning up the kitchen, David is on facebook, James is drinking lemonade he bought from the kids across the street, and Emily is doing something for her dad
Hubby Is: laying down
A Giggle: I always laugh out loud when reading Evanovich! Also I saw more ugly faery tattoos - these were a pair on a lady's shoulder blades. She was wearing a wife beater and the ugly anime-style faeries were staring at me as I left the grocery store.
Something New: I bought a new eyeshadow kit. It has 6 different compartments. SMOKY EYES......
Something Yummy: the grape salad I had at Alex's open house and recreated for book club last night.
Blessings: Bob and David worked on the van and it's running good now.
Reading: Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich and Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving--and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity by Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell (on the Kindle)
Watching: Lord of the Rings: Two Towers in the theater, Life on Mars, IT Crowd (finished the Netflix eps), Psych Season 5
Considering: a trip to the Detroit Zoo

Working On: making a coach list for the soccer meeting tomorrow night, slowly sorting through things, getting the camper all set for our trip
Accomplishments: Completed week 2 of 10K training. Cleaned out the bottom cupboard of the hutch. Finished both Anne of Green Gables AND The Tempest.

Looking Forward to: LOTR: ROTK in theater!, going to the zoo, camping, kids that don't whine
Pic: Book club movie time!

Mapping the World by Heart

2011-06-20T10:28:00.000-04:00

One of the things I am going to do with the kids this summer is Mapping the World by Heart. I've been reading about this curriculum for years, and a discount buy on Homeschool Buyer's Co-op induced me to purchase it for this summer. Our co-op was planning to do this as a class, but the course didn't make the cut after member voting.

Here's an introductory video to the curriculum.

In case you don't have the patience to sit through the video, the goal of the program is to teach kids to draw detailed maps by heart. Suzy is a bit young for the program, as it is designed for grades 5-12, but she could do it again when she's older if need be.

So, check back at the end of summer for our completed maps. I've offered to pay the kids for their maps in order to make the geography time more palatable. Until then, here are a couple samples of maps done by middle school students (more samples HERE):

Lisa's Logbook - June 19

2011-06-19T14:41:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: Cheerful, but Achy
Outside: Sunny and 76
Wearing: brown capris, brown and white tank top, brown sandals
Tunes: 80's tunes and some country
Kids Are: 3 are watching a DVD, David is upstairs doing something (probably working on a computer)
Hubby Is: reading the paper
A Giggle: What do clouds wear for pants? Thunderwear!
Something New: changed up my meme. Also got a haircut
Something Yummy: Minute Maid frozen lemonade cups (100 calories and 4-packs were on sale for $1!)
Blessings: Such GORGEOUS weather this week! Given some lovely furniture!
Reading: The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie by Wendie McClure; listening to Anne of Green Gables
Watching: Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring in the theater, Life on Mars, IT Crowd
Considering: upcoming books for book club
Working On: getting books ready for a book sale
Accomplishments: Finished entering almost 300 soccer registration forms. Completed week 1 of 10K training. 23 years of marriage.
Looking Forward to: LOTR:TT in theater!, Book Club

Pic: a pic of my hair cut, though all you can really tell is the length. I actually was hoping for it to be a bit shorter, but I can do that next time.

Suzy's Mini-golf Party

2011-06-12T20:43:00.000-04:00

Suzy's 9th birthday party at a local mini-golf center. I didn't upload photos of the guests, but if you want to see all the photos, email me for the link.

Lisa's Logbook - June 12

2011-06-12T20:26:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: relaxed
Outside: Sunny and 63
Wearing: Camp NaNoWriMo tee, khaki capris, socks and tennis shoes
Tunes: nothing really
Kids Are: 3 are down at the playground, 1 is probably napping
Hubby Is: somewhere around here
Made Me Laugh: Going out to eat with my friends after we saw X-Men: First Class. I think we tried the waiter's patience.
Made Me Sad: I hate answering this question!
Made Me Smile: A video of the actor who portrayed Boba Fett telling my son to take his friend Sky out to dinner. Ask me to link you on FB if you wanna see too.
Blessings: We were given a pool. Now we have to reassemble it and buy a liner.
Reading: the same: Max Lucado's Out Live Your Life and The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy by Mary Simonsen; listening to Anne of Green Gables
Watching: X-men: First Class in the theater, X-men, X2, Life on Mars, Robin Hood Season 1, and Friday Night Lights
Considering: going camping next weekend. Also thinking about redoing this meme.
Working On: entering the soccer registration forms into the computer
Accomplishments: The co-op schedule is online!
Agenda: Working 4 hours M-F, karate, LOTR in theater! Our anniversary this weekend. Starting the 10K training this week.

Pic: The 3 older kids mini-golfing at Suzy's party on Friday. (Pix from her party coming up!)

Lisa's Logbook June 6

2011-06-06T19:29:00.000-04:00

Suddenly taken ill Sunday afternoon and did not finish this, so I am answering it with Monday's answers instead.
Current Mood: Queasy (viral gastroenteritis? bleh)
Outside: Sunny and 82
Wearing: blue tee and black shorts
Tunes: nothing really
Kids Are: 1 doing dishes, 3 are somewhere doing something. lol
Hubby Is: at work
Made Me Laugh: A really ugly pair of "fairy" tattoos I saw on a woman's legs while I was out shopping. Ick.
Made Me Sad: Emily had to miss her last soccer game because she was sick.
Made Me Smile: Getting to go to Coldstone Creamery with a friend.
Blessings: a friend lent us the math curriculum David needs
Reading: Max Lucado's Out Live Your Life and The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy by Mary Simonsen; listening to Anne of Green Gables
Watching: The IT Crowd, MacGyver
Considering: how to put together the summer learning plan. It would have been done except I was SICK. :-(
Working On: entering the soccer registration forms into the computer
Accomplishments: Finished reading the Message Bible (NT and OT)
Agenda: Working 4 hours M-F, karate, a curriculum sale, belt promotion ceremony, park day, Suzy's party, Alex's open house

Pic: Suzy with a bunny at the Family Fun Day on Memorial Day.

5K on Memorial Day

2011-05-30T17:29:00.001-04:00

Ran a 5K today with friends. The first two 5K's I ran were far better than this one. Guess I need to train more seriously, eh?

Stand Strength Team

2011-05-30T17:21:00.000-04:00

I took Suzy, James, and a friend to the Stand Strength Team's show on Sunday night. The kids had seen it before when it was at our church, but the younger ones didn't remember it very well.

Lisa's Logbook - May 29

2011-05-29T21:28:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: Apprehensive about the 5K tomorrow
Outside: WET - raining again - tornado watch and 67
Wearing: Brown tee (with Firefly slogan), tan capris, bare feet
Tunes: just flipping the radio stations around whenever I'm in the van
Kids Are: 1 is washing a little tea set, 1 is on his laptop, 2 are upstairs doing something
Hubby Is: reading the Bible
Made Me Laugh: the "Punch and Judy" puppet show today at the Feast of the Ste.Claire, apparently written and performed by local middle school drama students
Made Me Sad: hearing that a friend of a friend (a local homeschool mom) was killed in a car accident while on vacation
Made Me Smile: standing in line for the porta potty with 2 guys in full historic military regalia and one quipped, "Pre-battle jitters...." lol
Blessings: Bob fixed the printer!
Reading: Max Lucado's Out Live Your Life and Tina Fey's Bossypants (kind of an odd juxtaposition of books there, isn't it?)
Watching: The IT Crowd, Quantum Leap, The Last of the Mohicans, Surrogates
Considering: teaching a writing class next year for grades 6-9 (and high schoolers that need basic skills)
Working On: entering all the soccer registrations
Accomplishments: FINISHED The Last of the Mohicans!!! Tested for my yellow belt in Tang Soo Do.
Lessons: Summer learning plan will commence shortly. Details to appear here soon.
Agenda: Working 4 hours M-F, karate 1x, soccer practices and games, grading essays, a 5K on Memorial Day, last essay class
Pic: Bob with the kids on his 50th birthday last week. (I took 6 pictures and he was making the same face in each one. lol)

Lisa's Logbook - May 22

2011-05-23T00:47:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: Outside: Sunny and 81!Wearing: red tank top, shorts, and sunscreen!
Tunes: Toto
Kids Are: 1 in the shower washing off the sand, the rest are sucking on their slushies
Hubby Is: napping
Made Me Laugh: Pirates of the Caribbean 4
Made Me Sad: I wish I'd taken pictures at the homeschool convention; it was such a lovely time with friends!
Made Me Smile: Having my parents visit today
Blessings: James got to go on a wonderful boys' campout this weekend. He loved it and can't wait for next year. The homeschool convention this weekend was a lot of fun, though that was more due to the company than the convention itself.
Reading: haven't finished anything I've been reading, though I am working away at them all. Started Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin.
Watching: The IT Crowd, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (4), Quantum Leap, Wings
Considering: Gotta get a new printer - mine died
Working On: switching out the winter clothes and bringing in the summer things
Accomplishments: Didn't go crazy in the vendor hall at the convention and only spent money I had!
Lessons: This is our last week before summer break. Karate testing is this week too!
Agenda: Working 5 hours M-F, karate, soccer practices and games, grading essays, a park day, book club and a 5K on Memorial Day
Pic: Suzy on her 9th birthday with her handcrafted card from Grandma. She was very impressed with it!

Lisa's Logbook - May 15

2011-05-15T22:11:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: Really really tired. and I do mean REALLY. Outside: The most gorgeous sunset!
Wearing: black yoga pants, pink long sleeved tee, black hoodie, black slippers
Tunes: Journey (I can sing it really loud; can you? Don't stop believing.....)
Kids Are: 2 are praying with their dad, 2 are looking at banquet pix on facebook
Hubby Is: praying with 2 of his kids
Made Me Laugh: Watching the dancing last night at the homeschool banquet
Made Me Sad: The adult son of church friends was killed by a drunk driver.
Made Me Smile: spending time with my friend today
Blessings: Such a wonderful opportunity for the kids to attend a beautifully done and ever-so enjoyable homeschool banquet/dance; also got to shop at the discount grocery store in Otisville today. Whee!
Reading: still listening to the oh-so-dull Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper, in the middle of How To Be Perfect (about a church trying to live the book of Leviticus for a month), still reading The Slumber of Christianity by Ted Dekker, and 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny: Life Lessons from Teaching by Phillip Done
Watching: Psych, Alatriste (Viggo Mortensen in Spanish with English subtitles), Life on Mars
Considering: Making David go get a part time job.
Working On: grading essays and the co-op schedule for next year
Accomplishments: Got through 2 days of soccer registration with no major issues (even though 1 day happened outside in a rainstorm in a tent); also got my winter clothes put away.
Lessons: A final two week push and then moving on to summer learning plans
Agenda: Working 5 hours M-F, karate, soccer practices and games, grading essays, a soccer meeting, a co-op planning meeting, a running form class
Pic: About 50 homeschooled teens who attended the Spring Homeschool Banquet/Dance Saturday night. Can you spot mine?

Lisa's Logbook - May 8

2011-05-08T19:23:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: Blessed
Outside: 60's, sunny, and GORGEOUS!
Wearing: hot pink tee, jeans, pink hoodie socks
Tunes: nothing really
Kids Are: 1 is napping, 2 are on the computer, and 1 went upstairs for an unknown reason
Hubby Is: visiting his mother
Made Me Laugh: seeing similarities between Thor and Lord of the Rings (they have a cave troll!)
Made Me Sad: arguing with my son
Made Me Smile: being at the nature center with my kids in the sunshine
Blessings: The Message Bible has been a huge blessing to me in the past couple weeks.
Reading: listening to the oh-so-dull Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper, in the middle of How To Be Perfect (about a church trying to live the book of Leviticus for a month), still reading The Slumber of Christianity by Ted Dekker, and 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny: Life Lessons from Teaching by Phillip Done
Watching: Psych, Thor, It's Kind of a Funny Story
Considering: Why is church important? Why does it look like it does in modern America? Why should we be involved? How do we find "church" in the church?
Working On: planning soccer registration, grading essays (40 more), getting the teen kids' outfits ready for the homeschool banquet, and the co-op schedule for next year
Accomplishments: Cleaned up the landing, got the essays all graded before class, got a tentative co-op schedule figured out with Darlene
Lessons: almost DONE!!! Our last day will be the Friday before Memorial Day; I have some learning planned for the summer though.
Agenda: Working 5 hours M-F, karate, soccer practices and games, grading essays, a Park Day, two sessions of soccer registration (I am in charge), a homeschool banquet - BUSY BUSY BUSY
Pic: James and me today at the nature center.

Lisa's Logbook - May 1

2011-05-01T19:29:00.001-04:00

Current Mood: Cheerful
Outside: Mostly Cloudy and "sorta chilly" according to Suzy
Wearing: hot pink tee, light pink long sleeved tee, jeans, socks, slippers,
Tunes: not much
Kids Are: 1 is at home with Bob, the other 3 are here at Maryann's w/me
Hubby Is: home making omelets with James
Made Me Laugh: seeing a dog with his head out the car window, jowls flapping in the breeze
Made Me Sad: my friend's husband had some life-threatening health issues this week (but miraculously, he is doing better!)
Made Me Smile: realizing today is May 1st! And also seeing brand new kittens at Maryann's house.
Blessings: Maryann has some curriculum I was hoping to buy!
Reading: listening to Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper, reading The Slumber of Christianity by Ted Dekker, and 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny: Life Lessons from Teaching by Phillip Done

Watching: Psych (officially addicted), and Megamind
Considering: dying my hair tonight
Working On: planning soccer registration, organizing the landing, grading essays (20 more)
Accomplishments: found a van to buy (well, Bob found it), got Essay class #2 planned out and 40 essays graded.
Lessons: changing 2 of the kids to Teaching Textbooks math
Agenda: Working 4 hours M-F, karate, soccer practices and games, a mom's night out, teaching Essay class, art class

Pic: The kids on Easter morning.

Lisa's Logbook - April 24

2011-04-24T15:52:00.010-04:00

Current Mood: Sugared Up
Outside: Mostly Sunny and in the 50's today.
Wearing: Black Skirt, Peach Top, Brown flats (they didn't match, but they also didn't hurt my feet)
Tunes: the stuff on my Walkman (W series)
Kids Are: also all sugared-up!
Hubby Is: napping
Made Me Laugh: Psych, of course! Such a cleverly-written show!
Made Me Sad: Forgot to take pix of the kids today in their Sunday clothes. Only got a snap of Suzy.
Made Me Smile: Running outside in the sunshine! And then doing my karate form out there too. :-)
Blessings: Found a dress for Emily to wear to the homeschool banquet and it's not going to need much alteration.
Reading: Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
Watching: Psych (officially addicted) and Life on Mars & The IT Crowd (also on Netflix instant). Oh, and Tron: Legacy. It was weird watching the movie because we listen to the soundtrack pretty much non-stop. The music is SO familiar that it was almost unsettling watching the action unfold to it. lol
Considering: Changing my Netflix plan to 1-out instead of 2-out. Would save me $5 a month since we have switched to mostly watching Instant! I do like the flexibility of 2-out, but......
Working On: Soccer registration and getting back into counting calories and working out.
Accomplishments: Learned my 1st basic form in Tang Soo Do. Taught the kids to blow out eggs.
Lessons: Bought an e-book to help James with the sounds of S, Sh, and Z which give him trouble in his speech
Agenda: Working 4 hours M-F, karate, soccer practices and games, a leadership meeting, rescheduled Egg Hunt/Park Day
Pic:

Lisa's Logbook - April 17

2011-04-17T18:14:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: Relaxed
Outside: SNOWING and 39 degrees. Blech! (last week it was 81 and sunny?!)
Wearing: Khaki pants, sapphire blue blouse, blue necklace, brown loafers, hair blown straight
Tunes: Listened to part of my Country Jog playlist
Kids Are: 1 is sitting here talking to me, 1 is on the computer, 2 are upstairs
Hubby Is: finishing lunch
Made Me Laugh: book club always makes me laugh! We have such fun!
Made Me Sad: disagreements in my family
Made Me Drool: just THINKING about gelato makes me drool
Blessings: Lesson plans are pretty much set for my essay class. Love teaching classes I already planned well and taught once before.
Reading: Run by Ann Patchett and listening to Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
Watching: Source Code (EXCELLENT), Psych (love it on Netflix instant) and Due Date (all the funny stuff was in the trailer and almost none of the crude stuff was), as well as Wives and Daughters at book club.
Considering: furniture purchases and a vehicle purchase as well
Working On: learning my karate form.
Accomplishments: Managed to run 2 miles on Tuesday. Just once this week. Rain rain rain snow....
Lessons: Starting Emily on HELP math this week - 2 week trial to see how we like it. Also Em and David are taking my essay class (along with 18 other students).
Agenda: Working 4 hours M-F, karate, soccer practices and games, the 1st essay class
Pic: Check out these directions to a local theater!

Lisa's Logbook - April 10

2011-04-10T20:10:00.000-04:00

Current Mood: Mellow
Outside: 81 degrees??? Breezy and sunny! Crocuses!
Wearing: Black yoga pants, blue tee, bare feet
Tunes: Just Wives and Daughters
Kids Are: 2 are painting their bedrooms, 2 are chatting in the living room.
Hubby Is: Cleaning up the yard.
Made Me Laugh: Sitting with my good friend
Made Me Sad: Bob's aunt passed away. Also seeing Suzy's tonsils was pretty sad.
Made Me Drool: walking down the Easter candy aisle - so many kinds of JELLYBEANS! lol
Blessings: Walking into the urgent care with Suzy and there being NO OTHER PATIENTS there. How often does THAT happen? No waiting!
Reading: Just finished Wives and Daughters for book club and Cinderella Ate My Daughter. Started listening to Voyager by Diana Gabaldon and reading a book about a waitress' life experiences.
Watching: Psych and Life on Mars
Considering: Going to a movie. Anyone want to see Source Code or Soul Surfer?
Working On: soccer registration fliers, also the bedroom rearranging project
Accomplishments: Matched up a few waiting list players with open spots on spring soccer teams.
Lessons: Worked on David's transcript with a cool transcript generator my friend Maryann told me about:
http://www.howtohomeschooltoday.com/freebies/homeschool_forms/record_keeping_forms/transcript_creator
Agenda: Working 4 hours M-F, karate, soccer practices and games, book club, homeschool rollerskating
Pic: First pic is Em and Suzy's room - half spring green and half lilac.

Second pic is David's end of the boys' room - partially painted regal purple. He even painted the ceiling. LOL And the trim is going to be onyx black.

Third pic shows James' end of the boys' room. His is light blue on top (sky) and dark blue on bottom (waves) and he is painting waves on the walls. He wants shark decals and fishes too. Ignore the huge messy pile in the middle that no one even covered with a sheet while painting. LOL He did his ceiling too, I believe, and the trim will likely be white.

Lisa's Logbook - April 3

2011-04-03T19:08:00.001-04:00

Current Mood: Tired
Outside: THUNDER SNOW! And once again, the ground is white. And it's supposed to get up to 50 DURING THE NIGHT. WTH???
Wearing: jeans and a grey sweatshirt. That's like my uniform.
Tunes: Didn't listen to much all week really. Sad, isn't it?
Kids Are: 2 are doing writing lessons they skipped during the week. 2 are watching Holes.
Hubby Is: napping. Surprise!
Made Me Laugh: Psych! I just LOVE that show! SOO clever!
Made Me Sad: Someone I considered a friend hasn't been acting like one.
Made Me Drool: Macaroni and cheese PIZZA at Cici's today! YUUUUUMMMMMY!!! (Don't knock it til you've tried it!)
Blessings: My new camera takes good videos!
Reading: Started a book but not sure I like it. Also going to be finishing Wives and Daughters this week. Then I can listen to some Gabaldon!!!

Watching: Henry Poole Was Here and lots of Psych

Considering: the details of an essay class I am going to teach this spring. It's a repeat of the one I taught last year, but I need to charge a bit more or do less essay grading.
Working On: soccer registration fliers, also the bedroom rearranging project
Accomplishments: Finished another year of co-op! Woot!

Lessons: going to focus on IEW this week. Also David's math is getting really hard and he can't do as much in a week. So, re-adjusting my expectations for him.

Agenda: Working 4 hours M-F, karate, a couple meetings
Pic:

This is the skit my Austentatious class has been working on since the fall. We performed it Friday night at our co-op program. I'm second from the right and my daughter Emily is in the light green on the far right.

Breaking Boards

2011-04-03T17:25:00.000-04:00

I am not sure these pictures showed up when I originally posted this. So I re-published them. Do you see them now?

We started homeschool karate last week at a nearby studio. They offered a special introductory homeschool program twice a week in the afternoons. Three short intro sessions and a uniform were included. They got a very good response and we are part of a large class. I've decided (against popular opinion) to sign all 5 of us up for their homeschool program that begins next Monday. I'm enjoying it and it fits my goal of keeping us active as a family.

Specifics for those who want to know: It's Korean martial arts called Tang Soo Do.

Lisa's Logbook - March 27

2011-03-27T10:49:00.007-04:00

Current Mood: Exhausted but Satisfied

Outside: Way colder than it should be. And why does SE Michigan have snow when Lansing doesn't? Hmmm?

Wearing: Pj's, wool socks, robe, Hair in clip because it's WILD

Tunes: Listened to the radio for 8 hours in the van - switched the channel every time I didn't like a song. Begged David to play me Adam Lambert's If I Had You because it's on his iPod and it never came on the radio.

Kids Are: 3 are sleeping, 1 has been up for hours cuddling, playing video games, etc....

Hubby Is: looking on craigslist for cars and getting frustrated with the slow computer

Made Me Laugh: Giggling in the car with my children and Alex

Made Me Sad: Bought a camera and I'm not all that happy with it. Maybe I just need to learn how to use it.

Made Me Drool: A whole ballroom full of people in Regency costume! Oh my!

Blessings: Being able to attend the Regency Ball with such a wonderful group of people!

Reading: still - Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell and Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran

Watching: Flipped, several episodes of Psych and Castle.

Considering: furniture purchases

Working On: recruiting an Uniform Coordinator for AYSO

Accomplishments: Planned a successful weekend trip to another state for more than 20 people including costumes for 3 of us.

Lessons: Back to the routine this week

Agenda: Working 5 hours M-Th, karate, Co-op, End of the year Program

Pic: Stay tuned.....

Lisa's Logbook - March 20

2011-03-20T16:15:00.004-04:00

Current Mood: Happy

Outside: Cloudy, WINDY, and 43.

Wearing: jeans, pink shirt, grey sweatshirt, yesterday's socks, makeup (and my hair looks GREAT - must have been Christy's water!)

Tunes: listened to Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell again this week

Kids Are: 1 is on the computer and texting, 1 is playing PS2, 1 is upstairs, and 1 is at a birthday party

Hubby Is: resting and talking about going to work on the yard

Made Me Laugh: Picked up Suzy from a friend's house last weekend and told her I had missed her. Her response? "I didn't think about you!" LOL

Made Me Sad: listening to a sad song and realizing that I have made someone feel that way

Made Me Drool: an abundance of tasty food this weekend - so much we didn't even get to try it all!

Blessings: Found a framed Monet print of chrysanthemums at the thrift store; learned to crochet through the kindness of my sister's friend; spent the weekend with my mom and sisters.

Reading: Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell and Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran

Watching: Castle Season 2, Secretariat, Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story, and part of Ocean's 11

Considering: buying a better camera off craigslist instead of getting a Kindle

Working On: getting back to counting calories and exercising

Accomplishments: Regency outfits are DONE! (well, there'll be some tweaking here and there); Also, I learned to CROCHET!

Lessons: Spring Break this week

Agenda: Working 5 hours M-Th, karate, movie day, soccer meeting, portrait session, REGENCY BALL

Pic: Pictures from the gymnastics gym. We are done there for the time being.

Lisa's Logbook - March 13

2011-03-13T11:47:00.004-04:00

Current Mood: Bleary

Outside: Cloudy and 33.

Wearing: long johns, wool socks, robe

Tunes: listened to Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell this week (20 chapters out of 61), Daft Punk Tron soundtrack

Kids Are: 2 are asleep (I think) and 1 is upstairs playing and 1 is at church with a friend

Hubby Is: listening to the radio

Made Me Laugh: watching Psych with David. (Thank you, Netflix Instant and Xbox Live!)

Made Me Sad: My friend has had a very bad week. Her ex was mean to her. But worse? Her sister said things that were just plain cruel.

Made Me Drool: The grinder I had at Mancino's. DELISH! And I wish I'd eaten the chocolate cupcake I saw in their dessert case. It made me drool too.

Blessings: David has his Level 1 learner's permit! And the boy can drive!

Reading: Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell and The Sherlockian by Graham Moore

Watching: Psych, The Adjustment Bureau, Morning Glory

Considering: purchasing furniture (craigslist) and how we'll get it home

Working On: the last parts of our Regency costumes.

Accomplishments: The yearbook is done, proofed, and ordered! Made David a waistcoat and a cravat (such as it is), Trimmed Em's dress with pearls and added the second skirt. Just a little bit left for her dress.

Lessons: Nothing new this week, I don't think. We're pretty much in a groove.

Agenda: Lessons, working 5 hours M-F, gymnastics, co-op, Sister Weekend!

Pic: David in most of his costume. Still need the waistcoat, cravat, and steampunk accessories. We're getting there. I'm almost ready to photograph me and Emily.

How We Do... History

2011-03-08T14:10:00.000-05:00

Here is the third in a series of posts on how we do each of our academic subjects. (The first was on Bible study and the second was Math.)

I never liked history when I was in school. I didn't see the big picture until I was in college. Until I took a History of Civilization class, I didn't see any of it as connected. Because of this, I always wanted to teach my children history chronologically.

But for a long time, I couldn't really find a curriculum that did this, so we floundered around in Ancient Egypt and the American Revolution. I figured that at least if we had an interest in some part of history, that the love of learning about it would carry over to history in general. And I actually think that is a fine approach.

But, a few years ago, when a friend showed me her brand new copy of Mystery of History, I knew in a flash that was what I had been waiting for. Currrently there are 3 volumes in the series, with a fourth (and final) volume being finished

Why? Well, it's strengths are:

Chronological
Christian
Conversational
Creative

We have worked our way through Volumes 1 and 2. For those two volumes, I led the lessons, reading them aloud to my children, and then doing a project once a week or so to extend the learning. I don't really pay any attention to the tests. For those volumes, we did a timeline and we did the learning cards for volume 1 only.

As we progressed, I stripped the history lessons to exactly what we wanted. I don't want our history to be a bunch of memorization. I want it to be something that whets the children's appetites for learning more about history, as well as something that allows them to see each event in relation to a larger picture. It's learning a worldview and a context, rather than memorizing dates and names. (Note: I am not opposed to memorization. I just want more than that.)

For Volume 3, however, I needed to do something differently. As I have mentioned before, since I am working 20+ hours a week, I need to streamline our curriculum. So, David is "teaching" history this year by reading the lessons aloud to his siblings. He is gaining practice in reading aloud (which is something he needs to work on) and in teaching. Is it the most ideal way to teach history? Probably not. Are they continuing on toward my goal for them? Yes, they are.

What would I like to change or add? I would like to return to doing the projects. For MOH3, I would need the teacher book. The publisher changed the format for Volume 3. Instead of one volume with the info and the resources, the books were separated into a full color textbook and a separate teacher volume. I should probably order that and add that back into our history lessons. I think that adds a richness we have been missing.

Volume 4 (the final MOH) will probably not be ready in time for us to use it when we finish Volume 3. So, we will probably take the time in between to do an in-depth study of American History. Or maybe we will do a year of Geography since David already did a survey of American History. Our options are open.

Lisa's Logbook - March 6

2011-03-06T00:01:00.002-05:00

Current Mood: Tired

Outside: Dark, icy and cold

Wearing: Jeans, black long sleeved tee, short sleeved striped sweater, slippers, and a big grey sweatshirt

Tunes: listened to Persuasion by Jane Austen this week, and David played some music for me from his new fav band - Abney Park (steampunk sound)

Kids Are: 3 are asleep (I think) and 1 is banging around upstairs working on some computers

Hubby Is: Asleep

Made Me Laugh: Bowling with Emily and her friends

Made Me Sad: hearing of the tragic accident Friday morning that took the life of a local high school girl and injured two more.

Made Me Drool: Sally posted the "It's Raining Men" video. Yes, that always makes me drool. :-)

Blessings: My daughter is FOURTEEN. And Bob bought me a sewing machine.

Reading: Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo and Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

Watching: Blast from the Past, Ice Castles (the new one; but the DVD messed up so I missed the end), Psych

Considering: Regency hairstyles for all of us. Em and I will wear our hair up. Emily will probably have pearls in hers. David is gonna need a haircut but he's resisting. He had agreed to Mr. Elton's haircut, but conveniently "forgot" that he did so. (That's Mr. Elton in all these pix. And if you have forgotten, David's hair is that same color now.) And no, neither Emily nor I will be wearing our hair like Harriet Smith, the girl Mr. Elton is advising on her painting. lol What do you think of Mr. Elton's hair? The Austentatious girls like it a lot and are turning the screws in hopes of pressuring David into honoring his promise. lololol

Working On: the last parts of our Regency costumes. And the yearbook. Still.

Accomplishments: Driving home tonight - it was the worst winter drive I can remember. And I was not even expecting bad weather. Thankfully we made it home safely.

Lessons: Going to start Suzy on Draw-Write-Now just to give her something to practice writing and drawing. She needs something independent she can work on when I'm busy. I bought the 8 volume set from someone online for a song.

Agenda: Lessons, working 5 hours M-F, support group, field trip, dentist

Pic: This space heater is the reason we didn't freeze while waiting (2 weeks) for our furnace part. It keeps the downstairs pretty warm, actually.

How We Do... Math

2011-03-02T17:29:00.002-05:00

Here is the second in a series of posts on how we do each of our academic subjects. (The first was on Bible study.)

For several years, we used Math-U-See, which we all liked very much. However, my work hours this year required that I pare my schedule down to the bare bones. I found that grading four math papers every day was one thing that I would like to be able to delegate somehow.

So, I went looking for a curriculum that would grade the children's work for me and keep track of their scores. After doing a little research, I settled on Switched-on Schoolhouse for several reasons. First, it is affordable, especially when found used. Second, it keeps grades and allows me a lot of leeway in how I assign the lessons and set the parameters of the program. Third, it is a computer-based program and the kids enjoy that.

For the most part, the program has worked as expected. Because we moved from Math-U-See, which covers topics in a less traditional order, the three younger kids had never done certain topics, such as fractions. Because one of those three children struggles a lot with math, that child is not working at grade level. (I think this child could be diagnosed with dyscalculia, if I ever thought that was necessary.)

My oldest has always found math quite intuitive and he is doing Geometry (Math 1000) this year. I gave him a lot of input on deciding which curriculum to use and he told me it didn't matter to him. He has found the adjustment to SOS quite easy and basically teaches it to himself. If he is stumped, he usually looks for a video on youtube to learn the concept.

The other three need a lot more help. A lesson does include a written explanation but none of the 3 read it carefully as a matter of course. I often have to go through the lesson with the student, or re-explain the concept after many problems are wrong. Because Math-U-See has a video that explains each concept, I think the children are used to that visual approach. It's not really fair to expect the children to teach themselves their math, I suppose, no matter how much I would love that. So, I've reconciled myself to the necessity of explaining math concepts. But don't expect that most children will teach themselves math with SOS because I don't think that's going to happen. For me, the tradeoff in having the grading done for me is worth it.

My youngest is not reading fluently, so the transition to SOS has been the hardest for her. She is in 3rd grade and is doing SOS Math 3, but the reading is beyond her especially when she is trying hard to figure out math. This difficulty requires that someone be near her to help her with the reading, or else she'll just get the problems wrong. She doesn't find the math difficult, just the reading. She has recently asked to go back to her math book (which I assume means MUS) but this is not going to happen for her.

Oh, and the spelling! That's a problem for everyone. If the user doesn't enter a word like SOS expects, it's wrong. The teacher can (and I did) set the spelling penalty to be more lenient, but it's still more strict than I would be on a workbook page. That's good though. They're learning to do things to the standards of others, which they will have to do at some point.

Now that the kids and I understand the intricacies of the program, they are doing better with it. I have been too lax about requiring the amount of time needed though, so they are not as far as I would like. Add to that the fact that I require at least an 80% score (70% for the student with math difficulties); anything lower requires a do-over. So, they have had quite a few quizzes and tests to retake.

Lately, I've been requiring 2 lessons per day (with at least an 80% score, though I allow some exceptions for the student with the mathematics disorder). Since we have a 4 day week, this works out well for us in making up for past laxness and redoing lessons that are not acceptable.

Is this a perfect way to teach math? No. I freely admit that. However, this is the least stressful for me - a working mom who homeschools. I doubt that whatever method was used in a public school would be perfect either. So, if they are progressing, and they are, I am pleased. I actually wish I'd switched several years ago, when it became clear that being a homeschool mom with a job was my reality.

And what about Math-U-See? I still like it very much. If I were the mom who didn't have to spend half her day in other commitments, I would not have switched.

Lisa's Logbook - February 27

2011-02-27T11:55:00.004-05:00

Current Mood: Optimistic

Outside: Overcast and grey and snowy

Wearing: black pants, flowered brocade stretch shirt, dark socks, boots, makeup

Tunes: still listening to Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland; will finish this week and move on to Persuasion by Jane Austen

Kids Are: 1 is sleeping, 2 are watching Planet Earth on DVD, 1 is brushing her teeth

Hubby Is: asleep (last night he volunteered at the homeless shelter)

Made Me Laugh: book club always makes me laugh. But lately, laughing sends me into gales of COUGHING which isn't so fun.

Made Me Sad: Missing so much work last week; knowing it makes my paycheck smaller

Made Me Drool: the spread of food at book club last night! We outdid ourselves!

Blessings: having two free tickets to Cirque Shanghai today - Suzy and I loved it!

Reading: still reading GOVERNESS: The Lives and Times of the Real Jane Eyres by Ruth Brandon.

Watching: the second half of the Emma starring Romola Garai, a couple eps of Psych, My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (a cute rom-com on Netflix Instant), Northanger Abbey

Considering: going to the doctor

Working On: finishing the SOF yearbook - almost done!

Accomplishments: Do I have any?

Lessons: Starting David on Plato Chemistry this week

Agenda: Lessons, working 5 hours M-F, gymnastics, co-op, David drivers ed make up classes, other stuff too and I can't think of it all

Pic:

Lisa's Logbook - February 20

2011-02-20T11:05:00.006-05:00

Current Mood: Miserable (working on the 4th day of being sick)

Outside: Overcast and grey, with a Winter Storm Warning for tonight into tomorrow.

Wearing: pajamas, robe, wool socks, slippers, heating pad, blanket

Tunes: been listening to Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

Kids Are: 1 is sleeping, 1 is upstairs doing something, 1 is whining she's bored, 1 is in the kitchen

Hubby Is: working on the furnace (again)

Made Me Laugh: watching Lucille Ball on a comedy highlights DVD. I need to introduce my kids to I Love Lucy.

Made Me Sad: watching my kids suffer with fevers and sickness in the last week

Made Me Drool: the bag of bumpy Nerds jellybeans Bob brought me

Blessings: a great dance class with my Austentatious class

Reading: Reading GOVERNESS: The Lives and Times of the Real Jane Eyres by Ruth Brandon. Just finished Secrets to the Grave by Tami Hoag.

Watching: the Emma starring Kate Beckinsale, the first half of the Emma starring Romola Garai, the 3rd episode of Sherlock Holmes,

Considering: that I stayed healthy until I went off my sugar fast....

Working On: getting better

Accomplishments: taking care of 4 sick kids in one week

Lessons: Last week was sort of a wash since everyone got sick at some point or other. Gonna try again this week with the same lessons.

Agenda: Lessons, working 4 hours M-F, soccer meeting, taking Suzy to Cirque Shanghai, book club

Pic: Can't upload now, will try later.

Lisa's Logbook - February 13

2011-02-13T14:30:00.005-05:00

Current Mood: Wistful

Outside: It's a balmy 43 out there. And there are PUDDLES! lol

Wearing: Jeans, black long sleeved thin tee, blue fleece pullover, socks, slippers.

Tunes: All audiobooks except while driving - mostly Austen, but also some Gabaldon.

Kids Are: 1 is upstairs, 1 is driving a car, 2 are on the computer.

Hubby Is: napping

Made Me Laugh: They showed this in church today. (Although I think maybe they edited it. lol)

Made Me Sad: I hate thinking about sad things. Death is sad. The end of things is sad.

Made Me Drool: Choosing which chocolate I was going to eat for Valentine's Day. Ended up with Lindt truffles. Mmmmm....

Blessings: My son attending a worship retreat this weekend and coming home with the desire to please God in practical ways. Also, my husband being able to fix a furnace part BEFORE it broke. (heard it making a bad noise)

Reading: Still skimming through The Unwritten Rules of Friendship: Simple Strategies to Help Your Child Make Friends by Eileen Kennedy-Moore. Also reading GOVERNESS: The Lives and Times of the Real Jane Eyres by Ruth Brandon.

Watching: the Emma starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam, The A-Team (new one), a couple Psych episodes, Gamer (with Gerard Butler), and The Madness of King George (Rupert Everett, Helen Mirren, and Nigel Hawthorne as the King).

Considering: a portrait session when our costumes are done. Also still deciding what to do with those lovely pasta bowls. Need to decide! Augh!

Working On: still Regency costumes and the SOF yearbook. Also my Emma lesson for co-op this Friday.

Accomplishments: Looked at a huge spread of goodies at the Valentine bowling party and didn't have any sweets - ate sausage, cheese, and fruit, and some yummy bean dip. My sugar fast is now over, so hopefully an upcoming accomplishment will be that I can eat sugar in moderation. lol Also, I modified the neckline on Emily's gown and sewed on the overskirt.

Lessons: It's pretty much the same old thing here.

Agenda: Lessons, working 4 hours M-F, David has drivers' training 1 or 2 nights, gymnastics, movie night, co-op. Trying to add exercise back into the schedule.

Pic: Emily took this photo tonight. The sunset was AMAZING!

Working and Homeschooling

2011-02-08T09:17:00.003-05:00

I was asked to share some thoughts at a homeschool support meeting on the topic of working and homeschooling and I thought I'd publish them here.

What are the ages of your kids?
Currently they are 8, 11, 13, and 16. When I started working in 2000, they were almost 1, 3 and almost 6. My youngest wasn't born yet. So really the entire time I have had school-age kids, I have worked at least part-time, save for a few months after my last one was born.

What kind of work do you do, schedule do you keep? Outside the home or in?
I work out of my home 4-5 hours a day on the computer. I have to work at least 4 hours a day Monday through Friday. I try to work 1-2 hours before we begin our lessons for the day and fit in the rest in the afternoon and evening.

Other work I have done while homeschooling includes: direct sales home parties (selling Usborne books), teaching part time (during school day, afternoons, evenings), and full time factory work on 2nd shift.

Who stays with your children while you work?
The older two watch over the younger two now, but when my kids were younger, I did a number of different child care arrangements. When #3 was a baby, I arranged my schedule so my husband could watch the kids. After he was injured when #4 was born, I needed to rely on other people somewhat, but I never paid for child care. Since I work at home now, I am always here when I am working.

What sorts of things do you have for your children to do while you are working? (How do you keep them occupied?)
Nowadays they occupy themselves, though I do have gaming systems for them which I always thought we'd never have. They read and play Legos and play outside and play in their rooms. They also do a lot on the computer; we have 2 desktops and 2 laptops for them to use. They do their schoolwork and chores. When they were younger, I worked my schedule around them and they had a caregiver when I was not able to be there.

How do you get schoolwork done? Is your schoolwork independent or require your time?
I try to keep my mornings available for them and require math and reading/literature/phonics to be done during this time. They do a lot more on their own than I imagine a lot of families require. For instance, the oldest reads history aloud to the other 3 and I am not involved at all. We switched to SOS Math so that I would not have the burden of grading math homework. They also do quite a bit online – Livemocha foreign language, typing.... #3 is reading a science book aloud to #4.

How do you get household tasks completed? How do you organize these tasks (if you organize at all!)
I am very organized with household tasks. We have a job chart that tells everyone what to do that day – everything from meal prep to cleaning the bathroom to cleaning the microwave. The kids do all the meal clean up, some of the meal prep, almost all of the household cleaning, and folding their own laundry. I change this chart once a year. The jobs rotate – weekly now, but we have done daily rotation up until now.

What do you do well as a working mom? What do you struggle with the most?
I am great at organization and delegation as well as at protecting my personal time. I am not great at planning meals, though I go in spurts. I also tend to lean more toward the relaxed side of homeschooling, which as they get older may not be in their best interests. So, I struggle with the balance between teacher-led and child-led learning. I also spend a minimal amount of time on my house and almost never entertain.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I want to add that I am very blessed to have the job I have now - I have the flexibility to work whatever hours I want, as long as they add up to 4-5 in a day; I make good money for a work-at-home online position and I am good at it. My kids want to remain at home or else they probably would have gone to traditional school long ago. And I am blessed to have a husband who has supported our efforts and pitched in as much as he can.

Lisa's Logbook - February 6

2011-02-06T13:58:00.003-05:00

Current Mood: Ambitious

Outside: Overcast and snowy. Piles and piles of snow!

Wearing: Black dress pants, a dressy ruffly blouse in blacks and browns, white socks (because they're comfy!), and makeup. And I curled my hair!

Tunes: Haven't been listening this week to anything except Emma by Jane Austen. I'm almost done!

Kids Are: 1 is at a friend's house, 2 are talking in the living room while 1 of those reads the comics, and 1 is upstairs

Hubby Is: napping

Made Me Laugh: Making James laugh by ALMOST tickling him, but not quite. It was hilarious!

Made Me Sad: that there are no more Firefly episodes for me to watch. I guess I will have to watch the rest of Castle after all, but it's just not the same. :-)

Made Me Drool: a recipe I saw for chimi-cheesecake, a la Applebees. I will be making this next week!

Blessings: Sitting in church today with my good friend Donna!

Reading: Emma (audiobook) by Jane Austen and I just finished Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter. I am also skimming through The Unwritten Rules of Friendship: Simple Strategies to Help Your Child Make Friends by Eileen Kennedy-Moore and also reading through Reading Reflex: The Foolproof Phono-Graphix Method for Teaching Your Child to Read by Carmen McGuinness.

Watching: Watched the rest of the episodes of Firefly and then followed it up with the movie Serenity. David introduced me to Psych, and we watched the 1st two episodes of the BBC Sherlock (which is GREAT!). And I saw Dilemma at the movie theater last weekend.

Considering: used furniture purchases on craigslist; looking for 2 recliners and a couch

Working On: the Seeds of Faith yearbook - wanna help???

Accomplishments: Did the taxes - and I think this might be the earliest I've EVER gotten them done.

Lessons: Planning to start David on Plato Chemistry as soon as the group buy goes through, probably 2 weeks from now.

Agenda: Lessons, working 4 hours M-F, David has drivers' training 3 nights, rollerskating day, Valentine bowling party, and a support group meeting. Trying to add exercise back into the schedule.

Pic:

Lisa's Logbook - January 30

2011-01-30T11:06:00.007-05:00

Current Mood: Lazy

Outside: Sunny and cold, but not as cold as last week. It's 20 degrees and feels like 7 with the wind chill.

Wearing: PJ's and a robe, wool socks.

Tunes: Been mostly listening to TRON: Legacy soundtrack on the stereo and Dragonfly in Amber in my earbuds. Oh and the dueling cellos playing Smooth Criminal.

Kids Are: 3 are still asleep. 1 is playing with Legos, I think.

Hubby Is: walking around in the other room.

Made Me Laugh: watching Firefly with David

Made Me Sad: The snaps keep popping off my coat. V. annoying. (OK, not really sad.) I keep sewing them back on but they don't stay.

Made Me Drool: Candy is starting to tempt me a little - after a month, I guess it would.

Blessings: Love my electric blanket! And my wool socks!

Reading: Dragonfly in Amber (audiobook) by Diana Gabaldon -I'm just loving every moment. Just finished the 4th Tuesday Next book - Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde. Now I really should put in some time for Emma.

Watching: Finished watching Wallis and Edward. Watched several episodes of Firefly. (OK, I may give Castle another try.... lol) I think that's all. Oh wait, one episode of Downton Abbey.

Considering: Going to see a movie today. But what?

Working On: Costumes for the Regency Ball. I am taking pictures as I go and will post when they are all done. But so far, I've picked out some seams and recut some key features. Also I ordered some trim online for my gown and for Emily's.

Accomplishments: Made it 4 weeks with no sweets! Can you believe that!?

Lessons: Ordered the Reading Reflex book on my friend's recommendation.

Agenda: Lessons, working 4 hours M-F, David has drivers' training 3 nights, free movie night at the nearby cinema (Sound of Music), Co-op, Trying to add exercise back into the schedule.

Pic: Emily took some photos of scrapping weekend. Here is one that shows most of the large room we used for scrapping. Please note the TV; we never scrap without one. I am sitting closest to the TV, on the far right of the frame. My hair is in a ponytail.

Lisa's Logbook - January 23

2011-01-23T16:05:00.005-05:00

Current Mood: Relaxed

Outside: Sunny and VERY cold, with a couple inches of snow on the ground. About 10 degrees with a wind chill of -1.

Wearing: pink tee under a long sleeved blue tee under a grey sweatshirt, jeans, socks, and slippers. Hair in ponytail. No makeup.

Tunes: Been mostly listening to TRON: Legacy soundtrack on the stereo and Dragonfly in Amber in my earbuds.

Kids Are: 1 is at a party, 2 are on the computer, 1 is finishing up some dishes.

Hubby Is: shaving

Made Me Laugh: Book club last night!

Made Me Sad: Hearing sad news from a couple of friends.

Made Me Drool: Watching North and South, especially those last 4 minutes!

Blessings: WARM HOUSE!

Reading: Dragonfly in Amber (audiobook) by Diana Gabaldon. Soon will begin Emma by Jane Austen for Austentatious class and soon thereafter beginning Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell for book club - both on librivox audio. I have a few books from the library but not much time to actually read.

Watching: Not much this week. I watched and DO NOT RECOMMEND The Kids are All Right. (I fast forwarded quite a bit and closed my eyes for quite a bit.) Watched about half of Wallis and Edward before my eyes just wouldn't stay open. And of course, watched North and South at book club.

Considering: what else can I do to make our house more of a place I enjoy being. I am trying to find and display things that make me happy to look at them. Not just junk that fills every space, kwim? Found a couple nice "treasure chest" style boxes on clearance at Hobby Lobby this week.

Working On: Cleaning out the back room - just about done! Also, David is painting the cabinets and trim in the kitchen this weekend (in return for money for drivers ed). He says he likes to paint, so I will probably continue to pay him to do the dining room and other stuff. So nice to have children old enough to do good work!

Accomplishments: Made it 3 weeks with no sweets! Finished reading The Mysteries of Udolpho!

Lessons: Going to do a reading evalution on Suzy with some materials a friend (who is also a reading specialist) gave me.

Agenda: Lessons, working 5 hours M-F, David has drivers' training 2 nights, Austentatious movie night (Mansfield Park)

Pic: David in his tailcoat ($19 on ebay) and Emily in her gown ($10 at Goodwill). Both will need to be modified. David's coat mainly just needs the front waist line recut to be straight across instead of pointed. I also will probably need to relocate the buttons and add buttonholes. (Ack! Buttonholes!) Emily's needs a bit more work, so we may still look for a different gown. I will need to recut the neckline, gather the sleeves to make them puffy, and probably add an overskirt and some trim around the hem. But we have the bare bones of our outfits. I also have a pair of white breeches for David, as well as a top hat. Looking for shoes for both of them, and a shirt for David, yes, a nice puffy sleeved pirate-y shirt!

Lisa's Logbook - January 17

2011-01-17T13:26:00.005-05:00

Current Mood: Annoyed (I have to drive to Flint tomorrow and a pile of snow is in the forecast)

Outside: Overcast with snow on the ground, about 22 degrees with a wind chill of about 7. NOT going out.

Wearing: grey long sleeved tee, grey sweatshirt, black yoga pants, socks, and slippers.

Tunes: It's been mostly Udolpho playing in my headphones all week. I also have WOW Hits 2011.

Kids Are: making lunch and one is shrieking. And one is on his laptop.

Hubby Is: At work. And last night he volunteered at the homeless shelter.

Made Me Laugh: hanging with my besties this weekend!

Made Me Sad: That my friend Donna couldn't be with us for scrapbooking....

Made Me Drool: Playing with the Cricut at scrapbooking weekend -SO COOL!

Blessings: Such wonderful friends to scrapbook with and my family who doesn't mind if I take a weekend for scrapbooking.

Reading: Trying to read Edge by Jeffrey Deaver but I just can't find time. I am ALMOST done listening to The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe. Should finish tomorrow. It was far better than I imagined it would be.

Watching:
11 movies at scrapbooking weekend: The Young Victoria, Sahara, The Proposal, Knight and Day, 17 Again, Lars and the Real Girl, Inception, Charlie St. Cloud, Robin Hood (Russell Crowe),
and couple more I can't remember now. Should have kept a list.

Firefly episodes 2-3 (the tv show) and an episode of American Pickers.

Considering: how/if David's costume will be steampunk. And what can we do with his hair? Also thinking about Emily's hairdo for the ball.

Working On: Regency costumes. Just ordered David a tail coat (used, ebay) that will need a little alteration. This is instead of SEWING him a jacket.

Accomplishments: Made it 2 weeks with no sweets! And I did not eat even ONE piece of chocolate during an entire scrapbooking weekend! I also have reduced the amount of creamer I use in my coffee by 1/2.

Lessons: Chose some documentaries to watch from the PBS catalog I got in the mail. The ones I liked were ALL on Netflix. Some were on instant! LOVE that!

Agenda: Lessons, working 5 hours M-F, a meeting Tuesday (maybe), David starts drivers' training, Eye dr for Emily, co-op, BOOK CLUB!

Pic: sings: "You could really be a Beau Brummel, baby, if you just gave it half a chance."

Yep, this is him - Beau Brummel, baby. Regency fop extraordinaire!

Swagbucks and Group Buying Power Sites

2011-01-12T14:15:00.004-05:00

Here are my favorite sites for group buys (usually half-off deals):

Seize the Deal
http://www.seizethedeal.com/users/new/TLsSuGBoc

Groupon
http://www.groupon.com/r/uu10858895

Living Social
https://livingsocial.com/redeem_invite/17628583-lisaqu?ref=lnk

Check out Swagbucks to earn amazon.com gift certificates and many other valuable rewards.
http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/Lisaquing
It's easy to search through swagbucks and win!

This is my favorite site for finding swagbucks deals. Look at her recent posts in the sidebar for her daily swagbucks post entitled “Winning Ways on Swagbucks”. (Be sure to check out the list of stuff she has won with swagbucks!)
http://www.frugal-freebies.com/

How We Do... Bible Lessons

2011-01-11T14:54:00.008-05:00

I thought I'd do a series of posts on how we do each of our academic subjects. I'll start where we begin our days - with Bible lessons. Three main components comprise our Bible class - Singing, Bible reading, and Prayer.

We always begin with singing. We have quite a list of hymns and praise choruses we have learned over the past few years. Currently we are learning a new hymn each month and reviewing a previous one each day. I choose the new hymns and the kids take turns choosing one from our repertoire. I have each hymn listed on a 3x5 card and we are working through the entire pack, not repeating any before we get through the stack. We sing acapella.

I have been collecting hymn books for a while. We had all different ones for a couple years, but a few months ago, I found several all the same at a thrift store. So now we have enough for us all to use the same ones, even if they are rather well-used. Adds to their character, right?

Learning hymns is beneficial in a number of ways. Children will learn what to expect in some churches. They learn about using indexes, about reading music, about the composers and lyricists, as well as hearing some great poetry. All that even without the spiritual benefits, which I find are many. I have memorized quite a few great hymns and they often come back to me in times of need.

After singing, we move into Bible study. We are still using the versatile four-volume Bible Study Guide for All Ages which we have been using for about 10 years. I wrote a blog p ost about it almost 2 years ago. As with everything else, our methods change as we grow and as our lives change. We just finished Volume 1 for the second time and have started Volume 2. My goal is to finish the remaining three volumes before David graduates so that he and Emily will have done all four volumes twice. We'll do our best to meet that goal.

What we are doing right now is about three days a week we are doing 1 or 2 lessons a day. I am not doing the workbook/activity sheet portion of the program as seen on the website. I am only using the teacher manual. We take turns reading aloud the assigned Scriptures for the lesson(s), usually 1-3 chapters. I divide the day's verses into 4-5 portions and have the kids read them aloud. This gives them a chance to work on elocution and reading something they haven't practiced. After they read aloud, I ask them to summarize the selection. One of my children has a great deal of trouble with summaries, but has improved since working on this. Suzy (my youngest at age 8) has a lot of trouble reading, but has lately been asking to also read a verse - a HUGE improvement for her!

We used to do the comprehension questions after each lesson, but we can easily take an hour to do Bible if we do the program as written. So what I've started doing is taking one day a week to do a review, using the built-in color-coded review system in the manuals. We do the review like a quiz show or competition sometimes, which adds a level of fun (or sometimes frustration! lol). These questions go back to previous lessons and even previous volumes to keep the learning fresh.

The last thing we do is prayer time. I've recently felt the need to be more structured with that so I added in a prayer journal I had for a number of years after seeing it mentioned at my MOPS group. I never used it in my personal prayer time, but I decided to use it with the kids. We are working on several main components of prayer - worship, thanksgiving, confession, and petition. Keeping track of prayer requests has been another big recent change for us. I want the kids to see how prayers are answered - sometimes yes, sometimes no, sometimes quick, sometimes not as quickly as we'd like. For now I am doing most of the praying aloud, but I am expecting the kids to start taking part in that, eventually being able to lead it. Leading prayer aloud is something I want them all to be comfortable with before leaving our home.

What I know we are missing is Bible memory. I need to add that in, but right now it just seems overwhelming. Maybe just saying that here is enough to get me started. Anyone have a great list of verses to memorize?

Note: We have not been using the flannel figures as described in another post I wrote on Bible lessons. I wish we were, but it's just a layer I can't seem to add at this point. The kids like it but they don't seem to miss it.

Bible time is probably the most structured subject we do. Most of our other studies are far less so, as you will see in coming days.

Lisa's Logbook - January 10

2011-01-10T00:01:00.003-05:00

Current Mood: Tired

Outside: Clear and cold; I could see the stars when I came home. Noticed Orion just over the barn roof

Wearing: blue long johns, woolen socks, robe and slippers

Tunes: It's been mostly Mansfield Park playing in my headphones all week, but I did have a few modern tunes like Daughtry playing.

Kids Are: in bed and hopefully asleep.

Hubby Is: in bed asleep

Made Me Laugh: skipping through the new version of Mansfield Park with my Austentatious co-teacher tonight. We were just comparing versions and this one came out seriously short. lol

Made Me Sad: hearing about the shooting in Arizona

Made Me Drool: walking down the Valentine candy aisle!

Blessings: went to church today, for the first time in a few weeks

Reading: Edge by Jeffrey Deaver, ALMOST done listening to Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (just 1.5 chapters) and then will go back to The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe

Watching:
The Young Victoria (TWICE last week!) - If you haven't, you should!
Firefly episode 1 (the tv show) - confusing, but intriguing
Downton Abbey episode 1 (the new PBS show) - really good, except for about 60 seconds I could have done without
American Pickers (is that the name?) - a reality show about guys who drive around looking for cool Americana and selling it
Castle Season 2 - giving up on it. It's just not that good, despite Nathan Filion. Sorry, y'all.

Considering: the workouts I will do this week. It's been quite a while since I worked out and several months since I have done any running.

Working On: Lesson plans, SOF yearbook, SOF co-op plans for NEXT year (yes, already)

Accomplishments: Made it a week with no sweets! And it wasn't all that hard.

Lessons: OK, last week was just Math, Reading, and Bible. And Thursday was movie day. But THIS week, we are back full force.

Agenda: Complete lessons this week, kids have gymnastics, working 5 hours M-F, a meeting Monday, SCRAPBOOKING ALL WEEKEND!

Pic: I've got nuttin and it's past midnight!

Lisa's Logbook - 2011 Edition

2011-01-02T14:07:00.008-05:00

Changing up the Logbook for 2011 - Hope you like the changes!

Current Mood: Relieved

Outside: Grey-ish and in the 20's. Supposed to be snowing, but it didn't.

Wearing: Red Old Navy sweats that are too short, grey long sleeved tee, red hoodie, hair in a ponytail, socks, and slippers

Tunes: Daft Punk - Soundtrack to Tron: Legacy, also just downloaded The 99 Most Essential New Year's Classics (all classical, for $1.99)

Kids Are: J & E are doing dishes, D is listening to Daft Punk and getting ready to haul the Xmas boxes out to the barn, S is flitting back and forth

Hubby Is: fixing the Christmas lights he took off the tree

Made Me Laugh: Playing Apples to Apples with a bunch of young people on New Year's Eve

Made Me Sad: hearing that a friend's marriage is in serious trouble

Made Me Drool: Watching The A-Team! (Is that bad to say? lol)

Blessings: At the thrift store, I found a pair of like-new, very warm boots for myself, as well as a very workable Regency-style dress for the ball in March.
Reading: Beguiled by Deanne Gist, listening to Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Watching: The A-Team, a bit of Doctor Who, Pride and Prejudice, Starter for 10, tried to watch Going the Distance but it was too crude
Considering: whether or not I'll still send Christmas cards since I missed Christmas AND New Year's.

Working On: Lesson plans, Getting the "new" sewing machine ready to use, fasting sweets until Valentine's Day

Accomplishments: Got through Christmas without going into debt or running out of money!, Also got the highest score on Zuma Blitz that I've ever gotten!

Lessons: starting back full force this week. But not on Monday. Just Bible, math and reading on Monday, I think.

Agenda: starting lessons this week, kids have art class, working 5 hours M-F, a baby shower on Saturday

Pic: Fun with Glow Sticks on Christmas Day (at night)

Lisa's Logbook - December 26

2010-12-26T12:39:00.004-05:00

Outside: Snowy and overcast.

Sounds: James sneezing, Em and Suzy chatting

Home: hoping I can stand another week with the tree up.

Projects: Christmas cards (yeah, I know, I know!). and figuring out my new MP3 player

Pondering: how to re-do the chore chart; I usually make a new one each January.

Teaching: Xmas break!

Gratitude: Thankful that I was able to work extra hours to spoil my family for Christmas this year.

Recipes: Waffles with real maple syrup and bacon!

Duds: Black yoga pants, grey long-sleeved tee, socks, slippers.

Reads: Reading Sala's Gift (I set it aside for a week or so) by Ann Kirschner and Beguiled by Deeanne Gist. Listening to The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe.

Vids:
The Family Stone - a 3 kleenex movie, it's now a Christmas fav!
The Missing Lynx - a stinker of a kids' movie (but they picked it)
It's a Meaningful Life (Veggie Tales) - kind of a mashup of It's a Wonderful Life, Polar Express, and A Christmas Carol. Not so memorable really; we probably won't watch again
It's a Wonderful Life - I think I love every minute of this movie. The kids say they want it remade in color with new actors. They just don't get it!
Knight and Day - pretty good!
About a Boy - watched part of it on Netflix instant but ran out of time

Hopes: to locate a copy of the 1982 Tron movie that I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for!

Love: doing the logbook, but next week I'll change it up for 2011!!

Plans: Working 5 hours M-F, Pride & Prejudice movie day, David's birthday (taking him and some friends to see Tron), thrift store sale on New Year's Day. Not sure what we're doing for New Year's Eve yet.

Pic: Love this pic of my kids on Christmas Eve!

Christmas Music - 10 Favs and 3 Stinkers

2010-12-24T18:49:00.000-05:00

I've been listening to a lot of Christmas music lately, as maybe you have too. So, I came up with a list of 10 favorite songs. Next week (or tonight) the list could be different, but this is how it stands on Christmas Eve afternoon 2010. Some I just like the song itself and some I like a particular rendition. If I had a lot more time right now, I'd give you the music for all these, but you get the idea, right?

So, in no particular order:

1. Silver Bells

2. O Holy Night (any EXCEPT the travesty by Mariah Carey)

3. Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 by Trans-Siberian Orchestra

4. Wizards in Winter by Trans-Siberian Orchestra

5. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

6. Gloria by Michael W. Smith

7. Carol of the Bells (Straight No Chaser has a good version.)

8. anything at all by Johnny Mathis (nostalgia....)

9. Mary Did You Know (not sure which is my favorite, but I downloaded Kutless's version today)

10. Emmanuel by Amy Grant

And here are a few songs that make me change the radio station.

1. Christmas Shoes (Like the dying mom really wants SHOES???)

2. Little Drummer Boy (so repetitious.....so repetitious)

3. Simply Having a Boring Christmastime (Oh, that's not the title???)

No Words

2010-12-22T09:22:00.000-05:00

OK, I'll admit it. I haven't written 1000 words a day at all this week. Or most of last week. Too busy with Christmas stuff and working.

Lisa's Logbook - December 19

2010-12-19T22:05:00.007-05:00

Outside: Dark, cold. Winter.

Sounds: Movie on TV, chuckling from the kids, and the text message alert periodically

Home: Tree up and presents mostly wrapped.

Projects: Christmas cards and cookies

Pondering: some healthy eating changes

Teaching: Xmas break!

Gratitude: A very satisfying family Christmas celebration

Recipes: Penuche, fudge and cookies - sugar overload!

Duds: PJ's, robe, and woolen socks

Reads: Reading Sala's Gift by Ann Kirschner and Juliet by Anne Fortier. Listening to The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe tomorrow.

Vids:
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Was disappointingly not very much like the book. Unlike some have said, I don't think it quite captured "the spirit" of the Narnia books. But it was entertaining. And quite scary and violent too.
Castle (Season 2) - 3 episodes while wrapping presents
How to Train Your Dragon - watching now (Gerard! Butler! With an ACCENT!)

Hopes: Suzy to have a wonderful time with her grandparents, aunt, and cousin

Love: shopping online!

Plans: Working 5 hours M-F, making cookies, visiting a friend or two, going to look at Christmas lights, wrapping presents, Christmas Eve service?

Pic: My siblings and me (in the red)

Lisa's Logbook - December 12

2010-12-10T22:24:00.005-05:00

Outside: Very cold and very snowy.

Sounds: Furnace kicking on

Home: Put the Christmas tree and decorations up today, Also went through all of Suzy's clothes and most of Emily's.

Projects: Wrapping gifts, addressing Christmas cards, baking holiday goodies, and some last minute shopping

Pondering: the ways I am an enabler and how to stop it

Teaching: lots of reading aloud and Christmas preparations

Gratitude: that I stepped out of my comfort zone and it turned into a good thing

Recipes: Roasted a turkey and then made the carcass into SOUP

Duds: PJ's, robe, slippers, and woolen socks

Reads: Started Sala's Gift and have as a book by Deanne Gist waiting to be started. Going to start listening to The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe tomorrow.

Vids:
Sorcerer's Apprentice - liked it very much; helps that I enjoy Nic Cage
Date Night - I saw this in the theater and it was pretty funny so I watched it again on DVD
Charlie St. Cloud - I'll admit to putting this in my Q because it stars Zac Efron. Yeah, yeah, I know. But it was actually very enjoyable and I would have liked it even without Zac. And there's no basketball, no dancing, and no singing! LOL
Disney's A Christmas Carol - I avoided this last year thinking: 1) why do we need ANOTHER version of A Christmas Carol and 2) Jim Carrey? Really? But we read the book for book club and voted on seeing this version. And surprisingly it was REALLY very good. Do yourself a favor and watch it. I was pleasantly surprised.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse - Even though this came to theaters in June (I think), I hadn't seen it until now. As far as a representation of the book, I think it was pretty good. My conflicting feelings about the Twilight Saga itself remain the same.

Hopes: my friend's foot surgery goes smoothly and her recovery is fast and effective

Love: my husband!

Plans: Working 5 hours M-F, Gymnastics, Leadership dinner, maybe a movie or time with a friend, Christmas party, and then Family Christmas in GR

Pic:

1002 words in 30 minutes

2010-12-08T23:46:00.000-05:00

1001 words in 33 minutes

2010-12-07T23:12:00.001-05:00

Christmas School Day 1

2010-12-06T16:09:00.003-05:00

Day 1 of Christmas School:

Sadly the day had to begin with a long lecture from mom on doing what you're told.
Read aloud a chapter from The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
Read aloud a chapter from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
Each child did their regular math work (50 min for the older 3, 30 min for Suzy)
Each child did their regular reading (Emily finishing Pride and Prejudice, David began Mansfield Park, James is reading the Phantom Tollbooth and Suzy worked on Explode the Code phonics online)
Suzy and David put lunch on (sandwiches) and James and Emily cleaned it up.

After lunch, I pulled out some old Christmas cards and the kids worked on making THESE ornaments while listening to Kenny G holiday music. The ornaments turned out to be too hard for everyone except David, whose ornament turned out very nicely. He also finished Emily's. We used the glue gun instead of tacky glue. The little kids had trouble getting their circles a uniform size. If I had helped, I'm sure they could have managed though. (I was working while they attempted this project.)

We also discussed some gift ideas throughout the day. And I roasted a turkey.

Attitudes were bad all around today. Hopefully tomorrow will bring out the Christmas cheer!

Lisa's Logbook - December 5

2010-12-06T00:46:00.005-05:00

Outside: Dark and only in the 20's - BRRRRRR!

Sounds: Utter silence except the clock ticking and my typing

Home: trying to figure out where to set up the Christmas tree

Projects: Decorating for Christmas, baking for Christmas, making and buying gifts, oh - and writing 1000 words a day

Pondering: why people back out of things (is that vague enough? lol)

Teaching: Finishing up reading aloud The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and also Voyage of the Dawn Treader, so we can go see the film over Family Christmas weekend

Gratitude: Spent a really nice day shopping with Suzy today - even though our ballet tickets were not honored, we had a lovely time together.

Recipes: FUDGE! Going to make FUDGE!

Duds: jammies, robe, slippers, fuzzy pink socks

Reads: finished everything I was reading and haven't picked up something new yet. I have Sala's Gift as well as a book by Deanne Gist waiting to be started.

Vids: Elf, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, an episode of Clean House (Netflix instant) as well as a ton of movie trailers on Zune (Xbox Live), and I think there was something else, but I can't recall now. Oh yeah, Van Helsing! (very Christmas-y, LOL)

Hopes: this week is fairly clear so I hope I can get a lot accomplished off my "to-do" list rather than my "run-around" list, if you can catch the difference

Love: sleeping in on Sundays (yeah, this is probably a BIG part of why we haven't found a new church - lol. Yes, I know, we're lazy! So, sue us!)

Plans: Working 5 hours M-F, a couple of meetings (both on the same night at the same time?!), ordering stuff online, a gingerbread house party, babysitting fundraisers?, BOOK CLUB!

Pic: I think this may be one of the best photos ever taken of Emily. The others aren't bad either. And did I order the pix? No, I did not. But I will.

NaNoWriMo Final Report

2010-11-30T21:12:00.005-05:00

Final NaNoWriMo report:
We all finished and surpassed our goals! Cue the wild cheering and throwing of multi-colored confetti!!!!

Lisa - 50,009 (ok, so I only went 9 words over! lol)
David - 50,497 (goal 50,000 - 1st year for the whole enchilada)
Emily - 15,438 (goal 10,000)
James - 10,001 (goal 5,000)
Suzy - 3,569 (goal 3,000)

We all printed out our cheerful NaNoWriMo winner's certificates and today we attended a wrap party. It was really intended to be a write-in, but just about everyone there had already finished, so we just partied instead. A lot of friends did NaNo this year and quite a few of them finished - so CONGRATS to all you 50K achievers! And if you tried and didn't hit the 50K mark, there's always next year!

We will edit in January and I've set a goal of completing the editing this year instead of letting it fall by the wayside. From looking at their rough drafts, I can see what each child needs to work on (ie. paragraphing, quotation marks, capitalization, etc...). So we'll set aside some time for grammar, spelling, and punctuation editing and some separate times for content editing.

Suzy won't be editing for grammar and punctuation since I typed hers. She can use her time better working on her phonics to increase her literacy. Next year, she can type her own book maybe!

I won't be editing mine anytime soon (or ever?). However, I plan to pull out the 2008 NaNoNovel I wrote and finish editing that one. I've also already started writing a new novel as part of Inkygirl's 1000 words a day challenge. Click the badge or check the sidebar for more info.

Lisa's Logbook - November 28

2010-11-28T13:21:00.005-05:00

Outside: Sunny and cold

Sounds: David arguing with me

Home: Going through my file cabinets of old teaching stuff

Projects: Visiting Churches

Pondering: why do the kids always put the meat in the FREEZER when they unload the groceries?

Teaching: Oh my, need to think about Christmas School

Gratitude: Thankful for my job.

Recipes: James likes to bake! Ain't that a grand thing?

Duds: jeans, red long sleeved shirt, NaNo hoodie, socks and tennis shoes, curled my hair, decided makeup was too much work.

Reads: reading Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig and listening to Scream-Free Parenting by Hal Edward Runkel; going to move on to A Christmas Carol when these are done

Vids: The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (on Nick - bleh), Prince of Persia (loved it! Thought I would not enjoy it)

Hopes: that I can do most of my Christmas shopping online within the next few days.

Love: WINNING NaNoWriMo! What a feeling!!!!

Plans: Working 4-5 hours M-F, gymnastics open gym, writing, co-op, James' birthday and a birthday party

Pic: The kids' table at Thanksgiving (check the difference between the plates in front of Suzy and James - closest to the camera. And yes, James ate all of his.)

Free Christmas Music

2010-11-22T11:47:00.004-05:00

You can get lots of free MP3 downloads from Amazon. I suggest googling "free amazon mp3s". But here's a list of Christmas albums to get you started.

The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree - Veggie Tales
Sugo Music Free Holiday Sampler
Chacra World Music Holiday Sampler
Timeless Christmas
The Bell Medley

I don't start listening to Christmas music until Thanksgiving. :-)

Enjoy!

Lisa's Logbook - November 21

2010-11-21T18:07:00.003-05:00

Outside: Probably cold. Don't know. Have not gone out. Sick.

Sounds: Smile FM

Home: Bob fixed the dryer! Yay, no more damp laundry hanging about!

Projects: NaNoWriMo is all I can handle for November, oh yeah and fundraising for the Regency Ball

Pondering: where I picked up a nasty stomach germ

Teaching: Writing (novel writing, to be exact)

Gratitude: the youth retreat David went on this weekend and the scrapbooking day I got to enjoy with friends

Recipes: butternut squash soup

Duds: PJ's, robe, fuzzy striped pink socks

Reads: just finished Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich (read it all this afternoon) and getting ready to read Rhett Butler's People

Vids: Sherlock (PBS - 2 episodes - WOW!), Just Wright

Hopes: that no one else in my house gets this stomach bug - NASTY

Love: HOBBY LOBBY! Omigosh!

Plans: Working 4-5 hours M-F, gymnastics, traveling for Thanksgiving, lots of writing, a babysitting fundraiser

Pic: I've not had a chance to add a pic! Sorry!

Happy Birthday, Mommy!

NaNoWriMo update

2010-11-18T11:26:00.005-05:00

I haven't talked much about NaNoWriMo, but the kids and I are participating again this year. They've all been very motivated, due in part, I'm sure, to the reward system I have in place. They get a reward for each 10% goal - some small like a package of Mike & Ike's and some large, like Emily's regency dress for the ball. Some are privileges, like staying up late. I mostly made them things I would probably buy anyway.

So here's our progress:
Lisa - 29,595 (goal 50K)
David (10th gr) - 28,387 (goal 50K - first time he's done the WHOLE THING!)
Emily (8th gr) - 12,020 (goal of 10K met! But she's not stopping now.)
James (5th gr) - 7,419 (goal of 5K met! He's aiming for 10K now.)
Suzy (3rd gr) - 3400 (goal of 3K met! She's aiming for 6K now.)
I transcribe for Suzy, because her reading/writing fluency is low.

We set our goals as suggested by NaNo's Young Writers Program - at 1,000 words per grade level. Except for David who decided he could manage the entire 50K this year. Oh yeah, and Emily wanted hers set a little higher. However, three of the kids met their initial goals halfway through the month, so I think the goals are great for beginning novelists. Kids who have done NaNoWriMo before probably could have a bit more challenging goals. Next year I'll keep that in mind.

I've had some great plot discussions with each of them. David always helps me with my plot as well. We used only a small part of the workbooks from the Young Writers Program. Emily found the character worksheets helpful and all of us used the plot rollercoaster. We also sent away our inner editors.

David and Emily and I have attended several write-ins, which I personally have found very helpful. James attended one, but he was not very focused.

OK, time to move on! Oh yeah, I bought a NANOWRIMO hoodie this year and I've worn it every day since I got it (Nov 5). (Mine was a second, so it cost less.) It's so warm and cozy and it fits great! LOVE IT!

Lisa's Logbook - November 14

2010-11-14T23:20:00.004-05:00

Outside: Dark and cold.

Sounds: Movie on tv, David talking with me

Home: Trying for some organization and extra cleaning

Projects: NaNoWriMo is all I can handle for November, oh yeah and fundraising for the Regency Ball

Pondering: beginning my Christmas shopping

Teaching: Writing (novel writing, to be exact)

Gratitude: thankful for the discount grocery store near me
(I have a hard time being trivial here. I always want to say - friends, family, God....)

Recipes: Made lemon bars and key lime bars for the dessert banquet.

Duds: PJ's, robe, fuzzy striped pink socks

Reads: listening to Pride & Prejudice, reading A Smack on the Side of the Head

Vids: Life as We Know It (theater - predictable but good), Gone with the Wind part 2, Went with the Wind (Carol Burnett Show), The Losers

Hopes: a 5000 word day soon! Monday???

Love: seeing my kids so excited about writing! James met his goal today!

Plans: Working 4-5 hours M-F, co-op, lots of writing including a write-in

Pic:

A Change to Win $100

2010-11-07T12:02:00.004-05:00

I love reading Lynette Kraft's blog. It's always cheerful, fresh, and just inspiring. She's a woman who hasn't let life's problems weigh her down but always rests in the knowledge of the love of Jesus. Her love for her family always shines through and encourages me.

Win $100 Gift Certificate for CSN Stores from Lynnette at Dancing Barefoot on Weathered Ground!

Lisa's Logbook - November 7

2010-11-07T11:28:00.004-05:00

Outside: Sunny but chilly.

Sounds: Christian music on radio, Bob shutting the front door

Home: Moved a dresser downstairs for Suzy since hers died.

Projects: NaNoWriMo is all I can handle for November, oh yeah and fundraising for the Regency Ball

Pondering: what to do with my story, which I detest

Teaching: Writing (novel writing, to be exact)

Gratitude: So thankful to live in America after reading the description of the famine in Malawi about 10 years ago.

Recipes: ohmygoodness, am I supposed to cook?

Duds: grey long-sleeved tee, red sweats, socks, and slippers, hair in ponytail

Reads: almost done with Gone with the Wind (on audio) and just finished The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwambe and Bryan Mealer (my mom's suggestion - HIGHLY recommended! I'm going to read it to my kids.

Vids: Beezus and Ramona (SO adorable and entertaining), Sense and Sensibility (two versions), The Last Song (I wish some other young actress had been cast as Ronnie rather than Miley Cyrus.)

Hopes: that calorie counting will show some results soon!

Love: my NaNoWriMo hoodie! It's soft and warm and fits me perfectly!

Plans: Working 4-5 hours M-F, gymnastics, David's awards banquet (2nd year varsity soccer), lots of writing

Pic:
This wig is making the rounds.

(BTW, I would share the pic of Bob from his work costume contest, but he told me I can't put it online. But I can email it to you if you want to see it.)

Lisa's Logbook - October 31

2010-10-31T21:39:00.003-04:00

Outside: A lovely fall day but COLD

Sounds: Clock ticking, furnace running, and candy calling shrilly "lisalisalisalisa"

Home: HUGE piles of candy

Projects: NaNoWriMo is all I can handle for November

Pondering: my crazy main character named Marjorie

Teaching: Writing (novel writing, to be exact)

Gratitude: To have such wonderful parents! Love you, Mommy and Daddy!

Recipes: Planning to use the slow cooker a lot. Was given a HUGE roast, so will be serving that up!

Duds: jeans, long johns, squareneck multicolored top, grey hoodie over top, slippers and no socks (and my feet are cold)

Reads: Gone with the Wind (on audio) and Ann Rule's new true crime book.

Vids: The Lake House (man, I love that movie), an episode of Blue Bloods (a fav of sis Janet and mom),

Hopes: that I can manage my time wisely over the next 30 days - write 50K, work 88 hours (or possibly up to 110), get everyone where they need to be, keep the groceries stocked and the food plentiful.

Love: getting lost in my writing

Plans: Working 4-5 hours M-F, 1 last soccer game, a homeschool meeting/write-in, another write-in, co-op Friday, a movie night with the teens, and other stuff too..... Just text me. lol

Pic: David/Ted at the Circle K

Day Off

2010-10-27T15:24:00.007-04:00

So.... I bet you're wondering what our "day off" of lessons actually looks like.

This week, I scheduled our "day off" on Wednesday since I knew that would work best with the schedule. Usually it's a Friday though.

David was asked to do some computer networking at a small private school. A friend volunteers there because her daughter attends. This is the 3rd day David has worked on their computer lab. He is getting all the computers in the lab connected to the internet. So, that's David's day. (He reports that the computer lab is all set up now. And yes, he got paid!)

Emily had a field trip today with some other teen girls. Her "beautiful you" class at co-op had free makeovers scheduled and then lunch out! This is great for her - time out with agemates and practice with life skills (choosing food and ordering for herself in a restaurant).

James and Suzy had a lazy morning. We dropped Emily off, then they watched a Bionicle movie James had requested from Netflix. Then he was recruited to pick some butternut squash from a local farmer's field to be donated to a food bank. He was gone for several hours doing that. He was treated to a McFlurry and pizza while he was gone. He brought back a whole bunch of squash that I have been challenged (yeah, you know who you are!) to cook and eat.

That left only Suzy at home with me. That happens so rarely I was taken aback. Then we decided to have SPA DAY. She had gotten a manicure/pedicure science kit. I know - sounds weird. We had to mix up all the components for the hand soak, scrub, and lotion. V. cool. We did our hands and feet, buffed our fingernails and painted our toenail. I also curled her hair. She loved it all!

I also got 4.25 hours of work done during the day, scrubbed the stovetop and cleaned under it, scrubbed a wall, hung out 2 loads of laundry and brought them in (they dried in record time due to the wind). I read a couple chapters of Gone with the Wind. Then I got dinner ready and headed out to a book sale with a friend, picking up David on the way.

Now I'm home with my box of books, settling in to do my last 45 minutes of work for the evening.

[Oh yeah, forgot to say that I also made three phone calls that I have been procrastinating for a long time. One of them since JULY. lol]

Lisa's Logbook - October 24

2010-10-24T23:07:00.001-04:00

Outside: Was sunny earlier, but is now overcast and 68. (The day turned sunny and GORGEOUS - a jewel of an autumn afternoon.)

Sounds: Bob and David talking, Christian music playing, James and Emily doing dishes

Home: Carving pumpkins today

Projects: getting prepared for NaNoWriMo

Pondering: how to balance the needs of each family member in finding just the right church setting

Teaching: Same old, same old?

Gratitude: David wants to play soccer again next year! He had a good season!

Recipes: Fried chicken legs, ummmm.....

Duds: brown pants, brown embroidered top, brown socks, loafers, and makeup

Reads: Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen (audio) and Let's Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell (memoir on friendship)

Vids: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (at the party, talking the whole way through! LOL), most of Luther (with Joseph Fiennes, about Martin Luther), Moonlight Serenade (not worth it, despite Amy Adams), an episode of MI-5 season 7

Hopes: David and I have a plan for a how-to book.

Love: walking with a good friend on a sunny afternoon

Plans: Working 4-5 hours M-F, Soccer games for 2 of the 4, gymnastics, Emily field trip,

Pic: Will the real Ted please stand up?

Choosing Kids' Activities

2010-10-21T09:50:00.000-04:00

Something about standing in the shower makes me think. Maybe it's the fact that I really can't multi-task in there. LOL So, the other day, I was mulling something over in the shower.

I was wondering why parents give their kids so much choice over their activities. I don't intend to offend anyone here, so please reserve your judgment.

My kids don't get much choice over their extracurricular activities, nor over their curriculum - at least not in cases where I have a strong opinion. I know many families handle this differently, but for us? I feel that we as parents have the better perspective, including the wisdom to look back over our own choices and see where we might have chosen better. We also understand our schedules, our wallets, and our willingness (or non-willingness, as the case may be) to drive all over the county (or even the state!).

I don't have the sort of kids who want to sign up for everything. In fact, if I didn't sign them up for sports, art class, field trips, camp, etc..., then probably they'd just sit home. That's not acceptable to me. I want them to have cultural experiences, to be active, to make friends, to learn about the world.

As an example, probably only one, maybe two, of my kids would choose to play soccer if left to their own devices. But all 4 are playing this year. All have played soccer most years since they were five or six. The years they did not play, we ended up regretting the choice. Soccer works well for us, but it might not be the best choice for your family. My point is not to go sign your kids up for soccer, but find what works for your family and insist upon it.

This fall I've signed three of my kids up for gymnastics without even asking them. I want them to do something active over the winter since they won't have soccer to keep them moving and our climate is not conducive to a lot of outdoor activities from December through February (or more!). Other things we've tried over the winter haven't worked well for us, but I have high hopes for this. Anyway, my point is - I made the choice. They were not consulted.

At some point, kids must learn to manage their own time, desires, and money. I offer my older children a little more autonomy, as long as acceptable alternatives are explored. For instance, David chose not to do our monthly art class anymore. I required him to continue to explore artistic concepts on his own and he has. However, he also requested not to play soccer several years ago, so I gave him an alternative - be sure to include physical activity in your schedule two or three times a week in good weather. Just like soccer would require, you know? Did he do this? No, he did not. So he ended up back in soccer.

Some of you may be thinking - that wouldn't work for us. The kids wouldn't do it. Well, mine aren't usually happy about the idea either. Oh well. An opportunity for attitude adjustments.

They'll thank me later. Right?

Sketch Tuesday Report

2010-10-20T08:39:00.000-04:00

Harmony Art Mom's blog presents a weekly Sketch Tuesday challenge that we are participating in this year as a component of our art curriculum.

Two weeks ago, participants were to sketch something you drink. All the kids completed this one quickly. Here is the Flickr collection of all the submitted drawings from that challenge.Suzy's drawing is the "cover" illustration! Here are the other kids' submissions: DAVID, EMILY, JAMES.

Last week, participants were asked to sketch something you would see in an art museum. Here is the slideshow and links to each of our drawings: EMILY, JAMES, SUZY. (David did a sketch but it was not done in time to submit. His was a nice sketch of medieval armor and weaponry.)

Want to participate? Go HERE for this week's challenge. Then send your drawings to her in email and she'll include them in the slideshow.