Simple Woman Daybook - February 2

For Today... February 2, 2009

Outside my Window... Sunshine, blue skies, and piles of white snow.

I am thinking... about what is going to happen since my husband's disability appeal was DENIED last week. Will he be able to find and hold a job? Will I end up working full time again? Will we move to another state? Will the kids be in school or can we continue to educate at home? So many questions that have been weighing on us for so long. Nearly seven years of this now. (Hey! Did I break a mirror when I was pregnant with Suzy? JUST KIDDING! I don't believe in luck.)

From the learning rooms... nice new planning sheets completed for the whole month. One day of intense planning and I get the rest of the month off! Well, at least from planning.

I am thankful for... God's promise to never leave me nor forsake me.

From the kitchen... .Vitamin C, echinacea, zinc, garlic. Several here are fighting a cold.

I am wearing... apple green flannel shirt, grey long sleeved t-shirt, jeans, white socks, black slippers. And yeah, the hair is washed and combed and I've not yet gotten around to makeup.

I am reading... Mortal Danger by Ann Rule. Reading Isaiah in The Message. Going to be reading Jane Eyre for book club soon.

I am hoping... to finish writing Forget-Me-Not (my novel) this week. It's probably another 15,000 words or so, but I ought to be able to do that! Right?

I am creating... yeah, that novel. And that's all. Oh yeah, and a whole new life?

I am hearing... James playing with a slinky. Bob telling James to put away the slinky. James whining and then the slinky slinking down onto the end table.

Around the house... Nothing new.

One of my favorite things... .My new breakfast. Every day I eat 1/2 cup of Kashi GoLean cereal (74 calories, 7 grams protein) and 6 oz of light yogurt (80 calories, 5 grams protein). I also have a cup of coffee with 2 TBSP sugar-free flavored creamer (32 calories). Breakfast under 200 calories but with 12 grams of protein. Lasts me a lot longer than a regular bowl of cereal with milk. OK, the GoLean isn't all that tasty, but in yogurt, it's just fine. And different flavors of yogurt provide enough variety for me.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... HECTIC WEEK! Monday night I have a homeschool support group meeting, Tuesday night James has soccer training and the girls have Keepers at Home, Wednesday is art class in the afternoon and Pioneer Club at night. Thursday all the kids have dental appointments. Friday is co-op. And those pesky 15,000 words!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...
David spends a lot of time creating things from Legos. Lately it's guns. This one has a removable clip (the yellow thing) and some kind of dealie with a rubber band.

Weekly Review - Week 21

The last week of January is our 21st week of lessons this year.

Bible - We sang our two January songs each day this week and the kids know them well. Our Bible readings this week included 2 Kings 11-15, Jonah 1-4, and selections from the book of Joel. We also read some from chapter 4 of Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends.

DAVID read a version of Rip Van Winkle this week and created a vocabulary quiz for me and wrote two epitaphs for Rip, as well as discussed theme and conflict within the story with me. He used the laptop to type the epitaphs as well as to type the fable he worked on last week in writing class.

Now that I've obtained his Algebra I test booklet, he caught up on test taking, completing tests 1-4 this week.

He finished The History of US Book 4, reading chapters 31-36 (abolitionists, Frederick Douglass, presidents 8-15, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and Daniel Webster) and completing comprehension questions. He had no science assignments this week, having completed his monthly lessons already.

Here is David looking for one of his missing notebooks or something of the kind. I took a similar picture of James. This is a scene that plays out often in our house. One lesson we are working on with all the kids is to look carefully for things. As my friend Penny would say, "Common sense would dictate...." And in this case, I'd follow the phrase with "...look very carefully for your missing item."

EMILY worked on learning place value to millions and writing place value notation. This did not come easily to her but she did plug away at it. She will work on that more next week.

She finished Number the Stars last week, and she wrote a five paragraph book review on it. She will be working a little more on that review next week. She read several selections this week from A Beka's Adventures in Greatness and completed 5 quizzes from that book.

Level F in Spelling Power is completed! Emily has moved on to Level G. Great job, Emily!

David and Emily used this week to catch up on any Easy Grammar pages that may have been left incomplete this month. She also typed her IEW fable on the laptop, as David did. Emily wrote a letter to a friend, addressed the envelope, and stamped it.


In History, the three younger children studied Columba (Missionary to Scotland), Early Japan & Prince Shotoku, and Pope Gregory the 1st (Gregory the Great). We did a review lesson and also discussed the unique geographical terms of Scotland (moor, loch, firth, etc..) These events all happened in the 500's. We did not do Science this week.



JAMES worked on Lesson 16 in MUS Gamma, practicing his skip counting and multiplying by 4's, as well as reviewing area and perimeter.

He is reading Birds do the Strangest Things and wrote in his literature journal each day a couple sentences about what he read. James loves animals and nature and these books are right up his alley! He also did two Read & Think Skill Sheets (A Beka), but he needs to pay more attention to detail in answering the comprehension questions.

He is doing very well in spelling thus far and is working on cursive writing in penmanship. He did 8 pages in Explode the Code 6. (And yes, that journal writing pic is a bit on the pouty side!)




SUZY is working on mastering the last few addition facts and she is doing quite well!

In phonics, she is working on the two sounds of "C" and when to use "C" or "S" or "K". She also did 8 pages in Explode the Code, read 1 printed book, 1 Bob book (in 2 days), and a few pages from a very old reader called We Live on a Farm. She wrote a sentence or two in her literature journal each day after reading. And yes, this is a look I get quite often. And the pouty face while doing Phonics is also quite normal. OK, and there's a smiley one too.

Sight words are becoming second nature to her! She memorized a large stack of them and has only 8 more to learn of that initial pile. The chocolate chips are very motivating! lol

She also is working on printed penmanship, but wants desperately to learn cursive, so I will give her some of that next week.

The kids all had their turns on the computer. Suzy had to make a bunch of silly faces, so I thought I'd share one with you.

Each child also wrote in his or her communication journal and several practiced typing skills.


And I'll leave you with the pictures of the illuminated letters the children colored for their History lessons this week.

Friday Fill-in #109

And...here we go!

1. I'd really like happy children right now.

2. D***it is the word you'd most often hear me say if I stubbed my toe.

3. Possession is a good movie with Gwyneth Paltrow, Aaron Eckhart, Jeremy Northam, and Jennifer Ehle. Watch it. Enjoy.

4. I need another glimpse of Captain Jack Sparrow.

5. Marshmallows and fire go together like popcorn and butter. (Not that I'm eating any butter nowadays.)

6. Lessons drag on and on.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to grocery shopping & movies, tomorrow my plans include housecleaning, writing, and Book Club and Sunday, I want to veg out!

Kids Coloring Cookbook

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6 pages are on the site right now, as well as a cover.

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Simple Woman Daybook - January 26

For Today... January 26, 2009

Outside my Window...Sunshine today! It's very very cold - 9 degrees according to the thermometer. And still mucho snow.

I am thinking... I should get everyone downstairs and get on with our lessons.

From the learning rooms... 4 days of lessons and one fun day coming up this week! I also have to get February's lesson plans done this week.

I am thankful for... Bob healing, even though it's slow. (He fell off a ladder last Sunday and has been recuperating for the last week.)

From the kitchen... Right now, nothing. But I am going to make Peasant bread again today, at my husband's request. Also going to try a chicken recipe I read in Countryside magazine.

I am wearing... the normal Monday stuff - jeans, long sleeved grey t-shirt under a long sleeved blue striped shirt, black socks, my new black slippers (ballerina style), hair wet and hanging in my face, no makeup. I need a sweatshirt!

I am reading... The Shack by William Paul Young (I had put this aside for most of last week in favor of reading something else), trying to find time to listen to The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon. Reading Ecclesiastes in The Message.

I am hoping... that Bob and the kids go crazy with gardening this spring and summer.

I am creating... plans to get together with friends!

I am hearing... scraping sounds upstairs and faint talking.

Around the house... we have a new vacuum! It's bagless! Look at all the crud it vacuumed up! Ew!

One of my favorite things... Clean bedrooms. That doesn't happen very often.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... Tuesday night James has soccer training, Wednesday is Pioneer Club. I should be able to write Mon, Wed-Fri afternoons. Saturday is book club - YAY! And it sounds like plans to get together with friends during the day Tuesday are going to work out! Bob and I may go see Fireproof Friday night.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

More Photos of Lessons

A couple more pictures from this week that didn't make it into the Weekly Review post below. Note that DAVID actually ALLOWED me to take his photo! (I think it's to show off his new sweatshirt.)

Weekly Review - Week 20

Going to change it up a bit for my Weekly Review, give you a better, and hopefully more lively, sense of our week and our lessons. This is quite long, so bear with me. I don't know if I can manage this every week!

BIBLE ideally starts our day. We begin with our songs which this month are Change My Heart Oh God and A New Name in Glory. Emily likes to find it in the hymnbook and the rest like to try to sing along without their songsheets at this point in the month. Each child takes a turn choosing a song we've previously learned also.

We are reading about Elisha in 2 Kings now and this week we covered chapters 5-10 as well as the book of Obadiah (1 chapter long). This is a rather gory section of Biblical history.

We also pray together most mornings. (I'd like to say EVERY morning, but truthfully? It doesn't happen every day.) By the way, Suzy took the picture of our Bible shelf. We read from the NIV version of the Bible, mainly because I have enough of those for everyone to have one.

DAVID doesn't like to have his picture taken, so this is all you'll see of him for today. He is fixing our NEW pencil sharpener that some unnamed person jammed a pencil into the WRONG way. coughjamescough David opened 'er up, cleaned 'er out, and got 'er humming smoothly again. I am so blessed to have his skills in my home!

David is fighting bronchitis, so he had Monday off from lessons. He also stayed home from co-op Friday and thus he worked on his lessons three days this week. Because he hasn't been feeling well, he had the freedom to make his workload a little lighter because he has his month's worth of assignments all in front of him.

He finished up his book on Benedict Arnold (Traitor by Jean Fritz) and although he didn't find it very compelling, I think he learned quite a bit about Arnold and his role in American history. I personally think Fritz's books are an EXCELLENT way to add some zip to your American history curriculum.

David just did one Honors lesson in Algebra this week, because I was still waiting for his test booklet. I have it now and he will catch up on Tests 1-4 next week, so he can move on.

A study guide for Module 5 in Science, several Spelling lessons, a couple Easy Grammar pages on past participles, an IEW assigment, and a couple chapters from his history book rounded out his week. He also wrote to me in his Communication Journal.

EMILY is continuing to practice the multi-digit multiplication that is so difficult for her to master. However, we've moved her on to more topics rather than holding her back until she masters that skill. So, she has been working on place value to the millions and 16 oz = 1 lb. She also has been playing Timez Attack, a free program to drill multiplication facts.

Number the Stars is the book she has been reading the past few weeks and she finished it this week. She also did all of the online quizzes I had assigned. She came to me several times during the week to tell me things that happened in the book.

Emily, like David, completed several Spelling lessons, a couple Easy Grammar pages on past participles and an IEW assigment this week. Spelling the word 'rhythm' really gave her fits! lol She also wrote a letter to a penpal and wrote to me in her Communication Journal.

I am behind in my lessons for History and Science, but this week we (Emily, James, and Suzy) did read about birds' muscles and bones and how those are perfectly designed for flight. Going to have to double up in both subjects to catch up next week.

JAMES has been working on skip counting by 4's as well as 4 quarts = 1 gallon. He completed lesson 15 and took the test. He also worked on Timez Attack. I recommend this program as a fun one that your kids will beg to play. They will WANT to get faster at the math facts to be able to win the game. Be forewarned, though. It isn't a straight drill game.

James completed his book Animals Do The Strangest Things by Leonora Hornblow and moved on to Birds Do The Strangest Things. He loves animals and finding out strange things they do is right up his alley. Every day he chose one or more facts he didn't know to write in his literature journal.

He is doing very well in Spelling and I think he might have been more challenged if I started him in Level C. However, he is moving along nicely and I am happy with his progress. He also did some work in Explode the Code, did a couple cursive pages, wrote a letter to his cousin, and wrote in his Communication journal.



SUZY finds most of her lessons to be quite easy and her biggest struggle is with her ATTITUDE.

This week she worked on Making 9's in Math-U-See Alpha and took the test for Lesson 16.

She read several books I printed off from starfall.com reviewing her short vowels. After reading, she writes a sentence in her literature journal. She also worked in Explode the Code and Alphabet Island, although off the top of my head I cannot recall exactly what the focus of the work was. Sorry! lol

However, I do remember spending a lot of time with her working on sight words. We play a flashcard game and she also has several charts that she is memorizing. She gets candy rewards for this, which makes it the thing she most wants to do, of course!

She also did a couple handwriting pages, wrote a letter, and wrote in her Communication journal.

Everyone did typing and I think they all did computer art. They've all finished the Creativity Express art program I bought and are working in the free art part of the program called ArtRage.

Man, I hate working with pictures in blogger. Anyone have tips for that? I don't think they all ended up where I wanted them, but you'll just have to take it as it is!

I'm sure there's more I wanted to say here, but I've spent too long already, so this will have to do!

Friday Fill-in #108

And...here we go!



1. Oh, I am so behind in my writing!

2. I need to make some changes, big and little.

3. During winter, I tend to hibernate.

4. Boots made out of plastic foam; are you kidding me??? (Saw them at Walmart. They look like they'd last for a week and then come unglued.)

5. Right now I'd like to be still sleeping.

6. My MP3 player is my favorite gadget. (It's just a plain jane model. But it's so handy!)

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to writing and watching a DVD, tomorrow my plans include writing and helping the kids organize their bedrooms and Sunday, I want to write and maybe relax?

Do your best, prepare for the worst....

This verse surprised me in my Bible reading this morning.

Proverbs 21:31 (The Message) Do your best, prepare for the worst — then trust God to bring victory.

I have been reading The Message, which is a paraphrase. My hope is to get a fresh perspective on verses I have read over and over. This would be a good example. Here is the verse in a couple other translations:

NIV - The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.
KJV - The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.

In The Message, we lose the horse, but retain the idea of preparation. Of course, preparation for battle would include doing your best. If you didn't do your best, you'd surely die. Sometimes you die anyway. But that brings on the second part. Victory is in the Lord's control.

OK, time for lessons! You'll have to draw your own parallels to home education. :-)