Lisa's Logbook - January 20

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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: