August 2008

Monthly Archive

August 27, 2008

Simple Woman’s Daybook

Posted by Lola under Daybook, Sweet Life
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FOR TODAY, Wednesday, August 27th…(a little late, but better than never!)
Outside My Window…Tomato plants wilting in 100′+ heat, trees not moving for lack of breeze
I am thinking…Autumn is just around the corner!
I am thankful for…central air conditioning and a north facing family room…baby, it’s hot outside
From the kitchen…Cream scones with jam and whipped cream
I am wearing…black capris and blue and white blouse
I am creating…a mess as I try to clean our my closet!
I am going…to try to get to bed earlier than midnight!
I am reading…How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill
I am hoping…the wee chicks drift off to sleep early as I have more lesson planning to do tonight
I am hearing…my son’s iTunes selections, kitchen being cleaned, toys being played with
Around the house…the after dinner lull–books being pulled out for night time reading, baths being taken and rooms being tidied
One of my favorite things…the early evening light wafting in through my living room window
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: The Boy helps coach a homeschool little league team on Thursday mornings as the girls play at the adjacent park…it even has a fountain play area so bathing suits (for the girls…not moi) are the outfits of choice
Here is picture thought I am sharing…
Babycake’s little pink shoes…yes, they came down the slide first…Babycakes followed with a smile on her face
If you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into my day and you’d like to join in, Please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman
 

August 27, 2008

School Year 2008-2009

Posted by Lola under Homeschool
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Well, I’ve been planning and planning some more. I think I’ve finally narrowed down our curriculum choices for this new school year (and I use that term loosely as we school year ’round…one year just blending into the next…works for us).

All of us:

History–Greenleaf guides to Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome

Spanish

Art and Music

Shakespeare–Love’s Labor Lost

Nature Studies

The Boy: Freshman:

Teaching Textbook Geometry…he’s already finished Alg. 1 & 2

Bravewriter’s Help for High School writing guide and online classes.

Ancient Literature from Greenleaf press….we’ll be doing this together…starting with the books of Daniel and Genesis, followed by Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, Antigone and the Oedipus Cycle…I can’t wait!!

Apologia’s Biology, 2nd edition

LaLa: 7th grade

Teaching Textbook Pre-algebra (finishing it up) and Algebra 1

Bravewriter language arts program-The Boomerang and online writing classes

The Rainbow–General Science

Mimi:5th grade

Making Math Meaningful

Bravewriter language arts program -The Arrow

Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Zoology 2: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth day

Tink: Kindergarten

Well,,, this one’s hard as I am trying to really enjoy her early years, so we break from our ‘Classical” approach and are embracing a more gentle way with:

Five In A Row**–selections from books 1 and 2and lots of play time and books and art projects and nature walks

Along the Alphabet Path from Serendipity–with just a few minor changes (mostly doctrinal–the owner of Serendipity is a devout Catholic and we are Protestants). Despite the changes we are very excited about this little story…filled with fairies and songs and poetry and flowers…what’s not to like if you are a 5 year old girl! And we’ll be adding our own faith filled ideas to show God’s Glory in His creation!

Oh, and she wants to join Mimi in studying Swimming Creatures so she’ll only do as much as she is able and willing!

Now if I can just make finish the lesson plans…

Coram Deo, Lola

**UPDATE–Well, Five in a Row is just not going to work for us…I just can’t get it to fit…so we are staying with Along the Alphabet path and adding Alphaphonics to learn phonics and just using the FIAR books as read alouds…I think this will be more doable as I strive to live more simply and purposefully as we move through our school days.

 

August 27, 2008

Sage Advise

Posted by Lola under Homeschool
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I  have a few  blogs that I regularly read.   And a few of them  have  posts that I keep marked so that I  can   go back  and re-read  them  as  I  feel   inclined.  I  did  that  to  day  and followed  a link  to this  post.  It really  spoke to me.  I’ve   been doing   this  homeschooling thing  long  enough for several of Anna’s thoughts to resonate with me…deeply.  So, I guess that makes me a homeschooling heretic,  too.  So be it…it isn’t the first time  that I’ve  bucked the trend and marched to the beat of  my own drummer…and Lord willing it won’t be the last.

HT: to  Ann  at   Holy  Experience

 

August 18, 2008

Simple Woman’s Daybook

Posted by Lola under Daybook, Sweet Life
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FOR TODAY, Monday, August 18th…
Outside My Window…Crepe Myrtle tree losing its blossoms, swinging garden gate, bird feeder needing filling having been ravaged over the weekend by house finches, apple tree heavily laden with fruit
I am thinking…that I want to bottle this lazy summer day feeling in order to revisit it when burnout from homeschooling threatens to overwhelm me
I am thankful for…this home, this cool morning, fresh coffee in the morning courtesy of Dear Knight, long, languid day stretching before me
From the kitchen…country apple and blueberry tart for breakfast, leftovers for lunch and creamy orzo pasta with tomatoes for dinner
I am wearing…light grey, knit, pull-over-my-head dress from many years ago…it’s comfortable like an old friend
I am creating…lesson plans, daily schedules, and decoupaged notebooks
I am going…nowhere today…this is a lazy day
I am reading…Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, School Education by C Mason, Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson and For the Families Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
I am hoping…Dear Knight will be home early–he’s been traveling alot lately…we miss him at the dinner table
I am hearing…the sprinklers, random notes from Amazing Grace from our wind chime-a gift from Dear Knight, birds outside, lawn mowers in the distance and the ever present traffic noise.
Around the house…the scent of apple blueberry tart, laundry waiting patiently for folding, fresh flowers on the table
One of my favorite things…greek yogurt and fresh, sliced strawberries for breakfast…Yum!!
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: the girls and I will be joining 4 friends and their mothers for a simple “book club” meeting near a creek to discuss Swallows and Amazons—and yes, we’ll be bringing pemmican, seed cake, grog (lemonade) and hunks of chocolate…that’s why I’m called the “Best of All Natives”
Here is picture thought I am sharing…
I see this each time I look at our mantle…the dried lavender is from our garden, the little book lover a gift from my mom and the love angel a serendipitous gift from a friend…she didn’t know that I don’t care for knick knacks but really am taken by these figurines from Willow Tree
If you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into my day and you’d like to join in, Please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman
 

August 14, 2008

Just a note…

Posted by Lola under Blogging
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I have finally moved all my post over from my old blog…unfortunately I don’t know how to put them in a separate “archive” page. So they are here in a backward chronological order. To find my actual recent posts (those written here originally over the past few weeks you’ll have search fpor them…sorry:-(

And Please don’t forget Tasha Tudor Day on August 28th…please visit Clarice at Storybook Woods for your own sidebar picture (which I don’t have because I can’t figure out how to add it to my sidebar).

 

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