A Week, Briefly (3/18/19)
The teens took a spring break. (Except for Pixie--her history class and dance classes resumed after last week's break)
The younger kids mostly didn't, but kind of did.
Which means I went ahead and read for Academy each day (we do this during lunch), but I didn't require any written work from them, and I called kids to me for one-on-one school to give them a break from the endless free play time that is actually a totally normal part of our regular school days.
On Monday after my appointment with the psychologist who gave Brother's diagnoses, I took Nature Angel and Little Princess to a workshop on bookbinding at our crafting thrift store.
Sir Walter Scott took the young ones to a park they'd never been to before.
Tuesday was a rough day. I was dealing with some personal anxiety, and Super Star must have been doing the same. I'll say nothing more than that I relied on routine to survive the day . . . how grateful I am for intentional habits!
We packed Wednesday morning with one-on-one school, and then Brother and I headed out to consult with the psychiatrist about his meds.
Belle went to the farm for the first time in weeks and weeks!
Pixie took her American history mid-term (as of this writing the teacher has not posted her grade).
In the morning Sir Walter Scott took Ladybug for the EKG that is required before her meds can be prescribed.
In the afternoon Sir Walter Scott took Ladybug and Mister Man to the dentist.
In the evening Sir Walter Scott took half of the kids to the church for youth activities.
In between he worked on our septic leach lines.
I let the littlest kids play outside after dinner until dark.
My most important conclusion of the day was that in spite of the sales going on right now, I'm not ready to order much more homeschool curricula than I've already got. We're facing a major overhaul of our routine for next year because of Pixie's leaving, Nature Angel's aging out of Academy, and the changes meds are going to make in Ladybug's, Brother's, and Beowulf's abilities. The screaming sale banners may be flooding my email inbox, but I've got to ignore them and spend some time assessing our needs.
We filled Thursday morning much the same way as Wednesday (minus the EKG) and headed out the door to a productive and exhausting dance session.
In the evening, Belle helped me take the young ones and a bucket of balls and jump ropes up to the soccer field to play. We had a tug-of-war--Belle and me vs. the 8 younger ones.
Belle and I won!
Then we divided up more evenly, and Belle's team won.
Then we regrouped, and Belle's team won again!
We decided Belle is a super tug-of-war player.
On Friday Sir Walter Scott worked on the leach lines again. The little boys loved every moment of "helping" Daddy work. Somehow the smell did not keep them from leaning over the opening to the tank and waving at their reflections in the water.
Boys!
In the morning, Pixie took Nature Angel and Little Princess and Lola off to the craft store to shop for supplies, then she took them to Menchie's for a treat.
In the afternoon, Brother and I went to therapy, and then I sewed a shrug for Pixie's prom dress.
During Academy, we finished reading The Little Prince. Mister Man and I cried.
And I read the second story in Teach Them to Your Children--a book we've owned for years and used years ago when the teens were little. I realized a week or so that it would be a blessing to pull it off the shelf and share it with the younger kids. I'd read the first story on Thursday, and it was a good enough experience, but reading the second story with my young ones was absolutely sacred. The lesson went straight to our hearts.
The teens and I finished watching Henry V . . . but it wasn't on Friday night because Pixie had a date. I can't figure out what night we watched it. But we did, and we all cried . . . again!
I assigned chores to Super Star and Belle, and between us we got a reasonable amount of behind-the-scenes kind of organizing done.
Between the outdoor play, the organizing, the medical/dental/psychiatric appointments, and the endless crafting, I'd call it a pretty productive kind-of-sort-of spring break.
The younger kids mostly didn't, but kind of did.
Which means I went ahead and read for Academy each day (we do this during lunch), but I didn't require any written work from them, and I called kids to me for one-on-one school to give them a break from the endless free play time that is actually a totally normal part of our regular school days.
On Monday after my appointment with the psychologist who gave Brother's diagnoses, I took Nature Angel and Little Princess to a workshop on bookbinding at our crafting thrift store.
 |
| Learning how to use the Cricut |
Sir Walter Scott took the young ones to a park they'd never been to before.
Tuesday was a rough day. I was dealing with some personal anxiety, and Super Star must have been doing the same. I'll say nothing more than that I relied on routine to survive the day . . . how grateful I am for intentional habits!
 |
| Ladybug has been working on these sight words intensively for 15 school days. This week she passed them off on her spelling test! |
 |
| Taking a break |
We packed Wednesday morning with one-on-one school, and then Brother and I headed out to consult with the psychiatrist about his meds.
Belle went to the farm for the first time in weeks and weeks!
Pixie took her American history mid-term (as of this writing the teacher has not posted her grade).
In the morning Sir Walter Scott took Ladybug for the EKG that is required before her meds can be prescribed.
In the afternoon Sir Walter Scott took Ladybug and Mister Man to the dentist.
In the evening Sir Walter Scott took half of the kids to the church for youth activities.
In between he worked on our septic leach lines.
I let the littlest kids play outside after dinner until dark.
My most important conclusion of the day was that in spite of the sales going on right now, I'm not ready to order much more homeschool curricula than I've already got. We're facing a major overhaul of our routine for next year because of Pixie's leaving, Nature Angel's aging out of Academy, and the changes meds are going to make in Ladybug's, Brother's, and Beowulf's abilities. The screaming sale banners may be flooding my email inbox, but I've got to ignore them and spend some time assessing our needs.
We filled Thursday morning much the same way as Wednesday (minus the EKG) and headed out the door to a productive and exhausting dance session.
In the evening, Belle helped me take the young ones and a bucket of balls and jump ropes up to the soccer field to play. We had a tug-of-war--Belle and me vs. the 8 younger ones.
Belle and I won!
Then we divided up more evenly, and Belle's team won.
Then we regrouped, and Belle's team won again!
We decided Belle is a super tug-of-war player.
On Friday Sir Walter Scott worked on the leach lines again. The little boys loved every moment of "helping" Daddy work. Somehow the smell did not keep them from leaning over the opening to the tank and waving at their reflections in the water.
Boys!
 |
| Taking turns cutting pipe |
 |
| Rediscovering the joy of the sand pit . . . it's finally out from under the snow! |
In the morning, Pixie took Nature Angel and Little Princess and Lola off to the craft store to shop for supplies, then she took them to Menchie's for a treat.
In the afternoon, Brother and I went to therapy, and then I sewed a shrug for Pixie's prom dress.
During Academy, we finished reading The Little Prince. Mister Man and I cried.
And I read the second story in Teach Them to Your Children--a book we've owned for years and used years ago when the teens were little. I realized a week or so that it would be a blessing to pull it off the shelf and share it with the younger kids. I'd read the first story on Thursday, and it was a good enough experience, but reading the second story with my young ones was absolutely sacred. The lesson went straight to our hearts.
The teens and I finished watching Henry V . . . but it wasn't on Friday night because Pixie had a date. I can't figure out what night we watched it. But we did, and we all cried . . . again!
I assigned chores to Super Star and Belle, and between us we got a reasonable amount of behind-the-scenes kind of organizing done.
Between the outdoor play, the organizing, the medical/dental/psychiatric appointments, and the endless crafting, I'd call it a pretty productive kind-of-sort-of spring break.
 |
| Hand-kitted by Little Princess herself! |
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| Hand-crocheted by Nature Angel (and the pattern is her own as well) |
A crafting thrift store?...that sounds like heaven. I am in the same boat when it comes to sales and curriculum. I am just not ready to commit to anything right now. There is much more prayer required around here on that front. What a great week...minus the leach lines. I guess it is a blessing your dear husband know how to fix them. The outdoor play looks wonderful as always.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Dawn
I am soaking in our spring break right now, we needed it. It sounds like a good week for you all, busy as always.
ReplyDeletePurchasing curriculum is always so hard - when do we click order and commit to something? We've got nearly everything purchased already, but those last few sticky subjects/courses are not ironing themselves out yet, so we wait on those.
Boys and work - such a good thing, but I always wonder if their noses simply turn off around things like that. How can they enjoy it?! LOL.