A Fly On My Homeschool Wall

My Rose Red (16 years old) struggles terribly with math.  She has to work, work, and work some more to even understand basic concepts, and then she has to work some more to know how and when to apply them.  After any break from working on a skill, she has to start over to relearn it.  We were both very grateful when we received the opportunity to review the Blue Series by Math Mammoth . The Blue Series is a selection of focused worktexts allowing a student lots of practice in one specific mathematical area.  I counted nearly 4 dozen to choose from, ranging from beginning addition to linear equations.  Rose Red and I counseled together over which subject areas she was in the most need of practice and review right now, and we chose Percent , Metric Measuring , and Geometry 1 . We received a pdf download of each worktext.  While I usually prefer hard copies of math books, this pdf version is enhanced with a lot of great extras. A partial list...

The older girls went to their dances over the weekend. Daddy-Daughter dance on Friday night for the 12-13 year old girls at church Youth dance for the 14-18 year old kids on Saturday night.  Friend E-- came along, too, and made the night so fun for all. Monday The awesome news of the day was that last week's MRI showed that nothing is torn in Pixie's arm, and the docs think it's just a weird strain/sprain.  She was promoted to a short splint and told to take it easy for a little while.  They also prescribed some physical therapy for strengthening. My brain is putting 2 and 2 together (her previous ankle injury and how the docs said her arm bones move too freely which is why they suspected DRUJ instability in the first place) to come to the conclusion that Pixie must have extra loose ligaments or tendons all over her body. Don't know if I'm right or wrong. It's just a theory. But we're all glad she's able to use her hand and arm again...

Monday The overriding memory of Monday was the lack of stress in the late afternoon that I usually feel. I kind of felt at loose ends. Rose Red did her schoolwork in good time, and came to me for help when she needed it instead of kicking and fussing her way through the day. I'd forgotten what it felt like to be done with school by 3:00 pm. And the babies both napped. I emptied and loaded the dishwasher, processed 5 loads of laundry, worked on some reviews, baked homemade bread, made a couple of gallons of vegetable soup, and visited with a church friend. That was so weird . . . so refreshing! I hope she does her schoolwork earlier in the day and with a cooperative spirit again this week! Mister Man is reading and building and crafting a lot on his own these days.  Every once in a while I sit down and read with him and have him narrate to me, but for the most part he just gobbles up what he needs as he encounters it.  On Monday he read an Usborne abridgement ...

Percy, our guinea pig, died sometime Saturday night. Nature Angel found him when she went to feed him Sunday morning. We were somewhat late for church. Poor Nature Angel. She took it hard. Sir Walter Scott wrapped him in a dishtowel.  I administered hugs to weeping children (Nature Angel and Little Princess) and answered questions from curious children (Ladybug and Brother). For Family Home Evening we had a simple graveside service and burial. In the later evening Super Star received her patriarchal blessing .  It was so perfect for her that I wanted to stand up and shout for joy after every sentence.  She's a truly choice soul, and my every prayer on her behalf was granted as the patriarch blessed her. God is so very, very good. Monday It was a gray day inside and out.  The outside wasn't so bad--kind of warm and rainy and springy.  It was the inside gray--inside my brain--that was the problem. We had a usual school day. Pretty good. Ki...