A Fly On My Homeschool Wall

I am tired. So tired. I can't do it. I have to be still. This week we read another dozen stories from The Lion Storyteller Bedtime Book. We went to a spray park one morning. I reserved 20 or so books at the library for our geography read alouds for when school starts.  We're going to start in Mexico.   I've made the decision that Nature Angel and Little Princess are going to choose one or two subjects to start on August 2nd.  They can work slowly through them--doing what they can as they babysit--just kind of getting a head start on the school year.  The rest of us are not going to start until I get the kids' bathroom finished.  The shower is done, the walls are almost done, then floors, then trim, then building the vanity, then installing the sink and light fixtures.  It sounds simple here, but I made a 3 page detailed list so that I could choose small tasks and cross them off frequently.  I don't want to lose momentum. I did a lot of ordering of construction suppl

For Nature Angel and Belle, this week was AWESOME!  They spent the week at FSY, and had the absolute best experiences of their lives. This is Nature Angel's "company."  Basically her small group that had a few counselors watching over them.  They met for devotionals and were teams for games and other activities. Nature Angel with her best buddy and roommate for the week! She got to meet and chat with Sister Bonnie Cordon--The YW General President! Belle's experience was just as joyful. A bunch of friends The girls in their "company"--it was a really boy-heavy group! Waiting for a class or devotional to start They came home with stars in their eyes and brought the light home with them.  It was so fun to listen to their stories of the week. Life on the homefront was much, much harder . . . more about surviving than thriving. Brother had a number of episodes that led to the complete and abrupt end of his ABA therapy.  He was given an assessment--the results of

 We had a lovely 4th of July with church in the morning and a family campfire and celebration in the driveway.  Kids ran around catching fireflies, playing with sparklers given to us by friends, singing songs around the fire (a couple of neighbors joined us!), and stuffing themselves with s'mores.  When it got dark enough, the kids ran up to the field to watch the fireworks along the skyline in all directions.    Monday morning early Sir Walter Scott took Belle, Nature Angel, and Little Princess with him to pick up 8 more girls from church and drive in the caravan to Girls' Camp. During which time, Brother broke down completely and tried to kill his brother, me, and eventually an older sister with a shovel. We're all fine. We're good at evasive action. The day was lost in all of the medical/psychiatric mess that always follows such violence. Sir Walter Scott broke many speed limits to get back home to us. Brother did not have to be admitted to in-patient psych--it's

  Truly firm in her commitment to Christ, sweet Belle drifts too easily in other areas of her life.  With her world mostly shut down due to covid this past year, Belle found the extra time and lack of social interaction overwhelming.  She accomplished less this year than I think she could have and should have.  I struggle not to judge her unfairly--what really did the shut down do to the heart and mind of my girl?    She's a quiet, private girl, not inclined to talk out her feelings the way her sisters do.  Of all my children, she is the greatest mystery to me, and I must work the hardest to know her.     That being said, I think she is a more social learner than I would have guessed before.  She's the youngest of my oldest 4 girls--always a set of 4 through her whole life (the 4 of them are only separated by 3 1/2 years).  This year, she was alone as the oldest homeschool student and only high schooler in our family--her older sisters and best friends all off working or at col

  Nature Angel turned 14.     She finished 8th grade.   It's the end of an era and the beginning of another for my beautiful angel girl. Nature Angel--8th grade: Colloquium:        Astronomy , Master Books      Modern World and American History through Literature , Beautiful Feet Books      Ancient History , Mystery of History Language Arts 8 , Oak Meadow Algebra 1/2 , Saxon General Science , Apologia Elementary Greek Year 2 , Memoria Press; Book of Mormon in Greek Book of Mormon   Notice there is no plan for working full time as a childcare provider.  That's because we had no idea how our school life would change during the 2020-21 school year. We soldiered through the plan as written when there were first 1 then 2 toddlers.  When we added both an infant and another toddler to the mix, the plan broke down, and we had to make some changes--namely dropping some of these studies and replacing them with the practical skill development that comes with caring for small child

  Here is my feisty, opinionated, sensitive, charming, nosy, delightful Little Princess. Here is the academic plan we made last August. Little Princess--6th grade: Colloquium:      Astronomy , Master Books      Modern World and American History through Literature , Beautiful Feet Books      Ancient History , Mystery of History Language Arts and Literature Level 6 , The Good and the Beautiful Math 7/6 , Saxon Photography , Oak Meadow Chinese , Duolingo; Book of Mormon in Chinese Read a lot of library books. Book of Mormon   Notice there is no plan for working full time as a childcare provider.  That's because we had no idea how our school life would change during the 2020-21 school year. We soldiered through the plan as written when there were first 1 then 2 toddlers.  When we added both an infant and another toddler to the mix, the plan broke down, and we had to make some changes--namely dropping some of these studies and replacing them with the practical skill development that com

  Ladybug turned 10 years old at the start of the school year.  She began the year in a stable place, being treated with CBD oil for her anxiety (which I believe is the true cause for her ADHD-ish behaviors), and ended the year in a not-quite-but-close-to stable place.  She did have several negative behavioral flare-ups which affected her ability to complete schoolwork successfully, but they were not chronic problems.  She is diagnosed with an intellectual disability, and while we recognize that as real and work within her limits, we also recognize that she is capable of learning, and we push her to extend her limits when and where possible.   Here was Ladybug's plan for the 2020-21 school year: Academy Language Lessons for a Living Education 3 , Master Books Language Arts 2 & 3 , Core Skills Explode the Code 4 and 4 1/2 Writing With Ease Level 2 , Well-Trained Mind Literature Grade 2 , Memoria Press Finish Arithmetic 2 and start Arithmetic 3 , Rod and Staff Prima Latina (1

 We found the backpack stashed in the woods.  It contained:      underwear      a sweatshirt      a change of clothing      a pear      an apple      5 squares of toilet paper      2 butter knives      2 raw eggs      2 granola bars   Even when presented with the evidence, Brother, Ladybug, and Beowulf denied any knowledge of what happened, but we persisted, and eventually the story came out.   Brother was the mastermind with Ladybug and Beowulf his unwilling partners.  (We assume sibling loyalty played a part.)   The plan was to run away over the weekend.   We. Had. No. Idea.   The tip off clue was discovered when Sir Walter Scott picked up the bucket of eggs he'd collected and thought there were more a little while earlier.  He mentioned them to me as I made dinner, and we were both ready to write them off as a poor memory moment . . . or as a theft we'd never get to the bottom of (a very normal occurrence in our house). But something (dare I call it inspiration?) caused us t