This was a pretty normal week. Maybe a little boring. We focused on our basics work (math, English, history, science, Latin, PE, music), had art and writing classes, and did some good reading. I don't have any cool photos of fun experiments or fabulous projects my kids are working on. We didn't have any field trips this week, either! (I'm hoping to get in something good next week.)
I wasn't going to post a wrap-up today because of our rather mundane week. Photographs of Life of Fred math papers, writing class assignments, and programs for battle robots would be pretty dull, wouldn't they? But I changed my mind because sometimes the week isn't full of fun and exciting stuff. Sometimes we just have to stay home, sit down, and get some work done. It can be hard sometimes to convince my kids that that's true; sometimes I have a hard time convincing myself! But it's not always fun and photogenic.
My kids aren't big on projects anymore. We read, write, and talk. We talk a lot. Some of our best homeschooling moments occur at the dinner table. Our days of making a model of the Nile delta in a lasagne pan and a pyramid out of sugar cubes are over. I am not sure I miss them! They were fun days, but I like what's going on now too.
I've been talking and thinking about relevance a lot lately. My kids are at the age when the things they are learning have to be relevant to their lives. They are asking "why" a lot more now. Not "why is the sky blue" but "why is this important for me to know?" But that really is a topic for another time.
Enjoy more Weekly Wrap-ups at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. And post your own! You don't need an exciting week and lots of photos. I just noticed that Kris (our hostess) had a quiet week too. We all love reading about the things other homeschoolers are doing.
Friday, October 08, 2010
Your tax dollars, not working for you
From the AP, via The Corner:
72,000 Stimulus payments went to dead people
Lots of money wasted sending $250 checks to dead people. That's only $18,000,000. A drop in the bucket, right?
But think of the cost of processing each check, and then processing the returned mail. That's a lot of money.
Of course it keeps people employed. There is that.
72,000 Stimulus payments went to dead people
Lots of money wasted sending $250 checks to dead people. That's only $18,000,000. A drop in the bucket, right?
But think of the cost of processing each check, and then processing the returned mail. That's a lot of money.
Of course it keeps people employed. There is that.
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Booking Through Thursday: Travel
It's been a while since I've done Booking Through Thursday but this topic is dear to my heart:
When you travel, how many books do you bring with you? Has this changed since the arrival of ebooks?
I can dispense with the ebook question right away: we are still a paper and ink family. I don't know that it will always be that way. An ebook reader would make travel easier...
Because we always pack too many books. "We" because the seminarian is the same way. That's one of the ways we knew we were made for each other: when we are preparing for a trip, packing the right books (in the right numbers) is more important (and more difficult) than packing the right clothing.
But I've said all this before. I wrote this in 2005 as we were preparing to take a month-long trip to England and Scotland:
The clothing is all piled on the floor, ready to go in the suitcases... most of the housecleaning is done... laundry is under control...
Now, what should I take to read?
I think it's down to: Sense and Sensibility (Austen), Johnson and Boswell's Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland and Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides With Samuel Johnson, The Heart of Homeschooling (Klicka; a freebie from joining HSLDA) and of course my Bible and new study book Becoming a Woman of Prayer. Oh, a Tabletalk magazine, too. We've been getting it for a while, though I never read it. Now's the time. Maybe.
For the readalouds with the kids: Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers (Bond; a re-read but we may get to visit the real city in which the fictional story takes place), Black Beauty (Sewell), and The Enchanted Castle (Nesbit). Wanted to take Duncan's War (Bond, story of Scottish Covenanters) but there don't appear to be any girls in it, so Eleanor would object.
Of course I suppose it's possible we might find a book or two to buy while we are there.
Our kids were 6 and 8 then, so they weren't taking their own books. The 8-year-old wasn't really a reader yet. The 6-year-old taught herself to read on that trip, after discovering that if she could read for herself, she wouldn't have to rely on me to find the castle gift shops.
Visit Booking Through Thursday for more thoughts on books and travel.
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Fun stuff going on.
Tonight I set up a Facebook page for Two Kid Schoolhouse. There's nothing there yet, and I am not sure what I'm doing, but hey, you could come check it out.
My next project is to get that big "F" Facebook button for the sidebar. But I have a few other things to do tonight that might be more important, like taking care of my family and reading a book I've been asked to review. (More on that later, but, wow, I was asked to review a book!)
This is all part of my effort to keep learning and not be a clueless middle-aged internet dinosaur. (Back in my day, we just had newsgroups! And we were happy to have them!). Yeah, I know - too late.
My next project is to get that big "F" Facebook button for the sidebar. But I have a few other things to do tonight that might be more important, like taking care of my family and reading a book I've been asked to review. (More on that later, but, wow, I was asked to review a book!)
This is all part of my effort to keep learning and not be a clueless middle-aged internet dinosaur. (Back in my day, we just had newsgroups! And we were happy to have them!). Yeah, I know - too late.
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Butterfly memories
I was looking through some old photos and found a treasure.
Butterfly release day!
How many of you homeschool moms recognize the butterfly house?
We bought it, a bunch of caterpillars, and some sort of food from a website. Or maybe a local store. This happened six years ago!
We watched the entire processes, then took the butterflies to a park to set them free. We decided the park had more nice flowers for them than our backyard. Or maybe we were worried the kids would see a dead butterfly and cry over their pet.
It was such fun. They still talk about it and we still have the house. Maybe we should get some more caterpillars and do it again!
Bonus froggie for your viewing pleasure.
This post is linked to Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer.
Chocolate Chips in the Utensil Drawer
If I ever write the story of my distraction-filled, disorganized life, I think that should be the title. Because that's what I found this morning while looking for... something.
Or maybe I should write a book of homemaking advice. My first question could be "Is it safe to defrost a beef roast on the computer desk overnight?"
I didn't actually leave the roast overnight. I took it out of the freezer and stopped by the computer to shut it down for the night. About an hour later, as I was falling asleep, I sat up, secure in the knowledge that I had pulled the roast out of the freezer but unable to remember putting it in the refrigerator. I checked around, and there it was, sitting on the computer desk. It did pass the rest of the night safely defrosting in the fridge.
Or maybe I should do some research on the tupperware problem. Why do I have so many containers, and so many lids, but so few that actually go together?
I have a lot of work ahead.
Or maybe I should write a book of homemaking advice. My first question could be "Is it safe to defrost a beef roast on the computer desk overnight?"
I didn't actually leave the roast overnight. I took it out of the freezer and stopped by the computer to shut it down for the night. About an hour later, as I was falling asleep, I sat up, secure in the knowledge that I had pulled the roast out of the freezer but unable to remember putting it in the refrigerator. I checked around, and there it was, sitting on the computer desk. It did pass the rest of the night safely defrosting in the fridge.
Or maybe I should do some research on the tupperware problem. Why do I have so many containers, and so many lids, but so few that actually go together?
I have a lot of work ahead.
Top Ten Tuesday: mothers and their intellectual lives
I know I'm not the only stay-at-home mother who feels like my brain is turning to mush sometimes. Even though I am learning alongside my kids in the process of homeschooling them, I don't pay much attention to my own intellectual life. I don't read as much as I'd like to; I don't learn new skills very often. So in an attempt to buck myself up, here's a top ten list of reasons mothers should keep themselves sharp.
1. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." - Matthew 22:37 The more we know, the more we can glorify God.
2. We are our children's role models. If we aren't reading anything more than magazines, why should our kids? If we don't bother to learn new skills...
3. We might be a role model for our husbands, too. My father wasn't a reader, and while I won't say that grieved my mother, it did bother her a little. He could say he was too busy working for his family, but, that's never true. Everyone has some time in their day, even just a little. I know he did.
4.Or, maybe we could be better, more interesting companions to our husbands. If your husband is interested in politics and likes to talk about it, but you can't because you don't know and don't care...
5. How about: just for the joy of it? Acquiring a new skill, reading a satisfying novel, or learning something we didn't know before can just give us pleasure.
6. How old will you be when your kids are up and out? I'll be pretty old, but maybe not too old to go back to school or back to work. Many women are empty-nesters by their early 40s. What then?
7. Do you ever feel like all you can talk about is your kids? And maybe the dog? Isn't there something else you'd rather talk about sometimes?
8. Staying sharp can help you avoid dementia.
9. Are you a grandmother? OK, I'm stretching now because this is the pretty much the same as #2, but... grandkids need role models too.
10. Learning refreshes the mind. (Yes, this is a lot like #5. Top Tens can be hard.) We can go away from our duties for a little while and come back refreshed. Don't you feel better if you have a break from homeschooling and homemaking, even for just a little while? This is the concept of "Mother Culture," the idea that mother needs to learn and refresh herself alongside her children. Some people think of bubble bath and manicures. That's fine, but wouldn't expanding your mind be more satisfying?
But before you click out to read about Mother Culture, tell me: how are you taking care of your mind as you raise your children (and homeschool, if you do)? If you are finished with that part of your life, what did you do? What would you do differently?
1. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." - Matthew 22:37 The more we know, the more we can glorify God.
2. We are our children's role models. If we aren't reading anything more than magazines, why should our kids? If we don't bother to learn new skills...
3. We might be a role model for our husbands, too. My father wasn't a reader, and while I won't say that grieved my mother, it did bother her a little. He could say he was too busy working for his family, but, that's never true. Everyone has some time in their day, even just a little. I know he did.
4.Or, maybe we could be better, more interesting companions to our husbands. If your husband is interested in politics and likes to talk about it, but you can't because you don't know and don't care...
5. How about: just for the joy of it? Acquiring a new skill, reading a satisfying novel, or learning something we didn't know before can just give us pleasure.
6. How old will you be when your kids are up and out? I'll be pretty old, but maybe not too old to go back to school or back to work. Many women are empty-nesters by their early 40s. What then?
7. Do you ever feel like all you can talk about is your kids? And maybe the dog? Isn't there something else you'd rather talk about sometimes?
8. Staying sharp can help you avoid dementia.
9. Are you a grandmother? OK, I'm stretching now because this is the pretty much the same as #2, but... grandkids need role models too.
10. Learning refreshes the mind. (Yes, this is a lot like #5. Top Tens can be hard.) We can go away from our duties for a little while and come back refreshed. Don't you feel better if you have a break from homeschooling and homemaking, even for just a little while? This is the concept of "Mother Culture," the idea that mother needs to learn and refresh herself alongside her children. Some people think of bubble bath and manicures. That's fine, but wouldn't expanding your mind be more satisfying?
But before you click out to read about Mother Culture, tell me: how are you taking care of your mind as you raise your children (and homeschool, if you do)? If you are finished with that part of your life, what did you do? What would you do differently?
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