In our regular life this week…
And in weather news ... the temps have been unseasonably cool, but the humidity .. WOW! A piece of paper I carried out of the high school Friday morning actually felt damp. Our dehumidifier in the basement is running non-stop, back to having to be dumped twice a day. I am chilly and sticky at the same time. Do not take this as a complaint! It could be over 100 degrees and miserable, and it's not, so I am happy. Not good pool weather, but oh well. It's good everything-else weather.
The dogs are also battling with fleas this year! Oh my goodness! In Oklahoma, we never had fleas. Here in Missouri, they are awful! Even the expensive Frontline Plus has not even put a dent in the fleas. And we also have spiders .. and Brown Recluse ones, at that. Finally this weekend I got some Seven dust and put it around the perimeter of our house, in the attic, and even on the carpet and vacuumed it up after a couple of hours. Then I took each dog outside and put it on them, too. I think it might have worked. I hope so. They have been miserable!
The dogs are also battling with fleas this year! Oh my goodness! In Oklahoma, we never had fleas. Here in Missouri, they are awful! Even the expensive Frontline Plus has not even put a dent in the fleas. And we also have spiders .. and Brown Recluse ones, at that. Finally this weekend I got some Seven dust and put it around the perimeter of our house, in the attic, and even on the carpet and vacuumed it up after a couple of hours. Then I took each dog outside and put it on them, too. I think it might have worked. I hope so. They have been miserable!
In our homeschool this week…
We finished up our summer school work on Tuesday. We are now taking off completely (other than daily reading) until August 14th. Our summer school hours resulted in 14 days of regular school days. With the remainder of our reading time this summer, we will be able to take off 3 FULL WEEKS this school year. Some of that will be used on a trip to Florida, and the rest will likely be used around the holidays.
Summer school has definitely worked for us and we will continue to school year round in this way. Reading, writing, and math abilities soared this summer! The kids noticed it and so did I. We also really, really, really enjoyed our Life Cycles unit and found a new series for read-alouds that we love. The Poppy books by Avi are excellent! Had it not been for our Life Cycle Unit, we probably would have never stumbled upon these books.
The other thing going on here this summer has been Dawson's work toward getting high school credit for his 9th grade homeschool year. He has now successfully received his credit for Consumer Math, English I, Biology, and American History. He only needs one more credit, that will be counted as an elective. He has three courses from which to choose and once he passes that assessment he is all set! Can I just say how proud I am of him for completing this? It was a shame that he had to do it at all, but the school would not give him his credits without passing the assessments. He has worked all summer on them, putting forth the effort needed. And there has really been minimal grumbling under the circumstances. I think he feels well-accomplished and ready to tackle a new school year.
He got his schedule on Friday and will be taking English III, Algebra I (he decided to re-take it from his homeschool year just to make sure he really "has" it), U.S. Government, Chemistry, Multi-Media, Drawing/Painting, and Future Teachers of America (This class has him partnering with an elementary school teacher to earn tutoring hours toward his A+ scholarship. Once he completes all of the requirements of A+, he will be able to receive a free post-secondary education at any junior college or technical school in the state of Missouri. Pretty good deal, huh?)
Get out there and buy those cheap school supplies! I got my trusty 70-page spiral notebooks for 17 cents each and composition books for 50 cents each. Binders were also marked way down, even the colored ones!
Summer school has definitely worked for us and we will continue to school year round in this way. Reading, writing, and math abilities soared this summer! The kids noticed it and so did I. We also really, really, really enjoyed our Life Cycles unit and found a new series for read-alouds that we love. The Poppy books by Avi are excellent! Had it not been for our Life Cycle Unit, we probably would have never stumbled upon these books.
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| The fourth Black Swallowtail we have gotten from our garden and put in our butterfly habitat. |
The other thing going on here this summer has been Dawson's work toward getting high school credit for his 9th grade homeschool year. He has now successfully received his credit for Consumer Math, English I, Biology, and American History. He only needs one more credit, that will be counted as an elective. He has three courses from which to choose and once he passes that assessment he is all set! Can I just say how proud I am of him for completing this? It was a shame that he had to do it at all, but the school would not give him his credits without passing the assessments. He has worked all summer on them, putting forth the effort needed. And there has really been minimal grumbling under the circumstances. I think he feels well-accomplished and ready to tackle a new school year.
He got his schedule on Friday and will be taking English III, Algebra I (he decided to re-take it from his homeschool year just to make sure he really "has" it), U.S. Government, Chemistry, Multi-Media, Drawing/Painting, and Future Teachers of America (This class has him partnering with an elementary school teacher to earn tutoring hours toward his A+ scholarship. Once he completes all of the requirements of A+, he will be able to receive a free post-secondary education at any junior college or technical school in the state of Missouri. Pretty good deal, huh?)
Homeschool Tricks and Tips ...
Get out there and buy those cheap school supplies! I got my trusty 70-page spiral notebooks for 17 cents each and composition books for 50 cents each. Binders were also marked way down, even the colored ones!
Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
This week has been all about soaking in every possible minute with my brother Tim, sister-in-law Shawna, and niece Bell. We have enjoyed them so much! I always miss them when they leave, and they'll be leaving on Monday. I am hoping to be able to go out to Oregon for Bell's first birthday in October. Hoping flights go down just a tad.
A favorite thing this week was…
A perfect Saturday! I slept until 10:10 a.m. I can't remember the last time I did that! Rick and Collin went to play golf. Kyndal and Brynne went to get some groceries so we could make dinner for the family. Dawson worked in the early morning and then came home and took a nap. I got some laundry done, sat and watched Despicable Me with Eli, and had a nice visit with Shawna and Bell who stopped by. As usual there was Wii playing going on. We had a yummy dinner and watched The Odd Life of Timothy Green. It was a great day!
What's in the kitchen this week ...
I'm thinking of doing a pantry purge this week. We have lots of miscellaneous stuff in the freezer and pantry and I bet I can come up with some good meals. Here is the chicken parmesan manicotti I made for dinner last night.
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What we're reading ...
Mom: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Trim Healthy Mama by Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett
Eli: Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. (lots of picture books)
Brynne: New Home for Lily by Mary Ann Kinsinger and Suzanne Woods Fisher. (lots of picture books)
Read-aloud: Poppy and Ereth by Avi.
Read-aloud: Poppy and Ereth by Avi.
Things we're working on…
Birthday party preparations! Brynne's birthday is on Thursday. We are going to go to a water park on her birthday and then her party will be in a couple of weeks at the bowling alley.
And, my sister, Kyndal and I are starting the good ol' Couch to 5K program (the condensed version) in preparation for a Color Run on August 31st.
I’m grateful for ...
That inner voice. On Wednesday night one of Dawson's friends stopped by to see if Dawson wanted to go ride around with him and two other boys. The kids and I were watching Oz: The Great and Powerful. I was enjoying spending some time with all the kids. And, something just told me "no". He doesn't do a lot of running around, but sometimes he does. This night, though, I just didn't want him to go. I told his friend that my birthday was the next day and I didn't want to spend my birthday dealing with any issues (I was just kind of kidding). One of the boys always has drama with a girl and I didn't want Dawson involved in it. Dawson was mad he couldn't go, but didn't really argue about it. Two hours later Dawson came running downstairs to tell me that his friends were in a car accident and flipped the truck 6 times, totaling it. They had on their seatbelts and were not hurt other than cuts and bruises. But, the fourth person in that truck would have been crushed. That fourth person most-likely would have been my son.
In the garden…
The harvest is not abundant, but it is sufficient. We used all these goodies for a salad last night. I also pulled my first cucumber!
What's coming up this week ...
A photo, video, link, or quote to share (silly, serious or both!)…
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| I'm not the only one who loves the Sitting Room. |
We are happily linking up this week at the following sites:
Ah, yes, Missouri humidity. I'm not a fan either.
ReplyDelete(trying not to complain!)
so happy you listened to that wee small voice and kept your son home. very happy they were wearing their seatbelts. Praying they all got a wakeup call and are thankful for a second chance on life.
New school supplies - fun! Have a wonderful start to a new school year.
So happy Dawson wasn't in the truck. Good gut feeling.
ReplyDeleteIt must be a little different where you live insect/spider wise. We have no flea/tick issue and haven't even used anything. I've never seen or been bitten by a brown recluse anywhere I've lived here. Thank goodness.
Love all the spirals and composition books what plans do you have for them?
Your niece is adorable and looks a lot like Brynne.
We did movie day today since it was raining hard. We watched: Despicable Me, Odd Life of Timothy Green and Coraline. Along with a few episodes of Jesse. I'm so sick of TV now
I love doing pantry/freezer/fridge purges but then the next time I go grocery shopping the total is outrageous since I have to replace so much
OK have a great week
Shannon
Oh, I think we have some fleas too! The dogs and cat are scratching more than usual, but when I look I don't see anything. How awesome to have some "flex time days" for the school year! What a dedicated student Dawson is! And that A+ thing sounds like an awesome opportunity! I really liked the moved The Odd Life of Timothy Green! What did you think? Wow - on the accident. Sometimes that inner voice knows best!
ReplyDeleteMomma intuition is always the best!
ReplyDeleteWe've been enjoying the cooler Missouri tempos, but the humidity is just ridiculous. I've lived here since I was a year old and I still can't handle the humidity. At least it's not as bad as last year. This year I can hide inside. Last year I spent way too much time moving sprinklers around the yard.
I hope Brynne has a great birthday!
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with your couch to 5K program!!!