Weekly Wrap-up ~ Our NOT Regular Schedule and Lots of Extras

Last week was what I defined as a regular week for us. This week, not even close. But, there was lots of fun and learning going on anyway!

In our regular life this week…

About all we could think about was our trip to Florida. We are SO ready to get to some warm weather and sun and relaxation. We left last night and arrived at 5:00 a.m. this morning. We have had a pretty low-key day because we were so tired, but we did walk down to the mini beach for a little playtime.

In our homeschool this week…

• Bible ~ We covered The Ten Commandments this week, and the kids have called me out on a couple of things (oops!).
• Writing ~ We continued with cursive handwriting and the kids are actually really enjoying it! They think it is fun!
• Reading ~ We finished the second book in The Spiderwick Chronicles series and will start the third book after our vacation.
• Math ~ We finished our multiplication lessons in A+ Tutorsoft. We did lots of Math U See ~ Gamma and the kids really like it (and so do I). The Multiplication Wrap-ups got lots of use this week, too. Brynne is up to 6's and Eli has completed 3's. This is a great tool and my Favorite Resource this week.
• Unit Study ~ This week was all about the bird habitat dioramas. The kids researched, gathered materials, and made their nests. They researched and made their eggs for their nest. They colored their birds, and and they wrote reports.
• Geography ~ Eli wanted to learn about Hungary, so we did our "Holidays of the World" (co-op class) country reports about Hungary.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

We are in Pensacola, Florida. Have I mentioned that? One thing we are really looking forward to is seeing the Blue Angels do their practice flights. We do that every time we go. This year we will be there late enough in the season that the kids will be able to go to the Naval Aviation Museum after the show and get their autographs.

A favorite thing this week was…

Celebrating the kids' accomplishments! They were awarded for being in the Science/Geography/Arts fair at Co-op and then Eli was awarded for his rank advancement in Scouts at the Blue and Gold Banquet. It was a perfect way to end just before Spring Break.

What's in the kitchen this next week ...

We will be eating in Florida all week. The great thing about going to my parents' house there is that it's like being home. So, we will cook healthy, easy meals, as usual. Typically when we are there we eat spaghetti, turkey burgers, and tacos. We will also take the kids out to eat a couple of nights.

What we're reading ...

Mom: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Eli: Star Jumper: Journal of a Cardboard Genius by Frank Asch

Brynne: Buddy (Puppy Place) by Ellen Miles

While we are in Florida, I will be doing LOTS of reading. Here's what I have sitting on my nightstand ...

Vintage Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball. It was finally at our library!!! I cannot wait to meet back up with my good friends Cici, Bridget, and Lindsay!! It's been a long time!

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I have been waiting for this one for a long time. I think I'll read it first so my mom can read it after me.

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton. Kate is now one of my favorite authors. Love her books!

Created to be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl. This one is bit controversial to some, but oh, so good!

Attracting Birds to Your Backyard by Sally Roth. It's time to start doing some exterior landscaping. And I want lots of birds to visit our back yard!

We are also doing a seashell unit study while we are there, so I have brought along lots of books for the kids and I to read.

Things I’m working on…

A tan. And reading as many books as I can. And watching my kids swing on the rope swing at the beach 10,000 times. And rubbing my toes through the sand. And searching for seashells. And resting.

Things the Kids are Working on ...

Taking a much-needed break!!!

I’m grateful for…

again, my dad gets the gold medal. This past week we had a sewer backup problem. I thought there was mud coming up in our basement toilet and shower. Ummm .... that wasn't mud. Yuck! My dad came to the rescue, as he owns a residential plumbing construction company, doing exterior work. He quickly realized that a construction crew laying a fiberoptic line a few months ago had cut right through our sewer line. So, he was able to orchestrate getting it fixed and it was somebody's else's problem (primarily). Without him, that would have REALLY cost us!!

The silver medal goes to Eli's Scout leaders. Billy and Shelly do EVERYTHING in our Pack and work so hard. It is a thankless job, most times, but I really appreciate their leadership.

And the bronze goes to my husband for all of the driving around he does to see his kids. He is a great dad! He drove from Tulsa to our house Friday night for Eli's banquet, got in some Wii time with Brynne, spent the night and left the house bright and early on Saturday morning to drive another two hours to watch his older daughter play in a volleyball tournament.

I rewarded my kids this week by…

squeezing in a little time to go to the park to meet new homeschooling friends. We REALLY did not have the time for playdate in the midst of getting ready for our trip and preparing for Eli's banquet, but I felt that they needed the opportunity to meet new friends.

Things you might have missed at Journey to Excellence ...

• I told you about how we sometimes do Delight-Directed Learning.
• I posted my review on ARTistic Pursuits.
• We shared what we were wearing on Wednesday, in the midst of a busy day.
• The details of Eli and Brynne's bird habitat dioramas for the Science Fair were shared.
• The whole family had a great time at Eli's Blue and Gold Banquet.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share (silly, serious or both!)…

This was Spring Break last year. We will be at this beach at the Pensacola Lighthouse this week.

We are happily linking up this week at the following sites: