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Weekly Wrap-up ~ Up and Down


In our regular life this week…

More up and down weather this week. It was 60 on Sunday and about 20 on Monday. Then Tuesday was about 40, as well as Wednesday. Then on Thursday it was 15. This weekend it will be back up in the mid 50's on one day and then about 15 the next. Geez!!


In our homeschool this week…

Although we had some up days and down days because of not feeling good one day, we still managed to accomplish all of our work. We just had "Couch School" on Wednesday. The rest of the week was fun and a lot was learned!

Bible - We learned all about the first Temple .. it's size, purpose, what it was used for, etc.

Grammar - We learned about common and proper nouns, possessive noun adjectives, and titles of respect.

Handwriting - We completed another 5 lessons in Handwriting Without Tears Cursive Success.

Spelling - Our words this week use the suffix -ly. Both kids did great, and only one word was missed on the final test … patiently.

Math - We completed Lesson 20 and practiced multiplying by 8. We have now learned all of the multiplication facts. Only 10 more weeks of multiplication and then we are moving onto division with Math U See Delta.

Writing - We started writing humorous pieces. We worked on a paragraph together on the whiteboard about a time when Brynne played a joke on her friend. Then the kids completed a comic strip from their Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself books. Finally, they spent some time working on comic strips of their own.


Reading - We finished Ribsy by Beverly Clearly. On Wednesday, when we were not feeling well, we watched the movie Ramona and Beezus that we had dvr'd from The Disney Channel some time ago. That is such a great movie … we all cried in a couple of places. The kids want me to get Henry and Beezus by Beverly Cleary for our next read aloud.

Literature - We only had time for one chapter of Paddle to the Sea this week, and we learned all about forestry careers by watching a C.L.E.M. video and having a discussion.

Geography - We studied about Indiana and Michigan this week and did some fun activities. Check back tomorrow for Study America Saturday where I tell you all about what we did. Here is a sneak peak.


We learned a little about Grenada and Leon in Nicaragua as those are the two places where my brother, sister-in-law and niece have been visiting the past two weeks. We watched some videos on Youtube with tours of both Grenada and Leon as we did our activities.

We made banana chocolate chip muffins as bananas is the second leading crop of Nicaragua. This activity was a good one as we ended up with a yummy snack!


The leading crop in Nicaragua is coffee, so we also did a coffee painting. This project didn't turn out so good. We followed the instructions at education.com, but ours must didn't work too good. The kids thought it was a dud.


Science - We are reviewing a great product called Science4Us right now. The kids completed a full module this week. It's a fantastic program and my review will be coming in a few weeks. We also focused some lessons on sound waves as part of one of our state studies (those details tomorrow).

Physical Education - This week involved more bike riding, on the warmer days, Brynne had two basketball practices and a game, they bowled for 3 1/2 hours last Saturday, and we did some Just Dance 2014.


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

Last Saturday Eli and Brynne had a birthday party to attend at the bowling alley. That day Brynne played an hour of basketball and they both bowled for a total of 3 1/2 hours between their regular league and the party! We were wiped out that evening. Sunday included lots of napping. This past week we have stayed pretty close to home except for our normal activities.


A favorite thing this week was…

Watching Brynne cry at the end of the book she was reading. I love it that she really feels the stories she reads. I am hoping at least one of my kids inherits my love of reading. Getting lost in a good story is just such a joy!



What's in the kitchen this week ...

We have got to where our biggest meals happen on the weekends. During the week, the kids are in and out and if I do fix dinner it seems I end up being the only one who eats. So, I am thinking of having "lunch" meals at night, most nights, and then cooking on the weekends when we are all here. Last weekend we had Fried Fish, Potatoes, and Corn Bread one night; Enchiladas, Chipotle Rice, and Chips and Salsa another; and Cheeseburgers, Hot Dogs and French Fries another. And Kyndal made this yummy dessert. Honestly, it's WAS to die for (it's gone now) …




What we're reading ...

Mom:  The Distant Hours by Kate Morton. 

Eli: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck by Jeff Kinney.

Brynne: The Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes by Marlane Kennedy (finished) and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney.

Read Aloud: Ribsy by Beverly Cleary (finished)


Things we're working on…

Tallying up 20 days of school so that we can have a Fun Day! We have to complete 60 days of school before we take our trip to my parents' house in Florida with my friend Jodi and her kids for our Spring break. So, on the 20th, 40th and 60th days of school, we are going to do something fun! We have tallied 10 days, so far. Our first Fun Day is going to be an Olympics party with some of their friends. We'll spend the whole day making snacks and getting together games and activities.


I’m grateful for …

how hard my husband works for his family. Just this week he has worked from 7:30 in the morning until 11:00 p.m. or midnight so that he is free to spend his weekends with us. He works in Oklahoma all week and then drives 4 hours on Friday to be with us in Missouri all weekend. Then on Sunday night he drives back. Right now Brynne is playing basketball games on the weekends and Eli and Brynne have bowling league. Rick's other daughter, Amanda, is a competitive volleyball player so she is in her winter league right now. So Rick is either driving here to watch Brynne play basketball or to Arkansas or Southern Missouri to watch Amanda in volleyball tournaments. I know that he is exhausted. And I love him for doing whatever it takes to be there for his family.


My progress on reading through the Bible in 2014 …

I read Genesis 8-29 this week. I have had a little trouble coming up with a good Bible reading time, but I will get into a good schedule. I am trying to make it the last thing I do at night before I got to bed. I have also been reading out of What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by Lysa TerKeurst (my second time to read it). Did you read my post this week on it? The book has spoken to me further on that topic since then.


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

This week was the Schoolhouse Review Crew's Homeschooling Essentials Blog Hop. I participated all five days by sharing my ABC's (and D's and E's) of our Homeschooling Success.


I have struggled with a sin issue in my life this week and have spent a lot of time in study and prayer. I shared a little about that in How Will I Respond?


Money saved this week …

Savings … yeah right. I am trying, oh I am trying. But, I have a family to take care of and right now it's proving to just be impossible to save any money out of my grocery and household budget. In fact, I only have enough left to buy another gallon of milk next week. But, we do have exactly what we need, when we need it, and I am ever so grateful for that.

I am going to be able to save $55 out of my gas budget this month, though. That goes into a special fund for our trip to Florida in April. I need to save enough money out of our gas budget until then to pay for our share of the gas for the trip. Activities and food will already by accounted for out of our regular budgets. We will just be doing activities and buying groceries in a different state, but not spending any more money than we usually spend.

I did add $4.52 to my change jar. Every little bit adds up.


I exercised ...

every day except for Wednesday and Thursday when my back was hurting. I either rode my bike, did TaeBo, Just Dance 2014, or Rockin' Body. I don't do a lot, but something is certainly better than nothing. And it gets me up and moving for the day, which is good.


What's coming up this week ...

More of the same … I do like this time of year when we do just the same ol', same ol' all the time. But tonight Dawson's best friend Tonio is coming with Rick for a weekend visit, and tonight Dawson and Taylar have their Courtwarming dance. Collin and Kyndal will be hanging around with us.


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

Excellent advice from my main man.


Linking up at the following ...





Comments

  1. Kyndal's dessert looked fabulous. We have had more than one "dud" project or experiment - it happens. Bummer though.

    Praying for your husband to feel rested and refreshed in spite of his busy schedule.

    ReplyDelete
  2. We're doing the Science4Us and loving it too! It looks like you guys had a great and busy week.....I always cook my big meals on the weekend and on Mondays so we have leftovers in the refrigerator in case we want them for lunches or if I have a night I don't feel like cooking :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. wow - what a great wrap up! I'm looking forward to what you have to say about Science4Us !!

    ReplyDelete

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