The little kids and I are thoroughly enjoying our break from school. We are loving sleeping in, having some extra jammie time, and doing exactly what we want. You might be wondering how we "do" summer break.
We start our new school year the first Monday in June. We do school work from 10:00 - noon each morning, Monday through Thursday, in the months of June and July. I log these hours and anything extra we do, like classes at the library, extra reading, sports and swimming. I accumulate these hours and call them "summer hours". We use them for breaks throughout the school year and to determine our end date for the year.
We take off the first few weeks of August and usually start around the third week or so. That is when we launch into our full 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily schedule, Monday through Friday. I officially start logging our 1,000 required hours at this time. I also log any extra classes, sports, field trips, etc., even if they are on the weekends.
We try to take off about two weeks in October, the week of Thanksgiving, about three weeks at Christmas, and two weeks in April for Spring Break. This is where our "summer hours" come into play.
This schedule allows us to conclude our required schoolwork of 1,000 hours at the end of April and take off the entire month of May.
The Past Week in our Regular Life
We continue to have lots to celebrate! The offer Collin put in on the little house was accepted and he and Rick worked together to secure a loan for the house. He closes on it at the end of this month. Kyndal has been busy making lists and buying odds and ends that they will need. My sister graciously gave her a ton of home decorating items (wall hangings, rugs, pillows, curtains) that will make the little house so adorable. It's a fun time for them!
Rick officially accepted his new job and starts in a couple of weeks. For now he knows that he will be working 4, 10 hour days so that he has Fridays off. That means he will be home one extra day a week. We are all really happy about that! We spent some time this weekend dreaming about when he is living here full time and not having to leave on Sundays to go back to Oklahoma.
The Schooling Basics
Basically … there hasn't been any. Not a book has been opened this whole week. Love it!The Schooling Fun Stuff
We did start our new weekly class at our local library put on by the University of Missouri Extension Center. It is a gardening and nutrition class. The kids will be planting vegetable gardens in a public space behind the doctor's office. They will learn about gardening and nutritional eating and will be responsible for the upkeep of their gardens. There are about 20 kids enrolled and my kids are really looking forward to it.
The Kitchen
An on Mother's Day my littlest sweetie made dinner and cupcakes! She just needed a little supervision, help cutting chicken and cooking it, and putting things in and out of the oven. She is my mini-me and I love her to pieces!
The Days Ahead
Brynne is supposed to have her first softball game tonight, but there is a 100% chance of rain. She has practice on Tuesday night and private pitching practice a couple of evenings. Then she has another game on Friday night. Yes, it's softball season!
The kids have gardening class on Thursday afternoon.
Otherwise, I can't think of anything else we have going on. Man, that's nice to say!
The Books We are Reading
Mom: A Woman's Place by Lynn Austin, Living So That by Wendy Blight.Brynne: A Surprise for Lily by Mary Ann Kinsinger and Suzanne Woods Fisher (on break from reading).
Eli: Big Nate: Goes for Broke by Lincoln Peirce (on break from reading).
Read Aloud: The Raft by Robert Trumbull (on break from reading).
The People and the Places
My mom's birthday was on Monday. We always eat lunch at her house on Mondays to visit with my niece (who my mom babysits on Mondays) and my aunt (who comes to town to visit my grandma). I told her I would bring lunch that day and she requested turkey wraps. We had some chips with our wraps and strawberry shortcake for dessert.
Yesterday was the ice cream social at my grandma's nursing home, so my mom and I went out to spend some time with her.
Rick and I went on our annual Mother's Day weekend flower buying trip on Saturday to the Amish greenhouse and I purchased the majority of my flowers for my house. He and I spent the evening planting flowers and now everything looks so pretty! It's one of my favorite days of the whole year.
The Savings Jar(s)
I put $5.51 in the change jar this week.The Bible in a Year
I am still right on track for reading the Bible in a year. I read my assigned passages as the final thing before I go to sleep at night. I am reading out of The Message. I have read through 2 Kings 17.The Favorite Things
I have been spending a lot of time outside working in my gardens. My vegetable garden is all planted. I have two types of lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, chives, green peppers, jalapeños, basil, oregano, rosemary, green beans, and cantaloupe.
Then I cleared out some beds of debris and did some planting. This one has pumpkin seeds and sunflowers planted in it. Looks barren now, but soon there will be lots of pretty vines and flowers!
This one has a new rose bush, some butterfly and hummingbird seeds, and a couple of starts of a new butterfly-attracting perennial that Taylar's mom gave me (that I cannot remember the name of for the life of me!).
And here is where I put the hydrangea shoots I dug up from my grandma's house. She has the most amazing hydrangea bush that produces humongous blue blooms. I am praying over my little starts that they will come up and flourish! Right now they are looking pretty sad. I also planted some more of those butterfly-attracting perennials.
Of course Mother's Day was fantastic! Really, the whole weekend was awesome, but my family made my day special. Dawson and his friend unloaded the dishwasher for me, Brynne cooked all of our meals, Eli cleaned his room, Kyndal and Collin bought me a garden stone and travel mug, and I got sweet texts from Dawson's girlfriend, Taylar, and his best friend, Tonio (aka My Other Son). Rick and I spent some time sitting on the front porch while I enjoyed a glass of wine, and we played lots of board games as a family. The girls and I took the dogs for a walk in the evening and then we came home and got caught up on The Amazing Race. It was the perfect day!
Then I cleared out some beds of debris and did some planting. This one has pumpkin seeds and sunflowers planted in it. Looks barren now, but soon there will be lots of pretty vines and flowers!
This one has a new rose bush, some butterfly and hummingbird seeds, and a couple of starts of a new butterfly-attracting perennial that Taylar's mom gave me (that I cannot remember the name of for the life of me!).
And here is where I put the hydrangea shoots I dug up from my grandma's house. She has the most amazing hydrangea bush that produces humongous blue blooms. I am praying over my little starts that they will come up and flourish! Right now they are looking pretty sad. I also planted some more of those butterfly-attracting perennials.
Of course Mother's Day was fantastic! Really, the whole weekend was awesome, but my family made my day special. Dawson and his friend unloaded the dishwasher for me, Brynne cooked all of our meals, Eli cleaned his room, Kyndal and Collin bought me a garden stone and travel mug, and I got sweet texts from Dawson's girlfriend, Taylar, and his best friend, Tonio (aka My Other Son). Rick and I spent some time sitting on the front porch while I enjoyed a glass of wine, and we played lots of board games as a family. The girls and I took the dogs for a walk in the evening and then we came home and got caught up on The Amazing Race. It was the perfect day!
Linking up
How exciting for Colin!
ReplyDeleteHappy Mother's Day :)
I have the same Mother's Day tradition! Love getting my flowers planted! Happy to hear things are going so well :-)
ReplyDeleteHappy belated Mother's Day! I love reading all the updates on your beautiful family! Have a great weekend!
ReplyDelete