Journey to Excellence

(I have had this post typed and ready since last Friday, but for some reason getting photos recognized by Blogger off my computer has been a problem the last several months. It just so happened to coincide with the the change from iPhoto to just Photo, which I hate, by the way. I am just now dragging photos into this post, and am going ahead and posting it 'as is' because I still can't get them all here. Annoying!) We had another great, steady week last week. I don't want to give the impression that we never have icky days, because we do. Sometimes one of us is tired or just not feeling it or has a negative attitude. Sometimes we just don't want to do our grammar or math or copywork. Thursday was kind of one of those days because we were up late on Wednesday night and it was rainy on Thursday morning. But I have found that if we just stick to our planner and do "just one more thing" we seem to find ourselves at the end of the day with most of our p

Looking out my window ... it's a little too warm and sunny for my taste, especially since we are into September. Bring on the morning chilly temps! I am thinking ... about how blessed I am as a wife, mother, and grandmother. I am thankful ... for a husband who works hard to make all my dreams come true. One of my favorite things ... is a day where I actually get out of bed and do all those things that make my day better: exercise, Bible study, shower and get ready. It makes for a successful and productive day. I am creating ... healthier menus for my family. I am watching ... Gilmore Girls hoping to get through all of the seasons before the release of the new feature series on Netflix. I have a lot to watch. I am wearing ... black burnout t-shirt, Miss Me Jeans, black Coach flip flops, FitBit, Rustic Cuff bracelet. I am reading ... The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera. I'm absorbing it, really. A fascinating read for an intro

Welcome to the first post in my Missouri Monday series! The kids and I are doing a year long study of Missouri this year, all prompted by the spontaneous purchase of this book at my favorite consignment store for $5. When I purchased this book I had no idea that it would serve as a launching pad for a full year of very exciting studies, activities, and field trips, and quickly become our very favorite subject. The whole idea for studying Missouri History came as we made a tentative decision to send Brynne back to public school next year starting in 7th grade. (This is a very difficult decision for us, but if she is going to be able to play sports in middle and high school she will have to attend a public school. The decision is still up in the air, but we need to be prepared.) Students in our public school study Missouri History in 4th grade. I didn't want this to be an issue when I went to enroll her next year, so I decided we would study it this year. I have recently lea

Whew! This has been a busy week! There has been lots and lots of schooling going on, hitting every subject and even going on an all-day field trip. We were definitely weary yesterday morning, but just pushed forward and ended strong. Our morning time is going really well. We ease into our day with some spelling, Proverbs copywork, CNN Student News, and a fun read aloud. Right now we are reading Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. Then it's on to a couple of our most tedious subjects: Pre-Algebra and Grammar. We have started Pre-Algebra Tutor: Volume 1 by ScienceandMath.com and it is going well so far. We like this program because the video lessons are concise and there are not a ton of daily problems to complete. We completed the entire Mastering 5th Grade Math series last year and learned so much that we decided to move onto the Pre-Algebra collection. {Note: I have all four volumes of Mastering 5th Grade Math, including video lessons and a cd with all problems a