Usually, not always...

I was inspired by this blog post I saw the other day to make my own "usually, not always" list. I'm finding so much freedom in homeschooling. Yesterday I over-heard a group of ladies discussing how you know if you are really doing enough homeschooling. I will admit that the thought has crept into my head a few times, because we sure seem to be having a lot of fun (and fun could not possibly equal learning, right?). However, I'm not stressing if we are doing enough. Life happens, opportunities arise, and if we want/can/are able, I love to experience new adventures and not be bound to school all day, every day. We are still on track to finish all curriculum "on time" (which is my self-imposed schedule, so really, "on time" means little to nothing). When my kids grow up, I won't regret that on October 31st, 2014 we didn't do any school work. I might regret not having fun, happy memories though. So...

• We usually, not always, start school at 9 each day. I don't think we started on time once this week.
• We usually, not always, do school Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. We skipped Friday this week because we were too busy having fun and going around town to gather free goodies, running necessary errands, attending a church festival, and dinner with friends.
• We usually, not always, go to a co-op on Thursday's from 9-12. We only went 10-12 this week.
• We usually, not always, do All About Spelling at least twice a week. We didn't do it once this week.
• We usually, not always, finish school by 3 each day. Wednesday we didn't finish until 3:40.
• I usually, not always, go thrift shopping at least once a week. I didn't go at all this week.
• I usually, not always, drink Diet Dr. Pepper every day. Who am I kidding? I do always drink Diet Dr. Pepper every day. 

Each week I make each girl a grid of each of their lessons for each day of the week to be completed. Guess what? We didn't check off all the boxes this week. That's okay. This Sunday when I make the grids for next week I will simply move the uncompleted assignments over and we will pick up where we left off. But you know what we did do? We spent a lot of time together. We cleaned the house (with a clear island to prove it), we caught up on laundry, we cooked, and we had a whole lot of fun. Little E read more this week than she ever has before (I still am having a hard time believing my Little E is READING). T told me her favorite subject was reading, H was excited to begin the second book in the Circle C Adventures series, and MK did great with all her work this week without complaint. I call that a successful week.

Unit 9-O for Octopus!

For unit 9-O for octopus-we read these ocean themed books. 

Truth be told, after we read these I got rid of The Rainbow Fish books. They have an all-knowing octopus in them which bothered me. I find myself reading books with a critical eye lately. 

At our co-op we learned about the life cycle of a chicken.

Little E continues to sound out words! 

Short post, but more updates to come!

Weeks 9 & 10

We are into our second quarter now! The girls continue to make amazing art at our co-op. I'm so thankful for the art class. I'm not very artistic, so I love that they get an outlet every week to be create beautiful masterpieces.

(sun in T's eyes)

H finished her first book of the year, The Long Ride Home. She also wrote a book report. I emailed the author to tell her how much we are enjoying her book and H was very happy to read her reply. I love it that an author took the time to write us back.

We also went on a field trip. The girls and I had so much fun. I love spending this time with my girls.

I got a bit behind in my posting because we took an impromptu fall break between weeks 9 & 10. Now that we are back in school mode I will stay on top of posting. I'm primarily using this blog to document our year so that at the end of the year I can turn the blog into a yearbook of sorts. I am loving this whole homeschooling thing even more than I thought I would. We have our good days and our bad days, but being able to do the thing I love most (teach) with the girls I love most just can't be beat. I am so blessed. God is good. All the time.

Unit 10-W for Water

Week 8-Almost Finished with First Quarter!

We are almost finished with our first quarter! I can't believe how fast time flies. Finding curriculum for MK continues to be a struggle. We've tried so much, and just haven't found the right fit for her. The latest adventure was Switched on Schoolhouse. I paid almost $300 for 3 subjects, and it's just not working for us. Sadly, I can't re-sell it. I vow to never buy curriculum again that you aren't allowed to resell. I am putting M back into Saxon math, which she did the last 2 years at school. H already uses Saxon. I have experience teaching it as well, and the spiral approach works well for my girls. I regret not just going with Saxon from the start, but now I know! Stick with what works!

T finished her first book this week! I am so proud of her. I actually cried for a minute after I took her picture. I am also thankful to Pizza Hut who extends their reading program to homeschoolers. T earned a coupon for a free personal size pizza. We will have to go use it next week.

The girls love their art class, and I'm constantly impressed with their creativity and skill.

H is absolutely loving her Circle C Adventures book Andrea Carter and the Long Ride Home. I'm thoroughly enjoying it as well. H will finish it this next week and then she will write a book report the following week. I'm excited to work on some writing skills with her. After that we will continue on with the next book in the series, Andrea Carter and the Dangerous Decision. The author provides free lesson plans and study guides for all of her books on her website. I am eternally grateful. They are wonderful!

I am really loving Rod and Staff math for T. It is thorough, to the point, and provides tons of practice. T's favorite part of math is when she gets to practice on the board.

I discovered Liberty Kids videos on YouTube thanks to the recommendation of a friend. History in the form of a cartoon couldn't be more perfect! Even the little girls were happy to sit and watch. In fact, K didn't want me to turn it off. I definitely recommend it for a unit study or even a "mom needs a break to make lunch" study. You can find some study guides on teachers pay teachers, but most of them cost.

Unit 8-D for Dinosaur

As always, here are some printables I found for this week:

This is one of the best free printables I've ever found.

Little E loved using clothespins for number clip cards before, so I found these dinosaur themed ones to use this week.

I downloaded this dinosaur matching worksheet for Little K to join in with the dinosaur fun.

These are the books we read this week. I loved the book How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You. It actually made me tear up (I'm such a sap!). I did not like How Do Dinosaurs Laugh Out Loud. It is a joke book but the jokes are way over a 4 year old's head, and some were just plain dumb. I won't be keeping that one in our collection. What Really Happened to the Dinosaurs is a book about Dinosaurs from a Christian perspective. I thought it would be over Little E's head, but she was intrigued by it.

At our co-op the little girls walked on eggs (would have gone perfectly with n for nest).

I also mixed it up a bit and threw in a little Abeka.

This is my favorite thing of the week. Little E made a picture of mom and dad and tried writing the words as well. Completely adorable first attempt at writing words. This one's a keeper!

Little E said her 6 looks like an apple. She has gotten so much better at pointing and counting slowly to ensure she counts the right number. 

Little K colored her own D for dinosaur worksheet.

Lastly, I evaluated which letters and sounds Little E knows. She's made a ton of progress in a short time!

Next week is O for Octopus! We will be learning all about the ocean and ocean animals. It should be a fun one!