.
My friend Rebecca has a blog called Herding Cats. So, when I began researching for December's calendar for the new HSS blog, I was amused to find a day that's been set aside for Cat Herders.......that day is tomorrow, December 15.
Herding cats is an adage referring to an undertaking that is exceedingly difficult (or impossible!) because of the sheer number of uncontrollable variables involved in the task. Cat Herders Day was established to honor all those whose lives can be compared to herding cats.
Poke around Rebecca's blog....I think you'll soon see why her life is like herding cats! (Though, overall, I'm sure she wouldn't have it any other way!)
So, Rebecca, you have a day just for you! Come tomorrow, I hope you celebrate to the fullest! Enjoy YOUR day!
.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
We went to see a pre-release screening of War Horse!
Earlier this week, dd13 and I went to a pre-release screening of War Horse. It was worth every mile of the 2.5 hour drive to get there! It will definitely be a movie that we will own! I'm sure that we go see it on the big screen again when it officially comes out this CHRISTmas.
There were 3 or so curse words and some war scenes that were pretty intense (hence the PG-13 rating). But it was not a bloody/gory movie. It was stunning to see it on the big screen. You felt like you were dropped in the middle of the war zone, as the theater shook with the bombing and gunfire.
In comparison to the book, they cut out a few things, added a few things, and changed others, but they did a good job. Even knowing the story from having read the book, we still laughed, cried, and cheered.
Hope you get to go see it!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Homeschoolers invited to preview War Horse!
If you live in or near select large cities, you may be able to preview the upcoming movie War Horse! It's being shown in select cities next week on Dec. 8. Click here to see if there's a showing near you. It's rated PG-13 because of violence (it is WWI!), so use your own judgment concerning your children's sensitivity to horses dying and war, etc.
If you can't make it to a screening, it does premier on CHRISTmas Day in theaters everywhere!
Also, watch the Homeschool Movie Club website for free, downloadable curriculum that is currently being written by the author of Apologia's Marine Biology!
If you can't make it to a screening, it does premier on CHRISTmas Day in theaters everywhere!
Also, watch the Homeschool Movie Club website for free, downloadable curriculum that is currently being written by the author of Apologia's Marine Biology!
School so far....
We're still plugging away at school.
History
The girls watched Paul, The Emissary (a tad much for them). We finished Beric the Briton, the Jim Weiss audio that we listen to in the car whenever we're out and about. We have read Forbidden Gates, the story of Stephen the first martyr. And we finished Twice Freed, the story of Philemon and Onesimus. 
We are now on Pearl Maiden for our read aloud. I read on a blog that it was pretty violent, so did some pre-reading and found it to be no worse than Beric the Briton or Twice Freed. All three talk frankly of Christian persecution, gladiators, and the arena. For our car audio, we have started For the Temple (also by Jim Weiss). Both Pearl Maiden and For the Temple deal with the destruction of the Temple in AD70.
Science
This week we watched the second part of the Mankind section of Biology 101, so we've been studying anatomy and physiology. Really this series is very basic and has been a good review for us. We like the many cool facts he throws in. LOVE the fact that it's literal-6-day-creation based!
The girls continue to do their co-op science as well. DD14 is half way through Unit 4 of Mike Snavely's Creation or Evolution (which I'm teaching at co-op). Truly I thought the kids would enjoy the lecture videos more than our working through their workbooks, but the workbooks generate great discussions! DD11 continues the Science 4 Real Kids Biology with her co-op class. Occasionally, you'll hear her practice some of the vocabulary words, like rough endoplasmic reticulum! What a mouth full!
Grammar
We continue our Fix-It, which we do once per week. The girls are getting better at catching errors! We did Week 11 this week. They are enjoying the modernized tale of The Frog Prince.
We throw in Winston Grammar now and again, mainly for review though I admit DD11 never really "got" the parts of speech before. She's doing a bit better since starting Winston Grammar. We did Worksheet 11 this week.
Literature
We're sailing along with Lightning Literature. Tom Sawyer is complete, as is the first section on poetry. This week we also finished Alice in Wonderland. I printed out Fortunately For You's Reading Records to go along with their Lightning Lit workbook pages for Alice. We'll be moving on to The Bride of Yellow Sky, then take a break from literature until after the New Year.
Foreign Languages
DD14 continues with Getting Stated with Latin, though she's beginning to struggle with remembering all the words and forms now that so many have been introduced. She's on lesson 63. She doesn't want to do any other foreign language, except maybe Greek (at least Greek roots and prefixes/suffixes). She sees no point in learning any other. When she's done with the Getting Started book, I'm wondering if I should look into Visual Latin or The Latin Road to English Grammar????
DD11 continues with her Spanish, using DiscoverSpanish.com and occasionally, OnlineFreeSpanish.com. She loves Spanish. I think she particularly likes seeing how much I remember from my high school classes, oh way back when! This week I also started her on Mango,which we can access for free through our local public library. She is thinking about majoring in Spanish when she goes to college. I'm still debating if I should get Rosetta Stone or Tell Me More for her.
Math
DD14 continues with VideoText Algebra and Life of Fred Beginning Algebra. Both are fairly short, so she's been able to do a lesson in each every day. Some days she struggles, some days she doesn't. She recently started the second module of VideoText. She's on lesson 52 of LOF (using the Companion book).
DD11 is, at the moment, only doing Life of Fred: Fractions. She's really struggling with it, despite the fact that we made it 2/3 through the Math-U-See Epsilon book last year. I keep wanting to start Epsilon back up, but I had hoped LOF would be a good refresher for her. I'm not sure when to start Epsilon again! She has also been working through the Challenging Word Problems Book 2. I like how it shows to break the problems down......now if I could just get her to actually do it like they do. Sigh. She's half way through the book.
Bible
We
have unfortunately let our PictureSmart Bible slide right now. We've
just been so busy (or sick) and it seems to be the one we
slide....though the girls do ask for it! At least they do their PBS mail order Bible studies. We also have started our Advent readings. We are currently reading Tabitha's Travels from the Jotham's Journey
series. When we're done with it this year, we will have been through
the trilogy TWICE! Six years and the girls STILL love and always beg
for me to read it! New this year to our Advent traditions is our Cradle to the Cross Wreath for Advent and Lent. These are made by Caleb Voskamp and are soooo beautiful!
Miscellaneous
The girls have both been active in their 4-H group, having more meetings than usual this time of year. We did a fundraiser in October, and then we had another fundraiser this week! The October fundraiser went well. This week's didn't go as well. While we did not have as many people attend as we had hoped, we did make $350. We were able to purchase a personalized horse halter for each club member. The kids will also have a pizza party and be going ice skating for their CHRISTmas party this year.
The girls have also been involved with their Youth Group each week, studying the Bible and building relationships through fun and games.
History
We recently started Mystery of History Volume 2. We're doing OK so far on our read aloud/video/audio list.
The girls watched Paul, The Emissary (a tad much for them). We finished Beric the Briton, the Jim Weiss audio that we listen to in the car whenever we're out and about. We have read Forbidden Gates, the story of Stephen the first martyr. And we finished Twice Freed, the story of Philemon and Onesimus. We are now on Pearl Maiden for our read aloud. I read on a blog that it was pretty violent, so did some pre-reading and found it to be no worse than Beric the Briton or Twice Freed. All three talk frankly of Christian persecution, gladiators, and the arena. For our car audio, we have started For the Temple (also by Jim Weiss). Both Pearl Maiden and For the Temple deal with the destruction of the Temple in AD70.
Science
This week we watched the second part of the Mankind section of Biology 101, so we've been studying anatomy and physiology. Really this series is very basic and has been a good review for us. We like the many cool facts he throws in. LOVE the fact that it's literal-6-day-creation based!
The girls continue to do their co-op science as well. DD14 is half way through Unit 4 of Mike Snavely's Creation or Evolution (which I'm teaching at co-op). Truly I thought the kids would enjoy the lecture videos more than our working through their workbooks, but the workbooks generate great discussions! DD11 continues the Science 4 Real Kids Biology with her co-op class. Occasionally, you'll hear her practice some of the vocabulary words, like rough endoplasmic reticulum! What a mouth full!
Grammar
We continue our Fix-It, which we do once per week. The girls are getting better at catching errors! We did Week 11 this week. They are enjoying the modernized tale of The Frog Prince.
We throw in Winston Grammar now and again, mainly for review though I admit DD11 never really "got" the parts of speech before. She's doing a bit better since starting Winston Grammar. We did Worksheet 11 this week.
We're sailing along with Lightning Literature. Tom Sawyer is complete, as is the first section on poetry. This week we also finished Alice in Wonderland. I printed out Fortunately For You's Reading Records to go along with their Lightning Lit workbook pages for Alice. We'll be moving on to The Bride of Yellow Sky, then take a break from literature until after the New Year.
Foreign Languages
DD14 continues with Getting Stated with Latin, though she's beginning to struggle with remembering all the words and forms now that so many have been introduced. She's on lesson 63. She doesn't want to do any other foreign language, except maybe Greek (at least Greek roots and prefixes/suffixes). She sees no point in learning any other. When she's done with the Getting Started book, I'm wondering if I should look into Visual Latin or The Latin Road to English Grammar????
DD11 continues with her Spanish, using DiscoverSpanish.com and occasionally, OnlineFreeSpanish.com. She loves Spanish. I think she particularly likes seeing how much I remember from my high school classes, oh way back when! This week I also started her on Mango,which we can access for free through our local public library. She is thinking about majoring in Spanish when she goes to college. I'm still debating if I should get Rosetta Stone or Tell Me More for her.
Math
DD14 continues with VideoText Algebra and Life of Fred Beginning Algebra. Both are fairly short, so she's been able to do a lesson in each every day. Some days she struggles, some days she doesn't. She recently started the second module of VideoText. She's on lesson 52 of LOF (using the Companion book).
DD11 is, at the moment, only doing Life of Fred: Fractions. She's really struggling with it, despite the fact that we made it 2/3 through the Math-U-See Epsilon book last year. I keep wanting to start Epsilon back up, but I had hoped LOF would be a good refresher for her. I'm not sure when to start Epsilon again! She has also been working through the Challenging Word Problems Book 2. I like how it shows to break the problems down......now if I could just get her to actually do it like they do. Sigh. She's half way through the book.
Bible
Miscellaneous
The girls have both been active in their 4-H group, having more meetings than usual this time of year. We did a fundraiser in October, and then we had another fundraiser this week! The October fundraiser went well. This week's didn't go as well. While we did not have as many people attend as we had hoped, we did make $350. We were able to purchase a personalized horse halter for each club member. The kids will also have a pizza party and be going ice skating for their CHRISTmas party this year.
The girls have also been involved with their Youth Group each week, studying the Bible and building relationships through fun and games.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Grab 'em while you can....Ryann Watters: 2 hardcovers for only $10...for a limited time!
I know we've talked about these before, but if you missed out or your kids are older now, you might want to grab this deal while you can!!! My girls, my mom, and I all enjoyed the two books and look forward to the third!
If you want to read some of the books before you buy, head over to the Ryann Watters download page and read a couple chapters.
(BTW, they are going to made into movies. They started filming last year, but have since re-cast most of the lead roles (with some more well-known kids!) and have increased their budget! They are scheduled to start re-filming in April 2012. Woo hoo!)
ONLY WITH THE SPECIAL CODE until the Inventory runs out!
If you are looking for a great Christmas gift for friends, relatives or even a donation to your church or school library, you can’t beat $10 for two hardcover books… signed by the author and color bookmarkers. That’s 74% off the retail price of $37.98.
To make way for the paperback editions we are selling out the remaining hardback inventory at this special price for Christmas. Go to www.ryannwatters.com through the “Shop” stone and click on the 2 book Christmas Special. Then enter this code on the third page in the “Coupon” block: christmas2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Cool clouds!
We ran to town one day a couple weeks ago and had to go back to get our camera! I have never seen clouds such as these! It was as if God was shaking a huge gray blanket and had stopped in mid ripple. By the time we got the camera, the clouds weren't quite as amazing, but we took pictures anyway. Truly, the camera did NOT do those clouds justice at all!
Eppie has arrived!
My sister-in-law bought a pregnant cow last summer, and few weeks ago the cow gave birth. Unfortunately, we were not there in time to witness the actual birth, but we dropped our schoolwork as soon as we heard and raced over......just in time to see the calf all dark and wet and being licked (and licked, and licked, and licked.....) by Mama. The calf was named Eppie. (Yes, from Silas Marner if you recognize the name.)
Toby is really Tabby!
Well, it turns out that the kitty we rescued way back when is actually a girl! So she is now Tabby. Or Toby still, when we forget. Toby Girl when we remember to add Girl to the end of it. But we are trying to remember to call her Tabby.
She has turned out to be the nicest kitty. The girls can do ANYthing with her! She will sleep on her back in their arms. They can carry her upside down. They can even dress her up. She takes it all in good stride. Except being on a leash...she's fine if she's doing the leading but won't budge if you pull on her.
The Cat in the Hat!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Out of the mouths of babes.....
My friend Rebecca has a list of things she's heard her kids say. (Go down her right column to read them....so funny!)
Well, today in the car, this is what I heard....
I thought I was going to die laughing!
(You have to know that we had just gotten back in the car from the Tractor Supply Company, where younger daughter just got new muck boots. And, you have to know that Daddy also recently got a pair Muck boots, a different brand. So, as horse-crazy as my older daughter is, she was not trying sniff the barn smells off of well-worn boots!)
Well, today in the car, this is what I heard....
Older daughter says "__Sister's name__, can I smell your shoes?"
Younger daughter hands over the muck boots and older daughter takes a whiff.
"They don't smell as good as Daddy's!"
I thought I was going to die laughing!
(You have to know that we had just gotten back in the car from the Tractor Supply Company, where younger daughter just got new muck boots. And, you have to know that Daddy also recently got a pair Muck boots, a different brand. So, as horse-crazy as my older daughter is, she was not trying sniff the barn smells off of well-worn boots!)
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
HSS Blog has gone live!!!!!!!!
Click on over to the brand new HSS Blog! And don't forget to grab your HSS November Activity calendar while you are there!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Arabian horse drawing
DD14 hasn't been taking art lessons the last few years, but she continues to draw. It's been awhile since I posted one of her drawings. Here is her latest.....
ETA: Guess I should tell you the story behind the picture.
The boys in her Sunday School class were bragging about being able to draw, so the student minister leading the class asked them to draw a picture and asked Elizabeth to draw a picture (He has seen her work before!). So this is what she drew for class. Well, the next Sunday School the boys had forgotten to draw something AND they did not believe that she drew this picture! So, the minister is going to allow dd14 to draw in Sunday School class next time. LOL.
But shhhh....don't tell, but one lucky family member will get this for a CHRISTmas present this year!
ETA: Guess I should tell you the story behind the picture.
The boys in her Sunday School class were bragging about being able to draw, so the student minister leading the class asked them to draw a picture and asked Elizabeth to draw a picture (He has seen her work before!). So this is what she drew for class. Well, the next Sunday School the boys had forgotten to draw something AND they did not believe that she drew this picture! So, the minister is going to allow dd14 to draw in Sunday School class next time. LOL.
But shhhh....don't tell, but one lucky family member will get this for a CHRISTmas present this year!
Coming soon....the Homeschool Share BLOG!
Did you see that new button over there? ------------>
Woo hooo..........Homeschool Share is getting its own blog! There will be featured writers giving practical advice, book reviews, freebies, giveaway contests, and more. My role at the blog will be more behind the scenes. I will research the various special days of each month. Of course, Ami is the creative one who will beautiful the calendar and make it presentable to you.
We'll let you know when important days like National Cupcake Day is....so youhave an excuse to make and eat cupcakes can schedule some fun days with your kids throughout the month. We'll also let you know when you can take advantage of some of the units at HSS. We might even through in a reminder to just do something fun!
I researched for October and Ami made it all pretty. You can download it here. For today, it says to get outside and includes a nature scavenger hunt!
So watch for the blog.....it'll be coming your way soon! Hope you enjoy it!
Woo hooo..........Homeschool Share is getting its own blog! There will be featured writers giving practical advice, book reviews, freebies, giveaway contests, and more. My role at the blog will be more behind the scenes. I will research the various special days of each month. Of course, Ami is the creative one who will beautiful the calendar and make it presentable to you.
We'll let you know when important days like National Cupcake Day is....so you
I researched for October and Ami made it all pretty. You can download it here. For today, it says to get outside and includes a nature scavenger hunt!
So watch for the blog.....it'll be coming your way soon! Hope you enjoy it!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
A list of the books I read aloud for Mystery of History (MOH) Volume 1
Because my sweet friend Ami asked........here is a list of the chapter books that we read for ancient history, MOH1. They are arranged in the order in which they were read.
Adam & His Kin by Ruth Beechick
The Golden Bull by Marjorie Cowley
(not read, but we should have: The Secret Scribe)
Gilgamesh The King / The Last Quest of Gilgamesh by Zeman (I believe there is a third book that came between these two, but we did not read it. These are picture books.)
The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
The Laughing Princess of the Desert by Anna Tyra Adams
Where I Belong by Rebecca Kenney
Tirzah by Lucille Travis
Cat of Bubastes by Henty (We listened to Jim Weiss' "thoughtfully abridged" version.)
Assigned reading: dd10 read His Majesty the Queen
dd13 read Abigail's Secret Journal
both read Princess at the Well and Timna
The Hittite Warrior by Joanne Williamson
Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Rachel's Secret Journal
Adara by Beatrice Gromley
God King by Joanne Williamson
Rise of the Golden Cobra by Henry T. Aubin (I edited a couple of small things)
To Ride the Gods' Own Stallion by Diane Lee Wilson (There were a few places I edited)
Victory on the Walls by Frieda Clark Hyman
Archimedes and the Door to Science by Bendick
The chapter Julius Caesar from Well Loved Tales of Shakespeare by Miles
Julius Caesar and the History of Rome -- Audio by Jim Weiss
The Bronze Bow by Speare
Sparrow Alone by Petersen
Out of Darkness by Petersen
Adam & His Kin by Ruth Beechick
The Golden Bull by Marjorie Cowley
(not read, but we should have: The Secret Scribe)
Gilgamesh The King / The Last Quest of Gilgamesh by Zeman (I believe there is a third book that came between these two, but we did not read it. These are picture books.)
The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
The Laughing Princess of the Desert by Anna Tyra Adams
Where I Belong by Rebecca Kenney
Tirzah by Lucille Travis
Cat of Bubastes by Henty (We listened to Jim Weiss' "thoughtfully abridged" version.)
Assigned reading: dd10 read His Majesty the Queen
dd13 read Abigail's Secret Journal
both read Princess at the Well and Timna
The Hittite Warrior by Joanne Williamson
Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Rachel's Secret Journal
Adara by Beatrice Gromley
God King by Joanne Williamson
Rise of the Golden Cobra by Henry T. Aubin (I edited a couple of small things)
To Ride the Gods' Own Stallion by Diane Lee Wilson (There were a few places I edited)
Victory on the Walls by Frieda Clark Hyman
Archimedes and the Door to Science by Bendick
The chapter Julius Caesar from Well Loved Tales of Shakespeare by Miles
Julius Caesar and the History of Rome -- Audio by Jim Weiss
The Bronze Bow by Speare
Sparrow Alone by Petersen
Out of Darkness by Petersen
Saturday, October 15, 2011
List of Read Alouds for Mystery of History Volume II
.
Well, we finally finished Mystery of History, Volume 1 from last year. I honestly have no idea how we got so far behind! But we're ready to move on to Volume 2 finally.
My problem is this......I have an insane amount of books I want to read aloud to the girls this year! Yeah, they are ages 11 and 14 and read VERY well by themselves...but we like read alouds, and there's just something about hearing it! Besides, the girls generally would have never even picked up the books we read last year on their own....yet, they ended up loving almost every title we read for MOH1! I hope it's the same this year! They really help make history come alive.
Below is my list of books for this year (with a few videos/audios thrown in.) I know there is NO WAY I can read all of these this year. And I don't want to bog the girls down with assigning them to read lots of chapter books, as they have their assignments for Lightning Literature. (That's why the most of the assigned ones on this list are picture books or very quick reads.)
I need help in narrowing this list down.....by about half of the chapter books! So if you see anything on this list that should definitely not miss reading or that you would recommend skipping, please let me know! I really want to read the best of the best...what will be most memorable to my girls. (Most of them I have not pre-read, so I'm not sure of the content and would love any insight there if you've read a title and could warn me of anything that might be of concern. I've tagged a few of them with "pre-read" so I can remember to definitely check them out prior.)
ETA: A few folks have told me of books they really enjoyed, so I have made their titles bold to mark them as a "don't miss" title.
.
Well, we finally finished Mystery of History, Volume 1 from last year. I honestly have no idea how we got so far behind! But we're ready to move on to Volume 2 finally.
My problem is this......I have an insane amount of books I want to read aloud to the girls this year! Yeah, they are ages 11 and 14 and read VERY well by themselves...but we like read alouds, and there's just something about hearing it! Besides, the girls generally would have never even picked up the books we read last year on their own....yet, they ended up loving almost every title we read for MOH1! I hope it's the same this year! They really help make history come alive.
Below is my list of books for this year (with a few videos/audios thrown in.) I know there is NO WAY I can read all of these this year. And I don't want to bog the girls down with assigning them to read lots of chapter books, as they have their assignments for Lightning Literature. (That's why the most of the assigned ones on this list are picture books or very quick reads.)
I need help in narrowing this list down.....by about half of the chapter books! So if you see anything on this list that should definitely not miss reading or that you would recommend skipping, please let me know! I really want to read the best of the best...what will be most memorable to my girls. (Most of them I have not pre-read, so I'm not sure of the content and would love any insight there if you've read a title and could warn me of anything that might be of concern. I've tagged a few of them with "pre-read" so I can remember to definitely check them out prior.)
ETA: A few folks have told me of books they really enjoyed, so I have made their titles bold to mark them as a "don't miss" title.
| 2011- 2012 Mystery of History Read Alouds | Read Aloud | Pages | Own / Library | Comments | ||
| Week | Lesson | Title | or Assigned? | |||
| Weeks 2-4: Should I read aloud Ides of April/Beyond the Desert Gate/Eagle of the Ninth/Silver Branch/Lantern Bearers? We own some. | ||||||
| 1 | 3 | Paul the Emissary | Video | Lib | ||
| 2 | Beric the Briton | Audio | Audio | Own | by Jim Weiss (62AD Roman invasion of Britain) | |
| 2 | 5 | Forbidden Gates | Read Aloud | 126 | Own | Stephen, the first martyr |
| 2 | 5 | Trial & Triumph | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 1, Polycarp | |
| 2 | Twice Freed | Read Aloud | 190 | Own | Paul/Philemon (mentions Stephen's stoning) | |
| 2 | 6 | Pearl Maiden | Read Aloud | 371 | Own | culminates in the siege/destruction |
| 2 | 6 | For the Temple | Audio | Audio | Own | by Jim Weiss |
| 3 | 7 | Masada: The Last Fortress | Read Aloud | Own | Pre-read-the subject was handled well. We will read aloud. | |
| 3 | 9 | Escape from Pompeii / MTH Vacation Under the Volcano | Assigned | Lib | ||
| 4 | 12 | Saint Valentine (Sabuda) | Assigned | Own | ||
| 5 | 14 | Trial & Triumph | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 3, Constantine | |
| 6 | 16 | Rescue in the Mayan Jungle | Read Aloud | 144 | Ch. Lib. | |
| 6 | 17 | Augustine: The Farmer's Boy of Tagaste | Read Aloud | 93 | Own | |
| 6 | 17 | Trial & Triumph | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 6, Monica & Augustine, Christian Mother & Son | |
| 6 | 18 | The Indestructible Book | Video | Own | ||
| 7 | 19 | Trial & Triumph | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 7, St. Patrick | |
| 7 | 19 | What Really Happened in the Middle Ages | Read Aloud | Chapter 1, St. Patrick, Sower of Light | ||
| 7 | 20 | Famous Men of the Middle Ages | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 2, Attila the Hun | |
| 8 | 23 | Sword in the Tree | Assigned | Own | ||
| 8 | 23 | A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court | Audio? | Lib | Audio by Dufris (12 hrs.) or abridged by Naxos | |
| 8 | 23 | Black Horses for the King | Read Aloud | 217 | Own | |
| 8 | 24 | What Really Happened in the Middle Ages | Read Aloud | Chapter 2, Theodora, Empress of the New Roman Empire | ||
| 8 | 24 | Anna of Byzantium | Read Aloud | Lib | ||
| 8 | 25 | Across a Wide and Dark Sea / Marguerite Makes a Book | Assigned | Own | ||
| 9 | 29 | Famous Men of the Middle Ages | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 8, Muhammad | |
| 10 | 30 | Saladin | Assigned | Lib | ||
| 11 | 32 | Dragon Slayer (Beowulf) | Read Aloud | 108 | Own | |
| 12 | 34 | Trial & Triumph | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 9: Boniface, Missionary | |
| 13 | 37 | Son of Charlemagne | Read Aloud | 208 | Own | |
| 13 | 37 | Famous Men of the Middle Ages | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 10, Charlemagne | |
| 13 | 37 | Trial & Triumph | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 10: Charlemagne, Protector | |
| 13 | 38 | Shadow Spinner | Read Aloud | 219 | Own | |
| 14 | 40 | Raiders from the Sea | Read Aloud | 191 | Own | (There are others in the series, but do not own them.) |
| 14 | 40 | Beorn the Proud | Read Aloud | 208 | Own | |
| 14 | 40 | Viking Adventure | Assigned | Own | ||
| 14 | 42 | The Namesake: A Story of King Alfred | Read Aloud | 269 | Own | |
| 14 | 42 | Augustine Came to Kent | Read Aloud | 184 | Own | |
| 14 | 42 | Trial & Triumph | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 1: Alfred the Great, Christian King | |
| 15 | 43 | The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow | Read Aloud | 240 | Own | AKA The Story of Rolf : A Viking Adventure |
| 16 | 46 | What Really Happened in the Middle Ages | Read Aloud | Chapter 3, Good King Wenceslas, Duke of Bohemia | ||
| 18 | 52 | Leif the Lucky | Assigned | 56 | Own | |
| 18 | 53 | Tales from Shakespeare | Read Aloud | Own | Macbeth | |
| 18 | 54 | Famous Men of the Middle Ages | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 17, El Cid | |
| 19 | 55 | The Shield Ring | Read Aloud | 234 | Own | |
| 19 | 55 | The King's Shadow | Read Aloud | 259 | Own | |
| 19 | 55 | Striped Ships | Read Aloud | 226 | Own | |
| 19 | 55 | Famous Men of the Middle Ages | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 19, William the Conqueror | |
| 20 | 58 | Paula the Waldensian | Read Aloud | 191 | Own | (for mom to read....Rora—great book, though sad) |
| 20 | 58 | Trial & Triumph | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 14, Peter Waldo | |
| 20 | 59 | Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine | Assigned | 187 | Lib | Royal Diaries Series, France, 1136 |
| 20 | 59 | What Really Happened in the Middle Ages | Read Aloud | Chapter 5, My Grandmother the Queen, Eleanor | ||
| 20 | 59 | A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver | Read Aloud | 200 | Own | |
| 20 | 59 | The Hidden Treasure of Glaston | Read Aloud | Own? | ||
| 21 | 61 | The Lost Baron | Read Aloud | 297 | Own | |
| 21 | 61 | Boy Knight: A Story of the Crusades | Read Aloud | 324 | Own | (AKA Winning His Spurs) |
| 21 | 62 | Robin Hood | Assigned | Own | (Could listen to Jim Weiss' audio of Robin Hood) | |
| 21 | 63 | The Perfect Sword | Read Aloud | Lib | Pre-read? | |
| Qtr4 | Apple & The Arrow | Assigned | Own | |||
| Qtr4 | Trumpeter of Krakow | Read Aloud | 208 | Own | ||
| 22 | 64 | Trial & Triumph | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 15, Francis of Assissi | |
| 22 | 65 | Phillip's Crusade: The True Story of the Children's Crusade | Read Aloud | 316 | Own | |
| 22 | Wings Like a Dove (Chosen Daughters series) | Read Aloud OR Assign? | 205 | Own | Jeanne D'Albret (not covered in MOH2) | |
| 22 | 66 | Adam of the Road | Read Aloud OR Assign? | 317 | Own | |
| 23 | Otto of the Silver Hand | Read Aloud | 170 | Own | MA Germany | |
| 24 | 70 | The Book of Virtues | Assigned | Own | The King & His Hawk pages 37-39 | |
| 24 | 71 | Famous Men of the Middle Ages | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 27, Marco Polo | |
| 24 | 72 | In Freedom's Cause: A Story of Wallace & Bruce | Audio | Audio | Own | by Jim Weiss |
| 24 | 72 | Girl in a Cage | Read Aloud | 234 | Own | Robert the Bruce's daughter, Marjorie |
| 24 | 72 | Famous Men of the Middle Ages | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 26, Robert Bruce | |
| The Door in the Wall | Read Aloud or Audio? | 120 pgs. | Own | (Could get audio from library again) | ||
| 26 | 76 | A Parcel of Patterns | Read Aloud | Lib | Pre-read? | |
| 26 | 78 | The Beggar's Bible | Read Aloud | 134 | Own | |
| 26 | 78 | John Wycliffe: The Morning Star | Video | 75 min. | Lib? | Bob Jones ShowForth Video |
| 26 | 78 | Trial & Triumph | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 17, John Wyclif, Morningstar | |
| Read Aloud | Lib | 1381 Feudal System (Update: I skimmed, and think I will pass on this one) | ||||
| 27 | 80 | Trial & Triumph | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 18, John Huss, Forerunner | |
| 27 | 80 | John Huss | Video | Lib? | Bob Jones ShowForth Video | |
| 27 | 81 | Famous Men of the Middle Ages | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 32, Joan of Arc | |
| 27 | 81 | Warrior Girl | Read Aloud | 352 | Own | |
| 27 | 81 | What Really Happened in the Middle Ages | Read Aloud | Chapter 6, Joan of Arc, Maid of France | ||
| 28 | 84 | Ink on His Fingers | Read Aloud | 127 | Own | |
| 28 | 84 | Famous Men of the Middle Ages | Read Aloud | Own | Chapter 33, Gutenberg | |
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Why blog?
The message boards at Homeschool Share is having an interesting discussion about blogs.
There are a number of reasons folks blog....some do it to make extra money, some use it as a ministry, for others it is a creative outlet for their writing or photography abilities, others want to create a record of their days--perhaps for their loved ones far away or just for themselves. I'm sure there's a whole host of other reasons.
If you've read my blog much, you probably can figure it's mostly just for me, more as a diary than anything else. From before the girls were born, I wanted to get back into writing in my diary....and I never did. As you can see, I'm only slightly better at writing something in my blog! Oh well, something is better than nothing.
So, I'm not interested in blog awards or being voted "most whatever"......this is my little place in the cyberworld, where I can jot down things we did. And, if I encourage someone, make someone laugh, or inspire someone along the way.....that's a huge bonus. So bring your cup of tea and stop by a moment.....maybe even drop me a note in a comment somewhere.....but even if you just skim and move on, I hope you have a SONshiney day!
There are a number of reasons folks blog....some do it to make extra money, some use it as a ministry, for others it is a creative outlet for their writing or photography abilities, others want to create a record of their days--perhaps for their loved ones far away or just for themselves. I'm sure there's a whole host of other reasons.
If you've read my blog much, you probably can figure it's mostly just for me, more as a diary than anything else. From before the girls were born, I wanted to get back into writing in my diary....and I never did. As you can see, I'm only slightly better at writing something in my blog! Oh well, something is better than nothing.
So, I'm not interested in blog awards or being voted "most whatever"......this is my little place in the cyberworld, where I can jot down things we did. And, if I encourage someone, make someone laugh, or inspire someone along the way.....that's a huge bonus. So bring your cup of tea and stop by a moment.....maybe even drop me a note in a comment somewhere.....but even if you just skim and move on, I hope you have a SONshiney day!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Our 2011-2012 Curriculum
So, we're finally in a routine for school...I think. Here's what we're doing this year......
For our Bible time this year, we are doing the PictureSmart Bible. This is our favorite subject! We have finished the Bible overview and are almost done with Genesis. We incorporate "Sword Drills" with the reading of the passages. I love how we can each be individual in our color choices and details, but overall we end up with the same picture. (Yes, I get to draw and color along with the girls as I teach!)
For history this year, we are continuing with Mystery of History. We have just a few more lessons to finish from last year's Volume 1, then we'll move right into Volume 2. The read-alouds last year were a big hit, so we will continue to do that this year as well. So far, we have already read Archimedes and the Door to Science, listened to Jim Weiss' Julius Caesar and the History of Rome, and are now reading The Bronze Bow. I've got a huge stack of books to read for Volume 2....I think I'm going to have to have the girls read some of them on their own! As soon as the Volume 2 notebooking pages become available, I will be purchasing those again to. As I read the lesson, the girls take notes on the back of the page and then write a short summary of the lesson.
For our fun math, we are doing The Life of Fred. DD14 is doing Beginning Algebra and dd11 is doing Fractions. DD14 has also started VideoText Algebra, a switch from Saxon. DD11 will also continue Math-U-See, having a few lessons to finish up the Epsilon book from last year before moving on to Zeta.
For science at home, we're doing Biology 101. At co-op, dd11 will do Science 4 Real Kids Biology Level 1. This is the third book she has done in this series. At co-op, dd14 is doing Creation or Evolution, which I teach.
For language arts, we're doing a mix of things. We're doing Winston Grammar for a basic overview of the parts of speech. The lessons are short, which we like. We are also continuing with Fix-It (editing) again this year. We're doing the second story, The Frog Prince. DD14 is continuing with The Phonetic Zoo for spelling, and dd11 will continue with All About Spelling. I recently gave each of the girls this free Reading Assessment, and both placed ahead of their grade. We also have some grammar pages within our literature this year. For literature, we're doing Lightning Literature, Grade 7.
DD14 will continue with Getting Started with Latin, hopefully finishing the book she started last year. DD11 will continue with Spanish.
For art, both girls have art classes at co-op this year. DD11's class will include some art history, while dd14's will focus on handcrafts.
Hopefully, we will also get IEW's Student Writing Intensive B done this year, as well as The Grammar of Poetry. Also hope to throw in a few units of some kind this year (botany and some other literature perhaps).
Oh yeah, I decided to have DD14 work on some Equine Studies this year. I found many study guides and quizzes on The Pony Club of America website. I also purchased two of their manuals for her to work her way through.
I guess that's it. What are you doing this year?
For our Bible time this year, we are doing the PictureSmart Bible. This is our favorite subject! We have finished the Bible overview and are almost done with Genesis. We incorporate "Sword Drills" with the reading of the passages. I love how we can each be individual in our color choices and details, but overall we end up with the same picture. (Yes, I get to draw and color along with the girls as I teach!)
For history this year, we are continuing with Mystery of History. We have just a few more lessons to finish from last year's Volume 1, then we'll move right into Volume 2. The read-alouds last year were a big hit, so we will continue to do that this year as well. So far, we have already read Archimedes and the Door to Science, listened to Jim Weiss' Julius Caesar and the History of Rome, and are now reading The Bronze Bow. I've got a huge stack of books to read for Volume 2....I think I'm going to have to have the girls read some of them on their own! As soon as the Volume 2 notebooking pages become available, I will be purchasing those again to. As I read the lesson, the girls take notes on the back of the page and then write a short summary of the lesson.
For our fun math, we are doing The Life of Fred. DD14 is doing Beginning Algebra and dd11 is doing Fractions. DD14 has also started VideoText Algebra, a switch from Saxon. DD11 will also continue Math-U-See, having a few lessons to finish up the Epsilon book from last year before moving on to Zeta.
For science at home, we're doing Biology 101. At co-op, dd11 will do Science 4 Real Kids Biology Level 1. This is the third book she has done in this series. At co-op, dd14 is doing Creation or Evolution, which I teach.
DD14 will continue with Getting Started with Latin, hopefully finishing the book she started last year. DD11 will continue with Spanish.
For art, both girls have art classes at co-op this year. DD11's class will include some art history, while dd14's will focus on handcrafts.
Hopefully, we will also get IEW's Student Writing Intensive B done this year, as well as The Grammar of Poetry. Also hope to throw in a few units of some kind this year (botany and some other literature perhaps).
Oh yeah, I decided to have DD14 work on some Equine Studies this year. I found many study guides and quizzes on The Pony Club of America website. I also purchased two of their manuals for her to work her way through.
I guess that's it. What are you doing this year?
Another good movie coming this Christmas....
Speaking of movies......I'm hoping that the upcoming War Horse movie sticks close to the book. It's a favorite book in our house, having been read by my girls and listened to on audio by us all. We would be sadly disappointed if they stray too far from the book!
The movie comes out Christmas Day, and we can't wait!
The movie comes out Christmas Day, and we can't wait!
Two movies worth going to see!
This past week the girls and I went to see Dolphin Tale, and enjoyed it very much!
Then yesterday, my husband took me to see Courageous. It made me laugh, and it made me cry......great movie!!
I encourage everyone to get out and see these two movies.....it's so nice to see Hollywood making true family-friendly movies! If we get out and support these kinds of movies, hopefully Hollywood will produce more of them!
Then yesterday, my husband took me to see Courageous. It made me laugh, and it made me cry......great movie!!
I encourage everyone to get out and see these two movies.....it's so nice to see Hollywood making true family-friendly movies! If we get out and support these kinds of movies, hopefully Hollywood will produce more of them!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Praise, praise, praise!
I am in remission!!! \o/ My CPK numbers have been dropping over the past several months, and they are the normal range...so my dermatomyositis is now in a drug-induced remission! And that is the first step to a drugless remission!
Starting tomorrow, I will be cutting back on the prednisone (hurray...maybe I lose all this weight I have gained!!!), but not the methotrexate (yet!). Prayers that the remission continues as I decrease the medications are much appreciated!
Starting tomorrow, I will be cutting back on the prednisone (hurray...maybe I lose all this weight I have gained!!!), but not the methotrexate (yet!). Prayers that the remission continues as I decrease the medications are much appreciated!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Invisible Illness Awareness Week 2011: Part 2--30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know
.
The Invisible Illness Awareness website encouraged those of us living with invisible illnesses to tell you 30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know
So here we go..........
1. The illness I live with is: Well, I have 3--Dermatomyositis, Interstitial Lung Disease, and Raynaud's Phenomenon. DM causes deterioration of the muscles in my body and often involves itchy, red rashes on the face, scalp, neck, back, and/or chest. ILD involves excessive scar tissue building up in the lungs. Raynaud's is a type of poor circulation in the hands and feet.
2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: late 2003?
3. But I had symptoms since: very early that year
4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is: Knowing when to say no or when to quit
5. Most people assume: I have a lot of pain (I did initially, but not nearly as much now.)
6. The hardest part about mornings are: Getting up if I haven't had enough rest. Sometimes I just crash and sleep for many hours. But most mornings are OK for me, it's the afternoons when my strength wears out and the weariness sets in. Some nights, it's all I can do to walk up the steps to crawl into bed.
7. My favorite medical TV show is: I don't watch much TV; I have no idea what medical shows there even are.
8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is: my Pampered Chef can opener makes life so much easier! (Not a "gadget" but I couldn't live without my girls or husband carrying heavy things or opening things I don't have the strength to open!)
9. The hardest part about nights are: When I have little strength left to get up the steps to bed......or when the drugs cause me not be sleepy until 3 a.m.!
10. Each day I take __ pills & vitamins. (No comments, please) Varies, as I have two meds that I only take once each week, but usually around 20 each day.
11. Regarding alternative treatments I: Have looked into them. I am currently only LDN (Low Dose Naltrexone). I want to give the Antibiotic Protocol a try.
12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose: Tough call. I'm not sure really.
13. Regarding working and career: I can't imagine working with an chronic illness. I can force myself to go, go, go/do, do, do for a few days.....can't imagine doing it every day! I'm so blessed to be at home schooling my girls!
14. People would be surprised to know: Hmmm. Let's see....I don't know, how about....
15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been: That I have to say no to some good, worthwile things....church work, extra school activities, etc.
16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was: Homeschool. One of my first thoughts was "How am I going to homeschool? Will I have to put them in public school? (See my other post this week on why I think homeschooling is the only thing that makes sense when you're chronically ill!)
17. The commercials about my illness: There are commercials about dermatomyositis (or myositis in general)??? Point me to one!
18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is: being able to get up from kneeling or from a squatting position. My legs just barely have the strength to do it.
19. It was really hard to have to give up: Milk and wheat. Almost 2 years ago, I decided to try cutting out some things to see if I felt better. And I did! But wow, milk and wheat are in so many things! It's given me a true appreciation for those with Celiac who must avoid wheat. You wouldn't believe what all wheat is hidden in....things you think shouldn't even have wheat in them at all!!
20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is: Blogging? Can't really think of anything.
21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would: Hike and camp more!
22. My illness has taught me: to rely more on Him, the one who strengthens me.
23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is: I can't really think of anything. Sometimes I get irritated when folks think I am unable to do something. (Granted there are times I can't, and other times I can. I know they love me and are concerned about me.)
24. But I love it when people: Treat me normal!
25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is: Philippians 4:13......I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (NKJV)
26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them: Hang in there. It definitely is a major adjustment, but it'll be OK. Rely on God instead of yourself, seek Him, and rest in Him. He's in control and this was no surprise to Him. Something about this trial of yours will be for His glory and that's worth it.
27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is: That I have a lot of good days where I don't even think about it.
28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was: When I was first diagnosed, my homeschool group prepared meals for several weeks. It was a very humbling experience, but I soooo appreciated it! It was an amazing blessing to me and my family!
29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because: I want to get the word out. I don't think people realize just how many folks have an Invisible Illness.
30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel: Honored and humbled that you cared enough to read 30 facts about little boring ol' me!
.
.
The Invisible Illness Awareness website encouraged those of us living with invisible illnesses to tell you 30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know
So here we go..........
1. The illness I live with is: Well, I have 3--Dermatomyositis, Interstitial Lung Disease, and Raynaud's Phenomenon. DM causes deterioration of the muscles in my body and often involves itchy, red rashes on the face, scalp, neck, back, and/or chest. ILD involves excessive scar tissue building up in the lungs. Raynaud's is a type of poor circulation in the hands and feet.
2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: late 2003?
3. But I had symptoms since: very early that year
4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is: Knowing when to say no or when to quit
5. Most people assume: I have a lot of pain (I did initially, but not nearly as much now.)
6. The hardest part about mornings are: Getting up if I haven't had enough rest. Sometimes I just crash and sleep for many hours. But most mornings are OK for me, it's the afternoons when my strength wears out and the weariness sets in. Some nights, it's all I can do to walk up the steps to crawl into bed.
7. My favorite medical TV show is: I don't watch much TV; I have no idea what medical shows there even are.
8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is: my Pampered Chef can opener makes life so much easier! (Not a "gadget" but I couldn't live without my girls or husband carrying heavy things or opening things I don't have the strength to open!)
9. The hardest part about nights are: When I have little strength left to get up the steps to bed......or when the drugs cause me not be sleepy until 3 a.m.!
10. Each day I take __ pills & vitamins. (No comments, please) Varies, as I have two meds that I only take once each week, but usually around 20 each day.
11. Regarding alternative treatments I: Have looked into them. I am currently only LDN (Low Dose Naltrexone). I want to give the Antibiotic Protocol a try.
12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose: Tough call. I'm not sure really.
13. Regarding working and career: I can't imagine working with an chronic illness. I can force myself to go, go, go/do, do, do for a few days.....can't imagine doing it every day! I'm so blessed to be at home schooling my girls!
14. People would be surprised to know: Hmmm. Let's see....I don't know, how about....
- That I have numb places on my toes because of nerve damage from having Raynaud's?
- That my body no longer regulates its temperature very well.....I often don't know just how cold/hot I am until I am extremely cold/hot.
- That one of my medications is a self-injection?
- That I've lost A LOT of hair due to the medication. I've always had thin hair, but used to have quite a bit of it....it's very thin now. Off and on over the years, I have done a few rounds of Nioxin to help it grow back. I started another round recently.
15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been: That I have to say no to some good, worthwile things....church work, extra school activities, etc.
16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was: Homeschool. One of my first thoughts was "How am I going to homeschool? Will I have to put them in public school? (See my other post this week on why I think homeschooling is the only thing that makes sense when you're chronically ill!)
17. The commercials about my illness: There are commercials about dermatomyositis (or myositis in general)??? Point me to one!
18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is: being able to get up from kneeling or from a squatting position. My legs just barely have the strength to do it.
19. It was really hard to have to give up: Milk and wheat. Almost 2 years ago, I decided to try cutting out some things to see if I felt better. And I did! But wow, milk and wheat are in so many things! It's given me a true appreciation for those with Celiac who must avoid wheat. You wouldn't believe what all wheat is hidden in....things you think shouldn't even have wheat in them at all!!
20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is: Blogging? Can't really think of anything.
21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would: Hike and camp more!
22. My illness has taught me: to rely more on Him, the one who strengthens me.
23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is: I can't really think of anything. Sometimes I get irritated when folks think I am unable to do something. (Granted there are times I can't, and other times I can. I know they love me and are concerned about me.)
24. But I love it when people: Treat me normal!
25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is: Philippians 4:13......I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (NKJV)
26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them: Hang in there. It definitely is a major adjustment, but it'll be OK. Rely on God instead of yourself, seek Him, and rest in Him. He's in control and this was no surprise to Him. Something about this trial of yours will be for His glory and that's worth it.
27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is: That I have a lot of good days where I don't even think about it.
28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was: When I was first diagnosed, my homeschool group prepared meals for several weeks. It was a very humbling experience, but I soooo appreciated it! It was an amazing blessing to me and my family!
29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because: I want to get the word out. I don't think people realize just how many folks have an Invisible Illness.
30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel: Honored and humbled that you cared enough to read 30 facts about little boring ol' me!
.
Check out her blog and learn about her homeschooling life
with Lupus and Fibromyalgia.
..
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