Learning Week Reflections - Week 19

In the learning room................
We had a very productive week in the learning room.  K-Doodle finished book 1 of 2 of her K12 phonics which means she is half way through her schooling year.  She celebrated with a cup of hot cocoa today after her assessment.  Excitement here.

C-Sunshine has decided she does not like the fact that her assignment list is twice as long as K-Doodle's.  I tried to explain that 2nd grade is much different than 5/6 grade.  She did not except my answer.  Hmmm....

In History we are finished reading about the Declaration of Independence.  We had picked up a replica down in St. Augustine this fall, so we pulled in out and took a look.  John Hancock definitely stands out, and I explained why people say "just put your John Hancock here".  His was the largest and "prettiest" signature.  An art that is getting lost in this techno age.  I just heard that the public school's here are no longer going to teach cursive in school.  They are started keyboarding earlier instead.  Hmm, that is something I need to add to our day.  Keyboarding.

In Science, we read more about our blubber friends and did an experiment to show just how much warmth a seals blubber gives him.  It was a very messy but fun experiment.

First we covered one hand with a glove, and one hand with a glove and an inch around of vasoline with another glove on top.

We timed how long we could leave our glove only hand in the iced water.  1 minute for K-Doodle and about 1 1/2 minutes for C-Sunshine.

 Then we dipped our "blubber" hands into the iced water.  The girls hand their hands still in there after 5 minutes so we just quit timing.  

What did they learn......that having a layer of "blubber" sure helps you stay warm in ice cold water and that God was very smart for making seals, manatees and whales this way!

Around the house.......
Utter chaos and loads of laundry to be done.  I am grateful this is a relaxed weekend so that I can catch up.

In the Kitchen.....
It's clean.  Does that count for something?  We have been eating a lot of the meals I made at Meal Makers.  I need to get more crock-pot ready meals in the freezer for the on-the-go days.  Have I said that already on this blog?

Out and about.......
This week we had Explorer's co-op, American Heritage Girls, CCD class, art class and a field trip that I didn't show up for because nobody wanted to go.  Everyone wanted to stay home today!

Thinking about....and praying for....
My dear friend Patty over at Reasons for Chocolate.

Visit Jen , Kris and GranolaMom4God to link up your homeschool week.  Have a great weekend!

A January Daybook Post

Outside my window...

It's very dark.  There is no sun yet.  I can see nothing.

thinking...
that I would like to go back to bed and snuggle under the covers for another hour or so.  Also thinking about how cold it is going to be when I get out of the shower.  I don't like that.  :)I am thankful for...
the opportunity to be a homeschool Mom.  I have been reflecting lately, amongst all the complaining about how busy I am, on just how lucky I am to be able to homeschool my two lovely's.  There was a time when there is no way I could have done this nor would I have wanted to.  What a rewarding, blessed time in my life.  I might have missed it if I had not taken to time to listen to His calling for me.
From the learning room...
I confess.  We have not been in there yet this week.  We did a lot of running around yesterday (doctors, vet)  and have co-op today, so it will be tomorrow before we jump back in.  The learning room is full of the ordinary except that I just received a box from Amazon that contains our new recorders!  Music class to begin at home tomorrow.
I am wearing... Pj's

I am creating...

Menu plans.  I have to get back to having a menu plan for the week.  The unknown is killing me and also making meal time quite chaotic.  If I have no plan, then I don't take anything out of the freezer.  If I don't take something out of the freezer, then I have nothing to cook.  If I have nothing to cook.....you get the picture.

I am going...

to start working on family scrapbooks this weekend.  I am going to make it a priority to document our family life for my children.  Something to remember their childhood and hopefully us, the parents.  :)

I am reading...

lots of crafting blogs

I am hoping...

for some planning time this week.  I would also like to make time to begin weight watchers and lose some of this excess baggage.

I am hearing...

the tick-tock of the clock in the living room.  There is utter silence except for the tick-tock and the clicking of my laptop.  Peace.

Around the house...

the routines.  Sticking with the routines of maintaining the household.  Also going to try and go through some of the hundreds of books we have.  I have run out of shelf space.  We need to fling some of those reads.

One of my favorite things...

my timer.  A few years ago, I bought the flylady timer.  I started using it again and it has showed me just how much you can get done in 15 minutes.  And that you can do anything for 15 minutes.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

home learning, homeschool co-op, American Heritage Girls, Knights of Columbus family dinner, CCD Class, Art Class, The Body Detective homeschool field trip and hopefully some scrapbooking time.  :)

Simple Woman's Daybook.

For the precious unborn.......

Yesterday, the girls and I took a bus ride with our parish into downtown Atlanta to the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for Mass for the Unborn.  It was a very moving Homily and the music was simply  beautiful.  Solemn.

After mass and a quick lunch on the bus, we headed out to the capital to listen to Bishop Gregory and many legislators speak about the horrible reality of Roe vs. Wade.  The Bishop remarked that it is going to take both the Church and the Government.  The Church to pray, work and educate about the unborn, and the government to "undo" the horrible decision of Roe vs. Wade that has killed so many children.  The government is necessary to correct this terrible wrong.

Although my girls are young, they understood that we were there to give a voice to those without one.  I did not go into details of what an actual abortion is or does.  There is plenty of time for that.  We were there to celebrate life for all persons, all life.....no matter how small.  And the girls understood that and took-up the cause.

There was a sharp contrast in this March of Life and a pro-choice rally.  Pro-choice is screaming out for their "rights".  Our march was one of utter silence. Silence for those beautiful children with no voice.  It was a silent walk through downtown Atlanta, holding our signs of life and occasionally praying the Rosary out loud.  There was a large turn out and our presence was profound.  Important.  Necessary.

Almighty God, our Father,

you who have given us life 

and intended us to have it forever, 

grant us your blessings. 

Enlighten our minds to an awareness 

and to a renewed conviction 

that all human life is sacred 

because it is created 

in your image and likeness. 

Help us to teach by word 

and the example of our lives 

that life occupies the first place, 

that human life is precious 

because it is the gift of God 

whose love is infinite. 

Give us the strength to defend human life 

against every influence 

or action that threatens or weakens it, 

as well as the strength 

to make every life more human 

in all its aspects. 

Give us the grace...

When the sacredness of life 

before birth is attacked, 

to stand up and proclaim 

that no one ever has the authority 

to destroy unborn life.

When a child is described as a burden 

or is looked upon only as a means 

to satisfy an emotional need, 

to stand up 

and insist that every child is a unique 

and unrepeatable gift of God, 

a gift of God 

with a right to a loving 

and united family.

When the institution of marriage 

is abandoned to human selfishness 

or reduced to a temporary conditional arrangement 

that can easily be terminated, 

to stand up and affirm 

the indissolubility of the marriage bond.

When the value of the family is threatened 

because of social and economic pressure, 

to stand up and reaffirm 

that the family is necessary 

not only for the private good of every person, 

but also for the common good of every society, 

nation and state.

When freedom is used to dominate the weak, 

to squander natural resources and energy, 

to deny basic necessities to people, 

to stand up and affirm 

the demands of justice and social love.

Almighty Father, 

give us courage to proclaim the supreme dignity 

of all human life and to demand 

that society itself give its protection. 

We ask this in your name, 

through the redemptive act 

of your Son and in the Holy Spirit.

Amen. 

Learning Week Reflections - Week 18

In the Learning Room......

C-Sunshine and K-Doodle are both progressing nicely with Language Arts and Math.  I am still using the leftover K12 phonics with Kaylee.  I don't really like the K12 "online" stuff, but for us, the phonics is sock solid and works nicely.  For someone who doesn't really like a "structured" phonics teaching style, we need it.  K-Doodle has really progressed this year and just LOVES to read.  C-Sunshine continues to work through Language of God, Language Lessons for the Elementary Child and now...Writing Strands.  I just love, love Writing Strands.  And so does C-Sunshine.

We actually did History this week and got to the Declaration of Independence.  Finally!  I am taking on the mantra of Nike, "Just Do It!"  Just DO History  or just DO science.  We plan to do our science experiment tomorrow and finally move out of seals.  I will keep you posted.

Around the house.......

Finally hung curtains in our living room after 18 months of living here.  I like 'em.  I will snap a picture soon.

I am continuing to try and organize a scrapbook area for myself.  I want to get back to making those memory albums for the girls.  It is a fun hobby for me and they love to look through them.  Feeling guilty when I spend time scrapbooking.  I shouldn't though.  Everyone needs to have a hobby.  Something BESIDES looking through homeschool catalogs.  :)

Outside the house.......

It all started back.  We went to homeschool co-op where we began a unit study on Medieval Times, an American Heritage Girls meeting, CCD and art classes.  We did not make it to homeschool choir.  We are trying to decide if we want to go back.  We are on the run so much, that we might just cut it out.  K-Doodle wants to continue to go, but C-Sunshine could take or leave it.  What to do.  

Today we went to downtown Atlanta for a mass for the Unborn Children.  Then we participated in the Right for Life march.  I will be posting about this incredible day soon.  Until then...here is a pic I will share.

How was your week?  I will be back soon with all the details from our day at the capital.  For now, I just need a nap!

Visit Jen and link up your homeschool week.  Have a great weekend!

Got Texas?

Look what was in our mailbox this week........

 This great postcards all the way from Texas!  Great additions to our postcard collection.

Each one with a little bit of history on the back hand written from Patty over at ReasonsForChocolate.  Thanks Patty and family!  We miss you!

On another note.....

Our Weekly Wrap up will be late because we are going downtown for

the Right to Life march tomorrow.  Bus leaves at 8 a.m.!  Too early for me to blog.  :)

Learning Week Reflections - Week 17

Well even though the snow and ice had the public school's closing their doors for the entire week here in Georgia, our learning room door was wipe open.  All of our outside activities were canceled for this week and I must say that I enjoyed that very much.

In the learning room......

The 3 r's were covered by both girls continuing on with assigned lessons.  C-Sunshine finished reading Ben and Me and began reading Abigail Adams and is about the begin Anne of Green Gables (by request).
K-Doodle and I have been reading through all the storybooks on her bedroom shelf this week.  We have returned to reading at bedtime, something that got lost over the summer.  I just love this cuddly time together, just the two of us.

For science, we are studying seals this week.  Still using Swimming Creatures of the Sixth Day.  I found a lot of ocean creature cut-outs and printable's at LearningPage.com.  And they are free too!  We are continuing to make our Swimming Creatures notebooks although we didn't do much in those this week.  We are only in week 3 of this book.  We should be A LOT farther.  I need to make science a priority and stop pushing it to the back of the list.   Way, way in the back.....

In History, after a brief dip back into Story of the World, we have returned to American History.  We covered the shot heard around the world and the beginning of the American Revolution.  C-Sunshine has started planning a meal that will be from the colonial time period.  Again, I feel that I could put a lot more energy into teaching history.  Both girls love history.  I don't know if it is because I am just burning out, or if it is that we are just way to busy outside the house.   Will be working on this in the weeks ahead.

Faith - we have started K-Doodles First Holy Communion notebook.  It is coming along quite nicely and she is enjoying helping to design the prayer sheets and drawing, painting.  I will be posting more on this, hopefully next week.  Anyone else have a First Communion this year?

Music and art were both canceled this week outside the house, but many songs were sung, classical music was played and there was a ton of crafting and artwork going on.  Extra time means being artsy around here.  Especially for K-Doodle!

Around the house........
Tidying, cleaning and organizing.  Making a spot for scrapbooking.  Reorganizing the learning room.  I will post about that soon.  I do so love that space!

We were home all week.  Went to Mass and took C-Sunshine to the doctor.  That was about it.  Just lovely days at home.  A very nice week in deed.

I posted enough snow pictures from the week.  So here is one of our trip to the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta when we went in December.  The girls with my pal Big Bird.  I found out later that I wasn't suppose to be taking photo's in there.   Ooops.  The picture's cute though, isn't it?  We were suppose to go today, but the trip go canceled.

Visit Jen and Kris and link up your homeschool week.  Have a great weekend!

Perfect for those days when you are snowbound......

I am always looking for good reads to help facilitate growth in my Catholic faith.  The big brown truck brought these at the end of December.  And I am so very excited about that.

Small Steps for Catholic Moms by Danielle Bean & Elizabeth Foss is such a sweet book.  Filled with wonderful quotes by faithful Saints and inspiration to act upon God's calling for us in our day to day life.   Each daily reading is divided up into three sections;  Think, Pray, Act.  I was reading it before bedtime, but found that the Act section was just too precious to miss each day.  So I have now incorporated "stepping out" into my morning routine before the girlies get up.

A Continual Feast by Evelyn Birge Vitz is a book that I have seen recommended on countless blogs by blogHERS that I admire.  I had this book on my Amazon wish list for a long time.  I finally took the plunge and ordered it with some extra Christmas money and I am so very glad that I did.  I had been looking for ways to encourage us in the celebration of Feast days as a family.  I have found that within the pages of this book.  This cookbook gives ideas and receipes for celebrating our faith throughout the Christian year.  I love how she gives background and explanation of Christian tradition and I especially like the fact that you can look up receipes in the back by the food or saint name.  Saves a lot of time!

As for being snowbound........we are finding it strange that we have not received mail for two days and that they are still cancelling public schools around here.  We are "schooling" of course.  In the warmth of our PJ's and hot cocoa.  I guess snow day means something entirely different here in Georgia.

Here are a few pictures of the girl's snow "fun" days.......

Stay warm and cozy.  And please leave a comment if you can.

Just because it snowed.........

They are learning outside today.  Our school room is the front yard and seeing if they can still "scooter" even though the driveway is full of ice and freezing rain.  We got about 2 inches of snow mixed with ice over the weekend and although we tried to do some schoolwork inside today........the out of doors beckoned.  Happy Monday everyone!  - Kat


K-Doodle, C-Sunshine and Lucy venturing out into a little "white stuff".  Lucy didn't want to be out there at all!



Ring, Ring the New Year's Here

We spent New Years eve just the way I like it.  As a family.  We went bowling for two hours.  I did terrible.  Call me the gutter queen.  We had fun though.  Turns out my Mr. Pappa is an excellent bowler.  I am not.  Those 8 pounders are just too heavy!

After bowling we returned home and our girls went into party mode.  While Mr. Pappa and I were outside around the fire pit, the girls decorated the house with handmade banners and decorations, made some hor'derves  (I can't spell this and my spell check doesn't even recognize my bad spelling, so you are gonna have to deal with this one.  Sorry)  and got the Wii Just Dance set up.  We all had to participate.  It was quite hilarious.  I think the girls were shocked that we could move like that!  Heck, we didn't know we could still move like that.  Ha!  It's quite a workout.  We then played Uno for what seemed like hours.  But it was really fun.

This was an "intentional" day.  Living intentionally for 2011.

Although we tried, we did not make it to midnight.  I think it was more like ten"night".  How did you ring in the New Year?  Blessings to you for the new year.