tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48119874105108798932024-03-18T22:01:40.102-07:00Caution: Moms At PlayThis is a blog written by two friends who are a thousand miles apart. We both love to laugh and play. We share a love for Excel, streamlining and scheduling our busy lives, finding the best tool for the job at hand, and our Catholic faith. We have learned a lot through our years as wives, moms, friends and all the other hats that we wear. We hope to share our great ideas, our interesting adventures and our hearts and homes here in our cute little blog - Caution:Moms At Play!Crunchy Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012401898100619667noreply@blogger.comBlogger498125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-1202062949745021792015-05-24T20:53:00.001-07:002015-05-24T20:53:26.977-07:00Homeschool Power TimeI've been following a blog recently called Foreverforalwaysnomatterwhat. I like many of the ideas she posts about and one in particular recently caught my attention enough to pull my blog up after a 4 month hiatus and share the info.<br />
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You should really check it out for yourself (whether you homeschool or not...this is a great idea!)<br />
<a href="http://foreverforalwaysnomatterwhat.com/2015/05/homeschool-power-hour.html" target="_blank">Homeschool Power Hour</a><br />
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In our particular situation I don't expect to get a power hour in every day....I'll be happy with 30 minutes a couple times a week! But it got me thinking about all the little things that I have wanted to do but haven't made a priority. We've had a few challenges (illnesses, hospitalizations, etc. ) thrown our way over the past couple years that have caused me to scale back and really focus on the basics. Well, the basics plus FLL Robotics, but that's another story :)<br />
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For our Homeschool Power Hour I intend to use:<br />
<ul>
<li>Saint of the Day stickers: Either add them to our timeline or put them on the calendar.</li>
<li>Memory verse of the month for our once a month co-op</li>
<li>Mommy It's a Renoir: I've had it for years...</li>
<li>Memorize some poetry: We'll start with something simple and fun and move up from there.</li>
<li>Mad Libs</li>
<li>Geography</li>
<li>Composers: Might be something as simple as pulling out our "Mozart Lives Upstairs", etc. CDs</li>
<li>The list could go on and on....</li>
</ul>
but the point is...I intend to put these things in a basket and pull them out a couple times a week and do what we can. <br />
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It's better than we're doing now.....with all this stuff hiding in the back of our school cabinet!<br />
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I might even start something this summer :)<br />
<br />RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-59957994391088454302014-12-27T19:09:00.003-08:002014-12-27T19:09:56.890-08:00ChristmasAs a family of 10, I'm often asked what we do with the kids for Christmas. Do they give each other gifts, do they draw names, etc. Funny, I remember asking moms of larger families the same questions when we were starting out.<br />
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This Christmas as the kids gave their gifts to each other I was reminded of the reason we chose to have every child get something for every sibling. The 2 oldest have jobs and sometimes pool their money together to buy things for siblings. Some of kids make their gifts or give away some of their old special toys (i.e. this year our 15 yr old split her old Playmobil toys among her 3,6, and 9 year old siblings - they LOVED it!). <br />
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For the kids who aren't old enough to hold a job we "finance" their gift giving at the cost of approximately $2-$3 per person. So, each child gets to spend about $14-$21 combined on their 7 siblings. (My husband and I don't buy stocking stuffers - that's what many of the sibling gifts are).<br />
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Some years I wonder why we bother. It's hard to get them out shopping at a number of stores to get all their gifts, especially when I don't take them all together...and it can be hard to find gifts for only $2-$3 per person. But we make it work. I've asked the older kids for inexpensive ideas and they've come up with things like pens, tape, snacks, etc. The younger ones are easier (dollar store whoopee cushions, matchbox cars, etc.) I also have a box of small gifts that we've accumulated over the years that they can choose from. They really put a lot of effort into choosing the best gift they can for someone. This year was a little extra challenging due to shopping time cut short by sicknesses. But it all worked out.<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">EVERY CHRISTMAS I AM REMINDED WHY WE DO THIS. </span></div>
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When we settled down to open gifts...the kids didn't search out gifts with their names on them. They searched out gifts that they chose for each other. It was beautiful to sit back with my husband and watch the kids excitedly carry their wrapped gifts to the recipient and eagerly watch them open them. Even our 3 year old was excited to carry her gifts to her brothers and sisters and watch them open them (though she did pick out a couple gifts from the grab box to wrap for herself...so I was a little worried she wouldn't understand the giving...but she did!) Only after all of their gifts were exchanged did they start opening presents from us.<br />
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GIVING! Yes, they were very excited to receive. But it was amazingly beautiful (as it is every year) to sit back and watch the kids be so excited about giving! For that reason, we will continue this tradition.RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-57726023977979118302014-11-15T20:59:00.000-08:002014-11-15T21:01:53.533-08:00FamilyFamily is so important. We frequently remind the kids, "Look around, see your siblings? These are the people you will know for the rest of your life. These are the people you will call on in good times and in bad." I have one dear friend I've known since grade school, and a couple others I've met in the last 20 years. But my family will always be there. I only have one sister. And I cannot ever forsee us not talking to each other or being there for each other in times of need.<br />
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My husband and I both have families in which people won't speak to each other. On my side of the family we have a couple instances of relatives that would not speak to each other for over 20 years. Really. 20 years! They were NEVER in the same place at the same time; they avoided each other. Thankfully, both relationships were restored before they died. FAMILY!<br />
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Today we attended the funeral for my 78 year old uncle. He was a really strong tall man, he owned a junkyard most of his life (and yes, that junkyard dog used to terrify me!) But he was one of the most kind and genuine men I've ever met. His smile lit up his face. As I was talking to my aunt today after the funeral she asked if he had ever shared his story of the moon and the cross. [My aunt and I both married Catholics and share the same faith....while many of our relatives do not. I think that's why she wanted to make sure to tell us this story.] He hadn't, so she did. He used to tell her that when someone dies to look up at the moon and you will see a cross behind it. It means that person made it. :) She said that once they saw a huge cross behind a moon; the cross reached all the way down to the horizon. They figured someone very holy had died, maybe a priest of something. Her husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer just 2 months ago and had frequent visits by the priest. The night he died she woke up and saw the moon - with a cross behind it! She went to check on him and saw the pillows on the bed where he lay were glowing. It was beautiful and very comforting! FAMILY!<br />
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My aunt (and dad) have a brother that had distanced himself from the family over 10 years ago. My aunt frequently reached out to him sending him letters, etc. She was so sad that he wouldn't contact her. Well, he and his family came to the funeral. Oh that made her so happy! FAMILY!<br />
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There was another funeral today that we were unable to attend. A relative's husband (on my mom's side) was killed in a hunting accident. There will be struggles. There will be family. I pray that their family holds fast to one another. FAMILY!<br />
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Never underestimate the power of the FAMILY!RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-79923210303490147822014-09-29T11:38:00.001-07:002014-09-29T11:38:41.727-07:00Farmer's Mambo<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHr6tdZi7Po&feature=player_embedded" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHr6tdZi7Po&feature=player_embedded</a>RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-7010755103569926222014-08-13T04:14:00.002-07:002014-08-13T04:14:44.999-07:00Wordless Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-35266742625080051042014-07-30T20:39:00.000-07:002014-07-30T20:39:56.458-07:00Scheduling my interruptions ?Before I quit working almost 20 years ago, I had an interesting boss. I learned a lot from him and some of those things I carried over in my new job as SAHM. But there is one thing I learned from him that I had forgotten....until tonight.<br />
<br />Scheduling interruptions! My job was probably not a whole lot different than most. I had a list of things to accomplish but was constantly bombarded with questions from various people. At first I would set aside what I was working on and answer questions or research it immediately. But when I went to my boss with a question he told me that unless it was urgent, he'd meet with me at 2:00 to discuss it. I remember that well, because in addition to discussing the question I had, he taught me that he scheduled his interruptions....He set aside 1-2 times during the day that he planned on getting back to people with questions....that way he didn't lose the momentum of what he was working on at the time...and, he said, most people really figure it out on their own if given a little time.... (remind you of anyone? all those folks living in your house that are shorter than you?)<br />
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So how does this really work for a SAHM much less a homeschooling mom? Well, we'll find out...because I just remembered this. But, do you ever feel like you have a lot of things to get done but you are so often putting out fires along the way? And by the time you get back to what you were working on....you must move on to something else? I do, especially when it comes time to take care of myself. <br />
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As mom's, most of our interruptions can't be scheduled (diaper change, something spilled, someone is fighting, etc.) but if our day is filled with things to complete, then whatever we were working on often doesn't get done. Or, if it's something that can wait I forget and never get back to the poor child (I'm not talking about a kid sitting on the potty chair here.....I'm talking about a kid wanting access to a computer program to sign up to volunteer!) etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. <br />
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I plan to set aside some time every day as my scheduled interruption time. Whatever it is, I can try to do it then. <br />
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But there's something else that I will use that time for....and it's what got me thinking about it...<br />
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Long story short...my last ditch chance for exercise this evening didn't really work (and didn't work yesterday either....) - those last ditch times rarely work! 10 minutes into the walk I got a phone call that my little one was inconsolable. I turned around and headed home, wondering why I can't seem to get time to exercise?! Now, if I was anywhere near the size I was when I got married I'd say....ah whatever...tomorrow...but maybe that's what got me here. Now...I need to exercise! Why can't I just get 30 minutes in per day!!!! Because SOMETHING very often comes up during my normal exercise time and I don't have a scheduled interruption time. There is no other time to do it! <br />
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So, we'll see how this all pans out...but I think there really is something to this....I certainly helped me in my job! A set time every day when I plan to do NOTHING because SOMETHING will need to be put there.<br />
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...and before you start thinking my dh should not have called me 10 minutes into my walk when my little one is 2 1/2.....it wasn't him....<br />
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<br />RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-21627080332255182572014-07-27T21:40:00.001-07:002014-07-27T21:40:06.362-07:00Dear Mom Letters Flash Give AwayI've been enjoying reading this site for the past couple of months. One word to describe motherhood - beautiful.<br /><br />
<br /><br /><br />
<a href="http://findingjoy.net/dear-mom-letters-flash-give-away/">Dear Mom Letters Flash Give Away</a>RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-48669681527077433172014-06-25T08:49:00.003-07:002014-06-25T08:49:48.726-07:00Wordless Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ITicbmkMDYEwx1XdeHjHzNPGAyUSp6JMnpad6I19a9QiwbedUnUTpm1BVGon3rt1YwLsw4tyJgb3jNYtLLTaUdr_6z60Ojj3baH6AlIesc1IfgeyZ5lA4xySKzMqVpVax2voMu1qsdZ1/s1600/IMG_7710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ITicbmkMDYEwx1XdeHjHzNPGAyUSp6JMnpad6I19a9QiwbedUnUTpm1BVGon3rt1YwLsw4tyJgb3jNYtLLTaUdr_6z60Ojj3baH6AlIesc1IfgeyZ5lA4xySKzMqVpVax2voMu1qsdZ1/s1600/IMG_7710.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggy72PDUxRum1n6BDiZ2MtMCkgZJL-KK8Y7GEkrPEeOldl2A0E1JPXd7rZC-rYEfPVlGl3fRCvWmS4fugqKTOKZ-9wFNmpLC0E7HiNOwMXmaH9lHKUYbPJTU6U361praPgdJ72To78zLez/s1600/IMG_7711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggy72PDUxRum1n6BDiZ2MtMCkgZJL-KK8Y7GEkrPEeOldl2A0E1JPXd7rZC-rYEfPVlGl3fRCvWmS4fugqKTOKZ-9wFNmpLC0E7HiNOwMXmaH9lHKUYbPJTU6U361praPgdJ72To78zLez/s1600/IMG_7711.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-13329319509034182932014-06-04T05:53:00.001-07:002014-06-04T05:53:26.820-07:00Wordless Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyYdHM8JkQBFZFH8GBaJgIizVPVsu16jbsvxcpPfRJ8C-dj6IcZIXSQwZyAwrZZPxp38Gh8kj6TEqGC6-GvG6dgGBxbYgOWmHrb8qPLYKZXAD6m3G-dzo1DyiHEbx7W5bZzeySFjL8z9Yy/s1600/IMG_7645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyYdHM8JkQBFZFH8GBaJgIizVPVsu16jbsvxcpPfRJ8C-dj6IcZIXSQwZyAwrZZPxp38Gh8kj6TEqGC6-GvG6dgGBxbYgOWmHrb8qPLYKZXAD6m3G-dzo1DyiHEbx7W5bZzeySFjL8z9Yy/s1600/IMG_7645.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-38472691825672060092014-05-21T18:03:00.002-07:002014-05-21T18:05:14.795-07:00Wordless Wednesday<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIi9RPCtTTDxXJAKPjzfDSR8jS3A1s6VGy40BHF66NquinxpmVRobcPaqEEKAn8WKLJeRjtc-ULhMMtAsDWBbzwSOouKMi942SpggdxivyBMLm9_1dVm5qt7dwk3gnzRgyw0R5b8-mQ9Ld/s1600/IMG_7615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIi9RPCtTTDxXJAKPjzfDSR8jS3A1s6VGy40BHF66NquinxpmVRobcPaqEEKAn8WKLJeRjtc-ULhMMtAsDWBbzwSOouKMi942SpggdxivyBMLm9_1dVm5qt7dwk3gnzRgyw0R5b8-mQ9Ld/s1600/IMG_7615.JPG" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My husband is in tax accounting; I never knew he had a tacks shelter.</td></tr>
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RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-81359560734996641532014-05-12T21:05:00.001-07:002014-05-12T21:05:10.697-07:00I've heard of homeschool days like todayYesterday we had a nice Mother's Day. We ate dinner very late and I did not make the kids clean up the house before going to bed. AND...I did NOT jump in and do it myself (it was mother's day...) <br />
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This morning we woke up to a mess...there was stuff everywhere. But, I decided we would NOT start school late to clean it up and each child could handle cleaning up their own zone after school. <br />
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It was very humbling/embarrassing when the city inspector came to do the door...to inspect the INSIDE of our house. This is what he walked into during our school hours (and this is what he didn't know). But, maybe he didn't notice the kids; he was probably too busy navigating his way through the house.<br />
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10 yr old on the computer playing a game</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (it was his spelling list on spelling city)</span></div>
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14 yr old on the computer writing a letter to a friend</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (it was an assignment for Greek History on Pericles' Funeral Oration)</span></div>
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9 yr old cleaning her room </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(she was using her time wisely while waiting for help since she'd finished all her solo work)</span></div>
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6 yr old cutting paper on the couch </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(he and I were working on math when the doorbell rang, the assignment had to do with the shapes he was cutting out)</span></div>
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12 yr old cleaning the bsmt </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(he, too, was using his time wisely while waiting for me)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">16 yr old cleaning his room</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(he was cleaning all the schoolbooks off his desk that he is no longer using)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">2 yr old glued to my hip</span></div>
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I don't know what bothered me most: the fact that the house was a mess, the kids didn't "look" like they were doing schoolwork, or that my immaculate kitchen counters weren't noticed because he had to watch where his feet were stepping as he walked through that room.</div>
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<br />RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-35013151849144136082014-05-07T18:11:00.000-07:002014-05-07T18:11:47.104-07:00Wordless Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-19608910437400846302014-05-07T08:29:00.001-07:002014-05-07T15:00:16.940-07:00Grammar Grading made easy <a href="http://1aiway.com/nlp4net/services/enparser/">Automatic Diagramming</a><br />
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A few weeks ago I made some changes to the elementary kids' schoolwork after looking at someone's <u>The Logic of English</u> book. I was close to jumping ship and switching since it seems to combine <br />
subjects so nicely; then I slowed down and realized I could combine the programs we already use.<br />
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They were thrilled when I told them we would be combining spelling, grammar, and handwriting. My 4th and 6th graders know cursive but don't use it unless I force them to.<br />
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They still have their spelling lessons with All About Spelling (and spellingcity.com for review every day) but instead of me dictating sentences to them at the end of each section I am allowing them to copy them.<br />
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I have them write sentences (the number = to the grade level they are in) 3 times per week. If they do them in cursive they can skip their handwriting. (I've discovered this is much better anyway because it's harder to "translate" from print to cursive than it is to copy).<br />
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I also set aside their Winston Grammar workbooks books (which I do love) and have them mark these sentences with the parts of speech learned thus far. (I use the teacher's manual to move forward and teach them something new each week.)<br />
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This is working wonderfully; it's fewer books for them to pull out and finish yet another page, and it's fewer things for me to correct. However, the one major problem with this is that grammar is NOT my strong suit. I am one of those mom's who really does need the answer key (or I ask one of my older kids...thankfully they have learned their grammar despite their mother's faults ;) )<br />
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Then I remembered that someone I knew posted the above link to our homeschool group awhile ago. Excellent!!!RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-48467655397370415012014-04-30T11:14:00.001-07:002014-04-30T11:21:42.281-07:00Wordless Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVKuUh0HG89Zwosor85Mp3CcIXc2ja2pclYF94_uUjnhsvb9jVvpHpJtxg-mO_s3Hy8LXxkLdpCuWPinrlHFXkMU61OfEUBAuL-YPnIB_cBn6s9TToK8fO1jxF926jdwHQCv8D9YUz2oM/s1600/IMG_7574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVKuUh0HG89Zwosor85Mp3CcIXc2ja2pclYF94_uUjnhsvb9jVvpHpJtxg-mO_s3Hy8LXxkLdpCuWPinrlHFXkMU61OfEUBAuL-YPnIB_cBn6s9TToK8fO1jxF926jdwHQCv8D9YUz2oM/s1600/IMG_7574.JPG" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No...this is NOT an overfull pond. It's a farmer's field.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-21278633485111211142014-04-16T09:54:00.000-07:002014-04-16T10:03:31.101-07:00Wordless Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpAGPQtQsD9tbP4gGJUKs6txMA2zs7gxY0diIxeP-uqdnUWp06zJ-rO_LA2sYINCktgzm2v70f4_VZKiSTy952o9hfHWRlkoX7Oop3IXmW5kzhJXBU8FYGgXxFqKbaIVUoFcxMgbbxTJk/s1600/Copy+of+IMG_7483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpAGPQtQsD9tbP4gGJUKs6txMA2zs7gxY0diIxeP-uqdnUWp06zJ-rO_LA2sYINCktgzm2v70f4_VZKiSTy952o9hfHWRlkoX7Oop3IXmW5kzhJXBU8FYGgXxFqKbaIVUoFcxMgbbxTJk/s1600/Copy+of+IMG_7483.JPG" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-8226483795915896282014-04-02T11:40:00.000-07:002014-04-02T11:40:07.006-07:00Wordless Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-57890285325288739282014-03-19T05:50:00.001-07:002014-03-19T05:50:29.783-07:00Wordless Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-46204924809154834542014-03-05T20:56:00.004-08:002014-03-08T14:39:28.686-08:00Making the most of a busy dayWow! Two posts in a week! Is anyone still there?<br />
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<strong>How OUR busy science day mornings became less stressful and more productive.</strong></div>
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My son serves at early morning Mass and we host science classes all afternoon....on the same day. This has been going on for years and I have to admit, it's been a wee bit challenging (though not challenging enough to outweigh the benefits we receive from either of those!)</div>
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For years I tried to squeeze in reading lessons, math lessons, you know, all those things we want to do every single day. Also add in work with the high school kids, since they are pretty much gone at co-op the following day. Problem is, it usually didn't work. Add in the fact that it would be nice if our kitchen were somewhat clean when families start arriving shortly after lunch, and it would be nice if dinner were prepped since my toddler is often glued to me while people are here (and I admit, I just like to visit with my friends too!)</div>
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Now our busy science day looks more like this:</div>
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Prayer time (unless we all make it to Mass with my son....we're working on getting there again).</div>
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Spanish Jeopardy</div>
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Reading Eggs for my 2 youngest readers</div>
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Math games for the elementary kids while I help the older kids</div>
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Frozen pizza's for lunch (little prep - little clean up!)</div>
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Quick rest time for the kids while I prep dinner.</div>
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People start arriving for science and art classes (neither of which I teach!)</div>
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So, yes, once a week our morning elementary classes consist of games. But it's amazing how helpful it's been both in time for me and for learning for them. It's also amazing the change it's made in our routine once a week. </div>
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<strong>Spanish Jeopardy:</strong></div>
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I started the 6th, 4th, 3rd, and K on Spanish second semester using Powerglide. I love the program and it worked well years ago with my oldest kids and the neighbors who used to join us. Once a week we play Spanish Jeopardy. We have pieces of paper with Spanish words (and the English answer) placed face down under columns of 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 points. The kids have divided themselves up in teams I have found them studying together to beat the other team! It's a lot more fun to review vocabulary this way, and it also gives me an easy method of knowing when they are ready to move on or continue working with our current words a little longer.</div>
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<strong>Math Games:</strong></div>
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I currently have the K and 3rd grader working on skip counting memory. They each have a set of multiples to work with. Last week the K worked on 5's and the 3rd grader worked on 3's. So all the cards (5,10,15,...50 and 3,6,9,...30) are placed face down together and they need to collect their own set in order.</div>
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My 4th and 6th graders are also playing memory but they are matching fractions to percents. They have the percent cards face down on one side and the fraction cards face down on the other side and draw two at a time hoping for a matched set. This is a bit more challenging in that they have such fractions as 7/8 in the pile along with the standard 1/4, 2/3, etc.</div>
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Someone just gave us the game <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Equate-The-Equation-Thinking-Game/dp/B00004U1RA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394080701&sr=8-1&keywords=math+scrabble" target="_blank">Equate</a> and they pulled it out today. That will be another option for all to play together.</div>
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<strong>Reading Eggs:</strong></div>
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It's not free but it's worth the money (in my opinion). I first started using this to keep my early readers reading something in the few weeks after our 8th was born. The kids move through activities at various map levels. The thing I like most about it is that they can't continue until they pass the activity. Instead they have to repeat until they know the material (the knowledge level is assessed both through correct answers and time it takes to get the correct answers). I also get progress reports. The kids love the activities and they also earn points "eggs" which they can use to purchase game time. My K would play this for hours at a time if I would only let him....</div>
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Interesting side note: It was the reading games that made me question one of our children's vision. She knew the material but could never pass a certain game in which she had to click on the correct word (written on a fish) as it moved from the right to the left of the screen. Turns out her vision in her right eye was so bad she needed glasses just to see the big E on the chart! (Her vision is improving...and don't even get me started on how unhappy we were to find this out when she was 7 after years of passing her vision test at the pediatrician with flying colors. They have since changed their method for vision screenings and instead of covering one eye with the "spoon" they put an eye patch it. - no chance of peeking)</div>
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All this gives me some time to help my older kids with anything they need to finish up before co-op the next day. </div>
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RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-35618447525231421432014-03-02T15:00:00.001-08:002014-03-02T15:03:49.556-08:00Beginning Again. Again.After first quarter I always take some time to assess how things are going. Are we moving at an appropriate pace? Is there anyone getting lost in the shuffle? Should anyone be doing more? Etc. It seems this year that we barely got through first quarter and life got a little complicated. Quarter 2 took a long time. In addition to Thanksgiving, Christmas, a child just not feeling well and needing extra mommy time and doctor visits, and then ending up hospitalized for over a week....well let's just say that we are happy to start second semester with a more normalized routine. OK, as normal as we can get when you throw in toddler ear infections, taxes, etc. You know. Life :)<br />
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Anyway, I was still struggling with how to make it all work as we made our way through second quarter with kids in 10th, 9th, 6th, 4th, 3rd, K, a toddler, and college student coming and going. I asked a good friend of mine who has 4 kids. Because really, regardless of the number of kids we have we all struggle to schedule everything in. Her first sentence was something like, "First I fit them into my schedule." What?! Why had I never thought of that before? Every year I would make up their schedules and try to tri-locate. It never worked. For the last couple weeks I have been creating their individual schedules and one for me at the same time. [I usually try something for more than a "few" weeks before telling people how great it works...but this is really something!]<br />
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The first week I saw my problem right away. 4 math lessons, 4 spelling lessons, 4 grammar lessons, 4 reading lessons, 3 writing lessons, religion class, vocab. Those were just the elementary kids (and yes, they do more than that. That's just on their mom time list.) THAT was Monday. I still had to work with my high schoolers to discuss the upcoming plan for the week and their expectations (they have lists too, but due to the nature of their work it works best to spend some time discussing things up front - and fortunately they are both doing the same work for their Greek Studies classes).<br />
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I realized I was trying to do everything and not doing anything well. It takes a little more prep time, but I spent some time looking at their assignments quickly. 6th grader: If I spend 45 minutes with him what can we accomplish. M's math was a brand new concept and I expected it to be challenging. A writing lesson was important to keep on track for the week. But the grammar and spelling lessons could wait until the next day when his math was more of a review page. Continue to the next child.<br />
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Put it all together and what does the day/week look like for me? Remind myself that my high schoolers take more time on M and F. Is this doable? What else should I move? I also highlight everything on MY list that requires prep. I don't get everything done on the weekend (photocopies, etc.) but I can have one of the kids copy Spanish pages during a break if I have it written down.<br />
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My high school students (enrolled with STAA) are currently studying the Greek Lit (Iliad), Greek History (Heroditus: Histories), Old Testament, and Essay Writing (which is usually related to Lit, History, or O.T.) A lot of their work is discussion or written work. In other words....I need to have at least an understanding of the material they are covering. Instead of running to grab their books to see how many chapters I had to read of the Iliad before our discussion in the morning (not fun!), I added that to the bottom of my list as well.<br />
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I am praying for a more peaceful school routine, and I think we finally hit on something effective here. Still need to work in some fun stuff for our 2 year old because that's just the kind of gal she is :) Give me something NEW to do!<br />
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Praying for a peaceful rest of the school year for you too.<br />
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Next post....how our chaotic/stressful T mornings have become opportunities for fun AND learning!RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-78738421785616262682013-12-06T22:07:00.000-08:002013-12-06T22:07:31.650-08:00Feast of St. NicholasThis morning started with me jumping out of bed and hour later than usual...the boots...the boots...I must check to make sure St. Nicholas filled didn't forget out house this year! (our kids put boots out - maybe they want more stuff - maybe it's simply cold and the shoes are put away). While outside, the door opened and our 8 year old asked what I was doing. ahhhhh just checking to make sure there weren't any gifts left that needed to be taken in out of the cold (I think it was -6 F here this morning). That seemed to suffice, and she suggested we take everyone's in.<br />
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Two years ago my husband and I had a 3 day stay at the hospital with our 5 day old baby. We were gone on Dec. 6. The kids were disappointed when they realized St. Nicholas missed us. Thankfully, our oldest (17 then) explained that since we just moved, he didn't have our new address. Whew! That took care of it. And when we brought 1 week old Abigail home with us to stay on Dec. 8 - the missed gifts were forgotten. They were smitten with their sister and happy to have life back to "normal."<br />
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RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-62197700568659938592013-11-19T05:20:00.000-08:002013-11-20T07:13:24.092-08:00Playmobil Greek History - Trojan WarYears ago, our older kids re-enacted The Civil War with Playmobil characters. It was a hit. We've been studying Greek History this year and the middle kids have been asking to do the same. It was well worth the time. The discussions that ensued showed me that they really did learn by playing.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paris took Helen</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paris took Helen to Troy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmlCz0P-kUdA20GGmGAyiIVC7W5i3Z5eMvbyfiBhkOPCpRk0o-hp5yjCuMxN1PomTwHt68_3eWKdDd5S9mUGA6_7Yav753e1eOG_APOYDYkptptMfaoE9zguz84FwQe6aBVWyKksZkO6-v/s1600/IMG_7058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmlCz0P-kUdA20GGmGAyiIVC7W5i3Z5eMvbyfiBhkOPCpRk0o-hp5yjCuMxN1PomTwHt68_3eWKdDd5S9mUGA6_7Yav753e1eOG_APOYDYkptptMfaoE9zguz84FwQe6aBVWyKksZkO6-v/s320/IMG_7058.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before Helen became King Menelaus's wife - the kings had vowed to help get Helen back should she ever be taken from whoever married her. So he called all the kings together to help him to get her back. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHW5oy04sJ4_YM6GlOk99LSGvrF1naHeW3iZqEUyndB_tDx7xHItNKED5-uTStlIoB44zw9b1n3ucKxdqh56befKHNMrxz9gKx8zAqOQoXOdVnALklecTLtzk6D9mFJHIeGwAGFkgu89h/s1600/IMG_7059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHW5oy04sJ4_YM6GlOk99LSGvrF1naHeW3iZqEUyndB_tDx7xHItNKED5-uTStlIoB44zw9b1n3ucKxdqh56befKHNMrxz9gKx8zAqOQoXOdVnALklecTLtzk6D9mFJHIeGwAGFkgu89h/s320/IMG_7059.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Odysseus didn't want to join the Trojan war because he was told that if he did he wouldn't return home for 20 years. So he pretended to be crazy and plowed the beach and planted salt. Someone put his son in front of the plow to test him, and since he avoided running over his son, they knew he wasn't crazy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnK_SnwZUjyHFkJ4uN3dgzkdYeHmlAhda59aFv0-6TikSAz6f4IbaItu6cPzMZwzdwca78dLZJN-pYNr2h4WpnZ505-EAfrSZRetVvTk6zKWaj5kO2if8A1hqGfTdusoWP2-xraorCmpd3/s1600/IMG_7060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnK_SnwZUjyHFkJ4uN3dgzkdYeHmlAhda59aFv0-6TikSAz6f4IbaItu6cPzMZwzdwca78dLZJN-pYNr2h4WpnZ505-EAfrSZRetVvTk6zKWaj5kO2if8A1hqGfTdusoWP2-xraorCmpd3/s320/IMG_7060.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Achilles's mother, Thetis, sent him to an island and dressed him as a girl. She believed that if he fought in the Trojan War that he would die.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2p4vAKydRE3EIlKV7kfYAf-lFKxp5WsddxpuZpOz_3-PYViCo29FYLpMT4nCXGk27Na7-Kk7gc5A9HfpOMGpzrAGh9DW69Mo3gemksVrRzQ8zuizSbzfP1N6Fq1LF_9UYxlIK_o0vJm1D/s1600/IMG_7061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2p4vAKydRE3EIlKV7kfYAf-lFKxp5WsddxpuZpOz_3-PYViCo29FYLpMT4nCXGk27Na7-Kk7gc5A9HfpOMGpzrAGh9DW69Mo3gemksVrRzQ8zuizSbzfP1N6Fq1LF_9UYxlIK_o0vJm1D/s320/IMG_7061.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Odysseus discovered that he wasn't a girl when a strong wind blew in and all the "other" girls ran. Achilles took up arms.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNXBYepkPhzzM-aAJf8NDB3tHgz1a6ihyphenhyphen65AfQvmCjmAb_zHCIQ6rn5pmaU4LwrHvNZVyLj-Jai7NRPqhyphenhyphenMHfSj351o-NXCysxvCP3ZjzVqhxiKg_a5eV0FgsDnRdFal82iKlTFcYEixS5/s1600/IMG_7062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNXBYepkPhzzM-aAJf8NDB3tHgz1a6ihyphenhyphen65AfQvmCjmAb_zHCIQ6rn5pmaU4LwrHvNZVyLj-Jai7NRPqhyphenhyphenMHfSj351o-NXCysxvCP3ZjzVqhxiKg_a5eV0FgsDnRdFal82iKlTFcYEixS5/s320/IMG_7062.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Odysseus and Achilles joined the fight with Troy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgodlYCZOjOKymvSCweeuZ7a06ZlaKoiqYlAo_mhePhoanGtryEBSlf-SRNKoE7TqoCQZzoj7dB6qMmcp5v8jigb57T0wmCC7MianOcC3P2Ah8d7g85yg_0_Uk0fP1dtSnymsN8HRjCevye/s1600/IMG_7063+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgodlYCZOjOKymvSCweeuZ7a06ZlaKoiqYlAo_mhePhoanGtryEBSlf-SRNKoE7TqoCQZzoj7dB6qMmcp5v8jigb57T0wmCC7MianOcC3P2Ah8d7g85yg_0_Uk0fP1dtSnymsN8HRjCevye/s320/IMG_7063+-+Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Trojans saw them coming.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGIsswbV6C4BHbEztUWrJ7TmVwvnNaFbpvpDTaBKTyRr2J3Mnb_Uly03crE702uyKV02KmewhB_11LvuNt1I2BT_r2lX-9J60CeSmeil4EpKj7i5eeBNBLgWMOh8eH1Aa3AQOgxn3IVDv/s1600/IMG_7066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGIsswbV6C4BHbEztUWrJ7TmVwvnNaFbpvpDTaBKTyRr2J3Mnb_Uly03crE702uyKV02KmewhB_11LvuNt1I2BT_r2lX-9J60CeSmeil4EpKj7i5eeBNBLgWMOh8eH1Aa3AQOgxn3IVDv/s320/IMG_7066.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Achilles mourning the death of his friend Patroclus (who was killed by Apollo)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfn_PcTfuZLTlNnNhyrtUb1dVDHN6ZZ5ul8z7UxlKd5FwBetLLHEglHM_9wFk2dxKdZaywz_0IeccfLuht79liEx1SJNxSZjViU_Uwx4fRpYKaTcFV2SWMBuFSsQGIdLDoZbJ2WAY8n7N/s1600/IMG_7067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfn_PcTfuZLTlNnNhyrtUb1dVDHN6ZZ5ul8z7UxlKd5FwBetLLHEglHM_9wFk2dxKdZaywz_0IeccfLuht79liEx1SJNxSZjViU_Uwx4fRpYKaTcFV2SWMBuFSsQGIdLDoZbJ2WAY8n7N/s320/IMG_7067.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Achilles avenged Patroclus's death and killed Paris's brother, Hector.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDExxkxqoN-cmEZt_9YLh18s-RISyV0jHenrcBbpmzuou04g6HZa9UL7EM95IHCYWgPb6qZnugKomiVddM2JlvtBMaGD8v8rYlbA80hbb02EJZxtA252OsTy6T3qHKpW4FHojnaBmhjH0/s1600/IMG_7068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDExxkxqoN-cmEZt_9YLh18s-RISyV0jHenrcBbpmzuou04g6HZa9UL7EM95IHCYWgPb6qZnugKomiVddM2JlvtBMaGD8v8rYlbA80hbb02EJZxtA252OsTy6T3qHKpW4FHojnaBmhjH0/s320/IMG_7068.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paris mourned the death of Hector.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmYAPyChL_y8cw9g5-6ThIMtAHUUdT9kJXTG391fAy9DdUxgx_9RqJ-T_LqI-L-vBniw-SpqKxcoTYyldw-Mc-8uimtW_ixLd5Q5wk8NkKg3ITYXRNK0lB2B42kW1OSuPfM9-6CEO0V_n/s1600/IMG_7070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmYAPyChL_y8cw9g5-6ThIMtAHUUdT9kJXTG391fAy9DdUxgx_9RqJ-T_LqI-L-vBniw-SpqKxcoTYyldw-Mc-8uimtW_ixLd5Q5wk8NkKg3ITYXRNK0lB2B42kW1OSuPfM9-6CEO0V_n/s320/IMG_7070.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paris then avenged Hector's death by killing Archilles. He found the only spot he was vulnerable, his heel. (When Achilles was a baby, immortal Thetis dipped her son into the River Styx to make him immortal also, she held him by his heel, so that is the only part that didn't touch the water...and that was the only part that was vulnerable.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6GsgPxfJAa7yTWOB_3C-bJugBxS4hZueCugM_XOa7_lkfHkULwAS9Ze6p1y2lMzucB9MeFKuFwY1dfckpab0vvvzg-R-otH6YXsK4bsuSF4N5WlZN4wnHe5UVeJvLj0daGQUvMNXboxk/s1600/IMG_7073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6GsgPxfJAa7yTWOB_3C-bJugBxS4hZueCugM_XOa7_lkfHkULwAS9Ze6p1y2lMzucB9MeFKuFwY1dfckpab0vvvzg-R-otH6YXsK4bsuSF4N5WlZN4wnHe5UVeJvLj0daGQUvMNXboxk/s320/IMG_7073.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Queen of Troy and Helen watched from a safe distance</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RSyzJexnQOY4pzjEMtAuiTMtPDKvMHtj4rxx2UD8A1LBvDeAWDZ8HgPzimOscKeFWuOicXe7eHYKVYttK9CV0Ajkq0iWN_0awUgCKH0mS9hAZaa8mHi-9YX0YeGUUf0xJoclaTlpbuj-/s1600/IMG_7074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RSyzJexnQOY4pzjEMtAuiTMtPDKvMHtj4rxx2UD8A1LBvDeAWDZ8HgPzimOscKeFWuOicXe7eHYKVYttK9CV0Ajkq0iWN_0awUgCKH0mS9hAZaa8mHi-9YX0YeGUUf0xJoclaTlpbuj-/s320/IMG_7074.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Greeks built the Trojan horse, and secretly had some men climb inside.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25GQLNTP3s8-Z8mtHSkExVicOx1ZZoNgn3xJYdvuxY2en7yghjHnjZde9xOss2qx-ZH7YVkjYjptl3jb8nXZIMgmCXIh-L5skLH8yk4aw07xoWvKkaS8Bi01UAhs32Ryu0SLr1S0960IC/s1600/IMG_7076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25GQLNTP3s8-Z8mtHSkExVicOx1ZZoNgn3xJYdvuxY2en7yghjHnjZde9xOss2qx-ZH7YVkjYjptl3jb8nXZIMgmCXIh-L5skLH8yk4aw07xoWvKkaS8Bi01UAhs32Ryu0SLr1S0960IC/s320/IMG_7076.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then they pretended to sail away - as if they were giving up. But they weren't, they were hiding on the other side of an island, out of sight.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QXTBv7rGp48O08EiOM9soyJBj1F7GV9tyVyga5o2_8WdiYb4GtR2sx2rU2-tZ3ib68ZMpH-9eoTna1HPNvIZ83As1i6znoerPqY3ROQxhahskDs256glSVmBJ_amU3vaNJsmLyXvA6FN/s1600/IMG_7077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QXTBv7rGp48O08EiOM9soyJBj1F7GV9tyVyga5o2_8WdiYb4GtR2sx2rU2-tZ3ib68ZMpH-9eoTna1HPNvIZ83As1i6znoerPqY3ROQxhahskDs256glSVmBJ_amU3vaNJsmLyXvA6FN/s320/IMG_7077.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Trojans were told the horse was a gift and they pushed and pulled it inside the city gates.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL032TvLi8j6bI3rM_TmhMYv4Wzb8qid_iqOrEHrWjdE2QRPTOPrUZHQboKpUa2Npc5TwHQsTqxfUGOtcfyR3vFMknwqkVTJxxcueFHBd-uX1-XqxlGy7ZwzhePQsJ2fXzSdf_Fs4jSnAW/s1600/IMG_7079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL032TvLi8j6bI3rM_TmhMYv4Wzb8qid_iqOrEHrWjdE2QRPTOPrUZHQboKpUa2Npc5TwHQsTqxfUGOtcfyR3vFMknwqkVTJxxcueFHBd-uX1-XqxlGy7ZwzhePQsJ2fXzSdf_Fs4jSnAW/s320/IMG_7079.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Trojans celebrated that night with strong drinks. And while they were sleeping the Greeks climbed out of the horse and opened the gates. Those on the ship had sailed back and helped in the fight inside the city walls.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King Menelaus and Helen left.</td></tr>
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<br />RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-60855047073748393942013-11-16T16:33:00.001-08:002013-11-16T16:33:35.358-08:00The Rightstart LightbulbI used to use <a href="http://www.rightstartmath.com/" target="_blank">Righstart</a> Math but stopped years ago...mainly because it takes more teacher time than most other programs I've seen, and I was also teaching a number of kids how to read.<br />
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But this is a program I refused to get rid of. It's that good. Even though I didn't know if I would ever use it again, I kept it. I kept them all!<br />
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I pulled out one of the early levels of Righstart at the beginning of the year for my 3rd grader who finds math frustrating. It's finally making sense!!!<br />
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I pulled Level E out this week for my 4th grader. He's fairly intuitive when it comes to math. But give him 20 minutes of problems and it might take him an hour. He's bored. It was torture. I couldn't really skip ahead any farther than he already is, he doesn't yet know the material. He was a little uncertain as to whether or not I was making a good decision here....I don't normally switch gears mid year. But I am so glad I did! He is loving it! He is doing extra work in his spare time for fun! It does help that the book starts with Magic Squares. He was particularly impressed that there is a painting by <a href="http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=durer+1514&id=9010BBB4CCDE3860BC9ABE8418D9EA0D356270C7&FORM=IQFRBA&adlt=strict#view=detail&id=9010BBB4CCDE3860BC9ABE8418D9EA0D356270C7&selectedIndex=0" target="_blank">Durer from 1514</a> with a 4X4 Magic Square. He is excited again about math. And that makes the extra teaching time worth it!!!<br />
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RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-77027934692418401612013-11-10T22:23:00.002-08:002013-11-10T22:23:41.109-08:00A taste of winterWe've had a small taste of winter here.....just enough to remind us to get the yard work done NOW. The snow has melted, the garden has been "flattened", the compost piles moved around, miscellaneous outside items have been washed. This week we still need to empty the hoses, store the wrought iron outdoor furniture, and get our chicken tractor ready....Thanks to last week's snow....we won't put it off any longer.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LP9qloKuIHpiVeM2P182NtEyCKmsE-u1nHEsJu8e-aGEqdixNCCYeAM7KDfJFzwpB2tCO98CM-DQnIwBpRaRStazC6AbqxtJgaa5nahj_bPtloyvMcTry9rE_UaygiJfjGkM-29K4iL0/s1600/IMG_6990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LP9qloKuIHpiVeM2P182NtEyCKmsE-u1nHEsJu8e-aGEqdixNCCYeAM7KDfJFzwpB2tCO98CM-DQnIwBpRaRStazC6AbqxtJgaa5nahj_bPtloyvMcTry9rE_UaygiJfjGkM-29K4iL0/s400/IMG_6990.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our chicken tractor has not yet been moved to it's winter location.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite place to sit outside - need to get our bench, and more, out of the elements.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlw893scM_sj92QLpuySGwwkUFlkk43byAdUTrlE3bWHvuk6YcB6JSEasMRhUX0eCF9KxBumm6p6iiGUqbYEI5ZQpf8c6Alo4k4koRG99xupMQeG8AXmCvOT4-95SfbUXrfbgkWJx1OmSL/s1600/IMG_6995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlw893scM_sj92QLpuySGwwkUFlkk43byAdUTrlE3bWHvuk6YcB6JSEasMRhUX0eCF9KxBumm6p6iiGUqbYEI5ZQpf8c6Alo4k4koRG99xupMQeG8AXmCvOT4-95SfbUXrfbgkWJx1OmSL/s400/IMG_6995.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have a hill right next to our house. We actually didn't have enough snow to sled on, the kids hauled some from the driveway and pulled some off the roof.</td></tr>
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<br />RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-79334696083647546282013-11-03T19:46:00.001-08:002013-11-03T19:46:27.479-08:00Quarter 1 Reflection: After my "MEA" breakSo my planned MEA break to reassess our school plans didn't go as planned. But then, I should have realized that. One of the challenges we have been having this year is that things too often don't go as planned. Why should my break week be any different?<br />
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Well, we've had a bountiful crop of apples this year. It would be such a shame to let those go to waste. We've given many apples away, but we also had 48 canning jars sitting in the kitchen waiting to be used for applesauce. The "plan" was for the high school kids to continue working while the elementary age kids and I took a break from schoolwork. They would do a lot of the canning, I would do a lot of the planning. The kids are great, I could not have gotten that much done without them. But they could not have gotten that much done without me either. At first my planning to a backseat to canning and my thoughts turned to anger. Seriously....how am I supposed to get anything done! But now I think it was providence. <br />
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I am a scheduler. I like to move things around and make everything fit into our nice tidy little day. I use the ideas from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Managers-their-homes-scheduling-homeschool/dp/0966910745/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383535008&sr=8-1&keywords=managers+of+their+homes" target="_blank">Managers of their Homes</a> but do it all in my spreadsheets instead. I've done it this way for years. I did get some time on Monday to work through things and decided we would have to start 90 minutes earlier and reshuffle a lot of things to get everything done. Yeah....until I can find a way to get my K and 3rd grader to bed 90 minutes earlier....I don't think that's a smart plan. Instead, while canning applesauce, I mulled it all over, and talked with a few friends, and did a lot more mulling it over.<br />
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I redid the kids' schedules and told them all that I was going to try something brand new and we would do it for TWO weeks even if we didn't like it...because ONE week might not be enough time to really check it out. You would think after homeschooling for 15 years that I would have seen the beauty in this....instead if always made me run. I stuck with my old color scheme on their schedules (black - do it alone, red - do it with Mom, blue - do it as a family). And this time I put the black items on top of the list....so they didn't seem like an after thought that I wasn't really all that concerned about. Now, in the morning everyone starts their solo work while I work with my Kindergartner. When he's done he gets to play with his 23 mo old sister and I move on to work with the 3rd grader. I just keep moving up the line. If they get done with their solo work early they are to do their chores or ask me what they can help with - it's not play time yet. (This has kept everyone on track - anyone else have the problem of going off somewhere quiet to give a reading lesson only to find out one older child (correctly) went to help the little ones with something and the next thing you know everyone is playing with the little ones???) This has also helped with timing. If I get pulled away because Abigail just needs her mamma, or someone gets hurt, etc. that isn't "infringing" on someone's time. My kids get frustrated (and rightly so) when I have to step away from my 20 minute reading time with them or something to go attend to something else. Hmmm...do I come back to them and push everyone else back, do we push back lunch, etc. (wouldn't be so bad if this just happened once a day ;) ) But now they know I will help them next. If I get interrupted by something else, they know I am coming back and will help them when I am done.<br />
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No, this isn't perfect. I do need to somehow squeeze my 10th grader into the mornings since he's usually gone for a few hours most afternoons. My 6th grader has needed to be flexible because sometimes he gets helped before lunch and sometimes after. My 9th grader has the afternoon naptime slot with fewer interruptions - which is really ideal for her, but she's gone 2 days a week at that time. The 3 younger students always get done in the morning. Monday afternoon is history, Tuesday afternoon is science, Wed afternoon is writing instruction, Thurs is temporarily busy with Lego League, and Friday afternoon is dedicated to time with the high schoolers. Religion is floating at this point - but will settle into Thurs. <br />
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So, my break started out looking bleak and frustrating.....my break was supposed to be time for me to reassess! The apple canning turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I didn't have time to write, but I had time to think.<br />
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Hope this works out.RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4811987410510879893.post-66978166452927127142013-10-18T21:39:00.003-07:002013-10-18T21:39:54.190-07:00A Homeschoolers MEA[When Terese found out I was taking some time to reassess some thing and take a breather she suggested that homeschool moms should always take a break on MEA...Seems that's about the usual time to need that first break. She also pointed out that we should get together with other homeschool moms at this time....and that would help the kids too. Wise girl :) ]<br />
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I's that time of year again, I should just schedule this in to our school year. Time to take a little break. We've lived with our schedule for 7-8 weeks now and we need to make some changes. Quick modifications are easy to make. But when you have a lot of quick modifications, as well as some not so quick ones....I find it's better to step back, take a break and a breath, then proceed. <br />
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It's often best NOT to forge ahead and continually fix the glitches...sometimes it's best to stop and pray about/analyze the glitches you already have and the ones that you can now forsee with your new knowledge (very timely...don't you think? Do you think anyone in politics reads my blog? Nope, I highly doubt it).<br />
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Back to school:<br />
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I'm finding that my high school kids need more help with math than I planned for. They are in co-op classes to save me some time. But since I am able to do the math, and have been called on for help nearly every day, this may or may not be the best route for us.<br />
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I'm also finding that I need to keep up on the readings with my highschoolers. (Last year was American History.....something I am much more familiar with). Greek History is not something I am all that familiar with (my oldest took a guided online class). That means reading about 50 pages per week....or better yet for me....listening to it. I might just see if I can squeak a Kindle in the budget so I could do either at any time (dropping a math class would pay for that!) My other option is enlisting the help of my oldest since it's a time period she loves and is very familiar with. But, for numerous reasons that might NOT be the best option.<br />
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My 6th grader will be starting Saxon math next week. I really do have a love/hate relationship with Saxon. But, I think it will be a good fit for this particular child. But that will require some time on my part, at least at first.<br />
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We need to find a better time of day for Spelling - right now it's just before recess. I thought that would be great, they can rotate through with me and do their afternoon chores when they aren't working on their spelling and then all head outside for recess. That worked until our youngest decided that's the time of day she needs mommy the most. All About Spelling appears to be doing wonders! But it takes time. And for many reasons I know that using this and taking the time is the best route for us to go.<br />
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I need to do a better job enlisting the help of TA's on a regular basis. There is no reason that my other kids can't sit down with my K and help him with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons (though I would still want to teach him his lesson at least once a week to make sure he is learning it well and doesn't need to slow down or add some review). I keep reminding my kids that if I am not available, usually any older sibling who is available could answer their question. (See the post below about our long division solution). But reminding takes time, I need to work that into their plan, maybe set two kids next to each other to work on math and instruct the younger one to ask the older one for help if needed.<br />
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Our 3rd grader is working on strengthening very poor vision in one eye. We need to dilate her good eye every other day to make it blurry and force the other eye to work. We've had to shift her reading lesson to first thing before I get those drops in.<br />
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Our toddler needs some planned activities. She is no longer content to play quietly near us (no....I didn't expect that to last!) Rotating toys has helped...but she likes different things to do and different people to play with. She has already picked out 14 year old Terese to color with. She goes to Terese's room, climbs on her bed next to the desk, and colors pictures while Terese reads her Biology or whatever else she is doing out loud to her. She goes to 16 year old Nathan for music. I have a list of <a href="http://mothersruleoflife.com/free/ActivitiesforLittleones.pdf" target="_blank">Activities for Little Ones</a> and plan to have someone scheduled to play with her and use some of these ideas when I am not playing with her.<br />
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Also, if I schedule someone to play with her - things will be less chaotic...No more yelling, "I need a break! I'll play with Abigail!"<br />
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I also need time when I am NOT available to help with schoolwork. When I can just sit down and play or talk. I need time to visit my elliptical downstairs on a more regular basis. <br />
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So, next week will be a light week. Maybe some enjoyable classes as well as some basics that I want to make a few changes to.<br />
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RealMom4Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130747268390298354noreply@blogger.com1