April 8th - Homeschool Mother's Journal

In my life this week...
As I type, I'm sitting in a swanky (well, swanky to ME) hotel with a fellow homeschooling mom and we're chillin'. We're picking out the classes we want to attend at the homeschool conference that begins  this morning. Do I want to learn more about Charlotte Mason, the different writing programs I could use, WHY we homeschool, learning styles, raising digital natives, or my personal favorite 'How highly distractable moms have a real and God-given edge over the naturally organized mom.' Do you think that last class is tailor made for me or what?! lol

In our homeschool this week...

Let's be honest. This was a throw away week as far as planned, sit down, get er' done type of schooling. This was garden week. A gardening post is in the works for next week but I will tell you that hubby got our new raised beds built. The huge dirt load came on Tuesday, so you can imagine what the little one, I and our trusty wheel barrow were doing most the day. Plus I paid the teen's boyfriend to do most the dirt and the little one, grandma and I spent the day cleaning the yard of its winter sleep. Wednesday was spent all day planting seeds, in the beds and in pots for those vegetables that need to wait until after the last frost. Thursday was a clean up day, some Latin and lots of reading. With me at conference the end of this week, the little one has a relaxed schedule of reading, Latin and art today.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...
Next week is going to be interesting for us. I have the opportunity to run off on vacation with my mom and a friend so the little one will be homeschooling with another family. I'm wondering how well that will work with our relaxed style of schooling and their 'follow the list, get it all done' type. It will be interesting to see what gets done. 

My favorite thing this week was... 

Seeing all the baby seeds going into the gardening and dreaming of  a full blooming garden. The little one can't wait for her rainbow carrots to bloom! And this year we're trying peanuts. Crossing fingers they actually grow.

What's working/not working for us...
Time is not on our side. So much is going on that the school slacked this week. The attitude is still needing work but we're praying about it.


Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...
I'm at conference this weekend. If you could go or are going, what would you be interested in looking at? What curriculum do you want to see with your own eyes? I'm going to be looking at writing curriculums as well as maybe a grammar. Those are high on my list. 

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...

I was thinking last night, 'why do I really need to go to this conference? I've homeschooled for 10 years, what do I plan to gain from it?' But then I thought, 'I can always benefit from learning something new.' Here's a few favorite learning quotes: 

Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study.  Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life.  ~Henry L. Doherty
I am learning all the time.  The tombstone will be my diploma.  ~Eartha Kitt

Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned.  ~Mark Twain

You learn something every day if you pay attention.  ~Ray LeBlond

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.  ~Chinese Proverb

All the world is a laboratory to the inquiring mind.  ~Martin H. Fischer

Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will.  ~Vernon Howard    

April 1st - Homeschool Mother's Journal

It's wrap up time for this week's Mother's Homeschool Journal. 

In my life this week...
I'm getting excited for the homeschool conference that commences next Thursday. It has been a week of researching the different things I want to look at during the curriculum fair. 

Our conference is only about 25 minutes away but I'm staying in a hotel, just for a little get away. This year I invited another homeschooling friend to stay with me. Two mothers with no children, no responsibilities, no dinners to cook, no nothing. But seeing as we're working hard to plan next year's homeschooling for our broods, its a small well deserved break from the norm. Don't you think?!

In our homeschool this week...
It's hard to explain my feelings about our homeschooling this week. I'm feeling... energized, on track. Usually by April we're so done with school. We don't want to look at another book, another video, another anything. 

I really think the change in plan this year has made all the difference. Knowing that we have eventual burnout after February, I planned lots of time off. We work hard Monday through Thursday so we can have Fridays off. Still, on those days the little one reads a lot and we usually have a day out with grandma which includes the farmer's market, baking, game playing, antique shopping (lots of history discussions going on there, ) and occasional visits to the museum and such. 

We also have been doing school for 6 weeks and then taking a week off (you can see the schedule I made up here.) This has worked wonders for us! Love it. I will continue it next year. 

Places we're going and people we're seeing...
Today, Friday was our day off school. Hubby ended up back at home by 830 am saying the little company he works for had closed down due to most of the people being sick. So that's the nice thing about working for a small company. A bonus was that the teen did not have work. So we had a lovely day of being together, one we haven't had in a long time. We went to Lowes, bought wood for 4 more raised beds, stuffed a wheelbarrow in our car, cut wood and managed to put together 2 of the beds so far. The kids went to the park, walked to McD's for ice cream and hubby and I spent some quality time together outdoors. It was one of the best days in a long time.

My favorite thing this week was...
Listening to the little one practice memorizing Romans 12. She says it like she is a southern bible thumpin' preacher with vim and vigor (this is how hubby memorized it years ago and we find it so funny. Helps you remember it.) I swear, when she has it all memorized, I will be taping her. So funny. And what a good lesson Romans 12 is.

What's working/not working for us...
Right now most everything is working for us. I'm crossing my fingers, eyes and toes that it stays that way until our school is done for the semester.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...
If anyone else is a Charlotte Mason follower, we have tried to do things her way this year but we did almost nothing with nature. Until now. We're planning and executing the garden, getting chicks in a few weeks. I'm wondering what we can do to make this nature stuff we're doing more meaningful and more in line with Charlotte Mason way. Any suggestions? I'm thinking we need to start Nature journals. The little one loves to draw so she can draw things as they start to grow in our garden.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...

Today while outside building raised garden beds, the sun was peeking around clouds and was just stunning. Had to take a picture. You can kind of see how big our yard is. See the fence WAAAAAYYYYYY back there? Yup. About 200 feet. Time to clean the yard up. Spring is here!