Year 8, Weeks 15 -17: Christmas Cheer!

      I don't know about you, but after Thanksgiving things seem to speed up and slow down at the same time! Our homeschool days feel long and even though it's the same work, nothing new or added, it drags on. But then the countdown to Christmas Day gets shorter and I realize that I still have presents to buy and wrap, cookies to bake, fudge and hot cocoa to prepare and I have to figure out what kind of December cake to bake before the New Year arrives! I don't think I've mentioned it but my goal for 2020 was to bake a different cake every month. I chose to do it because Little Toughie was three when we started to eat Paleo and I stopped baking. She missed out on a lot of goodies. While we still eat Paleo-ish, I figured a cake once a month is fine. Plus, we share the larger ones with neighbors, thus giving a treat to our friends while not taking in too much sugar.

     Are you done Christmas shopping yet or are you a last minute shopper? Are you one who likes the adrenaline rush of finding that perfect present right as the clock counts down to 11:59 pm? Well, that's not me. I'm now somewhere in between. I used to be really good at getting my shopping done by the end of August, no later than the end of September. Yeah, I can't do that anymore. For one, I've never been a fan of shopping. The introvert in me doesn't like crowds and if I do shop it's always for something specific, so I don't spend a lot of time "window shopping". Secondly, the stores I would normally shop at have closed! Borders, Toys R Us...what else? I can't even remember, but I've resigned myself to online shopping and gift cards. All of our family live elsewhere anyway, so online shopping just makes even more sense.

     As for our homeschooling I have to admit, we're bored. The kids and I are bored. As their teacher, I am bored. We've spent the past four years reading plenty of books based on the time period in History which we were studying, all the way from Ancient History to Modern. What we're reading now is indeed review. We're condensing those four years into two, studying World History over this year and next in preparation for high school. But the books that Sonlight recommends as their spine, or main history text, is underwhelming. It's supposed to be geared toward 12-14 year olds but compared to what we've used the past three years, this is feels like it's best for 9-11 year olds.

     Perhaps it's for the best that it's that way, for now. Little Toughie is taking that writing class via Circe (she actually said she's going to miss it now that they're on a break) and it's a lot of work. So, maybe it's okay that it's humdrum reading. Maybe. Or maybe this mom is just ready for some time off from homeschooling!

     We're approaching our Christmas break and as I finish writing this there are cookies in the oven, cookies on trays ready to be put in and cookies on cooling racks. Later, they'll be drenched in chocolate and topped with crushed candy canes. My little helpers (my kids and hubby) are ready and willing. Anything for my holiday cookies! We'll be off for three weeks total, with two of those weeks focused on things we missed in November because of NaNoWriMo. Mostly the science experiments! Then we take one week completely off. This is where I start planning the next school year since curriculum starts to go on sale late January and I want to take advantage of it.

     I'll attempt to catch up on some reading as well. I've tried to start a tradition where I wrap a new book for everyone to start reading on Christmas Eve. It's the one present they get to open. I did it twice and then forgot. If you need a reading list to either start the tradition or just to snuggle up and read while sipping some hot cocoa, This Reading Mama has two great lists:

Image by This Reading Mama

Image by This Reading Mama

     I can tell you what traditions have stuck...the ones that have to do with food! Do you have a meal that you only have on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Or how about New Year's Eve and New Year's Day? It started out with just cinnamon rolls Christmas morning and something with black-eyed peas on New Year's Day. Then somehow, with the help of the kids, we now have several different standard meals on those days. If I even try to make those meals mid-year I get a resounding, "NO!"

     With that said, I leave you with a very Merry Christmas and a picture of the cookies before they were packaged and passed out for a door-to-door cookie exchange. I also leave you with this, the reason for the season:

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

Year 8, Week 7: History, Flu Shots and a Mom Jar

     If I thought last week was a blur, this week was a blink!  Between an orthodontist appointment, flu shots, audition prep and recordings (back to that in a bit), lessons and discussions going longer than expected and making phone calls for even more appointments...it seems Friday arrived sooner than I wanted it to.  Typically, I start writing on Tuesdays, a bit of brainstorming but I'm writing this on Friday night struggling to get the words out because my brain is trying to hit the pause button on everything.

Friday!

      The flu shots are what threw my schedule off.  I wanted to time the flu shots and audition just right.  I usually don't get flu shots for the kids.  I'm not an anti-vaxxer but I also don't just automatically let my kids get every vaccine available to them.  I used to work at a hospital with a doctor and team who were doing clinical trials on a vaccine for Hep-C.  I am...informed.  Where ever you stand on vaccines is your business.  You do you, Boo.  I'm more in the "let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food" camp while utilizing vaccines that are tried and true, which is why we lean Paleo a majority of the time and I make sure I know EXACTLY what shots my kids are getting.  During cold/flu season I have them on a regimen of elderberry, probiotics, vitamin c and bone broth.  I did it for them two weeks before and even during our summer trip.  I much prefer to pay the farmer instead of the pharmacy!

     Anyway, because of this current crazy Covid season I figured the kids could use the extra help, so I called the doctor to schedule an appointment.  I decided to bring them after recording Little Toughie's audition. The couple of times they've gotten the flu shot they would run a mild fever and feel lethargic afterwards.  Not a great condition to be in when trying to sing and have stage presence via a phone recording!  Mind you, all week I had been working with my daughter to find the right place to record this audition.  We had to figure out a spot that would provide the best lighting AND wouldn't pick up any other noise (i.e. dog barking, phone ringing, airplanes overhead.)  We tried outside at different times and while the lighting was great, the noise not so much.  At this point, when I made the call to the doctor, we still hadn't found the prime indoor location for this audition.  At first the medical staff said next week was fine and we were set for Tuesday but I immediately received a call back asking if I could bring them in that afternoon.  I could sense a little urgency in her voice....perhaps they were already booked to capacity on Tuesday?  Perhaps she had a feeling they may run out of the vaccine by then?  Either way, I went ahead and scheduled it for that day and then had to scramble to get the audition done.  I was hoping to have them get their shots AFTER the audition just in case they had a reaction.  In the end everything, thank God, went well.  We found the top spot, only had to do two takes (I spent more time setting up my phone and tripod), saved it everywhere so that I could upload it when we got back from the doctor and then got their shots.  It's all history now.

     Speaking of history (did you like that segue?) if I had to name my top three subjects in our homeschool (Bible aside...because that's a lifetime thing) it would be read-aloud, writing and history.  It's reading other people's writings!  You know what I mean.  Plus, when reading history you can see the failings of civilizations, of countries, of leaders, of governments...of men.  Often, after reading our history lesson, I ask the kids what they would have done differently.  I ask them what was the root of that historic decision and most of the time it's greed...greed for power, greed for money, greed for fame.  But even deeper than that is the root of self...at our core we are all sinners, wanting to serve ourselves.  Don't believe me?  Picture a two year old, maybe even three, who took a bite out of one of the cupcakes on the table.  Mom asks the child, whose mouth is smothered with frosting, whether or not they ate a cupcake.  We've seen the videos...that kid says no even though it's evident they did.  Now, did that parent hold their child and stare lovingly into his/her eyes and say, "I can't wait to teach you how to lie!  It's going to be marvelous...your first lie.  Just you wait."  NO!  That child innately knew how to lie.

     Okay, apparently, I'm in a mood.  Like I said, Friday got here quick and for someone whose brain keeps trying to hit pause, apparently there's another part of it trying to say EVERYTHING.  I'll have to come back to that 👆 some other time.

     Back to history...even in the midst of those failings you see conquerors, heroes; the humility in serving, the power of giving, the peace of a kind word, and at the root of all that is LOVE.  It's rare to see that now.  If love were our driving force right now things would look and feel different, no matter the political party or who is president or whether not we should be wearing a mask.  If....IF love... unconditional, pure love were our driving force we wouldn't be where we are right now.  But we live in a society where everyone has to one-up the other, get the last word in, prove that they are right by attacking others, and of course greed.  The same kind of greed the kids and I have studied in history still present today.  We're so full of self that there is no room for obedience to God, there is no room to learn how Jesus conquered death out of His great love for US...sinners.  Every.  Single.  One.  (Romans 3:23) 

     How would our history look if right now, right at this moment, instead of being bull-headed we all chose to be a blessing?

Year 2, Week 11

  What a week!  We did so much, but what really stood out was our History project.  This will be a post in pictures.

     This week we read a lot about George Washington.  We had several books on hand but our favorite was George Washington's Breakfast:

     My kids liked it so much that we decided to go ahead and make George Washington's Breakfast of Hoecakes and tea:

There's cornmeal back there somewhere.  Washington grew corn
on his plantation so it was no wonder Hoecakes were a favorite.

Cracking eggs.

Adding a minuscule amount of sugar.

Mix!

Mix some more!

We fried them in a cast iron pan.  The closest we could get to how
they were originally made; on a hoe!

A spot of tea.

The finished cakes.  See that one front and center?  My son
said it was shaped like Africa.  This is what happens when
you homeschool and teach Geography.

They had it with raw honey and cultured butter.
Lucky kids!

He had four of them.

She just had one.

Washing it down.

Taking a sip.

     That is how our homeschool week ended.  With some hoecakes and tea on a Saturday morning.  The kids thoroughly enjoyed them.  On our CC meeting day my son presented the book, summarizing it.  My daughter presented the hoecakes; the ingredients and how to make them.  Since the recipe made plenty we were able to bring some and pass it out to the class.  I'm trying to do one project a week, preferably one they can do with The Principal so that he knows what we've been up to and the kids can share what they've learned with him.  Plus, hands-on learning is always fun.

     That's all folks.

Year 2, Week 10

     I'm just a few days late with this post.  Progress!  We've found our rhythm since beginning Classical Conversations.  We just completed our first month of CC and week 10 of our homeschool year.  Just to refresh your memory, we officially began our homeschool year in July, studying the California Missions.  Once Classical Conversations began, our curriculum shifted to line up with what was being covered during this CC Cycle (we're in Cycle 3).  This is our second full year being part of CC.  We got to join a community in the early 2013 and have enjoyed it ever since.

     Which brings us to what we studied this week.  We focused on the Declaration of Independence.  As a special project and a break from the norm, I had the kids translate it into their own words.  Yes, it was a big task for my (technically) first grader and for my oldest, but with The Principal's help they got it done!  Here they are hard at work, writing their translation next to a break down of the Declaration:

     When they were done I typed up their words to look like an official document.  On the other side is a printed copy of the Declaration of Independence:

     

     We also read The Fourth of July story by Alice Dalgliesh, which got them excited for next year's Independence Day celebration.  My daughter said she plans on yelling, "Hooray for Liberty!  Hooray for Freedom!" during our neighborhood's annual Fourth of July Parade.  I'm sure she will.

     That wraps up our week as we begin another!  Have a wonderful week.

Kindergarten, Week 19

     As you may have noticed, I'm playing with the title of my homeschooling posts.  This blog is all about homeschooling and our experiences; I figured it was redundant to keep putting it in the weekly title.  I started putting kindergarten in the title and I'll stick with that for now, since it's just my Little Toughie that I'm homeschooling.  If that changes (or if I come up with something better) then, I'll make another change.

     We took a week off for Thanksgiving and got back on track the Monday after.  We began reading A Grain of Rice, which has become a new favorite.  It was a short and clever story that intrigued my daughter and made her smile at the end.

     Speaking of smiling...I couldn't help but giggle when I saw what my daughter came up with for her history copywork.  With Classical Conversations, the children learn a history fact every week.  I have my daughter write out that sentence and draw a picture for it.  Below is what she came up with for this week:

     What you don't see is the rest of the sentence on the back which says, "aristocrats heads were removed by the guillotine."  When she showed me her picture she said, "See, mommy.  There's blood there because their heads were chopped off."  Giggling ensued.

     We spent a couple of afternoons running errands, so during those busy days we took a very short break and just powered through the work.  My Little Toughie was a trooper and went along with it.  I think she liked the change of pace and the fact that by lunch time school was pretty much done.  (There was at least one assignment she had to complete.)  Our weekend ended with a wonderful cookie making party hosted by one of our dear friends.  We all had a joyful time.

     All in all, it was another good week.  Thanks be to GOD!

Homeschooling, Week 9 and CC Week 1

     Week 9 went by with a blur (they all do these days).  This happened to also be our first week of Classical Conversations, which my daughter thoroughly enjoys.  There are seven subjects covered in a short amount of time, not including the Bible scripture they're memorizing.  It goes by quickly.  Ask my child what the 1st conjugation endings, present tense, are in Latin and she'll tell you.  I kid you not.  The children learn A LOT in the short three hours we're there (once a week) and the rest of the week us parents are reinforcing those subjects every way we can.  Through song, play, reading, coloring and drawing...anything we can think of!  It is a wonderful process.

     One of the things we took away from the History part of CC was about Charlemagne (or Charles the Great, a.k.a Charles Magnus).  As suggested by Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood  I recently purchased The Story of The World:  History for the Classical Child to go along with the history we're learning in our CC curriculum (I actually purchased all 4 volumes.)  My daughter LOVED hearing the story of Charlemagne and was excited to hear the part that tied in with the history fact she learned in Classical Conversations.  I love when I can see the dots connecting!

     Even if you're not a homeschooler I highly suggest The Story of the World books.  They teach History in a way the kids can relate to and the stories are long enough to hold their interest and keep them wanting more without be drawn out and boring.  When we finished up the chapters on Charlemagne my daughter was disappointed there wasn't more.

     Our week ended with a project for my daughter that had her name written all over it.  She's such a performer and I knew she would enjoy this one.  We were to watch the news together and I was to point out all the different ways the reporter conducted herself; from the way she clearly spoke to her composure to her eye contact.  Then my daughter had to come up with something in her life that she wanted to report on and deliver it the same way she saw the news reporter do it.
   
     When we finally got the news turned on we happened upon a piece on eating healthy, where a chef was being interviewed.  She too wanted to do a report on eating healthy which ended up turning into an instructional presentation on how to make a smoothie.  Afterwards though, I asked her to think of an event that she wanted to report on and what she wanted to say so that it would be presented just like the anchors on the news.  She chose to report on my husband competing in the Scottish Highland Games in Long Beach back in February.  She took some time to think of what she was going to say, grabbed a mike and began.

     I didn't record it.  I wanted to, but she was ready to go and I didn't want to interrupt the creative flow by saying, "Wait, wait!  Let me get the camera."  Next time, I'll have it ready and going.

     Anyway, her "news report" was flawless.  She knew exactly what she wanted to say.  She kept herself still (no fidgeting!) and she kept great eye contact.  She spoke clearly and at the appropriate volume.  There were no pauses, no "ums" or "uhs".  It flowed beautifully.

     Like I said, it had her name written all over it.