Week # 18 Recap

I love homeschooling! :)  I love this freedom that we have and I want to take advantage of it as long as the Lord will allow.  It truly is such an honor and I don't take this privilege lightly at all.   At the end of each week, as I look back and review our days --- I just feel an overflowing gratitude for this opportunity!!!

It's not all smiles & happy hearts.  The moments get intense when Raymond just simply does not want to do what he does not want to do.... but what precious opportunities I'm getting!!  I'm getting to COACH him through without a lot of high stress pressure.  I can just get alongside him and sometimes firmly - sometimes gently coach him to either push through hard things, to go lay down for a break or to breathe and pray.... whichever I discern is needed in that moment.  It's an honor.

I'm doing it wrong a lot.  I am raising my voice way too much to all 3 of them.   There's some really deep work going on in me to keep control of myself and not match their intensity of emotion.   We've got a long way to go :)  but we've come so far!!

It was a fun and productive week - with lots of help from MomMom!!! :)  

Honestly, we never really bonded in learning when Raymond was in school.  The last thing he wanted to do at night/weekends was talk about school or learn anything with me.  Some families can make it work and their kiddos are just hungry for more more more info.... but Raymond was DONE after a full public school day and just wanted to play and be free!  But NOW - I'm getting such great opportunities to connect things for him and to watch God open up his mind/heart/eyes.  It is FUN!  and I LOVE learning and I have loved learning all of this information as an adult! 

In history, we are finishing up our section on the first pilgrims / Mayflower / Plymouth Plantation.   In the Rush Revere book (which we loved!) there was a layout of the first plantation.  MomMom was looking up information about our ancestors right when we were reading this book and at the same time we were reading about Stephen Hopkins - she came across his name as being the boss of our ancestor.  How cool!!!  So our great great great (some #) grandfather whose name is Edward Doty was a servant to Stephen Hopkins who we had been reading about.  It was a great real life connection to history for Raymond and we loved learning more about Doty & these first pilgrims.    This is really fun for ALL of us!! :)   We definitely all love history more each month. 

Raymond wrote his first "short stories" with illustration in his journal this week thanks to some encouragement from a friend and they turned out so cute!  I loved his use of dialogue.  I meant to get a picture of his illustration but didn't.

The usual desk work is going as quick as usual except we are hung up on math because over CHristmas break he "lost" the 7 and 6 multiples.  We have to drill in them each day to build up his confidence again!   We will get there - no worries.  I am recognizing that in homeschooling in every season, some subjects are higher on quality & quantity.  They never have equal attention or excellence.  I love being able to be flexible to that.   I shouldn't expect equal time / quality work across the board in every subject in every season.   So our history/ science is certainly thriving right now - which means other areas have to give a little (math and spelling) and it's ALL good! :)

In cubscouts, Raymond has been working on his soap carvings.  At home he uses a wooden knife but he used his first "real" knife at the cubscout meeting.

 Annabelle still seems most interested in painting than anything else at the desk which is fine with me.  We do all her "learning" away from the desk right now.  So whatever keeps her happy & quiet at the desk is fine!

Evelyn is reading lots of words!  and is progressing well! :)   She is just a sponge and is such a good listener/watcher.  We are learning the 10 commandments with cool handmovements we learned years ago and she has been the first to pick up on them and remember them each time.  She is SO cute and powerful when she prays.  I can often find her with a "Jesus book" (one of our many devos) just sitting "reading".   What a sweet & discerning heart she has.

Cutie pie Raymond Rooks:

A friend messaged me and said, "random question but do you have any good movement CDs you do with the girls?".... and that question encouraged me to make sure I'm still using those preschool CDs with my girls!  God does that a lot!  A "random" question by a friend is a nudge for me to do something or to do not something.  GOd uses friends a lot in homeschooling!!   The girls were SO happy to bring out their "bible school music" again.  I can't believe I had forgotten about the importance of these ones.  I have to remind myself these girlies are in "preschool" and even though they follow a lot of what I do with Raymond --- I gotta remember to do more preschool things with them!   Here they are doing the all time favorite "little birdie"

And today we had a really really great day together.  We took a field trip to the aquarium and it was really great.   We had a PERFECT spot on the ferry to be able to see / watch and not have to get out.   No dolphins but we did enjoy the beautiful blue sky and sparkly water.

At the aquarium - turtles seemed to be the hit of the day.  These 2 were so funny the way they stuck together.  Next time we go we have to figure out if they are mother/son or what.  That 2nd one wouldn't leave her back leg.

They always love the touch tank

ANd we loved watching the eel right there by the window and "Sheldon" the sea turtle.    Right when we got into the building, they started a lesson on sea turtles so it was perfect timing.  I took some good notes to talk more about it next week.   They really did a great job and it was very interesting & interactive!    We have a membership to the aquarium - I need to use this resource a LOT more!  They are experts and are happy to teach!  Why haven't I do this more?! :)

Raymond touching sharks:

AND this is a very non "school" related lesson we are learning but I LOVE IT!  They are learning to sit through a meal patiently!  They are doing SO MUCH BETTER at going out to eat.  Thank you Lord! :)  It has been much more enjoyable and relaxing and they are learning to just "be" and talk and enjoy the time together.

Finally, thanks to MomMom & Papa's constant generosity, we got RR signed up for Tae Kwon Do.  I LOVE these instructors/community and tae kwon do itself.  I see this being a great positive outlet for Raymond to learn to be physical but under control.  To be respectful & disciplined.  We are really really looking forward to this.  and I LOVE seeing him so excited for it!   I haven't seen him this excited about an activity yet.  Yay!

There's just so much to be thankful for! 

Week # 17 Recap - 1st school week of 2015!

So the first half of our homeschooling yeard... I had been trying to teach Raymond to just go with the flow and follow my lead.   I wanted him to know the blessing of homeschooling and how flexible it could be!!   I didn't want him to have to know exactly all we had to do each day.  I wanted him to be able to just NOT have control and let me be the leader.  However, I came to realize how cruel that was for his personality! As a good leader, I must certainly work with him and work with his personality not against it.  In public school he had the same routine every day and really he just loves routine!  He is like me and just loves a list to check off and accomplish :)   So - I made sure to give him his list, routine & goals for each day on a laminated paper and already I see what a positive difference it has made!  He loves it!  We really had a great goove this week and it's gonna work well for us.  He has been giving me no push back at all regarding his desk work and I love that I don't hear a million times a day, "what next?"...and "what else?" ..and "how much more do we have to today?" 

Why haven't I done this sooner?! :) 

For Christmas Raymond got this cool "math wraps" tool from Learning Express to help on multiplication tables - they are pretty cool!

And he has been having lots of good quality time with MomMom. She always helps them use their imaginations and be creative!  This was a farm with a house behind it and the distirbutors were coming to the farm to get their produce to sell to others.  MomMom is the best!

Raymond has been practicing the piano every day and I love that discipline he is learning.  A little bit each day is how we excel in any area.  

Raymond got a 5 week gift of Tae Kwon Do from a friend and so far he LOVES it.  What a great gift!   He was so adorably cute trying his best and really giving it his whole heart.  He was jumping all over the place, practicing before it was his turn -  I have loved watching him!  

and Daddy B & I both agree that Tae Kwon Do is particularly beneficial as it will help Raymond 

grow in self control, discipline & how to "bow" to authority! :)   

It's been COLD this week and my neck is spasms like crazy again :(  BUT we still were able to enjoy the beautiful nature around us. Look at this beautiful sunset!

And we spotted a pileated woodpecker out back!  so made sure to learn about him.  He was big!  And has been tearing up that dead tree like crazy. 

Whenever my neck is hurting or I'm sick... I LOVE our backyard even more.  I LOVE having "send them" space and I especially love that it's outside space.  We are so thankful for this yard!  Raymond did such a great job raking and blowing the leaves this past week - he loves being outside and as we say - hard work is good for the soul. We gotta keep this boy moving! 

Evelyn is SO close to reading.  She just has to have confidence because she knows all the letters & sounds and can sound words out - now we just have to work on sight words & confidence!  She has read through quite a few little books all on her own - which is so exciting!  I can't wait for her to be able to read fully because I know how much she is going to love it!  It opens up so many new adventures & stories.  She often takes chapter books and finds a quiet corner and "reads" them.  She will sit there for 20 minutes - maybe she is just looking at the letters?  recognizing words? pretending and making up her own?  I'm not sure but it's adorable!

 Annabelle has been doing a lot more painting at the school table then any work and I'm okay with that!  It's been working out good.  SHe is getting such a funny sense of humor - I love hearing her laugh.  and WOW does the 3rd child pick up on things quickly!! 

Our new puzzles from Aunt Roxie are great!  One for letters, one for numbers.  We do an awful lot of puzzles around here. 

And one of my fave memories of the week was when we got girl time on Monday after Raymond finished school work.  We had a surprise party for Cinderella and played with all their princesses.  The girls were SO happy ----- I must always remember how little it takes to make them so happy!  I have to give them more precious "girl time" moments like this every day! 

and on a neck-issues-day this week, I introduced them all to Cool Runnings :)  There were some good lessons in there! 

We ended the week with Co Op and Jessica & Sarah did a great job!  We learned ALL about hurricanes from Sarah and explored life as a settler with Jessica.   There's so much to learn about HUrricanes - we will have to do another unit on that!  Both the mommies/teachers did great and Raymond had fun and was so well behaved.  They got to write with ink/feather pens and he wrote a cute note about Jesus loves us and wrote the girls names too.  So sweet!!  We are thankful for our friends & these mommies! 

We definitely ENDED the week with Co Op because immediately after, Raymond was DONE for the week.  He even took a nap!

 I think the fact that he was that tired means that we had a great, successful, disciplined week!  Yes!   Hard work is good for the soul! and body :)  Now, I hope we have a rest-filled, fun weekend.  Rest is just as important!

Week # 16 Recap

We finished our last week of school for 2014!!  In some ways, it's still hard to believe we are homeschoolers....and in other ways, it's hard to imagine that Raymond went to public school up until June this year!  

Raymond got some cool "extra curriculars" to start the week with archery with Mr Jesse (and Daddy) and then geometry and angles (aka billiards) with Daddy!   Yes, he does stay in feeties most mornings and I'm okay with that.  Love that cute boy in his feeties.

Daddy is a great teacher for Evelyn.  They really connect in the way they think and he has that patient & calm teaching style that is perfect for her! She is SO close to reading.  The flip hasn't totally been switched yet but she can write all her letters & knows most of the sounds!  In this pic, they are working on writing and reading rhyming words.   

Evie is doing great at writing her name each morning with all capitals & then upper/lower combo.  She has great handwriting and finally got that lowercase "y" correct!

All the free Frozen & Christmas themed printables have lasted to keep Annabelle occupied.  Her fave words at the table are, "what else can I do?"  I will have to get some more piles ready for January! :) 

These sticks from Celeste are coming in real handy now.  And the sight word puzzle.   Evelyn is SO close to reading 1st reader books.  We just have to continue lots of reading together, lots of sight words like this and writing and I know it will all click. 

I am very proud of the amount of snuggles & quality time I've gotten with the kiddos.  Wintertime is so perfect for lots of couch time for books & moving & snuggles and I am really enjoying it!  Just look around the house and you will be able to tell how much time I've spent "just being" instead of rushing around doing!!   I know the kids just want ME more than anything... and I'm trying hard to give that best present of ME especially in this season. 

Good job, Daddy - following through on doing science with RR for me.  Here they are doing some electricity learning again.   This concludes Unit 1 in RR's curriculum.  We have done very little desk work on science but when we did the Unit 1 Review and "Test" - he aced that.  Science is learned all over the place!  This unit was physics & chemistry.  Unit 2 is geology & botany I believe. 

All of Annabelle's birthday presents have come in handy the past 2 weeks - keeping the girls occupied in the mornings. 

I seriously LOVE when the kids all play together, work together or just BE together all working on separate things.  I try not to even talk about it or interrupt at all - because whenever I do - it all breaks down :)  I just sit quietly and observe and thank God and take pictures to remember!! 

RR did a great job on this village!

We enjoyed doing mazes together this week with the chalk.  His maze was actually pretty complex & tricky and I actually gave my best when I made mine - but he still zoomed right through it. 

I was real proud of myself this day, too.  I had run that morning and was just so tired but the kiddos wanted ME so badly and wanted me to play tag and so I did it.  They were SO happy and just squealing and smiling so big.  God, help me give them these moments EVERY DAY.  I LOVE hearing them laugh and seeing them SMILE SO big.  It's such a SIMPLE thing to give them - help me give it more!!!!!  There's not a better sound & sight then seeing them ALL happy and laughing over a small thing like tag or tickle. 

The kiddos love word searches and we had fun at the cubscout POlar Express themed Christmas party!!

RR doing his line, "well what do you have??"  After the cubscout party, the kiddos & I went to help with the Manna Ministries boxing up of donated cans.  I was real proud of their good attitudes & willingness to work.  We talked on the way home a lot about giving, serving and how we give money to Manna and all that.  It was a great great night and great conversation.   I am loving these ages and really being able to mold their hearts and talk and teach them!!

Raymond had SUCH great behavior at the beginning of this week especially.  When Evelyn slept late one day, he asked if he & Annabelle could watch a show and I said no (we don't do TV on school day mornings) and instead of badgering me, he just went back upstairs.  When I checked on them..... he had got out markers for ANnabelle & they were just coloring.  He said, "she was beginning to wake up Evelyn so I had to find something for her to do".   What a big boy, initiator move there!!  Very proud of that.  He normally isn't like that in the mornings :) 

So what REALLY seems to help Raymond a lot is a "schedule".  I told him I would only write down what he is doing each day if he promises not to rush through it and just try to fly through to check it off..... but when it comes down to it.... he really DOES seem to help him to SEE what the day is going to hold.    Every day is SO different in homeschooling unlike public school so that transition out of security/routine has probably been hard on him.... and if this makes it easier, then I will do it.  It's working great so far!!!  I recognize that I was really beginning to resent his attitude of "what else?"... "what next?" ....and it's nice to not have to hear that question!!!  I really did NOT want to give him a schedule so he could learn to have NO control and just TRUST ME.... but seriously?? he isn't perfect and God is so patient & gracious & willing to work WITH me and my perosnality and teach me slow.  Let's take the marathon view & not the sprint!  

WE HAVE LOVED having Daddy with us in the mornings!!  Wow it really helps me a lot! :)   This graphing/dice game was a hit with all 3 of them.  We will use this for fractions later on with RR, too.  

We got to the beach this week!!  And had a great time! 

And did crafts at the library afterward.  This about sums them up... Mr rush through..... Ms Sugar...and Ms Spice :) 

ANd again,.. LOTS of snuggles & couch time this season.  HEre's the ROoks' nightly couch choo choo pulling into the station :) 

We tried to read ALL our Christmas books in one night.  We couldn't make it! 

More snuggle time.  Best lessons, ever. 

Best Christmas present ever.  It's 6 years old and going strong.  They have been playing so good on this and TOGETHER.  I love it!  Like I said, I can't draw attention to them, interrupt or even thank them for playing so good - I just have to become invisible and enjoy the moment however long it lasts.  I am SUPER thankful especially that they got train-re-inspired this week because at the end of this week I got one of those pinched nerves in my neck and just didn't feel like doing anything but resting with heat on me so it was perfect timing for them to be into the train and occupying themselves without complaint.  Another gift from God!! 

In history, we moved on from Native Americans & early explorers and are now reading Rush Revere & the Mayflower and learning about the pilgrims and 1600s!  

Raymond cruises right through our desk work each morning without a problem - Math, Spelling, Handwriting, Grammar, Language review.  He has a great rhythm of that down and excels through all of them!  He is doing great at his piano scales and we read lots of "extra" stuff as I find interesting things in music, art, social studies, etc.  

Homeschooling is soo great and 2015 will be even better!!! :)