Week 2

This is our second week of school this year. I am still using Heart of Dakota with C. We are still loving it.
I am still trying to find my groove with a 1st grader and a preschool 4yo. At least the 4yo likes to listen to the stories too.
S hasn't started yet. He wanted to wait until after his birthday.
V is in Chicago this school year so she will be doing her school there. She is serving at a ministry there, IBLP. She is loving it there and loving the work she is doing.
I have started getting up at 6am every morning so I can spend time in God's word and exercise. It's working out well so far.
I am hoping I will blog more this year and hopefully have pictures of our projects.

6 weeks left

6 weeks left until we are finished with this year's Heart of Dakota. We have had so much sickness this year that we are not finishing as early as I would have liked. But that is the beauty of homeschooling right?
I love homeschooling. I love being with my children all day and watching their learning and seeing that ah ha moment when things click.
I will continue to school C through the summer so he does not lose any of his skills but just LA and Math.
Oh and my sister will be homeschooling her youngest son next year. I was so thankful I had enough homeschooling stuff left over from my olders that I could supply her with everything she needs except math.

Planning

I have spent the whole day today planning. Looking and looking through curriculum and more curriculum. Over and over again, trying to figure out what I want for next year.

C is easy I will be buying a whole level of Heart of Dakota again for him. I have loved this year and will continue.

High school is a bit more mind irritating. I have looked until I think I have fried my brain. I think I have almost got it figure out. Hopefully but that could change tomorrow you know. LOL

Spring

I love when the weather gets warmer. We can get out and explore nature. We can take walks and go to the park. Yesterday we did story time at the library and the stories were about kites so after we got home we went to the park to fly some kites. We didn't do very well and I realized that I didn't pass on that skill to my older children. Living in the city does have some disadvantages, too many power lines to fly one here and no yard.
I think everyone had a great time. I wish I had pix. I do have pix of story time on my phone I will get later.

School is going wonderfully. I am still LOVING the Heart of Dakota. I am also working on figuring out next years school for everyone. Whether I will do anything with Ju or not. If so it will be light fun stuff.
My olders will be 10th and 11th grade. Man that is hard to believe. I will be done teaching high school in 3 years for a while. I hope by the time my younger two get there I have it more figured out. LOL
I wonder if we ever figure it out.

Christmas break

We are out for Christmas break. I am going to use this time to rest and reassess where we are and where we want to go. My oldest Jamie leaves for MI on Thursday of next week. So we will be one less around here. Of course he is not around all the time with working full time and college full time.

I think we did great getting to Christmas break. We finished what we needed to to be halfway through. I am still loving the Heart of Dakota. The older kids work mostly on her own so that is very helpful.

Everyone have a Merry Christmas celebrating the birth of the Savior of the world.

November update

Actually November was a good school month. They all worked very hard and I kept on track with C. His reading progress it going very well. He has finished a couple of his workbooks earlier than planned because he loves to keep working in them.

We took most of the week of Thanksgiving off and that helped me since I had to prepare two Thanksgiving meals that week. One for us and one for Chuck and Hazel to take to WV. They appreciated the meal.

I am scaling back on videos/movies that the kids watch during the week and they are playing so well together. Of course they have their moments but for their age they play great together. I love having the two little ones in the house. As I type they are running around the house playing with each other.

December will probably be a short month. I think we will take the week of Christmas off but I will still do phonics with C.

We are reading our advent story every night. Advent started Sunday Nov. 28. We are reading Tabitha's Travels by Arnold Ytreeide. You can look at the books here. We enjoy slowing down in the Advent season and reading together every night.

We will do the lights at the Raceway one night before Christmas too.

I love Christmas  and the season and all that goes with it. I love buying gifts for others.

Well since this has gotten off school and onto other stuff I will leave for now. Hoping to be back soon.

 

October over

So we have been in school now since the first of August and October is over.
I guess I should update on how things are going.
We are loving Heart of Dakota still.
I have made a few changes in curriculum with my older two.
For the most part things are going really well. I am pleased with most of my choices this year.

I am excited that the Heart of Dakota is something I think I will stick with with few substitutions as my younger two grow older.

I have three more years of high school to teach. S has two more years after this one and V has three. I can't believe they are this close to finishing high school. :( Time goes too fast. :(