Charlotte's Web!

I have to admit, when you sign up for theater you never really know how it's going to go.  This was really a unique situation.  These kids had 8 weeks to put together a two act, two hour play with A LOT of music.  We jumped in and the next two months were kind of a blur.  They had a blast and the end result was an amazing show.  I am so proud of these girls for their hard work and dedication.

 Midge and Boo made adorable goslings.  Everyone, including myself, was surprised at their discipline.  They sat right up on stage and followed all of their cues.

 Here Tea is seeing Wilbur at the fair.  This was her first role that had lines!  She never really gets nervous and she had so much fun!

Chiggie did a wonderful job as the announcer at the fair.  She had quite a mouthful to say and never got tripped up.  This is her 4th play with civic theater and I don't think she will ever get tired of it.

All four girls after the show on opening night.  I think they were happy and relieved that things had gone so well!  Congrats guys, you did an awesome job!

Last Day of April!

We have had particularly beautiful weather this spring.  Today was no exception.  It worked out great because we took a 4 day weekend due to the play.  I thought today would be a nice day for the girls to recover from all of their hard work.  Unfortunately I was suffering from a stomach bug and spent a great deal of the day on the couch.  

 When Buster woke up from his nap, he was thrilled to see the sprinkler on.  He wasted no time getting his trunks on and heading out to join in the fun.

 We all thought the rainbow was pretty cool too.  Chiggie was dancing under it at one point. 

They played out for over 6 hours.  Just enjoying the sunshine.  It really made all of us excited for this summer!

Opening Night

Sorry, no pictures to share tonight, but it was fabulous.  We were all nervous beforehand, but it really was an amazing show.  I can't believe these kids put suck a great show together in just 8 weeks.  They worked so hard and it definitely paid off.  Chiggie asked me afterwards what my favorite part was and I really couldn't say there were just too many!  The little girls made adorable goslings and stayed so still and quiet up on stage.  Chiggie and Tea said all of their lines just perfect and didn't even seem scared to have such a big audience.  It was a proud parent moment for sure!

Right Now

I have a lot of pictures that I want to get on here, but I am having trouble getting them off my phone.  It's a pain and I'm just too tired to try anymore tonight.  So I'll have to settle for just words this time.  Today was an off day.  We got started much later than normal and it really went downhill from there.  The older girls are both sick, of course, just in time for the play.  We are taking tomorrow off.  It's going to be a long weekend as is and they need all of the rest that they can get.

The King starts a new, temporary, job on Monday.  Never in a million years would I have thought him finding a job would be this difficult.  It has been ridiculous.  Several companies have led him on completely wasting our time and even more aren't hiring now or anytime in the near future.  The stress this has brought on cannot be described with words.  We are thankful though that so many things have worked out and that at least he foound something for now.  Hopefully tomorrow I will have plenty of cure pictures from "Charlotte's Web!"

Heavy Stuff

I never would have thought I would say this but my favorite subject to teach, by far, is history.  We use a literature based approach and I really think that makes all of the difference.  This year we have focused on exploration through 1800.  We are right in the middle of the main event right now, the Revolutionary War.  I am surprised at how much I either didn't learn as a child or have already forgotten. Today we read the story of Nathan Hale.  The girls were shocked at the ending.  They couldn't believe it really ended that way and that someone could be so brave.  I think they are gaining a deeper respect for our country and the sacrifices made to allow us to live the way we do.  I know I am.

Gearing Up

This week could go down in our family history as one of our busiest ever.  I am embracing it because really what choice do I have now.  The house is picked up.  By no means does it meet my standards right now, but the clutter is gone, the dishes are washed, and the floors are mopped.  For now that will have to do.  Today I finished up putting together costumes and tomorrow is the first dress rehearsal. 

As I was going over my lesson plans for this week I was amazed to see we only have 6 weeks of school left.  30 days.  On one hand, I can't believe we are almost done, on the other I feel like we have a lot to fit in these last several weeks.  Either way, it's exciting. 

Grumpy

I must admit today was not a great day.  I was grumpy right from the start.  The kids are tired, are schedule is too busy right now, and it was rainy.  Not a great combination.  We kept to our skeleton schedule, only accomplishing what has to be done, and left the rest for tomorrow.  We did finish Toliver's Secret, which we all really enjoyed reading. I am continually amazed at how much information they retain from reading living books.  Tea knows more about the Patriots and the Loyalists than I think I did in middle school.  We have several more really good reads coming up too.  Hopefully we will all sleep well tonight and tomorrow will be a better day.

Crunch Time

The two weeks leading up to a performance are always insanely busy.  Set building, costume making and fixing, late nights rehearsing, and just excitement fill the days.  It's gone by fast, but we're there.  I am thankful that our lifestyle allows us to tweak our schedule a bit to keep everyone happy and well rested.  Once we get home at night (around 9:30) we're still able to wind down, have a snack, and read for awhile before actually going to sleep.  It's been really nice now that the King can help.  Buster goes to bed earlier so he gets plenty of sleep and isn't cranky in the morning.  Speaking of Buster, he has made an amazing transition to a bed.  No problems at all.  He doesn't even get out in the morning until we go in.  He's the kind of kid that makes you want to have just 1 more.  I've had five of those.

Happy Friday

The weeks are really flying by.  We had a good one though.  On Wednesday night we had a really hard rain come through.  It was pounding on the covered patio and the water was rushing in the streets.  It was exciting actually.  In the morning our grass looked a much deeper green and we were all appreciative of the moisture.

Poor Tea doesn't feel good today.  She had trouble sleeping last night and kept saying her back hurt.  I took her to the doctor today and she has a uti.  She should be feeling better soon.

 I think it's safe to say that spring is Buster's favorite season.  He loves to play outside.  As soon as we start school he makes his way out.  He likes playing in the houses, jumping on the tramp, and bike riding.  I'm pretty sure he is going to love summer too.

Boo spends a lot of time out there with him.  They are buddies for sure.  Next year she will be a full time student, so I hope she's enjoying the freedom!

Lost Tooth and Ice Cream

Today Midge lost another tooth.  She is now missing both of her top front teeth.  She looks adorable and I keep asking her to say things just for fun.

 The weather outside has been gloomy all day long.  It seems gloomy days make for great school days.  There's not the distraction of wanting to go outside instead.  They did go out and jump on the trampoline for a little bit, but otherwise we stayed in and worked. 

 We got lucky and our science experiment for Pluto was making ice cream.  It was easy to do and the kids loved eating it.

 The King helped Midge shake up her bag when her arms got tired.  6 minutes of shaking is quite a bit for a little girl.

 Tea couldn't help but sample as she was making.  She is indeed my child.

It was exciting to watch the process and then enjoy the results.  It was also a simple way to explain how chemicals in the atmosphere can effect the different planets.

Around Here

Our days have become longer and longer.  The girls are at rehearsals for several hours a night Monday-Thursday.  It makes for late nights but we get to sleep in so it's not too bad.  The King and I take turns going and that eases the load.

 Chiggie is working on writing a story right now.  She enjoys writing and I sometimes wonder if I'm too critical.  I want to make sure their mechanics are sound so I tend to be pretty strict in this area.

 The little kids were making patterns during math today.  Even Buster got in on the action.  Tea really enjoys block patterns.

Buster likes being able to go in and out.  He has been riding the girls trike, but I think he's about ready for one of his own.  He is getting so big.  We are about ready to start potty training.  He has been asking to go on his own and produces when we take him.  It will be so weird to be a "diaperless" family!

Lessons

We are in the fourth quarter of our first homeschool year.  Unbelievable.  It's gone so fast on one hand, and on the other I feel like we've been doing it forever.  I have learned so much this year.  When we first started I thought that I had done so much researching and planning that there couldn't be much more out there.  I couldn't have been more wrong.  For the most part things have gone smooth, but we've had our rough spots as well.  I think next year will be even better now that we have our feet wet. Here are some of the things I have learned:

WHAT WORKS

• I have really liked all of the curriculum I chose.  That's pretty rare.  Most people end up experimenting quite a bit before settling on something.  The way I look at it "if it's not broke, don't fix it."  We will be using all of the same stuff next year. 
• We enjoy more relaxed days.  We get our work done in an organized manner, but being too structure stresses all of us out.  I don't have a problem with the girls doing a math test on a clipboard while sitting on the couch.
• Consistency.  They need to know what to expect.  When I have veered from the routine, they get lost.  Midge really needs the routine too.  They like to be able to predict how things are going.
• Reading at lunch.  I don't know why it took me so long to figure this one out, but when their mouths are full they are actually listening.  We have all come to greatly anticipate our lunchtime read alouds. 
• Laughing.  When all else fails just laugh.  So the baby just spilled the cooking oil out on the floor while you were explaining long division....okay, well that's not funny, but still laugh.  In the end you won't remember stuff like that but your kids will remember how you reacted.
 

WHAT DOESN'T WORK

• Doing the same subjects at the same time.  Wow.  We tried this in the beginning and it was an epic fail.  Too many questions and not enough teachers.  It works much better to have a couple kids working on independent work while "teaching" another child their daily lessons.  This is an ever changing thing because subjects vary throughout the year in their intensity. 
• Rushing.  I have learned, the hard way, that some things just take time.  I would rather take our time and relish in a classic than rush through just to say we read it.  We have more than 60 books this year.  We all love this, but it takes time.  I would rather them learn form living books than answer questions at the end of a textbook and than forget everything they just learned.
• Skipping breaks.  It sounds like a great way to catch up, but really it's just a great way to induce major burn-out.  We all need the breaks whether we are behind or not. 
• Comparing our family to others.  This has caused unnecessary panic on more than one occasion.  I have learned to relax in this department.  It really doesn't matter if your child can recite all of their multiplication tables while writing the constitution by memory.  We all have our strengths and weaknesses.  I just look for progress.
• Skipping Bible.  This is so tempting when we are behind in other key areas.  Bible is the foundation of our learning.  It must come first!

Overall we have come so far.  I'm sure next year I will say the same thing, but I am looking forward to starting with more confidence.

 

 



Jesus is ALIVE! (Easter in Pics)

More Easter Fun

 This afternoon we dyed our Easter eggs.  As always, the kids had tons of fun. 

 The King is very artistic so he usually handles these types of activities.

 Chiggie was proud of the blue egg she painted.

 Poor Buster.  No one would let him break the eggs!  It's such a shame.