Checkin' In

Hey, everyone. You may or may not have been wondering were I have been. Well, busy of course. Since my last blog entry. I have been camping with my boy scout at Spookaree. It was fun, but a little chilly.

School has been going well. It has rained here for the last week so we were beginning to get a little stir crazy. We are studying the Greeks and we have enjoyed it so far.

I have been reading up on the Charlotte Mason method of teaching. I just feel like the workbook, drill and practice and severe structure is not for us. I would like to slowly move into the CM method and do it full time next school year. I plan on still doing a curriculum for math and some for language but the rest will be done the CM way. After the last few months I can see why some families can burn out using the workbook method.

Anywho, this weekend my dear hubby took mercy on me and gave me some much needed time to myself. Saturday I got to spend the morning and much of the afternoon scrapbooking. I actually got 3 layouts completed. Then that evening my mom and I went out shopping and to eat. It was a real treat. I admit I am blessed with a wonderful hubby.

Today we carved our jack-0-lanterns and the kids spent the day outside. A nice end to a great weekend. Tomorrow we are back to school!

What's been goin on in school!

Well, we have been busy with boy scouts, daisys, and soccer but we have managed to have school. I thought I would post some photos of a few things we have been doing the last few weeks. (Well actually just one photo today;)



This is a pic of Poogie playing a word family game I made for her. I just took card stock and wrote the -at, -og, etc. on them and then made letter cards for her to use to make her new words. Then after making the new words she wrote them on a lined piece of paper I printed off the internet and laminated. That way she can write on it and wipe it off to use it again and again. She really liked it. The words I choose go along with her lessons from Teach Your Child to Read in a 100 Easy Lessons and from her Bob Books.

TT has been busy working on his new Math U See curriculum. I am glad we went back to it. Now math isn't such a pain everyday. We are starting a unit on Ancient Greece this week so I will post more photos of it here as we go. Of couse we have been doing the everyday stuff of vocabulary, spelling and language, but nothing to write about.

Field Trip!!

Yes, we took a field trip to the zoo. The weather was just perfect and my hubby was here to enjoy it with us so we went. I was not at the top of my game with all this sinus mess but I made it through and enjoyed myself.

We had not visited this zoo since TT was 3 years old, so that means 7 years. Back then we not impressed becaused I had been raised around the St. Louis area and that zoo is quite large and FREE. So needless to say I was not happy paying all that money to see what little there was at the local zoo.

However, this time I was impressed the habitats were well layed out. You could see almost every animal up close. Especially the polar bears, large cats, and sea lions. This photo is of Poogie and TT next to a Komodo dragon. Man, he was huge!

Where did the week go?

Whew! It feels like the week just began and here comes Friday. It has been a hard week. TT and I are both suffering from sinus and allergy mess from living so close to a cotton gin. I have never even had a sinus headache when I moved here and now for the last 11 years I have been sick most of the time.

Needless to say our school work was slow in the completing this week. The only relief TT could get from the headache and pressure was from medicine that makes him so sleepy.

My hubby came home from a work trip yesterday and the kids have totally went wild. We are planning on taking them to the zoo tomorrow. I guess that will depend on how we all feel.

I just love going to the zoo when it is cool like this. All the animals seem to come out and play too.

Starting next week we are beginning a unit on the Greeks. I bought the youth edition of the Iliad for us to read. I read both the Iliad and the Oddessy in college and loved them. I think TT will too. We have been so stressed trying to get through everything here lately. It seems like we never finish what I have set up for the kids to complete in a day. So I have decided to take it a little more easy and relax.

I know from experience how many wasted days and hours there are in a ps classroom. So I know even working hard for a few hours is more that is sometimes taught in a ps. I just have to learn to relax a little. That is very hard for me to do, but I am working on it. Maybe, a trip to the zoo is exactly what I need!

We Survived!

Yes, we came home in one piece. After two days of heat and sweat we came home to take one of the greatest showers I have ever had. Even TT was grateful for running water when we came home.



Now don't get me wrong he loved the camp out. And I have to say I did too. Especially at night. I was so cool and clear. I slept really well with the sound of the crickets to lull me to sleep. Saturday could have been cooler but it was worth it.



TT earned his Totem Chip which means he can officially carry a pocket knife. And he even helped cook breakfast Sat. morning. Now all he wants to do is cook and sharpen every pocket knife within a one mile radius. He even helped cook supper and peeled and cut up the cucumbers for a salad.



The down side was he blistered in some bad places due to sweating, but he is recovering well and is ready to go.

TT earning his Totin' Chip!

I was so proud of my little Boy Scout!

I Just Love a Man in Uniform!

Here is a pic of my new boy scout. He looks all serious in this photo but other than during the picture he was beaming. We have been very blessed with the troop he joined. Many of the boys love to talk war and video games just like TT.

We have also gained a new Girl Scout Daisy in our house, Poogie. Today was her first meeting and I will take a photo of my little flower when we get all her patches on her uniform and ready for a photo shoot!

Weekly update!

I know I have not been faithful about posting the last few weeks, but so much has happened.
First, my sweet little boy turned 11 on the 26th. It was hard to believe.

But, I didn't have much time to dwell on the fact that my little boy is another year older. We spent the week getting his stuff together for Boy Scouts. We had to get the uniform and begin buying camping gear for our upcoming camporee. That's right, this weekend I will spend two glorious days in a tent without running water. At least I don't have to share the tent with the boys. I know how my little sweetie can smell after one day without a shower, don't want to know what a whole group will smell like!

I will take a pic of my little Boy Scout this week and post it here! As he told me, "Mom, girls love a man in uniform". I couldn't believe it.

As far as school goes, things have been moving slow. We pretty much took TT's birthday week off. The week before we had been hitting a wall with his math. The more it required him to do long division the more he and I became discouraged. He just didn't get it. I tried everything and used different books, approaches, etc. He didn't get it. So I finally broke down and got him the Math U See Delta. We had such good luck with Gamma last year I decided to give it a try with division. He was all for it. The Rod & Staff was great for him until he reached long division. So I will probably keep using it some too.

We have worked out a schedule and system that seems to fit our life. Poogie is a lot easier than TT because her lessons are short and she is so open to learning in different ways.

As a family we are reading Caddie Woodlawn and are really enjoying it. I am thinking about doing a small unit on Wisconsin to go along with the book for geography.

I will post more tomorrow or the next day.