"Insta"-replay #93, should have taken more pictures

So, I didn't post many pictures this week.  We stayed busy but we also stayed home and to be honest my home is not looking its best so I've been avoiding taking pictures.

We have been getting school done each day.  This year with only four days of school each week it is more important that we don't get behind.  Merry has been using "Headventure Land," a Latin games website.  It is a payed subscription that goes with her Latin curriculum.  She thought it was hilarious that "sonic screwdriver" was an option.  As fellow whovians the reference was much appreciated.

Last week's schedule was a bit different because my husband was away for a few days.  So both girls had to come with me places.  As a result they spent more time sitting and waiting than normal.  Good thing they are such good readers, I didn't hear any complaints.

Having a scrawny blog post should inspire me to take more pictures this week, and maybe even clean house...maybe.

"Insta"-replay #92, I think it's finally fall!

Summer seemed to last extra long this year but drizzly skies and cooler weather is finally making an appearance. Autumn happens to be a favorite season of mine so I am glad it has arrived.

Waking up to fog is delightfully dreary and when my mood is low it seems like all of nature is being sympathetic.  The last two weeks were long and I needed that sympathy.

Girls have been working hard on school.  We decided to try a four day schedule this year but shorter weeks do mean longer days.

To get it done has meant school in the car.

And school while getting a treat at McDs.  You can see from the smiles that they don't mind too much.

Besides school we also had some fun.  Star Wars Reads Day had their third annual national event day.  I may or may not have bought a book just to take this picture.  I think I'm hilarious.

Our local library had a Star Wars event this year.  It was fun to dress up and of course pose whenever possible.

We finished up the week with art with aunt Abbie, it was a fun sparkly project that wasn't as much of a mess as I thought it would be.

So that's what we've been up to, at least what I've taken pictures of.  Happy Autumn.

"Insta"-replay #91, birthday time for Charry!

Charry has made it around the sun one more time!  It's hard to believe she is 12 already.  She had fun celebrating all over town.

She was guest of honor during Sunday school.  Mrs. Sue brought in some favorite treats and let them watch a movie (veggi tales.)

She then had a Hobbit themed party with the Walters.  The cake her Aunt Abbie made was amazing.

The final party, on her birthday was at Red Robin.  My mom got there first and made sure Charry felt extra special!

Of course the last few weeks haven't been all birthday partying.

We also had talk like a pirate day.

Online racing with Idaho cousins.

And surprise visits for Grandma Louise.

We have definitely stayed busy this September, and already October looks like it will be a full one too!

"Insta"-replay #90, new schedule

With back to school came a new schedule for us.

We had a last day with the cousins.  We of course spent it at target seeing all the new Star Wars gear.

For the rest of the week they were only around in the mornings before school.

Luckily the girls had school of their own the keep them busy.  Merry is eager to learn cursive, quite a change from before summer when I first told her it was coming.

Charry is seeming more grown up. 7th grade is a big change for her.  She's having to be more responsible for her work and will be getting graded!

Our first project day went great!  I was able to work on my school while the girls made diaramas of early natives of Oregon.

 

We also took our first field trip.  We saw a group at the library who played Japanese koto music, Oregon Koto Kai.  Both girls enjoyed listening and went up to ask questions afterwards.

Our week ended playing games with my sister-in-laws.  They taught us Catan Dice Game.  It was much quicker than the board game so I liked it.

It was a great week and I think I will like this new schedule!

"Insta"-replay #89, saying goodbye to summer

Summer is coming to an end and I have been negligent in my blog posting, sorry. We have been so busy these last few weeks!

Legos have been played with.

Science has been explored.

Outings with grandma have been gone on.

Superheroes have been designed.

Beach trips have been taken.

And the fair has been explored.

We are all set to start school and enjoy fall!

I've already started school, part of my excuse for neglecting the blog, returning to life as a student has been harder than I expected!  Hopefully I will stay persistent in posting.

School, Here We Come!!!!

I don't know about you but I am excited to be starting school soon, in fact we have already started a few subjects.  So what are we doing this year?

Charry, 7th Grade

Math: Life of Fred Pre-algebra; She completed the first of Fred's three pre-algebra books last year and is excited to continue to read about that quirky math professor from Kitten's University.

Spelling: All About Spelling; I'm hoping we can power our way through two levels this year.  It is my least favorite subject so I have trouble sticking to my schedule.

Latin: Latin Alive Book 1; This is by far my favorite subject and I'm excited for this curriculum.  We did a preview of the first unit at the end of last year and she seems to really enjoy it too.

Science: Apologia's Exploring Creation with General Science; This is the subject we have already started.  Charry is enjoying the experiments and handling the new requirements well.  It was important to me to have an actual middle school level text book.  I want to make sure she is ready for high school in two short years.

History: Oregon History; We will be using a workbook I found on Amazon by Georgia Pennington Sligar.  I'm also hoping to include various projects though out the year.  State history is generally covered in fourth grade so I am a little behind.

Writing: Cover Story; I haven't actually ordered this yet.  This is the subject I let my daughter pick.  We looked online as well as in stores at different options and she is adamant that this is the one she wants to do.  Charry is excited to design her very own magazine.  And she has been looking at steampunk all summer to prepare. 

Dailies: Along with two English related Dailies from Evan-Moor (Reading Comprehension and Language Review) she is using a Math Daily Warm-up workbook from Teachers Created Resources.  Now that she is out of elementary school it was harder to find general practice at her level.

Merry, 4th Grade

Math: Life of Fred Intermediate Series; that's right she is out of the elementary books and on to bigger things!  We love Fred so she's excited to start her new books.

Spelling: All About Spelling; Merry spells like I do, and that's not a good thing.  All about Spelling seems to help a little.  It is also helping me to see what she can do if she takes the time to slow down andd think about things.

Latin: Latin for Children book A; this is a repeat of what we did last year.  I'm hoping the review will help build confidence in what she knows.

Science: Apologia's Exploring Creation with Astronomy; I let her pick which area of science she wanted to study and I was surprised by what she picked!  She will also be doing the companion notebook.  This is the first year she is doing a different science than her sister so it will be different.

History: She will be studying Oregon history along with her sister but instead of a workbook she will be creating a lapbook that goes along with each unit.

Writing: Writing Strands level 3; This is the subject she has already started.  After each unit the author suggests that student take a break from writing to read so I found some of my favorite classics, like Harriet the Spy, the Princess and the Goblin, and Matilda, so she can do some guided reading this year.

Dailies: Merry has four of the Evan Moor Dailies that she will be using this year, Math, Reading Comprehension, Language Review, and Handwriting.  She is excited to start cursive this year!


So there you have it, our year is going to be a full one! 

"Insta"-replay #88, a wicked good time

Happy August, the month I start thinking about fall ad how nice it will be!

I finished up lesson planning only to discover that, if we stick to our 4 days a week schedule, we will have some classes going into June!  I talked it over with the girls and they decided to start those classes now so summer break starts sooner!

Last week the kids discovered the board games.  Well at least discovered they were free to use them.  Monopoly and mousetrap are current favorites. 

I've been trying to shop less by buying more!  It actually seems to help.  If I know I have stuff I could make for lunches I am less likely to run to the store and buy junk food.  

We were downtown Portland this weekend and enjoyed playing in one of their many parks.  Whenever we see waterfalls I tell my kids, "don't go chasing waterfalls."  So I think I'm hilarious taking a picture of them having caught the waterfall.

The reason we were in Portland was to see "Wicked."  Like most broadway musicals there was no photography of any kind aloud in the theatre but let me assure you it was wonderful!  The girls also got to participate in a GirlScouts workshop beforehand learning some of the behind the scenes facts.

It was a fun week!  I guess a little more summer isn't too bad.