Updates, Updates, and More Updates!

Hello, Friends!  It may appear that I have slipped off the face of the earth, but in truth, it has just been an amazingly awesome and busy time in our family.  I have so many changes and updates to share.  So, let's get started!

Our summer was amazing.  Truly!  We only had one week of "nothing".  The girls did swim team this year.  That was great!  Audrey amazed me with her growth there.  She went from a flailing sea creature to a graceful mermaid in about 5 weeks time.  They promoted her to the competition team mid season and she did fantastic!  Definitely something we will continue to do.  Maddie has also vastly improved.  I'm very proud of her!

We spent 8 days at a resort in Destin, Florida.  It was a super trip!  Ironically, some of Derek's family from Dallas was in a wedding at the same resort the end of our stay.  It was  fun to see them.  The girls absolutely adore their cousins.

 

Later in the summer the girls and I spent 8 days in TN for the Pure American Girl National Pageant.  What an amazing opportunity!  Maddie took home the National Talent Award and Runner Up Model of the Year.  I believe she could have placed higher in the Queen division, but she turned into a little monster.  LOL!  After the first day of competition she basically decided she didn't want to do it and was a handful to deal with the rest of the competition.  I can honestly say, I've never seen her act that poorly before.  I'm praying this is just a short phase of life and she'll be out of it very soon.  (I think she's making up for not going through the Terrible 2's or 3's!)  It is breaking my heart right now.  Anyway, Audrey had a phenomenal week.  For those that don't know her personally, it will be hard to understand just what a huge step and growth she went through this summer and in this pageant.  Many firsts happened that week.  She spoke on stage for the first time in her life.  She did forget some of her words and paused to regain her memory once, but I thought that was amazing.  She could have fallen apart and quit right then, but she didn't.  She pulled herself together and kept going.  She also had her first panel interview.  She felt really good about it, so I take that as another success.  Her modeling progressively improved.  By the final day her poise and confidence were clearly evident on stage.  But, the greatest accomplishment was her singing a solo on stage for the first time in her life.  She LOVED it!  That's what she has talked about the most.  She actually came off the stage and told me she was proud of herself.  Money can't buy that, folks!

 

So, all in all, it was a fabulous experience.  We have learned that Maddie will not be doing any more pageants any time soon.  Audrey has one the end of the month.   And, I am the new State Director for the Pure American Pageant System.  I'm very exited about this opportunity!

We couldn't leave TN without a trip to Dollywood, The Wilderness Water Resort, Hollywood Wax Museum, and Country Tonite musical.  Great trip!

Of course, our summer included a week of VBS and Arts Camp.  There were a few sleep overs and lots of play dates.  Truly a spectacular summer!

The biggest change this year is in our schooling.  Maddie is in Kindergarten and Audrey is in the third grade.  We have decided not to homeschool this year.  It was a huge decision and not one we made lightly.  I struggled with it and will spare you all the details, but in the end I have complete peace about that decision. The girls started last week and are absolutely loving it!  I'm volunteering in both classes and plan to be as involved as I can.

I am coaching cheer again this year.  I'm still with the little ones, which I love.  They are doing fantastic!  Maddie is on the squad, too.  Audrey has decided not to cheer this year.  She is concentrating on singing, dancing, and acting which is turning out to be her love.  I'm totally fine with that and will nurture those gifts as much as I can.  Tonight is her first night of dance - 2 1/2 hours of hip hop, tap, and jazz.  Theater starts Thursday.  Maddie, on the other hand, is all cheer and gymnastics.  She had her first tumbling class on Saturday and loved it!

It is going to be a wonderful year!  I hope you'll join me on this adventure as I recommit to blogging.  :)

Art Fun

Audrey and I had a great time studying Jackson Pollock's art and recreating our own version of Number 6.  We had fun attempting to duplicate his method of painting.  Audrey really enjoyed "dancing" and painting.  She was so cute.  I thought I'd post a few pics I took.

She danced all around the canvas.  =)

Good thing it's washable paint - the back patio is nice & colorful.

The finished product with our sample.

And colorful feet

Checking In - August

Checking in!  The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind.  That and my computer's battery charger DIED.  I was without my computer 3 days.  I thought I was going to have a break down.  LOL  Seriously... how does anybody function without technology these days?  I felt so disconnected.

Anyhoo... here's the 411 on our happenings.  First of all, I had a fantastic trip with Chosen to Mississippi.  It was truly awesome!  I tell ya, if you do not have a relationship with Jesus, you are missing out!  There was some praising going on.  We spent a lot of time on the road and I enjoyed every  minute of it.  I know I may annoy you sometimes saying things over and over, but really - I'm so grateful for this group of ladies.  They are the best friends a gal could ask for.  They're fun to be with.  And, I'm just so blessed to sing with them.  It's fun "going on the road" with them.  =) I will never forget these times.

We're now finishing up our second week of homeschool for 2nd grade.  Audrey is doing really well.  We haven't had a lot of blow ups (yet).  She is catching on very quickly and getting work done (shew!). This child is so smart.  Really.  I know children are like sponges, but her level of comprehension sometimes amazes me.  What a joy it is to be able to share in her education and see all the "ah ha" moments.  Today before we started school, we had breakfast together and then walked a couple of miles on the Greenway.  I love spending one on one time with her and just talking to her.  She really is a great kid!

Maddie started Pre-K yesterday.  No, we do not homeschool Maddie - yet.  We do send her to a private Christian preschool 4 mornings a week because we feel that is the best thing for her right now (she goes from 9-1:00).  We will, more than likely, start her at home for kindergarten next year.  She is enjoying it - though is a little sad that none of her friends from last year are in her class.  :(  But, she said she did get to see some of them on the playground and that helps.  She feels like such a big girl because she's now in the "carpool" lane.  =)

My sweet girl on her first day of PreK!

Cheerleading is going very well.  It is the hardest thing I've ever done, but one of the most rewarding.  I love those little girls!  They are so darn cute.  And, what is being asked of them is huge.  The expectations are very high.  But, I have no doubt they'll come through.  I'm so honored to be part of such a high quality program.  It can be quite intimidating, but God would not have put me in this position if He didn't think we could do it!  On a sidenote, I'm incredibly thankful for the other moms He has put in place to help guide these girls.  They are amazing!  They are so knowledgeable and fantastic with the girls.  They're also becoming great friends of mine.  A gal can't have too many friends! 

The girls at the end of a very hard choreography week with our fantastic choreographer from Florida.  

I went to the doctor this week for a check up.  I accidentally let my prescription run out - which was not cool!  I'm almost back on track now.  (Note to self: Do NOT let that happen again!)  The doctor wants me to do another fasting blood work next month.  My sugar was too high and good cholesterol too low (which I knew).  Apparently my blood pressure was high yesterday, too.  She says I have to have a Sleep Study done.  I'm pretty sure the Apnea is back.  She looked in my throat and said that something (don't remember the term) was too big and the air wasn't getting through properly which is probably why I'm not sleeping well and snoring.  Blah!  Can I just whine and tell you how much I do NOT want to do a sleep study or have to wear a CPAP?!  :(  I know... lose the weight, stop complaining.  Anyway, I also had my foot checked out.  It has bothered me for months (actually since I trained for the 3-Day a couple of years ago).  Every time I walk for extended amounts of time or start working out, my foot bothers me for days.  She's afraid I have some torn tendons.  :(  It is possible there's an old stress fracture so she took an x-ray - but I haven't received results yet.  She gave me an inflammatory, told me to ice twice a day, and giving me physical therapy.  She wants to try this first because she's pretty sure if she sends me to the Orthopedist, they'll put me straight in a boot.  I do not have time for that!  LOL

All of the other activities start back next week.  I'll be teaching 2nd Grade choir again at church.  Both of my girls will be in choir, as well as a Awana.  We also start back our weekly Chosen rehearsals.  The following week we'll start our weekly Bible Studies back up.  It's a busy time of year!

So, that's our update.  I'll keep checking in!  Thanks for sticking around.  

Not Back to School Blog Hop - Classroom Week

WELCOME to the Not Back to School Blog Hop - CLASSROOM WEEK!!

Thanks for stopping by!  This is my absolute favorite Blog Hop Week!!  I enjoy getting a glimpse into others' classrooms.  They're so inspirational to me.  Don't forget to leave a comment and I'll be sure to check out your rooms, too.

We're in our second year of homeschooling.  I loved our little classroom last year, but it was very small and had no window.  I think Audrey (my now 2nd grader) felt a bit claustrophobic. She didn't want to do school in there at all the second semester, so we usually ended up upstairs in the dining room.  (Here is a link to last year's classroom.)  Couple that with the girls spending way more time playing in their rooms these days instead of the basement.  So, I thought the best thing to do for now was move the classroom into the large room in the basement.  Everything we need is now in here.  Yay!!  And, I only made one purchase.  :)  I still have some decorations to add here and there, but this gives you an idea.

This is a view of the whole room.  On the left (out of view) is a large white shelf full of games and puzzles.  The small table & chairs are there for the girls to use when they take something off that shelf. Next to the shelf is our workbox.  Then a long desk that holds her computer and also where she does most of her work.  On the back wall you see our main organization system with all of our school books, curricula, & readers.  The large white table is mostly for art project and games.  There are also 2 small leather chairs next to the small shelves for reading.  On the right is a small sofa for resting/reading.  

Our new Ikea shelf (Expedit) that now houses all our new Usborne books and curriculum with our older, smaller shelves flanking it.  The pink & white boxes on top hold our flash cards, cd's, and dvd's.  We have a box for art supplies, laminator, readers, blocks, puzzles, and a few games.  

Our wall of info - calendars, white board, clock, maps, etc.

Other side with desk & computer; corkboard, etc.

And, when we need to mix it up a bit - we have the hammocks!  Audrey LOVES to sit in them to read.  My husband made them.  He also added some hooks into the walls that the girls can easily put up and take down the hammocks themselves.

Not Back to School Blog Hop - Curriculum Week

WELCOME!  Thanks for stopping by the Not Back to School Blog Hop - Curriculum Week.  This is our second year homeschooling and blog hopping.  We've made a few additions and changes for second grade and are excited to share it with you.  Feel free to stick around a while and be sure to let me know you're here so I can visit your page!


Core Curriculum - We're sticking with SONLIGHT.  I adore it.  I'm not going to lie - it can be overwhelming.  There's a lot of information and a ton of reading.  Honestly, I felt really guilty that we didn't finish reading all of our books in the first grade.  But, I finally realize that it is OK.  We have the books and can read them at leisure later!

Science - We're absolutely sticking with APOLOGIA.  I can't say enough about this program!  I love it!   I totally love that they get a full, in depth study of one concentrated area.  We did Astronomy last year and will be doing Botany this year.  My daughter takes this at a local homeschool program once a week and we review it through the week.  I did not get the Journal with it this year since she takes this elsewhere and they give her assignments from it anyway.

Handwriting - We're going to give HANDWRITING WITHOUT TEARS another go.  I really like it.  If it doesn't work with her this year, I'll use it with Maddie when the time comes.  She seemed to catch on well when I was working with Audrey some last year.

Math - This one is a bit complicated and don't freak out when I tell you what we chose.  Let me start by saying that we started first grade last year with Math U See.  We got about 19 lessons in and Audrey was bored.  I switched to Singapore, but I was only using their review books.  She really enjoyed them.  I did some research on several curricula, but decided to stick with the actual SINGAPORE set.  We'll be doing 1B and 2A.  Upon recommendation I also bought a couple of books of LIFE OF FRED as a fun supplement.  They're awesome books!    THEN... my Statistician husband, went to the conference Saturday and met a lovely man named Miles Jones.  He has an Accelerated Math program that we both agreed would be fantastic for Audrey who really is great in math!  The packaging is not as "fancy" as most other curricula, but you can't judge a book by its cover!  Here is a link to Jones Geniuses.

 

Latin - This is a new one for us.  After recommendations and research, we both feel it is important to start Latin.  It will only help with other areas of learning.  We're starting out simple with SONG SCHOOL LATIN.  I'm excited about learning it with her!

Extra Curricular - Audrey enjoys learning about history and world cultures.  I thought it would be great fun to sign them both up for LITTLE PASSPORTS.   They get a package in the mail each month with info from a different country.  There are activities, a "goody", a sticker for their "passport", and a tag for their "suitcase".  Check out their site for more info!

We are also doing KEEPERS OF HOME through our homeschool group.  I'm looking forward to the monthly meetings and learning some new skills with her.  :)

And, there you have it!  That's the plan!  Keep in mind that we also participate in Awana, Children's Choir, and Competitive Cheerleading.  It's going to be a GREAT year!

Curriculum Choices 2012-2013

Here it is! Our choices for 2nd Grade (feel free to click on pic for link):

Core Curriculum - We're sticking with SONLIGHT.  I adore it.  I'm not going to lie - it can be overwhelming.  There's a lot of information and a ton of reading.  Honestly, I felt really guilty that we didn't finish reading all of our books in the first grade.  But, I finally realize that it is OK.  We have the books and can read them at leisure later!

Science - We're absolutely sticking with APOLOGIA.  I can't say enough about this program!  I love it!   I totally love that they get a full, in depth study of one concentrated area.  We did Astronomy last year and will be doing Botany this year.  My daughter takes this at a local homeschool program once a week and we review it through the week.  I did not get the Journal with it this year since she takes this elsewhere and they give her assignments from it anyway.

Handwriting - We're going to give HANDWRITING WITHOUT TEARS another go.  I really like it.  If it doesn't work with her this year, I'll use it with Maddie when the time comes.  She seemed to catch on well when I was working with Audrey some last year.

Math - This one is a bit complicated and don't freak out when I tell you what we chose.  Let me start by saying that we started first grade last year with Math U See.  We got about 19 lessons in and Audrey was bored.  I switched to Singapore, but I was only using their review books.  She really enjoyed them.  I did some research on several curricula, but decided to stick with the actual SINGAPORE set.  We'll be doing 1B and 2A.  Upon recommendation I also bought a couple of books of LIFE OF FRED as a fun supplement.  They're awesome books!    THEN... my Statistician husband, went to the conference Saturday and met a lovely man named Miles Jones.  He has an Accelerated Math program that we both agreed would be fantastic for Audrey who really is great in math!  The packaging is not as "fancy" as most other curricula, but you can't judge a book by its cover!  In fact, I'm not able to get a pic, but here is the link to Jones Geniuses.

 

Latin - This is a new one for us.  After recommendations and research, we both feel it is important to start Latin.  It will only help with other areas of learning.  We're starting out simple with SONG SCHOOL LATIN.  I'm excited about learning it with her!

Extra Curricular - Audrey enjoys learning about history and world cultures.  I thought it would be great fun to sign them both up for LITTLE PASSPORTS.   They get a package in the mail each month with info from a different country.  There are activities, a "goody", a sticker for their "passport", and a tag for their "suitcase".  Check out their site for more info!

We are also doing KEEPERS OF HOME through our homeschool group.  I'm looking forward to the monthly meetings and learning some new skills with her.  :)

And, there you have it!  That's the plan!  Keep in mind that we also participate in Awana, Children's Choir, and Competitive Cheerleading.  It's going to be a GREAT year!

Southeast Homeschool Convention Review

I'm refreshed, recharged, and ready to go!  I just spent two days at the Southeast Homeschool Convention.  I finished up choosing and purchasing curricula.  It was nice to spend time with like minded people and hear from experienced individuals in different fields.

Last year I also attended the Homeschooling 101 conference.  It was very informative, but not necessary this year.  I went in with more of a game plan and wasn't as overwhelmed going into the Vendors Hall.  I knew what I needed to see and what I needed to research further.  I was incredibly blessed this year to have Derek go with me.  He wasn't able to go both days, but did go today.  We attended some great talks.  I appreciated his input into the math curriculum, which we'll get to in the next post - Curriculum Choices.

One of my favorite speakers is Rebecca Powell of momseriously.com.  She is incredibly wise and I admire her ability to share her knowledge in parenting and homeschooling.  She was the main speaker last year in the Homeschooling 101 courses.  Yesterday I attended her talk, "Square Peg, Round Hole: Shaping Your Daughter’s Identity in a Be-Like-Everyone-Else World".  What wonderful advice!  One of the most profound things she said was, "If we don't tell them (our daughters) who they are, they will believe what others tell them."  It is our job to build up our daughters and help them understand who they are in Christ.  She gave specific roles each parent has.  It was a fantastic talk.

Robert Andrews gave an encouraging workshop entitled "Parenting: Mission Impossible".  It was a  Biblical perspective of who we are called to be as parents, understanding our children, and understanding how to relate to our children.  Some things I took away from this was that we are parents called to raise the next generation for Jesus.  As parents, we are first sinners.  We are made righteous through Christ and carry the Authority of God in the lives of our children.  We, ourselves, must learn to yield to authority before we can wield it properly.  Likewise, our children are sinners.  We are all born  this way.  It is our job to bring them up in the ways of the Lord.  In dealing with their sin we are not to ignore it, believe everything (they ARE kids), excuse it, or berate them.  As a parent we are not their best buddy, we are the parent.   We should discipline without anger, but with firmness and compassion.


One of my favorite speakers from last year was Kirk Martin of Celebrate Calm.  Derek & I were able to catch one of his talks this time .  It was hard to get in since it was standing room only.  I do have some of his CD's that I plan to listen to with Derek.  Kirk is a dynamic speaker with some great ideas for creating a calm home.  It first starts with US and how we react to our children.  It's about giving the responsibility of choices & consequences to our children.  I recommend looking him up!


Ok, so it wasn't all about parenting and dealing with kiddos - though I think that's the larger part of homeschooling. I did attend some talks about specific subjects and teaching techniques - one of those was the Handwriting Without Tears. I actually used this curriculum last year, but Audrey disliked handwriting so much that it really was not enjoyable for us. And, honestly, I struggled with the curriculum. I should have spent more time studying and preparing for it. It isn't difficult, but when you have a child that dislikes it so it does add another difficulty level! I decided to stick it out and actually bought a used set for Maddie when it's time for her. I enjoyed the talk, got some nice ideas, and some great goodies to take home, too. =)



The first class I actually went to was "Incorporating Fine Arts into Homeschool". It was important to me to attend this workshop as Audrey is stressing a huge interest in Art. We will be making an extra effort in doing more art classes, attending museums, and studying a broad spectrum of arts. She also gave some practical ideas for introducing art, artists, and history into every day.

One great class I attended was "Understanding Your Child's Learning Style". The talk was given by a vendor (of a school) and it was, in part, their spin on learning, but I still found it helpful. In addition to the common learning styles (Auditory, Visual, & Kinesthetics), they introduce what they call The Learning Dispositions. These approaches are more student based rather than concept based. It is about fitting their talents, interests, & goals into their learning. The 5 Dispositions she shared are Relating, Performing, Inventing, Thinking/Creating, and Producing. I'm still looking over these and deciding what style Audrey really is.

I attended a workshop called, "How to Homeschool & Stay Organized". My expectations of this going in was pretty high. The speaker lacked a ton of personality, but she did have a lot of information and sped through it very quickly. Some of her suggestions did not really pertain to our family, but I did take away some usable information.

Since I'm doing a review, I must also honestly report on some talks I did not find helpful. Derek & I both attended the "Homeschooling the Gifted Child". Now, let me preface this by saying that I've never had Audrey tested. I do not KNOW that she is gifted. However, I know that she is very intelligent. According to the checklist provided by the speaker, Audrey IS gifted. If only the talk had really followed that. I did not feel that anything useful came from this talk. It was mostly about her and her gifts. Sorry... that's how it came across.

The last talk of the day, Derek & I split up. I went to "Instilling Organization in Our Children". Derek attended "Creating a Gifted Mathematician" (surprise, right?). Let me start with my class. I kinda cringed when I realized who the speaker was. I attended one of her workshops last year and was really disappointed. I tried to change my attitude and give her the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, it was much of the same. I found myself making tally marks on my paper for every grammatical error I saw on the Power Point presentation. :/ There were no concrete ideas on organizing. It was all about realizing that you need organization and doing it. Duh! (For the record, last year she taught on Lapbooking/Notebooking and I found her stuff to be elementary and PPP full of errors.)

On the flip side, Derek came out of his talk pumped and excited! I was actually talking to a lady outside of my workshop as I waited for Derek to finish up. She did not like the one Derek attended for her own reasons, but Derek loved it. He really connected with the speaker and we spent some time afterwards talking to him at his booth.

So, that's it! Overall, it was a great experience. It was informative and encouraging. I met some sweet people and saw some familiar faces. It is not easy, but I am so grateful for the opportunity to teach my girl!

New Classroom

If you know me well, you know that I am CONSTANTLY changing the basement.  It has been a playroom, Derek's office, a playroom, a few things in between, and now a classroom.  I loved our little classroom last year, but it was very small and had no window.  I think Audrey felt a bit claustrophobic.    She didn't want to do school in there at all the second semester.  (Here is a link to last year's classroom.)Couple that with the girls spending way more time playing in their rooms these days instead of the basement.  So, I thought the best thing to do for now was move the classroom into the large room in the basement.  Everything we need is now in here.  Yay!!  And, I only made one purchase.  :)  I still have some decorations to add here and there, but this gives you an idea.

This is a view of the whole room.  I have it divided into different sections:
art table, desk, space for games, and a sofa for reading.

Our new Ikea shelf that now houses all our new Usborne books and curriculum.

Our wall of info - calendars, white board, clock, maps, etc.

Other side with desk & computer; corkboard, etc.

And, when we need to mix it up a bit - we have the hammocks!

First Quarter - Check!

Hi, friends!  Happy October!  My favorite month of the year.  I love the cool fall weather, changing colors, and falling leaves.  (Ok, my birthday may have something to do with it, too.  lol)  I LOVE decorating for fall.  We totally splurged on a Halloween decoration (which we don't normally decorate for).  But, we love pirates and found one of those big lawn blow up pirate ships (Yeehaw!).  I swore I'd never put one of those things in my yard, but I love it.  LOL  (I'll take a pic tomorrow since I finally found my camera battery and am charging it now).  I'm still looking for the perfect wreath to hang on the door.  I may just have to hop over to Pinterest and find one to make myself.  =)

I'm feeling better.  Don't know if I shared earlier, but I had my third bout of Pink Eye in six weeks.  My face broke out terribly with knots, bumps, and splotches.  Turns out I had some sort of viral infection that seemed to overtake my left side.  (Several people said it looked like Shingles.)  Finished up my last dose of meds today and am starting to look more normal.  lol  Other than that, I'm just feeling a little run down.  I've had some emotional ups and downs.  I hate losing my patience with the kids, but I feel overly sensitive lately.  Don't know if its the virus, hormones, meds, or what - but it's not pretty.  I've had a hard time balancing everything the last week or so.  Story of my life, huh?  We're working some things out though and it really helps.  Hubby has committed to taking care of dinner every night.  It takes a great load off my shoulders.  He's an amazing cook and enjoys it.  I am incredibly grateful for that!!  I do all the other "stuff", but we are going to have a housekeeper start coming in once a month.  I'm super excited about that!  I just need a little helping hand here and there.  Between homeschooling, the kids, their activities, and church commitments - I just need a little fresh air.  What a blessing it will be!!

We are a quarter of the way through school.  Can you even believe it?!  I think we've found our groove. We still have our ups and downs, but that's part of the parent/child relationship as much as it is teacher/student.  We'll be finishing up our first I Can Read It book this week, as well as our first full unit (10 lessons) in Math.  That's exciting!!  We're still slowly catching up on Science.  She still loves her Bible and history stories.  Again, still not doing well with the spelling, but we're enjoying a great free website a friend recommended:  www.SpellingCity.com.  Check it out!  It has some great games to play using their spelling words.  We may start adding in the Sign Language soon, too.

We did get some disheartening news today that I thought I'd share.  I know it could be worse, but I'm honestly a little bummed.  Audrey had her repeat EEG a couple of weeks ago.  We were hopeful that she had outgrown the Epilepsy, but the seizure activity has actually increased.  The test shows that even on medication she is having seizures in her sleep, when she takes deep breaths, and now with certain lights.  We now have to be cautious of places with strobe lights, as well as monitor her television & computer exposure.  She can't sit too close to screens or watch in the dark (which isn't good for you anyway).  Her medicine is going to be slightly increased.  And, she we will have to continue the meds and monitoring for two more years before they'll retest her.  Again, I know that it could be so much worse.  We're truly blessed that we're able to treat this and keep it under control.  Please continue to pray with us that it will eventually go away completely.

Week 2 Review

I know, I'm jumping the gun a bit.  The school week isn't over until tomorrow, but we're really finished with the bulk of our stuff.  Tomorrow will be a good review and finishing up of some things.  We've been a little more flexible with our schedule this week.  The days were a little longer than the first, but we threw some extra "recesses" in.  ;)  Maddie starts preschool next week, so this is her last full week at home every day.  The girls have enjoyed playing.  No worries, we have gotten all the essential information in and even added a few things of our own.

Audrey has thoroughly enjoyed The Boxcar Children (ok, mommy has, too), so we jumped a week ahead and finished the whole thing.  She made her own diorama of the boxcar.  I was very proud of her creativity!  We also finished her reading assignments a day early.  She has done very well with her reading.  We've been talking about similes, commas, short a sounds, and double consonants this week.  We finished up with a creative writing assignment about her family.  It's always fun to hear what the kiddos think about their family!  =)

In our history core, we've looked at ancient civilization and Egypt.  We did some virtual tours of the Pyramids, learned how to mummify a person (which she thought was very cool, btw!), and made some Egyptian neck dressings.  Fun stuff!

The kid is going through math quite easily right now. She's a little bored.  So, we just touched on lessons  2-4 and started 5 today.  I have a feeling we'll be moving through to 6-8 next week.  I realize that most of this is review for her for what she already knows.  But, this will give us more time to get into the new stuff more in depth and not worry about not having enough time this year.  I think she's going to be fine.

Handwriting is still a bit of a struggle - an attitude struggle, that is.  I've done less "lessons" in writing and just made the corrections as needed through copywork in other subjects.  I have noticed an improvement already in these past two weeks.  :)

She's still not overly excited about Science, but we did work with the planets a little bit more.  We made our own mnemonic for learning and remembering the order of the planets.  (My Valentine Eats Mommy's Jellybeans Says Uncle Norton.)  We attempted a model clay solar system, but that was a project FAIL.  They looked pretty good, but wouldn't stay on their strings to hang.  Mommy clearly doesn't do well with some of these projects.  We're all suppose to be learning here, right?

We are continuing our reading through Egermeier's Children's Bible Story Book.  I really like it!  Audrey is retaining the information well.  I've found some great supplemental work to go along with it - like coloring sheets, puzzles, quiz sheets, etc. 

Derek started teaching Audrey Tai Chi today.  (Yes, dear, I know that is not the proper spelling, so feel free to comment with the correction.)  ;)  In September, D will be with Audrey on Thursday mornings while I sing and participate in our Women of Worship Bible Study at church.  D agreed to add this to their time together.  I think she enjoys in.

Did I mention we got a dog this week?  Yeppers - she still doesn't officially have a name.  Her original name is LuLu.  Her shelter name is Tootsie.  I don't particularly care for either, but we can't seem to agree on anything else.  ;)  She has enjoyed school with us this week, as well.

That's it for this week's review, though I will leave you with one funny.  Since we finished with the Boxcar Children a week early, we started reading The Secret Garden.  I had been reading to her for a while when she decided she needed to get up and do something.  She says, "Can you pause it?  I'll be right back."  Love that kid!

Math is much easier with a doggie on your lap!

The Boxcar Children Diorama complete with grass, real pine straw beds, Jessie & Violet, a clothesline, waterfall, swimming pool, and fire pit.

Daddy is a great teacher!