As We Begin February

So, I sat down Friday to figure out just how many weeks this month will be a four day week and how many are going to be five day weeks. We have 3 four day weeks and the rest is five day weeks. Ah, the freedom that homeschool provides! I didn't lesson plan for the entire month, I lesson plan for the following week each Thursday and it takes me about an hour or so to do each week total for all three kids. Honestly, I do the most simple way of just doing the next lesson in each book, assigning videos to go along with our science reading, and making sure that there's enough reading material in the house to fill in the gaps and the assigned reading each week. ECJ (15, 9th grade) is required to do an hour of reading each day on top of school lesson reading and his daily devotional reading, YCJ (11, 5th grade/6th grade math) is required a half hour of reading each day after lessons and including weekends, and Peanut (8, 2nd grade) practices reading each day with Starfall, or Teach Your Monster to Read or beginning readers. We picked up some new to us books from our friends at Living Life with 3 Sons on Friday and I've eagerly pawed through them looking at the awesomeness that is now ours. We've determined that having a set amount to read each day keeps us relaxed and ready to greet each new challenge school wise. The girls still get read a louds with me each night and part of every day during lessons. ECJ does most of his reading in the evening before bed, much like I do (when I can sneak the time to read other than in the tub lol). 


Saturday and Sunday we had a relaxed weekend going into another four day school week, but this time we didn't do any lessons over the weekend which gave the campers a three day weekend to relax and enjoy during. The girls surprised us by researching the pets they want (Peanut wants guppies and YCJ wants a guinea pig) and then writing us reports from their research. Both girls spent a couple hours on YouTube watching videos and taking notes and then writing their reports over both days of the weekend. We didn't suggest that they do this and were more than happy when they came up with the idea for themselves. I LOVE that they've decided to show such interest in learning about something that they truly want. We also had some spur of the moment cooking lessons with our Sunday supper of ham, beets, peas, and cheesy potatoes followed closely with the boiling of peas and ham bones for split pea soup. It will be a nice way to break up the amount of chicken that we'll be consuming this week as that's mainly what's in my freezer and I don't plan on going grocery shopping until Thursday.

Monday we of course had the beginning of this week's worth of lessons and I ran to the Secretary of State to renew my ID and to my doctor appointment. I do not drive, having given it up several years ago, so when my ID expired I didn't even notice until now. I've been going around with an expired ID for about three months now. Naughty naughty me. This week we've decided to do mainly online lessons and leave book lessons for next week as we have a lot planned for out of the house (Daddy and I) and the campers don't do so well if we move their lessons until evening. This decision was greeted with happy children when they were told in the morning not to expect book work this week.

Tuesday Daddy had a doctor appointment and then we had to run paperwork to the new community that we plan on moving our home to sometime in the next several weeks. All in all this didn't take a huge amount of time but the campers waited until we got back to do their online lessons. Mainly because my computer is acting funny and they didn't want to mess it up more without me being home. Of course they did no such messing up but I don't mind them waiting for me to be home to use my computer. I spent my afternoon researching new curriculum choices for next year. I probably won't change everything but you never know until I'm done planning. And, of course, Tuesday nights are catechism nights for the girls.


On Wednesday Daddy and I both had appointments in the next town so we left ECJ in charge of making sure each of the campers did their online lessons while we were out of the house. YCJ and Peanut are also still researching guppies and guinea pigs so they spent several hours this day online doing lessons and researching their future pets. Peanut says she might get a couple other fish besides guppies if we get her a big enough fish tank. When we got home, which was around supper time, we just heated up some split pea and ham soup we'd made earlier in the week and it made for a super simple meal. Thursday we again left ECJ in charge of online lessons while we went grocery shopping. I guess I got over them using my computer while I'm gone really quickly. But having them do their online lessons later in the day really doesn't work well for them. Mornings and midday are really the best times that they seem to learn and normally I don't schedule a week as heavy with out of the house appointments as I did this week.

Tomorrow, Friday, we have scheduled off of school this week. Moragon has a vet appointment to get the staples out of her belly and all of the kids want to go with us. Peanut is entertaining the thought of being a vet herself when she grows up so it's a good thing she likes visiting the vets every time we go. As for YCJ, she is entertaining the thought of becoming military police and then (after she leaves the service) becoming a k-9 officer, so the vet is a good trip for her to go on as well. ECJ hasn't much of a plan or clue about what he wants to go to college for. He knows he wants to go to college, he thinks he MIGHT go into the Air Force, and he's also fairly certain that he wants to do something with computers as his career. Hopefully we're able to get a plan in place for him before fall. Honestly the only thing that really interests him right now, besides girls, is video games. Perhaps he'll go into game design.

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