Yesterday marked the end of our second quarter for this 2016-2017 homeschool year. Half-way done feels like a huge accomplishment, especially since this school year is proving to be a bit more challenging than last year. Fourth grade curriculum kicks it up a notch, it seems, and in a way it feels like we were finally hitting our stride. But that's okay -- I'll gladly welcome a little break for the next couple weeks. One thing L. (10) and I like to do when we celebrate these little homeschool ... Read More about Things We Enjoyed During the First Half of our Homeschool Year
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Five Reasons to Read Middle Grade Fiction
Confession: Everyone but me is in bed around here. I stayed up late because I had to finish reading The City of Ember, a book L. and I have been reading for our homeschool literature class this year. We’re scheduled to finish it up together this week, but I couldn’t wait. I had to know what happened. More and more, I find myself diving into and loving middle grade books like The City of Ember. In fact, as I was starting to think about the books I’d like to read in 2017, I noticed that most of ... Read More about Five Reasons to Read Middle Grade Fiction
Fun With Dry Ice
As a homeschooling, introverted homebody, I do a significant amount of my shopping online. What’s not to love? Push a button, wait a few days and — voila! — a package shows up on our doorstep with exactly what I needed. As Christmas approaches, I’ve been shopping online not just for gifts, but also for supplies for any entertaining we’ll be doing. Recently, I ordered something yummy from Williams Sonoma that needs to be kept frozen until our family gathering on the day after Christmas. ... Read More about Fun With Dry Ice
A Tree with No Ornaments
This is a record for us. Here we are, less than 10 days before Christmas, and our tree — though nice and sparkly with its pre-attached lights — remains undecorated. Not a single ornament hangs from a branch; no star adorns the tippy-top. It is bare. Of course, I have some good reasons for this sad state of affairs. I’m an idealist. You see, I have this vision of all four of us decorating the tree together, Christmas music playing, joyful smiles on our faces. Maybe even some hot ... Read More about A Tree with No Ornaments
Photo catch-up
I'm currently about one week in to a Facebook break, which has been more refreshing than I thought it would be. I do really miss seeing what everyone is up to, but for now, this break is the right thing. I do know, though, that a few people have wondered what we're up to and have missed seeing our everyday photos, so I thought I'd catch up a little bit here. Since we started homeschooling, there is no shortage of whiteboards in our home, and they are used for everything from math problems ... Read More about Photo catch-up