I had several highlights this week.

1. Our Valentine's Day "Love Thy Neighbor" Party was fun. We had 60 degree weather so outside time was part of the event.



2. I made my first batch of homemade laundry detergent. The recipe I got from http://ourjourneywestward.com/category/recipes/ I wasn't expecting the "gelling" effect and I was warned that there weren't going to be bubbles like store bought detergent. For some reason bubbles just seem to equal clean. The mixture is very soft to the touch so the clothes are nice and soft. It seems to clean just as good as any store bought brand. I use a little more than the 1/2 - 1 cup suggestion so at that rate I'm not sure if I'll be saving money or not. I'll have to wait and see. The girls enjoyed grated the laundry soap. The whole ordeal felt much like a science experiment.





3. I made a very sudden decision not to re enroll DD13 into Classical Conversations next year. Don't get me wrong I love the program but as I was calculating curriculum for next year it was just all too much. Furthermore, the things I don't like about CC (Catechism memorization) I can just eliminate next year altogether but keep the things I do like(the study of Logic). I found a co-op not too far away where there are group classes I can enroll the girls in. I don't want to teach Science at all if I can help it. That is a subject I definitely want to outsource. So prayerfully I'll be able to register DD13 & DD11 for Apologia science next year with the Co-op group. I feel good about this change. It will also allow more money in the budget for other things we want to do.

It's kind of hard deciding on a 9th grade curriculum. My first full year of homeschooling has taught me that I am an eclectic homeschooler but I am leaning toward MFW highschool curriculum. I need the lesson plans already done for me knowing that I can award a credit for completing everything as outlined in the curriculum. High School is the real deal so I can't relax the year away doing things "willy nilly." I'm sure others will say the credit hour stuff works itself out over time even if you don't walk to the beat of the lesson plan drum. For a newbie like me, though, I'm a little uptight - preparing a child for college and all.

I can't wait for a curriculum fair and my state convention to get my hands on the stuff I can only read about at the publisher's website. I know there are two - three months left in my school year but I'm already excited about next year.

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I think I know myself pretty well. For whatever reason, I have days where I feel really motivated and we get a lot accomplished during school. Then there are other days where I don't feel too motivated so it is really a relaxed day. I guess its pretty normal for no one day to be the same in our homeschool but I hate to get behind from week to week because of a "relaxed" day. We've been pretty consistent with daily lessons in Easy Grammar, Math, writing assignment from IEW once/twice a week but I haven't assigned any literature reads. The girls make their own choices at the library but this week I though we should all read a book from the Chronicles of Narnia.

DD9 and I are reading Price Caspian and DD11 is ready the Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
DD13 had to read the Magician's Nephew as part of the Classical Conversations curriculum and that got her interested in reading all the books in the series. So why not join her was my thought? It's not part of my curriculum plan but why not go with the flow. So I am 3/4 of the way through Prince Caspian, can't believe how much I love it!

My DD9 said I saw the movie but I don't remember. I'll have to see if the library has it so I can watch it again. So what did we do this week?

In addition to our "daily" dose of Math, Easy Grammar, and Wordly Wise Vocabulary, this is what we accomplished:

MONDAY - I usually do Science on Tue/Thurs but if I miss a day I'll do a Mon/Wed to catch up. This was the case on Monday. We studied the function of human blood and blood types. Worked in a bit of Art as well by sketching the make-up of one quart of human blood. Finished up a 3 part writing assignment in IEW.




Tuesday - planning for a Valentine's "Love Thy Neighbor" party we are having with friends on next Monday. We are making cards and decorations. Piano Lessons for DD9.


Wednesday - this was my unmotivated day. We started the day by catching A Baby Story on TLC and Make Room for Multiples. There were a lot of grimacing faces as my girls saw for the very first time babies being born. Eeek! This can fall under Health Education, right?

Thursday - Worked on elements of a Lapbook we are doing on the Renaissance/Reformation. Made a mini booklet of the Early American Explorers.

Friday - Since moving put us 15 minutes farther from the Classical Conversations campus my daughter goes to, I'm deciding to stay in the area until it is to time to pick up DD13 from class. DD11 & DD9 and I will spend the morning at the library doing some lessons then head over to a friend's for some PE time.

Nothing glitzy or glamorous .... but a good week.

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