5 Ways to get back to the swing of homeschool after winter break

The Homeschool-mom part of me is excited to tackle the new year, The mom side of me is dreading dragging my children back to the homeschool table...

bereft of bright and shining faces this winter?  Here are a few ideas to get things moving:

1. switch things up ~ is Bible or Math usually your first subject? Why not switch up the order of things, or move Bible to before school...or?  Make a visual line-up the kids can see and look forward to.

2. ease into it~ make the first week an abbreviated week, with less subjects, or end the school-day a bit earlier and get outside, or snuggle up for some cozy reading. Or? the possibilities are endless.

3. Start a new subject~ pull out the study materials you didn't quite get to yet, now is a great time to dive into something new.  Bored with your studies? now might be the time to look for a short-but-sweet unit study.

4. Try a new schedule ~ things getting really stale?  Make a new schedule, move things around, change the times, shorten some studies, lengthen others.  Now might be the time to try a block schedule, with Science only 2 days a week, for example, and freeing up Fridays for "Art Fridays" or "field trip Fridays". Think a little outside of the box you have made and switch things around, experiment, try a new class.

5. KISS/Just Read ~ I know for me, I tend to make things way more complicated than they need to be.  I need the perfect unit study, the perfect reference books, the perfect outline and the perfect worksheets.  Sometimes (a lot of the time) simply opening up a good book, reading it, and discussing it gets the job done.  Simple, but true.

Here at {Home} we are going to switch things up, re-arrange our schedule and start new subjects.  #5 was started a month ago, we are reading a Grace Livingston Hill novel and discussing. How about you, are you looking forward to a fresh start?

You know you're a homeschool-mom when...

You know you're a homeschool-mom when...  

1. You find yourself re-purchasing books and materials you have bought and sold before. Sometimes more than once.

2.  You order something you need and after it arrives you find it on your shelves, you forgot you already had it.

I'm sure we could start a running list of these!

Books I have purchased, sold and then re-purchased later:

• Usborne Encyclopedia of World History
• Sonlight "I can read" books
• Veritas Press History cards (purchased 1st set when the children were very young, sold them, purchased all 4 sets later for Classical Conversations, threw them out, purchased the last set again for Amie's History this year.)
• Story of the World books
• Story of the World vol. 1 audio
• Shurley English
• Beginner's Bible
• Mere Christianity
• Screwtape letters
• Bob Jones Fundementals of Literature (found it on the shelf after ordering a new one, thought Meg threw hers out...ouch)

I know there are more, I just can't recall them, which is probably just as well.

there you have it, true confessions of a homeschool mom

Homeschool year 2014-2015

Here's the learning line-up this year for

Cliffs of Insanity Day Academy and St. Jenn's School for exceptional teens  :D

I am homeschooling my last two kids.  At one time, I was homeschooling 5....life is looking real different these days!

Amie 7th grade:

Math   Aleks Math online                     Bible  Apologia's World View Series, we are finishing "Who is God?"

Language Arts    Grammar Rod & Staff 4   Literature & Composition:  Outside class with Biola Star they are using: IEW writing

**Teaching Writing: Structure and Style Seminar Workbook      **The Bronze Bow -Elizabeth Speare  **various book report books

-Institute for Excellence in Writing

**King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by R.L. Green    ** King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table Student Guide

Science:  **Oak Meadow Science 6  and  **Quick Reads level E by Modern Curriculum Press

History  Veritas Press online History- 1850 to Present      Geography/social studies/History: online Minecraft class, reading Around the World in 80 days

P.E.  Swimming laps 3 days a week and daily 1 mile walk/runs

Art:  private art lessons                      Music:  private voice lessons

Demi-Sky High School 9th grade

Math  Aleks Math

Bible  Apologia's World View Series, we are finishing "Who is God?"

Language Arts

Grammar Rod & Staff 4

Literature & composition outside class with Biola Star  using:

*Fundamentals of Literature Student Text,  -Bob Jones University Press       *Brief Wadsworth Handbook 7th edition

*Vocabulary from Classical Roots A    *The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy   *The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

*The Hobbit by J.R. R. Tolkien           *The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens      *Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

History

*a combination of Oak Meadow World History (using Glencoe Text book) and My Father's World 

*Minecraft online class (geography, social studies, history) using Around the World in 80 days

Science

Outside class with Biola Star using Abeka Lab Manual,  Abeka Biology

Latin:  First Form Latin -Memoria Press   -DVD's & books      Art: private art lessons

Music: private piano lessons

 Josie 11th grade at performing arts charter school

- after-schooling with First Start French -Memoria Press and  driver's ed with Automobile Club

Meg sophomore at a community college

she works several horse care jobs, at Barnes & Nobles part time and is in the police explorer's program, beside full time college classes.

still here

Hey bloggy-friends!  I'm still here...problem is, I've taken such a long break from blogging, I'm not sure how to get back into it.  A huge part of it has been the on-going saga with my grandparents, I felt/ feel like there is  so much drama and negative-stuff, that I'm not sure how to share it without dumping it out and being, well, negative.

but, um here goes....I'll just jump back in.  My grandmother is still living with us, in my front living room.  We were hoping to use some of my grandparents' savings to build her a suite, but we weren't real sure if it was a wise move, so that was part of why we went through conservator court...so that the court would make big decisions like that, because frankly, we are a bit lost with how to manage what little they have.  The court said no.  So....grandmother is living in my front living room, which has french doors on one side, and the other side we can board up.  Things can't stay that way, though, she really needs an attached bathroom. So, we will be moving her into our master bedroom.  Our house is a 1950's house and the master is not really big...she will lose some space in the move, the front living room is pretty spacious.  I think access to her own bathroom kind of trumps spaciousness, though. But only barely.  I'm a bit sad about giving up my room.  Sky and I will move into the front living room.  I love, love, love the big picture window in that room, so I will look forward to that.

I am taking another child development type class, this is my third. I'm planning on getting a certificate for early childhood education so I can be a kindergarten aid or a preschool aid in a headstart-type program.  I was also taking an Algebra class, but I had an epiphany last week that I really hate math and I didn't want to be there.  I thought getting an associate's degree would be the smart thing to do, since I'm taking classes....but I really just want to learn to write better and explore art. Sky said from the beginning that I should just take classes that interest me, and I can see now that he was right.  I was beginning to dread going to class, and for my first exam (which I got an A on) I had to spend a lot of time studying for, that I didn't feel I had.  Amie and Demi have started back up with homeschooling, and then I have the grandparents' care stuff....and so on.  My math class was two evenings a week, so now it is really nice to be home again for those two nights.

*Homeschool

We've started back up, full-swing.  I'll get a homeschool materials post up real soon.  Demi and Amie are busy with a few Biola Star classes, we have our normal homeschool studies, and then art and music.  Josie is back at the performing arts highschool for her 2nd and last year, she will be graduating this year.  Meg is in her second year of college.  She cares for horses in the morning -as a job, just got a part time job at Barnes & Nobles (Yay!) and graduated from the police explorers program this Summer.  She is very busy, and I am so proud of how hard she is working and how responsible she has grown up to be.  She's still not sure which direction she wants to go with as far as law enforcement, it changes...at first it was the horses, then FBI, now she's talking about forestry.  Who knows, but I'm sure it will be exciting.

So, that's a sort of re-cap of what is happening around here.  Oh, did I mention my grandmother has a dog?  We now are a two-dog family.  Sky is thrilled. (that was sarcasm) She's a sweet, small dog.  The transition to having my grandmother and her dog here has really gone very smoothly, my grandmother is a gentle soul, and so is her dog. Grandfather is finally landed in a really nice private nursing home...for now.  He got kicked out the first week, we got him new medication and took him back after a week back home.  So far it's okay, but every time I get a call from that area code, my stomach clenches.

here's a teaser with the homeschool stuff.... Oak Meadow World History, Aleks Math, Memoria Press First From Latin, Minecraft..... (I'll just name drop, since most of you stop by for the homeschooling stuff....I cleaned out my homeschool closet, totally!!  {shriek!!!!!}  I've tried to clean it out each year for the past 4 years, it is finally done. (Sky had to help me, bless that man!)

Here's a hawk on a fountain I saw during a run (okay, mostly walk....) because,

hawk.....urban....city.....fountain = cool and unusual.  I love my neighborhood.

How's life bloggy friends?  I'm glad you stopped by :)

Lines

I had the best Mother's Day in my memory.  It was the best, because it was effortless. We went to church, Amie was baptized today (and she asked me to baptize her- wow)  then went to a lunch to celebrate at the church (I was supposed to bring dessert & I just picked up cookies from the grocery store bakery- win!) and then we came home and I took a nap.  Later, we had spaghetti for dinner (Sky prepared it) and I picked up bread sticks from Pat & Oscars.  After, we all went to Barnes & Nobles and hung out.  I called my grandmother around 5 to wish her a Happy Mother's Day and survey the collateral damages (see grandparents' posts/NPD/Alzheimer's/depression/disfunction/codependent...) She was weepy (another post?) and so I quickly promised her that I was coming out the next day to treat her to lunch for Mother's Day...which I wasn't planning on. I had driven down there on Friday, Wednesday and Saturday last week already. (the drive one way is over an hour)

I reported back to Sky and he asked me, "why did you promise that??" and I told him, "hey, when your grandmother is crying on the phone on Mother's day, you promise almost anything to get her to stop."  to which, Sky replied, "fair enough".

After our Barnes & Nobles outing, I called my Step-mom, wished her a happy Mother's Day and chatted.  It was a really uncomplicated day.  winning!

The final exam for the college class I am taking- is this coming week.  I can't believe the semester is practically over!  I am already registered for a class during the Summer session.  I wanted to take two classes and "get 'em done" but I don't know how things will be in grandparent-land, so yeah, just one class...

Sky and Amie are busy writing short stories for a story contest.  I love seeing them throw themselves whole-hearted into a project.  Piano recital is coming up for Amie.  Unfortunately, we have -oh-so-many-tears from Amie over this.  I promised her I'd let her quit after this recital and move on to voice lessons; but to please, soldier-on for this recital.  We still have tears.  And, I haven't cleared what I said with Sky yet.  It was a moment of mom-weakness. I'll claim insanity. or, something.  Or, I 'll just dress to get what I want, when I tell him.  (it works).

Two weeks ago, I started getting up early againand I'm now back to running and actually being, you know, productive, again.  I took the opportunity to dive more seriously back into homeschooling-   I dusted off the My Father's World curriculum on the shelf, opened the schedule and actually, you know, followed it.  It was like magic, people....we schooled.  So yeah, we can just not think real hard about the fact that it is May and I'm working on week 3 in a 36 week curriculum...um, we'll just see how it goes. I am enjoying our schooling again.  Demi-Sky and Amie are still working through Veritas Press History online, they will finish up with that- and we will just see what we can accomplish with My Father's World this summer.  It's really nice to be working regularly through something together again, and it is really helpful to give the kids assignment sheets each week to make sure they are moving through their work at a good pace.

There is a lot happening with the grandparent situation, update in a future post...

Here are the books I am reading right now:

• Miss Julia Stirs Up Trouble: A Novel

• Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind (The 99U Book Series)

• The Author Training Manual: Develop Marketable Ideas, Craft Books That Sell, Become the Author Publishers Want, and Self-Publish Effectively

and here is a funny Mother's Day short video to entertain you...

*Bring a jumper ( A mother's day video)

**jumper is a sweater in England and Australia  :)

I hope your weekend was great!!

7 Quick Takes -life edition

{1}

Josie is working on a painting for her arts highschool, they will be selling it at auction for a fundraiser. She continues to amaze me with her artistic talent.

{2)

My sister and I had to have our grandfather's driver's license suspended this Summer.  He is suffering from alzheimer's and was not safe on the road.  It was a hard thing to do.  Now, my sister and I take turns taking grandma to her Dr.'s appointments, and a weekly shopping/lunch outing.  My grandmother is a dear, I'm hoping to take her home with me some day <3

{3}

Oliver: A.K.A. Evil Kitty and I have come to a truce.  I keep Emma-the-wonder-labradoodle away from the dog door at bedtime, and Oliver is free to use it without being chased.  Win/win. (no more meowing at me at 2 a.m. to be let out) Here is a photo showing how in his world, Cat > Composition homework

{4}

I am giving up on my facebook fanpage for this blog, and concentrating on google+ (watching my post views continue to dwindle on fb because they want to sell ads, is frustrating and it has gotten worse)  It's a bit of a learning curve over there, but I think I am going to like it.  Leave your name or handle in the comments and I'll circle you!

{5}

We dropped Demi-Sky's online Latin class and I ordered Memoria Press First From Latin on dvd series to do instead. I'll report back on how it turns out.  I also ordered First Start French for Josie to work with afterschool.  The books arrived a day ago, and I am very excited.  Am I the only nerd that gets super excited when the UPS truck leaves a box of books at my door?

{6}

I started back to college to finally finish a degree, decades later.  It was really kind of scary for me.  I am taking classes first, outside of my degree, for early childhood education.  I'm thinking I would like to work with the HeadStart program part-time once Demi and Amie start highschool outside the home.  The class is mostly young people, which makes me feel old, but there are a handful of moms about my age in there, too.  The instructor has been very encouraging about me being a homeschool mom, I admit I was worried about what the reception would be about that.  When I first started homeschooling, 13 years ago, I often got negative or hostile reactions from educators, but as the years went on, the general feeling seemed to warm up.  I am really glad that with my first college class back, my instructor is sympathetic to homeschooling.

{7}

I love photography.  I love the fact that a photo can take you back to a certain moment in time.  I am going to try to post one photo memory a week that I want to cherish and I will be putting up a linky so others can share, too.  I hope you will link up!

My Burn Book {moments I want to burn into memory}

*7 Quick Takes is hosted every Friday over at Conversion Diary blog

*join the Hot Homeschool Hop over at Homeschool Post!

Homeschool 2013-2014

2013-2014 Homeschool Year at Cliffs of Insanity Day Academy:

{Teddy, my bonus student, went back to public school last school year.  Meg graduated and is attending her first year of college. (Yes, I homeschooled her all the way, K-12)  Josie auditioned for a performing arts high school (charter school) and will be there for 11th grade and 12th grade (unless she decides to come home, but she loves it so far).  This year, we are down to two students; Demi-Sky is in 8th grade this year, and Amie is in 6th grade.}  Here is a list of our studies and books we are using;

Amie 6th grade

Math Mammoth light blue series     Aleks Math (online)           Piano lessons        Parkour classes (p.e.)

Science:  Aha Science -online, and a few Science 2 U classes (monthly themed classes)    Literature: independent reading

Test Prep: Buckle-Down Language Arts 6

Demi-Sky 8th Grade

Math: Teaching Textbooks         Aleks Math (online)           Piano lessons      Lacrosse team (p.e.)

English: Intermediate Composition 8 with Biola Star (once a week class with a great syllabus):

*Teaching Writing: Structure and Style Seminar Workbook Institute for Excellence in Writing 978-0984099092 *Student Resource Notebook Pages IEW   *Word Web Vocabulary Workbook Vol. 1 Sage Education Enterprises, Inc. The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth Speare Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom Miracle Worker, by William Gibson Across Five Aprils, by Irene Hunt

Latin:  online Latin Class with Biola Star (twice a week)

*The Latin Road to English Grammar vol. 1 & 2

Oak Meadow Science 5                   Buckle Down Science Standards Review 8                Independent reading

Together-Amie & Demi:

Veritas Press self-paced History: Explorers to 1850 (online)

Shurley English 4

Bible:  Who is God? -Apologia Worldview series

private art lessons

to get to 2nd semester, hopefully:

Memoria Press First Form Latin set with dvds

Grammar of Poetry IEW

Fallacy Detective

The Ode less traveled; tackling the poet within -Stephen Fry

Philosophy for Kids

Logic of English: spelling (for Amie)

After-schooling with Josie -

Who is God apologia Worldview (independently and by discussion)

*Rosetta Stone French      *assigned literature -To Kill a Mockingbird, etc.

After-schooling with Meg-

Mere Christianity (reading together and discuss)

Mom School:

Mere Christianity with Meg

going back to college, 3 unit Child Development class Spring semester

Quick takes- December edition

Lacrosse season has begun here in So California.  This year, Demi-Sky is trying out the goalie position.  I was equal parts worried that he would miss a bunch of shots and his team-mates would be mad and worried that he would be hurt because apparently, lacrosse goalies don't get extra padding. Not even shin-guards. Nope.  He did really well, his team-mates were happy with him and he only got a little hurt.

*******

Our bible-conference is over and slowly our house is being emptied of extra people.  We had a blast, lots of laughter, fun, eating and sharing.  We had several trips to In & Out burgers for our out of state guests.  We also might of introduced a couple of newbies to Dr. Who while they were here.  Maybe. Probably.

Meg played her violin at the police explorer's talent show, and since then, she has been asked several times to play the national anthem at different events.  We are so proud of her hard work and dedication!  Here she is at an event, talking to her dad.

******

We hardly go to the movies, the cost is just too great for us, but this last month we went to see Ender's Game, the Dr. Who 50th Anniversary in 3-D!! [whoot!]  and The Hobbit.  They were all really good.

******

With the New Year, I am really needing to clean/organize our homeschool books.  With this new semester, I am planning on starting up Apologia's Worldview Bible study with Demi and Amie.  I am also thinking of quitting Demi's online Latin class and continuing it at home with Memoria Press Latin.  I'm having trouble deciding....

So, any new plans for the New Year?