My Blah-g

As we enter my favorite season of the year, let me take a moment to reflect on blogging. Where have I been?

Well, sometime mid-Summer I realized that my life was changing in some big ways. Most notably, we decided to send Luke off to high school. I've written about this before. So, I won't spend time on that, but I did spend this summer savoring our last moments of home education. I hoped that I'd accomplished my mission of teaching him the joy of lifelong learning. I hoped he'd always bring a book with him. I hoped that he would find time for all the things he loves since he's away most of the day now.

One of my closest friends commented that my blog, in a few previous posts this year, sounded ominous at best. I had hinted at change and transformation. I didn't mean to be vague, but we had a little upheaval  this summer getting ready to send two boys to school and moving kids to different bedrooms and me getting ready to be home with the littlest ones all day. I acknowledged that I would not really be homeschooling this year with the exception of teaching little Tess to read and some math. I guess I can see that my blog thoroughly moved into the blah-g variety.

If I'm honest, I realized that blogging really started to drop off for me with increased use of Facebook and Instagram. It's easy and quick and well, I reasoned that I didn't have much time to sit and compose all of my thoughts like I used to. For the most part, I stopped reading so many blogs and especially blogs devoted to home education. With the demise of Google Reader, I now read only five blogs with consistency.

We're about a month into the school year and we're starting to feel our way into a Fall rhythm, but I'm still a little bit off-kilter. There's still that feeling that time is controlling me rather than the other way around.

So, here's what happened this summer:
 I didn't knit quite so much (I'll be back to the Yarn Along soon.)
 I read a lot of YA fiction. I'm still reading YA.
 I thought about increasing happiness.
 I went to the movies a lot. I really enjoyed The Way Way Back and The Sapphires.
 I decided I needed way more exercise.
 I bought pink running shoes.
 I bought paint in a nice Barn Red to paint our front door.
 I canned pickles.
 I learned that all five of my kids can handle being in the car for 15 hours. (We drove to Virginia this summer driving two 15 hour days. Yes. We are crazy like that.)


 If you're interested, here are the blogs that inspire me every day:

In the Heart of My Home
Elizabeth is my kindred spirit. She writes about everything. Food. Time Management. Home Education. Reading. Knitting. Home Life. Faith. Jesus. Children. Eerily, often, I will find that I will have thought of something and when I go to read her blog, she will have written something about that very subject. She's my very fellow introvert. I won't give her up.

Modern Mrs Darcy
Anne is also another kindred spirit. She writes about everything. We tend to read a lot of the same books. She writes about happiness, fashion, home education, and well, being the best version of yourself.

Happiness Project
I've read both books on happiness by Gretchen Rubin and she really kicked me into high gear about increasing happiness and teaching me that I really need to know thyself to be really happy. I wrote about it here. I'm learning a lot about myself by reading Gretchen's blog.

As Cozy As Spring
I love Jenn. She makes beautiful things. She thinks deeply. She confesses her shortcomings. She makes me laugh. When I want a dose of cozy, I'll spend a little time at her blog. We both hate the same thing in By the Shores of Silver Lake.

Small Things
Ginny takes beautiful pictures, but she's honest about life outside those pictures. She hosts the Yarn Along. She knits and reads voraciously.

I also spend a fair share of my online time at GoodReads because I really enjoy both reading about books and reading book reviews. My to-read pile never shrinks.

There. Inspirational reading. Every day.

Back to my blog. I'm thinking about revamping my corner of cyberspace. It definitely needs a makeover. I started this blog in 2007 and well, life moves pretty fast and it's time for this space to reflect now. I'll think about that tomorrow. I'm thinking about writing more about what I'm reading and what I'm watching. I'm thinking about photography and diversifying my crafting. I'm thinking about where our family life is going.

Right now, I'm going to go and think about a pumpkin spice latte and enjoying everything Autumn!

A Sense of an Ending

Last Friday night, My husband and I were at a Rockies baseball game. We were there celebrating a birthday  of a friend. Luke was our babysitter. We hadn't been at the game very long when I get a call from Luke. I started to panic. What happened? Did one of the kids knock out a tooth? Did someone fall? Is there blood? Yes. I go there very quickly. Well, none of those things happened. Simply, the twins escaped the cribs. They finally figured out how to get out. I knew this day was coming as they've stayed in their cribs longer than most babies do, but I'd been praying that they stay put even if only for a few more months. When they're in their cribs in their shared bedroom, I can breathe a sigh of relief that they are safe. Unlike my other kids, the twins, little tornadoes, get into everything. Anyway, I knew in that moment, that I could no longer contain them. The very next day, Paul took down the cribs and we moved them to toddler beds. Now, it's a whole new routine. They won't stay in bed. They now know that they are free!  Up until now, They've been excellent sleepers. We're all in transition again...

I wish this was the only transition I'm facing. Recently, Paul and I decided that it's time to send Luke to school. After nine years of homeschooling, we made the difficult decision to enroll Luke in high school come mid-August. It's truly heartbreaking for me as I'd hoped we be able to continue on, but the sad truth is that he's the oldest of our five children by five years. He lives in a house with much younger siblings. I can't stand that he doesn't have a study buddy at home. It just didn't work out that way. The other thing is I liked high school. No. I really loved high school. Part of me doesn't want him to miss out on some of the good rituals of  high school.  I tell Luke that you will get only what you invest into it. I think that he might benefit immensely from the high school experience. On one hand, I'm devastated because letting him go to school also sounds like I was a failure at educating my own child and I know that isn't true. He's smart and well-read and he's thrived at home. But, on the other hand, there's something to be said about acknowledging that it's time for both of us to move on to the next adventure.

 Life with twins has been somewhat chaotic and I hate that I sound so pessimistic about it. The other day I was reading Arwen's blog about  how her identical twins are almost two. So many of the sentiments she shares, I'm feeling right along with her. She wrote, " I am not Mom Enough for two babies. I'm barely Mom Enough for one at a time. It's the truth."  Wow!  That's how I feel every day. She sounds overwhelmed, but there's this hope in her words. 

 I believe my entire family is suffering from our inability to find a good rhythm over the past two years. So, a sense of an ending is where I find myself.

This is total and complete burnout. Lately, when Paul and I talk, it's about how we can't seem to get back on track. I recently read Rebekah Lyons' new book, Freefall to Fly and it's largely about how once she stopped trying to avoid the discomfort, the pain, and the frustrations of life, she found renewal. She leaned in to the hard stuff. I suppose it's time to lean into the chaos, accept the changes, and find a way to set a new course. Is there renewal on the horizon? I hope so.

Yes, it's hard, but in tiniest corners of my mind, I find myself standing on a precipice for the next adventure, hopeful. I will still have three small children at home this fall. I will miss Luke fiercely and I hope we will still get to talk about books together. This chapter may be ending, but let me turn the page and find out what's to come. I bet it's good.

The Year of Learning Dangerously

A while back, I finished The Year of Learning Dangerously:Adventures in Homeschooling by Quinn Cummings.  I reviewed the book on Goodreads, but I thought this book merited some more thought. I haven't mentioned home education on my blog in a very long time. I suppose it's because of a combination of things. The twins might have something to do with it, but honestly, I have grown a little apprehensive as Luke, my oldest child approaches the high school years. How did he get to eighth grade already? He was in second grade when I started this blog in 2007.  I've been on the fence about sending him to the local public high school or continuing on here at home. Both options have their merits. I went to public school and I truly enjoyed my high school years. I already have one foot in home education and the other public education (My son, Sam, 2nd grader attends public school) and they are two entirely different worlds. Luke tells me that he's enjoyed these years learning at home and  I'm saddened that they all went so quickly. Luke asked for another year at home before heading to high school. He wants to complete some more higher level math before going off to high school. It's needless to say that I'm conflicted. Very Conflicted.

I'm more distracted and interrupted these days, but such is life with five children. As I look over my blog over the past year, it seems that I've spent more time thinking about knitting and sewing than anything else. This isn't entirely true. I suppose my silence might suggest this, but on the contrary, however, I haven't lost lost my passion for education. I still gravitate to books about the brain, reading, learning, and education. I'm constantly telling my kids that the good life is life-long learning. I believe in the curious life, but I have learned some things about myself in my home-educating journey.

I'm not a purist to any one educational theory. In my experience, I have gravitated to Charlotte Mason and her approach to education, but as my oldest son gets older, I find it difficult to translate the Charlotte Mason method to an older child. I suppose it shouldn't be hard as we live and breathe good books here. We're constantly at the library. We are steeped in literature here. At one point, early on,  I thought that I would just follow the curriculum outlined in The Well-Trained Mind. I was attracted to the rigor of the classical approach, but I soon learned that I didn't like feeling trapped into any one curriculum. Home educating has given me freedom to pursue so many subjects. Home education feeds my brain too! What can I say? I'm a total nerd. I always have been. My friend, Elizabeth captured my thoughts exactly:

Our academic program has always been literature intensive. It's also delight-driven within limits. That is, my kids get choices about what to study within a certain parameter. Every once in awhile, I look at something known for its rigor (like The Well Trained Mind in its entirety or Tapestry of Grace or Robinson) and I think about how much I want that kind of excellence. I love school. I'm a total library person. I would have taken any one of those curricula as a child and absolutely loved it. But it doesn't suit my household.

I suppose the more I ponder education, good education, I learn that are so many avenues to good learning. See my review of The Year of Learning Dangerously on Goodreads. I have more thinking and pondering to do.

The Summer of the Bear

This summer was certainly the summer of the Bear. I saw a lot of our bear this summer. If the bear wasn't knocking over our (bear-proof, of course) garbage can, he (or maybe she) was out all times of the day. Our neighborhood bear got very bold this year showing up in broad daylight.

It's been an odd summer. Our garden was almost an epic bust. I have a small enclosed garden to keep the critters out, but this year, no matter how many breaches we sealed, the chipmunks got in and ate almost everything. It's been a dry summer and I suspect that the animals are hungrier than usual. I planted several varieties of sunflowers, but they never had a chance. I found bear prints in the sunflower patch and I caught the foxes eating the seedlings. I live in the middle of a wild animal park! My highest hopes were for the strawberries to grow abundantly. Every year, I dream of strawberry shortcake and home made strawberry jam. They might have flourished, but those pesky chipmunks devoured the flowers before the strawberries could even bloom. Needless to say, I kind of gave up this summer, but as I am always hopeful, I am already looking to next year. I plan to relocate the garden to get more sun. Next year, I will have my strawberries!

This was my garden at the beginning of the summer. It had so much potential. I bought a single Concord  grape plant thinking that at some point I could have grape jelly along with my strawberry jam plans, but the grape plant doesn't look as if it grew at all. 

I thought that the garden was a total failure, but I looked in the other day and I found six small pumpkins! I've been trying to grow pumpkins for almost six years! I am so excited! So, no strawberries, but I have these miniature pumpkins to decorate the house for Fall! I guess chipmunks don't care for pumpkins! I also found some garlic chives that the critters left alone! Even in disappointment, there's much to be thankful for. We're leaving strawberry season behind and moving into pumpkin bliss!

Summer ends a little sooner up here in the mountains. Around mid-August, I hear the first rustling of the aspen leaves and that seems to signal the end of summer here. School begins in August and as I have one child in public school, we find ourselves scrambling to wrap up summer, change gears, and get ready for the new school year. I know I'm not alone in thinking that September is really new year's. I will always feel that the academic calendar more accurately fits the transition into a new year. I'm okay with the end of summer, but I am not okay when I see the leaves on the aspens and maples drying out, turning brown, and falling too soon. Like I said, it's been a very dry summer! Autumn, I look forward to you every year and I will be bitterly disappointed if I don't get spectacular golden yellows and magnificent complex orange leaves to look at every day.

Today, we started our home school year. Luke is in 8th grade and he will turn 13 this Thursday.  I can't believe we're getting so close to high school. We've got some big decisions to make in the coming year. I haven't written much about home schooling on my blog in a long long time. More on that soon...In the mean time, here's a picture of Luke with Rhodie, his Rhode Island Red. He's become somewhat of an expert on poultry in the last year. Some of his chickens started laying eggs this Summer and he usually brings me an egg a day.

Well, here's to the end of the Summer of the Bear and to the beginning of a challenging and exciting academic year. It's time for pumpkins, cool nights, apple pie, and reading under cozy quilts.

I will reveal the winner of our Big Summer tomorrow!

Happy September Friends!

Legos and Learning

This is how my oldest son, Luke spent his summer. He made movies with his Legos.

 Every day, he's creating what I've learned are called "Brick" films. The big boys have amassed a substantial amount of teeny tiny Lego pieces and as much as these little bits of plastic make me insane, I have to admit that they are really creative with them. At first, I thought this was a silly past time, but I realized Luke had to have a great deal of patience to create a minute long film. To create a film, he has to take approximately 300 to 400 stills.  After taking the pictures, he uploads them to Windows Movie Maker. He also learned how to add sound effects and music as well. I'm pretty impressed with the results. Now, he's learning about cameras and photography as well. He's learning to tell a visual story in a limited amount of time. It's amazing how one thing can lead us on the path to so much discovery. Legos, once the bane of my existence, have turned out to play a huge role in my son's learning. I under-estimated the value of the Lego. 

A boy & his chickens

Here's Luke with one of his 15 baby chickens. I have to say that I was extremely unenthusiastic about him getting chickens. My sister and her husband (who live across the street) keep chickens and Luke
got very excited about owning his own. I have to admit that I told him a big NO on getting chickens. Did I mention that he wanted to keep them in my garden? Well, good old Uncle Markie told me that he could keep his chickens at his house. Really? Well okay, then.

Luke went and bought 6 baby chicks and somehow, he and his uncle bought 9 more. He tends to them several times a day.

Today, he's building a bigger coop to house all of his rapidly growing baby chicks.  He's learning a lot. Why did I ever say no?

I'm happy that he's taken on the discipline of caring for all of these birds. It involves a lot of time and commitment and I'm proud of him.When these chickens start laying, I think he's going to charge me for eggs though.

Hello September

Since Luke was 7, We've unofficially started our school year by reading Christopher's Harvest Time. This year was no different.  Even though he will be 12 in a few days, he still sat down with me to listen to me read this. This book ushers in our year and reminds us that summer is over. We eased into the day by baking chocolate chip muffins.  Luke did most of the work. He did a little reading, worked on one of his cartoons, and helped me with the twins. It doesn't sound like much, but I know there's a lot of learning going on even when it isn't super-structured. Like I said, we're easing into the new year. 

I enrolled Sam in first grade and it was a tough decision. It was so difficult that I didn't make the final decision until a couple of days before school started. I miss him every day. We work on our reading lessons together every evening before bed and I cherish that time with just him. I still want to be the one who teaches him to read.

 It's going to be an interesting year. Being mommy to 5 little people is stretching me, molding me and challenging me unlike any other challenge in my life. I have so much hope for this year. Sam is going to read. Tess will potty train and the twins are going to walk soon. There's a lot of learning ahead.

My Summer Girl

I've got a lot swirling around in my brain right now.  I'm thinking about school plans for the Fall. I'm thinking that my theme for the year will be Streamline. (I think that might be another way to say Less is more.)  I'm thinking about how quickly the summer is slipping away (I know. Glass half empty. I'm terrible.) I'm thinking I can almost see my Mammoth sunflowers growing every day. I can't wait to see them. I'm thinking about sewing quilts for the twins and I'm thinking about getting around to sewing the cupcake quilt for Tess. Since I've been thinking about sewing, I've been thinking that I need to finish the little apple dress for Tess as well. I've settled on a pirate themed quilt for one of the twins, but I haven't come up with the other theme. I'm thinking that Idon't really have time for another quilt project, but I can't help myself from thinking about it. I'm thinking about yarn and books. I'm thinking about Christmas projects. (Yes, Christmas!)  I'm thinking I don't feel like cooking right now despite all the veggies from our CSA. I'm thinking about feeling conflicted about trying to relax during the summer and still trying to do it all.  I'm thinking about capturing more summer moments. I'm thinking about popsicles and homemade ice cream. So much to ponder every day....It's fun to dream even if I won't be able to get all of these things done just yet. School plans to follow. I intend to get my act together the first week of August so that Luke can begin on September first.

On knitting:

I know my little girl is featured frequently on my blog lately and well, it's because knitting for girls is just so much fun (although I do have some fun plans for boy sweaters too. I better start liking knitting for boys. Don't you think?) Here she is in her new Haltermelon.  This is another pattern by Alana Dakos. I knit this last year in the pink and green, buy my aunt Rosie recently gave me 4 balls of this Ty-Dy cotton yarn and I thought it would it look great in a halter. Using yarn that resembles a tie-dye shirt seems sooo summer to me. I knit the size 4 even though she's 2 1/2. It came out a little loose on the back, but a ribbon through the eyelets cinched it up perfectly. As you can see, it fits nicely. Details on Ravelry.

Scenes from July

I've been meaning to upload a couple of pics from the recent
Rocky Mountain Catholic Home Educators
Conference July 9-10, but I know that I've been
neglecting my blog this summer.  I finally got to meet
the super sweet Meredith Henning of Sweetness and Light.  We've been blog buddies for a few years now and
now we are IRL friends!  I also got to meet the very talented
and quite funny Danielle Bean of Faith & Family as well.
Wow, I sure look super pregnant, don't I?
I can't seem to get my blog to work the way I want to today.  So, I'll just write everything here instead of putting a caption for each photo.  I like that second photo of me and Meredith because you can't tell that I'm pregnant!

Okay, it was truly difficult trying to pose two toddlers wearing their Haltermelons!  This was the best that I could do.
I made a Haltermelon for Evelyn's 2nd birthday and of course, I thought it would be fun to get both Little E and Little T together in their matching knits!  Anyway, it's clear that Evelyn loves her wearing her Haltermelon in that second pic!

The next few pics are from our day on Evergreen Lake.  We took the kids out on the peddle boats and walked around the Lake.  I think little T really enjoyed being out on the water.  She looks like she's ready for a snooze. 

Yesterday, Paul and Luke were outside sanding down a small rocking chair.  This chair belonged to both me and my siste when we were little girls and we've been meaning for years to sand down the two coats of paint and repaint it.  I thought this would be a good summer project for Luke and Paul.  I remember this bright yellow chair from my childhood.  My sister Kat admitted to painting it gray at some point.  So, there are two coats of paint to remove.  That yellow paint is pretty stubborn, but they'll get it!  Little T sat in the Radio Flyer while the boys worked on her chair.  Yes, she's a princess!

Of course, what post would be complete without a little knitting?  I finished this pair of socks using merino sport from Sunshine Yarns in the colorway Victoria this month.  I had finished knitting the first sock several months ago, but I  got a case of Second Sock Syndrome and neglected  it while I knit Haltermelons.  At the Rocky Mountain Catholic Home Educators Conference this month, I started knitting the second sock during many of the talks.  I find that I listen so much better when I keep my hands busy!!  I've now started another pair of socks (that's the pic using the blue self-striping yarn) using the Sock Recipe found in Knitting Rules by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.  This is the first time I've actually used sock yarn to knit socks.  I'm using 2.5 mm needles and so far, I think that I enjoy knitting socks with sport weight yarn more.  This new pair seems awfully thin and flimsy, but I suppose I'm not used to working with sock yarn yet.  I'm really enjoying the blues in Berroco Sox.  I think it's good to have a pair of socks on the needles at all times. 

I've really neglected my little corner of cyberspace this Summer, but I think it's been good to disconnect a little.  I haven't been in the blogging mood of late, but I think I really wanted to soak in my summer and enjoy it all.  Next up??
The Zucchini adventure!  I hope you're all making wonderful Summer memories!

Early June observations

• 
  
  I didn't really mean to take a blog break, but I did.  I'm sure it has something to do with pregnancy.  I just don't have much energy these days.  I was truly hoping for a 2nd trimester burst of energy, but so far, it hasn't happened.  I still don't enjoy food much.  I was hoping that I'd start to feel hungry, but right now I'm choking  food down.  As an enthusiastic eater and cook, I'm truly discouraged by my lack of interest in food.  I'm finding that a twin pregnancy is very different from a single.  Why did I think it wouldn't be that much different?
• 
  
  Last Friday (June 4th) was our last day of school.  It ended without much fanfare.  Luke still owes me a book report, but he decided at the last minute that he wanted to write his report about a different book than he had intended.  So, I'll give him a little more time.  He'll take the rest of June off, but he'll resume working on Latin in July.  I'm taking June off too.  I won't start planning for 6th grade until July although I can't help my brain from thinking and planning a little.
• 
  
  I just realized that I have the fewest items checked out from the library (5) than I've had all year.  I have two cookbooks checked out that in ordinary circumstances I would love to peruse, but right now, I have no interest.  Did I mention that at 18 weeks pregnant, I've lost a couple of pounds? The twins are growing well so I'm not worried about not gaining weight right now.  I'm trying to eat small things all day.
• 
  
  All I want to do is read light fiction.  I usually juggle a lots of varied reading, but right now, I'm hungry for fiction.  I just started The Book Thief, a book club selection.  I wouldn't call this light fiction, but it's fiction. It's the summer and it's time to lighten up.
• 
  
  Knitting. Did you think I'd get through a post without mentioning some knitting? I'm working on a second Haltermelon, but this one's in a deep red.  Yesterday between OB appointments, I bought some watermelon buttons that I'll use.  I'm looking forward to starting this project as I'm ready to move on from halter tops and I'm ready to use some of my Sunshine stash.  I'm really enjoying knitting for little Tess.  I still have to finish a Wallaby sweater for my older son, but he admitted recently that the crazy variegated yarn he chose is a little ridiculous. I'm almost half-way done with the sweater! Ugh!
• 
  
  With all my talk about not wanting to eat, I dreamed  about banana ice cream and I've been thinking about making it, but I do have this fear that I'll make the banana ice cream and then not want it.  I must need more potassium.
• 
  
  On our last day of school, Luke and I had plans to see a small theater production of The Secret Garden in Littleton.  It was very warm evening and since we got to historic downtown Littleton early, we walked around together before the show.  I had my doubts that The Secret Garden could be translated into a good play and I was right.  It was just okay.  It was a musical with mostly forgettable music and the actual set for the garden was so disappointing, but the important thing is that I got to spend some special time with Luke.  I know he really enjoys the one-on-one attention from either Paul or myself.  I know these types of outings are really important especially as he gets older.
• 
  
  Tessie's hair is almost long enough for short pigtails.  I can clip up some of her hair on either side and it just delights me. 
• 
  
  Pictures of the pigtails to come!

Winter Term Plans

It's been a very nice January and we've been chugging away nicely. I've been meaning to post our Winter term plans for a while now. So, here we go:

Luke

Math

Luke finished his 5th grade math workbook yesterday. I've found that when we mix up the math concepts, he enjoys math a lot more. Instead of working on one concept for twenty pages or so, he enjoys working on something different each day. So, that's what he's been doing. We had been using Modern Curriculum Press math since first grade. I decided to use a mix of things for 5th grade rather than use MCP 5th. I just ordered a few 6th grade workbooks and an introduction to Algebra for 5th/6th graders. We'll implement those this term.

Science

We're pretty low-key about science around here. We've been focusing on nature and observation for the past couple of years. This year Luke has started reading through Enid Blyton's Nature Lover's Book. I love this book!!! It has such beautiful illustrations and it's just enchanting. The book is divided into chapters by months of the year. There are birds, trees, flowers to learn to identify. There is even a nature poem for each month which Luke uses for copywork. We're listening to My Side of the Mountain right now which is awesome and goes well with our nature study curriculum. I didn't read this one when I was younger, but I'm excited I get to read it now. We've been listening to this one when we're driving around.

Luke also keeps a daily nature journal. Sometimes, he writes and sometimes he draws something he sees in our yard. He received this book for Christmas and is working on refining his bird drawings.

The Sibley Guide to Trees will be another book to use to identify local trees around here.

Reading

Since little Tessie has arrived, I have had way less time for reading aloud to Luke which bums me out considerably. We used to read aloud together before bedtime and it was our special time together. Paul would put Sammy to bed and read to him while I would read to Luke and put him to bed. Now, Paul continues to read to Sammy nightly and I put Tessie to bed while Luke reads or listens to a book on his own. Currently, he's got several books on his MP3 player. He's listening to book 3 of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and The Princess Bride is up next on the MP3 player.

I have plans to read Swallows and Amazons to Luke this term. As I mentioned before, we used to read so much more together, but I'm going to embrace the less is more approach and focus on one really good book per quarter.

I am now requiring one book report monthly. He can choose any book that he has listened to on his own, with me or one that he has read. I don't let him just listen to unabridged books. I require that he is reading as well. Listening and reading are two different skills.

He has been working through the Spectrum 5th grade book for Reading Comprehension as well.



Languages

Luke completed half of Latina Christiana I last year, but I had him start the book again for review. I don't want him to just finish the book. I want him to truly learn and the review is good for him. We may have to go through the summer, but I hope to have Latina Christiana I completed before he begins 6th grade in Fall.

We started French from Memoria Press this year and this had been a struggle for Luke. I can't believe I keep hearing that he thinks Latin is easier! We've made it through the first 10 lessons and I will have to do some serious review before we continue.

Writing/Grammar

Nature Journal

Book reports

Copywork- He copies out a couple of poems each week to practice cursive italic.

We are about to begin to learn how to diagram sentences this term. I thought this was so fun when I was a kid. I hope Luke likes it too.

Cooking

We are pretty informal about cooking, but Luke has gotten proficient at baking chocolate chip cookies on his own. I told him I want him to plan a meal for the family this term. He will have to make a grocery list and figure out his budget as well.

I would like him to feel comfortable making spaghetti, grilled cheese sandwiches, old-fashioned oatmeal, scrambled eggs and pancakes. You know, staples he could make confidently himself.

Geography/Maps

I admit this is all workbook. He's motivated to work through it though.

These are the things that should carry us through Winter and Spring and some of these things we will cotinue through Summer albeit on a lighter schedule.

Mama's reading/learning

The Day I became an Autodidact

Simplicity Parenting

Knitting the Perfect Pair

The Road

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Sammy

We're slowly working through Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

This should keep us busy around here!!