This Week at Home

In which, I find myself pondering how another week has flown by.

On the Heart and Mind:  

At this moment, all is peaceful in my world.  (The children are asleep.)  Let's see.  I am grateful for technology that allowed me to keep in contact this week with family as far away as Peurto Rico to Arkansas to California.  Just think how blessed we are in this age!  The people I love are always a click away. 

Oh but suddenly, the weather has taken a change for the worse!  Today we woke up to 0 degrees.  The windchill is -9.  We will be lucky to see 11 degrees.  I know that many others are a lot colder than Indiana today, but we are not used to this.  I am so thankful for a warm house.  We will not be going out to get groceries today as I planned.  We will make do for one more day.  (Melissa, I can hear you laughing at me!) 

Jeff's birthday was splendid, well, at least from my point of view.  He did have to go to work and it did take him two hours to get home last evening in the snow.  I made him a big hearty dinner, complete with cherry pie.  (No, I did not make it.  I did bake it though.)  The kids gave him some of their hard earned money too.  It was a sweet time.

On the Home Front: 

Well, this is where I am supposed to tell you how much cleaning and organizing I got done this week.  Perhaps you will allow me to tell you my excuses for this lack of progress?

I find that when we are really making good progress on our lessons, the house suffers.  I have one independent learner and two highly dependent learners.  They require my complete attention from 8:30 AM until 2PM.  (Now, I know some people are able to train their kids to teach themselves, but I have two learners who are just not ready for that.)

For me, school is a full day's effort!  My brain is drained by 2PM.  I enjoy this time with them, do not misunderstand.  However, like all working mothers, the best of me is spent and working on my house is difficult.  Thankfully, the basics get done, emergencies get tended, I provide tasty meals on schedule, and most of the time I would not be embarrassed to have someone drop in.  I am talking about deeper cleaning, not just surfaces.  I am talking about my dream cleaning schedule. 

Therefore, this is why I am taking today off from lessons.  Yesterday was our 100th day of school.  I want to take today to get the house in order, do some baking, and ponder how to make the last 80 days of school our best ever. I want to finish strong and I want a clean house!

Learning and Life:

For the last two weeks, my two dependent learners have been struggling with long division.  I have to walk them through every step, every time.  It's like I have to do their thinking for them!  Well,  this frustrates and confuses me.  I am not good at being patient, waiting for the lightbulb moment.  Like I said, my oldest is independent and has been teaching himself math for three years.  So, I think it is time to back off a little.  My plan is to go back and review some of the more basic skills and just do one division problem a day instead of a full worksheet.  What do you do when you hit a wall?  

Otherwise, learning is going so well.  Ryan and Grace have chosen their research paper topics, written their thesis statements and chosen their questions to answer.  They have also been reading about their topics on Wikipedia.  I wish I had Wikipedia as a student.

We started two new books, The Land I Lost by Huynh Quang Nhuong.  They love this book!  "More, more!"  they say.  True confession time, I don't like this book, but am reading it because it is an excellent book about life in Vietnam.  The book is filled with stories of how villagers must fight jungle animals to survive.  Still, they love it?

The second book is, The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford.  Because one of the main characters happens to be a Siamese cat, of which I am most fond, I like this book.  However, shame on the Hunter Family for entrusting their pets to such a careless man!  (Yes, I am indignant!)

In the Kitchen: 

Friday ~ Meatloaf
Saturday ~ Lasagna
Sunday ~ Roasted Chicken
Monday ~ Chicken Soft Tacos (from leftover chicken)
Tuesday ~ Stir Fry & Egg Rolls
Wednesday ~ Breakfast Night
Thursday ~ Soup & Bread Night

Today, I plan to bake some pumpkin bread to take to flock group.  I may also make some cookies to bring.  I want the kitchen warm and the house smelling good!

On the Nook: (or Computer, as it turns out)

Grace and I have been enjoying Eight Cousins by Lousia May Alcott via Librivox.org.  We listen as we work.  I will say that this is a most pleasurable book and I love getting the home basics done as I listen.  I cannot wait to listen to A Rose in Bloom , also by Miss Alcott, next. 

Scripture Memory Work:

I  added the second verse to the passage I am learning.  It is a simple verse so I am doing well.  It is harder when I have to put them together.

Psalm 77: 11-12 ESV
"I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.  I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds." 

Quote of the Week: 

"As sure as ever God puts his children in the furnace, he will be in the furnace with them."  

~Charles Spurgeon

Thanks for hanging in through this long-winded post!  

I wish you a very happy weekend,

Jenn