Wrap-Up Journal of Our Week

In Our Homeschool This Week

Lots of math and special phonics projects this week: adjectives, verbs, numerical sense, addition, and place value. Here they are doing Marshmallow Math with o's cereal to practice place value. Lots of time on our regular stuff: Saxon Math for the boys, Abeka Phonics for my 7 year old, and letter writing and blend sounds for Sis. In Apologia Science, it was "sea turtles" this week for Tornado.

Recent Learning Posts:

Space Activities

Raggedy Ann and Andy

 

a picture by Tornado, just because 

that's what he does

In AWANA This Week

Sissy received her big girl Sparks vest. Now she and Dash are matching. They both said their verses this week. Dash actually recited 5 of his verses for his leader, including the books of the new testament, which we hadn't even reviewed before class that night. He remembered them from last year. (They are allowed two hints.)

Places We Are Going and People We Are Seeing

We had the opportunity to spend last night with friends (about 80 people in all) celebrating Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. There is Daddy with Baby over to the right and Dash in the middle of the sukkoh (a temporary dwelling or hut topped with branches). His little buddy is teaching him the different customs of Sukkot, this one waving the lulav and citron to honor God who is all around us. 

At Homeschool Co-ops This Week

The night of The Sugar Cube Incident was the first night of about three in a row when I got into bed about 8:00 p.m. just to watch television (which I don't have time to do!), exhausted after tucking in the big kids.

My 7 year old told me in the car after co-op that they learned about Eskimos and completed a project using sugar cubes as an igloo. "Cool!" I said. "I have an extra sugar cube; can I eat it?" "Well...sure, okay."

It wasn't until bedtime that more of the story came out. I caught him acting very sneaky around his backpack, then clutching something under crossed arms. "What is that?" "Nothing." "What IS IT?" He showed me he had another sugar cube. "You had another one? How many have you eaten?" 

He tries to tell me "just a few," then I look at his paper. I'm estimating 20 sugar cubes. 20 sugar cubes that were glued onto paper, and my kid peeled them off and ate every one of them. Oh, except the last one, which I threw in the trash.

And before anyone says, "Poor kid, he never gets any sugar; he has to eat the sugar off his art projects!" Blah, blah, blah. He gets plennnnty of sugar. And he just shouldn't be sneaky.

A few of his other projects

from co-op lately:

He said this is based on an Indian art form of using hot wax and yarn to make animal designs.

Extracurricular This Week

The boys really love attending Acts Jr. This is a drama club with Community Connections, a local organization which provides extra-curricular activities and support for special needs children. (Tornado also attends the CC art class each week.) 

Acts Jr. is for any child, specifically designed to mix children with disabilities and no disabilities, helping them to strengthen their sensory processing, teamwork and adaptation skills, and self-confidence, etc.

They interact with skits and improv situations. They make little props and work on special drawing assignments, etc. I'm always proud of them when they tell me about the role-playing they did because both of the boys struggle with "performing." 

I love Tornado's invention he created: monster cookies that "cure the blues." He said, "When you're sad and depressed, just eat one of my cookies!"

one of Sissy's painting from 

art class this week

My Favorite Moment This Week
We all slept until about 8:15 this morning. The kids started trickling into bed with Baby and me. There were a lot of giggles and cuddles, and these are the moments I remember from growing up with 6 people in my family. Those were the moments that made me want to have a family of my own.

I'm Inspired By
The 8-9 pounds I've lost lately. The easiest way for me to lose weight is to lose weight, if that makes any sense. It's not a fun process, but when I see loss, it is motivating to continue. About 20 more to go.

I'm Grateful For (continuing on toward my goal of 1,000 gifts...#401-417)
My sister for driving from Little Rock to help me get Sissy to her classes one day, "no news is good news" kind of reports at special doctor's appointments for both of the big boys this week, these really sweet and thorough emails one of Sissy's teachers sends each week detailing their classes, encouraging words my husband gave me, these amazing books my mom brought to us because she knew we would love them for homeschooling, bed snuggles, Baby's healthy appetite, free blogging gifts in the mail to review, kids' artwork, that my kids are at similar enough ages to homeschool together, a new Sparks vest, scripture memorization, celebrations with friends, pretty good behavior from the kids the past couple of days...I needed that, pizza with my husband and kids tonight, and a God who went with me through another busy week.

A Question I Have
Now when I try to upload a picmonkey collage onto blogger (which I was previously able to do), it (blogger) tells me I am out of space and need to upgrade? But I can still upload individual pictures. What is this?