Another Three Week Wrap Up

• 
• Tweet
• Sumo

• 
• Tweet

In my life these weeks… Well, except for the carrots, I think our year’s crop has been harvested!  Now comes the challenge of making sure we eat it all.  I really need to find another yummy, gluten-free, low-sugar pumpkin recipe for regular days, and a fancy one for our Sunday treat.  Same thing for apples.  And now, finally, there’s time to look for such recipes.

Miss 14 and I brought the chickens in to be butchered and had a pleasant day, visiting a friend, picnicking in the car, planning what schoolwork she can omit to make time for NaNoWriMo, walking through someone’s woods, and buying an ice-cream so we could use a corner store bathroom.

Unfortunately, some of the chickens were injured, so on three separate occasions in the past three weeks we’ve needed to butcher some ourselves.  Everyone hates that job.  

We enjoyed a lovely visit with grandparents a few weeks ago. We also had a wonderful Thanksgiving with many friends, including a young guitar player…so of course we sat around and sang.  Singing praise to God, together with my family and other Christians, is one of my favorite things to do.

In our homeschool these weeks … We also did a fair bit of schoolwork, and we’re at about week 4 of the school year.  Going at half speed during the harvest is not ideal, but at least we kept on going.  I’m looking forward to the luxury of sitting down on the couch with my kids, doing French and Dutch as usual, enjoying botany with Miss 10, getting back into our debate course, reading aloud, and keeping everyone on track with their music lessons.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share… After taking a break, you can always just jump right back in.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing… No regular field trips, but lots of little outings. Miss 14 is attending a fabulous course about Pride and Prejudice. A group of young people met here last Sunday for lunch, Grandpa and Grandma visited for over a week, and we celebrated Thanksgiving with company.

Some of my favorite things these weeks were…

• Grandpa and Grandma’s visit
• Singing together on Thanksgiving day
• Warm weather and sunshine
• Finishing the harvest

Questions/thoughts I have… Are there any quick, yummy, healthy pumpkin and apple recipes that cook themselves? I wish!

Things I’ve been working on…

• Putting up the harvest
• Keeping up with the kids’ learning
• Remembering to walk, eat well, and relax adequately
• Being intentional about the habits I develop, in other words, developing more self-discipline

We’re watching… Although life has been busy these past three weeks, people found time to watch Amazing Grace, Yes Prime Minister, the US election debates, Linnea in Monet’s Garden, and The Scarlet Pimpernel.   And we discovered The Piano Guys.  Go check them out; they’re great. 

I’m reading… Deuteronomy. And I read many other books, because when my body gets too tired, my mind is still raring to go:  Shadow Hawk by Andre Norton, 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life by Crystal Paine, The Reunion by Dan Walsh, Growing Great Garlic by Ron Engeland, Debt-Proof Your Christmas by Mary Hunt, The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, and All Things New by Lynn Austin.  I’m reading various books for school including Omnibus 2 and 4, and The Fallacy Detective. 

With the kids, I am reading Leviticus. We’re enjoying Mary-Emma and Company by Ralph Moody.  When Mr. 17 is at his before-school babysitting job, the girls and I read Famous Men of Greece from Greenleaf Press.  When the older three are off to catechism, Miss 10 and I read an unabridged version of Heidi. 

When my husband is home for meals, we’re reading Ezekiel.

I’m grateful for … Finishing the harvest.

Quote to share… “Discipline is a daily struggle for so many people, and there are so many areas in which our discipline lapses rear their ugly head.”  21 Days to a More Disciplined Life

**********************

This post is linked to The Homeschool Mother’s Journal and to Weekly Wrap Up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.