Weekly Wrap Up: Another Full, Full Week

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In my life this week … 

God has been so good to us in so many ways: 

• We’re hoping to save money by heating with wood. This week our fireplace insert was installed.  Then we were given several cords of firewood, free for the cutting. 
• Our cherry plums continue to produce, and the second tree has free-stone fruit.  Since it’s easy to remove the pits, we were able to dry some.  Delicious!
• Two of the dogs fought a porcupine in our day-lily bed and it looked like the porcupine won. Poor, poor dogs.  How they suffered for defending our property!   But they are well again.
• We finally had rain!  Our lawn is still brown, but the garden is no longer drooping. 
  

In our homeschool this week …

We added music practice to our requirements this week.  Of course, there were a few hiccups.  No one could practice guitar since it wasn’t tuned and Miss 18 was at work….  Now Miss 11 can also tune it.  And the science work didn’t all get done, since we were busy with the plums and the firewood.  There’s always next week.

I’ve started the weekly school work lists for our first term.  It’s going well, but I fear that we’ll be too busy again.  That’s something to avoid.

The Chicks Arrive

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing … 

We went to the beach with some friends. It was almost more fun when we were just by ourselves, playing in the waves and building sandcastles, although it was nice to sit and chat, too, when they arrived.

The kids hung around with the guys who installed the fireplace insert and learned so much!

Four children visited the dentist and were reminded of the importance of brushing and flossing.  They still have no cavities, though, which is a great blessing since both my husband and I have our mouths full of fillings.

We went to the feed store to pick up two dozen day-old chicks.  They are still cute and fluffy, but that won’t last long.

 
My favorite things this week were …

• Eating cherry plums.
• Finishing our read-aloud, Robinson Crusoe, the unabridged version, which was very long.
• Starting Peter Duck by Arthur Ransome. 
• Going to the beach.
• Seeing the joy on Miss 11’s face after she learned to drive the lawn tractor.

Teaching the Chicks How to Drink

What’s working/not working for us …

Outside projects and reading work for us.  So do hands-on projects like sewing; Miss 13 has even started an apron.

 
Homeschool questions/thoughts I have … 

What year of Ambleside Online should I put Miss 8 in?  She’s technically in grade 4 but is still a slow reader, so Year 4 will be much too difficult.  I love Year 1; it’s challenging enough for any age and the amount of reading would be easier for my daughter than that in Year 3 or even year 2. But really, putting her in Year 1?!?  Perhaps I should combine some years?  The AO forums are historically full of people asking such questions; I never thought I’d struggle with them myself! 

A Reminder of God's Promises

What I’m reading …

I mentioned the read alouds with favorite things, above.   

While he was getting his teeth cleaned, I picked up Mr. 16’s Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Sayers and started in the middle.  I always start such books in the middle since I never plan to actually read them…but I usually end up finishing the last half anyhow.  Dorothy Sayers writes well.

So does Grace Irwin, author of Andrew Connington which was on the wrong bookshelf.  While I was putting it in the right spot, I ‘accidentally’ started reading it and could not put it down.  There went my plans for the evening! I had forgotten how deeply satisfying Grace Irwin’s books are.  If you can find them, do snap them up.  I’ll post a review of Andrew Connington someday.

I finished The Governor of England about Oliver Cromwell slowly, though.  It’s certainly a memorable read, and an important one, too, I think, but not easy or light.

Right now I’m enjoying Amish Values for Your Family which needs to be reviewed by Monday, so I’ll tell you about it then.

Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door hasn’t arrived yet though it needed to be reviewed now.  Oh well, these things happen, but I can already let you know that there’s a Kindle giveaway as well as a Facebook party  for this book. 

 
A photo, video, link, or quote to share … 

Ok so the scientist in me is coming through…but isn’t this a fascinating pattern on my dear, hardworking husband’s sweat-soaked t-shirt?  There are people studying icicle patterns along eaves; I wonder if these fold patterns might follow some of the same mathematical principles….  My husband laughed when I took the picture.

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