In my life this week… We started last Saturday morning with a pancake breakfast, with crepes baked by Miss 9, and fruit and whipping cream supplied by Miss 19. This morning we’re having another pancake celebration, with maple syrup, butter, and homemade fruit syrup.
In between those two yummy breakfasts, we gardened, learned, attended a carillon concert (more about that on Monday), threw handfuls of hail at each other, ate granadilla (passion fruit), had friends over, enjoyed the first fresh lettuce and radishes, and swam.
In our homeschool this week…
If all goes well, Miss 9 will finish her year in a week and a half.
Mr. 17 will keep on doing some work into the summer, but he will reach the main goals in a week or two and be able to go out to work, on the condition that he finishes his other schoolwork in his spare time.
Miss 14 is dividing her time between schoolwork, blogging, and Camp NaNoWriMo, an online writing challenge. She will also be studying into the summer.
Miss 12, who finished her schoolyear last week, spent this week reading historical fiction, learning archery, straightening out the game cupboard, and using Seterra to learn the countries, capitals, and flags of the world.
Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share… Your kids don’t all have to be doing the same week of school. One can be at week 30, one at 31, one at 33, and one finished all 36! That concept liberated me when I first thought of it, after more than a decade of homeschooling.
Places we’re going and people we’re seeing… Friends, church, neighbors, library, stores, a carillon concert.
Some of my favorite things this week were…
- Trying a granadilla.
- Friends, from near and far.
- Taking a day off with the kids to attend a carillon concert on Parliament Hill.
- Watching the girls make flowerpot candy bouquets as party favors.
- Getting a new beehive. When a group of bees swarmed, they just moved into an empty hive. So now there’s a new full hive! What a blessing.
- Getting the garden past the panicky ‘this-year-it-just-won’t-work’ stage.
- Noticing that the hail had not killed all our tomato plants.
Questions/thoughts I have… I need to cut something out of my schedule. Or perhaps I just need to realize that the June is a peak month in homeschool planning and record keeping as well as in the garden.
Things I’m working on…
- Weeding the garden. Replanting as needed, using seeds or left-over seedlings.
- Encouraging and helping the kids to finish up their school year.
- Emptying the freezer and pantry.
- Walking 7000 steps a day.
- Catching up with the Omnibus marking.
I’m reading… James. I completed Gut and Psychology Syndrome and hope to write about it soon. I’m reading Miraculous Movements by Trousdale, The Best Things in Life by Kreeft, and You Shall Be Free Indeed by Ganz.
With the kids, I’m reading Titus, the last chapter of L’Abri by Edith Schaeffer, The Story Bible for Older Children, and various books for school.
When my husband is home for meals, we read Jeremiah.
I’m grateful for … Happy kids and a happy hubby.
A quote to share… “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17
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This post is linked to The Homeschool Mother’s Journal and to Weekly Wrap Up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.
That’s a lot of good reading you are doing! I have not tried granadilla, nor have I heard of it. I will keep my eye open for one. I don’t often shop at regular grocery stores, so I will see… Yes, June is a busy month for you with the garden and homeschool. I hope you find the balance you want. I am glad you said that your garden is in the stage that mine is in, even though mine is just a container garden. I do wonder if it will pull through. 🙂
We got the granadilla by accident. Occasionally we stop at a very upscale grocery store for their milk and egg specials. Mr. 17 always checks out the discounted produce. He found a tray with 2 dragonfruit and three mysterious orange balls for $1.99, so we bought it, because we love dragon fruit and it is normally very expensive.
We were rather startled when we cut open the granadilla, because it’s full of greenish-grey seeds. We almost didn’t dare try them ! LOL
We actually had to look it up on google images to find out what it was, the fruit of a kind of passion flower! It’s very yummy, but I do still prefer pomegranite, strawberry, and pineapple. Besides, these granadillas are actually $2.99 regularly, way beyond our normal price for fruit. (That little tray of fruit would have cost $15 normally!!)
You had me at “pancake breakfast” LOL Great tip about not needing everyone to be on the same school week – seems obvious, but I’d never thought about that before!
That realization was a life-changer for me. Even though it is obvious, I had never thought about it either. LOL
I loved your revelation of homeschool tip of kids being on different weeks and that is okay. [o= Also I have come to a realization in my homeschooling. I will start mid August so that way we hopefully be done with the bulk of our hs’ing by the beginning of May so I can help hubby in the garden A LOT more. I pray that all pans out this year.
I hope to be around more. I know I keep saying that but I do truly mean it. ((HUGS))
Blessings and ((HUGS))
-Mary
Oh, starting early is such a great idea. We sometimes do, and sometimes don’t. I love it when we do.
Sounds like a great week, and that pancake sounds so yummy. It’s always great when we find things that work for us in our homeschools.
I replied to your comment on my blog. It gave me things to think about. 🙂