Daybook 5/31/10

Outside my window...It's already promising to be a hot one but I have beautiful rose bushes to see... 2 from the previous owners and 4 that my dear husband planted

I am listening to...

quiet...ahhh

I am wearing...

a white nightgown with faded pink flowers

I am thankful for...

a husband who got up early on his

day off to go get me coffee and has been out working in the yard to get it looking awesome!!!

I am pondering...

grief - the complexity of emotions that seem to spring up from nowhere

I am reading...

Discovering God

Mrs. Meyers Clean Home

The Well Ordered Home

Planning Your Charlotte Mason Education

From the kitchen...

the fast begins. I will create our menus this evening and plan a trip to get groceries on Tuesday. Hopefully we will be able to have at least 4 meals cooked at home again this week.

I am thinking...

that a trip to visit my mom definitely needs to happen in the next few weeks...God willing, of course :)

I am creating...

a fun and comfortable school room...still painting that furniture. My guess is about 8 weeks to get it all done.

Towards a living education...

a day off to spend with dad, a day off to get lots of errands done, a day off to get SugarCake moved, hmmm...it looks like there won't be a whole lot of education going on this week

Beauty in the home...

I got sidetracked thinking about some very cool projects for our extra bedroom. I did manage to tackle our "formal dining room," aka gameroom, aka sorting room (until we finish moving). It is a lot less stressful to not see it piled with things to unpack.

The domestic church...

plans to attend liturgy with other homeschoolers on Thursday.

I am hoping and praying...

that friends and family will have peace as they await news on some stressful situations. That I will be able to return to Overeater's Anonymous this week as I attempt to come out of relapse...St. Michael pray for me!!!

In the garden...

my dear husband has been working so very hard. He's cleaned out the beds and planted new flowers. He's been working on some rough spots in the grass and it looks like he plans to put down mulch in the beds.

One of my favorite things...

going to liturgy and then lunch with dear friends (my daughters' godfamily). May God bless them abundantly for all the blessings they bring to our lives!!!

A few plans for the rest of the week...

hockey, NO dance - except for Saturday, liturgy, time with SugarCake to sort her "stuff," lot of errands, lots of unpacking, lots of cleaning at the old house and new (okay, I think I need a nap just thinking about it!)

A picture thought I'm sharing...

THIS is the picture thought I've been wanting to share. This was found (or rather this found me) in a Half Price Bookstore in Dallas,TX. I'm still speechless of the beauty of this icon not to mention finding it in a used bookstore!!!

Blessings!

theresesophia

A picture thought to share...

As promised, I now have a picture thought to share. Not the one I had planned, I'll save that for another post. But this one is pretty special too...

Sugar Cake lost her first tooth today at church...sigh...my baby is growing so quickly. I cried most of the way home. The tooth has been wiggly for almost a month now. This morning at church it seemed VERY loose. I was hoping for a few more weeks... but after church I felt it snap and then it started bleeding. I put some holy water on a napkin and told her I would put that on there to make it feel better and amazingly the tooth just "fell" into the napkin.

Now I'm going to do what any normal mom would do... grab a diet dr. p*pper and a box of tissues. I'll be in the bed if anyone needs me...

Blessings,

theresesophia

Daybook 5/24/10

Outside my window...

It is dark and there is a different backyard than the one I was looking at last month when I did my daybook :-)

I am listening to...

the air conditioner, a children's television show and my husband frying some bacon

I am wearing...

sandals, jeans, a black and white print top and my prayer bracelet I just got in the mail

I am thankful for...

a very special friend who loaned me her prayer bracelet until I could get mine in the mail (I lost my previous prayer bracelet on Mother's Day... boohoo!!!)

I am pondering...

how long it will take me to finish painting all the homeschool furniture (at my current rate they may all graduate before I'm done!)

I am reading...

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home

From the kitchen...

a full week of meals this week, ham and potato salad in the morning, homemade burgers the next day, mac and cheese casserole with leftover ham the next and a homemade lasagna this weekend

I am thinking...

that my children need to go to bed a LOT earlier than they do!!!

I am creating...

a new HOME.

Towards a living education...

a huge focus on math for all and reading for the younger two

Beauty in the home...

that's pretty much all it has been about for the last few weeks. The older girls are pretty much set. The bathrooms look good but need a little tweaking. Probably focus on the rooms for the younger two this week

The domestic church...

our icon wall is in place. Joyous Feast to you all!!!

I am hoping and praying...

that friends and family going through stressful situations will be blessed with positive outcomes.

In the garden...

we no longer have our vegetable garden and although our new house has beautiful grass, we haven't had the opportunity to do much other than plant a rose bush in memory of my dad

One of my favorite things...

trees... our new home has lots of beautiful trees

A few plans for the rest of the week...

the orthodontist for Rosebud, helping Stinkbug and Sugarcake finish the moving process and set up their rooms, ballet and hockey, math, and, God willing, paint lots of the school room furniture

A picture thought I'm sharing...

you'll have to watch for my next post for that...lol.

Blessings!!!

theresesophia

Daybook 4-12-10

Outside my window...

Is a beautiful spring day and bikes that weren't put up from the night before

I am listening to...

Rosebud playing with our dog

I am wearing...

My usual, my favorite Stars tee, light-weight sweats, and tennis shoes

I am thankful for...

So many things, beautiful children, a wonderful husband, a sweet church family, very dear friends, a caring priest, Bright Week, Diet Dr. Pepper

I am pondering...

Why I am sitting here blogging instead of working on my long list of "to do's" for the week

I am reading...

contracts, consumer reports, and reviews of refrigerators and electricity providers

From the kitchen...

not much except for cleaning... well, maybe carrot cake

I am thinking...

about the house we may close on, on Thursday and all the things that need to be done

I am creating...

lots of lists, people to call, things to do, cleaning...

Toward a living education...

back to school after a break for Bright Week, focusing on math and reading

Beauty in the home...

lots of decorating ideas floating in my head for the new house and lots of cleaning, painting and remodeling to be done in our current home

The domestic church...

will take a small break this week, with the services for Holy Week and attending daily liturgy during Bright Week, we need this week to focus on some school and home tasks

I am hoping and praying...

that my husband continues to be successful on his journey to end his addiction and that I will be able to be successful with my return to Overeaters Anonymous (it's time)

In the garden...

In spite of the neglect, Princess found onions in her plot and Stinkbug found carrots. Looks like strawberries are coming soon too.

One of my favorite things...

fan appreciation at the Stars game, Stinkbug was given a stick by the captain (Morrow #10) and we all had a blast, with the exception of knowing that it might be Modano's last home game

A few plan for the rest of the week...

buying a house, and all that goes with that

A picture thought I'm sharing...

Don't

Go

Mo

Daybook 3-29-10

Outside my window...
it's dark, the day is almost over

I am listening to...
last week's American Idol and I am NOT enjoying it so far

I am wearing...
my #3 shirt, sweatpants and sneakers

I am thankful...
for my wonderful husband and his perseverance in face of adversity

I am pondering...
why God has chosen to bless me so abundantly

I am reading...
Seek First the Kingdom... a very sweet, beautiful book about living the orthodox faith

From the kitchen...
I give up on the vegan chocolate chip cake...at least this week...lol. There won't be a whole lot going on...between church, hockey and dance, we will be home very little

I am thinking...
that amidst everything else this week, what I need most is to find a few quiet moments to myself

I am creating...
more stress for myself by obsessing over some things beyond my control

Toward a living education...
we will be focusing on the teachings of the orthodox church during Holy Week

Beauty in the home...
we will be working to prepare our home for Pascha by doing lots of cleaning tasks

The domestic church...
will focus on Holy Week and the coming of Pascha

I am hoping and praying...
for my husband's success with a difficult trial

In the garden...
uuuggghhh...not going there this week

One of my favorite things...
is feeling like I accomplished something with my day

A few plans for the rest of the week...
lots of time at church this week, lots of cleaning, many dentists appointments, a doctor's appointment, hockey, dance, violin, a little schooling, probably a visit from my mom, and lots of praying!!!

Blessings!!!
theresesophia

Daybook 3-22-10

Outside my window...
is a beautiful spring afternoon and a few leftover snowballs from yesterday.

I am listening to...
a TV show...Clean House...hoping for some inspiration

I am wearing...
a long sleeve STARS tee, a STARS ball cap, blue jeans, and sneakers

I am thankful for...
Stinkbug's dental emergency last week turning into a huge blessing...his tooth cracked while eating and it ended up being a baby tooth that needed to come out

I am pondering...

why there are so many things that need to be done to SIMPLIFY one's life

I am reading...
Worst Case by James Patterson

From the kitchen...
there will be pasta with marinara for supper and if I can get to the grocery store tomorrow we may actually be able to eat more than one meal at home this week. We will also attempt the vegan chocolate chip cake that we did not get to last week

I am thinking...
that I need to start preparing for Pascha...outfits, gifts, plans, food

I am creating...
lots of lists right now... errands, phone calls, homeschool plans, home repairs

Toward a living education...
I will be changing our science focus from physics to nature. I am hoping that the spring will bring us the opportunity for nature walks and gardening. We will be using Exporing Creation through Botany, at the suggestion of a very dear friend.

Beauty in the home...
will hopefully be accomplished this week by painting the master bathroom, cleaning the master bedroom, and cleaning out the pantry.

The Domestic Church...
we will begin our preparations for Pascha, we will be listening to some podcasts from Under the Grapevine if I can figure out how to download podcasts.

I am hoping and praying...
that very dear friends of ours will see improved health over the coming months. My friend just received a pacemaker and his daughter is very ill. The doctors are unsure what is causing her illness so I am praying that the doctors in Houston will not only be able to give them a diagnosis but also a cure as well.

In the garden...
there is still everything to do, luckily we did not start on our garden or the snow would have destroyed it.

One of my favorite things...
going on a date with my husband to the STARS game...even better when they win (which they did)

A few plans for the rest of the week...
a celebration of my husband's birthday, a hockey playoff game for Stinkbug and Rosebud, back to dance and rehearsals for Princess after a week for spring break, back to hockey and ballet for Sugarcake...in other words, mom is back to living in the suburban (sigh!)

Blessings!!!
theresesophia

Updated Core Curriculum

As mentioned in my previous post, there has been some serious overhaul to our homeschool. I've begun with updating the core curriculum.

Previously, we were working on Word Study by Singapore for our vocabulary. As much as I liked the layout and activities, it really did not provide enough background (word lists) for individualized work. I often found that I didn't have enough information to complete the assignments. We dropped Word Study and have switched to Wordly Wise 3000. At the beginning of each lesson, students are given a list of words with the definitions. What follows are several activities to practice the vocabulary words. Very traditional workbook format...we don't do much that has the traditional workbook format so I don't mind having this one. Additionally, we will use the word lists as our weekly spelling test.

While I love the intensity of Singapore Math, I have had to admit that it is not a good fit for all my children. While some will continue with Singapore, others will switch to Teaching Textbooks. Both Rosebud and Stinkbug are excited about the idea of doing math on the computer. Hopefully this will be a good switch for both of them.

I was recently introduced to Tapestry of Grace. There are many things to like about Tapestry of Grace. First of all, there are four levels which correspond quite well to the four children in the household. It incorporates history, literature, and fine arts with a strong emphasis on gaining knowledge through living books. We attempted the first 3 weeks with a free trial and all seemed to enjoy the format. It's also been nice that although each student is on a different level, they are all covering the same topic so they have been able to share with each other and engage in activities together.

Handwriting Without Tears is our handwriting curriculum. Although we have been using this all along, I failed to add this to the blog list. While updating, I figured it would be best to go ahead and add this one in.

Writing with Ease is a new addition to our writing curriculum. Although we were using Understanding Writing, it just was not working for our family...a great curriculum just not right for us. I am hoping Writing with Ease will be a better fit. Writing with Ease is from the authors of the Well Trained Mind. It looks very simple to use and I'm hoping to get it started this week.

That completes our core curriculum. Very soon I will be updating the weekly curriculum as well as our high school studies.

Blessings!!!

theresesophia