Remember my by 1 July list?
I finished it. All of it. Every single little item is complete, and has a line neatly through it. The last thing to finish was actually setting up the timeline, a tedious job that required very little in the way of actual thought. Of course, once I was nearing the finish line, I realized I had omitted one item, but since I realized it only a couple of days ago, I'm not adding it to the list. I finished the list; I just have that other thing to do to finish all the planning for 2010-2011.
I forgot to make the read-aloud schedule. Because I don't do the main read-aloud, the Spousal Unit does, I break it down into daily bits. Unfortunately for me, I can't find two of the four books that are scheduled for read-aloud. I know I own them. I just bought one of them a month ago! Yet I can't find either of them. I'm hoping that when the kids cleaned upstairs today, it resulted in them magically appearing. I need to grab the third one from Smrt Mama, but the fourth one is broken down into bits, ready and waiting.
21.5.10
Summer Report :)
I'm going to try to stay in the habit of posting a "weekly report" even during the summer. I still need to post last week's tell-all about DC, and possibly some version of the annual report I wrote for EG. The annual report that I am required to write, by law, but not required to do anything with. Strange laws.
This was our first official week of summer. EG did take the ITBS this week, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We're not required to test this year, but I think a familiarity with standardized tests is important given the strictures of today's educational system. Plus, if she continues to test well, it's little effort to "prove" her home-grown grades in high school level courses through standardized testing.
FB had his very last tumbling class. He, like his older sister, took tumbling at the Y in a class for three and four year olds. We actually got special permission for him to finish out this year after he turned five. He is enrolled in a gymnastics class through our county program starting this summer, to which he's looking forward, but he was still sad to have his last class with Ms. Lauren.
While EG was at her testing on Thursday morning, FB & I went strawberry picking with some friends. Later in the afternoon, one of those friends came over and taught me how to make strawberry jam. :) I'm going to attempt it on my own this afternoon.
In other food news, we got the hanging weights on the grass-fed beef. We should be picking it up in a week or two. Mmm, beef.
EG has also been doing some math and reading several books. I'm not sure what amount of what she's been doing, except she did take a book about math to her testing, to read after she finished a section but before time was called. I had to tell her not to read it after the math sections just in case someone thought she was using for assistance with the test.
I'm glad we have these few weeks of downtime before the summer camps start. FB will be doing two different weeks of mini camp at the Y, and EG will be doing a week of resident camp, a week of GS day camp, a week of musical theatre day camp, and a week of science day camp. Lots of running around!
This was our first official week of summer. EG did take the ITBS this week, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We're not required to test this year, but I think a familiarity with standardized tests is important given the strictures of today's educational system. Plus, if she continues to test well, it's little effort to "prove" her home-grown grades in high school level courses through standardized testing.
FB had his very last tumbling class. He, like his older sister, took tumbling at the Y in a class for three and four year olds. We actually got special permission for him to finish out this year after he turned five. He is enrolled in a gymnastics class through our county program starting this summer, to which he's looking forward, but he was still sad to have his last class with Ms. Lauren.
While EG was at her testing on Thursday morning, FB & I went strawberry picking with some friends. Later in the afternoon, one of those friends came over and taught me how to make strawberry jam. :) I'm going to attempt it on my own this afternoon.
In other food news, we got the hanging weights on the grass-fed beef. We should be picking it up in a week or two. Mmm, beef.
EG has also been doing some math and reading several books. I'm not sure what amount of what she's been doing, except she did take a book about math to her testing, to read after she finished a section but before time was called. I had to tell her not to read it after the math sections just in case someone thought she was using for assistance with the test.
I'm glad we have these few weeks of downtime before the summer camps start. FB will be doing two different weeks of mini camp at the Y, and EG will be doing a week of resident camp, a week of GS day camp, a week of musical theatre day camp, and a week of science day camp. Lots of running around!
Summer Report :)
I'm going to try to stay in the habit of posting a "weekly report" even during the summer. I still need to post last week's tell-all about DC, and possibly some version of the annual report I wrote for EG. The annual report that I am required to write, by law, but not required to do anything with. Strange laws.
This was our first official week of summer. EG did take the ITBS this week, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We're not required to test this year, but I think a familiarity with standardized tests is important given the strictures of today's educational system. Plus, if she continues to test well, it's little effort to "prove" her home-grown grades in high school level courses through standardized testing.
FB had his very last tumbling class. He, like his older sister, took tumbling at the Y in a class for three and four year olds. We actually got special permission for him to finish out this year after he turned five. He is enrolled in a gymnastics class through our county program starting this summer, to which he's looking forward, but he was still sad to have his last class with Ms. Lauren.
While EG was at her testing on Thursday morning, FB & I went strawberry picking with some friends. Later in the afternoon, one of those friends came over and taught me how to make strawberry jam. :) I'm going to attempt it on my own this afternoon.
In other food news, we got the hanging weights on the grass-fed beef. We should be picking it up in a week or two. Mmm, beef.
EG has also been doing some math and reading several books. I'm not sure what amount of what she's been doing, except she did take a book about math to her testing, to read after she finished a section but before time was called. I had to tell her not to read it after the math sections just in case someone thought she was using for assistance with the test.
I'm glad we have these few weeks of downtime before the summer camps start. FB will be doing two different weeks of mini camp at the Y, and EG will be doing a week of resident camp, a week of GS day camp, a week of musical theatre day camp, and a week of science day camp. Lots of running around!
This was our first official week of summer. EG did take the ITBS this week, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We're not required to test this year, but I think a familiarity with standardized tests is important given the strictures of today's educational system. Plus, if she continues to test well, it's little effort to "prove" her home-grown grades in high school level courses through standardized testing.
FB had his very last tumbling class. He, like his older sister, took tumbling at the Y in a class for three and four year olds. We actually got special permission for him to finish out this year after he turned five. He is enrolled in a gymnastics class through our county program starting this summer, to which he's looking forward, but he was still sad to have his last class with Ms. Lauren.
While EG was at her testing on Thursday morning, FB & I went strawberry picking with some friends. Later in the afternoon, one of those friends came over and taught me how to make strawberry jam. :) I'm going to attempt it on my own this afternoon.
In other food news, we got the hanging weights on the grass-fed beef. We should be picking it up in a week or two. Mmm, beef.
EG has also been doing some math and reading several books. I'm not sure what amount of what she's been doing, except she did take a book about math to her testing, to read after she finished a section but before time was called. I had to tell her not to read it after the math sections just in case someone thought she was using for assistance with the test.
I'm glad we have these few weeks of downtime before the summer camps start. FB will be doing two different weeks of mini camp at the Y, and EG will be doing a week of resident camp, a week of GS day camp, a week of musical theatre day camp, and a week of science day camp. Lots of running around!
19.5.10
Summer Break, But At Least It's Still May
We have officially finished our one hundred eighty days of school for the 2009-2010 school year. Huzzah! Days 176-180 were completed on our trip to Washington, DC, last week. I need to write an entire post about the trip, but suffice it to say that I love that city and am having withdrawal symptoms. The kids thoroughly enjoyed it. EG's favorite thing was the National Cryptologic Museum. FB wanted to take home a pair of ruby slippers just like Dorothy's.
We did come home to the news that our neighbor has decided not to pursue buying our house. We had hoped this was a viable possibility, especially since it would ensure our having to move only once (instead of possibly twice, after finalizing the sale of this house but before finalizing the purchase of the new house). It also means we do have to do those final staging projects which we were hoping to escape. So far, I've been mostly paralyzed by the thought of how much more I need to pack and rearrange, but I haven't exactly had copious amounts of work time, either. Maybe I'll feel more energized after we start.
I should probably also warn you all that I will probably blog extensively about food over the summer. Luckily, everyone alive more or less likes food, and everyone is required to eat it, making food quite possibly the most universal subject about which to blog. Except breathing. I'll devote a post to breathing, maybe.
We did come home to the news that our neighbor has decided not to pursue buying our house. We had hoped this was a viable possibility, especially since it would ensure our having to move only once (instead of possibly twice, after finalizing the sale of this house but before finalizing the purchase of the new house). It also means we do have to do those final staging projects which we were hoping to escape. So far, I've been mostly paralyzed by the thought of how much more I need to pack and rearrange, but I haven't exactly had copious amounts of work time, either. Maybe I'll feel more energized after we start.
I should probably also warn you all that I will probably blog extensively about food over the summer. Luckily, everyone alive more or less likes food, and everyone is required to eat it, making food quite possibly the most universal subject about which to blog. Except breathing. I'll devote a post to breathing, maybe.
7.5.10
Weekly Report: Day 175
EG's formal bookwork for the year is 99% done! The next two weeks will involve lots of field trips, annual ITBS testing, and a lesson each in Paragraph Town and Caesar's English I! This week marked 175 days of school, so I'm calling it done - the remaining actual work was planned for summertime, not schooltime!
EG started the week strong by beating one of her drills. She'll continue the other drill until she beats it, which hopefully won't be too long. She also finished Life of Fred Beginning Algebra! I'm so proud of her.
She also finished Building Poetry, as well as continuing to work in the aforementioned Caesar's English I and Paragraph Town. She did ten sentences in Practice Town, which leaves 16 or so to finish over the summer, just as I'd hoped.
She also completed chapter 2 in Latin Prep 1. Her summer work will be to continue reviewing the vocabulary and grammar she's currently covered, as well as learning the vocabulary for chapter 3.
She finished her study of modern history by taking a look at 9/11 and a few other events post-1994 (when SOTW 4 concludes). She read A Nation Challenged as well as An Hour Before Daylight.
She read the final chapter in CPO Physical Science that covers physics, and answered the reviews and assessment for me. She also did her memory work and three Mind Benders!
EG & I did sit down to talk about what she liked the most and the least this past year, in terms of outside activities, schoolwork, curriculum, etc. I was gratified that she had liked my homemade history pages the best - all those hours were hours well-spent. :)
Tonight is EG's end of the year performance for band, followed by the end of the year performance for Master's Academy tomorrow. Busy weekend!
EG started the week strong by beating one of her drills. She'll continue the other drill until she beats it, which hopefully won't be too long. She also finished Life of Fred Beginning Algebra! I'm so proud of her.
She also finished Building Poetry, as well as continuing to work in the aforementioned Caesar's English I and Paragraph Town. She did ten sentences in Practice Town, which leaves 16 or so to finish over the summer, just as I'd hoped.
She also completed chapter 2 in Latin Prep 1. Her summer work will be to continue reviewing the vocabulary and grammar she's currently covered, as well as learning the vocabulary for chapter 3.
She finished her study of modern history by taking a look at 9/11 and a few other events post-1994 (when SOTW 4 concludes). She read A Nation Challenged as well as An Hour Before Daylight.
She read the final chapter in CPO Physical Science that covers physics, and answered the reviews and assessment for me. She also did her memory work and three Mind Benders!
EG & I did sit down to talk about what she liked the most and the least this past year, in terms of outside activities, schoolwork, curriculum, etc. I was gratified that she had liked my homemade history pages the best - all those hours were hours well-spent. :)
Tonight is EG's end of the year performance for band, followed by the end of the year performance for Master's Academy tomorrow. Busy weekend!
3.5.10
In Which I Share My Overwhelmedness
"How often does FB's greenhouse thing have to be watered?" my mom asked when she visited recently.
"I'm not sure," I answered vaguely. "It couldn't hurt to water it."
"Why don't you check? The directions are sitting down there." This was, in fact, true.
"Because if I'm the one that reads it, then it suddenly becomes my responsibility to make sure it's watered as needed."
My mother laughed a little, and I smiled a bit to take the edge off my words, but I wasn't joking. I'm so tired of bearing the sole responsibility for everything. Lately, I've felt like I'm drowning, to be perfectly honest. We still have about 24-36 hours' worth of work, not including painting, that has to be done before we can put the house on the market. Most of this work, I've been putting off, since the nature of my house is that what I do, someone else undoes. I'm nearly finished planning our next school year, but as you all know, nearly finished is not the same as done. I'm busily preparing for our upcoming trip, and suddenly it's the beginning of the food season, too.*
I'm tired and overwhelmed, and so when I went online this morning to register EG for a class I wanted her to take this autumn, and it was full, it seemed... like something was out to bring me down, at the very least. If I can't get her in this class - there is a waiting list, and another section may open - then I will have to teach her, and it's a teacher-intensive class. I don't know if I can add an additional teacher intensive class to my schedule next year. I really don't. All of FB's work requires me to be right there with him. EG is independent, more or less, for mathematics and science, but our language arts is heavily teacher intensive, and most of her other subjects involve some amount of my involvement. Adding this to the list? Feels like the proverbial straw, this morning.
It doesn't help, of course, that I'm short on sleep, as thunderstorms rolled in around 3:30 am and didn't abate until about 5 am. I had trouble falling asleep last night, as I could feel the weather changing. I didn't just hit snooze a few times, I have no recollection of my alarm sounding this morning!
Standard Disclaimer: Yes, I know. First world problems. There's always someone who has it worse. I get it. I'm still allowed to feel overwhelmed and tired at times.
*Food Season: We aspire to eat locally and organically as much as possible. Currently, I'm co-coordinating a group purchase of quarters of local grass-fed beef, with pick-up around the first of June. The farmers' market opened on Saturday, and yesterday we went to the local u-pick strawberry farm, which means that I need to get some of the strawberries washed, trimmed, and in the freezer today or tomorrow at the latest. I also am trying to decide how many chickens I want to purchase from the local purveyor of pastured chickens. I already make a special trip each week to purchase milk and eggs from a local farmer. Sometimes I wish I didn't know so much, so I could be content with going to the supermarket for everything, not just flour, salt, and so forth. Then, of course, I feel guilty that I haven't found a local source for flour... or is it that I should feel guilty for not grinding my own wheat and baking my own bread? I can't remember.
"I'm not sure," I answered vaguely. "It couldn't hurt to water it."
"Why don't you check? The directions are sitting down there." This was, in fact, true.
"Because if I'm the one that reads it, then it suddenly becomes my responsibility to make sure it's watered as needed."
My mother laughed a little, and I smiled a bit to take the edge off my words, but I wasn't joking. I'm so tired of bearing the sole responsibility for everything. Lately, I've felt like I'm drowning, to be perfectly honest. We still have about 24-36 hours' worth of work, not including painting, that has to be done before we can put the house on the market. Most of this work, I've been putting off, since the nature of my house is that what I do, someone else undoes. I'm nearly finished planning our next school year, but as you all know, nearly finished is not the same as done. I'm busily preparing for our upcoming trip, and suddenly it's the beginning of the food season, too.*
I'm tired and overwhelmed, and so when I went online this morning to register EG for a class I wanted her to take this autumn, and it was full, it seemed... like something was out to bring me down, at the very least. If I can't get her in this class - there is a waiting list, and another section may open - then I will have to teach her, and it's a teacher-intensive class. I don't know if I can add an additional teacher intensive class to my schedule next year. I really don't. All of FB's work requires me to be right there with him. EG is independent, more or less, for mathematics and science, but our language arts is heavily teacher intensive, and most of her other subjects involve some amount of my involvement. Adding this to the list? Feels like the proverbial straw, this morning.
It doesn't help, of course, that I'm short on sleep, as thunderstorms rolled in around 3:30 am and didn't abate until about 5 am. I had trouble falling asleep last night, as I could feel the weather changing. I didn't just hit snooze a few times, I have no recollection of my alarm sounding this morning!
Standard Disclaimer: Yes, I know. First world problems. There's always someone who has it worse. I get it. I'm still allowed to feel overwhelmed and tired at times.
*Food Season: We aspire to eat locally and organically as much as possible. Currently, I'm co-coordinating a group purchase of quarters of local grass-fed beef, with pick-up around the first of June. The farmers' market opened on Saturday, and yesterday we went to the local u-pick strawberry farm, which means that I need to get some of the strawberries washed, trimmed, and in the freezer today or tomorrow at the latest. I also am trying to decide how many chickens I want to purchase from the local purveyor of pastured chickens. I already make a special trip each week to purchase milk and eggs from a local farmer. Sometimes I wish I didn't know so much, so I could be content with going to the supermarket for everything, not just flour, salt, and so forth. Then, of course, I feel guilty that I haven't found a local source for flour... or is it that I should feel guilty for not grinding my own wheat and baking my own bread? I can't remember.
