Oh, what a day we've day had. It was so nice and cool this morning that we jumped out of bed and went on a nice walk through the neighborhood very first thing. It was wonderful!

When we got home to had a nice breakfast and cleaned up the dishes and read our Bible story. Then I declared it a day with school outside!

When we got out to the deck I realized we needed to do a little housekeeping out here so we cleaned up the deck. Everyone working together. We swept it up and watered the plants, put the furniture back in order and hung the table cloth out to air.

Then we noticed the front flowerbed. YUCK!! I had been wanting to get cleaned up for sometime but it's been too hot. But not today! So we got busy and we got dirty! It was fun and everyone worked really hard. While DS blew the little pieces off the driveway, DD and washed our hands and got down to math. When DS finished he washed up and came out with his science. Everyone just kind of moved through their work today. No particular order or time. Just when you finished with one you moved on to the next. It was a very slow day but much more relaxing than it had been being.

It was really a nice day. I think everyone got a lot done. We may not have covered every subject but we were learning and that's what counts. Like I said, it's been a very slow day. Here it is after 4 p.m. and the kids are just now really finished but you know, I don't think they mind at all. It was all on their own time, in their own time.

Yesterday, I was thinking, you know after almost 5 weeks of this, I feel like I really need about a week off! We work so very hard. The sad part is that I always feel like we aren't doing enough! It's crazy. But after today and how easy it has been and the work we got done around the house too, I feel like we are doing okay.

Well, I am being summoned! They are having a backyard adventure and then NEED to show me something. Have a great night!!

Typical Day???

I'm always wondering about homeschoolers' typical day. Well, I realize that there is no typical day but I'm always curious about what others do and how they do it. So, I've decided to see if I can post a typical day for us. Here it goes...

Times vary for us so I'm not going to give time of day. Just a reminder, my kids are 11 and 7, a 7th grader and a second grader.

We get up and everyone dresses and gets to their chores. I fix breakfast and we eat together. Then we try to have a little devotional.

Now, we clean up the breakfast dishes. Well, the kids really do. It's DS's job and DD is supposed to help.

Next, we all move on to the actual "school" work.

We do Math and Latin daily.

We do history and science most days.

DD does copywork most everyday and handwriting.

DS is using Classical Writing this year.

We read a lot. They have free reading during the day and for an hour at night before bed (DD is jut 30mins at night). We also are doing some read alouds, which they love.

We do a lot of volunteer work for our church on an almost weekly basis.

Friday, we try to have a bit of a fun day. We go somewhere, to a park or something and enjoy nature.

We throw art and music in there a lot too.

Well, I don't know if it's typical or not and I don't know if it's enough either but now it's what we are doing. What is your typical day like?

Homeschool Meme
Athena over at Athena in a Minivan tagged me with this one. This one is not easy for me.

1) ONE HOMESCHOOLING BOOK YOU HAVE ENJOYED Latin Centered Curriculum and Whe Well-Trained Mind

2) TWO RESOURCEs YOU WOULDN'T BE WITHOUT The internet and our library

3) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH YOU HAD NEVER BOUGHTT 6th Grade Rod and Staff We hated it but I know others really like. Just not for us.

4) ONE RESOURCE YOU ENJOYED LAST We really loved reading some of the books on the reading lists in "The Well Trained Mind".

5) ONE RESOURCE YOU WILL BE USING NEXT YEARAmblesideOnline.com for the book lists and also Virtual Homeschool International for our science

6) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUY I don't know. Hmm. Lots of books!!

7) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH EXISTED Something to tell me exactly what do with each child for each subject. But I doubt I would really like that. I don't really like being told what to do. HA

8) ONE HOMESCHOOLING CATALOGUE YOU ENJOY READING Memoria Press

9) ONE HOMESCHOOLING WEBSITE YOU USE REGULARLY Ambleside Online and Virtual Homeschool International

10) TAG FIVE OTHER HOMESCHOOLERS I honestly don't know 5 other homeschoolers! So... if you are reading here and you homeschool consider yourself tagged!

Good Sunday afternoon! I just wanted to share a website again. I found it about this time last year and I used it a little but forgot about it. I've found it again and plan on using it a lot more this year. They have some interesting textbooks and some great links for teaching.

Virtual Homeschool International

It's $20 for a year for a family but there is lots of great resources.

Have a great week!

We are working but it almost seems too easy. That worries me.

DD is loving it. You should see her during the days. She is so funny and active. She almost runs from one lesson to the next and wants to read every time in between! She is doing great. It's almost too easy.

DS is doing great too. He takes forever to do his math and complains a lot but is doing much better than he was just a couple of weeks ago.

They both want to read, read, and read. We do a lot of it. I've started reading a book to them. It's a little easy for DS but it's perfect for DD. I figure that we can rotate the level of books for them. They both just love it and they enjoy a read-a-loud. They both do a lot of reading on their own too.

I feel like we need to more, since it's been seeming so easy. I worry we aren't doing enough or covering enough. I hope we are and I just have to trust we are.

Good morning friends,

It's been a while since I last posted here. Sorry about that. We been pretty busy with the homeschooling. Having them both home is ... hmmm... not harder .... but much more time consuming. I run from child to child all day. Helping here and there.

DD needs much more instruction than DS. She is just a second grader. She loves to read though and is always quick to say, "I need to do my free reading!" Too funny.

DS is struggling a little with math. Not that it is too hard, he just does not like math so he won't stay focused on it.

With DS we are trying some new stuff. He's using the "Classical Writing" program. I started him with Aesop B. Some of it is too easy but other parts are really good. And you know what, he had his first writing assignment and really enjoyed doing it. It was easy but I have a hard time getting him to do any writing! He did type it but hey, at least he was writing!! He has a wonderful imagination too.

DD is doing great. She loves homeschooling. Some of the math is a little too easy but it's review for now, it will get harder and then because of the review, it won't be hard.

I want us to read more. I am going to make a list of books to take with me to the library and we are going to try to have family reading more often. I have a hard time finding time to fit in everything. I need to work on that. I've been listening to the children talk and listening when we play games to see what they seem to be missing and I think reading some "good books" as a family should help with most of it.

We are loving Latin but I'm afraid they are passing me by. I'm going to have to take more time alone to learn it better myself. Because of the Latin, we are studying Rome too. We are reading "Famous Men of Rome". I think they are enjoying it. It is different.

I've been thinking of looking back at Ambleside Online again. It just seemed so hard to start in the middle with DS but I may just try to use it for the book lists and then you never know. I'm not good at making my own lessons either so that was another factor. But anyway....

We are doing well and enjoying it. Tell us about what you are doing. Maybe could learn from each other.

Have a wonderful day,
Your blogland friend.

First week back...

It was our first week back at our school work. It went pretty well. DD really enjoyed it and really only had one or two bad moments. DS did too but had a few more bad moments. I think it is called growing pains.

We love Latin! Who'd a thunk?? (hehehe) They both just blow me away. I'm having to do a little extra studying at night after they go to bed to stay on top of it though. The boy is awesome! He can conjugate like crazy and only needs to hear it once or twice and he's got it! He just rattles it off like it's his native tongue! Me? I have to think about it and say it much slower but I do have it. DD's is much simpler. She is doing extremely well too I love that the English grammar is built into it. Multitasking. It can be awesome!

The rest is going well too. DD loves math and is loves what she is doing. DS? Well, let's just say it's not his favorite subject. If he could just read for math he'd be good.

We all love history and literature so that is easy. We do it with out even thinking! Science we have been finding in everyday things and they enjoy that.

I guess that's our week in nutshell. I hope it continues to go well. Mom didn't have much if any free time this week but hopefully as we get settled into our routine I'll have a little more.