Homeschool Mother's Journal: In Which We Put Things Back Together

In our homeschool... as I start writing this, I have the impression that we did very little this week, but I suppose it's probably not as bad as all that.  Or maybe it is. 

One "leftover" from last week was our DVD of a Verdi opera.  Sadly, I could not get the DVD to play on our computer or the mini-DVD player, and finally decided that it just wasn't meant to be.  We just carried on with a brief study of the next composer on our list, Anton Bruckner.

I handed out a couple of assignments to Landon and Kennady for their History, and Kennady worked a bit on an art project.  We will do a Science lesson today if Kennady feels up to it - at this point she is not feeling well at all and I sent her back to bed.

Spencer is falling a bit behind his schedule again, but has been working hard at getting back on track.  DH and I convinced him to give us a little bit of feedback about what he did and didn't like about his curriculum, in hopes that we can make the second semester run a little smoother for him.  And I am starting to collect some ideas on options for next year.  Sometime before the curriculum fairs, I will go over as many of the possibilities as I've thought of with him, and we'll make some plans.

Our project in my co-op class this week was building a suspension bridge.  We had one of the two turn out very nicely, and the other one had a few issues.  I forgot to bring along the boards we'd prepared to mount the bridges on, so taking the bridges home was a project in itself!  We took home the less-than-perfect one and will see if we can mount it and salvage it.

what it was SUPPOSED to look like

the condition in which it arrived at home

In other news... Landon had a great time at the youth retreat last weekend, and my understanding is that he could have won the Annual Hot Sauce Challenge, but opted out of the last round.  Anyone who has met Landon can probably picture how he remained unmoved and stoic no matter how many spoonfuls of hot sauce he consumed. 

The weather was less wonderful this week than last, and we had enough snow on Wednesday to cause schools to close early.  And that meant that our Wednesday evening activities at church were cancelled as well. 

DH got the plumbing fixed in our bathroom, for which I'm very grateful - it means I can enjoy bubble baths again!

My favorite thing this week...  possibly the Mac & Cheese Pie with Bacon Crust I made for dinner on Thursday.

What's working/not working for us... the plumbing is working - yay!  I wouldn't go so far as to say it's "not working" but we are contemplating some changes to the way Spencer does some of his schoolwork.  For example, he is doing some American Literature as part of his History study, so I don't think it's necessary for him to do every page of the Lit sections in his general English.  He is getting bogged down in math, so I am strongly considering using ALEKS more extensively and cutting back what he has to do in the Geometry text we are using.  (We are reviewing ALEKS for the TOS Crew, and I will be posting my thoughts in the next day or two.  Many of the Crew have already posted their reviews, which can be accessed through the TOS Crew Blog.)

Questions/thoughts I have... I still haven't registered for the homeschool convention and curriculum fair.  I do plan on going, but will need to come up with a plan for getting there and back that hopefully will not leave the rest of my family stranded at home without a vehicle all day that Saturday.

A photo/video/quote or link to share...

On the bookshelf...

• The Skin Map by Stephen R Lawhead
• A House for My Name by Peter J Leithart
• A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander
• The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling Teens by Debra Bell

Finished and wrote about The Begotten by Lisa T Bergren.  Enjoyed it so much, I've already ordered the second in the trilogy to read soon.

A parting shot...

This post is linked to The Homeschool Chick - see what other homeschoolers have put together this week!