Weekly Wrap-Up: In Which We Take a Holiday

I took a bit of a break from blogging - and other internet activities - for several weeks, and not entirely by choice, but that's another story.  I'm back with this wrap-up and hopefully will continue regularly for awhile.  However, I am still copying most of my blog entries to a couple of sites and trying to decide which to keep and which to drop.  Truthishly (one of Harrison's words that I have started using frequently), my decision would be easier if I could move the template from my first blog to one of my others.  I love that template, but it's not one of the standard options here, and I am Clue.Less. when it comes to designing or modifying my own.  Okay then - on with the wrap-up!

Homeschool:  Monday the 20th was the last official day of school here, used to wrap up the last of what I had decreed needed to be completed before the Christmas vacation.  For Landon that meant finishing the section he was working on in Language Arts; doing some Math review and one test; and a Bible lesson.  Kennady also needed to finish up a section in Language Arts, and do some Math.  Spencer had some History, Math, and English lessons to finish up.  Overall, we felt pretty good about where we were in schoolwork when we took our break.  I used the last couple days of December to get all the grading finished and make updated assignment lists, as well as look over some lesson plans for second semester Science.

In Other News:  I tried to devote most of Monday (the 20th) to cleaning and preparing for us to go away for Christmas, since I knew that I would be out of busy much of the day on Tuesday.  We had new tires put on the van on Monday, and in the evening attended an Open House and were treated to some truly magnificent desserts!  Tuesday was a play day - Landon and Kennady went to play with friends for the day, and Spencer spent the morning playing video games with the youth pastor before going out for lunch.  In the afternoon I picked up harrison from school, and in the evening we had company for dinner.  On Wednesday we packed and were finally on the road in late afternoon.  The drive was uneventful, and we arrived about 2 in the morning.  We had all of Thursday to relax.  On Friday (Christmas Eve) we went to see Tangled and LOVED it!  DH has a very good friend who is a minister, so we (DH and I, and Harrison) attended the Christmas Eve service at his church.  Christmas Day was spent with the family  - opening gifts in the morning, watching DVDs (Landon got Despicable Me - hilarious!), playing Wii and other games, and doing the whole Christmas dinner thing.  On the 26th, the three younger kids went with us to church in the morning, and later in the day we visisted another of DH's friends.  My birthday was on the 27th, and we went to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto that day, and out for dinner in the evening.  We headed home on the 29th.  We celebrated New Years' Eve with friends, and mostly relaxed at home on New Years' Day, ending by watching the Winter Classic hockey game between the Capitals and the Penguins.

On the Bookshelf: 

• The Secret Confessions of Anne Shakespeare by Arliss Ryan (I am determined to finish this, even though it will never be on my list of favorites!)
• Bespelling Jane Austen by Mary Ballogh, Colleen Gleason, Susan Krinard, Janet Mullany

During the holidays I finished The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn, These Three Remain by Pamela Aidan, and The Prophet by Francine Rivers.

Parting Shot:

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