Ordained Praise: My Homeschool Week

Journal Writing

I am sharing my homeschool week by linking up to The Homeschool Mother's Journal at Homeschool Chick. I am amazed we were able to get anything done this week because there were so many outside activities we were committed to. In any event, it was a productive week spiritually, socially and academically.

In my life this week (includes places we've been/people we've seen)...

Monday we had our last middle school co-op class for the year at our house where the girls learn physics and history. I teach the girls history and we learned about the spread of communism during the Cold War years with highlights of the Korean and Vietnam Wars. These were rough times for our country and many held unpatriotic attitudes detrimental to effective progress. In fact, it was the liberal leadership in our country who assisted the communists who were trying to take over South Korea and South Vietnam. It was a great lesson for the girls. Afterwards, one of the girls had a sleepover with my daughter. I woke them up early to say the rosary with EWTN and make pancakes for breakfast. (And they thought they were going to be able to sleep all day - ha!)

Tuesday we celebrated my husband's birthday complete with homemade cake and birthday cards. It's great this time of year before the mosquitos come because we can eat outside on the sun deck. Hubby was pleased with the celebration. Two of my kids got their haircuts also.

Wednesday we met for the kindergarten co-op at a friends house and had our last Challenge Girls Club celebration. The kindergarten boys learned about the second Glorious Mystery: The Ascension. I made sure I pointed out the difference between The Resurrection and The Ascension. Afterwards, we prayed a decade of the rosary. The Challenge Club was very nice too. The girls prepared a great buffet for the moms and awards were given out. Mothers and daughters also said the rosary together in a prayer garden. Some girls put on a skit and some made up a song for the moms. There was an interesting film we viewed that was o.k. but a bit odd. Anyway, you can view it here http://www.ted.com/talks/kiran_bir_sethi_teaches_kids_to_take_charge.html and decide for yourself.

Four boys in Kindergarten Co-op

Thursday I had two doctor appointments and we bought some great clothes/shoes from a consignment shop. I may have to get a hysterectomy if my hyperplasia is not cleared up...please pray! (This is on top of the many other ailments I am currently experiencing. Oh joy!)

Friday and Saturday my daughter performed in three different recitals for ballet. It worked out great because I was a 'backstage mom' for her ballet class. During this time, I was able to organize and summarize some of the work my daughter did this year to keep for memories and prepare for neat storage in files. The girls were very well behaved and required minimal maintenance so that I was able to get a lot done. I also ran into an old dear friend at one of the shows. She informed me that her sister just had a masectomy. I was very close to both of them when I was young. I have something else to pray for now. I was able to talk to her oldest son and meet his new wife. What a handsome young couple they were! It was good to see her.

My daughter is second from the right. I cried when they performed because they looked so beautiful.

Sunday (today) my two daughters and I attended Mass together than joined grandma at a mother-daughter luncheon. We had such a good time together. A sister told us about 'Our Lady of the Smiles' and the Little Flower. It was so interesting as I never knew St. Therese was known for her smile. We also learned that she is the patron Saint of missionaries even though she never became a missionary. This is because she constantly prayed for missionaries. After the luncheon, grandma showed us some old pictures of great, great grandma and grandpa. My grandma Corine created a beautiful picture album. We also learned about great, great, great grandma who was a widow who raised three girls. She didn't remarry until the youngest daughter graduated from high school (who was my grandma Corine). She became a widow some time after this again and married someone with the same last name we have: Miller.

In our homeschool week (our homeschool efforts are not hurtful drills but help establish virtue into our characters and relationships)...

Religion - Scenarios and Bible Verses from www.thrivingfamily.com and lesson on St. Therese

Math - Parallelograms; Fraction Chart and Multiplying Three Fractions; Exponents and Writing Decimal Numbers as Fractions

History - Took notes and discussed the Cold War years

Physics - Compasses, Magnets, Electricity

Writing - Finished Final Draft on "Lifelong Promises" and completed Dress Ups and Sentence Starters

Reading - The Shadow of the Bear by Regina Doman

Art - Sketched and colored beautiful rose and made up poem for Dad's birthday card. Also observed landscape portrait by George Inness of Lackawanna Valley, PA. Then made a diorama of a panoramic view of Ocean City, Maryland where our beach house is located. (You know she is thinking about summer time!)

My daughter added palm trees and beach towels later.

Latin - Derivative Detective (p.57); Studied Vocabulary Words; First, Second, and Third Declensions; and Tenses of Verbs; and was quized orally.

Music - Piano Lesson and Guild

Phys. Ed. - 1 Dress Rehearsal and 3 Recitals for ballet

I'm inspired by...the growing relationship between my two daughters. They are getting to be so funny together! I always tell them that I wish I had a sister.

My favorite thing this week...was seeing the tears in my mother's eyes as she told my daughters about the old pictures we were looking at together.

Things I'm working on...organizing and cleaning with the end of the school year upon us and my two college sons home.

Questions/thoughts I have...In my organizing activities, I've discovered that my middle schooler has averaged about 12 papers and/or book reports a year. Does this sound like enough to you? How many does your middle schooler complete in a year?

I'm reading...Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp

I'm cooking...Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, and beans

I'm grateful for...completing my curriculum review with another homeschooler and sending it off to my umbrella group to finalize the year. I also registered my first grader for next year.

I'm praying for...I think I pray every day for our country. In fact, we saw a huge, huge, huge American flag outside of Hancock on Route 70 returning from my mother's house. It was so extremely beautiful and I thought I could see my father helping flap it in the breeze (He was in the navy for 27 years and passed away not too long ago). Am I silly? I swear I felt his presence...or the Lord's.

A photo to share...