broken nose and other joys

Well the last few weeks have been REALLY busy for us here. Kimmy is now a 4 year old, which is probably the biggest thing for us. That is the age that I've always started working more on beginning phonics so they are starting K sounding out cvc words. So we're really buckling down more on that than we have in the past, and she's getting there slowly. We'll have her reading probably within 6 months, just simple books that we have (we especially love Sonlight's Fun Tales series that goes with their language arts K program, which is what I am loosely basing Kimmy's lessons on right now) I know it will be a great time for her, getting more formal with her school time like her big sisters. She's been after me for a few months now, and we've slowly been building up to mofre formal lessons with her so that we don't overwhelm her or me with it.

Another great excitement is with Melissa. Poor child has GOT to be the clumbsiest kid on earth, I swear. Just before Kimmy's birthday, I was lying down after supper so she helped daddy with the dinner dishes. Nothing major, she was just bringing him the dirty stuff and helping load the dishwasher (she loves doing the silverware basket) So, she's bringing him a plate and stops to grab an empty soda can to throw away as she walked by the trash can (smart kid, already knows how to multi-task) Well, that was her mistake because she can NOT walk well with something in both hands. lol She tripped over her own two feet and fell face-first into one of our heavy solid wood dining chairs. Her nose bled for about 10 minutes (and the screaming got me straight out of bed too despite a crippling migraine) and she ended up at the doctor's office the next morning because it just looked ugly and was still bleeding a bit whenever she sniffled and she was complaining of it hurting a lot. The verdict? A hairline fracture on the left side right by her nose. Poor kid, she's been a real trooper though and is doing schoolwork in short spurts while she's on pain meds for it (we only do a little bit when the meds are kicked in and she's still alert) We've amazingly not fallen too far behind with her lessons, I know that if I were in her spot I'd just be lying on the sofa refusing to do anything until it quit hurting all the time.



She took that herself a few days ago (busted kid! swiping the camera again without asking first LOL) and it looks much better than it did when it first happened. Her entire nose and left eye were dark purpley black with bruising, and it was so swelled up she couldn't even wear her glasses comfortably.

And we're going to be adding another fun element to our schooling that will make time even tighter. I am going to be picking up classes again to finish my Bachelor's in psychology, hopefully I'll be starting again by the middle of March. This will add a VERY interesting element to our homeschool since I'll also be juggling my own lessons on top of their stuff, but Scott is going to pick up the slack where I have to give up doing as much. He's already starting picking up more of the housework and is doing math with the kids on some days. So, I'm planning on reworking our scehdule and routines to allow a maximum of time for me to do my schoolwork and still be able to teach the girls their lessons. Hopefully we can manage the juggle things successfully, we are going to attempt it the remainder of this school year and if it doesn't work then they will enter Newark local schools in the fall, and the preschoolers will go to Head Start so I can have a few hours a day to really focus on my schoolwork without interruptions.

Yep, exciting times here lately. lol Hopefully the rest of the school year goes smoothly, I don't know how much excitement I can take on top of all that has happened so far this year.

the end of a second quarter

Wow, this school year is flying by. We have worked hard and had some struggles with things, but things are going really well for us. We've been learning lots, and did a lot of neat things. So, yesterday was the end of our second quarter, maning we are already halfway through this school year. WOWIE! Here's a breakdown of how we're geting through the curriculum:

Melissa:

math- 48%
phonics- 62%
language arts- 59%
history- 46%
science- 38%
art- 38%

Lydia:

math- 61%
phonics- 42%
language arts- 59%
history- 33%

The numbers this quarter are a bit better than they were at the end of last quarter, but I need to really buckle down in a few subjects to get us up to speed again. According to OHVA, I need to do history, science, art, and music two days a week. I tweaked our schedule to have us doing those subjects every day until we get where I want us to be at, and am adding a couple extra lessons a week to math and phonics for the girls. I really would like to get us up to the next grade in all subjects by the end of March if possible (ok won't happen for Lydia with phonics but I can dream right?) I'm really feeling good about this school year and how we're doing with it all. They are definitely making a lot of great progress and I've been way more successful homeschooling this year than I was last school year.

When I finish homeschool next week, I will have officially homeschooled longer than I did last school year. OHVA has definitely helped to give me my confidence and empower me to be successful. I don't know where I'd be this year without OHVA, I'd probably not have done even close to as well as we have done this year. It really has given us what we need for consistency.

welcome to 2010

Wow, 2009 went by in a flash. We've had a lot happen last year, and a lot of good came from it all. I realized that I need to slow down and think more than I do sometimes and sometimes spend less time sweating the small stuff. We discovered that our local public school is the WRONG place for the girls, especially Melissa. We even found a homeschool option that is working well for us and have stayed very consistent with it for the most part. All is going well here for the most part when it comes to the big things involving the kids. So, I have high hopes for 2010 that we will continue to experience the same kind of positive growth in our decisions that we've had last year.

To celebrate 2010, we are setting some goals for the girls. Melissa, we want to finish history, science, art, and phonics before the end of March so that we are able to move her up to the next grade level in those subjects. Math we want to finish whenever it gets finished (the other subjects, Melissa's so far ahead in phonics that she can do it easily if we are consistent and the other ones are only scheduled twice a week so I'm going to do lessons from all them daily until they are done) Lydia, our main goal is to get her to finish phonics on time. She's under 40% through the level right now, so having this goal will take some extra work with her. Also, we want to finish math and history before the end of March so that she can move up in those subjects also. For the little kids, I'm just working on consistency of doing some activities and reading to them daily.

Now for my own personal goals for 2010. I am determined to lose weight and look good in a swimsuit this year, and am *hoping* to get the opportunity to fly down south to visit my mom in Texas (and maybe skip down to Mexico for a couple days to visit a dear friend of mine that I haven't seen in 10 years now) I want to be able to feel and look great at the beach when I fly down, so I'm setting a goal to lose 25lbs before Scott's next vacation week in I think its July????? I have to double-check that week he's off so I can better plan (and get a passport just in case we have the funds for my side trip) I also am planning on becoming more consistent in a few areas of my life where consistency is sadly lacking (that would be keeping up with my laundry pile lol) I know that my children thrive on routine and consistency, so I am going to force myself to create some sort of a consistent routine and actually stick to it despite my anti-conformity personality and my hatred of all things that involve me following a specific order and pattern for things. Those are some big goals, but I think I can do it.