January in review

I'm a day early, but that's ok :)  January was by far the best month of homeschooling we've had.  I have found my rhythm!!  I have finally figured out to mark the week in my curriculum books in my planner so I don't get confused and it helps me keep track of how much we have left to do.  I have finally figured out a good weekly routine and we get more done in a week but it doesn't seem like we're doing more!!  Some highlights of the month (since I know you all care...)
- I am only babysitting for one family one day a week.  This is manageable and we just make Mondays a lighter day.
- We started our Horizon's Health curriculum and it is wonderful!!  Exactly what we needed in our home right now!!  The plan had always been to start it in January and do half saving the other half for next year.  The first entire unit is about how God made us unique and special.  My boys KNOW that but there are some neat activities that the boys have enjoyed doing.  My favorite- the boys had to write each other a note about why they love each other...  Those will be scanned and kept FOREVER!!!!!!!!!
- Austin got to go on a Boy Scout camp out and LOVED it!!  What an ego boost for him to be able to go and be included as 'one of the guys' with these older boys!!
- Wyatt started indoor soccer practices and games.  Some of the boys on the team have never even played soccer before!!  Their second game is better, so I think they'll keep getting better as they get to know one another and Wyatt is able to keep exercising his lungs.
- We had a blast painting pottery with Auntie Jill at Color Your World (though I had to sell my kids to pay for it)
- We had so much fun at The Works in Newark that we bought a membership!!  The nice thing is we can get into COSI with it too!!  SCORE!!!
- Books we've read- the boys finished Pocahontas and Witch at Blackbird Pond, read the Matchbox Gun, What's the Deal Ben Franklin and The Cabin Faced West.  We've started Johnny Tremain and Phoebe the Spy.

Hours wise Wyatt's at 568 and Austin's at 562.  I knew once Boy Scout activities started Austin would catch up :)

Austin and Wyatt with their friends at The Works in Newark.

A blurry picture of Wyatt being awesome at soccer.

Austin at the Klondike campout.

The stuff we painted at Color Your World.  They'll look brighter and shinier when they are kilned.  Mine wasn't done when I took the picture...



Little bits...

So there's alot to be said about planning ahead and working in a clean house!!  We have ENJOYED the last week and a half, we have stayed on schedule and we have had a FUN week! 
One of the things we were staying dreadfully behind on is the read alouds with our history/reading and with my new Kindle Fire I realized I could put audio books on it so we've been spending meals with it in the middle of the table listening to The Witch of BlackBird Pond :)  That's been fun and I don't feel so overwhelmed with that feeling of always being behind.
Another thing we did this week was finish a book about Pocahontas.  This is going to sound really dumb but I always thought she married John Smith!!  LOL  Nope...
Also, we learned that the "peaceful Quakers" were the cost of more blood spilled in early Pennsylvania than any other group.  Then, they were alot of the 'witches' in the salem with trials...  Hmm...
I'm loving learning all this stuff with the boys :)  It's so fun and interesting!! 
The other interesting thing these couple weeks has been doing school with Austin.  Austin has taken Concerta for ADD for about a year.  One of the glorious side effects of that is lack of appetite.  After having his tonsils out and then getting the flu he looked like he was death, sunken eyes and gaunt cheeks.  So, we took him off for the holidays.  After the first few days when he was PSYCHO he leveled out and wasn't that bad.  We didn't let him have any pop and limited the sweets and it was dealable.  He's done OK this past couple weeks though math takes longer (like forever).  He doesn't need the meds so we're keeping him off!!  One more advantage to homeschooling!!

Our science this week has us building a volcano like Olympus Mohns on Mars.  Lucky for us the boys got a volcano set for Christmas from their grandma and all we had to do was fill in the mold!!  We'll be setting it off tomorrow.  After I go buy club soda since I forgot to get it :D