So I finished up the girls' portfolios tonight.  I was about 90% done a month or so again, and then things really started going downhill with Craig's dad, ending with his death (a little sooner than we expected).  So yeah 2009 is off to a great start! < /sarcasm >  I knew when I tried to end my Christmas letter on a positive note ("Here's hoping 2009 is better for all of us!") that the year was doomed.   My grandma passed away in May, and my father-in-law died 2 weeks ago.

(Does anyone else hear the distant noise of...what is that?  Waves on the beach?  Gentle wind rustling palm leaves?  Seagulls calling?  I might just be having a Legolas moment.  In any case, I am hoping the beach is in our near future.  We absolutely need a vacation.)

Well, someday I may write an essay in memory of my father-in-law, but it won't be for a long time.  My emotions are too mixed and some wounds are better left unexplored (at least publicly anyway).  God's going to have to heal this one, because there was no nice, happy ending to this story--with the huge exception that we now have hope that he made his peace with God before he passed away.  He certainly didn't make peace with us, but, then again, he couldn't have those last three weeks or so once his mind was gone.

Anyway, too much there, too personal.

Portfolios and homeschooling!  That's what I got on here to write about.   I kept my usual photo albums for each girl.  I'm not sure I got it as up-to-date as it should've been, but then I'm behind on getting pics developed.  I try to take pics of the things we do that are outside of the classroom "walls."  Sometimes I take pics of the things we do inside the walls, too, especially of projects and the like that would be difficult to lug to Bonny and say, "See what we did?!"

I also print off this blog for each girl.  Yes, a lot of this stuff is unrelated specifically to homeschooling, but some of it is relevant.  Besides, it's nice to have a hard copy in case this place ever blows up, taking my erudite writing with it. < rolls eyes >

I also made up a list of regularly occurring events and special events for the girls.  I added that to a copy of their daily schedules.  And then I printed off their lessons by subject, as well as a report card.  (Don’t think I’m awesome and diligent for doing this.  I usually only do a few marathon sessions of entering stuff in the gradebook program, scrambling at the end to try to remember what the heck we did.  I vow to be better this year, since Katie is entering the 9^th grade.)

One thing I like to do, in addition to providing samples of their work for all subjects from the beginning, middle, and end of the year, is to create a visual book list.  I search the library’s database (or Amazon) and copy and paste images of the books’ covers into a Word document.  It’s more interesting than looking at a text-only book list, in my opinion, and it really doesn’t take me much more time.

Beyond that, I just try to save programs, documents, pictures, flyers, tickets, maps, etc.—anything that gives a glimpse of the different things the girls do.  And I save some of their artwork, too.

It still feels like I’m missing a lot this year.  Hmmm…  Well, it’ll have to be what it is!  The assessment is tomorrow morning at Panera.  (Mmm!  Bonny is a great assessor and wise woman.  Bread makes everything better. )