Wow,

Here we are again in June.  I am feeling really tired but it is expected to be like that this time of year. End of  2nd and  all 3rd term are when I feel it the most.  I seem to be up to date on most things which is unusual for me. Of course there is always more things that could/ should be done :).

We are planning a trip tp the US after 12years. I am amazed and will believe it when I am on the plane. I am so excited for the children. I am excited they will see my family for the 1st time as well as where I grew up. This opens up a whole new box of  learning opportunities for the children and I am debating on which way to seize them. I osilate between letting them see or having some information. I suppose I should remember that I regret that I did not learn more about what was in Europe before I went rather than after.

So I guess I will be doing unit studies for most of 3rd term.

We have an American student staying with us at the moment and the children love it. They ask constantly where he is and what he doing. They are learning so much form each other.

When I started homeschooling something that inspired me often and still does was reading what a  day in the life of other homeschooers was like. Nancy Lande's A Patchwork of Days was a God send. I was able to learn through reading these entries just how I wanted to create my own homeschool. Of course like all things it changes often. So when Susan at HomeGrownKids asked to write what my homeschool day is like here http://kerugma.net/blog/ I thought I might finally have enough experience to write a day.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< 

So let me see. The school year for us has started way back in January on the 15th as in February we has our annual homeschooling camp at Lorne Vic and we also had a 4 day trip to QLD. We stayed at Burleigh Heads. It was nice but this week has been slow to get back into the routine.

Today....

5.50 Daddy gets up and goes to do his morning routine. 

7.00am He comes in and kisses me goodbye. I roll over and think about my day.

7.30 am-Joshua comes in and asks if he can turn on the computer.  

9.00am- Samuel came in and asked for his turn on the computer.  I get up and have a shower. The children have made their beds and are dressed. We decide to make breakfast. I make some semolina as it is cold this morning. The children get bowls of cereal. Joshua makes some toast.I sit down with them as they eat and read from Leading Little Ones to God. We say a prayer for our school day. 

 9.50am -Dh calls to say have a good day.

10.00am - the children opt to start their schoolwork at 10.30 instead of starting right away.

I call a friend and cancel coming to the bible study at her house  this afternoon as I am truely exhausted from the week. I need to go out this evening to a Gooc party and thought with how tired I am it is either one or the other.  I put on a load of washing and check emails.

10.35am- I call the children to their Math. Samuel and Sierra work rapidly to complete theirs with me being called away for the computer a few times to answer questions. I am really trying to get them to work independantly as Joshua had me all the time with him and does not like to work on his own. I often need to sit with him to complete work even though he is quite capable to do it himself. Samuel starts on the kitchen bench them moves to sit neat me at the computer. Joshua is in the loungeroom sitting at the coffee table. Sierra starts in the playroom and then moves to the computer room floor behind me.  Samuel and Sierra finish and Joshua is still going. They get a few minute break as I clean up from breakfast.

11.30-I then start their LLATL.  I ask them to start writing some sentences as I look through a book on Grammar.

12.00-They finish this as Joshua finishes his Math Saxon 5/4.  I give Joshua a few minutes break and then call him over to look at his Math and then start his LLATL. He has to write a paragraph and we have a discussion on choosing to write as little as possible and doing as the lesson asks. He chooses to write the minimum on the paragraph :(. I then dictate the whole literature passage to him instead of part as I had planned.

1.30pm -Time for lunch. I make sandwiches for myself and Sierra. Maccaroni and Cheese for Samuel and a meat Pie for Joshua. I read aloud from Julie of the Wolves. Only a few pages today as the kids lose interest. I like reading it and remember it being read aloud to me at school.

2.30pm- I give them another break and check emails. They decide on their own to get out drawing paper and drawing books and start drawing. Before they get too far into it I ask them to get the map work out for STOW 3 and the coloring pages and get them to start that as I sweep the floor around them. When I am done I read the mapwork instructions. 

3.15pm-they have free time the rest of the afternoon. They are doing watercolour painting.  And now drawing on the chalkboard practicing their names in cursive.

Tonight -when daddy comes home they will practise their speeches for speech club next week. They are more like book reports really for their ages.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

I have found this year to achieve my goals I am needing to be home more. I was out three afternoons a week but feel that two is enough this year.

I have left my job as a Coles check out chick and that is a blessing. How much time and energy did that take. Getting ready to go on holiday was so stress free as I had all the time in the world. No nights away from home. 

 I am still the co-ordinator of our group but that just means being at a meeting once a month and setting up a few annual events. The group has gotten pretty big and we are finding it easier to meet on an individual family basis than as a huge group.

We had our 5th homeschooling camp and it was great to see how much the children had grown since our 1st one.

This is our Mums' with only a few not there, we have 80 children between us!!!

Wow it has been a while since I wrote and I am glad I did.

The children are back happy and healthy, meaning this week we really 'were' able to start school.

.

We covered most subjects this week;  didn't get to music appreciation, and I only completed one lesson of science with the little ones instead of the three planned, but, we're off to quite a good start.

.

I'm really impressed with our new history programme (The ABCs of Christian Culture), and thus far, it has been well received by the older children.  The younger children will be studying about Australia - we're pretty much writing the program as we go;  it will be in the same format as 'Australia, the Wide Brown Land for Me', but it will focus more on geography, landforms, animals and birds, etc.   We made a good start this week, working out the introductory lesson.

.

And, we also returned to Little Athletics and tennis.  All were a little 'sluggish' after the holiday - but aren't we all??

.

Oh, and the idea of having the older ones take care of their own checklists is working beautifully!  Each day, they phsically need to 'tick' off each lesson as they complete it;  and then tick again to say their books have been put away.  I'm already seeing that this is making them feel more responsible for their own lessons, and not once did I have 'oh, I forgot to do science...  or maths... or English....'  because it's all there, to be checked at the end of the day;  and they simply KNOW if it has not been done.

.

So, we're off to a great start!

.

Well, we're here.  The new school year has begun.  The books are handed out, the timetable is up on the wal, and today was marked as 'the day'.

.

So, this morning (well, beginning last night, actually), my children began coming down with a tummy bug. 

.

Currently, I have FIVE of my children lying around groaning, chucking, and all of that WONDERFUL stuff. 

.

As well, I seem to have developed an in-grown toenail (ouch), so I'm hobbling around in bare feet, trying desperately not to whack it on any furniture as I escort little ones to the toilet, clean out bowls, offer a cuddle when needed, and such.

.

One has to wonder if it's not some sort of conspiracy;  suddenly, on the 'return to school' day, we're all ill! 

.

Ah, well;  I did read to them, and we did the 'introduction to history' cd - it's just a classic example of 'the best laid plans'.  I'm sure we'll get through it - and next week, NEXT week...........

.

With morning tea packed, we headed out to Lake Monjimup where there is a large outdoor chess set. It’s quite deserted out there so we may have been the only ones to use the set in quite a while.

We love our chess, the kids are members of the local chess club, but to play chess from this perspective I find quite a challenge!

(I even considered bringing our chess set with us so I could ‘see’ the game from a smaller vantage point!)

I lost my match against hubby, who also beat 15yo son in a previous match. The third match was a stalemate between both kids – but they had a lot of laughs!

Playing this way certainly worked out the muscles. The pieces are hand-made from iron, a project donated by the local Scouts.

I’ll look for a chance to play normal chess in the next few days so I can hopefully reclaim some lost dignity….if that does not work I’ll move on to Scrabble…then Yahtzee…then….

Well, here we are;  nearing the end of January, and school begins next week!       

.

I 'think' I'm ready for this juggling act - 8 children, all of school age this year!  But, my older ones are quite independent, so it does make things easier.

.

Some of the resources we'll be using are:

.

Signpost Maths (Gr K-6), or Teaching Textbooks (gr 7+)

.

Voyages in Phonics

.

Phonics is Fun Workbooks

.

Voyages in Language and Literature, and then 'English for Australian Schools' (gr 8+)

.

10 year old to also do 'Student Writing Intensive, Level A'

.

The Phonetic Zoo or Essential Spelling List (some of my children enjoy the first, others prefer the latter)

.

Catholic Mosaic combined with St. Joseph's Catechism

.

The ABCs of Christian Culture (with the 4 oldest children), combined with

Teaching Writing, Structure & Style (IEW), and also

Ancient History Based Writing Lessons.

.

Galloping the Globe (with the 4 younger ones)

.

Language is going to be interesting!  We're finishing up Latina Christiana 2, and then moving onto Henle Latin.

But....  my oldest daughter wants to learn French, so she plans to begin 'First Start French' as well,

AND...  my youngest 4 want to learn Spanish.  I have this Spanish prgramme called 'Puertas Abiertas (Open Doors) Spanish Kit', which we've had for a while, so we'll begin with that.  I'd rather have begun 'Prima Latina' with them, but well, they have an interest in Spanish (thanks to Dora the Explorer!), so we'll see how it goes.  We may go through this one programme (about 20 weeks worth, maybe), and then move onto Prima Latina.

.

Science will be Dinah Zikes 'The World of Insects and Arachnids', and the older ones will be doing Apologia, Physical Science.  My son, who is around grade 7, will be using 'Science For Young Catholics', from Seton.

.

I'll also set them each a reading list for literature;  maybe four books a term, and I'll be reading to them in the evenings, also.  Hopefully we'll finish up the Narnia series, and "John of Sydney Cove" & "John and Nambaree".

.

Art and Music will be a combination of things;  How Great Thou Art Workbooks, Meet the Great Composers, Colour the Classics, and so forth.

.

And no doubt there's a host of other things I forgot to mention;  I keep trying to cut back, but there's just so many good resources out there!

.

God bless,

.

We live near a natural spring - or at least we used to.

.

Last November, our area experienced two floods - the first was very severe, followed by another, less severe, but still we had a good 'drenching'.

.

It seems the effects will be long-lasting.  Yesterday, we took a visit to our local springs, and were dismayed and shocked at what we found.

.

Here's a photo taken of the springs in flood.  This is the second flood, and you can see where the level of the first flood was, by the twigs and leaves lodged in the tree in the foreground.

.

.

Now, here's a photo of the same springs, taken yesterday, 13 of Jan 2008 -  two months after the floods.

.

.

That's the same tree on the left;  but this shot is taken from the opposite direction.  You can see the line on the rocks where it changed colour;  this line is where the water level of the springs has been for as long as I can remember - the springs are gone!  There's only a small amount of water left in the bottom, and it seems that it is slowly evaporating.

.

I'm not a naturalist, so I don't know exacty how these things happen, or whether the springs will somehow restore themselves, but it is very sad to see.  These springs are the life-source for a host of plants, birds and animals.

.

Here is one more photo, which was taken in April, 2005.  The children are on the very rock that was pictured in the photo above, showing the previous water line.  You can see how calm the water was, how the reeds grew, and now we can see just how deep the water used to be.

.

.

It's so amazing how a flood can change a landscape so much.

.

So there you are…  zooming along life’s highway.  Things are mostly going fine – good days, some bad days, and then it hits.  Like a ton of bricks, it smacks you down with a vengeance.  You realise with horror that you have just turned forty.  Ack!  Half way to eighty!

.

So you think;  ‘Well, it’s only half-way – I’m still young, really”.  You try to convince yourself of that, but don’t really succeed.  What ever happened to twenty-one?  Gone.  Gone forever.

.

I look around, at the things that make up ‘my’ life.  I’ve not done too badly, really.  Sure, we don’t own our own home, but we don’t have any loans with a bank, either. We own whatever we have, including our vehicles.  We have eight beautiful, happy children, who are fast turning into teenagers (and by the way, nobody told me ‘forty’ also meant dealing with horrid teenagers – one side-effect they neglected to mention).  But, life is pretty much OK.

.

Mind you, there are the health issues.  After those eight babies and the forty years, the body simply doesn’t ‘go’ like it used to. I’m tired, the muscles ache and groan, and I carry around far too much weight. And try as I might, it just won’t seem to go away.  The doctor has me on various medications for a number of ‘things’ – and all of these were prescribed in the last year.  Not to mention the grey hair; man!  You’re zooming along just fine, and then it’s one, two, three; FORTY grey hairs!  No fair – they could have waited, just a little while longer.

.

They say ‘life begins and forty’.  I hope they’re right.  For me, I’d just love to make it through one bush dance without collapsing.  I have, however, made it through all the nappies, and all the screaming toddlers.  The children are older, and while it terrifies me in once sense (time with them is running out), it’s also allowing me the freedom to pursue some of my own interests, like art, especially oil painting.

.

So often in my life, I’ve quoted the line from ‘When Harry Met Sally’: 
“And I’m gonna be FORTY!”  
“When?”  Harry asks.
“Some day!”  sobs Sally.

.

Well, so much for ‘some’ day.  Here it is – I AM forty.  I tried to avoid it, to deny it, and just to ignore it.  But it happened anyway, darn it all.  When I turned thirty, I spent the day in tears.  No tears today, although I am trembling a little; more from fear this time – I see why people go through a mid-life crisis! 

.

Ah, well – it comes to all of us, I guess.  Unless you’re dead, of course.  And when you look at it like that, I’d rather be forty.  I’m still young enough to have dreams, plans and goals.  I’m still young enough to loose that weight and increase my fitness.  I’m still young enough to laugh and enjoy life.  And by golly gosh, that’s just what I’m going to do.

'

Linda Maher
12 January 2008

.

Just after Christmas, we packed our bags and headed for Melbourne.  We had a wonderful time, catching up with other homeschoolers, and also with dear hubby's family from all over Australia;  as his mother now lives in Melbourne, it has become the 'meeting place' for the family once a year.

.

On our way home, we visited Sovereign Hill, near Ballarat, where they have a tourist village set up to remember the 'Gold Rush' days of Victoria.  We panned for gold, went 'back to school', and took a ride on an old, horse-drawn wagon.

(Panning for Gold)

.

(Back to School)

.

Then, we visited a wildlife park, where we were followed around by deer and kangaroos - it was just lovely!  Kind-of gave one the 'Snow White' feel, really - although I suspect the animals were really only interested in the little bags of animal food we were carrying with us!

(patting a kangaroo)

.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip, and we are now glad to be home safely again.

.

God bless,

.

Well, it's another New Year.  We're just back from tripping over to Melbourne to visit family - as soon as I'm organised, I'll post some holiday snapshots;  we did quite a lot on our travels!

I'm still oil painting;  seem to have caught the bug, and I find it a very relaxing pastime.

I'm playing with a web-site to showcase my work thus far, you can view it at:

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~billlinda/

Certainly a work in progress;  I hope to add more during the year.

God bless,