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Dec. 24, 2008
Year End Update
I don't get a chance to blog often as I would like and I am glad to the ones who check anyway even if it is months before I update. It is Christmas, I have a few quiet hours and thought I should spend some time writing-a very relaxing hobby for me.
I think I will do an update. On the home front we had a wonderful family holiday to Florida last month. We went to watch the space shuttle launch. What an amazing experience. We toured the Kennedy Space Center, Manatee viewing center, Gatorland, visited friends and then toured the beaches of St Pete's. The weather was not beach weather, but it gave our family time together and me a break from routine and chores!
We came back and got into a nice school routine too. We managed to catch up in all of our subjects in the day and in the evenings, we did an advent reading or Christmas story as well as learned about the symbols of Christmas. We finally finished our research on Australia and the boys would like to start China in-depth next. I think it has something to do with the Ancient Chinese Treasure chests that came with Core 5!
We celebrated Samuel's birthday and Nathan's this month. I can't believe how fast the time goes and found myself a little teary eyed this year on those days, and this has never happened before.
I spent the last week evaluating all our subjects and need to do some tweaking to the math program for Joah. Samuel loves Teaching Textbooks and I like the independence for me in not having to teach things I can't remember anyway! (side note: I saw a T Shirt once that said "I'm to pretty to do math" yup love that one!)
I borrowed a friends Math U See for a week and did a bunch of lessons with the younger two. Joah did well with it and managed to stop counting on his fingers for math in that short week! I was sold! I am a finger counter (don't tell anyone) and I am just as thrilled to have learned the facts this way. Joah needs to touch things to learn and although he does fine with traditional workbooks for math, I was finding his long term retention is not happening. I am anxious to see if the MUS method stuck after our Christmas break. I am thinking of using the videos along with the Singapore math that he is doing right now.
I went through my annual lull in motivation this past month and wondered if I am doing the right thing in schooling them, and then when one of the kids gets that light bulb moment I can't deny the amazing feeling in my soul that I am on the path God has for us. Don't you love those moments?
I plan on catching up on our read a louds over the break, but reading is not school around here!
Besides the plethora of Christmas stories, we will finish Li Lun Lad of Courage and begin the Wolves of Willoughby Chase. I have been looking forward to this one. We tend to spend a lot of time with puzzles and games in the winter and have managed at least 20 rounds of spoons to date and two puzzles. I have been reading The Power of Christmas Prayer by Stormie Omartian-WOW what a wonderful journey for me, I hope to share my writings with all of you soon. The Christmas story is truly one that should be remembered all year. I am also watching the video Be Still and Know that I am God. If you get a chance to read book or view the video I highly recommend it. Oh and while I am recommending things, the library has the video The Last Sin Eater based on the book by Francine Rivers. Of course the book is amazing, but I thought the movie was well done, a little darker than the book and not for little eyes, but one that helps keep the focus on Jesus and realize man's desperate need of a saviour.
Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of Jesus and loving on your families.
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Posted by 
Dec. 25, 2008 - Christmas