Sacred Heart of Jesus Academy - Homeschool Blogger

Book Review: Awakening

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:03:00 -0600

I recently received a copy of Awakening by Claudia Cangilla McAdam to review from The Catholic Company.   This was such a great little book! I'm always looking for new books for my bookworm daughter, and I suspect she's going to love this little gem.

The basic synopsis is that Ronni has a big fight with her mother about going to spend Easter Triduum on a ski trip with her friend. She suddenly becomes ill, falls asleep and wakes up in 33AD 2 days before Jesus is crucified. She thinks she's sent back to stop the crucifixion for happening and makes several attempts to stop it.   I would go on, but I don't want to spoil too much--obviously we know how the story ends, but I think the way Ronni is entwined with all the "characters" from the bible--Joseph of Arimathea, Mary Magdalen, Veronica....it was very well done.   I especially appreciate that everything Jesus says in the story is straight out of the bible.

I thought this was a very well written, moving story. The only qualm I had was the romance aspect between the main character and Mark. I could have done without that and felt at times that it took away from the main storyline. I think this would make excellent Lenten reading children ages 10+.   In fact, I'm definitely giving this to Sarah to read during Lent. I think she's going to really like it.

Lesson Plans for Nov. 9-13

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 10:18:00 -0600

I thought I'd post my lesson plans for the week, just for my reference as well as to show what we do each week.

Religion
Sarah: Read lesson 8 in Faith and Life 5, complete workbook pages
Robbie & Riley: Complete First Penance text
All: daily religion readings from either Faith and Life, Bible, Once Upon a Time Saints or Devotional Stories for Little Folks

Math
All: Complete lesson 11 in Math U See
        Play games (computer, dice, cards, etc.) to practice math facts

Language Arts
Sarah: Lang. Lesson - Valiant, Dog of the Timberline
             read from True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
Robbie & Riley: Sonlight LA 1 week 1
Riley: finish reading Magic Tree House The Knight at Dawn
Robbie: read from I Can Read It 1
All: cursive practice

History
All: Listen to The Striped Ships
Robbie and Riley: Story of the World ch. 15 -- finish
Sarah: Write a mini report about the claims to the throne and who had the better claim
             History Odyssey lesson 22 : mapwork, timeline, entries about Domesday Book and Bayeux Tapestry
All: Memory Work - Norman and Saxon by Rudyard Kipling
      Craft Project - A Day in Your Life Bayeux Tapestry

Science
All: Listen to Body Battles and Magic School Bus Inside Ralphie
      Work on Healthy Habits chart (for Cub Scouts, but Sarah is keeping one as well)
      make notebook pages about what we read

Making adjustments

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 09:54:00 -0600

We are now 11 weeks into the school year. How did that happen? Time just goes way to fast nowadays. After a few weeks in, I started tweaking, and now we've sort of thrown out those lesson plans I worked so hard writing.

I have been reading lots of Ruth Beechick lately. I think she's almost as inspiring to how I home educate as Charlotte Mason. And in a lot of ways, I think they are very similar.

One of the things that needed adjusting, is Robbie's reading lessons. He's been struggling, and we had already dropped spelling since it seemed pointless--if you can't read, you can't spell. So, I've gone and dug out our I Can Read It books from Sonlight, as well as the Language Arts 1 I had put away.   We just started it today, but already I can see it's a better fit.

For Sarah, we are using the language lessons provided in You Can Teach Your Child Successfully. I think once we've gone through those I'll dig out the Sonlight Language Arts 2 -- Reading With Chapter Books that I have put away. She wants to be a writer, and this just seems a better fit for her than workbooks. I think she remembers things better when they are used in context.    She is enjoying the lessons, except that it requires her to do dictation--which she hates. I'm hoping it will help with her listening skills though, because that is an area that needs a LOT of work.

I've also adjusted our history lessons a bit. Sarah is using History Odyssey, which was taking her hours at a time to complete. Currently we are studying the Normans. Instead of doing the whole lesson in one day (which requires reading a chapter from a history text, 2 pages from Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, outlining that history reading, marking dates on a timeline, mapwork, and 2 short entries written about the Domesday book and the Bayeux Tapestry--WAY too much for one lesson!!) we are reading the historical novel The Striped Ships aloud, and taking our time to complete all those assignments. Plus she's listening in on the Story of the World chapter about the Norman Conquests. She is actually almost enjoying her history lessons now! Yay!

Sarah is also participating in National Novel Writing Month. She is having fun just writing without worrying about making complete sense. It's also helping her to work on description in her writing.   She tends to write only part of what's in her head--leaving the rest of us to wonder what she's talking about sometimes. I'm hoping that stretching her writing to meet the word requirement (I think she's supposed to hit 10,000 words) will help her to get all the story written down.

I like the way our school year is shaping up. We're adding in a few lapbooks here and there, and I've got a wall time line idea brewing as well.   I love it when my kids tell me that they love school!!

Book Review: The Shadow of the Bear

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 18:48:00 -0600

I recently received The Shadow of the Bear: A Fairy Tale Retold by Regina Doman to review. I was excited to read it, because I adore her picture book Angel in the Waters and love retellings of fairy tales. I was not disappointed. This is a retelling of Snow White and Rose Red. I have to admit, I've never read the original Grimm's fairy tale. I must seek it out now so I can compare.

The inside cover of the book says:

Once upon a time in New York City...

There lived two sisters who loved books, poetry, music, and fairy tales.

They lived with their widowed mother in a brownstone with two rose bushes in front of it.

One winter night, a Bear came to their door and they let him in, even though he could not tell them his real name or his real mission.

He became their friend, protector, and constant companion.

They never dreamed that his friendship might cost them their lives.

I would say that this book is for ages 14+. I like that the romantic element was very chaste. The sisters are very good role models, and well fleshed out characters. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

This review was written as part of The Catholic Company product reviewer program. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Shadow of the Bear: A Fairy Tale Retold.

Autumn Days

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:43:00 -0500

Summers are usually very lazy around here. With no school work and no planned activities, we do a lot of reading, playing video games (a LOT of playing video games) and playing outside. Come Autumn, things get a lot more structured. While I and everyone else thoroughly enjoy those lazy days I think we all look forward to the structure of school and planned activities.

This year has been even more busy than usual, because all the kids have two activities in addition to a more structured school year (due to our having such a relax one last year, what with the pregnancy and baby and all that hospital time). Sarah is doing Jr. Jazzercise and Drama Kids. Jr. Jazz is just for the fall though, and she might go again in the spring--we're undecided right now. The twins are playing Fall Baseball (which is almost over), and they just joined Cub Scouts. In addition to that, this is their First Communion year.

Our school days are settling into a nice flow--everyone knows what comes next, and so far, besides Sarah complaining that her work is so much harder than last year, everyone is enjoying their work. I'm coming to realize how much easier my days are when I have a set plan, and when I use a curriculum that I didn't have to make myself. It's so much less stressful to just open up the book and do the next lesson than it is to have to scour the internet for resources. Especially when I'm working on just a few broken hours of sleep.

All in all, our Autumn is shaping up nicely.

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Wed, 7 Oct 2009 09:05:00 -0500

I have finally found the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe! I have been looking for one for years, and after some tweaking, I think I've got it. These are so yummy, and they stay soft and chewy.

Ingredients
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. shortening
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1 pkg. instant pudding mix (any flavor)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350. In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugars. Add pudding mix and stir until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture then fold in the chocolate chips.

3. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets and bake for 10 - 12 min. Cool on wire rack.

If you store these in an air tight container they'll stay soft and fresh for a few days. They rarely make it past 2 days in my house though.

I made these yesterday with pumpkin spice pudding mix, and they were awesome! Perfect fall cookies.

Feast Day: St. Therese

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 11:07:00 -0500

"Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing."

I've been letting the Liturgical Year get away from me so far this school year. The feast days just sort of sneak up on me. I'll blame it on the sleep deprivation. But it's a new month, and I'm determined to focus more on the the feast days this month.

So today I am prepared! For St. Therese's feast day, we're going to read God's Little Flower by Chris Driscoll, and a little book I have called A Guide to France. We'll use the above quote as copywork, and I printed out some blankline maps of France to color and label, as well as a coloring page of St. Therese. If I feel ambitious, we might make french bread (with some help from my handy dandy bread machine), and we'll have chocolate eclaire's for dessert!

Happy Feast Day!

Regina's super power

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:34:00 -0500

Riley said to me last night, "Regina's cuteness is so powerful, it could cut your head off!" Boys...

Prayer for Help to Be a Good Mother

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:03:00 -0500

Prayer for Help to Be a Good Mother

Mary, my Mother, grant that my little children may instruct me in the ways of God.
Let their innocent eyes speak to me of the spotless holiness of Jesus.
Let their open smiles remind me of the great love God has for his creatures.
Let their helplessness teach me the unbounded power of God.
May their first feeble efforts to speak call to mind the wisdom of the Almighty.
May their simple trust in me lead me to cherish a like confidence in God.
May my love for God be stimulated by the deep-rooted affection my children have for me.
May I in all these things grow in a greater appreciation of my holy motherhood.
Mary, I trust in you to obtain this favor for me. Amen.
Mother of Mothers, pray for me!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:26:00 -0500

FOR TODAY September 28, 2009

Outside my window...The sun has come out again after yesterday's rains. The trees are just beginning to change--it's my favorite time of the year. The weather is perfect, it's not hot and not cold, and it has that delicious fall smell.

I am thinking...about sleep, and wishing I could have more of it.

I am thankful for...my sweet little Regina being 6 months old. It seems a lifetime ago that she was a sick baby in the NICU, and that we didn't know when she could come home. And now she's a lively healthy 6 month old. Miracles really do happen.

From the learning rooms...we will be studying about the Byzantine Empire and Central Europe this week in history and we're continuing on our dinosaur rabbit trail. Robbie especially is really into dinosaurs right now. He's considering being a paleontologist when he grows up. I'm hoping to dig up what's left of the garden and let the kids have a "dig". Who knows if they'll find anything or not, but at least they'll have fun.

From the kitchen...I'm in full fall cooking mode. I have lots of potatoes, so I'm probably making a potato soup this week. I also have a roast and a whole chicken, not to mention a big bag of apples. I'm also trying out finger foods with Regina. She doesn't like to be fed, so I'm cooking up some baby carrots and I'm going to see if she'll eat them. I tried apples yesterday, but I think they were too hard for her to pick up. I'm just hopeful that she'll eat something.

I am wearing...a blue and white striped shirt, blue jeans and my fuzzy blue striped socks.

I am creating...a to do list so that I don't let the day get away from me.

I am going...to try to stick to that to do list as much as possible!

I am reading...The White Queen by Philippa Gregory.

I am hoping...that I can stay calm amid the chaos. The baby is teething, and Sarah's been especially cranky about the fact that 5th grade work is harder than 4th grade work.

I am hearing...the twins discuss pokemon, the washer and dryer, and the dog snoring behind me.

Around the house...I'm going to attempt to sort through all the baby clothes again, as well as put away the older kids summer clothes and get out all the fall/winter stuff. I also need to do some decluttering in the kitchen.

One of my favorite things...sweet baby grins.

A few plans for the rest of the week: The Feast of the Archangels is tomorrow, the boys have baseball practice tonight and a game on Wednesday, and there's a training meeting for Cub Scouts that Rob and I might try to get to on Sat.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Regina's half birthday was yesterday so we had half a cake to celebrate. :)

~ Do stop by Peggy's for all the Daybook links this week. ~