What, Me Journal?

I like the idea of blogging without guilt which I read about somewhere on another blog. It's the one thing that bouyed my faith in myself through this very long gap of posts from last spring. So rather than feel like a failure or that I have to start over or delete this blog,or worse MAKE EXCUSES, I am going to just pick up right here.

Something I've been doing since last summer is journaling. I bought a day planner from Simply Charlotte Mason , the old fashioned kind with a week-view and inspirational quotes by Charlotte herself on "willfullness" and how to combat it, and made a pledge to myself that I would write in it everyday. Since August when I purchased it, I've been pretty consistent. The part I like is that the limited writing space frees me and constrains me at the same time. I'm constrained, rather like Twitter, to keep my reflections few, and I'm freed from feeling my entry has to be voluminous and therefore  spend much time on it.  I intend to keep up with this. I can see the use, if nothing else, of making a note of something now that I would like to refer to later, like Christmas plans that failed. (not too many :-) )

I plan to make that another "1 for 1" pledge. Maybe "once or (or twice) a week for one year". It'll be a first (no pun intended).

This Week's Menu 4/18-4/24

Sunday, April 18- Saturday April 24

Sunday
Grill

Monday
Shepherd's Pie

Tuesday Make it Quick


Wednesday
Roast Chicken (homemade or Wonder Chicken), mashed potatoes, peas

Thursday Early Dinner
Slow Cooker Chicken and Tortilla Soup

Friday
Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato PAsta

Saturday
Bill's Choice

Signs of Spring Walk

A week or so ago we took The Outdoor Hour Signs of Spring Challenge. It was NO challenge at all! Signs of spring were everywhere, but we did use the notebook page to help us focus.

We hiked our Conservancy Center's nature trail with Mr. Bingley keeping us "safe" from "wild" animals--like the bluebirds. But not the ticks, I found out later...

This tree had a nest from last year (didn't ID the species) and a praying mantis egg case to hatch this spring. I love finding one of these and hatching it inside. Make sure the lid is on tight or you will wake up to a few hundred baby mantids crawling around your kitchen. Yes, it did happen.

MeiWei loves the goats they keep there. They start bleating when you're quite far off. It's supposed to be an early warning system, but she believes they are just so glad to see she's back. The kid was a wonderful surprise and loved the attention. It made a great sketching subject.

We checked our bluebird houses to find them infested (and I do mean infested) with House Sparrow nests. Two seemed abandoned; the eggs had slid below the bottom of the trashy nest and were stone cold, so we removed them and gathered the eggs for study. The third had a roosting mother. I will replace her eggs with these infertile ones to hopefully thwart her from adding to "the surplus population." (from Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol)

House Sparrow eggs. Note the greenish-blueish color and mottled brown spots. These are NOT bluebird eggs. If you think interfering with House Sparrow nests are unkind, read this: (warning contains some graphic pictures)

The cat is tasting the nest!

Those are some of our signs in this neck of the woods. How about yours?

Bird's -Eye View of the Week: Putting Some Spring In It!

   Oh, I'm SO trying to use anything to develop habits, habits, habits. This was an especial love of Charlotte Mason. If things are habits, everything is smooth and easy.   
   But, if I am not disciplined enough to do things habitually, how can I expect my DD to be habitual. (Note: this is not the same thing as being obsessive, compulsive or under some sort of legalistic pressure to be perfect.)
    So, this Weekly Wrap-up thing is a good example of a habit. It makes me focus, makes me feel accountable, and encourages me when I see that we have accomplished stuff this week. I might just shove this blog in front of my reveiwer at year's end!
    I have loosened up a good deal this term, maybe a little too much. Once you get out of a groove--in this case that dastardly winter--it's hard to get it back. Wasn't I talking about the need for habits?
     Now on to the Week That Was. I'll relate what might be the most interesting first for you homeschoolers out there. (Lots of links for books. Please don't think I'm making money off them. OK, about 2 cents. I'm just trying to make your life easier.)
     I have thought up an addition to the notebook pages designed for Pagoo at Homeschool Share . (If you want to try unit studies, lapbooking, or notebooking, this is a fantastic FREE resource!)
                           Mei will create a pull-out "paper tide pool" to extend out of her  Pagoo notebook. It will be along the lines of a lapbook with a long accordian section that will be made with blue folders and edged at the bottom with tan and rock pictures. Then she will color copies of the different tidepool creatures she learns about and giving information about them on the backs. They will be cut out, leaving a hinge to attach to the tide pool. When the reader looks at it, he can lift the flapped animal and learn more about it. MeiWei seems excited about this idea. I've begun making copies of the animals from the Peterson Coloring Book of Seashores. Can't wait to see how it turns out. If it's a success I will share it at Homeschool Share.


    This week we read from An Island Storyabout Henry IV. There were so many charcters, and such a complicated lineage thing going on that we had to draw family trees to keep track of who was the "real" heir to the throne. I learn a lot from this; it certainly wasn't covered in MY PS high school. And to think MeiWei is getting exposed in third grade. And she always remembers more than me!

     Mei completed Unit 28 in Math-U-See. This brings us to within TWO units of completing the Beta book. That alone excites me with evidence that we are getting near the end of the year! Because she struggles with word problems, I've been printing out extras from EdHelper.com . They have an awesome array of teacher helps like this, especially for math.  I've been using the Daily Word Problems for 3rd Grade and giving her just three or four a day since MUS already has her doing some. Some of the stuff she hasn't covered in MUS--multiplication--but we apply skip-counting which MUS HAS introduced and manage to arrive at the answer.
    We began Joan of Arc by Diane Stanley. Mei actually BEGGED to read it. I get so surprised and EXCITED when she shows such enthusiasm for subject matter that would be thought "too hard" or "uninteresting" to a third grader. Just goes to show what the kids ARE capable of!!
   We also finished The Wind in the Willows. What a lot of character study could go on with THAT book. It also paid off that we had read in The Burgess Animal Book about a lot of the animals depicted in that story.  We really understood what Ratty was thinking when he met the Norway Rat, for instance (dreaming of a life across the seas as told by a member of the rat family that has infested every continent habitated by man).  
     Finally we wrapped up our long-term appreciation of John Singer Sargent. (Read more about him here . ) Mei did a brief report on him, and surprised me a little by choosing "An Artist in His Studio" as one of her three favorite paintings by him. It's not particularly "pretty". When I inquired, she said it reminded her of her mommy. Awww. If only I HAD a studio!

Next week, I plan to move things around a bit in our schedule to get to the things that have been slipping by, like nature study. It's so beautiful this week that I'd be a fool to miss the opportunity.
     Hope it's nice where YOU are. Have a great next week!
Read links from others at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers !

This Week's Menu 4/4-4/10

Sunday, April 4-Saturday, April 10

Sunday Happy Easter!

Monday
Turkey Tetrazzini , zucchini (must be Ini Day)

Tuesday (no pioneers; dad out?)
Frozen What-Have-You

Wednesday
Chuck's Mac n Cheese

Thursday Early Meal
Italian Sausage Soup, garlic bread

Friday
Homemade Pizza

Saturday
Bill's Choice