The Homeschool Mother's Journal - 4

Hi! I am linking up with Sue @ The Homeschool Chick for my first time with The Homeschool Mother's Journal.  Stop by and check out the other posts here.

In my life this week...

I've been reading weeks one and two of the Relationship Principles of Jesus for our church's 40 Days of Love. (You can read more abut these studies at my post from last week by clicking here.)

I have found myself more aware of how I choose to show love (or not to show love) to those around me!  It's really in the little things, isn't it?  They all add up!  I think I have chosen to be more patient or slow-to-react about things with the kids and making sure that I show love, even when I am correcting them, but it can be hard!

My husband has been on special diet with him this week - that has been rough!  He really needs the encouragement and will have to be on it longer than me, but it would help my health to lose a few pounds.  I have discovered how much I love carbs and cheese!  I can't have fruit, breads, pastas, or dairy products right now, except for the pre-packaged meals.  Can I just say that American portion sized are TOO big these days, too!  I am trying to be positive and look at this as a way to re-train my body, help lower my high blood pressure so that maybe I can stop taking medication for it, and helping my husband to change his health and prevent him from getting diabetes!  Go us!  (I'm trying to cheer myself on here!) :) I wish I could have REAL CHOCOLATE on Valentine's Day, but I love my own Valentine (husband) more than chocolate!

In our homeschool this week...
I started using my alarm cloack again.  Since the Christmas holidays and then our ski trip out west in January it's taken me a couple of weeks to get back to a little better schedule.  Now I am waking earlier and I feel like I can get more done in the morning before school starts!  

In our unit study we read stories about David this week and it doesn't matter how many times we hear it, we love the story of David and Goliath!  What a mighty warrior!  We finished reading Treasures of the Snow, by Patricia St. John, a wonderful story that we all enjoyed!  B really has Psalm 23 memorized and J almost has it.  We did some catching up on science experiments in Genesis for Kids and B has just about completed her Jr. Duck Stamp piece for this year's contest.  The kids enjoyed their Enter His Courts basketball games this week, too.


Places we're going and people we're seeing...
No out of the ordinary trips this week, which was fine after last weekend with birthday celebrations for our son and the Super Bowl.  The weather was not as bitter cold and we did not have any cancelled activities for snow or ice.  It was good to just have a "normal" week and to go to our regular activities!


My favorite thing this week was...
I made an effort to find fun and easy Valentine's crafts for my daughter to make and we really had fun spending a little time each day working on those!

Another favorite thing was when my son made a basket in his basketball game today and  when he made it, he actually jumped up in the air with great enthusiasm and was just beaming!  He felt so good about that one basket! (I did, too!)

What's working/not working for us...
J has been doing well with his multiplication this year in Math U See Gamma, but we have been working on lesson 23 - double digit by double digit multiplication - for almost 3 weeks!  He is so over it and I am, too!  We have used the blocks, used different colored markers to write it on the white board, worked them on paper, reviewed some of the math facts that he was not recalling as quickly... I think he really does know the steps now and we just need to move on to the next lesson.  The next lesson is the same kind of multiplication with regrouping, but maybe it won't be much trickier since he can already regroup.  It's just getting frustrating for us both! 


I also felt like I was working on a lot of attitude things this week.  We have gotten lax in using any real rewards/consequences systems through December and January, so I think we need to get back to it and I'm working on a new chart to help us keep track of things!  I am trying to decide which system/chart to use.  We have workboxes for some subjects in the morning and a routine after that, but I need to help the kids be more independent about getting their own things done (like practicing piano, quiet reading time, etc.).  We have had to be indoors so much this winter that they have gotten into the bad habit of going to the computer whenever there seems to be a "spare" moment.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...
J is dyslexic, dysgraphic, and has inattentive ADHD, but when he was tested two years ago there were no problems with math.  He has really liked math this year, until recently. The only part that is hard for him  is writing out any long equations (dysgraphia) and so sometimes I scribe those for him.  He has gotten so frustrated with math this week (see above), that he was blaming it on his "dyslexic brain" (his words, not mine) and he was saying that his brain just was getting it all jumbled.  I am trying to figure out if it's just getting used to a longer type of calculation or what else I can do to help his concentration and focus so he can do this math.  I also tried to allow more time the last couple of days and did not rush him.  Does anyone have any other ideas to try?  Maybe we just need to move on now.

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A photo, video, link, or quote to share...

Have a happy Valentine's Day everyone!

From The Relationship Principles of Jesus, by Tom Holladay, "The greatest sacrifices my not be the once-in-a-lifetime sacrifices; they may well be the daily sacrifices.  You give up your way and seek another person's good."