1st Day of School!

Ack! Here we are already! Generally we slide back into school.... because we generally don't really stop lol. I gave up this summer and just let the rest go. I didn't even do a read aloud this summer. We just played, we swam, visited friends, and a few folks went to some day camps.

I really worked hard the past month to map out our school. I PLANNED! I wrote them down *gasp* I have a road map for where we are going this year. I have never done it like this before.

In the past I would plan 1-2weeks at a time and just follow our workbooks and loosely follow the MODG Syllabus. Then something bright and shiny (typically on the 4Real boards) would catch my eye and off I would go willy- nilly. Consistency and order are not my strong suit.

One thing I noticed when I was making my plans was how nice MODG's plans are. They are not fussy or cluttered (like mine usually are). They provide ORDER with out being overwhelming. You can easily substitute one thing for another- it's magic!

Why did I not see this before? Why does it take me forever to see what I should do? Why must I over think and complicate every thing?

I think part of that answer is that I always wanted the lesson plans I bought to talk to me. Now I know that sounds funny but I did. CHC's lesson plans do that. Aesthetically they are lovely. They encourage mother right along with the child. I couldn't hold to CHC's plans because my kids weren't at the same reading level and I tended to wander.... so MODG's plans are a better fit for me because they provide a durable frame-work and allow for my late readers as well as my early readers (although I do keep CHC's plans on hand for all the fun stuff).

OK so my post has gotten completely off topic. And it's time for me to wake children and dress myself, so we might begin school by 8am arrrrrghhhhh! (can you here my children crying?)

I will report back and let you know how things go.... bwaaaaahaaahaaahaa!

2009-2010 school planning

I'm working hard on school planning (in the midst of all this chaos!). It's going well. I'm using several frame works for my plans:

Leemer: 6th Grade MODG syllibus. I'm using it for religion, and ummmm general flow. They have great grading charts that are easy to fit into what I'm using for him...
His booklist:
History- All Ye Lands
Geography- Maps and Charts Eastern Hem.; Loose SL 1+2 geography
Seton Phonics 5
Seton English 5
Latina Christiana I
Math- MUS Delta
Spelling- AVKO with Sweet Pea

Sweet Pea: 4th Grade MODG syllibus. Using it for Religion, Latin, English,
History SL 1+2
Geography- SL 1+2
Math- MUS Gamma
Phonics- MCP Plaid 3rg grade book (she struggles with reading)
Spelling- AVKO with Leemer

Terry: CHC 2nd Grade. Using it for Religion, Reading, Science
Math- MUS Beta
Phonics/ Spelling- Sound Beginnings
English- Seton 2nd grade
History/ Geography- SL 1+2
I might also enroll him in CCD as he receives FHC this year

Mare/ Flan: The little girls will do the Serendipity "Along the Alphabet Path" from E. Foss
I will also use the Treasure Box books with them, and little workbooks to round everything out.
I might also enroll Mare in CCD K

I'll post later our read aloud and personal reading lists

Life in the Fast Lane

Ack!
I haven't been here for so long, um time to recommit to keeping track of LIFE.

High summer is upon us and with it new things. The baby moves everywhere. He doesn't crawl but pushes himself along.

Leemer did writers camp last week.

SweetPea did Tap camp during the second week of July.

Mare had a few days of dance too.

Hmmmm Terry is the odd man out.

We did a owl pellet study with the Friends two weeks ago.

I had mastitis's two weeks ago and Hubby had an appendectomy last week (no more swimming for daddy)

Now what?
*A friend comes to stay with us the first week of September for 2 weeks
*we need to start school

kabob stew

Yesterday was tough. I've been fighting a cold (which makes me very cranky), dh has been very stressed. So, when not much went well... we didn't do well.
I did manage to get SweeetPea to dance- thankfully the 2yrold Flannerpus reminded me to pick her up! I helpled Mars make her "beautiful" necklace- complete with some honkin' fimo creations. We worked on addressing all the Kids Artist Trading Cards envelops to go out.... and I folded some laundry.
The highlight of the day was dinner. We flubbed it big time. We were doing shish-kabob (have no idea if this is spelled correctly) and I think the gas on the grill began to run out.... well at 6pm dh ran to the store to get hotdogs! Kids were happy, mom and dad? not so much. I did salvage all that food from the grill and turned it into a rockin' shish-kabob stew- I highly recommend it, just plan for it next time....

This is really silly. I feel weird even considering posting things here to the interwebs, on google no less.

OK for today:
1. Dance. We are going full tilt with SweetPea's dance right now. I am not an activity mama, yet here I am toting her to dance 4-5 days a week. sheesh!

2. Grocery shopping- I have to come up with a detailed list, and big Papa + SweetPea will do the shopping for me Yay! (until they get back and I don't have what I needed cause I didn't go)

3. Laundry. Oh the horrors!

4. Confession. This would be a good thing.

5. Consider school planning.

6. General house cleaning. baaah!