Hello, friends. It’s been quite a while since my last post. Life has a way of throwing everything at you all at once, and the last few weeks have been no different, hence my temporary hiatus from the blog. But I’m back now with lots of good stuff to share!
Family is Everything
We were so blessed to be able to have several family members and friends come to visit us in the month of August. It just so happened that some of their visits overlapped, so we have been full steam ahead trying to juggle time with everyone and manage schedules to make everything line up. My sister-in-law rented a beautiful villa for a week so we spent as much time as we could over there, swimming in one of the many pools on the property and going to the beach. We had late night after late night as we ate together, told stories and laughed for hours on end. Before we moved down to SC we used to be at their house multiple times a week, so moving away left a big hole in our hearts. Having the opportunity to spend time with them was so good for my soul.
Resuming School
At the beginning of August my kids finished up their summer workbooks. We spent the next week doing some fun stuff like science experiments and art projects, then took the last two weeks off from school entirely as we had lots of family members and friends coming by to visit. When people come to see us, we want to be able to spend all the time we can with them, so school takes a back seat. This timing worked out perfect as it gave the kids and me a nice little summer break before starting back up.
Last week began our “regular” school year, meaning diving into our workbooks for the year and getting into a better routine. Juggling two kids’ schoolwork means I need to be a lot more organized than I was last year. I established a few weekly routines to help keep us organized.
Last year, I tried to have my son do a daily journal. That lasted all of about two weeks as it was met with constant grumbling, arguing and complaining. This year I wanted to reinstate the journal, but in a way that worked for everyone. I decided it would be fun to have a journaling category for each day of the week. By sharing that idea with my kids ahead of time and going over the different journal days they now know what to expect every day. Having a guiding question helps them to more easily formulate responses. For my little one, I ask her to draw a picture that answers the question. When she is done, I ask her what she drew and then I write her response down in highlighter on the lined segment of her page. She then traces the highlighter to practice writing. (For anyone who might be wondering how our journal topics go for the week…. Monday: Verse of the Week, Tuesday: Would you Rather, Wednesday: Self-Esteem and Confidence, Thursday: Gratitude, Friday: Highlight of the Week.) One thing I’ve noticed with the kids is that they both tend to do better when they know exactly what is planned for the day, and what is happening in the near future. By writing down work assignments ahead of time on our white board and having a calendar with any relevant events right next to our school area, we’ve cut down on tantrums and fussing.
Another thing I’ve added in this year is some “extra” subjects for my son. Right now, he is working on typing using Typetastic and Spanish using Duolingo. To make enough time for everything, we decided to work on typing Tuesdays and Thursdays and Spanish on Wednesday and Friday. On Mondays we do our mini unit for the week. Doing a mini unit to start the week is fun for the kids and easier for me. I work on the weekends and the last thing I want to do when I get home late Sunday night is plan for the next day. Doing a mini unit from Peanut Butter Fish takes all the prep work out. Just print and go.
It’s All About the Extras
Of course, along with scholastic subjects comes the extracurricular activities. In past years our extracurriculars have been limited by school pickup schedules and early kid bedtimes. This year however, we have a lot more flexibility. My son has been dying to begin jiu jitsu, but it was impossible to try to get him to a class on time when my daughter had to be picked up at 4pm from preschool and bedtime was 7pm. Much to his delight, we just began a five day a week MMA program for him that gives him ample opportunity to practice both jiu jitsu and kickboxing. The only downside is that the class takes place during the time I usually make dinner. He is starving by the time we get home so dinner has to get on the table quickly. To make sure this happens, I’ve had to get a little more organized with meal planning. I’ve been trying to get as much prep work done as I can before we leave for class, so when we get home everything can be finished up in about 15 minutes. So far this has been working really well. Going forward, it’s a strong possibility that only one of us will bring him to class so either myself or my husband can have dinner ready as soon as we are all home.
For my daughter who doesn’t quite know what exactly she wants to do, I found a ballet class put on by our local rec center. It’s only a six-week commitment which means it’s long enough for her to see if she likes it, but short enough that if she doesn’t, we aren’t locked into anything long term. I’d also like for her to try tumbling at some point, and once she is old enough, we will have her join her brother at the MMA gym. She’s already been asking how come she doesn’t get to do jiu jitsu too! Other than those, our kids are both participating in a Swim & Gym class hosted by the YMCA once a week. They absolutely love going to their swim lesson each week, and I love that its super affordable for a two-hour program! If you are looking for a way to get your kids more active and give them a chance to engage with other homeschooled kids, I would highly recommend you check to see if your local Y facility offers a similar program.
A new extracurricular activity that we are trying this year is LEGO Builders Club. Every other week the kids are challenged to build something that adheres to a specific prompt. After their builds are done, they have the opportunity to present it to their peers and receive constructive criticism. The builds are then judged by library staff and one is declared the winner of the week. Of course, the first experience of not being the winner stung both of them a little bit, but that’s a life lesson that is critical and will help build resilience going forward. This club meets only twice a month so it’s a low time commitment but provides opportunities for STEM, public speaking, and of course interaction with peers. It fits perfectly with the season of life we are in right now.
Clearing the Way
It’s fall garden time! I’m so hopeful that all the pests we’ve been battling all year will finally die down as we begin to get cooler nights. So far, I’ve cleared out the zucchini and summer squash, half the tomatoes, cucumber vines and the old strawberry bed. I re-planted green beans, re-planted cucumbers, and started lots of potatoes as well as carrots. Next up we will be clearing the watermelon patch and giving all the vines to the chickens, and also getting rid of the remaining tomato plants. The plan is to plant broccoli in one of the beds, lettuce and spinach in another, mustard greens somewhere and maybe do a late crop of peas before winter. This year, I want to try succession planting for the broccoli so that it isn’t all ready to harvest at the same time!
As I read other people’s experiences in our area, I am realizing that it wasn’t just me that was so affected by pests this year. So many have similar stories of vine borers, pickleworms and now army worms taking over and destroying anything they planted. I’m not sure what’s going on this year, but it is somewhat of a relief to know it wasn’t just me. From last years’ experience, I know that cabbage worms LOVE broccoli, so I’m intending on using floating row covers over my broccoli plants this year. These covers will prevent moths from being able to land and lay eggs on or around the broccoli plants.
Exciting Chicken News!
Since my last post we have had a huge development in the world of chickens. If you recall, we have a group of eight young pullets (female chickens) that were coming up on laying age. Over the last couple of weeks, three of these ladies have begun laying! Imagine my joy when I opened up the nesting box and saw the tiniest little brown egg sitting right next to a regular size egg. Every five or six days since we have had a new bird begin laying. Today I got 17 eggs from 17 layers! It’s going to be amazing when all eight are laying and we have a flock of 22 layers. The other two babies are still quite a way out from laying their first eggs and with winter not too far away, we might not see any eggs from them until spring. Either way, I’m excited to be able to sell more eggs. Right now, I don’t have the supply to keep up with the demand of everyone who wants to buy eggs from me. It sort of goes on a rotation of whose turn it is to get a dozen. Selling more will make a huge difference in the cost of maintaining and feeding our flock.
In Closing
Well, if you made it all the way to the end of this one, thank you for sticking around. I do believe that I’ve covered all the major things that have happened since last time. Having family visiting is so much fun, but also has a way of making routine null and void. It’s been nice getting back into the swing of things now and seeing our regular day to day activities fall back into place. I hope each and every one of you has a fantastic end to your week!