Spelling Success by Using 2 Curriculums

SPELLING CAN BE A PAIN

I know it because I am using 3 spelling programs to help my struggling speeller.

After doing Abeka Spelling for 1.5 years I realized my little guy hadn't mastered 'phonics' or sound recognition. I had to do a 'triage' of sorts. I wanted a fast and effective way to teach him to spell or decode words - but I loved the long and challenging spelling list used with Abeka.

The trick: How do I do both?

Teach decoding of words to a kid that has weak phonics skills.

Give that kid challenging word list to keep him interested?

Also - have him LEARN SPELLING IN DIFFERENT WAYS SO HE DOESN'T REALIZE he is taking the same subject 3 times a day?

THE LINE UP?

  

Number 1

SPELLING YOU SEE

This program using 'chunking'. We liked that there is (1) no testing (2) no wordlist to remember (3) just read and copy. First you read the passage to your kid. Then they highlight the vowel chunks, constantant chunks etc, then they write it. This runs for 4 days, no test, and on day for it's read, highlight chunks and then full dictation where you count the number of words written correctly. After 3 weeks of this my little guy was getting all the words correct by day 4!

Number 2

SEQUENTIAL SPELLING

This is another 'chunking' program. This comes with our without a DVD/CD for you to put in the computer. I used the DVD/CD so Speed Racer could do this independently. This method is (1) a different word list daily that build on the lesson before (2) no studying (3) a 'test' daily on words the kid doesn't know (4) after writing the word 'incorrectly' the child crosses it out and re-writes it the correct way. Then viola' you are done after about 5-10 minutes.

Number 3

ABEKA SPELLING 6th GRADE

Traditional Spelling program with huge (did I say huge?) wordlist to memorize. I had him copy these words 1 time a day. Initially, in 4th grade he would write them 2 times a day, then put them in spellingcity.com, create flashcards and try to memorize the words. He failed most of his spelling test. So I had cut his list in half. It didn't really help though. So.... after using the Number 1 and Number 2 programs, I decided to just have him copy his list from Abeka 1 time a day. After 2 weeks. Did you hear me just 2 weeks! I gave him a test in Abeka after he'd been doing the 'chunking' spelling programs above. Without studying the kid got 80% or higher on his Abeka test!

SUCCESS! Using 3 Spelling programs.

but I LOVE

MEMBEAN.COM  - tackles spelling and vocabulary

BLENDING CURRICULUM can create the PERFECT one for your kid.

WEEKLY WRAP UP

 This week we've been busy! Of course we always seem so.

Overall we had shortened work days since my older son who goes to College nearby was suffering from the flu. So, my husband and I went to check on him and give him meds for 2 days. It put an axe in our homeschool day since we homeschool mostly in the evenings when we are home from work.

I was off work on Friday so had to work a longer day earlier in the week to compensate since I'm a full-time worker, but have the flexibility to work my hours how I need to.

Tiger Lilly took her Composition CLEP test. She got registered at Community College (Yippee!) while we were there testing and I had her take the Accuplacer Test (college placement test) because it was free. She scored on College Level in both Math and English. Therefore, she can start both her English and Math tracks without any remedial courses! Woot! Yay homeschooling!

Other than her week of testing, she did squeeze in some work. She finished her last Time4Writing.com course and WriteGuide.com American Literature course. This will spurn her focused studies in hopes of passing the Humanities and American Literature CLEPs in December and January. Also, she touched on her Abeka subjects (Algebra 2, Chemistry, Physics, US History) but skipped (Econ, American Gov't this week).

She also had a cheer competition this Sunday past. They won the competition at 1st place! Now we'll be preparing for another competition at a local amusement park.

Speed Racer is on track and constantly asking for more material to challenge him. However, he tends to rush through things when he gets bored. He finished his online writing course with Sandiego Scribblers. I'm working on inserting a Latin Based Vocabulary program called Word Up! by Compass Classroom this coming week.

He and his new buddy he met from a homeschool event I coordinated through our local homeschool group, went to TigerCon this weekend. We followed up with a visit to a Comic Book Store's Halloween celebration giveaway and my son was on cloud 9.

WORKING PARENT's LOG

Meals. This week I planned meals pretty well. I only need four for the week since Friday is our pizza night. Saturday is Chinese. Only one crockpot meal was planned.

Cleaning. Eh? The basement where the kids do their work is probably the cleanest place in my house. Clothes washing (mine specifically is way behind) is piling up. The kids clean the kitchen nightly. Decluttering of the main floor is needed. I'd like to paint my living room but I think my husband would have a fit if I asked him at this time. However, I'm planning on treating myself to a new room color with the new year.

Work & Life Balance. Work has been great. I'm working on a new challenging project and was able to put in extra hours on Monday (thanks to my homehelper Rose) so I could be off work this Friday. I did treat myself to a lunch out with former co-workers which was nice. This is one of the benefits of working outside the home - I get outside the home to chat with other adults, lol!

Lesson Planning. This is ever changing but my system is slipping. I didn't get around to this until Sunday which is way too late. I had to make some adjustments as I just realized that the kids online English classes were ending.

Rest. Well...I got off to a bad start. I only got 4 hours sleep on Monday and Tuesday nights because I went to drop of cold medicine to my older kids who are in college. Wednesday I grabbed a power nap and dove in bed at 10pm (thanks to hubby taking over evening homeschooling). The rest of the week I got back into my rythm and since I had Friday off I got to sleep in til 9am, a lot later than my 4am wake up time.



Method To Madness-Teaching Textbooks, Abeka and Saxon

Three Maths - One Challenge

My son started the school year doing a combination of Abeka (Core Curriculum) and Teaching Textbooks.

Here's My Challenges With Both
Then the curve ball with another - SAXON Math

Speed Racer's Starting Point:

*Triage and Sharpening in the below skills are needed*

Multiplication and Division Quick Recall

Fractions (Adding or Subtracting Mixed Numbers, Multiplying, Dividing)

Decimals (Multiplying and Dividing).

ABEKA MATH 6
Speed Racer uses this as his core Math Curriculum.

He watches the video instructor (this is his favorite class to watch) and does workbook 'seat work' with the class. Then every other day he has either a Speed Drill of old facts and 5-10 'homework' problems and homework. Truth be told I should've gotten him Math 5 since he isn't really ready for 6th grade math.

We are 50 days into these lessons and for Abeka Academy.

Findings:
- He can't 'cheat' the system
- What he doesn't know is easily revealed in (1) the speed drills (2) the homework (3) the hand written quizzes and test
- He can call the video teacher or speak to a tutor provided by Abeka Academy when he gets stuck

TEACHING TEXTBOOK 6
Speed Racer uses this as his supplemental Math Curriculum.

This he does completely independent.

I check his scores everyday when I get home. He's been scoring 70s and 80s.

We are 86 days into this curriculum as he was doing it for summer.


Findings:
- My kid found a way to'cheat' the system
- What he doesn't know is  not easily revealed unless I (1) disable the calculator function on the computer (2) keep a watchful eye on his scoring - which questions he got wrong or right

I'm putting this curriculum aside for Summer Learning since he isn't retaining his math facts from it. It's too easy for him to 'cheat' the program and neither one of us likes their book that much. It's not helping him to master some core concepts.

SAXON MATH 6/5
This will be Speed Racers NEW Core Math...

Saxon! Boy have I heard mixed reviews on this one. However, after realizing my Speed Racer had problems with his core math facts - memorization or knowing the answers cold, I thumbed through a friend's copy of this Math curriculum she swears by. We are using Math 6/5 which means it's for an average 6th grader and an advanced 5th grader. We got the paperback bound books so my kid who hates writing can write directly on the page the answers to the problems.

He does bulk at the number of problems he has to do:

(1) Math Drills (50 to 100 problems) timed - takes him about 5 to 10 min.

(2) Mental Math Practice - another 5-10 problems - takes about 5 min with me.

(3) New Lesson Practice where he and I read the lesson direction and he does problems in the lesson review: 25-30 problems - takes another 30 min.

It is recommended that the child complete ALL problems for the best success. This though may be the reason lots of parents and kids 'hate' it. However, this was the way I learned math when I was a kid and it worked wonders for me. Not only that, it solidifies his learning.

There is a test every 10 lessons.

We are 15 days into this curriculum and - HE IS MASTERING HIS FACTS. A great improvement. Whew!

Findings:
- My kid can't cheat this system.
- He finishes it and with each lesson I see him doing it faster (although he complains) so I time him.
- I do make him finish all the questions - but we break it up during the day. He does the Drills and mental math sections in the morning, then after snack/lunch he finishes the new lesson after his favorite class - reading.



OVERALL MATH with HIGH SCHOOL

and ELEMENTARY

SAXON gets it done and goes all the way up to CALCULUS

ABEKA is very RIGOROUS and triage is difficult for younger grades. The upper grades in HIGH SCHOOL Algebra is VERY challenging, but on par with SAXON.

TEACHING TEXTBOOKS is a 'light' math curriculum, good as a supplement if you have plans for your kid to enter engineering or science fields - try one of the above maths (SAXON or ABEKA). The Algebra 1 and 2 is 'very' light compared to the other two curriculums.

CTCMath.com is a REALLY good option to TEACHING TEXTBOOKS as it offers SPEED DRILLS, ALL GRADES up to CALCULUS and is online with parental controls.

 

BENEFITS TO USING 2 TYPES OF MATH CURRICULUMs?
Or Even Changing Them.

It's easy to find places where your child is having the most challenges.

There is no 'perfect' one fits all Math Program out there. So build one of your own.

Using both has shown me the 'strength of each'.

We still use supplements like XtraMath.com and flashcards just to mix things up.


WEEKLY WRAP UP

Tiger Lilly is really cramming for her CLEP test in English COMPOSITION. I really hope she passes it. So I've been timing her on essay writing, having her take sample test, and reviewing her flashcard memorization progress.

Her other classes we cut back on since we are using a 'block schedule' it works well with moving around stuff.

Speed Racer had a mini-tantrum (pouting & tossing himself around - at 11 yrs old - really! Sigh.) while working with his sister Rose. So, he had to recite the CALM DOWN list 2 times that day and spend some time doing jumping jacks while reflecting. After that, he was back on track. His scheduled subjects have had a bit of a change around, but he adjusted fine.

Report Cards were given to the kids. Overall both are doing well, but there are areas of needed improvement (mainly for me to find what works best for them). I asked them to advise mom/dad (teachers) on how we can make them successful in some of their more challenging subjects. Speed Racer needed better direction in (Math & Spelling). Tiger Lilly wanted a more interactive Language program and wanted out of Abeka Spanish because she doesn't have a 'passion' for that language. So we updated her Japanese and added French.

WORKING PARENT's LOG

Meals. Didn't do grocery shopping on Sunday or meal planning. So...did some of it on Monday while my home helper (sister Rose) ran the kiddos to their sports.Then I sent hubba to the store on Tuesday to get the things I forgot (he was happy since I took over his evening of schooling to send him on the errand). I planned plain ole meat with veggie meals for the week. One crockpot dish and rice as a side.

Cleaning. Still haven't had a chance to wash my clothes. However, the kids close are somewhat caught up (still have 4 loads). I did wash clothes during 'schooling hours' and put on the 'baby monitor' that lets me make sure the kids are still on task when I cleaned the upstairs bathrooms.

Work & Life Balance. A bit off kilter since I am working extra hours to be off early next week. So getting up at the ungodly hour of 3:45am to work a few extra hours for the week while getting off work by 2pm to start school is madness.

Lesson Planning. Had to rework courses on my excel spreadsheet for them, but that went well. I only did a week in advance though since I will be rolling off some of the online courses for the kids that end soon.

Rest. So, this I'm doing better now since my Hubba is taking his night shift with the kids back over. I get to bed at 10pm (as long as I don't get side-tracked working on my side-business). Except on Tuesday. A bedtime at 6 hours a night has been doing wonders for my complextion and disposition. Also, I do sneak in a 30 min. power nap 3 days a week while the kids are at their sports. Even so, I must not be getting all the sleep I need since I am sleeping in until 11am on Saturdays. But hey, I'm not complaining.



Homeschooler Taking PSAT at Public High School

See this cute little 13 year old 9th grade homeschooling student? Well she visited our local Public High School today.

BENEFITS of Homeschoolers taking PSAT

Well I've had 2 kids go straight through high school in Public School. Taking the PSAT opened them up to the possibilities of scholarships.

Also, introduced them to colleges.

Lastly, it's great practice for the SATs.

And it's FREE (when taken through the public school system).

Things Never Go As Planned

BLUNDERS WE MADE THIS WEEK with PSAT Testing. Poor Tiger Lilly!

My Tiger Lilly. First of all, I waited to the last minute to confirm through our homeschool board. I thought I was on the list but the coordinator considered my daughter too young and didn't add her to the list. Luckily, they accomadated us at the last minute.

I also forgot to give my daughter her ID. Thankfully, they didn't call me for it and let her take the test since she was on their roster for Homeschoolers testing that day.

Lastly, didn't realize the test was so EARLY! Wow, public school starts at 7:10am in our area and the PSAT test was at 7:17am PROMPLY.

My late sleeper was totally put off by waking up so early to take a long test.

Not to mention - there was a Calculator hiccup. The new T-184 I purchased didn't come with batteries. So at 6:40 am I ran to the gas station to get AAA batteries for it. And...she didn't even get the chance to 'try it out' before the test.

Oh, and what else went wrong? I didn't have time to prepare breakfast, so the poor girl gobbled down a 'Lunchables' for breakfast with a big bottle of water.

Speed Racer...Math isn't going well for him. We are working on a Math Triage plan to get this boy to 'master' Long Division, Decimals and Fractions. You'd think with 2 curriculums it's covered - but I've uncovered the fact the my Speed Racer just writes down 'guestamits' for answers. He doesn't remember his multiplication or division facts cold (which is really needed in order to be succesful in Abeka Math or you will drown). 2 months of math wasted. Ugh. More on that plan for triage later.

THE REST OF OUR CRAZY WEEK

I don't know but there must have been a full moon or something. Nothing went as planned. We didn't finish all of our work scheduled - so we'll just move it to the weekend 'homework' category.

This week was almost a wash.

Monday, on Columbus Day, myself and Hubba went out on a date. Then we carted Tiger Lilly to cheerleading and Speed Racer to dance.

Let's just say - we got through most of the planned Abeka curriculum, but hardly much else. And even the Abeka curriculum suffered since we had some 'just do the work' days without watching the instructional videos. Unfortunately, this always comes back to bite the kids at test and quiz time.

It was really a scheduling problem. I didn't realize that Tiger Lilly taking the PSAT and me being off from work would initiate my kiddos not being motivated to do their daily routine of work.

WORKING PARENT's LOG

FYI: My hubba does the evening shift of instruction and his day starts later (around 7:30pm - 10:30pm where he does sports pickups and Abeka DVD box curriculum facilitation) He's the unsung hero in the house since he doesn't do blog or social media.

Lesson Planning. For the coming week I managed to plan out the lessons. Easy since I just moved 2 days of planned work to the coming week's schedule. I made some days lighter since Tiger Lilly is focusing on CLEP studying.

Meal Planning. Went well. I cheated a bit and purchased pre-made sauces for my crockpot planned dishes this week. Also did some frozen side items so I could just microwave things.

Cleaning. We did it! 1.5 of the bathrooms were cleaned. The main floor cleaned and the kids bedrooms. I have to admit, I didn't do any of that - Hubba managed the task on Saturday past. Me and the kids just maintained. I did start to wash clothes but the clean ones are piled up on the couch in our basement since I haven't been able to get too them. My kids this week seemed to be more playful so I sat between them and did some work.

Work and Life Balance. This is going well. Although my day job got more challenging, the hours aren't creeping into overtime. So I'm able to keep my schedule and flex my time. My part-time business is starting to require more of my time,but the good thing is I can do that while the kids are schooling with me and I am cooking dinner.

Sleep. Got tons more than I have before. Why? Well we had Monday off from work (both Hubba and I). Then Saturday - I declared it mom's sleep in day, and took the kids out of one of their martial arts classes that start at 9am (they didn't complain and I saved some $). I made it a point to take a 30 min power nap each day. Also, I was off on Wed (got to sleep til 6am when I'm usually up by 4am) - and yes, I took my 30 minute nap that day also. This week was great for me getting rest. I made myself do it.

Sleeping In - A HomeSchooling Working Momma's Advantage

See this little guy? Speed Racer? Yeah  - him. He is an insomniac that truly requires 10-12 hours sleep.

SLEEP!

When people ask me about homeschooling my kids - and pulling it off while working - they assume I wake these kiddos up early to get school done.

They sleep in.

Hubba sleeps in.

Although, that wasn't the plan originally. Hubba was supposed to wake the kids up at 7:30am, get them fed and start instruction at 8am. Didn't happen.

Why? Well because my Hubba is a night owl. Always has been. He would stay up until 4am-5am in the morning, watching TV or playing video games for as long as I've known him (and I've known him since he was 15yrs old). His family even told stories of how he would stay up until the TV went off with his grandfather.

MORE SLEEP!

So why would I think my kids would be different? So...Speed Racer's sleeping patterns is a most like his father's.

Tiger Lilly is my earlier riser, she typically goes to bed around 1-2am and wakes up at 10am (she sets her clock so she can eat and get started on her work in peace before Speed Racer gets up."

WAKE UP TIME

For Speed Racer, his sister Tiger Lilly wakes him up at 12pm. Yep, you heard me correctly - 12pm in the afternoon.

BENEFITS OF SLEEPING IN

This ability to go to bed at a natural time and wake up at a later time has been a MAJOR slice of improvement in Speed Racer's general mood and behavior.

It wasn't until I'd actually compared his current behavior with his grumpiness when he was in traditional school that I noticed the change.

Now don't get me wrong, he's still a typical Tween with challenges we have to work on, but his general mood about and response is more positive because - he gets proper sleep now.

WEEKLY WRAP UP

Report Card time! Yep, I create report cards for the kids at the end of each quarter so that they know how they faired. AND the tell me - momma and hubba what we need to do to improve their learning in their hardest subjects.

This week was a breeze! Why?

Hubba is back teaching evenings! Woot! That means that I am getting to bed by 10pm each night and a lot more is getting done.

Older sister Rose administered school one day this week which helped me to catch up on rest.

Speed Racer 6th Grader

He is really loving Spelling You See and Sequential Spelling as his new core spelling program. We are still going over and typing the Abeka spelling words into SpellingCity for fun but I am not testing him on the words yet.

SandiegoScribblers: It's turning out to be too much for Speed Racer. We are falling behind in this class and having to do it on the weekends. He is requiring a lot of help with this one.

Spanish we are using Mango Languages and learning words & phrases.

The Arts, we are still reading through our book A Child's Introduction to Art: The World's Greatest Paintings and Sculptures and using ArtTango.com for free drawing.

Math Lab we had to take a step back in Teaching Textbooks and are reviewing Fractions since Speed Racer isn't doing well with it. We are using IXL.com for extra practice.

Technology is going great. Tynker.com has proven to be a full program for Speed Racer and he still is working on it (he started mid summer). However, he has his eye on YouthDigital.com Mod design.

TypingWeb.com - is really improving his typing skills. He does 10 min of this a day and doesn't complain too much about it.

All other classes (Bible, Reading, Language, Penmanship, History and Science) he's doing with Abeka DVD and getting A's and B's - Woot!


Tiger Lilly Blended High Schooler

PSAT test planned for next week Wed (10/15) at the local high school. She will not be studying for this. I am hoping that all her CLEP prep and math + logic skills will help her.

CLEP review for English COMPOSITION CLEP is going well. She is reviewing the InstantCert flashcards, using IXL.com for grammar drills, and taking sample test with Peterson and REA. Her test scores this week were: 21 (REA) Day 1, 32 (Peterson) Day 3, and 42 (Peterson) Day 5.  The goal is to get to 55% or higher by her test date 10/27.

Japanese: She is going over the curriculum I created for her last year that is composed of Youtube Videos, Writing 1 time a week in the notebook the letter of the week I give her. Also using Mango Languages for voice play practice.

Python and Java Programming: She works on both daily but loves her Landry Academy class and uses CodeAcademy.com daily for practice. She got a A on 2 of her programming projects with Landry in Python. Also, she's finishing up YouthDigital.com Mod Design in a few weeks and I'll start her on Ktbyte.com

Critical Thinking & Logic: with Currclick is also one of her favorite classes. She creates these little movie like clips for her homework and works with other kids in the class. She's at a high B in this class.

Algebra 2 - Problems! with Factoring. She forgot what she learned in Algebra 1. So to Youtube we went. Found a great video that broke down factoring of squares. She failed her Algebra 2 test with Abeka and we called the teacher who walked her through her notes and worked out a problem with her. I let her retake the test and she scored a 90%

Physics and Chemistry - She is doing well in both of these and likes the Abeka DVD experiments the most. She walked me through some of the easy ones to explain her labs.

Humanities - She's just watching the Education-Portal videos on this. She's enjoying them for a soft prep.

American Gov't, US History and Economics - are all going well. She's liking taking them together and seeing the full perspective on history. However, when we get to 1877 in US History we will stop and focus on studying for the CLEP for US History 1 and switch from Abeka to Education-Portal.

WriteGuide.com and Time4Writing.com - She works on these combined about 3 days a week. She likes them both but for different reasons. The WriteGuide is for her Analysis of Literature to prepare her for that Clep and the Time4Writing is more grammar mechanics based so to her it's a full class. Both of these end at the end of October and she will be starting another writing program.

WORKING PARENT's LOG

Meals. Totally behind the 8-ball this week since we traveled over the weekend. So Monday we had a microwave heat up meal that wasn't too popular. Tuesday I dashed out to the grocery store and we had great meals on Tue-Thu and Friday is Chinese.

Cleaning. We are saving all cleaning for everyone except the kitchen for Saturday. Hubba is feeling better and can help out now.

Work & Life Balance. This went well this week. The day gig is very flexible (except Monday I had to work late which is why Rose helping out was great). However, my side business had a deadline due that kept me up some nights working on. But it's a good diversion from homeschooling.

Lesson Planning. Again this week I only got 1 week of lesson plans done - BUT, the day gig gives me holiday's off so I hope to catch up next Monday. The block schedule is working out great though!

Rest. Back on schedule and I got 6 hours sleep on Mon night (also a quick nap that day since I had my home helper over). Tue I snuck in a 30 min power nap, then got 6 hours sleep that night. Wed and Thursday were great! Friday I wanted to crash. Even though the kids have activities on Saturday morning, I have cancelled them to allow myself and them Saturday mornings to sleep in.

The Qualities of an Innovator a Hero?

Did you know that I write? Novels about heroes. And I realized that with the talk of 'over active, non-controlled kids' we may be actually suppressing our future heroes and innovators. Or just those kids like mine  - the hyper, overactive thinkers that like to take risk.

I know that may seem far fetched, but as an Engineer by day, I'm telling you I work with some amazing people. People that today, would've been unacceptable to our 'modern school system'.

PEOPLE WHO ARE OR SEEM FEARLESS

Think back, research, really take a deep look a history. Those men that did the impulsive became great - even if it was for GOOD or otherwise.

King David - a boy, a tiny boy, who impulsively and fearlessly knocked out a giant that those before him couldn't.

Or those extreme sports athletes like Tony Hawk and others, let's be honest, an ordinary kid would NEVER attempt to jump those heights on a skateboard, or do flips and tricks on a snowboard.

Impulsiveness = Adventurous

So when you are working with your son or daughter that seem a bit out of control, bold, impulsive, does things that you just can't fathom - realize that you may very well be raising the next HERO.

This I'm writing for my little Speed Racer. You and my Razor Ray are my 'adventurous spirits' and I'm so happy to be your mom. You keep my mind sharp, my heart full, and my imagination constantly working.

MY WEEKLY WRAPUP for Homeschooling

This week nothing went as planned. That really bugs me because I am an obsessive organizer and planner. After a few deep breaths I figured it out.

WEEKLY WRAP UP

A SNAG.

Speed Racer, due to horsing around in his dance class, was asked to postpone his time on his 'dance crew'. (I know when he gets older he will cringe that I'm writing this but I figure other parents have the same challenges).

He took it hard, the first day, then we talked to him. He still is going to the dance lessons, but I've filled his 'social' time with a new sport - Tennis.

It was a bummer that this happened his birthday weekend. He tried to act like nothing happened with him and the other boy (the kids all tease each other, he participated also, but he's the noobie and has some rather quick witted words). Nonetheless, we think him sticking with breakdancing for fun and not competition fits him best. He needs to be occupied the entire time.

New curriculum we are trying.
Speed Racer's all to help his Spelling issue.

Spelling You See  - we started it this week and he really likes it. Surprise!
Sequential Spelling  - yes we are still doing this too, but he likes it because he doesn't have to study.
Abeka Spelling - only doing word introduction.

For Tiger Lilly she hates Spanish :-(  so Abeka Spanish is a gone. Replaced by:

Manga Languages - it was love at first sight - and FREE from our Library!
Japanese (remember this? She loves this language).
French (she has to learn some before her Mission Trip with Landry)

Tiger Lilly, is 'cramming' for her Composition CLEP. We are crossing our fingers since she will be taking this in 3 weeks.

She is using (1) IXL to practice her grammar (2) Instantcert & SpeedyPrep (3) REA & Peterson Test
When she can do a 56% or better on consecutive test then I'll know she's ready.

Unfortunately, due to her habit of drawing during her video lessons lately, her test and quiz grades dropped.

Now she has to get her 'class notes' for each day, signed off by me before she can move on to her next class. Not to mention, I will be sitting in the teacher chair to keep control of the (see below)


More Horsing Around!

I've had to move back to my 'teacher' chair smack in the middle of Tiger Lilly and Speed Racer in order to get our work done on time.

Note Taking is a must! So I had to put a RULE up on the wall to remind Tiger Lilly and Speed Racer.

Lately, they've been making jokes, throwing their stress balls (that I removed) and taking forever to get their work done.

Field Trip!

New York City here we go baby. Not! Had to cancel since Hubba is still recovering. So we gave out timeshare stay in Manhattan to my brother in law who lives in NY but is having home renevations.

Instead we are visiting friends in New Jersey for a sleep over where Speed Racer can play with my friend's 3 boys (a rough and tumble weekend). I am really happy I have friends with boys that my son can be rough with.

Since Hubba isn't feeling up to all the walking, we just relaxed and shopped at a few shops.

WORKING PARENT's LOG

Meals. Yay me! I'm on a slow roll. Had to leave work early on Monday to go grocery shopping. We celebrated Speed Racer's birthday and went to dinner and a movie on Sunday - my food shopping day. Never fear! I still had some seasoned turkey and a few cans of cream of mushroom soup to make our crockpot dinner on Monday. The rest of the week went by (I only do dinner Mon-Thu since Friday is pizza day.)

Cleaning. Did not happen, but I did get some clothes cleaned. They are piled up on the couch waiting to be folded and put away. It will happen before Sunday. I promise.

Work & Life Balance. This is going okay. I did manage to get a lot of sleep over the weekend. Therefore, Monday and Tuesday were a breeze. However, fatigue caught up to me on Wed. since I gave Hubba the week off from evening schooling that he 'manages' uh, teaches. I love my field of work though and the job is working out well with my homeschooling schedule.

Lesson Planning. Still barely doing it on time. I tried to do 3 weeks in one sitting but that didn't happen. So, I will try again next week to do 2 weeks in 1 sitting. It takes 2 hours for each week of planning. Where am I going to find that?

Rest. Not too good. Taking over my husband's late shift for teaching meant only getting 4 hrs sleep a night. Yikes! On Wed. I didn't even get a quick nap in since I had a business meeting for a side endeavor.