EARTH Week in review ...

Whew.  I should probably try posting at another time because I am spent.  Spending all day outside in the Florida sun with lots of children and games can really wear a Momma out (today was Field Day at our homeschool co-op)!  But, we've got family-time plans all weekend, so if I don't do it now, I probably won't do it at all.  So, please forgive me if any of this doesn't make sense or this isn't my best work!  My brain is a bit fried.  :-)

All in all we had a pretty fantastic week.  This week was all about Mother Earth (in honor of Earth Day today).  It was a pretty relaxed week and felt (for the most part) centered and calm.  I'm really learning that steady progress is better than none at all and that peace is much better than attempts at perfection.  I make plans, but only so that I have some ideas up my sleeve and we have some form of direction.  But, those plans must always be flexible!  And, I must always be able to bend and throw the plans out the window if need be.  My mantra in homeschool is "Peace not perfection".  It's taken me almost two years to learn it, but I'm finally becoming very relaxed and natural and not so hard on myself!  And, it feels awesome!

Sneak Peek of the coming week ...

I thought I'd share what we have planned for this week.  I've purposely planned a pretty light week.  We are still trying to get back into our groove, so we are easing in.  Plus, this week is all about Earth Day, so it's a little different than a typical week.  Momma & Daddy are also going to a concert Wednesday night, so I'm being wise and planning an easy day on Thursday so as not to feel like a failure!  Planning is key ...

Theme

As I said above, this week is all about Mother Earth and Earth Day.  It was tough for me to choose this year ~ Earth Day and Easter fall at the same time.  I ended up deciding to focus our school week on Earth Day and then our family activities over the weekend on Easter.  

We still haven't started an official 2nd grade main lesson block ~ that starts next week.  This week is another FAMILY week. 

Here is an overview of what I've got planned for the week:

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

I'm going to try something new this week.  The Homeschool Mother's Journal is a weekly link-up for homeschooling moms, hosted by Sue the Homeschool Chick.

I was prepared to do my Week in Review anyway, but I thought it might be a good idea to share some thoughts about our entire life this week.  School is Life and Life is School anyway, right?

Here goes ...

What's on the menu?

Do you plan your meals for the week to plan your shopping trip?  I can't say that I always do, but I can say that life is much easier when I do.  In the past I've planned 6 or 7 meals and made a list to choose from each night, but recently I've been a little more detailed in my planning.  Why?  Well, we are away from home at dinner preparation time on Wednesdays and Fridays, so I need to have a plan.  It also helps to have a plan when you include raw food in your diet because some things require advanced preparation like soaking nuts or seeds or marinating vegetables.  So, what's on the menu in our home this week (a few of these have already been made and eaten, but I thought I'd share anyway in case it inspires ideas in your family)?  

A Look at the week ahead

One of the blogs I love to read is Rockin' Granola, and she recently started doing a Sneak Peek at her week, posting her plans for the week ahead.  I like it, so I thought I'd do the same ...

Here's a peek inside my plans for this week:

Theme

This week we're just getting back into a school groove and focusing on Math.  Our MAIN LESSON this week will involve both girls because we are focusing on Arithmetic Village this week.  

Here is an overview of our plans this week:

Return from hiatus ...

Okay, so if you've checked back here at all in the past five months, you know that I have been on hiatus.  A lot has happened in the past five months, and I couldn't begin to explain it all, so I'll try to hit some main points and just get back into this blogging thing.  I'm really going to try (TRY TRY TRY) to fit this in.  I want a record of our home learning journey.  I'm trying to decide if I want to separate and have more than one blog ~ one for home education, one for food and recipes and one for musings ... or, maybe I need to get a handle on ONE blog before trying to add more to my plate, lol.  Well, maybe one day I'll rearrange and organize these into specific blogs.  In the meantime, if I had to guess, I'd say the majority of this blog is going to be dedicated to our homeschooling journey.  Hope you enjoy a peek into our days ...

So, where have I been exactly?  Well, let's see.  The last time I posted was in November, and between Thanksgiving and New Year's we were pretty much just enjoying the beautiful weather and holiday preparations and peaceful home life.  That really is my favorite time of year, and I've officially decided that our school year will end in November of each year and pick up again in January.  As I've mentioned before, it's just our family's natural rhythm.  Going forward, we'll start school years in January and school til November with breaks when the weather is nice (usually March and October her in Florida) and whenever else we need them.  There's just no reason to plan much school in November and December ~ the girls are excited and so is Momma!  Not a lot of concentration going on.