Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Lent is underway

The season of Lent is underway here. No more chocolate for me. (Offering it up many times a day right now since the only things that sound appetizing have chocolate in them. Ole Sparky must be working some OT on this)

Fratello Maggiore took the National Mythology Exam last Thursday. He said he did really well. When we reviewed the questions, he seemed to only miss one! We'll see when we get the official results, but nonetheless, I am so proud of my boy! He takes the National Latin Exam in mid-March, so we are now reviewing for that...

Fratello Piccolo is busy preparing for his First Holy Communion. We are reviewing the Holy Mass in preparation for that.

Half-Pint has taken a new interest in the alphabet, shapes, and numbers! It seems she is ready for more "preschool."

DH started his new job yesterday. He tells me he likes it, but it is noisy. So between jobs, he was spotted at the store buying ear protection. I guess that is a swell idea as I would like him to hear me sometimes :-)

Thursday, February 15, 2007

More snow and ice

It seems I have done nothing but shovel a large driveway and de-ice two minivans for the last two days! I have sore muscles galore - and that is even with all the karate I do! It sure is cold out there, but it is a wonderful treat to come in and grab something HOT to drink when I am finished.
The boys are getting their work done. Fratello Maggiore is cramming in the last of his mythology prep so that he can study what he has learned all next week. His test is on Thursday. He is also very busy with fractions. Fratello Piccolo is doing a great job with calculating money and he has just aced this week's spelling test!
We are doing no school work tomorrow since we have eye exams and an overnight at a local hotel with friends. I will be scrapping with T and the guys and kids will be swimming and hanging out! It is a special treat for us in the middle of winter. I'll even treat them to doughnuts and juice. That is something we don't ever eat here since I insist on healthy breakfasts -- much to the dismay of my children! LOL

I am chatting with R, my "sister to another mother", who is gearing up for surgery tomorrow. We will be her prayer warriors and are going to storm heaven with get well prayers. I hope she can plan a trip here this year after she has recuperated - I'd love to be her host again!

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Snow, snow, snow

I sit here watching the snow fall. I love that I do not have to leave the house and I can just enjoy the beautiful sight. I can wrap my hands around a hot cuppa joe and watch my yard transform into a fluffy blanket of pristine white. Then, when lessons are finished, I will witness that perfection invaded by children's boots and colorful sleds. Hot cocoa and hugs follow when everyone is once again inside and warming up after thrilling snow-play.

Our lessons will be short today. I want the kids to enjoy the snowfall and expend some of their energy. We love the snow here! We have to remember to make snowballs today and store them in the freezer until summer. Our science center allows free admission on summer solstice if each person brings in a snowball. :-)

Monday, February 12, 2007

Lesson plans for this week

Today marks our 133rd day of school this year. We should be done ("officially") in late April at this rate.

Religion
remains Faith and Life at home and CCD at church; getting ready for Lent to begin next week.

Math
Fratello Maggiore - Singapore Math 4: semester assessment + Key to Fractions Book 2: Multiplying and Dividing
Fratello Piccolo - Singapore Math 2: review of multiplication tables of 0,1,2,3,4,5, and 10. Adding and subtracting money

Spelling
Fratello Maggiore - My Catholic Speller Level C - Lesson 15
Fratello Piccolo - My Catholic Speller Level A - Lesson 14

Grammar
English for the Thoughtful Child
Fratello Maggiore - Language of God Level C - compound subjects and predicates + subject-verb agreement
Fratello Piccolo - Language of God Level A - Building sentences and parts of a story

Latin
Prima Latina and Exploratory Latin Review from American Classical League (Fratello Maggiore is preparing to take the National Latin Exam in March)

History
various sources on Ancient Greece and D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths; finish Old Testament history before beginning Ancient Rome

Reading
Fratello Maggiore - Greek Myths (in prep for the national mythology exam)
Fratello Piccolo - My Path To Heaven (in prep for his First Holy Communion)

Phys Ed
karate class - they are currently trying to earn their yellow belt in Shotokan

soccer in the kitchen?!

Yikes! I just caught all three of them playing a pick-up game of soccer in my kitchen. Sometimes I just wonder what gets into their minds...
And I am now curious as to who is on the opposing team -- the penne or the box of rolled oats?

Outside with them! Snow play seems like a great cure for this cabin fever.

ABCs of Housekeeping Meme

Aprons – Y/N? No
Baking – Favorite thing to bake: bread
Clothesline – Y/N? Yes
Donuts – Have you ever made them? No
Every day – One homemaking thing you do every day: Cook
Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze? Yes, in the basement. It never seems big enough. *sigh*
Garbage Disposal – Y/N? No
Handbook – What is your favorite homemaking resource? Recipe books
Ironing – Love it or hate it? Hate it. Fortunately, I don't have to do much of it.
Junk drawer – Y/N? Where is it? Yes, in my desk
Kitchen: Design & Decorating?white cupboards, laminate countertop. butcher block island. White appliances.
Love: What is your favorite part of homemaking? Not having to work outside the house.
Mop - Y/N? Yes
Nylons - Wash by hand or in the washing machine? washing machine, but I hardly wear them
Oven - Do you use the window, or open the door to check? Open the door.
Pizza - What do you put on yours? Homemade sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, pepperoni and onions!
Quiet - What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment? What is a quiet moment?!
Recipe card box - Y/N? No.
Style of house - Country ranch
Tablecloths and napkins - Y/N? Yes to tablecloth, no to napkins.
Under the kitchen sink - Organized or toxic wasteland? How about an organized toxic wasteland?
Vacuum - How many times per week? two or three
Wash - How many loads of laundry do you do a week? At least eight.
X’s - Do you keep a daily list of things to do and cross them off? No.
Yard - Who does what? I tend the gardens, and dh does the rest.
Zzz’s - What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed? try to make sure kitchen is clean and meat is thawing

Friday, February 9, 2007

a title for everyone

LOL - these just tickle my funny bone!

More Titles:
My dh: Imperial Majesty Jeffery the Sentient of Pigotts Sty
Half-Pint: Milady the Most Honourable MacKenzie the Charming of Bow under Bumpstead
Fratello Maggiore : His Grace Lord Anthony the Intractable of Much Madness upon Avon
Fratello Piccolo: His Most Noble Lord Adam the Euphonious of Fiddlehope in the Marsh

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Milady the Most Honourable Michaela the Incomplete of Giggleswick on the Naze
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

I really like blogging

I just have to mention that I love blogging!
To me, it seems easier than a journal.

Organization?!?!?!

OK - so I sit here sniffling and feeling like my head will just explode :-P (Listening to EWTN's Open Line and trying to decide which herbal tea to make)

After lunch, I decided to let the boys go get that gladiator kit for their ancient roman history unit. Well...
Apparently I was being "smart" and put the gladiator away for safekeeping. It is SO safe that I cannot find it! In fact, its safety is so assured that I cannot find any of the science kits that I put away with him!

Me? Organized?!?!

Well, at least I have my sanity ;-)

(or do I? LOL)

Thursday, February 8, 2007

sick

Well, I am now under the weather. I think it is from Half-Pint coughing in my face the last few days. She is trying really hard to remember to 'cover her cough', but she is only 3.

Fratello Maggiore complains of a sore throat, too. I didn't give them a day off, but I did give them a light workload today of only spelling and math. If they feel up to it, they will work on that gladiator kit that is downstairs waiting for them. (I think they will - after all, that is not work to them but fun!) Education disguised as fun works every time!!!

Struggle of the day: me feeling human (instead of an incubator of microbes!)

Prayer of the day: St Francis' prayer

St. Francis of Assisi prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Our daily schedule

This is our daily scheduled during the school week:

7:30 AM - alarms go off! Rise and shine! Boys get chore list done by 8-ish.
Chore list has the following items:
make bed
get dressed
dirty laundry in hamper
toys picked up
desktop clean
feed their pets
eat breakfast
brush teeth
8:00 - 9:00 AM - free play for boys (unless we are going somewhere that morning)
9:00 AM - morning prayers, saint of day, and start seatwork
IF they are not goofing off, they are done with most work by lunch
12:00 PM - lunch time
1:00 - 2:30 PM - finish up school day with Latin, ancient history, etc.

The kids are now free to play the rest of the day. However, on days when my mantra happens to be "Fratello Maggiore... get to work," free play doesn't start until dinner time!

I end up having to stay in the library with them or they stop working. I do bring the laundry, etc. in here to do and I listen to a lot of EWTN online since I have to stay put.

Exhaustion

Here I sit for a few minutes. The kids are out with Nana getting some much-needed exercise at an indoor playplace. I am getting some much-needed SILENCE and rest. It is funny -- I already have dinner in the slow cooker, am getting the house clean/laundry done and I have to run a puppy outside every hour, BUT I do not have to speak to anyone or referee any disagreements (or wars - LOL). Believe me, ladies, I am thanking Him for this little blessing! I think that if I had a nice deep tub, I'd make time for a long soak with a hot cup of herbal tea...

Half-Pint kept me awake from 3 am on today. She had an accident and soaked her bed, so she ended up between Mama and Daddy for most of the night. The problem was that she decided she needed to dig her little body into my back every 10 minutes or so (I guess she wouldn't get cozy enough?!). I chugged a couple cups of java down (too bad I couldn't add it directly to my blood stream *G*) and got myself moving at a snail's pace. But at least I am moving, yes?

I looked at the entries from our first days of homeschooling and I smiled. I was so nervous! I see how far we have come in the last three years...

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Flashback! Our first year of homeschooling

My first entry - Wed June 2, 2004
Well, the 2003-2004 school year comes to a close this week. All that is necessary next week is to pick up Fratello Maggiore's report card on Monday morning. He is not going back to school next year. There are a number of issues that brought me to this decision: bus behaviours, bias of government schools, the fact that I want my children to learn to their potential, etc.
It is an anxious time for me. Am I making the right decision? Will I be able to provide my children with what they need to reach their potentials? Will I go crazy with the kids around all the time and no time to myself unless I schedule it? Will Jeff TRULY support this decision, or is he just placating me? Will Mom throw a wrench in my plans by pushing her weight around on this issue? Will Fratello Maggiore and I be able to work together day in and day out? How will I juggle everything??
I have been researching this change like a madwoman for the past 6 weeks. I have been mulling it over for years. It is now time to jump in the deep end or walk away from the pool...


Fratello Maggiore's last day of public school/To the teaching store - June 3, 2004

Well, today is Fratello Maggiore's last day of school. As soon as he is on the bus, the rest of us will get ready and run some errands. One place I am determined to go is Holcomb's KnowPlace - the teacher store in our area. I want to browse the store with different eyes this time - eyes of a homeschooler. I gleaned a bunch of tips over the last few weeks and want to see how this store can help our little home school.
Oh, another thing - I think we need a name for our little school. "Country Lane", GC Country Creek...???
Fratello Maggiore's last day of school... I wonder how he is feeling today...

A busy summer - Friday, July 30, 2004
We have had such a busy summer with getting the "school mentality" out of the boys. We have been doing a lot of unscheduling and living in the moment since school was dismissed for the year.
I have been observing the children's natural sleep patterns. It seems that the boys like to get to sleep between 9-9:30 pm and wake up at 8:00 (Fratello Piccolo) and 9:00 (Fratello Maggiore). This will be useful in that I can start Fratello Piccolo before breakfast with something and can give Fratello Maggiore my full attention during Fratello Piccolo's free-play or other time after breakfast.
The last of the school supplies arrived today. Now school is ready to start on Monday, August 2. I am yet to feel "ready", but I suppose that would be a long wait, so we are just going to start...

The morning of day 1 - Monday, August 2, 2004
Well, the day has arrived!
I have done morning devotions while the children sleep.
I have already bookmarked the Reptile section of the Discovery Channel's Website for Fratello Maggiore's science lesson.
I am about to wake the boys up and get them dressed and ready for learning.
Please God, guide me in this eternally-important journey. Amen

First week of school is almost over - Thursday August 5, 2004
We are almost through with our first week of homeschooling. Things are going well. Only occasionally do I have to threaten Fratello Maggiore (i honestly feared he would act worse than he has) and that is with an assigned reading and/or some math. Fratello Piccolo has taken to this like a duck to water and keeps asking for MORE! We have already learned about komodo dragons, cobras, crocs and gators by learning about the reptile family this week in science. I have started us at 80% of the work and will up to 100% right after Labor Day. Our first field trip will be to the Renaissance Faire and we will start on Medieval/Renaissance studies on Monday. We get dressed, eat breakfast, room chores and brush teeth to start our school day at 9:00. We are completely FINISHED by noon! The kids have lunch and then the rest of the day to play or read or color.

Start of week 5 - Monday August 30, 2004
We just started week 5. I think it was three weeks ago, I read about the process of "notebooking" - learning your subject while filling a binder full of things that were learned each day/week. We started notebooks for language arts, science, and geography.
We have been studying castles and knights in preparation for our day at the Renaissance Faire in September.
In science we looked at reptiles, carnivores v herbivores v omnivores, and are starting on bones.
For Geography, we have been looking at North America - landmarks, regional geography, Saints, native animals, and the major countries' flags.
During the Olympics, we took a trip to a local Greek festival and looked up different flags during events and located some of those countries on the map.

End of week 5 Saturday September 4, 2004
Week 5 has gone well. I have done some adjusting for Fratello Maggiore. The Singapore math seems to be good enough, but he seems to balk at some of the more difficult concepts yet (adding three digit numbers)- so I am adding in days of practice worksheets of many simpler math problems. I realized that THOSE have to be stronger if he is going to do well in math. We will just take Singapore math at a slower pace and see how that works. He has assigned reading two days a week and the other days he can chose whatever he wants to read. Here's the rub - he has been chosing books all along and not reading them, so we tried a different approach this week. Nana brought home some Seymore Simon books on planes and cars (these are only about 30 pages long - pic to text ratio is high) and he HAS to read and finish them. It seems the second he got something from his Nana, he wanted to read it. Go figure. Fratello Piccolo begs for more and more to do. I have purchased three additional workbooks of math and pre-reading skills. After we do what is necessary for the day, I just hand him the workbooks and he works until he gets tired of them. I am also more casual with science and social studies now with Fratello Maggiore - we notebook these and I am going to let him get to it when he wants. I'll also see how that works... We took a trip to the local art museum on Wednesday. We looked at paintings and sculptures and made our own artwork in the kids' room. We also read three storybooks about art.

Our week 6 - Wednesday September 8, 2004
Well, this is week six and I have made this our "Recharging Week". This type of week will occur every 6 weeks or so. This week, we have no formal lessons, but I am writing down every thing they read or watch or do. Already we have been to the library twice and Fratello Maggiore has read two books. They have already watched some educational programs on tv, also. Since home education is a work in progress, it is nice to be able to back off or charge forward as the opportunities present themselves.

Letter to friends about my week - October 2004
My Week
Sunday - church, big family dinner, bike riding with the kids, clean-up and "school prep" Monday - wake, Magic School Bus on TLC, breakfast and dress, Magic School Bus again, official school time starts at 10:00 with language arts. Break for lunch, finish school time by 1:30. Dentist with both boys (good healthy teeth and mouths!). Home to eat dinner before Fratello Maggiore has CCD from 6:30-8. Home and bed prep for boys. I have clean-up and "school prep" for next day.
Tuesday - wake, Magic School Bus on TLC, breakfast and dress, Magic School Bus again, official school time starts at 10:00 with math. Break for lunch and finish school time by 2:00. Free play until dinner. Soccer practices from 5:30-7:00. Home and baths for kids. Boys in bed by 9. I have clean-up and school prep for next day.
Wednesday - wake, Magic School Bus on TLC, breakfast and dress, official school time starts at 9:30 with Geography. To library for 11:15 story time and more books. Lunch out and home to finish by 4 p.m. This was by far, our longest day of hsing so far. Although we were gone from the house from 11 - 2:30. Boys had free play and were in bed by 9. Clean-up and school prep for me.
Thursday - wake, Magic School Bus on TLC, breakfast and dress, Magic School Bus again, start school with math. School finished by 1:00 and free play until dinner. Soccer game after dinner. Home and baths for kids. Boys in bed by 9. I have clean-up and pack for next day's field trip. oh yeah - and laundry this morning
Friday - FREE TOUR OF PNC PARK - home of the Pittsburgh Pirates! Tour took 1 1/2 hrs. We saw the private clubs, the press box, the batting cages, and the dugout! Then we were off to Carnegie Science Center. Free admission and one picnic lunch later, we did hands-on science activities all afternoon and even watched a demonstration on electricity (both static and current). Nana was with us all day and we ended the afternoon with ice cream treats. The boys ate their weight in ice cream sundae, I think :-) We ended the day sitting around our patio fireplace!
Saturday - Two soccer games in the morning - Jeff goes to Boy Scout leader training - free play all afternoon - church in the evening... oh and all this with no sleep Wed, Thurs, and Fri nights - Half-Pint fiercely teething or something...
Peace,
Michaela-who-thinks-she-is-tired-but-not-yet-in-a-coma

The Divine Mercy Chaplet

Start with the Sign of the Cross
1x - Our Father
1x - Hail Mary
1x - Apostles Creed

Repeat the following 5 times:
1x - Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
10x - For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Conclude with:
3x - Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

plans change

Well, since my mantra "Fratello Maggiore ... get to work" seems to continue, we have to forgo the gladiators today and instead I get to do the "great mathematics battle" with my eldest! Yippee for me (STILL offering it up)!


Anyway, my thoughts now turn to a wonderful weekend planned for us soon. We will be going to a local hotel with a friend and her family. We are so excited! The men and kids will hang out together and go swimming, etc. My friend, T, and I will spend the evening and next day scrapbooking (my one and only hobby these days) in a nearby conference room. I look forward to this brief respite from our daily winter schedule! More importantly, I look forward the fellowship with our family's good friends!!!


Are we frozen yet?

I am waiting for someone to officially declare us freezer pops. We are still in that arctic blast and the (non wind-chill) temperature is 2F. It feels like -12F out there. The poor dogs have to go out there occasionally! BRRRRRR

CCD was canceled last night. That is good since Fratello Maggiore complained of sore throat and Fratello Piccolo seems to be congested. This way they didn't miss anything by staying home.

Today our plans are to stay warm and cozy in the house and to catch up on extra school stuff that seems to fall by the wayside in a normal week. We will work on Cub Scout advancements and I think I will help the boys complete their Religious Pins: Fratello Piccolo has Light of Christ and Fratello Maggiore has Parvuli Dei. Their Blue and Gold Banquet is in two weeks and they are very eager to have their awards nearly completed by then.

The boys have gone on a rabbit trail with gladiators, so we continue to pursue that subject. They are begging me to let them have the Roman Gladiator action figure kit that I picked up at Scholastic last year...

Struggle of the day: compound subjects. Why on earth do I have a child who seems to think he can write down ONE noun and call that a compound subject?! (Yes, I am offering it up!) I can't wait until he gets to compound predicates! LOL

Prayer of the day (once again): Domine Iesu Christe, Filius Dei, miserere me peccatorem! (Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!)

My mantra today seems to be: "Fratello Maggiore ... get to work." "Fratello Maggiore ... get to work."

Monday, February 5, 2007

I just added blogs from fellow Catholic homeschoolers. I get such inspiration from these ladies. I laugh with them and cry with them.
The weather outside is 5F with wind chills near -20F. We are trying to survive our deep freeze. I am about to go stir crazy. The kids are out in the snow nearly every day, but not yesterday and today. Just knowing that they cannot go out and play (in wind chills of -20F!) is creating cabin fever in the boys. This, in turn, creates friction between the two and soon I am witness to short tempers and less-than-charitable actions in all 3 children. I am looking forward to later this week when I can let them get out there and play. I am praying for good warm weather by Wednesday... 20F would be a nice balmy day after today.

Today we are working on Latin and Ancient Rome. We just learned about the Colosseum (gladiators), Circus Maximus (chariot races) , the Roman Theatre (plays) , and the Thermae (baths). The boys are, of course, enamored with the gladiators and are now making gladiator paper dolls (no doubt ready for mortal combat).

Half-Pint has decided that she alone gets to touch her Polly Pockets. SIGH - I guess that lessons in sharing are in order there.

Struggle of the day: Fratello maggiore and his math. He seems to 'forget' how to work fractions when he is asked to add or subtract them.

With each struggle of the day comes my offering of suffering...

Prayer of the day: Domine Iesu Christe, Filius Dei, miserere me peccatorem! (Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!)

This may be the same every day for quite a while - LOL

Thursday, February 1, 2007

My first entry here

I have been reading a number of Catholic homeschool blogs now and thought it was time to join in the fun!

First, let me explain the name. We are a household full of animals. Most of them happen to be birds, fish, and dogs. We figured that we could not find a more appropriate name for our homeschool than one named after St Francis.

This is our third year of homeschooling and we are now feeling more comfortable with it. We have been in and out of a few support groups and have now settled on two (during the day): CHEER and Family Learning Opportunities. Each gives to us something different and I look forward to being able to be active in SouthPittCatholicHomeschoolers, too!

We have a number of students in this home. I must count myself one of them ;-) We are all learning the CCC, Latin, and Ancient History (including mythology).

Fratello Maggiore is a 4th grader who is a Webelo Cub Scout. This is his curriculum program this year:
Singapore Math 4 (plus Key to ____ workbooks when working in decimals, fractions, and geometry)
CHC's My Catholic Speller, Level C
CHC's Language of God for Little Folks, Level C
Faith and Life grade 4
Prima Latina + Exploratory Latin (to prepare for the American Classical League's - Exploratory Latin Exam)
Reading Your Way Through History
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths + mythology review from American Classical League (to prepare for the National Mythology Exam)
Extras: English for the Thoughtful Child, Analogies, Teaching with Aesop's Fables, and Basic Level Perplexors (logic puzzles)

**You probably noticed that I left out science. I did not add this to their curriculum because they are Cub Scouts and, as such, do a lot of civics and science throughout the year.

Fratello Piccolo is a 2nd grader who is a Wolf Cub Scout. This is his curriculum program this year:
Singapore Math 2
CHC's My Catholic Speller, Level A
CHC's Language of God for Little Folks, Level A
Faith and Life
grade 2
Prima Latina + Exploratory Latin
Reading Your Way Through History
Extras: English for the Thoughtful Child, Analogies, Teaching with Aesop's Fables, and Basic Level Perplexors (logic puzzles)

Half-Pint is 3. She is our little animal doctor most of the time. She already knows most of the basic pre-school stuff. She can also count to 10 in both Latin and Japanese. She is currently learning colors in Latin, too!

Things I grab to supplement our learning: The Holy Bible, CCC, Our Catholic Faith, Understanding the Scriptures, Comprehensive Curriculum workbooks (they are thick and full of extras when I feel the boys need more practice at something.), Diagramming Sentences, and Wordly Wise books.

We find learning everywhere. Field trips, daily living, and friends really do a lot to aid this process for us. Everyday is a new adventure in discovery and, most times, my patience ;-)

Ora