Lunch

Sometimes I hate lunch.  Well I don't actually hate eating in the middle of the day.  I just hate coming up with what to serve my kids in the middle of the day.  I want to have a healthy lunch.  I don't want to spend all morning making lunch, we have other things to do.  I want my kids to at least be willing to try what I make for lunch.

Most days are like this.

We start our morning school time at 10:00.  Our goal has been to have school last about 1 hour in the morning.  Thus allowing me to be done by 11:00 to get lunch for the kids sometime between 11 and 12.  Well that is the GOAL.  In actuality, most days we have a bunch of cleaning up that needs to happen before school can start.  However kids don't want to help, so it takes a long time to convince them otherwise, or clean it all up by myself.  Then we start school late.  Some days we don't but most days we do.  Then Guy often has a very hard time applying himself, and so he doesn't get done in an hour.  We have been working on that by just telling him he doesn't get lunch until his work is done.  Overall I find that I don't make it downstairs to start on lunch until I have children whining for food and clinging to my legs.  This doesn't inspire nice lunches.  Nope, I just want to get food in those mouths as quickly as possible.

So what happens, most days, peanut butter sandwiches and fruit with a glass of milk.  Not the most exciting meal, but it covers a good  portion of food groups.  That is if the kids actually eat it.  A lot of times they don't.  Some will, but not all of them.  I have one child who I never know what she will eat, so I don't cater to her at all.  My other children sometimes will ask for something, and if I have the making I will make it.

Cinderella will every once in a while ask if she can make lunch, and then make for everyone. But most of the time it is left to me.  It is rather discouraging at times.

Time Machine

George and Martha

When you hear the names George and Martha you may think of the Washingtons.  However those names have a different meaning in our home.  They are the names of Cinderella's cheeks.  Yes she has named her cheeks, and refers to them by name.  She likes to put air in her cheeks and "duck talk" then tell us her cheeks are talking.

Tonight while we were reading scriptures as a family, Guy decided he wanted his shark to read for him.  After his turn it was Cinderella's turn.  She told us George wanted to read.  Unfortunately for her, I didn't want to take the time for her to have to translate.  Was I being fair?  I don't know.  Maybe I should have let her cheeks have a turn if Guy's shark got one.

Math

On Tuesday we started our math curriculum.  The curriculum showed up shortly before my trip and the kids were eager to start.  I also have printed up various language arts worksheets for the kids to work on.  Aurora's working on letter recognition and writing her letters, Guy and Cinderella on grade level grammar and reading comprehension.  We have tried a different way of going about it each day. 

Tuesday I tried to have them do a variety of activities so I could spend some one on one time with math.   I created 3 different stations.  One for math, one for reading, and one for worksheets (or playing educational games on my tablet if they got their chores done before time to start "school".) One child at at each station at a time.  However I discovered that Aurora really needs more attention while trying to do worksheets, and needs me to sit down and read with her.  

Wednesday I set up the different activities so that I could help the kids, still have one on one time with math where needed (Cinderella didn't need or want my full attention with her math), and give Aurora the attention she needed.  That day was just chaotic.  

Thursday we took a break from schooling and went and met some other homeschool families at a splash pad.  I think this day actually wore me out the most this week.

So then on Friday I tried doing them all the same time.  We had a math time, where we just worked on math and I would try to help them all where needed.  Then later in the day we did some language art worksheets, with me trying to help where needed.  I think this worked the best, however Guy really struggled with this one.  He would lose interest, and get distracted.  I would have to keep pulling him back on task.  I am going to try giving him some one on one time  doing something else at a different point during the day, and see if he does a better job staying on task if I do that.  I think he is just fishing for attention.

Food, Playground, and Live Music

This Saturday we worked on cleaning up the house a little bit and then put together a cabinet of drawers, we were pretty wiped out by the end of the day and still hadn't gone shopping for the week's groceries, so we decided to find some place to take the kids to eat.  We found a restaurant that said it had a playground, outdoor seating, and live music.  How neat is that?

We weren't really sure what to expect, but when we arrived it looked like the place was run by a bunch of hippies.  There was an old wooden playground, picnic tables, and a makeshift stage where a local bluesy rock band was setting up to play.  It's not like any place I've ever gone to eat; the description and the pictures don't really do it justice, you have to go there to really experience it. 

Fishing with Grandpa

 

The turtles kept investigating the bait...

  

...and the one of them went for it and got hooked.

A brave gentleman helped free the turtle.

The Study

We have another room mostly done.  Thought I would post pictures.  There are still a few things I plan on doing in here, but it is mostly done.