Trevor

Trevor COULDN'T WAIT to use modeling clay to form dikes of the Netherlands, have his Sea Beggars break through and save his city of Leyden . . .



...because he had other plans for the modeling clay.

Curriculum plans for the year

I love the planning part of school. I enjoy seeing what's out there, the endless choices I have before me. Ater 8-1/2 years, I no longer see them as the endless choices I have to screw up my kids' lives either! I love to look at everything, touch it when possible, and imagine the possibilities. I've been pretty good at fighting the "grass is always greener" syndrome, an early challenge for me. When we find what works, we stick with it, and when we change, it has been for the right reasons.

With Holly in high school this year, I now need to keep track of credits. It's no longer daunting. I've watched enough of my friends go through this, quite successfully, and two books have been particularly helpful and encouraging, Barb Shelton's Form+U+la and Cafi Cohen's Homeschoolers' College Admissions Handbook.

Here's the rundown on our plans for the year. I prayed about this a lot last year, needing the balance of the teaching/learning style that has worked for us, yet knowing that I'd again have outside commitments.

Holly, 9th grade:

Algebra. Life of Fred. The biggest challenge might be what to call this on a transcript, lol.

American History, American Literature and Composition, and Biblical Issues in American Christianity. Notgrass. Covering three subject areas and credits, this will be the bulk of her daily work. Some of the Composition portion will be substituted with The Institute for Excellence in Writing's Student Writing Intensive Level C.

Latin. Getting Started with Latin, and when this is completed, my current plan is for her to begin Henle, along with the syllabus from Mother of Divine Grace.

Classical Astronomy. Signs and Seasons, including the lab/field work.

Biblical Worldview. She'll take this one-semester outside class during the second half of the school year.

Holly will be playing fall and spring rec league soccer, and horseback riding a few times a month, both of which will count towards a P.E. credit. Additionally, she'll be volunteering again with the Bible Club which our church sponsors. It will be a busy year, I think.


Trevor, 6th grade:

Memory work. I'll continue to select a variety of materials, a continuation of what we've done for several years.

Bible. Boyhood & Beyond by Bob Schultz. For now, we'll be reading this together out loud.

Math. Primary Mathematics/"Singapore." This has been a good fit at our house for a while now.

Spelling. Spell to Write and Read. This has been my favorite curriculum for the elementary grades, and it will be sad to stop using it--almost sad anyway!

Grammar. Shurley English. This fell off the radar last year. Trevor began Level 5 in 4th grade, but at the beginning of 6th grade, I noticed that we are only on Lesson (Week) 15! We've used Shurley for years, and I'm confident we'll keep up with it this year. I've always disliked Shurley's writing instruction, so we skip that.

Writing. Writing Strands. It looks like we're overloading the Language Arts, but in reality, each of these fits into a piece of the puzzle. I'm not a big fan of Writing Strands' author's writing style, but my kids are good with the instruction. Instead, I use the author's writing as an example of what I *don't* want them to do. :)

While we're not formally using Teaching the Classics, I have to insert it here. I frequently use the methods taught in TtC, and it's been my favorite curriculum for the upper elementary and middle school grades. Typing this, though, has me consider that we CAN use this if we let anything else fall off the schedule. Hmm, that's so tempting! (And THERE's that 'grass is always greener' mentality....)

History. Story of the World, vol. 3. I've used SOTW and the accompanying Activity Guide with one or both kids for the past 6-1/2 years. It's the longest-running curriculum that we've stuck with. I love the flexibility! Trevor's not wild over a lot of reading assignments, so we'll be supplementing with my long time favorite Art in Story by Marianne Saccardi, and Trev's excited to once again be using the test booklet that is available with SOTW too.

Science. Rainbow. I think Trevor's most excited about this. Holly used it two years ago, and even then, he couldn't wait to try it himself.

Trev will also be using a keyboarding/typing computer program, playing soccer, and he may join the chess club nights when soccer is over.

So that's it. Usually a few things fade away, but we're still left with a solid year. I expect this year to be no different than any other. Yay!!!

A few more pictures

These are random shots left over the past month. They haven't fit into other posts, so they can be together here.

Robert found this outside. (Thankfully!) The spider had spun an intricate web overnight along Lucky's zip line (for lack of a better term).



I think Robert snapped this shot.



This is a very cool hummingbird moth. Resembling a giant bee, they fly during daylight hours. I wish it had stayed still to get a clear shot.



And our favorite hummers. We've had several this summer, although I've heard their numbers are down in the area. We love our hummingbirds, have several feeds set out, and could watch them play for a while!

Trevor and I take a walk

Trevor and I went for a walk in the woods today.



I haven't been back here in a few months.


I feel guilty that I don't take advantage of it more often.


Even I notice how dramatically the woods change with the seasons.


Trevor spotted a broken butterfly happily sipping from a flower.


This time, I didn't test to see if the fence was electric!


I am quite oblivious wherever I go; Trevor noticed this bee too.


When we came to a No Trespassing sign, we turned around. (Usually we just ignore them, can I say that?)


"Enough with the pictures already!"


Home again!


And yes, it was an absolutely gorgeous day!

Weekly menu

I really have to plan well this week. This is our first week with a full school schedule, I'm working three days in row, we have soccer practice immediately after work, plus we have our first soccer game. WHEEEEEEEEEEE! If I can keep dinner working smoothly, it will definitely help my week--which helps everyone else's week!

grilled cheese and/or soup, salad (my guys have been sick)
Rachael Ray's chicken sausage, cheesy cauliflower, beans
Robert's choice, tacos?, ravioli?, bbq pork sandwiches?
chicken fajitas except I'll use beef...
Robert's choice, tacos?, ravioli? bbq pork sandwiches?
Ree's Lemon Pasta
pork chops, mashed potatoes, corn?

Cake of the Week: uh......

On the back burner:Easy Peanut Butter Fudge, thanks again to Heather
Marlboro Man Sandwiches, creamy orange jello
frito pie
beef shoulder filets (whatever that is!)
corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots
nacho dogs
Bobby Flay's fish tacos, and sweet and spicy kettle corn

Bio in the paper

My supervisor at work writes a column for our local paper covering various subjects related to literacy and the library. This month's column introduced the two of us who work for her in the children's department. Here's the excerpt that specifically mentioned me. My own take is noted in red:

* * *

In 2008, Kristine M______, wife of Robert M______ and mother of two, sauntered (stumbled) into the library and into the youth department staff, fresh (to Stickville) from the Colorado Rockies. An avid reader, Ms. M______ is (antisocial and) passionate about books, family and homeschooling. She has been a home school mom for eight years and uses that experience to (foist her opinions on others) assist other families with curriculum and educational requirements. Her family attends Calvary Chapel in Roanoke. An enthusiastic photographer and (inconsistent) blogger, she quickly adapted to the youth department, where she, like Ms. B_____, has become a valuable member of our team. Her energy and enthusiasm are remarkable, and a background in the legal field has allowed her to (nitpick and question everything) hone research skills that are so important in library work. (Because children scare her,) Kristine M______ excels at working one-on-one with youngsters, probing their academic needs and (directing them to one of her three favorite authors, Thornton Burgess, Arnold Lobel, or Jon Scieszka) finding books that satisfy and challenge their abilities and expectations.

* * *

It truly was a lovely article. (I'm glad I have some people fooled.) We do not subscribe to our local county paper, but a sweet co-worker and friend gave me a copy for me to save. With much appreciation and gratitude for media bias (finally), I am happy to have anyone remember me like this!

A lovely afternoon with Holly...

...and I didn't bring my camera. Ugh!

We finished up school for the week. It's been going well; my biggest challenge is to keep myself on track. (This is best accomplished just by going to bed early.) If I am organized, I can help my kids be ready and organized.

Anticipating Holly's first lesson with the new instructor next week, we went shopping for new riding pants. Her current pants have held up for a remarkable three years, and it's finally time to buy a replacement pair.

It was so nice to spend time together out, just the two of us. We made the long drive to the tack shop, and she was able to find several pairs of pants to try. It was a pleasant surprise to end up with two pairs from which to choose.

We took a back way to a nearby Dairy Queen, and although I had no idea where I was, incredibly, my GPS actually did its job and got me where I needed to be without any (known) unnecessary detour. (Yay!) Taking advantage of another DQ Happy Hour, the half priced Mocha Moo-Lattes made us very happy indeed, haha. It was gorgeous today, and we sat outside although the restaurant was on a very busy road. This would have made me crazy a few years ago, but at this point, the pollution and traffic noise are practically a novelty.

We skipped a trip to the grocery store and headed home, taking a back way which shows off our spectacular rolling hills and scenery. I so love one on one time with my kids, and I need to grab these opportunities more often.

And remember to grab my camera too.

Horse things

As we consider the possibility of changing riding instructors for Holly, she and I visited a nearby horse farm this week.


Holly met with the trainer and her horses.


It's a possibility that Holly would make the switch from jumping to dressage. She's definitely up for the challenge of a bit of change, and it looks like we may be giving this place a try.


It's both exciting and a little unsettling to think about starting somewhere new.

SOOOCCCCCCEEERRRRRRRRRRRR!

GET READY!



GET SET!!

Holly helps Trev tighten his laces.

GO!!!!!



It was a great night for soccer. It was wonderful to see friends we haven't seen over the summer, to visit with the other moms, to enjoy the gorgeous weather.


It was fun to get out and watch the kids work while I sat comfortably in my chair. It even rained hard for several minutes, chasing me into my car but not dampening the kids' spirits one bit.



It was a GREAT night! And yes, I know I've already said that, but it's worth repeating again and again!

Lazy Sunday

We had morning and evening church studies on Sunday, so Trevor brought a friend home for the afternoon. The boys played Battlefront for quite a while, moved onto Legos, and ended up with stuffed animals. But remember that these are 11-12 year old boys--they used giant stuffed animals as weapons. Go figure!



Holly had a cold and hung out on the computer. Robert slept, and the cats waited for food.



I tried to look hard at work on very important things. That's the life of a mom, you know.



However, in reality, I practiced on Bejeweled beta. I really like it, except that I wish it would keep track of scoring!



We flew out the door in time for evening service and in general enjoyed a relaxing day.

Weekly menu

grilled flank steak (with flat iron steak)rice casserole, some kind of spinach
Caesar chicken salad
scrambled eggs, hashed browns, _____________
Dad's choice
Rachael Ray's chicken sausage, cheesy cauliflower, beans
something with hamburger
Ree's Lemon Pasta

Cake of the Week: uh......

On the back burner:Easy Peanut Butter Fudge, thanks again to Heather
chicken fajitas
Marlboro Man Sandwiches, creamy orange jello
frito pie
beef shoulder filets (whatever that is!)
corned beef
bbq pork sandwiches
nacho dogs
Bobby Flay's fish tacos, and sweet and spicy kettle corn

Moving again...

at least for the pantry.

It started out as our "laundry closet," but a kitchen does not work as a laundry room for this family. Shortly after we moved in, we moved the washer and dryer into the basement and turned the laundry closet into a computer closet. One of the big advantages of getting a laptop (in addition to speeding up my computer by 500%) was that we could turn the computer closet into a real pantry.



I was so excited that I took this picture before we even moved anything up from the shelf downstairs. I'm very happy to have a pantry in my kitchen once again. I can bring everything up, from my seldom used electric frypan and crockpot, to all of those canned goods I try to stock up on, and it will all be together, easy to see and easy to reach. There's room for the pet food, the vacuum cleaner, and even our computer printer.

This is surely a permanent change. Yay!!!

FIRST day of school!

The kids were downstairs and ready to eat breakfast on time, and we were off to a fabulous start! The biggest shocker of the day--LOOK who's actually sitting first! If the rest of our year could go like this, well, WOW!!!!!!!

That's jelly on the toast, it's not burned.

We usually start out our year slowly, over the course of a few weeks, gradually adding in subjects until we get into a full schedule. We're not taking as long this year, but we'll settle in over the next week and a half.

Trevor is using most of the same curriculum that he did last year. We're either picking up where we left off, or beginning a new book. But every single subject for Holly this year is a new program for her; I'll post on what we're using later this week.

Trevor reviews his memorization.

Holly mentioned that we'd celebrated last year by going to Dairy Queen and asked if we could go again. They were surprised that I agreed, and we headed to DQ when everything was done. Oh-so conveniently, we found out they have a 1/2 off Happy Hour from 2-4 pm each day. One medium chocolate shake, one large Moo-Latte, and one medium Moo-Latte, for a total of $6.11. We'll definitely be doing this again soon.

Why do 11 year old boys smile so hard?

Trevor took Holly's challenge to ride the pig.


Robert made his famous chile rellanos for dinner.

The end result, since I forgot to take a picture before we ate.

Holly and I went for a walk.


Trevor and I watched for bats, although we were unsuccessful tonight.



It was a great start to our school year. If we can only have 179 more days just like it, we'll be all set!

Quick trip to Charlottesville

Following Trevor's recent MRI, we drove up to Charlottesville to review the results with Trev's doctor. UVA is huge, a mind-boggling sea of people, buildings, and endless construction.

However, we are in a side building, and I landed a front row parking spot.

The appointment went well and included a lot of words like lobulated, hemangioma and partial-lymphangioma. Because the majority of growth is on top of the lip muscle, the doctor won't be able to get to it from Trevor's mouth. Instead, he will cut along Trev's lip line, which will minimize scarring. We have a tentative surgery date at the end of October. Now we can navigate/negotiate and everything else with the insurance company, which I don't even want to think about.

Charlottesville is a beautiful town, and I would love to take the time to spend a day enjoying it. The history of this entire area (oh, just the entire east!) continues to amaze me. Home to Jefferson's Monticello and James Monroe's Ash Lawn-Highland, in 2004, Sperling's named Charlottesville the Best Place to Live in the U.S.

I happily took the opportunity to play tourist!

We have three regular stops whenever we go out of town: Kohl's, Q-Doba, and McDonald's (either for the bathroom or iced coffee). Do you want to guess which two we made on this trip?

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Q-Doba!

Now that VA has closed a few rest stops along I-81,
this place is even more appealing...

Back one week to Trev's birthday

There was Lego. And then there was more Lego.

Trevor works best with the noise of the tv. Go figure!

For the second year in a row, Trevor requested Husband Delight for dinner. I'm wondering if we should rename it "Son Delight" just for him. I was very pleased with the way his camouflage birthday cake turned out.


Marble cake mix, with part of the white cake dyed green. Next time I'll use the dye paste for more vibrant color in the frosting.


And there was a little more Lego.


It was a really sweet day. I can't believe my baby is 11.

(That would be Trevor, not Robert!)

Back two weeks to my birthday

(I can always wait when it comes to my birthday!)

We celebrated a little early by taking in the baseball game, as I had to work on my birthday. We also got my birthday present a little early, knowing I'd get money to put towards my gift: a new laptop! Yay!!!!!



It's about 5000 times faster than the old computer, I'm not exaggerating. Robert and the kids bought me a wireless mouse, but I forgot that I was supposed to be taking a photo of it here too. The mouse has been very helpful in gaining me higher Bejeweled scores, and I'm not exaggerating about that either!

Although I had to work, my wonderful boss gave me this lovely Willow Tree piece. She did not know that I have a small collection. It was such a nice surprise. If I had to work on my birthday, at least I work at a great place with sweet people.



My family came to work and brought me McDonald's for dinner and a giant tiramisu for dessert. No candles, but we didn't need to keep the fire dept. on call.

Robert and the kids also gave me a license plate frame for my car.



Oh yeah, and I guess my car was sort of my present. LOL.

It was a very good birthday. One nice thing about getting older is that I kind of forget how old I really am. And that's very good too.

The good, the bad, and the bloggy

With Debbie's family's visit yesterday, I realized a few more aspects of blogging. It can be good, and it can be, well, a little embarrassing.

I felt like I already knew Deb's family. I know stories about them, know their ages, know their smiles. (And let me say that the joy on their faces that Debbie captures in her photos is just as they are in real life!)

Trevor spent some time yesterday morning scrolling through Debbie's lovely blog, looking specifically for pictures of Gabe, happy to see for himself that they shared much more in common than the obvious Legos!

On the negative side, however, I was ever so slightly (as in majorly) mortified when Debbie reminded her kids to close the lid on the toilet. Remembering my post from over two years ago, she knows that I have a thing about toilet lids. This is NOT the way I want to be remembered! How can I work on that? haha

Oh, there's probably more I could say, but I'm sure I've already conveniently forgotten. :D

The one where we meet Debbie's family!

I have met several of my loopy friends, and I was especially excited to meet Debbie and her family. Debbie and I first met eight years ago online. Debbie's two oldest kids are close in age with my two. We've also been part of a smaller list together, and we're part of a small Bible study group. They were camping several hours away but were eager to make the drive to our house!

Holly and Bess hung out and did some girlie things.


Trevor and Gabe disappeared into Trevor's room to talk, and play with Legos and DS, coming out only to feed a little. Okay, a lot.


Dan, Hannah and Rachel ran between the other kids and the grown ups.


Robert swapped stories with Brian . . .


. . . and squashed little kids.


Even Grace and Lucky played together.


And Debbie and I just enjoyed each other and enjoyed watching our families make their own friendships!


It was a SUPER fun afternoon. It's always wonderful to meet other loopies, but it's even more special to visit with a long time cherished friend who has been a blessing in my life, whose entire family seemed like a natural fit around my own.


Debbie, Brian, Bess, Gabe, Rachel, Hannah, Dan....thank you for sharing a part of your vacation with us, and for sharing your family with ours!!

I love my loopy list, I love my loopy friends. :)