The Homeschool Mother's Journal 8/24

 

• In our homeschool this week… It was a pretty good week of school, one in which we managed to get everything done by Thursday without too much angst. The kids are really liking their curriculum this year, which makes things so much easier! I do miss Sonlight, but having the break from all of the reading is nice after doing 2-3 cores a year for the past 6 years! We finished our 6th week of school this week so that means we are just 2 weeks from the end of our first quarter. 
• Places we’re going and people we’re seeing… Luci had her first consultation with the orthodontist this week. She'll be having her 4 canines pulled pretty soon. She's got a small mouth and we've got to clear the way for some teeth by removing others. I see a very special visit from the tooth fairy in her future with the removal of four teeth! 
• My favorite thing this week was… Our homeschool group met at the park today for a play-date & planning meeting. It was good to see everyone, meet our new families, and discuss the coming year. We have lots of fun field trips and activities planned for the kids. It's going to be a great year!
• What’s working/not working for us… So far, everything is working beautifully with just a few minor tweaks here and there. I did add an additional writing program for Gavin (Write Shop) because I didn't feel like SOS English was heavy enough on writing instruction. The Lifepac cursive handwriting instruction is not enough for Luci so we are adding A Reason for Handwriting back into her day and will just scratch out all of the handwriting assignments in the Lifepacs. 
• Questions/thoughts I have… We are meeting next week with a dyslexia/dysgraphia specialist to begin the process of having Ben evaluated. We already know that we are dealing with dysgraphia, and there's a possibility of some level of dyslexia. I feel like I've let him down in some ways, not recognizing that there were genuine problems (and not just quirks) before now. 
• Things I’m working on…I'm working on plans for Luci's birthday party. She is having a Spa-themed party, so lots of girly fun with nail polish and friends. 
• I’m cooking… One of my family's favorite dishes this week is one I adapted from Skinnytaste.com. I used some lean beef that I had on hand instead of the chicken and I replaced the mushrooms, all but one of the bell peppers, and the scallions with zucchini and squash. It was delicious and got rave reviews from the family. 
•