Math Monday 2/14/11

Becky did a few Valentine's Day inspired multiplication arrays.  All you need is paper (pink is best!) and some valentine's day stamps.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Becky wanted me to post this picture she took of her stuffed animals.  She made the top hat.

Miscellaneous Thoughts on Life as It is Happening

Not all learning is academic.  There's lots of learning that needs to go on in the heart and lots of learning that needs to go on in practical life skills, from learning manners to how to change a light bulb.

I have a feeling my family is about to get a big life lesson.  This week has been full of my Aunt Jackie.  For weeks now I've been visiting her at her various places of residence (a couple of different hospitals and a nursing home).  We've been sort of getting ready to take her into our home.  We didn't know when so we have been sort of stopping and starting our preparations.  I've been trying to prepare myself mentally for it.

Last Friday when I went into visit Jackie at the nursing home, I found out that she was hemorrhaging blood.  The nurse came in and announced she'd called an ambulance.  So I went with Jackie back to the hospital.  She's still there because they can't really figure out why's she's bleeding.  Probably a combination of blood thinners for her blood clot and a UTI.  Anyway, we've decided we've had enough of the nursing home.  The nursing home tries hard but can't escape the fact that it is indeed a nursing home.  Frankly, Jackie was better off physically a couple weeks after her amputation than she is now.  Just one thing after another has gone wrong and some of it directly relates to being in the nursing home.

So whenever she's discharged from the hospital (and we don't know when that will be) she's going to come here.  Saturday was spent talking to a contractor about making our powder room handicap accessible, getting a ramp for our front porch and talking with in home care givers about costs and what to expect.  Today and tomorrow I'm going to give the main floor of the house a thorough tidying.  This coming Friday the contractor will begin on our bathroom.  Jackie may be here by then.  She'll just have to deal with a little noise and dust for a couple days.  We'll figure out how to make things as comfortable as we can.

I'm not sure how to prepare my kids for all this.  I think it will be a good thing in many ways.  But I think also it will be a stressful and potentially sad thing.  What if she gets sick and dies here?  She is 87 with multiple health issues.  It's a definite possibility.   I've been talking to them about how we need to be flexible and that we might do things a little differently once she's here.  I've been more conscientious about keeping the house tidy and asking the kids to pick up after themselves.  Every time I see someone's shoes scattered on the floor I think of 1) how it would get in the way of a wheelchair and 2) how my aunt is so tidy and has never been around children much.

When I told Jackie she did not have to go back to the nursing home she perked up immediately.  That place was killing her.  I was telling her about how we homeschool and mentioned that we'd just started watching The Teaching Co lecture series on Dante and her eyes lit up.  She'd love to watch it with us.  That's one thing I love about Aunt Jackie.  She loves learning.  She taught herself French in midlife.  After she retired at 65 she learned to play the piano and paint oil paintings.  She got very good at the oil painting and has had exhibitions around town.  She got herself a whole new life upon retirement.  She loves to learn and I do too.  She totally understands wanting to study Latin at age 50, for example.  So we are kindred spirits in that way.

Anyway, we are about to get a big dose of life learning here.  I pray to God to give us joyous, generous hearts.  I pray for the wisdom to deal with all the big and little things we'll face as this change comes into our family life.

How to Provoke Your Child to Anger

I should probably get up and read this every morning before I begin interacting with my children!

Check it out:

http://www.theblazingcenter.com/2011/02/how-to-provoke-your-children-to-anger-2.html

H/T to Daisy at I'm Nobody, Who Are You?

Highlights of the Week 2/11/11

I'm just going to touch on highlights this week.


For math:  Khan Academy, Donald in Mathmagic Land and Multiplication Rock.

For Geography:  Animaniacs sing Nations of the World

For history/music:  Discovering Music; Unit 16 on American music history.  Check out Charles Ives.  Or if Charles Ives is too far out for you, check out the singing parrot!


For science:  mostly Josh did science catching up on making his Biology cards and studying for a test on Friday. But I got a bunch of Science stuff from Catholic Heritage Curricula, Behold and See 4, Behold and See 5, Life Science.

For writing:  a little cursive practice, a little WWE3, Sean wrote a short story for Will.

Monday was spent visiting my aunt and preparing for Tuesday.

Tuesday was the usual Latin/Art/Biology/4H marathon

Wednesday we had a Valentines Day party with some other homeschoolers.  Lots of crafts.  Josh went to CLC.  Becky started reading Bone and also read hours of Garfield comics.

Thursday - a little bit of schooly stuff but then my aunt had to go back to the hospital so that was a bit unexpected!  She seems to be hanging there though.

Friday - today - more Biology for Josh then P.E.  Hopefully tonight we'll have movie night and watch Darby O'Gill and The Little People.   I'm on an Irish kick.

Maryknoll Missionaries

Becky has been really intrigued by the whole story of this girls soccer team.

For the past couple of years we've subscribed to the Maryknoll magazine.  The Maryknolls are an order of priests, nuns and lay people who work as missionaries to the poor all over the world.  They can be pretty left-leaning which I think bothers some conservative Catholics.  I personally like being involved with Catholics from all over the political spectrum.  It keeps one from being insular and treating others as stereotypes.  And the Maryknolls do good work.  They are so devoted to helping the poor.  Here's an article about the Maryknoll Martyrs.

Maryknoll has just changed the way they do things with the magazine. Before it was bi-monthly magazine and each magazine comes with a poster (or two) with lesson plans printed on the back.  We still get posters, but it looks like the lesson plans on at the website.  What I usually do is strew the magazine itself on our coffee table.  Though sometimes if I see a particular article that might interest the kids, I'll read it aloud.  I usually put the poster up somewhere (either on our fridge or mud room door).  Sometimes I'll do something from the lesson plans, though not very often.  The lesson plans tend to be rather 'schooly' and kind of busyworkish, I think.  We do always go to our globe and see where these countries are.

Feeding poor children in Mexico.

Very recently, Maryknoll has updated and extended its website and it seems like we'll be getting more out of that.

I find receiving the Maryknoll magazine is a great way to strew religion, social awareness, geography, current affairs, etc.

Wordless Wednesday - 2/9/11 - Rock Candy!

Our Rock Candy Factory!

Ta Da!

Home Routines App

I just have to share how much this little app on my new ipad is helping with housework!  I am a multi-time Flylady drop out.  I thought I was beyond hope.  I'm 50, for crying out loud, and I'm still trying to find my groove when it comes to regular maintenance of my house.  I simply wasn't born with a housekeeping gene.

But every January I start trying to improve myself (hope springs eternal!) via New Year's resolutions.  And this January I got my husband to download this app to my spanking new ipad.  And, dare I say it?  It's helping!

It's just a little checklist type thing, but somehow I respond to it better than all those Flylady e-mails or checklists posted around the house (or a control journal buried underneath a pile of clutter I never get to!).

So check it out!  Hope for the hopeless!

http://www.homeroutines.com/