Fleur de Lis Homeschool Blog: Mar 31, 2018

Saturday, March 31, 2018

SL Core 100 Week 10B March 25-31, 2018

SL Core 100 Week 10B

March 25-31, 2018

Big cat and little basket!

Hello Friends!

This was a migraine week, yet again. Dd never gets as much done when I am struggling with a migraine, and being in pain always wears down my immune system, which leads to me getting a new bug/illness---which happened too. Dd was healthy until Thursday, then she also got the bug I fought this week. Dd and I both had had a short two-day stomach bug last week, and then this week we picked up another illness. We didn't have a lot of energy this week and didn't get a lot done.

Both of my older orchids are blooming again!

Good Friday, Strings Group performance, and Migraines:

Our Strings Group performed at a sister church on Friday night (Good Friday service), but Dd was too sick to go so I went alone. On Friday afternoon I started to feel better, but Dd was still in the thick of it. My migraine stayed with me, off and on, throughout the whole week. So tired of migraines. I have really been in a migraine cluster for much of this month. Our Strings Group is also scheduled to perform on Easter Sunday---hoping Dd will be well enough to do that.

If only we had videotaped Honeysuckle trying to fit into this small basket!!! Oh my!

Dh back to work:

Last week Dh was in Italy; returning Saturday night. He had to start back to work on Monday morning---still exhausted from the time change. He has really been trying to keep better hours and keep his new perspective about work. He finished reading Tony Dungy's book: Quiet Strength. Tony was the football coach for the Colts for years and is a very prominent Christian. Dh really appreciated reading how a fellow Christian balanced his work and family life.

Some of the things Dh brought back from Italy:

Cookies (that I can't eat!)

The Balsamic Vinegar on the left is from last year, and the new one is on the right. So good on salads!

Dd asked for a plaid scarf

"Fonzi's" are a snack that are in Percy Jackson's series by Rick Riordan. Dd loves that series so much and was tickled to get more of these infamous snacks.

We just love this brand of black licorice.

Knitting:

I'm finally doing a knitting project! I'd been crocheting this year and missed the process of knitting. Since I've not felt well this week I thought knitting sounded perfect. We had to text Heather to remember the little saying about how to start the yarn:

Signed Dd up for Iowa Testing in May:

Last year I missed signing Dd up for the Iowa Test, so this year I signed up early and am so glad! One of the hard parts of homeschooling, for me, is that I often wonder how well I'm doing facilitating learning for Dd. I know Dd spends much less time doing homework than the public school kids, so I really appreciate getting some feedback on how she is measuring up to her peers. So far, each time we get the results back on the Iowa Test we have been pleased with how Dd scores and that assurance helps me to not feel like we are on the right track and should continue homeschooling. I appreciate all the encouragement I can get! I hope she does well again this year.

Chickens:

The chickens spent time outside every day this week. It is great seeing them outside and getting fresh air, it must be so boring for them during winter to be shut up inside their coop. I carried the chickens to their tractors a few times this week and also fed the ones who couldn't go out some weeds. They are all doing really well!

A little dish I made up for the chickens

Our academics accomplishments this week:

I've been trying, trying to spend more time on Science and Writing, but, this week we only made progress in Writing.

Bible:

We went back to my Integrated Study Bible this week, we wanted a lot of Bible this Passion Week:

The Transfiguration, Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy, Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time, The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, The Temple Tax, Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us, Causing to Stumble, The Parable of the Wandering Sheep, The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, The Cost of Following Jesus, Jesus Goes to the Festival of Tabernacles, Division Over Who Jesus Is, Samaritan Opposition. The best, best, best part is that Dd read all our bible aloud this week! Normally I do all the reading, but she has been really growing lately.

Dd went to Church, Sunday School, Youth Program, and volunteered to run Games at Olympians.

(I'm still loving my Ladies Sunday School class--we are doing Beth Moore's Entrusted Bible Study. I've really been digging in and really learning a lot!)

Dd typing up her IEW paper while eating the Italian snacks (Fonzi's) that Dh brought her back. These snacks, Fonzi's, were mentioned in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series and therefore are a hot item for Dd.

Writing:

IEW: Continuation B: Lessons 11 & 12: Completed

Dd wrote the Introduction and Conclusion for her Clara Barton paper. We rewatched lessons on the DVD and finished the remaining parts on Disc 4. (So glad to be making real progress in writing again.)

Math: Grace Academy

Saxon Geometry: Although this was Grace Academy's "Spring Break" they had to complete a big test and mail it to her teacher on Tuesday. She worked Monday and Tuesday to get it completed and we got it to the post office at 5:30. Then she completed lesson 87 for homework.

Dd reading A Gathering of Days on 'new' sofa!

SL Literature:

A Gathering of Days by Joan W. Blos: In Process

*SL IG had They Loved to Laugh as her Literature book, but this one was on a previous version and I had already bought it, so I decided to go with the book we already owned. We have a few different versions of Core 100 to chose from.

SL History:

Sequoyah and the Cherokee Alphabet by Robert Cwiklik: Completed

Fun Reading:

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon: In Process

DVD movie:

Everything Everything, 2015

Music Classes:

Intermediate Orchestra: 1:30 hours Violin

Intermediate Band: 1:30 hours Alto Sax

Strings Group: 1:30 Ukulele

Music Lessons:

Piano Lessons: 30 min

Violin Lessons: 30 min

Music Practice during the week, plus Thursday night's Strings Group practice.

No Grace classes this week- Spring Break-

Art:

This week Dd did two acrylic paintings:

"Unique" and "Flower Power"

She titled these paintings.

She worked on her painting three days this week.

Fun Movies:

The one fun part of being sick and miserable is watching movies from the library:

The Justice League

The Last Jedi, Star Wars

The Mummy (1999--awful, but we knew that it would be!)

Everything Everything

Cooking:

Dd made dinner on Wednesday: Herbed chicken, Tilapia, and zucchini (delicious!)

We've been working on the soil in the garden beds

Next week we are supposed to go back to winter weather---temperatures in the teens or twenty's! Snow and ugly wind. Here is hoping spring will come back soon!

..................................

Knitting : How to start your yarn

Knitting saying to start your yarn:

'In the front door, around the back, out through the window, and off jumps jack."

Thanks, Heather!

SL Core 100 (American History) Week 10 A March 18-24, 2018 Dh in Italy

SL Core 100 (American History) Week 10 A

March 18-24, 2018

Dh in Italy, Strings Group Performance, Garden Prep and First Day of Spring!!

Hello Friends!

Dh flew to Italy on Friday (16th) and returned on Saturday (24th). His base was in Bologna, Italy, but he also went out to see: Florence, Verona, and Vicenza. He had a great time and brought home some great gifts! The only place I haven't been to before was Vincenza and it sounds like a place that would be interesting to visit. Poor Dd really misses Dh when he is away, so that part of our week was difficult.

Strings Group Performance:

On Sunday our Strings Group performed a few songs for our church. Our song list: Let the Lower Lights Be Burning, Send the Light, and Never Alone. During the offering time, the strings part of our group played Mansion On A Hilltop. Dd and FA sang a little duet in one song and sounded lovely. This was the first time Dd has done anything beyond pluck her ukulele in front of a church crowd. Lexi came on Saturday and enjoyed our little church. She especially liked the youth group classes.

A male Cardinal for Chelle--he's drinking water from the pool tarp.

Lexi:

We had one of Dd's friends stay with us Friday of last week, to Monday of this week. The girls had a lot of fun together.

Garden and First Day of Spring:

Feels nice to once again list "Garden!" Twice this week I went out, with a shovel, and turned over the dirt and started chopping up the old plants from last year. I've had the chickens out and scratching in the garden some too.

Ukulele Week:

This was a ukulele week for Dd. I could hear her upstairs playing and singing her ukulele this week. It is always fun to see how she spends her free time. We've never had any video games so that isn't an option. We don't have dish or cable tv, so that isn't an option. I have stuffed our house with art supplies, books, and a small collection of musical instruments so she has some good options of how to use her time.

Chickens:

I used up a whole bundle of chicken fencing wire--not the normal kind that you are probably thinking of, a sturdy rectangle kind, and attached it around the upper run and inner sanctum to make it more difficult for predatory birds to get over and in.

Before

After- another 2 1/2 feet of wire

I've been wanting to give them a little more space without adding the potential for being attacked.

I still have some open-air space that I need to figure out how to seal off, Dh suggested the fine netting we had put over our blackberry plants in Indiana as a possible solution.

Ms. Lemon & Chicken Tractors:

Ms. Lemon has been dropping (molting) like crazy now! She looks funny with her long tail feathers falling out, but unlike the other chickens she hasn't lost her back feathers enough to see any skin, so she is molting yet not looking worse for wear!

I've been able to pull up weeds and other green things for the chickens this week, plus they've been making rotating visits out to the tractors to eat grass to their heart's content. I do wish we had more than two tractors----six would be awesome! I'm glad they are getting a better diet now that the weather is improving.

Sofa:

Tuesday Dd and I picked up our sofa! So exciting! We are going to keep it in the basement Rec. Room so the kitties can't scratch it. Our "nice" furniture is in the basement and our old furniture is in the living room---kind of backward! Dd has already taken over the sofa and enjoys doing her reading on it!

Photography:

I bought Dd a tripod (used, of course) and Saturday Dd bundled up and sat in a chair in our front driveway and took pictures of birds. With her new (Christmas) camera she was able to get some really amazing photo's, her camera is really good, much better than mine! She has always loved Photography and is thinking about taking a photography class next year.