Last month I mentioned that I received devastating news. I never mentioned what it was. Well, my husband asked me for a divorce so my life has literally been upside-down as Alyssa and I deal with an emotional roller coaster of feelings.
Furthermore, we had to put my dream house on the market. Alyssa and I are currently living in the home until it sells. It showed twice the first week on the market. This was a huge wake-up call to me, because I have a shed and classroom to declutter still. I have to sell all of the baby and toddler items. I will need to purge a lot in order to live in a much smaller place, but I lack motivation to get things done.
Praying For . . .
- Diana
- Jeffry
- Alyssa
- Jamie and her Family
- Motivation
- My Hello Mornings Group
- Fellow Homeschool Families
- Time with my Daughter
- My Life
- God's Love, Forgiveness, Grace, and Mercy
- Books and Curricula to Distract Me
- Knowledgeable Lawyer with Years of Experience
- My Sister Sam and Friends Who Have Been There for me the Last Couple Months
- Visitors - This beautiful cat stopped by to play in our grass (which needs to be cut). Can I keep her? We've also had visits from baby foxes, beautiful birds, and deer. Love God's creations!
What I'm Reading . . .
1.) Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms by Mary Jo Tate (Read sample here.)
So far this is an outstanding goal setting book! I have been journaling each short chapter in a spiral notebook. It is formatted like a 365 day devotional book.
I wanted to read this classic story to Alyssa before the movie released. I love glancing over at her and seeing her thoroughly engaged in the plot. She makes sure that I don't skip a night's reading no matter what the circumstances may be.
What I'm Listening to . . .
I hope this music will find a place in your hearts this morning.
Jen Stabro - God Speak
Dara Maclean -Wanted
Kari Jobe - What Love is This
Family Game Night Fun . . .
I introduced two new new games to Alyssa this week. The first one is Great States and the other one is YamSlam. Years ago, I got this $20 game for $5 with free shipping during a Christmas sale. I was waiting until Alyssa was old enough. It says its for ages 8 and up, but it really depends on your child. She is loving it! Although . . . the game does remind me of poker. I hope she doesn't grow up to be a gambler. LOL. Alyssa is in charge of figuring out the total scores at the end of the game. She wins the game almost every time!
I introduced two new new games to Alyssa this week. The first one is Great States and the other one is YamSlam. Years ago, I got this $20 game for $5 with free shipping during a Christmas sale. I was waiting until Alyssa was old enough. It says its for ages 8 and up, but it really depends on your child. She is loving it! Although . . . the game does remind me of poker. I hope she doesn't grow up to be a gambler. LOL. Alyssa is in charge of figuring out the total scores at the end of the game. She wins the game almost every time!
Spelling- We just finished Lesson 9 in the Spelling You See curriculum. The review for Americana will post August 18th. I can't wait to share this review with you. Are you searching for a new spelling program using a unique approach?
Character - Our character trait for this week is Helpfulness. I have definitely noticed my daughter being more helpful with household chores. This could also be due to the fact that we are doing paid "commissions" as mentioned in the Smart Money Smart Kids book and as discussed during her Financial Peace Junior lesson. I am so glad that we started using the Save Spend and Give envelopes. She already saved up for her first item which is the Frozen Karoake CD.
Math- She started a free three month trial of A+ Interactive Math Online (Family Math Package). She's working on third grade math concepts. She already finished the lessons in the first chapter and made a 100% on her test. I purchased a one-year subscription through Educents. I love how she can work on concepts for ANY graced level! Alyssa also completes one double-digit math worksheet several times a week. We've been playing math games, using educational math apps, and utilizing hands-on math activities tom review concepts.
Simple Schooling Classroom - These are online Science unit studies. Unfortunately, our subscription ends in five days so we aren't spending a week on each unit study. I am having her finish up the K-3 units. I am not sure we'll be able to renew our subscription this year. She completed the Classic Nature Study including an Insect, Reptile, and a Mammal Unit. She also completed the Penguin, Dinosaur, Cat, Horse, and Tree unit studies.
Art - We finally bought watercolor paper at Hobby Lobby using a 40% coupon so Alyssa has been painting family pictures and nature pictures. She learned how to use her Shrinky Dink machine. I bought her one for Christmas, but it has been in storage. She had a lot of fun!
History and Music - Our Experience History Through Music America: The Heart of a New Nation book arrived! We've been reading the e-book format for months which we love, but we prefer having the real book in our hands so I made a small investment. We are rereading the stories while listening to the corresponding songs. Alyssa also practices her piano song for 15-20 minutes a day using Alfred's Basic Piano Library Lesson and theory Book 1B. I can't wait for next summer's recital!
Places We Went
We went to the movie theater to see Guardians of the Galaxy. My daughter really wanted to see the movie. After discussing it with Jeffry and remembering . . . she's seen the Pirates of the Caribbean - we decided she could go see it. Wrong choice on our part! The movie is PG-13 and did contain foul language. Several of the scenes were scary and inappropriate too. I wish I had watched it first but I can't undo what has been done. We all make mistakes. Thankfully, she hasn't had any nightmares or repeated any bad words. I had a discussion with her after the show.
What I'm Cooking
Alyssa and I made Winter Granola. We are loving Marathon Mom's recipe and will definitely make it again. We put the white chocolate chips in too soon, because we were in a rush to eat it. We eat this during movie night and it tastes great in milk as a snack.
What I'm Watching . . .
Every Sunday evening, I watch Witches of East End, a new series on Lifetime. Check out past episodes if interested. I started watching this last year. I do NOT allow my daughter to watch it so she'll watch a movie on the portable DVD in her room, play in her room for an hour, or go swimming with her father. Alyssa watched a Barbie Princess Charm School show last night.
1. ) Smart Money Smart Kids by Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze
2.) I Quit Sugar by Sarah Wilson
3.) Experience History Through Music by Diana Waring Presents
4.) My Child, My Princess by Beth Moore
5.) VeggieTales Celery Night Fever
Awesome Freebies, Giveaways, and Homeschool Deals . . .
Educents is currently offering all five of the The Old Schoolhouse Planners for FREE for a limited time.
- The GRAND prize is an Apple Mini iPad.
- On a personal note . . . I'm super excited about the Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading Curriculum (Level 1)! I would LOVE to try this curriculum this year.
- Did you see the $100 Gift Certificate to Home Science Tools? This would help make our Science lessons more hands-on this year. we still need to purchase Science curricula, supplies, and tools for experiments.
- The Neu Year Calendar and MySchoolYear.com Subscription would help keep us on track with regards to planning and organization. I need some way to track all our appointments, reviews, play dates, extracurriculars, and visits with daddy.
- Oh . . . and wouldn't the Constitution Quest game be a fun and educational game to play during family game night?
Visit APlusTutorsoft to enter numerous FB Party Giveaways! I had a great time attending the party. There are so many incredible giveaway prizes - hoping we win one of the items on our wish list!
Ben and Me Schoolhouse Review Crew Back-To-School Giveaway - Fantastic vendors and prizes listed as part of these two awesome ginormous giveaways. Be sure to enter as soon as you can!
I have a VeggieTales Celery Night Fever giveaway posted here on A Learning Journey. Click on the link to read my review and enter the giveaway. Please share this giveaway with all of your friends. Good luck!
God Bless! Thank you for visiting A Learning Journey!
I will link this post at The Homeschool Mother's Journal and Random Five on Friday.
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