Week 15 of Kindergarten

How the heck have 15 weeks of school already gone by!?

We're finishing out the month of November and then we'll take the entire month of December off. At least, that's my plan. I still can't fathom the idea of not doing school for a month, so I will be sneaking in daily reading and lots of educational game playing. And maybe some journal writing. I think the only thing we'll be "off" from is the feeling like we must accomplish a certain amount each day. But, we'll also just enjoy the season and all the activities and family time as much as possible. I *love* the freedom of homeschooling.

My paper bag-roll the dice-choose an activity system was a no go. I started something else instead, and it works so much better. Monday through Friday, O and I do one unit from Moving Beyond the Page. After that, we work on a particular subject that changes daily. Monday is math, Tuesday is reading, Wednesday is writing, Thursday is history/geography, Friday is science. There is a little of each subject every day, plus art and outdoor time, but on each of the designated days we really focus on the subject of the day. This is working much better because we both have a better idea about what to expect.

Having both kids who want my attention at all times is absolutely the worst part of homeschooling. Most days I feel like I'm losing my mind trying to concentrate on what each one needs, while still getting the household management and my own work done. Today, O and I were reading a book about dinosaurs while A was waving Brown Bear, Brown Bear in my face. When I put A down for a nap and curled up with her for a few minutes, O came in several times to ask if I was ready to help her with her knitting loom yet. Augh! I'm desperate for a second adult to help me cope during the day. Part of the reason I don't blog nearly as often as I'd like to is because I just drop into bed at the end of the day with no brainpower left.

Tony and Lucy will be here in a little over a week, and it's too early to deep clean the house, so I'm kind of letting everything go at the moment. Hopefully I get a magic burst of energy next week to get this place in shape.

Alex turns 11 months this weekend! She got her first tooth just a couple days ago. She's been walking for a couple weeks now, and she's so cute. She jabbers on all day and I so wish I knew what she was trying to tell me. Her absolute favorite activity is reading books and her favorite right now is Brown Bear, Brown Bear. I must read it to her at least ten times a day.

Olivia's reading comprehension is awesome and she is finally starting to enjoy reading. We've been reading the Magic Tree House series before bed each night and we're nearly done but I don't know what to move on to next. Boxcar Children? Beverly Cleary? Little House series? She's still occasionally writing a couple letters and numbers backwards but her writing has improved significantly since the beginning of school and she's becoming a lot more confident.

O is selling at her first craft fair this weekend. She has a stash of felted soap and wool dryer balls, plus some of her own artwork to sell. I hope it goes well!