Living In Freedom: January 2013

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Homeschooling: Jan. 21-26, 2013

School went pretty well this week, although there was some complaining by Doodles & Bug...but I nipped it in the bud! The hardest part of this week was meltdowns from Baby Girl; the doctor changed one of her medications in hopes that it would help her sleep at night, but it didn't. Plus, taking her off the "old" medication has really thrown her for a loop. So, we have opted to bring back the "old" medication and do away with the new. I'd rather have sleep deprivation than constant daily meltdowns anyway! I am praying (and would appreciate yours as well) that once Baby Girl gets back to a therapeutic level of her medication that the meltdowns will subside again. I can honestly say that raising a special needs child is both the greatest challenge I've ever faced, as well as the greatest blessing I could ever receive. I did manage to capture a good moment of Baby Girl's this week, as you'll see below. Also, we managed to get a lot of school accomplished, in spite of the difficulty. So here's a peak at our week:

Baby Girl's "nature study." She is exploring crunchy, brown leaves. Since she is visually impaired, I always encourage her to explore with her other senses.

Treat of the Week

Bug read about Pomona as part of his Narnia unit study

OK...I am SO EXCITED to have received this book. It was a special book that my mom read to me & my little sister every Christmas Eve when we were growing up. It is hard to find, and I've had it on my Paperback Swap Wishlist for years. Well, finally, it become available & now I have it. Yay!!!!!!

Bug read about Sherlock Holmes and how he uses logic to solve mysteries. Then Bug wrote about four logical points that Peter made in Prince Caspian.

Bug does online research for his Narnia unit study

Bug read about the War of the Roses as part of his Narnia unit study

And, honestly, I *didn't* even know what the War of the Roses was actually about, even though I'd heard of it. Now I can tell you all about it! The beauty of homeschooling: Mom learns, too!

Bug also read about badgers, and....

completed this worksheet.

Weekly Fun: Jan. 26

OK, I only made one New Year's Resolution this year...to have more fun! Yep, that's right! I am going to do more fun things and also explore things that I enjoy. One of my "fun" things is to try new makeup looks. This week I tried different looks for my eyes. If you're interested in where I got the inspiration for these looks, you can follow me on Pinterest. Just click the link on the upper right-hand side of my blog. You'll find my eye makeup inspiration on my board entitled "Eyes." Easy enough, huh? I'd love for you ladies to leave a comment stating which of my looks you like best. Thanks!

This one is "gold rush."

This one is "toasty."

This one is emerald.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Homeschooling and Life: Week of Jan. 14-19, 2013

We had a good week. It really felt like we were back in the routine. I'm sure one thing that helped was having my mom visiting for the week. It was really nice to have an extra set of hands! Also, the kids and I got haircuts. I went a good deal shorter in the back, but I really like it! Here are the highlights of this week:

Treat of the Week

This is a book that Bug read as part of studying tide pools in his Narnia unit study

Bug and I looked at tide pools online.

We found this really cute rap song about the water cycle.

Bug drew this simple diagram of the water cycle

These are the books that Doodles is currently reading in Sonlight Core f

This is the book that Doodles uses for Latin

Back view of my new haircut

Front view of my new haircut

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Homeschooling: Week of Jan. 7-12, 2013

We had a pretty good week back in school. It did take some adjusting, though, to get back into the routine. We managed it as well as possible, I suppose. We dove right back in...every subject area, full force! Here are some of our highlights:

Treat of the Week

Doodles drew a scene from our yard as part of her nature studies

Bug learned about eagles and drew an eagle and an eagle track

Bug practiced archery as part of his Narnia unit study

Bug hit the target!

We roasted weiners and marshmallows...fun times!

Baby Girl didn't know what to think about cooking outside!

Doodles gets ready to eat a roasted marshmallow

Having fun roasting marshmallows!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Homeschooling and Christmas Dec. 2012

Well, another Christmas and another year has passed. My, how the time flies! We had a good Christmas. We are still on a school break, but it will be back to the books next week. Meanwhile, here are pics of this past December.