I'm not sure what I'll do for my boys when they graduate -- I might have to get creative :-)
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Graduation Album - The Final Book
This year I created my tenth and final graduation book for my nieces and nephews. I started this when the oldest graduated A LONG TIME AGO. I still remember his - it was huge. I printed off tons and tons of photos from the course of his life; I made everyone create their own scrapbook page and write a letter to him on that page; I incorporated the words of a song throughout the pages. Wow. Each year the books got a little more defined until about number 7 when I changed them to instead reflect family. I searched for photos with the graduate and family members through the years. This, I felt, made it more personal. I also had to resort to allowing the family to e-mail or message me their letters in order to make sure I received them all.
This years book is not quite done. With it being the final book it has taken a little more prompting to get the family letters and I'm still waiting on a few. I refuse to give the book as a gift without it being complete so I'll wait for those to arrive before I put the finishing touches on it and send it!
I'm not sure what I'll do for my boys when they graduate -- I might have to get creative :-)
I'm not sure what I'll do for my boys when they graduate -- I might have to get creative :-)
Monday, July 20, 2020
Week 5 - Looks and Links
Wow. We are on week 5 of our summer plans. I actually thought I'd be ready for a Vacation week after week 2 HA! Instead I've enjoyed planning our activities and seeing what the kids can do.
So, why is this week a vacation week? Very simply because it's a short week. We have family in town this week so we are doing a few things with them on Monday. My extra kids are also taking Tuesday off.
That brings us back together for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I know we will be busy with our family in the evenings so I wanted to keep the day time a little more relaxed for us.
I had planned to use the week as a "project week" but that did not happen either. We were busy, stayed up late, and I wasn't super motivated. On Friday I finally did some cleaning and picking up around the house.
I had also hoped to have some photos of those projects that didn't get done . . .but I don't HA! Oh well.
So, instead, I'll leave you with this cute photo.
So, why is this week a vacation week? Very simply because it's a short week. We have family in town this week so we are doing a few things with them on Monday. My extra kids are also taking Tuesday off.
That brings us back together for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I know we will be busy with our family in the evenings so I wanted to keep the day time a little more relaxed for us.
I had planned to use the week as a "project week" but that did not happen either. We were busy, stayed up late, and I wasn't super motivated. On Friday I finally did some cleaning and picking up around the house.
I had also hoped to have some photos of those projects that didn't get done . . .but I don't HA! Oh well.
So, instead, I'll leave you with this cute photo.
Sunday, July 19, 2020
Saturday, July 18, 2020
Weekly Photos 2020 #27
We had a good week with some family in town. Here's a look back at some of our adventures
Saturday - We hung out at home before going to my mom's for dinner.
Sunday - Another quiet day at home. Darryl and I were just commenting on how we always stay home on the weekend HA!
Monday - My brother and his family came into town late Sunday night. We then all headed to my nephews house for the day.
Tuesday - We played games at my moms before dinner. Then we headed to my cousins FroYo place. It was fun to catch up with family.
Wednesday - Time for more games!!
Thursday - This was a quite day at home.
Friday - Darryl spent the day with his dad and we spent the day at home! The boys and I went for a drive and grabbed dinner. On the way home, I stopped and told them to get out of the car and run down a sidewalk. Why? There were sprinklers!! HA! They had so much fun!
Saturday - We hung out at home before going to my mom's for dinner.
Sunday - Another quiet day at home. Darryl and I were just commenting on how we always stay home on the weekend HA!
Monday - My brother and his family came into town late Sunday night. We then all headed to my nephews house for the day.
This is proof that my mom climbed the rock wall!
We went to the beach. The water felt a little chilly . . .it was about 40 degrees HA! Two days before the water temp was about 75. Crazy Lake Michigan.
Wednesday - Time for more games!!
Nate stayed the night at Nana's on Tuesday. He hung out with Aunt Lynnette and they did a work out and went for a power walk. (For the record, on Thursday, Nate couldn't put deodorant on because he couldn't lift his arms HA!)
And yes, my mom played Twister too!
Friday - Darryl spent the day with his dad and we spent the day at home! The boys and I went for a drive and grabbed dinner. On the way home, I stopped and told them to get out of the car and run down a sidewalk. Why? There were sprinklers!! HA! They had so much fun!
Friday, July 17, 2020
Weekly Menu - Another easy one
We've enjoyed some great meals this past week with family made even better because I did not have to cook much HA! This week will be similar as we will be enjoying dinner with my brother and mom several nights.
Friday - I've promised Josh some Dairy Queen so I'm sure we will make a trip to get our weekly treat from there :-)
Saturday - Chicken, Noodles, and veggies.
Sunday - Dinner at my mom's
Monday - It's TKD night so spaghetti and garlic bread is easy to eat in shifts :-)
Tuesday - Dinner at my mom's (I think!)
Wednesday - The last night with my brother at my mom's.
Thursday - It's just us once again. Pork Loin, Mac and Cheese, mixed veggies, and french bread
Friday - I've promised Josh some Dairy Queen so I'm sure we will make a trip to get our weekly treat from there :-)
Saturday - Chicken, Noodles, and veggies.
Sunday - Dinner at my mom's
Monday - It's TKD night so spaghetti and garlic bread is easy to eat in shifts :-)
Tuesday - Dinner at my mom's (I think!)
Wednesday - The last night with my brother at my mom's.
Thursday - It's just us once again. Pork Loin, Mac and Cheese, mixed veggies, and french bread
Thursday, July 16, 2020
How we "cut the cord" on Cable . . .well, not really
For several years we have talked about "cutting the cord" on Cable to save money. Well, when they recently raised our price . . .again. . . we started doing some serious looking. A friend of mine shared that they had just done the same thing so she shared their info with us to make it easier.
The first thing we did was go to Suppose.tv. At this site you can put in your location and your favorite channels. It will give recommendations on the best streaming services as the best cost.
After finding what we thought we would work, we order a Roku.
We do not have a smart TV which would have eliminated the need for this but, thanks to a great deal on Amazon we were able to pick this up for half price.
Next, we signed up for a one week free trial of YouTube TV.
We picked YouTube TV because it had almost every channel we wanted with the exception of Hallmark. We had another steaming service picked that would had Hallmark but were waiting to do that piece. The Roku and YouTube TV were easy to use and we were very happy with the picture.
The final piece was contacting our cable company. Well, they wanted to keep a customer so they increased our internet speed and cut our bill significantly. The bill is lower then what it would be with the streaming! Which is where the "well, not really" comes in - we did not switch. Our price with cable is supposed to be locked in for a few years so for now, we will stick with what we have! Ironically, we got a notification that YouTube TV was increasing their price by $15.00 a month which would have made it more expensive after the cable company lowered our bill!!
The only reason I share this is in case you were considering switching you would have a little information to start digging with to find what works for you. I highly recommend starting with Suppose.TV.
The first thing we did was go to Suppose.tv. At this site you can put in your location and your favorite channels. It will give recommendations on the best streaming services as the best cost.
After finding what we thought we would work, we order a Roku.
Next, we signed up for a one week free trial of YouTube TV.
The final piece was contacting our cable company. Well, they wanted to keep a customer so they increased our internet speed and cut our bill significantly. The bill is lower then what it would be with the streaming! Which is where the "well, not really" comes in - we did not switch. Our price with cable is supposed to be locked in for a few years so for now, we will stick with what we have! Ironically, we got a notification that YouTube TV was increasing their price by $15.00 a month which would have made it more expensive after the cable company lowered our bill!!
The only reason I share this is in case you were considering switching you would have a little information to start digging with to find what works for you. I highly recommend starting with Suppose.TV.
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
School Goals for 5th and 6th Grade
It's the middle of July so I suppose it is time for me to start thinking about goals for our school year.
Every year, as we continue with Connections Academy, I always am confident that we finally have it all together. That I know the in's and outs of the whole deal but, guess what? Every year I find out I'm wrong! HA! Instead, we start the year and once again it takes me about 2 months to get it all together!
This year will be even more strange because I have a sixth grader! His whole routine will be different and something new to learn. I think we can figure it out, though, and maybe, just maybe help him become a little more independent!
First of all, the boys and I have some goals for Connections Academy itself. Some lessons were learned this past year in the way we did things and they weren't always for the best! So, with that in mind we discussed a few things at the end of the year in how to make the 2020-2021 better. This is what we came up with together:
1. Attend live lessons. Last year the boys did not attend any and they both said that they missed them. So, the goal is to attend as many live lessons as possible so that they can connect with the other students and their teachers. Plus, one comment I was given about Nate was that the teacher would love to see him in Live Lessons because he would be a great example to the other students. How can I not give him that opportunity?
2. Start the year strong. We have always been slow starters but this coming year my goal is to start strong with the goal of wrapping up first semester by Christmas time.
3. End the year strong. This is usually a non-issue but we still have the goal to wrap up our year by May 15th.
4. Complete projects on time.
Second, I also have some plans for additional things the boys need to accomplish.
1. We will continue on with cursive writing. Nate loves cursive writing whereas Josh does not. Either way, they are both continuing on with cursive writing. Don't worry, isn't that Josh hates it - he just wants his printing to be neater and isn't quite as focused on cursive.
2. Practice Grammar. I've picked up a grade level grammar practice book for each of the boys. I feel like grammar gets skimmed over in their lessons and think this will just give some added practice.
3. Add a Bible curriculum/study. Up until this year, I've relied on their AWANA books to be their "Bible" but now that they are getting older I feel like we can add something more. I'm still looking at a couple of options and haven't picked what we will do but I want this to be more student led and more then just their daily devotional that they currently have to read each day. We will continue on with AWANA verses as well.
4. Typing. There are some great, free typing curriculum available. I'm still looking at my options but I plan on adding that to their daily list as well. Just 1-2 days a week of practice but I think that is a skill that will help them as they get older. (No more one-finger typing!)
5. Clubs - This is something new for Josh as a sixth grader. We are going to look at the various clubs and hopefully find one he likes. I've heard there is a running club which is something he is already interested in at this point. I might also look into an art club as Josh really enjoys art.
6. Piano - this is not new. We will continue with piano lessons this fall as well.
In the coming weeks I will have to finalize a few things, help the boys clean out their desks and get them ready for the coming year and stock up on my favorite chocolate to get me through the first few weeks HA! (Not really!) . I can say in all honesty that I am so thankful I already homeschool my kids. In light of the current events, it is so nice to not have to think about all of the "what-if's" . Our biggest what -if is whether or not our Co-Op will meet this fall as normal and we should have that answer by the end of July!
Every year, as we continue with Connections Academy, I always am confident that we finally have it all together. That I know the in's and outs of the whole deal but, guess what? Every year I find out I'm wrong! HA! Instead, we start the year and once again it takes me about 2 months to get it all together!
This year will be even more strange because I have a sixth grader! His whole routine will be different and something new to learn. I think we can figure it out, though, and maybe, just maybe help him become a little more independent!
First of all, the boys and I have some goals for Connections Academy itself. Some lessons were learned this past year in the way we did things and they weren't always for the best! So, with that in mind we discussed a few things at the end of the year in how to make the 2020-2021 better. This is what we came up with together:
1. Attend live lessons. Last year the boys did not attend any and they both said that they missed them. So, the goal is to attend as many live lessons as possible so that they can connect with the other students and their teachers. Plus, one comment I was given about Nate was that the teacher would love to see him in Live Lessons because he would be a great example to the other students. How can I not give him that opportunity?
2. Start the year strong. We have always been slow starters but this coming year my goal is to start strong with the goal of wrapping up first semester by Christmas time.
3. End the year strong. This is usually a non-issue but we still have the goal to wrap up our year by May 15th.
4. Complete projects on time.
Second, I also have some plans for additional things the boys need to accomplish.
1. We will continue on with cursive writing. Nate loves cursive writing whereas Josh does not. Either way, they are both continuing on with cursive writing. Don't worry, isn't that Josh hates it - he just wants his printing to be neater and isn't quite as focused on cursive.
2. Practice Grammar. I've picked up a grade level grammar practice book for each of the boys. I feel like grammar gets skimmed over in their lessons and think this will just give some added practice.
3. Add a Bible curriculum/study. Up until this year, I've relied on their AWANA books to be their "Bible" but now that they are getting older I feel like we can add something more. I'm still looking at a couple of options and haven't picked what we will do but I want this to be more student led and more then just their daily devotional that they currently have to read each day. We will continue on with AWANA verses as well.
4. Typing. There are some great, free typing curriculum available. I'm still looking at my options but I plan on adding that to their daily list as well. Just 1-2 days a week of practice but I think that is a skill that will help them as they get older. (No more one-finger typing!)
5. Clubs - This is something new for Josh as a sixth grader. We are going to look at the various clubs and hopefully find one he likes. I've heard there is a running club which is something he is already interested in at this point. I might also look into an art club as Josh really enjoys art.
6. Piano - this is not new. We will continue with piano lessons this fall as well.
In the coming weeks I will have to finalize a few things, help the boys clean out their desks and get them ready for the coming year and stock up on my favorite chocolate to get me through the first few weeks HA! (Not really!) . I can say in all honesty that I am so thankful I already homeschool my kids. In light of the current events, it is so nice to not have to think about all of the "what-if's" . Our biggest what -if is whether or not our Co-Op will meet this fall as normal and we should have that answer by the end of July!
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