Planning....

I learned many years ago...that I pretty much don't do anything I really want to do, unless I plan to do it....in writing.  And I've learned just in the last few years that I thrive in a well organized environment.  Everything needs  a home, and typically a label too.

Here is an exception to the label rule.  I found this fabulous shelf thingie at a local antique mall.  It was on sale...even better.  This organizes our "specials".  From top to bottom, missionary story, read aloud, geography, art, history and nature study.  (on the very top is a basket full of smooth stones and jar.  When I'm reading aloud I will pull out one stone for each boy.  If they are quiet the whole time I'm reading, all stones go in the jar, if they interrupt, a stone goes back in the basket.  Once the jar is full...they get a reward.  Which varies.  This time it's each boy gets to pick out a 10 dollar lego set.  This is a very simple system that works for us...I tried tickets they earn or lose, and stocking a store that costs a varying amount of tickets...this was too complicated!)

We do geography every day, although some days we spend more time than others, we listen to the missionary audio story twice a week (last year it was daily---this year we will cover 4 missionaries, last year it was 8!  Needed to be a little less ambitious this year), read aloud is daily, Winnie the pooh though is just once per week---we facetime our friends in Romania and I read aloud to my little boys and her little ones...so fun!----Art is once a week, History is once a week, and Nature study once per week.

Isn't this cute!?  It's my two dollar homeschool planner!  So much simpler than last year.  Last year I had a three-ring binder with detailed daily plans that I filled out at the beginning of each unit.  This year I knew I wanted to have written plans (since I don't' do anything without them!) but I wanted it to be simplified.  So it'll be easier to explain by showing you inside....

This is my read aloud tab...  I took each one of my read-alouds I plan to read to the kids this year and wrote out each chapter with a square to check off.  On later pages I realized it would be nice to put in each column the amount of chapters to be read each week.  In addition to these two books we are going to read Black Beauty (which will take two units--so 8 weeks), The Snow Queen by Anderson, The Wind in the Willows, Bridge to Teribithia, and Star of Light.  I'm so excited to read these stories!

This is how simple my history plans are.  We are using Mystery of History this year for History.  Typically I read through the lessons in each week, and just share the highlights with the boys.  They aren't going to remember the bulk of what I read anyways.  And then the highlights we interact with by putting an entry in their books of knowledge.  Which are basically small scrapbooks that the boys write facts, paste pictures or draw pictures from what they learned.  I'll share some photos from these little books in a moment.

Our geography plans were a little more in-depth, so I put them together in Word and printed and taped them into the notebook.  We are using Memoria Press's geography curriculum which is wonderful.  There is a teacher text that I read to the boys and a student workbook.  It divides out most of the world into individual countries, some areas into regions.  The text teaches highlights about the country and the workbook gives a blank map for the student to fill in. We have a variety of other blank maps so that each boy can color in the country we are learning about.

Here is an example of our nature study plans.  We have a great guide for nature study each week, and so I base our plans on that book.

I divided the year out into eight 4 week units.  For each unit, we have a hymn and a fun song we sing each morning during "morning time". Before we sing our hymn, we start every school day by singing the Doxology, standing around the table with hands raised to God.  Thank you Sarah Mackenzie for this idea!  Honestly, the boys sometimes lift their hands while standing in their seats, they spin, they go get a drink of water, etc.  This is certainly not perfect or idyllic.  But nothing is, is it?

I just recently added a tab to my planner for a monthly calendar to keep track of our off weeks and also the schedule of our co-ops.  We are starting Summit academy this year and really excited about it!  My oldest two boys will take math, science, art and guitar there on Wednesdays.  My younger boys will take math and science experiments, and my 5th grader will also take a literature class and drawing.  I'm so excited about this having this opportunity.  And I can't believe that my 16 year has his drivers license now and will drive him and his brother to and from their co-ops!  (they will continue in Veritas Classical school on Tuesdays in addition to Summit on Wednesdays)

Here are some pages from the boys small "books of knowledge"...These books are literally like 6 by 6 inches.  The boys write their facts in no certain order.  I'm excited for them to have these little scrapbooks of sorts at the end of the year and to be reminded of all the neat things we will have learned this year.

For our missionary biography, each boy has a blank book that they write in after we listen to each chapter.

This is my main storage area for our homeschool books.  Each child has their own shelf.  The little under shelf storage cubbies are a big help!  The very bottom cubby holds our math u see blocks, as well as some other necessities we use each day.  We switched to Math U See this year and it is SO wonderful!  Math is no longer dreaded by either my student or me!

Miss Ellie teaching us a thing or to :) :) :)

Last but not least...let's talk about planning for relationships!  Here is our dear friend Miss Ellie.  We go way way back.  We used to live in the same neighborhood so seeing her was so easy.  Now it takes planning.  We talked about it last night and came up with a recurring monthly date to get together.  If we want to see each other....and we most certainly do....planning is essential.  I'm so glad we came up with one! 

On our planning for relationships agenda...hoping to get a regular game night set with grandparents and a monthly open house for church family :)

An important note to add...while I've found planning to be so important to do all that God has called me to do...I have also learned I have to hold them loosely.  After all...

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.
Proverbs 16:9

PS:  We had no plans to get a puppy.  But oopsy Daisy!  It happened.  My sister's dog had puppies, and after much pressure from many sides, I caved in and said yes.  The first couple of months were rough.  But I wish I would have known it's just like having a baby.  The first few months are really hard, but it gets definitely easier.  We are really enjoying our Daisy.  She is a perfect addition to the family!

PSS:  In the car with the boys the other day they told me that when they were out with dad going to a Falcons game that they passed by the spot where their dad proposed to me.  And they told me he told them that I said "No way!"  LOL  Then Jacob said "Mommy I'm so glad you didn't say no way because you and daddy are good mommies and daddies"....  And then he said, "When I grow up I want to be a daddy just like daddy...Nice".  Sweet boy :)

Blogging again...and a nature walk!

I don't know why it is so hard to get outside...really for me to get outside (besides the heat!), but

my structured plan for nature study is helping.  (more on that in another post...loving our simplified homeschool organization this year!)  Although I planned for the boys

to make an entry in their nature journals (those poor neglected books) and that didn't happen,

at least we did get outside and see some really neat stuff!  Sharing some pictures below and then I will tell you about my plan for my blog!  

I love that we can head right into our own backyard to see all these things.  Our walk was cut short by my needing to pull the bread out of the oven.  I'm back to making my families bread thanks to a used Bosch mixer I bought and sprouted whole wheat flour I buy at Dekalb Farmers Market.  It makes it so easy!  Just mix all the ingredients, the machine does the majority of the kneading, put in a bowl for 45 minutes, divide out into pans, let them rise in a warm oven, bake and done!  

I'm also back to blogging.  For about 7 or 8 years I blogged when my boys were small, during the having babies years.  I did it because I couldn't bring myself to lug out all the paper and glue and print photos and make scrapbooks, but I really wanted to keep a record of all our special memories.  I planned to one day print my blog.  I recently turned 40 and decided I wanted to tackle that project, of printing my blog, and Blog2print made it possible and relatively easy and inexpensive to do so.  I have over 1,000 pages of memories in four books to read through and it is so much fun!  I have a terrible memory so I wouldn't remember a thing about those good and hard years if it weren't for my blog.  

I had planned to print my blog and then delete it from the internet, but when I realized how much I love having the accounts of our days, funny things the boys said and did, I decided instead of deleting my blog, to keep going with it!  I want to remember these special days too as my boys are all growing up.  So while this will never be a famous blog in the eyes of the world, it's famous in our family.  The boys are already pouring over my printed blog books, giggling, sometimes roaring in laughter at the things they said and did.  

So here I go again!  

This Boy Turns Five-This Momma Cries!

"Momma!  The Northern Lights!!!"....He's always thinking he is seeing the Northern Lights...LOL!

It feels like the end of an era.  There will be no more babies.  Jacob is no longer a baby...at all.  Okay...so maybe he is still on the young side.  And the eve before his birthday I reminded myself that the fact that he is growing up is very very good.  I have so much to be thankful for!  My little children growing up is as it should be.  Letting go...and accepting the changing of seasons is where my heart needs to rest.  (And I'm remembering what Henri Nouwen said ~one of my favorite authors~about letting go...we let go with open hands in a posture to not just let go of what we ought not try and keep but also with open hands to receive whatever our Father wants to give us!)

We headed to celebrate at our favorite spot.  We call it the "stone table"---a high meadow clearing at Little Mulberry Park, and thankfully just minutes from our house.  We took along the birthday boys' requests...a rocket to shoot off and hot dogs to cook on our little camping stove.  The wind made everything harder and after one shot of the rocket, it was gone forever.  (okay the thought just went through my head "yeah, just like Jacob's baby years...."  ---stop it dramatic self!)

We are so blessed with our boys...growing through the seasons with them.  I noticed a "W" on the stone ground with a bit of shock... "Boys!  There's a "W"!" Thinking about our last name.  They all laughed and said, "Yeah mom, have you never noticed the W, E, S and N around the stone table!?"  Well, no I hadn't.  Anyway, the W for Walsman is cool in my book.  Or maybe W for going West.  Walsmans....West...A dream we think about from time to time...moving out West, buying a small ranch, raising horses and boys together...I suggested this evening maybe we could just move to North Georgia...it's beautiful there too!  (our home that we bought here in Auburn we found out recently is zoned residential...so unless we were able to change that, we can't have horses here!) 

Back to Jacob...and his birthday.  The boys played hide and seek tag, lots of giggles and fun.  We watched deer grazing along the edge of the meadow near the forest as we walked, bags slung over shoulders, towards the parking area.  I'm thankful for the many boys in my life and for our great God who leads us all...