November Homeschool Recap

Back in October and most of September, Jeff was away with work. I got into a bit of a different routine with him gone (ie doing laundry and watching a movie after the boys were in bed). I was staying up really late, too, because I don't like going to sleep without him. I just really don't.
This made for a really tired mommy, who was missing her hubby, and getting really close to finding the end of her rope. Somehow, I pulled myself together enough to make the decision to cut out some school for November.

So November was our *Extras* break. I removed our Moving Beyond the Page comprehensive curriculum (we had just finished working on Community, so it was a good stopping place, too.) I kept Bible, Handwriting, Phonics, and Math. That's it.

(Sorry for the lopsided picture.)

Well, there were a few read-alouds about Thanksgiving, Pilgrims, and Indians, too. :) Oh, and I let the boys grind up some dried corn in the mortal & pestle. We also watched Disney's Squanto.

We talked about Nutrition when we discussed what the Pilgrims ate (not only for Thanksgiving, but also while on the Mayflower). The boys also had fun playing a free online nutrition game (which I liked until I saw that they recommended margarine over butter).

I also taught Will how to use a sharp knife and how to cut up the vegetables for our Thanksgiving dinner.

Then we made and sent cards to a few people we were thankful for.

During the month, we got "School House Rocks" from Netflix.

One of the songs talked about nouns. Which led to "Mama, what's a noun?" So I explained there are different parts of speech and we also briefly covered verbs and adjectives. We took turns making up short sentences and dissecting them. He caught on really well.

Will also sold popcorn for the cub-scouts in November. He and one other little boy raised over $300 in two hours! Buying, selling, money exchange, greeting people, and trust me... lots of socializing! :)

We also did a Think! project (although we never "turned it in").

In the early weeks of November when the weather was nice, we played "Red Light Green Light", "Mother May I?", and "Simon Says".

Of course, we also attended our homeschool co-op sessions. They had a show-n-tell day for Indian articles. Will brought his "headdress" that my mom made for the boys. They also had a *Indian* bracelet making session for the girls while the boys went outside to try their hand at shooting a bow! (The pictures are in my old phone - can you believe I forgot my camera that day?! Ack!)

Now that I think about it, maybe we didn't take that much of a break after all?! :) Don't I feel better? Although I have all this down on paper in my planner, I had it in my mind that we had taken a break. Wow. I love homeschooling! :)

Jeff was home for the entire month of November and we also enjoy some much needed family time together. Thankfully, Jeff's job allows him the luxury of enjoying his mornings with us, leaving around 8 - 8:30 each morning.

During November, Will's headaches got worse and we began seeing a chiropractor. Dr. R is great and has answered all of Will's questions. He is learning (and so am I) how the body works together as a single unit. He might not be able to tell you that, but he could tell you that his bones were out of place which gave him a terrible headaches.

So, here we are in December.

I've been unable to see beyond a day at a time this month. With chiropractor appointments, the Christmas parade, more popcorn sales, snow falling, Christmas dinners at church, and just the dailiness of life with three boys (and the laundry), we truly are on an *Extra's break*... and we're even a little behind. Ugh.

Today will be filled with Bible and Math. And packing. Yes, packing!

I leave for a weekend Ladies Retreat to Gatlinburg tomorrow!! A much needed break, wouldn't you agree?

Jeff returns from his final trip to California just in time to meet me at Witt's allergy testing appointment on Tuesday... please continue to pray that his food allergies will be gone. Thanks so much!

Hope y'all have a great weekend... I sure plan to!