May Homeschool Mother’s Journal 2017

In my life last month…

My daughters were born exactly two years and one month apart from one another. I don't have a party for every kid every year. Since the big sister had a party last month, we decided to just have one friend sleep over for my youngest.

We had a great time designing and creating a little fairy garden in the back yard. I can't believe my kids are growing up so quickly.

 

Speaking of growing up quickly, my son is making plans for attending college in the near future. I'm not sure I'm ready for that! I do love that he is thinking about his future though while we still have time to do something about it.

This month we got to visit the University of Dallas. It's a Catholic Classical college in Irving, TX - only twenty minutes down the road from where we live.  Although we are not Catholic, we were completely impressed with the school and it's programs. We got to sit in on a literature class as well as a Latin class and meet the chair of the Classics department. I could totally see my son studying there.

Now he just has to figure out how to pay for it. The good news is that they offer generous scholarships, and we have time to figure all of the finances out!

In our homeschool this month…

We got the test results back from the National Latin Exam, and my son was a silver medalist on the Latin III test! I'm so proud of all of his hard work. Last summer I purchased First Form Greek from Memoria Press for him to dabble with. As his official school work is winding down, he's been cracking open the books to start learning a little Greek. I love it when they choose learning on their own!

My younger kids finished up Foundations and Essentials in the middle of April, so the last part of the month was focused on finishing up all of the last projects for the year in Challenge.

I loved tutoring Challenge A this year, but I'm looking forward to moving up to Challenge B next year. What an adventure!

My favorite thing this month…

Anytime I get a little help with listening to my littles read, I take it! It's great to have a Nana around to read to, but it doesn't always work perfectly. This month, we've been playing a new reading game called NessyIt was developed to help dyslexic students, but I think it would be a great program to help any reader become stronger. My youngest has begged for time with it. Just a minute ago she read a difficult word, then looked up and said, "I just read that word by breaking it down into syllables!" Her face was covered with a huge smile as she realized the games she's been playing on Nessy are strengthening her reading skills.

What We're Reading…

I love my "Time to Read" clock. Every time I see it, it reminds me how important reading is to my soul. We've been doing read alouds in the morning and evening. Here's what we've read:

In the Morning:

In the Evening:

  • The Warden and the Wolf King by Andrew Peterson - this is the last book of the Wingfeather saga, and our family has been so blessed by this series. If you've never read it, it has now moved to my list of must reads for every family!

Just for Me:

I haven't had quite as much time or energy to read this month as I did last month, but I did still fit in a couple of books. Here's what I've been reading this month:

  • Mary Slessor by Janet and Geoff Benge - This is one of my all time favorites in their missionary biography series. I listened to this one on Audible this month. I love the reader too. She does a fantastic job with Mary's Irish accent!
  • The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare - This is my favorite of the Challenge A books. I think I've read it at least five times, but I enjoy it every time.
  • That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis - yes, I've been on a Lewis kick lately. I started his space trilogy last summer, but never read the third book. I finally picked it up again because my son was reading it. It has been a very philosophical and fascinating read. I am always amazed by the depths of the creative genius that C.S. Lewis possessed. I am so thankful that he wrote his stories down to share with us!

On my blog in case you missed it...

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2 Comments

  1. Dianna A on May 5, 2017 at 8:12 am

    My baby just turned 12 in March so I totally get how you feel. My oldest is finishing up her junior year of high school. Isn’t it amazing how quickly college comes? Some days she nor I feel prepared for it and then my middle daughter will be going to college the year after. CRAZY. I’m so not ready for all this. lol 🙂 Looking forward to getting to know you. 😀

    • Betsy on May 5, 2017 at 8:20 am

      Oh wow! Two leaving in a row?! I’m thankful that I have a gap between my oldest and my next. I’m struggling to wrap my brain around launching one! Thanks for stopping by!

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