Large Family Homeschool Life – 2/1/21 – 2/6/21

This week was full of returns – including a return to places full of memories both happy and sad.

Read all of the Large Family Homeschool Life posts HERE.

MONDAY

Ty got up with the baby girls this morning because that was my one request for my birthday, but yesterday on my actual birthday, he didn’t feel well, so he rain-checked me for today. It was so nice to not have to stumble around getting them ready for the day!

The kids had leftover Swedish Tea Ring for breakfast, and I made myself some Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies and Mocha Mint Coffee. While I nibbled and sipped, I got our new Grapevine Bible Study ready.

The first day of our new Bible Study went really well, and everyone was able to participate. I really like the traceable pages for my little girls! (Full review coming soon – I promise!)

During the month of December, you can get a FREE Esther Unit Study from Grapevine so you can see how it works! GET IT HERE >>

After we did our Grapevine lesson, we did a Hymn Study from Music in Our Homeschool. As I mentioned last week, we are alternating between Hymns and Folk Songs from Music in Our Homeschool classes. The kids are really enjoying the lessons!

We read more in The Story of the Romans and Bark of the Bog Owl. I helped Aspen through her math and Mercy did a tracing worksheet and worked on writing her name. She’s really too young to do much formal school, but she enjoys being a part of what everyone else is doing, so we work on little things here and there. However, I am contemplating looking into something fun and low-key that would be her own little “school time.” In the past, we have done A Year of Playing Skillfully and The Peaceful Preschool, but I don’t feel like repeating them this year.

Our lunch was leftovers – it’s easy and helps to clear out the refrigerator. Every child should learn to eat leftovers!

After lunch, I finished packing a Valentine’s Day care package for our daughter who is away at college and our adult son and his girlfriend. The kids wrote cards for Megan and then went outside to play in the woods across the creek. I’m so thankful for room to run for these boys!

Ty came home a bit early from work so we could run out and mail the care packages. We ended up deciding to walk the 2 mile path around the golf course on post. It’s been a long time since we did this, and the weather was nice enough today.

We had an easy dinner of nachos. This is always my go-to meal when I either don’t prepare in time or I’m not feeling very creative! Everyone needs a meal or two like this!

READ >> Our Large Family Go-To Meals

After dinner, we tidied up the house and relaxed with all the kids in the living room. I also got last week’s Large Family Homeschool Life post ready as well as an email to my readers.

TUESDAY

My 14 year old surprised everyone by making scrambled eggs and sausage for breakfast this morning!

For school, we continued Grapevine for Bible and Amazing Grace for our Hymn Study. After reading in The Story of the Romans and Bark of the Bog Owl, we made sandwiches for lunch and ate in the living room while watching a documentary on Pompeii. Hopefully, it didn’t scare the little kids too much!

After Table Chores, I checked the laundry status and put in my bedsheets. I probably should have a sheet washing schedule, but I don’t. However, I DO have a laundry schedule that keeps the regular laundry running smoothly. It allows me to be a little more spontaneous with sheets and other random loads.

SEE OUR CURRENT LAUNDRY SCHEDULE >>

Then, I took our 16 year old daughter out to run errands and practice her driving. She is definitely getting better, but not quite ready for “in town” driving, so we’ll stick to the country roads for now.

The errands we ran were to the library to pick up Ben Hur, the tea shop to buy German Holiday tea, and the bank to deposit Melia’s money from working at the bee farm.

Back home, I gave the kids Scooby Snacks and Paw Patrol graham crackers while they watched TV at the designated 4pm screen time. I then looked in the pantry and refrigerator and freezer for meals for the week.

Take a tour of my freezers and refrigerators >>

I ended up pulling out a package of wild rice soup for tonight and pairing it with Cherry Moos (a German Mennonite sweet milk soup my mom loved as a kid). I posted a photo on Instagram and enjoyed connecting with people who knew exactly what this is!

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A post shared by Amy | RaisingArrows.net (@amyraisingarrows)

I found beef soup bones in the meat freezer, so I decided to make beef stew tomorrow with those. I also pulled out a pork roast for the weekend.

I decided I better call a Family Meeting to plan our annual family Super Bowl party. We aren’t huge sports fans, but we do enjoy watching the Super Bowl together. The kids picked things like Neptune Salad, cheese dips, shrimp, Oreos, and Puppy Chow.

Because it is Groundhog Day, we watched the movie with the older kids. Ty really enjoys it, but my 16 year old hates it. She is irritated that he takes so long to become a “decent human being.”

Before bed, I took a lavender oil bath and read in a book. This has become my new nightly ritual. *happy sigh*

Make your own bath oils!

WEDNESDAY

I was awake for a while in the night, so this morning I was quite groggy. The kids had cereal, and I took some time to wake up.

Morning Time was Grapevine, Story of the Romans, a continued hymn study of Amazing Grace, and a chalk art lesson of the Roman Coliseum. You ARE an Artist has lessons that correspond with different periods in history. Currently, we are focusing on the Ancient History chalk projects, so this was the perfect time to paint the coliseum!

After the chalk lesson, we moved to the living room and I read in Bark of the Bog Owl. The kids were so into it, they begged me to keep reading! I’m so glad I decided to do this as a read aloud!

Today, I was able to eat lunch outside on the deck while the kids played and sawed at some trees dad had asked them to cut down. I’ve missed my deck lunches, but it looks like the forecast will soon be snow and cold again. Better enjoy it now, for it may be a while before I can do this again.

When everyone came inside, I went upstairs to help my oldest daughter with her TeenPact homework for this year. We recently got word that TeenPact will be happening in our state, but not at our Capitol building. Melia has been frustrated by the homework, so she needed me to talk her through it. The homework is difficult, but I am glad they challenge the kids.

She also needed some guidance on clothing choices for TeenPact. The kids are required to wear professional dress, but she still wants it to be her style. So we put together a few outfits, and came up with a list of things to look for at the thrift store.

I started a pot of stew with the soup bones from the freezer and pulled out some Texas Toast to go with it. I also whipped up a batch of Strawberry Fluff (strawberry jello and ricotta cheese) for dessert.

Ty suggested we walk on post again and grab some groceries, so the kids ate the stew and he and I grabbed a quick bite out. We tend to have a lot of impromptu date nights like this, and the kids are super good at going with the flow.

Tonight, I was so tired, I fell asleep on top of the covers while reading in my latest book.

THURSDAY

We woke up to flying snow this morning! The boys were surprised and disappointed because they have been longing to spend more time outside and yesterday’s beautiful weather had fooled them into thinking we were back to nice days. They had even asked me if they could stay outside overnight in a lean-to shelter they had built in the backyard – now they understand why I said no. It is still February, and this is often a blustery month where we live.

After breakfast, we met for Morning Time. We started with Grapevine, finishing up our study of John the Baptist. It also gave me a chance to show the kids how to use BlueLetterBible.org because some of the lessons have the kids look up words and topics. Blue Letter Bible is such a good resource!

In The Story of the Romans, we FINALLY got the section right before Julius Caesar! That means we are closing in on the final days of Tapestry of Grace Year 1.

READ MORE ABOUT HOW WE DO TAPESTRY OF GRACE >>

Our 8 year old is getting very close to finishing his final phonics workbook. (We use Veritas Press’ Phonics Museum.) Today, he read The Sailing Saint (a story about St. Brendan) in 1 day!

I was also able to get my little boys set up with Teaching Textbooks new 4.0 version. So far, I am VERY pleased with the new interface! Having a web-based version of TT is so nice when you have so many kids using it.

After a lunch of cheese chips, my middles headed off to the apiary where they work one day a week. They love working there, so they were very happy the snow had stopped and the roads were clear enough for them to go.

While they were gone, I vacuumed cobwebs throughout the upstairs bedrooms, swept the kitchen, and did my laundry since I missed my laundry day yesterday. (And here I just told you how my laundry schedule keeps everything running smoothly!)

Dinner was odds and ends from the pantry.

That evening, I got a neck rub from my 12 year old son (he’s amazing!), and then gave all the little kids oil rubs before bed. This is about a once a week treat they beg for. They all say it helps them sleep.

Before bed, I finished both Stillmeadow Calendar and Capturing Saddam. Both were good in their own way. (Check Thriftbooks to get out of print books cheaper!)

I also glanced through a copy of the brand new Easter family devotional from Proverbial Homemaker – Stories of the Resurrection!

It looks fantastic!
Right now, you can snag a copy for 40% off!
GET IT HERE >>

FRIDAY

Up early to get ready for a day trip to check on Ty’s mom and the farm. We took a stroll around Granny and Grandad’s farm, taking photos of old tractors, trucks, buildings, and memories.

We stopped for lunch at a Mennonite diner in a small town near where we grew up. We chatted with the owner whom we’ve known for over 20 years. Because I knew she sold verenike (a German Mennonite dish), I asked her who supplied her dry cottage cheese (something that is nearly impossible to come by in my neck of the woods). She ended up selling me a few pounds wholesale and said I could get more any time I needed it!

On our way home, we stopped to visit with my mom. February is a hard month for our family because we lost my dad in 2007 and Emmy in 2008, both in the month of February. It was good for mom and I to just sit and talk.

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