We finished our study of the Ancient World and survived the Arctic Blast of cold and snow this week in our large family homeschool life!
Read all of the Large Family Homeschool Life posts HERE.
MONDAY
Ty had the day off of work, which turned out to be a very nice thing since it snowed all day. It is always nice to have him at home when it is snowing.
But, no “snow days” for the kids! We still have school – rain, snow, or shine!
During Morning Time, we did our GrapeVine Bible Study, read in Story of the Romans and The Bark of the Bog Owl, and learned a new folk song – A Bicycle Built for Two.
And guess what?! I finally have my review of GrapeVine ready for you to read!
READ >> GrapeVine Bible Studies Review
We also got out a new book I picked up on Amazon on a whim, and I’m so glad I did! It is entitled God’s Timeline: The Big Book of Church History and it is turning out to be quite a gem!
We went over the first 2 of Paul’s Missionary Journeys on maps from our curriculum – Tapestry of Grace.
READ>> How We Do Tapestry of Grace
It was a little difficult for all of the children to follow, but we learned a lot, and the little kids followed along as best they could.
That afternoon, Ty did a fun experiment for the kids. Because of the subzero temps here, he was able to make it snow by throwing boiling water in the air. It was very neat!
That evening, I read in Stepping Heavenward. It was the part where her son dies. When I first read this book, I had not lost a child of my own. Now, I feel this much more acutely.
Before bed, the big kids and I started watching Bleak House – a favorite of mine! The kids immediately fell in love with it, and are excited to watch more of this Charles Dickens classic. I probably ought to read the book someday, but it is an absolute tome at over 600 pages!
TUESDAY
Ty is off today because of the snow and subzero temps. He shoveled snow while we did school.
In Morning Time, we mapped Paul’s last 2 journeys, learned about the hymn It is Well With My Soul in our hymn class, and read about Rome up to the time of Constantine – the first Christian emperor.
That afternoon, I recorded my latest podcast on Homeschool Organization and got it sent off to my son to edit.
You can listen to that podcast below and find the show notes HERE >>
That evening, Ty and I went out to grocery shop and decided to have dinner at a local Italian restaurant. It was so nice!
WEDNESDAY
So, here’s the thing…some days I forget to write down what we did…and then I totally forget. I’m just glad to get through the day, I guess!
I do know we studied Constantine in school, I wrote my Recipe Notebook post, and I made lasagna for dinner.
That’s the best I can do, folks!
THURSDAY
Today, we finished Tapestry of Grace Year 1! Goodbye, Ancient World – Hello Middle Ages!
After school, I got the two little girls ready, and along with Daddy, we all headed to Mercy’s eye appointment. Aspen and Daddy couldn’t go in with us to the clinic, but it was nice for Mercy to have a traveling buddy.
Mercy’s eyes have stabilized and are even better than they were a year ago! That means she can start doing annual exams! Yay for Mercy!
You can read more about why Mercy has to have her eyes checked so often HERE >>
After the appointment, the 4 of us ate out at a Tex-Mex restaurant and then went to Cabela’s. The girls actually asked to go to Cabela’s and Daddy was more than happy to oblige!
That night, during Family Worship Time, I was pleased to see how the kids recognized hymn meter from our lessons this morning! We have been using the online class Great Hymns of the Faith to not only learn about hymns, but also things like 4 part harmony and hymn meter, and they are apparently paying attention!
FRIDAY
Today is our whole house clean. We start by “resetting” the house which means putting everything back in its place that has been “misplaced” over the past week. Then, everyone starts in on their assigned chores.
READ >> Cleaning the Whole House in One Day with Your Children
I decided to declutter the drawers in the master bathroom. It’s not something anyone sees, but I notice it every day when I open the drawers to fix my hair or the little girls’ hair. It is therapeutic for me to declutter – even something no one but me sees!
That afternoon the kids went out and “skated” with their shoes on the creek that has frozen over. With the temps coming up next week, this will probably be the only time it will be safe to do this, so I’m glad I let them go out and play.
Read more Large Family Homeschool Life posts HERE.
Louisa Settlemire says
No snow days was definitely something my public school turned homeschool girls were NOT HaPpY about! Lol. It took a few “snow days” before they got over having to do school on those days, less than one winter season.
Glad you manage to get through Wednesday, lol. I totally understand and have a few of those myself.
What a cold snap we had too. We are in the Colorado Rockies at 9,600 ft. behind Pikes Peak and woke up to -16 degrees on Sunday or Monday, not sure which, but buurrr!!
Amy says
I hope you are having nicer weather this week!
Meghan says
Quick random question! When you and your husband run errands/go out to dinner, do you all get a sitter to stay with your kids, or do you have one of your oldest at-home children babysit?
Amy says
We have teenagers, and at times adult children, in the household – so yes, they stay at home with the little kids. Everyone is pretty self-sufficient these days. Back when there were lots of littles, we usually took the babies with us or just one of us ran the errands.