Large Family Homeschool Life – Week 35 of 2021

A look into our homeschool during the first week of September!

Read all of the Large Family Homeschool Life posts HERE >>

MONDAY

I took a short walk this morning before starting school. It’s always nice to start my day outside!

Morning Time began with lessons about Paul in our GrapeVine Bible Study. We are nearing the end of our survey of the New Testament. It’s been really fun to stick figure our way through the Bible!

We read in Making Thirteen Colonies and worked on our 13 Colonies maps from Tapestry of Grace. I also have a big U.S. coloring map from Cherry Creek Lane on the wall across from our European map. I remember working on a big map like this when I was a 4th grader and learning United States Geography, so it’s been fun to have one in our homeschool!

I’ve not chosen a new read aloud yet. Maybe I’m still traumatized from the last one! I’ll get it figured out soon though because the kids really look forward to our read-alouds!

READ >> How to Make Read Aloud Time More Peaceful

I ate a quick lunch and headed off to a hair appointment. I haven’t had my hair done since right before Easter and it was getting quite long. The ombre-balayage I had done on it at that time really dried it out and I knew it needed some help. I also decided I wanted some oompf to the grey, so we ended up putting a gloss on it and cutting off several inches.

The gloss is better than highlights because it is demi-permanent and brings out your natural highlights and then just gently fades without damaging your hair. I really like it, and my hair is so much healthier now!

When I got home, I finished up some school work with the littles that I hadn’t gotten to before I left.

Melia (16) made waffles for dinner. After dinner, Keian (15) pulled the upcoming books I need for Tapestry of Grace Unit 3 of Year 2 from our bookshelves. He always knows where everything is!

I think I’ve timed this unit just right so we’ll be done in time for Holiday Homeschooling at the end of October!

READ >> How to Make the Best Holiday Traditions in Your Homeschool

TUESDAY

It rained overnight – the first rain we’ve had in ages!

The house was very messy when I got downstairs this morning. We did a tidy up before school because there is no way I can homeschool when things are messy. Too much eye clutter!

READ >> Getting Your Home Back in Order with a 15 Minute Tidy

Right before school, we had another rainstorm. I just love rain! *happy sigh*

We started school with music from Pachelbel since we are currently studying the Baroque period using the Music Appreciation class from Music in Our Homeschool.

I explained to the children that Canon in D was the music our wedding party came down the aisle to. They recognized it from this Piano Guys video:

I will often start music from our current lessons while the kids are coming into the dining room for Morning Time. It’s a simple way to get some classical music in their little ears!

We did GrapeVine and then read in Our Island Story. We are back in England for a bit, learning about the Kings and Queens who ruled during the American colonial years.

While I read, the kids worked on a decoupage project. I purchased these wooden boxes from Amazon and they used origami paper and images I printed from the internet to make their decoupaged boxes. They all really enjoyed the project!

Ty had some dental work done this morning and then brought me home my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season! We found some delicious Black Rifle pumpkin flavored coffee at Cabela’s the other day, so I’m not sure I’ll need many PSL’s this season!

Ty and I sat together for a bit in the living room while the kids colored pages from the internet. I will often search for coloring pages and then open the images in a new tab and print from there. It’s something simple the kids really enjoy.

I ate a late lunch and then did some activities from Tree Guide and A Year of Playing Skillfully with the 3 youngest kids.

READ >> Review of A Year of Playing Skillfully {so much more than I expected!}

The boys tidied the basement porch so it is ready for the deck wash we’ll be doing before painting the entire thing. The deck is really shaping up nicely. It sure has been a blessing to have a friend who knows what he’s doing and could fix it for us for much cheaper than any “deck expert.”

Keian (15) made apples, onions, and bacon from the Little House on the Prairie Cookbook. He didn’t make very much, so we also had sandwiches. Probably a good thing since I’m not sure many of the children would have eaten that as a standalone meal.

The kids did table chores and then Lia and I went on a Walmart run and also picked up her Special Night stuff – sushi and cream soda.

I also let her pick out her birthday plates and streamers since her 17th birthday is this weekend! She chose aqua blue and black – just like her bedroom.

WEDNESDAY

I woke up early this morning because Ty was heading out for PT (physical training). I checked the outside temperature and decided to open the house up and turn on the attic fan. It’s still humid out, but at least we have some fresh air circulating through the house for a bit!

I changed out our Spring and Summer magazines for the Fall and Christmas ones. This may sound funny to you, but I keep magazines like Tea Time, Victoria, and Country Sampler over the years and rotate them out at Labor Day and Easter. They are in a basket in our living room so they are easy for people to grab and look at. It’s just a small thing that makes me happy.

Read more about why I have subscriptions to these magazines in this post:
A Mom Who Never Burns Out – The Secret of Mother Culture

For Morning Time, we did GrapeVine, read in Making Thirteen Colonies, and worked on our Colonial maps, including learning about which countries controlled which sections of North America during that time.

In Music in Our Homeschool, we learned about opera in Music Appreciation and also did a States Songs lesson on Massachusetts.

I decided for our read aloud to read Book #1 of The Sterling Spectacles. It’s a story about a large homeschooling family and their adventures in National Parks across the country.

We own a hard copy of the book, but it is only available digitally right now. They will be doing another print run in November (I’ll let you know when that happens!), but you can get Books 1 & 2 digitally for a great price right now!

I also read the book Hot Air to the little kids in anticipation of tonight’s End of Summer / Back to Homeschool Picnic! We usually do a “hot air balloon ride” like the one in THIS POST.

Hot Air is a book recommended by A Year of Playing Skillfully, but it meshed nicely with our current history lessons because it mentions the palace at Versailles – something we’ll be learning about tomorrow!

I ate my lunch and took a short break in my bedroom before heading back downstairs to do Tree Guide and A Year of Playing Skillfully with the little ones.

To learn how I make planning for this curriculum simple, read:

Simple Preschool Planning

In Tree Guide, we made watercolor acorns and tree rubbings and learned about trees in Nature Anatomy. (really great book, by the way!)

In AYOPS, we did an ABC sticker match like the one in my post Simple Alphabet Matching Preschool Project.

Afterwards, the littles played jacks on the kitchen floor and then played outside. I sat on the deck to watch them and the younger boys came out to talk to me about all the things they have been drawing lately.

The kids played until I called them to do a whole house tidy before TV time. I’m so glad the weather was nice enough for them to enjoy so much time outside!

When Ty got home from work, we ran to a local pharmacy that sells $1 helium balloons and bought 8 of them in the kids’ favorite colors. Then, we went to Sonic to pick up food for the Picnic!

We were going to do a laundry basket “hot air balloon” ride, but the basket broke when we lifted Mercy, so we did wheelbarrow rides instead. I guess they are all too big for laundry basket rides now. *sad face*

But, despite that, we had a great time telling Summer goodbye and saying hello to a new school year!

After our picnic, I ran all the younger kids through the bath and washed their hair. Thankfully, only the little girls still need my help with hair washing. The boys just need to be reminded to do it!

Later, I sat down and did some household planning. We have a lot going on during the first 3 weeks of September and I’m starting to feel the weight of it all. Time for a Brain Dump!

Want to learn how to do an effective Brain Dump?
Check out Mystie Winckler’s Workshop!

Declutter Your Mind

THURSDAY

I walked 2 miles this morning and then took the trash to the curb. In our city, there are no trash cans and you can pile ANYTHING at the curb. I mean ANYTHING! So, we keep all of our trash bags and such in the corner of our garage until Trash Day and then pile it all at the curb. You’ll often see people driving around neighborhoods early that morning looking for treasures in the trash. In fact, a couple of weeks ago our mailman saw something at our curb he wanted and asked if he could snag it. Of course, we said yes, and he loaded it right up in the back of his mail truck!

It was very nice outside this morning, so I had coffee and breakfast on the deck before calling everyone to school.

Morning Time was GrapeVine, Making Thirteen Colonies and our Colonial maps. We also learned about King Louis XIV and watched a YouTube tour of Versailles. Then, we read another chapter in The Sterling Spectacles. The book is a bit young for my teens, but everyone else is really enjoying it, and the older kids aren’t complaining, so that’s a win!

I helped the littles with their individual school work and then had lunch. After lunch, I took the older kids to work at the bee farm and grabbed some holds at the library.

When I got home, the boys wanted to do “floating” experiments with the helium balloons from last night. They tried to figure out how much weight it would take to pull the balloons down.

I did Tree Guide with the little ones. We read more in Nature Anatomy and I made them Cinnamon Playdough. The recipe is similar to this playdough recipe, but instead of chamomile, I used 2 Tbsp of cinnamon! I also added a bit of tumeric for a more Autumn-ish color.

The 12 year old made hot dogs for supper. Later, I worked on a meal plan for next week and the 10 year old asked me if he could cook next week! Awesome – another kitchen helper!

Ty and I watched Star Trek Voyager and Mercy fell asleep on my lap. I’ll take these baby snuggles as long as I can get them!

FRIDAY

I had a restless night. It might have been the rain storms waking me up, but I’m not sure. I ended up getting up early since I wasn’t sleeping well anyway. I read a bit in a book I got at the library – The Benedict Option.

I’ve the book Live Not By Lies by the same author and really enjoyed it. This is an earlier book, but still quite relevant to today.

I did a bit of tidying up before the children woke up and then began work on sealing our granite countertops a section at a time. I have no idea if they truly needed it, but I had a feeling it would be a good idea and I’d rather be “safe than sorry.” I’m very pleased with how they turned out!

Melia is taking today off from her house cleaning chores – something every child gets to do around their birthdays. We all pick up the slack and let them enjoy the time off!

READ >> Large Family Birthdays

After cleaning, I drove the kids to work. Their boss gave me one of the Teddy Bear Sunflowers from her flower patch. It was so cute!

It rained off and on all day. I had hoped with the rain I’d be able to open the windows, but it is way too humid for that.

I talked to my mom on the phone for a while this afternoon. I’m terrible about calling people – including my mom! Ty is so good at keeping in touch with people, but it’s just not something I think to do, so I was pretty proud of myself for calling my mom for no reason other than to say hello!

Later, Creed asked me to help him make a pillow and comforter for Melia’s dollhouse for her birthday. He was so excited to give her something other than a card! I did most of the work and he stuffed the pillow, but it was still his idea and I was glad to help him out with it.

After that, I worked on a grocery list. I was hoping to shop today, but I don’t think I can swing it. There’s just too much going on and I don’t have the bandwidth for a shopping trip.

When I went to pick up the kids from work, I got a full tour of the old schoolhouse their bosses own. It’s just like all the old schoolhouses from my elementary school days! While their family does not live in the schoolhouse, I have known people who do! I also know a family who lives in an old nursing home they renovated. They have made some of the rooms into apartments so they can not only show hospitality to guests, but also earn a bit of an income on the side with tenants. I also knew a family who lived in an old church. That was pretty neat too! I’ve always liked unique living accommodations!

When we got home, the power was out in the neighborhood. The electric company sends out texts to keep you updated on the situation which is really nice!

While we waited for the power to come back on, we brought in the Autumn decorations from the garage and listened to Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Radio on Pandora on my phone. We also got out the Candy Corn and Pumpkins I bought the other day and put them in our leaf-shaped candy dishes. It was a pretty low-key decorating day in comparison to what we do for Christmas, but still nice.

Once the power came back on, Keian decided to scrap his original dinner plan (Coq au Vin) and make fried chicken instead. I don’t think he realize that would be just about as labor intensive as the Coq au Vin!

We had a nice evening enjoying the Fall decorations and our clean home. Here’s to a lovely holiday weekend!