The Homeschool Mother's Journal: Feb 4, 2011 (Wk 3)

Look at that... multiple posts in one week. Maybe I'm on a roll and getting into a routine like I wanted. I like it!

It's time again for The Homeschool Chick's weekend meme... The Homeschool Mother's Journal. Click on the links or the linked graphic above to read other homeschool mom's entries or link up your own!


In my life this week...
We had such winter-filled weather this week! I typically have a hard time with the grayness of Ohio winters. Pair that with the newly sedentary life that I'm leading with my back injury and it makes for a bad attitude. Thanks to the lovely attitudes and praise-worthy Facebook posts and blog entries of some of my friends (thanks, Debbie!) I made a conscious decision today that I was going to have a good attitude today. I had a very pleasant afternoon! It's amazing what a little gratitude can do for the soul. (And it didn't hurt that the sun was out shining brightly today either!)

In our homeschool this week...
I had a bit of validation this week! The kid stayed on track, made some great progress in math, and showed me for a second week in a row that she can work independently AND stay on target. I have been saying that she's made this jump, and I knew it, but I don't think I really felt it until this week. I think sometimes we need that to get us through the rough weeks!

Places we're going and people we're seeing...
Tomorrow we're heading to the local winter farmer's market. Normally we would be there nearly every weekend but the last year has just been a zebra of a different stripe. (Horse of a different color is used so much... trying to be unique. ;)  I'm looking forward to getting back to something that feels normal!

My favorite thing this week was...
I had a ball cooking this week! I didn't get to do much of it because I'm still on restricted activity, but what I did do thrilled me to no end. I've been able to steal away moments to myself to read about nutrition and health, and I've also been able to work on my Family Herbalist course. Selfishly, my favorite thing this week was my "me" time!

What's working/not working for us...
I really need to get into a better morning routine. Ours is SO bad. We have always followed the idea that if the kid needed sleep, she just needed sleep. I'm still good with this, but I'm feeling the pressure to have a more normal schedule. We are still accomplishing our list (most days), so maybe it's not that bad to have a relaxed start time. Something I'm pondering...

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...
Lately I've really been taken with the idea that we only have a handful of years left with the kid at home. I'm trying not to focus on the "empty nest" portion of our life before we get there, but I also remember how hard it was when our oldest moved out. She was my nighttime chatting buddy. How do you keep yourself from thinking too far into the future and forgetting the present?

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...
I've posted several times that we're walking down the gluten-free road now. I've been reading gobs and gobs of blogs and websites on the subject. (I'm a tad addicted to foodie blogs!) My lovely friend, Sheri, introduced me to The Spunky Coconut. She is a hoot! I love her recipes, and have been spending far too many hours reading her blog. Ok, so we'll call it research. She does have wonderful posts about nutrition, so it's educational! :) I'd love to pass on her site to anyone with or without allergies. Try some Spunky Coconut recipes. You'll be glad that you did! (I believe that I read they were homeschoolers, too. Woo hoo!)