Another factor is time. I've been having difficulty lately finding time to blog more than once each week (occasionally a bit more). I have been making time to focus on some of my own interests, which I feel is the best kind of example for my girls...things like crocheting, learning about herbs and planning an herb garden, learning about more sustainability and self-sufficiency, and getting really focused on family budgeting and saving. Time will becoming an even more challenging factor pretty soon, since I will be taking on the director position at the library where I work.
On the other hand, though, one of the reasons I enjoy blogging is to share resources, and to give a real-life picture of what a lifestyle of learning without a curriculum looks like. By not doing some form of recap, I miss opportunities to share this. Additionally, we enjoy looking back through our blog to read old posts, and the recap posts are especially good summaries to read.
So, with all that said, I'm going to try to get back into some sort of routine with these types of posts...we'll see how I do ;)
What we're reading
- I've been reading books about medicinal herbs, and we've been perusing some seed catalogs...I've been focused on herbs, and the girls are making a list of flowers they want to plant :)
- Lauren has pulled out all of our Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books to re-read (after finishing re-reading The Sisters Grimm series)...plus there has been lots of other independent reading, including The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick (for our mother-daughter book club!)
- Jenna read through A Pioneer Sampler, which I brought home from the library for her because of her love of all things related to Little House on the Prairie :) She's also been reading books in the Royal Diaries series, and re-reading books in the Goddess Girls series.
- We finished Lives of the Writers by Kathleen Krull...we've been liking this series of biographies. We started reading The Fairy-Land of Science by Arabella Buckley (free for Kindle)
- We're listening to The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan whenever we're in the car.
What we're creating
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| David's and my creations during our own private LEGO class, which the girls led :) |
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| We discovered tagxedo.com, which is an awesome online word art creator! This is one of Jenna's many creations. While you can save your creations in many ways, we could not figure out how to share them on Instagram. Jenna did take photos of the computer screen and shared some of those. |
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| Lauren used Sharpie markers to doodle on a pair of jeans from the thrift store, which she bought specifically for that purpose. They are very cool and really show her personality! |
- There has been LOADS and LOADS of creating on Minecraft!!
- Lauren is always drawing/sketching and writing
- Jenna is still taking a clay class each week
- Jenna is planning a Sunbonnet Sue quilt where she makes one block each month, that has a theme inspired by that month. She shopped for some fabric she needed this week, and she has the first several blocks planned out. We'll share photos as she gets started :)
- Jenna really enjoys taking photos, making photo collages, and doing photo sharing through Instagram.
- As I type this post, the girls are working on creating a more organized and inspiring space in their "other room" upstairs...so they feel like being creative when they are at their desks.
What we're watching
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| great movie we watched together this week |
- the girls began re-watching episodes from Season 1 of Little House on the Prairie on DVD last weekend when Jenna wasn't feeling well, and they've been watching episodes all week
- The Brady Bunch and I Love Lucy
- cooking shows on PBS
- Modern Marvels: Great Inventions on DVD from Netflix
- David and I watched the documentary King Korn one night, and the girls and I discussed it the next day
- Jeopardy
Games we're playing
We played a game of Pay Day early in the week, and I think that's about it for this week!Favorite apps right now
- Minecraft
- Instagram...Jenna, especially, LOVES Instagram and is often inspired by my blogging friends' daughters :) I love seeing the way they get ideas from each other!
- various photo apps: CamWow, collage apps (Pic Stitch, Pic Collage, and InstaCollage), TXT Pics HD
- Draw Mania
- Temple Run
- Rail Rush
- Tree World
- Tap the Frog
- Fruit Ninja
- Doodle Buddy
- Sims Medieval
- Stack the States
- What's the Word
- Spider Solitaire
Other stuff
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| using our laptops to play on Moneyville, and various other online games |
- math practice using Mastering Essential Math Skills by Richard W. Fisher...this is going very well :)
- planning for Random Acts of Kindness Week (Feb. 11th - 17th)
So, how have things been for you lately??
Linking up with Mary:
I so get not having enough time to blog. I struggle with that too. I appreicate your list of apps. we just got a kindle fire and I am exploring the different apps out there.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Dawn
Dawn, we've had lots of good luck finding apps that the girls like for free! We've only paid for a few of them. They really gain a lot from using the apps on their iPods.
DeleteMiss 12 really enjoyed Fly Away Home. I think she'd really enjoy Pioneer Sampler so hope our library system has it. Also Lives of the Writers. I didn't know about that one,but we have enjoyed the ones in the series that we havd read I'm so glad that you - and others -find ths time (and ways around privacy concerns) to blog. I always find posts like this great for inspiration /reminders (I've been meaning to introduce Miss 12 to Taxgedo for ages - your post might mean we'll get to it this week) rather than a "show off" type thing.
ReplyDeleteSandra, thanks for the encouragement...that's the reason I like to do these kinds of posts is to offer up the resources we find useful and maybe a bit of inspiration. I get so much from reading others' blogs, too :)
DeleteI COMPLETELY relate. I feel the same way--is this interesting to anyone else? is it 'showing off"? And, like you, I have not had a lot of time to blog...I think looking at it realistically, I let a lot of my other interests slip when I was blogging a lot and when Jason was home for those 6 weeks I started focusing more on those things and realized I missed them. But like you said, we like to look back over the blog and remember when we did this or that. Oh and the whole proving something to someone...I get that completely...even when i wrote the post it sounds so much more intense than our life actually is and it drives me crazy trying to make it seem like actually, I am pretty relaxed about a lot of it but when I write about it it comes out different.
ReplyDeleteANYWAY--I LOVE those jeans!! If I were just a wee bit younger I would totally make myself a pair!!
Also, FYI, Heather Vogel Frederick will skype with you at your bookclub if you want her to--she is skyping with us in April but I know her schedule is kind of loose if you can do an evening and she is super sweet and gets back to you quickly!!
I am glad you can relate...that it's not just me!
DeleteLauren offered to make you a pair of the jeans ;)
Thanks for the tip about skyping Heather Vogel Frederick. I'll keep it in mind :)
Oooh thanks for sharing your favourite apps! I'll have to go look at some of those! Lego class sounds like fun, I have some challenges for my boys I want to have them make, just need to find time to work it in :D How is that Lives of Writers book? It sounds really interesting!
ReplyDeleteMomLaur, the Lives of the Writers book is good...it's by Kathleen Krull, and the same author has similar books on Extraordinary Women, Artists, Musicians, Athletes, and others. The biographies are fairly short and give interesting facts about the person.
DeleteI completely agree with you about weekly recaps, but at the rate I've been going...if I didn't do a weekly recap, I wouldn't have had any posts the last couple of months:)
ReplyDeleteAnd I do love reading about your weeks. It really encourages me on this path of interest led learning...I know I'm not alone!
Looks like a beautiful week:)
Jenn, you seriously encourage me in the SAME way!
DeleteYou're a Minecraft household, too?! ::grin:: I had misgivings about it at first. More video games? Ugh! But the things they've been creating have been pretty cool!
ReplyDeleteFly Away Home is one of our favorites! Such a feel good movie!
I've got one that doesn't like his photo taken either. Must be the teen years! But he's OK with me sharing photos of his work. Showing off? I guess I've never really felt that way either writing OR reading. Everyone does focus on the positives (but we all know there are negatives ::wink::). I think a blog should be for the blogger ultimately! :)
I had initial misgivings about Minecraft, too...but they are having a great time with it, and they work together as well as individually.
DeleteSusan, I am so glad you linked up with Collage Friday. I love seeing what you and the girls are doing. It's always inspiring to me.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone strikes their own balance with blogging. For me, I LOVE to blog - the creativity of taking pictures, making pinable images, and the whole tech thing just fascinates me. The kids help me and we come up with many posts together. I guess it all depends on where your interests are.
I didn't know you will be the director of your library! Congrats!
Thanks Mary! :)
DeleteI agree about everyone striking their own balance with blogging. Partly, I really do love it, but because there are other things I love, too, it's a constant work in progress to find a balance that works for me.
I love the lego class. That is so great when they want to do for you like that. Their artistic talent is still amazing, with the jeans and the Sunbonnet Sue items.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the list of apps, we use some already and I will check out the others. Amber isn't into Minecraft (or even know it exists), I'm not sure she needs another game.
I understand your feelings about the blog. I wonder why I do it at times. Then someone will leave a post about how it encouraged or helped them, in any small way. I remember a year ago when we were new to homeschooling how all the blogs were so helpful to feel connected and know that the issues we had were similar to other homeschooling families, even more experienced ones.
Thanks for the insight into your life too. It's been a blessing.
Thanks Christy :)
DeleteI know just what you mean about encouraging comments making it worth it! I do blog for us to look back on, but it's also a very good feeling to know that in a small way, I am offering help and/or inspiration to someone else.
There is a wealth of terrific learning experiences here. I find posts like this inspiring. My kids are nuts about Minecraft too. And I love those doodled jeans!
ReplyDeleteThanks Steph :) I'm glad and honored that we inspire!
DeleteSo glad to see you blogging about what you and the girls have been up too! I always love all your resources Susan. Some of these I have commented on via Instagram. LOVE the jeans! LOVE THEM! I'm with Theresa except I WOULD wear them. Looks like some great books and we both love that tagxedo. I saw it on her Instagram. :)I keep trying to get Keilee to play Minecraft but she isn't interested. She did it years ago and just doesn't care about it now. Of course that is subject to change at any time. :) I am going to check out some of those apps. Some of them we have and love.
ReplyDeleteI so understand about the posting. The weekly recap it usually the ONLY post I do each week. Love reading this. As I always say, you are just such an inspiration to us both. Hugs.
You should totally make yourself some of the jeans, Karen!
DeleteI don't think I could get into Minecraft either. It might well be a passing phase here, too...but I can't be sure yet.
Yeah, the posting thing is a tough one...the gratitude post is important to me, so I always do that one, but when I don't do these recaps for a while, I miss them!
Hugs back to you!!
I feel like that too sometimes. I ask "is this important to anyone?" but then I remember I am recording all these activities and links for me and my family. I am basically blogging once a month now because I am so busy with the kids. I am glad you are still sharing because I glean a lot of books and activities from your blog. :) TFS again!
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting Tereza :) I'm glad to be helpful, truly, and I always gain ideas from reading your posts, too!
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