Homeschooling - 4.5 Weeks In

   It's been hot here this week, but schooling has gotten a bit more on track, thankfully. We've finished a few books and started a few new ones. :) So, here it is, grade 2, progress report 3...

          - Total Hours completed as of July 30th, 2011 -
     Science     12.25
     Math     11.75
     History & Social Studies     13.50
     Language Arts & Reading     42.75
     Daily Review   1.50
     Health & Physical Education     18.25
     Art     9.75
     Home Economics     -----
     Foreign Language (Latin)     -----

          - Total Hours   109.75     out of     1,000 mandatory hours -
     Hours Left:     890.25     averaging     18.75/week  -or-  2.75/day

Current Curriculum (percentage of current status towards completion):
     Science:
          Discovery Works (Houghton Mifflin gr 3)     lesson 68 of 129     (52.7%)
          Rain Forest (Jinny Johnson)     section 23 of 23     (100%)
          True Story Of Corky The Blind Seal (Georgeanne Irvine)     section 3 of 3     (100%)
          To Be A Chimpanzee (Chris Martin)     section 3 of 3     (100%)
     Math:
          Arithmetic 3 (Abeka gr 3)     lesson 113 of 170     (66.4%)
     History:
          Spectrum Geography Grade 3 (McGraw Hill gr 3)     lesson 9 of 18     (50.0%)
          Stories Of American Life And Adventure (Edward Eggleston)     section 28 of 47     (59.5%)
     Language Arts:
          Grammar - Language 3 (Abeka gr 3)     lesson 100 of 163     (61.3%)
          Comprehension - Silly Things Happen (Houghton Mifflin gr 3)     lesson 42 of 42     (100%)
          Comprehension - Foot Prints (A Beka gr 3)     lesson 3 of 21     (14.2%)
          Penmanship - Cursive 3 (Abeka gr 3)     lesson 115 of 175     (65.7%)
          Independent Reading - Fire Star (Chris D'Lacey)     chapter 43 of 65     (66.1%)
          Independent Reading - New Moon (Stephenie Meyer)     page 244 of 563     (43.3%)
          Classic Literature - Outdoor Girls In A Motor Car (Laura Lee Hope)     chapter 11 of 25     (44.0%)
     Health:
          It's Not The Stork (Robie H Harris)     section 3 of 12     (25.0%)
     Foreign Language:
          Latin - Minimus (Cambridge)     lesson 2 of 27     (7.4%)

Things Done and Things Yet Undone

   I finally, and I stress the word finally, completed the organization of my book collection yesterday. What was 4 booksehelves in the boys room of kids books and two book shelves in our room of adult books and two book shelves in the living room of miscellaneous books, and two boxes of new books I bought over the weekend has turned into six book shelves of books from child to adult levels sorted alphabetically, dispersed from the boys room into our room, and two book shelves in the living room containing textbooks and coffe table books. This was a long-time coming, but it has finally been accomplished. Yay! Don't you love that quick rush of relief? Of course, then you look around the one room you are currently sitting in (in this case my living room), and you realize that not only does nobody care about this small feat other than youself, but also that you still have organize the books on your kindle, rearrange the catalogued title lists on your pc, sort the new index card catalogue pages into the boxes, write the rest of the papers for 4th grade for your 2nd grader, oh and don't forget to vacuum, wash laundry, wash the dishes (which are now two loads behind instead of the usual one), and of course there's always the snoring pooch laying next to you acting like she's the one having a long day... I did at least clean out Miss Bunny's cage this morning.
   The kindle books (around 1300 of them) were organized as of last Thursday. Then I realized that the way I had them sorted (by genre and grade) would not work long term as I rearrange the books into other categories and find grade levels for the currently unmarked ones. So, I set about a new sorting method which simplifies the whole thing. But, since I have to move the books araound one book at a time, this is gonna take a while :( At least the kids still have full use of the kindle during this process.
   This weekend was spent doing three things I love: hitting yard sales, flea markets, and Books-A-Million... The hauls were not fantastic, but they were still good deals in my book. Here are the high points:

          1) Books: Abeka Arithmetic 5 (barely used); Abeka Arithmetic 6 Tests (barely used);
                 Usborne Advanced Puzzle Adventures
              Toys: Discovery Toys Kaleidoscope Ball
                              Total Paid: $8
          2) New Books: 10 Nancy Drew books ... $10
          3) Books: 8 Nancy Drew books; 3 Madeline L'Engle books; Laura Ingalls Wilder book;
                 A A Milne book; Roald Dahl book; animal stories
              Clothing: sleeper, two rompers, shorts and shirt for KiKi
              Toys: two small toys for KiKi
                              Total Paid: $13
          4) Books: 2 animal story books; Jean M Auel book; Christopher Paolini book ... Total Paid: $5.50
          5) New Books: Katrina photo book; Golden Compass movie book; 2 dragon story books;
                 4 Precious Girls books ... Total Paid: $20

   In case you didn't notice, books have been taking up a lot of my free time (and money) lately. Oh well, seems to be something at least semi-worthwhile...
   Meanwhile, Bob is awaiting repair. His motor is currently sitting in my garage to be rebuilt and there are rumors about his transmission getting redone as well. Poor Bob, I miss him. He should be a lot happier after all this is done...

Homeschooling - 3.5 Weeks In

   This last week has been hectic for schooling. Between doctor appointments, helping my mom out, hitting yard sales, and just plain old stress... not a lot of the textbook work got done. Or at least, not as much as I had originally intended at the start of the week. Oh well, here is grade 2, progress report 2...

          - Total Hours completed as of July 23rd, 2011 -
     Science     6.75
     Math     7.50
     History & Social Studies     10.75
     Language Arts & Reading     29.50
     Daily Review   1.50
     Health & Physical Education     14.00
     Art     8.00
     Home Economics     -----
     Foreign Language (Latin)     -----

          - Total Hours     78.00     out of     1,000 mandatory hours -
     Hours Left:     922.00     averaging     19.00/week  -or-  2.75/day

Current Curriculum (percentage of current status towards completion):
     Science:
          Discovery Works (Houghton Mifflin gr 3)     lesson 64 of 129     (49.6%)
          Rain Forest (Jinny Johnson)     section 21 of 23     (91.3%)
     Math:
          Arithmetic 3 (Abeka gr 3)     lesson 108 of 170     (63.5%)
     History:
          Spectrum Geography Grade 3 (McGraw Hill gr 3)     lesson 7 of 18     (38.8%)
          Stories Of American Life And Adventure (Edward Eggleston)     section 20 of 47     (42.5%)
     Language Arts:
          Grammar - Language 3 (Abeka gr 3)     lesson 96 of 163     (58.8%)
          Comprehension - Silly Things Happen (Houghton Mifflin gr 3)     lesson 41 of 42     (97.6%)
          Penmanship - Cursive 3 (Abeka gr 3)     lesson 113 of 175     (64.5%)
          Independent Reading - Fire Star (Chris D'Lacey)     chapter 37 of 65     (56.9%)
          Independent Reading - New Moon (Stephenie Meyer)     page 200 of 563     (35.5%)
          Classic Literature - Outdoor Girls In A Motor Car (Laura Lee Hope)     chapter 5 of 25     (20.0%)
     Health:
     Foreign Language:
          Latin - Minimus (Cambridge)     lesson 2 of 27     (7.4%)

Istanbul Snappers

   You know the little snapper things from the fourth of july? You throw them and they pop. Or you squish them between your fingers and they pop. Yeah, you're not supposed to do that, but you get the point. Anyway, we had some leftover ones. And, the mean mommy that I am, I kept them and have been randomly using them to startle the kids. Like throwing them on the bedroom door when they're all quietly engrossed in playing, and things such as that.
   Well, the leftovers are sitting on the kitchen table, loose, ready for use. And quite frankly I'd totally forgotten about their existence, much less their location. So, B was sitting at the table doing her work and accidentally knocked the pile with her elbow. And onto the floor the go. How only one managed to pop, I have no idea. But she jumped out of her seat and squealed very loudly... That was earlier today.
   Later, Mutt got home from work and she told him about the incident, laughing about how funny the whole thing was. Then, a few hours laer, she was at the table again, coloring. And guess what? She did it again. And, I honestly think the second squeal was louder and higher pitched than the first... You don't have to terrorize your kids. Just remember to laugh your butt off when they terrorize themselves...

-------------------------

   Mutt and I were arguing over what's for dinner. Or more, debating, rather than arguing. So he finally asked me what I'm "feeling" for dinner, and I told him "Istanbul". To which he immediately replied, "that's funny, I'm looking at a Turkish gun right now, what are the odds of that?"... Darn internet!
   If you're wondering why I said Istabul, I suggest watching the last five to ten minutes of Swordfish, pre-credits...

Homeschooling - 2.5 weeks in

   Since the homeschool calendar year in Missouri starts on July 1st, the 2011-2012 school year has already started. In fact it's around 2.5 weeks in. So, for the last 2.5 weeks, I've been logging ZoKo's hours and work for this school year, while everyone else is enjoying another month and a half or so until public school starts. Starting at the end of this week, I plan on doing weekly hour logs as well as weekly updates on her progress in her current books. While I attempted to start this posting project last school year, I failed to keep up with it. Hopefully this year will go better. Meanwhile, here is her first progress report from grade 2.

          - Total Hours completed as of July 16th, 2011 -
     Science     4.00
     Math     3.75
     History & Social Studies     8.75
     Language Arts & Reading     20.25
     Daily Review   1.50
     Health & Physical Education     7.50
     Art     1.50
     Home Economics     -----
     Foreign Language (Latin)     -----

          - Total Hours     47.25     out of     1,000 mandatory hours -
     Hours Left:     952.75     averaging     19.25/week  -or-  2.75/day

Current Curriculum (percentage of current status towards completion):
     Science:
          Discovery Works (Houghton Mifflin gr 3)     lesson 63 of 129     (48.8%)
          Rain Forest (Jinny Johnson)     section 6 of 23     (26.0%)
     Math:
          Arithmetic 3 (Abeka gr 3)     lesson 104 of 170     (61.1%)
     History:
          Spectrum Geography Grade 3 (McGraw Hill gr 3)     lesson 6 of 18     (33.3%)
          Stories Of American Life And Adventure (Edward Eggleston)     section 14 of 47     (29.7%)
     Language Arts:
          Grammar - Language 3 (Abeka gr 3)     lesson 94 of 163     (57.6%)
          Comprehension - Silly Things Happen (Houghton Mifflin gr 3)     lesson 38 of 42     (90.4%)
          Penmanship - Cursive 3 (Abeka gr 3)     lesson 112 of 175     (64.0%)
          Independent Reading - Fire Star (Chris D'Lacey)     chapter 32 of 65     (49.2%)
          Independent Reading - New Moon (Stephenie Meyer)     page 156 of 563     (27.7%)
          Classic Literature - Outdoor Girls In A Motor Car (Laura Lee Hope)     chapter 1 of 25     (4.0%)
     Health:
     Foreign Language:
          Latin - Minimus (Cambridge)     lesson 2 of 27     (7.4%)

PS - Most of her current textbooks are grade level 3. This is because we are finishing secondary (or in some cases, tertiary) work from last school year. The only primary grade 3 books she is still working on are for Arithmetic, Grammar, and Penmanship (all of which were started mid-year last school year). As soon as the current books are completed, she will be progressing directly into grade 4 material. The only exception being in Health, where she has a secondary book to complete prior to the grade 4 material. However, considering that the Health is formulated to be a semester course to begin with, we have agreed to postpone the introduction of said book until August, to allow her more "light-school" time during summer. :)

Mutts and Soda...

   Okay, so my Mutt has been having to go to work early all week, which really sucks. The paycheck will be a good thing, but the us time being lost just blows... Last night, I went to Wal-Mart with ZoKo, and Mutt finally asked me (after the kids went to bed) why I'd gotten all dolled up to just go to Wal-Mart. I had no clue what he was talking about. I had gone all day being lazy in pj's, no shower, doing housework and school work. So, I'd put on a dress to go to Wal-Mart. It was the quickest thing to change into, and I refuse to wear pj's past my own yard. Next, was my hair. I'd put it up in a pony tail. Well, I hate driving with my hair down lately (something about the bleached blonde thing, I think), so I'd drawn it up quickly. So then he pointed out that I smelled good. lol, the he likes the smell of the face wash I use. So, no, it wasn't a body splash... I finally asked him what the point of this was, and pointed out that I had ZoKo with me. Not defensively, mind you, I knew he wasn't accusing me of anything, rather just asking out of curiosity. So, he clarified the whole point of this conversation, "you looked really nice"... God, I love my man :)
   Retro Big Red made an announcement today on FaceBook, stating that you can now purchase cans of Retro Big Red on Amazon.com with free shipping. Yay! I've been looking all over for it anywhere closer than Texas. So I click their link... 27 bucks for 24 cans, with free shipping... Yeah, I don't see myself ordering that anytime soon! :(

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Complicated Thoughts

   One heck of a lot has happened in the last few weeks, and I keep meaning to get on here and write about it. But then I realize that A: no one that cares is likely to read it, and B: anyone who does care and reads it is likely to be offended. So, since when do I care? Well, that's just the point. No matter how much we try to pretend that we don't care, is that really possible? Can you live with everyone else's crap and honestly not care what they think of you? I mean not even in the slightest, most insignificant way? Seriously? Maybe we shouldn't. Maybe we should let the world see our demons and tell them off if they don't like it. Maybe we should tell them exactly what we think of their close-minded opinions and overgrown egos. But then, does that make us any better? But do we have to be better? I mean, why care? Because somehow we feel we have to live up to someone's expectations, or at least make an attempt to. But what if we already know there's no way we can ever live up to our own? Does that mean we should purposefully fall short? I mean, I know I'll never be anything close to the person I wish I could be, but does that mean I should walk away, no questions asked?
   For anyone that doesn't personally know me, you're not missing out on anything. For anyone who does know me, why are you still bothering to read this anyway? If I haven't let you down, I will. If I haven't broken your trust, I'm sure I'll manage that too. And if I haven't already destroyed at least one of your dreams, it's probably somewhere on my to do list. Just ask any one of a number of people that no longer visit my page, seek my advice, text me out of boredom, or wonder why they bothered to know me to begin with. I can give you a list, a long one.
   I have a few ex's that might argue that I didn't ruin their lives. Heck, a few may even say they miss me still. Okay, more than a few. But what do they miss? Nothing to do with me. They mostly miss the things I never truly was, the image they saw reflected back in my eyes, and they way I could manage to be interested in whatever they wanted me to like. I lost myself in those years, lacking the desire to remember what I truly was. And I miss that feeling most days. I miss the obliviousness to this reality I have chosen, the obviously lacking desire to be anything more than what I was expected to be.
   And yet somehow I know that this has nothing to do with me. I can't be that person you want me to. I can't pretend that the world spinning doesn't make me hesitate before taking a step, or that the rain falling slows down my desires to run naked down the street. I can't sit back and relax and be that nice polite young lady that you want to see sitting across from you, much less keep my mouth shut while you spread your lies and blasphemy.
   And if you're still reading this, I'm in awe and I have no idea why. Check your laundry, see if dinner is burning yet, or browse the television for some new dumb show to rot your brain.
   Meanwhile, if you must continue to sit and stare, gawk at these things your can not pretend to let fade into the background, then I implore you to at least open your thoughts enough to let the words flow rather than persist to echo. The echo does no good, it does not help you to understand it any better, and further complicates the message.
   You want to know about me? The things I can admit to, the things that I'm not hesitant to say, should it result in crucifiction? Here's one: I don't agree with you. Let's just get that out there in the open to begin with. Your life is yours, mine is mine. And that works, for both of us. As for whose life is better, who cares? I run away into the abyss of my own world when your world gets too complicated for me to handle it anymore. And sometimes that isolation last just a few hours, other times a few years. But who was keepnig track anyway? I create a world that is safe for me, although I assure you there really is no such thing. How could there be?
   But alas, my rambling has brought me to no point near the one I originally intended. So, for anyone who reaches this point, consider this to have taught you two things, simply put. 1 - whoever you are, I'm sure that my world isn't worth your knowing, and 2 - never read the insane ramblings posted on random blogs, they almost inevitably lead to nowhere in the end anyway...