Friday, March 28, 2014

What the...

*The title of this post in no way infers a cuss word.*

It's been a very, very, very odd week here at Homeschool Camper. I'm not talking like Murphy's Law weird, just plain weird. Nothing happened that caused giant issues, there wasn't a huge catastrophe, not even a week that would normally cause a blip on the radar screen when taken in separate components. But when you add it all up it's definitely been a "what the?" kind of week.
Monday began our week of oddities. I woke up, not on time, but still early and this never happens on a Monday no matter how hard I try. I thought this would bode well for the rest of the week, hrm ... I might have thought wrong. Moments after actually starting our lessons I snapped a nice picture of birds in the field outside of our window, the weather was sunny even if it was a bit chilly (high of 30* F). The campers did their school diligently enough but they drug their feet, it took from 9 AM all the way until 4 PM to finish all the lessons planned. After which I sent ECJ outside to collect some dirt from near the ditch so that we can plant our sprouted onions, found Sunday evening, inside since the frost will certainly kill them off if we try to do so outside. He ended up having an interesting encounter with the neighbor's dog, but thankfully no one was hurt and our neighbors were diligent in their observations of their dog. Right before supper we had our "what the.." moment when we found over 12+ videos in Peanut's room, many of which weren't in their cases. This began the "video check out list" where now each child taking a movie out of the cabinet, including Peanut, needs to write part of the title and their name when taking the movie out and then sign again when they return the movie. *So far it has worked great!* Certainly a Monday, pulling teeth to get cooperation and ready to pull my hair out by the end of the day.


Tuesday was one of those days where it seemed like it was just possible was just never going to end. Honestly I hadn't thought it was going to be such an odd day. I woke up a little later than planned (not unusual), the children began their lessons with hardly a problem (not unusual for Tuesdays), and the weather decided to go crazy and snow again (not unusual for this year, plus it was only 30* F again). Then, after it had started to snow Peanut mentioned having a "small" headache ... within moments I noticed that though she wasn't straining with counting the pictures she was holding her temples with her palms and whining when trying to see the numbers. Quick glance at her pupils and it was confirmed, we had the beginnings of a migraine. Lessons over for her, medication given, popped into bed for quiet time with her favorite Strawberry Shortcake movie playing super super low. *Only her second migraine since starting the new medication a few months ago, so not complaining!* The Cracker Jack's were informed that due to needing showers/baths before catechism we'd be ending lessons at 2 PM and they cracked down pretty quickly to their lessons. By noon Peanut was up and eating a snack but we didn't put her back to work. Instead she chose to "practice for gym" (which is what she was going to do while the Cracker Jack's had their final first communion class). By 4 PM everyone was ready for catechism. Too bad when we got there at 5:30 PM it was to find out that it had been cancelled and almost no one had been informed! Yup, "what the..." moment for sure! Off back home and a late supper eaten that could have been avoided by a simple phone or email message.

The teacher aides in action...
Wednesday Daddy took over for the 40 Bags in 40 Days challenge while I continued with the children's lessons. Daddy was able to take all of our scrap that we'd found in various rooms and outside back to the scrap yard while I attempted to teach the children. My stomach began giving me issues early in the day and I wasn't really feeling well. We kept at it. I was grouchy, the kids were still cranky from the night before not going as planned, and we still somehow got all the work from Tuesday finished and most of Wednesday's. That evening we had first communion practice and it went very well for the children. Our "what the..." moment happened in the church as several (we're talking over half the parents, literally one side of the church pretty much) of the parents began talking throughout the whole thing. No one but the children could hear a darned thing! I was upset, Daddy was upset, even the campers were upset. Turns out even they had to strain to hear what was being told to them from people who were standing less than ten feet from them. Needless to say were were not happy campers. *We had a giant "what the..." day this day due to several calls from a scam artist who was trying to get us to send them money for a loan we were suddenly approved for even though A) we hadn't applied for one and B) they didn't even know our names. A lot of the phone calls were nasty in nature when we told them to stop calling, the resulted in name calling and nastiness. I ended up having to call my cell provider to get blocking added to my line and reported each number they'd called from to the FTC.*

Yup, after all this cold we had rain ... oh wait, and some sleet... OH, then it snowed ... *sigh*
So, that brings us to Thursday (the day I'm typing this up). I woke up just icky kaka! My IBS (how's that for some honesty LOL) has flared up big time, what started yesterday has only gotten worse today. I crawled out of bed and called a day of unschooling. I just could not get my body to cooperate so it's unschooling and movie Thursday and I'm not a bit flustered over it. Peanut got YCJ to read three books (yup that's right three of them) to her in less than 40 minutes! ECJ worked on his sketch work and automobile drawings for awhile, jotted down some notes for a story idea he's had, and has begun straightening up his Legos. The girls have watched a few movies and have discussed which is creepier The Adams Family or Coraline (personally I think Coraline is creepier) and why each thinks their choice is creepier. For those of you wondering, the girls decided that Coraline was indeed creepier and chose to watch Adams Family. Daddy made us a vegetarian lunch of spaghetti with spinach included in the sauce which is one of our all time favorites. And thus far there really hasn't been a giant "what the..." moment other than the IBS hitting me so hard and causing me to reevaluate what I've been eating lately. The small "what the..." moments have come all day long while the weather tries to decide if it wants to rain, shine, sleet, or snow. *Sigh* It is the never ending winter where a day that was supposed to be in the high 40's has so far only reached 34* F. OH, and the meat for supper somehow spoiled overnight in the fridge but everything else is just fine?!?! Who knows? We still haven't gotten those onions planted as the dirt that was dug up first needed to thaw, then dry some (I may dry it more on low in the oven later), and then we'll need to pick out the random roots and what nots before planting the onions. Such is life.

Our plans for tomorrow (Friday) remain that we will do our regular lessons. As next week is scheduled as a short one for us, due to the monthly errand running on the 3rd and some plans for the 4th, we're simply placing Thursday's lessons tomorrow and tomorrow's lessons on Monday so that we'll have two days of general review before taking a couple of days off to do the tasks that life requires. Here's hoping that the last official week day has no "what the.." moments.

In 6th grade news ECJ will finish his A Beka Language book no later than Monday, his A Beka math book should be finished in less than two weeks, and he's going to begin on Module 9 of Apologia General Science next week. This boy is cruising!!

3rd grade and prek/K are chugging along very nicely. YCJ is right on the schedule we set her on and Peanut will be finished with all of her preK books very shortly. Their current science will be completed in less than two weeks which will hopefully coincide with the correct timing for extended nature walks to begin again. 

We've also gotten ourselves firmly entrenched in Colonial America and they're all finding it fascinating.


It was a pajama week other than when we went to the church. Even those days we didn't change until late afternoon for the most part. The weather hasn't done as it should have all week long and we didn't go outside other than to go to the church.
Posts you may have missed this week:    
Cozy Menu Plan
Comments on Homeschooling
Fire Starters - How To
Is It Working?

Who I'm linking up with this week:    
Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers
Faithful Mom of 9
Homegrown Learners
and
Great Peace Academy











Find us on Facebook here or subscribe to the blog for tips on homeschooling, book reviews, how to get your children helping out in the kitchen, and to see many pictures of the cute kiddos, plus much more!


10 comments:

  1. Chrystal I am so sorry you had some crazy days! I hate weeks like that where everything goes wrong it seems. You still got a lot done. Isn't Colonial America great? We had such fun with that. So many hands on crafts. I hope you are feeling better and your sweet Peanut is better. I have migraines and it just breaks my heart that she has to suffer through them. I told Keilee what you said on my blog about Augustus and she said "Thank you so much". We both laughed a bit at your comment. Happy weekend!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was just an odd week LOL thanks for the support. As I type this I'm still having some digestive issues and we did very little today in the way of "formal" lessons, though all the kids worked on math, science, reading, and art on their own! LOL if only I had been like them when I was younger. I love Colonial America, almost as much as I love knights and peasants. I've had migraines for nearly half my life and it kills me as well that Peanut has them, her's are caused from her vision issues where as mine are from a pinched nerve at the base of my skull. I'm sorry that you also suffer from them. Keilee and her squirrel just make me smile, even if I'm not a big squirrel fan LOL. Hope your weekend is wonderful!!

      Delete
  2. I hope you and your daughter are feeling better! My kids watch Coraline all the time, and I find it quite creepy myself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peanut is still cranky but the migraine itself was gone sometime Tuesday evening. Thank God for her new medications. I'm feeling a bit better, though not fully recovered as yet. Thank you for the support :-). Coraline is very very creepy to me. Peanut has insisted that if it's to be watched it cannot be done after lunch time LOL and I can't say that I'd argue with her.

      Delete
  3. Glad her medications are helping, migraines are awful! I love that homeschooling gives us flexibility for real life. Sorry it was one of those weeks. The weather has been crazy here too. Snow then hail then rain on different days. I think the animals and plants are confused. ;) Love the PJ pictures! We like PJs here sometimes too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This week was certainly one of "those" weeks, but we made it through and for that I am grateful. Gotta love end of the month of March weather especially in this year of never ending winter LOL. PJs most weeks aren't the entire week long but on weeks like this I'm more focused on what we're getting through and not what we're wearing... At least when we're in the house LOL

      Delete
  4. It sounds like you had a very good week despite all the strangeness and health problems. I really understand those weeks. I think we all have them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, in spite of it all we actually had a really good week. I'm pretty sure we all do have them ... it just happened to be my turn. LOL ;-)

      Delete
  5. Your field looks like our field and you weather is acting like ours! We are having a "wintry mix" storm right now! UGH! I want some sunshine! I hope you and Peanut are feeling better now. I also hope tomorrow starts a healthier and warmer school week for you. We used to have the same video problem you have when all our kids were little! LOL!! I miss those days!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm going to be so happy once that field is planted and the crop begins to grow (they did soy last year so should be corn this year). We're having a springish type day today and it should be 55* tomorrow which is making me so happy! Peanut's finally back to normal, even the excess crankiness is gone now. And I'm back to my normal. Thanks! This week we may even walk up to catechism Tuesday night if it hold the mid 50's like they're talking about!

      I hope your week is warmer as well. Now, off to stop ECJ and YCJ from killing each other over a discussion at supper about continents where they're screaming at each other LOL

      Delete