Weekly Wrap-Up: The One In Which Spring Sprang…or Is It Sprung?

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Weekly Wrap-Up

Okay, all you grammar geeks, chill out. I’m a grammar geek/Nazi/nerd, too. The title was a joke – about a fact that makes me very happy. It finally feels like spring at my house this week! I’ve had the doors and windows open, letting the breeze blow through the house. I’ve had short-sleeves on. The sun is shining and the birds are singing. I love spring!

I have also felt very productive this week. I’m not sure that’s an actuality as much as a feeling, though. I keep my niece on Tuesdays and it’s definitely a change of pace going from caring for three teenagers (well, two teens and one almost-teen) who are mostly independent and caring for an infant.

crying baby

(I told her I was going to post this picture on Facebook, tag her mama and daddy, and include a comment about how it’s a good thing she’s cute.)

We don’t get a whole lot done, other than school, when she is here. We spend the day loving on her – and doing lots of feedings and diaper changes. Then, on the other days of the week, I have a deep appreciate for the unencumbered feeling of an aunt with teens sending the infant back home with her mama. It gives me a renewed appreciate for moms of littles each week – and makes me wonder how I did it with three little ones.

happy baby

Don’t misunderstand, though. I love having her over and getting to be such a regular part of her life. Plus, usually she looks more like this, which is what gets us through moments when she looks like that first picture. 🙂

Still, I have continued to be an early riser – a couple of days I “slept in” until almost 8:00 AM, which would have been an early morning for me not too long ago – and I have managed to stay caught up in my work and with the housework, so maybe the feeling of being productive is not an illusion. The feeling may not last long, though, since I’m getting ready to enter a busy season of convention travel. {sigh} I’m not sure I’m ready.

We’re almost finished with our current six weeks. Next week is a review/wrap-up week, followed by our last break week before our long summer break.

I have noticed that we need to spend a bit more time on the science concepts we’ve been working on, so instead of moving to the next unit next week, we’re going to spend some time on review. That bums me out a little because I was hoping to finish the unit on cells before we went on break. However, it makes no sense to move on if it’s clear that we’re having some retention issues.

Hmmm…do you think we need to make another cell cake as part of our review? I think we might. {grin}

We did another iodine science lab this week which went much better since I bought a new bottle of iodine after the last one did whatever it is iodine does when it sits for a few years. What it does not do is retain the correct properties for use as a slide stain or starch test. I really think I may have to start letting Josh and Megan each do their own science labs. They don’t make good lab partners. One of them – I won’t say who – does not like to share job responsibilities.

Science Experiment 04.01.14

At any rate, the lab was meant to show how a semi-permeable membrane works and how iodine affects starch, both of which were accomplished.

Wednesday afternoon, I got a package in the mail for which I was completely and totally unprepared. I mean, I knew it was coming. I placed the order myself. I just wasn’t prepared for the emotions that came with it.

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I mean, seriously? How is this even possible?

I can barely wrap my head around that, much less the fact that Josh will be entering high school next year. How? I mean, this seems like just a couple of days ago:

IMG_20140403_0001

(First homeschool day ever, August 2002)

And, this was, like, yesterday:

Blog_Kids_3[5]

(Probably 2007 or 2008)

Moms of littles, pay attention. If you blink too long, it’s gone. {sigh}

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Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.

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15 Comments

  1. Ah Kris, I had tears in my eyes as I read the bottom of that post. You’re right, I did blink and they were grown. Motherhood is a blessing I will never take for granted. Ever.

  2. She is such a cute little baby! Her grin is just adorable.

    I’m laughing about the science labs. I had my husband take over helping with this term’s TOPS unit and my daughter complains about the same thing – she keeps saying ‘he’s supposed to do it WITH me not FOR me!’

  3. I remember that picture of your three kids in their t-shirts — when I first started reading your blog.

    Where does the time go???

    1. That’s not a bad idea – but we were all kind of looking for an excuse to make the cake again. 🙂 Josh probably doesn’t really care, but Megan and I are pretty excited about it.

  4. I realized we need to do some remedial math work this week too. Even though the unit ended, I know she just didn’t quite get it. Thankfully we can slow down and back up when needed!

  5. Yes, science labs! Our kids do them individually, but the younger ones usually watch/help/or whatever…and then when it is their turn to do those labs, they are bored because they’ve already been involved with them. Sigh!

    Being a hands-on auntie sounds like the best of both worlds. Enjoy her…and your almost grown up kids. Because, believe me, they keep on growing up.

  6. Ah, yes, most days I’m glad I don’t have a baby like that to homeschool with anymore. But, I’m only a few short years behind you with a 9th grader and an 8th grader this year. And my baby is 8! So I can definitely relate to the sadness over graduation- even though it’s so happy too!

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