Weekly Wrap-Up: The one with the atomic cookies

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Weekly Wrap-Up

Happy Friday, y’all! Have you had an amazing week? It’s been a good one here, if a bit rainy and nippy. The best part of my week? Finally get caught up on the work in which I was behind! Now, if I can just stay on top of things, I should have a little breathing room.

It’s been kind of a quiet week since Megan hasn’t had gymnastics. She’s taking the rest of the month off since her coach moved away. Then, we’ll decide exactly what it is we’re going to do for May, which will most likely be moving to a new gym. I’m not excited because it will mean a lot more driving for me and no more dropping her off and coming back home. {sigh}

Yesterday, I got a haircut. Afterward, I went through the drive-thru at – where else? – Chick-fil-A to get some lunch to bring home. Remember a couple of weeks ago when I said we were going to pay it forward with the unexpected reward money we got for reunited a lost kitty with his people? Well, I decided to pay for the meal of the car behind me.

I told the kids when I got home because I’d really wanted them to be with me when we did our random acts of kindness, but we’d been procrastinating and I really felt impressed to do the one at Chick-fil-A. They asked if I stayed around to see what happened. I told them that I didn’t, but instead drove off quickly because doing stuff like that makes me so nervous. I have no idea why!

So, it made me wonder, if you do random acts of kindness like that, do you try to see how the person reacts or do you get away quickly like I do?

You know, I have to say, I think the kids’ new curriculum is growing on me. I was seriously considering switching next year – still to something workbook-style since they both seem to be doing well with that – because it seemed so evangelical in nature, as well as including things here and there that I considered more opinion-based than fact-based.

However, as we’ve gone along, it seems to “chilling out” a bit. Megan said maybe they weren’t sure, at the beginning of the year, if we had Jesus yet and by now they figure we do. Yeah, I raise slightly irreverent kids like that. She cracks me up.

(Yes, we are a Christian family. It just kind of bugs me when Christian curriculum is so evangelical since I’d say it’s primarily Christians using Christian curriculum.)

Both of the kids like the curriculum, overall, and both seemed to have figured out how to work through it to get the most out of it. The tweaks we made to history for Josh the last couple of weeks seem to be helping and, although I still don’t care for workbooks, I’ve just about come to terms with the fact that the kids like them and, well, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

And, because people always ask, it’s Landmark’s Freedom Baptist curriculum. I haven’t really said since the jury has still been out on how we feel about it.

atomic cookies

Yesterday we made the atomic cookies that I shared in this week’s 13 edible projects post. It was a lot more fun than drawing the atoms. No, it wasn’t totally correct as far as the electrons were concerned because we didn’t make the cookies big enough, but it was still fun and we were able to talk about why they weren’t correct, so it was still a learning opportunity.

In case you missed them, I had a couple of posts about About.com this week. First up was one for parents of teens – How to Turn Your Student’s Interests into High School Electives. One of the best parts about homeschooling high school is being able to let your kids explore their interests as part of school. It allows them to see the lifelong benefits of learning.

The second was for parents of littles – Beyond the Book: The Story of Ferdinand, a list of 9 extension activities to go along with the classic children’s book about a little bull who doesn’t enjoy running and butting heads with the other bulls. Ferdinand likes to sit, just quietly, under the trees and smell the flowers.

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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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10 Comments

  1. It has been interesting watching as your family changes to a work book curriculum. I really am pleased it is working out so well. I am realising after a six year battle with my six year old that she is completely different to my older three. I think I thought that as the first three turned out to be so similar, the last two would be as well. I may just have to resort to a computer based curriculum for her, because like it or lump it the screen seems to be the only thing which holds her interest. I read an interesting article on ADD that said ADD children sometimes learnt best from a screen based learning environment. I’m tempted to try it, even though I have an inborn hatred towards screens! Maybe screen for her will be the same success as work books for your children?
    Love your cookies!

    1. Maybe. It’s really not fun when your kids’ learning style differs so greatly from yours. I think hands-on learning was great when they were younger, but as they’ve gotten older, they crave the independence of workbooks. Thankfully, I have several friends whose now-graduated teens were the same way. They turned out just fine. 🙂

      The great thing about computer-based learning is that there are so many options now, so it would be easy to try it without investing a lot of money. Maybe during the summer you could give it a go and see what you both think.

  2. This is my first comment here! I love your blog and hope to homeschool my little one some day (she’s only 10 months). At this point my comment won’t have much to do with homeschooling.

    About your random act of kindness: I used to work the drive thru window at Starbucks when I was younger and I had the delightful opportunity to witness someone pay for the order of the car behind them. What happened after that was so wonderful! We explained to the next car that their order was paid for as a random act of kindness by the car ahead. Without hesitation that person paid for the order of the person behind them. This generosity continued for about 10 cars!!!! Lots of waving, honking and smiles all around. Not only were customers delighted but all of the employees were excited and giddy. It spread joy throughout the restaurant and I am thankful to carry this memory.

    I don’t doubt your act of kindness helped spur the same joy and loveliness that I got to witness.

    Thanks for letting me share!

    1. Thank you for sharing your experience, Sherry. I’ve heard of that happening before. Sometimes it just takes one little act of kindness to start a ripple effect.

  3. Loving your random act of kindness 🙂 One of the best things we can teach our children is how to do good things for others and be kind, such a great example for your children. Love your blog and being part of the weekly wrap-up, thank you!

  4. I usually try to get away quickly. I don’t know why, but it makes me kind of embarrassed. Weird, huh? I had the pleasure of buying someone’s groceries 2 weeks ago and I had to stay in order to pay. I’m thankful that I was able to do it, but boy I couldn’t wait to get out of there! 🙂

    1. I don’t think it’s weird because I am the same way – and know I’m thankful knowing that it’s not just me. Kind of embarrassed is a good way of describing it – that and very nervous.

  5. To answer your act of kindness question: I leave because I don’t want the person to think I stayed to see how they reacted. I want them to know that this was a no strings attached, pure and simple act of kindness.

    Sherry, it’s good to know that one little act of someone paying for the order behind them created such a joy with the customers and employees. That is encouraging!

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