Daybook Style...

For today...January 30, 2013....not 2012 like I thought it was  yesterday.  If you're my FB friend you already know that I took some time yesterday trying to remember what year it was and then settled on 2012.  I later realized my mistake.

On my mind...various friends and family going through trials (lots of prayer for lots of people all the time here), a unit study on Alaska, a unit study on the Iditarod, parenting, homeschooling high school, getting in shape, what should I eat, Guys and Dolls songs, squirrel!...as you can see, my brain is very full!

Around the house...the new chore system is working really well  for getting the house pretty clean once a week, but the day to day pick up and dishes and laundry is mostly on  me.  I'm okay with that though.  We're at a good place.  I've tried to quit nagging the girls about their room...it's often a huge mess.  We just made one simple rule--if and when you get invited to go somewhere, you can't go if  your room is not clean.  They have a pretty busy social calendar so this is working well.

From the schoolroom...we are trucking along really well with all of our studies.  I'm working on putting together a unit study on Alaska since we're going there in June.  I waver between making it an all out big project with a lapbook and lot of activities or just reading a bunch of books about it.  We're starting with a bunch of books.  I've found some good read alouds that we'll start with and we'll see how it evolves from there.  First up will be learning all about the Iditarod, I put a bunch of books on hold and one documentary that is supposed to be really good.  I am thinking about putting together a research packet that they will work on either together or independently where they fill in basic facts about the state and the history of Alaska.  That requires work and time though...I don't mind the work but I'm lacking in time.  We are still plugging away at the Latin but getting more confused by the day.  Part of me wants to just quit but I'm not....at least not yet.  I'm thinking that maybe eventually it will all come together and we are learning.  All the endings are just soooo confusing!

On my iPod...Matilda the Musical!  I bought the whole CD, we already had a few of the songs so I just completed the album.  I love it!  Especially the first song, Miracle.  So good and so funny!  I hope to see the show someday.  I think it's only playing in London right now but they are working on bringing it to Broadway.  I also love, love, love Sara Groves, I listen to her when I'm not listening to Matilda.

What I'm reading...I'm quickly flying through a bunch of books that I have been wanting to read for a long time and that just sit on my nightstand because I continually get new, more interesting books from the library.  I've banned myself from checking out books from the library until I can get these read.  So far I've read Carol Burnett, a book by Erma Bombeck, Sixkill by Robert Parker (my grandmother recommended it and gave it to me a few months before she died and I hadn't read it yet), a book by Chad Varga that Hannah got for free when she attended his event at a local church, and now I'm reading Peace Child by Don Richardson.  It's a book about missionaries to the primitive tribes in New Guinea in 1962.  It's been highly recommended and so I'm finally going to read it.  I started it a while back and didn't finish it so I'm starting over.  After this I only have a few more and then I can put some new books on hold again at the library.  :0)

A few plans for the rest of the week...going to a homeschool conference this weekend, time to learn all about homeschooling high school.  Hannah has a list of questions for me to find the answers to!