Currently | March 2017



Currently, I am...


reading The Secret Bridge by Amy LeFeuvre. It is a beautiful Lamlighter Collection book that I am reviewing. It has had me immensely captivated from the very first chapter. I am reading it aloud to Eliana, and she has been crawling in bed with me early in the morning to get another chapter in and begging me to read an extra one at night. During the day, we promptly get our school done so we can read another chapter because the story is charming and begs to be read.

rowing The Tale of Peter Rabbit (affiliate link). I thought we'd hop over to England in the early 1900s to read some Beatrix Potter. We had a wonderful week - so much so that I plan to row it for a fortnight and do a few more things next week to extend the row.

letting the reality of only homeschooling three children set in. It is so much easier than homeschooling six children at once. With my older boys moving on, my work load has been cut in half and I am more actively involved in teaching (rather than relying on curriculum written to the student for independent work that I oversee). However, it is good for them to have some independent work, so I must keep that in mind.

flipping through pages in the Timeline of Classics (aff). I reviewed this book on the Homeschool Crew, but haven't used it for school yet. I don't know why I haven't. It's really a valuable resource, and now that we are about done with the Prairie Primer, I need to fill in some missing gaps in American History. What better way to do that than to just read living books? I picked it up because I have Teaching the Classics on my list for literature next year, and the Timeline of Classics is a treasure trove! (See my review here).

excited to round out our education with IEW. I just ordered the writing portion of the Primary Arts of Language for Bo next year to go along with All About Spelling 1 (aff). I also have another package on its way for a product review of the High School Essay Intensive (Second Edition).  Dylan takes the ACT in less than 3 weeks, so we will be doing this course as an intensive seminar to prepare him for the test.

reviewing several more products for the Homeschool Crew. I've taken on more than my usual, so I'm trying to stay on top of each review - the using and the writing about it as we go so my review is almost finished a week before it is due.

anxious to get my hands on All About Spelling Level 7 (aff) since Malachi finished Level 6. With this level, Malachi will have completed all 7 spelling levels in addition to all four reading levels (not counting Pre-reading), and a solid foundation has been built. I'm excited to finish strong with the program.

pondering over my final decisions for this next school year. I have a simple, undemanding year planned for what I will call a rest year. I'm looking forward to it with earnest desire to enjoy the journey and revel in the moments a little longer. Time is slipping by all too quickly, so an easy year will be welcoming and refreshing.

making p'nut butter fat bombs and considering the diet changes I need to make.

pouring over my genetic test results from 23andme. I am homozygous for MTHFR C677T - the most severe form of the genetic mutation. Treating myself for the MTHFR could solve most of my health issues, so while I am discouraged by the results, I am also encouraged and excited to know exactly what I need to do to help my body heal.

fascinated to learn that I am 100% European, 62.4% British and Irish, 21.1% French and German, and I most likely had a 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th great grandparent that was 100% Ashkenazi Jewish. I also had some Scandinavian, Northwestern European, and a tiny bit of Southern European ancestry. This is really fascinating to me because I've never known any of my ancestry with certainty. If you've never known either, you can take a genetic test using my referral from 23andme to find out! Not only is it interesting, but if you have health issues, they may be related to genetics!

photographing (left to right, top to bottom)
  1. Dylan who recently cut all his hair off and seems so much more serious and grown up
  2. "His" and "Hers" burgers from the Burger Wagon on a date with my luv. 
  3. Dylan with his "before" shot with all his curly hair. 
  4. Bo has taken an interest in reading books on his own. 
  5. I can't believe it is March! Happy spring!
  6. Eliana is plugging away in her Reader's In Residence - a Crew review for Apologia. 
  7. Bo is "driving" on the country road with his dad - a tradition when we are at our place in Montana. 
  8. We took a nature hike on the property to see what discoveries we could find. 
  9. We found these interesting water plants growing in the spring water in the creek bed. 
What are you currently up to?

4 comments

  1. I love catching up with you. We are back up to three homeschoolers since we have taken on a friend in our little homeschool. I like the number three.
    Blessings, Dawn

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  2. I would love to know what you think of Readers in Residence. The samples online look great and I would like to use it with my daughter next year. Thanks!

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  3. Hi Michelle,
    I have been wanting to tell you my mom lives where you do and she does programs on Laura Ingalls Wilder. If you think that would be a good edition to your Prairie Primer conclusion I can get you her number. She loves to share! :-)
    Michele R

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  4. Thank you, Dawn! <3

    Jerri, my review will be published April 18th or 19th, and I'm excited to share what I think of Readers in Residence!

    Michele, I replied personally to your gmail address! I'd love to get in touch with your mom!

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