Day of Political Activism

Breakfast

1. Song, Poem, Prayer 
   
2. Read about Acorns 
   
3. Read Manner story
   

Rest of Day

• Read a couple picture books while Jacq was napping
  
• Madeleine and Erika each read aloud a bit
  
• Moveable Alphabet with Dorothy Jo
  
• Madeleine read to Caroline
  
• A bit more of crafting the "toilet paper roll DOLLS" 
  
• Girls played with blocks and the castle set up and doll house people while I tried to get the printer set up.  Not successful
  
• Distributed I-1000 literature around our precinct.  They were FAST! And, they loved it.  Kept asking to do more.  M left a message for "Mrs. Anderson" asking for more pamphlets.  They were ecstatic to see a McCain sign up, down the road.  They want to go meet them. 
• Lunch.  Pete at home.  He sort of ate with us.  
  
• Miss Hickory for quiet time read aloud
  
• Girls did finger knitting. Dorothy Jo learned how to and she is so excited!
  
• Madeleine - Irish Dancing at 5:00.  Erika, Dorothy Jo and Caroline stayed with Julee and Jemma.
  
• 6:60  Sang songs with Caroline after dinner.  Girls showed Pete their Finger Knitting. Hung out in the living room. 
  
• D, C, J to sleep at 8:00 
  
• M and E read from 8-8:30 in our bed. Erika did a bit of cursive with me.  Madeleine sat with Pete.  I showed them the meal plan for Fall and we talked about it.  
  

Summary / Notes from August-October

Math ~ M & E finished Alpha in October 2008.  Still don't know all math facts, but we're moving on to Beta.  

Reading ~ Madeleine reading at Level 3, some chapter books.  Doing really well.  Erika reading at Level 2 or so.  Loves it and is very focused.  

Author Fiesta - Polacco and Arnosky and Mem Fox

Rabbit Trails - Ocean Life-August, Moon-August, Apples-Sept, Pumpkins-Oct. Trees-Oct.

M,E learning to knit - June.  Finger knitting-October

History - American History ~ Ben Franklin-Aug, Paul Revere-Sept, Sam Adams-Oct, George Washington-Nov

Outdoor Hours - October

Art - Mary Cassatt in August/September. Visit to the SAM Impressionist exhibit

Music - Bach in October.  Lots of books and starting to listen to pieces.  

• M,E read aloud.
• Worked on memorizing Angeles.
• Dorothy Jo and I did Cuisenaire Rods.
• Girls drew and I read aloud and M & E narrated: Cain & Able, DSFLF, Princess and the Pea, Shepherdess and the Chimneysweep.
• Drawing and coloring
• Aesops Fable.
• Mother Teresa's Glory Story.

Wow! It's been three months since I last posted here. Between morning sickness and then Advent/Christmas, I just got out of the habit.

We've gotten back into a routine the past couple of days, and it's been a relief to say the least.

• All 3 girls read a reader to me. They go through it themself for about 5-10 minutes, then sit with me and read out loud. Dorothy Jo makes up stories to the Bob Books....it's really cute.
• Worked on "projects" for COURAGE for Little Flowers. Began memorizing the verse. Read the story of Joshua, then they illustrated. Read Little Hero of Holland from Children's Book of Virtues.
• Erika - did a page of "e" and then illustrated.
• Madeleine watched 2 lessons of MUS and did a few problems.
• Read 2 lessons out loud from the First Communion Catechism. They claimed they "knew all of it." So, we discussed, and hmmmm.....they did, actually.
• Read Devotional Stories for Little Folks. 1 chpt. out loud.
• Lots of drawing and then playing with new toys.

• Erika did the Moveable Alphabet while the other 3 played in bedroom. She made 30 words, then wrote them all down. Really intense work for about an hour.
• Started reading the 10 Commandments book. Went through first 2 today.
• Read story from Devotional Stories for Little Folks. Lots of good conversation about the Real Presense.
• Colored Angel pages for Feast of the Guardian Angels. Listened to a few Guardian Angel songs. Read "Angel in the Waters"
• Made Angel Food Cake
• Folded Lots of Clothes today.
• Girls played with blocks, Barbies, dollhouse. Played outside for a couple hours.
• Read a bunch of new "Autumn books" from the library at bedtime.

• Grocery shopping in the AM
• Reading Practice: Read with M,E each for about 10 minutes.
• Books: Brother Bartholomew and the Apple Grove, Ox-Cart Man, Hurry Mary Dear.
• Poetry: Horse Chestnut Fairy
• Nature: Chapter from Burgess Bird Book, looked up birds: Song Sparrow, Whitethroat Sparrow, English Sparrow.
• Read Aloud: By the Shores of Silver Lake
• Adventures of Peter Cottontail - M narrated.
• Geography: Chapter Paddle-to-the-Sea. M,E narrate.
• Religion: Read a few questions from the Baltimore Catechism.
• All worked with Geo-Boards in the afternoon
• Lots of drawing at the table and play outside.
• Erika is in her room with her catalogues and dolls playing "house" alone. Very insistent that no one be in there with her.

• Sandpaper Letters with Dorothy Jo and Caroline
• Madeleine and Erika each read aloud for 5 minutes or so. Erika doing the Bob books. Madeleine doing Dick and Jane; she's almost done with her first one and is so excited.
• Went through a couple sight words.
• Read Story of Ping with Dorothy Jo
• Fifty Famous Stories Retold - William the Conqueror with Madeleine and Erika, they narrated by drawing a picture of the three birds.
• All drew at the table while I read from The Adventures of Peter Cottontail - Shadow the Weasel Gets Lost.
• Form Drawing with Pete for about 20 minutes.
• Talked about the rain from the rain gauge....they measured it.
• Counting game
• Lunch
• Quiet time - French CD
• Outside Playtime for a couple hours
• Jemma over - everyone drew while I read 2 chapters from On the Banks of Plum Creek and Burgess Bird Book. Madeleine did a quick narration. Erika filled in some details.
• Girls and Pete made Ice Cream.

Today

Caroline napped in the morning today,cuz she's a bit sick, so we had some nice quiet table time. I sat with them and just talked without little one into everything.

• Listened to a couple of the bird calls on computer while getting dressed and doing morning chores.
• Review of the weather page at b-fast. Talked about temperatures. Hot/cold, in difft parts of the country.
• Madeleine read a couple pages of Dick and Jane. Metal Insets. A bit of Draw Write Now.
• Erika read aloud "Sam/Bag" book. Worked with Moveable Alphabet. Colored Rice transfer. She and I drew picture of an ant and labeled the parts.
• Read County Fair and looked at a couple pages from Nature Books
• Dorothy and I did swooshy drawings with the block crayons. Hand/Foot Transfer Kit. Moveable alphabet.
• MED all did letters in the colored sand.
• Put FIAR story discs on our new maps.
• Outside playtime w/ neighbors
• Coloring/drawing time outside.
• Lunch. French Song & counting.
• Fingerplays on the floor before quiet time.
• Girls played with Ponies while I read 2 chapters from On the Banks of Plum Creek and Chapt. 3 of Burgess Bird Book. Madeleine narrated a couple paragraphs.
• Madeleine and Erika went swimming with Julee and Jemma. Caroline down for a nap. Read a couple books to Dorothy Jo and then we both rested.
• Craziness ensued in late afternoon. Told girls about the Cruise;they were NOT amused or excited. Tears were shed.
• Dinner. Read Helen Keller and Jackie Robinson stories.
• Played Twister.
• Doug over to babysit while Pete and I go on our last hurrah!
• Watched LeapFrog Video
  
  
  
  

• Madeleine listened to bird sounds on the computer while I got Dorothy set up with beading/sorting/matching project. And, Erika got set up with her button project.
• Madeleine did a bit of MUS. She asked to do "2's"
• Dorothy did number and alphabet puzzle
• Trip to the library
• Lunch
• Mr. Rogers
• FIAR - "Madeline". First time through. talked about pictures. Took FOREVER! (as it should, I guess)Drew the Eiffel Tower. Looked through my photo albums from France and found some of the famous landmarks that are in the book. Looked at the different facial expressions on the children and drew our own. Sad, Solemn, Happy, Crying, etc. Drew French flag and colored it in. Located France/Paris on map.
• Madeleine browsed MONET art on the computer and picked the "Poppies in Argenteiul" one for the background of the computer. D & E played dollhouse
• Dorothy Jo hung out with me in the kitchen. We made meatloaf
• M & E played First Holy Communion with the Barbies. The Gregorian Chant was sublime!
• Late quiet time in Living room. Girls looking through books about Monet. They picked one print to hang up.
• Pete read to girls LOTS before bed while I had a couple over for NFP instruction.

Mad read book 7 & 8
Puffin Poem. Looked up Puffin on bird website and listened to sounds
Dorothy Jo - counting cards, Mother Goose rhymes.
I organized Art Bin while they played.
Looked at Country Diary of Edwardian Lady book. They recognized some of the flowers
Played around on the new Bird computer program. Listened to other bird calls. Tried to get it set up so it's an independent activity.
Drew pictures of Puffins outside.
Read Paddington
Picture books
Read Devotional Stories for Little Folks
Read Herriot story. They love these so much!! (Oscar story)
Snack.
Play outside.

• Madeleine - 5 minutes reading
• Oklahoma copywork. Pete was in Oklahoma. Located OK on map. Read pages from state book.
• Marriage of Cana bible story. Sang Hail Mary from Donna Cori Gibson's CD.
• Puffin Poem - memorized a bit.
• Went to Paula's for some playtime.
• Read through Big Back Yard magazine with M and E
• 2 chapters from Paddington
• leapfrog video.

• Had "alone time" w/ each girl in the changing room while Caroline slept. Pretty much a disaster because they all complained that it wasn't ENUF "alone time."
• Gave up, packed a lunch and loaded everyone in the van and we went to the beach!
• Home in the afternoon. More outside play time. It was so nice out.

• Morning chores going well. Maybe time to start doing weekly cleanup.
• At breakfast, listened to Vivaldi and talked about the instruments.
• Did art postcards with MED. Caroline played in playpen.
• Erika - drawing
• ME - built a fort. D did cuisenaire rods with me.

• Read books
• Pattern blocks & Lincoln Logs
• Phonics w/ Madeleine
• Took Caroline in for weigh-in
• Library
• Lunch
• Book on tape for quiet time. I fell asleep
• M-practiced signs and sounding out. While DE played together.
• Little House video
• dinner
• video
• clean up
• night time poems.

• M - read 5 minutes
• Read Char Web - finished!
• Quiet time
• Lots of Blessed Imelda discussions
• FHC prayer corner
• Cleaned living room - puzzles, etc.
• Counting activities with Dorothy Jo
• Penguin activities from Grammy's gift
• Drawing - Madeleine & Erika
• Puzzle time while I revised FHC letter

• Madeleine read out loud - 2 booklets
• Eggshell art - 30 minutes
• Books with Dorothy Jo - 20 minutes
• Listened to Classical Music and book from oma / opa
• New Signing Time DVDs. Discussed doing a song at the Variety Show. They all want to do their OWN song. Great.
• copy work. 10 minutes
• 2 bible stories for Sunday.
• Did Helen's "Mass Preparation for children" - posture

EM - each did a bit of reading. Erika's not to keen on it. I think i'll drop it for now with her.
Play time while C slept and I did cleaned up, made phone calls, cooked dinner.
Little House video
Did birthday thank you notes at the table.
Girls helped clean, rearrange, organize for about 30 minutes this afternoon.
Walk
Outside play time

Easter Week

• Definitely need to pull the house back together. Lotsa birthdays and Holy Week leads to explosion, as I can't keep everything picked up and put away.
• Read Emmaeus bible story at breakfast this morning. Lots of good discussion from little minds that grasp more than me most of the time.
• Clean up, chores.
• Caroline a bit sick-down for a nap.
• Colored in Easter coloring books while I read "Maid from Emmaus" from Hague's Easter Treasury. Read La Salette book and a couple of other Easter books at table.
• Girls listened to bird calls on website while we waited for Jemma to arrive.
• Jemma over for 2 hours. Played w/dolls for about 40 minutes, then outside until lunchtime. I fed Caroline. Cleaned up. Did paperwork, laundry.
• Lunch. Ugh--can't wait for the Easter treats to be gone. Madeleine and Jemma read one of their "easy readers" to everyone while waiting for the waitress (me) to serve them. They did GREAT! Yea! I officially have a child who is beginning to read. Erika recited "I am a bunny" several times.
• Jemma, E,D - silent reading time on couch while I did MUS with Madeleine.
• Julee picked Jemma up.
• I did Pattern blocks with everyone on the floor.
• Snuggled up on couch for some picture books.
• Worked with Erika on letter sounds, etc.
• Quiet time. (not so quiet) Can't get Caroline down for her 2nd nap.
• Girls played dress up while I attempted to read for 15 minutes.
• Ironed in living room while girls played.

• Read picture books.
• Madeleine and I went to see Peter and the Wolf at the Everett Symphony. Then out to lunch.

• Everyone woke up this morning after a horrible night of coughing. Girls watched cartoons, then we eased into the day, did morning routine, but everyone was crabby. Pete ran to Walgreens for some "knock-out-meds". Had a feeling I'd need it.
• Breakfast. Couple silly poems about being sick!
• Clean up
• Madeleine-copywork 5 minutes, Erika-mazes, Dorothy Jo-counting chips.
• Impromptu cleaning of shelves that were driving me crazy.
• Song of the Swallows. book-virtues story of Fr. Junipero Serra. Located the mission on the map, talked about where daddy is from.
• Paul Bunyon story
• Coloring / drawing
• snack of broth and orange juice. Gave knock-out-meds and sure enuf, everyone was down for the count within 30 minutes! Sleep (including me) for 1-2 hours.
• Madeleine listened to CW on tape.
• Up for lunch at 2 pm
• Outside for a walk, and Madeleine showed me her new trick learned yesterday when I was too busy feeling sorry for myself to pay attention.....she can ride her bike without training wheels.
• Dorothy in her room. ME doing mazes while I made dinner.
• dinner with Pete, clean up.
• Pete and dorothy Jo read books.
• Me, Madeleine, Erika - bible reading for the day, more Charlotte's Web, Three Trees