At the end of this week, I will have successfully completed the Bible in 90 days three times. Wow! I am reading through the home stretch now in James.
One of the neatest things about reading these three times has been to get to the New Testament with the Old Testament still so fresh on my mind. I can see how many times Jesus and the New Testament writers refer back to the Old Testament and I can see how the whole Bible is one big picture that all ties together in the New Testament.
If you've never read the Bible this way before, I encourage you to join Amy at Mom's Toolbox when she begins again in July. She has lots of resources to help you succeed in your reading.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Menu Plan Monday
Monday: Cheeseburger Pie; tater tots; salad/fruit
Tuesday: Beef Tips cooked in crockpot with onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup; rice; corn
Wednesday: Eat at church
Thursday: Country style steak with gravy; rice; green beans
Friday: Top your own pasta; salad/fruit
Friday, March 25, 2011
Weekly Wrap Up- The Back to School (Again) Edition
Monday- We did our regular school in the morning and then had our science co-op. In co-op this week, we looked at the brain and the nervous system and the respiratory system with some right brain/left brain activities and a bubble blowing activity.
Tuesday- We did regular school in the morning and then headed out to the library. Kathryne checked out 21 books and determined on her own to write a book report for each one and email it to me to grade. Gotta love those homeschoolers.
Wednesday- More regular school. Thankfully we didn't have anywhere to hurry off to after school.
Thursday- Yet another regular day. I'm so glad when we have so many of these in a week.
Today we didn't do school. Kathryne was supposed to have a drama class because public schools were out in the area, but the class was canceled due to lack of interest. We went ahead and took the day off of school anyway.
We actually got lots done this week. We are within about 5 chapters of being finished with our history book. We've actually finished up our picture study and are just going to look at a few different artists for the rest of the year. The big kids and I are reading through The Voyage of the Dawn Treader now. And the little girls and I read Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears this week.
Next week should be another pretty "normal" week for us. Going to the homeschool convention and getting all my curriculum for next year has motivated me to keep plugging along to finish up this year's curriculum.
You can read more weekly wrap-ups at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Charlotte Mason Thursdays- Schooling Multiple Children
One of the greatest things about using Charlotte Mason's methods for me has been the fact that I can school multiple children using many of the same materials. Reading living books is wonderful for all ages. Often I can read a book that is written at a much higher level for the older kids, but the younger ones listen along and learn too! My younger children have listened to Shakespeare, poetry, and many classic novels at a level that I may not have picked for them, but they heard because they were listening along with older kids. And, often, they can tell me about what we've been reading.
Listening to good books that are beyond their reading level gives my children the "taste" for good living books. Then when they are able, they will choose good books to read. Charles just recently of his own accord picked Beowulf as his independent reading book. Now, I think his original reason for picking it was that it was shorter than most of the other choices. But, even after I explained that it was an epic poem, he read it- fairly enthusiastically- and really "got it" to some degree. After all it is an adventure with heroes and monsters. What more could a boy want?
Listening to good books that are beyond their reading level gives my children the "taste" for good living books. Then when they are able, they will choose good books to read. Charles just recently of his own accord picked Beowulf as his independent reading book. Now, I think his original reason for picking it was that it was shorter than most of the other choices. But, even after I explained that it was an epic poem, he read it- fairly enthusiastically- and really "got it" to some degree. After all it is an adventure with heroes and monsters. What more could a boy want?
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Time 4 Learning Review
I was given the opportunity to review Time 4 Learning for the last month for all four of my children. I had looked into Time 4 Learning at various times and had even done a brief membership for Ashlyne at one point. But, I had never considered signing up all the children and had never seen their site for older students.
There are things about the site that I especially like for younger children. Ashlyne and Rachel used the first grade and kindergarten levels of the program. The graphics are engaging. The site is fun. It was very appealing to Ashlyne and Rachel. The navigation was a little confusing to them. It doesn't seem as if it would be. But both of them had trouble making sure they had completed one level, so the program would show it as completed before they moved on to the next level.
Kathryne and Charles used the fifth and sixth grade levels of the program. It was VERY juvenile for them. When we first pulled it up, they asked if that was really for their grade level. The material we looked at seemed appropriate for their grade level, but the presentation was not.
The cost of this program has always made it prohibitive for me. At $19.95 per month for the first student and more for additional children, it is very expensive, considering that there are several free sites my younger girls like that are also very educational. I also think that there is no way that I would use this as a complete homeschool program. If the cost is affordable for your family, I think it could be a great supplement for younger students. But, I would not recommend it for older students.
You can get more information about Time 4 Learning and even check out free demos on their website.
Thoughts on the "Great" Homeschool Convention
Jason and I attended a homeschool convention in Greenville, South Carolina this weekend. Normally we go to the South Carolina convention in June which is put on by SCHEA, but we were drawn to this first Southeast convention put on by this organization because of some big name speakers including Ken Ham and a concert by Tim Hawkins.
I had already decided I didn't like the convention as much as the SCHEA convention. This one was much larger, so its workshops were crowded; and there was a much more "impersonal" feel to the whole thing. Tim Hawkins was great to see in person, but even that was poorly organized. Tickets were oversold, and the location to watch him was not very accommodating.
And then, this. Before the convention, I had read of a controversy between Ken Ham and Dr. Peter Enns (of whom I had not heard), also a speaker at the convention. Ken Ham had addressed unbiblical ideas in Dr. Enns's Bible curriculum and apparently has previously criticized BioLogos, the organization he is affiliated with. At the convention, I attended one of Ken Ham's talks and Jason attended another. He did address the unbiblical ideas in the curriculum and did show materials which held unbiblical ideas from several vendors at the workshop. At no point did he ever question the salvation or integrity of Dr. Enns or Susan Wise Bauer- also associated with BioLogos. [ Note: I am corrected Dr. Bauer is not affiliated with BioLogos but does publish Dr. Enns's Bible curriculum.] Now, Ken Ham has been uninvited from the two final regional conventions! I think this is outrageous, and I have posted the response from Answers in Genesis which includes links to the original blog posts and the email uninviting Ken Ham.
This has definitely helped me to make up my mind about attending this convention in the future. I will stick with the SCHEA convention in the future, and I will be contacting the convention to let them know of my decision!
I had already decided I didn't like the convention as much as the SCHEA convention. This one was much larger, so its workshops were crowded; and there was a much more "impersonal" feel to the whole thing. Tim Hawkins was great to see in person, but even that was poorly organized. Tickets were oversold, and the location to watch him was not very accommodating.
And then, this. Before the convention, I had read of a controversy between Ken Ham and Dr. Peter Enns (of whom I had not heard), also a speaker at the convention. Ken Ham had addressed unbiblical ideas in Dr. Enns's Bible curriculum and apparently has previously criticized BioLogos, the organization he is affiliated with. At the convention, I attended one of Ken Ham's talks and Jason attended another. He did address the unbiblical ideas in the curriculum and did show materials which held unbiblical ideas from several vendors at the workshop. At no point did he ever question the salvation or integrity of Dr. Enns or Susan Wise Bauer- also associated with BioLogos. [ Note: I am corrected Dr. Bauer is not affiliated with BioLogos but does publish Dr. Enns's Bible curriculum.] Now, Ken Ham has been uninvited from the two final regional conventions! I think this is outrageous, and I have posted the response from Answers in Genesis which includes links to the original blog posts and the email uninviting Ken Ham.
This has definitely helped me to make up my mind about attending this convention in the future. I will stick with the SCHEA convention in the future, and I will be contacting the convention to let them know of my decision!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Charlotte Mason Thursdays
Nature Study:
Of all the Charlotte Mason methods and studies, nature study has been one of the most difficult for me. There are several reasons I think this is.
1. I am NOT an outdoors person. If it is sunny and between 65-80 degrees with mild to no wind, I love to be outside. Otherwise, I have to make myself go out and get some fresh air.
2. I honestly don't know that much about the natural world. Science was never appealing to me, and, unfortunately, I think it was a topic not well-covered in the small Christian school I attended; so my knowledge of all things nature is very limited.
3. Walking around outside and then drawing and discussing what we saw just doesn't feel like school to me. I have a hard time knowing how to direct the kids and how to start conversations about these things.
Despite all of this, I have tried, with varying degrees of success, to incorporate nature study into our school time. I have found a few things that have helped me:
1. Focus on nature study during the spring. This is the time of year that I really do enjoy being outside, and it is hard to keep the kids inside for any length of time. So, I can take advantage of this and do some nature study during this time of year.
2. The Outdoor Hour Challenges blog- I used this last spring and plan to do it again this spring with the kids. This blog uses the Handbook of Nature Study (which I bought but really should have just used online for free) and gives a weekly outdoor challenge.
3. Parables from Nature- This classic living book provides nature stories to read when it is too rainy, wet, cold, etc. to make it outside. I admit that I found it rather tedious reading, but, surprisingly, the kids enjoy listening to it most of the time.
I would appreciate any input from other Charlotte Mason homeschoolers as to how you incorporate nature study into your school day because I am always looking for ways to improve here.
Of all the Charlotte Mason methods and studies, nature study has been one of the most difficult for me. There are several reasons I think this is.
1. I am NOT an outdoors person. If it is sunny and between 65-80 degrees with mild to no wind, I love to be outside. Otherwise, I have to make myself go out and get some fresh air.
2. I honestly don't know that much about the natural world. Science was never appealing to me, and, unfortunately, I think it was a topic not well-covered in the small Christian school I attended; so my knowledge of all things nature is very limited.
3. Walking around outside and then drawing and discussing what we saw just doesn't feel like school to me. I have a hard time knowing how to direct the kids and how to start conversations about these things.
Despite all of this, I have tried, with varying degrees of success, to incorporate nature study into our school time. I have found a few things that have helped me:
1. Focus on nature study during the spring. This is the time of year that I really do enjoy being outside, and it is hard to keep the kids inside for any length of time. So, I can take advantage of this and do some nature study during this time of year.
2. The Outdoor Hour Challenges blog- I used this last spring and plan to do it again this spring with the kids. This blog uses the Handbook of Nature Study (which I bought but really should have just used online for free) and gives a weekly outdoor challenge.
3. Parables from Nature- This classic living book provides nature stories to read when it is too rainy, wet, cold, etc. to make it outside. I admit that I found it rather tedious reading, but, surprisingly, the kids enjoy listening to it most of the time.
I would appreciate any input from other Charlotte Mason homeschoolers as to how you incorporate nature study into your school day because I am always looking for ways to improve here.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Missions Festival; Spring Break; and Other Miscellany
This week is our church Mission's Festival. I always enjoy this time of year. Typically the kids and I help out with childcare, so we get to meet the missionary families and especially their children. It has given us the opportunity as a family to see missions in a much more real way and to better pray for our missionary families.
I was brought up in a very missions minded church, so I've always seen the importance of missions and always been a part of supporting missions and missionaries. Jason and I went on a short term summer missions trip before we had children, and we've always planned to go as a family when the kids are older. This summer, he is taking Charles on a missions trip to Cleveland, Ohio for a Ben Watson Football Camp.
My very favorite missions quote is from John Piper: "Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't." Ah, there is much to be unpacked in that.
Ah, doesn't it look like spring! Unfortunately, it doesn't look like this today here. It is cool and cloudy and will probably rain. But, we are having spring break this week in the Courtney household. Because it is Missions Festival week and we are going back and forth to the church, I decided to take the week off of school. No one disagreed. So, we won't take a whole week off around Easter. We'll probably keep plugging along now until the end of May when we will hopefully finish up some things to be able to take most of June off!
Jason and I are headed off on Thursday to the Southeast Homeschool Convention. I always love the homeschool convention. Usually we go in June to the South Carolina convention. But, this one is really large with many many speakers and workshops and a HUGE vendor hall. I'm really looking forward to it. I think we'll have great weather also because it is supposed to be warm and sunny after the rain today. The kids will be staying with grandparents for the two nights, so we'll have a couples weekend too!
I'm looking forward to a good week despite the rain today.
I was brought up in a very missions minded church, so I've always seen the importance of missions and always been a part of supporting missions and missionaries. Jason and I went on a short term summer missions trip before we had children, and we've always planned to go as a family when the kids are older. This summer, he is taking Charles on a missions trip to Cleveland, Ohio for a Ben Watson Football Camp.
My very favorite missions quote is from John Piper: "Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't." Ah, there is much to be unpacked in that.
Ah, doesn't it look like spring! Unfortunately, it doesn't look like this today here. It is cool and cloudy and will probably rain. But, we are having spring break this week in the Courtney household. Because it is Missions Festival week and we are going back and forth to the church, I decided to take the week off of school. No one disagreed. So, we won't take a whole week off around Easter. We'll probably keep plugging along now until the end of May when we will hopefully finish up some things to be able to take most of June off!
I'm looking forward to a good week despite the rain today.
Menu Plan Monday
Guess what: It's not Monday. And guess what else: I don't need a menu plan this week. Nope! This week is our church Missions Festival. Last night, we gathered at a host house and ate supper. I did contribute to the meal, but I didn't have to cook. Tonight it is pizza with the missionary kids, and tomorrow is a dinner at church. Then Thursday and Friday Jason and I will gone to the Southeast Homeschool Convention which will involve a few child free meals.
Just thought I'd post so I could
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Charlotte Mason Thursdays
Because I love Charlotte Mason and incorporate many of her philosophies and methods in our homeschool, I am going to try to take some time on Thursdays to talk about some of our favorite Charlotte Mason methods or resources.
"Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life." Charlotte Mason
One topic of study that I would not have thought of before I read Charlotte Mason and started incorporating her methods and philosophy is picture study. I will admit that I still don't incorporate this in a way true to Mason's methods. Only infrequently do I have the children actually study and then recreate a famous work of art. But, we do now study famous artists and their works.
What I knew about great artists and their works could probably fit on a sticky note, and there would still be room left over. So, I definitely needed some help on this one. Last year, I checked out a few famous artist DVDs from the library. These were great and helped us to build a little foundation in studying great art.
This year, I found a great resource at the homeschool convention. The Art Auction Mystery looks at the works of a number of famous artists from a "spot the differences" perspective. Each work of art has a brief bio of the artist included, so as well as enjoying looking closely at the works of art, we've actually learned quite a bit about the artists.
I think the kids now know much more about art, and I am sure I do!
"Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life." Charlotte Mason
One topic of study that I would not have thought of before I read Charlotte Mason and started incorporating her methods and philosophy is picture study. I will admit that I still don't incorporate this in a way true to Mason's methods. Only infrequently do I have the children actually study and then recreate a famous work of art. But, we do now study famous artists and their works.
What I knew about great artists and their works could probably fit on a sticky note, and there would still be room left over. So, I definitely needed some help on this one. Last year, I checked out a few famous artist DVDs from the library. These were great and helped us to build a little foundation in studying great art.
This year, I found a great resource at the homeschool convention. The Art Auction Mystery looks at the works of a number of famous artists from a "spot the differences" perspective. Each work of art has a brief bio of the artist included, so as well as enjoying looking closely at the works of art, we've actually learned quite a bit about the artists.
I think the kids now know much more about art, and I am sure I do!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Wordless Wednesday- Boy Stuff
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| Boy Stuff: My sweet boy with his Lego creation at a recent birthday party |
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Recalculating....
Last year Jason gave me a Garmin for Christmas. I affectionately named it Carmin (you know Carmin the Garmin?). Carmin doesn't always like me because I don't go the way she says. When I take a different turn or fail to turn when she tells me to, she informs me in an irritated tone that she is "recalculating."
This is the time of year when all teachers- those of "real school" and those of us who homeschool- do a bit of recalculating. For me that involves a long, hard look at the curriculum we are using and an evaluation of what each child is/is not doing. Sometimes I start to doubt myself; and every year about this time, I ask the age-old questions, "Am I really teaching them enough? Is being at home "good enough"?
So, here are some answers to my questions and some of my random thoughts while recalculating:
First, I keep a focus on why we are homeschooling. Our main purpose in homeschooling is not academic achievement. Yes, I would like it if my children excelled academically. And, I do strive to choose curriculum and activities that I think will foster that. But, ultimately, whether or not my children do well academically is beside the point. Our goal as parents is to teach our children to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. (This is the chief end of man, after all.) We feel led by God that homeschooling is the best way to accomplish this in our family- at least for now. So, whether or not I've "covered" everything academic this year is not really the most important thing to consider. Instead I should consider whether or not we are glorifying God in our schooling choices and teaching our children to do the same.
Secondly, I am considering what I think we've done well academically and what I think we need to spend more time on.
I LOVE the Further Up and Further In unit study that I have done with Kathryne and Charles this year. The Chronicles of Narnia are some of my favorite reading, and I have enjoyed these books with the kids many times, so I have loved doing them as a unit study.
I've also enjoyed using Five in a Row with the little girls, and I feel like these little literature unit studies have been a good fit for us.
I think we've done well with fine arts exposure. We are using The Art Auction Mystery to cover picture study. We've all enjoyed this, and I know they've learned something because occasionally various children will point out or refer to famous artists. We listen to Classics For Kids each week online. Again, I think this has been a great tool to expose us to various musicians and their works.
Once again, I love our history curriculum. I have found nothing I like better than Story of the World, and I know the kids learn because we can talk history and recall lots of what we've been reading.
Things I don't feel so good about:
Science- I like the science time group we've done with the big kids this year, meeting with other homeschool friends for science experiments twice a month, but I feel like we aren't really covering much science. Topics are often touched on in our unit studies but not covered with any depth.
Rachel- I feel like she gets the least of my time and is not doing much of anything except playing. She does do literature with Ashlyne. She takes part in our math meeting each morning, and she does phonics and math workbook pages. But, sometimes I'm just not sure what, exactly, she's getting. Of course, I encourage myself that I felt like this about Ashlyne last year, and this year she has really taken off in phonics and math and is reading much more independently.
Shakespeare- Reading Shakespeare is pretty important in a Charlotte Mason teaching philosophy. The kids and I have puttered through Tales from Shakespeare by the Lambs and Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by Nesbitt for the last two years. They are at least getting some exposure. But, I know the big kids need to be really reading real Shakespeare, and I just can't seem to find a good way to make the transition. It is just easier to keep reading the easier stories, so I can read to all of them together.
So, there's my spring evaluation. I am really looking forward to going to the homeschool convention in March this year- the Southeast Homeschool Convention- instead of waiting until the summer. I am hoping to be refreshed and renewed and come away with some good ideas as I continue to constantly recalculate to meet our needs.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Menu Plan Monday
Monday- Ravioli with red sauce or olive oil and parmesan; salad; fruit
Tuesday- Easy chicken pot pie
Wednesday- Eat at Church
Thursday- Cheeseburger Pie
Friday- Party with Friends
Saturday and Sunday- Leftovers or sandwiches; frozen foods
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Aack! What Have I Been Doing?
So, I came to my poor, forgotten blog, and realized it has been exactly one week since I posted. This is not exactly good blog etiquette. Sometimes life seems to move too quickly for me to blog about what is happening.
So, what have we been doing this week? Since I missed Friday's Weekly Wrap Up, I suppose this will be a wrap up of sorts.
In school: We actually had a rather (gasp) normal week this week. We had science on Monday and made salt gardens. Those things grow like crazy!
During the week, the big kids plugged along in Prince Caspian, the first of the Chronicles of Narnia that they are reading and working through independently. They are almost through, and we sill start The Voyage of the Dawn Treader together. The little girls and I read through Make Way for Ducklings and did some fun activities with rhyming words, watched a video about ducks, and narrated our own Make Way for Ducklings story.
On Friday I took the big kids to the Children's Theater to see And Then They Came for Me- a story of Anne Frank and two of her contemporaries who were Holocaust survivors. They were prepared. We've talked about the Holocaust and World War 2 throughout this year as we've read the Chronicles of Narnia. It still didn't help them to really like this production. The Holocaust is, admittedly, a very disturbing period of history. Even though the play was very well done, we all left it with a sort of somber and subdued feeling.
Reading: I am currently caught up in my Bible in 90 Days reading and am reading through the prophets still. I am almost finished with Ezekiel (as of yesterday's reading) and am convinced that the people of the time thought these prophets absolutely crazy! They did some off the wall things in obedience to God's words. I've also been thinking how faithful and courageous these guys were to do all these crazy things and follow God's commands even in the face of the persecution that they knew they would receive and even when they knew up front that people wouldn't listen. Would I be as bold and trusting?
I'm also reading for fun a historical fiction/romance series about Scotland. They are definitely compelling and absorbing reads. I've reviewed the first two on my Good Reads blog.
At Home: I am still using AllRecipes for my cooking and menu planning. I love the flexibilty, and the price- $22 for two years- was better than any other menu planning program I've seen!
I cleaned out Ashlyne and Rachel's clothes this week and put out more summer clothes- just in time for rain and chillier temps this weekend. Oh well, I never fully change over seasonal clothes because of our crazy weather here in South Carolina, so they still have something to wear- if I can just steer them away from the tank tops and shorts for a while.
I also had my new washer and dishwasher delivered this week! My dishwasher had fully died a few weeks ago, and I quickly decided that washing dishes by hand for six people was not going to become a regular event. We went to Sears last weekend to look and found, not only a dishwasher, but an excellent price on an energy efficient washer with a king size capacity! So, this week, I have a new washer and dishwasher! Hooray!
On a more downer note, I am about to throw in the towel on my couponing adventures. I am hopelessly not good at this. After more than six months, I'm still not seeing significant savings overall- even though I can have some really good individual trips here and there. It seems that some of our regular purchase items - organic milk, orange juice, cheese, bread- are never going to be coupon items, and since I buy these regularly, sometimes multiple times per week, I'm just not getting the big savings. I would like to take a full couponing class to see if I can learn more, but I'm feeling rather hopeless right now.
So, that's where we are right now. This week, I am looking forward to a visit from Jason's cousin on spring break and some planning for Kidshine drama camp coming this spring. I'm hoping the nasty, nasty weather we have had yesterday and today is going to end and give us another really pretty, spring-like week.
So, what have we been doing this week? Since I missed Friday's Weekly Wrap Up, I suppose this will be a wrap up of sorts.
In school: We actually had a rather (gasp) normal week this week. We had science on Monday and made salt gardens. Those things grow like crazy!
During the week, the big kids plugged along in Prince Caspian, the first of the Chronicles of Narnia that they are reading and working through independently. They are almost through, and we sill start The Voyage of the Dawn Treader together. The little girls and I read through Make Way for Ducklings and did some fun activities with rhyming words, watched a video about ducks, and narrated our own Make Way for Ducklings story.
On Friday I took the big kids to the Children's Theater to see And Then They Came for Me- a story of Anne Frank and two of her contemporaries who were Holocaust survivors. They were prepared. We've talked about the Holocaust and World War 2 throughout this year as we've read the Chronicles of Narnia. It still didn't help them to really like this production. The Holocaust is, admittedly, a very disturbing period of history. Even though the play was very well done, we all left it with a sort of somber and subdued feeling.
 | ||
| Our Salt Crystal Gardens |
Reading: I am currently caught up in my Bible in 90 Days reading and am reading through the prophets still. I am almost finished with Ezekiel (as of yesterday's reading) and am convinced that the people of the time thought these prophets absolutely crazy! They did some off the wall things in obedience to God's words. I've also been thinking how faithful and courageous these guys were to do all these crazy things and follow God's commands even in the face of the persecution that they knew they would receive and even when they knew up front that people wouldn't listen. Would I be as bold and trusting?
I'm also reading for fun a historical fiction/romance series about Scotland. They are definitely compelling and absorbing reads. I've reviewed the first two on my Good Reads blog.
At Home: I am still using AllRecipes for my cooking and menu planning. I love the flexibilty, and the price- $22 for two years- was better than any other menu planning program I've seen!
I cleaned out Ashlyne and Rachel's clothes this week and put out more summer clothes- just in time for rain and chillier temps this weekend. Oh well, I never fully change over seasonal clothes because of our crazy weather here in South Carolina, so they still have something to wear- if I can just steer them away from the tank tops and shorts for a while.
I also had my new washer and dishwasher delivered this week! My dishwasher had fully died a few weeks ago, and I quickly decided that washing dishes by hand for six people was not going to become a regular event. We went to Sears last weekend to look and found, not only a dishwasher, but an excellent price on an energy efficient washer with a king size capacity! So, this week, I have a new washer and dishwasher! Hooray!
On a more downer note, I am about to throw in the towel on my couponing adventures. I am hopelessly not good at this. After more than six months, I'm still not seeing significant savings overall- even though I can have some really good individual trips here and there. It seems that some of our regular purchase items - organic milk, orange juice, cheese, bread- are never going to be coupon items, and since I buy these regularly, sometimes multiple times per week, I'm just not getting the big savings. I would like to take a full couponing class to see if I can learn more, but I'm feeling rather hopeless right now.
So, that's where we are right now. This week, I am looking forward to a visit from Jason's cousin on spring break and some planning for Kidshine drama camp coming this spring. I'm hoping the nasty, nasty weather we have had yesterday and today is going to end and give us another really pretty, spring-like week.
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