In retrospect we had a fine week, but it felt like a slog while we were in it. The kids seemed to be struggling to focus, and they asked for lots of breaks every day. In the spirit of trying to be less stressed (and less stressful), I acquiesced. They did get most of their work done, but drawing the school day out far into the afternoon wasn’t terribly enjoyable for any of us. Poppy missed out on an impromptu playdate because of it, and I felt like I was on a treadmill all week. I’m sure it didn’t help matters that I stayed up at least an hour too late every night this week.
US Geography
Did you know that Atlanta is the most densely forested city in the United States? I’d noticed that there were a lot of trees around the city, but I didn’t know it was the most tree-filled until we studied Georgia this week. We also read a picture-book biography of Martin Luther King Jr. this week. I wanted to read about Eli Whitney and President Jimmy Carter, too, but it didn’t happen. I may need to spend more than a week on each state if I want to get through more than one biography.
Our state-specific recipe this week is the simple and delightful peanut butter cookie, which we have not yet made because I don’t have my act together today.
Language Arts
Reading
Pete and I started taking turns reading “The Jungle Book” to one another this week, and Poppy is reading yet another “Warriors” book. We’re also still reading “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.”
Grammar
The kids finished “Grammar Island” this week. While I continue to hem and haw over whether to buy “Grammar Town,” the kids and I will be reading and doing exercises from “The Giggly Guide to Grammar.” The first exercise we did had us liven up some sentences to give the reader a more vivid mental picture. Here’s what the kids came up with:
My weird neighbor has a house full of strange stuff.
My weird neighbors Joe has a shack spilling over with expired snacks, ceramic kitten plates, mismatched treehouse materials and empty Keurig pods.My crazy relative talks to inanimate objects.
My crazy cousin Sam has long conversations about financial planning with his cigarette.The athlete demonstrated his strength by tossing a huge object.
Odell Beckham Jr. demonstrated his strength by launching a 2015 Ford Explorer across Nottingham.
The “Giggly Guide” exercise was, in my opinion, the most enjoyable thing we did all week.
I’ll be working to rediscover a happy medium next week, both in my sleep routine and the kids’ school schedule.
How was your week?
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I was expected something between light gnashing-of-teeth and complete anarchy when the holidays ended and it was time to get back to work, and I was very pleasantly surprised to be wrong. Maybe the kids are maturing, or perhaps we were all just well-rested and ready to get back to normal, or maybe it’s the yoga I’ve been doing every morning. Whatever the reason, this year’s Return from Christmas Break was the smoothest transition we’ve ever had, and I’m grateful for it.
