Busy, busy, busy

It is hard to belive that this week is almost over.  It has been a pretty good week here.  We have accomplised a lot this week in terms of school and in general this year.  I can credit our workbox system with a lot of that.  Yesterday, Tyler finished his Spectrum 6th grade reading and is now embarking on BJU Explorations in Literature.  We homeschool year round so we don't really have an official start or stop to out year.  Christian will continue to work with me on new goals when he has mastered the ones we are currently working on.  I did order him a new pair of spring loaded loop scissors.  It is something a haven't tried with him yet.  I don't think he could hold a piece of paper with one hand and cut with the other but I did see an idea I think might work for him.  You take strips of paper and tape them across the top of an open shoe box so that he can just cut straight through.  I would also like to see him get a lot better at understanding pictures and being able to communicate with them.  I would also like to see him sitting down to work with me for longer periods.  Everything with him is baby steps though if I push too hard he simply shuts down.  I am also hoping that our upcoming move doesn't send him too far off course.  Tim was able to go and talk to the housing office and at least we found out that we can put on the kind of locks we need to and they will accomidate our need to have a kitchen that can be blocked off for his safety so that will make for a much easier transition for him and us.

As for Tyler this year he will be in 7th grade.  He is only days from being a teen.  I am not quite sure how I feel about being old enough to have a teenager yet. This year he will be doing Saxon pre- algerbra, Apologia General Science, Bob Jones Bible, Rosetta Stone Latin, Latina Christiana, Winston Grammar, Spelling Workout, Bob Jones Writing and Grammar, Wordly Wise, and unit studies for history/geography.  We will also continue to work on the Contenders of the Faith book and whatever other trail we veer down.  I think he is going to have a great year.  I am going to try to continue to modify his curriculum to be as hands on as I can.  He has been loving lapbooks and I did see some to go with the Apologia General Science so I am sure we will probably do that also.  I would also like to incorporate some sort of hobby into their also.  He did express interest in doing a cooking lapbook we saw so maybe we will try that and letting him prepare one meal a week or something like that.

Next week is going to be a busy week around here.  Monday we have a park day with our homeschool group.  Tuesday my parents will be arriving for a visit from Wisconsin.  They will be staying for about a week.  We also need to start preparing for moving.  Our moving date is still somewhat ambigous.  They have told us somewhere between the middle of June till sometime in August.  I am not the type of person that does well with time periods.  I like specific dates but I guess I really don't have much of a say on the matter.  We have been operating so well around here on a schedule of regular structure that I am a little concerned at how everything is going to go in the upcoming weeks.  I am hoping that I will be able to maitain the boys routines enough to maintain the sense of security they need.  Tyler in particular doesn't structure his time well when he is out of routine.  He did very well with visual schedules when he was young and  seems to be thriving now with the structure of his workboxes followed by dinner and a family walk.

This week Tyler learned how to play chess and I actualy learned some tips also.  He is looking forward to playing it with his grandfather.  My dad is scary good at strategy games though but I did warn him.

Well, I guess I should get to bed now.  I fell asleep a bunch of times today.  I was sitting on the couch with Christian today and he was all comfy and it put me right to sleep.  He has had that effect on people since he was a baby.  It is too bad he couldn't cause himself to go to sleep. 

Goodnight for now and hopefully I will be back here tomorrow.