Second Grade Week 41 in Review

The 2nd grade year is quickly coming to an end.  In fact, I made the executive decision that we will OFFICIALLY be done with 2nd grade after 4 more days of schooling.  We’ll use field trips, Co-Op, art lessons, and camps to reach the remaining days needed to meet the 180 day requirement for Georgia.  So…I’m thankful that we’ll have a longer break.  I think I need it this time.  We typically only take a 2 week break between grades, but for some reason, I need longer this time.  While I love year-round schooling, the lack of a LONG break is starting to take it’s toll on me; however, the flexibility is worth it.  I think I need to just take a step back.  Then I can enter teaching 3rd grade feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. 
With all of that said, here’s how week 41 went for us: (yes, it’s been a couple of weeks since we did any schooling; however, Caleb had ITBS testing and Brian was out of town for several weeks)
Science – We discussed how the earth and the sky declare God’s glory…HE created all things, and everything was created for a purpose.  It’s amazing to see it all work together.
English – We’re finishing up our English studies for the year.  This week we discussed rewriting sentences, expanding sentences, combining subjects, and combining predicates.
Vocabulary – This week Caleb studied his words/definitions and took his test.  He scored 94%.
Reading – This week we read the following books:
Horrible Harry in Room 2B by Suzy Kline
National Geographic Kids – Sharks by Anne Schreiber
Math – This week we worked on multiple-digit column addition.  This is proving harder for Caleb than I thought it would.  So, we’ll have to spend a few extra days nailing down the concept.
How’s your school year going?  Are you as ready for it to be over as I am? 

Menu Plan Week of April 24, 2011

Happy Easter to all of my blog readers!  I hope you all had a wonderful day, but I pray you took time to truly be thankful for the fact that Christ is RISEN!  We didn’t get to enjoy the festivities as much as we would have liked because Caleb was sick over the weekend.  It started with the stomach bug on Friday morning, and he continued to be sick into Saturday.  He also had fever, so he had to miss the fun at my folk’s house today.    He is feeling better now though, and we are thankful for that!
Here’s what’s cooking at our house this week:
Sunday – YOYO
Monday – Italian Meatballs, Rice, Steamed Veggies, and Gravy (we didn’t get to this last week)
Tuesday – Mexican Pizza
Wednesday – Sauteed Chicken, Mashed Potatoes,and Steamed Veggies
Thursday – YOYO
Friday – Grilled Burgers with Chips or Salad
Saturday – Grilled Chicken, Rice/Pasta Side, and Steamed Veggies
What’s on YOUR menu this week?  Did you cook today?  I was able to enjoy my mom’s cooking; however, I think I’ll be taking on the holiday dinner preparations from here on out as it’s just getting to be too much for her.  I handled it at Christmas, so hopefully Easter and Thanksgiving will be do-able, too. 

Menu Plan Week of April 17, 2011

Here’s what’s cooking at OUR house this week:
Sunday – Baked Chicken and Pasta Dish with Steamed Veggies
Monday – Italian Meatballs with Gravy, Rice, and Steamed Veggies
Tuesday – YOYO
Wednesday – Sauteed Chicken, Noodles, and Steamed Veggies
Thursday – Fried Noodles and Eggs
Friday – Spaghetti with Meatballs, Corn, and Yeast Rolls
Saturday – YOYO
What’s cooking at your house this week?  I finally went through my recipe folder, and I’m hoping to get out of this repeat rut that we’ve been in the past month or so.  Wish me luck and feel free to share your favorite recipes!  I’m always looking for NEW ideas!

Special Words of Encouragement…

I stumbled upon this little note of encouragement while I was doing my daily blog reading/hopping.  I found it helpful and insightful, and I’m hoping others will, too.  If you’re raising a child with a disability (no matter how big or small it seems), I think you’ll enjoy this little note.  So, without further ado…WELCOME TO HOLLAND (you must click the link to read it…I wasn’t comfortable copying/pasting).

Menu Plan Week of April 10, 2011

Here’s what’s cooking at our house this week:
Sunday – Sauteed Chicken, Noodles, and Steamed Veggies
Monday – German Frikadellen, Noodles, and Steamed Veggies
Tuesday – YOYO
Wednesday – Tacos with Mexican Rice (didn’t get to this last week)
Thursday – Baked Fish with Tater Tots
Friday – Grilled Burgers with Salad or Chips (didn’t get to this last week)
Saturday – Baked Chicken Pasta Dish (I’ll throw this together using sauteed chicken and ingredients from the pantry) and Steamed Veggies
What’s cooking at YOUR house this week?  Yes, we eat a lot of the same meals each week; however, when they’re hits with the kids…you go with it.  Plus, none of it is super bad for you, so why not?!!?  I do need to find some more variety…working on that.

Helpless…

Do you ever feel helpless as a parent?  I’m sure if you’re honest, then the answer would be a resounding yes.  Well, let me just share with you…I am feeling extremely helpless when it comes to Caleb’s Tourette Syndrome diagnosis.  Yes, Brian and I are doing everything we can to figure out what triggers Caleb’s tics and how to help him manage them.  However, I feel totally helpless.  It hurts me to my core to see that our son is “different” than his peers.  I can’t help but hold back tears as I think about it.  No, his condition is not life-threatening; however, he WILL most likely have to deal with this the rest of his life.  The fact that there’s no cure is a hard pill to swallow. 
I usually keep my emotions regarding Caleb’s TS in check, but when his tics start manifesting in a very obvious form, I can’t help but feel helpless.  He knows he has tics, and he knows that there’s no cure.  He knows that he’ll deal with this the rest of his life.  As his parents, we decided that we would be open and honest with him about his diagnosis.  We don’t want him to be ashamed of or embarrassed by his tics; however, deep down…I know he is. 
He will sometimes come to me and ask me if there’s something I can do to make his tics improve or go away.  When I have to tell him that we’re doing all that we know to do right now and it’s not enough, I feel helpless.  He often wants to talk to us regarding his tics and how they are affecting him.  Just last night, we were talking about them, and I was trying to gather his perspective.  When he said that he feels weird because of them, that broke my heart.  How do you explain to your child that he’s not weird for having tics when all of his peers don’t?!!?  We have tried to explain to him that God is using all of this for His purpose.  However, when he comes back with “Why would God want me to have tics?”…I don’t know how to answer.  Yes, as an adult, I understand that God has a purpose and a plan with Caleb’s diagnosis; however, I cannot begin to understand how I’m supposed to explain that to our seven-year-old son!!!  Once again, I feel helpless.
Brian and I are thankful that our situation isn’t any worse than it is; however, as parents, none of us want to see our children suffer.  We don’t want to see pain in their eyes or in their hearts.  We don’t want to have to answer those tough questions that we can’t even answer ourselves.  We are doing everything we can to help Caleb; however, there are days when I feel extremely helpless.
If you read this, then thank you.  Being able to share my thoughts and feelings through this blog is helpful.  I know not very many people read it, but that’s okay, too.  If even one person can better understand what we’re going through, then my sharing has been beneficial.  If another parent of a child with TS reads this and finds comfort or familiarity, then it’s worth it. 

Publix Savings for Weekly Ad 3/30-4/5

I’m still trying to figure out this whole couponing thing.  While I  know that a lot of you are able to save tons and use wads of coupons, I just can’t do that.  So, I’m finding myself comfortable saving on the products I know we will eat/use.  I’ve been finding most of my coupons online, and for that I’m thankful.  I haven’t ventured into buying the paper yet because I’m just not sure it’s worth it.  What do all of my local readers think…is it worth it to buy the paper only to get just a few coupons that I may use?  Please share your thoughts on that with me.  Thanks!
Here’s how I did this week:
4 boxes of Ronzoni Quick Cook Pasta – $0.78 ($0.20 each)
8 boxes of Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta – $4.00 ($.50 each)
2 boxes of Family Size Special K Cereal – $4.98 ($2.49 each)
10 bags of Knorr Pasta/Rice Sides – $7.50 ($0.75 each)
Total Spent (tax included) – $17.99
Total Savings – $21.56
Percent Saved – 55%
So, I don’t think I did too bad.  And yes…we will eat all of that pasta and all of those Knorr pasta/rice sides.    It may take us a month or two, but we WILL eat it. 
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I want to share how I did at Kroger, too, but it’s really not that impressive.  LOL!  Last week’s Kroger savings weren’t too impressive either.  So, I think I’ll just continue to share how I do at Publix.  Now, if I happen to have a stellar week at Kroger, then I’ll share.  However, until that happens, we’ll just be impressed by the money I’m saving at Publix.  LOL!
How did YOU do this week?  Do you have any tips for me?

Menu Plan Week of April 3, 2011

Here’s what’s cooking at our house this week:
Sunday – Fried Noodles and Eggs
Monday – Homemade Pizzas
Tuesday – Parmesan Chicken Tenders with a side of Pasta or Rice
Wednesday – Baked Fish with Tater Tots
Thursday – YOYO
Friday – Grilled Burgers with Chips or Salad
Saturday – Tacos with Mexican Rice
What’s cooking at YOUR house this week?

Second Grade Week 40 in Review

We are winding down our school year here at Childress Academy.  We only have about 5 weeks left (20 days or so), and then we’ll take a quick break before beginning 3rd grade.  Since we school year-round, we won’t get much of a break, but it’s enough to unwind before beginning again.  I just like having to only school 4 days each week for 45 weeks as opposed to schooling 5 days per week for 36 weeks.  That’s one of the perks of homeschooling…you can do what works best for your family.    Here’s how our week went:
Health – We had a quick safety review, and we finished up our health book.
Science – We started discussing the atmosphere, and we learned how we hear sounds. 
English – This week we started diving deeper into subjects and predicates.  We learned how to identify each part, and we discussed how to find the MAIN word in each part.
Vocabulary – This week we added the words “adult, clump, curious, gratitude, herd, newcomer, plain, stalk, tusk, and wealthy” to our list of terms.  Caleb did a few exercises to reinforce the definitions of the words.
Social Studies – This week we finished up our social studies book by discussing Tomorrow’s America.  We learned all about how to be a good citizen and praying for our country and leaders.
Reading – This week we read the following books:
Scholastic Science Readers – Wolves by Carolyn B. Otto
”A Famous Statue” by Evan-Moor Publishing
George Brown, Class Clown – Trouble Magnet by Nancy Krulik
Math – This week we worked on two chapters.  We worked on Thousands and Place Value Notation, and we also discussed rounding to the thousands.  Caleb also took his Unit 2 test, and he scored 100%.
We will be taking this week off for our Spring Break.  We were going to take last week since the public schools were out; however, it rained most of the week.  So, we opted to continue schooling and hopefully have better weather this week.  We won’t be doing much, but it’ll be nice to have a break from schooling, and I can focus on SPRING cleaning!