Large Family Homeschool Life – Week 5 of 2023
Raising Arrows
Large Family Homeschool Life – Week 5 of 2023
Lots of recipes and studying of the 1960’s for this week in our large family homeschool life!
Read all of the Large Family Homeschool Life!
MONDAY
First thing this morning, I jotted down some to-do’s for the day and then tidied up my room. My 17 year old son made muffins last night, so the kids had those, which allowed me more freedom during the breakfast hour. I drank some coffee, went through the mail, and even sewed up the armhole of one of my cardigans.
For Morning Time, we read in Hurlbut’s Story of the Bible, and then went over more of the Civil Rights Movement, and finished off with Stuart Little.
Are you curious about what our Morning Time looks like? Read this post:
To learn more about the concept of a Large Family Morning Time, read this post:
Lunch was leftover Creamed Pheasant. We had company in from D.C. this weekend, so we made up several skillets of Creamed Pheasant, and there was enough for everyone to have another round today!
After lunch, I took a walk and then put together 2 large casserole dishes of Spaghetti Pie for dinner tonight. Any time I have a few extra minutes in the afternoon, I like to meal prep for the evening, because I always seem to be busy around the time a meal needs to be made! How does that happen?!
I took our 17 year old to work on the Fort, and while I was there I got my sunglasses fixed at the PX and ran to the library to snag a few holds.
Another military friend from D.C. came over for the evening, and Ty and I went out for Thai food with him. We had our usual Chicken Pad Thai with extra veggies.
Because of our friend’s visit, we postponed Special Night to tomorrow night.
TUESDAY
Tuesdays are often slow mornings because Ty does not have to teach military science at the college until the early afternoon hours. This morning, he took a 4 mile walk while I got Morning Time started.
We read in Hurlbut’s and then read about the Little Rock school integration. We also read about Elvis and talked about a Christian’s response to secular music. Then, we took a look at modern architecture, Jasper Johns, Sputnik, and watched a video on the history of computers, finishing off with Stuart Little!
I use YouTube and Google images for a lot of our schooling. During this particular Morning Time, we watched a video of Elvis, looked up images of Jasper Johns’ work and what modern architecture looked like. The video about the history of computers was on YouTube, and we also watched an actual news report from the era when Sputnik launched. All of this really brings the lessons to life for my kids!
My 18 year old finished listening to The Crucible on her Hoopla account (associated with our library cards), and then started Waiting for Godot. My little girls have new books they are reading as well.
For lunch, I laid out all of the leftovers for the kids to choose from. If I don’t lay them out, the kids don’t seem to find them in the refrigerator. I also try to give them ideas for how to transform the leftovers into something new.
It’s a lovely day, so I took a long walk and listened to The Food Psych podcast. The podcast is not from a Christian perspective, but I have still found a lot of good information there pertaining to what is popularly called “anti-diet culture.” A lot of food for thought – if you will.
I took the 17 year old to work (he usually drives to get in time for his 50 hours required by our state before he can try for his unrestricted license). Then, I picked Ty up from the mechanic’s and we ran to the supermarket for a few deals I saw in the weekly ads – laundry detergent, bacon, and cosmic crisp apples.
Then, I came home and got ready for Bible Study tonight. Melia made Caramel Apple Dip for us to take. She’s been attending with me for a few months now and really enjoys it.
At home, the kids had KFC Bowls – which is made from mashed potatoes, breaded chicken in the air fryer, corn, and gravy, put together by my 14 year old. Not my thing, but they told me it was a hit with most everyone!
Ty started our 12 year old’s Special Night before I got home from Bible Study, so I joined in when I got back. We played games, watched some things together, and had a fun time staying up late.
WEDNESDAY
For Morning Time, our study of the 1960’s continued with JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis. I honestly do not remember learning about this in school. So thankful for homeschooling and education I am getting from it!
Later, I had the kids help me put together a list of snacks for the Super Bowl. We are going to have my sister’s son and his family over. Add in my own kids, and you have a ready-made party!
I drove the kids out to work at the bee farm so I could spend some time chatting with their boss, who is also a friend of mine. She and I have been attending Weight Watchers together, but have decided to take a break from it for a while. For me, I need to focus lesson on food and the stress it causes me.
NOTE: Each week, I write down the events of the day in a notebook and then type them up at the end of the week for these Large Family Homeschool Life posts, but this day I didn’t have much written down. And guess what – if I don’t write it down, I don’t stand a chance of remembering it! So, short day, I guess!
THURSDAY
We had a wet snow overnight – about 3″ worth. I decided to put off Morning Time and let the kids play in the snow since we’ve not had much of a winter here this year. The few times we’ve had snow, it has been so bitterly cold I couldn’t let them out in it. So, they had a wonderful time romping through the front and back yards!
Our Morning Time turned into Afternoon Time with more on the Civil Rights Movement, the story of Evita and Argentina, with a little Pop Art thrown in. We watched Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. My 18 year old said she’s been meaning to watch it, so she was glad we took the time. Such a powerful speech!
During the afternoon, I recorded a podcast and a video and got them sent off to my sons to edit. My 24 year old does the audio edit of my podcast and my 17 year old son does the video editing.
I made Ginger Sesame Chicken and Rice for dinner. Ty wanted some bread to dip in an Italian seasoning olive oil dip, so I toasted up the bread scraps from the freezer.
I spent the evening hours packing for our trip tomorrow.
FRIDAY
Today, marks 15 years since our daughter Emily passed away.
Ty and I headed to the hospital where she had all of her surgeries in order to spend time with dear friends of ours while the husband had open heart surgery. We got to see him in recovery and then came back the next day to chat a while and take his wife out to eat at the cafeteria.
Ty and I reminisced about the weeks we spent in PICU in that same hospital with Emmy. It was good for us to go back, and not as painful as I had expected. Plus, we had a purpose to be there – and it wasn’t about ourselves.