CHRISTEPHI

Last week's meals got juggled around a bit and we ate out a couple days, so there are some repeat meals on this week's menu! Monday : Creamed tuna on toast, cantaloupe Tuesday : Asian beef and noodles with stir fry veggies Wednesday : Spaghetti, garlic toast, carrot and celery sticks Thursday : Black bean burgers Friday : Ham and eggs with potatoes Saturday : Leftovers Sunday : Personal pizzas

This was our first week of First Grade!  We mostly covered review material in math and language arts: object position; grouping, sorting, and classifying objects; short a words; identifying and writing lowercase and capital letters. Miss M is far beyond all this, but a little easy review for getting into the routine of school is fine with me! It builds her confidence and so far has kept her interest despite it’s being too easy for her. In science, we learned to observe, compare, and classify using our five senses.  We also discussed how scientists use the scientific method to learn about the world.  Miss M is fixated on the magnifying glass that came with the curriculum and wanted to use “magnifying glass!” as her answer to every question.  The book Your Five Senses by Melvin and Gilda Berger was a big hit with Miss M – not included with the Calvert curriculum. Our social studies lessons didn’t quite happen because I realized during Lesson 2 that I was miss...

He actually did very well getting the paint on the paper.  There was also quite a bit on himself, but very little on the floor and none on the walls!  And it kept him quiet for a good 30 minutes!

Our CSA got hit by a terrible hail storm the end of last week.  Our week's share was completely destroyed.  Thankfully, none of the farmers' main buildings or animals were harmed! Monday : Eggs, homemade hashbrowns, sausage Tuesday : Chicken parmesan, salad, french bread Wednesday : Black bean burgers, mozzarella, lettuce, salsa Thursday : Meatballs, broccoli, rice Friday : Chicken stir fry Saturday : Leftovers Sunday : Creamed tuna on toast Despite needing several higher priced items all at once, I did well staying within my budget this week!

This week I built my menu around the fresh produce in my kitchen (mostly from our CSA shares) that needs to be used before it goes bad! Monday : Eggplant parmesan Tuesday : Burritos featuring crockpot refried beans and fresh garden salsa Wednesday : Pasta salad Thursday : Grilled chicken and patty pan squash Friday : Beef stroganoff Saturday : leftovers Sunday : Chicken fried rice with carrots The eggplant parmesan will be an "experiment" meal since I've never made (or even eaten!) it before.  Most of my experiments are passable, not all are enjoyable. What are you eating this week?

I mentioned in this post that we will be using the Scripture Memory System from Simply Charlotte Mason. I am not, however, using their suggested list for first grade.  I’m sure their list is great, but I already had a few ideas about what I want Miss M to learn this year, so I came up with my own list.  I formatted them the size of 3x5 index cards and printed them on cardstock.   And now that I’ve done the work, you don’t have to! At least not if you use the same verses we are. Scripture Memory Verse Cards – pdf 52 verses New American Standard, unless otherwise indicated grouped in a somewhat logical manner numbered to indicate the order they are to be memorized in (in case the baby dumps the whole box, right?) If you find any mistakes or have any suggestions – like the “page” numbers; I didn’t think of that till after I had printed and cut mine apart! – let me know! The rest of our Bible curriculum this year will be reading through the Student Disc...

We started Calvert PreK about a year and a half ago when Miss M was 3.25 years old.  We enjoyed it very much, but Miss M outgrew it faster than we used it!  She is now a little over four and a half and is quite the little reader.  I’m constantly amazed at the complex words she reads.  (Like “generation” and “Oklahoma.”)  And she tells me, “I just sounded it in my head, Mom, and now I can read it!” If we were going to put her in public school, then she wouldn’t be eligible for kindergarten until Fall 2012, shortly before her 6th birthday.  Thankfully, we’re not putting her in school and we’re skipping kindergarten altogether! Some time this past spring Calvert had a sale on curriculum, so we went ahead and purchased 1st grade at a discount!  I looked through it when it arrived and decided Miss M wasn’t quite ready for it, but would certainly be ready by the end of the summer.  Now that I’m looking over it again, I see that the first half or...

To keep myself from wandering aimlessly around the grocery store, spending twice as much as planned, and coming home without half the things I needed, I decided to get myself back into the habit of planning meals for the week before I go shopping! We have a budget of $75 per week for the four of us.  Hubby's lunches are very dull...he prefers the same thing day after day.  I typically eat leftovers for my lunch while the kids eat simple sandwiches, bits of cheese, and animal crackers for dessert.  That leaves just suppers to be planned. Monday : Spaghetti, garlic toast, carrot and celery sticks Tuesday : Pot roast, potatoes, corn Wednesday : Nachos Thursday : Asian beef and noodles Friday : Meatballs, mashed potatoes, broccoli Saturday : Leftovers Sunday : Italian chicken tenders, rice, green beans This week I have most of what I need on hand, so I plan to use the remainder of the budgeted amount to lay in a supply of canned goods that are on sale.