Homeschool W23: A Break and a Regular Week Combined

What We Studied

We had our “winter break” two weeks back. Instead of continuing our regularly scheduled studies, we focused on some side projects and other activities. Plus, we had multiple outings that week. Arthur wasn’t a huge fan of our alternative schedule, but that’s okay, it helped me catch a breath. Last week, we were back to our usual routine.

Literature and Poetry

We started our fill-in read aloud of Aru Shah. It was nice to see Arthur make some connections to our previous history units about India. We also covered Immigrant Trickster Tales. I especially loved the Creole versions of stories.

• Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

• ICE! Poems About Polar Life by Douglas Florian

• Scranimals by Jack Prelutsky

• Trickster Tales

Math

We moved through 3B Unit 9 on fractions. Mostly it was a review, but at the end the chapter moved into different denominators and simplifying fractions. We are going to stay with that topic into next week. We also did some winter shape tangrams (always a hit!) and LEGO challenges,.

• Logic Liftoff

Social Studies

During break week, we learned about bit more about Black History and specifically how black people were (and still are) treated in this country. Tough subjects, but a good small introduction for the kids.

• 28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World by Charles R. Smith Jr

• Your Legacy: A Bold Reclaiming of Our Enslaved History by Scheme Williams

• Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson

• The ABCs of Black History by Rio Cortez

This chapter of History Quest focused on the Aztec culture. Arthur really enjoyed learning more about them and what Mexico City looks like now.

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• When on Earth

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• The Aztec Empire by Sunita Apte

• The Aztec Empire by Ellis Roxburgh

• The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes by Duncan Tonatiuh

• Ancient Aztec: Archaeology Unlocks the Secrets of Mexico's Past by Time Cooke

• Ancient Civilizations: Aztec, Maya, Incas! by Anita Yasuda

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Science and STEAM Coop

For coop we finished our Black History theme with stations about some famous people and their accomplishments. Last Thursday we started our space theme and Arthur got to show off all this random space facts. The actual meeting was a bit chaotic due to other issues, but the lesson itself was great.

In our own studies, we talked about anatomy and did some basics. Quentin loved the StoryBots episodes about the human body. We will continue this a bit into next week.

Art/Music

We covered Pierre Auguste Renoir and the idea of the Impressionist movement. We looked at a ton of his paintings, read about his life, and made our own versions. Q likes looking at the art, but not really making his own.

• Katie Meets the Impressionists by James Mayhew

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included.

ELA

• Biscuit Visits the Big City by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• Miffy Can Play by RJ Cregg (Q reads)

• Max Finds an Egg by Wiley Blevins (Q reads)

• Nick and Nack See the Stars by Brandon Budzi

• Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss

• A Potato on a Bike by Elisa Gravel

• Truck Parade by Melinda Melton Crow (Q reads)

• Monkey Play by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• Nick and Nack Float a Boat by Brandon Budzi (Q reads)

• Biscuit Flies a Kite by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• I Like Fish by Margaret Wise Brown (Q reads)

Math

• Lollipop Logic Book 1

• Winter Shape Tangrams

Other

• The Sun is My Favorite Star by Frank Asch

Field Trip

We visited the UNO Planetarium for a private showing with our coop friends. We got to see a fun video about the Parker Solar Probe, an in-depth look at the solar system, and some constellations. I do enjoy planetariums and super excited that we got to secure a private showing for the group (and the pricing wasn’t bad).

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. During break week we watched a NOVA episode about “The Ship that Changed the World.” Fascinating look at how shipbuilding changed in the age of exploration.

Boys joined us for Lord of the Rings trivia

Misc. Picture Books Read

• Thankful by Eileen Spinelli

• My Pet Wants a Pet by Elisa Broach

• The Thank You Letter by Jane Cabrera

• Arlo Draws an Octopus by Lori Mortensen

• Can Anybody Hear Me? by Jessica Meserve

• The Word Pirates by Susan Cooper

• The Zebra-Riding Cowboy by Angela Shelf Medearis

• Tad and Dad by David Ezra Stein

• Wild About Books by Judy Sierra

• It Fell from the Sky by The Fan Brothers

• What Will Fat Cat Sit On? by Jan Thomas

• Sheep Count Flowers by Micaela Chirif

• Truck Stop by Anne Rockwell

• Wolves by Emily Gravett

• Into the Snow by Yuki Kaneko

• There was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow by Lucille Colandro

• The Pied Piper's Magic by Steven Kellogg

High

• During our break week, we visited the zoo, had a park playdate, and attended the coop Valentine’s Day party. We packed multiple outings into one week! By the end we were tired, but happy.

Low

• Unfortunately, Arthur scratched his glasses during our park playdate. Not great at all. They are still under the protection plan, so new lenses have been ordered and should be here early next week.

Selfie at the Planetarium

Next Week

• Finishing 3B Unit 9 for math

• Finishing reading Aru Shah and starting our American Folk Tales unit

• Covering space for coop again

• Going south to the Andes Mountains for the Inca civilization for history

• Introducing the paintings of Rosa Bonheur

• Continuing to work on phonics for Quentin

• Fitting in one zoo, two park playdates, and a grocery run

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - The Rumjacks "Across the Water"

I found a new band on the Apple Music New Hard Rock playlist and am so in love with with this sound! I had to download their newest album immediately.

Everyone You Hate is Going to Die by Daniel Sloss

Title: Everyone You Hate is Going to Die

Author: Daniel Sloss

Publisher: Knopf 2021

Genre: Memoir; Comedy

Pages: 259

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR

Daniel Sloss's stand-up comedy engages, enrages, offends, unsettles, educates, comforts, and gets audiences roaring with laughter—all at the same time. In his groundbreaking specials, seen on Netflix and HBO, he has brilliantly tackled everything from male toxicity and friendship to love, romance, and marriage—and claims (with the data to back it up) that his on-stage laser-like dissection of relationships has single-handedly caused more than 300 divorces and 120,000 breakups.

Now, in his first book, he picks up where his specials left off, and goes after every conceivable kind of relationship—with one's country (Sloss's is Scotland); with America; with lovers, ex-lovers, ex-lovers who you hate, ex-lovers who hate you; with parents; with best friends (male and female), not-best friends; with children; with siblings; and even with the global pandemic and our own mortality. In Everyone You Hate Is Going to Die, every human connection gets the brutally funny (and unfailingly incisive) Sloss treatment as he illuminates the ways in which all of our relationships are fragile and ridiculous and awful—but also valuable and meaningful and important.

At Christmas, my mother was raving about this one and demanded that I read this one. I had a bit of hesitation as I’m not usually fan of memoirs and comedy, but I thought that I would give it a try. There were funny passages and I did enjoy some the chapters. However, I didn’t love it and wasn’t ever desperate to get back to reading the book. Sloss’s voice swerved to grating at times and the casual arrogance was a bit much. I just didn’t love reading this one. I might enjoy his standup special, but reading the book form was not the best.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #7

As I look outside my window: It’s bright and sunny again, but still pretty cold. Much much warmer than earlier this week, but started off in the 30s this morning.

Right now I am: Sitting down with my new book to read. Here’s hoping it’s better than the last one.

On my bedside table: All the Bodies by Kendare Blake; The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield

On my tv this week: Wrapping up our movie month this past week, but we also watched a few episodes of Hustle, Resident Alien, and Last Week Tonight.

Listening to: All the news and politics podcasts.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Crab Coconut Curry

• Tuesday - Mosterdsoep

• Wednesday - Chicken and Noodles

• Thursday - Ranch Cheddar Chicken

• Friday - Leftovers

• Saturday - ????

• Sunday - ????

On my to do list: Set up student loan account (they sold my student loan yet again and I have to make a new account to access all the information; seriously student loans suck so much…), buy a bin to put away the in-between homeschool supplies (see the read alouds photos below), take care of some coop business, finalize my birthday day out plans

Happening this week:

• Monday - Zoo Day; Book Club

• Tuesday - Park Playdate Morning

• Wednesday - Home Day

• Thursday - Coop

• Friday - Home Day

• Saturday - My Birthday!

• Sunday - My Birthday Day Out!

What I am creating: Books lists and curriculum plans

My simple pleasures: Good coffee, a long stretch of reading, getting out all my frustrations in a word vomit (seriously it helps sometimes)

Looking around the house: Besides my craft room, the house is looking decent. I do need to put away clothes today, but that’s usual.

From the camera: I was getting so confused that I had to pull out all of our read alouds to see what we got. And now I’ve separated them into homeschool years (and a free read pile) creating our master read alouds lists. Feeling so better now that this is all organized. I do love a plan.

Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire

Title: Where the Drowned Girls Go (Wayward Children #7)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publisher: Tor 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 150

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR

"Welcome to the Whitethorn Institute. The first step is always admitting you need help, and you’ve already taken that step by requesting a transfer into our company."

There is another school for children who fall through doors and fall back out again.
It isn't as friendly as Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children.
And it isn't as safe.

When Eleanor West decided to open her school, her sanctuary, her "Home for Wayward Children," she knew from the beginning that there would be children she couldn’t save; when Cora decides she needs a different direction, a different fate, a different prophecy, Miss West reluctantly agrees to transfer her to the other school, where things are run very differently by Whitethorn, the Headmaster.

She will soon discover that not all doors are welcoming...

Thankful that this series returned to its roots with this volume. I wasn’t really a fan of the last volume, but Cora pulled me back into the world of the Wayward Children. Cora was a bit of a side character in a previous adventure, but this is her book. We follow her as she deals with the disappointment of her circumstance and decision to leave the Home for Wayward Children. I found the Whitethorn Institute to be a fascinating counterpoint to Miss West’s school. Of course, there is a mystery to solved and familiar faces that pop up in the story. I sped through this one, reading it in only 24 hours. Love this series of vignettes.

Wayward Children

• #1 Every Heart a Doorway

• #2 Down Among the Sticks and Bones

• #3 Beneath the Sugar Sky

• #4 In an Absent Dream

• #5 Come Tumbling Down

• #6 Across the Green Grass Fields

• #7 Where the Drowned Girls Go

Next up on the TBR pile:

Winter Bucket List Update #2

After taking a bit of a break from bucket lists in 2021 (seriously, that year was a trash fire), I’m back this year. We have a variety of projects that we want to accomplish this coming year and I want to make some intentions for each season. For winter:

1. Check off 150 hours of our 1000 hours outside project - No way that we are going to rack up 150 hours this season, but we do have almost 20 hours so far. It’s been incredibly cold this past month. Way to go to be outside for more than 5-15 minutes.

2. Have a birthday day out for my 40th! - I have it scheduled!

3. Weekend trip to Chicago

4. Read 50 books (33/50)

5. Day trip to Des Moines

6. At least 6 zoo visits (2/6)

7. Trip to see the frozen waterfall at Platte

8. Movie Month February ✓

9. Weekly Game Day/Night with Arthur ✓ — We’ve been playing HeroQuest on a weekly basis now. The kids really got into the role playing aspect.

10. Make winter crafts

11. Design board for future kitchen renovation

12. Make Valentine’s ✓ - We had a fun Valentine’s Day party with our coop friends.

13. Have a monthly (indoor) picnic

14. Finish one craft project ✓

15. Monthly bingo/trivia nights ✓

16. Go sledding

17. Buy a new Nebraska State Park permit ✓ And we’ve even used it once already.

18. Do a donation drop - I’ve done a toy cleanup, just need to gather some more things before doing the drop.

19. Take the kids bowling

20. Dye my hair purple

21. Log 50 miles on the treadmill

22. Learn to knit

23. Replace 50% of my socks ✓

24. Make homemade cinnamon rolls

25. Complete 3 television series - We finished The Witcher S2 and It’s Always Sunny S15, but no big series yet. I really want to finish Hustle something this season.

Up Next on the TBR:

Fuzz by Mary Roach

Title: Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law

Author: Mary Roach

Publisher: W.W. Norton Company 2021

Genre: Nonfiction - Nature Writing

Pages: 308

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR

What’s to be done about a jaywalking moose? A bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? Three hundred years ago, animals that broke the law would be assigned legal representation and put on trial. These days, as New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict, a discipline at the crossroads of human behavior and wildlife biology.

Roach tags along with animal-attack forensics investigators, human-elephant conflict specialists, bear managers, and "danger tree" faller blasters. Intrepid as ever, she travels from leopard-terrorized hamlets in the Indian Himalaya to St. Peter’s Square in the early hours before the pope arrives for Easter Mass, when vandal gulls swoop in to destroy the elaborate floral display. She taste-tests rat bait, learns how to install a vulture effigy, and gets mugged by a macaque.

Combining little-known forensic science and conservation genetics with a motley cast of laser scarecrows, langur impersonators, and trespassing squirrels, Roach reveals as much about humanity as about nature’s lawbreakers. When it comes to "problem" wildlife, she finds, humans are more often the problem—and the solution. Fascinating, witty, and humane, Fuzz offers hope for compassionate coexistence in our ever-expanding human habitat.

I always enjoy Mary Roach’s brand of science writing, and this volume is no different. I’ll admit that this one is a bit more serious than her previous works. It’s hard to poke fun at animals killing people. But there are a few laughs here and there, mostly pertaining to human reactions to animals behaving badly. We get in-depth chapters on specific animals or groups of animals. We get to see how humans have affected the environments of animals and how those animals have reacted. Sometimes those interactions result in death, but sometimes they just result in annoyance. There’s a wide range in this book. I think I found the chapter on macaques the funniest and possibly the most informative. An overall well-done collection of chapters on the topic. Can’t wait to see what she writes about next.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Cold Cold Videos

Oh love this version of the song.

I cannot wait for season 2, I really enjoyed Anthony’s book.

Arthur cannot wait to see this one!

Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor

Title: Just One Damned Thing After Another (The Chronicles of St. Mary's #1)

Author: Jodi Taylor

Publisher: Night Shade Books 2013

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 336

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Meet St Mary's - a group of tea-soaked disaster magnets who hurtle their way around History.

If the whole of History lay before you, where would you go?

When Dr Madeleine Maxwell is recruited by the St Mary's Institute of Historical Research, she discovers the historians there don't just study the past - they revisit it.

But one wrong move and History will fight back - to the death. And Max soon discovers it's not just History she's fighting...

I reread this one for this month’s book club selection. I forgot how much I enjoyed this book and just how much happens! I think I’ve decided to reread this entire series to catch up. I know have almost every book in the series in ebook form. Let’s see what I wrote years ago:

“A friend told me I had to read this one and lent me her copy. She was right! This was such a fun adventure story. I loved the main character of Max, but all the side characters were also great. I fell right into the fun storyline in the first chapter and almost couldn't put the book down to sleep. The pace is fast and the twists and turns just keep coming. There are some pretty far out happenings, but the way this book is written, I didn't stop to shake my head at the crazy. I was fully immersed in the world. So much fun and a great needed escape from the events of the past few days. Now I need the second book.”

The Chronicles of St. Mary's:

• #0.5 The Very First Damned Thing

• #1 Just One Damned Thing After Another

• #2 A Symphony of Echoes

• #2.5 When A Child is Born

• #3 A Second Chance

• #3.5 Roman Holiday

• #4 A Trail Through Time

• #4.5 Christmas Present

• #5 No Time Like the Past

• #6 What Could Possibly Go Wrong

• #6.5 Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings

• #7 Lies, Damned Lies, and History

• #7.5 The Great St. Mary's Day Out

• #7.6 My Name is Markham

• #7.7 Desiccated Water

• #8 And the Rest is History

• #8.1 Markham and the Anal Probing

• #8.5 A Perfect Storm

• #8.6 Christmas Past

• #9 An Argumentation of Historians

• #9.5 The Battersea Barricades

• #9.6 The Steam Pump Jump

• #9.7 And Now for Something Completely Different

• #10 Hope for the Best

• #10.5 When Did You Last See Your Father?

• #10.6 Why is Nothing Ever Simple?

• #11 Plan for the Worst

• #11.1 St Mary’s and the Great Toilet Roll Crisis

• #11.2 The Girl with a Pearl in Her Nose

• #11.3 The Muse of History

• #11.5 The Ordeal of the Haunted Room

• #12 Another Time Another Place

• #12.5 The Toast of Time

• #13 A Catalogue of Catastrophe

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #3

Reading: Fuzz by Mary Roach - I’m enjoying this nature writing book even if it’s not as funny as some of her others.

Watching: Continuing our February Movie Month. Our viewings have been incredibly varied.

Listening: Found a new band on the Apple Music New Hard Rock playlist. Loving the punk sound of The Rumjacks

Making: I got on a kick last weekend and made three different baked goods for D&D and the weekend. I made Alton Brown’s Blueberry Muffins, Earl Grey Tea Bread, and Sicilian Orange Cake.

Feeling: My back has been very sore this week. Not sure what I did, but it’s not been feeling good. I’ve been trying to do more yoga this week to help.

Planning: Pulling all my piles for March’s homeschool curriculum. We’re moving through the semester.

Loving: My comfy bed has really been calling me this week. I love it when it’s a bit cold so I can snuggle.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Tom Morello feat. Manchester Orchestra "The Lost Cause"

Tom Morello has been putting out some very interesting musical pairings with this new album. I really love the combination of Morello’s music and singer from Manchester Orchestra’s voice. Love it!

Life Right Now #6

As I look outside my window: Clear and bright. The temperature is supposed to top out at around 60 degrees, before steadily dropping over the next three days to a high of 12 degrees on Thursday. Fun times in the Midwest.

Right now I am: Scrambling to finish this post as I completely forgot about it last night (we had D&D) and was distracted this morning by curriculum and my puzzle.

On my bedside table: Girly Drinks by Mallory O’Meara; Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire

On my tv this week: We ended up watching a few movies, but took a few nights off from watching anything. I had two busy nights and we had D&D last night.

Listening to: Mostly podcasts, although I did download a new album by The Rumjacks; found them on Apple Music’s New Hard Rock playlist.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Balsamic Glazed Pork Roast

• Tuesday - Mosterdsoep and Ontbijkoek

• Wednesday - Prawn and Sweet Potato Curry (but switch to tofu)

• Thursday - Chicken and Noodles

• Friday - Leftovers

• Saturday - Mississippi Pot Roast

• Sunday - Crab Coconut Curry

On my to do list: Arthur scratched his glasses at the park so I need to attempt to get those fixed. I also need to create a new account as my student loans were just transferred to a different company (seriously hate this practice), and I have an anticipated big project documenting our homeschool read alouds.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Regular school day

• Tuesday - Regular school day; Lord of the Rings trivia at Edge of the Universe

• Wednesday - Regular school day

• Thursday - Coop

• Friday - Coop field trip to the planetarium

• Saturday - Home day?

• Sunday - Home day

What I am creating: I’m working on my 2022 Memory Planner, but took a break this week to deal with some big projects.

My simple pleasures: Earl Grey Tea Bread (didn’t over-bake it this time); Fun times at Music Bingo and D&D; quiet time at the park

Looking around the house: Having coop here the past two weeks means that the first floor is in decent shape right now.

From the camera: 90s Music Bingo! We didn’t win but it was still lots of fun.

The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian

Title: The Girls in the Stilt House

Author: Kelly Mustian

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark 2021

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 384

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Set in 1920s Mississippi, this debut Southern novel weaves a beautiful and harrowing story of two teenage girls cast in an unlikely partnership through murder—perfect for readers of Where the Crawdads Sing and If the Creek Don't Rise.

Ada promised herself she would never go back to the Trace, to her hard life on the swamp and her harsh father. But now, after running away to Baton Rouge and briefly knowing a different kind of life, she finds herself with nowhere to go but back home. And she knows there will be a price to pay with her father.

Matilda, daughter of a sharecropper, is from the other side of the Trace. Doing what she can to protect her family from the whims and demands of some particularly callous locals is an ongoing struggle. She forms a plan to go north, to pack up the secrets she's holding about her life in the South and hang them on the line for all to see in Ohio.

As the two girls are drawn deeper into a dangerous world of bootleggers and moral corruption, they must come to terms with the complexities of their tenuous bond and a hidden past that links them in ways that could cost them their lives.

For me, this was a very middle of the road book. I liked some things, overall, I had to force myself to read it. Looking at the good, I loved the descriptions. I really felt like Mustian placed us into the swamp with its sights, sounds, and smells. I was very creeped out by the creepy crawlies in the swamp. Good job on those descriptions. I was very into those. But then we get to the actual story line and characters Everything was a little too depressing for me. I’m not a huge fan of books where every new situation and decision leads to more and more bad things. I need a bit more hope and escapism in my books. I don’t particularly like books that make me feel so terrible (unless it’s an interesting nonfiction book). Morgan was an interesting character, but Ada annoyed me many times throughout the book. For growing up in the swamp, she often seemed like she didn’t know how to survive in the swamp. Very odd and not believable. Overall, this was not the book for me, but it wasn’t terrible. Just a very lackluster read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Title: Northanger Abbey

Author: Jane Austen

Pages: 239

Rating:  5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR

Northanger Abbey, originally published posthumously in 1818, is the story of seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland, one of ten children of a country clergyman, whose wild imagination and excessive fondness for Gothic novels (especially Ann Radcliffe's Mysteries of Udolpho) has skewed her worldview and interactions with others to great comic effect. 

Fundamentally a parody of the Gothic fiction that was so popular in Austen's formative years, Northanger Abbey is a uniquely significant work, in that it shows Austen's departure from those conventions and tropes -- featuring three dimensional heroines, who were not perfect people, but flawed, rounded characters who behaved naturally and not just as the novel's plot demanded. 

Part of my 2022 reaching plan is to reread all six of the completed Jane Austen novels. This time, I am going to read them in the order that Austen wrote them. So up first is Northanger Abbey. Instead of making a new review, I am just copying my review from my last reading of this volume in 2012. Here’s what I wrote:

“Northanger Abbey is fast becoming my second favorite Austen (after Persuasion, of course).  I love Catherine Morland.  She may be young and naive, but she grows.  She becomes a woman right in front of the reader.  I love the progression more than anything.  I see an early version of Emma in Catherine.  She's not as well defined as a character, but the idea of character so wrong in her worldview comes through.  This volume doesn't have the recognizable quotes that Pride and Prejudice does, but it does have some good discussions between Tilney and Catherine about life and literature.  And the novel doesn't have the extensive social commentary so prominent in P&P and Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park.  But that's okay.  This is more of a nice story of a girl growing into a woman and falling in love.”

BBC Miniseries :

I love this movie.  I love the leads, Felicity Jones and JJ Fields.  I love the Abbey.  I love Bath.  I even love Isabella Thorpe, that snake.  (Carey Mulligan is equal parts likable and killable...)  Every part was perfectly cast.  I don't even mind the dramatization of Catherine's gothic stories.  It fits with her character even if Jane Austen didn't write them in there.  In fact, this is fast becoming my third favorite movie adaptation of Austen (after P&P BBC version and Persuasion new BBC version).

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Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• The temperatures are all over the place this week. It’s currently about 10 degrees but is supposed to be 60 degrees tomorrow afternoon. Wild times in the Midwest.

• I forgot how much I loved Just One Damned Thing After Another

• 90s Music Bingo is just amazing. I definitely needed that last night. Very excited that they are repeating Musicals Bingo in late March.

• Picking up 70 library books at one time is a challenge when you have three bags and two kids. I ended up carrying them all. 70 books are heavy.

• Coop is such chaos some weeks, but is still great.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Beautiful Beloved by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Beginning (Beautiful #3.6)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher:

Genre: Romance

Pages: 119

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR

In Beautiful Stranger, finance whiz Sara Dillon met the irresistibly sexy Brit, Max Stella, at a New York City club. Through the series we’ve watched them learn to balance commitment with their less than private brand of playfulness. In Beautiful Beloved, Max and Sara take it to the next step. But the question is: Will they be able to find a balance between the wild sexcapades they aren’t ready to retire, and the demands of parenthood that come along with their new Beautiful bundle of joy? Parenthood: it’s not for the weak of heart.

Another short novella from the series, but this one features my favorite couple Max and Sara. Don’t be fooled by the cover, this one is actually set four months after Sara gives birth to baby Anna. This slim story focuses on Max and Sara attempting to find their new normal after the fog of the newborn days has lifted. We get to see their misadventures on the way to date night. Thankfully Max and Sara are still a great couple with a deep love for each other. And we get some very steamy sex scenes toward the end. Can’t wait to see what happens next with them.

Beautiful Bastard

• #1 Beautiful Bastard

• #1.5 Beautiful Bitch

• #2 Beautiful Stranger

• #2.5 Beautiful Bombshell

• #3 Beautiful Player

• #3.5 Beautiful Beginning

• #3.6 Beautiful Beloved

• #4 Beautiful Secret

• #4.5 Beautiful Boss

• #5 Beautiful

Next up on the TBR pile:

Beautiful Beginning by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Beginning (Beautiful #3.5)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2013

Genre: Romance

Pages: 209

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR

One beautiful bastard of a groom. The most beautiful bitch of a bride. A panty-ripping office hook-up turned true love everlasting.

Wedding bells can’t chime soon enough for Chloe Mills and Bennett Ryan. Chloe, exasperated and stressed by all the last-minute to-dos, is on the verge of saying “I do” to eloping. For his part, Bennett’s so worried about being distracted by Chloe’s body that he makes a no-sex-until-the-wedding-night rule that only seems to be making things worse by continually backfiring on him. As their crazy families descend for the big day- only a few of them actually trying to be helpful- the fiery lovers are about to test whether the couple that argues together can keep it together long enough to exchange rings, and not just heated words.

Slim novella detailing the run up to Bennett and Chloe’s wedding. They are really not my favorite couple in this series and it shows in my reading. I just wanted to skip through their chapters to get to ones that featured the other characters. That’s not a great sign. Fundamentally, I do not enjoy how they treat each other. There’s too much perceived anger and combativeness for me to get behind this couple. Thankfully this one was a short novella that I could get through quickly.

Beautiful Bastard

• #1 Beautiful Bastard

• #1.5 Beautiful Bitch

• #2 Beautiful Stranger

• #2.5 Beautiful Bombshell

• #3 Beautiful Player

• #3.5 Beautiful Beginning

• #3.6 Beautiful Beloved

• #4 Beautiful Secret

• #4.5 Beautiful Boss

• #5 Beautiful

Next up on the TBR pile:

An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole

Title: An Extraordinary Union (Loyal League #1)

Author: Alyssa Cole

Publisher: Kensington 2017

Genre: Romance

Pages: 258

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR

Elle Burns is a former slave with a passion for justice and an eidetic memory. Trading in her life of freedom in Massachusetts, she returns to the indignity of slavery in the South—to spy for the Union Army.

Malcolm McCall is a detective for Pinkerton’s Secret Service. Subterfuge is his calling, but he’s facing his deadliest mission yet—risking his life to infiltrate a Rebel enclave in Virginia.

Two undercover agents who share a common cause—and an undeniable attraction—Malcolm and Elle join forces when they discover a plot that could turn the tide of the war in the Confederacy’s favor. Caught in a tightening web of wartime intrigue, and fighting a fiery and forbidden love, Malcolm and Elle must make their boldest move to preserve the Union at any cost—even if it means losing each other. . .

Buddy read pic for February for the Currently Reading Friends group. I am always up for trying out a romance novel/series. This one just didn’t hold my attention ll the way through to make it a very enjoyable read. Kaytee (on Currently Reading) calls this a romance plus novel and she’s right. We get the romance, but we also get lots of conversations and around race during the Civil War, but also how we view black women in society. I found some of those parts interesting, but was a bit thrown off when we got to the sex scenes. There might have been a bit too much whiplash for my brain to stay focused. I don’t think this novel is bad, I just don’t think this one is for me. I am intrigued to read more from Alyssa Cole, just maybe not more in this series.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W22: Guess We Focused on ELA and Math...

What We Studied

Overall, we did a big focus on ELA and Math for this week and left some of the other subjects be put on pause. I really love the flexibility of home schooling to go with our flow instead of forcing subjects or time.

Literature and Poetry

We finish our read aloud. By the end of the book, Arthur claims that he didn't really like it, but believe me, he kept asking for “one more chapter” every day. I think he did like the book.

• The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky

• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

• The Legend of Rock, Paper, and Scissors by Drew Daywalt

View of the Missouri River

Math

Arthur started Unit 9 all about fractions. The first lesson was a basic review (“Mom, I already know this!”), but lesson two started exploring equivalent fractions. A bit harder! The second half of the unit will talk about adding and subtracting fractions and getting into simplifying and finding common denominators.

• Logic Liftoff

Social Studies

We covered the Age of Exploration for history this week. Our HistoryQuest chapter focused on four different explorers: Zheng He, Ibn Battuta, Christopher Columbus, and Ferdinand Magellan. Sad to say that even with my background I knew little to nothing about Zheng He and Ibn Battuta. This week rectified that gap and then some some. I loved learning about the Chinese Treasure Fleet in particular.

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• When on Earth

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• Explorers

Turkeys down by the river

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Videos about explorers

Science and STEAM Coop

For coop, we learned about some famous African Americans. Ms. Anna put together some great stations to explore and participate in activities. Arthur loved pretending to be FloJo and sprint through the yard.

Art/Music

None this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. Q focused on basic phonics and math skills. We are going to dive into more focused phonics lessons and started Singapore Math soon, so I wanted him to get a good foundation this week. As a bonus, his pencil skills are improving!

ELA

• Old Hat, New Hat by Stan & Jan Berenstain

• Duck and Cat’s Rainy Day by Carin Bramsen

• 30 Minutes a Day Preschool

• High Five Magazines

Math

• Lollipop Logic Book 1

• Arithmechicks Add Up by Ann Marie Stephens

Other

• Kumon Tracing Book

Field Trip

On Tuesday, we spent over 4 hours outside in nature at Fontenelle Forest with some friends. The weather was going to be decent and it seemed like we needed some outdoor time. A few coop families joined us for most of the time. We even decided to buy a membership for the year. My goal is to go to Fontenelle at least once a month. If we go three times, the pass is more than paid for. Twelve times would be an awesome value!

After Fontenelle, we had to drive over to Council Bluffs to get the coop basket and stopped at the Golden Spike Monument while there. This monument erected in 1939, commemorates the Eastern Terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad put into place in Abraham Lincoln back in the 1960s. It’s the strangest random monument between the railroad tracks and a road and trailer park. But we added it to our collection of random roadside markers.

On Friday, we joined some other coop families for a visit to the Great Plains Black History Museum for our Black History theme. The museum is small, but a treasure trove of interesting artifacts and information. Overall the kids were bored, as it was geared toward an adult audience, but I’m hoping that at least the exposure of different places will sink in a bit.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. we had planned on a documentary morning, but we pivoted to puzzle hour this week. Still, a good time.

Misc. Picture Books Read

• A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams

• How Big is the World by Britta Teckentrup

• Snow by Cynthia Rylant

• Louise Loves Art by Kelly Light

High

• An almost whole day in nature was great! We only covered the boardwalk, Raptor Rescue, and play area, but it was just lovely to be outside for a time. With that 4 hours, we added a 60% of our January outside hours to our big goal of 1000 Hours Outside. February is looking to be a much better month. (We’re planning a zoo day for this coming week to get in some more hours!)

Low

• Due to COVID, I had to host coop on Thursday. Not a huge deal, but I just came off teaching the first four weeks of the semester. I was beyond tired on Thursday afternoon.

Next Week

• Taking a “break” week - not really a break, just a break from our usual routine for some special projects and subjects

• Beginning Aru Shah and the End of Time for read aloud

• Deciding coop plans for the week (am I hosting? not certain yet)

• Getting acquainted with Renoir for art (didn’t get to it this past week)

• Hoping to spend more hours outside

• Having a fun Valentine’s Day Party with coop friends!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #5

As I look outside my window: It’s fairly sunny out there right now, but pretty darn cold. Seems like the clouds will be rolling in later.

Right now I am: Contemplating making earl grey tea bread or muffins.

On my bedside table: Fuzz by Mary Roach; Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor (reread for book club)

On my tv this week: We’ve continued our movie month with The Godfather Part II, tick tick BOOM!, LOTR: The Two Towers, Bad Boys for Life (that was terrible), and LOTR: The Return of the King.

Listening to: Mostly podcasts, but I also cued up some Mike Shinoda and A Day to Remember this week.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Prawn and Sweet Potato Curry

• Tuesday - Green Chile Enchilada Soup

• Wednesday - Jalapeño Popper and Bean Soup

• Thursday - Sesame Chicken

• Friday - Leftovers

• Saturday - Mosterdsoep

• Sunday - Sweet Potato Nachos

On my to do list: I have a big ongoing list, but really this weekend I’m taking it a bit easier.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Regular home day

• Tuesday - Zoo day?; Coop Parent Meeting

• Wednesday - Coop Valentine’s Party; 90s Music Bingo

• Thursday - Coop

• Friday - Lit Society

• Saturday - D&D (it’s been a minute due to COVID and travel)

• Sunday - Home day

What I am creating: I started working on my 2022 Memory Planner and am attempting to finish my 2021 December Daily album.

My simple pleasures: A stop at my favorite panderia, exploring new areas of town, finding historical markers

Looking around the house: It’s in decent shape from my panicked cleaning before coop on Thursday. I do want to tackle a deep clean of all the kitchen counters and fridge today.

From the camera: We started playing HeroQuest for family game night. The boys are getting the hang of it.