Collage Friday - Time for Nothing and an Exciting Something
Friday, May 24, 2013 at 5:00AM
Summer is almost here.
This week has been devoid of a SINGLE obligation. We have gone VERY lightly on the schoolwork and VERY heavily on the fun.
I've also focused on an exciting something (more later!).
As I work on this collage I have an eight year old throwing the baseball with two friends in the front yard. I have an eleven year old listening to her music, decorating her room. My husband is mowing the lawn.
For lunch today I met my dear friend, Hope, for a long lunch. We finally had a chance to catch up with each other's lives, talk homeschool curriculum, and deepen our friendship. Hope was an encouragement to me in my first months of homeschooling. I'm not sure what I would have done without her.
There's something magical about these late spring/early summer days.
I know all weeks can't be like this, which is what made me appreciate this week so much.
The Concert I Almost Missed
Last Friday was Anna's spring choral concert. She has just finished her first full year singing with this group. She's been in the "training" group and recently auditioned for the Children's Chorus.
She got a letter this week stating she MADE IT into the Children's Chorus! Her dad and I are so proud of her.
Back to the concert... my husband took her for rehearsal before the concert. I stayed behind at home and picked up two of her closest friends and then we made our way to the concert.
The concert was 45 minutes (with no traffic) from our home. We hopped on the freeway and were met with the above picture: traffic at a DEAD stand still. We didn't move for close to 30 minutes. People were standing on their cars, driving the opposite way on the freeway to get off, and doing all kinds of crazy things.
{Thank goodness Anna was already at the recital hall - and my husband and other family members were there, too.}
Here's the good news. We MADE IT. I ran (in heels) with two eleven year olds and an eight year old from the back of a parking lot into the concert hall. We took our seats right as they were flashing the lights.
God is good.
The concert was BEAUTIFUL. My favorite piece they sang was Amovolovolo (this is YouTube link - not her choir singing it, but you can still hear the song). Her friends had fun watching her sing, and we all went out for dessert at Cracker Barrel afterwards.
It was a great evening - despite the traffic!
Being a YES Mom
One of Grant's Sunday School teachers gave him a junior tool kit. It was such a sweet gift and Grant was dying to make something.
It really wasn't in my plan this week to do woodworking, but he asked me so nicely and was so excited.
Monday afternoon we went to Home Depot, purchased remnant wood pieces for $.51 each and the kids started hammering.
I am SO GLAD I said YES.
Grant made something he calls the "Water Can Toss". Essentially it's a game where you throw a ball through the triangle he made and knock over the water can. I thought it was pretty clever.
He wants to set it up at the top of the driveway and charge people $.70 to play - "just like at a carnival".
He even let Anna play with a "sibling discount" - he only charged her $.50.
Plenty of Time For Nothing
We went to the library and signed up for summer reading programs. Our library is small, friendly, and provides many good summer programs. Even I signed up for the summer reading challenge!
Here's what we're reading this week:
- Mom: The Light Between Oceans - I'm loving this book! I don't often read fiction for pleasure anymore, but this book is all I want to do when I have a minute to myself!
- Anna: Ever and The Left Behind Series
- Grant: Baseball - (DK Eyewitness Book) and Dragon Slayer's Academy - Pig Latin: Not Just for Pigs
- Read Aloud: Fellowship of the Ring (continued from last week -- yes, I LOVE reading Tolkien aloud! Last week a few people said they didn't know how I could do it. I just think the stories are great and the writing is gorgeous!)
There has been PLENTY OF FREE TIME for everyone to relax, read, play, and enjoy themselves this week.
We met friends at the pool one day. While the kids all had a good time, I really enjoyed myself. My friend, Kim, is a Classical Conversations tutor and encouraged me last year to investigate CC. We had a lot to talk about while the kid swam.
It's nice having a personal guide to CC. I learned a lot from her and I'm even more excited to get started!
Anna alternated between playing in the pool and reading in the sun. What a life!
And, of course there was a lot of LEGO building going on this week. I owe you all some more LEGO goodness, don't I?
The Exciting Something
I'm Very excited about my SQUILT project. I hope you're familiar with the Super Quiet UnInterrupted Listening Time lessons on the blog.
I will be coming out with my first eBook in just a couple of weeks - and hopefully you will find it a very helpful resource as you think about planning music appreciation for your children.
Truth be told, this has been a labor of love. It has taken up almost every spare minute I've had. My children have given me input. Blogging friends are offering me advice and encouragement. My husband has been going the extra mile to help me have the TIME I have needed to write this curriculum.
I LOVE MUSIC. I LOVE CHILDREN. Every child deserves to be exposed to beautiful music and I want to help homeschool parents do that.
Stay tuned. The big launch happens in June!
Odds and Ends
From the blog:
- Using Notebooking In Every Area of Your Homeschool: A review and giveaway - have you entered?
- 10 Best Books for Homeschool Moms: How many of these have you read?
- A Simple Benjamin Franklin Unit Study: An Interest Led unit we've had fun with
Guest Contributions:
- A Fun Way to Learn About Words (review and giveaway of Rummy Roots at The Curriculum Choice)
- 3 Ideas for Summer Homeschool (at the Homeschool Classroom)
- Benefits of Being in an Ensemble (at Heart of the Matter Online)
What about YOU? How was your week? Are you still doing school? Are you done? Are you taking time to relax and smell the roses?
I hope you link up your weekly photo collage post! Please remember to include photo collages. Also, link back to this post or include the Collage Friday button (in my sidebar) in your post. Once you have signed the linky, please visit others on the list to gain ideas and offer encouragement. I love the Collage Friday community! (I reserve the right to delete any links that don't comply with the guidelines.)
Reader Comments (20)
Looks like a fab week! So glad you made it to the concert (was praying for you)! Still think Grant is sending messages about camping with his woodworking..hehehe...
Enjoy the weekend!
Mel
Ha, I love that your son offered a family discount for playing his game! Thanks for hosting another Collage Friday! betty jo
Linking up for the first time today. I do follow you on Instagram though!
Congrats to Anna~!~!
I am looking forward to the SQUILT book!
Sibling discount, huh? I had to laugh at that. But how creative! I keep pondering buying my youngest this BIG BAG of wood "pieces" the Mom and Pop Store sells down the road. A woodworking guy brings them and sells the bags for firewood, but they were work for building projects or even as blocks...but I already have NAILS everywhere around the yard from my son's last several building projects! :wink:
Looks and sounds like a relaxing, entertaining week! It's been rainy here ALL week so we've been having SLOW days! Ready to get back outside!
That traffic does look horrendous! I'm so glad you made it on time! I'm also so jealous that you're already at the pool! It's still pretty cool up here and it's been raining for the past few days!
So glad you made it for the concert! I love that you let your kids hammer wood, looks so fun!
The Light Between Oceans has been on my to be read list since I saw it in the bookstore when we were in Florida in February. I must read it this summer! I think everyone has read it but me :)
Thank you so much for hosting...love your pics
Grabbing your button!!
Sounds like an awesome week. And Grant is an awesome little brother! You know he'll be a good business man! Still have more school work to get through but we'll make it. :-) Enjoy this beautiful weekend! p.s. On my relaxed summer schedule is going through your blog and doing some of the fun stuff you have listed with the boys. I'm looking forward to that!
You are an inspiration! I'm looking forward to your SQUILT book! We Squilted this week - wonderful! Thank you! You also have been a catalyst for our homeschool group to do a literature fair! Finally, because of you I became aware of CC. There may be a CC starting in our town! It may take me a while to find the courage, time and money, but it looks wonderful! Thank you for all your work and effort, for making school fun for your kids, and giving us ideas along the way! Enjoy your holiday weekend! Don't forget to rest!!
I'm so excited for the SQUILT ebook and can't wait to use it! Pat yourself on the back for working so hard on it to help the rest of us with our music education.
I'm a week behind you--next week will be our lazy week and I'm SO looking forward to it. Books and the beach here we come!
Yay for Anna! I know she is so proud of herself. That takes hard work and dedication. I try to be a "Yes" Mom too. I don't know why at times my first inclination is to say, "no". I am working on it. We haven't gone swimming yet. Our pool opens this weekend and we have passes but it is kinda chilly here today! How exciting about the SQUILT book Mary!! Keilee is starting your SQUILT lessons this summer. She already has it on her 'To Do List'. I am so happy for you. Thank you as always for hosting this awesome link up! Happy weekend.
Love that you had plenty of time without outside commitments this week:) I only teach part-time at the college where I work, but knowing that I don't have that obligation for the summer means that I feel free!!
Congratulations on making your SQUILT plans come to live. That's exciting!
Wow! What an exciting and busy week! It's good you had time to do all these fun things.
Time for "nothing" is a very good thing to have :) What a blessing that you didn't miss Anna's concert! Love Grant's game that he invented :)
Oh I long for the week when we have time for nothing...it will come. I'm so glad that you had that this week. And I'm glad you made it in time for the concert.
Very exciting that your ebook is getting close to its launch! You've worked so hard and it will be great when it can benefit others.
my boys would totally be into the "set up by the road and sell it" thing - they are always coming up with those kinds of ideas. too bad we only have a couple of neighbors - thankfully- they love the boys and are always supportive ;) Enjoy your week!
Congratulations to Anna on the Children's Chorus! And to you for all those "yes"s :-) It feels so much better than saying "no" sometimes, doesn't it?
Thanks for hosting, Mary.
Lucinda
Congrats again on your new book. Today was a "do nothing" day for us. It's weird to do nothing (and not feel guilty about it.). If you still need people to preview your book (I could also review it on my blog), let me know!
--Gena