The Weekly Wrap-Up {2nd Semester Begins}

So today wraps up our first week of school since the holidays. Boy, was I ever ready to get back to some kind of schedule. And I must say it went so much more smoothly than I thought it would. I didn't schedule too heavy of a load, but I didn't go light either and the kids did well.

I wondered how their attitudes would be with us not doing the 3rd quarter co-op with our homeschool group (it started today), but even though there is a bit of disappointment they have been positive about it and I am grateful.

This week we got right back in the groove with math, language arts, history, science, Bible, and music/piano. The Princess' new math book is not yet in so we supplemented with free printable worksheets online and exercises on her new Christmas gift--a nabi. She is also really enjoying her new TLP literature book, Pippi Longstocking.

Mr. B wasn't quite as enthusiastic this week, partly because he is still recovering from being sick last weekend. He lay down on his bed more often than usual throughout the week. He did pretty well getting back into the swing of things though--especially jumping right back in there with his math and multiplication tables. His reading has so improved this year as well, I love to hear him read. Now if I could just get him to appreciate writing a little more:) Getting him to do copywork or any writing activity is usually a chore.

We did take a great field trip this week and also enjoyed the January free Lego build at the store in Nashville. You can read more about that here. I actually have quite a few activities planned for us this month since we're not doing co-op. I'm looking forward to having more time in our schedule for that.

Now I'm ready to enjoy the rest of the weekend! I hope you have a great one, too!

This post is linked to the Weekly Wrap-Up at

Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

The Making of an Egyptian Death Mask

We are learning all about the ancient world this year with Story of the World I and loving it! We've been learning a lot about Egypt, of course, which is completely fascinating. Most recently we have studied the New Kingdom of Egypt, which includes the story of King Tut. So we decided making an Egyptian death mask in the style of King Tut's would be a fun project. First since it was too cold at the time to paper mache in the garage (it probably would have frozen instead of dried-ha) and it was too messy to do it in the house, we decided to pick up a couple of cheap craft masks at Hobby Lobby. Next we cut out cardboard shapes to complete the shape of the death mask, attaching them with hot glue. Vince even put a little detail on the *beard* with the hot glue per The Princess' request. Then the kiddos started to paint them with this metallic gold tempera paint. It worked okay for the cardboard, but would not coat the plastic of the mask. We thought maybe a second coat ...

Door Hanger Chore Charts

My kids have had a chore chart for a while. It's one of those magnetic boards and they share it. However, it's not by their rooms and often they (and I) forget to update it. Plus it's a little bulky. When I saw the concept of a door hanger chore chart on Pinterest, I loved it! It was compact, right there were the kiddos could see it coming out and going into their rooms, and it costs almost nothing to make. I headed over to one of my favorite stores: Hobby Lobby, of course. They have these little wooden door hangers for .79. I also grabbed a couple of packets of decorative buttons for $1.99 each. I already had the clothes pins and the paint so those cost me nothing. I began by painting the door hangers (I used tempera paints because that's what I had). Then I grabbed a fine point Sharpie and the clothes pins and started writing chores on them, making sure to write them correctly so they will ...

Fun With 4th of July Crafts: Part 3

I love my new patriotic front door wreath!! I had fun putting this together, although I must admit this is more of an adult craft than one for kiddos. I was inspired by this article in Family Fun magazine. I didn't have quite everything I needed for this one, but all I had to purchase was a few sheets of scrapbook paper and some double-sided tape. Then all I had to gather up were some scissors, regular Scotch tape, a ruler and some cardboard. First I cut four (5"x 6") pieces of each paper. Then by placing a piece of double-sided tape on one of the short ends of the papers, I rolled them into cones, pressing the seams together well. Then I cut a 10" circle out of cardboard and began to stick the cones on it. I used another piece of double-sided tape to stick the cones on, arranging them in a circular pattern. Next I used regular Scotch tape to attach them on the back to the back of the cardboard. After getting all the cones on, I was ready for my centerpiece. He...

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