Pictures from Easter Sunday
After Mass on Easter Sunday my parents and a few of my siblings (Kevin, David, Brian and his family) joined us for Easter Dinner, our annual Egg Hunt, and Chiquita’s 9th Birthday! It was such a beautiful day.
An overflowing jar of Jelly Beans (replacing the Lenten Sacrifice Beans) for all the sacrifices and acts of kindness made during Lent…A little reminder that God always gives us abundant graces and blessings – much more than we deserve!
Rose was so excited and couldn’t wait to taste a few handfuls Jelly Beans.
Twinkle Toes was so happy to see that they were all naturally colored with fruit and vegetable sources and she could have some of them this year – she is allergic to some food colorings.
Rose discovered the darling pink headband (from Sew Sweet by Shannon) in her Easter Basket.
Decorating our Easter Egg cakes with some of the Jelly Beans. My mom also made a cross shaped cake, but I skipped the lamb cake this year and made a Secret Garden birthday cake instead.
We decorated eggs, but it doesn’t look like I ever got a picture of them all completed. . .
Sorting and Trading Candy after the Easter Egg Hunt
This years menu included Ham, Sweet Rolls, Potato Salad, Fruit Salad, Glazed Carrots, Roasted Asparagus, Appetizers and Desserts. It was simple but delicious.
I’ll be back with some pictures of the children’s Easter Baskets and Chiquita’s birthday!
Our Annual Easter Sunday Egg Hunt
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| That silver egg hiding behind Uncle Kevin’s tire rim was nearly impossible for the kids to find even with hints! |
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| Secret Garden Inspired hiding spot by Uncle Brian |
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| How many men does it take to hide a Golden Egg? |
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| Too obvious. A couple colored eggs ended up there instead of the golden egg… |
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| The Golden Egg was ultimately hidden/buried at the bottom of a bucket of leaves, and placed under the statue of Mary. They put additional eggs on the top along with a shovel. |
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| “Where are the eggs? I don’t see them!” |
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| “I’m pretty sure the big kids already found all the eggs that were up there with Mary…” All but one! |
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| And the birthday girl found the Golden Egg! |
Catholic Child {Sponsored Giveaway}
Catholic Child has always been one of my favorite places to find beautiful treasures for our family. I still remember poring over their catalogs when our oldest was a baby. One of the very first things I purchased was our Advent Calendar which is still a family favorite. Our Baby Jesus was also purchased from Catholic Child and has been a beautiful addition to our Advent and Christmas celebrations. Other favorites (which are still currently available) include the pewter crib medals, sculpted Baptismal Candles, games and craft kits, and puzzles. Catholic Child is a great place to find gifts for all occasions!
Here is the description from Catholic Child:
Our PAL (Pillowcase And Literature) Sets double the faith and learning fun! We started with a fascinating historical novel on the life of Joan of Arc, and then added our Joan of Arc Prayer Pillowcase to set your youngster up for a cozy, inspiring read.
You can purchase these items separately, but you save $4 when you buy our PAL Set.
The Pillowcase: Imagine an unschooled, teenaged girl standing victorious amongst seasoned warriors on the battlefield. Incredible. But, through the hand of God, true! Our compelling portrait of Joan of Arc, the “Maid,” captures the essence of that miracle. Her strong spirit and enduring faith radiate from this vibrant composition, and are reiterated through the companion prayer, which reminds us to put our complete trust and faith in God. Our one-of-a-kind inspirational pillowcase is designed and printed in the USA, is always soft to the touch, and is ready to endure repeated washings. The poly/cotton pillowcase measures 20″ x 31″ and fits both standard and queen sized pillows.
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The Literature: Momentous and miraculous recorded events of young Joan’s calling are brought to life, comic book style, in this masterfully illustrated novel, Joan of Arc, Quest for Peace. There’s nothing comic about what she endured for her Faith, however, and Joan’s life story is one to inspire and encourage today’s youth, particularly our daughters. The appealingly timeless comic book style narrative shares all in a reverent way: good and evil, conspiracy and intrigue, mystery and miracle, and best of all, sound theology throughout! Includes a Glossary and a special “What happened to Them?” section for readers eager to learn more. Paperback, 54 pages, 8″ x 10″. Ages 8-12.
Prayers for a Friend
Lena from JOYfilled Family, an online friend and past contributor at Catholic Cuisine, is currently in need of prayers. Her family has found themselves in a very difficult situation.
The Best Mother’s Day Gift Ever . . .
After an extra long cycle and a couple weeks of negative tests (starting with the day we spent driving to the DMV) I had quite the surprise on the morning of May 11th, which happened to be Mother’s Day this year!
I had really started to think that our last baby was going to be our last. My paternal grandmother delivered her last biological child in her early 30’s, before adopting a few more children, and I started thinking perhaps it would be the same for me.
A couple months ago, following some more blood tests, and discovering that my Vitamin D levels were extremely low, my doctor put me on a weekly mega dose (50,000 iu) of Vitamin D for 8 weeks. I just took the final dose last week. Did you know that Vitamin D may dramatically improve fertility? I didn’t!
I think my husband was a little suspicious when I arrived home on May 10th with ten large chocolate bars. #happymothersdaytome 😉 I had been craving chocolate like crazy and stopped at the store on a mission to find some dairy-free chocolate.
Coconut Cream Filled Dark Chocolate. Almond Butter Creme Filled Dark Chocolate. Dark Chocolate with Espresso Beans. Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt & Almonds. Dark Chocolate with Cranberries & Almonds. They were all Buy-1-Get-1-Free and I stocked up!
Of course Chocolate (and Coffee) are now making me extra nauseous, so all but two of those chocolate bars are still sitting right here next to the computer… We stopped at the store this morning to pick up some more eggs, meat, lettuce and avocados. Now all I want to eat is protein and veggies!
There is some confusion on the baby’s due date. According to the first day of my cycle, I should be due on January 5th, which would put baby at around 7 1/2 weeks. (My first tear-filled reaction to that date was “Are you kidding?! I average 10 days early! I could actually deliver on Christmas this time… THREE Christmas time babies in a row?! I should have never joked about having a baby every Christmas!”) I know God always sends us the graces we need, but I have still been feeling overwhelmed.
This morning, before my ultrasound, I thought I would come home and share a picture of our newest little family member. Afterwards I was torn since it is still so very early, but I have such a hard time keeping this type of news secret and I’d really appreciate any prayers you can spare for the health of our tiny little baby. Having miscarried in the past I’ve been nervous lately, not to mention sick and oh SO tired! Will you please keep me and baby in your prayers?
Art for Our Lady {Marian ATC Swap}
Sunday Coastal Road Trip
Early Sunday morning, following a late night at Vegas in the Valley (the annual Hadley Hope Fundraiser) with my husband, four of the children and I headed to the coast to surprise their friends with one last visit before they started their long drive back home.
After a busy few weeks, I had planned to spend the weekend at home resting… Despite lack of sleep and the pouring rain on the windy road heading over, it ended up being such a beautiful and refreshing day! It was so nice to spend time having fun with just these “middle children” of mine. I posted quite a few pictures on Instagram during our little road trip, but I have more to share here on the blog. You all need to come visit. It’s so gorgeous here!
7QT: Meeting my godson, spending time with friends, orthodontia updates, and other craziness. . .
It was so nice to finally meet my newest godson – and spend time with his mama and siblings this week! Isn’t he just adorable?!? Snuggles and Rose kept asking if we can “please have a baby just like this!” Rose would add that she’d prefer “a girl baby like that!” ❤ Bud loved the “BABY!” too. It’s so hard to believe that my “baby” will be turning three this year…
Speaking of Braces, Ranger and Chiquita had braces put on their teeth a couple weeks ago, on April 29th! (This is just phase one of two phases for Chiquita.) I never would have thought we’d find a way to put the first two through braces, let alone four children in less than two years time, but it has all worked out. We signed up for dental insurance the year before last and I was so excited to find out at the consultation for these two that our benefits had increased by an extra $1,000 per child! (We still owed $1000 for Captain’s braces, so that brought his balance down to $0!!) Between the insurance benefits, family discount, and the pre-tax funds we have been putting into a Medical Flexible Spending Account to go right to the orthodontist each year, we haven’t had to come up with any extra monthly payments. Such a blessing!
I am a little nervous about how that front tooth of his is going to hold up through the movement… Praying it stays together!
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| Mashed Potatoes for the two suffering children on Day 2 of Braces… |
Last Friday night my friend Juliana came for a short overnight visit with her three boys! Many of the best memories from my teenage years include her, MI camps, and my frequent trips to the coast to visit. She lives a few hours away and we don’t see her very often. It was so nice to stay up late visiting, and to see our children have so much fun together!
All About Reading or Primary Arts of Language?
I have lost track of how many times I have been asked this past year whether I would recommend All About Reading (from All About Learning) or Primary Arts of Language (from IEW). It’s a tough question to answer… I think they are both excellent and solid programs. I am currently using Primary Arts of Language (Reading and Writing) with my 1st grader, along with All About Spelling, and we have been supplementing with some of the materials (the readers) from All About Reading.
I don’t mind sharing what we are using, or what has worked for us in the past, but I have never liked giving recommendations to others. Every family is different, and every child within a family is different, and what works for me and my child (in our particular situation and season) might not work for you or your child.
I have been blessed to have some Catholic friends tutor my children this past year. Kathleen comes on Thursdays and Trina had been coming on Tuesdays, up until this month. They have been helping teach Math and Language Arts and it has been such an incredible blessing as I try to keep up with home educating five children with two toddlers. They are both home-educating moms and are familiar with the programs I am currently using with my children. Kathleen has always used IEW’s Teaching Writing with Structure and Style at home with her children, and Trina is currently using Primary Arts of Language with her 1st grade son.
Over the past couple months Trina and I have been discussing the pros and cons of All About Reading and Primary Arts of Language as I try to decide which of the two programs I will eventually use with Rose, my next kindergartner. I recently loaned Trina my All About Reading materials and she made a list of her thoughts on the pros and cons of each program. Instead of sharing our thoughts as a reply in the comment box of Our School Year in Review I decided to compile it all into a new post along with some pictures. Keep in mind that these are just our personal opinions of these programs. Hopefully the list will help you decide if either of these programs is a good choice for you and your child!
Note: This post contains affiliate links to All About Learning and Amazon. IEW does not currently offer an affiliate program. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any way for this post.
Pros:
- If you are using or have used All About Spelling, it is very similar.
- Tried and True Concepts
- Orton-Gillingham Based
- Colorful Folder Games
- Pre-Printed Word Cards
- Pretty Simple and Easy-to-Use Program
- Wonderful Readers!!
Cons:
- If you are using All About Spelling, it might be ‘overkill’ (redundant)
- Games aren’t very creative, they are just more repetition of ‘key card’ memorization.
- Only has 9 (or so) folder games
- Doesn’t teach the alphabet sounds in a creative way. For those children who are having trouble learning the sounds of the alphabet… It’s all just repetition and memorization. (Trina says this wouldn’t have worked with her son.)
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| Reading Cobweb the Cat – All About Reading Level 1 |
Primary Arts of Language (PAL) Reading and Writing:
from Institute of Excellence in Writing (IEW)
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My crate of Primary Arts of Language: Reading File Folder Games
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Pros:
- For children who are struggling learning the sounds of the alphabet, it teaches them in a very visual way with word association. For example: “C” is the happy letter! Start at the top and circle around, but don’t close it up! This is the happy cookie because somebody took a big bite! /c/, /c/, cookie. – PAL: Reading
- There are 35 (or so) folder games, with a nice variety. Even numbers!
- The games are creative and hands-on, reinforcing all the phonetic rules they are learning.
- No writing is involved with the PAL: Reading program, (perfect for boys)!
- Has the option of adding PAL: Writing if you desire writing to be a part of the program.
- PAL is a complete Language Arts program ‘in a box’ – includes phonics, writing, reading, narration, journaling, memorization, and even adds grammar.
- Adding All About Spelling when it is recommended works perfectly with the program and also adds some variety. The PAL: Writing Program comes complete with the first level of All About Spelling.
- Love the ‘Phonetic Farm‘ – It gives the child a great visual of letter blends/rules. It’s still repetitive, but in a creative and colorful way.
Cons:
- Requires more preparation than All About Reading.
- Folder games are not in color. We had to color the games ourselves.
- The lessons are a little more involved – there are about 7-8 things you need to do during each lesson.
- You have to make the word cards yourself.
- This program requires LOTS of printing. Get ready to use some paper and ink!
- Lame readers. (Trina’s opinion. They need to be printed, double-sided, and assembled.) Wish they’d have real ones like All About Reading. (Note: I think these could be cute if printed correctly, assembled, and colored by the child… but mine are still untouched in a file in my crate and we’ve been using the All About Reading Readers, along with some of our other faith readers, instead.)
- If you do the writing program, you have to insert the writing pages in with the reading pages yourself. You want to keep with the same lesson in each program.
Here are a few examples of the File Folder Games included in the PAL: Reading program:
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| Feeding Mugs |
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| Color Palette Matching Game |
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| Magic-e Use the Magic-e wand to add a silent e to the words on the board. Have fun with this game. Say something like, “The Magic-e can turn man into (ding!) mane!” Repeat for each word. |
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| Action Charades Cut out the action word cards (verbs) as they are presented in the reading lessons. As you add more cards, you may remove the duplicates. To play, lay the cards face down on the board. Take turns picking up a card, reading it, and acting it out. |
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| Match-It Match-It is Snuggles’ favorite game at the moment. Use this game board with any of (the 19 sets) Match-It cards. To play, lay one set of cards face down on the board. Take turns turning over two cards. Read the words or identify the picture. If they match, keep the set. If they do not, turn them back over, and the next person takes his turn. You can also play by taking turns revealing a single card and leaving it face up. If your card matches one already face up on the board, you get to take both. Score by adding up the numbers in the boxes under the cards. |
- Read Monster Box Cards (the Monster Word Box replaced Mugs once all the phonograms had been memorized)
- Pick a few of the easier words in Monster Box to be spelled.
- Visit a few places on the Phonetic Farm.
- Games – #8 Match-It using card set 9; #12 Action Charades; #30 Long-o Silo Words
- All Lesson Work Pages
- Poem (review all previously memorized poems, work on current poem memorization)
- Journal Entry (optional)
Our School Year in Review
I knew they could pass. I’m so proud of all their hard work this year!
I am so thankful that we switched back to Saxon Math following last year’s state tests. It is a demanding program, but WOW has it been effective for our children. Surprisingly we are all really enjoying Saxon this time, and the extra help from tutors on most Tuesday and Thursday afternoons this year has been such a blessing.
Captain and Ranger just completed Saxon Math 7/6, Twinkle Toes completed Saxon Math 5/4, Chiquita only has 10 more lessons left of Saxon Math Intermediate 3, and Snuggles is down to just 4 more lessons of Saxon 1!
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| I love it when I find the older boys explaining “Math Concepts” to their little brother! |
My plan for the summer is to have the children continue Math lessons 2-3 days per week, except for the weeks we will be attending summer camps, with the help of the Teacher CDs, to give us a jump start for this upcoming school year and allow some breaks throughout the year when needed.
We are still loving the Institute for Excellence in Writing courses. This year the oldest three moved on from the Student Writing Intensive, Level A to the Student Writing Intensive Continuation Course: A. It has options for completing the course in one or two years and we have opted for the two year plan. Our third grader has been working through Student Writing Intensive, Level A and she should complete it by summer or early fall.
At the beginning of last year I thought I would incorporate some of the Themed Writing Courses as well, but the children just love the DVD classes given by Mr. Pudewa, and I love that it is easy to modify the writing assignments based on what they are studying. For now my plan is to just stick with the Continuation Courses, moving on to the next level once this level has been completed.
Speaking of IEW, another favorite has been Primary Arts of Language: Writing and Reading. Earlier this year I was still not sure I wanted to stick with this program and considered switching to All About Reading (right now we are supplementing with just the readers) but now, at the end of 1st grade, Snuggles is pulling books off the bookshelves and reading independently after just one year of using this program an average of three hours per week. It has been very effective!
He has completed about 40 of the 80 reading lessons and has moved on to Part II in writing. He will continue PAL next year and should complete the program by the end of second grade.
I love All About Spelling just as much as ever and am currently using it with my first grader, as suggested in PAL. (I actually wish I had the time to continue All About Spelling with a couple of the older children, but Phonetic Zoo has been a great alternative.)
We’ve been supplementing with lots of great literature, both independently and during our afternoon family read-alouds.
Latin is probably my least favorite, but the children don’t seem to mind and have been completing it without any complaints. The older three are almost finished with Latina Christiana 1 (next year they will most likely move on to First Form) and Chiquita has been studying Prima Latina.
This year we have spent the majority of our formal school time focusing on Math and Language Arts, which hasn’t left that much time for extra History and Geography projects. We have been reading through some of the suggested books listed in Connecting with History Volume 1: A Guide to Salvation History, completed the various Maps, Charts, and Graphs workbooks, and studied a few more of the States in our State-by-State Study, but that is about it for this year.
The children have mentioned that they miss creating the coordinating Lap Books like we’ve done in the past, but we just haven’t had the extra time this year. I also only got through the first couple weeks of Classically Catholic Memory: Alpha but I haven’t given up on it completely yet – just for this year!
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| Building the Parthenon |
The older boys completed Concepts and Challenges in Science Book 1 (the sections on Physics and Earth Science) and rather than have them move on to the first half of Concepts and Challenges in Science Book 2 I decided to have them join the younger children and we are all studying Chemistry together.
Captain and Ranger are using Focus on Middle School Chemistry with Laboratory Workbook and Teacher’s Manual.
Originally I thought we would complete two books this year – Focus on Elementary Chemistry followed by Focus on Elementary Biology – but we’ll be sticking with just Chemistry this year and moving on to a second topic next year.
With all our other studies and activities one course was all I could manage this school year and still be able to leave plenty of time for outdoor play, exploration, and nature sketching!
So far we have completed four of our six units from Meet the Masters Track A. (You can scroll through all our completed lessons here.) This program has been such a hit with all the children and we are looking forward to completing our final two units for this school year on Pablo Picaso and Claude Monet. I’m sure we will be continuing this program next year, especially since we already have the rest of the tracks (for three more years) and all the art supplies!
I don’t like to think our beautiful Catholic Faith as a “school subject” to be checked off this list, but I can’t leave it out either. My husband continues to teach our children on Sunday afternoons using various levels of the Baltimore Catechism. We supplement with lots of great books and do our best to incorporate the Catholic faith in our home – the “Domestic Church.”
We had hoped to be given permission to take our older children to one of Sean’s brother’s parishes this summer to receive the sacrament of Confirmation in the Extraordinary Form, but that request was denied. At this point they will need to go through the local parish program once they are in high school… For now we will continue praying, preparing them at home, and preparing Snuggles for his First Holy Communion next year!
I think that pretty much sums up our school year so far. I have once again fallen way behind in answering emails, so if you have any questions for me please leave them in the comment box below and I will do my best to respond. I hope you all have a great week! Summer is almost here!! 🙂
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