School Week 2 Photos

We are done with 2 weeks. 10 days down, 170 more to go. This week didn't go as smooth and as fast as the first week, but it was still a great week. It stated with the best event of our lives. Sammy and Ariana got to see their first Solar Eclipse. It was also my first one and it was the most incredible thing. Cayce had the day off from work. The rest of the week was ok, but very exhausting. This weekend has been a relaxing one and that is why this post is going up so late.

*UPDATE* As I am writing this, I have just found out that one of my oldest friends from school was killed early this morning by a drunk driver. I don't know how much detail I will be going into, so if this post seems like shit, I am grieving the lost of one of my oldest friends.

Monday: Solar Eclipse Day! We had a early morning but not quite as early as the end of last week. We were constantly checking live streams all day of cities in the path of totality for the Solar Eclipse. We were also in the path of totality but we didn't see anything until around 2:30 when it started getting dark outside.

one of the many youtube live streams

doing quiet time while looking at her Space book

Tuesday: It was another early morning. Sammy got up and started working on her typing lessons. She and Ariana then did a freewrite while Addy started her day. Addy watched three leapfrog videos on Netflix about the alphabet, phonics and numbers. She enjoyed them and she will be re-watching them throughout the next couple of months.

After their freewrites, they drew their own pictures imagining if a penguin lived in our refrigerator like Caption Cook and Greta in Mr. Popper's Penguins.

The best part of the day

Wednesday: Addy had another speech appointment this morning. Sammy and Ariana started a little later than I would have liked but they all ended their day at the same time. Once again, Addy shut down again in speech. I started Ariana and Sammy off together with history. I had them take Jenga blocks and build their own Fort Necessity.

After they built it, they watched a couple more of YouTube videos on Fort Necessity and then Sammy worked on Easy Peasy while Ariana did quiet time and read.

When Addy got back home, I had her do some pages in her cutting workbook and then she did her own little quiet time for about 20 minutes.

Ariana working on her Easy Peasy work

They ended the day with re-watching Bill Nye the Science Guy, and listening to me read more Astrotwins out loud.

Thursday: Another early morning for Sammy. She worked on Easy Peasy and did some more typing. Then it was Ariana's turn for Easy Peasy and Sammy worked on her challenge words.

Addy started her day off with watching 4 episodes of Little Einsteins. Sammy and Airy both watched during their Kindergarten year, so it's only fair to let Addy do the same. She then had her turn doing Easy Peasy.

Sammy started her definition work on her challenge words. She is getting the hang of looking up the words.

Addy is learning about the letter B, and her animal of the week is a bee. So after Addy finished her Easy Peasy Work, I decided to let them watch some YouTube on the honey bees.

We finished the day with reading more of Astrotwins.

Friday: We had a late start to the morning. The night before I was exhausted and I had taken some of my beauty sleep gummies and I went to bed around 9:30. I woke up at 10am the next morning. It was some of the best sleep I have had in a while. To start the day, I put in Bee Movie and they watched that while eating breakfast. After the movie, they did their morning work. Sammy had to finish her vocab definitions, Ariana did some reading to herself. Addy worked on Easy Peasy.

Addy had another shutdown in the middle of the day, so we read till the end of the school day.

Review: Alexander Hamilton Graphic Novel by Jonathan Hennessey

About the Book: A graphic novel biography of the American legend who inspired the hit Broadway musical Hamilton.

Alexander Hamilton was one of the most influential figures in United States history—he fought in the Revolutionary War, helped develop the Constitution, and as the first Secretary of the Treasury established landmark economic policy that we still use today. Cut down by a bullet from political rival Aaron Burr, Hamilton has since been immortalized alongside other Founding Fathers such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson—his likeness even appears on the ten-dollar bill. In this fully-illustrated and impeccably researched graphic novel-style history, author Jonathan Hennessey and comic book illustrator Justin Greenwood bring Alexander Hamilton’s world to life, telling the story of this improbable hero who helped shape the United States of America.

My Thoughts: I really need to read the book by Ron Cherow that started this current Hamilton obsession. I have listened to the musical multiple times and it's gotten to the point where if I hear a certain word, I will start singing any Hamilton song. Before the musical, I considered Alexander Hamilton a forgotten founding father. Nobody really talked about him that much. I only knew a couple things about him, but since listening to the musical, I have learned so much more about him. I didn't know he had a brother. Was his mom really a really a prostitute or was that just a rumor made up by her scorned first husband.

Reading this graphic novel, it gives you a illustrated look into his life. It did make me break out singing and I loved how it made me do that. It also got me researching words to understand the meaning. 

About the Author: A graduate of Syracuse University, Jonathan has also done extensive work in film and television. He has been on the production crews of several noted film directors, including Wes Anderson’s Rushmore, Richard Linklater’s Suburbia and The Newton Boys, and Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids. He has worked as a screenplay and story analyst for Phoenix Pictures (Shutter Island, Black Swan, Zodiac) and Jerry Bruckheimer Television.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Review: Here and Gone by Haylen Beck

About the Book: It begins with a woman fleeing through Arizona with her kids in tow, trying to escape an abusive marriage. When she’s pulled over by an unsettling local sheriff, things soon go awry and she is taken into custody. Only when she gets to the station, her kids are gone. And then the cops start saying they never saw any kids with her, that if they’re gone than she must have done something with them…

My Thoughts: From what I read of the synopsis, I thought this would be a suspenseful thriller. I was somewhat disappointed because I didn't get sucked into it like I do most thrillers and mysteries that I read. It was a little short and from the very beginning you can tell how this story is going to play out and what's going to happen. 

Being a mother to 3 little girls and reading this was uncomfortable. I give it a 3 stars because the story line and the writing were excellent, but that constant switch of POV's and not enough detail or more action was the cons for me.

About the Author: Haylen Beck is the pseudonym of an acclaimed, Edgar-nominated author whose crime fiction has won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and made best-of-year lists with numerous publications including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Boston Globe.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

School Week 1 Photos

We are officially done with our first week of the new school year. It's hard to believe that this is my 4th year doing this, and Addy has started her Kindergarten year. We are super excited and also nervous about her. It's clear that she has some learning disabilities but we are going to be working extra hard to get her to where she needs to be. She is still seeing her speech and OT therapists, but we might be pulling her out because she has been doing it for 2 years and she has not improved greatly. Sammy and Ariana are doing well, and Sammy is doing more independent work. I have come up with a schedule. Since Cayce gets up early in the mornings, I almost always get up with him and start work for the day. I have decided to start Samantha at 8AM, then Ariana at 9AM, and then Addy at 10AM. That gives them each an hour of the school day with my attention focused only on them, and to help with what they need. This first week was exhausting, but very fun. I will only be posting a few pictures for each day, I will not be posting every one.. that's just to much and this post would be hella long and never be done.

Monday: Today was a fun first day. We were all excited and also ready to just get things rolling. I was dreading it because our summer was so bad and it went by too fast that I was not ready for this school year. I am still not ready but I am making lifestyle changes to keep stress down.

They have the same morning work as before. Addy is going to be doing some stuff differently until I can find the notebook sheets that I used with Sam and Airy. I am totally unprepared for this school year, but I am making it work.

Then I had Sammy and Airy do some worksheets that I printed out at the end of last school year to have them do during the summer which we did sporadically. Addy worked on her cutting and gluing while they did that.

They did a whole lot more, including writing and Easy Peasy. We also started reading a new book. Mr. Popper's Penguins. We listened to it on audiobook last year, but we didn't really get into it that way.

Tuesday: Today was another good day. We did a lot more work and we are actually getting things done according to plan. I still don't have a concrete plan for Addy. I am doing Easy Peasy with her and we are working on her handwriting. She prefers her left hand to write and it is definitely a challenge. She uses both hands for a bunch of things and I am wondering if she will be ambidextrous when she is older. Whenever she goes over to my parent's house, I always ask my mom to help her with her writing because my mom is left handed.

Another reason we will be pulling her out of speech soon is that she has been going to the same place for two years and she is still struggling with her ABC's and numbers. It is ridiculous. They are so focused on her doing tasks by herself that they aren't focusing on her vocal and basic skills which is the only reason she was recommended was because of her speech delay. When you show her how to do something, she picks it up instantly. 

I had Sammy and Airy review math skills. Yes I let me kid use a calculator, she will be doing more without it this year.

Wednesday: Addy has speech on Thursdays, so I started Samantha and Ariana early just to get some one on one time with them and give them my full attention and get some of their must do work done. Sammy started a few minutes before 8 and I started Ariana around 9 and Addy got back around 10. I did count Addy's speech appointment as part of her school time.

numbers

tangrams

words

5 out of 6 right

she made April the Alligator

Thursday: We had such a good day yesterday, even though it was tiring, I decided to make it another early morning. Sammy was not expecting it at all and was surprised to be waken up by me and for me to actually be up at 7AM.

Working on her typing. Which is her favorite thing to do.

She is learning how to read a dictionary this year. Funny thing is, that I got this dictionary when I was in third grade. :D

the words that Samantha was looking up.

Their first quiet time together of the year.

Addy doing reading eggs for the first time.

Friday: The 5th day of school. We had another early day and today was also the first shutdown that Addy had this week. She has done so well all week, but 10 minutes before we were going to be finished, she did her shutdown. That is what the therapists call it when she just does not co-operate. Since she did it at the very end of the day on the last day of the week, I let it slide. I wasn't going to get anything else out of her because she was exhausted more than her sisters.

working on math in her pajamas

listening to April the Alligator

doing her first freewrite of the year.

We finished the book yesterday, so we are watching the movie today. We enjoy the movie much more because Jim Carrey..duh!

Addy finished her day with handwriting and dominoes and then the shutdown.

WHEW... this post turned out so long. I have over 50 pictures and I chose the ones I like and that show what they are doing. Today was a relax day for me and it was a pajama day for the girls, so that is why this post is going up so late. Tomorrow will be a family day before another busy week ahead.

Review: Under The Dome by Stephen King

Where to start with this book. Well, I have been wanting to read this book for a while now and waited till this summer to start. I finally finished it last night and I was really disappointed by the ending. I had to give this book a 3 stars. I was overwhelmed by the size every time I picked it up to read it, but I kept going back to it because I wanted to know what happened next. This book also had a bunch of major main characters in it, and sometimes the story lines got confusing and often left wondering, who the hell is that person again.

Stephen King did a great job with giving this little small town life and giving it personality. But I still have lots of questions after the ending. We never really get the answer to why was it just that small town that the "leatherheads" targeted. How did no one smell that big ass meth lab barn.

I wanted to know way more about Dale Barbara aka Barbie and instead we got repeated information on Big Jim Rennie. I am going to watch the show, but after reading this book and liking it all the way except the ending, I will be disappointed more. There was only one part in the story that spooked me and it was where Big Jim was in the fallout shelter and he kept seeing the ghosts of Brenda Perkins, Lester Coggins and his son Junior. I was reading that part last night at my desk and it freaked me out.

I don't know what Stephen King book I am going to read next, but it will be awhile.