Well, since this blog is supposed to be about our 'Homeschooling Journey', I thought it might just be a good idea to begin sharing our homeschool plans!
This year, I'm down to homeschooling only four children. FOUR! That'll be half of my children - with my oldest four either moved out of home, or studying at TAFE. Well, technically, my 18yo and 17yo aren't 'quite' finished - we still have a few things to complete, but for the most part, they'll be focussing on their TAFE studies.
So what will they be completing?
Daniel (18) willl finishing up the following:
Literacy Lessons from Lord of the Rings, and
Catholic Morality, and
Beginning Apologetics.
For Helena (17), the same, but we'll also be completing her Home Economics course as well. However, her main focus will be on music - besides a music course at TAFE, she will also be spending much of her time at the conservatorium with private lessons and her various ensembles.
As to the rest - it's time to begin re-assessing our goals, and putting together our plans. There is much we will continue to use, such as:
Maths - Life of Fred and / or Teaching Textbooks
Writing - IEW (probably a theme-based writing book this year)
Spelling - The Phonetic Zoo
Grammar - Growing with Grammar
Science - Apologia Science and Science in the Creation Week (Dr Jay Wile)
Australian History - Australia, The Wide Brown Land for Me! and Australian History-Based Writing Lessons
Latin - Latina Christiana
The rest needs a little more planning! These are just my initial thoughts at this stage - and I'm just now beginning to put it all down into a workable plan. I'll put up our timetables as I work it all out.
How about you? Are you ready for the new schooling year?
Linda.
All The Rivers Run
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Saturday, December 29, 2012
We Remember....
Today, we took some time out to remember our very special Dad, Grandfather, and Best Friend, who passed away seven years ago today.
Dad was someone who was so proud of his family, and yet, he remained the most humble man - and was always ready and willing with a smile and a helping hand for anyone who needed him.
Terence was a brilliant musician, and I can still hear him thumping away on the piano - in all my life, I have never met anyone who could play as he did. As a music teacher, he introduced so many people to the joys of music, including many of my own children.
He was instrumental in my journey to the Catholic Church, and was always there when I needed someone to talk to, whether it be about raising children, business advice, religious questions, or whatever. He also became my partner on card nights, and together, we took on that 'other team' - namely, his wife Jean and my dear hubby, Bill.
His laughter and his smile could light up an entire room. I can never put into words how much he is loved and how much we miss him. He remains contstantly in our hearts, minds, and prayers.
Terence Patrick Maher, may you rest in peace.
Linda.
Dad was someone who was so proud of his family, and yet, he remained the most humble man - and was always ready and willing with a smile and a helping hand for anyone who needed him.
Terence was a brilliant musician, and I can still hear him thumping away on the piano - in all my life, I have never met anyone who could play as he did. As a music teacher, he introduced so many people to the joys of music, including many of my own children.
He was instrumental in my journey to the Catholic Church, and was always there when I needed someone to talk to, whether it be about raising children, business advice, religious questions, or whatever. He also became my partner on card nights, and together, we took on that 'other team' - namely, his wife Jean and my dear hubby, Bill.
His laughter and his smile could light up an entire room. I can never put into words how much he is loved and how much we miss him. He remains contstantly in our hearts, minds, and prayers.
Terence Patrick Maher, may you rest in peace.
 |
| Christmas 1998 - The Maher Family |
Linda.
Christmas 2012.
Well, Christmas 2012 has been a non-stop party! We've had a marvellous time with friends and family, as we spent time visiting, had others stop by, and even managed our own family Christmas dinner.
After attending Mass on Chrismast eve, we headed home for a good night's sleep, and of course, everyone was up nice and early the next day to open their presents!
Christmas Day itself was spent with friends, and we had a marvellous time with way too much food, a good deal of laughter, lots of chatting and a whole stack of fun with the nerf guns. We finished up the day by heading home for a family movie - Ice Age 4 - y'know, something all mature and sensible, like!
Boxing day saw us heading out the door once more for the much anticapted viewing of 'The Hobbit'. And we LOVED it! You can read my review of it (no spoilers) here.
Since then, we've had others pop in, and today was spent with some of my family, who stopped by for a visit - two from up north, and two from down south. While they were here, we were able to snap the 'Christmas 2012 family shot': Of course, the day once again involved a rather large Christmas Dinner - with way too much food - again!
After attending Mass on Chrismast eve, we headed home for a good night's sleep, and of course, everyone was up nice and early the next day to open their presents!
Christmas Day itself was spent with friends, and we had a marvellous time with way too much food, a good deal of laughter, lots of chatting and a whole stack of fun with the nerf guns. We finished up the day by heading home for a family movie - Ice Age 4 - y'know, something all mature and sensible, like!
Boxing day saw us heading out the door once more for the much anticapted viewing of 'The Hobbit'. And we LOVED it! You can read my review of it (no spoilers) here.
Since then, we've had others pop in, and today was spent with some of my family, who stopped by for a visit - two from up north, and two from down south. While they were here, we were able to snap the 'Christmas 2012 family shot': Of course, the day once again involved a rather large Christmas Dinner - with way too much food - again!
We certainly did miss our two oldest girls this year, as it was our first Christmas without them. But I must say, it's a been a wonderful welcome to Grafton, and a beautiful way to celebrate our Lord's birthday - surrounded by friends and family - just the way it should be!
Linda.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Sorry, I Just Can't Help It!
Why, oh why, do I find this sort of thing so funny? Had to share this one:
Sorry, I just can't help it! The rumours are true - I really AM weird!
Linda.
Sorry, I just can't help it! The rumours are true - I really AM weird!
Linda.
The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey
Note: For those who have not yet seen the movie, have no fear - this review does not give away any of the plot, nor contain any spoilers!
Today, our family went to the cinema to view the new movie, 'The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey'. We're always a bit cautious viewing a movie that is based on a great work of literature, and have come to expect that parts will be left out or changed, and that the movie won't quite live up to expectations. Sometimes, we find that actors grate on us, or scenes just don't look the same as they did when we read the book, or that the story line seems rushed to fit in with the screen time allocated for the film. I also often find it difficult to sit through an enitre movie, preferring to get up and move around, so given that 'The Hobbit' is nearly three hours long, I knew this would be a challenge.
But we were pleasantly surprised. Yes, the Hobbit 'purists' will find parts changed, stretched, or unnessarily presented in a different way to the book, but for the most part, the movie follows the story line very well. The actors do a brilliant job - and I was stunned to see that the elves looked younger than they did in Lord of the Rings - even though they were the same actors, and obviously would have aged somewhat since the making of the last LOTR movie. Given that The Hobbit is set before LOTR, the makeup artists and computer graphics personnel did a fantastic job! And, I have to say, Cate Blanchett looks amazing! The producers also made an excllent choice in selecting the actor who played the part of Bilbo, and you could just imagine that this person was, in fact, a younger version of the hobbit we see in LOTR. The scenery was spectacular, the filming was fabulous, and the special effects were simply superb. I was glued to the screen from the moment it began until the end - with only a short 'lapse' in the middle as my mind wandered a little - but a dose of sugary malteezers soon fixed that!
But what I loved most about the movie was that it did not feel, in any way, 'rushed'. I remember being so disappointed with the Harry Potter movies, as so much was squeezed into those ninety-minute films. You felt like you were simply jumping from scene to scene as they tried unsuccesfully to fit everything in. Not so in this case. It was a beautiful, relaxing film, where you could feel the tension building as Bilbo slowly crept through the cave, or that moment when Sting glowed blue, and you knew orcs were on the approach. Some scenes we frighting, others were beautiful, and some were just plain funny!
I am glad that The Hobbit will be spread out over 2 or 3 films - Peter Jackson has done an excellent job, and we look forward to the next instalment, and following Bilbo on his adventure through Middle Earth.
Linda.
Today, our family went to the cinema to view the new movie, 'The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey'. We're always a bit cautious viewing a movie that is based on a great work of literature, and have come to expect that parts will be left out or changed, and that the movie won't quite live up to expectations. Sometimes, we find that actors grate on us, or scenes just don't look the same as they did when we read the book, or that the story line seems rushed to fit in with the screen time allocated for the film. I also often find it difficult to sit through an enitre movie, preferring to get up and move around, so given that 'The Hobbit' is nearly three hours long, I knew this would be a challenge.
But we were pleasantly surprised. Yes, the Hobbit 'purists' will find parts changed, stretched, or unnessarily presented in a different way to the book, but for the most part, the movie follows the story line very well. The actors do a brilliant job - and I was stunned to see that the elves looked younger than they did in Lord of the Rings - even though they were the same actors, and obviously would have aged somewhat since the making of the last LOTR movie. Given that The Hobbit is set before LOTR, the makeup artists and computer graphics personnel did a fantastic job! And, I have to say, Cate Blanchett looks amazing! The producers also made an excllent choice in selecting the actor who played the part of Bilbo, and you could just imagine that this person was, in fact, a younger version of the hobbit we see in LOTR. The scenery was spectacular, the filming was fabulous, and the special effects were simply superb. I was glued to the screen from the moment it began until the end - with only a short 'lapse' in the middle as my mind wandered a little - but a dose of sugary malteezers soon fixed that!
But what I loved most about the movie was that it did not feel, in any way, 'rushed'. I remember being so disappointed with the Harry Potter movies, as so much was squeezed into those ninety-minute films. You felt like you were simply jumping from scene to scene as they tried unsuccesfully to fit everything in. Not so in this case. It was a beautiful, relaxing film, where you could feel the tension building as Bilbo slowly crept through the cave, or that moment when Sting glowed blue, and you knew orcs were on the approach. Some scenes we frighting, others were beautiful, and some were just plain funny!
I am glad that The Hobbit will be spread out over 2 or 3 films - Peter Jackson has done an excellent job, and we look forward to the next instalment, and following Bilbo on his adventure through Middle Earth.
Linda.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
IEW's 12 Days of Christmas
Well, it's that time of year again! It's time for:
And, it starts TODAY!
Just follow the link to the IEW site, sign up for the reminder emails, and get ready for 12 Days of free downloads and giveaways!
Have fun!
Linda.
And, it starts TODAY!
Just follow the link to the IEW site, sign up for the reminder emails, and get ready for 12 Days of free downloads and giveaways!
Have fun!
Linda.
Monday, December 24, 2012
It started out as a simple riddle......
It started out as a simple riddle:
ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
It is a clever riddle, but see if you can figure it out.
It didn't take too long to work it out:
Hmm... a letter is missing - the letter L
So, there's 'no L' -
'Noel'!
But, in true Maher style, it didn't stop there. Before I knew it, every word we spoke had 'no L' - and the games began!
First, Lizzie entered the room to thank Daniel for cooking lunch, and wanted to know if she could have some leftovers:
'Daniel, what are the rest of the noodies in the pot for?'
'Noodies?' And we were gone. The rest of the day we spent in giggles and hassling anyone who said a word containing the letter 'L'.
Margaret and Aimee's names were safe, but the rest of us became 'Inda', 'Danie", 'He_ena', 'Emi_y', and 'Izzie'. And of course, Dad became 'Bi'.
Ah, that old Christmas Carol will never be the same again!
Merry Christmas!
Inda.
Can you detect the Christmas Carol?
ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
It is a clever riddle, but see if you can figure it out.
It didn't take too long to work it out:
Hmm... a letter is missing - the letter L
So, there's 'no L' -
'Noel'!
But, in true Maher style, it didn't stop there. Before I knew it, every word we spoke had 'no L' - and the games began!
First, Lizzie entered the room to thank Daniel for cooking lunch, and wanted to know if she could have some leftovers:
'Daniel, what are the rest of the noodies in the pot for?'
'Noodies?' And we were gone. The rest of the day we spent in giggles and hassling anyone who said a word containing the letter 'L'.
Margaret and Aimee's names were safe, but the rest of us became 'Inda', 'Danie", 'He_ena', 'Emi_y', and 'Izzie'. And of course, Dad became 'Bi'.
Ah, that old Christmas Carol will never be the same again!
Merry Christmas!
Inda.
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