Homeschool Weekly Wrap-Up: Easter Weekend
It was a pretty typical school week for the first part of the week. By Thursday night, we could feel the vacation vibe in the air because my parents were arriving on Friday.
I gave up asking the kids to complete much school work on Friday or Monday while my parents were here. They did have some work to finish up for outside classes, but in general, we were able to enjoy a nice long weekend visit.
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Homeschool Weekly Wrap-Up
As this week winds down, I am tired.
It’s a good kind of tired. The kind where you have been enjoying family games, walks, activities, conversations, and more.
But I am still heading into the week (Tuesday) feeling tired. So instead of preparing and getting ready, I am relaxing on the sofa and writing this post – HA!
Homelife: Family Visits
My parents flew into town for the holiday weekend and it was a complete delight. We spent a lot of time walking outside and enjoying the sunshine.
We also played games, solved puzzles, watched shows, and had great conversations.
One new delight has been watching my teen boys start to engage in adult conversations with my parents. I mentioned to my father that my 14-year-old son has a lot of questions about socialism, capitalism, and communism and I don’t know the answers. They had some pretty great discussions about all of it, and I learned quite a bit as well!
We spent quite a bit of time playing games. The ones we played the most:
Quixx – our favorite dice game. period. (I share how to play on my IG video.)
Labyrinth – I thought my dad would enjoy this one in particular and he did!
Otrio – this is another family favorite. (See how to play on my IG video.)
SKYJO Action – a twist on a favorite and we LOVE it.
RELATED POSTS about GAME PLAYING:
Top Family Card Games
Board Games Your Teen will Enjoy
Two-Player Games to Play with Your Teen
Board Games for the Whole Family
Homelife: Easter Weekend
We had a great Easter weekend at home with my parents.
We enjoyed a few Easter traditions such as dying eggs and an egg hunt. I have to be honest, I am not a fan of dyeing Easter eggs so it made sense when my youngest child asked, “What is dyeing eggs?”
Opps. Turns out we haven’t dyed Easter eggs anytime recently, so I decided it would be fun to do with Grandma. And it was! My younger three kids had a great time dyeing Easter eggs with Grandma. In fact, they had so much fun that we had to boil more eggs for them!
On Easter Sunday, we enjoyed an online church service at a church that my oldest daughter has been enjoying online. Our family hasn’t had a “church home” for just under a year now so this was a great solution.
Then we had the traditional egg hunt with eggs filled with candy (from mom and dad) and dollar bills (from Grandma and Poppy). The kids had a great time and it was so much fun to watch them.
That evening, we watched The Chosen, which premiered its second season. Our family absolutely loved this show during season one and we can’t wait to continue with season two. It is a portrayal of the life of Christ and our family believes that the show has done a great job of showing the compassion, humanity, and story of Jesus. You can watch it free on The Chosen app.
Motivation Lacking
I don’t know about anyone else, but I have a hard time focusing on school when my family is coming in town and a holiday is around the corner. I do try, but it isn’t easy so we do what we can.
School Life: Writing
One goal we accomplished this week was to publish my son’s first five-paragraph essay. He was so proud of this essay about his favorite computer games. He placed the final report in his bedroom so his dad could read it out loud to him and his brother that night.
Honestly, our year with WriteShop Jr. has been a great one. We won’t complete all 10 writing activities, but we will finish 8 of them. That means we have one more writing assignment left to do before our year with WriteShop Jr. is complete.
School Life: Art Museum
We used our membership to visit the Golden Mummies exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art. It was the perfect thing to do with my parents after we picked them up from the airport.
The display was definitely unique and we learned a lot about mummies through the ages.
I’ll admit that it wasn’t my favorite event at the art museum, but I am glad we went. We never miss a ticketed exhibit. They are always well worth our annual membership.
Mom Life: Closet Refresh
I decided to give Stitch Fix a try again. It’s been over a year and I thought it was time for a spring closet refresh.
I was pleasantly surprised with a new feature when you order a “Fix.” About a week before your fix ships, Stitch Fix sends you an email with NINE items selected by your stylist. You can choose the five you want to receive!
Yes, this does “ruin the surprise” but it does give you a better chance of keeping all five items so you can receive the 25% discount!
And it worked for me. I kept all five! I have three new shirts, a new cardigan, and earrings.
–> $25 Credit on Your FIRST Stitch Fix <–
Book Life: On my Nightstand
STILL READING: Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope by Esau McCaulley – I am about 2 chapters into the book and I think I’ll enjoy this one!
FINISHED: The Searcher by Tana French: This one was slow for me, and I am glad it is done.
I read about 15 graphic novels to prepare for a weekly graphic novel book club I hope to offer on Outschool this summer. My favorites were Zita the Spacegirl and Mighty Jack. I was surprised how much I enjoyed these two books!
CHECK IT OUT: Graphic Novels for Middle School and Graphic Novels for Elementary School
Booklife: In our Home
FINISHED: God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew – My 14-year-old finished this one for his English class.
FINISHED: The Wave by Todd Strasser – My 16-year-old finished this one. I learned that it is required reading for students in Germany. I am adding it to my list and will start it tonight!
The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix – My 16-year-old is reading this one for English class.
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser – This is the final book for my boys’ book club this month! We just started and it is going to be a good one!
STILL READING: Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule by Harriette Gillem Robinet – As mentioned previously, we started this for history.
Work Life: The Blog
I finished up a review for a new current events option: The Juice Learning Company. NOTE: You’ll find a great coupon code at the bottom of the post.
If you are looking for an independent option for current events for your tweens and teens, you’ll want to check this one out!
In addition, the April Reading Challenge has been released!
Work Life: Outschool
I am currently working on some plans for the summer, but it’s slow going. Life pulls me in a million directions so I have to find time to plan when I can.
I am excited about my book clubs this month – Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and Poppy! One of my sections for Mr. Lemoncello’s Library has filled up already! (I currently limit my book clubs to 7 students so everyone can have plenty of opportunities to share their ideas.)
If you are interested in ALL of the available dates and times, you can find them all on my Outschool Teacher Profile Page. Scroll to the bottom for current classes.
Grateful for…
…a good visit with my parents. I am so glad my kids know them so well and they know my kids.
…my home. It’s easy to dream a bit about our next move (downsizing) and forget how much I love where I am right now.
…my kindle. It still delights me every time a library book just appears on my kindle when I check it out using the Libby app. BOOM! I don’t even have to leave the house to grab my library books.
…Jesus. I have experienced a lot of shifting and changing in my faith over the years, but I am consistently in awe of Jesus. His words. His love. His life. I just keep coming back to Him.
Have a great week everyone!
Did you miss last week’s wrap-up?
She believes that creativity, laughter, and fun are the backbone for engaging and inspiring homeschools. You can find her encouragement and tips on this blog, Mary Hanna Wilson.
She is an enneagram 7 and an extrovert. She enjoys traveling, tea (iced or hot), good conversations, and books. You can connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.
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We watched the chosen too! Love that show. Happy Easter friend!