Homeschool Year in Review - 2021-22 (Kyrie- 9th grade)

It's July and I'm just getting to finalizing Kyrie's grades and documenting what I did with her. 

Bible-Though God's Great Covenant: New Testament 2 Acts is ideal for middle school, and since I used it for both Kyrie and Evie together, I added in Martin Franzmann's The Revelation to John and Eugene Peterson's Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination to make it more challenging for Kyrie. She loves theology, so this was a great addition.

History-Kyrie also joined Evie in The Story of the World Volume 4: The Modern Age. I found an online school and followed their syllabus for turning the course into a high school course, adding in writing projects on both events and people to make this more challenging. Kyrie did her final project on the Civil Rights Movement. 

Latin II-This is her second year of high school level Latin and she took it through Schole Academy. Her teacher is Mr. Eddie Kotynski, who also taught Ben for a year. He is a great teacher and Kyrie thrived in this course. Schole offers quality online instruction with clear policies and a good platform. 

Physics-We used Novare Physics and followed the course syllabus which provides a schedule, quizzes and tests, and experiments. This course focuses on mastery and there is a continual review process, particularly in the quizzes which are comprehensive and focus on written answers. The lab consists of 6 labs and lab reports and are expensive and some were just too elaborate to carry out for a homeschool course. We did most of the labs, an extensive lab report, and added in some similar but simpler labs from Evie's middle school physics. I really liked this curriculum a lot, but the lab portions would work better in a co-op or school situation. 

Business Math-Ben needed an elective math and I thought Kyrie would benefit from taking a year to do something else before going on to Geometry. We used Abeka's Business Math. Both kids thought it was really useful and enjoyed the course. I thought it was too easy, and outdated (still teaching 1040A and 1040EZ with no mention of online filing), and taught things in a really weird order. The very last section covers personal banking, after covering accounting procedures, real estate, etc.... We all agreed the subject was really worthwhile, but I wouldn't use this curriculum again. 

Writing and Literature-I love the Writing and Rhetoric series and Thesis I teaches students how to write a thesis answering the question, "What is beauty?" Resources from Aristotle to Roger Scruton  slowly and carefully teach the basis of a good thesis essay. In addition, she read C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters and walked through the literature guide. She read G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy and Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and discussed all three books in a book group. 

Logic-We used The Discovery of Deduction-An Introduction to Formal Logic which is engaging and provides great examples and allows students to work through examples, definitions, and other useful exercises.

Music-Kyrie continued with piano and was able to participate in a spring recital for the first time in 3 years.

Debate-Kyrie participated in team debate last year through Christian Communicators of America. This year, she was able to compete in four complete tournaments. She had a great time and promises to drag us all over the midwest again next year.

Kyrie Turns 9

Kyrie's birthday has come and gone. She loves a good celebration and even drew me a picture of how I should decorate her cake. She knows what she wants. Her dad was in New Orleans on her birthday so we had a celebration at a restaurant with Grandma and Grandpa and their friend Mrs. Guthrie. Later, on the weekend, we celebrated with her dad.

While he was away, her dad did leave a treasure hunt with presents at the end. Here is one stop on her hunt.

A note from dad with more clues.

She asked for red velvet cake!

Happy Birthday Young Lady!

Kyrie had a birthday that came and went in a crazy busy time. She is officially 8 and pretty proud of this accomplishment. She is my precious extrovert who can't get enough of people. She thoroughly enjoyed her birthday in every way.

Happy Birthday Kyrie!!

I love this photo of my baby girl because this is just about what her expression was when she came out. She looked right at me; no newborn daze. I felt she was looking into my soul.

She is 7 today and so ready for the hoop-la! She has her first flowers, balloons, a cake planned, lunch out with grandparents. A full day of celebration.

We are so blessed to have this spunky, soulful, intelligent, hard-working and resourceful girl in our life.

Happy birthday Kyrie!

Oh, the Places We'll Go

A couple of weeks ago we went on a short vacation "up north." My brother came in to town and I found a last minute vacation condo on Craigslist and we had an amazing time. If I ever get the pictures off my phone I will post them.

We took our kids on some LONG day trips. Two days were 10 hours of driving, hiking and site-seeing. They were awesome. They liked it. They didn't complain (much). And at some point I had this thought: Wow, no diapers to tote along, no stroller, and no snacks to pack in order to prevent major meltdowns. Awesome.

I loved my babies and yet I'm loving this season of life. I have little adventurers. All of them love trips, the car, planes, adventures. Everleigh needs to be carried a little on long hikes but she did most of a mile and a half dune hike.

Not too long along I asked Ben "What are your top three places to visit?"

"I can't decide," he responded.

"Take some time and think about it," I said.

"Mom, I've been thinking about it for months!"

That's my boy. Kyrie also has travel on the brain and she is having a terrible time narrowing it down.  So we work and save and take another trip.

Testing the Mettle

This morning I overheard a conversation between my two oldest:

"Ben, they took my blood, just like they did yours."

"Oh, wow! Did it hurt?"

"Yeah, I hated it."

"Me too."

And they bonded over needle sticks.

Kyrie started having abdominal pain Sunday morning. She is never sick and when she told me her stomach hurt I didn't think much of it. But she was crying shortly after noon and doubled up. She watched TV on the couch and then drifted in and out of sleep. I was forcing liquids down her, including an herbal tea with a laxative effect. I thought she might have gas or constipation but by the time I came back from grocery shopping late in the afternoon, I wasn't so sure. She was crying in pain in her sleep and wincing if you so much as brushed her abdomen. She couldn't eat, could barely drink. I used my diagnostic resources and decided it was: 1) a urinary tract infection, 2) an intestinal blockage/constipation or 3) appendicitis. She had a fever but no other symptoms. My dad agreed. But he was a little worried too.

I finally called an on call doctor around 5:30pm. He was really concerned she couldn't walk upright and hadn't moved off the couch. He said to take her to ER. Ugh. I called friends who told us to bring Ben and Evie over.

And to ER we went. They tested her urine. Took blood. Took X-Rays. An ultrasound. Two different doctors came in and tried different things. Could she jump? Yes. Meanwhile, she was feeling a little better and her fever had come down. But still in pain. Mike went and took the other two kids home.

One doctor came in and suggested that she should stay overnight. I asked the purpose. "Just in case, so we can monitor her. We can't rule it is appendicitis but we can't rule it out either." I asked him to give me more reason to stay. He couldn't. "You can take her home and monitor her yourself too."  I asked for a few minutes to think it over and talked to Mike on the phone. I really didn't know. I was tired and she had gone from wanting to stay to wanting to leave. So we finally decided to leave, which the second doctor seemed to come in and affirm as a good decision. They dosed her on antibiotics in case she had an urinary tract infection.

We came home. She wanted to eat but I was still nervous about the appendix. I needn't have worried because she couldn't get down more than a third of a coconut water bar. We collapsed into bed and within forty minutes she was at my bedside in excruciating pain again. I took her to the guest bed so I could monitor her. I was so tired and her fever seemed gone, leaving me confused. But I second-guessed my decision to leave the hospital over and over. Mike came in and I went back to bed. We both had fitful sleeps.

Until 7am when Kyrie came into my room, I was nearly certain we were going back to the hospital for an appendectomy.  I had read all the symptoms over and over and the factor that troubled me was that her pain had never moved to the right. It was dead-center. But everything else fit. And then she went to the bathroom. And I remembered the intestinal blockage I had researched originally. And the ER had never considered. She felt better. She looked better.

I called her pediatrician's office and the nurse was unconvinced it was appendicitis as well. She scheduled a visit for 11am. I found Kyrie on the toilet again. And then 10 minutes later, there she was again.

By the time she saw the doctor I had renewed hope. The number of prayers we had prayed for wisdom, guidance, and yes, healing were huge. The doctor confirmed intestinal blockage with a few more important questions and the statement that "appendicitis does not just come and go." We have seen steady progress throughout the day and her strength has come back.

In this process, I could not fail to see her dad in her. She is tough. She does things for herself. She is a stalwart and undramatic patient. She wept during the blood-draw. She didn't scream or cry out or try to stop it. She thanked me continually during the process. At least four different times, she thanked me for being her mom, for being with her.

It made me explode with gratitude. At times, I was so tested. I didn't catch on as quickly as I should have. I was so weary. And yet, she thanked me.

I have always told her she is a tough girl, a strong girl, made for a special purpose. I reminded her again last night in the ER that she was so very strong.

And she is generous. When she had her xrays, the tech gave her two stickers: "Dora" and "Angry Birds." Evie will like Dora and Ben will like Angry Birds. And she brought home these things for them.

Tonight life has settled back into normal. We are tired but feeling well. But I know my daughter a little better, I know myself a little better. We are a little stronger for walking this road, and a lot more empathetic. And grateful. Ever so grateful.

My 6-year old

Six years ago on a very rainy Sunday, Kyrie Aislinn entered our lives. She did not come without aplomb...she did a 180 and flipped her body around after her head had come out so that she could see the voices above her. We should have known right then that she was going to be a firecracker.

She has been preparing for her birthday for well over a month now. She has put in requests for foods, gifts, friends she would like to see. She demands to be celebrated. Her love language is gifts and so I have packed away things she needed (e.g. school supplies, new underwear, second-hand clothes I bought months ago that are fall/winter) so that she could have plenty of gifts on her birthday. She had a sushi lunch with just her daddy on Saturday and she has requested shrimp, rice, and noodle soup on her birthday. She asked for a pumpkin pie instead of cake. (We are having that with her godparents on Friday night and so today she pushed it and asked for an apple pie for tomorrow.)

She already found her hidden birthday balloons and she has requested to be visited by friends both far and near (our little empress).

She brings joy, verve, and celebration into our lives. And I'm so grateful for her.

Chinese, Chinese

Last Saturday night after we took the kids to the nature night, we ventured into unknown territory with them. We ate...Chinese.

Now, that really shouldn't be so weird. We LOVE Asian food (though Indian, Vietnamese, Thai would get our first vote). But Ben's soy/nut allergies have greatly inhibited our eating out style.

But I've grown more disturbed that our kids think eating out means mac'n'cheese or grilled cheese sandwiches. Uck. So we decided a tiny bit of soy sauce wouldn't kill Ben and he could mainly stick to rice. He has safely had nuts in small quantities now (though, saving any attempts at peanuts until I have an epipen).

I was nervous. I was afraid we would have a 2-year old tantrum when we didn't meet our pint-sized dynamo's expectations. I was worried Ben would have nothing to eat.

I did my research and we found a highly-reviewed place. They had a dinner buffet (.50 per year for the kids) and it looked fresh and good. It was startling good. Ben discovered he liked crab meat, Ev happily ate white rice (sigh...) and Kyrie repeated throughout the night "I love Chinese," deeply connecting her to the women on my mother's side who loved to eat Chinese. Kyrie definitely got her $2.50 worth with four trips to the buffet, eating all the shrimp and pineapple her stomach could hold. (My daughter LOVES shrimp; how weird is that?)

It was one of those beautiful moments of contentment where I realized that Kyrie is going to be a great one to travel with and a good dining companion. As long as she doesn't make me eat shrimp.

School

We started this year with some big challenges. I was terrified at the step up required and uncertain I was going to get everything done in any given week. I've been pleasantly surprised at how well we've managed so far. Not much housework is done during the week. But we have managed to stay on task and I have yet to be found crying in a corner when Mike comes home.

Kyrie desperately wanted to do Kindergarten this year. She has been looking forward to it for months. I was terrified: her learning style is completely different than Ben's, she can't hold even close to still, she is extremely stubborn, and it meant more time. And sure enough, Day 1 started when I gave her a coloring page and she said, "I only color girls." A few times over the last two months, she has decided she didn't want to do school on a given day. With an internal war going on between not destroying her love of learning and not wanting her to see that I care one or another which only makes her dig in her heels more but also wanting her to stick with what she's started, I've continued through a few bumps in the road.

And then Friday, she informed me she was quitting school and would resume when she was 6. (Which is a month away.) Now my dilemma is heating up. I'm busy and would like that 20 minutes for something else anyway. But I'm not entirely sure how to maintain a firm guiding hand amidst her insistence on controlling her own schedule.

To give you an idea of our brutal Kindergarten program:

• a brief 10 minute devotional, usually a short reading from the Bible and a prayer
• We work on verbal phonics, usually memorizing poems that help to remember what sounds different letters make (The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading).  This takes 15 minutes a day. 
• She has a writing book in which she practices writing the capital and lowercase letter she worked on in phonics and three words that begin with that letter. 
• She can choose whether or not to listen in on Ben's Latin class and history (where she can choose to color a historical person or scene if she chooses)
• I read a lot...after lunch and before bed. 
• We do an art or cooking project once a week. 
• She takes a science course every other week for 90 minutes. She can participate with Ben's science on the off week if she chooses, or not. She loves her science course. She studied amphibians and reptiles this week, complete with live frogs, salamanders, and a corn snake.

So there is my Kindergarten program. Corresponding is a preschool program for a very precocious 2-year old who loves to chant Latin conjugations and demands to do "school" every day. (She thinks this means coloring or drawing.) Everleigh LOVES puzzles and I'm a little freaked out that she recently pointed out "Annie's Salad Dressing" in the grocery story as "Annie's." (I've never used Annie's Salad Dressing but we do use other products and she seemed to read "Annie's." Which is very like Ben. But colors and shapes...hmm....I'm spending more time trying to do age-appropriate things with her. Fortunately, Ben loves to educate and helps both of the girls with their learning activities.

 And Ben....Well, I'll save his program for a later post.

Boys

Kyrie has a thing for a 14-year old boy. I will wholeheartedly approve of this relationship in 15 years. But in the meantime I tried to talk with her about not writing love notes to boys. And yet by the front door is "I love you Antheny" and a heart. His brother (age 6) told her that was how he spelled his name; his mother disputes that, but it has stuck. Kyrie's biggest dilemma is that his 11-year old brother is "REALLY FUNNY." So far she is content to enjoy the really funny brother and love the older one. Adolescence should be highly entertaining.

Little Girls, Little Girls

Mike and I had a chance for a quick date on Friday night. We went to downtown Saginaw's Temple Theatre for The Capitol Steps, a political humor group. (For a fun clip, click here.) Our next door neighbor Diane kept the kids, who were up when we returned at 10:30pm. Girls are especially tricky to get to bed.

The girls have a new bunk bed. Kyrie's bed is on the top because she is older and Everleigh's is on the bottom. Only Everleigh prefers the top (which has a good side bar and Ev is much older than her years on a playground or anywhere else high) and Kyrie prefers the bottom. Both of them will ask to sleep in the other's bed, which is what they have been doing. So today, I had to laugh when I sent Kyrie up to make her bed and she made...the top bunk. Where she never sleeps. However, that bed is nearly impossible for me to make so I think I'll let her keep making the top one until Ev is old enough to make her own bed.

Speaking of Everleigh, she likes to participate in "school." Kyrie is doing a short Kindergarten program this year and learning to read. Ev can chant the phonics poems and has even eavesdropped on Ben's Latin enough to do little verb conjugation chants. It is quite adorable. Along with numbers and the alphabet, she is quite precocious. Only, she doesn't know her colors. I started realizing she called every color "yellow" and decided to work on her colors. Ben and Kyrie were deeply concerned and started to help. She continues to get the names of colors wrong (except for "yellow" which she just keeps guessing until we get to it). So all week I've been perplexed and was set to do a little test for color-blindness. Until this morning. When I came to the kitchen and discovered she had grouped her letters on the refrigerator by color.

And honestly, I have no idea when one normally learns their colors. With the first child, I had a weekly developmental email and managed to read parenting books. Kyrie motivated me to read parenting books that covered discipline and behavior and then Evie came along and WHO HAS TIME? Not me. Which is also why she isn't potty-trained despite showing everyone sign of being completely capable. I ask her at least once a week if she wants to be potty-trained and she says, "No." And there you have it. Since her "no" corresponds with my answer to whether I want to potty train her, we are staying with it. Diapers, I mean.

All the Teary Ladies

I do not cry when I am hurt. I can handle being hurt. But I weep when I feel anything deeply. I cry at family reunions; I get teary in church; I try to keep tissues on hand when I watch any kind of movie that might touch on anything meaningful.

I watched Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close last night. Possibly one of the best movies I've seen dealing with the topic of grief, and particularly the result of tragic, sudden death. This morning I woke up with puffy eyes. (This movie should be a must see....Best movie I've seen this year and it has been a good movie year.)  

This tendency to emotion is shared with members of my family but I am the weepiest of the weepy. A title I would rather not hold. So God sent me a beautiful young daughter who does the same thing as me. She doesn't cry when she's hurt. She is one tough cookie! But this morning when we received news that not just one grandpa, but both grandpas are in the hospital right now, she wept. I love her so much for this.  Her sense of family is so strong.

My dad is getting the help he has needed for a while and resting comfortably. Pray for Mike's dad. They are still uncertain what is wrong with him at this point.

Kyrie's Day Out

Today Kyrie was invited to go see a movie with a friend and her mom. They saw "Mirror, Mirror." On the way out of the theatre, she decided to treat them to cotton candy. She confessed this to me very nervously and told me that Kyrie had told her "My mom would NEVER do this; she's not going to be happy."

I assured her that I am not entirely a kill-joy and I would indeed do something fun like that.

A Lite Touch*

Well, not really. I have three interesting and energetic companions. But Mike had three speaking engagements out of town this weekend and so I've been a single parent.

We were supposed to go along and visit family in Eastern WA but Kyrie had a strange on/off fever for two days earlier in the week and Friday morning Ben woke up telling me he was sick. He had told me he didn't feel well Thursday night and with Ben, well, we exercise caution. So we stayed home. He seemed fine all day after Mike left and then last night coughed through the night. So it was good we stayed home.

We all trooped to the store today to get Ben some more homeopathic cough syrup. We were headed home when I saw Kyrie hand Everleigh three colorful bracelets I'd never seen before. I asked where they had come from and she calmly said, "Fred Meyer." Yes, fun.

At this point, it was past lunch time and well into Everleigh's nap time and she was rubbing her eyes and telling me she was tired. Ben was "starving." But I knew we had to go back. Kyrie was defiant; she was not going back. So I detoured into McDonald's and bought two Happy Meals. At this point, the sobbing started as she realized I did mean business. We went back to the store and I settled Ben next to Ev in the backseat with lunches and went into the store. (And yes, I feel guilty doing this but he's 8 and how insane is it that I feel bad about leaving an 8-yr old in the car when I had friends practically babysitting at that age?)

Kyrie and I went in to the store. She was sobbing all the way and I went to the customer service counter where two women, one younger, one middle-aged were chatting. I went to the middle-aged one who took one look at us and KNEW. She said calmly to me, "My daughter did this at her age. And I did the same thing you're doing. And the clerk said, It's no big deal. Don't worry about it. Not what I wanted her to hear." Yes, Kyrie was there but crying so hard and she couldn't see over the counter. I never did get her to speak or make eye contact but the bracelets went back; the lady did affirm that her daughter (now 30) had not succumbed to a life of crime but did remember the incident well.

We were nearly home before Kyrie was willing to be penitent. Ben was deeply disturbed by the whole thing. But the minute she said she was sorry and would never do that again, he piped up with, "Here Kyrie, you can have the Happy Meal toy." Ev gave her a few leftovers and then Kyrie and Everleigh proceeded to take two of the longest naps they've had in a long time. (Oh, the Mom did too.)

*Title by Judy

The Terror of Potty-Training

Several weeks ago, Everleigh began asking to use the potty. Both Mike and I responded with "NOOOOO." It seems Ev may be ready to potty-train, but her parents are not prepared to do their part. Fortunately, we have help this time around. So we took her to sit on the potty several times a day while Kyrie was at her grandparents but we were slow and unenthusiastic and she didn't have success.

This weekend, I brought the second little seat out of storage and set it up. And yesterday, she told us she had to use the potty and Kyri and I helped her and she had immediate results. There was much clapping and cheering. Today, she got up and took off her diaper and used it herself. So I pulled out the new underwear and Kyrie is taking the direct supervising role while I nervously wait to help and handle cleanup duty.

There is nothing that terrifies and exhausts me as much as potty training. And while it all appears hopeful at this state, I have this sinking suspicion that my hopes will be crushed. Fortunately, I have a happy helper who thinks potty training is FUN. More power to her.

The Things They Do and Say (That Keep Me RUNNING)

• Everleigh--At nearly 2, she has become a handful. A very cute one but a very busy little girl who is inclined to graffiti the walls, decorate her clothes, cut anything, and sadly, hit her sister repeatedly. We had a fun evening out last week that included dinner out. At not yet 2, Ev (and her siblings) eat enough, that we purchased her a kids' meal. I jokingly said to Mike, "Sorry Daddy, Ev's going to cost you more." Ev looked up from her plate, grinned, and said, "Sorry Daddy." She came up to her dad today and pointed to her back end and said, "Daddy, change diaper." And last night when I put her to bed during Monday Night Football, she cried, "Watch football, watch football."
• Kyrie--She's a very good sister who plays happily with Everleigh. Today I made a Viking boat with Ben. We worked together while Kyrie was supposed to be napping. We cut, glued, and assembled using detailed instructions. Kyrie came downstairs, saw what we had done and had made her own without help in about half the time. She likes to tell people she's allergic to things (which she isn't). She loves to play with her dolls, changing their clothes and giving them naps and bouncing them to quiet them down. Last night she was upset the doll's pjs were too big for her. I responded that she would "grow into them." "Mom, dolls don't grow," was her response. She recently told us she wants to have her first baby at 14 and then find a husband. If you don't see her for 20 years, you'll know why. We have the rain for a moat; just need to start digging. 
• Ben has become a football fanatic. He spends his days reading statistics, drawing logos and asking us who we are rooting for in every game. He has also discovered smack talk and we are working to teach him that it might be fun in his fantasy football league but it doesn't extend to daily conversation. Unfortunately, he decided this year that school is not nearly as fun as football, legos, computer games, and XBox. He and Kyrie have taken to fighting, verbally and physically, and I have new respect for my mother, who gave up homeschooling me one year and sent me away she was so sick of the fighting.  

I have my hands full. I'm tired. 

The Delights of Daughters

This morning I woke up to two little faces and one joyous giggle. It was 6am and the 4-yr old face had opened the curtains and pulled her sister out of bed. Fortunately within 30 minutes we had everyone calmed down again and the littlest back to sleep for awhile.

Later this morning I was folding laundry when Kyrie began putting her clothes away and Everleigh insisted she needed to help. She dutifully carried clothes into her room and Kyri helped her put them away. Everleigh has started unpacking groceries though you have to double check her work. Sometimes the perishables end up in the pantry. Kyrie has a compulsion to dust that I've never felt. And she loves to haul the vacuum out and somehow manages to operate it.

These two put Ben to shame in terms of helpfulness. They are ambitious, little domestic goddesses. I'm forever grateful.

I won't be one to make them take on my work. Chores, yes, but it is my kitchen, my home, and I am in charge of it. I love the help and I am also mindful of the opportunity that this is a key time to be teaching them household functions. I look forward to teaching them more.

The Things They Say (and Do)

• Kyrie asked tonight: "Mom, are you a lawyer?" "No, I studied History." She was about as impressed as my dad was with my Humanities degree. 
• Ben finished his last chapter in History today. He has loved this curriculum and while he still has two tests and a final project, he was a bit disappointed. I have to say I loved this time the two of us had and Kyrie really started getting into it in the last month. She told me she could hardly wait for 1st grade when she could do Story of the World too.
• Everleigh has left babyhood in the dust. She sits on the big kid swing for long periods of time and benefits from having two older siblings who love to push her. She jabbers non-stop, refuses to let anyone feed her, and now waves bye-bye to me when the babysitter comes and goes running in to her arms. She and Kyri have started getting in to trouble together. Of all my kids, Ev loves the outdoors the most. She begs to go outside and will grab her hat and try to put her on shoes so we can so somewhere. I'm glad she is benefiting from having our own yard. She is one fun girl.

Springing Forward

I used to love that extra hour of sleep I gained during Fall Back. And then I had children. Their little body clocks don't follow those adjustments well.

And after being woken up at 6:15am for weeks now by an eager 4-yr old who loves to get up at dawn, I was delighted to spring forward today. I can make the adjustment and now she'll be waking up closer to 7:15am. Which suits the rest of us much better.

Science Preschool

Today we studied the heart and talked about the difference between the human heart and Valentine hearts. We played a game of Simon Says, listened to each other's heart with a stethoscope, and talked about what the heart does. Then we made some Valentine's.