So, it was a rather eventful weekend (more on that in a post later today!) and I am crazy sore from it, so I decided to skip my usual Monday morning Cleaning Project post and am just taking it super easy today.
We’re winding down our 2014-2015 school year and getting ready to gear up for our 2015-2016 school year. Since we travel multiple times during the school year and we find it works better to have a steady routine and rhythm going all year long, we usually don’t take much of a summer break.
We do have a more relaxed school schedule in the summer, but we still stick with most of the studies and projects like usual — mostly because we love learning and reading together so we might as well just keep going. 🙂
When this box came in the mail this past weekend was like a homeschool mom’s Christmas!
Jesse and I spent way too long looking at curriculum options and discussing/planning this next year. We had so much fun thinking of what would be best for our kids and what would work best for this season of our lives.
We finally landed on Sonlight Core D for me to teach all three kids together in the mornings and Jesse’s going to teach Math, Language Arts, and Science in the afternoons (we’re using Monarch Online for those subjects). This is our first year to do Sonlight and I am stoked about it!
I’m also completely spoiled because Jesse and I are splitting the homeschooling responsibilities this year. He took over some of the homeschooling this past year and loved it so much that he wanted to continue co-homeschooling.
I love that the kids get to spend so much one-on-one and one-on-three time with him as a result and that he’s so invested in their education. I know that this set-up wouldn’t work for a lot of families and situations, but it is such a great fit for our family right now.
Goals from two weeks ago:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1. Take Silas on a special one-on-one outing for his birthday.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
3. Go through Kathrynne and Silas’ clothes & get rid of what no longer fits them.Personal Goals
4. Exercise at least 3 times.
5. Finish reading at least one book.
6. Listen to at least two inspiring audios/podcasts while working/driving.Local Ministry/Hospitality/Friendship Goals
7. Get caught up on thank you note writing.
8. Finish reading a friend’s manuscript & writing an endorsement for it.Business Goals
9. Outline/write 3 substantive blog posts for next week.
10. Finish tweaking my presentations/slides for the Arlington Homeschool Conference this weekend.
This week’s goals:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1. Start our new homeschool routine/curriculum.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
3. Get caught back up on the laundry (I’d been doing SO good with this — until I went out of town for 5 days! Determined to get back on top of this again!)
Personal Goals
4. Exercise at least 3 times.
5. Finish reading at least one book.
6. Listen to at least two inspiring audios/podcasts while working/driving.
7. Go to bed by 10:30 p.m. every night.
Local Ministry/Hospitality/Friendship Goals
8. Have a coffee date with a new friend.
Business Goals
9. Record a short video for a project.
10. Get all details finalized for the Make Over Your Mornings Course Launch.
What are your goals for this week? I’d love to have you share your progress on last week’s goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Of, if you’ve blogged about it, leave your direct link below. Let’s cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives! You can download a free customizable weekly goal-planning sheet here.
Rebekah Jones says
Thanks for the post Crystal! My kids private school is closing at the end of this year! Eek, my husband is also a teacher there so now we’ve been thrust into the world of homeschooling. I have a rising kindergartner, 1st and 4th grader. Never heard of Sonlight but I will be doing some research these next few days. They’ve been using the ABeka curriculum at their school which has been great but now I’m wondering if there is better out there? The homeschooling world has expanded for sure. Prayers as we make decisions going forward.
Harmony @ creatingmykaleidoscope says
My new project this week is upcycling my old clothing. I have a ton of ideas and can’t wait to get started on creating some new looks.
http://creatingmykaleidoscope.com/2015/05/18/monday-medley-progress-plans/
Esther says
Great choice! We have used Sonlight since the beginning (except for one year when we used My Father’s World). You will love it! And so will your kids.
Julie says
I believe that your Monday morning Cleaning Project (for this week) was to get the clothes worn in the Tough Mudder washed !! If that was done then I think that your cleaning should be done for the week. LOL !!!!
Crystal Paine says
I like this suggestion! 🙂
Sonya says
We use Sonlight as well with Saxon Math. I really love Saxon Math a lot.
Pam says
Great job on your goals! And a tough mudder? Impressive!
Nicole McGhee says
With my sincere love of list-making, I think this sounds great! I made my own goal list and linked up!!
Carrie says
We are working on finishing up SL core D this spring/summer…We’ve stretched it over 2 years! (We took it slower because I gave myself lots of grace with adding a new baby to the family. 🙂 ) We already ordered and received our box of core E books for the fall, and it looks like there are a ton of great ones in it, too! Love Sonlight!!
Julie C says
This week I am going to an Aveda salon/spa and getting my hair cut and deep conditioned! I cut my own hair but have found that my 40-something hair needs a salon conditioning treatment. My fibro/CFS/Lyme disease makes me pace myself daily (hourly!) so taking time to go to a salon is a chore but I will go and enjoy it. 😉
Hey, why not challenge the children to run a load of towels every day or so; maybe a little incentive will help them really want to do it. I like to start my kids on running a load of rags the first time around since they can hardly damage rags–right?!?
Crystal Paine says
My kids are SO great at helping out with the laundry and I’m so thankful for that! They usually take care of most of the sorting/starting/running of the laundry and then help me with the folding and putting away. As they’ve gotten older this has sure helped to speed things up and help me do a much better job of not getting so far behind on laundry.
Have a wonderful time at the salon!
Meghan Bergunzi says
I love Sonlight. I purchased the preschool program this year. I know that there are cheaper options out there but I needed a good curriculum that would provide me with a guideline and hold me accountable.
I can’t wait until my little one is old enough to really dig into a structured curriculum. Have fun!
Gina says
Homeschooling is the most rewarding endeavor I’ve ever pursued! I’m a single mom now and no longer homeschool but I enjoy supporting women who are called to do so. And I think the co-homeschooling idea is awesome!!
I hope you have a productive week! I’m going to have a “reading week” and just unwind after this crazy-busy school year. 🙂
JoAlyce says
We are finishing our fourth year of Sonlight and have LOVED it! (Just wish we had found it sooner.) My oldest daughter was leaning over my shoulder as I read through this post and was exclaiming over each of the books she recognized in the picture. She hated reading pre-Sonlight, and now I can’t get her nose out of a book. 🙂
Mary says
This will be my first official homeschooling year! I’m excited/nervous/scared/ect. I’m in the process of looking at curriculum myself. Does anyone have any recommendations on Pre-K/Kindergarten?
I am taking it easy this week with my goals and spending a good bit of time looking at my priorities and what I actually want to be doing.
My Weekly Goals:
http://www.adventuresinfrugalland.com/goals-for-this-week-may-17-2015/
Charity says
Thanks for sharing your curriculum choice. I really like seeing what works well for other homeschooling families. We also school year round, and really enjoy that. 🙂 We’ve used My Fathers World so far, but we’ve been looking at Sonlight for our next purchase. Maybe you could do a follow up post once y’all get into it and let us know what you think of it?
By the way, I say you totally get a pass on getting behind on laundry. I mean, c’mon…tough mudder? I’d be too sore to do laundry for a week!
Danielle says
We are Sonlighters as well and LOVE it!! This coming year we will have one in Core C, one in Core A and one in Core P 3/4! *Whew!*
Hanneke says
LOVE LOVE Sonlight!
Lisa Guyer says
You guys will LOVE Sonlight!!
Jaime says
Eek, you got to meet the Duggars! I want to be able to meet them someday; they’re so inspiring.
Most of my goals this week involve cleaning; we have family coming for dinner Wednesday and I didn’t do my routine cleaning last week! I did complete last week’s goal of getting into my PiYo workout schedule. Here’s my goals post for this week. =)
http://www.nogettingoffthistrain.com/goals/goals-for-this-week-518/
Sarah@TheOrthodoxMama says
I love that you’ve added ministry/friendship goals lately! It’s always good to have plenty of balance in our lives–focus on ourselves and our homes but also on others.
Brandy @ Our Thrifty Home says
I love the idea of co-homeschooling. My husband and I have only been able do this a few times and it was great. Our goal was to do this once a week but his job schedule changed and….well…..our plan changed. 🙂
Our kids thought it was neat because we teach totally different. A nice switch up.
Go with the flow, right?
Enjoy your co-homeschooling!
Michelle says
We used Sonlight for several years, and we LOVED IT! The book choices are mostly just incredible, and we all looked forward to all the reading! The Eastern Hemisphere was our favorite curriculum, and in fact, we used it more than one time over the years…we learned so much! Enjoy!!
Shelly says
I love the excitement of choosing new homeschool curriculum. With one child 10 years apart from the next, we have been reusing the curriculum for my younger one. But I did purchase a few new things. We are wrapping up our homeschool for this year this week. Then we will take two weeks off from just about everything and then start a more relaxed homeschool schedule for the summer.
We have never tried using Sonlight, but we did enjoy using Ambleside Online for my daughter, she enjoyed all the books they recommend. My son learns differently and reading aloud to him is always a challenge, but he is getting better. We have been listening to some of the books from Ambleside Online for school and that seems to work better than reading aloud to him.
Amy says
Looking forward to see what you think of Monarch. Did you call them to research it more since this is a brand new curriculum?
Crystal Paine says
We’ve used it the past two years. Well, the first year we used Switched on Schoolhouse and then last year we switched over to Monarch — which is basically the same thing only online. It’s worked really well for all three kids (Silas only does the Math, but both girls did the full curriculum this past year).
Jennifer says
I will link up my goals later, because it so helps to have that accountability, but as a homeschooler of 10 years I thought I would share that we do the same thing during the summer. During the school year we school four days a week, which becomes two days a week during the summer.
We have found this to be so beneficial. When we took summers off the first couple of years, it was so hard to get back into the routine of fitting school into the day among everything else. It was always such an adjustment that it just wasn’t worth it.
Another benefit I have seen as my kids have gotten older (I have a homeschooling high schooler this year!) is that they don’t ever have to review what they have forgotten over the summer. The first part of the school year in most curriculums whether in traditional school or in a homeschool environment is spent reviewing, which just isn’t needed. We can often skip over the first several lessons that way and just jump right into the new stuff.
Anyhow, that’s how it has worked out the best for us!
Melissa says
We loved, loved, loved Core D. So many great books! Some might be a bit mature for Silas though. 😉
Kelly Cox says
Thanks for the printable! I have a To Do list all the time. I think that I should try a goal list to keep myself on track and use the To Do List for odds and ends. Enjoyed reading all of your goals – I have lots that are similar and a few different. Will work on mine! 😉
Katherine@CatchingEddies says
I’m feeling the importance of goal setting right now! Without them, I waste so much more time.
Homemaking goals:
Pay the bills early.
Plant tomatoes and peppers.
Keep on top of the daily mess in our converted bus without stressing out about it!
Personal Goals:
Keep a daily rhythm of prayer.
Friendship goals:
Have a friend over to the bus who I’ve never invited before.
Business Goals:
Add three more listings to my Etsy shop.
Blog twice weekly.
Becky {Milo & Oats} says
It sounds like you have a great system worked out for school this year. That’s one of the awesome things about homeschooling, flexibility! We did Sonlight one year, when I had fewer children (!), and really enjoyed it. Sonlight has a knack for picking great books.
Looks like you rocked your to-do list last week! Love it when that happens!
Chelsea says
Ahh! So cool that you got to meet the Duggars 🙂 when I occasionally watch tv, their show is always the one I want to pick!
Veronica says
We used Sonlight for years and loved it. My children are all grown, and I miss the annual box. Wonderful curriculum!
Esther says
We will be doing sonlight core d too! We took a year off from sonlight to do mfw countries and cultures. My daughter is so excited to be going back to sonlight.
sara says
We LOVE Sonlight. Hope you so too!
Sara@Save Money, Live Joyfully says
My little boy’s birthday is this week–he’s turning 3! It has been such a long road–deafness, sensory issues, developmental delays, that hearing him sing happy birthday out loud to himself makes me beyond thrilled 🙂
We are starting MFW for my daughter’s 2nd grade year in the Fall. I have heard that Adventures in US History is the best MFW. I’ve never done an all-in-one; I like to piecemeal, and I’ve even written a couple of my own curricula, but I’m excited to see how it works for our family. I’m concerned it won’t be challenging enough for my daughter…even at 6 she has great academic aspirations–but we’ll see 🙂
I love your homeschool posts, by the way 🙂
Crystal Paine says
That’s SO cool about your son singing happy birthday! I LOVE it!
We LOVED MFW 2 — definitely one of my favorite years!
Beverly says
Do you mind me asking why you switched from MFW to sonlight? This is my second year of homeschooling, I did five in a row for kindergarten but am looking for something more involved for first grade. Ive considered MFW but am leaning more towards sonlight because of the book selection. Thanks!
Crystal Paine says
We switched to Monarch two years ago because our girls weren’t being challenged enough academically with MFW. They really miss all the read alouds and learning together time, which is why I think Sonlight in the morning and Monarch in the afternoon may be a perfect blend for us. We’ll see! {I still love MFW for the early grades — especially K-2, it just wasn’t a good fit for us as our girls have gotten older.}
Karen says
Sara, happy birthday to your son! What an amazing gift to hear him sing happy birthday…and what a huge amount of work that represents. My (almost) 2 year old was born blind in his right eye and currently has significant global developmental delay and some sensory issues. So, I get it! Well done mama and little guy 🙂 Just wanted to celebrate with you!
Sara says
Karen, thank you! Yes, hours and hours and months and years of hard work to get him here. Thank you for the encouragement 🙂
I hope things are going well for your son. It’s amazing how our other senses all work together to compensate, but it definitely results in sensory overload issues for our little ones.
Vickie @Vickie's Kitchen and Garden says
I love that you are taking it easy today as I am too! We had a garage sale this past week and then a church potluck so I’m kind of taking it easy. As much as anyone can. Have a great day!
Katie says
Curious about your opinion of Sonlight curriculum! I looked into them but my son has ADHD and Sonlight is book heavy (which is awesome!) and he needs to be engaged. Let me know what you think! Do you think lessons would be engaging for active kids?
Katrena says
Hey Katie, my oldest has ADHD and we currently use Sonlight. My son loves using Sonlight because he loves reading. One thing that helps him focus while I read is playing with Legos quietly while listening. This is very successful for us. He gets to keep his hands busy and we accomplish his reading for the day. May be worth a try for you.
Edwena says
If you live books but want some activities check out Heart of Dakota.
Crystal Paine says
I’ve heard really great things about Heart of Dakota!
Edwena says
Crystal, I am sorry. I was trying to reply to Katrena above (and didn’t do it successfully)….and not sound like I was saying, “Oh, if you love Sonlight, then you will love HOD because of the activities.” Hope it didn’t come off that way.
Katrena says
Edwena,
I have heard great things about Heart of Dakota. That is a great suggestion. Sometimes I wish Sonlight had more hands on projects in their curriculum. One of my daughters loves hands on learning, so I often find myself supplementing Sonlight for her.
Edwena says
OH, my!!! Sorry, Katrena. I was actually trying to reply to Katie. lol I am really messing it up today.
Edwena says
Okay, now that I am looking above it does look like I replied to Katie originally. Ugh, I don’t know where my brain is at today. Thanks for being gracious today, ladies.
Abigail's Mommy says
We got our home school curriculum last week too. It is our first year. We are very excited! Abby asked if we could start this summer. 🙂 It looks like we might get two year worth of work done.
Victoria says
Yes! You should. I always love finding new ones. I listen mostly to ones on blogging. I like Brilliant Business Moms, One Day Business Breakthrough, Ask Pat, Learning With Leslie and Smart Passive Income. I also like How They Blog but a new one hasn’t come out in a while.
Victoria says
This week I want to get to the local plant nursery and pick up the flowers for our front step flower boxes and the plants for our square foot garden. Curious, what podcasts do you listen too? I love podcasts especially while driving or walking ( I can’t run every day too hard on my knees so I walk one day and run the next, I like music while running and podcasts while walking).
Crystal Paine says
I listen to a variety — right now, I’ve been listening to old episodes of This is Your Life by Michael Hyatt. I also love Kat Lee’s Inspired to Action, Andy Stanley’s podcast, the Ted Talk podcast… and so many others! I need to do a post sometime listing out all my favorites!