So far this year...

I am beginning to wish that I did blog more about our homeschooling...I am always trying to find a way to keep a good record of what we are doing and have done. I find that keeping the lists and the paperwork about who completed what curriculum is easy, but it is the memories that are difficult to preserve. We tend to so quickly forget, and even when I stop, close my eyes, and tell myself that I am pressing this moment into my memory to hang onto, it doesn't stay! So I thought I would stop in to give a super-fast, very cursory glance over what we have done this year. We are using My Father's World curriculum, their Exploring Countries and Cultures program. I say that loosely. Every week that they have scheduled ends up to be 3 weeks for us. If it isn't that we fail to get to it, it's that we get so interested that we aren't ready to move on yet. A brief (although a bit boring, I'm sure!) recap: First, we toured the U.S.,where we learned about, well that stuff we already know...apple pie, baseball and the Stars and Stripes. We made a quick tour through Mexico where we learned about deserts and then got on to the good stuff...a visit to San Diego's Mexican Restaurant for some chicken flautas and quesadillas. We then moved into Canada where we read about two dogs and a cat that make their way across Canada in search of home (The Inredible Journey), watched Anne of Green Gables (thanks to my dear friend Jessica ) and read Paddle to the Sea. After that, it was time to pull out the passports and head down to South America, first stop, Brazil. We learned about Pele, the rainforests, el Carnival, and read a biography on Nate Saint. We are now camped out in Norway. We can't seem to move on, I think that I must have a mental block and want to stay there since my ancestry is mostly Scandinavian. I am enjoying it, and the girls especially are too, since we got these nifty paper dolls...


who are affectionately called Karen and Eric-Lars around here. In this particular scene, it was harvest time. Says Irene. If you have made it this far, let me just say you must be a loyal friend! I just wanted to get these things down, so that I don't forget. Before I go, I would feel guilty if I didn't post Abbie's picture, too...they spent a lot of time staging these photos, which they took all by themselves!