pinterest-dd591.htm Oak Creek Academy

Thursday, August 21, 2014

What Teacher In-Service Looks like!


Today is Thursday of our "first official week"!  I've been trying hard to play catch up on planning.  It has been a rough summer in our house, so school planning has gotten dropped.  Not something I am proud of, but we're getting through the days and I am ahead, a bit.  Here is what it looks like at our house:

 A corkboard in desparate need of updating!
Let's not talk about the subway art to the right,
it is almost back in season :(

 Floor near my desk, as I sort through various
paperwork, create planning pages, books,
and numerous other things.

My desk almost looks normal, but with dust.  Hope
in a couple weeks things will be all straightened out.

As my husband likes to say, "It's a process, one step at a time".  I've got plans for this week; some subjects are easy enough to map out because we've used them so many times, it is second nature by now; other subjects have a shorter time frame and we're working into those.

In the mean time, I'll keep chipping the to do list down, helping the boys learn, and doing other things that need to get done. 

One day at a time, one task at a time!







Post Script:
I've updated various parts of this blog, in small ways and more obvious ways.  Let me know what you think!

Monday, August 18, 2014

First Day of School

Here are our 2014/2015 school year photos:

 First day of 9th and First day of 6th!
Think it is kind of funny that they each wore
their "favorite" color top and black shorts.

 Reading the note on the back of the sign.

 6th grader

 9th grader

 Need Charlotte in the photo too!

First field trip of the year.  Neither kid
wanted to leave the house!  Took a bit
for them to realize we were using money
earned from selling stuff for small milk shakes.
Our first PJ run.  An event I learned about
through Five in a Row!

Simon's Classes:
Biology with lab at Co-op
Art at co-op
Literature
Writing
Algebra 1 and Geometry
Modern History
German
P.E. through various things

Ian's Classes:
Dangerous Boys at Co-op
Cooking at Co-op
Literature
Writing
Spelling
Zeta (not sure what all is taught in this level of MUS)
Modern History
Spanish (his choice)
P.E. through various things

Time to log off.  I am one tired wife, mom, teacher, the whole shebang.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

New School Year, New Journey



 We officially start the 2014/2015 school year tomorrow.  This summer has had a lot of ups and downs.  Through it all, blog writing has not been high on my list.  Figured I needed to stop in and at least put in an appearance before school starts. 

Simon will be in 9th grade ~  first year of high school.  Lot more demanding, but think he's up to the challenge.

Ian is starting 6th ~ around here, that is "top dog" in the elementary school.  Yeah, he's the only one in elementary school so it doesn't mean a whole lot.

Lots of new stuff to learn and do.  Tomorrow, I'll share more about the subjects and the obligatory first day photo.

Come back tomorrow, if you care, to see about our school year.


Saturday, August 2, 2014

New Blog, New Journey

I've been seeking joy and gratitude in the little things, off and on for awhile now.  A lot lately.  Switching to a new blog for that.  Will occasionally keep this one up.  Here's the new one, if you want to check it out.

http://joydiscovered.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Slowing Way Down

Would not call the lack of writing since an 11 th birthday neglect as much as a lack of desire to write.  Things change in our lives, priorities change, things get added, things get dropped.  This was an easy drop.

I began this blog when our oldest was in second grade and needing data for a math graph.  It quickly became a place to journal our Five in a Row adventures.  Fast forward 7 years and now our two boys are fine young men entering 9th and 6th in the fall.

Don't believe this will be shut down and not sure it will be updated often anymore.  In a pursuit to figure out what is next, what is right and true for where we are.

Thank you to all who have read, fairly regularly, and to those who stumble upon my musings.

May your days be blessed!

Monday, January 20, 2014

Honoring Our Birthday Boy!

Didn't we do this last Monday?

    Wait, don't I say something like this just about every year?  Repeat parties a week apart.  Love those boys born on the 13th and 20th.

Today we celebrated an 11th birthday.  Eleven 11's hidden last night, for this mornings activities.

 Woods out back!  Pinks, lavenders, blues!

 Woods out front!  Yellows, peaches, lavenders!

 Green stars all over the table!

 We don't buy cake toppers!  We make them or use what we have.
Someone wanted a trooper for a cake, so he got several.
Yes, a piece of "grass" was out of place, so it got blasted!  What else are
you going to do with a gun that big?

 Different angle of troopers!

Birthday presents!
Yes, we ran out of paper while wrapping last night!
Smallest first (his choice), new pics for his guitar
from Christmas!

 Book he's "begged" for and finally got!
Love being able to figure out exactly what they want
without having to ask!!
Cake before dinner!  Why, yes please!
green frosting feet!

 Just because we took a photo like this last week!

 Chillin with friends at Laser Tag Event!
How convenient for older brother that there
were a couple teens there for him to hang with as well.

Great time honor our birthday boy!

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich?

The "perfect grilled cheese" will mean something different to just about everyone.  It is about the type of bread used, the selection of cheese (s), butter on the outside, fry pan vs. iron skillet.  Lots of choices to be had.

One common thing, if I could be so bold, is that the cheese needs to be warm and gooey and melted.  The sandwich CAN not be cold on the inside and black on the outside from having heat to high.

In resent years, I like to get the iron skillet going at about 4 (electric stove, no clue what that equates other than not quite medium heat), then get the sandwich ready.  To encourage the sandwich to heat all the way through, I will take an 8" x 8" cake pan and flip it over the sandwich.  This keeps the heat in and doesn't smush the sandwich like a panine press would.  It also always for a slower browning of the bread and allows for the heat to go all the way through the sandwich.  Remove the pan, flip the sandwich, and put the pan back on.  I can get a lightly browned grilled cheese sandwich that has gooey cheese on the inside every time doing this!

So how do you make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich?

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Beautiful Moment!

Nature is a beautiful thing.  Taking time to just see it and be in awe can help reset the day, week, or almost any funk (well, until you are rapidly pulled out of moment)!  Here is one thing thing I saw today that made me pause!
Loved the shadows on the pantry and wall
into the dining room.  Colors were warm.  If it'd
been somewhere else, with a comfy chair,
it would have been inviting a book, cup of tea,
and a blanket!

 This was the view through the dining room window (and
a very dirty dining room window).  Beautiful view!

With a sick child, I was quickly pulled out of the moment, but thankful for a beautiful moment.