{SQT} Mary's Birthday Edition

1. Mary's Birthday Festivities

Click here to read about our girl turning ten!

2. Soccer Playoffs

John's soccer team made it to the penultimate game in the playoffs! We were so pleased for him to have an excellent, tough, inspiring coach this season.

Sitting on a stepladder because we don't have enough lawn chairs

The littlest fans

The team went out to lunch afterward.

3. Homeschooling

Reading a Bible story to the three little boys

I caught a virus and lost my voice one day this week, so the girls took over reading aloud our history that day.

I re-organized the Bonus Room yet again by putting all three work tables on the school side of the room (and in a U shape), and moving the couch to the play side (creating a nice reading area next to the chair).

4. Physical Education

I'm going to give a quick, positive report about Family Time Fitness.

My homeschooled children lack some basic playground exercises, movements, and games that are a foundation to core strength and later to playing sports proper. Indeed, my kids have spent all these years playing exuberantly outdoors--lots of dashing about, climbing trees, and hopping on bikes--but I have now started to see that this really does not cover all the bases.

My children thrived at the YMCA Homeschool P.E. classes a couple of years ago, but they are timed from noon to two, which means two of my tots miss their nap and it chops our school day in half, which we cannot afford to lose.

We can do sports sometimes, but that is expensive, a major drain on family time, and usually benefits only a subset of the children.

I was thrilled to find Family Time Fitness, which is a complete, open-and-go Physical Education curriculum designed for homeschoolers. I open my program (right now, doing Beginning P.E.), find my day and lesson (it covers one hour per day, five days per week, for nine months!), and teach everything laid out. There are links to brief YouTube videos showing me anything I don't already know.

I am very particular about how most exercise videos show dress we consider immodest and play music we consider inappropriate, but these videos do neither!

In our first week--perfectly timed because it rained for four days straight--we practiced things like standing leg swings, toe raises, rocking horse series, frog squats, shuffle, skip, hop series, jump the river, crab walk, jump the line, plank, and various stretches.

I am doing all the exercises that I can with the children and, unlike when I'm walking, I'm not having to stop innumerable times to break up squabbles (because they're all having so much fun). I got heart-pounding workouts and was satisfactorily sore for days afterward!

We were loudly laughing and it was entirely impossible for us--EVEN MOMMY--to retain a dour, stressed-out attitude. We had a great morning break from academic work and then moved right into snack time and hitting the books again.

I've only tried Family Time Fitness for one week, but so far, I give it two thumbs up!

5. Mary Saved David's Life

Our Thursday could have ended tragically if Mary had not acted quickly and decisively: click here to read how she saved her baby brother's life.

6. Reading Aloud

With John's start of middle school, both I and they have been too busy for me to read aloud to my older set in several months. It has been such a sad lacking for our family!

I have continued to read aloud chapter books to my boys 5 and 3, and that is a blessing, but, still, the older ones and I have missed reading something together, having it to talk about, and the time together most evenings.

This week, I determined to try really hard to start reading again. I've been reading "Evangeline" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and I am very happy with my efforts so far.

Current history for children I am reading to the 3- and 5-year-olds

7. Professional Family Photos

We had professional family photos taken for the first time in six years: below is your sneak peek before the Christmas season!

Laying out outfits for photos

Earlier that morning before the photos, we could not find Thomas' regular pair of shoes . . . the nice blue leather shoes he can wear to church, to visit, or to play. I grabbed an old pair of church shoes I found in a bin, only to discover at Mass that they did not fit him.

So, my kid was the kid in socked-feet.

I thought we would resolve this problem when at home getting changed for the photography shoot, but I was mistaken . . . and we were twenty minutes late meeting the photographer due to searching for that rascally footwear. My three-year-old ended up wearing much-too-large church shoes belonging to his big brother.


For more 7 Quick Takes Friday, check out This Ain't the Lyceum.