7 Quick Takes

It's been awhile since I did a 7 Quick Takes! Not much time for editing, so please excuse my mistakes!

1) We are on Thanksgiving Break! Yes!! I have some cleaning projects to accomplish this week. I also need to finish up the Advent plans.

2) The boys are really enjoying The Mitchell's Five For Victory as a read aloud. They actually request it over reading Redwall. Redwall is an action adventure, so this is a big surprise that melts my heart. I ordered Candian Summer, the second book in the trilogy for a Christmas gift (surprise boys!-Caleb usually reads the blog).

3) I've been pushing, pushing and rushing, rushing with math for both boys. It was causing a lot of anxiety on my end and Caleb said he felt rushed too. Turns out that Tyler is right on schedule and there was no need for the rushing. I think I can try a slower pace with Caleb. Honestly we have a lot to still cover before reaching the goal of Algebra in ninth grade. Yet, pushing too fast causes more problems. A little research told me that in our area kids typically take Algebra I in high school. In homeschool curriculum, many times it has kids taking Algebra I in eighth grade. Caleb is on track for ninth grade which turns out to be the norm for our area. It will still be an everyday push, but not a rush. I feel better now!

4) Christmas gifts are all planned. About half are bought. With some online Thanksgiving weekend shopping will put me very close to done! This was a goal of mine because I didn't want to worry about gift shopping during Advent. I like a small amount of shopping, but I hate crowds, so shopping in-store in December is at the bottom of my to-do list. I won't be doing any shopping on Thanksgiving nor will I will shopping at stores that are open on Thanksgiving Day next weekend. This is in support of a cousin of mine who doesn't get much of a Thanksgiving Holiday because she is forced to work Thanksgiving Day so that the store can open at 8 pm.

5) Did you know when you buy a print book from Amazon that you can get the Kindle version for free? This is also true for cds! At least the ones we bought qualify. Sometimes it's hard to decide which version so I like these options.

6) I'm looking forward to visiting family next week! Caleb is pretty excited too since he missed their last visit while at a scout camp out.

7) Books I'm reading: The Mission of Motherhood has been a delightful read. I highly recommend this book! Of course, I'm not too far in, but this book truly speaks to my heart. I was surprised because I read a homeschooling book from the same author and I wasn't impressed. Little House on Rocky Ridge  is one that I was pre-reading and decided to stop and I'll be reading this out loud to the boys this coming spring or next school year to go along with history. I'm a lucky mom with boys that enjoy the Little House series! I just got Beauty in the Word yesterday and I'm really looking forward to starting this book.