Weekly Wrap-Up: Not the New Normal

Last week, I told Himself that I felt like we (I) needed a break.  We did not take a week-long fall break like both public and private schools around here, nor did we have a week of half days for conferences, also like the public schools.  So I'd planned for this week to be a light one.

Also, Tiny Girl is gearing up for her first "big" horse show tomorrow.  So we've been occupied with activities such as this:

And this:

Not to mention getting everything all ready to go.  Horse shows require a lot of stuff.  Riding, period, requires a lot of stuff, never mind the shows.

So this week in our studies, we concentrated on hitting a few high points and watching a movie.  Don't worry; it's educational!  We continued Bible, piano, logic, and copywork as usual.  In math, we did some multiplication and division.  We only got to spelling and grammar twice this week.  For history, the girls read Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims, by Clyde Robert Bulla, a book I read when I was in elementary school.  We also continued Heidi.

For history, we watched most of Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of the Mayflower, which I ordered from Netflix.  This was recommended by another homeschooling family, and we have enjoyed it tremendously.  (Aside: Tiny Girl does not enjoy the talking heads who pop up occasionally to give their explanatory comments.  They "interrupt the movie," says she.)  A History channel production featuring actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company and filmed on location at Plimoth Plantation, England, Belgium, Maryland, and Virginia, this excellent film (two hours and 23 minutes in length) does a remarkable job of bringing to life the story of the Pilgrims, from their beginnings in Scrooby to their new home in an inhospitable and foreign land.  Look for a more in-depth review next week, when things settle down (HA!) around here.

We also spotted this hawk in our backyard.  This is not a great photo, since its head is turned away, but it was the best shot I got from my breakfast room window.

We are not sure exactly what species it is.  The wings are too dark and barred to be a red-winged hawk, and it's too large to be a red-shouldered hawk, two varieties we've seen in our yard on several occasions.  Miss Priss researched online, viewing a large number of photos, and we still were unable to make a firm identification.

I am exhausted and getting ready to hit the hay.  Our day will start bright and early tomorrow!  Have a great weekend!