How To Decide Which TOG Books to Buy

This has been a busy week for me, not that it is reflected in what we did. Our annual homeschool convention is coming up, so I've had to look at what I need for next year. The steps I took are as follows:

1. Determine what books can be gotten through our local library or inter-library loan. (We have an awesome ILL system here!)
2. Determine, of the books that are available through the library, which would be better to purchase based on the length of use versus the number of copies available. With TOG, if the book is used for literature, and I need it for longer than two weeks, I will place it on my list to consider purchasing it. Or if there is only one or two copies, and I need it for longer than three weeks, I will consider purchasing it as well.
   
3. Of the books that we do not have, I look at how many weeks it will be used. If I will be used for more than two weeks, I will place it on my list to consider purchasing it.
4. I will then look at the books not available that are one or two weeks in length. First I will look to see if there is an alternate book for that level available from the library. If it is not, I will see if the book a level below or above is available. If the level below is available, then I will put that on my list with a note that I should look for a few other books from the library with the same call number to fill in the blanks. If there is still no luck, I will place it on my list to consider purchasing it.

Now I have a much shorter list to bring with me to the homeschool convention. Right now, there are only about ten books on it. It is a lengthy process that I usually begin in January with the goal of being done by mid March when we hit spring break time. That way I can focus on attempting to end the year on the upswing rather than dragging.

Piano Festival

Princesses E and S have been practicing hard for the annual MMTA piano festival that they participate in. This morning was the time to get it all over with. As alike as the princesses are at times, it is funny in how different their reactions to stress are. Princess E, like her father, gets very straight faced, no-emotional response and very few words. Princess S, on the other hand, gets visibly "freaked out" for lack of better terminology. She will pace back and forth, wring her hands, jump up and down, put her head in her hands, and loudly proclaim to everyone in earshot - "I can't do this." Which of course she can and does, but try telling her that in the moment. It is becoming more and more difficult to do this festival because the standard Princess E has set - achieving three perfect "5's" in a row to win a trophy - is the standard that Princess S has set for herself. I used to set that same standard for myself as a kid - perfection - and y'all know what happens when you set that standard. You win some - but when you lose some (and you WILL lose some) it is that much more devastating. I'm wondering if it isn't time to find a different type of piano performance opportunity for one of them so that there isn't the added pressure of competing with her sister. Both girls did well and played well. One of them was "almost" perfect - one of them made some small errors that would have been less noticeable had she not stopped to correct them. But we were very proud that they conquered their fears and persevered. Way to go, Princesses!

TOG Y2 W24

This week has flown by as well. My grandmother must blink and see a year gone. We are changing up the schedule soon due to a visit by Nanny. I decided rather than try to do school while she was here, to use that week as the first of our spring break. We will have two more weeks of break that will coordinate with the school schedule we are following - one that several of their friends attend.

Princess E
Latin: Lesson 12.1, Exercise 11.6 to 12.1 , Word Power F3 and F4
Math-U-See: Start Lesson 14
Literature: Blackthorn Winter
TOG: vocab, important people copywork, geography study
Reading: The Awakening of Europe (excerpts), Exploration and Conquest (excerpts), Making Thirteen Colonies, Freedom Seeker
Read Aloud: The Story of the World 3 (excerpts), Colonial Living (excerpts)

Princess S
Growing with Grammar: 3.12 to 3.14
Math-U-See: begin Lesson 15
Literature: The Courage of Sarah Noble
TOG: same as above
Reading: William Penn, The New Americans (excerpts)
Read Aloud: same as above

Princess L
MFW Kindy: finish Lesson 10 /w/ is for water
Math-U-See: Primer finish lesson 14
I have decided to step up the pace on this. I find that I am really only using the LA portion of this. I don't use the math at all, and only use a few of the science things - really the art type projects. I want her to finish this by the end of the year, so I will do two lessons per week. Really, this is mostly a review for her. She has done very well so far blending the three letters into the words. So now I begin my research for next year as I have three different programs in mind.


Princess M
Potty Training Boot Camp - I am so close to calling her graduated. 4 nights out of 5 her pull-up is dry in the morning. She has started to use the potty at church and at a store. The only problem yet is that she will not go for anyone other than myself, Dad, or her older sisters. Until that happens, she will be a graduate-in-waiting.

The John Song

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This song was composed by hubby and performed by hubby, Princess S and Princess E. Enjoy.

There's a Fountain Free and Flowing

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This song was composed by my hubby, and is sung by Princess E. Hubby and his brother play the guitar/mandolin and keyboards.

He's Jesus

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This song was composed and is performed by Princess E. Enjoy!

Princess M Update

Had to get this on here so I don't forget. Princess M has had a great day so far. I am almost ready to say she has graduated from potty training boot camp. She has even started waking up in the middle of the night to go potty. For anyone who has ever had a bed-wetter, you know what a relief that is. It is worth getting out of bed in the middle of a well below zero night for. She came up to me a little bit ago and grabbed my hand to show me that she had done a "number two" all by herself, including wiping with the right amount of paper. She still needs to be lifted up to wash her hands though. So we got to have a chocolate chip party! Woo Hoo! Way to go Princess M!