Homeschool Week in Review (week 1)

This summer has been tumultuous for my family, with 5 major, life-changing events between June 1 and August 31.  We got through the last heartbreaking event of the summer on August 21, and I had planned to start school after Labor Day so we could enjoy one week of peaceful, relaxing summer. Apparently that was too much to ask. My son announced on Sunday, August 24, that he didn't want to wait until after Labor Day; all his friends were starting school on the 25th. Since I never, ever, ever (EVER) expected my middle schooler to complain that he wasn't getting to start school when everybody else did, I compressed my planning/enjoy the summer week into a planning/enjoy the summer DAY and we started last Tuesday.

(Of course, Life in the Button Factory is never as simple as just starting a school year on 24 hours' notice. My daughter decided that she was fine with waiting until after Labor Day, so we're have two different start dates. I tell you what, I have the lunatics running the asylum here.)

So here's what our first week looked like:
Bible: We are continuing our study from last year on the names of God. This week we learned about God's name Adonai, which means Lord or Master. Adonai has the connotation of being the name a servant would use to address his master. My favorite verse that we found was Luke 1:38, where Mary said to the angel, "I am the Lord's servant. Let it be to me according to your word."
Math: We are using Teaching Textbooks again this year. Will completed his first lessons; Katie will start hers on Tuesday.
Grammar: We are using Growing with Grammar again this year. Just like Math, Will started his lessons, and Katie will start them this week.
History: We read about Puyi, the last Emperor of China, the French colonization of Indochina and Phan Boi Chau, who started the Vietnamese thinking of the possibility of independence.
Science: Will is taking Apologia Physical Science at a local co-op; Katie is taking Apologia General Science at the same co-op.
Institute for Excellence in Writing: they're also taking this class at the co-op. I love this program, but I was really having a hard time teaching it myself. The cobbler's children have no shoes, and all that.
Literature: planning to start our literature studies in the next two weeks.

I plan to post a weekly wrap-up of what we're learning throughout this year. I always seem to lose steam with gradebooks and such, so my hope is that having a narrative-style record of our year is something I can enjoy and stick with.