3 in 30 - Update #4

This month for the 3 in 30 challenge I'm working on the following three goals:

1. Start working on and continue hobbies:

- Try at least one new recipe per week. 


We tried one new recipe this week - Currant Buns - from Olivia's Five in a Row Cookbook.  This ties into the book The Tale of Peter Rabbit. They turned out well and we would make them again.

- Write in my nature journal at least once a week.

I wrote in my nature journal once this week. The focus this week was on squirrels since that tied into what I was having Sophia and Olivia learn about and do for their nature journaling assignment.

Squirrel that was at one of our feeders.

- Continue keeping some form of a daily/weekly journal.

I have continued writing each day in my Artist's Way journal. What I haven't done are answer the weekly questions that are in the accompanying book. I read the book and did the questions back in 2005. I feel like answering them again would be repetitive.

So, I am going to pick and choose which questions I want to focus on this time around. I'm going to begin doing that next month now that I am in the habit of writing each day.

- Grow African violets. Get first one on the anniversary of Dad’s death.


This was completed during the first week. Pictures of the African violets are on 3 in 30 - Update #2.

2. Do 4 interesting and/or memorable homeschooling activities this month that aren't part of the core curriculum.

=> See the Terracotta Warriors exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. 

This was completed during the second week. Pictures from the exhibit are on 3 in 30 - Update #2.

=> Watch one movie from the American Film Institute's Top 100 Funny Movies.

This is something that I changed to be a personal goal. I completed it last week and wrote about it on 3 in 30 - Update #3.

=> Watch one movie that has received an Academy Award for Best Picture.

This is also another goal I changed into a personal goal since I thought it would be better to have more active, hands-on activities for homeschooling.

Even though it isn't a homeschooling goal, it still is one of my goals for this month. At this point, I still have not received "Wings" that I requested at the beginning of the month from the library.

It is coming from another library from out of the county, so it will take a while. Thought I would have it by now. Perhaps this is a movie that I'll be watching in February instead.

=> Visit the ice castle at Mall of America.

This was completed last week. Pictures from the ice castle are on 3 in 30 - Update #3.

=> Visit Richardson Nature Center.

This was completed last week. Pictures from the nature center are on 3 in 30 - Update #3.

=> Go swimming. The girls went swimming on January 19th. They had a lot of fun swimming; and it was a welcome break from the cold weather that had begun earlier that day.

3. Volunteer with seniors twice during January.

We did not have an opportunity to volunteer with seniors this month because there was a two-week isolation due to the flu at the care center. The last two weeks of January have been busy, so we haven't had a chance to volunteer.

Over the next few days as well as the first week in February, we will be making some table and window decorations as well as examples of projects that we will be doing with the seniors. (This is in preparation for the February 9th and 16th sessions we have with the seniors at the care center.)