We took advantage of this wonderful weather and spent one day on the Twin Falls hike, and and afternoon at the Lake. We also had a playdate with our friend, "J2. Holz". But, we also managed to get some "real schoolin' " in...
Bible- Egermeier's Bible Story Book: Moses and the Burning Bush/ moses and Aaron Before the Pharoah/ "Let My People Go"
Scripture Verse- Proverbs 20:11
Read Aloud- We completed "The Apple and the Arrow". This was a very interesting and detailed story on the legend of William Tell. It was a little violent for my taste, but it really shared the story of people under tyranny and how they worked together to overcome their government. The boys were captivated and were sorry to see it end.
Phonics/Reading- 'A' and 'R' both took turns reading from "I Can Read It". They also did two pages of worksheets in "explode the Code", p.5-26
One of the phonics activities was to give the kids the letter "i" and they had to create a word around it. 'A' did well. 'R' did well with made up words. He did better when I gave him two letters, and he just had to add one more.
'A' read part of a book called "Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs'
'R' read a Bob Book.
Art-Artistic Pursuits- Lesson 3. We went to Rattlesnake Lake and drew items of nature in a nature journal.
The boys also drew pictures of autumn leaves and we gave a picture and some pumpkin brownies to three of our neighbors.
History/Geography- Children's Encyclopedia. We read about Crafts around the world, and Clothing.
Science- First Book of Nature p. 60-63. We read about pollen and answered activity questions #102-104.
Character- A Child's Book of Character Building. We read about 'Patience'.
Wednesday afternoon, I picked up Linda's boys (C1 and C2) and drove up to Rattlesnake Lake. I made little Nature Journals for each boy and gave them a plastic bag (for collecting things) and a pencil. On each page was an item they were to look for and draw. (This is a lesson in our Artistic Pursuits curriculum). Some of the items were:
water
fish (C1 drew a fisherman!)
clouds
interesting leaves
an insect
a neat rock
a bird
a stick or twig
an animal
a wildflower
something soft
Here are the boys drawing the lake (imagine a dark circle...)
Throwing rocks is mandatory!
'A' came to me and said, "mom, I am a scale and I am weighing these two rocks. Which one do you think is heavier? He then lowered his arm with the tiny rock to show that was heavier. He's pretty funny
Playing on a big rock.
Another piece of God's jungle gym...
The boys really tried to climb this rock. Maybe next year...
After playing around the lake, we hiked up the Rattlsnake Ledge trail for a while. My camera ran out of batteries and I was unable to get shots in the woods, but we enjoyed the hike.
This past Monday was a glorious day to be in our neck of the woods. It was warm, but not too warm, and it was beautiful. My friend Suzie, and I decided to take our kids to Twin Falls. I have been on the trail quite a few times with my boys, but we had never made it to the falls. Well, we did it! We had a terrific time!
'G1', 'A', and 'R'
Sweet G2...
Climbing to explore the root base of a fallen tree...
The first view of the falls...
Suzie and kids.
A very old fir tree in the back...
The lower falls! This picture was taken where we had lunch.
'G1' brought along a piece of rope. The boys had fun tying it to branches, pulling each other along, etc.
I knew we were on borrowed time with this weathe and am so glad we could enjoy this day!
'A' has been working really hard this summer to make it through the monkey bars. He did it!
(In the background, as 'A' is explaining how he did it, you can hear 'R' yelling, "and you also prayed to God!")
For Linda and anyone else interested. These are fabulous!
Pumpkin Brownies
1 15oz. can pumpkin
1c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
2c. sugar
2c. flour
1t. baking soda
1t. baking powder
1t. cinnamon
1/2t. salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs, oil, sugar. Stir in rest of ingredients. Pour into greased and floured 9x13 pan. Bekse 30 minustes. Serve with cream cheese frosting or whipped topping. (We just sprinkle with powdered sugar.) You can add nuts too!
The boys and I dropped off a friend in Issaquah for a class and had a couple of hours before picking her up. We decided to visit the salmon hatchery first , then share a banana split at a local restaurant, then buy some new clothes for the cooler season.
Here is a little video of the salmon at the hatchery right now. The river is full at this time. They have just begun the process of harvesting the eggs and will continue for a few more weeks.
We ordered the boy's Halloween costumes and they arrived today. Their belts came in a separate shipment a few days later. We let them play in their costume for an afternoon, but they are now in a bag until Halloween.
We had a playdate with my friend Kathy and her four kids this week. I had planned on a nature scavenger hunt, but they were playing together so well, that Kathy and I were able to sit and chat instead. 'R' was sick with a fever on Friday, so we took that day off and took him to the doctor.
Bible Joseph's Family Moves to Egypt/ Job, A Man Who Loved God/ Moses: A Baby and a Basket/ Moses Becoems a Shepherd
Scripture Matthew 7:12 "Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right."
History/Geography Children's Encyclopedia: Writing and Books. We learned about hieroglyphics and Braille. I had the kids try to make their own names in hieroglyphics and also make the dots for Braille. The pictures did not turn out to post, but it was a fun project.
We also read about Art and Music around the world and through time.
We watched a 10 minute DVD that talked about the women in India and how their culture does not promote literacy for the women. We will soon be embarking on a service priject to raise money to teach woment to read.
Read Aloud Continuing with The Apple and The Arrow
The Llama Who Had No Pajama p. 14-15
The Boxcar Children, Book 3 Finished reading
Math Singapore Earlybird 2A Lesson 15- This is a challenging lesson. It is recognizing numbers 11-20, and also understanding the tens and ones column. We will be at this for a while.
Science First Book of Nature p. 54-59: We learned about how flowers attract visitors and flowers need these visitors (bees, butterflies, birds, etc.), and how the wind helps flowers.
Activity questions: 98-101
Reader 'I Can Read It'- Val Laps the Cab and 'Bad Land in a Pig Pit'. 'R' read a few sentences of each. 'A' read the rest and another story, 'Tim at the Pig Pit'. Activities 9-10
Explode the Code workbook p. 21-24
Art Artistic Pursuits Lesson 3- Gesture Drawing. I would make a face that represented an emotion and the boys had to draw me. Here are the results. We did: sad, happy, surpised, tired
'A's Surprised
'R's Surprised
'A's Tired
'R's Tired
'A's Sad
'R's Sad
'A's Happy
'R's Happy Spanish El Espanol Facil- Lesson 1 worksheets. Created character profiles for 'Chichi' (a chihuahua) and 'Belicia' (a girl).
'A's profile: Name: Chichi
What they like to do: He likes to fly and flop his ears alot.
Description: He looks like a dog who like to stick out his tongue and speak Spanish.
'R's profile: Name: Chichi
What they like to do: Jump in the air and spin. Play.
Description: A doggie. Un pequeno perro.
A's profile: Name: Belicia
What they like to do: She like to fly in an airplane.
Description: She has long hair, blonde, and I think her eyes are blue.
'R's Profile Name: Belicia
What they like to do: She likes to jump and fly.
Description: She is a little girl.
Working on the worksheets to draw 'el nino' y 'la nina'
We reviewed Lesson one, then began Lesson 2. The worksheet for the Lesson asks the child to draw something the pleases them. "Fue mi Placer" - It was my pleasure.
'R's drawing "Chichi and Belicia are int he rain forest and they have tears coming down their face because it is so hot. I like Chichi because he is so funny."
'A's drawing "I like to buy videos; I like to read books. I like to cook, and I like to watch 1 Adam 12." (the original)
Character We read about 'Creative' - Doing something in a new way.
The kids drew a picture of anything they wanted, but I did not get a picture of it, and don't remember what it was. However, at some point 'A' asked DH how to draw a cat. So, here is DH's version and 'A's version. I think he did great!
We also learned about 'Diligence' - Working hard to accomplish a task.
We read Proverbs 6:6-8, and talked about how we can be inspired by the hardworking ant.
We talked about Genesis 29. Jacob was in love with Rachel and promised Rache's father (and Jacob's uncle) that he would work for him for 7 years for Rachel's hand in marriage. During the wedding ceremony, the woman behind the veils was actually Rachel's older sister Leah. So, Jacob had unknowingly married Leah instead! He still loved Rachel and promised Laban to work another 7 years for Rachel. That's 14 years of labor for the woman he loved!!
Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
Vocabulary hieroglyphics
braille
instruments- stringed, wind, percussion
art forms - sculpture, architecture
song - soloist, duet, choir, orchestra, composer, band
whey
diligence
creative
fue un placer - it was my pleasure
con mucho gusto - with pleasure
mi hermano - my brother
mi hermana - my sister
mi madre - my mother
mi padre - my father
si - yes
se llama - his/her name is
Hebrews 12:1-2 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. "
If we are going to make changes, it takes courage and being specific.
Remember that our vision is vital.
Key Truth: The right focus leads to real strength.
Our mental and spiritual vision is vital. We need the right focus and attention in the right place. Fix our eyes upon Jesus. Trust, seek, learn from, obey. Not from a detached point of view, but from a posture of humility, availability, allegiance and faith.
When life is hard and you are worried and scared, we are encouraged to trust in Christ even when we don't understand.
1. What do I see when I focus on Jesus?
-the pioneer and perfecter of faith
-the joy of vision Christ had on the cross.
Ephesians 3:14-21 "For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family [a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord's people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. "
2. What can happen when I focus on Christ?
-remember that I am not alone in my sufferinf. Jesus suffered. he is a suffering Lord.
-I am understood in my suffering.
-I can be redeemed.
Housekeeping: that household mess, it keeps going and going and going. It’s a perpetual chore that we diligently need to keep going on to stay on top it. We all have different ways of keeping ourselves energized.
Assignment: How do you keep energized so you can get it all done? bouncy music? treat it like a workout? Do you use a schedule?, a housekeeping binder system? luck of the draw system?.. or is this an area where you need encouragement? Do you need God’s help to keep order and beauty in your dwelling place? Take this week to tell us how You diligently keep going with your housekeeping chores.
I have tried many different systems over the years. The one that I always go back to is MotivatedMoms.com. I tie it into the kid's program, Accountable Kids, and that seems to work best for us.
I must confess, though. I have a housecleaner come through once a week for three hours. I keep my house tidy, but she keeps my house CLEAN! Half of my part time paycheck goes to her, but it is totally worth it.
I kept a binder for a while. My favorite one is called "Yearbook for the Homekeeper". Not only do you track chores, you also track homeschool plans, menus, grocery list, etc. It is an excellent "one - stop" resource.
When I am not feeling motivated, I will set the timer for 15 minutes and clean as quickly as I can. I have the kids do this as well and give them a specific goal to work on, not just "clean". When I used to watch TV, I would clean during commercials.
I have a channel on my computer for music that is called "Kickin' Christian". It helps me keep my energy up when cleaning.
I often take the time that I clean to pray for those who God brings to my mind. I also give thanks for the floors I sweep, the clothes I wash, the dishes I clean. There are so many who don't have what I often take for granted.
How ironic is it that the one day we were all finally able to get together, it was the last day of summer and it rained... ALOT! Oh well, being the true Northwesterners that we are, we still enjoyed the zoo, while everyone else stayed away. We practically had the place to oruselves!
Tanya and I in the rose garden. The garden was in full bloom and gorgeous!
Nieces P and K, with A and R...
The BEST smelling rose. I did not catch the name...
The 3 G's (My Grandpa Jerry, my brother Devin, and my Dad Gary)
Oops! Sorry about that! Here are the real 3 G's...
One of two bear brothers who was really into showing off for us...
Our nation's bird...
There is a new exhibit at the zoo that has birds from Australia. You can purchase feed sticks for $1.00 and the birds land on you to eat. It was a real treat for us all.
Looking at the toucans in the Amazon exhibit...
Me with my Dad, brother, and Grandpa!
Flamingoes at the new exhibit...(did you know they are pink from eating shrimp?)
'A' was sick on two days this week. On the first day, I was able to do all reading to him in bed and skipped the workbooks/sheets. The second day, we took off.
Bible Egermeier's Bible Story Book - We read about Joseph, Ruler of Egypt. Joseph's Brothers Return to Egypt. Joseph Makes Himself Known.
Memory Verse Matthew 7:12 "Do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."
Phonics/Readers The boys read from "I Can Read It" and did worksheets 15-20 from 'Explode the Code"
I introduced quotation marks and parenthesis.
Science First Book of Nature: Parts of a Buttercup and activity worksheet.
First Book of Nature: Looking at Flower Parts
Discover and Do DVD #84-85 Flowers
Usborne Science Activities Vol. 2 Flowers, p. 58-59 - We dissected a rose and looked closely at the sepals, petals, stamens, and pistil.
'R' pointing to the SEPALS.
A view of the pistil and stamens:
History/Geography Children's Encyclopedia- We read about people around the world: houses and homes, food and cooking, sports.
Read Aloud The Apple and the Arrow (story of William Tell) p. 1-41
The Llama Who Had No Pajama: 3 poems
Math Singapore Earlybird Math 2A Lesson 14- Recognizing number words
Character A Child's Book of Character Building - Faith: Memorize Romans 3:23 and John 3:16
Made a prayer list. Talked to the boys about sharing Christ's love with others.
Spanish El espanol Facil - Continued Lesson One Vocabulary
me llamo -my name is
pequeno perro - small dog
yo soy - I am
gracias - thank you
de nada - it was nothing / you are welcome
P.E. Ran laps at mall 5 minutes. neighborhood walks. Bike rides.
Art
Artistic Pursuits- Lesson 2
We learned that artists imagine - make a picture in your mind.
We talked about this painting and how the artist used his imagination to convey his feelings about the birthday. Marc Chagall, The Birthday, 1915
The boy's assignment was to think of a time they enjoyed. They drew it first with the ebony pencil, then colored it in with watercolor crayons and used a watercolor brush to diffuse the colors.
This is 'A's drawing. It is all of him playing at the park.
This is 'R's drawing. It is of a fireboat he saw in the water. Vocabulary List I have compiled a list of words we ran across this past week. I try to pull them back up in conversation over time. Here are a few of them:
protein
vitamins
starches
staple food
tandoor
chapattis
woks
chopsticks
sieve
bailiff
larder
conspire
bleated
faith-Believing God will do what He says.
Imagine
knave
marathon
amateur
professional (as in sports)
Olympic Games
dialogue
sepal
petal
pistil
stamen
Service The boys helped me watch the quadruplet babies with my friend, Liann.
Health 'The Story of Me: God's Design for S#X, Book 1. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
For some reason only known to them, the boys have been on my case about teaching them how to draw a dog.
Now, it is important to note, I am NOT a good artist. Actually, I am pretty lousy. I think my skills could be equal to maybe that of a 4th grader, (and I might be giving myself too much credit.) But, they wanted a dog, so I drew a dog.
I am pretty impressed by their efforts to copy my work. (Mine is not much better than these.)
Here is 'A's...
Here is 'R's....
One of our lessons this week was on the parts of a buttercup. Instead of just reading about it in a book, and look at the illustrations, I decided we should go on a neighborhood walk and bring back a bouquest of buttercups to observe and dissect.
Well, we saw a bunch of dandelions, but after a good walk through our neighborhood, here are the fruits of our labor...
So, we had one buttercup to work with! We looked at the parts through a magnifying glass. The parts we learned about are:
stem- draws nutrients and water up to the flower.
sepals - the protective covering when the flower is a bud. The speals separate as the flower blooms. You can see five sepals under the petals of a fully bloomed flower.
petals - the colorful part of the flower that attracts bees and birds. Surrounds the pistil and stamen.
pistil-holds the seeds. Surrounded by stamen.
stamen-holds the pollen. The pistil and the stemen are needed for reproduction of the flower.
Can you believe this man just turned 60? I hope I look half a good...
We met at Racha Noodles on lower Queen Anne for dinner. Here is Dado modeling 'R's new tie. He could make the tie bob up and down by just moving his Adam's Apple. It was so funny.
The boys enjoyed all the positive attention they received while dressed up a ring bearers. They had repeatedly begged us for ties. DH picked a couple up on Saturday, and they have wanted to wear them everyday since. Here is 'A' acting all "grown up". He even looks like he's sporting a moustache!
Ant-ee Sara, fresh from her visit to Washington DC and Pennsylvania, spoiled the boys with treats from her travels...
For our niece's ("P") 13th birthday, DH and I purchased tickets to a "VIP Shopping Night" at a local mall.
The evening began with a small dinner and party for our other niece "K", who had just turned 10. She spent the day with her dad (my brother), horseback riding, so this was a nice end to an active day for her.
'P' and I went to the mall and entered one of three private lounges. We received a bag with a $20.00 gift certificate to any place in the mall, a travel jewelry case, and a list of all the stores participating in the VIP Shopping Night. These stores had appetizers, giveaways, contests, and special discounts for the "VIP Shoppers", (we wore a wristband).
The private lounges had a dessert table, and a coffee/tea table. Here we are in one of the lounges, making a plan for our shopping journey.
We hit all the stores she wanted to go to first, then sat to watch a runway show. We went to another lounge, and another runway show. Each model held a little placard so you could see which store offered that outfit.
My two favorite memories of the night:
1) We entered a costume jewelry story called "Gild" (or "Gilt", I don't recall). They had an appetizer table at the entrance. 'P' went to the table and picked up a large cracker and cheese. As we walked to the center of the store, I glanced at 'P' at just the same moment she noticed something. Her eyes bugged wide open and she froze. When I looked to see what she saw, I started cracking up. It was a table laden with fruit and a chocolate fountain! She took one look at her cracker and said, "Do you want this?"
2) On the way to the mall, she asked me if I listened to Country music. Typically, I have Contemporary Christian in the car, but I let her toggle between two Country stations. She kept telling me about her favorite song. It is a song by Kelly Pickler, and it is about loving yoursef, and being beautiful inside. She kept trying to find it so I could hear it. Well, guess what was the very last song we heard while driving home? The song ended as I was pulling into her Dad's driveway. That was a perfect way to end a special night and I thank God for the gift.
My friend Lacey, and I decided to cut our hair...SHORT! We went to see my cousin who works at Gene Juarez in Seattle. I am thrilled with my cut. Lacey wants to go shorter in the back. We went for an early dinner after and shopped Michael's for art supplies. It was a great girl date!
This was our "official" first week of homeschool. The weather has been fabulous so we have had our share of breaks in the yard. Here is a recap of what we did this week:
Bible Egermeier's Bible Story Book - We read about Jacob's dream, Laban tricks Jacob, Jacob and Esau reunite, the story of Joseph from childhood to when he was a slave in Egypt.
Memory Verse Colossians 3:20 "Children, obey your parents in everything for this pleases the Lord.
Phonics/Readers The boys read from "I Can Read" and did worksheets 5-14 from 'Explode the Code"
We also brought back out the Bob Books. 'A' read two books from volume 3 and 'R' read one book from volume 1 and attempted a book from Volume 2.
Science Usborne's Everyday Things - We read and did activity sheets on: Seasons, Stars and planets, Volcanoes, Under the grounds, How flowers grow
We also watched part of the Discover and Do DVD on seeds.
History/Geography Children's Encyclopedia- We read about The Middle Ages, the Industrial Revolution, and Modern Times
We watched a video of the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsing in 1940.
Read Aloud Boxcar Children Book 3, chapters 4 - 9
The Llama who had no Pajama -pages 11&12
Kitchen We made homemade cornbread. The boys broke the eggs, greased the pan, stirred, and help clean up.
Math Singapore Earlybird Math 2A Lesson 13 - The boys had to count and write the numeral and the number word from 1 - 10.
Character A Child's Book of Character Building- Attentive
Definition: Listening with your ears, eyes, and heart
We read 1 Samuel 3:1-4
We made a list of 10 people we should be attentive toward. This is a list that the boys did completely on their own...
Spanish El espanol Facil - Lesson One and worksheet
me llamo -my name is
pequeno perro - small dog
yo soy - I am
gracias - thank you
de nada - it was nothing / you are welcome
P.E. Bike ride and play in yard
Art
Artistic Pursuits- Lesson 1
We learned that The Arts encompasses music, dance, drama, and visual arts.
Artists compose - put things together to create something they can share and express to another.
We talked about this painting and how the artist composed two areas to focus your attention (the three adults, and the child with the dog.) Pieter De Hooch, The Courtyard of a House in Delft, 1658
The artist above was known for painting everday scenes, so the art project for the boys was to draw something that they experienced that day. They used an Ebony Pencil, "the super hero of pencils".
This is 'A's drawing. It is him at the park with babysitter, Laura. 'A' is both riding the bike, and sliding down the firepole. Miss Laura is swinging on the rings, and is the person in the foreground. You can see the playset with the slide, and our door on the right.
This is 'R's. It is a squiggly sidewalk with a flower, mushrooms, grass, and the sun.
'A' wanted to draw another picture, so here is a wedding drawing. From left to right: 'R', 'A,' Jordan, and Laura. A flower is on the floor between Jordan and Laura.
Vocabulary List I have compiled a list of words we ran across this past week. I try to pull them back up in conversation over time. Here are a few of them:
Nobles
Villeins (the workers for the nobles during the Middle ages)
Minstrels
The Black Death
Industrial Revolution
Coal
Trade Unions
Stars
Solar System
Orbit
The Nine Planets
Attentive
simile
Stook
Lolling
Crust (of the earth)
Mantle
Core
Magma
volcano
Lava
Pollen
Service The boys helped me do laundry for a friend.
Financial Management The boys are feeding, watering, and playing with a friend's dog for a few days. She is paying them and we will be teaching them to tithe 10%, save 40%, and spend 50%.
Picketfencemom posted a link to a blog called Warm Pie, Happy Home. The author of the blog, Ruthann, has greated a checklist to get your home in order for Autumn. It is a fabulous blog and I encourage you to visit it.!
Assignment: This would be a good week to tell about your worst struggles with a lifestyle of homeschooling. Tell about something you’ve struggled with and how God’s mercies gave us the strength to get past it. Also, share any curriculum/homeschool methods that have been a relief to you, i.e., a particular Teacher’s Manual or Homeschooling method that’s been easier for your family. Talk about how you felt when the burden was lifted and Oh, What a Relief it is.
Since I am relatively new to homeschooling, I have not encountered struggle to the degree that veteren homeschoolers have. Right now, as mentioned in the last assignment, the struggle is fitting it all in. It seems daunting at times, but I am thankful that the Lord led has prepped my heart to the degree that He has to persevere (BTW, 'persevere' is a favorite word in our family), and stick with it.
Having a routine has helped immensely. But, having a flexible attitude has helped even more. Here is my ideal agenda; please understand I rarely adhere to it in its entirety, but it is something I work of off daily.
5:30 - 8:00 AM Work at home, online, as a Support Specialist for DH's Interactive Ticketing company
8:00AM - 9:00AM Kids up/ Breakfast/ Morning routine - get dressed, vitamins, brush teeth, make bed (I also try to get dishes taken care of and laundy started)
9:00 - 12:00PM Homeschool - Morning focuses on Bible, Character, Phonics, Handwriting, Reading,, Math (There are alot of breaks for play, phone calls, etc. between items, so this easily takes the whole morning)
Noon - 1PM- Lunch and play (I am also working toward a quiet time as well)
1:00PM - 4:00PM Homeschool -Afternoon focuses on Science, History/Geography, Read Aloud, Spanish (2x/week), Art (1x/week), Art Appreciation (1x/week), Sign Language (1x/week), P.E.
4:00PM - Get dinner ready
5:00PM - Dinner
5:30PM - Family Time (Walks, biking, movie, etc.)
9:00PM Boys in bed (I am going to get this shifted to 8:30PM as it gets darker)
Errands and chores are accomplished throughout the day, as the opportunity arises.
Two items that have been excellent aids in establishing this routine have been: Accountable Kids Motivated Moms
Also, half of my paycheck goes to a housekeeper once a week. It is totally worth it to me, and I although I still have a good amount to do around the house, it is nice to have this help.
For homeschool organization, I use Sonlight; they have a daily lesson plans already laid out for the items they cover. I typically follow most of their plan and transfer it to a spiral journal, so I can document everything in one place.
Also, I write on a dry erase board, all of the subjects we cover:
Bible
Phonics
Handwriting
Readers
Spelling
Math
Character
Science
P.E.
History/Geography
read Aloud
Spanish
Sign Language
Art
Art Appreciation
Quiet Time
Vocabulary
Kitchen Skills
Field Trip
Community Service
Playdate
As we accomplish a subject, I erase it. What is not done that day gets carried over to the next.
One of the things I learned early on is to not be slave to a curriculum or organizational method that is not working for you. This has really given me the freedom to not feel obligated to stick with something, and to go and find what works for both me and my children.
John 1:12 "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."
Two weeks ago, DH attended a Songwriters conference in Mt. Hermon, followed by a short business trip in Sacramento. He was enjoying the lovely weather and suggested we do a road trip when he returned. so, with less that 24 hours from that suggestion, he flew back and we headed out!
DH returned by plane at 8PM on Friday. We left at 3:30AM Saturday.
DAY 1/SATURDAY
Here are the boys all set for the journey. 'A' kept DH from Seattle to Centralia, maybe even farther (I fell asleep.)
One of our rest stops was a McD's that had this cool guitar table. Here are the guys giving it a go...
'A' actually had a guitar pick. HA!
Another rest stop picture...
It was late afternoon when we reached Sacramento. We checked into the Holiday Inn Express. Everything was going wrong that day with them. It was really bad. But, we all persevered and made it through the night.
'R' found this post and wanted his picture taken next to it...
The tradition of jumping from bed to bed...
One of the unfortunate things that happened while we were there was that the carpet cleaner company had set carpets on fire. This somehow disabled their whole computer system and they had no idea what rooms were occupied and who was in them. We had other guests entering our room a few times, and also phone calls that hung up immediately well into the night. We figured the front desk was trying to see if the room was occupied or not. Not a good day for this hotel.
On the upside, we got to visit with the fire crew. I told them we had just one night in Sacramento, what should we do? The told us to go to Old Sacramento, when the original town was built during the Gold Rush days.
There was actually a festival going on called "Gold Rush Days". We arrived as it was closing down, but we did get to see some people in costumes.
This is an old fire engine...
An old "paddy wagon"...
We had dinner at a fun Mexican restaurant, overlooking the street.
DAY 2/SUNDAY
The next morning (Sunday), we walked to the Governor's Mansion. After the Reagans lived in it for 15 years, it was turned into a Historic landmark and opened to the public. Unfortunately, they are updating it so this is all I got...
Here is what should be under there...
We drove about 30 minutes to a town called Roseville to attend the Bayside church. This is the church that Lincoln Brewster is the Worship Director for. We knew he would not be there because he was at a big festival in South Dakota, but we wanted to attend a service anyway.
It was pretty amazing. We had an usher show us around and help us get the kids set up. They have three services and all three services were packed to the rim, with 10 satellite churches within 20 miles of the main church.
The main sanctuary is straight ahead, children/youth ministry and a cafe on the left, not sure what was on the right (maybe administration?). The courtyard had a play area for the kids, a couple of nice fountain pools, and plenty of coffee and tables for relaxing.
They had a special speaker this day. He was very inspirational and a delight to learn from. You can read about him at Nick Vujicic/Lifewithoutlimbs.org
On the way to San Francisco, we stopped in Vallejo for Starbucks. There were two police officers. The boys went over to show them their new digital cameras we picked up for the trip (Fisher Price makes ones for kids, we highly recommend it!) We had so much fun with these officers. One of them placed his badge on 'A' to wear.
One of the officers gave 'R' his flashlight to "steal", and the boys reenacted to chase scene. Here is 'A' (the cop) chasing 'R' (the bad guy).
'A' patting 'R' down and reading him his rights (both boys know the Miranda rights)
The officer called dispatch and had one of the operators stand by for a "little voice" to come on. He directed 'A' and 'R' to speak codes into his walkie talkie. Both had a great time doing this. Dispatch responded to the boys enthusiastically. It was fun. Here is the officer telling 'A' what to do (or is it the other way around?)
The kids got to sit in the squad car...
'A' is showing the Code 4 sign, which I think means, "we are on a break"...
We rolled into San Francisco as the sun was beginning to set. I am glad DH was aware of all the tolls we would have to cross and was prepared for it. I would have been in trouble if it was left to me.
We were SO HAPPY to see this. This motocyclist was speeding (at least 110mph) and weaving in and out of traffic. It totally stressed me out. But, no sooner did we both say that we wished there was an officer around to nail this guy, that a motorcycle cop passed us. How often does this happen?
We checked into the Westin San Francisco Airport. We had the best view of the airport runway, but the rooms were completely soundproof. The boys spent a good amount of time watching the planes come in.
We would have stayed at this property longer, but the hot tub was out of order AND the indoor pool was not heated. This seriously cut the time DH and I wanted to be in the water, so we checked out after two nights to find a place that had a warmer pool.
DAY 3/MONDAY
The view from our window...
The boys really wanted to drive over the Golden Gate bridge, so we did that and then drove around Sausalito a bit...
Alcatraz...
We drove down the "crookedest street" in San Francisco. You see this street quite a bit in movies. It was fun to do, and a bit of a challenge in a minivan!
We walked Fisherman's Wharf...
The boys, with Alcatraz in the background...
What's San Francisco without a little revoultion? We ran across a union hotel strike. the boys were fascinated.
We had lunch at 'The Franciscan'. This place is incredible! A definite highlight for us! FOR LINDA...
After lunch, we took an electric car to Union Square and walked over to the Yerba Buena gardens...
This is a fountain/exhibit honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
You walk behind the waterfall. Here is one of the pictures behind the falls.
The view from behind the falls.
A different fountain nearby... DAY 4/TUESDAY
The boys taking a picture f the fountain in front of the Westin...
We drove to Newark and checked into the 'W' Hotel Silicon Valley. The property had the outdoor heated pool we were looking for! Because it was midweek, midday, we practically had the whole place to ourselves.
We drove through a neighborhood in Newark that had a small man-made lake that people could walk around. DAY 5/WEDNESDAY
I unfortunately caught a bug and spent all day in bed. The boys spent the whole day swimming.
DAY 6/THURSDAY
The 'W' has this "amenity" where you can drive an Acura for free. They even pay for the gas! So, we took the Acura on a day trip! The car was decked out with a fantastic GPS system, and satellite radio.
We drove to Mt. Hermom, a Christian camp, and walked around the property and hiked their trails...
One one of the trails, there is a lovely setting nestled among the huge redwood trees, called "Meditation Chapel". There is a bench that has a plaque honoring our own pastor's father...
If you can see in the trees, a fabulous ropes course...the boys can't wait until they are old enough to go on it!
We drove to Santa Cruz. This is where we chose to scatter Grandpa Al's ashes...
Santa Cruz has a boardwalk that runs along it. It was all closed up and quiet.
Pelicans...
'A' had a blast in the waves. He did not want it to end. 'R' was happier playing in the tidepool and sand...
Read this sign closely...DEEP FRIED?!?
We then drove to meet up with my friend Mary, in Sunol, and her son 'K' ('A's age). We hoped to play in a park, but it was so hot that my two boys wilted away immediately. We settled for sitting outside a convenience store with a cold beverage, until it was time for us to return the car.
We dropped off the Acura and drove from Newark to Redding, stopping for dinner on the way. We got to Redding at 11:30PM and checked into the Motel 6, (or as 'R' calls it '6'; like the 'W'...) All was well, until a HUGE fight woke DH and I up. All we knew was that there were alot of people involved and it was best we stay inside. The boys slept through it all.
DAY 7/FRIDAY
We left Redding at 8:30AM and drove home, arriving home around 8:00PM. We hit rush hour traffic in Portland, and Tacoma, but it wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, 'A' got sick and threw up three times in the car and two times at home. Corn dog. Not pretty. He was fine the next day, though.
We had a terrific time and would do it again in a heartbeat.
Assignment: Take time this week to write about YOU and your feelings of trials and triumphs with homeschooling. Touch on when you first heard about the concept of home schooling and whether you tip-toed into the idea or just jumped in and never looked back. Share your schooling as a child and how you compare it to what your goals are for your children.
My first impression of homeschool was anything but positive. The only encounters DH and I had with the homeschool world was with a family who lived a very counter-cultural lifestyle to ours, or a family that had children who socially could not fit into the public school system. So, based on these two examples, our judgment was formed.
When our first child was born, I was wrapped in the bliss of being a first time, stay-at-home mom. I would cuddle my little fella and say, "what shall we do today?" I wanted to find activities that we could do together that would enrich our days. I began to research online, different things to do. I kept encountering statements that would say something to the effect, "this would work well for homeschool families." From these encounters, I was beginning to see that homeschool was not necessarily a reactive action based on the failure to adapt in the "traditional" school environment, but that it was a proactive action; a decision made with much deliberation, and faith.
Once I was able to shake my initial negative perceptions, I began to look at other websites that were dedicated to homeschooling. I also found myself pregnant with our second child. The many nights staying up with small children gave me the time to read and learn and grow and discover that this is what God had planned for our family. Now if only He could convince DH. (A couple years later, He did!)
Goals for my children:
That they grow to become the men God intends them to be, and that we, as a family, will be able to discern what that is
That they love learning and that the thirst for knowledge is never extinguished
That they realize that they are not the only ones on this earth and that they are in a position of privilege and with that privilege comes the responsibility to care for others
That they will create a similar legacy with their own children, as God calls them to
Trials and Triumphs:
Trials-
Trying to get it all accomplished (school, household duties, fun, exercise, etc.)
Forgetting God in the process. I need to go to Him first with everything, yet that is not what I always do.
Trusting God that this is what I am supposed to be doing. The last thing I want to do is mess up my children.
Triumphs-
The overwhelming knowlege that this is what I am supposed to do. When the little doubts creep in, God provides the support and comfort in acknowledgement that I am heeding His call
Seeing the kids grasp a new concept and their own excitement at knowing they "got it".
Being able to correct their behavior at the moment it occurs and not hearing about it later. At the same time, they hold me accountable with my own behavior.
The classroom is not limited to four walls. We learn anywhere, everywhere.
Share your favorite scripture in your post. (one of many)
Matthew 22:37-39 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Some friends of ours went in bidding with us on a wine tasting for 10, at a winery ,about 2.5 hours from us. We won the auction and spent last weekend with four other wonderful couples. 'A' and 'R' got to spend their own fabulous weekend at Dado and Dada's. They went to the Museum of Flight, learned how to salsa, and ate paella!
Here's how the 'big kids' spent the weekend...(Leigh, David, Scott, Liann, Christine, Steve, Lacey, Rob, Scott, Lisa)
We could only spend one night because everyone serves at church on Sundays. Because of this one night limitation, most of the properties would not let us make a reservation. We had two options. One was a plush resort, with rooms starting at $200.00, or a motel at $85.00.
With the spirit of adventure and thrift, we chose the motel (AKA "The Bates Motel" by the guys). The rooms were pretty horrid, BUT, there were two silver linings:
We literally had the whole place to ourselves. A family checked in around 1AM, Saturday morning (yes, we were still up), but until then, we were the only ones.
Since we were by ourselves, we had the whole deck to ourselves. And, here was our view:
Not bad, huh?!
Here we are, Friday night, for the wine tasting...
Apricot Tree
After the tasting, we had a tour of the property. Here is the guide showing us how they bottle and label the bottles.
We had planned on going out to dinner, but everyone wanted to get back to the deck and enjoy the view and friendship. So, some had already brought treats, others had to track some down. There was no grocery store nearby and our only option was the Shell gas station. Now this gas station was an amped up mini mart, with fresh produce, but our table was pretty ecclectic.
Scott and Liann...
Rob and Lacey...
The girls...(excuse my red-eye. I can't get rid of it!)
Scott and Lisa...
(Bummer, I thought I also had a couple shot of Steve and Christine, but I don't)
The largest jelly fish I have ever seen...
The next morning, we walked into town for coffee, then drove to a church fundrasier, a "Corndoggle". It was a rummage sale, and you could have lunch there (a hot dog and an ear of corn, etc., hence, 'corndoggle'). We chose to not eat there, and everyone went their own way home.
At the Corndoggle
David and I took a different road home. We crossed a bridge and saw a bunch of fly fisherman. We got out and walked around a bit, enjoying the view. The salmon were HUGE!!
We stopped for lunch at the plush resort that we chose not to stay at. The Alderbrook
Lunch was fabulous, and the server was slow to bring us our lemonade, so she comped the drinks and took 20% off the bill. No complaints here! We had this amazing appetizer, 'Sweet Chili Chicken Wings' with cucumber-peanut slaw. There was this unique breading on the wings, but the chef would not divulge more than 'flour'...
I would definitely recommend coming here for a romantic Northwest getaway. It is lovely.
Driving over the Tacome Narrows bridge. What's up with a $4.00 toll?! Whatever happened to $.25?? Mount Rainier in the distance to the left.
Fun weekend with great friends. Too much fun!
Jen D. and I took the kids to Central Park, a neat park on the Issaquah Highlands. The weather was kind to us, and we were able to get some good play time in before the errands! I got to watch April's girls all morning, so they joined in on the fun!
OK, this is a great story! Get the kids occupied with something, get a cup of something to drink, sit down for a while and read...
This is the story of Laura and Jordan. Laura is the youngest daughter of good friends if ours. The father of the bride, Scott, is a Worship Leader and the mother of the bride, Liann, is a Children's Ministry Leader. Laura has been our awesome babysitter for the past five years. We all love her very much!
Jordan is in the military and was away in Yakima for training for a couple of weeks. He told Laura he was returning last Saturday, but he actually came back two days earlier and surprised her with a proposal. He wanted her family with them for the proporsal, so they planned a "family dinner" at a place that has a private dining area. Jordan was on bended knee with a couple dozen red roses when she walked in.
SHE SAID YES!
Jordan is being deployed to the Middle East for a year on August 20th. This precious couple decided they wanted to be married before he left. So, a wedding was planned for one week later on August 14th!
I served as the Coordinator. Here are pictures I took from yesterday's events.
We had rehearsal at 11AM. Here are Laura and Jordan at that time...
The guestbook table...
Jordan wrestling with the boys. No one can wrestle with them like Jordan can. We will all really miss him.
The flower girls, 'A' and 'M'...
My girlfriend, Lacey, worked as a florist before staying home with her four babies. She did the flowers. They are even more beautiful that these pictures, (if that's even possible).
We asked guests to gift money or gift cards instead of registry gifts, since Jordan is leaving so soon. This is the basket for the cards...
Flower girl, 'M", and ringbearer, 'R' before the wedding... ('M's granfather had just passed away unexpectedly and she is wearing a memorial "tattoo")
Ringbearer 'A'...so dapper! He made sure to let everyone know that he was the best looking person in a tuxedo...
The flower girl baskets...
Flower girl 'A', showing the table where guests signed a picture frame with prayers and well wishes.
It was super hot yesterday and the church does not have air conditioning (we are in Washington, after all...), so 'A' is taking a break and the boys are fanning her.
L: Liann, MOTB R: Colleen, MOTG
Laura and Liann
Laura (being silly) and sisters, Amy and Sarai...
Cooling off with a fan...
Bridesmaids, Lindsay and Jessica...
The punch bowl and water fountain...
The cake..
The food...
The guys waiting before their cue. (Laura insisted that Jordan not see her until she was walking down the aisle, so they were all sequestered to their own rooms.)
The ceremony begins... this is a picture during the prelude. DH is playing guitar, next to FOTB, Scott, also playing guitar. There were about 200 guests.
The parents, grandparents, and family, lined up for the 'Seating of the Family"
While the family was being seated, a slide show played of Laura and Jordan...
The boys waiting for their moment...
There were three worship songs. All us girls were dancing and singing to "Oh, Happy Day" in the lobby, before the processional. (The guys were in a different room (the Family Room). During the processional, the groomsmen and bridesmaids walked in from different rooms and met at the aisle, to walk down together).
After the processional of the bride, the father of the groom gave words of wisdom. He told Laura and Jordan to always remember four things...(Honor, Esteem, Have Fun, and I don't recall the other one.) It was beautiful. Here is a picture of the boys, with the FOTG sharing.
Scripture readers Kara, Kelly, Leah, and Karen...
The boys needed to "take a break" during the ceremony...
Pastor John getting the blessing from the parents...
Unity Candle Ceremony. FOTB Scott and sister Sarai sang 'Center"
'R' had it. He came and laid down next to me before the ceremony was over. He is using the ring pillow as his pillow.
Presentation of the couple!
Cutting the cake...
The spread...
"Too cute for their own good" couple, Derrick and Jessie. He caught the garter and she caught the bouquet and both were VERY happy. So, I am guessing another wedding is not too far off...
'R', striking a "James Bond" move...
The bouquet toss.
Another "too cute" couple, Lindsay and Derrick!
DH and usher, Andrew...
'T' and 'R' looking up at the stars, (excuse me, constellations...)
Bubbles before the limo...
Our church hosted a Vacation Bible School-Family Style. It was 3 nights and families attended, not just the kids. The format was large group songs, the lesson in the form of a play, structured activities in smaller groups, then large group wrap up.
DAY ONE
Angela and Debi, our awesome leaders!
1st Activity:
We learned about combining influences. We took a bottle of Pepsi and a couple of Mentos. By themselves they don't do much, but look what happens when you combine the two. The lesson was how powerful the combination of intentional parenting and the church influences a child's life.
2nd Activity:
the boys had to throw a dry sponge and see how far it went. Then, they threw a sponge that was full of water. They were able to throw MUCH farther with the wet sponges. The lesson showed how much farther you can go being full of Jesus.
3rd Activity:
We made our own rocket; to be used on the last night.
'R's reaction to finding out he was going to get cotton candy on the last night... DAY TWO
Our friend, Jeff, playing "Grandpa Henry"
Activity 1:
We made smaller rockets. These are really cool! You take a 35mm plastic film canister and wrap paper around it, lid side down. Add the rocket top and flaps. Place a little bit of water in the canister, add one Alka Seltzer tablet, close the lid quickly, and place on the ground. The rocket pops up! After a while, the older kids decided it was more fun to remove the "Rocket" part and just play with the canisters. You could hear the kids shouting, "fire in the hole" and we'd all wait to see the canisters shoot into the air.
(Remember the cutie in this picture? This is 'M'. I babysat her a couple years ago during the school year when she was in half day kindergarten.)
DAY THREE
DH was a part of the Worship Team this night. He is Hawaiian shirt guy in the back...
Miss April stepping in for a sick Debi. WTG, girl!!
(?) on left and Michael P. on right...
The church created a carnival on the last night. There were blow up, bouncy toys...
Name: Chichi
Name: Chichi
Name: Belicia
Name: Belicia
"Chichi and Belicia are int he rain forest and they have tears coming down their face because it is so hot. I like Chichi because he is so funny."
"I like to buy videos; I like to read books. I like to cook, and I like to watch 1 Adam 12." (the original)
Here are the real 3 G's...
'R' pointing to the SEPALS.
Marc Chagall, The Birthday, 1915
Pieter De Hooch, The Courtyard of a House in Delft, 1658
Not bad, huh?!
To be a kid again...
'F'; I just wanna squeeze those cheeks!
'A2', cute girl!
'A1' is a mountain goat!
