Little Women
• Aug. 16, 2008 - Reading between the lines
I don't watch much TV, but I do love the Olympics--the grace of the gymnasts, the tenseness of beach volleyball, the speed of the swimmers! But one thing has caught my eye this year, more than ever before.
Perhaps I am reading into things a bit here, but I can see it in the eyes of Michael Phelps' mother. Fifteen years ago, she was a single mother, raising 3 children. One of these was a son with an enormous amount of energy. I can see her in my minds eye, trying to deal with such energy day after day, probably after a long day of work. I can imagine fairly stressful parent-teacher meetings, maybe questions about referrals for help with sitting still all day. My mind sees her wondering how on earth she will cope with this child, growing up in today's world with boundless energy and not being quite like the other kids around. I would be worrying about what would happen as he grew up, and would he ever settle down. He'd be bigger than she is, soon.
They finally chose a sport, in an attempt to use some of that energy in positive channels. Here he meets a coach who can see the neediness in this young boy, and puts time into him, in and out of the pool. And Phelps succeeds!
I see his mom wondering, remembering, every time, "How did we ever come this far? If I had known then, what I know now, that this boundless energy would be controlled to a purpose......!" The relief, the pride, the joy is all there, right on Mrs. Phelps lovely, smiling face--so proud of what her son has become.
And I think the rest of us, who struggle day to day with a child who has way more energy than we do, who may be a bit different from the others, needy in some way, can take a lot of encouragement from her story, as well as his. |
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• Jul. 22, 2008 - plans for 2008-2009
This is my first year for all FOUR to be in school!!! YIKES!  Here's what we're planning, though of course, our abiltiy to get it all done may vary!
9th grader:
Sonlight Core 5, plus Runkle World Geography text (not workbook), using older Eastern Hemisphere Explorer, because it's harder
Apologia Biology
Teaching Textbooks Geometry
Learning Language Arts Through Literature, Silver
Bible: Remembering God's Awesome Acts
needs to do Spanish, probably with dh's old books, as I can speak it to teach it
SAT prep or thinking skills workbooks
7th grader:
Sonlight Core 5, using newer Eastern Hemisphere Explorer
Apologia General Science
Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra
Learning Language Arts Through Literature, Green
Bible: Remembering God's Awesome Acts
needs to do Spanish, probably with dh's old books, as I can speak it to teach it
thinking skills workbooks (the ones Sonlight sold a few years ago)
3rd grader:
portions of Core 5, including parts of new Eastern Hemisphere Explorer with my help
portions of Galloping the Globe, along with my K
Apologia elementary science, Botany (to start with, at least)
Horizons 3
Learning About God From A to Z (old Sonlight 4, but I still have one)
Learning Language Arts Through Literature, yellow
Spanish? She wants to, and I have the "complete" workbook that you can buy at Walmart
for younger grades
K:
Galloping the Globe, including some FIAR books, as they fit, and a bit of SLK, where it fits naturally
Leading Little Ones to God
ETC workbooks and CLP beginning reading set
Math thinking book from Critical Thinking (can't remember exact title)
will also start Miquon Orange (this child loves math and workbooks! )
sits in on read-alouds for older kids, but I'm going to try to give her her own RA's, too, when I
can fit them in.
Galloping the Globe will also be mostly for her. |
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• Jun. 4, 2008 - things about me
My sister sent this to me, and I thought, rather than sending to a bunch of friends who might not want to post, it could be an optional tag--if you like it, copy it onto your blog and post what you like! :)
> Welcome to the 2008 edition of getting to know your friends. Change
> all the answers that apply to you, and then send this to your friends
> including the person who sent it to you. The theory is that you will
> learn a lot of little things about your friends that you might not
> have known!
>
> 1. What time did you get up this morning?
7:30
> 2. Diamond or pearls?
Am I the only one? Pearls!
> 3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Veggie Tales pirate movie
(and the ones I WANT to see are Expelled and Prince Caspian)
> 4. What is your favorite TV show(s)?
I don't watch TV much. I do want to watch the Olympics
> 5. What do you usually have for breakfast?
Cereal most weekdays; pancakes most Saturdays
I also love waffles with strawberries on them.
> 6. What is your middle name?
Jo
> 7. What food don't you like?
There's not much I don't like. I'm not fond of highly spicy food, though.
> 8. What is your favorite CD at the moment?
Hm......we've been listening to my Michael Card collection a lot lately.
I like Chris Tomlin, too.
> 9. What kind of car do you drive?
Honda Odyssey
> 10. Favorite sandwich?
Ham or Turkey with cheese and tomato is good. So is BLT.
NO Avocado!!! :)
> 11. What characteristic do you despise?
unkind speech
> 12. Favorite item of clothing?
Birkenstocks; capris
> 13. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?
Guatemala, Denver, Indiana
> 14. Favorite brand of clothing?
I'm not too particular, here. I'll go for whatever I like at the time.
> 15. Where would you retire to?
Haven't thought much about that. I'd like to travel around, I think.
> 16. What was your most recent memorable birthday?
30 was big--Mom and Dad came from another state, and hubby had a surprise party for me.
> 17. Favorite sport to watch?
rhythmic gymnastics, regular gymnastics, swimming, diving
> 18. Furthest place you are sending this?
(who is farthest away, here?)
> 19. Person you expect to send it back first?
since I'm not really sending it OUT......
> 20. When is your birthday?
I'll never tell! :)
> 21. Are you a morning person or a night person?
daytime
> 22. What is your shoe size?
10
> 23. Pets?
2 cats, but I'd love a dog, too
> 25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us?
hey, is this some secret plot to get me to reveal something?
> 26. What did you want to be when you were little?
nurse, teacher, Spanish major probably working with international business(in high school)
I don't think being a wife or mom really ever entered my head.
> 27. How are you today?
tired--we just got back from camping
> 28. What is your favorite candy?
Snickers
> 29. What is your favorite flower?
carnations
> 30. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
the day we hear about hubby's new job possibility
> 32. What is your full name?
more secrets.....
> 33. What are you listening to right now?
The computer humming
> 34. What was the last thing you ate?
chicken with sauce (leftover from camping trip), rice, broccoli
> 35. Do you wish on stars?
No, but I like to see them shoot!
> 36. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
no clue--I don't do things like this!
> 37. How is the weather right now?
light rain all day
> 38. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
my cousin
> 39. Favorite soft drink?
Dr. Pepper
> 40. Favorite restaurant?
Ruby River with hubby; Mimi's by myself
> 41. What color is your hair?
Mouse brown, sprinkled with gray
> 42. What was your favorite toy as a child?
according to my baby book, "anything [sister] has!"
> 43. Summer or winter?
Spring!!
> 44. Hugs or Kisses?
hugs (dd will take the candy kind!)
> 45. Chocolate or Vanilla?
chocolate, duh! :) What'd be the point?
> 46. Coffee or Tea?
Tea, preferably iced or spiced
> 47. Do you want your friends to email you back?
Yes
> 48. The last time you cried?
A couple of weeks ago, but I don't very often
> 49. What is under your bed?
dust bunnies? kitty cat looking for solitude?
my inline skates
> 50. What did you do last night?
unpacked car after camping; went to bed
> 51. What are you afraid of?
trauma happening to my kids
> 52. Salty or Sweet?
sweet, but according to the dr, I'm supposed to say salty
> 53. How many keys on your key ring?
3
> 54. How many years at your current job?
17 as wife and homemaker; 14 as mom; 9 as homeschooler
> 55. Favorite day of the week?
any day I can go do something fun
> 56. How many towns have you lived in?
17 or 18
> 57. Do you make friends easily?
Yes
> 58. How many people will you send this to?
don't know, yet (just trying to get the answers done! :) )
probably just post it here
> 59. How many will respond?
a few
> 60. What happened to 24 & 31?
since they tell us later, I won't bother
> *24.* If you received a phone call from Jesus and were granted 1 question, what would you ask Him?
I think my questions would be irrelevant! I would hopefully just worship.
> *31.* If you could remove one thing in the world what would it be?
pollution
(though sin and selfishness are probably better choices) |
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• Apr. 30, 2008 - a lesson in giving
The BFS assignment reminded me of a story from my own life, but it isn't exactly what BFS suggested. None-the-less, here's my story:
My husband, M, has a friend who has had some really hard times (some due to his own fault, but still, he needed a helping hand). M, of course, is always willing for me to get rid of some clutter, :) so he suggested that I give his friend, N, some of my kitchen things. Having just cleaned out the kitchen a few weeks earlier, and made a trip to the Salvation Army, I was NOT HAPPY about this, but the Lord kept pointing out to me that I had two pancake turners.
"But I NEED two pancake turners, Lord! What if I make pancakes and eggs at the same time?"
"Give him one of your pancake turners."
"But M and I don't eat the same type of eggs, so even if I just make eggs, I still need a second pancake turner."
"Give him one of your pancake turners."
Sigh. I was still not happy about it, but I gathered together several kitchen items, including one of my pancake turners. I was still murmuring about having "only" one pancake turner.
The following week, a sweet friend who was moving came over. She surprised me by bringing in 2 good-sized boxes. She said, "I have been collecting china for years, now, and I wound up with 3 sets, my moms, my wedding china, and a set I collected from the grocery store in high school. I used to stand outside the store and ask people if they were going to use their china coupons. I cannot move all 3 sets, and the Lord reminded me of your two teacups. The set I got in high school matches those, so I am giving you that set." (This is beautiful, Havelin china, from Germany.)
Friends, she gave me a complete service for TWELVE, including the teapot, soup toureen, and ice cream dishes!!! The two teacups I had were my grandmother's. She had given one to each grandchild, but I somehow wound up with 2. I was way too far down the line for the rest of her china. (As far as I'm concerned, I do have my grandmother's china.)
So here I was, holding onto a plastic pancake turner, and the Lord was holding in reserve a whole set of china.
And I just realized while typing this, that about a year ago (5 years, at least, after the pancake turner incident), another friend gave me a pancake turner!!! (Not that I hadn't eventually gotten a second one, again, but that God, in His time, gave me back a free turner, as well! :) ) |
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• Apr. 29, 2008 - do you want to become famous? 4yo knows how
Yesterday, my 4yo was walking around singing Steve Green's song from Philippians (or is it Colossians?):
Do everything without complaining.
Do everything without arguing,
So that you may become FAMOUS and pure....!
I wish I had been fast enough to stop the 14yo from telling her it was wrong!!!
Then today, I was putting cream cheese on crackers:
"Mommy, can I butter my own cracker."
"No, it's cheese."
"Well then, can I cheese them?" :) |
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• Apr. 22, 2008 - best thing I learned this past year
I finally figured something out. I've read many times that ADHD kids are usually 2 years behind in various areas, such as emotional control and writing. I don't know why it's taken me so long, but I finally figured something out.
As long as I was trying to make my 11yo write like a 5th grader, we were going to have major issues. BUT, if I made her write like a 3rd grader last year, and like a 4th grader this year, she would be ABLE to meet my expectations. She would learn to do it better, and more willingly. (She has always been able to write well if I did the handwriting part, but struggled to write more than a sentence or two on her own.)
I have to say that it has really transformed our school year. She has learned to write 1/2-3/4 of a page, without complaining, and it is well done. I have seen that she HAS grown at least a year's worth over the last year, and without the melt-downs we had last year. Her writing has matured a great deal, and I am very encouraged by the whole thing.
Now that her handwriting is starting to mature, her ability to think logically is also coming out in her writing. It is shorter than a typical 6th grader's work, but it shows the thought of a middle schooler.
I just had to learn to expect what SHE could produce, and not what everybody else did. |
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• Jan. 4, 2008 - New Year's Resolutions
(A bit late--should my first one be "to be on time?" :) )
My top priority is actually to have ONE-HALF the number of receipts!!! I don't even care if I spend more money (though in reality, with fewer receipts, I always do spend less). I'm just tired of the budget taking me forever to do!!! :)
Also, I need to lose weight and to be more organized. |
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• Jan. 4, 2008 - I FINALLY got my list of favorite posts done!
(Until I get a new one that I am very happy with! :) )
It's been on my to-do list for over a year! I was looking for a post that I wanted to pass to a friend, and was frustrated with how long it took me to find it. So, I finally decided it was TIME to fix it!
If anyone is interested, you can take a look at the things I've posted over the past almost 2 years (can it possibly have been that long?), that I think are the best.
(Oh, and sorry about this being posted empty the first time--my typo) |
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• Dec. 27, 2007 - trip to Boston, family history, etc
I am going to Boston at the end of January, just me and my hubby! We have a weekend (during which he wants to take me to the Newport Mansions in RI, not a huge drive, for westerners, and I want to go up to Maine--we will probably do that Sunday afternoon), and I will have 4 days by myself, while he works!!! :) He was told it would be safe for me to take public transit, so I am trying to figure out what I really want to do there. I suppose whatever it is will entail walking around in the cold! We have cold here, but it's dry, so I'm sure I will notice it.
In the meantime, I've been googling a few family names I know, and I found someone who has been doing research on 1 particular line. Parts of it have been traced back into the 1100's, which I think it pretty cool. There are various tax records stating that someone was taxed for 10 acres, 1 horse, 1 cow, and several goats or sheep. The most interesting thing is one little girl, born of English parents, in Holland, in 1621! She was later married, in Massachusetts. This was fascinating for me and my kids, as we are currently studying Colonial times. (These are my husband and kids' ancestors, not mine. We already knew someone ELSE was on the Mayflower.)
Anyways, it's been interesting. Life around here is never boring! |
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• Nov. 23, 2007 - intersting article about ADHD
I ran across a very interesting article, today, about ADHD brain development. There's a new study out showing that several parts of the brain develop much more slowly in ADHD children, especially "egions that suppress inappropriate actions and thoughts, focus attention, remember things from moment to moment, work for reward and control movement." Depending on area, they run up to 3 years behind (early part of article), but areas which relate to tying sensory input to higher thinking were actually 5 years behind (end of article)!
One thing I've learned on here is that ADHD kids are typically 2 years behind in emotional, social, and fine motor skills. This now makes a great deal of sense.
(The best think I've done in the past year, school wise, is to expect dd to have writing skills 2 years behind. It has transformed writing from tragic to bearable.)
Here's the link:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,311078,00.html?sPage=fnc.health/neurology |
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• Nov. 5, 2007 - oh, help, help, help!!!
(or, I really need prayer!!!  )
I went to a new dr today for my CFS. The other place closed a few months ago, and I am doing unusual things with my thyroid. This dr's office, thankfully IS on my insurance, which will be very helpful.
However, they have a very strict low-sugar, anti-everything-that-you-might-be-allergic-to diet they put you on, and I think I'm going to DIE!!! I really think it's the right thing for me, and I think it will really help me, in a lot of ways. BUT, I am the sugar-queen of the universe, and I don't think I can LIVE without soda!!! (OK, so that an exaggeration, but only a bit of one!)
They are doing a bunch of other stuff for me, that I also think will be helpful, such as trying new ways to help me sleep.
She said when your cell wall gets resistant, then you can't use what you eat well, you can't use the thyroid you are taking, etc.
For the first 2 weeks, I can have Chicken, Turkey, Fish, eggs, vegetables, and nuts. That's it. They do give you a protein shake, not because you will lack protein, but because it will help you be less hungry. The goal here is to come out of the 2 weeks NOT craving sugar (but the 2 weeks will be very difficult!)
Weeks 3 and 4 you add fruit. Weeks 5 and 6 you add legumes. Then after that you add in grains, one per week, so you get a chance to see if you are allergic to any of them.
Worse than that, I really would like at least 2 of my dd's to do this WITH me, and you can guess how well THAT is going to go over!
I would greatly appreciate your prayers, and any encouragement you can send my way!
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• Oct. 21, 2007 - We had a birthday party for my 80yo mother-in-law yesterday
We surprised my MIL with a birthday party, yesterday. It was kind of spur-of-the-moment, since we didn't even think of it until last Friday, and her actual birthday was Monday. But being the big 80, we thought we should do something.
We knew she wouldn't like a big party, where she didn't get to talk to people, so we just mentioned it to several friends, whom we knew would know others...... I got a cake at Costco (huge, not too expensive, very pretty, and VERY yummy! :) ) , along with WAY more ice cream than we turned out to need. (Anybody want some good vanilla ice cream?)
We invited her over for lunch, then stalled around a bit about the cake. At 2pm, the doorbell rang, and it was a mutual friend. MIL was glad to see her, but didn't think much about it. Then at 2:10, the doorbell rang again--this was someone I used to know well, but haven't seen in years--but she's a good friend of MIL's. Then, MIL turned to me and said, "Oh, what HAVE you done?!?!?!"
It was great. There weren't a lot of people, but that gave MIL a good chance to talk to everyone.
My mom commented later that probably, in her adult life at least, nobody had ever given MIL a birthday party! MIL was smiling when she left, so we are all pretty happy with the outcome. (Also, the guys at hubby's work are happy, because they got left-over cake!) |
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• Oct. 2, 2007 - $2062
I know that's not bad, considering what some others around me have had to pay.
That's our portion of the braces K(13) needs, presuming the insurance company pays the $2000 they think they will. (They are supposed to be getting official pre-approval for this, since the guy they talked to on the phone "didn't seem too bright"--their words; I think he had trouble finding the account.) They want us to pay it all up front, of course, second to that, they will take half. If we can't do that, "wait, let me talk to the manager" (maybe that means "run a credit report," I'm not sure)......you can put $500 down, then $71 per month for 2 years!!! Yikes! (I know most of their expenditures are up front, with the braces supplies, so they are justified in asking for it up front.....)
She does really need it, though. One of her top teeth (the canine, I think, which should have come in a couple years ago) hasn't come down because it has nowhere to go, and the bottom doesn't line up properly with the top.
Then worse, L(11) will likely need to start her work in about 6 months, at approximately the same cost. She bashed her chin hard at about 6yo, and the consequence seems to be that her whole jaw is pushed back. This requires an appliance, and they want to put that in while her jaw is growing at it's fastest. (Should be from 10 or 12 years old through about 14 years old.)
Thankfully, all C (7) needs for now is a couple of teeth pulled. We are probably going to have to pull her lower teeth a few month ahead each time, hoping that she'll grow enough to have space, eventually. He said he will measure every 6 months, to be sure the tooth space is growing, not shrinking, but will wait to put in a stretcher until he has to. (I guess some ortho's will put it in right away, but he prefers to measure, and as long as it doesn't lose ground, he'll wait awhile. He says otherwise she'll have a band around the 6-year molar, which is a permanent tooth, for 6-8 years, which he thinks is just way too long.)
Today's evaluations were free, at any rate. |
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• Aug. 20, 2007 - you know you've spent way too long online when...
Among the cool things we've unearthed lately at my mother-in-law's house is a small diary, in which hubby's grandma wrote down various things when his dad was a baby. She started Jan 1, 1931, and continued through 1934. (She wrote only 1 paragraph each day, so there was room later to come back and add another year, then another, and another.)
I found out where my kids get their propensity for ear infections. (Grandpa's lasted 4-6 weeks, and he could scarcely get out of bed for most of it, though he was only 1-2yo. There was no tylenol nor penicillin, yet.)
There are also frequent notes that she did not feel well, as she eventually came down with TB. (She recovered, after a few years.)
At any rate, I was reading some of these to hubby. I said, "....and a bit later, she posts that ......"
He nearly fell off the couch--"She POSTS?!?!?!?" |
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• Aug. 18, 2007 - a blog you really "should" be reading
I have been very impressed with my sister's blog for the past year or so. She writes some about spiritual things, some on politics, a lot about homeschooling.
This time, she really takes the cake! :)
She wrote a response to an editorial by the founder of USA Today, in which he blasts homeschoolers as not giving our kids wings, but keeping them tied to our apron strings. She takes the full statement, talks a lot about giving kids roots, then also about the many ways we are able to give our kids wings, and turns his whole analogy on its head.
Really, really, really--you should all be reading her blog! :) It is:
http://marcys-musings.blogspot.com/ |
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• Aug. 14, 2007 - when kids have trouble paying attention to their work
A post on another forum made me think about some things we've done, that have helped my kids pay attention to their work. (Or, perhaps more accurately, have helped ME when they don't! :) )
1. I read that MOST kids can't really keep up on their schoolwork by themselves until 8yo. This was certainly true with my oldest (who does not have ADD of any type). It was as if a switch were flicked, and she suddenly learned to do this. My 3rd hit this point a bit earlier, though perhaps this was from seeing her older sisters.
2. I have also read that most ADD kids are about 2 years behind their peers in areas like ability to focus, emotional stability, often fine and/or gross motor skills. This has certainly proven true with my 2nd. (The one with all the initials after her name.) She is very smart, could read early, etc. However, in the areas here, whatever my oldest hit at 8, my second hit at 10. I just had to learn to stop pushing, because it simply WAS NOT going to happen, until she was ready.
3. My older 2 benefited greatly from using a timer. I gave them 20 minutes for math, then usually 10 minutes more. Whatever was left was "homework." This sounds dumb, but even homeschooled kids seem to detest homework. Where it might take 20 minutes to do 5 problems during "school time," I found it would take 5 minutes to do the remaining 20, when it was "homework." I think the connection between how long math took and how long they had left to play was more clear to them. Perhaps the break from the topic helped, as well.
4. My oldest really benefited when I gave her a schedule of her own work. All of a sudden it clicked that, when she finished the list, she was DONE, and could run and play. I think that before that, she really thought if she got one thing done, I would just give her another. Having her own list really helped her internalize it. (The others never really worked without a list, as I had learned from the first one. It still has taken them awhile to internalize the benefits of getting it done.)
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• Jul. 27, 2007 - We went to the Creation Museum in KY 2 weeks ago
It was REALLY, really nice, though rather crowded. (My parents have a friend who helped make it, and they said there were 75,000 people there in the first 6 weeks or so! We figured it averaged about 1200 per day, though they said there were 4000 the first day, so perhaps the "average" doesn't count for much. They really weren't set up for such huge crowds, so places like the lunch lines were very long.) All of the crowds were really nice, though--no grumbling or complaining, at all, no negative words the whole day!
The exhibits themselves were very nice. It was young earth, of course, but it wasn't really "in your face." It doesn't really argue the facts, but more presumes them, and explains how they fit together. (I'm sure you could get into very in-depth conversations with the people at the end of the museum, who are there for that purpose.)
For those who have read a lot of books, there wasn't much new information. However, it was really nice to see it all in one place, to see what it could have been like, etc. Both my older 2 girls would have spent much longer, and read every panel.
They spent quite a bit of time explaining how it is that we can see the same facts, but draw different interpretations from them. I thought this was really good to just show how it is that YE'ers fit the pieces together.
Next there was a section on Biblical authority, with dioramas of Isaiah, Moses, and David; then one of Peter and John looking into the empty tomb; then one of Paul writing in prison. This section also had a bit with a video that we didn't get to see much of about the Scopes Trial. There was a bit about how turning away from God causes various social ills, which was not very graphic or scary.
Then they went into the Biblical history (from a YE perspective), with a cool dramatized reading of Genesis 1. (One of the bottlenecks, but my kids loved this so much we saw it twice.) After this, there is a diorama of the Garden of Eden, including a cool way they pictured Adam and Eve talking to God, with lights and shadows. They used the typical Answers in Genesis 7C's presentation, so here was creation. You come out of this into a room with pictures and a video presentation of various aspects of creation, such as laws of physics relating to light, animal eyes, birds and flight, etc. My kids LOVED this, and would have stayed here for an hour!
The serpent was realistic and scary. Then they went into how the fall affected humanity, and this part WAS scary and somewhat gruesome. There were pictures of things like the holocaust, and I hurried J (4yo) and C (7yo) through this part. The older 2 (11yo and 13yo) were fine with it, though, and I think it was good for them to really see and understand this. (Corruption)
From there we went into a large Noah's ark diorama. They had a cross-section of the ark, which I thought was really cool--it may have been 3-4 feet thick, and had huge beams and such! There were little dioramas of various parts along the way, as well, and a computerized model of "the fountains of the deep" breaking open. (Though honestly this wasn't quite the way I picture it, and I think they could have done better with the computer model. Still, it was good, though, and not too scary for the littles.) (Catastrophe)
There was some discussion, not a lot, about the tower of Babel, and more about the dispersion of the races from one family. This is, of course, a big question for many secular people (less so since some recent discoveries show all coming from one woman "not Eve, of course" and one man "not Adam, of course, nor Noah, either"). If you've read One Blood, you will be familiar with the basic genetic ideas here. (Confusion)
From here, you go through another theater, which does a really wonderful job of presenting the gospel. (Called The Last Adam, it covers Christ and the Cross, which I think are the next 2 C's.) It is not "in your face," but it says clearly "this is what we believe." It's about 15 or 20 minutes, and is slightly graphic. C watched it all, but K was with J, and covered her eyes a couple times. I think it was OK, though. I thought this part was really well done. At the end, they just say that if you have questions, there are people in the foyer outside that you can talk to.
Then there is the "dragon's den," which has a bunch of dinosaurs, mostly non-animated. (Some of the dino's as you go along are animated, which is cool. The figures and animations are very well done, top-of-the-line technology, real looking skin, etc.) There is a video about dinosaurs and dragons which I did not see. I bought the video and the kids and my mom saw and liked it, but I was at the store.
The children's room was not open. I'm not sure if it's finished or not, but they needed it for an overflow theater for The Last Adam. They actually had the gospel video in three rooms, and had moved the dragons video into the lecture hall. (One of the areas in which they were unprepared for the crowd, but they knew they had to let people see this piece of the whole picture.)
Without the children's room, though, there was not a lot for J to do, very little hands-on, at all.
The bookstore was nice, well-stocked with books, though a bit low on things like t-shirts. (I'm guessing that's mostly because such specifically marked items have to be pre-ordered, while the books might be more generally available for restocking.) They had nice sections of kids' books, curriculum options (including the God's Design for Science series, their 7C's curriculum, and the Pilgrim's Progress unit study which I think they publish, for some reason, as well. BTW, the PP unit study also looked very nice), laymen's books, and technical books.
The grounds are beautiful, though you may not have a lot of time for enjoying them. We had lunch on the porch, next to a large pond full of water-lilies. We let the girls walk around it by themselves, and Mom and I relaxed and enjoyed the lovely atmosphere.
I would definitely recommend paying the extra for the planetarium show. What they are doing right now is about distance in space, and it shows graphically a lot of things like comparing the distance from the Earth to the sun with the distance from the sun to Alpha Centauri. Even J liked this a lot.
It was fairly expensive, but they offer $5 off per adult ticket (including off the senior ticket, which my mom used), if you are willing to sign up for their mailing list. We are already on it, anyways, but they didn't care. You can find it online, but they also had a little sign-up sheet when you come in the door, so you didn't have to have gotten it beforehand.
We really, really liked it! It was nice to have the whole presentation laid out for us, and the kids thought it was way-cool, as well. It's best for school-aged and above, though a lot of preschoolers were doing it, and they were pretty well-behaved about it. I would think in a few months the crowds will go down a bit, so wait until fall if you are close to it.
For those who disagree with YE ideas, you probably won't like it as much as we did, but it's still worth doing if you are in the area.
For those who want to teach their kids about YE ideas, I can't think of a better way or place. It was definitely worth the 4 or so hours we drove to get their from my parent's house, and I would suggest that anyone going near the area take the time to visit the Creation Museum. We will likely go again, in a few years, the next time we are out there. 
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• Jul. 4, 2007 - I had to sell my car to pay my library fine (true past story)
Since I teased someone with the story, on a different blog, I suppose I really ought to tell the whole story, here.
A few years ago, we participated in Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree project. They suggested that we could write to the prisoner whose child we were giving a gift to, so we did this. We wrote back and forth a few times, and wound up sponsoring him out of his half-way house several times. Eventually, he was out for good.
About this time, we also had an older car, which needed to be replaced. We offered it to Billy, and he was very interested in it. We had heard that giving away something like this had tax complications, so we sold it to him for $1.
A few days later, I went into the library to pick up a book. I had forgotten that I had a fine, and had not brought in my wallet, but I did have that $1 bill still in my pocket. So, it took all the money I got from selling my car to pay my library fine.
I do still have fines pretty regularly, but Mike reminds me, "We can't afford to sell another car, just to pay your library fines!" :) |
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• Jul. 4, 2007 - microscope giveaway
• Jun. 24, 2007 - purpose of rainbow, 3yo's perspective
I was reading Noah's Ark to my 3yo Friday night. The story used the term "bow," re. the rainbow, and J knew what it meant.
J: That's a rainbow!
Me: Yes.
J: That's God's bow!
Me: Yes.
J: He puts it in His hair!!!
Me: Cough, choke! Um, well, not exactly, sweetheart. He puts it in the clouds.
J: Why does He do THAT? (implication: that's a dumb place to put it! )
Me: I guess He likes it there.
It reminds Him of His promise.
(But I really like her answer better.) |
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