I don't know why my computer won't let me do this all in one, but here is a nice guitar rendition of There is a Quiet Place. Make sure you turn off the music on the right sidebar before listening.
Holy Cannolis! Look what I just saw on Ebay, the same album my parents have. Take a look at that price!
The last few days the Lord gave me a much needed rest. He took my morning sickness away, for the most part. I still was nauseous but it wasn't all day/night long and I didn't feel that constant sensation that at any moment I was going to be running to the bathroom. Last night, I began to feel the nausea intensify and today I'm back to how I have been. But that 24 hour period, I am giving thanks to my Heavenly Father who knew I needed it so badly. I was able to eat food, real food and drink whole glasses of water at a time. It had been sooo long since I had indulged in food and water like that. LOL It felt wonderful and definitely picked up my sagging spirit.
As my morning sickness has returned to it's normal state and I'm finding myself in the bathroom more than I'd like to be, I'm not going to forget this gift I was given.
Growing up my parents had some Christian Albums from artists most people would never recognize nowadays. One of the albums was from the Madri Gals and Guys. I loved listening to that album. One of the songs on the album was There is a Quiet Place. I was reminded of that song over the last couple of days as that's how I felt w/ my brief respite. I wanted to share it with you all. :) (I guess Take 6 is also known for this song. I'll just always remember it from a '70's album. ;-) )
There is a Quiet Place
by Ralph Carmichael
There is a quiet place
far from the rapid pace
where God can soothe my troubled mind.
Sheltered by tree and flower
there in my quiet hour with him
my cares are left behind.
Whether a garden small,
or on a mountain tall
new strength and courage there I find,
and then from that quiet place
I go prepared to face a new day
with love for all mankind.
Here are my hardworking students working on their Geography skills.
Working on her Cover Page
Up Close
S's Flag
Art Lesson
Front side
Back side
Can you make out what this picture is?
Back side
Our art lesson today w/ Ping was to discuss the medium the artist used. In Ping Kurt Weise used colored pencils and crayons. We looked through the illustrations to see how he blended his colors to make new colors which represented the evening sky. We also talked about how he drew water. The kids took a try at these different techniques. E wants to know if anyone can figure out what she drew. :)
For E's lessons today we got most of our books from Amazon today! This is a brief recap of what we covered today:
Abraham Lincoln's World - So much was covered in this book today I don't think I can begin to even cover it! LOL Mainly we learned about Napolean. His rise to Emperor and the beginning of his fall. We learned about the Louisiana Purchase. We also met Lewis & Clark and Sacagewa as they traveled across the country discovering the new territory. All this as Abraham Lincoln was born in a humble log cabin in Kentucky!
Of Courage Undaunted - In this book we'll be delving deeper into Lewis and Clark's journey across the new world. Today we learned about Lewis' childhood and how he knew Thomas Jefferson.
Phew, I'm beat today, so everything is brief. Tomorrow, I'll try to have E do the narrations. She's much better. :)
Wow! Can it be true, I'm actually posting our school day happenings two days in a row. :)
Today w/ our FIAR story, Ping, we figured out how long ago the book was written and discussed what a "Classic" story is. Then discussed how Ping has stood the test of time and is certainly a classic. We also talked about the use of repetition in the story and wrote our own story using repetition. I had the kids take turn telling two sentences each, going around in a circle until we came to an end. Which will explain the silliness and lack of any real story line not to mention lack of grammatically correct sentences. LOL Here's the kids story:
Once upon a time there was a pretty orange and red fish. The orange and red fish lived on a reef with lots of red coral. It loved to play with all the other fish. One day, all of the red fish got eaten by a shark. The orange and red fish escaped!
He was very lonely because all of his friends were eaten. So he swam off into the deep blue ocean. As he swam deeper and deeper, it began to get colder and darker. He was afraid.
He didn't know which was was up. He looked up and saw lighter water. He swam towards the lighter water and found himself back in a sunny reef.
In the new reef, the orange and red fish meets a new school of red fish. He asks them if they would like to go on some new adventures.
Off they swam into the deep blue ocean.
Did you catch the repetition? Yeah, I didn't either. *sigh* note to teacher, work on that particular literary device. ;-)
For E's school today we are still waiting on the majority of her books for this year. I did have three more books though that we needed, so we read from those. Here's a brief narration from Miss E herself. :-) Halliburton's Book of Marvels - The Occident - In the first chapter we read about The TransBay Bridge, aka The Bay Bridge, in San Francisco, CA. It's a suspension bridge. The cables which hold it up are two feet wide and are made up of 17,000 individual strands of steel, each as big as a pencil. The span of the bridge is 8 miles long and connects San Francisco to Oakland, with a tunnel going through an island between the two cities. It was a double decker bridge carrying cars on the top deck and buses and trucks on the lower deck. The bridge is 220' high at the highest point. From San Francisco to the island, it's a suspension bridge. From the island to Oakland, it's a regular, railroad type bridge.
The next chapter is about The Golden Gate Bridge also in San Francisco, CA. It's named The Golden Gate Bridge because it goes over San Francisco's Golden Gate entrance. The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge that goes over San Francisco Harbor. The spans between the towers holding up the cables are longer than the TransBay Bridge. The cables are three feet wide, which is a little wider than my 2 year old brother is tall. :-)
Plutarch The Life of Publicola - Publicola lived in about 550 BC in Rome. He was known to be an honorable man and a man of the public, which is where he got his name from. Publicola had helped drive the King out of Rome so when it was time to vote the two people in to run the city, he was hoping to be one of them. But instead the council voted in a man whose wife had killed herself due to insolence from the Kings family. They chose him over Publicola because they knew if any kings tried to get back in, he wouldn't back down. Publicola was insulted because they didn't think he was loyal to Rome, so he quit his jobs and went away for awhile. He returned on voting day, where everyone was to vote allegiance to Rome, he was the first to cast his vote of loyalty to Rome and the two people now in charge.
Shakespeare's Love's Labor's Lost act 1 scene 1 about 1/4 of the way through- There was a King (King of Navarre) and three men (Dumaine, L something and B something) who were his attendants. The King said that they had to be loyal to him and learn from his court and they weren't allowed to see any women or leave the court for three years. If a woman came into the court, she'd have her tongue chopped off. They all signed the documents. However, B something was the one who protested at first.
I decided it was time we get back to school. We typically school through the summer months here because it's so hot. With this morning sickness though, I really wasn't up for doing much. Then, I began to panic when I realized that the baby is due in January, we're going to be moving sometime in the spring, when exactly was I going to fit in this school year??? So, back to the books we go. Reentry is hard. LOL
E. is continuing with year 5 of Ambleside Online. I ordered most of the books we don't have yesterday through Amazon. I'm hoping they arrive quickly. LOL Today we went through some of the books that we already owned from last year. Here's a brief synopsis of of what E. covered today: This Country of Ours - We covered George Washington's retiring from the army and then the events that led up to his becoming the first President of the United States. The country being new had quite a few growing pains to work through before she was a cohesive, working Country.
We also covered how during his second term in office, France had their revolution and were counting on the American's to come help them fight. George Washington knew that the country was too young and too freshly through with their war to be able to take on another war overseas. He declared the United States as a neutral country, which surprised and angered the French. The British in the meantime were still not happy w/ the new nation and continued to hold positions in Forts along the US/Canadian border, harassing the citizens that lived nearby. They also declared the right to board ships at will, looking for British men to draft into the war against France. Since it was difficult to determine a US citizen over a British citizen based on speech, many Americans were forced into military service for England. John Jay was the man chosen to work on a treaty with England. The treaty was not what the American's hoped for, but George Washington realized it was the best that England could do at the time and signed it. The people of the US were angered and outraged and burned effigies of John Jay and criticized Washington calling him a tyrant. In the end, the people of the US saw that Washington was right to keep peace and not send the young US into another war.
At the end of his second term, he firmly stated he would not serve another term and retired to his beloved, peaceful home, Mount Vernon.
Physics Lab in a Housewares Store - We covered measurements, what they are, why we have them and all sorts of various means of measuring. Later, we'll hit the housewares store where she'll make a list of all the various types of measuring devices she can find there. There are timers, measuring cups, spoons, scales, pots, pans, etc. Lots to find!
Bullfinches Mythology Age of Fable - Today we read the stories of the Graeae and the Gorgon. We learned what they were and how they were used in stories representing the dangers of the seas. In Perseus and Medusa we went through the story of Perseus killing Medusa with the help of Minerva's shield and Mercury's shoes. In Perseus and Atlas we learned of the tale of Perseus visiting Atlas' island and being denied rest there, he pulled out the head of Medusa, instantly turning Atlas to stone.
For everyone else, we started back with Five in a Row. :) Since my 5 yo is starting with us this year I started with the Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack. This was the first FIAR story I did with E. almost 7 years ago! I thought it was fitting to start S. off on his FIAR journey with the same story.
The Story About Ping is the tale of Ping, a duck who lives on a Junk on the Yangtze River. Ping always made sure to not be the last duck crossing over the plank back up to the boat when his Master would call in the evening, as the last duck got a spank on his back. *Ouch* One day, he didn't hear his Masters call and realized he was going to be last. Instead of taking his punishment, he hid in the bushes and watched his home, w/ all his family, sail away as the sun was setting. When he awoke in the morning, he was expecting to find his boat and family. Instead, all he saw were strange boats. Ping goes on a journey along the Yangtze River trying to find his family. Along the way, he encounters quite a few dangers!
After reading the story we talked about discernment and how not everything that looks good turns out to be good for us. Ping learned this lesson by eating the cracker crumbs and almost getting eaten for dinner! We also discussed how Ping thought he could get out of his punishment by hiding. Instead of this being a positive thing, Ping ended up lonely, scared and in danger. Ping realized that it was better to take his punishment than to try to hide.
We also discussed China and the Yangtze River. We talked about why the Yangtze is yellow due to mineral deposits and how people live along and on the river their entire lives. My girls remembered seeing the stories of how they are now damming the Yangtze and were asking about why they were doing that. We briefly talked about the need for power due to their huge leap in technology. They are saddened knowing that so many people will be displaced, with no place to live or means to find a new living and how old cultural artifacts will be buried. The kids colored a flag of China and filled in a map of China. The older kids wrote all the countries surrounding China (there are a bunch of them!) but for S. I just had him identify where the Yangtze River is, he colored it yellow :), and copy the word China onto his map.
For our Bible discussion we read in 1 Kings about Solomon asking God to give him discernment. We talked about what that means in our own lives and prayed to ask God to give us discernment so we know how to follow His will for our lives.
That pretty much sums up our day! The girls are working on their Math and/or Reading, the toddler, J, is down for a nap and that's where I'm headed! I'm pooped. LOL
Know what that sound is? It's the sound of a tiny 13 week old heartbeat heard through a hand held doppler machine.
I had my OB appointment today, met the Dr. for the first time. She was really nice, which is a plus. The heartbeat was at 166, which is perfect for a 13 week old inutero baby.
When all you feel during those early stages of pregnancy is sick, it sure is a wonderful sound to hear.
I haven't been around blog land much lately. I think maybe my one faithful reader might have noticed. In case there were two who wondered where I went, I thought I'd fill you all in.
I've been absent because we're expecting a new little blessing in January. As par for the course for me, I've been down and out. I'm 12 weeks now and I still have another good 12 weeks of severe morning sickness to make it through before I'm feeling just pregnant as opposed to how I feel right now, which is just sick. In a few months I'll feel sick and pregnant. So you can see why feeling just pregnant will be a welcome change. LOL
I'm not a good pregnant lady and instead of coming here to complain about how tired I am of being so sick, I just thought I'd stay away. You can thank me later.
I'll still be sporadic in my blogging and it's not because I'll just complain. ;-) No, it's really because I don't feel well enough to just sit and type. In a few months I hope to be back to my regular, spotty blogging.
Until then, enjoy your summers and God bless you all. :)
We're in our monsoon season which means, hot temperatures, more humidity, dust storms and high winds. Unfortunately, it doesn't mean a whole lot of rain.
We had a storm pass through tonight at dinner. The kids watched as this branch fell from our Eucalyptus tree.
When I was learning about the trees in our backyard I discovered that in Australia there are forests of Eucalyptus trees and they have nicknamed them Widow Makers or Widow Maker Forest or something like that. It's been a few years now. The trees are known to drop their limbs with no provocation hitting many unsuspecting hikers walking underneath. I also learned the intense smell of Eucalyptus is caused from the oils inside the tree. These trees are known to spontaneously combust in high temperatures. As the temperatures outside heat up, the oil inside the tree also heats up and can get to a point where it just explodes. Another reason they are known as Widow Makers.
Pretty cool tree we have in our backyard, don't you think? LOL No wonder they've fallen from favor in landscaping yards here.
I've posted You Tube videos of Camille Saint Saens, The Carnival of the Animals. To view them in order scroll down to the entry titled "Intro and The Lions" and work your way up to the top.
The kids have had a blast listening to this music and I hope you have as well. Be sure to let us know which is your favorite piece. :)
Make sure to turn off the music player on the right side bar before playing the videos.
The Shack by William Young -- Finished
The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd -- Finished
Irresistible Revolution -- Finsihed
Quaker Summer by Lisa Samsom-- Finsihed
The Inn Keeper by John Piper -- Finished
Too Wise to Be Mistaken,Too Good to be Unkind by Cathy Steere
So Far from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins--Finished
HomeSchooling at the Speed of Life by Marilyn Rockett
Lord Foulgrin's Letters by Randy Alcorn -- Finished
Kids in the Syndrome Mix by Martin L. Kutscher MD
The Gift of Dyslexia by Ronald D. Davis
Love and Logic Solutions for Kids with Special Needs by David Funk
The Out of Sync Child Has Fun by Carol Stock Kranowitz
So You Don't Want To Go To Church Anymore by Jake Colsen -- Finished
Do You Think I'm Beautiful?
Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
Front side
Can you make out what this picture is?
The trees are known to drop their limbs with no provocation hitting many unsuspecting hikers walking underneath. I also learned the intense smell of Eucalyptus is caused from the oils inside the tree. These trees are known to spontaneously combust in high temperatures. As the temperatures outside heat up, the oil inside the tree also heats up and can get to a point where it just explodes. Another reason they are known as Widow Makers.
