Teaching Principles

My friend Renae over at Life Nurturing Education, wrote a great post about teaching Biblical Principles in mathematics (this is not your public school "math"!), and this really touched me:

"Using the stones from my soul, I draw my little ones close. Which stones are the most effective, the most powerful? I don’t know exactly, but I suspect it’s the brightest, smoothest, and heaviest. In my worn leather bag that stone is love: love for my children and love for the creation of God. It is the foundation stone. Everything else will build on that."

I really wanted to share it, because I want to remember it myself! I'm afraid I've gotten a bit too lax in the "teaching" aspect of math, having come to a point in our RightStart (which we love) where there is practice and mastery; not much new, and the ability for son to do it on his own.

Oh! the challenges! May they never cease.

Tough Questions

Right off the heels of daughter's sweet prayer, son's Bible lesson turned a corner. Suddenly Joshua and the destruction of Jericho, came with some tough questions.

"Why did God want women and children killed?"

"Why did God allow Adam and Even to sin?"

Don't you just love it when that happens!? Well, I do because I attribute those questions (and all the other tough questions) to the reason so many turn away from the Lord. Without the ability to reason Biblically; to understand who God really is, people in churches all over the world can't always get their questions answered and they turn away from the church and God completely, the minute "the world" throws those questions in their face!

If we are unable, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to give and show answers to even the toughest questions, the foundation of all that we teach about a relationship with Him, falters. Suddenly, the ground may not seem so firm.

Admittedly, it's not always the adults that have the perfect answer. I had to truly think and pray about it after our initial talk (which really began yesterday). Though I knew the answers: God's holy nature, His Sovereignty, His mercy--How to help my son understand them was tougher. I looked it up on christiananswers.net and found this post that made it all more easy to communicate. Son and I talked more and I saw the light and shine in his eyes as the whole picture began to make more sense to him. We read a few scripture verses, and we'll keep reading more, to remind ourselves daily who and what we are dealing with.

I'm really thankful right now that my son asked me a tough question and that we were able to pray about it and discuss it. If you ask my son someday if he knows the answer, I think he'll be able to tell you. Another Hallelujah!

"The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will be no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."

Ex 34:6-7

When Prayer is an Answer to Prayer

When we sat down to do our lessons today, we held hands to say our prayers and invite the Holy Spirit to lead us, as we do every day. Today, however, daughter (4yo) chimed in that she wanted to pray. This was particularly important because she has "seemed" (up to this point) to barely tolerate prayer. She hasn't wanted to participate, close her eyes (which we have never taught is necessary, but helpful) or even just listen.



This morning as she asked to pray, she bowed her head and closed her eyes and prayed her little heart out, including giving thanks. This is a first and blessed me tremendously as I listened to her put her own words together without leading, prompting--and in joy! Hallelujah!

Now That's What I Call a Bible Lesson Enhancement!

Today (since I was still recovering from illness yesterday!) we began our new Judah Bible lesson (Year 3; Theme 2; Week 8) on Joshua 6--Joshua and the Battle of Jericho.

This is "technically" the first lesson where I've purposefully included my 4yo dd. My idea for her is to have 8yo ds read to her from the corresponding Arch book,(of which I have collected a billion at book sales!) then she may do a coloring page as we discuss the lesson.

Today, I was suddenly (like a bolt of lightening!-heehee) reminded of the old Sunday School song...

"Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho.

Joshua fit the battle of Jericho and the walls came a tumblin' down!"

Okay, now it's stuck in YOUR head. ANYway! I googled it and sure enough, good 'ole Youtube has a great video of Mahalia Jackson (We've collected a few books on her to study, down the road!) singing it! You have to check it out. The kids loved it.

News with Biblical Relevance

I thought I'd share about a fabulous e-newsletter that I get from Koinonia House. It shares Biblically relevant news, helps to understand Biblical prophecy in light of world events, and is very informative in understanding some of the actual structure and laws behind our own government. For instance, they did an article a couple of weeks ago on the Federal Reserve. I had no idea is wasn't part of our federal government, but is privately owned!

This week's newsletter shares about inflation and what it really is. I'm inept when it comes to understanding these things, so I find this info very helpful. Also, it shares about some church bombings in Iraq. Did you know there were 7 Christian churches bombed on Jan. 6th in Iraq?

I encourage you to sign up and to read about the background of an incredible Biblical teacher, Chuck Missler. Our family has really enjoyed his books and CD's which really teach you how to understand ALL of the Bible as ONE story. You can sign up for the e-newsletter here.

They also offer a mailed magazine which has much of the same info and more. I believe it's free.

Recounting the Day

Psalm 9:1-2 says...
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;

I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and exult in you;

I will sing praise to your name,

O Most High.

This got me thinking. At the end of the day, do I look back on the checked off list of things accomplished; gaze fixedly at the wall in frustration for all that I haven't gotten done, or do I "recount all of your [the Lord's] wonderful deeds."?

I pray that each day I will think only on the things that HE has done; looking at my own "accomplishments" in HIS light, and most of all "be glad", "exult in YOU", and "sing praises to YOUR name"!

Remember Harvest?

If you have been in the Christian music scene very long, then you have to remember a group called Harvest. They began back in the late 70's, I believe, and were making the best music for years after. They gave huge sold-out concerts all over the US. They had many top ten hits during the early years of growing Christian radio.

Well, I knew them because they were from my home church in Indiana. Jerry Williams, the lead and founder of the group was actually our youth group leader! It cracks me up to think about that because he's had such an incredible ministry all these years and he was "my" youth group leader!

Well, the group is no longer, but Jerry is still making beautiful music. It has always blessed me beyond belief. He writes from God's Word and it is Powerful! There isn't a song he's written that will not surround you with the arms of our Loving Father! This is real "listening" music. It's prayerful and shines the truth of who God is. I know that God has undoubtedly laid each lyric on his heart and he's shared it with us. I have been so blessed by his music all these years, and he's still writing and recording, AND he's now sharing his music on Myspace and through he and his wife's ministry, EPIC Ministries.

If you want to be blessed, go listen--then go over to EPIC and order one of his CD's for a donation.

At Week's End

I'm currently propped up in bed, laptop in tow, trying to enjoy a reprieve from the bathroom. Whether I contracted food poisoning from a restaurant I will NEVER go to again, or the stomach flu, I'm not sure, but yesterday was not a fun day. I'm pretty sure I haven't thrown up since my school days--until yesterday. Not fun. So far, the rest of my family has been spared, which makes me lean toward the stomach flu diagnosis. According to the WebMD, they could come down with it any time in the next ten days. Yuck. I wouldn't wish this on anyone, especially my babies.

So, my week didn't exactly end as I would have hoped, but up until then, we did great. My experiment with setting weekly goals went very well. It was nice to have that list to keep me focused on certain things. I only went off on a tangent a couple of times, but I did okay. I didn't complete my whole list, which mainly consisted of certain things I wanted to do everyday. That was tough. I either did them everyday, or didn't do them even once. The treadmill is still sitting there--waiting. I'm going to try to set these goals each week during my planning time.

For school this week, we enjoyed having the sister in on things again. As we continue to adjust, it just becomes more fun. I have no doubt that us all doing school together is the way it's supposed to be; just wonderful! We rowed (FIAR) "A Pair of Red Clogs" which is a great book to teach about lying and deceit. It also teaches about remorse and stewardship. The "Five in a Row" author did a great job choosing life-lesson books! Daughter made more lap-pages for her notebook and informed me she needs a bigger notebook. I guess that 1/2 inch ring wasn't going to last too long! Brother needs a new notebook as well, only his is a 3" very stuffed binder. Volume II?

We managed to do all our subjects on their assigned days this week, which was one of my goals. It has been easy to drop one here and there. The husband was gone this week, so we had a bit more freedom to take our time and eat on a different schedule.

For Bible this week, we studied Rahab (JBC year 3, theme 2, week 7). What a wonderful way to study and understand that faith without works is dead. We seem to continually come back to the fact that a real relationship (with the Lord) involves more than just receiving and resting. It's the whole decision of whether you believe that obedience equals a loving relationship or whether a loving relationship equals obedience! Everything we have learned this year has come back to that statement. And our answer is that a loving relationship will always equal obedience. I guess that is our principle for the year.

While I was googling Rahab for lesson enhancements, I came across this blog. I was very excited to see a familiar face: Jules, from what used to be Everyday Mommy. You know, the source of "Moms for Modesty" (see sidebar).

Our tabernacle model finally came. A few weeks late, but we still had fun putting it together. We love our Rose's Book of Charts, so the Rose's Tabernacle Model was a perfect compliment. If you order this, just a few tips. Go for the laminated version, and don't try to use glue on it. Too messy on laminate. Tape all the way. Son really enjoyed this hands on "picture" of the tabernacle. I'm thinking he's not likely to forget our Tabernacle studies anytime soon, which is the whole idea, right?

For history this week we began studying the pioneers. We are truly in the Westward Expansion link on our Chain of Christianity/PIPEline/Timeline now. We'll probably be on this topic for awhile, getting more specific and looking at certain people and events. This is kind of a tough topic for me because it could involve a lot of hands on activities which I am so NOT good at. They cause anxiety, panic. I'm not sure why. I've bought a few little craft kits, so I'm going to attempt to deep-breath my way through them. We're really trying not to race through this year's Truthquest Guide (AHYSII), like we did last year. I want us to enjoy it a bit more and have more to show for it.

One thing that is truly a no-brainer was getting the Frontier Fighters CD from Homeschool Radio Shows. Son has it memorized--literally. He has always loved audio programs; this one is no different! I'm always looking for more of these.

Well, those are the highlights. Next week may get off to a rocky start if I don't get to feeling better soon. We also have some big events coming up soon, too. I'll keep you posted!

Popcorn Day

Yesterday, Tuesday, Jan. 22, was National Popcorn Day. 'Nough said!

Corn in a pot on the stove! The only way to go!

The two on the outsides are mine.

Yep. He's mine, alright!

Here is the source of all our fun Holi-"Days"! We've enjoyed this!

All-Natural Shampoos

All-natural shampoos. That is what I really wanted to post about. For some reason, I felt I needed to give you a background. So if you've read my last post, bare with me for "the ugly".

Remember I promised to post about the good, bad and the ugly? Well, we've been trying all-natural shampoos. We've tried about four--different prices and brands. They all have varying degrees of "smell-good" and they all have that ever-wanted list of all-natural ingredients. No chemicals or "poisons". The problem is they just don't work!

Now, they may "work" fine for eight year old boys with close-cut hair and men with shaved heads. Yes. You heard me right. Shaved heads. But, for women living in drysville Indiana--with long hair and frizz issues? No can do.

Let's face it! Nothing works all the time. Including all-natural products! Believe me. It's a great idea, but there are issues! Dry, frizzy, staticy issues! Fly-away hair--flying far, far away! Tangles--OOooh, the tangles. It was just too much to hope for. So I'm currently embracing my chemical-laden shampoo and conditioner. And yes, I tried the matching conditioners too.

I'm not giving up, however. The husband and son are good with them and they need them for skin issues. Daughter and I have to think about our beauty first. HeeHee. Just kidding. I'm really not sure what the answer is. I'll keep researching. I know that coating my hair in honey for hours is not a solution, nor is sleeping with coconut oil on my head.

It could be a long road.

Going Natural

I began learning about using all-natural products about a year ago, I'd say. First, of course, you hear all the bad things about everything from toothpaste and laundry detergent to Robitussin. Just the tip of the "non-food" iceberg.

I found myself interested, and convicted enough to begin making small changes--all in hopes that larger changes would come automatically and have a dramatic impact on my family. Specifically, the impact I was looking for involved health, health, health. Don't get me wrong. We are not un-healthy. We are not sickly, or disease-ridden. We are probably very average. There's just these issues. Issues which a lot of people probably have.

Issue #1: Husband's entire family is riddled with every kind of horrible cancer imaginable. Being from a family that has never had one person suffer cancer, this has had a huge impact on my thinking. Especially where it concerns the safety and health of my husband and children. Whether or not anything can be done to prevent them, of even me, from ever getting it, I don't know. Only the Lord knows, but if food and environment really do make a difference, why risk it. Why wait till it's too late to make the change.

Issue #2: I suffer from an under-active thyroid. Hypothyroidism does run in my family. I've had it for over 20 years which is a long time for someone relatively young. I've watched my dad deal with side effects and some dibilitation from it and he's only had it a couple of years longer than me. Of course, he is in his 70's too.

Issue #3: Allergies. I've shared before that my son has a peanut allergy. This allergy is one thing in itself to deal with, but the seasonal allergies that he is more suseptible to because of it, are horrible--and (were) getting worse all the time.

Issue #4: Weight. My husband has had a hard time controlling his weight. Like most americans, his lifestyle is usually somewhat sedentary. He doesn't over-eat, though he has. He does like sweets--don't we all! But again, his family members all struggle with this--way more than my family, and even myself.

These things have been my motivating factors. First and foremost, last fall we were forced to take drastic action for my son so that he could breath. Dragging him to a bunch of doctors for shots, enhalers and nubulizer treatments did not seem the answer. Mostly his symptoms are manageable, though uncomfortable, and he's only really required intervention when he's developed cold-induced asthma--which has given us a glimpse into that horrible world that many suffer.

So we began reading and learning. First thing we discovered--dust mites. Their favorite place to live in a bedroom? Down comforters and pillows. Son had both. We removed those and IMMEDIATELY he began to be able to breath again! Score one for the good guys! We also have attempted to remove refined sugar from his diet. This is specifically to boost his immune system (and every other system imaginable!)

This gave me the confidence to continue learning. The next thing to tackle was my thyroid. I began reading about the benefits of coconut oil and spirilina. The spirilina--a sea weed component (or in my circles more commonly thought of as pond scum--mmmm, yummy!) is in many natural vitamin supplements. I found a good one (that's a whole other story) and began taking it. I added coconut oil (also a great story) to our diets and what do you know?! My thyroid med dosage dropped for the 1st time in 20 years! Within 3 months!

So, as you can imagine, I feel like we are on the right track. Still learning and adjusting. We have a long way to go. I will share each milestone--the good, bad, and the ugly--throughout the year.

Making Goals

Since September, I've had the goal of making goals. How pathetic is that! :) Wow! Okay, so seriously, I've had this form for setting goals for the year and I keep looking at it. Though I haven't filled it out, I have established some "goals of thought". Maybe not the same to those who are die-hard goal-setters, but it's a start.

With that in mind, it occured to me during my all-day weekly planning, that my frustration with not getting certain things done... week after week, might better be served by establishing weekly goals. Why this seems like such a revolutionary idea to me, I'm not quite sure--but it does.

I've got this list. I've added to it even today. I have high hopes for victory. Don't you just love that word? "Victory!" So, we'll see how it all ends. Here are a few verses worth remembering as I claim another victory:

Deu 20:4 for the LORD your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.'

1Ch 29:11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.

Pro 21:31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.

1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1Jn 5:4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.

Gotta just love God's Word! Also E-Sword, which helps in word searches!

What's on my goal list for the week? I can't share them all, but here are a few:

1. Put all the laundry away! Don't leave any in baskets.


2. Follow menu plan, even when husband is gone.


3. Complete our full school plan for each day.


4. Deal with scrapbook area.


5. Go through one cook book each day to add to Recipe Binder.

At the End of the Week

It's Friday again. Another big week and a few triumphs worth mentioning.

We had an amazing week at school. I truly saw a transformation in my sweet girl as she went from not wanting to do school work, to wanting more school work, and being very ready for school time. There is no doubt about it...we are definitely a two-kid school now! She is participating in so many more ways.

She and I finished up rowing "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel" by Virginia Lee Burton. This was the book my son remembered the most because of "personification". What a great idea to introduce a literary device like that to young kids! I really see how it delights them in so many ways. Son never forgot the meaning and has always been quick to point out examples (over the past 4 years) since he learned about it. Daughter, of course, loved the lessons. I'm also seeing more and more how interested in notebooking she is--particularly using mini books (lapbooking).

I must say, it delighted me to do many of the same activities with daughter, that I did with son! What started out as an uncertain experiment, is now a delightful opportunity. Amazingly, starting our day with FIAR (Five in a Row) has acted as a catalyst to involve her in brothers lessons. He works on his own until she and I are finished. Now she is actively taking an interest in almost all the subjects!

We made another stab at the "Teach Your Child to Read..." book, but I realize now that the Spell to Write and Read (SWR) really is better and all encompassing. I'm going to do a little planning and start her with more of that next week.

She also wants to start her piano lessons (again). The "spirit" is willing, but the "flesh" is weak!! I'm not sure I can manage it all!

My dear boy passed the two week mark after his head injury. He doesn't really know it--I'm keeping it under wraps because of my own anxiousness. I know...."Be anxious for nothing..."--believe me, I'm telling myself that over and over! He'll probably start back with basketball next week.

His schoolwork went well. Egged on by his sister, he joined the mini-book/lapbook craziness of the week and made several lapbook pages on our Tabernacle study, for his notebook. We'll start back with our regular Judah Bible lessons next week. He's still figuring out the flow of his time, as we all are, since his sister is in the fray. I'm resisting the urge to structure every minute, because this seems to be working--"do the next thing".

We went ahead and bumped up his spelling words to 30/week. We'll give it a try and see how he manages. So far so good. He spent yesterday afternoon working at his dad's warehouse and really enjoyed that. He is not allowed to goof around in front of the employees so he gets busy and works diligently. He did a good job and asked for $4000.00 in pay. We had to laugh!

We're still reading a lot (updated list on the sidebar!). And enjoying our selections. Son did ask me if we could do our character studies again. We choose one per week and link it to our Judah Bible lesson. Since our Tabernacle study, we haven't focused on a new trait. He specifically requested we study "holding our tongues". I know that this was started at his kid's church hour, and has been holding strong because of conviction by the Holy Spirit! :)

We finished chapter 3 of our "A Child's Geography". It is soooo wonderful. We especially love the missions emphasis. We had fun learning about mission groups that use the radio worldwide--we had learned in our lesson that the ionosphere (part of our atmosphere) is where radio waves bounce around and back to earth. We checked out a video by twr.org that was really powerful. I about cried. I held my breath hoping it's intensity might not scare the kids--it didn't. Since then, son has been asking about prayer opportunities, journaling, etc. Including these types of things in our school time makes all the hard things worth while!

Overall, our days are longer. It's hard to complain about it though, with so much good coming out of them. It's mostly my adjustmenting that needs to come. I'm wore out! This crumby winter weather isn't helping much. We are also operating with one car which is inconvenient, but not as impossible as I would have thought.

One last thing to mention is our big "milestone". Daughter is now dry all night. This has really put her over into the "big girl" category, in her mind. (She's still our baby!:)) It is amazing to me all that it affects: how she gets up in the morning, how she gets herself ready for bed. I love having that extra $15/month, and no more smelly trash cans! Woohoo!

So today's fun calendar event is celebrating Winnie-the-Pooh's (A.A.Milne's) birthday. We are celebrating with a Pooh movie marathon, reading (of course!) cake (leftover from a restaurant visit) with dinner, & snuggling with our stuffed Poohs (during the movie). That's about all the strength I have left! It's sufficient. Kid's are overjoyed!

The New Veggietales Movie

We went. It was Veggietales. What more can you say! Even $20+ for a matinee is worth the support to a great company, but I do wish it had more (any) spiritual content. Yes. Finally a decent flick the kids can go see, but not a "Jonah". Though, as usual, we enjoyed the musical numbers. The kids had a ball and gorged themselves beyond belief on the popcorn. That's really why we went. :) Oh. And we were the only ones in the theatre. That's always interesting.

Fresh Ginger

Aren't you just dying to know a little bit about ginger? Just enough for it to be useful?

Well, most importantly (I may have posted this before, but it bears repeating), you can use it in this great "fight off a cold" tea:

• 1 kettle of boiling water
• 1 lg pitcher with...
• 1-2" of slivered ginger (I find this much easier than grating. Less messy too)
• 3T fresh lemon juice (fresh lemon juice is sooo good compared to already squeezed! Way more Vitamin C too!)
• 2T honey (use Raw if you can!)

Pour the water over and either put a lid on it, or a plate to cover. Let it steep for a good hour. Stir well. Then I use a mini cup strainer and scoop out all the ginger. If you leave it in, it becomes too spicy and burns little mouths. You can store this in the fridge and reheat, or drink it cold (the husband likes this). It's way more soothing than sucking on Vitamin C lozenges. The honey and the ginger aid the respiratory system, among MANY other things, so you can't beat it during cold season.

My kids like it both hot and cold. If it's too strong for their little tongues, I just add a bit more water (ice cube). Using a straw (when cold only) helps the littlest one drink it all up as it's not her favorite taste, but she doesn't dislike it.

Now, when you buy the ginger, be sure to choose as straight, non-knotty a piece as you can. Also watch for a smooth skin. Excessive wrinkles indicates age. For this tea, there is no need to peel the ginger.

A far as storage goes, that's easy! Place your ginger in a paper lunch sack. Wrap it up and stick it in the fridge. It will keep a good month. This is much simpler, more reasonable, and just as effective as soaking it in wine.

This is not by all means, all things ginger, but it's a start. I'm no authority, but I'm learning. And, I'm liking what I discover! Very useful. Believe me, I'm thrilled with any "remedy" that is good for all the members of my family. Hope you try this great tea!

Book Sale Take

I did my usual thing at the most recent library book sale and ended up with a take of 43 books. This may seem a lot, and granted, it's not bad, but I used to take home over a hundred each time! Now I spend a lot of my time there seeing books I already have and wondering which of my friends don't have them and would want them! It's amazing to me that there is still so many that I don't have yet.

Well, I was pleased with what I found. Quite a few biographies this time. I'm beginning to collect books for our coming Ancient history studies, though they are still a good year off.

The treasures of the sale would have to be FOUR, count 'em--four Carolyn Haywood books. The big purge is on at our local library. I also found a wonderful copy of "The First Steamboat on the Mississippi", by Sterling North--a very hard to find book. I know, because I tried. I love his books! I also netted three Childhood of Famous Americans (which we like most of the time), one Landmark (we we like all of the time), and a bunch of other oldie-but-goodies.

I did splurge a whole .25 cents on a copy of "Anna Banana's 100 Jump-Rope Rhymes". Hmmm. I was also warned that jumping rope is harder than say...climbing a mountain?...on the 'ole un-trained body, that is. Well, I've got the book anyway! Daughter may have to jump rope with her friends instead of me! :)

I rarely buy anything published after 1965. I also use the author list that I've compiled from Jan Bloom's "Who Should We Then Read" and Gladys Hunt's "Honey For A Child's Heart". I also like the list that Christine Miller has put together, and of course, my own experience reading A LOT!

It's difficult to buy a book you've never heard of--at first! But once you've developed a trust in the source of the recommendation, you will find that there are some fabulous gems out there being discarded only because of age.

Tuesday's art picture of the day (See: Art Calendar in "Art Appreciation" post) was a beautiful painting by Albrecht Durer entitled Lot and His Daughters. We enjoyed examining the work and son was the first to spot Lot's wife--aka the Pillar of Salt! Son did question the choice of clothing, thinking it was not quite what they would have worn (bright colors?). Rather insightful. Seeing how Durer depicted the wrath of God coming down from heaven was also amazingly beautiful. It's hard to imagine that this doesn't happen to us now! I suppose it'll come.

So far, we are enjoying our art each day! Today's picture was of a mother smoking a pipe while her baby plays on the floor. Ick! Not quite what I would have chosen! :)

Milly-Molly-Mandy

I have just been introduced to Milly-Molly-Mandy books for the first time. They were recommended on some booklist I saw, and the name stuck. I really had no clue what they were about, but when I found the "The Milly-Molly Mandy Stories", (1928) by Joyce Lankester Brisley, 13 story collection, I snatched it up. Daughter and I just started reading them together and they are totally delightful! What a breath of fresh air! The book opens with this poem:

It's good to be sitting still,

And it's good to be running wild,

And it's good to be by yourself alone

Or with another child.

And whether the child's grown up,

Or whether the child is small,

So long as it really is a Child

It doesn't matter at all.

They are sweet and have wonderful little lessons about such things as obedience, commerce, diligence, etc. They definitely teach wonderful character qualities along with practicalities. They include wonderful use of repetition as a literary device--and NOT in an annoying fashion. They are very simple stories teaching such things as problem solving and industry (as in being industrious). LOVE 'em! :)

Interestingly enough, they speak to children in a manner that does not limit them either in their abilities, or ideals. In other words, they don't talk to kids like they're dumb or can't do anything. I seem to expect that from newer books. Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised, as I read, how much my four year old was getting out of them!

The author also illustrated the stories. The drawings are beautiful drawings of a period in time that is more appealing to me than most modern day children's books pictures. I look forward to hunting down the other volumes of stories and hopefully soon! If you have a little girl, I can't imagine you not enjoying them together!

Recipe Binder

I hope to post and share about several of my binders. After be further inspired by Renae, I thought I would further gather my notebooks into more usable fashion. One that I have not had trouble with--or rather two--are my cooking and baking binders.

They are really very straight forward. I've categorized them based on food type and I chose for form, one recipe per page. Page protectors were a must, and I used sticky tabs (the harder plastic kind) with my label maker, to save having to buy dividers. I just attached them to the first recipe in each section. I've enjoyed collecting info on various topics regarding food, as well as a section on table decor ideas.

There are several truly amazing things regarding these books.

1. They have allowed me to dispense with all other recipe "collections". I've even purged most of my cookbooks.
2. They have allowed me to meal plan efficiently which has been quite a boon for our family.
3. They have grown tremendously--especially the regular recipe book. I may have to break it apart further; especially if I keep checking out cookbooks from the library!!
4. And MOST amazingly...they are being used! Yippee!

These books have helped bring back family dinners, have propitiated our desire for healthier eating and have actually helped me to become a better cook. (Add those to the list!) Slowly, but surely.

I can't recommend the binder lifestyle enough! Being organized is just part of it. For me, they have really helped perpetuate many of my goals and dreams for myself and my family.

Clean Off Your Desk Day

Thanks to my good friend, Jennifer, I was forced to consider taking action on National Clean Off Your Desk Day (Monday, Jan. 14). Since I don't have a "desk", I decided to include the children and make a contest of school "desk" cleanup. Each child was bribed, uhhh...I mean rewarded with a piece of candy. I know what you're thinking--a mere pittance, but they were thrilled! Daughter was the first one to jump on the band-wagon, so she got her picture taken. The results were spectacular--for however long it lasts.

Of course, son later asked me about my desk. "What desk?" I asked. "The CRAFT table (desk)," he firmly replied. Let's just say I'm in big trouble!

More About the Art Calendar

Barbara asked me if their were any inappropriate pictures in the Art Calendar. It never even occured to me, which shows how "up" on my art viewing, I am. I looked through most of them (about 3/4) and found there were about three "questionable" or down-right inappropriate pictures. I'll be pulling one of them for sure, when the time comes--hopefully without drawing too much attention to it!

Crochet: Poncho Power

Like a dream come true, I've completed crocheting a poncho for my sweet girl! I've always wanted to crochet more; more than afghans, that is! Daughter is just girly enough to appreciate this poncho, but it has been an adjustment for her--she can't quite flap her arms as she is often apt to do :) And, it's a bit large for her, in hopes it will "last" longer! Here is the pattern I used. Don't laugh when you see the title!

I hope to make more projects in the near future. Currently I'm crocheting a set of window sill covers to bring a bit of color to my white trim/white blind/no curtain windows. I'm also working on a bag and custom kleenex box covers. I'll post those as I finish them.

Crocheting is one of the easiest, most enjoyable of handicrafts for me. I use it often to just keep productive--no idle hands--when participating in activities that do not require my hands. If you get a hankering to learn, there are excellent tutorials in most crochet books. Many are available at the public library.

The Breakfast Dilemma

After recently checking out a stack of cookbooks from the library, I've been amazed at the number of breakfast meals there are. That may seem strange to some, but I don't eat breakfast, and my family eats either cold cereal or oatmeal. I don't ever remember eating breakfast unless we were on a trip. I want to change this.

In my quest to feed my family better by purging all processed foods, particularly sugars, from our lives, cereal was on the list. We switched to healthier whole grain cereals that used sugar cane or "real" sugar (as opposed to processed) and nothing with enriched/bleached flours. I thought I was doing pretty good, but the sugar content still bothers me. I had set a limit of 5-6 gms per serving and when the husband came home with a 9, I was upset. Don't laugh! (Even though he was wonderful enough to do the shopping--he still can't read my mind! Imagine that!).

The other part of this is that even with our family of four, (three, because I don't eat it) we are going through a box of cereal a day. Thirty boxes a month (at least) at an average of $4.00 per box makes the expense approximately $120.00 a month! For dry cereal. I think we can do a bit better. I did start making our own granola cereal a few months back, and it is heavenly! Healthy granola is about $7/box! To make it, it is only about $3-$4 for a HUGE batch--I would guess about the equivalent of 3 boxes.

It all got me thinking about what I really want my family to eat, and more particularly what I want them to LEARN about food. I don't want it to be about "limits" or "bad" vs "good"--I want it to just be about "good"--period.

So, this has my mind all a-swirly about how to go about this. One thing I realize is that we are looking at another life-change in regards to eating. Not a bad thing! I need to eat breakfast for my own health and energy level (which is sorely lacking) and I need to show them that breakfast isn't the "let's get by with it because you can do it by yourself" meal. This really goes back to training. I was never "trained" in breakfast--in other words, never had it growing up. This family legacy is not what I want to pass on to my children.

In my mind, the process includes looking at the foods as a whole and categorizing them. Seven days a week equals seven types of food: pancakes (whole grain homemade, of course), muffins (also healthy homemade), hot cereal (again...), cold cereal (some--not all--things in moderation AND including my granola), blank, blank, blank. I'm probably too practical/analytical when it comes to examining things like this. This is where I'm at. I've intentionally not included eggs. Realistically, that won't happen. Things that can be made ahead of time and frozen--that works for me! And they eat fruit with every meal, so fruit on it's own does not a meal make--or at least it hasn't. Daily, this is becoming more of a desire and I'm seeing even more reasons to "go there".

I keep thinking breakfast would be a perfect time for family Bible reading, as our evenings are just too crazy. At breakfast, we're all "there" (if not eating). I also just got our Art Calendar (absolutely fabulous--way better and beyond what I expected--in case you wanted to know!) with an art masterpiece a day. This I put on the breakfast bar and already the kids love looking at the picture and discussing it over breakfast. I've also always liked listening to classical music in the mornings. It seems to be a good start to the day. All these things may get our day going better. Right now, mornings can be a bit crazy! I usually spend that time bathing, or gathering myself together (I can give those up, right? haha). I'm just not a morning mover. God's intervention would help, of course, because I think it's gonna be the ole "get up earlier" thing...oohh, I soooo don't like that! The only other alternative is to not care about what time anything gets started or finished in the day. That would bug me worse, I'm afraid.

I guess a good things about looking at this now is that soon the days will get longer, the sun will come up earlier, and all will once again be right with our "clocks". I'm definitely looking forward to THAT! But for now, I'll plan this breakfast thing to death and pray for victory. I'll pray before and during the "planning it to death" too, and I'll try to get out of my own way as well.

This was our first week back to our "Five in a Row" (FIAR) lessons. Particularly, we have moved out of "Before Five in a Row", to "Five in a Row Vol. 1".

"The Story About Ping" has always been a favorite. I remember "ROWing" it with the son. It was fun this time around, to add the hymn from this list and the Bible Character lessons from the supplemental book.

Highlights included:
Learning about bouyancy--which she understood more than I expected for a four year old.
Making playdough "Ping"s.
Learning that "Yangtze" means "yellow".
Learning about obedience and consequences.
Singing "Trust and Obey".
Coloring a map & flag of China.
Learning about customs of China.
Learning about ducks.
Learning about repetition as a story element.

I know there is so much more you can do with this book; as well as all FIAR selections. I learned the first time around, with my son, that you can literally "make a day of it". We don't have that kind of time, so I'm picking and choosing based on over-all value, and even ease. I love this series and think just doing nothing but reading the book five days in a row and talking about it, has a lot of value! My goal is to have something to notebook, which we did by putting together a lap-page (lapbook without the file folder) for her notebook. (We use a notebook method).

Daughter's favorite parts were the reading (always!), singing the hymn, and working with the playdough. I'm seeing that if she has an actual "task" or "goal" to perform with the playdough, she likes it better than free-for-all playdough time. She's already asking me what the next book will be, and doesn't want to "end" our Ping story!

Is It Really Friday?

I suppose I'm suffering from the "What happened to my week" syndrome! It definitely flew by!

Today, daughter and I finished up our "The Story About Ping" Five in a Row (FIAR) book. She really enjoyed it. It's funny though, to watch her battle loosing her "freedom" to play in the morning and the "priviledge" of getting to have school time with Mommy. She's a bit torn! I think once I get the routine squarely in place, she'll feel better about it.

We are still having trouble getting up on cold, dark mornings, and so our day is...well...short. Oh for a bit more sunshine! I'm regretting not taking our annual trip to Florida, but I can't think about that too much while we have so much to do.

Son, also, is having a bit of a time adjusting to his sister getting first dibbs on my mornings. I moved his "on-your-own" studies to the front-end so that I could handle the preschool things while daughter is more attentive. He's not sure he likes that! He asked me four times today when I was going to be with him. Hmmm.

Speaking of his lessons, we had another fabulous week studying the Tabernacle. What was supposed to be one week in our Judah Bible Curriculum (JBC) has turned into almost 6! I found this incredible lesson plan online and it has fit in perfectly with our Principle Approach/JBC methodology. It's amazing to me how much of the symbolism son understands. Much of it still blows me away. Horns on the 4 corners of the altar=Jesus, the Horn of our Salvation. Amazing! The Bread of the Presence=the very presence of God, and without the smoke of the incense so that we might see Him clearly! So cool! There is so much to be excited about that we just keep going! No hurry!

I was finally able to put my hands on a set of the Edith McCall history books that I'd heard so much about and were highly recommended in Truthquest. In case you're interested in this wonderful set of books that are no longer in the libraries (unless you have a "poor" library, which is better!) they are available through Royal Fireworks Press. I googles Edith McCall until I was blue in the face, and could find nothing. Somehow, probably through the Truthquest Yahoo group, I found this company that's re-publishing. Son really loves these books about all the heroes of history. He read one (we found used) last year at age 7, and it was no big deal. He's flying through them now. So I'd put the age at 7-10 for read alone.

The rest of our week included starting daughter on "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". I used this with my son before we found "Spell to Write and Read" (SWR). Even though SWR is much better, I thought we'd give this a try just for a little start. I found myself adapting it to SWR anyway, but the book is friendly for her. She really loved it and unlike her brother, she was able to do the writing. Son, at that age, would have none of that! First born thing?

Well, she likes it and even "wrote" a little in her "Ping" lap-pages we created. (Not a file folder backing, but colored paper for our notebook approach. )

Both children are trying the violin. This will be interesting because it is just about the only instrument that I couldn't teach to them if my life depended on it. Son's getting pretty good on the piano, and daughter just wants to do what brother does. It's convenient--REALLY convenient!--that they have a music store full of instruments they can choose from at no charge. Grandpa's legacy! I doubt daughter will continue, but son is doing very well so far. Having asked to play it since he was 5, I figured I'd best not wait any longer. My own longings to play cello have been heightened by all this. Getting a Yo-Yo Ma CD from the library doesn't help! :)
Back to the SWR thing...I realized today that according to grade levels, which I DO NOT believe in or follow, son would be finishing 3rd grade in another 38 weeks at the rate we are going. Hmmm. I think we'll bump us his words to 30 per week and see if we can at least make a dent. At the worst, he'll be...gee...ahead of the public schools anyway!!! No pressure!

As far as his recovery from his injury. We have passed the one week mark and he is chomping at the bit to play--REALLY play. He misses his buddy who is on vacation, and all the friends I won't let him see for fear of a wrestling, play time. One more week should about cover it. We did have to take a trip to the Chiropractor this week for his neck which, as you can imagine, hurts from his head slamming and bouncing off the ice! ICKKkkk! Not fun to think about. I'm a bit tired of people asking me if I saw him fall. The truth is God is merciful and if I had seen him go down, I would not have been able to function, let alone get him to the hospital. For whatever that's worth, which kinda seems like a lot at times!

So, big weekend plans--laundry, book sale, laundry, freezing my rear some more, laundry. That about covers it! Is it really Friday?