Journeying with Joy

Our Week In Review

2012-01-28T13:24:00.000-08:00

For extra credit in her Spanish class, our daughter made reprochetas for dinner one night. These are two corn tortillas with special cheese in the middle, fried on both sides and topped with chopped tomatoes and onions. This dish is originally from Honduras, and they were really good! Since she fried them one at a time, it took our daughter a looooong time to make enough for the whole family! She got a taste of what it's like to spend a good chunk of time in the kitchen! ;-)

You all are going to get sick of me saying how much I enjoy using our schoolroom, but I DO!!! So, so, so, so much!!! Here is Little Man listening to a story on tape, this time at his special "listening station." I have had this antique school desk for years, and it finally has a home. Close to the tape player and the tub full of stories on tape. LOVE being able to be more organized!

Our daily practice of book time together in the family room. The big boys are taking a break from reading their own books to help Little Man find some items in his "The Great History Search" book.

Technically this was our week off history, as we are between units, but we used it to dig a little deeper into Elizabethan England before moving on to the time of the colonists next week. Our lower grammar boys and I spent a lot of time reading about William Shakespeare, and talking about some of his plays. We even listened to an abridged version of "Macbeth" on CD. All of the children enjoyed this book, William Shakespeare and The Globe, and after we read it son C made a lapbook, writing down what he had learned.

We also made Elizabethan masks, the kind that would have been worn to masquerade balls during the time of Queen Elizabeth. We will be using these in our unit 2 celebration coming up in a few weeks. More on how to make the masks in another post!

Tonight we are finally having our Unit 1 celebration (Middle Ages). It was delayed for a variety of reasons, but tonight's the night! Check back tomorrow for pictures!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T19:49:00.000-08:00

God is Good!

2012-01-24T11:05:00.000-08:00

The transmission on our hulk of a van began slipping last Friday, on our way home from co-op. By Sunday morning it was gasping its last breath. We had to drive 20 mph all the way to church and back. We called the shop Monday morning and they confirmed that we shouldn't drive it any more, and that the repair would be close to $2000. It's really not wise to continue pouring money into such an old vehicle, but we are not sure we can qualify for a loan to purchase a newer one (still repairing our whole financial picture from the unemployment). So we've been praying about what to do, and meanwhile the children and I have been car-less.

Today we were offered a loaner minivan for up to 8 weeks while we figure out what to do!!!!

Whoo-hooo!!!! Thank you, God! This relieves the pressure we were feeling to make an immediate decision, and gives us transportation to our weekly commitments. We are so, so, so grateful.

God is good!

Christmas Piano Recital

2012-01-23T11:21:00.000-08:00

Okay, it wasn't really a recital. I think our piano teacher called it a "Christmas studio party" or something like that. But it was like a recital! It was an opportunity for some of her students to play in front of their peers before the big spring recital when they will be playing in front of everyone's families. :-)

Our son C adores the piano, and he adores his piano teacher. She is really gifted at what she does, and it blesses me no end to see how son C is progressing. He has not even been playing for one year yet, but he is doing well playing with both hands together, and is now learning some trickier rhythms. What is even better is that his love for playing has not dimmed at all over these several months, if anything it has only grown! Here is his teacher with some of her students (son C on far right in red shirt).

Thank you for your diligent and patient instruction Miss Emma!

Our Week In Review

2012-01-20T09:29:00.000-08:00

It was SUCH a delight to do school in our new school room this week! I am one happy, happy, happy, HAPPY, HAPPY homeschool mama. We schooled for nine years in our kitchen, and I know many families do not have the option of a dedicated school room, so I am extremely grateful to now have a place and a space that only has to be devoted to school and not other functions as well. I finally have a space that "fits" the way I like to teach. I am so very thankful!

In Bible we have been learning about the attributes of God for the last few weeks. I vividly remember being taught about the attributes of God when I was in middle school Sunday school. I was blown away back then, and I was blown away now! What an awesome, matchless, completely unique, powerful, and amazing God we serve. How can we have any other response to who God is than worship? I am so grateful for the privilege of showing my children, from Scripture, who God is. Once we had covered the attributes individually, the four older children all used their Bibles to look up various verses and match the verses with an attribute. Such a joy to see our children all searching God's Word together!

Here is Little Man's "cave" under the stairs. He has been enjoying it all week!

And here is a shot of daughter G also sitting in the new school room. She has an appointment with an eye Dr coming up, but in the meantime I got her a cheap pair of reading glasses, as she was constantly borrowing mine!

We spent this past week learning about Elizabethan England. Yes, we started our school year learning about the fall of Rome at about 400 A.D., and we are already to the late 1600's! So much happened between 1400 and 1700. I am constantly astounded as I continue learning history for myself. In recent weeks we have studied the Reformation and the counter Reformation in some detail, as well as learned about the noble lines of European monarchs, and King Henry VIII's split with the Catholic Church. Son C and Little Man colored these maps showing what parts of Europe were Catholic, what parts were Protestant, what parts were the Church of England, and what parts were specifically Lutheran. We had a good conversation about it as they colored.

One of Little Man's activities this week was finding hidden objects on this page from a history picture book (which I can actually find and get to now that the school room is completed!!)

We read many, many good books. Here are some of them:

Our absolute favorite was this one, called The Queen's Progress. It's an alphabet book that chronicles Queen Elizabeth's habit of an annual "progress" through the English country every summer, through informative text and absolutely gorgeous pictures. Even our high schooler loved it!

Thursday's Thankful Things

2012-01-19T11:34:00.000-08:00

Today I am so thankful for:

beautiful snow!

my husband

my children ~ they are not perfect, but they are delightful

our lovely school room that I have loved working in all week!

friends

contentment

lots of good food, and money enough to buy more

the exciting book I'm reading (a suspense novel by Jake Thoene)

my husband's job

the fact that my parents are coming to visit us NEXT MONTH!!!!

WONDERFUL anniversary trip!

2012-01-16T11:24:00.001-08:00

We had a fabulous 29 hours away on our anniversary trip! It was so, so, so, so, so worth the hard work of getting ready to go. We have done several anniversaries "at home" in recent years, and while those are special in their own way, there is something to be said for getting away from the normal rhythms of life and being able to focus on just each other. I am so thankful for the means to be able to do that this year.

We stayed in an asian-themed hotel and ate dinner at a wonderful Japanese steakhouse. We took naps, talked and laughed, cried and prayed, saw a movie (Mission Impossible 3 ~ we really enjoyed it!), ate out, did a bit of shopping. So relaxing and so fun. We came home refreshed and ready to take up the mantle of daily life once again.

I'm thankful to my mother-in-law, some friends, and our daughter, for covering child care and transportation while we were away. And so thankful for my man and the opportunity to focus on him and on our marriage.

Whoo-Hoooo!!!!!

2012-01-14T10:44:00.000-08:00

It took lots of work and arranging, but anniversary overnight trip, here we come!!!!!!

The New School Room - JOY!

2012-01-12T19:43:00.000-08:00

Nothing quite warms the cockles of a homeschooling mom's heart than an organized space in which to learn. Especially when that organized space has been more than two years in the making! After a marathon re-arranging, desk building, re-organizing session all day Wed and late into the night, our "new" school room was finally ready for use today. We were all practically giddy with excitement! (and my late night was totally worth it!!)

This is the area under the stairs where the couch did not quite fit. Now it is the desk area for two of our boys. Way back on the left, behind Little Man, is what we call "the cave." It is a perfect little hidey hole under the stairs, and will get used now that the couch is not blocking off that little space. Our daughter also sits at this desk when she is downstairs. She does the majority of her work up in her bedroom.

My own desk is slightly in front of the younger boys' desk.

And look! Watching a math lesson on dvd. Do you know what that means????? Working outlets where there did not used to be working outlets!!!!!

Directly in front of my desk is the desk for the two older boys, and behind them the offending couch. ;-)

I actually think this plan will work even better than the one I had in my brain for so many years. The couch marks a distinct line between "school room" and "toy room", and our desks are closer together rather than strung out in a long line. We got SO MUCH done today ~ it was an awesome school day, and we have not had one of those in a while (at least from my perspective). The boys love, love, love their desks. Their work space is much bigger than it was when we were all at one table.

There are a couple minor things still to be done, but they are aesthetic and do not affect the functionality at all. We are DONE moving furniture away from the walls and covering my desk with tools! So, so happy. Thank you, Lord.

Twenty Years Ago

2012-01-11T13:53:00.001-08:00

Today....

I made a new plan for the schoolroom, got approval for the plan from my better half, and began rearranging furniture

Felt hopeful about being able to use the schoolroom sooner rather than later!

Took my two oldest boys to their first guitar lesson

While waiting for said lesson to be over, read several books to Little Man, assuaging some of my guilt at not spending much time with him lately

Did some work for the women's group at church that I'm in, and made some arrangements for this weekend.

But twenty years ago......

I excitedly put on a beautiful white dress with my mom, sisters, and closest girlfriends helping me.

Tried to eat something but had a hard time with that because I was so excited and nervous.

Asked my sisters and girlfriends to check the auditorium to make sure that people were actually showing up.

Knew in my gut that it was so much more than the fun of getting ready in a room full of excited females, and that I was about to take a permanent, life altering step.

When I was ready in my wedding finery, I joined my husband-to-be in the sanctuary for picture taking before the ceremony. I was thrilled that my man seemed to be completely overcome with my beauty! haha We kissed briefly, had a few private moments together, and then gave ourselves over to the photographer to work his magic.

Later I walked down the aisle on the arm of my dad, who until this day had been my number one male hero, and pledged my life, love, and loyalty to my new number one hero.

Honestly, I've glanced back once or twice since then, but by God's grace have never turned from the covenant we made together that day.

Honey, this year has been rough in ways that the previous two years of financial hardship were not. Sometimes the pain and struggle of our loved ones has been so hard to bear, and I know there were times that you and I both wished we could sortof walk away for a while, not necessarily from each other, but from life. For a short break. It is in this testing that I have come to more fully appreciate your integrity. Your unwavering commitment to do and be what God wants you to do and be. You are wise, unselfish, compassionate, and so so generous. I love you so much more today than I did twenty years ago, and I'm so glad that we both said "I will." I would marry you all over again!

Happy Anniversary sweetheart.

Setback in the Schoolroom

2012-01-10T10:18:00.000-08:00

The couch won't fit in its allotted space under the stairs. :-(

Room is completely disorganized and I am very discouraged and exhausted.

But at least the painting is done!

Still Painting....

2012-01-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

at midnight on Monday. But the schoolroom is so close to being done!! Pictures coming soon!

Back to School

2012-01-07T12:36:00.000-08:00

Well, our first week back to school was kinda rough. But we did it. And made it through. We only did a few subjects, yet they took us well into the evening to finish every day. Could be starting at 10 or 11 had something to do with it.... ;-)

During Christmas break we shoved our school table up against the bookcase, and turned my desk into tool central to once again try and completely finish the schoolroom makeover. The room was unusable this past week, which helped make the week a little more frustrating. We are working rather frantically today to try and finish the last sanding so that I can paint the other three walls this evening. That is the goal anyway. Once the paint dries we can hang a shelf, move the couch to its new home under the stairs, and then the fun part. ORGANIZING! :0)

Putting the Christmas decorations away, grocery shopping, and preparing for school next week round out this day. As well as watching wild card football tonight!! I am so looking forward to that. Seriously! I may have to try and paint during commercials. ;-)

Books I read in 2011

2012-01-03T15:26:00.000-08:00

I read just 23 books in 2011, down significantly from my 39 of last year. There is still a long list of books to be read! So many of them challenged me, encouraged me, and made me think. Some made me laugh or cry (or both). Some led to great discussions with my husband and/or children.

I am currently reading The Hunger Games, partly to see what all the fuss is about, and partly to preview it for possible reading by our daughter. It is a compelling story ~ I am enjoying it ("enjoy" may not be the right word. For those of you who have read it, you'll understand what I mean!) I have always desired to teach our children to be discerning about the books they read and the movies or TV shows they watch, but I sense it urgently now. All too soon our children may be out of our home and deciding for themselves what they will allow into their minds. That is as it should be, but it will be disastrous for them if they have not learned how to be both discerning and self controlled. I had an excellent conversation with our daughter last week about this. I told her that she already knew very well the difference between things that were "good" and "bad", but I wanted her to learn the difference between "good" and "best". That elicited some great comments.

Anyway, here is the list of books I read this year. I bolded my favorites.

Shaiton's Fire, by Jake Thoene
White, by Ted Dekker
Red, by Ted Dekker
Black, by Ted Dekker
The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara
Stowaway to the Mushroom Planet, by Eleanor Cameron)
Eagle of the Ninth, by Rosemary Sutcliffe
Men of Iron, by Howard Pyle
Lineage of Grace, by Francine Rivers
The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
Red Rock Mysteries Books 1-4, by Jerry Jenkins and Chris Fabry
Among the Gods, by Lynn Austin
Faith of My Fathers, by Lynn Austin
The Strength of His Hand, by Lynn Austin
Song of Redemption, by Lynn Austin
Gods and Kings, by Lynn Austin
Adara, by Beatrice Gormley
Eleventh Guest, by Brock and Bodie Thoene
Hittite Warrior, by Joanne Williamson
Tenth Stone, by Brock and Bodie Thoene

Happy New Year!

2012-01-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

Hope your 2012 has gotten off to a great start! On New Year's Eve we had our TX relatives and some friends over for dinner and a game night. We had multiple games going in two different rooms. It was loud and crazy and fun!

We started a Settlers of Catan game with our TX cousins, that our family finished the next day. Son L ultimately won!

My husband with his TX sister.

Everyone else left earlier, so on the stroke of midnight our family of seven toasted the new year with sparkling cider and cheers!

And then we collapsed into bed. :-)

No doubt 2012 will hold its share of heartache as well as joys. Knowing that God knows the future, and holds both it and us in His strong and loving arms gives me such confidence and strength.

Little Man is Seven

2011-12-30T07:49:00.000-08:00

He has now been 7 for over a week! Wow, the time is just flying. We had a very fun day on his birthday. We let him open one gift right after breakfast, and he chose this one.

It was a big hex habitat for all his little hex bugs. Very popular! Those little hex bugs are mesmerizing to watch. I have played with it all by myself a couple times!

Picnic lunch in the family room while watching a movie of his choice.

One set of grandparents came over for dinner that night, and for his birthday dinner he chose homemade waffles. So we had a waffle bar, with lots of different toppings.

Then it was opening the rest of his gifts! An art kit and some color wonder books.

A huge "Cars" blanket and other "cars" things from his grandparents in WA. This was a huge hit! (thanks mom and dad!). He carried the blanket around the house with him for several days before I made him start keeping it on his bed. :-)

Hand made tie dye shirt and some other things from his other grandparents.

And a new wooden sword. A boy cannot have too many swords!

Happy, happy 7th birthday to our little man!

At the end of the evening, some quiet time to enjoy books just he and I. How I love this sweet child!

Old Christmas Tradition

2011-12-28T16:57:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas morning tradition is that when the children wake up they find their stockings hanging beside their beds, and then they come onto our bed and we open them all together. This is something my hubby's family did when he was growing up, and we have kept this tradition in our family too.

Here are each of the children with their most favorite item from their stocking. Daughter G was thrilled with a new Rick Riordan book, and an 8 gig mini card along with a note that said our extra cell phone was now officially and exclusively hers!

Son G loved his University of Michigan cap (his favorite college football team).

Sons L and C both got their first watch!

Little Man got a jumping bakugan from his sister.

My fav item was a new pair of gloves, and hubby's was a mini laser pointer (gotta love the dollar store!).

New Christmas Tradition

2011-12-27T15:08:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks before Christmas we had a family meeting and discussed ways that we could adjust our focus on Christmas Day to the gift of God's Son, and our response to that gift. Hubby and I wanted to add something to our celebration in addition to the Bible reading we do before opening gifts. The children offered a few suggestions, and what we decided on was a gift giving ceremony, where we gave something back to Jesus to show our gratitude for the gift of Himself.

We spent some quiet time leading up to Christmas, each thinking and praying about what we could give. I had to help Little Man with some ideas, as this is somewhat abstract, but he came up with a great one all on his own! After church Sunday morning we came home and had our own family worship time. We thanked God for giving us the gift of His Son, and then we each wrote on a slip of paper what we wanted to give back to God during this next year. Those who wanted to, shared what they wrote (Little Man's was "to obey mommy and daddy right away." ~ one I heartily approved of!). Then we sealed them in an envelope and will pull them out again next Christmas so we can evaluate how we did. I'd like to keep all the envelopes for posterity. It will be fun and hopefully meaningful for the children when they are older, to remember all the gifts they have given to Jesus over the years.

Then we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and had birthday cake for lunch!

What does your family do to help you focus on God's gift at Christmas time?

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-26T10:45:00.000-08:00

Our children on Christmas Eve, before opening presents....

Oh how I love Christmas Eve! The anticipation, the excitement.... I know so well that the meaning of Christmas is not in getting or even giving gifts, but I have to say that as a parent, it is SO FUN to give them anyway!! I was very excited this year, as I thought we had nailed a major desire for each of the children. Years ago we switched nearly all of our gift opening to Christmas Eve, so that Christmas Day was less stressful and more focused on God's gift to us, the coming of Jesus. I have come to really love this arrangement, and we added a new tradition this year to our Christmas Day that I think we are all going to love. More on that later.

Here I am with one of the few things I had asked for.... a dvd of "The Help"! (read the book first, the book is fantastic!)

Daughter G asked for books, clothes, and boots. All of which she got!

Little man and son C both asked for a particular Hero Factory figure named the "witch doctor." It was the number one thing they both wanted. They both made a wish list this year, wrote "The witch doctor" on it, and then filled the rest of the page with stars to show how much they wanted it. :-)

I wasn't crazy about the name, but I have to admit he was a pretty cool looking figure when he was all put together! Very fierce and intimidating, with lots of cool weapons. What's not to love about that? My boys know how frugal I try to be, so they never in a million years expected to both receive one. A couple weeks before Christmas I heard them negotiating with each other how they were going to "share" it if we got one for the both of them together. I smiled to myself when I heard that.... two witch doctors were already hidden away for them! (buy one, get one half off, plus free shipping. Whoo-hoo!)

Son C also received his first leather bound Bible, complete with his name on the cover.

And a very cool lego set. It was the first Christmas that son G has not asked for legos, so hubby and I were very glad that son C asked for some. It will be a sad day for us when no-one is into legos anymore.

What son G did want, was a real football that was his size. He has small hands, so I had to hunt around but finally found one. We also gave him a jersey of his favorite wide receiver (Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions, nicknamed "Megatron"). He was sooooo excited and hasn't taken it off since then!

He also wanted an mp3 player. Love that there are so many choices now! (ipod was not gonna happen, but we could make a polaroid version happen!)

Son L was very happy with his Lego Heroica game,

new fedora hat,

and CAMERA!!!

My husband got a new t-shirt from me (among other things). Can't read the fine print?

Is this better? We are huge fans of "The Princess Bride" so when I saw this t-shirt I could not resist getting it!

And at the very end of the evening, the piece de resistance, was.......

.......... a guitar for son G!

Oh my word, he was soooo happy! We have encouraged all our children to learn to play a musical instrument, but he was adament that he did not want his instrument to be the piano. We had a friend at church (guitarist on our worship team) research guitar deals for us, and he even stored this at his house so none of the children would find it before Christmas. Christmas Eve, shortly before gift opening, he and his wife dropped it off and we hid it in the front closet until just the right moment. Son G also got a certificate for guitar lessons from this same friend at church, starting in January!

Meanwhile our daughter had been closely guarding two wrapped gifts that she presented to my husband and I. They were original paintings that she had done: mine was a mountain scene because she knows how much I miss the mountains from my native state of Washington, and hubby's was of him swinging daughter G in the air when she was little. They are both beautifully done, and made us cry!

We dropped into bed close to midnight, happy and content and ready to worship Jesus the next day.

He Came

2011-12-24T14:52:00.001-08:00

So much has happened in our household in the last week, as I'm sure it has in yours too.

I could post pics of Little Man's actual birthDAY (and I will, Grandma). :-)

I could post about my wonderful night at the symphony orchestra with dear friends (and probably will).

I could post pics of our Bible reading and gift opening on Christmas Eve (and eventually will).

But right now I am overwhelmed with the incredible gift of Jesus. I took a friend grocery shopping yesterday, on Dec 23 (which was a Friday this year in case that escaped anyone's notice), late in the afternoon. Friday night traffic is bad every week, plus it was rush hour, plus it was the last shopping day before Christmas Eve, and the traffic was TERRIBLE. So, so, so backed up, no matter which road we tried to take. We passed a fender bender, and the expressions on the drivers' faces said it all.

I myself, by some incredible portion of God's grace, was feeling rather patient, but as I sat at yet another red light I pondered..... our culture has made Christmas all about the non essentials. Must. Have. Just. The. Right. Gift. And just the right tree. Must get cards out. Decorate the house. Bake cookies. None of those things are bad, and in fact many of them provide traditions that our family loves. But they are not the essential meaning of Christmas. Seeing first hand all the frazzled shoppers, the crowded parking lots, and the rushing cars just seemed to confirm how off base most of us are about Christmas. How little we are thinking of the fact that Jesus came.

And then it struck me. That first Christmas, they didn't know He was coming then either. People were crowding into Bethlehem so much that there was no room for just one more couple, a young carpenter and his very pregnant wife. The census was in full swing. Stern soldiers, jostling crowds, probably many average citizens disgruntled with having to register for the purpose of paying more taxes. Rushing, rushing, rushing.

Some things have not changed that much in two thousand years.

But into that world, Jesus came. He came! And into our world, he still comes. Bringing peace, and hope and joy and salvation! Knowing our weakness and sin and absolute inability to reach Him, He reached out to US.

I am overcome with the gift.

Lord, let me understand as never before the truth of your coming. What it meant, and what it still means. How it changes everything. What you gave up in order to reach out to us, and what you freely gave us though it cost you everything. Lord, let my response be absolute, pure, undiluted worship. "Thank you" seems so small..... yet my whole heart beats with gratitude for your amazing gift to me. Thank you.

Happy, Happy Birthday Little Man!!!

2011-12-21T07:10:00.001-08:00

Seven years ago today.....

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2011

Happy 7th Birthday to our sweet, energetic, fun-loving, imaginative, all-boy youngest child!

I'm here....

2011-12-19T15:14:00.001-08:00

but busy with extra little people at our house!

More soon.

:0)

Go Navy, Beat Army!

2011-12-13T16:32:00.000-08:00

After Little Man's party on Saturday we all donned the requisite blue and gold clothing to watch the annual Army-Navy football game! Navy won for the tenth straight year! Whoo-Hooo!!!!

It was a pretty good game to watch, football wise. Very close. Army actually showed up this year! We were nervous a few times, and ecstatic when Navy won!

Our boys did pushups every time Navy scored (daddy requires it), and we all stood and sang the Navy alma mater along with the midshipmen at the end of the game. A fun tradition for us!

Go Navy, Beat Army!

Bugs, Bugs Everywhere!

2011-12-12T07:19:00.001-08:00

Little Man is turning seven soon, and this is his year for a "friend" party. We chose a bug theme for his party, and on Saturday five little friends came over for the festivities! For several days beforehand, all the children worked to turn our main floor into "bug world". This was all thought up and executed by the children ~ I had nothing to do with it! We had several of these signs:

Various and sundry creepy crawlies:

And vines hanging from the ceiling and in every doorway.

When the guests began arriving, those who wanted to, made bug antennae to wear....

....and caterpillars out of egg cartons.

We played games such as the classic "bugs in a jar"....

...and the grasshopper leap.

We had dirt cake in individual cups rather than a big cake to cut. It was tricky making sure the lit candles wouldn't melt the sides of the plastic cup!

Our last game was the messiest. We pretended to be moles (moles are blind, hence the blindfold) digging for bugs to eat. Little Man really got into it, he stuck his whole head in the tub of sand!

Everyone got to dig for three bugs. When they felt one, they would hold it up and we would tell them if it was "edible" or not. It was edible if they didn't already have one of that type. :-)

Digging, digging, digging......

Found one!

There was time at the end to make these edible spider snacks to take home.

It was loads of fun, and Little Man felt properly celebrated. Also, I admit to having way too much fun getting to do a "little kid" party ~ they are fun in a whole different way than big kid parties are. I'm so thankful for Little Man!

Co-op Fun

2011-12-11T14:20:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we did our annual "baking and making" day with our co-op ~ we baked sugar cookies and made some Christmas crafts. So much fun!!

There was time for some spontaneous games!

We made foam door hangars (thanks to my mom for sending the kits!) and decorated gift bags.

Is this a fun looking table, or what??!

While Marsha and Sally were busy supervising the crafts, I supervised the baking.

So many sprinkles were used! I have swept twice since then and am still finding them on the floor. :-)

A fun time was had by all! How we love and appreciate our co-op friends!

My new outfit

2011-12-11T13:41:00.000-08:00

As promised, here is my new outfit. It is a pair of black dress pants and this wine colored jacket with the drapey lapel. Not super exciting, but I needed the black pants (shouldn't every woman have black dress pants?) and I really love the little jacket.

We stayed four hours at the party. When we left there were loud whiskey shots and spontaneous dancing beginning to occur... but before that we had a great time mingling with my husband's co-workers and their wives. I met three other stay at home moms! And had a long conversation with a retired school teacher, who was initially alarmed when she learned we homeschooled but was relieved after discovering that I was a former classroom teacher myself. She told me exactly how to teach the play "Romeo and Juliet" to my ninth grader. :-)

What a great opportunity to support my husband in his work relationships, and Lord willing be a light for Jesus.

Score!

2011-12-08T14:53:00.001-08:00

Bought myself a new outfit today. I kindof "had to". ;-) Hubby's office Christmas party is tomorrow night and I didn't have anything appropriate for that type of function. Not super dressy, but medium dressy. I strongly dislike clothes shopping for myself, and was pilfering funds from the grocery budget so was trying to spend very little.

I prayed, and took myself off to Kohl's where I had a coupon. Found items that looked promising, tried them on (they fit perfectly), and got in line to pay. For less than $40, in less than 30 minutes, I was in and out with a pretty new outfit! I love Kohl's!

And I'm just so thankful that this year we are going to a work Christmas party, because that means my husband is working!

Pictures after tomorrow. :-)

Daugher G's Art

2011-12-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

Daughter G, who absolutely loves creating art, recently participated in a craft show where she was able to sell hand painted products. For several weeks leading up to the show, she spent her after school hours painting. Here is a glimpse of her room (I still need to post "after" pics!) with her school desk on the far left, and her art desk in the middle. Her art desk is on wheels, so she can pull it closer to the lamp when she is working at night, and push it next to the window for natural light when she is working during the day.

On this particular night she borrowed my reading glasses. She probably needs glasses of her own. :-( (it's on the agenda for January)

This is what it looks like to "mass produce" the same scene, by hand.

Many evenings she brought her work downstairs to the kitchen table so she could work while listening to daddy read aloud.

The night of the show finally arrived!

She sold many different bookmarks and postcards,

watercolor paintings,

charcoal drawings,

and painted cork hot pads.

She earned $68 throughout the evening, which is pretty good Christmas gift buying money! She was very encouraged and satisfied, and we are proud of her!

Son L

2011-12-06T11:22:00.000-08:00

Time for an update on son L.

He is in the sixth grade this year, and having a good school year. Sixth grade marks the time in our family when it is possible to join our virtual history co-op and have weekly discussions online with other students using the same history curriculum as us. He was very excited about this, but didn't realize the extent of work involved each week leading up to discussion day. There is quite a bit of reading and answering of questions on paper. I helped him with this a lot in September and October, but now he is doing most of it on his own. He is learning to read for answers, and how to write answers in outline form ~ both of these are such good skills for high school and college. He has grown so much this year in self control and is continuing to learn good school habits. I know that last sentence sounds like something a teacher would write on a report card ~ but it blesses my heart to be experiencing it.

Since he first learned how to talk, he has always said whatever was on his mind. Sometimes this has been somewhat awkward for his parents. ;-) On Thanksgiving this year, when we were going around the table saying what we were thankful for, he turned to his 93 year old grandpa and said with all seriousness, "I'm thankful that you're not dead."

Tact is not a strength at this point, but I love that he is sincere and passionate about things. Sometimes we adults, in our effort to be politically or socially "correct", can tend to leave certain topics alone. All topics are open season to L. This has provided opportunities for our family to have such interesting and good conversations! (and hopefully learn a little tact, too)

He has recently joined the middle school youth group worship team, and is taking this responsibility very seriously. So seriously in fact, that I remind him each week to smile while he sings. :0) He loves reading, music, and anything electronic. I have found a wonderful way to combine his love of reading with his love of all things electronic, and have him read books on my Kindle now. There are many fantastic classic "boy" books that I have downloaded to my Kindle for free, and he will happily read the Kindle for literally hours at a time.

He is quirky and funny and adds so much joy to my life!

December First Tradition

2011-12-06T10:53:00.000-08:00

December first arrived, time to use our candy ribbons!!

The children take off one hershey kiss each night as a way to countdown to Christmas. This is something me and my sisters did when we were growing up, so my kids are second generation candy ribboners!

A literal hershey kiss!

Yay for December!

Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes

2011-12-02T11:35:00.000-08:00

Once again we packed some shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child this year. Ladies from my MOPS group pooled their items with ours, and we were able to pack nine boxes to the gills. I wish it were many more, but I choose to focus on the fact that these boxes may make a world of difference to the nine children who receive them!

Our daughter G took ownership of the project this year. She organized all our goodies into piles. We had a "personal hygiene" pile, and a "toys" pile, and a "school supplies" pile, and a "clothing" pile, etc. Then she further divided things into big girl/young girl stuff and big boy/young boy stuff. She pushed the big kid boxes to the back of the couch, and pulled the young kid boxes to the front so we could keep everything straight. She is so good at this, I think she should do it on a large scale for our whole church! (hint, hint daughter G, if you're reading this!)

Our nearest drop off center was no longer accepting boxes when we got there, so we had to drive much farther to a drop off center that was still open. This turned out to be a blessing, because the semi was being loaded when we arrived, and we got to see all the shoeboxes going into big cardboard boxes, and the cardboard boxes being loaded onto the semi truck for their trip to North Carolina! Hundreds and hundreds of shoeboxes..... so cool. As we watched, we prayed over the boxes and the children who would receive them.

If you have never done this, you should seriously consider packing a box (or two, or many!) next year. The boxes are usually due the week before Thanksgiving, and the deadline does tend to creep up, but if you put a big huge note on your calendar the first week of November that will help to remind you. :0)

We are able to track where our nine boxes end up, and I'm excited to find that out in a couple weeks!

After Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T16:58:00.000-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving my husband's laptop died a rather dramatic death. It was used extensively by the entire family so its loss is really felt. Without it my husband cannot work from home (which he did a few days every month), and the two oldest boys will now have to share one computer for an online class they are in.

It is possible that an experienced repair person may be able to fix it at a reasonable price, but that involves taking a chip off the motherboard, and we run the risk of ruining the motherboard in the process. For those of you not familiar with motherboards, that would be bad.

Perhaps we will be able to replace it after Christmas. I would love for my husband to have a new laptop. His was five years old, which in laptop years is about 100. But in the meantime, we are down a computer. And you know what????

I am thankful.

I am thankful we have two desktops that we can use. Both of them are old, and one of them is so old it will not support our online classes, but it does most other things reasonably well (I'm blogging on it!).

I am thankful my husband had the most amazing attitude about it. No ranting or raving at all. No visible, outward discouragement. Not even a heavy sigh. "It's just a thing," he said.

I am thankful that in the grand scheme of things, a broken laptop is not even a blip.

I am thankful that God has been so faithful. We've had a lot of things break in the past few months, but by God's grace they have all been fixed or replaced.

I'm thankful God is showing me that gratitude is a year round perspective. It doesn't have to stop after Thanksgiving. I'm grateful there are still so many other things to be thankful for!!!

Thursday's Thankful Things

2011-11-27T10:58:00.001-08:00

How appropriate that Thanksgiving is on a Thursday!

I was too busy living Thursday to post on Thursday, but here are a few of the many things I am thankful for...

Traditions. Some are more elaborate than others, while some are very simple. One simple one we have is eating cinnamon rolls and oranges while watching the parade on TV every Thanksgiving morning. When son C exclaimed on Wednesday, "Oh, I can't wait for the parade and cinnamon rolls tomorrow!" it reminded me how important these little traditions are to our children, and how they are like stitches in the fabric that is our family life.

Our children. Each one made so miraculously by God. Each one so special and unique.

I'm thankful they are old enough to help, and that they enjoy helping!

I'm thankful for cran-raspberry pie, and all the other good food that God has so abundantly given us. I'm thankful I could offer a table full of deliciousness to our guests.

Family. Some near, some far. Each person's placement in our family circle was intentional and not an accident. Each one has a specific role in my life, and I am thankful that God uses us to bless, challenge, and encourage one another.

So thankful for the opportunity to see our great-niece! We rarely get to see her, so it was a special treat.

For our house. Our dining room. The lovely drapes that my friend Susan made me. Our sturdy oak table that continues to seat and serve so many. The beautiful cross stitch of the Lord's Prayer on the wall behind me in this picture, that was a wedding present from my beloved grandparents. These are all just things, but they are meaningful to me.

I'm thankful for each opportunity we have to do things together as a family that does not involve electronics! :-)

So thankful for music. And laughter! The children laughed so much while playing ~ what a beautiful sound!

So thankful for my husband. He balances me so well, is generous and not a complainer, plus he's really cute. ;-)

Especially thankful that God is, and that He is who He says He is.

Our Week In Review

2011-11-21T08:53:00.000-08:00

We continued our studies of the Renaissance and the Age of Exploration this week. We looked at lots and lots of art, and also read about many different explorers and the new routes or landforms they discovered. What an incredible time that must have been! Fear of the unknown began to be replaced by an overwhelming motivation to know what lay "beyond" ~ beyond the sea, and also beyond the known science of the time. It is truly amazing to contemplate all that God allowed man to learn/discover/invent/accomplish during that time period. Our boys have been drawing caravels and their own clever inventions all week!

What was different about this week:

Our two oldest children entered their first writing contest! We mailed off their essays early in the week, and will find out the results sometime in mid December. There is prize money for the top four essays in each of three age categories, as determined by their panel of judges. The prize money was great motivation! But aside from the possibility of winning money, I think it is a great experience, and I am glad for this learning opportunity. It turned out that daughter G and son G were in the same age bracket, so they were competing against each other! ;-)

Something else new this week was that son C began keyboarding! He is slowly learning how to type and how to place his hands correctly. He is highly motivated to begin typing the papers he is writing in writing class, rather than writing the final draft in cursive by hand, so he was super excited to start this new daily activity.

What worked well this week:

We had such a wonderful lesson one day that combined what we are learning in history with what we are learning in Bible. Our amazing history curriculum, Tapestry of Grace, has such comprehensive teacher's notes for each week. They give excellent background information on all the major themes and people covered each week, as well as how the trends of the time line up with Scripture. I especially appreciate how TOG looks at history through the lens of a biblical worldview, and since we are learning about worldviews in our Bible class, I was excited to do this lesson, following the teacher's notes in my history binder.

All of our children were present for this lesson, though the 9 and 6 year old were busy coloring a picture of an explorer's ship during our discussion. First of all we defined the term "humanism", which was prevalent as a movement during the renaissance. This is not exactly the secular humanism that we have today, but similar in some ways. We looked up the verses that you see on the whiteboard, and talked about the Romans 1 view of man and the Psalm 8 view of man. Which is the correct view of man, if viewed through the lens of Truth (Truth being God's Word)? The three older children all copied these notes into their history binder.

Which view of man was characterized by the Southern (Italian) Renaissance?

In two weeks we will be learning about the Northern Renaissance, and will compare and contrast how the Renaissance in the northern countries differed from the Renaissance that took place in Italy.

Great, great stuff, and such a great discussion! So helpful in teaching us discernment. One of the things I am thankful for during this Thanksgiving season is Tapestry of Grace!

Pizza Party!

2011-11-19T06:32:00.000-08:00

Last night we had some friends over and had a pizza party! We built our own individual pizzas, which was a first for our friends.

So many toppings.... what to choose, what to choose???

Daughter G always loads hers up with everything!

Son C's pizza face even had mushroom teeth!

After eating we did some art,

and watched "Tangled".

It was a fun time!

Thursday's Thankful Things

2011-11-17T20:14:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for....

My children. So thankful that they respond to us as their proper, God-given authority. They have their moments, of course, but they are characterized by obedience, and that is something I do not take for granted. That is all due to God's grace, not superior parenting on our part!!

Heat! So thankful for our lovely, working, safe furnace.

My husband's job. Thankful for God's provision through his employment.

My wonderful friends. I have the BEST friends. No, really, mine are the best.

The freedom to homeschool, and the amazing privilege it is.

Overheard.....

2011-11-17T18:31:00.000-08:00

We were watching a movie the other night that included a love story as part of the plot, and there was inevitably a kiss. Our boys were making choking noises and shielding their eyes, which made me laugh!

Son C: "Mommy, why are you laughing?"

Me: "Well, you're just acting so funny about this kiss. You've seen me and daddy kiss thousands of times and you don't do that when we kiss."

Son G: "Yeah, but you don't chew each other's mouths off!"

Son C: "The victims of these kisses always look like they are getting their faces chewed off!"

Really? Victims?

I predict they'll change their tune in another ten years or so (and please don't tell me it's less time than that! Let me have my dream.) And, in case you're wondering, the movie was "The Man from Snowy River" and the kiss was not very steamy.

Ugh...

2011-11-16T13:03:00.000-08:00

Strep test was negative. "Just" a virus.....

Third time in three months.

Ugh, ugh, ugh.

Out with the Old, In with the New!

2011-11-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

This is not going to seem very exciting to most of you, but is a huge answer to prayer and relief to us, and me in particular, and since this is my blog, I'm going to write about it! :-)

My husband has been employed now for eight months. In that time we have had to pay thousands (yes, thousands) of dollars to the water department for huge water bills. It is one of the things that has made our "catching up" so difficult, and has been incredibly stressful. During the time that my husband was unemployed our old hot water tank developed a leak, but it took us several months to figure it out. At first we thought it was a leak around the window from a bad rainstorm, but caulking that did not solve the problem. Then we thought it was the flange around our furnace vent on the top of the roof, but the furnace people came and made sure that seal was tight and we still had leakage on our basement floor. Finally we realized it was the hot water tank.

It is pretty hard to pay a huge water bill every month and save money for a new hot water tank, and just seeing the little trickle on our basement floor that led to the drain made me sick to my stomach. It was literally like pouring money down the drain.

But, finally, this was the month!!!

Our old hot water tank was taken to the curb where it was happily picked up by the metal recycle guy.

And our new tank was carefully carried in.

It was expertly installed by my husband and my dear friend Sally's husband.

It doesn't leak gas or water (both good things!) and is giving us lovely hot water whenever we want it, and no water at all when we don't. Lord willing, this will be the end of our exorbitant water bills!

I am thankful!

Thank you to our dear friends who helped make this possible, and thank you to the anonymous person who managed to pass along to us some cash at church last Sunday! I don't know how this person (or people) are finding out exactly when we need money, but we are humbled and grateful and choosing to see it as a lovely, undeserved gift from God!

So Thankful

2011-11-13T15:52:00.001-08:00

Okay, it's not Thursday, but I can't wait four days to share this!

Many of you know that I have struggled with plantar fasciitis for many years. About a year and a half ago it flared up really badly and I walked with a limp, experienced pain with every step, and simply didn't do a lot of things that required me to stand or walk. It really impacted my life in lots of little ways.

Last spring I had several weeks of physical therapy, got fitted for orthotics, and was taught an exercise regimen that I have (mostly) kept up with fairly well.

So.....

Our church is doing a special handbell choir for Christmas, and I was asked to join. I have always admired handbell choirs and secretly wished I could do that someday. We had our first rehearsal this afternoon and I STOOD FOR TWO HOURS STRAIGHT AND FELT NO PAIN!!!!!

A few short months ago it would have been unthinkable for me to even consider it. I was standing there, counting the notes and trying to be "on time" with my bells, and at the same time just rejoicing and thanking God that I even could be standing there, counting the notes.

I am so thankful!!

I LOVE our Bible Curriculum!!

2011-11-12T17:21:00.001-08:00

We are going through Book 1 of the "What We Believe" series by Apologia Press, called "Who is God and Can I Really Know Him?" This is a four book biblical worldview series, geared for ages 6 to 14. Since our youngest is 6, and our oldest is 14, I thought perhaps it would be a perfect time to start this series together, and it has been wonderful. Love, love, love it.

I am loving the opportunity to systematically take our children through a course that teaches what worldviews are, what it means to have a biblical worldview, and how building our lives on the Rock of God's truth as opposed to the shifting sands of whatever seems good at the moment, is the best foundation for life.

There is an accompanying coloring book (which our two youngest use) and an accompanying spiral bound notebook (which our three oldest use) which give us the opportunity to interact with the material and write down (or color a picture of) what we are learning.

This is a little flapbook one of the boys made, with one page each, illustrating the seven ways to build our lives on the Rock of God's truth.

Then we talked about six ways to build our lives on sand. The older three copied these into their notebooks.

During each lesson there is a fun, hands on demonstration of one of the concepts presented. We had fun doing this optical illusion activity ~ to demonstrate that what we see with our eyes is not always the "truth". There was a fish bowl taped to one side of the pencil, and a fish taped to the other side. When we twisted the pencil between our hands really fast, it looked as if the fish was IN the fishbowl, when in fact it wasn't.

This is designed to be used a minimum of three days a week, which is how often we use it.

For my homeschooling friends who may have heard of the controversy surrounding this series in particular, I would encourage you to do your own research, pray, and then determine whether or not this would be a good fit for your family. And if you've never heard of the controversy, it basically centered on the fact that Dr. Jay Wile, author of the popular science series used by many homeschoolers, left Apologia (the company) because he couldn't agree with some of the doctrine taught in this worldview series, and the fact that his name had become virtually synonymous with Apologia led many people to assume that he endorsed every product published by Apologia Press, when in fact he did not.

Last summer my husband and I did copious amounts of reading on this issue, and read many reviews of the series (it is brand new, this is its first school year). We read Jay Wile's blog from back when he resigned from Apologia and every single comment. This information, coupled with prayer, allowed us to feel very comfortable teaching our children from this series, using it as the framework within which to disciple them as the Lord leads us. I am so thankful for the Lord's leading in this decision, as I am loving the book and the discussions that we are having as a result of it. Just another example of how we can trust God with every decision!

Thursday's Thankful Things

2011-11-10T22:37:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for....

My crockpot.

Our wonderful, lovely, beautiful, working furnace!

A soft bed to sleep in, with plenty of warm blankets (can you tell it got really cold today?!?).

The elder board at church, who collectively pray and trust God and are willing to make hard decisions for the future of our church even though at times that makes them unpopular.

My parents.

The fact that I have had more than one completely foot pain free day this week! If you had seen me eight months ago, wincing with each step, you would know how huge that is!

Our honest auto repair shop (even though we had yet another unexpectedly large repair this week!)

Heaven.

Sad Day

2011-11-10T05:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a sad day in our home.

For me personally, I was sad because someone I love died. Someone who encouraged me as a young adult, and was in many ways like a second mom to me. The rest of my family didn't know her so they weren't affected too much, but I had a hard time going through the motions yesterday, and I cried a lot.

Our three older children came home from youth groups (middle school and high school) last night all in tears. Our senior high youth pastor resigned, and our middle school youth pastor is temporarily moving up to cover his responsibilities, while our college pastor will take over the middle school. Our high school daughter was sad because she "only had 3 months with him" and our two middle school boys were sad because they love their middle school pastor and don't want to "lose him to the high school." Everyone was crying.

We sat and cried together. Then we talked. Everyone had a chance to share how they felt. We talked about change, and how hard that is sometimes. We want things to stay the way we like them. It was probably the first of many such talks. My heart hurts for all the kids who are hurting today, or maybe confused. I didn't want to be too "preachy" at such an emotional time, but I reminded the kids that God is always in control. This didn't surprise Him, He knew it was coming, and He has a plan for their youth group(s) and for them.

I am so grateful we still have children at home! Parenting is hard work, but every time I speak truth to my children, I hear it too. Even on the sad days, God is still God. And He is good.

Red Bread

2011-11-09T20:28:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read that right!

For a couple weeks now, Little Man has been asking for red bread. He even put a sign on my mixer that asked for red bread, complete with the word "please" and lots of smiley faces. :-) So today was the day!

I mixed up a batch of bread dough, and we added red food coloring to one fourth of it.

It came out more marbled than truly red, but Little Man was happy, and that's all that mattered to me!

He had a red bread sandwich today, and declared it good!

I love doing things with my Little Man!

Leonardo da Vinci's Flying Machine - Finished!

2011-11-08T09:30:00.000-08:00

Little Man, with help from his big sister, put the rope on our model of Leonardo's flying machine. Once that was done, it was finished!

Knotting so carefully.... look at that concentration!

Pulling on the little model man's arms and legs makes the wings flap down.....

and up!

Fun to make, and intriguing to think of all that Leonardo might have thought about.

Our Week In Review

2011-11-07T08:29:00.000-08:00

We had a great week of school last week! We left the Middle Ages and moved on to the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Age of Exploration. I have been preparing for this unit in particular for quite some time, because the Reformation is such an important time period for us as believers, and this is the only time our daughter will go through this unit at the high school level. I feel a tremendous responsibility to cover this material well.

As a "hook" to reel in the children's interest, I put this Leonardo da Vinci treasure box on the school table, and it was waiting for the children on Monday morning. I have had this for literally years, waiting for the time when we'd go through Year 2 at a time that my children were old enough to do the activities themselves, and this is that time!

They immediately began putting together a small model of Leonardo's flying machine, based on his sketches.

Everyone did a part of it. Very cool to see it coming together! We talked about why it probably wouldn't have worked (too heavy to get off the ground), and what could be done to improve on Leonardo's design.

As many movements do, the Renaissance began slowly and quietly about one hundred years before Leonardo's birth. We learned about Petrarch, the father of humanism, who is credited by many as the one whose ideas sparked the Renaissance. He was a writer and poet who emphasized human potential and human achievement. We talked about this from a biblical perspective. More on that later. In the field of painting, Giotto is considered the first truly "renaissance" artist. We looked at a variety of his work in different art books.

This is a great little book we checked out from the library!

Leonardo studied mathematical concepts extensively, particularly proportion and ratio, and applied what he learned to his art. He also illustrated at least one mathematician's book; among his illustrations were these polyhedra. Sons G and L copied the shapes using small marshmallows and toothpicks. They had a lot of fun building these!

They finished with an octahedron (8 sided figure), an icosahedron (20 sided figure) and a rhombicuboctahedron (26 sided figure). See if you can say that fast three times!

What worked well this week:

A few years ago I bought lots of scholastic paperback book/cassette tape sets at a garage sale for cheap. Now that we finally have a place for this (yay!), Little Man began to listen to one story a day. He has loved this!

His time with his older brother C is continuing to work really well, also. Every day they look forward to doing an activity together. Some of the activities we had this week were: dot to dot markers,

a variety of lace ups,

and some homemade file folder games.

Thursday's Thankful Things

2011-11-03T21:28:00.000-07:00

Today I am:

Thankful for dental insurance. I had some dental work done this week which insurance covered 2/3rds of.

Surprised and grateful that my husband got an unexpected raise! A bit more money each month. Thank you, Lord!

Thankful for the opportunity to teach my children how to resolve conflicts now, while they are young.

Excited about a Christmas gift I bought yesterday for one of the children.

Grateful for a wonderful night at REAL moms last night. Good topic, great speaker, encouraging evening. Also grateful that this year's picture directory is nearly done! :-)

Happy that tomorrow's Friday!

What Happens when Your Children get the Camera

2011-11-03T06:29:00.000-07:00

Here is the picture I took of son C and Little Man having their daily time together one day last week.

I left the room for a few minutes, and later found these on my camera:

Do you think you got that from all angles? Would you like to see more? (yes, there were more!)

Last month I couldn't understand why my camera card got full so fast because I had just moved all the pictures off, only to check and find about 50 pictures of a bionicle in various poses AND several movies of said bionicle! haha

Annual Fall Pumpkin Painting

2011-11-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

This is such a fun little tradition we have. Each fall we buy five small pumpkins and the children each get to paint one however they wish. It is always fun to see what they come up! Not sure where the skeletons came from this year.... not my favorite, but.....

Little Man, getting a helping hand.

Son C.

Son L.

Son G.

Daughter G.

And the finished pumpkins!

Sick

2011-10-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

I have been so sick this weekend! The stomach kind. :-( I have not been this sick in a long time. I'm starting to feel a little better, and can stay out of the bathroom for longer and longer periods of time, so I think I'm on the mend. I slept off and on all day yesterday, watched college football, fell asleep during the fourth quarter of the USC/Stanford game and woke up during their THIRD overtime. Then fell asleep again so I still don't know who won. I was apparently not too sick to enjoy a really good football game. ;-)

The Ongoing Endeavor to Get Organized.....

2011-10-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else struggle with this? Actually, you don't have to answer because I know that you do! Getting and staying organized seems never ending, because just when I finish organizing all my children's bedrooms, the season changes and it's time to go through clothes again, or Little Man has outgrown the preschool activities and it's time to sort and give away, or my paper pile managed to grow back and it's time to file and toss. I know this is something you can all relate to.

This problem seems worse for homeschoolers because there is so much more to organize. **Sigh**

I am slowly making progress in several areas of our home and life. Even though the schoolroom is not completely finished, I am *loving* using it. We start each day together in this room with Bible, and the younger three do the bulk of their work here. My vision, now three years old, of how I wanted it to work for us, is finally beginning to take shape. With some changes of course, because so much time has passed since the vision first formed in my brain! haha! Soooo very thankful for this room!

With an entire wall of bookcases now, I organized all our Tapestry of Grace books according to Year (there are 4 complete years here!) and further organized by unit (4 units per year). I am able to bless some friends by being their history lending library, so to aid them I put these color coded signs on the bookcase to show where a particular Year plan starts (you're welcome, Sally and Lisa!).

Right above my teacher desk I put this strip of velcro directly on the bookcase. To this I can stick all the little squares that go on my boys' assignment charts each day, so it is easy to change them out depending on what day I am preparing for.

It is a work in progress, but it's progressing!

In other news, I cleaned out my bedroom closet this week and filled two large bags to take to the thrift store. And that was just from stuff on the floor! (yes, seriously) Have to go through all the hanging clothes next.

How do you stay on top of the shifting organizational needs of your family?

Thursday's Thankful Things

2011-10-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

Again, a long and stressful week. But again, so many things to be thankful for!

I'm thankful for (mostly) obedient children who are becoming truly helpful.

I'm so thankful for the routines and rhythms that make up our family life. They are a comfort to me right now.

I'm thankful for kind and loving friends, who speak God's truth into my life.

I'm thankful for my husband, who is generous and kind and never complains.

I'm thankful that heaven is a real place, and a sure hope for those who put their trust in Jesus. I'm thankful that sadness from the death of a Jesus follower is mixed with hope and peace and trust.

I'm thankful for sweet, new life that God creates! What a continuum and a mystery is this thing called life.

I'm thankful that God knows my deepest thoughts and loves me anyway. That He guides and directs and empowers and enables.

I'm thankful that God loves me, no matter what.

Apple Orchard!

2011-10-24T18:42:00.000-07:00

Our co-op went on a field trip to an apple orchard and cider mill today. Our first field trip of the year, and such a gorgeous day to be out! It was a nice change of pace, and we all enjoyed being together.

The moms:

This picture blesses me, because it shows how this little guy has OUTGROWN his dairy allergy!! First time he has been able to eat a donut during our annual apple orchard field trip.

All of us:

Wagon ride!

Thank you, Lord, for the glorious sunshine You gave us today. Thank you for friends and colleagues that walk this homeschool journey with us. Thank you for creating such a beautiful world for us to live in, rule over, and enjoy.

Thursday's Thankful Things

2011-10-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

***UPDATE***

I am so very thankful for my sweet husband who took over my drive-a-friend-to-work responsibility this morning so I could sleep an extra THREE HOURS!!! Thank you honey! I feel like a new woman!

Original post follows:

Well, this week it has been harder for me to find things to be thankful for. It's been a difficult few days for a variety of reasons, I am quite exhausted, and I still have Friday's co-op classes to teach. I have seen the consequences of sin up close and personal, and I hate it. Not only can sin's consequences be long lasting for those living them, they can also be very time consuming for those who are helping! But here goes....

I am thankful that I have a husband who loves me, who treats me with kindness and respect, and who works hard to provide for his family. I'm thankful he loves Jesus and works to be a man of integrity.

I am thankful for each of our five children. Just looking into their beautiful faces and seeing how they interact makes both my mouth and my heart smile.

I am thankful for a warm cozy bed to climb into when I finally reach the end of the day.

I am thankful for the privilege of teaching our children at home, of knowing their successes and struggles so well, of seeing all the light bulb moments, and of spending so much time together.

I am thankful that even when the bank account is empty, I am one of the richest women I know.

I am thankful that God's grace provides forgiveness of sin, teaches me, comforts me, and gives daily strength and help. It's all God's grace!

Fall Recess

2011-10-18T11:19:00.001-07:00

Our Week In Review

2011-10-17T17:33:00.000-07:00

We had a good week of school last week. Our older students learned about the the Hundred Year's War and the complex relationship between England and France toward the end of the Middle Ages, while our younger ones focused on individual people, such as Joan of Arc. I read a Joan d'Arc picture book to the two younger boys, and then Little Man drew a picture of an event in her life, while son C wrote in this mini book what he remembered from our reading. I love this lapbooking/notebooking method for assessing how much he has remembered and internalized from our reading! He is the perfect age for this... still loves cutting and pasting, and not too much writing to tire his hand.

We have used my Kindle quite a bit this year for school. A couple weeks ago it really saved the day for daughter G. I had forgotten to buy one of the books she needed for her online literature class, and I realized this at the start of the week she needed it. Our libraries didn't have it, no time to inter library loan it, and no time to purchase it and have it sent to us unless I paid for expensive overnight shipping. I checked to see if it was available in the Kindle version, and it was! I purchased and downloaded it, and in less than 5 minutes our daughter was busily reading. Love modern technology when it works well!

What was different about this week:

We were blessed with a "Chaos Tower" which is like Marbleworks on steroids. Super fun to build, and super fun to watch the balls go through the gauntlet!

What worked well this week:

Our schoolroom!!

Having access to all our educational materials is such a JOY! We re-instituted activity time with son C and Little Man this week. Each morning right after Bible time they get to do a learning activity. It is a nice change of pace from bookwork, and nice for them to spend time together. One of their activities was Boggle Jr:

We are wrapping up our studies of the Middle Ages during this current week and will soon turn our attention to the Renaissance and Reformation. Such a fascinating time period to study!

Thursday's Thankful Things

2011-10-13T18:11:00.000-07:00

Today I am:

Thankful for a new bottom sheet on my bed! My favorite sheet wore through down by my feet. Yes, it's so often the small things.

Thankful that my husband surprised me with an unlimited texting plan so I can stop counting the texts I send and receive!

Grateful that our daughter is so self-motivated with her schoolwork. Absolutely zero battles there.

So thankful for the incredible warm and sunny weather we had for several days! It feels more like fall now, but boy did we have a fantastic Indian summer!

Happy that soccer season is almost over.

Deeply grateful for good friends.

Soaking in the joy that Little Man gives me when he wants to hold my hand.

Shocked beyond words when we received a large anonymous check that covers the cost of our recent van repair!! (I don't know how they knew the exact amount unless they read it here.... if the giver is reading this, THANK YOU!)

Humbled and thankful for the prayers of others.

Before and During (not quite "After"!)

2011-10-11T10:34:00.000-07:00

Remember this?

Couch is now 2/3rds cleared off, with permanent homes (or the circular file) found for the things that were on it.

Go me!!

Our Week In Review

2011-10-10T10:17:00.000-07:00

This past week we learned about the Mongols, Marco Polo, and the Far East. I had forgotten that the Mongol Empire was the largest empire ever formed in terms of land, larger even than Alexander the Great's Empire. Wow! Yet historians don't study it too much because the Mongols didn't really advance their culture. They didn't build cities to replace the ones they conquered and burned, they didn't create amazing architecture, or works of literature, or even a distinct political system. They pretty much destroyed and conquered, and therefore their empire was short lived. Fascinating to read about though!

We really enjoyed reading about Marco Polo, who helped usher in the Age of Exploration. He traveled for about 2 years to reach China, became friends with Kublai Khan (The Great Khan, as he was called, grandson of Genghis), served in his court for many years, and then journeyed home. His perspective of China and his telling of their achievements and inventions, helped open more trade between the East and the West, and gave people a desire to learn what else could be "out there".

Amazing how each era of history flows into the next! And amazing to see God's hand in and through it all!

What was different about this week:

We had a little friend join us for one day, as she had pink eye and couldn't go to her own classroom in public school. That changed the dynamic a bit, but we had fun with her, and she got all her own homework done while at our house!

Of course other people's toys are always more interesting....!

What worked well this week:

We finally were able to start our Bible curriculum for this fall! Yay for an organized schoolroom! We are using a Bible/Worldview program published by Apologia Press that includes three volumes. We will take two years to go through all three books. It appears to be perfect for the age spread of our children, and I am happy we can all go through this together.

Son C has taken to writing like a duck to water! He can't wait to come home from co-op each Friday afternoon so he can start on his writing homework immediately. Here he is doing writing on Sunday afternoon! (in co-op he is in a writing class with 3 other children, and he loves that he gets to learn with his friends!)

Something else that worked well this past week was the start of grammar with son C. I have always understood the homeschooling adage, "better late than early" to have sound educational principle behind it, but now I am really testing it for the first time. Son C is in the fourth grade and has had NO formal grammar up to this point. Please don't judge! :-) He has picked up a lot of grammar from his older siblings, and so far the adage appears to be true because he is understanding the terms and concepts right away and "catching up" at lightning speed.

We played preposition bingo every day for an entire week. He got to use chocolate chips as the bingo chips, and eat them afterward!

At the end of the week, I drew a doghouse on the whiteboard, and he named our imaginary dog "Goldie". I began to fill in prepositions around the doghouse (on the doghouse, over the doghouse, in the doghouse, beneath the doghouse, etc) and son C quickly took over the pen and wrote as many as he could fit. Then I wrote a sentence across the bottom of the whiteboard (pictured in red), taught him how to cross off the prepositional phrases because the subject and verb are NEVER found in them, and then he could easily identify the subject and verb of the sentence. We did this several times with other sentences.

This week (starting today) he is beginning work in a grammar book, so our work last week was to bring him up to speed so he would be ready for the bookwork. He is doing great and I love his enthusiasm!

Fantastic Homeschooling Tip

2011-10-06T09:17:00.000-07:00

For all my homeschooling friends who have ever wondered how to find the time to correct their children's work, and when was the best time to do it.....

thanks to my friend Marsha, I have instituted a new checking/correcting routine this week that has worked WONDERFULLY. Here is the daily assignment chart for one of my boys.

As he does each task, he moves the little velcro square to his "done" chart. This part of the routine is not new.

What is new is the last square. The one that says "Checkout with mom". My friend Marsha is brilliant! Before each child is truly done for the day they must check out with me. During check out I correct all their work for that day, with them sitting next to me making immediate corrections if needed. This is keeping my children accountable for doing all their assigned work for each day, and keeping me accountable for correcting it! I know it's only been three days, but oh what a difference!

It does take time, but the best things in life do.

Thank you Marsha!

Thursday's Thankful Things

2011-10-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

Today I am....

thankful for the glorious sunshine and warm temperatures we are experiencing this week!

happy to have schooled nearly a full week in our schoolroom instead of in the kitchen

ecstatic that I can see my kitchen counters! (see above)

thankful that another night of REAL moms went well and we had a thought-provoking speaker

happy that my boys are taking more ownership of their work

grateful to be living daily in God's grace

We Have Schoolroom!!!!

2011-10-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

It is not done. But it's usable! Oh happy day!

We worked hard all weekend to get the room ready. Last week I painted the wall red so it would be ready for the bookcase. All the boys helped put it together. And they really did help!

While the boys worked on the bookcase, daughter G painted the back of the built in bookcase red. I will later paint the side walls black so that it matches the other bookcases.

Anchoring it to the wall.

The moving of books and organizing our stuff was something only I could do. Though I have more to do, I did get a lot accomplished over the weekend. And it's wonderful to be able to access all of our books again! I found two books we can use this very week as we are studying the Mongols and Marco Polo.

Here is the school table, no longer covered with tools but covered with math books instead!

And here is MY desk.... usable space once again!

This shows the length of the schoolroom, with the new bookcase and my desk at the far back.

The couch is still covered with stuff.... but it will all find a home eventually!

So, so thankful to have an organized space in which to work again!

Thursday's Thankful Things

2011-09-29T22:20:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful:

For the justice system we have in America. Despite its flaws, it works amazingly well most of the time.

That I don't have to work outside the home.

For my education. If I had to work outside the home, there are a myriad of things I could do and do pretty well. So, so thankful for a marketable skill set.

For kind, helpful individuals in government offices and schools.

For nice drivers who let me in on crowded roadways.

For children who are old enough and obedient enough to be left alone for a while without tearing the house down. :-)

That God is always. in. control.

Jury Duty Today

2011-09-29T05:05:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to fulfilling another one of my civic responsibilities!

Schoolroom Update

2011-09-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

This is what our school couch looks like currently. Yes, there really is a couch buried under all that stuff:

And here is my desk:

Our school table:

Largely covered with tools!

This is looking at what will be the front of the classroom:

And I didn't bother taking pictures of the individual boxes sitting here and there filled with school materials that are awaiting a new home in the to-be purchased bookcase. Do you see why it feels like a herculean task for me to get this ready to use by next Monday?

However, I am determined! (pray for me!)

There has actually been a lot of progress this weekend. My husband got the area under the stairs dry walled!

This is where the couch will go, eventually.

And what has given my husband measuring and cutting fits was the installation of this built in shelving unit. There was a bit of dead space between the pipe from our upstairs half bath and the wall in the far right of this picture. My hubby decided to build me more shelves, because a teacher can't have too many shelves. These will be directly behind me when I'm sitting at my desk.

He left access at the floor, but covered the rest of the pipe with drywall, and fitted the wooden frame of the built in bookcase between the pipe and the wall. It took him much longer than he had hoped, but it fits perfectly! I am hoping the shelves and drywall will also help to muffle the loud whoosh sound we hear down there whenever someone flushes the toilet upstairs!

Dolphin Tale

2011-09-25T18:29:00.000-07:00

We went as a family to see Dolphin Tale on Friday night. GREAT movie!! Family friendly, conservative values, inspirational message. It was appropriate for the whole family, and everyone loved it! It was inspired by a true story, and as soon as we got home we went online to "see" the dolphin via webcam. The dolphin in the movie is the actual dolphin the story is based on. She played herself. :-)

We wanted to support this movie with our dollars on opening weekend, to help send a message to Hollywood to make more movies like this one! Opening weekend is now over, but if you have a chance to see this in the theater with your family, I think you will really enjoy it.

Whew!

2011-09-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

Busy, busy week.

Thankful for each task that made up this week, and thankful each task is done. :0)

This past Wednesday was the first night of "REAL moms", which is the women's group I am involved in that used to be MOPS. We have 36 women signed up, and got off to a great start (I think, hard for me to judge from the front of the room). It is always very hectic for me before the first night of REAL moms, but once we get the year started things tend to gel into a manageable rhythm. I love the women who come. They bless me!

Special Announcement: This is the last week we are schooling in the kitchen. I am hereby stating my commitment to BE USING THE NEW SCHOOLROOM A WEEK FROM MONDAY! I had hoped to do all the painting at once, so I'd only have one cleanup. But I have abandoned that plan in favor of getting the bookcase half of the room completely organized so we can begin using it, while my hubby finishes the part under the stairs where the couch is going to go (that part still needs to be drywalled). He is working as I type, and is doing an excellent job. It's just that each part is taking way longer than we'd hoped. We are buying a huge bookcase this coming Friday, just like the one that we already have down there, and I have marked out all of next weekend to clean and organize so our schoolroom is ready to be used on Monday. Very excited that this is the last week we need to have notebooks spilling off the kitchen counters and table!

Soccer season is in full swing. Love watching my boys play soccer!

It has been quite an adjustment these last few weeks to our daughter's high school routine. Her online Spanish class requires daily correcting (done by the parents - fortunately my husband has taken this on! LOVE him). Two or three times a week we have to upload quizzes, tests, or audio files (where our daughter speaks Spanish for her teacher to hear if she's using correct pronunciation). Spanish homework takes her at least an hour a day, which is a new subject added to all the "regular" work she is used to from last year...math, grammar, writing, science, etc.

She is also in an online Literature class that requires daily reading and answering literary analysis questions. We ended up making a folder for her on each of our computers, that contains all the links to her online classrooms, as well as links to the part of each website that contains her homework assignments for each week. The first couple weeks of school my husband or I looked those things up for her, and printed out whatever she needed. But now she has taken charge of all that herself. She has begun setting her alarm to awaken before I get her brothers up, so she can get a head start on her work in the morning when her brain is fresh. I am really proud of her!

I started formal writing with son C this year, and he has taken to IEW like a fish to water. He absolutely loves to do his writing homework! Yay!! Still haven't re-introduced reading lessons to Little Man. Just couldn't manage the storing of all his reading materials in the kitchen. Next week, in the new schoolroom!!

There have been many challenges to the start of our school year, but I'm thankful for each subject/curriculum that is working well, and just so thankful we can continue learning together at home for another year. God is good!

Craig's List

2011-09-19T17:53:00.000-07:00

I successfully sold my first item on Craig's List today! The buyer was not an ax murderer, and everything went very smoothly.

Hmmm, what else can I sell??????

Thursday's Thankful Things

2011-09-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

I know this isn't Thursday, but I'm going to keep the title because it's such nice alliteration. :-)

I'm so thankful for a working furnace! Had to use it last night for the first time this fall, and I was just so glad we *could* (new readers, we were without a furnace for 3 months during fall/winter a couple years ago).

I'm thankful that after 3 years without a teeth cleaning, only one of our five children had a cavity, and it was very small.

I'm so thankful for my husband. And for his job.

Not really thankful for the $600 repair we had to our van this week, but very thankful it runs well now, and the shop allowed us to defer payment until after payday (and for my dad, who will want to know, it needed a new water pump and a new hose, both very hard to get to so labor was high).

Thankful fall colors are coming. I love fall colors!

Thankful for two really good days of school this week (we had all five, but the others were just average). I got to see some hard math concepts being understood, and that is just so cool to be there for the "a-ha" moment.

Thankful for a Saturday at home to work on the schoolroom. It's closer to being done now than it's ever been!

Our Week In Review

2011-09-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

What did we do in school this week? Well, some of us got to ride the bright yellow school bus!

Inside the bus, son C read a history book to Little Man. We learned about the Vikings this week. Very exciting reading!

Little Man took his first "official" math TEST!

As part of the test he had to build the number "390" and show that he understood place value.

As a class, science happened naturally for us this week. During recess one day a praying mantis was discovered.

It was fairly large.

We found a small grasshopper and fed it to the mantis. In this picture, we're looking at the mantis's belly (he's upside down) and he's holding the yellow grasshopper in his grip, eating it.

We watched him eat the whole thing, talked about life cycles and the food chain, and called it good!

Son G, however, began Apologia General Science this week, and did his first experiment. I remembered from when daughter G did this course that the first experiment was a dramatic one, and I was excited for son G to get to do it.

It involved pouring oil, water, and maple syrup into a glass and then adding 4 different objects. The objects either sank to the bottom or floated on the top of one of the liquids. This demonstrated the existence of atoms, because some liquids and objects have atoms that are less dense than others, allowing other objects/liquids to squeeze through. He had a lot of fun with this, and enjoyed drawing a diagram of it in his lab book.

Overheard.....

2011-09-13T11:31:00.000-07:00

This was a conversation I had last week with son L as he and I were driving alone in the van. My apologies in advance to anyone whose children watch the "Sponge Bob" cartoon - no offense is intended. Personal family decision! But I thought this conversation was so insightful, I wanted to share it.

L: "Mommy, why do you let us sometimes watch violent war movies, but you don't let us watch Sponge Bob?"

Me: "That is an excellent question. Can you think of a reason?"

L: "Well, the war movies have a specific lesson you want us to learn."

Me: "That's one reason, certainly."

L: "But I can't figure out what's wrong with Sponge Bob."

Me: "Well, I'm sure that some episodes are better than others. But when I watched a couple of episodes back when you were little, to see if it was appropriate for our family, I was disappointed with the way the characters treated each other. There was quite a bit of disrespect. They sometimes put each other down in the name of "fun". I just didn't want you kids to be watching that and come to think that type of behavior was okay or acceptable in our family. It's kindof like junk food for the mind. A little of it is okay, but a steady diet would make you sick."

L: "Is that why some kids who have a lot of freedom are kindof rude or wild? Cuz they get to watch whatever they want and then they start acting like the characters they see?"

Me: "It could be one reason. Daddy and I really don't want to control you all your life. But we want to teach you how to handle the increasing freedom that you receive as you grow older. Some day you will make your own choices about what books you read, what movies you watch, and what tv shows you see. We want you to know the difference between good and best, and know what pleases the Lord, so you can make the best choices possible."

~~~~~~~~~~ Long Pause~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

L: "I love being a kid! Even though I'll get more freedom when I'm a grown up, I love my life as a kid. I love my family the way it is, and my friends the way they are. I wish things could just stay this way forever."

How I wish I could have known exactly what was going on in his head when he said that!

Before and After

2011-09-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

I'm still (as I have time) organizing and nesting in our new red family room. Here are a couple of small painting projects I finished last week. The shelf before:

And the same shelf after, painted black.

Our old preschool cupboard, before (walls were "before" too!):

And after, painted black and repurposed as a media storage unit.

Amazingly it fits all the stuff that was in our old entertainment center (which went to the thrift store) plus some! And organizing it all gave me the opportunity to take out movies/cd's that we really don't use. It feels good to make our space work better for this stage of our family life.

Overheard.....

2011-09-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

Little Man overheard a news snippet this evening, in which a mom was defending a questionable parenting decision and said, "I'm one of the best moms I know."

Little Man turned to me and said, "Well, I guess she doesn't know you then!"

Awwww. I love that guy!

Last Blast of Summer!

2011-09-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

Labor Day weekend we went to visit some friends of ours who moved away last year. We had such a fun time with them!

Of course it's always exciting to play with new and different toys.

We made s'mores on the grill!

And watched a movie together (Astroboy)

We drove to a lake with a large sandy beach, and had a lake day. Super fun!

Son C decided to dig a pit large enough to bury a person.

We buried Little Man and his friend together up to their necks.

And then we had to dig them out! ;-)

Red

2011-09-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

The paint fairies came to our house last weekend. Everyone should have paint fairies. They are AWESOME!! They helped empty the bookcase, and I have to tell you, I did not know how many books we had in there until we took them all out! I should have taken a picture of all the stacks of books lining the walls in our dining room.

The paint fairies taped off the trim.

They primed.

And then they painted!

At the end of the day.....

we had ourselves.....

a rich, deep, warm RED family room!

I took advantage of this opportunity to rearrange the room. Of course, it was painful to put all our mismatched old things back in such a lovely room, but it's a pain I can live with for a while!

This is the picture of our four little children I surprised my husband with on his 40th birthday. Son C was just one month old. (Little did I know there would be one more baby coming!) I have always loved this picture, and it really pops now, in a dark frame against the red.

So, pretend that the blue furniture is beige, that there is a lovely color coordinated area rug in front of the couch, that there is some beautiful decorative thing on the mantle beside the tv, and the encyclopedias are gone from the bookcase with pretties in their place. Can't you just see it??! The tv is a little higher than we'd care for, but my husband already has a plan for building a frame that can lower it for viewing, and put it back on the mantle when not in use.

Finishing the wiring that allows us to have our tv on the mantle and our dvd player in the cabinet was what I wanted to finish before posting "after" pics. It took my husband several hours to do this. Had I known how hard it would be, I may not have asked (glad I didn't know!). The mantle and the built in bookcases on the sides are solid oak. Very hard to drill through. Thank you honey!

And these are the piles behind the couch that I "hid" for the above picture! Still putting all our stuff away......

Thank you paint fairies!!! We love our new room!

Breathe

2011-09-01T23:48:00.000-07:00

I breathe him in. Sweet, freshly scrubbed little boy, a lingering scent of shampoo on his slightly damp hair. I rest my lips on his round, still baby-ish cheeks, so soft and smooth, free of the bumps and blemishes that will come someday with puberty. I kiss him gently, not wanting him to stir, but once I start I cannot stop the kisses. Cheeks, eyelids, forehead. I whisper a prayer of thanks and blessing over my sleeping, youngest boy. He is not so little anymore. Only a few more months to be six, and so tall for his age. How hard he tries to keep up with his older siblings! Yet as I watch his chest gently rise and fall with the measured breathing of peaceful sleep, he looks every bit the youngest. Curled in a familiar sideways fetal position, he reminds me of all my babies, and how I watched them sleep when they were little and new. I savor the moment, storing up this memory, and thank God for giving me one more.....

One more baby. One more child of my heart. One more who is still young enough to want to hold my hand, and sit on my lap. Someday all my boys will be grown men, and it will be difficult to distinguish who is younger and who is older, but for now I revel in having one who is so obviously the youngest. One more whispered prayer. One more kiss. One more "I love you."

One more long inhale of his sweet little boy-ness.

Thank you, Lord.

I have a new family room.... :0)

2011-08-31T20:44:00.001-07:00

Pictures coming tomorrow!

Currently Reading.....

2011-08-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

"Same Kind of Different as Me". Wow. What a great book!

Overheard.....

2011-08-30T06:49:00.000-07:00

Some of our neighbors put sealant on their driveway over the weekend, so they blocked off their portion of the sidewalk with caution tape. Son C, in an effort to avoid the caution tape/driveway, accidentally rode his bike across a small portion of their lawn. And got yelled at. He felt badly about getting yelled at, and as we were talking it through later he made a very insightful comment:

"They don't have any kids to take care of, so they put all their attention into their grass."

Lord, help me to give careful attention to that which lasts!

Happiness Is.....

2011-08-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

A new first grade math book!

First Day of School - 2011

2011-08-24T19:01:00.001-07:00

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you can guess what we did our first day of school....

Our traditional breakfast out! I have noticed that each year one more child orders off the adult menu..... which means the breakfasts are getting a bit more expensive, but mostly means that our children are growing up (sniff, sniff).

We came home and began our other first day of school tradition - making cookie dough maps! We are doing Tapestry of Grace Year 2 this year, which covers the middle ages through the year 1800, so we made our maps of the Byzantine Empire (for those of you who may have forgotten, that is what we now call the eastern Roman Empire which did NOT fall in 476 but continued to thrive for hundreds of years). See the pile of Twizzlers in the middle of the table?! For complete directions on how we make cookie dough maps, go here.

It was challenging to make this empire, because it spanned many different countries, all bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The Med could leave a huge hole in the middle of our cookies!

Here is how son G did it:

The other children chose to fill in the Med and sprinkle it with blue to show the water.

Son C really went to town on those Alps! :-)

Little Man.

Son C.

Son L.

Son G.

Daughter G.

I'm so thankful I can spend another year learning with my children at home!

She's Home! She's Home!

2011-08-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

Daughter G is home from her fabulous trip to WA!!! She looked so much older and grown up when she walked off that plane.... I couldn't believe it was her! She had a WONDERFUL time, made some incredible memories, and brought a box full of goodies to all of us. :0)

Today she is still sleeping as I type this, but when she wakes up she'll have a bit of schoolwork to do, an open house for one of her on-line classes, and then tomorrow is our official first day of school. Bless her heart, she's got to hit the ground running so to speak.

Thank you, mom and dad, and Gayle and family, for giving her such an incredible time while she was with you. I did not worry about her AT ALL (truly ~ I did much better than I thought I was going to do!) because I knew she was with you having a great time. Thank you!

I'm so glad she's home!!!

Progress in the Schoolroom!

2011-08-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

This past week has been one of great progress in our schoolroom. Still not done and ready to be used, but it's farther along than it's ever been! :0)

An electrician friend from church came over one evening and helped my hubby do the initial wiring so that we could then work on the drywall. I got to pick out where I wanted all the outlets, and I wanted LOTS of them. You can never have too many outlets. We just "happened" to have an extra unused circuit in our breaker box that is now dedicated to the schoolroom. Thank you, Lord.

See the wiring running through the frame?? So exciting....

Then it was time for the insulation to go in.

Some more friends came over to help with the drywall. The two dads put the older boys to work, teaching them how to measure and cut out the rectangles for where the outlets would be. It was really neat to see the boys working alongside their dads!

Adding a couple wooden supports to screw the drywall in to (son C).

Holding up the first big sheet of drywall!

Making sure it fit snugly around the outlets.

Screwing it into place....

Little Man even helped!

We have wall!!!!

The drywall is almost completely done. Still a little bit to go. Then we mud and tape the seams, sand, and finally paint. And vacuum up the dust. And arrange furniture and organize books and papers and notebooks and STUFF. And then, we finally get to USE it. :-)

I have given myself permission not to start "everything" until the schoolroom is finished. It's simply too overwhelming and stressful to think about trying to organize our work in the construction mess. We are starting this Wed with history, but that is all. And we can read history books in the family room. So, it's all good.

It's really starting to look like a "real" room, and I am grateful to my husband for all his hard work, and to our friends for their willingness to help. Can't wait til it's done!

And oh yes, my husband had a birthday too!!

2011-08-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated my husband's birthday ~ it's been quite a week of celebrating around here!

We missed our daughter, first time she was not present at a family birthday celebration, but somehow we managed to have fun anyway. We spent most of the evening at a music concert at a local park. The boys danced around, played in the fountain (got soaked), and hubby and I bounced in our chairs a bit. :-) We came home and had strawberry shortcake.

I am so thankful for this man! My life would be so much more boring without him! I love that he loves me, that he is such a great father to our children, and that he loves God with all his heart and mind. I love that we got engaged on his 29th birthday, so every birthday is also a celebration of our life together. I love loving him.

"Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of celebrating another year with my man. Thank you for bringing him into my life 20+ years ago, and for all the ways You have shown yourself through our relationship. Bless him with a good year of spiritual growth, and grant him the wisdom he needs in all the various roles he fulfills. Lavish your love on him, Lord!"

Happy Birthday!!!

2011-08-20T12:36:00.000-07:00

The Lord brought our family a whole new family of friends this summer, and the oldest girl had a birthday this past week! She and her mom first had a date together to a pottery shop ~ they painted mugs which we get to bring home in a couple weeks after they're fired in the kiln. They looked amazing. It was a special time for the birthday girl to spend with her mom. After that we swam and played at our house for a while, and then we partied!

She blew out all her candles in a single breath ~ wishes do come true! ;-)

Bendy bracelets from her sister.

Justin Bieber CD from her mom. Happy girl!

Birthday girl with her mom. Aren't they cute in matching shirts? :-)

Her youngest sister, age 5, is already reading! She does a great job!

Happy sisters.

Birthday girl and me.

Sisterly love!

Saturday Dates

2011-08-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I went on three dates.

I know!!!

The first one was a breakfast date with son C. We left the house while everyone else was still sleeping (which in our house does not necessarily mean super early). We ate breakfast at McDonald's, a first for him. We talked, and laughed, and had a great time together. He is such a fun guy to spend time with! Then we went and both got haircuts. We ended our date at Target where I bought him a special little surprise.....

walkie talkies!!

It's pretty fun when your son is so overwhelmed he is speechless and it takes several minutes before he can even say thank you. Very fun.

In the early afternoon I had a baking date with a new little friend of mine. I brought her to my house and we made chocolate chip cookies and whole wheat bread. It was her first time EVER to make cookies from scratch, and I'm pretty sure it was her first time to ever wear an apron. She was in her element, and I was blessed just seeing how much fun she was having!

She took two and a half dozen cookies home to her family, and a loaf of freshly baked bread. Yum!

In the evening I went to see the movie The Help with my good friend Emma. Oh. My. Word. GREAT, great, great movie. I can't remember the last time I have so thoroughly enjoyed a movie. It could have been the fact that I'd previously read the book. Twice. Or it could have been the amazing company I was with. Or maybe the movie was just really well made. :0)

After the movie Emma and I went to a restaurant and talked for four hours. Isn't it amazing how women never run out of things to talk about? Loved my time with her. Came home encouraged and invigorated and challenged and refreshed.

A wonderful day of dates! (and it beats cleaning house!)

One more sample - I think this is it!

2011-08-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

On the right are the two red samples I painted in the family room, and on the left are the two brown/tan colors I painted in the kitchen. Of the two brown samples, the lighter one on the right is new today. It is called "Canoe", and I really love it! I think this is the one! Going to live with it for another day and make sure, but I'm almost positive this is the one. I painted a little bit of the red I like on the wall right around the corner from the "Canoe" color (you can't see it in this picture) and they go together super well! So relieved that this decision has been (almost) made!

Paint Samples

2011-08-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

For daughter G's benefit, who is still away on her fabulous trip to WA, here are the paint samples I put on our family room wall. G, I much prefer the one on the right, in fact I think that is the one! So I hope you like it too!

It looks orange-y in this next pic, it's true color is more like the tone above, but here is the fabric I am trying to match. This is my curtain fabric from my living room/dining room. Our downstairs is so open, my goal is to coordinate three different colors from this fabric.

Here is one of the tans/browns I am considering for our kitchen. I am not crazy about this one, and will be painting on at least two more samples soon. Whatever color I pick for the kitchen will eventually also get painted in our entryway, up our curved staircase walls, and along the upstairs hall, so we need to love it.

What do you think?

Kindergarten and Eighth Grade Graduation

2011-08-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

Before our daughter jetted off to WA, we finally had our FLIC co-op (Families Learning In Christ) end of the year get together, at which time we also celebrated Little Man completing kindergarten, and daughter G and our friend N completing eighth grade. Yes, it took us all summer to find a date that worked for all three families! (imagine how hard it would have been if our co-op had been bigger?)

Little Man is my last baby to graduate from kindergarten. Throughout the year as I would think about him being my last to have at this age, I would sometimes feel sad. But now that first grade is about to start, and I have the gift of hindsight, I am just really grateful that God has allowed me to take all five of our children through kindergarten at home, and I look forward to the next year with him! Not sad at all anymore, but thankful to have reached this milestone. Little Man received a graduation certificate and a big balloon.

Then we moved on to the eighth graders. The moms/teachers shared.

The dads/principals gave a charge as these two begin their high school years. (pictures in back of G and N throughout the last two years of co-op)

G received a graduation certificate and a bouquet of flowers.

N with his parents.

And the third family in our co-op, who will be moving on to another co-op this fall. How we have loved learning with them the last two years!

This family is moving on, and N is transitioning to public high school, so there are changes for all of us.

Lord, please help each of us as we adjust to the changes You have planned for us. Help us to be grateful for what is past, and to embrace what is ahead. Thank you that YOU are unchanging, the same yesterday, today, and forever!

Overheard.....

2011-08-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

As I was silhouetted in the doorway, saying my last "Sleep well" and "I love you" to L and C, L said,

"I've grown accustomed to your shape."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today, while on a breakfast date with son C:

C: "What is morse code?"

Me: "It's a means of communicating without words. Long and short clicks on the walkie talkie stand for different letters, so by listening to the clicks and figuring out the code as you go, the other person can spell out the words you're saying."

C: "Oh, kindof like piano!"

Me: "Ummm, yeah, like piano" (??)

(sing with me) "Leavin' on a Jet Plane....."

2011-08-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

Actually, left on a jet plane, yesterday! Our daughter G flew off by herself to WA to spend time with my parents and one of my sisters and her family. She has been looking forward to this for a long time, and the day finally arrived. It was her first solo flight, and she did great!

I hope she has an unforgettably wonderful time!

(and I can't wait til she comes back!)

At the Campground

2011-08-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

These are my last pics from vacation. Sadly, it already seems like it was a long time ago! I want another vacation! :-)

For three days that week we hung out at the campground, swimming, fishing, playing, and just enjoying being together. They had a nice pool which we swam in several times. One evening we had the whole pool to ourselves! (much preferred by me ~ easier to keep my eye on all five children)

This man made pond was stocked with blue gill and other fish. Hubby was able to take each of the children out separately on the canoe for some one-to-one time, and each of those who fished caught at least one fish! Here he is with son G.

And son C.

Our tent performed fairly well during the week, though we did get some rain seepage, and it rained parts of four days. The seepage was all in one spot, and it happened to be under daughter G's sleeping bag. We realized too late that there was a depression in the ground right at that spot, and water collected there. She handled it like a trooper!

The three older children slept at the far back,

son C slept at their feet,

and Little Man slept next to me.

As I mentioned, we forgot to pack the canopy, which normally keeps our kitchen area covered. Without it, there was nowhere to stay dry in the rain except our van and the tent (pup tent in background is used as a changing room by the kids, and holds their suitcases).

We were fortunate that it rained at dinnertime/bedtime only once. We cooked in the rain and ate in our tent! You haven't camped until you've cooked and eaten in the rain. ;-)

While hubby and I were cooking, the children watched a movie. Thank the Lord for electricity!

Cooking eggs for breakfast.

Our last night there we roasted hotdogs and corn on the cob for dinner. Son G helped lather butter on the corn and then wrap them in foil to be put in the coals. They were super delish!

Here's what the above photo really looked like without the flash.

After dinner we made s'mores and sang worship songs long into the night. One by one the children got tired and just went to bed, while the rest of us kept on singing. Sooo worshipful! I loved it.

To hear Little Man's sweet childlike voice raised in praise to God was so precious it made my heart ache (in a good way).

The morning we were packing up to go home, the boys found several little toads around our campsite. Evidence of how wet it was?! They constructed a little house for the toads out of rocks and sticks and grass, and were very sad to leave the toads behind.

As we were driving out I snapped this picture of the ruins of a stone wall that our boys had been climbing on all week. I tried to find out its history but none of the rangers knew anything about it. I wonder if it was there at the time of the Civil War? It was beautiful and mysterious. What stories would it tell if those stones could talk?

Thank you, Lord, for yet another fabulous vacation. Thank you for quality time together for our family. Thank you for the experiences we had and the memories we made. Thank you for giving us (mostly) good attitudes in the rain. Thank you for the means to do a vacation inexpensively. Thank you for each member of my family, who are so precious to me in their own way. Thank you for loving them even more than I do.

Thank you.

Gettysburg, Part 2, The Big Surprise!

2011-08-07T17:20:00.000-07:00

Our second day in Gettysburg we picked up our auto tour where we had left off two days before. The children are standing in front of the Virginia monument, atop of which is a life size statue of General Lee sitting on his beloved horse, Traveler (it was so high up, it didn't make for a good picture). This is the area where the boys from Virginia lined up for Pickett's Charge. For about a mile along this stretch of woods, there are monuments from different southern states commemorating the soldiers from their state who participated in the ill-fated charge.

My husband and I were talking about how different that was from the way troops are organized today. Back then, boys from a given state all marched and fought together, commanded by an officer who was also from that state.

At one point in the woods we came upon this simple monument to General Longstreet. Since I had *just* finished reading "Gettysburg", I was feeling rather partial to Longstreet, through whose eyes much of the book is written. Since Stonewall Jackson was already dead by the time of the battle of Gettysburg, Longstreet was Lee's new right hand man. There was no-one Lee trusted more. Longstreet was very straight with Lee, telling him that the frontal assault planned on day three would not succeed, and would result in upwards of 50% casualties. Lee listened, and considered, but went ahead with the attack, and with putting Longstreet in direct command of it. This was very hard on Longstreet. This statue of him on his horse stands at the approximate place where he watched the battle.

Miles and miles of stone fences like this one!

Our favorite stop on the auto tour was Little Round Top. The kids LOVED this! They happily climbed on the rocks for quite a while, and let me tell you, the rocks were BIG! Bigger than our van. Little Round Top, and next to it the bigger, wooded Big Round Top, were the southern tip of the battlefield, about 5-6 miles south of town.

Hubby and me on the summit.

The next three photos show a sweeping view of the battlefield below, from right to left. It was easy to see why both sides wanted this hill, for the purpose of positioning artillery.

Behind the summit, back in the woods, is this monument to the 20th Maine regiment. They were responsible for protecting the far right flank of the Union line who defended Little Round Top from the Confederates. They were led by Colonel Chamberlain, who was a professor of rhetoric at a college in Maine, and had asked for a sabbattical and then promptly went and signed up to help the war effort. In the movie "Gettysburg", Chamberlain is played by Jeff Daniels, and his defense of these woods are among the most moving scenes in the film. You can see little slips of paper on the base of the monument, held in place by small rocks. These are notes of thanks written by tourists today.

Our family with monument behind. It was surreal to sit at the very spot where such intense fighting had occurred.

And then it was time for our big SURPRISE!!

Have some of you guessed it?

It was.......

Touring part of the battlefield by horseback!

We each got a horse, a short riding lesson, and then were led out through the woods where the Confederates lined up for Pickett's Charge. It was incredible to view it as the officers of the day would have viewed it.... from the back of a horse. Here is Little Man on his pony.

Son C.

Son L.

Son G.

Daughter G.

Me.

And hubby.

This is blurry because I was attempting to take a picture while riding! I quickly learned to stop my horse first. :0)

There was a horse wrangler in front, and one behind, but we were each responsible for our own horse in the line. A couple of the horses wanted to trot, and most of them wanted to eat along the way, so we were busy keeping them in line. :-)

The owner of the stable (on right, also named Pam!) was very impressed with how well Little Man did. She does not get many six year olds, but she couldn't get over how confident he was and how well he followed her directions. Yay for Little Man!

All of us. This was after the hour ride, and at this point by bum and thighs were virtually numb. Imagine the cavalry back then spending nearly 100% of their waking hours in the saddle!

We fed cookies to our horses afterward, and thanked them for carrying us. It was about 100 degrees that day, and they really worked up a sweat!

Afterward we ate dinner at The Dobbin House, which is the oldest building in Gettysburg. It was built in 1776. If only walls could talk!

It was an amazing day ~ we learned so much and made some great memories together. We were loathe to leave Gettysburg, and all decided that if/when we go back, we will stay IN Gettysburg for a few days so we don't have an hour drive 'home' after a long, hot day! The kids fell asleep in the van both nights that we drove home from Gettysburg, and the parents struggled not to do the same. :-)