Listening to William Blake's poetry being read aloud by older brother!
Painting in his preschool class at co-op.
Building a castle with math blocks (well, he started building it but it ended up being built FOR him by his older sibs).
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Preschool in Pictures
Here are some completely candid (not staged) photos of Little Man living his preschool-ish life amidst his older siblings doing school. Mama's note: he really does not wear the same sweatshirt every day! These photos were taken over a two week period. Trust me!
Listening to William Blake's poetry being read aloud by older brother!
Painting in his preschool class at co-op.
Building a castle with math blocks (well, he started building it but it ended up being built FOR him by his older sibs).
Listening to William Blake's poetry being read aloud by older brother!
Painting in his preschool class at co-op. Building a castle with math blocks (well, he started building it but it ended up being built FOR him by his older sibs).
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Date (a real one this time!)
Hubby and I went to see the movie Fireproof last night. Excellent movie! We both thought it was very well done without coming off as too "preachy". If you are happily married, unhappily married, or planning to be married, you should make an effort to see this movie. Though there was not really any "new" information in it for us, it has caused us to begin evaluating our demonstrations of love to each other, and making sure that they line up with God's definition of "love". Sometimes the busy-ness and demands of life cause us to fall into habits of relating that may not be truly loving. We certainly recognize some of that creeping into our own marriage, so this movie was a great encouragement to us.
And just fyi, if you see it, when the husband and wife finally kiss near the end, that is Kirk Cameron (the actor playing Caleb) kissing his real life wife. He has made a vow to not kiss another woman in any acting role, so when the scene called for that kiss, his real life wife came on the set, dressed up as the female lead, and kissed her real life husband. Cool, huh?
And just fyi, if you see it, when the husband and wife finally kiss near the end, that is Kirk Cameron (the actor playing Caleb) kissing his real life wife. He has made a vow to not kiss another woman in any acting role, so when the scene called for that kiss, his real life wife came on the set, dressed up as the female lead, and kissed her real life husband. Cool, huh?
Monday, October 6, 2008
Overheard.....
3 year old Little Man, to his 11 year old sister: "When I was your age I loved playing with you. And when you are my age, I'll still love playing with you!"
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Date
A traveling troupe of actors enthusiastically invited my hubby and I to see their play. It was very impromptu, but we eagerly agreed to come. At the appointed time we made our way to the venue that was hosting this play. It was in an underground club and was very cozy. We were seated by a host and then a server brought us popcorn.
We were able to video part of the play ~ actually it was 10 short vignettes, and this video shows the last one where all the actors participated by handling puppets! Unfortunately, near the end there arose a dispute between a couple of the actors, and though neither my hubby or I are in the screen actors guild, we were called upon to intervene. Therefore, the video ends quite abruptly. It was a wonderful time though, and we hope this troupe visits our area again soon!
We were able to video part of the play ~ actually it was 10 short vignettes, and this video shows the last one where all the actors participated by handling puppets! Unfortunately, near the end there arose a dispute between a couple of the actors, and though neither my hubby or I are in the screen actors guild, we were called upon to intervene. Therefore, the video ends quite abruptly. It was a wonderful time though, and we hope this troupe visits our area again soon!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Our Week in Review
Our daughter G
In history this week, she learned about the presidency of James Madison, events leading up to the war of 1812, more about the relationship the United States had with the indians, and Napoleon's disastrous military campaign in Russia and his ultimate defeat. For literature this week she also read some poetry by William Wordsworth and learned some literary terms that relate to poetry. Together we are reading a book about William Wilberforce and the abolition of the British slave trade. It's a little book but has really big words, thus we are reading it together. She was shocked to read about what a self-centered and rather unscrupulous man he was during his young adult years, and we were able to discuss how God uses what we may consider unlikely people for great things once they yield their lives to Him.
She and I continued our work in latin, declining our first set of nouns!! I confess that she got it much more readily than I did!
She continued her on-going work in math and spelling, and for science learned about habitats, what instincts of animals are, and the meaning of extinction, endangered species, and some animals that were extinction errors (thought to be extinct but later found). Here are some of the books she read from this week:
Our sons G, L, and C
Her brothers, meanwhile, also learned about James Madison. We focused much of our attention on details of the war of 1812. They were fascinated by the story of the burning of Washington D.C. by the British, and how Dolly Madison saved so many valuables from the "president's mansion" (as it was called prior to the fire), including a large painting of George Washington ~ the only article inside the White House that dates back to the very first president. We learned that after the fire, only the outer walls of the house were left standing, and they were painted white to cover up the blackened burn marks. This is when it became known as the "White House." Interesting, isn't it? We also learned that Dolly had prepared a feast for guests that evening, but had to flee the house quickly before the meal could be eaten. The British soldiers helped themselves to the feast before they ransacked and burned the house! Learning about the Battle at Fort McHenry and the writing of the Star Spangled Banner was also a captivating topic this week. Here are some of the books the boys read (or I read to them). I highly recommend the book "By the Dawn's Early Light" that we got from the library. Great information, exciting topic, few words, fantastic pictures. Perfect for young boys!
In history this week, she learned about the presidency of James Madison, events leading up to the war of 1812, more about the relationship the United States had with the indians, and Napoleon's disastrous military campaign in Russia and his ultimate defeat. For literature this week she also read some poetry by William Wordsworth and learned some literary terms that relate to poetry. Together we are reading a book about William Wilberforce and the abolition of the British slave trade. It's a little book but has really big words, thus we are reading it together. She was shocked to read about what a self-centered and rather unscrupulous man he was during his young adult years, and we were able to discuss how God uses what we may consider unlikely people for great things once they yield their lives to Him.
She and I continued our work in latin, declining our first set of nouns!! I confess that she got it much more readily than I did!
She continued her on-going work in math and spelling, and for science learned about habitats, what instincts of animals are, and the meaning of extinction, endangered species, and some animals that were extinction errors (thought to be extinct but later found). Here are some of the books she read from this week:
Our sons G, L, and C
Her brothers, meanwhile, also learned about James Madison. We focused much of our attention on details of the war of 1812. They were fascinated by the story of the burning of Washington D.C. by the British, and how Dolly Madison saved so many valuables from the "president's mansion" (as it was called prior to the fire), including a large painting of George Washington ~ the only article inside the White House that dates back to the very first president. We learned that after the fire, only the outer walls of the house were left standing, and they were painted white to cover up the blackened burn marks. This is when it became known as the "White House." Interesting, isn't it? We also learned that Dolly had prepared a feast for guests that evening, but had to flee the house quickly before the meal could be eaten. The British soldiers helped themselves to the feast before they ransacked and burned the house! Learning about the Battle at Fort McHenry and the writing of the Star Spangled Banner was also a captivating topic this week. Here are some of the books the boys read (or I read to them). I highly recommend the book "By the Dawn's Early Light" that we got from the library. Great information, exciting topic, few words, fantastic pictures. Perfect for young boys!
Each of the boys continued their weekly work in math, spelling, and grammar. Both G and L are learning about prepositional phrases right now, and how to identify the subject and verb in a sentence. Son C is working away in his phonics workbook and doing reading lessons with me. He is doing great! They studied the same science topics as their sister. As his sister, son G also learned about poetry this week. He fell in love with poems by William Blake!
~
After our history reading this week, the boys and I made flapbooks where they wrote on each flap anything they remembered from our reading about that topic. Here they are closed (the one on the far right is C's and I did all the writing for him except for the words "James Madison". If you click on the following pictures you should be able to enlarge them).
And here they are each open to a favorite page:
To cap off our week, we painted pumpkins in honor of fall!
To cap off our week, we painted pumpkins in honor of fall!
Overheard.....
Yesterday afternoon at nap time, while tucking in Little Man.
Little Man: Mommy, I'm scared of being all alone in here.
Me: Sweetheart, you're never alone, remember? God is always with you, even after I leave your room.
Little Man: I know, but I can't see God because He's a Spirit, so I need someone in here that I can see.
Our conversation continued for a few moments, but at this point I was just rejoicing that Little Man so matter of factly knows and accepts the fact that God is spirit! For the curious, he was FINE sleeping alone, and ended up not actually sleeping anyway, so...... (naps have virtually ceased since paci went bye-bye).
Little Man: Mommy, I'm scared of being all alone in here.
Me: Sweetheart, you're never alone, remember? God is always with you, even after I leave your room.
Little Man: I know, but I can't see God because He's a Spirit, so I need someone in here that I can see.
Our conversation continued for a few moments, but at this point I was just rejoicing that Little Man so matter of factly knows and accepts the fact that God is spirit! For the curious, he was FINE sleeping alone, and ended up not actually sleeping anyway, so...... (naps have virtually ceased since paci went bye-bye).
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Priorities
I posted a couple weeks ago that we weren't quite in our school rhythm yet for this year, and I was having to tweak our schedule. Since that time I have spent HOURS thinking, planning, praying, trying different things during our school day, etc. Attacking the problem, so to speak. That is my way. The Lord showed me this past weekend that, as good as that is on one level, if it is taking priority over my relationship with Him and my relationship with my husband, it is a bad thing.
Schooling 4 and parenting 5 is a full time job. No doubt about that. But in that full time job I cannot lose sight of my priorities. God first. Husband and marriage second. If the children and the school are getting the best of me, then God and my husband are just getting leftovers. And that is wrong.
I have noticed a trend in myself that when I focus exclusively on my own "thing" (homeschool) an attitude of entitlement creeps in. It's very subtle. When my hubby gets home, I basically expect him to parent because "I've been with the kids all day". This is not a conscious thing, but if I am honest with myself it definitely happens. Or after the kids are in bed I will plop down on the couch and turn on the tv because "I'm exhausted and deserve some down time." Now I am not saying that all down time is bad, or that my husband shouldn't be parenting in the evenings. What I am saying is that my attitude of "I deserve this" is just a culturally acceptable way of saying that I'm selfish.
We have got to fight this attitude, people!! This is not God's way. God's way is laying down my life for others. God's way is putting my husband before myself. God's way is serving him out of a thankful heart that God has given him to me. God's way is balance. And order. For me, that means not focusing so much on school that I let the house fall apart, and don't clean toilets and don't cook good dinners, and don't give my husband the domestic support that makes our home a safe and peaceful haven for him.
I am making progress on the school routine, and I'm thankful for that. But I have set that aside for awhile in order to align my priorities properly, to spend more time in God's Word, and to get my house in order so I am less emotionally cluttered and can focus on my husband when he is home.
There have been several things God has used to convict and encourage me in this area. This post by Jess at "Making Home" was one of them. Though this particular post is specifically talking about sex, it is the attitude behind it that needs to be my attitude toward my husband in all things. How thankful I am for God's patience and grace toward me!
Dearest Lord, thank you for your constant love. Forgive me for the times that I do not turn to You immediately, and the times I take my eyes off you. You are my everything. I am utterly lost without You. Help me to have right attitudes and right behavior toward my husband. Help me to not let school issues consume me. Help me keep my priorities straight. Thank you so much for the husband, family, and home You've given me. I love you, Lord.
Schooling 4 and parenting 5 is a full time job. No doubt about that. But in that full time job I cannot lose sight of my priorities. God first. Husband and marriage second. If the children and the school are getting the best of me, then God and my husband are just getting leftovers. And that is wrong.
I have noticed a trend in myself that when I focus exclusively on my own "thing" (homeschool) an attitude of entitlement creeps in. It's very subtle. When my hubby gets home, I basically expect him to parent because "I've been with the kids all day". This is not a conscious thing, but if I am honest with myself it definitely happens. Or after the kids are in bed I will plop down on the couch and turn on the tv because "I'm exhausted and deserve some down time." Now I am not saying that all down time is bad, or that my husband shouldn't be parenting in the evenings. What I am saying is that my attitude of "I deserve this" is just a culturally acceptable way of saying that I'm selfish.
We have got to fight this attitude, people!! This is not God's way. God's way is laying down my life for others. God's way is putting my husband before myself. God's way is serving him out of a thankful heart that God has given him to me. God's way is balance. And order. For me, that means not focusing so much on school that I let the house fall apart, and don't clean toilets and don't cook good dinners, and don't give my husband the domestic support that makes our home a safe and peaceful haven for him.
I am making progress on the school routine, and I'm thankful for that. But I have set that aside for awhile in order to align my priorities properly, to spend more time in God's Word, and to get my house in order so I am less emotionally cluttered and can focus on my husband when he is home.
There have been several things God has used to convict and encourage me in this area. This post by Jess at "Making Home" was one of them. Though this particular post is specifically talking about sex, it is the attitude behind it that needs to be my attitude toward my husband in all things. How thankful I am for God's patience and grace toward me!
Dearest Lord, thank you for your constant love. Forgive me for the times that I do not turn to You immediately, and the times I take my eyes off you. You are my everything. I am utterly lost without You. Help me to have right attitudes and right behavior toward my husband. Help me to not let school issues consume me. Help me keep my priorities straight. Thank you so much for the husband, family, and home You've given me. I love you, Lord.
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