Nov. 21, 2009 - Week 6
I was busy the latter half of this week rearranging the house in an effort to make better use of our limited space. We are enjoying a much less cluttered living room and this week I intend to tackle closet space while trying to figure out what I want to do with Bug's room.
I looked back this week at my projected schedule and noticed things haven't been playing out as originally planned although not dramatically different. I do want to take a new look at things and type up a new plan however. I have found that after Wednesday, my enthusiasm is waning and things are unlikely to be done if I have not prepared for them in advance at a time when I do have enthusiasm. Using my planner to record the page, chapter and lesson numbers of what is done each day gives me a weekly and monthly overview which is helping me to rethink my plans for the weeks ahead.
What we did this week - briefly because it's late and I'm exhausted:
Monday/Literature: Chapter 6 of The House at Pooh Corner.
Tuesday/History: Chapter 8 of A Child's History of the World.
Wednesday/Nature Study: Chapters 8 and 9 of The Story-Book of Science. I have noticed that it frequently rains on Wednesdays.
Thursday/-: We didn't do anything extra as we originally had crafts planned but plans changed late in the day.
Friday/Craft: Paper turkeys after a brief lesson on the history of the Thanksgiving holiday.
In phonics Mr H. has been practicing three letter words. He still guesses occasionally because of not tracking all the way through the word before deciding what it is and will need to be encouraged to slow down and look through the letters one at a time. Besides a few such instances his reading is progressing quite impressively. He has a habit of wanting to use each word he reads in a sentence or give an example of it which is encouraging in that it demonstrates his comprehension but draws out what should be a brief exercise quite substantially. As a compromise I have limited him to one example per word.
In math he was introduced to addition this week and counting in 10s. We listen to the 1s family addition sung to Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty and he's been enthralled with the ballet performance on YouTube.
For writing he did a few Starfall.com work sheets namely Uu, Ii, Kk, and Ll and Friday he practiced writing more three letter words on notebook paper.
For music I think we will stay with Tchaikovsky for a while. The addition CD we have comes with information on the composers which is more helpful to me than it is to him.
Bug has learned a few extra shapes: heart, crescent and semi-circle. She seems to have vowel sounds down so we're branching into consonants.
Monkey is crawling around, pulling up on things and cruising all over the place. He is also falling and hurting himself a lot. He enjoys sitting in the high chair at the table, preferably with food, whenever everyone else is at the table. He insists quite vocally on not being left out.
Saturday, November 21, 2009 - Seasons
We don't really have changing of the seasons in the desert, at least not where I live. This tree outside my mom's window is so pretty. The picture does not really capture the deep burnt orange color. 
My dad came to visit today too.
Nov. 21, 2009 - Seven Awful Things
If you like songs for the young and young at heart with a biblical theme, especially if you, like me, love the songs with children singing, you will like this song and will want to read
http://yoursacredcalling.blogspot.com/2009/11/seven-awful-things.html
www.judyrogers.com
Our children have enjoyed songs by Steve Green (HideEm in Your Heart) - I think we bought ours from Timberdoodle but they are available on Amazon, etc.
and also the Kingdom Songs www.kingdomsongs.com. A few years ago, I contacted her and was sadly told they did not intend at that time to perform and create any additional music for sale.
November 21, 2009 - I Miss Him!
This past week has been extremely hard for me. I lost my Great Grandpa, who I was very very close to. I can honestly say that he was THE best grandpa I've ever had. I am so thankful for the last 5 years of being able to grow closer to him, of course, it wasn't as long as I wanted, but I am very glad I had them. It was wonderful! It was wonderful to grow as close to him as I did.
Over the past 5 years, he really opened up to me about his WWII experiences which he hadn't shared them at all before. When I presented him the Armed Service album I made for him at his 65th anniversary, he was moved to tears. I knew that all the efforts and the sleepless night I spent on it was so worth it! Getting to know him was truly a blessing to me. I pray it was to him also. Since I did that for him and grew closer to him through it, I have a very important place in my heart for the armed service men. When we took him to the cemetery, they gave him a beautiful military salute with Taps and a 21 Gun Salute. I bawled through the whole thing. Knowing that his service was important to him, and that was so very important to me because of him. It was very hard to sit through for me.
Sitting in his funeral service remembering all the times we had together, the tears just flowed. We would color when I was younger and as I grew up, we would sit on his front porch and play cards. He taught me to play rummy, war, slap jack, and more. One of the last times he played cards he was 87 and got down on the floor with the Littles to play go fish with them. It wasn't easy for him to crawl on the floor but he showed his love to his family by doing it. He truly was a family man. That was all he was worried about: his family. He made it known that his family was all that was important to him.
I truly miss him. I miss his hugs. I miss his smile. I miss his playing cards. I now found myself crying when I pray because he is no longer on my list and it reminds me he is gone. I just miss him! But he lived a full and meaningful life. A life devoted to his family. I praise God that Grandpa knew our Savior and that I have the hope to once again see him on Resurrection Day. It hurts and its hard to have to wait for that day, but I know that the day is drawing close. OH, what a glorious day that will be!
Isaiah 25:8
He will swallow up death forever. Adonai ELOHIM will wipe away the tears from every face, and he will remove from all the earth the disgrace his people suffer. For ADONAI has spoken.
Revelation 21Love you, Grandpa!
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will no longer be any death; and there will no longer be any mourning, crying or pain; because the old order has passed away."
Please continue to pray for us and also my Great Grandma who is by herself now, and also for my Uncle Keith. It's been hard for them too.
©AmandaDixon2009
Nov. 21, 2009 - Emmanuel - God With Us
It's finally Friday. I feel like i have been holding my breath all week, waiting to talk to my best friend with skin on.
I read Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan and i needed to reconnect with T, who always grounds me when despair threatens to overtake me. Instead, this week has been filled with pencilled annotations on the big calendar, library board meeting, fiddle club practices, worship team practice, wrestling, and on and on...
The first night i was reading the book, i forced myself to finish the story, and it was so dark and bleak i read another, hoping it would end better, and let me sleep. But instead i finished it, and i was up late, it was dark, my husband breathing beside me, hoping for a good night's sleep before he got up early to go to work.
I wished in those late, inky moments, for someone to talk to. Someone to share my sorrow with. Someone to speak to me and tell me that the world isn't really that bad. And i felt a nudging. "You've got Me." He says quietly. So i started to pray, telling him my heart, how broken i felt, praying for Africa, for children, for justice, and for the mercy that brings justice and makes darkness, sin, cruelty flee.
And as i'm praying, i'm still wishing for someone with skin on. Just to hold vigil with me until i can sleep. If i can sleep. And as i pray, God answers me from the other room. I hear baby Meow's voice. A little cat's meow, a little wail, getting louder. Baby needs me. I get up in the dark and carefully stumble to the door, find my warm dolly wrestling up to standing in her crib, her soft hair curly and standing on end. "Num nums,mama" "Yes," i soothe, "Come with mama". She nestles like a tiny kitten into my arms, trying to lay down and go back to sleep, pacified that she will be taken care of, and once i tuck her between T and me, she latches on, her soft little breaths keeping me awake.
The comfort of being a mama in those moments showed me one more way that God is here with us. Emmanuel. God with us. We are His hands, His feet, and sometimes we are standing in for "the God with us" when we least recognize it. But He knows.
Matthew 5:4
4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Nov. 20, 2009 -
~Christian Country Mama~
Friday, November 20, 2009 - OUCH
Brandon and I made it to WA after a 4 hour plane delay. Sigh.. For those who don't know, about a week ago my mom fell and broke her ankle. She had surgery on Monday. They put in some hardware and she is not to put any weight on it at all for many many weeks.She is wheelchair bound for now. Brandon and I came up to help take care of her and the house. She is doing much better than last week. 
Nov. 20, 2009 - YUM! YUM! YUM! and....
SUPER YUM!
We started off the season with a YUM! Pumpkin Bread!
Then we enjoyed a moist & delicious YUM! Carrot Cake!
From there we have made 2 batches of YUM! Cinnamon Rolls
(1 batch went to our neighbors.....ok/ok 4 of the 10 went to our neighbors *lol)
I have just pulled out of the oven ~
my One & Only TOP SECRET RECIPE......drum-roll please.....(wink!)
Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars with Caramel Topping!!!
SUPER YUM!!!
I just love this time of year ~ ~ ~ my house smells so YUM!
WINK,
EMichelle
November 19, 2009 - Shameless Plug
Yes, this is a shameless plug on behalf of my familia...I'm sure y'all have heard that the Home School Blog Awards are going on... if not... they are. :) Well I would like to present to you where my votes are going...
My familia:
In the Best Homeschool Mom Blog, I'm voting for Walking Therein
In the Best Teen Girl Blog, I'm voting for A Pondering Heart
In the Best Teen Group Blog, I'm voting for Feelin' Feminine
In the Best Teen Guy Blog, I'm voting for On The Road To Manhood
In the Best Homemaking or Recipes Blog, I'm voting for A City on a Hill
In the Best Family or Group Blog, I'm voting for Gleaning the Harvest
In the Best Blog Design, I'm voting for Gleaning the Harvest
In the Best “Live-What-You-Believe” Homeschool Blog, I'm voting for A Dusty Frame
In the Best Variety, I'm voting for Penny Raine
In the Best Nitty-Gritty Homeschool Blog, I'm voting for Heart of Wisdom
In the Best Crafts, Plans & Projects Blog, I'm voting for Seven Sisters
In the Best Eclectic Homeschooling, I'm voting for Delightful Learning
In the Best Thrifty Homeschooler, I'm voting for Money Saving Mom
In the Best NEW Homeschool Blog, I'm voting for Delightful Learning
In the Best Geographical Blog, I'm voting for For the Time Has Come (Costa Rica)
In the Funniest Homeschool Blog, I'm voting for
I would sooo appreciate if you would take 5min or so of your time to go vote for these choices. The voting ends at midnight on November 21st which is Saturday, so hurry over!
And that is my shameless plug. :D Thanks y'all!
©AmandaDixon2009
Nov. 20, 2009 - Cute Quotes
Here's a couple that make me smile:
Later in the day, after we told the kids that we would be having another baby, my 5yr old son piped up with:
"Mama! You're going to need four arms! You're going to have to grow another pair!"
"I am?"
"Yeah, for the new baby!"
He's probably right!
My sleepy 3yr old daughter wandered through to breakfast the other morning and said:
"Is it Christmas time?"
"No, not quite yet."
She replied "After breakfast will it be Christmas time?"
(Congratulatory flowers from my mom!)
Have a wonderful day!!
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