Prov. 27:17 – “As iron sharpens iron, so one man [family] sharpens another.”

When you began your homeschool adventure, where was it that you went to ask questions, get answers, find the camaraderie of many shoulders to cry on and find out that your child wasn’t a freak because he was having trouble with his nine times-tables?  Where was it that you could count on someone with experience to be there for you?

Does “support group” ring a bell to anyone?

I hate to say it, but in many areas support groups are going the way of snow in summer-time…they seem to be melting away and fading into the atmosphere.  And I say, “what a shame!”

It’s come to my attention that many of our precious experienced homeschoolers are starting to drift away from attending their area support group meetings.  Do they feel that they have out-grown them?

Look at it this way:  if I take two pieces of rusty, dull iron – I have two pieces of rust, dull iron!  J  But if I rub them together, something great happens; they start to change.  They become a little sharper, they become a little brighter and shinier.  They become something usable.  Iron can’t sharpen iron unless there is friction between the two…they have to meet together.

As I asked you in the beginning, think about when you were a new homeschooler and your child just wasn’t catching on to a concept and, at your wit’s end, you went to your homeschool support group and started asking around for help.  Lo and behold!  There was a wonderful, experienced mom there who had actually “been there, done that”!  You went home, tried her advice and it worked!

Now…think of this:  A new homeschool mom, full of hopes and dreams and fears comes to your homeschool support group.  Her child just isn’t catching on to a concept and she’s at her wit’s end; and after coming to your support group she starts asking around for help.  Lo and behold!  Does she find it from you…OR is this one of those nights when you decided you just didn’t want to go tonight?  After all, what more do YOU need to learn about homeschooling since you’ve done it for so long?

Well, what if the reason you are to STILL attend your group has changed?  What if it’s now a ministry?  What if the reason that new homeschool mom leaves the meeting a little sadder and a little more fearful and discouraged is because YOU weren’t there to answer her questions the way someone was there for you?

Isn’t it time for us to be there for a new generation of homeschoolers?  Isn’t it time for us to share our experiences, our triumphs, our joys and even our failures with the new crowd?  Isn’t that part of our Titus 2 duty?  Did the Lord really make you a part of your group JUST so you could get a newsletter, go to gym or co-op or field trips, find out about curriculum sales and legislative updates?  I don’t think so.

This is a new season in our lives and an opportunity to shine as examples of experienced homeschool moms!

Let’s not be a part of the “me, me, me” crowd…we’re past that.  Let’s be the Lord’s hands and feet and minister to our sisters and their families and ease some of those fears and build some dreams!  After all, a long time ago someone cared enough to be there for you.  Now it’s your turn.

Blessings,

Kim Wolf<><

A Quiet Sun, a Cold Winter

The Old Farmer’s Almanac is calling for a colder-than-normal winter. One contributing factor is sunspots—or the lack of them!

This year and next, sunspot activity will be very, very light. Whenever this phenomenon has occurred in the past, the result has been a cooling influence on Earth. Solar experts believe that the Sun will remain calm for another year.
See sunspot activity for 2009.

Robert B. Thomas, who founded this Almanac in 1792, believed that weather on Earth was influenced by sunspots and solar radiation. Sunspots are magnetic storms on the surface of the Sun. Click here to read “What Are Sunspots?”


To this day, the Almanac uses three disciplines to predict the weather: meteorology, climatology, and solar activity. (See How We Predict the Weather.)

If you’re interested in learning more about the Sun’s effect on our climate, read “The Influence of Solar Activity on the Weather.”

Or, join this forum: “Are Sunspots Disappearing?”

Seasons of the Sun

Learn about the discovery of the 11-year solar cycle and its importance in predicting the frequency of sun spots and the strength of solar storms.

       SUMMIT COUNTY HOMESCHOOL BEE

CHEC will host the local Homeschool Geographic Bee on Friday December 4, from 3-4 p.m. at The Chapel (Akron Campus).

The National Geographic Bee is a geographic competition open to all students in grades 4 to 8. Our local Bee is for homeschooled students who reside in Summit County and surrounding communities.  The winner of this Bee will take a written test to qualify for the State Bee. 

To register or get more information, contact Bob Mellen at robert.mellen@att.net.  Send the name, age, and grade of the child(ren) you wish to participate. You must register by December 2.

The cost of the Bee materials is provided by a gift from 4 Corners Maps, an on-line map store found at www.4cornersmaps.com.

Here is the most recent photo of Providence. My friend Susan V took the photo in our yard this week.

She is growing up so fast. Wish you could see her face, but doesn't she look cute?

Notice the shirt? I LOVE CANDY... Thought it appropriate being that it's the 31st. LOL!

We aren't going trick-or-treating, but we are going to a church party tonight. Scheduled for the men tonight is a chilli cook-off. For the women, a dessert baking contest.

Logan started his chilli last night. Those pots of goodness always taste better on day two.

As for my dessert? Well, I am up for the challenge. I am making a Chocolate-Pecan Pie and Apple-Cake. Two desserts, just to have extra food on hand. A pie doesn't ever seem big enough~hee,hee,hee.

I am looking forward to seeing our boys dressed up like shephards. Last year folks thought that they were jedis. It was really funny, watching the boys faces when people would comment. The little guys would say something silly like, "No, Maam, I'm a SHEPHARD~!"

Blessings and Joy to all- It's another beautiful day~!

Joyful Happy Harvest Day,

Dear fellow homeschool leaders,

• David's passion for skateboarding and concern for children lead him to choose the SafeKids Central Ohio, a non-profit “coalition of public and private organizations working together to prevent injuries to children” to be the beneficiary of his project.

• Did you know that accidental childhood injuries are the leading cause of death in children 14 and under?  Did you know skateboarding injuries contribute to those statistics?

• David's project will generate a Safety Card to inform and educate parent and children on safe skate boarding procedures.  There are currently no educational resources for this sport available to central Ohio parents. 

How Can Volunteers Help:

1. Participate in a brainstorm meeting On November 3^rd, to gather ideas for the card's logo. 
2. Donate a snack/ treat for those participating in the brainstorm session.   
4. Work with him in determining what information is most essential and how to lay it out on the safety card.
5. Donate a ream of cardstock - the cards will be being printed on cardstock.
6. Participate  On November 21^st when the cards will be distributed to Nationwide Children's Hospital; Close To Home Centers; recreation centers; skate shops; etc.  He needs 
   •  Distribution Volunteers - these are those willing to take cards to a predetermined site.  
   •  Base Volunteers - those willing to help get the assignments to the Distribution volunteers.    
7. Donate cookies, or other snack foods for those participating in the  November 21^st distribution process. 
Seek out relevant websites and skateboard safety information that might be placed on the card and then e-mail your research finds to David at davidseagleproject@yahoo.com. 

We are excited about the impact this project will have on the safety of central Ohio children.  Together we can help educate parents and children; thus impacting their ability to choose to skate safe!  

Your help is greatly needed and appreciated! 

Please contact David today davidseagleproject@yahoo.com   Let him know how you are willing to help.

Thank You!! 

Kathy Lopez

Happily, I spent lots of time in the kitchen this past week. My favorite place in the house.~~~lots of smiling~~~

 These are just a few of the things that I made for our family meals, church potluck, the moms hospitality table at our local co-op, and our very own Boyscouts who went camping this weekend. <<< I rushed through typing this together, so if I missed some detail, just let me know.>>>

8 loaves Apple-Nut Bread- Started off with 4, they were so good that I made 4 more:) 3 types of apples and  2 kinds of nuts. Hello Autumn!

4 Apple Bundt Cakes- These cakes were a huge hit. I had a few ladies who said I should sell these cakes. yum.

22 LB Turkey- mashed potatos, fresh string beans-down home cookin-Really cheap to eat off of for a few days. I paid 19$ and we got 3-4 meals from it-even with my four boys, plus hubby.

Simple Turkey Soup- Large pot, filled to the rim with health and yumminess- 2lbs carrots, 3 large onions, one large head of celery, a tad of garlic, gobs or gobbles (pardon the pun) of picked turkey, and freshly chopped parsley. Lots of good crushed pepper and good kosher or sea salt.  I serve mine with wide egg noodles placed first in the bowl or on top of the soup. This keeps the large pot of soup from getting filled up with noodles that get soft and squishy. If the noodles get all squishy then it's nasty the next day when you serve the leftovers. I also will make rice in place of the egg noodles. My family absolutely loves this.

CowMom Cookies- These are my own version of an oatmeal cookie. They contain multi-grain ( rye, barley, oats, wheat) pecans, walnuts, brown sugar, butter (what else?!), chocolate chips.) I will add this recipe later. My husband is a Boyscout leader. When all the boys head out for the weekend, it's tradition around here for me to load them up with homemade cookies for the ride. I hear that they usually eat them for breakfast. Sure enough, when hubby called to let me know they arrived safely, he mentioned that all 3 dozen cookies were gone. Now, with one day, one 18 yo, and 4 boys in the car. Do the math. That is alot of cookies per person. HA!..... At least they had.... nuts .....in......them.......?????~smile~

Spagetti Sauce with Bacon-This is cheaper than ground beef b/c you can use half the amount of meat that you might normally use. I saute the bacon, let it fall into pieces as it cooks, or cut it with kitchen sheers while it's raw, add a few onions and peppers towards the end. Careful to not overcook those veggies b/c they will stew more with the sauce. Then just add a ton of garlic, kosher or sea salt, and your any-kind-of sauce. Voila! It's just yummy for the guys.  I do not eat spagetti sauce b/c it makes me queezy ever since I had my 3rd child 7 years ago. So, on spagetti nights, I eat salad. My favorite food anyway.~smile~

Finally, I made an appetizer for our final friday night small group- MARRIAGE ON THE ROCK-(( by Jimmy Evans- ))

That night we had appetizer theme night.  I made my own mixed-up version of stuffed mushrooms.  Sauteed spinach, feta, bleu cheese, garlic, fresh parsley, green onion, sauteed stems, freshly-made breadcrumbs with wheat bread.  (not in the order of mixing)

They turned out pretty alright.  Not bad for a midnight snack.  I chose to not add meat in honor of our wonderful vegetarian friends. I did not want them to go hungry:)

Making cents$of it all....We had an off grocery week too. Meaning, I spent very little and just used what I had on hand. The mushrooms and cheeses were my "not planned" for the week "extras".  I almost always use what I have on hand instead of running off the the store, even if it's a special event that needs a dish. It can be a challenge, but,  I figure that  if 4 times per month I add  20 bucks in 'extras', then that adds up to be another 100$ bucks for the month that maybe I could have avoided.. Make cents??

I am also using up all those apples from our anniversary trip. So far no one is sick of apples. More Laughing. At least no one has mentioned anything.  Maybe they are just being kind. hhmmmmmm

Joyfully in my kitchen,

Shannon

(((My thanks to Raspberry Road Designs for the above photo. ))))

Heavy rain. Down pour.

Do I want to go out with you all? And play? In the rain? These were my quick responses to the boys wanting me to spend time with them.

3 minutes later. There I was~bluejeans, old sneakers, every-day niffty eyeglasses....yep. Ready to go!!Ready to go play in the rain.

The leaves were falling all around us as we took our walk to the mailbox~ taking turns running, picking up falling leaves and acorns. Looking silly while catching raindrops with our tongues.

The temperature was simply perfect-just cool enough to enjoy; not too muggy. Mr. Wind (as we call him), was really blowing hard and at times the rain was really coming down. Our faces, touched by the evidence of a Great God, who loves and cares enough for us to bring us water when we need it.

Providence, our sweet daughter, seemed to be confused by the whole idea at first! Funny! She is so little and she just doesn't like to get wet and diry like her brothers. But, when she saw Momma floating like a feather in the wind and rain, she joinned right in. We all danced and twirlled around.

Gosh, at some point I wondered if our neighbor noticed me running like a wild woman; back down the hill, then down the driveway with my makeshift sword in hand-(a stick, of course! What else?)

Honestly, it's o.k.  I'm not too concerned about what folks think. I homeschool afterall! We are used to folks thinking that we are oddballs. LOL~smile

When we returned to the house, we all had to dry off and change our clothes due to being soaked from head to toe. The children were dripping wet and covered in smiles.

Me? I was not only coated in raindrops, but I was smothered in love and thankfulness  for our great life together.  Now this is living.

Finally,  Charlotte Mason once said...

There is one thing the mother will allow herself to do as interpreter between Nature and the child, but that not oftener than once a week or once a month, and with look and gesture of delight rather than with flow of improving words--she will point out to the child some touch of especial loveliness in colouring or grouping in the landscape or the heavens.
(Vol 1, II, Out-Of-Door Life For The Children, p.79)

Joyfully living,

Shannon

 While collecting chicken eggs yesterday, our precious seven year old William discovered a wonderful thing!~~

At first, he heard tiny peeping sounds, so he started looking all around the yard. Then, he began crawling around on his hands and knees, listening for any more noise that would give him a clue as to what he was hearing and where it was coming from.

After hearing it again, and after searching more and more, he then realized that the noises were coming from underneath one of our smaller barns; This certain barn that is elevated about 12 inches off the ground.  The hens love to escape to there and hide from children who want to pester them.

Anyway, William heard that the noises were coming from underneath that little barn behind him, and when he leaned down to see what he could see, there they were; The momma hen and a few tiny little yellow peaks with mini beaks!!

He was so happy that he ran in the house to share the news with us all. ~smile~ Such a neat thing.

Normally, we have about 16-20 chickens, and oddly enough we have never had this happen. We just have chickens, free-range, providing us eggs. That's it. Nothing spectacular. But, this was spectacular. We did nothing. We just found them. I guess this is what happens when you don't eat the eggs!! HA... LOL!!

Well, today we got photos of the new brood as they emerged from their secret hiding place. (photo above)

Aren't they cute? There are a total of 7.  William says it's because he is 7 years old. (that's hilarious!) The mother hen also has more eggs hidden in her nest underneath that barn. We have to figure out what to do next with the chicks and the other eggs that have yet to hatch. Plus, we do not want the chicks to get eaten after dark. (That would not make our the wee ones in our house very happy:()

For now, I am just watching them in the yard from my window. What a miracle of new life.

We are so grateful for the new chicks which will hopefully later bring us more eggs, and maybe more chicks. Cluck, cluck, cluck.....

Thankfully and Joyfully counting chicks,

Shannon