Daddy is home on Thursdays and Fridays every week, so we had the added blessing of his presence w/ our lessons yesterday and today.  :) 

Thursday, August 21, 2008~Day 4:  

At the top of Breanna's assignment sheet, I wrote:   Having a heart that is thankful can easily change our perspective.  We can be greatly discouraged, yet when we start thinking on what we are thankful for or simply thanking God for who He is, our heart is transformed; we are greatly encouraged!  Today, with our main focus on being Thankful, let us write a list of at least 10 things that we are thankful for.  Let's thank God continually!  :)

"Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

How ironic that our day started out w/ the above focus, then once everyone was up for the day, we were under spiritual attack.  It was a very rough morning for all.  I called on my prayer partner to pray for us; she and I prayed on the phone & she said she would continue praying for us through the day.  I know, that God immediately began answering our prayer even if it wasn't happening in the physical yet.  :)  We still did get some of our homeschool accomplished in the morning.  Breanna worked on her own first.  She wrote her Thankful list of 10 things. Copywork (Copywork for Girls)-- Lesson 4. History (The Chimney Sweep's Ransom)-- Chapter 2 - Notebooked all of the following~ Ideas for Discussion and Writing, Reading Activity: Compare and Contrast, and Extension Activities.  Science/Nature Study (A Nature Walk with Aunt Bessie)-- Read p. 14-15(stop at all the stars across the page) and notebooked on snails.  Then, since Breanna didn't meet w/ Jacqui for Math on Monday, she met w/ her at 12-1 pm.  She completed ACE Math PACE 1068 p. 11-16. 

In the meanwhile also this morning,  Nathan and I enjoyed having Daddy watch us do our fingerplay, Adam and the Animals, during Nathan's Little Hands to Heaven preschool lesson. :)  Unit 1-Day 4~Creation and the Fall.  Our Bible story (The New Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes)--  Read p. 20 "Adam and Eve Disobey God"  based on Scripture Genesis 3:8-13 & looked at picture on p. 21 of Adam and Eve having to leave the garden of Eden.   I took a long white scarf and laid in in a straight line on the living room floor pretending it is a snake.  Nathan practices jumping over the snake.  Then, he jumps forward, backward, and sideways, and I'm wiggling "the snake" at him and he's trying to "run away" from the snake.   Nathan had a Letter Activity where he had 2 large A's w/ 2 small a's and he had to connect the lines of dots between each to the other A.  He sat down w/ such enthusiasm when he has "his" worksheets to do.  :)  We listened and sang along to a new song called, Two Trees (based on the 2 trees in the garden), onThe Singing Bible CD.   Then,  he and I worked on Language Lessons for Little Ones-- Lesson 4 - For Narration - He had to listen to the poem again from Wednesday called The Swing by Robert Louis Stevenson.  His answers to the questions are so precious.  :) Have you ever played on a swing? (At first it was, no, but then more prompting...) "Yeah"  When asked what it was like, he said, "High in the sky like air."  And, to what it feels like, "I love it!" When asked if he could pump his legs yet, he was jumping up & down and said, "I can't pump my legs yet."  And, the color of the swing where he likes to swing, "Ummm...Yellow" (I'm not sure if that's really the color. :))  And, where it is located is "At the park, Mommy.  It's just like a park."  :)

This afternoon, Breanna spent time at the library researching Alaska (a delight directed project- based on our talking about Alaska in our Bible time on Wednesday) and spent time writing a report this evening on it.  :)

Due to this morning's difficulties and other activities this afternoon, this evening after Dad and Mom got home from a fundraiser for a State House candidate at a dear friend's house (great fellowship, btw!),  Nathan and I enjoyed a couple more activities from in his Little Hands to Heaven preschool Lesson 4 - For a Bible Activitiy, he and I spent time looking through Country magazines for a tree, then we cut one out and taped it to a new worksheet he had w/ a Number 1 on it.  It is so cute-his concentration when he was deciding where to put the tree on the Number 1 worksheet and when he was putting it on.  :)  That was fun~God has such beauty in His nature.   :)  And, then, he and I listened toThe Singing Bible CD song, God's Promise (His promise is to send His Son.).

Breanna spent time doing her Bible lesson (Elsie's Life Lessons Walking in the Fruit of the Spirit)-- Walking in Love - Lesson 1 - God's Love Makes a Difference:  Read p. 16-17. She notebooked answers to study questions and reflected on Scriptures.

Breanna and I also had a lesson to do together.  It is now 10-something pm ~ flexibility is the name of the game~ she and I did her oral narration grammar lesson from Simply Grammar - We did Exercise 1 on p. 5.  She enjoyed coming up w/ the subjects in a few sentences and coming up w/ what they were doing in some of the sentences. 

This is my first time really doing narration w/ Breanna and Nathan.  I'm really liking this!  :)

We ended our time together(Breanna, Nathan, and I) with Bible and prayer.  (365 Days of Celebration and Praise  - Daily Devotions for Homeschooling Families by Julie Lavender)-- It is Truck Driver's Week. Then, we discussed how in the Bible they only had walking, riding in chariots, riding on animals such as horses, donkeys or camels, no truck drivers to help anyone do a task.  We learn of how the Philistines wanted to retun the stolen Ark of the Lord and how they were able to take care of their predicament by reading in 1 Samuel 4:1b-18, 5:1-6:21.  My kids struggled w/ wanting to sit there through this long one, however interesting Teacher Mom tried to make it :),  and it was interesting to me, yet we made it through.  :)  Our prayer focus on Thursday is The President (catch that, "The" to go w/ Thursday... hee hee... Breanna had thought of that one.)  and other candidates/officials.  We spent time praying for The President George W. Bush.   

And, a wonderful ending to the day,  Breanna and Nathan spent time together doing a fun activity.  They took time browsing through Country magazines and cut out beautiful pictures of flowers and made a collage for Grandma.  Then, they searched for animals and made a collage for me.  :)  What a delight to see them enjoying each other and being creative.  :)

Friday, August 22, 2008~Day 5:

Our Main focus today:

We put our faith, our trust in someone or something all day long.  Who/what are you putting your faith in?  The Lord is the only One who is perfect in all His ways and will never let us down.  I pray you are placing your trust completely in Him moment by moment.  And, then in turn, are giving complete Faithfulness to Him. 

This morning, Breanna did her lessons by herself first.   She completed her Copywork  (Copywork for Girls)-- Lesson 5.  History (The Chimney Sweep's Ransom)-- Completed the Vocabulary work and read Chapter 3.  Science/Nature Study (A Nature Walk with Aunt Bessie)-- Chapter 2 - Read p. 15 (After all the stars across the page) - towards bottom of p. 18.  Notebooked on moles. 

At the same time, Nathan and I did his Little Hands to Heaven preschool--  Unit 1-Day 5~Creation and the Fall.  Our Bible story (The New Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes)--  Read p. 22 "Cain Kills Abel"  based on Scripture Genesis 4:8-13 & looked at picture on p. 23 of Abel w/ a lamb and Cain- w/ stalks of grain.  He had fun doing Active Exploration:  I would tell him a phrase, "I'm angry."  "I'm so sleepy" "I'm really sad." "I'm so excited!" and after each phrase he had to show me the different expressions. This was fun for me too.  :)  His Letter Activity was to make a letter A with an ice cube on a piece of construction paper~cold, wet, and fun.  His Bible activity was to act out being angry w/ and mean to 2 of his stuffed animals and then walked away from them.  Then, he came back and said he was sorry and worked through angry feelings and made things all right w/ them. He said we are to "Love."  :)  I am so enjoying teaching him!  :)  We listened and sang along to a new song called, Cain and Abel (which Sister joined us towards the beginning of the song : ) ) on The Singing Bible CD. 

Later this morning, Breanna, Nathan, and I had Bible and prayer time. (365 Days of Celebration & Praise - Daily Devotions and Activities for Homeschooling Families)-- It is Liquid Soap Anniversary--it was first patented today in 1865 by William Shepphard.  We read in Psalm 51:1-17 the reasons King David was led to pray about being made clean.   Our prayer focus on Fridays is Friends/Family.  I prayed for a dear long time friend and her family who are going through a difficult time and had a special situation going on specifically this day.  Time in God's Holy Word and prayer is to me~the central focus of our day.  :)

And, still this morning,  Breanna and I did her oral narration for Grammar (Simply Grammar)-- the 2nd page of Exercise 1 on p. 6.  I liked her answer for: My new book --- she said, "grew wings and flew away."  :)

After Daddy, Nathan, and I were gone out of town this afternoon and into evening,  Breanna and I had Mom/Daughter time watching a premiere movie.  Tonight, Nathan and I did his Language Lessons for Little Ones-- Lesson 5 - Introducing the Letter "A" - For Copywork - he had to look at the capital "A "and copy it on the line 2 times, and do the same w/ the lower case "a".

It's been a very full week and it's only the beginning of the school year...yet I wouldn't have it any other way! (well, unless, God told me to. )  :)

"May Your unfailing love come to me, O LORD, Your salvation according to Your promise;" Psalm 119:41