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Musings of a Prairie Girl
Nov. 6, 2009
What We Did This Week

     This is our first weekly report of the school year.  Why?  Well, this is the firs week that we actually did something on consistent level.   We actually did full days  for the entire school week.  Wahoo!  It felt so good!   I was thinking of  continuing the survival mode of schooling that we have been doing since our little cancer bump  but  last weekend  I had this overwhelming need to get back to life  full tilt.   So we did!  We had an awesome week, too!  

Math

     We have been doing math for the past two months  but it has been hit and miss.  Mia  is  working on rounding numbers  and applying this  to division.   Long division  has been the thorn in our side as of late.  It is hard for Mia to remember all of the steps  as well as remembering when to multiply  or subtract.  Today, though,  she did two sheets of her MUS  book and she did them all on her own  without pleads of help  to me.   

     Rocky  is still working with fractions but this week  it has flowed over to time  and money.  He has done very well with this.  I think our little foray  into  living math last week  helped  him in understanding what fractions were all about.

     Missy  is doing  very well with math right now.   I was a little concerned  last year  as she still didn't  know her numbers.  It wasn't for lack of teaching, either.   She knows her numbers very well now as well her tens.   I am doing the happy dance in my heart because I honestly didn't think she would ever get this.   She is able to recognize the higher numbers as well.   We did some adding  this week  with help from the abacus.  We also played  Swim to Ten,  a  Right Start game.

     Language Arts

     We had a major breakthrough  with  Mia's  spelling this week.   She wrote a story today  about King Arthur.  She wrote it on her own  and did not ask for any spelling help.   She was able to figure out the words  by finger spelling,  a strategy that is  taught by Bartons Reading and Spelling.  This program  is worth  a fortune but it is worth  it!   I have seen such progress in Mia's  spelling  and  Rocky's  reading.    We have  picked up Classical Writing  again.  I am enjoying this program.  It is challenging but fun.  This week our model was a fable by  Joseph Jacobs.   MIa  diagrammed  and marked sentences for parts of speech.   She is doing very well with her diagramming.   I think with  more practise  the marking will come along, too.   We have finished  Little Women  this week.   We had our 'end of the book'  discussion today  and talked about the themes  of the  book.  I am very impressed  with Mia's  thought processes.  She remarked  that she thought Jo  was a female version of Peter Pan  because she didn't want to grow up.    Mia also started  a paper  on the book.   This is her first attempt at this sort of thing so I am giving lots of input  to help guide her.   The paper is simple enough,  she is to discuss the characteristics  of the four March girls.   This is initiating her into writing an intro paragraph and  how to support that paragraph.

     We aren't doing  grammar for awhile yet  so Rocky didn't have too much work this week.  He has started reading  The Magic Tree House books.   I am so proud of him.  Last year at this time,  he couldn't even read Level 1 readers and now he is able to read  simple chapter books.  What is even better is that he is proud of himself as well.   He is  on lesson  4 of Level 3  of Bartons  and he is getting close to the teaching of the spelling rules.    This will be a great challenge for him.   Rocky is also  doing more copywork.   His writing is very sloppy  so I have had him  rub out the illegible  letters  and  attempt them again.   This has brought  many tears  and  hissy fits  this week.   I think I have won the Mean Mom award of the week.   If it means  that I will have a son who can write  so that you can read it,  then I gladly accept the award.

      We are still plugging along in teaching Missy the letter sounds.   The problems she had with numbers last year  are alive and well with her letters this year.  We are moving very slowly.  I am going to order  a program  that will, hopefully, help her with phonemic awareness but this program is so expensive  and we just can't afford it right now.   So we plug along  with  my feeble attempts.

History

     We are now  learning about  King Arthur,  Knights  and Castles.   Rocky loves this era  so he is in his glory.   We read about  what makes a knight,  what a knight wears  and  how they all came to be.  The kids  wrote narrations  as well as stories about King Arthur.  They also wrote  Codes of Honour  for themselves in true scroll-like fashion.   We read some puzzle books on knights.  My kids really like these Usborne books.     We are also reading  The Sword in the Circle  by Rosemary Sutcliff.  I have never read this book before but I am thoroughly enjoying it.  The kids are liking  it, too,  but it is a bit over the head of Missy.  She doesn't have a clue what is going on, but she hides it well.

Morning Time

      Missy is memorizing  The Castle Builder by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,  Rocky's poem  is Bed in Summer  Robert Louis Stevenson  and Missy completed  Singing Time  by Robert Louis Stevenson  today.    We are still in the middle  of Hamlet  for our Shakespeare  reading.  For Greek Myths,  we read  The Tale of  Arachne (Missy),  The Gorgon's  Head--The Wnder Tales (Rocky)  and Baucis and Philemon--Age of Fables (Mia.)  

Read Alouds

     Missy and  I started Matilda by Roald Dahl this week.  Missy and I both love  Dahl books.  Matilda is one of our favourites.  Yes,  I know  that the parents  are nasty  and it is wrong for Matilda to get revenge on them  but  it makes my heart sing  when Miss Honey  comes to give  Matilda  the kind of life that she should have had with her parents.  I feel the warm, fuzzies  with this book.

     I am still reading  The Return to the Hundered Acres Wood with Rocky.  Nothing or no one  can replace  A.A.Milne  but  this  book  does well, considering.   Rocky doesn't care who writes it  as long as it about Pooh.

    Mia and I started The Christmas Carol  by Dickens  today.   We aren't going to have book discussions for every book so this is our  'just enjoy it'  book.

    We have a new family read aloud.   We finished  The Magic Half  by Annie Barrows  on Wed.  The Happy Golden Years  by Laura Ingalls Wilder was next on our list.  The kids  and I have been able to have some good discussions on bitterness  after reading about this book's  Mrs. Brewster.  That woman is the epitome of bitterness.

Miscellaneous

     We bought Model Magic  this week and the kids have had great fun in making  all sorts of creations.  This has been our art class  as I am not ready to do anything formal yet.   Mia also started her art class at the Art Gallery.   She  is making stamps  for this class.  She thoroughly enjoyed it.  We were able to do some baking,  exploring,  nature walks  and we saw the most  amazing sunrise  yesterday.  There is nothing  like a Saskatchewan  sunrise (or sunset)  to nudge you to give thanks to the Lord for his awesome creation.

     I am going to do something really nasty.  This post has taken me way too long to  write  and it is past supper time  so I am going to press  SEND  without editing.  Please forgive me.  I promise  I won't make a habit of this  but  I can hear the herd  rebelling  up above me. 

 

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Nov. 5, 2009
MIssing Out

     I met a friend  in the library earlier this week.  I haven't seen this friend in awhile.  She knew all about our little cancer bump, through hearing it via mutual friends.  She asked me how I was feeling then said the old familiar words:

     "I was going to call you but,  of course,  I didn't.  I figured you wouldn't want to talk about it."

     I had two immediate thoughts: 1) she made that decision (about whether I wanted to talk or not) for me   and   2) the more accurate  statement  would be that she did not want to talk about it.

     This has been a very common experience for  me the last two months.  People that I thought were my friends  have avoided me like the plague.  Some have even walked by me without  acknowledging my exixtence.   I know why they are acting like this:  they don't know what to say,  their uncomfortableness suffocates them into inaction.  I totally understand this  as I used to be like this  as well.  

      I have been thinking about this  very hard the last few days (it is at this point  that my husband would back away in fear,  so proceed with extreme caution,)  and God has given me insight into this whole thing.   I initially was hurt  by the library incident (and every similar incident  that I have encountered in the last two months)  but now I just feel sadness for my friend.   By avoiding me, she is missing out  on amazing stories  about how God has worked in my life and my children's lives  in the past two months.  She is missing out on glimpses of God's  Glory.   There have been so many ways  that God has ministered to me in the past little while;  ways of miracles.   In avoiding me,  people  miss out  on being encouraged  by stories of God's healing,  His comfort,  His strength,  His peace,  etc.  I could go on and on.  The short of it is, though,  that they are just plain missing out.   They do not get to see  glimpses of God.  This saddens me.

      An elderly gentleman from our church is in the hospital  right now.  He wants so desperately to die and be with His Father.  He is having a very difficult time,  as is his wife.   B. C. (Before Cancer)  I would have prayed  for this couple but I would not have called or visited  because my comfort zone  would have held me back.   Last night I called this lovely woman.   I would have liked to have visited her husband in the hospital  but  he is deaf  and is in a hallucinative state,  I didn't want my kids to see that., so I called.  We talked for half an hour.   This wonderful woman  told me story after story  about how  God  has answered prayer, not just in this situation,  but in times of the past.  These stories were so encouraging to me.   I thought later  that if I had chosen  to avoid  that phone call,  I would have missed out on all of those stories  that gave my glimpses of God's  glory and power.   Her stories encouraged me.

     Isn't it funny how God works?   We make an effort  to help someone or to encourage them and we end up being helped or encouraged.   If  we hadn't made that effort,  we would miss out on all of that and so much more.

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Nov. 4, 2009
Getting it All Done

     Ever since MIssy joined our learning time,  I have had  the darnedest time  to get everything done  academically.   Unfortunately,  it seems to always be Missy  that gets left in the dust.   Due to reasons that I won't get into right now,  Mia always goes first with doing school with me.   Then it is Rocky's  turn.  By the time  I get  Rocky finished, it is lunch time  and Missy's  work  hasn't even been touched.   I like to keep the afternoons  for the content subjects  as I consider these the 'fun'  subjects and we all need a bit of fun in our days.  I always  think "Well,  we'll get to Missy  tomorrow.  We'll have more time tomorrow."   Tomorrow  has never arrived.

     We have started  doing more school this week.  I decided it is time to address this issue.  I can't keep sloughing  Missy off.   The girl needs to learn.   I just don't know how to cram it all in.   Every  element of our morning is important  and I don't want to give any of it up.

     Our Morning Time  usually takes an hour.  Part of the problem  is that we have been starting at 9:00  as I can't get the kitchen clean  before that time  (I like to have at least a clean kitchen before school starts.)   By the time  I get to Mia  it is 10:00.   Another problem  is that I have chosen  curriculums  that are teacher-intensive.  I can't just give my kid  the book and say  'Go at it."   I have to teach  the lesson first.   This was done on purpose.   My feeling here is that  this is why  I homeschool;   to teach.  I do not want to give up these programs as they are working for us  and I think they are excellent programs,  but they take up a lot of time  when you are teaching more than one child.

     Getting back to our day:  so I get Mia started on her math (if I don't have  to walk her through the lesson  then I,  at least,  have to stay close  if she has any problems)  now I might be able to do math  with Rocky  but I have to stay at the kitchen table close to Mia.   After math,  I do all of  Mia's  subjects (spelling  and writing)  then move on to Rocky's.   While I am working with Rocky,  Mia does her independent work.   By the time  I get finished with Rocky,  it is time to get lunch started.   I might  have time to read to Missy but that  doesn't even happen most days.

      I have been giving this alot of thought.  Here is what I have come up with  so that MIssy can spend some  learning time with her Mama.   Even if it means starting school with a messy,  jam-sticky  kitchen,  we will start our Morning  Time at 8:30.    Also,  MIa will not always be going first when working with me.  We will do this through  cycling.  Each day,  one of them will take turns going first  so that it won't always  be Missy  getting short changed.   If  it  happens  that Mia or Rocky  do not get their work done in the morning,  then we will have to carry on where we left off  right after lunch.   I don't like this as it makes our school day  that much longer (we are already doing 5 1/2 hours) but  I can't  see any way  out of this. 

     We tried  this  new plan  yesterday  and things worked out very well.   We started as close as we could to 8:30.  Missy went first in learning with her Mom.   We were able to get every one  done,  but we havent' been doing Grammar this week.   Once we add that in,  we might topple over into the afternoon.   Oh, well,  a price you pay  for having more than one child.  

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Nov. 3, 2009
Knights and Castles

     During the last few months,  we have not  done much with History or Science.  We have done bits and pieces here and there but not anything of any consistent value.   With the beginning of a new month,  I decided  that I wanted to start back  with our original plans.    In a perfect world,  we would be starting  Knights  and Castles  for the first two weeks  then would be moving  on to  Shakespeare.  So I decided to pretend  that we were, indeed,  in that perfect world  and start with my original plans.   We may not get very far  or as deep as I had originally intended  but at least  we are doing something  productive.

      Yesterday was our first day  on this subject.   We read  The Sword in the Circle  by Rosemary Sutcliff.  This book is  about  Merlin and King Arthur.   The kids  have been making  King Arthur's  castle out of lego  the past few days  so this book will give them a great jumping off point for their  play.  

      We  did alot of reading yesterday about knights and  just exactly who they were and what they did.  I have  a few Usborne  books  as well as a Kaleidoscope  book  on knights and castles  that  give us our information.   I really like  using  Story of the World  as our spine  for these units  but it doesn't have very much  info  on this  part of history  so I have needed to look elsehwere.  Elsewhere isn't as well-written  to garner outlines or narrations from.   But we plod on.

      Each child  then did  a narration   about what we had read.   This is where things went south.  Missy's narration was fine  because I write hers out  but Rocky had great difficulty  with his writing.   He left out a few sentences  so I made him do it over again.  This did not sit well with him  and  a hissy fit  followed.  I gave him a break (aka sent him to his room)  and we started again  but it was very difficult for him to get those few sentences out.   It  hit me, yet again,  that  this boy needs consistency  with his school work  and he just hasn't been getting it  the past little while.   He needs to be writing every day  for whatever reason.   So this is my goal  for the next few months:  do copywork or writing narrations  daily.

      I had Mia write out a paragraph  about how the knights  and castles  came to be.  This was difficutl to do  as the sources we used are not written very well.   She managed, though,  with alot of help from me.  Her writing is pretty bad as well,  so I guess consistency  is needed with her, too.   

      Even with the few little bumps  yesterday,  it did feel good  to be doing something other than math and reading.  It felt very good indeed.

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Nov. 2, 2009
Those Who Have Gone Before Me

     I quickly discovered  two months ago  that those people who have gone down the same path  that I was embarking on  were the ones  who truly ''got it.'    They understood perfectly  the emotions,  the rollercoaster ride  that I was going through.   There was a pure sense of empathy  there that I was never given  anywhere else.

     An online friend,  who traveled this path  last year,  understood  my thoughts  and emotions.  She would offer words of encouragement  and support  that  comforted me  beyond words.  I didn't have to justify  what I was going through  (as I seemed to have to do with everyone else)  she just understood. I consider that a gift.

     A  gentleman at my church  has recently gone down this path as well.  He was just told that he does not have to have anymore  radiation treatments,  so his  experiences are still fresh.   When I told everybody at church  that I had cancer,  he made a beeline  to me,  with tears streaming down his face,  gathering me in a very strong hug.     Yesterday,  he came to me as soon as church was over to see how I had made out at the cancer clinic.   When I told of my emotional rollercoaster,  he nodded  and said  he knew all about that ride.  He knew all about the draining  emotions  and the emptiness you feel after it was all over.   He got it.

     Yesterday,  a woman on my e-list  asked for prayer  for her 40 yr. old friend,  a  mother of 6, who had just discovered that she had cancer.  I stared at the computer screen and started to cry,  reliving all of those emotions,  but this time  it was for a total stranger.   I do know  now  a little bit of what she is feeling right now.   My heart  hurts  so deeply for her.

      I guess  that I have now been initiated  into  a strange sort of club,  the Cancer Survivor's  Club.   We, at the club,  have a sense of empathy  that you cannot  attain anywhere else  until you go through the journey  yourself.   I pray  that this membership into this club  will enable me to help those  in the future  as those cancer survivors  have helped me  these past two months.   It is also my prayer  that God will never let me forget  what I have gone through these past two months.  I pray that this empathy  will be alive and well inside of me  for  a long time to come. 

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Nov. 1, 2009
Book #46 -- Wuthering Heights

     I think I may have a penchant for dark and depressing  stories.   I have heard  many people say that they disliked  Frankenstein  and  Wuthering Heights  because they are creepy and depressing.  I  loved both of these books!   I got so much out of reading them.   They gave me much food for thought  for days after I read them.   This is,  to my way of thinking, a sign of a great book.   If it can get you to think long after you have put the book back on the shelf  then the author has done its job.

     In Wuthering Heights,  I have to agree  that  the darkness  was a bit too much  in parts.   The way  Heathcliff  treated his son  and  Cathy  was  disheartening,  to say the least.   But there were a few things that this  book said to me.   1) No person can  derail  the human spirit-- Heathcliff  treated  Cathy and Hareton  abominably  but after he was dead,  they were able to attempt  to have a 'normal'  life. When Lockwood  comes upon them at the end of the story,  the two  are teasing each other  somewhat lightheartedly.   This says a great deal about  the perseverence of the human spirit.  

     2)  If there is no repentance for  a life of sin  then that life is lived in torment.   Heathcliff  had  many opportunities to make things right and repent   but he chose  to keep on his dastardly path.   As a result,  he lived a tormented life  even up to the end.  

     I am sure there are many more things to say about  this book but the above 2  were the things  that jumped out at me.   Now I need to find another dark  book to sink my teeth into. 

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Oct. 30, 2009
Book Talk

     Okay,  enough cancer talk.  Let's move on with life, shall we?

     I wanted to start having more literary discussions  with  Mia this year.   I didn't want these discussions to be formal  or complicated  but I wanted us to start  just talking about the books that we were reading.  I had visions  of introducing  literary elements  and  just getting into the habit  of discussing.  Discussing is something that I am not good at.  I am good at thinking,  boy,  I can think up a storm  but  talking about what I am thinking is a whole 'nother ball game.   I was hoping that these book talks  would  help both  Mia and myself.

     It's hard to tell whether these are helping or not  as we haven't been able to have consistency.  We have been reading Little Women  since the beginning of  Sept.   It has been slow going  and our discussions have been a bit stilted  but I have hopes that, in time,  the stiltedness will disappear  as we both become  used to this format.

     In a perfect world,  Mia is to read her book on her own  from Mon. to Thurs.  That usually translates to a chapter a day.  Then we get together  on Fridays  for our talk.   I use  Teaching the Classics as a jumping off point for our discussions.   At the back of the syllabus,  there are lists of questions  for each of the literary elements.   For Little Women,  I am concentrating more on character  as this is an easy book for that.   

     I am also using  the suggestions  in The Well Educated Mind (Susan Wise Bauer)  to teach Mia  how to read a book  well.   For this year,  I am having her   write  out narrations for each chapter.  I am stressing to Mia  to just write out the main happening or idea in each chapter  as she is notorious  for telling each and every detail  a la Charlotte Mason.  I don't want  detail for this exercise,  I want  main idea.  

     I have been thinking  about what  I want her to do at the end of our reading.   I want to start having her write out papers  for each book.  When I say papers  I mean a paragraph  about the book.  I don't want her to write a standard book report  (I like this book because....) as I think these are useless  but I do want her to write about some element in the story and to be able  to back up her words.   I am only expecting a paragraph  for this year.    I think that for  LIttle Women  I will have her write  a paragraph about  a character of her choice.  I just want her to describe  that character  and  use  examples from the book that  back up her thoughts.

     Even though  this book is going slower than I had  anticpated,  I am happy with how things are going.  This is a good test run for both of us.   If slow and steady wins the race  then I think we are in a good place  right now.   I think if we continue on with the discussion,  it will become easier for both of us.  Consistency is key.

     We have 3 more chapters to read  in LIttle Women,  then I think we will move on to The Christmas Carol  by Dickens.   I don't want every book we read  to be up for literary discussion.  I want us to be able to enjoy some of those books  without  analyzing them to death.   So our more formal book talks  will be for every other book.   We will just read  The Christmas  Carol  for enjoyment.   I  am sure discussion will come  up on its own  but there will be no formal discussion.    I haven't decided what book we will use for our next book talk, though.  I am thinking  either  Prince and the Pauper  by Twain   or  Oliver Twist  by Dickens.   I have a few  weeks  (at the rate we are going  it might be a few months)  before I decide.

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Oct. 29, 2009
Doing the Happy Dance!

     We are doing the  happy dance  here today.  

      We went to the cancer clinic yesterday.  The verdict is that I do not have to any further treatment.   Wahoo!  (Where is the dancing  smiley man when you need him?)   We are exremely relieved here on the Prairie.  

      My form of cancer is extremely rare  and it has a high recurrance rate  so I will need to have a check-up every 3 months with my dr.  for a little while.  I also need to be very diligent in checking my body for suspicious markings and lumps.   

      I am battling ambivalent feelings today.   I am so happy about the prognosis.  I am praising God for His mercy and grace to our family.   God is, indeed,  good.  He has  carried us through this.  In amongst the happy feelings, though,  are feelings of weariness  and sadness.    We have been through  a rollercoaster of emotions  the past 3 months. This week is a perfect example.  I was told on Tues.  that I might have to leave my children for a week at a time  for 6 weeks if I needed radiation. I knew that this would be extremely hard on my kids, especially after the last few weeks.   I tried to prepare myself  for this  possiblity.  Then the next day  we are told  "Oh,  everything is fine now,  It's all over."  Oh, the ups and downs of it all.    Even though  we have good news,  you can't just shut those emotions off.   They are still rampant.   I feel battered and bruised  right now.  I know that in time  these feelings will recede.   I just have to give it time.    

       The kids need this time as well.   Time to heal.   Time to just be with mom,  to just be.    That sounds so good right now. 

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Oct. 27, 2009
Being Flexible

     I had everything planned  out for this week.  I wanted to start getting back into the saddle   of our learning time.   I was hoping to get  into more of a routine  this week.  i knew that Mon. (Rocky's  orthodontist appt.) and Wed. (my appt at the cancer clinic)  would be a write off  but I had high hopes for the other three days.   We are going to be staying home for thoese days  so I had plans  of  getting to some of the subjects that we hadn't had much interaction with as of late (like grammar and writing.)  I have been reminded, though,  that  my plans are not of God's. 

     It all started  with the kids asking  to go outside to play.   It had rained most of the night  and then had changed to snow  when the kids woke up.   I didn't want to say no  because  when the cold weather hits the kids  aren't outside  much.  I want to take advantage of  'good'  weather  while I can.   They went out at 8:30  and I knew they would be out for an hour or so  but,  no worries,  we would start with our learning time whenever they came in.

     Then at 9:30  I received  a phone call from the cancer clinic.  The day went downhill from there.  How do I explain this  phone call?   I have ambivalent feelings about it.   The good side of the phone call is that the woman  told me  everything that would be happening tomorrow on my visit to the clinic.  I was very appreciative of that  as I didn't have a clue as to what to expect.    She also told me  that  the clinic  would  follow me for a pre-determined amount of time  with check-ups, etc.  to make sure  that the cancer does not come back.  They will then  remind  my family dr.  to do yearly check-ups  afterwards  just as a precaution.  I am very thankful for this.   This gives me peace of mind.

     The clinic lady  then  proceeded to tell me what would happen if I needed further treatment.  This is where I got lost.   Lost in emotion.   I have been telling myself  that  I won't need  treatment,  that this is just a formality.   Yes,  that still might be true, but  this woman's  words  made  treatment  a reality.  Her words are making me think  of what we will do if I do, indeed, have to have treatment.  I don't want to think about that.   I want to stay in my little cocoon of denial.  My little cocoon  in which tomorrow afternoon  will be the end of our cancer experience. 

     The clinic lady told me that if I do indeed have to have treatment,  it will be  radiation.  The treatment will take place at the clinic which is 3 hours away.   I will have to have radiation 5 days a week.  The dr. will determine how many weeks I will need.  (I would think it wouldn't be for too many weeks  but, as I am learning throughout  all of this,   What do I know  about cancer?)  This means  that  I will have to stay in Regina  during the week  and then come home on the weekends.   This also means  more upheaval.   sigh     

     Again,  I know  that I will probably  not need  all of this (maybe if I say this over and over  it will come true.)  but  those words  dug me out of my denial  and  is making me think of the possbilities.   Those possibilities  put a halt on any plans  that I had for the day.

     After talking to that very nice lady,  who had no idea that she just ruined my day,  I had no desire  to do school.   Yet again,  a change in plans.    Thankfully, though,  I didn't follow  my inclination to  go back to bed and bury myself  under the covers.  I decided to do some math fun with the kids.   At least they got some learning in  (those words  are going around my brain as well.)

     I  found some neat  ideas  for math activities  from  the MathWire site.  I really like this  site.  There are oodles of ideas  for teaching math to your kids.   The site is  directed towards public school but the  activitties are do-able  for  homeschooling as well.   They have  a number of seasonal ideas  to keep math  fun  for the younger ones.   Today we played a pumpkin game  where you rolled a dice to see which  shape  you had to put  on the face of a pumpkin.   They also had a tally sheet  where you could keep track of the frequency  of dice rolls  you had before you completed  the face.

     We also played  a Pumpkin Farm  game.   Each child had a grid  with number coordinates on the side and letter coordinates along the bottom.  The child  puts  12 pumpkins  on the squares of their choice.  Somebody yells out a coordinate  and  if the pumpkin is on that square then they get a point.   My kids  loved this game.   It helps  teach them graphing  as well as score keeping.   These games were mostly for Missy's benefit but the two older ones  had fun  right along with her.

     We, then,  played a fraction game  for Rocky.   We had made strips of paper  and cut them in various fractions--1/2,  1/4,  1/8.    We used  RightStart  fraction cards  to  draw which fraction we would use to fill up  a strip of paper  that was a whole.   So if I had drawn  a card that said a 1/2 on it.  I would put my 1/2 strip  over the whole strip.  I would then  need some version of a half (another 1/2, 2 1/4s,  4 1/8s)  to win the game.   This  helps Rocky see  what the various  combinations are for a whole.  

     After our game playing  we then read a chapter  of Winnie the Pooh.   I think everyone dealing with cancer  should read Winnie the Pooh.   The Bear of Very LIttle Brain  is just so comforting to read during such a time as this.

     I had plans to watch a video  on Comets with the kids and then move on to Little Women, but  I just didn't have the gusto  to do even that.   So they played for  the rest of the afternoon  and I did nothing.    That was comforting, too,  in its strange little way.

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Oct. 26, 2009
Returning to Living Math

     I am such a  jellyfish!   I have no spine for consistency.   Even though I know that something is going to work,  I still vacillate back and forth and then  go back to the safe  side of the issue.   I like safe.  I think that safe  will work better than unconventional.   Not always, though, is that the case.

      Safe, in this instance,  is a formal math program.   Unconventional  is learning math  via living math.  I have discovered that mixing up the two  is the best way to teach math to all three of my children.  I use the math book as my  guide,  then I use the living math approach to flesh it all out  for the child, to make it more understandable   and,  yes,  fun ( I know,   learning is not supposed to be fun  but I can't help myself.)

      This is how it is all supposed to work out but I just can't seem to stick with it.   It is easier  to just stick with the math program.   Just do the next thing.  I like that.  Easy and safe  is a good thing.   But easy and safe does not always  work.   Sometimes, for learning to take place,  you have to try new unchartered territories  and  plug in the hard work.

      Math has always  been easy for Rocky.  He is good at computational skills.  He can add and subtract very well.   His multiplication  facts are coming along qutie well also.   He is having  problems  with the abstract part of math, though.   We are stuck on fractions right now.   Rocky can't seem to understand  what a half and a quarter is.    He knows  what it means  to fold something in half  but when you ask him what is  a half  of  9,  he  doesn't even know how to figure that out.    He doesn't understand that 1/2  is half of a whole  or that   2/4 is the same as 1/2.    I have been at a loss as to how to explain this.   The light came on this weekend  and I realized  that he needs more living math  in this area.  So I hauled out my books  and have an arsenal of  activities and games  to help  Rocky  become more familiar  with fractions.

       While I was looking  at all of my books,  I realized that I had fallen  down on the job  with Missy as well.   We were doing more math things  by the book  now rather than  taking the living math approach  with her.     I have been convicted by this  and  will return  to  living math  for Missy as well.

      Doing  math  this way  is more work for me  as  I need to scope the activities out  and, in some instances,  make the games  and activities.  In the long run, though,  it  works out better this way  as my children are learning to do math in a logical and common sense manner  rather than in a robotic manner as  the textbooks teach.   

     Now I just have to figure out how to teach long division  to Mia  with the living math approach.   I don't even know if that is possible. 

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Oct. 25, 2009
Books #44 &45

    Book #44--American Wife  by Curtis Sittenfeld.  I combined  two books together for this post  because I don't have much to say about this book.  I  decided to combine  a post  so it looks like I have more to say than I actually do.    American Wife  is  good for learnng  how to skim read.   That is about it.  I did not like this book  at all.   It was  over 500 pages of skimming.   This book did not have to be this long.  She could have said  what she wanted to in  a much shorter book.  

     Book #45--The Film Club  by David Gilmour.    Thank goodness  I read this book after the above clinker.   This book is the opposite  of  American Wife  in every possible way.   This book is tiny and  only has about 250 pages.   This book has a purpose (education comes in many different forms.)  This book gives you the warm fuzzies.   I loved this book!

     David Gilmour  agrees to let his 15 yr. son quit school on the following conditions:  he does not do drugs  and he has to watch three films a week  with his dad.   That's it.   The book  is a commentary on the  movies that they watch  and how  they intertwine  with  Jesse's  real life.  The  language  is rough  but if you can  skim over that part  (skimming a few words is easier than skimming 500 pages)  you will find a gem  amongst  the pages.  

      This book got me so excited about watching movies again  that I actually watched  Crimes and Misdemeanors  on the weekend.   I dislike Woody  Allen  very much,  so much  that I have never watched any of his movies.   After reading  Gilmour's  critique of this movie and other Allen movies,  I decided to bite the bullet.   I was shocked to discover  that I really liked this movie.   It was quite deep.  Who knew?

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Oct. 23, 2009
Greek Myths

     I have been reading  the Greek Myths  to my kids for a very long time,   right along with the fairy tales.  Actually,  my kids  are probably more familiar with the myths than they are the fairy tales.   Now that I am reading more of the classics,  I see many references  to the myths and their characters.   Mia  loves the Greek myths.  I have been reading the myths  to her since she was in Grade 1.  I have a schedule of sorts  of which book I read  in which grade.  I have kept this schedlue with the other two as well.  We read a different book each year  to help them  become familiar with the gods  and  other characters. 

     This year  I have  3 different  readings going on at the same time  because I have 3 children to teach,  all in different grades.   We only read the myths  one day a week  but that reading  can become very long  with reading passages from 3 different books.

      We are reading  Age of Fable by Bullfinch  for  Mia.   We were supposed to read the first part of this book  last year but I dropped the Greek ball, so to speak,  and we didn't  read the myths that year.  So we are  catching up  this year.   I love this book!    Bullfinch  writes about the  well-known  myths  and also gives space to the  not-so-well-known characters  and their trials.   Mia is enjoying this book as well.

      I was reading  Mary Pope Osborne's  Greek Mythology   to Rocky earlier this school year.  We finished it last week  and we are now starting  The Wonder Tales  by Nathaniel Hawthorne.   This is a step up for Rocky and I don't think he likes it very much but we will persevere.

     Missy has stepped into the ranks of mythology reading  with the Usborne  book on Greek Myths.  I like this book as a beginner  book.   The stories are short and the pictures are quite colorful.   I was a bit surprised (I don't really know why, though)  when we started  reading the book  and Missy  proceeded tell me  of various other myths  that she apparently picked up from listening to her  brother and sister's  reading.    I am learning  how much she has picked up  from being a fly on the wall while  I am teaching her siblings.   You think  they aren't paying attention  but they are all ears and are soaking it all up like a sponge.   When  Missy  finishes the Usborne book then we will move on to Aesop.        

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Oct. 22, 2009
Reading Challenges: A Decision

     When I started  this year's reading challenge--Reading 52 Books in 52 Weeks--I had visions of grandeur.   I started dreaming of all of the books that I would read--fluff,  classics,  non-fiction,  Christian classics,  autobiographies,  etc.   Oh,  the list was full of  thought-provoking literary works.   Then reality set in  and the vision  went  Poof!

     I quickly  realized that if  I were to read all of the literary greats  that were on my list,  I wouldn't get to Book 52 by the end of December.  The reason being  that most classics  take a bit more  reading power  than  modern fiction.   They also take up more time.    Every time I would have a classic in my hand,  frustration  settled in  because  it took more time than the allotted week to finish  one of these beauties.  It didn't take me long to  ascertain  that fluff  books can be easily read  in a week.   Hence,  contemporary fiction  appeared  more often than  the literary greats  of  the past.

     Don't get me wrong.   There are some real gems  in amongst  contemporary fiction.  I have read some very well-written  books  this year.     There are  quite a few books  that are on  my  "I have read'  list,  that will be my favourite books of all time.    The thing is, though,  that the purpose of this challenge  was to read  those books that I have wanted to read  for  eons  but have never read.    They weren't read  this year, either,  because they would take longer to read than a week.

     Here comes  my decision:   I have decided  that  next year,  starting in Jan.  I will not  do another  Read  52 Books  in 52 Weeks  Book Challenge.  Nor will I do a Seasonal Book Challenge.  The same with  Reading  Books that Start  with the Letter S  Book Challenge  (there isn't  such a challenge,  at least not to my knowledge,  but give it time.)  

      Oh, yeah,  my decision.  Well,  the decision is that I am going to do my own, personal  challenge  all by myself.  This challenge will be to read  the books on  AO's  Yr. 7  book list (MIa will be doing this list in two years so I need to be prepared)  as well as  the books in my basement that have never been read.   Books like The Count of Monte Cristo,   Moll Flanders,  Blink,  The Great Gatsby.     Oh,  I am getting dizzy  just thinking  about them.   I need to get these books read.  I have wasted too much time.   I am sure that I will continue to read the fluff books (I have a list  just full of them)  but I just don't  want  to read only of that genre.   I want  more variety and I think the only way to attain that variety  is to take away the element of pressure.   That is what I will be doing  at the beginning of January.

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Oct. 22, 2009
Pauses

     I received  a Get Well card earlier this week  from the wife of my dad's  ex-boss.  I was touched that she took the time  to send me her best wishes.  What touched me most  was the passage  that she wrote out on the back of the card.  The passage was written by John Ruskin.  It took my breath away

 

In our whole life melody, the music is broken off here and there by rests and we think we have come to the end of time.  God sends a time of forced leisure, a time of sickness and disappointed plans and makes a sudden pause in the hymns of our lives  and we lament that our voice must be silent and our part missing in the music which ever goes up to the ear of our Creator.  Not without design does God write the music of our lives.  Be it ours to learn the time and not be dismayed at the rests.  If we look up,  God will beat the time for us. -- John Ruskin

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Oct. 21, 2009
Musings

     I have been pondering some things lately.  Things that have caused me to wonder why--why are people like this.  Most people would tell me to forget about it,  it's not worth stewing about,  but  I can't forget it  because  I am afraid that if I don't figure out the meaning of all of this, my feelings will turn to bitterness.  I don't need that right now. 

     I have decided to write this all out  to help me figure it out.  I hesitate to do this as I don't want my words and thoughts to be construed as criticism.  I am purely trying to figure out why this is happening.  I guess this where I confess  that I have been guilty  of the same behaviour  so I have no business casting stones.   I just want to understand why  so I can  turn things around for me,  although  I think the experience  that I have had in the last two months  have caused a change already.

     Okay,  getting on to my thoughts.   I have been a bit taken aback  by the lack of support from my church  during my cancer  situation.  Sure,  I have received  prayer support.  People are quite willing to tell me  that they have been praying for me  but that has been the extent of their contact with me.  Three women from my church  have called me to ask how I have been doing and how my surgery went.  No one else  has called.   Now,  when I say support  I mean  emotional support--calling me  to see how things went.   I got very little of that.   Actually, my Pastor  never contacted me either  until two and a half weeks after my sugery..    I went to church on Sunday  and the older women  talked to me and asked me how I was doing but the younger ones ignored me.   They didn't even talk to me.

      I have been wondering why this is.   As usual  I initially thought  that   they are angry  with me  because I haven't been going to church regularly this past year.  I have had a rough year and I needed time to sort things out, so I pulled out of my church obligations  and have only been attending church once or twice a month.  So I thought that these women might be  upset that I wasn't holding up my part of the church.   But  for six years  before,  I went to church every week  and was involved in many programs  so I hope they weren't begrudging  me  a bad year.  On further thought,  I don't think that is the reason for their avoidance.

     I was talking to a dear friend yesterday.  Her father died two weeks ago  and she  said she has experienced  the same thing  in her church. No one has acknowledged  her father's  death.   We were comparing notes and trying to figure out why this happens.   I noted that the women who did contact me were  older women.   Our thoughts on this  was that  the  older women  have experienced more  in their lives  and that experience has given them empathy  to understand  what is going on in other's  lives. 

     The younger women  have  busy lives.  They have families to take care of,  jobs to attend to  and  life is buzzing around them.   They don't have time to contact those that are hurting,  other than  praying for them.   Please don't misunderstand me,  prayer is important but tangible support is just as important  (when I say tangible I mean  human contact.)   I think another reason for the avoidance is that they just don't know what to say.   How do you talk to a person whose life just was turned upside down by life's happenings.   How can these women possibly  know  what I have been going through  if they haven't been through it?      How can they know the depth of emotion  if it has never visited them before?

     I have been thinking lots about this  as  I was like this as well.   When I heard that people were going through  a rough time,  I would either  a) avoid them  or b) tell them that I was praying for them  but then go on my merry way. My reasons for doing this  was because  I had no emotional knowledge of what it was like to experience these kinds of situations.  I had no idea of the depth of emotion one goes through during these times.  I know now.    I have been convicted  by this  throughout  my own situation.  God has given me empathy  for those  who are being tossed around by life's  waves.   I pray that that empathy will not fade as time goes on.   

      I recently read  the book  Tha Actor and the Housewife  by Shannon Hale.  This book was pure fluff but I came away from it with a great idea.   The main character in the book  would always make three pies once a week.  The first pie was for her own family.  The other two pies were to be given away to someone  who needed some encouragement,  someone who needed to know that they were being thought of and prayed for.   Becky (the character)  would ask God to bring  someone to mind  who needed a pie.  Every week God  would bring  people to her thoughts who needed  her kindness.   I really liked that idea. So  I made two pies yesterday, one for my family  and the other  for my friend.   I think that I will make that idea a part of my life. 

     It has helped to write this all out.  The thoughts were making my brain hurt.  It has helped to crowd out the bitterness in thinking why these things are happening and to recognize that I am guilty of the same things.   The time for thinking  and pondering  is over,  now it is time for  action,  for doing.

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Oct. 19, 2009
And the Journey Continues

     Latest news on the cancer front:  my pathology report came back last week and the cancer is officially gone.      We are so relieved and thankful  here on the Prairie.   My stitches came out  as well.  I am now able to walk  minus the Granny Grunt Shuffle.   My range of motion has increased quite a bit as well.  Even though I have been discouraged by how quickly recovery has been,  according to those who are wiser in the ways of surgery,  I am healing very nicely.

      We were sideswiped, though,  with some unexpected news.   At the beginning of this whole situation,  the surgeon told me very emphatically that I would not need further treatment after the surgery.  He told me this a few times.   I relayed this  information on to my children.  The surgery became our goal as to getting back to life  as we once knew it.  This was our focus:  get through surgery then we can put this all behind us.

      It seems that they have moved the goal posts on us.   I am now being referred to the cancer clinic in Regina  to see if I do indeed need further treatment.  Before you start telling your computer screen  that this is all just routine (as many people have told me the past few days,)  let me assure you that I am aware of this.   I understand why they are doing this and I appreciate it.  Even though I do not relish seeing another doctor ( who will probably not have the same sparkling personality as my 'good doctor.')  I am relieved  that follow up will be done.

      I am not the one who is having a problem with all of this;  it is my children.    Right now,  when they need the game plan  to stay  exactly the way that it was relayed to them,  they feel a bit shellshocked  because  this whole thing is not over.   There are more drs,  maybe more tests,  more everything.  They don't want more.  They want over.   They need over.   They thirst for over.

      Rocky is especially having a hard time with all of this.  He overheard me talking to the surgeon's  receptionist about the referral.  When I told him that I would have to see another doctor,  his first question to me,  accompanied with  a look of dread  was,  "Is the cancer back?"    I assured him that it was not.  I told him that the doctor just wants to see if I will need medicine to make sure that the cancer does not come back.   Again,  the look of dread,  but this time  fear was mingled in with it.  "Will you lose your hair?"   I told him that I didn't think they would use that kind of medicine.  

      The floodgates  were opened then and the tears  flowed.   It broke my heart.  I cried along with him.  I held him tight  and prayed that God would give me the words to comfort his heart.   The words  didn't come.  I don;t think they exist.   

      The tears have been ongoing all weekend.  The clarifying questions  have been alternated with requests to play cards wtih me or just to cuddle.   He just needs to be with his Mama,  in case she disappears.  

      I keep hearing  people tell me that this is all routine.  How do you explain routine  to an 8 yr. old boy?  In his world  there is nothing routine about cancer.   Actually,  there is nothing routine about it in my world either. 

     

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Oct. 15, 2009
'Lite School'

     A neighbour phoned me the other night to inquire about my surgery.  She asked me if I had been doing school with the kids during  the whole cancer thing.  I told her that we weren't  doing the full schedule  but we were doing a lighter version of it.  

     There was silence.

      I knew what she was thinking.  How are those kids going to learn on a lighter version of school?  I considered telling her what I considered  'lite school'  but I decided I didn't need to defend myself to anyone.  I knew  that, even though  the kids weren't  getting every subject,  they were getting the ones that mattered. 

      I think if I had listed all of the things  that we do for school now,  she would have ended her silence on her own.   Now,  we don't cover everything every day.  If I am having a rough day  (recovering from surgery has taken longer than I had initially anticpated.  Doesn't it always?)  then we may skip school altogether.  But most days  we have been covering math,  reading, latin, Shakespeare (the real thing,)  poetry,  Greek Mythology and many other read alouds.   I think we have done very well... considering.

     

 

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Oct. 14, 2009
Outlining

     When I first read  The Well Trained Mind  and came to the section on outlining,  I quickly  came to the conclusion that this was one area that we would skip over entirely.   I have a deep loathing for outlining.  I don't really know why.  It just doesn't make sense to me.  Maybe it requires too many brain cells for me to make sense of it.   I'm not sure.   I do know  that  when I was in college,  I would always  write my paper first  then  fill out the required outline  afterwards.  I could never do it the other way around.  I guess I made up the outline  mentally  and was not able to carry that out on paper.  Because of that,  I consider  outlining  a bunch of gobbledy-gook.

     The WTM  encourages  middle-schoolers  to start  outlining  sections of their reading,  preferably  non-fiction.  In this way  they are analyzing  how the pros  do it  and are learning for their own use.  For some reason,  I am having major difficulties with this.  I just can't seem  to figure out the supporting  statements for each main idea. I know  that this can be rectified by practise on my part  but it is a bit daunting  when  I think I need to teach this to me kids. 

      I was a bit relieved,  when reading WTM  again recently,  to see that for 10 yr. olds  the first step  in learning how to outline  is just gathering the main idea in every paragraph.  I can do this.  I have been having  Mia  using Story of the World  for this first step.  She has been doing very well with  this.  Next year,  we will have to move to the next step  and that is when  my angst will be thrust into full throttle. 

      Another  easy baby step  to teach outlining was suggested by a fellow  elist member.  When reading our stories (I will probably use the models  from CW Homer)  I will point out the beginning,  middle and ending of the story.   We will then show this in a simple outline:

I. Introduction

       what happened first

II. Body (middle)

        what was the core of the story

III. Conclusion (end)

          how did the story end

     Well,  I can handle that.   That is enough for us to handle  for this year.  I will worry  about the next step  next year.   The procrastinator  in me  likes  these baby steps.  

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Oct. 13, 2009
7 Rungs of a Worthwhile Day

     I read this post at Holy Experience the other day.  It struck a chord with me.  A deep chord.  Since our little life bump last month,  we have been letting things slide quite a bit.  I guess it is understandable considering  the potential 'huge-ness' of the situation  but now that the worst is over,  it is time  to pick ourselves up and brush off the dust from  bad habits.   The problem was  where to start?  There were so many things that we had let go by the wayside,  how  do we gather everything back?   Ann's post  gave me some ideas  of how to do just that.

     Ann's post is about a  day well lived  and how to know  if you have,  indeed,  done just that.  She has  7 areas  or rungs of a ladder, if you will,  that, if you have  these 7 areas present in your day, then you have lived the day well.   I really like this idea.  I also like her 7 rungs.  I am going to shamelessly  take these rungs  and apply them to our own family  so that we can get back into the game of life.

Here are the 7 rungs  of a well-lived day:

1)  Listening: did we start our day with listening to Jesus today?    Did we spend time with Him  and His Word?   Did we take His Word  and  place them  deep in our heart  to have armor for the day?

2)  Love: did we love Jesus by loving others?   Were we kind to those around us or did we snap back with impatience? 

3)  Labor: Who did we serve today?   A good day  consists of  hard work.   What kind of work did we do today?

4)  Loveliness: What did we see,  what did we hear,  what did we read  that brought  beauty to our souls?

5)  Literature: What did we discover  in good books today?   

6)  Language: How did we speak today?

7)  Logic: How did we scaffold into new ideas and understanding today?

     Ann goes into more detail  with these rungs so I encourage you to pop over there and read the entire post.

     I have been thinking about how  to tie accountabiliy  into these rungs.  Since cancer sauntered into our lives,  we haven't been having many meals  together,  especially since my surgery.  I still can't sit on a chair,  so meals at the table have gone by the wayside.   I was thinking, though,  that the key to all of this  is to get back to the table  and let this be the setting for our discussions about how our day went according to the 7 rungs.   This could be the foundation for some really good  discussions.  This is something  that we have been missing as of late.  

      I am comforted by these 7 rungs.   All is not lost.  We just need to keep climbing the ladder.

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Oct. 12, 2009
The Season of Gratitude

     Happy Thanksgiving  to my fellow Candians!    My family celebrated Thanksgiving with extended famly yesterday.  I wasn't able to go as I knew my leg could not  handle being up and around  for any extended period of time.  So I stayed home and did some school planning.  The kids and I will celebrate today. 

      I thought, considering all that has happened to our family  as of late,  it would be helpful to have a 'thankful'  list  in honour of this day.

My Gratitude List

I am thankful for:

1) my beloved  who works very hard to put food on the table,  clothes on our back  and books on our shelves.  Due to his hard work,  I am able to stay home and  be with our children.  I consider this a privilege.

2) Mia,  my little drama queen.  She is growing up so very fast, it is making me blink furiously.  Her sense of humour and  profound way of thinking makes it a joy  to  have conversations with her.

3) Rocky, our resident clown.   His sense of humour  is a breath of fresh air.   It amazes me how quick he can throw out the one liners.  Also,  his sweet spirit  makes my heart sing  on many occasions.

4) Missy,  ah  Missy!....my complicated, sweet Missy.  She keeps my on my toes with all of her thoughts  and actions.  As she blazes her own trail,  she may get burned a few times along the way but I know that she will be just fine.

5) books.   Books  comfort me,  inspire me,  soothe me,  strengthen me,  teach me.   Books  are the foundation of me.

6) music.  Music  does the same things for me that books do.  Music  lifts me up  and holds me together.

7) sunsets.   There is no better place to see a sunset  than  on the Prairies.   They take your breath away.  They remind you every day  that there is a God  and all is right with the world  because He is in control.

8) tea.   I know, silly item.  I am new to the  fragrance of tea.  I have discovered, though,  that tea  forces you to slow down.   It makes you sit  and just be.   Tea is the foundation of simplicity.  Of all things simple,  there has to be tea.  

9) nights.   After everyone  is in bed,  I  snuggle up with a book  and a cup of tea  while music plays softly is the background.   This is my time to regroup.   This is my time  to contemplate,  forgive and  rethink.   It is my time to be thankful for all of the days happenings--good and bad.

10) cancer.  The apparance of cancer  in my life  has, thankfully,  been a brief  yet a profound one.  This little,  life-sucking  disease  has taught me many life lessons in a small period of time  and for this I am thankful.   One of the things it has taught me is that  the simplest things in life are the richest.  Things like a giggle,  a cup of tea,  a game of cards,  a  shared cookie.   Oh,  I love the simple things. 

Even though He is not on the list, it is a given that He is the umbrella  that covers  all of these things.  Without Christ,  there would be no Beloved,  no children, no sunsets,  no simple things,  no life lessons.  Thank you, Lord,  for all that you have brought into my life.

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