|
there hasn't been much going on around here. We are making some progress on the house. School goes on uneventfully for the most part. I have added "Book Links" for the 11 yr old. It is kinda like "Five in a Row", except it has a book , folder and reproducible worksheets all in one packet. We started with "The Secret of the Golden Cowrie". He is really enjoying it. I will be reading it aloud to the others as we go along. Our homeschooling is rather eclectic. It seems to work better for us that way. I am better able to fit individual learning styles that way, I think. Our 17 yr old is trying to finish up this year. It is challenging to fit it around a full time job, plus now working on our own house. I really only teach the 11 yr old, 9, 8 & 6 yr old. the almost five year old is working on kindergarten work but, I don't push it unless he does. He will be definitely ready to start first grade in the fall. the 14 yr old girl is mostly done with her book learning . She is doing a "Christian Charm Course" and a writing course, plus will be filling in a little state test prep. The 13 yr old boy has been somewhat of a challenge to keep going because his work is on the computer which is down right now. So for now he is just apprenticing with my husband. Our 19 yr old works full time in the family business. He is expanding into excavation and he and the 17 yr old have begun to buy their own equipment. So that's just a little overview of our homeschooling. We are blessed and thankful to be working together as a family. We may be just ordinary and nothing out tanding but we enjoy each other! |
|
We have been having some beautiful winter weather. The children are wanting to spend a lot of time In "Physical Education" class. I am reminded today of the priviledge it is to be at home everyday with my kids. It can be so easy to just take it for granted. It gives me renewed energy and enthusiasm to really look at it through eyes of praise. Even the extra work, the mud on the kitchen floor, the never ending cleaning of the bathroom , and all the books and questions, all of that is reason to praise God for healthy active minds and bodies. I mentioned before that we are building a house. I am finding it a challenge to keep regular housework and school done up properly while taking the time required to research, design,choose and order things for the house. I will be very glad when this is all over. At the same time it is interesting to find the good things about this busyness and 11 people in a small mobile home! Some one told me they thought my kitchen in the new house was too big... well after this one I wonder how big one would have to be before I would feel it is too big! Does anyone have any really good idea how to motivate a slow reader. In the middle of a family of avid readers who nearly taught themselves to read, I have one that seems to care very little whether he ever learns to read at all. I would welcome your input. Blessings to all you mothers and teachers! |
Especially since we poured the basement floor for the new house. There is a lovely slab of concrete just right for rollerblading!|
We had a good Christmas celebration with my brother and his wife and my mom and dad. We are used to having more people around for Christmas( I came from a family of nine children. so there are usually more aunts, uncles and cousins around). It was a bit of a challenge cooking only enough for 15 instead of the usual 30-40. We ended up with a lot of leftovers. I did a lot of thinking this Christmas about what all the reality of Christ's birth means to me. I hope that my reflection and the Lord's speaking to me will change me for always. We hear a lot of discussion on celebrating the day vs not celebrating, heathen customs vs christian symbolism etc. I don't want to get caught up in all of that. I believe that comes under Paul's reminder that we not judge another in respect to what he does unto the Lord. But I do feel that we Christians need to look long and hard at why and how we celebrate. Yet, also consider the ramifications if all Christians would say we will no longer in any way recognize a day of celebration of our Saviour's birth. Santa would indeed then have his day and satan will have won. Now I did not start out to say all that. It just came. Please accept in the spirit it was given. We are for the most part getting back to everyday life around here. We are trying to get some more progress made on the house. We have had some bad weather for that, though. We will be taking this week off from schooling. We also need to do some major after vacation cleanup around here! : ) I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!
|
|
Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas with familyand friends! May the real reason for this day of celebration sink into your hearts in a new and special way. What a wonderful caring Father willing to go to such lengths to show us His Love! Our family will be having a rather laid back celebration with just my parents and brother and his wife. We get together Christmas eve and Christmas Day. Christmas eve is traditionally just being together over finger foods. This year we are planning a christmas brunch meal instead of the traditional dinner. Then we open gifts and play games etc. the rest of the day. Blessings! |
|
We are a very average family of 9 energetic children. On this blog you will never read of fabulous, outstanding achievements. Our achievements are limited to a 4yr old tying his shoe, the ever-new wonderment of a new reader sounding out his first word, the 11 yr. old's piano recital, the 14yr old daughter's cooking or sewing successes,or the teenage sons' daily sacrificial working alongside Dad in the family construction business. We are ordinary people, serving an extraordinary God. Our goal and aim is to magnify Him. We seek to bless and serve others, to show them the love of our wonderful Father. We are currently facing the challenge of living in 10x55 mobile home with an addon bedroom and laundry room. We are in the process of building our new house. So along with homeschool and home news updates, I'm sure there will be house building progress reports. We also find ourselves in a situation right now without a local church fellowship, which brings its own set of decisions and challenges. We are seeking God on His further leading regarding a street outreach ministry,particularly with substance abuse addicts. God has brought us into some amazing experiences in this ministry already and we are waiting to see what further developes. We are a family with failures and successes, ever grateful for a Lord whose mercies are new every morning. So, please, stop and chat awhile , share with us and pray for us. We welcome your friendship and hope we can bless you with ours! |
|
Just a random sort of update. I'm still without a dryer. Since we had had so many problems with our old dryer, we decided just to get a new one. Hubby wanted a gas dryer for our new house. so he told me to find a gas one. Well ,this small town only had ONE gas dryer in stock in the whole town. I went ahead and ordered one, even though it was going to take a few days to get in. The day it was to arrive we had very bad weather and the trucks couldn't get through into town. To make matters worse that was a Fri. and the store is closed over the weekend. To add to the problem, my hubby asked "Did you check whether or not that could use LP gas instead of natural , or if it comes with a conversion kit". Well...no...actually I didn't know enough to ask that! Otherwise life goes on as normal,whatever that is! May God bless each of you mothers and teachers! |
So after a call to the Sears store confirmed that yes, it is natural gas... and yes. it requires a conversion kit... and no, it doesn't come with it ...and no ,they don't stock them... we were faced with the reality that when it finally got here we could quite possibly be still without a dryer. Several calls failed to turn up a conversion kit in this town or our closest city.So...the soonest we can get one is the 13th! Believe me, I'm finding it rather difficult to find orchids in the laundry right now!
|
Today Mommy and kidlins needed a break from ordinary homeschool. So we tidied up the house and sat down to read. Then I asked them to explain the big words to me. We stopped for lunch, then on to their favorite part,decorating the gingerbread house. The dining room table became a constuction zone, with pint-sized builders and brightly colored building materials. Some windows are drooping , the snowman's hat is askew, the roof is rather garish, but to them it is beautiful! Upon completion each one got to pick one left-over candy for a treat. Then on to clean-up (the least favorite part)
|
. And that completed our "homeschooling " for the day! 
|
It seems to me it is always rather difficult once the holiday season starts to keep the kids on track with their schooling. Does any one else have that problem? We do take off a couple days over Thanksgiving and the week between Christmas and New Years. It seem like especially those days nothing gets done and everybody needs a break from schooling, but also perhaps taking a break kinda breaks the routine, making it harder to study in the days we do have school. Just thinking out loud here. Today is going to be a difficult one because I have to go into town. That always throws off the schedule a bit. Our dryer broke down and at the present we are living sorta "temporarily" and I do not have a clothesline nor room to put one up. So I'm off to town to find a dryer part or a new dryer. This entry became a little boring I suppose. Sorry, folks! Next time I'll try to fill you in some with more about myself and our family. That is if anyone is reading this! |
|
Howdy to you all! I have considered a blog on here for some time and finally just decided to do it! |
I am not sure how often I will update, but I do hope to get to know some new friends . I hope to also be an encouragement and receive some encouragement. I sometimes need answers, I sometimes have answers! So long for now! May the Lord be a constant companion to all you fellow homemakers!