Yesterday we had our first facilitator visit for this school year. It was a very good visit. This school year is the first time I feel truly comfortable in this home school role I have. This is the first time I am not panicking or worried about what we are doing and if it is enough. I think has to do with the fact that I have over four years of home schooling under my belt now, I have a great support surrounding me (family, friends, facilitator, and support group) AND I finally have found a system/routine that works for our family. YAY!!
Below is the report I gave to our facilitator yesterday.
S. FAMILY HOME EDUCATION - Traditional Home Schooling
READING
(J & D) The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan
- This started out as a read aloud (J reading to D) but then D grew tired of waiting and is now reading this series on her own.
(J & D) - numerous books and novels from the library
(J) Twenty and Ten by: Claire Huchet Bishop
(J) Favorite Greek Myths by: (retold) Mary pope Osborne
(J) Nelson Mandela - a photographic story of a life by: Laaren Brown and Lenny Hort
(J) Life Strategies for Teens by: Jay McGraw
(J) Wilderness Tales - adventures in the back country by: Peter Christensen
(J) Basic Licence Driver’s Handbook by Alberta Transportation
(J) The Memoirs of Cleopatra: A Novel by: Margaret George
(D) The Big Wave by: Pearl S. Buck
(D) Introduction to Asia (Usborne Internet Linked) by: Elizabeth Dalby
(D) See You Later, Procrastinator! (Get It Done) by: Pamela Espeland and Elizabeth Verdick
(D) Black Star, Bright Dawn by: Scott O’Dell
(D) Bear-ology - Fascinating bear facts, tales and trivia by: Sylvia Dolson
WRITING AND SPEAKING
(J) One Year Adventure Novel – http://www.oneyearnovel.com/
The One Year Adventure Novel Writing Curriculum guides students (grades 8-12) through the process of writing a novel over the course of one school year.
(J) narration on Greek myths
(J & D) I.E.W. DVD#1 — rewrote Sea Snakes and The Boy and The Nuts
http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/
(J & D) – Essay class – Essay Apprentice
Essay Apprentice – 12:30-2:30 p.m. Ages 13+ - You do not have to be a wizard to learn to write excellent five-paragraph essays but you do need some basic skills and practice. This class will help you learn how to write the essay as well as use some writing prompts to help you develop your writing skill. Some after class support via email will be offered if students want to get feedback on their final essay. $22.50 per child
(D) 1. Dogs or Cats and 2. Mr. Shakespeare
(J) 1. Star Wars Battlefront 2 and 2. One more to be completed
(D) composed a variety poems and songs and a play (in progress)
(D) D sang Kathy her song “Memories” at the meeting
MATHEMATICS
(J) Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1
(J) Roman Numerals (he had never covered this before, watched lesson from TT Math 7)
(D) Teaching Textbooks Math 7
(D) Video on You Tube – Lowest Common Denominator
SCIENCE
http://bookings.sciencealberta.org/application/views/includes/images/productMedia/2009guide.pdf
(J & D) Alberta Science Crate –> The Griffin Inquest (forensics) Evidence and Investigation
NEW The Griffin Inquest
A pipeline explosion. A late night phone call. A threatening letter.
Six suspects. Use forensic techniques in the areas of fingerprints,
fiber analysis, footwear impressions, tire impressions, soil analysis
and questioned documents to help Sergeant Richardson and her
forensic team discover the true identity of the perpetrator in The
Griffin Inquest. Three levels allow you to differentiate instruction.
Made possible through funding from The Brawn Foundation.
(J & D) Alberta Science Crate –> Mega-Machines (simple machines used in the oil sands) Mechanical Systems
Mega Machines
Mega Machines takes a hands-on look at the principles of simple
machines. Participants examine and manipulate levers, pulleys,
gears, hydraulics and inclined planes. They see how these simple
machines make up the heart of some of the massive machinery
found in the oil sands today.
Made possible through funding from The Brawn Foundation.
(J & D) CLASS - May the Force be With You May the Force Be With You - 12:30-2:30 p.m. Ages 13+ - Do you know how a Roller Coaster works? What on earth is a current anyway? And how on earth do some of the worlds tallest structures and bridges even stay upright? Come find out! This class will include the Science topics: Structures and Forces, Mechanical Systems, Electrical Principles and Technologies $35.00 per child
(J & D) Energy, Forces and Motion by Alastair Smith and Corinne Henderson
SOCIAL STUDIES
- HISTORY PROJECT
(J) Swords, the Claymore sword
(D) William Shakespeare
(J) Horrible Histories - Frightful First World War by: Terry Deary
(J) Nelson Mandela - a photographic story of a life by: Laaren Brown and Lenny Hort
(D) Introduction to Asia (Usborne Internet Linked) by: Elizabeth Dalby
(D) Horrible Histories - Awesome Egyptians by Terry Deary and Peter Hepplewhite
HEALTH /PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
- Dr. Oz (various topics)
- Dr. Oz show – Teens and Sex
- swimming
- skating
- walking
- bike riding
- ranch work (very physical)
EXTRAS
- Horse Camp at Camp Little Red – http://www.camplittlered.com/homeschoolershorsecamp.html Do you love horses? Then why not try our horse camps? We have day-long horse camps especially for home schoolers this year. You get to learn the horse-basics, go for a trail ride, play all kinds of games, learn something from the Bible, and we'll even feed you lunch & supper! For ages 9 - 16.
- Camping (crafts, paint ball, river, building a fort, cooking, etc)
- Mug Up (a weekly gathering of home school families for socialization, support and activities)
- Movie - “Faith Like Potatoes” – Set in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, this story is about a Zambian farmer who leaves his farm in the midst of political unrest and racially charged land reclaims and travels south with his family to start a better life in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. With nothing more than a caravan on a patch of land, and help from his foreman, Simeon Bhengu, the Buchan family struggle to settle in a new country. Faced with ever mounting challenges, hardships and personal turmoil, Angus quickly spirals down into a life consumed by anger, fear and destruction. Based on events in the life of Angus Buchan, the book was adapted for the big screen by award-winning actor and director, Regardt van den Bergh, and weaves together the moving journey of a man who, like his potatoes, grows his faith, unseen until the harvest.
- Movie - “Shakespeare in Love”
- This movie was the catalyst that inspired Deanna to learn more about Shakespeare.
- Movie - “Hamlet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
- The kids watched both of these movies for a little exposure to the language styles of Shakespeare.
(J) Learner’s Licence (numerous online practice exams, passed real exam)
(J) Woodwork – made 2 wooden swords
(J) Medal of Honor (PC Game) – http://www.ea.com/games/medal-of-honor-anniversary “The Medal of Honor series returns in a single bundle for those that missed out on the action the first time around in addition to those looking to relive the franchises’ first decade of gaming. Immerse yourself in the European Front with the Medal of Honor Allied Assault and its two expansion packs, then transition to the Pacific Theater in the Medal of Honor Pacific Assault Director’s Edition. Finally, take to the skies and airdrop onto the great battles of WWII with Medal of Honor Airborne. From the D-Day invasion on Omaha Beach, across the seas to defend Pearl Harbor, and finally the last push towards Berlin, wage war in a massive variety of explosive single and multiplayer missions in what has been widely hailed as the definitive World War II first-person shooter franchise.”
(D) Learned to make sushi
(D) Canadian Coin Collection
- Student Agendas (record keeping practice, time management)
- Cooking Shows
- Art lessons from You Tube videos
(J) swords, (D) dragons
- The kids now have Internet available on their laptops so they are both learning to use the internet for research and communication (email).
- attended the Community Carol Sing in Sundre
- attended the Sundre Community Choir and Handbell Christmas Concert
WORK EXPERIENCE
(J) Silage (packing the pit)
(J & D) Acreage clean up
(J & D) Raking hay
(J & D) Shingling a roof
(J & D) Porch workbee (tear down and rebuild)
(J & D) Babysitting (Samantha, Brittany and Adanna)
(J & D) October Cattle Drive
(J & D) Ranch Cattle Work
***NOTE: I gave Kathy a copy of the learning outcomes chart I designed.
* Kathy requested we send her Deanna’s poem about mothers to share in the newsletter.
November 2 was the last time I did an update. Wow... where does the time go?
Since November 2... here is what has happened in our world...
Here are the assignment sheets from the last couple of weeks...
_________________
THIS WEEK – November 2 to 8DEANNA
MONDAY – ○MATH lesson 33, ○Aircraft design and engines pgs 46-50, ○Gruesome Grave Robbers pgs 75-87, ○Shakespeare research, ○one chapter of THE LIGHTENING THIEF
TUESDAY - ○Ranch work 8AM-12PM, ○MATH lesson 34, ○Cars and Motorcycles pgs 50-53 and check out the charts on pgs 54-55, ○The Remarkable River pgs 88-93, ○one chapter of THE LIGHTENING THIEF, ○Shakespeare research
WEDNESDAY - ○No Mug Up scheduled:o(, ○MATH lesson 35, ○A Gallery of the Gods pgs 94-98,○one chapter of THE LIGHTENING THIEF, ○Shakespeare research, ○Shakespeare movie
THURSDAY – ○Math lesson 36, ○Awesomely troublesome Egyptians pgs 99-110, ○one chapter of THE LIGHTENING THIEF, ○Shakespeare research, ○read James Chapter one and two, make notes
FRIDAY -- ○MATH lesson 37, BABYSITTING 8am-3pm,
SATURDAY -- ○MATH lesson 38, Birthday Party 2:00-4:00pm, sleepover
SUNDAY --- church at our house
THIS WEEK – November 2 to 8JORDAN
MONDAY – ○MATH lesson 32, ○Aircraft design and engines pgs 46-50, ○Medieval weapons research, ○one chapter of THE LIGHTENING THIEF
TUESDAY - ○Ranch work 8AM-12PM, ○MATH lesson 33, ○Cars and Motorcycles pgs 50-53 and check out the charts on pgs 54-55,○one chapter of THE LIGHTENING THIEF, ○Medieval weapons research
WEDNESDAY - ○No Mug Up scheduled:o(, ○MATH lesson 34,○one chapter of THE LIGHTENING THIEF, ○Medieval weapons research, ○Shakespeare movie
THURSDAY – ○Math lesson 35,○one chapter of THE LIGHTENING THIEF, ○Medieval weapons research, ○read James Chapter one and two, make notes
FRIDAY -- ○MATH lesson 36, ○Medieval weapons research, ○option--- work on the ranch... ask dad for a job
SATURDAY -- ○MATH lesson 37, Birthday Party 2:00-4:00pm, sleepover
SUNDAY --- church at our house
_______________________
Deanna — November 9 to 15, 2009
MATH
Lesson 38—Proportions 158
Chapter 5 Quiz 163
Lesson 39—When the Bottoms are the Same 168
Lesson 40—Matching Up the Bottoms 172
Lesson 41—Changing Both Denominators 176
Lesson 42—Lowest Common Denominator180
WRITING
Student Writing Intensive – DVD classes
DAY ONE – outlines, summary, dress-up
DAY TWO - story summary, dress up
DAY THREE - reference summary, paragraph structure
DAY FOUR - creative writing
BOOK - Horrible Histories - Awesome Egyptians
- Live like an Egyptian pages 111-127
- Epilogue and Quiz pgs 127-135
BOOK - Lightening Thief
four chapters
SHAKESPEARE PROJECT
–work on a Timeline of some sort. History is all about dates and if you can communicate the time frame that your event, person or invention encompasses it will help the visitors that come to your table on the day of the Extravaganza to get “into the time period” of your project.
- mapping (see email)
-write out some interesting facts, a paragraph or statistic to present on your project board or table.
OTHER THINGS THIS WEEK:
Tuesday – School pictures in Red Deer 1:50pm (this means you must do you school work in the morning, get up early, set your alarm)
Wednesday – You are scheduled to babysit Samantha from 7:30 - 3:30
Friday - Essay Apprentice Class in Innisfail at 12:30 to 2:30 (this means you must do you school work in the morning, get up early, set your alarm)
–Read JAMES CHAPTER 3
– Random Acts of Kindness Project (do one kind act each day, record it in your bible notebook)
_______________________
Jordan — November 9 to 15, 2009
MATH
Lesson 37—Parentheses within Parentheses 181
Lesson 38—Freeing x from a Fraction (Part 1) 185
Lesson 39—Freeing x from a Fraction (Part 2) 190
Lesson 40—From One Side to the Other 196
Lesson 41—Moving Shortcuts 201
Lesson 42—Chase Scene 205
WRITING
Student Writing Intensive – DVD classes
DAY ONE – outlines, summary, dress-up
DAY TWO - story summary, dress up
DAY THREE - reference summary, paragraph structure
DAY FOUR - creative writing
BOOK - Horrible Histories - Measly Middle Ages
- Introduction & timeline and Nasty Normans pgs 5 to 18
- Feudal fellows & Dreadful Disease pgs 19 to 41
- Nutty knights & Awful Angevins pgs 42 to 61
- Foul food & Lousy Lancastrians pgs 62 to 82
BOOK - Favorite Greek Myths
- Introduction
- Chariot of the Sun God - the story of Phaeton and Helios
- The Golden Touch - the story of Bacchus and King Midas
SWORD PROJECT
–work on a Timeline of some sort.History is all about dates and if you can communicate the time frame that your event, person or invention encompasses it will help the visitors that come to your table on the day of the Extravaganza to get “into the time period” of your project.
- mapping (see email)
-write out some interesting facts, a paragraph or statistic to present on your project board or table.
OTHER THINGS THIS WEEK:
STUDY for your Learners Exam – We can go to town to do the test on Wednesday
Tuesday – School pictures in Red Deer 1:50pm (this means you must do you school work in the morning, get up early, set your alarm)
Friday - Essay Apprentice Class in Innisfail at 12:30 to 2:30 (this means you must do you school work in the morning, get up early, set your alarm)
–Read JAMES CHAPTER 3
– Random Acts of Kindness Project (do one kind act each day, record it in your bible notebook)
______________________________
Deanna's ACADEMICS FOR THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 16 TO 22, 2009.
MATH
Lesson 42—Lowest Common Denominator 180 (Re-do this lesson)
Lesson 43—Three or More 184
Lesson 44—Whole Numbers and Fractions 188
Lesson 45—Adding and Subtracting Mixed Numbers 192
Lesson 46—Converting from Mixed Number to Improper Fraction 196
Lesson 47—Converting from Improper Fraction to Mixed Number 200
Chapter 6 Quiz 204
WRITING
1.Rewrite “Sea Snakes” on your computer.
2.Rewrite “Little Wishes” on your computer.
3.From your essay class – write a 5 paragraph essay (rough draft).
4.Write a 5 paragraph essay about William Shakespeare.
BOOK #1 – “All The World’s a Stage - Speeches, Poems and Songs from William Shakespeare”
1.Part One - all the world’s a stage – pages 1 to 28
2.Part two - toil and trouble – pages 29 to 56
BOOK #2 – “All the World’s a Stage – William Shakespeare - a pop up biography”
BOOK #3 – “Bravo, Mr. William Shakespeare”
1.As You Like It – pgs 6 to 9
2.Antony and Cleopatra - pgs 10 to 15
3. The Tragedy of King Richard III – pgs 16 to 19
OTHER things this week
1.Mug Up at Susan’s on Wednesday
2.I think dad is planning a project for Saturday.
3.Read James chapter 4
______________________________
Jordan's ACADEMICS FOR THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 16 TO 22, 2009.
MATH
Lesson 43—Mixing It All Up 209 (from last week)
Lesson 44—Mixture Problems Again 214
Lesson 45—Solving Freestyle 218
Lesson 46—False Equations and Identities 223
Lesson 47—Reducing Fractions 228
Lesson 48—Factoring into Prime Numbers 233
Lesson 49—Reducing Fractions with x’s 237
WRITING
1.Rewrite “Sea Snakes” on your computer.
2.Rewrite “Boy and the Nuts” on your computer.
3.From your essay class – write a 5 paragraph essay (rough draft).
4.Write a 5 paragraph essay about Medieval Swords.
BOOK #1 – “Horrible Histories – Measly Middle Ages”
1.Woeful women & Cheerless children - pgs 73 to 106
2.The Weaving Contest – the story of Minerva and Arachne
3.Apollo’s Tree – the story of Apollo and Daphne
READING #3 – Swords
Read 6 to 10 articles/resources about swords (via internet, encyclopedia, books, etc).List each resource in your agenda or on your computer.
OTHER things this week
1.Ranch work for Wednesday
2.I think dad is planning a project for Saturday.
3.Read James chapter 4
___________________________________
OTHER THINGS OF NOTE:
- Deanna had strep throat at the beginning of November but recovered quickly and didn't have to miss any of the weekend fun.
- I bought a book about famous paintings, Deanna spent quite a bit of time going through it. She is looking forward to studying art.
- I bought a book about Canadian coins. Deanna really took to it. It came with a booklet to collect coins and she must have spent over three hours going through all the change in the house to look for coins to fill the booklet. One can never tell what will strike a child's interest.
- I had assigned Jordan to read the book "The Lightening Thief" out loud to Deanna, however this was too slow for Deanna so she took it upon herself to read the book (which was the goal all along) because she was so hooked on the story. She is now reading the second book in that series.
- Deanna had a friend over for a sleepover a couple of weekends ago.
- I ordered new bibles for the kids. The new ones are bigger (easier on the eyes to read) and they are study bibles geared towards teens. Jordan said he really liked the format.
- This past week was a real test of time management skills for the kids. I did not assign what needed to be done each day of the week, just a list of assignments to be finished by Saturday night. They did not get the list done and Sunday morning were working diligently to try and finish.
- Deanna worked with Noah this past Sunday during our church time. We had printed a Noah's Ark book for Noah to color and cut out together. This was an opportunity for some mentoring to happen and some teaching practice. (I had encouraged the kids in our home church to come up with age appropriate activities for the two youngest members. This week only Noah was here.)
- As of this past Saturday, my kids now have the internet available to them on their laptops. Now we have the job of learning time management with the internet and what content is okay to view, etc. I am also looking into some kind of parental control programs, just for good measure. This morning they took some time to check out their email account and catch up.
- TODAY... Deanna is struggling with LCM. Here is a video we watched to help..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAwq8hnVxY8 This is the same video we used to help Jordan last year. :o)
- I assigned Jordan three portions from his Greek Myths book (I figured he would spread them throughout the week) and he read them all in one (very quick I might add) sitting. Well I questioned whether he ACTUALLY read them and so I had him narrate the stories back to me. He did an awesome job and I had to apologize for not believing him that he had actually read them. I guess he is a speed reader like me.
- Jordan passed him learner's licence exam and can now drive with a fully licenced driver. He is very excited.
- Jordan and I ended up discussing twice last week the issue of doing what is required. On Tuesday is was about the issue of showing his work in math. He doesn't see the benefit of showing his work and continues to not do it despite my instructions to it. So I told him that this was not a math issue but one of disobedience and lack of ability to do what is required of him. I further explained that in life an employer might require soemthing of him and whether or not he thought it was beneficial he would have to do it or risk losing his job. So in this matter if he chose to continue to not show his work I would have to come up with a very negative consequence to encourage him to meet the requirement. THEN on Saturday morning I asked if he had completed all 6 math lessons for the week and he said no. We then had a discussion of finishing the work assigned to him. He complained he didn't have time. So we went over how he chose to spend his time all week and showed that actually he DID have them time, he just didn't use his time wisely. And this year's theme is all about personal management, so we will see if this week's time management is better then last week's. :o)
- Jordan did some woodwork a couple of weeks ago. He designed and crafted to swords from wood. One was for himself and one for a friend as a birthday present.
I was doing some online research for a lady who was asking me about my experience with home church. I came across this video while searching. Now I have seen this video before but it has been a while. There are so many good tidbits to pick up and meditate on in this video about being the church. I encourage you to watch it. :o)
1. I learned how to use the fax machine portion of my 3-in-1 machine today. That is exciting for me because I have owned this machine for years and had never used the fax before. An old dog can learn new tricks. LOL! (not that I am calling myself old.)
2. Last week kind of fell apart towards the end of the week academically. Wednesday we went to activity day, which was a success. Deanna learned how to make sushi. Thursday was an all day work day on the ranch. Friday the kids did branding in the morning and then it was off to town for errands and a weekend sleepover at Nana's house. Okay, maybe I am being too hard on myself. We only fell flat on Friday.
3. I just checked my blog and I didn't really comment on anything about last week. Well I just mentioned the last portion of the week, so now to touch on Monday and Tuesday. Monday was good. I had the kids assignment sheets ready for them. Having the assignments written out ahead of time is really working for all of us. At the end of the day they record what they accomplished in their student agenda's. Monday also included a babysitting job for Deanna. Tuesday was pretty similar to Monday. They worked on their assignment list.
4. I went to the dentist last week on Monday and finally got my tooth fixed. YAY!!! It is feeling so much better. It is still a bit tender to chew with that tooth, but each day continues to get better. Hopefully one of these days it will be pain free all together.
5. The weekend was nice and quiet (because the kids were at my mom's). Saturday Wes did some work at his mom's and Sunday we met with the church.
6. This morning when I got up I thought today was going to be a write off because I felt horrible (bad headache and very tired). But I managed to get the kids assignment lists written up for the week and they spent the day working away at them. In the afternoon my kids discovered some YouTube videos that teach drawing and they spent most of the late afternoon and evening watching them and practicing some drawing skills. Jordan did two very good sketches, one of a sword and one of a battle ax. Deanna tried drawing a dragon as well. Today, in the end, turned out to be a very successful home school day. It was exactly what I had always pictured a good home school day to be.... each working, learning and inspired by something that warrants further delving into. Learning at its natural best. It was a good day.
Things the kids have been doing since last week:
- reading the bible
- math -- a lesson per day
- read about radio activity and nuclear power
- read about 1918 during WW1 - the year of exhaustion
- read many chapters of the book "The Lightening Thief"
- read about ships, boats, and flight
- Jordan did a quiz about WW1
- we watched the movie "Hamlet"
- we attended ACTIVITY DAY, hosted by our home school support group
- ranch work -- weighing calves and branding
- sleepover at Nana's
- shopping
- read about aircraft design and engines
- did research on medieval weapons -- narrowed down the research to medieval swords
- did research on Shakespeare
- babysitting
- read about the magic of mummies
- read about the curse of the mummy
- painted xmas ornaments
- played games
- made sushi
- went to see two pet turtles at a friends house
- read about gruesome grave robbers in Egypt
- watched Dancing with the Stars
- changed the clocks back on Saturday
- sang songs
- discussed James chapter one
- practiced making tongue twisters
- Deanna wrote another new song and a new poem
--- that is all I can remember at the moment
Did you know that this coming Wednesday is "USE YOUR COMMON SENSE DAY"?
~Pam~
I count myself one of the number of those who write as they learn and learn as they write. (Augustine)
1. Noah (5 years old) shared from his children Bible the story about Moses and the burning bush (Exodus 3:1 to 14).
2. Josh (14 years old) shared the last superhero from his superhero Bible. (He has been sharing one each week for over a year now.) This last superhero is.... YOU! You can be a superhero for God when you are willing to let God use you. He will equip you for the task he wants you to do... no worries. Philippians 4:13 - "I can everything through Him who gives me strength."
3. The kids watched a Veggie Tales movie -- Veggie Tales: Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving. (Synopsis - Kids can learn the true origins of Santa Claus and the real meaning of Christmas in this animated adventure starring Junior Asparagus, Laura Carrot, and Bob the Tomato. It's Christmastime for Junior Asparagus, but Laura Carrot may not get any presents since her father just lost his job. To show all the young vegetables the definition of generosity, Bob the Tomato takes the crisp creatures back to ancient Greece where they encounter Saint Nicholas, who teaches the veggies how to give. ~ All Movie Guide ) http://www.amazon.ca/Veggie-Tales-Nicholas-Joyful-Giving/dp/B002FOFX6U
4. The kids shared what they learned from the movie which led us into a discussion about the topic of JOY and how it differs from happiness.
JOY is a gladness of heart.
JOY is a calm delight. (I love this definition! ♥)
We learned that happiness is an emotion that is dependent on our surroundings, our happenings. When things go wrong we lose our happy feeling but we can still experience joy (a calm delight) because we are in Christ.
To learn about JOY... Philippians is the book to read. You will read about joy in suffering, joy in serving, joy in believing, and joy in giving.
"Rejoice in the always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Philippians 4:4
5. We looked in a concordance and looked up some verses with joy in them -- 2 Cor. 8:2; John 15:11; John 16:20; Gal. 5:22; Phil. 2:2; 1 Thess. 5:16; Phil. 1:4; Isaiah 58:14; Isaiah 51:11;
Prov. 10:1
6. One of the kids asked what "Zion" was.
7. Another asked what a concubine was.
8. I don't remember how we got on the topic but started to discuss what the Body of Christ was. The kids shared their thoughts. One mentioned that it was all the people in the world that made up the Body of Christ. We then questioned the kids if it was really ALL the people in the world? One boy shared that all those who believe in God which led to a discussion about how other people groups have what they call god but is it the same as the God. So we looked up some verses on that topic (the only one I wrote down was 1 Samuel 5:1-6, but I know there was more). We then looked up verses that mention the Body of Christ -- Ephesians 1:23 and 4:25 and 5:30; Colossians 1:24.
9. I shared a quote from Frank Viola -- "There is a mutual dependence between Christ and His Body. The Body needs the Head to give it life, nourishment and direction. The Head needs the Body to give it expressions. The two cannot be separated." -- I really like the word picture of the Body is for expression... or action.
10. Jordan shared a portion from the book he is reading right now by Wayne Jacobsen.
11. After supper, while the kids were cleaning up their activities, a discussion started about the idea of Sabbath... especially the portions meaning to REST and to set aside a time for God. What does that look like in today's world? The "rest" part is very countercultural in North America. How we do we make it a priority for own families, make it a reality for our own families? What does the setting aside the time for God look like? How we do get the two ideas married together?
I was discussing this with my mom yesterday... setting apart time for God. I think I finally got to the point of what I am working through right now. When I set apart time to spend with God, what should that look like? For example: If I set apart time to be with my friend, but then spend my time watching TV and ignoring her... have I truly set time apart for her... am I spending time with her? I feel like this is what I am needing to address for our family, for myself. Johanna mentioned a few weeks ago about what should and should not be done on "God's day" and it has been in my mind being worked on ever since. And the idea of Sabbath has been a reoccurring topic that God brings to my mind a lot. The day we discussed with Johanna we talked about one day not being holier than another but since then we have discussed what holy means. I think this may be tweaking my understanding and thoughts on the topic. It is still a work in process.
How do you honor/practice the idea Sabbath... to rest and set time apart for God?
~Pam~
I count myself one of the number of those who write as they learn and learn as they write. (Augustine)
Another day... another dollar.... (or in my case, many dollars!)
1. We had a wonderful weekend. The kids spent time at their friends for the weekend. Wes and I did some shopping on Saturday and ended the day with dinner out with friends. Wes and I should not go shopping together because it always equals lots of money spent. :o)
2. Wes picked up the broken part for the washing machine and installed it Sunday morning. This morning I decided to give the part a go and threw in a load of laundry HOWEVER something wasn't right. As the washing machine was agitating... I could smell burning rubber. That can't be good. Wes checked things out at lunch, pulled the machine apart again and started the machine to watch all the moving parts... but NOTHING. No burning smell, everything worked fine. A mystery but it seemed I could do more laundry, right? Well I am now on my third load and guess what.... burning rubber again. Sigh. Wes is not going to be happy about this when he gets home. :o(
3. Off to the dentist this morning in hopes of getting my tooth fixed. I arrive at the office and the assistant tells me that the dentist is not feeling well and may not be able to see me today. My thoughts start whirling, thinking about how I will survive with this tooth in its condition for longer. But he did see me and he did fix my tooth. Yay! So now I have a new filling and a sore jaw joint (from the needle), but at least the tooth is fixed.
4. I got the kids out of bed this morning a little before 8am. Deanna was grumpy about it asking why they had to get up so early. I told her that their days of sleeping in are over! I had a list of their academic assignments waiting for them to get started while I went to the dentist. A list for them to check and mark off really does help.
5. Deanna has a babysitting job this evening. She really enjoys babysitting (and the income it provides). :o)
6. The kids and I finally went over the student agenda's that I bought in September. I instructed them that they will fill it out each day with what they covered for school. Then we went through and penciled in all the upcoming activities that are scheduled from now until the end of May.
7. I watched SYTYCD-Canada last. My favorite won! Yay TJ! Way to go.
1. My tooth is getting better. There is not as much deep pain but still some irritation from the filling being loose and food particles getting caught under the filling. Only two more days until HOPEFULLY the dentist will repair it.
2. Wednesday the kids did some work on the ranch. Thursday as well. Not all day jobs... just a few hours in the afternoon.
3. Math was the main academic completed this week.
4. The kids and I love watching cooking shows. We have a watched a few this week... they are always inspiring. A great way to inspire some "home ec" learning too.
5. Wes and the kids dug up the potatoes yesterday. What a sad crop. We were able to get three bags of potatoes. We usually get about 20 I think. But with the drought, the storm that shredded the garden and the early winter frost... the garden just didn't survive.
6. Deanna is reading a book I ordered from Scholastic about Shakespeare. Plus I ordered her some books from the library today. I am also on the lookout for some of his plays that have been made into movies to watch with her.
7. We missed Mug Up this week. Between my tooth being a pain and the thick fog that morning, I didn't want to go anywhere. I have actually managed to stay home 3 days this week. That is pretty amazing for me.
8. The kids are away this weekend at a sleepover. They are very excited. We are heading over there after supper.
9. My VCR died this week. And yesterday my washing machine died too. It will no longer spin the clothes. In was about to go into the spin cycle and then there was a loud CLUNK!!! and then the machine no longer worked. So I see a trip to buy a new washing machine this weekend maybe??? This machine is already 13 years old and has been making funny noises for quite a while now. So I am not surprised that it gave out yesterday.
10. Have you ever had to wash out your dryer? I did yesterday. You see my dear husband threw his boot liners in there to dry them after getting them soaked on the job. Well it seems they should have been washed first because when he opened the dryer door to get them... the inside of the dryer was covered in smelly guck. Not pleasant... so very not pleasant. :o)
I think that is a pretty good summary of the week. I am looking forward to the weekend and resting. And then Monday... off to the dentist. Crossing my fingers he can fix this tooth.
Have an awesome weekend everyone.
~Pam~
I count myself one of the number of those who write as they learn and learn as they write. (Augustine)
1. Today the kids worked on the ranch for the whole day (8am to 6pm).
2. I went to pick up an extra worker this morning. The ranch hired one of Jordan's friends to come and help do some of the work today.
3. This afternoon I went to town to run some errands. I was looking for a mouth guard... I noticed last night I am clenching my mouth on the side with the bad tooth. I am going to give it a try tonight... I hope it helps.
4. I watched SYTYCD-Canada tonight... the top 4. I hope Tara-Jean wins! We will find out Sunday.
Well scratch that idea.... I can't use the mouth guard because I have a loose filling. That would have been handy info to have on the OUTSIDE of the package. Oh well. :o(
Goodnight.
~Pam~
I count myself one of the number of those who write as they learn and learn as they write. (Augustine)
9. I went to go and check on Jordan's math work. He is just about done his second lesson AND he is writing down all of his work to prove Paul wrong... he can show all his work. LOL!
10. Deanna wrote a poem.
11. Jordan thought he found a place where the math answer book was wrong.... however after reworking the question with me.... the book was found to be right.
The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest
It makes me lie down only when exhausted
It leads me to deep depression
It hounds my soul
It leads me in circles of frenzy for activity’s sake
Even though I run frantically from task to task
I will never get it done
For my “ideal” is with me
Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me
They demand performance from me
beyond the limits of my schedule.
They annoint my head with migraines.
My in-basket overflows
Surely fatigue and time pressure shall follow me all the days of my life
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration forever
**Marcia K. Hornok**
