| Homeschool and Beyond
|
Feb. 18, 2007
Something New to Look at
Posted in Home Life
Tavern and Tickets
On Saturday, we ordered our tickets for our trip to England! We are to leave July 7 from Pittsburgh and return on July 22. Woo! I've always, always, always wanted to go to England, and, Lord willing, I shall be going this summer! We found a nice hotel in Reading (where TGD's math conference is the first week), and I found a nice bed and breakfast in Bath. We don't have reservations at either place yet, as we just want to check a detail or two before committing.
Also on Saturday, TGD took me out to one of my favorite restaurants, The Tavern. It's a local place, very Penn State, with a median dining age of at least 53 years old. They had one of my favorite dishes on the menu, too, Beef tips over noodles in a Burgundy wine sauce. (The menu is printed daily at The Tavern.) We also ended the meal with chocolate chip cheesecake. It was a delightful time to eat and flirt with my husband.
Little Miss is sitting on my lap as I type this, runny-eyed and nosed and coughing. Yes, the diseases just linger on here. Grinner and LibbyK are coughing and tired, still. But, I can't bear the thought of loosing another day of school to this illness! (Unless, of course, I come down with it. Then the whole world will just have to stop.)
I finally got my "Christmas" cards out to church friends this weekend. I made them on the computer (just for something else to go in the envelope with the family picture), and they read: Our Christmas cards were late this year. Now February is already here. So with good wishes we do say... Have a very merry President's Day!
I wanted to let you know about a wonderful book written by our very own Patenaude ! (Xanga name) The book is Emotional Purity: An Affair of the Heart. I began reading this book last night, and I am so excited about the message she shares that I'd like to use this book for a study this summer for high school and college girls.
Singles have the "sexual purity" message preached to them, but very few people or books mention the idea of emotional purity. What is emotional purity? It is not getting involved emotionally with a member of the opposite sex until you are sure that both of you are interested in marriage with each other. How does one avoid such emotional connections? What about being friends? I had the same questions, but Paulsen (her name when the book was written) handles all these issues. Each chapter ends with questions designed to get the reader thinking or a group talking. This book would be great for parents and children to work through together, small groups (single gender!), or as a book to read solo.
The third thing to report is that I got an email back from the publisher to whom I had submitted a book proposal idea. The email read--
Dear Ms Sellers,
An interesting idea! When you have written at least 3 chapters or 50 pages, please send it to us for further consideration.
--WP [Wytherngate Publishing]
Should I be excited? If I actually had three chapters written, I suppose I would be! So, now begins the task of turning my play into a novel. I just don't know if I want a first-person novel or third-person. Such decisions! Any suggestions?
Jan. 26, 2007
Friday, Friday
A hearty how-de-do to Ferrol if you are reading! What a nice surprise to see your name and hear from you!
Well, well. How did it get to be Friday already? I feel like I'm still not on top of things this homeschool year. The kids are all doing their work, projects are being completed, but I just feel as if I'm not doing my part. Strange.
Tomorrow, The Hunter and TGD head to Palmyra, PA, for a shooting match. This will be Hunter's first of the year. Oh, boy. I get to sit in a ski lodge from 12 to 5 as the Youth Group indoor chaperone and bag-watcher. The rest will be tubing (except Little Miss who will spend the day at a friend's house). Ah, five hours to sit and read and play the occasional board game. Life sounds pretty good!
I know many of you are avid readers and movie watchers. Imagine that this weekend you had the opportunity to switch places with any character in any movie or book (but just for this weekend). Which one would you choose? If I had to switch forever, I'd pick very differently than for just a weekend jaunt. Would I like to be Thursday Next? Guinevere? Trinity? Ada Monroe? So many choices. Which do you choose?
Jan. 21, 2007
Just for you, Karen!
A Most Excellent Day
Even though you've already read this post, here it is again, just so you have a fresh place to post!
First of all, I encourage you to check out Alias Eliot, a wonderful website made by a dear friend of mine. If you are interested in global issues and humanitarian efforts, please don't miss this excellent site! There are action items, links, discussion forums, and more.
For Christmas, TGD got me a gift certificate to an afternoon-long, bookbinding class at an art studio near us. I've been looking forward to it with great eagerness, and today was finally the day! For over five hours, I got to sit in an art studio and learn how to make different types of books and how to bind them, eat a catered lunch, and actually work on making books.
Although I didn't really learn a lot of new information in terms of the technical details, I was given a book on loan which explained how to turn me into Mo from Inkheart. (a real, live bookbinder) I vastly enjoyed the relaxation of creating with paper.
We were given the instructions and were told, "Okay, make whatever you want, whatever size you want. All the supplies are there." We had just about everything we would want for art supplies, of course, and all of them were included in the class fee. The first book we made was an accordion book. Here's the front.
It actually looks really pretty in real life. It's hard to see the subtle and delicate details online. (Is anyone else piffing and snorting at the thought of anything I make having the words "delicate" and "subtle" attached to it? As if! Okay, it's just ripped paper with glitter and braided hemp.)
Here's the back of the book. Since it's an accordion book, it might be the front.
Because some of my pages had seams where they met, I decorated the inside a bit. This picture shows one decoration.
The book I just showed you was given to LibbyK. Not to ignore Little Miss, I made a book for her as well with a different binding technique. The inside is just blank paper, so here's the more interesting cover. (The bears are just cut out of paper. I didn't make them, of course!)
I loved the day. I forget how much I love arts and crafts, especially paper crafts. If you had five hours to spend however you wanted it (with no guilt!), what might you do?
Jan. 16, 2007
The Joys of Pennsylvania
Sunday afternoon, in between watching football plays, the boys were flipping channels when they came across the public access channel which was broadcasting live from the Pennsylvania Farm Show. They were showing Tractor Square Dancing. Now, just in case you aren't familiar with this event, a large square is marked out in the dirt, and eight tractors (with drivers, of course) partner up and a pair goes to each side of the square. A square dance caller sings the calls, and the tractors maneuver through the paces. "Do-see-do! Allemande right!" It was fascinating and so very Pennsylvania.
Today, I did something surprising that I had not planned to do. I submitted a book proposal to a publisher. No book, just the proposal. We shall see what happens! (If anyone has any experience in this area, I'd be grateful for your wisdom!)
Here's a scrap of a poem I liked:
A Color of the Sky
by Tony Hoagland
Windy today and I feel less than brilliant,
driving over the hills from work.
There are the dark parts on the road
when you pass through clumps of wood
and the bright spots where you have a view of the ocean,
but that doesn't make the road an allegory.
Jan. 6, 2007
Beginner Bond
Thanks to a wonderful Fibonacci poem written by my husband, I got to go out on a date tonight. First, we went to Outback Steakhouse, which is usually wonderful. I'm just glad it wasn't our first visit, or I doubt we'd have gone back. The food didn't taste its usually yummy way. Plus, they served the salads in smaller bowls. Alas.
Afterward, we went to see the new James Bond, Casino Royale. I had been told it was quite violent, so I was prepared for something on the order of License to Kill, but it wasn't so very miserable. However, the movie was confusing in that it was obviously supposed to be the first James Bond movie, as he gets his "double-oh" at the start of the movie. But, M was still Judi Dench, and it was obviously set in 2006. Bond makes a lot of mistakes in his undercovering, rents some nondescript Ford while he's in the Bahamas, and he doesn't know how to dress properly. The female interest forces him to wear a tuxedo! I enjoyed the movie, nonetheless.
The funniest part of the night was our discussion of the movie on the way home. TGD said, "James Bond doesn't drive a Ford. I drive a Ford!" Oh, James...
On a side note, in the novel Casino Royale, one of Bond's friends is Rene Mathis.
Jan. 3, 2007
Resolutions Revisited
In the spirit of the new year, I thought I'd reflect on last year's resolutions. If nothing else, they would be good for a laugh, eh?
1. I want to be able to jog from my house to the Wilson's house and back without stopping or dying.
Ha ha! I do hate to jog, and making it a resolution didn't change that fact. This resolution was a dumb one, and I won't try it again. It ranks right up there with my desire to be a research physicist. It sounds wonderful and interesting, but it's not really a good match.
2. To watch my junk intake until the five pounds are gone.
Well, I watched the junk. I watched it go right into my mouth. I'm basically where I was last year in January with weight. So, I'll keep thinking on this one.
3. To memorize a verse a week.
Although I memorized several verses, I didn't memorize 52. I'll keep at it.
4. To read six missionary biographies in addition to some other non-fiction histories.
Yeah! Something I actually did!
5. To make my blog more interesting.
You'll have to decide on this one. It was interesting to me, at least. What do you like best about it? Is there something I should do more often or start to do or not do at all?
Speaking of my blog, is my font too small? It looks fine on my machine, but I want it to be readable for all.
How many books did you read this year? What were your favorites? Did you complete something of which you are particularly tickled? I'll have to review my list of things done to see if there was something of note. I'd love to hear yours!
I hope to post some pictures of the party when my computer is fixed. The part is in State College, now, so it shouldn't be long before it's at my door! (Presses nose to window, waiting for that big, brown truck.)
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...many pictures of Christmas day!
I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas and are still finding lots of time to relax and enjoy yourselves. We had a delightful time, even though David woke up feeling very sick Christmas morning. No one likes to be in painful tears before opening presents, but Advil worked its magic, and we were back on the road to a happy day.
The first picture is of Sibling Night, which was last Tuesday. I have pictures of Christmas morning, but I like this one better.
We opened presents at our house and then headed to my mom's house where we had our usual lunch of ham, cornflake potatoes (mmmm!), and crescent rolls. Although we got so many wonderful presents, I won't fatigue you with all the gifts. Here's a pictorial representative sample.
David got an Ipod. (So did the Hunter.)
Here's the mighty hunter with his quarry, a Snapalope. (My mom made it. She's cool.)
Lovely LibbyK models a shirt that her brother got her at Disney. It's another Sibling Night shot, but I didn't think anyone would mind.
LoeschDogg may be a bloody-toe athlete, but I've got a Mathlete!
My mom got me this pie plate. Er, pi plate. She also got me a Jane Austen stuffed doll, and you can see Jane and me in my bio picture.
Michael got two new Gameboy games, so he spent most of his time at my mom's house taking advantage of the "no time limit" playing time.
Rachel was thrilled to pieces to get American Girl Doll Bitty Baby Twins and a double stroller. She named them Daniel and Sarah.
This afternoon, we packed up the presents and our diseases and came home. David is still coughing badly, although the fever seems to be gone. Rachel is now coughing, and I'm still going strong, too. Thankfully, I feel just fine. We enjoyed ourselves and watched Sahara tonight. I'd seen it before, and it contains one of my favorite lines of all movies, but the line is in the deleted scenes. If I can quote it correctly, it's, "You know, I've been thinking about the funny part. We're oceanographers, and we're probably going to die in the desert chained to truck parts. So, when they write our obituary, that will be the funny part." (It's much better spoken. Really, it is. I promise.)
Tomorrow, Libby, my mom, and I are going shopping again! This time it will be to return the "don't wants" and "don't fits" and spend the $30 coupon I got at Kohl's (clothing store) which expires in a week.
What fun plans do you have for the rest of your Christmas break?
Dec. 20, 2006
Not So Very Bad
Yesterday, I woke up and said, "I think I'll just stay in bed." My cold took a turn for the worse, so I spent most of the day under a thick pile of blankets on a soft mattress. Some of the children wandered into my room to do their school work, but I still got the rest I needed.
By late afternoon, I felt I should get up and do something other than forage for food and hot tea. This need was precipitated by the fact that the washer repair man was coming. (By the way, it was yet another sock and piece of a pair of windbreaker pants clogging my front-loading washer. HOW do they get in there?)
TGD brought pizza home for supper, and Libby made a salad. It was a tasty start to Sibling Night. We played Spinergy and Catch Phrase and had a good time with the opening of presents. Afterward, we all watched Nathan's present, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. We snacked on popcorn and milkshakes/Blizzards made by my dear husband.
So, all in all, the day was not so very bad!
Dec. 14, 2006
Salvation Belongs to Our God!
Posted in Home Life
This past Sunday, the Youth Group visited homes to deliver Christmas gifts purchased by church folk to Angel Tree children and some lower-income children. I was the driver for one group of teenage girls, and my son Nathan was in another group.
My group visited a single mom with three children. The girls shared the gospel using evangecubes, and acted out the Christmas story. After presents were opened, two of the girls played with the younger children, and the third girl and I shared the gospel specifically with the mother. When I asked her if she would like to know for sure if she would go to heaven or hell, she quickly said, "Yes," her eyes bright. I was able to lead her in a prayer of salvation, which was wonderful. What's even more wonderful is that her next-door neighbor is a amazing, Godly woman from our church who had been sharing her life and the love of God with this lady. She'll be there for the discipleship and follow-up which are so vital for new Christians.
Meanwhile, Nathan's group visited another family, and Nathan, for the first time ever, shared his faith and the plan of salvation. He spoke with a 13 year old boy, and when Nathan asked him if he'd like to pray, the boy agreed, and Nathan was able to lead him in a prayer of salvation! Amen!
You'd think that I spent the rest of the night praising God. But, instead, I was so convicted. What about MY neighbors? Why aren't I bold to share Christ with them? What about discipleship of others? Why aren't I investing the time? My selfish heart was convicted, which was a good thing.
Dec. 6, 2006
Pause for Poetry
Here's a poem for you from today's Writer's Almanac by Garrison Keillor.
Things You Didn't Put On Your Resumι
by Joyce Sutphen
How often you got up in the middle of the night
when one of your
children had a bad dream,
and sometimes you woke because you thought
you heard a cry but they were all sleeping,
so you stood in the
moonlight just listening
to their breathing, and you didn't mention
that you were an expert at putting toothpaste
on tiny toothbrushes
and bending down to wiggle
the toothbrush ten times on each tooth
while
you sang the words to songs from Annie, and
who would
suspect that you know the fingerings
to the songs in the first four books of
the Suzuki
Violin Method and that you can do the voices
of Pooh and
Piglet especially well, though
your absolute favorite thing to read out
loud is
Bedtime for Frances and that you picked
up your way
of reading it from Glynnis Johns,
and it is, now that you think of it,
rather impressive
that you read all of Narnia and all of the Ring
Trilogy
(and others too many to mention here) to them
before they went
to bed and on way out to
Yellowstone, which is another thing you don't put
on the resumι: how you took them to the ocean
and the mountains and
brought them safely home.
Dec. 1, 2006
Sleepless and Prattling
Posted in Home Life
I
am not sleepy, and I have a lot of things I want to go on about.
Therefore, this entry will be rather long. To save you the trouble of
having to slog through the whole thing, I'll put the important stuff in
bold. Then, you can just skim or read what interests you.
1. Linda U. is a wonderful friend!
I
have to give an initial to Linda as Linda S. was my favorite professor
in college, Linda T. is my aunt, Linda U. will be gushed over, Linda W.
is a dear friend here in PA, and Linda Z. is my dear neighbor.
Currently the positions of Lindas V, X, and Y are open, if you fit the
bill.
When
I first met Linda, I thought, "Here is someone I want to be friends
with!" (The excitement made me think using improper grammar.) And, we
have been great friends since that day in August 1992. She has given
me some wonderful presents through the years: a lovely angel for my
collection, the little slice of cake pin I wear every year on my
birthday, and a cake she baked and drove for seven plus hours to my
house.
This
year, she wrote me and said, "I found the perfect present for you!"
She was absolutely right. It arrived today: a Jane Austen action
figure!
Isn't it wonderful to have a friend who know you so well? She's the greatest!
2. My passport also arrived today.
I've
never had a passport before. I've always thought, "Gee, if I have to
flee the country or if someone says to me, 'Hey, let's go to Paris for
the weekend,' I'd be unable to leave." Now, I need not worry on either
count. Actually, I still probably need not worry.
Strangely
enough, my passport expires on my birthday 2016. It's funny that they
wound up issuing my passport the day after my birthday. (TGD's
passport also expires on my birthday, so it's not like a car
registration or anything. Random chance!)
3. Mozilla Firefox version 2--the best browser ever!
I
know that many of you will say, "Huh?" but if you don't have Firefox
v.2, I highly recommend you download it. (Why not? It's free, and it's
so much better than IE or Netscape!) Not only does it have the great
feature of a Google search bar like Internet Explorer has, it also has
the convenient tabbed browsing of Netscape. But, what sets 2 apart is
that there is a built in spell check! Any word I type incorrectly
while on the web is underlined in red. I simply have to click inside
the word for spelling suggestions. No more copy and paste into Word
for blog comments and such!
4. Our pickle broke.
There
is a German tradition of having a pickle ornament for the Christmas
tree. The one who first finds the hidden pickle in the tree gets
something. (At our house, you get to say, "I found the pickle!" and
move it to some other tree branch.) But, two days ago, the shards of
the glass pickle were found underneath the tree.
Libby
went online to find us a new one,and found the identical glass pickle
on eBay. Since I was always assuming the glass pickle would break
anyhow, I suggested that she make one out of clay instead. Being a
talented and resourceful girl, she quickly made us a mini-gherkin.
Didn't
she do a good job? I like the bumpy warty-ness of it. She was even
gracious when I accidentally burned it while baking it. She said, "Oh,
we'll just paint over it," even though she spent quite a bit of time
mixing clay colors to get just the right shading.
5. Superman Returns--slow,but entertaining.
TGD and I watched it tonight. It is slow, but I liked it. TGD said, "Dull. It's a chick flick." He's right. If you are a "chick," you should enjoy this "flick." I do not like the fact that Lois Lane is now an unwed mother living with her fiancι. But, I like the fiancι, and I even liked Lex Luther.
6. French Women Don't Get Fat is worth the read.
I just finished Mireille Guiliano's French Women Don't Get Fat.
It's not a diet book, but a lifestyle book. Why don't French women get
fat? Why don't they spend hours at the gym? How can they drink all that
wine and eat all that fatty food? Mireille explains "The French
Paradox" in an interesting, conversational style. Basically, French
women try to build exercise into their daily life (take the stairs,
take a walk), eat all things but in moderation, eat a lot of fruits and
veggies, and savor pleasures when they are in season. For example, now
they would eat a lot of squash and apples and pumpkin things. In the
summer, it's tomatoes and such.
I liked what she had to say,
and I find that I do many of the things she suggests. However, I did
glean some ideas which I hope to incorporate into my life. (Sit ups
don't take that much time. Eat what's in season. Vary your menu. Avoid
empty calories. Save up for the best things. Eat dark chocolate.)
There are even some recipes in the book that I might try.
She
has another book which I have on request at the library which should be
right up my alley. It's about rewarding yourself. I'm very good at
that!
7. Since God rested on the seventh day, I shall rest on number 7.
Nov. 27, 2006
My Birthday
I have so much I'd like to say about my birthday that I fear I'll become tedious and dull. Bear with me if I do and just skim.
As
I mentioned earlier, my birthday started late, as we all slept in. TGD
(who is my husband, for those who might not know) and the children had
a table full of presents for me. First, TGD pampered me with travel
books on England, symphony tickets (Broadway and Shakespearian
Tribute), and a wonderful, wonderful map of England. When he gave it to
me, I just sat on the floor for a long while and looked at all the
towns and where they were. Here I am with my map.
From
the kids, I got a box of Dots (mmmm!), a vanilla candle, some leftover
Halloween candy, and a bookmark that Libby cross-stitched for me. Here
it is, designed by her.
After the Thanksgiving festivities, we went to my mom's where I opened
my birthday gifts from her. It was a bonanza year, as she won a
quilt-lover's gift basket and gave me all the goodies: a zippered
quilting bag, a mug, a box of recipes and quilt square patterns, a double
wedding ring template set, and a rotary cutter. She also gave me a
nice blazer and slacks that I had eyeballed and a funny hanging
ornament-like thing which reads, "She has become too fond of books and
has addled her brain ~Louisa May Alcott." But, the thing she got me
which will make you turn pea-green with jealousy and will cause you to
break one of the commandments in envy and coveting is this:
A Jane Austen Action figure!
Yes, indeed, I am now the proud owner of Action Jane, complete with
writing desk, copy of Pride and Prejudice, and a
supposed-to-be-removable-but-must-not-be-since-I-broke-it quill pen.
The birthday fun still was not over as more presents awaited me on
Friday when we traveled to the Green's. Ruth's birthday is 11/22 so we
exchanged presents. Or, perhaps I should more correctly say that we
exchanged identical Warm Vanilla Sugar bubble baths! Great minds think
alike, and we both like to soak in the tub and read.
 David's
game and our weekend of travel still remain to be reported, and I
haven't forgotten the Great Pride and Prejudice Read-a-Thon. I'll have
details on that soon, Lord willing! (at www.xanga.com/teacherperson)
Nov. 15, 2006
Home, Home on the Page
I've
been wondering what everyone has as his/her home page. I've got my
Xanga set as home. EDIT--A home page is the page your computer goes to
when you start up your internet. Usually when you sign on to IE or
Netscape, it takes you to the IE/Netscape home. You can change this
page to any page you want.
And, since this entry seems so brief (probably because it is), I'll leave you with a joke.
A farmer and a scientist were the only two
passengers left in a train car as it traveled between towns. Neither one
of them had a book or anything to help pass the time.
The scientist asked the farmer if he'd like to play a word game.
"Sure, why not?" replied the farmer.
"Let's make it interesting. For every
question that I ask you, if you miss it, you give me a dollar. For every
question you ask me that I miss, I'll give you $10." This sounded okay
to the farmer, and he asked the first question.
"What has three legs, takes ten hours to climb a tree, but only ten
seconds to climb down?"
The scientist began to think... and think... and think. He continued to
try to come up with the answer for a good 45 minutes until the train was
ready to pull into their stop at the next station.
"I give up,"said the stumped scientist. He pulled ten dollars from his
wallet and handed it over. "I can't come up with the answer. What is it
that has three legs and takes ten hours to climb a tree but only ten
seconds to climb down?"
The farmer reached into his pocket, handed the scientist a one dollar bill,
and replied, "Darned if I know."
Oct. 21, 2006
Things I Did Today
Posted in Home Life
1. Woke up early (5:30 a.m.) and got two girls to their cheerleading competition.
2. Watched said competition and cheered loudly. (We came in second, which was also last. Bummer.)
3. Took a semi-nap. (I'm not a good napper.)
4. Climbed on the roof in my pajamas and nailed down some missing shingles.
5. Made spaghetti and meatballs for supper.
6. Tried chocolate-covered candied orange peels. Very yummy, despite their rather unappetizing shape.
7.
Made Rachel's birthday party invitations--exploring in the woods next
Saturday with 11 five to seven year old girls. Anybody interested in
helping?
7. Watched The Mummy with the older children. Forgot how much swearing was in it. Wished TV Guardian would have worked for that DVD.
And
now, I'm on one computer about to write Saxon stuff while the good
doctor is on the other computer, also writing Saxon stuff.
A Xanga copy and paste, but I hope you enjoy it! How the Week Doth Fly!
Is
it Friday already? Wow! I had no idea it had been a whole week since I
posted. But, that shouldn't surprise me with the "non-traditional"
school week we've had. How many other families slept in on Tuesday and
devoted the whole morning to watching Gettysburg? (And then spent three hours in the afternoon at the dentist for the twice-a-year marathon visit?)
Speaking
of Gettysburg, our trip there on Wednesday was enjoyable. We started
the day at the Wax Museum place, which was a partial success. Up until
about a year ago, Rachel was terrified by dressed-up figures (team
mascots, Cookie Monster in the parade...). The wax museum was a bit
creepy for her, and she peeked out from behind someone else for most of
it. But, I liked it!
Next, we went to the Visitor's Center of the National Park. Did you know Gettysburg is a 6,000 acre National Park? I didn't! Avaricewrex
and his mom, Ruth, met us there, along with the rest of the AP class.
As we didn't know the other class members, Michael and avarice stood
with signs. Those signs, in case you can't read them, say "APUSH" and
"Homeschool Dork." (APUSH stands for Advanced Placement United States
History.)
Then,
it was off on the tour--seven minivans (four of which, strangely
enough, were Toyota Siennas) with the Sellers/Greens in the rear. Guess
who got stopped at every traffic light and lost? Uh-huh. We had a
reputation, I'm sure. The tour guide gave us fascinating information,
but not-so-interesting for the younger set. Here's Michael fascinated
by something...a wooly bear caterpillar (and there is no black at all
on it!).
Another
reason we had a reputation is that we always were the last to arrive at
a spot (last in the line, remember), the last to leave the spot (I
wanted pictures! The kids wanted to explore!), and the most demanding
(Can we stop at the bathroom? Can I get a picture of the whole group?).
Despite
all this, we had a great time and actually stood on the field where
Pickett's Charge happened. Here are Ruth and Libby reenacting it for us
(with amazing Civil War weaponry).
And
the view from the field. This would be what the Union saw as 15,000
Confederates marched toward them. (Of course, the people, cannon smoke,
and dead bodies are missing from my shot.)
Here's the family, tough soldiers all.
Here's the whole crew at Little Round Top. If you look right behind them, that's the field from Pickett's Charge.
Gettysburg
in the fall is just really pretty. Here's the view from the Virginia
Memorial, a side view of the Pickett's Charge field.
One of the other great things about the trip was after the tour, we went back to the tour guide's house (classmate of the Hunter)
for supper and SQUARE DANCING! It was so much fun! Even Rachel danced.
I could have danced all night... Well, maybe not, as I had a three hour
drive home after a long day, but it was great fun.On
a totally different topic, Rachel read two verses of Proverbs to us in
Bible time today. Reading isn't easy for her, and she actually asked
to read! Of course, it took a while to sound out the words, but she
did it. It's the first time I have the actual date for one of my
children to read the Bible by themselves.
Posted in Home Life
I'm taking a respite from working on the Saxon 3rd grade teacher's manual to update here. Life has been going pretty well, although at its usual frantic pace. Thankfully, today's pace is pretty slow now that I'm back from Rachel's cheerleading this morning. I have Michael mixing up some oatmeal bread, other kids are cleaning, and I'm planning to make some soup on this chilly, rainy day. I'm hoping to get four lessons done, but I wouldn't mind getting more of them finished. I have seven due on Tuesday, and each one takes me between one and two and a half hours to complete, so to think I could get them all done today would be a bit of a stretch, especially if I keep typing blog entries.
Please keep me in your prayers as God brings me to mind. I'd appreciate prayers for diligence, that God would multiply my time and make me efficient, that I'd use my free time wisely, and that I'd be a blessing to my husband and children while this project goes on. My final deadline is October 12. I thank you in advance for any prayers you send up on my behalf!
Sep. 22, 2006
Not Keeping Up
Posted in About Me
Sigh. I just don't seem to have the desire to keep up with two blogs. Perhaps I'll post again next week. But for now, just go to www.xanga.com/teacherperson to find out what's going on with me. (It's not all that exciting, of course!)
Sep. 12, 2006
Round! Like a Circle in a Spiral...
Posted in Homeschool Journey
Does anyone else remember the song Windmills of My Mind? I don't remember it from when it came out, but my mom had a piano book of pop songs from the 60s and 70s, and it was in there. Well, sing it fast enough, and you'll get an idea of how I've felt lately. No time to sit. No time to be. Just time to do and do and do. (Which reminds me of another song, Scooby doo-bee doo!)
School is fine, I guess. I don't seem to have that enthusiasm that I long to have. Where's the fun? Where's the thrill? Is it me? Do I need a new challenge in my life to make all the other areas of my life more sparkly and interesting? I think I miss taking classes.
Tonight, I have a huge pile of ironing, so I thought I'd do something I rarely (never?) do--turn on the TV during the evening news and Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy and watch while I iron. I thought it would help to motivate me to actually get all the ironing done instead of just most of the ironing!
Everyone except Nathan is at practice, so the house is quiet. I have to help him (or help to motivate him) to write his first essay for AP US History. It's a daunting class with a ton of work and reading. He spent three hours yesterday reading and outlining, and I bet he has another two or three tonight! If nothing else, perhaps this course will help him to manage his time better.
Ah, is it 6:02? Time to investigate the evening news!
Aug. 30, 2006
Day One. 179 to Go.
The
first day of homeschooling is almost over, and I'm a whupped pup.
PHEW! What a load of emotional and physical and every other -al strain
it was today. I can see the beauty of routine and of having the kids
busy again, but it's a non-stop day for me. Well, actually, I
scheduled a 90 minute "lunch" break just for me into the day. It's
really only about 30 minutes max of "alone" time (Bible time, mostly)
for me since part of that 90 is fixing lunch, supervising chores,
taking a walk or bike ride with kids, etc. One nice thing about
starting school is that I get time to write letters again. While
Rachel does her school work, I sit and write letters. It keeps me from
getting too frustrated with the dawdling.
This year, we will be studying American History. Nathan is taking AP US History online through PA Homeschoolers which will be a boatload of work. I'm using Sonlight 7 (The Story of US)
for the other three. Rachel will get picture books and gleanings from
the read aloud time to the older kids. It will be so nice to get back
to Sonlight. I've not used it for the past four or five years, I
think. I'll be using Sonlight 1 for Rachel. It's time to re-read Charlotte's Web!
Right
now, the house is a wreck, but the children are productively engaged,
dinner is in the oven, and almost all of my chores are done. And, the
after-school routine is about to begin which includes the children
tidying the house. After a 4:45 supper, three of them leave for
cheerleading and football, and maybe, just maybe Rachel will get to
watch a long, long video all evening--as a treat for HER, mind you!
(snicker)
P.S. I cheated on this entry. It's a copy and paste job from Xanga.
|
|
A little bit about my life and times
Recent Posts
Something New to Look at
Things
Friday, Friday
Just for you, Karen!
The Joys of Pennsylvania
Links
Home
View my profile
Archives
Email Me
My Blog's RSS
Xanga Blog
My Homepage
Friends
OurLittleSchoolRoom
LibbyK
LindaUlmer
totustuus
simplecountrylife
Godzgirl
Page
1
of 2
Last Page | Next Page
|
