Wednesday, November 25, 2009 - ~25 Days of Gratitude~

Today I am grateful for....

~the blessing of remembering past Thanksgivings, so many great memories at my Grandmother's home in Traer, Iowa.

~my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ dying on the cross for my sins.  There is no greater love.

~the hope of eternity spent in a far better place then this, no more sorrows or tears.

~health, I am so thankful God's healing power and the health that He gives! 

~humiity, sometimes I have to have a swift kick in the seat, but He humbles me.

~a relaxing day and a doctor's office visit that wasn't painful.

I am blessed beyond measure!

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Wednesday, November 25, 2009 - Preparing our Hearts and Minds

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Aside from Thanksgiving, this weekend also marks the beginning of Advent.  
I had never formally celebrated Advent while growing up. 

Yes, my (non-denom) church did a wonderful job of celebrating Christmas itself, but since it was a Bible church - we methodically studied a book of the Bible verse by verse until it was finished - no matter what the time of year.  (I'll admit, I learned a lot that way!)  They also did a great job of celebrating the birth of Christ.  But in the weeks before Christmas, it was typically 'business as usual.'   (There is nothing wrong with that, and some people thrive in that type of church, but as someone who LOVES Christmas...I wished we would focus on it a bit more....)

Then I got married and changed denominations.
Our current church follows a liturgical calendar :  Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week/Easter, Pentecost, End Times...and then the cycle starts all over again.
I have found that I really love this cycle.

It  focuses on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus,
and it allows me to focus on what that part of His life meant
in terms of God's eternal plan for our salvation.

And now we begin the season of Advent. 
The time when we reflect on Jesus's birth, and we prepare our hearts and minds
 for the 'advent' of the long awaited Messiah.

We don't do an Advent wreath in our house, (burning candles and preschoolers - not a good combo!) but we do 'prepare' with other activities such as:
reading books about Christmas,
learning Advent hymns,
having special daily devotions,
and making a Jesse Tree

Some of my favorite books for Advent are:

One Wintry Night  (By Ruth Bell Graham) 
This book has beautiful illustrations, and goes from creation through the resurrection.  
It tells of our need for a Saviour, and why Jesus came.

Other favorites are
Mary's First Christmas, by  Walter Wangerin Jr.

The Very First Christmas, by Paul L. Maier
Another book that we have liked is  - Countdown to Christmas
It comes as a 'kit' and it has a daily devotion with a corresponding ornament for that day.
(We have a little table-top Christmas tree that we hang these on.)

But I think even more preferred over the above book, is making a Jesse Tree.
The kids really love doing this, and I think that having them draw the ornaments themselves makes it all the more special.  I really feel like we are not only preparing our hearts - but we are making wonderful family memories as well.

Here are a few links that I have used over the years for our Jesse Tree devotions
*(Note - I have NO affiliation to any of these churches/denominations - and so I am not sure about any doctrinal content on these sites.   We do use their Bible reading schedules, and some have printable ornament templates....just in case you don't want to make your own. )

This one is my favorite for younger kids
http://www.rca.org/Page.aspx?pid=1628

And I like this one for slightly older kids
http://www.cresourcei.org/jesse.html

This one has some ornaments to download/print
http://www.eriercd.org/jessetree.htm

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009 - Katie

I haven't blogged about Katie's progress in school for awhile - so I thought I'd post a little update on how she's doing.

Her neurological issues, are still present, although she is finding ways of coping with them better.   Thanks to her braces, her tiptoe walking has greatly improved.  She is able to go for much longer periods without her braces now, and only occasionally do I catch her up on her toes.  
Her tremors and speech are what challenge her the most now - and I think she is at the point where she realizes she is 'different'.  It has shaken her self-confidence a little.  I need to be extra patient and encouraging with her while she does her lessons, as she gets discouraged quite easily.    :-(

We've really been focusing on phonics lately.   CLE's Learning to Read program is going great, and Katie is reading several 3 and 4 letter words, and even sounding out a few simple sentences.

She is getting better at listening for beginning/middle/end sounds in a word, although it still poses a challenge to her.    Rhyming is also quite difficult for her.For further practice in decoding words - we are using Explode the Code.
Pages like this are frustrating for her, and it can take her several minutes to 'sound out' just one sentence.  :-(
I have recently discussed with her pediatrician the possibility of having her tested for specific learning disorders, so that I can better know how to help her with her work.

One area that she actually does very well in is penmanship! 
She loves to do her Handwriting Without Tears workbook, or write/draw in her journal.
(Quite the opposite of Joseph - LOL.)

(For her journal she narrates to me what she wants to say - I write it down - and then she copies it.)


She is doing surprisingly well in math.  We are using Singapore 1A right now.
I had thought about switching her to CLE math - but since she's doing so well with Singapore, I might just stick with it.

For our main program - we're still using Heart of Dakota's - Little Hearts for His Glory. 
We've slowed it down, and changed things a bit, due to our heavy focus on phonics, but the 'heart' of the program is still there.   (As with most programs - I'm not completely happy unless I tweak it a bit)
(I do love how these guides are laid out though!)

Katie really loves the art and science projects that LHFHG has scheduled.




Aside from school Katie has really developed a love for her baby dolls lately.
She saved up her own money to buy a 'diaper bag' full of doll care supplies, and she spends most of her free time mothering her 'babies.'  
(She even wanted a sling for baby-wearing!... How could I say no?)

If asked what she wants to be when she grows up - she replies,
"A mother."  
That's my girl.....

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009 - ~25 Days of Gratitude~

Today I am grateful for....

~^~^My early AM quiet time, my morning bread that sustains me throughout the day.

~^~^A husband who isn't afraid to run the vacuum or help out with anything.

~^~^A daughter who has turned into a good writer, yeah!

~^~^Sisters who not only enjoy playing together, but know when to give each other a break.

~^~^The safety that  the Lord provides each day.

~^~^The joy of entertaining friends and family this week.

I am blessed...

Starting on Friday, I will begin 30 days of Celebrating the gift of Christmas!
Sprinkled throughout my posts will be gifts that I give away to my readers.

Wishing you and your family a marvelous Thanksgiving.

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Monday, November 23, 2009 - ~25 Days of Gratitude~

Today I am grateful....

~^~^for words spoken and not spoken, especially the ones heard only in my heart.

~^~^for my days slowing down, it is nice to have a moment to relax and be still.

~^~^for an afternoon of grocery shopping with my beloved.

~^~^for grace and strength to do what the Lord wants, even though I don't want to do it.

~^~^for my beautiful daughters, who bring joy to our home.

I am blessed beyond measure!

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