Jul. 15, 2008 - Kumon Math Review ~ Perfect solution for summer schooling!
This was a huge blessing, to be able to review Kumon math. Madeline had finished her 2nd grade Saxon Math, and I didn't have anything prepared for her to do. I am wanting to get her the 4th grade Teaching Textbook curriculum, but that won't be available until the end of the year. So I prayed that God would provide a way to keep her going, and bridge that gap between Saxon and Teaching Textbooks. God answered my prayers giving me the opportunity to review Kumon Math. We have been using the 3rd grade Kumon Math workbooks this summer.
Madeline has been using the addition and subtraction, while Ethan has been using the division. Madeline has really taken to the book. She loves the little buddies at the bottoms of the pages, and loves the fact that we can check all of her answers when she is done.
Although I think that Kumon wouldn't be a good candidate for being used as a sole math curriculum, it is PERFECT for solidifying math facts, and can be used during the summer to keep those math facts fresh in their minds before starting a new school year. The pages are very simple and straight forward. Both Madeline and Ethan fly through the work in no time at all.
I thought it would be fun, to do a video review of the Kumon Math books. I wasn't able to upload them to my own server (need to learn more about that one), so I used You Tube. I have never used You Tube before, so this is a first for me!
We were looking SO forward to the reenactment over the 4th of July. My dress was perfect, the boys had their pants and suspenders (which looked adorable!), Adam was ready to battle, and we were all set to enjoy our time.
We got there on the 4th, and had a blast. Adam was in two battles (I have a video to share along with that). The first one he was told that since he is a beginner, he needed to be a casualty right away. But the next one, he was able to fire his gun, and stay alive.
As the evening approached, Gable started complaining of a stomach ache. I was hopeful that maybe he was just tired and maybe a little dehydrated. But that wasn't the case. He started throwing up right there at the reenactment. So that day was cut short. We missed the night fire, and the celebration time.
By the time we got home, Madie started complaining about her tummy hurting. For the rest of the night, Adam and I were tending to two kids with stomach flu. We were hopeful that they would feel better on the 5th, but they didn't. So we stayed home.
Sunday was the last day of the reenactment, and we were once again hoping that the kids would feel better enough to go so we could do church there, as well as watch Adam have another try at the battles. But guess who got the stomach flu!?!? Me!!! It was terrible!!! We got to spend ONE day at the reenactment.
We are all doing better now. A bit bummed out that we didn't get to stay longer. Adam, Ethan, and Anna haven't come down with the sickness, and I am praying that they won't.
There is another reenactment coming up on Labor Day weekend. Lord willing, we will be able to enjoy the whole even this time. Maybe I can even get a couple of dresses made by then!
This first video is one of the battles. Those guys sure get into it! Adam said one guy that he was standing next to kept saying "I'm gonna get you rebs!" How funny!
My house is never spotless. My book shelves are always a mess. You can always count on finding at least 2 piles of clutter somewhere. The word Schedule is not in my vocabulary. I am not an organized person.
That is why I am excited to hear that Cindy Ruston is giving a webinar this weekend (July 11-12) on getting your homeschool organized for the new year!
If you have never heard Cindy Rushton speak, you are missing out. She says things in such a sweet, encouraging, and understandable way. Her virtual seminars are the best!
If you are interested in learning more about her upcoming webinar titled "Let's get organized for the new school year" visit her webiste here.
We got Ethan's results back! WHEW! I was so nervous to open that envelope. I am very pleased to say, that Ethan made it in the 75th percentile! Woohoo! I must be doing something right. He only needed to make it into the 15th percentile, so I am very relieved.
I have been quite busy with making blog templates lately. Incredibly busy! I will go a few weeks not hearing anything, then all of a sudden I get a rush of clients. It's good though!
This week I was able to do something that I have never done before. Design a privately hosted wordpress. What a crazy long process that was! I had to back up the old blog, transfer the domain, Install the wordpress, and then learn to tweak and design the themes. I was very nervous, because it would have been a disaster if I would have lost all of their content. The blog belongs to a popular group of travel writers, who are known all over the country for their tips and reviews of different vacation and travel spots. Alot of well known newspapers (USA Today, MSNBC for a couple) pick them up regularly. I had to make sure that the blog was working, that their content arrived, and that the blog itself looks good. You can see my work here. But through it all, I learned more about how hosted websites work! I think I could do it again.
My wife and I have noticed with every child we have had God increased our finances to provide for that child. If they choose to go to college God would provide money for that as well. Some people think you are being mean to your children if you do not provide for their post high school education. Having observed modern universities I am afraid for my children if they were to choose a university or college to go to. Liberalism runs these institutions, even in the Christian schools.
Recently I watched a documentary on the teaching of evolution in Christian universities; evolution integrated into Christian doctrine is known as Theistic Evolution. This doctrine teaches that God did create everything, but He created it to evolve. Therefore allowing the theory of evolution to penetrate modern Christianity. What students are not taught is that Charles Darwin(the founder of the theory of evolution) spent his whole existence trying to remove God from his life. His book “The Origin of Species,” had a profound effect on such people as Adolf Hitler and Karl Marx(the father of Communism). The teaching of evolution is destructive toward life and Biblical Christianity. You may ask, “what does this have to do with our children being blessings?” Evolution is a predominate teaching in public schools and in universities. The theory of evolution teaches our children that it is ok to have pre-marital sex, to behave wild like animals, after all that is all they are. It also teaches there is no God, therefore your existence is not a special one, you are simply a product of nature. And yet, we subject our children to this daily, by sending them to public schools, and universities so they can be indoctrinated by people who hate God. If we value our children at all, if we see them as blessings from God, I do not think we would send them into public schools to drown in the sea of ungodliness in absolute destruction of their souls. I’ve heard parents say, “well my kids are sent as witnesses into the public schools, there has to be someone there to shine the light, just like the Bible says I shoot them to school like arrows.” The saying, “bad company corrupts good morals”, is a good one to apply here. This saying comes from Proverbs 13:20, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed”. Psalm 1:1 also instructs us, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful”. Sending our tender young children into an ungodly environment is to subject them to the opportunity of walking in the counsel of the ungodly, giving them a chance to stand in the path of sinners, and allow them to be tempted to sit in the seat of the scornful. That may sound over protective, I believe it is not, yes there is a time my children will have to face the world. A time when they will have to go out into the world, a time when they will have to shine the light, and be salt, but, is it not my responsibility as a parent to prepare my children for that time. Public school is not the right place for godly children to be raised, it is a breading ground of sinful behavior. Remember Deuteronomy chapter six, it is the parents responsibility to teach their children in the ways of the LORD. We are also instructed in Proverbs 22:6 to, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” I have been commissioned as a parent, to train my children in the ways of the LORD, this, in my opinion, cannot be done properly if I send them to public school, day in and day out.
On the issue of finances, many parents have both decided to work in order to provide a better living for their children. I have found this to be destructive in many area’s. First of all when both Mom and Dad work, neither one of them hardly see their children. As a matter-of-fact the parents hardly see each other. I have seen many a divorce happen because both parents work full time in the home. I have seen many a child raised by somebody other than their parents, because both are working full time. Some may say I am old fashion, they may say, “you just want to keep your wife barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen all the time”. I say amen to that, and my wife does as well. When my wife and I got married, we had decided that when she became pregnant with our first, she would not work, but stay at home. Finances was not even a question, we made up our minds. God has always taken care of us, He has always provided for us. Sure, we may not live a rich lifestyle, but because of how we have decided to live we have seen the faithfulness of God time and time again, something that I would not change for riches.
If you see your children as blessings and not curses, if raise them in God’s way, if you integrate Jesus Christ and the gospel into their little lives, you will not regret your labor of love. Be encouraged to train them up, be encouraged to love them. Make them a blessing you value
I remember different occasions in the grocery store or at church when parents have had enough of their children and would look to me saying such phrases as, “want any, I’ll give you mine?”. Instantly I am confronted with the parents frustration, and also with there lack of value for their own offspring. Children can drive you to a breaking point, I will admit; however I have noticed in our culture and society that children are not valued. This would not be surprising if it were merely the world that demonstrated this sort of attitude, but now we see an infestation of the same posture within many a church. At the end of a church service one Sunday the pastor stated, “parents it’s time to pick up your kids from Sunday school,” at which I heard a response from a lady seated behind me saying, “You mean I Can't just leave them there?” in such bitter tones. As I was saying before, children are not valued, not even in the church, and it is epidemic.
The first time I experienced value for my own children was the day that they were born. Instantly I had it within me to give my life at a moments notice if it meant saving theirs. This is not a singular feeling on my part, many a man I talk to have had the same experience. I also had an overwhelming desire to take responsibility and provide for the little ones. I believe this is a natural propensity that God places within men, however many men suppress the innate calling they have, and therefore they do not exhibit value for their own children.
If somebody was series about God and following his principles in the Bible, and they had a family, then the question would be, “what does God say about Family?” “What value does He have in Family?” I believe God has much value in family, after all it is the first institution He created; the first human relation born into existence was husband and wife(Genesis chp. 2). The second commandment in the Bible was for that husband and wife to be fruitful and multiply, which meant they were to have lots of children. You would think that if God was not concerned for family then there would be nothing else said about the family in the Bible. This is not so, we find in Deut. 6:5-9, God displays a desire of His heart for the family,
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your
Strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall
Teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house,
When you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as
A sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on
The doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
There are people that say this verse in the Old Testament does not apply to us because it was said by God to the children of Israel. These people are right, God did say these things to Israel. With this sort of thinking there are a few questions that come to my mind. First of all, today, if I were not to raise my children under the directive of the LORD, then what is the alternative? Has God’s heart changed for how his people should raise their children? Is there anything wrong with following this commandment? Everything Christian parents do, in the house, outside of the house, when they get up in the morning, when they go to bed at night is to be centered on God. Everywhere the children look in there home, at Mom, at Dad, on the walls, on the doorposts, needs to have the righteous principles and the unadulterated Word of God written all over them. God said these things to Israel because they were about to go into a land that was full of Idolatry. Such Idol worship that required parents to give up there children to human sacrifice, worship that mandated sexual practices with multiple partners, and many who would bow down to the god of wine. This was the land of Canaan, a land without God, and today this is the land of the United States. Israel was to take over the land of Canaan and establish God’s principles not only in the government that they were going to set up, but especially in the families. Why? Because each generation needed to carry on Godly heritage, so that each generation would follow God’s principles. As we see throughout the history of Israel they did not do this, and therefore the breakdown of the whole nation occurred at the family level. We see this happening today in the United States; but what is most alarming, is we see this happening in the church. I believe there is a conclusion that can be made, if the family breaks down, then the church breaks down as well. Now that’s extreme. Why was it important for the apostle Paul to tell Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:4 that an elder in the Church need to rule over his own house well having his children in submission with all reverence? If a man could not rule over his own family then how could he take care of the church of God (1 Tim. 3:5). For those Christians who have families, there obedience to God starts by cultivating Godly principles into that family. Their first calling is to incorporate God and everything that has to do with God into the family. This calling would be fulfilled if first the parents have given themselves and continue to give themselves up to God and his principles. When parents walk with God they suddenly find they have value in there children, they discover the importance of passing on a Godly heritage. If a man can first do this, then he is capable of taking care of the church of God.
A few years ago a book was written called “The Prayer of Jabez”, which focused on how Jabez prayed to be blessed and God blessed him. Perhaps the author of the book thought that a blessing was some sort of material possession, money or something that would make the receiver of the blessing happy in an individualistic sense, that a blessing would be something to bring ease into their miserable lives. Today in modern Christianity children are not viewed as blessings from God. People limit themselves to having only one or two of them, and then they complain continually about the few they have. Why? Because this is an individualistic society, a society that has infiltrated the church. It is not easy raising children, it is even harder to raise them in a Godly fashion living under a pagan selfish society. A culture that says, “me first”, a culture I like to call the “me” generation. Children are viewed as hindrances almost like a disease that cannot be destroyed but must be tolerated, and they are not viewed as gifts from God. Recently I listened to a pastor of a well known church speak on why they don’t allow children in the church service. He spoke of a mother of a 2 year old that would not attend his church because they did not allow children in the service. It broke my heart to hear this pastor make a mockery of the mother because of her convictions. His justifications were that children 2 years old and younger would be to loud in the service and the adults wouldn’t be able to hear the sermon, it is a shame that he talked about the mother as if she was stupid for even voicing such a complaint. In the pastor’s sermon there was an implication made, the implication was that children two years and under are a distraction, and in such a large church it probably would be. I would suggest mega churches are not a good environment to raise a family. In the same denomination I noticed other distractions that should have been dealt with before the issue of children, constantly there were cell phones going off, grown adults talking and goofing off throughout the service, and women dressed like prostitutes. To me these things are more of a distraction then children and yet I never heard of these issues being addressed. People do not want to train there children to sit quietly through a service, and with a two year old it can be a lot of work. I have news for those people, raising a family is a lot of work, from the day the child is born until the day you die, family is a lot of work. An interesting fact about this mega church is that the kids 2 years up to past college age are not apart of the main service. Each age group is segregated and not allowed to be mixed, to me this is not family. This sort of mentality show children as being distractions as being something other than blessings. Perhaps the pastor of this church should break up the larger congregation into smaller groups and appoint elders so that the church services can become family integrated, and parents can train their young ones properly. The Bible however states that children are blessings from God, they are gifts straight from heaven. Psalms 127:3-5, “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a mighty warrior, so are the children of ones youth. Happy (blessed) is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed…..” Do not be deceived, a blessing can be a lot of work. Mary the mother of Jesus is said in the Bible to blessed among woman, indicating that she was blessed more than any other woman before her and after her. When you follow the life of Mary if you have any preconceived ideas that a blessing is something that provides an easy life, then Mary was lied to. Consider the ridicule she might have received because people thought Jesus was an illegitimate child; at one time she thought Jesus had gone nuts; and also watching her son die on a cross, these things do not sound like blessings. Just because raising children is hard, and especially raising them in the ways of the LORD doesn’t mean there not blessings. Oh, indeed they are.
I have heard people say the reason why they don’t want more than two children is that they will not be able to provide for them, not only food for the table, a roof over their heads and for their college. I haven’t read anywhere in the Bible that these should be things we need to worry about.
I was so excited to see that I was chosen to be the blogger of the week! woohoo!! Tia said such kind things too. I really enjoyed meeting her at that picnic. Everytime we go over to central oregon (which we did last weekend), I always think about how cool it would be to swing by her area of the desert and say hi to her and her wonderful family again.
I am in the last final stretch of sewing up my dress. I ran into a bunch of difficulties, but I kept on going. One of them being the collar. I couldn't get it to go on right, and had to resew it 5 times. My friend who is helping me out couldn't believe that I had ripped out that seam 5 times, and can still persevere. I told her, I was just determined. I want to be able to sew any dress I need, as well as eventually sew the rest of the clothing my family would need. Pants, shirts, pinafores, petticoats, etc. So now all I have left to do is the buttons, and the hem along the bottom of the dress (the button on there now is in the wrong place. ). Some parts look a bit lumpy and crooked, but I keep telling myself, this IS my first time sewing. When I get it finished, I'll have to have my hubby take a picture for you all to see.
Have any of you seen a flock of turkeys together? When there is a flock together, and they hear something, they all gobble together. I tried looking for a video or sound clip to put on here, but couldn't find one. Anyway....the other day my kids and some of their friends were on our back patio with their heads together looking at something. They would be completely quiet, and then burst out laughing at once. It sounded just like those flocks of turkeys! I took a little video of it, cause it was just too funny and cute. When I got a closer look at what they were laughing at, I saw that it was this little bug that would flip around. I have no idea what kind of bug it was, but the kids sure got a kick out of it.
Ethan's testing went really good! He cruised right through it. Some parts were hard, and other parts he said were too easy. He laughed today after he finished, because he said one of the questions asked him how many corners a triangle had. Next Friday we will go back to the tester's house and go over the test together. I feel pretty good about it. Ethan only has to make it into the 15th percentile to meet the government's standard. I also get to see the areas that need more work in the future.
The tester was such a nice lady too. She made it all real comfortable for Ethan. She lives way out on a farm, and sets the testing area up in front of a big window that looks out over her cow filled property. It's a very peaceful, homey environment. Ethan actaully said he had fun taking the test! WOW!
Thank you everyone for keeping us in your prayers this week. It was a bit scary, not knowing exaclty what it was going to be like, and how Ethan would react to being tested. But it all went well. Thank you Lord!
Ethan blogged a little bit about it on his own blog. A short two sentences worth of blogging! I'll let everyone know the results when we get them.
At 9:00 this morning, Ethan will be taking his 3rd grade standardized test. If you could all keep us in your prayers, I would really appreciate it! I am more nervous than he is, because it's going to show me just how well I am teaching him.
I have been so nervous to start sewing my civil war dress. I keep reading over the instructions, and getting scared. Yesterday, I got up the nerves to try! I pieced together the bodice. The first try turned out too small, so I pulled out an old sheet and made up a mock bodice that was a little bit bigger. It worked! So I recut the pieces of my good fabric a little bigger, and it ended up fitting perfectly. Maybe this sewing stuff won't be too hard after all! The more I learn, the more I can see that I am going to have yet another addition to my list of addictivehobbies.
Here is a picture of what I have so far! You can see in the background my hat (another one of my ambitious "I think I can make one of those" projects), and my hoopskirt. I can't wait to try it all on! My hoopskirt came in the mail a few weeks ago. When it came, I right away put it on over my clothes, to see what it would feel like. My kids giggled and tried to climb in it. Then I tried to sit down with it on, and the whole thing flew up in the air! My kids laughed hard and said "Mom, that can't happen to you when we are at the reenactment!" I think I am going to need to practice a bit with it before wearing it out in public.
My hat, like I said above is an experiment. I found a straw hat at goodwill, and cut part of the back off. It looks like a bonnet, but I don't know if it will be period or not. It definatly looks like a homemade job.
This weeks homeschooling has been a bit sporadic. We have all come down with head colds. I have had a sore throat for two days, and have been trying REALLY hard to keep it at that level by downing tons of vitamin C, and using a lot of zicam. So far, my sinus haven't become super plugged up. Maybe they won't!
My kids and I have been slowly plugging away at reading Genesis together in the mornings. It has been very good! Ethan is getting to the age where he and I can acutually discuss things we read.
Adam and I attended a small non acredited Bible school before we were married, taught by one of the most knowledgeable men I have ever met. I have been relistening to alot of his teachings recently, and it has been wonderful. People at the Bible school always joked that Steve Gregg was like a walking concordance, and there is no way anyone could beat him at a game of Bible Trivia. During one of his radio programs, someone asked how he became so knowledgeable about the Bible. Steve said it's because he has read the Bible more than 40 times cover to cover.
There are so many devotional books, commentaries, cutesy Bible programs for kids, and Bible curriculums out there, but I am convinced, that if I want my kids to really know the Word of God, then we need to do what Steve has done, and read it over, and over, and over, from cover to cover. It's that simple! So we are now on Genesis chapter 15, making our way to Revelation 22. I want my kids to be able to say that they have read the Bible cover to cover 40+ times in their lifetimes.
Jun. 2, 2008 - Don't they have anything better to do?
I broke our main PC Friday. I can't believe it happened!
I have been doing a lot of web searches, looking for knitted or crocheted patterns from the 1860's. Friday, I was searching around for a free snood pattern. I found one link that said "free crochet snood pattern" and clicked on it. Suddenly, a page with COMPLETELY INAPPRORIATE pictures popped up, and as soon as I got that ugly window closed, the whole computer started blinking, and then shut down. Now when ever I start the computer up, it stays on for about 2 minutes, and then goes to this bright blue windows error screen. The browsers are destroyed.
I am amazed that people can sit around trying to figure out ways to create these viruses/worms. Don't they have a life? And to name the link to their worm "free crochet pattern" is just crazy. It's like they are out to hurt well meaning people. Who would have known that a crochet pattern link would destroy a whole computer? GRRR!!!
Adam spent hours last night trying to figure out how to fix the computer. I am so sad, because I have lost pictures, blog templates, graphics and backgrounds, e-books, and other homeschooling pages. It makes me want to cry!
To those horrible people who waste their time coming up with viruses and worms...
My good friend Susan is having a birthday bash on her blog today, in celebration of her birthday! She has the cutest totebag, earrings, and wristlet package to give away. Plus some YUMMY chocolate bars. Go vist her blog and check it out.!
And now, over to From Dates to Diapers and Beyond....Christine is giving away a pack and play from Graco. She wanted to know why we would need one. As all my regular readers know, we have been waiting for over a year for the Lord to bless us with another child. I would gladly take a pack and play, because I am confident that the Lord WILL give us more children. I just don't know when. So the pack and play WOULD be put to use, just not right away.
I have had a hard time this week, trying to keep my strong willed boy in obedience. We had one day this week when I reduced to tears. I was telling a friend of mine, that it was like a scene from one of those nanny shows that come on TV. It was BAD. I was reduced to tears, the other three children were reduced to tears because they could hardly bear watching the whole situation. All I can say, is Gable yelled so loud (all because he didn't want to stand in the corner) it made our chihuahua howl. I was glad when that day was done. (where is Michael Pearl when I need him!! lol)
Today went a bit better. I always need to remind myself, that when a bad day happens, a good one is always around the corner. Today was one of the good ones! I still had a few issues with Gable pop up, but thanks to God's strength, and a good amount of Bible reading and praying before the kids got up, I was able to handle him.
While I was helping the older kids with their schoolwork this morning, I heard Anna tell me she was going to write me something. I didn't take it to heart too much, because she is only 4. Usually it's a scribbly picture. But after a few minutes, she said "see mom! I wrote Mommy Anna". When I looked, I saw "mome anna" written across the bottom of her explode the code book. It totally melted my heart! My little 4 year old girl, is actually trying to write out words by sounding the letters out. I was impressed. I had to share a picture of it, because it felt like Anna had reached a milestone in her learning.
Everytime one of my children reach a milestone, I am always SO thankful that I am the one that gets to witness them, and not a public school teacher (who probably doesn't even notice the milestones to begin with). I am so extremely blessed to be able to teach my children, and see every accomplishment they make. Thank you Lord!!!
I am not looking forward to this weekend. Adam is going to Central Oregon with his dad to help fix his dad's floor. It wouldn't be so bad if Great Grandpa lived closer, but he is 4 hours away. That means, Adam will be staying overnight for two nights.
I don't know how wives of men in the military, or wives of husbands who are long haul truck drivers do it. Last year Adam had to spend a week at a leadership seminar for his work, and it was TORTURE not having him there next to me at night. I was hoping that he would never have to spend the night away from me again. But...now he does. It is very frustrating. I just can't sleep when he isn't with me. *sigh* And I am always afriad that he will be in a car accident or something. But enough of my pity party.
I am grateful though, that my parents are coming to spend the day with us! That will make the time go faster. I tried to get Ethan to go along with his Dad, but because he says he would rather stay so he can see grandma and grandpa. Which is probably a good thing because he would probably be bored in Madras. There is nothing in Madras, except desert and dirt.
Today the kids and I got a little school work done. We did copywork, vocabulary, math, and some reading practice. Now I am off to read some books to the kids about the Civil War, and maybe watch a documentary on the war too. We are trying to learn everything we can about that era, and the war so we can be better prepared for our reenactments.
I'll leave you all with a picture of Anna and her new best friend...Cottontail. (I am so surprised this bunny has lasted this long! She isn't the gentlest little girl when it comes to animals)
WHEW! A week ago, I spent quite a bit of time fixing up Christine's (from dates to diapers and beyond) blog. She has made quite a name for herself! She has been featured on two TV programs, and numerous newspaper articles. So I was a bit freaked out when she got a hold of me this morning telling me that the page won't load. I went to open the page, and the whole page crashed. YIKES! This blog is going to featured in another newspaper article, so I HAD to get it to function. After we finished a bit of our school work, I jumped back on this computer, and started it over from scratch. It took some time, and a *little* bit of stress, but I got it fixed! And I will say, it looks better than the first one.
I have 2 blogs that are under construction, and just finished up two other blogger templates.
I have openings if anyone wants their blog customized!
Last week I got some brand new explode the code books in the mail. I was thinking that it would be good for Madie and Gabe to go through them, and I could see if there are any gaps in their phonics. But when I pulled them out yesterday, it was TOO easy for both of them. I skipped to the last page of the book, and they could both do it without any help. It looks like I am going to have to save them for Anna when she gets older. It's a bit of a bummer that I spent that money on something we didn't need, but at the same time, I can see that both Madie and Gable are doing just fine with their phonics, desipite my inconsistency in that area.
Ethan has finally hit that age, when they discover just how much fun reading a good book, or series of books are. He is on the 7th book in the OZ series. I can't believe how fast he is cruising through those books. I recently bought him the first book in the kingdom series (thanks to the recommendation from Jenig!) and he loves that one too. He decided that he will take turns with both of those books, reading one chapter out of one one night, and then a chapter out of the other one the next.
Madie has been very excited, because she finished the whole second grade Saxon Math. That was alot of pages! But she did it. She had a bit of an incentive though. We told her that we would buy her the Liberty Beautiful Girlhood doll from Vision Forum once she finished. We held to our word, and she loves her doll!
Now that Madie has finished her math, I have been wondering where and what I am going to do for her math next. The Teaching Textbooks doesn't come out with their 4th grade (which madie is totally ready for) until the end of 08. But I am so thrilled to say that God has answered my prayers! Kumon has offered for me to sample and review a bunch of their workbooks and products, which will be a great bridge over to next year. Thank you Lord! And thank you Kumon for letting me review your products! Be watching this summer for that review.
These next few weeks, I am not going to get my hopes up, thinking that we will be able to get a lot of schooling done. I bought some fabric and a wonderful civil war dress pattern, and I am planning on learning how to sew these dresses. I know a couple of wonderful ladies in my area, who have offered to help to me out. Thank you for offering Tammy!
When I finish the dress, I will be sure to post pictures.
It has been awhile since I have updated my blog. AGAIN!
This week I decided to take a week off of the homeschooling. It has been nice not thinking about it. I think we have all been needing a break. The kids have had plenty of time to play. And I have had plenty of time to get some blogs designed. I have also had some time to try to teach myself how to sew.
Yesterday, we went to our first civil war reenactment. We had so much fun! I had sewn the girls and myself some bloomers, and tried to sew Ethan a pair of pants and Madeline a pinafore. I wasn't quite sure what the period correct versions of the pants would look like, but I ended up coming close. now I have the sewing bug! I want to learn how to make my own dresses, and make the girls their dresses too in the future. I'd love to be able to make the braces and pants for the boys, but I don't know. I really need help from someone who is experienced at sewing. I think that if I was to be shown how to put the dresses and pants together, then I could better understand how the patterns work.
We are all really excited to be reenactors. Over the next year we are hoping to gather the things we will need to reenact on a regular basis. Adam said he could easily build some tables, chairs, stools, and chests that we would need to store things. He said he could even build a rope bed for us to sleep on. We took alot of pictures, so we could get a visual of certain things.
Something else that was so wonderful about the reenactments, was the fact that the majority of the families there, are homeschoolers. There were so many homeschool families there, that the announcer at the battle actually mentioned homeschoolers. Alot of the young men in the battles were even homeschool graduates! We were able to spend alot of time discussing family and education, while the men sat under the trees discusssing family and theology. Adam said he could have talked for hours with the men there.
Here is a picture of Adam and I dressed in period clothing.
Here are the girls in their little dresses before heading off to the reenactment.
Here is a picture of my favorite Yankee!
Adam didn't get to battle this last time, but hopefully he can do some drills over the next few months, so he can participate in the next one. Here is a little video of the last battle yesterday. I am not the best at keeping cameras still, so I hope I don't make you dizzy!
May. 2, 2008 - Praise God From Whom all Blessings Flow!
SchoolinRhome is having a contest right now, giving away some devotional journals and a book about cooking with kids. The whole question was, how you feel blessed as a mom. All of us here could probably write a pretty lengthy blog entry about all the blessings that come along with being a homeschooling mom. I put my entry in, and I about wrote a novel in the comment!
With Mother's day approaching, it is good for all us to ponder our roles as mothers. Why do we do what we do? What does God ask of mothers? What can we do or continue to do for our families that will bring glory to God?
I have had some major conviction recently. One of them being the fact that my husbnad and I have been very susceptible to taking things in life into our own hands, rather than putting our full weight of trust on God. We have let the things going on in our lives take precedent over our relationship with the Lord. Our homeschooling, fertility, jobs, finances, everything. Once that starts happening, hearts start to become hard. And a hard heart means no place for God's word to grow and flourish. Like the seed that falls onto the thorny soil (Mt. 13:7). The thorns sprout up and choke the plant. When situations and things in life become a priority, the work God wants to do in our lives gets choked. I am always so glad when our sin (even though it can be hard to face) is brought to the surface, and we are able to take a step forward in our walks with the Lord.
I am pretty sure I found my daughter's art medium. Pastels!
We bought Madie some pastels for christmas, and she has taken to them like a natural. During the summer she I have noticed that she loves to use sidewalk chalk, and loves to blend and shade with them. Just recently she picked up her pastels and drew some really good pictures with them. I was so impressed! Here is her best one so far, that she named "Little Farm on a Hill"
Today Madeline and I redesigned her blog so we can start putting narrations back up on a regular basis. I scanned more of her little drawings, and made graphics with them. You can see her new remade blog here. She was very excited to see her drawings turned into something like this!
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