The end of July marked 1yr. since we have lived in seminary housing.  Much has changed in that time and we have seen God working in ways that we would have never imagined.  His provision for our family is evident.

Next week Zac starts up classes again at Mid-America NE.  He is fulltime in the M.Div program and then he also works as a Church Planting intern, handyman for the seminary,  and  is in the National Guard.   I am still cleaning the dorms and apts and will begin babysitting next month.  I am looking into a Women's ministries and counseling program but haven't acted on that yet.  We are both on the Leadership team at church and I am the coordinator for the children's program.  We are busy, finances are tight but we know this is right where God wants us so we wouldn't trade it!!

The kids are doing well.  We started sending them to private Christian school in January.   I had not done any formal testing with them so I was unsure about how they would do when the school tested them.  I was so happy when they tested well.  We wondered how we would pay for it all, but felt this was the right move for us at this time.  The school gave us the Pastor's rate which was a big help.  At the end of the year, Jacob received a scholarship for academic excellence and Christian character!  God has provided for the kids to continue there this year.

Zac recently preached his first sermon http://vimeo.com/5574339  Try to ignore the buzzing sound in the background.  We were having some issues with the speakers that day at church.

I'll be updating our journey.  Please keep us in your prayers,

We finished up 2008 with a nice family Christmas.  We missed being with our extended family so we took lots of photos to share with them.

Zac is working construction for now.  The position started off pretty well but has been going downhill.  We are praying for God's direction.  Seminary starts back up next week and he will be attending fulltime in addition to working.  I'm still cleaning at Seminary housing and will begin babysitting fulltime in the fall. 

We continue to step out in faith and follow as God directs our paths.  It's scary sometimes and often doesn't make sense but we will not live in fear.

Our pastor shared this poem recently that sums up our mission.

I Am A Soldier In God's Army

I am a soldier in the army of my God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is my Commanding Officer.
The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.
Faith, Prayer, and the Word are my weapons of Warfare.
I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience,
tried by adversity, and tested by fire.


I am a soldier in the army of my God.
I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity.
I will either retire in this Army or die in this Army;
But, I will not get out, sell out, be talked out, or pushed out.


I am a soldier in the army of my God.
I am faithful, reliable, capable, and dependable.
If my God needs, me, I am there. I am a soldier. I am not a baby.
I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up,
pumped up, picked up, or pepped up.


I am a soldier in the army of my God.
No one has to call me, remind me,
 write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me.
I am a soldier. I am not a wimp.
I am in place, saluting my King,


I am a soldier in the army of my God.
Obeying His orders, praising His name, and building His Kingdom!
No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy, or give me handouts.
I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to.
I am committed.


I am a soldier in the army of my God.
I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around.
I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside.
I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.


I am a soldier in the army of my God.
When Jesus called me into this Army, I had nothing.
If I end up with nothing, I will still come out even.
I will win. My God will supply all my needs.
I am more than a conqueror.
I will always triumph.
I can do all things through Christ.

I am a soldier in the army of my God.
Devils cannot defeat me.
People cannot disillusion me.
Weather cannot weary me.
Sickness cannot stop me.
Battles cannot beat me.
Money cannot buy me.
Governments cannot silence me,
and hell cannot handle me!


I am a soldier in the army of my God.
Even death cannot destroy me.
For when my Commander calls me from this battlefield,
He will promote me to a captain.


I am a soldier in the army of my God.
 in the Army, I'm marching, claiming victory.
I will not give up.
I will not turn around.


I am a soldier in the army of my God.
 marching Heaven bound.
Here I stand!

- Author Unknown
                     

I've had a few people ask me to post an update of what is going on with our family. 

 Zac is attending Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary to obtain his Masters of Divinity degree.  He resigned from the job he has had for the past 10+ yrs. with NY state.  Next week he begins his new job working for a renovation business.  He will be doing construction and painting work.  It is a HUGE paycut and there are no benefits BUT it allows him the flexablity to attend seminary fulltime.  This is a step of faith that we feel led to take although many people think we are crazy for doing it.

I took one class at Mid-America last session.  I enjoyed the class and did well in it but I am not taking a class this session.  I am unsure of the route I will be taking to continue my education.  I'm considering my options at this point which bring us to the kids..

The kids are doing well academically however they are having a tough time with the lack of space.  The seminary housing unit we currently live in is 700sq ft and the kids all have to share a room.  We recently received news that a larger unit will be opening up in the next couple months so we are hopeful about that.  It would give us about double the space and Daphne would once again have her own room.  It would also provide space to spread the kids out for schooling.  It has been a daily battle for the past several weeks.  The kids are also in a co-op that we attend once a week.  They are currenlty preparing for their Christmas Program.

I have been considering the idea of sending the kids back to private school although we can't afford it especially with Zac's new job.  I would have to work to cover their tuition.  I'm not sure when I would be able to pursue further education for myself if I'm working while the kids are in school. So obviously things remain to be worked out or remain the same.  Time will tell...   

I have been posting photos and more frequent updates on my facebook page, if you have one let me know and I can add you as a friend so that you can see it.

On Monday we went and picked apples as a family at a local orchard.  We ended up with 58lbs of them!!!  So far we have made caramel covered apples, applesauce, stuffed apples, apple pie filling, and apple zucchini bread.  We still have about 40lbs of apples left!

Click HERE to see our apple picking photos.

We moved into Seminary housing over the summer.  As no pets are allowed, we had to re-home our sweet little Boston Terrier, Boaz, which was sooo hard and still is hard to handle. He is now living in Ohio with a nice family and their girl Boston Terrier. The 5 of us are now in a 2 bdrm 1 bath 700sq. ft. unit.  The 3 kids share a 8x10ft. bedroom.  Daphne has had the hardest time adjusting since she has always had her own room.  The boys have always shared a room.  .  Living here gives us many opportunites to remember and use the Fruits of the Spirit.  It seems we need to brush up on those!  Waiting for the bathroom = patience, etc...   We are blessed to have a dishwasher and a washer and dryer in our unit.

Homeschooling here has been mixed.  Living back in the Capital district gives us more access to homeschooling resources such as co-ops, museums, etc.. We joined one and start classes there later this month.  We are very much on top of eachother in our seatwork so I have adjusted that.  All of the kids friends here in Seminary housing go to the local public school.  It would be much easier to do that, but we don't feel it is the right choice for us at this time so we keep plugging along in our homeschooling.  There are some Christian schools in the area, but they are all several thousand dollars per student and then we are back to the issue of the actual curriculum not always being a Chrisitan curriculum.  This is so those schools can still offer NY Regents testing.

The Southern Baptist Missions class I am taking at Mid America is going well and has been very informative.   Zac has been taking Seminary online with Liberty University but he has deceided to begin at Mid America next month as well.  By January he will be only at  Mid America. 

Zac's job with the state has been going from bad to worse.  He has applications out and we are praying for God's leading.  We may end up taking a huge step of faith before something is lined up...

Work at the church has been progressing.  We have 3 River Kids classes running now and the church is growing so we will likely need a 4th in the near future.  Staffing and curriculum has been a bit of an issue but I hope to have those ironed out soon. 

Tuesday June 10th at 11:30am

Press conference and rally on the Capitol steps

Visit legislators to air concerns about Bill 10942.

1pm Health Committee meeting - Legislative Office Building Rm 823  

Please help stop this scary bill from passing!!

Here are a few features of the proposed Assembly Bill 10942

· Our elected New York representatives would no longer determine the
mandatory schedule of vaccines to attend school; decisions made by the
federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices would automatically
become mandatory.

· All children, infants and toddlers included, in New York would be
required to get all vaccines recommended by the ACIP according to the
ACIP schedule

· All children in New York up to age 18 would be required to get
annual flu shots.

· All girls in New York would be required to get a human papilloma
virus shot.

· All junior high school children and college students would be
required to get meningococcal shots.

· Doctors would be required to issue certificates for every shot
given and parents would be required to maintain the records and provide
them to school and other authorities.

· The rules committee claims that the new laws would have no fiscal
impact on the state despite the necessity of the state to spend tens of
millions on purchasing new vaccines, a vast increase in mandatory record
keeping and enforcement for schools, and a huge increase that could be
expected in the number of cases of neurological damage, Guillian Barré
syndrome and other vaccine-caused injuries.

See the bill here

http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A10942

We only have a few weeks to defeat this bill. This bill is unacceptable and undermines our freedom as parents to chose appropriate health care for our children.

Act now!!

Governor David Paterson (518) 474-8390

Speaker Sheldon Silver (518) 455-3791

Fill out a form online  ~

http://capwiz.com/a-champ/issues/alert/?alertid=11428606 

Some time this summer we will be moving to the Seminary housing.  The unit we will be moving into is rather small so we need to sell off the majority of our belongings.  That is a ok, but what is horrible is that there is a "no pets" policy so we will be unable to take our sweet little boston terrier with us.  We are all crushed and the kids have been having episodes of crying over it all.  We had hoped that a family member would be able to take Bo in but that doesn't look like it will happen. 

Today Zac started the application process with Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.  The plan is for him to remain at his current job for now while working towards his degree.  Liberty offers classes online that he can fit with his work schedule.  There is a possiblity for him to pursue a dual enrollment with Mid America Baptist Theological Seminary so that he can be in a classroom with a professor for some courses.   

Through the years Zac has thought about ministry.  Looking back we can see the path that brought us to this point but at the time we didn't even realize we were on a path!  Recently things came to a head and he decided to pursue a Masters of Divinity degree.  He is feeling called to counseling or youth ministry.

Zac's grandmother, Maw Maw, died on Sunday night.  She lived in Florida and we hadn't seen her recently so we got out photos to remind the kids.  Maw Maw had been in a wheelchair for many years due to MS and more recently her health had taken a major turn for the worse. Daphne said that she bets Great Maw Maw is dancing on the streets of gold up in Heaven now. I don't know if she is up there dancing, but I'm sure she is happy to be with Jesus and see her husband along with many others again.  It's amazing to think about Heaven and how we will have new bodies.  We will be heading to PA for a graveside service in a couple weeks. 

Thank you Jesus for the gift of Salvation.  We look forward to the day when we will see those who have gone before us.

https://sa1. www4.irs. gov/irfof/ IRServlet? app=IRACTC

Put in your information and it will tell you how much you will be getting back and when you are getting your check!

Global Baseball returned for the 4th year to hold a outreach baseball clinic for the area little league.  The weather was overcast, windy and chilly.  Pastor Anthony led everyone in a prayer and specifically asked God to let the sun shine down on us.  Right after his prayer it became sunny!  It was awesome to see such an immediate answer to prayer.   This year Zac led a group of kids around to different stations and I helped with the sign in table.  The guys from Global Baseball came and spoke at church and gave away autographed balls that Sunday.  This past week at church we had a showing of The Rookie as a followup to the clinic.  We had the party trailer for both events so we had cotton candy, popcorn and snowcones.  Zac ended up covered in cotton candy as he was wrapping it on cones for kids!

Our church softball league has started up again.  I'm keeping the scorebook and Zac is playing short stop.  He had some great moves both games as he was diving and catching balls.  Unfortunately we lost both games 12-11 and 16-8 but it was still good exercise.  There is a bit of a division with the serious players and allowing anyone to play as an outreach.  Please pray for unity and good sportsmanship.

Other news .. Pastor Vinny graduated from Mid-America Seminary  last weekend.  Way to go Vinny!!  He has such a servant's heart and it has been wonderful watching him grow and be used by God.  The kids did really well through the service.  I was a bit nervous but it all worked out.

We are wrapping up our school year.  The kids seems to have a fire underneath them the past few days.  They have been asking to do extra lessons.  Their goal is to finish by the end of May.  Our last co-op is this next week.  We need to come up with a "county fair type game" and the kids will also be having a field day with potato sack races, relay races, etc..  They are looking forward to it.

We are about 6 weeks away from our vacation to the shore and we are so excited!!  We bought boogie boards, swim suits, and water shoes over the past couple weeks.  Yesterday I scheduled Bo's boarding for while we are away.  I get to see Bailee when we take him there so that is an added bonus!

Today is rainy and chilly again.  We have appointments to see 3 houses this afternoon so maybe one of them will work out.... Our landlord here emailed us that she was being transferred and would be putting this house on the market so there is now a litle more of an added rush.  That's it for now!

I'm a little creeped out and saddened by what just occured down the street from our house.  There was a man who was in an arguement with his girlfriend and when she tried to leave he shot her.   He later ended up being killed when he fired on the police who showed up.  He leaves a 16 yr old daughter behind.  This seems like something you would expect to happen more in a city than in a little rural town like this. 

We have been doubling up on some of our school work since the kids decided they would rather do more work and get done sooner.  The schools around here go untill the end of June but we plan to be done by the begining of it.

I organized a Co-op field trip to the Journey through the Body Exhibt sponsored by an area hospital.  Zac was able to come with us this year and the kids enjoyed it.  I took photos and will try to post them later....

The kids have been bowling at Co-op the past few weeks and they are starting to get better.  Ryan got a strike and a few spares this week and Jake also had a few spares.  Daphne was excited to use a purple bowling ball and she was sure they put it in her lane for her since she loves purple!

Our desk top computer has been having issues of turning itself off for no reason while we are using it.  It now has another problem... the right hand side of the monitor screen is all purple and blue because one of the kids used our jumbo magnet to see if it was magnetic!  The magent somehow messed up the colors on the screen..how weird.  

Boaz (our dog) is doing better on the Evo grain free dog food.  His arm and belly rash are almost gone.  We also started him on Bug Off Garlic Chewables instead of using the typical flea/tick medicine.  He has horrid garlic breath for about an hour after eating his chewable but if we can keep him bug free naturally it's worth it.

What else...

The house hunt continues.. yesterday we looked at two more.  The first one we really liked but it was too small.  It was advertised as a 3bdrm with new kitchen etcc but what they failed to mention was that there was NO dining room or even an eating area for a table in the kitchen!  The owners ate at the counter on stools.  It will make a cute place for a couple without kids but not us.  The 2nd house .. wow.. made me wish the kids were not with us looking because the renter had to hold back his pit bull who was in heat (seriously!) while we looked through the house that was filled with witchcraft items.   This house hunting is insane..  I have decided to start praying specifically for the type of house not just "a house"

The weather is sunny and warm today so I'm going to take the kids out to enjoy it.  I have a few photos of them flying kites and Daphne learning to ride her bike without training wheels that I took earlier this week.  I'll try to upload those later too.

We are 63 days away from our beach vacation and we are getting excited!!  I need to organize with my friend Tery so we have meals etc.. planned out.  We are also going to celebrate Ryan and Daphne's birthdays while we are there.

Please keep praying for Grammy Hugill.  She had a stroke a couple months ago and while she has made some progress she still has a long road ahead of her. 

That's it for now ~

The kids are doing well with their schooling.  Daphne has started reading!!  Jake finished his Map Skills book and Ryan will finish his book next week.  They will both be done with their Health books by the end of April.  We are on track for all other subjects to be completed the first week of June.  There were definately days that I wished for the yellow bus, but we worked through that.  I'm once again planning on tweaking some of our curriculum.  We have been doing science and history together, and although we have enjoyed it, we are going to try it individually this next year.  It's hard to think another year has almost gone by!  We are looking forward to enjoying our beach house rental with our friends this summer.  Zac mailed the final payment check for the rental today so it makes it seem like more of a reality!

Zac is enjoying his job although it is about to get much tougher since he has several co-workers who are in the Army reserves and they have received orders that are being deployed to Iraq..again!  It is an 18 month tour. He and another staff will be left with the extra case loads.

Church....well that has been an issue since we relocated back this direction last April.  For the first few months we commuted the hour, but then winter was coming and we wanted to try to find something local.  We thought we had tried out all the churches before when we lived here, but we found out about one we had not tried through a family from co-op.  We decided to go try it out.  It is an Independent Baptist church.  The pastor teaches the Bible which is of utmost importance. The people were friendly and we were invited over to a few  homes for meals.  I hope to have them all over at some point...  but we have felt unsettled even though we have tried to make it work.   Meanwhile the other church merged with a church plant and in the process got a new pastor and we were asked to help out with the merge so we have been doing the drive again the past few weeks.  After much discussion we have decided to return.  We are currently doing the 1 hr drive but we are looking for a place closer but not as far from Zac's work as we were previously.  The house hunt continues..

  What else.. Oh we think our Boston Terrier is allergic to corn or at least has some type of sensitivity to it.  We are in the process of switching him to a grain free dogfood.  We have also decided to go the natural route with flea/tick control for this upcoming summer.

That's about it for now, I'll try to post some pictures soon.

We were able to be out in Ohio over Easter and it worked out that Jude's 1st birthday party was then too!  I was reflecting over the past couple months and thinking how God has blessed us by allowing my brother Scott to still be here and able to celebrate Jude's birthday!

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:
Crescent rolls
Melted butter
Large marshmallows
Cinnamon
Sugar

Give each child a triangle of crescent rolls. The crescent roll represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in.

Read Matthew 27:57-61

1. Give each child a marshmallow. This represents Jesus.
2. Have him/her dip the marshmallow in melted butter. This represents the oils of embalming.
3. Now dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar which represents the spices used to anoint the body.
4. Then wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like a typical crescent roll up, but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside.) This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after death.
5. Place in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. (The oven represents the tomb - pretend like it was three days!)
6. Let the rolls cool slightly. The children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN!!!! (The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty.)

Don't forget that this Sunday at 2am is the time to "spring forward" on your clocks!

"California courts have held that ... parents do not have a constitutional right to homeschool their children," Justice H. Walter Croskey said in the 3-0 ruling issued on Feb. 28.

 "Parents can be criminally prosecuted for failing to comply,' Croskey said. "A primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation as a means of protecting the public welfare," the judge wrote

Michael Smith, president of the Home School Legal Defense Association, said the ruling would effectively ban homeschooling in the state. "California is now on the path to being the only state to deny the vast majority of homeschooling parents their fundamental right to teach their own children at home," he said in a statement.

Click HERE to read the entire article.

Where else is homeschooling banned?

In 1919 Lenin made State education compulsory in the Soviet Union. 

 In 1938 Adolf Hitler prohibited homeschooling in Nazi Germany.

 In 1959 Mao Tse-tung did likewise in Red China

There is a list of them at Homeschool Buyers Co-op and if you know of one that is not listed they will add it to the list!

http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/homeschool-conferences/

I've just begun looking through their website  but so far the Homeschool Buyers Co-op looks really good!  They offer some free resources as well as group buying discounts. 

I wanted to pass along some links for Valentine's Day printables.  I made booklets for the kids today with mazes, math problems, coloring pages, word searches and more!

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/worksheets.htm

http://www.abcteach.com/directory/seasonalholidays/valentines_day/

http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Valentines/vwork.html

http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Valentine_s_Day/

**UPDATE**  - 2/21/08

Grammy has been moved to a rehab facility.  She has a tough road ahead of her so please continue to pray for her.  She's a fighter and has been making some progress.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We received news this morning that Grammy Hugill (Zac's grandmother) had a mini stroke yesterday afternoon, but she tested out ok at the hospital so she was sent home.  Then this morning around 6am she had a bigger stroke and one side of her body is not working.  She is hospitalized and undergoing some testing.  Please pray for her. 

For the past two years we have used a variety of resources for different subjects but with me teaching three differnet grades it is becoming overwhelming.  We will be finishing out this year with our current material. I would also continue to teach Daphne with text books since this program isn't offered until the 3rd grade. 

I know some homeschoolers are into the Bob Jones sat school or the Abeka dvd's but I don't care for either of those.  The Switched on Schoolhouse seems more current and more interactive.  The kids  lessons are on the computer which I know they would be excited about and it would be benefical to them since computer knowledge is almost a requirement  now days. If you have used Switched on Schoolhouse please leave me your thoughts on the program.  Thanks!

"It was at 1:58 p.m. on January 28, 1958, that then-Lego head Godtfred Kirk Christiansen filed a patent for the iconic plastic brick with its stud-and-hole design. Since then, the company has made a staggering 400 billion Lego elements, or 62 bricks for every person on the planet.  If stacked on top of one another, the pieces would form 10 towers reaching all the way from the Earth to the Moon."

Read the rest of the article here 

Did you know ???

Today’s LEGO bricks still fit bricks from 1958

There are 2,400 different LEGO brick shapes

LEGO bricks in boxes that are not sold are melted again and turned into new bricks, in accordance with waste prevention and environmental responsibility.

Check out some AMAZING Lego work by artist Nathan Sawaya

Just a quick update to let you know that my brother, Scott, is now home from the hospital and continuing to recover.  Thanks again for all your prayers and well wishes!!

Click the arrow to start this video.

Scott passed the Barium Swallow test this morning!!  The Drs. did not see any leaks in his esophagus  so he can now be moved onto liquids.  If all goes well he may be released in a couple days. Woo Hoo!

Thanks for all your prayers.

My brother made it through surgery at 2am and was placed in ICU on a vent and medicated to not wake up.  By the time we were able to visit him today at 4pm he was awake and the vent is out!!  He woke up and started to try to take it our himself!  He is aware of his surroundings, but in a great deal of pain.  He is still in ICU but doing much better than anyone expected.  Praise God! Things could still go either way but we are feeling more hopeful.  Please continue praying. 

Monday evening's Board of Regents meeting on terminating special ed
services for homeschoolers
http://www.regents.nysed.gov/2008Meetings/January2008/0108vesidd3.htm
Presenting to the Regents were members of the State Education Department's Office of Vocational and
Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID), led by the office's director, Dr. Rebecca Cort. In addition to the dozen or so meeting participants, there were about 30 people in the audience, including SED Commissioner Richard Mills.

The hour-long session had three items on the agenda, and the homeschooling issue
was last. There was so much discussion on the first two items that only a few minutes were spent discussing homeschooling.

The most important point is that this termination of services is going to happen. The SED officials explained the situation to the Regents and said that they'd be sending their memo to districts soon to enact this change. There was no objection. In presenting the issue, the SED officials made the following points:

- This change will affect a small number of students (the SED's memo to the Regents estimates about 450), but it is a very serious development for them.

- The SED believes that its opinion regarding the federal IDEA law is correct, namely that states such as New York are not authorized to spend federal special ed money on homeschoolers because they don't regard homeschoolers as private schools. This is being appealed.

- The judge in the court case related to this change is scheduled to rule on summary judgment motions in March. (Summary judgment motions ask the court to rule outright in one side's favor, without
conducting a trial.) If no summary judgment is issued, the case is scheduled to go to trial in June.
(http://dockets.justia.com/docket/court-nyndce/case_no-7:2007cv00944/case_id-690\
23/)

- New York could spend federal money on homeschoolers if it classified us as private schools, but the SED doesn't believe it's "appropriate" for the state to regard us as private schools. (The reasons for this view were not stated.)

- Families that are currently receiving services will need to tell the district superintendent how they will be meeting their children's special needs (this is the long-standing provision that the IHIP should address the child's special needs if district services are not being used). For a "severely disabled" child, the superintendent might need to reconsider whether the family is capable of meeting the child's needs at home.

That last point appeared to be a threat that districts might try to force "severely disabled" children into an institutional setting. This does not seem plausible given current policy, which says that  "A home instruction program that adheres to the standards of the regulations at each stage of the
process should be deemed to be substantially equivalent" (see Question 36 at
http://nyhen.org/SED-QA.htm#IHIP). In other words, if you do what the homeschooling regulation says, you're legal.

However, the brief discussion that followed hinted at a possible desire to exert tighter control over disabled children's homeschooling. One of the Regents asked if the homeschooling regulation addresses special education. A SED official responded that it doesn't, but that homeschooling should be substantially equivalent to public schooling (this is in Education Law 3204(2) at http://nyhen.org/laws.htm#3204).

The SED official then posed this question:
Would homeschooling be substantially equivalent in cases of disability?
She noted that district oversight of homeschoolers is uneven, with some districts paying close attention and others not doing so.

This discussion then wrapped up with the most pointed comments of the session.  Continuing on the theme of overseeing homeschoolers, the SED official noted that the federal IDEA law and its regulations prohibit districts from forcing a special ed evaluation on a non-public-school family -- that is, such a
family's consent is required for a district evaluation. Two Regents responded, "That doesn't sound right."

And VESID director Cort added, "Sounds like child abuse."

 Times Union article:

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=655243&category=FRONTPG&BCCod\
e=HOME&newsdate=1/15/2008
   
Daily News article:

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2008/01/16/2008-01-16_special_educ\
ation_funding_for_homeschool.html

According to the article (via the NYC Board of Ed), only 14
homeschoolers in NYC receive special services. That seems way low.
  
  NEW - Memo to districts

  http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/policy/homeschool.htm

We just booked this house for a week at the beach this summer with some friends of ours!!!

Woo Hoo we can't wait until it's summer!!

I got this information from a list I am on and wanted to spread the word.

~ Jenny

*******************************************************************************************
New York State Education Department (SED) maintains a Question-and- Answer document that provides information for home educators.  SED revised its website copy of this document last month.

The revision appears to be very significant: The SED has deleted the entire section of the Q&A document that discussed special needs homeschoolers (Questions 70 through 84), and has made a couple of other, related changes. You can see the new version of the document at:

http://www.emsc. nysed.gov/ nonpub/homeschoo lingqanda. htm

Questions 70-84 are available for historical reference, at least for the time being. NYHEN's copy is at: http://nyhen. org/SED-QA. htm

A story about this issue in the Albany Times Union can be found at:

http://64.233. 169.104/search? q=cache:- rkQpcuqVWQJ: timesunion. com/AspStories/ storyprint. asp%3FStoryID% 3D626902

Vanessa at HSLDA and she said that the SED is legally allowed to do this and that federal law does not require services be provided. She went on to say that in all other states except the ones where homeschoolers can be considered a private school services are not provided to kids with special needs. She said that this would not impact our right to homeschool our children with special needs, we just have to obtain services privately. She said that if you currently have an IEP and/or are receiving services that they would probably carry it out to the end of the year and then not renew it. She said that the only way to change this is to really have lobbyists change the federal law and that they have been and continue to be working on this. She said that there will be more information on the HSLDA website as well in the near future.

Nancy Murray from SED  verified that services can no longer be provided by the schools for special ed students because homeschooling is not considered a private school. So, if your child is in private school then I am assuming you can still receive services. For more information and/or a copy of the memo you can email Rebecca Cort at rcort@mail.nysed. gov.

Something else to ponder ~

This was the first question removed.

Question 70. May the parents of a student with specialized educational needs choose to provide home instruction for the student? Yes. Commissioner' s Regulation 100.10 can be applied to any student of compulsory attendance age without regard to a possible or identified handicapping condition.

Should we be concerned not only that kids with special needs might not be eligible for services, but that they may even be taking away our right to homeschool our children with special needs as well?

This is so exciting to have some warmer weather!!!  This time last week it was below 0 degrees!  It's crazy, the usual temperature is 30 degrees for this time of year.  Today and tomorrow it is suppossed to be this warm but it will be back into the 30's by the end of the week.  I figured we should take advantage of the weather while we have it so....

* We raked the leaves in the yard that had been buried by snow.

* The kids rode scooters in the driveway.

* We chased our dog, Boaz, around the yard.

* The kids and I took a nature walk on the nearby trails.

Now I need to do some laundry since it was a bit mushy and muddy outside due to all the melting snow!!

Hmm.. where shall I start...

These past couple months have been quite busy for us!  

November                                    December

1st quarter reports                              Jake's 9th birthday

My 32nd birthday                                Co-op craft sale

Thanksgiving                                        Cookie swap

Hunting season                                     Play practice

Gwen's wedding in SC                         Ohio Christmas trip

Visted friends in PA and MD              Our 11yr anniversary

Christmas shopping                             PA New Years trip

Click HERE to see some photos from the last two months.

I'm posting this because I think that many parents are unaware of their choices as a parent and also the ethical problems with certain vaccinations.  I have provided several resources towards the bottom of this post that I hope others find helpful.

"The parents of more than 2,300 Prince George's County students who failed to get needed vaccinations could face fines of $50 a day and up to 10 days in jail if their children do not meet the state's immunization requirements, county officials said yesterday. ....Prince George's has struggled to get its 131,000 students immunized for chicken pox and hepatitis B, as mandated by the state..."

Click HERE to read the full article

"News networks and state authorities are once again engaging in mass public deception by claiming that vaccines for children are mandated by law and that parents will go to jail if kids do not take their shots. In reality, there is no law that says you have to vaccinate your children and waiver forms for personal or religious exemptions are freely available. "

Click HERE to read this rebuttal article

CHICKEN POX VACCINE is derived from ABORTED FETAL tissue!!

Aborted Fetal Cell Line products and ethical alternatives ~ 

http://www.cogforlife.org/fetalvaccines.htm

Vaccine exemption forms online by state or country.

http://www.unhinderedliving.com/statevaccexemp.html

Unfortunately they are not the helpful type that sew clothes etc.. as in Cinderella!  I might be ok with some like that.  Last night Zac and I were sitting in the living room and all of a sudden we hear little scurring above our heads!  The mice are in the floor between the upstairs and downstairs.  We think they might be in other places.  Zac found some droppings under the sofa..eww!  I found shredded tisues in the corner of the upstairs laundry room.  My first thought was to get a cat, but Zac is allergic.  Instead we will be investing in some mouse traps.  I just cringe at thinking that I may find decapitated mouse some morning. 

Anyway~ I mentioned the mice to the kids today as I was cleaning and they became "mice detectives" and started with a song and building traps.  Daphne made a trap with some purple sparkle dress up beads.  She told me the mice would love purple and sparkles.  Ryan took some of his sugar daddy chapstick and smeared it on some paper as a bait to the trap he and Jake were building.  The kids were all excited and busy so I just let them go with it.

The kids enjoyed carving their pumpkins and toasting their seeds with Daddy.  We also attached our tracts to the candy we are handing out to the kids who come here.  We used The Great Pumpkin and Buried Treasure tracts.  Click HERE to see them.

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse

1 1/3 cups pumpkin seeds, cleaned and rinsed
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the pumpkin seeds with the garlic powder, salt, crushed red pepper, and black pepper on prepared baking sheet and toss to combine. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until seeds are crispy and light golden brown. Remove from the oven and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon to release any seeds that have stuck to the baking sheet, and cool completely before serving.

Jake - Jack O Lantern

Ryan - Cross & Fish

Daphne - Cat Face

  It is a beautiful fall day here in NY with the sunshine out and the trees with the variety of colors.  It brought to my mind Isaiah 40:8   "The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever."   From there I remembered a song that I heard at my parents church that I absolutely love.  I've been going around singing it all day.  You can go HERE to listen to the entire song.

Alive Forever Amen
Songwriter(s):
Cottrell, Travis
Moffitt, David
Smith, Sue C.

Chorus 1
He's alive alive alive
Hallelujah alive
Praise and glory to the Lamb
Alive alive alive hallelujah
Alive forever amen

Chorus 2
I'm alive alive alive
Hallelujah alive
Praise and glory to the Lamb
Alive alive alive hallelujah
Alive forever amen

Verse 1
Let the children sing
A song of liberation
The God of our salvation
Set us free
Death where is thy sting
The curse of sin is broken
The empty tomb stands open
Come and see

Verse 2
Let my heart sing out
For Christ the One and only
So powerful and holy
Rescued me
Death won't hurt me now
Because He has redeemed me
No grave will ever keep me
From my King

(BRIDGE)
Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy of our praise
Worthy is the One
Who has overcome the grave
Let the people dance
Let the people sing
Worthy is the mighty King
Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy of our praise
Worthy is the One
Who has overcome the grave
Let the people dance
Let the people sing
Worthy is the mighty King

Tag
You are worthy. Amen!

Recently I have heard people talking about a Ron Paul for President.  I did not know anything about him so I asked Zac and he wasn't familiar with him either.  I looked him up online and found this~ 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ron Paul
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 14th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 3, 1997
Preceded by	Greg Laughlin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 22nd district
In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1985
Preceded by	Robert A. Gammage
Succeeded by	Tom DeLay
In office April 3, 1976 – January 3, 1977
Preceded by	Robert R. Casey
Succeeded by	Robert A. Gammage
Born	August 20, 1935 (1935-08-20) (age 72) Green Tree, Pennsylvania
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Carolyn "Carol" Paul
Children	Ronald "Ronnie" Paul, Jr. Lori Paul Pyeatt Randall "Rand" Paul Robert Paul Joy Paul-LeBlanc
Profession	Physician, Politician
Religion	Baptist[1]

Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul (born August 20, 1935), is a 10th-term Republican United States Congressman from Lake Jackson, Texas, a physician, and a Republican candidate for the 2008 U.S. presidential election. He has represented Texas's 14th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1997, and its 22nd district from 1976 to 1977 and from 1979 to 1985. Paul placed third in the 1988 presidential election with 0.5% of the vote, running as the Libertarian Party nominee while remaining a registered Republican. After his 1961 graduation from Duke University School of Medicine and a residency in obstetrics and gynecology, he became an Air Force flight surgeon, serving outside the Vietnam War zone.

Paul has been called conservative, Constitutionalist, and libertarian. He advocates non-interventionist foreign policy, and voted against the Iraq War Resolution. He favors withdrawal from NATO and the United Nations; supports free trade but rejects NAFTA as "managed trade"; and opposes amnesty and birthright citizenship for illegal aliens. Having pledged never to raise taxes, he has long advocated ending the federal income tax^[2] and reducing government spending by abolishing most federal agencies;^[3] he favors hard money and opposes the Federal Reserve. He opposes the Patriot Act, the federal War on Drugs, and gun control. Paul is pro-life, advocates the overturn of Roe v. Wade, and affirms states' rights to determine the legality of abortion.^[4]

During his 2008 presidential campaign, Paul places in the top tier in Republican straw polls^[5] and fundraising,^[6] but commands significantly lower support in phone polls of Republican voters.^[7][8] He has generated strong online support and is the top presidential candidate Internet search term as measured by Hitwise, Alexa, and Technorati; he has several times more YouTube subscribers than any other presidential candidate. Supporters "guard [his] image against what they see as a purposeful marginalization by the media",^[9][10] and cite his victories in 2008 GOP debate sponsors' online and phone text polls to argue he deserves more mainstream recognition.^[11][12

  Click HERE to read more at his website.

Click HERE to see a helpful chart on where the top 18 Presidential candidates stand on various issues.  

We made a bunch of scarecrows for snack at co-op this week!  

Today a Time Warner Cable guy stopped by to tell us that digital phone is now in our area!     Since we already have cable and internet with them, we will get the bundle rate of  $29.95 per month for unlimited local and long distance plus caller id, etc... Our phone service with Verizon has been running us close to $70 per month so we will be saving almost $40 per month this way.  Our phone number will remain the same.

I like to print out fun worksheets sheets to go along with things we are learning.  Sometimes I can find free ones but lately  my searches keep bringing up edHelper and Enchanted Learning which both look like great sites but they charge $20.00 for a year.  Is it worth it?  If you are a member please let me know.

I did find this site that is free and it allows you to customize a little bit for math and phonics worksheets

In recent years Columbus Day has been replaced with Discoverer's Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day depending on how politically correct you want to be about it.

To understand more about the controversy, click  here and here.

Click here to read about protestors arrested at a Columbus Day parade

In our family we are learning about Columbus Day.  

I made up little booklets for the kids from these links ~

http://www.theholidayzone.com/columbus/index.html

http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Columbus_Day/

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/columbus-day/index.html

The local market has many out of town buyers looking for vacation homes and it has significantly driven up the price of housing.   We have been looking for a house in the area for awhile now, but the majority of homes here are out of our price range.   Zac really feels that he needs to be close to work and it does improve his chances of advancement.    As a result, we are considering a 3bdrm 1 bath farmhouse on 3/4 of an acre on a quiet back road.   It could work, but it is smaller than we would like and it needs some updating although it is liveable.  Please pray for wisdom and guidance for us. 

Matthew 7:7

Last week the boys and I were talking about what it means to be a Christian.  Daphne told me that she wanted to ask Jesus in her heart!  She was very sincere in her prayer and was so excited about it! 

Now all 3 of our kids have made professions of faith on their own!  While I am definately excited about this, I am also a bit skeptical since I don't know that they fully "get it" hence our frequent discussions on the topic.  It's so rewarding to see God working in their lives.

 I dedicate this update to my dear friend Tery who has been asking me to update my page. 

Let's see if I can recall a few highlights from the past two months.

August -

Boys finished golfing 

Kids attended Vacation Bible School

 Delaware County Fair (4H, Demolition Derby, etc.) 

September -

Started our 2nd year of homeschooling

Joined a different  homeschool co-op

Received Postcards form China!

Said good-bye to Open Door Church

Great Grandma and Grammie came to visit!

We have been very busy the past couple months.  Here is a quick summary

June

Finished our first year of homeschooling!

Planted a garden (peppers, tomatoes,cukes, etc..)

Picked strawberries  -14 quarts of them!

Flag Day Parade

Action packed Ohio trip -

    * Spent time with family

  * Met new cousin Jude!

  *Visted an Alpaca Farm

  *Harry London Chocolate Tour

  * Women of Faith with my mom

  * Geagua Lake amusement park

  * Fishing & Chuck E Cheese

  *Family birthday celebration for R & D

July

 Action packed Maryland trip

  * Visted friends

  * Salisbury Zoo

  * Went crabbing

  * Ate crabs

  * Ocean City Boardwalk

  * Assateague Beach (wild horses!)

  * Baltimore Aquarium

  * Boats in the Inner Harbor

 NJ mini trip

  * Visted family

 * Date night!!

     * Bo and Maggie

  * Mini golf

Golfing Lessons for the boys

Horseback riding, Juggling Show

Daphne's Teddy Bear Tea Party

Ryan's Soccer Hall of Fame Party

Asia & kids come vist starting today!!

Click on the links below to see the photos!!

Photos 1

Photos 2

Photos 3

Photos 4

Click this link to watch it ~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz8PISGCWh8

Yesterday we went for a hike at a park nearby and it was wonderful!   We used to go there when the kids were babies and we would put them in a frontpack or backpack to go on the trail.  

We have recently been studying ants, bees, wasps, and termites so we were on the lookout as we hiked down to the bottom of the waterfall.  The one photo shows Zac and the boys looking for termites.

Recently Marsha purchased 100 Stetro pencil grips.  Click here to read her post.  She generously offered to mail a couple grips out to friends who emailed her.  I jumped at the chance and only a few days later an envelope with 4 brightly colored grips arrived!!  Now we have tried a variety of grips but these are the best!  The kids are able to check to make sure they are holding their pencils correctly by making sure the arrow is pointing down and their thumb is on the star.  Thanks Marsha!!

After the health fair we took the kids to lunch and  to Chuck E Cheese.   Daphne and Paige changed into matching shirts!  

I just finished doing my bone marrow donor registration kit.  It was so simple!  I had to rub four cotton swabs inside my mouth to collect cheek cells that  will be tested and classified and then I will be added to the donor registry.  They also sent a little booklet of true stories where lives were saved as a result of donor bone marrow! 

Check out my earlier link for more details on how you can join! 

 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/castlekids/311211/

On Saturday our church held our 3rd annual FREE baseball clinic with Global Baseball.  We had over 200 kids in attendance who were able to not only learn baseball skills but they also heard the salvation message shared!!  We gave away popcorn and snowcones in addition to goody bags with items like baseballs with our church logo on them! 

Click here to visit the Global Baseball website.

We went with some friends to learn about our bodies. 

Journey Through the Body - A hands on health event designed to educate children and their teachers about the functions of the human body and ways to lead an active, healthy lifestyle.

The Uhaul was loaded on Saturday morning and Zac drove it down to work.  On Sunday he drove it over to the house.  Meanwhile we had a major storm with snow, sleet, rain and high winds.  Due to the weather the kids and I stayed back and finally went down to the house on Monday.  Tuesday was closing on the tudor and it went smoothly.   We have about 1/2 unpacked here.  There is a foot of snow on the ground here - yuck!   Also due to the weather the ceiling in one of the bedrooms here started leaking and then some ceiling tiles fell down.  That is going to be fixed this week. 

 We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends!  Several helped us load the Uhaul and then several others helped unload.  In addition to that, we were provided with meals from our church family and the kids and I were able to stay for free in the seminary guest house.

 If you give a Homeschooling Mom a Cookie
 by Sher Birmingham

 
If you give a Homeschooling Mom a cookie, she'll want the recipe.

She will plan a complete unit study on the History of Cookies.

The family will take field to a farm and see where we get eggs, milk and grain.

At home they will make butter out of milk.

The children will want to start grinding their own grain.

Mom will purchase a Bosch Universal Kitchen System.

She will remember she will need a new list of cookbooks.

So she will order An Introduction To Whole Grain Baking w/ CD, Desserts, The Cooking With Children CD, and Lunches & Snacks Cookbook by Sue Gregg, also Whole Foods for Kids to Cook.

Mom orders a 100 lb bag of wheat berries.

Now she will grind her own wheat grain into flour.

The children remember the farm field trip and knowing they can't possibly get a cow they beg for a few chickens.

So to a trip to the library to research how to build a chicken coop and to how to care for chickens.

On the way out the door Mom sees the book, Chicken Tractor, by Andy Lee & Pat Foreman.

They stop by the Feed and Seed to pick up materials and ask where to purchase the chicks.

There the clerk tells them about eggs that can be incubated.

He sells them a book on hatching eggs, eggs, and incubator.

At home Mom and the younger children set up the incubator while Dad and the older children build the chicken tractor.

Back to the library to pick up gardening books and more books on chickens.

The oldest daughter now starts a business grinding flour for the her friend's families.

While her younger sisters are selling homemade cookies to their neighbors.

The boys have started building a new chicken tractor because they want more eggs for breakfast.

That cookie that started this all the homeschooling mom's three year old ate it.

Here are two photos from Easter.  The family one was taken at church.  The kids Easter program at church was cute.  Daphne's class really got into the Miss Pattycake song they sang.  "There was a shake and a rattle and the stone was rolled away...."  The older kids all had parts to recite.  The church has DVD's available if anyone wants to watch it.

If you would like to sign up as a  bone marrow donor you can do it for FREE!!  The regular fee is $52 for the kit and processing.  Use code G022007 to sign up for free.

Click HERE to sign up! 

Trevor is in need of a bone marrow transplant NOW and has NO match!!

Let's help little Trevor and others find a donor!  Click HERE to learn more about Trevor. 

We had an Easter egg hunt at church this morning and since we have come home, the kids have been taking turns hiding then finding their eggs.  Daphne just showed me some "Mommy eggs" she filled and asked me to open them.  What was inside?  Why coupons of course!   Now if I buy two bags of frozen vegetables I can save $1.00 

We will be renting this house for the next year.  It's 10 minutes from Zac's work which will be great for him! The mileage he will be driving in one week,  is what he has been driving one way each day!  We move in 10 days!!

On Monday we saw the NY Ballet perform Cinderella.  They did a great job and it only cost us $15 to attend since it was a performance just for schools.  We arrived early and although others were already there, we were the first ones seated!   We were told that was because a homeschool family was much easier to seat compared to a large school group.  The homeschoolers were also dismissed first.  I would guess there were maybe 30 or so homeschoolers present.  One other family was from our church.

(Cinderella and her stepsisters)

Jackson Jude came 4 weeks early.  He was born 1 hr ago.

Congratulations Scott, Stephanie and big sister Emmaline!!   

The Knight, Princess, and Jester

Notice Bo checking them out in the 2nd photo!  They went on to build a kingdom out of cardboard boxes (we have a bunch for moving) and Bo became the royal dog even eating his food inside the cardboard kingdom!

Click here, there are 46 stores/brands listed on the dog food list and 37 on the cat food list!  In addition to those, Iams and Eukanuba were also affected! 

An unknown number of cats and dogs suffered kidney failure and at least 10 have died.

** The red bolded sections are clickable links for more details.**

It was discovered on Tuesday that the attic/roof situation with the farmhouse is much more serious.  There is mold everywhere in the attic and we don't know if it is isolated to that area or if it has spread throughout the house.  Mold inspectors are being brought in to assess the damage.  We are praying for wisdom on what steps we should take next.  Our tudor house closing is in 30 days!!  Sooooo.. we are now looking for a house to rent.  We are confident that God will provide something.  Please keep us in your prayers.

Congress changed daylight savings time back in 2005 and the changes will go into effect this weekend!

"..The change takes effect this year -- on March 11 -- and it has angered airlines, delighted candy makers and sent thousands of technicians scrambling to make sure countless automated systems switch their clocks at the right moment. Unless changed by one method or another, many systems will remain programmed to read the calendar and start daylight saving time on its old date in April, not its new one in March.

It's one thing to arrive an hour late for church on the first day of daylight saving. It's another for a security system to log the wrong time of crucial events, for pilots to misunderstand their takeoff times or international communications components to stop synchronizing. But such scenarios are possible without the fix to vast numbers of the nation's technical systems."

Click here to read more..

I know it's been awhile since I posted.  We have been pretty busy around here.  The home inspection, appraisal etc. on our tudor house has been completed with no problems.  The home inspection on the farmhouse raised several larger concerns.  We are having further inspections and estimates for that done.  The farmhouse appraisal was today and those results should be in by Friday.   We are scheduled to move in 40 days!!

We have been dealing with more cold, snow, and ice.  It's bitterly cold today with a high of 7 and 30+mph winds so the kids are stuck inside.  However, here are a couple snow photos from last week. 

This past weekend I took the kids to a Kids Expo downtown and we had a blast!  There were many performances and  vendors.  Jake was even called up on stage to be an assistant in the magic show!! (I didn't bring my camera - ah!)  I did manage a photo of Daphne when we returned home. Notice the pretty butterfly face paint and fire safety hat?! 

Answers to Prayer ~  Over the weekend, the van started making a very loud knocking sound.  I was nervous but there was nothing I could do about it.  I prayed that the kids and I  would make it home without breaking down.  The van sounded horrible but it got us home!  Praise God!  Zac thinks it threw a rod in the engine.  It is now sitting in the driveway and it will be replaced once we close on the farmhouse.  My other praise is from today.  I went to unload the dryer but the clothes were literally frozen inside of it!  Apparently the dryer did not dry the clothes last night!   I tried numerous times to start the dryer but it would not turn on. I stopped and prayed that God would fix the dryer.   I unloaded all of the frozen clothes and scooped out the ice and it still wouldn't work.  I tried the dryer once more and it started!  Woo Hoo

NEST Entertainment Website

We follow the local school calendar and as a result we have this week off of school for winter break.  However I knew it was Washington's birthday and I had this great resource that I was itching to use with the kids!  They LOVED it!  There is a DVD cartoon movie about the person and then a workbook. We saw them featured at a homeschool convention but the price prohibited us from purchasing them. The link above will take you to the company website where you can find a variety of other titles and resources.  I personally purchased my copy along with several other historical titles off of Ebay. 

These photos were taken yesterday while it was still snowing.  I'm planning to post some after photos of the kids enjoying the snow so check back in a day or so for those!

We signed the paperwork to sell our tudor house and buy a farmhouse this week!  It will be hard leaving this tudor house.  I love this house, but we need to be closer to Zac's work.  We will be starting a new adventure in an 1850's farmhouse on 3.5 acres.  The house and property have a great deal of potential but they also will provide numerous projects!  Here are some photos of the farmhouse. 

** Update - Anne left this world and met Jesus on Valentine's Day **

Several years ago I met Anne when she came to MOPS.  She was a friendly young mom who almost always had a smile on her face despite the sometimes difficult situations in her life.  Now she is dying of cancer.  It was discovered at the end of November and despite surgery and chemo she is barely clinging to life and has been turned over to hospice care. She is a single mom and she will be leaving behind a young son.  I am thankful that I can report that she accepted Jesus as her Saviour following a MOPS brunch so we know that she really is going to a better place.  Please pray that her final days may be peaceful and that many more may come to know Jesus through this situation.

I fought the good fight, I finsihed the race, I kept the faith.  2 Timothy 4:7

This past summer, two pastors from our church went on a trip to India and currently another mom and I are teaching a class on India at Co-op.  It has become so impressed upon me how much we take our religious freedom for granted.  In parts of India, becoming a Christian can be very dangerous if not deadly.  I changed the video on the side of my page to Cry Holy by Sonicflood  I love this video as it was filmed in India and it shows people turning from a life of idol worship to a life with hope.  Watching the people being baptized is awesome!   Pray for the people of India!

I submitted the boys 2nd quarter reports to the school district this week.  Here is a sample of what we have covered this 2nd quarter.

Language Arts:  Parts of Speech, Letter Writing ,Poems, Phonics, Spelling, Reading 

Social Studies: Thanksgiving, Amenhotep IV, Nefertiti, Tutankhamen, Ramses II, Trojan Horse,  Mapping (Pilgrims Voyage, Egypt, Greece)    

Science:  Bats (Anatomy, Habitat, Breeding, Echolocation) Flying Reptiles (Pterosaur Types, Flight, Fossils) 

Math:  Addition, Subtraction, Telling Time, Counting Money, Pattern Blocks, Congruent Shapes, Fractions

Health and Safety:  The Human Body, Winter Safety              

Visual Arts:  Created Various Artwork, Art Museum Field Trip

Music:  Singing, Learning Piano Basics, Live Musical Performances 

Physical Education:  Bowling, Lazar Tag, Sportmanship

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6319439.stm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2003856,00.html

Prosecutors said they had opened a criminal investigation and had discovered sticking plasters had been used on babies at the hospital. "Children in the first year of life were systematically gagged with sticking plaster to make children behave quietly," the prosecutor's office said.

The patient at the hospital in the southern Urals who reported the case heard the children's muffled cries. She used her mobile phone to film a baby lying in a cot with his mouth taped, while others had dummies taped to their mouths. They are all orphans.

Our grocery shopping has changed.  We aren't totally crunchy, but we are buying mainly fresh/frozen fruits and veggies and then fish or chicken.   We choose organic and free range items which are more expensive, but we have cut out many of the junk convience products so our bill is actually less!  I went to Weight Watchers today and this week I lost 3.5 lbs - Woo Hoo!  That brings me to a 9 lb weight loss for the 3 weeks of January that I have been on the program!  Here is a list of health food stores by state, provience or other country.

*Click on highlighted words to view links*

Ryan is so excited, he finally lost a tooth on his own.  It is a middle bottom tooth and had been hanging on by a thread for several days.  We offered to pull it out as did the dentists office when he had his 6mo. cleaning this week, but he wanted it to fall out on it's own.  In our home we play tooth fairy, but the kids know it is really us.  We have told them this several times and I have even been asked to wear a Tooth Fairy costume!  (I don't have one)

Soooo.... the tooth is out and Ryan is looking forward to a visit from Flossie (Tooth Fairy).  Zac is staying overnight at work and I never sleep well when he is gone.  I forget all about the tooth until I wake up to a crying boy wondering why the tooth Fairy didn't visit him!  Ahh!  I quickly got a dollar and hid it inside of his pillowcase.  Next I asked Ryan if he checked inside his pillowcase or just underneath the pillow.  Fortunately he did not look inside so he goes and checks and finds his dollar and the crisis is over. Whew!

Speaking of teeth, I am a product tester for Bzzagent and for one of my Bzzblasts I received a Sonicare Elite electric toothbrush. It took a little while to adjust to the feeling of the vibrating toothbrush but I really like it!  My teeth look cleaner and healthier too!  

Our church is having an adoption conference in a couple months and we are part of the planning team.  Today in the mail I received information from Orphans Overseas which is based in Oregon.  They are a non-profit Christian agency that currently offers adoption programs for China and Vietnam.  The agency comes highly reccomended by a family in our church who used them 5 years ago to adopt two children.  I was looking through the information packet and was shocked by how much lower the total expenses are when using this agency!  The total expense for China is approx. $11,885 - $15,345 depending on if you live in or out of state and if one parent or two travel overseas.  That price is sooooooo much less than other agencies! 

Click here to watch the Hidden Treasure Video Clip

Ways to finance adoption -  $10,000 tax credit on your federal taxes - tax credit on your state taxes-adoption benefits from your employer - a $2,000 per child subsidy for those in the military - have a fundraiser - borrow from your 401K - a low or no interest loan.

Daphne was watching Tom & Jerry when a commercial came on for the Bedazzler.  She came running into the kitchen and said, "Mommy we need to buy a bedazzler because why waste money on bejeweled clothes when you can bedazzle them yourself!   She then went on to tell me she has some plain pants and shirts that need to be bedazzled and that you can use it for scrapbooking too!  She started telling the boys about it and now they want to bedazzle a dog collar for Boaz!  Hmm... maybe her 5th birthday should be a bedazzling party.  That could be fun and inexpensive and the girls could each have something bedazzled instead of goody bags, maybe mini denim tote bags.  We have several months before then so we will see if she is still interested.

Everybody Loves A One Eyed Girl!

It's LEGO time!

Foosball is Fun!

This looks like a bargain!

Group photo time.. um maybe not ha ha!

Would you like to hear some beautiful music?

Time to cut up the birch tree that was uprooted in the storm.

Shortly after my positive update, Daphne took a turn for the worse.  I called the ENT who suggested going to the ER.  I  took her to her Ped first, and she was diagnosed as moderately dehydrated (sunken eyes, not peeing, etc..) plus she had lost a few pounds.  We were then sent over to the hospital for IV fluids.  Fortunately a friend was able to take the boys until Zac could pick them up after work.  Daphne ended up receiving two doses of IV fluids along with a medicine they call "Miles Magic" which is Lidocaine mixed with Maalox.  It numbs the mouth and throat so she doesn't feel the pain.  The trick is to swish it and get it far enough back and then spit it out.  They use this with cancer patients and one of the residents thought it might be good for Daphne due to her surgery.  After using Miles Magic she drank 1/2 a cup of apple juice.  We were discharged 6+ hrs later from the hospital and allowed to return home.  Last night was another tough night.  She was up quite a bit and not feeling well.  This morning she has managed a couple bites of icecream and several sips of lemonade.  The Drs. said if she has to come back they will admit her and keep her on the IV fluids around the clock.  We are trying to keep that from happening.  Please keep her in your prayers.

Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes.  Daphne is doing much better today.  She is now able to keep down small amounts of soft food and sips of water.  She isn't taking much in but at least it's not coming back up anymore!   We need to go to the library to get more movies for her since she is restricted in her activites. 

We finished our 1st week of Weight Watchers and I lost 5.6 lbs - Woo Hoo!   Zac hasn't weighed back in yet.  It's so much easier to keep poor food and drink choices out of the house since we are doing this together!  Hooray! 

Today I scheduled 4 field trips for the next couple months and it only cost me $30 total!!  One performance is being held at a library so it is free instead of the usual rate and a couple others are performances for schools so we paid the majorly discounted rate.  The same performance at night would have been quite expensive for us to attend.  An added bonus is that one is on Zac's day off so he can attend with us!  

*Birds, Bats, and Butterflies exhibit and activites 

*Ballet performance of Cinderella

*Play perfomance of Rumplestielskin

* Lazer Vaudeville show

Also, over the weekend Zac was able to get a car for work.  It's a 95 Nissan Maxima so we are back to two vehicles again which is so nice!

**UPDATE**

The surgery itself went well but Daphne isn't doing that great.  She hasn't been able to keep anything down since the surgery.  We were released home yesterday afternoon since they felt her throwing up was a result of the anesthesia.  She has had water, a popsicle, a few bites of ice cream and some pudding but none of it stayed down.  Her painkillers and antibiotic haven't stayed down either.   I called the Dr. and was sent to get prescription anti-nausea suppositories.  She had one of those 2hrs ago and then an hour later I gave her some water and meds which she threw up.. I'm concerned she may be getting dehydrated.  The suppositories are every 6 hrs so we can't do another one for a while.  In the meantime I am going to keep pushing the fluids. 

Also while we were gone at the hospital yesterday, our birch tree came down in our yard. We have had freezing rain and sleet with a bit of wind the past few days.  Fortunately,  Zac was able to cut it up before he left for work today.  We have another showing tomorow.

Daphne is having her tonsils and adnoids removed on Monday morning.  Please keep her in your prayers.  I will post an update after the surgery.

Yesterday, Jake purchased a lazer tag set with a gift card from Christmas.   Last night,  Zac challenged me to a game of it in the basement, but he beat me pretty quick.  He is really good, I think his Army marksmanship experience helps out.   

Today the boys were begging me to play lazer tag for P.E. and although it is a bit colder now, it was dry so I let them have at it.  Our poor dog goes nuts when he even sees the lazer tag gun and he barks and jumps in front of them.  He acts like he thinks someone is getting hurt so I had to keep him inside. The boys were exhausted when I finally had them stop.   

I've been reading a very helpful book by Dr. Sears that I want to reccomend.  I was able to check it out at our local library but now I want to purchase a copy because it is that good!

The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood: Ten Ways to Get Your Family on the Right Nutritional Track

Did you know that According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control:
"Unless American families change the way they eat and live, one in
three children born in the year 2000 will later become diabetic."   

Yikes!! On the same theme.. I joined Weight Watchers yesterday. I need to take better care of my body and be a healthy example to the kids.  Zac looked over all my paperwork when I came home and he has deceided that he wants to unoffically follow the Weight Watchers plan!  This is exciting and since we are both doing the program it should be easier to stay on track with healthy foods in our home.  Today we both stayed under our points!

First let me preface this by saying that I understand we all learn to read at different levels.  However, reading opens so many door that are closed to non-readers.  I have taken reading for granted.  This session of Co-op I am teaching a class for the 6&7 yr. olds about India along with another mom.  It never occured to me that some of the children in the class may not be reading yet.  I prepared for the class assuming that the students would be able to read.  Our class has 17 students and only about 1/2 of them are reading.  It made teaching a bit more difficult as the handouts I had were fill in the blank type.  Map reading proved just as difficult.  The coloring sheet for the flag went well.  We finished class up with a game.  We made sure there were readers on each team and we asked a variety of questions.  All of the answers were on their handouts and maps.  The readers had no problems while the others struggled.   As a result the future classes will have to be watered down a bit. 

Drumroll please.......................

At age 4 1/2  she can now tie her own shoes including double knots!!  She is very proud of herself and now only wants to wear her sneakers so she can tie shoelaces. 

It was a  bit of an unschooling week for us during our Christmas break.  We will return to our typical schooling later this week.  We are also looking forward to Co-op starting back up this week.  I will be teaching a class on India this session.

A  peek into our unschooling vacation week ~

ART:  Building with ZOOB and decorating sugar cookies provided an artistic outlet. 

MATH: Shopping with gift cards and Christmas money provided a hands on math lesson.  Cooking and baking provided fractions reinforcement.

HISTORY: Jake received Age of Emipres:The Age of Kings at Christmas.  Jake, Ryan and Zac have all had a blast taking turns playing it.  At the library the boys checked out several books on the middle ages and knights.   

SCIENCE:  At the library, Daphne picked a Magic School Bus DVD about Bats and Spiders.  The kids asked to watch it twice reinforcing our bat unit in Science! 

LANGUAGE ARTS: Thank you notes for gifts provided handwriting, typing, spelling, and manners training.  In addition the kids have been doing quite a bit of reading on various topics.

Our 10th Anniversary!!

It's hard to believe that our wedding was 10 years ago!   We celebrated with a gift card that we received for our anniversary to Outback Steakhouse and a friend watched the kids so that we could go out.  I felt a little guilty that Zac and I ordered nice meals and used up our entire gift card in one meal.  Normally I would have tried to figure out ways to spread it as far as possible, however it was our anniversary and that filet was great!  We have accomplished quite a bit in the past 10 years.  After serving in the Army, Zac and I relocated where he began working for the state and we had Jake.  He started college and we had Ryan followed by Daphne and then his graduation from college.  We relocated again a couple times and are now in the process of relocating again due to a promotion!.  We tried out public school followed by private school, and now homeschool.  God has been faithful.  He has met all of our needs.  Once this house sells we will also be debt free!  We look forward to what the future brings! 

A look back in time to December 28th 1996 ~

Ryan read the CHRISTmas story to us from the Bible.

We hope you had a great CHRISTmas! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Our 11lb 4oz. baby has grown into a 63 lb boy!!  

 We celebrated with Charlotte's Web and lunch at Friendly's. 

Echo, echo, echolocation - I find my way, I find my prey...

We just finished our study of bats.    In addition to our zoology book, we read several books on bats from the library.   They are very interesting to read about.  One of the kids Jumpstart computer disks has a game with a bat in it and a catchy little song about echolocation.  This photo is of the kids oragami bats.

We have continued to have showings but no offers yet...  Yesterday a family came for a 2nd showing but we haven't heard feedback from that yet.  As for our house hunting, there are 2 houses for sale next to the YLA.  Ironically they are both 3 houses down on either side.  One of them is the house where a cadet who escaped was caught!  It would be an easy walk to work for Zac but we are not sure we want to be that close!  Zac is in his office now and enjoying his new job, well except for the frequent court trips to NYC.   We are still waiting for payroll to offically change his title and pay. 

My verse for the day ~ Philippians 4:19 

God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

The kids were drawing Christmas pictures today.  Jake chose to draw a manger scene.  When I looked at it, I realized I didn't see Jesus.  I said "Jake where is baby Jesus?  "He is right here being born!"  Yikes!!   I never had thought about Jesus actual birth.  I mean I knew Mary had him in the stable naturally but it is not something I think most people picture.   His drawing launched a biology and etiquette lesson.  The rocket looking arrow over Mary is a torch.

"Mommy I'm so very, very excited  because this is going to be awesome!" 

"What are you talking about?"

"THE TOILET!!  It's my very first time ever that you let me scrub it!"

After hearing that I had to go grab the camera and take a photo. 

Family Life has put out a brochure that gives 10 ways that you can help orphans and waiting children. Click here to view it.  I encourage you to print it out and put in on your fridge or in your Bible as a constant reminder.   I have several links on the side of my blog that will direct you to other helpful information sites.

James 1:27 ~ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans....

Zac had today off and we thought it an ideal time for a field trip!  Off we went to an area museum to see Egyptian artifacts as well as artwork by Dorthy Lathrop.  We have been learning about Egyptians and we recently read the book Hitty Her First Hundred Years which Ms. Lathrop illustrated. 

Our favorite parts of the museum

Zac - The Egyptian mummies

Me -  Dorthy Lathrop's drawings

Jake - The marble sculptures

Ryan - The Egpytian things.

Daphne- Hitty's things

The kids in front of a display about Hitty

Daphne enjoying a book in the kids reading area.

The kids and I with the mummies. - Yes they are authentic!

Can you see the mummy?

If you look behind Ryan you can see the mummy of what was thought to be a cat but when a CAT scan and xrays were performed it was found to be a dog!

Is your blog backed up?  Wouldn't it be terrible to lose all those precious memories?  Here are easy  instructions on how to back up your blog

Here is just a sample of the school violence from the past 12 days.  It seems to be happening so often. 

December 12th - A 16yr old boy killed himself in the school hallway with an Ak-47.  Why?  He was upset that his parents were going to take away some of his privledges due to poor grades.  Click here to read about it.  At another school, an 8th grade girl was stabbed.  Click here to read about it.

December 11th- A 14yr old threatens others with a box cutter, 8yr. old shows off pocket knife.  Click here to read about it.  At another school a boy boy brings a loaded handgun to school.  Click here to read about it.

December 9th - Boys stabs another boy with knife at school hockey jamboree. Also found to have drugs on him.  Click here to read about it.

December 8th - A girl is assulted by other girls, suspensions for gang activity. Click here to read about it.  At another school there was a gang fight.  Click here to read about it.

December 7th - Student suspended after "joking" about another student bringing a gun to school.  Click here to read about it.

December 6th - 14yr old assults police officer at school and school is locked down.  Click here to read about it.  At another school a distraught girl brings knife to school. 

December 5th-  A 16yr old boy slashed another boy's neck with a knife during study hall.  Click here to read about it.

December 4th -  A boy brought a grenade, knife and fuse to school.  It was discovered when another boy who had overdosed on Ambien sleeping pills was taken to the nurse and questioned. Click here to read about it.

December 1st - A 14yr old boy brings loaded handgun to school to "scare" some other kids. 

UPDATE (12/9):

I will not be moving my blog. I am choosing to focus on homeschooling that unites us. I will however speak out against the methods promoted by the Pearls and others that are dangerous and illegal. 

As an alternative, I highly reccomend ~

Raising Great Kids by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was brought to my attention that homeschoolblogger promotes products by Michael and Debi Pearl. As a result of this,  I am praying about if I should move my blog somewhere else.  I was given a copy of their book To Train Up A Child.  I read it and it frightens me.  I threw the book in the trash, it was that bad!  I believe it is wrong to pull a nursing infants hair for biting while nursing.  Where is the compassion and nurture in leaving a newborn to cry? How can anyone think it is ok to spank babies?  The "rod" in the Bible is NOT 1/4 inch plumbing supply line!!  That is just the tip of the iceburg. Yes it may appear to produce compliant children but at what cost?  Not to mention that the methods they promote are illegal in many states!! 

Teaching the kids has been a fun learning experience for me. 

See if you know the answers to a few things we have been covering....

 1) Which bird migrates more than 20,000 miles each year?

 2) What is magnetite?

 3) What bird has the longest wing span?

 4) Why are flamingos pink?

 5) When do birds lay the most eggs?

 6) Hammurabi is remembered for....

 7) Early China was ruled by...

 8) Where were the 10 commandments kept?

 9) How old was King Tutankhamen (Tut) when he died?

10)What metal played a part in the downfall of Egypt?

11) When does February have 29 days?

12) Which title of respect is not abbreviated?

13) What part of speech is the word "them"?

14) How does an oblique line look?

15) Where is Middle C on a piano?

ANSWERS:

 1) The Actic Tern flies from the Artic Circle to Antartica and back.

 2) Magnetite is a magnetic substance found in the heads of some birds.

 3) The Albatros has the longest wing span.

 4) Flamingos are pink because of carotenoids in their food.

 5) Birds lay the most eggs when there are more insects.

 6) Hammurabi is remembered for writing a code of 300 laws.

 7) Early China as ruled by dynasties.

 8) The 10 commandments were kept in the Ark of the Covenant.

 9) King Tut was only 18yrs old (approx.) when he died.

10) The lack of iron (for weapons) played a part in the downfall of Egypt.

11) February only has 29 days if it is a leap year, otherwise it has 28 days.

12) Miss is not abbreviated.

13) Them is a pronoun.  A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun.

14)  / - An oblique line is diagonal, sloping or slanting.

15) Middle C is the white key in the center to the left of two black keys.

Jacob, Ryan and Daphne are now all able to play ~

Hot Cross Buns , Jingle Bells, and  Mary Had A Little Lamb       

We have a couple books that teach technic and theory too. 

My goal is to get them into regular lessons once we move.

We just found out that Scott and Stephanie are expecting a BOY!!  This new little cousin is due to arrive in April.

This was dinner tonight.

                       1 lb venison steak                          1/4 c. flour

                       1/4c. butter                                    1/2c. boiling water

                       1tsp salt                                          2 green peppers cut

          1 can (20oz) pineapple chuncks      1/2 c. pineapple juice from can

                       2 1/2 Tbsp.cornstarch                     1/4c. vinegar

                       1/4 sugar                                         2 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce

Cut steak in cubes, coat with flour.  Brown in melted butter.  Add waterand salt and simmer until tender.Boil green peppers for 10 minutes in seperate pot and drain.  Add pineapple chunks and peppers to meat. Make sauce of remaining ingredients and cook until thick.Pour sauce over meat and meat and simmer 5 minutes  Serve over rice.  ~  Recipe from the Pennsylavania Game Cookbook

Our Open House went well.  There was great interest in our house and also great concern over the taxes. We have no control over the insane taxes here other than to tell potential owners that they may qualify for deductions. There were also several showings this past week.  Please pray that our house would sell quickly and at a decent price and that we would also be able to find new housing near Zac's work.

Things are a bit stressful here at the moment but we know that God provides and things will work out somehow. Jehovah Jireh!

I thought it would be good to get a nice Christmas photo of the kids for cards.  Boaz, our boston terrier, kept getting in all the pictures.  As soon as I would lift the camera or one of the kids would say cheese he would run over by them to be in the picture!!  We ended up with crazy kids and a stressed out me but hopefully a good shot or two. 

Here are a few samples ~

Lorrie died early Thanksgiving morning. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:

Gnos Family Tuition/Care Fund

Bank of the Cascades

272 East Main Ave

Sisters, OR  97759

(541) 549-2061

For those unfamiliar with her story, you can visit her site here.

For breast cancer awareness and resources click here.

 Last week the van died on Zac's way to work.  We have no idea why, but thankfully he was able to get to the side of the road and get it going again.  It has been ok since but we feel like it is just a matter of time.  Also today I learned that our van has dangerous Gen-3 seatbelts! There have been several instances of seatbelt failure in accidents with our exact seatbelts including deaths. Chrysler has lost several lawsuits to families who have had loved ones die and yet they still will not recall and replace these seatbelts!   Click here to see if your vehicle has these unsafe belts! 

Click here to watch a short video clip about a little boy who was riding buckled in a Graco Turbo Booster when his seatbelt failed in a crash.  His parents are promoting the Britax Regent which is a seat with a 5pt harness that is good for up to 80lbs.  There has been a rush for these seats and as a result they are sold out and backordered everywhere!  The only place I was able to find them in stock was on ebay.

Daphne ended up with strep throat and an ear infection last week.  Yesterday she had an xray done to look at her adnoids and tonsils better.  Here is how huge they were.  We are waiting to hear back from the ENT if surgery is reccomended..

(Her tonsils touch her epiglottis!)

Today we had a tour of realtors at the house. I was expecting maybe 10 or 15 but there were 40+ of them!!  The kids were playing in the bsmt and the realtors were all over the house.  We received several positive comments.  A couple hours later we got a call for a showing in less than an hour! Ahh! I did a quick run through (Thankfully it was good from preparing for the tour of realtors this morning!) and then had the kids grab coats and shoes.  I got Boaz into his coat and we went for a walk around the block.  We have an open house this Sunday afternoon.  We went and looked at the farmhouse on 17 acres, it does have potential, but it needs totally redone.  Zac said he would take it all down to the framing studs.  That is a bit more time and money consuming than we are up to currently so we are still looking.

The preschoolers at co-op learned this poem

The Turkey is a funny bird,

His head goes wobble wobble

And all he knows is just one word

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble

Since it is quite catchy, we find all of us saying it! Speaking of turkey, the bargain hunter in me thought the best way to buy a turkey would be to look for the lowest price per pound.  Zac requested a Butterball turkey and the lowest I had seen those around here was $1.11 per/lb so when I found Butterball turkeys for $0.83 per/lb I jumped on it!  Only afterwards, did I question the size of the turkey.  I bought an 18lb turkey!!!  That is a ton of turkey for two adults and 3 kids.  We will have piles of leftovers for turkey sandwiches, turkey salad, turkey soup, turkey casserole....   I'm thinking ham for Christmas.

The Old Schoolhouse is having their 1st annual Black Friday sale!

http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/ 

UPDATE- This is happening now!! (Thursday!!) plus FREE shipping and more.

These links list a bunch of stores including, but not limited to, Best Buy, Home Depot, Joann Fabrics, Kohl's, Sears, ToysRUs, Target, Walmart, etc... Just click on the store you want and it lists all the specials.

http://bfads.net/                                              http://www.blackfriday.info/ads/

http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/          http://www.blackfridayads.com/          

http://www.theblackfriday.com/          

Tips 

* Don't spend more than you can afford. 

* Shop online- many specials start at 12 midnight on Thursday!!

* Prepare a list of items and stores in advance, map out your route.

* Consider using a credit card (warranty coverage, return protection) 

* Know which stores will price match, bring flyer with you.   

* Know the stores return policies, get gift receipts - very important

We are keeping Christmas very simple and basic this year so we will just be doing a tiny bit of Black Friday shopping.  We have doctor appointments and a house showing to attend that day too.

This recipe was handed down by my Grandma Hubble to my mom and then she gave it to me.  I've been asked by a few people to share it so here it is - enjoy!

Butterscotch Rolls

(Makes 2 dozen)

Ingredients:

* Rhodes frozen traditional white bread dough rolls

   (You will need 36 rolls)  

* 2 sticks of real butter (NO Substitutes!)

* 1 1/2 cups +/- of light brown sugar

Directions:

Set the frozen dough out on the counter.

Take 1 stick of butter and cut it into 24 slices.

Smear each slice of butter in a muffin tin cup.

Add 1 tsp of brown sugar to each muffin tin cup

Cut the 36 rolls in 1/2 with a sharp knife.

Place 3 slices of dough in each muffin cup in a T shape.

Place 2nd stick of butter and 1cup brown sugar in pot

Set aside pot until later.

Let rise for 5 hours

Preheat oven to 350F, Bake for 15 minutes

Remove from oven, place rolls on plates gooey side up

Fill empty muffin pans with water (easier to wash later)

Place pot over medium heat and stir until it looks like caramel.

You want it thick, if it looks runny add more brown sugar.

Using a spoon, ladle spoonfuls of the sauce onto the rolls.

Zac got a 5 point buck!  Today was opening day here and he was very excited.  The photos are a bit graphic since they are of the deer dead with his tongue hanging out so I'm not going to post them here.  If you want to see them I'll email them. In the vent you might have some venison in your frezzer, here is a favorite venison recipe of ours from the Pennsylvania Game Cookbook.

Venison Parmesan

2 venison steaks about 2lbs 1/2 inch thick

Trim off fat, Cut into serving pieces Pound until thin, Set aside.

Combine: 3 eggs, 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp.pepper

Mix: 1 cup bread crumbs, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F  Heat oil or shortening in skillet until hot.  Dip meat into egg mixture and then into crumb mixture.  Fry until brown on both sides.  Arrange each piece in a baking dish (9x13) Pour favorite tomato/pasta sauce over the meat.  Top with slices of mozzarella cheesse.  Bake a 350 F for 30 minutes.  We serve this with pasta, salad, and garlic bread.

The boys had Health class this session of Co-op and they studied the human body.  The kids were traced onto posterboard and then they cut, colored, and glued on their various internal parts.  Ryan has the "mitten" hands and Jake is showing the brain with the face folded down.  Some of the parts have brads in them to make them moveable in order to see what is underneath them.

Lorrie, a fellow homeschooling mom,  has stage IV breast cancer and has decided to stop all treatments and is now under hospice care. 

Click here to visit her blog. 

Over the course of a lifetime, 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer

* Click here for self breast exam instructions. 

* Click here to take a breast cancer risk assessment.

* Find a Race for the Cure in your area, click here 

Jake and Ryan were watching the "never dying classic" show A-team with Zac this morning when Murdoch used the phrase "running around like a chicken with your head cut off."  Zac left for work and the boys started questioning me about if that could really happen.  Yes, it can and does happen but only for a few moments and thankfully I've never witnessed it. We then did a google search and found this-

Mike the Headless Chicken's Amazing Story  

Click here and here to read about Mike who lived for 18 months

after having his head cut off!  The ax left him with an intact brain stem. 

Ewww!  If we get chickens at the new place they will be egg only chickens!

Speaking of the new place (still looking) we scheduled an appointment to see a property with 17 acres and a "diamond in the rough" old farmhouse  It would be great if it works out since it feels rural up on a mountain with all the acreage but is only 10-15 minutes from the grocery store, gas station, etc..  Today the for sale sign was put in the front yard.  The kids have been watching people slow down and look at it.  The realtors office called and the virtual tour person is coming Sunday afternoon to take photos and video footage. It all seems to be happening so fast! Well, we wanted to live in a Tudor and we did for a time... 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

**Update**   Today (11/16) I received a letter from the district Home School Facilitator saying she received the quarterly reports and has no further questions at this time. 

Well, I submitted the boys first quarter reports to the district.  I'm not sure if they reply to those or just to the IHIP form so we will see.  I am keeping records of everything.  For those interested, here is a sample of what we have covered this first quarter. 

Language Arts:

Nouns, Pronouns, Action Verbs             

Poems, Phonics, Spelling, Reading

Social Studies:

Ice Age, Sumerians, Stonehenge,

Minoan Civilization, Hammurabi                                           

Mapping, Voting, Veterans Day

Science:

Classification, Instinct, Extinction

Identifying Birds, Songs, Territory,                                        

Bird Banding, Feather Types, Molting

Math:

Geometric Shapes, Telling Time,

Addition Facts, Measuring, Weighing                                                  

Thermometer Reading, Patterns

Health and Safety:

The Human Body

Bicycle Safety                                                                      

Visual Arts:

Studied Michelangelo

Created Various Artwork                                                          

Music:

Singing, Learning Piano Basics

Live Musical Performances                                                    

Physical Education:

Soccer, Sportsmanship    

UPDATE (11/20)  The photos are all up along with our live video tour so all we need now is a buyer!  You can look it up on realtor.com to see it.

Our house will be on the market starting Monday!  We signed all the paperwork today and a guy was by to take outside photos.  The inside photos and virtual tour will be done next week and we have an open house scheduled in two weeks.  It will be a little tricky getting out of the house for showings since Zac will most likely be gone with our only vehicle but the kids, the dog, and I will manage somehow. 

Zac donated his car to charity today.  For those interested in donating a car, you can click here  It is a website that processes car donations nationally.  You pick a charity and they send a tow truck for your vehicle.   The IRS allows you to claim a tax deduction of  the value of your vehicle up to $500  If it is sold for more, the chairty will send you a receipt for that amount for your taxes.** Don't forget to turn in your plates to the DMV and take the vehicle off of your insurance!**

   zoom..              zoom...                zoom...        

I am now offically *in* my 30's since I turned 31 on Thursday.   We celebrated with a very tasty chinese lunch topped off with ice cream cake!  I received several birthday cards, some cozy spa socks that smell yummy, and some spending money.  I am looking forward to doing a little bit of shopping!   The kids were so cute.. Jake made me a "zebra ring" from a pipe cleaner and a striped paper stone.  Ryan and Daphne made cards and the kids all had a show for Zac and I to watch.  Daphne did some ballet moves while Jake played the piano and Ryan played the bongo drums.

If you go to this website you can send a  free postcard to our troops.  No matter what your feelings are about Iraq etc.. our troops need to know we love them.  They are often in dangerous areas away from family and friends and it's the least we can do to show our support.

It is the VETERAN, not the courts
who has given us the right to keep and bear arms

It is the VETERAN, not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN, not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN, not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the VETERAN, who salutes the Flag,

and serves under the flag.

Veterans' statistics, Medal of Honor, history of the holiday

I am participating in Theresa's Heath Contest. Read about it on her blog

Home Sweet Homeschool 

1.  Share 1 healthy recipe that your family enjoys for dinner, along with the nutritional information if at all possible.

Mandarin Chicken Salad

Lettuce of your chocie

Canned mandarin oranges (drained)

Grilled chicken cut in bite size pieces

Drizzle with Lemon Poppyseed dressing

Top with chow mein noodles and sliced almonds

Approx calories: 200 per serving

(As long as you don't go crazy with the dressing or toppings!)

2.  What is one book or website on healthy living or eating more naturally that you would recommend.

I can't reccomend this entire site since there are aspects that I disagree with, however many articles on the Mother Earth News website are helpful. As for books, I enjoyed reading Crunchy Cons How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing nature lovers,and their diverse tribe of countercultural conservatives plan to save America

3.  Share with me one verse of encouragement from the Word of God.

I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

4.  Which type of scale do you prefer... the face or digital and why?

Digital since you can see the exact weight.

5.  What is one food or exercise tip that you have always rememberd and tried to implement in your own life.

Drinking lots of water

6.  Are you and your family where you would like to be in regards to your eating, exercising and feasting on the Word of God?

No, but we are working on it.

7.  If you answered no to question 6, tell me about it.  Where are the areas in your family that need examining.

Hmm.. we have been eating better (except for the Halloween candy setbacks) I have drastically cut back on my exercising since I cancelled my gym membership to save money.  I need to increase the exercising.  We spend time in devotions and study the Bible again in school but I always feel like we need to do more..

8.  This one is going to be by faith... but I would like to ask you to get up out of your chair and either do 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups or 10 jumping jacks.  After you've completed this assignment you can sit back down and mark this as "done" 

I'm so glad this said either/ or since I am horrible at push ups!

I did 20 jumping jacks.

9.  Would you be interested in joining me on this journey?  Would you like to improve your health and that of your families?

Definately!

We are so blessed to live in a country where we have the freedom to vote!  Be an example to your kids and those around you and don't forget to vote today!!  We took the kids with us and gave them a mini lesson about the history of voting.

Jake wrote a letter to Emeril saying how he enjoys watching Emeril Live and making Emeril's recipes with his dad.  He drew this picture of Emeril and had me take a photo of himself holding an Emeril cookbook.  The mailman picked up the letter yesterday.  Jake is really hoping to hear back from Emeril.

Here is a taste of this past week ~

  Zac and Jake have made the Baby Bam Burgers and the Oh Yeah

Baby Glazed Carrots so far and they were both yummy!

The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia is a great resource!  The Secrets of the Mummies has graphic photos of actual mummified bodies but is very informative.  These go great with what we have learned in our Mystery of History curriculum! 

Zac was offically promoted to Lieutenant today!!   He accepted a position at the YLA and will be there for years to come so we are going to be moving back that direction. 

School has been going FANTASTIC!  We are ahead of schedule in every subject and the kids have completed multiple extra workbooks.  I thought they would enjoy Explode the Code books, but to beg to do more pages and finish the entire book in a couple days. Yikes!  I was totally not expecting this.

I must say the absolute BEST thing so far this year was having the chance to lead Ryan to the Lord!! (Click here for that entry.)

I have to submit my first quarterly report to the school district next week.  I'm a little nervous since NY has so many rules, but it shouldn't be a problem. 

Jake has been writing many creative stores complete with drawings.  I'll try to post photos later. Ryan's  has been on a Math kick especially when the manipulatives like linking cubes, and geoboards are involved.  Daphne says she enjoys Science the most since she can see the birds, look in the bird books from the library, and shop for birdseed.  I don't think she will be as thrilled with Science when we start our bat unit!! 

Halloween 2006

Watch the old LEGO Maniac TV commercial - click here

The kids and I had a fun time making their LEGO costumes!   They received alot of attention from the neighbors and other kids.  Most people picked up on the fact that they were LEGO pretty quick.  Each cup on the front had LEGO printed on it and the back of their costumes had LEGO in big letters.  We did have a couple confused people -  Jake was asked if he was a cup holder and a couple thought the kids were robots.

**UPDATE**  (11/06/06)

Since we will be moving soon the new vehicle is on hold.  We will be attempting to get Zac's car past inspection with the help of some JB Weld.  Let's hope it works!

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We made it 3 days without a TV and then Zac found a deal at Target.  The new TV is much smaller and it is being watched much less.  It was good to have the break, but it is also nice to have it back.

The weather forecasters have been a bit off and it hasn't rained, snowed, etc.. as much as exepected.  Today was actually nice and after a cold start in the 30's this morning, it warmed up to around 60 degrees.

We have looked at several SUV's as a replacement vehicle.   We like all the space that a minivan can offer, but would also like 4 wheel drive.   The Honda Pilots are very nice and probably my favorite of what we have seen.  The salesman there was by far the best we have dealt with so far.. We will be getting something this next week but are not sure what yet.   

It is pouring rain and it is suppossed to continue for the next week.  In the evenings it may turn to freezing rain or snow.  I get concerned when the roads are dangerous and Zac is driving on them.

Zac's car is not going to pass the NY state inspection and it would cost more money than the car is worth to get it to pass. Ugh!  We need to get something reliable to drive. 

The TV was accidently dropped when we were moving furniture around in the living room a couple weeks ago.  It continued to work after that but would make a really loud buzzing noise.  Yesterday morning the power wouldn't even come on so now we have no TV.  This could be seen as a good or bad thing..

Our internet/phone etc.. has been going in and out for hours so please don't worry if you try to call and cannot get through or get cut off.  Our computer has also been shutting itself down or having the screen go black.  Not sure what is going on there.  

Despite following the care instructions we have had two more goldfish die.  Josh II died yesterday and Flash died today.  They were Jake's replacement fish after Josh I died.  I have a sad little boy wondering why only his fish have died and I don't know what to tell him.We have two goldfish left, Mohawk and Elsa, which belong to Ryan and Daphne and they seem to be ok at the moment. 

Here are a couple photos of projects from this week. 

* Our Ancient Map*

We labeled the map and then soaked it in tea and burned the edges. 

*Bird Labeling*

Jake and Ryan did these diagrams.  We are almost

done with birds and ready to move onto bats - ugh!

We bought this bird feeder to attract birds so that we could look them up in our field guide books from the library.  So far we have watched woodpeckers, bluejays, cardinals, doves, sparrows, and chickadees in our backyard.  However the pesky squirrels have attempted to steal it twice!  It is too heavy for one of them to carry so it doesn't get moved far from the shepherds hook were I had it hanging.  It's only a matter of time until it is picked apart enought that they can carry it away.   These squirrels have also taken bites out of the kids pumpkins on the front porch.  They are very brave and do not usually run from humans until you are very close.  They will run from Boaz and he has almost caught a couple of them.  They run up an tree and chatter loudly at him.  Last week they stole a cookie one of the kids dropped.  The bag was still shut but they had bitten through it and taken the cookie!

**UPDATE**

It is now November 2nd and we have made it without turning the heat on yet.  It's almost like we are getting used to being cold.  I think if the temp inside gets below 60 we will turn it on.  It's nice knowing our October bill won't be high!

Zac just called on his way home from work and he said it is snowing pretty hard. Our house is northeast of his work and we haven't seen any snow here yet.  This area doesn't tend to get as much. 

It has been cold, but we have managed to not turn on the heat yet.  The thermostat in the house says it is 61 degrees inside.  It's kind of funny since in the winter we set the heat at 58 at night and 65 for the day so it's really not that far off.  We have been drinking lots of hot chocolate and tea along with layering to stay warm.  We are trying to hold out until November 1st before we turn on the heat.

Yesterday we were looking at the Samaritans Purse Christmas catalog and praying for the needs of the people.  I told the kids it reminded me of a verse we had recently memorized, Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in Heaven that one of these little ones should perish. Matthew 18:14   As Christians, we are to be an example of loving and helping others.  Ryan said he liked to help people but he wasn't a Christian.  I asked him if he would like to become a Christian and he said he wanted to and had been waiting!  So he and I sat down together and went over the ABC's (admit, believe, confess) along with what that means then we prayed together and he asked Jesus into his heart!!

The kids want to help the people have houses, food, clothes, blankets, Bibles, etc..  Jacob wanted to know which country we should go to first to help.  He got out the globe and started looking at places.  The kids also drew pictures of how they wanted to help others.  It's awesome to see them so on fire and willing to help others in need!! 

Here are a few examples ~

Looking for a Grade-A way to help poor families?

How about a flock of chickens, ducks, or other fowl?

It costs about $10 for a dozen chicks that can grow

up to lay hundreds of eggs a year.

Build a House: $5,000/$100 share

 

The statistics on child hunger are grim. Before this day is over,

starvation and malnutrition will claim the lives of more than

 15,000 children under age five. Even if they survive,

 malnourished children can suffer serious physical and mental

disabilities.  Samaritan’s Purse is responding to this global crisis

 with projects that provide nutritious, protein-rich food for young

 children and nursing mothers.

Feed a Hungry Baby for a Week  $9.00

This catalog came in the mail and the boys just love it all!

  Click here to see the catalog.

We found this farmhouse that is for sale about 1hr from where we currently live.

 It would put Zac about 40 min from the YLA or CASS  which is ideal for him since the potential for advancement is great. 

 The house is quite large with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a loft, living room, dining room, kitchen, and 2+ acres of land.  There is a newer dual wood/oil furnace and a brand new well.  There are original wide plank wood floors and exposed wood beams but they need to be restored.  The kitchen is functional but really needs to be gutted. There are a few new windows upstairs but most are the original windows and a couple are broken.  It has a small barn across the road but it would need to be torn down.  The wood might be salvageable especially to repair parts of the house flooring.  Some repairs would need to be done ASAP while others could be done over time.  The location is a bit remote which Zac sees as a plus.  Because it is remote, there are no zoning rules which means no worrying about permits to add a fence, do repairs etc..  We could get our own chickens and stop buying the free range chicken eggs.  There is plenty of space for a garden.  Also, there are many more hunters around. ( Currently Zac is surrounded by golfers and golf coures and that is not him.) The closet neighbor is 1/4 mile or so down the road.  There is another neighbor a tad closer but it is a seasonal neighbor who comes for the hunting and ski resorts.  The ski resorts are 20-30 min away.  It is so rural there is no cell phone reception, no cable, no DSL which means no high speed internet. To get any TV you need a satellite dish. The grocery store is 30 minitues away. Major shopping and our church would be 1hr away. 

In order for this to happen we would need to sell our Tudor house first. We think our Tudor house would sell without a problem but the timing isn't great.  The selling market is much slower here in the fall/winter. Who really wants to move when it is snowing?  

   AHHHHHHHHHH!!!

For now we are trying to finsh projects in our Tudor house so it is move in ready when it does hit the market.  Anybody want to buy a Tudor?!

It's been windy and raining here all day.  We just finished dinner when we heard a loud crack and realized our neighbors tree had come crashing down into the road blocking both lanes of traffic!

This photo is taken from our front steps.

This view is from the street.

This is from the neighbors yard looking at our house. 

The tree had damage inside possibly from carpenter ants!

About an hour later, the city showed up to clean it up as neighbors watched.

There was a TV news camera crew here too so it might make tonight's news.

The kids made bookmarks of their names. 

Click here to see your name in hieroglyphics.

We have been trying to make better food choices.  This summer and now fall, we have been able to purchase a variety of local fruits and veggies at the Farmers Market.  It's great to know where your food is coming from and support the local farms. We have also been doing more shopping at the health food co-op stores in the area.  It's been fun trying a variety of items that are new to us.  The kids and I all enjoy hummus.  Ryan has decided that he enjoys goat milk.  We buy oatmeal, dry soup mix, dried fruit, flours etc. in bulk and have been trying to cook from scratch.. 

Here is a link to find natural food stores in your area.

Jacob's fish , Josh, has died.  He is being remembered by his namesake Josh II, another orange goldfish with a black streak.  While at Petsmart we also ended up with Flash, a white goldfish with an orange head.   We brought Boaz along to get an new winter coat.   He actually wants to wear his coat.  He sits at his cabinet and cries to put it on when it is cold outside.  Here he is all spiffy in his new coat.  Sorry for the glare, his coat has reflective strips.  

Yesterday the boys participated in a class on Colonial games at our local library. 

I did a little google search and found this store that sells reproductions.

Here are a few that my boys really liked.  It's refreshing to see kids excited about simple things.

Ryan wants this hoop toy for Christmas!

The boys participated in a hands on program at our library called Fun with Science.  The boys had a blast in the class doing a variety of experiments.  Their favorite is one that you can do at home.

  Runaway Pepper  

Items Needed:

bowl, water, black pepper, toothpick, liquid dish soap.

1) Fill the bowl 1/2 full of water

2) Sprinkle black pepper onto the water

3) Dip the tip of a toothpick into liquid dish soap.

4) Dip the soap toothpick into the pepper water.

The pepper will "run away" to the sides of the bowl!

**What really happens is that the surface tension of the water is broken with the soap and the water moves not the pepper..**

Today the kids and I went to a Harvest Festival downtown where they participated in a goldfish toss to raise money for local animal assistance programs.  They each ended up with a ball in a goldfish bowl so now we have three goldfish.  Fortunately I had an aquarium in my gift closet from a major Target markdown so all we needed was the fish food! 

Josh - Jacob's fish

Mohawk - Ryan's fish

Elsa - Daphne's fish

Yesterday the library called to tell me that the book I had requested had come in.  I picked it up last night and started reading it after the kids were in bed.  I couldn't put it down.  I ended up finishing it around 1:00am

 I recently read her other book One Small Boat  

The books are about the lives of some of the children that Kathy and Bruce Harrison have had placed with them through the foster care system.  It isn't sugar coated at all.  Many of these kids have deep wounds and some of them may never recover but at least while they are with the Harrison family they are fed, clothed, bathed, and loved.  That's alot more than some of them have ever had in their lives.

This verse was brought to my mind.  It really makes me think..

Matthew 25:35

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in."

This week we have been learning about Egypt. 

Today the kids turned into mummies!

Today I listed a bunch of  Little Tikes backyard toys on Craigslist. In less than  two hours, I had not only sold the lot, but it had also been picked up!  I have the jogging stroller listed on Craigslist now..

Last week I listed the sectional sofabed in the Want Ad Digest.  I had listed it on Craigslist before, but that was a flop. It sold the day it was listed in the Want Ad Digest! We have been flooded with phone calls about it and since the Want Ad Digest comes out biweekly I had to change our answering machine message to reflect that the sectional was sold!

Craigslist is a free resource and Want Ad digest is a low cost resource.

 Doing the Happy Dance ! 

We memorized this poem several weeks ago as part of our language lesson but the kids recited it today and it applies to Hermie the wooly bear so they asked me to post it.  Hermie is actually a moth but you get the idea....

The Caterpillar

By Christina G. Rossetti

Brown and furry
Caterpillar in a hurry;

Take your walk
To the shady leaf, or stalk.

May no toad spy you,
May the little birds pass by you;

Spin and die,
To live again a butterfly.

We woke up this morning to find several caterpillar poop balls  Eww!

The kids were excited though since it means Hermie is eating the leaves, etc.. that they are offering him

We did a bit of reading and found out that the binomial nomenclature name for the wooly bear caterpillar is Pyrrharctia isabella  and that wooly bears turn into  Isabella Tiger Moths.  You can read about it here.

This year in Science we are doing Zoology I - Flying Creatures.

Although we are on the bird unit currently, the discovery of our wooly bear fits right into our lessons.  The kids love seeing science in a hands on way.

We had a music field trip to see Pianist Jason Wirth perform. 

The kids decided that their favorite piece was

 Sonata in f minor.57 "Appassionata" by Ludwig van Beethovan

Meet Hermie the Wooly Bear Caterpillar

Daphne's friends, Moriah and Kelsey, have a wooly bear as a pet.  Daphne found this one today and was soooo excited to have one too!  She named it Hermie because "that is a caterpillar name"!  The boys wanted to be sure Hermie had water so they gave him a cap from a Mt. Dew bottle to use for his water dish. 

Today we went to our favorite pumpkin patch and picked pumpkins and gourds

We also fed the farm animals, climbed the treehouse, went through the hay maze and corn maze, and took a hay ride.  Here are a couple photos.

Daphne the Goat and Ryan the Rabbit

Jake, Scarecrow, Ryan, Daphne, and our friend Dennis

What bird has polka dot feathers?  Ryan found these while we were doing a scavenger hunt for our science lesson on birds. 

 .

***UPDATE***

We think the feathers are from a Hairy Woodpecker.

The boys have been sending Bible verses back and forth to eachother on their DS game systems.  They have a feature that the systems can receive messages from eachother if they are within 20ft or so..  It's funny because I was talking to them about how it is ok to play games but don't let it consume you and they came up with this..

P.S. The boys asked me to post that they beat the Narnia game

I am going to try to do a weekly book reccomendations post.

Here are a few we just read ~

Here are a few all time favorites ~

We read a Proverb each day with the kids and today we got on the topic of tithing when we read Prov. 3:9-10   I like the idea of seeing it in a concrete hands on way.  I've been looking for a bank that separates money into different categories like tithe, savings, etc..  I found this one  and then there is this type but I think we will probably go with this one because you can see the money.

The kids have memorized several poems so far this year listed in First Language Lesson for The Well- Trained Mind  The boys go around the house reciting this one -

Work by Anonymous

Work while you work
Play while you play
This is the way to be happy each day

All that you do
Do with your might
Things done by halves are never done right

Whenever Daphne hears the poem, she starts giving examples - "Like when you tell me take my shoes to my room and if I only took one but not the other that would be half or if I only put silverware but not the napkins on the table when it is time to eat or if.."   I'm glad she gets the concept but it drives the boys nuts with all her examples.  "Mom she just keeps talking!!"  

        The boys initials in Cuneiform                             Daphne's "clay pot"

Want to see what your initials look like in cuneiform?  Go here and check it out!

(Thanks to Amy B. for sharing this link)

Don't forget to check out your local museum/s for FREE today!!  This offer is open to the general public not just the magazine subscribers.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/articles/what-is.php

**UPDATE**

Here are a couple photos from a museum we visited.

Zac and the kids - Turning the crank powers the lightbulb

Imitating art - I turned and saw Ryan doing this and had to snap a quick photo!

Thanks to Freecycle, I was promised a Juiceman jr juicer today!! Woo Hoo! 

Freecycle has been a real blessing to us! 

Check out the group in your area here - http://www.freecycle.org/

Today the kids and I stopped at a local Co-op store for a few items.  One thing on our list was sandwich bread.  Jacob found some Spelt Organic Bread by The Vermont Bread Company.  He read on the back of the package "Spelt was one of the first grains to be farmed in Mesopotamia..."  Then he says "Mom, this bread is from the Sumerians we have to try it!"     

Tonight we had Stuffed Acorn Squash which is one of my fall favorites!

Squash and apples are in season locally and are very inexpensive.

Here is a photo of one of ours  ~

Here is the recipe for those who may want to try it.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

3 Acorn Squash

6T Butter

3 Apples

1  Onion

1 cup Bread Crumbs

1 Roll (12oz.) Pork Sausage (We like Jones All Natural)

Turn your oven to 350F Then fill a 9x13 pan with a 1/2" of water.

Cut the acorn squash in half. (I use an electric knife), scoop out the seeds and place the acorn squash halves into the pan. Add 1 T butter to the middle of each acorn squash half. Bake in the oven for 1hr.  When the acorn squash are almost done, start the stuffing.  In a frying pan cook the sausage until no longer pink and then add in the onions, apples, and bread crumbs.  Scoop into squash shells and enjoy!

Tips: You eat everything except for the dark green skin. 

We are currently learning about the Sumerian people.  They built the Ziggurat of Ur.  Sumerian ziggurats were temples to their gods.  The Ziggurat of Ur was built to worship the moon god Nanna. They may look similar to Egyptian pyramids but those come later in history and were tombs for dead Pharaohs not temples like the zigguats.

(The "extra" kid is our friend Cameron who was staying with us that day.)

Breadmaking!!

Zac started reading the recipes in the bread books that I had checked out of the library and he decided to make a few of them!  These photos are of his rolls.  He also made a sundried tomato foccacia bread, among others, but we neglected to take photos of them.  We were too busy enjoying them! 

Daphne is now taking dance at a Christian dance studio.  She is in a class with about 12 other little girls and absolutely LOVES it!!  Here are a couple photos.

We startred our timeline today!  We are using the Mystery of History Vol I http://www.themysteryofhistory.com/  along with Homeschool in the Woods http://homeschoolinthewoods.com/  Timeline Figures.  Our Timeline is posted on a Superboard Pattern Board which is a huge folding cardboard board.   Jake, Ryan and Daphne all colored in the figures and then we alternated whose figures made it onto the Timeline and into our mini binder.  Zac (dh) got into the action using his paper slicer for the figures.

We have just completed our second week of homeschooling!   It is going quite well and we have really been enjoying it.  Every other Friday we go to a Co-op with other homeschoolers.  It is an all day event with various classes for each age range. 

Daphne is insisting that she needs to work anytime that the boys are at the table. She has preschool workbooks but she is not content with those.   She sits and particiaptes in the boys classes as well.  She loves to "share her knowledge" like telling you that girl is a common noun while Daphne is a proper noun.

Ryan loves doing his Saxon Math the best.  He enjoys putting his math into action by reading prices and  figuring totals when we go shopping. Ryan is also very interested in maps and will study them for long periods of time.  Whenever we go somewhere like a museum or festival he wants a map of the area. 

Jacob is enjoying Explode the Code and writing.  His handwriting is superb!  He is a bit of a perfectionist with it. He is also eager to begin our timeline for the Mystery of History program. So far we have done the reading and a couple activities for it .  We start the timeline next week. 

We have had a couple field trips but those photos are on a disposeable camera so once I get them developed and scanned into the computer I will post them.

The kids and I are excited to start our offical school year in the next couple of weeks. We will be using an eclectic classical approach and look forward to sharing a bit of what we are learning with you!.