Dec. 3, 2009
Advent 2009 Day 3
I forgot to do this yesterday so bear with me....
On the 1st, Cameron read the story "White Snow, Bright Snow" by Alvin Tresselt to Isaac. We have a possibility to see some snow on Friday. Isaac has never seen snow so we are trying to "prepare" him a little.
Last night, I read "Snow Family'" by Daniel Kirk~it's about all the little snow children that kids make that run rampant until one little boy decides they need "snow parents" to love them and take care of them. Adorable story!
As part of our Christmas Mosaic, I also read "Clown of God" by Tomie dePaola. In this story, poor Giovanni represents each one of us. We really have nothing to offer Christ but our talents and our love. Each of us is but a little ball, a play thing, in His hands. He can do with us what He wills. Like Giovanni, sometimes our cares in the world make us lose sight of our real purpose in life. Giovanni teaches us that we should seek to make those around us happy because, by doing so, we make Christ happy~and Christ is our our ultimate audience!
Cameron will be doing coursework in Religion, Math, Science, Latin, History, Geography, Literature, Spelling, Grammar, P.E., Phonics and Composition today. I'm hoping to get in some Christmas Mosaic time with him as well....keeping my fingers crossed! We are also keeping in the Advent spirit by making purple dye from red cabbage (like the Phonecians...but less smelly than snails). Then we will talk about how purple was called the "color of kings" and how Christ is OUR King! Then we will hopefully be able to dye some macaroni and beads to make Advent necklaces!
Tomorrow is our annual trip to Brookwood Community. It is a Christian educational, residential, and entrepreneurial community for adults with functional disabilities. The residents make all kinds of pottery and grow the most beautiful pointsettias! Each year at Christmas, they hold an Open House where you can tour the facility and watch the residents at work. They also put on a beautiful Christmas pageant/show. We take our family each year to not only tour and shop, but to instill in our children the importance that EVERYONE has a gift or talent and purpose in life....not just those people whom society would tell us are "normal". My sister-in-law has Down's Syndrome and this is a great way for my children to see how important people like their Aunt Ana are to our communities and our lives!!
Tomorrow night we take Alex and his friend Christopher to their Archdiocesan Youth Council retreat. This will be Alex's last retreat with them, since he is a senior and will not be going to the discernment retreat in the spring. He is really sad about this. This group has been like a second community/family for him over the past few years.
Saturday evening, Cameron sings with the Children's Choir at Mass. They have been learning the most beautiful Advent songs! At their rehersal last night, you could just close your eyes and hear the angels singing with them! Signing Cameron up for this activity was a wonderful thing.....I thank God daily for Mrs. Sabine and Mrs. Kiera!!! They truly have the patience of Job and the love of Christ in them!!!
On the 1st, Cameron read the story "White Snow, Bright Snow" by Alvin Tresselt to Isaac. We have a possibility to see some snow on Friday. Isaac has never seen snow so we are trying to "prepare" him a little.
Last night, I read "Snow Family'" by Daniel Kirk~it's about all the little snow children that kids make that run rampant until one little boy decides they need "snow parents" to love them and take care of them. Adorable story!
As part of our Christmas Mosaic, I also read "Clown of God" by Tomie dePaola. In this story, poor Giovanni represents each one of us. We really have nothing to offer Christ but our talents and our love. Each of us is but a little ball, a play thing, in His hands. He can do with us what He wills. Like Giovanni, sometimes our cares in the world make us lose sight of our real purpose in life. Giovanni teaches us that we should seek to make those around us happy because, by doing so, we make Christ happy~and Christ is our our ultimate audience!
Cameron will be doing coursework in Religion, Math, Science, Latin, History, Geography, Literature, Spelling, Grammar, P.E., Phonics and Composition today. I'm hoping to get in some Christmas Mosaic time with him as well....keeping my fingers crossed! We are also keeping in the Advent spirit by making purple dye from red cabbage (like the Phonecians...but less smelly than snails). Then we will talk about how purple was called the "color of kings" and how Christ is OUR King! Then we will hopefully be able to dye some macaroni and beads to make Advent necklaces!
Tomorrow is our annual trip to Brookwood Community. It is a Christian educational, residential, and entrepreneurial community for adults with functional disabilities. The residents make all kinds of pottery and grow the most beautiful pointsettias! Each year at Christmas, they hold an Open House where you can tour the facility and watch the residents at work. They also put on a beautiful Christmas pageant/show. We take our family each year to not only tour and shop, but to instill in our children the importance that EVERYONE has a gift or talent and purpose in life....not just those people whom society would tell us are "normal". My sister-in-law has Down's Syndrome and this is a great way for my children to see how important people like their Aunt Ana are to our communities and our lives!!
Tomorrow night we take Alex and his friend Christopher to their Archdiocesan Youth Council retreat. This will be Alex's last retreat with them, since he is a senior and will not be going to the discernment retreat in the spring. He is really sad about this. This group has been like a second community/family for him over the past few years.
Saturday evening, Cameron sings with the Children's Choir at Mass. They have been learning the most beautiful Advent songs! At their rehersal last night, you could just close your eyes and hear the angels singing with them! Signing Cameron up for this activity was a wonderful thing.....I thank God daily for Mrs. Sabine and Mrs. Kiera!!! They truly have the patience of Job and the love of Christ in them!!!
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Dec. 1, 2009
Advent 2009
The time of Advent is upon us! Advent is a time of preparation and waiting~not only for the coming of the Christmas season, but most importantly for the coming of Christ! I find it very sad that such a wonderful teaching time of the year is spent by most people thinking only of getting "what they want".
Each year during Advent, especially since we began homeschooling, we take the month of December "off" of our usual schedule (well, at least until this year...). We normally focus on Mass, the readings of the day, Advent calendars, the Christmas story, special Saints of the day/season, charitable acts, preparing our hearts and homes for the coming of our Lord and making many wonderful memories together. For our family, the time between Thanksgiving and Epiphany is filled not only with the "usual" holidays, but also birthdays, feast days, time with relatives, traveling, prayer, love and service.
Cameron has his days filled with co-op work so he will not be getting to participate in our Advent activities as much as before. I am finding that most of my Advent reading is with Isaac, as Cameron's reading time is filled with more school related reading, although I hope he is able to occasionally overhear our Advent stories. This year, I'm very excited to have finally purchased an Advent book I've been hoping to get for a long time...."The Donkey's Dream by Barbara Helen Berger. It is a lovely story of the donkey who carries the Virgin Mary to Bethlehem and all of the things he dreams he is carrying along the way. It is a beautiful Advent story and the rich symbolism and the reverent beauty of the illustrations transcend all age levels.
On the home front, Xavier is traveling again this month. Today he left for Gaffney, South Carolina for a week. Then he'll be home a week. The following week he will be off to Louisiana. His travels during the holiday season make it difficult to do things as a family, but we are so grateful he has a good steady job during these trying economic times.
Alex gets his braces off tomorrow after 4 long years. He is SO excited! This will be the first time in almost 9 years that we will have no kids with braces! Cameron is next but the dentist says it will be at least a year or so before he is ready for that step. Alex is doing very good in school, passing everything with A's and B's, while continuing to hold down a job (or two) and being active in church activities. We are very proud of him!
Zach is doing well, also. He is losing weight steadily, and in a healthy manner. Just since he's been home (August), he's gone from a 2 X shirt size down to a Large! He is a big help during the week days and has really had time to bond with his younger brothers. His weekends are completely filled with work. We don't see much of him from Friday morning until late Sunday night. He is still looking forward to the Air Force!
Cameron is doing ok with schoolwork. Xavier and I have been closely watching his course load. With reading for literature, history, science and religion, he is not finding much time for "fun" reading. Math has not gotten the attention that I think it needs, although he is doing well at what we are able to accomplish. We have been plagued by printer issues this year, but a new printer is not in our foreseeable future. This has really caused some roadblocks, since a lot of "work" needs to come off that printer, both for co-op and for Isaac/Alex's schoolwork. I am not very impressed with the English program we are using so far. I am already researching for something that is more "user" friendly for next year. (Yes, I have already begun the curriculum search for next year....April comes oh so fast!!!). Latin has been a delight, and we are so pleased to get to use our "Latin prayers and songs" at church in Mass each week, and even in Children's Choir. It is such a joy to see Cameron singing and praying along and "understanding" what he's saying/singing! On the other hand, we are seeing some "pre-teen" behavior issues cropping up that we are having to stay on top of (whining, interrupting, questioning-when inappropriate).
Isaac is coming along with his schoolwork. He's enjoying learning his ABC's in sign language...A LOT! He is working really hard on trying to hold his pencils and crayons and markers correctly. He loves story time. He is really at that "active" age where he needs more supervision. The other day I went to the store and came home to find he had drawn a mustache and goatee on himself.....and the dog! He LOVES to sing! If anything that is an understatement. He loves it when his dad and brothers set up the Rock Band (Beatles of course) and he gets to "microwave" (use the microphone)! He knows all his colors and shapes. He knows most of the planets (Saturn is his absolute favorite).
Today is quiet. Peaceful. Almost like a "pause".....as we wait
In reverent hope
and joy
for the coming of Christ into our hearts and homes......
Each year during Advent, especially since we began homeschooling, we take the month of December "off" of our usual schedule (well, at least until this year...). We normally focus on Mass, the readings of the day, Advent calendars, the Christmas story, special Saints of the day/season, charitable acts, preparing our hearts and homes for the coming of our Lord and making many wonderful memories together. For our family, the time between Thanksgiving and Epiphany is filled not only with the "usual" holidays, but also birthdays, feast days, time with relatives, traveling, prayer, love and service.
Cameron has his days filled with co-op work so he will not be getting to participate in our Advent activities as much as before. I am finding that most of my Advent reading is with Isaac, as Cameron's reading time is filled with more school related reading, although I hope he is able to occasionally overhear our Advent stories. This year, I'm very excited to have finally purchased an Advent book I've been hoping to get for a long time...."The Donkey's Dream by Barbara Helen Berger. It is a lovely story of the donkey who carries the Virgin Mary to Bethlehem and all of the things he dreams he is carrying along the way. It is a beautiful Advent story and the rich symbolism and the reverent beauty of the illustrations transcend all age levels.
On the home front, Xavier is traveling again this month. Today he left for Gaffney, South Carolina for a week. Then he'll be home a week. The following week he will be off to Louisiana. His travels during the holiday season make it difficult to do things as a family, but we are so grateful he has a good steady job during these trying economic times.
Alex gets his braces off tomorrow after 4 long years. He is SO excited! This will be the first time in almost 9 years that we will have no kids with braces! Cameron is next but the dentist says it will be at least a year or so before he is ready for that step. Alex is doing very good in school, passing everything with A's and B's, while continuing to hold down a job (or two) and being active in church activities. We are very proud of him!
Zach is doing well, also. He is losing weight steadily, and in a healthy manner. Just since he's been home (August), he's gone from a 2 X shirt size down to a Large! He is a big help during the week days and has really had time to bond with his younger brothers. His weekends are completely filled with work. We don't see much of him from Friday morning until late Sunday night. He is still looking forward to the Air Force!
Cameron is doing ok with schoolwork. Xavier and I have been closely watching his course load. With reading for literature, history, science and religion, he is not finding much time for "fun" reading. Math has not gotten the attention that I think it needs, although he is doing well at what we are able to accomplish. We have been plagued by printer issues this year, but a new printer is not in our foreseeable future. This has really caused some roadblocks, since a lot of "work" needs to come off that printer, both for co-op and for Isaac/Alex's schoolwork. I am not very impressed with the English program we are using so far. I am already researching for something that is more "user" friendly for next year. (Yes, I have already begun the curriculum search for next year....April comes oh so fast!!!). Latin has been a delight, and we are so pleased to get to use our "Latin prayers and songs" at church in Mass each week, and even in Children's Choir. It is such a joy to see Cameron singing and praying along and "understanding" what he's saying/singing! On the other hand, we are seeing some "pre-teen" behavior issues cropping up that we are having to stay on top of (whining, interrupting, questioning-when inappropriate).
Isaac is coming along with his schoolwork. He's enjoying learning his ABC's in sign language...A LOT! He is working really hard on trying to hold his pencils and crayons and markers correctly. He loves story time. He is really at that "active" age where he needs more supervision. The other day I went to the store and came home to find he had drawn a mustache and goatee on himself.....and the dog! He LOVES to sing! If anything that is an understatement. He loves it when his dad and brothers set up the Rock Band (Beatles of course) and he gets to "microwave" (use the microphone)! He knows all his colors and shapes. He knows most of the planets (Saturn is his absolute favorite).
Today is quiet. Peaceful. Almost like a "pause".....as we wait
In reverent hope
and joy
for the coming of Christ into our hearts and homes......
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Tuesday, November 17, 2009
How can it be?
I'm not sure how it can be the season for turkey's and shopping for Christmas presents; somehow it is. I went Christmas shopping with my mom and sister last week--unbelieveable. It doesn't seem possible. Where has time gone? Time sure does fly when you don't have alot of it.
We are finally adjusting to my working and juggling school. We were so fortunate to have 12 years of schedule and routine. Now every week is different; every day is different. God is definately teaching us flexibility. Mondays are my long days at work- thankfully Matt has taken over school on Mondays. It sure has helped me. The girls are loving it. They say he is a "good little housewife".
Sarah is wrapping up her last week of volleyball. It will be sad to see it end but will also be good to have those three days freed up. She has also been attending junior high youth group. She loves it. A good friend of mine has two kids attending--since both Kayla and I work on Tuesday nights, she is gracious enough to pick Sarah up and take her to youth group. This weekend will be her first small group outing--hopefully we can make it work with our schedule. She is very excited about it.
Emma is a bit under the weather this week--a cold is trying its best to slow her down. I will miss my work buddy--she loves going to work with me. She wears her work shirt and loves to sit at the front desk and check people in. Her sweet face brings lots of smiles to those walking through the doors.
Kayla is busy with school and work. Last week she had a big project for chemistry. She and her friend Valerie spent hours creating a model of an atom (or something to that effect) with a cake and gumdrops. Her teacher LOVED it. Kayla was so proud! She is doing so well. We are very proud of her focus and determination.
That's a little update on the girls. I hope to post pictures soon of Emma's volcano and Sarah playing volleyball. Unfortunately, Kayla forgot to take pic's of her chemistry project!
We are finally adjusting to my working and juggling school. We were so fortunate to have 12 years of schedule and routine. Now every week is different; every day is different. God is definately teaching us flexibility. Mondays are my long days at work- thankfully Matt has taken over school on Mondays. It sure has helped me. The girls are loving it. They say he is a "good little housewife".
Sarah is wrapping up her last week of volleyball. It will be sad to see it end but will also be good to have those three days freed up. She has also been attending junior high youth group. She loves it. A good friend of mine has two kids attending--since both Kayla and I work on Tuesday nights, she is gracious enough to pick Sarah up and take her to youth group. This weekend will be her first small group outing--hopefully we can make it work with our schedule. She is very excited about it.
Emma is a bit under the weather this week--a cold is trying its best to slow her down. I will miss my work buddy--she loves going to work with me. She wears her work shirt and loves to sit at the front desk and check people in. Her sweet face brings lots of smiles to those walking through the doors.
Kayla is busy with school and work. Last week she had a big project for chemistry. She and her friend Valerie spent hours creating a model of an atom (or something to that effect) with a cake and gumdrops. Her teacher LOVED it. Kayla was so proud! She is doing so well. We are very proud of her focus and determination.
That's a little update on the girls. I hope to post pictures soon of Emma's volcano and Sarah playing volleyball. Unfortunately, Kayla forgot to take pic's of her chemistry project!
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Nov. 11, 2009
Veteran's Day 2009
Today is Veteran's Day!
You know, most people hear that term (if they even acknowledge it at all) and think only of people who served in wars long ago! When our daughter, Kyra entered the U.S. Navy several years ago, one of the first medals she earned/received was a medal of service for entering the military during a time of war! People today tend to not think of us being at war on the same level as maybe WWI or WWII. Many people signed up for the military right after 9/11. Their courage and patriotism is a shining example to us today who take so many things for granted. We let political correctness seep into our lives along with relativism, and then we are shocked when things like the attack at Fort Hood take place on our own soil!! My oldest son, Zach is working hard to get into the Air Force. Some of his best friends are Marines. The military people we know of are filled with honor, courage, loyalty, determination, and love. Love for family and for their country. As a nation we used to be so proud to have our sons and daughters join and serve in the military. Today, too many families see that same commitment and courage as something to be looked down on. I personally have so much more respect for the kid who joins any branch of the military -especially those who join without the privilege of being an officer. These people KNOW they are in for some rough time-possibly even death, yet they sign up anyway! I have had people question our family acceptance of our childrens decisions to join the military. I would tell these people, not only do I accept it, I consider it one of THE most honorable jobs they could EVER have! I will support them, pray for them, encourage them and love them unconditionally!!
We joke with Zach sometimes about joining a branch without the stricter requirements-people they say, why would you send your kid to the front to be killed. I say if my child CHOOSES to go into the military and put him or herself in danger to protect your rights (esp. your right to complain!), then as a parent and as a patriotic American, I will support them in anyway I can.
I think today, people don't truly realize how close we are to losing so many of those freedoms. Our Veterans do not get the recognition and honor they truly deserve. We should never have homeless Vets!
God Bless America
God Bless American Vets....Past, Present and Future!
You know, most people hear that term (if they even acknowledge it at all) and think only of people who served in wars long ago! When our daughter, Kyra entered the U.S. Navy several years ago, one of the first medals she earned/received was a medal of service for entering the military during a time of war! People today tend to not think of us being at war on the same level as maybe WWI or WWII. Many people signed up for the military right after 9/11. Their courage and patriotism is a shining example to us today who take so many things for granted. We let political correctness seep into our lives along with relativism, and then we are shocked when things like the attack at Fort Hood take place on our own soil!! My oldest son, Zach is working hard to get into the Air Force. Some of his best friends are Marines. The military people we know of are filled with honor, courage, loyalty, determination, and love. Love for family and for their country. As a nation we used to be so proud to have our sons and daughters join and serve in the military. Today, too many families see that same commitment and courage as something to be looked down on. I personally have so much more respect for the kid who joins any branch of the military -especially those who join without the privilege of being an officer. These people KNOW they are in for some rough time-possibly even death, yet they sign up anyway! I have had people question our family acceptance of our childrens decisions to join the military. I would tell these people, not only do I accept it, I consider it one of THE most honorable jobs they could EVER have! I will support them, pray for them, encourage them and love them unconditionally!!
We joke with Zach sometimes about joining a branch without the stricter requirements-people they say, why would you send your kid to the front to be killed. I say if my child CHOOSES to go into the military and put him or herself in danger to protect your rights (esp. your right to complain!), then as a parent and as a patriotic American, I will support them in anyway I can.
I think today, people don't truly realize how close we are to losing so many of those freedoms. Our Veterans do not get the recognition and honor they truly deserve. We should never have homeless Vets!
God Bless America
God Bless American Vets....Past, Present and Future!
–noun
–adjective
| 1. | a person who has had long service or experience in an occupation, office, or the like: a veteran of the police force; a veteran of many sports competitions. |
| 2. | a person who has served in a military force, esp. one who has fought in a war: a Vietnam veteran. |
| 3. | (of soldiers) having had service or experience in warfare: veteran troops. |
| 4. | experienced through long service or practice; having served for a long period: a veteran member of Congress. |
| 5. | of, pertaining to, or characteristic of veterans. |
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Nov. 8, 2009
Being Thankful
Being Thankful
As we draw close to the end of the liturgical and secular year, I find myself looking back at all I have to be thankful for this year!
To begin with, during this time of recession, Xavier has been blessed with a steady job. This blessing has enabled me to continue to stay home and homeschool Cameron and Isaac, while also enabling us to continue Alex's education at a wonderful Catholic school. For my part, I have taken greater notice of my own responsibility to be a good steward of the income my husband has been able to bring home. We have had to make many small changes and several big changes in our lifestyle, but we have done it prayerful, with love and discernment. This has in turn helped us turn our eyes more to the Lord and away from other things. With this blessing, Xavier has had his traveling increased, but with that, God provided help at home for me with Zach back home for a while. Homeschooling itself continues to be a huge blessing for our family. We have all learned so much and have gotten to experience so many wonderful things! I am so grateful for the strengthened bonds of love that being at home with my boys has given myself and each other!
Next on the blessing list has to be the fact that our Kyra was finally stationed here in the United States. In May, she came home for several weeks-and they were some of the most wonderful weeks of our year! While here she was able to purchase her first car, then she and her dad made a roadtrip to California where she will be stationed for the next couple of years. They made the trip safely, praise God! She has had some adjusting to do, but she is venturing out to explore her new surroundings and take stake in her new home. Then we were doubly blessed with her being able to come back home for a long weekend for Labor Day! It was a wonderful weekend. We are SO blessed that our children have such strong, loving bonds with each other!!! That is definitely something to be grateful for!!!
Next is a sort of mixed blessing. Zach was not able to get the funding he needed for the next semester for college, due to lack of commitment on his part. He came home and told us he wants to be in the Air Force. He had already taken some of the preliminary steps but needed to lose a lot of weight to enter. Now the blessing part...losing weight was something he has needed to do for a long time and now he had the motivation to do it and do it right! He has steadily been losing weight in a healthy manner. He has been blessed with a job that leaves him free to help me here at home during the week, while keeping him busy and earning an income on the weekends. He has matured quite a bit in the last several months!
The next item on our blessing list might sound strange, but for us it was a huge thing. For several years, Xavier and I have prayed long and hard about where God wanted us to be as far as parishes. We had been with only one parish our entire time here but steadily over the years, we were aware of some needs, especially spiritual ones, that were not being met where we were at. We saw the impact the absence of those needs made on our older children and knew that our younger two needed something more. This last year, God made it very plain where we needed to be and He opened our childrens hearts to this change. Cameron has been wonderfully blessed by the childrens choir he has joined and both he and Isaac love being able to attend CCE on Sunday...truly the Lord's Day! Our hearts have been lightened with the joy of the Lord...something that was missing for a while! Who knows what the Lord has planned for us down the road, but for now, He is truly ministering to our family's heart, mind and soul! We still have ties to our other parish with many friends, and Alex has decided to spend his senior year there (although he has been attending youth nights at this new church and has been enjoying it immensely). Xavier still teaches an adult class there as well, something he is truly thankful for! Teaching gives him so many blessings!!!
Our latest blessing was the gift of Life! Alex was in a car wreck last weekend. That is a call no parent ever wants to get! Alex's guardian angel was definitely working overtime! He survived a wreck that totaled his car with no major injuries. Ok, well, maybe his pride was injured....it's really humbling to be a senior in high school, and being taxi'd around by your older brother or parents.... Seriously though, he had one tiny scratch on his wrist and some bruising of his chest. After working all evening on Halloween, he fell asleep at the wheel and ran into a parked truck! Through it all, he never lost his sense of humor (the same humor our family is notorious for...).
These were just some of the major blessings we have taken notice of this year. We know we have been blessed daily with many many other wonderful blessings both big and small.
On another note, during this month of November, our family pauses to pray for those loved ones that have passed from this life to the next. Opal Marburger and Barbara Lindberg, (my aunts) will be greatly missed until we meet again at the throne of God!
I hope this November finds others able to count the blessings in their lives! It is a great thing to look at our blessings received, as we then get ready to receive the gift of Christ during the season of Advent and finally Christmas time itself!
I want to end this entry with a small excerpt from our Letter from the Pastor in today's bulletin. I found that while it applies not only in the context of our parish life, but also in the lives of our families at home!:
"We are not here merely to maintain a bunch of buildings and programs to serve ourselves and
our needs. We can fall too easily into the trap of doing the same things in the same way
because that is how we have always done them. It is hard to maintain any kind
of vitality when we fall into maintenance only mode.
No, we are here on a mission, we exist and called to mission work!
Our mission is to love God and to grow in holiness and goodness. Our mission
is to love God and share that love with others in words, action, service and
worship. ." Fr. Troy Gately
To begin with, during this time of recession, Xavier has been blessed with a steady job. This blessing has enabled me to continue to stay home and homeschool Cameron and Isaac, while also enabling us to continue Alex's education at a wonderful Catholic school. For my part, I have taken greater notice of my own responsibility to be a good steward of the income my husband has been able to bring home. We have had to make many small changes and several big changes in our lifestyle, but we have done it prayerful, with love and discernment. This has in turn helped us turn our eyes more to the Lord and away from other things. With this blessing, Xavier has had his traveling increased, but with that, God provided help at home for me with Zach back home for a while. Homeschooling itself continues to be a huge blessing for our family. We have all learned so much and have gotten to experience so many wonderful things! I am so grateful for the strengthened bonds of love that being at home with my boys has given myself and each other!
Next on the blessing list has to be the fact that our Kyra was finally stationed here in the United States. In May, she came home for several weeks-and they were some of the most wonderful weeks of our year! While here she was able to purchase her first car, then she and her dad made a roadtrip to California where she will be stationed for the next couple of years. They made the trip safely, praise God! She has had some adjusting to do, but she is venturing out to explore her new surroundings and take stake in her new home. Then we were doubly blessed with her being able to come back home for a long weekend for Labor Day! It was a wonderful weekend. We are SO blessed that our children have such strong, loving bonds with each other!!! That is definitely something to be grateful for!!!
Next is a sort of mixed blessing. Zach was not able to get the funding he needed for the next semester for college, due to lack of commitment on his part. He came home and told us he wants to be in the Air Force. He had already taken some of the preliminary steps but needed to lose a lot of weight to enter. Now the blessing part...losing weight was something he has needed to do for a long time and now he had the motivation to do it and do it right! He has steadily been losing weight in a healthy manner. He has been blessed with a job that leaves him free to help me here at home during the week, while keeping him busy and earning an income on the weekends. He has matured quite a bit in the last several months!
The next item on our blessing list might sound strange, but for us it was a huge thing. For several years, Xavier and I have prayed long and hard about where God wanted us to be as far as parishes. We had been with only one parish our entire time here but steadily over the years, we were aware of some needs, especially spiritual ones, that were not being met where we were at. We saw the impact the absence of those needs made on our older children and knew that our younger two needed something more. This last year, God made it very plain where we needed to be and He opened our childrens hearts to this change. Cameron has been wonderfully blessed by the childrens choir he has joined and both he and Isaac love being able to attend CCE on Sunday...truly the Lord's Day! Our hearts have been lightened with the joy of the Lord...something that was missing for a while! Who knows what the Lord has planned for us down the road, but for now, He is truly ministering to our family's heart, mind and soul! We still have ties to our other parish with many friends, and Alex has decided to spend his senior year there (although he has been attending youth nights at this new church and has been enjoying it immensely). Xavier still teaches an adult class there as well, something he is truly thankful for! Teaching gives him so many blessings!!!
Our latest blessing was the gift of Life! Alex was in a car wreck last weekend. That is a call no parent ever wants to get! Alex's guardian angel was definitely working overtime! He survived a wreck that totaled his car with no major injuries. Ok, well, maybe his pride was injured....it's really humbling to be a senior in high school, and being taxi'd around by your older brother or parents.... Seriously though, he had one tiny scratch on his wrist and some bruising of his chest. After working all evening on Halloween, he fell asleep at the wheel and ran into a parked truck! Through it all, he never lost his sense of humor (the same humor our family is notorious for...).
These were just some of the major blessings we have taken notice of this year. We know we have been blessed daily with many many other wonderful blessings both big and small.
On another note, during this month of November, our family pauses to pray for those loved ones that have passed from this life to the next. Opal Marburger and Barbara Lindberg, (my aunts) will be greatly missed until we meet again at the throne of God!
I hope this November finds others able to count the blessings in their lives! It is a great thing to look at our blessings received, as we then get ready to receive the gift of Christ during the season of Advent and finally Christmas time itself!
I want to end this entry with a small excerpt from our Letter from the Pastor in today's bulletin. I found that while it applies not only in the context of our parish life, but also in the lives of our families at home!:
"We are not here merely to maintain a bunch of buildings and programs to serve ourselves and
our needs. We can fall too easily into the trap of doing the same things in the same way
because that is how we have always done them. It is hard to maintain any kind
of vitality when we fall into maintenance only mode.
No, we are here on a mission, we exist and called to mission work!
Our mission is to love God and to grow in holiness and goodness. Our mission
is to love God and share that love with others in words, action, service and
worship. ." Fr. Troy Gately
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Obviously, since I am sitting here typing this entry, something went right with my surgery. Actually, it was much less traumatic than I had thought it would be.
My mom and dad drove me to the hospital, so Adrian could stay home with the littles. After we passted the building a few times - thanks to my stellar directions - we walked in the main doors and then followed the hallway mazes until we finally reached the operating waiting room. Soon after sitting down, I was greeted at the hospital by a very kind nurse - she explained that there had been an emergency and my surgery was going to be bumped ahead by an hour. (I hadn't eaten all day, and it was already 4 in the afternoon.) I reminded myself to be thankful that I wasn't the one with the emergency, then settled in for the extra hour of stomach rumbling and sitting.
Before I knew it, the kind nurse was calling my name. She had me change into the (very sexy) gown and robe, then had me "get comfortable" on the table. (Why do they ALL say that? I am sorry, again, but those tables are NOT comfortable!) Another nurse brought my parents into the room, then, yet another nurse, placed an IV in my arm as I held tightly to my daddy's hand. (Yes, after 8 babies, I am still a big baby when it comes to needles.) Various nurses and doctors came in to ask me questions like, "Can you verify your birthdate?", "What is your last name?", "What are your allergies?"....even though they had all of the answers right in front of them on my chart. When the questions were done, a nurse said, "Okay, Rebecca, you will start to feel a little sleepy now". She was right! I didn't even think to correct her and tell her that she could call me "Beckie". I vaguely remember being wheeled to the operating room, and moving to the table in there. I was a bit concerned that my butt was showing, but was too tired to do anything about it except make a comment that I was sorry. When I was on the operating table, a far away voice told me to take a few deep breaths. For a quick moment I panicked, thinking I might not fall asleep completely, and would feel everything!..
...then I woke up. (Whew! I did fall asleep.)
The nurse brought my parents into the recovery room, and offered me a soda. Mmmm.... CAFFEINE!! Mountain Dew had never tasted so good! She also brought me a graham cracker. It tasted like a gourmet meal!
My mom told me that the doctor had been out to talk to them. Everything had gone well - my kidney stones had broken apart. Hooray!! I was so thankful. After eating my cracker and drinking my soda, I got dressed and the nurse gave me my discharge papers. I would be sore, but they gave me a prescription to help with that. After a quick thank you to everyone who had been so kind to me, my parents led me out of the hospital.
Adrian had plans to go hunting the following day, but stayed home with me to help me as I healed. (I was quite sore for a few days.) Two days later, he ended up with H1N1. He was super sick, and ended up needed my help more than I needed his help! Then the kids got sick...and needed us both to take care of them. I am still not sure how we made it through the week. Only by the grace of God!!
"O Lord my God, I cried out to You, and You have healed me." (Psalm 30:2)
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
In Him, Beckie
Oct. 31, 2009
Finally.... Surgery Update
Obviously, since I am sitting here typing this entry, something went right with my surgery. Actually, it was much less traumatic than I had thought it would be.
My mom and dad drove me to the hospital, so Adrian could stay home with the littles. After we passted the building a few times - thanks to my stellar directions - we walked in the main doors and then followed the hallway mazes until we finally reached the operating waiting room. Soon after sitting down, I was greeted at the hospital by a very kind nurse - she explained that there had been an emergency and my surgery was going to be bumped ahead by an hour. (I hadn't eaten all day, and it was already 4 in the afternoon.) I reminded myself to be thankful that I wasn't the one with the emergency, then settled in for the extra hour of stomach rumbling and sitting.
Before I knew it, the kind nurse was calling my name. She had me change into the (very sexy) gown and robe, then had me "get comfortable" on the table. (Why do they ALL say that? I am sorry, again, but those tables are NOT comfortable!) Another nurse brought my parents into the room, then, yet another nurse, placed an IV in my arm as I held tightly to my daddy's hand. (Yes, after 8 babies, I am still a big baby when it comes to needles.) Various nurses and doctors came in to ask me questions like, "Can you verify your birthdate?", "What is your last name?", "What are your allergies?"....even though they had all of the answers right in front of them on my chart. When the questions were done, a nurse said, "Okay, Rebecca, you will start to feel a little sleepy now". She was right! I didn't even think to correct her and tell her that she could call me "Beckie". I vaguely remember being wheeled to the operating room, and moving to the table in there. I was a bit concerned that my butt was showing, but was too tired to do anything about it except make a comment that I was sorry. When I was on the operating table, a far away voice told me to take a few deep breaths. For a quick moment I panicked, thinking I might not fall asleep completely, and would feel everything!..
...then I woke up. (Whew! I did fall asleep.)
The nurse brought my parents into the recovery room, and offered me a soda. Mmmm.... CAFFEINE!! Mountain Dew had never tasted so good! She also brought me a graham cracker. It tasted like a gourmet meal!
My mom told me that the doctor had been out to talk to them. Everything had gone well - my kidney stones had broken apart. Hooray!! I was so thankful. After eating my cracker and drinking my soda, I got dressed and the nurse gave me my discharge papers. I would be sore, but they gave me a prescription to help with that. After a quick thank you to everyone who had been so kind to me, my parents led me out of the hospital.
Adrian had plans to go hunting the following day, but stayed home with me to help me as I healed. (I was quite sore for a few days.) Two days later, he ended up with H1N1. He was super sick, and ended up needed my help more than I needed his help! Then the kids got sick...and needed us both to take care of them. I am still not sure how we made it through the week. Only by the grace of God!!
"O Lord my God, I cried out to You, and You have healed me." (Psalm 30:2)
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
In Him, Beckie
Oct. 29, 2009
Tot School
Here are a few of our recent activities within our Tot School!
My youngest children enjoyed matching numbers using this Scarecrow File Folder activity.
We read Goodnight Moon with our FIAR Club. Here is a paper we did with that.
It was a coloring picture. They colored in the items in the room in crayons then to make the room green. They used green watercolor paints. (They love painting!)
We also did a few fun Tot Tray activities. I was organizing the Tot activity cabinet and these activites my youngest wanted to work on.
This one is just placing marbles on the suction cups of a patterned bath mat piece. I found some fish shaped ones. This is a fine motor skills activity.
This one is a color sorting activity. The ice cream bowls and scoops I found inexpensively. I put those three colors (blue, green, & Yellow) of pompoms in a container. They had to take the color ice cream scoop they wanted and use it to sort those colored pompom balls into the matching bowl.
The picture below shows two other things (characters) my little Tot is currently enjoying:
If you want to see what others are doing in their Tot Schools, check out 1+1+1=1 blog.
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Oct. 21, 2009
School in October.....has it's ups and downs!
Well, we are still chugging along here at the Heart and Mind Academy! I would say things are going routinely, but that has not been the case yet, which, I guess, is one of the key things about homeschooling...flexibility! (well, almost....co-op does require some sort of regularity...!
We have found some time to enjoy a few park days...but not many. Hopefully with the cooler weather coming, we can figure out how to do more of that! We had a great Museum Day this month. One of Cameron's classes was on "The Food of the Ancient Civilizations" ( the other class was on the eye, complete with dissection). Cameron got to make and taste some of the foods we had read about in our history lessons (he said the cheese was gross
). Then our IMAX (in 3D this time) was Ancient Egyptian Mummies. Again, tying in with our history class very nicely! (I like it when that happens...)
We had a small field trip to the zoo to observe bears. They mostly slept. Grizzly bears have very long claws! Isaac especially enjoyed the "spectacled bears". He love saying "spectacled bears"!
This past weekend we went on something called the Texas Outdoor Family Event. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department puts on these events at various State Parks. It is basically "camping 101" for either beginners, people like us who haven't camped in a long time, or just as a refresher course. Since each State Park is unique, each event is unique. We camped at Inks Lake State Park in Burnet, Texas. Since it had been about 7 or 8 years since we had been camping, which meant Cameron was too young to remember it, and Isaac had never been, we felt this was an excellent way to introduce the boys to outdoor adventures. The boys really enjoyed the weekend! Cameron learned how to set up camp, cook, kayak, fish and geocache. They also learned about night time sounds they might hear when the went to sleep. They got to see the Milky Way for the first time (we live in Houston....not a lot of stars can get through the "light noise" of the big city). The night sky looked like someone had thrown sparkles all over!
Isaac got very nervous around dark...asking every 5 minutes when we were going to go "home". He spent the night clutching my hand, but he did eventually fall asleep.
This week, Xavier is off in florida till Saturday evening. Next week, we'll go as a family to the Texas Rennaissance Festival "school days". This has become a favorite event for us. We meet my parents and my sister and her family there and spend the day in medieval times!
!We have found some time to enjoy a few park days...but not many. Hopefully with the cooler weather coming, we can figure out how to do more of that! We had a great Museum Day this month. One of Cameron's classes was on "The Food of the Ancient Civilizations" ( the other class was on the eye, complete with dissection). Cameron got to make and taste some of the foods we had read about in our history lessons (he said the cheese was gross
). Then our IMAX (in 3D this time) was Ancient Egyptian Mummies. Again, tying in with our history class very nicely! (I like it when that happens...)We had a small field trip to the zoo to observe bears. They mostly slept. Grizzly bears have very long claws! Isaac especially enjoyed the "spectacled bears". He love saying "spectacled bears"!
This past weekend we went on something called the Texas Outdoor Family Event. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department puts on these events at various State Parks. It is basically "camping 101" for either beginners, people like us who haven't camped in a long time, or just as a refresher course. Since each State Park is unique, each event is unique. We camped at Inks Lake State Park in Burnet, Texas. Since it had been about 7 or 8 years since we had been camping, which meant Cameron was too young to remember it, and Isaac had never been, we felt this was an excellent way to introduce the boys to outdoor adventures. The boys really enjoyed the weekend! Cameron learned how to set up camp, cook, kayak, fish and geocache. They also learned about night time sounds they might hear when the went to sleep. They got to see the Milky Way for the first time (we live in Houston....not a lot of stars can get through the "light noise" of the big city). The night sky looked like someone had thrown sparkles all over!
Isaac got very nervous around dark...asking every 5 minutes when we were going to go "home". He spent the night clutching my hand, but he did eventually fall asleep.
This week, Xavier is off in florida till Saturday evening. Next week, we'll go as a family to the Texas Rennaissance Festival "school days". This has become a favorite event for us. We meet my parents and my sister and her family there and spend the day in medieval times!
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Oct. 16, 2009
Itty-Bitty Bookworm: I like Me
We recently had some fun with the book entitled I Like Me.
I teach a class of 2-5 year olds in our homeschool co-op. It is a Little Literature class. This month we did a book within the Itty-Bitty Bookworm's Bo curriculum. The book was I Like Me by Nancy Carlson.
In this story, the pig appreciates and takes care of herself. I was able to incorporate a reminder from the Bible, too. I told the children how each of them was a special creation, made by God. How each one is unique.
We did the coloring picture included in the curriculum:
We also made the booklets from the curriculum. I had each child work on the same page at the same time. They colored each page according to their hair color, eye color. I wrote the word on the line since most of the children in this age group can not yet write. For the favorite foods page, I had food pictures already cut out of a magazine. They choose pictures of their favorite foods and glued them onto their "I like to eat____" page. The books really turned out cute:
For a take-home project, I gave them a sheet with an outline of a child. They were told do a self-portrait by making the person look like themselves. They brought them back to me to see at our next co-op. A self-portrait is a nice additional project for this book.
If you are interested in learning more about the Itty-Bitty Curriculum, check out their website. They have literature-based curriculums. The Bailey curriculum is for 18-36 month olds. The Bo curriculum is geared toward 3-5 year olds.
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Oct. 16, 2009
Keeping up.
It's been hard keeping up lately. I know all of you homeschooling moms understand the schedule that comes with homeschooling 5 children. All of my children seem to have their own individual curriculums this year. Occasionally we will do a project like a lapbook together but mostly everything is separate... and that is a lot of subjects. My two youngest children do some activities together as well as some apart. We do Tot Trays this year. These activities are usually a hit with them.
I am telling you all this so you know why I haven't been blogging. I enjoy blogging and love the friends I made/make as well as the ideas and projects I find on other blogs. I just haven't had the time to sit down for myself and blog here. I do have some things ready to go though and will hopefully soon start blogging a little more often.
I might even keep my blogs more visual and write less words for the time being. You know... ease back in slowly, building up to when I can more easily post more. I am a very visual person anyway. I go to blogs more often that have a lot of photos and show crafts, etc. with photo steps/instructions so it will be more my style anyway! :)