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At Home With Jesus!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
***Another Update on Julie!***
Shortly after I posted the last update, things got really bad for poor Julie.
Her pain, fever and vomiting/diarrhea got worse and worse, and so did her coloring.
It was another long, horrible night at home, but we got her in to see our family doctor first thing in the morning. The doctor ordered an abdominal CT scan, which showed that Julie's appendix was very inflamed and that her pelvis was full of fluid - a possible rupture!
Julie was sent immediately to the hospital for emergency surgery.
I was SO frightened for her, and yet I had peace, as I knew she was in God's hands.
(Here she was right before surgery)
Her surgery lasted only about 45 minutes, and the surgeon said that her appendix had not ruptured, but that it was black and gangrenous. Thankfully, she sailed through surgery and recovery, and her first words to us were..."I feel SO much better!" (Praise the LORD!!!)
She was kept overnight for observation ( and so that she could continue to receive IV fluids and antibiotics) And although she is sore and very weak from her days-long ordeal....
Here is how she looked this morning before checking out of the hospital - MUCH better!
She is now home and resting comfortable.
We'll keep you posted as to her recovery.
Thank you EVERYONE for your prayers!!!
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Thursday, December 17, 2009
*Update on Julie*
After a tiring, (and somewhat scary) morning -
we decided that Julie needed to be seen sooner
rather than wait for her 4:00 appointment.
I called the nurse to see if there were any cancellations,
but after describing Julie's condition to her -
(lethargic, confused/delirious, and her color was gray-ish)
she thought it would be best if we headed straight to the ER.
Once there it was determined that poor Julie was quite severely dehydrated.
She also was low on potassium, and had the beginnings of a UTI,
so she was given IV fluids, potassium, anti-nausea meds and an IV antibiotic.
We spent 5 hours there, (and our wonderful neighbor graciously watched all 3 of my other kids on just a moment's notice. What a blessing!)
Tonight she is home again, and I wish I could say that she is doing better/resting comfortably, but the truth is she's not out of the woods just yet. She is having bad stomach cramping and is still losing fluids just as fast as we can get them in.
She is supposed to have a 'follow-up' with her own doctor tomorrow.
I fear it may be a repeat of today if we can't stop her vomiting/diarrhea.
Thank you all for your prayers. We really appreciate you lifting her up!
On a positive note - Paul made it safely home from his business trip.
However, he, too, will be seeing the doctor tomorrow -
as he is is pretty positive he has a sinus infection.
Tis' the season....I guess. 
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Thursday, December 17, 2009
Traveling woes
I'm starting to get very paranoid for Paul to take business trips anymore.
Typically either something major breaks (dishwasher, toilet, etc.) or we get hit with a wave of sickness.
This week was no exception.
If you could - please keep Julie in your prayers.
She has been hit especially hard this time, and hasn't been able to keep anything down for more that 24 hrs now. On top of that she has some strange rash on her cheeks (It's not 5ths disease - she's already had that when she was younger) We'll be seeing the doctor later this afternoon - to check and see if she is dehydrated.
Thanks for your prayers!
(But the good news is ... Paul comes home tonight!!!)
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Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Modest dresses for a pre-teen - do they exist?
So many people have commented lately on Julie's height.
"She's almost as tall as YOU!" is the usual comment these days. And they're right! 
Julie is is now almost 5'3" and wearing a ladies size 2-4.
The trouble is... all of the dresses we can find look like ladies dresses! 
Julie is still such a kid at heart, (still into dolls/toys, not really into makeup, etc) and she still wants to look like a kid.
We have even tried looking at Goodwill and on Ebay, but even there most of the dresses we are finding are inappropriate. (Spaghetti straps, scooped necklines, etc.)
These are the types of dresses she prefers...
but we just can't find them (at an affordable price) in her size.
(Girl's 16's are too small.)
Does anyone have any recommendations of where to look for clothing for her?
(Or maybe it's time I learned to sew better.  )
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Monday, December 14, 2009
Julie's first concert
Monday, December 14, 2009
Drum roll.................
I printed out all of the comments
Cut them into strips and put them into a bowl.
Miss Katie had the honor of choosing one....
And the WINNER is........
Congratulations, AMBER !!!!
*And I might add..... DOUBLE congratulations to Amber, as she is going to have her baby THIS WEEK!!!!
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Friday, December 11, 2009
Christmas Giveaways!
***BUMPING THIS UP!***
As my Christmas gift to you,
I've decided to host a few giveaways over the next couple of weeks. 
My first giveaway will be for this set of Christmas cookbooks
The winner will be chosen by random drawing - All you have to do to enter is leave a comment with your name, (and make sure you link to a blog or leave an email so that I can contact you in case you win) ;-)
To get your name entered a second time..... link to this giveaway on your own blog, and post one of your favorite Christmas recipes! (Be sure to comment and let me know about the link - so I can add your name a second time.)
Entry deadline is midnight Saturday Dec 12 - Winners will be chosen sometime on Sunday the 13th.
Merry Christmas Everyone!~
Michelle
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Thursday, December 10, 2009
Out of Rome!
We are done with Rome and have moved on to the Byzantine Empire!
This is the point where I had planned on switching things up a bit from MFW's plans.
We are omitting a few books (Trial and Triumph, Streams of Civilization) and will not be doing the memory work in for the Bible portion, although we will still be doing the Bible readings (and the reading selections from Victor Journey Through the Bible.)
But from here on out - the kids will also be using separate Bible programs.
Joseph really missed doing CLE Bible, and so he is picking up where he left off a year ago, and using CLE 3. (Since it is only 1/2 year program, he will probably move on to level 4 before the year is out.)
He really enjoys all of the puzzles and activities, and more importantly...he is learning a lot.
Julie has started the first part of her 'confirmation' lessons, (the classes she must take to be considered a full 'adult' member of our church,) and so her new Bible study book was given to us by our church.
Julie was given the option to go to the confirmation classes for the public school kids at our church, but we opted to just do the book at home. It's an 'okay' book....Definitely written more for a school setting, and since I don't have a teacher's guide, sometimes figuring out the precise wording they are looking for in the answers isn't the easiest. (And yes, I could buy a TE, but they are $55  )
 Each lesson is about 3-4 pages long, so we just weren't finding enough time for that and all of MFW Bible.
For history, we have moved on to using Story of the World - Volume 2 as our main history spine.
We have also decided not to continue with Streams of Civilization from this point on (since it is written at a high school level - I just felt it was not 'age appropriate.')
Instead we are choosing to use the Christian Liberty Press 6th grade textbook
In addition, we are adding the activity guide and tests to Story of the World- Vol. 2 (SOTW2)
The kids are pretty excited, as they enjoyed the activities in Vol. 1 when we did it a couple of years ago.
(And Joseph is thrilled because the pre-written maps and worksheets means less he will have to write out by hand.) 
Here are some samples from this week
Coloring page of the Hagia Sophia
Mapwork of the Byzantine Empire (before and after Emperor Justinian expanded the borders)
And Julie really liked the paper dolls of Justinian and Theodora
Occasionally we will do one of the MFW recommended notebooking pages
For art - we are using a fun series called " Draw and Write Through History" that gives step-by-step drawing lessons of various events and landmarks from history.
The kids have been working hard on their 'cutaway' drawings of the Roman Colosseum.
We're learning about perspective and shading. (They're about 1/2 finished)
And we're switching things up a bit for Katie, too. She has also enjoyed CLE Bible - and we are slowly leaning towards using CLE for more subjects for her.
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Wednesday, December 9, 2009
First snowstorm
It looks like it's going to be a white Christmas after all!
 It was garbage day today, and I had to shovel a path just to go get the can!
Even my clothesline is burried (And can you see my poor sagging trees in the back? They're all bent under the weight of all that snow!)
 (But I thought the snow on the lines was actually kind-of neat!)
The kids had lots of fun playing in it!
 
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Monday, December 7, 2009
Our Staycation - part 2
Here are more highlights from our 'staycation.'
We are members of the local Children's museum, so we decided to go see their new exhibit on the human body, thinking it would tie in so nice with our MFW science.
But um.....the exhibit lived up to it's name.
 
The kids learned about bodily functions
 
And anatomy (here's Julie on the 'skin disorders' climbing wall)  
 the kids played a giant Operation game'
Annabelle had her own opinion of the... 'Name that Body Smell'... game.
(I agreed with her opinion!)
We enjoyed other parts of the museum as well.
(And this is the funniest picture of Joseph) He made me promise never to 'retouch' the red eye.
Other 'staycation' events
We (finally) celebrated our "Roman" feast. (Although the food choices listed in MFW did not appeal in the least to any of us - so we decided to make it an 'Italian' feast instead...and had lasagna!)
We also decorated the tree,
And made some treats to give to the neighbors.
It was such a nice relaxing week.
(Which is good because this week....the 'holiday rush' starts.
Programs and concerts and parties.....oh my!)
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Friday, December 4, 2009
Over the river and through the woods....
and a 70 mile drive in the car, and a really bumpy tractor ride to a field.....
all to find a Christmas tree!
In years past we have had an artificial tree, but every once in awhile we get the urge to get a real one. And this year, (mostly because there was no snow yet,) we decided not to just go to the tree-lot on the corner..... We decided to cut our own down!
Unfortunately, there aren't any tree farms locally...hence the 70 mile drive.
Although there was no snow - it was still very cold! (wind chills in the teens and 20's)
Good thing we all bundled up well!
Our transport was ready
 So we grabbed a saw and headed out into the frozen north woods
 It was a fun ride!
Then the search began. Everyone had different opinions on the 'perfect' tree.
  And some of us were quite sad when we didn't get 'our' tree
We hiked, and hiked, and hiked until some of us collapsed ....
(yeah....he was 'exagerating' a bit...so Katie decided to 'motivate' him a little - LOL) Others needed to be carried...
But eventually we found our tree!
 The men got busy with their lumberjack work
 And we all had another wagon ride back to the station
 (some of us were a bit tired after an hour hiking around in the cold....
  Others were happy and excited
 
Our tree was bundled and tied for the long ride home
 
And then came the best part....popcorn, cocoa, and cider in the chalet!
And now...we get to decorate! 
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Thursday, December 3, 2009
A fun and productive week
Paul has been on vacation from work this week, and we have had such a wonderful time.
We are having a 'stay-cation.'
I'm still having the kids do morning school (MFW only - not the 3R's) but the afternoons have been filled with family fun.
Joseph has used a lot of his down time to work on projects.
He and Paul worked together to build a model ship. - His first one with glue!
(We've used the snap-together kits up until this point.) They did a great job!
Finished! (although he still needs to paint it)
Joseph also decided to do a little woodworking.
 First he measured and hammered some nails into a round board.
and then he started weaving colored string around them
He's still got a ways to go, but he's of to a great start!
His pattern came from this website
The girls have also been busy. They made darling little church ornaments, and helped decorate HUNDREDS of cookies, ( to give to local Army reserve units,) with their Pioneers troop.
 
I also feel like I've had a productive week. Because we've been doing 1/2 days of school in the mornings, I am happy to report that....we'll be out of Rome by the end of the week!
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Sunday, November 29, 2009
It's that time again!
Time for our annual - 'day of torture' ...
also known as ....
"Try to get just ONE decent photo for a Christmas card day!"
And here are some of this years options....
We have your garden-variety 'eyes closed' poses
Or "Mom's finger over the lens" is always a winner....
Then there's the 'distraction' shot...
Cat on the floor (AND bonus eyes closed) shot
Awkward pose (and glowing eyes of doom)
And then things really went south....
It started with one
And spread from there
So if you end up with a 'boxed' card this year.... now you know why.
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Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
I just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!
In honor of today, Katie made her first lapbook called...Turkey Time!
(We used the project pack from In the Hands of a Child - although we 'tweaked' it a little' -
Yep.....I even tweak lapbooks)
Opening the folder
Originally the project pack called for the child to paint with popcorn, but
there was a darling poem called "Turkey In the Barnyard" on the first page,
so we opted to 'illustrate' that with a hand-print turkey instead.
This particular lapbook design called for vertical flaps - I added 2.
If you flip down the first flap, you can see a page about what people eat for Thanksgiving - including what Katie plans to eat - (chicken, corn and mashed potatoes.)
And on the reverse side of the flaps is a 'turkey feathers' game.
Katie counts how many feathers each turkey needs, and pulls them out of the envelope
Before we glued them down - she made sure they were all there - LOL.
Other activities include:
Counting popcorn
  Matching colors
and foods that begin with "T"
 
Now we're all set to enjoy our own Turkey Time...
or rather...chicken time... ( my kids don't like turkey)
I pray you all have a blessed day!
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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Preparing our Hearts and Minds
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Aside from Thanksgiving, this weekend also marks the beginning of Advent.
I had never formally celebrated Advent while growing up.
Yes, my (non-denom) church did a wonderful job of celebrating Christmas itself, but since it was a Bible church - we methodically studied a book of the Bible verse by verse until it was finished - no matter what the time of year. (I'll admit, I learned a lot that way!) They also did a great job of celebrating the birth of Christ. But in the weeks before Christmas, it was typically 'business as usual.' (There is nothing wrong with that, and some people thrive in that type of church, but as someone who LOVES Christmas...I wished we would focus on it a bit more....)
Then I got married and changed denominations.
Our current church follows a liturgical calendar : Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week/Easter, Pentecost, End Times...and then the cycle starts all over again.
I have found that I really love this cycle.
It focuses on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus,
and it allows me to focus on what that part of His life meant
in terms of God's eternal plan for our salvation.
And now we begin the season of Advent.
The time when we reflect on Jesus's birth, and we prepare our hearts and minds
for the 'advent' of the long awaited Messiah.
We don't do an Advent wreath in our house, (burning candles and preschoolers - not a good combo!) but we do 'prepare' with other activities such as:
reading books about Christmas,
learning Advent hymns,
having special daily devotions,
and making a Jesse Tree
Some of my favorite books for Advent are:
One Wintry Night (By Ruth Bell Graham)
This book has beautiful illustrations, and goes from creation through the resurrection.
It tells of our need for a Saviour, and why Jesus came.
Other favorites are
Mary's First Christmas, by Walter Wangerin Jr.
The Very First Christmas, by Paul L. Maier
Another book that we have liked is - Countdown to Christmas
 It comes as a 'kit' and it has a daily devotion with a corresponding ornament for that day.
(We have a little table-top Christmas tree that we hang these on.)
But I think even more preferred over the above book, is making a Jesse Tree.
  The kids really love doing this, and I think that having them draw the ornaments themselves makes it all the more special. I really feel like we are not only preparing our hearts - but we are making wonderful family memories as well.
Here are a few links that I have used over the years for our Jesse Tree devotions
*(Note - I have NO affiliation to any of these churches/denominations - and so I am not sure about any doctrinal content on these sites.  We do use their Bible reading schedules, and some have printable ornament templates....just in case you don't want to make your own. )
This one is my favorite for younger kids
http://www.rca.org/Page.aspx?pid=1628
And I like this one for slightly older kids
http://www.cresourcei.org/jesse.html
This one has some ornaments to download/print
http://www.eriercd.org/jessetree.htm
Come , O Long expected Jesus,
Born to set your people free;
From our sins and fears release us
By your death on Calvary.
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope to all the earth impart,
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
*For even more great books and Advent ideas, visit my good friend Daisy's blog!
The Quiet Life
Have a very blessed Advent!
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Katie
I haven't blogged about Katie's progress in school for awhile - so I thought I'd post a little update on how she's doing.
Her neurological issues, are still present, although she is finding ways of coping with them better. Thanks to her braces, her tiptoe walking has greatly improved. She is able to go for much longer periods without her braces now, and only occasionally do I catch her up on her toes.
Her tremors and speech are what challenge her the most now - and I think she is at the point where she realizes she is 'different'. It has shaken her self-confidence a little. I need to be extra patient and encouraging with her while she does her lessons, as she gets discouraged quite easily. :-(
We've really been focusing on phonics lately. CLE's Learning to Read program is going great, and Katie is reading several 3 and 4 letter words, and even sounding out a few simple sentences.
She is getting better at listening for beginning/middle/end sounds in a word, although it still poses a challenge to her. Rhyming is also quite difficult for her. For further practice in decoding words - we are using Explode the Code.
Pages like this are frustrating for her, and it can take her several minutes to 'sound out' just one sentence. :-(
 I have recently discussed with her pediatrician the possibility of having her tested for specific learning disorders, so that I can better know how to help her with her work.
One area that she actually does very well in is penmanship!
She loves to do her Handwriting Without Tears workbook, or write/draw in her journal.
(Quite the opposite of Joseph - LOL.)
(For her journal she narrates to me what she wants to say - I write it down - and then she copies it.)
She is doing surprisingly well in math. We are using Singapore 1A right now.
I had thought about switching her to CLE math - but since she's doing so well with Singapore, I might just stick with it.
For our main program - we're still using Heart of Dakota's - Little Hearts for His Glory.
We've slowed it down, and changed things a bit, due to our heavy focus on phonics, but the 'heart' of the program is still there. (As with most programs - I'm not completely happy unless I tweak it a bit)
 (I do love how these guides are laid out though!)
Katie really loves the art and science projects that LHFHG has scheduled.
 
Aside from school Katie has really developed a love for her baby dolls lately.
She saved up her own money to buy a 'diaper bag' full of doll care supplies, and she spends most of her free time mothering her 'babies.'
 (She even wanted a sling for baby-wearing!... How could I say no?)
If asked what she wants to be when she grows up - she replies,
"A mother."
That's my girl.....
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Saturday, November 21, 2009
Little ballerinas
This was a very exciting week for Katie-Noel and Annabelle.
It was "parent observation week" at ballet class!
At the end of their class, the parents were called into the classroom to see all that the girls have learned up until this point. They even put on a 'mini-recital.' It was SO cute!
Of course...this would have to be the week that we forgot their shoes....
I love my ballerina girls!
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Thursday, November 19, 2009
How's violin going?
Thursday, November 19, 2009
FIAR - Cranberry Thanksgiving
We thought we would take a break this week from our regular (CLE) reading curriculum to enjoy a week of 'rowing.' In honor of next week's holiday - we are rowing Cranberry Thanksgiving, by Wende and Harry Devlin.
This is a book that I have always wanted to row, for purely 'selfish' reasons.
(It is by the same authors as one of my all time favorite childhood books - one that I still have tucked away in my own box of 'special memories' from my childhood....) ;-)
But ...for this week...back to Cranberry Thanksgiving...
As usual, we found many wonderful resources at Homeschool Share
We learned all about cranberries -
And did you know that our home state of Wisconsin is the #1 producer of cranberries in the US?!
We found lots of great information - ( including a fun kids activity book!) - here at the website of The Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association.
 We even had cranberries with our dinner one night this week - (2 out of 4 kids loved them!)
The rest of this week we have been learning about Thanksgiving,
and the history and traditions associated with it.
 
We made up a menu and guest list for a feast of our own
 And discussed the true meaning of the holiday
We wrote 'Thank You notes'....to God
And we learned a traditional Thanksgiving hymn
I, personally, am very thankful for the opportunity to spend this time with my kids -
reading fun books, and making special memories. I am blessed.
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Wednesday, November 18, 2009
A 'failed' crochet project
I have this book on loan from the library, but I am going to have to buy this one - because I am in LOVE with the patterns in it.
It is called "Get You Crochet On" - Hip Hats and Cool Caps
![[image]](http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f141/mom2jjka/crafts/IMG_5581.jpg)
It is full of 'fun and funky' hat patterns :
reggae caps, hip-hop caps, visors, caps with ear-flaps,
and my favorite - a very pretty, lacy, turban-styled head wrap.
I just think they are all so fun!
But I thought I'd start with something easy just to get 'warmed up'...so I made the bun cover.
![[image]](http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f141/mom2jjka/crafts/IMG_5575.jpg)
I like to wear my hair up in a bun quite often, so I thought this would be something cute.
![[image]](http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f141/mom2jjka/crafts/IMG_5576.jpg)
But...um....it it obviously for women with very thick hair,
(which I do NOT have,) because it is huge. 
![[image]](http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f141/mom2jjka/crafts/IMG_5578.jpg)
I don't think I could ever have enough hair to fill it.
Not to worry though....Julie has promised to put it to good use....
![[image]](http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f141/mom2jjka/crafts/IMG_5579.jpg)
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