Feb. 5, 2010 - week in review

The Terrific Trio had a pretty good week this week.  We had lots of playdates and time with friends and some improvements in school work too! 

Em excelled in her reading comprehension this week! She did awesome!

Tyler enjoyed more Curious George books.  He especially enjoyed Curious George and the Hot Air Balloon...he read it twice!

Claire played school with her own students....

"Lil Ostrich was her favorite student!"

Claire was challenged this week with a little more expectation from her Explode the Code Book...and mom..making her right in lowercase letters...she absolutely hates to write the letter N in lowercase! Folks, we have had tears over it (sigh...) at any rate, look at what she did this week!...

She wrote "snip" and "snack" with lower case N's!  Woo Hoo!  She was so thrilled! 

Tyler worked hard on his Explode the Code too.  It helps his reading and penmanship.  His penmanship is looking awesome...the letters are getting smaller too (that is hard for Ty-but he is doing well..) see....

This looks really good!

Emily did lots of drawing, coloring this week....man, I cannot keep up with all of her beautiful pictures.  Emily also discovered Pokemon chapter books, thanks to Ty.  She is currently reading 2 of them at the same time now...so hopefully she will finish them! We will see-its progress!! 

I caught this beautiful Michigan sunrise the other morning...it was gorgeous...cold, but gorgeous!

Our library had a program for the Olympics and so we went to that.  Emily did not want to participate but Tyler and Claire made these cool pipe cleaner Olympians.  One is a snowboarder and the other is a skier.  Here is a close up view of the faces..I thought they were cute......

Claire's                                                      Ty's.

I made strawberry smoothies with my new blender (thanks Mom and Dad!)...its strawberries that I froze from this summer's picking, mixed with applesauce that I froze this fall and some sugar...they were awesome...we made them twice this week.  I could not get over how RED they were!

At ENRICHMENT DAY today....

ART:

They learned about Picasso and created:

Claire's

Emily's

Ty's

They did pretty good heh?  In Geography they learned about England (one of my faves!) They made a flag and had tea!  The kids said it was fun. Gym was gym from what they tell me. Hahaha.

All in all a great week!  One more to go and we get 2 weeks off!  WooHoo!!

~Lori

Feb. 4, 2010 - A knack for quilting??

Isn't the above scene serene?  I love it.  Today I learned a little about quilting at our church. Our ladies missionary union was tying off a quilt today for a hospital in Bangladesh and yours truly got a taste of quilting and has decided she REALLY likes it!  The lady who was in charge of teaching me said I had a real knack for it and has offered to show me more about quilting as she has ALL the stuff for quilting at her home. She said "you pay so much attention to detail-I like that!"  Wow!  

I found it to be so relaxing...just sitting there, making cute little knots.  I could have done that all day, except after about 1 1/2 hrs my fingers were getting sore.  She mentioned something to me after I had poked my finger.."They say you are supposed to leave a drop of blood somewhere on the quilt..hahaha"  I of course did not do that. I don't know if she was serious, but it got me to thinking.  I looked at the patterns in the quilt, so simple and intricate...each piece carefully selected and then attached to the rest. Much like our lives...God takes pieces of our lives, such as things we go through both good and bad and he attaches it to the rest of our life and our "life quilt" grows and grows.  But when she mentioned about the blood on a quilt I thought...yeah, like when we realize that Jesus' blood covers our sins, He becomes a part of our lives, forever.  I just thought that was sort of neat. 

~Lori

Feb. 3, 2010 - WORDLESS WEDNESDAY.....and the cat means it!

Mooch and Claire

Jan. 30, 2010 - Enrichment Day Fun.

We belong to a Homeschool Group in our area and so this year we decided to go to their Enrichment Day which happens every Friday for 10 weeks.  We just started 2nd semester.  The kids have been enjoying it for the most part.  In Art, they are studying famous artists and their style of art and then re-creating their own piece of artwork.   In Art for the past 2 weeks they learned about Rodin (pronounced Roe-dan), the father of Modern Sculpture.  He is famous for this piece:

The Thinker. 

My sweeties did not know the name of this piece, but knew that he was on "Night at the Museum 2-Battle of the Smithsonian."  Hahahaha...

Rodin was laughed at when he first started sculpting. But he never gave up and now his works are famous.  So, my little scupltors gave it their best shot and made their sculptings complete with name, because every piece of artwork has to have a name:

This piece is called "Flower," by 10 year old artisan-Emily (Its a meerkat)

This piece is called "Dinosaur drinking water" by 8 year old artisan, Tyler

This piece is called "Lunch" by 6 year old artisan, ClaireBear. (Its a hot dog).

In another class they have, Character Counts they are learning Geography so we are taking a break from our curriculum while they do this.  Last week they studied the globe and the names of the continents. This week they visited China and made Chinese lanterns.  During this class, they talk about the people who live in that particular country and they pray for them too.  In Gym they are learning cooperative games and learning things about different sports.  All in all, makes for an exhausting Friday-but FUN! 

After this week's Enrichment Day we went to lunch at Pizza Hut with their Book-It certificates and met some friends there and then went to their house and hung out for awhile.  It was a nice day!  Next week after enrichment day we have another play date with some other friends that we are looking forward to as well!

~Lori

Jan. 30, 2010 - week in review

Boy, I did not get on here much this week.  Not that nothing happened, but just that when I was finally able to sit down and think about putting thoughts together, well, I couldn't think.  So, now its Saturday, the shopping is done, and all is calm (for now)...so I think I will share with you what happened with the Terrific Trio this week!

On Monday, we went over to a girlfriend's house of mine and Tyler played chess with her 3 boys who are 13(twins) and 15.  Ty had a blast and loved hanging out with older guys!  He loved playing chess with the guys.  Zane, one of the twins, gave Tyler his Nintendo DS thing complete with charger and games because he said he doesnt play with it anymore.  Tyler was so thrilled, this is not something we would have ever bought him.  He did share it with his sisters, who enjoyed the Scooby Doo games...

Emily especially loved this little hand-held gem. 

We did some baking this week too:

Emily and I had a sweet tooth one day and so I bribed my "anti-cooking" daughter into the kitchen to make brownies with me.  What did I bribe her with???  I told her she could lick the bowl all by herself.  She is a sweetie though, she let her brother and sister help her.  I am not above bribes to help get Emily into the kitchen.  She does not like cooking and I'm not forcing her to "like" it, but I do want her to learn the basics like recipe reading, using measuring utensils, oven safety, etc....

Tyler did LOTS of reading this week.  At the library last week he discovered Pokemon Chapter books and he read 2 of them this week!  This is so awesome!  I inter-library loaned 4 more for him. He is so excited! Its so good to see him reading and enjoying it! 

Ty with one of his finished books!

Miss Claire had an exciting night at Awana as she earned her Book Review Patch!

The patch she earned is the blue one that is under her flight wings pin.  Each of those little jewels is a completed section or attendance award in her book.  She now is going to try and earn the little Sparky pin like she earned last year on the patch above.  She is working and trying so hard, I'm so proud of her.

All in all it was a great week, busy but good. 

~Lori

Jan. 22, 2010 - Penguin Day at the Library

Our library's homeschool program did a feature this week on "PENGUINS!"  Appropriate for chilly Michigan.  They read stories about penguins, learned facts about penguins, played penguin games and made penguin crafts and snack.  Here are some pics of the craft-its a game.

The straw in front was an extra treat for the kids.  They each got one.  The craft was really cool, it was a black veggy/soup can with wooden penguin feet bolted on. The kids added the rest of the penguin and the hat...its a game. Inside the penguin is a plastic egg on a piece of yarn and the idea is to get the egg in the can.

We have such a wonderful library staff. Those ladies always go above and beyond for the homeschoolers!  We are so blessed! They also made this cute penguin snack:

Doesn't that look yummy?

The best part of making a snack?  EATING IT!

WE LOVE OUR LIBRARY!!!

Lori

Jan. 22, 2010 - Treasure Tickets

I started a new incentive with my kids this week and so far so good.  We have this issue of "getting ready" in the morning...not me, them.  Hahaha...no one else struggles with that right?  (Be honest now). Anyways, to encourage them. I came up with 'Treasure Tickets."  Tyler has been learning in Sunday School about "storing your treasures in heaven."  And what are those treasures?  Things we do that please God...hmmm... like obeying!  So, this is how it works.  Each kid has to get up, eat, get dressed, take care of a animal, brush hair, brush teeth and be ready for school when mom says.  If they accomplish this obedient task, they get to pull a "treasure" out of their bucket.   If by the time school starts they have not accomplished the tasks, they do not get the treasure.  Soooo... WHAT IS ON THE TICKETS?  Well, its things like " No math today." OR "Pick 2 of your favorite subjects and do just those." OR "20 minutes of computer time-no matter what."  Things like that.  But geared towards each kid. THEY TOTALLY LOVE IT! 

So far so good, it works well. Plus I get to remind them of the importance that comes with obeying and how much God is pleased with that!  Learning moments!!

Lori

Jan. 22, 2010 - Awwww.....so sweet.

The other night, Tyler fell asleep and of course Dillon, our lab sleeps in his bed too, but I caught this picture of the two of them.

Doesn't it just make you want to say awwww....

Lori

Jan. 22, 2010 - Drum Roll Please......another 100% !!

Tyler is doing awesome at math, it comes very easy for him for the most part and he scored 100% on his chapter 5 test the other day!!  WooHoo!! 

Way to go buddy!!

Love, Mom

Jan. 19, 2010 - My Twin

I have often mentioned my twin sister. We are identical twins. And although we are identical we differ in many ways, but we are sisters forever!  Here is a picture of us together.  She came over to visit Sunday and it was soooo nice. 

Me                                    Cheryl

She has a blog too! You can read her inspirational writings here: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/writeonjavagirl  

LOVE YA SIS!  

Jan. 19, 2010 - Wordless Wednesday..okay, a day early. But Wednesdays tend to get away from me!

picture courtesy of Tyler

Jan. 19, 2010 - Tickle time!!

My kids were really goofy the other night, especially Em and Ty, it was quite interesting to watch....

It started out simple and quiet enough...looking at a toy catalog....

and then he said something to her....but at least instead of getting mad at him...she got even!

She was like "I'm soooo gonna tickle you!" And tickle him she did!

Claire was like "they are soooo silly!" 

Yep, she's right!

I just love my kids soooo much!

Lori

Jan. 19, 2010 - Great Improvement!

Tyler does not like penmanship and with his tics he has even more reason to dislike it.  BUT, all that aside he tries REALLY hard to do well.  We have been working on making our letters smaller and he is doing great:

Great job buddy!! 

Love, Mom

Jan. 18, 2010 - Praising God today!

I never tire of the joys God allows me on my journey of motherhood-NEVER.  Last night I was able to be part of the reward of training my children to KNOW HIM!  Claire for a few weeks has been struggling with the "whys" of salvation.  Do you know what that is about reader? Knowing and taking Christ as your savior, as Lord of your life? Well, Claire's hang up was about sin.  The bible says we are all sinners in Romans 3:23....We all do, say, or think,  things that go against God's laws.  Claire is just starting to realize that fighting, lying, sassing are all in this category of sin.  So...what's the problem with sin?

WELL, it separates us from God. God also says it must be punished. Romans 6:23 says "the wages of sin is death (separated from God), but the gift of God is eternal life through His son Jesus." Hmmm....You see in the old testament days people offered animal sacrifices and so they would take perfect unblemished animals and shed their blood to cover their sins-this pleased God back then.  BUT, JESUS-oh Jesus was to be the perfect sacrifice for once and always!  The bible says in Acts 16:31-believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.  When Jesus willingly sacrificed his own life in exchange for us, not only was that a pure act of love for us, it gave us a way to have eternal life when this physical life is over!!  See the bible says God is holy, perfect.  Sin cannot reside with God or in God's perfect place called heaven.  So, He provided a way so that we can be with Him!! And guess what? He wants us with Him! He wants YOU!   Jesus is a gift for us .....all we have to do is take it! We cannot earn it, or get it by osmosis....we have to TAKE it.  When a gift is offered, there are no strings attached, you did nothing to earn it...you have to choose whether or not to take it or reject it.  Simple.

So....back to Claire. It finally clicked that she was indeed a sinner.  She understood Jesus dying on the cross and believed that He did that for her.  So she asked to pray so she could be forever with Jesus! So, with her in the tub, me outside the tub I helped my little one find her way to God.  Oh, what a precious moment I will never forget!!  And as a dear friend of mine pointed out..."that's the first time I've heard of anyone getting led to Christ in a bathtub...hmmm...getting cleansed inside and out!" Love it!  As she was getting her jammies on she looked at me and said "Mom, you know what? Someon is not happy that I am saved now."  "Who?" I asked. To which she replied "Satan...Mom, he is soooo not happy right now!" I told her "That's right...he is stompin' mad cause there is one less child for him because you belong to God now!"  I mean, she has always belonged to God, but now, its by her choice, her heart, her life belongs to Him.   Does this mean she will never sin? That she will never have problems in life? NOPE. But, her struggles will not be alone, she will have her Saviour by her side, holding His hand, following Him.  She will always have God's forgiveness. God promises to His children that He will NEVER leave us or forget about us.  She can hold on to that promise forever no matter where His journey for her takes her.

Last night as I was tucking Claire into bed she said "Mom, tomorrow can you start showing me what I'm supposed to do now, now that I am saved?" Of course I said "You betcha!"  Oh, if we could all approach our days like that..asking God "what can I do for you today?"  Talk about expectations-even more reason for my life to be more of a better example now!  My six year old already understands that her life is different now and that with the Holy Spirit's help she is going to do some wonderful things for God! I love seeing God's plan unfold slowly in my children's lives and its even better to be a part of it!  I told Claire last night..."did you know that when someone accepts Christ the angels sing for joy?"  She said "even Gabriel?" I said "oh yeah, he's the one blasting on the trumpet!"  She totally liked that! 

THE ABC's OF SALVATION:

A=Admit you are a sinner (we all are, we do/say/think things that are against God' law)

B=Believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins

C=Confess that you want him to be Lord of your life, that He is the Son of God and that you want Him to save you so that you can live forever with Him.

You can pray something like this:  Dear Jesus, I love you so much.  I know I do a lot of wrong things, and I thank you and know that you died on the cross for all those bad things I have done and will do. I believe that you are God's son and I want you to be the Lord of my life, to live inside of me so that I can be with you forever.   

Its that easy.  

Love, Lori  

Jan. 15, 2010 - Mama's Don't Let your Babies grow up to be Cowboys!

My son is loving the whole hero/bad guy scenarios lately and he is determined that cowboys are the good guys hands down.  He dressed up the other day with dad's hat, boots, spurs and later a bollo tie and even COLOGNE!  He found his cap pistol (a toy) and the outfit was complete!  I couldn't help but kiss him, which of course he let MOM do!

He told me "Mom, I'll keep ya safe, dontcha worry!"  Awwww...can you blame me for kissing that little dude?

Lori