Back To School

The fruit of our summer has been busy and now that school has begun maybe we can catch our breath.

I am using Rod & Staff Math and English for our little big family.

Also the twin girls are using Rod & Staff Phinics and Math.

My 13 year old will Be using Rod & Staff Math, and S. O. S.

My husband is back to work for the Public School System and I am back to work. ( Homeschooling)

I tried to read Charlotte Mason's Home Education volume 1 over the summer.  Boy, is that hard.  I want to implement so many things.  I think I will start with baby steps. 

First baby step will be 15 minutes a day outside.

Baby step number 2 will be sketch something.  Anything.  A blade of grass, a butterfly, a beetle.

Now keep in mind, I will be learning right alongside of the children.  They all already draw.  I uesed to.  So, here is an oppurtunity for me to use my artist ability for my children. 

And you know what I have noticed?  There doesn't seem to be any nature journals made by christians.

If you know of one please let me know, I would be so happy to go right out and get it! 

God's Creation is so enormously beautiful, how could there not be any christian nature journals?!

I just love the newness of every season!

These are two little baby birds that were found over the summer with no mama.  It is very hard to try to help motherless chicks.  They need their mama! 

We did everything we could to help them, and things looked good!  They were eating, drinking, and cheeping. 

 But they died.  They needed their mama!

Let us fight the good fight!  Let us guide, direct, and nurture our baby chicks.    They need us mamas!

May the Lord Bless and Keep you all this new school year.

8:53 AM - Aug. 21, 2009 - post comment

Back to school is fun.

Thank you for the encouraging comment left on my blog. I'm with you on the Star Wars legos. My 15yo grew up loving Star Wars and collecting the Lego sets--we became Christians when he was 7, and the discernment built slowly from there (he had all the Pokemon toys and cards at that time, too, but we sold them all on ebay the first year). Two years ago the Star Wars movies and the video games went out the door, along with LOTR and lots of other things. My son dismantled his sets and sorted the Legos into bins for more generic play. He did get a stop-frame animation software and they make some pretty funny movies these days.

Here's a sad story: Just last month, my 15yo son was writing the header for one of his math tests--for Unit 9. He uses Roman numerals. He wrote VIIII. I asked, "Didn't I ever teach you Roman numerals?" He said, "No, and I only know up to the number six because that's how many Star Wars episodes there are."

When they want some battle action--some boy stuff--we tell them some of the great Bible stories--like Jericho, Gideon, and David & Goliath. Too bad no one makes great movies of those stories. They clash each other with foam swords and yell a lot. Hunting season is near--my oldest will be doing that in his spare time, too.

One of my biggest, most shocking moments of enlightenment that I had was when I realized how bad "The Little Mermaid" was. God opened my eyes to the fact that Ariel rebels and disobeys against her father, signs a contract with the "devil," and then it all turns out "happily ever after." Yikes! All the Disney princess stuff went out the door, too.

Praying through the weight loss, still--for both of us. My baby is now over 9 weeks old. I'm down 8 pounds and one size. I am encouraged--and like you, I also am dealing with an umbilical hernia (from this last pregnancy). I have a stomach support brace--stretchy and closes with velcro--that I use to keep it all in and supported. Still have the sweet tooth from pregnancy, but I think it is fading. I actually didn't want any sweets yesterday. We'll see if I can get reprogrammed.

We did nature sketch books the first few years of homeschool. They turned out so pretty. I just bought blank sketch books from the art store and we tried to do one sample a week, even pressing real leaves and flowers onto the page with contact paper, next to their drawings. After we did a few drawing lessons from "Drawing with Children," my children's sketching abilities really took off.

I pray that God will bless your school year.
-Mrs. E

mrse - 4:14 PM - Aug. 21, 2009

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I will be praying for you as you continue to minister to your family! Baby steps are the only way to start! So thankful that God gives us milk until we are ready for meat!

So thankful to hear about the boys! I know that you hated to miss that though. I hope someone video taped!

I will try to call this week! Love, Eva

5atkins - 10:46 PM - Aug. 24, 2009

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thank you!

Thank you for the reminder that our baby chicks do need their mama's. While we know the child/ren will not actually physically die if we are not present...they may die spiritually which is even worse! Our calling is a high and great one and again, I thank you for this reminder that we are needed!

Annie - 10:31 AM - Aug. 27, 2009

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