Mystery of Hist. Vol. 2
Music Ace Deluxe
Art Studies
"Cale" Seventh Grade
CQLA Level B
Purposeful Design Spelling
Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra
Literature from the Library (Ambleside Online)
Apologia's General Science
Boy Scouts
"Joe" Fourth Grade
Horizons Math 3
CQLA Pre-A
Purposeful Design Spelling
A Reason for Handwriting
Literature from Library (Ambleside Online)
Apologia Zoology 2
Webelos Scout
"Kade" Age Four
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 EZ Lessons
Horizons Math K
Interlock by: Weaver/AOP (Joy, too)
"It is only by introducing the young
to great literature, drama, and music,
and to the excitement
of great science,
that we open to them
the possibilities
that lie within the human spirit--
enable them to see visions
and dream dreams."
Eric Anderson
Currently Reading
Family read-aloud
Huckleberry Finn
Rick and I are reading together
I am reading
The Discarded Image
by: CS Lewis
by:
Our Morning Devotions are:
The Daily Bible
and
Plants Grown Up and
For Instruction in Righteousness
by: Doorposts
Big Truths for Little Kids
Cale and Joe are reading
Animal Farm
Cale is reading:
Land Under the Pole Star
by:
Joe is reading:
Island of the Blue Dolphin
by:
Kade is reading:
Magazines to which we subscribe:
Birds and Blooms
Consumer Reports
Answers
World
Favorite Music
Selah
Steven Curtis Chapman
Chris Tomlin
Gaither Gospel
Dixieland Jazz
Keith Green
Rich Mullins
Quote Collection
"Til sin be bitter,
Christ will not be sweet."
Thomas Watson
"We wish you PEACE
It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work.
It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart."
unknown
"Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness
has never danced in the rain."
unknown
"All I have seen teaches me to
trust the Creator
for all I have not seen."
Emerson
"There is only one way to lead a child down the right path
that is to go that way yourself."
unknown
"We find delight in the beauty and happiness of children that makes the heart too big for the body."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Cleaning and scrubbing
can wait 'til tomorrow.
For babies grow up,
we learn to our sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs!
Dust, go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby,
and babies don't keep!"
unknown
Jan. 27, 2010 - Making Changes
Hello Friends, I am making some changes. I have switched over to using a Mac and am having to re-learn so many things. So far I have not been able to get it to work nicely with HSB.....like I can't add photos or format my posts from the Mac. I'm sure it is a simple fix that I just haven't discovered yet. But because of that and because I want to be able to easily convert my blog into "real" books in the future, I am moving to a new blogging platform.
My new blog is: Seeing the Fingerprints
I was able to pass down some pants from my oldest son to Joe recently and realized something significant. It used to be that I could never pass down pants from Cale to Joe because Cale always got a hole in his left knee on all of his pants. He would play on the floor and that was the knee he would lean on.
But, now he doesn't get a hole in his pants anymore, because he's not little anymore.
He'll be a teenager in just a matter of weeks.
He does still play, mind you, but it looks more like this:
Yes, the boy has discovered paint ball and laser tag and all those other "big boy" things.
I reckon he will still get some holes in his pants doing those things, but maybe not always the left knee.
She was 13 lbs in December. I don't think that has changed much.
I enjoy dressing her up like a little doll.
She rolls over now and is four months old.
She likes to be in on the action.
She wants to see everything around her and doesn't like to be laid down.
She still protests if a stranger tries to talk to her, but she is getting a little less anxious about that.
So a few months ago (seems like an eternity now) I read the book "Not So Fast" by Ann Kroeker. The sub-title is "Slow-down Solutions for Frenzied Families." Cute, huh?
I'd really like to read it again, honestly, as it's all a bit fuzzy now. But what I do remember is that it was a great encouragement to me. Here was someone who put into writing much of what I have tried to incorporate into our family's life.
Ann challenges our culture and how we as mothers and families get sucked into the whirlwind of trying to do it all and excel according to what society says we should do. She talks about not cramming your schedule full of every activity under the sun. That it is really okay to not have each of your children signed up for sports or other extra-curricular activities.
For us we have chosen to do activities mostly as a family or where multiple members of the family can be involved simultaneously. All of our boys can do scouting on the same night at the same place. We really question what our motives and goals are before we commit to something. If it is to please someone else or to make us look better, it pretty much gets crossed off the list.
She also encourages us to slow down enough to open our homes to others for casual meals. To take time to really visit and have meaningful conversations. To eat dinner together as a family every day. With my husband's schedule it is not always dinner, but we try to sit down to one meal together as a family daily. That means that sometimes I will be cooking a big lunch before he goes to work and we will be doing school work after dinner time. It is a priority for me most of the time that we eat together.
Another area to scale back is on the TV and video game front. For many years we have only had about two channels on the TV and mostly watched DVDs from our collection or from the library. Even then I limited the amount of screen time the kids got. Recently my husband signed us up for a "cable" package. They are giving us $300 to try out their system. While I've enjoyed watching The Duggars, I admit that we have quickly gotten into watching too much TV and I can see the creativity of the children beginning to dwindle. I think we will be canceling our service soon. I am amazed at how much more the children bicker when they've been glued to the tube too much.
One of the things that really stuck out at me was not being too busy to be available when others have a need. Some of the times that I have been the most blessed are when God was able to use me to serve a friend in need. When I have been able to take a meal to a family with the flu or drop everything and visit a friend who is really struggling with depression is when God really blesses my heart. If I had to be across town for this practice or that event or whatnot, then I wouldn't be there for God to use me when needs arise.
These are just a few of the areas that Mrs. Kroeker addresses in her book. I highly recommend it. It is a quick and easy read and she is an engaging writer. You can check out her website at http://notsofastbook.wordpress.com
I just have to write this down before I forget.
I was driving Joy home and we were passing candy cane decorations.
She said, "There's a candy landy! Candy landies are yummy. Day make me sticky."
An acquaintance of ours is expecting her first baby. She thinks she wants to go natural with no epidural and wants to know my take on that since I've been through it a "few" times. My advice is to not watch Hollywood versions of childbirth or listen to the horror stories of everyone you know. Hollywood likes to dramatize birth and make it seem like a life and death situation that is just horrific to experience. Our culture has generally adopted that viewpoint. I think that causes women to be afraid of childbirth and pain. I loved the book, Ina May'sGuide to Childbirth for the birth stories it contained that were realistic, yet beautiful.
I also think that fear equals greater pain. The more you fear something and think it will be awful, then the worse it will seem. Kinda like getting a shot. If you think it's gonna hurt bad, then you tense up those muscles and it hurts way worse than it would if you would just relax. Same thing with childbirth. If you're tense and fearful, it's gonna hurt more than it has to. I'm not going to say that there is no pain with birth, though my most recent experience was not so bad. If you know what to expect and know what your body is doing, then it is not fearful and therefore, less painful. At least it's easier to deal with it all. And the moment of birth is an absolute miracle. A holy experience. I read a book 13 years ago when I was expecting my first that really helped me understand what my body would be doing and what I would experience physically and emotionally. I think it was called Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way.
I think the same may be true with death.
A friend of ours went on to heaven this week and it has me thinking. He was so ready to go and be with the Lord. He had no fear of what was ahead. He looked forward to getting there like a little kid on a car trip. Even though he had to leave behind his wife and grown children, he wanted to be with God even more. He was uncomfortable and I'm sure he had some pains as his body was shutting down, but he didn't let that effect his attitude and he was a wonderful testimony to his doctors and friends. I have heard that being present when a believer dies can be a holy experience, though I have not had that opportunity. I've also heard that for unbelievers who are dying it is a fearful, horrific time leading up to their death. They don't know what to expect, but it is certainly not a new life.
So, my prayer is that all of you, my readers, would know what to expect when you get to the end of your life...be that tomorrow or in sixty years. Study up on it in God's Word. Get to know Jesus as your best friend. Then when the time comes for our mortal bodies to end we can look forward with anticipation to being "born" into eternal life in heaven and the wonderful reunions that await us there.
I am ecstatic. I have connected with a group of buyers to buy food from local farmers. Most of the goodies are free of antibiotics, hormones, preservatives, etc. We even connected with a farmer who has raw cow milk and are trying our first gallon today. We've been drinking raw goat milk for almost two years now, but I've never had raw cow milk. It is totally different from anything I've had before. It's good, though. Hope doesn't know anything different from goat milk. I'm anxious to see if she likes the cow milk, but she has been napping since I got home with it. I am wondering if the meat will taste any different having been grass-fed vs. the feed lot variety from the grocer. I'm really looking forward to cooking our meals this week!
We will have Chicken Cassoulet, Sloppy Joe Pot Pie, Vegetable Chili, Chicken and Potatoes, and a pot roast. I'm considering a pumpkin soup, too. These are nearly all new recipes, so it will be an adventure.
We were supposed to go to Reformation Party today, but some of the children have a yucky cold and I didn't want to share that with others. I'm sure my son's cough would raise eyebrows and be truly scary to others on this day of fear. He is feeling okay, but sounds awful. Joy had a bout with a croupy cough last night and gave us a bit of a scare. Joe was so sweet to sit in the steamy bathroom with her and read her stories. It helped his cough, too. I put VapoRub on the bottoms of her feet and she hasn't coughed at all today. We'll see how tonight goes. Faith has the cold, too, but is a trooper and handling it well.
These were taken last weekend at an Egyptian Festival. The kids has fun doing an archaeology dig, learning about mummies, and making papyrus.
Highway Happenings
General Family Life KidCraze
Things the Kids Say and Do Baby Boulevard
Pregnancy and Baby News Meandering Path
Random Thoughts Rest Stop
From My Quiet Time Learning Lane
Homeschooling Out in the Field
Field Trips Idea Interstate
Holiday and Random Ideas to Share Tag Trails
Tags I've Completed
Books We Like:
Little Kid Books
Books for Ages 7 down Big Kid Books
Books for Ages 8 and Up Science and Nature Books
Science and Nature Books Historical Books
Books We Like for History Grown-Up Books
Books for Mom, Dad, and Teens
My advice is to not watch Hollywood versions of childbirth or listen to the horror stories of everyone you know. Hollywood likes to dramatize birth and make it seem like a life and death situation that is just horrific to experience. Our culture has generally adopted that viewpoint. I think that causes women to be afraid of childbirth and pain. I loved the book, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth for the birth stories it contained that were realistic, yet beautiful.
I have connected with a group of buyers to buy food from local farmers. Most of the goodies are free of antibiotics, hormones, preservatives, etc. We even connected with a farmer who has raw cow milk and are trying our first gallon today. We've been drinking raw goat milk for almost two years now, but I've never had raw cow milk. It is totally different from anything I've had before. It's good, though. Hope doesn't know anything different from goat milk. I'm anxious to see if she likes the cow milk, but she has been napping since I got home with it. I am wondering if the meat will taste any different having been grass-fed vs. the feed lot variety from the grocer. I'm really looking forward to cooking our meals this week!
