Nov. 10, 2009 - Deep Onto Deep
I am always in awe at how God works. I probably shouldn't admit that. I should just expect wonderful, amazing things from Him, but my humanness allows me to continually be in awe at how He works things out and together. He takes my breath away.
Yesterday morning, due to the happenings of the past week, I was lamenting the fact of the scarceness of deep friendships. I have many superifical relationships (you know the kind, "Hi, how are you? but you know that if you replied that you were a mess, they would still go on their merry way without missing a beat) but these are not satisfying to me. The people that I have these relationships with were no where to be seen when I needed them the most. I need more than this.
I have been blessed with two friendships that go way beyond surface. These women and I always travel into the nitty gritty of our lives and hash things out. These women know the real me. Not the one that I put on display in public. Not the one that always has a smile pasted on her face, even though her heart is breaking into a million pieces. These two women have helped me put those pieces together many a time. They know exactly why my heart pieces are lying shattered on the floor and they still stick around. They stil come around for more. These are the kind of friendships that I need right now. I know that I should be very thankful to have two of these kinds of friendships. Many people don't even have that many. I do feel very blessed that my realness doesn't scare these women off. I just want more of this.
I was wondering yesterday morning why being real scares so many people. Not only that but why does other people being real scare others We all have stories to tell. Does it make us feel more secure when we can pretend that we have it all together? Does it make our reality less real when we can pretend it away? I am tired of pretending.
Yesterday afternoon, a fellow homeschool family came for a visit. The purpose of this visit was to show the mom our reading program as she has just been told that her children are dyslexic and she wanted to see if our program would work for her kids. I have known B for a few years now. I really like her but she is a tough cookie to get to know. She keeps you at arms length. During the past year, though, I have felt that she has been drawing me closer. She has been a bit more real to me. She has been willing to let the facade crack a bit. She is one of the few, who called regularly to see how life was going for me in the past months.
We sent the kids outside to play on the hay bales and we settled ourselves in the living room. She asked me how I was doing. I told her of still feeling a bit fragile and explained to her why this feeling was still lingering. I don't really know how it all came about but B began to flow forth with realness. She began to tell me how life really was for her. I, then, reciprocated (because I didn't want her to be all alone, dangling on that branch) and started to divulge my own realness. In the span of an hour and a half, I was shocked (mortified?) at how much I had told her. We were both so real that it scared me. Not only were we real, but we were able to get deep in this realness. We didn't just share our stories but we tried to figure out how to give them a happy ending. We laughed, we cried and we prayed. We were deep.
Isn't God amazying? We came together under the guise of looking at a reading program but God had other plans for that afternoon. He knew that we both needed a friendship of depth and he gave it to us. Just like that. Both B and I knew that our friendship had just passed through deep waters. We couldn't get back into the land of supericial even if we tried. Thank you, Lord.
Nov. 9, 2009 - Dickens-isms
Mia and I are reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens this month. I stumbled upon this site yesterday and decided that I would use some of Dickens' quotes in starting a commonplace book for Mia. I think I have talked about this type of book before. It is a book solely for quotes, songs, poems, or Scripture verses that speak to you. Some people use a Commonplace book for figures of Rhetoric, others use it for examples of the virtues or the Great Ideas. For now, I just want Mia to use this book to put in quotes that speak truth, beauty and goodness. She will use these verses for copywork and use her best writing. I haven't decided if I will have her do it incursive (she is still a bit shaky with this) or printing. I am hoping that if I get her started well, she will be able to do this on her own without any prompting from her mom.
Anyway, I want to use the Commonplace Book for some quotes from Dickens. There are many to choose from so we might do a few a week until we are done his book of Scrooge. Here are some interesting ones that I copied.
A wonderful fact to reflect upon that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.
An idea, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little bit before it will explain itself.
A day wasted on others is not wasted on one's self.
I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order and diligence, wihtout the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time.
In the little world in which children have their existence, whosoever brings them up, there is nothing so finely perceived and so finely felt as injustice.
Life is made of ever so many partings melded together.
Whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried I have tried with all my heart to do it well; whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself completely; in great aims and in small I have always thoroughly been in earnest.
Nov. 8, 2009 - Book #47 -- Tell Me Pretty Maiden
I think I have found an author who is fast becoming a favourite. Rhys Bouwen is author of many books. These books belong to three different series. I have read books from two of her series (Her Royal Spyness and Molly Murphy) and have enjoyed them all. I keep picking up Bouwen's books at the library, meaning that I stumble upon them, I don't order them. I always feel like I have just met up with an old friend when I come upon one of her books on the shelves.
The most recent book that I have read of Bouwen's is from the Molly Murphy series' Tell Me Pretty Maiden. It is set in the 1900's. The main character is a female detective with wildly boisterous friends that always help her to solve her cases. This book, as with all of Bouwen's books, is chock full of action and is all tied up in a neat bow at the end. These books are definitely full mysteries but, oh! they are delightful fluff
Nov. 8, 2009 - Hospitality
Over the weekend I worked on some articles to do with Hospitality
My weekly, Live life with your Kids! newsletter. It is free to subscribe and then you can dig around in the archives. (This week's was titled "Show Hospitality")
Character Notes on Hospitality - these are just a collection of thoughts that I will be discussing with my kids over the next month.
Children need to be involved - an article listing some of the things that happen around our home.
Nov. 6, 2009 - What We Did This Week
This is our first weekly report of the school year. Why? Well, this is the firs week that we actually did something on consistent level. We actually did full days for the entire school week. Wahoo! It felt so good! I was thinking of continuing the survival mode of schooling that we have been doing since our little cancer bump but last weekend I had this overwhelming need to get back to life full tilt. So we did! We had an awesome week, too!
Math
We have been doing math for the past two months but it has been hit and miss. Mia is working on rounding numbers and applying this to division. Long division has been the thorn in our side as of late. It is hard for Mia to remember all of the steps as well as remembering when to multiply or subtract. Today, though, she did two sheets of her MUS book and she did them all on her own without pleads of help to me.
Rocky is still working with fractions but this week it has flowed over to time and money. He has done very well with this. I think our little foray into living math last week helped him in understanding what fractions were all about.
Missy is doing very well with math right now. I was a little concerned last year as she still didn't know her numbers. It wasn't for lack of teaching, either. She knows her numbers very well now as well her tens. I am doing the happy dance in my heart because I honestly didn't think she would ever get this. She is able to recognize the higher numbers as well. We did some adding this week with help from the abacus. We also played Swim to Ten, a Right Start game.
Language Arts
We had a major breakthrough with Mia's spelling this week. She wrote a story today about King Arthur. She wrote it on her own and did not ask for any spelling help. She was able to figure out the words by finger spelling, a strategy that is taught by Bartons Reading and Spelling. This program is worth a fortune but it is worth it! I have seen such progress in Mia's spelling and Rocky's reading. We have picked up Classical Writing again. I am enjoying this program. It is challenging but fun. This week our model was a fable by Joseph Jacobs. MIa diagrammed and marked sentences for parts of speech. She is doing very well with her diagramming. I think with more practise the marking will come along, too. We have finished Little Women this week. We had our 'end of the book' discussion today and talked about the themes of the book. I am very impressed with Mia's thought processes. She remarked that she thought Jo was a female version of Peter Pan because she didn't want to grow up. Mia also started a paper on the book. This is her first attempt at this sort of thing so I am giving lots of input to help guide her. The paper is simple enough, she is to discuss the characteristics of the four March girls. This is initiating her into writing an intro paragraph and how to support that paragraph.
We aren't doing grammar for awhile yet so Rocky didn't have too much work this week. He has started reading The Magic Tree House books. I am so proud of him. Last year at this time, he couldn't even read Level 1 readers and now he is able to read simple chapter books. What is even better is that he is proud of himself as well. He is on lesson 4 of Level 3 of Bartons and he is getting close to the teaching of the spelling rules. This will be a great challenge for him. Rocky is also doing more copywork. His writing is very sloppy so I have had him rub out the illegible letters and attempt them again. This has brought many tears and hissy fits this week. I think I have won the Mean Mom award of the week. If it means that I will have a son who can write so that you can read it, then I gladly accept the award.
We are still plugging along in teaching Missy the letter sounds. The problems she had with numbers last year are alive and well with her letters this year. We are moving very slowly. I am going to order a program that will, hopefully, help her with phonemic awareness but this program is so expensive and we just can't afford it right now. So we plug along with my feeble attempts.
History
We are now learning about King Arthur, Knights and Castles. Rocky loves this era so he is in his glory. We read about what makes a knight, what a knight wears and how they all came to be. The kids wrote narrations as well as stories about King Arthur. They also wrote Codes of Honour for themselves in true scroll-like fashion. We read some puzzle books on knights. My kids really like these Usborne books. We are also reading The Sword in the Circle by Rosemary Sutcliff. I have never read this book before but I am thoroughly enjoying it. The kids are liking it, too, but it is a bit over the head of Missy. She doesn't have a clue what is going on, but she hides it well.
Morning Time
Missy is memorizing The Castle Builder by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Rocky's poem is Bed in Summer Robert Louis Stevenson and Missy completed Singing Time by Robert Louis Stevenson today. We are still in the middle of Hamlet for our Shakespeare reading. For Greek Myths, we read The Tale of Arachne (Missy), The Gorgon's Head--The Wnder Tales (Rocky) and Baucis and Philemon--Age of Fables (Mia.)
Read Alouds
Missy and I started Matilda by Roald Dahl this week. Missy and I both love Dahl books. Matilda is one of our favourites. Yes, I know that the parents are nasty and it is wrong for Matilda to get revenge on them but it makes my heart sing when Miss Honey comes to give Matilda the kind of life that she should have had with her parents. I feel the warm, fuzzies with this book.
I am still reading The Return to the Hundered Acres Wood with Rocky. Nothing or no one can replace A.A.Milne but this book does well, considering. Rocky doesn't care who writes it as long as it about Pooh.
Mia and I started The Christmas Carol by Dickens today. We aren't going to have book discussions for every book so this is our 'just enjoy it' book.
We have a new family read aloud. We finished The Magic Half by Annie Barrows on Wed. The Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder was next on our list. The kids and I have been able to have some good discussions on bitterness after reading about this book's Mrs. Brewster. That woman is the epitome of bitterness.
Miscellaneous
We bought Model Magic this week and the kids have had great fun in making all sorts of creations. This has been our art class as I am not ready to do anything formal yet. Mia also started her art class at the Art Gallery. She is making stamps for this class. She thoroughly enjoyed it. We were able to do some baking, exploring, nature walks and we saw the most amazing sunrise yesterday. There is nothing like a Saskatchewan sunrise (or sunset) to nudge you to give thanks to the Lord for his awesome creation.
I am going to do something really nasty. This post has taken me way too long to write and it is past supper time so I am going to press SEND without editing. Please forgive me. I promise I won't make a habit of this but I can hear the herd rebelling up above me.
Nov. 5, 2009 - MIssing Out
I met a friend in the library earlier this week. I haven't seen this friend in awhile. She knew all about our little cancer bump, through hearing it via mutual friends. She asked me how I was feeling then said the old familiar words:
"I was going to call you but, of course, I didn't. I figured you wouldn't want to talk about it."
I had two immediate thoughts: 1) she made that decision (about whether I wanted to talk or not) for me and 2) the more accurate statement would be that she did not want to talk about it.
This has been a very common experience for me the last two months. People that I thought were my friends have avoided me like the plague. Some have even walked by me without acknowledging my exixtence. I know why they are acting like this: they don't know what to say, their uncomfortableness suffocates them into inaction. I totally understand this as I used to be like this as well.
I have been thinking about this very hard the last few days (it is at this point that my husband would back away in fear, so proceed with extreme caution,) and God has given me insight into this whole thing. I initially was hurt by the library incident (and every similar incident that I have encountered in the last two months) but now I just feel sadness for my friend. By avoiding me, she is missing out on amazing stories about how God has worked in my life and my children's lives in the past two months. She is missing out on glimpses of God's Glory. There have been so many ways that God has ministered to me in the past little while; ways of miracles. In avoiding me, people miss out on being encouraged by stories of God's healing, His comfort, His strength, His peace, etc. I could go on and on. The short of it is, though, that they are just plain missing out. They do not get to see glimpses of God. This saddens me.
An elderly gentleman from our church is in the hospital right now. He wants so desperately to die and be with His Father. He is having a very difficult time, as is his wife. B. C. (Before Cancer) I would have prayed for this couple but I would not have called or visited because my comfort zone would have held me back. Last night I called this lovely woman. I would have liked to have visited her husband in the hospital but he is deaf and is in a hallucinative state, I didn't want my kids to see that., so I called. We talked for half an hour. This wonderful woman told me story after story about how God has answered prayer, not just in this situation, but in times of the past. These stories were so encouraging to me. I thought later that if I had chosen to avoid that phone call, I would have missed out on all of those stories that gave my glimpses of God's glory and power. Her stories encouraged me.
Isn't it funny how God works? We make an effort to help someone or to encourage them and we end up being helped or encouraged. If we hadn't made that effort, we would miss out on all of that and so much more.
Nov. 5, 2009 - It doesn't happen every day!
There are two incidents that have happened around here in the last week or so that I just shake my head over – it doesn’t happen every day – thankfully! Let me tell…
The other day Pete had an early start to his day. He was filling up with fuel at the 24hour BP at 3.00am. As he was at the bowsers he felt the car drop down – he just thought the car was adjusting to the weight of the fuel but then the car started up and started to drive away on him. He looked up and there was someone in his car – driving it away. Someone was stealing his car – and he was standing right there!! He had the presence of mind to pull out the fuel hose, jump in the back seat and whack the gear stick into Park. The car stopped. He realised the woman in the car was so ‘out of it’ drunk that he got out of the back and walked around to help her get out of the car. She was very drunk, very distraught and had no idea!! Obviously she was still able to steal a car though.
I am personally very impressed with Peter's presence of mind. I would have had no idea what to do.
Second thing happening in our life is that we have acquired a Bull – he’s not a pet bull, he isn’t even really our bull but he seems to like us. Next to our farm there is a scrub block and it appears as if this bull has lived there quite happily for some time. But he has since found our place and seems to like the company. He has been right upto the house yard fence, grazes down near the chook shed, and today has been enjoying the shade of the mango trees. We would like him to be gone! He is very big.
Bull grazing on old bale of hay down near chook shed and veggie garden
Bull near backyard play area
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