Nov. 25, 2008 Cranberry Thanksgiving!
We spent the last week and a half on the cranberry bog of Cranberry Thanksgiving! We have spent some time with this book before. But since we love it so much, we dropped in for another visit.
This visit we stayed for the cranberry bread. What a learning experience! This was our first experience with cranberries, what a funny looking fruit on the inside! They looked so funky, we just had to bite into one. LOL...not what we were expecting. Winter Sprout thought it was more fun to stick his tongue out with one on it. And Summer Rose quietly passed hers along to her brother. Spring Blossom gave them the old nose up. :oD
After reading some information about these funny looking, festive fruits we made our bread. My children love to cook, and they really enjoyed the simplicity of this recipe. :o) It turned out nicely, and tastes great. However, I think next time I will look for another recipe to make it have a bit better texture. :o)
There are so many things to learn about in God's great creation. Thank you God for giving us the funny little cranberry. :o)
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Yes, but no. We don't live in a biome that recognizes Fall. LOL. But there are a few sensitive varieties of trees that loose their leaves. So, in other words, we have selective fall. ;o)
Yesterday while at the park, Winter Sprout and I took a long walk to the nearest potty. Right near the restrooms were the most beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow leaves. All on one tree. So after our park trip, dc and I went to collect some of those bright fall leaves. My children were in awe of the beautiful shades and how no two leaves were the same.
Such beautiful colors God blesses us with. The many shades of Fall are just a wonderful example. With so many things to be thankful for in our lives, do we ever stop to thank Him for the colors of his creation? Such beautiful shades that touch deep into our souls and make us feel truly happy.
Thank you God for all the beautiful colors of this vibrant season!
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Nov. 7, 2008 School Days... Nov. 4, 2008 We voted! Did you?
Our polling place is a 10min walk from our home. So, we packed up the stroller and took a nice Tuesday morning walk. ;O) My older two got really into the election and voting this year, and I felt I needed a picture of this date in history. My poor youngest was hidden amongst all the signs. LOL
And tonight we are having a good old fashioned American family BBQ dinner on the patio, to celebrate this historical day.
"Oh Lord please guide our nation today, and in years to come. Our nation and world are struggling, may the chosen candidate be the best fit for these troubling times. May you guide his hands, his mind, his spirit, and his heart to make the best decisions for our nation and the world. In God we trust. Amen"
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We moved in July. We had a lot a boxes left over, and I told the kids they could have some boxes for costumes. My older two decided to be robots, and we saved bottle lids since August to use as dials. My youngest wanted to be a pink fishy. We had a blast!
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Oct. 24, 2008 Hope Everlasting...
This is my piece that I will be sharing at our church's worship night. I am a complex and deep dreamer. I tend to get lost in my work.
This piece is showing our Lord's hands holding the cross between the great divide, and plunging right into our battle right along with us. As we are tossed by the sea, God is there to guide us and protect us. He does not fear the current or the waves. He has already been victorious in this battle, and so shall we. We are guided also by His Holy Spirit (represented in my piece by the lighthouse). It can shine in the foggiest of days, nothing too dense or dark for God's mighty spirit. The cliff represents our returning home to the glory with God forever!
I will be framing my piece in a matted frame. On the mat will be Psalm 25:20-21.
"Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope is in you."
Thank you for looking. :o)
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Oct. 13, 2008 How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World! Let's Go!!
We had a blast this morning with this book! It is already one of our favorites. What can I say, we love food! Anyways, we went on a world tour this morning, and we even brought our little cow home! (just like in the book) I love breaking out of the box and laughing with my kids! Thank you God for reminding me to laugh!
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Aug. 30, 2008 Phantom Tollbooth a family hit :o)
We finished reading the Phantom Tollbooth tonight. I have been reading this book to Summer Rose for our mother/daughter bookclub. Of course, Winter Sprout and Spring Blossom had to join in the reading fun. Spring Blossom did not understand any of the story, but Winter Sprout really got into it. He hung onto every chapter. I was surprised at his excitement for the book, since it is rated for an older audience. However, he really seemed to 'get' the relationship between the characters, and that is what he loved best.
After we finished the book this evening, Winter Sprout sat all teary eyed. He felt so sad for Milo, Tock and the Humbug. He really connected with there friendship. I actually had to give him some extra snuggles and let him take the book to bed.
It was jsut very sweet to see my little boy so connected to a story. Just another sweet blessing. :o) |
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Aug. 24, 2008 Even poodles have bad hair days :o)
His name is Majestic Reign (Magic for short). He stands proud, loyal and noble. He has been described as a young foul, and the techs at the kennel like to take him out dancing. :oD
However, even Mr. Magic has his share of bad hair days. Today him and I took the afternoon to fix his hair disaster. After our move, I have been so busy that his hair has gone untouched. And from the picture, you can tell. But after spending the whole afternoon locked in the bathroom with him and our wonderful Andis clippers, I have enough hair to make a nice black shag rug. Anyone interested?? LOL
But now Mr. Magic is sqeaky clean, and clean shaven (Just as a proper gentleman should be). And since I had to shave his discreet places, I left him some dignity on the tip of his tale. ;o)
Food for thought: Poodles do not have traditional fur, their fur is more like our hair. It continues to grow until it is cut. Also, poodles are water dogs and have webbed feet like a duck. And they are very ticklish between their toes. LOL
Here is Magic sporting his shag look, and his 80's punk look.
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Aug. 13, 2008 Happy Birthday to my beautiful Summer Rose!
Eight years ago today, I delivered a 10.6 lb baby girl! She was our first gift from God. She has never seized to amaze me in all that she does. But what amazes me more is to see how she soaks life up. She is so compassionate and sweet. She could giggle all day long. :o) Thank you Father for my first sweet baby girl, everyday with her is a blessing. May you continue to mold her and grow her wings. She is eager to she what you have planned for her. May we share many many many more special birthdays with our beautiful Summer Rose.
Happy Birthday Sweetheart, Mommy, Daddy, Brother and Sister love you so very much!
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Aug. 12, 2008 Our Class/Living Room in our new home!
To have this space finally close to complete is so thrilling. I already feel so humbled to be able to homeschool my children, but now in our own home, I am so much more humbled. We have been given almost all the pieces in this room and we feel so blessed to be able to learn here everyday!
To our precious family, having our classroom/library/computer/living/family space mostly done, means we are truly finally home. Yay! Thank you Father....
Note: It will never look this clear and clean again! LOL!
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Aug. 11, 2008 School Planning Complete!
I took the past week and a half to plan for the year. I have not finished unpacking yet, but time waits for no one. I took a different approach to planning this year, and I am very excited. I divided the year up into quarters (we school through summer), and put each quarter into a large 3-ring binder. Of course I over plan, that is me, I've come to expect that from myself. However, this is my motto for the year:
Take each day slowly. Don't be afraid to laugh with my children, and be silly. Focus more on the quality time and special memories being made with them verses following a schedule, syllabus, and curriculum. May God give us wings this school year, to see Him and feel Him more than before.
Happy School Year 08/09!
Here is a picture of my binders.
Each colored folder is a different curriculum that we are using this year:
Orange - History/Literature - Ambleside Online - Summer Rose Year 2 and Winter Sprout Year 1ish ;o)
Purple - Geography - 'A Child's Geography'
Red - Science - Apologia: Exploring Creation - Space
Blue - All subjects - FIAR Studies
Green - Holiday or Special studies
Yellow - Extra afternoon/summer units - KONOS - Attentiveness
All of our 3R's are copied each week according to where each child is in his/her materials. Since this varies so much between each child, I like to simply 'go with the flow' on 3R's.
For 3R's we use:
Math U See (All)
Happy Phonics w/Explode the Code books (Younger two)
Handwriting Without Tears (Younger two) and A Reason For Handwriting 'E' (oldest)
Spelling Power (oldest)
BJU English 4 (oldest)
Mind Benders/Mazes/Picture Finds (older two)
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Aug. 2, 2008 A month with no electronic gaming! What is a kid to do!
No video games, not much television, no computers.... All our 21st century toys were all packed up for the move. My poor children were going batty for a while. But then I saw them become the child I was. They improvised, they got creative, they self entertained!
Here are a few games they came up with:
- Let's pretend the carpet is a swimming pool and the step ladder is the high dive. My youngest jumped forever into her plushy pool.
- Let's make up movements to our favorite songs.
- Who can run into the wall the fastest - not my favorite game
- Everyone lives in different rooms of the house
- Hide'n'Seek - EVERYWHERE
- Give each other a new hairstyle (even the boy ;o))
- Make carpet angels - they were beautiful and dry
- Let's dig to China
- Made a train out of a box and a shoe lace
- Play pre-school
- Play babies and doggies - basically they screamed and/or barked all over the house
There were so many more. We just got so busy with our house hunting and endless paperwork that I resulted to letting them play more electronics. It is so easy to fall into that trap. Electronics are an easy babysitter.
However, when we did get some of our electronics plugged into the new house they were not so thrilled with them. It was amazing what simplicity did to them! Now, I am going back the pre-move rule of 20~ minutes of electronics time a day. They need to be kids and not glued to a screen.
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Aug. 2, 2008 A New Home, and A New Chapter
It has been a few months since I last posted. I have been a very busy bee! We have purchased our first home! HOORAY! We spent months looking and put offers in on two other homes that did not pan out. But we knew our Father had a special home waiting for us. He revealed to us this home and we feel so blessed to be finally moved in!
It backs another wonderful homeschooling family! We have been friends with this family for a couple of years and are just ecstatic to be neighbors! He is an awesome God who delights himself in every aspect of our little lives!
We are eager to get settled and back to school. It was very comforting earlier in the week to open some boxes of books. Our beloved books are such a central part of our everyday lives. We felt more at home having them placed on the empty shelves.
Ahhhhh......we are finally home.....thank you father...... |
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Mar. 16, 2008 Our Cross is Complete!
The congregation at our church was offered the chance to design a cross for Easter. There were about 40-50 crosses of various sizes and styles to choose from. The one we chose is about 3ft. We had a blast designing it as a family! Mommy did most of the work, but it was still very much a family affair. :o)
We did a stone mosaic, with red and orange glass beads representing the blood shed by our Lord and Savior. A layer of Mod Podge gave everything a glossy shine. A book made of cardboard was painted to look like a Bible. It is mounted in the center of the cross to represent His living testimony, The Word. The ribbon bookmark is placed where Revelation would be, to represent His second coming. As we celebrate this glorious season, may we remember He has promised to come again! And prepare ourselves for Him.
Next Sunday, all the crosses will hang behind the pastor in the sanctuary. How awesome it was to see all the families bringing in their crosses this morning!
God is in everything, and I felt so moved while designing this cross. Thank you God for blessing me in such a way!
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Mar. 15, 2008 Our Very First Cookie Booth!
Girl Scouts has presented my Summer Rose with many new challanges. Mostly, she has had to be less shy. This has been very difficult for her, but I am so proud of her for never giving up! She tries her best, even when she is just plain scared. Today she participated in her very first Brownie Girl Scout Cookie Booth! We were blessed to be teamed up with wonderful, and very helpful girls that coached my Summer Rose along! :o) She did a great job....but I am glad the cookie sales are over...LOL!
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Mar. 15, 2008 Lemonade Anyone?
What a blast it was to participate in the lemonade stand! Our 'Keepers of the Faith' group had a lemonade stand to raise money for childhood cancer research. One of the families has a wonderfully plentiful lemon tree, and we were able to get a ton of juice! These girls are such a special group of girls, it just brings tears to my eyes when I see this precious ones grow in such a way that is not seen so much anymore. These girls are so pure, so polite, so kind, so well behaved, just plain wonderful! I feel so blessed that my Summer Rose can be a part of such a great group!
The girls raised $84 this morning! It was such a blast we may have another next weekend!
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Mar. 13, 2008 A Great Lesson...
My children picked a sibling and then washed that sibling's feet and rubbed them with oil. Although this was funny and awkward to them, the did get the message involved. Jesus, our almighty Lord and Savior, washed the dirtiest part of His disciples. He loved them so much, that he humbly sat before them cleansing them.
Is it easier to give or to receive?
My Summer Rose answered this question quickly with a hearty 'Receive'. It sure is! But our Lord wants us to learn it is just as easy to give. We can give, but our spirit is often uneasy. Learning to give with a peaceful spirit takes a lifetime to achieve. Jesus had this great love and peace, He gave us the most precious gift of all, His life. And through His wonderful gift we will live with Him for eternity! As we reflect on this great gift this Easter we must remember to never stop thanking Him for loving us so much! Praise Him on High!
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Feb. 24, 2008 New Nicknames...
We are all part of His garden. This is where we are nurtured by the Gardener's awesome hands with tender care. He waters us, he feeds us, he loves us. We grow and reach up for Him. I often tell my children that we are delicate and lovely flowers growing only to please Him who planted us. I love to garden, and my children are growing to love it, too.
When I re-read some of my previous posts I realized that it can be rather difficult to understand who I am talking about when use only one letter to reference my children. As a result, I took some time and dug deep to come up with names to refer to them by. I hope you like them :o)
I will now be referring to my Sweet Blessings by the following nicknames:
E - Summer Rose
D - Winter Sprout
e - Spring Blossom
LOL...these are subject to change, as they are rather long names..... |
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Feb. 22, 2008 Our Italian adventures with Papa Piccolo!
This is was wonderful book to row! We loved this compassionate story of a tom cat, and his mighty adventure into fatherhood. I think we are just like Papa Piccolo sometimes, as we are so eager to do our own will when God has other plans for us.
While rowing this book we visited Venice, Italy and learned about the culture there. We opened our imaginations to the world of watercolors. We discussed compassion and kindness, and the importance of friendship.
And today, our last day with Piccolo, we learned about boats. I used masking tape to make an outline of a gondola on the living room floor, and we labeled the different parts of the boat. Then dc dressed the part of gondolier and passengers, and they pretended they were on the Grand Canal! They dramatized different scenes from the book. Lastly, they made their own gondolas out of paper.
I am so thankful to God that He allows me to spend this time with my sweet children.
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