Perfecting the Art of Homeschooling

3 “Grade A” Tips for Organizing Your Homeschool for Young Learners

2012-01-27T14:04:00.000-08:00

Today my blog post for the FPEA on organizing went up.

Check it out here

WorkBox Posts

Enjoy!

Upcoming events the FPEA 25th Convention

one thousand gifts

2012-01-16T20:59:00.001-08:00

one thousand gifts:

November 25, 2011 to January 16, 2012
0076/1000

1) Brothers, sons, below Him and His grace!

2) The anonymous gift of mulch

for our church playground.

3) Sick baby, chill of his juice, and tears.

Tantrums a grace warning that it's not just a common cold.

4) At the moment when your at your wits end after spending

two days with a sick temper tantrum child; remembering your

personal prayer for patience and hearing, "and I, find myself

here on my knees again, caught up in grace like an avalanche,

nothing compares to this love..." Thank you, Father, thank you!

5) The moment a hug begins, and you know you have an amazing

thing in your arms, a person made in the image of God!

6) Handsome Smith and his updated picture...

7) Quiet morning... The soothing of a pacifier and baby;

my baby letting me hold to the tunes of lullabies.

8) Libraries- They have walls of creativity and knowledge!

9) Two mornings in a row being asked to please

stay in bed to cuddle from Logan. I'm game!

10) The older teaching the younger...

11) A wall of past, present, & future LOVE!

12) A friend coming on her day off to bring me

coffee and a husband making breakfast...

13) Children's Department Christmas Party and

walking through our Advent lessons.

14) Our kiddos

15) It finally grew back *5 yr old humor*

16) Sewing a wiseman costume for a wee one,

thankful for my aunts' teaching me this family trade

17) Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast

18) Calm of the night, slow of the breath, joy in my heart.

19) My boys lying on my side of the bed, snuggled,

watching Bob & Larry... What an honor to be their mom!

20) The moments when my rambunctious temper tantrum filled baby becomes

quiet in awe of God's creation. It was a moment of incredible grace!

21) Loving his time with papa, missing our sick CooCoo

22) Breakfast with two of my boys.

23) Logan watching and listening to "Galaxies"

saying, "it's good song!"

24) Choosing to see Him everyday-

joy, thanksgiving, peace, grace abound!

25) Shapes- discovering, imaging, creativity

26) Creating prayer cards for Luka. Teaching

while learning myself to diligently pray!

27) He makes me laugh.

28) Precooking and freezing my meals cuts

dinner cooking time to 5 minutes!

29) His hands

30) no caption needed for this gift

31) Lazy, precious, always content with her momma.

32) Learning with friends

33) gathering together

34) imagining

35) becoming what you imagine

36) Building the mind

37) sharing

38) eating with friends

39) Books

40) A letter written by a boy countries away to
my boy, the start of a beautiful relationship!

41) Using his bath towel as a blanket. Comfort, warmth...

42) Fever warning, body forcing to the bed, now sitting on my
lap hugging like he when he was a baby. Precious moment!

43) He's ready for bed. Thanksgiving in a bed
and room he can call his own!

44) 88 keys to play a tune

45) the crisp of Bible pages

46) smell of bread out of the bag

47) hot water- it's process

48) welcoming front door

49) the sound of the awake

50) two year old warning signs

51) caring doctor

52) committed mom

53) a compassionate five year old

54) my new found patience level

55) my honesty

56) my ability to love

57) Luk sharing love

58) Logan accepting love

59) Reson's "worker bee" mind

60) Logan understanding

61) Logan taking medicine calmly

62) Luk caring for Logan

63) morning with no migraine

64) Reson's listening

65) warm house

66) the smell of work

67) enough, Lord, just enough

68) peanut butter and jelly

69) soft bed

70) letters sent with love

71) caring pastor and wife

72) organization

73) prayerful husband

74) brothers/friends

75) the mess from the day

76) the stack of homeschool folders

Last Christmas I gave you a net...

2011-12-13T09:01:00.001-08:00

I remember this time last year reading, praying, and wanting to change my life during the Christmas season. I was sick of the hustle and bustle of gift giving, angry people, and just the loss of focus that materialism had on me, friends, family, and those surrounding me.

It was a time for change.

It was a time for action.

I glanced at the wall in my living room smiling at my boys...

I remember swooping Luk into my arms, sitting on the couch, and starting browsing our catalog.

"What do you think? We could do a cow?

Or two goats?

Or we could do 10 nets? What do you think?"

"What else is there?"

"School supplies, immunizations (shots), helping start a new business"

"I think we should do nets."

"Why do you want to do the nets?" (I was secretly hoping for the small business launch for moms.)

"Well, I don't like being bit by mosquitos. It gets itchy, it hurts, and I don't want that to happen to the people."

Then it occurred to me that my then four year old related to people from a different nation. We began discussing how the bite can cause more than just an itch and red spot, but a sickness called Malaria that was killing people when there was a cure for it! It's never too young to explain that life is not just how you experience it, but the way it effects the nations. Last Christmas, we bought ten nets, ten or more saved by a sheer netting that prevented a bite.

This year, I don't know.

Will we give a safe water to a family for their entire life?

I don't know. I'm hoping that a Smith's precious sister will be registered so that we can sponsor her. After all their mother promised and held me tight at the thought back in September. I don't know.

I do know that our boys got extra gifts from us, and I wonder what the letter will share. Their birthdays were filled with new shoes to trek through miles on the graveled road and rainforest terrain to get to their church, sweaters to brave the cold, and food to ease the hunger pains. What will Christmas bring to them?

Do you have a heart of compassion for the people? Do you see that giving up that Dance Star Mickey will save six children? When we realize that our children can absorb compassion from young childhood and they want to save someone his or her age, what a gift! What a lesson you giving!

Give the gift of compassion this year because the beauty in this gift giving is that not only will you be changed but so will our people!

My Holiday Spirit: Laden

2011-12-08T09:56:00.000-08:00

My house is anything but quiet today; it is anything but quiet on most days. Inside is the ring of talk, screaming, and the evening snores at the end of a hectic day. There are moments that I pause, the holiday season speeding by not waiting for me to catch up, and I wonder what I am doing wrong? I stare at our Christmas Tree laden with the Word, to be weighed down, to draw water! Isn’t that what the Word does? It draws everlasting water to our thirsty souls. To find that HE is the only one to quench that drought that tries to dwell in our inner most being. It battles with the Holy Spirit while our sin tries to spread through out vessels so that we can feel like we will NEVER have healing.

I stop for once to just listen to the music playing, and I am reminded of the beauty behind the keys, and it brings me back to just listening, "The Promise." The song’s name and I can’t help be thing of the Ultimate Promise that has been the focus of each night before laying in bed,

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. Is 11:1-3

I close my eyes, and I just listen to that promise, the only one that can bring truth to my life. What am I doing wrong, when I lose my temper, when I complain, or when I just don’t want to deal with the chaos? I crank up the music that I have been ignoring for some time, "Waiting Here For You" the keys each touching a part of me that I want to refine, I need to refine because deep down I know what a failure I am without Him.

One evening, I am told I love the younger more than older. Pain sears my heart from the mouth of a child, he later apologizes saying,

“I know you love me!”

It’s hard for me to believe he believes it.

“Do you, do you know?” Heart aching knowing I know!

“Yes, because you have the Holy Spirit living inside you!”

Silence, water filling in my weary eyes, what? The saying out of the mouth of babes, but I know that there is only One that is gracious enough to let those words spill out of his mouth. Then the Lord opens my eyes to His desire to use me. I don’t understand it, nor do I try because within it all lies a woman broken and fallen. It is a woman that loses her temper, cries in defeat, and I grumble at my circumstance. Then I read the words,

“God appoints people who do disappoint – to point to a God who never disappoints.”

Yes, Lord. My only desire that through it ALL it ALL points to You!

I go to the Word so that it may laden my soul,

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy; you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy. 1 Peter 1:13-16

I go knowing that my soul will be weighed down in truth, that my spirit will remember that GRACE will be given to me through Christ. THE PROMISE!

He will come from the line of Jesse.

He will present rest to the Spirit of the Lord.

He will be wise and full of understanding.

He will give counsel and might.

He will have knowledge.

He will fear the Lord!

He will delight in the fear of the Lord!

As His obedient child I strive to fight the conformity of my past, and my passion is to be holy through HIM! Lord, what am I doing wrong in all this? I know. I start to conform to the old me: self-reliance, self-seeking, SELF. What I’m doing wrong is not remembering YOU reliance, YOU seeking, YOU!

I don't refine, He refines!

Thank you, Lord for your promise, your use of me, and for letting me disappoint to point to you! Thank you for your constant wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and example of fear. Thank you for loving me enough laden my spirit, for drawing me to your water, and for calling me to your purpose!

Continue to shine, Lord.

Continue to convict, Lord.

Continue to give grace, Lord.

I would be concerned with my life if this weren’t the case.

FPEA Ambassador

2011-11-30T08:42:00.000-08:00

http://www.fpea.com/member/ambassadors/

Check it out! I have been chosen to be a FPEA Ambassador for Twitter. You can also follow me here.

Let the adventure begin!

Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-29T20:29:00.001-08:00

As apart of 4H Country Clovers, I signed Luk up to work the Community Thanksgiving Meal. It was something that we were planning to do, but with being a member of 4H it gave Luk a community service event for his club. My husband stayed outside taking Logan to the playground while Luk and I stayed behind handing out rolls for the take out orders that were being made.

When I look at our live, I look for the thanksgiving in it all, it is through this that true joy is exhibited in our lives. I want to have a life of joy, and it is through these times to give for what I have been given that my cup runneth over.

Lord, thank you for giving me thanksgiving, joy, love!

Here is our time of service (thanks Send Me Missions for the photos)

Baby Girl

2011-11-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

Well, we welcomed a new addition to our family this week. Everyone here is Acorn (aka Baby Girl). She shares a household of boys with me, and I am loving her. No doubt, she is the pet I should've always had.

Practicing lying on her back... this is part of what the judges will do on fair week.

Even Daddy is loving on her, too... she's spoiled rotten... already

October 17, 2009

2011-10-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

Two years ago, God blessed us with Logan Nathanael Holt

Logan Nathanael, just when your daddy and I thought we had the most stubborn child you came into our lives. You gave a new meaning to the words "he's a screamer", "mama's boy", and terrible twos. But son, our house would be far too quiet, too routined, and too predictable if you weren't in it. You have taught us all how to love more, care more and give more. You are such a precious gift from God. We love you, baby boy. Happy Birthday, Monkey (aka Banshee).

Acorn

2011-10-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

We will be getting Acorn in just 11 days. I must say that I am rather excited about this little gal. She is really precious. Luk is really excited to be getting her, and dad is starting to warm up to her. He definitely started liking her more when we met her. She is a nuzzler.

Here are some fun facts about our little rabbit from her breeder.

Litter details:

Chloe's Litter
Pick of the litter: Acorn
Best Coat: Acorn
Best color: Avi
Best personality: Acorn
Best eyes: Apache
Biggest: Acorn
Smallest: Apache
Most like daddy: Apache
Most like mommy: Avi
Most outgoing: Apache
Calmest: Acorn
Gets into the most trouble: Apache

Maisey's Litter
Pick of the litter: Charlie
Best Coat: Charlie
Best color: Kilo
Best personality: Paris
Best eyes: Landon
Biggest: Kilo
Smallest: Jax
Most like daddy: Landon
Most like mommy: Kilo
Most outgoing: Jax
Calmest: Gizmo
Gets into the most trouble: Jax

Overall:
Pick of the litter: Acorn
Best Coat: Charlie
Best color: Kilo
Best personality: Acorn
Best eyes: Landon
Biggest: Acorn
Smallest: Jax
Most outgoing: Jax
Calmest: Acorn
Gets into the most trouble: Jax

We are rather proud! =D Now, here is just a few of her other pictures from the breeder, and what her home will be when she arrives.

Here is her home

Luk's Extras

2011-09-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

As homeschooler you know that you want to make sure your child is doing something outside of the home, or they are active in things other than school work. So, for Luk we picked two things that we thought he would really enjoy. The first is that we signed him up for Karate. I had made a post about this in the past, but here is our little guy and his best friend after a night of sparring.

Here is a video of Luk- Yes you hear an audible, "Oh Lord" come from me. We have Luk in Karate to practice his self-control, and I wasn't sure how that was going to go when someone hit him. Thankfully, his instructor made it to were none of the new boys got hit so that they could get used to it. He did great.

The other thing that we have Luk be apart of is 4H. He will be showing this little princess:

The breeder (Mandy) named her "Acorn," and we are going to go with that even though she reassured us we could change it, but why change a good thing. If you know Luk his animal naming skills are quite... human. He wanted to name the bunny "Fred." I happily told him that SHE had a name, and it was "Acorn." He was okay with that. He was a bit bummed that it was a girl, but today while talking to someone on the phone about Compassion they asked if I had a daughter. I said, "no, not unless you count Gabriela." Luk says loudly, "Yes, you do now. We have a girl bunny!" So, you are the first to be formally introduced to our new addition, our baby girl, Acorn! The breeder exampled that she is a bit fat, well I guess she is gonna fit right in with her momma, and she's a brunette! I got my brown haired gal after all. And so...

These are Luk and his extras. He does have one more "extra" that he is apart of, and that is a homeschool gorup that teaches history/geography. I wasn't going to do it originally because I didn't want to ad too much on his plate. If he gets overwhelmed I will pull him out, but for now he is enjoying it. All of his friends are in the class, and it is after his library storytime. He hated being the only one not there. So, here they are:

Fold it up

2011-08-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

Luk is five. He is messy. He likes to destroy a clean house. He is a five year old. However, he does have two able hands and legs. So, since he was about Logan's age (21 months), I have been having him do clean up sessions. He knew that when I said it was time to clean up he would help me put his toys in the baskets.
Well, Luk usually gets himself dressed, and we have had talks about what things look nice together and what don't. He came out one morning with a multi-striped shirt and multi-striped tie, and I showed him to different patterns on me. He went back and switched to a solid color tie on his own. I love that even though we have talked about it he still is pretty creative with the way he dresses. Here he is wanting to match his dad:

and just because I like this picture here he is for a canoe trip:

Love this kid. Well, he does a great job picking out his clothes, but does an awful job putting them away. I have taught him how to fold his clothes as he sees me doing the laundry. So, yesterday I put him to the test. I had just finished folding two loads of laundry, and as I went to put his stuff away... his drawers were awful. His t-shirts thrown everywhere in the drawer (not folded), and as I looked at the rest of the drawers same thing for the pants, pjs, and underwear. Well, I wasn't about to refold everything when I just gave him a fresh start two weeks prior and given him verbal warnings.

While I was cooking dinner and he was in his room, I told him that he needed to refold all his clothes and make his drawers look nice because he had let them get messy. Logan walks in there, and I begin to wonder how that is going to work out for him. However, nothing extremely loud came out of the room.

After I was finished cooking (about 10m) Luk was playing in the living room, and I was not sure what I would find. Let me show you:

Sure, they aren't perfect, and they don't look like I did them. But he did a great job. He got a big high five and a couple Hershey Kisses to show him how appreciative I was. It probably helps that he knows he gets paid for each chore he completes. My husband and I have told him being home doing his chores and his school work are his job. He usually does a great job, or like times like yesterday he does an excellent job. Did I mention I love this kid?

This is one of the joys of parenthood and homeschool... we even practice our folding clothes skills! =D

Day Two

2011-08-24T20:32:00.001-07:00

A day like today is the reason moms would say they don't homeschool... Yep, the day that the kid just twiddles his thumbs and makes two hours of work last four hours... Unfortunately, the bad mom in me came out, and I am not saying this to receive a pity party, but rather show proof that I can't do anything without the grace of God. I got loud, sent my son to his room, and I sat and began reading some of the blogs I follow. One in particular (of course) spoke of how your child's spirit is more important than a schedule, and how one needs to ask their children for forgiveness.

God was speaking to me. The bad mom had to make a choice to accept responsibility for her actions, or ignore them and not show my son my true error. So, I went into his sat on the floor, and ask my son to forgive me for my yelling and attitude. I told him how sorry I was that I got that way, and that sometimes mommy makes mistakes and has to ask God to forgive her. He looked on as I said this to him intently. He first said, "It's okay, Mommy." I told him that, it wasn't. I explained to him that it was not okay that I acted like that. It was important that he know that it was not okay that I let Satan attack me. I was asking him to forgive me like I asked God to forgive me. He did. He replied, "Mommy, I'm sorry that Logan wasn't listening to you. I'm sorry that I wasn't listening to and doing my work. Will you forgive me?" We hugged and loved on each other for a few minutes. It was a beautiful moment with my son. This is why I homeschool, and why days like this can't stop me.

I get to be my disgusting sinful self, and I get to show the grace of God in practice. God allows me to be an example to my son, and I cannot ignore the bad and praise the good. I have to teach my son that our response to sin is repentance and to seek forgiveness from those we hurt. As we finished our hug he told me he had a surprise for me, and he came back wearing this:

He said, "Mom, this is what we have to wear all the time, or we will not be ready for Satan!" The Armour of God! I cried my eyes out, I hug my boy. I leaned in and whispered, "Thank you! You just taught mommy, today!"

Day One

2011-08-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting back listening to my son picking up his mess from a game (with Dad) of "real life" Angry Birds that just took place in the hallway. I ask him to bring out his drawings from his Bible time to show daddy. Today was a great day to see how Luk would like our Workbox System. It really works out best for us. Luk is a boy that likes to see his progress, and he was excited to see his boxes being finished. The original place for the boxes were his room, however I can't set the up at night. There is also the fact that we can't do school in his room because Logan went a bit nuts when we tried that. So...

The linen closet has been transformed into a school closest. If you notice there is no "5"... ask Logan. I don't know where it is! So, we just don't have it and we skip it. Luk noticed immediately!

Here is our Kitchen Cabinet Wall:

Before the boxes we do our "Calendar Time" followed by Bible time, which is use reading the book of Judges followed by him drawing a picture of what was read.

Here's "What's in the Box"

Box 1: Phonics

We have been staying on an easier phonics level because Reson and I decided that we wanted Fluency and Comprehension to be apart of him learning to read. The amazing thing about this is that Luk checked out "Silly Sally" from the library and was able to read it. The AR level is 2.6, and we were very proud that accomplishment.

At the moment we are working on rhythm reading since it is clear that he can read higher levels, but with that we can consistency, and so we practice on, working on...

Box 2: Handwriting

After Luk did his Handwriting Without Tears, we did an activity with the white/magnetic board.

Box 3: Science

This is our week of reading the material, which will be followed by a lab.

Box 4: Geography and map learning

Box 5: Math

This was our day. It was followed by Karate that we decided to put Luk in a few months ago, but waited until the school year began. Here he is with some of his church friends.

Kindergarten Begins...

2011-08-22T19:47:00.000-07:00

The start of our new normal has begun today as Luk was introduced to his first few pretest so that I could determine exactly where he was, and so that our evaluator could see our starting point. Today, I put in some basic critical thinking tests in math and reading/phonics. It was a care-free testing so that he could just do his thing. They were built so that he could self-administer, really. It turned out pretty pain free. As he did each one, I let him know that when I give him the tests that it would done like this and this.

The first test: Pre-primer Dolch Sight Word List Assessment

Luk scored 35%; he 18/40 words, which was pretty good this we've been focusing more on phonemes and blends. The sight words that he did know were ones that have been seen in his Explode the Code books and readings that we have done on our own. I wanted to make sure that I didn't push him before this year. I have to remind myself everyday that he is only five years old. This can be quite a challenge when he talks like teenager many times!

The next test I put in front of him was one on a critical thinking basis with the alphabet. Each section was covered once he finished the top sections.

My husband and I really want to make sure that he knows his stuff, not just something that is routine. In that sheet there are above are blanks in random areas, but the third section is completely empty. Sure, Luk can sing his ABCs, but to write them with no help in the correct order proved that sometimes the Y goes before the X... interesting. Luk scored 34/38 so 89%.

The third sheet is a number sheet with blanks. I only made him do half of it, and he will complete the other half for tomorrow. He also did number recognition from a 1-100 chart (random picks).

He did perfect on it.

We also incorporated Mama Jenn's "Read It, Spell It, Write It" page. He really liked it. So, we will keep on keeping on.

After we did these things, there was 30 minutes of quiet/reading time. So, we had a little Star Wars action going because well, we like Star Wars. Luk was in a battle field mode as we began our day reading the book of Judges. He drew a photo on how the Canaanites had chariots and the Israelites struggled with this:

I think he wanted to pretend some fighting scenes. Logan tagged along (waiting to get him his Education Cubes also from Mama Jenn)

As our day came to climax (dinner making time = stress time) Luk pulled out his US President Flashcards (shocked me). I pulled out our $1 Wal-Mart place mat of the Presidents, and we had a nice matching game going on.

Luk's favorite President: Abraham Lincoln. Why? He was such a good one. (nice)
Luk's bad President: Richard Nixon. Why? He did a bad thing. (Watergate, just in case)
Luk's actor President: Ronald Reagan. Why? He was an actor. (DUH!)

However, we learned a bit about Theodore Roosevelt about the "Teddy" Bear story. As Luk would say, "he didn't kill the bear when he went hunting... I don't know why though." In this we also learned about Pres. William McKinley who was President and Teddy was Vice President. What Luk and I really liked about him was the fact that when he was shot before he died he asked the people around him not to hurt the man that shot him. We were really impressed with that response. I am going to look further into his spiritual life especially after reading this I am curious to see where he stood.

How do we end our school day? We end it with a bit of unschooling in the science area with daddy.

I, also, wanted to share one of the many many many reasons why we love our public library. Our wonderful Mrs. Dee who does story time did a theme on cupcakes... did she know this is Logan's favorite little treat... hmmm...

YUM!!!

Are you Super Mom or Abiding Mom?

2011-08-15T11:32:00.001-07:00

I have this paper posted on my fridge. There have been moments that I have stared at it in disgust, yet other times that I look at it in joy. The disgust comes after I followed the "Does" column all the while ignoring the "Is." Yet, there are moments, quiet moments when I look at it... and there is a joy that comes through my mind as I see improvement that the Lord has granted me in areas of the "is."
I have found that my views are not popular with in areas of the way I mother or the way that I am a wife. It must be an out fashioned thing... right... I tend to think it is was is called of me from God.

"Blessed is the marriage of a woman who joyfully serves, offering gifts by the work of her hands."~ Time-Warp Wife

Apparently, this quote was liked by a person on my friend's list, but I sit back not getting an answer for the discontent with the statement. However, it made me focus. I am an accomplished woman. I have a degree in English Literature, a wonderful husband, and two beautiful little boys. Am I accomplished if you read just that alone? In today's society, sure, but would quickly think otherwise if they knew more...

I don't work outside the home. No, I stay at home homeschooling my two boys.

I delight in keeping our house clean.

I find thanksgiving in serving my husband offering the gifts that are done by my hands.

Now, I sound like a maid serving the egotistical superior male. The stereotype of serving in this generation is really a sign of the ignorance in this world. We see serving as a downgrade. We see it as a woman giving up her "power" in the house. It's easy to let the world cloud our mind with these ideals, and you sit at home with screaming children, toys scattered everywhere, and it hits you... I have no purpose here. The kids don't listen. The laundry never stops. Escape!

However, if we look at our purpose from the time of Adam and Eve, we are given the job of "helper."

^20bBut for Adam there was not found a HELPER fit for him. ²¹So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. ²²And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Genesis 2

With that comes something of great value. Along with us being a helper, we are of great worth for we came from the man directly. He will rule over us for the sin committed in the garden, but what we need to remember along with him ruling over us is that we will be of ONE flesh.

²⁴Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2

How do you become one flesh? We share in delight with each other for who we are. Who God created us to be. When we align our lives with Christ our marriages move in-sync with one another as if in ONE flesh.

This is just the beginning of what a marriage is to look like, and I am sure I will write more about this later. Our world has deformed what marriage is, and has made it to look like a battle of who can stay the boss the longest.

And so comes the page on the fridge and comes part of my purpose as the "Helper"... having children adds a new dynamic to the marriage so a Godly woman's train of thought must develop into something greater. Am I accomplished by the world's standards, to some "yes" to others "no. Am I accomplished according to the God who is the Creator of all things? I look into my heart, where do my standards lie? I don't care about your standards or even what mine can turn into if I focus on the world. I care what is written in the book of truth. My delight is in pleasing my Father.

So, I stand against the kitchen counter sweaty from deep cleaning the bathrooms, loading the laundry into the dryer, and I listen as two brothers are laughing one second and the next screaming over a toy. I look at the time to see that it is barely 9:00 am. I look back at my page, go down the list:

impress others/please the Lord... I pray out loud that I am pleasing to Him;

controlled by agenda/controlled by the Holy Spirit... at this moment the Holy Spirit as I skip a chore to stand and read this page;

self worth in accomplishments/self worth in Christ... Christ you give an abundance of this;

peace in perfection/peace in the storm... a great storm has passed through and I reflect thinking of the gift of peace He gave Reson and I (thanksgiving);

discourage by failure/failure remembering His perfect strength in my weakness... again reminded of the frailty of the past month and see only His strength gave us strength and endurance;

expects perfection/practices grace... I look down knowing this has not been done. I look back on my apologies for my imperfections. I am reminded sanctification is never ending process;

teaches kids to be good/teaches kids to be Godly... I look at the page below this one that reads "Pray for God to change your heart." This page that has a little girl knees bent in prayer. I think about sending Luk to his room to ask God to help him practice self control, yet I remember sending him to his room with no Godly direction. I think about how often I need to be disciplined by my Father, and I go without acknowledging Him;

frustrated by lack of fruit/ abides and bears much fruit... I have looked at this sheet with frustration in this area, but over the past couple of months I have begun to see that I was simply ignoring the fruits. I wasn't stopping and engaging in His fruition;

does things with her kids/builds a relationship with her kids... I think back to a day when I sent Luk to his room for nap after a discipline lesson that was not God directed, and yet I remember all the other days I sit with him and he tells me about his sadness, his joys, and his frustrations. Though they seem small today his ability to tell me the small things will lead to him wanting to share the big things as he grows;

perspective on seen/perspective on unseen... Is my focus on the above or of the world? We are working on that as we disengage the television and engage the Holy Spirit;

quantity/quality... this seems to be an ongoing battle as we choose activities to get the boys involved in, but I am reminded that what I show them is important now will dominant their engagement. So, we focus on one sport that is still overtaken by the Word;

children think mom is too busy/children call her blessed... I look down again and smile. It was only this morning that I was reminded how blessed I am. Logan climbs into the bed in the dark at 6:30am, and he kisses me followed by placing his head against my cheek. Luk climbs into the bed at 8:00am whispering, "I love you, Mom." Blessed.

Blessed. The word gets misused so much today. Blessed because you have money because you got a vacation and it's quiet. What way are you blessed? Is it the reverent and honor through worship, blessed? Or is it the blessed because of good fortune or enjoying happiness? Are you blessed through the pain and through the bad? Blessed. There's more than one kind of blessed.

Sacred. A sacred life that is dedicated or set apart to have a service of worship for our Creator, or devoted exclusively to one service, to serve God. Sacred. A word left out of tongues... you are blessed, but are you sacred? That puts you in a whole new light... doesn't it?

I sit stunned... and disgusted... (News on Somalia)

2011-08-10T07:19:00.000-07:00

Disgusted would be a good word, but I think I may be more than that. The headlines on Google Reader:

MSNBC:                                                                                                                                                     “Democrats Fall Short in Wisconsin Recall Elections”
“UK Readies Water Cannons as Rioting Spreads”
“Back from the Dead? Young Surfer Amazes Doctors”

USATODAY:
“Census tracks 20 years of sweeping change”                                                                “Americans’ message on joint debt panel: Let’s make a deal” “As riots rage, Britons want show of force”

Google News is the same things. Yahoo News is talking about “Big tickets deals are coming,” “Worst foods for your teeth,” or that “Obama announces new fuel standards for big vehicles.” Let’s also look at Britain riots, North Korean/South Korean news, etc.

THERE ARE 600,000 CHILDREN ON THE BRINK OF STARVATION IN SOMALIA!!! HELLO!!! WAKE UP AMERICA!!!

This doesn’t happen over night. A famine that is the worst this country has seen in 20 years doesn’t happen in a week. It takes time and is gradual, and then the effect of death hits hard like a Mack truck hitting a Smart car. What are we doing!!! Who cares about our S&P credit scores, who cares about big tickets deals, or the worst food for our teeth. There are people with NO food to care about what’s happening to their teeth! Families are losing all of their children to starvation as we, throw away scraps and looking for more food to throw away.

We are called to care for the least of these… and they are dying right in front of our eyes while we worry about fuel costs. Disgusted with myself and my peers as my children sit healthy in front of me playing on the computer, and are fighting over who gets the mouse. My heart breaks knowing that as I sit here while two parents are surrounding the last of their three children in agony over his death and no money to bury him.

I pray they have hope in Christ. I pray that someone has gotten to them to share the hope that only He can give to such grief as this. Devastated to think that so many have already perished without that hope and that message living in their lives, and devastated knowing more are to following. How can we ignore it with our “World News” being focused on Britain’s riots.
Riots starting because people have no jobs and no money…

Really?! You are destroying your home, your country’s safety, and yet people that have no choice are just sitting still dying, looking on as the flies swarm their dead… how can this even be truth? However, it is!

Truth of a sinful world… seeking revenge and hate… glorifying riot crimes… ignoring the reality of all of us sitting behind the computer while hundreds of thousands die from malnourishment, diseases, and hopelessness.

We are so arrogant to think that we don’t deserve to be treated unfairly; we don’t deserve to talked about badly; we don’t deserve to lack a job and money. What do you deserve? You deserve the right to riot, to find the right food for your teeth. I wonder what do you think that those that die of poverty deserve?

I know the truth and fairness of it all is that we die and spend eternity and hell. Yet… Christ died to bear this fate. He died so that I could experience hope. He died so that I might believe in Him and love the least of these. Do you love the least of these? Do you love the people of Somalia? Do you love the people of Peru, of Africa, of Guatemala? How about Thailand, Ethiopia, Bolivia, or Tanzania? Do you really love them?

As you sit down finishing your summer vacation at the beach or lake what are picturing?
Right now all I can see is the people that God loves dying in a land with no water in sight or no crops to be eaten. You say, why God? How could you let this happen? I say, He is a just and fair God. He will bring condemnation to those that do not believe, and those that do will suffer and still have hope because that is what He promises. Christian living is not a straight away path to the land of milk and honey.

No… No… Paul, Peter, Moses, Isaac, Lot regular men, Hannah, Sarah, Mary regular women, all to prove that even with love of Christ, His people will suffer for Him and that is the only life worth living because it is when you are of Him and not of this world that true hope comes.

Sure it’s a hard pill to swallow (and a huge one at that), but for those that love God all things come together for His good.

^“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

We can’t think that God only uses good for His will. No, bad must happen for His will to be done. Jesus’ death is the greatest example. A holy perfect man died for my sinful ungrateful flesh. How unfair is that?

Lord, You are full of such splendor; you are God almighty and just. Please bring hope to people that haven’t been awakened by your Holy Spirit. Grant them the most excellent sense of hope in You. Help us, Lord. May this famine in Somalia bring us to do Your work that You have commanded us.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because Iam going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:12-14

I just reached in the refrigerator to get Logan a glass of juice. Lord, please don’t ever let me forget the blesses You have given me. Please, help me to remember to give to those that need to be given to. Don’t let this greedy selfish American living destroy my calling for You! Heart Breaking that I can reach 10 feet away and supply my children’s hunger and thirst while thousands reach 10 feet to hold their dead child one more time…

I'm gonna go to Africa

2011-08-08T13:53:00.001-07:00

"when I grow up, and I'm going to help the people make them clothes, plant food, water, make houses for them," proclaimed my five year old as he came into my room from his nap. He continues the story with wanting to be a firefighter to help the people of Africa control fires, but that he needs to be a police man to help with crimes. However, he has to a hunter, too so that he can catch meat for them (they may not have a problem in some of areas of Africa with this). He drew a picture of the animal clothing he would make for them, "like God made for Adam and Eve."

: Making underwear

: Animal Clothing and Homes

I sit still listening to this, and I think to myself, "start praying for the missionary in him." I had been praying that he love, love the people that God love so much, and that he would care for the people that needed care. I wish I knew why Africa because talk around the house has been Peru, but he is stuck on Africa. He then states, "Mom, when I grow out of my clothes I will take them to the people in Africa because I know they need clothes." Again, I am silenced by this thought. Brilliant thought because I never thought in that light. A boy who makes a measly quarter or two on his chores, and he thinks of the things he has right now in his possession. I pray for the woman he marries in a whole new light, now. Our prayer at night with him would be that her parents would raise her to love God, but now it seems we may need to be more direct that she will embrace that love and that it be morphed to a love that loves the very least of these and want to serve them.
I tell Luk about how when we go to Peru in June/July that we can bring clothing and help them rebuild after their earthquake, but again he was insistent that it would be Africa that he would this. Again, I'm thrown for a loop over this new journey he has for Africa. I embrace the conversation. Compassion International asked a few days ago on Twitter, "At what age should children be exposed to the reality of extreme poverty?" My immediate response was, "Any Age!" Reson and I have been very open about poverty in our house. I can't say that Luk grasps it fully, but he gets portions of it. He knows that the people do without and that their is a lack of hope, but he doesn't "get it" get it because he hasn't seen it or experienced it. In that phrasing I guess I don't fully get it either. I have seen poverty in areas that we traveled to in Jamaica on our honeymoon, but I didn't get a chance to be engaged in it like my husband. So, I understand it, but I don't "get it." I want Luk to grow up getting it.
So, we are thriving to introduce it to him next summer. However, until that time comes we try to have those with the least in our home.

: Smith & Pataso on our family room wall

: Lovely Compassion Child covering Luk's Christmas photo

She is right at the door as you walk in. I don't know anything about her, but that she is in need of a sponsor. I pray for her and I will probably never find out if she gets sponsored. I will still pray for her and our boys. I wonder what the Lord has in store for Luk's life (and Logan's), but I pray and hope that this desire does not burn out. It has been a wonderful gift for me to see him love people he doesn't even know. Is it ever too early to introduce poverty to your children? Is a child ever too young to live in poverty? The answer is no. Children are born into it every day, every second. I will not hold this as a secret from my children. Start now, and teach your children that they are blessed, and God has called them to bless others!

I Sit and Think What Comes of it All (Poem Attempt)

2011-08-03T00:58:00.000-07:00

The days are long
The nights are short
The babe screams loud
While the boy teases like its sport

I sit and think what comes of it all

The bank faces drought
The month seems grim
But I stand knowing Your power within

I sit and think what comes of it all

The man works hard
He sees little light
Until he comes home to the brightest star on the right

I sit and think what comes of it all

My heart seeks refuge
I know where to go
His promise in me comes from words that must show

I sit and think what comes of it all

His love so fierce
It captures my soul
For I know He will not abandon His goal

What come of this is good for all
We who come and kneel to His call

He causes things bad and good to work His for story
I sit and know what comes next is His glory

-Aislynn

I’m not sure if it’s any good, but when God wakes up from sleep at three in the morning you better find something to write on. Thank you “Color Note” on my phone. I am indebted to you and your convenience!

New Routines

2011-07-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

We are a routine following family. Now, when I say that I don't mean that everything has to happen in an exact time to the very second, but rather the order of events that occur daily. The boys in morning usually get breakfast with "Super Why" and "Dinosaur Train" in the morning, followed by school (and such), then lunch with "Spongebob Squarepants," followed by nap time, then dinner prep with music playing or movie, and then dad gets home which can consist of video games, movie, TV shows. Then it's bed time routine, bath/shower, Bible reading, prayer, singing songs, then bed.

Well, our routine has been changed this week. We have taken out the morning TV watching, and focused on listening to the Action Bible on CD.

We've also done away with TV after nap. I have been wanting to do this for awhile, but just have never gotten around to do. Let's me honest, it's easy to turn the switch so that dishes, cooking, and cleaning can get done, but I'm sick of it. Our pastor gave a challenge (well, I took it as a challenge) to turn off the TV for one main purpose, to get engaged with the Holy Spirit.

I don't know how many of you are friends with your pastor, but it can benefit you tremendously because I know when he says something up at that pulpit it's because God told him to say it. So, our routine changed immediately. I didn't go into gradually, I simply looked at Luk and said, "we aren't doing that anymore." So, the new routine goes something like this.

We wake up, breakfast, listen to the Action Bible, school/computer (it's summer break still), toys, lunch with music likings of either Passion or Owl City, nap, dinner prep with Action Bible and art (he has to draw a story he is listening to), dinner, play time with dad, and same bed time routine you read before. Right now, it's 11:21 and he is watching "Toy Story 2," which I started 45 minutes ago, but he just went to watch it now because he was doing a word game.

Action Bible Drawing Time

Noah and the Ark

I asked Luk if he would be drawing the rainbow,

and he said, "no, they aren't on land yet." I stand corrected!

Noah and Ark, there's the land, there's the Promise

I've found that he is listening better because the noise is off, and if there is something on it's things that are full of TRUTH not junk. As Michelle Duggar puts it, "You aren't going to put garbage in your mouth. You don't put garbage in your mind." Today, is Friday, so why not add a movie in the mix. You still can't take away the fact that mom like a good movie here and there. There are also Wednesdays that go with a bit of golf with the dad.

May I add that Luk put Dad in his place, and he almost beat Papa. =D

Summer is coming to a close quickly, and we are wanting to be engaged with our "Father of the world" (as Luk says). Once school starts up again it gets hectic, so we are starting the new now so it is habit. We fill our house with the TRUTH at least three times a day now. As Ann Voskamp would say it's "one habit that radically changes a family." As Logan gets order I want to do actually readings; we are trying it out at bed time and it has proven to be quite a circus taming him to settle in for the Word. So, for now, I make sure that it is heard through out house on the CD.

And so we have new routines, one that will shape the boys in my life to engage not only with their family, but to learn to engage in TRUTH, in the Holy Spirit. And I live true to this quote, "Proud parent of a kid who nearly flunked math, but whose heart is tender toward the Lord." -Karen Ehman

I also want to ask those that read this blog, to head over to my family blog. I will be heading to Peru by myself, and I could use some prayer. I will be posting regularly on it about the upcoming planning of it. I leave in September. You will also get a better feel for what convictions and thoughts have been hitting me to make some of the decisions that I make that ultimately effect our homeschool journey! Thanks!

Calendar Binder

2011-06-03T20:46:00.000-07:00

Calendar Time, what do you do?

Do you want to keep your dining room walls clear of school stuff?

Luk's room was intended to be his school/bedroom, however when we do school Logan likes to participate so we have moved our schooling to the dining room table as they both sit in the dining room table. While Luk does his Logan colors and does blocks, etc. Fortunately, as I was thinking about what to do with the calendar in his room that has really not going to work with Logan grabbing everything off the wall. So... as always God puts a little something in my path and with that He did it through Mama Jenn.

As she was discussing her board she brought up the Calendar Notebook, and it is more in-depth in the Meach Calendar site. Through this you can of course pick and choose what you want, and so here is Luk's Calendar Binder:

Emergency Page

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Page

Date Page

Days in School/

Place Values Page

Weather Graph

Page

Birthday Graph

Page

Counting School Days

Page

Tri-Fold Binder to stand up

Laminated Months, Days, Dates, etc.

Also, with needing more access to Luk's school stuff and it not being in his room, my linen closet is now more of a multi-purpose closet. Take a look:

Note: Towels (for guests), Red Bin, White Bin, & Books (curriculum), Baby Things (Logan)

Work with what ya got!!!

Dad Post

2011-06-02T14:20:00.001-07:00

Head over to my main blog for a dad post also for some Compassion news!

RALL HOLT

Science and our approach (backstory)

2011-05-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

Our approach to teaching Luk this year has been rather slow. As I have been putting together his portfolio for the coming year I have had he great pleasure of going through the curriculum I bought last year for this year. We have been using some of the Maps Charts and Graphs on and off, Right Start Mathematics, and we have been doing a bit of unschooling in the Science department because Luk LOVES exotic animals... well, any animal, really. River Monsters, anyone?

We moved and my father had surprise quadruple bypass so we have had some set backs. Which is fine since this year has been a very relaxed school setting, but now it's time to fully get into action and finish these books. =D

Luk has completed Explode the Code Book 1, I didn't start him on Book 2 because we used Book 1 1/2 for its' sentence structuring and building. So, he is about half away done with the work I am having him do on that, which is six lessons. Funny thing is he is already doing Book 2 work in the library books he has read. We may breeze through that one quickly.

However, to the confirmation bit that is mentioned in the title. There's always a question in the beginning if you have chosen the right curriculum for your family. Only you and your spouse can determine that with guidance from God. Our decision to do Real Science 4 Kids was something that I had not expected originally.

**Here's a bit of back-story**

Two years ago I went to the FPEA Convention was completely and utterly overwhelmed, but grabbed every brochure I could get my hands on. For that next year, I did research on everything I had (yes, it was about 100 different vendors) unit study curriculum, made for you scope, etc. I looked at it all. My husband thought I was a bit obsessive... anyway, he appreciated it when last year's convention came around. I knew where to go what to look at, etc. He was happy about that. So, we head straight to Apologia for science. Love it, still do, however out of all the curriculum I had picked and we had looked at this was the only one my husband and I were not 100% sold on. The problem we ran into with it was that we did not feel that it was geared towards K-3. It says that it is geared towards K-6, however we did not think this was so (side note- We will be getting this after grade 3). Now, this may work for others of this age, but for us we thought it was a bit geared more towards older elementary. The work books, the text were geared more to upper elementary students. The notebook is more journaling and the notebooking approach (which I love), but for a Kindergarten not so much.

Here is an example of the Apologia text:

So, we agreed to find something more ... ... K-3, where written wasn't a primary, but more experience. We began looking around and came across a small booth where Real Science 4 Kids was set up. Let's just say we loved it. Pre-Level Biology, Chemisty, and Physics is geared towards K-3, and Dr. Keller was a homeschooling mom that couldn't find just right science source for her kiddos. I think she does an excellent job in making these science topics easy to understand for our little guys.

Here is the Real Science 4 Kids:

(You can see this book to its entirety on the website linked above)

As with any science their is a lab and workbook. I was working on making copies of this for the portfolio, and I just had a great confirmation in choosing this curriculum. The pages have some writing in it (more in the first lab than the others), but this is what I liked about the workbook is its' focus on observation. The following labs make the child draw the observations they make. Plants growth, protozoa eating phases, butterfly metamorphosis, tadpole to frogs phase (my least favorite, OH DAD! You get this one. Have I mentioned he has two pet water frogs?), and observing the life cycle. The experiment book is full of areas to show observation.

Confirmation, it is important to get it when you are deciding your children's education. By the way, I am in NO way getting or making money off RS4K, but I do think it is a curriculum that is not popular in my area and I needed to share.

My approach to science to tackle it and run with it (picture Dwight Freeney if you will).
Need help with that, here ya go:

I'm have no fear of tackling evolution or any other world view. Bring it on. So, with that there is a **side-note: Apologia will be our choice of study once Luk is in fourth grade. Dr. Keller is not one that believes that creationism is all correct, but she doesn't think that evolutionism is all correct either. She also has a complex with "Intelligent Design." So, as the levels get more advanced you WILL see where she focuses on this, "Today I find myself betwixt and between, to the right and to the left, in the middle and yet with a panoramic view of all three viewpoints. By many, it can be seen as the nether world of scientific thought–standing for everything and therefore standing for nothing. But a panoramic view may be the best solution for the worldview wars over science education, and it may ultimately be the most useful and productive approach for science." **

As Christ-followers we most certainly believe in Creationism. So, with that for foundational science I like the way she introduces the facts. However, with that I can teach my boys the views of others with our worldview being held strong by my husband and me. These facts taught by me will be taught as the way God intended to make these things. His intricate design for all the world. She does not push anything as an agenda either. Observation is key in these three books (Biology, Chemistry, & Physics). I think for a beginning science it starts off good, and will compliment the introduction to Apologia well since he will have more reading/writing skills and after this observational skills.

I feel good about bringing the knowledge of science without fear, but with strong practice of observing what God has designed.

Florida Portfolio

2011-05-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it is nice to just be told what to do. You know when you don't know where you want to eat, and you ask the person with you wherever you want and they comply with an answer. That's how I feel about the Florida Statute on End-of-the-Year Portfolios. It is pretty lax, but then you have to make the decision of just what is the best way to put it together. Well, the past three days I have been doing just that.

Research...

Research...

More Research... (no, I'm not from Pinellas, but they are a neighboring county)

Yes, I am a bit OCD, and on top of that I have to plan. Surprise on what the gender of your child is? Nope, not me. If I can find out and get things in order, that's me. I am not a fan of procrastination. So, before our crazy summer begins I have gotten a move on with what our Portfolio will look like. It is finally done, and now all that needs to take place is for Sept to come and start adding Luk's school work to it.

Starting point is knowing what needs to go inside this portfolio:

Simple Portfolio Evaluations

port·fo·lio noun 5: a selection of a student's work (as papers and tests) compiled over a period of time and used for assessing performance or progress

A homeschool portfolio is a sampling of your student’s work over a certain period of time, whether year-round or a traditional school year. To use your portfolio for your annual evaluation, in the state of Florida, it must be reviewed by a Florida certified teacher and must show educational progress. The average cost of a portfolio evaluation is $50 and a list of certified teachers can be found on our website (www.herijax.com). You can expect an evaluation to take about an hour. Book an appointment for the evaluation at least 6 weeks prior to your anniversary date, so you are not rushed.

Your portfolio should have 5 - 9 work samples for each subject for each quarter. Dating all your students’ papers and organizing each subject in separate sections is very helpful. In most cases the teacher will look at the portfolio and speak with the student to see that they have made progress from the beginning of the year to the end. Most teachers are looking for simple and to the point work that the child has done. Extra work, projects, lapbooks or a piece of artwork that cannot fit into the portfolio can be shared with the teacher as well.

Other items typically found in a portfolio are:

§ Your letter of intent to homeschool

§ Program description (Tip: photocopy the table of contents from your students text books)

§ Daily, Weekly or Monthly logs of your student's lessons and activities

§ Reading log (this includes what the student has read, what you have read to the student and what you have read about homeschooling or any subject you are teaching your student.)
Tip: Keep your book receipt from the library for your records

§ Pictures (some things cannot be documented as well as a good photograph)

§ Extracurricular activities log

§ Awards and certificates

§ Completed “Home Education Evaluation Form” (always keep a copy for your records)

With this here is what my last few nights and today have looked like:

Yes, Play time is essential!

Curriculum, Books, Portfolio, and Logan's Puppy

Cover

Who is Luk?

Letter of Intent

Curriculum List

Curriculum Excerpts

Monthly Calendar/Plans/Objectives

(our days differ, so this will only be filled out each week)

Journal Log

(daily thoughts on progress)

Book List

Field Trip and PE Log

Subject Folders

These are the 27 Right Start Worksheets

Previous Work to show initial progress

Show some of Luk's responsibilities

Quarterly Nature Journal (Science)

Quarterly Book Reports (Chapter books read together)

Vocabulary/Spelling (English)

Quarterly Historical Figures Report (history)

Short Break for Cheetos

(notice orange ring around lips & orange smudges on shirt)

Last are the Pre-Assessment Sheets for Reading

Also, there is going to be a copy of the Evaluation.

Inside the subject folders will carry the work throughout the year, and some already have what will be done so that I have it all in one area. Lesson plans will look at the monthly objective alone with the table of contents from each curriculum since it shows the scope of learning.

Our days change due to illness, behavior issues, or just having dad home on Monday. So, my plans will only be a scope of learning along with journal entries. For those things that are done on the computer like his Math supplement, I will take photos.

Hopefully this will be an adequate portfolio. I will only know so at the end of the year. I do think that it a good plan. I'm sure that over time things will be tweaked, but that's fine. Stay tuned to see what the final product will be.

**The pages like the Nature Journal, Historical Figures, etc came from TOS Planner with me editing some for our needs.**

Co-op Field Trip to the Florida Aquarium & thoughts

2011-05-18T08:38:00.000-07:00

I am reminded regularly why my husband and I decided four years ago to homeschool our son (now sons). At first, it was something that I brought out to question, and after time my husband began to have strong considerations for it. Now, we are strong union on this front, and God has confirmed this decision in more ways than one. Why homeschool has been a topic of decision, and will always be a topic to discuss as we go on this journey. I seek blogs of encouragement especially from those that write more eloquently than I, or I read books that bring closure to my questioning:

“I {know} deep in my heart that God designed me, as a mother, to be at home with my children. To even think of settling for something else would be to step out of His will. No matter how difficult the homeschooling lifestyle might become, my commitment {is} to do God’s will, not my own. Even though I could selfishly choose an ‘easier’ lifestyle, I would have to disobey God to do so. I know in my heart that God has called me to homeschool…”

Sally Clarkson

Yes, that. With that comes our trip to the Florida Aquarium. My mommy friends and I thought that we picked a good day to go being a Tuesday morning, however when we arrived we quickly realized that the decision was not that wise. We were seeing the big yellow school buses and mounds of children coming out to go explore the Aquarium. There were hundreds of kids, but we trucked along. Each of use pushing the second borns in their strollers. It was loud, but the kids had great time.

Lessons learned from son and mother on how to deal with older children pushing and shoving these three out of the way, and Luk being the most vocal out of the group! (side note: the boy in the red was not the one that did the pushing. I don't want this sweet boy to get a bad rep. =D)

Lessons learned on how important it is to have an objective to these trips like a scavenger hunt.

Lessons learned that when a friend is sick and not able to join in on the fun that he is remembered and missed! Each wanting to take a photo just for him.

Lessons learned that as friends: they want to help each other explore and learn!

Lessons learned that after learning can come the fun in the sun.

That even the smallest in the groups seeks to find new challenges!

Lessons learned that after some play the learning continues.

The questions asked and the answers given are just the beginning and forever of our lives in this journey.

The trip was not seamless as Luk is vocal about when things happen to him. In two situations that day Luk was pushed, shoved, and hit by children that were in groups from the schools. They were older and bigger. We talked that day and today about how Jesus was beaten and killed by people that were mean, jealous, and scared. We talked about how we may not understand why they treat us in the manner that they do, but that's important that we reflect Christ and what he did. LOVE.

I watched to see what Luk's responses were. In first incident at the otter exhibit, he was taken aback and just watched in shock that he was pushed. He pouted and waited. Then when the left, I nudged him to go back up to look. The second situation occurred in the line for him and one of his friends to touch the star fish and other sea creature. The entire group just pushed their way through even the adult with them. I think I stood in shock as this woman just watched as they did that Luk and said nothing. I waited to see Luk. Me just staying silent so that my anger towards them wouldn't come out. He said, "HEY! You pushed me!" The three out of the four boys just ignored and snickered at him, while one of the boys said, "I didn't see you." Luk just looked and pouted. That boy kept looking back at Luk while his other friends tried to turn him around and talk with him. He had a concern for the way Luk felt, while the others ignored the "little boy." As the adult looked on, I asked Luk and his friend to come on the other side of the stroller to separate the two groups. I made eye contact with the "chaperone" (whatever that means), and gave her a look of irritation and I'm sure the angered showed.

There were a few things that I thought about at this time:
(1) I am glad that I didn't have someone chaperoning my son during that time because I created a teaching moment when it was over. While the three of the boys got away with being mean to a five year old, and one boy not sure how to feel left with no answers.
(2) It gave me a time to observe how Luk will respond to conflict. I'm not sure if his reaction was best, but I am also not sure as to what I was suppose to say. I can only hope that is a correct correction, and that it was better than sitting idly by like the other adult in this story.
(3) Luk quickly forgot about the issues, and he had fun the rest of the day.

Sigh... it broke my heart to see Luk get pushed around. He did get hit in the face. What was the hardest thing about it was seeing those boys not care and that "an older person who accompanies young people at a social gathering to ensure proper behavior" was not doing her job. It made me notice that this year Luk would be going into Kindergarten and he would walking the halls with boys that age... and "chaperones" that will not be doing their part.

I think it is important for me to note that this in NO means is saying that I want to shelter Luk, but rather that the situation and his learning after the situation was MY responsibility.

"They emphasized character, not conformity."

No, we will not conform to that behavior because that is what your friends are doing. No, we will not conform to the world and the way that others think we should act. No, we are not of this world! For Luk and Logan to know what it means to be of the world, they have to see it! We chose to NOT conform, but to grow and be like Christ. We are called to love. As I told Luk, Jesus loved those that killed Him. It may be hard; It may be painful, but Luk, you are to love those that are mean to you. Those boys will only see a boy that showed love and pain.

At the end of the day there was more character building learning than what this momma expected, but there was a wonderful amount learned beyond that for me. I end with Luk's scavenger hunt sheet:

Blog by Candid Diversions

2011-05-10T06:55:00.000-07:00

I found this blog and had to share. I have highlighted some of favorites.

30 for 30 - Benefits of Homeschooling

1. You can sleep in.

2. You [Mom] can learn the things you've always wanted to learn. Didn't have time for Shakespeare when you were in school? Start now! Always wanted to take French but your school only offered Spanish? This is your chance.

3. There's less wasted time (this applies to the children. So much of "regular" school is waiting in line, waiting for the next thing to happen, waiting to leave...)

4. Your children have the chance to see you at your best...

5. ...and your worst. Yes, this is actually a good thing.

6. You can skip the boring parts.

7. You can slow down and savor the good parts.

8. There's lots of time for reading.

9. You realize that everything can be educational: sorting the laundry, a walk around the block, making change at the grocery store...

10. You get to choose the when / where / why / and, most importantly, who, of socializing.

11. You can cuddle up on the couch, the floor, or a bed when you read aloud.

12. Chores can be part of the curriculum.

13. You can kiss the principal whenever you want.

14. You don't have to create bright, eye catching bulletin boards. (This was one of Philip's most hated parts of teaching school.)

15. You can pray out loud and read your Bible throughout the day.

16. You can visit places off season (no lines!) or during the day while everyone else is in school.

17. You can take a week off. Because of sickness, because of bad (or good) weather, or "just because".

18. There are no threatened budget cuts to art or music classes.

19. You can stay up late to look at the stars or a meteor shower.

20. No embarrassing health class - just candid discussions with mom or dad as necessary.

21. You don't have to wear shoes.

22. Recess is highly encouraged. Dodge ball is permissible. If you have to bathe or shower with someone else, it will be someone who shares the same parents as you.

23. You have time to pursue your own interests, no matter how arcane or engrossing.

24. Bullying is dealt with immediately, whether you're the victim or the perpetrator.

25. If you don't like lunch you can make your own.

26. Naptime doesn't end after Kindergarten.

27. No fundraising - no candy bars, no magazines, no popcorn. No forms that make adults want to hide when they see your child coming.

28. Playing the Wii occasionally counts as Phys. Ed.

29. You (the parent) don't miss anything: cute things they say, funny expressions they make, or that "a-ha!" moment when they figure something out.

30. No homework. In other words, once you get finished with a school day, you do not have to tackle another 3 hours of worksheets, book reports, and projects. When Mom says you're done for the day, you're done! And no terrifying bus ride home, either. And Mom? No carpool lanes.

What can I say? I'm a big fan!

When will you be "official"?

2011-04-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

We will be registering Luk for Kindergarten in the Fall, this will be happening between August and September. I'm trying to figure out when I want the school year to start because usually Sept and Oct are our off months. With that being said, tonight the good ol' husband and I are going to sit down and figure out how we want to plan the school year as far as time frame goes. Our curriculum is not changing, Luk did a great job this past "year" with what we have for him. Phonics has been our strong hold and including math at different times.

Here are some of things he has completed and knows:

Explode the Code Book 1 - completed level K phonics, can read level K books, complete set one of Bob Books.
Explode the Code Book 1 1/2 - I am picking out the pages that I feel were not elaborated on in book 1. Sentence framing/comprehension and more in-depth reading comprehension. I highly recommend this book for those pages.
Right Start Math - He knows parallel lines, quadrilaterals & triangles, simple addition, count to 100, and we are now going off Right Start Math to get him familiar with money for some responsibilities lesson I want to do. They do money in Right Start, but I'm going over recognition and value. He knows how to visibly see quantities to 10 without counting, knows how to work the abacus, and patterning/grouping/graphing.
Science - we are doing living things still as we are growing our plants at home. He is also learning food chains & food cycles.
Geography - learning maps, address, Smith & Pataso our Compassion children and their lifestyles
Handwriting Without Tears - has been going good, but slow. ETC has a lot of writing so he is burnt out on it, but the days that there is not much to do bring it out and we practice penmanship. He knows that book comes out and he has to do it perfect. With ETC, I have let him get sloppy, but I have to say that each time I bring out HWT his next time doing ETC is better. He knows the expectation of doing it right and keeping it that way.
Positive Action Bible - we are only on Lesson 7 which is Abraham and Isaac. I've noticed that staying on this curriculum is not easy as we go through out the year doing different things. FOr example, Christmas we do an Jesse Tree Advent Devotional and now as Easter approaches and focus on this being our most holiday of the year we now are doing this Easter Devotional. I have been blessed to have found these from Ann Voskamp and that she has been so generous to share them for free. I highly recommend them. They are beautifully written, and I think I enjoy hanging our ornaments everyday just as much as him. I will be posting our Easter adventure with this soon. SO, needless to say Positive Action is great, but we just haven't gotten through it all, yet.

Logan is officially a toddler (17 months old), and I am devastated by it. =D He has been walking since 10 months old, been running since 11 months old, and talking like crazy. If you pay really close attention you can make out his words. He will say crazy words that are too big for him like battery or phone. Yet, I can't get the kid to say car. It's funny. He says dog (and it's sound), cat, mama, dada, coo-coo (my mom), papa, nana (banana and DH's mom), drink, open.... So on, he is along for the ride. He sings and dances. Recently, I was in the kitchen and he was pulling at the alphabet magnets on the frig. I said, "that's A." He says, "A." Then I said, "can you say B." He said it, and began humming the ABC song. Sheesh. He catches on quick. It is dangerous when it comes to his Evil Knievel skills.

I think that wraps it up for now. Here is our Jesse Tree Journey

Luk is a Reader

2011-04-12T09:03:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted this for awhile, but Luk is reading. He finished the ETC Book 1 about a month ago, and we have been going through parts of ETC 1 1/2. I decided to purchase it, and see what all it had inside. I was very impressed. It had some of the same things that book 1 had, however it had two things that book 1 never fully introduced and that is building a sentence from jumbled words and further reading comprehension.

So, for example there is a word box with: jam, fans, bass, Al, van, bag

You then have the sentences to build:
- Nan _______ the fat cat. (fans, there is photo)
- _______ is in the bag. (Al)
- Ann adds gas to the ______. (van)
- Jan's cap is a _______. (bag)
- Sal sat in the _______. (jam)
- A mad _______ sat in a pan. (bass)

Sentence Building there is a photo with words then a blank sentence line.
these words jumbled up: the can., at, is, Sal, mad
- Sal is mad at the can.

van., has, the, Ann
- Ann has the van.

pan., in, a, naps, Hal
- Hal naps in a pan.

So, we are doing this to further his reading comprehension and sentence building along with his reading. He is really doing great. He picked up a DVD and said "qu-a-ck p-a-ck" that says "Quack Pack." Bob books set 1 are done, and he continues to read his library books.

So, we move on.

Pray for Nina

2011-02-21T06:43:00.000-08:00

Pray for Nina

Structure, but oh so Fun

2011-01-20T21:45:00.000-08:00

I like structure more than organizing. I like the routine and schedule of things, and it shows in Luk. He really picks up on the order that things are done. In his Sunday School class a couple of Sundays ago, he had a special guest as his teacher our wonderful pastor (who happens to be the dad of Luk's best buddy, Noah). He made sure that the preacher man stayed on the routine of his regular Sunday School teacher. When my husband was off of work that following Monday, he asked if dad could be his school teacher for the morning. We were happy to oblige, however dad had to stay in the order that mommy has it.

It's a funny thing though coming from this child:

Are you seeing what happens in one day at our home? He learns the word "incognito," and soon he comes out with glasses and guns because he is hiding who he really is. Then one day we have Woody, but we can't find that hat... so we make one with a paper plate and string. How about learning about those that worshiped golden idols and not God, well that is a job for a Storm Trooper and within five minutes Iron Man. That same day, well, we're going out to eat with Astronaut Commander Luk, followed by bedtime ritual with Mario, and a quick change to fight Joker Daddy as Batman.

For a kid that loves his structure, he LOVES playing with his imagination. Don't forget to give your kids their free time to do what they want to do. For us, it's dress up and conquer the world of injustice. As Luk begins to learn how to read and becomes more confident in his writings we have began the art sentences. Another favorite for him during fun time. He informed me he wanted a journal, today. He tells us what he wants to say, and we help him spell it if it is a hard word. Here are two his most recent writings:

"Papa, your bosses are mean for making you go far away." We are assuming the four people are his bosses. He was not happy that my dad had to be home late from work to go out of town. Result- letter to the bosses.

How about this one:

"Jesus Died on the Cross for our Sins"

I am particularly proud of this one. Every night he gets a devotional with Reson and I before he heads to bed. This night my mom did the devotional because we were gone with our youth group to Winter Jam. He wanted to write this.

In the midst of all the structure that he prefers and the structured imagination time, he loves being with Logan:

Both in their little world, but staying close to each other. Precious brother love.

It's not just his brother, but his dear friends. In particular, this guy (Boah Noah, as he calls him because he hears his family call him that):

As I see him grow into the man of God we are raising him to be, I love that in one minute he is structured and serious, however he can be the most imaginative kid around. In the end of the day, he learns and knows truth. Beautiful! As he told me this evening entering my room for devotional and prayer (dressed as this):

"Hey, Woman!" followed by mounds of giggles... sigh... fun structure, that's Luk for ya!

Testing some independent learning...

2011-01-18T15:12:00.000-08:00

Beyond doing some learning on the computer alone, Luk usually likes for me to be right beside him when he is doing his reading. However, today we had to play catch up as we had an unexpected "off" day yesterday. So, after our Bible story (which I will talk about in a moment), we began on ETC. I set him up, and I began making lunch urging him to go ahead and start his lessons. He begins his reading, and stopping at the page of sentences.

Now, this is usually the worst time of the lesson. As he puts it, "I don't like sentences." However, today he breezed right through without me even having to push him to try it out. I was very proud, and he had such confidence. He finished the rest of the pages with no problem and by himself (with only two times that he asked for clarity). It was nice to see him us his independence to read his sentences.

Now, our Bible lesson was on the Tower of Babel. Before we really got to that, I gave Luk a better understanding of our beautiful Compassion children:

Smith (family)

Pataso (youth group)

We talked about where they lived in comparison to us, how they dress, their language, and their homes. Luk was sad that they were what we call in this country, "poor." Luk wanted to write, "I'm sorry you are poor." I informed him that they do not write things that would be hurtful to them. That everyone around them live like them. They do not even know really how we live. It was a moment for him. He was sad for them (he cried), but I was assuring him that he shouldn't be sad because they are apart of our family and we are helping them with opportunities. I showed him pictures of homes like Smith's, whose home is dirt floor, wood walls, and unknown roof. Pataso's home is made of bamboo flooring, bamboo walls, and roof made of leaves.

He seemed to take this to heart. He was very sensitive to this. We have talked about poverty and the way "our boys" live, but I'm not sure if it's age however his reaction was different about it today. I also showed him videos of people speaking their languages, which introduced the Bible lesson. Everyday we live in a world that is desensitized to true poverty, poor living conditions, etc. As Christians, we MUST sensitize our children to this. Life is so much more than about us. We must teach this.

We are blessed beyond measure, beyond what we deserve...

Right Start Math

2011-01-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

When I first saw Right Start, I know that it would be perfect for our family. I am happy to say that I was right. Luk loves it, and it is really enjoyable to teach. It didn't take long to convince my very math-savy husband that this was the math curriculum for us. After looking at two other math studies at the convention he gave me the look. We need not look any further. Let's go get the one we know is us. I, also, use(d) the "123's for Preschoolers" from www.metooschool.com to help Luk learn to count and number recognition.

Things I did to help with number teaching with him knowing how to verbally count:
1) Count while showing the number flash cards.
2) Showed the association between the numbers with the cards.
eg- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Look how they repeat in the next set: 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
3) Why then 20? I show him the sets of 10, and how 2 = 1+1, 1+1 = 2. Then show him the 20 = 10 + 10, 10+10 = 20.
4) Once that was learned teaching him the to count in 10's was rather simple. As he counted to 100 with the flash cards, I would group them in 10s showing 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100.

Now, Luk does have problems remember fifteen because it's not "fiveteen" same for fifty, it's not "Fivety". =D So, I have been reiterating in counting to remember just fifteen, we say "fif" for fifty. He catches on, but I think that this is an age and recognition thing, so I'm not too concerned over it. Other than that he counts to 100 and counts in 10s.

Now, with Right Start the beauty is that it teaches learning quantity. So, when Luk looks at an object you don't count how man, but look at the quantity. If we look at the abacus:

Luk learns that when all on the right it is "clear," from there he learns in "units." When I ask him to show me two, he doesn't go: one bead, one bead is two beads. No, he takes the "unit" of two beads at once. He recognizes that by picturing the "unit." That is one of the keys to why we picked this curriculum. We wanted Luk to look beyond the counting, but to focus on quantity, units, and reasoning. This kid is literally a son of reason, I mean Reson. =) Those that don't know that is my husband's name.

The other thing I enjoy about Right Start is that back when learning the quantities of 1-4 it taught about triangles and quadrilaterals. Once he knew the mathematical terms for these triangles (3 sides) quadrilaterals (4 sides); I knew he would enjoy the Geo Boards that came with our curriculum. It has a purpose to him, now. It is not just something to put whatever shapes, but the purpose to make these quantities.

We are big fans of this method to math. It's hands-on, visual, and the teacher's manual is easy for a mom that has baby like Logan. The planning for it (at the moment) is simple: direct list of manipulatives needed, pictures for help on word directions, and last the lessons are only about 5-10 minutes long, which is perfect for this soon-to-be five year old. The lesson is only 5 minutes, but the learning last longer as he manipulates the Abacus and Geo Board.

Did you notice my little guy in the background on the first photo?

Do you see him?

He was doing his own manipulative himself while being entertained by what he calls, "Me-Mou." Thanks Mickey!

Also side note on ETC, I decided to stop using the computer. Logan kept distracting Luk. The time given to finish it, click errors were getting on my nerves. So, we will try that later as he gets older because I did like the program, however not being able to change settings like the timer and such was annoying.
We are back to do the books full time. Luk is doing well. He does have a problem with sounds "L" and "W." His pediatrician says that is something that will come as he gets older, and if not, we will work with it more then. I do mouth motions with him, now just in case it is something that will need work later. He also will say the "e" sound for the "i" and vice versa, but then says the word right. I correct him, but it seems like something that he does by mistake. Here is one of his pages.

The birds are chirping this morning... er... no, but that's okay

2011-01-12T07:22:00.001-08:00

I'm in the kitchen awaiting for the toaster sound to be made that my bagel is done. You know that spring released sound. As I wait though for that to interrupt my thoughts I listen to Adie Camp's "Redemption Song" watching both my boys eat their cereal. Logan is in his own little world testing gravity, and Luk is writing down names of the patients he is seeing today.

I reflecting on my what I like to call "Meditation" album on my iTunes. Yea, an album that seriously chills me out and makes me reflect on God and me. Only He and I. It is an intimate album for me, and it get played ALOT. As it should because anything that makes me reflect of the one God, the one Man that loves me most I should engulf everyday in it. As a mom you gotta search for that time because if not you are going to leave Him hanging, and that... well, that's just not wise is it.

This morning I woke up saying my memorization verse for the week. That's strange for me, I usually wake up thinking, "Logan please stop screaming." However, taking the challenge to learn all of Colossians has proven to wake me up in scripture. It is only my first week (I'm beginning one week behind), and if this is what I can hope for every morning; I think I can handle that.

"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother. To God's holy people of Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. Grace and Peace to you from God our Father." Is that right? Let me look, I still have three days to learn it before I recite it to Reson.

Hold on...

Colossians 1

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, ² To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters^[a] in Christ:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

Faithfulness to God MY FATHER will lead to grace and peace. That's a nice thing to wake up to. This new year has brought about new "resolutions" that I didn't really think I was going to start. However, for me they are not resolutions, they are convictions, life changes that need to happen for the beauty of sanctification. As my wonderful friend Jennifer remind me, sanctification is a beautiful thing. A transformation done by the only person that can Christ. He takes me, changes me, and I become more like His image.

Convictions for the this upcoming year:
- More budget maintenance (sorry just got distracted by Logan spilling Gerber Stars all over the kitchen)
- Bible Memorization
- Weight Loss (getting back to pre-Logan weight)

Faithfulness in Christ. Immersing myself in His teachings, His commands, His love for me. As I write that my album has played "Redemption Song" again. Timing... God's timing, His talk to us through the things that we do.

Voice of mercy, breath of God
Life from life sustaining us
Earth below and skies above
Beautiful redemption’s song

Melodies like morning rise
Darkness leaning toward the dawn
Into our sorrow sings the light
Beautiful redemption song

Hallelujah, love is come
Hallelujah, God with us
Hope restored and death undone
Beautiful redemption song
Beautiful redemption song

Weeping will not last the night
Nor will sadness be for long
Joy was born of sacrifice
Beautiful redemption song

Let the wounded come and see
Empty grave and lifted stone
Sinners saved and captives, free
Beautiful redemption song
Beautiful redemption song

Next comes "Meteor Shower" and "In Christ Alone" by Adam Young aka Owl City. He's redeeming me, He's with me and I desperately need Him there, and He has saved me (sorry interrupted again because now Luk is school teacher and needed his sign hung up).

As I stand in the kitchen this all happens in a mornings span all before it is time for me to do school with Luk. "Here in the power of Christ I'll stand." I have to start my mornings right with Christ immersing my soul because if not... Mr. Doctor, Mr. Teacher, and Mr. Gravity Tester may get to be too much. =D

I'll stand in the power of Christ... in His shelter

Starting all over...

2011-01-07T10:06:00.000-08:00

We started from scratch with my schedule/calendar. You see, my days were running into each, Logan is my tumor growth (as my friends have stated), and Luk has been a good sport. The days consisted of ham and pb&j sandwiches, school, Logan screaming, stop school, turn on computer game, Logan screams... and screams... NAP!!!

So needless to say, when the new year came, I was determined to get on a schedule again. Logan still screams, but we are SLOWLY working on independent play time with him. I made a planner for this year with my handy dandy Binding Books Beautifully kit.

Inside I have a yearly objective for each subject, monthly objective, and a weekly objective.

Bible- OT stories, what leads us to the cross? Catechism: God, man, sin, firm foundation on on our doctrine, and large focus on right and wrong.

Reading- ETC Book 1 finishing up and begin ETC Book 2. Confidence in beginners reading and sight words, consonant blends, and spelling. Books to read: Abuela (Spanish), Doctor De Soto (Character Traits), and Moses goes to a Concert (deaf awareness/ASL).

Writing- Practicing his penmanship

Vocabulary- ETC new words to him "mutt" or using other terms to say words "pup."

Math- Right Start continuation: counting, parallel lines/planes, money, simple addition, and quantity recognition without counting.

Character Building- during Bible time and all day practice- obedience, kindness, self-control (this one is killing me with him), patience (another killer), promptness (we use a timer for clean up time, etc), and manners (table, "please", "thank you", "yes ma'am").

Science- Real Science: Lapbooking through the year the book contents. Living things, Cells, Plants, Butterflies, Frogs, Protozoa, Our Life Cycle

History- Geography: Maps, Charts, Knowing his address, phone number, map symbols, and measuring distances (math). Holidays: Learning the root of holidays and celebrations (eg. Jesse Tree Journey), currently working on an Easter Celebration tree. Our Life: Florida and Agriculture.

Foreign Language- American Sign Language (ASL): A, B, C's, Numbers, common words (food, places). There is no curriculum for ASL. I am using my 5 years of taking classes in HS and College. Spanish: Hooked on Phonics and Home Practice- common words/phrases, and numbers.

The primary focus for the year is as followed: Reading, writing, math, Bible, character building, and physical fitness.

Here is fun thing to share with you today. As we were doing the ETC the question read was
"Can a bag rip?"
To which I asked, "Well, can a bag rip?"
Luk responded, "No."
*in my head thinking, really*
"Luk, a bag can't rip like a piece of paper or clothes?"
"No, because it has no hands!"
*laughing out loud*
*he grins*

I explained to him that the bag is not doing the ripping, but that he can rip the bag. It was cute. The beauty of homeschool, let that imagination soar!

Finding Joy as Satan is determined to take it

2010-12-21T08:37:00.001-08:00

"Shucks, you were going to have a swingset in your yard for the boys to play in all Christmas Day?"

"You mean you still don't have time to buy another?"

"You know you can go and just get a cheaper playground because you want the boys to have a fun-filled Christmas!"

Satan is a good liar! He likes whispering these things into my head as we walk past the toy aisle in Wal-mart. He loves trying to replace my joy with sadness, and every split second that I get just a little teary eyed I let him win that time frame. It's upsetting that the human mind can betray itself especially when you think you know yourself. I went back to my previous post and just reflected because I know that everything I wrote was true!

"Shucks, you were going to have a swingset in your yard for the boys to play in all Christmas Day?"
Sure, but you know what! As Reson pointed out we can take them to the park. Yea, I live in a country that offers playgrounds free to the public.

"You mean you still don't have time to buy another?"
Sure, I do! But then I wouldn't be following my heart of "Whenever Christmas begins to burden, it's a sign that I've taken on something of the world and not of Christ."

"You know you can go and just get a cheaper playground because you want the boys to have a fun-filled Christmas!" Yea, I could, but then if Luk wants to buy:

a cow,

or 20 mosquito nets,

or 17 soccer balls,

or 15 Chickens,

or 10 Baking Supplies,

or 8 Vaccinations,

or 6 Educational Supplies,

or 5 Kits for New Moms,

or 4 goats,

or 4 water filters,

or 4 beauty trainings,

or how about 3 Bakeries,

or even 2 Small Businesses,

or even a mechanics workshop

through Compassion. If I spend my money on a swingset, I couldn't do this for him. I would be saying, "You know Luk, I told you we would be doing this, but you know, I really don't care about others in poverty I wanted to get Logan and you a swingset.

What kind of example is this? No, Satan my sad heart will not allow you to do this, to remove the joy that I have been having over this loss. No, because it has been a joy focusing on God and what he has graciously given to me and my family. We are blessed beyond measure, and it is our call to give to others that are not as fortunate. Christ came for the lowly, and he wants us to experience a sense of lowliness.

So... I'm thinking instead of a swingset we may invest a cow for a village in Kenya

and Luk... well, he told us he wanted to get the mosquito nets.

You want to know why? He relates to it. When he goes outside in the Florida heat, he and I both get eaten alive by those darned bugs. He and I both know that we would hate to try sleeping with that happening. Imagine it... being bitten all night long... with no relieve... you wake up every morning and you can't even tell where the new bites are because you have bites all over you anyways. My heart feels a conviction to get the water and kit for new moms. Why? Have you ever thought about what you live would be like without clean water, an element you need for survival. You would be sick all the time due to contaminates, you would be malnourished, and you may even die. A new mom, a small baby, no clean water, not enough food, no breastmilk flowing. You have NO idea how to keep your child alive because no one near has been able to do it. This village would have clean filtered water, this new mom would have a Dr/Nurse to give health visits, vaccinations, and help to give this child a future.

These things are all more than I can give by giving my boy's a swingset. So, as Satan tries to create sadness in my heart, give me a bad day, I immerse myself in these things. If I didn't my heart would become hardened, my soul would begin to ache as my selfishness takes over. Is today a day, yes. Do I want to scream, yes. However, I will not let my joy be taken. I will sit for a bit, reflect, breath deep, and be joyful through it because I'm getting a cow for Christmas... it's just going to be living in Kenya it's whole life. Maybe one day I will meet it. =D

So... I ask you, what can you give this Christmas that means more than an iPod, or watch, or swingset? I don't know, you tell me because there is whole list stated above that can change a whole generation!

It could be worse...

2010-12-17T08:45:00.001-08:00

I open the refrigerator. I take the chicken eggs out, and continue to take out the prepackaged already sliced pig bacon. I turn on the electric stove remembering I forgot to take out the already churned flavored and spreadable butter. I read two blogs that give me daily doses of reality and conviction for my own habits. The one prompting the above is called Sit a Spell, and how we really don't appreciate the things that we have on a daily basis. It was while doing breakfast that this reality was really hitting hard this morning. I was telling Luk how if we didn't live here in the United States that we would be hoping that our chickens laid eggs, that we even would own a pig to get pork meat, etc. He doesn't grasp the hardship that would be. I show him pictures, but he doesn't SEE it. So, I have to try to show him in some way.

Yesterday, Reson and I got back from a vacation. It was one that we didn't know we were going on, but it's funny how those unexpected things happen in your life. Scroll down to see the awesome postcard we picked up on our way back.

Isn't that great!? I'm sure by now you can sense the sarcasm in this part of my post. Yep, we are victims of a scam. A well done one if I may say so. Isn't that great? Actually, YES! There were a few things that I took from this experience. First, I want to clarify that my only heart ache is that I did involve someone else in the "deal" because I didn't want them to miss out on such an opportunity. I am grateful that they are God loving people who see that really it's a "that sucks" situation.

So, what did I get from this: ALOT!
1) It's interesting that I never even thought, "my poor boys, their Christmas is ruined!" No, I was upset that I let another group of people down with my judgment. What I got? I got that when you surround yourself with people that you care about that love you back you care about their feelings. It was actually an overbearing feeling. I bawled my eyes out thinking about it.

2) The second blog I read posted this yesterday (the day we found out it was scam), "Whenever Christmas begins to burden, it’s a sign that I’ve taken on something of the world and not of Christ." Enough said, really. This year we were pretty minimal in our spending compared to last year. The scam did involve the big gift for the boys. I could have thought many things to get angry about it. I did get angry, but it wasn't a "how dare you" anger. It was referring to the anger that stemmed from the crying for what I wrote above.

3) On the scam-side: always go to a place like www.godaddy.com search out that website and see who it belongs to. If it says this: N4892 Nassau Bahamas Tel: +852.81720004 = SCAM. You put the URL in make a domain bar, it will say it is used, but you will see where it says "more info" click there and you will see where the domain came from. The site will look legit, have FAQs from customer, payment details to the last "T," and they will even put the pretty "secure site" logos on there.

4) Report it! www.scamchecker.com is a source that you can find scams or report one. I encourage you to do it.

5) Finally, one other person posted a report on the same scam. It was actually the same the day. She went on a tirade on how this ruined her kids Christmas, that they didn't spend the money on taking their children to some dance competition, and that how could these people do this to children, etc. I am again reminded that so many people in this world care to much about materials.

Final thoughts (this will be lengthy as this is my full reaction to the whole process):
I'm sad that people think that this is okay to do. I'm sad that I got someone else involved. I am, however thankful. I still have a home; I still have money for groceries; I still have two happy little boys that have NO idea that they were getting this gift, and lastly our year of minimalizing began NOW!

God has never hesitated on taking things away from Reson and me to show us that we need to refocus. Why were we waiting until next year to do our Christ-centered Christmas? Why did we purchase an expensive item when we wanted to be Christ seeking people all year round? I believe God was telling us no, you are going to seek this new traditional NOW! With that I am repentant that I thought next year was a good time. I am reminded again that God's time is the right time. We do already have six gifts for both boys. The full blown tradition will be three gifts, and looking through our Compassion Catalog to buy something for people who find JOY in God, health, family, food, and friendship. We are going to do the Compassion gifts this year, too.

We have our Jesse Tree going strong, and everyday we are reminded that God is control and His plan is the best plan for our lives. I lost money. It was basically like handing it to someone, and walking away. Deep down I'm hoping that they are using the money to help the people in their country, but the pessimist me knows it is mostly likely not. I could get angry. I could cry that it ruined my boys' Christmas, but I can't because it didn't. It didn't ruin my Christmas. I look to what Ann Voskamp wrote, "Whenever Christmas begins to burden, it's a sign that I've taken on something of the world and not of Christ." I look beyond Christmas though. If there is anything in this LIFE that can burden me, then I am surely looking to the world and not to Christ.

I have decided that I am upset that I didn't get a tan while on vacation in the Bahamas. Reson was upset that he didn't get to take photo while there. In all, we will not be going back to the Bahamas EVER, however something tells me if I say that God will find a way to put me there. So... I leave with saying I will not be going to the Bahamas if I had choice, but if be God's then I guess I will. =D

Merry Christmas! "Whenever Christmas begins to burden, it's a sign that I've taken on something of the world and not of Christ." I leave with us as we are today, JOYOUS!

Photo by Stockton Photography

Christmas Cards 2010

2010-12-16T17:49:00.001-08:00

A sneak peek... if you get one the inside holds a sweet treat!

Family Wall Noir Christmas 5x7 folded card

Shutterfly Christmas cards

View the entire collection of cards.

One Week...

2010-12-13T17:51:00.000-08:00

It has been one week without yelling at the boys. I know this seems like a weird thing to bring up, but what a celebration! Over a week ago our days went something like this...

Logan is screaming his death defying holler, reaching for me to pick him up while I'm trying to carry the load of laundry to the laundry room. At the same time Luk is screaming I wanna do this, I want this, can I have this... and BOOM!!! I EXPLODE!!! All I want to do it be able to carry the load of laundry to the washer without hearing that screech that is like a thousand nails scratching a hundreds of black boards or without hearing Luk complain that he wants a snack (when he already got the answer "no").

The days were like that all the time. If I wasn't doing laundry, I was trying to get something done for the husband or even trying to do school with Luk. Logan would be screaming, and for Luk that gave him the excuse to goof off and not answer the questions to his work. BOOM... EXPLOSION!!! I was sick of yelling at them, and I hated it! So, last Monday I made a pledge no more yelling!

This has almost become a detox phase, really. =D I'm used to yelling. Did you ever watch "My Big Fat Greek Wedding?" Just turn that into Cuban and that is what I'm used to. When Reson and I got married, and we moved to Louisville, and I got used to talking in a whisper to the point that when my mom visited she couldn't hear me. Well, needless to say when we moved back the yelling commenced.

With this in mind, the detox of yelling has been almost like trying not to stick that piece of yummy chocolate cake when you already had one slice. However, I have caught myself before doing it, and my conviction has been one with sincerity. So, it has been one week with no yelling for me, and I must say I can thank God for giving me the self control to maintain this.

Proverbs 16:32

Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

I want to my boys to know that their mother is one that wants to talk it out not shout it out. Today was a true testament, and I didn't realize it until, now. Let me explain why. Today, I packed away FOUR bags of clothes that the boys out grew, reorganized their FIVE shelves of books, and reorganized their TWO bins of toys. They had their moments of screaming, crying, and asking questions, but God certainly gave me control when I wasn't even trying to do it. I didn't have to stop myself from yelling because I didn't have the desire to do it.

I praise the Lord for helping me this week, and I pray that He continues to transform me into a Proverbs 31 woman of God!

Wake Up Call

2010-12-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

As I lay in the bed slowly waking up, I hear Logan "talking." This is usually a great morning because usually he just cries, and is ready to get out of that crib! However, days like today come few and far between as my little man was just cooing, calling out Mama, ba-ba, and laughing. When Luk was this age, I would give him about twenty minutes to a half hour to just chill in the morning and play. He was an early riser, and this helped me get focused on the day ahead. Luk, now, will sleep as late as Logan will let him, which is usually 8:00ish. Unfortunately, my four year old didn't think that Logan's talking was enough to get my attention. So... the sweet sounds of Logan's chit chat turns into hearing Luk saying "cry, cry, cry, cry, cry, cry, cry!" Do you get the picture?

Inside Head thought:

Shocked, maybe. He was going to some great length to make him cry in my book.

Sure enough the water works descended, which for Logan Tender-Heart is not very hard to do. He is 100% Momma's boy, and he is ultra sensitive. Example- loud noises (vacuum, sirens, etc) tears start flowing. I leave the room, or try to hand him over to dad; tears. So, is the beauty of Logan's heart. With the chanting of "CRY!" from Luk, I enter the room. Luk immediately silenced. He knew he was in for it.

Dialogue between me and Mister Let's make my brother scream:
M: L, why were you screaming, "CRY!"
L: Because... (looks away as if ready to lie)
M: You know that if you lie to me you will get into more trouble than if you tell me the truth?
L: Yes, Mama. I'm going to tell the truth.
M: Okay.
L: Well (this is he catch phrase at the moment), I wanted him to cry so that I could get up and play.
**side note** Luk knows that in the mornings once Logan is awake, he can play with Logan and his toys.
M: You know you are allowed to get up and play once Logan is awake, so why are you doing that?
L: Well, I don't know.
M: Logan is your brother. You are to love your brother, and you making him cry and yelling at him is unacceptable. I am upset that you were doing that to make your brother cry. God did make you to be ugly and mean to your brother and to others. I want you to repeat after me: "I will not say mean things." I want you to say that three times.
L: "I will not say mean things. I will not say mean things. I will not say mean things."

Surprisingly, Logan stayed quiet and just watched. Luk later yelled something to me, and quickly said, "I will not yell. I will not yell. I will not yell."

We are starting the day off pretty good. I hate to yell at Luk, and it seems that it happens everyday at some point. Logan is attached to me. If I try to put him down to laundry or anything he will literally cry and following me pulling my pants. In addition to that, Luk is asking redundant questions after he has gotten the answer "no." So, I decided I needed a change in action, and it has worked today. We will see how it goes. I know that everyday will not be like this, I know that I will have to practice self-control when it comes to raising my voice, but I am happy to see that Luk is getting it.

As he begin his segment of ask mom the same question over and over again. I said to him, "Luk are you obeying and listening?" He said, "No. I will be a good listener. I will be a good listener. I will be a good listener." It is nice that without prompt he knew that I was going to say something about it. He is practicing his self-control, which has led to a pleasant morning. Thanks to Tristan for posting on "Taking Emotion Out of Discipline" over at Our Busy Homeschool, she reminded me that I wanted to implement some of these things after reading Duggar House Guidelines.

"A Jesus Advent Celebration" by Ann Voskamp

2010-12-03T10:16:00.000-08:00

At the Homeschool Convention this past May, I bought Binding Books Beautifully Kit. I had seen the kit the year before, and I had talked to my husband about it. So, we bought it this year. I have yet to make a book yet, however when I came across this Jesse Tree Advent Devotional "A Jesus Advent Celebration" by Ann Voskamp I knew I need to bound this thing. It is free with subscribing to her updates (which is free, too). Here blog, A Holy Experience is one of wonderful experiences shared, and how she and her family celebration their traditions. The other beauty to this book is the pages that talks about Compassion, and the gift of giver verses receiving. The devotional is 80 pages long with eight pages that have the ornaments you need for your Jesse Tree. What I love most about this project was that I can see it being something that my boys will want to continue with their families as they become adults.

Binding Kit

The Pages

Pages are divided into equal parts. The pages are put into the BBB wooden binder tool.

The directions in certain areas are a bit ambiguous, but like I told my husband, "They expect us to be smart with this!" =D We started by only doing every other nail because the space is just close enough to make it difficult to hammer it straight.

The pages need to be clip on the other side for the process after this.

Once it is all nailed. The nails need to come up, and the holes will be perfect to sew.

Reson did the first half while I began sewing the bottom half of the pages.

Here is where the directions are quite ambiguous again. You need to savvy in reading/looking at picture to figure out the sewing pattern. I used a crochet thread for this because I knew that it was going to be a big book. When doing a smaller book you can use dental floss or thread doubled.

Another area that seemed vague was the book cover. I recommend you doing AFTER you have sewn the pieces together. We did it before and it was too big even though we measured it. So, do it afterward, and you will get better results.

Book Board (not card board) with a spine.

This was the most time consuming part. If you look closely you will see next to the white paper that there is masking tape. that space is where the needle goes through to connect the pages to the cover. It was very tedious and time consuming being it such a large book. Reson and I joked that the directions say to do your first book small, but why do that when you can do it BIG! LOL.

Here she is all done:

The beauty of this book is how you learn that the story of Christmas came from the very beginning when there was a universe of nothingness. It is beautifully written and deserved to bound. I hope that this will be a wonderful keepsake for our family. I want it to be a tradition that my boys will grow to cherish doing year after year. Here is our Jesse Tree with the ornaments that we have done so far. Today we went over December 3.

The Story of Christmas

2010-12-01T06:30:00.000-08:00

We don't do Santa at our house, and guess what it doesn't ruin Christmas! Amazing! Luk knows the story of St. Nicholas, why there are Santas in malls, etc. We still enjoy the Santa movies and the spirit that the Santa story brings. We just have chosen not to do the pretend thing. We are open and honest with Luk about everything else, why would we start "lying" now with something so big that could last years. Yes, "lying" is a harsh word, but in truth that is the correct word. I was told about Santa. I have no problem with those that do. I respect that decision, and we tell Luk regularly not to share this fact with others especially when there are children around.

With that, I get daily newsletter from a wonderful website called iMOM. It gives some great insight to situations, resources, and tools to dealing with being a Christian mom. This is mom site to Tony Dungy's All Pro Dad, Family Minute, and Family First. Today, they gave resources to The Story of Christmas, and I was on top of it. The figures are playful and professional looking. The story is straight from scripture. The best part is it's free.

Speaking of telling Luk all about truth... I will have to post later today what happened when we discussed that women need men to have babies. Yep, that one was fun. =) This is were I have to make it very clear that truth in moderation and age oriented is very important. LOL

Logan

2010-11-09T08:32:00.000-08:00

It seems that since this is a homeschooling blog that poor little Logan gets left out of the mix because he is in fact only one. However, I have to say that him sitting in and observing Luk has him on an upscale from where Luk was as a one year old.
Logan mimics really well. His favorite show to entertain him while I'm schooling Luk is "Me-Mo" aka Mickey Mouse. His favorite dance is "Ho Doe" aka Hot Dog. He will not say these "words" all the time, however it is a riot hearing say it when he wants it. He also says "mama," "dada," "coocoo" (which is my mom), and "WHOA!" LOL. It's funny hearing him say that one.

So, unstructured schooling for the young one happens at times that are just narrating through the daily life. It is fun hearing him try to say words. He has attempted thank you with "Tha tha." It is never too early to teach manners. =)

Here is my little cutie.

Library Time

2010-11-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday at Library Time, our lovely Mrs. Dee had the kids make Caramel Apples as their "craft." It was fun time of reading about pumpkins (which they carved a few weeks ago) and Halloween. It is a great time of fellowship with other moms, the children have fun doing these activities together, and afterward seeing the importance of looking for fun books to read.
Here is some of what happened during that time

The Tortoise beats the Hare

2010-11-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

Right now, we are moving at tortoise speed this year. It does make me feel better that Luk is four years old, and I have noticed that each day we do school he does better. It is true that with his phonics his maturity makes it more tolerable. He is doing really well with math. I struggle with the balance of Logan being in the picture. He is very much a momma's boy, and this leads to wanting to grab and interrupt school. He is not satisfied doing something else. I have been trying to do school while he is eating, and that has helped. We don't do school during nap because Luk still naps and it is at the same time. So, we are trucking along just in slow mode.

We need have a great Co-op lesson last week about Harold and Purple Crayon. The kids read the book, watched the movie, made crayons, learned more about primary and secondary colors, and had purple snacks.

Tooth Update

2010-10-06T06:39:00.000-07:00

Luk had his first dentist appointment on Monday, and it was a great experience for the both of us.

This is Dr. Tarver, and they give you a picture after the visit. Luk was a little scared to do the cleaning, and I needed to comfort him a little. However, he was quickly over it. The missing tooth is our decision. There is no nerve damage and no other teeth were damaged. The best (and surprising) part was NO CAVITIES! Praise the Lord! I wish I had a camera on me with my look of shock. It definitely made Dr. Tarver laugh. We are still up in the air with the bridge. Reson and I discussed it, and the finances aren't there if the insurance doesn't cover the large chunk of it. It is not a have to, but we could possibly see speech issues, or see his top teeth come in too much. We already see that they are coming in, but we decided to just keep an eye on it.
We will see what happens with the insurance, if it's a no go with them we are fine with that. If we do see a speech problem arise that will most likely be our affirmation to get it done. Until next time...

G.WIZ

2010-09-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

A small group from our Homeschool Co-op went to a children's science museum called G.WIZ this is a wonderful small contained museum in Sarasota, FL. Our boys LOVED it. Everything was done in a manner for them to understand. Since the boys are only four and younger ones are tots this was a great place to go. Not only did they have great science experiments for them, but there was an enclosed area for the little ones. It was all in the same area. So, us moms could sit and chat watching the little ones on the right and the "big" boys on the left.

We are also sponsoring a Flat Stanley at our house, so we incorporated him into the photos for the day.
Here they are:

The boys and Flat Elodie begin their travels...

She was in safe hands with these three protectors

At first you just wanted to watch...

but then Luk got you in on the action!

Then it was time to watch Logan play...

He ran you over a couple of times... sorry!

We ended the trip in a 3D Art Gallery

Later, Logan involved you in some messy snack... you both needed a bath after that!

Flat Elodie comes from a French Island! How fun!

What Glasses Can DO!!!

2010-09-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

I gave Luk a couple of weeks to let his eyes readjust to his glasses. I didn't want him to get frustrated with them since the left eye was getting used to actually working. He has been incredibly responsible for them making sure that he puts them in the same place every night, and for a four year old he keeps them pretty clean.

We did Explode the Code the past few days, and I am in awe. He is doing astonishingly better. He is no longer confused by "n" and "m" and he is so much more confident in his answers. He told me today that is it because he can see better. It is still heartbreaking to think that I was pushing him because I thought he wasn't trying when it was because he couldn't make out the letters. He is willing to do the work more independently, and when I am away from him he breezes through the page.

I really encourage you to get your child's vision checked. It could make a huge difference in your school day. You may find out that your child is not being disobedient, but rather is confused and frustrated because things are "fuzzy." I am even more encouraged with Luk. I was thinking that maybe he wasn't ready even though he was wanting it. So, I am confident in myself and the decision his father and I have made. He gets, he's ready, and we're all confident!

My Boys

2010-09-10T15:07:00.001-07:00

A Knocked out Tooth, A Pair of Glasses, and A Walker

2010-09-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

It has been an eventful two weeks in our house. Luk knocked out his front tooth on our living room floor. It busted his lip and knocked the tooth right out of his gum. Luk is not foreign to injury in his mouth. When he was about nine months old he bit his tongue and had a major infection due to the bite. So, having one more thing happen to his mouth was very sad for me to watch. We used to think that he was just clumsy because he is prone to black eyes, injury, etc. However, we found out that Luk's lazy eye has alot to do with his accidents. He has bad depth perception, and he can't see without the help of his right eye. His left eye was 20/100. He couldn't make out the big "E" in the eye exam. He was moved to the picture for his left eye. In his right eye he can nearly see perfect, and did great on the letter chart.

A few fact about this and Luk:
1) He would have failed a driving test if they were to give him one based on his vision.
2) He only sees with his right eye, which is handicapping his left eye more.
3) He will need glasses for the rest of his life to keep his left eye functioning correctly.
4) We will have to schedule appointments every three months to make sure that the left eye is beginning to function correctly.
5) We are hoping that by the age of six, Luk's left eye will gain full function with a smaller prescription.
6) The fact that the whole tooth came out, we will not need to do anything immediate. We have an appointment in October.

Logan will be a 11 months old in a few days, and he is already walking. He is not doing it full time, however he is walking a good distance. Here are a few pictures of my boys. This was before Luk's mishap.

Now, the mishap. I have to say, we are blessed. This situation could have gotten really bad, however God made this situation for the better. I am so grateful for it. He slept in our bed that night because I was a little nervous.

The Tooth!

His lip the next day

One week from the accident and with his glasses:

The Studious Look

The Cheesy Look
(if you take a close look, you can see where his gum is still bruised)

He is such a funny kid, and he looks to the happiness in situations. I love this kid.

SIN

2010-08-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

I am rereading "Crazy Love." As part of the discipleship program that my husband and I are doing with the youth we are having them read this sound book by Francis Chan. I am a huge Chan Fan (Yep, let's start a rhyme jam!). As I was looking over the two chapters for the week again I decided to reread the Biblical references that he makes in the chapters. Revelation 4, a profound revelation of the Throne in Heaven is what I was reading as Luk was eating breakfast. Logan was still asleep, which was great if I may add!
I figured I would read the passage aloud. I introduced the passage to Luk. John was exiled because the King couldn't kill John, and so he stays on Patmos to have this vision that God planned for His story. The role of John in this grand scheme of life is (in my eyes) enviable. Looking at it in this view as a mom, would I want to have to be "killed" no, however the fact that God gave him such a gift in seeing this is remarkable.
Anyways, setting made, Luk knows who is writing and where he is.
I begin reading (and in red I will put my explanations to Luk):

Revelation 4

The Throne in Heaven

¹After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." You see, it is very hard for John to describe what God is like. He has no idea how to talk about Him. So, John says that God's voice sounds like trumpet.
²At onceI was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. ³And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. God is beautiful, but John still has no idea how to describe, but he does so with the gems. Here is Jasper:

Here is Carnelian:

Here is Emerald:

God is so awesome that he lets out these colors of red and green that John can't even describe him any other way.

⁴Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, withgolden crowns on their heads. ⁵From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, ⁶and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. Here is a piece of crystal.

   And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: ⁷the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. Luk in your imagination picture these creatures with eyes all over them. They can see just how awesome God is. (Even though in Isaiah, we learn that with two sets of wings they cover their eyes. However since covered all over with eyes John makes it evident that they STILL see God's magnificence - this was a mom side note.) ⁸And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, andday and night they never cease to say,

   "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
    who was and is and is to come!"
I started singing the "Revelation Song"rendition of this, over and over again. I was telling Luk how they never stopped that they just kept doing this non-stop, and that as they sang the "old" people (referring to elders) would bow down and put their crowns at the seat of God's throne.
⁹And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
¹¹ "Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
   to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
   and by your will they existed and were created."
Luk do you see why the worshiped God? Luk responded, "Because He is God." He was right, but as I told him. God is so much more than that isn't He. He is the Creator; he has always been here. He is the one that made us and everything! (For our human minds, we have to see that God is the creator, and that he was here before anyone else. He has always existed! I think we limit God. Well, I know we limit God when we worry. another mommy side note).

I thought that our conversation would keep going about God's glory and how we are to worship Him, but it didn't. Luk moved on with the conversation. He asked me about Jesus dying on the cross. I was telling him how God and Jesus are the same. That God is Jesus on earth. He did ask why God didn't just come down himself. I reminded him that God did with Moses and when he wanted. However, Jesus came as a baby being born. Jesus was that part of God needed so that we could and would be forgiven when we accepted what He did for us and ask that God forgive our sins. Then it came... WHAT IS SIN???

I referred to the Ten Commandments, that he knows really well. I talked about how if we lie, covet, kill, or disobey mommy and daddy those are all sins. He pipes up, "So, when I put treasures before God, that is a sin?" Yes. "If I think about my cereal and banana before thinking about God, I am sinning?" Yes. Amazing. We are to honor and have God first in our minds while we eat, play, and rest.
The next questions was a bit of a surprise as he asked why Satan is bad? I explained to him how he was good and that he was an angel of the Lord. He was shocked to find this out. I told him how God had made Lucifer to be a high angel, but that he wanted more, (Luk chimes, "He was greedy!") and God kicked him out of Heaven and onto earth.

Needless to say, this conversation was just a small growth in what God has planned for Luk's life. As his mother, I pray I answered everything right, that Luk will know that God is eternal and greater/stronger/higher than any other/healer/awesome in power! Man, isn't that just too much to handle! It really is! No one is like Him!

Eye don't see that! The Importance in Eye Exams!

2010-08-21T07:21:00.000-07:00

Well, our small community likes to put together Friday Night events as a way to draw everyone together with music, raffles, food, and fellowship. It is great way to have something going on in an area where nothing is usually going on. Last night was one of those nights as we are ringing in the new school year. I was there to promote a concert our Church Youth Group will be hosting.

Our pastor's wife, Jennifer was telling me that they were doing free eye screening in a near-by shop. I had noticed that Luk would squint when watching TV so I decided it was a good time as ever to take. They provided all the basic test that you take when you go for an eye exam. They were unable to determine the air pressure levels because he moved too much. When detailing the letters he had 20/40 for his left eye and 20/30 for his right. The last thing was that they actually were taking photos of the eye, the veins, and optic nerve.

They did his right eye (picture pops up), and it looked good. I say this because I have been in the nursing field. This does not include THAT much knowledge on eyes, but enough to know nothing TOO serious was going on. They take a picture of his left eye (photo pops up), and as any good mom would say, I announced, "That looks weird!" Yea, that is where my tactfulness needs to kick in. Luk looked at me saying, "I'm not weird!" LOL

The Dr. and the nurse asst. looked at me like I was crazy for saying that out loud. I'm not sure my mother-in-law knew if I was right or wrong with it looking different. I didn't ask her. Again, must practice on being tactful, however I believe in honesty and it DID look weird. I also think the Dr. was surprised I picked it out so quickly. When you compare the two photos that popped up to someone with no real "eye" education, but knows normal medical scans when she sees them... it was weird.

He asked me if there was a history of "lazy" eye in our family. I said, "no." However, my mother-in-law informed me that my father-in-law in fact has one. We don't usually hang out together or go to Dr appointments together, but I was very fortunate to have her there because I didn't know this. Even my husband said if he had been asked that he would have completely forgotten to say it because it was never a big deal for his dad.

I figured a lazy eye would be noticeable, but in Luk's case you don't see it. He said that Luk's eye is lazy/astigmatism. He said that Luk being young should be fine just correcting it with eyeglasses, but if that is not the case then an eye patch will be used on the right eye. He depends solely on his right eye for vision, and since we caught it early in his life the glasses should be enough. He did say that it would take him longer to get used to the glasses because he will have to learn to "see" with his left eye.

Thoughts about this:
1) Grateful that Jennifer told me about the free eye screening.
2) Grateful I had my mother-in-law with me to tell me some family history.
3) Grateful that it was caught early so that we can try to correct the problem.
4) Not so happy that the one thing that Luk has of me is bad eyes. Pretty much like his dad in all things. Maybe that means since Logan has so much of me, he will have good eyes, LOL.
5) Mommy needs tact lessons. Though I must say Luk was not really phased by my comment. It was not said in scary tone just in an inquisitive way.
6) Though I can practice being tactful, I don't believe in hiding anything from Luk. I think in the end it was handled fine. I do think that if I had said it and looked scared or nervous Luk would had reacted the same. So...

Glasses, it is for my little guy! I'm disappointed in myself that I didn't catch on sooner. When we were in the car I was telling Luk about what will happen with his glasses. He seems okay with it. His cousin has worn glasses since he was 1-2 years old. I think he is comfortable with the idea. I, then, asked "Luk, when we do school is it hard for you to read the words that mommy tries to have you read?" He said, "Yes." It broke my heart because I was getting a bit frustrated that he wasn't trying hard enough. I would say, "Luk, you know this. Come on, Buddy." When in fact, he probably was having issues seeing the small letter. SIGH! Kick me in the butt!
Bad mom moment in my book, but my husband tries to reaffirm me that I am being too hard on myself.

Get those eyes checked. If you avoid the dentist (like me), I get it. However, don't avoid the eye doctor, it can really take a toll on your child's education, extra curricular activities, and confidence. There were many children in that room doing exams, and there was one boy in particular that broke my heart. He failed miserable; he was roughly nine years old, and had gone with a friend (and his mom). The nurse told the mom that his mother needed to get his eyes checked because they were 20/80, 20/100. How has that boy been doing in school? Really?

Here in Florida, we do the ridiculous testing with the FCAT. Our teachers and schools are graded on this test. How many of the students in our schools can't see?! It's sad really. This is something that teachers need to think about. Is the child simply not trying or not as smart, or is this child having an issue because he can't see what you are teaching him!

Okay, I'm done.

Reviewing ETC Online

2010-08-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

I bought the Explode the Code books, however when I saw that the online ETC classes was 60% off at Homeschool Co-op Buyers, I decided to give it a try. I figured there is no reason in not trying it. I have to say that there are it's pros and cons. Luk seems to enjoy it, however as a mom that is watching him complete online courses there are a few things I wish that would be taken into consideration.

First the Cons:
- You can't tell the online course your child's age. I say this because Luk is four. The grade level for
ETC Book 1 is for grades 1-3.
- With the first being the primary problem, he is graded based on the average of that lesson with that
age group. He is doing great; he is proficient, however because it takes him a bit longer he is not
graded "excellent." Logan was pulling on the laptop and being a distraction, and I think that assuming
the time taken is just because the student didn't know how to do it fast is discouraging. Time doesn't
equal knowledge and understanding.
- He accidentally hit the mouse on my laptop with his belly hitting the wrong sentence. It does not give
me the option to correct that on his grade range in the system.
- Really. The major con in this program is not being able to customize the student's age, and that if you
know something was grade incorrectly, you can't change it. If you can, I didn't see where.

Pros:
- It gives Luk the extra practice I want him to have.
- It grades for you so that you know that you are right in thinking your child understands it.
- It takes away from always being behind books.

All-in-All I think I will ask the hubby to let me purchase it again for Luk next year. I will make sure to look for the same discount I got this year. There's my thoughts. I still enjoy the books because I can do the one-on-one teaching, but the online class is a way for learning to work with the knowledge. It would not be my primary choice, but a supplement.

Boy, oh Boy!

2010-08-19T07:44:00.000-07:00

Cute right! You see the little one, the one with the pacifier, the one that looks like he has an innocent smile... that's Logan. Unlike his older brother, Logan is Mr. Clingy. The boy has to have me or dad holding him at all times. He has a sensitive heart. He doesn't seem to do things in a mischievous way like Luk. He is truly a kindred spirit. Precious, really! However, it is making the days go by very slow, and it is pretty exhausting on me mentally and physically. This week has been particularly hard as he has been extra clingy. I'm not sure how that was possible, but trust me it is. We are officially a week behind in the school scheduling, and I don't think it will be only time I say this.

Luk is a smart kid and wants to learn, however he is still only four. What does this mean exactly? Because I think with Luk's intellect and drive to learn he is not too young, but what it means is that when baby brother cries or starts to laugh; Luk wants to laugh or hug or kiss or whatever to his little brother. Since Logan is pulling up and walking while holding on to things Luk is very intrigued by what Logan is learning to do. Oh well. It is really the beauty of brotherhood, brotherly love, and pure sweetness. So, with that we are a week behind, but I'm okay with that. Luk loves his brother. Logan is a healthy explorer that wants Mama (all the time). Mom is realizing that it was good to start now because Kindergarten may not officially end until age 6. =D

I love seeing the difference in these two boys. I really couldn't have asked God for a better big brother. Luk is pretty perfect. Logan is 10 months old, and we learn something more about his little heart. It is really exciting. Going with the flow these days, I have to, or I would go crazy. ;)

SO... starting to homeschool... how do you juggle the clingy boy and the older brother that just wants to be involved with baby brother? I don't know 100%, but for now. We go with the flow, and we do one thing at a time. Phonics and Math are usually the must do for me. Logan is content for 10 minutes run into the classroom and do whatcha can like a spontaneous spelling test, LOL. Also, we do computer school with ETC and other software when it just gets too much with little Logan.

Those that do things during nap time, that's cool. However, Luk still naps, and they nap at the same time. Mommy needs that time. I'm not giving that up... EVER!!! =)
As I have finished reading Mary Beth Chapman's book "Choosing to SEE," there is one thing I have to remember. We are not home yet. So, if school doesn't get done like I planned, that's okay. I will be content knowing that I hugged longer. I will post more on this book later. Until then...

First Spelling "Test"

2010-08-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

Logan was being excessively clingy today. So, teaching Luk was a bit of a challenge with Logan trying to suck up all the attention. I knew that the next part of the ETC lesson was to spell the words after looking at the pictures. I decided that since Logan was being overboard on his personality to have Luk get a piece of paper that. After I said each word once, he wrote them down. Thus begun Luk's first spelling test. Here it is:

I have to say that I'm proud of him. He worked very hard. We were learning in his Bible lesson that we must "Work Hard then Play, and then we must Rest." I have to say that he is doing just this. It is something that I have to remind him of, but as a whole he works hard and then plays with great imagination.

Switch-a-roo? Mommy Thoughts

2010-08-11T07:48:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking we need to switch up the daily schedule for Luk. There is the subjects that he has a natural understanding of, which happens to be Math, Science, and Critical thinking. The daily schedule is usually Bible, Spanish, Phonics, Math, and Critical Thinking. The off days are Bible, Science, Geography, and Handwriting.
Phonics... Luk knows it and does it, but he hesitates. I'm trying to build-up his confidence. I want to keep Bible first thing, but I may move Phonics up and send the rest down on the list. On the off days, I'm having him do phonics games to see if it builds his confidence (Today, we are watching "Talking Words Factory"). The other switch is on the off days with handwriting. It seems that putting it at the end of the school time is not working out for him. He gets sloppy with his writing. So, I am moving Handwriting after Bible time.

Luk loves reading. I'm hoping that doing this small switch will get his attention better. He read the BOB Book 1 "Mat," yet when he read it for Daddy he just didn't do it with the same confidence. Time and practice will hopefully bring out the same confidence he has for Math, Science, and Critical Thinking.

Just to let it be known. I'm not overly concerned. I know he is four years old. Just some thoughts going through my mind as a beginning homeschooling momma.

Week One

2010-08-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

This week went by pretty good. Luk did a great job with his boxes. He really enjoyed seeing his progressed, and on two of the days decided to finish his work before his lunch. It was nice to see him work hard at what he needed to get done. As for week one, Luk is beginning to read the BOB books. He is working through the "Mat" book. He read it once to me, however when reading it to others he puts on a small show that he "can't" do it.
As for what comes naturally to Luk, I would say Math and Critical Thinking. He is a natural. He breezes through both these subjects quickly. So, I may step up the amount of math lessons. I was doing one a week, but it seems that Luk may need more of a challenge.
I do not think he is a fan of handwriting. He wants to write things the way he wants to write them. I may have to have a different approach on this...

I wanted to post a few pictures of the boys. They are growing up so fast. In no time Logan will be reading.

What's in the Box?

2010-08-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

DAY 1
We are using Sue Patrick's Workbox System, loosely, but here is "What's in the Box?" today.

Box 1: Bible- Positive Action
Characteristic Trait- Creativity- coloring a butterfly page and stamp fingerprints

Box 2: Spanish- HOP
Numbers 1-3 page
Hola/Adios page

Box 3: Game
Beginning Sounds Dominoes Game

Box 4: Phonics- ETC
Pre-Test

Box 5: Math- Right Start
Quantities of 1-3 (1-4) blocks and tally sticks, play doh

Box 6: Critical Thinking
Different Shapes page

We started school at 10am, and he finished his work by 11:30. I asked him if he wanted a break for lunch after box 5, but when he realized he only had one left he quickly pressed on to finish. He has a hard working spirit. It was a fun day. Tomorrow brings Science, Handwriting, and Geography!

Not Back to School Blog Hop

2010-08-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

It is a new year for many of us homeschooling families. Over at Heart of the Matter, they are having this year's "Not Back-to-School Blog Hop." I figured I would participate as I want this blog to be as informational to newbies as possible. If you want to know why we chose the items we did, here is my original post.

Here is our Curriculum for the year (and if it works will be used throughout all Elementary):

Math: Right Start Level A

Phonics: Explode the Code Book 1

Bible: Positive Action K

Science: Real Science-4-Kids Pre-level K-3 (Biology)

Geography: Maps Charts Graphs (Levels A & B)

Handwriting: Handwriting without Tears K

Critical Thinking: The Critical Thinking Company Pre-K/K K-2 (Mind Benders)

Spanish: Hooked On Phonics (we will be using another curriculum in the middle of the year)

This is our first year homeschooling, and Luk is four. He has an inquisitive spirit, and I feel it is my responsibility to nourish it. Will Logan start at four, I'm not too convinced, however Luk is ready and we are pressing forward. I will be posting my further thoughts on this curriculum as the year progresses.

School will be in Session...

2010-07-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

Monday! Luk is really excited, and I am overwhelmed because the school room got pretty cluttered after I went to a public school teachers moving sale. Sigh... However, the hubby and I will be cleaning on Saturday, and I am hoping that I will have the time to get it done then. We have had a busy summer with Youth camp, swim lessons, and mini-vacations. Now, it is time to get the school year started. See
you next week. The first What's in the Box will be up sometime Sunday or Monday.

Mommy goes to school from home, too.

2010-07-27T09:08:00.000-07:00

For the past three and a half years, I have been finishing up my college degree online. GCU was my fourth college/university to attend, and I am happy to say that in May I graduated! Today... I got my Diploma. I am one happy Momma. It has been a full seven years of schooling, marriage, and welcoming two boys into our family, but I did it! If I may also pat my back a bit, I did it with honors! YAY!!! Super excited.
Here is the proof =D

Bowling: Our Family Date Night

2010-07-10T06:06:00.000-07:00

I must say that Luk usually comes up with some pretty good ideas. We were planning on just taking the boys out to eat, but then Luk suggested a great little plan... bowling. I had asked him where he wanted to eat dinner. He had suggested "Taco Bell," however I explained to him that he doesn't usually eat well there. So, he said, "how about that bowling place and then you can teach me how to bowl?" GREAT IDEA!
The Hubs used to play in a bowling league growing up, and we just have never really thought about taking Luk. This may have to turn into a more regular event because we had a blast. Luk really enjoyed himself and so did we.
It was wonderful watching Luk's reactions to the pins falling, and his team work skills. If I didn't do to great, he would give me a high-five and say, "It's okay because you did good the first time." It was cute to see him cheer us on. I think the best part was that he didn't get upset if he didn't hit too many pins (the bumper guard was up). He is usually all about winning, but with bowling he just had fun. This has been something I have worked on with him. It is not about winning, but that he has fun while he plays, and he did just that. Here are a few photos:

Mommy Thoughts: Sports has always been a big thing growing up in my family. If it wasn't for hospitals, I am pretty sure that I would have born on a Baseball field. My dad umpired, coached, and my brothers played all year round. Needless to say, this turned into very competitive off-spring. You can't play a board game without usually the two brothers getting competitive. It took a bad experience in my life to realize that sports and being competitive just aren't THAT important.
Luk is naturally competitive, and it has been a challenge teaching him that sports are for fun not to get upset over. As the years go on, I know that this will continue to be a challenge as we are immersed in a town that puts sports in front of God. The priorities of sports is almost (if not) idolatry.
So, seeing Luk just have fun was refreshing. Rules that we have at home on recreation/sports: if Luk gets upset about losing or not doing good, we pull him away from the situation and talk about why he is upset. If he can't use self-control and continue to have fun, then he doesn't continue. Luk gets this way many times when he plays video game, and we have to take it away.

How do you teach your child to not be overly competitive in recreation?

VBS and Our 4th of July

2010-07-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

VBS was a great success for our church. Luk had a wonderful time, and the so did Reson and me. We challenged the children to bring any change that they could to raise $40.00 to send the blankets that they made for the children sponsored by World Vision in Africa. Well, our 51 kids brought $123.01. We were really proud, and for their awesomeness they got to pie our pastors. Luk was not too found of dad getting pied. He actually had to leave with one of the crew leaders because he was crying, poor kid. =) Here are some last day shots.

We had a wonderful celebration of the Fourth with the Landress clan, eating hamburgers and firing up some fireworks.

One last photo is our wonderful Ms. Linda taking care of the kiddos during VBS. Can you tell they love her?

Continuous of Swim Lessons and VBS

2010-07-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

Even though this has been a crazy busy week, I have to say that we have been tremendously blessed. Seeing young children and adult worshiping together is a wonderful sight at our VBS. As for swim lessons, I must say that I am incredibly proud of Luk. He has been doing an amazing job! Here is a short video clip of my little swimmer (by the way, if I haven't mentioned, we LOVE our instructors!).

Here are some still shots of him doing his thing in the pool.

VBS week continues, here is what got added to Luk's wardrobe.

Last night was the "Gospel" night at VBS, it was a beautiful drama that Group puts together for churches. Here is just one small thing of what the kids saw last night.

Logan has been having fun in the nursery this week, and in the pool. He is my water baby, so for him it is tough seeing his big brother in the pool and not him. Here is Logan with Ms. Niki, she's the sweetest!

Ms. Brittany (one of Luk's Sunday School teachers, her wonderful mom is the other teacher) took him for a little dip, and Logan showed her the love for cooling him down in the pool.

One more day for VBS, and another water filled week of Swim Lessons!
I leave you with Logan beginning to crawl!

Busy House this week as...

2010-06-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

we are in the midst of VBS and Swim Lessons. There is one thing that I know about teaching my boys and that is, I have no problem letting someone else teach them how to swim! It helps that there is a wonderful group of students there to teach, and one of them being one of Luk's Sunday School Teachers. He loves Ms. Brittany, and it help tremendously that she is one of the instructors. I wanted to share some of the photos from his swim lessons, along with the wonderful week we are having at VBS. My husband and I have had the opportunity to lead the music this year, and what a blessing it has been. Our church's VBS comes from the publisher Group presenting the "High Seas Expedition."

This is just Day 1

VBS: Day 1 and 2 (wait til you see what he added to his wardrobe on Day 3)

Perfecting the Art of Homeschooling

3 “Grade A” Tips for Organizing Your Homeschool for Young Learners

one thousand gifts

Last Christmas I gave you a net...

My Holiday Spirit: Laden

FPEA Ambassador

Thanksgiving Day

Baby Girl

October 17, 2009

Acorn

Luk's Extras

Fold it up

Day Two

Day One

Kindergarten Begins...

Are you Super Mom or Abiding Mom?

I sit stunned... and disgusted... (News on Somalia)

I'm gonna go to Africa

I Sit and Think What Comes of it All (Poem Attempt)

New Routines

Calendar Binder

Dad Post

Science and our approach (backstory)

Florida Portfolio

Co-op Field Trip to the Florida Aquarium & thoughts

Blog by Candid Diversions

**I found this blog and had to share. I have highlighted some of favorites.**

30 for 30 - Benefits of Homeschooling

When will you be "official"?

Luk is a Reader

Pray for Nina

Structure, but oh so Fun

Testing some independent learning...

Right Start Math

The birds are chirping this morning... er... no, but that's okay

Colossians 1

Starting all over...

Finding Joy as Satan is determined to take it

It could be worse...

Christmas Cards 2010

One Week...

Wake Up Call

"A Jesus Advent Celebration" by Ann Voskamp

The Story of Christmas

Logan

Library Time

The Tortoise beats the Hare

Tooth Update

G.WIZ

What Glasses Can DO!!!

My Boys

A Knocked out Tooth, A Pair of Glasses, and A Walker

SIN

Revelation 4

The Throne in Heaven

Eye don't see that! The Importance in Eye Exams!

Reviewing ETC Online

Boy, oh Boy!

First Spelling "Test"

Switch-a-roo? Mommy Thoughts

Week One

What's in the Box?

Not Back to School Blog Hop

School will be in Session...

Mommy goes to school from home, too.

Bowling: Our Family Date Night

VBS and Our 4th of July

Continuous of Swim Lessons and VBS

Busy House this week as...

I found this blog and had to share. I have highlighted some of favorites.