Proverbs 22:6

I'm back

2011-11-01T13:25:00.001-05:00

After months of no posts, I have returned to make some small contribution to my self-propelled blog. It's not much today, but I'm hoping it will get me back in the zone.

Toward the end of last school year, I was using this book to do daily breakfast devotions with the kids. They enjoyed it so much I wanted to continue it through the summer. We all know how that goes.

So, I'm finally finding my groove again and making efforts to get back on track with multiple previous projects and endeavors. Thought I would share with you all one of the things I'm picking back up and maybe it will inspire you to do the same.

Here is what came of this morning's devotions....

Blessings....

Life and its unexpected turns...

2011-07-13T18:25:00.001-05:00

We got news last week that our two sweet foster boys are headed home after 9 months in our home. We got a measly 10 day notice, so I'm scrambling to get things together...including my emotions. And as we process them out the door and on to new adventures, we also have been processing a new young boy into our lives.

I've barely had time to think these last months, and after feeling like I've largely ignored my friends, it'll be good to socialize just a bit more. But, I will miss these two little ones terribly.

So, moving forward into more uncharted territory...

The house deal is still in the works. My heart is so tied up in living in the country that I'm not sure I'll be able to bear a "no" from God on this, but we've been waiting for 9 months and it seems like we've stalled out. Where are we headed? Not a clue...

Summer has been eventful, with a trip to memories from my past. Old friends have come back into my life, we took the kids to enjoy one of my favorite childhood creeks, and I've spent some time digging through old photos that have sent my belly laughing.

More later...this momma needs a few moments to catch up.

Fun to Share

2011-03-31T18:30:00.002-05:00

We love to eat world foods at our house. If you do too, and you love to have your children be the ones to learn how to slice and dice, then here are two GREAT world cookbooks for kids.

Usborne Internet-Linked Children's World Cookbook
~with fantastic photos, information about food ingredients, and great peeks into the people of that region!

and

Eat Your Way Around the World
~with a section for notes and ideas on how to make it a real authentic experience!

Both of these are fantastic books for teaching children how to master the arts of the kitchen.

NEW POLL

2011-03-23T23:28:00.000-05:00

Be sure to chime in on my new poll to the left! Click your answer and leave your mark!

Questions about what each style means? Check out this short article.

Welcome Spring!

2011-03-22T14:35:00.001-05:00

I say that very tongue-in-cheek because we are under a severe winter storm warning right now. While most others are complaining that more snow is coming on top of what has been desperately trying to melt, I'm sitting in the cozy living room of my friend's house, enjoying delectable conversation, coffee cake, and books such as The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery. Life can't get much sweeter.

It's so easy to let our expectations get in the way of our moods. If anyone has reason to complain about yet another snow storm, it would definitely be the two of us. We both just received our orders of seeds for our spring garden planting. But, while we sit and watch the snow pelt the window outside, we dream of the beautiful weather to come. And come it will. No doubt about it. We just have to wait.

I'm looking out the window through the trees to where my house will someday be located and dreaming of chickens, tall corn stalks, and dirty boots. Yes, spring will most assuredly come. With the budding trees will come the birds and the salamanders. The mice will start to scurry again, and the cats will have fat bellies from the game they so carefully stalk.

I'm watching my dirty, old, yellow lab lick his muddy paws and cry out in pain from his aching joints. He has spent the last 12 hours enjoying these acres of land with his girlfriend, Summer. I'm thinking the old dog will have to learn to pace himself next to his young friend. But, it'll be a sweet thing to watch them splash in the water hole behind the house.

I'm listening to our children stomp up and down the stairs, and I keep wondering what it will be like to have them all working to build their treehouse between our houses. We've been carefully planning our projects and watching our budget to make room for them all. Step by step, I know things will take shape.

As the snow accumulates outside the window, I think about the pergola I want built above my deck. Those hot summer days that are sure to appear will be even more satisfying as we sweat our way to an amazing harvest of vegetables and fruits.

Yes, spring is on its way, friends. And it will be beautiful.

St. Patrick

2011-03-16T13:09:00.000-05:00

Just popping in to share a book I love about Saint Patrick.

Ancient Egypt for Children

2011-03-14T18:36:00.001-05:00

I've unearthed some great resources for teaching Ancient Egyptian history to children. Below are some fantastic links that you're going to want to spend some time playing with. I hope you enjoy these as much as we have been!

King Tut's Virtual Tomb

but first read...

Howard Carter Finds King Tut's Tomb

Egyptian Tomb Adventure

Practice your hand at making your own mummy here and here!

Pyramid Builder

Ancient Egypt for Kids - TONS of links!

Tapestry of Grace Arts and Activities

Music and the Home School: More Unit Study Lists

2011-03-12T12:22:00.003-06:00

Music is one of the things in home school that seems to be the hardest to incorporate. I have, in past posts, made lists of music that could be used along with science and history lessons to help bring things together in an artful and well-rounded way. After scouring iTunes and the internet thoroughly, I've found some real treasures I want to share with you. I am so thankful for iTunes "preview" feature that allows me to listen before buying.

We use Christian Cottage Unit Studies (which is a Charlotte Mason approach to history and science). Everything I do, except maybe math, revolves around this─music, foreign language, art, reading...

This "list" of music appreciation listening is going to follow the run of unit studies that are in this curriculum. But, they can be used for just about any curriculum since these are topics that are covered in pretty much all classrooms.

..................................................................

Music Appreciation for Roots and Relations: The Foundation of Civilizations Unit Study

Listen to Haydn’s The Creation (this is a whole 2 disc listening experience, so there are no other ‘assignments’ for this unit)

or for younger students

"Creation of the World" by Darius Milhaud

Music Appreciation for Light and Matter Unit Study

Listen to “Light” by Hans Zimmer from The Thin Red Line soundtrack

Music Appreciation for Early Civilizations Unit Study

Listen to Ancient Lyre music by Michael Levy

· An Ancient Lyre

· Echoes of Ancient Ur

· Hurrian Hymn No. 6 (c.1400BCE) Ancient Mesopotamian Musical Fragment

Listen to EL-HAWZI by Hossam Ramzy (Egyptian Rai)

Listen to Dulab Huzam by George Dimitri Sawa (The Art of the Early Egyptian Qanun)

Listen to Ancient Memories by Derek Bell (The Mystic Harp)

Learn what a harp looks and sounds like
Learn what a lyre looks and sounds like
Learn what a Qanun (kanun) looks and sounds like and where it originates from

Music Appreciation for Oceanography Unit Study

Listen to “Tsunami” from the album Bending the Light: Chamber Works…

Listen to “La Mer” by Debussy

Listen to “A Sea Symphony” by Vaughan Williams

Listen to “Sea Preludes” by Douglas Lilburn

Listen to “Carnival of the Animals: Aquarium” by Camille Saint-Saëns

Music Appreciation for Greece and Rome Unit Study

Listen to “Roman Banquet” by Michael Levy

Listen to “The First Delphic Hymn to Apollo” (c. 138 BCE) Ancient Greek Musical Fragment by Michael Levy

Listen to “Song Seikilos” (1^st Century Greek Song) by San Antonio Vocal Arts Ens.

Listen to ”Ancient Dance” by Petros Tabouris Ensemble

Listen to “Pompei” by Synaulia (music from Ancient Rome Vol.1)

Listen to “Lamentation of Tekmessa” by Christodoulos Halaris

Research some of the Roman Musical Instruments such as the Roman Tuba, askaules, aulos, and the syrinx

Music Appreciation for Weather Unit Study

Listen to Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons”

Listen to “Stormy Weather” by Ella Fitzgerald or Frank Sinatra

Listen to “Thunder and Lightning Polka” by Johann Strauss Jr.

Listen to “Wind” by Peter Davison

Music Appreciation for Middle Ages Unit Study

Listen to Music for a Medieval Banquet by Drew Minter, Judish Malafronte, Mary Springfels, and Newberry Consort

Listen to “Medieval Music: Laudario di Contona” by Vocal Ensemble of Montpellier

Listen to “Salterello” by The Dufay Collective

Listen to “Medieval Dance Music” from the album Indroducing Continuum

Learn what “chant” sounds like and where it began
Learn about the beginnings of written music

Music Appreciation for Bread of Life: Birds, Biomes, Bugs, and Bodies Unit Study

Listen to:

BUGS
Franz Schubert's Der Einsame D 800 (The Hermit)
Bela Bartok's Mikrokosmos, Book VI, BB 105, No. 142, From the Diary of a Fly
Ralph Vaughan Williams' Overture to the Wasp
Modest Mussorgsky's Mephistopheles’s Song Of The Flea
Chet Atkins' Centipede Boogie
Thomas Arne's Where The Bee Sucks There Lurk I
Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee
Kalevi Aho's Insect Symphony (7th Symph.)
Bela Bartok's Night Music
Roussel's The Spider's Feast
Ralph Vaughn Williams' The Wasps Suite
Tchaikovsky's Chorus of Insects
Grieg's La Papillon (The Butterfly)

ANIMALS
Camille Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals
J. S. Bach's Where My Sheep Safely Graze
Rossini's La Boutique fantasque: Galop (horses)
Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf
Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake
Respighi's Prelude from The Birds
Anderson's The Waltzing Cat

PLANTS
Jonas Forssell: I begynnelsen (The Kingdom of Plants),
Lakmé: The Flower Duet (BBC Concert Orchestra),
Don Quixote: Flower Walt

Music Appreciation for Astronomy Unit Study

Listen to The Planets by Gustav Holst (this is, again, a whole album of listening, so it’s the only ‘assignment’ for this unit)

....................................................................................................

That brings us to the end of the the first volume of Christian Cottage Unit Studies. If you are interested in seeing some of what is included in these unit studies, please see my posts on Year One, Year Two, and Year Three or check out their website linked at the beginning of this post.

Vacation + Home School Convention =

2011-03-06T18:09:00.001-06:00

ONE TIRED MOMMA!

After a lovely week in warm(er) San Diego, I spent a day and a half at home, then ran off to our State Home School Convention for 3 days. I'm totally exhausted. Glad I did all of that and then some, but I'm really, most definitely tired. Resting...

We didn't make it to church today for several reasons. One of our foster boys is now sick with the stomach bug and took a much needed 5 hour nap today. I'm thankful he hasn't thrown up again since last night, but I'm holding my breath to see if anyone else is going to get it. My husband had to run off to work this morning for some eventful drama. I know God's hand is in it. Praying...

Took some great time today to look at my photos from the last two weeks. While in San Diego, I took over 900 photos─mostly of a fantastic concert my sister was a part of. I've been adjusting lighting, cropping, and playing with photo effects. So much fun to come out with what I was hoping for. Musing...

I'm now contemplating a way to get all three of my children into the same Unit Study for history. How will this happen? I don't have the slightest clue. One of them will have to stall out while the other two do a quick catch up. Planning...

I Must Be Crazy

2011-02-21T15:24:00.000-06:00

I must not have enough to do. I decided I'm going to learn how to knit. My first project is a scarf─keeping it simple so as not to throw in the towel too early.

I'm not really a super creative person, but I'd like to try to make my own design on the scarf instead of just doing one plain color. I've got the basic technique down, but I'm a little scared to get into the changing of colors in the middle of a row. We'll see how it turns out.

Pray for me. It could get interesting...

RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms

2011-02-05T11:48:00.005-06:00

When What You Have Isn't Enough: UPDATE

2011-02-04T18:42:00.000-06:00

So, we made the potato flour according to this blog. Tomorrow we will proceed with the Citron Kake recipe. I will post another update on the taste of our product!

Here is our step-by-step on

HOW TO MAKE POTATO FLOUR:

STEP 1: Scrub and steam potatoes until cooked through.

STEP 2: Lay potatoes out on a cookie sheet and mash with a fork.

STEP 3: Bake potatoes at lowest temp available or use a dehydrator to dry potatoes thoroughly.

STEP 4: Grind dried potato in a four mill, food processor, or coffee grinder.

STEP 5: Sift ground potato through cheese cloth or flour sifter to get rid of meal.

NOTES: Remember that a lot of potato only makes a little bit of flour. The amount of potato shown above made about 1/2 cup of flour. It took about 2-3 hours to dry the potatoes all the way through. A dehydrator would work best and would need about a night to dry completely. We double ground ours to make it as fine as possible. We used white potatoes instead of sweet. Reds would also work.

When What You Have Isn't Enough

2011-02-04T11:21:00.000-06:00

We're trying to make a Norwegian recipe today that calls for potato flour. I would think that, living in ND, it would be more readily available, as this is the land of the Norskies. It's also a gluten-free option for those who are celiacs. However, we can't seem to find it anywhere. So, in an effort to be frugal and home-schooly, we are going to attempt to make our own! What got me going was this post leading us to study George Washington Carver and his accomplishments in agricultural products. Since it is African American History Month, I suppose it's an appropriate study subject.

I'll post an update on how we did it and how it tasted.

It's a cold one!

2011-02-02T17:25:00.000-06:00

I ventured out
In the cold
With five children
And a missing mitten

I ventured out
In the wind
With half my brain
And a whole lotta mission

I ventured out
To get things done
With wind in my hair
And snow in my ears

I ventured out
Then got stuck in the store
The base exercise stranding me
With five children and nothing to do

I ventured out
Finally got back home
Now everyone is napping
Maybe I ought to, too

Photography: Vivian Maier

2011-01-31T10:48:00.001-06:00

My sister sent me a link to the "posthumous blog" of an amazing street photographer. Her name is Vivian Maier and her story is truly mysterious and intriguing. I invite you to enjoy, as I have, a very small snippet of her work. It's like stepping into another world...

Vivian Maier ─ Her Discovered Work (The John Maloof Collection)

The Jeff Goldstein Collection

2011-01-26T15:52:00.004-06:00

Guess who made lunch today! It's a good thing too, because I had no idea what we were going to eat! My sweet, middle child has a huge imagination and loves to experiment. I wasn't entirely sure what would come out of his desire to make his own soup, but I hoped it was edible. And it was. It was truly wonderful. He did an incredible job, and everyone loved it!

I love my children! They are truly a treasure.

10 Reasons Not to Homeschool

2011-01-23T16:45:00.000-06:00

THIS made me laugh. (And for the record, I'm fairly certain she's being facetious, so don't get too upset before getting to the #1 reason.)

Define Socialization

2011-01-23T16:39:00.000-06:00

Here are some interesting definitions of "socialization":

socialization so·cial·i·za·tion (sō'shə-lĭ-zā'shən)
n.
The process of learning interpersonal and interactional skills that are in conformity with the values of one's society.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Encyclopedia

socialization
the process whereby an individual learns to adjust to a group (or society) and behave in a manner approved by the group (or society). According to most social scientists, socialization essentially represents the whole process of learning throughout the life course and is a central influence on the behaviour, beliefs, and actions of adults as well as of children.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

Cultural Dictionary

socialization definition

Learning the customs, attitudes, and values of a social group, community, or culture. Socialization is essential for the development of individuals who can participate and function within their societies, as well as for ensuring that a society's cultural features will be carried on through new generations. Socialization is most strongly enforced by family, school, and peer groups and continues throughout an individual's lifetime. ( See also acculturation.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

American Psychological Association (APA):

socialization. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary. Retrieved January 23, 2011, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/socialization

Chicago Manual Style (CMS):

socialization. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin Company. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/socialization (accessed: January 23, 2011).

Modern Language Association (MLA):

"socialization." The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin Company. 23 Jan. 2011. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/socialization>.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE):

Dictionary.com, "socialization," in The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary. Source location: Houghton Mifflin Company. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/socialization. Available: http://dictionary.reference.com. Accessed: January 23, 2011.

WIKIPEDIA

Socialization Means Socialism?

What is Socialization?

Socialization Issues

Concerned yet? Me too!

Life Moves too Fast

2011-01-21T12:02:00.001-06:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted a new blog. Sorry, all you faithful readers! (I only have 11 followers, so it's not like I'm disappointing the masses, right?)

So, an update...

Life has been rolling along─two foster boys doing well, cat doing well, children doing well, marriage doing well, finances doing well (paid off two debts before the end of the year!), and home school doing better...ish.

I'm trying really hard to maintain a solid run at good, hard work on our schooling. It's been a challenge with all the runs downtown for visitation and other random happenings. I did order a new spelling curriculum that I hope will really blend well with other things we're doing. All About Spelling

In other news, I've decided to resign from my position as a worship leader in our chapel. It was a tough decision, but one that will afford me a lot more time on the weekends. It seems strange to not be on a worship team anymore. It's so much a part of who I am that it almost leaves me feeling naked.

I'm hoping to jump back into my blog. I wanted to do that 52 week photo project, but my Canon Rebel Xti didn't agree with me. It won't even turn on. And there aren't any camera shops around. Maybe next time on that one.

So, with all of that out of the way, I leave you with some fun upcoming events:

North Dakota Home School Day at the Capitol is going to be held on February 3rd
~They're looking for home schooling families to reserve a table and come "show off" what they do on a daily basis. This gives our legislators a chance to see what the benefits of home schooling are.

North Dakota Christian Home Educators Conference will be held March 3-5

and

Things are happening in ND legislation. Get involved in what is coming up soon at our Capitol. We need supporters to help pass the most recent changes in legislation regarding home education!

Peace and Blessings!
Erin

BEWARE: PROGRESSIVE MATH TECHNIQUES

2010-11-19T15:03:00.004-06:00

What Curriculum Do You Use?

2010-11-12T11:25:00.002-06:00

Home schooling is so much fun. I love that there are so many choices out there now, not just for teaching styles, but also for curricula. Sometimes that can be overwhelming, and sometimes it can be lots of fun. Once I got started sifting through all the many, many options, I became somewhat of a curriculum fiend. I'm thankful that we live in a state where there is no government say-so in our curriculum choice.

So, here's a list of some of what we use and love:

History and Science: Christian Cottage Unit Studies Free Sample Unit Download, Evan-Moor History Pockets, LINK 2

Geography: Voice of the Martyrs Prayer Map (or send email to thevoice@vom-usa.org for paper version) and Prayer Point Digest by Samaritan's Purse

Math: Math-U-See

Penmanship/Handwriting: A Reason For Handwriting

Spelling: Sequential Spelling Try Before You Buy!!

Reading: All Through The Ages: History Through Literature Guide
and reading list from Unit Studies
Learning to Read: Bob Books, Spectrum Reading

Writing: journaling that corresponds to Unit Studies and creative writing assignments provided in Unit Studies

Art: assignments provided in Unit Studies as well as supplemental assignments from:

Draw and Write Through History, Draw Write Now, The Usborne Complete Book of Art Ideas, The Usborne Art Treasury, In The Hands of a Child: Art Appreciation

Foreign Language: Dora and Diego Homeschool Spanish, The Complete Book of Spanish, Rosetta Stone

Music: Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought), Peter and the Wolf, Making Music Fun, The Story of the Orchestra, DSO Kids, Tubby the Tuba, Carnival of the Animals: Classical Music for Kids, Recorder Excellence, Classical Music Lapbook

Bible and World Religions: Bold Believers, A Child's ABCs of Praise, Searching for Treasure

My bookshelves are so full that I have to stop myself at the store. I could keep buying more and more, but I have to exercise just a little bit of self-control. We won't be able to fit in our school room if I don't!

Praying this list gives you a starting place if you need it, or if you're already knee deep into your home school adventure, I pray it gives you some new and fresh ideas.

Home Schooling the Active Child

2010-11-08T12:56:00.002-06:00

I got an email this morning from our Home School Group Coordinator. A woman in our area is pulling her child out of school because the teachers want to put him in a jacket to contain his energy during class. He has been diagnosed with ADHD and they can't deal with him without tying him up.

So, in an effort to give some ideas to those that have some active children, I've dug up a few online articles that may help. I don't want to argue the validity of ADHD and ADD. Nor do I want to try to argue the necessity of medications for such issues. What I do want to do is help home school families find things that work should they find themselves in this place.

My advice: ditch the label of ADHD and ADD (especially in front of your child) even if it's a medical diagnosis, and use your active child's gifts to build them up and support them in the ways they learn best. Use that active body to gain forward momentum in learning. If you use their active body with learning instead of against it, you will find more success. Just as some children are auditory learners, active children are fiercely kinesthetic and visual learners.

Here is a wonderful article with plenty of advice for those with active learners. It involves advice about food triggers, noise levels, and attitude about your child. If you see your active child as a burden, they will become a burden. Consider their active bodies a strength, and educate yourself on how to use it to your advantage. Yes, it takes more work, but it's worth it in the end if your child learns to manage their own body to get work done.

Some other thoughts that come to my non-professional opinionated mind are:

Limit visual distractions-Most children that can't focus while sitting will focus even less when there are too many things to look at. If the house is a cluttery mess and a stressful place to be, it will be a never-ending distraction. Find that place in the house where quiet work time gets done more easily because there are few distractions. Maybe that's your bed, where you snuggle each day as you read.

Be very specific and simple with instructions-Boys especially need very specific instructions. Their brains are wired this way. This goes for active children as well. If the instructions are too complicated or have too many steps, they will lose focus. If there are more than a couple of steps to a project, try doing only one at a time or giving them a simple written list to follow and check off as they go. Cleaning a bedroom that is very messy can be complicated and overwhelming for those that have trouble focusing. Give them one specific project at a time. An example would be to start with picking up all the clothes and putting them in a big pile. Then, move on to another item that needs to be done, such as making the bed. Making piles or baskets according to where things go can help focus as well. One basket is for clothes, another is for items that belong in another room, a third basket is for items that need to be put away in that room. Giving too many directions at once will only create confusion and frustration. Laminated check lists can help with daily chores so they can see each item one by one. If your child isn't reading yet (or even if they are), use pictures drawn on the page to que them with each item. Let them check each item off as they go along. Use just two or three items and as few words as possible for each chore to keep it simple and concise.

Find the right time-Even less active children have a time of day when they focus best. Some are good morning learners, while others a better evening learners. The beauty of home school is that we can tailor our schedules to best fit our child's needs and strengths. Find that time of day that works best for them. If they are more active in the morning, choose the activities that involve movement for morning time. Use their quieter times for the sit-down time.

Let go of the timeline-Give yourself permission to let go of the idea that children must all learn to read, write, and do worksheets at the same age. Use the early years to train them to manage their physical bodies, and save the sitting for when they're older. There are many home school families that have spent the early years teaching their children trades or other physical activities and saved the learning to read and write for later years.

Better Late than Early

Use the internet-There are plenty of resources online with ideas, support groups, threads to share on, and encouragement from those that are also there. Use the internet to your advantage. Do lots of research and be creative. Let yourself make some mistakes and find what works best for your children. Don't let other people's suggestions discourage you if they don't work for you.

Use games whenever possible-that's it! Self explanitory!

Pray-God will give you guidance as you seek to work through issues. God will give you peace and patience if you only ask.

Choose a curriculum with plenty of hands on activities-There are so many choices. Find something that gives you the ability to tailor and tweak. Find some things that are very hands on and active oriented.

Cut out TV, video games, and computer games-Research shows that the more TV children watch, and the more video games they play, the shorter their attention span is. Cut this down dramatically if it's a big part of your day. Limit exposure to these items.

http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2010/jul/TVVGattention
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-07-10-tv-video-attention_N.htm
http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/07/05/tv-video-games-may-increase-attention-problems/15331.html

I'm not trained to know the psychology of ADHD or ADD, but I've done a bit of reading, and I hope that what I've found can be helpful to you on your journey to successful schooling. Please share your thoughts and opinions!! And please understand that these ideas are just that─ideas. They are simply my opinions and thoughts. If they work for you, great! If not, please feel free to share what did work for you and your family.

Parenting Your Active, ADD, ADHD or Whirlwind Child

A Few Moments to Update...

2010-11-04T18:18:00.000-05:00

It seems that with two small, nonindependent children in my home, it's much harder to get updates posted! I'll try to backdate a few things to get us back up and running...

The Kitty-Cat Soap Opera continues to run on schedule, starring our ever-exciting Oscar.

Our sweet foster boys are tugging continuously on our heart strings each day.

The world of home school is ever turning round and round.

Wellness Wednesday keeps showing up on my doorstep for new and fun information to share.

AND

The Misadventures of Homesteading are on track just as we'd hoped.

Enjoy the updates as we try to keep up with our constantly changing lives! God is so good to us!

In Worship of the One,
Erin

The Adventure Continues...

2010-11-04T15:57:00.005-05:00

What a joy it has been to work hard with our friends on getting the farm ready for moving in day. We've been painting, painting, painting these past two weeks. Not much else has been done and there were a few days where we were running dangerously low on underwear because there was so little time for laundry! Crisis averted. We took a couple days to catch up at home and now we're back on track with our lives─for now.

Girls' room in progress.

Kitchen before.

Upstairs landing in progress.

Girls' room after.

Master Bedroom after.

Girls' room after.

Living room still needs paint...

After all this painting, I'm thinking I need to stretch my forearms.

That muscle never gets used!

Wellness Wednesday~OIL

2010-11-03T15:43:00.000-05:00

Here a few quick links to some interesting articles on OIL. No, not crude oil or petroleum. Cooking oil!

From what I'm seeing throughout the articles I've read, Coconut Oil is incredibly good for you, and the best to cook with! The health benefits include the skin and nails, the heart, the metabolic system, the immune system, and digestion. Take a look...

This Cooking Oil is a Powerful Virus-Destroyer and Antibiotic...

Dr. Rudi Moerck on Cooking Oils

www.coconutoil.com/

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil

Up until now, I've been using olive oil for everything. I'm not quite brave enough yet to try to cook with coconut oil, but when I get there, I'll definitely let you know how it tastes. I'm slightly frightened by the thought that everything will taste like coconut! Not a taste I'm particularly fond of, by the way.

So, eat up!

Kitty-Cat Soap Opera

2010-11-01T15:19:00.001-05:00

Well, he's at it again.
Oscar managed to disappear from us during a daily outside sunning. He was missing for five days, during which we prayed continuously for his return. I posted photos on Facebook asking for help in locating him. We walked the streets over and over again, calling his name and facing the strange looks of neighbors and we searched. We tried calling the vet and the animal shelters in hopes that someone had brought him in. Nope. He wasn't to be found.

But, God's interceding grace abounds.

After dinner one night, I decided I had to keep looking. We had just been slammed with the storm that reached from Canada to Mexico and had some serious snow on the ground. But, I had to look anyway. I bundled up for the 24ºF weather, warmed up the car, and headed out. I had thought about all the possible places he could hide during such a terrible storm. The only place I thought he could survive was in the storm drains below the streets. Since my window wouldn't roll down, I had to get out of the car and yell for him.
After just a few minutes of driving, I found a storm drain that wasn't covered with snow. Probably the only one on base. I got out, yelled down the drain, and immediately got a crying kitty sound from deep down inside. I couldn't see him, so I didn't know for sure it was him. I phoned my husband and a friend to come watch the kids. Mark came to my rescue.

He pried off the manhole covering the drain entrance, jumped inside (not even knowing if it was Oscar yet), and began dragging himself on his belly through the pipes and watery muck. About 100 feet down the tube, he found him. A neighbor came to help. We shoveled and pried off another manhole cover further down the street and Oscar and Mark came out.

It was dark, cold, and wet down there. Pretty sure he didn't have food, sleep, or clean water for at least several days.

Oscar spent a good 4 days in the vet's office.

Morgan gives Oscar some lovin' at the vet's office.

$250 later, we have a somewhat healthy cat again. I'm so thankful for those people that came to our aid, and especially thankful to my husband, who so lovingly crawled through crud to rescue a cat that he doesn't even really connect with.

He deserves the Man of the Year award in my book.

After the fact I was singing the song "Hiding Place" during worship and it hit me─God is our hiding place, but He's not a hiding place we need rescuing from. He is not a sewer or storm drain. His hiding place is a high tower, away from the dangers and storms of life. His hiding place is one of healing and rejuvenation. I'm thankful to have my Oscar back, thankful to those that helped find him, thankful to those that prayed for his safe return, thankful for the vets and staff that took such good care of him, but even more thankful to My God, who provides, heals, restores, and seeks out.

Psalm 46 NKJV

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song for Alamoth.

¹ God is our refuge and strength,
         A very present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear,
         Even though the earth be removed,
         And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
³ Though its waters roar and be troubled,
         Though the mountains shake with its swelling.  Selah

⁴ There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
         The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
⁵ God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
         God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
⁶ The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
         He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

⁷ The LORD of hosts is with us;
         The God of Jacob is our refuge.  Selah

⁸ Come, behold the works of the LORD,
         Who has made desolations in the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
         He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
         He burns the chariot in the fire.

¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God;
         I will be exalted among the nations,
         I will be exalted in the earth!

¹¹ The LORD of hosts is with us;
         The God of Jacob is our refuge.  Selah

Roman Feast Night

2010-10-31T15:54:00.001-05:00

Poor Ethan has been waiting patiently for us to take the time to enjoy our Roman Feast for his Greece and Rome studies. Up until now, I've been so busy with other things I've barely had time to get to the grocery store (or the bathroom for that matter)! Here are a couple of photos from our enjoyable night...

We added music to our evening this time around. Here a few of the songs we played:

Orgy Music (Roman Style) by Stephen Sondheim
* I know the name isn't exactly desirable, but the music was appropriate.
The Roman Baths by Praecones Britanniae
*This whole album is great!!

When My Patience Wears Thin...

2010-10-30T15:38:00.000-05:00

....I go to You my God, my help, my sustenance.

....I seek out my friends, I take them up on that one-on-one time.

....I thank my husband for offering some alone time.

....I give myself a time-out.

....I drink my coffee...all by myself.

....I give myself permission to take a nap.

....I laugh. Because sometimes it really is funny.

....I take a moment to breathe and eat some chocolate.

....I give up and cry just a bit.

....I snuggle my kitty.

....I make myself press on.

....I remember, those sweet little eyes looking at me are waiting for me to love them.

....I remember YOU are the ONE I can count on, Oh God.

WHEW!!!!

2010-10-16T21:59:00.000-05:00

What a whirlwind week this has been! Sunday is upon us and I feel like my week has whisked by. This is the first real moment I've had since Wednesday to get an update out.

Monday we were certified for Foster Care. Tuesday we worked at the farm and got a call asking us if we would be willing to take two small boys into our home. Wednesday I picked them up, and ZOOOM!!! There went the week!

We now have two beautiful boys in our care. They are sweet and precious─we love them already. To make sure that we take good care of them and their parents, we won't be posting any pictures online, but if you know us personally, you'll definitely get some time with them.

They are adjusting well and so are we. It's been very busy for us. Our own children are quite independent now, so going back to 1 and 3 year olds is quite a task. But, God is giving us the grace, patience, and rest that we need for each moment. Pray for us as we love on these two. Pray for the boys as they adjust to new schedules and some very hard situations over the next couple of months. Pray for mom and dad as well. They need a lot of it.

To add to the prayer requests, if I may...
Oscar (the invalid cat) is now urinating blood all over the place. I took him to the vet this morning, leaving hubby behind with 5 kids, and got him some antibiotics. I'm praying that they kick in quickly. Poor kitty is in bad shape.

Life never quits, does it?

Many blessings on your home!
Erin

CERTIFIED!

2010-10-11T18:30:00.000-05:00

We went off to the pumpkin patch today and as we were searching for a way out of the 8 acre corn maze, I got a phone call telling us we are officially certified as foster parents! Bring on the adventure!!

Pray for us as we begin to navigate our way through some tough things. It will definitely bring us to our knees like never before!

In Worship,
Erin

Used Home School Materials

2010-10-11T10:55:00.001-05:00

In looking for some used Math-U-See items for this year, I happened upon this forum for buying and selling used curriculum. Hope it's helpful for you.

http://usedhomeschoolcurriculum.com/

Disclaimer: I cannot take responsibility for the validity of this website. Buyers and sellers must beware of any transactions online, whether at this website or others. If you have any negative dealings with this website, please share them with us here. I have no desire to promote poor websites. Always remember to keep personal information private when buying and selling.

The Happy Invalid and Other News

2010-10-11T10:44:00.002-05:00

Our kitty is healing nicely. Thought you all deserved an update after my depressing post several weeks ago. :)

He has regained the use of his back legs and tail. He's much like a drunken sailor as he walks about the house and yard, trying to regain his balance and muscle tone. We're really thankful for the progress that's been made. He has had a few adventures in walking to include some tumbles down the stairs, some failed attempts at climbing onto furniture, and some misses in the litter box. He's not quite got his bladder and bowel control back yet. We're hoping it comes soon; the pee pads and tinkle trails across the floor are getting old.

In other news, our farm project is on its way to completion. Our friends are days away from closing on their house next door, and we're waiting for our appraisal to come back so we can start construction. The beautiful weather has been a God-send, and I'm praying it continues so that when construction on our house gets underway, it'll be good weather for digging the basement.

We've been out gutting the basement of the existing house so that Jack and Karin can move in ready to work in a clean space. It's been a mess, but the hard work has been worth it. I love the payoff of seeing it all come together. We've been digging around in all the out buildings to see what's worth keeping and what needs to be tossed. The couple that owns the property now has been kind enough to let us get to work even before closing. We're enjoying the adventure already!

gutting basement exposes some interesting electrical work!

farm treasures are not what we thought!

Phantom of the Opera theme song keeps playing in our heads.

The mold in the basement definitely called for masks.

This was no simple affair.

The last time we were out there, we brought the dogs. They had a marvelous time running the length and breadth of the farm property─jumping in the water, playing in the hay, chasing the kids. Calvin came home with very sore hips that night, but we had a victory─He didn't run away! He had so much space to run and play that he saw no need to escape.

God has been good to us. We've not been doing much "schooling" these last weeks, but we've learned much in these days of preparation for moving, in caring for our sweet kitty, and in working hard to get the last of our harvest in and prepared for winter. Karin and I spent 16 hours in the kitchen on Friday. We accomplished a lot of canning and freezing for our winter months at the farm! So glad we could do it together!

Karin works on prepping popcorn for drying.


roasting garlic and making pumpkin seeds

roasting roma tomatoes!

two large pumpkins gave us enough puree for 28 pumpkin pies!

our beautiful popcorn

the kids help shuck the corn for drying

Mark loves on Oscar

Loving Life,
Erin

Wellness Wednesday ~ TOTAL WELLNESS

2010-09-29T16:32:00.000-05:00

HERE is an article about wellness for your perusal and contemplation. I'd like to hear your thoughts and comments about it. Please share!

Do you think wellness is 

something that occurs on more than one level?

Do you feel that wellness in one area of your life can "leak" into other areas of your life?

Is wellness linked to awareness?

What is your definition of wellness?

S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G and Language Arts

2010-09-29T16:23:00.000-05:00

The hardest curricula I have tried to piece together in our home school experience have been Language Arts and Spelling. I have looked and looked for something that is complete and interesting. I have searched for something that is relevant. I finally found some things worth dealing with.

TOTAL LANGUAGE PLUS is a reading linked approach to language arts. Because I am such a HUGE advocate of reading (I often feel that if I can just get my kids to love books, I'll have done my job.), I love this approach. I believe that the most logical place to learn language is through reading good books. So, naturally, this approach made total sense to me. The cool thing is that it's a complete program, encompassing everything from vocabulary, spelling, and usage to comprehension, Bible application, and writing. It's a winner in my book. It eliminates the need for several separate workbooks or programs for each thing. Here is a link to some of the their freebies including 26 common spelling rules for download. The books are listed by grade level to help you choose ones that fit your child's learning level.

Also on my list of "good ones" to look at was ALL ABOUT SPELLING. I have a friend that uses this program, and it seems incredibly thorough and includes techniques for all learning styles (auditory, visual, and kinesthetic). Here is a link to some of their spelling rules.

I love that this program has scripted lesson plans. Some home school teachers struggle with how much to do with their students or how to instruct the lessons. This does it all for you and it's so simple. I think I might take the class just for myself!

Do you have others that should be on this list? Post links and a description in your comments. Or share with us how you feel about the ones I've already mentioned. Are there downsides? Share that too!

As long as the earth endures...

2010-09-26T12:00:00.002-05:00

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

I am so thankful for this year's harvest time. It has given me a great appreciation for those that farm for a living. Here's just a small sampling from our harvest this year!

HAPPY

HARVEST

SEASON

FROM OUR HOME

TO YOURS!!

Tragedy in Paradise

2010-09-25T16:33:00.001-05:00

Not sure how to write this one, so I'll just come out and say it. Our peaceful (albeit crazy-busy) world was a little bit shaken on Tuesday by a phone call saying our Turkish kitty was in the pet hospital. He had been hit by a car sometime Friday night or Saturday morning and taken in by the police. We were thankful he was being taken care of, but concerned about his condition.

We left the house immediately, skipping lunch, to go check out what was going on. He had been there all weekend without us knowing, and we felt we needed to get there quickly to get more information. What we found when we got there was slightly disconcerting. I was so thankful my husband had taken the rest of the day off to come with us. I needed him.

The vet tech shared with us that Oscar didn't have any use of his back legs. He's a paraplegic kitty. Ouch.

So, we waited for the vet to come in and visit with us. The signs were not great. Some slight feeling in the feet and tail, but not much. No movement beyond the mid back. Not able to hold his urine or feces. Ouch.

We had them do an X-ray. It didn't show any breaks, but there's no telling how much damage had been done to the nerves and how much would repair itself. Thankfully, he didn't need any surgeries. Thankfully, the bill was smaller than I had anticipated.

Yesterday was a check-up. They put in a catheter and gave him a lovely cone of shame to wear around his head. That lasted until we got home. He pulled the cone off and started cleaning himself. He left the catheter alone until after we had all gone to bed. By morning, he had pulled it out completely. So much for that!

Today, a week later, he's still not using his legs. He has better feeling in them and some slight movement from time to time. He hangs out in the laundry room─living it up in his dreamy, drugged up state. He's pretty content there, but I wish he were content to lay up in the living room where we are during the day. It takes every ounce of my being to not drag him around with me all day long and try to keep him company. I know he needs rest.

Every night, when we relax on the couch, I bring Oscar up to snuggle. He always purrs when I sit down next to him. He can only get himself half into my lap and I have to help him the rest of the way.

I'm trying to keep my head about me. It's hard to love something so deeply and contemplate the thought of having to make a decision you don't ever want to have to face. Makes me think about people whose loved ones are in comas for weeks, months, even years. How could I possibly make the decision to pull the plug?

Oscar's not on life-support, but he's certainly not the same cat he was a week ago, either. He's a hunter to the very core of his being. We were looking forward to having a good mouser at the farm. Now, I don't know if he'll ever be able to go outside again.

There's a fine line between loving an animal and keeping it alive for your own comfort. I need to be able to weigh the factors that come along with being a pet owner.

Will he ever have a good quality of life again?

If we keep him, will we?

Will he recover enough to be the Oscar that he wants to be?

How much money and time do you pour into an animal before it becomes too much?

These questions are swirling in my mind and every once in a while they get the better of me. I'm so thankful it's not one of my children.

That's all for today. I need some chocolate.

WHEN SOMEONE ELSE SAYS IT FOR YOU....

2010-09-14T11:26:00.000-05:00

I'm Sorry

This is a beautiful post by my friend at MY DAO DAYS.

It really speaks to my heart and it speaks my heart in a way that sometimes seems incapable of words.

This is something that I've been grasping at for some time, and it just seemed appropriate to share. Maybe there are others that are here too...

FREE RESOURCES: MODEL CUT-OUTS

2010-09-11T12:00:00.001-05:00

I love free stuff. I love finding treasures online that mean all I have to do is turn on my printer and press a button. Here are couple that I think you might like:

CANON CREATIVE PARK ~ Tons of paper craft model printables, some complex, some simple

PAPER TOYS ~ paper models for kids and grown-ups alike

Take Back Your Family

2010-09-10T10:53:00.004-05:00

As I was on Facebook this morning (as per my AM ritual, coffee in hand, and sleep in my eyes), I saw several posts about public schools. They disturbed me. They also encouraged me to remember why I'm doing what I'm doing.

I know that parents who send their children to public school don't like this kind of "talk", but since this is a home school blog, I'm going there at the risk of sounding judgemental. Let me just say that everyone has their own choice for what to do with their own family within the confines of reason─This is my very platform.

Parents have forgotten what their role is. To get started, let's take a look at the dictionary definition of the word PARENT:

------
par·ent (pârnt, pr-)

1. One who begets, gives birth to, or nurtures and raises a child; a father or mother.

2. An ancestor; a progenitor.

3. An organism that produces or generates offspring.

4. A guardian; a protector.

5. A parent company.

6. A source or cause; an origin: Despair is the parent of rebellion.

v. par·ent·ed, par·ent·ing, par·ents

v.tr.

1. To act as a parent to; raise and nurture: "A genitor who does not parent the child is not its parent" (Ashley Montagu).

2. To cause to come into existence; originate.

v.intr.

To act as a parent.

-------

The Life Science definitions aside, what are the other attributes of a PARENT? I see the words nuture, raises, guardian, and protector. These are all the rights and responsibilites we as parents have when we bring a child into this world.

What happens when we are laxidasical about those rights?

Our children do not behave well.

Our children act out.

Our children feel insecure.

AND THE GOVERNMENT WILL TAKE OUR RIGHTS AND CALL THEM THEIR OWN!!

Let me ask you, Do you really want our government raising your child? What has our government been up to lately? Spending more than they bring in, creating and passing laws that allow homosexual marriage, taking away the rights of the people to have a fair grab at health and wellness...

**links above are just small samples of all that are out there supporting these issues**

This same government regulates the public schools, the doctors, and the daycare centers our American children go to...

Do you really want this governement raising your child for you?

These were the comments I saw on Facebook this morning:

Don't tell my kids, but I think homework is ridiculous. R***** is averaging 3 hrs/night this new school year. How about learning study habits during the school day & assign just reading at night? Who's with me?

~~~~~~~

The Public schools here give homework to Kindergarten. SOOO GLAD E*** is in private school. They are teaching her to think instead of just regurgitate.

~~~~~~~

One of my private students has 2 hours of homework for each class she's taking. School gets out at 3:30, then conservatory until 530. So she gets home at 6:00. At 2 hours per class that's homework until 2 am. IF she eats dinner at the table...(tharr be more) that 2:00 becomes 2:30, Needs to be up at 6-00 to get to school. that means 3.5 hours of sleep.

Yeah, that's good for our kids. When is she supposed to socialize? When is she supposed to practice her music? When is she supposed to . . . . ?

my comment: ....HAVE TIME WITH HER PARENTS???

~~~~~~~

They would'nt let me walk [my little girl] to her classroom this morning! They said she should be able to do it by herself now! She is capable of doing it by herself, but I like to walk her there! Is that too much to ask for?! (this child is in Kindergarten)

~~~~~~~

And my personal favorite:

You don't have to give in! These children are in our care...WE make the decisions about who walks and how far. Who is paying these teachers anyway? Who keeps the schools open?

THANK YOU!

Another comment stated, "Who is the parent here?" Are we taking the responsibilities and RIGHTS as parents that we have and handing them over to the school systems, daycares, sports leagues, and healthcare providors? If so, why? The only answer I can come up with to that question is that we are scared and lazy.
This government has tried in many ways to take away the rights that we have as parents. Will we stand idly by and let them bully us into thinking that we shouldn't be allowed to make choices for our own children? Will we be bullied into thinking the only people that can raise our children right are the teachers and mentors at their school?
WE are the parents. Let us stand up and BE the parents. Let us remind ourselves that we are capable of doing what it takes to raise our children well. Capable, and tapped into the world's greatest natural resource─THE WISDOM OF GOD.

James 1:2-8
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

If you home school, these issues are much less of a problem for you. But if your child goes to public school, GET INVOLVED. You have the right to be involved in just about every decision that goes on in your public school. It is YOUR tax money that keeps it open and pays the salary of that teacher. It is YOUR child that attends. They work for YOU, not the other way around. STOP letting our government dictate how our children should be raised. They can't even keep track of their own pocketbooks.

Wellness Wednesday ~ WORLD'S HEALTHIEST FOODS

2010-09-08T11:21:00.001-05:00

Got this website from a friend the other day and thought I would share it as a way to jump-start Wellness Wednesdays again!

WORLD'S HEALTHIEST FOODS

http://whfoods.org/recipestoc.php

Happy healthful eating!

This could be the start of something beautiful...

2010-09-08T11:08:00.000-05:00

So, for those that don't know, through the spring and summer months, we have been contemplating moving. We will be staying in the same community, but moving off of the Air Force Base we live on, and out into the country. This week, I got word from the bank that we are pre-approved for our home loan and can move ahead with getting the appraisal done.
We're looking forward to beginning a journey I like to call, "The Misadventures of First Year Homesteading".
In the span of this summer, I have learned to can vegetables, make jelly, make butter, use my bread machine, grow a large scale organic garden, and compost. I'm hoping that our future misadventures include chickens, horses, a jersey cow, and perhaps some other random creatures helpful to our health.
Until moving day, we have a lot to do. Repairs need to be made on our current home in order to turn it back over to our housing office, scaling down on unnecessary items must be done, finishing our garden and canning must be accomplished...the list goes on.
So, pray for us. It will be a busy fall. And an even busier one if we end up with any foster children in the meantime.
And, the school year has begun! One thing I'm eternally thankful for: AWANAS! While my children are soaking up the Word of God, my husband and I get to go on dates. A weekly need in the middle of all our hectic schedules.

HOLY COW WHAT A SUMMER!

2010-09-07T18:37:00.002-05:00

So, it's dawned on me in the last couple of weeks that I've not updated my blog in some time. Unfortunately, within the last couple of weeks, we have had our last camping expedition of the summer, gone on a day-long field trip to follow some of the Lewis and Clark trail, had two birthday parties and a house-full of guests for our middle child's celebrations, and finished our Foster Care planning, and tried to catch up on our gardening. It's been a seriously tasking week.

SO, with that, here are the highlights from our wonderful summer!

Some things we did this summer...

Lost some teeth...

...took a trip to the ER...

...did a Lewis and Clark study...


....convinced the dads to help with our Lewis and Clark	study....

...went to the State Fair!

...went on some AWESOME camping trips...

...got rained on...

...had some amazing meals...

...with some amazing friends...

...tried out some science experiments best meant for the yard...

...made our first compost bin...

...did some fishing!

...and some more fishing...

...had a few fights...

...made our first batch of butter...

...learned to mow the grass for the first time...

...HAD VBS!!!

...saw some incredible insects...

...had two ear surgeries....

...lost....and then found a snake in the car...

...socialized the dogs...

...made some silly things...

....did some MORE fishing...

...started our garden...

...tended our garden...

...tended to the garden some more...

...started another garden...

...watched our garden grow...

...and grow...

...and grow....

...and grow...

...and enjoyed being a family.

Here's to hoping your summer was as fruitful (literally) and fun as ours. Much love from our home to yours!

It's been a while...

2010-06-26T11:24:00.000-05:00

...so I'm going to attempt to update on lots of different things.

Foster Care is still in the works. We are literally weeks away from knowing if we will be certified. We've had some interesting moments along the way, none of which I will share publicly, but would be happy to share privately if you wish.

Our summer vegetable/herb garden is growing well. I wish we could have started it earlier, but it's doing well despite the rain and late planting.

We recently invested in a cow share from a local farm. Meet Sandy─the cow we have part ownership in. She makes us GREAT milk. If you're interested in getting raw milk of your own, check out the following web links:

RAW-MILK-FACTS-.com
REALMILK.com
Where to find it in your area

We took a wonderful trip out to the farm where Sandy, our milk cow, lives. It was a wonderful afternoon. I'll share pictures with you soon. We're hoping to learn from them so we can start our own farm someday!

Bartlett Farm
ND Homekeeper

Also on the docket for us is a possible move out of town. We currently live on base and we're hoping to find somewhere out in the country we can spread out and have our own space. We're looking feverishly to find something that suits our needs.

Summer months include lots of camping and fishing, lots of weed pulling, and hopefully lots of pool time to balance it all out. I'm looking forward to a break from the "books" and going for more of an unschooling approach to our sunny months. Hopefully we can get something done. We've already learned how to make our own butter. ☺

Blessings to your home!
Erin

Website Stealer

2010-05-22T10:55:00.000-05:00

From time to time I like to check out who is reading my blog and what other blogs they're interested in. This one caught my attention today:

Cooking God's Way

Looks like a great website with lots of fantastic recipes and ideas for eating better. If you can't tell, I've become a huge fan of Dr. Mercola. Some friends and family have sporadically sent me his email updates, but until now I've sort of avoided all the hype. I guess I wasn't ready for the information overload and what it would do to my shopping!
I've since signed up for his emails and learned a lot about what we're putting into our bodies. It's been eye opening to say the least. I've also started investing in some other ways to be healthier and yet still maintain the "on the go" lifestyle we lead. Here are some other things I've found that you might be interested in:

Hand Blenders (faster and easier to clean than a traditional blender, make your morning shake in a lot less time with a lot less clean-up, very inexpensive)

Natural Remedies Encyclopedia (America's Master Book of Home Remedies)

Melaleuca (The Wellness Company; we buy LOTS of stuff from them; if you're interested, let me know)

Local Honey (find some in your area with an online directory like this from your State's Ag Dept.)

Real Milk

Summer Lovin'

2010-05-21T11:28:00.001-05:00

Alright folks! Summer is officially here, with the beautiful sun finally gracing us. I've been out to my garden plots several times already, and I'm gearing up to plant outside after Memorial Day weekend.

To add to the fun, we've got some great field trips planned. We'll be taking a camping trip soon, and with that comes a visit to a nearby organic dairy farm. We're also hoping to get out and do some fishing while we're there. Along with a couple of other families, we're planning some studies about Lewis and Clark through the summer months. Since we live so close to their trail, we're going to head down to see one of the forts they visited and do some camping down there as well.

For our many car trips this summer, I bought a couple of "busy" books for the kids:

National Geographic Field Guide

to the Birds of North America

and

Hammond Children's World Atlas

We threw in a pair of binoculars for the bird watching. The kids have already located a couple of species and tried to name a few more based on some feathers they've found at the park.

The atlas has been instrumental for my oldest in his schoolwork lately. It has maps for each country and information on population and demographics for each country as well. It's a beautiful atlas. Get one.

My son also bought a wonderful bug book:

A Pocket Guide to Insects

And my daughter got herself a bug holder!

Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Mombo Snake Bug House

This may come in handy for our gardening! One kid can catch the bugs, another can identify them.

I also got the Freebie Friday Newsletter this morning and in it was a link for

10 Backyard Science Activities

from Family Education.

Enjoy! I hope your summer is a blessed one.

For a bonus, check out Dr. Mercola's video and article about summer sun protection:

Summer Survival Kit

Wellness Wednesday~WARNING: GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD

2010-05-19T09:58:00.003-05:00

WHAT IS GMO?

SAY NO TO GMO

Why?

Warning: This Common Food Causes Devastating Offspring Defects in New Research Study (article on Dr. Mercola's site)
Genetically Modified Soy Linked to Sterility, Infant Mortality (article from Institute for Responsible Technology)

NON-GMO Shopping Guide (How to avoid this dangerous health hazard from Institute for Responsible Technology)

GMO COMPASS (Information on genetically modified organisms around the world)

READY TO GROW YOUR OWN FOOD? BUY NON-GMO SEEDS FROM A COMPANY LIKE THIS. (make sure they test)

Wellenss Wednesday~Better Snacking

2010-05-12T14:18:00.000-05:00

A Compiled List of Great Snack Choices:

almonds (great source of monounsaturated fat, magnesium, and Vit E)
dried cranberries (antioxidants, urinary health)
sunflower seeds (out of the shell, unsalted)
assorted nuts
fresh veggies (the darker the better! green peppers, broccoli, etc.)
fresh fruit (the darker the better! kiwi, mango, red grapes, etc.) Fun Fruit Kabobs
berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc.)
plain yogurt with granola and/or flax (sweeten with honey or fruit instead of sugar)
sweetened yogurt as a dip for graham crackers
hummus and pita bread
cottage cheese with fresh fruit
corn chips and salsa
trail mix
air popped or stove top popcorn (avoid microwave popcorn)
olives
pretzels
pumpkin seeds
banana or celery with peanut butter
figs or fig cookies (hamentaschen are yummy!)
raisins
smoothies (use frozen yogurt and/or kefir, found in milk section of grocery store)
pretzels
sushi
kiwi
apples and caramel or honey
sliced tomato baked with mozzarella cheese on top
hard boiled egg
fruit leathers Stretch Island Fruit Co. or make your own!
frozen yogurt
applesauce (homemade is best)
baked veggie crackers

What great snack ideas do you have?

Share them in your comments!

Interview

2010-04-30T13:23:00.001-05:00

Today is my personal one-on-one interview with our Social Services case worker. I can't help but feel somewhat invaded with the prospect of having the "state" in our lives on a regular basis. It sort of feels like we're giving up our right to privacy so that we can care for other people's children.
I also can't help but feel that if the church were doing her job (as a whole) these kinds of government programs would be unnecessary. It saddens me to see how our society has become so anonymous in living. Neighbors do not speak to one another, families barely speak to one another; we can go through our whole lives with no one noticing that we're hurting or in need of some help.
So much of what the government is doing provides an out for the church community. No need to get out and do something, the government's got it! But do they?
I'm hoping this interview goes well. I'm hoping that we can get in the system and perhaps help people realize how much we need each other─how we cannot run around as anonymous individuals, minding our own business any longer.

Foster Family

2010-04-29T11:34:00.001-05:00

It is with joy that I share that we are going through the process to become a foster family! It has been a lot of hours so far─with many more to come─but we are looking forward to providing a safe home for children to learn, grow, and process life in.

Our journey began when we were both young. Mark and I both had dreams of one day adopting. We didn't know this when we married, but that desire has always been there, just beneath the surface.

Being in the military has presented some challenges for us. Knowing that we will always be moving around has been an issue that has kept us from pursuing anything. Being a one-income family has been a challenge as well. We knew we wanted to be in a more stable place in order to provide stability for another child.
We are now in a place where the finances are stable, we will probably be in one place for a while, and Mark's job has hit it's sweet spot──the 9-5. I stay at home to home school; he is home in the evening and on weekends.

We have made up our minds that foster care looks like the road we're on right now, and we decided to take it one step at a time. If we hit any road blocks, we'll adjust and take another look to see if this is where God wants us.

One thing we're really being taught right now is not to call hurdles road blocks. If you can jump over it, do. If you can't, reevaluate. We sometimes tend to overreact about certain things or over-think the possible scenarios. It's tough. Being in the military, we want to control as much as possible because we have so little control over anything.

Maybe God is trying to teach us something?

We're looking forward to the lessons and the blessings.

Breakfast Video from Dr. Mercola

2010-04-29T10:04:00.004-05:00

Wellness Wednesday~Best and Worst Breakfast Foods

2010-04-28T13:20:00.002-05:00

In an effort to rid my home of some of the big health no-no's, I've turned to breakfast for a look-see. I've read a few things here and there about breakfast─how it's the most important meal of the day. But, I've never really had anyone show me what not to eat for breakfast.

Here are a few good articles:
America's Worst Breakfast Foods (Yahoo)
Best & Worst Breakfast Cereals (Yahoo)
Ten Worse Breakfast Cereals (Dr. Mercola)

One article I read talked about coffee. It's not so much the coffee that's the problem, but the things you put in your coffee. I'll agree with that. But, it suggested using sugar free or soy creamers instead. Beware of these two things. Sugar free usually means aspartame or other sugar substitutes that are worse for you than natural sugar. And soy is not as healthy as the industry would want us to believe.

What You Don't Know Can Hurt You (Dr. Mercola)
The Evidence Against Soy (Dr. Mercola)

These are of course a great controversy, as most things surrounding health and wellness are now.
I encourage you to do your own research on both of these items.

But, back to breakfast─what are some better options for breakfast?

Many professionals agree that protein is your best bet for breakfast food. Not grains!

Here's a list I've compiled after reading several articles on the matter:

Juiced veggies (with pulp)
Eggs (one person can eat up to 1 doz eggs in a week without any ill-effects)
raw milk products (not pasteurized)
grass fed beef/bison
fresh fruits (with pulp)

What to avoid:

breads/cereals (especially white breads and sugary cereals)
doughnuts
pancakes and waffles

sources:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/08/21/eggs-are-the-better-breakfast-choice.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/11/07/breakfast-part-one.aspx
http://nutrition.about.com/od/nutrition101/a/breakfast.htm

I find it interesting that most of what I've read about juiced veggies indicate that they're better than a cup of caffeinated coffee in the morning. The energy lasts longer, the nutritional content is way better, and it prevents overeating later in the day. Anyone want to try it out for a week and see what happens?

Here's an awesome website about juicing veggies:
www.juicingbook.com/veggies

Vegetable Juice Recipes
More Vegetable Juice Recipes

Wellness Wednesday~FLAX

2010-04-21T12:00:00.001-05:00

Growing up, I thought that flax was simply a decorative plant. My mother had it in several dried arrangements in our home. But, the benefits of flax go far beyond just ornamentation.
Flax is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, has tons of fiber, has properties that help fight against cancers such as breast and colon cancer, and is loaded with potassium, protein, vitamin B6, and other major health contributors.
The list goes on. It has been found to help women with menopause inconveniences and has shown some anti-inflammatory characteristics.
That said, it's not something that we find in a lot of our foods. How can we add it?
Flax must be consumed after it is ground up. Our bodies will not digest the seeds if they are whole. Ground flax seed can be found at many health food stores and some pharmacies. It can also be ordered online.
There are many ways to add flax to the diet (daily recommended dose is 2-4 Tbsp. of ground flax). Add it to cereal, bake it into your goodies, or add it to bread. You can even add it to yogurt, syrups, and berries!

Easy Ways to get Flax Into Your Diet

The below websites will help you find some other recipe books and hints for how to use, when to use, and why to use flax.

Happy Health!

www.flaxhealth.com
www.gvflax.com

Sources: Flax for Your Good Health Pamphlet─
Flax Council of Canada; Ameriflax; Flax Institute of the U.S.; and Flax Your Way to Better Health by Jane Reinhardt-Martin, RD, LD

**Image used with permission from fineartamerica.com; Field of Blue Flax Flowers by James Dunbar; Dunbar's Fine Art Wildflower Series

Wellness Wendesday~I MISSED IT!

2010-04-16T09:23:00.000-05:00

To be honest, I didn't really miss it. I thought about it on Wednesday, but was so comfortable on the couch that I figured I'd get to it when I felt up to it.

I had surgery Monday and was feeling pretty run down by Wednesday. I'm sure there weren't lines of people waiting to read the blog anyway! :)

So, here's your new Wellness Wednesday topic for next week: FLAX!

Do some research of your own and be ready for my Wednesday blog. I'd love to see some comments!

In Worship,

Erin

Wellness Wednesday~BEANS!

2010-04-07T14:49:00.004-05:00

Today is all about BEANS! That's right! Beans, beans, the magical fruit! (Except I'm fairly sure they're not considered a fruit...but, oh well.) I'm finding that beans really are good for your heart and the more you eat...well...it's not true. The gas actually diminishes the more you eat. Why? Because the beans help get rid of the nasty junk in your system. They clean you out! The more you eat, the cleaner your body is and the less you have to get rid of!

Let me be frank. I have a daughter with some pretty serious bowel issues. She was born with a hernia and had to have surgery. They took out all her intestines during the surgery and rearranged them in her belly. I'm convinced that she has these problems because of it. We have had to be very vigilant about what she eats. I've stocked up on certain yogurts, made sure we always have fiber bars on hand, and even tried out the Miralax. They work, don't get me wrong. She's fairly regular. But, recently, after talking to a friend who's on a bean diet, I've discovered that there's nothing better than LOTS OF BEANS!

The medical reasons for eating beans are numerous. Read the following reports and see for yourself:
http://www.healthandgoodness.com/article/eating-beans.html
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/beans-protein-rich-superfoods

Top of the list benefits are antioxidants, cancer fighting agents*, vitamins, help with cholesterol levels and heart diseases*, and loads of fiber!

People that have cancer should eat lots of beans. Cancers feed on meat*, sugar, and lots of food additives.

I was surprised at the value of beans. No wonder they give them to people in their WIC checks! My problem isn't so much why to eat them, but HOW? Like some of you, I'm not much of a bean lover. Never fear. I've got some cookbook options for you! I've even added them to my bookstore section so you can find them easily. Look under Wellness Wednesdays.

The Bean Book by Rose Elliot
The Bean Queen's Cookbook by Karen R. Hurd (my friend has this one...great recipes!)
The Bean Book: Over Seventy Incredible Recipes by Lyons Press

My last little tidbit of advice for today is to find great friends.

I have wonderful friends. It's so much easier to work toward a healthier future if you have good friends that are on that path with you. We send lots of emails back and forth with our latest finds. I hope that you find some good friends that are willing to take this journey as well. You'll find lots of encouragement and support if you surround yourself with a few health minded people.

*Studies have shown that eating a lot of red meat could be a contributor to heart diseases and cancers. Beans are an excellent meat alternative. ARTICLE LINK

Welcome to Wellness Wendesdays!

2010-04-07T14:17:00.001-05:00

My newest endeavor in the home school blogging world is Wellness Wednesday. Every Wednesday (forgive me if I miss one or two), I'll pass on a small tidbit of information that will help you stay informed on how to live healthier and pass on that wellness to our growing generation.

I know this doesn't immediately sound like a home school blog topic, but if you'd like to somehow fit it into your school week, I'm sure there are ways! Think of it as "Health Class". I'll post some fun recipes and some other ways to get your family into a better groove. We're all in this journey together. The goal is to be constantly working in that direction.

So, here goes!

Just have to share...

2010-04-06T09:39:00.000-05:00

this beautiful little story from our lovely Pioneer Woman. Brings tears to my eyes and reminds me of my little Ethan man.

Ready to Dig In!

2010-04-02T16:33:00.008-05:00

For all you GREEN THUMBS out there, I've found a few treasures to pass on...and decided I would share a bit of my photography with you as well. ☺

I've been reading a bit here and there about GMO's (genetically modified organisims) and what they do to our bodies. I've also been doing some personal research on the use of pesticides and herbicides. The words toxic and unnecessary come to mind. I just finished a quick little read (took me less than 30 minutes) about organic gardening.

How To Become an Organic Gardener in Seven Easy Steps by Judy Barrett

She really makes it sound so easy. I hope it is. Here's a quick quote from her book:

"The ideal growing conditions exist naturally in wild areas where plants are constantly dropping their leaves attracting animals who drop their manure, and where all these things blend together to make a rich humus. Forest floors are the most beautiful topsoil in the world because the leaves drop to the ground, birds and small animals leave their droppings, water filters in slowly, and air moves freely. Most of us don't have these ideal conditions, and don't want to live in a forest anyway. But we can re-create the topsoil no matter where we live."

Doesn't that sound like a breath of fresh air!? She answers the question "Why Organic?" by saying that the chemicals we use to grow plants now, do nothing to build the soil. By building the soil, it will naturally keep pests away and grow better plants in the future, and it only takes a short time.

Last year, I bought the book Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Riotte. It was an invaluable resource in companion planting. I had an incredible yield from my tiny little postage stamp garden. I found natural ways of keeping pests away, building the soil through "buddy planting", and getting more yield from a smaller space.

This year, I borrowed a seed catalog from a friend. Check out their website:

www.RareSeeds.com

Non-GMO seeds, tested just to be sure. Heirloom seeds, some extremely rare. Seeds from all over the world. Committed to the best plants and gardening, everything from flowers to herbs and veggies. I bought a BUNCH!

"Science has tried to assume a monopoly─or, rather, a tyranny─over our understanding of the world around us...We are only now beginning to understand the disastrous results of this outlook." ~Prince Charles

I think it's a beautiful thing how the world around us is continually trying to maintain balance. Look at the wind─blowing to bring high and low pressure systems into balance. People, trying to maintain balance in their lives through priorities. The soil, too, is trying to balance between acidity and alkalinity─the plants playing their roles in it all. And the bugs bring balance to the natural predator/prey world. It really is a wonderful thing, this world that God created.

I pray we find wonderful ways of enjoying it this spring and summer.

Natural Remedies Encyclopedia

2010-03-23T12:21:00.000-05:00

I can't say enough about this new book I got. After joining two other girlfriends of mine on a trip to our state home school convention, I came home with this Natural Remedies Encyclopedia. What an incredible book!!

My advice to you─GET ONE! You'll love it. Here are two of my own personal stories on using this book (and I've only had it for four days!):

Before I bought this book, I used a remedy that's already in it without knowing it. My husband and I went to Bible study on the Wednesday night before the convention. After dinner, and halfway through the study, my daughter came up with tears in her eyes. She was holding her ear and shaking from pain. We didn't want to have to leave the study early, but she seemed in terrible discomfort. We tried using a wet paper towel to help with the pain, but it wasn't working, so my husband took her home. After talking with a friend, I called a lady in our church body who was said to have a "home remedy" for ear aches and infections. I asked her if I could come by and borrow it. She said, "No, no. You can make it yourself!" Wow. Okay. I took down the recipe over the phone, went home, made it up, and it worked! The next morning, she was as good as new. I left for the convention that morning telling my husband, "If you need to give it to her again, here's how you make it." He didn't need to. She was fine! No need for antibiotics and long Dr. visits.

Last night, this same daughter of ours was coughing incessantly after she went to bed. My husband and I were watching Chariots of Fire and could hear her over the loud music. (I'm deaf, and I could hear her!) She seems to have either some kind of cold bug or spring allergies. After listening for a few minutes, we finally decided to get up and see about her cough. My husband rummaged through the cupboard for the "normal" medicines and came out with some Vick's. Nah, let's try something different this time, I thought. He laughed as I pulled out the book. "I knew you were gonna do that", he said. I looked in the book and found the cough section. A whole list of options! I picked the one that seemed the easiest given the things we had in our house at the time─a warm wrap with cayenne pepper in it. Buy the book and check it out. It works. After replacing the wrap several times (which of course takes more time than just rubbing the Vick's on and going back to our movie) she stopped coughing. It had almost instant results. No meds involved. We also used our humidifier to do a Eucalyptus vapor. She slept through the whole thing and woke up looking so rested this morning. What a difference!

These are just two of the stories I could tell!

Like my friend, I'm not trying to sell you something. I'm trying to share something with you that may change the way you take care of your self and your family. I've used it about 10 times already and found it to be very thorough and indescribably effective. It's worth the money. Think of it as a down-payment on your insurance copay for visiting the Dr.─except you won't go as often anymore. If you do get this book, or you already own one, share your story in the comments. I'd love to know how it's helped you!! And it may help someone else, too.

I'll leave you with my friend's Amazon customer review, which can also be read on their website here:

I am so glad I bought this. It is a very complete, 900 page one-volume encyclopedia of 11,000 natural drugless remedies. It covers 730 diseases-helping your family for a lifetime for the cost of one doctor visit! A whole section talking about nutritional principles, the 8 laws of health,- vitamins, minerals, enzymes, special foods and other nutrients-126 most important herbs-poultices-essential oils-complete water therapy manual-special women's section-great indexes! I do not like my children being on medicine and I came home from the homeschool convention where I bought this to my daughter being sick. We treated her for the ear infection and fever naturally-the next morning her ear ache was gone and fever broke. Now we're flushing her system according to the common cold section! I've always wanted to do this, but didn't know how! After every sickness cause and remedy there is a great biblical encouragement section to encourage those that don't have that-God is our provider and our strength and gives us all we need to keep our bodies healthy! My two girlfriends also bought one and I'm recommending it to all I know for a great all in one resource! ~K. C.~

Guest Blogger: David on "Why I Love Home Schooling"

2010-03-05T14:31:00.002-06:00

Hi. I'm David, Erin's son. I'm nine and I have a brother and sister named Ethan and Morgan. Ethan is seven and Morgan is five. I'm kind of lucky because I have two dads. I'm in fourth grade, Ethan is in second, and Morgan is in kindergarten. I always say that cousins are close to grandparents because in Grand Forks my cousins live with them, and in Williamsburg my cousins live right down the road!
Anywho, to the real meaning of this message, why I love home schooling. I love home schooling because you don't need to stay in school all day. Instead, all you need to do is get all of your work books done. Another reason is because every Monday, three families (ours included) get together and do co-op day. Co-op day is where we do Spanish, art, and music. The first three weeks of the month we go to the pool and the last week we go ice skating. It's pretty fun.
Home schooling is fun. I hope you like it too.

...
Would you like to be a guest blogger? Leave me a comment and I'd be happy to tell you how you can do that!
...
Click here and be sure to share your own thoughts on what makes home school special for you.

The Crafty Crow: Crafts Around the World

2010-03-05T12:36:00.001-06:00

Let me introduce you to the inspiring

Crafty Crow

a blog filled with wonders and insights, creativity and delight!

And if you are like me, you'll enjoy

this fantastic new string of posts

inspiring us history lovers with crafts and recipes that are sure to make your fingers tingle. Follow the link and dive in! (The Turkey post was a hit with me since we lived in Turkey for two years.)

And as an added bonus, here's another great idea linked from the Crafty Crow (and relinked by me...just keep passing it around)─Slotted Building Discs from Made by Joel! Methinks my kiddos will enjoy this one!

MORE FREE STUFF

2010-02-24T13:40:00.001-06:00

I can't beat the freebies from TOS, but I've got a few up my sleeve. Here are some new ones I found recently. Three cheers for home schooling on a shoe-string!

Homeschool Helper "Homeschoolers helping each other."
Preschool Printables (just in case I haven't linked it yet)

Tapestry of Grace Arts and Craft Ideas (some way cool stuff in here, these go really well as supplemental ideas for the curriculum we use, Christian Cottage Unit Studies)

Year 1~Ancient History and Early Christianity
Year 2~Middle Ages, Renaissance, Early America
Year 3~Early America and the world at that time
Year 4~The 20th Century to Current

Giant Funness

2010-02-17T12:07:00.002-06:00

For a fun rainy day activity (or even when it's nice outside), check out this

GIANT GEOBOARD project

from Filth Wizardry.

I can almost guarantee your kids will love it. I'm planning to make one soon myself!

2010-02-12T09:00:00.010-06:00

Just had to share these marvelous paper crafts. I am in total AWE!
Stock up on some paper and ink, and go to town!

Canon Paper Crafts

Make sure to check out the left side menu for Science, History, and Architecture crafts!

Learning About Electricity

2010-02-11T15:52:00.001-06:00

I have searched for some time to find a website that would provide some basic information about how to teach circuitry to children. We have had a Snap Circuit Kit for some time now, but I was pretty disappointed in the lack of information in the book that came with it. It really just has maps of how to set up the circuits with no real teaching of how circuits work to begin with.

I hope the following info is helpful for someone besides me.

Learning Circuits (a fun interactive lesson with a printable worksheet, very informative, and highly recommended)

Teachers' Domain: Electric Circuits (lesson plan with videos)

How to Make a Circuit Quiz Board (3 different sites)

Five Star Blogger

2010-02-11T10:43:00.000-06:00

I have officially found my new favorite blogger─Ree Drummond at The Pioneer Woman. I am stunned by the fun, inspiring, whimsical, and true-to-self posts on this blog. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Aquatic Crafts

2010-02-10T20:13:00.001-06:00

I couldn't help but pass these on. They're cute and easy─two things I love in a craft idea. Follow the links and enjoy!

Egg Carton Octopus
Recycled Bottle Fish
Starfish
Toilet Paper Roll Octopus
Paper Towel Roll Octopus

No Such Luck

2010-02-09T09:57:00.000-06:00

Our Froggy Friend is no more. I tried so hard to get him to eat, but he just wouldn't. I even cut some of the crickets in half to see if he would eat them that way. Nope. He's gone.

Another one bites the dust.

It's strange that I feel so mournful over a silly little frog. But, it gets me to thinking─if I feel this little bit of sadness over him, how much more does our Heavenly Father mourn for one of us when we die spiritually? How does he mourn when one of us is in pain? He must love us so much! I know He does.

Part of my pain is knowing that the children will be sad. We tried so hard and waited for so long.

So, now comes the next quandry─should I let the kids buy a bigger frog?

Gotta love those Freebies! (Human Body)

2010-02-05T10:56:00.001-06:00

If you're not signed up for the Freebie Friday Newsletters from The Old Schoolhouse, I suggest you do that─like, right now!!

They have some great stuff each week, and it's fun to bookmark them or save them to a hard drive for later use. This week, the Freebie list includes links to resources about the Human Body. Feel free to follow the link here and get yourself signed up for these newsletters each week. I promise you'll benefit from them.

I also found these web sites about the Human Body...

Kid Info

KidsKonnect.com

How to Make a DNA Model (pdf)

I'm sure there are bazillions more.

What have you found? Share your favorite bookmark in your comment! After all, that's what this is about─sharing what we find with others so they can benefit from it!

The Tail of Two Otters

2010-02-04T16:04:00.003-06:00

Our 9 and 7 year old boys have written a wonderful little puppet show for two sea otter sock puppets that we made back in our first year of home school. I'd like to share it with you. You may use it and the sock puppet idea if you like. Feel free to print and perform the play for friends and family as much as you like.

Here are the materials we used for the sock puppets:

tall brown socks
buttons for eyes
tan or cream colored felt for mouth (sewed on)
tan or cream colored felt for ears (also sewed on)
black felt for nose (sewed on top of mouth piece)
cotton balls for stuffing nose and mouth area to give it shape
fishing line for whiskers
black felt tipped marker for shading felt in ears and around mouth (optional)
needle and thread to sew on felt pieces (use a whip stitch as shown in video below)

How to Sew a Whip Stitch -- powered by eHow.com

I have attached patterns for the mouth, nose, and ear pieces here. Forgive my lack of artistry on the drawings. They are rough, but they work.

Here is the play!

From our house to yours, enjoy!

*Please do not copy this to any other sites without permission. You may link directly to my site or directly to this post if you wish.

Miracles do happen!

2010-02-03T15:30:00.000-06:00

After our many trials with the two tadpoles we ordered in September of 2008, we finally have a tadpole with four legs! It's only taken him a year and a half, which must be some kind of record. The kids are thrilled, as am I, but I'm not looking forward to trying a second round of "Little Frog Can't Eat Big Crickets". We'll see how it goes, but I'm not holding my breath. As some of you may recall from previous posts, the first tadpole/frog didn't make it. Perhaps a remembrance ceremony is in order? We'll see.

At any rate, I guess it's time to clean out the terrarium again. Off I go...

Unit Studies ~ Oceanography

2010-01-13T15:53:00.002-06:00

Here we are halfway through our 4th year of home school with our children. We are definitely enjoying it and looking forward to some awesome stuff for the second half of the year.

Our middle boy, who is at a 2nd grade level, is working on an Oceanography unit right now. (I'm using Evan-Moor's pocket book Ocean Habitats from the August Theme Pockets book to supplement.) It's a repeat study for me since our oldest has already gone through it once. My goal is to eventually have them studying the same material at different levels. For now it's fun to go back and try things again!

Today we're talking about tide pools. I found a fantastic video about hermit crabs. It shows a hermit crab changing shells. The video can be found here. We also did a little talking about painted shells and whether or not they should be used when keeping hermit crabs as pets. This site has some information about why not to use them.

We also talked about bat stars. What a fascinating creature! God is so creative! Monterey Bay Aquarium has some fun info about them.

Plan for the rest of the day is to watch 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and listen to Claude Debussy's La Mer!

Back to our day before it gets away!

Blessings on your home,
Erin

Music and the Home School ~ Part III ~ Incorporating Music into Unit Studies

2010-01-12T21:47:00.005-06:00

In the first part in this series, Music and the Home School, I laid out some basic ideas on how to incorporate music into unit studies and history. Music and the Home School Part II focused on how to use a live concert as a learning experience.

This, Part III, will focus specifically on using music in Science Unit Studies. For a better understanding, please refer back to Part I.

I like to use the "Five in a Row" type plan for unit studies because it pulls together all elements of learning to focus on one specific topic, thereby driving it home. Quite simply, things stick better that way. Our minds learn by using all parts of our sensory system. Music definitely helps to learn by hearing. Somehow, science and history really comes alive when we hear it through song.

Think about movies, for example. When we can see the picture of what happened, it's great! But, when music is added, it really pulls us in and makes us a part of the story. Then we remember it! Acting out stories in a play format is fun, but how much more fun is it to add a musical element? It really brings it to life!

Music has been a part of human life since God created us. It moves us. It helps us to express ourselves. It entertains. So, how can we pull this rich history into our unit studies?

Here are a few tips:

Tip #1 - Do a Google search for videos, mp3 files, and lesson plans online.
When I searched "music, ocean" I found very little that was helpful. But, when I searched "music about water" quite a few things popped up. Sometimes changing the wording can help produce more hits.
Here are some fun things I found...

The Mystery, Art, and Science of Water
The History of Handel's Water Music
Video ~ Handel: Water Music, Allegro
How to Make Water Chimes

Tip # 2 - Do a search for (or think up on your own) some science project ideas about music.
I have found several science experiments online about plant growth being affected by music, music's ability to "heal" or help animals, and music's ability to help students at math. Music is very mathematical and scientific. Use that to aid in studies about sound waves, energy, the ears, the brain, etc. Here's a website link to get you started:
Music Science Fair Projects

Tip # 3 - Use music as a background for your learning time. Throw on some appropriate tunes to help concentration and quiet learning time! Use music from the time period you're studying. Create a playlist of music that goes with your unit!

Tip # 4 - Allow experimentation and exploration. Kids love to record things and hear them back. When talking about things like weather, bugs, or water, allow them to try to create sound effects for things like tornadoes, wind, waves, and insects. Let them use different instruments or things from the house or nature to create. Come up with a musical composition that uses these sounds or add them to a spoke poem and record them together. Try using rocks to make a "stomp" style rhythm song. Add a poem about rocks to it.

Listing of music compositions for some unit studies:

Insects

Franz Schubert's Der Einsame D 800 (The Hermit) translation
Bela Bartok's Mikrokosmos, Book VI, BB 105, No. 142, From the Diary of a Fly
Ralph Vaughan Williams' Overture to the Wasp
Modest Mussorgsky's Mephistopheles’s Song Of The Flea
Chet Atkins' Centipede Boogie
Thomas Arne's Where The Bee Sucks There Lurk I
Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee
Kalevi Aho's Insect Symphony (7th Symph)
Bela Bartok's Night Music
Roussel's The Spider's Feast
Ralph Vaughn Williams' The Wasps Suite
Tchaikovsky's Chorus of Insects
Grieg's La Papillon (The Butterfly)

Water, Seas, and Oceans

Debussy's La Mer (The Sea)

Douglas Lilburn's Sea Preludes
Felix Mendelssohn's Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Opus 27
and the more familiar Hebrides or Fingals Cave Op.26
Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony

Astronomy, Stars, Planets
Gustav Holst's The Planets

Mathews' Pluto: The Renewer: (Holst completed "The Planets" in 1917, before the discovery of Pluto. Though he lived until 1934, a few years after Pluto's discovery, he never added a final movement. Colin Mathews rectified that omission with this new piece.)

Haydn's Symphony No. 43 in E flat major ("Mercury"), H. 1/43
Mozart's Symphony No. 41 In C Major K. 551 ("Jupiter")
Berners' Triumph of Neptune
Hovhaness' Saturn, Op.243
Lully's Le Grand Divertissement Royal de Versailles, devertissement / comedie, LWV 38 Les suivants de Neptune
Dvorak's Rusalka (One song in this opera is about the Moon)

Animals

Camille Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals
J. S. Bach's Where My Sheep Safely Graze
Rossini's La Boutique fantasque: Galop (horses)
Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf
Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake
Respighi's Prelude from The Birds
Anderson's The Waltzing Cat

Can you think of any to add? Comments are ALWAYS welcome! Post your unit study and some works that you're using or add to the lists above!

Journaling for Young Minds and Hearts

2010-01-11T13:40:00.004-06:00

A while back I bought this journaling prompts book. It asks questions like, "If you could create your own ice cream flavor, what would it be?" I'm not scoffing at its content necessarily, but I have begun to think about things a little differently than I once did.

I want everything my children do in their school day (and otherwise) to be purposeful.

I found this book to be somewhat purposeless and a waste of time given that goal. I tried searching online for some ideas and found very little that was helpful in this area. I'd like to offer to you some thoughts and some examples of what I started doing.

(We use Christian Cottage Unit studies. Whether you use this same study material or not, this style of journaling can be tailored to your specific needs.)

I began by asking myself,

What would purposeful journaling

look like?

Does it serve a purpose at all?

I came to the conclusion that yes, journaling does serve a purpose. As Luann Budds states in her book Journal Keeping: Writing for Spiritual Growth,

“One of my conclusions is that to live an authentic spiritual life, I must be a seeker of the Lord. My seeking should lead me deeper in my knowledge of who He is and how I can more intimately love Him. … Keeping a journal helps me to live as a seeker.”

So that became my goal─teaching journaling with the purpose of leading my children to become "seekers of the Lord".

Now to the question about what that looks like!

I decided that, to reinforce our unit studies and drive some of it deeper into the heart, I would begin writing my own journal prompts for each of the daily topics covered. Our first unit study in the series is called Roots and Relations. The topics covered are things such as the beginning of life, heredity, family trees, cells and cell division, generational curses, and family heritage. I'll use this first unit to give a sample of the journal prompts I now use:

Read Genesis 1 and describe how God felt about His creation. When you make something special, do you cherish it? Why?
Write a poem about being in the family of Christ. How does it feel to be adopted into His family line?
What are some of the things that you want to pass on to the next generation? What are some things you don't want to pass on?
Write a prayer of thanks for your family.
Study the different types of temperaments. Why does each of these temperaments require self-control? What are some of the areas of your life that need to be Holy Spirit controlled?
Write some interview questions for family members. What would you like to know about their faith and lives? Ask these questions of someone and write their answers or record it to watch/listen later.

Can you see how these create a "seeker" mindset? Can you see how these questions prepare our children to think for themselves and begin to own their faith? This is the goal of good home school families. To grow their kids into God seekers, ready to face the world with boldness and a great understanding of God's character and His Word.

In the future I'll post some more examples you can use for different units.

Is there a unit you'd like help creating questions/prompts for? Post a comment and we'll put our heads together!

Here's an article for your reading pleasure. It has some great insights into journaling and its purpose for our spiritual growth.

Today is...

2010-01-11T12:50:00.003-06:00

While I know very little about the organization promoted on this banner, I hope and pray that all of us (especially those in the Church Body) will be educating ourselves about this very real problem and begin getting involved. There are tons of amazing organizations around the world dedicated to eradicating this problem.

Check out Samaritan's Purse. They've got a program designated to help rescue children from bondage and abuse. Make a Chain to Break a Chain is building safe houses to give victims a fighting chance.

There are zillions more out there like these. Find one you trust and start helping out! Amnesty International has a listing of organizations to help you out. There may be organizations in your area that need volunteers.

How does this have anything to do with home school?
50% of transnational victims are children. 80% are female.[1]
We need to educate our kids about this danger. We also need to raise our children with self-control and respect for God's creation and His people.

Get talking with your kids about how to be safe. What are the rules for your house?

Check out these kids videos, books, and resources*:
The Safe Side

a company founded by John Walsh, host of America's Most Wanted and Julie Clark, creator of Baby Einstein
free resources available for download

The Safe Side: Stranger Safety
The Safe Side: Internet Safety
The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers

Get talking with your girl(s) about what is appropriate behavior with their bodies, clothing, and looking for a mate.
Get talking with your boy(s) about self-control and what the Lord desires for his body, his thoughts, and his urges as he grows into a man.

_________________________________
[1] Human Trafficking Statistics, Polaris Project

* There are many more out there, but these are ones that I can personally vouch for in content. There is such a fine line between frightening children and showing them an awareness of the world around us. Only you know what your child is capable of handling at his or her age. Use caution when talking about such matters.

Bring on the Comments!

2010-01-01T12:00:00.000-06:00

Do you home school? What do you love about it? Share with us some of your favorite things!

As we sit by...

2009-12-05T12:34:00.004-06:00

I realize of course that this may be slightly uncomfortable for some to watch, but it's necessary for us to be awakened to the things that are going on in our world. When we are, may God guide us in what we should be doing to get involved.

Please check out the following websites:
Take No Glory
Make a Chain to Break a Chain

The Best Birthday Ever

2009-12-03T13:53:00.001-06:00

Today's my birthday. (Yes, Happy Birthday to me.)

For some reason, though, I'm feeling especially blessed today─beyond just being the Birthday Girl.

Recently, we had a streak of issues with the kids being overly disobedient and naughty. I was at my wits end trying to figure out what was going on. I felt this oppression over our home and family. I was tearing my hair out and literally went to my next door neighbor's house to throw a fit. (Better than wringing their necks, right?)

Finally, I found some ways of breaking the streak, and after praying over the kids, it started to lift. I felt like I had my children back!

Things have been on an upswing since then and I've been feeling encouraged. A couple of nights ago, though, something really breakthrough happened that made me feel even more encouraged. I sat down on the bed with the kids to do our nightly "devotion" time, and it turned into a time of confession and depth that I've never seen from my children.

My oldest began to weep and struggle with his words. He told me that something had been bothering him for some time, and he just needed to get it out. He confessed to me something that he had done over a year ago that had been on his mind lately. No sooner did he get that out than the other two started sharing ways that they had been disobedient or unkind in secret. (The study wasn't even about confession!) The Holy Spirit was really leading my young ones to share and be transparent! And God's grace, mercy, and forgiveness were being shown to them in a very real way!

I saw a whole different side of my children that night and since. I realized that I am beginning to see (in a small way) the fruit of my labors.

This morning, I woke up to breakfast in bed. All three of my beautiful children decided to get up early and with a concerted effort, make me a birthday feast. It was wonderful!! Eggs, toast, banana bread, and coffee!! What mother could ask for more? Then came another wonderful treat─a birthday poem written by the oldest. I didn't know he was such a creative writer!! (But now I do...muahaha.) They wanted to serve me and bless me. And what an awesome picture it was.

It is a tedious thing we do, sometimes with little reward and little appreciation. But, every once in a while, there are signs that tell us we're doing the right thing. I am thankful for those signs. Without them, I would surely have given up at times. I am also thankful for those people in my life that walked with me (as I threw my fits and pulled out my hair) and spoke truth into my heart. It is not for nothing. What we do is incredibly valuable.

My husband gave me these words of encouragement after I shared that I was amazed at the power of the Holy Spirit in our children's lives:

Not to blow up your head, but YOU have played an active role in this. With God's Spirit moving in your life, the decision you continually make is to teach them His ways. I am so thankful to have you as the mother of my children.

What a blessing that was to me. If we allow the Holy Spirit to move in us, then He will surely begin to move in our children as well. It is key that we train our children to hear His voice─to listen for it. Never underestimate their ability to understand and discern. They are young, but they are just as spiritual as we.

Blessings on your home,

Erin

Nurturing Readers

2009-12-02T16:52:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share this recent post from The Homeschool Post.

You Are Loved

2009-11-23T15:15:00.004-06:00

This is totally unrelated to home school anything, but I wanted to share it with you anyway.

Music Lapbooks (and more music education stuff)

2009-11-06T09:00:00.002-06:00

Music Lapbook from jimmiehomeschoolmom
Music Lapbook from WisdomsWayofLearning
more Music Lapbook ideas

Music Library webpage

Listen to the orchestra instruments online here.
Listen by composer here.
Find more free lesson plans here.
Make your own instrument guides here.

We're in the process of making our own music lapbook based on the ideas and links above. I'll add photos to this post when they're finished.

Thanksgiving Family Activity {and then some}

2009-11-05T14:47:00.001-06:00

The Homeschool Magazine has shared yet another treasure─a wonderful free Holiday Supplement Issue just for you here.

Check out pages 15 - 16 for a wonderful Thanksgiving week activity centered around Psalm 136. Don't miss the freezer meals they've shared, the printables, and the fun, simple craft ideas. It's about 180 pages of pure fun!

Plus, it'll help get you focused for another busy (and let's face it, mostly distracting) holiday season.

Music and the Home School ~ Part II ~ Live Concert

2009-11-04T11:21:00.000-06:00

Last night I had the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful choral concert with my children. I wanted it to be a learning experience for them, so I found a great website with concert etiquette and music history information. On the way to the concert, my oldest son read this article out loud so we were all familiar with what to expect.

After the concert, I took them to Wendy's for some ice cream and a chance to hear what they thought. I gave them each a chance to write their own concert review with this worksheet.

Other than being tired of sitting still, I think they enjoyed it. I know I did.

Music and the Home School

2009-10-29T16:05:00.006-05:00

Home school families have the unique opportunity to link music and art into the areas they're already studying in science and history. Because there is a disconnect in the public school between the "arts" and the "studies", there is typically less of an understanding in these areas. I'm hoping that this post will help home school families find a way to bridge that gap.

Many home school families struggle with how to teach or incorporate music and art into their day. There seems to be little time and sometimes lack of training can be an issue. Here are some thoughts that may help.

Music history has been broken down into eras. The composers and styles of these eras can be linked to historical time frames. Where writing and reading sometimes fail to describe a particular event or time frame adequately, music can step in and build a brain picture.

Here are some historical eras to start with:

450-1450 Middle Ages: music was involved in the spread of the Church, Islam was being spread and much of its music was influential at the time, Europe was beginning to develop

Music Styles: recorder, medieval music, monophonic music (Gregorian chant)

Composers: Hildegard von Bingen, Moniot d'Arras, Guillaume de Machaut

1450-1600 Renaissance: music was viewed as a cultural growth, this time was considered a rebirth, a new world was being formed, science and the arts were beginning to take a new form

Music Styles: madrigals, toccata, prelude, dance music
Composers: Claudio Monteverdi, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

1600-1750 Baroque: music became involved in the "experimentalism" of the new modern world

Music Styles: voice and instruments together, basso continuo

Composers: Claudio Monteverdi, Henry Purcell, Antonio Vivaldi, George Frideric Handel, Johann Sebastian Bach

1750-1825 Classical: Industrial Revolution, Enlightenment, republican government, nature in the arts

Music Styles: Piano solos, Sonatas

Composers: Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig Van Beethoven

1825-1900 Romantic: nationalism, exotics, science and mysticism in music

Music Styles: program music

Composers: Franz Schubert, Giuseppe Verdi, Clara Schumann, Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky, Antonin Dvorák, Richard Strauss, Claude Debussy

1900-present 20th Century: age of technology

Music Styles: World Music, Pop Music, Improv

Composers: Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky, Duke Ellington, Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein
~~~~~~~~~~~~

If this doesn't help, I've broken down some of the popular units that may be studied and added some musical compositions/composers that could be incorporated:

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Science:

Astronomy- Gustav Holst: The Planets Suite

Animals- Camille Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals

Oceans and Seas- Henry Kimball Hadley: The Ocean, Camille Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals: Aquarium

Weather/Seasons- Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons

Bugs/Insects- Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Flight of the Bumble Bee

Plants- Jonas Forssell: I begynnelsen (The Kingdom of Plants),

Lakmé: The Flower Duet (BBC Concert Orchestra),

Don Quixote: Flower Waltz

Historical Events and People:

Westward Expansion- Aaron Copland

1941 Seige of Leningrad- Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 60

Duke of Wellington- Ludwig van Beethoven: Wellington's Victory

War of 1812- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture

Ottoman Empire- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Marche Slave

Hiroshima- Krzysztof Penderecki: Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima

Mount St. Helens- Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No. 50

Creation- Joseph Haydn: The Creation

I'd love to have comments on any others you can think of!! This is definitely not an exhaustive list!

Some books and sites I've found helpful:

The Story of the Orchestra

The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra

Sergei Prokofeiv's Peter and the Wolf

Carnival of the Animals

Meet the Orchestra

Tubby the Tuba

The Nutcracker: Based on the Classic Story by E.T.A. Hoffmann

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Classical Pieces that Mark Historical Events (thread)

Greg's Science Song Music (just for fun)

Classical Music Lapbook (squidoo.com)

Coloring Planet

Essentials of Music

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." ~Groucho Marx~

2009-10-29T11:49:00.005-05:00

Prayer for Today

2009-10-27T14:45:00.000-05:00

Lord, may my sin be opportunity for you to show yourself to those around me. May I have the courage to stand up and let others see me as I truly am─lost without You. Father, may my words be honoring to you. But, as they are so often not, I pray that You would show me grace and mercy. May that grace and mercy be cause for others to see You fully and know Your love for Your creation. My God, help me not to sin against You and those around me. When I do, I pray it will be an opportunity for growth and change─in myself and others. Lord, may my sin be opportunity for You to show Yourself to me and those around me. Forgive me. I am not worthy, but you are so faithful. You are so faithful.

More Free Resources

2009-10-22T15:17:00.001-05:00

SEN TEACHER

free special needs teaching resources

There is a load of great free stuff on this site.

Don't miss out!

~I have to laugh at myself~

2009-10-21T12:52:00.022-05:00

I am definitely the queen of coming up with
crazy ideas.

I've been trying to really back off the "public school style" approach to our schooling this year. I feel as though it's had us in a real tizzy the last few years; but because it's what I grew up with, it's the only way I'm familiar with. We don't often sit in on other people's home school experiences, but over the last couple of years I've watched and learned from other people in the "business". Hopefully I've gained some wisdom, and hopefully I've passed some on. We'll see.

So, back to laughing at myself. With my last post, I shared that our oldest son has an infection on his cheek. With my un-schooling approach, I thought it would make a fun learning experience. Then, I thought, why not do an art project to go with it!? Oh, I'm so silly. But, I did it anyway.

Here are the results:

GERM MODELS!!

Staphylococcus looks like a bunch of grapes. To create this look, we used stretchy string (usually used to make bracelets) and small pom poms.

Tie three (or more) strands of stretchy string together on one end.

Using a needle, thread pom poms onto each individual strand.

(Use a different number of pom poms for each strand.)

When finished, tie loose ends of string together to keep pom poms from falling off and cut excess string.

When finished it should look like a bunch of grapes. Because the string is stretchy, it creates a nice tight bunch. If it's too tight, just pull pom poms back away from each other slightly before tying it off.

Streptococcus looks like a long string of pearls.
Using one strand of the same stretchy string, tie a knot at one end and thread a needle at the other.
Thread pom poms onto the string, pulling each one snuggly next to the one before it.
When you're satisfied with the length of your strep, knot the end and cut excess string off.

Viruses look like hitchhikers.

Use a Styrofoam ball of any size as the base.

Dip plastic headed pushpins into craft glue (dip only the metal pin part).

Push pins into the Styrofoam ball.
Allow time for the glue to dry.
Remember that it's not a toy.
Push pins and feet are not a fun combination.

The finished virus model should look like this:

Learn with life

2009-10-16T16:38:00.001-05:00

Our oldest son has a yucky infection on his cheek. It started out as a scratch on his skin and some bacteria decided to move in. After a couple of trips to the doctor, he was feeling curious about what these germs were, so we did some research. I love Google images. (It can be dangerous if you're not careful about what you're searching for, so beware.)

We looked up three types of germs and what the names mean. Here's what we found:

Staphylococcus comes from the Greek word staphyle meaning "bunch of grapes", and indeed that is what it looks like! There are only 33 species of staphylococcus.
Streptococcus comes from the Greek word streptos meaning "easily bent or twisted". They grow in chains.
Viruses grow inside cells and are not considered cells on their own. The word virus comes from the Latin word virus meaning "toxic" or "poison". They look like hitchhikers, which is basically what they are.

I've attached a simple worksheet for anyone who would like to do a similar lesson. It's pretty basic, but kind of a neat way to make an "owie" into a school lesson.There's space for them to draw a picture of what each type looks like and add any written information they desire below each drawing.

Have fun!

Home School Blog Awards Coming Soon

2009-10-14T14:48:00.008-05:00

The Homeschool Post is the home of the annual Homeschool Blog Awards. Feel free to take part in nominating and voting on your favorite home education blog!

Be sure to check out the past winners. There are some great blogs listed there and plenty of encouragement to go around!

Happy home-schooling!

Here Comes Santa Claus

2009-10-13T13:46:00.000-05:00

As the "holidays" approach, I am always keenly aware of the commercialization our society has forced on us. One of the things I have meditated on quite a bit in the last few years is the reason we celebrate certain people and holidays. What have our holidays become? How can I be purposeful about the way I celebrate?

One thing always comes into focus for me ─ It's not about us. It's about Christ, about our Father in heaven. How can I bring this more clearly into focus for my young ones? How can our yearly holidays be a way to help us tune into God instead of hinder? Why do we go all out for holidays that are not as important as others? Here a few ideas I've found:

Focus on giving to those who are not fortunate in this world. Try to find a way to make it long term instead of just for this season. Adopt a grandparent at a local elderly care facility. One of our most basic needs as humans is love. How can you pass that on to someone in a real and tangible way?
Get your kids involved in giving. A great organization I've found is Kiva. What a concept they've got going! Person to person loans that cut out the interest and focus more on relationship. Check them out! Think about getting your children a gift certificate from this organization instead of new toys.
Involve yourself in learning about the people behind the holidays we celebrate. Voice of the Martyrs has a wonderful book series that takes a look at the Christ followers we know so little about.
Find ways to cut out the meaningless traditions of the holidays and bring the focus back to Christ. This is a challenge. Some of the traditions we have are so ingrained in us and make us feel 'warm and fuzzy', but they take away from the deep meaning of our faith and the stories behind it.
Do some research about Jewish holidays. These were commanded by God to be celebrated in a very specific way. What do these holidays say about our God? How could we adopt some of these ideas into our celebration? How did the Jewish people pass on this deep meaning to their children?
Research the meaning behind some of the traditions we follow today. How can we bring life back into them? How can we pass the meaning along to our children?
Pray. Ask God to show you who He is and how you can relate that to your celebration time.
So much of our holiday celebration becomes about greed. Stop spending so much money on material things and start meeting the needs of those around you. Bring the focus away from the "I want..." lists and more toward the "He/She needs..." category. Try having your children make lists of people they see that need something. (define the word need very clearly)
Thankfulness─Make a list of God's character traits that you're thankful for instead of the worldly things you're thankful for. What kinds of situations has God brought you through? How are you thankful for His provision in that? Talk about it.
Let love lead your every step. It is a challenge to see others as people that God loves, but He commanded us to love one another. Who in your life is difficult to love? Find reconciliation in any broken relationships. That will speak to more people than you can imagine. God's grace is sufficient for us all.
Newness─As the New Year approaches, meditate on what new life means to you. Search the Scripture for passages that speak to you. Make this central to your celebration.
Start talking with your friends and family about their ideas. What other holidays can you overhaul? How?

Share you ideas with me. I love hearing the ways others have found to be purposeful about their lives.

Down-Day Mondays (and other fun): Part II

2009-10-12T23:45:00.001-05:00

What a day! We accomplished so much today with daddy home. We hit a wide variety of chores, conquering the "crazy drawer" that was overflowing with all the treasures that kids' meals have to offer these days and managing to clean the entire playroom and mop the floors for the first time in about a month. The dog hair and slobber is endless in our house and it makes me (sort of) glad that we're done with the crawling phase.

I found an interesting lesson online about Christopher Columbus that tells the story from a native perspective. I read it to the kids as they cleaned up toys. It was a challenging lesson, forcing us to think about how our actions can affect other people adversely when we're not careful. It's always stimulating when we're forced to look at history from another perspective. We tend to think ours is the only one. History can be so engaging.

On another note, we spent a good lot of hours playing with Legos and Knex. I enjoy watching my boys use their imaginations in such creative ways. They're always coming up with a new weapon, vessel, or piece of armor. This time they used some of the idea books we had laying around. It took some time to round up all the pieces they needed, but we made due.

While the boys built and imagined, Morgan sat and cut out rings from her Kumon book. Her motor skills are quite astounding. I am constantly amazed at how well she writes, cuts, pastes, and draws, never mind her memory skills!

I managed to fit in a music lesson today as well. We've been using the Recorder Excellence method books from Neil A. Kjos Music Co., and the kids enjoy them as much as I do. My sister worked on this project at Kjos for about 2 years and gifted it to me for Christmas a couple of years ago. It's been a great way to teach the basics of music in a way that doesn't demand hours of practice time. Definitely a great resource for home educators to get their hands on!

Before dinner we finished a painting project of underwater creatures. The kids loved it. I think this is the only art project we've ever done where my oldest (who is very mommylike in his type A-ness) didn't get ridiculously frustrated.

I love doing art with the kids, but it seemingly always leads to a hefty conversation about letting art be free from perfection. Not an easy concept for us type A-ers!

David helped Daddy make our yummy dinner. He's always such a great help in the kitchen. I just can't believe how old he's getting. He just turned 9 a few days ago and it struck me as odd that he'd be hitting double digits next year. Scary.

The day ended with a small bit of science (we had to check on our seed bags and record their progress ─ more on that another day) and a long game of Armor of God. Another late night, but well worth the time spent laughing and enjoying some much needed hours with just family.