Christmas Lesson for Mom

It doesn't matter what time I go to bed...I almost always wake up about 7 am. And it's just enough time to sit and pray and reflect, maybe do a little reading before anyone else wakes up.

This morning I'm thinking of our Christmas break, our Christmas holiday, the time we've shared together. It's been such a picture perfect couple of days, spending time with family, giving and receiving,cooking and eating...celebrating Jesus.

This year instead of me reading the Christmas story out of the Bible before we opened gifts, Joshua asked if he could tell the story. So he told the story from memory and did a good job of it. I admit that part of me felt like he did that so he could hurry up and get to the presents. I almost made everyone wait while I read the story from the Bible...but something tugged on my heart. " Stop Penny. Stop trying to control every moment. What is it that you're trying to teach him?"

I want my kids to know that they are not Christians in training, that they have access to God and the power of the Holy Spirit now. They can serve, they can worship, they can be prayer warriors and their contributions to our family worship time are just as valuable as my own.

I could have read the passage of Jesus' birth but I didn't need to. Joshua had allready done a beautiful job of telling it.

A Day at the Arboretum

My favorite days are the days that the four of us can get out of the house and enjoy God's creation together. We have a couple of parks that are our favorites and they never cease to amaze us.

It's such a relief to get away from our chores, our work, our computer, TV, video games, cell phones, etc. and reconnect with God and each other.

We love exploring together and learning more about God's world. You never know what you'll find when you take the time to look.

May you too have a day full of wonder, exploring and love!

A Good Day

Yesterday was a good day! Our time was spent laughing, kissing, tickling, studying the Bible, talking, eating, laying down, reading, playing video games, seeing a movie and being in love with being a family. We truly rested and enjoyed each other.

 

I wish there were lots more days like that...when I feel that all is right with the world and my anxiety has not overwhelmed me. I've been really struggling lately. I'm having a hard time remembering to stay in the fight. I feel like a salmon swimming upstream sometimes. I'm tired.

 

The good news is that I'm functioning and that all the hours I spent planning our homeschool year have payed off, because all I have to do now is follow the plan. And mostly I can do that. :)

 

The boys have been great and Wonderful Hubby is so encouraging. The thing I've learned over the years is that this too shall pass. I've learned not to give up, to do the next thing and to listen for God's voice.

 

Often in our toughest times He is doing His best work. I know that I will find myself on the other side of this difficulty victorious and glorifying God!

 

Looking forward,

Quiet Time

W spending some time reading The Beginners Bible.

I caught him in the act and asked if I could take his picture.

(This was not staged :) I promise.)

Peace to you and yours,

My 2009 Year in Status Collage (from Facebook)

Happy New Year,

Southern Peach Cobbler and Merry Christmas

I know, peach cobbler doesn't exactly yell Christmas to me either. However, one of Wonderful Hubby's clients was kind enough to give us two jars of canned peaches as a Christmas gift, so I thought we'd use them in the way we like best! J helped make this recipe and loved it, so I thought I'd share it with you.


Southern Peach Cobbler
pinch of salt
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1 c. milk
8 T butter
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
8 peaches cut into 34 slices

• set oven to 350 degrees
• place butter in large rectangle baking dish and put in oven to melt while preheating
• mix 1/4 cup sugar with cut peaches until syrupy
• combine remaining ingredients in bowl
• pour batter into baking dish over melted butter
• add peaches
• bake for 1 hour
• serve warm

Hope you enjoy. Oh and while J helped make the peach cobbler, W made these no bake cookies! We took both to our Christmas celebration last night with our family!

Merry Christmas blogging friends!!

The Bright Side of Pneumonia (If There is One)

Having pneumonia isn't so bad when you get to see your children flourish under your lack of instruction and ability to function. In the past week or so both boys have:

• perfected their laundering skills
• learned to use the oven safely
• become completely responsible for keeping the living room clean
• read to one another
• made toast and sandwiches
• made excellent decisions about what to watch on TV
• entertained one another
• spent many, many hours playing Lego's, K'nex and Lincoln Logs
• researched, designed and made monster masks
• wrapped their own Christmas presents (the ones they're giving not the ones they're getting)
• written and illustrated their own stories and
• become very attentive to their mother and her needs...a glass of water, another blanket, less noise, etc.

I'm really proud of them...as usual. :)

Jellytelly

I want to introduce you to our new favorite show! Jellytelly.

It's Phil Vischer's new project and the best part is you can watch a new show online everyday. Just go to Jellytelly.com.

Mom, I Want to go to School

Those are the dreaded words I hoped to never hear! It's not like it will be the end of the world when/if my boys choose school eventually...I'm just enjoying our time together and would miss them so. (Images of parents dropping their teenager off at college are running through my mind.)

However much I dreaded these words I think I handled it well when they were finally spoken by W. (I immediately began praying for wisdom.) I asked probing (but not leading) questions and then asked for a few days to talk with Wonderful Hubby, pray and think our options over.

We finally settled together on a full day enrichment program. Turns out W doesn't want to go to school all the time, just sometimes so he can see what it's like, so this should be a good fit. Unlike other enrichment programs we've done this one is all day and includes lots of core classes. It's 8:30 am to 4 pm and includes; math, reading, writing, spelling, science, art and P.E.

We're actually really looking forward to it and hope he'll be able to start next semester. In preparation he's be kicking his writing and reading up a notch so that he won't be overwhelmed by whatever expectations they'll have of him...and I'm praying like crazy!

Have a wonderful day!

Momma Got a Job

We've discovered a whole new path on our journey here at Life and Love Learning Center. . . Momma got a job. It's only about 12 hours a week but it has certainly taught us a few lessons and posed a few challenges. Luckily, we're rising to meet them!

I'm working a few hours every morning so the first thing the boys (Wonderful Hubby included) had to learn to do was get their day started without me. This means breakfast, dressed and morning chores but when you've never not had mom to do it for you and keep you on task, it's a big deal to suddenly have to do it yourselves. For a few weeks I heard things like, "It's not that I can't make my own breakfast, it's that I don't want to." Statements like this just assured me that I was doing the right thing by forcing a little responsibility on everyone.

We've also learned that a better evening routine is key to our morning success. Everyone seems to have a better attitude when clothes are laid out, breakfast plans are discussed and most importantly the kitchen is clean. I hate to admit that I'm really bad about leaving dirty dishes in the sink overnight. But I'm working to break the habit because I really don't like having to leave the house in the morning knowing the dishes still aren't done. (And Wonderful Hubby really doesn't want to cook breakfast in the mess either.)

Anyway, I've been feeling a little blogging guilt over my lack of posts. But I have lots to share and am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things.

Have a great day,

Savoring Every Moment and Celebrating Life

My oldest turned 9 over the weekend! Can you believe it? Well sure you can, but it was a tough one for me. :)
We had a fun birthday weekend as a family. We went to see the Nerdbots on display and ended up (finally) buying W a build your own robot kit! He chose a 6 in 1 solar robot kit (pictured at left) and loved it.

He had a sleep over with a friend and ate pizza and root beer floats...the best birthday food ever! They watched movies and pretended to camp out. (We set up an indoor tent in their room and they slept in sleeping bags.)

We also had a birthday party with family...Aunts and Uncles and Grandma and cousins! All the gifts he was given were so perfect him. He got lots of board games, a skater t-shirt, a Styrofoam glider, an erector set, the robot kit, a couple of puppets and a web design instructional DVD so he can begin learning HTML. It was a wonderful day!

Now my youngest son's birthday is in a few months! He'll be 7 which just seems unreal to me. Time goes by much too quickly. It makes me appreciate our homeschooling lifestyle even more!!!

Savoring every moment,

Fav Photo: August 2009

Hubby and I at our High School Reunion

Wonderful Hubby and I met in high school and were really good friends. We flirted a lot but didn't really become a couple until a few years after graduation. Our high school reunion was a blast!




PS Notice my hair is no longer all over purple! I like it a lot...I'm no longer a walking spectacle. :)

Over 70 Learning Time Ideas

A list of games and learning ideas from our home. I wrote these on a stack of note cards so I never have to hear, "I'm bored.", again.

1. racetracks
2. baseball
3. read
4. Dinosaur's by Design (book)
5. Jumpstart Online
6. paint
7. world puzzle
8. write/read poetry
9. math software
10. art flashcards
11. practice Spanish
12. practice ASL
13. bake something
14. count the change in our change jar
15. The Children's Book of Virtue (book)
16. Risk
17. Star Wars guys
18. sidewalk chalk
19. bikes
20. The Way Things Work (book)
21. write a letter
22. Perfection
23. Thomas Kincaid art DVD
24. Wii Sports
25. Insect World (book)
26. phonics puzzle pieces
27. Battleship
28. take a walk
29. microscope
30. go to the library
31. food coloring fun
32. Bingo
33. journaling
34. go to the park
35. look at our timeline
36. fine art posters
37. plant something
38. Stratego
39. USA puzzle
40. origami
41. You Tube (with supervision)
42. Scrabble Jr.
43. Noah's Ark puzzle
44. dominoes
45. blog
46. Cyber Chase online
47. stickers
48. Bionicles
49. beads
50. Uno Stacko
51. Mouse Trap
52. Wii Play
53. go to The Dollar Store
54. Boggle
55. Lego's
56. make a collage
57. practice typing
58. bug flashcards
59. coloring books
60. tying knots
61. army men
62. hide and seek
63. Popsicle sticks
64. math flashcards
65. create a scavenger hunt
66. Upwords
67. call a friend
68. see how many nursery rhymes you can remember
69. Monopoly Jr.
70. K'nex
71. go to the bookstore

As we do each one the appropriate card will be taken out of the stack and put away until we've exhausted the whole list and are ready to start again!

Have a great day,

Lost Another Friend

I just spent half an hour writing out a post on all the field trips we've taken lately and it somehow got deleted! I'll get back to it.

It's been a rough week here...we've lost another friend prematurely. He was only 34 years old and died very unexpectedly. Being one of Hubby's very best friends his death has greatly impacted our household. It's given us a new appreciation for being together, valuing the life of each of our loved ones and not taking each other for granted.

May you love the ones you love and never forget how precious they are,

Why We Homeschool (In 5 Little Words)

We enjoy "doing life" together.

Smooze-errific

Just a quick plug for our new favorite summer treat! Smooze Fruit Ice is soooo yummy, and with no dairy, trans fats or preservatives who can resist!? We tried the coconut passion fruit and the coconut guava fruit flavors and you should too!

Happy summer,

Fractions and Lego's and Hair Cuts, Oh My

How W spent his time

• created his own website on webs.com with the help of a friend
• read aloud
• worked on Bible memory: Philippians 1:1-11
• worked on some drawings
• designed a haircut with a bit of Dad's input
• played Wii golf with Dad
• played Lego's with J and a friend
• watched a video on the virtue of honesty
• topped his own pizza for dinner
• discussed fractions while slicing pizza
• watched and discussed the movie "Hotel for Dogs"
• practiced skateboarding
• cut his own hair (under Dad's supervision)
• listened to Mom read out loud

How J spent his time

• spent some time drawing clock faces and then decided to check out some workbook problems involving telling time...ended up doing about 3 pages worth
• painted a sunset and encouraged his friend to paint too
• picked up a bag full of sweet gum tree balls from the yard
• played with the cat
• played Lego's with W and a friend
• watched a video on the virtue of honesty
• topped his own pizza for dinner
• discussed halves and quarters while slicing pizza
• watched and discussed the movie "Hotel for Dogs"
• road his scooter up and down the driveway
• cut his own hair (under Dad's supervision)
• listened to Mom read out loud

Are They Bored or Learning?

Well...we did just finish up a year or so of studying Ancient Egypt. :)

Bible Memory Idea

Bible memory has always been a top priority and a favorite activity for the boys and I. Just the other day W said, "Everyone loves memory work Mom." I don't think that's true but I was happy to hear him say it.

We like to mix up our memory work methods every so often to avoid boredom and I thought I'd share our most recent technique.

W wants to memorize an entire book of the Bible so we decided on Philippians and right now we're working on the first 11 verses. As you can see in the picture above, I wrote out the verses on a huge piece of poster board and hung it in the kitchen. About every day the boys each choose 5 -20 words they know or can read from the passage. W's words are then highlighted in red and J's in blue. When that's been done we read the passage together. W reads the red parts, J the blue parts and I read the black parts. So each day they are reading more and I am reading less.

They love choosing their words and if they mispronounce a word we work through it together and I explain any phonics rules they don't know or may have forgotten. The word is then off limits until tomorrow. Of course there is also a lot of whole word learning going on as well. This has really allowed them to expand their reading vocabulary. J (who is 6 years old) is thrilled that one of the words he figured out and now gets to read each day is righteousness.

Wonderful Hubby has also enjoyed being able to see their progress each day and sometimes read the passage with them. He admitted that sometimes he feels left out and this is a great way for him to connect with the boys in this area.

Happy homeschooling,

A Day in the Life (with Hubby Home)

• Mom and boys hang out in bed and cuddle while Hubby takes a run.
• Breakfast - oatmeal and milk - at the table while Mom reads from the book of Judges.
• 10 minutes of housework.
• W spends about twenty minutes making an optical illusion book.
• We head to the mall to buy W new shoes...high tops.
• Walking and talking together in the mall...we finally find high tops W will wear.
• Lunch in the car - blueberry bagels with natural peanut butter.
• Next it's the dollar theater to see "The Tale of Despereaux".
• We head home and then Hubby goes to clean the salon while Mom and boys do some chores.
• The boys play outside together - climbing trees and engaging in imaginary battles.
• Hubby comes home and we head to the fabric store for some craft supplies...W picks up some felt and Mom gets some elastic cord for stringing beads.
• Once home Mom makes dinner - chicken, mushroom and avocado sandwiches with watermelon and pretzels on the side - while the boys play Tony Hawk pro skater with Hubby.
• We pray and eat and then it's 15 minutes of chores.
• We work on Bible memory - Philippians 1:1-11.
• J and Dad go to Home Depot and Vintage Stock while Mom and W stay home - Mom on the computer...W playing video games.
• J spends the rest of the evening stringing beads, drawing with sidewalk chalk and playing with Star Wars guys.
• W spends his time playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater.
• Mom reads, strings beads and blogs.
• Hubby fixes the pipes under the sink and then plays video games with W.
• At bed time the boys brush their teeth and then wait anxiously in bed for Hubby to tell them a bed time story...

So there you have it! A day in the life (with Hubby home - it looks different when he's at work)...I'm sure only the truly dedicated made it through this post. :)

Have a lovely day,