This Week at Home

In which,brevity wins.

On the Heart and Mind: 

There has been much on my mind this week, all thoroughly covered in earlier posts.  At this moment, I am physically struggling again with congestion.  I am wondering if it is an allergy problem.

On the Home Front:

Another quick paced week of putting out fires and trying to keep up.  All the basics were well tended to.


Learning and Life:  

Our lessons could not have gone better.  We finished The Land I Lost.  This was a big hit with the boys.  Sometimes we girls have got to endure books for them and they for us.

We started two books, which seem to have great potential, a biography on William Carey and Daughter of the Mountains by Louise Rankin.  William Carey is the great missionary to India.  Daughter of the Mountains takes place in Tibet.  It describes the adventures of Momo, a little girl who wants a very special dog. 

Grace finished an excellent book that needs high praise, Pearl Maiden by Henry Haggard.  The major theme of this book is do not marry outside your faith.  You can read it for free via gutenberg.org.  The reading level is about 8th grade to adult.  Next she will be reading Lysbeth:  A Tale of the Dutch, also by Henry Haggard. 

For math this week we worked on other skills like Roman numerals, basic fact reviews and just a little long division to keep our wheels turning.  Hopefully next week we can revisit long division.  It seemed to go well. 

Our research papers were stalled a little.  They did research on their own, but not a lot is being written down yet.  Since I have planned 4 weeks to get this done, I think we are close to being on target.

In the Kitchen:  

Grace made smoothies twice this week.  I had forgotten how much I like them.  Her basic recipe is 1 cup of frozen fruit, 1 cup of yogurt, 1 cup of juice.  Her measurments are not precise.  Sometimes I think she uses less juice and more fruit.  The results are are always delightful. 

This week's menu:

Friday:  White Chicken Chili
Saturday:   Homemade Pizzas
Sunday:  Tacos
Monday:  Stir-fry
Tuesday:  Soup Night
Wednesday:  Breakfast Night
Thursday:  Roasted Chicken


On the Nook:  

I switch back and forth between reading from the Nook and listening to Eight Cousins via my computer.  I plan to finish the book soon and go onto A Rose in Bloom.  It amazes me that we have time to read for fun with all the reading we do for school, which is also fun!

Scripture Memory Work:
I put my verses on the side bar of my blog.  It is getting harder, adding more verses.


Quote of the Week:

I looked on childrearing not only as a work of love and duty but as a profession that was fully interesting and challenging as any honourable profession in the world and one that demanded the best that I could bring to it.
-- Rose Kennedy

 ****

I leave you with this picture, taken by my husband with his cellphone.  He went grocery shopping for me this week and bought me these beautiful flowers.  

Thank you, Darling!  

 Good bye to January!  

 

 

 

Cold Feet

Note: I wrote this post a few days ago as a way to sort out my thoughts. I almost deleted it. I thought it might be useful to someone to see that even dedicated homeschoolers struggle with their choices. However at this time, I do not think we will be sending our boy to school. There are too many helpful resources out there, not to give it a try.

How I see Ryan.

Just the thought of high school unnerves me.  How could we be almost there?  He is only 12!  (OK, he is turning 13 in 39 days, but I am hanging onto 12 for as long as I can.)

We've been tossing around ideas.  In my brave moments, I think we can do this at home.  In my fearful moments, I am searching for charter schools in the area or looking at online programs.  Even my husband is starting to feel my panic, which I really need to watch.  

I know there are many, many people who are doing a great job with high school at home.  I know this.  But in my mind, I can't quite get there yet.  He wants to go to college.  He needs high tech input.  (He is building his own operating system from scratch at the moment.  How do I guide such a mind?) 

In my sane moments, I calmly talk myself down from my ledge.  "We'll do Sonlight.  That will be a fantastic spine to our high school.  Then we will add computer classes from a community college.  See, that is not so bad. "  Then my fearful self says, "But who is going to keep track of all of this?  Who is going to put it into a transcript that makes sense to a COLLEGE? It's me, that's who!  You rational person will be in the clouds and I will be doing all the worrying! And I have two others at home who need me!"  I don't want to make any decisions out of fear.  I do know that  much.

This  reminds me of how fearful I was at the thought of not sending him to kindergarten, when we made the decision to home educate our children.  I guess that all has worked out nicely.  It's probably very similar, actually.

I need to wrestle this out in my mind for awhile and then move forward.  I need to be praying for wisdom and guidance.

"This is your child, LORD.  Tell us what you want us to do!"

No one ever tells you at your baby shower just how hard it is to let them grow up!

My Movie Making Debut

What will they think of to amuse and entertain us next?
                                           ***
I hope you enjoy our little movie (yes it was a family collaboration) and consider making one of your own. Please,let me know if you do. I'd love to see what you come up with.

Is it Wrong?

Forgive me this rambling post.  Indulge me,if you will, as I sort out my thoughts.  I go back and forth on this issue.  Maybe it is this long, cold winter that is stirring my longings, I do not know.  Whatever "it" is, I find myself pondering a change, before it is too late.  

It has always been a dream of mine to live somewhere beautiful.  As an adult, I have always lived in suburbia sprall.  At times, it tires my eyes.  My heart's desire is to look out my window and see God's handiwork, not a trampoline and the neighbor's backyard.  Sometimes when I am at Lake Michigan or looking at a beautiful picture on a blog, I find myself caught up in this desire for beauty to surround me.  I start to wonder why cannot I also live in a beautiful part of this world, if I chose to do so.

Then I feel guilty.  Is this a wrong desire?  Is this being discontent?  I do know that I find myself feeling renewed and  restored in such places.  Sitting on the beach in the sun listening to the rush of the water thrills my soul.  Is it wrong to want to live closer? 

Here is where my desire gets wonky.  Reality is that I live in what I think is a very good place to raise my children as far as community goes.  We have a very good job, parks, friends, a church, family and other joys.  We are mostly safe. We are comfortable. We do live only 3 hours away from our lake and go often. 

I feel foolish.  And really, I do not spend a lot of time worrying or wanting a change. It is just there in the back of my mind.  "If I ever get the opportunity to move somewhere beautiful, I just may jump at the chance!"  (Most likely to discover that home was best of all. )


What do you think?  I'll tell you what I think.  The conflict lies in that this life is not my own.  This world is not my home.  Perhaps, if the LORD wills, one day I may live in a beautiful place or not.  My life's purpose is to glorify my Maker, not myself.  And I need to be content where I am, right now.  Easy to say.  Harder to change my heart.

Celebrating Life

It has not been my habit to celebrate non-major, mostly over commercialized, holidays.  Years in public school taught me to dread Valentine's Day's rejection and St. Patrick's Day pinches, not to mention April Fool's Day's pranks  Oh no, let us not go there! I am glad to have spared my children these horrors.


On the other hand, winter is long and I find myself actually craving a diversion this year that just might be afforded from such trivial holidays as the above mentioned.  I think this has to do more with a certain longing to go camping than anything else, now that I ponder further.  So, therefore, I declare that we are going to celebrate life this winter.

First, we are going to make Valentine's garlands, cards for one another, cookies in the shapes of hearts with sugar sprinkles.  We are going to purpose to share our love with others. 

I will no longer a winter holiday Scrooge.  I embrace the opportunity to amuse ourselves and spread a little of God's love to others. (And keep my sanity this long, long winter.) 

Beating the Yuckies

It happened again.  I am about at my wit's end, too.  We've never had such a hard winter with colds and the like.  My poor unsuspecting husband was the latest to succumb.  (Although, 3 of his co-workers exposed him early last week, so perhaps we should not be surprised.  You are only as well as your sickest co-worker, right?) 

He was fine until Friday evening on the way home from flock group.  I will not go into further details, but we did not sleep a wink all night.  We figured it was food poisoning.  Saturday, he said he felt  better, so we ran a few errands in the morning.  (We had to get the camper's license plate, you know!)  By afternoon he had a glazed over look and a fever over 100.

I was both relieved and more worried at the same time.  It probably wasn't food poisoning.  When the fever came, we knew it was a virus.  "A virus!!!  Oh no!!   Who is next?" my mind whirled.  So out came the Lysol, 10 percent bleach spray bottle and lots of washing.  And to bed he went. 

Now, I come to the point of this little post.  I am not a novice at homeopathic ways.  I have been taking apple cider vinegar and vitamin C to boost my immunity.  I am wondering what I am missing.  I bought some elderberry pills tonight.  I've heard they fight the flu and boost your immunity.

What are some of your best remedies to keep well? 

This Week at Home

In which, I find myself pondering how another week has flown by.

On the Heart and Mind:  

At this moment, all is peaceful in my world.  (The children are asleep.)  Let's see.  I am grateful for technology that allowed me to keep in contact this week with family as far away as Peurto Rico to Arkansas to California.  Just think how blessed we are in this age!  The people I love are always a click away. 

Oh but suddenly, the weather has taken a change for the worse!  Today we woke up to 0 degrees.  The windchill is -9.  We will be lucky to see 11 degrees.  I know that many others are a lot colder than Indiana today, but we are not used to this.  I am so thankful for a warm house.  We will not be going out to get groceries today as I planned.  We will make do for one more day.  (Melissa, I can hear you laughing at me!) 

Jeff's birthday was splendid, well, at least from my point of view.  He did have to go to work and it did take him two hours to get home last evening in the snow.  I made him a big hearty dinner, complete with cherry pie.  (No, I did not make it.  I did bake it though.)  The kids gave him some of their hard earned money too.  It was a sweet time.

On the Home Front: 

Well, this is where I am supposed to tell you how much cleaning and organizing I got done this week.  Perhaps you will allow me to tell you my excuses for this lack of progress?

I find that when we are really making good progress on our lessons, the house suffers.  I have one independent learner and two highly dependent learners.  They require my complete attention from 8:30 AM until 2PM.  (Now, I know some people are able to train their kids to teach themselves, but I have two learners who are just not ready for that.)

For me, school is a full day's effort!  My brain is drained by 2PM.  I enjoy this time with them, do not misunderstand.  However, like all working mothers, the best of me is spent and working on my house is difficult.  Thankfully, the basics get done, emergencies get tended, I provide tasty meals on schedule, and most of the time I would not be embarrassed to have someone drop in.  I am talking about deeper cleaning, not just surfaces.  I am talking about my dream cleaning schedule. 

Therefore, this is why I am taking today off from lessons.  Yesterday was our 100th day of school.  I want to take today to get the house in order, do some baking, and ponder how to make the last 80 days of school our best ever. I want to finish strong and I want a clean house!

Learning and Life:

For the last two weeks, my two dependent learners have been struggling with long division.  I have to walk them through every step, every time.  It's like I have to do their thinking for them!  Well,  this frustrates and confuses me.  I am not good at being patient, waiting for the lightbulb moment.  Like I said, my oldest is independent and has been teaching himself math for three years.  So, I think it is time to back off a little.  My plan is to go back and review some of the more basic skills and just do one division problem a day instead of a full worksheet.  What do you do when you hit a wall?  

Otherwise, learning is going so well.  Ryan and Grace have chosen their research paper topics, written their thesis statements and chosen their questions to answer.  They have also been reading about their topics on Wikipedia.  I wish I had Wikipedia as a student.

We started two new books, The Land I Lost by Huynh Quang Nhuong.  They love this book!  "More, more!"  they say.  True confession time, I don't like this book, but am reading it because it is an excellent book about life in Vietnam.  The book is filled with stories of how villagers must fight jungle animals to survive.  Still, they love it?

The second book is, The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford.  Because one of the main characters happens to be a Siamese cat, of which I am most fond, I like this book.  However, shame on the Hunter Family for entrusting their pets to such a careless man!  (Yes, I am indignant!)

In the Kitchen: 

Friday ~ Meatloaf
Saturday ~ Lasagna
Sunday ~ Roasted Chicken
Monday ~ Chicken Soft Tacos (from leftover chicken)
Tuesday ~ Stir Fry & Egg Rolls
Wednesday ~ Breakfast Night
Thursday ~ Soup & Bread Night

Today, I plan to bake some pumpkin bread to take to flock group.  I may also make some cookies to bring.  I want the kitchen warm and the house smelling good!

On the Nook: (or Computer, as it turns out)

Grace and I have been enjoying Eight Cousins by Lousia May Alcott via Librivox.org.  We listen as we work.  I will say that this is a most pleasurable book and I love getting the home basics done as I listen.  I cannot wait to listen to A Rose in Bloom , also by Miss Alcott, next. 

Scripture Memory Work:

I  added the second verse to the passage I am learning.  It is a simple verse so I am doing well.  It is harder when I have to put them together.

Psalm 77: 11-12 ESV
"I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.  I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds." 

Quote of the Week: 

"As sure as ever God puts his children in the furnace, he will be in the furnace with them."  

~Charles Spurgeon

Thanks for hanging in through this long-winded post!  

I wish you a very happy weekend,

Jenn

Explode the Code 7

My third grader is currently rather enjoying Explode the Code 7, a phonics book.  I used to think the title was in reference to "exploding" the code of phonics.  Now I think it is referring to the exploding laughter that will erupt when you read the silly sentences! 

For example:

Yes or No?
Can you keep a huge giraffe in a gold bird cage? 

Will it help to  use a big, plastic sponge as a bandage for a sore toe? 

If the hinge of the door squeaks, will you grease it with ginger ale? 

Can a gerbil read sixty pages in sixty days? 

The expression, "Laughter helps the medicine go down," has never been more true!

You Are a Super Cool Video

This little ditty made me wish I had a dog, for a moment. Thought it might brighten your day too.



Oh, and today is my honey's birthday. In his honor, the kids and I wanted to share this Turkman Proverb we read in our studies recently. (Have to love being able to make connections from real life to our studies.) 

"A family with an old man

is a family with a treasure."

Happy Birthday, Jeff! 
In our eyes, you are super cool!   

Wordless Wednesday: Cold, But Lovely

Lake Michigan @ IN Dunes State Park

And you think you're cold... (well, some of you are!)

A Perfect Day

This past Saturday we headed up north to see Jeff's mom and to celebrate his birthday, which is this coming Thursday.  Because he has a January birthday, we always try to celebrate the weekend before, in case of bad weather so we will have the next weekend to move our party to. 

This trip was a much needed lake fix.  We miss Lake Michigan, even in the winter.  The weather was brisk and overcast, but not too windy or snowy.  Jeff and Grace hiked a trail over Mt. Tom to the nature center.  We had a nice lunch at Quaker Steak and Lube.  My they can eat wings!  We also did a little shopping at Pro Bass and the camper dealer by the lake to buy mirror extensions and tire chocks.  We also bought our yearly park pass.  And finally we had birthday cake.  Then it was time to make the 2 and a half hour journey back home. 

Here are some pictures of our time. 

 Love the swirls!

 Almost 45!

 Trevor's new hat. 

Here's hoping it is not too long before we get back to our lake home!  I am counting the days until our first camping trip the last weekend in April. 

Thank You!

I need to express my thanks to you all.  A few months ago, I was very discouraged regarding the whole process of blogging. It seemed fewer and fewer of my online friends were blogging very much, turning to either Facebook or nothing at all.  I turly think the Spirit moved us to Blogger.  We've really got a nice little community here.  I appreciate all the comments and the time you take to visit often.  It may seem like a little thing, but it is very encouraging to me. 

I also wanted to let you know that I am working on my second verse.  I am happy to announce that I have remained diligent in that effort.  It does take effort!  The gears in my brain are turning.  *gins*  I am thankful to be able to memorize verses.  I think of my grandma who no longer has that option. 

Tomorrow I plan to post pictures from our whirlwind trip to the lake Saturday.  My husband's phone takes pretty good pictures outside, so I am thankful to him for making the time to take them for my blog. Here is a preview. 

With a thankful heart,
Jenn

Contrasts

Mom and I both went to a beach yesterday. 

This is her beach, yesterday. 

This was taken at our favorite beach, yesterday. 

I think she had more fun than we did. 

This Week at Home

Hard to believe another whole week has flown by.

On the Heart and Mind:

I am very thankful to be alive this week and feeling back to normal, almost.  

My mom is traveling this coming week and I will miss her. My dear grandma was diagnosed with pneumonia two weeks ago and thankfully, she has continued to do well. I hope to visit her this coming week, if every one stays healthy.

My husband's mandatory overtime without pay has started.  This year I am not going to allow myself to get upset.  The three months will go by and then we will have him back, again.  Not every one is that fortunate.  In the meantime, I will keep myself busy with the affairs of this house. 

View from Mom's hotel.

On the Home Front:

The list I wrote myself on Monday is slowly getting checked off.  I tend to keep up with the laundry, dishes, trash and a general tidy, but anything extra is, well, extra.  Perhaps it is because I am in recovery mode.  I have pushed us this week with lessons.  By the time we are done, I am done.  I have enough to get the basics done and then it is time to get dinner started.  Another day is gone!

Learning and Life: 

We are back to full speed with outside activities with gym class, dance class, AWANA, and karate.  I am so glad that we are not in a co-op, too.  Although I miss the fun parts of a co-op.

This week we finished two of the three books we started last week. We finished Water Sky and Wolves of Willoughby Chase.  Both books were very enjoyable.  The kids would not let me stop without multiple chapters being read at once.  It's amazing that my voice held out, day after day! 

We continue to love the book Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? I am going to have to find more in this series of Uncle Eric Books.  Excellent!  I hope my library has a few we can borrow.  

We'll be starting some new books this next week. Can't wait!

In the Kitchen:

Still no baking this week.  We really do not need me to be baking!  There is enough Christmas candy still around.  I did make a lovely menu for this coming week.   Want to see it? 

Friday:  Homemade Pizzas & salad
Saturday:  Bacon, egg, and cheese bagels & fruit
Sunday:  Chicken tortillas & corn
Monday:  Chicken stir fry with vegetables, spring egg rolls & rice
Tuesday:  Pancakes & fruit
Wednesday:  Spaghetti, homemade garlic bread & broccoli
Thursday:  Chicken & noodles, green beans  (Jeff's birthday) 


On the Nook:
No time to read for fun this week.  (As if I needed more reading this week!)  I am still slowly making my way through the Old Testament this year. I did download a $3 Wiki Book for my computer genius son.  Now there are three of us wanting to share one Nook. 



Quote of the Week:

"The secret of discipline is motivation. When a man is sufficiently motivated, discipline will take care of itself." – Alexander Patterson 


That's been my week. I hope yours has been a good one, too.  I am looking forward to the coming week, as we have a birthday to celebrate. 
~Jenn

PS My new camera is in the shop.   It will be three weeks, hopefully not longer.  This will make blogging a challenge!

More Nonsense

Sometimes you just have to watch a funny video, because they are there to watch.

Oh, My Stars!

I read a lot.  I read books.  I read blogs, a lot of blogs.  I read aloud to my kids every day for a couple hours.  I love to read.  I am hooked on it, you might say!  That's why I love Google Reader.  One of the features that I use frequently is the "star".  I decided that it might be fun to post some of my favorite "stars".  So here it goes.

The number one slot goes to Summer Tomato's How to Start Working Out When You Don't Like Exercise.  I don't think I need to say any more on this topic.  *sigh*

Number two slot goes to A Wise Woman Builds Her Home's When We Fail.    Thank you, dear lady!  I needed to hear this after my day of trying to teach a certain child yesterday.

Number three goes to Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers's Homeschool Showcase # 63.  Lots of good reads there.  I am still working on them, myself.

Number four goes to Best of Fates' This is a Cat in a Bowl.  It made me smile.  I just love cats.

And number five goes to The Animal Blog.   The whole blog makes me smile.  I guess I was in the mood to smile this week!

My favorite video this week is:


I want to learn how to fold a shirt like that!

And here is a cool post from Pioneer Woman that I just found.  Your kids can learn vocabulary and earn real rice for real people.  Don't ask me how that works.  I just go with it.  I will say it is for younger kids, as my 7th grader found the words too easy.  I told him to keep going anyway, because people were hungry.

I hope you enjoy these sites as much as I have.  It may take me a month to get another crop of good ones to share, or it may be another week.  :-)
~Jenn

Is it Food?

Have you seen this yet?  You can read more at Summer Tomato. 

It's Monday!

I just had to post an update today.  I am feeling so much better!  I did not go anywhere or do anything this weekend.  It must have been just the thing I needed.  Thank you for your prayers. 

It felt so good to be out today.  The sun is shining, making the 30F temperature feel lovely.  It occurred to me that I had not been away from home since last Monday.  What a blessing! 

Oh, and I just finished another fantastic book, Cobwebs and Cables by Hesba Stetton.  You have to read it too!  (My poor husband was thinking he needs to get me my own Nook, after I hogged it all weekend.)   

Here is what Lamplighter says about the book.

" It is a story of man's decision to get caught up in sin out of desperation to serve the one he loves. But it soon becomes clear that one lie from a "truthful" man is more hurtful than all the lies of a liar. Those who yield to its power engage in an intricate path of falsehood-an entangling maze-that ever deepens as one lie builds upon another. As you wrestle with the characters in this engaging drama, rest assured that your confidence will grow, not in man, but in our loving, forgiving God."

How can you pass on this one?  And there are so many more!  For free!   

Now, I promised my husband that I would not start another book for awhile so that he can have HIS Nook with him at work.  At least until he finishes the book he bought for Christmas.  And since I am committed to debt free living, I will not press him to buy me my own Nook.  (Perhaps for my birthday in October.  Which is so far away!!!  *sigh*)  For now, I must learn to like reading from my PC.  Or rent my son's laptop!  He only charges a dollar an hour. 

~Jenn

This is My Sand in the Line

I tossed around the idea of putting some effort into hiding God's Word in my heart this year.  I enjoyed  the challenge in a 2009-10 bible study I attended last year.   I've decided to make the commitment to continue this year, except to strive to memorize a verse a week for 52 (or so) weeks.  I won't be alone.  My friend Katia is going to do the same.  Others may join the group. 

I may fail.  Failing is a favorite excuse I use to not try at all.  I won't be legalistic either.  I will give it my best effort, though, because I think it is important.  I desire to put first things first in 2011.  

Here are the first two passages I intend to hide in my heart.  These are copied from Biblegateway.com. 

Psalm 77:11-15 (English Standard Version)

 ¹¹I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
   yes, I will^(A) remember your wonders of old.
¹²I will ponder all your^(B) work,
   and meditate on your^(C) mighty deeds.
¹³Your way, O God, is^(D) holy.
   ^(E) What god is great like our God?
¹⁴You are the God who^(F) works wonders;
   you have^(G) made known your might among the peoples.
¹⁵You^(H) with your arm redeemed your people,
   the children of Jacob and Joseph.
                         Selah

1 Peter 1:13-16 (English Standard Version)

Called to Be Holy

 ¹³Therefore,^(A) preparing your minds for action,^[a] and^(B) being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴As obedient children,^(C) do not be conformed to the passions^(D) of your former ignorance, ¹⁵but^(E) as he who called you is holy, you also be holy^(F) in all your conduct, ¹⁶since it is written,^(G) "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

If you have a moment, go visit A Holy Experience.   Ann has some great tools.  I especially like "Why make time to memorize God's Word?" 

This Week at Home

I'm wrapping up my week, I am, indeed.  It's a good thing too, as it was a long week for me.  Thankfully, I was able to keep going, getting the basics done, despite this cold.  The lovely Mary, my hostess of Weekly Wrap Up, is thinking of giving up her station.  I am planning to keep writing them for my own use, not linking elsewhere.  I like having a written account of my week.  I will probably change my "categories" and content as pleases my whims, too.

On the Heart and Mind:

My heart is so thankful.  We were blessed above and beyond this past Christmas. I am still marveling at all we were given.  I am humbled that so many people love us and want to bless us.  Also, I am thankful how my children have jumped back into the full load of lessons. Last week we did three days of the basics.  Maybe that helped.  This week they were eager little students.

My dear grandma was diagnosed with pneumonia this week.  Thankfully, she has a treatable kind and seems to be doing well.  I certainly had her on my heart and mind a lot this week.  Here she is coloring when my mom visited her this week.

On the Home Front:


We had more family over on Sunday for more Christmas, so the house was totally clean for Monday's start of lessons.  We've kept up with things and so at this point, it is not in bad shape, considering how I've felt this week.  I was able to keep the laundry going, dishes done, trash emptied, dinner on the table, and little else.  The kids kept their clutter under control.  It's so nice when we all work together.

Purging has begun!!!  I have a big load to take to Good Will tomorrow.  More will be purged from our Christmas decorations today.  I went through my clothes and tossed all that are tattered and torn.  Because I was blessed with new clothes for Christmas, I can finally feel free to toss the old.  I needed to do this long ago.

Learning and Life: 


What can I say?  I love learning at home with my kids using Sonlight!  This week we finished two books and started three new ones.  We finished Genghis Khan.  I am glad we stuck it out, although it was a harder read, all those Mongol names!  We also finished Homesick.  I really wish there was a follow up book for the rest of her life.  She moved to America from China and that is that.  It was still a very good book.  I just wish she wrote more!  


We started the book Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?  It's a book on economics.  Excellent!  They beg for more.  Yes, they do!  We find ourselves talking about it at odd times, too.  I am learning a lot myself.  I like a book that says that the main problem with our government is ethics!  


We also started Water Sky.  Set in modern day Barrow, AK, a teen named Lincoln goes to find his uncle who has gone missing for two years.  We only just finished chapter 3.  The first chapter was a bit disorganized, but the last two have been more interestingly written.  The Inuit, his long lost relations, take Lincoln whaling in order for him to get in touch with his inner Eskimo. They want him to see their side of the whaling issue.   


Wolves of Willoughby Chase is the last book we started this week, getting all the way to chapter 8!  It is a page turner full of twists and turns and dangerous wolves!  It has everything for both boys and girls to enjoy this book.  The wolves are always on the prowl with lots of chases.  The two little girls are sent to a orphanage when the parents are suspected to be lost at sea.  The girls' governess takes over the estate and ends up getting every thing she deserves in the end!  (Although I had to read ahead to find that out.  I do not like not knowing!)    Trevor and I found the movie online at YouTube and watched it today.  It is about 80 minutes and closely follows the book.  Netflix and Amazon did not have it yet, as it is being released on DVD this month, I heard.  


Earlier in the week, I posted Grace's personification poem. Now here is Ryan's.  


Happy


Siamese cats are the best example of happy.  
Happy sleeps next to the heater or on my bed in the sun. 
Happy purrs as she is petted.
"I wish you would never stop," she says.
Happy licks her fur after her long nap in the sun. 
Happy waits for me to come pet her again.
"I wish you would never stop," she says.
How can I say no to such a cute face?

In the Kitchen:


No baking this week.  I did manage to make homemade chicken and dumplings.  I am making plans to make yogurt in my crock pot soon.  And I'd like to make some strawberry jam in my bread maker. I have a recipe that looks interesting.  I will report back if I do these things.

On the Nook:
Just finished reading The Basket of Flowers by Christoph von Schmid.   James, the king's gardener, teaches his 15-year-old daughter Mary all the principles of godliness through his flowers. She is falsely accused of stealing, and the penalty is death.  It's a beautiful tale of godliness.  I found it free here. I need to find time to read it aloud to my children.  


Currently reading A Double Story, by  George MacDonald.  Another excellent character book.  This one is a fairy tale of sorts.  A spoiled princess learns a lesson from Lady Wisdom.  Another one that I need to read aloud.  


Lamplighter Publishing.  Lots of these books are free at Project Gutenberg.  

Quote of the Week:

"The ablilty to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may "speak."
Hans Hoffman (1880-1966) 

That's my week.  I hope yours has been a good one, too.
~Jenn

CurrClick Has a Secret!!!

One of my favorite sources for e-curriculum, CurrClick, is having a Winter Whisper Sale!!!  It is not being announced except by word of mouth or blog.  It is my pleasure to give you the link.  They are giving away many neat titles.  Hurry over and check it out!. They just may have something to spice up your lessons during the dull drums of winter.  Be sure and pass along this link to your readers and happy shopping!

The Nifty Nook

My dearest asked for and received a Barnes and Noble Nook for Christmas.  I've always known that he is smarter than me.  I asked for clothes.  Thankfully, he has graciously shared his nifty little reader.

I have downloaded two books for free so far. I have many more that I want.   I have always wanted to read the many free books online, but we did not have a lap top and I don't like sitting at a desk top to read.  Enter the Nook!  Now, when he is not using it, I am able to put it to good use.

I have to say that at first I thought having a book in hand could not be replaced, so I did not embrace his idea of getting one.  I am a book lover.  I want to be surrounded by books.  But wow, the Nook actually feels good in the hand and the pages look real.  Oh joy!  Free books that don't take up precious book shelves! It is like having unlimited book storage.  Just imagine!  And our library is getting more and more titles online to share too.  It keeps getting better!

Jeff did buy one book, George Bush's new one.  He's going to be asking for Barnes and Noble gift cards for his birthday in January.  That I know for sure! And from now on, I am going to listen to my dearest when he decides he wants a nifty new device. "So, Honey, what do you think of the iPod Touch?"


Follow Up Notes:
Link to Project Gutenberg's free books online.  

We chose the Nook because it is not propitiatory, meaning you don't  have to buy from just B&N. We learned this from our library.  People with Kindles cannot download books from there at this time.

Here's a link from Sally regarding more free books for the Nook.  (Thanks, Sally, I will check it out!)

Yes, JoAnn, if I am dreaming, I probably should go for the iPad, but no chance of that happening, so maybe I will look into getting another used laptop like my son's. But no time soon.  There is curriculum to buy soon.    

Personification Poetry Assignment

         Hateful
I see him on his porch
Stroking his gray beard.
When I look in his gray blue eyes,
I see hate.
I drop a dime on his lawn.
I go to pick it up.
He yells with his rough voice,
"Hey!  You get off my lawn!"
I forget about my dime and run away,
Wishing I had never passed by.

A Poem by Grace

Keep This in Mind

"Any concern too small 

to be turned into a prayer

is too small to be made 

into a burden."

_Corrie Ten Boom