This Week At Home

In which we anticipate the first camping trip of the season and it rains incessantly.

Sunday:
The glorious Resurrection Day!  After church and Sunday school, we enjoyed the company of 6 extended family members and a big ham dinner.  Thankfully, by this time I was feeling better than the previous few days.   The kids learned how to play Mario Party thanks to a cousin bringing her copy. What else can you do when it rains on Easter?   

Yummy!

Monday:
The rain, waking up to a cat howling at midnight, coughing during the night, eating too much white flour and sugar on Sunday, no caffeine this morning all left me dragging today.  Although, I must report feeling nearly well today.  I am thankful for the antibiotics.  We had a normal school day.  The rest of the day we spent just enjoying our time at home with no where to go.

We started to contemplate our camping get away this coming weekend.  We have reservations at our favorite park, 3 hours north on Lake Michigan.  However, the weather up there is going to be cooler and windy with a chance of rain.  Another favorite park, a little less than 2 hours south of here is predicted to have less a chance of rain and temperatures 20 degrees warmer than the lake.  So, right now we are  weighing our options. Looks like we will be going south, unless a weather miracle happens. 

Military Night at AWANA last week.

Tuesday:
Another rainy, windy night with more rain predicted.  We are home today working hard on our lessons. Yes, we will only have two days of lessons this week.  We are enjoying life and school is not going to get in our way.  (Typical mood for this time of the year, eh?)

We started two books this week, a short biography of Louis Braille and an historical fiction book based on Man O War's lineage.   These will be our last two books to read aloud this school year.  In fact, we only need 9 more school days to reach the required 180, however, I am not going by that number.   I plan to end our school year the third week in May. (Can you hear the cries of, "Oh! Mom!") 

I plan to restart our lessons the first week of August.  We won't be going full steam at that point. I like to ease back into things.  And we are going to keep doing math all summer.  It's just better that way.  And of course we'll be reading, a lot.

Wednesday:
No school today!  Going to visit Grandpa who just moved back to Indiana a couple weeks ago. Changed our reservations from one park to the other park.  The weather difference is just too great.  We will see our lake at the end of May.  *sniff, sniff*  And yes, today is another day of rain!

Thursday:
No time for school today.  It rained all night.  I wanted to mow the lawn today, but it is too wet.  Anyway, must get ready to camp tomorrow!  Need to get food, pack, and tidy the house.

Twins separated at birth?

Friday:
Jeff has today off, so we are loading up the van, attaching the camper and are on our way to camping adventure number one of the season!  It has been months and months of waiting for this moment.  I can't believe it is here.

I hope you have a blessed weekend!  I am sure to have loads of photos to share next week. 
Jenn

Visiting Grandpa!

We are just so excited to have our Grandpa and Grandma back living in Indiana.   So, we took the day off and went visiting.  They live an hour and a half west of us, so much closer than California!  Unfortunately, Grandma had to work today.  Hopefully we will see her soon. 

Ryan and Grandpa

Of course Mr. "Ryan" Computer Guru had to install the latest (until tomorrow) version of Ubuntu on his Grandpa's laptop. 

 Wyatt and Chowder

And there were the adorable puppies to play with, too.  That was so fun!

Flooded Wabash River

After a wonderful lunch at IHOP, We went to a nearby park to see the Wabash River, which is above flood stage with all this rain we've been getting.

Fun playground!

The happy bunch!

We had a great time!  Thank you, Grandpa!

Wordless Wednesday: The Three of Them

photo by Nana

David Livingstone, a Man of His Era

We have just finished  an excellent book about David Livingstone from the Christian Heroes Then and Now series called,  David Livingstone, Africa's Trailblazer by Janet and Geoff Benge.

David Livingstone has been criticised for not being much of a missionary or husband and father.  It is my opinion that he was just a man of his time, who had a God driven desire to plant Gospel seeds to previously untouched African natives. He did not feel called to stay in one place and water those seeds.

David  was an explorer.  He loved science.  He felt this love lead him closer to his Creator. He felt a strong leading to go into the interior of Africa, places where no other missionary dared to go.  He was driven to bring them the Gospel message. And during the middle 1800's, it was not uncommon for men to be absent husbands and fathers in order to do their work to provide for their family. It was common for missionaries to send their children back home for many years of schooling. 

At a very young age, David worked in a factory for 14 hours a day.  He lived in a one room apartment with his mother, father and siblings.  He could not go to school until after his shift in the mill was over.  He lived in a very harsh environment.  His father refused to allow him to read books about science as it was thought science and religion were not compatible.  His Grandfather gave him the books he craved behind David's father's back. He worked for 4 years just to save enough money to go to one term of medical school.  After that his brother helped him to go. 

When David finally arrived at his mission station in Africa, there were 40 converts.  The missionaries had been there for 20 years!  He soon learned it was very difficult to get converts as no one wanted to give up their traditions to do so.  He longed to go deeper into Africa and find people who had never heard the Gospel message.  He was not the typical "veranda missionary" who was afraid to leave the mission station's front porch and this caused friction between he and other missionaries. 

David had planned all along to be a single missionary, but God had other plans.  He met and married Robert Moffet's daughter Mary.  She had been born in Africa and raised by her missionary parents. She shared David's vision of going deeper into Africa to touch the lives of those who have never seen a missionary.  He even brought her and their subsequent children along on several dangerous treks, until one such trek he almost lost their oldest son to malaria.  Mary also gave birth and lost a little daughter.  After these events, he insisted, despite Mary's protests, that Mary take the children to Scotland.    She had never lived in a European country and this was hard for her.  They were separated for 4 years.

During that time, David struggled with malaria, strife with other Europeans who wanted to take his native friends as slaves, and loneliness.  But he overcame those things.  He also started working for the British government, looking for a way to open more of Africa.  He made many discoveries and made some mistakes.  He made huge personal sacrifices in order to open new areas in Africa to the gospel.  He was very interested in stopping slave trading.

This book has caused me to once again become lost in a missionary's story.  The author's consulted Mr. Livingstone's journals.  They had access to his heart motives.  His life was greatly celebrated by the entire world as a dedicated missionary explorer. 

"In the course of his wonderful career, Livingstone served three masters.  As a missionary, he was the sincere and zealous servant of God.  As an explorer, he was the indefatigable servant of science.  As a denouncer of the slave trade, he was the fiery servant of humanity."  Lord Cruzon

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter my friends.

Rejoicing this morning that He is risen, indeed! May you have a wonderful day celebrating this most wonderful gift from above. 

Here is my favorite song for your listening pleasure!

This Week At Home

In which the mother is still sick. 

Sunday:

I stayed home from church.  I hate staying home from church.  But, I was so congested and having coughing fits, which left my head pounding.  I am glad I spent the day resting. Although, I hate missing church. 

The celebration cake for end of tax season.  Made by Grace and her nana.

Monday:

Hooray for less coughing!  My energy was still low, but I did not cough all day, like yesterday.

Also good news regarding my grandma.  My mom went to see her today and they had taken her off one of the drugs they had her on and she is a changed woman, back to her happy self.  I had a feeling or at least some hope that she was taking something that was not agreeing with her.

We got to all our normal subjects and added art.  Sunday brought great fortune in that we found our art curriculum that had been missing for a year since we moved! 

Today was also the last dance class for the regular season. A summer session will start soon.  It is on new day, not ever the same and the time is different.  Do you think I will remember?  Ha!  At least my husband will be off work to take her.  He is better than I.

Tuesday:

It's National CPA Day!  Not really, but we celebrated with our favorite CPA, as he had the day off.  Office closed.  No more tax season!  No school today! 

So what do you do on a rainy day and one of you is still not feeling her best?  We took the van in for an oil change which turned into a really big repair bill.  We did a little Easter basket shopping.  And Grace made strawberry freezer jam with a little help.  After that, we just took it easy. 

Wednesday:

You know you are in trouble when the tornado sirens go off right when you get the kids to bed.  They proceeded to go off again two hours later.  If you can get to sleep with all all the thunder, lightening, rain pounding on the windows, good luck!  And then, at 5:15 AM, you wake up hearing an alarm going off somewhere in the house.  Our oldest had accidentally set his alarm to go off.  Of course, he did not hear it AT ALL!  So this is how Wednesday starts.  Did I mention that I am not feeling my best, still?  Congestion and exhaustion are now my normal mode of operation.

Made some "healthier" blueberry muffins today for a snack.
Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk together:
1/2 c. unsweet applesauce
2 eggs
1/2c. milk

Combine in a second bowl:
2c. whole grain flour
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/2 t. salt

Add wet and dry. Fold in 2 and 1/2 cups blueberries.  Divide into (12) lined muffin tin.  Bake 25-30 minutes.  Serve warm!

*Side note:  The original recipe called for 3/4 c. of sugar and no cornstarch.    I substituted 1/4 c. of the sugar with the cornstarch for bulk as instructed by my master baker.   I really wanted to try this method to decrease the sugar we are eating.  I'd like to try honey instead of sugar next time. I will need to consult my master baker for that ratio.  The kids loved them.  That's a success.

Thursday:

Up early to go get the van from the shop before work.  Still fighting sinus congestion.  Wondering if I am going to have to give up and go see a doctor.  (**Note, I broke down and will be starting an antibiotic tonight.  Hooray!  It's been 2 years since I have had to have one. )Tried the neti pot once more, hoping it will make this infection go away.  Still taking tons of vitamin C among others.   Finished the book about David Livingstone.  More about that on Monday.  Need to work on a list for the market today.  Also need to catch up the laundry.  It's a sunny day, making the day's tasks more pleasant.

Please forgive the whiny tone of this post.  I am just not feeling well, still.  Also, I decided to post my wrap up early this week because of the upcoming holiday this weekend.   We are taking tomorrow off and I will be busy getting food and cleaning the house the rest of the week.

Have a great Easter, 
Jenn

Elsie Dinsmore

I know that many of you already love Elsie. I am just so excited that it is finally my turn to get to be an Elsie fan that I had to write about this sweet series. 

The day is finally here!  My daughter just started reading devouring the Elsie Dinsmore books.  Is there a more inspiring series about a godly little girl you would love to be or have in your house?  (Please tell me if you know of one!)

I had been waiting and waiting for my little girl to have the desire to read these books.  We even checked one out last year from the library, but she didn't quite connect then.  I thought about buying the whole set once or twice, but at that retail price, I knew I should wait.  Thankfully, our library has some of the original books and the rest we can read via the Nook for free! (Aside note:  Why did they feel the need to write an adapted version, leaving out important information and ideas?  Ugh! Poor children these days!) 

I also just read the first book, to get an idea of what Elsie is all about.  Again, I cannot imagine a more godly child.  Sometimes it is a bit unreal how much she stands for her convictions.  Puts me to shame! My daughter says that Elsie is inspiring to her!  Indeed she is to me as well.  If only I had such a faith as she.  I cannot wait to read the rest.  I am kicking myself that I did not buy your books, Sally! 

So, if by chance you have a little girl or two at home, and perhaps you've not heard of Elsie, I cannot more strongly recommend this series.  If I had to do it over, I would have started reading them to Grace first, perhaps a year ago.  I think that would have caught her heart quicker.  Or I could have had her listen to them for free via Librivox.  I am just so glad that she is interested now.  I can see how the example of Elsie's obedience to the Word of God will help my little girl consider her own ways and follow suit.  At least that is my prayer! 

Making Yogurt in a Crock Pot

Good Monday morning to you!  I hope you had a great weekend. I am on the mend, although, I think it is going to take another week to get rid of this cough, if I follow the same course as my husband.  You remember him?  He is the one who gave this rotten cold to me!  He is also the one who gave me flowers, did laundry, ran out and got me more tissues, and took over for me at Sunday school.  So, it's hard to be mad at such a kind and caring guy. 

Anyhow, the point of this post is not to chit chat.  I want to talk about yogurt. 
I've always wanted to try making yogurt in a crock pot.  What could be more wonderful?  What could be more wholesome?  So, I did some searching and found this supposedly easy  recipe. 

My main concern was that my crock pot is a lot bigger than 4 quarts and it can get pretty hot on low.  I also did not want to double the recipe since I had never tried it before.  I wondered if I should use the low setting or the warm setting.  Since I could not know without trying, I decided to give it a whirl on low.  Although, I did it with some fear and trembling.  How I hate to waste good milk!

This is all you need?

Well,when it was all over, I am sad to say all I got was yogurt soup!   I am so bummed that it did not turn out.  I don't know what happened. But here are some of my suspicions.   It might have been the crock pot being too big and too hot.  Or maybe the yogurt I buy is not good enough with the cultures?  

I can say that I am not going to try again right now because I will have to see about borrowing a smaller crock pot and then get more precious milk.  I really did think that I followed the simple directions faithfully.

Oh well, you live and learn.  And, I really love my Trader Joe's big containers of yogurt, so...  maybe I won't bother to try again at all.  But if you find a good recipe to try and have success, please come back and tell me. I still think it is a neat idea.  

This Week at Home

In which the mother gets her turn to nurse a cold. 

Sunday:  

Visited my dear grandma after church with my mom and Grace.  Brought her homemade peanut butter cookies.  She seems so frail and was not making a lot of sense.  I am worried about her. I wonder if it is all the meds she is on or is it her brain shutting down from the dementia.  Something to pray about. 

Monday:

First day without homeschool gym.  Did not miss the running there and back, but missed the people.  We were able to get a normal, full day of lessons in the book.  For the second time, I almost forgot Grace's dance class.  Thankfully we only live a few minutes away and she was actually on time since her teacher starts late.  I even wrote it down and reminded myself several times during the day.  Oh well.  The season is almost over.  I don't know why I've had a mental block on that activity all school year long! Has that ever happened to you?

I started to feel unwell in the evening hours.  Perhaps I am getting the boys' colds.  I took a bunch of vitamins and went to bed, hoping for the best. 

Dear Arlene and the kids.

Tuesday:

Woke up feeling slightly better, but congested and low energy.  I was able to keep our lunch date with a very special lady visiting us from AZ.  We had a nice lunch, although I wish the kids had been better behaved.  Proves we don't get out much.  They were just excited and in rare form.  And I was irritable.  Not a good combination.

Took today off as a spring break day.  Spent the rest of the afternoon resting, trying to get better. Watched a great documentary called, Babies.  Have you seen it?  (Caution, you might not want your sons watching this.  The Africans are half dressed, but culturally appropriate. ) 


Wednesday:

Still congested, tired and now irritable.  Now Grace is sneezing and irritable.  We managed to get our lessons done in the morning.  I cycled a few loads of clothes.  Made homemade spaghetti sauce in the crock pot.  This was my last productive day this week.  My list from Monday will have to be a do over!

My Homemade Spaghetti Sauce (or Gravy as an Italian friend calls it).  I like making it myself because there is no added sugar or other stuff.  I use powdered spices because of texture issues within the family. You can use what you wish.  :-) 

1# Italian sausage
4 - 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
Olive oil, about 1/4 cup
Garlic Powder, 1tsp.
Onion Powder, 1/2 tsp.
Basil, dried, 1tsp.
Pepper, to taste
Salt, 1/2 tsp.

Put sausage in crock pot on high for 2 hours with about 1/2 cup of water to steam it.  Turn crock pot on low or warm (mine is too hot on low).  Add rest of ingredients to taste.  Cook for several hours.  Serve over whole grain pasta! 

Thank you, Honey!

Thursday:

Woke up feeling about the same as yesterday, congested and having no energy, in other words, miserable!  So much for that nice list I wrote this week.  I guess today will be another day of resting after lessons.  Jeff gets off at 5PM today.  That is worth celebrating!  He is going to take the kids to karate for me and do some grocery shopping.  What a guy. And he brought me some tulips! 

Photo from Wikipedia

Friday:

Another lost afternoon  on the couch watching BBC documentaries.  OK, so perhaps the day was not totally lost.  I learned about the people of the Himalayas and Eastern Europe.  It was almost like going there myself. 

I also decided to make sure I stayed hydrated today.  I think that was part of the problem yesterday.  I also got out my Netty Pot.  That is a life saver when I cannot breathe. 

Saturday:

The last working Saturday!  Hooray!  Grace made a banana cake with my mom to celebrate the occasion.  The boys and I will not do too much today.  I feel better, but need to keep resting.  My goal for today is to get dinner made and fold clothes.  I might even process the dishes. 


I realize that this was not a very interesting week to read about, however it is real life here at home.  We managed to get our work done with 3 solid days of school.  Not too bad for how I felt.  I am just glad we made it to the finish line.  

And thank you for your very kind comments about my last post.  They made my day.  
~Jenn

For Whom Do You Write?

I came to a point about a year ago where I thought I should stop blogging.  I thought I should just be a blog visitor.  I thought this because I did not think I had much to offer to the blogging world.  I had made the fatal mistake of comparison.  Oh, such an easy thing to do!  There are hundreds, thousands of better bloggers than me out there.  There are bloggers so good that companies want to pay them to blog.  How intimidating is that?  Very!

So, I asked myself,"Who do you write this blog for?"  Do I write it to be popular?  Do I write to make money?  The answer was no.  I write for me.  I write for my family's collective memory.  I don't want to forget these days.  (And, yes, I also enjoy the friendships I've made these last 4 years of blogging.  You are the best!) 

I could keep a paper journal.  In some ways I wish I did.  Then I would have something tangible to hand my family one day.  Perhaps I will publish my blog when my ships comes in!  I've seen some neat companies that will publish a blog.  Whatever happens, I want to keep writing to please myself and my family. 

It's probably best if I just put some blinders on and not allow the comparison monster to get very far with his attacks.  So, why do you blog?  

How to Write More Blog Posts

Where the magic happens. 

I'll let you in on a little secret.  Actually, it is not a secret.  It's just an underused tool we bloggers have.  It's called "Scheduled Posts." Right now, I have in my post list 3 drafts in progress and 3 posts scheduled to be published.  I love this feature.  And here is why.

First, it makes my blogging time so much more controllable.  I do not have to spend as much time all at once pouring over one post.  I simply get an idea and start a draft.  Then when a moment allows, I flesh it out, little by little.  As more time allows, I add pictures or proof read it or polish it a bit. In the course of a few days it is ready to be scheduled.  Simple! 

Second, it fosters more creativity on my part.  I find myself thinking about things I could write about.  I write more.  I get a little better at it, just like my kids, whom I encourage to write and re-write.  Perhaps it will even keep my brain younger?

And lastly, it makes my blog seem like an active, vibrant place, a place where you know you will read something new every couple days or so.  Being consistent builds a community. Communities are much needed in our line of work where we are frequently alone all day with KIDS! 

The next time you get an extra moment and an idea, sit down and start a draft.  Let it sit for a few days or come back to it when you have a free moment and give it a tweak.  Come back another day and add a picture.  When it is ready to publish, click "post options".  From there you click "scheduled at".  Pick your time and date.  Then click "publish post".  Then start another draft and repeat.  

So there you have it.  Why not give it a try yourself?

Goals for the Week

I’m finding a need to be a bit SMART {specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time sensitive} with my plans and goals for this week! So here is the plan…

Home Management

• Do dishes every night before bed
• Sweep kitchen floor every morning
• Do 10 minute pick up every afternoon and as needed
• Clean bathrooms daily (train/ teach kids again)
• Mop floors as needed (kids help)
• Purge!  Purge!  Purge! 

 Relationships

• Write one letter to a shut-in this week.
• Hug my kids every day. 
• Look for opportunities to serve my husband (go above and beyond)
• Lunch with visiting grandma

Reading

• Read one chapter a day for pure enjoyment.

Health

• Take at least 3 walks or bike rides this week.  Does not matter how fast or far, just do it! 
• Limit sugar, keep eating those fruits, whole grains and veggies
• Find more healthy snack ideas that will appeal to the kids
• Take time to chop veggies, make salads, bake healthy bread (In other words, don't be lazy in this area!)
  

General

• Do not turn on the computer until morning chores are done, not even for a quick check of spam on cbox
• Buy some Easter treats  
• Plan our little kitchen garden

I will let you all know how I do later in the week.  What are some of your goals for this week? 

Weekly Wrap-Up

In which we enjoy life, despite a minor setback!

Sunday:
After church and Sunday school, the weather was so amazingly warm (upper 70's) that my husband decided to open up the camper and do some cleaning.  We all enjoyed some time just relaxing out there too.  It won't be long now!  

Monday:
Celebrated the end of homeschool gym.  Sad to say good bye to new friends, though.  Hopefully we will see them this fall when it starts up again.

We went to lunch at a grocery store salad bar, which can't be beat for freshness.  Here was my lunch. 

Doesn't he look 13?  I mean, look at that forced smile!  

We also went to the library after lunch.  They had been begging me for a couple weeks.  I was not in a hurry to go as I had a 70 cent fine to pay!  Now my conscience is clear. 

Spent my hour of solitude during dance catching up on my reader.  Read a great post about 12 year old girls,  too.

On the bad news side, my poor dear husband came down with a bad cold today.  


Tuesday:

The sun is shining!  Friends are coming over after lessons! What more could  we want?  This was also the day of the yogurt experiment.  More on that later.  All was well until the boys started to complain of sore throats.  *sigh*

Getting ideas for her new doll house she is building.

Wednesday:

 Trevor has a low grade fever now.  Are we all doomed?  I am taking my vitamins and washing my hands! 

My van's gas tank is on fumes, so there is no running around today.  I want to fill up on next week's budget, which starts on Friday so that this week will be a really good week.

Thankfully the boys were well enough to do school work. But Trevor now has a fever of 101.6.  Ryan seems better though. 

No AWANA tonight! Can you say happy dance time?  Having an evening without any running around will be a treat. We decide to stay up a little later than usual to watch an old movie as a family. 

The doll house bedroom.

Thursday:

May need food today, but I think I can squeak out another meal or two.  We certainly need gas if I am going to get the food.  Also need to take kids who are able to karate this evening.  So, I guess I will get gas tonight.  This tank almost lasted 3 weeks.  That's pretty good.  I really try to do all my running locally and in batches.

I let the kids sleep in yesterday and today.  I am thankful we homeschool so that they can get extra rest when they are not well. And, when they are not well, we can still get lessons of some sort done.   

My afternoon treat. 

Light Iced Coffee

8 oz. milk of your choice (I use skim)

Leftover coffee (about 4-6 oz.)

Sweetener to taste (I use 2 Stevia packets) 

Pour milk into your glass.  Add sweetener and stir.  Add ice cubes.  

Pour coffee into milk and stir.  Top with light whipped cream. 

Friday:

Wondering if the standing weekly play date will have to be cancelled. At the very least, Trevor won't be participating.  Thanks to my nice friend, who let Ryan and Grace come there.  I kept Trevor, although he didn't like that.  He's been fever free all day, but my rule for getting near other children is to be fever free without Tylenol for 24 hours.  Sorry Trevor. 

Also needed to get food for certain.  I was unable to put that off again. Grace and I headed out this morning while the boys did some of their independent work.  

We will need to do a little reading to fill in some holes from the week.  I guess we will do that tomorrow.

Ryan finished his Math U See Zeta book today as well.  Time to order again!

Saturday:

This might be the last working Saturday for my dear husband.  No promises.  Can't count on it.  Should not even be thinking about it.  *grin*

Going to put some effort into the house again.  I feel like doing more purging! 

Need to make a treat to take to my grandma.  We're going to see her tomorrow after church.

Always the clown!

My Memory Verse This Week:

Ecclesiastes 9:10

 "Whatever you do, do well.

For when you go to the grave,

 there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom." 

~* * *~

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you've had a great week, too!
Jenn

In Which We Study Prudence

If only a fairy could wave her wand...

What is prudence?  

prudence

PRU'DENCE, n. [L. prudentia.] Wisdom applied to practice.

Prudence implies caution in deliberating and consulting on the most suitable means to accomplish valuable purposes, and the exercise of sagacity in discerning and selecting them. Prudence differs from wisdom in this, that prudence implies more caution and reserve than wisdom, or is exercised more in foreseeing and avoiding evil, than in devising and executing that which is good. It is sometimes mere caution or circumspection.

Prudence is principally in reference to actions to be done, and due means, order, season and method of doing or not doing.

from Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary   (I just love that dictionary!)

This month begins our study of prudence.  We just finished our formal study of wisdom, not that we will ever arrive. Now we attempt to put wisdom into action.  Much harder to do than it should be.

The specific area we are looking at is taking care of ourselves. This includes eating well, exercising, keeping clean, getting enough sleep, and other good habits.

One of my goals in this area is to increase our daily physical activity.  We might go for a walk or a bike ride.  We may go to a park and explore.  We will have to overcome my natural tendency to be at rest! 


I have already purged our pantry of white floury junk.  Now, I want to find healthy treats to bake.  (Is there such a thing?) The whole grain oatmeal raisin cookies that I made had too much fat and sugar to really be called healthy.  Maybe we should make some gingersnaps and angel food cake?

We also have one child who has  an aversion to keeping clean and tidy.  I know this is just an age thing.  When I was this same age, I was the same way.  However, it is an area that needs improvement.

And Mr. Teen needs to learn that going to bed at a decent hour is imperative to his well being the next day. 

My sincere hope is that my children will take these lessons to heat  before it is too late for them.  Sometimes I really wonder if I am reaching their hearts with anything!  If only there was a magic wand to wave and all would be prudent, including myself.  Lots of prayer is needed, for certain.


Here are some of the verses we will be studying.  

"The prudent sees danger and hides himself,
   but the simple go on and suffer for it."  Proverbs 22:3

"The wise in heart shall be called prudent."  Proverbs 16:21

"The simple believeth every word:  but the prudent man looketh well to to his going."  Proverbs 14:15

"He that regardeth reproof is prudent."  Proverbs 15:5

Habitaflex Homes

In my spare time, I sometimes find myself looking at unique home ideas.  I have it in mind to one day have a place debt free, by the grace of God. This dream is going to take some creativity to make it happen.  So, I look around for ideas. Here is one such creative option, indeed! I have no idea how much they cost. But the people who came up with these are very creative.


After I watched it, I wondered where all the furniture goes when it is folded down? Hm. I guess you have to get a Uhaul too? Well, it is still a pretty ingenious idea. I am all for it! It might just beat the grain bin home or yurt I was thinking about earlier. Now, I just need a little plot of land.

Love Comments, Hate Captcha

Hi Friends,

May I share a little, teeny, weeny complaint with y'all and y'all promise to still love me?  You know that I looooooooove visiting blogs and leaving comments.  It's such fun, but it occurred to me though that it is a whole lot more fun if the comment settings are a little more relaxed.  You know I do have an older, slower computer, which I dearly love, don't get me wrong. 

Anyhow, just hear me on this one, please..  *grins*  

If you are using Blogger, have you given serious thought to how you have your commenting set up?  As a blogger, I think we owe it to our loyal readers to have our commenting set up as easy as possible for them. 

For example, If I come to your blog and want to leave you an awesome comment, I may have to hit a button to get to the actual comment screen.  Then I most likely have to leave a captcha code, so I have to wait for that screen to come up.  And then some blogs have an approval set up after that.  That's just overkill in my opinion. 

I understand why you might think you need all this "security."  No one wants to be spammed.  However, it is like trying to jump hoops to just leave a message.  And if you are not part of Blogger it is worse, I hear. 

I believe that all that needs to be done is to have your comments set on "approval."  And then if you are spammed, delete it.  It doesn't really happen very often.  And when it does, some of the spam is quite comical. 

Or at the very least, have your captcha set on the same page as your comment so that the blogger doesn't have to click another button and wait for the page to come up. 

Just a thought.... Say you still love me?  *wink*
Jenn

Weekly Wrap-Up

In which I decided to do my wrap-up a bit different.

Eastern Hemisphere, our focus of study this year.

Monday: 

Enjoyed homeschool gym at our local community center.  The instructor quit a again, so this week the director led the class.  It was funny to see her in high heals leading a big gym class.  Her helper was about 9 months pregnant and could not bend over to set up the bases.  But they try!

I took 2 big bags of the boys clothes and gave them to a new friend.  I could not believe there were so many thing in their closets that they had outgrown.  I was glad to bless my friend.

We came home and started a few new books:  Prudence with the Millers, A Glorious Age in Africa, and Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum.  We are sointinuing with the biography on David Livingstone. 

Monday afternoon I took Grace to dance and enjoyed an hour of silence by myself in the van.  The sun was shining and I really loved that time alone. 

View of the new addition at church. 

Tuesday:

Ran to the store before lessons for one thing.  Had Trevor with me.  The nice clerk asked if he was enjoying spring break.  Took a moment to educate clerk about his questions about home education.  Spent too much money and felt guilty about my post that was published on keeping to a budget.  *blush*  But I had to buy grapes for the lunch I was invited to and while I was there I saw meat half priced and six other things we were out of.  This is why I don't go for one thing!  *ugh*

After morning lessons, I met with 3 friends to have lunch.  I have never done this during a school day before.  Wow!  It was great.  Until I came home to find out there had been a fight.  So, I guess that won't be happening again.  I will take "the" child with me next time.

Wednesday:

Just two things on my mind... BLUEBIRDS and eating fruit!  My ten day fast came to an end.  Really, I do not crave white flour or refined sugar at this point.  What I really missed was fruit.  I am continuing on to Wave Two of Sonoma.  I get to eat fruit!  (I'll skip the wine though.)

Love you, banana. 

Thursday:  

Decided that getting lessons done and the house in order was a bigger priority than getting groceries.  Waiting another day won't hurt us since I made a mini trip on Tuesday. 

Speaking of the house getting in order, it occurred to me that I have lost the help of my children somehow again.  It happens very slowly.  And then one day I wake up and notice that they are having all the fun and I am doing all the work.  I am wise to them and called a family meeting.


Ended up that being home was a wonderful idea because our huge box of books for next year arrived from Sonlight!  The kids and I looked through the books.  No one can wait until next year.  We will probably have to start early.  The boys had a paper fight with the packing materials.  I put together my new binder.  Hooray! 

Friday:

Took a planned day off from school to get groceries and a new coffee grinder.  Speaking of school, it was a great week.  Here is Ryan's Arabian Tale.

The Story of Akil and Aswad

A long time ago, there lived in a large city a wise, strong man who was very rich. His name was Akil, which means ‘The one who uses reason’. He inherited his riches from his hardworking father, and lived with his wife, Zahrah, who was the most beautiful woman in the city, and his children. The men of the city praised Akil for his wisdom, and his four sons and two daughters loved him.

But one day, as he was sleeping, fifteen robbers, who were stronger than they were wise, silently broke into his home, robbing and kidnapping him. He was taken far north, to the oasis west of the mountain. The chief robber was Aswad, a man who was as evil as he was smart. Akil was put in a tent, alone with guards at the door.

At night, Akil (who was a wise man, do not forget) sharpened a stick and made a knife. With his knife, he cut a whole in the back of the tent. Stealing one of the Aswad’s horses, he made his way south to his city, knowing the route because he had been to the oasis many times as a child, and had brought his own sons hunting the gazelle that lived there.

After he had ridden for almost two hours, he was home. His wife and children had missed him, but not knowing where the robbers took him, they could not look for him. Akil knew that Aswad would move camp so that his thieves could not be found, but helped the city’s men ride out to capture Aswad’s robbers.

When they got to the oasis, it was clear that Aswad had moved camp the day before, and that they moved west. The group of men rode after the robbers, as fast as they could. In an hour, they overtook Aswad’s men, who attacked Akil’s men, hoping to escape. But the city’s men outnumbered the robbers, and soon they were led back to the city to be punished.

Akil’s vast riches were recovered, along with the riches of other men who had been robbed. The city secretly increased security, and although Aswad tried to escape to murder Akil, he was stopped. 
The end.  

I thought he did a good job with this assignment.  Grace is writing her story in the African style and will have hers done soon.  Perhaps she will let me publish it here.  It's about a Prudent Turtle, I think. 

Love that face!

So there you have our week.  I hope yours was good as well.
~Jenn