Lake Michigan in February

Just a few notes taken down recently at my favorite spot on this great earth!  

The shelf ice, dangerous as it is beautiful, was spectacular.  It hides the lake until you climb a little higher onto the dunes, exposing the bright, clear blue water.  I love to see the waves crashing behind the shelf ice, producing a clap of spray.  It was hard to capture on film, but you can kind of see it in this next photo. 

Here is a good shot of Dune Creek, which empties into the lake.  I love how it snakes through the beach. 

I love to hear the reaction of locals (my husband's family) when we tell them that we went to the lake.  They think we are crazy.  I think it is they who are missing out.  I cannot imagine living 3 miles from this awesome place and only going to the beach during the summer. 

This Week at Home

In which, we start really slow and catch up, despite it all! 


On the Heart and Mind:

Our weekend away last week, while wonderful, took its toll.  Trevor came home with a fever of 102F and has been struggling all week with tiredness and congestion.  I came home with some kind of stomach flu or food poisoning.  Therefore, I did not even get out of bed all day Monday to face the world!  It was Wednesday before I felt normal. Otherwise, the weekend was wonderful.

 Shelf ice on Lake Michigan. 

 Grace's dress matches the cake!  (Unplanned) 

 My little men! 

Learning and Life: 

We took off Monday to recover and Thursday was a day for the kids to play with my Mom.  Because of our flexible schedules as homeschoolers, we will still be able to get our planned 5 days of lessons this week.  We will just do Saturday school while Daddy is working overtime.  It all works out in the end! 

Despite our unusual schedule this week, we finished Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling.  There were a few stories that really captured the kids' imaginations.  For me, I found the language  hard to read aloud sometimes.  He would use nonsense words, kind of like Dr. Seuss. Otherwise a fun book.

We finished a short book on the culture of India, and started another book on the people of India. We also read an entire short book on Gandhi.  We started a biography about Mother Teresa and a couple fictional books, one called Shadow Spinner and the other, Ali and the Golden Eagle.   So far Shadow Spinner is very interesting.  I'll write more about that next week.

Math Tacular is working out just the way I hoped.  It is a good way to put into practice the skills we have learned this far.  The story problems in Math Tacular 4 are just what we needed.  The review games in 3 are fun too.  Long division is on hold for another time, which really is OK.

 Isn't it beautiful? I could sit here for hours and just stare.  

 Scary!

In the Kitchen:  

Friday:  Breakfast Night
Saturday:  Cheeseburgers
Sunday:  Roasted Chicken
Monday:  Stir Fry & Spring Rolls
Tuesday:  Homemade Pizza
Wednesday:  Pasta & Homemade Maranara Sauce
Thursday:   Chicken Soft Tacos

Waiting at Grandma's House.

On the Nook:

I had a great deal of time to read while I recovered this week.  I devoured Lousia May Alcott's Little Men, which is so dear!  I've uploaded her An Old Fashioned Girl, however, I really need to get back to Senior High: A Home-Designed Form+U+LA, by Barbara Edtl Shelton.  Maybe I'll do a little of both.  *wink* 

 My little woman! 

Scripture Memory Work:

Week two of working on Proverbs 3: 21-23 NLT

21 My child, don't lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them,

22 for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace.

23They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble. 

 

 

 I bought myself some spring! 

 

Quote of the Week:  

 

Another quote from Little Men.  

"Simple, generous goodness is the best capital to found the business of this life upon.  It lasts when fame and money fail, and is the only riches we can take out of this world." 

Our front walk this morning.  (It won't last!)  

So, that is our week, my friends, another beautiful week of learning and life together at home. 

~Jenn

Homeschool Fashion Show

A picture is worth a thousand words, or so they tell us.  One of the things I love about home education is how my children are free to dress as they desire without peer pressure.

Even at our church, Grace has told me that she feels odd being one of only one or two of the girls in 5th grade who consistently wears dresses.  And it is no wonder.  We tried to find a new dress for Grace at the nearby stores and it was nearly impossible.  But that is another reason we do not support those companies, if we can avoid it.

Hats are big! 

When I was in the 5th grade, chasing boys was the popular sport.  Wearing tight jeans with a comb in the back pocket to keep your winged bangs perfect was high fashion.  I'm glad my kids are free of all that.

I'm glad that we are a home educating family!  Sometimes you are so glad that you just have to give it a shout!

A Mother's Brave and Tender Love

"...for no matter how lost and soiled and worn-out wandering some may be, mothers can forgive and forget every thing as they fold them in their fostering arms.  Happy the son whose faith in his mother remains unchanged, and who, through all his wanderings, has kept some filial token to repay her brave and tender love." 

from Little Men, Lousia May Alcott 

(Oh, I am really enjoying this book!  My dear, not-so-little, son downloaded it for me onto the Nook when I was having a recovery day this week.  It is so handy to have a son who likes computer gadgets.  I would be lost without him to guide me through them all.) 

This Week at Home

In which we had a great week!

On my heart and mind:

My mind is whirling today as there is so much to do before we leave for a family wedding this weekend.  Jeff's "little" brother is getting married Saturday!  I am very thankful that we are all healthy and that the weather is cooperating for our travels.

I am also thinking about what a good week we've had and how much I appreciate being well again.

Visiting Grandma Last Sunday

Learning and Life:  

We finished  the book about William Carey.  Oh, he had so many troubles in this world, yet he was always moving forward to build God's Kingdom.  What an example!   

We started a little book on the culture of India.  The pictures are great.  We are certainly getting good at recognizing  world views.  The book stresses how people of India value tolerance so that the many different people who live there can coexist.  It was a good and lively discussion we had after reading that!  This is why I love Sonlight so much.  We are so enjoying this year.  

Math Tacular 3 & 4 arrived!  We watched a little yesterday.  Grace and Trevor will be playing some of the suggested multiplication games in 3 today for review.  They can also start from the beginning of 4, which is story problems.  I am going to have Ryan start deeper into the program so that he is not too bored.  It starts with rather simple problems and ends up very complex.  Even my husband, who is Mr. Mensa, said that he's impressed with the complexity.  This book will last us the rest of our homeschool career.

I also got my copy of Senior High:  Form+U=La .  I am no longer in a panic about high school, by the way. 

Grace painted this for me! 

Grace crocheted this for her dragon!  

In the Kitchen:  

Cookies!  We made Snickerdoodle cookies for a bake sale at church this week. 

The rotation menu I started last week is going well.  It just takes out all the guess work.  And I am able to still shop wisely because the categories are flexible and filled with several ideas.  For example, if my store has a sale on a certain meat, that fits right in with several categories.  I still think planning a menu around sales is the cheapest way to go, as long at they don't pull you into buying more! 

 Grace bought herself some new boots to play in the mud! 

We went to a favorite park. 

On the Nook:

I started reading, My Lady Ludlow by Elizabeth Gaskell.  I wanted to read it after watching Cranford.  So far it is interesting, but kind of a simple book.  No real plot twists.  I will finish it soon. It is going to take me a long time to read Senior High:  Form+U=La, so my husband will have his Nook all to himself for awhile.  

Scripture Memory Work:  

Working on this passage for the next couple weeks.  

Proverbs 3: 21-23 NLT

21 My child, don't lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them,

22 for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace.

23They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble. 

Picture of the Week:

I told them to do that, by the way. 

Have a great weekend!  Check back next week for pictures of "my" lake!

 ~Jenn

Am I Choosing a Dirty Home?

What are my goals for my home?  What should they look like?  Certainly, they are not to have an impeccably clean home.  No chance of that with 3 kids here all day, every day.  It's taken a long time to relax my high ideals.  But, I still struggle with them.

I suppose my goal for my home is to be at a level of cleanliness that does not embarrass me if someone drops by.  If my house goes past this level of clean, I start to feel a sense of foreboding and even dread.  This happens quite often.  During the school year, I do not have energy to devote to my ideal house cleaning routine.  It is listed on one of the tabs above.  It mocks me.  It laughs at me. Maybe I should delete it.  (hee, hee).

I know that this is a topic near and dear to most home educating mothers.  Like I said, it took me a very long time to stop fighting the desire for perfection.  I remember asking my husband once about his desires for our home.  I have to love his simple, happy-go-lucky attitude.  He said the only things that matter to him was for me to have dinner ready when he got home, to have the trash cans, dishes, and laundry under control.  I'd have to say that is a pretty easy man to please.  You better know that I try to keep these three things under control.  I also know that he doesn't like the family room sectional to be in a mess.  It happens a lot.  The kids pile blankets on it while watching a movie.  They drag their things in and they pile up, too.  It is the first thing he sees when he comes home.  I try to keep the kids accountable for this area, but sometimes we slip.  Like right now.

Besides those things, daily I try to keep the bathrooms sanitary.  I sweep up the entry way and wipe it down when I can see the sweeping did not do the job.  Twice a week or so, I make sure the carpet in the living areas is swept.  My oldest son does that job.  The other two help me as requested.  And they pick up their things.  They are the two that seem to get out and leave around the most stuff.  I just feel better when things are tidy.  Sometimes I even dust!  (ha, ha)

My standards of clean would not impress my dear, expert cleaner grandmother, but my husband seems happy, so everything else I do is just gravy!  I suppose that is the whole point to this little essay.  I like to make my husband happy.  I really do.  And I am blessed to have a husband who doesn't put heavy burdens of high expectations on me in this area.  Thank you, Lord!

~Jenn

"No Poo" & a New Doo

6 inches gone! 

Hello Dear Friends,

Six inches of my locks are gone!  What a relief!  It was getting so tangled and taking a lot of time to comb it after I washed it and used 2 different products to get the comb through.

I made another change regarding my hair.  I decided to go "no poo."  I have been reading about this craze for a long time.  I did not think much of it until I started to think about the cheap shampoo I use and how many chemicals are in there.  I won't be saving much money, by switching to this method, but I will be avoiding those unwanted chemicals, no longer using a detergent on my hair, and stop stripping the natural oils in my hair.  

So what is "no poo?"  It certainly doesn't mean not washing your hair, as I had thought.  It is very simple, actually.  You wash your hair with a baking soda and water mixture, then you rinse it in an apple cider and water mixture.  I am amazed at how great my hair feels after using this method for the last few washes.

To learn more and read a better blog about this method, go here.

Have any of you gone this route?  Are there other personal care products you've switched from to a more natural product?