Some days tougher than others....

It's been a few months since I've had time, energy, or even inspiration enough to update this blog, for that I apologize.  

We have had a great start to our homeschooling despite all that's happened from the beginning of our school year.  The kids are in Karate and Boxing, and Annie may soon start gymnastics, Matthew has decided he hates Algebra, Nicholas was nominated to be an ambassador to People to People and has the chance to go to Japan if we can raise the funds to cover his tuition next year on a summer venue, but that may/may not happen, heck we're proud of him just for being nominated.  Way to go Nick!!!!!  Eric our oldest pretty much thinks school now that he's a sophomore is burdensome of his time...we keep telling him he's wrong and we're praying it's just a late phase of laziness he's entered.  James Jr. and Annie have made wonderful strides in math and reading, so much so that tomorrow they've earned a treat to dinner out with me and their daddy at Steak & Shake.  Couldn't ask for a better start there.

But as to my absence from the blog, we lost our precious baby Jesse August 9, 2010.  We were 16 weeks and devastated.  Nothing could be done short of saving my life.  It hurt and was one of the most painful things our family has ever experienced.  Burying a baby noone should ever ever have to do.

But that's not the worst part, the worst part is people around me, I have a few friends or those I thought were friends who have either ceased in calling me or hanging out with me for whatever reasons but they act like remembering my son is the same thing as remembering something forbidden. God forbid I remember it, think about it, talk about it, acknowledge it in some way. I might be re-traumatized. I get they don't know what to do, what to say, how to act... Do they think I'm relieved that they purposefully avoid honouring my son's memory lest I shed a tear? Well, aren't they the heroes at saving my heart anymore pain?!!!

Do they really think that someone who has lost a child never wants to speak of it? I'm so sick of people pretending my child doesn't exist. I want to shout it from the rooftops: Jesse existed!".

Why do we all feel so angry and upset over this that we're willing to go to incredible lengths to force the people around us to realize we had another child?

It's because of them!!!!

Their selfish caution that they feel it's okay to deny the existence of my child completely. A child I loved, cherished, wanted, desperately prayed and hoped for, cried over and will never forget.

All I have left is a mere memory of that day.  A memory of being pregnant and horrendously losing my child in a brutal delivery only to have him whisked away before I ever got to see him completely, my memory of him in the doctors hands, the blood, almost losing consciousness into some warm golden white misty void and then having to deal with bereavement people, get his death certificate, get assistance and help from the church to bury him and then picking out his casket!

How easy is it for them to forget? Good for them, I sure do hope they sleep well at night because I haven't.  Let's just not talk about it. That will be better for them, right?  Well, I go about my day reminded every second that I'm missing our son, our baby, our Jesse throughout my home? Well excuse me if they're offended by my anger.

I don't need people to walk on eggshells. I need them to treat me normally, treat me with respect, and treat me like a mother.   At this point they can take their "good intentions" and shove it.  Yes I said shove it and I know that's not very Christ-like of me, but I'm tired of those around me calling themselves my friends when a friend wouldn't treat me or my kids the way we've been treated or should I say ignored?

For those that care and have called and sent cards and well wishes and even prayed for us, a big big thank you from the bottom of my heart, that means more than you can ever know.

Thank you for viewing.  Tomorrow I will post about the two illnesses I have Systemic Lupus and Fibromyalgia, there's some things that need to be addressed and what they are and how it plays into and effects our lives from normal family things, to homeschooling, to even relationships again with so called friends.

With all that said goodnight and thank you for reading this far!  And I've got videos of the kids coming up that are a must see for those following our journey. 

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Errands, Pipe Cleaners, and fun oh my...

It's been an interesting week so far.  We're nearing our completion of learning of England's beginnings, triumphs, and losses and of it's famous women, Beatrix Potter, and Margaret Thatcher to name just a couple. 

Annie is preparing for her 1st drama play coming up, she gets to play an Ant and a Snowdancer.  Costumes are easy enough but we still need to get a black headband, pipe cleaners and also some white and blue fabric and some glitter, I'm still trying to decide between gold and silver - of course I could use both.

Today is a very light day here in our home school schedule, a day mostly filled with simple work book pages.  For me that's a blessing as I have to get ready to do errands here in a bit, and stop in a quick trip to the grocery store.  Always fun.  Tonight might just be a burger and fries night.  Sounds good to me, maybe even I'll show Nicholas, our esteeming young cook, how to saute onions and mushrooms for the burgers. I think he's going to grow up and give Emeril a run for his money - BAM!

We have exciting news, our dog Roxy is pregnant and due with her pups around the middle - end of May.  It will be a learning experience for the kids in Animal Science, but it will also be fun to have baby puppies, love their little faces and their puppy smell.  But, we'll be giving them away to good homes when the time comes, I just hope the kids and even I do not get so attached.

Well off to do last minute preps before going out.

Snow, Taxes, Shopping, and my Robot Foot

Truth be told, winter is supposed to be a peaceful time of the seasons as things are covered in a pure white blanket of serenity and calm.  But not here in my neck of the woods, for even though we're blanketed with a crisp pretty snow and due to get more by the week-end it's been anything but peaceful and calm.

For starters  there was a roller skating accident about 2 weeks ago that left me with what my children have now deemed the "Robot Foot".  That's my walking air cast in the picture (and yes my foot is in it) as I have a fractured foot.  Needless to say I've learned not to help teenagers try to roller skate that do NOT have any balance whatsoever.  Hopefully though in 4 more weeks I'll be back to normal, as right now it's touch and go, as long as I am not up on it too much it doesn't hurt that bad, but when they want to go shopping or I have to be up doing chores boy does it get pretty painful and swollen.

We did get our taxes done and that's a blessing as it's allowed us to buy some needed toys for the kids we couldn't otherwise afford, help my parents out some, and pay our bills and there is even enough to begin to redo our great room and turn it into a master bedroom for my hubby and me.  That will also be an excellent way we've learned to provide some industrial arts/shop classes for the boys, I just pray they wait to begin til I have a stocked first aid kit and a fire extinguisher as my hubby in contrast could give Tim Allen who portrays Tim the  "Tool Man" Taylor on Home Improvement a run for his money and throw in 4 boys in the mess and well I'd say we'd almost have a pretty good sitcom of our own here.

Today we took a free day to just enjoy each other and also to get caught up on some household chores, but there is still much to do.  I think I could give those household shows about decluttering and ways to make things less cluttered a headache if they were to come visit us.  My house beats all so far as I know.

Tomorrow Annie has drama which she missed last week due to her birthday and the weather etc and timing of things so hopefully she won't be too far behind in the class as they only covered the Story of the Ant and the Grasshopper but still, I don't like it when she has to miss a class as it seems to throw us all off of schedule.

But she had a great party, I've got to upload into the computer her pictures soon and I will and write about it, hard to believe she's 9 now, but her party was grand and all her friends she wanted to be there came and she had a lovely time.  Me I'm glad it only happens once a  year for her.  Now no more parties until summer, but at least then the weather will be warmer and I shouldn't be needing a cast then I hope.

I See Snowflakes and the Kids See $$ Dollar Signs

Last week Nicholas and James Jr.  worked together after the snow we'd first gotten and made a total of $24 dollars shoveling driveways for people.  Last night we had a monstrous system move in on us, and today through tomorrow (they've forecasted) it's unloading.  Whereas I see pretty falling snow, the kids are seeing nothing but dollar signs falling from the sky, but it's given them the pefect intro to business math and making a small budget for their candy, pop, and gum.  It's great when even mother nature helps to provide school without the kids realizing it.  Here is what our neck of the woods looks like today:

It's up over the tires and that evergreen across the way just looks so pretty covered in snow!

This is headed down towards my mom's and nothings moving.

And this is across the way from our house....course that's not our trash can across the street, Nicholas had already went out and gotten our this morning but as you can see noone is really out in this and there is no traffic at all back here on our side at all.

It's snowing again here and who knows I might have to film the kids when they go out and have a snowball fight while this stuff is coming down.......sounds like a fun idea for them....and will give me a reason to play around with the computer gadgets on here....

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow....

Yeah where was this stuff when it was Christmas?  Ahh well, better late than never right?  And on top of it Annie was down hearted as there was no drama class today.

Mind you this was around 5 or so and it was only truly beginning to pile up....it's alot more now tonight and before it's over by tomorrow we're expected to have up to 10 inches, then by Tuesday of next week another 5 inches.  Can we say sledding, snowman building and snowball fights?  The kids are planning and the older ones are looking forward to shoveling driveways and making some money.

And here is another couple pictures of the kids and even Brad.....

This one here is my favorite!

My latest find

  I had to post this, I stumbled across this earlier in the evening and thought it was grand.  You know they say it takes a village to raise a child, but I don't know about you, but the village didn't give birth to my child, nor does the village hold the same values as I, nor does the village support my child in regards to love, nurturing, clothing, toys, books and more, so I really felt this summed it up for me, the village couldn't even teach our chidlren adequately before we started homeschooling and I certainly don't want them raising my children...so this is very cool.  Yeah I know I can be mean and sarcastic, but when it comes to my babies (well they're not babies anymore) I can't help myself, afterall I love them and want what's best for them, and I'm sorry but the village is failing and I certainly don't want that for my children.

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words...

Today even though really frigidly cold was good.  Annie did very well in presenting her picture to the drama class my father told me as he stayed in it with her while I sat out talking to another mother whose daughter is in the class with mine and whom now I am friends with as well and I might even be attending a co-op she belongs to with her to see if it's something we'd like to do as well.  So it was a good afternoon.

 

 This is Annie with her picture she painted, although I did help her with the butterfly and showed her how to make the flowers, but everything else is her original work.  Not too bad.  She could be a famous artist yet.  She said she had herself with her friends from drama class at the park by a lake/pond.  I thought it was just beautiful.

After their presentations were done they reviewed Pantomime (acting without words) while using props, played games, did solo mimes and talked about exploring improvisation.

Now for a little ...

History

A 'pantomime' in Ancient Greece was originally a group who 'abused all' (panto- - all, mimos - abuse) accompanied by sung narrative and instrumental music, often played on the flute. The word later came to be applied to the performance itself.^[2] The pantomime was a popular form of entertainment in ancient Greece and, later, Rome. Like theatre, it encompassed the genres of comedy and tragedy and sex.

The style and content of modern pantomime have very clear and strong links with the Commedia dell'arte, a form of popular theatre that arose in Italy in the Early Modern Period, and which reached England by the 16th century. A 'comedy of professional artists' travelling from province to province in Italy and then France, they improvised and told stories which told lessons to the crowd and changed the main character depending on where they were performing. The great clown Grimaldi transformed the format. Each story had the same fixed characters: the lovers, father, servants (one being crafty and the other stupid), etc. These roles/characters can be found in today's pantomimes.

Traditional stories

Panto story lines and scripts typically make no reference to Christmas, and are almost always based on traditional children's stories, including several written or popularized by the French pioneer of the 'fairy tale' genre, Charles Perrault, as well as others based on the English tales collected by Joseph Jacobs. Plot lines are often 'adapted' for comic or satirical effect, and certain familiar scenes tend to recur, regardless of plot relevance. 'Straight' re-tellings of the original stories are rare in the extreme.
The most popular titles are:

• Aladdin (sometimes combined with Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and/or other Arabian Nights tales. It can also be set in China rather than the Middle East)
• Babes in the Wood (often combined with Robin Hood)
• Beauty and the Beast
• Cinderella, the most popular of all pantomimes and first shown in 1870 in Covent Garden, London
• Dick Whittington and His Cat, first staged as a pantomime in 1814, based on a 17th century play.
• Goldilocks and the Three Bears
• Goody Two Shoes
• Jack and the Beanstalk (Sometimes including references to nursery rhymes and other children's stories involving characters called Jack, such as Jack and Jill)
• Little Red Riding Hood
• Mother Goose
• Peter Pan
• Puss in Boots
• Robinson Crusoe
• Sleeping Beauty
• Snow White
• The Princess and the Pea
• The Snow Queen 

So you see, Annie just by being introduced to Pantomime is getting her feet wet into a great beginning of understanding drama and hopefully her devotion will continue throughout her schooling and may even lead to something greater one day.  Who knows she may be on Broadway one day....

Now while she was in class I was introduced to a new health supplement drink that I must say grabbed my taste buds really quick but one that I actually liked and gave me a natural pick me up - had it not been for Brenda today (Annie's friend Zoe's mom that I am now friends with) I would never have tried it.  It's as I've learned from research Acai (pronounced, ah-sigh-ee), a purple colored fruit from the acai palm, has shown to contain more antioxidants than grapes, wines and even blueberries. With a wonderfully berry taste and other nutritional values.  Who knew I would like this drink so much, but I did...and I must warn you though the first drink kind of grabs you as very sweet yet tart, but after that it's good.  I mean really good.  I might even have to go pick me up some of this soon.  So thank you Brenda for offering me one today!

Oh but thank goodness the day is done for now...Matthew has a function to go to possibly this evening with his girlfriend provided his dad let's him as he's been grounded (yes I said the dreaded G word) and then tomorrow Annie has a birthday party to go to at a skating rink for one of her friends' birthday parties and then at some point this week-end I've got some more house cleaning to do and we've got to hit the grocery store.

I am toying with the idea of supper this evening as cheaply as can be done and I've came up with grilled cheese sandwiches so far or maybe home-made cheeseburgers....they both actually sound good so we'll see what dinner brings.

Good Morning Bacon and Let's Not Burn the House Down.

This morning Nick wanted his home economics learning to be how to cook bacon and eggs on our gas stove.  Okay not a problem as I knew he'd not cooked bacon before, but I was puzzled by the request of cooking the eggs until he explained that this would be his first time on our gas stove and he was only used to an electric stove and electric skillet.  With it being a rather good point he was making, we sat out to do so.

He did rather well with the experience but the main thing with him we decided was learning that not only does grease pop when cooking bacon, but it's also important to realize you don't need the fire up so high, as that in itself can be dangerous.  And then we quickly did a quick lesson on fire safety and kitchen safety.  He took it all in like a sponge and asked good questions in respect to the why's of things.  And then said he'd like to own his own restaurant someday as he really enjoys cooking etc and his next home ec class he's asked if he can learn to make macaroni and cheese.  So that's really cool...And I also know that once summer sets in he'll want to learn how to cook on the grill too.  I can already see that coming, guess we'll be learning then of outdoor fire safety at that time.

So this morning was bacon, eggs, toast, and fire safety for home ec class.

I know it doesn't seem like we're doing lots but with Nick it's actually his 3rd class for the day as he takes his Science, Language and sometimes Reading books with him to bed the night before and does the next days' assignments as homework so he's already done when he gets up with at least 2 classes.  And JJ has workbook sheets he's doing today and Annie has her workbooks she'll be doing ready for this evening when her daddy gets home...shes' been working with him the past couple evenings.

Matthew is hiding I think as he's reached a critical point with his Algebra where he's bombed an assignment and he now "hates" it as he put it....not to mention he thinks the instructor on the DVD series that came with the Saxon Algebra is boring...what is it with the kids and boring...seems like we've heard that phrase tossed out already this week and the weeks not even over.  Got to track Matthew down.

So now we're into the afternoon and here I am waiting for Eric to pop in for our afternoon history class, which today's assignment is on The Invention of the Printing Press and Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation....should be interesting on one scale that if the printing press wasn't invented the Bible wouldn't have found it's way into many hands...in fact this is the most important invention ever in the history of the world and it played a part in furthering the production of the most important book in the world.  Come to think of it this history class can also be counted for bible class as well.  I like it when our subjects link up.

English is fun, we've entered in the upper grades Pre-Writing and Narratives, now mind you only Nick is into writing the way that I am, Matthew would prefer to draw pictures but when pushed he can tell a good tale orally, the hard part is getting him to put words from mouth to pen to paper, and Eric, oh heaven help us as he's just into reading really and not much of anything else, in fact I worry it might be the one part of his class that he bombs.  But, I guess not every child fancies the same subjects or even learning itself.

Guess we'll just see what happens .....But Eric does fancy one thing, and that's grossing others out, his latest is drinking Barbecue Sauce straight out of the jar....yep straight.

His poor tastebuds!!!!!

Snow Mom, We don't wanna get up!

We did get more snow this morning and have more coming in later this evening.  The kids will love it.

As you can see we got a pretty good covering.  Course noone's out and it's all so neatly laid down from falling slowly overnight and all morning.  And it smells fresh and crisp.  But it's cold, it's only 17 degrees out there.

And that prompted our discussion of snow and how they didn't want to get up and wanted to lay down for a just awhile longer.  So I was nice I let them.  Of course JJ has been up since 8 a.m. and check it out - my little man is not such a cave man after all (you should read that post of mine below regarding) you can tell he doesn't like the dishes scene, but hey he's over there I have proof he won't melt and can do it.

Now if I could just get him to work with his dad on that wooden kitchen drawer missing part of itself I'd be doing something, I keep telling him it's a good project for shop class....and the way I figure it's only a hammer some nails, and wood glue and oh yeah the wooden piece that's missing.

Well, now that brunch (breakfast + lunch) is out of the way, I've got them preparing for afternoon classes which will really be small considering they slept the morning away (but it was a nice treat for them)...and look what I found as I was toying with something for Home Economics :

Spotty Cat Wall Quilt Kit Giveaway

Gifted by Rachel’s of Greenfield

Image from Rachel’s of Greenfield
www.rachelsquiltkits.com

Kit includes: All fabrics and woolfelt® to complete quilt, complete patterns, illustrated instructions, batting, buttons, embroidery floss, and full size templates.


Contest ends January 29, 2010. You can enter once daily, so return often to improve your chances of winning!

Enter Give-A-Way Here

Now that's really cool and pretty.  Course I need to focus on projects the boys can do also.....I doubt they'd be willing to learn to quilt.

Oh and yesterday, it was expressed to me, during a chaotic class on Constantine in history that they thought learning history and learning bible was BORING, yep they said it but they more or less yelled it at me.  So does it really have to be boring?

Well, you can try out the Emma Leslie Church History Series for yourself ABSOLUTELY FREE!

And I'm yelling that out, as it's cool I think.  They are offering a FREE DOWNLOAD of the entire first book in the series, Glaucia the Greek Slave right now.  

The free download is only AVAILABLE THROUGH THURSDAY, JANUARY 28TH...

and since I have one child who is patiently waiting for us to get his Greek Mythology material and is fascinated with anything Greek, this might be up his alley.

To get your download - Click here! 

I'll let you know how it goes with us......for now off to do Math with Annie... 

The Fed-Up Homeschoolers Wish List

  This is so right on I hope I will remember how the creator of this video has expressed the views  here as I have ran into many who asked those questions of me and my family and looked at us as if we're from another planet as we don't follow the norm.

A Homeschool Family....Oh too cute!

Yeah we can relate to the recess in the hallway scene...TOO FUNNY!!!!

Beef Stew, Snow and Family Oh My!

Beef Stew this is lunch and good too on a cold wintry day as today.






Now here is some updated pictures of our snowy day! 

This is outside just across the way, you can see my bushes that have lost all their leaves.  This season and it's coming down although it looks so hazy..almost like fog.

As you can see Roxy is not happy about being out in the back, while taking this picture Motley was underneath me trying to push his way back in and he wasn't too happy either.

As you can see in this one, that mess of bricks was nicely arranged and stacked at one time as our fire pit, but well the dogs have had their fun and it's a mess, come spring we'll be redoing this as a family project with mortar the way it should be done and they won't knock it down no more!

Our cat Boots didn't care what was going on today, he was just happy to be in the window and alone.

Here you can see Annie is NOT thrilled that Eric is doing something she wants to do and also that he has a soda!  Oh the tattling....

All in all though they do love each other and have fun sometimes.....let's see the one guzzling the milk, that's Matt, to his right is Nick, then Annie's in the front she was giggling and moving frantically cause Eric was tickling her, and that's Eric to her right......hey wait JJ's not there, he's usually in on this fun....oh that's right he disappeared with his lunch and his video tapes.....  What a day.  And we haven't even started history yet!

IAHE 25th Annual Home School Convention

   Home School Convention 
Fri. & Sat., February 26th - 27th, 2010

                       8 A.M. to 6 P.M     

Many organizations, publishers, and businesses serving the homeschooling community will be represented - displaying textbooks, teaching materials, and enrichment aids for on-site examination and purchase. Your convention registration includes unlimited access to the Exhibit Hall, which will remain open continuously each day from 8:00 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.

An “Exhibit Hall Only” pass is available each day after 2:00 p.m. and is valid for the day it is obtained. Limiting the hours for “Exhibit Hall Only” passes allows those who have paid the full convention registration fee the opportunity to shop in the early hours when crowds are lighter. It also provides shopping time at a discounted rate for those who do not wish to attend workshops. This pass may be purchased at the registration booth for $20/person, $25/married couple, and $10/child ages 4-19. Toddlers three years of age or younger are free but must be carried or in a stroller.

General Session Saturday, February 22:  The last General Session, from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m., will be open to the public free of charge. Rev. Peter Marshall will be speaking on Christian Education and the Struggle for America’s Soul.

Directions: The Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium are located at 100 South Capitol Avenue, two blocks south of the State Capitol Building in the center of Indianapolis.

To register click here! 

If you home educate or are thinking of home educating - this Convention is for you!

Jupiter, Snow, and Coffee

Early morning hours and seeing the slow cascade of snow falling warmed my heart (yep I said it as I love winter, especially snowy winter days, it's so beautiful) as I learned we're to expect snow showers that will increase in coverage and intensity but roughly no great accumulation maybe 1 inch or so they say....I've learned living in Indy that the weather forecast can change on a whim.

And just as I've settled down for my morning coffee, Nick brings in his Science schoolwork, done.  The kid is fast, and exceptionally bright considering his dilemma with Autism (he's had it since age 2 and is on the high end of the spectrum so you wouldn't really know he has it, unless of course you're dealing with his tantrums then you can tell.)

"You will weigh way more on Jupiter than you are weighing on earth!  You will feel super heavy!!! "  That's the first thing Nick related to me that he had learned from his morning work in science today.  He then though asked me if I thought they'd blow that planet up someday....where that came from I don't know, but I'm pretty sure they won't, and even if they did it would take a lot of missiles as Jupiter is 1000 times bigger than earth.  Either way he was proud that he'd completed his work before anyone else in the house had gotten up, guess it just goes to show the earlier you rise the more you accomplish - sort of like the early bird who catches the worm.  And with Nick he's always up early no matter what.  He rarely sleeps in, and sometimes beats me up.  Wish I had his energy.

Oh back to my coffee I went.  Just sipping it savoring the warmth and flavor.  Wondering what the rest of the day will bring.  So far it's brought me a planetary presentation of the wonders of Jupiter and some necessary quiet time as the past few days have not been the most joyful for me, I've suffered with a migraine that wouldn't let up no matter what medicine I took and believe me I have some pretty powerful pain scripts specifically for it, so I know with the fact none of it worked and the mere fact I had to go lay down through them that this round was bad.  Don't know why I get them or what really triggers them, I do know noise and stress don't help them and well when you've got kids, you've got noise and stress too so there was no escape.

Speaking of escapes, last night we watched The Mummy Returns - Annie just adores those movies and I must say that I like them to.

The way she's fascinated with mummies I have to wonder how she's going to do in world history this spring as I introduce her and JJ (they're both in the same grade) to ancient worlds and times.  I bet she'll love it.

Alas this is it for my morning post, see you all in a bit!

West Africa - Togo

Today in church we met The Smiths, Assemblies of God missionaries that are leading many to Christ in Togo, and developing churches and leaders for the churches.  They are doing a great work as witnessing in West Africa alone is scary enough with the Muslim population itself, but also because in Africa there are many towns that practice other religions including voodoo.  So they come up against the dark spirits of evil moreso as they work to establish the light of Christ.

She brought with her various items from Africa, there was a wooden flute which looked like a bunch of bamboo chutes glued together and then it was polished etc, and there was drums (small) and a homemade tambourine and something Brad thought was a cowbell but it wasn't , we're not sure what it was...there was an item that had a wooden handle and what appeared to be hair (maybe of an animal such as a horse or another) that we can only assume was used to swat at flies?  there's no way it was for any kind of musical instraument, but it was interesting none the less.

It was interesting to hear her stories of the many who are coming to Christ over there and to see her zest for the Lord and the work she is doing with her hubby, now he wasn't there as he was in South Bend today visiting another church.  It's great to meet the missionaries our church supports and so far this year we've met three.  Two who do their work for Africa and one whom is going to France, yep believe it not France needs missionaries just the same.

Otherwise the day has been long, we spent a better part of it cleaning the kitchen, and sweeping, we're still not done as we need to do some serious decluttering but we've at least made a dent.  And I now have a working horn on my car again, Brad finally got it going and with the snow coming back for us a horn is going to be nice as I don't know what it is but Indy drivers seem to forget what they're doing the moment the roads get wet and the moment any snow falls.

Today is also the Colts game, which we're watching (mostly against my will) as they play the New York Jets and whoever wins this game goes to the Superbowl.  So go Colts!!!

The Drama Queen Surfaces

The drama queen has surfaced.  Tiny but powerful, Annie, in all her glory was thrilled she got to begin Creative Drama Class today.  She is also excited that she made 3 new girlfriends her own age - Kalli, Madison, and Zoe.  Annie and her friends (and I was impressed over this) sat gleaming with all the other girls and boys (there are 3 of them in the class believe it or not) and listened with great anticipation of what they're going to be doing this year.

They had a great start.  From introductions and birthdays to making up their own motions.  Then everyone took a stretching break and then it was time to see about the imagination of each child and if they could do it...it was so funny, Annie acted like she was a boxer hitting a punching bag.  But she did extremely well for which I was really surprised she chose such a boyish sport to portray - not that girls don't do boxing as I know they do, but at home she's playing with Barbies and dolls a lot and now I wonder if JJ really did decapitate her doll heads and remove some Barbie limbs...

There was two boys though I know Annie thought was funny and that would get along with her brother JJ so well, but JJ didn't want to do Drama Class this term.  But, back to these boys one boy was into kicking at imaginary enemies, shooting and rolling, you can pretty much tell what video games he must play he certainly reminded me of a future soldier.  Then another boy is a big time Star Wars fan as he mentioned them quite frequently and when it came time for his imaginary acting stunt for the other children to guess he was a Star Wars fighter using a laser weapon and when it was guessed he asked back "Yeah, but what kind?", I figure don't mess with the fans of movies because they expect a precise answer and appreciation for their favorite movie or show.  I think he'll be great at acting and possibly a future soldier wielding any type of laser weapon too as he certainly had the moves.

At the end of class they were given homework, so we'll be going to Walmart to get some poster board, paint, and construction paper as Annie is to make a picture of anything she wants then present it to the class next week and explain what it is and why she chose to make it.  Should be rather interesting and to safe-guard the table I already have plenty of newspaper.  Who knows she may even incorporate it into her picture as well.

On the way back from Drama Class Annie was full of joy expressing how she is thrilled to be doing this and that she wishes it were everyday and she can't wait until next Friday.  And neither can I as this is our first year we've ever done anything theater related.  And her teacher seems very nice and really great with kids in general and that's a plus.

Now tomorrow we're all going to Expo Bowl in the morning for the kids' first instruction class on how to bowl (and believe it or not it is free).  It should be fun, and even Eric is going to this one, then we should be able after that to continue the homeschooling bowling sessions and maybe even form our own league - that is if we can all agree what name we should call ourselves, either way it should be interesting and well it definitely makes our PE classes more fun for the kids to participate in.  There was no griping over going bowling let's just say that.

Cavemen can clean caves too it seems...

Today we spent our day focused on some aspects of home economics from learning about adjusting the fire on the gas stove to make pancakes without burning the house down to cleaning...yes cleaning, it's a dreaded word in this house as the boys fully view this as beneath them and complain and grumble when asked to help, so it's been incorporated into their home economic lessons even outside the kitchen, as I've determined that if they are to marry, their wives would be ever greatful when the babies start coming or she's down sick herself if their hubby knew how to clean and take care of the cave (I mean home here)

Nick has proved the most promising, taking care to make sure he's gotten into every reachable crevice he can fit his fingers and a paper towel or rag into when he's cleaning, and he's also learned the settings of the washer and dryer along with how to seperate clothes so his tee-shirts don't come out so girly...

JJ - Brad's prodigy likes to sweep but forgets that it won't magically jump into the trash can or the dust pan so he still needs work, and the cat's happy as we've also included a session on animal health as the litter box doesn't get cleaned by itself either and a dirty litter box is good for noone specially the noses of us.

Annie has decided she likes doing dishes even if for me it does mean a potential monsoon in the kitchen, but at the same time it's actually not so bad she kills two birds with one stone as my floor miraculously gets mopped at the end.

Matthew, well he's not had a good day, the only thing he's done is gotten up and grumbled around like an old man and listened to the classes along with his brothers and sister, but nonetheless he's not done anything, he isn't into this at all, thus he's the classic caveman and sooner or later he'll have to come out of this cycle lest his clothes and room suddenly are condemned by the health dept...

Eric pulled the same stunt as Matthew in regards to listening, but actually yelled out "Hey I do help when I'm asked"...I just looked at him as he's our oldest but rarely home and in fact mostly lives with Grandma and Grandpa and that's a whole other blog post by itself.  However, I will give him credit for the class and credit that he will do whatever I ask of him if it's not too complicated....maybe he's an inner caveman too secretly wishing for some cavewoman to come along so he'll have an escape.  He isn't into it you can tell.  But, his inner caveman loves fire and cooking hamburgers, I think he's going to have that one downpat and in spring I know he'll be hovering over the grill just waiting to throw the raw meat on.

They looked at me today though as if they were shocked I would propose learning more on top of all their other subjects they are to keep up with and that it must be a crime or cruel joke, but it's not.  This is good for them and besides us mothers tend so much to them when they're littler that it is good for them to take part, it not only shows them how to clean things and help others but it gives them responsibility and as I explained a couple of them are old enough to work this year, that is responsibility also, and if you can't learn responsibility and maintain it at home of what's expected of you or asked of you by others what really would an employer want with a young adult like that? But what really got to them was that many people I explained choose a career in the field of home ec, such as cooking (there are good Culinary Schools out there and one could end up famous like Emeril if they tried), and also cleaning as many people start their own cleaning businesses up and there's lots of money to made there.  Instantly $$ lit up their eyes...and Annie immediately was asking, "So this means every time I do dishes I get paid now?"  thus allowance schedules are underway and being prepared now, but the boys, oh the boys, they looked at me and I knew it was the same question coming that she'd asked and probably one of how much? so I just looked at them and said now for cavemen they're usually paid with meat!  They're expression was priceless and they knew I was joking, but time will tell if my little cavemen leave out of the cave and develop into modern men.

The Claw ....

The claw - it made it's way into our neighborhood today picking up the heavy trash that runs once a month here.  The claw - the low rumble approached, then the glued face to the window as my son Nick finds it worth his full attention beams with elation.  While I sat amazed watching his fascination this morning I wish many times his school subjects had that kind of charismatic effect on him.

Around lunch time he decides he wants to know a couple things about the magical claw.

#1. How much does it weigh?
#2. Could it pick up our car?

Deciding I didn't know the answers to this as - I'll be honest a career never interested me in the whole trash pickup thing, although my hubby works for a trash and recycling center called Rays - I did some research for Nick and here is what we have learned on The Claw:

#1.  A garbage truck can weigh 25 tons, about the weight of five elephants. (or more if you add in a claw which roughly weighs around 5000 pounds.)

#2.  A garbage truck's tires are as tall as the average five-year-old.

#3.  In the 1920's covered trucks were first introduced in Europe then by the 1930s, covered trucks were common place in the United States.

#4.  And yes the claw could pick up our car, considering they can pick thousands of pounds of trash up at one time.

Amazing the things you learn as you start the day....and with that said our day has neared another end with a few workbook pages assigned for homework...and still two garbage cans at the end of the drive waiting to be brought up....(but all the heavy trash is gone, thanks to The Claw)

The Dead Sea Scrolls

The Dead Sea Scrolls, which contain the most Ancient Hebrew Bible texts, will be used in the Messianic Prophecy Bible to prove that Yeshua fulfilled and still fulfills the prophecies concerning the Jewish Messiah. The oldest version of the Old Testament (Tanakh), was miraculously found in 1947 near the Dead Sea. These scrolls of the Bible were written in Hebrew from approximately 300 B.C.-68 AD. This was most likely the version that Yeshua and the Jewish people before him read.

The manuscripts of this Hebrew Bible were created 1000 years earlier than the translated Masoretic Hebrew Bible that Christians and Jews use today. Which one would one would you trust? I think I would go with this one personally.

Posted on Hwy 61 Hutchinson, Kansas‏

Rustic Remedies: Cures from Granny's Garden

EXHIBIT: Rustic Remedies: Cures from Granny's Garden
WHEN: Wednesday, January 20 through Saturday, April 3, 2010

WHERE: Indiana Medical History Museum, 3045 Vermont Street, Indianapolis, IN
COST: This exhibit is free with regular museum admission.
INFORMATION: (317) 635-7329
WEBSITE: http://www.imhm.org/

This exhibit highlights a few of the many medicinal plants that were
available in Pioneer Indiana. Learn more about these plants and their uses,
and get a preview of the museum's own Medicinal Garden which is lovingly
maintained by IMHM board member Kathleen Hull, M.D. and the Purdue Master
Gardeners of Marion County.

The dogs of history

Today - well that started with Bible and Old World History, the 1st thing my children learned was that Jesus was different than other religious world leaders, different in that all world religious leaders die, so did Jesus, but he also rose from the grave...noone else can say that.  He beat death!  My sons Eric and Matt and even Nick were like cool ....But then after he was gone a terrible ruler came into the playing world field, Nero, now here's a old time thug who was of the belief if you didn't worship him and his Gods than you were an enemy and thus Christian persecution was born.  To learn more on the history of Christian persecution I'd like to recommend this site http://www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org/christian-persecution.htm and also http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/history/persecution.htm

It's sad that in todays world not alot has changed, Christians are still persecuted but mostly at the hands of Islamic radicals all in the name of Allah....funny I don't remember Jesus killing anyone if they didn't worship or follow him.  Worst he ever did was throw the money changers out of the temple.

Then after getting through all those discussions we've taken a couple breaks, but also we're dealing our dog Roxy being in heat, and our two other dogs Buster and Motley going insane trying to be with her...we hoping she does have puppies but man, these two dogs are something else, if we separate them no matter who we put with who, the other whose left out goes nuts with what we'll call "dog jealousy"....oh these are so not the days.

Here is a picture of Motley - 

Here is a pic of Buster

When I can I'll add a picture of Roxy - but she's not to cooperative right now with her doggy pms and yes I do believe animals get it as us humans do.

We've ended our day with writing assignments from everything to just copywork (greatly inspired by Charlotte Mason - of whom you can learn of on one of many blogs one being - http://simplycharlottemason.com/home/blog/ and here is a snippet of what we love of Charlotte Mason and her teaching technique:

Charlotte Mason was a British educator who lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Her method, the Charlotte Mason method, is centered around the idea that education is three-pronged: Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life.

By “Atmosphere,” Charlotte meant the surroundings in which the child grows up. A child absorbs a lot from his home environment. Charlotte believed that atmosphere makes up one-third of a child’s education.

By “Discipline,” Charlotte meant the discipline of good habits — and specifically habits of character. Cultivating good habits in your child’s life make up another third of his education.
The other third of education, “Life,” applies to academics. Charlotte believed that we should give children living thoughts and ideas, not just dry facts. So all of her methods for teaching the various school subjects are built around that concept.

For example, Charlotte’s students used living books rather than dry textbooks. Living books are usually written in story form by one author who has a passion for the subject. A living book makes the subject “come alive.”

She taught spelling by using passages from great books that communicate great ideas rather than just a list of words.

She encouraged spending time outdoors, interacting with God’s creation firsthand and learning the living ways of nature.

But back to writing, we finished with -

O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. - Psalm 95:1

and

Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox. - Proverbs 14:4

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One more post before bed....

I have decided to write you one more post before I collapse into the bed tonight.  Today, well today was not so good.  The kids had the day off in lieu of the holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. and although they enjoyed their free day of school I am not so sure I did.  I had two that slept late into the afternoon, two who battled their wits out all afternoon with the PS2 and one who was online reading, and giggling like a hyena....needless to say the quite (or somewhat quiet) day allowed me to establish this blog and now I plan to daily try to post either musings of our endeavors on the homeschool trail or good articles and resources that I come across.

I talked with my best girl friend today who is going to start homeschooling in the fall and we're going to do lots together etc and she herself had a trying day with hers who were home as well and we discussed how there's just not enough Calgon - immediately that commercial from ages back popped into my head:



Well, my friend said she didn't need Calgon though she's got Mr. Bubbles -

And on that note I'm off to bed!

The Socialization Question: Living Outside “The Cave” – Part 1

One of the first concerns people share with me about homeschooling is their fear that their child or children will grow up to become social misfits.  That somehow life will become so small that it will revolve around the 3 R’s and chores… no more friends… no more playing… no more fun.  Deep sigh…

While I can understand this fear, in this article I hope to provide new homeschoolers – or those considering it – with some creative and practical ways to get some sunshine and socialization outside “the cave”.

First of all, I’d encourage you to develop a mindset that seeks learning opportunities outside of the books.  Although pre-packaged curriculum provide the structure and direction that so many new homeschoolers think they need, the danger lies in becoming a slave to them.  Home indeed becomes a stuffy and oppressive “cave” when we have to “get school done” before life moves on.  The activities I describe below are replete with educational benefits, and we use or have used all of them to homeschool our own.

Remember, socialization is important not only within one’s peer group, but inter-generationally.  One of the biggest drawbacks I find in public education is age segregation.  To most non-homeschoolers, socialization means having their kids in a class with others their own age.  This form of segregation is obviously an artificial environment when you realize that once out of school, children need to learn how to interact with people of all ages.  Therefore, creating a balance in socialization is crucial for healthy growth and development.  Here I will offer options that are primarily peer-oriented; Part II describes activities that provide more inter-generational experiences.

1. Scouting – This is also a terrific learning opportunity.  We have used the requirements for badges and pins as springboards for many subjects.  Between troop meetings, camping and the field trips we go on, the kids get quite a bit of fun and educational “kid time”.

2. Sports groups – Sports provide both exercise and socialization, along with the all-important development of team-work skills.  We’ve participated in teams at the Y, our town’s Recreation Department, and church leagues.  Homeschoolers in urban areas often have the added-advantage of homeschool leagues in certain sports.

3. Support group activities – Our local support group has twice-monthly classes (Friday classes) and monthly “extras”, as well as dances, yearbook, Key Club and other functions for the high-school set.  We also arrange periodic field trips and have a group that meets regularly for “park day” – fun for the kids and mom! Lots of opportunities for socialization here!

4. Museum classes – Many museums offer short-term classes or group lessons.  Our zoo offers a 6-week science class each semester, and the local cultural center has periodic day-long offerings.  Check with your local art,  history, or science museum to see what they might have planned.  This is a great way to meet kids from all over your area.

5. Church and religious organizations – Our church has both Sunday and Wednesday night programs for the kids, along with Vacation Bible school and summer camps.  An added benefit here is that while the kids are socializing in a supervised and safe environment, mom and dad get to socialize as well.  A true win-win!

Homeschooling doesn’t have to mean the end of an interesting and stimulating social life!  Use these ideas as a springboard to open up your mind and start investigating what’s available in your own area.  And then read Part II, where I present some other socialization options.

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Pat Fenner and her husband Paul have been homeschooling their five children for 14 years. You can visit Pat’s website at Help-4-Your-Homeschool.com.

Source: http://www.homeschool-articles.com/the-socialization-question-living-outside-the-cave-part-1/

Scheduling Method Made For Homeschoolers

Managers of Their Homes, or MOTH, as it’s sometimes referred to, is a spiral-bound, 180 page manual on the why and how-to of scheduling a large (or small) Christianhomeschooling family. Many books are written from a Christian worldview that can be read, enjoyed and used by non-Christians. MOTH, however, is not. After convincing you why scheduling is important the Maxwells give you “The Key to Successful Scheduling” (drum roll): it is for mom to have daily quiet time with the Lord.

Teri and Steve Maxwell are homeschool veterans, and they understand that homeschoolers have different needs than may be adequately covered by other scheduling methods. With this in mind, they have 5 chapters that address topics like interruptions and challenges to a schedule; they account for how a homeschool family’s schedule can change from school year to summer-time; and they have a unique view on how to schedule in “Priorities.” What qualifies as a “priority,” you wonder… it is sewing, reading to your preschoolers, painting, scrapbooking. This is one thing I had never considered, that I am grateful for the Maxwells for pointing out. Their philosophy is this: If you always wait for a four-hour, child-free block of time to do what you think is fun, or a task you must do (such as taxes), then you may never get around to it. But if each day you schedule a half-hour dedicated to that task, you will do it much sooner. Such time is well-spent if it helps a housebound (sorry, homeschooling) mother do things that rejuvenate her spirit.

Another thing that the Maxwells thought of is scheduling time for everyone who is involved in an activity. If Jackson has swimming at 5 p.m., what am I doing? What are the other kids doing? This system makes you account for everyone, each hour. It helps you consciously decide to do math with your fourth-grader while the baby naps.

One thing that was a totally new idea was having older siblings watch the younger siblings while you work one-on-one with a school-age child. It fosters sibling relationships, independence, care-taking, and responsibility!

Features that I found to be helpful included a Q & A section at the back, in which Teri Maxwell gives advice based on her family’s successful use of the system. Also encouraging were letters at the front of each chapter from one of the 24 families that “tested” MOTH before it was published.

On the down side, this book has 40 pages of sample schedules of the “test families.” I found these to be of very little value when I made my own schedule. In addition, on every page of instruction, there are two-inch sidebars which are filled up with comments from the families who did the “testing” of the scheduling system. I found them to be distracting unless I focused on them at the end of each chapter, so they didn’t break up my train of thought as much.

Also, there is a lot of focus on the final presentation of the schedule: cutting up different colors of paper for each child or parent, using sticky-tac to adhere the squares to the final paper. I think it’s a lot less work and mess to just write each person in a different color pen.

Like any other scheduling system, it falls onto the shoulders of one person: the discipline of the primary educator, usually the mother, to follow it. If you slack off, the kids wander off to the t.v. and the work doesn’t get done. I felt at times exhausted just thinking of following my schedule for another 10 hours. It can be overwhelming to see all you have to do and are responsible for in one place! It is important to leave time to transition from activity to activity, to schedule free time. It makes it so much sweeter after you’ve had a day of productivity!

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Teresa Dear is a homeschooling mother of four. She and her husband do not worry about socialization. You can follow the blog exploration of Classical Christian Education in general and their homeschool lifestyle in particular at http://highereducation-mama4x.blogspot.com. Teresa divides her time between education, the home, shopping for curriculum, and stocking her www.mama4x.etsy.com storefront where you can find handmade cards and vintage photos.

Source: http://www.homeschool-articles.com/scheduling-method-made-for-homeschoolers/

25 Sewing Crafts from Bloggers

25 Sewing Crafts from Bloggers