Day 3 and 4

Just a quick peak at Day 3 - The Flood and Day 4 - The Tower of Babel. 

So, we memorize the first 4 events as: Creation, Fall, Flood, Nations. 

Day 2: The Fall in the Garden of Eden

Assembling the Lego creation

                                              

Tonight we discussed the fall in the Garden of Eden and I must say, it is a delight to have my 8 year old read the stories aloud to us now. This is also the first year they have joined AWANA and one benefit already is tying in the verses they have memorized with the story, like they had both memorized Romans 3:23 which fit with our discussion of sin and disobedience to the perfect plan God would have wanted us to live out. I look forward to the deeper conversations that we will have with them now that they are all of 5 and 8.

                                              

Two crafts I have adopted with our traditions are making felt ornaments and melting and molding chocolate shapes. My ornaments have gotten so much easier this year thanks to my Stampin' Up Big Shot to die cut perfect circles. The ornament designs are fun to make, playing around with stitching techniques and implement symbolism even with the choices of color. These I've made during the year in preparation for Advent. November 30 is usually spent standing over my little melting pot stirring the chocolate wafers until they melt (Ghirardelli makes good and easily available melting chips!), pouring by spoon into the plastic molds and freezing on cookie sheets. This year I made 6 sets with the burst of energy I got Sunday after 9pm! Enjoy Life vegan chips work as well. By stretching our imagination a bit we have adapted shapes to fit about 18 out of the 25 Jesse Tree stories. Everyone definitely loves the addition of chocolate!

Felt ornament of the Tree and White chocolate skull representing man's death

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caught eating the turtle's food!

I think the wandering wise men were a hit! One wise man with his camel and treasure were found at daybreak and talked about all day. I even saw that my son had set a compass ring out for him to borrow and the use of his toy airplane. The wise man didn't take him up on that offer... but the boys have a great imagination and I think this will be a fun, goofy addition too. 

Please feel free to share any ideas or adaptations that your family is enjoying!

Advent Day 1, 2014

 

  

"You are Lord of Creation and Lord of my life. Lord of the land and the seas. 

You are Lord of the heavens before there was time. Lord of all Lords you will be!"

December 1 always seems to come in a rush and catch me by
surprise. Just as soon as the Thanksgiving dishes are all put away, in blow the Christmas bins spilling over with excitement. We started last evening's Advent with the house in total darkness. And then- a single candle lit to show just how much impact it can have on the darkened room, symbolic of God's power to merely speak and illuminate the nothingness. We read about the Creation of all that we know and lit the first candle on the Advent wreath which represent the ways that God reveal Himself to us, through Creation and nature. There are 2 Creation ornaments, 2 small chocolate flowers that we molded, and the start of a Lego creation to build along the month, in the Cross box. We ended by praying about what we had read and teaching them "You are Lord of Creation."

Now that we have gone through our Jesse Tree list for a few years our kids know somewhat what to expect. They showed up to Advent story time with plush kangaroo and snake, knowing it was Creation night.

So in order to preserve an element of surprise we decided to implement a new idea this year- a search for the wandering wise men! We have told them they are not real and this is just for fun, but with our wishes to build anticipation for the coming Christ we will be visited by the wise men too who are also looking everywhere for Jesus. And why would they come to our house? Because we are seeking after Jesus too! As expected, one son is a little hesitant, and one dives in and was up again before 7am searching the house.

After Advent, armed with their candles, they took to the yard to look for any hidden or lost wise men. It was a little funny because they didn't know what they were looking for and the front gate was accidentally left open which gave the appearance of real visitors. All they found tonight was a tiny hat and treasure box but it was enough for them set a lure and trap with the found hat and treasure box. 

"Lost and found". Clever.

This morning there was a note by the trap and a poor, lost wise man and camel found in the kitchen by the coffee maker. We are going to hang a large star up that they will be following, but they will be searching for the baby all month. The boys can't touch them if they find them so as not to knock them off track, but can observe how far they make it each day. We like the creative outlet, the boys like the hunt, and the point is to build anticipation as we are all awaiting the day of celebrating the Lord's gift to us at Christmas.

12 Ideas for Flash Card Fun

#1

We do a lot with flash cards, and as I said in my previous post, I have to keep it moving and interesting. We have cards for Latin vocab, ABC's, Phonograms, Numbers, Math problems, Spelling, and Classical Conversations memory work - so it has got to be fun!

These are 12 ways we like to review or learn:

1. Student stands or squats in a circle surrounded by his cards and drops a Koosh ball (bean bag, etc.) on or beside his card and he calls out the number/word. (I felt really compelled to buy a Koosh ball the other day and it has come in handy!)      
2. I call out and he Steps on the card or pushes card away with his foot.
3. Someone calls out the card and he has to drop the Koosh ball on the answer.  
4. Hide cards around the room and have him find, read, put in order.
5. Putting cards in order like train cars or tracks

   

   #5

   and stretching across the room. 
6. Let him "partner" with army man, stuffed animal, doll and have It pick the answer. 
7. Choose card, answer it, and toss into basket. 
8. Place cards in hanging pockets and choose by color or points like Jeopardy.  
9. Place cards face down and flip over, then name or place in order, sort, or match like Memory.
10. Place cards face down and have him choose card with eyes closed and then answer. 
11. Let him "shoot" the answer with light-up Raygun. A flashlight would work too.
12. For Numbers or Math problems, give beans to place on top of card and match the numbers. 

As you can see we spend a lot of the day on the floor, not at the table! 
Please add your ideas to the list!

#3

#11

Day 1 Homeschooling: Mom Mistake Edition

Monday was Day 1 for 3rd grade and Kindergarten in our house. I think I was the only one excited.

No one wanted to sit still. Or listen. Or write even one definition. Or liked any of my awesome plans or color-coding. 

It was sad and tense and I'm pretty sure at some point all 3 of us cried. It was very discouraging. And I had felt so "prepared" for this day.

And these tips may be premature to discuss after only 1 ½ good days (out of 3), but today was drastically different and I have a few guesses why.

Today they started off with typical breakfast and Lego building while I read and prayed for today to be better than yesterday. Then we had Bible story, song and prayer time together, on the floor. Then 5 minute Busy Bee clean-up time, to help start us off better with less clutter (rewarded with a couple M&M's). I start the timer, play music and we all pick up anything out of place and "deliver" it to the right room. Then I got my oldest drawing to decorate all of the notebook dividers, which is his favorite thing to do, while I worked one on one with the glass door closed with my 5yo. 

5yo boy likes a lot of activity and silliness and so we made some adjustments today including:

• Lots of high fives, moving around on the floor and dancing.
• I let him STEP on the flash cards to match the Letter sounds and he was much more eager than answering at the table.
• Use talk of Train cars or some sort of physical analogy to teach with when possible. 
• Whisper or say something in a silly way will help him to repeat.
• We started a marker board with the 4 or 5 tasks that we will do and they like checking those off and seeing that we are almost done.
• And then, although we had done everything on the list, he assumed he had to do an ABC exercise he had done the last 2 days, so he started himself on that! Routine and knowing what to expect really do make a difference!
• Working with them separately also worked much better than dividing my attention between them across the table.
• (There were few M&M's distributed too.)
• I called Dad in front of him to brag what a good day he was having. 
• And he gets a nickel in his Learning Jar for every day that he puts in good effort, inspired by Thomas Jefferson who loved learning as well. Nickels = super exciting when you are only 5!
• I started my day with remembering to pray for them as students and me as teacher. That God would bind our hearts together and help us to be a perfect match in this relationship. And to give me patience if they don't meet my expectations and to shower them with grace.

Mom-bots & Bro-bots

When my 5yo's list was done I set him up to color little robots to make a bookmark out of. But my 8yo wanted to also so we all ended up coloring 2 robots, gluing them on colored, lined cards, and laminating them. Spontaneous art project! These can be bookmarks for our school books but I can also write on the lines on the back what to do for their work. 

By then it was almost lunch time so I had them clean up the kindergarten work while I made lunch. We had a picnic lunch on the living room floor and watched an episode of really old-school Sesame Street. They didn't complain and it was definitely repetitive letter and number lessons.

After lunch it was time for 3rd grade work which we did do at the table: Journal writing and drawing, Math lesson, English Vocabulary (I wrote 1/2) and they both jumped in for Introduction to Latin because it was cartoonish and they like to talk in a mouse voice (Minimus mascot).

With my 8yo boy it's been helpful to:

• Take a 5-10 minute break between each subject.
• Use the timer for breaks, reading, journaling, cleaning so they know there is an end time. 
• I've left out a puzzle and some castle blocks so there is something in the room they can work on if they want for those 5 minutes, without going to their room and diving into a bigger project. 
• Incorporate drawing and creativity whenever we can or he feels stifled. 
• Chapter book reading or independent art can be substituted for quiet time while I work with 5yo.
• When I can, writing some of the work down for him since he really feels pained to write. He says it hurts his hands even though I pointed out he can draw for hours, so we agreed that I would give him less to write (oral review) or let him dictate, if he would work on a better attitude when writing is necessary. He loves to read but hates to write, so I'm trying to show him that writing and vocabulary building will make him a better reader.   
• Use individual marker boards to play a games, write answers. 
• It is helpful if I stick close while he does a Math worksheet so I can see if he is struggling.
• Seriously, be flexible! And don't plan to much for your day so if work spills over to the afternoon it's okay!
• And if everyone is moody or bored, go for a walk or switch gears and try again in an hour. If my day is not overbooked, this won't be stressful to let happen.

SO maybe I should just scratch the calendar and call today "Day 1?" We had such a pleasant time today that we ended up picking up Jr. Frosty's on the way to making returns and to buy more note cards. Yes, we may have overdone the rewarding today but felt I deserved it too.

I think some of Monday's mistakes were:

• My talking on the phone for an hour to a friend in the middle of the day threw us all off.
• Trying to sit still too long at the table.
• Trying to keep them both engaged across the table when they each needed me. 
• Giving the youngest a "time-filler" activity that was too tempting to my oldest and a distraction.
• Taking too long of a morning break and getting us out of routine.

But today ended with this, so we must have done all right together. 

(Contractions lesson to follow.)

Quiet Time for the Real

I am thankful that my husband listens to me and wants to help create a space for me to be alone. Without hesitation he bought me an old chaise lounge with happy, retro flowers on it and a side table for my book and cup of coffee last week so I could specifically have a place in the gazebo for quiet. He knows me so well and I appreciate that he cares for my soul in this way. We both know it benefits us all if Mom and Dad can spend time alone with Jesus. 

But that time alone can be hard to find with 2 busy boys, homeschooling, working from home and keeping the house liveable. I’ve realized that my ideals for time alone don't match the time I have. With good intention I usually pack up my "Quiet time" bag with a 3-ring notebook, journal, Bible/s, planner, prayer list, and books to read- that would be: two for the teams I’m on, one for mentoring, one I want read with a friend, and one my husband recommended. Oh and then the ebooks- one a friend wrote and one I need to read about teaching. My bag has gotten heavy. Then for some reason I feel angered when the kids need me before I could possibly finish all that I intended to do! I should not exit this time discouraged and frustrated. This is not the picture of refreshing time I expect them to catch.

So at 9:15 today (meant to at 7:15 but had already read the kids a Bible story, prayed about our worries and taught a song with a very wiggly boy by then so I feel like that's a good morning too), I headed out with just an Andrew Murray devotional page to read and a Proverb for the day to meditate on. At times I need simple and concise. I read out loud to the birds in the rain, let go of all the high expectations I have of myself and of my time and returned to the house after 30 minutes to find the kids playing happily and their room not destroyed (these are victories). They had time to get creative and both set up toys for a play tonight. I had returned inspired to write, calmly prepared to face their dismantled room, and appreciative of my life and nature. I'd never realized how much a squirrel's tail in the light looks like a feather!

I was going to include a cute up-close picture of my coffee and Bible on my fabric chair, but I live in the same reality as most of you. I didn’t edit the color because it is a little gloomy today. As you can see the gazebo needs painting. The sparse grass needs cut. We have a dog pen there but own no dog. The strawberry plant hanging above me is dead. The birds I hear around me are mostly crows squawking. We live in town and at an intersection that must have “Honk” painted beneath Stop. This is my “quiet time.” And yet I want to make this space my own little sanctuary to listen. It can be beautiful. 

No matter what your space, circumstance or time, may you to find a place away from your lists and planner and ridiculous stack of responsibilities to be filled with that river of living water. 

                             "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink."  John 7:38

How I took the stress out of Swimsuit season

Each of us has a standard of what we think is decent when we are in public - the type of sleeve or length of pants that we have considered and decided we are comfortable in when out and about. Stop for a second and think about what that is for yourself. (Go ahead, I’ll wait.)

For some it's more; for some it's less. This is pretty much the rule of dress that guides our lives every single day when we leave the house. You know what it is because we all have an embarrassing story like “I can’t believe they dropped by my house and I was wearing THIS…”

Why it is then that this reasoned, normal, sensible, everyday standard that we decided upon personally is set aside because there is a pool of water nearby? I have never understood.

Suddenly the type of clothing I waited 20+ years to only wear in front of my husband is acceptable to be worn in public.  As a person seeking to be modest, this always made me personally feel hypocritical. I would never do this in any other arena in my life. Why should I do something that would be grossly inappropriate anywhere else? (Ever show up to the office in your swimsuit? Or pick up your kids from school?) Don’t you get that mortified feeling just thinking about it in any other context? It's the stuff nightmares are made of.

I've talked a lot about this with my husband to find a good solution. I value his voice for the male opinion and respect that he wants me to be respected and we both want to honor God with every ounce of us- as a spirit and a body.

So over time I've moved toward wearing to swim what looks like what I'd wear to run errands (swimsuit under loose rash guard shirt and normal length board shorts). To me this just makes sense. I stay true to that standard I’d already decided upon before the summer swim season started. I feel less intrepid about appearing in public in basically my underwear.

And you know what? I suddenly never worry about what I'm wearing! I can run around, lean over, play with the kids, get my picture taken, get in and out of the water easily, more comfortably talk with other men around, (hide what I want to hide), and still look sporty. Honestly, I'm not sad or worried about my shape all the time. And bathing suit shopping is the worst!

I don't feel legalistic. I feel comfortable with myself, pleasing to my husband, and available to my family. I also feel less likely to be drawing attention to myself as I want any attention to me to be toward my heart for God and His purposes I want to carry out.

So if you are still reading, here are some affirmations to my decision and changes:

• If I am headed to a pool party and DO have to stop at the store, it's no big deal. I look like I have a t-shirt and shorts on.
• We’ve been swimming with friends and I would never post anywhere family pictures because the other, rather modest moms, do Not look flattering in the background. If you are not prepared for your picture to be taken in a swimsuit you are probably not standing or facing in a flattering or modest way. And I would not embarrass them by making those public. Consider, others will not be as kind as me.
• I am not constantly tugging up and pulling down to Maintain modesty. These movements, though well meaning, are also pulling every man's attention toward your tugging.
• I never get sunburn or even have to put suntan lotion much except for my face!
• I am joining the kids at the Y this month for swim lessons and am not nervous about the grandmas who all have their cameras out!
• No more embarrassing moments, when my husband tells me LATER "Uh, your bathing suit needed adjusting when you were talking to the life guard..."

I usually go back to this example: if you were on trip with some other families and one of the other husbands passed a window and saw you in your underwear he'd feel awkward, you'd feel embarrassed, you'd might feel like something needs to be said, the spouses would hear about it, you might avoid each other; the trip might even be ruined for you all, right? But if you all met at the beach in bikinis it would be no problem. Why is this in our society? I just can't make myself "get it."

 So while I may stand alone at times in my principles, I am standing comfortably. 

My heart wants to see people living at ease, and walking closely with Him. These are just my personal encouragements from an honest heart for any to consider. 

A pic to show I am not 70 and No, your Grandmother did not put me up to this.

Days 23 & 24 of Advent

Day 23: Joseph's Vision


We were still traveling these days and improvising as we went. This ornament is Joseph receiving his dream of a baby to come as he slept, hung from my in-laws ceramic Christmas tree.

There are so many emotions and thoughts to ponder about in this story. Joseph, engaged to Mary, learned from her that she was pregnant as a carrier of the child of God. Then an angel appeared to him in his dreams to confirm Mary's testimony and affirm him as the earthly father to care for Him who would save His people from all their sins. Joseph had a role to play in the fulfillment of the prophecies he had heard his whole life. Talk about entering your first year of marriage with some challenges!
"The Lord is Salvation" was about to enter the scene in the most vulnerable of ways.


If you are following along in the Bible In Stories: pages 442-3
In the Bible: Matthew 1



Day 24: The Journey to Bethlehem

We discussed this night the reasons for Joseph and Mary to take a long, dusty journey at the worst of times; bouncing upon a donkey, about to give birth at any moment or perhaps spurred by the travel.

There was the census to be counted, the tax to be paid, but also the prophecy to be fulfilled, that the Son of God would be born in the city of David, Bethlehem. Bethlehem, an over-crowded city that forced a King to be born in a stable. It is interesting the humble and identifiable means by which God created this awesome event- carried by an unwed mother, entrusted to a couple of no significant wealth or position, born and spent His first few nights in a barn crib, displacing the fodder of the livestock, probably to endure a misunderstood youth? AND THEN THE LORD'S GLORY AND HOST OF ANGELS INFUSED THE DARK SKY AND ANNOUNCED HIS ARRIVAL! What an unusual way to carry out the long-awaited prophecy. Looking down the situation looked humble but looking up the angels declared it glorious!

We had driven home this night in time to hold Advent in our own living room and had filled the box with all of the traveled ornaments to put on our tree. The ornament for this story is the donkey on purple felt in the middle. 

If you are following along in the BIS: pages 444
In the Bible: Matthew 1, Luke 2, John 1