Gore Family News

A Little Jaunt to Our Neighborhood Pond

2012-01-27T12:56:00.001-08:00

Random Pictures

2012-01-25T04:20:00.001-08:00

Phoebe finally lost her two front teeth Saturday night. They were both crooked and awkward, so I was glad to pull those things out. She was looking a little like Nannie Mcfee.

Jonathan and Harrison are watching The Piano Guys. The kids want to learn how to play cello now.

Logan got Jonathan hooked on Angry Birds while he was here a week ago. So Jon used some of his Christmas money to buy two of them from Walmart. They're kind of fun to play with.

Elizabeth doing one of her favorite past times while Harrison bugs her.

Jonathan couldn't wait to get his antlers in the mail from Aupa. They're hanging on his bedroom wall now. I thought it would scare the boys for them to wake up to deer antlers on the wall, but they seem to handle it fine.

Another fine face painting job by Elizabeth.

And again we see Liz' creativity with this new hairstyle on Phoebe.

Uncle Lee and Aunt Doris

2012-01-25T04:03:00.001-08:00

We had some more lovely visitors yesterday. Uncle Lee and Aunt Doris were visiting other relatives in Florida and stopped by to see us for a little while after lunch. Uncle Lee is Phillip's Dad's brother. Harrison was a little hesitant about them at first, but he soon warmed up and sat on Uncle Lee's lap for the duration of the visit.

A Visit from Friends

2012-01-17T04:28:00.001-08:00

Phillip's good friend from college came to visit with his children for a few days. I must say, my children behaved better with them around than they do on their own! They seriously put themselves to bed before I could make it upstairs to see to it. That could be because they were so worn out. Anyway, it was a very good visit; I'm so glad our kids can see each other every once in a while and build a friendship.

In other news, I again have almost no pictures for this post. Excuses, excuses, the kids confiscated the camera, more excuses..... We had a lot of fun though. There was a little walk to look at the beach, a ferry ride, a trip to an old plantation, a long wait at Longhorn Steakhouse (but it was worth it for that steak! please show me how to cook like that!), a little bit of Dutch Blitz with the kids, movies, I sent the guys out to do some manly changing of the oil and putting new windshield wipers on the van, and other various and sundry doings. Cody totally spoiled Harrison. Now the baby wants to be held at any and every opportunity. His fake cry is hilarious.

Here is one picture of the kids eating supper after belting out "Amarillo by Morning".

Their Uniqueness

2012-01-08T15:39:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite discoveries on this Charlotte Mason homeschooling journey has been the individuality of my children. There are so many subjects or areas that are covered ~ a generous curriculum it's been called ~ that the kids easily find different areas that they enjoy and excel at.

Elizabeth loves fairy tales and fables and mythology. She spontaneously translates words into Latin throughout the day. And two of the subjects I thought would be hardest have captured her interest and enjoyment: Shakespeare and Plutarch's Lives. I love to see her written narrations because they usually include a picture or some other creative aspect.

Jonathan is very interested in hearing stories read to him. He is a literal thinker and wants to know why characters in the story didn't do what made sense. Or he's glad for what they did do. Or he certainly knows how HE would have done it ~ the right way, of course. We have wonderful "grand conversations" at any rate. He likes to do his copywork just right. He will soon surpass Older Sister in Math.

Phoebe Loves school and doesn't understand why her siblings think it's boring. They point out that what she really likes are the activity bags. She does like to work on those activities with intense concentration. And she is careful to put everything back in its place when she's done.

Harrison seems to be a natural CMer. He loves music ~ he sings and dances. He would croon himself to sleep as a baby. Except for a short 1 or 2 day stint with Mimi, he would not take a bottle. When he turned one, I figured out that he would take the bottle if I sat outside with him. He would sit on my lap facing out to watch the wide world. Right after nap-time when he's at his fussiest, the great outdoors soothes him then also. He copies bird songs. He sits on my lap while I read and listens closely. It seems like he really understands. Maybe he does.

With such a feast, it's certain each child will find their sweet spot. And I love watching their beaming soul when they do.

Another Zoo Trip

2012-01-03T17:33:00.001-08:00

For Mom and Dad Who Asked for a Picture of Phoebe with Her Mustache

2012-01-03T17:27:00.001-08:00

Trying to Get a Good Picture of All of Them

2012-01-03T17:25:00.001-08:00

New Schedule

2012-01-01T18:43:00.001-08:00

We start back to school tomorrow! Term 1 down, two more to go. I redid the format for the kids' schedules. Now the whole term is done and printed out. I used to spend Wednesday afternoons working on their weekly schedules, but this new way should free up an hour or more each Wednesday which is always a great thing. You can see the first page of Jonathan's Term 2.

By the way, this format comes from other homeschoolers at the AmblesideOnline.org Yahoo group ~ not from me. :-)

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T18:19:00.001-08:00

We had a mildly early morning for Christmas. The boys were up at 7:00, so we let Jonathan wake up the girls. One little girl was not happy, even if there were gifts to be had. The first thing they rushed for were their stockings. They had exchanged names and then shopped at Dollar Tree with a two dollar limit. They were so excited to see what they had gotten from each other. I loved it. The gift that took the prize was a package of fake mustaches for Phoebe. She loves mustaches. Weird, but hilarious.

So lots of gifts were opened followed by cherry coffee cake and getting ready for church. We sat together as a family for church. It sounds like it should be sweet, but it's really just a little crazy. There were quite a few cracker crumbs on the floor by the time we left.

There was a nice simple lunch of lemon-pepper chicken, cranberry sauce, rolls, cornbread pudding, and fresh cooked green beans. Then the kids spent most of the afternoon putting together the 3-D puzzles they got from Uncle Cory. (The kids learned a little bit about New York, Uncle Cory; thank you!) Let me just say that those will try your patience! Especially with a toddler running around messing with your pieces! But we did get them together. Phillip and I played a game of Scrabble. He's so sweet to offer to play Scrabble with me. I usually beat him soundly, I guess (that's what he tells me anyway; I don't remember such things).

And we looked at Christmas lights after supper and apple pie. There really aren't a ton around here. It could be that the 70 degree spring-like weather just doesn't put you in the light displaying mood.

Nice and cozy family day. Oh, and the kids are now using the 3-D puzzle buildings, army men, horses and acorns to play some kind of espionage game where they capture each other's buildings.

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-24T16:44:00.001-08:00

It's been a day of cooking; scrubbing up kids; greeting as a family at the Christmas Eve services; Elizabeth singing all four services with the children's choir; Dad working hard at church; and a little bit of Legos, Facebook, and blogging while we wait for Dad and Liz to return home. Then we'll set the gifts under the tree while the kids "sleep".

What a Bunch of Fun!

2011-12-18T12:19:00.001-08:00

My very sweet family ~ watching "This Old House" and watching brownies bake.

Mental Hooks for Hanging a Timeline

2011-12-13T11:54:00.001-08:00

I've always liked the idea of using a timeline to help picture where events and people fall in history. Too many items placed on a timeline seem to clutter it and not be very helpful however. Recently someone posted that the timelines PNEU students used were actually small (they could fit on a desk) and very few items were placed on them. It makes sense that having a few significant items on the child's personal timeline would help them see history and give them some hooks on which to hang many other events and people that aren't placed on the timeline. For instance, I have a few people in my head that I always know the general dates for: Laura Ingalls lived in the 1800's, Corrie ten Boom was around WWII, Constantine goes with 313 AD, Jesus' birth c. 0 AD, and King David 1040 BC (I need a few more BC hooks!). These have stuck in my head for different reasons, and when I'm reading history, my brain figures out which one is closest and makes a connection: "The Shang dynasty was ruling in China around the same time Kind David was born!"

You might help your child find his significant points of history to hang a timeline on ~ a person or event that excites or interests him. Let him write the date for his item on his timeline and draw a simple stick figure or drawing (crown, heart, etc) that represents his item. Then as you read history of all kinds (scientific, religious, literary), you can say, "This person lived 100 years before Caesar invaded Britain" or some such connection. He can even find the date on his timeline though he may not put it on there at the moment.

A picture of my 7 year old son's timeline is below. We made it by cutting a poster board in half length-wise and taping the two long pieces together. Then we fold it up accordion-style to put it away. I do wish we'd written on the non-glossy side; it's hard to color or pencil on the glossy side. This is our 3rd try at a timeline and my favorite so far. (We tried a wall timeline and then a lo-ong piece of white paper which was too long to be practical).

Kid's Choir Performance

2011-12-10T16:04:00.001-08:00

The kid's choir performed last night. I got a few pictures that weren't blurry. Elizabeth is one of the angels. There are a lot of kids in the choir this year. It makes for great singing!

And no matter how much product I put in that girl's hair, it doesn't seem to want to keep curl! We'll keep experimenting.

10 Years Old

2011-12-09T11:29:00.001-08:00

I can't believe Elizabeth is 10! Dad took her out for lunch and took her to Justice to pick out clothes. She bought a nice sweater with undershirt and two headbands. The next day we had her cake and she opened a few gifts. On Elizabeth's actual birthday, another friend was having her birthday party. She invited to Elizabeth to go with her to a Christmas parade and then they had the party at a movie theatre. They were very kind to include Elizabeth's name on the "cake" (it was a big cookie) and they sang to her also. So she was gone all day for her birthday. Which wasn't bad since we parents were very sick. And then we'll do more celebrating with two friends at an ice skating rink in a week. I think turning 10 will have been sufficiently celebrated.

Christmas Trees

2011-12-09T11:12:00.001-08:00

Dad allowed the kids to decorate for Christmas early this year. The 2nd of December instead of a couple weeks before Christmas. Each kid has their own little tree to decorate as they wish, and I let Phillip do the honors for our main tree which is in our room this year. It gives our room a nice glow.

Homeschooling is Discipleship

2011-12-03T12:08:00.001-08:00

I'm slowly absorbing the fact that teaching my children at home is discipleship. Through several books I've read about Charlotte Mason and also reading her "Scale How Meditations" (I highly recommend this inexpensive devotion book!), it's being revealed that all truth (secular or Christian) comes from God. And that all true education can bring a person closer to God. So as I'm teaching the kids the truth of 6 is 5 and 1, observing the simplicity, intricacy and magnitude of nature, touching their souls and mine with thoughts from great minds of literature and history (and so many authors and thinkers center their thoughts on heavenly things), allowing God-given creative juices to flow and inquisitive minds to wonder..... as these things happen during official school time, I can also bring these truths into the light of God because He is truly the Source. God's Word is definitely a part of school, but discipleship can happen throughout all of their learning ~ not just Bible time.

Constantly pointing out God in everything or forcing connections does not seem a natural method of discipling, but rather having an attitude of noticing divine truth and perhaps making a concise point a time or two throughout the day can help children begin meditating on God daily.

Realizing that teaching is discipling has helped me not rush through each subject just to get to the next so we can get it all done that day. It helps me think more of Christ throughout the day. It is changing my attitude toward homeschooling from one of input/output to one of relaxed converstation, thoughtfulness, observation, and leading little ones to God.

How happy I am to find that this CM education that we engage in has brought me closer to God and brings my children's thoughts into a higher realm and touches our souls.

Thanksgiving Day 2011

2011-11-25T05:12:00.001-08:00

These aren't photos from Thanksgiving; somehow those deleted themselves when I downloaded them.

But we did play Star Wars Trivia (in which Team Dad and Jonathan stomped all over the rest of us; and then Liz finished Phoebe and I off; and then Phoebe felt she lost twice and was doubly upset, especially since her own mother wasn't much of a team player not having the Star Wars knowledge the rest of the family had). And we all had bed head since it was the first thing we did Thanksgiving morning. Perhaps Star Wars Trivia will be a new tradition in our house.

Elizabeth helped me make a new scone recipe, and we headed off that afternoon to some friends from Fleming Island for dinner. They always have so much food! But it was a good time of visiting and eating.

Oh, and guess how much money I saved on Black Friday this year? All of it! I've yet to try the craziness of Black Friday.

He's a Goof!

2011-11-25T04:41:00.001-08:00

Staving Off Impishness During Time Off of School

2011-11-14T12:57:00.001-08:00

The holidays are upon us and that means there is more unscheduled time for the children. And with the craziness of sweets and candy, seeing new friends and family, moved or missed bedtimes and naptimes, bored or overstimulated children..... well, impishness may be a polite way of saying that our kids are acting like little devils and how could this happen when so many fun and good things are going on for them and around them and didn't we train them better than this?!

A Parent's Review article from 1903 entitled "Suggestions for Holiday Amusements" (by E.A. Parish) shared some great ideas to help this very dilemma. This was written in England, and many times their children would be coming home from boarding school for different holidays throughout the year. We don't have that particular element to deal with in the States, but our family does take about a month off around Thanksgiving/Christmas. Children need some direction ~ if left to their own ways, they may choose idleness; easy thrills (video games, TV, twaddly reading, etc); whining or boredom. I've found that even when we are "off" of school, we need some planned activities to keep the kiddies occupied and their minds engaged.

Now, I don't schedule this necessarily, but I keep a list of possible activities that they might choose from ~things that are not allowed every day~ playdough, special baking, gingerbread houses, cardboard houses, spending hours down at the pond (a recent favorite where they build shelters out of big sticks and birch bark), going to a special park, zoo time, field trips ~ and Christmas time always brings lots of extra activities as well. Engage the kids in helping someone else (service project), work with them on a useful hand-craft, share a family read-aloud at bedtime (there are so many good Christmas stories!), involve them in chores and holiday prep work, have family movie time with classics like "It's a Wonderful Life", play lots of board games, and maybe keep the groove with a little bit of school(!).

Being out of our normal routine always makes me and the kids a little crazy, but holidays are a lot of fun and can give wonderful memories and family bonding time. Especially if you remember that free time around the holidays can still be productive and engaging while being relaxed.

Impish? Or just Cute? :-)

Kids at the Corn Maze

2011-11-11T17:54:00.001-08:00

This was the first time I've been to a corn maze. I loved the farm part. And the corn. But I didn't "get" the maze. I guess the point is to get lost and find your way out, but they gave us a sheet of questions to answer when we got to certain posts and we were supposed to stay in only half the maze. I enjoyed the walk, but could have done without the extra whatever we were supposed to do. But it really was a great time for me and the kids.

Mimi and Papa Visit

2011-11-11T17:25:00.001-08:00

So much fun when Grandparents come to visit! I never get all the pictures I want, but here is a little evidence that they were here in Florida.

Costumes

2011-11-09T03:23:00.001-08:00

Some people are really creative and do a great job with costumes. I, however, just can't seem to want to spend time or money or thinking-effort on them. So what do they wear this year?

Elizabeth thinks about her costume all year long and got a Walmart dress on sale and braided her hair for Rapunzel.

Jonathan just used last year's costume to be Venom.

Phoebe wore Elizabeth's old costume which now fits her pretty well. She was An Old Fashioned Girl although everyone kept saying she was a beautiful princess, and she would loudly and angrily proclaim that she was NOT a princess, etc, etc.

Harrison wore a Super Harrison costume which Liz made by safety pinning a dish towel cape to the back of his shirt and a red H to the front.

Zoo

2011-11-03T09:51:00.001-07:00

Harrison and the Others

2011-11-03T09:46:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of the family that are on the camera ~ Harrison is the most frequent subject of our photography.

To Stay Home or Not to Stay Home?

2011-10-30T06:55:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth was up a lot of the night with a stomach ache. This morning she jumped up and said, "I'm feeling better!" So we started getting ready for church. Then her stomach was hurting again, so she lay on the bed with a bucket near her while I finished getting all of us ready for church. Her stomach was in too much pain, so we loaded in the van to drop two pies off at church for the Pumpkin Patch Party tonight. The van ride must have helped her tummy a little, because when I mentioned stopping at McDonalds for some breakfast, she was all about wanting some hotcakes. So now she's had hotcakes and is up and seems fine. Uuugghh! We'll see how the day progresses as to whether we are able to go to the Pumpkin Patch Party tonight. Here are some cute pictures of the kids this morning though! Phoebe rarely gets her hair curled, so I got lots of those pics to show off since no one at church got to see them. :-(

Perfection in Letter Formation

2011-10-21T18:00:00.001-07:00

Of the further stages, little need be said. Secure that the child begins by making perfect letters and is never allowed to make faulty ones, and the rest he will do for himself; as for 'a good hand,' do not hurry him; his 'handwriting' will come by-and-by out of the character that is in him; but, as a child, he cannot be said, strictly speaking, to have character. CM Vol 1 p 234

Do some of CM's methods stress you out? Especially when she uses words like "perfect"? Let me tell you, when I see the work I do, much less that of my young children, I find so many faults that I would hyperventilate if "perfect" were the only work accepted.

And yet perseverence and striving and high, yet gracious, expectations are very good virtues to practice when teaching children.

My first-born has borne the brunt of much experimenting. When she was young (probably too young), I set before her a Wal-Mart tablet with the lower and upper case alphabet and little arrows showing which direction to write them. I let her have at it, not even thinking to sit next to her to make sure she formed the letters correctly. After seeing her work, I simply thought she'd outgrow the slipshod work. Unfortunately her printing has only improved slightly and a lot of remedial work has been tried. Fortunately she has eagerly taken to cursive and typing, and with the expectation of best work and correct formation every time (or as often as I catch it), her cursive is a vast improvement over her printing.

Second child has had it better because he's been taught with me sitting beside him from the beginning. Even with keen eyes he somehow started forming his o's beginning at the bottom instead of the top! And so we erase and redo, or better yet, I stop him and remind him, "Start your o at the top." A good practice we sometimes do is for me to show him how to form each letter he'll be working on that day by writing the word or phrase while he watches. Then he can write with a fresh reminder on his brain.

Third child is spending this year tracing a letter on some alphabet cards we have, drawing it in the air, and then drawing it in a pan of grits (we had a bunch of grits on hand :-). We'll move on to forming with Handwriting w/o Tears wood pieces (actually thick poster board ~ much cheaper) and writing the letter on the chalk board. Then we'll finally move to writing on paper.

And fourth child walks around babbling. He babbles "perfectly" though!

So while I wouldn't say we have perfected "perfect letter formation", I would say we're much better at persevering in redoing letters until they are correctly formed to best effort. And this should lead to clean, nice looking handwriting with a little unique character thrown in as the children grow up.

Music

2011-10-21T17:27:00.001-07:00

We Gores are not especially musical, though we do enjoy certain genres of music (and the kids are exposed to a lot more through school ~ folk, classical, hymns, a new venture into instrument practice with an ocarina). We came across some cello music which the kids have fallen in love with. They made Lego instruments one day to play along with the YouTube videos. Do you recognize their piano, cello and drum sticks? "Moonlight" is playing on the iPad in the background.

Some links to our favorites:
"Moonlight" (inspired by Beethoven)
"The Cello Song ~ Bach is Back"
"Michael Meets Mozart"

Enjoying a Candy Apple

2011-10-13T18:56:00.001-07:00

"A Love That Multiplies"

2011-10-10T05:24:00.001-07:00

I am fascinated by the Duggar Family (from the TV show 19 Kids and Counting). I read their first book a year or so ago and I just finished their second book A Love that Multiplies. They have a lot of good tips for raising their children and homeschooling and just how to be a happy, fun family. I thought I'd share some good things I read from their book. This first bit gives questions a maturing child can ask themselves when settling on what career to pursue (page 151):

We suggest as they're considering a specific career that they ask themselves, Is this a job that I would enjoy doing for years to come? Is travel going to be involved? Will it take me away from my future family, or will I have to relocate to do this job? Will the job require me to work nights, weekends, or holidays? Will it require me to do anything that would violate my convictions or conscience? How much will this job pay? Do I want to get advanced training now while I'm young to get better pay throughout my career? Is there a creative business I could start that would provide a sufficient income while allowing me to serve others (either trying my own idea or adapting someone else's successful business mode)?

I wrote this down in my Common Book to keep for the kids for later.

We Should All Be As Happy As Kings

2011-10-06T09:40:00.001-07:00

My children seem convinced that they have to do school because someone is making them ~ the government, their parents, The Man ~ somebody. Where did this attitude come from? Is it inevitable that kids will have an adversarial relationship with formal schooling? (Except for those few girls who love school ~ me being one of them.) Do we parents or teachers or The System pass it on subconsciously? I wish I had the perfect attitude toward the pursuit of knowledge. But alas..... I'm working on it. Here are a couple good goals to work toward:

Now personal delight, joy in living, is a chief object of education. (Vol. 6, p. 303)

The person who can live upon his own intellectual resources and never know a dull hour (though anxious and sad hours will come) is indeed enviable.... (Vol 6, p. 303)

~ The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Heartwarming

2011-10-01T05:06:00.001-07:00

The kids and I joined a Homeschool group for a field trip last Monday. We saw a cool fort and had lunch on Mantanzas River (the river comes right off the ocean ~ an inlet, I believe they call it). I played with Harrison and Phoebe while the older kids went off with one of the dads to try to reach a sand bar a little ways from shore.

I watched Jonathan and Elizabeth interact on this venture. Elizabeth, being the oldest, is usually the leader of our little family. But she was afraid of stepping on a crab. Jonathan is usually the trepidatious one and would normally stay behind with me and worry about Elizabeth getting too far from shore. But there he was encouraging Elizabeth and leading the way. "Is this where I step, Jon?" "Yea, see, it only comes up to my chest!" They worked so well together and it was so neat to watch their roles reverse. Very heartwarming.

Autumn is Here!

2011-10-01T04:57:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth's candy corn hairstyle to celebrate this most wonderful season!

They're Growing Up

2011-09-24T11:06:00.001-07:00

Dabbles in Nature

2011-09-24T10:52:00.001-07:00

Here's a little more Nature from around our house lately. Jonathan found a butterfly wing on the ground. We've seen huge grasshoppers around the neighborhood. They move very slowly. Maybe they're dying? Insects don't seem to live long, we're learning. And believe it or not, two raccoons walked across the top of our fence one morning while we were doing school. So cool! Except when they get in our garbage, which I think they are the culprits who have done that in times past.

Susanna Wesley on Motherhood

2011-09-17T11:06:00.001-07:00

Someone recently shared a quote from Susanna Wesley that really struck a chord with me. I wrote it in my commonplace book to read often, so I thought I'd share it with you too.

No one can, without renouncing the world in the most literal sense, observe my method, and there's few (if any) that would entirely devote above twenty years of the prime of life in hope to save the souls of their children (which they think may be saved without so much ado); for that was my principal intention....

Wow. I pray my attitude towards raising my kids won't be begrudging and "hurry and grow up" as it has been in the past. I pray it will be "renouncing the world in the most literal sense" to devote the prime of my life to these gifts God has sacredly entrusted to mine and Phillip's care. For He gave them to us and no other. Only we can do that job and we only have now to do it in.

All the Kids But Liz

2011-09-17T10:50:00.001-07:00

We don't have any pictures of Elizabeth lately, for some reason, but I did post a couple of things she made: the pie and the American Girl Doll. She loves to take the magazines she gets and copy the dolls using construction paper. She comes up with some really neat sets. And doesn't Harrison look like he's smoking a pipe? :-) Funny boy.

Sickness Must-Haves

2011-09-14T15:48:00.001-07:00

I am quite sure one or more of us has been sick all summer. I thought we were over it, but all the kids now seem to have a virus (yes, the throw-up kind). I finally figured out I just need to keep certain things on hand for when it hits. Otherwise it's constant back and forth to the store.

Namely:
Clorox, Lysol, and Febreeze.
7-up, Pedialyte, simple popsicles.
Packets of Lipton chicken noodle soup and Saltines.
Fever and cold & cough medicines.
Lots of laundry detergent and patience. And prayer.

Autumn Poem by Elizabeth

2011-09-14T03:32:00.001-07:00

I lay in my bed
While the leaves turn red.
The sun goes down,
But I don't frown.
I wake up to the smell
Of a cup filled with apple cider.
As I drink outside
I watch with fascination a spider.

When the Schedule Goes Out the Window

2011-09-07T04:09:00.001-07:00

I had an intense first-week-of-school schedule all planned out. Monday morning started out pretty well. Dad was home sick, so that put a little damper on the beginning of the new school year. As the day wore on, it became apparent that Dad was not the only one sick in our household. The two older kids were also soon confined to the couch.

There were so many new things this year that I was nervous about: lots of new subjects for my oldest who is in 4th grade now; a new child added to the school year (she's super excited, by the way!); trying to figure out scheduling and how to fit everything in while not letting it stress me out. And here we are sick.

Well, I found that it was actually a very good week for us. The kids requested Masterpiece Theatre's "Much Ado About Nothing". I thought we'd watch 15 minutes at a time to "get through it". They loved it! Elizabeth bonded with Beatrice in-between fevers and medicine and doctors and other ....... stuff. They were very relaxed by old and new pieces of music from Chopin and Mozart. When they weren't too bad off, I was able to read each of their readings from the schedule to them. Some books were on Librivox, which was awesome since I lost my voice by Friday. Elizabeth reviewed times tables toward the end of the week as she felt better.

The Charlotte Mason education using Ambleside Online worked wonderfully for us during this week of sickness. We got all the schoolish essentials done gently without tears or stress.

I have adopted a schedule recommended by an AOer. It's just a list of everything we want to accomplish for school in a week. Each child has their own list. Each subject gets the number of circles beside it for the number of days we need to complete that subject. See Jonathan's schedule below. I thought about trying a very detailed daily schedule with every 15 minutes for every person in the house written down as to what we needed to be doing. I actually spent hours coming up with this and printing it out. We did it for half a day. As you can imagine, it did not help the stress level of the home! So we're just going to keep to the weekly school schedule and get a certain number of subjects done a day (Liz is choosing her own now; I choose for Jon and Phoebe). And by the end of the week, it should all be checked off! Oh, and I'm finding several things like Nature Study and Handicraft get accomplished well on weekends when there's some time in the afternoons to spend on longer projects and time outside.

The list at the bottom of Jonathan's schedule are things we do together as a family. So Elizabeth and Phoebe also have that list and it all gets done together. The top part of the list is specific to Jonathan.

Have You Seen These Kids Lately?

2011-08-27T12:17:00.001-07:00

I'm pleased as peaches with 'em. You can see from the way they scavenge from the pantry that they never get fed. :-) I think Harrison would rather get his own food. He won't eat if I get it for him. But he loves dumping out the cereal to get his own.

A Few Things I'm Learning From Miss Mason

2011-08-27T11:56:00.001-07:00

I have admired Charlotte Mason and studied her writings for 5 years now. I've read about her mainly from the vantage point of teaching my children. But lately I've been seeing her principles through the eyes of my own life ~ as a person, a mother, a teacher.

As a teacher, I've realized my main job is to bring the student into relationship with the world around them. Latin, mathematics, and nature; music, art, people in the past and present; places around the world and down the road ~ all of it can be a special, familiar, friendly face to my children if served up properly. Yes, even Latin and math!

As a mother, I'm understanding that each of my children are individual persons. They each have different capacities for learning and excel in different areas. Yet they can all feast on the educational meal put before them, each delighting in one dish more than another perhaps, but all getting their fill of every dish.

And as a person, I'm finally taking in for myself some of these truths Charlotte talks about. A little story is shared in "The Story of Charlotte Mason" by Essex Cholmondley:

Another [student] writes: 'On my arrival at Ambleside I was interviewed by Miss Mason who asked me for what purpose I had come. I replied: "I have come to learn to teach." Then Miss Mason said: "My dear, you have come here to learn to live." I have never forgotten those precious words which have helped me with my children.' (H.S. 1906)

After reading this story, I was struck by the thought that these things I want to teach my children aren't to be kept in the box labeled "School". They're to be a part of our whole life. And not just my kids' lives, but mine too. So I'm starting to enjoy and appreciate nature throughout the day and not just during our scheduled nature study time. And my own reading consists of several good books at a time now, read slowly at different times of the day for enjoyment and understanding instead of gobbling up a book at a time just to get through it and check it off my list. And I'm really working on having more of this relaxed atmosphere for my kids too. The trick is figuring out how to accomplish everything you want without being stressed out about it or rushing through it. Haven't quite got that down, but I'm working on it!

I want to live life fully. God has blessed us with a beautiful world and talented people who share their artistic abilities and interesting knowledge and wonderful stories. So many riches at our fingertips. My hope is for my family and I to see schoolish things as wonderful and friendly and not keep them stuffed in the part of our day labeled "School".

McDonalds Treat

2011-08-18T05:24:00.001-07:00

I think this day was the first day we ever bought the kids Happy Meals. We usually just buy a sandwich or nuggets to split or something. But I thought I'd treat them this day. Elizabeth got the under 3 toy for Harrison and Jonathan got a Star Wars light saber which he really wanted.

I remember my Momo taking us to McDonalds for our birthday. Growing up, that was about the only time we ever ate at McDonalds. It's a special memory. Then I worked at McDonalds for three years and now their food is not so special anymore. :-) Eeegghhh. I do like their fish sandwiches. And they have good coffee drinks now.

A Dabble of Nature About Our House

2011-08-11T19:41:00.001-07:00

How Do I Get Out of Here?!?

2011-08-11T19:22:00.001-07:00

Jonathan is Seven!

2011-08-07T17:19:00.001-07:00

Jonathan wanted a little bit of a farm theme for his family birthday this year. So we had a barn piñata and a tractor cake. They played games at Ollie Koalas and opened gifts. He was so excited about his presents and cards! Sha, baby.

Welcome to Your World

2011-07-27T04:26:00.001-07:00

"A child should be brought up to have relations of force with earth and water, should run and ride, swim and skate, lift and carry; should know texture, and work in material; should know by name, and where, and how, they live at any rate, the things of the earth about him, its birds and beasts and creeping things, its herbs and trees; should be in touch with the literature, art and thought of the past." A Parent's Review "Education is a Life" C.M.

Harrison, who is just past one year, has not taken a liking to many of his toys. So many brightly colored, noise-making gadgets designed especially for him, yet he ignores them to search for the crash of the broom falling from the pantry or the fun of unstacking the tupperware in the cabinet. He is recently showing interest in knocking down his blocks and poking the stick of the ring stacker into a hole and joyously finding that it fits; so not all is lost on the basket of toys. But children would have something "real" from our world rather than specially prepared toys. They realize "real" things have a purpose. Adults use them. And how much more fun to make a toy using their own imagination instead of having it provided already prepared. Let them work with real materials to make a sword or costume or clubhouse. Let them relate to our world ~ to figure it out as they grow by being in it and of it, touching, tasting, exploring, learning.

They'll often come up with many ideas of how to do this if Mom will allow the mess. Just in the last week we've swam, played with sand, twirled in the rain, cared for sunflowers, soybeans, caterpillar, & frog, cut, drawn, colored, & taped, made costumes, wrestled, cared for siblings hurt by wrestling, made up games & learned new ones, embroidered, photographed, videoed, & blogged, cleaned, cooked, listened to stories, searched for sounds (where's that helicopter, bird, car?)..... I'm sure I could go on as could you. And just about all of it (maybe not the cleaning :-) comes from the children themselves. Give them room to relate to their world and see what a varied yet solid education they will gain even in their earliest years.

A Couple More Tidbits on Sunday School

2011-07-21T04:28:00.001-07:00

Okay, I'm having a little trouble figuring out how to link correctly, but if you click on the paragraphs below, they'll take you to the article and blog post talked about.

I read this article a year or so ago and thought the family aspect of children's ministry was dealt with well. Good quotes: "Fun is great and important in a kid's life, but not at the cost of diminishing the presence of the living God." and "What they yearn for is usually very different than what they say they want.... Our children yearn to know and relate truly to God."

This is a blog post by a lady who successfully used Charlotte Mason principles in her churches after-school program.

The Boys Planting Soybeans

2011-07-19T12:04:00.001-07:00

Working Now?

2011-07-14T11:16:00.001-07:00

Test trial to see if a very helpful person from BloggerPlus gave adequate advice to fix my problem.

Working On It

2011-07-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

Well, my Blog Press app that allowed me to blog with pictures on the iPad, is not working for me. So I need to figure out a new app to use in order to blog. I'm telling you, technology.... Kicking and screaming, people, it drags me along kicking and screaming....

But in other news ~ Harrison is really walking now. Up to 10 steps at a time! He likes to show off for all of us. And who wouldn't when you get constant praise and clapping? He's a joy.

We are working our way through finishing up Elizabeth's 3rd grade year still. We've had several light weeks, and we'll have some time off when she goes to camp. But we still have four solid weeks left. Jonathan is doing some things with us, like Bible reading and art and music, but otherwise he's on break. He learned a lot this past year!

Phoebe being Phoebe is a full time job. She is keeping with her horse/cowgirl/Texas kick which I love. We'll see if that interest sticks with her through the years. But she's a ham and has definite opinions and says exactly what she thinks and is a lot of fun. She'll be one to go after what she wants and not let anything get in her way. And I'll be a proud momma! (As long as she sticks with you, Lord, You know she'll need You to keep her straight!)

Summer is hot, but it's fun going to the pool or the beach. Phillip and I have projects going on. We started this week to get up at 5:00 in the morning to have quiet time without the kids. It's fun to be together at the kitchen table reading and working on stuff.

I kind of like my family.... God has really blessed us. We are all healthy and happy and I just am really glad God put us all together.

And someday soon I will be able to post pictures. :-)

Contemplating Sunday School IV

2011-06-24T18:29:00.001-07:00

You can catch I, II, and III if needed before we move on to the end of Ms. Wix's thoughts.

Unless of course he has been taught from some "watered-down" version of the story which doesn't give enough details for his imagination to picture it all. A child who can tell you the whole story, vivid touches and all, needs no picture; he can see it. Indeed many a child I have known much disappointed by pictures. I once showed Watt's "For he had great possessions," and the child's comment was, "But he was a young man, and beautiful; that man is quite old." But I would all the same use pictures sometimes, after the lesson.

Perhaps it will have struck you that a lesson given on this method must be short. It must; none of us can work at one subject, to the top of our bent, for long at a time, and Scripture lessons in the P.U.S. School last only twenty minutes. A child cannot concentrate his mind for too long, and short lessons produce, firstly more knowledge, and secondly, more power of attention than the longer and necessarily slacker lesson.

But I understand that Sunday School lasts for about fifty minutes or a little less; so that the rest of the time would have to be filled up. Well, here I have a suggestion to make, not my own, but I am very warmly in favour of it. Why not use the rest of the time in reading aloud to the children some interesting and well-written book? Say Pilgrim's Progress, a life of Livingstone, an account of present-day mission work, a well-written account, nothing "goodygoody" nor watered down for the children, but some good, bracing narrative. And always have narration, just as I have tried to explain. If only—a big IF, I fear,—you can manage it, it would of course be splendid to let the elder ones read quietly to themselves. But that is a detail that it is too soon to discuss.

Poetry could also be read in this time, for few things open the doors of the spirit and the thoughtful mind as poetry does, provided it is of the best and the field covered is wide. There are in these days such splendid collections of real treasures that the responsibility of the teacher is greatly lessened.

I would like to add a few hints. This method is so simple, based on such simple rules that therein lies perhaps its greatest difficulty. But if we can bear in mind that we wish the children to learn how to learn, that will be a help. If we wish to teach a baby to walk, the baby must himself do the walking and it does not help him a bit if we walk. But it is a help for him if we are there ready to cheer him on and save him from just the hardest tumbles. So we must leave the work to the children, and their brains, their minds, their spirits, will grow by exercise, and grow as they should grow, for we under God's guidance shall be able to help them into the right way. So here is the first thing to remember. Let the children do the work. That is, let them narrate, do not question. Don't interrupt and don't hurry the child.

Then again (I am not now speaking from personal experience, but from someone else's), let those children narrate who are keenest. Do not force the shy and retiring; they will all become keen soon.

Again, do not expect flowing narration at once; it is difficult.

Again, do not read too much at a time, particularly to begin with. Slow and sure is very specially the case in beginning this method. As nothing is ever read twice, no time is ever lost. So that two or three pages of a book or some twenty verses or so of the Bible are enough.

Again, no revising is done before examinations. I have brought with me some examination answers written by children of the Elementary Schools. These have been set by an "outside" examiner on the work learnt during the last three months, and have been answered by the children without revision and entirely unaided.

Now I expect you are wondering if we work entirely without the help of books, for I have never mentioned them! Of course we do not. The teacher's part is to prepare his lesson with all the thoroughness possible. If you want me to suggest any books, I can very heartily recommend you Dr. Paterson Smyth's Bible for the Young Series. I believe the Church of Ireland Sunday School books are splendid; I have only one myself and it happens to be by Paterson Smyth, and is certainly a living book and therefore a tremendous help.

H. E. Wix

I love the idea of short Bible lessons with time for reading an inspiring book about a missionary perhaps, or even Pilgrim's Progress. Elizabeth started Pilgrim's Progress last year at age 8. I had never read it before myself, but she has gotten so much out of it! And it's not the children's version either.
They really can understand more than we give them credit for. As far as other Christian literature, I love The Hiding Place about Corrie ten Boom and Through Gates of Splendor about Jim Elliot and the Aucas. The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe series by C.S. Lewis would be great read alouds.

For younger children ages 3-5 or 6, their Bible lesson might be 10 minutes long. You could read a poem to them, and include a good Christian story on their level. You might also do some nature enjoyment and observation: if not outside, then at a nature table. And little ones still want lots of time for play and interaction with each other. Singing, of course. There are so many children's sing-a-longs that include hymns, choruses, scripture songs,etc.

Crafts that are meaningful are harder to figure out. It takes time to teach someone a useful skill. But maybe someone in your church has a gift they would be willing to share with the children. For 15-20 minutes a week, could the children learn to knit or crochet? stain and finish wood projects? Definitely more thought needs to go into that aspect, but useful projects to keep or maybe collect and sell for missions or camp. Some women at our church knit and crochet prayer shawls and different things to give to those who are hurting (as well as pray for the person). Art could also be done just as free time (or free expression, if you will) with materials such as markers and paper, play dough or clay, pipe cleaners, yarn, paint?, popsicle sticks, etc. Scripture memory is doable. Choose a passage of Scripture (5-10 or more verses depending on the age). Read it every week out loud beautifully. Soon have them say as much as they can with you. Many if not all will be able to repeat the whole passage to you after a couple months or so. Passages are even better than individual verses because you get more context and each verse leads into the next so it is also easier to memorize.

Well, there's a lot more swirling around in my head, but I'll finally sign off. :-)
I have a couple more links I'll share later.

Zoo

2011-06-20T12:45:00.001-07:00

This time I got pictures! We were blessed with another family pass, so hopefully we'll get lots of use out of it. Although it's re-eally hot in the summer! I'm thankful for the shade, free water tables and air conditioned Discovery Room. Oh, and the mist areas throughout the zoo where the kids stick their faces in the spout and get gloriously wet! They enjoy that.

Delightful Reading Revisited

2011-06-17T10:26:00.001-07:00

Jonathan is moving right along with reading instruction. He can read "Rain" by Robert Louis Stevenson; "The Dogs and the Fox" by Aesop; and he's almost done working his way through Proverbs 23:4-5. He loves that he can read straight from the Bible!

Check out Simply Charlotte Mason to find out more about Delightful Reading and all their other helpful homeschooling resources (some great free stuff too!).

Contemplating Sunday School III

2011-06-13T18:16:00.001-07:00

You can read the first post and second post if you missed them. Ms. Wix now continues by explaining how a children's Bible lesson might go.

Now may I give an imaginary lesson to a class of children of let us say, seven to nine. In such a class I should read the Bible aloud, the children following in their own books, or, the younger ones, merely listening. A very little time ago I took the Parable of the Sower with children of just this age.

First of all I should connect with last week's lesson. This is best done by asking a question or two—broad questions, simply asked to see whether the children remember the story, whether it is all still fresh in their memory. This should take perhaps two minutes. Then a very short, vivid description of the scene of the Parable; the spring of the year, the gay garments of the crowd, the sower perhaps in the distance. (May I interrupt myself here and say that one of the very best ways of getting the children to visualise the scene is to tell them to shut their eyes, then vividly and shortly describe the scene—say for instance: A hot, blue sky, golden corn, with poppies and a sandy path through the field—now, children can you see it?

The scene they call up is better than a picture, far, far better than the blackboard sketch, and has many other merits.) This introduction must be short, and no things are shown to the children—such as grains of corn, for example. Such things only distract them from the main theme. Then all the children—except those who cannot read at all—open their Bibles, and the teacher reads the story aloud, slowly and as beautifully as she can, as if it were quite the most interesting thing he or she had ever read. At the end of the parable (I should not read the explanation now) the teacher turns to any child: "Tommy, will you begin to tell the story I have just read? See how much of the very Bible words you can remember." He begins, and after a few sentences the teacher turns to some other child: "Now Mary, what happened next?" and so on till the story is finished. All the children will, if the class is small, get a chance of "narrating,' as we call it, but no child knows when he may not be called on and all will listen eagerly to see if Tommy or Mary leaves out anything. During this "narration" the teacher listens, and cheers on with her visible interest. She does not interrupt, does not even correct, but if a narrator goes wrong, she can turn to another child and say, "Can you remember what happened next?"

The narration over, there comes that so important part of all Scripture lessons, the "new thought of God" to be learnt. The teacher will ask this child or that, "Who do you think the Sower was?" and "What then is the seed?" Perhaps you think this too difficult for such young children? Remember, they are cleverer than their teacher! But the teacher has more experience, and will guide the children rightly, and after some little discussion, she can tell the children that there is something particularly wonderful about this parable, for we have Christ's own interpretation of it. She will then read it, as before, without interruption, without talk, and at the end, other children will be called upon to narrate this too, just as they did the story itself.

This parable is so full of lessons for us to take to heart and ponder over, that it will be easy for the children to find many, with the very smallest amount of help from the teacher. In some cases, of course, this most important part of the lesson must come from the teacher; but children remember best, ponder over more, what they have discovered for themselves. Again, sometimes it is wise to re-read the Bible portion at the end of the lesson—if for instance there has been so animated a discussion that the sacred words are clouded by the mist of talk. Then next Sunday the teacher might begin: "Last week we read about the Sower and his seeds, can anyone remember one kind of soil the seed fell on?" I know a crowd of small arms would rise, and the wise teacher would choose a child who had been a little silent perhaps last week. For care must be taken in a large class that every child has a turn in course of time.

It is nothing less than wonderful how lessons given in this way are remembered from week to week. Children that I have taught often remember, far better than I do, the lesson they had from me—I should say with me—a week ago. This is natural, for they did the work; I listened and cheered on; they had to concentrate their whole minds on the story; in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, it would only be read once, and then, in the narration, what concentration is needed! Try for yourselves; read a page or two of an interesting book, and then narrate it to yourself. It is not memory; it is concentrated attention, and if you did it constantly you would be amazed how your powers of concentration would increase. But you read only once, remember!

You will have noticed that, except at the beginning of the lesson, there is no questioning. Instead of being continually egged on by leading questions, or irritated by niggly questions, the child tells you the lesson all by himself; certainly no more sure test of knowledge could be demanded. None of us knows a thing till we can tell all about it; if we want to know something thoroughly we, unconsciously perhaps, narrate it to ourselves, constantly answering the reiterated question, "What came next?, What came next?" Do you see how a child's vocabulary increases who "narrates"?

No more set answers to set questions, no more jerky monosyllables, but a good, flowing account of what was read in good English—you remember they narrate "in the Bible words as much as possible"—and what finer English is there? Then also you will have noticed that there were no fascinating objects for the children to look at. They know what corn is like, and any country child has seen a sower sowing. But they should visualise the scene. And Mr. Fisher said, you remember, that a child has more imagination than a grown-up. If an illustration or explanation of something is needed, we use the bit of india rubber, the ruler and pencil that are lying about, and a few words and the children's imagination fills in the rest. And what about pictures? A good one—Millais' "Sower" is beautiful—may be sometimes a help, but what child wants a picture of Daniel in the Lions' Den, of Saul escaping in the basket, and so on?

The Sower by Sir John Everett Mallais published 1864

It's interesting to me that she doesn't recommend very many visual aids. The child's imagination is sufficient with maybe a drawing on the blackboard or maybe a good picture. Younger children would enjoy acting out this parable also which is another form of narration. I would be tempted to add all sorts of crafty ideas involving bird seed or something. :-) But I don't think that would be in line with these ideas. One more post to come to complete the article!

Miscellaneous Pictures

2011-06-11T18:12:00.001-07:00

Our little Rapunzel.

He climbed up there himself!

At the Park

2011-06-11T18:05:00.001-07:00

Harrison's 1st Birthday

2011-06-11T18:01:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth Keeps on Blogging

2011-06-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

You go, girl! Her most recent blog is about Harrison's birthday. Check her out at daddysgirl-lizfun.blogspot.com.

Contemplating Sunday School II

2011-06-06T18:43:00.000-07:00

To continue where we left off with the P.N.E.U. article last time:

You may none of you ever have these difficulties; but I have been enquiring among Sunday School teachers as far as possible, and these objections do not seem unknown. Afterwards, in the discussion time, I hope other objections or difficulties will come up.

But I feel sure there is a common cause underlying all, or nearly all, the difficulties of the modern teacher. It is that we underestimate the child. In olden days people thought the dryer the lesson, the better exercise for the brain. But nowadays lessons to be up-to-date must be amusing, full of ingenious devices which "amuse while they instruct," and so on. I am sure there is no need to describe these lessons, we all know the type. They go on the principle that children, because of their youth, have weak brains, incapable of assimilating undecorated knowledge.

Now Mr. Fisher, the Minister for Education, said in a speech a few weeks ago, "It is as well in teaching to think of the children as cleverer than yourself, with less knowledge, but more imagination." The word "cleverer" does not quite satisfy me, but we all know what Mr. Fisher means. Now the underlying idea of the P.N.E.U. method I am going to tell you about is just that. A child is a person; with mind, intellect and spirit,—all there, all clamouring for food and exercise, all ready to grow if only—such an important "if"—we do not hinder them.

What a responsibility for us teachers! Have you ever noticed what our Lord says about the bringing up of children? "Suffer them to come unto Me," "Offend them (hinder them) not," "Forbid them not," "Take heed that ye despise not these little ones." It is really remarkable how He is always reminding us of their greatness—and yet, so many of us still have that lesson unlearnt.

I want to tell you as clearly as I can—please store up questions to ask and talk over afterwards!—exactly what the P.N.E.U. method is.

It differs but little for different ages of children. The younger ones learn only the simpler tales of the Old Testament and the Gospel story as told by the first three Evangelists, but after the age of 12 they take the Old Testament in more detail and the Gospel of St. John and the Acts are also studied. Later on the Prophets and Epistles are taken in fuller detail. Young children who cannot read fluently have the Bible read to them, but after eight years old they can generally read for themselves.

We underestimate the child. Children will live up to our expectations; and they have a sneaky way of knowing what those expectations are whether they match our words or not.

The type of class talked about in this article is for children age 6 and older, I believe. Younger children might use a book like Egermeier's Bible Story Book or Catherine Vos' The Child's Story Bible. Some teachers have had good success with simply opening up the Bible and telling the story in their own words. I'm thinking of getting the two books mentioned and try them with our kids at home to see what I think.

Mowgli

2011-06-02T17:28:00.001-07:00

"Mowgli" in The Jungle Book means "frog". All of my children have reminded me of little naked frogs when they were babies. It's their skinny little bottoms that do it. So each of them have carried the affectionate name of "Mowgli" at some point in time. Here's the most recent Mowgli.

Contemplating Sunday School

2011-06-02T10:52:00.001-07:00

Having studied Charlotte Mason methods for 4 years now, I'm beginning to dream of how we can apply them to our time with children at church. There is so much twaddle in Sunday School! The retelling of Bible stories as if children can't understand them straight from the Bible. The stick and paper crafts that keep them busy but aren't of much use nor do they usually "teach" the story. The entertainment in order to stave off chaos. I don't denigrate the hard-working volunteers and children's ministers. I was once trying to figure out a philosophy of children's ministry and implement it on a volunteer basis! I read many books and magazines and got caught up in trying "cool" stuff to attract kids. I've taught Sunday School since I was a teen. Been in Sunday School since I was a baby. I'm just quite sure there is another way.... perhaps a better way. And I would like to share it with you. And ask lots of questions and maybe have some discussions and see if this leads anywhere.

One of the first things I want to share is an article from "The Parents' Review" (a CM magazine). "The PNEU Method in Sunday Schools" by Helen E. Wix, 1917.

It's long, so it will be posted over several blog posts. She said things so well, I don't feel the need to retell it to you in my own words. But I may add some discussion at times.

A paper read at a meeting of Sunday School teachers

I feel bound to begin by confessing that I know very little, indeed nothing, about teaching in Sunday School. I have never had any experience of it, so I shall probably make a number of mistakes this afternoon through sheer ignorance. But please be patient with me, and afterwards in the discussion, do not scruple to say where I have suggested impossibilities and so on.

Now one or two people have told me that the present methods of teaching in Sunday Schools do not give complete satisfaction everywhere. The little I know amounts to nothing, so I am not going to criticise or cast reflections on any method, but I understand that there is an extraordinary amount of freedom as regards what is taught in Sunday Schools and how it is taught. So I have been asked to tell you, as clearly as possible, about a method which has been in use now so many years that you might even call it old-fashioned. But its results are admittedly wonderful.

But first perhaps you should know why I, such an ignoramus in these Sunday School matters, should have been asked to explain any method to you who know so very much more than I do.

Some of you have perhaps heard of the Parents' National Educational Union, better known possibly as the P.N.E.U., or of Miss Mason, its founder, or of Ambleside students, those women trained by her to teach according to her principles. It is only as an Ambleside student of fourteen years' experience that I dare to face you. And though I have not taught large classes in Sunday Schools, I have given Scripture lessons to children of all ages up to eighteen, on four days a week regularly. And in Elementary Schools this Ambleside or P.N.E.U. method has been used with most striking success—and that by teachers not trained at Ambleside. So you see anyone can teach on this method who will take the trouble. The real difficulty lies in its simplicity. The teacher with no P.N.E.U. training finds it so extraordinarily difficult to do little enough, to leave enough to the children.

One hears from many sources nowadays, certain regular complaints about children at their lessons—from other than Sunday Schools—that for instance, the children are not enthusiastically keen about their work—the young ones are perhaps, but as they grow older their attention is more and more difficult to capture and keep, their interest less and less lively and bright. And yet, when, in all our history, did teachers work as hard as now? But many of our ancestors would blush at the results! Another complaint that I so often hear, is about the children's memories. "I make them learn it over and over again, and they don't know it at the end;" or, "I give them lovely lessons, and take no end of pains over them, and yet—well, they don't seem thrilled somehow, and next week they only remember the bits that don't matter." And so the progress cannot be rapid, and yet the time is all too short.

This last paragraph especially reminds me so much of teaching today; and this was written almost a hundred years ago! More to come....

Narration

2011-05-28T17:48:00.001-07:00

When you think back to school, do you remember the methods used to test your grasp of the information passed on to you? My memories are of tests with lots of multiple choice, True/False, fill-in-the-blank, and Q and A. My mind was pretty good at coming up with pneumonic devices to remember answers for a test. But it also knew that it would quickly forget the info once the test was over. I used to think I was really good at "school". But since I've started homeschooling, I suspicion I was actually a lazy learner. Many devices were in place to help me get good grades, but I did not learn (not during "school time" anyway) for the joy of it. Not for the life enrichment knowledge can bring.

Narration is a key Charlotte Mason element that helps a person cement information in the brain and make connections. A great introductory article can be read here. I wish I had loads of wisdom to share on this subject, but I feel sadly lacking in this area of home education. Elizabeth has gotten much better at narrating, especially since her brother began narration this year, and she enjoys a little competition. Jonathan is much better at retelling a story we've just read as opposed to a poem or Bible passage. Quite expected at his age though.

I really should change things up a bit: ask for a drawing or skit or something instead of the same ole' "Tell me what we just read about". Elizabeth did recently choose to do a simple Keynote presentation on a book she just finished. It was 4 slides long. Not as detailed as I would like, but narration isn't about what I want her to remember. It's about connections she made with the material. Some of her best "retellings" are when she'll stop me during a reading and make a comment which leads to an impromptu discussion. Love that. At any rate, our narrating is not perfect. But the knowledge is there for life. Not a temporary flitting to pass the test.

Time Together

2011-05-28T17:41:00.001-07:00

Phillip and I were able to spend a couple days alone since Mimi and Papa were here to take care of the kids overnight. Phillip started the day by taking care of the kids and giving me a bubble bath and breakfast upstairs (read "alone"; "without kids"). :-) There were several gifts along the way. We dressed up for a fancy lunch at The Secret Garden restaurant, spent some time on a stretch of mostly deserted beach, and walked down the streets of Old St. Augustine. The only picture I got was of us at Sonic. Sad. By this time I was feeling pretty sick. We went to see Thor at the theater. That was kind of fun. That night and the next day we just were worn out. Too much sun at the beach. A virus or something from Harrison. Uuuuggghhhh! It was fun to spend time together alone though. And the virus was short-lived, thankfully; it only lasted a day and a half. Phillip planned the whole trip, sha baby. He's so good. My contribution was bike riding, but we couldn't do it because of how we felt. Phillip wasn't too upset by that. I'll get him on a bike yet! Fun times, babe.

Mimi and Papa Visit

2011-05-27T19:21:00.001-07:00

We're having a good time with Mimi and Papa visiting. We've done birthday shopping, ice cream, lots of projects, visiting, eating.... and a little sickness. I think we're passing it around. Harrison started it.

We're so glad they are here though, sickness or no!

Sandbox

2011-05-14T17:20:00.001-07:00

Our neighborhood recently put in a pet-free zone which we have put to almost daily use. I love the woods behind. You can hear the sweet sounds of birds in the evening.

A sandbox for the olders.

Harrison gets parked in some shade. I wish these were real flowers. We were told there would be a flower box. I guess it is a flower box, fake though they may be. And the kids, putting a positive spin on it, are glad they will not attract bees.

Here's my bench where I can sit and read books and watch birds and occupy Harrison. See the book my parents got me for my birthday? "The Story of Charlotte Mason". Very enjoyable.

He's Just So Darn Cute!

2011-05-14T17:10:00.001-07:00

Is it because he's the baby? Or is he really that much fun and lovable? I don't know, but we sure love this boy. And he certainly gets more pictures taken than anyone else. :-). Not just by Mom and Dad either. The kids are just as crazy about Harrison.

Jonathan's Cotter Tens Fractal

2011-05-14T17:01:00.001-07:00

It's now his turn to make the Cotter Tens Fractal for Right Start Math! He is doing so well with mathematics. He's in the first grade book already and we're making good time with it. He loves to talk about numbers. They just click with him.

By the way, you may notice a difference in this Fractal as opposed to Liz':

Elizabeth's Cotter Tens

For hers we colored the little triangles, cut out all the little ones and big ones, and glued the little green triangles to the big white ones. And then taped them to the wall. Dad had an AWESOME time-saving idea which he implemented for us this time around. In Pages he made the triangles with the ten smaller green ones inside, placed four on a page, and sent them to UPS to be printed. So we only had to cut out 100 bigger triangles and tape them to the wall. Jonathan enjoyed the taping part. And we shall keep them safe for Phoebe when her time comes.

Working with Natural Tendencies

2011-05-13T12:42:00.001-07:00

From "The Story of Charlotte Mason" on the formation of habits:

Almost anything may be made of a child by those who first get him into their hands. We find that we can work definitely towards the formation of character; that the habits of the good life, of the alert intelligence, which we take pains to form in the child, are, somehow, registered in the very substance of his brain; and that the habits of the child are, as it were, so many little hammers beating out by slow degrees the character of the man. Therefore we set ourselves to form a habit in the same matter-of-fact steady way that we set about teaching the multiplication table; expecting the things to be done and done with for life. But fitful efforts after a habit - say of tidiness, or of obedience - are of very little use, and are worrying to child and parents.

The list of habits to be established in your children can make habit training seem to be a daunting task. One thing that eases my mind is knowing that each child has natural tendencies. Some are negative and some positive. Jonathan is naturally neat and tidy. He likes to put things back in their place. (Oh how thankful I am for that tendency!) But he also likes to take his time in the tub while bathing. So I make sure that he continues his tidiness while working with him on dawdling. Noticing these places where work is needed for each individual child and then mapping out a plan (seek advice, especially from your spouse who is a necessary part of habit training) makes more sense to me than simply choosing habits from a list. I also don't have to remind myself to train in these areas because their sneaky faces show themselves often enough to bug me to remembrance. Over and over again - making sure the good habit is being done. Soon it will be established and will take more effort for them to choose the "old way" than for them to just do what they've been trained in. And what a better life your children will have because of the time you've taken though it is hard work right now.

Ladie Green Eyes

2011-05-11T12:41:00.001-07:00

A nature study entry from Elizabeth. We learned about a flower called "green eyes" from a guide on a trail walk (on which I was bitten by many sand bugs, by the way; and I had to carry Harrison for an hour since the sand didn't allow the stroller to roll. But I won't complain since it's for nature study. :-).

The poem she wrote to go along:

Ladie, ladie, ladie green eyes
With golden red hair
And long green dress.
And I always wonder why
Even with her noble rank
When the wind comes by
She bows like everyone else.

No Pictures

2011-05-09T15:35:00.001-07:00

Would someone be my personal photographer? Or at least remind me to take a camera with me?

We've been to a fire station, the zoo, an Easter party, and Kingsley plantation. And I've forgotten the camera every time! So please imagine Jonathan in a big ole fire hat holding an axe. Phoebe laughing with the monkeys. Elizabeth trying to hide from the camera or run from bees or perhaps hold Harrison.

And I will see what I can do about the mom of the house and her forgetfulness.

Art on the iPad

2011-04-30T15:24:00.001-07:00

"Adoration of the Shepherds" by Caravaggio
(current picture we're studying)

Our new iPad is the new family computer, so we've been trying to figure out how to do our school stuff with this new device. We used to display our art on the desktop and screensaver. Not the most cosmopolitan way, but it's practical and free. It has taken some figuring out how to do the same on an iPad, so some of you with iPad's might benefit from our process.

1. Find Picture:
I used to just use the links from Amblesideonline.org to find the current art, but we've found some of those pictures to be too small. The iPad would stretch them to fit the screen which made them pixelated. So Phillip showed me how to do a Google Image search and select only large or medium pictures. There have been plenty to choose from thus far though you do have to be sure you're saving the correct picture since many different ones might come up.

2. Save Image:
Press the image you want with your finger until a screen pops up with choices. Choose Save Image. This places the picture in your Photos.

3. Display Art:
Go to Settings and choose Brightness and Wallpaper. Click on the desktop image under Wallpaper and it will open up choices. Click on Camera Roll and choose the art that has been saved there.

4. Study:
You can look at the image as the screen saver or you can go to Photos, open up Camera Roll, click on the picture and observe it free of any other "computer stuff" (buttons, etc) that get in the way. You can also enlarge the image in Photos by pinching your fingers apart to make it bigger. It's kind of fun to see what's in the background that way.

If you have an easier or different way of displaying your art, please share!

Before Church on Easter

2011-04-27T12:29:00.001-07:00

This year I didn't think too much about Easter. It kind of came up on me. Phillip had a ton of preparation to do at the church, but we didn't do a lot at home.

So Phoebe wore Elizabeth's Easter dress from last year. Jonathan wore his outfit from last year (it must have been big on him last year!). Elizabeth does not like to wear dresses anymore, so she wore the one nice outfit that was clean. And Harrison had something nice to wear too. Phoebe was upset with Jonathan so she refused to sit next to him. Whatever. It's too hard to catch a perfect picture of all the kids anymore, so this is what we get!

Thoughtful Son

2011-04-27T12:16:00.001-07:00

Jonathan and Dad needed to go to the store and buy some insecticide for Jon's wheat. He planted some wheat seeds from a science experiment kit last summer. They've actually grown and are now producing "fruit"; the poor plants had aphids. He's pretty sure he's going to sell his wheat and make money.

Well, Jonathan said they just had to buy Mom some flowers. He was very proud that they bought the $5 flowers instead of the $10 ones since they could save money that way. This boy is after my own heart! I love my happy tulips. And I love my man working on his Revelation lesson in his cowboy hat. Oh yea..... I got me some good men.

Phoebe Turns Five

2011-04-25T17:08:00.001-07:00

Wow, it's hard to believe she's five! Such a unique birth and a unique girl. She has a special place in my heart with her intensity and love of alone time, her wildness and joy.

This was her choice of cake decoration: white frosting with pink sprinkles and a horse. I told her to go find the horse she wanted (since she has so many). She came back with Bullseye. Good enough.

We invited a little friend from church and her family to Ollie Koalas for some pizza and games. I find one friend over is often better than a house full.

We made her a foil crown for her birthday. A simple way to honor the birthday girl!

Devices

2011-04-22T18:28:00.001-07:00

Seriously, if I lived alone, I would not own any of these! But my dear patient husband loves what these devices can be used for and teaches me how to use each new one we get. And eventually I catch on and learn to love what I can accomplish with them. But a certain amount of kicking and screaming go along with the learning process.

Our family computer was 6 1/2 years old and slow as molasses. We held out for the next version of the iPad, and after several weeks of frustration, I think I'm getting the hang of it! It's a different device than a computer, but I think I can do just about everything I used to do. Namely: blogging (and reading blogs), Facebook, emails, keeping the family books, making lists,
Research work (googling), school schedules, art and music study, spanish, and a wonderful new way to read books and poetry for school, plus the kids are able to play games and such during computer time.

I used to be proud that I was not tethered to a computer. By that I mean that I could live without one and get by just fine with life. But alas that is no longer the case. I reluctantly defer to the age of the computer.

Soon!!

2011-04-18T15:07:00.001-07:00

I am learning our new iPad and so have not posted lately. This feels like moving. Everything is different and is taking some time to get used to. Anyway, this is a practice blog Written on the iPad. The last one disappeared into thin air. Be back soon!

Daytona Bound

2011-04-08T17:34:00.000-07:00

The Senior group from church had Phillip speak at their Daytona trip again this year and had our whole family join them.

The hotel makes a variety of donuts for breakfast.

The kids have their own room complete with bunk beds and TV (I know, Mom and Dad! I know.) We were able to swim at the beach the first day for a little while. The kids had fun, but Harrison was tired so we didn't stay long. Unfortunately it rained with lightening the second day, so we couldn't even swim in the indoor pool (too many windows). So the kids watched quite a bit of TV that morning.

We all ate at Aunt's Catfish for supper one night. I had crab cakes. Phillip had a hamburger. Go figure. :-) They make the best hush puppies and cinnamon rolls (both served along with all dishes). Delicious!

On the rainy afternoon, a kind lady had some activities planned for the kids so Phillip and I could go to the painting class. Can you tell who painted which picture? We didn't get to finish it ~ it was to be a beach scene with more waves. This was my first time painting with oils and I enjoyed it!

The second night was dress-up (okay, seniors are into costumes? Apparently.). The theme was Disney by the Sea. We did not want to spend a lot of money on 6 Disney costumes, so we came up with a cheaper and more creative option. We bought plain t-shirts in colors that coordinated with our characters and then had 1 item that also went along with our character. And we wore name tags so people would know who we were. Liz is Rapunzel with a wig. Jonathan is Mickey Mouse with ears. Phoebe is Sleeping Beauty with a crown. Harrison is Peter Pan with a "dagger". Phillip and I are Beauty and the Beast (my "thing" was a blue ribbon tying my hair back ~ hard to see).

While the kids have looked forward to this trip for a long time, I have to say I was thrilled, delighted, ecstatic, happy to be back home! I am a homebody. It's hard to sleep in a hotel with a baby who still wakes up at night and a little girl who cannot go to sleep in a strange place and therefore keeps everyone else awake, etc, etc. So here we are outside enjoying being home.

A Speaking Experience

2011-04-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

Last night reminded me that I am not a gifted or natural public speaker.

My homeschool group, Lighted Path Homeschool Connection, asked me to speak about Delightful Reading at their Charlotte Mason seminar. I was happy to share, so I prepared and practiced for several hours over the past weeks.

As time approached, I was perhaps tense but not overly worried. Even as I sat in the room awaiting my turn, I was not nervous. But as soon as I stood up... Whew! Trembling, eyes tearing up, couldn't catch my breath, staring at the ceiling, "Um" the most oft spoke word. Yea.... It was bad. You couldn't pay me to watch a video of that presentation. Any of you have a teacher or professor who made you watch a video of your speeches from speech class? Torturous. Oh, and this "crowd" that I spoke to amounted to all of 9 people!

But after 5-10 minutes all of that did pass. I relaxed and enjoyed sharing how to teach your child to read. I have another venue to share at in a couple weeks, but it will be in a home with me sitting on a couch. For some reason that seems much less intimidating.

I know that public speaking is not my forte, and I'm okay with that. I'm glad to do it anyway because I love talking about homeschooling and Charlotte Mason and Delightful Reading. Not that I want to stand in front of very many crowds! It's just exciting to have something to share and be asked to do it. As long as they don't mind putting up with my blubbering for a couple minutes while I adjust to standing in front of them while they stare at me. Thank goodness my husband is so helpful and encouraging; it's nice to come home to a safe place where someone thinks you hung the moon. :-)

Kids at Ollie Koala's

2011-03-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

Ollie Koala's is similar to Chuck E. Cheese, but it seemed cleaner, less rowdy (more spacious perhaps?), with more visibility from the seating areas. You put money on a card and the kids use them to play the games. They each got two dollars to spend. So for six bucks they had a great time and I got to catch up on some reading and talked to some friends I ran into. Not too shabby.

An Idea that Caught Hold

2011-03-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

A few thoughts from Charlotte Mason on "Education is a Life" (CM Blog Carnival):

"For the mind is capable of dealing with only one kind of food; it lives, grows and is nourished upon ideas only; mere information is to it as a meal of sawdust to the body."

"Look at any publisher's list of school books and you shall find that the books recommended are carefully dessicated, drained of the least suspicion of an idea, reduced to the driest statements of fact."

"Probably [the child] will reject nine-tenths of the ideas we offer, as he makes use of only a small proportion of his bodily food, rejecting the rest. He is an eclectic; he may choose this or that; our business is to supply him with due abundance and variety and his to take what he needs."

I remember a science text-book we owned growing up. I read through and found it interesting that there was so much information about "stuff" in there; but instead of the ideas being fixed in my mind, I always thought to myself that it was great that we had this book so I could look up anything I needed to know if the time ever came to need to know something. I especially remember the star maps in the back of the book. I thought it was so neat that I could use them. But I never used them. I was glad to have the information at my finger-tips, but never once have I gone back to that science book and the ideas have slipped away.

A couple years ago we traveled from our city to Husband's small home town. Elizabeth, our 9 year old, was enthralled with the beauty of the sky and couldn't believe there were so many stars out there! An idea caught hold in her mind.

This year for school we used Apologia's Astronomy for our science. What a thrill this book was to Elizabeth! She read through it quickly (though we've moved at a slower pace for school). Since this living idea caught hold, she has researched space on the internet, watched for the recent Super Moon and got up at 3 am to see the Lunar Eclipse; we've gone to a park where our local Astronomical Society meets once a month with their huge telescopes and have stargazed; The Universe series is a regularly requested program (we learn a lot about discernment and respect by watching these since they have some beliefs that are not in line with our own). She has written stories, drawn pictures, made rockets and space clubs, dreamt up new astrological inventions; our screen saver is now "space"; we have books on space and constellations..... Whew! An idea caught hold.

I would never have thought to try to interest my daughter in this subject. I don't know that she'll ever become an astronomer, but I know she's learning an immense amount, and most importantly she is glorifying our God with her amazement at His creation. I know He revels in her wonder. I'm seeing the sky in a whole new light now too, and learning more than I learned from that old science text-book years ago.

Space Club "Expert Astronomy" It reads: "Launching Pad, Stay Out, E. A. members only" (Now she's changed the name of her club to AEA: Almost Expert Astronomy. I think she doesn't want to sound presumptive.)

Screen Saver

Update on Weight Gained

2011-03-21T09:00:00.001-07:00

After two weeks Harrison has gained 8 oz. Half of what the doctor ordered. We saw a different doctor (from the same office) today, and he wasn't worried at all about his weight. I looked up Elizabeth's baby charts and she was under the chart on more than one appointment. So no worries! Not that I was worried before....

Steady Progress on a Careful Plan

2011-03-13T13:41:00.000-07:00

Teaching our children the discipline of good habits can be so discouraging! I would like to tell them what to do, train them in the habit (in maybe a day or two) and then set them on their way not having to think of the lesson again. But alas, as I walk through my home and see lights left on, clothes on the floor, yelling at one another, teeth not brushed correctly, slipshod schoolwork; no, I cannot leave the lesson behind. So instead of getting discouraged, I try to look ahead. It will be a long process of training.

"These [virtues], and such as these, wise parents cultivate as systematically and with as definite results as if they were teaching the 'three R's'." ~ Charlotte Mason

Teaching good habits will take as long as teaching my child how to read. Harrison (9 months) is learning how to say sounds. He's now at 'da-da' and 'beh'. Phoebe (4 yrs) can mostly sing the ABC song correctly and is starting to recognize letters and what sound they make. Jonathan (6 yrs) is learning to put sounds together to read words and sentences. Elizabeth (9 yrs) can read quite well on her own, but needs a little help with unfamiliar words like 'larynx' or 'mauve'. So they are all at different stages of learning this "R".

I can't expect Phoebe to be at the same place Elizabeth is at on her road to reading. Neither should I expect as much in habit training. They will all be at different stages. It will take time to train them in good habits. But I do have all of childhood to work with them, and it is so worth it to have a child who can "bring their will to bear" and make themselves do what they ought to do instead of just what they want to do. Steady progress on a careful plan will produce desired results ~ this encourages me as I disciple my children and train them in good habits.

Nine Months

2011-03-09T13:46:00.000-08:00

Well, this little booger had his 9 month check-up. He's a pretty healthy guy except he's small. He wasn't even on the chart for weight. I think he was in the 50th percentile for height. (15 lbs 10 oz and 28.25 inches long) So doctor is worried that he doesn't weigh enough. I'm going to do 4 solid food feedings a day (she suggested adding in avacado). And nurse him in a room by ourselves and for a longer period of time. He gets so distracted with the kids around or the TV on. I remember Elizabeth being under the chart as a baby though. She's always been tiny and Harrison may just take after her. The doctor was very surprised that Jonathan and Phoebe were only 6 and 4. They're both so tall! We'll go back to the doctor in two weeks for a weigh-in. She's hoping he has gained a pound. So be praying for a pound for our baby boy!

There Will Be Mud!

2011-03-09T13:23:00.000-08:00

Jonathan received this awesome John Deere t-shirt in the mail from Nana and Aupa. He loves anything John Deere.

This is what he did when I told him to smile.

He prefers his picture taken with this expression. Doesn't he look like a surly teenager? Can't wait for that. :-)

He's actually a very funny kid. He does crazy moves to make others laugh. If you take too much notice of him though, he'll get shy and go away.

Here I Am!

2011-03-01T17:28:00.000-08:00

More From the Camera

2011-03-01T15:42:00.000-08:00

On Staying at Home

2011-02-23T12:51:00.000-08:00

I have found the more we are away from home, the more stressed our whole family feels. One reason I homeschool is so I can watch my children learn. And not just learn, but enjoy learning, soaking it in. There are many, many activities we could be involved in: homeschool groups and co-ops, sports, clubs, dance, gym, church activities, volunteering..... They all have their place, perhaps few and far between instead of crammed 10 to a week. But the more we are gone from home, the less these activities are enjoyed or are even helpful. As a stay at home mom, I have decided it is best for me to do just that: stay at home.

Our family ~ mom, dad, brothers and sisters~ creates an atmosphere that is relaxed because we don't have to hurry and get ready for our next activity. We create interaction with each other. Yes, much sibling rivalry happens, but there is also a lot of older kiddos coming up with games and plays that involve the youngers. If they weren't "forced" through the rivalry part (by being "stuck at home" for so long with "no friends to play with"), they wouldn't learn the joys of that interaction. As Teacher I spend more time on school subjects that catch interest, discuss readings more deeply, take the time to get out the timeline and globe or research via the internet. As Mom I take time to snuggle, read fun books as well as school books, play a game, let my kids help in the kitchen. I find when we have some place to be that day, or even someone coming over, those little things get pushed aside, we get done with school quickly and our atmosphere is tinged with a nervousness that the kids as well as mom certainly feel.

So to learn to say 'no' to so many good things that are offered. To simplify. To realize that our family is a golden entity itself ~ we do not need to add others or outside activities into the mix in order to make it worthy. A few good things sprinkled in become great things. And our home becomes a place of solitude, enjoyment, respite, and belonging.

Harrison is Growing Up

2011-02-19T11:02:00.000-08:00

My baby is perhaps settling into life finally. I'm not sure if I don't remember what babies were like, lost the touch, or if Harrison is just different from the others, but I'm having a hard time figuring this boy out! Well, I was. He was very hungry from the get-go. His doctor said I could give him solids early as long as I was careful. He took solids eagerly, but he also was constipated for about 2 months. Even with me feeding him mostly prunes, oatmeal, and sweet potatoes. Just in the past couple weeks, he is eating a variety of foods and is not crying when he fills his diaper. He still won't take a bottle. Even when I put juice in it. I've noticed he's not spitting up as much in the past few weeks. He has 5 teeth. When he teethes, he gets quite sick: Awful runny nose, cough, fever, won't sleep through the night. I think this last one finally broke through and he slept until 5:30 this morning. Yay! Here's hoping that continues. He is on an eating/sleeping schedule that works for him now. He wouldn't take to any one that I figured out for him. He had to figure out his own! But he has been waking up from naps gurgling and cooing instead of screaming. Maybe he's just at a weight that helps him not be hungry all the time, I don't know. Anyway, he definitely has not been following all the steps that a baby "should follow" like I remember the others doing (perhaps I'm remembering through rose-colored glasses?). But I'm hoping we are finally on a track that is normal for him, so I don't have that nagging stress all the time. You'd think by the the fourth one I wouldn't be thinking, "Is this normal? Is there something wrong with him? Should I see a doctor?":-)

Elizabeth Begins Blogging

2011-02-19T10:51:00.000-08:00

Dear Daughter has decided to start blogging! She's been learning typing. Now that finding the right keys goes a lot quicker, I think that helped her decide to go for it. She's under my account (hence the picture of me on her blog). I can keep my eye on her this way. :-) Great work, Elizabeth! Liz Fun

Kids Being Kids

2011-02-14T16:56:00.000-08:00

Simple Efficiency

2011-02-04T15:49:00.000-08:00

We have pizza every Saturday for lunch. It's cheap: $5 for two Tony's pizzas at Wal-Mart. We love it for once a week (more than once might be blecchh). One day Phillip took care of Saturday lunch while I was indisposed. He changed just a couple things that made lunch so much easier!

First, he cut the kids' pizza into four slices. I was trying to cut theirs into 6 equal slices so they could each have two. But if you cut 4, and then cut the last one into 3.... It saves maybe 30 seconds of time, but it really makes life easier!

I used to put each pizza on a pan to cut them (we put them in the oven without a pan; the bottom crisps better and faster). More dishes to wash!

Phillip opened up the pizza box and laid the cooked pizza right on top. Fold and throw away!

So simple, but brilliant. Thank you, darling!

Delightful Reading Kit

2011-01-27T18:52:00.002-08:00

With Elizabeth, our oldest, I didn't have a specific curriculum to teach her how to read. I bought a blend-and-word book and some easy readers. We sat through a-e-i-o-u. And at-et-it-ot-ut. And an-en-in-on-un. And on.... and on.... I'm sure she was bored to tears. I was. And I didn't see a lot of progress. She eventually could read words. But she never wanted to. That did finally change when Dad bought her an American Girl series when she turned 7. She read the series in two days and has been a voracious reader ever since.

Along comes Jonathan. He would be 5 soon, and I wanted an actual reading program to follow for him. I looked at several. So many out there! I'm sure I could tweak something for him. Hmmmm. I was very much loving Charlotte Mason's philosophy that I had discovered and was now using for homeschooling. She had a lot to say about teaching a child to read. ~It didn't have to be tedious. ~You could teach them using real literature. There were some programs with CM elements, but nothing that followed her method exactly. So I thought I could write something for my son. It became a longer project than intended. I spent an hour or so a day on it, when I could. Before I finished he had turned 5, so I began the part he needed to start with: letter sounds and letter formation (he formed them in the air and in a pan of rice). That's all we did in the area of reading that year.

The reading plans were about finished before Harrison was born. There was enough content and enough people who had also inquired, as I had, about a Charlotte Mason reading program being available, that I thought I'd send it out to some homeschool publishers and see what happened. The whole project had been bathed in prayer throughout. I received 3 answers back (exciting in itself!). Two gentle "no's" and one "interested". Wow! Harrison was soon born, school was on the back burner, and Simply Charlotte Mason and I began to tweak and add to and pretty up the lessons. "Delightful Reading" emerged and I couldn't be more pleased!

Jonathan at age 6 has now been through the poem "Rain" and loves to read it to anyone who will listen. It's a pleasure to teach him how to read and we look forward to moving ahead to learning an Aesop fable next.

Figuring It Out

2011-01-17T15:31:00.000-08:00

Well, I posted a facebook note a couple weeks ago in which I asked for encouragement and advice on how to "get it all done" with 4 kids and homeschooling and all the life stuff that needs done. I got Great encouragement and advice; all of which I appreciate! One stellar piece was for me to ask my husband for advice. Sure enough, Phillip and I had a great talk that night and he came up with some amazing solutions for simplifying life. Seriously, if anyone needs some help simplifying (job, life, schedules, etc), Phillip has great ideas on efficiency. He could be a life coach. :-)

I wanted to share my progress over the past couple weeks though. First, the ideas we came up with are:

1. Lunch was moved to one hour later. It's our big meal which I cook, but it was hard to finish much schooling in the morning with lunch bumping into the morning. So now we eat at 12:30.

2. We are using paper plates/bowls and plastic cups. A great time saver when it comes to cleaning up three meals a day!

3. Phillip has taken over supper. I made a list of what the kids can eat each night of the week and he makes it for them. Before I was letting the kids choose their own supper (things like tortillas and cheese/ sandwiches/ etc). They would all choose something different and then a big mess would ensue and I dreaded supper and clean-up. There is one supper option for all kids now. And they eat in the kitchen and clean up their own minimal mess. No fuss, no muss.

4. I let go of one service area at church.

Those ideas have helped tremendously. As well as the encouragement to rethink my life with children right now. My family is my ministry. If I have one moment of breathing room in my week, I think that I should add something to my life. Forbid that I should ever be bored! I must pack every minute of my day, no? Then I add too much, get overwhelmed, and inevitably drop some commitments. I borrowed a book recommended by a preacher's wife: "Good Girls Don't Change the World". This was good in showing me something I've slowly been coming to realize over the years: People pleasers will drain themselves and either erupt or get depressed. And those who chase worth (or God's favor) through "doing enough" will find they can never "do enough" to earn worth or God's grace. Another book ("Managers of their Home") is helping for me to see how other families schedule their day and fit it all in. These are large families, so if they can do it, it can be done! But it's helping me see that I"m naturally good at scheduling, I just need someone (husband) to open my eyes that my life has changed and my schedule needs to adjust (new baby added; schooling more than one child now, etc). Anyway, we have gotten two full weeks of school in over the past two weeks, so I'm breathing easier and am so appreciative of the encouragement!!!!! Thank you.

Time to Pick Up the Legos

2011-01-11T15:24:00.000-08:00

Harrison is moving around now, so it's time we stop leaving piles of Legos on the floor for Jonathan to play with. And Phoebe's doll with little shoes and clothing. And Elizabeth's books and stickers and markers. Mom's knitting supplies and Phillip's computer.

He sure is cute.

1-11-11 Birthday for Phillip!

2011-01-11T15:19:00.000-08:00

So we didn't have the proper candles. Three single candles plus one number "6" makes Phillip 36 years old today!

Whatever's on the Camera

2011-01-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

Jonathan is working on a 919 piece Republic Cruiser lego kit. The largest he's ever done and he wants to do it HIMSELF.

New Year's Eve we went to the home of some friends for supper, smores around the fire pit, and a game of Star Wars Trivia. I love sitting around a campfire! Very fun.

And Harrison is sitting up better and loves Dad's thrown out Blockbuster Reward Card.

Lunar Eclipse

2010-12-22T13:23:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth is loving her Apologia Astronomy science book. She's read through all of it, though we still read and do activities at a slower pace together for school. But she heard about a lunar eclipse coming up and was thrilled. She read about it and explained to me what it was. It's when the earth passes between the sun and the moon so that the earth's shadow is cast upon the moon. It gives the moon a reddish glow. This is the first time since 1638 that a total lunar eclipse happened on the winter solstice (shortest day of the year). The next one to happen on a winter solstice will be 2094. I set my alarm for 3 am and Liz and I went outside to see a cool total eclipse of the moon. We stayed about 2 minutes and then went back to bed. It was cold. It would have been cool to see all the phases but that would have taken several hours and we're not THAT into it. :-)

Photo from http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2004/13oct_lunareclipse/

Gingerbread Houses

2010-12-16T15:13:00.000-08:00

Last year we received a book called "Gingerbread from the Heart" for Christmas. It was illustrated by a family friend, so it's kind of neat to read it to the kids. Ever since we received it, the kids have been talking about making gingerbread houses for Christmas! Which means they've been talking about it all year. So I blocked out two days on the calendar to do just that. No school, just gingerbread houses.

A photo really minimizes the mess. There was nothing minimal about it! I don't think this will be a yearly tradition. Worth it and fun, but not every year.

And a picture of Harrison thrown in. This was taken a few days back when it was truly cold enough to wear a sweater. Today it was quite warm.

In Which Elizabeth Turns Nine

2010-12-07T12:07:00.000-08:00

This party was much easier than the last "friend" party she had. Of course she was 6 last time and there were 8 or so girls there. The girls this year mainly wanted to play house upstairs. They were all in their 20's except for Phoebe who was 6. Blue and white were the colors for everything because it was a winter theme. And Liz wanted a jello cake which was 4 layers of jello (blue and purple alternating) and cool whip for the frosting. The girls pronounced it surprisingly yummy.