Living Stones Home School

Christmas Devotions

2011-12-13T19:54:00.003-05:00

Half of the year is almost over and I want to re-cap all we've done, but that will have to come later. Right now I wanted to share what we are doing during our devotion time. Check out Ann Voskamp's website at http://www.aholyexperience.com/. You probably already know she wrote the New York Times' bestseller One Thousand Gifts. If you sign up to receive e-mails, you can download her Jesse Tree devotional for Christmas. Every morning the girls and I light the Advent candles and read in the soft glow of candlelight. It has become a very special time for us. The readings so far trace glimpses of Jesus in the Old Testament. All three of us are learning a lot and it is a beautiful way to start our school day.

Spider Study

2011-09-20T15:00:00.010-04:00

I haven't posted since school started. I admit I've been a little overwhelmed. This is the first year the girls have done history and science separately, so that is double work for me. But each of them is happier and they are working on topics that interest them.

Liana's rock study kind of fizzled out. We read several books from the library, but I never could find a good beginner's book for rock identification. We haven't given up, just put it on hold, because Liana really wants to study rocks. But we went back to where we left off in Land Animals of the Sixth Day to the chapter on arachnids. I thought we'd better work on this before all the creatures outdoors are gone for the winter.

We read about spiders from the book and then took a walk in the yard. It was alive with activity! We'd learned about orb webs, funnel webs, tangle webs, and sheet webs and found many different types of webs right outside the door. It was very exciting! We even found the spider who made this beautiful orb web in the top picture. You will probably have to click on it to enlarge it and see the web.

We've had a lot of rain in our area lately and found another visitor to our yard, this lovely toad. I've never seen one in the garden before. He was very large! In our exploration, we also found a long snake slithering across the front porch before hiding in our vinca vine. I'm glad to know he's there. I wouldn't want to come across him unawares, and I'm sure he wouldn't want to be surprised by me either.

We Begin Again

2011-08-30T07:38:00.002-04:00

In May, I admit, I needed a break. Then the summer got crazy and I longed for us to be back in school with predictable days, a schedule, time alone with my girls. We had August 29th on the calendar to begin again, but now this week has many interruptions. So I decided to start slow before we get up to full speed. A week of history and science only. Now that sounds like fun.

Over the weekend I had a list of questions to discuss with the girls: What is their favorite part of school; what do they dislike? How can I make learning easier for them? What would they like to do more of, less of? (No, we can't give up math.) What field trips would they like us to pursue? (Liana wants to visit a fashion design studio and explore caves. Arielle wants to see many things in Washington, D.C.) So those things will take a little more planning than, for example, a day at our local zoo.

One thing that came out of our discussion is that Arielle does not want to learn science or history together with Liana. She said the books are below her level and she would like more challenging work. She also said she does not like the creative projects that Liana enjoys so much and prefers worksheets and written work. Okay...what to do now since I had the whole year planned?

I did some research on-line, reading reviews, and exploring new history texts. I already have a hefty science book for her. I came up with The Mystery of History. It is not a high school book, but it appears to be sufficient for now. It also got rave reviews from homeschool moms. What I like about it is that not only will we learn world history, but also the history of the church. I admit I am ignorant when it comes to that. I ordered Volume 3 for Arielle. It picks up where we left off last time.

On vacation this summer the girls did some gem mining and Liana renewed her interest in rocks. All weekend after we got home she organized and studied her rocks, searching websites for more information. I had her science all lined up for the fall, but this is what is wonderful about homeschooling. I asked her if she would like to begin science this year with geology. She was all for it, and I ordered several books from the library. Our first day, waiting for the books, we read about rocks in all the books we already have.

We don't have Arielle's history book yet, but Christian Book Distributors allowed us to download the first four chapters. So she was able to start her work too. At least three times during the day she said to me, "I really like this book." I can honestly say I never said that about any history book I ever had in school.

Gearing Up

2011-08-09T19:00:00.003-04:00

The summer went by much too quickly. It isn't over yet, but the next couple of weeks are busy and I know they will rush by in a flash.

Arielle shares my love of school supplies and we've enjoyed shopping for them. We've picked up a few items. Our favorite pens and pencils, some folders. We don't need much. All around us are moms with lists from various schools, trying to find each item required. I feel so free from all those trappings.

We also renovated our school room! We reorganized and moved furniture and sorted through books. Fred even painted. How nice to have a clean, fresh look for our first day.

Even more importantly, we need to prepare spiritually. Years ago while studying the book of Nehemiah I saw so many parallels to Nehemiah building the wall and us educating our children at home. (I believe the complete study I created is contained in this blog in previous posts.) I was reminded of it again when Nehemiah 4 popped up in my e-mail since I subscribe to daily Bible readings. In this short chapter were several important messages.

The taunters ask, what are these feeble moms doing? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish? Despite what others say, we build the wall, "for the people had a mind to work." Yes, it's hard work. Let's get to it.

Comments and attitudes around us can cause confusion and we forget our purpose. These verses remind us to pray and set a guard day and night. By ourselves we can't make the wall strong and lasting. But we "remember the Lord, who is great and awesome." Sometimes we labor with one hand and hold our weapon in the other, ready to defend the cause God has called us to finish. I am thinking I need to enlist the help of my husband to wield the sword in prayer while I do the teaching. It is a spiritual battle for the hearts of our children. We also need to remember that "the work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another." We need to ask for help when we need it, and listen for the sound of the trumpet and rally to support other moms when they are discouraged.

"So we labored at the work from the break of dawn until the stars came out." Nehemiah finished the wall. Will we?

Summer Vacation!

2011-06-16T07:35:00.002-04:00

School just kind of faded out this year. We completed our 180 days, but I had hoped to finish up some other projects. The girls were working hard to prepare for the 4-H County Fashion Revue so their sewing took priority. I didn't even tell them when the last day of school was so they could be excited about it. I just decided to end. They still haven't been to Dairy Queen to celebrate!

While the girls sewed, I worked on the portfolios. Between the two projects, we had such a mess spread out all over the house. I love the portfolios in the sense that we have a record of the girls' school work to keep. It is interesting to go back over all we did this year and to realize we did quite a lot! Liana kept asking me, "Is it fun at all to do this? Even a little bit?" While I was working I said no. They are tedious and frustrating to put together and I resent the fact that they are required by the state. But now that they are complete, we have nice scrapbooks to preserve their work, after the district is done with it, of course.

Yesterday we had our evaluation. Our former evaluator lives far from our house, so I was looking for another. I found this new woman on a website and called her out of the blue. She lives about two miles away, so I was hoping it would work out well. I love her! She seemed genuinely interested in the girls' work and is a delightful woman. I am so glad to find another homeschooling family so near to our home too. Unfortunately, she has five boys, so no new friends for the girls will come about from this relationship.

This is Day 4 of summer vacation. Our first three days were filled with errands, doctor appointments, and visiting friends. Today is our first day home and I can't wait to begin. The girls finished their 4-H projects but they are already working on something new. Liana is cutting out a big purse that will work well as a carry-on bag when she travels to her brother's wedding. Arielle is making a cute top for summer. I have not had time to finish the bridesmaid dresses or even begin to make my mother-of-the-groom dress. So today we will sew! And maybe take a trip to Dairy Queen.

Art Museum

2011-05-17T07:48:00.003-04:00

I wrote on another blog about our fabulous trip to the art museum. We tend to neglect art in our class time, not because we don't enjoy it, but because other subjects just tend to take precedence. Liana had to write a short research paper, so she chose an artist to study and has just finished her report on Mary Cassatt. She was very excited to see some Cassatt paintings at the art museum. Wandering around looking at art might be enjoyable, but it is much more than that if we recognize paintings and know a little about the artist.

We are finishing out our days. Every May it seems like there are a multitude of interruptions that steal time away from school. Still, we are making every effort to finish up what we hoped to accomplish this year. For both girls, we have stopped proceding forward with new math concepts and we are just reviewing what they learned all year. Arielle finished all her Language Arts except for a research paper she is doing on Laura Ingalls Wilder. Liana is reviewing for a comprehensive grammar test and then she will be finished with language too.

We are just about finished with Joy Hakim's Recontruction and Reform and instead of starting another book, we will continue with our studies of Central America at a leisurely pace. I realized we cannot finish our anatomy book this year, so after our chapter on nutrition, we will put it away until fall.

When May arrives, it is time to think about the dreaded portfolios required by our state and officially due on June 30th. But they need to be completed before our trip to the evaluator's house in early June. I have not begun to work on them!

The Tempest

2011-04-27T07:48:00.002-04:00

Arielle's last literature assignment was to read Shakespeare's The Tempest. Her teacher advised her to get a side-by-side version with the original text next to the modern English. I don't know that Arielle tried reading the original at all. She is a voracious reader but likes ideas more than poetic words.

Her writing assignment was to choose a scene and set it in modern times and re-write the story. What a struggle this has been for her! Arielle is a good writer. Last year our evaluator told us that one of her papers would fulfill a high school requirement, and she was only 12 then. She is good at research papers or any task that requires logical thinking. She is one who likes worksheets and writing that is concrete and well-defined. This assignment has been a challenge. She doesn't like to create characters or stories.

Liana is on the other end of the spectrum. She hates worksheets and any assignment that confines her to a set parameter. She had one lesson that required her to write a story from three pictures. She did not like this at all. It was boring and pointless to her. But an open-ended writing lesson that gives her the liberty to create exhilarates her. Right now she is working on a novel about two friends during Civil War times. This was not an assignment, just something she wanted to do.

We all think differently and learn differently. I can't wait to see how God will use my two daughters' unique gifts as they grow to be women.

Another Great Book

2011-04-06T08:12:00.004-04:00

The girls and I love audio books for the car. I used to think we don't really travel enough to hear a whole book, but that's not true. We spend more time on the road than we think. We just finished Newberry Medal winner Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. This version was read by Hope Davis and her rendering was delightful.

This is not a Christian book, but it is well-written with a multi-layered plot. It is funny, tender and heart-breaking all at the same time. Serious life issues arise in the story and they gave opportunity for some discussion. The vividly portrayed characters are unforgettable.

It is not for early elementary ages. Liana is eleven and I wouldn't recommend this for a child younger than she is.

Science for Arielle

2011-03-25T07:51:00.008-04:00

Arielle says she hates science. Supposedly, no topic interests her. Two years ago she was with me at a homeschool fair and we met the author of a new science curriculum and Arielle decided maybe she would like to try chemistry. (She was thinking bubbling, messy, exciting projects.) She did not like this book.

In the elementary years, when kids are just exploring science topics, I think it is good to let them choose what interests them. One year Liana was very interested in birds and we studied Jeannie Fulbright's Flying Creatures. Liana had a lot of fun and we did science without complaint. Not so with Arielle.

Last year I decided it was time for more serious science and I bought Jay Wile's General Science . It looked intimidating, even to me. Then our evaluator recommended we do something else for the 7th grade year. (We will use General Science this fall for 8th grade. Somehow it doesn't look so scary now.) The evaluator sold us a short, one semester book called Earth's Waters. By the time Arielle got to oceanography, she admitted it was a "little bit interesting."

My goal was to start both girls with Jeannie Fulbright's new Anatomy and Physiology in January. We were a little late, but we did start and have finished the first chapter. Arielle is reading it on her own and then we do the projects all together. FINALLY! I think we hit on something. Arielle actually said she likes it! And this is a girl who claimed she wants nothing to do with anything medical.

So what makes this science different? The book is written in a conversational tone, but it doesn't talk down to the kids. The first chapter is a brief history of medicine and then a study of cells and the function of the organelles. The girls made a cell diagram and labeled the parts. Then they made a model of a cell with gelatin and candies. That was a big hit. They also mummified an apple to get an idea of how bodies were preserved by the Egyptians. We bought the notebooking journal too. It has fun ways to interact with the text, including lapbook ideas and crossword puzzles. Over the course of the year the girls will make a model of themselves and then add on the body systems with transparencies. They already started this by cutting out a picture of their heads and gluing them to a paper doll body.

We're off to a good start! Today we are de-calcifying some chicken bones.

Hospital Field Trip

2011-03-07T07:54:00.008-05:00

For National Heart Month, we visited a hospital's cardiac unit as a field trip. The girls were not at all interested in going, but a friend had invited us. Years ago when I was a nurse I never wanted to work with cardiac patients, but I was fascinated by the new technology and quite impressed with how patients are diagnosed and treated.

The best part of the trip was a demo in progress in one of the surgical suites. A mannequin was lying on the table, draped as a patient would be in actual surgery. The heart catherization monitor, along with an exposed leg, was set up for the visitors to see and hold. The actual person who runs the heart-lung machine was there to demonstrate, and a model of a heart was visible, just as it would be in surgery. Kids could step up to the table and actually touch it. A surgical nurse stood by her table of instruments to explain how they were used. It was all quite amazing to me. As for the girls, well, they made it clear they have no interest in the medical field. They think all things medical are "gross."

Great Books

2011-02-16T07:49:00.005-05:00

I got an e-mail from Amazon. They have a feature called "Essential Books" for children. You can search by age for supposedly great books for kids. I haven't checked it out yet. But it reminded me of two books Liana and I would recommend for their lists. Together we read two delightful William Steig books.

The first we read was Dominic. I'd never heard of this book until my son Dominic sent me a link for it. It sounded like a fun book, even more so because the character of Dominic in the book sounded a lot like my Dominic! Both Dominics get restless and go off to explore the world. We got the book from the library and loved it so much that I bought it for Liana for her birthday to keep forever.

I also bought her Abel's Island and we just finished it yesterday. This book has a mouse character who is stranded on an island for a year and learns a lot of lessons about life and himself during his time of loneliness and hardship.

Both books should be read aloud! The language is rich and clever. The themes are timeless and the characters lovable. Dominic and Abel grow and discover and learn and develop. The endings of both books make you clap and cheer. Read them! I just ordered another Steig book called The Real Thief. Liana and I don't want the adventures to end.

Sick Day

2011-02-08T14:20:00.004-05:00

This blog is so neglected. The days go by in a blur and I often don't take time to reflect. We are busy with school, but it is hard to stop and think exactly what we're doing and then compose a blog entry. Liana had to take the California Achievement Test last month, so we spent some time preparing for that. We had lots of snow, which meant lots of time outside shoveling. January went by in a whirlwind. Today we have howling winds, literally. It is cold, and two sick girls are lying around on the furniture moaning and complaining--fever, headaches, sore throats. Poor babies. So, of course, no school.

But I've been busy today: cleaning the guinea pig cages, ironing, washing and folding clothes, making soup, vacuuming, doing dishes, and tending to my girls. I read two chapters of Abel's Island to Liana, but she is too sick to much enjoy it. So the day is quickly passing. How do I have time to do homeschooling anyway, I ask? We did no school work, yet I was busy all day. If we'd done school work, those chores would not have been done. So how does one do homeschooling AND chores? Well, in my case, it's near impossible. School comes first, so you can imagine what my house looks like on a normal day. Today, it looks pretty good, except for the blankets and tissues and trash bins alongside the sofa in the living room.

Year End Reflections

2010-12-30T07:44:00.006-05:00

The past few months have been overwhelming with lots of interruptions while I try to keep my daughters on target with their education. As 2010 draws to a close, I think back on where we are and where we are heading.

The postcard project was a big disappointment. Within days my girls sent out dozens of postcards. A few trickled in back to them, but they came so slowly that the girls lost interest. Many we did receive were not "real" postcards but ones that were ordered on-line without a real picture of the area where the family lived. Also, the children did not write the postcards, as my girls did, but general info was pasted on the card. They weren't personal at all.

Liana has to take the California Achievement Test in January. She is stressed about it. She hates being timed and noise bothers her when she is working. In our state, I cannot administer the test. It has to be given by a certified teacher, so the homeschool co-op at our church offers this service every January. Liana doesn't pay attention to detail, so she doesn't notice misspelled words or punctuation errors. We have been steadily working on her Teaching Textbooks math program but I don't feel it is up to par with some other programs. Arielle has to take the test next year for 8th grade. I think I will give it to her at the end of this year as a practice so we will better know what to expect next year. (Tests I administer cannot be turned in to our school district.)

We did not reach our goals in science. Arielle had a short book on the study of the earth's water that our evaluator suggested to gently direct her to more serious science next year. We still have a few more weeks to go. Liana is almost finished with Zoology 3, which she has enjoyed. I want the girls to both complete these books so we can do Jeannie Fulbright's Anatomy all together for the rest of the year. Next year Arielle will tackle Jay Wile's General Science.

We spent the past few month studying South America. This has been a great adventure mostly because we ended up learning the story of the five missionaries killed in Ecuador in the 1950's. Arielle read an excerpt from Through Gates of Splendor and she read the book Bruchko by Bruce Olson, and then we watched End of the Spear. I am fascinated with this story and the outcome of this tribe who became Christians. Then Liana and I watched a recent documentary about these people and I read Steve Saint's book End of the Spear, which is a much more detailed account of what happened after the spearing. Highly recommended! We have just a few countries left to study in South America and then we will go back to American History, post-Civil War. That doesn't seem quite so exciting.

Arielle has her second literature class next week. Her assignment: read an autobiography or biography and write a short summary of the book. Then interview a live person in the same profession and tie it in to the story. That's why she read Bruchko. Today she is interviewing a friend of mine who returned from a misson trip to Peru this year.

Our home is filled with music again! Arielle got a guitar for her birthday and Liana got a violin for Christmas. Liana will have some lessons from a friend of ours who is a professional violinist, but Arielle is learning on her own and doing quite well!

Postcard Project

2010-11-04T07:42:00.003-04:00

Hopefully we have finished this round of tests and hospitals and can get back to "normal" life. God is good. Our journey was short. My girls actually enjoyed the change in routine because another homeschooling mom offered to have them join her boys for two days. The children went to a free concert, played bocce ball, collected beautiful fall leaves and did art projects. My friend even added a dimension to their Spanish study by reading aloud a book in Spanish and letting them try to figure out the words and understand the meaning of the story.

I recently was invited to participate in a yahoo group for a postcard exchange. Do I need another project? But when I mentioned it to the girls, they were very enthusiastic. We add our name to a database and then we are to send a postcard about our state to everyone else on the list. There are a lot of names! The girls already have a small postcard collection, and they want more.

So where do we buy postcards? Of course they are in abundance every time we take a trip, but here at home? I wish we had stocked up on our last trip to Lancaster or Gettysburg. Instead, last weekend we drove out to a local state park and bought 20 postcards. We need many more, but there wasn't much of a selection here. We figured each girl would write 10 to start. That evening they spent a couple of hours writing out all the postcards. They even had fun going to the post office and getting the stamps. Now they are anxiously waiting for the cards to come in.

None have come yet, so I am thinking of how to make this educational! Not just a project to collect nice cards. What would I like the girls to remember about each state? They already are pretty sharp when it comes to geography. We have several games on the states and they know their location and capitals. Some families are marking a map to see the origin of all the responses. I think we will do that too since we have a large U.S. map in our school room. But what else?

I finally came up with a one-page worksheet. It's very simple. It has a box for the name of the state and four categories: Capital and major cities, geography (mountains, rivers, etc.), history and important people, and famous landmarks. I think I will add date admitted to the union too. This sheet will not detract too much from the fun of their postcard project, but it will give them something to look back on and help them remember some facts.

Discipling

2010-10-14T20:36:00.008-04:00

Once I went to a church event and heard a speaker tell about her family's experience with homeschooling during the time one member had serious health issues. School work had to be temporarily suspended while the family journeyed through this difficult time. I don't remember this woman's exact words, but she said what the children learned during this season of life was more valuable than anything they could have learned from a textbook.

I was thinking about that while my daughters spent many hours in waiting rooms during their father's doctor appointments and medical procedures. On one hand I felt bad for them, and I worried about the school work they were missing. But then I thought, better this than to be far removed from us sitting in a public school classroom. We are a tight family. We need to be together for the good times and also for the hard times. Their school work will get finished. We have all year, even summer to catch up if need be.

It took me many years to realize that school work is secondary to relationship. Academics can slide from time to time, but the daily one-on-one we share can't be shoved aside and taken lightly. A sermon at church brought this idea home to me a little more clearly. It was about John the Baptist and how he made disciples for Jesus Christ. He pointed everyone in Christ's direction. He didn't care about his own life, and in fact said, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

All my interactions with my children must point them to Jesus. "Look at him!" That should be foremost in my mind for every issue, every problem, and every joy. Our girls will walk through the medical troubles with their parents and we will show them how to trust God through it. They will see our prayers, our faith, our victories, and even our failures. Above all, they will see God at work as he comforts us and answers our prayers.

My main job is to disciple my girls to be followers of Jesus. Relationship with him and with me is crucial. But sometimes I need a little help too. I recently bought Training Hearts, Teaching Minds by Starr Meade. This book has daily devotions for passing on our faith to our children. In the introduction the author states, "God calls the church of each generation to 'contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints'. When our children replace us as contenders for the faith, will they have a clear grasp of the faith they must defend? When they replace us as supporters of the truth, will they know the truth well enought to articulate it clearly and to recognize counterfeits?" Simply, this book is "What do we believe?" and "Why do we believe it?"

We have a rough road ahead crossing treacherous terrain. Isaiah 40:3 says, "A voice is calling, Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness, make smooth in the desert a highway for our God." Isaiah 41:18 says God will make the wilderness a pool of water. In Isaiah 42:16, God says, "In paths they do not know, I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them and rugged places into a plain." In all the circumstances of life, we will look at Jesus.

Banning Books

2010-09-30T07:49:00.004-04:00

Choosing good books for my children and restricting others is always challenging as a homeschooling parent. I frequently read Jimmie's blog for her interesting stories about China and her great advice on teaching. "Banned Books Week" is her very informative post on books for kids. Check it out.

http://jimmiescollage.com/

Arielle reads so much that there would be no way to pre-read her books and censor the ones I didn't like. We talk about books a lot and we read together a lot and that brings up many topics to discuss. I've fed her a diet of good books from the time she was a baby and she is very discriminating when it comes to reading books that are just plain not good literature.

Together we have been reading Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi. It was a Newberry Medal book, so I figured there must be some reason it won that distinction. The language in this book is at times disturbing and it is full of violence. As I read it to Liana, there were a couple of times I edited as I read. But the message behind the book is worth talking about and kids learn a lot about the Middle Ages in England. Arielle has gone on to read the two sequels to this book.

Sometimes we used the school reading lists to find good literature. But moms need to have a discerning eye. I ask myself why this particular book is on the list. Public schools have their own agenda and message they want to get out. Not all books on their lists are worth reading.

Marsupial Lapbook

2010-09-23T07:53:00.008-04:00

We are in week four of the new school year and overall, things are going well. Arielle is very independent now and desires that. She likes to get her assignments and then work at her own speed to complete them. She especially likes me to give her an assignment for the week, rather than just daily. She is very responsible to complete her work by Friday.

Arielle is working toward another deadline in October when her first literature class meets. She completed The Giver but it not so interested in reading The Time Machine. Moms also need to read The Giver. What a disturbing book! But it provides a lot of opportunity for discussion of important topics.

Liana is still battling her daily reading assignment. She has so much trouble concentrating and every bit of sound she hears when she is trying to read brings her to a frustrated frenzy. She now had to go upstairs alone to read. She doesn't like that, but there is no alternative. What ever would she do in a regular classroom? Thank God we can homeschool.

In the afternoon we are doing some serious science, history and geography. And no one is complaining! Liana has completed her first topic in science--the study of marsupials. Jeannie Fulbright's website had some good worksheets to print up and I had Liana write a little report on an animal of her choice. She will do that for each order of animals we study. I have to step it up a little this year.

While working on her lapbook, she has said several times, "I just love doing this." I help her organize her material, but she cuts and glues and writes captions for hours with incredible patience. In the mornings she struggles and lashes out and has absolutely no patience. But this is her thing, the creative stuff.

Good Running Start

2010-09-08T07:46:00.004-04:00

We completed our first week! We had several interruptions. Our family members are not with the program yet and forget that we can't take phone calls during the day. Also, on Friday, I was called to do some emergency babysitting for a friend, but my daughters are more independent this year and can more easily work around interruptions.

Our days are longer this year. We can't skimp on history and science like we sometimes did in the past, so that is what we do every afternoon. We are studying South America right now using Around the World in 180 Days. Arielle likes doing her own research to find answers to the questions and both girls like doing map work. Liana's learning style draws her to a more creative approach, so she has started a lapbook on South America and also one for her zoology study of marsupials. I give both girls some freedom in designing lapbooks, but then they need guidance to organize their information. Otherwise they would just be gluing pictures on paper. We have lots of resources for pictures. At the homeschool fair I bought old atlases and several books of animals. Also, we still have our ancient set of encyclopedias. I give the girls the freedom to cut out all the pictures they want.

Arielle has received her literature assignment for the class she is taking. She has to read The Time Machine by H.G. Wells and The Giver by Lois Lowry and write a compare and contrast essay. She started reading The Giver and likes it, so she's off to a good start. Liana is reading the stories in the Abeka series. So far, she is enjoying them and I hear no complaints. It helps when Arielle remembers the stories from years back and tells Liana how good some of them are.

Liana had a little bit of a rough start this week after a very busy Labor Day weekend. She couldn't find her glasses and it put her in a frustrated frame of mind. But after a few tears shed and being told to go to her room until she got some control, she recovered quickly and we had a good day. This is a great improvement and it is encouraging to see her maturing. In the past, a minor set-back in the morning would ruin the entire day.

I start each day with much prayer for our school. This is the Lord's work, not mine.

We're Back!

2010-08-30T15:18:00.005-04:00

Today we began a new school year. Summer flew by and here we are the end of August. The past few days we were in Gettysburg, but too quickly, vacation is over and it's time for school.

On our trip we began reading Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi and the girls wanted to start the day (after devotions) with that. I read too little of it to suit Arielle and she has spent the rest of the afternoon finishing the book. So much for read-alouds as a family.

First thing this morning we also started Andrew Pudewa's book All Things Fun and Fascinating: Writing Lessons in Structure and Style. He has a clever technique for teaching children how to summarize non-fiction passages by first reading it through once, then reading it sentence by sentence as the child writes down three key words from each sentence. Then using just their key word outline, they re-tell, or rewrite, the story. My daughter who does not like to write--Arielle--said, "This is fun! Can we do it again tomorrow?" Arielle also told me she thinks she will like her literature book this year, after reading the first story. I like this good attitude! In the picture both girls were trying to act angry because it was the first day of school. It didn't work. They were laughing too much.

Liana has come a long way in her reading and I will not press her to read aloud her assignments to me anymore. She hates it, I hate it, and it seems pointless. She comprehends what she reads silently. That's the main concern. Unless we are reading to a child, how often do we really read aloud? So our morning was more calm for that reason alone.

The girls are finishing up a Singapore math review book before we move back into their Teaching Textbooks. I think the Singapore math is more difficult, but it is a change of pace and useful for bringing in a new perspective.

We ended our first day making maps of South America. The girls got the game "10 Days in the Americas" over the summer, so they have a jump start on the geography. They could easily rattle off all the countries. Now we need to learn about those individual countries.

We ended our school day with popsicles!

Summer break

2010-06-22T20:16:00.002-04:00

What is your favorite month? Fred and the girls were asking that question. Fred says December because he loves the Christmas season. Arielle said April because she likes spring. My best time of year is not the spring, that's for sure. That's when we try to finish up school, plus work on getting the portfolio together before we meet with the evaluator, plus finish up 4-H projects for the Fashion Revue. On top of that, this year I was a census worker. It has been a crazy time.

On Friday and Saturday last week I attended our annual local homeschool convention. These two days encourage and invigorate me to keep pressing onward in teaching my girls at home. Every year there is a speaker that really speaks to my heart or I find a book or curriculum that stirs me. This time, I found both.

Andrew Pudewa lectured on teaching children to write. For me, this has been the hardest subject to teach. This man is the director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing. He gave us some tools to use when we are teaching that are especially helpful for reluctant writers--those children who continually say, "I don't know what to write." I bought a book that uses his methods called All Things Fun & Fascinating: Writing Lessons in Structure and Style. In the fall, I will report on how this is working for my girls.

My other big find was Gladys Hunt's Honey for a Teen's Heart: Using Books to Communicate with Teens. Honey for a Child's Heart is the classic many homeschoolers use for reading lists, and this one has that feature as well. But it also talks about how to use good books to help us talk to our kids about ideas, values, and issues. There are even mother-daughter reading lists. Arielle is always asking me to read books that she has enjoyed so we can discuss them. Usually I just don't have the time to read all that she recommends. Maybe this book will give us a place to start.

I ran from the homeschool convention straight to the girls' fashion show. In the new profile picture the girls are modeling their 4-H entries.

This blog will take a break until fall when our new school year begins.

The Home Stretch

2010-03-17T21:34:00.002-04:00

Now that we are already mid-March, I feel the pressure to complete projects and see where we are lacking in our educational program before the year ends. We've done some good things this year, but we also have some gaps. But it is so hard to press more into our schedules, especially when the girls have Guinea Pig Fever! Yes, they have those tiny, cute pets now and are just fascinated with them. We have them in the school room so the critters will get a lot of attention, but we will be in the middle of a lesson and when one of the piggies squeaks, the girls jump out of their chairs to see what happened. It's hard to get back to adverbs.

To finish up the year, Arielle has a research paper to complete, besides her last book to read and write about for literature class. Liana has not read as many books as I would have liked, and we still need to do some civics and health lessons, as required by our state. I wanted to do more poetry, especially with Liana, and we didn't go around the world in 180 days, as our geography program is called. We only got as far as China and India. So I am a little discouraged about what I know we cannot complete.

I think I will focus on what we have accomplished and how the girls have learned and grown this year.

Hard Work

2010-02-07T09:20:00.003-05:00

Long time, no write. Our days are getting longer and schedules tighter. This homeschooling has become hard work! Oh, we've had our difficulties in the past. Teaching Liana to read was no easy task. But we had a little break the first of this school year. Each girl settled into a routine with a minimum of struggle and complaint. The past couple of months, though, the pace has quickened and it's become HARD! Not so much for the girls as for me.

It's Arielle. She has a lot to learn and I need to teach her how to work independently without relying on so much hand-holding from me. She needs to step it up a notch, but I have to show her how to do this. She started work on a research paper on the plight of Native Americans post-Civil War. There is plenty of information available, but she must learn to organize her thoughts and her writing. I think it is harder to teach a child to write than to read.

Arielle also has work to do for her literature class. She is reading a historical fiction book on the Nez Perce Indians and then she has to take the heroine of this book and write a series of correspondences with the fictional character Johnny Tremain--who lived a hundred years prior! The two characters will be pen pals and through the letters Arielle has to reveal the plot of both books. How can I help her if I am not familiar with the books? That means lots of research on my part to talk her through some ideas.

Arielle just finished Teaching Textbooks 7. The last set of lessons have been difficult. This program is set up for the student to work totally independently. But what happens when she just doesn't understand how to work the problem? There are solutions, but just because the child listens to the explanation doesn't mean she really knows the material. So day after day I sit through her lessons and re-learn math. We are on to pre-algebra now. It is all coming back to me! Actually, I liked algebra, so I hope I can convey a little enthusiasm to the child who "hates" math. (Isn't this mental gymnastics good for a senior brain like mine? Maybe I will fend off Alzheimer's!)

We need to spend more time on Spanish. We're only in Unit 3 of Rosetta Stone and the vocabulary is increasing rapidly. My need to see it on paper is hindering my progress. I wish there were supplemental lists of vocabulary to study. I tried making lists for Arielle and me, but that was extremely time-consuming.

So we move forward into this foreign territory of middle school. I love it though. I told a friend of mine who is also homeschooling that I wouldn't want to be doing anything else. Her only comment, "Interesting..." Maybe she doesn't agree. Peace comes when you are completely in the center of God's will. So for now, this day, that's where we are.

Arielle as Louisa May Alcott

2010-01-08T18:40:00.003-05:00

Arielle had her second literature class this week. She finished her book Invincible Louisa on time, but since she ended right before Christmas, it was difficult to get her to begin writing the three page report. What kid wants to do homework over Christmas break?

It isn't the mechanics of writing that challenges Arielle. She is fine with grammar and sentence construction. The problem is getting her to put her thoughts and ideas in logical order. She also wants to make her composition as brief as possible. I'm sure it is just a learning process and maybe if I compared her writing to another child's of her age, I might find she is doing quite well.

As she wrote and re-wrote, I helped her to take her good ideas and arrange them to flow smoothly. She was frustrated with me. But I reminded her how lucky she is to be able to compose on a computer because when I was young I had to write and re-write with pen to paper and if I made an error, I had to start again. I'm sure I never did as many drafts as Arielle did, though. By Wednesday morning, she had written a great paper.

Part of her assignment was to dress in a costume portraying her character and give an oral presentation to her class. We looked at pictures of Civil War era attire for women. I fixed her hair in a severe bun and she wore a button-down blouse with one of my long skirts. She was perfect for the role! But she wasn't happy and would not let me take her picture. After all, the outfit was not "cool."

With her sour attitude, Arielle went to her class. She came home glowing! Her teacher said she did very well and that she wrote an excellent paper. Good job, Arielle!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T18:46:00.005-05:00

We were back to school today after a wonderful Christmas break that was relaxing and fun. In the past I did not allow the girls to take off the whole week like public school kids do. It seemed foolish to waste time when we could be clocking our days. We would fulfill our requirements by May and start an early summer. But as the girls get older I think they need this winter break. I think I did too. We had a successful first day back.

The girls' older sister who is a hair dresser cut Liana's long, long hair yesterday. Liana looks adorable! We joked with her that she looks like a new girl (and maybe she lost the attitude with the hair?) We could only hope. If today is any indication, yes, she did. She was cheerful and worked hard with any complaint. At one point I asked her to do an assignment that usually would follow with her whining, but no, not today. Right before Christmas she finished an adapted version of Oliver Twist and today it was time to choose a new book. Even that decision is often accompanied by moans of anguish and thumbing through the choices to make sure the book isn't too long and has large print and pictures. Today I gave her a stack of suggestions and to my amazement she chose the longest one--On the Banks of Plum Creek. I am excited to read this book again myself! Either Liana reads her boo aloud to me or she reads alone, but I pre-read so I can ask her questions to make sure she is comprehending. So in any case, I will be hearing this book again--one of my favorites from childhood.

Now Arielle was another story today. Her literature class meets on Wednesday and she is down and out about the report she has to do on Invincible Louisa. Writing just does not come easy for her. I think it really bothers her that she can't just breeze through a report because other subjects are not challenging at all for her. So poor Arielle was at the computer much of the day, writing, editing, and re-writing. Her reward for finishing will be to read anything she wants for the next couple of weeks, her choice entirely.

I wrote about Teaching Textbooks the last post. We are about ready to order the next in the series for each of the girls. Pre-Algebra costs $184.90! Wow! That is not in the budget. I just bid on a used one on ebay.

Teaching Textbooks

2009-12-15T19:48:00.002-05:00

I've had mixed feelings about the popular math computer program, Teaching Textbooks. Arielle completed the sixth grade program last year and I thought it seemed very simple. She didn't seem to be challenged at all. It was easy for me because I just let her do the lessons on her own. I didn't pay much attention to her work, but could check the gradebooks each day. I felt kind of guilty. Arielle MUCH preferred this to Saxon Math that she had done previously, so reluctantly I ordered the next program for her.

In a few more weeks she will have completed Teaching Textbook's 7th grade program. This time I am not allowing her to do the lessons on her own. I sit with her every day. The lessons are becoming increasingly more difficult and Arielle really has to think. She is doing a great deal of work with percents and decimals. I also ordered the just published 4th grade program for Liana last spring. It is not as advanced as the Abeka she did last year, but with her learning style, it is perfect for her.

Here is what I like about Teaching Textbooks:

Every lesson begins with a lecture only a few minutes long. It doesn't really take long to teach a new concept. There are practice questions and then about 20-22 problems to work. The authors use a spiral approach so there is lots of review every single day. There is a good balance of challenging problems and easy problems. This is especially good for my easily frustrated child, Liana. The easy problems build confidence too. The voices of the men speaking are friendly and helpful. I think that's important because the girls are listening to these guys every day. On the 4th grade level there are periodic drills in addition and multiplication. These drills are in an exciting format, kind of like a game show. Liana, who despises timed drills, doesn't complain too much about these.

I've noticed something interesting watching Liana work on her math. She hardly ever uses paper! Even with addition and multiplication problems with carrying, she does them in her head. She even does borrowing mentally! She looks at the problem on the screen and then she types in each number as she completes each computation, from right to left, just as if she is working it on paper. Even when the problems are written horizontally instead of vertically, she can still do them without paper. She is learning math in a whole new way. I never could do any math in my head.

Because we worked on math all summer, Arielle will soon be ready for the next program--Pre-Algebra. And Liana in just a few more weeks will begin the 5th grade program. I am ordering both from Teaching Textbooks.

New Week, Bad Start

2009-12-02T15:48:00.002-05:00

The girls' school work has been disrupted over the past five weeks because of Fred's injury. We left in the middle of the day to pick him up from his school and then had to resume in the afternoon. We had Thanksgiving the next week, along with out-of-town guests and lots of cooking and cleaning and shopping. But here we are in a new week! Fred finished his classes and besides, he's driving now! I had big plans for the girls in getting back to our routine.

But Liana is growling. Arielle is grumbling. They are bickering. It's impossible for them to learn when they are in that frame of mind. Lord, help! I throw up my helplessness in this situation to heaven. Then I remember the book my friend Leslie let me borrow. A book we didn't even look at yet because we have been too busy.

The book is called Poetry Speaks to Children, edited by Elise Paschen. It comes with a CD of poems actually read aloud by the poets. I bring down the little CD player and open the book. (Amidst sighs from Arielle. She says she hates poetry. Liana, however, looks a bit interested.) We begin. We read a couple of the poems ourselves, written by some poets I don't know, but they are cute children's poems. Then we listen to the CD and hear the author's intended rhythm and cadence. We hear Robert Frost's actual voice reading his beautiful poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." And then another poem about a wolf reading fairy tales at night in a pine forest. Then, we begin school. Both girls are calm. Liana's blanket of frustration has lifted. Poetry certainly speaks to this child.

Beautiful Book

2009-11-13T19:53:00.003-05:00

We have begun a study of China-- geography, history, and culture. I am right now reading Life and Death in Shanghai by Nien Cheng, so the Cultural Revolution is on my mind. Maybe that seems a strange place to begin history with the girls, but since I am studying it myself, it is fresh on my mind and I can teach it better now. I am determined my daughters will know the truth about the history of their native country.

I wondered, are there books for children on the Cultural Revolution? Yes! We've read two so far. My favorite is a beautifully written and illustrated memoir called Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing by Guo Yue and Clare Farrow. The story is tender and poetic, with nothing too disturbing for children. We also read Mao and Me by Chen Jiang Hong, a true story about the author's childhood and his family during this time. This book is a little more graphic, but considering we have been reading about our own bloody Civil War, the book was appropriate for my girls.

I also found a book called Sparrow Girl by Sara Pennypacker. It is written like a folk tale about the time Mao declared sparrows the enemy of the farmer and announced The Great Sparrow Campaign to kill them all. Of course, this contributed to the great famine in China, but that is not addressed in the book. It is sweet story about a little girl who hides some birds in a barn over the winter.

I just searched the library website of our local inter-county loan system (it's fabulous for homeschooling moms) and ordered a few more books about other periods of Chinese history. The girls remember the stories of real people. Facts and dull text are soon forgotten.

A New Routine

2009-11-12T07:41:00.004-05:00

Kids are so adaptable. We are making do with our new routine for school. This has been another great learning experience for me in letting go of my preconceived ideas of what school should be and look like. The girls are still learning despite our change of circumstances.

First of all, we've changed bedtime! I never thought I would do that, but since it wasn't working for Liana, we decided to do things differently. I kept thinking about what our doctor said, that Liana might just have a different inner clock, that she might be what we call a night owl. So bedtime is now 10pm. That's a little late for me, but miraculously, it has been working fine and Liana's sleep issues seem to have disappeared. She wakes up cheerfully on her own around 8am, so I know she is getting plenty of sleep. Problem solved!

We still begin school at 9am. That way we can get in all the core subjects before Fred calls us to pick him up from school. The girls certainly don't like the long ride, but we just got The Secret Garden on audiotape and all of us are enjoying this beautiful story. The girls have read abridged versions before, but to hear the original has been a joy.

By the time we get back home, maybe run errands on the way and then eat lunch, it is very hard to go back to school! But having language arts and math done, I feel we can do projects or reading in a relaxed way. We're almost finished with our study of the Civil War and I suggested they make a timeline to tie it all together. Arielle readily started to work on hers. Liana groaned, "Why can't I make a Civil War lapbook instead?" Well, that's fine with me. She is working on one for her insect study, so I didn't think she wanted to start a new one. We looked at one on-line: http://www.jimmiescollage.com/ Jimmie has great homeschooling resources! Her daughter's lapbook provided inspiration for Liana, but she wanted to do it her own way and set to work.

The girls spent about two hours on their projects. It was way beyond what I required of them that day. Arielle finished her timeline. It is so large I could only show a portion of it in one picture, and her small, precise handwriting doesn't show up well in a photo. Liana has more plans for her lapbook. I will post pictures of that when she is done.

Changes

2009-11-02T07:30:00.004-05:00

"It is well for us that, amidst all the variableness of life, there is One whom change cannot affect, One whose heart can never alter..." Charles Spurgeon.

God is teaching me to be flexible. Our school has been turned upside down and we are adjusting to the changes little by little. Fred fell and seriously broke his leg a week ago. It will be at least 6 weeks until he heals, so we can't just give up on school. We have to work around it. I have to juggle doctor appointments and caring for my husband along with teaching my daughters. The girls and I need to leave the house between 11am and 12pm every day to pick Fred up from his classes--about a 40 minute drive. Then we must drive back home and run Fred's errands. The first few days I was so exhausted I couldn't do any school work in the afternoon with the girls. But we are forming a new schedule. Late afternoon work, reading in the evenings, even some creative, light work on the weekends. The girls protested about that, but they realize too that we all must adjust.

In times like this I think how much easier it would be if the girls were in a public classroom. If I just sent them off to school and then did what needed to be done with Fred without them. But I think it is good that they are part of the process. They learn how a family adapts to injury or illness, the concessions we have to make, and how we deal with fatigue and impatience. They see how we press on and serve each other. The girls don't need to be protected from this; they need to participate in it.

In the midst of life's changes, it is good to know that God doesn't change. His character remains the same and His promises still hold true, no matter what goes on in our little physical world. We call upon Him and He answers. Everything will work out.

"I am the Lord; I change not." Malachi 3:6.

Literature Class

2009-10-22T07:59:00.002-04:00

We joined the co-op at our church! Arielle used to go years ago every Wednesday morning for art, music and P.E. but when Liana started school it was just too much time away from our regular studies. Neither of the girls could settle down to classwork at home after being away all morning, so we lost a whole day of the week.

I had to convince the woman in charge that Arielle really is a 7th grader even though she is not yet 12 because this afternoon class is for the older kids. We only have to go four times during the year as a lot of the work is done at home. Arielle has to read four books throughout the course and do a written report on specific topics. The first assignment was to read The Yearling. The other kids had much more time to read it than Arielle because we found out about this class a little late. We checked it out from the library just two weeks before the assignment was due. This is a 400 page book! I divided the chapters up for her and gave her a reading schedule. We had a lot of interruptions with family events too, so many days she had to double up on her reading. She complained about it initially and said she didn't want to do the class and why was I making her?

Arielle did finish the book and now had to write a two to three page typed report on one of the suggested topics. She wrote (and re-wrote and re-wrote) on Jody's changing relationships with the other characters in the book. She did a fine job! And she went to her first class yesterday. I am very proud of her that she worked hard to complete a task.

In the class the children read their reports and discussed the novel. Arielle had the opportunity to interact with others in a group setting and to gain more insight into this novel, plus learn to read other novels with a more open mind, looking for particular ideas and symbolism. In a way, I wondered if I had ruined this beautiful story of The Yearling by forcing it on her. Maybe she would have enjoyed it more reading it on her own? Would she be sick of it now? We went to the library in the afternoon and she found the DVD and wanted to check it out. So she isn't ready to leave Jody and Flag behind.

The next assignment is to read an autobiography of someone who made an important contribution in history. She has to present a report on this person, plus add something of her own personal autobiography. She's not ready to tackle this yet. At the library she chose "fun" books, the kind she truly enjoys.

Chemistry

2009-10-15T07:49:00.002-04:00

If you ask Arielle, she would say she hates science. When she was younger we did a couple of years of zoology and then later botany, astronomy, and an introduction to physics. Nothing much has interested her. This year we are doing a middle-school level chemistry. Still, no spark, except for one brief moment yesterday.

We were learning about acids, bases, and pH. We made an acid/base indicator with red cabbage. Do you know how to do this? Very easy! Put 3 cups of distilled water in a pan and add a whole red cabbage, chopped in several pieces. Bring to a boil and continue boiling about 15 or 20 minutes. Strain out the cabbage and save that dark purple juice.

After preparing our cabbage juice, Arielle cut a white coffee filter in strips and with an eye dropper, dripped the liquid over the strips. We made our control acid--vinegar mixed with a little water and our control base--pure ammonia mixed with a little water. Then we gathered several light or clear colored liquids: Sprite, tap water, milk, lemon juice, orange juice, a little squeezed juice from a ripe tomato, Windex, bleach (careful!), dishwasher soap.

Our coffee filter/litmus paper was not dry yet and we were anxious to begin, so we just put a little of our vinegar in a glass bowl and added the cabbage juice. The vinegar turned bright pink! Then came the even more exciting moment. Arielle dropped some cabbage juice into the ammonia. Instant green! She said, "Cool!" She tested our other liquids and had fun observing the results. (Caution! Never mix bleach and ammonia. I warned Arielle that this is a chemical reaction we don't want to see.)

Well, it wasn't enough interest to spur her onto a career in chemistry, but it was something! She now has all these cool strips of paper too that she can dip into any liquid to see if it is an acid or base. I think we need more hands-on projects.

Begin a Happy Morning!

2009-10-08T07:58:00.006-04:00

Liana always has music playing in her head--her own music. She also loves poetry, so she spontanaeously sat down and wrote a song and then sang it for me. I wish I could tell you the tune because it is quite nice.

Work

Working, oh working, all the day,

Never getting a chance to play,

After work's done, play in the sun,

Oh my, oh my dear, it's so much fun,

When the stars are overhead,

You go in and jump in bed,

When the sun rose,

Put on your clothes,

And begin a Happy Morning!

Spanish

2009-10-05T07:47:00.002-04:00

A friend of mine let me borrow Rosetta Stone, Spanish 1 for Arielle to use. We tried it last year and kept getting sidetracked. I know from my experience with learning a foreign language, you have to be consistent. That's why Chinese school for the girls years ago did not work. You can't learn another language by attending a class an hour and half once a week. I told Arielle I wanted to learn Spanish with her. So finally we got serious about it.

Rosetta Stone is fun! And I am convinced it is the best way to learn, apart from actually living in another country among native speakers, of course. The program has so many ways of interacting with the language that you can't not learn it. Our study really took off when Arielle and I began competing! We have a notebook with each exercise and our scores in time and percent correct. (Also, this will provide documentation for the portfolio next year.) Right now Arielle is beating me by a small margin, and she is loving that. I should have an advantage, considering I learned a lot of Spanish during my time in Spain. But that was many years ago.

Liana wants to learn Chinese and not Spanish. We don't have Rosetta Stone for her yet, and I don't think she is quite ready for it. I do think either Chinese or Spanish is the language to learn though. To spite my mother who pushed Spanish on me when I was in middle school, I decided to take French. I continued with French all through high school and college, and a lot of good that did me. It would have been much more useful to know Spanish.

Arielle has a natural talent for language. She is so quick to learn and has quite an ear for it. We haven't done much with the speaking portion of the program, but that will be coming soon.

The letter

2009-10-04T20:30:00.003-04:00

I was mailed a copy of the letter the Home School Legal Defense Association sent to our school district on my behalf. It was an excellent letter and quite lengthy, part of it quoting the law in our state. The bottom line is "local school districts are without any authority to establish any policies or procedures which add to or contradict the provisions of the law."

It reminds me of what God said about his law in scripture: "Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it." Deuteronomy 12:32. I will do my best to obey state homeschooling laws and, above all, God's word.

Still waiting

2009-10-01T08:20:00.002-04:00

No, I haven't been locked up yet for my "non-compliance" and I haven't heard one word from the school district. No one ever returned my call. Do they want me to guess what to do next? Well, my application to Home School Legal Defense Services was accepted. An attorney contacted me and said he would be writing the district a letter explaining to the administrators that my evaluator's report was perfectly legal. I will post more when I hear the results of this.

The Saga Continues

2009-09-24T19:53:00.004-04:00

Early Monday morning I left a message for the Director of Pupil Services. She never returned my call (and this is now Thursday night). Later on Monday her secretary called, not knowing I had already contacted their office. She was just calling to say the wrong date was on the letter, but new letters were coming out. So I asked her what the problem is with the portfolios. She said the evaluator needed to "write more things about the child." More "things"? What things? I told her anything more goes beyond what the law requires. She admitted she doesn't know about the homeschool law. I told her if I need to pay my evaluator to do more work, I need to know exactly what the district wants. She did not know.

Later in the day the secretary called again. She said, "Don't do anything right now. We're trying to contact our portfolio evaluator. She's not in the district." Who is this portfolio evaluator? The superintendent of our local school district is the only one who is supposed to review our child's portfolio. I think the person non-compliant with the law is right there in their office. When the letter asked me to reflect where my portfolios were deficient, it was not because they were trying to make me guess what went wrong, but that they didn't know what was wrong! Some elusive person with all the power is calling the shots, and the rest of us, including that clueless secretary, are jumping through hoops.

Yesterday I received a new, revised letter with the correct date on it. I called my evaluator to ask for a longer narrative report on our school work to make the district happy. I wanted to put this all behind me and move on. She was going to re-charge me the entire fee that I paid in June! It was not cheap. She said I should use that money instead to join HSLDA, our legal advocate group. So I did. An attorney already contacted me. We'll see how this goes.

With the political climate in this country right now, I think we all need to stand up for our rights when it comes to our families. If we don't, we might be surprised to find we have none.

Challenged

2009-09-22T08:09:00.004-04:00

Over the weekend I got a letter from the Director of Pupil Services of our school district. It stated, "questions or concerns have arisen as a result of our review. The issues raised are non-compliance with the Home Schooling Act...I would ask that you reflect upon your submission to the school district and provide an explanation where you may have had deficiencies."

Say WHAT? In June every year I turn in a huge portfolio chock full of my girls' work over the course of the year. This includes our daily schedule, every book they read or I read to them (an extensive list), textbooks used, pictures of special field trips or experiments, a subject by subject summary of what we did, standardized test scores, and a report from our evaluator who reports that an appropriate education is taking place. I am a stickler for detail. NOTHING is deficient. The letter hinted that my evaluator's report was brief. I know the law. It does not specify anything about the length of that report, only what it must include. And it included everything.

Each year we must meet with an evaluator, previously approved by the district, who goes over this huge portfolio, reviews the work, and interviews the child. She then writes a report for the district. Our evaluator has been doing this service for many years and for many districts in several counties. Even more amazing, I have used her reports in previous years with our district, without any word from anybody. The law has not changed, so what has?

I couldn't call anyone since it was a Saturday. But I surely let my anger distract me over our beautiful fall weekend. I don't need to "reflect on" anything. I know exactly what is in the girls' portfolios. I already know I prepare above and beyond what is required. If any school official actually bothered to look over the work, they would know my daughters are receiving a great education. And isn't that the whole purpose of all this paperwork and evaluation and reviews?

Finally, I remembered the study of Nehemiah I did over the summer. Wasn't I warned that the enemy would try to defeat and discourage and destroy God's good work? "And they plotted together to come and fight against us and to cause confusion..." Yes, confusion. I am confused. I don't know what is going on.

When the enemy tried to get Nehemiah to stop building, he said, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?" I have spent way too much mental energy on this. I let it fill my thoughts as I prepared the girls' lessons this weekend. I will call the district on Monday morning and let it be. I also realized that just maybe when I put together the portfolios at the end of the year that I am being boastful, showing off what my daughters have done. Am I on some level trying to perform for the school personnel so they will respect my work as a teacher? God forbid! What a repugnant thought!

Those who review the portfolios are trying to find fault, not applaud my effort. I will never have their respect. I need to put this matter to rest and get on with teaching my daughters.

Tearful Monday

2009-09-16T07:48:00.007-04:00

Liana had another sleepless night. But it was the first in two weeks. She woke up ready to do battle with the world (and with me). We started math and she sighed and complained. I reminded her we can always go back to book work. Right now she is doing Teaching Textbooks on the computer and generally much prefers this math program to her old one. When she insisted on doing a triple digit addition problem in her head instead of on scrap paper, she moaned, "Why is everything so confusing?" Later, "This is NOT a good day."

Liana has an excellent memory, so she is a good speller. For the beginning of the year, I am assigning her spelling words from a list that all 4th graders should know and spell correctly every time no matter what they are writing. She does quite well with this list. We were using Spelling City, a great website initially, for providing games to use spelling words. But the two girls' lists were becoming transposed and Liana got frustrated when Arielle's words got mixed up with hers. Since Liana likes to create, I have been having her write sentences each day with some of her words. That brought on the tears this day.

Her spelling word was "whether". She wrote a perfect sentence for the word "weather", spelling it correctly and using it correctly. I calmly corrected her, explaining "whether" was a word easily confused. She burst into tears, saying she can't do this, it is too hard. She just couldn't think up a sentence for "whether" and on and on. When the morning disintegrates to this, learning stops. I really don't know what is best at this point.

The next day was better. In the afternoon her best friend was coming to play, so Liana was motivated to finish her work. Once Julia got here, I tried to engage the two of them in Arielle's science project of making molecules from gummy bears and marshmallows. Julia and Liana were too busy making sculptures to learn anything. Arielle learned about the bonds of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, but she was frustrated with the younger girls' antics. We are using a new science book that seems to be perfect for the middle school age. From now on, Arielle and I will work on it alone.

After Liana and Julia ate most of their creations, they got busy playing. Not once did I see them just hanging around wondering what to do. Not once did they watch TV or ask to use the computer. Julia was here for about 6 or 7 hours and here is what they did: got dressed in Liana's fanciest dresses and put on make-up, set up a Polly Pocket town with the old-fashioned Polly Pockets, played a game of 300 Wishes with Arielle, drew pictures of black-haired women in colorful evening gowns, played with their identical Build-A-Bear dogs, and wrote and rehearsed a play. I got them to stop for a hasty spaghetti dinner. Then they went back to their rehearsing. By the time Julia's dad came, they had the play memorized. A couple of days ago I typed up the beginning of this play, titled "Best Friends Forever". It was three typed pages and then they wrote more on it this night.

After Julia went home, I found Liana still downstairs working on the play. In this picture she looks like a studious student working on her homework. No, she is working on the props and scenery for her play. She tells me how I am to videotape it, making sure I zoom in at the proper times. Three digit addition is not part of her world. Neither is the difference in whether and weather. Those things are unimportant to her. How do I encourage her to do what she does best, yet learn what is necessary to live in this world? It is a challenge.

Flexibility

2009-09-02T17:40:00.005-04:00

I am very rigid with school. I like schedules and order. I've been gently chided by my homeschooling friends to lighten up. And God is teaching me more and more about the importance of being flexible.

We had a great first week of school with everything and everyone right on time. We started at 9am, took a break at 10:30am, and had a 45 minute lunch at noon. We ended pretty much the same time every day and even bedtime was right on schedule.

Then Sunday night Liana couldn't get to sleep. She went to bed at 9 but was very restless. I checked on her an hour and a half later when I was going to bed, and she was crying silent tears. She occasionally has this problem because her overactive mind just won't shut down. I knew she would be out of sorts all the next day without enough sleep.

I asked myself, why do I homeschool anyway? Isn't it to provide an individual education to each of my daughters, teaching each one according to her individual talents and abilities and learning styles? I told Liana I would not be waking her up in the morning and to sleep as long as she needed. She immediately relaxed. I told her to play quietly with a toy until she was sleepy, which she did.

The next morning Liana woke up about a half hour later than usual. While the girls ate breakfast I read aloud the next chapter in a biography on Amy Carmichael. Then while Liana got ready for school, I did math with Arielle. We shuffled around our schedule that day and each day this week and nothing has been lost. Much was gained though--a more cooperative child.

Some would say that would never work for a child living in the "real world" of public school. And it wouldn't. Am I being indulgent, or am I extending grace and accommodating my child's needs?

For a long time my insistence on having school my way has clashed with Liana's way of learning and her need for more time to accomplish her work, more time to transition to new activities, more time for projects rather than worksheets. She just plain needs more time. Arielle and I are efficient types. Give us a task and we'll quickly do it and be done. Liana needs time to think things over and to apply her creative talents. I need to let go and let her be who she is. She has years to go before being thrust into the "real world" of adult schedules.

The girls had their school physicals today. Liana wanted to talk to the doctor about her sleep issues. After we explained about her getting to bed late but being able to start school later, our doctor said, "She's in the right family then, isn't she?" Yes, she is.

Ten Days in Asia

2009-08-26T19:01:00.005-04:00

We are beginning a new continent study this year and the girls chose Asia. Liana has been interested in India for quite awhile, so I thought it was a good place to start. This morning at breakfast I asked her if she knew what countries border India. She immediately rattled off, "Nepal, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka." She only forgot Pakistan. My nine-year-old has a map of Asia in her head because of a game I bought! I wrote about this game when I first got it, but now we are seeing the results of playing it for a couple of months. It was well worth the $20 I spent on it.

The girls love playing the game. The challenge is to chart a 10-day trip across Asia using ships through the Indian and Pacific Oceans, trains to bordering countries, or planes between like-colored countries. You don't have to know the geography because you just look at the game board while you play. The strategy is in placing the cards you draw. Arielle almost always wins. I just don't have the logical, thinking ahead type skills she has. (But it frustrates me that I can't beat my eleven-year-old!) Liana doesn't win the game often, but she likes it anyway. In the scope of things, she is a big winner because she has learned the map.

As I mentioned before, the company, Out of the Box Publishing, also makes 10 Days Across Europe, Africa and the USA. Maybe others. I highly recommend our game!

First Day of School

2009-08-24T15:41:00.007-04:00

Oh, joy! No, really, despite Arielle's face. She was feeling a little grumpy this morning, but we had a fine day! God has answered our prayers.

We started with reading and talking about Psalm 1 and then we read the first chapter of a biography about Amy Carmichael because the first country we are studying for geography will be India. Then Liana began to read aloud from her library book. Amazing! I lifted up my eyes to heaven and said a silent prayer of thanksgiving. I confess, my good intentions did not pan out this summer and Liana read few books and none aloud. I did not really know what I would find with her this morning. She read so well and so smoothly I was stunned. I've noticed with her over the years that sometimes new learning needs to stew and brew for awhile before it sinks in and then she knows it well.

Liana was in good spirits all morning. She actually squealed with excitement when during a lesson she was supposed to combine several unrelated words and create a meaningful sentence. This is a game she made up for herself and often does it with spelling words or random words she gives me to try. She was delighted to see this as an actual assignment. I praised her effort and attitude and enthusiasm in all her work today.

During our break we took a nature walk and saw a huge cicada protestly loudly as we approached it. We miss our birds. The squirrels won't allow us to keep a bird feeder. They ruin every one. We walked past the garden and realized we need to bring in the end of the harvest of beets, carrots, beans and tomatoes. Work to do this afternoon! But for now, we focus on school. I didn't try to cram in washing laundry and dishes during our time together either.

Arielle was not so grumpy after all. She said she enjoyed her reading assignment, and when we reviewed some pre-Civil War history from last year, she remembered more about it than I did. As we read our chapter for today, she supplemented with information she gleaned from the numerous historical fiction books she read over the past few months. We finished up and it was only 2:30. Free time! The girls ran off to play. They will have chores this evening after dinner, but for now they are having fun. And no homework!

Guard the Gates

2009-08-19T07:54:00.004-04:00

In the last chapter of the book, Nehemiah has been absent from Jerusalem for a time and when he returns, he finds all kinds of trouble.

One of the priests has allowed Tobiah to move into a room in the temple, the sacred place. Now Tobiah was introduced back in the beginning of the book of Nehemiah. "But when Tobiah (and others) heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it." (Neh. 4:7,8)

Nehemiah confronts the people, "Why is the house of God forsaken?" He prays and he delegates reliable men to take care of things to restore order and get the people back on track. The people had failed to obey God's law in other ways as well. There is much written about the "foreigners." People were buying goods from foreigners on the Sabbath and marrying the foreigners. As applied today, this certainly does not mean racial separation. In the time of Nehemiah, interacting too much with foreigners meant the people were taking on their heathen gods and heathen lifestyles. Today God's people live among every nation, tribe and tongue. But we must guard against integrating our lives with non-believers so much so that we forsake the faith.

Nehemiah says, "As soon as it began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought in...the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem..." He says to them, "Why do you lodge outside the wall? If you do it again, I will lay hands on you." Then he "commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates..."

Later on he finds others who had turned against God's word. "I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair" for "doing great evil and acting treacherously against our God." Before we judge Nehemiah, let's remember all that came before. Nehemiah had invested his life rebuilding Jerusalem, the city of God. No wonder
he reacted so aggressively when he saw his people being led astray. He fought hard to defeat anyone who would tear the people apart and cause them to forsake God.

God is not fooling around when he cautions us about allowing evil to enter our homes and our lives. Don't prepare a room for it! When Tobiah couldn't prevent God's work from the outside as they built the wall, he weasled his way inside the walls! What better way to cause confusion! Nehemiah promptly threw him out. Don't let the enemy camp outside our walls either. Chase them away and guard the gates!

The book of Nehemiah is finished and so is our summer. We start school Monday. We have a couple more fun events in these next few days and then we will battle the enemy. We gather our weapons of prayer and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. We will finish the wall and the work God calls us to do.

Rejoice!

2009-08-18T09:23:00.003-04:00

Calling on people who have "separated themselves from the peoples of the land to the Law of God"! All you who have "knowledge and understanding"! Let's commit to "walk in God's law and observe to do all the commandments and not neglect the house of our God." (Nehemiah 10:28-39)

In Chapter 12 we find a grand celebration. "At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgiving and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres...and they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem of heard far away." (Nehemiah 12:27, 43) People were also appointed jobs and others rejoiced over those who ministered. As they worked there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

Our wall has not yet been completed, but we begin a new year. We can rejoice over the progress made so far. We are privileged to be at home teaching our children. We are thankful for husbands who provide for us so we can do this. Each person in the family does his or her part and is useful to all. I thank God for my girls and for Fred and this great opportunity. Let our joy be heard far away as we head into a new season!

Know Your Enemies

2009-08-17T08:43:00.002-04:00

We're in our last week of summer. School starts next Monday! I'm excited, the girls less so. I've identified our enemies.

The ones that come from without are: distractions, interruptions, negativity from other people. I have fought hard and have beaten them into submission.

Then there are the enemies from within: Doubt and procrastination. I think I have conquered these too. I know I am doing exactly what God has called me to do. And my will is strong and I will be disciplined to do what needs to be done --on schedule. (I know, I know, that's not how some other moms homeschool, but it works for me.)

These are the Big Three enemies to overcome. They loom ominously like a cloud over our homeschool.

1. Arielle's attitude of laziness and boredom which she expresses in sighs and complaints.
2. Liana's emotional state when the work is difficult, the tears of frustration and lack of effort.
3. My impatience with both of the above, expressed with much anger.

These will derail us and these we must battle daily with much prayer and the sword of the Spirit.

Remembrance

2009-08-13T07:56:00.003-04:00

Continuing in Chapter 9, the community is still gathered. "The people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God."

Then their prayer is recorded in Nehemiah. It is a long, long prayer because there is a lot to cover: worship and praise to God for his blessings, confession for the sins of the people going all the way back to the time of Abraham, and a list of all God has done for them throughout history. We would also have a long, long prayer if we covered all this ground.

A couple of years ago when the girls and I listened to The Chronicles of Narnia on audiotape, a line lingered in my mind, and I'm not sure what book it comes from. "Remember, remember, remember the signs." Remembrance is an important part of our walk with God. In the midst of a struggle we often forget what God has done for us in the past. We forget his faithfulness. But when we remember, it sustains us through the tough times. When we recall our failures from the past, we are reminded of God's forgiveness. Our prayers should interweave confession with memories of God's mercy. The result will be gratitude and hope for the future.

In prayer, the Israelites (and we) start with what God has given us all: the beautiful earth and sky and sea he has created. Then we remember he keeps his promises, he hears our cries, he guides us and instructs us. He's given us good commandments to keep for our own good. He provides food and water. We lack nothing. He's given us children and rich land and houses full of good things. "So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness." Despite all this, we do not always follow God. We are rebellious and disobedient.

"But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them...they rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back...they turned a stubborn shoulder."

Yet, despite all that, here is God's character: "But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them...you gave your good Spirit to instruct them...in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them...many years you bore with them."

It is worth the time to remember our history with God and all he has done for us. It is a humbling experience. How many years he has bore with me and put up with me! As I prepare for the new school year, I think of the sins I've committed against my children, these little people God has entrusted to my care. I too often discipline out of my own selfishness and impatience, rather than to train them and bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. I think of careless, hurtful words I've spoken, and dismissive attitudes I've had toward them, times I've brushed them away to pursue my own agenda. Any of us moms can remember these ugly moments. We confess them and ask God to make our hearts tender toward our children. We remember God's mercy toward us and we know he has forgiven us. He gives us strength for a new day, for a new year, and another chance.

A New Start

2009-08-11T07:54:00.003-04:00

In Nehemiah chapter 7, the wall is completed and the people move back into the city and build houses. Our summer is almost over and we have our new books lined up, notebooks and pencils purchased, and the school room organized. We're almost ready to begin a new school year.

In Chapter 8, "all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and women and those who could understand. And the ears of the people were attentive to the Book of the Law."

I know I need spiritual preparation before the school year begins. "All the people wept as they heard the words of the Law." Does reading God's words ever bring you to tears? Why is this? Because we are humbled by God's blessings? Because we know we have fallen short of his will? Nehemiah and Ezra and the Levites told the people, "Do not mourn or weep...do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

God's word confronts us with our failures. As I plan a new school year, I am reminded of the bad days from last year. I realize my joy, a contagious joy that should be passed to my children, comes from a restored relationship with God. Failures, yes. But forgiveness and a new beginning too. "And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them." When our vision is clear, when we have understanding, when we know where we're going on this journey, we also can rejoice.

The next day all the people gathered again to study the words of the Law. They were hungry for more. I want to be hungry all year, desiring truth and understanding and guidance for my children as I teach them. Right now I'm refreshed, armed, proactive to head off problems. I'm strong,--I'm psyched! God's word has brought me joy and strengthened me.

Liana's Top Picks

2009-08-09T12:54:00.003-04:00

Liana (age 9) has made a list of her favorite books she read (or listened to) this past school year and summer:

Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff
Maggie's Door by Patricia Reilly Giff
Water Street by Patricia Reilly Giff
A House of Tailors by Patricia Reilly Giff
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
Year of the Rat by Grace Lin
Year of the Dog by Grace Lin
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm adapted by Kate Douglas Wiggin
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
Shadows on Society Hill: An Addy Mystery by Evelyn Coleman
Hill of Fire byThomas P. Lewis
A Doll Named Dora Anne by Yona Zeldis McDonough
The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh
Treasure Island adapted by Lisa Norby
Lewis and Clark: A Prairie Dog for the President by Shirley Raye Redmond
George Washington and the General's Dog by Frank Murphy
Breakout! Escape from Alcatraz by Lori Haskins
Julie Meyer: The Story of a Wagon Train Girl by Dorothy Hoobler
Across America on an Emigrant Train by Jim Murphy
Lincoln and His Boys by Rosemary Wells
Neela: Victory Song by Chitna Banerjee Divakaruni

Liana enjoys reading anything about India and she also likes the Magic Treehouse series.

Please let us know your children's favorites!

Arielle's Top Picks

2009-08-09T12:40:00.002-04:00

Arielle (age 11) has made a list of her favorite books she read this past school year and summer:

Turn Homeward Hannalee by Patricia Beatty
Be Ever Hopeful Hannalee by Patricia Beatty
Who Comes with Cannons by Patricia Beatty
One Month of Seven Day by Shirley Climo
The House of the Seven Gables adapted by Malvina G. Vogel
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan
Sword Quest by Nancy Yi Fan
Spring Pearl: The Last Flower by Laurence Yep
Neela: Victory Song by Chirta Banerjee Kivakaruni
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
The Fighting Ground by Avi
Island of the Blue Dophins by Scott O'Dell
My Name is Not Angelica by Scott O'Dell
Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
The Overland Escape by Lee Roddy
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff
Maggie's Door by Patricia Reilly Giff
Water Street by Patricia Reilly Giff

She also enjoys these series: Nancy Drew Mysteries, Mandie Mysteries, and Dear America Diaries.

Distractions

2009-08-06T08:03:00.002-04:00

In Chapter 6 Nehemiah's enemies try to sidetrack him and frustrate his work. They are afraid the Jews will become too powerful. They try to stop the wall-building. He responds:

"I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?"

I am going to post these words in our classroom. Not that I want to be mean to people, but to remind me to stay on task. I am so easily distracted! When I get a phone call during school time, I want to take that call! I want a break. I like to connect with friends. But I must take charge of the distractions that threaten to derail us on a daily basis.

My particular distractions: family members needing something, doctor appointments, errands to run, wash to be done, dinner to be prepared, other homeschool moms wanting to go somewhere, a friend's child that needs to be watched. These are all important, worthy distractions and it doesn't mean I say no to everything. But I need to be on guard and remember that for the most part, I cannot come down!

I get intensely frustrated by distractions. It makes me edgy and short with the girls. And it's my own fault for allowing it. Nehemiah says, "Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done. But now, O God, strengthen my hands." There are many kinds of homeschooling moms and I tend to be more rigid. If you have followed this blog, you know I have learned a lot of lessons along the way and I have eased up a lot! But the unschooling approach is definitely not for us. My house may be in total disarray but when it comes to my girls' education I am very organized. I have a plan, but my undoing lies in the implementation when other things crowd into our time. With God's help, I will proceed and accomplish our goals. I must remember this is God's work. Like Nehemiah I have the blessing of the King to go forth with the plan. But the enemy will always try to oppose it.

In this chapter, Nehemiah and his workers complete the wall. "And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God." Beyond my own home, every homeschool success story is a threat to those who oppose us. The failures in the public school system and these successes encourage others to begin this journey. However, we will always have spiritual enemies (and flesh and blood enemies) who try to discourage us, frighten us, demoralize us, intimidate us, and DISTRACT us. Arm yourselves!

People Are Watching

2009-08-05T08:13:00.003-04:00

In Chapter 5 there are problems among God's people. Their own nobles and officials are oppressing them. Dangers are not only coming from the outside, but there are problems within.

Nehemiah's response: "The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies?"

This is a good verse for us all to think about, how our actions can bring disgrace to the name of Jesus. But for now, let's think about how it relates to homeschooling.

Some of the opposition to home education has been brought on by homeschooling parents themselves. Why do many people have negative images in their minds? They think of a child so secluded he is like a plant grown in darkness, pale and spindly and unable to thrive outdoors. A child backwards in a social gathering. A child who supposedly is homeschooled but instead is playing in the yard all morning and watching TV all afternoon. Kids so different they stand out in a crowd. There are these kind of kids. But I have to say, the most opposing views I've heard have to do with socialization and not academics.

My brother totally dispelled any doubt I might have had about homeschooled children. He has three daughters, one graduated from college, and my sister-in-law has taught them all at home all the way through. These girls from young ages were such delightful, interesting people. They easily could carry on conversations with adults and were full of life--inquistive and full of ideas and opinions. Of course there are shy homeschooled children too. But it's personality, not their educational situation. I can think of a most inhibited, timid, awkward child who never once spoke up and was petrifed to engage in a group setting. This child was ME, a product of the public school system.

I don't raise my children in isolation. They are constantly around a variety of people. By nature, my girls tend to be on the reserved side. They are thoughtful and don't immediately speak up in a social setting. But Arielle is far from shy. She boldly enters new situations and unlike me, is not at all intimidated by people she doesn't know. Liana is more of a one-on-one kind of person and holds back in a group. But that's okay. She is who she is.

So when people meet my children and know they are homeschooled, does that bring on the taunts of the enemy? We just spent two days in a car dealership (more on that on my other blog). Five long hours there and the girls had absolutely nothing to do while we waited and waited. Several people did take notice of them and commented on their behavior. "Most kids would have been screaming and racing around the showroom by now." "They are so mature and well-behaved." "Where do you girls go to school?" Homeschooled...ohhh. "Your girls are so good." Fred said, "I wouldn't expect anything else."

Now my children are far from perfect! And we are not perfect parents. But we spend so much time together as a family. Fred and I have more influence over our children than the public schools do. Homeschooling families need to be good examples. People are watching us, like it or not. We don't need to justify or explain ourselves; in fact, our actions speak louder than words. But let's not bring on the taunts of the enemy.

Jesus said, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16.

You'll Need Your Sword

2009-08-04T08:08:00.003-04:00

"And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night." Nehemiah 4:8.

Confusion is an enemy tactic. Many moms are confused by the educational choices available now and are trying to decide what is best for their children. That is not the confusion I mean here. This is for parents who have already been called by God to homeschool. Once in the thick of the battle, we can't be confused. We must be purposeful and focused on our task.

I've often had my doubts--would Arielle be better off in public school? She loves competition and group dynamics. Is Liana's reading progressing as it should? Is there something else that would help her more? The bottom line of doubt is--am I doing the right thing?

I love the yearly homeschool conference we attend. It's always in June after we've finished another year and we are deciding about books for fall--what worked, what didn't. The speakers always motivate me to press on, and the sheer number of other homeschooling parents there amazes me. We must be on to a good thing because there is a whole army of us!

There is also an army who would like to stop our work. "And our enemies said, they will not know or see us till we come among them and kill them and stop the work." verse 11. There are those in government who would like to put an end to homeschooling. Even our friends sometimes say to us, as the Jews did to Nehemiah, "You must return to us." verse12. We must be vigilant and speak against any bill or judge's ruling that limits parental rights. But most of all, we must be on guard spiritually. We have many battles to fight right here at home. More on that later. Nehemiah's advice: "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes." verse 14.

So in a few weeks we will say, "We all returned to the wall, each to his work...half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail." verse 16. Oh, that we would have prayer warriors fighting for us as we worked! Some do. I attended a homeschooling event at a church where about 75 percent of all parents homeschooled their children. The pastor was behind them all the way and the other congregants supported and encouraged them. That is not how it is at our church. Even in a church as large as ours, we are the odd ones out. So in that case...

"Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built..." verses 17, 18. So I strap on my sword and go to work. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God...and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit." Ephesians 6. "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12.

Homeschool conferences are nice, the fellowship of other homeschooling moms is encouraging, but don't forget to carry your sword. Ultimately the battle is fought in the spiritual realm and we can stand firm on the commands and promises of God. We hear this over and over but it is so crucial to stay in the Word and be faithful in prayer.

"The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me...I said, the work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us." verses 18-20.

If you get into trouble, if you get discouraged, by all means sound the trumpet! We're widely spread, but help is nearby. And the best help of all, "This is the confidence we have in him, if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." I John 5:14.

"So we labored at the work...from the break of dawn until the stars came out." verse 21.

People with a Mind to Work

2009-07-31T08:05:00.005-04:00

Nehemiah chapter 4 begins: Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?"

These are questions for us. First, can we restore what has been lost in the educational system of America? Can we do it ourselves? What are these feeble people doing, without a teaching degree? It is a grave responsibility to make sure our children have good education. I look back to the days of math manipulatives and phonics flashcards. I took those things seriously at the time, but with Arielle entering 7th grade, the burden of educating her weighs heavily on me. She needs to study literature, and she will be learning chemistry this fall. Teaching Liana to read has been difficult. She will be in 4th grade and I know fluency will be a great challenge for her and for me helping her to progress.

The second question: Are we willing to sacrifice? When I taught young mothers at church, one of their biggest complaints was "no time to myself." I hear you! That's how mothering is. It was hard for me to give up my time the second round of parenting my daughters. I had been living a life of freedom to basically do as I pleased as a career woman. The daily grind of being at home with preschoolers was very difficult at first. Little by little God pulled away all my "free time". I fought back selfishly and with resentment. I see now how he was preparing me for homeschooling.

To teach our children at home we sacrifice that "time to myself." As soon as our school day ends, there is dinner to prepare, laundry to do, and errands to run. I have to sacrifice a spotless house, time to curl up with a good book, and my hobbies. I admit this is still a struggle. There is also the financial sacrifice with me not working outside the home.

When my boys were young I remember the jubilant neighborhood coffee parties on the morning of the first day of school, when moms were liberated from their children. I joined in the celebration back then. Now I eagerly anticipate the quiet one-on-one with each of my daughters as we plunge into the new school year.

The next question: Will we finish in a day? Of course not. But will we finish? We have to remind ourselves this is God's work. "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6.

The last question: Will we raise up stones and build upon the one Living Stone, our Lord Jesus? A good education is necessary in this world, but are we looking at the big picture? What are our goals for our children? To be successful financially and live a prosperous life? I don't know what God's plans are for my children. I want to prepare them spiritually, first and foremost, so they will be equipped to do his work.

Remember, this study of Nehemiah began because of a class I had on spiritual warfare. It's a battle. The enemy taunts us and tries to prevent us from completing God's work, to foil God's plan and purpose for our children. Nehemiah prays, "Hear, O our God, for we are despised...for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders." Woe to those who try to stop the wall-builders.

I love verse 6: "So we built the wall...for the people had a mind to work."

Don't Try This Alone

2009-07-29T08:04:00.002-04:00

In Chapter 3, scriptures gives us the names of many men who are working on the wall. This phrase keeping repeating, "next to them". "Next to them," this person worked, "next to them," that person worked. Each worked at his task according to his gift and skill.

Many people have responded to God's call to homeschool and we work side-by-side, in our own houses, but we are next to others all across the country working toward the same goal of educating our children, according to our particular talents and expertise. In the book of Nehemiah, a huge crowd of men worked diligently and faithfully in their common goal of building the wall to protect the people.

We need others. I tend to prefer to work in isolation, but I am acknowledging my need for the fellowship and encouragement of other homeschooling moms. Our kids need to get together with other kids too. Yesterday a generous woman opened her home to five other moms and thirteen other children ranging in age from four to fourteen. The kids played outdoor group games (which homeschooled kids sometimes miss out on) and we moms shared laughs and good ideas. These events are easier to pull off in the summer, but I hope to continue to meet together regularly with other believers, not only in the faith, but also fellow wall-builders.

I'm reminded of the repeating phrase in Hebrews 11--"by faith". "By faith" these Biblical characters accomplished great things. Hebrews 12 begins with: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith..."

Rise Up and Build

2009-07-27T08:21:00.007-04:00

In chapter 2 Nehemiah requests of King Artaxerxes to go to Judah to rebuild the wall. The king asks, "How long will you be gone, and when will you return?"

I am asked all the time, "How long will you homeschool?" Some people are concerned for my kids and their "odd" lifestyle. People wonder when I will return to the "normal" life of a woman my age. With Fred's new career floundering, people wonder why I'm not out working to help support the family.

Nehemiah needs letters from the king to pass through the province to get to Judah. He also needs timber to build. The king gives him all he needs, including officers of the army and horsemen. Nehemiah says this is because "the good hand of my God was upon me." God will give us all we need for his own work. Homeschooling can be done on a very limited budget, but we've been blessed by my generous brother and his family passing down many, many books for us to use. What we need now is provision to pay the bills. But that too, God has provided. If I go back to work, I can't build the wall. But because this is God's work, he has been faithful to us.

When Nehemiah arrives in Judah to begin work, the enemies come out. So Nehemiah wisely "told no one what God put into his heart to do." In the middle of the night he inspects the walls and gates. He says to God's people, "You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision." He tells how the king has provided and affirms, "the hand of my God has been upon me for good." And the people were inspired and said, "Let us rise up and build."

"So they strengthened their hands for the good work." It's almost August. Let's get excited about a new school year! Let's prepare our minds with ideas. Let's prepare our attitudes to expect the best of our children and not fall into our mistakes of the past: grumbling, anger, threat, tears, boredom, drudgery, and procrastination. We have a new beginning. Foremost, let's prepare with prayer! Be assured, God will surely bless his work.

So we're eager to begin and we've rallied the troops. What happens now? The enemy rears his head. "They jeered at us and despised us and said, What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?" Are we rebelling against the educational system of the great United States of America? Yes! Yes, we are!

The summer before Arielle began kindergarten we were at our yearly pool party with the families who traveled to China with us. The women began talking about the upcoming school year. I told them we planned to homeschool. Two of the women, both former teachers, were thoroughly disgusted. There is no better word for their response. They ridiculed my "foolish" choice. Their scorn was so obvious my relationship with them ended.

I have friends who are good teachers and I greatly respect their work. I could never teach a classroom full of children. I do not possess the skills or their patience. These friends have made a different educational choice for their children, but they still respect ours. I even look to them for advice.

Nehemiah responds to his enemies, "The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem." Despite the jeers and the sneers, we will build until the wall is finished. Unless of course, God reveals a different plan for our family.

Building the Wall

2009-07-21T08:25:00.004-04:00

I'm taking a class at church on spiritual warfare led by a teacher I greatly respect. Last week we studied passages in the book of Nehemiah and it became clear how the truths in this book can be applied to our lives today, even with homeschooling. If we are called by God to do a task, Nehemiah offers words of encouragement.

Here's the background to the book: The Jewish people were struggling to maintain their identity as a people of the Lord. They had been in exile for 70 years and they returned to their own land as strangers among foreigners. They struggled great moral and religious challenges to remain a distinctive people, faithful to God. At the time of this book, the temple had been rebuilt in Jerusalem, but Nehemiah wants to rebuild the city walls for security and protection. However, he suffers tremendous opposition. What sustains him is his faithfulness, perseverance and commitment to God's work and his belief in God's promises. (Jeremiah 25:11)

Nehemiah begins with prayer, acknowledging the reason his people are in this predicament to begin with:

"O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you." (Neh. 1:5,6)

Then he goes on to say that the people have not obeyed the commands of Moses and so were scattered, just as God had warned. But God promises to gather them again if the people return to him. Nehemiah states their identity (and ours). "They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand." (Neh. 1:10)

Nehemiah's conclusion and our prayer too: "O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy." (Neh. 1:11)

God's people are called out and set apart. We are not to be entangled in this world and its deceit, greed, materialism, lust, selfishness, and self-promotion. Homeschooling parents have actually taken the easy way out. To avoid the evil in the world, we limit our kids' exposure to it. Not everyone can or wants to homeschool, but Christians still need to be separate from the world. We don't isolate our children, but we build a foundation, a wall of protection and security, so that when they are mature, they will be strong and equipped for life on the other side of the wall.

We pray they will not be "taken captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition." (Col. 2:8) We pray they will "walk as children of light and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord and take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." (Eph. 5:8-11) We pray our children will be "blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom they will shine as lights in the world." (Phil. 2:15).

Jesus prayed to his Father for us, "I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one." (John 17:15) He knew the kind of world we had to live in.

Come and explore Nehemiah's lessons for us as we raise our children.

Orchestra Lapbook

2009-07-21T08:13:00.009-04:00

My last post about the past school year. Now we are on to new things. I want to recommend two books we used for this project: The Story of the Orchestra by Robert Levine. This one comes with a CD that children can listen to as they read about different instruments and different eras of classical music. The other is The Story of the Incredible Orchestra by Bruce Koscielniak.

My songbird

2009-07-09T08:07:00.002-04:00

We are listening to an audiobook called Fairest by Gail Carson Levine. The book is delightful, the language lively, and the audio version is superb with a multitude of different voices and music to dramatize it. The story is a fairytale about a girl who is not at all pretty but has a beautiful singing voice in a kingdom of song. This author also wrote Ella Enchanted. We thoroughly enjoyed that one too. (Don't watch the movie though. It was mediocre at best.)

We listen to audio books in the car. When we came home yesterday, the story was at a strategic point and the girls didn't want to get out of the car. So we sat in the driveway awhile and heard more of it until I finally said we had other things to do! The book was in the middle of telling about the Composing Game. A group of people play by taking a passage from a dull book and making up a melody and singing the words from it. It is supposed to be funny but have good musical quality. Liana was intrigued by this. After we got out of the car, she picked up a library book and started singing the words from Make Way for Ducklings. She wanted me to alternate pages with her. We did that for awhile, me croaking along after her high clear tones. Liana certainly has musical talent. She composed the tunes on the spot and her voice is rich and beautiful. Then she picked up an American Girl catalogue and started singing the advertisements! I was laughing so much I could hardly sing my parts.

Liana would fit right in with this enchanted kingdom in the book Fairest. She is my songbird, always singing.

Miss Martha

2009-07-02T07:42:00.008-04:00

After winter ends, Arielle heads back to the 4-H center for sewing instruction for three or four hours every Saturday. The first year she made a backpack and a skirt, and the second year she made a sundress and a shrug. This past few months she completed another dress.

Now I am able to teach my daughters to sew. But since we are together pretty much all the time, I think it's beneficial for the girls to learn from and spend time with other women. There are many wonderful volunteers involved in 4-H. But for the past two sewing seasons, Arielle has been paired with Miss Martha, a widow in her eighties.

Miss Martha is beautiful with her sparkly blue eyes, white hair, and clear, rosy complexion. I think skin like that used to be called "peaches and cream." She is elegant in her soft pastel sweaters and she wears her jewelry every week as if she is going some place important. Miss Martha is kind and soft-spoken and she is an excellent seamstress. She used to make suits for her husband in years past. She has sewn for her children and grandchildren for many, many years. She is a perfectionist and she knows special techniques for getting the job done and she is able to interpret those poorly written pattern directions. Best of all, she is willing to pass on these skills to a new generation of young women.

By chance Arielle had Miss Martha as her personal tutor one year. The next, as we arrived on the first day, Miss Martha was sitting quietly, waiting. She said, "I'd like to work with Arielle, if she doesn't mind." If she doesn't mind? We were delighted to see her and I was secretly hoping Arielle could work with her again. They had quite a time together this year. Arielle had a very difficult pattern and there were fitting problems. Miss Martha patiently worked through them all with her, and Arielle patiently took out seams over and over until the dress was just right. To see them work, it was a solemn affair. Heads bent down together, neither spoke much, and when they did, it was softly and with few words. But there was a connection. Martha told me several times how much she enjoyed teaching Arielle. She said, "I just have to tell her something once and she does it."

Once again, Arielle modeled for the County Fashion Revue and once again she qualified for the regional competition. Miss Martha did not attend the fashion show but Arielle got a lovely note of congratulations from her. But we give most of the credit to Miss Martha! Yes, Arielle did the work, but Miss Martha guided her and taught her. As a result, Arielle is meticulous, careful, and willing to work slowly and methodically to complete a project.

What a gift Miss Martha has been to my daughter! She is a wonderful teacher and mentor. Most of all, she is the picture of I Peter 3:4, "the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." As we left the 4-H center on the last day of sewing, Miss Martha was in the parking lot. We said our good-byes and then she told me she didn't think she would return next spring. She said it was getting to be too hard for her. I did notice the past few weeks she's seemed tired. But then she said, "I think I'd like to work with your younger daughter too." Liana also completed a winning outfit this year.

So maybe Miss Martha will come back. A friend of mine attends her church, so hopefully she will help me keep tabs on Miss Martha. I hope the opportunity will arise when we can give back to this beautiful woman what she has so generously given to others.

Australia Lapbook

2009-06-29T19:16:00.005-04:00

We finished our unit on Australia. School was officially over but I told the girls it would be nice if we did a little summary of the first continent we studied since we will be doing all the rest of them next year. Then they would have something to look back on to review and compare. Both girls willingly spent an entire evening cutting out pictures and designing lapbooks. Liana wanted no help from me and no suggestions from anyone on how to plan it or lay it out. While they worked, I played around with youtube and found some Australian songs to add to the atmosphere. They especially liked "Waltzing Matilda." Arielle didn't finish hers, but I have included pictures of Liana's book.

At the homeschool conference I found a great game. I hesitated buying it because it was $20 and what if it wasn't any good? But it is good! We played it several times over the weekend. The game is called "10 Days in Asia." The gameboard is a map of Asia! You don't need to know Asian geography to play it, but you will learn it while you play without even noticing. It is a good thinking game to get your brain sparked up. The company also makes "10 Days in Europe" and "10 Days in Africa" and also one for the United States. We want them all!

We're Finished!

2009-06-27T08:09:00.002-04:00

Where has the month of June gone? We finished school the second week but the next week was very busy getting ready for the 4-H Fashion Revue and the homeschool conference that it didn't feel like summer yet. I was frantically finishing up the portfolios that have to be turned into our school district's administration office because the week after that we had camp at our church. Last week we had to get up and leave early each morning. On top of that, the girls and I had some virus to contend with.

With relief, I unloaded the burden of the two portfolios and turned them in a couple of days ago. Freedom! This task weighs me down for at least two months at the end of every school year. I really need to be more organized and work on it little by little during the year. Now I get about a month before I have to worry about next year's objectives that have to be turned in on August 1st.

As usual, I had big summer academic plans for the girls. And already, as usual, my plans seem to be falling apart. I want them to read every day and I want Liana to do some math every day. We have several craft and sewing projects we never got around to doing during the school year. But nothing got done with our illnesses and with camp. In two weeks my son is getting married and we have lots to do to prepare for them. I remember idyllic summers of my childhood. Being outside in the dry Arizona heat, nothing to do, carefree. No activities to run to, no events to attend. Just endless summer days. Time moved very slowly. What happened?

State Study

2009-06-18T08:56:00.005-04:00

Our homeschool law requires that we study the history of our state. So each year we include a topic, usually one tied in with our American history lessons. Since we are in Pennsylvania, it is easy. Our state was pivotal in much of the history of this nation.

As a field trip, the girls and I took a walking tour of Philadelphia's historic section, visiting Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Franklin Court, and Christ's Church. Costumed tour guides that day were recruiting for the Continental Army. The girls love this sort of "school."

We also used Abeka's My State Notebook. It is part of the 4th grade curriculum but I used it for my 3rd and 5th graders. The girls worked on this all year and it is suitable for any state. There are 83 colorful pages. The girls researched and recorded such things as state song, tree, flower, flag, etc., plus there are pages on early settlement, historical figures, famous landmarks, government, weather, industry and agriculture, wildlife and plant life. The girls made several kinds of maps and filled their books with pictures from travel brochures and internet articles they read.

We will be studying the Civil War this fall so I think a trip to Gettysburg will give us good material for our state study to meet the requirement next year.

Great Films

2009-06-11T08:19:00.005-04:00

We are wrapping up our study of Australia and I ordered a couple of DVDs from the library. The first is one of a series called "Families of the World" and we brought home "Families of Australia." It was only 30 minutes long and showed a day in the life of a child in rural Australia and one from the city of Sydney. It was excellent! The back of the box says, "Each DVD focuses on a different culture, their way of life, family interaction, foods and celebrations." It is not a lecture but rather a visual glimpse into other lives. The girls noted interesting facts, such as the Australians driving on the opposite side of the road and how the toilets were different from ours. They loved listening to the dialect too.

Yesterday we started to watch the other DVD called "Australia the Beautiful." It is a Reader's Digest film. Since it is 170 minutes long, I figured we would just skip around and watch a little bit of different segments. But we were absolutely mesmerized by the gorgeous, breathtaking photography! Australia's landscapes and wildlife are fascinating. We only saw the first third--"Treasures of the Coast" about the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree, Lord Howe Island, and Shark Bay. We are looking forward to the rest--"Riches of Deserts and Wetlands" and "Marvels of the Mountains". Highly recommended!

Finishing Up

2009-06-08T08:03:00.002-04:00

Three more days. "How much longer?" Liana asks continually. According to state law, we have to complete our 180 days, but besides that, we need to wrap up a few things before taking a summer break from school.

Liana finished her study of bats but never finished the lapbook she started. In May I bought a social studies series called Around the World in 180 Days and it looked so interesting I decided to do a short unit before school ended. We chose Australia. The girls (and I) have learned so much about this fascinating continent. Liana wants to visit Uluru someday, after her tour of India. We left our study of the Civil War hanging but I think we found a good stopping point and will continue that in the fall.

Arielle worked very diligently this year and completed Abeka's Language Arts for 6th grade. She will take her final science test on electricity today. She found out a friend of mine who homeschools her children plans to continue their school work one morning a week throughout the summer. Arielle asked if we could do that too. The girls both like Teaching Textbooks, so it will be an easy way to keep up their math skills by doing those lessons. Liana spent the year memorizing the multiplication tables and it would be such a loss to let them go for three months. And of course, there is reading. I couldn't stop Arielle from reading if I wanted to, but Liana will need a little prompting.

With every day revolving around school, I always feel a little lost when the year ends. There are plenty of activities ahead and there is always my house that needs attention after nine months of neglect. But it's a shock to wake up to a day without a schedule.

Transition

2009-06-01T07:55:00.011-04:00

I took a class at church and since the girls are homeschooled, we had no choice but for all of us to go together for these three mornings. Their regular classwork was postponed until afternoon while some real-life work was done at church. The girls were asked to help in the nursery.

Arielle loves little children and I knew she would be an asset to the women caring for the little ones. But Liana? I had my doubts. She never seems interested in babies. But the first day after class, the women said she was a big help. Liana entertained babies and fed babies and rocked babies in the rocker. She went home feeling useful and proud of herself. She's growing up. My own baby is nine, after all.

After lunch I found Liana in her room. She was dressing her Bitty Baby, cuddling the doll in her lap. "Doesn't she look adorable?" she asked me. Liana carried the doll around all afternoon, even preparing a dish of "food" to give her. I treasure moments of watching her play like this because these times will soon be gone.

This little girl rejected books in favor of her own imagination played out on the carpet in her room as she created Polly Pocket towns and Polly Pocket lives. Liana would lie down, eye-level, and I would hear the dialogue she invented for each of her tiny dolls. She still does this occasionally, but more often she wants to dictate stories to me as I try to type as quickly as her words tumble out. The girl who delighted in dressing up as a princess now draws her royal designs on paper and reproduces them on her sewing machine. She dresses up in heels, with attention to coordinating accessories, but still loves her tiara.

Liana enjoyed her new responsibility in the nursery, but she isn't ready to leave childhood behind. And I'm glad about that. I'm not ready to give up my little girl.

Chinese Babies

2009-05-17T13:17:00.006-04:00

This morning at church a Chinese couple was dedicating their baby daughter. The family sat right in front of me. The baby, about 2 or 3-months old, was sheltered in her mother's arms, round and pink. Her thick black hair was pinned back with a felt clip. Her eyes were thoughtful and serious, watchful. She was calm and trusting, unafraid of the strangers around her. She bore a striking resemblance to Arielle as a baby. And I couldn't hold back tears.

The baby quietly observed us from the safety of her mother's shoulder and I studied her perfect features. Why the tears? Because when my precious daughter was that age, she was not yet mine. I wasn't able to hold and comfort her. I grieve for that lost time. This baby is so blessed. She seems to have everything. I protest again the circumstances that tore my daughter away from her birth family. But then, if not for that, Arielle would not be my daughter. I can't imagine life without this child! She has so enriched my life with her ideas, her laughter, her calm spirit. She has challenged me with her questions. She asks so many questions! She wants to know everything and she makes me reconsider, re-evaluate.

I'm sad as I look at this baby because my baby is gone. The sweet little face with the bright smile that greeted me each morning from her crib. The curious little girl so fascinated with life that she would page through picture books for hours before her world really exploded when she learned to read. The child with the shiny black hair that I danced with in the kitchen while dinner cooked. But look who has replaced that baby--my gracious, poised, intelligent 11-year-old. The girl who is wise beyond her years. She is a deep thinker, still watchful and serious, yet so confident and courageous. I still study her perfect features and imagine the woman she will soon be.

Outdoor Education

2009-05-16T10:29:00.003-04:00

Once again we trekked to camp for the twice-yearly Homeschool Days. The girls look forward to meeting up with friends and canoeing in the creek and riding in the haywagon through the fields. Moms enjoy a peaceful day in one of the most beautiful places I've ever been in Pennsylvania. We also like the hands-on educational session. In the past there was a chemistry and physics demonstration. The kids have also learned about wetlands and conservation and plant identification. Today's program was about trees. We could sign up for special classes on creation or raptors or even the Underground Railroad. This camp was once a stop.

We had a wonderful day in the bright sunshine and fresh air. The kids had some freedom to roam and explore, race up mountains, play tetherball, and practice their skills on a wire bridge across the creek. Liana has become quite good with rowing and Arielle enjoyed wading in the cold water. But weather conditions were just right for the majestic, lovely trees to disperse their pollen. Liana and I were sick by the time we got home with itchy eyes, drippy noses, headaches and coughing. Two days later, another price to pay for our wonderful day: poison ivy. Oh, you say I should have been more careful? I am careful to the extreme when it comes to poison ivy. I touched NOTHING. I still haven't figured out how I manage to get it every year.

Bird Lapbook

2009-05-07T07:46:00.012-04:00

Liana finished her study of birds and completed her lapbook. She said, "I'm sad it's done because I enjoyed working on it." I told her she can make many more lapbooks in the future.

Liana's book answers these questions: Why did God make birds? What helps a bird to fly? What makes a bird a bird? How does a bird know witch way to go? Why is a girl bird so plane? (I don't make corrections on her lapbook. This is her creative work.)

Liana has information on how birds are classified in the animal kingdom. She has a diagram of the inside of an egg, pictures of different nests and which birds make them. She has pictures and descriptions of different types of feathers. The most fun we had on our bird study was to actually watch the birds at our feeder. Liana began her "life list" of birds and she made drawings of them in a chamois-covered journal. (Like John James Audubon did.) But for the lapbook we photocopied pictures and identifying features into a section called "Birds in Our Backyard." She listed 14 birds! We never knew before we had such a variety.

Our main text on birds was Jeannie Fulbright's Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. From the author's website we printed a page called "Migration Route of the ______." The page has a place to glue a picture and space for a short report, plus a map to chart the route. Liana chose the puffin and the arctic tern to study.

The importance of this lapbook is that Liana knows her book. She can easily explain all the information to anyone who would take the time to listen. She is proud of her work and is excited about learning. A lapbook is a great teaching tool for right-brained, hands-on learners.

In addition to our textbook, we used:

How Do Birds Find Their Way? by Roma Gans

Science and Nature Guides: Birds World Book

Eyewitness Books: Bird DK

The Boy Who Drew Birds by Jacqueline Davies

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

Night of the Pufflings by Bruce McMillan

Ducks and Ducklings by Anita Ganeri

Woodpeckers by Julie Murray

New Friends

2009-04-25T17:32:00.006-04:00

Arielle used to attend a homeschool co-op at our church, but our church is not close to our house. The morning drive during rush hour became just too stressful. We left the co-op and the girls joined Awanas instead for their social time. A co-op should be educational as well as a social outlet, but I felt I could provide the academics at home. Up to this point I really have not needed help teaching my girls. But I realize their needs change as they grow older. My friend Connie who also homeschools lives very close, but otherwise, the girls and I are somewhat isolated from any other homeschool families. Not isolated! But we haven't mingled much with other families like ours. People always seem to be so concerned about that "s" word--socialization. My girls are quite socialized! Anyway, things have changed.

Connie called to tell me a group of moms were trying to connect with other homeschooling families and would I like to join them? Some of the families had recently moved here and were trying to find friends for their children and some support for themselves. So last week we all had lunch together. This kind, generous woman opened her home to all these moms and kids. They all live within a few miles of here. I never knew. We are not alone! And best of all, there were some girls Arielle's age. We moms discussed our state's laws and the required evaluations and portfolios that will soon be due. We talked about books our kids love and textbooks we use and like. We planned possible field trips and considered interesting co-ops in the area. It was very encouraging to find like-minded women. My girls had so much fun with their new friends and we all look forward to seeing each other again soon.

More on Books

2009-04-23T07:44:00.005-04:00

A few days ago we visited a small local bookstore to find a First Communion gift for a friend of ours. I found a beautiful picture book on Mother Teresa written by Demi. We've enjoyed many of Demi's books of Chinese folktales, but I had never seen this book before. Then I told Arielle and Liana that they could each choose one book.

I rarely buy books except used ones from book fairs. There is no need--we have a great little library only a mile or so from our house, and what we can't find there we can order through the inter-county loan system. At home we have a collection of very special books. I always love when the girls receive books as gifts, especially if the gift-giver has written something in the front cover to one of the girls. But mostly, all the books the girls read are from the library.

My family never had much money when I was growing up but books were very important to my mother. In the small desert town where I lived as a child, there were no libraries or bookmobiles. That came later when we moved to Missouri. But we did have the Arrow Book Club at school. My mother allowed me to get as many as I wanted with the condition that I read every single one of them. I always had the largest stack on my desk when the orders were delivered to the classroom. I'm amazed by that now because I don't know how my mother paid for them all. I still remember some of the titles: The Shy Stegasaurus of Cricket Creek, Emily San (about Japan), and Elizabeth Blackwell, Woman Doctor. I still remember that new book smell and the pleasure of holding a crisp new paperback in my hands.

The girls were excited to actually buy a book and what fun they had choosing. They skipped over most of the modern series and then paused for some time over the non-fiction, picking up books on presidents and ancient Egypt. They examined the American Girl mysteries. Then Arielle discovered the shelves with the Newberry Medal winners. She found several she wanted, reading the back cover and exclaiming, "This looks good!" I reminded her only one book. We wrote down some titles that she could request from the library.

At home Liana had just finished her first chapter book, read silently rather than aloud to me. I encouraged her to choose another. She found Treasure Island, a Stepping Stones adapted classic and immediately decided that was the one. Arielle settled on Johnny Tremain, a book on the Revolutionary War. My girls love adventure!

Creative Writing

2009-04-16T07:29:00.004-04:00

Liana's teaching time is long. Not because she is slow to learn; she is not. She has a very quick mind. But the style of learning that she enjoys and that is most effective for her is time-consuming. She loves the artsy-crafty things. She loves me to read her stories. She loves making up stories.

Yesterday her assignment for language arts was to write a paragraph on this topic: what would you do if you woke up and found out you were two inches tall. Liana sat down to write a rough draft, asking me how long it had to be and did she have to write in cursive because she HATES handwriting. She finished quickly, a sloppy job, with half the words misspelled. I encouraged her with a few questions to continue her story. This time she dictated to me while I wrote her words down. She went on and on since I was the one doing the writing. Then she looked at the paper and said, "Oh no, I'm going to have to copy all that!" So she didn't want to say anymore. I suggested she continue with her story while I typed it. She was excited about that. We went upstairs and she dictated a long, long story, full of detail and imagination.

Now I know she needs to learn to write neatly by hand. (Although that is a debatable idea among educators since computers now dominate our lives. On the other hand many homeschoolers believe daily copywork and penmanship are important.) But should I squelch her creativity by torturing her to handwrite her ideas on paper? I don't think so.

The answer is obvious to me as I write this. I need to teach her to type. Then her fingers can fly at the same speed as her lively brain.

Van Gogh Lapbook

2009-04-14T14:03:00.011-04:00

We have been working on three lapbooks this year. Liana is working on one of birds and one of the orchestra. I will post pictures when they are complete. It's hard to describe a lapbook if you've never seen one. I'd call it an informational artistic display of learned material, small enough to hold on your lap. We use file folders and cardstock to create the "book." We glue in pictures copied from books or downloaded from the internet, and we cut out pictures from a great resource we have--a very old set of World Book Encyclopedias. I got these books free at a homeschool conference, and I specifically planned to use them for this purpose.

Liana immediately took to the idea of making a lapbook. She created the one on birds as a review of all the topics we covered this year and then the orchestra book was just her own idea because musical instruments greatly interest her. Arielle was more reluctant to make one. I gave her a choice from different subjects she's studied and she finally settled on Vincent Van Gogh. It's finally complete! Here is how she did it:

On the cover is a picture of one of Van Gogh's sunflower paintings. When the lapbook is opened, she has displayed several of his self-portraits and an accordian-fold time line of his life. On the flaps on either side are questions and answers. Inside the first page is a gallery of paintings. Then the next section is a written report about Van Gogh. I had given Arielle the option of making a lapbook OR writing a report in the conventional way of reviewing a subject. Still, she chose to write a mini-report anyway and then put it in her book. That's her style of learning.

Arielle also has a pocket with index cards with "fun facts about Vincent Van Gogh." We had some trouble finding maps of the different countries where Van Gogh lived because the individual maps are not to scale with each other. But she does have small maps of England, the Netherlands, and France marked with the important cities and corresponding events of his life.

Lapbooks are not Arielle's preferred way of learning, but I think she enjoyed making her book and it stretched her in a different direction and that was good for her.

Please share your ideas on lapbooks!

Poem about India

2009-04-07T07:42:00.003-04:00

I promised Liana I would post the poem she wrote about India. She wrote it last fall when she was eight:

A Great Place

India is so very hot,
I have a sari that I bought.

We saw elephants in the street,
I thought it was very neat.

Gita was a girl I met,
She had an elephant for a pet.

The Taj Mahal is very nice,
After that we ate some rice.

The sitar is lovely to hear,
We wanted to get very near.

We saw girls dancing along,
I thought it was a pretty song.

Now it is time we must go home,
Gita my friend gave me a comb.

So I will remember her yet,
The nicest girl I ever met.

Arielle's Passions

2009-04-01T16:53:00.005-04:00

Arielle's passion is people. From the time she was a baby, people fascinated her. In restaurants she would twist around in her high chair to study them. She was never fussy or bored in public places.

Arielle enjoys people. She has never been shy to join a group of children and has never been inhibited around strangers. She is quiet, but not timid. She watches and learns. When friends come to play, she has never been very interested in getting out toys, rather she wants to talk. She loves to hang out on the outskirts of the room when women are talking, seemingly fascinated by our conversation. Arielle is a communicator, verbal from a very early age. She likes to talk! She now has her own e-mail, carefully monitored by me. This has opened her world so she can connect with family members and friends across the country.

One summer the girls and I helped out at a day-care center for a week. Arielle discovered her very favorite of people--babies. She truly shone that week as she helped care for 1-year-olds. They delighted her and each day she came home with stories of the cute things they did.

Her love of children is evident when the grandkids are over. She is attentive and nurturing with the little ones. She will gladly give up a whole day to care for baby Laci. She is gentle and kind with 4-year-old Mattie and 5-year-old Lana. She is never impatient and never grows tired of them. And what a help she is to me!

Of course, her gift with children will carry her far in life. But how does being a people-person translate into our school day? Arielle is a very orderly person. She is methodical and conscientious. School work that doesn't really interest her is done quickly and accurately just to get it out of the way. But she thoroughly enjoys reading stories of her favorite topic--people! She is not a read-for-information kind of girl. She loves stories. Arielle is a child who would enjoy a homeschool co-op. Right now she doesn't have that, but I think it would be worth pursuing.

Last night we had a homeschooler's book fair at our church. Arielle was in her element--books and people! She and her friend wandered around talking with others they knew. I gave Arielle $5 to spend and she took such pleasure in choosing her books. She proudly told me she bought a total of 15 books with her money! Maybe she also has a talent for finding bargains.

Liana's Passions

2009-03-30T07:38:00.006-04:00

Since Liana was very young she has a tendency to fixate on something that interests her--much more so than what most children do. At three, she amused herself by cutting confetti with a small pair of scissors while I taught Arielle's lessons. She literally cut for hours. This prepared her for her flannel board era. When she was four, Fred covered a wooden board with a scrap of pink fabric and Liana drew tiny figures of people, cut them out, carefully glued a strip of sandpaper to the back of each, and then created her imaginary world on the wood. At one time I counted her "people" and there were 67!

Liana became interested in musical instruments a couple of years ago. She spent all her Christmas and birthday money on acquiring different intruments. She bought an authentic snake-charmer's flute from a rare instrument store in Colorado and a Chinese bamboo flute from an importer in San Francisco. She has a miniature violin, hand-crafted by a man in Hong Kong. After a concert she attended, she became fascinated with the Irish whistle. This is a child who will sit quietly and listen to classical music. She will tell you her favorite composer is Vivaldi, but she recently heard Pachebel's Canon in D and frequently accesses it from our favorites in the computer.

Before she had written language skills, she "wrote" books. Oh, how many papers she stapled together to form pages for her stories. There were no written words but detailed illustrations, and she could tell you the elaborate tales as if she were actually reading words. Her interest in ancient cultures would be a springboard for her imaginary journeys. She passed through the Egyptians to the Native Americans to the Chinese and now she has settled on India. Since she has learned to sew, she spent her last dollar on silky embroidered fabric to make herself a sari and wears it most every day.

This is a child who has trouble sitting still for a spelling lesson or instruction in long division. She has sleep difficulties because she can't shut down her brain. But since I have made some adjustments in school, she truly is a homeschool mom's dream. She delights in learning (most things) and she is never bored. Television doesn't hold a candle to the much more fascinating stories happening right in her mind. As her mom and teacher I must give her the skills she needs to explore the world. Then she will soar!

Library Day

2009-03-06T07:47:00.006-05:00

Once a week or more we go to the library. It's one of Arielle's favorite places. Mine too when I was a child. We didn't always have an accessible library in the towns I lived, so that made the trip even more special when one was available. I still remember the smell of books back then and the excitement of choosing one from the shelves. It would have been a book without a colorful cover or beautiful illustrations like children's books have now. But a good story to take me on a journey into another world was enough for me.

Arielle makes the rounds to her favorite shelves that hold fairy tales and folk stories from other lands, the Nancy Drew mysteries, magazines for young girls, or her favorite--historical fiction. Liana looks for books about musical instruments, art, or ancient civilizations. And of course ducks. The girls never want to leave, yet the longer we stay the stack of books to check out gets taller and taller. I go through the readers to find books to interest Liana. She is a very discriminate reader. Forget talking animal books, ones with TV characters, or even books about kids her age. No, she wants action, history, and foreign places. Once I thought I'd found the perfect book and even ordered it on-line from our inter-county loan service. It was called A Doll Named Dora Anne about a girl who's given a doll handed down from her grandmother. (I would have liked it when I was Liana's age.) Liana read it but it wasn't nearly as interesting to her as Escape North about Harriet Tubman or Ben Franklin's Big Shock.

I remember long ago coming home from the bookmobile on a hot, summer day. My mom and I would get a cold drink (no A/C back then) and curl up with a great story and read away the afternoon. Well, my mother probably had to stop reading way before she wanted to in order to cook dinner or care for the younger kids, but she would read as often and as much as she could and still does. She left a legacy and my children are following in her footsteps.

We're home from the library and the girls' chosen books are scattered on the carpet around them. The house is quiet as they read, lost in other worlds.

CAT Day

2009-02-05T20:25:00.002-05:00

My girls were supposed to take the California Achievement Test with the homeschool co-op at our church. But they were both sick with high fevers that day--after all our hard work in preparing them! It was very discouraging. But why do I get so stressed over things like this? God always has a better plan. Since they couldn't be tested with the group, my friend came over today to test them. They were in their familiar home with a woman they know. It took away all their apprehension and I'm sure they did well.

My friend has two children she homeschools--her 14-year-old boy, recently adopted from Russia, and her 8-year-old daughter who is Liana's best friend. She put her kids in the car and drove halfway to my house. I put my kids in the car and met her at the halfway point. We then switched kids and went to each other's homes. I supervised her children in their school work and she administered the test to my children. When my girls finished, I drove her kids back to my house and we all had lunch together. Mom swap! I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her children. It was fun getting to know her son Jacob a little better. I found out he has a great sense of humor! He was very proud of the two math books he has already completed and wanted to show me his work. And little Julia was so eager to share her lessons with me. We read some books together and did an oral spelling quiz. It turned out to be quite a pleasant day--the Big Test Day I had dreaded for so long!

Lapbooks

2009-02-04T20:19:00.003-05:00

Last summer at the SEARCH conference, I partipated in a mini-workshop on lapbooking. I was so excited about this method of teaching. I just knew the girls would love it. At the used book sale I found a FREE old set of World Book Encyclopedias. What a pain to haul them out to the car stack by stack, but I knew they would be invaluable for cutting out pictures for the lapbooks. Before school started I stocked up on file folders and card stock. Still motivated by the conference, Liana and I even started a lapbook on the orchestra. That was her latest craze. So what happened? Liana's excitement remained, but mine dwindled off. My creative ideas fizzled out. I just couldn't think how to put it together.

We started school and Liana occasionally asked when we were going to continue her book. I put her off. Too many other "important" things to do. Then one night, just last week, someone posted a question about lapbooks on one of my yahoo groups. Someone else sent some links. I checked them out. Then I knew we must get back to this idea. Why? Because it is very appealing to Liana, my right-brained, imaginative child.

I gave the girls an option--create a lapbook on one of the topics we are studying or a book they are reading. Arielle has been reading Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan. Something in history? How about the transcontinental railroad? Science? How about Isaac Newton? How about birds? Liana wanted to do birds. "But aren't we going to finish my book on the orchestra?" she asked. Arielle said she wanted to do birds too, although she isn't studying birds. (She was not so enthusiastic about this project.) She chose to do hers on woodpeckers since we have seen several in our yard this winter. Liana is doing hers on lessons from her book Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day.

Liana LOVES working on her book. She cuts out pictures and glues them in. She draws pictures . She has her own ideas about what the book should look like and what she wants to include. She writes long descriptions of her bird topics. That is the best part of this project. Without complaining, she writes and writes. She is learning to organize her thoughts and express herself. I don't hassle her about spelling.

Arielle has already stalled out. She half-heartedly searched for information on woodpeckers. She wasn't interested in reading what she found. This lapbook thing is not her medium. Unless maybe woodpeckers just isn't her topic. Maybe she is too old for this?

We're beginning a study on Vincent Van Gogh. I can see this making a great lapbook. Maybe I can interest Arielle in this one. Liana will not want to do another one until her bird book is finished and yes, the orchestra book too. Infinite possibilities for lapbooks!

Different kids

2009-01-07T20:14:00.003-05:00

Liana had a better attitude the next day. Some of our work was beyond what she has learned, so we skipped it. Better to review what she knows than to teach something new right before the test. I realized too that the test prep book we are using covers the entire third grade, and we are only halfway through the year.

Arielle enjoys worksheets. She always has, so she is not complaining. I remember the early Explode the Code books that I thought were great. I would have to ask Arielle to please stop doing so many pages in one day and save some for later! Then I bought them for Liana. She would cry when I asked her to complete one page. The books were torture for her. Different kids, different learning styles. That is one of the main benefits of homeschooling. I can find books and methods to suit each child. I had to learn this the hard way though. Hard on Liana. I regret how I tried to conform her into a little twin of Arielle. Thank goodness Liana is a tough little character and fought back until I finally caught on that she is her own person.

Back to School

2009-01-06T15:28:00.003-05:00

The girls had no school for two weeks. This is the longest mid-year break we have ever had. With Christmas and New Year's Day falling on Thursday, it just made more sense to do that.

Now we begin again and I might be regretting my decision. At 9:00 as we sit down to begin, Liana is in tears because she doesn't want to read aloud. Then, she isn't at all happy about our plans for the rest of the morning. Unfortunately, our state requires standardized testing in grades 3 and 5, so both girls have to be prepared by the 23rd. That means most of our month is wasted on test prep. I say wasted because now I have to teach to the test rather than continuing our regular studies in the textbooks I have chosen for the girls. We have to pull topics out of context from what we have been working on all year.

Liana is stressed. We did a practice test last spring at home and both girls did quite well. But today Liana feels pressured and keeps saying, "I can't do this!" Her hair is bothering her. She takes it in and out of a ponytail, impatiently pushes back the little flyaway hairs around her face. She says, "My hair never feels right." I wet it down, slick it back, tie it back, anchor it with a barrette. I need to remember to do that on test day too. I don't push her too much. She has blocked her brain from learning today. We'll try, try again tomorrow.

Questions

2008-11-23T13:42:00.003-05:00

My pulmonologist got me through a serious illness a few years ago and I respect him for that. But as I've gotten to know him better, he seems more comfortable asking me about homeschooling. And I feel more uncomfortable answering his questions. (His wife was a public school teacher.)

Every homeschooling mom's radar picks up the subtle thoughts behind the questions. "How long do you plan to homeschool?" "Are your kids involved in outside activities?" "Do you have any other families you interact with?" Interpretation: Surely you're not going to continue this through high school! Your kids do associate with "normal" kids, don't they? They aren't isolated from the world, are they? I always feel the need to assure him we are quite fine, thank you.

This last visit he focused on me. After a discussion about my health, I happened to say I am only so concerned because of my girls. I've never been one to obsess over aches or pains or illness. So the doctor now thinks I'm obsessed with my daughters. He says, "What do you do for fun?" Fun? The question takes me by surprise. He elaborates, "Do you have any hobbies?" Who has time for hobbies? I try to think...yes, I do quilting. Right now I've making quilts for my grandchildren. Oh, that plays right into his stereotype. He gives me a knowing smile. He's sure now I'm holed up in my house, alone with my girls and my sewing machine.

I didn't tell him this: I've never been more at peace in all my life. It is the contentment of being totally at the center of God's will, doing exactly the work He's called me to do at this moment in time. It's not about fun or hobbies. It's the joy of spending the days with my precious daughters, raising them to be godly women, enjoying their desire for knowledge and celebrating their achievements. I value this time to let them grow at their own pace, keeping them children for as long as possible, not pushed to adulthood ahead of schedule by our culture. The world will never understand this.

Testing

2008-11-23T13:26:00.002-05:00

My special ed reading teacher friend offered to test my daughter in reading so Liana will be prepared for the California Achievement Test she must take in January, as required by our state. We drove to Colleen's house on Election Day and she generously gave Liana about two hours of her time, and I was able to listen in from the next room. My difficult daughter amazed me!

Liana alternated between reading a passage aloud and then answering questions, to reading silently and then answering questions. I heard no complaint from her and there were no tears. She was cooperative and willing to do all that Colleen asked of her. Liana has never in her life read so much for so long! Results: Colleen said reading is difficult for her but she is reading on level and I should continue teaching her on grade level. We need to review some forgotten phonics concepts and push sight words that seem to hold her up. She reads slowly, but she can do it! That was encouraging to me. We will keep plugging away. Some other advice from my friend was helpful too. I should ask Liana to look for certain facts or ideas in the story before she begins, so she can anticipate what might happen. I should also ask increasing more complex questions about the story after she reads it and also allow her to ask me questions about it. Liana loved that part. Colleen also said she should read independently below her instructional level. I've found she then doesn't protest and actually seems to enjoy reading.

I've wondered for awhile about some sensory-overload issues and one thing Colleen said confirmed this. Liana's comprehension is better when she reads silently. (I would have thought the opposite--that she would skip over words.) Colleen said she understands more because she isn't trying to articulate words plus keep track of the story. A homeschooling friend of mine gave me another great idea--I read a page from the book, then Liana reads a page. Then the passage doesn't seem so overwhelming to her and we end up actually reading more.

Recipe for Delight

2008-10-17T15:16:00.006-04:00

1 empty plastic juice or soda bottle
1 wooden chopstick
birdseed
wire

Poke the chopstick through the bottom of the bottle and out the other side. This is a perch. Cut small holes above each end of the stick in the bottle. Fill the bottle with birdseed. Attach feeder to a tree branch with the wire. Hang it near a window so you can see it well. Watch closely.

This was Liana's science project in her study of birds. (Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day.) Within an hour of hanging the feeder we had a flock of white-breasted nuthatches zipping around our huge lilac tree. (Yes, tree. It's almost as tall as the house!) Then we saw a bird I never in all my years have seen before--a tufted titmouse! The next day dozens of tiny black-capped chickadees arrived. The girls and I sat right under the tree on the deck for a good half-hour one sunny morning and still the birds came. They seem to have no fear of us. How enchanting they are! We are so much enjoying these beautiful, cheery creatures. And this is school? Liana is logging each bird in the chamois-covered explorer's journal we made.

Field Trip

2008-10-10T14:23:00.013-04:00

On a beautiful October day we headed off to camp once again. Twice a year this camp holds an Outdoor Education Day for homeschoolers. The kids go off with counselors to learn something new about God's creation and moms get some down time to chat. This season the children learned about atoms and were able to observe some experiments on chemical change.

We came together for lunch and then the rest of the afternoon it was free time on our own. We took a long hayride through the property and then explored the woods. We once again tried the rowboats. Arielle and I just get frustrated when we go in circles. It is not our thing. We couldn't wait to get back to shore. My friend Connie went back out with her daughter, and Liana wanted to go with them. Connie said Liana was pretty good at rowing.

A suspension bridge crosses the shallow creek and it is a favorite of the girls. They criss-crossed it several times. We are studying the Oregon Trail right now and a covered wagon sits right out in the middle of the field, so the girls were able to explore that too.

We have all been working hard the past month and this was the perfect day to just enjoy the lovely weather and get together with friends. We leave tired, but refreshed.

Fine-Tuning

2008-09-29T17:33:00.010-04:00

After about six weeks, it's time to evaluate and make some adjustments. What is working well? What isn't? I admit I've been a little lax with the schedule, especially our starting time. When I don't seem to be hurrying to get ready for school, the girls don't either. The church chimes across the street announce it is 9:00 and the girls are dilly-dallying in their rooms. Also, I need some quick lunch ideas so I don't spend so much time preparing food for our noon break. If lunch goes too long, we all lose interest in getting back to school. What does everyone else do for lunch? My girls hate sandwiches, so that makes it hard.

We are doing more creative writing this year. It's part of Arielle's Abeka language arts, to her dismay. For Liana, this is what she craves, so I have an additional poetry book for her. It is called Writing Poetry with Children. The difference in my two girls is summed up in this conversation.

Liana: "Why can't we work on writing poems today?" Arielle: "I better not have to do any poetry!" Liana learned about couplets and wrote a poem about India (her latest passion). I told her I would post it. Arielle is actually doing some interesting journal entries and I am impressed with her thoughtfulness.

Spelling has been a problem for Liana. How can she learn 20 words in a week? She just can't do repetitive work such as writing them out over and over. It would be absolute torture for her. I want to channel her energy in a more productive work. Using the words in different exercises didn't seem to work so well either. So we make flash cards. I write each word, broken up by syllables on 3X5 cards. She uses a marker to go over the letters and then cuts each card into pieces like a puzzle. (Kinesthetic learner.) For example, "attention" has 3 syllables, so three parts to the card. Each day she puts the puzzles together and reviews the words. We also write them out each day and talk about what's tricky about certain ones or which ones "follow the rules" and are spelled just like they sound. I make up silly sayings like: skaters have to pract-ICE on the ICE. We still do Stair Day for an oral quiz. Overall, she is actually doing quite well.

I am a pretty rigid homeschool mom. I like to follow the books. This worked fine with Arielle, but it does not work with Liana. I am being constantly stretched and challenged, but I am learning how to teach her. After a lot of headache, I bounced this idea off my friend, a relaxed homeschool mom. I told her I was abandoning the Abeka reading program for Liana. (It still scares me to do this.) My friend congratulated me and said simply, "Read good books with her!" My goal is to inspire this child of mine to love reading. How can I do that when she struggles with her reader and hates every minute? My breakthrough came when I checked out from the library an adapted version of The Secret Garden. It was a Level 3 book and Liana could read it. In fact, she asked to read more than I required of her! This was a big event for us. I will search high and low for GOOD stories and forget the curriculum. For now. Not that there is anything wrong with the Abeka reading program. Arielle loves the stories in her readers and each day tells me, "That was a good one. You should read it, Mom."

First Week

2008-08-31T07:57:00.005-04:00

We finished our first week sucessfully! Amazingly, it seemed I had more time in the day since starting school than I did all summer. Our days were relaxed and fun. The girls didn't even bicker or complain much. Peace reigned! I thank God for that. (Hey, someone must have been praying for us! Thank you!) We're off to a good start.

I will list why I think our week went well to remind myself when the going gets tough so I can see where we strayed from the path.

1. Schedule! I ran a tight ship. We began each day promptly at 9:00. The girls have a list of things to do before school and worked diligently to complete them. Liana is not a clock-watcher, so she had to be reminded a few times that it was time to move on. I expect her to eventually do this on her own. Last year at lunch we sometimes got sidetracked--I would do laundry or some dinner prep and the girls took full advantage by fooling around for an hour. Then no one felt like returning to school. No more! We ate lunch and moved on to finish our school work.

2. Positive attitudes! We began with prayer and devotion time. We are using a book called A Virtuous Girl: A Bible Study for Elementary Aged Girls by Michelle Zoppa. Right now we are discussing good character. I am encouraging the girls rather than criticizing and it certainly works a lot better. Liana just plain cannot work with losing privileges or anything negative held over her head. She still has trouble fidgeting and focusing on her reading, but she is trying so much harder when I stay positive and praise her effort.

3. Teaching Textbooks! This has freed up so much of my time! Arielle enjoys doing her math on the computer and I am still able to check her work. She is already on lesson 15 because she started it on her own over the summer. I do need to make sure to provide some oversight and keep up with what she is doing. A written textbook is provided and I need to read it.

4. Beautiful weather! What a great week it was--sunny and cool in the mornings when we took our break. Each day we walk outside and admire the Rose of Sharon and mums blooming, check the dying status of our vegetable garden and look for treasures in the grass. So far Arielle found cardinal and blue jay feathers and Liana found an owl feather.

5. Assigned days for history and science. Last year it was just too much to try to cram history and science into one day. And of course, science got left behind just because it harder to teach. This year we will do two days of science and three days of history. One of the history days we are working on a state book I ordered from Abeka for each of the girls. They can cut out pictures to paste in it and look up interesting facts. They wanted to work on this all week. Isn't it great when kids say, "Can't we do more?"

6. Keep the fond memories of last year. We haven't changed everything. The girls begged to continue Thursday as "Stair Day" where we take an oral spelling test on the stairs. They start at the bottom and move up a step if they spell a word correctly. For each correct word, they also get an M&M. Such a small thing that brings them joy. On Friday we take a regular spelling test on paper, but I think it is good they use a different part of their brain by spelling their words orally.

Next week we have our yearly trip to the beach--just for one night this year but the girls can't wait. After that, I know we will face some difficult weeks, but maybe we will have more successes than battles.

Snowball in Summer

2008-08-25T19:13:00.006-04:00

We began school today. How did summer go by so quickly? I am so anxious to get off to a good start and not fall back into patterns of relating to each other that are detrimental to learning. The girls and I had earlier held a school planning meeting at our local Panera's over breakfast. We made up a list of ideas to make our school more interesting so we could learn more.

My dear friend in Colorado sent me a beautiful verse. One day while the girls were playing with some Modge Podge, cutting out pictures of flowers from a Burpee catalong and gluing them to wood, I decided to make my own little plaque. It will be on my desk to remind me HOW to teach as well as WHY I am teaching. The verse is Deuteronomy 32:2,3.

"Let my teaching fall like rain

And my words descend like dew,

Like showers on new grass,

Like abundant rain on tender plants.

I will proclaim the name of the Lord.

Oh, praise the greatness of our God!"

I admit that sometimes my teaching falls like a sudden summer thunderstorm rather than gentle rain to nourish tender plants.

We had a special surprise for our break today. Last winter I wrapped up a snowball and stored it in the freezer. Maybe the girls knew about it, but they had long forgotten it. They were delighted to play with the snowball today in the yard!

We had a great first day. I got the best compliment of all from Liana. She said, "School was fun!"

4-H Fashion Revue

2008-06-30T07:34:00.006-04:00

I had a conversation with a mom whose three daughters are in public school. She wishes to homeschool but her husband does not agree that it is the best for their family. She describes herself as a "traditional" mom and is troubled by the attitudes her daughters are exposed to and imitate.

We also discussed extra-curricular activities. She said there is pressure to participate in everything that comes along. You don't want your children to miss any opportunity to broaden their horizons. She has decided to cut back and be discerning in choosing what activities to do. I came to the same point with my girls. It was getting too stressful and we were running ourselves ragged trying to keep up driving them here and there every evening. Also, financially we could not keep up with it all. But we did find one great organization! 4-H!

On my other blog I described how we found our niche in 4-H two years ago. My girls enjoy sewing and this is the second outfit Arielle has made. Every Saturday morning she spends three hours with a volunteer who teaches her to sew. This year she had Mrs. Martha, a dear elderly woman with a gentle and kind spirit who patiently taught her. I am so grateful to Martha for caring for my daughter!

The season ended with a fashion show. What fun it was to watch all the girls cross the stage in the clothing they created. Once again, Arielle won a ribbon and is eligible for the regional revue. But the winning is not what is important. Arielle learned perseverance and patience, to stick with the sometimes tedious steps of garment construction. She enjoyed the fellowship of other girls sewing alongside her. She learned from the example of Mrs. Martha.

The 4-H adventure doesn't end here. In July we will work on organizing the fabric sale that helps to fund the sewing projects so parents only pay $12 for a whole year of 4-H. (What a bargain when compared to other activities.) Then in August the girls will have their projects on display at the 4-H County Fair. For anyone also at a crossroads in deciding on outside activities, we highly recommend 4-H.

Moms' Day Out

2008-06-30T07:07:00.003-04:00

Every year for two full days I attend our local homeschool conference. It's a struggle to arrange care for the girls and coordinate everyone's schedule but once again it all worked out so I could go. My friend and I drove through the countryside early in the morning full of excitement. What would God reveal to us? How could we make our homeschools better? How can we better connect with our children and build our relationships with them--so much more important than any academic learning that takes place.

We didn't have a plan of approach to the conference because both of us had been so rattled by the earlier week's events. (And it is certainly better to come prepared.) For me, I had spent many hours on the dreaded PORTFOLIO, an end-of-the-year state requirement. But that's a topic for another day. So spur of the moment, we chose the lectures we would attend. We made good choices!

We heard Ginger Plowman, Tammy Duby and Susan Kemmerer. Each of these godly women imparted a wealth of wisdom on a variety of topics. Here are some of the gems we took home:

Good advice on training our children in righteousness--getting to the heart of their behavior with thoughtful questions to help them understand their motives and make better decisions.
Good advice on practical matters for moms--how to keep our homes in order and have time to cook healthy meals.
Relief from guilt--that our homes are not orderly and spotless, that some people are just disorganized when it comes to keeping house. Unless you're just plain lazy, it's not a sin, just differences in personalities. Disorganized people are project-driven rather than time-driven.
Relief from guilt--that we might we leaving gaps in our children's education. We can't teach everything. No one can, not even public or private schools. We need to get serious before God and seek his will for our particular children. Then we choose the gaps we will leave. Our goal is to grow life-long learners. If we leave a gap that our child later on desires to learn, she will be equipped to pursue that interest on her own.
LAPBOOKS! Wow! What a great idea! I kept hearing this word but could not get a picture in my mind of what they were. Now I know. Tammy Duby had a mini-workshop and all of us moms created one in an hour. What fun we had! My girls will love this. To top it off, someone was giving away an old set of encyclopedias and I hauled them out to the car. They will provide many pictures to cut out and add to our lapbooks.

My friend and I came home refreshed, inspired, and encouraged. I am grateful to God that he has allowed me the privilege of teaching my children at home. Yes, it is exhausting work at times. But it is the work God has called me to do and he will give me everything I need to do it. I'm ready to begin the new school year tomorrow!

Slow Learner--Me!

2008-06-04T20:28:00.009-04:00

I believe God chooses our children. Each one is exactly right for us, to challenge us, to teach us life lessons, and to bless us with joy. We are just the right mom for that particular child too, the one to help her on her journey to become the person God created her to be.

Arielle has always been so easy to teach. We have the same learning style. We're detail-oriented, logical, and goal-driven. If I want to explain a concept to her, I tell her in a way that makes sense to me and she understands. Liana is so different. She is challenging me to change my teaching style to suit her unique needs. Gradually I've learned not to try to mold her to my vision of who she should be, but rather allow her to be who she is. Isn't that what homeschooling is all about?

I'm learning to leave behind my straight and narrow road with the clear goal in sight and let her take the wandering path and trust that it will lead to the same outcome. Liana does her work better if she's allowed 20 minutes of poetry reading before we begin each morning. She hates her phonics reader but doesn't complain about reading books on bamboo flutes or Egypt or John James Audubon--her latest interest. That sparked her desire to learn bird calls and now she wants to study birds next year. Well, that wasn't on my agenda for science, but I think we should pursue it. Maybe she is ready to move beyond excavating the terra cotta warriors for awhile.

I'm dense sometimes, and most veteran homeschooling moms already know these things. But maybe it's not too late for me or for Liana. And maybe Arielle would enjoy an adventure of her own along the way.

Poetry

2008-04-30T07:39:00.010-04:00

Liana is in love. We read the poem "The Lamplighter" by Robert Louis Stevenson awhile back . She was so captivated by the picture it created and the rhythm of it that she promptly memorized it. Since then we have come across several of Stevenson's works in our reading. Liana has been asking for a whole book of just his poems.

I was in Barnes and Noble and came upon a display of poetry books for children. I didn't know but April is National Poetry month. Arielle and I were never poetry fans. When she was younger we had books of poems that were part of her curriculum. We would dutifully read them and she would do a thumbs-up if she liked it and thumbs-down if she did not. Most were thumbs-down. They just didn't grab her and she would say, "I don't get it." I usually agreed.

I glanced over the display of books of various poets looking for Liana's favorite. There it was! I skimmed through it and although I did not see "The Lamplighter" I saw another one that Liana enjoys--"Where Go the Boats?"--and was pleased with the beautiful illustrations in the book that I knew she would love.

My purchase was a success. The book has a little bio of Robert Louis Stevenson in the beginning and Liana and I read about his frequent illnesses as a child and his great imagination as he lay in bed unable to play outside. Liana is mesmerized by the imagery in his poems. This is a child who several years ago couldn't sit still long enough to hear a whole story but now never wants me to stop reading Stevenson. She notes from time to time that she is just like him. Yes, Liana is always imagining, always thinking of something other than what is readily seen and at hand. One day after reading, Liana closed her book and held it tight to her chest with a faraway look on her face. She's found her soul-mate.

When at home at last I sit
And am very tired of it,
I have just to shut my eyes
To go sailing through the skies--
To go sailing far away
To the pleasant land of Play...
(RLS from "The Little Land")

Joy

2008-01-05T10:45:00.000-05:00

"When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy." Matthew 2:10.

Lord, thank you for our church and for dedicated teachers, sacrificially give their time to teach my children. Thank you for friends and family. Thank you for filling our lives with joy.

For the past few months the girls have been practicing for the Christmas musical at church. This will be their third program and they just love singing and performing. The children's choir director believes any child who wants a solo speaking or singing part should have one, so even if it is only one line in a song, that child gets his or her moment of glory. I've seen my girls blossom on the stage from shy and fearful to bold and confident. Last year Arielle said she would never sing alone, but this season she sang her solo part beautifully.

Fred and I sat watching the show surrounded by friends and family--my new friend Colleen's 10-year old daughter who was adopted from Ukraine only a few months ago was also in the choir. My old friend Bonnie came with her daughters, one of them lived her first year of life in the crib next to Liana's at the orphanage in China. I hope Liana and Sara will be forever friends. Behind me sat my dear friend Connie whose Chinese daughter was also in the musical. Connie and her family will soon travel to Russia to adopt their 13-year old son, Sergei.

All of us here are bound by our commitment and call to adoption. I look at each of these precious children on stage and think what wondrous gifts of joy they are to us. Thanks be to God for sending his Son to this earth as a little child. We celebrate our Savior's birth tonight! But we also praise God for these children he brought into our lives.

Preparing for the Future

2007-12-16T10:27:00.000-05:00

"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." Ephesians 4:14,15

Lord, just as we do our best to prepare our children academically for life ahead, we need to prepare them spiritually. Only you know what lies ahead in our uncertain world. Please give us wisdom today.

We're reading a biography of Hudson Taylor. I've found the girls are greatly inspired by stories of missionaries like Amy Carmichael, Gladys Aylward, and George Mueller. The stories are exciting, people living on the edge, trusting wholeheartedly on God's mercy and provision.

We read that Hudson Taylor decided he needed to toughen up before he went to China so he did strenuous exercises outside in the cold. He got rid of his bed and slept on bare boards. He gave away all material things that were not essential. Most of us who adopted from China stayed in luxury hotels, but I readily remember the poverty we saw. Imagine what it was like in the 1800's. Hudson Taylor prepared.

I don't know God's plans for my children when they become adults. We offer opportunity to our kids when they are little, not knowing their talents, interests, and gifts. We want them to have new experiences and explore the world. We give them ballet, gymnastics, or horseback riding. Maybe sports or music and art lessons. The list can go on and on. As homeschooling moms, we teach our kids to read and do math and prepare for careers. We teach them how to learn so they can pursue their own interests later in life. But how do we prepare them to walk with God in such a violent, ungodly society?

Today when I left my girls at church for choir practice, I felt I had to talk with them about what to do if they saw or heard someone shoot a gun. (This right after the Colorado shootings.) How do we teach them caution without instilling fear in them? Maybe we have much to learn from the missionaries.

What's cooking tonight...

Crock-Pot Zesty Beef Soup

1# stew meat, diced

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrots)

1 bag frozen corn

1/2 bag frozen french-cut green beans

4 cups Spicy V-8 (or regular)

14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. pepper

In a skillet brown the beef, onions and garlic in a little oil. Combine this in the crock-pot with all the other ingredients. Cook on low 8-10 hours or on high for 5 hours.

Home School Perks

2007-12-07T19:44:00.000-05:00

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." Ecclesiates 9:10.

Lord, help us to be confident to do what you have called us to do, not to compare with others, and certainly never to judge the choices others' make for their own children.

When the girls get into discussions with other children who attend public school, sometimes Arielle and Liana feel a little deprived. They don't get to play with other kids at recess, they have no assemblies or class parties or art shows. They also work through many days that public school kids have off--government holidays and teacher in-service days. So I give them this--no school on birthdays! The girls love this, of course.

On Arielle's birthday we had a special breakfast and trip to the mall for Christmas shopping. Occasionally people will ask them, "No school today?" We just say no. We live in a metropolitan area with many public and private schools, so there has never been an issue. Nor should there be anyway. We fully comply with state law.

What's cooking tonight...

Chinese Pork Wraps

3 T. water

2 T. soy sauce

1 T. cornstarch

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1# boneless pork chops or tenderloin, sliced bite-size

3 cups slaw mix (carrots and cabbage)

hoisin sauce

flour tortillas

Wrap tortillas and heat in 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Saute pork in a little oil until cooked through. Combine water, soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil, sugar and garlic in a small bowl. When pork is done, stir in this sauce and cook until bubbly. Add slaw mix and cook a couple more minutes. Spread the warm tortilla with hoisin sauce, add meat and wrap.

Success Builds

2007-12-05T07:53:00.000-05:00

"Encourage one another and build each other up."
I Thessalonians 5:11.

Lord, help me today to focus on the positive and find something praiseworthy about my children rather than finding fault. They wilt under criticism but bloom with encouraging words. In turn, they encourage me with their joy and laughter when we are having a good day.

We had one of those rare, wonderful days that you think you'll have every day before you actually begin homeschooling. Both girls were cooperative and kind to each other. Liana cheerfully did her phonics worksheets and told me, "School is fun!" During the math lessons we all three played "facts of 10" and the girls thought it was a fabulous time. After a few successes Liana is more confident and eager to learn. A mom I met on-line told me that for a child like Liana, I need to put away the red pen that highlights her failures and concentrate on what she does well or how she is improving. Wise mom. Liana is in a new groove, thinking more highly of herself and her skills. Her attitude changed this mornning. It makes a world of difference in how hour day will go.

What's cooking tonight...

Crockpot Mushroom Chicken

several chicken breasts, bone-in

1 can Progresso Creamy Mushroom soup

1 envelope onion soup mix

rice or noodles

Remove skin from breasts, arrange in crockpot. Mix the two soups and pour over chicken. Cook on low heat about 8 hours. Spoon over rice or noodles.

Tree Farm

2007-12-04T14:35:00.000-05:00

"Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:4

Lord, sometimes academics is not the top priority and I need to realize that our relationship with our children is most important. Today is a special family day and I will just enjoy the blessing and the time together. Sometimes I need help setting aside my agenda for the day.

Field trip! We took the girls and Marissa to the tree farm today to get our Christmas tree. It is probably the coldest day of the season so far with wind gusts of 50 mph! We were the only fools out there riding the hay wagon to the fields. (A long, long ride.) We made our driver promise to come back for us in a short while. A few years ago when Liana was a baby at this same farm the driver forgot us on a day with freezing rain. He came for us about 2 hours later. So today we jumped off the wagon and started looking for the perfect tree. I give this farm credit for good marketing--they brought us to a field with only very large trees! No choice but to get a big one. Especially when we heard the tractor coming back for us, we dilly-dally any longer. Hurry! Fred lay on the ground and cut it down in no time. Back at the shop we thoroughly enjoyed the hot apple cider to warm our frozen bones.

We spent the afternoon setting up the tree. Gorgeous. A beautiful piece of God's creation adorning our modest house. No, we couldn't afford this big tree. But it's the memory the girls have of skipping school on a wintry day and their daddy getting the very best tree in the lot.

What's cooking tonight...

Corn Flake Chicken

1 1/2 cups corn flake crumbs

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

4 chicken breast, sliced in fingers

1 stick butter, melted

Corn flake crumbs are easy! Dump corn flakes in a ziplock gallon bag. Seal and use a rolling pin to crush the flakes. I can do a whole box in about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to the crumbs. Dip chicken in butter, toss with crumbs and layer in a greased pan. Bake 375 degrees about 30-40 minutes. My girls love this chicken.

Small Victory

2007-12-03T21:02:00.000-05:00

"Do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4.

Lord, I pray my attitude toward my children today will encourage them to succeed and lighten their day so their schoolwork will not seem a burden to them. When the load is heavy and I expect perfection, they become exasperated, frustrated and angry. You have admonished me not to allow this to happen. Remind me of your words today.

With the approaching holiday the girls are having trouble settling down to work, and frankly, I am too. I can think of a hundred things I need to get done, but instead we are plodding along in our little classroom.

We had an amazing thing happen after the Thanksgiving holiday. Liana ended a bad week, complaining about every little thing she had to do. Then we had the break. When we started up again, I realized something had happened in her brain. All the loose ends and scattered ideas seemed to take root and sort themselves out. She knew her math facts! I remember that this happened to Arielle before too when she was little. I would teach her a concept, let it go for a few days and she would know it better than if I'd hammered her with it every day. So Liana for the very first time completed 12 math problems in 1 minute! She was so proud of herself. I was very proud of her too.

What's Cooking Tonight...

Three Bean Soup

1# ground turkey (or beef), browned

8 cups water or chicken broth

1- 8oz. can tomato sauce

2- 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can white beans

1 pkg. frozen corn

1/2 bag frozen pepper strips

bag of baby carrots

1 1/2 tsp. oregano

3/4 tsp. thyme leaves

Add all ingredients to a big pot and simmer about 45 minutes. Lots of ingredients, but so easy just opening cans and packages! Can be served with rice or noodles.

This recipe is from my friend Connie. She and her husband invited us over for a simple dinner and movie night on a cold, rainy night. Arielle had her first root beer float and loved it!

Rare Moment

2007-11-16T20:32:00.000-05:00

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

I Corinthians 15:58.

Lord, if you have called us to homeschool, then it is your work. Help us to be diligent and steadfast, never giving up even when it is a struggle to get through the day and we do not see the fruit immediately. You promised a harvest in your own time. Help us to teach our children today.

This morning before school Arielle was reading a story to Liana. This never happens! Even though we needed to start lessons, I let them continue. We have all Arielle's old picture books on shelves in my sewing room. When she was little I bought her every adoption book I could find and every book on China written for children. She loved books. Family members contributed too until she amassed quite a collection. Liana never had so many books. She wouldn't sit still long enough to hear a story. But now that she is older, she has discovered all these wonderful books. I didn't want to interrupt this rare moment--sister bonding and also Arielle practicing reading aloud and Liana listening!

I used to be frustrated with Arielle when she chose to read simplistic books well below her reading level. She is an excellent reader and I felt she needed to be challenged. But someone reminded me that adults also choose "fluff" to read when we want to relax and just enjoy a story. Think beach books. At other times we want a book with deeper meaning and of better literary quality. Occasionally we are ready to tackle a difficult book. Kids are no different. I assign enough challenging books for Arielle and I need to allow her to read whatever she desires for fun. (I'm not talking content here! Subject matter is certainly screened.)

What's cooking tonight...

Barbeque Potato Wedges

4 baking potatoes sliced in wedges lengthwise

seasoning

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 cup barbeque sauce

1 cup grated cheese

Line baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Arrange potatoes and sprinkle with seasoning of your choice--salt and pepper, seasoned salt, spicy seasonings, etc. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until soft inside and browned. Brown turkey, add sauce and cook until hot. Top potatoes with meat and then add cheese. Bake another 5 minutes.

Birthday Bash

2007-11-15T21:05:00.000-05:00

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families..." Psalm 68:5, 6.

Lord, thank you for being my Father and Father to my daughters. I pray my girls will always experience the unreserved, unconditional love of their family also, and that they will know beyond any doubt that they are deeply loved and treasured. Thank you for family celebrations.

Last night was Jonathan's birthday. He is my youngest son, now age 28. All those who were able packed into his apartment, the girls running off to play with my granddaughter Lana and Mattie, my oldest's son's girlfriend's daughter. What a crazy mix this family is! Arielle and Liana are thrilled when everyone is together. They love being part of such a loud, lively, loving group.

Liana was having trouble memorizing her math facts. We tried counting with manipulatives and with fingers. We've used Saxon's apple visual and we've done skip counting. She got stuck on adding and subtracting 2's. Then I had an idea. I wrote numbers on large sheets of paper, one to a page, and placed them on the floor like stepping stones. Then I would call out a fact like 6 plus 2 and Liana would literally jump from the number 6 to the number 8 or backwards if it were a subtraction fact. The light bulb went off. She got it!

That trick only went so far. Now she is learning fact families. When I first introduced the idea, she was excited. Immediately she got out a big piece of paper and drew a house--complete with a roof, windows and a door. Then she wrote all the facts that "live" in the house as a family. She remembers these facts. Another fun idea for her is playing math games with a deck of real cards. We play for pairs of numbers that go together to make 8 or 9 or whatever she's working on. Her very different learning style is challenging my teaching style and stretching me.

What's cooking tonight...

Quick & Hearty Sloppy Joes

1 pound ground turkey

1 finely chopped red pepper

1 chopped small onion

8 oz. tomato sauce

1/2 cup barbeque sauce

1 cup of coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrots)

hamburger buns

Brown the turkey with the peppers and onions. Stir in tomato sauce and barbeque sauce and add coleslaw mix. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Serve on buns or over rice.

Fighting Words

2007-11-14T22:22:00.000-05:00

"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:6.

Lord, help me to guard my tongue today. I tend to rise up quickly in anger when anyone threatens my daughters' sweet innocence. Help me to confront as needed, but in a godly manner.

Last night during games at Awanas my step-daughter, Marissa, was talking to Liana. Another girl asked Liana who Marissa was. Liana said, "My sister." The girl responded, "No, she isn't! You look nothing alike." Liana insisted, yes, she was her sister. Then the girl said, "Oh, you were adopted because you're Chinese. They kill babies in China." Although I was very upset about this comment, it didn't seem to phase Liana. Later she told me this girl was saying "crazy things."

I realize I need to address issues like this because my girls won't necessarily tell me about hurtful words directed at them. Liana didn't relate this story to me until I asked her after Marissa told me about it. I need to arm my daughters with words to say when people ask questions that are none of their business or when thoughtless comments are made.

We had a long chat about this before school today. From our conversation I realize Arielle has already heard plenty of stupid words. She told me her best response is, "SO?" She said no one knows what else to say after that. We talked about my best answer to nosy questions is, "Why do you ask?" I've never had anyone respond honestly to that.

What's cooking tonight...

Chicken and Cavatelli

boneless chicken breasts, diced

3 cloves chopped garlic

3 cups chicken broth

16 oz. frozen cavatelli

1 pkg. baby spinach

freshly grated Parmesan

Brown garlic for 30 seconds in a little oil in large skillet. Remove. Brown chicken. Add the garlic back into the pan along with the broth, pasta and spinach on top. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Serve with cheese on top.

Clear-minded

2007-11-13T21:46:00.000-05:00

"Therefore be clear-minded, and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins."
I Peter 4:7, 8

Lord help me to be focused today, my brain not muddled with distractions. Let my deep love for my daughters be evident in the way I interact with them and teach them. Help my girls learn to show love to each other.

Last night the girls were best friends and Liana slept in Arielle's room. This morning, however, they were angrily shouting at each other, even as we settled down to do our Bible lesson. But the discipline of reading and then praying settled them down and we were able to get serious about school.

Some days school work takes a long, long time when Liana can't focus. Typical scenario: I ask her a question. I suppose she is thinking about it and deciding on her answer so I wait, but she doesn't say a word. I realize she never heard the question even though she is directly in front of me looking at my face as I ask it. So I ask again. No response. Then she seems to wake up and says, "What?" I ask again. Then she answers. We go through this routine many, many times in our school day. How could she learn in a classroom setting with 20 or so other kids? The teacher would never know Liana was lost to the conversation. Sometimes I don't know when she's gone either, but I don't proceed with the lesson until Liana is back.

What's cooking tonight...

Beef in Potato Shells

3 large baking potatoes

1 T. melted butter

1 pound ground turkey

16 oz. diced tomatoes, drained

1 envelope taco seasoning

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1/3 cup sour cream

2 green onions, sliced

Bake potatoes, then cut into halves lengthwise. Scoop out the potato leaving a 1/4 inch shell. Save potato to use later. Brush the inside of the shell with melted butter and place on baking sheet. Bake at 475 for about 10 minutes until browned.

While potato shells are baking, brown turkey. Stir in tomatoes and seasoning. Simmer for 20 minutes. Spoon meat mixture into shells and sprinkle with cheese. Put back into oven just long enough to melt cheese. Top with sour cream and green onions.