Prone to Wander

the beginning of life

2012-01-27T14:43:00.005-05:00

This is the end- for me the beginning of life.

~Dietrich Bonhoffer, one week before his execution.

A most important thought to think upon and remember: dying is just the beginning of real life for God's people.

The life to come will be filled with joy, contentment and purpose unmarred by sin. All our work will be done completely and wholly in perfection and enjoyment. That is living, not this surviving, which by comparison, seems to be what we do now.
May my life now, this existence be like a lighthouse beam, designed to keep the light burning so that others will see the way of the Real and True Life to come.

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that Your Son may glorify You.
For You granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him. Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
John 17:1-3

a worthy goal

2012-01-27T14:12:00.004-05:00

Sally Clarkson from Accomplished, Intentional, Exceptional Women Feed the Souls of Others

Of course one of the attributes that has arisen from studying and interviewing these women, is that all of them are great readers. They have invested many hours in engaging their minds in scripture, with great thinkers, biographies and when I talk to them, I know I will be stimulated to greater thoughts and ideas because what is in their soul is worthy for me to come into contact with. A woman cannot give out greatness of mind if she has not invested her mind in great thoughts.

Now I am not talking about formal education. As a matter of fact, I learned so little of what I know from college, or public school. Most of what I know has been in my own personal pursuit, my own hunger to know as well as my desire to pass on great thoughts and ideas to my children. Being accountable to them, being a steward of their minds and thoughts has created an environment of learning for me. Any child who has a mother who loves to learn, will be blessed.

All women who are made in God’s image, and who want to pursue excellence of mind, must intentionally cultivate their ability to think, to understand theology (the knowledge of God), and to follow paths of wisdom. Great women think well and pursue the virtue of a mind that can suitably worship God by its great thoughts.

light

2012-01-24T16:49:00.003-05:00

I've had some discouraging times in the last few weeks that collectively have weighed down my spirit and caused me to want to draw back into that which is comforting and known, which for me is my home, my routines, and my reading.
The light brings its glow to whatever it reaches; may my life be lived in His light, the light of His Word.

Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.
~Ps. 115:105

Pollyanna

2012-01-20T17:06:00.002-05:00

I enjoyed this classic story but did feel a little like the last few chapters were sped up in order to bring the inevitable ending together. But I certainly don't hold that against this wonderful story of an innocent and thankful little girl-soul bringing joy to those around her. Pollyanna learned gratitude from her father, a poor missionary pastor who clearly spent time nurturing his daughter's character and leading by example.
She ends up with a distant aunt who sees her care of Pollyanna as a duty not to be neglected but certainly not to be enjoyed. Transformation comes through Pollyanna's innocent acts of kindness and love but at a certain cost even unknown to her.
Pollyanna Grows Up tells the rest of her story and is next in line for me to read.

nursing days

2012-01-20T16:06:00.000-05:00

The littlest of my patients:

Double eye infection from her sister and a terrible cough from her brother and sister.
Don't tell her I'm plotting to get rid of her soother soon; I'm long overdue. We'll save that news for a healthier day.

The Phoenix and the Carpet

2012-01-16T14:01:00.006-05:00

Any book that starts off with a scene of four British siblings deciding to test their small supply of Guy Fawkes fireworks so that they are not shamed in front of their neighborhood peers with fizzled fireworks should tell you what kind of story you are about to read.
It will be the kind of story written long before children's play was all about safety and security. Of course, being a mother myself, I can understand that children need to be kept safe but if the resurgence in the popularity of books like The Dangerous Book for Boys and The Daring Book for Girls says anything, than maybe we have gone too far in protecting children from adventure.
That said, once the magic carpet and the phoenix show up, the story becomes one hair-raising adventure after another and even the children recognize at some point that perhaps a break in their magic-carpeting sprees would be in order.
This book is a sequel to the Five Children and It and as I have not read that yet, I can imagine that that story prepares you for the hazards present in this story.
As is the case of any British story, I find myself longing for tea cakes and seaside holidays, shillings and drawing room fires.
Railway Children is still my favorite Nesbit novel, but I could be convinced to read this again with little difficulty.

By faith...

2012-01-15T15:58:00.004-05:00

I am crafting Bible story reminders for next Sunday's review lesson. These are for the Call of Abraham which we studied before the Christmas break.
I got the idea from Hebrews 11:8,9:

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.

Every five lessons or so I try to make a take-home lesson kit which consists of small, easily stored reminders of each OT lesson studied in previous weeks. I forgot to take pictures of the first review kit so I will do it for this one. The items need to be simple for two-four year olds to understand and be able to be stored flat in a folder without being ruined.
I think the story of Noah will be a pipecleaner rainbow, but I'm stalled on the Tower of Babel. I was thinking something with popsicle sticks but no inspiration has come yet. Meanwhile I still have at least five more tents to make. And what would be tents without camels? Hmmm...

study

2012-01-14T14:04:00.002-05:00

In my previous post, I ended by commending obedience to the complete Law of the Lord just as Jesus fully sought(and did)to obey it. And since I was raised to disregard the laws in the old covenant in favor of the new covenant, I now find myself unaware of how to correctly understand and obey all of God's commands.
Thankfully men like John Calvin and others have given themselves to the study of God's law and have written books and commentaries for us to read and discover its intended meaning. My responsibility is to avail myself of these studies and grow in understanding, the very thing I am excited to do.

Here are a few links to get you started thinking about this issue if you are new to this study.

What is General Equity

The general equity advocates the idea that the husk of the Old Testament civil law is discarded but the kernel of the matter remains. So, in the classic example, the requirement of fences being built around roof tops in the OT finds the husk of the requirement expired while the kernel of protecting your neighbor remains in a law, for example, that insists on building a fence around your pool.

A Conversation on the Law

The proper analogy is our own Constitution. There is the Constitution proper and then there is the case law that exemplifies what the Constitution means in concrete situations.

honor upon the Scripture

2012-01-14T13:31:00.002-05:00

I was reading a chapter to Seth this past week from the Genesis volume of Nancy Ganz's Herein is Love series(highly recommended here) in which she is writing about Eve's temptation. And by way of contrast, she loosely quoted from Matthew 4:4 of Jesus' own temptation encounter with Satan.

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

And for the first time, it occurred to me that Jesus made it very clear in his quotation of the Mosaic Law(Deut. 8:3) that He intended to obey that Law and His example is for our imitation.
By every word not only implies the Old Testament and the Law contained therein, but at the time of Jesus' words, that was the only written Word of God that had been given thus far. So instead of denying it was no longer applicable now that the New Covenant was being inaugurated, Jesus reinforced the biblical position of the Law of God as the eternal Word of God, necessary to resisting the lure of sin. (Is. 40:8)

Matthew Henry writes it more clearly:

He answered and said, It is written. This is observable, that Christ answered and baffled all the temptations of Satan with, It is written. He is himself the eternal Word, and could have produced the mind of God without having recourse to the writings of Moses; but he put honour upon the scripture, and, to set us an example, he appealed to what was written in the law; and he says this to Satan, taking it for granted that he knew well enough what was written.

Later Paul also, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives honor upon the Scripture by writing in 2 Timothy 3 encouragement to Timothy with these words:

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Not only does he tell Timothy that the childhood training in the Law of God and the rest of the holy old covenant Scriptures is able to make you wise for salvation, but he reiterates the usefulness of all Scripture(including the OT) in equipping completely God's people to do His good works.

If you have been taught like I once was, to set aside the commands of the Old Testament in favor of the New, I encourage you to follow Christ's example set out for us and see it as the life-giving eternal Word of God equipping you to serve faithfully and wisely in the kingdom of God.

The Joy of Cooking, revised edition

2012-01-13T15:51:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, Seth wandered into the kitchen where I was busy working(very hard, I'm sure) and I heard him read, "The Joke of Cooking". As I encouraged him to re-read the cover, I chuckled to myself, "Some days, that is exactly what it feels like.

excellent history on dvd

2012-01-13T14:32:00.000-05:00

Last fall, as we began to study The Middle Ages, I wondered if there were any dvds that would help Seth remember the Ancient History civilizations that we had studied in previous months. I wanted something from a Christian worldview but also with good quality historical content.
And...I found something that is even better than what I had hoped to find.
Drumroll, please!

Drive Thru History with Dave Stotts by Coldwater Media

I bought the extended version of Ancient History which covers Greece, Rome, Asia Minor and Turkey. It is so very good, I cannot recommend it enough. The intertwining of biblical accounts with other historical accounts is seamless and genuine. Shane and I like to watch it as well and makes for great family viewing and discussion.

You can watch previews on their website to give you a taste of how the material is presented. We love it! (Is that too much excitement?) Well, we do. :) Go see.

photo flashback

2012-01-12T09:40:00.007-05:00

needed words

2012-01-11T13:05:00.000-05:00

Sally Clarkson on We All Sin and Fall Short

We all want God to be patient when it comes to our own lives, but we are quick to point fingers of judgment at others as though their fragility and flaws are somehow worse than ours.
The older I get, the more I give grace and have compassion because I see my own selfish, sinful heart more clearly and so am more grateful for God’s grace than ever before. Seeing your own self in the light of God’s holiness humbles you.

Ann Voskamp on Because Saying Thank-You Can Change the World

And on a hot day in Guatemala City in September 2010, Pastor Saul finds words in the waters, the wet eyes seeking… “I do all this because he who has been loved much… serves much.”

a very eloquent snowman

2012-01-07T17:26:00.002-05:00

Once there was a snowman
Stood outside the door
Thought he'd like to come inside
And run around the floor;
Thought he'd like to warm himself
By the firelight red;
Thought he'd like to climb up
On that big white bed.

So he called the North Wind,
"Help me now, I pray.
I'm completely frozen, standing here all day."
So the North Wind came along
And blew him in the door
And now there's nothing left of him
But a puddle on the floor!

~Unknown

A certain someone has been waiting weeks for the snow to be "packy" to make such a man.

And if you don't own this movie, you need to! :)

The English Air

2012-01-07T10:49:00.001-05:00

I think I found this lovely older British novel on the front lawn of someone's yard sale late last summer. I had recognized the Scottish author, D.E. Stevenson from Lanier's lovely summer post. (Btw, her site is one of the most beautiful places on the web. If you want to learn how to cultivate beauty, go, read and do likewise. smile.)

I started to read The English Air on Sunday, New Year's Day afternoon and read it at every chance until I was done sometime on Tuesday. It was written in 1940 and it takes place starting one year before that which was, of course the official beginning of World War 2. I checked the publisher's date after I finished the book and I was struck by how insightful her writing seemed since the war had only just begun. The novel is about a half-German, half-English young man who comes to England to visit family friends of his deceased English mother. And without sounding too cliche, nothing is what it really seems. The characters come across very shallow and trivial, but as the story progresses, they are given depth and interest. I have not read a novel in a long time that held my attention and captured my thoughts even after I was finished reading it. It was a great way to start my new reading year.

Epiphany 2012

2012-01-06T21:48:00.000-05:00

As I wrote earlier this week, I am planning on celebrating the liturgical calendar with my family this year and hopefully in the years to come. I also wrote about the reading I had done leading up to this plan. So with Epiphany looming, I struggled to find some inspiration in the execution department. What do Protestant families do to celebrate this occasion? After dismissing various craft activities and king cake ideas that do not suit us, I wasn't left with much other than singing. What follows are some blurry photos that show our first family celebration of Epiphany.
Lots of candelight and fancy table settings were easy to do. Decorating with the wise men adoring King Jesus and some tangible representations of their gifts seemed in order. (The homemade gifts perhaps need some tweaking, but it was what I had on hand this week to work with. Golden wrapped box, glittery cologne bottle, and a sachet filled with incense items of orange, cinnamon and cloves.) We dressed up a bit for our celebratory feast and dined on chicken, rice pilaf and almond green beans which was simply an easy and popular meal for our family. Shane had to miss as he had already committed to another activity with his brother.
We took turns reading the portion from Matthew 2 and then sang We Three Kings and As With Gladness Men Of Old. I have copied the hymns and attached them to fancy cardstock to use in future years. Then Seth requested that we sing Psalm 103D which was a great addition to our celebration. We talked about the importance of the Magi being Gentiles and how God would bless the nations through Jesus Christ, a promise He had made to Abraham. Seth closed us with a prayer and we tried to get a photo of the four of us before the evening turned into clean-up, pajamas and bedtime routines.

singing and worship

2012-01-05T16:37:00.000-05:00

I've posted about Psalm singing before and how nice it is to sing the words of God, especially together with other believers. Here are two more articles in praise of singing the Psalms.

Psalm Singing by Douglas Wilson. In the comments of the post are links to some videos of his church singing. Turn the volume way up and enjoy the sounds.

While we sing other hymns as well, we do want our dedication to psalms to be overt and evident. Psalms provide the backbone of our musical worship. Why is this?

Psalm Singing by Bret McAtee

The troops that carried those Psalms with them into battle were men who had been so shaped by the Psalms that it was natural for them to carry those songs with them as they were wading into a conflict that could very well find them meeting their Creator and Redeemer. What better way to meet God then to be fighting His battles singing His songs?

Just to be clear, neither of these two pastors and their respective churches sing the Psalms exclusively, but they see the value in singing them regularly.

And although this isn't about singing the Psalms, this clip does discuss other elements of a Sunday service. Also a good example of why the Lord's Supper can be celebrated once a week! Good thoughts all around. (btw, this is Pastor Doug Wilson answering questions, in case you're not familiar with him!)

jumbled together

2012-01-04T16:19:00.002-05:00

Although not a homeschooling blog I read regularly, but this post did capture my mind today as I read through it. I was impressed with the wide variety of knowledge that is being read and discussed in that household. Knowledge that comes first from having a fear of the Lord and all His creation and works. To take time to be thinking and talking about all these things without school getting in the way. That seems to be true learning.
Read the post here: Can You Guess?

In other news, here is some snow footage taken over the last two weeks. Laura loves being out in the snow. She has cried at least two times over being brought in after extended play times in the snow.
And yes, the pathway in front of our house is currently the only part which is not a sheet of ice, all due to Shane's fastidious shoveling efforts every time it snowed or pelted ice. It has been hairy watching our neighbors traverse this icy path. It is currently snowing, so the ice is now hidden under fresh flakes. It's horrible, really. How it will be resolved is yet to be determined.

celebrating redemptive history

2012-01-04T09:55:00.000-05:00

My ideas and inspiration for beginning to celebrate the liturgical calendar this year and onward all started with this post Sacred Times and Seasons linked by Brandy at Afterthoughts.

I read and read and read some more. (And as a small aside, all of the following authors are writing from a Protestant perspective.)

Halfway through the article, I came into these paragraphs:

Advent, the season we are celebrating now, reminds us that our forefathers waited in faith for the promised Messiah, even as we are now waiting for Christ’s second coming. Advent culminates in the season of Christmas, which celebrates the incarnation, that great event in which God became man. After Christmas comes the season of Epiphany, which recalls the coming of the Magi and the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles. During Lent the church remembers Christ’s sufferings, both in the wilderness and finally on the cross. Lent culminates in Easter when Christ rises from the dead, defeating death once and for all. Finally, Pentecost remembers the coming of the Holy Spirit, recalls the way that the new covenant fulfills the law and, with Epiphany, it celebrates the coming of the Gentiles into covenant relationship with Israel’s God.

These holidays, each of which is rich with Biblical symbolism, remain a tangible way for Christians to live through the story of redemption every year. Sadly, however, the rhythm of the church year is unfamiliar to many American Protestants, who think of Easter as a single day rather than as a season, who assume that Christmas ends rather than begins on December 25, who consider Lent to be ‘something that Catholics do’ and may not have even heard of Epiphany. As for Pentecost, the holiday often brings to mind little more than speaking in tongues.

And it was this sentence that made me come fully awake:
These holidays, each of which is rich with Biblical symbolism, remain a tangible way for Christians to live through the story of redemption every year.

That is how I want to spend my years on this earth, living through the story of redemption every year.

And then there was Part 2.

Because human beings are inescapably liturgical and religious, we invariably organize the year into rhythmic structures that reflect our priorities. As I pointed out in my blog post Church Calendar if our priorities are not the great feasts of the church, then by default our year will probably end up being structured around secular holidays that tell the story of political redemption or else holidays that pay homage to the god of hedonism, such as vacation time. The issue is not that we have civic landmarks or vacation time: the problem arises when these become the fundamental structuring devices by which we order time.

By getting rid of the church year and all Christian holidays, the Puritans and their descendants left a vacuum that would ultimately has been filled by the non-religious ordering of time. Such non-religious ordering has helped to reinforce the idea that there exists a secular world that functions separately from spiritual categories. By rejecting the church year as one legitimate way to tell the story of redemption, the Puritans and their descendants inadvertently underscored the sense of religion being disembodied, detached from the space-time continuum. This would ultimately reinforce a duality in North American culture that emerged under the Puritan’s canopy, including a false dichotomy between the sacred and the secular. Moreover, the vacuum created by the evacuation of the church year would eventually be filled with the type of civil religion described by Amy Sullivan. This can be felt strongest in those American holidays that celebrate civic regeneration, integrating Americans around the liturgies of their common political life.

The author goes on to say:

The secular imagination tends to view history on an axis of what Walter Benjamin called “empty and homogeneous time”, a linear and uniform sequence of cause and effect, measurable by the clock and calendar. By contrast, the story that the church has historically told through its six seasons, like the story the Hebrews told through the Old Testament feasts, understands time in the present through its proximity with events that are typologically significant within the Divine Plan. Such proximity operated on what we might call a different axis to that of ‘ordinary time’ (though to call it ‘ordinary’ is already to reveal our modern presuppositions), one closer to eternity.

He concludes with this historically optimistic view of the world:

It is a way to proclaim that the purely secular ordering of events is being swallowed up by the church’s higher understanding of time, even as the kingdoms of the earth are being swallowed up by the kingdom of the Christ-child (Revelation 11:15).

And then this from another writer who says:

I love how the church calendar gives us seasons of celebration and repentance, seasons of special days and regular days. It is cyclical just as the seasons are and gives a balance to our lives. If we follow the calendar we walk through the life of Jesus and the church on a yearly basis... Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Ordinary Time, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, Ordinary Time, and so on and so on.

My researching also found this helpful article entitled Calendar Memories where the writer explains more about Ordinary Time.

I like comparing the Church Calendar to a wheel, with Christ as the hub. Christmas is the first of several celebrations of the Christian life that are in the circle of the Church Year. In many churches, once Epiphany is passed, the church calendar moves into a segment of days entitled Ordinary Time for the rest of January and February. In almost all churches that celebrate the church year, the period after the Easter season is called Ordinary Time. The word ordinary here refers to ordinal, meaning number, rather than “mudane or common place.” This is because the Sundays and weeks in this time period are numbered. Even though the phrase Ordinary Time has this meaning, I have often reflected on the fact that this is the time when we focus on God working in our lives in wonderful ways in the ordinary days between the great Christian celebrations of the year: Easter and Christmas. Thus in a year, there is the increase of elation associated with the special days, and the calmness of “ordinary” days.

And finally this in my reading of Angels in the Architecture, Douglas Jones writes in Chapter 7, Worshiping With Body: Feasting on Food and Marriage

We so often lead lives forgetful of the fact that our God is very shocking. Admist all our fragile piety and devouring busyness, we have a Lord who steps in and commands us such things as,

Deuteronomy 14:22-26:
22. Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.
23. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always.
24. But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the LORD your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the LORD will choose to put his Name is so far away)
25. then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose.
26. Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice.(note: I have included more verses for context. He just quoted the bolded verse.)

Such unthriftiness. Such waste. Such gluttony. Such winebibbing. Such is a command of our holy God.

For some reason foreign to our modern ears, God tells us that celebration is central to pleasing Him; it is central to leading a good life. Modern American life has no time for serious celebrations as did life in centuries past. We've got work to do; projects and deadlines press us. And yet for all our industrial-strength pragmatism, few if any truly important things get accomplished. We have forgotten that celebration isn't just an option; it's a call to full Christian living.
Celebration is worshiping God with our bodies, withe the material creation He has set up around us. Celebrating--whether in feasts, ceremonies, holidays, formal worship, or lovemaking--are all part of obeying God's command to :love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy strength"(Deut. 6:5, Mark 12:30). We are to show our love for God not just with one portion of our being(the spiritual aspect); we are to love God with our whole body, heart and strength and legs and lips.

Complaint is the flag of ingratitude, and it waves above the center of unbelieving hearts--"when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful" (Romans 1:21). Yet by grace, God's redemption and creation ought to keep us in a perpetual state of thanks which bursts out in celebration at every opportunity.

When we take time to remember and celebrate redemptive history, we are in a sense slipping into Eternity, God's time, a higher time, one where we will be remembering these acts forever.

new year, new thoughts

2012-01-03T15:35:00.005-05:00

(wonderful little calendar can be found here)

Happy New Year of our Lord, 2012!
Or as we have learned in Latin this year: Anno Domini 2012. (AD 2012)
In the Year of Our Lord.

We had a very relaxing Christmas holiday with my husband home from work until this morning. But since that routine cannot last forever, I am glad to be back into our normal weekday routine. I accomplished many household projects in the last week and rid ourselves of extra items that we no longer(ever?)needed. I moved books around and re-organized some shelves to better suit our needs. I have been studying and planning our history lessons as we continue to cover the Middle Ages this year.
And I have hired a math and science tutor for the rest of this year. He is known to our family...as Daddy! Yes, I asked Shane to teach Seth some lessons before he leaves for work each morning. Today was the first day and I am hoping this works out well for us as it lightens my load and allows me to focus on areas I felt were being a bit neglected. Shane is a math and science genius and I am not. I see my limitations very clearly. So here's hoping we can make this new schedule work.

For the first time ever, I am planning to celebrate the liturgical calendar beginning with Epiphany in our home this Friday, January the sixth.
I was struck by an article I was reading prior to Christmas and that has led me to do lots of online research and reading. I am working on putting all those links together in one post so you can see what I have been reading.

(Apparently one of the Magi was led off course by one of the well-meaning local urchins. I think he had a lovely time. )

At this point, I simply plan to mark Epiphany with a nice candlelit dinner and use the Magi from my nativity set to decorate the table. I do not want to give anymore gifts at this time, so I am trying to come up with something meaningful that will highlight this part of the Christmas story for us as a family. Friends gave my girls a little wooden chest that I am currently staining and lining with felt to make it seem regal and rich. I was mulling over making mini replicas of the gifts brought by the Magi, but I'm not sure what to do with them exactly, other than look at them together as a family. I admit that I am a bit at-sea, but I would like to start and learn as I go then forget about it all together.
We as Christians, have a very full and rich heritage of celebrating God's Redemptive work in history and I want to pass this celebration on to our children in a way that helps them see themselves as part of the whole Church, not just our local body.

I also want to do better at posting books that I read throughout this year as I barely wrote about titles I read in 2011 and besides, how else am I going to keep my mind from forgetting what is on all these shelves in our home?!

Lastly, I wanted to say that I am looking forward to writing here for another year, Lord willing and to say thank you for all the kind comments that all of you have sent over the past year and more. And since I often read online without commenting myself, I appreciate the effort those notes required. :)

2011 book reading list

2011-12-31T22:12:00.001-05:00

For some reason, completely unknown to me, I have never bothered to keep track of what I have during any given year. Let this post be the year I change that habit. I have not included books that I have read in order to prepare our history lessons. I also don't remember all of the books I read from the library and I am too lazy to go track some of them down. I'm also too lazy to bother posting links to each title. But with one or two exceptions, the list is all titles I own and have worked my way through this year. This afternoon I moved most of these down to our basement shelves and moved all the unread titles up to our room so that I have tons of books to work through this coming year. I'm not ashamed to admit that many of them are fiction titles written for children. They are all wonderful stories and deserve to be read by anyone, with one notable exception being Mary Poppins, which I found quite surprisingly boring.

Fiction:

In the Company of Others: A Father Tim Novel by Jan Karon
The Complete Anne of Green Gables Series (8 titles) by L.M. Montgomery
Little Men by Louisa May Alcott
Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott
Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott
Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott
Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer
The Apple and the Arrow by Mary and Conrad Buff
All Alone by Claire Huchet Bishop
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit
Hans Brinker by Mary Mapes Dodges
The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon by Jacqueline Davies
Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (read aloud with my son)
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (read aloud with my son)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
various Miss Read titles
Poetry for Young People: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by Frances Schoonmaker

Non-fiction:

Predestination by Gordon Clark
Paeida of God by Douglas Wilson
To a Thousand Generations by Douglas Wilson
Heaven Misplaced by Douglas Wilson
The Forgotten Heavens by Douglas Wilson
Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young
If I Perish by Esther Ahn Kim
Loving the Little Years by Rachel Jankovic
The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson
The Core: Teaching Your Child the Foundations of Classical Education by Leigh Bortins
Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum by Laura Berquist
Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? by "Uncle Eric" aka Richard Maybury
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Sebastian Bach, The Boy from Thuringia by Opal Wheeler and Sybil Deucher

Almost Finished:

Son of Charlemagne by Barbara Willard
The Phoenix and the Carpet by E. Nesbit
Angels in the Architecture by Douglas Wilson
The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

Books attempted but gave up(for now?):

Island of the World by Micahel O'Brien(library request)
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Passage to India by E.M. Forster
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

celebrating Christmas

2011-12-27T19:19:00.000-05:00

Christmas Light

2011-12-25T05:01:00.009-05:00

All quotes taken from Douglas Wilson's book, Heaven Misplaced, which I have mentioned before.

From the chapter What the Angels Said:

This vision of historical optimism* is not all that common in the Christian world, and so it can get pretty lonely sometimes. But fortunately, once a year the entire nation appears to come around to our way of thinking. You might be shopping in Target for last minute stocking stuffers and not be at all surprised to hear the loudspeakers reminding you that "He comes to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found." Think of this book as a small effort to get Christians to believe their Christmas carols year-round.

* historical optimism: the conviction that history will end in glorious victory and not catastrophe.
...

I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. (Revelation 22:16)

The sun rises slowly. At first, you don't know that anything has happened. It may be just as dark as it was a moment ago, but maybe not. And some time later, you notice that the eastern sky is not what it was. There is some kind of light there. The stars that were visible all night begin to disappear. Soon there is just one day left--the morning star, the planet Venus, the last indication day is coming. The next event is for the sun to actually rise, for the day to come. Christ was born at night, and His birth was the arrival of the morning star.
Note John's language again. Christ is the root and offspring of David, and He is the morning star. He is the one who was born at night, and His birth was the arrival of the morning star. It is important for us to allow Scriptures to tell us what time it is. If you did not already know, you could not tell the difference between a pre-dawn darkness and a twilight gloaming. Is the sun going down or coming up? The Bible tells us.
...

In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended(overcame)it not.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. John 1:4-9

We ought not to think that when men are converted, they each become a little lamp, and if enough of them get converted, they will be able to form a consortium and pool their lamps to try to make a sun. The vision of the coming noontime glory does not depend at all on us trying to get some momentum up. The sun has risen, and it will continue to do what rising suns do. Of course, individual response is important, but it is equally important to note what we are responding to. The sun has risen. Christ has come. He is the king. The light covers the world. A return to heathen midnight is an impossibility. Those who walk in darkness now are doing so in a world suffused with light.

Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
1 John 2:8

The good news of "sunrise" does not mean that there is no such thing as spiritual darkness, or a final judgment on that darkness. But it does mean that the light overcomes the darkness (John 1:5)...Think again of Herod and the little boys he slaughtered. But think also about how ineffectual it was. Did he stop the morning star from rising? Did he stop the day from coming? In the same way, we must know that the message of Christmas is not that we have to persuade anybody of anything. The message is far more good news declaration than it is argumentation.

another kind of birthday celebration

2011-12-22T10:24:00.006-05:00

Growing up, our family had two December birthdays to celebrate before the Christmas celebrations officially came. My older sister Beth was first and then ten days later, my younger brother Tim had his turn. My mom has always been fastidious about keeping them separate from Christmas time. Making sure the gift wrap and desserts were birthday themed and that each one enjoyed their day as their own celebration. Although, since we have a December baby too, I know that it is special to remember a child born close to Christmas.

I have heard it said many times, in different ways at this time of year, that Jesus was born to die. But really, that's true of every person that God has ever given life to, from the unborn to the aged. We are all created to die, that's part of the Fall. But Jesus was born, not to just die, but to give His life as a ransom for many(Matthew 20:28), which no other person can say about their own death. His birth was not just the beginning of His life on earth, but the actualization of God's plan to give life to His people chosen before the foundation of the world.(Ephesians 1:4)

It is against this backdrop of life-giving celebration -- Christmas, that our friends and family remember the life of my brother Tim as we come to his birthday yet another year. With a full heart...

*Adding a link entitled Death at Christmas which helps put grief in perspective especially during this holiday season.

by His own Hand

2011-12-21T16:53:00.002-05:00

Kate's next attempts at walking! Isn't He so good to us?!

confident prayer

2011-12-21T16:45:00.000-05:00

Some context:
My ambitious, confident prayer back in January was for Kate to walk by the end of this year.

The current situation:
I have no video proof so you'll just have to take my word for it, but with less than eleven days to go in this current year, Kate, yesterday evening, spontaneously took TWO steps unaided by anything.

Technically, my prayer has been answered, although even more technically-speaking, our prayers are always answered, right?

Still I keep praying because I know no other Way. If you know Him, would you please continue to lift her up in prayer, especially in this area, but also for better chewing and eating skills. It means so much to know that God's people remember her and us.

UPDATE:
As I was sitting here getting ready to hit publish and I look up and Kate is taking more steps! I have proof!

By His own Hand

the Judge of the whole earth

2011-12-21T14:45:00.005-05:00

Unbelievers can smell accommodation, and when someone like Christopher meets someone who actually believes all the articles in the Creed, including that part about Jesus coming back from the dead, it delights him. Here is someone actually willing to defend what is being attacked.

Earlier this year, our pastor asked us to pray for two Muslim physicians who he was meeting with regularly to discuss Christianity. He explained that one of them had actually thanked him for speaking truthfully when he asked our pastor if he, a practicing Muslim, would be punished in hell for not believing in Jesus Christ. The Muslim doctor said that he knows that the Bible teaches that unbelievers will go to hell and that he knew he could trust our pastor because he affirmed that teaching. It was strangely heartwarming to know that a Muslim was encouraged by our pastor's willingness to tell him the truth of his condition outside of Christ.

Many others have linked to the post by Douglas Wilson so you probably have already read it, but in case you have not, please take the time. I confess that I finished the last two lines with a lump in my throat.

Christopher Hitchens Has Died, Doug Wilson Reflects

*You can read Doug Wilson regularly at his own site Blog and Mablog
**Only in God's kingdom can a converted Jew(our pastor)be speaking about the truthfulness of Christianity to two Muslim men. :)

birthday fun

2011-12-20T13:04:00.002-05:00

our girl

2011-12-15T14:45:00.001-05:00

Happy 4th Birthday, Kate! You are a joy to us. We love you little girl!

poems for the season

2011-12-14T15:48:00.005-05:00

I Heard a Bird Sing

I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember:
"We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,"
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.

~Oliver Herford

Long, Long Ago

Winds through the olive trees
Softly did blow,
Round little Bethlehem
Long, long ago.

Sheep on a hillside lay
Whiter than snow;
Shepherds were watching them,
Long, long ago.

Then from the happy sky,
Angels bent low
Singing their songs of joy,
Long, long ago.

For in a manger bed
Cradled we know,
Christ came to Bethlehem,
Long, long ago.

~Unknown

a magi and two sheep

2011-12-13T06:41:00.004-05:00

One of the magi waiting for the play to start.

Two sheep posing with their Daddy.

A little sheep before she threw her ears on the floor.

Retrieving said ears from the stage floor.

Little sister sheep discovers big brother magi.

Big sister sheep waits for little sister sheep to come back to the manger scene.

The three magi bearing gifts, although one looks more like a UPS package. :)

Sheep on a Stage

2011-12-12T20:53:00.003-05:00

What the Face Tells

2011-12-09T15:03:00.003-05:00

What the Face Tells from Music Talks With Children by Thomas Trapper

"And the light dwelleth with him." Daniel II:22.

Once a master said to a child:

"If thou wilt study diligently, learn, and do good unto others, thy
face shall be filled with light."

So the child studied busily, learned, and sought how she could do good
unto others. And every little while she ran to the glass to see if the
light was coming. But at each time she was disappointed. No light was
there. Try as faithfully as she would, and look as often as she would,
it was always the same.

I do not know if she doubted the master or not; but it is certain she
did not know what to make of it. She grieved, and day after day her
disappointment grew. At length she could bear it no longer, so she
went to the master and said:

"Dear master, I have been so diligent! I have tried to learn and to do
good unto others. Yet every time I have sought in my face the light
which you promised, it has not been there. No, not a single time."

Now the master listened intently, and watching her face as she spoke,
he said:

"Thou poor little one, in this moment, as thou hast spoken to me, thy
face has been so filled with light that thou wouldst not believe. And
dost thou know why? It is because every word thou hast spoken in this
moment has come from thy heart.

"Thou must learn in the first days this lesson: When the thought and
the deed are in the heart, then the light is in the face, always, and
it is there at no other time. It could not be. And what is in thy
heart when thou art before the glass? In that moment hast thou turned
away from diligence, and from learning, and from the love of doing
good unto others and in thy heart there is left only the poor
curiosity to see the light which can never shine when it is sought.
Thou canst never see the light of thy own face. For thee that light is
forever within, and it will not prosper thy way to want to look upon
it. It is only as thou art faithful that this is added unto thee."

Sorrowing yet more than before the little child said:

"Master, I do not understand what thou hast said, yet I believe thee;
but the wish is yet within me to see the light of my face, if only for
once. Thou who art wise, tell me why it is denied me."

And the master made answer:

"It is denied to us all. No one may see the light of his own face.
Therefore thou shalt labor daily with diligence that thy light shall
shine before others. And if thou wouldst see the light thou shalt
cause it to shine in another. That is the greatest of all--to bring
forth the light. And to do this, thou shalt of thyself be faithful in
all things. By what thou art thou must show diligence, the love for
learning, and the desire to do good unto others, even as these things
have been taught thee."

*My note:
The verse quoted above is found in the full prayer of Daniel:

Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said:

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are His.
He changes times and seasons;
He deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
He knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with Him.
I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
You have given me wisdom and power,
You have made known to me what we asked of you,
You have made known to us the dream of the king.”
~ Daniel 2:19-23

morning glory

2011-12-06T14:00:00.001-05:00

celebrating

2011-11-24T10:30:00.000-05:00

Remembering with thankfulness God's constant care for us. How blessed we are to be sheep in His pasture.

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

~Psalm 100

early morning missive

2011-11-21T08:08:00.004-05:00

And Daddy noted with glad surprise, "His spelling is getting much better!"
And that made his teacher-mommy very happy to hear! :)

The Unity of God's Redemptive Story

2011-11-14T16:21:00.006-05:00

Yesterday in church, our pastor continued his series through Revelation by preaching on chapter 12 and outlining the Child of Promise, the Seed promised in Genesis 3 who would crush the serpent's head, the dragon. He traced the godly line through the Old Testament, highlighting instances where Satan conspired to snuff it out and thus attempted to make God's Promise of no effect. But God showed Himself faithful so that a remnant always remained. Finally the Promised One was born and even Herod's wicked and cruel murdering heart could not prevent God's purposes from being fulfilled. In light of this recent sermon, I thought about God's covenant-keeping to His people as it is recorded by Luke about the faithful priest, Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth.

I am quoting extensively from this older post by Pastor Bret McAtee(not our pastor). I hope it provides you with new insight into the Word of God as it did for me. The text to which Pastor Bret refers is Luke 1:67-79, quoted from the NIV as follows:

Zechariah’s Song

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

We need to keep this in mind when we come to passages like the Benedictus which is before us this morning. If we were to follow an all too typical type of sermon we might say something like,
“Zechariah serves for us as an example of faith, all be it tardy, that we ought to follow. Zechariah eventually obeyed God and we should also. Zechariah teaches us that God never gives up on people, even if he has to discipline them for a season and so if we have failed God we can still be faithful and He will give us another chance.”

But is it really the purpose of this pericope to teach us to emulate Zechariah’s example, or is there something about God’s story that we are to draw out from this?

First we should note that the story is linear and has teleology. That is to say that the part that Zechariah has to play in the story is consistent with earlier portions of the novel and is indicative that the Novel has a destination. This Hero comes from the promised house of Heroes (Luke 1:69) – a house that had been reduced to a withering stump (Isaiah 6:13). Further the coming of the Hero is consistent with promises that were given by God way early in the novel (Luke 1:70 cmp. w/ Genesis 3:15) that He would provide a dragon tyrant slaying Hero who would deliver and redeem His people from the clutches of His enemies (Luke 1:71). Indeed, Zechariah being filled with the Spirit of the Author of the Novel (Luke 1:67) can say that this Hero was part of a storyline that includes in it earlier Heroes such as David (Luke 1:69) and Abraham (Luke 1:73) who were literary anti-types of the great Hero in God’s novel.

Second, as we read this part of the story we realize that this story is framed by covenant (Luke 1:72). This is the literary tool used to unite the whole story. Covenant is how God, as a Novelist, brings unity and diversity into His story. The literary tool of covenant allows the novel to keep building while at the same time providing a sense of wholeness to the story as it unfolds. When Dr. Luke wanted to show early Christians that the Heroes’ life and ministry were the fulfillment of God’s ancient purposes for His chosen people, he pointed to the covenants and quoted Zechariah’s prophecy which reveals that believers such as Zechariah in the very earliest days of ‘the new and better covenant’ understood Jesus and His messianic work as a fulfillment (not a ‘Plan B’) of God’s covenant with Abraham (Luke 1:72-73). God didn’t shelf the previous story of the Old Covenant with the arrival of Jesus and start a new story with the intent of getting back to the previous story once he had finished the new story. No, Zechariah’s appeal to the covenant reveals that the characters in God’s novel understood that this was one incredible narrative.
The Novel doesn’t change plot lines with the coming of Jesus. The author of the Novel doesn’t suddenly switch to an alternate plan of rescue for His people all because His royal people reject the Hero. Quite to the contrary this was part of the Author’s intention from when He began writing His novel.

Another thing we want to see about this novel is that it is interactive, which is to say that God’s story is not a story that leaves us unaffected. While it is certainly not the case that we are to turn God’s story into our story, it is the case that God takes us up into His story so that we become participants in his story. Zechariah notes that the salvation (deliverance, redemption) that is being provided by the Messiah is to have the effect that God’s people might ’serve Him without fear.’ The idea is that having been delivered we might be loyal servants (hence royal priesthood) to God. The redemption provided by God in His story doesn’t end with a people who deaf dumb and mute to the extension of God’s Kingdom. No, in God’s story we are delivered in order to serve. God does not become a participant in our story but we do become participants in His story, and we do so by rendering Him the service a delivered people delight in rendering.

Understanding the Spirit's Work

2011-11-13T22:41:00.003-05:00

Re-posting this from the archives.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)

As we are teaching and training our four year old son, we are praying, like all other responsible Christian parents, that God will save him and that it might happen while he is still young. So it was while I was reading Dr. Martyn Llyod-Jones book, God's Ultimate Purpose, An Exposition of Ephesians 1, that I found his teachings on Ephesians 1:3 lifting me above my usual understanding of what spiritual blessings we have received.
Here is Pastor Lloyd-Jones teaching on how a person can ever become spiritual:

Man by nature is not interested in spiritual matters at all; they seem strangely remote to him. He is interested in the life of this world, in things that can be seen and touched and felt and handled; but when you begin to talk to him about the soul and the things of the spirit he really does not know what you are talking about. This is so because he is dead and his life is governed by the 'prince of the power of the air'. He is interested in houses and in horses, in dogs, in animals, in furniture, in pleasures of various kinds and business and great affairs; but begin to talk to him about communion with God and the life of the Spirit and he is at once in an utterly strange realm. And he will remain in that condition until the Holy Spirit begins to quicken him and to put a spiritual principle in his life. He needs a spiritual mind, a spiritual outlook and a spiritual understanding; and the Spirit gives these blessings in regeneration. These are preliminary blessings that come to us through the Spirit to prepare us to receive the fulness that is in Christ. He then proceeds to convict us of sin, to make us see something of our utter emptiness and woe. He makes us see how appalling it is that God should be of no interest to us, the things of eternity utterly remote, and these great things of the Spirit boring and unattractive to us. He makes us see the enormity of our sin.

And it's those last two sentences that gripped me as I seek to explain to my son how terrible sin is and what it has done to us.
It has gouged out our spiritual eyes and left us to see only ourselves and our selfish pleasures. It is only by the Holy Spirit that we recoil from ourselves and see what our sin has caused us to become and do.
Martyn Llyod-Jones calls this act a "preliminary blessing that comes to us through the Spirit to prepare us to receive the fulness that is in Christ." This initial work of the Holy Spirit is what Reformed theologians speak of as regeneration. Our minds are being given a spiritual awakening as to our true condition. We see with a spiritual mind and a spiritual understanding what our sinfulness entails.
But thankfully, the Holy Spirit does not leave us there to drown in the tsunami of the wretchedness of our sin. He moves to provide another spiritual blessing for us. Dr. Lloyd-Jones continues:

Next, the Holy Spirit gradually leads us on to contemplate the Lord Jesus Christ and his perfect work on our behalf. He gives us the faith by grace. 'By grace are ye saved through faith'(Ephesians 2:8). The Spirit creates faith in us. 'The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned'(1 Corinthians 2:14). So the Spirit enables us to exercise this gift of faith and thus we come to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
...The Holy Spirit then leads and guides us and keeps us in this union, so that we are enabled progressively to receive Christ's fulness, and 'grace upon grace', 'grace after grace'.
...This is what happens to us as Christians; this is God's way of salvation.

When we understand what the work of the Holy Spirit includes, it is only then that we can truly say, "It's all of Him and none of me".
And this is why I continually need to take the gospel to my son and take my son to God the Father and intercede on his behalf. His four year old spiritual eyes are still dim, perhaps not even open at this point, but by the Spirit's awakening and convicting, we pray that he may soon see Christ in all His fullness and can experience life in Christ.

practice, practice

2011-11-09T09:02:00.001-05:00

Since this is November and the warm fall days won't last, I've been making extra time for the girls to be outside. Yesterday I took out the walker we are borrowing from the Treatment Center to give Kate some time to practice. The way this walker works is that the front is open so that Kate cannot lean forward as she walks but must stand upright and hold onto the sides. The walker is designed so that it is very hard to push backwards, making it safe to stand still or maneuver the walker around turns. Also having the bar along her back helps keep her moving if she lags a bit as the gentle nudge from behind propels her to keep taking steps. Now that she is walking with more confidence and stability, she stays ahead of the bar most of the time.
(Please pardon the kinda-dorky outfit, but her outside play clothes are her older ones that can handle the dirt and pavement. She also wears tights under her pants in the colder weather since she won't keep socks on. She still tries to tug on the tights, but quickly realizes the futility in short order.)

This is Kate in action.

And one more for the grandparents and other very interested parties. :)

a peaceful heart

2011-11-08T20:28:00.000-05:00

Sally Clarkson with Close Every Day With a Blessing

No matter what a day has held: fussing, conflict, excitement, drudgery, joy, celebration, hard work, putting the day to end well is a wise endeavor. When we understand this idea of blessing our child each night before they go to bed, it carries with it the idea of giving our children a peaceful heart. We give love to our child’s heart when we tie all loose ends together with unconditional love by blessing them every night, putting to rest all of the burdens of the day and giving them into the hands of God. Every day, we ended in words of love and grace.

No matter what has transpired through out the day, we can close it by speaking to our child’s heart. “I love you no matter what. Forgive me for my impatience today, please? Or I forgive you for your disobedience today. You are very precious to me. I am blessed to have you. You may go to sleep without bearing anger, or a guilty conscience, or fear, because I love you and God loves you and He will be with you. Sleep in peace, my precious.”

As I put Laura to bed last night I thought of two things. 1)Oh boy, putting her to bed in her crib is so easy, what will it be like once she is in a toddler bed? Another worry for another day, I don't have to think about it tonight. 2)I should move the comfy rocker chair back in here so I can sit and read and sing with her at bedtime just like I used to do with Seth when he was little like her.
I remember sitting with him and singing and telling him about who God was and His Son Jesus. We talked about lots of things. He always listened so well and I enjoyed that extra quiet time in the dark with only a nightlight to see by.

Laura loves to read books and recently she has started to remind me to sing during some of our bathing routines, like hair drying and nail trimming, her two least favorites. "Sing?" she says. I like that. :)

(I have always sung to the kids when I trim their nails to help distract them and keep them still. Laura was the worst when she was younger, now she is very good, but I still sing.)

Seth at four years old. Just to remind me.

looking closely

2011-11-08T07:54:00.006-05:00

in real life

2011-11-03T13:49:00.005-04:00

Trying something new today. I'm posting a video here instead of on Facebook like I've always done.

We've been watching Kate practice this for a few weeks now and I finally caught her on video in good daylight. I kept on filming to give you a further taste of the circus that occurs here each day at some point.

Sunday school

2011-11-01T17:04:00.005-04:00

Last year, Kate was slated to be in the youngest Sunday School class at our church. I wasn't too sure how she would do, but Kim, the teacher was delighted that Kate was to be included. I knew Kate would want/need me to stay with her which is how I got involved helping in the Age 2-4 Class. And they were a lively crowd to be involved with. Kim had her hands full as we worked to keep the children engaged and enjoying themselves, her own two year daughter included. I admired her calm response to all the chaotic moments and her gentle way with the children. Half way through the class year, she shared she was expecting again and that her husband, our Assistant Pastor, thought she should not take on another year of teaching. I quickly reassured her that he was right and that I would take on the lead teacher role, with herself or whoever could help. I panicked about fifty times this summer thinking, what did I sign myself up for?

One week before classes were scheduled to begin, I received a class roster with twelve(!) names of students, two of which were my own two girls. Gulp. My name was listed, along with Kim and another church friend, Vanessa, as the teachers. Kim was now six weeks away from her due date. I reassured her that she did not have to help at all before or after the baby was due if she was not interested or able. I talked with some of the other mamas at church who had children in the class and they all reassured me that they could take turns helping.
Vanessa committed to every week, although I wanted her to be able to skip if she needed or wanted to. We are now six weeks into the Sunday school year and there hasn't been a class time yet, where I haven't felt a momentary panic that the whole room could erupt into uncontrollable chaos with just the right spark. But Vanessa has been faithful and my Mom helped when she visited a few weeks back and two weeks ago, another Mama, Katie, stayed to help in Vanessa's place.

The children are well behaved and listen very intently as I recount a Bible story on "old fashioned" flannelgraph with as much story-telling gusto as I can muster from my imagination. We are going through the Old Testament stories as they provide many narratives and lessons of God's attributes to think about. I try not to water down the stories but to provide them with a faithful rendering that can remain in their minds throughout the week.

We begin with a snack, usually fruit and crackers of some variety. And I begin by reviewing what we talked about last time, trying to provide a transition to the current lesson. I have a small metal easel inherited from my grandfather that the flannelboard sits on in full view of the children seated at the tables. I have it covered with a flannel pillowcase that prevents them from seeing anything until I am ready to reveal the scene, usually with a grand flourish(smile). As I teach, I ask them predicting questions or perhaps an opportunity to tell what they already know about the story. Sometimes I get right answers, sometimes I get confused looks, but either way, they are eager to see what comes next on the board.
Recounting the lesson and discussing it together takes the bulk of our time, so we end with a coloring page and by listening to the same story retold on a cd set I bought years ago for Seth.

By the end of our listening time, the children have finished coloring and their parents are starting to arrive outside the half-door.
Not every class-time goes off without a hitch, however. Sometimes a little one remembers their Mom and Dad are not there and that makes them sad and tearful. Other times, someone takes a tumble and requires some extra care. And occasionally a quick trip to the bathroom in the classroom is in order. Thankfully I have a helping Mama to help tend to all these needs without having to stop the entire lesson. We have a wonderful time together.

Without fail, at some point during every week I think, did I really commit to this all year? But by Saturday evening(or even as late as Sunday morning, gasp) the creative juices are flowing and when I see the kids streaming in after morning worship, I am filled with such happiness to spend the next hour with them talking about God's word and enjoying their littleness.

(I apologize for the awkward angle of the photo but I took it quickly without wanting to draw too much attention to the camera and to get all the kids in the frame. Sorry if you get a crick in your neck!)

I have been trying to bring nature and beauty into the classroom for the children to enjoy hence the basket of apples and jars of marigolds. Plus we were talking about seeds(as part of reviewing our Thanksgiving Sunday lesson) and I wanted to have things that have seeds. I will have to get creative as winter takes its hold on the Canadian landscape. But I always try to think about the lesson through the scope of Charlotte Mason's ideas on teaching young children and bringing beauty to children is one of those ideas. And I enjoy the beauty too! :)

Fall in the garden

2011-11-01T12:29:00.013-04:00

This past weekend brought us a frost that dared to venture inside the garden gate and reduce most of the green to a mushy olive drab. But having harvested the celery stalks weeks ago, nothing of value was lost.
The hardy carrots held their own against the icy crystals that coated their lacy fronds. I would like them to stay in as long as the ground stays unfrozen as I imagine the fat orangey shoulders I see poking through the dirt narrow down too quickly, giving me short stubby carrots.

With most of the plants cleared, the world of Tonka once again reclaims the land for its many digging and dumping purposes.

If you look carefully, you can spot a plump blue-jay sitting on the hinged side of the gate facing into the cedar tree. I imagine he is checking to see if the birdfeeder as been filled yet. (And the answer is no, as there is still plenty left to hunt and peck for on his own.)

Not sure what the post digging project is all about, but I was told, "Now this is doing real work." :)

And slightly related to the topic of the garden is how to use up multiple stalks of celery awaiting their turn in the crisper drawer. My latest attempt is using it in rice pilaf with some sage to echo the flavors in bread stuffing which only I prefer and rarely make. It was delicious and will be made many times over this fall and winter.
It is adapted from the Betty Crocker rice pilaf recipe.

1/4 cup butter
1 medium onion chopped
2-3 celery stalks chopped(or as many as you can get away with)
1 cup rice
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of pepper
1/2 tsp. sage (I didn't actually measure so use your judgement, I love sage.)

Melt the butter on med-high. Add the onions and celery and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring. Add rice, stir until lightly browned, a few minutes at most. Watch it doesn't burn or stick to pan. Turn to med-low and add broth. Stir together, adding remaining seasonings. Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes until liquid is absorbed and rice is fluffy. Enjoy with baked chicken and steamed seasoned broccoli (or carrots!) to name just one delicious meal that we like around here. :)

The Tale of the Two Sisters

2011-10-31T09:24:00.007-04:00

Once upon a summer, there were two sisters who loved to play together.

One day the younger one picked a golden crab apple from a neighbor's tree. Unsure about this delicacy, the older sister thought and thought.

No, this cannot be good, she thought. I must end this crab apple fest.

Showing her utter disgust, she began to plead with the younger sister to put away such bitter food.

"Orrrrrrraaaaaah, Orrrrrrraaaaaah!" she begged and called.

Seeing no change in her sister's diet, she embraced her and loved her all the same.

The End.

(True story: All photos were published in the order they were taken. And that wasn't the only crab apple the younger sister ate that summer. Blech.)

life at our house

2011-10-28T13:26:00.005-04:00

We have almost six weeks of school under our belts as we head into the last weekend of October. The busyness of the girls has caused me to strive for a fairly usual routine for us each morning and afternoon with a few bumps in the road to keep life interesting.

I'll describe what a typical day of learning at home as been so far this year. Our kids are up early, usually 6-6:30am, which is fine, sometimes much earlier, which is ridiculous. I'm up, but not super ambitious, so we ease into the morning, especially this time of year as it takes so long for the sun to come up. Everyone has something to drink and eat and more often than not, we put on a dvd to keep everyone quiet for Daddy. I wouldn't say it is quiet, but we do try. Every so often, Shane gets up with kids and lets me linger in a dozing state.
After we send Daddy off to work with his lunch, I take my shower. If Seth is already busy playing, I open the gate to let them go upstairs to play in Laura's room, with a pressure gate across her doorway to keep them safely in one room while I shower and get ready for the day.
Yes, they usually trash her room which has a kitchen set full of pretend food and dishes, most of their board books and an overflowing basket of stuffed animals and such. It also used to have my doll bunkbeds, but after they continued to prove too much temptation for Laura to climb into, they are now back in the basement. The girls usually have a blast.

Other mornings, if Seth is willing, he entertains them on our main floor with various and sundry activities. Most include being very silly and chasing and tickling. Sometime he brings down his stuffed animals and makes a puppet show. Laura is always entertained, Kate may decide to do find something else to do.
After getting ready for the day, we either start right away or give the girls a bath or some other necessary task.
We always start by singing together from either our Psalter or a hymn book. Kate almost always wants a song book too, Laura lately hasn't been interested. We then progress through our catechism questions for the week, work on our memory work which is currently Isaiah 40, read from our Bible Story book, and then pray. I have been trying to bring out a toy or activity that has not been seen for a while to keep the girls' interest. If Seth has not done his own Bible reading for the morning yet, then he is sent off to do that. I usually ask him what he read and he provides a short narration. He has cycled two times through the Gospels and the book of Acts and has now started Genesis this past week.

We have been working our way through the early church fathers as part of church/medieval history lessons. I started with History Lives Book #1, Peril and Peace, but after struggling through several chapters reading aloud, I have since abandoned it for Trial and Triumph. I found that the stories had lots of details and difficult names and generally too much information that did not seem relevant to the biographical narrative. I first looked at Trial and Triumph two years ago and felt that Seth did not have enough of an understanding about Christianity and history to talk about martyrs, church fathers and persecution. I'm glad I waited. The chapters in Trial and Triumph are just the right length for a good narration and tell biographical details appropriate for children. We are currently reading it online from Google books, but a clearance copy from Canon Press has been ordered. The people and places mentioned are dovetailing nicely with our history studies that I put together. It's been great to see how they are intertwined. Seth gives a narration of the person and we add them to our wall timeline.
By this point, everyone needs something to eat so we take a break until after the girls are fed and put down for naps and we have eaten our lunch.

Then we pick up with our lessons, with no particular order, but often starting with Math. Our grammar studies have had a terrific boost with the addition of The Sentence Family. I knew Seth was struggling to understand the parts of speech that we had learned so far, so I bit the bullet and bought The Sentence Family confident that he would get it. And he has and he is thrilled to find all the parts of speech in a sentence and then diagram it. Yes, he loves diagramming sentences. And it's all because of The Sentence Family approach. The idea is that each part of speech in the Sentence Family plays a game making up different sentences to say and then "goes to bed" that night so they can start over the next morning ready to start with the last sentence. (I'm not explaining it very well, but this way of thinking about words really makes this study enjoyable for Seth.) The diagram lines become their beds, with some of the parts of speech sleeping on slanted beds. Seth loves it. The prepositional phrases are his favorite right now and since we are learning the whole list in our First Language Lessons, he gets lots of practice recognizing them. His Latin lesson (on dvd) this morning introduced Latin prepositions and he was very excited to hear this. As a mom/teacher, it thrills you to see a connection of learning from one area to another. It also improves understanding as it is reinforced by multiple studies.

We also have started working our way through Writing With Ease without the student workbook, so I have had to find suitable reading selections. I realized a few weeks ago that I was missing an important aspect to this curriculum idea so I did some re-reading and we are now taking our time with the narration and coming up with two summary statements from the selection. Seth finds this very hard to limit the amount of details and to give an overview of the story. He wants to make very long sentences strung together with "and then". I try to keep the frustration factor low but he gets very impatient with the process. He does love the reading selections so he finishes many of the books on his own.

We finish most days with our All About Spelling lesson which is so orderly in it's teaching, I marvel at the English language rules.

I'm averaging one formal science lesson a week, which isn't great, but it's better than last year. I love the understanding I have because of the curriculum, but it does cost me some dedicated prep time as I write up plans for each lesson. I am so pleased with the content and level of learning that I really don't mind the time.

Seth is also working his way through Book 3 of Handwriting Without Tears (which is cursive)for the second time as extra practice before I find Book 4. I find the shipping rates to be excessive from HWT, so I try to find them on Ebay.

We also have Geography maps of Canada and the US which he has done very well mastering. He also is memorizing the order of the US presidents, continents and oceans and selected poems. His ability to memorize is fantastic.

The girls both are learning new things as well. Laura is adding to her spoken vocabulary list with new phrases like "excuse me" and "your welcome". She loves to write with pencils, pens and markers and work with stickers. Kate is progressing so well from crawling to attempting to stand up in the middle of the floor, it's amazing to see her trying new motor skills. She is now walking behind a sturdy grocery cart and enjoying this sense of independence. She is chewing a little bit with her teeth but still eats mostly soft pureed foods. Her speech is still quite limited to a few recognizable words/sounds. But she understands everything we tell her and much of what we say to each other, within reason of course. :)

By the time, the girls get up from their nap, we often put on a dvd while I catch up on housework and supper prep. The last few weeks have been cooler, windier and wetter but playing outside often happens in the late morning or afternoon after naps. I do find it harder to get outside some days as I have many things to do inside. But I know the importance of being outside and all that fresh air so I try to make it happen even if I don't feel like it.

This past summer we spent a lot of time outside and have started an insect collection. Okay, I started an insect collection, but Seth is curious about this stuff too.

We also pay attention to the birds that come to our yard and have learned to recognize the song of the cardinal which especially distinct.

(Both cardinal photos are my husband's photos. I chased the bird all summer with the camera, but Shane managed to get the best shots.) This is what he sounds like: cardinal call

Yesterday Seth called to me and said he had just seen a blue heron take off from the river directly behind our house. He said he thought it was one of the many Canadian geese that have been around recently, but then he saw blue and changed his mind. I haven't been able to get one on camera but we do see them from time to time, so I'm sure he was right. I have a goal of identifying all the smaller birds that hop and flutter in our cedar tree and yard, but their markings are harder for me to see and differentiate. I think some of them are juncos, but I need to get better at picking them out. We do put black oil sunflower in our bird feeder during the winter months, so if I give some attention to this identification process I'm sure I'll know them by spring. I am so thankful for the open space behind our home despite not owning it for ourselves. We are able to enjoy so much of God's creation so easily.

Shown in photos above, but not linked are Pattern Animals for Pattern Blocks and Snap Circuits.

whatever is lovely

2011-10-21T19:20:00.003-04:00

whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
~Phil. 4:8

some thoughts to think on

2011-10-11T19:35:00.000-04:00

I randomly read both these articles this morning. I strongly urge you to especially read the Davy Crockett piece. It is a compelling time in American history.

Leigh Bortins on the role of government in Practicing Dialectic: Ron Paul & Israel

But I do know that he wouldn’t expect our government to use other people’s money to help his cause. He would ask volunteers to do so. He would ask his church to do so. He would ask his community to do so. He would think that Christians know that the role of government is limited: that it occasionally needs to strengthen others but mostly needs to lead its citizens to do well with the talents God gave them in the area in which He purposed for them to serve.

U.S. Congressman, Colonel Davy Crockett on the role of government in Not Yours to Give

The people have delegated to Congress, by the Constitution, the power to do certain things. To do these, it is authorized to collect and pay moneys, and for nothing else. Everything beyond this is usurpation, and a violation of the Constitution.

“ ‘So you see, Colonel, you have violated the Constitution in what I consider a vital point. It is a precedent fraught with danger to the country, for when Congress once begins to stretch its power beyond the limits of the Constitution, there is no limit to it, and no security for the people. I have no doubt you acted honestly, but that does not make it any better, except as far as you are personally concerned, and you see that I cannot vote for you.’ "

changing moments

2011-10-11T15:15:00.001-04:00

Earlier this summer, two mutual friends unbeknownst to each other both wrote to me for some help about homeschooling resources for their pre-K aged children. I wrote back to not worry about buying curriculum right yet, but to just enjoy this time with their girls of learning and playing interwoven in the everyday.
Right about now, I need to follow some of my own advice. Our girls have steadily become very busy and need much supervision and attention. Traditional lesson time is hard to come by as long as they are awake. So I pray for wisdom and ambition to seize the right moments and let the wrong ones slide by as I tend this little flocks' changing needs. Not a pass to give up and do nothing of consequence, but an opportunity for my children to see what matters most to me is them, not the material.

Tonia says it much better:
a few words for overwhelmed Mamas of little ones

They will thrive under your prayers. A tender, attentive, prayerful mommy with a clear vision for the growth and nurture of her family is a tremendous gift.

children's books

2011-10-10T15:44:00.001-04:00

A while ago I discovered Children's Book-a-Day Almanac but somehow forgot about it. While catching up on Rea Berg's Beautiful Feet blog, I went back to it, specifically to read about Paddle-to-the-Sea author, Holling C. Holling, a book we love around here. I have yet to get the others he wrote but they are on the list to find.
The daily almanac provides good exposure to children's literature which in turn, helps inform me as to what titles to include on my reading list for Seth and eventually the girls.

I should note that I do not always find the selected title worthy of the attention, but that is certainly no surprise, I sometimes hold strong opinions on certain books! But don't we all? :)

This is my Father's world

2011-10-10T14:49:00.002-04:00

And to my list'ning ears
All nature sings and round me rings
The music of the spheres
This is my Father's world,
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas-
His hand the wonders wrought.

~Maltbie D. Babcock

keeping up

2011-10-06T20:40:00.007-04:00

Merry Autumn Days

‘Tis pleasant on a fine spring morn
To see the buds expand,.
‘Tis pleasant in the summer time
To see the fruitful land;
‘Tis pleasant on a winter’s night
To sit around the blaze,
But what are joys like these, my boys,
To merry autumn days!

We hail the merry Autumn days,
When leaves are turning red;
Because they’re far more beautiful
Than anyone has said,
We hail the merry harvest time,
The gayest of the year;
The time of rich and bounteous crops,
Rejoicing and good cheer.

~Charles Dickens

(Our first poem of the new school year.)

good morning sunshine!

2011-08-25T19:07:00.006-04:00

I don't usually bake at 6:30 in the morning but I was craving banana chocolate chip muffins and also needed something sweet for Shane to take in his lunch. What I didn't count on was the kitchen help I would find when I got the mixing bowls out.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins(adapted from the Company's Coming Banana Muffin recipe)

1 3/4 cups flour(I use whole wheat only)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 cup sugar (I use slightly less than a full cup of raw cane sugar)
2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
3 mashed bananas(I often used frozen bananas, thawed til soft)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the bowl. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and mix in the sugar and 1 egg. Beat in the second egg. Mix in the sour cream and bananas. Pour mixture into the well. Mix well, but leave lumps. Add chocolate chips. Spoon into muffin cups(I do not use paper baking cups)about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 400 F until golden brown.

P.S. This recipe does not call for cherry tomatoes of any size or color despite Laura stirring them with her mixing spoon. :)

the promise of seasons

2011-08-25T17:44:00.003-04:00

Look closely and you will see signs that while summer blazes on, fall is quietly announcing its arrival.

As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.

Genesis 8:22

raising a reader

2011-08-21T16:26:00.000-04:00

I have no formula for raising a reader, just shelves full of books and time at home to enjoy them. It seems to work. :)

little girl learners

2011-08-20T17:20:00.003-04:00

As the girls are much more active and busy than last school year, I wanted to plan activities and learning play just for them to help focus their attention and busy hands on practical skills, especially for Kate. So I turned to what I know best for meeting this need, Montessori learning. There are so many great websites for homeschooling parents to glean and gather ideas from. In addition, I purchased an e-book from Montessori at Home which gives a ton of learning help for parents looking to incorporate the well-known Montessori ideas in their own home.
I'm in the process of selecting some items from Montessori Services to have utensils and containers for the girls' little hands to manipulate and practice with. Most of these activities are considered Practical Life skills like pouring and transferring. And the more formal learning of letters, numbers, colors, etc. will be worked into this type of play learning. Laura is already counting fairly accurately up to five and showing an interest in letters. I hope to take advantage of her interest and her abilities to help Kate develop further as well.
A week or so ago I set up an outside table with bowls of water and various scooping and ladling utensils borrowed from our play kitchen stuff. Everyone had a blast, pouring the water from one container to the next and back and forth, eventually soaking everything in sight. It was a glorious, watery mess.

Both girls still put things in their mouths, so I will have to modify some of the transferring activities until they grow out of this stage. While these activities are mostly meant for the girls, I do have some things that only Seth will be able to work with and practice his coordination and concentration skills with. I think he will enjoy it as they will enable him to do more independent things in the kitchen as well as handwork learning. A long-term benefit to many of these coordination activities like transferring, is building muscle strength in the fingers and hands which enables better handwriting endurance, especially in boys.

In preparation for this busy learning, I have rearranged some furniture to make the area more little-girl-friendly. I also have simplified the items on the lower shelves so they are not so crowded and jumbled. I plan to arrange some of the newer activities on these shelves so that they work right there at the table and learn how to put things back properly. Both girls understand how to put stuff away, but need a lot of coaching to do it properly and completely. That's a life skill in itself, just ask any grown-up!

Here are just a few Montessori sites that I have found helpful:

Maybe Montessori

Montessori Candy

A Little List

My Homemade Montessori

Shannon's Tot School

I'm excited for the girls as they learn and practice new skills this coming year. It will be fun to watch them figure all this out and develop good coordination at the same time. If you have any thoughts or ideas, please share!

P.S. Yes, Kate was standing on her own two feet outside at the table to play with the water!! Progress is slow but steady!

Lesson Plans 2011-2012

2011-08-20T15:05:00.004-04:00

If you click on any of the photos, they will open up bigger. And I know, the post is a bit long, so if you actually read the whole thing, go reward yourself with chocolate!)

(My lesson plan the first week which will be set for September 12th. Items still missing but the bulk of it is written in. I've used this style of planner since I was a teacher in the classroom; it just works well for this paper-pencil Girl. It's from Becker's School Supplies.)

Several weeks ago I posted part of my homeschool to-do list and I have been working very hard to cross items off. It feels great to get lessons planned and ideas thought out ahead of time. I'll post the original list with my updated notes after each item in green and in between, I'll sprinkle photos of our books that we will be using this year.

- Read through Writing With Ease and select literature copywork. (I decided to not get the student workbook and pick my own copywork this year.)

* I have Year 2's narration selections picked out with only the last 4 weeks to select. I really enjoyed going through our books and finding appropriate selections to match the elements studied for that week.(i.e. titles of respect, prepositions, commas in a series, etc.) I think Seth is going to enjoy the selections so much that he will want to read the other parts of the book and thus his free reading lists will grow and grow. I'd like to work quickly through Year 2 and start on Year 3, so I've tentatively planned on us covering 2 days of work for each day. We'll see how the pace goes, but I think he will find the narration simple enough to then work on the copywork the same day. Again, we'll see. My selections vary from children's classics, to poems, to historical biographies to science biographies. I'm excited about the wide exposure we will have to literature by working through this program.

- Watch Teaching the Classics dvds and read through accompanying text.

* I have started watching the dvds and I think a little more time and we will be ready to start reading and discussing our first book together. I plan on working through the syllabus selections myself so that I am comfortable with the terms and what to look for in the selections. I have nothing planned in this for the first week so I still have time to work through the materials.

(These are some of the Writing With Ease(WWE)narration selections, more are pictured later in the post. Each book has two passages marked for each week's readings.)

- Select new poetry for memory work, liking Henry Wadsworth Longfellow a lot right now. Looking into other books in series for ideas.
* I like the Poetry for Young People series, but not every poet has been my thing. So far, Longfellow and Emily Dickinson have been my two favorites and I am working on getting our own copies from this series. I also plan on getting a poem anthology book to broaden our poetry horizons. I love Helen Ferris Tibbet's, Favorite Poems, Old And New. I read the introduction online and loved her memories of her upbringing on which many of the poem selections are based.

-Adding to Memory Work list, Nicene Creed (Presbyterian version), Book of 1 John.
* Both are in the plans.

(With the exception of the children's biography of John Calvin, these are all books for me to read and study as I prepare lessons.)

- Go over Heidi's Book Lists compiled from her website into my own list mashed with other found reading lists. It's a rough, rough draft, but if you're interested I can clean it up a bit and email it to you.
*I'm still working through these lists, but I've moved it back in the priority list as the document is in good enough shape for me to use right now. I hope to finish it and post it after I finish getting my lessons planned.

-Work on Science lessons.
* I have done some work in our main curriculum(for more info see my science page)and would like to get some more lessons planned before we re-start for this year. Also, I have looked through the Beautiful Feet History of Science Guide and printed off the lessons for Ancient and Medieval Science, saving Modern Science for next year's study. I don't have all the books I purchased here with me yet, as they were shipped to my parents', but I did read through the lessons so that I can organize quickly once I have the books in hand. I received the Science Guide as a free download choice as part of a subscription offer through The Old Schoolhousemagazine. I really like how the Guide will help us include scientists and inventors in our study of history and our wall timeline as well as understand how modern science understanding is rooted in historical science.

(Some of the science titles used in the Beautiful Feet study guide.)

(Using as a narration selection, but also has great drawings on parts of a boat, colorful types of fish and water life; overall a great book and the author has tons of other nature related titles, esp for younger children.)

- Finish Seth's Chore Schedule. (just a few household chores to encourage a good attitude for work; gleaning from Created for Work.
* I have it on paper, but haven't created a document for him to see yet. I want him to know how to work well and to enjoy it. It's not necessarily an academic goal, but it certainly includes his academic studies. We'll see how this unfolds over the course of the year.

- Working on History lessons through The Middle Ages.(I rearrange order of lessons) Made it up to the Vikings so far. Incorporating church history people and events. Will post resource list soon.
* I have spent the bulk of my summer hours working on our history lessons and I am pleased to only have 200 more years to go through of the official Middle Ages. The end is in sight and the church history planning is mostly done as well!

- Printing figures for our wall timeline.
* With the exception of a few stray figures that may need to be added as we study, everything is sized and printed and ready to be cut and hung by Seth as we study.

(More books that I am reading through on my own.)

There are things not pictured or mentioned here like our Math, Latin, Catechism, etc. but they have remained the same content from last year and can be seen individually on the pages in the left sidebar under What We Do for Homeschool.
Above all, it is my desire that my children learn to know and love the Word of God, so while other studies may fall behind, I try to not skip or skimp over our time in the Word. We sing hymns, we read passages, we recite aloud and we pray together. And if that is the only learning done all day, I cannot count it a loss but only a gain.

new boots

2011-08-15T21:19:00.006-04:00

If you think we let her go to our conservative Presbyterian Sunday morning worship dressed like this...

you'd be right. :)

P.S. The boots were on the right feet during church, in case you were wondering how low our standards have dropped.

blessed beyond measure

2011-08-14T17:22:00.001-04:00

We have a new little girl in town!
Miss Tessa Joy arrived safely Thursday evening in answer to many prayers and much delight. She belongs to Shane's twin brother, Joel and his wife, Karla.

I haven't been able to hold her yet but I just love her so much and I am so happy she is finally here!

breaking bread in literature

2011-08-10T14:29:00.003-04:00

From How to Read Literature Like a Professor that I just started last week.

Once or twice a semester at least, I will stop discussion of the story or play under consideration to intone(and I invariably intone in bold): whenever people eat or drink together, it's communion. For some reasons, this is often met with a slightly scandalized look, communion having for many readers one and only one meaning.

Five sentences later:

Here's the thing to remember about communions of all kinds: in the real world, breaking bread together is an act of sharing and peace, since if you're breaking bread you're not breaking heads. One generally invites one's friends to dinner unless one is trying to get on the good side of enemies or employers. We're quite particular about those with whom we break bread. We may not, for instance, accept a dinner invitation from someone we don't care for. The act of taking food into our bodies is so personal that we really only want to do it with people we're very comfortable with. As with any convention, this one can be violated. A tribal leader or Mafia don, say, may invite his enemies to lunch and then have them killed. In most areas, however, such behavior is considered very bad form. Generally, eating with another is a way of saying, "I'm with you, I like you, we form a community together." And that is a form of communion.

So too in literature. And in literature, there is another reason: writing a meal scene is so difficult, and so inherently uninteresting, that there really needs to be some compelling reason to include one in the story. And that reason has to do with how characters are getting along. Or not getting along. Come on, food is food. What can you say about fried chicken that you haven't already heard, said, seen, or thought? And eating is eating, with some slight variation of table manners. To put characters, then, in this mundane, overused, fairly boring situation, something more has to be happening than simply beef, forks and goblets.

s'more love

2011-08-08T22:40:00.002-04:00

garden work

2011-08-08T21:48:00.010-04:00

My zucchini plants have been flowering well but not bearing any fruit and since I suspected that pollination is the issue, I decided to help out the busy bees.

Here there are two blooms, a male and a female open at the same time. This is a perfect time to hand-pollinate.

The male flower with no fruit behind it.

The female flower with the mini zucchini already growing but needing further pollination to mature.

To help with the pollination, I simply used a q-tip to get some of the sticky pollen off of the male flower and transfer it to the female flower(shown).

Two days later, the bloom fell off and the zucchini is growing.

A few more days, and I can pick it anytime now.

And here is another zucchini growing with a little help from the q-tip bee.

Zucchini Delight

words from another

2011-08-03T21:16:00.003-04:00

For days, hours and minutes when I am sure that I am pretty much the most impatient, unforgiving mother and that no one else must struggle with such sinful responses, this is what I need to remember.

On How Much I Need Jesus

What is not so easy to clean up is my response. I'd like to think that my response to my fifth child- when I saw those beads raining down on the couch and floor- is vastly different than my response would have been to Ella, my first-born, had that same scenario occurred. Surely with more experience as a mother I am less exasperated when those things happen, and was able to respond in kindness, graciousness, and love. Not so much. Most days that's not the case. I'm still me, five children later: a flawed and fumbling sinner who desperately needs to be transformed by God.

So I pray that He would shape me, transform me, and teach me how to train them. I pray that He would soften my cold and hard heart; that He would eliminate my pride and give me humility. I pray that He would show me how to lay down my life- my time, my comforts, my schedule, my way- for theirs. I pray that He would put life-giving words of encouragement on my tongue, that I would be full of gentleness and graciousness and love. I pray that He would root out my critical, fault-finding spirit. I pray that He would fill me with the fruit of His Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Oh, how I pray for those qualities! Because I am none of those things except for Him in me.)

garden buffet

2011-07-31T22:10:00.000-04:00

I took these photos two days ago. Everything seen here as already been eaten or sent home with family living in the city. We're fresh out! (sorry, weak joke.)

By wisdom a house is built

2011-07-30T23:15:00.000-04:00

and through understanding it is established.
--Proverbs 24:3

This is a follow-up post from last fall's brief mention.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
--John 1:1-4

Last year, I read most of a book chronicling one teacher's journey through a Waldorf education. I enjoyed his classroom anecdotes as he narrated each year's studies and events with the same students for eight years. (In a Waldorf school, the students generally have the same teacher for the first eight grades.) His descriptions of singing, movement and playing songs on a pentatonic recorder/flute sparked an interest in me to re-learn the recorder and teach my children as well. Each chapter describes in warm detail, the learning that each year brought to his students.
I enjoyed the flow of the language and imagined what the classroom and its outdoor surroundings were like as I pictured happy, content children being nurtured and loved for their child-likeness. I had very little issues with the academic content as it seemed to stem from a true desire to make learning memorable and enjoyable, not rushed by a calendar or testing dates. I can still go back and find passages that I enjoy reading and thinking about as I relate to my own past classroom teaching days and now those days here at home with my children.

The book was a welcome read in many ways and I imagine I will keep it on my shelf along with my other homeschool/education books.
I write all that to say, as a Christian parent I do need to be aware of the various philosophies that may present themselves to me as viable options of learning.
If you spend any time reading the about a Waldorf-style education, you may notice what I did which is that many of the blogs and websites I have been exposed to espouse this way of thinking, often without clearly identifying themselves as "Waldorf" parents.
They are often the ones who would be described as easy-going, non-judgmental, well-educated, creative, and open-minded. They write loving posts about their children and the home-life they strive to create. They are Moms and Dads who play with and enjoy their children and work hard to pass on the best of life to their children. They are not dogmatic in their views, but are doing what's best for their own family as should you. They are careful to protect their children from harmful or toxic environments and lovingly nurture their children's dreams and fancies. They see life as a spiritual journey and will often allude to having spiritual moments or inspirations and the desire to do what is good and right. They revel in the beauty of nature and give thanks for its generous kindness to them. And they teach their children to reverence and care for nature and its beauty.

Now, perhaps you may be saying, yes, I have read and seen what you are describing and what's so wrong with it? They are just the kind of parents we wish all children had, caring and nurturing their young ones. And I can agree with that. I'm not suggesting that we should shun this educational method altogether or its adherents. However, as Christians we need to be consciously aware that most of this is being done in the absence of acknowledging and worshipping the Creator and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Nature is admired and extolled independent of its Maker. Thankfulness abounds everywhere except to the Giver. These things should not be.
The Waldorf school is spiritually-minded but it does not spring from the work of the Holy Spirit as revealed to us in the Word of God. The Bible is not the standard, it is simply one revelation amongst many, many others. This is religious pluralism, the can't-we-all-get-along way of thinking and is directly opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
So while I read their books, follow their blogs and admire their creativity, I need to be aware that their worldview is an invented religion which needs to bear the scrutiny of the Word of God. (To be clear, this biblical screening process applies to any educational method or philosophy that we happen upon, whether it be Waldorf, Montessori, Classical, unschooling, etc.)

The Apostle Paul encourages us to think carefully:

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
--Colossians 2:8

I make every effort to use discernment as I surf the web or browse possible book titles. If something seems off, it probably is. Again, it does not mean that I have to run very fast in the opposite way, but I do need to wisely evaluate the ideas and philosophies that underpin a seemingly innocuous blog or book. Knowing what the Bible teaches about all areas of life is the surest way to be able to stand firm and not be swept away by hollow and deceptive philosophy.

zucchini delight

2011-07-28T12:49:00.010-04:00

There really is only one reason I grow or buy zucchini: to coat it in egg and seasoned flour and then fry til golden brown. Oh yes. And to think, everyone runs around looking for ways to use up zucchini. Not me. :)

Now to make a really good dipping sauce...bah, some other time.

grabby hearts

2011-07-27T09:50:00.007-04:00

In my list of recommended books in the right sidebar, you will find several books on parenting, some written especially for moms. Clearly, I need lots of help. This is one of my more recent helps.

In Rachel Jankovic's book, Loving the Little Years, she writes a chapter called Grabby Hearts & Grabby Hands which so clearly lays out the goal for helping our children with selfishness, especially over things. She begins:

When our children are fussing with each other(say they both want a flashlight-very possible), we will interrupt them and ask them a few questions. First of all we ask them to tell us what they did that was wrong, leaving the other person out of the narrative. We will probably spend a minute sorting through the blow by blow, and then ask, "What is more important--this flashlight, or your sister?" After they answer(and believe it or not they do know the answer), we will ask them what they were pretending was more important. They know that too. So we tell them to get it right.
They need to apologize to each other for breaking fellowship over a flashlight. I like for them to say that because it makes it perfectly clear to them what exchange they were making. Flashlight for sister. This is not a complex "who had it for how long" situation. It is not our job to run in and settle the dispute as though it were an honest and legitimate dispute. Flashlights are not to come between us in fellowship. Ever.

Earlier in the book, she quotes from 1 John 1:7 where the idea of maintaining fellowship is taught.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

So instead of this being a virtuous lesson on "sharing your toys", it instead directs our children's eyes(ours too) to the gift of fellowship with Jesus and with each other and His sacrifice(which will always be greater than the one we are being asked to make)that purifies us from the sin of selfishness(anger and whatever else we need to confess). This is how we bring the gospel to our children everyday. It's showing them our sin and our need for a Savior.
Rachel then goes on to explain some good practical ideas for helping avoid these grabby hearts/hands issues.
She ends the brief chapter by saying this:

It is a lot harder to work through the grabby heart problems than the grabby hands, even though they usually travel together. If this part of parenting were only about toy distribution, then we would just be setting timers and keeping tally sheets. But teaching them about dealing with each other, looking to their own hearts, and staying in fellowship is hugely important if they are ever going to get on without you. If you take the time to train them in this, you will find yourself needing to negotiate less and less. When conflict arises, as it will, you will have less to talk about because they will recognize the real problem and be able to get the fellowship restored as quickly as they broke it.

Christian living transcends the "let's be nice and share" virtues. It reaches back to the cross of Christ and teaches us what it means to walk in the Light and have fellowship with one another. And we all need that lesson even if we don't need the flashlight right then.

(my girls enjoying fellowship, or something)

2011-2012 prep

2011-07-27T09:30:00.000-04:00

Here's the current to-do list for the upcoming year:

- Read through Writing With Ease and select literature copywork. (I decided to not get the student workbook and pick my own copywork this year.)
- Watch Teaching the Classics dvds and read through accompanying text.
- Select new poetry for memory work, liking Henry Wadsworth Longfellow a lot right now. Looking into other books in series for ideas.
- Adding to Memory Work list, Nicene Creed (Presbyterian version), Book of 1 John.
- Go over Heidi's Book Lists compiled from her website into my own list mashed with other found reading lists. It's a rough, rough draft, but if you're interested I can clean it up a bit and email it to you.
-Work on Science lessons.
- Finish Seth's Chore Schedule. (just a few household chores to encourage a good attitude for work; gleaning from Created for Work.)
- Working on History lessons through The Middle Ages.(I rearrange order of lessons) Made it up to the Vikings so far. Incorporating church history people and events. Will post resource list soon.
- Printing figures for our wall timeline.

There's more of course, but this is the list I'm working on this week and next.

Susan from High Desert Home update

2011-07-20T06:44:00.002-04:00

If you were a reader of Susan's High Desert Home and you were disappointed when she stopped the regularly blogging on it, then you will be delighted to know that she has started a summer blog called My Summer Notebook.
Perhaps we can convince her to make a Four Seasons blog. :)

the promise of comfort

2011-07-17T07:38:00.004-04:00

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31

Please join me in praying for my friend, Norma and her extended family as they grieve the home-going of their baby daughter, Erica Faith. Norma and her husband Victor have two sons, Marco and Sebastian who are wonderful friends to my son Seth and who will dearly miss their little sister.

saving money on food

2011-07-13T15:57:00.000-04:00

Stocking up! I love those two English words. They have become my grocery chant as I lug full bags in the door. A few years ago, I stumbled across this idea of saving money on groceries by keeping a grocery price book and then stocking up on well-priced items.

So I created a spread sheet and sat down with my then recent grocery receipts and started entering products, size and price. Within a few short weeks, I had a good understanding of what I was paying for each item as well as discerning a great sale price from a lame one. I also learned industry terms like loss leader which describes the ultra sales prices usually advertised on the front page of the store flyers. I have trained myself to look at the grocery store aisles and shelves through the eyes of the grocery company and not buy the way I was being encouraged to.
I also try very hard to buy more of the single-ingredient items(fresh fruit and veggies, milk, eggs, rice, flour, butter,etc.) instead of the heavier processed items. I can't make everything homemade, so I try to pick those that are easy and convenient for me which so far is bread, muffins, cookies, pancakes, waffles or similar type foods. I haven't got into a regular routine with the homemade yogurt or baked beans but I have done both previously and aim to do it again. Having a small freezer chest has helped me stock up on items that would otherwise spoil before I could use them. I also buy mainly items with the most nutrition and reduced sugar levels, like whole wheat flour(although it is still not as nutritious as grinding my own), cane sugar instead of white sugar(I use it in place of sugar everywhere and less of it), whole wheat pasta, and plain yogurt with full fat that I flavor at home for the girls. I have some more work to do in this area but I need to be mindful of my family's tastebuds and ease them into the changes gradually. When I mentioned making homemade ketchup, my husband's expression immediately told me how gradual. :)

When I open my pantry, I can see how much raw material I have to work with but often the ambition levels just aren't there. Saving grocery money is not my sole ambition in life, but paying attention and planning ahead have helped me do better at using our money more wisely.
This is another article which helped me in this area.
How to Save Money on Groceries

Any ideas or suggestions on this topic are always welcome as usual.

enjoying creation

2011-07-13T15:22:00.002-04:00

The dead bumblebee on the path to our house was just the encouragement I needed to go search out insect collecting gear and display cases. Pleased with such a find, we picked up the lifeless body, admittedly gingerly in case the little guy was just snoozing and would wake up mad. He truly was a goner so we inspected him with our magnifying glass once we go him in the door. He now sits up and away from the girls' busy hands ready to be pinned into a brand new display case. And we are on the lookout for new specimens to add to the collection, preferrably ones that have already expired. The new butterfly net was a great success and many moths and butterflies were merrily chased around with a select few being snagged and admired for part of the day before being released back into the Pennsylvania air.
We also have a growing rock collection to take care of and an ongoing seashell collection which needs space and attention. Don't tell Seth, but I think I like the collecting and organizing of the specimens more than he does. Why else do you think I bought this fun stuff for him? :)

I also picked these two books up and need to get the one on Butterflies and Moths. Very good for beginners like us.

Acorn Naturalists

Home Science Tools

time together

2011-07-07T15:55:00.002-04:00

pondering billy goats gruff

2011-06-29T14:24:00.006-04:00

Two weeks ago I listened to a live webinar discussion between Andrew Pudewa and Andrew Kern. Not to sound gushy, but the discussion was absolutely spectacular and worth listening to again. I don't know if I'm allowed to post a link to the free webinar since it was by registration only, but if you are interested in listening to it yourself, please let me know and I'll email you the link if I can.
One of the points that Andrew Kern mentioned in passing was that the Number One skill teacher-parents can teach their student-children is how to answer should questions as it related to reading and writing. His point was that should questions are fundamentally moral. Should he have done that? Should she have stopped this from happening? What should they have done differently? As this wasn't the main topic of discussion, nothing more was elaborated on, but that idea stuck with me. So much so, that the following afternoon, when the story narration of The Three Billy Goats Gruff was next in our lessons, I thought I would try these should-style questions out on Seth.
After reading the story out loud, I asked for him to narrate the story back. As he finished I asked the first should question that came to my mind.
Should the little billy goat have told the troll to wait and eat his bigger brother who was coming along?

Seth appeared stymied by this question, so I spontaneously modeled the answer by saying something like, I was thinking about this question and I don't think it was very kind of thoughtful for the little goat to want his brother to be eaten, do you? Now that some of the thinking was done, Seth now had a choice to agree with my assessment or articulate his own view. For younger children who are still developing their conscience and reasoning skills, this type of modeling may be helpful until they are better equipped to think these ideas through. Perhaps children might be afraid to disagree with mom or dad, so they will agree no matter what they may have been thinking differently. If this is the case, you could leave off that this is your view and just present the answer as a possibility to be considered, more like, Do you think this showed kindness and thoughtfulness to the older billy goat brother? This time the answer should be more clear, No, telling a troll to wait and eat your brother instead of you is not showing kindness to your older brother. (Although, it is a clear sign of self-preservation, which we all do inherently desire and is not necessarily wrong.)

The discussion could continue by asking, Should the little billy goat have been surprised to see his older billy goat brother show up in the meadow? Well, perhaps, Yes, because he thought the troll was mean enough to actually eat him or that his suggestion was so clever and good, that the troll being stupid as trolls tend to be, would actually follow it. On the other hand, perhaps, No, the little billy goat was counting on the fact that the middle billy goat would be as heartless as he was and would give the troll the same self-preserving line of "wait for my biggest brother". That should provoke some interesting discussion and ideas.
And lastly, it could be asked, Do you think the biggest billy goat brother should be upset and angry with his two younger billy goat brothers for telling the troll to wait and ultimately eat him? Answers like Yes, he should kick their cans all over that meadow are a humorous way to finish the story discussion. Or no, he knows that they are just cowards and he is the only one big enough and brave enough to protect them. And again, No, he may feel a sense of responsibility since he is the biggest and oldest member of the family so they will all cross the next troll-laden bridge together to safety.
Obviously the kinds of questions and the depth of the questions will depend on the maturity of your child. But after a few times of this type of discussion, kids can learn how to think like this on their own and the discussions can be more even-handed.
On a related note, last night I finished reading Deconstructing Penguins, which Heidi mentioned a few weeks ago along with a few other wonderful things. I really enjoyed the way the authors showed how much depth you can get out of a well-written children's book. I was very humbled by how often I read a children's novel and do not even spend five minutes considering anything about the book's setting, theme or character development. I have been challenged to do this, not just so I can teach my kids this but so that I can really work to understand the point of the book.

I'm currently working through an online interview conducted by Leigh Bortins (whose recent book The Core about classical education was a great read for me) speaking with Adam Andrews of Teaching the Classics and he makes the point that all the elements of a well written book are present in great literature no matter what level the book was written at. So there you go, a great excuse to continue to read great children's literature and feel no shame. :)

*note: please pardon my poor writing format with all the commas and italic lettering all over the place. hopefully you get the gist of the discussion anyway.

in bloom

2011-06-25T20:34:00.001-04:00

a birthday at home

2011-06-24T08:42:00.000-04:00

First, a yummy patio lunch with friends.

Then the launch of the scavenger hunt with the first clue thrown out by Daddy.

Out in the garden the plants are all growing and green,
try not stomp on them, they might get real mean!

...

To keep the plants wet, they often need a shower,
look for the watering can, it shouldn't take an hour.

...

Two baby dolls wait for a ride,
but only one little doll has something to hide.

(Try not to laugh at the corny rhyming clues, poetry has never been my thing.)

Finally, it was onto ice cream cake and gifts and play.

Happy 8th Birthday, Seth! We love you, buddy!

it's the ideas, not the books

2011-06-24T07:55:00.001-04:00

As someone who loves to read and own books, I found this paragraph from a post on ebooks to be particularly succinct at naming the goal of any reader or booklover.

I once was an avid reader of a particular subgenre of science fiction, the “new wave” of the 60s and early 70s. At one point I probably owned a thousand or so titles from the era. Those books meant a lot to me, and even though I wasn’t planning to read them again I had a vague notion that I would pass them on as a legacy to my kids. But about twenty years ago I changed my mind and tossed out all but a few. Why? For one thing, I no longer thought such writing was suitable for young readers. More important, though, I realized that passing along the books wasn’t an effective way of passing along what they meant to me. Better to talk with my kids about what I had learned, and then give them the opportunity to chart their own memorable path through the literary landscape, unhindered by any expectations of mine.

It is not the amount of books which allows you to have something worthwhile to leave for others. It is the wisdom gained from the constant reading that needs to be shared and passed on to the next generation. Wisdom is knowledge properly understand and implemented. While knowledge of history(for example) is extremely important, it is the understanding of various worldviews which enables you to correctly interpret the actions and ideas of said historical events. The articulated wisdom is your legacy, not the books by themselves.
The advice on how to do this? "Better to talk with my kids about what I had learned."

from Rick on the current shortcomings of ebooks

garden party

2011-06-07T06:36:00.010-04:00

at home

2011-05-31T19:54:00.001-04:00

This is my retreat, my study area, my private cafe where the desserts are inexpensive and the tea is steaming hot.
Growing up, I slept surrounded by my bookcases so married life hasn't changed that. Although it is more library than bedroom at this point, as there are three more bookcases along the left wall supporting what would be considered our theological library.
I have always read in bed with several pillows propped up behind me but I do dream of a little sitting room someday with a comfy chair, a side table nearby for all the essentials and a fireplace to read and write by. Someday.

The shelves are loosely organized, with education(Classical and Charlotte Mason), parenting and commentary(J.C. Ryle and Nancy Ganz) titles on the top and my most read fiction books (Hello Jan Karon and Miss Read) below that. The middle shelf level currently holds classic children's literature and children's novels that I am reading my through. I rotate those from the basement shelves as I read them. The fourth shelf holds a mixture of historical fiction, my Bible and notepad, church history tomes and other Christian titles. The bottom shelf is for my heavier, over-sized books as well as current library loans and unread fiction books, mostly from L.M. Montgomery's (of Anne of Green Gables fame) titles, which I found recently together in a large amount secondhand.
This is where you'll find me after the girls are in bed, the kitchen is cleaned up and the toys are put away as the daylight fades into moonlight. I read until my eyes grow drowsy and the book feels heavy. This is my quiet place to be after the hustle and bustle of a busy day. This is my home and I'm so thankful for it.

planted

2011-05-31T17:47:00.002-04:00

The garden is mostly planted with the exception of the peas, but it's not much to look at yet as the beans and carrots haven't sprouted yet. But here are a few glimpses of what is green.
There are six tomato plants in, two are mine from seed, one is an Early Girl slicing and the other three are a sweet orangey cherry-size, called Sunsugar. I had some from a friend's garden last year and was so glad to find them at our local nursery. I've already prepped the dirt with lime and bone meal to encourage better growth and discourage tomato rot. I'm praying the blight will not be so hard hitting this year.

The romaine was bought as plants and seems to be taking off quite well, although it looks like early on, one the plants was dug up and partially eaten by some creature. My bronze leaf is down to one small seedling which is very disappointing but I may just plant the seed directly to see if I can't add to the number. It's my favorite garden lettuce so I hope to get more plants going.

My one strawberry plant from last year has produced many runners and is now flowering. My mom's plant in Pennsylvania is ahead of mine and she has red ripe berries already but she said they don't have a lot of flavor. We'll see how ours taste, if we get them to ripen.

Found a few garden workers today, hopefully they don't set up an aphid farm, otherwise they're history.

On a final note, I'm farming moss this year. Hoping to cover up our dated patio stones a bit with some nice green moss which I am transplanting from outside the fence and other places. Keeping it watered is the trick apparently, so I'm faithfully dousing those mossy mounds.

*Updated to say a special thank you to my mom for tilling the whole patch during her visit last week, with very little help from me. Love you! ♥

Taking note- the food edition

2011-05-29T19:23:00.006-04:00

Healthy Homemade Ketchup - This is worth a try once I get through my pantry stock of ketchup. It was developed by someone partial to Heinz so I'm sure it must be good.

Strawberry Shortcake Muffins - These look so yummy and she uses the same baking stuff I do, whole wheat flour and organic cane sugar. Good stuff.

Pudding Cups - Who thinks of these ideas? Chocolate cups filled with pudding and whipped cream...ahhh, you wouldn't like it. :)

Spring Dreams and Carrot Cake - I have a carrot cake recipe from a friend and her cake is delicious, my attempt was appreciated by my guests, but I found it oily. I'm trying this one next time.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls - At the top of my list of things to bake next!

Nothing Bundt Cakes - Buy a bundt cake and have it shipped anywhere. They do look yummy.

American Spoon - The blog caught my eye, but the jams and jellies look delicious too.

My soul shall still in God rejoice...

2011-05-29T10:29:00.004-04:00

My tongue shall bless you while I live.

I'm not the music buff in our home, that title goes to my husband who brought close to 250 cds into our marriage nine years ago and I probably brought ten. The music library has since grown but mostly due to Shane's musical interests, not mine. And he continues to hold out against the digital download era for the most part and actually still purchases the physical compact disc. I do too, as my Christmas list for Shane was three Ginny Owens cds. Shane was remarking that I really must like her to ask for three of her albums. I do and when the house is empty, except for me, I like to play her music.
The other musician that I have been enjoying recently is Nathan Clark George. I first heard about him from an album put together by Greg Wilbur, the Chief Musician at George Grant's Parish Presbyterian Church in TN. The amount of Scripture incorporated into these songs and hymns is refreshingly different than most pseudo-Christian music. I encourage you to listen to some of the more recent tracks posted on Nathan's site like O God, Thou Art My God Alone, my current favorite which based on Psalm 63.
I do wish we could sing these at our church, but in the meantime I enjoy them as I sing and praise our God and Savior.

the stuff we eat

2011-05-28T09:17:00.003-04:00

Back in the day, when homeschooling and toddlers did not consume so much of my waking hours, I spent more time on food planning and reading. I had forgotten all the great sites I used to follow and enjoy. In the interest of eating well and spending our grocery money wisely, I have listed some of these sites that still inspire me when I go back for a re-visit.

101 Cookbooks

Simply Recipes

King Arthur Flour

The Fresh Loaf

The Nourishing Gourmet

Mennonite Girls Can Cook

Nourished Kitchen

The Pioneer Woman Cooks and her related site Tasty Kitchen

Smitten Kitchen

Bakerella

Baking Bites

soft pretzel recipe from As Cozy As Spring

little girl snack

2011-05-27T11:08:00.007-04:00

I saw her bend down and pick something up, but it wasn't until she came closer that I saw what it was. Yum! Nobody asked her to share and she finally flung it away without ever tasting it. Some greens should never be eaten! :)

a new creation

2011-05-27T08:45:00.008-04:00

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
--Romans 8:18-25 (NIV)

Making All Things New by Tullian Tchividjian

Ancient Greece

2011-05-22T20:54:00.001-04:00

A very brief look at our recent study of Ancient Greece.

Trojan Horse design found here

Books we used for this study were previously posted here.

Timeline images are from Homeschool in the Woods

Seth really enjoyed listening to these stories retold by Jim Weiss while coloring these coloring pages.

We used these Greek alphabet cards to get familiar with the Greek letters. And this link will take you to the Greek alphabet chart.

A few other things links:
Statue of Zeus maze

Greek and Roman gods chart

playful home

2011-05-20T19:41:00.000-04:00

When you commit to teaching your children at home, you may find like me, that the pressure to keep them educationally busy during school hours can be intense. For me, the pressure comes from our immediate neighborhood that watches our coming-and-going like we watch theirs. We live in a condominium community consisting of twenty homes all facing each other with a large grassy courtyard in the middle.
Over the last two years, at least three neighbors have directly asked me about the virtues of homeschooling, our daily schedule, long-term plans and other curious questions. Others have hinted and vaguely referred to it in passing conversations. Our family's choices are a neighborhood anomaly and the desire to conform is quite strong at times.
However, I am constantly reminding myself to allow plenty of free, unstructured time throughout the day for Seth to play, build and implement ideas. As the weeks have turned into months, I see areas of play that have honed ingenuity and developed skills without any input or planning from me.

living and learning

2011-05-19T15:33:00.002-04:00

I would like more time to write about our days of learning together at home, but it seems that I'm too busy living them to have the energy to write. So just imagine our days are probably much like yours; some pass with gleeful, robust activity and others eke out sparingly, as the minutes march on until bedtime.
Keeping it simple, here are some outdoor moments captured recently and some links to read about learning and teaching that I have found helpful.

Susan Wise Bauer on Charlotte Mason Education

Heidi at Mt. Hope Academy

CIRCE Institute

For my Mom

2011-05-08T06:02:00.007-04:00

Can you guess what comes next?

Some things never change.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! Love you!

pleasures

2011-04-06T17:55:00.001-04:00

In a recent discussion with my friend Barb about budgeting money for books and homeschool materials, I asked her what she would spend her money on if she didn't care about her budget. Her answer was fabric and craft suppplies, books, home decorating items and J.Crew clothes. Then she asked me. I assured her my list would include books and craft supplies as well and then we moved onto other topics. A day later it hits me, why didn't I add plants and flowers? My next conversation with Barb occurred a few days later. "Barb, I don't know how I forgot to say this, but gardening and flowers would certainly be at the top of that list", I said as soon as I could manage. And being an avid plant-lover herself, she said, "Of course!"
Here are some recent flowers that have graced our table in these last wintery months.

My lovely birthday bouquet sent from my parents.

Post-Valentine carnations

And currently, these sunny daffodils while I wait for Spring to settle in.

the real gift

2011-04-06T16:40:00.001-04:00

Ever wonder what you look like to your children?
More specifically, ever wondered what you would look like in a Model Magic version of yourself?
Me either, but I found out anyway and it's not as glamorous as you probably imagined.
May I introduce you to, Me.

No one is clamoring for a close-up, but one is necessary and on the way.
This sculpture was a birthday gift from my son this past March. I consider it a much-needed reminder to keep me humble lest I think too highly of myself. I think it should do the job nicely, no? :)

Books for Younger Kids

2011-03-24T22:32:00.005-04:00

This is a basic book list with no links or pretty pictures. These are the ones that have been read and re-read in our home with much laughter, giggles and enjoyment. Most are not intended to be profound or deep stories, just pure fun and charm. I won't hate you if you don't like my list, but I will wonder if you have a sense of humor. :)

Anything by Arnold Lobel:
Frog and Toad(dry humor but still funny)
Owl at Home(very silly owl, very funny for kids)
Mouse Soup(a mouse tries to outwit a weasel who intends to eat him for soup)
Mouse Tales(more strange but funny tales)
Fables(short stories with a funny point)

The Harry the Dog series by Gene Zion and he has other books too.

Dr. Seuss books deserve a read through.

Mr. Putter and Tabby books by Cynthia Rylant. (funny stories between neighbors and pets)

The Sheep series by Nancy Shaw(the best of the best!)

Anything by Richard Scarry, esp. Cars and Trucks and Things That Go (a childhood favorite)

Sammy the Seal by Syd Hoff (silly fun about a seal in the city)

Morris the Moose by Bernard Wiseman(silly stories about a moose who isn't very bright)

Anything by Peter Spier (his illustrations are very engaging and detailed)

Oh What a Busy Day! by Gyo Fujikawa (Very most favorite book ever since I can remember!)

For science and nature topics, the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out series are some of the best I've seen for young children.

My First Little House books are full color picture books which I love. Best way to introduce young kids to Laura Ingalls books.

Other favorites:
Thy Friend, Obadiah by Brinton Turkle(a Quaker boy in colonial Nantucket is befriended by a seagull, also a childhood favorite of mine)

Rabbit Finds a Way by Judy Delton(hard to find, but a very good story about a rabbit who loves carrot cake)

From One to One Hundred by Teri Sloat(very well illustrated counting book)

Mr. Bumble by Kim Kennedy(endearing honeybee who fumbles his way through the hive)

Floss by Kim Lewis(a border collie story with very nice illustrations)

The Orchestra by Marc Rubin(good intro to the orchestra)

The Philharmonic Gets Dressed by Karla Kuskin(not as much about the instruments, but very funny illustrations about the musicians getting dressed, one of my best favorites as well)

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Hungry Bear by Don Wood (don't get it in a board book, the illustrations deserve a full size picture book page because they tell the story!)

Jamberry by Bruce Degen(again not the board book size, we've read this one over and over through the years, the illustrations are fun and juicy)

Amazing Machines series by Ant Parker (we have several of these and they are very well done rhyming books about vehicles)

out and about

2011-03-20T20:21:00.004-04:00

I'm happy to report that the snow has since melted and Spring is out and about!

Lewis on Writing

2011-03-16T19:44:00.003-04:00

C.S. Lewis: Advice on Writing

1. Always try to use the language so as to make quite clear what you mean and make sure your sentence couldn’t mean anything else.

2. Always prefer the plain direct word to the long, vague one. Don’t implement promises, but keep them.

3. Never use abstract nouns when concrete ones will do. If you mean “More people died” don’t say “Mortality rose.”

4. In writing. Don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the things you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us the thing is “terrible,” describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was “delightful”; make us say “delightful” when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers “Please, will you do my job for me.”

5. Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say “infinitely” when you mean “very”; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.

And towards the end of his life, this perfect analogy:

I sometimes think that writing is like driving sheep down a road. If there is any gate open to the left or the right the reader will most certainly go into it.

Read the whole post, but better yet, read the book. He might have known a thing or too about writing, eh?

original work

2011-03-04T13:14:00.001-05:00

Come follow the paper-trail through our home.

A story between friends.
(The Adventures of What We've Been Doing)

Notes to warn of sleeping babies.

Signs for special agents.

Keeping sisters safe.(Each sign points to a baby gate for areas leading to stairs.)

Marking Potential plumbing issues.

Fine dining table setting.(He often sets the table for dinner and one evening as I prepared dinner, I saw him wrapping up the silverware; this is what I found.)

I save them all and treasure the phonetic spelling. It won't be long before these words are spelled correctly by a more grown-up hand and the mystery and the humor will be no more.

project ideas

2011-02-28T16:46:00.006-05:00

After working on straight stitches, Seth learned a basic cross-stitch using gingham as recommended by Montessori Services. So far, both stitches have been completed with a tapestry needle which is very blunt.

The next sewing skills will involve sewing buttons, which means learning to tie knots, which is a good time to learn to tie shoelaces. So I quickly(don't laugh) made up this lacing card and only a few short minutes later, he was tying yarnlaces like a pro. He went to the closet and dragged out one of his Daddy's winter boots(the only tie shoes currently in the house)and proceeded to tie the boot perfectly. Now he wants real sneakers with shoelaces for this summer; I'm still rooting for velcro. :)

In my search for sewing projects online, I came across some very cute and doable projects suitable for both boys and girls. Here are a few of the best:

Toddler Sewing Basket

Sewing Buttons

Warm Hearts

book sale

2011-02-27T14:08:00.001-05:00

Ninety-nine dollars of books on the floor, ninety-nine dollars of books,
Take one down, pass it around, fifty gazillion more books on the floor.

Every February, a local church runs a huge used book sale and I drag home good stuff. This year was the biggest haul yet.

See any favorites? Anything I should put on top to be read first? The stacking order seen here was strictly done to keep the stack from toppling over. The girls were very eager to get close and make that happen. How I even managed to do this with them around should be the eighth Wonder of the Industrial World.

There are a few titles not pictured as they have already been pressed into service by our voracious readers.

Actually this is where the girls want to be when Seth and I sit on the couch to read and study together. And they each need a book to read or sing from, which would be fine until Kate decides to read in her pulpit voice which is very hard to compete with, so we don't. :)

time flies

2011-02-26T15:40:00.009-05:00

My parents were finally able to make it up for a visit the first weekend in February and my mother was able to stay for the last two weeks. We had a lovely visit and it's not easy to pack her car and watch her drive away. But we were able to do some nice things together and just enjoy her unfettered time with us. One of the things we were finally able to do was visit the newly remodeled Museum of Science and Nature in the city.
We took along one of Seth's friends who was allowed to miss his kindergarten class that Friday and what a great time they had together.
Not surprising, the dinosaur hall was the first area to be explored. These huge creatures with large mouths and sharp teeth were a bit intimidating or maybe it was just the creepy sounds heard in the dark, dark forest? Anyways, we had lots of new areas to see so we left them to eat the people coming behind us. :)

This is the Water exhibit which featured this skeleton of a blue whale found off the coast of Newfoundland in 1975. The skeleton is enormous and stretched the length of the room which may be hard to tell in the photo. I loved this whole room and could have easily spent a whole afternoon here.

Much of that time would have been spent admiring the various sea shells and and other marine life. I took this photo because I have this type of shell in my own collection and I wanted to remember the name. My childhood shell collection doesn't get very much respect in our home and as been frequently been the target of my husband's jokes about getting rid of junk. But I happily protest and the collection continues to gather dust in its corner of the basement. If we make it to the beach this summer, I'll be glad to sort through the old stuff to make room for some new specimens. :)

In the second half of the exhibit was this large ship which housed areas of play for kids. It came complete with marine scientists dress-up clothes and a large galley kitchen. It would have been nicer to stay here for the whole afternoon as everyone liked the different areas of pretend play.

Since I don't have a smart phone with an app that would scan the book's barcode and send it to my Amazon wishlist, I have to be low-tech and take a photo of the two books that appealed to me the most, in the reading area next to the ship. Normally I scribble down the book's ISBN number on some random paper in the purse and then months later when I get around to cleaning out my purse, I find the title and check it more thoroughly on Amazon. But these titles caught my eye and I have already added them to the ever-present wishlist.

I love this tank. The water and the greenery and the light and the rocks. It all looked like such a lovely spot to be in, minus the glass walls. :) There was a small turtle hanging out on the other side of the tank but we had trouble telling if it was alive or not, as it was quite motionless.

In the basement of the museum was a really nice area with live animal tanks of all sorts of creatures. Tarantulas(blech), Giant toads, Praying Mantises, and these huge Walking sticks among many other creatures. In my other childhood collection of insects, I had a lovely small walking stick which I was quite proud of. And last summer when a huge praying mantis found our newly installed roof rack an ideal hangout, the conversation drifted over to these other strange insects of which my husband was unfamiliar with. Of course, these walking sticks are much bigger than even I had ever seen outside, hence the need to take a picture.

We own many Franklin dvds and one of his friends is a snail. I never remember if Snail is a boy or girl, but there is one episode where Snail hurts his/her shell and gets a crack in it. For whatever reason, that episode grosses me out and I can barely stomach the animated cracked snail and the story that plays out. And to be honest, these Giant snails pretty much have the same effect. Their body is like a giant foot,(more blech) which is how they propel themselves. But I was fascinated by the size of their shell, of course.

God's creatures display such intricacies and wonder, I feel bad that some of them bring out the yuck factor in me, but I really do admire His handiwork, even if it is with a bit of a cringe and a shiver. :)

In the "Save the Polar regions" temporary exhibit was an area on Penguins. Given that Seth just recently read Mr. Popper's Penguins and is still all-about penguins, this area was met with delight. The penguin costumes fit so that the kids could mimic the way that penguins waddle and slide around on the ice.

And of course, fleecy pink pants slide just as well. :)

At the last exhibit, the boys found another play area at the Wild Bird Clinic which was a favorite from our previous visit a few years back. Seth and his friend donned the lab coats and rushed around "saving" birds and warming "eggs" and having a grand old time. I was sorry to have to tell them it was time to go.

We had a wonderful time and the girls did well on their stroller tour.

used up

2011-02-10T18:47:00.001-05:00

Pondering the beautiful side of being used up for the sake of another. May the name of Jesus Christ be magnified in our home as we seek to be used up for His glory and our good.

We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19