Friday, August 28, 2009

Homeschooling - Yay!

We have had such a blast homeschooling so far! I know we're only about two weeks in, and burnout comes easily (according to other HS moms I've talked to), but right now we're going strong! I just need to find a Bible-study curriculum that fits in with where I want the kids to be. I'm using the Charlotte Mason method (no textbooks, using living books [novels & children's books] to teach. Right now we're working on a unit on Colonial America, specifically the Revolutionary War period. So far, so good... they've read the first Felicity book (American Girl), and we're reading a different one together (Emma's Journal by Marissa Moss), and we're pulling spelling and vocabulary words from that. We went to the Frazier museum two days ago, and I had a really exciting moment when Lexi ran up to an exhibit and exclaimed, "Mommy, LOOK! a REDCOAT! He's a British soldier!" :) So far they've made silhouettes, Chinese wallpaper, their own butter, and a Native American stick toss game. Today is going to be a slow day, because we're going to do some grammar worksheets - I never noticed before what difficulty they have with proper capitalization! Yikes!

If you would, please pray for my father in law. He has a very painful kidney stone, and they were going to take care of it yesterday, but he is on blood thinners so they have to wait until he's been off of his medication for a week. It must be agony to have to wait... he needs all the prayers he can get!

Taylor starts High School on Monday, so she needs some prayers, too. I think she is a touch nervous about it... sure wish she was here so we could give her reassurance, but I know she will do great! She's stronger than she thinks!

Yesterday for dinner I made baked thyme chicken with alfredo noodles and baked beans. Then for dessert I sliced up three pounds of fresh peaches and made a cobbler, complete with homemade whipped cream. It was soooo yummy!

Tonight is the Wizards of Waverly Place movie on Disney - the girls are uber excited. I promised them we'd pop some popcorn and watch it in my bedroom. Can't wait for a girls' movie night!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Bust a gut

You know, I don't really think I ever realized what that phrase meant - "bust a gut" - before I had kids. Tonight, for instance, we were sitting around the dinner table, just the three girls and I. We had bbq chicken legs for dinner. I asked my oldest to go into the kitchen and put some more sodas in the fridge for her dad (since he's at work now, they'll be cold for him when he gets home). She got up and went into the kitchen, and the baby (3 yrs old) gets down from her chair and picks up the half-eaten chicken leg from my oldest child's plate. She takes a bite, and my middle child and I start cracking up laughing. My oldest calls out from the kitchen, "What are you doing?" And the baby answers, "I'm eating your chicken!" I just love laughing until you can hardly breathe, catching your breath, and starting all over again! All laughter should be belly-shaking and breath-stealing! Don't you think? :)

Another fun thing today... I decided to homeschool the girls this year, due to many things that happened last year in their public school. We started two days ago, and are working on a unit on Colonial America. We're using the Charlotte Mason method, which so far is completely awesome. Today we did several things: we made silhouettes, just like the girl in our Colonial America book; we made & played a stick toss game that the Native Americans played; and we MADE BUTTER. How totally awesome is that? We talked about churning and how the Colonists didn't always have places nearby to buy butter in neat little tubs or sticks like we do today, so they had to make their own. We made our own butter (and buttermilk as a neat byproduct - I cook with it a lot), and the girls got a lesson in hard work. They are so proud of their butter, it's not even funny - they even called their grandparents to ask if they wanted to come taste it!

I love my kids!!!

Friday, August 14, 2009

Anyway

People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

by Dr. Kent M. Keith (often falsely attributed to Mother Teresa)
The last line is not one from Dr. Keith's original Paradoxical Commandments
it seems to have been added by an anonymous source.