Wednesday, December 06, 2006

WEDNESDAY

I read only 1/2 of "Blueberries for Sal" and Arielle and Nolan can't wait for school tomorrow. We finished a *Children of the Dust bowl* - this was an excellent book.

I realized that buying good flour is going to break my budget! LOL I went through 5 lbs of flour in 24 hours....I can buy 50lbs of wheat to grind for $11...

I realized that I could pull out the scrapping stuff and let the children enjoy it for their lap books. Arielle told me that she is enjoying this "lap book stuff" now. Shew. I'm glad. I thought she would, but she really wasn't acting like it all through the Thanksgiving project. They made a booklet on the Advent season (blurbs below inside a book) and did the little Advent Wreath project from Hands of a Child. I think she is liking it better because I am letting them dictate what they want on the computer and then they can decide what sort of booklet they want to make.

Hmmm.... I'm not wholeheartedly enjoying the Hands of a Child book. First, I found some things in the notes that simply are not found ANYWHERE else that I've looked...like advent wreaths being invented by Protestants....I'm not sure it MATTERS but it makes me leery to see info here that I find no where else. There are no instructions on how to assemble or use anything, at least none I can find. Is this common with HoaC kits? I think I do like the Live and Learn lap book kits better. This one seems to be all the same thing.....we are using the graphics and shapes to make our own books....but I'm really sort of gun shy about teaching the children the info in their guide unless I see it in my other books and trusted websites. I spent quite a bit of time today researching the advent wreath thing and the candles as well. I know there are discrepancies about the candles...and the main thing is to celebrate....but honestly some of these practices have gone back to 300 AD and to say a Protestant in Germany came up with it in 1839 is...well I want documentation before I teach that to my children.... Ok so those who know my inductive Bible Study bent are laughing now....yes.... I'm still a "show me the chapter and verse" type learner and teacher.

WHICH brings me to another observation. I noticed in the Thanksgiving project and now in this HOAC Christmas symbols, that you are given notes but no sort of documentation at all. I had several resources I was looking at for Thanksgiving, for instance, and one said Squanto learned English from "fishermen", one said he was a "captured slave" and one said he was an "English guest" (all of which are sure to have a kernel of truth). I'm guessing these companies are marketing their cute graphics and hands on ideas and not necessarily their "in-depth academics", but still.....I'm thinking I'll do better finding those companies whose facts I can trust and/or doing our own lapbooks based on our research and reading with TOG. My disclaimer here would be that this is the only HoaC lap book I've done and maybe they aren't all like this. I do like the graphics and shapes, without having to search them all out on google. I wish that the printer I'm using would do coloring book - I'd print more images and let the kids color them....maybe even on sticker paper.

We are enjoying our readings in Tabitha's Travels. The children asked again tonight if I would read ahead. Josiah is at work and I don't want to leave him behind. I read a chapter of Peter Pan instead. I had to read the last page 3 times because I was reading "gibberish" again. ::snort:: I get so tired at that time of night and then after I get everyone in bed - I pop awake.

I realized today that we've gotten away from "family breakfast". Honestly, the children want to begin their school days and not wait for each other...but I think we'll bring this back in. If I work on it for the next three months it should be a pattern and when Mike gets back they can spend a few minutes in the a.m. with him before he leaves for work. Of course, this will cut into my a.m. study and work out time....always trade offs.

MY PRESENT

I walked by this box (left over from Co-op) and Zander popped out. He yelled, "I am your present, Mom!!!" ::snort:: After I quit laughing he said, "I love you, Mom." Yep, the cooking from scratch, reading labels, shadowing the child....all worth it. (Yes, there are days when the children have the camera that my life seems to be well-documented indeed! LOL)
REST of the 1/2 WAY CELEBRATION


At 2:30 we took a break from school (which we did 1/2 of) to have our party. We had 1/2 a chocolate cake (totally healthy and yummy) on 1/2 a plate (messy), 1/2 a scoop of homemade ice cream (really messy) and we talked. The table had 1/2 a cloth again, 1/2 the candles lit - you know the drill.

Instead of sharing our favorite deployment memory (because frankly - in the midst of deployment its really hard to think in those terms) we decided to focus on goals. We each shared what we had accomplished in the first 1/2 of the deployment and what we hope to accomplish in the 2nd 1/2 of the deployment. For dinner we had oven fries, 1/2 grilled hamburgers, salad abd fruit plate. We skipped the 1/2 plates - enough already!

Mike - is working on ACSC - Military education by mail

De'Etta - gained 4 lbs and lost 4 lbs; finished my "rod" study, kept up with the first 9 weeks of school; goals for second 1/2 - will finish 500 miles, will loose some lbs (would like to say 12 - but hey anything is progress), will finish reading *Age of Opportunity* be into the 3rd unit of school.

Josiah - deposited the pay check that raises his account to $4K this Friday - that is his goal for a car and got a bit ahead in school; goals get ahead in school - finish


Jamin - ran an 8 mile route, sent first chunk of book to Christian Writers Guild for a critique, kept up with school; goals for future - find a writing agent (yikes), gain 3 lbs

Jared (photo removed by request)- kept up with school; goals - keep up with 6 day a week workouts

Arielle - finished 2nd grade math and Explode the Code series; goals read 3 "real" books

Nolan - began speech, finished short vowel readers and worked on blending; do speech exercises every day, finish long vowel readers

Zander - huh?....He lived...he wants a one eyed penquin, a one eyed gorilla and a one eyed bear????

Stacia - cut 4 molars and 2 eye teeth; goals cut thr rest of teeth and learn to sleep in my bed

We ended the day with my tradmark comment, "That'll do, pig".
Advent Season
By Nolan

Advent is like people are
coming to your house.
When people come you
clean the house.

Jesus is coming. We
should think about Him.
Advent Season
By Arielle

Advent is from a Latin
word that means “coming”.
This is the season we
celebrate Jesus coming
into the world and into
our hearts. People would clean
up their hearts, like we
clean up the house
when we have special
guests.

They would give to the
poor people. Take care
of others. They would
ask for forgiveness of
sins and fast from food
for three weeks before
Christmas. Some
churches still do the
fasting at Easter time.
ATTACK OF THE APPLIANCES
Last night the grain mill...today the Bosch.

I HAD to make bread and a cake, so bought some King Arthur flour. Store bought flour simply doesn't "act" the way fresh ground does. I noticed the cake didn't rise as high (must be less protein the longer the flour sits???), the bread took less flour and was stiffer.....

I've had the Bosch nearly 3 years and it has NEVER done this. I set it to knead for 8 minutes and left the room. I heard a big crash and Jared and Arielle yelling. Here's the photo Jared took:



I spent the next 4 minutes holding the Bosch down as it finished kneading. Bosch seems fine. I'll have two loaves of bread shortly (we miss the 7 grain and Hard white - but HAD to have bread) and I began making Kate's buttercream frosting.....



I'm trying to decorate the cake and have the "party" before Josiah goes to work. Then dinner tonight.....
Start of our HALF WAY Celebrations

I printed out the chart from the excel program that is tracking Mike's absence. It shows that we are 51% to the day when the Freedom Bird will whisk him away. We've posted this next to the other count down map we are keeping on the bulletin board of our entry way. LOL


Breakfast:

1/2 doughnuts (I was surprised to see that we had LOTS of doughnuts left)


1/2 muffins


Fruit plate (featuring halved strawberries, pineapple and apples on a bed of red grapes)


We even brought out the hot chocolate, tea, and fresh squeezed orange juice.




1/2 table cloth, 1/2 plate, 1/2 napkin and 1/2 the candles lit....add children

PS - this was REALLY cool for the kids because 1. we ate breakfast TOGETHER, 2. We had a tablecloth and 3. I'd changed the table around again. I'm always trying to find a way to make the tables work in our small eating area. IN AK we had two separate tables. Here we usually make a giant square.