Starting Down the Path of Home Education

 Remember our "Box Day"?  These lovelies had their very own Sonlight Box Day....

Bella - staring Kindergarten         📷 by Bre

Bella's excitement is GREAT as she begins Kindergarten and Gideon is beginning Pre-school.  When I was over last week Bella gleefully showed me the cabinet which hosts all her school things. She told me we must NEVER take the child proof lock off without asking Mama. ::snort::  It is FULL of wonderful supplies and adventures about to happen. 

Gideon  - Pre-school 4            📷 by Bre

How fun is it that Bre has chosen Sonlight as the backbone of her curriculum?  We used Sonlight when it was first getting started,  used various other things, and are back with Sonlight now (along with various other things). 

Gideon, Bella, Bre and Jojo, Annie         📷 from Bre

It's kinda mind blowing to think WE are using Sonlight's AP courses at the same time THEY are using Sonlight Pre-K and K. 

Of course Bre WAS doing things with them last year as well, but this is her first year "officially" schooling...Second generation homeschooling - but then I think maybe THIRD...because there were a couple of years on the mission field I was homeschooled (though we didn't CALL it that) before I went to boarding school. 

Danny & Benny (Pre-4) 📷 by Arielle

Benny, 4, is working on pre-school as well. They incorporate unit studies and lots of real life outdoors activities into their learning.  They are focusing on colors, numbers, shapes, letters, animals, habitats and anything else that catches their interest. Recently, Benny has added all things penguin to his dinosaur fascination.  We can always tell what their focus is by the random comments Benny shares as he drops by to hang out. 

Benny is pretty impressed with lines 
📷 by Arielle

"You're a pretty good girl, Baachan." 

 "Is it nice to call xyz an Elephant?" 

Ah, learning how to be polite and use your words to encourage others. Got it. 

 "Baachan do you have PENQUINS here? Let's play the penguin game." 

"I love you to the planet and stars and universe Baachan." 

📷 by Arielle

As the girls begin down the path of home educating with their little ones, I can't help but think back on our path. These years were fun, hard, long and not quite long enough, tedious at times, filled with excitement at other times, but always these years brought adventure and connection to our family.  And - they learned! We are in our 33rd year...and I'm thinking when Stacia graduates and I'm no longer needed as a home educator...I can be the visiting teacher, or substitute as needed,  for years to come! 

You all make us proud! 

*BTW I will be proud of ALL the grands...some will home educate, some will not. All are amazing in my eyes. LOL 

Moose Alarm

 Millie went wild....

It took just a bit of observation to find the source of her craziness. 

With the world once more safe, Millie cuddles on Michael's lap. She may never realize she's not a lap dog. 

Spectacular Saturday

Stacia, Allie, Me, Krista 

I had a spectacular day with the girls at Victory Bible Camp.  It all began when Krista received an email from the PWOC President at JBER. She must have been reading through old files and came upon my bio. One item in my ministry bio is that I "stood up" the PWOC at Elmendorf in 2002. Elmendorf is now  1/2 of JBER (Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson).  They were having a fall kick off event and invited me to attend as a thank you for that investment in their group.  

The nostalgia began when we drove up. Ah - that logo - planet P-WOC.  How old-fashioned I thought it was - and the NAME  at our first base.  Now, I love that logo and all it calls to mind. I thought of the faces of the dear women who had given the old logo a facelift.... I thought of the boards I've worked with, the work on the regional and international boards...all the women. 

                                    

We learned at our very first assignment we weren't responsible for what came before or after our time at a location. We were called to be obedient and faithful in our season.... moving as often as we did in the Air Force, we  didn't often get to SEE the results of seeds invested in locations....you hear of groups that fall apart, groups that survive, and sometimes you just hear nothing. 

Today, I sat in a room full of women. I knew none of them. I was told there has been a strong PWOC from that small beginning back in 2002. I was thanked for investing in what they are doing now.  It was humbling. It moves me to tears. All the times one wonders - "Is this really making a difference?" 

I got to see some of what God has produced over the years from that simple seed planted 19 years ago.  

I caught a bigger vision of what God was up to when he called us into the nomad life of  the  Air Force Chaplaincy. 

Victory Bible Camp brought back memories....we had several retreats up there in our years at Elmendorf. Krista attended several Club Beyond retreats there. Allie had lots of memories from Victory too.  It's always been beautiful - it was exciting to see all the changes made since we were there in 2005. 

I did a thing....I remember riding a horse at Diamond Bar X in Montana. I may have ridden again at Victory on one of our PWOC retreats - but I don't remember  clearly. LOL In any event - horses frighten me. HOWEVER - I told Stacia I would go riding if she would....and Allie and Krista wanted to ride.  The thing is I've gained weight in the last year, my feet hurt all the time, I NEEDED to do something hard...and next I'll do something a bit harder...building resiliency. 

Krista (on horse) Allie, Stacia and Carol in background

Pardner - the red - mine - I spent a lot of time
 trying to get his head UP

I planned to take photos - but this is the only one I got on the trail. LOL I was busy trying to keep Pardner moving at a walk - not a trot. LOL  I cannot BELIEVE this is the only photo I got of Stacia riding her first horse. She was a pro. 

Krista was slower than the girls to get off her horse so I got a photo. 

Though I've gained 25 of the 50 lbs I lost back...I am sharing this photo. I can do hard, scary things...still. 

BTW my KNEES were killing me. I don't remember THAT from riding at Diamond Bar X.  And this morning (writing on Sunday) I'm moving a bit funny. LOL  Michael says I AM 25 years older....

After the horse ride we walked around and enjoyed the views....

            

Matanuska Glacier - when we lived here before we would go explore the glacier during free time at retreats.  I hear you have to pay now and it's not near the fun. 

Carol, the gal in the middle, is  a wing chaplain on the Elmendorf side (I am quite sure I butchered the title but you get the gist). She and Krista met at our home and we drove up to Victory together. It was fun to spend time with her. 

Stacia, Carol, Krista 

Check out the FREE t-shirts we received - above. There are some perks to being part of a military faith community....with salaries and building paid for all those offerings go straight to ministry.... I spent quite a bit of time checking out the 5 studies they are offering (free again) to the ladies this year. 

Of course we enjoyed spending time with the Chaplain.

The glacier

These poor young ladies. I got the time wrong and thought we were leaving at 9:30. Krista and Carol showed up at the house at 8:20. They woke up to Krista pounding on their door and yelling at them to get going. LOL It was a dry shampoo kind of day and they were off...without a single complaint. 

Stacia and Allie are champs!

Yes, fall is coming....strangely, we have more yellow leaves here than they did up in the higher elevation. 

And THAT'S A Week....

 Yes, I do believe this feels like fall. 

Stacia and I haven't made it out in 3 weeks for Bible study. We left the house at 0700 and drove to the top of the mountain...we covered a lot of Matthew...and will catch the rest up next week.  Millie's mealtime training paid off today at study time...she curled up and pouted rather than trying to jump into the front seat. LOL 

Stacia hit the books when we got home. Michael and Alex left for their study. I managed to get 50 minutes in on the elliptical.   I also got today's #everybitcountschallenge done... Day 20 - 8 trays of dried apples.  They were disappearing faster than I could get them off the tray and into a storage container. 

Michael and Alex got home. I left the girls working on school and headed over to spend time with Bella and Annie. It was fun - and I didn't take a single photo! The boys went for immunizations. 

I raced home thinking we had just enough time for our lit discussion before CyRi showed up for dinner. The girls discovered their FRIDAY assignment was to write an essay about Beowulf. In future weeks we'll be sure to look ahead and see if an essay will be required.  We skipped discussion time as Michael was talking through edits with the girls.  Our plan is to discuss Friday's lit over the weekend. 

CyRi showed up and we caught up...and talked logistics for the upcoming week. Guests have begun arriving. The wedding is close.  After dinner they headed home. Carrie has to work tomorrow. 

We had a rare lightening, thunder, RAIN storm during dinner. We were rewarded with a beautiful rainbow. I caught 1/2 of it. 

Stacia began work on her second wedding cake. Carrie wants a "naked cake;" decorating will be a piece of cake, so to speak. We'll also make cupcakes for the reception.  Allie has become Stacia's baking assistant...I think they like to visit, sing and dance as much as bake. 

The yard is greening up nicely. I love the way the sun hits the mountains (or trees) as it sets...in a week Josiah and Carrie will be getting married right in this spot. It's going to be an exciting week. They are predicting 60% chance of rain. We're praying for a clear patch and planning to have fun with umbrellas if we don't get it. LOL 

I am THANKFUL it's FRIDAY! This may not have been the best week to go to a full school schedule. We usually DO wait until after Stacia's birthday, but next week will be even busier than THIS week and I AM happy to see all the progress the girls made this week. It feels GREAT to have the week behind us....in the end starting was probably the best plan...if we have to take a slower pace next week on school, we're still making good progress....it's a marathon, not a sprint...the key is to keep moving forward. 

Tea & Lit...and all the things

 

WAIT! 

We  planned to meet at the  tea table daily....to touch base with one another and check in on school....but school is taking SO long....An idea is born! Brit Lit discussion will be much deeper and EASIER if we can do it daily....why don't we couple it with tea?  We tried it - Tea and Lit. It works.  It took some planning, but it worked...we're figuring out the schedule. 

I enjoyed reading Beowulf. Going through the guided discussion questions from Sonlight with the girls is making the experience even more enjoyable.  I love this line...it so clearly describes how Christ calls us to live - though that may not have been the point of the author. LOL 

Before Tea & Lit I spent a lovely couple of hours with a friend. She is right, my love language is quality time and she filled my depleted tank. 

I got home just in time to grab dad and race him to physical therapy. He thought it funny Michael had to put a gal of gas in my tank from the garage to get us there. 

The weather was clear again today - what a BLESSING -  we missed the mowing window yesterday. I wasn't able to help with the perimeter mowing  as I was discussing lit with the girls....but it looks great. 

And about that pairing of tea with lit - genius. I HAVE to have the discussion with the girls, it's part of work expectations if you will. It enhances their study and helps prepare them for the AP test. It needs to happen.  There is NEVER time to just sit and relax in the middle of the afternoon....but THIS took the guilt away from sipping tea while Michael toiled at yard work....and we all got done what we HAD to get done.  PLUS I love the bit of connection and that will motivate me to do lit on days when I'd rather be done with the whole school scene. LOL 

We got dinner on the table...look at Millie. Stacia has been working  hard the past couple of weeks to train Millie to stay on her bed while we eat dinner. Tonight, she didn't even have to say a thing throughout dinner. She did give Millie a few "mommy looks." 

Everyone is tired as the week nears a completion. 

Full time college and 60 hour work weeks can wear a guy down. Nolan finished another course and began one on finances for managers. 

Grandpa went to bed at 8. The girls headed for bed EARLY. Nolan was clearly sleeping. Alex is gaming in his spare time. Michael went out to finish some chores in the garage. 

I processed a few things from the #everybitcountschallenge.  Day 19 -   I dried 4 more trays of kale. It turned into another 1/2 gal of processed kale. I have a few more plants in the garden but the majority of the kale is processed.  I made strawberry apple fruit leather - 4 trays full. I used some of the organic strawberries from co-op and my previously canned applesauce...a no sugar "added" treat.  I had some brine left over from pickling. I've been putting  stray cucumbers in the brine as I wait for a big enough harvest to make more pickles. They tasted pretty good. I had one tray left and wondered if I could make a dill-pickle-chip-like snack. NO - not a good idea. WOW...they are CONCENTRATED and not very good at all. I may play with it a bit. After all I've made kale chips about 20x in the last 10 years before I found a way I like them. LOL 

When I finished putzing with the dehydrator I went to find Michael. I mentioned I had hoped for a campfire but everyone had gone to bed. ::snort:: He said to meet him at the fire ring...where we sat and enjoyed one another's company until 11:30 p.m. ...and hardly missed our young adults or Grandpa at all. 

*dehydrator note...the cucumbers actually have promise after they cooled and crisped. A bit spicy but I can adjust that. The fruit leather, unfortunately, is more like fruit chips...but they'll still eat. LOL  The instructions said to dry until they were "no longer sticky"....and they never reached that stage. I cooled them and they're pretty crisp. I like recipes that give clear time guidelines. LOL 

Packed Wednesday

These first weeks of school can be disorienting for student and teacher...and it seems doubly so for homeschooling families which contain both. ::snort:: 

I hadn't thought through how full the days would be with SCHOOL when I made plans and appointments for this week...oy vey! 

Today, Michael had an appointment in Anchorage. That isn't a big deal except that it means he wasn't available around here....and I'm not operating from my A game this week. LOL 

The girls were down in the basement working, working, working - and I'm not about to interfere with THAT for my convenience. ::snort:: I can handle grandkids alone. 

I set out to entertain Benny and Danny...without  cool Aunties/Uncles or Papa assistance.  CoRielle were off for much needed couple time. I was thrilled to watch the boys. I quickly discovered Danny presents new challenges now that he's MOBILE. I could NOT figure out how to get the gate set up working that Michael had created...and thus the fact that he was gone figures into the day. LOL  Eventually the girls came UPSTAIRS to work on Financial Freedom and the boys were thrilled to see them. LOL  I actually left Danny to be passed between them (because you know that's safer than crawling off the landing of stairs) and Benny helped me with some "chores." 

📷 by Allie 

We made sugar free cookies. I may have discovered it is not wise to pig out on sugar free cookies. Ugh. I think I'm going to have a 2 cookie limit from here on out. 

This is the best little Kale processing assistant in the state.  We ran out and harvested a tub full of kale. Yes, STILL with the Kale. I cut production by 50% but I'm nearly convinced I'm getting just as much as last year. 

You say you want ANOTHER photo of me???? Danny at 9 months. 

📷 by Allie 

Around the same time CoRielle were expected...Bre and kids showed up. They missed out on Stacia's birthday and had asked to take her and Allie to Krispie Kreme to celebrate instead.  I've STILL not made it over there....maybe in September. At this point I have an upcoming A1C and I'm not about to have a doughnut. ::snort:: Note we usually don't start school until the week AFTER Stacia's birthday and I'd just not thought the week through very well at all. 

📷 by BreAnne

Day 18 of the #everybitcountschallenge....8 trays of kale chips - which translated to another 1 1/2 gal of kale chips.  There was a bit of kale which didn't fit into the dehydrator and so I'll do more of that for tomorrow. 

I had started a roast early in the morning....good call, me. I roasted veggies,  sliced fruit and set it all on the table with time to eat and make it to the church for youth group and Women's Bible study. 

Pastor and I had agreed to have youth and women both end at 8 p.m. I was EXCITED when we finished on time....and I was happy to visit for a bit while the kids finished up their rousing Back 2 School Olympics.  Here's a photo of the team with most gold.....The teams were randomly chosen - I was glad both girls were on the winning team. LOL 

Brittany, Stacia, Pastor Shannon, Josiah, Allie 

We are now fully into our fall schedule - and  THIS happened.... Do you know what this IS? 

📷 via Facebook feed

Yes - THIS is termination dust on our mountain....the Fireweed is almost ready to go to seed - but not quite....so while it's not a HARD FALL....termination dust does indicate a change in seasons. It also gives us fair warning it's time to wrap up projects and prepare for winter.  Here's a fun youtube song about termination dust....and the feelings are accurate. LOL