Well, just to keep us on our toes, it is snowing on April 11. Not like this is new - we have had snow around Easter three out of the last five years. We are forecast to have 5 to 7 inches of snow today. I cancelled C's reading lesson since I didn't want to drive through all the wind and snow.
Of course, with this weather, I have had a migraine today. Thankfully, that is getting better. The kids and I watched a show about Stonehenge this am. We are working our way through ancient civilizations and discussed Stonehenge on Monday, so this show was perfect. C did a notebook page on it. L is going to be doing a notebook page tonight. She is talking about doing hers on amber - it was also referenced in our reading this week. This afternoon, we watched the first part of a 3 DVD series on birds. It is really good. There are lots of evolutionary references - in fact, the whole show has an evolutionary premise. But, the kids are OK with it. We talk about old-earth creation, new earth creation, evolution, etc. There is lots of good info in the DVD, though. And it fits perfectly with our science curriculum.
I have been looking for options to help my bread. I make whole wheat bread that tastes delicious, but it is a little heavy for my taste. I found some info on the internet about using dough conditioner and refrigerating the dough overnight. I think I'll give it a try. But, I need the headache to calm down first. Then, I may try some cooking.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
It has been a long while since I last blogged - a month! Well, it has not been because of a lack of things to do. We have been quite busy here.
L and C started Sonlight Core 6 within the last month or so. Overall, we are loving it. Our Bible curriculum is a Children's Bible Field Guide (aka Bible Handbook). It takes 36 weeks to give a good overview of the whole Bible. There are 5 activities for each week, but I have been just doing 3 or 4. C needed to do a Creation Poster for AWANA about the same time that we were studying Creation (chapter 2) in their Bible book. So, I had both kids make Creation pages - one page for each Day of Creation. C took his pages to AWANA instead of a poster and now they will go in their Bible notebooks. The kids made the pages on the computer with Paint. We are also reading through the Bible in a One-Year Daily Bible for Kids. We do this reading in the evening. We have had lots of opportunities for discussion.
The History/Geography this Core is World History through the Middle Ages. So far, we've worked on ancient Egypt, Sumer, the Indus Valley, China, and sub-Saharan Africa. We have The Story of the World on CD, so I get to sit and knit while we are listening to it. I have not been using Sonlight's map activities. Unfortunately, those have always gotten pushed to the side. This year, though, we are using maps that I print off the Usborne site (we also use the Usborne Encyclopedia of World History). This has been working very nicely. C circles things that I want him to remember. L circles important items, but also writes notes off to the sides. We are doing lots of notebooking, with variable results. C doesn't like to add pictures to his work so I think I am going to start typing his (I've been writing them for him and it takes a while and he talks fast!) and not worrying about pictures. When he does pictures, they tend to be more abstract and conceptual than actual pictures of the items about which we are studying. We were doing vocabulary work, but I have dropped that. Both kids have excellent vocabularies so we were adding unpleasant work that gave minimal benefit. My Dad gave P a book called Tyndale Handbook of Bible Charts and Maps. What a great resource that has been! I use lots of their maps to discuss what we are reading in Bible (in the morning, we are in 2 Chronicles, at night we are in 1 Chronicles - it's a little confusing right now, but we will move more quickly with our nighttime reading, so we won't be reading similar passages within a week or so) and history. Between those maps, the globe, and the Usborne maps, I think the kids are getting a much larger dose of geography this year. I'm much more interested in L learning some of the details. I just want C to get an overview.
L is doing lots of writing, and not just with her notebooking. She has not complained much at all about it. She does not like the assignments in which she has to make a rough draft and then a final copy - spelling is her nemesis. She is really very good at grammar, but doesn't get it right when she is writing off the cuff. So, her final drafts require some work. We have gone back to Sonlight's dictation and activity sheets. The kids are tolerating them quite well. I see them both learning a good bit from it. C is really taking off with his reading. He continues to get reading lessons weekly, but I am also adding new concepts (but slowly). C is doing lots of reading captions of pictures which is pretty new. He is learning new phonics rules that way, too.
Our science study is really pretty fun right now. We are using a book called Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day of Creation. It is written by an author who is an unabashedly young-earth creationist. I lean toward old-earth creationism. This leads to some interesting discussions with the kids. L enjoys the discussions, but C gets confused by them, so I have to be careful about when we talk about such abstract concepts. In any case, we are starting by learning about birds. We made a bird "map" last week in which we learned the different field marks of birds. This morning, we made two bird feeders, each of which has different kinds of seed. The kids have been avidly watching birds and looking them up in their field guides. I bought them little notebooks and they are starting to fill in when, where, and what they see. After P gets our feeders up, we will have lots of birds around. We also have a suet feeder and a hummingbird feeder. Our yard isn't very big, but I'm betting it will be busy!!
We have also done some "extra" activities. Both kids did notebook pages about Mozart (the homeschool play this year is "Of Mice and Mozart"). We watched a DVD last week about Bonhoeffer. A lot of it went over C's head, but L learned a good bit. I had to spend some time with C discussing World War 2 and Hitler. He has heard bits and pieces about that time in history, but we spent a little time looking at our timeline to try to help him understand it.
L and C's piano teacher is retiring this year. We were going to change to a different piano teacher in the fall, anyway, but this makes it more pressing (as well as easier emotionally). L is going to Lawrence University's Piano Odyssey day camp this summer. She is excited about spending 5 full days learning piano theory, history, improv, etc. I hope she finds a teacher that she likes so I can get the kids set up for lessons starting in the Fall. C tends to complain about piano, but he's pretty good, and he wants to play drums and guitar. Our rule has been that the kids need to stick with piano as long as they have any interest in other instruments. Besides, it's an important exposure to theory, but also piano and music history.
C is going to a nature day camp for a week in June through the elementary school. He is going to have a great time, I'm sure. The nice thing about it being through the school is that the cost is minimal - yay! I've also been looking into the free Tuesday movies starting in June.
My CPAP seems to be working pretty well. I saw my pulmonologist recently for my sleep study results. It turns out that, not only do I have sleep apnea, but I have a pretty severe case. The CPAP really helps the apnea. It hasn't really helped me fall asleep, so I'm typing this at 1:40am because of my insomnia. But, I've also been weaning off some other meds, so there are lots of possibilities. The main thing is that there is a good chance that the CPAP will help me feel better even if it doesn't completely cure the problem.
Book Reviews:
The Phantom Tollbooth - I never read this book as a child, but many of you will recognize it as a childhood classic. We did it as a read-aloud a week or two ago. It was really funny. The premise is that Milo is a little boy who is never content to be where he is or what he is doing. He finds a toy tollbooth in his room, so he gets in his toy car and goes by the tollbooth and he is transported into another land. The story revolves around his adventures in Dictionopolis and his quest to bring back Rhyme and Reason. C's notebook page about this book was his recounting of the section about the "whether" man - after all, it is more important to know "whether" there will be weather than what the weather is! (paraphrase from the book). I strongly recommend this as a read-aloud for age 7 or above or a reader for a child who can read chapter books independently.
Theras and his Town - This is a Sonlight reader about an Athenian boy who is sent to live in Sparta. It does a good job of showing the stark differences in the city-states. It is clearly written for a pre-teen audience. We have not seen the movie 300 (and, I'm not sure if I want to - it sounds pretty gory), but this book provides a nice scaffold on which to "hang" stories like the Battle of Thermopylae.
Hittite Warrior - Another wonderful Sonlight book. The main character is a Hittite who is sent to live with Sisera (a Philistine). He gets detoured to Tyre and gets caught up in running from the city for assisting with preventing the sacrifice of a child to the god Moloch. The story revolves around the Biblical account of the judge Deborah and the battle between the Israelites and the army of Sisera. Great book for preteens to teens.
Mara, Daughter of the Nile - Also a Sonlight reader. This is a great book for preteens on up to adults. I was fascinated without feeling like I was being "taught" anything. Mara is a slave girl who is bought and sent to Thebes as a spy. In the meantime, she becomes a double agent, spying for both sides and planning to stick with whoever comes out on top. But, she falls in love, complicating the entire plan. Great read!
Archimedes and the Door of Science - I haven't yet finished this. I love all the stuff about Archimedes, but the author puts a lot of physics in the book which slows it down. Of course, the point is to give a biography of Archimedes, but also to explain the things that he was able to discover. Not a bad book, but I'm not overly thrilled.
D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths - I pre-read this one since it is listed as a reader, but C really wants us to do it as a read-aloud, which we will. The myths are told in an engaging style and in an order that helped me to understand some of the relationships between mortals and gods, etc.
Infidel - A biography of John Newton, best known for being the converted slave trader who wrote "Amazing Grace". I'm not quite finished with this book, but it has been a real page-turner. Newton's depravity during his early adult life was shocking (even by modern standards), but his conversion was complete, even if not instantaneous. This book can give hope to any parent with a wayward child. Part of Newton's conversion experience had to do with his early religious instruction from his mother.
The Ides of April - Yet another Sonlight book. This is a wonderful story about murder and intrigue in ancient Rome. When a prominent Roman citizen is murdered, all the slaves in the household are to be executed. Hylas, a 17 year old slave, manages to escape capture and is able to convince a young Roman tribune to help clear the slaves of wrongdoing and to plead for mercy. Hylas also meets another man who risks his own life to help the slaves. In the end, we learn that he is a Christian.
The Bronze Bow - Sonlight reader. An excellent story about a boy who learns to hate with all his being but is transformed by the love of Jesus and learns to love instead of hate. Very rich characters and texture to the book. The characters are believable and likable. It is an uplifting story about the power of the itinerant preacher who was actually the Savior in flesh among us.
Movie Reviews:
Bridge to Terabithia - Wonderful, wonderful movie. I have heard great things about the book, but had never read it. The movie is beautifully set and well-acted. It is about children and for children, but adults will love it as well. We see people learn to change through love and imagination.
TV Reviews:
Monk - Crime drama with a main character who has obsessive compulsive disorder. I haven't seen anything objectionable in the show (well, except for the murders, but it is a crime drama after all). Not only that, it is funny and well-acted. I let the kids watch with me. It's certainly not high drama, but it is fun.
Robin Hood - This is on BBC America. It just started this season, so I've only seen three episodes. Overall, I really like it. It is fun to watch. The good guys always win. The only issue I have is that Islam is clearly given preference to Christianity. Robin Hood quotes at times from the Koran. He also speaks negatively about the Crusades (not war in general, but the purpose of the Crusades, which is not a subject for a line here or there - The Crusades were complex military and political events). There is almost nothing positive about Christianity in the show. But, it's a fun 30 minutes to watch. I just keep my eyes and ears open for anything the kids and I need to discuss afterwards.
The kids and I did a presentation at 4H on first aid. Overall, it went pretty well. I think the kids learned some things. I tried to intersperse talking with demonstrations and role playing in groups. They really liked using the Vet-wrap for simulated sprains and strains (Vet-wrap is the veterinary version of Coban or self-adherant bandage material - it's way cheaper although I did have to get it in the veterinary section of Fleet Farm!).
Well, it's 2am and I think I'm getting sleepy. We got 2 DVDs on birds from Netflix today. We are supposed to have 6 to 8 inches of snow tomorrow, so I think it will be a good time to watch DVDs and listen to our history CDs. I'll try to post more regularly.
L and C started Sonlight Core 6 within the last month or so. Overall, we are loving it. Our Bible curriculum is a Children's Bible Field Guide (aka Bible Handbook). It takes 36 weeks to give a good overview of the whole Bible. There are 5 activities for each week, but I have been just doing 3 or 4. C needed to do a Creation Poster for AWANA about the same time that we were studying Creation (chapter 2) in their Bible book. So, I had both kids make Creation pages - one page for each Day of Creation. C took his pages to AWANA instead of a poster and now they will go in their Bible notebooks. The kids made the pages on the computer with Paint. We are also reading through the Bible in a One-Year Daily Bible for Kids. We do this reading in the evening. We have had lots of opportunities for discussion.
The History/Geography this Core is World History through the Middle Ages. So far, we've worked on ancient Egypt, Sumer, the Indus Valley, China, and sub-Saharan Africa. We have The Story of the World on CD, so I get to sit and knit while we are listening to it. I have not been using Sonlight's map activities. Unfortunately, those have always gotten pushed to the side. This year, though, we are using maps that I print off the Usborne site (we also use the Usborne Encyclopedia of World History). This has been working very nicely. C circles things that I want him to remember. L circles important items, but also writes notes off to the sides. We are doing lots of notebooking, with variable results. C doesn't like to add pictures to his work so I think I am going to start typing his (I've been writing them for him and it takes a while and he talks fast!) and not worrying about pictures. When he does pictures, they tend to be more abstract and conceptual than actual pictures of the items about which we are studying. We were doing vocabulary work, but I have dropped that. Both kids have excellent vocabularies so we were adding unpleasant work that gave minimal benefit. My Dad gave P a book called Tyndale Handbook of Bible Charts and Maps. What a great resource that has been! I use lots of their maps to discuss what we are reading in Bible (in the morning, we are in 2 Chronicles, at night we are in 1 Chronicles - it's a little confusing right now, but we will move more quickly with our nighttime reading, so we won't be reading similar passages within a week or so) and history. Between those maps, the globe, and the Usborne maps, I think the kids are getting a much larger dose of geography this year. I'm much more interested in L learning some of the details. I just want C to get an overview.
L is doing lots of writing, and not just with her notebooking. She has not complained much at all about it. She does not like the assignments in which she has to make a rough draft and then a final copy - spelling is her nemesis. She is really very good at grammar, but doesn't get it right when she is writing off the cuff. So, her final drafts require some work. We have gone back to Sonlight's dictation and activity sheets. The kids are tolerating them quite well. I see them both learning a good bit from it. C is really taking off with his reading. He continues to get reading lessons weekly, but I am also adding new concepts (but slowly). C is doing lots of reading captions of pictures which is pretty new. He is learning new phonics rules that way, too.
Our science study is really pretty fun right now. We are using a book called Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day of Creation. It is written by an author who is an unabashedly young-earth creationist. I lean toward old-earth creationism. This leads to some interesting discussions with the kids. L enjoys the discussions, but C gets confused by them, so I have to be careful about when we talk about such abstract concepts. In any case, we are starting by learning about birds. We made a bird "map" last week in which we learned the different field marks of birds. This morning, we made two bird feeders, each of which has different kinds of seed. The kids have been avidly watching birds and looking them up in their field guides. I bought them little notebooks and they are starting to fill in when, where, and what they see. After P gets our feeders up, we will have lots of birds around. We also have a suet feeder and a hummingbird feeder. Our yard isn't very big, but I'm betting it will be busy!!
We have also done some "extra" activities. Both kids did notebook pages about Mozart (the homeschool play this year is "Of Mice and Mozart"). We watched a DVD last week about Bonhoeffer. A lot of it went over C's head, but L learned a good bit. I had to spend some time with C discussing World War 2 and Hitler. He has heard bits and pieces about that time in history, but we spent a little time looking at our timeline to try to help him understand it.
L and C's piano teacher is retiring this year. We were going to change to a different piano teacher in the fall, anyway, but this makes it more pressing (as well as easier emotionally). L is going to Lawrence University's Piano Odyssey day camp this summer. She is excited about spending 5 full days learning piano theory, history, improv, etc. I hope she finds a teacher that she likes so I can get the kids set up for lessons starting in the Fall. C tends to complain about piano, but he's pretty good, and he wants to play drums and guitar. Our rule has been that the kids need to stick with piano as long as they have any interest in other instruments. Besides, it's an important exposure to theory, but also piano and music history.
C is going to a nature day camp for a week in June through the elementary school. He is going to have a great time, I'm sure. The nice thing about it being through the school is that the cost is minimal - yay! I've also been looking into the free Tuesday movies starting in June.
My CPAP seems to be working pretty well. I saw my pulmonologist recently for my sleep study results. It turns out that, not only do I have sleep apnea, but I have a pretty severe case. The CPAP really helps the apnea. It hasn't really helped me fall asleep, so I'm typing this at 1:40am because of my insomnia. But, I've also been weaning off some other meds, so there are lots of possibilities. The main thing is that there is a good chance that the CPAP will help me feel better even if it doesn't completely cure the problem.
Book Reviews:
The Phantom Tollbooth - I never read this book as a child, but many of you will recognize it as a childhood classic. We did it as a read-aloud a week or two ago. It was really funny. The premise is that Milo is a little boy who is never content to be where he is or what he is doing. He finds a toy tollbooth in his room, so he gets in his toy car and goes by the tollbooth and he is transported into another land. The story revolves around his adventures in Dictionopolis and his quest to bring back Rhyme and Reason. C's notebook page about this book was his recounting of the section about the "whether" man - after all, it is more important to know "whether" there will be weather than what the weather is! (paraphrase from the book). I strongly recommend this as a read-aloud for age 7 or above or a reader for a child who can read chapter books independently.
Theras and his Town - This is a Sonlight reader about an Athenian boy who is sent to live in Sparta. It does a good job of showing the stark differences in the city-states. It is clearly written for a pre-teen audience. We have not seen the movie 300 (and, I'm not sure if I want to - it sounds pretty gory), but this book provides a nice scaffold on which to "hang" stories like the Battle of Thermopylae.
Hittite Warrior - Another wonderful Sonlight book. The main character is a Hittite who is sent to live with Sisera (a Philistine). He gets detoured to Tyre and gets caught up in running from the city for assisting with preventing the sacrifice of a child to the god Moloch. The story revolves around the Biblical account of the judge Deborah and the battle between the Israelites and the army of Sisera. Great book for preteens to teens.
Mara, Daughter of the Nile - Also a Sonlight reader. This is a great book for preteens on up to adults. I was fascinated without feeling like I was being "taught" anything. Mara is a slave girl who is bought and sent to Thebes as a spy. In the meantime, she becomes a double agent, spying for both sides and planning to stick with whoever comes out on top. But, she falls in love, complicating the entire plan. Great read!
Archimedes and the Door of Science - I haven't yet finished this. I love all the stuff about Archimedes, but the author puts a lot of physics in the book which slows it down. Of course, the point is to give a biography of Archimedes, but also to explain the things that he was able to discover. Not a bad book, but I'm not overly thrilled.
D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths - I pre-read this one since it is listed as a reader, but C really wants us to do it as a read-aloud, which we will. The myths are told in an engaging style and in an order that helped me to understand some of the relationships between mortals and gods, etc.
Infidel - A biography of John Newton, best known for being the converted slave trader who wrote "Amazing Grace". I'm not quite finished with this book, but it has been a real page-turner. Newton's depravity during his early adult life was shocking (even by modern standards), but his conversion was complete, even if not instantaneous. This book can give hope to any parent with a wayward child. Part of Newton's conversion experience had to do with his early religious instruction from his mother.
The Ides of April - Yet another Sonlight book. This is a wonderful story about murder and intrigue in ancient Rome. When a prominent Roman citizen is murdered, all the slaves in the household are to be executed. Hylas, a 17 year old slave, manages to escape capture and is able to convince a young Roman tribune to help clear the slaves of wrongdoing and to plead for mercy. Hylas also meets another man who risks his own life to help the slaves. In the end, we learn that he is a Christian.
The Bronze Bow - Sonlight reader. An excellent story about a boy who learns to hate with all his being but is transformed by the love of Jesus and learns to love instead of hate. Very rich characters and texture to the book. The characters are believable and likable. It is an uplifting story about the power of the itinerant preacher who was actually the Savior in flesh among us.
Movie Reviews:
Bridge to Terabithia - Wonderful, wonderful movie. I have heard great things about the book, but had never read it. The movie is beautifully set and well-acted. It is about children and for children, but adults will love it as well. We see people learn to change through love and imagination.
TV Reviews:
Monk - Crime drama with a main character who has obsessive compulsive disorder. I haven't seen anything objectionable in the show (well, except for the murders, but it is a crime drama after all). Not only that, it is funny and well-acted. I let the kids watch with me. It's certainly not high drama, but it is fun.
Robin Hood - This is on BBC America. It just started this season, so I've only seen three episodes. Overall, I really like it. It is fun to watch. The good guys always win. The only issue I have is that Islam is clearly given preference to Christianity. Robin Hood quotes at times from the Koran. He also speaks negatively about the Crusades (not war in general, but the purpose of the Crusades, which is not a subject for a line here or there - The Crusades were complex military and political events). There is almost nothing positive about Christianity in the show. But, it's a fun 30 minutes to watch. I just keep my eyes and ears open for anything the kids and I need to discuss afterwards.
The kids and I did a presentation at 4H on first aid. Overall, it went pretty well. I think the kids learned some things. I tried to intersperse talking with demonstrations and role playing in groups. They really liked using the Vet-wrap for simulated sprains and strains (Vet-wrap is the veterinary version of Coban or self-adherant bandage material - it's way cheaper although I did have to get it in the veterinary section of Fleet Farm!).
Well, it's 2am and I think I'm getting sleepy. We got 2 DVDs on birds from Netflix today. We are supposed to have 6 to 8 inches of snow tomorrow, so I think it will be a good time to watch DVDs and listen to our history CDs. I'll try to post more regularly.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
NOT "Just a Cold"!
So, after 36 hours of terrible throat pain, swollen lymph nodes, and ear pain, I decided to go see the PA in the clinic this morning. I mostly wanted help with all the inflammation in my throat - my uvula is swollen and I can really feel that sensation in my throat. I was thinking that a couple of days of a low-dose steroid might help things out. The PA (the wife of one of my former partners - they hired her after I left) took a good history and did a good exam and told me that it might be a virus, but my throat looked awful, and I didn't have a cough (something that usually comes with a virus and that both kids had), so she wanted to do a strep test. Indeed, it was positive - apparently, very strongly positive. So, now I'm on amoxicillin and we decided against trying any steroids. I'm using a steroid nose spray, so that may help some of the inflammation around the eustacian tubes. I was so convinced it was a virus, but the PA saw some signs that pointed to Strep. Not only that, she had an objective physical exam to help guide her, not just a list of symptoms. This is another example of how practicing medicine is an art and a science - practice by algorithm just won't work.
Movie Reviews:
Akeelah and the Bee - Wonderful movie! This movie is the story of a girl in a middle school in LA who is a good speller and loves words. She wins her school's first spelling bee and moves all the way up to the National Spelling Bee, where she ties for first place. There is very little negative about this movie. I believe it is rated PG because of some foul language by some minor characters. In addition, Akeelah's brother has friends in a gang, and her sister is an unwed mother. Akeelah deceives her mother about the spelling bee. She is allowed to continue in the spelling bee, but is punished for lying. The positives, though, far outweigh the negatives in this film. The wonder and power of words is displayed throughout the film. The spelling bee, and Akeelah's hard work in participating, brings together a community - her brother's friends who are probably gang members help her to practice her words, the family and community watches on TV, her teachers and a former university professor spend time with her to prepare her for the bee. At the end of the movie, Akeelah and another boy both demonstrate that they want to win the spelling bee honestly and not because their opponent has given less than their best effort. My final recommendation is that this is a great movie for the entire family, although kids probably need to be 7 or 8 to stay interested and follow the story.
The Magic Flute - Yes, this is the Mozart opera. The kids are doing the play "Of Mice and Mozart" this year for the homeschool play, so I had us watch Amadeus and I will have us do a little more research about Mozart and his music. After we watched Amadeus, L asked if we could watch The Magic Flute. She wanted to see it because it was written for the common people, not the nobility. Of course, it is sung in German, but we had subtitles. C was not terribly interested in the movie, so we only read the subtitles out loud when he asked. L and I really enjoyed the music. I have never thought of myself as an opera-lover, but I really liked listening to this music. It did help that the words were on the screen, so I didn't have to work to listen for them. The problem, though, was that the story got kind of convoluted, so we had trouble following at times. I think that Mozart composed this opera to a story that was known to the people of the day (if that is incorrect, please feel free to correct me, but it is the impression I got from Amadeus). It may have been easier for Mozart's contemporaries to understand, but we still had some trouble with it. In any case, the costumes and set were wonderful. The singing was amazing. Of course, the composition itself was magnificent. I can't imagine too many other 11 year olds wanting to see opera, but I would recommend The Magic Flute if they express an interest.
Amadeus - what can I say? The music of Mozart is simply amazing. The story of Salieri and Mozart is quite fictionalized, according to some other reading that we did later, but it provided an interesting framework for the movie. The kids didn't really like the movie, but they did learn a little about Mozart. I have ordered a documentary of Mozart's life from Netflix to compare with this movie.
Book Reviews:
Getting Things Done - by David Allen. I'm a sucker for books about organization. This one is really very good. His theme is that you need to get all the stuff you need to do out of your head and onto paper (or into the computer/PDA). Then, you need to manage your to-do lists and in-basket on a regular basis. This way, you don't have to worry about forgetting things or having stuff get lost in your to-do-lists.
A Charlotte Mason Education - by Catherine Levinson. I wanted to get a better idea about Charlotte Mason's ideas since they have become quite prevalent among homeschoolers. In addition, the curriculum we use, Sonlight, does use some Charlotte Mason ideas. Basically, though, the only idea that I find really useful from Charlotte Mason is narration. I agree that children should narrate back to us what we have read aloud to them or what they have read themselves. This is more effective than just asking questions, because it requires them to synthesize the information, not just parrot it back. So many of her other ideas, though, are very dated and/or should be used with just younger children. She recommends the use of nature notebooks for the majority of science education. The use of these notebooks is wonderful for biology and even some geology and other earth science things. However, there needs to be some systematic education in the other areas of science. Charlotte Mason also has very little to say about math except that concrete concepts should be taught before abstract concepts. Children should be able to see a reason for the math that they do. Overall, I have not found this to be a really helpful book. I was already doing narrations. Many of the other ideas and recommendations are either useful for children younger than mine or not adequate for a technological society like our own.
L did her first opinion paper this week. She wrote about why she likes cats. It is excellent for her age. She has a creative mind and uses words like a surgeon with her surgical instruments. Unfortunately, she doesn't like to write. We are going to do lots more writing with our notebooking that we start next week, and I hope that she can start to see how it really isn't all that hard! I'm also going to be better about letting her writing for history/geography/literature be graded on the content, not the mechanics. She will have plenty of opportunities to have the mechanics of her writing graded. I'm looking forward to our new "paradigm" of school. I know that my kids will do well with it - I just hope that they give it a chance early on so that we don't spend the first few weeks arguing over how to "do school".
I think I've written quite enough today. Now it's time for a nap, and then time for putting together next semester's notebooks. The nap sounds really good right now, though.
Movie Reviews:
Akeelah and the Bee - Wonderful movie! This movie is the story of a girl in a middle school in LA who is a good speller and loves words. She wins her school's first spelling bee and moves all the way up to the National Spelling Bee, where she ties for first place. There is very little negative about this movie. I believe it is rated PG because of some foul language by some minor characters. In addition, Akeelah's brother has friends in a gang, and her sister is an unwed mother. Akeelah deceives her mother about the spelling bee. She is allowed to continue in the spelling bee, but is punished for lying. The positives, though, far outweigh the negatives in this film. The wonder and power of words is displayed throughout the film. The spelling bee, and Akeelah's hard work in participating, brings together a community - her brother's friends who are probably gang members help her to practice her words, the family and community watches on TV, her teachers and a former university professor spend time with her to prepare her for the bee. At the end of the movie, Akeelah and another boy both demonstrate that they want to win the spelling bee honestly and not because their opponent has given less than their best effort. My final recommendation is that this is a great movie for the entire family, although kids probably need to be 7 or 8 to stay interested and follow the story.
The Magic Flute - Yes, this is the Mozart opera. The kids are doing the play "Of Mice and Mozart" this year for the homeschool play, so I had us watch Amadeus and I will have us do a little more research about Mozart and his music. After we watched Amadeus, L asked if we could watch The Magic Flute. She wanted to see it because it was written for the common people, not the nobility. Of course, it is sung in German, but we had subtitles. C was not terribly interested in the movie, so we only read the subtitles out loud when he asked. L and I really enjoyed the music. I have never thought of myself as an opera-lover, but I really liked listening to this music. It did help that the words were on the screen, so I didn't have to work to listen for them. The problem, though, was that the story got kind of convoluted, so we had trouble following at times. I think that Mozart composed this opera to a story that was known to the people of the day (if that is incorrect, please feel free to correct me, but it is the impression I got from Amadeus). It may have been easier for Mozart's contemporaries to understand, but we still had some trouble with it. In any case, the costumes and set were wonderful. The singing was amazing. Of course, the composition itself was magnificent. I can't imagine too many other 11 year olds wanting to see opera, but I would recommend The Magic Flute if they express an interest.
Amadeus - what can I say? The music of Mozart is simply amazing. The story of Salieri and Mozart is quite fictionalized, according to some other reading that we did later, but it provided an interesting framework for the movie. The kids didn't really like the movie, but they did learn a little about Mozart. I have ordered a documentary of Mozart's life from Netflix to compare with this movie.
Book Reviews:
Getting Things Done - by David Allen. I'm a sucker for books about organization. This one is really very good. His theme is that you need to get all the stuff you need to do out of your head and onto paper (or into the computer/PDA). Then, you need to manage your to-do lists and in-basket on a regular basis. This way, you don't have to worry about forgetting things or having stuff get lost in your to-do-lists.
A Charlotte Mason Education - by Catherine Levinson. I wanted to get a better idea about Charlotte Mason's ideas since they have become quite prevalent among homeschoolers. In addition, the curriculum we use, Sonlight, does use some Charlotte Mason ideas. Basically, though, the only idea that I find really useful from Charlotte Mason is narration. I agree that children should narrate back to us what we have read aloud to them or what they have read themselves. This is more effective than just asking questions, because it requires them to synthesize the information, not just parrot it back. So many of her other ideas, though, are very dated and/or should be used with just younger children. She recommends the use of nature notebooks for the majority of science education. The use of these notebooks is wonderful for biology and even some geology and other earth science things. However, there needs to be some systematic education in the other areas of science. Charlotte Mason also has very little to say about math except that concrete concepts should be taught before abstract concepts. Children should be able to see a reason for the math that they do. Overall, I have not found this to be a really helpful book. I was already doing narrations. Many of the other ideas and recommendations are either useful for children younger than mine or not adequate for a technological society like our own.
L did her first opinion paper this week. She wrote about why she likes cats. It is excellent for her age. She has a creative mind and uses words like a surgeon with her surgical instruments. Unfortunately, she doesn't like to write. We are going to do lots more writing with our notebooking that we start next week, and I hope that she can start to see how it really isn't all that hard! I'm also going to be better about letting her writing for history/geography/literature be graded on the content, not the mechanics. She will have plenty of opportunities to have the mechanics of her writing graded. I'm looking forward to our new "paradigm" of school. I know that my kids will do well with it - I just hope that they give it a chance early on so that we don't spend the first few weeks arguing over how to "do school".
I think I've written quite enough today. Now it's time for a nap, and then time for putting together next semester's notebooks. The nap sounds really good right now, though.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
"Just a Cold"
When I was in practice, I saw lots of people (especially in the winter) with viral upper respiratory infections - i.e. "colds". I tried really hard, though, not to use the term "just a cold" because I wanted to validate their symptoms and not act as if they weren't really sick. Unfortunately, a number of people believed that they needed an antibiotic if they were "really" sick. I had to do a lot of teaching to convince people that a virus can make you just as sick, if not more so, than a bacteria. I also had to work to help them understand that it is quite uncommon to have an upper respiratory infection that is caused primarily by bacteria - usually, the virus causes the first illness and the bacteria come in and cause a secondary infection.
For the last two days, I have been able to really sympathize with how sick one can be with "just a cold". I started out with a sore throat, but progressed yesterday to fever, chills, post-nasal drip, muscle pain, and overall "yuckiness". I started feeling some better yesterday after the fever broke. Right now, I have a terrible sore throat with bilateral ear pain and swollen and tender lymph nodes. This is more than you wanted to know, I'm sure. The point is that I was reminded in a big way yesterday just how sick one can get from a "cold". Unfortunately, when the kids had this, they were sick for two weeks. I'm praying for a shorter course.
One of the funniest things that happened when the kids were sick was when I was on the phone with the doctor's office. Both kids had started wheezing, so I called the doctor's office to see about getting an albuterol inhaler for them. While I was talking to the nurse, both kids started saying very loudly in the background that they needed to go see the doctor. I got them to be quiet until I was done on the phone, but then turned to them and said, "And what do you think I am?" Their answer was that they wanted to see a "real" doctor because they were still soooo sick. Well, they are better now - all without a visit to the "real" doctor!
This was supposed to be our last week on Africa, but we haven't gotten nearly as much done as I wanted with everyone being sick, etc. But, we are starting Core 6 on Monday. We need to move on! I am going to get the everything organized today and tomorrow. I'm hoping my throat will be better on Monday so I can read. We are using The Story of the World for our history "spine" and I got the book on CD (unabridged), so I can have us listen to that. In any case, I'm looking forward to the change. We can pick up modern history of Africa as we do current events this year - I'll just make sure to have them do some current events reading about some of the countries that are in crisis. We have been reading a good book about three ancient African kingdoms, but I see that those will be covered in Core 6 this year (Core 6 is World History).
The kids aren't up yet. L asked me to get The Magic Flute from Netflix after we watched Amadeus. We started watching it, but only got through about 30 minutes (and I was working in the kitchen, so I couldn't see the subtitles). I think we're going to watch that today and I'll have the kids play some educational games. I also got Cry Freedom, but I don't think I'll try to get the kids to watch it today. It might hold L's attention, but I'm pretty sure that C will get bored. I'd like to get more information about apartheid "under our belts" before we try a movie like that otherwise, we'd never get to watch the movie - I'd just be answering background questions for them.
I'm knitting a little jacket and socks for our neighbor's new baby. I'm having a great time with it, and it is moving along quickly. It's very good for days like today when I'll be mostly sitting around.
For the last two days, I have been able to really sympathize with how sick one can be with "just a cold". I started out with a sore throat, but progressed yesterday to fever, chills, post-nasal drip, muscle pain, and overall "yuckiness". I started feeling some better yesterday after the fever broke. Right now, I have a terrible sore throat with bilateral ear pain and swollen and tender lymph nodes. This is more than you wanted to know, I'm sure. The point is that I was reminded in a big way yesterday just how sick one can get from a "cold". Unfortunately, when the kids had this, they were sick for two weeks. I'm praying for a shorter course.
One of the funniest things that happened when the kids were sick was when I was on the phone with the doctor's office. Both kids had started wheezing, so I called the doctor's office to see about getting an albuterol inhaler for them. While I was talking to the nurse, both kids started saying very loudly in the background that they needed to go see the doctor. I got them to be quiet until I was done on the phone, but then turned to them and said, "And what do you think I am?" Their answer was that they wanted to see a "real" doctor because they were still soooo sick. Well, they are better now - all without a visit to the "real" doctor!
This was supposed to be our last week on Africa, but we haven't gotten nearly as much done as I wanted with everyone being sick, etc. But, we are starting Core 6 on Monday. We need to move on! I am going to get the everything organized today and tomorrow. I'm hoping my throat will be better on Monday so I can read. We are using The Story of the World for our history "spine" and I got the book on CD (unabridged), so I can have us listen to that. In any case, I'm looking forward to the change. We can pick up modern history of Africa as we do current events this year - I'll just make sure to have them do some current events reading about some of the countries that are in crisis. We have been reading a good book about three ancient African kingdoms, but I see that those will be covered in Core 6 this year (Core 6 is World History).
The kids aren't up yet. L asked me to get The Magic Flute from Netflix after we watched Amadeus. We started watching it, but only got through about 30 minutes (and I was working in the kitchen, so I couldn't see the subtitles). I think we're going to watch that today and I'll have the kids play some educational games. I also got Cry Freedom, but I don't think I'll try to get the kids to watch it today. It might hold L's attention, but I'm pretty sure that C will get bored. I'd like to get more information about apartheid "under our belts" before we try a movie like that otherwise, we'd never get to watch the movie - I'd just be answering background questions for them.
I'm knitting a little jacket and socks for our neighbor's new baby. I'm having a great time with it, and it is moving along quickly. It's very good for days like today when I'll be mostly sitting around.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Random musings at 1 am
So, why am I awake at 1am? Because I can't sleep. I took a nap today because I was so tired and felt so rotten, so now I can't sleep (but the headache seems a little better). I'm afraid I'm getting the kids' cold because I have developed a sore throat today. Talk about great timing.
During my insomnia I watched a show about North Korea while I was knitting. The show was on National Geographic if you want to see if you can catch it another time. I was very interested because they had a doctor (not sure what nationality, but looked Asian and spoke excellent English) who went there to do cataract surgery. The team had to take all their own equipment and a generator (because North Korean cities have frequent blackouts). In 10 days time, the surgeon did cataract surgery on 1000 people. What I thought was most interesting, though, was how the people reacted after the bandages were removed and they could see again. They didn't thank the doctor or the team that came to help. They bowed before pictures of Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sun (I think I have the names right - they are the current and previous dictators of North Korea) and thanked "The Great Leader" for their recoveries. How crazy!! If they lived in a developed country, like South Korea, They would have doctors and facilities in the country for this kind of work. The surgeries weren't fancy - it was basic cataract surgery.
Watching something like this is exactly what is needed to help us remember the freedom that we have in our country, not to mention our incredible standard of living. (North Korea lost about 3 million people due to famine in the 1990s - despite lots of outside aid.) It is also a stark reminder to pray for Christians in North Korea. This show did not discuss persecution of Christians, but it was very clear that the population is expected to worship the "Great Leader". That can't bode well for Christians. So, I will intensify my prayers for the unreached peoples of the world.
On a similar note, my sister in law gave me an excellent book called, "Voices of the Faithful" by Beth Moore. It is organized into daily stories from missionaries around the world. Some are amazing stories of miracles to protect the missionaries. Others show how God uses seemingly bad circumstances for our good. Others show the Gospel at work in transforming people's lives. I highly recommend this.
We have started doing evening Bible reading in addition to our morning Bible study. We started it because I have been doing things like The Case for Faith for kids and Money Matters for Teens along with Bible reading. Now, at night, we read The Daily Bible for Kids which has a portion of Scripture along with some questions for discussion (which we may or may not use). Next week, when we start Core 6, we will start their Bible curriculum, which looks to be excellent. It is a 36 week survey of the Bible. The first couple of chapters are about the canon and the organization of the Bible. Then, after that, they go through Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. I think it is going to be great. We also work on C's Awana during the day. We have started doing it together which gives L another chance to review those verses (since she's too old for Awana).
What occurred to me today was the verse Deuteronomy 6:4-8 4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." I realized that we are now reading Scripture and talking about God's commands and plan for our lives "when we lie down and when we get up". The two verses that follow this talk about binding them to our foreheads and tying them on our hands - where the Orthodox Jews take the command for making phylacteries. In any case, this Scripture in Deuteronomy is so important in reminding us to teach our children about the Lord. It says to "impress" these commandments on our children. Taking them to Sunday School isn't enough. We are commanded to make sure our kids are exposed to Scripture. What they do with it is between them and God, but as long as they live with us, we are required to continue to study Scripture with our families.
Well, I think I'm finally tired enough to sleep. More later.
During my insomnia I watched a show about North Korea while I was knitting. The show was on National Geographic if you want to see if you can catch it another time. I was very interested because they had a doctor (not sure what nationality, but looked Asian and spoke excellent English) who went there to do cataract surgery. The team had to take all their own equipment and a generator (because North Korean cities have frequent blackouts). In 10 days time, the surgeon did cataract surgery on 1000 people. What I thought was most interesting, though, was how the people reacted after the bandages were removed and they could see again. They didn't thank the doctor or the team that came to help. They bowed before pictures of Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sun (I think I have the names right - they are the current and previous dictators of North Korea) and thanked "The Great Leader" for their recoveries. How crazy!! If they lived in a developed country, like South Korea, They would have doctors and facilities in the country for this kind of work. The surgeries weren't fancy - it was basic cataract surgery.
Watching something like this is exactly what is needed to help us remember the freedom that we have in our country, not to mention our incredible standard of living. (North Korea lost about 3 million people due to famine in the 1990s - despite lots of outside aid.) It is also a stark reminder to pray for Christians in North Korea. This show did not discuss persecution of Christians, but it was very clear that the population is expected to worship the "Great Leader". That can't bode well for Christians. So, I will intensify my prayers for the unreached peoples of the world.
On a similar note, my sister in law gave me an excellent book called, "Voices of the Faithful" by Beth Moore. It is organized into daily stories from missionaries around the world. Some are amazing stories of miracles to protect the missionaries. Others show how God uses seemingly bad circumstances for our good. Others show the Gospel at work in transforming people's lives. I highly recommend this.
We have started doing evening Bible reading in addition to our morning Bible study. We started it because I have been doing things like The Case for Faith for kids and Money Matters for Teens along with Bible reading. Now, at night, we read The Daily Bible for Kids which has a portion of Scripture along with some questions for discussion (which we may or may not use). Next week, when we start Core 6, we will start their Bible curriculum, which looks to be excellent. It is a 36 week survey of the Bible. The first couple of chapters are about the canon and the organization of the Bible. Then, after that, they go through Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. I think it is going to be great. We also work on C's Awana during the day. We have started doing it together which gives L another chance to review those verses (since she's too old for Awana).
What occurred to me today was the verse Deuteronomy 6:4-8 4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." I realized that we are now reading Scripture and talking about God's commands and plan for our lives "when we lie down and when we get up". The two verses that follow this talk about binding them to our foreheads and tying them on our hands - where the Orthodox Jews take the command for making phylacteries. In any case, this Scripture in Deuteronomy is so important in reminding us to teach our children about the Lord. It says to "impress" these commandments on our children. Taking them to Sunday School isn't enough. We are commanded to make sure our kids are exposed to Scripture. What they do with it is between them and God, but as long as they live with us, we are required to continue to study Scripture with our families.
Well, I think I'm finally tired enough to sleep. More later.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
I Love Homeschooling
The week has been a mix of good and bad in the schooling department. The kids have taken a while to get back into the swing of doing schoolwork every day. I've been trying the "less is more" approach to school - spending less time on assignments, but doing things to get more out of the time we have. By the end of the week, though, things were going much better. For one thing, I have changed the rule that the kids each get one hour of "media" per day. I have made it so that they have to earn any media they get. I have also gotten much more firm about presenting a good attitude about school and chores.
The result has been that the end of the week was really pretty good as far as school goes. On Friday, I was having trouble getting our reading (Bible, history, and geography) done because the kids kept asking questions and getting off on "rabbit trails". They were showing significant ability to synthesize information by bringing their own experiences to bear on the conversation. So, I didn't mind that it took a little longer. P sold me (in "eduspeak") that I was teaching the children instead of teaching the subject. In addition, L finished writing the main part of her first opinion paper - without fussing about it.
One of the most interesting things that happened yesterday occurred when P was reading to us out of a "fun book" - that is, a book unrelated to school. We have been reading The Guardians of Ga'Hoole series because L has really gotten into them. They are about owls, and L has learned quite a bit about owls from doing lots of internet searches. She did her science fair project on owls, but really didn't need to do much more research because she had been reading so much about owls. In any case, there is a situation in the book we were reading where one of the bad owls tried to pose as the mother (believed to be dead) of one of the good owls. The story gets a little complex from there. This led us, though, to a discussion of recognizing falsehood from truth. The good owl eventually did recognize that the bad owl was not her mother because of subtle differences. We talked about being able tell truth from falsehood theologically by knowing the Bible and having a real relationship with Jesus. P gave a good example of how the Jehovah's Witness mistranslate John 1:1. Their translation states: "In the beginning was the word, and the word was a god and the word was with God." The actual translation is "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word was with God." L recognized the difference and had some understanding of how dramatically that changes one's understanding of the nature of God. After another chapter, P brought up to the kids how it becomes easier to sin, the more that you do it. P taught them the phrase "the searing of the conscience" and reminded them about the importance of a relationship with God and consistent obedience.
Don't get me wrong - these were not all lectures from the parents to the kids. We would ask some leading questions and the kids kept the conversation going. This is the part of homeschooling that I love. It is also the most important part of homeschooling. No matter what educational option we choose, P and I are responsible for making sure that our children are well-trained in spiritual matters. While the other stuff has it's place, P and I want our children to know Jesus and learn to obey him as early as possible in their lives.
We have survived the two winter storms we have had this week. Overall, we got a foot of snow. The temperatures have moderated some, though, so we aren't freezing. Thursday, though, we were supposed to get a lot of ice, so P and I made sure we knew where the candles, flashlights, and kerosene heater were. I've never been without power when it's really cold. When I was growing up in Florida, we would lose power in a storm, but we could open up the doors and windows after the storm had passed. Up here, it would get pretty chilly if the heater wasn't working. That being said, we have a kerosene heater for emergencies, and several of our neighbors have fireplaces.
P piled up a bunch of snow in the back yard that the kids have used for sledding and snowboarding. The hill is only about 4 feet high, not like our big, long hill at our previous house. But, it gives them something to do in the snow.
L and I made creamy garlic and onion soup yesterday. It is just delicious!! The kids change every month from helping me with kitchen work or laundry. L is now helping in the kitchen, while C is helping with laundry. They both prefer kitchen work over laundry. I make them set the table and put away dishes and other unpleasant duties, but they get to cook, which they both love. L is ready to learn menu planning as well. I suppose I should actually do some menu planning ;-) I found a chart on the internet giving laundry instructions. They had it in a form that I could modify, so I changed it up to fit our situation and taped it up in the basement to help the kids remember how to do the settings for the different loads.
C is at the AWANA games today. L and I were supposed to go, but I woke up with a raging migraine this am. I had one earlier this week, but it wasn't real bad. This one, though, has been pretty unpleasant, so P took C to the games and got another parent to agree to bring him home. P has a meeting at church this afternooon. It was supposed to be Thursday night, but the storm cancelled pretty much everything.
Well, next week is our last week on Africa. We are working on African history. I want them to have some understanding of European colonization and the process of decolonization. But, we are pretty ready for Core 6. We are going to be starting notebooking then. We will also be using The Story of the World on CD, so I will have a little break from reading. I have also decided that we are going to do composer pages to go with the songs they are learning in piano lessons.
I have been prolific today, but now I'm pretty wiped out. I'm off to take a nap or do some scrapbooking. Let's see how much energy I have.
The result has been that the end of the week was really pretty good as far as school goes. On Friday, I was having trouble getting our reading (Bible, history, and geography) done because the kids kept asking questions and getting off on "rabbit trails". They were showing significant ability to synthesize information by bringing their own experiences to bear on the conversation. So, I didn't mind that it took a little longer. P sold me (in "eduspeak") that I was teaching the children instead of teaching the subject. In addition, L finished writing the main part of her first opinion paper - without fussing about it.
One of the most interesting things that happened yesterday occurred when P was reading to us out of a "fun book" - that is, a book unrelated to school. We have been reading The Guardians of Ga'Hoole series because L has really gotten into them. They are about owls, and L has learned quite a bit about owls from doing lots of internet searches. She did her science fair project on owls, but really didn't need to do much more research because she had been reading so much about owls. In any case, there is a situation in the book we were reading where one of the bad owls tried to pose as the mother (believed to be dead) of one of the good owls. The story gets a little complex from there. This led us, though, to a discussion of recognizing falsehood from truth. The good owl eventually did recognize that the bad owl was not her mother because of subtle differences. We talked about being able tell truth from falsehood theologically by knowing the Bible and having a real relationship with Jesus. P gave a good example of how the Jehovah's Witness mistranslate John 1:1. Their translation states: "In the beginning was the word, and the word was a god and the word was with God." The actual translation is "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word was with God." L recognized the difference and had some understanding of how dramatically that changes one's understanding of the nature of God. After another chapter, P brought up to the kids how it becomes easier to sin, the more that you do it. P taught them the phrase "the searing of the conscience" and reminded them about the importance of a relationship with God and consistent obedience.
Don't get me wrong - these were not all lectures from the parents to the kids. We would ask some leading questions and the kids kept the conversation going. This is the part of homeschooling that I love. It is also the most important part of homeschooling. No matter what educational option we choose, P and I are responsible for making sure that our children are well-trained in spiritual matters. While the other stuff has it's place, P and I want our children to know Jesus and learn to obey him as early as possible in their lives.
We have survived the two winter storms we have had this week. Overall, we got a foot of snow. The temperatures have moderated some, though, so we aren't freezing. Thursday, though, we were supposed to get a lot of ice, so P and I made sure we knew where the candles, flashlights, and kerosene heater were. I've never been without power when it's really cold. When I was growing up in Florida, we would lose power in a storm, but we could open up the doors and windows after the storm had passed. Up here, it would get pretty chilly if the heater wasn't working. That being said, we have a kerosene heater for emergencies, and several of our neighbors have fireplaces.
P piled up a bunch of snow in the back yard that the kids have used for sledding and snowboarding. The hill is only about 4 feet high, not like our big, long hill at our previous house. But, it gives them something to do in the snow.
L and I made creamy garlic and onion soup yesterday. It is just delicious!! The kids change every month from helping me with kitchen work or laundry. L is now helping in the kitchen, while C is helping with laundry. They both prefer kitchen work over laundry. I make them set the table and put away dishes and other unpleasant duties, but they get to cook, which they both love. L is ready to learn menu planning as well. I suppose I should actually do some menu planning ;-) I found a chart on the internet giving laundry instructions. They had it in a form that I could modify, so I changed it up to fit our situation and taped it up in the basement to help the kids remember how to do the settings for the different loads.
C is at the AWANA games today. L and I were supposed to go, but I woke up with a raging migraine this am. I had one earlier this week, but it wasn't real bad. This one, though, has been pretty unpleasant, so P took C to the games and got another parent to agree to bring him home. P has a meeting at church this afternooon. It was supposed to be Thursday night, but the storm cancelled pretty much everything.
Well, next week is our last week on Africa. We are working on African history. I want them to have some understanding of European colonization and the process of decolonization. But, we are pretty ready for Core 6. We are going to be starting notebooking then. We will also be using The Story of the World on CD, so I will have a little break from reading. I have also decided that we are going to do composer pages to go with the songs they are learning in piano lessons.
I have been prolific today, but now I'm pretty wiped out. I'm off to take a nap or do some scrapbooking. Let's see how much energy I have.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Winter - again, finally
Well, we have a Winter Wonderland outside again! We got about 4 inches of snow last night. We were supposed to go to the homeschool science fair this morning, but L is still just not feeling well. She was going to try to go, but her cough just won't quit. P and I took the board up to the church hall last night, but her paper, owl pellets, and owl calls (on her dad's Palm) are still here. Unfortunately, her board by itself does not really tell about her project. She really needed to be there to talk to the judges. But, P and I are the ones who really have to evaluate her project and we are pleased with her work. So, we'll stay home today while the children cough.
I'm getting the hang of the CPAP finally. I have slept well the last 2 nights with it. Last night, it didn't even take long for me to fall asleep (which has been a source of frustration for me). I'm still having headaches, and I'm not sure if they're really improved any yet. Everything gets very confused when the kids are sick. I hope they're all better by Monday. We've lost a full week of "regular" school and I'd like to catch up. Like the consummate homeschooler, though, I'm not calling the week a total loss. We have been reading books out loud. We have also been learning to give each other a lot of grace - we've all needed it with this week!
I'm getting the hang of the CPAP finally. I have slept well the last 2 nights with it. Last night, it didn't even take long for me to fall asleep (which has been a source of frustration for me). I'm still having headaches, and I'm not sure if they're really improved any yet. Everything gets very confused when the kids are sick. I hope they're all better by Monday. We've lost a full week of "regular" school and I'd like to catch up. Like the consummate homeschooler, though, I'm not calling the week a total loss. We have been reading books out loud. We have also been learning to give each other a lot of grace - we've all needed it with this week!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
The Great White North - really?
It got to 55 degrees today - in February! We've had a 3 day warm spurt so most of the snow is melted, and what isn't melted gets icy on the top in the morning. I wouldn't object so much if it were actually spring. As it is, the weather forecast calls for cooling and we will have lows in the single digits again by Tuesday. Tonight, we are forecast to have rain - February!!
My CPAP is still requiring some adjustment. P woke me up this morning because I had taken it off and I wasn't breathing well. Last night, I spent about 30 minutes adjusting everything and then couldn't sleep for an hour (despite being really tired to begin with). If I can't get things working the way that I want by next week, I'm going to ask about a mask.
My kids are still recovering. L had a high fever last night, but seems to be improved today. She still has a really bad sore throat (not surprising, given the redness and rawness of her throat). C has been doing a bunch of coughing today. L has missed 2 days of art class. She isn't too worried because she can always go in after school to finish projects. I hope that she improves enough tonight so that she can finish her science fair project by Friday afternoon - we set up on Friday night and the fair is on Saturday.
One of the most exciting things that is happening is that Core 6 from Sonlight comes tomorrow or Friday. We have less than a month left to finish Core 5 (Eastern Hemisphere with an emphasis on the least evangelized cultures), and we're excited to see what we will be studying in Core 6. The Core includes Bible/history/geography/social sciences. We got the new science book in the mail today. We are going to use Apologia's Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day (referring to the days of Creation). The science book encourages the use of notebooking - recording whatever one learns in a notebook. The kids haven't been doing much notebooking, but L appears to be interested in it. It will be a little more challenging with C because of his dyslexia, but I think we can make it work. I'm hoping we can use notebooking with all of our subjects because it sounds like a great way to synthesize what they have learned.
My CPAP is still requiring some adjustment. P woke me up this morning because I had taken it off and I wasn't breathing well. Last night, I spent about 30 minutes adjusting everything and then couldn't sleep for an hour (despite being really tired to begin with). If I can't get things working the way that I want by next week, I'm going to ask about a mask.
My kids are still recovering. L had a high fever last night, but seems to be improved today. She still has a really bad sore throat (not surprising, given the redness and rawness of her throat). C has been doing a bunch of coughing today. L has missed 2 days of art class. She isn't too worried because she can always go in after school to finish projects. I hope that she improves enough tonight so that she can finish her science fair project by Friday afternoon - we set up on Friday night and the fair is on Saturday.
One of the most exciting things that is happening is that Core 6 from Sonlight comes tomorrow or Friday. We have less than a month left to finish Core 5 (Eastern Hemisphere with an emphasis on the least evangelized cultures), and we're excited to see what we will be studying in Core 6. The Core includes Bible/history/geography/social sciences. We got the new science book in the mail today. We are going to use Apologia's Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day (referring to the days of Creation). The science book encourages the use of notebooking - recording whatever one learns in a notebook. The kids haven't been doing much notebooking, but L appears to be interested in it. It will be a little more challenging with C because of his dyslexia, but I think we can make it work. I'm hoping we can use notebooking with all of our subjects because it sounds like a great way to synthesize what they have learned.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
More about the CPAP
Well, I used my CPAP machine for about half the night last night. I don't recall taking it off, but I vaguely remember seeing that the clock said 3am and that I didn't have it on. It took a long while to get to sleep with it on last night. I woke up with terrible sinus pain (which is sometimes how a migraine starts) so I don't know if I'm trying to get used to the CPAP or if I had a migraine. I was sleepy today, so I took a nap with the CPAP and did much better with it. We'll see how tonight goes. One concern that I do have is that the tubing and mask are all supposed to be cleaned daily (according to the manufacturer's info) or every 2-3 days (according to the home health company). Either way, it's several minutes of work that needs to be done. The home health company recommended that I cover the tubing with fleece or something similar for insulation. I agreed that this was important since the tubing goes from the machine, along the window, and then to my mask. Last night, I found some purple fleece and made a nice little cover for the tubing (that is easy to take on and off - important since it has to be cleaned so often). I think it's very cute - I was very glad that my sewing machine stays set up for just such emergencies.
C has been very sick since last night. He had a bit of a sore throat yesterday morning, which I didn't worry about. He felt well enough to go to the bowling party yesterday afternoon, but developed a fever, cough, and runny nose in the evening. He has had the symptoms all day today. He really looks sick. I called the clinic about whether or not to have him tested for influenza and we decided against it. In this area, rimantidine-resistance is very common among the influenza virus, so they use Tamiflu. However, there are now concerns about Tamiflu causing delirium and there have been cases of kids trying to hurt themselves while on Tamiflu. So, I'm pretty sure he's got influenza, but we're going to wait it out. One of the other homeschool moms whose kids were at the bowling party sent out an email today that her kids were diagnosed with influenza today. I'm not sure that they gave it to C, and C may have given it to her kids - what a mess! C is sleeping in the living room tonight with me so that P can get some sleep tonight. He has to be at church at 7am.
I ordered our next year's curriculum this week!! We use Sonlight for the Core subjects (history/geography/etc.) and for language arts (I've decided that the workbooks take too much time and aren't a really great fit for L). We are going to be using Apologia Elementary Science - we're going to start with "Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day of Creation". I'm also planning on implementing notebooking with the kids. The science curriculum is built around notebooking. I'm going to have the kids start keeping notebooks for their other subjects, as well. We've started some of that already: I have them keeping a vocabulary list from our study of Africa. I would add some map work, but that is covered in another resource. The notebooking concept is going to require some adjustment in how we think about doing schoolwork. I want them to start to expand their thinking on a topic - do more than just what we've read together - instead of just "doing the minimum" to get by. I'm already starting to pray for the kids' response to this as well as my own attitude. I'm pretty excited about the new Core - we are going to spend 2 years studying World History (and, necessarily, geography, politics, sociology, etc.). The science curriculum is intended to cover one school year. After that, I will probably have L do the Apologia General Science and have C do the elementary Astronomy or "Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day of Creation". P laughs at my planning so far in the future. I know that things are very likely to change, but I want to always be looking ahead so that I can be prepared.
C has been very sick since last night. He had a bit of a sore throat yesterday morning, which I didn't worry about. He felt well enough to go to the bowling party yesterday afternoon, but developed a fever, cough, and runny nose in the evening. He has had the symptoms all day today. He really looks sick. I called the clinic about whether or not to have him tested for influenza and we decided against it. In this area, rimantidine-resistance is very common among the influenza virus, so they use Tamiflu. However, there are now concerns about Tamiflu causing delirium and there have been cases of kids trying to hurt themselves while on Tamiflu. So, I'm pretty sure he's got influenza, but we're going to wait it out. One of the other homeschool moms whose kids were at the bowling party sent out an email today that her kids were diagnosed with influenza today. I'm not sure that they gave it to C, and C may have given it to her kids - what a mess! C is sleeping in the living room tonight with me so that P can get some sleep tonight. He has to be at church at 7am.
I ordered our next year's curriculum this week!! We use Sonlight for the Core subjects (history/geography/etc.) and for language arts (I've decided that the workbooks take too much time and aren't a really great fit for L). We are going to be using Apologia Elementary Science - we're going to start with "Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day of Creation". I'm also planning on implementing notebooking with the kids. The science curriculum is built around notebooking. I'm going to have the kids start keeping notebooks for their other subjects, as well. We've started some of that already: I have them keeping a vocabulary list from our study of Africa. I would add some map work, but that is covered in another resource. The notebooking concept is going to require some adjustment in how we think about doing schoolwork. I want them to start to expand their thinking on a topic - do more than just what we've read together - instead of just "doing the minimum" to get by. I'm already starting to pray for the kids' response to this as well as my own attitude. I'm pretty excited about the new Core - we are going to spend 2 years studying World History (and, necessarily, geography, politics, sociology, etc.). The science curriculum is intended to cover one school year. After that, I will probably have L do the Apologia General Science and have C do the elementary Astronomy or "Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day of Creation". P laughs at my planning so far in the future. I know that things are very likely to change, but I want to always be looking ahead so that I can be prepared.
Friday, February 16, 2007
My new machine
I had a sleep study last night because of my headaches and because I snore (my husband says that the snoring has gotten worse over the last year and a half). And, it turns out that I have obstructive sleep apnea. They sent me home with a nice, new CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine to use at night when I'm sleeping.
A little more than a year ago, I went for a sleep study, but I wasn't able to finish it because I got a migraine during the night and couldn't sleep. My husband had to come pick me up at 1am - and the hospital is 35 minutes away! So, I was a little apprehensive about going for this sleep study. The good news is that I didn't have a migraine during the study, but the bad news is that I had a migraine during the day before the study! But, I took my migraine meds and things stayed under control. I couldn't nap during the day (what I usually do when I have a migraine) so I was good and tired when they were ready for me to sleep.
During the sleep study, they monitored heart rate and rhythm, leg movement, brain waves, blood oxygen level, and air movement from my mouth and nose. I had sensors and wires everywhere! I didn't sleep well at all during the first part of the study, but I slept enough for them to see that I was having events where my breathing became extremely shallow. The tech said that I didn't stop breathing very often, though. Halfway through the night, the tech came and put a CPAP mask on me. I slept very well for the rest of the night. The CPAP provides a steady stream of air through my nose so that the tissue of my airway stays open and I breathe normally.
This morning (at 6:30am!!) the tech from the home health company was at the hosptital and taught me how to use the machine. Instead of a mask, I am using "nasal pillows" - a device that sits right under my nose and blows air. I still have straps around and over my head to keep the device in place. The machine heats and humidifies the air before it gets to the "nasal pillows". This is quite important up here with the nighttime temps that have been in the single digits this week. I took a nap this afternoon with the machine. I was so happy with the quiet and ease of use of the machine as well as how well I slept.
So, will this take away all the headaches and make me all better? The pulmonologist was doubtful about that. He thinks that I may get a 20% improvement or so. But, I'm keeping an open mind. God is in control of this whole situation. If He wants me to get better, that will be wonderful, but if He chooses for me to continue to have problems, that's OK too. "...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Phil 4:11-13. I can't really say that I've learned to be content, but rather that I'm learning to be content. I'm further down the road now than I was a year ago, and God is still teaching me a lot about contentment, fulfillment, and rest.
A little more than a year ago, I went for a sleep study, but I wasn't able to finish it because I got a migraine during the night and couldn't sleep. My husband had to come pick me up at 1am - and the hospital is 35 minutes away! So, I was a little apprehensive about going for this sleep study. The good news is that I didn't have a migraine during the study, but the bad news is that I had a migraine during the day before the study! But, I took my migraine meds and things stayed under control. I couldn't nap during the day (what I usually do when I have a migraine) so I was good and tired when they were ready for me to sleep.
During the sleep study, they monitored heart rate and rhythm, leg movement, brain waves, blood oxygen level, and air movement from my mouth and nose. I had sensors and wires everywhere! I didn't sleep well at all during the first part of the study, but I slept enough for them to see that I was having events where my breathing became extremely shallow. The tech said that I didn't stop breathing very often, though. Halfway through the night, the tech came and put a CPAP mask on me. I slept very well for the rest of the night. The CPAP provides a steady stream of air through my nose so that the tissue of my airway stays open and I breathe normally.
This morning (at 6:30am!!) the tech from the home health company was at the hosptital and taught me how to use the machine. Instead of a mask, I am using "nasal pillows" - a device that sits right under my nose and blows air. I still have straps around and over my head to keep the device in place. The machine heats and humidifies the air before it gets to the "nasal pillows". This is quite important up here with the nighttime temps that have been in the single digits this week. I took a nap this afternoon with the machine. I was so happy with the quiet and ease of use of the machine as well as how well I slept.
So, will this take away all the headaches and make me all better? The pulmonologist was doubtful about that. He thinks that I may get a 20% improvement or so. But, I'm keeping an open mind. God is in control of this whole situation. If He wants me to get better, that will be wonderful, but if He chooses for me to continue to have problems, that's OK too. "...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Phil 4:11-13. I can't really say that I've learned to be content, but rather that I'm learning to be content. I'm further down the road now than I was a year ago, and God is still teaching me a lot about contentment, fulfillment, and rest.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Colder than cold!!
I absolutely love living in "The Great White North", but it can get a little trying when it gets as cold as it has been the last week. The temperatures yesterday were so cold that the schools were all closed. But, with homeschooling, my kids still had to do schoolwork. Today, it has been above zero - believe it or not, I think that's almost warm! In any case, our home has been nice and warm.
I went to Houston last weekend for my college roommate's 40th birthday. It was a surprise for her that I was coming - and was she surprised!! I had a great time seeing her again. We went out and ate boiled crawfish (one of my favorite meals). Her husband had planned the entire weekend without her knowledge. There was a birthday party at a restaurant with his and her parents, friends, and some of her friends from high school. She knew about none of this! It was a blast!
Our family sat down last week and redid our chore lists for everyone. Previously, I had listed out what everyone needs to do and when. This didn't really seem to be working as well as I would have liked. So, this time, we worked together to list all the routine work that needs to be done and divided it up with each person volunteering for his/her favorite (or least offensive, at least) chores. I also have set it up so that one child helps me with the kitchen and the other with the laundry. We switch off who it is each month. Ideally, I would like to teach them to manage the laundry and to plan/cook/serve meals and clean up afterwards. Right now, I just want the basic housework to get done even if I'm not feeling well.
It has been a week and the kids seem to think that our system is working pretty well right now. I still have to remind the kids to get some stuff done. L was not too happy about having to help me with laundry because the basement is so cold right now. But, we're figuring it all out. I'm optimistic about it.
I got the kids signed up for dance for this semester. They love their classes, but I am having to drive to Point twice a week. L takes jazz (a new class for her) and tap on Monday and ballet on Tuesday. C takes jazz on Tuesday. Our carpoolling system for Tuesdays is a little complicated, but I think it will end up being OK. There are three families that are carpooling for Tuesdays.
P is taking a reading class this semester. It is a class to help him work with kids who may show up for his classes with poor reading skills. He is also glad to learn more about how kids learn to read, given C's dyslexia. But, P just got home from class, so I'm off to talk to him - he's been gone almost all day and evening! And, I'm going to sit in my rocker with my feet on my footwarmer and my hat on my head and be warm!!
I went to Houston last weekend for my college roommate's 40th birthday. It was a surprise for her that I was coming - and was she surprised!! I had a great time seeing her again. We went out and ate boiled crawfish (one of my favorite meals). Her husband had planned the entire weekend without her knowledge. There was a birthday party at a restaurant with his and her parents, friends, and some of her friends from high school. She knew about none of this! It was a blast!
Our family sat down last week and redid our chore lists for everyone. Previously, I had listed out what everyone needs to do and when. This didn't really seem to be working as well as I would have liked. So, this time, we worked together to list all the routine work that needs to be done and divided it up with each person volunteering for his/her favorite (or least offensive, at least) chores. I also have set it up so that one child helps me with the kitchen and the other with the laundry. We switch off who it is each month. Ideally, I would like to teach them to manage the laundry and to plan/cook/serve meals and clean up afterwards. Right now, I just want the basic housework to get done even if I'm not feeling well.
It has been a week and the kids seem to think that our system is working pretty well right now. I still have to remind the kids to get some stuff done. L was not too happy about having to help me with laundry because the basement is so cold right now. But, we're figuring it all out. I'm optimistic about it.
I got the kids signed up for dance for this semester. They love their classes, but I am having to drive to Point twice a week. L takes jazz (a new class for her) and tap on Monday and ballet on Tuesday. C takes jazz on Tuesday. Our carpoolling system for Tuesdays is a little complicated, but I think it will end up being OK. There are three families that are carpooling for Tuesdays.
P is taking a reading class this semester. It is a class to help him work with kids who may show up for his classes with poor reading skills. He is also glad to learn more about how kids learn to read, given C's dyslexia. But, P just got home from class, so I'm off to talk to him - he's been gone almost all day and evening! And, I'm going to sit in my rocker with my feet on my footwarmer and my hat on my head and be warm!!
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Knitting update!
Knitting has been a wonderful pastime for me over the last couple of years. It is one of the few things that I can do when I have a headache. It is also wonderful for making gifts! I try to take pictures of all of my projects to put in a knitting journal that my mother-in-law gave me.
This is a sweater that I knitted for my mom. It was fun to learn to do the stitches that it involved. I learned basket-weave and bobbles. I also had to learn to rip out a section that was done poorly and redo it. The yarn is a basic acrylic that is a little heavier than worsted.
For Christmas presents for a number of young ladies this year, I made watches. I ordered the watch faces online (very reasonable - less than $5 each!) and made watchbands for them. This is a thin band with a small watch face. I also used some really big watch faces with thick watch bands. The yarn was different types of sock yarn. This picture shows a glittery blue yarn. I also made one of pink cotton sock yarn and several of self-striping wool sock yarn. I tried using some thicker yarns, but didn't like the results.
This is a sweater that I knitted for my mom. It was fun to learn to do the stitches that it involved. I learned basket-weave and bobbles. I also had to learn to rip out a section that was done poorly and redo it. The yarn is a basic acrylic that is a little heavier than worsted.
For Christmas presents for a number of young ladies this year, I made watches. I ordered the watch faces online (very reasonable - less than $5 each!) and made watchbands for them. This is a thin band with a small watch face. I also used some really big watch faces with thick watch bands. The yarn was different types of sock yarn. This picture shows a glittery blue yarn. I also made one of pink cotton sock yarn and several of self-striping wool sock yarn. I tried using some thicker yarns, but didn't like the results.This is one of my favorite projects! A friend gave me a knitting calendar with zillions of patterns. There are several patterns for wrist warmers (gauntlets as my daughter calls them). These have a shell-type pattern knitted into them, which was the first time that I knitted a pattern like this. The yarn is a fun, shimmery blue sock yarn which works great for this.
I'm currently working on a sweater for a friend and a sweater for myself. This summer and fall I need to make sweaters for the kids because the ones I did a few years ago are too small. I also have a guitar strap for my husband on the needles as well as a tie for him. I need to get back to work on the tie now that he is in the classroom regularly learning to teach. I am using 100% cotton sock yarn (self-striping) for the tie. The guitar strap is being done with some heavy duty yarn that is a little thinner than worsted. I'll put up pictures of those when they're done!
I really enjoy that knitting is portable. I am going to be taking kids to dance twice a week this semester, so it will be nice to have something to do with my hands while I watch them dance or chat with other parents. I want to make socks or slippers for the kids with some of my leftover worsted weight wool, and they are very easy projects to take with me.
P and the kids gave me some fat needles and a book with patterns. I am planning to cut some worn-out jeans and t-shirts into strips and try my hand at rag knitting. But, that may be in a few months. I still have to keep the house clean and school the kids!
If you like knitting, check out the Knitty website. I love their patterns! I also like to catch Knitty Gritty on DIY network when I get the chance.
More later. C has been on the Nintendo way too long. Time to get him to something vaguely constructive.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Warm and Snug
When I got up this am, it was -3 degrees F outside. But, inside our house it was 68 degrees F. Thanks you, Lord, for a good furnace!! When we bought this house, I was a little concerned about what winter would be like. This is a cute house, but it is probably 60 years old and has mostly original windows. But, the original windows all have storm windows on the outside, so we can keep the cold air at bay. Our upstairs is pretty chilly, though. One bedroom (mine and P's) has a heater vent, another has a grate in the floor to let heat up from the main floor, and the other bedroom (L's) has no source of heat. L refuses to keep her door open at night, though, because the cats come in and jump on her at night! Despite that, her room is not really freezing - she sleeps under a comforter and a sleeping bag.
We have a fuel oil furnace now, which took a little getting used to. The fuel oil company will come around and fill our tank every month or so. Our other house had natural gas so we didn't have to worry about a tank and all that.
We also have a sidewalk in front of out house now which has to be kept free of snow. There are a couple of inconveniences, though. Since we don't have an attached garage, we have to keep a path from the door to the garage clear. It is also a small garage and P hasn't gotten it clean enough to put the car in yet. The van will have to stay outside. Our trash cans are right outside the back door, but I still got pretty cold putting trash and recycling out into the cans.
Having a small house has required some significant changes for us. We have taken loads of stuff to Goodwill, but still have some storage issues. Our basement is finally pretty clear, but still needs to be organized.
I have been thinking lately about the whole issue of having so much "stuff". P and I read the book Margin by Dr. Richard Swenson a few years ago and were very convicted about having such overloaded lives. We got rid of a bunch of stuff then, but still had way too much for our lives right now. We have also had to learn to be careful about using our time. Not having so much stuff and having a smaller house will mean that we have to spend less time taking care of our stuff. I have realized that there are many shows on TV about organizing and cleaning out our houses. It seems that our society has gotten so stuff-overloaded that we can't even take care of it all!
I caught a little bit of Nanny 911 on TV last night when I was walking on the treadmill and was pretty appalled by what I saw - the family, not the nanny. One parent was looking for the kids to meet her needs for friendship while the other parent was not really paying attention to the kids. No wonder they were out of control! I think, though, that the underlying issue of overload may be at play here. The family was too overloaded (i.e. too tired and busy) to really relate to each other. I may hate my headaches, but they have forced us to deal with the excess stuff (material, time, emotional) in our lives.
Well, that's enough for being philosophic. I'm off to do some more knitting!
We have a fuel oil furnace now, which took a little getting used to. The fuel oil company will come around and fill our tank every month or so. Our other house had natural gas so we didn't have to worry about a tank and all that.
We also have a sidewalk in front of out house now which has to be kept free of snow. There are a couple of inconveniences, though. Since we don't have an attached garage, we have to keep a path from the door to the garage clear. It is also a small garage and P hasn't gotten it clean enough to put the car in yet. The van will have to stay outside. Our trash cans are right outside the back door, but I still got pretty cold putting trash and recycling out into the cans.
Having a small house has required some significant changes for us. We have taken loads of stuff to Goodwill, but still have some storage issues. Our basement is finally pretty clear, but still needs to be organized.
I have been thinking lately about the whole issue of having so much "stuff". P and I read the book Margin by Dr. Richard Swenson a few years ago and were very convicted about having such overloaded lives. We got rid of a bunch of stuff then, but still had way too much for our lives right now. We have also had to learn to be careful about using our time. Not having so much stuff and having a smaller house will mean that we have to spend less time taking care of our stuff. I have realized that there are many shows on TV about organizing and cleaning out our houses. It seems that our society has gotten so stuff-overloaded that we can't even take care of it all!
I caught a little bit of Nanny 911 on TV last night when I was walking on the treadmill and was pretty appalled by what I saw - the family, not the nanny. One parent was looking for the kids to meet her needs for friendship while the other parent was not really paying attention to the kids. No wonder they were out of control! I think, though, that the underlying issue of overload may be at play here. The family was too overloaded (i.e. too tired and busy) to really relate to each other. I may hate my headaches, but they have forced us to deal with the excess stuff (material, time, emotional) in our lives.
Well, that's enough for being philosophic. I'm off to do some more knitting!
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Science Experiment
My daughter has been really into owls lately because she is reading "The Guardians of Ga'hoole" series of books. We actually did a short unit on owls a month or so ago. But, we never got around to doing the owl pellets experiment. So, yesterday we took out the pellets (there were 3 in the pack I ordered) and all the supplies and went to work. C didn't want to do it at first, but once he got into it he liked it. He didn't make it through the whole dissection - he got through half of it and got bored. I finished his pellet. He did really well for an 8 year old. L got through the dissection, but put the bones in a bag that she will sort out later.
A little background: Owls eat their food whole and digest it in their stomachs and the rest of the GI tract. What can't be broken down in the stomach (hair, fur, bones, etc.) is stored in the gizzard and later regurgitated as a pellet. I got pellets from a scientific supply store so that they had been disinfected. We dissected them with forceps.
Both kids really enjoyed doing this. L did it as part of her science fair project, so she still needs to organize the bones and try to figure out what the owl had eaten. It was really a pretty fun project.
A little background: Owls eat their food whole and digest it in their stomachs and the rest of the GI tract. What can't be broken down in the stomach (hair, fur, bones, etc.) is stored in the gizzard and later regurgitated as a pellet. I got pellets from a scientific supply store so that they had been disinfected. We dissected them with forceps.
Both kids really enjoyed doing this. L did it as part of her science fair project, so she still needs to organize the bones and try to figure out what the owl had eaten. It was really a pretty fun project.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
A New Year!
So, we are in to a new year. P and I both turn 40 this year. I never thought it would be that much of a milestone, but it really does feel different to be coming up to a new decade in life. P's birthday is before mine, so he will be 40 six months earlier than I will be!!
We spent Christmas with my parents and my brother and his wife and son. On the last night we were there, my brother's best friend from high school and his wife and daughter came over for dinner. It was really strange realizing that my brother, his friend, and I have known each other for almost 30 years. I still remember that I liked N more than any of my brother's other friends. He was the one who was nice to me!
But, now, we were all there with our spouses and kids. It was kind of strange to remember being in that same room 22 years ago when I was about to graduate from high school. And then, all the visits and get-togethers over the years. My parents have remodeled the house, though, so some things have changed. But the changes have all been superficial. We all look different, but we are, in many ways, the same people we were in high school despite our college degrees, extra weight, and receding hairlines!!
The kids are having a little bit of trouble getting back into the swing of things this year. We haven't started full schoolwork yet because P and I want to get some work done cleaning out the basement, etc. I'm not sure we're really ready to get going on Monday or if we're going to wait for a couple more days. It's pretty nice having P around the house this last week.
I had a wicked migraine on Thursday and ended up in my doctor's office for some shots. What a mess. I came home and slept, but then was so tired on Friday that I took an afternoon nap. It's hard to get anything done when you're sleeping all the time!!
Well, C has a friend here today. Two rambunctious boys in this house - EEK! Better go keep an eye on them!
We spent Christmas with my parents and my brother and his wife and son. On the last night we were there, my brother's best friend from high school and his wife and daughter came over for dinner. It was really strange realizing that my brother, his friend, and I have known each other for almost 30 years. I still remember that I liked N more than any of my brother's other friends. He was the one who was nice to me!
But, now, we were all there with our spouses and kids. It was kind of strange to remember being in that same room 22 years ago when I was about to graduate from high school. And then, all the visits and get-togethers over the years. My parents have remodeled the house, though, so some things have changed. But the changes have all been superficial. We all look different, but we are, in many ways, the same people we were in high school despite our college degrees, extra weight, and receding hairlines!!
The kids are having a little bit of trouble getting back into the swing of things this year. We haven't started full schoolwork yet because P and I want to get some work done cleaning out the basement, etc. I'm not sure we're really ready to get going on Monday or if we're going to wait for a couple more days. It's pretty nice having P around the house this last week.
I had a wicked migraine on Thursday and ended up in my doctor's office for some shots. What a mess. I came home and slept, but then was so tired on Friday that I took an afternoon nap. It's hard to get anything done when you're sleeping all the time!!
Well, C has a friend here today. Two rambunctious boys in this house - EEK! Better go keep an eye on them!
Monday, December 11, 2006
Disabled
According to my disability insurance company's website, my claim is now "being paid" instead of in "initial review". So, I am officially disabled. I assume that the letter with all the info about the claim being paid will come within the next couple of days, but the website is pretty clear about what "being paid" means. Until now, I have been receiving benefits, but there has been this underlying fear that they would deny my claim and that we would have to do some serious re-evaluation of our family's life.
But, I'm not quite sure how I like the label of "disabled". I clearly can't work as a physician right now, but I have some underlying discomfort with being "disabled". In medical school, we all worked unless we were half-dead. It's hard to get past that expectation. I have a lovely migraine starting right now, so I think I'll go get my meds and go to bed.
But, I'm not quite sure how I like the label of "disabled". I clearly can't work as a physician right now, but I have some underlying discomfort with being "disabled". In medical school, we all worked unless we were half-dead. It's hard to get past that expectation. I have a lovely migraine starting right now, so I think I'll go get my meds and go to bed.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Headache woes
I thought my new meds were helping, but I've had a headache for about a week - not real bad, but disruptive to life. It wasn't a migraine until yesterday, and it was pretty mild until today. I'm feeling better, but not headache-free yet.
The kids are sick with colds, too. The combination of mom with a migraine and sick kids makes for little "school" work getting done. Today we watched "Survivorman" on The Science Channel. Our current science book is about survival skills, so watching a guy who is staying for 7 days in the Central American jungle seemed to fit right in! This afternoon we watched "India: Kingdom of the Tiger". It was more about tigers than India, but still fit nicely in the India unit that we're doing. I'm having to reschedule all of the kids' table work, though. They have very little concentration when they're sick.
Last night, L's cat jumped off her bed and broke a decorative stand. L was very upset. I agreed that I would help her clean her room, but no one's been up to it today. We haven't really cleaned and organized the kids' rooms since we moved into this house. Maybe this weekend.
Christmas is a tough time of year this year. The kids and I miss our old house - there's not enough room in this house for all the Christmas decorations. I've given a few to Goodwill and the rest I will rotate by year. I've also made a point of not committing to anything. C and I are supposed to go to a homeschool Christmas party tomorrow am, but I think we may skip it. I would like to have a day without a headache before I go to a party! There are some things that I won't miss, though. One of them is the jazz singer who will be performing at our church next weekend. I'll miss a lot of things, but her concert last year was amazing and I don't want to miss it this year!
The kids are sick with colds, too. The combination of mom with a migraine and sick kids makes for little "school" work getting done. Today we watched "Survivorman" on The Science Channel. Our current science book is about survival skills, so watching a guy who is staying for 7 days in the Central American jungle seemed to fit right in! This afternoon we watched "India: Kingdom of the Tiger". It was more about tigers than India, but still fit nicely in the India unit that we're doing. I'm having to reschedule all of the kids' table work, though. They have very little concentration when they're sick.
Last night, L's cat jumped off her bed and broke a decorative stand. L was very upset. I agreed that I would help her clean her room, but no one's been up to it today. We haven't really cleaned and organized the kids' rooms since we moved into this house. Maybe this weekend.
Christmas is a tough time of year this year. The kids and I miss our old house - there's not enough room in this house for all the Christmas decorations. I've given a few to Goodwill and the rest I will rotate by year. I've also made a point of not committing to anything. C and I are supposed to go to a homeschool Christmas party tomorrow am, but I think we may skip it. I would like to have a day without a headache before I go to a party! There are some things that I won't miss, though. One of them is the jazz singer who will be performing at our church next weekend. I'll miss a lot of things, but her concert last year was amazing and I don't want to miss it this year!
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
November 29
I haven't blogged in 3 weeks because I couldn't figure out how to sign in again. It turns out that I was supposed to be signing in with Blogger Beta and using my Google password - Eek!
Anyway, life around here is going pretty well. L and C both have colds so we are doing a movie day today. We are watching a movie about Buddha and one about India. India seems to be taking a long time, but I think it is just because we had an interruption for Thanksgiving. The kids seem to be doing OK with the same history/geography curriculum. I'm not as frazzled, at least.
I had my IME (independent medical exam) last week. It seemed to go OK. He seemed to agree that my disability claim is legitimate. That was nice because I was starting to feel like the insurance people think I'm lying. I would have preferred if he had suggested a treatment that might take away the headaches, but he just said that my current treatment seems reasonable.
I had a migraine on Thanksgiving morning - Yuck! P went to the store to get paper plates, cups, etc. and put in the turkey. I felt better enough by noon to make the gravy and veggies. Another family came to celebrate with us and we ended up having lots of fun.
We did Christmas decorations on Friday. The kids were adamant about getting the decorating done! The house does look nice, although it is pretty messy. The Christmas stuff is pretty, but takes up lots of space. I've also had to keep some stuff in boxes because this house is smaller than our previous. We're excited about Christmas, nonetheless!
Anyway, life around here is going pretty well. L and C both have colds so we are doing a movie day today. We are watching a movie about Buddha and one about India. India seems to be taking a long time, but I think it is just because we had an interruption for Thanksgiving. The kids seem to be doing OK with the same history/geography curriculum. I'm not as frazzled, at least.
I had my IME (independent medical exam) last week. It seemed to go OK. He seemed to agree that my disability claim is legitimate. That was nice because I was starting to feel like the insurance people think I'm lying. I would have preferred if he had suggested a treatment that might take away the headaches, but he just said that my current treatment seems reasonable.
I had a migraine on Thanksgiving morning - Yuck! P went to the store to get paper plates, cups, etc. and put in the turkey. I felt better enough by noon to make the gravy and veggies. Another family came to celebrate with us and we ended up having lots of fun.
We did Christmas decorations on Friday. The kids were adamant about getting the decorating done! The house does look nice, although it is pretty messy. The Christmas stuff is pretty, but takes up lots of space. I've also had to keep some stuff in boxes because this house is smaller than our previous. We're excited about Christmas, nonetheless!
Friday, November 10, 2006
The first snow!
It snowed today - and not just flurries! We have about 3 inches on the ground, but we are afraid that it won't last. The high temps in the next several days are supposed to be in the 40s. Well, the kids went outside today and played while it was snowing.
Our week in school did not go as smoothly as I would have liked. I have been letting the kids sleep till whenever they wanted and we started school around 10am or so. The problem is that we were having to do schoolwork until 4 or 5 in the afternoon, but the kids wanted to be done around 2. Well, I decided that we are going to do most of our school in the morning, so they will have to get up and moving more quickly than they would like. Besides, we have so many afternoon activities that interrupt our day that it doesn't make sense to count on having all afternoon. And, no one likes schooling till 8 at night.
Otherwise, I have been very happy with just doing Core 5 and not trying to get C's science and history reading in. We didn't do as much work on C's reading curriculum as I would like, but he is doing some reading on his own. He actually asked his dad if he (C) could read dad a book. He read Curious George without too much help! Mostly, we're thrilled that C wants to read. He used to just find it drudgery, but he is much happier with it now.
I am starting L with her new writing program on Monday. Pray for us. She does not like to write, although she is quite good when she finally gets around to it. But, her writing is that of a middle schooler, so she still has to do writing in school. She hasn't produced Pulitzer Prize winning material quite yet!!
I am knitting myself a sweater right now. It is a tunic-style and the yarn is such a nice, soft yarn that the sweater is going to be beautiful. I'm also working on some Christmas presents for some friends and family.
The Weight Watchers thing has been going fair. I didn't lose anything this week. I get very frustrated with being hungry. But, entering the foods in the computer has helped me quite a bit. I've been trying to walk on the treadmill frequently, but my knee has been giving me trouble. I've been working on some exercises for it, trying to stave off physical therapy, but I'm not sure it'll work. I'm giving it another week before I call my doctor again.
My teenage girls' group has been going really well. We're starting to form some bonds and get to know each other. They are a great group of girls.
Well, it's time to get Patrick to read to the kids. We're working on Around the World in 80 Days. We have all enjoyed it a lot, although it is definitely building the kids' vocabularies! More later.
Our week in school did not go as smoothly as I would have liked. I have been letting the kids sleep till whenever they wanted and we started school around 10am or so. The problem is that we were having to do schoolwork until 4 or 5 in the afternoon, but the kids wanted to be done around 2. Well, I decided that we are going to do most of our school in the morning, so they will have to get up and moving more quickly than they would like. Besides, we have so many afternoon activities that interrupt our day that it doesn't make sense to count on having all afternoon. And, no one likes schooling till 8 at night.
Otherwise, I have been very happy with just doing Core 5 and not trying to get C's science and history reading in. We didn't do as much work on C's reading curriculum as I would like, but he is doing some reading on his own. He actually asked his dad if he (C) could read dad a book. He read Curious George without too much help! Mostly, we're thrilled that C wants to read. He used to just find it drudgery, but he is much happier with it now.
I am starting L with her new writing program on Monday. Pray for us. She does not like to write, although she is quite good when she finally gets around to it. But, her writing is that of a middle schooler, so she still has to do writing in school. She hasn't produced Pulitzer Prize winning material quite yet!!
I am knitting myself a sweater right now. It is a tunic-style and the yarn is such a nice, soft yarn that the sweater is going to be beautiful. I'm also working on some Christmas presents for some friends and family.
The Weight Watchers thing has been going fair. I didn't lose anything this week. I get very frustrated with being hungry. But, entering the foods in the computer has helped me quite a bit. I've been trying to walk on the treadmill frequently, but my knee has been giving me trouble. I've been working on some exercises for it, trying to stave off physical therapy, but I'm not sure it'll work. I'm giving it another week before I call my doctor again.
My teenage girls' group has been going really well. We're starting to form some bonds and get to know each other. They are a great group of girls.
Well, it's time to get Patrick to read to the kids. We're working on Around the World in 80 Days. We have all enjoyed it a lot, although it is definitely building the kids' vocabularies! More later.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Overwhelmed
The only word to describe this week is overwhelming. We use Sonlight curriculum and I have been trying to do Core 5 with L and Core 2 with C. In addition, I'm using an intensive phonics program with C, and he has once a week lessons with a learning specialist. So, I've been really frustrated in trying to get everything done this week, especially with a migraine on Wednesday. L has been giving me trouble about writing. So far, she has mostly been writing paragraphs, but it's time for her to start writing essays and research papers. Unfortunately, she is adamant that she does not need to use outlines. The last time she told me this, I told her that when she is a Nobel Laureate she can tell me that she doesn't need outlines. In the meantime, she has to learn how to outline and write papers. The good news is that Apologia now has a writing program for middle schoolers. It looks great - very non-threatening. L is already upset about it because it talks about learning to do outlines in the first chapter. Well, this may require much prayer, but I'm optimistic it will work.
I have decided on a total redo of our curriculum for the next 12 weeks (that's when we finish the Core(s)). I am going to have both kids doing Core 5. We will do the Eastern Hemisphere Explorer together (all three of us), which should be good because L really doesn't like doing it (it's answering lots of questions and doing activities about the countries that she's reading about). In addition, I'll be reading aloud everything, including science, except the readers. I'm also going to have L doing some of the reading aloud. That may allow us to work while I'm doing laundry, etc. In any case, I hope that this will lower some of the stress about school. L and C will still have their math curriculum to do on their own. C will continue his phonics and learning to read. L will continue her grammar, punctuation, spelling, as well as starting her writing program.
When we finish this Core, I am going to have them both do Core 6. I will, though, add in a good bit of stuff from Core 1 for C. Several moms on the Sonlight forums have done this successfully.
Our small group (from our church) is going through the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University. We started another course on money management a couple of weeks ago because our church has been working through the material. But, we found the DVDs to be very sleep inducing! So, we decided to do Dave Ramsey instead. The other couple in our group (yes, a very small group!) hasn't done either of these programs before, and they really like the Dave Ramsey stuff so far. It is far more entertaining than the other program!
C is doing very well in learning to read. He enjoys his supplemental reading help now that she told him that he gets points for doing a good job. At his last lesson, he was very focused for almost 45 minutes. The teacher also recommended that I have him do some reading that is above his reading level. I gave him "The Fire Cat" to read this week and couldn't get him to put it down. He only needs help with about 5% of the words. He still doesn't always try to sound them out, but it is improving.
Well, it's late on a Saturday night. I'm going to work a little more on getting the kids' lessons in the computer and then go to bed!
I have decided on a total redo of our curriculum for the next 12 weeks (that's when we finish the Core(s)). I am going to have both kids doing Core 5. We will do the Eastern Hemisphere Explorer together (all three of us), which should be good because L really doesn't like doing it (it's answering lots of questions and doing activities about the countries that she's reading about). In addition, I'll be reading aloud everything, including science, except the readers. I'm also going to have L doing some of the reading aloud. That may allow us to work while I'm doing laundry, etc. In any case, I hope that this will lower some of the stress about school. L and C will still have their math curriculum to do on their own. C will continue his phonics and learning to read. L will continue her grammar, punctuation, spelling, as well as starting her writing program.
When we finish this Core, I am going to have them both do Core 6. I will, though, add in a good bit of stuff from Core 1 for C. Several moms on the Sonlight forums have done this successfully.
Our small group (from our church) is going through the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University. We started another course on money management a couple of weeks ago because our church has been working through the material. But, we found the DVDs to be very sleep inducing! So, we decided to do Dave Ramsey instead. The other couple in our group (yes, a very small group!) hasn't done either of these programs before, and they really like the Dave Ramsey stuff so far. It is far more entertaining than the other program!
C is doing very well in learning to read. He enjoys his supplemental reading help now that she told him that he gets points for doing a good job. At his last lesson, he was very focused for almost 45 minutes. The teacher also recommended that I have him do some reading that is above his reading level. I gave him "The Fire Cat" to read this week and couldn't get him to put it down. He only needs help with about 5% of the words. He still doesn't always try to sound them out, but it is improving.
Well, it's late on a Saturday night. I'm going to work a little more on getting the kids' lessons in the computer and then go to bed!
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