***A note: Today is Monday, May 2, 2011. I am reading through old entries and changing from the nicknames of the family back to the real names. I wanted to add to this blog that I now realize that all of the things I said I would have missed out on had I not homeschooled, I am not missing out on now that we're not homeschooling. There's not as much time for it all, but we somehow find a way to still do the important things. It is so sweet to be a family under God's grace.
I guess I understand to an extent when people tell me they "could never do it". Homeschool, I mean. I used to say it too. There were many reasons why I thought I couldn't and some days, I still think I can't. There is insecurity, cultural assumption, the need for a moment of quiet, the question of what to teach and how. I could build a road out of the many reasons I have been told (and have told myself about myself) that someone could never homeschool. I know people don't mean it ugly, at least most don't. But there is something in my heart that feels a little sad when it is said. It's a valid lifestyle, a sound educational opportunity. Not everyone has to do it but I do wish that those who are so opposed would learn to say a quiet "good for you" and move on, much the same way I have learned to respond on issues with the children of others that do not concern me.
Anyway, part of the reason I get sad is that I think of what all I would be missing out on if I weren't schooling my children at this time and in this season of life we're all in. I would miss out on giggles, morning devotions (we never had time for this when they were in school), discussions around the table about myriads of different things, puppets with my little one, reading about how the human body is fearfully and wonderfully made with my older child, the chance to teach history from a Christian perspective (as in -- the Bible is not just stories, but a valid part of the timeline), nighttime fun because school work is finished and put away, teaching them to crack eggs, learning one hymn a week.
Today, I found one of my favorite things. Washing their feet. Yes. You read me right. I love washing their feet. They played outside while I was changing the sheets on a loft bed. I looked out the window and saw them playing together under the swing set, digging away in the dirt. I rolled my eyes, dreading the mess. I let them finish, called them in, and they sat on the edge of the tub with their feet in the bubble bath. There were giggles, there was fun, and I was down on my knees washing the feet of those I hold most dear -- more giggles, it tickles! And really, that's what it's all about. For me, anyway...
Lord, forgive me for rolling my eyes and dreading the mess. May I wash their feet as Mary washed yours and show to those visible in my life the love you have shown to me and the love that I want to show to a God who is invisible.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Washing Tiny Feet
Monday, October 18, 2010
Vacation...
We returned Saturday from seven days on the mountain just above Gatlinburg, TN. While we were there, we had no Internet access. This was an incredible blessing. I had not realized how much of my time is eaten up with e-mails and reading news, blogs, etc. Not that these things are not worthwhile, just that I sometimes struggle with balancing. I have, since we returned, set a goal of limiting myself to checking my e-mail in the evenings. Any Yahoo boards I belong to have been set to send me the daily digest instead of every e-mail. And my e-mail notifier on my phone is turned off. It has become kind of peaceful allowing the computer to be secondary...
I had thought we would have Internet access and planned to work on one long post all week that would say what we did that day, what was fun, etc. But again, it worked out so well because I now realize that an itemized list of my week would have been no fun and a little bit unoriginal. So, here are a few of my favorite things from the week and a few pictures to share.
First, my list of what I loved:
-Being on the mountain above the busy city and waking up to sunset over the Smoky Mountains every morning.
-Getting my toes wet in the freezing cold creek.
-Red, orange, yellow and green leaves deepening all week long, changing every day in the crisp air.
-Riding a REAL rollercoaster with my son, an exhilarating and scary experience all in one (Mom road with him on his first one -- I went along for the second and he hated both!).
-Seeing a chipmunk eating an acorn on a huge rock in the forest.
-The sunken stone fireplace and the warm fire in it.
-Parents who want to play with and enjoy their grandchildren.
-Hearing my son play his guitar all week and even compose his first song, complete with chords written above the words.
-Watching my daughter learn about nature and trek long trails with barely a complaint.
-Rain on the tin roof that kept me up all night but in my memory sounds beautiful.
-Strong coffee.
-The new Nantahala Outdoor Center.
-The view from Clingman's Dome.
-Finishing biking through Cade's Cove and promising myself that if I ever do it again it will be when it is "bikes only".
And now, here are a few pics of the week:
*Sigh* We hated to leave that view behind, but we plan to go back again... someday... Thursday, October 7, 2010
Fall
Fall is officially here!
I know this because temperatures have reached below 50 degrees. Of course, that is at night and early morning, but it still counts! The other reason I know is that we have a new pet hanging around the house. Guess what we have? These animals appear mostly in the fall.
Tired of guessing?
Ok, here she is:
I wanted to get the humming bird feeder in this picture because it puts the spider in perspective. She is almost as big as some of the hummingbirds that come to feed, though come to think of it, I haven't seen any birds out there recently. A "common" garden spider -- this one has the yellow pattern on it, though the lighting doesn't show it. Nonpoisonous to humans though a little internet research says that when pressed up against human skin, they may bite. I'm not sure I know anyone who would press this thing against their skin, though. :) She is fascinating to watch in a really creepy sort of way, though the first time I saw her, I screamed a little. I was raising the window blinds because I was going to open the window and let some fabulous crisp, fall air in. I ended up NOT opening the window...
I actually hate spiders but am not brave enough to take a broom or a can of Raid to this one because it might attack me. The kids have named her "Heimlich" after the caterpillar in "A Bugs Life". We tried to keep a caterpillar that I caught last weekend but I didn't get the type of plant right and not wanting to starve him, I put him on the crepe myrtle and he took off in search of food. The kids had named HIM Heimlich but since we didn't keep him, the name got transferred to our spider. The caterpillar is pictured below:
Lots of creepy crawlers around for fascination this fall! And God made them all, even the eight-legged ones that freak me out!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Homemade Rolls
Orange danish.
First, you only need one recipe of this dough. One recipe will make eighteen rolls, or nine cinnamon rolls and nine orange danish. You can use half of the dough and store the rest for 48 hours in the fridge.
Rapid Mix Sweet Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided2 (.25 oz) packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Stir well. Cut in butter with a fork (or pastry blender) until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add warm water to flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs and 1 more cup of flour; beat until thick. Stir in the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes (I use my dough hook and my Kitchen-Aid mixer for the kneading!). Cover dough with a damp towel and let rest for 20 minutes. Punch down dough and form into desired shape. Cover and refrigerate dough for up to 48 hours.
For the Orange Danish:
You will need half of your dough. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface to 1/2 inch thickness and approximately a 15 X 8 inch rectangle. Spread with 1/4 cup melted butter and cover with 1/2 cup sugar, then sprinkle with 4 tsp. freshly grated orange peel. Roll dough up jellyroll style starting at long edge, and cut into 2-inch slices using a sharp, serrated knife. Place cut side down on a buttered 13X9 inch Pyrex dish. Cover lightly and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free spot until double in bulk (30 minutes). Bake for 18-20 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Cool for ten minutes and spread with a mixture of: 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 3 TBSP orange juice, 1 tsp orange zest.
For the Cinnamon Rolls:
You need the other half of your dough. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface to 1/2 inch thickness and approximately a 15X8 inch rectangle. Spread with 1/4 cup melted butter and sprinkle with a mixture of 3/4 cup brown sugar and 3 TBSP cinnamon. Roll dough up jellyroll style starting at long edge, and cut into 2-inch slices using a sharp, serrated knife. Place cut side down on a buttered 13X9 inch Pyrex dish. Cover lightly and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free spot until double in bulk (30 minutes). Bake for 18-20 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Cool for ten minutes and spread with a mixture of: 2 cups of powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and 3-4 TBSP milk.
ENJOY!
***I have made both the night before, even allowing them to rise. I then cover them with Saran Wrap and put them in the fridge. Let them stand for about 20 minutes before putting in the oven the next morning. This way, we can have fresh rolls before church on Sunday mornings if we want them! Yum!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Middle of the Semester Exhaustion...
Anyone else feeling a little bit worn down??? I know I am! We have been staying busier than I ever wanted to be, but things are going well. Here are a few pics to keep the blog up to date.
A pic I took of Addie as we played "airplane", her laying on my feet and me lifting her up into the air.
All the kids at our first Book-It. Addie even got to participate and she had a blast! Carter, of course, had a fabulous time too, as he always does.
This is not a pretty picture but it shows the big ol' spot where a pipe burst between our bedroom and bathroom wall. We lost some sheetrock and some carpet padding, but thanks to fabulous neighbors who knew their stuff, the damage was minimized.
Addie ready to make further repairs to our room. She LOVES this ladder!
A salamander that has shown up twice in our house! The first time, it was hanging out in the bathroom, spying on me. Seriously. It would have scared the pants off of me had my pants not already been off! It blended in perfectly... THEN it showed back up in Carter's room and he thought it was a toy, picked it up and flipped out when it started wriggling. It has the same half-tail as the one that was being voyeuristic in my bathroom, so I'm guessing it's the same one. Next time he comes around, I'm buying a terrarium. I think he might want to stay... Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Addie Can!
My baby.
When we first decided to homeschool, my concerns were mostly for her. In spite of all of the warnings that I wouldn't be able to give my intelligent son all he needs, I knew I could just get my hands on some great books and he would soar. I figured we would worry about high school sciences when we got there and if we had to do something different we would, but that was no reason to not bring him home now. But he taught himself to read when he was three. He went to school knowing most of what he needed to know, and he came home to school knowing most of what he needed to know. The rest is gravy.
But my little girl is a regular four-year-old. She didn't teach herself to read when she was three. She is incredibly creative and intelligent in her own right, and we celebrate her accomplishments every bit as much as we celebrate those of the one who bears the heavy and often burdening label of "gifted" (one that we, coincidentally, don't use often in his earshot).
I feared teaching from the beginning, from scratch. What if I shortchanged her? What if she was twelve and couldn't read because I did something dreadfully wrong?
Well, we started with a kindergarten curriculum this year, after hearing several times last year, "Mommy, teach me to read!" We have thus far covered the short and long vowel sounds, the sounds that each consonant makes, and the one and two vowel rules. She is blending well and knows 28 sight words. SO... I pulled out the first Abeka reader yesterday (we don't use Abeka but a friend gave us some old readers and these are as good as any others when it comes to sounding out short words and controlled vocabulary), Tim Can, just to see what she did with it. I sat with her and helped make letter sounds and reminded her of her rules, but she mostly did it on her own.
You know what?
Addie can! She can read a short reader! Now, I'm not saying she can read her Bible or any book, but that baby can sound out short words. My heart is swollen with love and excitement for her. She has come farther faster than I thought she would be able to. It's been hard work, but she loves to work hard, and she loves to measure her progress.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Just Life...
We have stayed too busy lately. I feel like I am having to work very hard to find the balance with this homeschooling life. You want to have friends, to play with others, to interact, sure. But friends are not the point of homeschooling for us. The point for us is to help our children develop into well-rounded young people who have a heart for God and a view of the world that is accurate but compassionate. Friends do come into that equation. I caught myself saying "yes" to a few too many things, and that rushed us with chores, piano practice and lessons, and schoolwork. I have now decided to not schedule playdates more than once a month, because our normal weekly routine has us interacting with others enough to not worry about development. I have begun to realize that this development I am referring to is really something that comes naturally anyway, and not something that can be orchestrated.
Well, anyway, enough rambling. Here are a few things we've been up to lately:
The kids having found the hidden treasure of new books and a few pieces of candy. We started reading some adventure stories and so we had an adventure of hunting treasure to kick us off.
Carter built a ziggurat out of Legos. We were talking about how the Tower of Babel was most likely a ziggurat in our history lesson. He proceeded to build one. I did help some but he had a set design in his mind.
I tried my hand at making orange danish rolls from scratch. I don't normally brag on myself but these things were FINE! I figured it's still flour and butter and sugar, but at least there are no preservatives or chemicals in them. I won't make them TOO often but I'm glad to have found a substitute for the canned delights.
