Encouragement for Moms

Cursive and soap

2012-01-26T09:30:00.001-08:00

School today included: cursive practice in colored sand on the light table and exploding ivory soap in the microwave which the boys then colored with liquid watercolors. Fun!

More fun!

2012-01-24T16:13:00.001-08:00

Styrofoam, wire, pasta wheels, golf tees.... Great idea from PlayAtHomeMom3.blogspot.com.

Liquid water colors!

2012-01-20T08:38:00.001-08:00

Liquid watercolors (from Discount School Supply) are versatile. This week, we colored the snow and the bath bubbles with small squirt bottles. Then we used dauber bottles (discount school supply again) to decorate shapes on the light table. It all washed off, except maybe a small spot of red on the white tile grout. :) A little elbow grease and that came off too.

We have all enjoyed the daily infusion of color and light on these cold winter days.

Swamp monster.

Rainy day fun

2012-01-20T08:28:00.001-08:00

Rainy day = fort building day! Clothespins, sheets, chairs, pillows and even a cannon to defend the queen. (that's me, teehee).

I Value...

2012-01-09T14:47:00.001-08:00

Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths, ask for the goodways and walk in them and you will find rest for your soul. Jeremiah 6:16

SpiritualLife:

· Ivalue consistent time spent with God free from distractions as well as constantcommunion with Him.

· Ivalue prayer, study, quiet, nature.

Family Life:

· Ivalue spending time together as a family.

· Ivalue fostering opportunities to create lasting memories in order to build astrongly connected family.

· Ivalue creating a home of beauty, health, safety, inspiration and comfort whereeach person who enters is relaxed and restored.

PersonalDevelopment Life:

· Ivalue imparting my love of art, creativity and music to the boys, especially asan outlet for stress and emotions.

· Ivalue solitary time to read and create.

· Ivalue challenging myself including recognizing and changing my own unhealthyhabits.

Pace inLife:

Setyour mind on things above; not on things on the earth. Col. 3:2

· Ivalue balance and simplicity different from the frantic pace around me.

· Ivalue boundaries, margin, intentionality and time for reflection.

Career Life:

· Inparenting, I value raising and training our boys according to God’s will.

· Ivalue instilling a joy for seeking Him and His will.

· Ivalue educating at home using gentle and inspiring methods.

SocialStewardship:

· Ivalue faithfulness, authenticity, transparency and balance in friendship.

· Ivalue having a few close friends to “do life” with.

· Ivalue being available as a resource and mentor to those around me.

PhysicalStewardship:

· Ivalue having a healthy and strong body so I am able to live out my values inall other areas.

FinancialStewardship:

· Ivalue tithing, giving, and being wise stewards of our finances.

· Ivalue living simply and not extravagantly.

· Ivalue using our home to minister to others.

MinistryStewardship:

· Ivalue using my spiritual gifts to glorify and honor God- admin, leadership,discernment, giving and hospitality.

Obsessed

2012-01-06T09:15:00.001-08:00

In the new year, with new routines, I have added LOTS of new ideas inspired from palayathomemom3.blogspot.com and on Facebook. My sis-in-law shared many ideas with me and I am on a roll!Today we played with water beads (in floral section of Walmart or hobby lobby-they expand to lots of sensory loveliness) and our marble game.

Many more things to come!

School today

2011-12-12T14:28:00.001-08:00

Today for school, we learned about Venus, practiced our reading and writing, played blokus (a favorite for spatial reasoning) and took a long walk while learning how to train Moose. A great day.

Another healthy meal idea

2011-12-04T21:00:00.001-08:00

This is a great and simple idea from a dear friend, you can make most of it ahead and eat all week.

"This is a normal meal. Sweet potato, zucchini, broccoli and organic ground round meatloaf or hamburgers. I have been making batches of hamburgers and that is what boys eat for lunch."

Thanks, friend! Going to try to add this to the rotation!

Think he is growing?

2011-12-04T07:28:00.001-08:00

This is Jack's breakfast routine: oatmeal, vitamins, local honey, yogurt, and milk. He'll likely ask for a banana when he's done!!!

This healthy food makes me feel better about his bird-like eating at lunch and dinner (unless mac n cheese is involved.)

Please share your easy, healthy meal ideas that your children enjoy!

Models of Mercury

2011-11-17T11:21:00.001-08:00

We are enjoying our Astronomy book by Apologia Press. It's well-written, God-centered and fun. This week we learned about the planet Mercury and then made salt dough models. I love homeschooling!

The boys loved explaining to Daddy how "space rocks called asteroids" hit Mercury and made craters all over it. The fact that there are large smooth portions points to a young planet as Mercury would certainly be covered by craters if it were billions of years old. We are learning so many ways that the universe "declares the glory of God."

Get outside!

2011-11-10T15:15:00.001-08:00

It's a wonderful time of year for hiking and nature walks to soak up God's creation and pass on wonder and awe to your children's souls.

Cousins at the Deschutes River near Bend, Oregon.

I feel like I can breathe more deeply after having been outside for just a short hike.

Where will you go to experience creation this week?

Fall Color

2011-11-07T10:32:00.001-08:00

With so much fall color around us, I wanted to make some art with the leaves. After trying the wax paper and an iron method, we discovered that there is a much better way.

Get out your laminators, Ladies, and start saving leaves!!! It works wonderfully.

Note: after doing about 20 sheets, my laminator got mad and ate one- so I suggest using a feeder sheet to ensure that doesn't happen. Half a manila file folder works well.

We made a garland, a mobile and some lovely window decorations.

Before

After

A window decoration and my artistic darling almost-6-year-old.

I registered! Who will join me?

2011-11-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.wholeheart.org/mom-heart-conference-2012-irvineoc-ca/

Who will join me at Sally Clarkson's Mommy Retreat? I have never walked away disappointed- worth every penny, time, hassle to get there- be filled by a woman who loves God and loves mothers!!

itakejoy.com

Apple time

2011-10-22T15:28:00.001-07:00

For the first time in my life, I completely understand what people mean when they say that "the weather has turned." We are now having crispy cold mornings and heaps of red and yellow leaves are falling out of our trees. And it really seemed like someone flipped a switch and it came on suddenly.

The good news is that it's apple time of year! We got some local apples from a nearby community called Emmett.

My mom got an apple contraption from Bed, Bath and Beyond that peels, cores and slices the apples. It works surprisingly well and of course my mini-engineers love it. I made some baked apples for tonight's dinner in about 10 minutes. Brown sugar, cinnamon, probably 30 minutes in the oven at 350. Yum!!

What fall baking or crafting have you started?

Oh and today we harvested about 30 pounds of potatoes!

They are in the garage hardening off. Next week they'll go into long-term storage (a dark box) and should last us for several months.

Daddy Monday

2011-10-10T17:51:00.001-07:00

Science night for Eric and Jack!

Thank you, Mr. Wizard's Supermarket Science.

Tonight Jack is learning how oil, water, and rubbing alcohol do and do not mix. In the picture, Jack is using a toothpick to bring oil droplets together in one mass.

This brings joy to my heart.

Peaches and tomatoes!!!

2011-10-09T13:10:00.001-07:00

Canning time again!

Canned three boxes!!!! 1.5 bushels of local peaches.

Because frost is coming, I had to harvest all the red tomatoes today.

Will be freezing whole tomatoes and tomato sauce today.

I love enjoy the bounty the Lord has created.

Dress up!

2011-10-03T20:38:00.001-07:00

This is the time of year to stock the dress-up bin!

Allowing creativity to flourish

2011-09-20T14:59:00.000-07:00

Last week, the kids and I headed to the library for our twice monthly library visit. As I was looking over the section of biographies written for children (an excellent section, I might add), the boys asked me to help them find the crafts section in the children's department.

Once I pointed them to the correct bookshelf, they choose a few books each to look over. This is our standard routine: they choose some books, look them over and add them to my "to-be-checked-out" pile. I look through them briefly to be sure there isn't anything that conflicts with our morals and values.

Once they had the craft books out, they sat together and found a craft that they wanted to complete. I was still wanting to look over the biographies, but now they were excited and ready to return home.

At home, they ran around gathering materials which included begging my mom to drink more water so they could have her Aquafina bottles. Once that was done and I had supplied some small pieces of velcro, they dove into working on their space shuttles. Those are not complete yet, I but will post a photo once they are.

I think that my children can engage so easily with activities such as these because I make a conscious effort to say "yes" more than "no" to crafts, building projects, forts, etc- things that require their imagination and initiative. I want them to be brave to tackle any projects that come their way with bravery, ingenuity and fearless-ness. Sometimes, this means they gather the supplies, make a big mess and then promptly lose interest. That's okay- we clean up the mess together and they move onto something else. This is not to say that there is a spirit of giving up- if I have asked them to complete a project or they have labored to a certain point, I do my best to re-engage them and teach them the value of following through.

Do your best to let go of the tidy house, the carpet with no stains, the always clear table tops and occasionally (or often) allow your children to dive into a project. Show them where the craft section of the library is instead of steering them clear of it!

Homeschool questions and encouragement

2011-09-04T10:43:00.001-07:00

Hi dear mommy friends-

A kindred mommy asked me several questions and I thought they might be encouraging to you as well.

Here is our back and forth:

Q: It is difficult to process through some of this because it is so contrary to popular culture, even within the homeschooling community but I KNOW
beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is the best way for our family to go! I apologize in advance for the randomness of these questions.

A: I am so excited for you. You have such a wonderful spirit of godliness and excitement that I know your boys will be blessed and grow into a love for God just by being at your side.

Q: What are some of the most helpful techniques that you use to feel prepared and organized to instruct your boys on a daily basis?

A: This is a funny question to me because I feel so loosy goosy- but here is what do. Generally, I take a couple hours away to pray and consider what we will study for the next few months (or weeks or year, just depends on how ambitious I am feeling). I have a simple planning sheet that lists that main subjects that I desire to cover this year and days of the week. Right now, I use Story of the World(SOTW) as the backdrop of what we will be studying. This gives me a framework for choosing read alouds and some of the creative projects that we might be doing. For instance, the next section in our SOTW is about the greeks. So, we read a book about Ulysses, made pottery from Crayola air-dry clay, had the Olympics in our backyard (trampoline jumps, long jump, and javelin) and made Olympic medals out of clay. I used SOTW activity book as a jumping off place as ideas for read alouds and also for some of those activity ideas. Now, I might have had that mapped out as one week of work, but in reality it took two and we did nothing last week while we were traveling except read aloud in the car. I try to get to math (we’re using Singapore right now- I was bored with Saxon and I liked the look of Singapore) and handwriting (using handwriting without tears cursive because Josh hated writing and was exciting about cursive) most days. (3-4 days/week). Sometimes (like today) I don’t even look at my planning sheet and all we do is math and handwriting. Tomorrow, I will look at my sheet (I planned a few weeks ahead last month when I had some hours to myself) and see what else we want to do. We’ll probably start a new read aloud- I try to read after Bible time at breakfast, during lunch, before rest time and sometimes other times during the day. We might do a science lesson (using Apologia Astronomy because the boys are fascinated by astronomy right now)- this varies from once to 3x per week. I also try to have Josh read something to me every day. Today, his math happened to be simple word problems, so in my mind, that was his reading for today. (!!!!) Tomorrow we might do the next Rod and Staff reading lesson.

Q: Since I have had no formal training in teaching, I tend to feel overwhelmed by trying to "create" something for them to learn. I know this is not going to be as difficult as I have built it up to be, but I am just looking for some insight as to how to approach this task.

How do you choose what you are going to teach your boys on a weekly/ monthly/ yearly basis?

A: It changes a lot because really elementary school is about learning to love learning and to love books and to learn about things we all are interested in. not to complete someone else’s checklist of what my kid should now. If they know and love God more and appreciate the way he created the earth, the stars and the order of the universe, great.

All that said, this year, for the first time, I actually asked them what they wanted to learn about besides reading and math. They both said more art, Josh said woodworking and Jack said the planets. Hence, astronomy. Josh is doing woodworking with daddy every other monday (when I have mommy group, he focuses on one boy – he’s doing Mr. Wizard’s Science with Jack- simple kitchen science experiements)

So, after asking them, I spent about a week just pondering and praying and considering what was important for us this year. Decided on continuing with SOTW because we all love it, Astronomy, Handwriting, Art (I love Artistic Pursuits because it mixes in some real art appreciation and is super open-ended- allows for a lot of creativity), Singapore math, Rod and Staff Reading. I DO NOT do everything every day.

Q: Do you still use Classical Conversations to compliment what you are
instructing at home?

A: We are Taking a break this semester, but really did enjoy it and was good for learning to speak in front. (they each give 2 minutes presentation to class each week.) Likely will go back in the future.

Q: What are some of the most important topics that you would recommend I start with? There are very few requirements in the state of TX, (no days, hours, etc.) to educate at home and Isaiah just turned 6 so this
was going to be "kindergarten". I have since realized how foolish it
is to even attempt to give him a grade but when I considered using the Weaver curriculum, I had to use a skills evaluation test to figure out what grade level to teach him in each subject and it put him between 1st and 2nd grade. I know grade level doesn't mean a whole lot, I only mention it because it added to the anxiety that I felt as I came into this thinking it would be super easy to teach kindergarten level subjects and then realized that he is much smarter than I have given
him credit for, which made me feel inadequate to educate him. All lies, I know now, but that is the basis for this question. (Sorry to
be so long-winded!)

A: This is a funny question for me because I did exactly the same thing! What I realized is that my philosophy is that kids don’t need to start anything even remotely formal until they are 6 and you can call that whatever. I should have called it first grade and just skipped kinder. As it was, we spent about two months calling Josh a second grader and then jumped him to third. It was more about the age he was when starting and less about the material he started with. You are exactly adequate- you will be learning so much alongside them. I have having a BLAST learning to love history- we read a book recently about the Oregon trail (because it goes right by our new house, not because it went along with SOTW) and then when we were driving home from San Diego, we went right by the place where this boy in our book had stayed in a cabin and got to go stand in the exact place where he was stranded for a winter. SO MUCH FUN!! So, try to let go of the inadequacies- just because you don’t have much college education does not mean you are not more than capable. You are an incredible smart and talented woman. Believe it! (and beautiful, but that’s another topic for another time)

Q: Also, Levi is 3 1/2 - I loved using Five-in-a-Row with Isaiah last year and was thinking about getting Before Five-in-a-Row for Levi.
Any thoughts? Last year he usually just played nearby while Isaiah and I did schoolwork but has recently fallen in love with books since I purchased about 50 wonderful children's books recommended from
Sarah's book (Read For the Heart) and trashed all of our "See Spot Run" type of garbage.
Should we just keep reading together or should I encourage a Five-in-a-Row type of program for him? Any other things he could/should be working on during this year? He will be 4 in February and he is very
interested in art and music but does not care to even play with ABC magnet letters or anything near that yet. Is this something I should insist we work on in a fun way or just let him continue to draw/paint/dance and sing for another year?

A: I’d say your gut is right- let him do the things he loves! Forget curriculum and just keep reading those wonderful books to him. He will pick up things as you teach Isaiah and will surprise you what he picks up accidentally. No rush. You deliberately didn’t rush Isaiah, do the same with Levi. One thing I learned is that anytime I did any kind of activity with Josh, I had to have the same supplies, a similar worksheet, access to the same art supplies, etc for Jack. Sometimes Jack wanted to do it, sometimes he didn’t, but if I planned for two then he was never left out.

Q: How do you train your boys in discipleship through education? I know much of discipleship is taught through life experience as we journey together, but is there a "classroom" element that I should also focus on?

A: If you want a classroom element, get “our 24 family ways” from Sally Clarkson and either you or Your husband lead your family through the devotions. We have never been good about curriculum type stuff in this area- we have 24 family ways and haven’t used it yet. It’s on my short list of things to add soon. But really, it’s more about teaching them to love God and love each other. You can start using biblical language for things (obedience, forgiveness, sin, etc) and look at every situation through the eyes of scripture. This is so hard to do- I was reminded at the Sally conference of how important this is.

Q: For their outdoor time, my boys have a trampoline, swing set, and sand box but still said they are bored when I sent them out to play before lunch time last year. I know a huge part of this issue was that I allowed them to watch too much TV (literally 1 hr in the morning and 1 hr after naps/quiet time each day) and they were not used to playing
creatively. Since we cut off TV time all together in July, the boys
have been playing and using their imaginations a lot more but I would love some more tips on how to regain what has been lost through wasted time the past few years. Are there some things I can do to really encourage outdoor play for them?

A: I love that you are “rebuilding what the locusts have eaten” (I love that verse). It might help for you to engage with them outside some of the time- I try to go out for 15 minutes or so, and then back inside to get some chores done while they play. I think simple things can sometimes get them going- like a $1 bug catcher from the dollar bin at target- or a $1 trowel and a place where they are allowed to dig and play with tractor toys, (not just the sand box, that gets boring), real dirt is much more fun. Bucket, water in a bucket, a place to make mud. Kitchen tools used outside for variety, some wood and nails for Isaiah to attempt his own creations after some help from Kyle. One day, you can surprise them after naptime by drawing a simple parking lot with chalk and parking some of their matchbox cars in parking spaces and letting them discover it. Or taking some plastic animals out and putting them in small boxes to make a zoo…. They don’t need more toys, but using the ones they have in new ways sometimes works. Serving snack on a blanket outside or on the trampoline. My kids sometimes say they are bored too, but after giving them a couple suggestions, I often just let them figure it out. You can’t have active imaginations if you never have time to be bored. Let them be bored. The hard part about this is that they might get into things that you think are gross or dirty. Do you best to let them do those things!

Q: How do you set up your day to encourage learning throughout? How do you spend afternoons? Can you give me an idea of what your "typical" day looks like? Any other advice or ideas that would be helpful for a momma making a clean break from mainstream norms?

A: I have been deliberate about having books accessible all over the place and encouraging them to be read. Sometimes it’s a pile at naptime, sometimes it’s “quiet book time” during school. 30 minutes of quiet where everyone has to read or look at books. Also, I have gradually added more art supplies that are high quality and accessible to them. They are stored where they can get them and they know the groundrules for using them. (i.e. painting and markers on the craft desk only, not random places in the house). I make every attempt to answer all their questions or get a book to show them, I am working currently on cutting off my own media usage during the day and being interruptible. I never give them an assignment (especially a worksheet) and leave them to do it. If they have to do worksheets or workbooks (which I try to avoid, but are necessary for math), I am right there by their side to answer questions. If they are confident, I work on my own – journaling, planning the next week, reading ahead in SOTW to make a library list- but in the same room as they are in. I try to mix it up and read aloud in different parts of the house- often doing read alouds while they are doing legos. When we had a mini trampoline, I let them do that while I read. We take school outside sometimes. I just try to mix it up- if I am bored, then they will be too.

Afternoons are generally totally free time. Sometimes we do a craft project but generally I let them play. I have tried to weed out the silly toys that only have one function and have instead legos and wood blocks and train tracks and puppets- stuff that encourages them to play with it in their own and new ways.

Q: On a more personal note, I spent some quiet time in prayer this weekend and I was finally able to see that I have been struggling with a spirit of control for quite some time. It shows itself through anxiety, over-reacting, and getting angry about ridiculous things that I shouldn't care about. I never realized before how much it has
impacted my life as a wife and mother but I can see now that it is a major issue and I'm sure, part of the problem with all of my anxiety about homeschooling. Do you have any words of advice for me both for my personal benefit and also as a momma that longs to give her boys the best education possible without being a hinderance?

A: For me, I have a lot of fears. I constantly have to give those to the Lord, read and re-read scriptures that are meaningful to me. I am realizing more and more my need for quiet time with the Lord in the morning before the kids get up. It’s hard to do but everything is just better- I give God a chance to speak to me before I launch into my day. If I don’t do it in the morning, I try to take 15 minutes when the kids are playing well together and do it. I need to be fed with truth and beauty and God’s word for me in order to give it out to my family all day long. The more I let go and trust God to be in control, the more things run smoothly in my spirit and I can choose to deny myself and let stuff go.

Resources: all that you really need to homeschool young ones are:

Educating the Wholehearted Child by Sally and Clay Clarkson

Read for the Heart by Sarah Clarkson

A library card

Your Bible

Many blessings to you all! Keep on keeping on!

It goes by so fast!

2011-09-03T14:12:00.001-07:00

I do not know when my baby, my second born, turned into a little man... It goes by so quickly, Mommies! Do your best to treasure each day!

Family Friendly Movie! Let's show our support!!

2011-08-31T12:47:00.000-07:00

Calling all Families! Calling all Moms! Calling all Homeschoolers!

Join thousands of families nationwide to see the movie Dolphin Tale on September 23together. It makes a statement to Hollywood to rally behind movies that “get it right” and tell great stories without all the junk, twaddle, and moral compromise! This movie has all the good stuff we want more of and is truly entertaining and inspiring from ages 5-95!!!

It’s time the conservative Christian Family and Homeschool community shows Hollywood we have a voice. But how? We need a story we can support and get behind, a story that affirms who we are and what we stand for.

Dear Friends, Dolphin Tale is such a story!

This is a family movie that will inspire, instruct, and bring you to tears because of the great story line. This movie even has two homeschool kids who play the main roles! (The casting agents went to a local support group in California and found them!)

The bottom line is that the Homeschool Movie Club wants to show Hollywood that the those of us with Christian and strong family values are a big enough market to support other great movies with traditional, conservative family values. I am hoping you will be a part of this great opportunity with me!

Homeschooling clip from movie:

Movie Trailer:

Interview with Cozi:

Homeschool Day Banner:
Copy this code to your website to display this banner!

Facebook RSVP: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=212656562124437

Friends!

2011-08-25T13:11:00.001-07:00

A wonderful time with wonderful women!

Dolphin Tale!!

2011-08-17T13:28:00.001-07:00

http://www.itakejoy.com/calling-all-leaders-go-see-dolphin-tale-screenings/#comment-7330

Free screenings this weekend all over the country! Go read Sally's blog and comment about it there as Warner Brothers will be checking in to see how much interest is generated this way!!!

The movie is based on a true, inspiring story and stars two real-life homeschoolers!

Deepened

2011-08-16T12:25:00.001-07:00

What an incredible privilege to spend an entire weekend with women I love and admire. As many of you know, Sally Clarkson has been my "mommy mentor" from afar since I discovered her books years ago. Her humble spirit of being obedient to the Lord and passing on the wisdom He's given her has rescued my children's childhoods. I jumped at the chance to spend time with her and other amazing women being mentored toward God and His call for me.

The main focus of the weekend was learning what calling God has on every woman according to scripture. Sally started with the basics of being called for His glory and in His image. These messages struck deep chords in my soul, reinforcing all I have known since my teen years, but have always struggled to live out in a practical way. She them moved on to: called to marriage and family, called to create, teach, train, disciple and others. It was deep and all-encompassing of my life.

Some things that resonated and challenged me were: (these are all from Sally)

I need enough quietness in my life to hear God's voice.

What do I give my energy to? Am I giving it to God and the precious ones in my home or am I wasting my energy on vain things?

I want to put myself in the presence of intentional people.

We are contaminated with voices all the time. We can't live a Christian life without knowing the Word.

The more that Jesus becomes our focal point, the more we see God.

Must be intentional: study, sacrifice, laying aside my schedule, giving up my rights.

-Sally Clarkson

I think the two biggest things that are currently front in my mind is that having a quiet time is not a chore to check off but a personal time with a living God who will pour into me so my children can see and know and grow into Him as well. I will only give out to my family what I am putting into my heart, mind, soul. If those things are conformed to this world, so will I be. But I long to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. (Romans 12:1-2)

The second thing is that God had an ideal plan for this world, but now it's the "broken place." Satan tried to snatch away the ideals. We are called to be redeemers, returning people to God and His ideals. This means that I can bring redemption and civility through my home and my actions toward my children. I can redeem my relationship with each family member by being filled with grace, love and compassion toward them instead of anger or resentment. In the laying down of my rights, I will find fulfillment in obeying God's call.

Here's the icing on the cake: I was able to steal away for a short bit with Sarah, Sally's daughter and author of "Read for the Heart." She is an amazingly gifted, inspiring, compassionate soul who is a kindred spirit in all things books and Britain. What an unexpected and wonderful bonus. My cup overflows!

I need to turn off the media!

2011-08-16T07:10:00.001-07:00

My boys enjoying quiet book time with a slew of library books

The article linked below sums up so much of what my heart knows and is calling me to regarding media, phone etc.

http://www.homeschoolmarketplace.com/e-zines/ejournalaug1611.html

"Scientists say when we juggle many things at once, our ability to focus is being undermined by bursts of information. These affect parts of the brain that control primitive impulses to respond to immediate opportunities and threats. The stimulation provokes excitement — the release of a “dopamine squirt” that researchers say can be addictive. In its absence, people feel bored."

Convicting! I do feel bored when not distracted by something, mainly my phone. Dopamine withdrawal. Ugga. Changes a'coming!

The Greeks!

2011-08-09T12:43:00.001-07:00

Today we started learning about the Ancient Greeks. My mom taught the kids how to make a pinch pot as Greek pottery. Later we will paint them!

Final Tally: Three Fish

2011-08-06T19:43:00.001-07:00

I was the first in our family to catch a fish today!!! (and the second). Jack caught the third.

What a fun and mellow new hobby!!

What will you learn with your family this summer??? One more month....

The Garden is Growing!

2011-08-05T13:03:00.001-07:00

Every Girl Needs to Keep Learning

2011-08-01T21:28:00.001-07:00

I learned how to can!!! It was hard work at first, interpreting the written directions (and many youtube videos) into actual tasks in my kitchen. It was so much fun to figure it out and work hard all day with my mom at something I've always wanted to learn.

Note: please follow your recipe, the preservation and long-term storage success depends on it. I used the "ball canning book" that was on sale next to the "ball canning jars." What a happy coincidence. Hehe

So here's how we canned fresh peaches:

1. Dip ripe peaches into boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

2. Drain and peel peaches. If peaches were very ripe, the skin just comes off easily in your hands. I didn't believe it when I read it, but it really is true!

3. Cut peaches in half, remove pit. Treat with "ball fruit fresh" according to direction to prevent darkening. (check back with me in 6 months to see if it worked!)

4. Make a light syrup with sugar and water according to recipe.

5. Pack peaches into hot, sterilized jar.

6. Fill with hot syrup, leaving space at top according to your recipe.

7. Put in boiling water bath canner for time specified.

8. Carefully remove and set aside for 12-24 hours to seal.

9. Eat on waffles with whipped cream!

Learning new things keeps the complex brains God gave us fresh, engaged and challenged. Of course, it also encourages your children to see you work at learning just like they do. What will you learn this week?

Read today!

2011-07-28T09:34:00.001-07:00

In 1986, Gordon Wells, reported only one factor was of importance in predicting how well a child would read and write at age ten: how many times the child had been read to before coming to school.

-from Spelling Through Phonics

Heavenly Muse

2011-07-24T21:46:00.001-07:00

Heavenly Muse, Spirit who brooded on
The world and raised it shapely out of nothing,
Touch my lips with fire and burn away
All dross of speech, so that I keep in mind
The truth and end to which my words now move
In hope. Keep my mind within that Mind
Of which it is a part, whose wholeness is
The hope of sense in what I tell. And though
I go among the scatterings of that sense,
The members of its worldly body broken,
Rule my sight by vision of the parts
Rejoined. And in my exile's journey far
From home, be with me, so I may return.

-Wendell Berry

What are you reading today?

2011-07-19T11:44:00.001-07:00

Organized the bookshelves with the help of a dear and talented friend! What will you read to your children today?

What A Gift

2011-07-14T21:31:00.001-07:00

Had a great weekend away. To think this is less than 2 hours from our door! My husband gave me a gift of 24 hours alone in a hotel to just be, to plan for our upcoming school year and to rest.

Try to get some time to yourself, out of the house, even if just for a few hours in a quiet hotel lobby or a library. It will help you hear God more clearly and love your
family better. Just do it! Plan today to take some time in the next week. Ask your husband for help and support in this. We need rest and rejuvenation if we are going to successfully accomplish this job of raising hearts for eternity!

This makes me happy.

2011-07-14T21:29:00.001-07:00

Books.

T-shirt to save a child?

2011-07-12T19:27:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends!

Amy and Court having started fundraising for their upcoming adoption and are selling these adorable pink ladies T-Shirts. See her blog for more information.

http://james127family.blogspot.com/2011/07/t-shirts-anyone.html

Have a lovely summer evening!

Books: Strengthen Bonds

2011-07-06T20:45:00.001-07:00

My favorite mommy author, Sally Clarkson, often talks about tying heart strings with your children as often as you can. Last Christmas, our family wanted to do some activities and gifts that were more meaningful than just "stuff." We decided to record each adult reading a children's book. Today, my boys were so thrilled to hear their Nana reading to them! We even had a page turn chime so that the pre-readers can read along. What a gift! These recordings will last long after the kids' grandparents leave this earth. What a GIFT!

There are many simple ways to record audio, whether using a computer mic or a free iPhone app. I then uploaded the audio files to iTunes, which converted them to email-able mp3 format. Easy peazy lemon squeezy! Go tie some heart strings!

A Special Day

2011-07-06T07:27:00.001-07:00

Happy 15th anniversary, babe! What an adventure we've had! I love you.

Today would have been my Dad's 65th birthday, it made our wedding extra special in that it was on his 50th birthday. He was so glad to get Eric as a son, golfing buddy, football fan, and friend.

Dad with Josh, 2003.

How does your garden grow?

2011-07-05T13:50:00.001-07:00

Your backyard garden, your soul's garden, your children's spirits? Are you tending, nurturing, weeding so that you can harvest?

(thanks to Sally Clarkson for this analogy- it's one I love)

Another Daddy Project

2011-07-01T21:20:00.001-07:00

Last week Daddy decided to build a kidwash for the hot summer days. PVC pipes, a drill, some sort of hose attachment.... Very exciting!

Go outside! As much as you can!

Botany and Art!

2011-07-01T18:23:00.000-07:00

This morning, Jack brought in a branch from our honey locust tree. I
photocopied it first so that the boys' fingers could trace and practice the
shapes. Then we used colored pencils and drew them into our art pads. We
learned how the veins bring the water and nutrients from the soil. A
wonderful activity for a stormy day.

Chalk art

2011-07-01T09:17:00.001-07:00

While watching the demolition for my Mom's new above-garage apartment, we made some chalk art.

Great news!

2011-06-29T12:32:00.001-07:00

Some of you may have prayed with us for little Sarah who was adopted from Uganda by our friends Amy and Court amidst much drama and many miracles. They are going to adopt again!!! I am so excited for them.

Follow their journey here: http://james127family.blogspot.com/

Today's New Skill

2011-06-27T15:33:00.001-07:00

Today we learned how to wash the cars! One brother was the indoor window washer and the other was the vinyl cleaner. Then we did the outsides with a new funny scrubber. Next time we'll graduate to vacuuming out the interiors. And, in case you were wondering, we will pay them for this "above and beyond" chore.

I enjoy investing time and money into teaching the kids new skills in a fun way. It will be so nice to someday ask them to go wash the cars and then have them do it. I try to speak slowly and patiently teach them how to do each part and then walk them through it before they launch. We will practice repeatedly through the hot summer! What new skills have you taught your children recently? Please share your inspiration and ideas!

Do you know your trees?

2011-06-24T18:48:00.001-07:00

It's been wondrous to see each mystery tree get leaves this year. We bought our house when it was under six inches of snow so we had no idea what the trees in bloom would look like. In the backyard, we discovered that we have two tulip poplars. They are gorgeous and surprised us with blooms last week. (we thought the name was from the leaf shape...!)

Are you able to view your yard and neighborhood as if you've just discovered the trees? Will you take your little ones outside and learn about the trees? If you can't figure out the names, take a small cutting in a ziplock bag to your local plant nursery and ask someone. Keep learning alongside your precious children.

Hug Your Babies

2011-06-22T15:37:00.001-07:00

Just found out that a former coworker / friend of my husband's lost his son in a car accident. Hug your babies. We never know how much time we have. (and offer a prayer for comfort if you would.)

Grocery List

2011-06-21T12:32:00.001-07:00

When you forget to purchase an important building supply, such as toothpicks, your five-year-old will remind you....

Saturn's Rings

2011-06-20T06:48:00.001-07:00

Hello, mommies! I know it's difficult to let your husbands lead when they are home with the kids. I am altogether too familiar with the wrestling before bed that leads to wound up kids or missed/irregular meals when dad's in charge. But let him! Don't squelch the daddy experience or you won't get help and support when you need it.

And it leads to some pretty great things. Last night, Eric woke the kids up at 11:30 to go see Saturn's rings through a birthday telescope that just got unpacked. After screaming over the injustice of being woken up, they loved it. My 5-year-old who was the source of the screaming, came back upstairs in Daddy's arms and told me that they'd seen "the rings that are made of rocks and water!"

And my 8-year-old loved the whole experience. Explained to me about the rings and told me he'd seen the big dipper! Oh, to
view life through the eyes of a child!

So, sweet friends, try to let your husbands be a parent in their own way!

Hands-down best homeschooling book

2011-06-17T12:44:00.001-07:00

So, my very very favorite homeschool book has just been re-released. My copy arrived today! Yippee! If you are on the fence about homeschooling or are just looking for a way to supplement and enhance your child's education, you only need two books: Educating the Wholehearted Child by Clay Clarkson and Read for the Heart by Sarah Clarkson. Go to wholeheart.org and order yours today!

I am completely serious. Take it from me, who has read hundreds of books on education and homeschooling, these are the best. And it's a bonus that the Clarkson family is godly, generous, and faithful to support women in their quest for biblical motherhood.

Today we started cursive!

2011-06-16T10:01:00.001-07:00

I totally believe in all the theories behind cursive first but was too afraid to do it with my firstborn. It actually worked out well because now both boys can learn together.

Our First Rodeo

2011-06-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful adventure! What adventure will you go on this week?

My heart goes pitter patter

2011-05-18T18:13:00.000-07:00

I have longed for the day when Josh volunteers to read to Jack. And it's
the Bible! Pitter Patter.

These Photos

2011-05-17T17:52:00.000-07:00

These photos sum up the yearnings of my heart!

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2011/05/pros-cons-homeschooling-christian-educatio/

Garden is growing!

2011-05-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

Seeds are lettuce, peas and beans. It's so fun to watch it grow!!!

Mother's Day Fun

2011-05-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

So, for Mother's Day today, my boys got me... A Treehouse! Okay, so it's
really for the kids, but I have been longing for one on their behalf. After
all, this is why we moved here to Idaho. To have space. To have time to do
projects such as craft a treehouse. To have some trees in which to build
it. To go along with this project, I also got to choose out 4 trees from
Lowe's today that we can plant around the treehouse to provide more shade in
the summer and more screening from the neighbors. Poor neighbors. They
must be thinking, "Oh great. The Beverly Hillbillies moved in."

God's Providence

2011-04-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

So, this is so amazing. My friend who lives in Texas is on a missions trip to Uganda right now. My other friend who lives in Atlanta adopted a sweet little girl from Uganda last year. Texas friend "just happens" to be ministering at Atlanta girl's orphanage today!! Where dear little Atlanta Sarah was cared for her first two years! Talk about small world. God knew it would happen this way. That friends who have never met each other would have this incredible bond over caring for and loving on the same sweet orphans a world away.

elk

2011-01-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

So, today we went on a sleigh ride. Or thought we were going on a sleigh
ride. It was actually about 3 minutes sleigh and 45 minutes of sitting
while the elk ATE the hay bales we were sitting on!! Quite an experience.
Not what we thought, but an adventure nonetheless.

sad

2011-01-08T09:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Mommies-

Sad news. My mommy has cancer. Will be hunkering down, attempting to walk through this journey with grace and strength, loving my mom, my husband, my boys and my sister. We are reeling, but we know that He has it all worked out. That He knew this would happen and that He knew it would happen now, here. Thank you for your prayers, we appreciate them and they give us strength to move forward into each new step.

tired.

2011-01-05T16:10:00.000-08:00

Did you know that anxiety is exhausting? And all-consuming? It’s like I’m continually having a conversation with myself. “How am I feeling now? How about now? Is that stomach ache from lunch or anxiety? How about my heartburn? What should I do now to counteract this anxiety?” Exhausting, I say!

Thankfully, I having a wonderful group of supportive friends that are encouraging and compassionate. The last couple weeks have been really hard. After the major upheaval of managing a remodel, selling two houses, incorporating my mom into our household and moving a thousand miles away to a new community, I have held it together pretty well. Really worked hard at balance- lots of time with friends before we left, massages, hot baths, quiet time alone etc.

But once we got here and Christmas came and the relatives came (have you read that children’s book, “The Relatives Came”? it’s a great one.), I couldn’t hold it all anymore and my tendency toward anxiety came rushing right back. Thankfully, my doc in San Diego gave me some herbal suggestions (knowing that I hate going the medicine route- and just got off the meds earlier this year). These have seemed to help as I am feeling better. Walking a bit timidly through my life right now- the “fear-of-fear” response as fabulous writer Dr. Hart calls it. I have hope that the Lord will use the herbs, along with the things I learned a couple years ago from a counselor to bring me back to a place of peace.

We are supposed to close on the new house by the end of this week (silly wells fargo is holding up the san diego sale thereby holding us up here) which will be one major unknown checked off. Then we’ll move into a season of unpacking the storage container (ugg) and making decisions about what goes where (stressful but fun). I am hopeful that I can walk through that with grace, flexibility and gentleness toward myself, Eric, Mom and my precious boys.

It’s a weird place to be- these are all great things- I am excited about these changes and a new house and decorating and having house guests and remodeling for the granny flat, but my body physically can’t handle it all. I struggle all the time with feeling guilty about being SO self-focused now when (in the grand scheme) these are all minor things and wonderful things. I am grateful that we are healthy and together and not in a place of poverty or grief or disease. Just tell my body that!

Anyway, darling Mommy friends- hug those babies of yours. And do what you can to prevent your body from coming to a place of anxiety and fear. Balance, love, friends, quiet, counseling, JESUS! He can and WILL sustain us through pouring out our mommy hearts all over the place.

spokeo directory - privacy concerns

2011-01-04T09:06:00.000-08:00

Friends-

There is a new online directory called Spokeo that compiles info from around the web. Ick! I found all our family and searched for some friends as well. Too much info for my liking.

Go to spokeo.com and search for yourself. Copy the URL from the directory page, then click on PRIVACY on bottom right hand corner. Follow directions to remove yourself. FYI, it only lets you remove two profiles per day per email address.

This is annoying. I don’t like it.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011!!

What are your plans, dreams, resolutions for this year?

I will make some. And share them. As soon as I am done being sick. Feeling better enough to be out of bed today. Thankful for that.

Love you mommies! Keep up your exhausting and rewarding work!

Productivity/Efficiency Question: What works for you?

2010-12-05T18:39:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends-

So, in an effort to continue to simplify the things in my life that are time-sinks, I am taking a poll. What apps or programs or systems do you use in your life on an everyday or almost every day basis? Now that I have gone completely digital, I have too many apps and look at too many things every day. Help! What do YOU use?

I just added Cozi, an app that Flylady had designed to worked with her systems, but I am not sure yet if I will stick with it. It does very well with multiple family member calendars thus far…

Email: outlook on computer and native email app on phone, they automatically sync with each other thanks to my husband.

Calendar: outlook on computer, native calendar on phone and now Cozi… which will win?

To Do Lists: Toodledo app on phone- have set up to sync with outlook- I wish this functionality and calendar and contacts were all together on my phone and computer nicely…

Contacts: outlook on computer, native contacts on phone- not thrilled- they don’t sync well with each other.

Search: Safari on phone, google on computer- just discovered swagbucks where you earn points that are redeemable for amazon gift cards.. don’t think that will stick.

Project365 app for keeping a daily photo on calendar style page- not thrilled with app, but like the idea, great for memory triggers…

My Fitness Pal app for calorie and exercise tracking. Wish I had been using this (and exercising!) the last 2 months. L

Facebook: to send and receive messages, post photos for friends and fam and fritter away my time.

As you can see, I use my phone way more than my computer these days, so I need things that work well on it…

I use my paper journal for only journaling and occasionally for lists when whipping out my phone feels inappropriate- like in church. J

Thanks for your ideas and input!!

The Ground has Shifted

2010-12-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

What a life change! A week ago, we lived near the beach in California and
now we live in SNOWY Idaho. It's been a weird transition for me. For one
thing, it felt like it took forever to get here, as almost every day for the
past 18 months, my husband and I talked and planned and praying and dreamed
about what it would be like to move. God put the dream into motion and now
we are here!

What's been hard to balance is the major shift of leaving my dearest and
wonderful friends with the shift of arriving and adjusting to a new place.
My emotions and thoughts are constantly bouncing back and forth between the
two. Last month was all about leaving (a fun time of celebration and a
perfect Alice in Wonderland Tea Party) and now this new place is beginning
to consume my thoughts.

I am trying to be gentle with myself- not doing too much organizing on any
one day, forcing myself to sit down with my knitting, saying "yes" anytime
my kids ask for my attention, trying to be patient with the other adults in
the house and allowing myself to just sit. Oh- and Eric scheduled me a
massage for tomorrow!! :) That's the best pampering there is, in my
opinion.

So mommies, use this as a reminder to take time to adjust to new places,
people, situations, seasons. Even when you decide to make a shift in your
"regular" life, give it space, time, and some pampering. When you decide to
plant your feet and protect your family's time, or to dive into
homeschooling with an attitude of fun and grace, or recommit to taking time
with a friend regularly... even these wonderful shifts can cause anxiety and
the feeling of being unsettled- change is not easy even when it's wonderful.

May the LORD bless you as we begin this month of celebrating Jesus' birth-
be gentle with yourself, stay calm, make deliberate choices and make Jesus
the center.

Oh- and the best purchase of all the money we've spent getting our house
livable, was the $7 snow shovel. The boys are in heaven.

celebrate the little things

2010-11-16T15:43:00.000-08:00

What a perfect day to end a long season of my life living by the coast. At
the beach (La Jolla Shores), with dear friends and a bunch of great kids.
We are off to Idaho in 5 days.

It felt good to be at the beach today and I don't feel frantic about wishing
I'd done such and such before we move. I think part of that is because this
is entirely a God-move and also because He helped me prioritize and schedule
those things (like the beach) in my life regularly. Almost more Tuesdays at
the beach than not in the last couple years.

What is important to you? A place, an activity, a hobby, a certain friend?
Schedule it in so that it doesn't go by leaving you with regrets. Even
small bits of time snatched here and there are better than never. If
Mommy's soul and spirit is nourished, the whole family will be happier. :)

harvest time

2010-10-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite writers, Sarah Clarkson, had some wonderful thoughts on her blog, thoroughlyalive.com, this week. Needless to say, I agree wholeheartedly.

“I’m having a harvest time of soul this year. It’s funny, on this road trip, in the quiet of my driving hours I have found the freedom to step back and take stock of my life. The ruts of worry and emotion in which I had become mired at home were left behind, and I found myself able to see what is good and sweet in my life, even as I still wait for some prayers to come true. I have been counting up the harvest of books read, of friendships strengthened by walking hard roads, of knowledge gained in lonely hours, of family loved in quiet evenings. I have found the harvest of this year to be more than I thought.

An indrawing, October of the soul – perhaps we all need it. Maybe we all need a space of quiet, even a couple of hours in which to pull up sharp from the rush of living and count up all that has grown. An hour in which to sit, aware of the minute in which we sit, be it dappled by light on a front porch, or woven with the flicker of a fireside evening, and count in slow cadence the number of graces that lighten our days. It’s an exercise to bring joy, to gladden the heart, that’s for sure. But I also think we need it because, well, winter is coming. Days of cold, days when the summer sun cannot break through will come to us, perhaps already have. The noticing of the goodness that persists, daily, in our lives, will bring us through the cold. We can be hale and hearty even in the winter of spirit if we gathered well and stocked up grace in the harvest time.”

Final Days in England

2010-10-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

Our last days in England were spent in Oxford, Aylesbury and London.

In Oxford, we had lunch at the Eagle and Child pub which is where CS Lewis,
JRR Tolkien, and other great writers met as the Inklings in the 1930s and
40s to critique and encourage each other. It was so wonderful to sit there!
We also visited Magdalene College where Lewis was a professor for many
years. We walked around the small pond area where Lewis often walked.
Sigh. Sigh. Lovely. I felt so stirred up and thrilled by it all.

THEN, we went to Christ Church College where Lewis Carroll worked and was
friends with Alice Liddell and played croquet with her before and during the
writing of Alice in Wonderland. Do you recognize the field? Absolutely
thrilling. Makes me smiles writing about it, 4 months later!

In Aylesbury, we did some family history research and went geocaching.

Back in London, a delayed flight made time for a quick trip to the Tower of
London which is filled with dark and interesting history. Saw the crown
jewels. Stood where Lady Jane Grey and Anne Boleyn were executed. Crazy!

As you can tell, I was so blessed to be able to make that trip and
incredibly grateful to my mom for taking the kids in order that we could go.
It was a perfect trip. I adore England and CANNOT WAIT to go again.

yet another.... footpath

2010-08-31T09:27:00.000-07:00

On our last day at Charingworth Manor (see the "creepy" lovely house?), we
took a footpath from the town of Chipping Campden to the town of Broad
Campden. Sigh. Also a visit to beautiful, grand and still occupied,
Blenheim Palace.

hicote manor gardens, another footpath and broughton castle

2010-08-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

These two days were probably my favorites of the whole trip. Hidcote Manor
Gardens were gorgeous and the footpath adventure that day took us to a tiny
little village (about 10 houses total). I could live there.

Broughton Castle was where Shakespeare in Love was filmed (It was Gweneth's
house) and they had just finished up filming for the new Jane Eyre movie
that is coming out. The pub was near the castle and we had a lovely talk
with the manager and waitress about the castle and the various interesting
tidbits. See the ploughman's lunch we had that day which we haven't ceased
to talk about? Fresh, tasty organic goodness. Broughton is an actually
lived in castle. There were once 14 gardeners and today there is only one!
Poor man.

sunset cliffs 1977

2010-08-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

Fun what you find when packing your entire house!

Town of Chipping Camden

2010-07-19T07:07:00.000-07:00

These photos are from the town of Chipping Camden which is close to where we
were staying. The town is made entirely from the yellow Cotswolds stone of
the area. Staying out in the countryside was the highlight of the trip.

The other photos are from our first public footpath walk, this one to
Dover's Hill. It was pristine, inspiring, what other adjectives can I use??
We walked through a herd of sheep, saw some young kids riding their horses
right by us and ended up in a small forest where the blue bells had just
finished blooming.

Kenilworth Castle

2010-07-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

Incredible ruins of a castle first built in the 12th century. The
interesting trivia is that Robert Dudley took possession of it in the mid
16th century and then had a wing built including fancy "modern" windows so
that Queen Elizabeth would come to visit and want to stay and marry him. He
was her companion and closest thing to a husband for most of her reign.
Sigh. I love England.

Brownsover Hall, Rugby, England

2010-07-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

The place we stayed in Rugby had so much character. Built in 1857,
Victorian Gothic style- can't you tell how creepy it'd be at the right time
of day? The insides were a wonderful, mixed-up, jumble- a few stairs here,
a long hallway with many doors, a random door to another curved staircase to
another hall and more doors. So much fun. The window is the view from our
room. I spent an entire day sitting at the patio table looking and
listening to the outdoors; many birds, people playing croquet (what could
feel more appropriate), having a splendid lunch of goat cheese atop a salad.
It was perfect.

encouragement to avoiding burnout!

2010-06-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

Check out my favorite “mommy” author, Sally Clarkson’s blog today:

http://wholeheart.typepad.com/itakejoy/2010/06/refortifying-my-soulavoiding-burnout.html

Royal Botanical Gardens Kew

2010-06-15T12:42:00.000-07:00

It was a gorgeous May day to wander the Royal Botanical Gardens solo. A
lovely, relaxing, inspiring time.

An amazing place. Could have spent 3 days there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Botanic_Gardens,_Kew

kids get it right

2010-06-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

6-year-old Josh and I were discussing the idea of listening to God and this is what he said, “Sometimes I try that but it always just sounds like my own voice in my mind."

Right on, dude! Sometimes that is exactly what God sounds like! Listen carefully, my darling son, and follow Him closely. I love you.

The Sounds of the English Countryside

2010-06-03T07:49:00.000-07:00

This video is from one of our many walks in the English countryside. Watch and listen with your kids- it's so funny. The older sheep is "talking" to a chorus of babies. The boys and I watched it over and over until we were all hysterical and crying from laughter.

a teaser

2010-06-01T05:58:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful trip. I can't believe how blessed we are to have been able
to go.

This castle is Broughton Castle where the new Jane Eyre was being filmed
last month and also a scene from Shakespeare in Love happened here.

It is actually a lived in castle. Amazing, wonderful, romantic,
fascinating... I will be on a kings and queens book-kick for awhile now!

The sheep and the green path are from traversing the innumerable "Public
Footpaths" all over England. Sigh. Love. Will go back someday with the
boys for more of these!

Do Something Scary!

2010-05-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

Valerie (adashofyou.com) and I took a trapeze class!!! It was the scariest thing ever and I can't wait to do it again! I mean SERIOUSLY terrifying. I barely made it up the ladder and then I stood at the top, clutching the support posts while the super nice lady gently talked me into jumping! I successfully did a back flip dismount on my third try but didn't get that one on video. Valerie did a successful handoff while dangling from her knees!!!

Jennie

Valerie

a fun way to bless your community

2010-05-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

We loved making treats and delivering them to the firehouse. The men were
very kind and appreciative. It's an easy activity and way to bless your
local fire station.

a goofy mother's day outing

2010-05-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

What a fun adventure on Mother's Day. My mom rented us a family bicycle
thing called a "surrey" and we pedaled our way down the silver stand in
Coronado. Make some memories, do something goofy!

texting, computer time, .. don't let it take over your relationships with your kids!

2010-05-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

Read this awesome poem as an excellent reminder:

http://spunkyhomeschool.blogspot.com/2010/02/moms-on-computer-or-not.html

Blessings,

Jennie

www.sdnelsons.blogspot.com

www.juneberryblue.com

www.mommyjennie.blogspot.com

A Fun Family Photo Idea

2010-05-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Sacha took these great family photos. I LOVE the idea of the
LOVE letters- so creative!! You could do a child's name, a family name, a
grandma's name, spell out a phrase, so many options. Sacha bought these
letters as is at Michael's.

Review - Jane Austen by Peter Leithart

2010-05-03T14:49:00.000-07:00

Jane Austen by Peter Leithart is a part of the "Christian Encounters" book series of biographies. Jane Austen was a comprehensive biography of Miss Austen's life, focusing on the spiritual and religious viewpoints of her family and writings.

This book was a nice starter biography because it spent more time on the spiritual side of Miss. Austen's life and also because it was accessible short. It would be a good read for a teenager who is newly acquainted with Miss Austen's works. It is clear from this book that she intended to teach of good morals but to also to provide entertainment for the reader by highlighting those without good morals and/or who were lacking in intelligence.

I enjoyed this book and would read others in the series to learn of the spiritual aspects that are often left out or ignored from secular biographers.

I received this book as a part of Thomas Nelson's book review program called Booksneeze.

Lovely Short Nature Walk

2010-04-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

Another lovely day in our local canyon. After the last nature walk, I just
left the backpack stocked with our journals, crayons for rubbings, colored
pencils for drawing, a towel, magnifying glasses, bird and flower
identification charts.
It was so simple to just grab it and go! Go outside! It's spring!

Another fun spring project!

2010-04-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

The boys had a wonderful time using their easter basket grass to stuff some
of Jack's old clothes and make a scarecrow for their grandma's front yard.

A Fun Simple Project

2010-04-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

A plastic tub, some soil, plants, rocks and dinosaurs and you have a
dinosaur garden! (I showed the picture from the DK Gardening Book that we
used as a sample- we skipped the rocks in the bottom, not really necessary.)
The boys' Gardening Grandma had all the supplies laid out on the outside
table when we arrived to her house and the kids just dove right in. Time
and materials! :)

Just Give Them Time and Materials

2010-04-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

I love seeing what my children do when I just give them time, space and a
few materials. Take a step back today. Get out some art supplies or
flashcards and see what happens if you give very little direction.

Easy First Day of Spring Tradition

2010-03-21T18:25:00.001-07:00

Go get a small container of ladybugs from your local garden store and let them go in your yard at dusk! The kids LOVE it!

Go Outside!

2010-03-11T13:16:00.001-08:00

This is an article by the writer of the fabulous "Five in a Row" books for early year curriculum. We used those for about a year and really enjoyed the experiences we had a family.

Seven Special Reasons to Get Up and Get Out!

Jane Claire Lambert

Even in our homeschooling we are hesitant these days to get outside and find safe places to examine what has been made. We just don't take the time, because we've forgotten how vitally important this activity really is! Many of us don't live on acreage with ponds and meadows to scout out, and it is more difficult for some to find safe parks and places to explore. Yet, if we truly believed that taking time to get out into nature was critically important, wouldn't we have a new desire to pray for and seek out special spots to view the natural wonders that are close at hand? Even in the heart of city life, one can find so many great examples of natural phenomena, and nature is always as close as our own backyard. We even know one family who strolled through cemeteries, enjoying lovely trees of all kinds, ponds, flowers, birds, insects, and more with their children.

If you believe in the need, you will find a way, so here are seven extra-special reasons to get up and get out!

1. Nature walks will teach your child to watch everything around him. These outings will greatly increase his observational skills and his outdoor life skills. Take your children walking often, and watch your lessons become more relevant year after year as your students are able to apply experientially, through this time outside, the concepts you have presented. You see, it is one thing to teach the life cycle of a frog and quite another to find egg masses and tadpoles in a nearby pond! Children are filled with wonder as they use a net to collect specimens or turn over rocks on a lakeshore and find crawdads escaping every which way! This is life! This is the making of memories! This is real learning, not book learning!

2. Take your children out often, and they will find that one thing in nature always leads to another. If they are interested in a frog they see one day, the next day they will wonder and want to find out about the crickets and worms that the frogs eat. Then they may get interested in the condition of the pond water, and so it goes. This is experience-directed learning that is so exciting to your children. By walking outdoors with them on a regular basis, you will set off a chain reaction of learning experiences for your children that will continue for a lifetime, as they find that each discovery is connected to many other parts of nature.

3. Camaraderie--that special intimacy that comes from adventuring and making discoveries together--is another benefit of a good nature walk. Whether a mother or father walks with all the children or they take their journeys with just one child at a time or they use different combinations over the months, the time spent will reap intimacy as well as nature knowledge. Yes, you all will see and learn together, and that is wonderful. The times of quiet togetherness and the times of deep conversations along the way are special features of nature outings. It is as if the Lord has provided a miraculous setting for you to "be" with your children. Planned nature walks will provide years of the type of environment that enhances rich family ties.

4. At certain times when viewing nature, some quietness, solitude, and patience are necessary. Of course, a small child doesn't understand this at first, and the lessons that a parent uses to teach a little one to walk more quietly, sit for a bit, and watch what is around him must be gentle and full of patience. If you model (especially fun when acted out over-dramatically) walking softly and being as quiet as possible for part of your walks, your child will begin to see that it is often in times of quietness that the greatest marvels are seen. Then you will have done your job well. The desire to be quiet in order to see something special will be catching, and in time your child will begin to value quietness and solitude. Nature walks, begun simply and continued over the years--time spent watching and thinking--will develop a "deepness of heart" in a student who learns to quiet himself in these journeys together. Couldn't our world use a few more inhabitants with "deepness of heart"?

5. As your child grows in his awareness of the magnificence of creation, he will grow to love it. What he grows to love, he will want to take care of. Nature walks, begun early and continued throughout your teaching days, will lead your child to an awareness of the necessity of stewardship of our natural resources. We are all called to be the "gentle tenders" of our world. But if we don't even know anything about it, it is difficult to want to preserve it and use our resources wisely.

6. Taking time to walk outdoors will create a lifetime appreciation for what the Lord has made, and that deep love of nature will become a rich field for worship. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, and those who spend time in the out of doors discovering the wonders and learning that it comes from Him will have a vast and limitless resource for worshiping the One who created it all! Modeling a grateful heart for the beauty of nature all around us will flow out onto our children. Every leaf, each bug, every cell under a microscope is a marvel worthy of all our praise. If we display a heart of praise and worship for such a magnificent Creator, then wonder and worship will come to our children as well.

7. Something else will grow from enjoyable nature walks and seeing the magnificence of nature on a regular basis. A new understanding in the heart of your student will develop: nothing in nature is "common." In the book Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, we read that the people in Bentley's day thought snowflakes were "as common as dirt." But Mr. Bentley knew, because he had seen them under a microscope, that each snowflake was utterly and beautifully unique. All of nature is like that! Each stone has its own loveliness; each drop of water has an entire world of creatures swimming in it; each bit of moss or lichen--extraordinary! Everything that the Lord has made is amazing--nothing is common! How wonderful to begin at a young age to teach our children about the amazing natural world around them and the One who made it all.

So, if we took a quick quiz, what are the seven important reasons to get up and get out?

1. Gaining observational and life skills, as well as actually experiencing school lessons so that they become relevant.
2. Understanding the connectedness of life.
3. Experiencing camaraderie, intimacy, and the joy of making rich family ties.
4. Developing a quiet heart . . . one that can actually be still now and then, and one that can find benefits from moments of solitude.
5. Becoming aware of stewardship and conservation.
6. Creating a rich avenue for worship.
7. Learning that nothing in nature is "common."

Perhaps nature walks truly are more important than we first imagined.

Jane Claire Lambert and her husband Steve operate Five in a Row Publishing and are busy speaking at homeschool conferences and creating new products in the Five in a Row tradition. Visit their website at www.fiveinarow.com and www.fiardigital.com for more information, including details about their new four-part nature series: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

The Jesus Book - Review

2010-03-05T14:02:00.000-08:00

The Jesus Book by Stephen Elkins is a simple book with profound questions that children may have. It answers those questions in language children understand. The illustrations are colorful and engaging. I enjoyed it and my boys liked it too. A good start to simple theological conversations.

Dear Friends, the Levy Family Together at Last!

2010-02-22T07:12:00.001-08:00

God is sooo good. Sarah is home and settling in wonderfully. Praise the LORD!

Wonderful news!

2010-02-17T07:06:00.000-08:00

"Hi everyone,
This is actually Court (so please excuse the drop off in writing style). I just talked to Amy and the US Embassy has given Sarah her entrance VISA!
They should be getting on a plane at 10:55 pm tonight, Uganda time ( 2:55 pm here in Atlanta)"

Amy and Court have been allowed to adopt Sarah with a waiver of the 3 year residency requirement due to her health concerns. They are headed home today, will land in Atlanta on Thursday midday.

God works miracles!

Great Article!!!

2010-02-16T15:07:00.000-08:00

Click here for link to awesome article on purposes of education!

Update from our dear friends in Uganda - no more calls please!

2010-02-08T11:08:00.000-08:00

We had another awesome day today. We got some things done that we need for the "big day" on Friday. Doors that were closed before suddenly opened today. It was a super great day.

Sarah kissed Court today. Ahhh..... Daddy leaves tomorrow and both his girls will be sad to see him go. We're believing that our great big God will reunite us soon.

Thank you so much to everyone who made calls on our behalf. We feel so loved. All of the Ugandan offices and the US Embassy offices are doing everything they can to help us at this point. If I could be so bold as to ask that they don't get any more calls, I hope you'd understand. It's not coming from a place of ungratefulness. I am SO thankful for the amazing support we have received. Now, we just need those offices to be able to work on our case instead of answering calls and messages. :) The work is done, now we can all let go and let God.

I'd love for you to continue to support us in prayer.

*We need to enter every situation with humility, calmness, and utmost respect. We're so tired and our brains aren't working normally so we've been saying and doing things we might not normally do. We're asking God to be Lord of our hearts and mouths.

* Praises for Sarah's continued health improvements. She no longer has anything contagious like infections or parasites. She doesn't have anymore yucky diapers! That is so awesome. She is no longer a danger to others, now others are a danger to her with her low immunity. We are praying that the plane ride home will not expose her to anything that will be dangerous for her.

*Praise for healing of the skin in her diaper area.

*Prayer for the painful throat condition that is not getting better. It's difficult to see her in such pain. She makes a noise when she breathes in and out. When she cries, it is difficult for her to catch her breath and she sounds like a seal barking. She cries with pain often so it's a vicious cycle. Praying for relief from pain.

* When I'm carrying her, I often think my phone is vibrating but it's just Sarah's tummy. If you place your hand on her abdomen, there is a constant rumbling at all times. Praying for healing of her digestive system.

*Praises for Sarah's appetite. She loves potato soup, any soup really, and spaghetti. She'll eat a little rice and chicken if she's in the mood. She also loves ketchup. She drinks juice and water. But that's about it, we're praying that she'll eat whatever is available on the plane. Her body really can't endure 2 days without food.

*Of course, still praying for all things to come together in our favor on Friday.

Sarah helping me update the blog. (Yep, she's holding a syringe. That's our life now.) I normally wouldn't post a picture that makes me look so ummm... "well-fed" but Godfrey assures me that fat woman are very beautiful here. :)

Sarah spends a ton of time in her high chair. She eats very slowly (as a result of her throat condition) so she'll sit there for 2 hours, play for 1 hour and then she's ready to eat again. While she sits there, I like to paint her toenails. I have 3 boys so I'm so excited to be able to do these things. I couldn't get her to pose her feet so I'm not sure if you can see her "Strawberry Electric" toenails.

I'm sorry to repeat myself but I can't thank you all enough for the support and prayer.

Please pray!

2010-02-03T13:52:00.000-08:00

Amy and Court have been denied a visa to bring their daughter home.

http://james127family.blogspot.com /

The US Embassy called me and said that they will NOT EVER issue a visa for us. They want the judge to completely rewrite the court order, which is highly offensive. I don't see that happening. There are many, many, many American families here and many waiting to come and NONE of us will receive visas.

This is a death sentence for Sarah. We will have to find someone in Uganda willing to take a girl in her condition (unheard of) and leave her with a stranger. She has severe failure to thrive. She has finally attached to me and now I would have to leave her.

The pain is unimaginable. My boys... what do I tell my boys?

Here is a letter we sent to our congressman tonight...

We had a terrible thing happen today. As we were finalizing the last step in getting our daughter home, the unthinkable happened. We were informed by Sarah that the embassy has changed its stance on Ugandan guardianship and WILL NOT issue her a VISA. Yesterday all the were waiting on was the medical signature and today she is never coming home with us.

I arrived in Uganda an hour ago and was greeted with this news. Basically we are now legally responsible for this girl per a Ugandan court order, but we can not take her out of the country. We can not stay here much longer, I can not be gone from work and we have 3 other boys to take care of at home and visitor VISA are only good here for 2 months, but if we leave we are breaking Ugandan law.

If they made this decision moving forward I would understand, but to be this far along in the process, literally we would have been issued a VISA yesterday, but the doctor was too busy to sign a paper.

Yesterday our paperwork was OK. Today it is unacceptable.

The embassy vice-consular says that they have contacted their lawyers in Washington DC and they said we cannot have a Visa.

The embassy wants the judge to rewrite the entire court order saying that she is allowed to be adopted in the US instead of "allowed to immigrate to the US" and allowed to be a US citizen instead of "will remain a Ugandan citizen." This last part is meant that she would be allowed dual citizenship of both US and Uganda but the US Embassy wants the order to specifically say that she can be a US citizen. This is silly as Ugandan judges cannot rule that anyone be a US citizen.

Ugandan judges are extremely offended at being asked to change something they have been doing for a long time. Many children went home to the US from Uganda with the same wording and now suddenly it is a problem.

We are devastated.

We are meeting with our lawyer in the morning along with about 20 other American and Canadian families.

For those of you from our church, would you please forward this. Would you please send it to our Children's Minister and our Rector. Please ask for prayer.

I don't know how to close this.... I'm on my knees begging for mercy. Begging for my daughter's life. Begging for our family and the other families. Begging for the children who think they are finally free from a life of an orphan and have been told they are going home and will now be dumped by their new parents and left here as orphans again. This IS NOT RIGHT!!!!

Movies that nourished my spirit

2010-01-21T08:26:00.000-08:00

Blind Side

Images from Bright Star

These two movies were wonderful for my spirit.

Blind Side is an excellent true story of a Christian family adopting a young
man and his growth through football.

The second movie, Bright Star, is about the life of John Keats. It is
wonderful written, photographed, designed... Every scene is a feast for the
eyes and is an inspiration in so many areas. I am not a movie purchaser,
but will be purchasing both of these.

What are your favorite soul-nourishing movies?

From "What is a Family" by Schaeffer

2010-01-12T18:17:00.000-08:00

p. 139-140 "Human beings are very unbalanced and prone to go off on tangents. In every area of life- with too great emphasis on one thing, leaving out another important thing altogether. None of us will ever be perfectly balanced in our spiritual lives, our intellectual lives, our emotional lives, our family lives, in relationships with other human beings, or in our business lives. BUT WE ARE CHALLENGED TO TRY, WITH THE HELP OF GOD. We are meant to live in the scriptures."

This passage is right on for me. I feel like I am not good at balance, (when in reality, I am actually pretty good at it a majority of the time...) and hate the feeling like I will have to "reevaluate" all the time. It's the all or nothing mentality, not fully accepting my human limits. With God's help, I can strive for balance and not get overwhelmed when things get out of balance. A little adjustment and we're on our way.

Where are you on this continuum? No balance? A little balance? Pretty well balanced? If out of balance, what area are you neglecting and which are getting too much of your time, energy, resources...???

My Favorite Mommy Author. By Far.

2010-01-12T17:46:00.001-08:00

This is a link to info about Sally Clarkson's new book. She is seriously my favorite author and speaker for mothers. I am going to her retreat in Irvine in just a few short weeks. (yeah!) It one of the HIGHlights of my year.

So go here, and buy her book!

Craft fair!

2009-12-12T17:44:00.000-08:00

Valerie, Kristy and I had a wonderful time at the craft fair. Our table was
so cute! (Thanks, Trish!) I didn't do very well sales-wise, but it was
certainly a learning experience. It was intimidating to put myself out
there like that. Art is so personal and asking for critique by selling
items was difficult. At least on the internet, you can't see people facial
expressions or hear their comments. Overall, it was a good time.

Merry Christmas all, our family is off on a grand road-trip adventure and
will return in January!

Nature Hike

2009-12-09T12:58:00.000-08:00

It's easy! Take a blanket, some journals or blank paper, colored pencils,
glue stick. We had a lovely time.

Please Pray for Sarah Levy

2009-11-22T19:11:00.000-08:00

Please pray for Sarah Levy who is in a Ugandan Orphanage, waiting to be adopted by Amy and Court.
http://james127family.blogspot.com/