D is for Daddy reads a story

Ever since my oldest, who is now 17, was a little bitty baby, I would read to her and all the kids that followed. I have a slight obsession with books and tend to buy them before other necessities and when we started homeschooling, I wanted to find a way to include dad in the scenario. I decided it would be great for him to do a "reading time" every evening. Hubby came from a non-reading family so this was new to him, but he gave it a go. For years he has read, almost every night, to the kids. He has read Little House (the whole series), Winnie the Pooh, 21 Balloons, and the list goes on. It has been heavenly for the, now older kids, to have memories and reminisce about all of the stories dad has read. It has been a great, yet very simple way to incorporate dad into the homeschool experience. Coming from the single, working mother home that I did, it always brings tears to my eyes and a reassurance when other stresses press in, that my kids at least have a daddy that takes the time to read to them. It's a bonding that can't be replaced and has helped instill a love of reading in ALL of my kids. I just can't recommend it enough.

And if this is a new idea to you, and you need some jump starting, here are a few awesome read aloud ideas to get you started:

The Francis collection by Russell Hoban These make all of us giggle every single time!

Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne  "A very long time ago, about last Friday" -one of the best written lines ever!

Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois  This is one of my all time favorite books!



Hank the Cowboy has always been a favorite as well. Especially on Summer nights outside or while camping!

And if you think your kids are too old to read to them, give it a try. You would be surprised how interested they get with a bucket of popcorn and the right book!

Bubble Time and a wee bit of sunshine

Remember that ONE nice day we had last week? Neither do I but apparently we had one because I have a bunch of pictures of the kids outside and it does look like the sun was shining. If it weren't for said pictures, I would have thought it was a dream. I am thinking it might be nice to remind myself of days to come. A reminder of sometime in the future when the sun shines everyday and not just once a month.  So here is a bit of outside fun to wistfully gaze at keeping that little dream of warmer weather and blue skies alive!

Megan made some huge bubble wands and homemade bubbles based on these instructions from Family Fun magazine. She used bamboo garden sticks instead of the wire coat hangers mentioned in the article. All I can say is WOW! I was very impressed with the results.

Even the teenagers (including boys) got into the action.

Happily dreaming of warmer days ahead!

Cat Tales

So after taking a gamble on the ever changing weather, we ventured out on a field trip to meet a few other homeschoolers. It was quite cold, but didn't rain, so it was manageable.

Our family had never been to Cat Tales but we always had it on our "to do" list. We had an excellent guide who told us about each cat and it was fun (and sad at times) to hear all of the different stories about the resident cats and how they all came to end up there.



The bear cats were particularly interesting......


 
 
 
 
Beautiful creatures to see but I wish they could be in their own habitat.
 
 

                                          
 



 

And it looks like someone didn't listen to the "Don't run, you look like food" rule!

                                                                          


Because it was so cold, we weren't able to eat our lunches together like we had planned so that was a disappointment. All in all though, I consider it a successful outing.

Counting the positives:
1. Short but educational.
2. Went out of my comfort zone to meet new people.
3. Crossing something off one of my many "to do" lists always brings me joy.

Hopefully we can do something again and maybe wrangle up a few more gals to join in.

C is for Community

                                                                              
Over the years I have drifted in and out of different homeschool friendships, groups, and communities. There have also been times of going it alone. What's so amazingly sad to admit is that even after  many years of homeschooling experience, I would still find it difficult to feel comfortable in a group of homeschoolers. I actually found it easier to be the lone homeschool family. I was always prepared to meet and deal with all of the responses that came with being "the only one". I was familiar with and felt most comfortable with that scenario. What I wasn't so comfortable with is to be with several other homeschool families that all inevitably started comparing themselves with each other. Instead of feeling like it was a safe, friendly environment, I had come to expect a judgemental atmosphere that bread jealousy or contempt depending on who was feeling threatened. I don't mean to sound harsh, but homeschooling families (especially in the christian community) can sometimes act like middle school cliques. I say this because I used to act that way myself. It's horrible to say but unfortunately true. So when I speak about this, I know what I am saying, trust me. I think it is truly sad when we cannot come together as a community of homeschooling families and give each other support no matter our differences. Now I know this isn't always the case but for some of us, it has been a long, somewhat lonely journey. Count yourself extremely blessed and be very grateful if you have a good support group. If you happen to be a part of a group with cliquish tendencies, become a vehicle for change because it desperately needs to happen. And if you're a loner, be open minded about finding community. You may be surprised to find great support in unexpected places. Think outside your box and look into groups that may not use the same curriculum as you but could possibly offer encouragement none the less. Let's all become the support we would like to receive without having to convince someone else our way is the only way.

Proof That I'm an Awesome Homeschool Mom

Just in case anyone ever thought I was sitting around eating bonbons all day.

 Science experiments that don't work but are pretty none-the-less.

                   Science experiments that are not remembered except for the great bug-eyed photo-op.

Stories that are read with a 30 minute follow-up to organize the animals "just right". You would never know they fought about it the whole time.

The really cool globe puzzle stayed together for at least 30 seconds.

Gracious daughter capturing forever mom's loss at RISK.

My brilliant idea of a game right before bedtime to help them relax...

A full day's worth of "Lego guy" building that silly mommy took apart and put away that same night. I felt bad on that one.

This one makes me really cool! We all stayed up until midnight watching the full lunar eclipse.

Cookies I promised to make with the kids for our "Winter Tea Party" only to pass off all the work to the 2 oldest girls. They did a much better job than I would have!

Field trips in the back forty. 

Actually, these are just a few things I am really, really grateful for. My family and my time with them. Can't imagine life without them. Thank you munchkins for the happiness you bring to my life!

Counting Blessings

So I was doing pretty good with reading the bible everyday and keeping up with the 90 day plan. But then I ordered a book. And it arrived in the mail really fast. I just took a peek at the first chapter. Before I knew it, I had finished the whole book and now I'm officially a good week behind in my bible reading. But I'm not upset about it at all. I can't believe how amazing the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp is. Skip on over to Amazon and order it. It's under 10.00 and if you order a couple of extra copies to give away you'll get free shipping. There will be no regret on this one. Her writing is beautiful and speaks so perfectly to the deep purpose understanding that, I believe everyone goes through at some point in their lives. The struggle to find beauty in failed dreams, hope in unexpected disasters, and genuine gratefulness while exhausted has been one of my biggest struggles. I found it wonderful how every time I was reading and a question or "yeah, but" popped into my mind, on the very next page or next chapter she addressed it. Some serious life changing can happen while reading this book! I think it's really beautiful that so many women have been touched by the message of counting gifts. Simple and profound all at the same time. Should be easy but it is hard in practicality. That's why we need it so badly. It reminds me of a Jewish thought that Messiah might come if  all of his people would keep Shabbat together, at the same time, just once. Can you imagine the beauty in the world if everyone would give thanks for all things, for one day, together? I can't imagine either.

A New Year of Challenges

Oh so, so long since I last wrote anything. I was sucked into the facebook vortex and have not been able to get away from it! But I am determined to journal more on my blog this year. I have such a hard time remembering things that I really would benefit from having my thoughts cataloged somewhere. So that's my first challenge to myself; blog more.
The second challenge is what this post is really about. I read about a few people reading their bibles in 90 days and decided to join in. I didn't register or anything but I have stuck with the reading plan (so far) and am enjoying it thoroughly. Many people have never read their bibles all the way through and I have to admit that there are a few portions I don't think I have quite read completely. But for the most part I believe I have read pretty much the whole thing. Just not on this quick of a time frame. I've never done the bible-in-a-year deal either. Several years ago after we started celebrating the biblical feasts, we also started reading the Torah portions each week on Shabbat. Since then, I have read and studied through the Torah (first five books) several times. What I love about that system is the amazing interlocking message and explanation it has for those of us that went to church for years but never really connected the dots between the "old" and the "new" testament. Before that, I hadn't read too much of the old testament beyond a few "stories" and the Psalms and Proverbs. Now with this 90 day challenge, it really will put the whole story together, fresh in my mind, in a short period of time. It doesn't allow time for any in-depth study but I am taking notes of things to possibly look up later. I've been faithfully reading everyday since the 3rd and have just finished up with Exodus. I am using the NET bible and this translation has so many fascinating notes that it is hard at times to stay focused! Something I am particularly excited about is if I stay the course, even if I add on several days for flexibility, I will be finishing up close to Passover. What a great thing to get myself prepared for a new spiritual and biblical year by absorbing the whole bible first. Very nice. Check it out!