Home Journal - Healed

I have been a little remiss about posting the last episode in the arm saga, but better late than never. On the 15th, L got his short cast off. PTL!!! We were definitely pumped and he picked Taco Bueno for his celebration dinner. HIs arm looked really hairy and scaly, but after a bath and a shave, he was good as new. Yes, we shaved his arm because the hair on that arm was so long and black that he was embarrassed  by it. And we didn't want him to be embarrassed about a healed arm! He had his first of three physical therapy sessions and is doing strengthening exercises at home to get that arm back in shape. He was in a cast for 12 weeks. But now the burdened has been removed. :0) Yay!

School Journal - Semester Wrap Up

I was really hoping to post more on my blog about homeschool happenings, but for some reason or another, it just hasn't happened - I didn't have pictures, I didn't have time, I don't know how to do those fun links like I see on other blogs and on and on. So, now that the semester is over (actually I'm just throwing up the surrender flag), I figure I'd at least document what we did accomplish the past 18 weeks or so and then I'd have some record that we actually did something.

Accomplished in Geography:

• World Continents - 2 weeks
• North America - U.S., Canada, Mexico
• Antarctica - 2 weeks
• Arctic - 2 weeks
• Africa (still working on this one) - South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, have Morocco, Egypt and Mozambique to do
• Learned about 13 explorers
• Read many books about individual countries, literature from each country, and people including: The Paint Brush Kid, Sea of Ice: Wreck of the Endurance, Tikta'liktak, The Year of Miss Agnes, The Rat Catcher's Son, Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain 

First Day of School

Mexican Fiesta Night

Puppet Show about Mexico

Antarctica Cookie Map

Accomplished in Chemistry:

• First 8 labs - we didn't start this one until later, so we're definitely behind on it



Marshmallow Atoms

E's Accomplished:

• All the names of the countries of North America
• Working on memorizing all the countries of Africa
• Learning how to use an atlas to find the information she's seeking
• Completed 50 lessons in Teaching Textbooks Grade 6
• Completed 80 lessons in Sequential Spelling
• Written 14 outlines, rough drafts and final copies for her IEW writing class using the Theme Book Fables, Myths and Fairy Tales
• Read lots of books including: My Side of the Mountain, Water Sky, The Broken Blade, Journey to Jo'burg, Once on this Island, Mysterious Benedict Society and others 
•  Art projects and drawings from various countries
• Had her first paid babysitting job - for me, babysitting the other 4
• Went to 9 art classes learning watercolor and other forms of art
• Participated in Girls' Choir at church and even went up on stage and sang with the choir!
• Completed various crochet projects for gifts and for missions

 

Showing Daddy Her Accomplishments

L's Accomplished:

• Learning to use the atlas to find answers to questions about countries
• Completed Primary Mathmatics book 1B
• Completed 15 out of 24 steps in All About Spelling Level 1
• Read aloud to mom 15 books
• Learned about countless different animals from mom reading aloud to him
• Completed a lapbook about meerkats and the book Meerkat Mail
• Handwriting is slowly getting better, but with his cast off it should be easier to work on

 

 

Showing Daddy His Work

Z's Accomplished:

• Learning to use the atlas to look up information
• Completed 43 exercises in Primary Math 1A
• Completed 65 lessons in Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
• Working consistently on handwriting using scripture verses or animal sentences. He's doing great especially for a lefty.

Showing Daddy His Work

Betty's Accomplished:

• Recognized letters A, B, C, D, E, F, H, J, M, P, and Z
• Count objects up to 10
• Knows some countries names that she picks up from our geography studies
• Putting on and taking off her dresses by herself
• Putting on and taking off her velcro shoes by herself. She still asks which way the shoes go.
• Coloring inside the lines
• Cutting (mostly) along a given line
• Follows the prewriting tracing lines 

Keeper Journal #7

Well, I didn't get last week's keeper journal posted and this week was our last week of study, so I'll just combine. Last week we discussed service outside the home. I have to admit that this is an area I struggle with. Not because I don't want to or feel I don't have time or anything like that, but I do struggle with thoughts of being good enough or qualified to do whatever it may be. I have to fight (and lose a lot of times) feelings of insecurity and inadequacy, it seems like constantly. Right now, I'm going through a period of feeling pretty good about who I am and what I'm doing, but I know that one little comment from someone could bring back all the self-doubt feelings. That mainly happens when serving in church ministries, but there are other kinds of ministry opportunities that I feel are hardly service at all, but the Lord sees it, like inviting people over for a meal or taking a meal to someone or just calling someone who has been on my mind. Those don't seem to bring about the yucky thoughts. So, Lord, take my thoughts captive and let me just enjoy You as I serve and leave the analyzing in the ditch on the side of the road.

This week was a nice wrap-up session and some great encouragement from the author Lori Merrill. Being a Keeper of the Home is such a high calling - a calling to be like God Himself - certainly not that we could do that, but to be an example of Him like in Psalm 121 where the word "keep" is used so many times. Let's fight the good fight and not give up fighting for our families and our homes. Let's be the watchmen and the protector of all things good and innocent as a keeper. And let's be good stewards who, when the Lord comes again, will be doing the things that we were supposed to be doing just as if He were here all along. I want to be faithful in the little and the much.  

Thankful Journal

After a little bit of a rough day...
11. remorseful tears
12. phone calls
13. silly boys
14. kisses on the "wips"
15. lion growls from a one-year-old
16. sharing
17. "after bath" smell
18. a retreat at the end of the day
19. obedient hearts
20. thankful hearts