So Much To Courage

the kids plus a friend at the Arboreteum

beautiful Cactus starting to bloom

not sure why the blue tint, but the kids garden at farm co op

the fruit of his labor :)

march around " Jericho"

Well I am going to try and recap these past two days. Wow, is all I can say. Homeschooling is so busy and so fun and so tiring! I am so exhausted sitting here right now; yet, writing makes my brain unwind, so here I am :) We read the story in the Bible about Joshua. I love this story so much as it really teaches the kids and exemplifies a man who trusted in God. What is so cool, is that God was extremely specific on what they should do. Walk around the wall 1x per day until the 7th day. Then, blow your trumpets and yell. I can just imagine in the spiritual world that might and power of God breaking and crushing down the walls. I am in awe of God! If God is for us, who can be against us?!

We listened to men blowing shofar horns. This was such a strong and beautiful sound. We talked about how the priests blew the horns and how the army men yelled. The boys then, dressed in armor ( Jayden) and with a "shofar horn",aka: stick ( Austen), marched around our entire block 7 times and each time blowing the horn once until the very end where Austen blew the horn as loud as he could, Jayden yelling and them understanding the courage it took for the men to trust God regardless of how others would view or question their reasoning.

We have a tall order of books to read this unit. Our courage unit will take us until the end of December and on our to read list is , " Call It Courage, The Courage of Sarah Noble, and the Matchlock Gun". I, honestly, have never read any of these books so I am really hoping we make it through them .

Finally, we read Anatole by Eve Titus. This book is about a mouse who displays courage in the face of adversity and against an animal that could likely gobble him up. We enjoyed reading this classic book and discussing who had courage and why.


The kids had a field trip to a beautiful arboretum today where we learned about plant life in the desert, the 5 C's of Arizona, and tasted some desert plants and agave nectar. It was cool, windy and relaxing despite Hannah refusing to sit in her stroller or be held. The problem was, the girl had no other options, I could not let her wander her sweet little self into a barrel cactus because she deemed it necessary to walk. So, there were a few tantrums and screeches and screams but overall, she did fine and we left, drove 35 minutes home, at lunch and left for a fun filled afternoon at art co op with another great group of homeschoolers.

Did I mention, that the kids picked vegetables in their gardens that have sprouted since the beginning of a farm co op they are apart of where they have baked pies, milked goats, brought home chicken eggs, learned how to subsist on the land and enjoyed the great outdoors. Why do I love homeschooling, because it brings the kids constantly out of the "classroom" and into real life with real life experiences. Wow, God- thank you!

Dirty Underwear By the Laundry Room Door

I had to smile the other evening as I walked past the laundry room door and there was another big boy pant sitting there with a few wet dabbles on the front. Earlier that day, there was a big girl pant with Cinderella on the front and a sweet little streak mark sitting in it. Every day, two of my children will leave a pair or two of underwear sitting outside the laundry room door, if Hannah is sleeping ( yes, she sleeps in the laundry room, yes she has a pack n play, yes she loves it and yes there is a fan in there.) or put them in the dirty basket.

There is a sweet innocence that I find in these little pairs of thrown undies. It's a " I"m having so much fun I can't stop" or a potty dance with tears, " I gotta go potty, I gotta go potty!!!"- well just go potty then! Or, I'm drinking waaaay too much water during bed time and oops a little slipped out before I could make it to the bathroom.

My bathroom is cleaned daily and every day there is spilled fish food, toothpaste smears, toothbrushes laying all over, splattered sink marks, water sprayed or splashed on the mirror, bath toys spilled all over the bath tub, little yellow marks on the back of the toilet seat, and a million towels pulled out of their cupboards to clean up the millionth spill of water or the child who decides that SHE wants to cleanse her feet in her own mini spa with our foam hand soap and sink - sorry water conservation, I can't be in all places at all times!

The bathroom, to me, needs to be spotless and clean- yet, each day I have the same routine of cleaning it. I used to get frustrated because it was always dirty by days end. Sorry guests who dare venture into the kids bathroom. Now, I am starting to shift - this is my season in life with my children. Someday, my bathroom will be untouched, unmoved and unlived in. There will be no speckles on the back of the seat or bath toys of any kind in the bathtub. The purple, orange, red and green toothbrushes will be replaced with boring white and the oh so creative " red stripe". The fish will be dead and even if he is still alive, the food will always end up in the bowl and not accidentally strewn all over my clean counter.

Life is put into perspective when it is written into words. My emotions and mental mindset is much too precious to me to be wasted on getting frustrated over something that will occur daily, not because my children are being naughty but because their skills are not fine tuned.

This is my life. I have a guest bathroom now, thank you God- my suggestion, if you arriving late in the day, that should be your only option. Love my children :)

Child Led Learning

photo credit:pinayabroad.wordpress.com

Like many home school moms, I feel that I'm not teaching enough or accomplishing enough with my kids, from time to time. Then, there are days like today that resulted in a library trip with over 100 books picked mainly by three of my children and a love for reading, being read to and learning that has nothing to do with my direction or agenda.

I used to shy away from the word " unschooling". I felt that it was a great catchall for moms who did not prioritize school, wanted to take the lazy way out and still call it schooling. However, now, two years into our journey I realize that, may times, unschooling is a great way for a child to explore his world without the restraints of an institution dictating his every move.

"What we want to see is the child in pursuit of knowledge,
not knowledge in pursuit of the child."

- George Bernard Shaw

I read this very interesting article, unschooling, and it really opened my eyes to the opportunities we have to sit back and watch God unfold the creative interests that flow out of our children. As a homeschooling parent, we have such a great responsibility to encourage learning, not to hinder it. The public schools do a great job of laying everything out and a sequential order of when things should or should not be accomplished and who should learn what and when. We are not public schooling- we are home educating. 

I pray that the environment I create for my children is always one of wonder, excitement and opportunities for self led exploration. Are you interested in trains, then let's build trains, watch trains, read about trains, talk about trains, etc. Are you interested in trees? Let's hike, explore, feel, read, compare and contrast as many trees as we can possibly handle. 

For about 9 months, both of my boys were obsessed with pet books. We probably checked out EVERY single book the library had to offer and then requested even more on top of that. I loved that every spare minute of my life was filled with pet facts, pictures and questions. They are almost beyond that now- except for lizards and reptiles for Austen. Yet, I look back on those nine months with such a sweet memory of the boys learning. 

Our school still continued on as we were touring the United States through our unit studies, doing our math and language arts. I would definitely not consider myself a hardcore "unschooler". Yet, there was more than enough time to allow for their child led explorations.


A few weeks ago Jayden started loving the game " Battleship" and out of his own curiosity he wanted to go to the library and request every book that has to do with warships, submarines, etc. So, that has been my challenge for the past few weeks and honestly, I haven't read a whole lot of the books. Jayden has read them day and night, night and day. Today, he was explaining to me the shape of the first submarine ( it was like a turtle shell if you were wondering). The task it had during the Revolutionary war ( to put a torpedo under the British ship) and how it moved, was engineered, etc. I find this all fascinating and so cool to see his eyes light up over something that he is very excited to learn about.

Austen loves the Rumble series, anything to do with zebras and dinosaurs now. I love that each child knows how to check out books on their own, spines down please. I love that they each walk out with their own, very possessive pile of books that could topple them over at any moment.

So, I sit back, on days like this, with my hot cider in one hand and a heart of gratitude in my heart. I love teaching my children....but many times, I am too directed and need to realize that they are learning each and every day...they love learning- which is my number one educational goal for them- and they view the library as an exciting and fun place to hang out!

Each day, my gifts from God teach me a valuable lesson. I am so thankful for the piles of books all over my house, van, and their bedrooms. I am so thankful for wide eyed, wonder. So let's "school" another day.

Daniel and the Lion's Den-Grr

credit : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Daniellion.jpg

Ok, what a fun, cool, windy day we have had so far! It started off a little rough.  Hannah decided that today she wanted to eat us out of house and home...I literally felt like I was cutting up fruit, grilled cheese and carrots all mid morning long! She went down for an early nap. Then, Ben and I were upstairs talking and Austen comes screaming in a blood curdling sort of way up the stairs. His foot is an enormous shade of green and blue and throbbing. Apparently, Moriah was throwing my free style weights at the boys. Jayden said he was trying to protect himself by curling up on the couch! Thankfully, Austen can walk on his foot and there appears to be no fracture. We will still watch it but seriously, who flings weights, and especially someone with the arms the size of baby toothpicks? Good grief!

Riah went down for a very early nap as well without lunch- she had a "tad" melt down that ended in her screaming in someones ear. Soo, the boys had the great idea of practicing our Spanish. This was a great "ice breaker" as I was a little stressed and who can be stressed when you are singing, " Jehova es mi pastor, nunca me faltara?"- Jehovah is my Shepard, never will I lack. :)

We made flash cards of our vocabulary and taped them to there appropriate object, ie: el libro-book. Then, we learned our memory verses in Spanish. Then, we moved on to courage in Konos. I am feel so blessed learning about all of the biblical characters who showed courage and strength in the face of adversity. I am so thankful we wrapped up responsibility too. We were definitely ready for a change.

Today, we read the entire story, out of hte Bible, of Daniel. We discussed what the likelihood of Daniel surviving the fall into the den without the lions devouring him. Especially since the bible states that the government officials, their wives and children who put Daniel in the den, were they themselves thrown in afterwards and the lions devoured and crushed their bones before they even hit the bottom of the den!

We researched lions on the Internet and came across National Geographic kids. We listened to a lion's roar and talked about how God is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. We also wrote a "research" paper ( a paragraph) on interesting facts on lions. For Jayden, we focused on basic punctuation marks, capitalization, indentation, etc. For Austen, his job was to draw a picture and tell me something(s) about lions.

WE then listened to, thank you "youtube" Joshua Fought the Battle at Jericho and Shadrach, Meshach and Abendego. The kids and I smiled, sang and snapped our way through that fun song all the way emphasizing that " The battle is Mine says the Lord"- this seems to be a theme for us lately.

Jayden and I moved into n+9=15 equations and more multiplication. I cannot believe how early it seems they introduce algebraic equations. I feel like when I was in third, I was learning the basic multiplication at the END of the year. I was also 9 where Jay is 7....its just insane sometimes!

We wrapped up our day in style and now the boys have a window open ( not sure if that is such a good idea), watching the dust storm in the distance. We were hoping to go hiking tonight but I think that will have to wait. I am thankful for today because it did not start off as productive as I would have liked but I am really trying and not letting my circumstance and feelings dictate my responses as well as smiling more. so Cheese   : D !!!

Thankful

I am thankful for:

1. My relationship with God.
2. For His strength in times of need
3. For His help and refuge
4. For His Peace
5. For His Love
6. For His Friendship
7. For His Shield

My relationship with God has deepened so much in the past few weeks, for many different reasons. My testimony is so much stronger and I am feel full of God. I cannot comprehend a life without Christ and you may take everything away from me, every dream I"ve ever held onto, but you will never take my salvation- Blessed assurance Jesus is mine! I am so, so thankful for Christ, for God, for the Holy Spirit.

What would our spiritual lives be like if we took seriously the words in the bible:

1 Corinthians 10:3-5 "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled."

Friendship

Lately, I have experienced the true depths of some particular friendships. These friendships are forged through the fire and share intimate details of life, love and pain. I am so thankful for my Jonathans and to be a Jonathan to my friends. I am thankful for encouragement, encouraging, laughter, tears, prayer and dedication.

You do not need many of these friendships, and at best to be kept to a very small amount is better. Your heart is a fragile yet strong bond that you give and receive from these "angels" on earth. I thank God for friends. If you know me well enough, you know I am an onion. I allow you to know as much of me as I want to be known. And, I am ok with that. Trust is earned, not rewarded.

Thank you God that I can be apart of something truly unique and special- a friendship that transcends acquaintance and friendly "hellos".

As homeschooling moms and young women, we need true, God given friendships. I stress that you do not stretch yourself to far thin. Pray and choose who you are able to truly give to and receive from. There is so much work involved that it would be far to exhausting to dedicate this much time to so many people. We need other women, who are also in the trenches, to come along side us and encourage and say, " been there done that ( or doing that)" - you are not alone, so many young moms are going through the same things that you, yourself are. Go out there, and do not isolate yourself. There is so much to gain when you seek out a friendship.

Thank you God for my beautiful friends, both near and far....they are a treasure and tears feel my eyes as I think of my love for them, and their love for me. Here's to the trenches, the imperfections, the mess ups, the learning opportunities, the milestones, births, failures....here's to the journey!

Courage through David

I was so excited to start our new unit study on courage! The definition of courage that we are learning is: Doing what is right even if it is dangerous and even if I am afraid.

My hope is that the kids will come away understanding the difference between cowardice and caution and be willing to take risks for a higher cause. Psalms 18:2 will be our verse for the next few weeks. Tomorrow, the kids will do a picture of what they feel the verse "looks" like to them. Yesterday, we read the entire story of David and Goliath. I LOVE how David shouted at Goliath that the battle is the Lord's! How awesome is that! We can apply this to so many situations in life- walk victoriously, the battle is the Lord's! The boys then wrote out questions that they would ask David, if they could.

I loved reading their questions: How did it feel? Was it hard to cut Goliath's head off? What were you thinking when Goliath fell?, etc..

We discussed that when we have our own " Goliath's" in our lives how we need to cut their heads off figuratively as well otherwise they will come back again and again. Never give the enemy a foothold in your life, he will take it and cause his cancer to spread rapidly.

The boys then constructed their own sling shots and practiced shooting them in the backyard. Spanish, language arts and math were all accomplished as well thanks to Ben taking the two girls to work out. The house was unusually quiet and it was VERY nice!

The boys and I played a fraction pizza game, a sequential numbering game, a location motion game that focuses on prepositions and read some stories. I am so excited to be studying a new trait and especially this one. We have so many fun things planned and my prayer is that each day I enjoy this journey more and more.

I ordered a bunch of books from the library and Ben was laughing at my stack sitting in my van to take back, " Are you starting your own library?"- why, yes I am...I like to call it " Books on wheels". I will drive up to your home and roll my window down, all the while playing books on cd while you sort through the mangled piles of books strewn throughout the car until you find your gem, check it out and stroll along your merry way. Yes, books on wheels and I'll even throw in some crumbly crackers inside the pages for your reading, snacking pleasure. :)