tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90856702024-03-07T16:56:04.752-06:00The Manor FamilyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.comBlogger389125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-57114906958345792392016-09-26T18:47:00.000-06:002016-09-26T18:47:18.243-06:00Williamsburg Summary & Review<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our family recently traveled to Williamsburg, Virginia for a week of hands-on history focused school. Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown have weeks during the fall and spring when they provide homeschool programs. I planned our trip and made reservations six months in advance to ensure we would get into all the classes and tours we wanted to attend. They had special rates for admission tickets and hotel making this an affordable trip for families. The multi-day admission tickets to Williamsburg were $13.50 for youth and $19 for adults. The extra homeschool programs varied in price from $5-$15 per person per class. The hotel was $85/night for a room that sleeps 5. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After our first day traveling, we stayed in Wytheville, Virginia and enjoyed a break from the car while we swam, ate take-out dinner and taught Abby and Enoch to play Settlers of Catan. On our second day of traveling, we took a lunch break in the Shenandoah Mountains. We took a short detour on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Humpback Rocks visitor center at milepost 5.8. This prominent rock outcrop was a landmark guiding wagon trains in the 1840s. We visited their outdoor farm museum. There was a single-room log cabin and a series of outbuildings that represented late nineteenth century living. There were costumed interpreters making quilts, playing banjos, and cooking in the cabin. It was especially fun to have my mom with us who grew up on a farm similar to this one. The children were fascinated by the stories she had to tell when she was a child. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We arrived Sunday evening at the Woodland Suites hotel, conveniently located right next to the Williamsburg visitor center. I wasn’t sure what we would be getting for $85 per night, but I was pleasantly surprised. This price included a continental breakfast, which I would describe as a few steps up from a Hampton Inn breakfast. They had fresh fruit, yogurt, bagels, muffins, cereal, waffles everyday and each day there was something different: bacon, sausage, eggs, biscuits and gravy or an omelette. Included in the fee, we had access to on-site recreation and games: miniature golf, volleyball, shuffleboard, table tennis, horseshoes, and cornhole. There was a heated saltwater pool and Splash Park. Complimentary shuttle bus service to Williamsburg was another benefit. We also took advantage of the 10% off discount at official Colonial Williamsburg stores. The room we stayed in had two double beds (a little small when you’re used to a king-sized bed, but we made it alright) and a chair that pulls out into a small bed. There was a restaurant, Huzzah, open for dinner after 5:00 on the property that we ate at twice. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Monday we spent the day at Jamestown Settlement. The Settlement has four main areas to explore: a beautiful museum, replica’s of the three 1607 ships that sailed to Virginia to establish Jamestown, James Fort (1610-1614) and the Powhatan Indian Village. There were several homeschool tours to choose from: A general family tour for all ages, a program for ages 7 and under that visited all four areas of the site, but had a special focus on the Indian village with age-appropriate activities, and a tour for ages 8 and up that toured three of the areas with a special focus on the fort. We made reservations for the two themed tours that met at the same time. Elijah went with Ezra on the tour for younger children and my mom and I went on the tour with Abby and Enoch for older children. We had a very knowledgeable guide who was excited about what he had to share. The tickets we bought were good for the whole week, so we got detailed information about parts of the site, but were glad to know we could come back anytime during the week to explore the parts we didn’t get to spend as much time on. I enjoyed the small size of the group and that the information was geared for older children and they were not distracted by younger siblings who had tuned out because it was over their head. Ezra loved his tour and was able to share a lot more about what he learned with us. After the two hour tour, we ate lunch in the café. We were planning to go explore the parts we wanted to see, but it began to pour outside. Instead, we visited the museum inside which was beautiful, had several hands on experiences and several well done movies to watch. We came back Thursday afternoon to see the parts we wanted to explore in more detail.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tuesday and Wednesday we rode the shuttle bus to Williamsburg. Two days were just the right amount for us here. I wish I would have had an opportunity to look at a map of colonial Williamsburg before the trip to get the lay of the land. It took me a little while to realize that all the buildings in red on the map could be entered with our admission ticket. There was so much to see. We signed up for 6 homeschool classes over the 2 days. Some, Ezra was not old enough to go to, so he had special time with Nana during those times. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first class, Exceedingly Good Cook, was our favorite. This was a hands on class where the students learned about how slaves cooked for their masters and for themselves. Abby scooped oyster out of it’s shell and fried it in a spider pan on the hearth, Enoch used a mortar and pestle to grind herbs and they both helped make hoe cakes and beans. They didn’t get to taste any of the food they made, but it smelled good. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Objects and the Stories They Tell was taught by one of the curators who is responsible for doing the research that helps determine what objects go into the houses. She had just changed out the items in the Wythe house to reflect the two week period when George Washington stayed in this home to plan the strategy for the Battle of Yorktown. Enoch got to hold the key and open the door to the house. The students got to handle the objects in the house and she explained why she chose those items to go in the home. There is even a special department in Williamsburg where they make the fake food that goes in the historical homes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Brick Wall class took place in the brick yard behind the Randolph property. They split the class into two small groups, so we had a lot of individual attention. At the first station, they made bricks in a mold and then they took their shoes off and stepped in the clay to soften and mix it together. I do wish I would have known they’d get dirty. They had a place to wash feet, but no towels to dry with. Next, they learned to lay brick two different ways and how they made mortar back then. This was another favorite class that all three of our children could participate in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The 5 of us visited the 3 million dollar stables during the Bit and Bridles program. We saw the horses, different types of carriages and an ox-cart team and learned more about horses and saddles. This was probably my least favorite program, but that might have been because we were so tired.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Juba’s, Shakers & Bells program was at the Randolph house. The teacher explained more about slave life and some of the ways they would rest and relax together by playing music. This was one of the times the slaves really felt free for a few minutes. All of the children had an opportunity to play different African instruments that the slaves would have used using the different rhythms he taught. Ezra attended a Mother Goose class for his age group that Elijah attended with him. He seemed to enjoy it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tuesday evening behind the courthouse, there was a reenactment that lasted about 30 minutes called, “On to Yorktown and Victory” with George Washington on his horse, fife-and-drum march and the militia firing their guns. This was a big highlight not to be missed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One night we ate in Williamsburg at Christiana Campbell’s Tavern, George Washington’s favorite place to eat. The food was good, but it was a on the pricier side. We got more than just food, though. It was more like a “character dinner.” A historical interpreter was there dressed as Christina Campbell. She explained a lot of history about the building and George Washington. There was also a gentlemen dressed up who played guitar at each table. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thursday we visited Yorktown Victory Center where we had reservations for a homeschool tour. This is run by the same people who run Jamestown. There is also a Yorktown National Park where the actual location of the battle was, but we did not visit this location. The Victory Center is a brand new facility just opened recently. We saw a very well done up-to-date video production in the theatre that gave an introduction to the American Revolution story of liberty and freedom. There was a nice timeline of the American Revolution on the wall in the hallway. The boys were able to try on costumes from the Revolutionary war uniforms from the English, French and Americans. The homeschool tour included a visit to the classroom with a power point presentation, the continental army encampment and a farm. Our favorite part was the army encampment where there was a presentation on spies, learning about the guns as they were shot, how to march with the soldiers and how military doctors would help the soldiers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few tips to remember for the trip: bring rain gear and think of ways to save money on food. Thankfully, we came prepared for rainy weather with umbrellas, ponchos, and rain boots. It rained Monday through Thursday. I do wish we had brought extra socks, though. I saw some families who had brought a crockpot to cook taco meat in their room during the day. They ate tacos at the tables in the lobby of the hotel for dinner. We had a fantastic week in Virginia. We learned so much and I would recommend this type of family field trip to others who are interested. </span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13052456262799506796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-41278037798443648062012-03-13T21:05:00.001-06:002012-03-13T21:05:17.129-06:00Polar arctic <p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><br>The last 5 weeks have been a bit tough. Ezra's 18 months old now and I"m trying to figure out how to homeschool with a little guy who wants me to hold him most of the time and who likes to climb up on tables and play in the toilets. He has also started screaming at the top of his lungs to communicate. He knows what he wants and gets so frustrated that he can't tell me. He does have some words and a few signs, but the problem with the signs is that I have to be looking at him to see what he wants. Most of the time, I"m looking somewhere else, so in order to get my attention he screams. He's also adjusting his nap routine from two down to one. There have been a few days when he only slept 30 minutes the whole day. On this day, he did not nap at all. The kids were piled on the couch watching a show and Ezra went right to sleep leaning on Abby!</p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-U1SQgNNwn5Q/T2AK4ULhz3I/AAAAAAAAAFs/MkIICopwmwQ/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-duB3xuj81xs/T2AK3bZn4HI/AAAAAAAAAFc/NXyDpAL78aE/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>So, I'm thankful for a break this week and for a chance to look through my pictures and remember that we did learn and we did have fun! If I don't make an effort to remember the good times, it is too easy to only focus on the difficult ones and fall into a trap thinking I can't do this.<br><br>We checked out a few fun books about the Arctic from the library.</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Nz1duP9vIac/T2AK6a0Za-I/AAAAAAAAAGM/2OAvdArfoJs/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><br>Elijah helped Abby to make an igloo out of marshmallows. It turned out so nicely! The glue helped it harden, so I guess it will be around awhile. We set up a little play scene with Artic animals, the igloo and an iceberg from a game we have.</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-z93iti4Wag8/T2AK2sujKhI/AAAAAAAAAFU/MkRvaDKbtgI/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>I froze different size containers of ice. I put them on trays to serve as icebergs. It made another great playscape for the artic animals. </p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-jD840ZMKQAs/T2AK1IPho1I/AAAAAAAAAE8/n7WJWQlz68E/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><br>We watched "The March of the Penguins" for a family movie night. We took turns being the Mommy and Daddy penguin passing the egg to each other. We used a small ball for the egg.</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-XrK0O7de-nM/T2AKx_qt2cI/AAAAAAAAAEg/BrYr9i3zmWI/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>We made a few artic and winter crafts. I can take or leave the crafts, but I absolutley love painting with Abby. I gathered the supplies for a few nice art lessons to do with her so I could just grab them when we had some time for just the two of us. There is something about art that makes my heart sing!</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-lqBzSbTr-is/T2AKybsJFEI/AAAAAAAAAEo/Gas5L7f8xS8/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-qhuNSm5z8jU/T2AK3yED-9I/AAAAAAAAAFk/TwI5A26fxT8/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-c8OHQdG5rMc/T2AKzaQ5Y-I/AAAAAAAAAE0/8C54BGS1v0Y/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><br>We used water colors and masking tape to create winter birch trees. Elijah and I used to take watercolor lessons together before we had children. I got out our good watercolor paints and brushes <a href='http://www.deepspacesparkle.com/2011/01/10/birch-trees-watercolor-lesson/' target='_self'>for this lesson</a>.</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-rfKSN9RtOco/T2AKwekZS6I/AAAAAAAAAEM/nzNRxFO0nts/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6PVbSFXPg7o/T2AKvGRmaqI/AAAAAAAAAD4/kMUjVV7GcFY/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>Abby does lots of drawings on her own. I thought this one was particularly good. She got a unicorn for christmas and wanted to draw that.</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-8u8GUF_LHDQ/T2AKsldOixI/AAAAAAAAADU/e7YjdxTElf4/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><br>Sometimes I feel like Enoch gets lost in the middle of everything. He asks quiet a bit if he can "do school with me." If I can get Abby to play with Ezra in another room for a bit, then I can have some time to sit down at the table with him for focused time together. I've started doing a few of the lessons at the very beginning of the Right Start Math program I am using with Abby.<br></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ObTFFQkLK0I/T2AKvyyWSwI/AAAAAAAAAEE/WB6lBrTDacs/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-MblxfaX5AW8/T2AKunkrDmI/AAAAAAAAADw/Yn8HTVbyR3I/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><br>We recently got an ipad which I am really enjoying. It's a great tool for school. There are so many educational apps to add. It's nice to let one child play w/ it while I work with another.<br></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-FwHqy4Ar-Qk/T2AKrwkrR3I/AAAAAAAAADM/nNViA6LSk4Y/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><br>Enoch doesn't have much time for hugging, but Elijah happened to be at the right place at the right time to snap this picture. I will cherish it!</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FmmnrKmVaJg/T2AK40CGPFI/AAAAAAAAAF0/AGLB6gasf6o/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><br>Abby also got in on the action of teaching Enoch. She made little connect the dot letters for Enoch on the white board for him to practice writing his letters. He loved it!</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-nySUQNsEEGE/T2AK1rW8BjI/AAAAAAAAAFE/kNFZelQfFY4/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><br>Abby has really wanted to play a lot lately. I'm so thankful she has two brothers to play with, they have such a great time being creative together.</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-3Rj7Owp6YW8/T2AKxdipKII/AAAAAAAAAEc/-YssSPydbcU/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-27McaNQ2154/T2AKw9YWQ4I/AAAAAAAAAEU/I2RWVG9txRE/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>We took a few field trips. The Adventure Science Center currently has a nice exhibit about animals. There are lots of ways to pretend there, it was perfect for the little ones.</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pzkOMNBBV5s/T2AKuF2B9xI/AAAAAAAAADs/JXyzAClB1Ts/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>Doctor Abby and Doctor Ella are ready for surgery</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-d-dbLTBhmZg/T2AKtJLm99I/AAAAAAAAADc/WQTvJi7uNJo/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>They even had someone demonstrating really neat science experiments.</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-EOh5-GD61pw/T2AK5xG2srI/AAAAAAAAAGE/kKa6MlNwkwQ/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>Abby and I joined a school day at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center about Aaron Copeland's music.</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-YWaK6CgpFzY/T2AK2DHg-wI/AAAAAAAAAFM/AJB4Opa-TpI/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><br>Our family went to Centennial park to feed the ducks and geese on a warm Saturday morning, Ezra was super excited about seeing real animals.</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-yi9f5Xp4Zsg/T2AKtrcjr8I/AAAAAAAAADk/NO-VAGYACHg/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><br>We're a part of a group that meets twice a month. It was my month to plan the activities for our group. We had a Valentine party at the Downtown library. The other moms were able to take their little ones to the story time while a few helpers and We did some really fun Valentine themed educational activities. Of course they also exchanged valentines at the end.</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4zBXoNMzc8k/T2AKrd6Vw2I/AAAAAAAAADE/bOiyLeFdCb8/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/--79U6Ou_tT4/T2AK5REbIEI/AAAAAAAAAF8/d_u2BA894Ys/bloggerPlus.jpg'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><br>Okay, this was a good reminder, we did have lots of fun the past five weeks. I am looking forward to a break this week, and then we move on to the African Savannah!</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13052456262799506796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-58389695399140916002012-01-28T20:25:00.001-06:002012-01-28T20:29:09.958-06:00Homeschooling is HardAfter a long Christmas break from school, which we all enjoyed so much, Abby has started to show a little resistance to our "sit down and learn" time. As I've sat with her and asked her about what's going on in her heart when I see resistance creeping in, she has simply stated, "I'd just rather play." I believe she does enjoy learning, but there are times when she'd just rather play, which seems perfectly normal for a six year old! I want to just accept this for what it is, a normal 6 year old who loves playing, and not take it personally, but it's really hard somedays. I think there is a balance of accepting where she's at and relaxing my expectations and also helping her understand the beauty and freedom of homeschooling and how blessed she is to be able to stay home and learn with me. I don't want to guilt her into learning. One of my main goals for her this year was to continue to love to learn. I don't want to squelch the joy of learning by holding my expectations too high and putting too much pressure on her just because I like the satisfaction of checking off another one of my boxes on my planned list. <br />
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I think I'm going through a little homeschool "burnout" which I think is pretty normal this time of year. We're about 100 days into school, so we're more than half way to our required 180 days. I had laid out a plan of 4 school days per week so we could have one day off. I struggle with perfectionism and it seem that I can't help but "sneak in" an extra day of school on our planned day off so I can be ahead of my planned out schedule. I was such a weirdo in college that actually finished my papers early because I wanted to avoid the stress of last minute deadlines. I'm realizing I need to scale back, lower my expectation and take my planned break. This is a great chance to recall why we are doing this. My main focus is developing a strong positive relationship with my children, loving them well, teaching them how to rely on the Lord for everything. All the "school stuff" is actually secondary on my list of priorities. <br />
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It's also a little difficult to balance my two roles of teacher and mother. I'm finding it difficult to just play with my children for the sake of playing. I always have this pressure I put on myself to make everything educational. I do want our lives to be learning in everything we are doing, but I want it to be JOYFUL! <br />
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As I've processed through these feelings for a few days, the Lord has brought to my mind how He has cared and provided for me through this rough patch where I've honestly just wanted to run away from my house, far away! I'm tired! This feels hard! He's gently reminding me not to be afraid of things that are hard. He will give me what I need. I've wanted to just escape, but He will restore my soul when I come. Two specific ways He's provided have been through a sweet neighbor who loves to invite Abby and Enoch over to play frequently. This has given them great social interaction and a much needed break for me. Also a 12 year old homeschool girl has expressed interest in getting some practice caring for young children. She and her mother have asked if they can come and play with all three children while I take a break. <br />
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One more week of learning about Polar animals and then a week break...which I plan to take!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13052456262799506796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-64927695086342853882011-12-15T19:57:00.003-06:002011-12-22T20:21:36.079-06:00Homeschool WoodsWe finished up 5 weeks of preschool on the woods before Thanksgiving. I waited too late to write this so I don’t really remember many thoughts or feelings about those 5 weeks. I do want to write about a conversation I had with a friend today who expressed interest in homeschooling her child but said she just wasn’t sure if she had the right personality for it. I’ll preface the rest of this paragraph by saying I think school choices for families are very personal and I am so thankful each of us in America has the opportunity to choose what we think is best for our own children. My husband and I are not in a position to decide what is right for any other family accept our own. Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, I don’t believe that you have to have a certain personality in order to teach your child at home. In the short time we’ve been doing this, I’ve been blessed with a wonderful community of other homeschooling families, and it’s been beautiful to see how each mom has their own style in how they teach their children. Some are “fly by the seat of their pants” type who can turn anything into a learning activity anywhere anytime of day. Some prefer lots of structure and order to their day, they study certain subjects on certain days. Some of us are somewhere in between. It’s easy to look at another family and think, “I can’t do that.” And maybe you can’t do what their doing, but God made you your child’s parent and you know them better than anyone else in the world. You can figure out how to teach your child if you have the desire no matter what your personality is like. We don’t all have to be the same! <br />
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If you look at a blog like mine and see a small window into what we’re doing and you’re discouraged because you think you couldn’t do it like this, the great news is... you don’t have to! You don’t have to be like any other family that you see. You are free to create your own rhythm of what works for you and your children. <br />
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If you hear God whispering to your heart about home education, I would encourage you to continue asking Him about what that would look like for your family. I would also highly recommend the book, “Education the WholeHearted Child,” by Clay and Sally Clarkson. It’s the best book I’ve read on the subject, very comprehensive. <br />
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Okay, now back to the woods! Since I don’t remember much, it’s all kind of a blur so I’m just putting in pictures and a description of the pictures. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Homeschool Woods</span> <br />
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Some of the library books we enjoyed.<br />
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More book about woods we read. <br />
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We love the magnetic wall Elijah painted for us. Enoch identified animals and Abby read the word and turned the card over. <br />
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Abby created her own scene for her woodland animals to live in. Lots of pretend play went on here at her desk, I love it!<br />
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Filling out her animal notebook page<br />
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“Making Words” file folder game...I love Pinterest. <br />
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This was fun! We turned leaves into animals. We turned some into ornaments to give away for Christmas. <br />
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Abby made her own “tree book” out of paper lunch bags. Too cute, again love pinterest! She wrote and drew about the different parts of a tree. <br />
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Elijah took Abby and Enoch on their first “Father Child Campout.” He’s hoping to make this an annual event. They had such a great time! They roasted hot dogs and marshmallows for dinner, drank hot chocolate, and had pancakes and bacon for breakfast. They were super cold at night, but they have wonderful memories of their time together. Elijah said was really impressed with all the leaves and trees that Abby could identify. Ezra and I stayed nice and warm at home together. <br />
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Enoch and Abby made up their own “Donut Shop” game. In this picture, Enoch was the store keeper. Abby had a dessert plate with a vowel on it, she used coins to buy a donut, then laid the donut over the vowel and read the word. A perfect math and reading game! The abacus is from the “Right Start” math program we are using. She used this to help her count the correct amount of money.<br />
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For a reading incentive this time we put up a tree with fall leaves. For each book she read she took a leaf off. There was supposed to be a reward at the end when all the leaves had fallen, but we didn’t finish it before it was time for Christmas decorations to go up. Oh, well!<br />
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This was my favorite part of the 5 weeks. We spent a lot of time outside in nature knowing that winter was coming soon and we wouldn’t be able to get out as much. Abby’s been identifiying and pressing leaves in her journal. She writes the date she found it, where she found it, the name of the leaf and sometimes something interesting that she read about the tree in her field guide. <br />
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We were collecting some leaves in the parking lot of Publix one day (we needed some for our animal/leaf craft last minute, Publix was handy)! A man in a service van stopped us and asked if we were working on a school project. I said yes we were. He said, “I want to know what school she goes to because my daughter doesn’t learn anything like that in school, nothing practical, their just teaching her to take a test.” I told him we were teaching her at home. We proceeded to have an interesting conversation. He asked a few questions about it and had thought that you had to have a college degree to homeschool. <br />
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Beautiful mushroom she found, look at those sweet little hands holding it! We brought it inside, cut off the stem, put it upside down on a piece of paper, covered it with a bowl and waited a few days. Then we lifted it off the paper and saw the pattern that the spores had left. <br />
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Throwing rocks in the river on the trail in our neighborhood. <br />
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Using a bird call she earned at the Nature Center Trade Station. The Warner Parks Nature Center has a program where you can bring in an item from nature, tell about it and receive points. The more you know about the object, the more points you get. Then you can save your points and trade them in for prizes. She’s gotten several field guides, stamps, and now a bird call, how cool! It really works, they answered her back. <br />
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My favorite memory during this time. As the wind blew, we’d all run trying to catch the leaves in the air that fell. We also played a fun game we made up: tree tag. We’d play chase, then I’d call out a word (deciduous, coniferous, broadleaf, evergreen) and that would be base. So they’d have to find the correct kind of tree and get there in order to be safe. <br />
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LOVE the nature center. Here’s Abby and Enoch setting out birdseed for the birds and squirrels. <br />
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Here we are behind the bird blind quietly watching the birds to eat the food they’d set out (accept for the times Ezra was making a few screams!)<br />
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There have been a few times when Elijah has taken all three kids hiking on the weekend so I could have time to work on something or to take a break. Sweet, special memories with their Daddy. <br />
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Nature walk activity<br />
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Ezra loves to put anything in and out of containers. <br />
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Enoch’s still not napping, so at times he falls asleep on the couch. Ezra wasn’t even able to wake him up. <br />
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I made a busy box of acitivites to occupy Ezra. Have I mentioned I love pinterest! This is just a bunch of sponge rollers he takes the plastic part off, when he gets older he can thread it back on, a precursor to threading beads on a string. <br />
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Enoch doing one of his busy bags: making polygons<br />
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We had hibernation day when we learned about bears. We set up a tent inside and read books about bears in the tent. They pretended to hibernate during the winter, then woke up super duper hungry bears in the spring time. <br />
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They had an indoor smores snack. <br />
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Owl craft<br />
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When learning about bees, I hid a cup of nectar (juice) inside of the flower pot. They used straws to suck the nectar out of the flowers and transferred it to their hive upstairs. This proved to be a little messy, but that’s okay, it was fun!<br />
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Sucking “nectar” from flowers.<br />
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My favorite field trip was visiting Beaverdam Creek Farms, who deliver our CSA basket each week. It was so neat to see where the vegetables we eat come from. We especially enjoyed visiting the farm with two other families from our neighborhood. The children planted lettuce seeds in the greenhouse. Our kids play regularly with these children. Yes our children are social and have regular interaction with others! (that’s always a question asked of homeschoolers).<br />
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Picking and smelling herbs.<br />
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Trish shows how they weed the rows in the garden. <br />
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Hayride down to see the cows and more of their property. <br />
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Abby attended a Warner Park Nature Center class, “Budding Botanist.” We are so thankful for the many wonderful and FREE programs the Nature Center offers. <br />
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We visited the local fire department to learn about fire prevention. After we toured the station, met the firemen and got an explanation about their equipment, one of the moms led us in some fun games and crafts reinforcing what we learned. My favorite activity was when they crawled low under the smoke (a sheet that moms held), used a phone to call 911, used a “fire extinguisher” (silly string) to put out a fire, then ran to a mailbox to wait for an adult. <br />
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A group we are a part of visited a nursing home to encourage the residents. The children recited two poems and sang some songs, then passed out cards and visited with the residents. <br />
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My grandmother, “Moni” and Abby looking through old family photos. <br />
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We enjoy having friends over to “do school” with us, too. Micah, Owen and Abby played a math game together and read about the concept of a Googol. Micah LOVES numbers!<br />
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We had friends over for school one day. They did christmas crafts, math games, reading activities, recited poems and scriptures, decorated Christmas cookies, played and stayed for lunch. So fun!<br />
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Math games<br />
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Decorating Christmas cookies.<br />
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These homeschoolers get plenty of social interaction! They make up all kinds of elaborate stories to act out using costumes and all!<br />
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Neighbors here for math games.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-65729156150307578382011-11-25T20:16:00.000-06:002012-01-12T22:10:12.824-06:00Thanksgiving 2011We took a break from learning about animals during the week of thanksgiving and turned our focus on the history of the first Pilgrims. We had some fun hands on activities to add to the great books we checked out from the library. We are SO thankful for the library. Our family is known at the library as the laundry basket family. We almost always check out the maximum amount of books we can. Someone finally clued me in on the fact that my children can have library cards as well, so now we don’t have to be so choosy about which books we get each time. It’s too hard to carry all those books in a bag while carrying Ezra and keeping the others close by, so I found this cool basket at Target that has wheels on it. We attached a rope to the handle, so now it is the much loved library book basket. The kids pull the basket full of books so I can have my hands free to hold Ezra. You can hear us coming, we’re not the quietest people at the library...oops, oh, well. The staff seems to think it’s cute rather than annoying, so that’s good. ; ) They did say we were one of the most frequent visitors. Shouldn’t we get a prize for that or something? Like frequent fliers on airplanes?<br />
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We went to Cheekwood to see the scarecrows and their cowboy exhibit. Nana joined us.<br />
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Cheekwood Indian<br />
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Ever since shortly before last Easter, we’ve had a little “prayer corner” for the children. It sits right next to my “prayer chair” as it is affectionately called. I was inspired by <a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/2011/04/family-activity-for-lent-a-repentance-box/">A Holy Experience</a> to create a repentance box, and from that we extended it into a place for them to have quiet time right next to me. <br />
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Abby has her <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Early-Readers-Bible-Gilbert-Beers/dp/0310701392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326427739&sr=8-1">Early Reader Bible</a> which she reads on her own aloud to me. She has her own prayer journal. I sometimes give her a journal starter. She can then write or draw about the writing prompt. Some examples of writing prompts we’ve used are:<br />
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<ul>
<li>What are you thankful for?</li>
<li>Think of times when you drew near to God today (meaning times when you wanted to do the wrong thing, but you stopped and asked Jesus to come near and help you do the right thing).</li>
<li>Tell God about your feelings (pick from the list of 8 basic feelings that are listed in her journal)</li>
<li>Think of something in nature that reminds you of a truth about God.</li>
<li>“Taste and see that the Lord is good.” How has the Lord been good to you?</li>
<li>Draw a time when you were afraid. Now draw a picture of where Jesus was with you during that time.</li>
</ul>
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We also tweaked an idea from Mustardseed Preschool where Enoch currently attends and where Abby attended for the 3, 4, and 5 year old class. They have devotions every day where they recite Bible verses and memorize the children’s catechism through song. Once a week, they have mystery box. So we have a mystery box now where I put an object inside. I’ve used pipe-cleaners, a butterfly, a heart-shaped locket charm; it can be anything. She opens the box and then we each write or draw about how it reminds us of God. It’s so sweet to see the amazing things she comes up with on her own and to see how God is drawing her near to Him in their own special relationship. <br />
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We do not currently have a routine about when we use our sacred space. We go through seasons when we use it quite a bit and times when we don’t. We usually have to wait for a time in the day when the boys are napping or when Enoch is at school. <br />
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I forgot to explain the repentance box. You can read more about it at Holy Experience, but basically there are business cards and a pen laying out at all times on the tray. Anytime someone in our family would like to repent and have a conversation with God about the wrong they have done, they can write or draw a picture of their sin on the card. Then they talk to Him about it and ask for forgiveness. When they’re finished, they place the card in the box. At Easter, we take all the cards out and see the multitude of our sins, the blackness of our hearts, and our deep need for Jesus. Then we burn them. Showing how Jesus took them all away. We don’t use this as a punishment and never force anyone to do this, it is an optional thing. There are times when I do encourage them to spend some time there and what they do with their time is up to them. This has been such a powerful things for Abby and even Enoch. I usually sit with Enoch and show him what to do. He tells me what he did and what he would like me to draw for him. Guess what. I even have a few cards in their, too. ; ) I don’t write mine down nearly enough!<br />
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In case I’ve left the impression that I’m a super peaceful gentle person that handles every sinful situation in our home this way, let me quickly correct that. This is what I do on a good day and what I desire to do on each day. The majority of the time I’m doing all the wrong things (yelling and shaming). I’m 99% positive I am messing them up and that they will need counseling. But, I do believe God made me their parent and that He knew the specific ways that I would screw them up and He will use that to show them their need for a savior. Hallelujah! Is it sounding a little preachy here? Let’s move on...<br />
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The story of how I got our repentance box is a neat one, you can ask me about it sometime. I think I’ve written enough already for today.<br />
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Elijah made this amazing Mayflower ship out of an old refrigerator box. The kids had a great time reenacting the story of the first pilgrims based on the books we read about them. <br />
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A tiny bow and arrow! Another <a href="http://pinterest.com/andimanor/">pinterest</a> find. <br />
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Books we enjoyed about the first Thanksgiving. <br />
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My sister and her family came to stay the night. My grandparents came over and they had a great time playing dominoes. <br />
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We traveled to my parents house where we enjoyed a wonderful early Thanksgiving dinner. <br />
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Pops, Nana and the grandkids (Minus 1- Joshua, my other California sister’s son)<br />
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We made kitty cat pumpkin pancakes using blueberries, strawberries and apples when our cousins were here. <br />
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Trey showing Enoch how to build a card house.<br />
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A family picture of just our immediate family.</div>
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Wonderful dinner! Not only was the food great, but we also had great conversation as we marveled at how the Pilgrims made it through their first winter and each person had a chance to say things they were thankful for. <br />
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The cousins, Zack, Trey and Abby being silly!<br />
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Sailing their Mayflower boats on the continent twister map that I made last Christmas. <br />
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The kids made little Mayflowers out of walnut shells. The idea came from here, love this blog: <a href="http://cultivatedlives.blogspot.com/2010/11/mayflower-nut-tutorial.html">cultivated lives</a>.<br />
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I have a 4 week break planned for Christmas. I’m really ready for a break, but I’m wondering if it will be too long. We may sneak a few days in here and there, but it will be nice to have any pressure off. <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-75410426210198871902011-10-15T19:56:00.001-06:002011-10-16T20:14:45.848-06:00Homeschool RainforestOur second round of homeschooling this year has been a bit more of a challenge. We’ve been dealing with some sleep issues with the boys. Sweet little 3 year old Enoch has not been napping. During his napless days, he’s been causing quite a ruckus by coming in and out of his room, even going into the baby’s room and waking him from his nap. All the while this is going on, I’m trying to do the hardest “school stuff” with Abby. You can imagine my stress level rising and I was not a happy mama.<br />
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Enoch has not only stopped napping, but he also continues to be an early riser and wakes all the other sleepers in the house. In an attempt to remedy this sleeping situation, we’ve been playing musical beds. We set up a pack n play in our bathroom, which Ezra slept in at night, but he couldn’t sleep there during the day because Elijah works in our closet. So, we borrowed another pack n play and put it in the upstairs bathroom for naps. At one point, Enoch was so exhausted one day I asked if he would like to sleep in Ezra’s crib since no one was using it. He said yes and as I laid him in the crib he said, “Thank you, Mama.” I think he was missing the boundaries of a crib. Since then, Enoch is back in his toddler bed, and Abby is sleeping in Ezra’s crib, Ezra’s upstairs in the bathroom. Hey, I’m all for it, as long as people sleep. We’re learning to be flexible!<br />
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So, it’s been a bit of a zoo around here. The children all took turns not feeling well with a cough, so we had at least one very whiny child for a little over 2 weeks. This was a wonderful opportunity to remember that it's okay to abandon whatever I had planned to learn. The lesson for these days should be about how we can care for whoever is sick. Sadly, too often I give the impression that the little boys are a nuisance when they wake from their naps because we weren't finished with what we were learning. The far more important lesson I'm teaching is through my attitude. I pray that I can begin showing how precious these little ones are. I was very convicted and encouraged by this article: <a href="http://www.homeschooling.net/blog/homeschooling/the-baby-is-the-lesson/">http://www.homeschooling.net/blog/homeschooling/the-baby-is-the-lesson/</a><br />
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I am so glad I had a break scheduled for this week because that helped me press on through the last week. A lot of days the house has looked like this:<br />
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I’ve learned to make adjustments about some expectations as I’ve taken on a new role as teacher. One of those is lowering my standard of cleanliness. I can't do everything, and I'm learning to be okay with that, which is really difficult for a perfectionist loving person like myself. I’m a very "listy" person, I like to check things off of my “to do” list. Sadly, before homeschooling, my children never made it on the list. Yes, we did some fun things, I didn’t neglect them, but cleaning, cooking and laundry were always on the list, they never were. Sometimes it even felt like they were in the way of me accomplishing my list. Now that we’re homeschooling, they’re number one on the list, and that feels good, even if it means my environment feels a little chaotic to me. I’m learning to adjust. I wish I wouldn’t have waited this long to put them at the top of my list. <br />
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While learning is our top priority, we can’t just let the house turn into a complete dump, so we’ve been working on being a team, working together to get the jobs done. We’re taking it slow and doing one task at a time, trying to be successful at it for a period of time before adding a new task. For the last 8 weeks or so, all three children have been unloading the dishwasher each morning. Ezra and Abby work together and Enoch puts the silverware away.<br />
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Of course, the excitement of a new task wore off a few weeks in. So, we started talking about our team, Team Manor. We’ve added some lightheartedness to the task by coming up with our own team cheer and after we complete our jobs, putting our hands in and saying, “1,2,3, Team Manor!” Even little Ezra gets excited when he sees us put our hands together. Yes, it sounds a little silly, but everyone seems to catch on to the team spirit and the excitement of belonging and contributing to our family. I want our home to be the place our children want to be the most.<br />
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We started adding our next task, doing one load of laundry each day. Abby usually helps with this task, here’s Enoch getting a lesson in how to fold laundry. <br />
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I’ve used a really helpful book, “What Every Child Should Know Along the Way: Teaching practical life skills in every stage of life” by Gail Martin. It has a chapter on practical livings skills that lists each age and tasks the child should be able to complete during that year. I was going over the list of what a 6 year old should be able to do with Abby and she became really excited to know she was old enough to make sandwiches and toast. So right then, I taught her how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I get so used to doing everything for them and forget that they are becoming capable of doing things on their own. One day as we were getting ready to send Enoch off to school I listed off a long string of tasks that needed to be done in the next 20 minutes and I didn’t know how I was going to get it all done. Abby volunteered to make Enoch’s lunch, and she did all by herself! This book also has a chapter on Manners and Personal Safety. During our tea time we’ve read a few points from each of those chapters.<br />
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<h3>RAIN FOREST</h3><br />
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We just completed 5 weeks of school centered around the Rain forest. The curriculum we are using has been a great place to start and has good books, but it seems the things we find or make up on our own are the most enjoyable and memorable.<br />
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Abby and Enoch have really good imaginations, so after we read about the animals, we like to make up ways to act out what we learned. After learning about Toucans, we used kitchen tongs as our bills to pluck fruit (super balls) hidden in the artificial tree.<br />
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We took a chimpanzee walk to the neighborhood park. I was the momma chimpanzee carrying, Ezra, my baby chimpanzee on my back. Of course, we all had to have chimpanzee names, too. We made a nest on the ground, picked berries, used sticks as a tool to catch “termites” in a hole, used a big rock to crack nuts open and groomed each other by picking the bugs off one another and eating them. We swung like chimpanzees on the monkey bars. <br />
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Abby pretended to be a sloth moving very slowly and hanging upside down. They move so slowly the actually grow green algae on their backs, which helps them blend in with their surroundings and hide from predators.<br />
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When learning about butterflies, they curled up in balls as eggs, hatched out as caterpillars, then molted twice and then got inside their chrysalis (a sleeping bag) where they wiggled around until they emerged as butterflies! We got this idea from (put link here....cultivated lives blog post)<br />
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Probably the most loved animal game of all was playing spider monkeys and jaguar. Daddy would pretend to be the jaguar chasing the spider monkeys, who were able to jump from couch to chair to escape from him. We don’t usually let them jump on the furniture, but it was all in the name of education!<br />
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<h3>NATURE WALKS</h3><br />
I usually don’t remember to bring our camera on nature walks, but I was able to get a few pictures of them on a bug hunt. Enoch especially loves to catch rolly pollys. We took a few butterfly walks after we learned to tell the difference between butterflies and moths. Abby pressed some flowers in her nature journal. <br />
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Elijah ordered an ant farm for us to enjoy. It’s been fascinating to watch the ants dig their tunnels. Let’s hope no ones knocks the thing off the counter, I don’t need any escape ants around here!<br />
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<h3>ART</h3><br />
I found our art projects to be most enjoyable activity this time. We made a rain forest mural on a poster board. The first week we painted the background. We learned about the different levels of the rain forest: emergent, canopy, understory and floor. As we learned about different animals Abby would make an animal to add to our mural. We found inspiration from this website <a href="http://www.homeschool-activities.com/homeschool-science.html">http://www.homeschool-activities.com/homeschool-science.html</a><br />
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After learning about symmetry in math, we made symmetrical butterflies. While looking at pictures of real butterflies, we used oil pastels to draw half of a butterfly on a folded piece of watercolor paper. Then we folded the paper in half and rubbed really hard. The oil pastel transferred onto the blank side of the paper and then we had symmetrical butterflies which we then painted with watercolors. It looked like so much fun that one night after the kids were in bed, Elijah and I decided to try our own. <br />
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Another day we decided to make symmetrical faces using the same idea. Abby used a mirror to make her self portrait. <br />
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I’ve gotten a lot of our art ideas on this site: <a href="http://www.deepspacesparkle.com/">http://www.deepspacesparkle.com/</a> The author is a public school art teacher and has wonderful art lessons organized by grade level. <br />
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They made a few other simple animal crafts.<br />
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<h3>THE BOYS</h3><br />
Enoch has been going to Mustard Seed Preschool two half days a week. We can’t say enough good things about that school. He is doing so well there and it has really been helpful in maintaining some balance for me. While he’s doing fun 3 year old stuff and learning the children’s catechism at preschool, Abby and I are able to do a good bit of school basics like reading, writing, and math. We save the extra fun stuff for when he’s home with us. On the days he’s at school, Abby and I have started having tea time where we drink chai and have a nice snack while I read to her. That’s been really special and something to look forward to.<br />
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On the three weekdays that Enoch is home, he asks quite a bit, “Mommy, will you do school with me?” Thankfully, while we were doing the desert unit, I participated in a busy bag swap where I made 25 gallon size ziplock bags of one activity appropriate for preschool age. I swapped with a group and ended up with 25 different preschool bags. I put them all in a box and whenever Enoch’s interested in doing “school”, I have an activity ready. Once I’ve done an activity with him a few times, he is capable of doing the activities on his own. <br />
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While Ezra is taking his morning nap, I sit with Abby on the couch to work with her and Enoch has “Pool Time.” I get out a plastic swimming pool that only comes out during this time. The idea is for him to stay in the swimming pool to do his activity, which can be something messy like play dough, beans, rice, or water colors because the mess is contained inside the swimming pool and can be dumped outside when he’s through. To encourage him to stay in the pool, we begin with a bowl of snacks, something small like raisins, cherrios or goldfish crackers. Each time he gets out of the pool or interrupts, he looses one item out of his snack bowl. When pool time is over, both Abby and Enoch sit in the pool and eat their snack while I read a story to them. It only lasts about 20 minutes, but I can get a lot done in 20 mins. I am hoping to be able to increase his time and decrease his number of interruptions. If Ezra wakes up before we are done, he watches pool time while he sits in the exasaucer. <br />
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We hung a new map in the hallway. It’s a world map showing what parts of the world different animals live in. A few times when I haven’t heard from Ezra in a little while I’ve found him studying this map. <br />
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<h3>READING</h3><br />
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Abby’s been taking off with her reading. For fun, we began a green paper chain made to look like a vine since we’re on the rain forest now. For each book she read, she wrote the title of the book and made a new link to the chain. She read 35 new books during the last 5 weeks. We also practice sight words using a sight word box. New words begin in the slowpokes section of the box. If she reads them correctly, they get to move to the hoppers section. She has 5 seconds to read the hoppers correctly. The race car words must be recognized instantly, then she adds a tally mark to the back. Once a card receives 5 tally marks, it graduates! She set a goal of 50 graduates. After she met this goal, her Daddy took her for her first roller skating experience. <br />
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We've found several fun ideas for practicing sight words on different Kindergarten and First grade teacher blogs. This is one where she reads to word on the bottom of the cup and then gets to stack the cups. <br />
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<h3>FIELDTRIPS</h3><br />
We took several field trips during the last 5 weeks: <br />
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1. Zoo home school day: Animal babies <br />
2. Warner Parks Nature Center “Declassification Class”<br />
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3. Bellemeade Plantation Harvest Day<br />
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4. Morning Glory Apple Orchard<br />
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Wow, this is an extra long post! It's been good for me to sum up the last five weeks and to remember that not all the days were difficult. We really had a lot of fun and learned so much. I had more I wanted to write about our Bible things we've been doing, but I think I'll save it for next time!<br />
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Up next we plan to spend the next 5 weeks learning about animals in the Woods.<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-63477409969160474232011-09-02T22:28:00.002-06:002011-09-02T22:28:45.705-06:00Homeschool Desert<br />
We've finished 6 weeks of homeschool and are taking a one week planned break. I thought I would do a summary post of homeschooling so far because it is so easy to forget the things we learn and do together. Before we started, I kept wondering how I was going to keep from losing myself, who I am as I added another role to my world as teacher. I am surprised to discover that I have not lost myself at all, but instead am becoming more of who I am. It feels like this is what I was made to do. No, I don't mean that every day is perfect and that we are always shiny happy people holding hands. We have our down days, but the overall experience is such a blessing. This is the right thing for our family to do at this time in our lives. I can already see our relationships with each other growing closer and stronger.<br />
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We really like having our school nook right there in the living room. After all, this is how we live, we are always learning, it's a part of our lives. It's not something we do just during "school time." <br />
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The white board in the kitchen is great, too. Abby can write out the menu or other copy work and I can help with spelling while I'm cooking dinner. By the way, this particular verse on the board is mostly for me to remember.<br />
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We rearranged our living room furniture so the couch is next to the window. This allows for the best lighting while we read, and we can all pile on the couch together. When we read a story, it's a short trip to the kitchen to find where it took place on the map.<br />
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The craft caddy has cut down on trips to the closet, where I kept the craft things before. We just take the caddy wherever we are working at the moment.<br />
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In the living room, they each have small desks that they can work at independently.<br />
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Sometimes I sit at the big table and work with one while the other is doing independent work and then we switch. It's also where we do most of our math (during nap-time), there are lots of manipulatives. <br />
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The shelf over the big table is a great place to display the crafts and artwork she's done. When we're done with a unit, we'll take pictures of them and throw them away to make room for more crafts.<br />
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Our first day of school, we took pictures of some of the books we'll be using this year.<br />
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We've also made a nature backpack that we take with us on nature walks. Inside are: magnifying glasses, binoculars, flashlight, field guides for identifying wildflowers, trees, birds and mammals, little plastic baggies for collecting things, a nature journal for each child to draw and write about what they've seen and a colored pencil bag.<br />
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We've enjoyed pressing wildflowers and leaves in the journals as well. Sometimes we bring our bug traps, too. I think nature walks has been one of my favorite things to do together. I'm amazed at how quickly Abby is able to look through the guides and identify flowers. I have learned a lot that I didn't know before.<br />
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The first six weeks have been themed around the desert. We're using WinterPromise "Animals and Their Worlds" curriculum, Right Start Math, and Explode the Code for reading.<br />
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We've acted out a lot of what we've learned about the animals, this has probably been their favorite part. We've turned it into a family night where we got to show Daddy how to play the games. One night we made up an "Amazing Animals" TV show. I was the hostess and I introduced Abby, the animal expert. Then I asked her to speak about a specific animal. She told us everything she knew about snakes. This was a great way for me to see what she was retaining and for her to formulate her thoughts into her own words. Then there was an opportunity for the audience to ask the expert questions. Enoch was the commerical break, we don't really know what he was saying, but he was enjoying having the microphone.<br />
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I gave them each a pan of sand and some desert animals and they went to town with creative imaginative play. It was so neat to see the story lines that Abby came up with especially as she learned more about each animal and who the predators were, how they defend themselves and keep cool in the desert. Enoch is much better at pretending than Abby was at this age because he has her to watch. <br />
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We have beautiful pictures of animals to hang on the wall. Elijah painted magnetic paint to make them easy to hang. I let them each take turns using the dart gun to shoot the animal that I call out. Sometimes we use a plastic fly swatter and they call out the animal name as they slap it. Enoch especially loves this game.<br />
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This was one of the animal games we made up as we learned about spiders. Abby was the spider and Enoch and Ezra were the insects that got caught in her web. <br />
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They made Kangaroo rat and armadillo crafts. Abby was inspired to write and illustrate her own book about a kangaroo rat and a diamondback rattlesnake. We pretended to be armadillos. One of us would be the predator, a fox and the other an armadillo. As the fox began to attack, the armadillo would curl into a ball with protection of its armored back. The fox would try to flip the armadillo over and if she could, eat the armadillos belly. They love rough housing and this was the perfect opportunity to do so while making what we learned stick in their minds. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Abby and Enoch used oil pastels to draw a chameleon and then used watercolors to paint. We talked a lot about saguaro cactus and how important they are to the desert. Elijah hung a hummingbird feeder on our back covered porch. It was just the right time because the hummingbirds will be flying south in a few more weeks. The kids helped make their sugar water and we were able to observe a lot of hummingbirds. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Elijah hung a line above Abby's bed where we hang works of famous artists. So far we've enjoyed Van Gogh, Monet and Mary Cassat paintings. I show them about 30 cards and tell them the names and then let them each select a few for their rooms. It's an easy way to expose them to great art works without a lot of effort on my part. They look at them as they're falling asleep. I wrote the titles on the bottom and Abby can usually read what they say. We've also played a fun art gallery pretend game where Abby is the art gallery owner. I come in as a customer and tell her I'd like to buy some art work. She points to each one and tells me the name of the painting and a little about the artist. I select a painting I want to buy and Enoch is the delivery boy. He takes the picture down and brings it to me and I "pay" him. <br />
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We've also been very blessed to be a part of a homeschool group that has 12 little girls mostly kindergarten, a few first graders. Some of these children she knows from church and from Mustard Seed Preschool. We plan to meet twice a month. Our first meeting was at Sodium. The girls had an art class and then one of the moms put together some activities for the girls. Sodium is a great place to meet, there was plenty of room for us to spread out and the little ones to play. Can't wait for our next time together!<br />
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Wow, this was a really long post and there's still so much I'm leaving out. I have used the break this week to prepare for our next 5 weeks based around the Rainforest. We also read some really great books recommended in the "Five in a Row" book. Abby has probably enjoyed reading on her own more this week because it was when she wanted to. I keep some books I know she can read in the car and she reads to Ezra as we drive. Last night she read a long Disney Cinderella book all by herself, she was so proud of herself. I'm looking forward to our next 5 weeks and then another week break!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-43521231588955332182011-08-22T21:39:00.000-06:002011-08-22T21:39:11.590-06:00Superman Walking<iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2ZSqEloPSRU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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Ezra took his first assisted steps today while pushing Enoch around in his new push toy. <br />
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I'm not sure who is having a better time... Enoch or Ezra ;)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-88681942639835577752011-08-21T21:22:00.000-06:002011-08-21T21:27:49.888-06:00Chattanooga Trip<embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Felijah.manor%2Falbumid%2F5643504510959937281%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US&noautoplay=1" height="390" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640"></embed><br />
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We celebrated Abby sixth birthday and Ezra's 1st birthday while we were in Chattanooga, TN. Elijah was speaking at the devLink conference there, so he was busy during the day, but got to hang with us at night. Pops and Nana joined us for the trip. <br />
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We spent the first day at the Aquarium and watched an IMAX movie, "Born to be Wild." We are studying animals and their habitats this year for Kindergarten, so it was really fun to see some of the animals we have already studied and ones that will be coming up soon. The kids enjoyed playing in the water outside of the aquarium. We went back to the hotel for pizza and ice cream cake. This was a great chance to share ways we've seen growth with the birthday children and to pray for them this coming year. <br />
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The second day we went to Coolidge Park where we saw a riverboat, splashed in the fountains and rode the carousel. Then we ate at Urban Stack, a really yummy burger and shake joint. We went back to the hotel for naps and then did the Incline and visited the Chattanooga Choo-Choo where we rode a trolley. <br />
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Friday we went to the Children's Museum. We had all day, so we took our time. It wasn't crowded and the kids played for a long time at each section. Nana played with the little boys while Abby and I explored the art section together. They also had a Bob the Builder exhibit which Enoch especially enjoyed. <br />
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Saturday, Elijah got to join us for a train ride and we all had a great time together.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-8478200067443730962011-08-21T20:31:00.000-06:002011-08-21T21:24:58.941-06:00Did we mention we had a baby.....A YEAR AGO!<br />
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Life has proved to be busy with three children. So busy, we haven't even mentioned the birth of our third child on this blog! <br />
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So much has happened in the last year. Right before Ezra was born, Elijah lost his job and we were without insurance.<br />
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God took such good care of us through it all. Elijah now works at home and we love having him here. <br />
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Elijah made a nice video capturing Ezra's first year. <br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-11081633725837887702011-03-09T00:37:00.001-06:002011-03-09T00:37:56.539-06:00He Is Risen <div id='bloggerplus_image_section' ><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/_L6DiZQsfJzs/TXcgQpaGAvI/AAAAAAAAJaM/IpjE_KwIXOc/bloggerPlus.jpg' ></img></div><br><br>Abby (5 years old) wrote me a note this evening all by herself. She went into her room and told me she was making a very special note for me.<br><br>In case you can't make it out, let me translate for you...<br><br>"Abby. I am sad. Jesus died. I am happy now, Jesus rose again!"<br><br>Isn't that just awesome!?!<br><br>I wanted to share this because it shows the growth of her faith and resonates with me the importance of my role as a parent to guide her.<br><br>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-87981268001453681952010-05-11T21:51:00.006-06:002010-05-11T22:02:58.339-06:00Happy Mother's Day<object width="525" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yO0zTRwPQpo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yO0zTRwPQpo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="525" height="350"></embed></object>
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This year for Mother's Day Abby picked out flowers and made a homemade card, Enoch replaced an alarm clock that he had broken, and I replaced photos of our kids in her brag photo book that she keeps in her purse.<br />
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We love you so much Mom! Thank you for taking care of the kids and making our house beautiful. We are looking forward to #3 :)</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-91307100812651629792010-04-03T20:48:00.034-06:002010-04-04T20:06:14.375-06:00Gender Revealing Party<embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Felijah.manor%2Falbumid%2F5456090939827541569%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="350" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="525"></embed><br />
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I saw this idea to reveal the gender of our baby at a party from the <a href="http://allthingshendrick.blogspot.com/2010/03/gender-party.html" target="_blank">Sit a Spell blog post</a>.<br />
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We had the ultrasound done on Tuesday and asked the lady to put the gender of the baby in an envelope. We gave the envelope to a friend who kept the secret for us until the party on Friday. All the food was pink and blue and everyone wore pink or blue to tell which gender they thought we were having. My friend, Crissy, made blue and pink cake balls. She put the proper color in a gift bag and we all found out as we took a bite. It was Blue!<br />
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After eating our yummy food, we gathered in the living for a time of prayer for our little baby boy. This was such a special time to hear our sweet friends praying over this precious baby. We ended the evening with a fun game of pictionary-the kids especially enjoyed guessing and drawing pictures of about babies.<br />
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What a fun night!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-87212339687177857802009-12-26T20:08:00.002-06:002010-04-03T21:19:11.914-06:00From the Mouths of Babes<object width="524" height="295"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8400971&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8400971&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="524" height="295"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/8400971">From the Mouths of Babes</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/elijahmanor">Elijah Manor</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><p>I've Got Something to Share with You...</p>
<p>The above video contains a special announcement from Abby and Enoch!</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-73609369039490167382009-12-26T19:00:00.001-06:002010-04-03T21:20:18.040-06:00Christmas 2009<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="525" height="350" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Felijah.manor%2Falbumid%2F5419732506459082609%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>
<p>This Christmas my parents come up from Search, Arkansas to spending the holidays with us. We had a good time catching up with them enjoying the Christmas season. On Christmas Eve we had a birthday Party for Jesus where we had a special foods and then we went to the Christmas Eve service at Fellowship Bible Church. On Christmas morning we watched the kids open their stockings and Abby handed out the presents for everyone to open. The rest of the day we enjoyed watching and playing with the children.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-18519405707824444662009-08-25T18:42:00.005-06:002010-04-03T21:20:42.049-06:00Playing with the Parnells<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="525" height="350" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Felijah.manor%2Falbumid%2F5408984854149900209%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br/><br/>
We're so glad my cousin, Heath, and his wife Caitlin stopped by for a few days on their way home to Arkansas. It's always great visiting and catching up with them. They brought their sweet dog, Chloe, too. We took her to the dog park for a little bit one day. Enoch really enjoyed watching the dogs run around. Heath and Caitlin are so good playing with the children. We were all sad to see them go and look forward to their next visit.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-46762602747880145992009-08-22T18:42:00.006-06:002010-04-03T21:20:58.875-06:00Helping With Dinner<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="525" height="350" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Felijah.manor%2Falbumid%2F5408972662150881425%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br/><br/>
Abby's been enjoying helping with dinner lately. She especially enjoys helping me snap green beans. The smell of fresh green beans brings back memories of snapping beans with my Granny in the summertime. She doesn't really care to eat cooked green beans, but she's been more willing to try them lately since she's helped prepare them. She's also been known to sneak a few bites of the raw ones.
She's also helped prepare a chicken to roast a few times. I know, you look at the picture and wonder how we could let a little person touch raw meat like that. I figure let her do it so she won't be grossed out by it when she's a grown up like I am. We're VERY careful that she doesn't put her hands in her mouth and I wash her hands very well afterwards. I even get the nail brush out. So, not to worry, no salmonella sickness around here.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-88511141811554148832009-08-17T18:34:00.030-06:002010-04-03T21:21:15.829-06:00Abby's 4th Birthday<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="525" height="350" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Felijah.manor%2Falbumid%2F5408974293798974737%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br/><br/>
<p>This is Abby's 4th birthday. Last year Abby had an Ariel themed pool party and she had such a good time that she wanted another one this year!</p>
<p>Friends and family came to celebrate with Abby. Andrea enjoyed making the Ariel birthday cake. I think she did a great job.</p>
<p>The kids played several games in the pool and we all enjoyed the cake!</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-9300815819994703022009-08-08T18:46:00.001-06:002010-04-03T21:22:34.601-06:00Abby's New Closet<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="525" height="350" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Felijah.manor%2Falbumid%2F5407121210129344193%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br/><br/>
Abby's been asking for a new closet every since Enoch got his. Pops and Nana did a beautiful job making a new shelving system for Abby's closet. She's able to be much more independent now that she can reach her hanging clothes. She can neatly put away her own clean clothes and pick out her clothes for the next day the night before. It's so nice to see her taking on more responsibility. Thanks, Pops and Nana, you did a great job! Are you starting on the master bedroom closet next?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-60990780165881847372009-08-01T18:42:00.012-06:002010-04-03T21:22:17.312-06:00Strolling Around Radner Lake<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="525" height="350" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Felijah.manor%2Falbumid%2F5408967547456814273%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br/><br/>
Radnor Lake is such a beautiful place! Even on a hot day, it's nice and cool on the road that is mostly covered by trees. We had grand ideas of enjoying a family day here. Unfortunately, children don't always act the way we want them to. Abby was having a pretty rough time. There are trails that go up into the woods. We parked her bike and went up on the trails, it was amazing, her attitude completely changed when we were in the woods and she decided to pretend she was Goldilocks. We were looking for the three bears house. She was perfectly fine the whole time we were in the woods, as soon as we got back down to the road, though, she went back into meltdown mode. Maybe next time will be better. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-70710392485352952009-07-28T20:10:00.001-06:002010-04-03T21:22:00.672-06:00The Alesso Visit<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="525" height="350" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Felijah.manor%2Falbumid%2F5407115185241113329%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br/><br/>
Elijah's sister, Cyndi, and her three children came to visit from California for a few days. We had such a great time together! Abby was especially excited to have her cousins spend the night. The kids played so well together. It was nice to have enough children to play some fun games like Duck, Duck, Goose and Freeze Dance. One night the whole family played a really fun game. We used Snoogle (my pregnancy pillow). We each took turns pretending that the pillow was a different object. Everyone else had to guess what object the snoogle was. Even the grown ups had fun acting. It was so sweet to see the kids teaming up and helping each other, too. We hope the Alesso family will be able to come back again soon (and bring Casey next time)!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-81458581899698894392009-07-12T17:14:00.012-06:002009-07-19T07:54:16.043-06:00Enoch's 1st Birthday<object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5583260&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5583260&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/5583260">Enoch's 1st Year Video</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/elijahmanor">Elijah Manor</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
<p>We had a great time celebrating Enoch's 1st Birthday.</p>
<p>Andrea's parents, Aunt, and paternal Grandparents came to our house along with our good friends the Guinness family and Talley family.</p>
<p>We presented Enoch's 1st Year video that I've been working on the past couple of weeks. I think all in all I put in over 40 hours preparing and putting together his video. It was hard work, but it was well worth it!</p>
<p>Andrea made an amazingly delicious healthy carrot cake for everyone and a special little one just for Enoch. We also had hot dogs, black bean salad, and lots of fruit.</p>
<p>As I mention at the end of the video... Enoch, you are truly a blessing from the Lord!</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-8984470611668096222009-07-10T19:27:00.002-06:002009-07-19T07:58:55.600-06:00What Would You Do For A Combo Meal?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_L6DiZQsfJzs/Sl_UDh-KGgI/AAAAAAAAH64/Az1eky0hc3A/s1600-h/ComboMeal.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_L6DiZQsfJzs/Sl_UDh-KGgI/AAAAAAAAH64/Az1eky0hc3A/s400/ComboMeal.JPG" /></a></div>
<p>Chic-fil-a had their annual dress like a cow day. This year we did it and got three free combo meals!</p>
<p>My sister, Alissa, let me borrow two cow costumes for the kids. Abby and I had fun making cow masks and putting together a costume for me. Fun times.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-14909769341262135322009-07-08T20:47:00.004-06:002009-07-19T08:32:14.283-06:00Daddy, we're proud of you!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Congratulations goes to Elijah! <br />
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Elijah got nominated and accepted to be a member of the <a href="http://aspinsiders.com/default.aspx">ASPInsiders</a>.</div>
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"The ASPInsiders is a select group of international professionals who have a demonstrated expertise in ASP.NET technologies and who provide valuable, early feedback on related developing technologies and publications to their peers, the Microsoft ASP.NET team, and others."</div>
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Also, recently a huge website posted an entry about the <a href="http://mashable.com/2009/06/04/developers-tips-twitter/">Top 20 developers to Follow on Twitter</a> and his name was in it!</div>
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He's listed as #18 alongside developers that are highly respected. As for the other 19, some have podcasts, some work at Microsoft, some write the technologies that Elijah uses, and others have blogs. <br />
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What an honor! Our family is so proud of Elijah and all his hard work. </div><br/>
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We're also thrilled for him as he received a wonderful job offer not too long ago. He is using cutting edge technologies that he has been speaking about for the past few months. God is so good to provide more than we could as or imagine. <br />
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He was also mentioned in a video that was posted recently on <a href="http://www.hanselman.com/blog/MSDNBytesTodaysRandomSillyHanselmanVideo.aspx">Bytes by MSDN</a>. <a href="http://www.hanselman.com/blog/">Scott Hanselman</a>, a Microsoft Principle Program Manager, mentioned Elijah as one of the answers when asked who he goes to for sources of technical information.<br />
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Many developers read Scott's blog, listen to his podcasts, and he recently co-authored a book about <a href="http://www.asp.net/mvc/">ASP.NET MVC</a> (which is one of the main technologies that Elijah's been focusing on the past year or so). <br />
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The question about Elijah starts at the 3:34 minute mark and his name is mentioned shortly after that if you want to skip directly to that part. You can watch the video <a href="http://www.hanselman.com/blog/MSDNBytesTodaysRandomSillyHanselmanVideo.aspx">here</a>.<br />
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We are so proud that Elijah has been recognized by such a leader in his field. All his hard work over the years is really paying off this year.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13052456262799506796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085670.post-42825040435245580212009-07-05T10:28:00.006-06:002009-07-19T07:59:26.435-06:00Father's Day Times Two<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_L6DiZQsfJzs/Sl_TVUaGgyI/AAAAAAAAH6w/MnnGuQVt8Nw/s1600-h/PicnikCollage.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_L6DiZQsfJzs/Sl_TVUaGgyI/AAAAAAAAH6w/MnnGuQVt8Nw/s400/PicnikCollage.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>This was my first Father's day with both Abby and Enoch!</p>
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They presented me with these two special books...
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<li><a href="http://www.dancemedaddy.com/">Dance me, Daddy</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Daddy-Hugs-1-2-3/dp/0689877714">Daddy Hugs</a></li>
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<p>I love being a daddy and I love my two precious children! Thank you Andrea, Abby, and Enoch.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14667340517136058696noreply@blogger.com0