Happy New Year!

Praying that God blesses you and yours in 2008!

Our Family Advent Celebration

The word advent comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming.” It is a time of contemplation and worship as we look for the coming of our Savior. The season of Advent is celebrated for the four Sundays before Christmas.

We love to celebrate the Advent of our Savior during this season. Our family chose colors and meanings for each candle of the Advent Wreath. We aslo chose to add a fifth candle that we light on Christmas morning. We remember Jesus using the following symbols:

White candle—Jesus, Our Peace
Purple candle—Jesus, Our King
Blue candle—Jesus, Our God
Red candle—Jesus, Our Sacrifice
Yellow candle—Jesus, Our Hope

We developed a "script" of sorts with related Scriptures and Christmas Carols to use during our worship. Last week we decided to make our Advent Celebration part of breakfast. Since then our children have been asking to hold hands and sing together at each meal. It has been a special time of family bonding and teaching.

On Christmas morning we read Isaiah 25 and reflect upon the Babe the manger Who brings us the sure hope of salvation through His sacrifice.

Isaiah 25 (New International Version)
Praise to the LORD

1 O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done marvelous things,
things planned long ago.
6 On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.
7 On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
8 he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove the disgrace of his people
from all the earth.
The LORD has spoken.
9 In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God;
we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the LORD, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation."

New International Version, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

Oh My Word!!!

Don't my girls look angelic? Well, tonight they outdid themselves when it comes to mischievous experiments. I was in the kitchen making dinner when they approached me. Gracie started off with, "Sorry, Mom. I got salt and pepper on the red chair in the living room." Abby piped up, "Sorry, Mom. I did it." I took a deep breath, composed myself, and summoned up the best Dr. Sears' wisdom I could. I went into the living room thinking that it would be bad, but I could handle it. What I saw was the worst, most unspeakable thing I've encounterd since The Great Poopy Wall incident of 2004. The red chair was sopping (and I mean sopping!) wet with olive oil and sprinkled liberally with toasted garlic. I was so angry that I had to send the girls to the other room while I pulled myself together.

Sam came in, looked at the chair and said, "Oh, no!" That was all that could be said. He offered to pay for a new chair with his trash job money. We figured out that it would take him 4 years to afford to replace the chair. He'd be ten--that's double digits. No, that wouldn't work. We prayed together that God would give me wisdom about what to do. Then I thanked Him that my girls came to me and took responsibility for what they had done--even though I might be upset. That is, after all, what Richard and I want them to do. Well, there was nothing to do but teach the girls how to clean it up. We cleaned up the garlic and researched what to do about olive oil on fabric.

Dr. Sears was right, I did feel better about myself as a parent by handling the situation proactively rather than sapping my strength with ranting and raving. I offered my girls a moment of grace, and isn't that what God does for us when we come to Him and admit we've screwed up again? I also taught my son that God will help us control our anger and figure out how to handle difficult situations.

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard of Aaron. Running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, for there the LORD commanded the blessing--life forevermore." Psalm 133

Thank You for the oil, Lord.

Live With Joy and Abandon

Avoid collagen Bloom late Celebrate Dance at weddings Eat more chocolate Fall in love again Go grey Hold hands Inspire Jettison grudges Kiss like you mean it Laugh Mend fences Nurture friendships Open doors Perspire with aplomb Quit whining Rekindle romance Spoil babies Teach someone to read Upset convention Volunteer Wear red eXpect joy Yield gracefully Zing

--Unknown

God has blessed us so much, shouldn't the way we approach life show our gratitude?

We're Not Buying Anything Made in China

We're not buying anything made in China. Not because of lead toxicity. (Though, this would be a good enough reason. And can I just say that I am astounded that we're usually the only parents reading packaging for those often tiny "Made in" words!)

We don't buy from China because of human rights violations like these and these and practices like these.

When shopping with Sam we look over packaging together. He asked once why we don't buy things made in China. I told him it was because they use slave labor. He had recently been introduced to slavery in a biography about Mark Twain and had already decided that slavery was wrong. He suggested we just tell people about China using slaves. In his mind it's obvious that no one would buy stuff made by slaves because it's a wrong thing to do.

The other day Sam lost a small toy that was very special to him. He wanted to return to the place he lost it, but we were in a serious time crunch. I suggested we look for a replacement while at the grocery store. After going through a wall o'toys we still had not found anything made anywhere other than China. Then Sam said seriously, "That's okay, Mom, I don't need anything." He didn't mope or pout. He was just quietly resigned to doing the right thing.

Shopping with little children in tow can be daunting. It is sometimes easier to grab and go rather than pour over packaging. I'm ashamed of the number of times I'm lured into what's easy at the moment. I came away from that experience with Sam having a renewed commitment to reading all those small print labels even if it is inconvenient. Why? It's the right thing to do. If a 5-year-old can see beyond want he wants now, I can too.

I Have Music!

Thanks to my brilliant and ever-so-helpful husband (who also happens to be pretty dang cute!).

Wow! Lookie There...

"I have no special talent. I am only

passionately curious."

--Albert Einstein

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

--George Bernard Shaw

Making Bad Things Good

Sam and I have been reading through the Little House series. We're currently reading The Long Winter. The Ingalls family is out of coal and planning to burn hay, their flour is nearly gone, and they've used the last of the kerosene. The stores in town are nearly bare. The train can't get through because of the recent three-day blizzard. When a clear day finally arrives, the men go out to dig snow off the tracks. Pa comes home excited because the train will come into town the next day. That afternoon storm clouds begin to form on the horizon. Sam became very serious and asked, "Mom, did God make those storm clouds?" I answered, "Yes." Of course he wanted to know why. I tried to explain that sometimes blessings and hard times come to God's children and his enemies. Then Sam said excitedly, "I know! It's just like when God takes dirty water and ocean water and makes them into clean water. God takes bad things and makes them into good things."



That comment has blessed my heart many times during the last few days. God can take bad things and make them good! It's his specialty. How often I need to remember that God takes the awful things in our lives and makes them beautiful. He can even take me, fallen as I am, and change my heart and life! What a great God!



By the way, the pictures were taken at Riley's Farm. We love to visit the farm for raspberry and apple picking! The also offer living history reenactments. During a recent trip, the kids made butter (or, I should say, they moved the dasher a bit!).

Homeschooling Quote

"Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality." --Beatrix Potter

The New Guinea Singing Dog Makes a Comeback!

Last February, after an emergency vet trip for one of our dogs, Sam asked if dogs have a uvula (to see the post click here). We couldn't see down Poncho's throat (he's such an excitable dog!), so we did a little research and found that dogs do not have uvulae. Except the New Guinea Singing Dog, which has a uvula-like structure in the back of its soft palate. Well, lo and behold, we go to the San Diego Zoo and someone asks us if we want to take a picture with a singing dog! I was stunned! We excitedly asked if it was the New Guinea Singing Dog and began telling the uvula story. The trainer looked a bit surprised, and maybe a little like she was thinking, "Ah, the wackos have landed!" But yes, it was the NGSD!

Well, the story continues. Today we get ZOONOOZ Magazine in the mail and one of the featured articles is about the very dog we met! It's a small, small world!

Look Out Mars, Here We Come!

We've been learning about the planets. I was totally unaware that Sam and Grace were taking a trip to Mars. I walked into the kitchen, minding my own business, and found Sam rumaging through pots and pans. When I asked what he was doing, he informed me that he and Grace needed space helmets. "For what?" I asked. Because they couldn't breathe on Mars without space helmets, of course. Silly me! He couldn't see out of the pots, so we all came up with other ideas. Their trip to Mars was great fun! I almost missed it. Imagine how surprised I would have been it they just flew off in their space shuttle without any goodbyes?

Happy Birthday, Aunt Jo!

We love you!

Memorial Day

I'm sad to say that my husband and I used to treat Memorial Day as a great time to get away for the weekend--totally ignoring the reason for the day off. Then we had children. We wanted our children to learn to be grateful for the people who have died standing between us and harm. So we now treat Memorial Day as a special day to honor those who have protected us and preserved our liberty. We put out our flag, decorate our home, sing patriotic songs, and dress in red, white and blue. We attend a Memorial Day Ceremony at the local cemetary, where they read the names of every person from our area who died in battle. The ceremony isn't fancy. The speakers aren't particularly articulate. They're just a bunch of heroes who love their country and are committed to honoring their fellow soldiers. Just regular guys. I find the whole thing quite moving.

Sam Teaches Grace to Read

Well, I think I've nearly worked myself out of a job! My five-year-old is teaching my three-year-old to read!

I've Been Tagged!!!

I've been tagged--had to ask my husband what that was! This sounds fun!

Rules:

1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and asking them to read your blog.

Here are my eight random facts:

1. Sorry, ladies. I have the best husband in the world! He is funny, sensitive, makes my motor race and is the best dad ever!!! I can always count on him! Besides all of this, he is one of the smartest, most interesting people I know. I love being married to him.

2. I love taking hot bubble baths while watching a movie on our portable DVD player.

3. I love Diet Coke from the fountain. It's like an addiction for me...diet coke with just the right amount of ice so that it clinks in the cup just so! Ahhh! I can even tell if it is diet or not by the way the fizz looks!

4. I hate Diet Coke in the bottle or can. Bottled soda definately must be Diet Pepsi for me.

5. I'm a Believer, by that I mean that I follow Jesus Christ. I fail miserably at living up to my own standards, let alone God's standards! It is only by His grace that I can continue the journey in spite of my failings!

6. I am blessed to have three beautiful children. They alternately drive me crazy and charm my heart. They add more joy to my life than they can ever know.

7. My husband and I think that watching our children is WAY better than any television show!

8. We have annual passes to Disneyland. One of my very favorite things to do is to give the parking attendant one of our children's passes (they are African American and we are white). The looks are amazingly funny as they try to hide their surprise and discreetly try to see into the back of the van! I know, this is kind of warped, but it gives me the jollies!

The eight people I will tag:

1. My husband (Family: The Final Frontier)

2. Fully Operational Battle Station

3. From Our Bunch to Yours

4. Wilkifam Blog Spot

5. I don't know eight bloggers either!

Last Game of Sam's First Season

I uploaded this movie mostly to share with family and friends. It's about 12 minutes of highlights from Sam's last game. Sam makes several great rebounds during the second half! Go Trojans!

UPDATE: I deleted the movie. Apparently it was too long to supported by YouTube!

Our Cute Girls (Oh, a Train Ride Too)

This is mostly just an excuse to show off our cute girls! We visited Knott's Berry Farm, and everyone was excited to ride the train.

Since we've been reading the Little House books we decided to create a scavenger hunt including things that we read about. We looked for log cabins, calico dresses, sun bonnets, covered wagons, animal skins, and a host of other items. Sam was especially excited to attach real objects to the words.

A Very Proud Beginning Reader!

Five-year-old Sam is officially a beginning reader! It is thrilling to see him so excited about reading. He is reading (real decoding!) the Bob Books. He completed Set 1 and is one book shy of half-way through Set 2. I'm so excited for him--reading is such a joy!

Thar Be Sickies Afoot!

We are all sick!!! The kids are whiny, and the parents are cranky. Four of us had doctor appoint-
ments yesterday, and one saw the doctor today. Everyone has a really awful virus that has become some kind of infection. Mom and Dad are suffering from sinus infections (imagine how well that goes with whining!). Sam has an ear infection. Abby's eye is threatening to become infected--we are prepared with antibiotic ointment just in case.

Grace doesn't have an infection, but she woke up last night screaming and was inconsolable. She looked at us in terror, as if she didn't know we were Mom and Dad. When we finally calmed her down (with a bubble bath and hot tea at 1:30 in the morning) she said she had a bad dream. Apparently she was attacked by a wolf that scratched her, and she couldn't find us. She also said that the "scratchy wolf stinked at her." Who knows what that means? We didn't ask--we were just glad she wasn't kicking us anymore. I pity the wolf that ever tries to attack her!

This afternoon we saw this rainbow outside our back door. I hope this is a sign of things to come. I need to sleep!

The Celery Wars

Sam and I had a heartening conversation today. All learning was not lost in the tumultuous Celery Wars. I found Sam studying the celery thoughtfully. "I guess plants need some sunlight to live."

Of course, Gracie is gleeful none-the-less. This is her laughing in pure ecstasy over winning! I guess she loves finally winning. It's tough when your big brother is faster, stronger and can do so many things well. It's also good for Sam to learn to handle not being the first or best. This is an area that Richard and I are often working on with him. We often need to remind him that he doesn't have to do things perfectly--sometimes it is just time to practice.

Celery, Sunlight and Colored Water

This past week we discussed how plants make food using sunlight. We mixed food coloring into two jars of water. We placed celery into the jars and put one into a dark corner with a fan blowing on it for about 48 hours. The other we put into the sunshine for the same amount of time. Little did I know that it was a competition! That thought didn't even cross my mind, but apparently my children had noted which had mixed each color and placed celery into "their" jars. When we brought out the celery to be observed, Sam began whimpering that Gracie won. I was puzzled! I didn't know what he was talking about. I finally figured out that they each thought the blue was Gracie's because she mixed it and the red was Sam's because he mixed that color. The blue celery was thriving--it had been placed in the sunshine. The red celery was bedraggled and withered with barely any color to the leaves. Of course, it had been exposed to drying conditions and no light. The science of the whole thing was lost. Except for Gracie's delight in experimenting with using a magnifying glass--while she reveled in her victory over her big brother!

Little House

We read Little House in the Big Woods in one week. When Sam found out there was a "next" book we began reading Little House on the Prairie. These books have been the impetus for all kinds of learning activities in our home. We started by studying North American wildlife. This morning Sam had maple syrup on his waffles, and we had a discussion about how Pa and Grandpa got sap to make maple syrup and brown sugar. The kids were intrigued by how Pa made a log house, so I ordered Lincoln logs. They finally arrived!



This was Sam's first introduction to building with Lincoln logs. He insisted on following the pattern in the tin.

Happy Birthday, Auntie Rosie!

Just before we started recording, Sam said he loved and missed Auntie Rosie sooo much. He wanted to know if we could drive to Colorado right now to see her and take her a birthday cake. When we said we were taping to say "Happy Birthday" to Auntie Rosie, Grace kept looking around and saying, "Where is she? I can't see her." Every once in awhile you can see her look up and around, probably wondering where that Auntie Rosie is hiding!

We all love you, Roseanne!

Our Budding Pianist...

Sam "plays" with the piano. I don't give him instructions at his age unless he asks (except, of course, the "no banging" rule). Still he has managed to learn to play one finger simple scales. He often sings as he plays and makes up lyrics and melodies. And now he's beginning to notice that I play differently than he does. He's starting to ask questions about how.

This video shows how he experiments with playing and his question about how to play like mom. I abruptly stop the camera because it's time to demonstrate for him. Funny, but the picture is a lot clearer on my little digital camera! It seems the video and the sound are off a bit. (This was my first time using YouTube!)

To Give Worksheets or Not To Give Worksheets...

I swore I would never give my children worksheets. It didn't fit my philosophy of education or my understanding of child development. I believed learning occured during hands-on fun and exploration. In my opinion worksheets were busy work that didn't have anything to do with real learning.

Then Sam asked for worksheets. I put him off. He asked again, and again, and again. He began to beg for worksheets. I still put him off. One day we were at the local office supply store. We were looking at paints and markers when Sam found a workbook. He was thrilled! "Please, Mom!! Please get me this homework!" I finally relented--mostly to keep my sanity intact.

I figured his interest in worksheets would wane, but it didn't. Sam would sit happily working. Many times he would do 15-20 pages before I made him stop. Then he wept because I didn't let him "have fun" doing "homework." Go figure!

Sam has infected Grace with his love of worksheets. This very week I decided to order pizza for lunch as a treat. Now, my kids love it when we order pizza. As a matter of fact, they grab the pizza guy around the legs in a huge hug as they jump up and down shouting, "Pizza, pizza, pizza!" or "We love you, pizza guy!" (I have to say I find this pretty entertaining when it's a new pizza guy.) But this week they didn't greet the pizza guy at the door. They were busy doing their worksheets. The pizza guy slumped away disappointedly. I called Richard for lunch. He came in to find the kids refusing pizza until they had finished all of their "homework." "Do you think we should get them help?" he asked. I shrugged weakly and only half-laughed.

I suppose they won't be irreparably harmed as long as they have well-rounded experiences in addition to worksheets. There are worse things than doing worksheets (like the stomach flu).

Tomorrow is Abigail's Adoption Day!!!! I am so excited that I can't sleep. It's after midnight, and I have to get up very early to get everyone ready in time. But still I can't sleep. She is such a precious blessing to our hearts. I can't believe this day is finally here!

Wormie

After our recent fishing trip, Grace is convinced that there are no fish in the lake. She says the lake is filled with worms. We can't convince her otherwise. (So much for our angling skills!) We brought the leftover bait home and let them loose in our flower bed. She and Sam spent many afternoons digging up the worms and observing them. Grace named one of them "Wormie."

Grace has been making up stories about Wormie ever since our trip. Wormie has gone swimming, accompanied Grace to Knott's Berry Farm, and gone looking for his mommy in the dark woods. Sometimes he is represented by a string that Grace has found around the house. Once I inadvertently threw Wormie into the trash (there were tears aplenty after that mistake--how was I to know that the string would always be Wormie?).

Wormie has also inspired Gracie's desire to write. She wants to write Wormie's name. This has blossomed into a desire to write the names of all our family members. We currently write the names together, but she will soon begin to write them on her own. What an exciting time! And it was all started because of a worm.

Photo Op

This is a fairly recent photo of our kids. The rodent isn't ours; however, some people think he looks like my husband. [Love you, Honey;).]

Dogs, Uvulae and Geography?

We went on a mini-vacation this past weekend. When we got home we discovered that one of our dogs had mysteriously received a 4- by 5-inch gash on his side. We rushed Poncho to the vet. Sam was fascinated by his wound and began investigating it. Poncho yawned, and, in full scientist mode, Sam peered down his throat. "Hey, Mom. I don't think Poncho has a uvula!" [Note: the uvula is the little thing that hangs down at the back of your throat.] We began trying to see Poncho's uvula each time he opened his mouth. We couldn't get a really clear look. Later we did a little research online. We learned that dogs do not have uvulae--except for one breed of wild dog known as Singers. This type of dog has a uvula-like piece of flesh at the back of its soft palate. (See the link below for more information.)

Singers are native to Papua New Guinea. Sam asked what Papua New Guinea was. I replied that it was a country. Then he wanted to know where it was. We located it on a world map. Over the next several minutes he pointed to countries, and I provided their names.

Poncho is recovering nicely after a $700 surgery.

For more information about Singers go to www.canineworld.com/ngsdcs/bookexcerpts.pdf.

Toast and Science

Today Sam buttered his toast while it was still hot (a rare occasion) and was very excited to see that it melted. A lively discussion about things that melt broke out. Everyone had something to add to the list of melting things (except Abby, who was just happy to be with us all). Sam said that sugar was his favorite thing that melts. Then I asked if sugar melts or dissolves. Sam put sugar on his toast and placed it in the light of a sunbeam. Sam and Grace observed the sugared toast. Meanwhile, Mom and Dad continued debating the melt vs. dissolve issue and researched it online. (Sugar dissolves, by the way. See the info. below.)

Sam and Grace wanted to try out melting experiments. We filled plastic tubs with water and a few toys and placed them into the freezer. Tomorrow the experiments continue.

What's the Difference between "Dissolving" and "Melting"?
"When a solid dissolves into a liquid, it does not melt since no heat has to be added. It does not change phase, but simply gets broken apart into invisible pieces that are mixed into the liquid. In order to melt a solid, heat must be added to raise its temperature above its melting point, and no other substance is added." www.buhs.k12.vt.us/science/physicalscience

Charlotte Teaches Us to Slow Down

I've decided that one of the most delightful things about homeschooling is reading to my children. What a joy it is to start our day snuggled up in bed reading. Sam (barely 5 yrs. old) is sharing the journey through Charlotte's Web with me. He has adopted a quote from the story that is quickly becoming a family motto. As he and Daddy scurried about running several quick errands his comment was, "Never hurry, and never worry. That's what Charlotte says." Now we're all using this nugget of wisdom when we are feeling a bit frazzled. Even Grace (3 yrs.) is using this phrase.

I love the way a good book can etch its mark on the heart of a family!