Growing Borax Snowflakes!

In science the past couple of weeks we have been learning about weather; solids, liquids & gases; and crystals. I thought I'd combine them all with a cool experiment on growing our very own crystal snowflakes! These grow overnight, as apposed to other crystal making kits out there.

Check it the directions at http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/ht/boraxsnowflake.htm We had so much fun...isn't that what school is supposed to be? :)

Tip: If you want the snowflakes to be colored, you have to add a lot of food coloring. We added a couple drops to each and the water appeared dark, but the crystals came out only slightly colored. My camera doesn't show the detail very well. These are much prettier in person!

Lego Barack Obama?!

This is a "Lego Inauguration" created by Pun'kin Head this afternoon. Which is really saying something, considering we did not vote for Obama and Pun'kin Head has had his issues with accepting our new president. We have had to correct his negative attitude towards President Obama in the past couple of months and again, today, as we sat before our television and witnessed history in the making.

I am not in the mood to get into the many reasons we chose not to vote for Obama. And I will never be supportive of his stance on issues that are CLEARLY against the Word of God. But I will say that I am VERY proud to have lived in this day and age when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream has been made manifest in such a way that the whole world is a witness to it! And I believe that it is more evident than ever that the God-fearing citizens of our nation need to desperately get off their butts and onto their knees and pray like we should have been all along. We want change? Then PRAY people. When will people come to the realization that hard work and sweat alone will not get the job done. We can toil and work for many years to correct the state of our nation, but if we continue to go along in this life without the inclusion of the One Who IS the Giver of that life, than we are missing the mark!

2 Chronicles 7:14 "and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and PRAY, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and HEAL THEIR LAND." Is that not the CHANGE we are wanting for our great nation? This is the formula we need to use to get it to come to pass. He can do more in ONE day with the unified prayers of His people than we can do in many, many years. When will we understand that when we are at our weakest that's when He can move right in and be STRONG on our behalf, if we LET Him?

Whether we agree with the choice that our fellow Americans have made in this election, true submission is when we don't agree. We are called to respect the "office" of the president and to support him with our prayers. We are to be sober and alert in these days of darkness, that the day should not overtake us, for we are people of Light. And we are to offer up "prayers, petitions and thanksgivings on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." 1Timothy 2:1-3

Let us rejoice that CHANGE, is indeed, on the horizon and that God's words CANNOT return to Him void of accomplishing all that He desires, IF WE PRAY!

Mama-time and Barnes and Noble!

Went out tonight for some "mama-time" and what better place to go than Barnes & Noble...books and hot treats! Handsome Hubby very often has to kick me out of house for a little bit of "mama-time". Time which consists of doing something that has nothing at all to do with kiddos. I could go for weeks without ever being alone and not notice. But sweet man that he is, he kicks me out for the sake of my own sanity. Although I'd much rather meet up with a girlfriend, not all moms can be spontaneous on the same evening, so tonight, I was on my own.

I sat in the Starbucks cafe, sipping a Hot Chai Latte (too late at night for coffee) and actually read more than one sentence without interruption! I'll readily admit that I am a BOOKWORM! As a kid I would rather spend an entire Saturday afternoon reading a good book, than playing outdoors with my three brothers. Big sis was already out of the house when I was eight or nine (being the oldest and ten years my senior), so in order to stay out the way of all the testosterone in the house, I usually buried my nose in a book.

On one occasion, my mother-in-love and I spent about seven hours straight at a Barnes & Noble! Pun'kin Head was a newborn and sweet mama picked us up to get us out of the house. After lunch we of course made our way over to B&N. Mama is as big a fan of the written word as I am and time passed quickly as we read books & magazines, chatted while I nursed Pun'kin Head and took turns burping and snuggling him up. When we got hungry, we bought snacks and continued to chat and read. After about six hours Handsome Hubby called her cell phone to ask our whereabouts as he must have thought we skipped town with his offspring in tow! When she told him we were still at B&N, he exclaimed " Still? Whatever for?" We laughed and proceeded to pack things up :)

Oh, silly man, not the biggest fan of the written word, still proclaims at the other end of the sofa, "When are you gonna finish that stupid book and pay some attention to me?!" So sorry honey. I've had many years of ignoring men because of a good read, I can't change overnight! :)

33 Reasons we HEART homeschooling!

In no particular order, here is the rundown of the myriad of blessings received by homeschooling:

1. I get to BE with my treasures for 24 hours a day (may not sound great to some, but it IS!).
2. My kids get to learn at their own pace, encouraging one to press on or one to slow down.
3. My kids get to study things that really interest them in depth.
4. We are dependent upon one another and that makes us a strong family.
5. The bond between siblings becomes amazingly strong as they achieve together.
6. Kids learn how to learn and how to teach, by helping younger siblings.
7. I get to see the joy of new discoveries everyday.
8. I get the opportunity to be the one who comforts during disappointments.
9. I get the blessing of choosing wonderful literature to read to my children each day and push by the wayside the many books that schools engage which are so detrimental to true growth.
10. Learning while snuggling on a cozy sofa or bed, it doesn't get better than that!
11. Working anytime of day we choose.
12. Going to school in our jammies some days!
13. Take school outdoors, grab our books, a picnic blanket and study in the sunshine, fresh air, and sounds of nature all around us.
14. Go on field trips that interest us, especially when public schools are in session so it's not crowded.
15. Go just about anywhere, anytime, especially family vacations, during seasons when places are not crowded at all!
16. Creating a curriculum each year that the whole family enjoys learning.
17. Educational vacations or outings can be counted as school time.
18. I get to hone my skills in patience with my sweet ones while teaching them.
19. Having WAY MORE family time than most, and everyday together is family time!
20. Sweet Pea says homeschooling is great because you get to be with your mom!
21. Pun'kin Head says homeschooling is great because he loves to do lots of projects and experiments!
22. No standing at a cold bus stop on dark mornings!
23. We usually finish all bookwork by lunchtime!
24. NO HOMEWORK!
25. Opportunity for interaction with Godly friends and it's easier to avoid negative influences.
26. No need to stress over back-to-school shopping.
27. Kids are not subjected to a peer group of thirty other kids that have the same lack of skills in judgment that they do.
28. We have the ability to select those adult mentors we want for our children, sorry to say, but not all teachers out there enjoy teaching.
29. Keeping our little ones close by until they are emotionally ready to be separated from us and not at age four or five.
30. We have much more time to instill Godly principles in our children each day.
31. We have more time to focus on teaching our children how to know and worship God.
32. Allowing our kids to be KIDS and not working an eight to ten hour day like they will be soon enough!
33. Their daddy was homeschooled and he is a brilliant, compassionate, and successful man of God! It is my greatest hope that they turn out to be just like him :)

Poetry of Robert Frost

Having grown up in Derry, NH, I am well-versed in the life and poetry of Robert Frost. His farmhouse was only a short bike ride from my parents house and is now a museum and memorial to his life and works. I used to love to go for rambles in the woods, on his farm property, that lead out to a clearing where the entire little village can be seen below. He taught English at Pinkerton Academy in the early 1900's, the high school I graduated from in 1992. For a man who suffered so much loss in his life, he definitely still enjoyed the beauty of God's creation and saw even the simplest acts of rural life as pleasant.

The past two weeks we studied the poetry of Robert Frost and specifically Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening. I am impressed that my Sweet Pea (age 6) can now narrate it by heart. If you're not familiar with Five In A Row check it out at www.fiar.com. It is a Charlotte Mason style curriculum and there are so many great resources in their forums to glean from.

Here's what we studied:
~The life of Robert Frost
~Rural New England life in the early 20th century
~Farm life and duties of a farmer
~Inventions that were created during his almost 90 years of life and how they were helpful to man.
~Vocabulary of poetry ie hyperbole, onomatopoeia, alliteration, personification, metaphoric language, personification, rhythm, rhyme and repetition.
~The beautiful illustrations by artist Susan Jeffers, art medium and style, viewpoint, mood, detail and history. Then created some of our own art interpretations. We also looked up all the species of birds, that Susan Jeffers so beautifully illustrated, in our field guides, utilizing reading and following alphabetical order.
~Read other winter stories and studied hibernation of animals. Created a hibernation den with some stuffed animals.

We had so much fun and I hope to continue to instill in them a love for reading and recitation of great poetry!

Caught on tape!

Okay. I am now wondering why did we spend a small fortune on a camcorder for our nine year old for Christmas?? Pun'kin Head has had so much fun the past few weeks making little videos of his Star Wars action figures and learning how to upload and edit videos on the laptop. Didn't know we needed to enforce any RULES for the use of the camera...well, we do NOW!

The other day I stepped out of the shower, dried off and applied my lotion. I forgot to bring my new clothes in the bathroom with me, but as no one else was upstairs with me, I bolted from the bathroom, across the hallway to my bedroom, to fetch some duds. Ah, once in the safety of my own room I proceeded to take my time dressing, as I was waiting for my lotion to dry anyway. There I stood, in the buff, in my closet, when a little red light reflecting in my full-length mirror caught my eye. I slowly walked toward my vanity and noticed that the baby monitor was turned on. My kids always use the old baby monitor as "spy gear" when playing and usually snoop on us when we have people over for dinner etc... As I walked a little closer I noticed not only the harmless monitor, but the new cellphone-sized camcorder also on the table.

In a sound only an experienced mama can make, I screeched "Good Lord! Is that camera on??"
Oh, yeah, it was! I then got a crash course in video editing and the wonderful DELETE button! To make a long story short...Pun'kin Head now has agreed to ALWAYS ask permission of anyone he might be taping. Sigh :)

Got Vision??

Pun'kin Head is a typical 9 year old boy when it comes to writing. He was an early reader and has impeccable penmanship, but gets very stressed out when asked to write even a paragraph for school. To help engage him in this seemingly mundane activity, I've been encouraging journaling. His journal started out with few words and mostly artwork, but I felt I shouldn't push him. He has come to enjoy writing short stories and his own comic books. But I've found him writing more and more in his journal, outside of my homeschool writing requests. I've found him copying scriptures into his journal and the other day I read an entry that really made me think. It read:

"I think for the future. I can make churches with my friends."

Wow! My boy has vision! He is planning for his future and I am proud that those plans include the works of the Lord. Vision, we all need to be people of vision. Without it, we perish. So I send out this question...search your heart...Got Vision?