Change in plans

Well, it seems that nothing ever goes exactly as planned. Dwight has not recovered fast enough for the trip to the grandparents house. So we are enjoying a quiet week at home. Things have slowed down, there is no rush.

I have signed up again for the FlyLady. Since I'm home most of the time I have two reasons for signing up.
1. I'd like to spend my time in a somewhat neat, clean environment

2. I'm home to do all her little 15 minute tasks that seem to add up to a neat, clean environment.

So, I'm dusting, getting dressed to the shoes, doing a load of laundry every day and finding more free time in the process. If you are interested check out flylady.com.

Sam is really not taking the whole time off of school. I have a large calendar on the coffee table where I mark all educational things we do. It has something almost every day. For example, stargazing and finding the big dipper, orion, the north star at the PCC parking lot (after the lights were turned off). Going to the Living Museum just for giggles. Reading some of his science textbook so he and his dad can do the next experiment.

Dwight is recovering, feeling a little better each day. He is building a stand for a speaker or some such electronic sound doohickey at church. The sounds guys all got together and divvied up some maintenance type chores. Our worship leader is incredibly blessed by a crew of volunteer engineer geeky types who are as dedicated (or more dedicated) than paid staff.

We are off the the Mariner's Museum. It is a special free day for Shipyard workers and their families. We're going to see what (if any) part of the Monitor is on display. Another thing to mark on the educational calendar.

Happy New Year to all!

Merry Christmas

We are enjoying a quiet Christmas at home. Dwight is making the taco meat for our traditional taco Christmas dinner. Sam is over at the neighbors playing the neighbors new video game. I am reading email in my pajamas. Life is good.

My best gift was not a gift for me, but the joy of watching a friend open her gift. She was so joyful and it was exactly what she wanted. I enjoyed her joy so much. Remembering her joy, I pray that we all experience it anew when we recall the best gift of all--forgiveness and righteousness that we did not earn and a relationship with our creator.

We know it is a gift given in love, so we smile as we accept the gift. When we see where it is from we get excited--we've always wanted a paradise, then we see how much it is worth and we are humbled and say, "This is too much.." (pause) "Thank you."

Merry Christmas to all. This is the second year we didn't get out Christmas cards, but hopefully we'll do better next year!

Lost Items and Small Jobs Turn Big

So, we seem to have lost our Christmas stockings between last year and this. I seem to be the most upset about it. Sam pointed out we didn't buy things to put in them anyway, so that makes it a good thing.

In my effort to find them, I was getting things out of my office closet and the last of the shelves broke. Now, instead of looking for the stockings, I spent the rest of the day cleaning the closet, finding new places to put suitcases and blankets (except the blankets are still on my bedroom floor).

Plus, I used this opportunity to do one of my favorite things--rearrange the furniture. My office is completely rearranged (and my back is SORE!!). I hope I like it. We took the doors off the closet and shoved the large black filing cabinet into it. That leaves more floor space in the office and my tables are completely moved. Once the clutter is gone over, I'll take and post some pictures.

Even with a sore back and a day that was supposed to be spent finishing the decorating and no decorating done, I sit in my rearranged office and smile.

But now it is rush off to eat and go to church for a comedian show.

For Narnia and for Aslan!!

Wow, it is a great movie. I found my eyes wet on several scenes (starting with Mom saying good by to her children). What a great word picture of salvation!! Go--see it--you'll be glad. It all seems so real from talking beavers to Aslan!!

Sam is enjoying his new game "World of Warcraft." The time we are taking a long break from school was a good time to purchase it. Tonight we officially finished our final school task. So he can play from rising until I pull him away to eat breakfast a do a chore or two.

Tomorrow we are going to the Library. I'm going to try to find "Time Cat" and "Toliver's Secret." The first book is one I saw at Barnes and Noble today and it looked like a book Sam would enjoy. A cat that can travel in time, takes a boy with him and travels to many historically significant times and places (sounds like unschooling to me). The second is recommended by another SonLight mom and occurs during the history we are studying.

I have a new homeschool tool. It is something rescued from the "thrift store bag." I almost donated it on several occasions, but kept thinking I might find a use for it someday. And, it doesn't take up much space anyway. It is a "blotter" with large calendar pages (where you fill in dates--therefore timeless). I was finding that I never was writing down all the "extras" that we were doing that could count as school. It now sits on the coffee table and any time I notice or think of something educational we've done, I can jot it down quickly.

An example would be going to see this movie--every Christian school I know of has gone or will go as a field trip. Spotting and identifying a bird at our back yard feeder is another thing written down. Writing down the recipe for pancakes as he and dad are making them on Saturday is another. He did this because "then I can make them for Mom and she never gets pancakes." What he doesn't know is that, given a choice between sleeping in or eating pancakes--sleep wins hands down every time!!

Aah, the flexibility of homeschooling. Of course once the newness of this game wears off, we will be having pancakes a la Sam sometime during the week--I can't wait as long as we have them for lunch instead of breakfast :-)

December and homeschooling?? Don't mix!!

Wow, as my first Christmas season as a home school mom is upon me, I'm beginning to realize how much work was done while Sam was at school. Especially the shopping. So, we are only finishing up books and chapters and not doing complete school. The freedom to do this comes from our "home school lite" summer months.

So, we are decorating, doing a little last minute shopping, and taking it easy. This year, besides the tree, stockings and lights outside, our decorations are all homemade. We are making Perler bead ornaments and paper silhouette decorations for bookshelf corners and other little nooks. Perler beads are those beads that you put on a little form and then melt together with an iron. Sam and a couple of neighbor kids are really enjoying them.

Presents still need to be wrapped. I was supposed to get to that tonight, but it is almost midnight. I think I'll save it for another day.

Christmas

Keeping Christmas from being either a greed-fest or a yawn for your children. This year as we aim at getting rid of the greed-fest we have a yawner. (have you read Sam's most recent post?).

If those are my only options, I'll take the yawning any day. But he posted that after spending all day shopping with mom (after doing Tuesdays school work in his room on Monday night). I can't completely blame him, shopping is not entertainment to me either, but I am surprised he's yawning about decorating. I think he'd hate it if we didn't.

I asked a group of homeschoolers how they keep from falling into the greed-fest mode and one response is something I will try. This mom asked her kids what had made the holidays special in years past and they mentioned family time before presents. I'm going to ask Sam that and see what he says--he may very likely say presents, but it is worth a shot!

good days and bad days

Wow, when I dreamed of career options, homeschooling and working at home never occurred to me. The time I'm looking back at is college. That is when I imagined that a big house with a maid was the secret to happiness.

I sure have changed. Now I am very content staying at home, teaching my son and working with other students in the afternoon. There is no maid and this house is anything but big. I know someone who has the big house and possibly a maid. She is not happy. Happiness is not based on possessions at all. It seems so obvious now, but it sure wasn't obvious to the younger me.

Even on bad days, when the little darling is whining and pouting, stomping to his room, leaving things unfinished and responding with anger when asked to finish them--yes, even then I find contentment in my life. This contentment must be magical and not based on the reality we see! And of course it is not. It is based on Reality that is not seen. I know who I am and to whom I belong. I know how safe I am there and how much He loves each member of this family. I know that He loves me on my bad days (when I whine about all kinds of things and stomp--at least in my head over the facts of life).

Can that be learned in a high pressure job with a big house and a maid? I imagine that it can, but somehow I think it is easier to grasp in a little house with a stubborn boy who is too smart for his own good at times. This is the One whose birth we celebrate this month. It makes the whole month shinier and newer than the rest of them, doesn't it?

Hidden Talent

From the same site as the IQ test is this hidden talent test. My results:

Your Hidden Talent

You have the natural talent of rocking the boat, thwarting the system. And while this may not seem big, it can be. It's people like you who serve as the catalysts to major cultural changes. You're just a bit behind the scenes, so no one really notices.

What's Your Hidden Talent?

Who else is brave enough to reveal their hidden talent?

intelligence

Fun IQ test. I'm not so logical, but I can talk!!

***Your IQ Is 120***


Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average

Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius

Your Mathematical Intelligence is Above Average

Your General Knowledge is Above Average


A Quick and Dirty IQ Test
http://www.blogthings.com/quickanddirtyiqtest/

So, how smart are all of you?

Another writing victory

I bought a book called "The Write Stuff Adventure" by Dean Rea. It is not expensive and we did the second lesson yesterday. The goal was to teach kids how to write rough drafts. You do so with a pencil and NO eraser. Any mistakes are just lined through and then you move on. The assignment was to write about your activities the day before. Sam loved it because nothing mattered except getting your thoughts on paper and being able to read it himself later. I think we may do this for a while without finishing--just a bunch of rough drafts. Hey, it is getting his thoughts on paper--something he has hated to do for years.

what a delight to see the joy of doing school awaking even more!!

Museum and Art

We visited the Living Museum today. It was very enjoyable as usual. In fact, we decided to purchase a membership as a Christmas present to ourselves. The cheapest way (that's a Kinter for you--always looking for the cheapest way) is to have Sam join as an individual with the ability to bring 3 guests. It saved us $15 over the family membership. They have improved everything there--especially the observatory, which is run every other Friday by a retired Chemistry teacher that Sam really liked.

Sam is also beginning art lessons with the art teacher he had at his school. He always loved her and in his darkest times still gave her absolutely no trouble. He has chosen to start by learning pastels. He will begin that next Friday and do it every other Friday (with a break for Christmas, of course).

So, I'm hoping that the chemistry teachers days at the museum are not the Fridays that Sam has lessons. Our plan is to visit the museum on the Fridays that Sam does not have art lessons.

Homeschool is such a joy. I never thought I'd hear myself say that (or see myself type it :-)

Next comes Christmas: Except for the museum membership, we are spending very little on ourselves this year. My desire is for us to make this a holiday of giving, for our hearts to be filled with generosity instead of greed. I am hoping to get Sam to think of spending his own money on Christmas gifts. But the limit is $30 per person from the family budget. Then we will be giving from our hearts to the church Christmas gift which is going 75% to world missions and 25% to improving our facilities for outreach.