The Ceremony!

Okay, we invented a ceremony for badge awarding. Sam earned it last night after discussing the meaning of 3 bible passages that mention birds. He certainly worked hard for this badge and I'm proud of him!

Earning his first badge

We have discovered "Keepers of the Faith." Which is like combining Awanas with scouts. The boy's are referred to as Contenders for the Faith. The parents are the leaders. Some folks do this entirely at home without any large group meetings. We are doing this except for a few group things. The first group activity is earning a badge called "rest home" in which we will visit a home monthly for six months as the bulk of earning the badge. We made our first visit yesterday and it went very well, thanks to Uno cards.

The other badge Sam is working on and almost completed is the bird badge. He had to do some research about birds and make a platform feeder. He and his dad finished the feeder today. It makes an awesome addition to our bird "swingset," don't you think? Now all we have to do is discuss the meaning of several bible verses that mention birds. I'll post a picture of him with his sash and badge when we do the award ceremony (I have to decide what that actually is first).

Life seems to be going very well, here. The newness of video/computer games is wearing off. TV has no appeal (because we don't have cable). So, the boy is learning to enjoy life in ways that do not entail staring at a screen.

Just Pictures of our life

I'm going to try really hard!

I heard words today that I never thought to hear from my boy. "I don't know if I can, but I'm going to try really hard." in an earnest, upbeat voice. I was so happy.

Today, I went out to lunch and left him home with 7 school tasks. I have never left him home alone for so long, but he did very well. He didn't complete them all, but he was cheerfully working when I left and when I got home. His honesty about how long he played for "recess" and his willingness to get back to work are things I thought impossible a couple of years ago.

I also love to hear him share what he learns with me. I get snippets from his science book and the translation of this Latin sentence as he works. A joy for learning is growing in this home. This joy had completely disappeared and I wondered if it was ever going to come back. It is back. He still prefers play or watching TV, but it is no longer the only fun thing to do. Today, while he is supposed to be doing math he asked me how a clicky pen works. That cannot replace math class, but it can be investigated before turning on TV or computer! So, the boy will be taking a pen apart after school is officially done and explaining to one of his parents how the clicky pen works. His new enjoyment of learning means that this is not punishment--it would have been perceived as punishment a year ago.

God bless all who read.

What is your useless talent?

Everybody has one. Everyone has useful talent, too, I hope. My useful talents involve education. My best useless talent is playing Minesweeper. I just want the family to know that I have bested Amber's record by 30 seconds!! I have finished the expert level in 141 seconds. Here is my proof.

Science project, new pet.

So, since the boy has been cheerfully doing chores when reminded we have decided to choose a "starter pet." Asthma and other allergies have limited our choice. I figured he'd like a fish after he named the houseplants (which we bought to complete science experiments).

Yesterday we bought a betta. His name is Lon-Lon, which according to a source I am not supposed to reveal is saying blue, blue twice in Chinese. It seemed like a good language to use since they are also called siamese fighting fish. We are only out $20, so it seems like a good thing so far. Here is a picture of Lon-Lon.

Who is this woman??

Okay, extra pumpkin pie for the person who guesses correctly!!