Definitely!

I definitely think I have the best job in the world! I truly enjoy learning as I prepare for homeschooling Handsome and home-preschooling Hunky. I never thought I liked Science much in my school days. But I have discovered that I LOVE Science. It is fun to learn about life, and how things work, and the laws of Nature and how things are created. I never cease to marvel at the findings my boys come up with, either. Like, this week, we were enjoying a leisure time on the patio, when Handsome shrieks that he sees something "really cool!" Indeed, it was! A dragonfly was desperately wanting a drop of water from the spicket. He flew around, his wings beating so rapidly that they almost looked stationary. He looked like a little miniature helicopter as he hovered, waiting for one of us to turn on the water, apparently. Since that wasn't our intent, he flew around our heads as if trying to give us a hint, and then hovered again over the facet. He landed and attempted to extract fluid from the spout and then flew off again. He seemed to be unafraid of us and unconcerned that we could possibly catch him. What a marvelous creature!

And then Baby Girl became fascinated by "rocks" of dirt, that, once touched, disintegrated into powder on the patio. She giggled each time Handsome brought her one to touch into oblivion. I, simply enjoyed the scene, with my ice water in hand. Yes, that is the best job around! Even when, like today, I took my attention off the boys momentarily...and suddenly the patio table was the center of a mud bakery. They were simply making cookies, but were covered head to toe in the "dough" of mud. And Baby Girl decided to taste some, too! All this, in, literally, less than a minute. (Unfortunately, she LIKED it! Yuck!!)

But then we have the giggles that won't stop because we are chasing each other around the family room, sometimes with a pillow, sometimes not. Either way, someone (me, most likely) is going to get sabbatoged at any moment! Sometimes the boys don't know when to quit, but that beats the days when the boss's constant emails and memos drove me crazy! There were no gales of laughter there!

We have made cake in a cup, "painted" with a feather quill, made up silly sentences, played Abby the Alligator word game until I can recite them all in my sleep, examined the vanes of feathers with a magnifying glass, visited the gymnastics clinic, and counted to 100 by ones, twos, fives, and tens...all in a week...PLUS we also got our math and other reading assignments accomplished along with the Social Studies and Bible we had planned. I decided to combine a bit of history and Bible, in that this is the season of the beginning of the Jewish Holidays. We started with Abraham. I never realized the impact the story of Lot's wife turning into a pillar of salt could have on little boys. They were fascinated by the story enough to repeat it in surprisingly correct detail, to their mother. They told her, "God told that lady not to look back at the burning city where she had friends, but she didn't listen, and looked anyway and she turned into a pitcher of salt." My daughter said, "I think you mean 'pillar'of salt, don't you?" The interesting thing, is though I did use the phrase, "pillar", I described it as a ""statue"...funny what they pick up on...and what they imagine in their minds! Oh, I must be careful in my descriptions of Scripture and Biblcal stories! They will embellish them with gusto!

And we get to go on outings to experience God's Creation. And Baby Girl joins in as much as she can. As you can see, she thinks she is a student as well! (She is! She is learning where her nose, eyes, ears, mouth, are...and recently increased her vocabulary to include, "horsie" and "ME!!!!Stawbaby mil!) (Strawberry milk!) I had asked the boys who wants regular and who wants strawberry milk for lunch. Each had responded by stating "Me! Strawberry milk!", so she followed their lead.

See? I DO have the best job in the world! I get to laugh A LOT. I get hugged A LOT! I get to learn and teach all at the same time. Wouldn't trade this for a high-paying regular job in a million years!

Life Is Not For the Birds!

Our Science studies are taking us through an in-depth study of flying creatures. The next several chapters are devoted specifically to birds. We have learned about airfoil, wing spans, classifications, habitats, and much more. We have studied the difference between a call and a song, and what they can mean.

So, it was only fitting that we conclude this chapter not only with an experiment to find out which seed and/or feeder the birds in our yard prefer, but also to take a trip to the Wildlife World Zoo, which features many birds. They have opportunities to hand feed the lorrie parrots, which we had done once before along with many other people. Fortunately, this time, we had an exclusive feeding,being the only ones there at feeding time. I later found out that half an hour later, we could have fed some other birds as well. But the boys and Baby Girl had a blast with just those parrots.

We also found a roadrunner just strutting through the zoo, although he does not reside there. We found an orange dragonfly fluttering in the tree above an exotic duck pond. We had an Ostrich scream at us. The rheas and emus across the lane just looked at him as if he was a nusiance. The grouse sharing his cage stuck his beak through the fence and posed for my camera. We have yearly passes and so will frequent this zoo a lot. We love the zoo! (Especially this one, who makes every effort to make as natural habitats as possible.) And soon a new aquarium will open there as well.

This week Handsome soared in the areas math and science. And Hunky learned the first letter of his name...We are looking forward to matching our zoo photos to the field guide I shall get at the library...and identify the birds, including the "wild" ones who were not residents of the zoo but visitors of their kind. We shall make those feeders and suet and take notes on "who" shows up in OUR yard.

Have a great weekend to all...and one things about watching birds...It makes you look UP! And THAT is a very good thing!

My !How Time Flies! OR Down the Mountain and into Reality

I can hardly believe that it has been almost a week and a half since I blogged. It certainly isn't that I haven't had things to blog about! There have been mountain-top times, such as the ladies' retreat I went to last weekend. Even being the "new kid on the block" with this church did not deter me from having a truly good time. I learned a thing or two as well...like I am NOT too old to chase my dreams, and that what is "going on" and what is "happening" are not necessarily the same thing. And to remember that God is the only One who has the whole picture! I learned also, (I am sure I already knew this, but did not always live it out) that it is okay to be me. I teased the other gals and yakked as if I had known them for years. (Turns out I had known one of them years ago!) I laughed loudly when I felt like it. I sang loudly too. I cracked jokes and cried tears. And I felt very accepted and loved. Amazaing! I try to tell younger people that one of the lessons of my life, learned the hard way, is to never stop being yourself to please others. I have been extremely more accepted when I was just me and not worried about impressions.

Then there were the challenging times this week. Times when a cardiologist calls (at retreat no less) to tell me they need more tests done ASAP. And times when the bone spur that has damaged my Achilles tendon hurts so badly I want to stay off my feet (rare occurrance for me!), AND times when time pressure and/or financial stress made me revisit my priorities and tune in a bit more to that still small Voice...

There have been days of successes! Handsome is a natural in math. Today, for instance, the lesson was on place value, something which made sense to him and was easy to grasp. He sat on the couch after finishing his workbook and asked, "So, then, is 10 + 10 + 10 = 30?" "Yes, Handsome, You are so smart!" He proceeded to inquire about many equations involving tens, getting most of them right. YES!

Hunky has learned the first letter of his name, along with 5 more letters. He seems to really like this program, and letting Handsome be "teacher" or "teacher's assistant" really gets him motivated as he reviews without realizing it. He has made fewer errors with his own reading and spelling, since helping Hunky with his work. Hunky loves doing workbook pages and listening to the Social Studies and Science part of Handsome's school. He does, however, fail to see the need to not interrupt certain other school times. We are working on that by special activities and crafts, and Hunky being Baby Girl's "babysitter" during those times.

Then there was the birthday party for Handsome the day I got home from retreat. Actually, only about an hour later...
We decided to go to the park across from their home and Daddy left early to prepare the barbeque pit. Good thing, since another family arrived only a few minutes later and would have taken up the entire ramada. As it was, we all crowded between the four tables and two barbeques. We had nine adults and eight children while the other group had more like twelve adults and six children. The interesting thing, though, was the similarities and differences of the two groups. Their gathering appeared to be a birthday celebration as well. Their children ran around just like ours, jumping and yelling, and occasionally squabbling. The biggest difference, however, was that this group was obviously Muslim. Some of the ladies dressed in the traditional attire, with their heads covered and long skirts circling their ankles. Other women wore pants and remained without a head cover. There were few men. They had a prayer blanket laid out on the grass and one man and one woman knelt and faced North and kissed the blanket repeatedly. Then they turned the blanket to the East and repeated the ritual. The woman remained on the blanket with her hands cupped and slightly lifted and her eyes closed while chanting quietly. The children (from both groups) ran around the blanket without even looking. We pulled ours away and sent them scampering into the water spouts.

The other group did not seem to pay much attention to the children, even when they wandered into our group, or off on their own. Thankfully, they did not wander far. The thing that struck me to the core, however, was something of my own weakness.
Here were these people, of Muslim faith, boldly and faithfully praying in public, oblivious to what was happening around them. Yet I, who proclaim to be a person of faith, sometimes feel awkward saying a grace over my meal in public. I have justified it that I am not embarrassed, but rather do not want to make anyone else feel uncomfortable. Yet these Muslims did not waver even if they had made us uncomfortable. (They did not, but my own conviction did) I had to admit that the root of my discomfort is probably embarrassment, yet I do not know why. I am not embarrassed about my faith nor waver in what I believe. I have shared it with others when it was appropriate. So why is a simple, quiet prayer uncomfortable? I also am not easily embarrassed by most anything that I encounter. I think it shall not be an embarrassing issue again! (My husband is very bold and has no discomfort in any setting, giving thanks unto God.)

So, you can see that my week and a half has been full of challenges and victories... and I feel I am a better person for it.

Monday, Monday!

Ah, yes! I was going to entitle this "Thank God Monday is over"...but it isn't quite over and I am not sure I want it to be. Mondays are usually challenging with Hunky and Handsome adjusting back to my routine after a weekend of flexible schedules. Today was no different there! Wake up calls of the morning resulted in such efforts that "hyper" comes to mind! But we did manage to get through the science and math pretty quickly. Science was a computer programmed curriculum with nine lessons per topic. Handsome was on lesson nine of "Force". He has learned about the following words this section: Science, force, gravity, energy, location, speed, wheels, friction, and machines. He made a little race car (part of the science kit) on the first lesson and then used it in all the other lessons for the experiments. Pretty basic stuff, but Handsome liked the hand-on learning. This week we will go back to Apologia Science and study birds (Chapter two of Winged Creatures).

For math we did a number hunt. I made flash cards from 1-100 with each number family in a different color. This was partly to assist Handsome in remembering the families, but also to assure that Hunky could participate in the hunt. I made big posters with each family on it in the appropriate color and after they found all the cards, they had to put them in the right family via the posters. Hunky did really well since he knows ALL his colors very well. Then Handsome and I put them in order, thus fulfilling our counting to 100 requirements. We also reviewed sets and counting by tens, and introduced the big and little concept from the book. He did three of the activities suggested as well.

Later, during "recess" the father of these marvelous children came outside to inquire of Handsome as to the whereabouts of the new double-sided facet extension he had put on the spiket. As expected, Handsome knew where it was...on the other end of the hose! His response was, "Yeah, Dad, that makes the water come out of two sides!" Never had Daddy nor I even considered that idea, so we both had to smile and shake our heads. Handsome would prefer that recess last a loooong time...and sometimes has difficulty focusing again. I have learned to pace him and plan around his needs. I have also discovered that there are ways to include school in recess...like today when he discovered that the air blower that used to inflate the water slide can suck a plastic cup into its side and hold it there. We turned that into an experiment about suction and air pressure, which had been a science topic not long ago. And the nature part of science is a continual discovery. I even manage to get our Bible lessons and sometimes math and reading in during recess. This does not replace the book work or suggestions, but reinforces the topics we have learned. I find it makes him more willing to "hit the books" so to speak, if he can relate it to something we have discovered during our fun times.

So, now it is on to get my hair cut. I am planning on going to a ladies retreat with my new church, and would like to look a little more presentable than I do at this moment!

Well, I am glad that Monday is almost over...because I look forward to each new day and its adventures...I hope you find life as interesting and blessed as I do!

TGIF!

Thank God It's Friday! has been around along time! The good thing about Friday is that we ge to look back over the week and assess what was learned, what needs repeating, and what should be forgotten! On Tuesday, I questioned my ability as a teacher. Handsome was not in the mood for school after an awesome and active 3-day weekend. He spent Sunday and Monday at a resort that my husband and I are members of. We got a super deal and then decided we needed to pursue a business deal instead, so my daughter and her family paid for and used our super deal. Handsome and Hunky and Baby Girl had a blast. We joined them on Monday, along with my son and his wife and two boys. We barbequed burgers and swam in the pool and had a great time. But then I went back home to prepare for this week's lessons in detail. And then Handsome had an attitude!

I usually chastise myself when the day does not go well, assuming that I did not plan well enough. Then it dawned on me that of the many public school teachers I know, not one of them always connected with all of their students. They have the benefit of preparing for many, and there will always be at least one who truly "gets" the lesson. Unfortunately for me, I prepare for only one (well, two actually) student, and therefore cannot expect that each day will bring a connection. Although I will own the fact that if I do not prepare for each section of time to be productively utilized, the boys will find their own creative powers that often lead to trouble...I will no longer chastise myself.

I've discovered that there are days when repetition is boring but necessary. There are days when creativity makes a break-through, and days when it creates more havoc. Not all of these outcomes are totally in my control.

Thursday, for instance, was planned much like Tuesday and Wednesday, with a mix of creative and active times along with repetition and review, and paperwork and games, etc. The attitude of Tuesday was gone and Handsome announced that he wanted to learn and buckled down to focus on his own. He followed suit today as well. He did his counting and math without sighing or complaining. He read through his vocabulary words and wrote them on cards without one wimper! He did two lessons in science and asked appropriate questions. He helped his brother and sister. He listened during social studies and character building story time. Wow! It is nice to feel that all my work actually was worth it. His birthday is next week...perhaps that has something to do with it. Or maybe my prayers have been answered. Or maybe he just decided he wanted to "grow up". Whatever the reason, "Thank God!" It IS Friday, and I can go home and prepare for next week feeling on the successful side.

And tonight I have TDH and Jomo to take to a basketball game and then to spend the night with us. And tomorrow I have my writer's group. That is always a pleasant meeting. And then I have a business meeting which, if it goes well, will make me feel even more successful. And if not, at least I had an opportunity to attempt to enhance my business (well, my husband runs it more than I, but technically, it's joint) so that will be good as well. Times have been tough lately, and money extremely tight, as with most people. I guess it makes me re-think some priorities and examine my own philosphy about wealth and happiness. More on that later...
TGIF for you too!