Liberty Day 2009

This past weekend we drove up north to "Chicagoland" Thursday night and Friday we spend lounging around the hotel while Daniel worked. Th girls took a jaunt across the street for a quick stroll through the mall. After that was lunch and pool time! The water was so warm  and we had the whole pool to ourselves.

Saturday morning we got up early, dressed, and drove to Liberty Day 2009. Dr Jehle spoke on constitutional law, the Declaration of Independence, and how it all affects us today. Charlie Zahm entertained up with his American fold songs. Skits and recitations were made, apple pies and essays judged, military drills were practiced, and the Virginia Reel was danced.  I really don't have any pictures except Jesica, Justin, and Ashly in costume.

Last, but not least, here are a couple pitures of the turkeys that live behind the house. We have had quite a few sightings of them in the last week. 

Praise to the LORD from Creation

  Praise the LORD!

         

         Praise the LORD from the heavens; 

         Praise Him in the heights!

 Praise Him, all His angels;

         Praise Him, all His hosts!

Praise Him, sun and moon;

         Praise Him, all you stars of light!

 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens,

         And you waters above the heavens! 

         

 Let them praise the name of the LORD,

         For He commanded and they were created.

 He also established them forever and ever;

         He made a decree which shall not pass away. 

         

 Praise the LORD from the earth,

         You great sea creatures and all the depths;

 Fire and hail, snow and clouds;

         Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;

 Mountains and all hills;

         Fruitful trees and all cedars;

 Beasts and all cattle;

         Creeping things and flying fowl;

 Kings of the earth and all peoples;

         Princes and all judges of the earth;

 Both young men and maidens;

         Old men and children. 

         

 Let them praise the name of the LORD,

         For His name alone is exalted; 

         His glory is above the earth and heaven.

 And He has exalted the horn of His people,

         The praise of all His saints— 

         Of the children of Israel, 

         A people near to Him. 

      

         Praise the LORD!

Walking in the woods - full album - CLICK PICTURE

Heavy van + muddy ground = stuck van

Here is the scene that Daniel came home to on Wednesday night:

After 2 hours of Justin working alone and then Dad helping for another 2 hours, the van finally was removed from the mud. For an explaination, read Justin's blog.  Hopefully a lesson learned!

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Join the Fight

The right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children has been recognized and upheld for centuries. But there are dark clouds on the horizon.

Today parental rights are coming under assault from federal judges who deny or refuse to recognize these rights. Adding further danger to the child-parent relationship, international law seeking to undermine the parental role is advancing on the horizon. Together, these threats are converging to create a "perfect storm" that looms over the child-parent relationship. (Read more here)

Only a constitutional amendment will ensure that the courts of our nation protect the fundamental right of parents to raise their children. And only a constitutional amendment will override international law that seeks to undermine the parental role. (Read more here.)

Join the Fight

Happy 9th Birthday, Josiah!

The month of February is full of birthdays for our family. Today we are celebrating Josiah's 9th birthday. Unfortunately I have to admit that his pregnancy was not the easiest.  In fact it was my worst. Lack of sleep, bladder infections, and other things made his pregnancy just miserable.

However, when they placed Josiah into my arms, all  that just melted away. Josiah is a very sensitive boy and very caring about those around him.  He loves to play knights, build with Legos and K'nex, do puzzles of all kinds, loves to sing, enjoys being in the outdoors and learning about bugs.  Science is his favorite subject in school and enjoys doing experiments.

Josiah is growing into young man and is taking on more and more responsibilities around the home. He doesn't always embrace these new responsibilities with enthusiasm. He loves the Lord and tries hard to keep up with daily Bible reading.

Our family is blest to have Josiah as a part of our family.

4 months old

1 year old

4 years old

Friends from Sugar Grove

Home Educating – When Life Happens

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

One of the more common questions that home educators hear is how to deal with babies and toddlers while home schooling the older children. I will admit that this isn't always an easy task.

My 1 year old is a high-need baby. Being held by Mom or an older sibling is her favorite thing while sleeping is her least favorite. Basically this means that she needs Mom A LOT – including the night. So we don't get a full night's sleep and mornings come way too soon. My best investment was purchasing a sling. She loves being kept close to Mom and it also gives the opportunity to be "involved" in our schooling and near her siblings.

Not getting enough sleep can really affect my energy level in the morning. The older ones have been trained in getting breakfast and morning chores which relieves a majority of the pressure on me first thing in the morning. We also implemented a buddy system. Older children have an assigned younger buddy. Here are the assignments: 15yr old/4yr old, 14yr old/7yr old, 12 yr old/baby, and the 8 yr old works with the 15yr old when he needs help. Eventually he'll be assigned the 4yr old. These assignments work for getting meals, doing chores, leaving the house, when we're out in public – anywhere a buddy system is a benefit.

We have also found that training the children to complete school work on their own has really helped. Our older 3 (15 yrs, 14 yrs, and 12 yrs) do most of their book work on their own. So my part is just making sure that they get their assignments, complete them, and answer any questions they may have. My husband also teaches a couple classes (logic, worldview, and Bible) in the evening. This has taken a huge load off of me.

So my daily focus is on teaching our 8 and 7 year olds, along with working with the 4 year old and taking care of the 1 year old. There are days when the 2 youngest ones will play great together and I can get a huge amount of school work done. Then we have those days when the baby wants to be held by me all morning. I'm going to say it again…that's the beauty of homeschooling! I can forgo a few things on those days when my plate is so full and make it up on a day when things aren't so hectic.

Some other ways we have taught while raising babies is to train the babies to have a blanket or playpen time. This is accomplished by training the baby on the blanket/playpen, starting with 5 or 10 minutes and gradually increasing that time. Using the blanket has its advantages because it is easy to transport. We have also used naptime to work on some of the subjects that need undivided mom time. This requires a bit more flexibility, but well worth it for teaching those hard to understand or more in-depth subjects.

My favorite of all though is the use of older children in the home. Schedule an older child to watch the baby or toddlers for 15-30 minute intervals. Not only does this keep the baby/toddler quiet, but also gives the older child a break from the school work. Older children can take the baby/toddler for a walk, rock with them, push them on a swing, play on the floor, have a snack, read books, or do puzzles.

Another activity, for those days when you absolutely need to get something done and there is no one else, is a learning DVD. We don't use them much in our home, but have when we are desperate. Some of my younger children have liked Baby Mozart. I like the classical music. We have also borrowed "Signing Time" DVDs and they all like to impress Mom and Dad with their new signs. Even the baby has been learning and is able to communicate with us. We also own Moody Science videos. These are old, but they the lessons they teach about Scripture and science are wonderful.

Here are some more quick ideas:

• Drop the school work for younger children and have a play day. Break out the play dough, crayons, or toys they don't get to play with very often. This will keep them quiet for a while so that you can sit of the couch or lay in bed for a few minutes to pray, read some scripture, and regroup.
  
• Gather the children and let them play quietly with Legos or color while you read aloud.
  
• On good days train your children how to make sandwiches, or fix an easy breakfast like dry cereal. Then on those rough days, they can get their own breakfast or lunch.
  
• Have breakfast for dinner. Not all husbands like this, but having pancakes and eggs is a quick meal with minimal clean-up. Using paper products also helps on those rough days!
  

The best lessons our children, old and young, will learn during this seasons of babies and toddlers will be how to handle what life gives us. This post mostly talks about when there is a baby or toddler in the home. But what happens if Mom gets sick, there is a death in the family, or some other challenge that God uses to grow our faith? Interruptions in a normal schedule are going to happen. As homeschoolers we have the opportunity to use these experiences as learning tools for our family.

Happy 1st Birthday, Sara Elizabeth!

One year ago today, our 7th child, Sara Elizabeth, was born. On February 8th, Daniel and I went to bed as normal, only to be woken up at 11:15 with my water breaking. 2 hours later, in the comfort of our own bed, Sara was born.

This hasn't been an easy year. Sara is a high needs baby and it took a long time to learn about her. She is a very serious baby, but when she does smile, it lights up the whole room. She brings such joy to our hearts and all of her siblings love her and think she is just so cute!

It really is amazing that just a year ago, Sara was a helpless little babe who could do nothing for herself. Now a year later she is a little toddler walking around, trying to feed herself, and saying words like "bye", "kitty", "mama", and "dada". She also can use a bit of sign language.

Happy Birthday, Sara!