Homeschooling is not for everyone!

Honestly, it has been the best week of homeschool we've had in a long time.
I've been shocked.
Amazed.
Pleased.
Thankful.
Excited.
But all the while,
very HESITANT
... when will the good times come to an end...
This morning it took my son, who, by the way can do long division, 2 hours to do four Math problems.
9-4=
17-9=
15-9=
and one other I can't recall.
Are you kidding me?  He refused to do them unless I "helped."
Help?!?
He can do long division!
Help?!?
Well, several hours later they were complete.
He scored pages of writing for the consequence for disobedience and I scored a happy heart seeing as this time I held it together the entire time.  That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I did not raise my voice even once.
Homeschooling is a great adventure every day.
Homeschooling is not for everyone.
Some days... homeschooling isn't for me.

I usually love it. Today I just survived.

By the end of the day, pages had been written, math problems done, cursive practice complete...
I decided we would bake bread instead of read Science or the other reading books we have.

The deal was: if he could find the recipe without help, he wouldn't have to read aloud to me.
Hurray for great picture books, old recipe books and fresh baked bread.

Thomas started in this book, looking for a recipe.  If you haven't read any of Tomie dePaola's works, go find one at the library... or if you don't have libraries, find someone who has a copy of any of his many books and borrow it.

precooked...

Hot and ready to eat.  Bliss would live off of bread, cheese and olives if she was allowed!

 Here is the old recipe book Thomas found the recipe in.  This use to be my mom's and it was my grandma's before that.  It is one of my most prized earthly possession, simply because my two favorite  cooks used it before me.  Thomas helps me cook quite a bit and he is well familiar with who "Fanny Farmer" is!

After a day like today I'm just thankful we are all still in one piece and that we have fresh bread to eat together.  Looking forward to tomorrow... I wonder what kind of refinement I will need then!

Thankful,
m

Sabbath Rest

We try to take time each week to rest from the normal activities of life and just rest.  This involves extended time in the word and prayer for Walt and I, sabbath blessings for the kids, and times of rest and quiet activities, as well as tag in the dark (which is not quiet!).
This last week I enjoyed taking a few pics during the day.

This is what my bed looked like not long after it had been neatly made.  Thomas knows that on our Sabbath he gets to read longer before breakfast while the rest of us spend time extended time in the word.  It is such a blessing the way he usually lets us all have a longer quiet time.  Maybe that's because he is looking forward to the local breakfast of halwa and puri.

Lately, I've been enjoying coffee from our friends here out of my special birthday mug.  Our sabbath rest is a great time to sit with the Lord and be refreshed from the past week and get ready for the week to come.  Our hearts desire is to live in the power of God and to remember our own weakness.  Life is hard here and the only way to live and survive here is by his power and acknowledging our need for him in the little things and the big.

Here are my two goofie children giving a South Asian pose (no smiles), not an easy task for either of them.

Hope you are able to take time each week to rest in the Lord and be refreshed by his word and presence.  Hope in your circumstance you are able to withdraw and refuel, that he might effectively move in and through you.

resting in the Lord,
m

Toothless

Last night Thomas hopped out of bed with the best excuse yet, "Mom, my tooth came out!"
We have been waiting for several months for this tooth to makes it's exit and I was beginning to wonder if it wasn't going to have to be pulled like the bottom three.  But PTL, it came out on it's own!
Here are the pics.

This is Thomas at school today.  We had company spend the night and didn't do school till the afternoon.  As you can see it was a relaxed day at school.  We don't typically come to the Avra Academy wearing goggles!!!

Here's a close up in case you were wondering what homeschool is like.  If you were thinking about moving to homeschool, I'm sure this will convince you it is totally worth it! I love it (most days).

I wish I could load the video that followed this picture.  I guess not till we have youtube open again in our country!

Thankful for crazy days, crazy faces, and crazy children!

m

No Longer Kittens ... Now Cat

Here's the latest on our kittens...

Rani died. (on left side)
Our neighbors kindly told us that he was run over.
Walt announced it at breakfast.
Only one kiddo cried.

Kousy lives on. I still don't like him.
He is no longer a kitten.
He is a cat.
He loves Bliss.  He loves our home.
He loves my flower pots (or at least the sand in them).

Did I mention I still don't like him.
He's the last pet we'll have.

we don't all agree...

m

Staying Thankful

"do not be anxious about anything, but in everything with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Phil. 4:6-7

Staying thankful can be hard work when my eyes get fixed on me and the temporal things of life.  However, with a perspective change, it's a little easier to see how much I have to be thankful for.

Here are 10 things in random order that I am thankful for today.

my handsome hubby of 9 years

God's colorful creation... today it's the fresh veggies and fruits off the carts that go by my house. 

 Fantastic friends God has provided for my kids and I.

My sister and best friend... for her incredible unconditional love for walt, me and the kids. 

God's CRAZY creation... and my son's audacity to pick these things up?!?   

That HIS power is made perfect in my weakness... 

My beautiful, loving, talented daughter

My creative, enthusiastic, crazy son 

Did I say thanks yet for my very weird family?  

God's peace in it all. 

There is so much more to be thankful for than just these ten things.

God is so good.  

m

Field Trip

Indian Ocean.
Nesting site of green sea turtles.
Rescue 28 baby turtles from the nasty predators (dogs, eagles, crows, etc) as they crawl out from deep within the sand where they have been laying for the last 2 months.

When was the last time you took your homeschooler on a field trip like this?!?
Thankful to the gracious God we serve!

We are so thankful for the chance to watch these little turtles climb out of the sand.
It brought me back to the happy times turtle watching with my Grandpa and Grandma.
God is so faithful.

The voice of the Lord make the deer give birth 

and strips the forests bare, 

and in his temple all cry, "Glory!" 

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; 

the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.  

May the Lord give strength to his people! 

May the Lord bless his people with peace! 

Psalm 29:9-11

thankful,

m

Video Failure

Sorry you can't enjoy the video of the turtles coming out.

youtube is still suspended here and the other mode of loading videos doesn't seem to be working.

I guess you'll just have to use your imagination!

m