Reading

My daughter is almost six-and-a-half and really beginning to read.

This is SO MUCH FUN!

As our first child, she's our first reader, which adds to the excitement. Oh the possibilities that open us to us when we learn to read!

What I've learned over the last year and a half:

Learning to read takes a lot of work;

teaching someone to read takes a lot of patience.

This book has helped me to take it all in stride and let Elizabeth learn at her own pace.

These books really got E started confidently reading whole books:

Now we're going to try to read all of the Beginning Readers that the library has to offer!

Teaching someone to read is cheap! There's really no need for bells and whistles. BOB books are inexpensive. Using purchased or homemade flash cards are great for practicing sight words or word families. (I did a group of 5 - 10 most weeks throughout last year.) And the library has lots and lots of books - it's kind of their thing.

Keep reading good wholesome books TO your child, as well. This book is a good resource for quality, age-appropriate literature for the whole family!

Time for a cup of coffee and some personal reading time while the kids rest!

Fun & Nutritious Kid Breakfast

I don't know where I got this idea; it was taught to me years before I had kids. It's a fun way to liven up breakfast; a little surprise for the wee ones!

What you need:

• bread
• eggs
• butter
• cookie cutter
• pan & spatula

What you do:

1. Butter both sides of a piece of bread and cut a shape out of the middle with a cup or a cookie cutter.

2. Remove the center cut-out.

3. Place the bread ring into a preheated pan and crack an egg into the middle.

4. Flip it over when it seems cooked enough on one side (after about 2 minutes) and cook about a minute more.

5. Fry up the cut-outs. (This doesn't take long on a hot pan. If you have a larger pan, you can do it at the same time as the egg & bread - just don't burn 'em!)

6. Call your hungry kids to the table!

Serve with some juice or fruit, and you have a quick, entertaining, and balanced breakfast!

What Are You Storing Up?

Last week on K-LOVE one of the deejays quoted these words of Jesus from John 7:37b-38

"If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

I thought about the verses the following morning, meditating on how Jesus not only quenches our thirst but makes us a "water source" for those around us. What an amazing privilege that he who puts his faith in Jesus becomes a vessel of the Holy Spirit! And the Spirit is not only there to change us from the inside out, but to enable us to pour into the lives around us.

Then this verse came to mind:

Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
Matthew 12:34

I had to look it up in context and discovered the verse that follows.

The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him,
but the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in Him.

This verse has been on my mind all week.

And this question: What am I storing up in me?

God gives us all kinds of opportunities to store up on good things! We can store up on His Word when we meet one-on-one with Him. There are authors who have written books that fill us up with good things to ponder in our hearts. Gathering with other believers on Sunday mornings - to hear the Word preached, sing God's praises, confess our sins, and partake of the Lord's Supper - is another way God provides us good things to store up in us. Discussing the word and praying together at a weekly Bible study or prayer meeting is an additional option.

What else can you think of?

Storing up on the good things of God changes our hearts and enables us to "bring out" good things from them. Imagine the impact this can have on those around us: our spouses, our children, our neighbors, our friends! (Not to mention the blessing of being filled up to fullness ourselves by our Savior and Lord!)

I leave you with these questions that I have had rattling around in my brain this week:

• Are there opportunities to store up good things that I am not taking advantage of or making time for? Should I make any changes in my life?
  

• What things am I currently storing up on that I need to let go, to make room for better things God has for my heart and mind?

May the Word of Christ dwell in you richly today!

Homeschooling at Our House: a snapshot

Below you see me with my student, one who's being "formally" taught, and the other who's along for the ride until his day comes.

You may wonder how we spend our time. If you do, read on. If you don't, maybe look at the pictures and then scoot along to a more interesting blog. I won't be offended. Come to think of it, I won't even know. It's a win-win for you!

So here you go:

Each week I fill in a sheet that looks like this. The basics (reading, writing, math, bible reading) are filled in each day. Other subject matter may or may not have an activity for a given day. These little lesson plans keep me on track teaching Elizabeth what she should be learning throughout the year. I rely heavily on the book Home Learning Year By Year by Rebecca Rupp and picture books from the library. I did buy a math curriculum this year, Miquon Math; both E and I LOVE it! Other than that, it's kinda "fly by the seat of my pants" around here.

I also have a loose structure for our days that looks like this. The times I wrote in before we began in September, just to think through the whole day. We rarely start our day at 8; looking at that made me chuckle. We're usually going somewhere between 8:30 and 9am. This time outline primarily serves to remind me to spend time reading scripture to my kids, teach them hymns, and maintain some free time in our days; all of which I know are good for my kids' little souls, but don't need to be included in school lessons, as such. This approach is heavily influenced by Sally Clarkson and Susan Schaeffer Macaulay, and I stole the poetry idea from Kristen. I'm thankful for these women! (The hymns thing is me; hymns have always ministered to me and I want my children to move forward in life with deep, theological lyrics embedded in their memories. It's much easier to recall a song, sometimes, than a Bible verse or passage, isn't it?)

The only other thing we do that I haven't mentioned is a weekly nature walk - getting out to a park in the woods, walking around and soaking up nature. I hope we can maintain this through the winter, with the proper gear and a thermos of hot chocolate, of course.

We read a lot. And, my kids watch some tv every. single. day.

Because I get overwhelmed by (and pretty jealous of!) other homeschooling moms who are awesome and seem to really have it all together, I'm hesitant to share about what we do. But at the same time, I'm so glad when I come across a good idea that I wouldn't have known if someone didn't share. Catch-22, I guess. And I know, I know, no mom has it all together, no matter the appearance!

It's not on the schedule, but I do routinely lose my patience with my kids and boss them around using a voice with which I'd never address anyone else.

There you have it. A day in the life.

Playing in the Leaves with Cousin Isaac

I can't really get enough of the fall leaves. Oh the variety of trees expressing themselves through the autumnal rainbow of colors! I know the winter will be upon us with its lifeless browns and greys, so I now savor the crunch beneath my feet, the glorious views of tree-covered hills, and the vigor of raking up a jumping pile for my kids.

Last weekend we spent a little time with my sister and her son, Isaac, taking advantage of the leaves in my parent's yard.

A Post Every Day This Month?

Apparently this is some national blog posting month, or something.

I wonder if I should try to post every day. And given my personality, I feel that I need to have a pattern or rotation. Maybe something like: Bible meditation/reflection, family & friends, homeschooling. Yeah, that's pretty much what defines me. Within that I could have posts about activities, book recommendations, a little about me, etc.

Okay, I think I'll do it. Unless you really don't want me to ...

Does this count for today? No, this is lame. I'll post more later - it's time for breakfast!

Really, God?

As I was praising God in prayer this morning, (I do this in a journal, because otherwise I don't know if I'd ever stay focused in prayer!), the phrase as far as the east is from the west, so far have you removed our transgressions came to mind.

Given the depth of my Biblical scholarship, I had to find the word 'east' in the concordance and find the Psalm that had that verse. Hey, at least I knew it was in the Psalms! Thank God for concordances, eh?

Anyway, it's in Psalm 103. Please grab a Bible and read it today for encouragement and to be reminded of how much we have for which to praise God.

Verses 11 and 12 read as follows:

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Really, God? That much love and that much forgiveness?!

Yes. Really.

And bear in mind that David wrote this in Old Testament times, before Jesus. Our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, slow to anger and abounding in love.

That is the God of the Bible, the whole Bible. Fear Him, i.e. honor Him and entrust your life to Him, and you will know love and forgiveness that you never thought possible.

I'm sure that no matter how long I walk with God, I will always need to come back to verses like this. My heart will always tempt me to say, No, it's too good to be true. Really, God?

'Yes, really,' He will say.

Oh how His word keeps us grounded and gives us hope!