August in Review

First of all, this was the month I was going to begin learning how to be the prudent wife.  I'm a late bloomer, okay?  One of the great things about homeschooling is that EVERYONE is learning, right?  And we never stop.  So even though I just turned forty-something years old, it's not too late for me.  I started the choystercash couponing class.  Week One had to do with freebies from Rite-Aid.  We don't have a local Rite-Aid, so I got the week off.  This is Week Two.  This week's deals are Walgreens deals, $50 worth of free stuff.  I am still looking at the list and trying to get through the brain fog.  You do have to pay for this stuff, but you get money back to use on later purchases.   I can see that I am going to have to be real wise (and brainy) about how to shop Walgreens if I do this.  Will I actually save money, or will I just spend more on stuff we don't normally buy?  I'll let you know what happens.  Come on, someone join me on this class so we can compare notes!

Okay, August.  We started school.  The first day was horrid, but things are now much improved, almost wonderful.  Here we are actually studying, well, three-fourths are studying.  The remaining fourth is playing...













Some dear friends in Minnesota sent us this stuff in a box.  My husband ran when he saw it, but the girls thought it was great!  We are eagerly anticipating a visit from the PlainJane family, and we are brushing up on our Minnesotan: "You betcha", "hot dish", and "Do you want to come with?" 

I have been gaining a small interest in lentils, beans, and unusual grains for their nutritional value.  As we are not big cooked lentil fans, I tried spouting some.  Lentil sprouts are supposed to be REALLY good for you (translation -- probably bad-tasting).  Surprise!  They taste good!  Kind of like a cross between bean sprouts and snow peas.  We girls all enjoyed snacking on them.  (Dad didn't -- he preferred his hidden M&M's.) You don't need a sprouter.  Just soak about 1/2 cup of lentils overnight in plenty of water.  In the morning, rinse very well and pour the lentils into a colander lined with a clean dishtowel.  Cover with the overlapping part of the towel, then run water over the whole thing.  Set the colander in a bowl to catch the drips.  Do this again each evening and morning for two or three days.  When your lentils have sprouted, rinse them well, drain, and refrigerate in a zip-lock bag.  They are a great snack or addition to a green salad.  And when you are tired of snacking on them, you can have your little kids plant some.   They come up super fast.

Elisabeth has been spending much time at Build-a-Bearville, and desired a real Build-a-Bear so bad it hurt.   We are lucky enough NOT to have a Build-a-Bear store nearby ($!$!$!), but since we were going to go to California for my birthday last week, I did a bit of research and found a store reasonably close to my parents' home.  Betsy spent her own money on a very cute bunny and the special code that will allow her to spend even more time at Build-a-Bearville.    She is now a Junior Cyberguide and "owns" a beautiful home in Build-a-Bearville.

From there we went to Balboa Island for a fun day by the ocean.  I got a pair of Crocs sandals -- what a relief to my poor diabetic feet -- in a neat little clothing and accessories store called "Fresh Produce".  What a funny name for a clothing store!  Then I got home and looked up Crocs on eBay...   LOL!  Oh well, next time I'll get them online.  But my feet were thanking me all that day.  Wouldn't you know Crocs is going out of business?

From there we rode the little ferry to the Fun Zone,

where my folks treated the girls, but especially Emily, to a ferris wheel ride:

And the carousel:

 

Then we had lunch at Ruby's on the pier and met this guy:

One evening we took a walk along Alamitos Bay

And found these,

and watched the sun set (you didn't know the ocean runs downhill, did you? lol!):

And the girls did some more artsy stuff at Grammy's:

I had a wonderful birthday with people who love me! I'm sure there's more, but this post is long enough already.

And here is my project for September:

Wanna-Be Prudent Housewife

The woman on the left is me.  Soon I am going to be the woman on the right!  Lately I have been perusing the many sites on couponing.  When I look at coupons, I can not see how women get $100 worth of groceries for under $20, but I am going to find out!  Most of the time the coupons that are out there are not for items that I buy.  But perhaps with some study I can make this work.  I am going to start, first of all, by doing the Choystercash.com couponing class that will start next week.  Do you want to join me while I learn how to do the CVS and Walgreens deals?  Sign up here: www.choystercash.com.  I recommend that you set up a separate email account just for your internet coupon emails and that sort of stuff -- they can really jam up your inbox.  Choystercash sends out an email every time they are alerted to a good deal, sometimes several each week.  Their couponing class begins this coming Monday and runs for ten weeks.  Another good site for couponing is CouponMom.com.  She supplies you with all the deals AND all the coupons, too.  It's all overwhelming to me right now, but with God's help I am going to get it!!

Also, for any of you Texas dwellers, do you know about HEB's "fresh or free" policy?  My brother-in-law is constantly going into HEB and walking out with $100 worth of groceries for absolutely FREE.  Here is their policy:

"We guarantee the freshness of all products in our store.  If you find a product with a sell date earlier than today, we will gladly exchange it for a free FRESH replacement item (not redeemable for cash). Limit one free item on any like UPC. On bulk items normally sold by the pound you will receive one pound free."

Their clerks cannot stop you from going through the merchandise for the out-dated stuff, but they might go ahead of you and start rotating the stock a little better.   If the check-out person gives you any trouble, ask them to call the management.  This policy is good for anything in the store, including meat, dairy, HBA, grocery, etc. Note this:  YOU GET A NEW ONE FREE,  NOT THE OUTDATED ONE!  Google HEB for some "fresh or free" tips.

If only we lived in Texas.

House and riches are the inheritance of fathers:
and a prudent wife is from the LORD.
Proverbs 19:14

Place Value with LEGOS

Emily was beside herself with impatience to start school. So the other day I printed out some freebie math worksheets for her -- worksheets for place value, skip counting, and other first-grader stuff.  We worked through the place value worksheets in nothing flat.

6 tens and _____ ones = 67

7 tens and 9 ones = ______

And etcetera.  Emily picked it up immediately.  But later, when I quizzed her orally, she couldn't do it.  I realized that she had recognized a pattern, but had not grasped the concept.  Hmmm... what could we use to SHOW her place value?  How about ... Legos?

First we made bricks of 10-piecers, figuring out all the different ways to make 10.  With Legos you can't do two 5-piecers together, or 9+1, but you can do 6+4 and 8+2 in several different ways, with different shaped pieces.  Or you can combine colors to get 5+5 and 9+1 and all the other combos you need.  Emily helped me make ten 10-piecers.  Then we dug down to the bottom of the bucket for the 1-piecers and scrounged up a dozen or so.

Since she already knew how to count by 10's, we did that, touching one 10-piecer Lego brick for 10, 20, 30, up to 100.  Then I showed her that there were 100 Lego brick "bumps" in that pile.  I saw the light bulb go on for her.  (I do love that moment!) Then we made two-digit numbers with them.  Twenty-three equals two 10-piecers and three 1-piecers.  That was easy!  This is too easy, Mom.  What else can we do with them?  We can add them. Oh neat!  And that is how we made our own (cheap) version of Math-U-See.  Next week we'll do addition with carrying.

Month in Review -- July

Oh dear, I am tardy with this post!  Good thing I don't have much to tell you.  It was July.  Hot, above or below 115°F, with average LOW temps at 85°.  We've lived here nearly six years, and it's still weird to me to see the bank thermometer at 103° at 9:00 or 10:00 at night!   We spent a lot of time in the house, and some at the lake or river.  I posted photos of the lake already... And we did art, which I also told you about.... So I will just go look at my trusty camera and see if anything else exciting happened. * * *

While I'm looking, I'll tell you about my reading list.  Lately I have been reading some of the literary classics, to reacquaint myself with them and to see if I would now consider them decent reading for my growing girls.  My criteria for good reading  material changed drastically when the Lord saved me, and as I am responsible for the hearts and minds of a few voracious readers in my house, I am trying to be careful about what we have on our shelves. In the "done" pile are The Old Man and the Sea, Pride and Prejudice, Flowers for Algernon (definitely NOT recommended by me for tweens or teens), and To Kill a Mockingbird.    I can't pre-read everything my kids get a hold of, and I thought that the classics should be relatively safe.  But I had a nagging feeling that they might not be.  I don't know who decides a book is a classic, but we don't have the same standards.  Okay, blanket statement forthcoming. Seems to me a book is called a classic if, in addition to containing great writing, it does one of two things: One, either it challenges cultural mores and norms and ideas about what is right and wrong, or two, it challenges GOD'S authority on the subject of right and wrong.  I don't mind the first at all.  I would put Mockingbird in that category.  It's a great book.  But I don't consider Mockingbird okay for my kids to read, simply because of the mature content.  I know, I read it for the first time in junior high, and I survived. The testimonies about the rape must not have made a big impression on me, because I had forgotten all about them. But do I want to feed that to my kids? And what about the language? Garbage in, garbage out?  **sigh**   Algernon, on the other hand, challenges both societal behavior and God's law.  The story idea is great, but the philosophy is entirely humanistic, and the content is definitely "adult".  Many of the classics have excellent ideas and excellent writing, with all this other stuff thrown in.  Why do they have to do that?  Do I want my kids to learn about humanism or immorality from a book? I haven't figured out if or when it's okay to read something  as  a family that is completely contrary to God's thinking, just so that we can discuss contrasting ideas.  What are your reading recommendations?

* * *

Okay, I found something.  I picked up this great book at the library.   Amy took it over as well as my sewing machine, and she created several bags:

 

Here's the first one she did.  I had this fabric map of the USA hanging around, which I intended for years to at least hem (even had it on the wall with just its raw edges for a long time), and Amy made much better use of it than what it was doing in my sewing stuff.  Using an old mattress pad for batting, Amy machine-quilted the fabric then constructed a big bag and lined it.

My artist mom went to the Provence region of France with her artsy friends for a couple of weeks (wish I could say it was us -- now THAT would have been something to tell!), and that sort of inspired Amy and me to make her a brush holder from a pattern in that same book. (Excuse the tacky brushes.)  Here's the process:

 

Next week we'll be starting "school". Yippee!   Actually I am considering unschooling this year.  Or should I say, unschooling again this year? 

Overheard in My House

This evening I heard a squabble going on in the living room between my two younger girls.  One was playing the piano, and the other was "helping".  Child Number One asked child Number Two to please stop it, and of course, child Number Two did not.  So child Number One pushed child Number Two away from the piano.  And Number Two pushed her back.  And Number One pushed HER back.  I ignored this, hoping they would put one of our many lessons to work on how families are not to merely tolerate each other, but to love each other.

When I came out of my room, Number Two tattled, "Mommy, Elisabeth pushed me away from the piano!"  I said, "Wait, wait, wait.  You are not telling me the whole story.  What did you do to her before she pushed you?" 
Emily: "I was helping her play the piano."
Me: "Yes, and she asked you not to do that.  And you did anyway." 
Emily: "Yes, Mommy, but then Elisabeth pushed me, and I thought of that verse that says, 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!'"   

LOL! Well, she tried! I have to give her credit for thinking of a Bible verse that tells her how to respond, don't I?  Or is she becoming an Eddie Haskell? Hee hee!  Next topic for family Bible hour, the meaning of Matthew 7:12.

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,
do ye even so to them:
for this is the law and the prophets.

Taking Another Lap Around Mt. Sinai

Maybe it's because we all stayed up too late last night and because we're tired of summer vacation and because the kids are worn out from two good swims in the river in 24 hours, and because I am finding that I can NOT lose weight while eating chocolate... sigh...

We got some of our school books today, and oh, boy, did it sound like the children of Israel around here.  A whole lot of complaining going on.  (Two complaining about the books they got, and one complaining that she didn't get any!)  I think I am beginning to understand why God hates complaining so much.  I mean, think about it.  God got so sick of hearing it he wanted to kill his own children.   Actually, he did kill some of them, and he was justified, but I wouldn't be.  I don't want to kill my kids, but I think I can relate to this just a teeny bit.  Granted, I am guilty of it myself.  So where did they learn it?  Yeah, yeah, I know.  ...Okay, not everyone here is guilty tonight.  We have two semi-spiritual people in this house who refuse to lower themselves to the common denominator, and they are not guilty.  But three were, and then four, because I was complaining about the complaining. 

And then I saw this.

(Disclaimer: I don't know what else is at that site, so enter with caution.)

All right.  I am done complaining about the complaining.  I am just going to bite the bullet and insist that education is for my children's good and they ARE going to do it, because I love them.  And I will remind myself daily that some day they are going to thank me for this.  The worst I could do here couldn't be that bad.  Could it??  Do any of those poor souls have a praying mother? 

And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD:
and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled;
and the fire of the LORD burnt among them,
and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts
of the camp.
Numbers 11:1

It's Here! Emily's Violin

Just had to steal this image from my daughter's blog.  Does this little musician look happy, or what?  I say she looks happy.  This little violin is the answer to many weeks of Emily's prayers.  It is so neat when children realize God hears them.  In less than three days, Emily has already learned two scales and the Twinkle Twinkle variations.  For now I'll spare you a video, but there will be one forthcoming, for I know she will be begging me to post one.  

Alison now has two students. If you just happen to know anyone who lives in the area and wants beginning violin lessons, have them leave her a comment.  With only two students, it will take a Very Long Time to save up for a laptop.  Oh, and if you just happen to know anyone in the area who might be interested in starting up a kids' or adults' chamber orchestra, comment her about that, too.  It is her dream to belong to one.  ...Maybe she ought to do a Hard Thing and start one herself...

Delight thyself also in the LORD;
and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Psalm 37:4

Correction, and School Plans

I said I could be thankful that it was not 120°F yet.  Uh, change that to 125°F.  Becca and I had a conversation about this.  In response to my gratitude for not needing a snow shovel in these circumstances, she suggested that a snow shovel would make a great dust pan for the garage.  I agree.  It would.  But we don't even have a garage. And I am pretty sure none of our local stores carry snow shovels, even in the winter.  And I'm still thankful we don't need one.   By the way, I could not believe my ears last week, when I heard my desert-loving, snow-hating husband say, by accident I'm sure, "One below wouldn't be THAT bad..." LOL!  I don't know.  If one could make a choice,  it would be a tough one.  -1°F or +122°F.   ???

The summer always has me looking for ways to feed my family delicious meals without cooking, or at least without turning on the oven.  If you have any ideas, do let me know.  Does anyone make a tasty cold rice salad? We often do salad and fresh bread (from the machine, not the oven), pasta salad made early in the day, or lately, already baked pizza from Little Caesar's!  (Okay, it's not the greatest pizza, but it's only two blocks away and only $5.  I'll take it.)

On to our school plans for the coming year.  I have felt like a goose flying backwards through the fog this spring, trying to plan for next school year. But I think it is finally coming together.  Many thanks to my dear friend, Plain Jane, for a copy of her educational designs for her daughters, a plan which I call "Plain Jane High School".  She got me started just making a list of all sorts of things that I'd like to see Alison (and etc) accomplish before we call it quits with official school-type stuff.  Some of it is academic, but most of it isn't, and it has really helped me to feel like we have some direction in this journey.  It's nice to finally figure out where we are going.  Here is Alie's list, definitely not in order of priority, and not complete. She has done some of this already, so she will begin with some thing checked off (pretend those little pieces of code are check boxes):

Alison's High School To-Do’s

Community Service
    Play music at nursing home monthly
    Participate in monthly nursing home church service
    Assist in church nursery
    
    

Physical Education
    Bicycle maintenance and safety
    o    Change tube
    o    Patch tube
    o    Clean and lube chain
    o    Adjust brakes

Travel and Car Maintenance
    Wash car
    Wax car
    Vacuum interior
    Windows
    Pump gas
    Check oil
    Use jumper cables
    Check tire pressure and fill
    Change wiper blades
    Add washer fluid
    Read a street map
    Give clear directions
    Plan a road trip
    
    

Sewing
    Crochet
    o    Hot pad
    o    Dishcloth
    o    Afghan
    Arrange and cut out a pattern
    Sew a
    o    Bag
    o    Skirt
    o    Blouse
    o    Dress
    o    Nightie
    o    Quilt
  
Church Ministries
    Piano accompaniment
    Provide special music
    Learn to operate sound system and edit files
    Work in nursery
    Lead a Bible study
    Give a devotion
    Write devotional for newsletter
    Teach a Sunday School class
    Clean church building
  
    
 
 Personal Ministry and Spiritual Life
    Give your testimony
    Know how to lead a soul to Christ
    Read through the Bible five times before graduation
    Invite ten people to church
    Read missionary biographies
    o    John and Betty Stam
    o    CT Studd
    o    The Journal of John Wesley
    o    Jim Eliot/Nate Saint
    o    Susannah Wesley
    o    Peace Child or Lords of the Earth
    o    Bruchko
    o    
    o  
     Keep a prayer journal
  
    

Music
    Yearly violin performance
    Yearly piano performance
    Read books on what is God-honoring music –
    o    SM Davis
    o    Alan Ives
    o    SMS
    Listen to 10 great composers
    Read a music pedagogy book – Talent to Treasure, by M. Washburn
    Give music instruction
    Attend a symphony rehearsal
    Attend a symphony or orchestra performance
    
    
 
Computer and Technical Skills
    Type 75 wpm
    Learn to use Word or other word processing software
    Learn to use Excel or other spreadsheet
    Make a video and edit it
    Learn to edit audio files
    Visit a sound studio
    Observe the production of an audio recording
    
 
Personal Development
    Write out your testimony
    Give your testimony orally if given the opportunity
    Keep an active blog for one year
    Get published
    Learn basic first aid
   Read Mom’s file on godly girls and ladies and home life (C:\Documents and Settings\Johnson Family\My Documents\To Read in Jr High-High School)
    Read Beautiful Girlhood
    Read Daughters of Destiny
    Read So Much More
    Read The Fallacy Detective
    Read ten classics
    o    Pride and Prejudice
    o    To Kill a Mockingbird
    o    Little Britches Series
    o    Tale of Two Cities
    o    Robinson Crusoe
    o    and choose from this adult/youth list:          
 http://www.wannalearn.com/Classic_Literature/
    Write an essay on how you plan to educate your children
    Read books on homeschooling whys
    o    John Gatto
    o    Mary Pride,  and others
    Learn to find anything in the library
    o    Encyclopedia
    o    Magazine article
    o    Author bio
    Learn to find anything on the internet
 
Kitchen Skills
    Cut up a whole chicken
    Cook beans
    Slow cook a roast
    Bake
   o    cookies
   o    cake from scratch
   o    cheesecake
   o    quick breads
   o    yeast bread
   o    biscuits
    Make a healthy salad
    Cook veggies in the microwave
    Follow a recipe
    Make soups
    o    Potato
    o    Beef barley
    o    Chicken and rice
    o    Chicken tortilla    
    o    
    Make a personal recipe book
    Plan a menu
    Do a weekly (or monthly) meal plan
    Learn food storage
    Clean up meal prep

Child Care
    Babysit, given opportunity
    Change a diaper
    Bottle feed a baby
    Spoon feed a baby
    Entertain toddlers
    

History and Geography
    Find major countries and cities on a globe
    Read missionary bios (see personal development section)
    Know states and capitals
    Read ten U.S. Landmark books
    Read ten World Landmark books
    Read Ruth Beechick’s World History Made Easy
etc.   
  
(Sorry about the formatting problems.  Computers and I never have been very good friends.) This is all in addition to the usual assortment of stuff from Teaching Textbooks, Easy Grammar,  the Bluedorns, Landmark, and something for science. Anyway, this should take care of the boredom blues, don't you think? For one kid, at least.  Now I'm off to figure out what we'll be using for children #2,#3 and #4!

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge:
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom:
and with all thy getting get understanding.
Exalt her, and she shall promote thee:
she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace:
a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
Proverbs 4:7-9