Sharing Our Gifts

Many times when one would read a title such as that, one would think of getting a gift of money or a present.  I am talking about sharing ourselves, our talents and our time.  Some of those things require a bit of our money, but usually not giving directly to any one person a monetary amount.

Throughout the time I have spent as a parent, I've tried instilling in my kids that we need to give of ourselves, even in the smallest of ways, to help in any way we can. Many times in the beginning, I've just taken my kids with me in whichever service project we were doing and expected them to help, or I gave them things to do like wiping tables, serving drinks or something like that.  As they grew in their own walk and personal likes and dislikes, they've shown that they love helping, but in their own ways.

It has been a humbling experience for me to lend my voice to the Sherwood Baptist Choir.  I am truly stretched and challenged with my own musical abilities, along with my deafness that brings additional challenges all it's own to just about everything I do.  I have always been a soprano, but due to a 3 month long bout of a variety of colds and flu a few years ago, I went from a soprano to an alto.  This is a challenge when I've learned a vast majority of songs in soprano, so much of my work has been to relearn all these songs.  It helps to stand next to some strong alto voices in choir so I don't start singing the soprano part.  The video below has been written by our Music Minister and Choir/Orchestra director Mark Willard.  He is the main vocalist with some very talented folks accompanying and singing with him.  This song is called "Hope is Rising."  From my understanding, we will be having a *Live* worship on October 9th featuring this song as well as many other favorite classic hymns.  This has been hard work for me in this time also since I've had bronchitis since 2 weeks after my knee surgery in July.  I'm excited to be a part of this, to just simply lend my voice to the choir in praise to God.  What a blessing!

This is another video to show the choir, orchestra, and a very talented and beautiful lady who is singing "I Am."




I count it a privilege to lend my voice in a very small way to the choir wherever I am planted.  Praise God!


This is what I've learned:

*When you model serving and encourage them to help and find some place to share their gifts and abilities, be prepared for when they do something unexpected.

Each of my kids have a wonderful singing voice.  As a part of their music training, they've been in the choir with me until our move to Georgia.  I've given them a choice of whether or not to join the choir and express themselves that way, but they've gone other directions.  My daughter loves working with the kids and that's the direction she's going.  My youngest son is working in security and he's enjoying that.  My oldest son is looking in to the golf cart ministry and I'm sure he'll find a niche there.

*Be prepared for them to tell you, "Mom, I'm not interested in that any more.  That's your interest."

Yup!  I heard it and it crushed my heart because they've all got beautiful voices.

*Be prepared to watch them shine in their chosen place of serving.

The happiness is unlike any other.  They're beginning to learn what it means to serve in an area where God may be leading them.


Other areas of service are available if we just keep our eyes out and ask God to show them to us.  What do I mean?  I've been told I have gifts in the kitchen.  For me, though, I just love to bake and bless people with yummy things from my kitchen.  Couple that with including children to help chop things, cleaning up, and serving those things and you have a family that serves.  This is a love of my own and I'm encouraging my kids to help me, even as they get older.  They each may have had their own special part of what is presented, but they know it is something they've helped to produce.

What are we producing this week?

All kinds of pumpkin bread done in Pampered Chef bread tubes to serve when company comes.  I have a lot of pumpkin to use.  :)

I'm gradually gathering zucchini to shred and freeze for future things like cakes, breads, and things like that.

What are we going to do in the future?  We're going to keep our eyes out for ways we can serve others with our gifts.

Remember, no gift is too menial or minor when it is done in the service of your God!

God Bless,

The Biggest Blessing

I guess you could say that the biggest blessing in my life currently which has blessed me in years past, but most especially this year has been the concepts I've learned on FLYlady.  Oh!  You don't know about her?  Well let me back up to when I was introduced to her.

With 3 little ones, books, magazines, junk mail, papers, dishes, laundry, cleaning and simply time with my husband was an overwhelming struggle for me.  I'd look at things that needed to be done, start trying to get it done, but quickly became overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of it all.  I'd be full of anxiety and I'd shut down.

I was a part of an email group by the name of "Skinny Moms" when we were talking about organization among one of the many times we talked.  One dear lady mentioned FLYlady and I disregarded her suggestion for a couple months.  I thought to myself, "Just going to a website isn't going to help me."  I continued in the state where things were just overwhelming and tried my best to keep things moving.  I got so overwhelmed and just sat in the middle of the laundry room with piles 3+ feet deep around me, and I cried out to God for help.  After a few minutes of wallowing in self pitty, I got the laundry moving and went to tend to my kids.  I sat down at the computer and my friend who had suggested FLYlady before had sent an email about it (God's timing!).  I finally went to the website and started reading the first page.  My interest was piqued and I kept reading about this timer thing.

Do all that you can in one area in 15 minutes, then move on to the next area.  Do that 

for 3  separate 15 minute intervals, then set the timer one last time for 15 minutes,

 get a drink, put your feet up and relax.  Love yourself enough to bless yourself with

this time.  You've earned it!  Once the timer goes off again, start back at your 

beginning point, then do the rotation again until you've got everything 

done--dishes, cleaning and etc.  

Where to begin, though?  Well, since the kitchen is the heart of the home, she suggested starting by emptying the sink and shining it.  Not just a quick "swish" of everything, but getting the scrubbie, gel bleach scrub and going to town on every nook, crack, and cranny.  She told me/us that we needed to make sure our sinks were shined before going to bed every night.  This is such a simple beginning!  It was so silly and didn't make sense, but I did it anyway.  I did it for 3 days, adding to it each day.

then the towers fell....

Everything stood still.  We were fixated on the news for 2 months, doing just the barest of essentials just in case we heard anything else.

one day in November...

I slowly began shining my sink and doing things 15 minutes at a time.  I knew I needed to gain a semblance of control in our house with 3 young children and a husband to care for.  As the days went by, I was able to branch out because things got a little easier with cleaning and keeping things cared for.  

I started getting my Control Journal together and to this day it has gone through many changes, but the basics remain the same.  I stumbled upon an email in those couple of weeks about a Holiday Planning Journal.  It intrigued me, so I started it.  I planned weeks in advance to buy staples so I could bake cookies with my kids.  I planned for the menus for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, but forgot New Years.  The food was purchased way in advance for everything, except for the fresh veggies I needed that I planned to buy a couple days in advance.  I planned gifts to give to my children and family, started writing out Christmas cards mid-November and I've never looked back.  I've changed how I do things over the years, but essentially things are the same.

I begin planning on October 1st now.  I have a grocery list that I add the non-perishable things to each pay period so I'm not inundated with the massive amount of food to buy.  I pick out recipes and do shopping for those items weeks in advance.  I've also set aside one day each week for baking Christmas cookies.  I have in years past, set aside time each night to fill out 5 Christmas cards each night to make sure I have them done by December 1st.  I haven't done this in the past 5 or so years, though.  We've resorted to getting special cards for parents, uncles/aunts, brothers/sisters, nieces/nephews along with gift cards.

What about my plans for 2015?

I am already looking for patterns that I hope to get to make for everyone for Christmas 2015.  I would like to get started in January purchasing things, then in February and March during my recoup time, knitting on those things.  I have grandiose plans, but honestly, those plans could be changed by life happening. (holding my plans loosely)   Between March and the end of September, I plan to pack up everything to be ready to move.  I've already decluttered some of our books to sell and I'm packing up other books that I'd like to keep.  Amazingly, I have 6 boxes set aside to sell and half a box packed.

Once we're settled, I plan to get my Holiday Planning Journal back out, making adjustments as needed, and making different plans for being with family over the holidays--hosting and visiting.

Life's changes are always coming along, throwing us a curve ball, but the biggest blessing has been the daily routines.  I can always tell what throws my day off when the routines are not followed and it makes everything a chaos.  Then when I step back, look around, and realize I need to shine my sink, grab my timer and go, knowing that just 15 minutes will make a big difference.

On a side note, when my daily Bible reading and prayer time has been neglected, I can tell too.  When chaos reins, important things go by the wayside.

As we are an hour from 2015, I'm ringing in the new year watching Duck Dynasty with my family.  Tomorrow morning we'll get up and sand the plaster filled holes in the kitchen, wipe and reapply as needed.  I hope to be able to paint by Saturday.  Needless to say, we've discovered more that needs filled in and we're just taking care of it.  Once this is all done, we'll move on to the next room.  I'm hoping to have all this needful stuff done by the time my surgery comes along.  I'm hoping....  ;)

Have a lovely New Year!

God Bless,

When I Can Work

I have grandiose plans to declutter, paint and pack away bunches of books, decorations and just generally get much more organized than I am now after Christmas.  My own grandiose plans have come to a roadblock of sorts.  I have entered pre-menopause and my menses are changing, lengthening up to 14 days causing a drastic lowering of my iron levels.  When that happens, nothing can stop me from taking a nap, out of sheer exhaustion.  I can sit in my chair to rest from my work and in 5 minutes be sleeping.

I have increased iron rich foods to be best of my ability.  I cannot, however, ingest sardines or organ meat.  I have been in contact with my doctor as well as an OB/GYN to pursue the next step which right now is an ultrasound.  We need to find out if there are any fibroid tumors growing inside my uterus or any abnormalities.  If there are, then we'll likely go in for a hysterectomy.  If there are no abnormalities, I'll likely go in for an ablation.  In the mean time, I do what is needful, then rest.  I need to accept this season of my life for what it is--a chance to grow the response of my kids, growing them to understand what it means to be an adult--to take the responsibility for getting things done without being asked; to step up and just get things done.

As my dear friend, Cheryl at copperswife.com says, we must "hold our plans loosely."  And so, as I release the expectations I have for myself, the plans I have for my time after Christmas is over, and simply rest, I know that I can rest in the knowledge that this is His plan for me just for now.

God Bless,

Daily Comings and Goings

Things have been busy, as usual, filled with all kinds of research of recipes for Trim Healthy Mama, researching moving expenses to help my Mother move out here (possibly) this year, and planning our days.  Mind you, I pretty much plan breakfasts, lunches and dinners, Bible reading time, chore time and fill in the rest with pencil, making adjustments--holding my plans loosely.

As of the first of January we switched chores.  We're gradually lessening our oldest son's chores a bit for when he graduates and gets a full time job for the summer.

One of the pictures I sent to my Mother to show her our kitchen and dining room.  We're hoping she decides soon so we can further our planning.

Another view of the kitchen...

 ...and the other side.

Five hats just like this one made for a little cutie pie.

Rustie has recently been diagnosed with Lyme Disease.  He's been taking medication to get better.

And he has progressively gotten better.  Here he hopped up on Mr. G while we had a night of snuggling and movies.  My youngest just happen to get the perfect shot of Rustie sticking his tongue out.  LOL

And my daughter tried a Beehive hair doo on me.  LOL  I'm not amused here.  LOL

Rustie...what a good dog he is.  And he gave us a bit of a scare.

This is where Biscuit's favorite position of the winter is....snuggling to stay warm.  He's half hairless, so he needs lots of snuggles in the winter and we're happy to oblige.

My new planner my wonderful Mr. G bought me for Christmas...just cuz I love planners.  LOL  This one also has a read the Bible in a year plan that is working out very well, even though I'm a day behind. :D

Snow rolls this morning!  God blessed us with snowballs!  LOL

It was quite a wind that made these things.  Apparently they are very rare.

They're like swiss rolls where they're cylindrical and some are hollow.

Of course, this looks so very much like they are reading opposite sides of the newspaper while Biscuit is in the middle.  LOL  I wasn't thinking that when I took the picture.  I just thought it was neat.  LOL

A very diligent wood splitter.  =O)

Today was our shopping trip day.  We ended up running errands, standing in line a lot more than usual, spending time in Joann Fabrics looking at material and pattern books with my favorite daughter.  We're starting to look for possible ideas for a spring formal dress.  So far she wants a poofy skirt.  The bodice we'll have to adjust.  I'm thinking of making it vs trying to find one to buy.  We'll see though.

I have lost 4.6 pounds in 3 weeks changing my eating habits just a bit by following the Trim Healthy Mama plan.  I love it so far.  I'm amazed at how much better I feel without the sugar and all its forms!  I use Stevia now and although everyone else in the house doesn't like the taste, to me it tastes good for the mere fact that it is healthier for me.  :0)

Have a wonderful day!

God Bless,

In the Kitchen

This week, according to my calendar, is the week we deep clean the kitchen.  Yesterday was Monday, so it was dusting day.

This morning already, I've taken care of the kitchen windows on the inside.  You see, I'm the detail person.  It is my job to take care of each detail in the house.  What about the every day things?  Well, the children have been trained to vacuum, sweep, mop, do the dishes, unload the dishwasher, dry and put away dishes, wipe the counters and table, wash, dry & fold and put away laundry as well as hanging it out on the line.  So if my kids can do all of this, why do I do anything at all?  Well, as it goes with children, they don't see the details most of the time.  This is where I come in.  

The above schedule helps me to remember which room we're in for the week.  Yes, I need reminding.  I write things down so I don't have to remember it.  With all the appointments, classes and responsibilities I need to take care of, the less I need to remember the better!  This reminder is wonderful!  

I take care of myself better when I know things are done and cared for.  While "everything" isn't done at the end of the day, I know that I can see progress.  I've learned that this is better than not seeing progress, or heaven forbid, things get worse.  I don't kick myself in the pants for not doing xyz because I know it is going to be done on the above rotational schedule. So there is no guilt.  

Does my house resemble "tornado" status at times?  Yes!  But, the wonderful thing is that with one hour of steady work from 10 hands, things are much better!  

Throughout the month I take note of areas that need my attention and when that time comes up, I take care of it then.  This goes for the kitchen as well, unless there is a cupboard full of ants going after that ONE drop of honey that may have spilled.  (Ask Me How I Know!!!!)  Yes, there are times when you absolutely have to take care of those details that are right in front of your face.  It is a wonderful reminder for this Momma to remind children  who use the honey to make sure the bottle is wiped well before placing it back on the shelf.  We don't want any more ants!  Whew!  

Now, I'm sure there is another question running through your mind right now, "Why not just clean the whole kitchen instead of small bits and pieces at a time?"  I'm glad you asked!  I have many many hats that I wear throughout the day that need my attention (call my name, demanding at times...) so in order to maintain my own sanity by making sure those attention grabbers are tended to, I try to make sure the 15 minutes it takes me to tend to details in the room of the week after the necessary people needs are cared for.  Yesterday I wiped down walls.  It took me a little longer than 15 minutes, but I was the only person here at home.  After I was done I hung sheets out to dry and rotated the calendar above to the next 5-6 weeks.  Hurrying in the shower, I shuffled off to get the kids from berry picking, bring them home, push the oldest along to the shower to get ready for an appointment almost 2 hours away.  You see, the details were done in the morning.  This morning it was the windows.

Tomorrow the calendar says "declutter."  The refrigerator needs cleaned out and wiped down.  I need to go through my drawers to see if there is anything I can put in the yard sale we're having over the 4th of July.  I also have a junk drawer that needs some attention.

Thursday it says to "detail the floors."  I'll have my daughter sweep the floors really good this afternoon, then I'll scrub everything after taking them to work in the morning.

What about my husband's days off?  I try to spend as much time as I can with him when he's home.  But, when he's in the garage, I try to get my own work done.  Sometimes it happens.  Other times there are other things that pull at me.  The important thing is that I look at the calendar and make plans to do the work the Lord has given me and plan accordingly when I know I'll be busy.  Thursday I plan to do my Friday work in the afternoon so that I don't have to worry about it when I'm spending time with my hubby.  

Will this system work for you?  I don't know.  You can use it, but feel free to tweak it to your own family, home and needs.  Just pray about it and ask God for His direction.  That's what I did!  

Have a Blessed Day! 

In The Garden

This Spring has been warm, then very cold.  Cold enough to frost heavily.  We've waited in years past until Memorial Day weekend to put the garden in, but even then the threat of frost was greater.  As I type this, I'm sitting under a blanket with the temperatures having dropped to the 40's through the night.  Yes, in June!

Today we'll finish getting the garden in and the plants surrounded with newspaper to keep the weeds down and to keep the ground moist.  In a couple weeks we'll get some hay to further mulch the garden to keep the ground from drying out.

Why?

I'm glad you've asked!  Last year our well pump decided to give up the ghost, so we're watering our garden from city water, as needed until we find a viable solution.  I know the solution seems so very simple--just buy a new electric well pump.  It isn't as easy as that.  We're trying to rethink some of the electrical systems here in our house due to the way the original builders wired everything in the 70's when this house was built.  To say it wasn't up to code is an understatement.  So my husband is seeking counsel from others on how to deal with this.  We may put in an old fashioned hand pump on our well to water the garden with.  It would work, but we're researching and making sure that would be the best option at this point.  We're not in a hurry.  Sometimes these things take time.

So, in an effort to save water, we're putting down newspaper and eventually hay to preserve the water we put on the plants or the water God provides from the heavens.

Now, I'm off to get the garden finished.  I'll post pictures later.

From last year...

Until later, 

This Week

This is blurry since my youngest took the picture.  This is my oldest son carrying the Christian flag in the graduation ceremony for our home school group.  He is a Junior this year so part of the responsibilities for the Junior young men is to be the color guard who holds the flag for the graduates to walk through, have their pictures taken and move on for the next one to come along.  We had 5 graduates this year.  Next year we'll have at least 4, perhaps more.

July 1st begins our chore change rotation, so we discussed that this week to make sure everything is covered.  Of course there are more chores than what is seen above, but these are what the children do for the most part.  Once my oldest gets a job and begins college, his chores will naturally decrease.  Yes, we color code everyone, including Momma and Daddy.  We do this on the calendar as well.

This week was beautiful!  We decided to head to Cook's Forest and let the kids ride their bikes around while Mr. G and I meandered around holding hands and talking.  What a lovely time!

She's trying to ride without hands.  The camera caught her in the middle of grabbing hold again.  

Such focused expressions, even at 17!

Water break.

A favorite rock where there is deep water around it on the Clarion River.

For some reason, looking through all of my picture files, I don't have as many pictures as I would like.  Perhaps it's time to remedy that?!  

Until next time,

God Bless!

Re-establishing Order

While I've been sick this winter, lots of things have gone by the wayside in favor of doing the barest of minimum things to maintain daily life.  Since this has occurred, I have spent the past week working toward regaining order to my home.  I'm not "done" by any means, but I've gained quite a bit of ground getting baseboards, walls and general clean up done that had gone by the wayside.

Not feeling well, but still having done school, as is evident by the books on the side table.  

The saving grace of our family through our sicknesses.  She helped take care of getting meals and tea for everyone through our sicknesses.

An UNcommon sight of having a 17 year old young man sleeping on the couch in the middle of the day.  

We've still dusted and wiped some things down, but the details have gone by the wayside.  I've still got a nagging cough and a little bit of a sore throat, but I am feeling much better and I'm ready to take on getting things tidy, clean, and neat again.

It's time to put MY calendar jobs back in to place.

Along the sides helps me to keep order and cleanliness to my home.  The left side assigns the room of the week.  The bottom tells me what to do each day.  The right side has been redone since taking this picture, but it tells me what I need to do which day for my kitchen baking chores.

1 Corinthians 14:40

"But let all things be done decently and in order."

Chore Changes and Back to Work in Earnest

Our new chore changes are in full swing.  In case you missed them, they are as follows:

These are the chores the children are assigned now.  If you'd seen the chore list before, there was something missing...bathrooms.  The kids caught it though and I fixed it.  The only reason HJ has a longer list than the boys is because the dogs only take a few minutes.  JL has dishes to wash which usually takes measureably longer than the other chores to be done.  His major time to take care of the dishes is after dinner since it is the largest meal of the day.  Naturally, there are more dishes.  I've discussed with him the importance of getting everything finished at night so that he can gather, sort and start laundry in the morning. 

From the list above, one might gather that my husband I sit around doing nothing, letting the children take care of the daily cleaning.  To the contrary! 

Below you will see my calendar. 

Along the left side, you'll see the room of the week.  Each day's job for ME is listed across the bottom.  I'm "The Detail Lady".   Pun intended!  LOL  I take care of all the details in the house.  If there is something that has been missed, it is my fault.  ;) 

For this week, today was windows, but with the temperatures currently at 0*F, the Windex would freeze on contact.  So, with this week being the Living Room, I take some extra time doing the dusting.  I made it around 3/4ths of the room on Monday.  Today, I was on the phone with technical support trying to get SOS working on the computers, so my window wiping time went by the wayside.  No losses there.  Tomorrow I wipe things down...which when in the Living room entails....an extra day to get the dusting done!  Hooray!  :)  Thursday morning we're getting the Christmas decorations taken down, then in the afternoon we'll carpet scrub.  In between all of that, we'll do school.  Friday is delegated to decluttering, if we're home, but if we're running errands, we'll do it on Saturday.

If you'll look along the right side of the calendar, you'll see my baking schedule.  This is the "goal".  My Bosche broke right before Christmas, so we haven't been following this schedule.  I look forward to the day when we can.  :)  I most likely will revamp lots of different things on there.  We currently do what is needed when it is needed.  It's all good though. 

Today is Wednesday, which means wiping things down.  I wiped down the bay window, the computer desk, the heater registers, and the baseboards.  I also asked the strong children to pull the couches out for me to vacuum behind and wipe the baseboards, so I figured it was time to vacuum under the cushions as well as teh cushions themselves.  It took me a little while because I had to take a break due to the dust in the air.  I figured I'd better take a break or need my puffer.  The break was a good thing.  :)   I finished all that up with the help of my kids and then took a nap.  I told them they could go out and play in the snow.  Yippee! 

Back to work in earnest this week has meant the children getting all of their checklists done.  This means not just the bare minimum of schooling, but all of it.   Here is a close-up of their daily checklist.  Please keep in mind, their daily chores only take them 15 minutes to do.

This year, we've used Plants Grown Up and Polished Cornerstones from Doorposts as our guide for the children's Bible memory verses and Bible copy work.  If you click on the links, Doorposts supplies exerpts from each book as well as a table of contents for you to see their product.  We really appreciate this tool and use it daily as a guide to raise up our children.  What a blessing it has been for us.

For Language Arts, we've enjoyed the "all encompassing" curriculum of Alpha Omega Lifepacs for years.  However, it became so very labor intensive for all of us and trying to keep track of all the work books was difficult.  We switched everyone over to Switched on Schoolhouse and found after a while that for Math it wasn't the perfect fit for the boys.  They needed something else.  JL needed to be completely away from SOS so we switched him to Sequential Speller, Victory Drill Book and Easy Grammar.  He has made such great leaps and bounds in his fluency and comprehension this year by making that switch!  Praise God!  The two older children still use SOS for Language Arts, but also have been doing Sequential Speller to fill in some gaps where the Lifepacs Language Arts program didn't fill in. 

I'd like to take a moment here to broach the topic of gaps in learning.  As home schoolers, we have the ability to stop where we are when we find gaps in learning to address them, then move on.  This at times means taking our children and putting them in to a grade level of curriculum that they're truly not "in", but truly capable of doing more.  We've done this with our oldest son.  He's capable of college level comprehension, but has some rudamentary skills that he needs to show proficiency with before moving on.  Does this mean we're "dumbing down" our curriculum?  To the contrary, we're filling in areas where he needs filled in and giving him extra to do in areas where we know he excells.  This truly is a tailored system that we use for all of our children.  They're growing and striving for new heights.  I know without a shadow of a doubt that all 3 of my children would not receive this type of education in public school.  The public schools wouldn't be able to keep up with their needs. 

On to Math!  We started off using Lifepacs for Math in the very beginning, after trying things for a year.  It did a very good job using the spiral method of learning.  What this means is that for a few pages, the child would review already learned concepts and the next page would introduce a new concept with a bit of work, but not a lot.  The next few pages would move on to another concept that the child already knew and perhaps add a little bit to it, constantly and consistently building little-by-little to the child's understanding.  We liked this way of learning for the children.  However, they outgrew it, didn't like to have to constantly and consistently review concepts they'd already learned.  We switched all 3 of them to SOS Math which used somewhat of the same method, but not really.  All the lessons on fractions were in one unit (much like Lifepacs, but different).  All of the lessons on division were in one unit, instead of constantly and consistently built upon throughout the entire year.  I didn't like this, neither did my boys.  We switched them to Math-U-see and they've been doing so much better ever since!  (I wish we would have started with Math-u-see years ago!)  HJ has requested that she's allowed to stay on SOS Math.  I foresee, however, a time when she'll need to switch to Math-u-see as well.  She'll need to decide when that is. 

Our Science Curriculum comes from 2 sources.  This year, due to a Creation Science class offered at our home school group, HJ is using The New Answers Books 1-3 by Ken Ham.  She is truly loving this class and it counts toward her High School diploma requirement for science!  :)   DA is also enrolled in a Lab class at our home school group for Chemistry.  They are using the Exploring Creation with Chemistry books.  We love both of these programs for our children because it keeps our focus where it needs to be--on God's creation.  Yes, each of these courses teach the children the falacy of evolution.  Focusing on THE Creator in their education has proven to solidify their faith in an AWESOME God.  Why would we do anything else?  ;)

This year for History and Geography, we're studying the Holocaust as Seen Through Children's Eyes, the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence as well as the Civil Rights and Women's Rights Movements.  We're currently studying the Constitution and will move in to the other areas as time passes.  We plan to study the signers of the Constitution, their lives and contributions to society and how that affects how we live today.  We use real books, not Kindles or Nooks.  We believe it is more important for the children to be holding a book in their hands.  However, that said, I do understand when someone's eye sight necessitates using technology to be able to read.  A friend of ours has this concern. 

For music, the children take piano lessons and practice daily.  For art we just have them take art classes through our home school group for now.  Occationally classes are offered through The Sawmill for them to take.  Last year they took an oil painting class.  We plan to enroll them in more of these types of classes as time allows and as their interests dictate. 

We have yet to fully delve in to whole courses for foreign languages.  We speak Spanish and use American Sign Language with the children already.  I know that I've lost a lot of the Spanish I'd learned while in San Diego, but I've kept up with the basics.  I do need to get in to more verb conjugation.

This is what we've been up to this week.  What have you been up to?