Great Kid Resources #1

My 9, almost 10 year old LOVES the new "What's in the Bible?" DVDs from Phil Vischer (of Veggie Tale fame).  Click here to go to their website.

And I must say, they are AWESOME videos!!  Very, very informative while being quite funny.  Lauren laughs out loud all the time.  So do DH and I.  Ashley likes the videos, but she doesn't find them quite as funny as Lauren does.

Of course, when we heard a comedian at a concert at Christmas time,  Ashley whispered to me, "I thought he was supposed to be FUNNY." 

She is only seven though, so there is still hope.

So, check out the videos.  They're good.  Our library has them, maybe yours would too.  Although I'm sure Mr. Vischer would prefer that you actually purchase the videos.

By the way, no one is paying me to talk about these videos.  I just like them and want to share the news with others.

Here are the descriptions for the ones we've seen:

Join Veggie Tales Creator Phil Vischer and a boatload of new friends on a ground-breaking journey through the world’s most amazing book – the Bible!



In the Beginning (DVD 1) contains two 25-minute episodes.


Part 1: “What is the Bible?” How is it put together? Kids learn alongside Buck Denver, Sunday School Lady, Brother Louie, and the crew that the Bible tells the story of God and what He’s done for us.


Part 2: “Who wrote the Bible?” Next, Buck and friends learn how God inspired people to write the Bible. They also learn how the first part of Genesis sets the stage for the rest of the Bible – and all of history!


Let My People Go (DVD 2) contains two 25-minute episodes.


Part 1: “Who chose the books in the Bible?” Buck Denver and friends learn how the Old Testament and New Testament books were chosen to be in the Bible. They also dive into the second part of Genesis to learn how God used a family to launch His big rescue plan!

Part 2: “What is salvation?” Learn words like “salvation” and “redemption” as we dive into God’s big rescue plan – how He saved the Israelites from Egypt and how He wants to save us from sin – a tiny word that causes huge trouble.

A New Post...Shocking, I Know

Random thoughts since this is obviously a blog that is posted on at random times:

#1  My new favorite book series:  The Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan.  LOVE.  IT. 

Yes, it's a series that is found in the Young Adult section (ie Teen Section) at my local public library, or in the children's section at the bookstore.  No matter...I love it.  I've read all nine books in the series and can't wait for the tenth one to come out in the spring.  The books all have action, humor, drama, and NO inappropriate male/female shenanigans (so far).

The covers of the books, especially the first few, make them look like really dark and evil books.  But the books are not like that AT ALL.  As I walked through the Young Adult section of the library, I noticed all of the book covers on the special displays looked like that.  Must be a marketing ploy to get kids interested in the books.

#2  DH and I are both reading some awesome books about marriage.  He's reading Every Man's Marriage:  An Every Man's Guide to Winning the Heart of a Woman by Stephen Arterburn & Fred Stoeker.  I'm reading Every Woman's Marriage: Igniting the Joy and Passion You Both Desire by Shannon & Greg Ethridge.  Good stuff!

#3  I had a #3, I truly did.  But now I can't remember it.

And it would have blown your socks off, I'm sure.

Weekly Wrap-Up: The One Where I Thank Dr. Leman

First and foremost, I would like to extend my profound thanks to Dr. Kevin Leman, author of Have a New Kid by Friday as well as Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours.  We read the second book many years ago and kept its advice in mind all of these years, but the first one is a newer book that I've been reading and it is so easy to apply the concepts and was such a good refresher.  I really think this week has been our best since we started on August 11 and it's largely because of how I have changed in regards to responding rather than reacting to my children and in regards to letting reality be the teacher.  It's a must-read for all parents.  (And no, no one is paying me to say these things!!)

We have purchased the Have a New Kid by Friday small group curriculum and I am so very, very excited to start that with our small group from church!!

Now, on to some school related stuff.

Ashley was SO PROUD of herself for finishing the Math-U-See Alpha book this week.  I'm not sure if that picture she drew is supposed to be Mr. Demme or not.  LOL  (Mr. Demme is the creator of Math-U-See and is the teacher on the DVDs that the girls watch.)

We started learning about the skeletal system in science.  The girls really got into that.  They just love science and all of the little "Try This" activities that are spread throughout the reading.

We ended the week with a Flower and Plant Show.  We ordered seeds and got those plus a couple of plants in the spring.  The girls each entered a few things.  Ashley's dusty miller plant got a first place ribbon and so did one of her zinnias.  So we dropped those off at a different location to be judged in the city wide show on Saturday.  The pictures are of Lauren with Ashley's zinnia and Ashley with her dusty miller.  I forgot to take pictures with the ribbons, and the pictures I did take were rather spur-of-the-moment.

While we waited for the plants to be judged, the girls played in the park while I got to talk with other moms....always a fun thing!

Lauren has been gobbling up the Secret Agent Dingledorf books by Bill Myers this week.  She said, "Mom, I think the guy that writes these is a Christian."  And she is right.  :o)

Ashley has become a reading maniac and reads everything she sees.  She was supposed to read two chapters in her reader, The Beginner's Bible, one day this week, and she came to me and said, "Mom, I accidentally read four chapters."  Doggone it, I can't believe she did that.  :o)

She can actually read books that are a good bit more difficult than that one, but what I love is that she's enjoying reading so much!

Check out more Weekly Wrap-Ups at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers!

Weekly Wrap-Up: Better Late Than Never Edition

I think this is the latest I've ever done a Weekly Wrap-Up.  I can still link up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers though, so head on over there and read some more!

This edition is called "Better Late Than Never" because I'm posting it rather late.  Most people write these on Friday or Saturday and here it is, Monday of the next week.  It's also called "Better Late Than Never" because sometimes the Mommy learns things....better late than never.

First, I learned how incredibly awesome the Sonlight forums are.  This is our fourth year using Sonlight, but I had always avoided the forums because I didn't feel the need for them and didn't want yet another thing on the internet to read. However, I was really struggling with some curriculum "stuff" that I've never struggled with before and decided to take a peek at the forums.  They let me see that others have some of the same struggles and allowed me to read the advice given to them by other veteran Sonlighters.  Aaahhhhh....relief.  I literally cried from the relief.

Second, we watched Dr. Kevin Leman LIVE! Straight Talk on Parenting at our last small group gathering.  DH and I have always loved Dr. Leman's parenting advice and so we decided to have our group watch this one hour video. (It's hilarious, by the way.) Then I read Dr. Leman's book Have a New Kid by Friday and our week went from a HORRIBLE Monday to a new child on Friday. 

Let's just say there was an ISSUE with an imagined frog while watering the plants on Monday which escalated into UGLY and the loss of soccer practice that night.  I tried very, very hard the rest of the week to break the bad habits I myself had established in our parent-child interactions while also applying Dr. Leman's ideas.  On Friday, this child was doing a craft at the kitchen table and I noticed her school things were still all over the table.  I said, "Sally Jo (name has been changed to protect the guilty), you'll have to stop doing your craft right now."

THAT'S ALL I SAID.  She looked up, said, "Oh!" and proceeded to put away all of her things.

So, for those of you with older kids, or younger, read this book......better late than never.

Third, I decided it's okay, totally and completely okay, to make the curriculum work FOR US rather than allowing it to CONTROL US -- even more than I usually have done.  I've always tweaked things to suit us better, but this week I relaxed some of the unwritten rules I had placed on myself and the expectations I had for what we would accomplish each school year.  Better late than never!

The pictures are from last summer's Mackinac Island vacation.  I just wanted to add some photos of some sort.  LOL

Weekly Wrap-Up: Science & Soccer Edition

 I'm just going to highlight science and soccer this week in an effort to be brief (ha,ha,ha) and because I like the whole double-/s/ sound effect. 

Science:  Last week we began Apologia's Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology (Young Explorer Series).  Lauren was especially excited about the fact that I had purchased the full color student notebooks to go with the book.

We learned a lot about cells this week. And by "we" I do mean myself included. I learn all sorts of things when I teach my kids. The girls drew cells and labeled different cell parts. What I loved about this activity was that the book broke it down into very doable parts, had a sample drawing for each added part, and had great "velcro" to help stick each organelles' job into the kids' memories. For example, the lysosome "patrols" are like the policemen of the cell because they keep the cell safe. (I won't go into more details, but the book does explain it in more detail.)  Ashley remembered that one every time we reviewed what we'd learned.

The highlight of science: making edible cells using jello and CANDY! Although Lauren was bummed because she couldn't eat the endoplasmic reticulum (fruit roll-up) or the mitochondria (jellybeans) due to her newly acquired expander in her mouth.

The jello didn't hold its shape very well when we poured it out of the bowls, but I don't think we let it chill long enough. And I kind of missed the part (even WITH written directions and a picture) that you were to add the organelles while the jello was still in the bowl and THEN dump it out.

Oh, well. They still loved it!

On the soccer front, Lauren had another amazing game and continues to surprise us with her aggressiveness.  She was doing some pretty fancy footwork and was able to score several goals.  I did not keep track of the number, but it was at least four.  Last week it was six or seven goals.  We're trying to balance the joy of that for her while still helping her stay humble and gracious.  And Ashley is just as cute as can be running and kind of hopping/skipping down the field.  She was all smiles and shot me a couple of "thumbs up" signals. 

The girls also practiced a little soccer in the backyard.  DH made them some soccer goals out of PVC pipe and plastic fencing.  We used the instructions from this site, but got plastic fencing rather than a real net because they are expensive.  The girls had a great time!  And can you tell we could REALLY use some rain?  The grass in all of the soccer pictures is so brown and dry!

As always, check out more Weekly Wrap-Ups at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers!

Weekly Wrap-Up: Running Edition

This week was a vast improvement over last week.  It was not without tears, but it was better.

Lauren ran her first 5K last weekend (3.1 miles).  She was a bit nervous about that, so Daddy ran with her the whole time.

They are also both running races in September to raise awareness of World Vision and to get children in Kenya sponsored through World Vision.  DH is doing a half-marathon and Lauren is doing a 4 mile race.

This all came about because our pastor challenged our congregation to do something "epic".....something bigger than themselves.....something FOR someone else.  This is DH's and Lauren's EPIC.  And it's been awesome to watch in so many ways.

Lauren has been super excited and so BOLD about asking people to sponsor children!  We have "kid packets" (as we call them) with Kenyan children who need sponsors.  Sponsorship is just $35 a month and helps provide the child with critical resources such as clean water, nutritious food, health care, and education.

It has proved very difficult to get people to want to help a child in this way.  A lot of people have said they could give a one time donation, but our group of runners is raising child sponsorships because even if fewer people give overall, the children will be helped so much more through sponsorships than by many people giving ten to twenty dollars each.

For our family, we figure it's just one meal out a month price-wise, but it helps that child and his/her family SOOOOO much more than any measly meal we could get at a restaurant helps us. 

I am not a runner.  I tried it.  It didn't take.  :)

BUT, I am a huge, huge supporter of runners.  And I love children.  So, this is me, "running,"  helping my daughter and my husband with their EPIC endeavor....their effort to help children in Kenya.  Children who walk miles for clean water each day.  Children living through the turmoil of an AIDS epidemic.  Children who are loved by the same God who loves me and has asked my family to help them.

I'm just helping spread the word.  You can email me if you have any questions or would like to sponsor a child.  There is absolutely nothing in it for my family or myself except for the pleasure of knowing that children are being cared for.

Check out more Weekly Wrap-Ups over at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Weekly Wrap-Up: May I Have a Do-Over, Please? Edition

We started school on Wednesday. 

I'll be honest, it was a rough week.  Lots of tears, lots of discipline needing to be given out, lots and lots of prayers going from this Mommy to Jesus for guidance, wisdom, clarity, and some other issues that are just between the Mommy and Jesus.  Lots of self-reflection and re-evaluating was going on from the Mommy end.

Monday is a fresh start to a new week.....a week full of possibilities.  A week where I'm determined to be better at this Mom thing....because this week it really wasn't a homeschooling issue, it was a mom-daughter issue.  I'm going to be heavily relying on my Heavenly Father's help and guidance because I know I can't get better at this Mom thing on my own.

I told Lauren, "Sometimes it's hard growing up.  And sometimes it's hard being the mom of a girl who is growing up."

To read more Weekly Wrap-ups, click here.