Homeschooling gets interesting somedays.
"What time is it?"
"Nine to fifteen."
"I lost my clothes again."
"What is 8-7?
"Oh, shoot. That's a hard one."
"I don't like time tables." (while reading a clock)
"I hate cows."
"Blue eyeball."
"Oh yeah...what's 6 times 6?"
"Don't drill her on multiplication. She needs to do subtraction first."
"Three to fifteen."
"Mom!!! I forgot this!!!!"
"I need a pencil."
"Run down the road."
"Hey, there's a boy."
"4:15."
"Good!"
"I go on counter...just kidding."
"I add green then blue."
"Oh no! I writed a 4!!"
"When I grow up,, my spaceship will crash."
"It's me--a monkey on a skateboard."
"Thank-you."
"Do your work."
"I want markers."
"I'm just mixed up."
"Off the table."
"Mom...look what I accidently did."
"Hey!"
"Hey!"
"HEY!!"
"I need room!!" (as 4 kids sit on 1 side of the table)
"Fine!"
"Sorry."
"I'm doing something WAY more complicated than both of you."
"I don't care."
"I don't care either."
"Yo...ho...yo...ho..."
"Look at my super long answers."
"Enough. Let each be attentive to his own work."
"Smooth like pudding."
"I NOT share."
"I hate math!!"
"My monkey is wearing a diaper."
"Is this plus or minus mom?"
"I'm just dumb at this."
"Would a plunger in the face help?"
"Yes."
"Enough!"
"Ok! Shut your books."
"YAAYYYYYY!!!"
"Coats on. 15 laps around the yard."
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Seth and his Brain
Seth is our wonderful, sweet 2 year old boy. We were sure he was very gifted.
Like most gifted 2 year old boys, he constructs great models (to scale of course) of some of the world's greatest monuments.
He expands his mind by drafting new solutions to solve the rising crises in our current world.
He faithfully continues to work on his thesis.
Today I gave him the diagram of a brain. (If my gifted son was awake I would ask him to tell me how to flip these pictures so they showed the right way).
I wanted to see if he could label it properly.
Imagine my shock when this is what was handed to me.
I asked him a few questions.
ME: "Where is your brain, Seth?"
SETH: "It's lost."
Naturally, his response left me in a silent shock so his father continued the query.
DAD: "Seth, on your picture, what does the yellow show?"
SETH: "Happy thoughts."
DAD: "Seth, what does the blue show?"
SETH: "Dirt."
We are reeling.
Like most gifted 2 year old boys, he constructs great models (to scale of course) of some of the world's greatest monuments.
He expands his mind by drafting new solutions to solve the rising crises in our current world.
He faithfully continues to work on his thesis.
Today I gave him the diagram of a brain. (If my gifted son was awake I would ask him to tell me how to flip these pictures so they showed the right way).
I wanted to see if he could label it properly.
Imagine my shock when this is what was handed to me.
I asked him a few questions.
ME: "Where is your brain, Seth?"
SETH: "It's lost."
Naturally, his response left me in a silent shock so his father continued the query.
DAD: "Seth, on your picture, what does the yellow show?"
SETH: "Happy thoughts."
DAD: "Seth, what does the blue show?"
SETH: "Dirt."
We are reeling.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Woes from the Past
While packing her basement (my parents are moving soon), my mom came across a few things that belonged to me. This morning she brought them over, one of which I would like to share with you. Honestly, I laughed so hard I had tears falling down my face when I read it all.
3 pages of looseleaf stapled together. The first page was a letter I had written to my parents in my 5th grade handwriting. It said:
Dear Mom and Pappa
I am sorry what happened about catechism. That's why I wrote lines. I did it because I kept wanting to put it off. I asked God to forgive me and do better. Please let me see that movie tonight. Have mercy, once.
Anita
What follows is 4 pages of lines:
"I must have all my catechism done by Friday night."
My oldest son enjoyed seeing this immensely as you can well imagine.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Top Reads of 2011
So, before I give you my list of books I want to say a few things. First off, unfortunately, I have no record of all the books I read this past year. After finishing a book I think there would be great value in jotting down the title, author, a short summary of the book, good quotes gleaned from within and any personal thoughts--essentially a quick book review--and placing it in a binder. Such a practice is great for stimulating your memory at a later time or for recommending good material to others. I do this with with some, but unfortunately, not all the books I read.
I've read a lot this year. I did not include magazine articles, good quotes or material I've read online. Some of that stuff deserves mention though--perhaps in another post. It might also be helpful to point out that it is possible that I've read a fantastic book this year, forgotten about it, and therefore it did not make this list. But for the most part I'd say this list is pretty accurate. It`s also rather interesting to look over the list, personally, and see what I have been gravitating toward.
The order of the books was really tough to put together. At first I was going to highlight the top 3. Then the top 5. I couldn't do either. I couldn't even limit the list to 10 books. So it's a list of 13, with an attempt to put them in the order in which they have impacted me the most.
1. The Distinguishing Characters of True Believers--Thomas Boston
2. Because of Romek--David Faber
3. Getting back in the Race--Joel Beeke
4. Discourses on Meditation based on Genesis 24:63--Thomas Manton
5. Developing a Healthy Prayer Life--Joel Beeke
6. Communion with God--John Owen
7. God's Smuggler--Brother Andrew
8. Selected sermons from C.H. Spurgeon (vol. 1-6)
9. A Long Way Gone--Ishmael Beah
10. A Thousand Splendid Suns--Khaled Hosseini
11. Under the Banner of Heaven--Jon Krakauer
12. Faith and Victory in Dachau--Jack Overduin
13. O Love that will not let me Go--various authors
I've read a lot this year. I did not include magazine articles, good quotes or material I've read online. Some of that stuff deserves mention though--perhaps in another post. It might also be helpful to point out that it is possible that I've read a fantastic book this year, forgotten about it, and therefore it did not make this list. But for the most part I'd say this list is pretty accurate. It`s also rather interesting to look over the list, personally, and see what I have been gravitating toward.
The order of the books was really tough to put together. At first I was going to highlight the top 3. Then the top 5. I couldn't do either. I couldn't even limit the list to 10 books. So it's a list of 13, with an attempt to put them in the order in which they have impacted me the most.
1. The Distinguishing Characters of True Believers--Thomas Boston
2. Because of Romek--David Faber
3. Getting back in the Race--Joel Beeke
4. Discourses on Meditation based on Genesis 24:63--Thomas Manton
5. Developing a Healthy Prayer Life--Joel Beeke
6. Communion with God--John Owen
7. God's Smuggler--Brother Andrew
8. Selected sermons from C.H. Spurgeon (vol. 1-6)
9. A Long Way Gone--Ishmael Beah
10. A Thousand Splendid Suns--Khaled Hosseini
11. Under the Banner of Heaven--Jon Krakauer
12. Faith and Victory in Dachau--Jack Overduin
13. O Love that will not let me Go--various authors
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Just Another Week
Today it's just a short post involving a few tidbits of my week.
--When you don't think you can possibly home school another day because you feel like you're drowning in chaos, and most certainly a school could do a MUCH better job than your paltry, pitiful attempts that reek of failure...just look up Christian school tuition fees and you'll find that you can probably stomach another week or two. And so you resolve to find a little more time again and a little more patience.
--A 2 year old's tantrum will immediately cease when you point out that his socks have orange on them. Of course, you have to have amazing foresight and ensure that he's wearing his orange socks everyday to utilize this parenting technique.
--Friendship is free--which is a great thing cause some days there is just no way to repay a friend. So you pray that God, the Giver of the best gifts, would heap great blessing and reward upon them.
--After trying all week to get our passports done, Dan comes home from work early, we rush back into the city with the kids and our paperwork, just to find out that they don't process passports after 3:30. It was 3:41.
--Thomas Boston is just as fantastic to read as 2 years ago. I did not over exaggerate in an earlier post. I think he's officially become my favorite Puritan.
--My super cute baby has turned into a nasty mutilation machine. She crawls all over the floor and when she finds an abandoned book on the floor, she mutilates, slimes, rips and ultimately destroys it.
--Lindsay has perfected the art of making paper snowflakes. Of course, this coincides perfectly with Courtney's love for eating tiny pieces of paper that gets left on the floor. I suppose as a bonus to me, I don't have to sweep or clean up after Lindsay;-)
--When you don't think you can possibly home school another day because you feel like you're drowning in chaos, and most certainly a school could do a MUCH better job than your paltry, pitiful attempts that reek of failure...just look up Christian school tuition fees and you'll find that you can probably stomach another week or two. And so you resolve to find a little more time again and a little more patience.
--A 2 year old's tantrum will immediately cease when you point out that his socks have orange on them. Of course, you have to have amazing foresight and ensure that he's wearing his orange socks everyday to utilize this parenting technique.
--Friendship is free--which is a great thing cause some days there is just no way to repay a friend. So you pray that God, the Giver of the best gifts, would heap great blessing and reward upon them.
--After trying all week to get our passports done, Dan comes home from work early, we rush back into the city with the kids and our paperwork, just to find out that they don't process passports after 3:30. It was 3:41.
--Thomas Boston is just as fantastic to read as 2 years ago. I did not over exaggerate in an earlier post. I think he's officially become my favorite Puritan.
--My super cute baby has turned into a nasty mutilation machine. She crawls all over the floor and when she finds an abandoned book on the floor, she mutilates, slimes, rips and ultimately destroys it.
--Lindsay has perfected the art of making paper snowflakes. Of course, this coincides perfectly with Courtney's love for eating tiny pieces of paper that gets left on the floor. I suppose as a bonus to me, I don't have to sweep or clean up after Lindsay;-)
Monday, December 19, 2011
Foreshadowing?
A boy heads upstairs on a Monday morning wearing a crookedly buttoned, red checkered dress shirt, a bright blue snap-on tie, with dark blue pants to complete the outfit. Paul informs me that he is going to be a minister. He tells me that he will know every song in the songbook. He assures me that he can find EVERY chapter in the Bible. And I quote, "I will tell all the moms to make their kids listen in church otherwise they have to take them out and they can't have their special snack when they get home. I will ride a motorcycle everywhere I go. I will tell the people about God and I will tell them to listen to me. I will also have a big dog. I will be a GREAT minister. But I have to practice preaching a lot."
So there you have it. I know he's only 4, and that his career choice will very likely change several thousand times. But this momma often prays that the Lord will call one of her sons to this heavenly, holy calling. I understand that the Lord's will shall be done, and perhaps He has other plans for my sons. In fact, all parents ought to pray that their children bring glory to God both now and in the future. But I still smile when I watch my 4 year old, and hope that one day his game of pretend will become reality. Regardless of our station in life, may the Lord use us all for the furtherance of His Kingdom!
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