Tea Anyone?

Patience...waiting without complaining, was our character trait for last week and this week. We spent time reading Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, which gives us pictures of opposing seasons in life.


Ecclesiastes 3
A Time for Everything

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.


The boys made some great drawings depicting this passage. Often I have them act out a Bible passage to help them remember some of the details, but had not planned to do so for this one. Well, when "IJ" heard the passage he begged to act it out. I should have known this would somehow lead to my two boys wrestling (kill,war,hate). However, I made up for it by having an extended time on verse 7 where there was silence. Yeah! We discussed how the varying seasons in life will bring about the need for us to be patient, since things are not usually the way we want them.


We each chose some situation where we needed to work on being patient. I have to admit that I was really convicted a couple of weeks ago while driving. My six year old was in the back seat wondering aloud why that lady is moving so slow. He then determined (with a very sassy attitude) "she's driving like that cause she's on the phone, look at her". There was no need for me to wonder where that came from.


Our focus within the unit was on grains, how they're planted, grown and harvested. We spent most of our time learning about wheat and rice. We explored the difference between white, wheat and whole grain. We did the same with rice. Both of these helped to solidify our desire and resolve to nourish our bodies with whole grains. We even baked some wonderful focaccia bread and the best vegan peanut butter cookies using whole wheat flour and wheat germ. Yummy!

We ended the week by hosting some friends for tea and sharing some of the wonderful cookies. This was a lovely formal tea where everyone dressed for the occasion. It was great fun and I was so proud of my boys and the manners they displayed. After about 30 minutes all of them were ready to head outside. "IJ" quickly removed his dress clothes, while "JJ" had to be called inside to take off his suit. Our guests had their pretty little dress shoes and tights nice and muddy by the time they left for home, but everyone was happy nonetheless.

Aviation Exploration

For the past two weeks we've been studying air, airplanes and how they fly. I got to see how much I missed in school. Science was not my strong point, but I'm enjoying it so much now. I think we did 6 experiments in one day. First the boys had to find out if air takes up space (blow up a balloon). Then they explored whether or not air has weight by balancing the full balloon on one end of a ruler and an empty balloon on the other. Two of the most cool experiments were also done that day.

Cool experiment #1

Stretch a balloon over the top of an empty water bottle. Put the bottle into a bowl of hot water (we boiled ours). What happens? Why?

The boys discovered that hot air expands and rises. "JJ" took it a step further and said "I bet if we put it in cold water the balloon will go down." He then repeated this experiment for "J" when he came home, explaining what happened and why. This from the child who often has a difficult time getting his thoughts and words to go together. I was so proud of him! This is discovery learning at it's best.

Cool experiment #2

You will need a peeled hard boiled egg, an empty quart size glass milk jar (opening should be just big enough for the egg to sit in), and a half sheet of paper. Roll the piece of paper and light with a match. Immediately place in the upright glass jar. Wait for all of the fire to go out. Set the egg on the opening of the jar. What happens? I won't tell you. Just think, vacuum.

From there we learned about the Wright Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart and Baron Von Richthofen (The Red Baron). Do you remember the song Snoopy vs the Red Baron?

"IJ" thought it was unpatriotic to sing about him, since he was the enemy, but the tune got stuck in his head and he can't get rid of it. HA, HA! Lots of paper airplanes were made and most of them crashed shortly after take off, prompting us to try again and again to perfect our designs.

The most fun came last Friday when we joined a group of friends for a field trip to a local aviation museum. We saw everything from fighter to passenger planes as well as several helicopters. The real fun came when the kids were given the opportunity to be the crew on a Boeing KC-97. The pictures show "IJ" as co-pilot and "JJ" as flight engineer. Our tour guide, a retired teacher, was very knowledgeable and great with keeping the kids interested.

This was a great unit. Keep reading to hear about our next learning adventure.

Blog Plans

Wow, it's February already. My plans for this blog have been good ones, but finding time for it has not been an easy thing. I want to share with you our homeschool journey. I want to tell you about all of the wonderful food we love to eat. I want to share some of the good books I've been reading. I also want to just tell about my wonderful life and the Heavenly Father who sustains me. So, I hope you stick with me and keep reading my thoughts. Thanks!

What is this stuff?

I grew up in the midwest, so I know what snow is. My question is "what is it doing here?" We moved to the SE several years ago, in part, to get away from this stuff. Yet here it is. It followed us! I'm glad the boys get to see it, but I have no love for it. I do admit that it makes for beautiful pictures. Along with the fact that "J" had a snow day, we took another day off from school since "IJ" still isn't feeling well. We've been snuggling on the sofa watching inauguration coverage and looking for Granny in the crowd. So, while we had a snow day it does not mean we didn't learn anything. Homeschooling is so great! Learning happens all of the time.

Are you available?

I've often asked God to use me. No specifics. Just use me. Then when the opportunity arises I question whether it's the right situation for me, if I'm qualified to get the job done. I've had several situations this week in which I would have liked to bow out. Someone else would be better qualified, more articulate and well...just plain better. I asked my friend at Well Watered Woman to pray for me. She later shared a song with me. The song is called "I'm available to you". I had never heard it before, but it truly spoke to me and the situations I've encountered this week. The words are as follows:

Vs1 You gave me my hands,

to reach out to man

To show him Your love

and Your perfect plan.

You gave me my ears,

I can hear Your voice so clear

I can hear the cries of sinners,

but can I wipe away their tears

Vs 2 You gave me my voice,

to speak Your Word

To sing all Your praises,

to those who've never heard

With my eyes I see a need

for more availability

I see hearts that have been broken,

so many people to be free.

Chorus

Lord, I'm available to You.

My will I give to You,

I'll do what You say do

Use me Lord,

to show someone the way

and enable me to say

my storage is empty

and I am available to You.

So, I have resolved to be available to my Father. Never too busy, since I would have no time if not for Him. Never unqualified, since He will always give me the tools to accomplish His plans. Never fearful since His word says we have not received a spirit of fear (Romans 8:15). Lord, I'm available to You! What about you? What opportunities have you missed to be the hands and feet of Jesus? What will you say the next time He asks, "are you available?"

Christmas Dinner

I had hoped my family would head this way for Christmas. Unfortunately that dream did not happen this year. I do not normally fix the kind of food generally associated with the holidays. In fact, we eat a mostly vegetarian diet ("J" is vegan"). However, I was really wanting my mom's food. Our Christmas menu included: ham, macaroni & cheese, green beans, garlic mashed potatoes, butternut squash and sweet potato biscuits. Doesn't that look good? It really was tasty. I hope your Christmas dinner was just as scrumptious.

T'was a very Merry Christmas

Christmas was a happy occasion in this house! Yes, the boys were awake very early, but they had been given instructions the night before that they were not to wake us up before 7am. They were very obedient and at 7 on the dot they were standing over me saying "Merry Christmas, Mommy". I would have liked to sleep a bit longer, but knew that the battle would have been lost before it began. Although tired, I was also excited because I knew they would be so surprised. Boy, were they! Both boys received Nintendo DS from their Granny. "J" and I bought a couple of games and they received money from both grandfathers. "IJ" (9yo) bought a wrestling belt for his little brother and "JJ" (6yo) bought the DVD of Narnia: Prince Caspian for his big brother. So, it was a good day all around.