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Sunday, August 10, 2014
Monday, August 4, 2014
In The Beginning....
We started our homeschooling venture today. Parks, who will be 5 in October, was less than thrilled. We chose to use Sonlight because it's literature based & doesn't involve a lot of workbooks. The boy can't stand to color, let alone do workbooks. We started out reading in his storybook Bible about creation, then switched to the Usborne Children's Encyclopedia & read about Dinosaurs. The IG(instructor's guide) is great & guides you through different topics & gives examples of questions to ask during & after each reading. It lets you decide if you believe that the earth is 4.5 billion years old according to evolutionists or 6,000 years old according to the Bible. We talked about why Daddy & Mommy believe that the earth is only 6,000 years old. I don't want to hide the theory of evolution from him because ultimately, it will be his decision as to what he believes. All we can do as parents is guide & pray for our kids. So we discussed whether we thought there were dinosaurs in the Bible & if they lived when people lived. Parks was adamant that dinosaurs & humans didn't coexist & since we believe in creation in this hizzle, I pulled out the trusty Bible & went straight to the word of God. Job 40: 15-24 describes a mighty animal named "behemoth" with a tail like a cedar tree. Job 41 describes a fire breathing, smoking nostril beast with rows of shields on its back named "leviathan." When I was finished I asked Parks again what he thought & it was a resounding YES! Who knew the Bible talked about such cool beasts?! Now Parks & Lydia do too. We also read the first chapter of The Boxcar Children. He really enjoyed that. He thought that it was really sad that they were orphans & that their grandfather had never met them because he didn't like their mother.
We took a break from reading & made our way to the Hope Mills Fire Department for a MOPS field trip. I think that made Parks' life. He was so excited when I told him this morning. I can't tell him things days in advance or else he'll pester me about it incessantly. Lydia, who will be 3 in November, didn't seem to really care about much of anything. She had fun throwing her hat on the ground & twirling around in circles. She gets it from her Momma. And Lilah Bean(4.5 months old) hung out & puked on me the whole time.
Afterwards we grabbed some Happy Meals from Happy Meals(that's what Parks calls McDonald's) & headed back home. We worked on science after lunch & learned about planet earth & the atmosphere. The Usborne Encyclopedia has corresponding internet links to every page & it's incredible. So after we read about earth, Parks & Lydia watched a video on the different continents & then Parks made a virtual globe by dragging all the continents to their correct places.
We hit a concrete reinforced with rebar wall when it came time to work on writing. We'll just say there were tears, stubborn refusals followed by more tears & naptime. He seriously only needed to write a half circle & some swirls. We're using Handwriting Without Tears & so far the title is a liar! I told him that if he couldn't learn from me then he would have to go to regular school next Fall. It's not a threat, it's truth. My poor, sweet little guy with tears in his eyes said "Mommy, I love you so much. It'd break my heart if I had to go to school." Yes, son, it'd break mine too. I've been given an amazing gift. The opportunity to stay home with my children & I want to cherish every possible minute of that. They are only mine but for a moment.
After naptime, he was a new boy. Parks brought me the handwriting book as soon as he got up. I was snuggling my precious Lilah like I do everyday. Her new baby scent is just heavenly. I wish I could bottle it up until my days here on earth are done. I try to breathe it in deeply everyday. Anyway, back to the writing. He did all the things he was supposed to without complaint. Praise the Lord!
After dinner we finished up with math. Basically counting to 10 which he has down. & then we tackled writing the letter F. With HWWT you start by forming the letter with large wooden blocks, then writing the letter on a small chalkboard & finally you write the letter in the handbook with a pencil. I definitely need to get larger pencils for him. His grip is great even though he has to keep repositioning his hand, I don't have to remind him or constantly show him. & then we were DONE for the day....at 7pm! I'd say tomorrow will be better, but I have a dental appointment at 10am, so I doubt it will.
In other news, our precious little Lilah Bean rolls constantly from back to belly & belly to back. She's getting so big & I don't like it! Not one little bit! At her 4 month check-up she weighed about 1 pound & is 1 inch longer than Parks & Lydia were at her age. These kids better have great hand-eye coordination so they can get some athletic scholarships! & Lydia Lou Lou is doing excellent with potty training. I can't even call it potty training any more because she's on her own. We just have to hand her toilet paper. I didn't realize how big of a pain that aspect of little girl's going potty was. Boys shake & go.
We took a break from reading & made our way to the Hope Mills Fire Department for a MOPS field trip. I think that made Parks' life. He was so excited when I told him this morning. I can't tell him things days in advance or else he'll pester me about it incessantly. Lydia, who will be 3 in November, didn't seem to really care about much of anything. She had fun throwing her hat on the ground & twirling around in circles. She gets it from her Momma. And Lilah Bean(4.5 months old) hung out & puked on me the whole time.
Afterwards we grabbed some Happy Meals from Happy Meals(that's what Parks calls McDonald's) & headed back home. We worked on science after lunch & learned about planet earth & the atmosphere. The Usborne Encyclopedia has corresponding internet links to every page & it's incredible. So after we read about earth, Parks & Lydia watched a video on the different continents & then Parks made a virtual globe by dragging all the continents to their correct places.
We hit a concrete reinforced with rebar wall when it came time to work on writing. We'll just say there were tears, stubborn refusals followed by more tears & naptime. He seriously only needed to write a half circle & some swirls. We're using Handwriting Without Tears & so far the title is a liar! I told him that if he couldn't learn from me then he would have to go to regular school next Fall. It's not a threat, it's truth. My poor, sweet little guy with tears in his eyes said "Mommy, I love you so much. It'd break my heart if I had to go to school." Yes, son, it'd break mine too. I've been given an amazing gift. The opportunity to stay home with my children & I want to cherish every possible minute of that. They are only mine but for a moment.
After naptime, he was a new boy. Parks brought me the handwriting book as soon as he got up. I was snuggling my precious Lilah like I do everyday. Her new baby scent is just heavenly. I wish I could bottle it up until my days here on earth are done. I try to breathe it in deeply everyday. Anyway, back to the writing. He did all the things he was supposed to without complaint. Praise the Lord!
After dinner we finished up with math. Basically counting to 10 which he has down. & then we tackled writing the letter F. With HWWT you start by forming the letter with large wooden blocks, then writing the letter on a small chalkboard & finally you write the letter in the handbook with a pencil. I definitely need to get larger pencils for him. His grip is great even though he has to keep repositioning his hand, I don't have to remind him or constantly show him. & then we were DONE for the day....at 7pm! I'd say tomorrow will be better, but I have a dental appointment at 10am, so I doubt it will.
In other news, our precious little Lilah Bean rolls constantly from back to belly & belly to back. She's getting so big & I don't like it! Not one little bit! At her 4 month check-up she weighed about 1 pound & is 1 inch longer than Parks & Lydia were at her age. These kids better have great hand-eye coordination so they can get some athletic scholarships! & Lydia Lou Lou is doing excellent with potty training. I can't even call it potty training any more because she's on her own. We just have to hand her toilet paper. I didn't realize how big of a pain that aspect of little girl's going potty was. Boys shake & go.
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