Our Summer Notebooking Journal

We did a little bit of notebook journaling last summer, but not too much since it was our very first official break from school "stuff" and learning since she was 18 months old (poor child!).

This year, her notebook journal is one of her things to do daily. The best part is seeing her enjoy her daily activity.

It has been so much fun to pull this together for her and to see her look forward to certain pages in her notebook.

Would you like to do one with your children?

Here are the supplies you will need.

Notebook
Crayons
Pencil

That's it! You probably already have all of these things at home!

You could definitely make it bigger or more elaborate if you chose to, but this is really all you need.


One thing I did was to make the pages relevant to what we were doing on a particular day, and geared some pages toward things she needed review on. I also thought it would be fun for her to learn cursive over the summer, but not with a "school" feeling.

Now, how about some ideas for your notebook? Feel free to add these pages and ideas into your child's notebook. (I will be adding to this list throughout the summer as I add pages to her notebook. If you follow on Facebook or Twitter, I'll let you know when I have added to the list.)

1. Write the number 6 six times. Draw six blueberries (we went blueberry picking that day). Color them blue.

2. Draw the kind of dog you wish you could have. Guess how to spell Sarah and Alyson's big dog's name. (These were the friends we were visiting that day.)

3. Copy one sentence from any book that you want. (Reviewing copy work)

4. Trace your hand. Count by 5 for each finger. Decorate! (Reviewing counting by 5s)

5. We are going to learn cursive! Trace my A's. Trace my a's. Great job!

6. Write 6 cursive A's. Write 6 cursive a's. Draw something that starts with and A. Spell it.

7. A page with 9 math problems equivalent to what she did at the end of first grade.

8. (I drew a "princess" dress) Color and decorate her dress.

9. Name 5 things that make you happy.

10. (cursive) Trace my B's. Trace my b's. Write 5 A's. Write 5 a's.

11. Find John 11:35 in my Bible. Copy it.

12. Say this 3 times. "1 minute= 60 seconds. 1 hour= 60 minutes. 1 day= 24 hours." Draw a clock.

13. Draw our family.

14. Trace your foot. How many inches is it? ____________in.

Do you notebook with your child over the summer? 
Do you have any ideas for pages to include in a notebook journal? Share them in the comments. We would love some more ideas!

This post has been linked up to A Mama's Story, The Squishable Baby, Happy and Blessed Home

Simplicity | Developing a Deeper Appreciation for Creation

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The original post can be found here.

One of the steps towards simplicity discussed in the chapter "The Discipline of Simplicity" from the book Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster is develop a deeper appreciation for the creation.

Okay, so let's just lay it out here. 

I do not have a green thumb.

I do not like to get hot and sweaty.

I can't stand the feel of dirt on me.

I (and my hair) do not fair well in the Florida humidity.

So now that that is out in the open, I am also willing to admit that I want to change a few things. As the winter cold came to an end (which for Floridians is anything colder than 70 degrees), we began going outside more, I began hanging my laundry again, and my kids discovered the beauty of uninhibited running outside (because you just can't do that inside a house).

Every year in the spring, I remember this feeling. The one that reminds you that the earth is a beautiful place. The one that causes you to take deep breaths of air and fill up your lungs with fresh oxygen... not the recycled stuff from inside.

The feeling that I need to appreciate God's creation more than I do.

Why am I so afraid of my children getting dirty?

Why do I not want to get in the dirt myself?

There are so many wonders to be discovered in God's creation.

In childhood, what is the ultimate simplicity?

Going outside and playing with whatever you can find.

When kept inside, my children find themselves in need of something to do for entertainment. That is when the crayons, coloring books, toys, and even my furniture and pots and pans come out. This in turn gives us the added chore of having to clean everything up.

When my children are outdoors, God has provided everything they need for entertainment.

• plants (weeds count) to look at, pick, and to learn the art of gardening with 

• large open areas for running without worry that anyone will run into a sharp corner

• insects and bugs to catch (and because bugs do not stay still, the entertainment lasts quite a while)

Addie is definitely an outdoor girl.

Ian is totally an outside boy.

Mommy is a let's-find-something-safe-to-do-inside kind of girl.

Yet I am learning that there is definitely something freeing, calming, and peaceful about just being outside.

• When I hang my laundry, it is then that God puts dreams and aspirations in my heart.

• When I am outside, I find myself praying and praising more.

• When I am outside, I smile more.

• When my children are outside, there is a refreshment that comes over them that they cannot get from being inside.

• When my children have a good play outside, they rest much more easily at night. 

I am trying to develop a deeper appreciation for God's creation. 

Because developing a deeper appreciation for God's creation is a step towards simplicity.

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons | A Review

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I was not supposed to be the one to teach my children how to read.

My mother was.

I had never taught anyone how to read before. As a 4th and then 5th grade teacher at a private Christian school, my job was to teach reading comprehension and how to develop critical thinking skills while reading a passage.

My mother had taught me how to read by the time I was two and a half years old using SRA DISTAR by Siegfried Englemann., which my father's cousin, a New York public school teacher, had given her because her school was throwing it out. I remember the spiral bound books and games my mother would play with me using the books. Sadly, Mom passed away a couple of weeks before Addie was born, so I had to come up with a new game plan.

Right before Addie turned one, I saw a commercial for the Your Baby Can Read series. I bought it, and faithfully sat with Addie every day to watch the videos, play the games, look through the books, and review with the flash cards. Within 6 months, she did learn to recognize what each card said, but she was unable to translate her knowledge outside of the cards, videos, and books. (The series is no longer available for babies- it is available for kids, though. Instead there is now a series called Your Baby Can Discover. I personally do not have experience with this product.)

We began watching the LeapFrog: Letter Factory and in no time at all Addie began recognizing her letters and the sounds they made. By the time we began Kindergarten, she could read small words. The curriculum we were using at the time (Christian Liberty Academy Satellite Schools) had a reading program that required a lot of writing. She became frustrated and reading became a dreaded subject for us both.

Mid year, I switched her over to A Handbook for Reading, Phonics Textbook (A Beka Book Reading Program) which gave her the phonics foundation she needed. The pages had colors and fun pictures and the words were grouped in easy to read sections. But she still had no confidence in picking up a book and reading it.

Frustrated with reading and having passed my self-imposed timeline for teaching my daughter how to read, I began asking my father if he remembered which reading program my mother had used with me. After a few phone calls and emails back and forth he remembered the initials SRA. I began researching and discovered that the program my mother used for me was still around, just under a different name- Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I ordered it and began working with Addie as soon as it came in.

The lessons are designed to be 20 minutes long- perfect for little ones who have short attention spans. Each lesson covers more than just reading. Children are taught to sound out words by "saying it slow" and then reading words by "saying it fast." They also learn the concept of rhymes and how to make up rhyming words through daily oral exercises. They are also taught how to write the letters they are learning to sound out in each given lesson. Sound blends like "th" and "ch" are visually attached to teach children how the sound works.

Lessons are taken in small steps. For example, the first two lessons only teach the sounds for "m" and "s". The type for the sounds to be read is nice and large making reading less intimidating for children. (This had been Addie's biggest issue. She would only read books that had large type in them because she was afraid of reading small type words.)

As the book progressed, I found myself splitting lessons in half. They can be a bit intense the further into the book you get. I had to remind myself that the goal was for my daughter to be able to read with confidence and understanding- not finish the book in 100 days.

One particular thing I loved about the book was that as we reached the last quarter of the book, the type gradually became smaller as the stories became longer. Addie never noticed the size change.

The evidence that she could finally read above her grade level with confidence and speed came one evening as I was preparing to review her Awana verses with her. I opened up to what I thought was a new verse, and she responded, "Oh, I already know that verse." She then began reciting it to me complete with reference. I asked how she had learned it, and her answer was, "I read it, Mom."


Recently she picked up our copy of Now We Are Six and read it in two days. I wasn't sure about her understanding of the book, but when she told me about the poems she was reading, I knew she understood. I was curious to see what the reading level for Now We Are Six was, so I researched it online. I discovered that it is at a 3.6 grade reading level.

God gave me an incredibly smart child and Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons gave her the skill and confidence to enjoy and love reading.

At this point, having enough books on hand for her is my biggest challenge.

Addie's Blog

As a mother, my greatest concern is for the salvation and spiritual growth of my children. Sometimes, I feel that in my efforts to do what is best for them, I forget that they have a free will and ultimately have to choose to serve the Lord for themselves (not serve Him because Mommy tells them to do so). Oh that is so hard!

God is so loving and kind to us, though. He sees the burdens of our hearts, the sincerity of our desires for our children, and knows how to settle our spirits in a way that no one else can.

About a month and a half ago, Addie asked if she could write a blog (I don't know where that idea came from- wink, wink!). Our word processing program was working at the time, so I opened it up and let her go to town.She quietly got to work, and I had no idea what she was writing.

Then she piped up, "Mom, how do I spell 'people'?"

I spelled it out and moved on. A few minutes later (it takes little fingers a little longer to find the letters on a keyboard) she asked her daddy for the spelling of 'believe'.

Not too long after, Brian called me into the office where they were. He had a big, proud smile.

Addie was beaming proudly as she asked me to read her "blog." (pictured above)

The urge to burst into tears was forefront in my emotions, but instead I smiled as big as I could, took a picture of her "blog," and told her how proud I was.

God used the desire of a daughter to imitate her mommy to show me what was in her heart. She knew that God loved her and everyone else and that our desire should be to love Him in return. We also have to believe in Him, not because Mommy or Daddy says so. Because "the BIBLE says so."

I think that for an at-the-time 5 year old, she had a pretty good handle on the basics of our faith in Christ.

As for me, I will continue praying for my children- that God makes Himself very real to them, that Mommy and her human efforts do not get in the way of the relationship that God wants to develop with my children, and that my children can see past my faults and flaws to the forgiveness that God gives us if we ask for it.

After all, God loves my children even more than I do.... and I love them a whole lot.

What I Learned From My Daughter's Child-Like Faith

Yesterday the weather was perfect. The air was cool but not cold. The sky was clear. Both kids had taken good naps.  I decided that we would go outside for a while before Daddy came home from work.

First they played with the whiffle ball and t-ball sets.

Then the bubbles came out.

I don't know how long we played with the bubbles, but it was during that time that I learned a beautiful lesson from my daughter.

She aimed her little bubble making contraption up to the sky and said, "Fly away, bubbles! Make Jesus happy!"

There were so many thoughts that went through my head simultaneously. But all I did was smile.

I was overwhelmed that Addie had found a way to worship God during her outside playtime.

Isn't worship a way for us to bring joy to our Savior? As I saw the sincerity of her heart, I know that her act of worship was far more pleasing to God than when I sing along in worship and wonder if my voice sounds okay, when I am too self-conscious to raise my hands when I feel the desire to do so, and when I wipe away a tear because I don't want anyone to see it.

I was overwhelmed by the love she had for Jesus in the middle of her playtime with Brother. 

Isn't that what we want? For our children to think about their Savior throughout their day. When they are playing, eating, at school, resting, doing whatever they find fun..... we want them to think of Him and to include Him in every moment of their lives. Not just the "churchy" or "pious" moments. Every moment.

I was overwhelmed by the beauty of her heart that wanted to share with Jesus the very thing that she was enjoying at that moment.

Children do not have very much. At. All. But they are so willing to share whatever they do have. Bubbles are here for a moment and then gone. Addie wanted her bubbles to fly away to Jesus to make Him happy. She didn't care that she wouldn't see them again. Ever. She wanted Jesus to be happy.

I think He was.

I was overwhelmed with the feeling to keep quiet.

As parents, we often feel the need to step in and correct a "wrong" idea. We know as adults that bubbles will not fly up to heaven, and that it takes more than bubbles to make Jesus happy.

Or does it?

Matthew 18:2-5 says, "And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me."

Wow! 

He would rather have my daughter's simple bubbles than my elaborate prayers with huge, long words that make me sound smarter than I am.

He would rather have my daughter's thoughtful consideration of what would make him happy than my desire to follow a list of do's and don'ts to please Him.

He would rather have her humble gift of bubbles than my "good works" done with wrong intentions.

Verses 6 and 7 continue "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

We do not always have to be "the adult" and point out the "folly" of our children's child-like moments. By doing that we can crush their hearts, wound their spirits, and push them away from the God we are trying to teach them to worship the "right" way. 

Maybe we should take the time to remember what it was like to love God when we were children.... before we cared what others thought.

I think today, I may go outside and blow bubbles with my kids.

And I hope mine will reach Heaven....

......and make Jesus happy.

I've linked up at Women of Worship, The Life of Faith,

Archives | A Lesson From Addie

Ecclesiastes 3:7- "...a time to be silent and a time to speak."

Sometimes you need to get away from your normal circumstances in order to see things in someone that you are always around that you never saw before. One weekend, back in 2009, gave us a whole new look into Addie's personality at the time.

We had been able to take a trip to Disney for my birthday. As we would go on the different rides at Disney, she would only stare and take everything in. It wasn't until after we had moved on to the next thing that she would start squealing, giggling, and talking.

As we passed rides we had already ridden, like Dumbo, or the characters we had already taken pictures with, like Tigger, she would point and squeal with excitement. There were even times when she would just burst into giggles, and we had no idea why.

We discovered (actually, Brian figured it out first) that Addie was waiting to express her feelings until after she had seen and experienced an event. After it was over and she had had a moment to process everything, she finally expressed her feelings (this does not necessarily hold true today).

It was almost as if she was having a delayed reaction.

I see now that it wasn't. It is a well thought out response to a situation.

Once again, God taught me a lesson using my toddler. I need to hold my response to a situation until I have had a chance to process all of the information. As in the verse above, silence is first and then the chance to speak. God had a reason for putting certain words in the Bible in the order that He did.

Lord, help me to be silent, and then give me the words that I should speak.

Her Love Language

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On Tuesday, Addie grabbed a piece of computer paper and ran off with a pencil into Ian's room.

(They do most of their playing in Ian's room so Ian doesn't touch anything he shouldn't- like Barbies, favorite baby dolls, or accidentally tipping over the fish tank.)

After Addie was all done, she came over to me and handed me this piece of paper that she had folded over three times.

I opened it.

As I read it, I did not look for spelling mistakes..... she is 5 going on 6.

I did not care about the spacing between her words..... I was reading it as her mother not her teacher.

Her letter said (I corrected the spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and spacing... but I like her version better):

I love hugging Mommy. She is sweet. I love snuggling up with Mommy. She lets me help with the cooking, and Mommy plays with me. 
Love, Addie

As I read this letter, what struck me was how she was telling me something very important.

Something I needed to know.

She was telling me her love languages.

As her mom, I feed her, wash her clothes, and keep the house that she lives in clean- acts of service.

As her mom, I get her special things that I know she likes and will enjoy- gifts.

As her mom, I make sure that I tell her I love her, that I am proud of her, that she is beautiful, that she is brilliant- words of affirmation.

But what she reads as love is when I hug her, snuggle with her, let her lay on my lap when she is supposed to be in bed sleeping, and let her sit on my lap when I read to her- physical touch.

She also feels loved when I let her cook with me, when I play with her, when we have a girls day, when I read our "girl" books at nap time, and when I take just her with me on errands- quality time.

As moms, our job is not just to love our children, but to love them in the way that they feel love. 

This letter told me that I am on the right track. 

This letter is a reminder to me what matters most to Addie.

This letter is an encouragement to me to keep working at showing Addie just how much I love her.

Because as a mom, our job at showing our children that they are loved is never done.

Our Little "Peter"

It should come as no surprise to you that we are smitten with our Addie.

She's smart, funny, witty, and gorgeous.

She has moments when she is wise beyond her years, and then she has those moments that remind us that she is only 5 1/2.

We have figured that she has the spiritual gift of prophecy- not in the sense of "telling the future", but in a sense where right is right, wrong is wrong, black is black, white is white, and there is no gray.

But there is a particular Biblical character that she reminds us of more than anyone else.

Peter.

Peter had this tendency of being very impulsive, saying whatever came to mind (even when it was best not to say anything), and having those teachable moments with Jesus go right over his head.

Yet when all was said and done, he was the one God used to preach on the Day of Pentecost to a crowd of people where everyone heard him in their own language.

I can only imagine how Jesus must have shook His head when Peter asked what John's job was going to be after Jesus left, or how Peter acted impulsively to cut off the ear of the priest's servant but denied knowing Jesus in fear of the young girl who questioned him.

Every time I hear or read a story of Peter and look at his life, I can't help but think of my Addie. She speaks her mind (even when her thoughts should be kept to herself), can act rather impulsively at times, and have some of our teachable moments fly right over her head.

Yet last Wednesday she told me that she decided that she wants to be a missionary so she can tell people about Jesus.

It is moments like that which leave us in awe of this precious girl that God has put into our home and hearts.

And then it is the moments when we are trying to teach her something and think we have made a real communication connection, that she jumps up and says she needs some apple juice and Brian and I find ourselves telling each other, "She's having a Peter moment."

Archives | Lessons From Addie

It is so easy to speak of the Lord and His Word when we are around other believers (especially in church), because of the support we feel when gathered with others of like mind. However, when we are in the grocery store and your toddler starts shouting, "Bible!" and "Obey God!", do we cringe at what other shoppers might be thinking of us?

Today we are looking back at a post from October 9, 2009 called Lessons From Addie at how God used one of those moments to teach me that I can either teach her to be ashamed of His name and Word or I can teach her to speak confidently of Him.

Happy Monday! It's going to be a great week, Lord willing!

Archives | Following You

Today's post from the archives, posted on October 8, 2009, is just a reminder for those of us that are mothers or serve as caretakers in any way that our children and those in our care are watching and Following You.

Good Gifts

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If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:11 NIV)

This past weekend, we were blessed to be able to get away, leave our state, and head to Georgia for a stay with friends and some sight seeing. 

One of our stops was the American Girl Store in Alpharetta, Georgia. This was not a spur of the moment stop. Addie and I have been saving her money since she was 3 1/2 years old so we could purchase a doll of her choice. We also wanted to know that Addie was responsible enough for such a special doll, and we knew that if she helped earn the money for her doll, she would appreciate it and take care of it even more.

As our trip date came closer, Addie told her Grandpa (my dad) all about her future doll (Saige, doll of the year), showed him her catalog (which was coming apart at the seams), and watched the recent "Saige Paints the Sky" movie with him. 

My dad turned to me and said, "She can't go into that store and only leave with a doll. I'm going to give you a check so she can get more than just a doll. And I want her to get the dress in her size that the doll is wearing." 

I had ordered a little top for Addie to wear to the store that day and a matching one for her doll to make Addie's first American Girl experience as special as it could be. As I got Addie ready that morning, all I kept thinking about was the verse, "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:11 NIV)

God knows what our hearts desire. In fact, he has placed some of those desires in our hearts for us, like I did with Addie by showing her the American Girl catalogues since she was 3 and preparing her for the special gift that she would one day receive. 

I also got to understand a little bit of how God must feel when we receive and are truly thankful for His Good Gifts as I watched Addie's face and heard the pure joy in her voice as she saw the doll Saige for the first time. The gratitude that she showed was truly overwhelming, and hearing her on the phone with Grandpa thanking him for his part in this gift for her made my Mommy-heart proud.

We ended our time at the store with a Mommy/Addie lunchtime at the American Girl Bistro. Just Addie and me. And we talked and laughed and ate. It was more than good. It was perfect.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of change. (James 1:17 LEB)

(For the record, Ian had some bonding time with Daddy as they went to Build A Bear and made and dressed a little dog.)

 

The Great Santa Debate

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In December 2009, I original posted about our family's choice to not instill a belief of Santa in our children in a post entitled "Oh, Santa."  Four years later, Addie cannot be swayed from the truth of the matter as is seen in today's post.

A few Sundays ago, as I was picking Addie up from Sunday school, I was informed that Addie and another child in the class had gotten into an argument.

Knowing my child and who the other child was, I gave the teacher a believing look which asked, "What was the argument about?"

"I asked the class what was the most important part of Christmas. {The other little girl} said Santa, and Addie told her that Santa wasn't real." She then gave me a look that said she was at a loss because Addie was right about Santa but should not have argued.

Both girls then walked out of the classroom together still saying, "Yes, he is!" and "No, he isn't!" Neither girl was going to give in to the other, yet one was right and one was wrong.

So how do we deal with the "Is Santa Claus real?" issue that almost certainly comes up each and every Christmas?

There are many parents, Christian and non, who want their children to experience the wonder of the season with every little aspect of it completely intact- including the belief that Santa is real and that there is a little elf who watches every little move they make during the month of December.

By that same token, there are parents, maybe not as many, who do not want to distract their children from the truth of the season- that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus..... and that God has given their Daddy and/or Mommy the ability to work to purchase the gifts they will open on Christmas morning.

As a mother, I want to teach my children How to Win Friends & Influence People, but not at the expense of sacrificing the truth for peace. I also do not want to tell her that she is right and her friend is right because that promotes a mindset of truth being relative and not absolute.

Instead, I took her back to something I had taught her the Christmas before she turned 3, and this was one of the moments when as a mother, I realized that there is a special satisfaction from having built a foundation with my child since the day she was born.

"Do you remember that we learned about St. Nicholas? (Side note: Veggie Tales has an awesome retelling of the story of St. Nicholas- ST. NICHOLAS: A STORY OF JOYFUL GIVING) Saint Nicholas was a real person who loved Jesus and chose to help those who were poor. Saint Nicholas is real. Santa is not. People took St. Nicholas and changed parts of his story around and turned him into Santa Claus. But Saint Nicholas was real. Santa is not."

I then went on to explain that we are never to bring up the subject/debate ourselves. If some else approaches us saying that Santa is real, only then is Addie to explain that Saint Nicholas was a real person, but Santa is not. If someone else's child is going to impose their Santa belief on Addie and one day Ian, then they have every right to speak up for themselves and the truth.

I understand and realize that this may disrupt some child's belief in Santa Claus, his 8 tiny flying reindeer, his toy factory with little elves happily slaving away making little wooden trains that children sadly no longer play with, but in a few years as these children grow up and learn that Santa is not real, and they will have one of two responses.

1) It will shake their faith as my friend Kristi posted in the comment section from the Oh, Santa post:

When John was about 8 years old he looked on the bottom of one of his toys and it said Made in Taiwan...and it clicked in his head "Santa isn't real...my parents lied to me...if Santa isn't real, then maybe God isn't real either!"

Or 2) It will not bother them in the least.

In fact, they may even think back to a time when their little 5 year old friend tried to tell them the truth. That Saint Nicholas is real. Santa is not.

The Graduate

She amazes us daily. And she did it again.

Addie graduated from Kindergarten on Friday night with all of the other kindergarteners in our home school group.

Our first rehearsal did not go well. At all.

I don't know if it was the fear of being in front of people, the fear of doing something we have never done before, or because we were tired and getting over a cold. Whatever the case, after talking her through it, she was amazing for her next practice and the real thing.

Lots of family came out see to her. My dad, Brian's parents, Aunt Faye and Uncle Jim, my cousin and her kids, and Miss Cathy and Kennie were all there to cheer for her. Addie left there with presents from her guests, too! She was so excited!

The next morning, she woke up, came to me and said, "I'm in first grade! When can I graduate again?!"

Oh, Addie! Let's not rush that graduation. Mommy is not ready for it yet.

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Looking Back Over Our School Year

Wow! I cannot believe that in a few short weeks, Addie will have completed Kindergarten. What a journey this year has been!

the good

Addie is a fast learner. She completed the majority of her subjects before Christmas break and we were left with reading and math. She has a memory beyond any other and can recite verbatim things that she has learned. Her Awana teacher has commented about her verse recitation and how well she memorizes. She has learned the basic rules of phonics and is able to do simple math problems in her head. She is amazing!

the not so good

I decided to go with the curriculum my parents used with me as a child because it was something I was familiar with and was fairly cost effective. Unfortunately, the subject of reading was very dull and boring. The pages were black and white and required a great deal of writing which I discovered is not Addie's favorite thing to do (considering that she was 4 at the beginning of the school year and turned 5 two months ago, it is understandable). Yes, she has to write because it is something she just has to learn how to do, but this book had so much writing it was not enjoyable for either of us.

Towards the half way point, I switched over to Abeka's reading handbook which involves no writing in the way that we are doing it, and only involves reading based on rules that make sense. Our other book threw in words that she had not yet been taught the rule for randomly throughout the book with no helps or clues.

This year, I also had the challenge of a crawler/toddler. I hadn't had someone else during our previous school times, so this was very different. Things were rolling along just fine until the morning nap was dropped (after Christmas), then I had to find a way to keep Ian from feeling ignored while I was working with Addie. I would bring his toys out into the living room so he could play near us while we worked. I gave him his own paper to learn a color and a crayon in that color. I would give him a snack and put on a Leap Frog video for him.

what we learned

We learned that being tied down to one curriculum is not for us and having to report back to a particular school with our work puts more pressure on us than is necessary. Our state (FL) only requires students who are not under a satellite school to take an end of the year test to prove that they have successfully learned their grade level's worth of material, and parents are to keep a portfolio with a sampling of their work, a list of books they have read, a list of field trips they have taken, and a roll of school days for the year. This will be our approach this coming year.

how things will change

Next year, we will not be ordering our curriculum from a satellite school. We will be using our Awana workbook as our Bible curriculum. Bible memorization and application are naturally a part of the program, and completing our books have been a goal for us anyway. Why reinvent the wheel or make our work load heavier by doing a separate Bible curriculum AND doing the Awana workbook that she would be doing anyway?

We plan on continuing Abeka's reading program. I have almost the complete set of Abeka 1st grade readers thanks to friends who have passed their readers along, ebay, and the used homeschool book sale. I think I have 3 more books and the teacher's plan book to get and I am set for reading. I also plan to get the Abeka math book and speed drill/test booklet.

We are also looking into a different approach to the other core subjects. It is more of a classical education which will include Ian in some of our learning time. I have a book coming to me in the mail (again ebay!) which I am looking forward to reading called A Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise which is the "how to" manual for our new approach to learning, much of which we were already doing.

our summer

This year, we will be taking our summer off from school. We will continue our library time and  reading together, but we will not be having designated school time. We have been having school time since Addie was 18 months old. Addie needs a break. I need a break.

Instead, we will be having 100 Days of Summertime! The ebook is to be released on May 1, 2013, and I am looking forward to doing something fun each day with the kids. I also have some fun things planned for us to do based on what is going on here in our neck of the woods.

We have much to look forward to!

Growing Tomatoes

I am giving it one more try.

I will not be taken down by my non-green thumbs!

We are growing a tomato plant!

But this year, I have a 42 inch secret weapon.

Her name is Addie!

She loves this little plant that my Uncle Johnny gave us.

She gets so excited to go outside and water it every day.

She even sits at the window and watches it because she wants to watch the tomatoes grow.

Daily, she checks to see if there are little yellow flowers growing and if those flowers have grown into tomatoes.

Patience is a virtue we are still learning.

My uncle also gave us some horse manure to use as fertilizer. You would not believe how excited she was to use that on our plant! She was so disappointed that we only get to use that twice a week. I, on the other hand, am very thankful.

Where is Ian in all of this adventure?

He is happily walking up and down the half step into and out of the back porch...... because he wasn't allowed to play in our bucket of fertilizer.

Little House

For our first Christmas together (engaged), Brian bought me the first season of Little House on the Prairie. We both enjoyed the show growing up, and, because once we were married we were choosing to go cable-less for the first year, we wanted to have something to enjoy in the evenings. Before Addie arrived, we had purchased the entire series and looked forward to the day we could share this series with our children.

That day has finally come.

Brian asked me recently when we could introduce Addie to the series. Knowing Addie, how perceptive she is, and how "in to" something she gets, I knew we could start immediately. However, I did not want her to just watch the shows. I wanted her to get to know the real Ingalls family. I have most of the books in our personal library (the ones I read when I was a little girl), but for some reason, I did not have the first book Little House in the Big Woods. We went to the library and I borrowed it. , we began reading it together at nap time.

Now considering that she is a young five year old, I can't just read the book straight through. There are some times where I have to explain the wording, or even reword something with out Addie realizing it as I am reading it. We read 1/2 a chapter per day because the chapters can be a bit long.

After reading through the first chapter together, we decided to make our Family Night movie the pilot episode of the Little House series. (More to come on Family Night on Monday, Lord willing.) In this episode, the family leaves the little house in the big woods, so Addie was a bit disappointed to not get to see the attic where all of the smoked meat was kept, and believe it or not, she wanted to see them "turn the pig into food!" referring to when Pa Ingalls butchers the pig he had raised all spring, summer, and fall and the entire family helps or participates in the process of butchering and curing the meat.

Our episode watching does not correlate to the books at all. I want her to have a picture in her mind of what the characters look like. And because the series is not accurate at all in relation to the books, it really doesn't matter that she is watching the girls grow up in Walnut Grove while we are reading about them living in the little house in the big woods.

I think that reading the books and watching the series is also a good way to introduce her to the fact that movies do not always follow the actual book. She will end up seeing many instances where the shows are slightly different or completely off from the actual story written in the book. Many times, she will see that happen in Bible accounts that are turned into movies, so now is a great time to teach her about "creative license" and how the Book is always right.

I love being able to share this series with Addie. It's clean. It's worry free. There is no fear of language popping up. The children are respectful and obedient and when they aren't, there are consequences. The family is God-honoring and the community of neighbors (minus Harriet and Nellie Olson) is the kind I have always wanted to live among.

We have been enjoying one episode a night. It is a good way to end an evening.

The Resurrection Eggs

For the week and a half before Easter, Addie and I went through the book Benjamin's Box and opened the correlating egg from the Resurrection Eggs set. We had such a wonderful time doing this together.

Then she asked me if she could tell me what each of the items in the eggs stood for. I should have pulled out my camera and recorded her on her first attempt. She floored me!

I decided to have her do it again (this time with my camera in hand). We did this twice. Our first take is actually my favorite. Addie was completely Addie. But some of her "facts" were way off (like when she said, "Jesus said, 'This might be my blood, but it's really not.'" I understood where that came from- my trying to explain that they weren't really drinking His blood- but if someone else didn't understand the "why" of why she said it, it could be taken the wrong way) and her expressions in some of the more solemn and somber parts are actually funny. She is such an expressive little girl. A total actress!

I am playing the second "take" for you today.

As you watch there are a few things I would like to point out.

1. I love how she says "Jerusalem". Way beyond cute! And I have no intention of correcting her anytime soon. She'll learn enunciation soon enough and all of her cute mispronunciations will be long gone.
2. Her verb usage is completely off but completely adorable! "Standed for," "roded on," etc.
3. She is very confident in what she is saying. Even if she is way off on something, she says it with such conviction that unless the listener knows she wrong you would think she is being very accurate and factual.
4. She says that there was juice at the last supper. Juice. Wine. It all comes from a grape as far as I am concerned right now. She's 5.
5. I do ask her a few questions about the cup trying to get her to say what she told me in the first take- that this was the Last Supper. I had no idea she even knew that! It is amazing what they really do pick up.
6. "Stinky egg!" When something doesn't go the right way in our family, we usually say "Stinky coffee maker! Stinky crayons!" Why? Who knows! It is just our expression :)
7. She has a hard time understanding that the soldiers put the spear in Jesus' side after he had already died. Maybe she will understand it next year.

The beauty of parenting is that we are laying building blocks every time we do something with our children. Every day, week, month, season, or year, we add another layer to what has already been laid. I look forward to next year when I can compare that video to this year's video and see how much her understanding of the Easter account has grown.


Resurrection Eggs Take Two from Suzette Ladouceur on Vimeo.

The Alpaca Farm

Last year, you'll remember that we went on our first home school group field trip. So much has changed in that one year span of time.

Ian is mobile. Last year I had to push him in the stroller (which got stuck in the sand and I ended up carrying him anyway). This year, he got to walk a bit. But being the fearless almost 18 month old that he is, he wanted to be right in the middle of the alpacas... and I was NOT going to allow that.

Last year, Addie stayed right beside me the entire time. This year, I was glad I had her wearing bright pink so I could see where she was because she WAS in the thick of things. She hand fed an alpaca and pet several of them. She walked behind the farm owner as we moved from pen to pen.

On the way home all she talked about was alpacas. And now they rank up there as one of her favorite animals along with horses, unicorns, dogs, and cats.

Technology Love

Technology has its good points and its negative points. In our home, we choose to use it for its benefits.

One of those benefits was having my sister here on Addie's birthday when she really wasn't here. (Have I lost you yet?)

Because of the beauty of FaceTime, Aunt Faye was able to join us in singing happy birthday and also to say "hello" to the family members that were here on Sunday for our pizza and cake party.

She even got to take a picture with Aunt Faye.

Technology can be pretty cool.