Last Week's Accomplishments

Monday ~ Sgt. Elf celebrated turning 13 by going out with me to get her ears pierced, going to the mall with her older sisters, going rock climbing with her daddy, and spaghetti and meatballs for her birthday meal.

Tuesday through Friday ~ back to our lessons.  Finally, after an 11-week break we began our new academic year!  Things went well.  No. The house was not clean.  And no. Books and papers and various and sundry other stuff was not organized.  But I forged ahead with what I did have ready anyway.

Morning Time:
    Bible Time ~ we read our Treasure Keeper verses
        Toodles read from her Bible Reader
        Lulapalooza read from his Bible Reader
        J~Man read from Pilgrim's Progress
        Mama read from Devotions for the Children's Hour
        we sang a couple of hymns recommended to go along with the devotions
    Math ~ all of the kids did 10-minute drills
        J~Man did multiplication
        Lulapalooza did subtraction
        Toodles did addition
    Handwriting ~ all of the kids worked in their Italic Handwriting book.
       
Read Alouds:
    Literature ~ The Silver Chair
    History ~ On the Shores of the Great Sea
    Arts ~ The Arts of Mankind
    Sciences ~ God's Marvels in Washington
    Picture Books ~ So, You want to Be Presidant
        A Picture Book of Martin Luther King Jr.

Silent Readings:
        Lulapalooza ~ Nature Reader 3
            American Patriots and Pioneers
            Magic in the Air
        J~Man ~ All About Chemistry
            The Story of the Renaissance and Reformation
            Roads to Greatness

Tutoring: Toodles ~ some phonics and reading ABC Book of God's Creatures

Lots of outside play; the weather was in the 60's and lower 70's with low humidity, so it was perfect for playing outside.  This worked out well with my plan to severely limit the television, which has really gotten out of hand lately.

A very (very!) belated Happy Birthday to J~Man!

Well, you have been 11 years old for almost two months now, and I still don't know that I can quite believe it.  You have gotten so much taller in the past year which makes it seem a little more real.  It won't be long until you  are taller than all of your sisters and me.  But you aren't just growing physically.  You are also maturing into a young man who frequently amazes me. 

You are:

• Just


• Observant


• Sincere


• Hard-working


• Unselfish


• Adventurous


• Brave


• Resourceful


• Encouraging


• Nice
  


• Dependable


• Affectionate


• Not like anybody else

and I love you oodles & gobs!

But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
~Joshua 22:5

Dear Lulapalooza,

Wow! I can barely believe that you are nine years old! I hope that you had a wonderful birthday yesterday. I loved watching you playing with all of your new things; you seemed to be really enjoying yourself. I still remember so clearly that November early morning when you were born ~ the day before Thanksgiving. Of course, we were very thankful for you then, and we are even moreso today. You are such an amazing boy. You are kind and gentle, smart, athletic, and fun. I love how patient and caring you are with animals and younger children. I love listening to you read and watching you run and jump and climb. I love hearing your laugh, and I am glad that I get to hear it often. I am glad that you are not too big to still want my hugs and kisses and sweeet dream wishes. And, mostly, I am just so very happy that I get to be your mama.

 

Youth is happy because it has the ability to see beauty.

Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.

~ Franz Kafka

 

For {you} are his workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus unto good works,

which God hath before ordained that {you} should walk in them.

~ Ephesians 2:10

 

Not creative enough to come up with a title

    Well, I am still here, even though it has been  7+ weeks since my last blog post.   

So, in no particular order, here are some of the things we have done over the past two months: 

• attended a wedding


• attended a funeral


• voted


• made autumn fairies


• learned to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star on the recorder


• went camping


• went ice skating


• began rehearsals for our children’s Christmas program at church


• finished off our formal academic studies


• got Advent candles before all of the stores were completely out of purple

Now, we get really busy, during this last week of November:

• Tomorrow is Lulapalooza’s 9^th birthday


• Thursday, of course, is Thanksgiving


• J~Man celebrates his 11^th birthday the following Sunday, which is also the first Sunday of Advent. 

December:

• 6 Saint Nicholas Day ~ a very big day in our house


• 14 The children’s Christmas program at our church


• 23 Our 20^th wedding anniversary


• 24 Christmas Eve


• 25 Christmas Day


• 31 New Year’s Eve

January:

• 1 New Year’s Day


• 6 Epiphany


• The beginning of a new academic year


• A trip to Seattle with Sgt. Elf

Two birthdays to celebrate in February

Three more birthdays in March

 

 

With her Saviour now.

Mamasmurf, Chrissy, is in her eternal home now, but she will be so dearly missed by her husband and son in their home in England.  Please keep this family in your prayers as they grieve.

There is more information here.

I had discovered her blog only a couple of weeks before she went into the hospital.  She had left some kind remarks on a couple of my posts, and that is how I became aware of her blog.  I had been reading back through it, getting to know her better, but had not gotten around to adding her to my Friends' list.  I am sorry that I did not know her in real life, but I am so thankful that I got to meet her here, and I look forward to knowing her for all eternity.