Sweet-Pea, the scientist!

Sweet-Pea must still be in school-mode. She has been bugging me the past few days to do fun science experiments with her. She loves working with color, so anything with food coloring rates right up there!!

Today we did the Rainbow Experiment....it teaches young children all about color. It's a great modern take on the color wheel and it's oh-so-easy to do!

Here's what you do:

Line up 6 clear glasses in a row and fill 3 of them with water (preferably the 1st, 3rd and 5th glasses...ours aren't lined up correctly yet)


Add 6-7 drops of food coloring to each of the 3 glasses. Red in the first one, yellow in the third one and blue in the fifth one. Stir them well and set the spoons aside. Teach your child that these are the 3 primary colors. They will make the other colors in the rainbow by using only these three.


Next pour 1/3 of the red into glass #2, and then 1/3 of the yellow into glass #2. Explain to them that red + yellow = orange


Now pour 1/3 of the yellow into glass #4, and then 1/3 of the blue into glass #4. This time you will explain that yellow + blue = green


You're almost done. Now pour 1/3 of the red into glass #6, and 1/3 of the blue into glass #6. This time you'll tell them how red + blue = purple


Now we did not create indigo like in the rainbow...you can certainly try, but these are the main colors of the color wheel. It's so much fun learning this way. Our little Sweet-Pea learned her color wheel very early all because of simple experiments like this. Try it with your kids, it's fun!

Silly dog...

As I've mentioned over and over...Cody has been such a wonderful addition to our family. He has brought such joy to our hearts and has helped us get through some pretty rough and stressful times. The past day or so he has made us laugh more than once. Just tonight he was being silly with one of his toy balls. He learned to pick it up in his mouth and toss it across the room so it lands in his food bowl. How he taught himself that I'll never know. He was doing it a bit ago and as the ball landed in his dish, he decided to push it aside and have a bite to eat. He just cracks me up!

Here are a few recent photos of him...just because...

Playing outside with the bubbles... he's not quite sure what they are but there's one floating right past his eye!


Hey Cody, give me a smile!


"Plbplblblblblblb!!!!"


Hey that wasn't nice...come on...show everyone how happy you are to see them!!!


"Nope, I'm too shy!"


Please, one little smile for the camera??? I'll give you a treat!


"Oh, OK...since you mentioned a treat...I'll smile for ya! How's this?!?"

The results are in!!!

Since we homeschool, it's often difficult to figure where the kids stand compared to public and private schooled children...educationally speaking. That being said, for the first time in 9 years, we decided to have Lionel tested. This was the best year to test him since next year he will be in high school. I'm excited to start 9th grade with him in the fall, but I wanted to know what areas we'd really need to concentrate on, if any.

So, in May, Lionel took the Stanford test which is a series of tests taken over a period of 3 days. He was able to complete them in 2 days which was great, but it made me nervous that he completed them so quickly...I thought he'd fail. Anyhow...we knew it would be a while before getting the results back, yet we were anxious to see how he did. Well, OK...I was anxious!! As the teacher, I wanted to be sure we were covering the right materials and that all my efforts were not in vain. I know, it sounds pretty selfish. As much as I want to be a good teacher and get my children to learn the material they need to know, I want even more for my children to learn how to grow to be a Godly man and woman. Their Christian character mean more to me than anything!

Well...this past Friday we found the test results in our mailbox. I was very nervous to open it up, but when I did I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised!! Lionel not only tested well...he tested much higher than he should have in many areas. He tested out of high school (PSP - Post High School) in Social Science, and in other fields (reading comprehension, vocabulary, listening, and science) he tested in 11th and 12th grade. Amazing! He wasn't perfect though...he will need to work a bit on his math skills, but generally speaking, he is good at math. He was at lowest, average in a couple classes (math procedures and language mechanics...grammar), but mostly he tested way above his grade level. Praise the Lord!!!

This fall, we obviously will work on grammar (NOT my forte, so that's probably why he didn't test over his grade level in it...like you can't tell from my blog writing! ha ha) and math more than other subjects. Considering the fact that we missed so much school due to my Dad's health issues, I am exceedingly proud of both of our children. They not only have learned the typical subjects taught in school, they learned quite a bit about life and what it means to live for Christ.

I love you Lionel, and am very proud of you!!! I can't wait to see what we accomplish together this fall!

(If you're interested in having your child tested, I highly recommend the Bob Jones testing service. They were very helpful on the phone and rather quick.)

Photo Hunt #116 - Bright

With July 4th coming next weekend, I thought these 'bright' photos were appropriate. They aren't my best photos, but it wasn't easy to even get these shots - it's all about timing!

Friday Faves #25 Candy

Friday Fave #25 - Favorite Candy

Do I HAVE to pick just one? Who doesn't love all sorts of candy!?! If it's made of chocolate, it's GOT to be yummy! Well, OK, even candy not made of chocolate is yummy.

In my opinion, anything with chocolate and peanut butter together is great, but I've always had one absolute favorite candy bar! Check out the photo below...

Can you guess what it is?



It's a 3 Musketeers bar!!!!!! I even love them frozen, ever tried that?!? Yummy! I do have to watch what I eat though, so it's been a while since biting into one of these...but whenever I do, it's pure heaven! What's your favorite?

Guilty as charged!!

It's summer!!!!

We LOVE being outside in the summer. Our yard isn't huge, but it's big enough where we can be outside to enjoy time in the pool, on the swing set, or simply just hang out. The kids favorite place to be is obviously the pool...mine too! So, we figured that we would go spend time outside for some 'much needed' fun.

Our lives have been totally consumed with my Dad and his situation in the nursing home. We were out early this morning for a bit and then when we got home the phone rang which proceeded to change all our plans! Ugh, not again!!! I was on the phone for almost an hour back and forth with the nursing home, our attorney and some doctors. I was supposed to call the home back and give them some information they need for next week but you know what?!? I put down the phone and decided that they were NOT going to ruin our family day!!! Everything I need to contact them about could wait until tomorrow.

So...we went in the pool! We had SOOO much fun! Edward did not go in - he's not much for going swimming, but he sat on the deck to be with us and to take photos! The kids and I were in for a couple hours and it was wonderful!!! Cody was outside with us and after a bit of wandering around the yard, he found a nice cool spot in the shade to rest. He's getting used to us more and more. He's such a joy to have around, we don't even remember life without him!

Here are a few photos from our day...

Sweet-Pea - lookin' a little bit silly with Mommy's goggles on!!!
She can almost reach the bottom with her tippy toes this year!


Lionel...his favorite things are swimming underwater, jumping in and making waves!
Oh yeah...and getting everyone wet!


Cody, looking for a good place to relax in the heat...looks like he found it!


Ahh...this is the life...now will you please fetch me a bone?!?

Teenage boys

My son is a teenager...he just turned 13 this past March. He's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but he isn't like your 'typical' teenage boy either. He loves the Lord with his heart and desires to follow Him all the days of his life. We, as his parents, are trying our best to raise him how God wants us to raise him. The Bible says "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Prov. 22:6

We have a few teen boys in our neighborhood that really drive me nuts. I don't know where their parents are, but they obviously don't watch their kids, or don't care where they are or what they're doing. Recently there have been quite a few headlines around here about teens who have died...mostly from doing things that just aren't wise. They have died from doing stupid things that easily could have been prevented. Reckless driving, underage drinking, drugs etc. Peer pressure has always been around, but I honestly feel that it's gotten worse!

One of the boys in our neighborhood lives just a couple houses down the street from us. Just tonight when we were driving home from a meeting at church, he and 2 of his friends were outside. It was after 9pm and it was dark outside. All 3 kids decide to run into the street and scream at our van as we drove past their house, almost as if to test us and say "go ahead, I dare you to hit me!" They were screaming obscenities and laughing...that is, until I stopped the van dead in the middle of the road. The 2 boys who don't live here ran away. The neighbor ran into his garage. He knew I caught him and he was embarrassed to know it was his neighbor who they were harassing. Those 3 boys have also been ringing doorbells and have been destructive in the neighborhood the past few weeks. I just think it's sad. Where are the parents?!? They are definitely home...but they don't care. Our neighborhood is in the suburbs and is safe...so we think. You just never know what kind of neighbors you'll end up with. We were here before that family moved in, so we didn't have much of a choice. Hopefully it all has ended there, and the fact that we 'caught' them off-guard was enough to put a stop to their foolishness.

When I see kids acting like that, I thank the Lord for allowing me to grow up in a Christian home. I am also thankful that He blessed me with a wonderful Christian husband and 2 beautiful children that we can raise together to have morals and values that are pleasing to Christ. I'm grateful that my own children (especially my teenage son) are strong enough to not want to hang around kids like that, or even consider acting like they do!

I Thes. 5:21 says "Test everything; hold fast what is good." This is one thing we teach to our children. Choose friends wisely, do not hang around with those who bring you down, but spend time in prayer for them since they are in desperate need of it!

Photo Hunt #115 - Water

Water comes in all shapes, sizes and forms. Here are a two favorites....

Water balloons:


Bubbles:

Friday Faves #24 Animal

Friday Fave #24 - Favorite Animal (besides dog or cat)

My favorite animals are most definitely from Africa! I love both the zebra and the giraffe. They are often seen together in the wild, and I love how they interact with one another.

When I was living in South Africa, my favorite place to go to was Kruger National Park to watch the giraffes and zebras - there are so many of them there!!! Ever seen a giraffe run? GORGEOUS!!! Ever hear the wah-wah of a zebra in the wild? It's a must! Did you know that some zebras wear pants while others wear shirts?? Check it out here to see what I mean.

To dance or not to dance...

Our little Sweet-Pea is a beautiful dancer. She's had 2 years of ballet, tap and jazz dancing, and the fact that she's getting better, means that she is learning more 'grown-up' stuff. It's bittersweet. I like that she's learning how to dance the right way, but I don't like some of the jazz movements and some of the songs that she's learning with.



Sweet-Pea absolutely loves dancing ballet - it's her favorite style of dance. I do not have any expectations of her actually becoming a professional ballerina, but I do want to encourage her to dance as long as her heart wishes to. On the other hand, if she does want to pursue it professionally, we'll be there to back her up, as long as it's in honor to the Lord. The dance studio she's been with this past year has had it's challenges for us. The first recital in December was nice. Her costume was modest, but nothing too glamorous. The songs were Christmas songs so there wasn't anything offensive that bothered us. Well, the spring/summer recital is in July (yes, they wait until July for it - crazy huh?) The one song that they want the girls to tap dance to is called "FiFi, the Little French Maid". Their costumes are gorgeous, but the dance and words to the song - which are to be sung by the girls while they tap - are atrocious! Totally inappropriate for 6 and 7 year old young ladies if you ask me!



So...we had a long talk with Sweet-Pea this past week and we decided that she would stop dancing with the studio she is with, and she would not dance in the recital (even after we paid big bucks for her costume...which we did get already). Instead, we would try to find a dance studio that the Lord wants her to be a part of. Sweet-Pea was totally fine with it. She knows in her heart that she wants to dance, but that she needs to dance in a way that is God honoring. We are SO proud of her for that!!! She used to dread going to her dance lessons because of the music, so she was actually looking forward to stopping and finding another place. We do NOT feel that she is quitting. We are not raising our children to quit - but we are raising them to follow the Lord. Continuing with this studio would not be pleasing to the Lord, so we feel that stopping now, will honor Him and eventually He would bless us for that. Guess what?!? He already has!!!



There is a wonderful Christian dancer at our church. We knew she taught dance lessons, but we weren't sure she taught ballet. She does! Sweet-Pea will be starting up with her in September. It's a bit further for us to travel to, and with gas prices so high, it won't be easy, yet we feel that it's what we're supposed to do. She will be in the level 2 ballet classes, which will also include a devotional time. What's better than that!?!?! Their recitals are usually held at nursing homes, so it's not only a recital for the parents, but a ministry to the elderly. We also love that! They do wear pretty costumes and dance ballet and interpretive dance...both of which are taught at the studio.



Tonight would have been another dance class for Sweet-Pea, but instead, she's outside with Daddy and Lionel blowing bubbles and having a fun time just being a 6 year old!!! God is good and we're so thankful to Him for opening up the doors for her to be a part of a Christian dance studio! What a difference it'll make I'm sure.

Psalm 30:11  "You turned my wailing into dancing..."

Psalm 149:3  "Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with 
tambourine and harp."

Happy Father's Day!!

Today is Father's Day...a day to honor our Dads and let them know how special they truly are! We began our day early. Before church, the kids showered Daddy with cards and gifts. For some reason, they think it's more fun early in the morning, before our eyes are even opened! Unfortunately we didn't deliver breakfast in bed for Daddy - I've been way too tired lately to even think about it. Daddy's not that much of a breakfast eater anyhow, so I didn't feel so bad.

Anyhow, the kids absolutely love and adore their Daddy...He's a great Dad who is a lot of fun to be around! "Happy Father's Dad honey! Thanks for being an awesome husband and a terrific Daddy to our children. I love you!!!" ~Elinor~

Daddy and his buddy, Lionel...


Daddy and his little Sweet-Pea...


Yeah, I just HAD to throw this photo of Cody in the mix...he loves Daddy too!! "Ruff!!"


I also love and adore my own Dad. Although he's not the same Dad I grew up with due to the Alzheimer's which has taken a hold of his life, I still think he's the best Dad in the whole wide world!!! After church we went to spend some time with him at the nursing home. He ate his lunch while we were there, then opened up a couple gifts we brought him. He had fun with the kids, they always seem to make him laugh!



Lionel captured this photo of Dad while sitting at the table. I tweaked it up a bit and I absolutely love the result!! It captures my Dad perfectly...he looks as if he's unsure what's going on around him, yet he has not a care in the world. The disease that is slowly taking him, has destroyed a part of my heart too...it's just so sad to see him like this!



A poem about Alzheimer's Disease...

Do not ask me to remember
Don't try to make me understand.
Let me rest and know you're with me,
Kiss my cheek and hold my hand.

I'm confused beyond your concept.
I am sad and sick and lost.
All I know is that I need you
To be with me at all cost.

Do not lose your patience with me,
Do not scold or curse or cry.
I can't help the way I'm acting,
Can't be different though I try.

Just remember that I need you,
That the best of me is gone.
Please don't fail to stand beside me,
Love me 'til my life is done.
~Author Unknown~

This is such a moving poem...brings me to tears each time I read through it. "I love you Dad!!" To all the rest of you Dad's out there...have a wonderful Father's Day!!!