Everybody loves Ice Cream!

Saturday was a long day for us. We spent several hours going through all the moving boxes that the movers 'dumped' put in the basement. If you've ever moved, I'm sure you know the boxes I'm referring to...the ones you have no idea where to put because the labels aren't 'room-specific' so you can't take the chance by putting them in the garage where they'll get hot, and you can't put them in the attic, simply because there's not enough room...even if you could lift them high enough to get 'em up there!

After going through most of the boxes, we determined that we moved quite a few things we shouldn't have. We don't know why we even spent the time packing them up, but we did so now we have to deal with them!! Hind-sight is 20/20.

After our busy day, we decided that we needed a fun break, so we got in the car and drove to an ice cream parlor in a quaint little town nearby. This is what I call a 'kitschy' ice cream parlor...it's got all sorts of toys and games from the 60's-70's displayed, giving it a vintage feel. The kids enjoy going here for the ice cream. Edward and I enjoy going here to see all the old toys we used to play with when we were young. =) Ahh, the memories!



If you look closely, you can see the toys on display around the room, complete with train track!


Enjoying our ice cream!


MMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!




Edward met a new friend, but his friend seems to be a little uptight. =)


Well, it was a nice break and we had a great time together, but it's back to reality now!! Back to more boxes, more junk and more backaches. Can you say ebay?!?

No more "ice mice"!!

No, I'm not talking about real mice...I'm talking about the hoards of kids that visit the rink during the summer months. School is back in session and the rink is once again empty!! Yahoo!

The other nice part...there are no more summer hockey camps to contend with. Can I get a 'woot-woot'?!? Not only was it chaos when we'd get to the rink with the boys running around, the entire surface of the ice was destroyed, making it nearly impossible for figure skating. The Zamboni cleaned up the ice a bit, but not nearly enough. I won't even mention the awful smells. Have you ever smelled 40 teenage boys after playing hockey??? 'Nuf said!!!

Here is Sweet-Pea on the ice with her wonderful coach, 'Miss J'!!! They have such a great relationship, and Sweet-Pea adores her. Take note...there's NO ONE else on the ice! She had the entire place to herself.


Working on her balance. According to Wii-Fit, she's got nearly perfect balance already. =)


Skating and stretching at the same time...silly girl.


Here she is working her way into a spin. (If you look closely enough, you can see Lionel hanging out in the bleachers).


While Sweet-Pea is on the ice, I'm usually standing at the end of the rink (with camera in hand, of course) watching her skate. I'm so proud of her and am very thankful that God has given her the talents and abilities she has. Pretty soon Lionel will be starting up his violin lessons again...one more reason to be proud!

Children are definitely a treasure from the Lord, and I'm learning more and more each day how we need to guide and direct them with love and encouragement. They are with us only a short time, and before you know it they grow up and are out on their own. I am NOT looking forward to that day. I love being a stay at home Mom. I love homeschooling them, and I love spending time with them. So many parents these days are anxious to send their children off to school every morning...not me! Seeing them learn, grow, mature and develop into what God wants them to be is something I do NOT want to miss!! I am blessed!!!!



(For the record...I did not come up with the phrase 'ice mice'...it's actually a phrase well known in the figure skating community.)

Fun Field Trips

Everyone loves a good field trip, especially homeschoolers! Since most public schools are in session and the summer crowds are dwindling, we decided that it was time to venture out and enjoy a few. Some trips we take on our own, others we take with the homeschool group we lead. Either way, they are so much fun and very educational.

The first field trip we took together as a family. We went to a local Fort that was built during the Revolutionary War, but was also used during the Civil War....pretty amazing!

The memorial flag court. Us Flag, Cross of St. George (Colonial period), Grand Union Flag (American Revolution), Fifteen stars and stripes (War of 1812), Thirty-six starts thirteen stripes (Civil War period).

Civil War Drawbridge - it allowed troops to enter and leave over the moat...it did not lift up, it rolled back.

The Moat


There were a couple silly looking statues near the flag court...I don't know WHAT the artist was thinking when he made them!! hee hee hee




K...A...B...O...O...M...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Entrance to the bomb proof shelters


Standing on the gun mounts, these three must be on the look-out for war ships!


Oh no, they're turning on each other!!! =)


Sweet-Pea enjoyed the beach next to the fort. It was about 97 degrees this day, so the breeze felt good.






On Wednesday we went on a field trip with our homeschool group to a nearby park. This park is run by the Army Corp Engineers which do regular testing in the area on the local lakes, brooks and ponds. They test for several things: E Coli, nitrates, phosphate, oxygen saturation, PH levels, temperature and turbidity. The scary part was that the lake right next to the park has been closed due to high toxic levels. The Ranger who led the field trip told us that she would never swim in it. Scary!

We learned a lot about testing water, and how to clean the toxins out of the water through filters, water tablets and boiling. Frankly I wouldn't drink the stuff if you paid me, but I guess if I were stranded in the wilderness, I'd boil some water to stay alive - as long as it boiled for a minimum of 15 minutes!!! We tested the samples right from the neighboring pond, and we found high levels of E Coli and other dangerous toxins. As you can imagine, all the moms pulled the antibacterial gel out of their bags and passed it around!! It was a lot of fun though and we learned quite a bit.

Yeah, it looks pretty, but it's filled with disease!!






I loved all these trees, stripped bare but simply gorgeous!




Waiting for our 'class' to start. Lionel is on the right in the yellow shirt towards the back...just behind Edward...in green.


'Edward' helping Sweet-Pea and her group. They tested the Oxygen levels.


These two cracked me up! They were testing for PH levels and they didn't want to be photographed...so secretive! =) Yup, that's Lionel on the right...but shhhh...you didn't hear that from me!


We're looking forward to many more field trips this year. The kids learn so much from these hands-on experiences, plus they are SO much fun! Homeschooling does have it's perks, that's for sure!!!

God's Chisel

Incredible video which should will open your eyes!

Who doesn't love a good book?!?

Unless you have young kids, you probably don't read many children's books. Personally, I think they're timeless. You're never too old to read a good book, regardless of how many words there are, how big those words happen to be, or how many chapters there are! Many children's books are filled with lessons about life and character building, something you don't often find in adult books. Of course you DO have to pick and choose...there are some pretty bad ones out there too, but for the most part, they are sweet and enjoyable.

Sweet-Pea and I are reading a lot of books this year for her Literature class, and already I found a couple to add to my 'favorites' list. I'm not a writer, but I will share my thoughts on what I love about these particular books.

The first book is entitled "Brave Irene"...by William Steig

From the book: "Brave Irene is Irene Bobbin, the dressmaker's daughter. Her mother, Mrs. Bobbin, isn't feeling so well and can't possibly deliver the beautiful ball gown she's made for the duchess to wear that very evening. So plucky Irene volunteers to get the gown to the palace on time, in spite of the fierce snowstorm that's brewing - quite an errand for a little girl.

But where there's a will, there's a way, as Irene proves in the danger-fraught adventure that follows. She must defy the wiles of the wicked wind, her most formidable opponent, and overcome many obstacles before she completes her mission. Surely, this winning heroine will inspire every child to cheer her on."

The book mentions things that made me wonder 'what was the author thinking?!?' The fact that the mother allowed her young daughter to go off on her own in the cold snowy weather to deliver a dress was a poor choice....reluctant or not. There's no way I'd allow Sweet-Pea to do that. Yikes! On top of that, the mother went to sleep for the night, now knowing where her daughter was. Hello?!? Can you cay Child Protective Services?!?

So...after I explained to Sweet-Pea how the Mother was wrong in her thinking, we got to the 'real' lesson in this book. Irene pressed on and did whatever it took to complete a task she promised she'd do, even when things went wrong. Irene was determined! This book teaches young children to work hard and to not let difficulties get in the way. Overall, it's a great book and the illustrations are very sweet! The best lesson which I incorporated into the lesson for Sweet-Pea was from Philippians 3:14. "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

The second book is entitled "Miss Rumphius"...by Barbara Cooney

From the book: "Alice Rumphius wanted to travel the world when she grew up, and then to live by the sea - just as her grandfather had done. But there is one more thing, he tells her: she must do something to make the world more beautiful. Young Alice does not yet know what that will be..."

What the review doesn't tell you, is that Alice traveled the world and became great friends with many people and experienced many things she wouldn't have if she never traveled. When she finally did settle down, she planted flowers, which in the end, spread all over town and made it look beautiful. This was her way of fulfilling what her grandfather asked her to do. Personally I think the story has a much deeper meaning.

There's a better lesson to be learned. We are to go out into the world and do what God wants us to do. Whether it means travel to a foreign country (as a missionary would), or to stick around home. When all is said and done the question is "How have you made an impact on others for the sake of Christ?"

"When I reach the end of my days, a moment or two from now, I must look backward on something more meaningful than the pursuit of houses and lands and machines and stock and bonds. Nor is fame of any lasting benefit. I will consider my earthly existence to have been wasted unless I can recall a loving family, a consistent investment in the lives of people and an earnest attempt to serve the God who made me. Nothing else makes much sense." Well said Dr. James Dobson.

A couple other great books we've read... "The Library" by Sarah Stewart, "Time of Wonder" by Robert McCloskey, and "Boys and Girls of Colonial Days" by Carolyn S. Bailey.



So...why not head on over to your local library and hit the kids department just for fun. I dare you!!!

JWCC Episode #2

JWCC Episode #1

A friend of mine recently started creating educational videos for kids. They are fun to watch, and of course, very creative. Josh is extremely versatile which you'll see in the videos as he portrays several hilarious 'characters' .

Watch the video and share them with your kids. If you (or your kids) have any feedback or comments for Josh, post them here and I will be happy to pass them on to him. Enjoy!

Surprise!!!

My wonderful, loving, sensitive, thoughtful and oh-so-generous (yeah, I'm laying it on thick) husband came home from work today bearing gifts. Well, one gift, but he handed it to me in 2 parts. The first was a little package with a round thing flat thing wrapped in foam. I had no idea what it was until the light bulb went off in my head...a camera filter. "What's this for?" I asked. We had no use for it on our simple point and shoot Canon PowerShot camera. He just looked at me and waited for me to guess....finally I got it. He bought me the new Nikon D90 camera I've wanted!!!! That's when he handed me the 2nd package...the camera!

::::::::::: Insert excitement scream here :::::::::::

Can I tell you that I am simply blown away that my husband would think to buy me such an extravagant gift in the middle of the year, so far from any birthday or holiday!?! He bought it 'just because'. He bought it because he loves me; because he thought of me today. Heavy sigh!

Here's a photo of it - taken with my old Canon of course...


I am no professional photographer, nor do I ever think I'll become one, but I am an avid scrapbooker who also loves taking photos. So...maybe in time I'll learn about my new camera enough to take better photos than ever before. Here are a few I took this afternoon - before reading the manual and before knowing what I was doing...just for kicks.









To my dear husband....

"Thank you so much honey! You are the best husband in the world...not for buying me gifts, but for taking the time to think of me, my interests and for doing things simply to make me smile. You are truly a gift from God and I am grateful that I am your wife and best friend. I love you!!!"

OK, now I'm off to see if I can make heads or tails out of the 278 page users manual. There's SO much to learn!

Reading History

I love books!!! I love reading!!! I truly want to instill the love of reading in my children. Unfortunately, Lionel is not a big reader. He does enjoy it, but he's not a self motivated reader unless it's a magazine or is a book about things that interest him directly...trains, World War 2, etc. We have a house FULL of great books, but he doesn't read on his own 'just for fun' like I do. I believe Sweet-Pea will become a reader as time goes on. She likes books more than Lionel ever did, so I'm hopeful that she will fall in love with reading. Only time will tell.

We have always loved the Beautiful Feet curriculum for our History lessons in school. We have done the following:

• Early American History (x2)
  
• US & World History
• Medieval History (x2)
  
• History of Horses

This particular curriculum combines classic literature with history which enables you to learn while enjoying great books. It's the 'living book' approach to learning. This year, Lionel decided that reading a lot of books was not going to be fun, so we decided to change to Bob Jones for his 10th grade World History class. It's working out well and we love the curriculum, but it's so different...more like a public school textbook, but that's more like his learning style, so it's a good thing.

Sweet-Pea is using Beautiful Feet once again and we love it. The Study Guide I chose to do this year, "Teaching Character through Literature", is not necessarily filled with historical events and facts even though it's her 'history' class. . We did the History of Horses curriculum last year because she loves horses so much and wanted to learn all about them. It was a tough class for her but she learned quite a bit!! We are taking it 'easy' this year though and are enjoying every minute of it. We have read many books so far...mostly simple elementary level books, but they are so sweet and full of life lessons. A few books we've read are:

• The Time of Wonder - McCloskey
• The Runaway Bunny - Brown
• Boys and Girls of Colonial Days - Bailey
• The Clown of God - dePaola
• Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge - Fox
• Rachel and Obadiah - Turkle
• When I Was Young in the Mountains - Rylant
• Miss Rumphius - Cooney
• The Library - Stewart
• Brave Irene - Steig

The study guide that comes with the curriculum gives you Bible verses and life applications to apply to each lesson, and I love that. We are moving quickly through this book and I know I'll have to supplement with other books later on this year, but they do give a huge reading list of other books to read. I highly recommend this company and their study guides/literature packs. Beautiful Feet has been fun, and I look forward to reading all the books I read with Lionel once again as Sweet-Pea gets older.

Remembering Mom

Today would have been my Mom's 75th birthday!

Oh how I wish she were here so we could celebrate her day! It was hard losing her 8 years ago to cancer, and it was hard losing my Dad last year to Alzheimer's Disease. Not a day goes by, when I don't think of them both. I wish I could pick up the phone and talk to them. I'd love to tell them about my day, all about the kids, how we've moved, what we've been up to lately etc. etc. It's the little everyday things I wish they were around for the most. I see so many of my friends enjoying their parents...having them around to babysit the kids, enjoy holidays with and so much more, and it hurts knowing that I will never get to do that with my parents ever again.

My Mom was truly an inspiration to me. She loved life, she loved her family and she was a blessing to all who knew her. She and I had a close bond. As I got older, we got closer. She loved the Lord and wasn't afraid to share that with everyone. She left behind a legacy that she will always be remembered for. She was part of a wonderful Godly heritage that I too am proud to be a part of! One day I will see her again, and I will spent eternity with her in the Lord's presence...that makes the waiting time here on earth so much easier!!

My beautiful Mom...


Mom and Dad were so much in love, and were a wonderful Christian example of what marriage is all about.


Mom, still vacationing even in the midst of being sick with cancer. Nothing got her down!!


Happy birthday Mom...I miss you but know that I'll see you again one day!