Welcome to Dana's blog!

HS convention

I was thinking today, too, that God arranges that whole convention around ME!ROTFL! Last year, I just KNEW taht I had to hear Kevin Swanson and walked away w/such PEACE about him! This year, I've been VERY MUCH IN PRAYER about Mat's behavior and low and behold, dear old Norm (Wakefield for those not on a personal basis w/him!LOL) has given us a direction to head w/that! AND it's got DH to thinking. We listened to Norm on the way home last night (cuz no boys in the van!LOL) and I asked DH at the end what he thought. He said it was alot of info and that he need to hear it again. I nearly FELL OVER DEAD!!!! So we listened to it on the way to church this morning again!!!!!!! And HE asked to hear Dr. Whitcomb!

For more about Norm Wakefield, www.spiritofelijah.com is what I"m referring to.

Tonight is PJ night at kid's club. One less step when we get home......except taht JOey has black playdoh under his nails and it looks gross!LOL

Research paper

I saw him sitting at the kitchen table w/snacks and can of root beer and it took me straight back to college! I so remember writing papers!

Here is the actual paper. Yes, his handwriting really is THIS BAD! But the content was really good. I don't know why the 2nd page of the paper is so fuzzy! And he forgot to write down his bibliography stuff so he's doing that page on Wed:

Not a coffin........

Mat's research paper is on minerals and gems. He handed me his rough draft today. I was reminding myself to be POSITIVE and not look solely at the grammar. The content was quite good. He told about gold, silver, etc. He gets to emeralds and says, "They are the 55th anniversary stone (not a coffin). I just CRACKED UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Emerald is my favorite stone and I guess I"m going to tell DH that he can get me that over a coffin for our 55th wedding anniversary gift!LOL

Mat's new friend........

Animal School

This is really good!

Animal School

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVxT4XO0ZuY

Creation Museum

WOW! What an AWESOME PLACE!!!!!!!!!!! Please understand that I totally LOVED this place! We were there from a little after noon until nearly 5!!!!!!!!

HOWEVER, I really did not feel like they had much information about some things (not in the exhibits. That info was FANTASTIC!). They give you a map and on the back are all of the fees. BUT there is NOTHING about the movies and stuff that they are showing. I could find NO info about what the planetarium was showing. I could find no info about what "Men in White" were (and if it cost money), etc, etc. They seemed to presume that you knew quite a bit about the place. OTOH, the staff ROCKED. SUPER friendly and they definitely go out of their way to help/answer questions. I was just frustrated that this was laid out in black in white, yk? The guide also says that you can walk thru in 2 hours. HOW is beyond me! Maybe they mean just the actual walking part, but there are 2 (free w/admission) movies that are 20 minutes each! Another 6 min one and you have to time these or there is time standing around waiting. So that is my only complaint!LOL

We did kind of freak cuz we bought the planetarium tix and about halfway thru the exhibit, I asked DH for the time, he said 1. WHAT?!?!?! It should've been 2! We both thought KY was on eastern and apparently it's on central (hence the cell phone time!LOL). So I ran to the desk to ask cuz we were going to try ot change ticket times, but she said that they run on eastern. WHEW!LOL

And this place is in the middle of NOWHERE! We got there about 11:30 and decided not to eat there (normal museum food prices FYI) and picked Steak'n'Shake on the GPS. There was NO BUILDINGS where it sent us!LOL But the closest food place is 5ish miles away. So be prepared if you go!LOL It's just frustrating for me cuz I prefer to sample local flavors and DH gives you the option of McD or BK. Not my idea of fun!LOL

So we got home about 6:30 and I got the van vacuumed out and loaded the frozen meat for tomorrow's chili. I heated up the cheesy potato ham potato soup, but there was not enuf for me so I ate the last of the waldorf salad. I think that finishes off the leftovers! WAHOO! I'm now ready to tumble into bed.;)

Creation Museum Pics

Joey went through this dark tunnel all by himself!

I thought this was hysterical for an obvious reason:

First century synagoge replica that they have open for meditation:

link for Pizza Hut book it!

Register now for 2008-09 bookit thru Pizza hut! If you aren't familar w/it, it's a program to promote reading for chlidren up to 6th grade. They will each receive 6 coupons for free personal pan pizzas!

http://www.bookitprogram.com/enrollment/k6enroll.asp

Took me less than a minute....... And they now have a Preschool form!

teaching can be hard......

Oh yea, we are reading the bible in chronological order in 1 year. WOW! I have no idea how I"m going to pull this off. I'm just praying that Mat only asks what questions God wants him to. It's been less than a month that I had to explain abortion. I was showing him about how the election process works (primaries) and we were looking at nominee's platform and he asked if abortion was like abolition!ROTFL! He aws very confused since we don't see slavery.;) So last night I'm reading about Tamar and how she pretended to be a prostitute to decieve her FIL and get pg by him...... UGH !I don't even understand why they had those customs! For those unfamiliar (as  i would've been had I not read), it's in the passage where the man is instructed to sleep w/his (deceased) brother's wife and he spills his seed. I just pointed out that God is not happy when we disobey!ROTFL

The fun never ends here. He's listening to a 4.5 hr book on CD about being a youth growing up under Hitler........

Mom, what's an Adolph (now he knows who Hitler is and what he did in very broad terms). Huh? What's an Adolph? (very LONG "A"). Me remembering what he was doing said, you mean Adolph Hitler? Yes. It's his name. What's his name? ADOLPH IS HIS FIRST NAME!ROTFL Really????

See, I can answer THOSE types of questions!ROTFL!!!

Mom what's a concentration camp.......so I know he's learning and we are talking.

Mat's school

Anatomy lesson plans

Week 1: Brain & Nervous System

Experiments:    

1) Reading Rainbows—paper is in w/the instructions

2) Think Fast, Act Faster—ruler

3) Look Again—scissors, Styrofoam plate

4) Through the Looking Glass—pencil, stopwatch or watch w/second hand, hand mirror

5) Strong Sight—pencil, paper, tape

Week2: Senses & Nervous System

Experiments:    

1) Smell like a Salmon—cotton balls, garlic, paper cup, blindfold, paper towel, yardstick

2) Tastes Good to Me—4 glasses, water, measuring spoons, sugar, salt, vinegar, unsweetened grapefruit juice, pencil, paper, Q-tips, glass of water

3) That’s No Apple—potato peeler, knife, carrot, potato, pear, onion, 12 toothpicks, plate, glass of water

4) Running Hot & Cold—3 bowls, hot water, cold water, lukewarm water, timer

Week 3: Digestive System & Respiratory System

Experiments:    

1) Tooth Detective—styrofoam plate, scissors, pen

2) Balancing Apples & Oranges—paper, pencil (for food journal)

3) Huff & Puff—washtub, apple juice container

4) Can’t Keep It In—stopwatch

 5) Bag it—glass, distilled water, bromothymol blue, straw, timer

Week 4: Circulatory System

 Experiments:    

1) The Beat Goes On—stethoscope, stopwatch

 2) Thump, Thump—stopwatch or watch w/second hand

 3) Blood & Gore—measuring spoons, white corn syrup, cup, water, toothpick, red food coloring, cornstarch, soy sauce

4) Piping The Blood—light, mirror, magnifying lens

Week 5: Muscular System

Experiments:    

1) Bet You Can’t—straight-backed, armless chair

2) Hand Puppet—sharp knife, chicken foot, needle-nose pliers

3) Stretch it out—carpeted floor

4) Muscle Fatigue—table & chair, tennis balls, stopwatch

Week 6: Skeletal System

Experiment:     

1) Skeleton Man—hole punch, small paper plate, 19 pipe cleaners (12” long), 24 wagon wheel noodles, scissors, ruler, 12 oz  plastic drinking glass, 12 plastic drinking straws, cardboard,  pencil

 2) Bony Blocks—toilet paper rolls, heavy book

 3) Feet & Feet—tape measure, pencil, paper, calculator

These experiments are from Head to Toe Science by Jim Wiese

Homeschool coop

The meeting went well the other night! God supplied 2 new teachers to fill out the session! So we'll be offering world geography and art one hour and butterfly lifecycle (for younger ones), anatomy (For older ones) and how to make friendship bracelets as well.

We had a few new families and the dad (SAHD) offered to *teach* geocaching! WAHOO! I've wracked my brain trying to figure out how to do that and he seems to have a good plan and I told him that I"d gladly help him! So we'll offer that next fall. I really wish it wasn't fall cuz DH could do a little presentation on how he utilizes GPS in his job. But maybe we can work something out. As a favor to his wife.....but I doubt it!LOL

We also tossed out lots of field trip ideas. And I delegated ppl to check on them. We get lots of ideas and then nothing ever happens. Maybe this will be what we need to get them done?

A new lady tossed out having family game day. It would rotate homes and be a family affair. I think it sounds like a GREAT idea! I hope the turnout is well! I offered us to have volleyball. One lady has an  elaborate wiffleball set up, which I think sounds like tremendous fun!

HILARIOUS HS video!

One more reason to HS...

December 19, 2007

Helping Siblings Serve Together

By Glynnis Whitwer

 “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee , he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net for they were fishermen.  ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’” Matthew 4:18-19 (NIV)

Devotion:

Is it a coincidence that the first four disciples Jesus called to follow Him were two sets of brothers?  Based on God’s intentionality throughout Scripture, that’s highly unlikely. 

It wasn’t an accidental choice to pick fishermen, and it wasn’t an accident they were brothers.  Yes, Jesus knew just what He was doing when He called the sibling sets of Simon-Peter and Andrew, then James and John to join Him in His mission to teach the good news of the kingdom of God . 

The New Testament tells of how these brothers, plus a small group of others, changed their world for the cause of Christ.  What an amazing picture of siblings serving side-by-side:  powerful, effective and loving.  Perhaps there was an extra dose of confidence knowing a brother was there to protect your back.  Maybe Jesus wanted to show others that joining God’s family meant you could have hundreds of brothers and sisters just as wonderful as Peter and Andrew, or James and John.

Today it’s rare to see siblings serving alongside each other, either in church or in a ministry outside of church.   Parents often focus on allowing each child to explore his or her individual gifts and talents through service – which is a good thing.  Then as brothers and sisters grow up, their lives take them away from each other.   But what might happen if we initiated opportunities for our children to serve together?   What if we served God with our own brothers or sisters at our sides? 

I think based on Jesus’ example of calling brothers, we should seriously consider how to cultivate opportunities for our families to serve hand-in-hand.   It’s never too late to take on an outreach or service project as a family.  Even the smallest children can do something.  And most teenagers actually like getting involved in social outreach, especially if it involves someone in great need.

This holiday season, let’s look for ways for brothers and sisters to serve together.  It’s a great way to be obedient to God by serving others, and perhaps it will be the start of a world-changing mission, just like it was for those first sets of brothers who walked with Jesus.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me family to enjoy life with.  Please help me to understand Your heart for brothers and sisters working together.  I ask for help to know how to help my children learn to serve side-by-side, and how to serve side-by-side with my own siblings. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Civil War re-enactor pics

This was them showing us the 'ready to fire' stance:

Them w/the cannon:

Them explaining how wasteful war is now compared to then:

Letting Mat fire off a pistol:

Joey posing w/the first chapter book that he's ever read!

Here it is! We are quite proud of him! Almost 70 pages and he just turned 5!

He now gets to pick out ice cream of his choice for accomplishing this!

roller skating

homeschool coop

WOW! It was a great meeting! We have 5 new families who want to be involved! I think that's just wonderful. I was hoping to see the group grow a little and get some new ideas and involvement. It will certainly be a big asset for the coop! Not to mention that the more contacts that we have, the more field trip opportunities we get!

I just am enjoying watching this group grow and change. Plus it takes some heat off of me!LOL

1st day of school DONE!;)

Joey's been at in for 4 days and managed to do 1 month's of work!ROTFL! He won't stop--I've tried! It will slow down soon tho. Once math gets a bit more complicated. But it's cute for now and I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Mat did his 1st day of school--only 4 subjects tho. I'm contemplating on having reading and science being alternated. So today he did LA, bible, math & reading. I'm not sure what's happening next week so I hated to push much anyway. Plus DH still needs to get history and geography on the computer for him (the rest are all workbooks).