Farewell Old Friend

 These two Cottonwoods have towered over our home for as long as anyone can remember.  As a child I played with cousins in their shade, just as my father did before me, and my children after me.  I have listened to the sound of the wind rustling it's leaves, reminding me over and over of laying in the cool sand on hot days on a dune called Grapevine. When I look at these trees they stir up some of my fondest childhood memories.
After a lightning strike five plus years ago, the north tree started to not look as healthy.  It didn't weather well through the ice storm a few years ago and we began to fear that it was a danger to our home and others around us.  So today we say farewell Old Friend...we will miss you!You have been a beautiful part of our lives and God's creation.

Lessons Learned from the In-Laws

It's been a while since a blog post has actually formulated in my head but this morning it did and I have to get it out!  This year has been exceptionally difficult to get the Holidays figured out in my family. It struck a nerve, and this morning in the quiet as I reflected, I realized one of the reasons why.

It's no secret, my In-Laws drive me crazy much of the time.  I could stop there, but I need to explain (or I may not be welcome for the holidays).  They are loud, they carry on many conversations at once, they speak their minds,  they don't know the meaning of personal space, they don't know how to pass food around the table, and they inhale and clear the table before I can even blink,  I know, I know still not helping my case but keep reading.  But one thing that I have come to truly cherish about them is that they love each other fiercely and they don't take one holiday, one vacation, one moment together for granted.

About fifteen years ago, my father-in-law had a Heart Attack.  The kind that no one is supposed live through.  The kind that the paramedics say they have never brought anyone back from.  But this time they did, and he survived. Every few years he has some kind of episode or illness that lands him in the hospital and we are reminded over and over by doctors that there is little that they can do, he isn't even supposed to be here.  Each time we begin to prepare for the worst, surely his damaged heart can't take much more.  We rally around him, his wife, children, grandchildren, and each time he pulls through and slowly regains his health.  He is stubborn and his life on this earth is nothing short of a miracle but, without this family, I don't think he would still be here.

All of the fifteen years that I have been with them, this family has spent every moment together as if it could be their last. Every week they gather for Sunday Supper and love each other loudly and fiercely.  Every holiday, birthday, and life event is celebrated as if it could be the last time we are all together on this earth.  Grandchildren have never taken these grandparents for granted.  Even as they get older, they still show up.  They know the reality, they have known it since they were young.  They hear it in the crackle of grandma's voice as we hold hands around the table and she thanks God for yet another year together.  Our time together is precious and this family never forgets that.

This is what I wish for my parents now and for Monte and I in the future.  I know that sometimes as families, especially those who live close by, work together, and attend church together, it feels like we see too much of each other.  But someday, those faces around the table will be there no longer and I hope that we, like my in-laws, can say we loved them fiercely and never took a moment for granted.

A New Year

Today we officially started our third year of homeschooling.  We homeschool year round,  but after a two week break, we started a new year, along with some new curriculum.  With homeschooling, they say there is a three year learning curve and I definitely feel like I have made my share of mistakes, learned from them, and am now finding our groove.  We moved from the kitchen table to what is now our homeschool room.  We just found that each kiddo needed a more defined personal space, especially as Bentley is becoming more independent with her studies and preparing for high school.  We also found that our creativity and learning from the day spread out all over the kitchen table made meal times a bit more complicated.

Last year we made the tough decision to send Conner back to public school (you can read more about that decision here).  He spent the summer enjoying learning with us again and he and I, along with Monte made the decision to give homeschooling with him another try.  We still deal with many of the same struggles but we are learning and healing slowly.  Public School isolated him from our family and he was always frustrated at missing out on fun projects.  We are trying to be more structured with our time, something he craves, and have made other changes to try to eliminate triggers for him.  He is super smart and independent so he struggles with the correction and guidance that comes with school.  In first grade, math left us both frazzled and eventually lead to our demise.  This year he is almost completely independent with his math and is using Teaching Textbooks, something we found last year for Bentley and Payton.   It gives a lecture, then he works the problems on the computer.   It gives him a few chances to get the problem correct and then walks him through how to do it if he does not get it right.  Mom is hands off.  We are excited to have him with us again.

Bentley is looking toward high-school, which makes this mama squirm.  I worry and pray each day that I am doing enough to prepare her.  We have researched requirements and are making sure that she has what she needs to get into college if that is the path she chooses.  We have found that most colleges,  look very favorably on Home-Schooled children.  Bentley completed seventh grade math last year so is now starting Pre-Algebra.  So far, I am keeping up with her but I know there will come a time when having an aunt who is a math teacher will come in handy.  She is also doing a General Science course, Grammar, Writing, Bible, World History, and taking Art through our local Art Gallery.  She reads LOTS.  This girl goes through books like no one else I know!  Many of her books this year will tie into what we are learning in history, although she always seems to find time to sneak in a few horse books.  She continues to ride Sammy regularly and expands her knowledge of horses every chance she gets.  She is exploring occupations that would include her passion for horses.

Payton is more of a hands on learner so he keeps me on my toes.  I am always searching out new and creative ways to teach this kiddo!  This year he will be concentrating lots on writing and spelling.  He is a great reader and can't get his hands on enough books and documentaries about inventors and engineers.  He just finished devouring a book about The Wright Brothers.  He really enjoyed our summer study of Anatomy, which included lots of experiments and activities.  He reported that when the kids at the race track found out he had home-schooled Anatomy over the summer, one of the seniors quizzed him and he got everything right that she could think of to ask.  That's my boy!

Vaeh and Gracen will continue with preschool this year.  I am making a point of starting out my morning with them.  It seems like unless I focus on preschool activities first, I get caught up in other things and we don't get around to it.  Preschool is my passion, so I cherish this learning time with them.  Progress happens so quickly in these early years.  Jackson loves singing with us and climbing on and off of my lap while we learn.

 We started a new Bible Curriculum called Bible Road Trip last year and we really enjoyed digging deep into God's Word together.  I love the discussions that come from it and I feel a real sense of our purpose for homeschooling being fulfilled.  Another new thing this year includes joining a Homeschool Coop.  We are excited for the opportunities and eventually friendships that this will offer.  

There are bound to be bumps along the way but we are excited for a New Year, learning and growing together.

Summer School Anatomy

I think that it is safe to say that we all LOVED summer school this year.  Weird, I know but we are turning into homeschool nerds and it makes this mama proud.  I think we are growing some life-long learners!  We spent our Summer knee deep in Anatomy and this is the story in pictures (lots and lots and lots of pictures) of our journey through Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology from Apologia.  The kiddos and I worked together to summarize our summer of learning...I hope we don't bore you!

To celebrate our hard work, we picked up grandma and headed to the Kansas Learning Center for Health.  We saw Veleda, the Transparent Talking Woman, whom I remember seeing thirty plus years ago.  The museum has added lots of great hands on exhibits since that time and the two hours we spent there could have easily turned into three, if we had only had more time!  Here are a few more pictures from our field trip...

  Now rewind a few months to the beginning of July...  This is by no means inclusive of the chapters we covered but it gives you a few snapshots into our summer.  This is where my guest blog writers, Bentley, Payton, and Conner take over...enjoy!

 Scientists have learned a lot about Anatomy from the Ancient Egyptians because they mummified bodies.  We used different mixtures of table salt, Epsom salt, and baking soda to see what combination preserved the apples the best.  After seven days our results were inconclusive.  That happens sometimes to even the greatest Scientists.

 Cells contain the nucleus, mitochondria, golgi bodies, dna, the cell membraine, lysosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, and centrioles.  We made cell made of jello and candy representing each of its parts.

In our chapter about the Skeletal System we learned how important our bones are.  We made clay people and tried to make them stand then we added toothpicks for bones and they were able to stand up.  Without "bones", they face-planted over and over again!

We also dissected chicken bones.  We broke the bones and looked at the bone marrow where the blood cells come from.  Some of our bones were soaked in vinegar to remove the calcium.  Without the calcium, they were very soft and "bendy."

During our Study of the Muscular System, we learned about how our facial expressions can affect our emotions.  We learned about the different types of muscles and how they work.

We learned about how our bodies digest food.  Saliva starts out our digestion (Conner had permission to show his food).  We broke down food in a baggie much like out stomach does.  We also made bile in a bowl and learned about how it helps our stomach to digest food. Ewwww.

We learned about Iron Fortified Cereals.  We smashed up cheerios and used a magnet to extract the tiny iron pieces.  We are eating pieces of metal every day!

We studied the Respiratory System and how our lungs and diaphragm work together.  We also learned about what smoking does to our lungs.  We made a model of a lung and diaphragm.  This was a favorite toy around our house for a few weeks (I told you we were nerds)!

Our chapter on blood started out by telling us about the eternal significance of blood and how Christ's death on the cross is the ultimate sacrifice.  We made "blood" and learned about how blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the rest of our body.

We learned about the four chambers of our heart and how it receives de-oxygenated blood and sends it to our lungs then back into the heart and out to the rest of our body.  Our snack was a model of our hearts made out of  graham crackers, frosting and marshmallows.

 We learned about smelling things using smell receptors and how the smell lands on little landing pads in our nose.  " That wasn't from the book...I learned that from Magic School Bus!

We dipped our hands in different temperatures of water and learned that our nerves only sense the change in temperature and not what the temperature actually is.  The water felt hotter than it was after we had our fingers in cold water and colder than it really was after having them in hot.

Our finger prints are unique and the police can catch criminals using their finger prints.  We learned that mom and dad had to be fingerprinted and pass background checks before they could foster or adopt.

We worked hard NIGHT and DAY but we finally finished.  It is a bit sad to be done but we are excited to take a short break and start our school year!!

You Might ask what our little people did while we were learning.  They learned too!  You will see them right there with the "big kids" during many of our experiments and even listening along to many of the chapters.  They also spent lots of time playing, hiding under my desk, and I will even admit, watching Sesame Street.

We leave you with these parting shots!