Homeschool activities

Today we finished our study of the kings of Israel, and therefore completed the timeline we have been working on ever since we began with King Saul. At the end of the line is the last king of Judah, King Zedekiah, and we then drew the statue from Nebuchadnezzar's dream to show the end of the line of kings and the start of the captivity of Judah. The kids had fun drawing symbols to tell which kings were wicked and which were good.

On a similar note, we have been working on our own family tree. We have found ancestors in Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Austria, Prussia, and Wales. The kids are on the trunk, and then it branches off to mom and dad, and then further. One line goes back as far as 1739. However, we did not draw symbols to denote which ancestors were wicked and which were good. :)

Here is a picture of the ice castle the kids recently built, using icicles that were hanging from a building.



And here is Hannah, preparing for our trip to Laura Ingalls Wilder Days in Pepin. (We like to plan ahead. The weekend is in September!)


One of my favorite homeschooling memories comes from the year we started. We were reading the Little House books aloud, and had just started "On the Shores of Silver Lake." One of the earliest chapters was a tribute from Laura to her dog, Jack. He was old and about to die. It was such a heart-rendering tribute that by the end of the chapter, I was sobbing! I was so choked up that I couldn't finish reading it to the kids and Hannah had to read it for me. The kids stared at me like I was from Mars, but I couldn't get ahold of myself. "Uh, mom, this is a story from, oh, about 150 years ago. It's about a DOG. You don't even LIKE dogs, remember??"


Go figure. It just shows how good writing can be very moving and persuasive!

Dear Lord....

Dear Lord,

For all of us who call ourselves by Your name, may we:

Celebrate more often than we complain;

Encourage more often than we judge;

Think more about others than ourselves;

Put the best construction on others' actions and motives;

Be world-changers, not just comfort-seekers;

Respect others' opinions but let Your Word have the final say;

Not grow weary in doing good;

Season all our conversations with Truth and Grace;

See You at work in the smallest situations;

See You at work in the most trying circumstances;

Trust each other more--second guess each other less;

Trust You more--question You less;

Grow softer hearts for the least lovable;

Keep an open chair at our table;

And, most of all--reflect You--not distort You--to a watching world!

This was written by our pastor's wife, and I thought it was lovely and right on! Even though we are having a day today where we could easily complain (two sick kids, dad out of town), we will celebrate anyway because of all the wonderful things He has done for us.

To quote my favorite line from my new favorite movie, Facing the Giants: "If we win, we praise Him. And if we lose, we praise Him!"

May God bless you today, friend!

Random Thoughts on an Icy Day

Brrr...

Yesterday was the coldest we have seen here in Wisconsin in a long time. I believe the high was minus one, so the local powers that be determined that school should be canceled (I think so all the kids could go sledding). Today is much warmer, a balmy one degree, but local schools still wanted the kids to play outside I guess, because they canceled school AGAIN!

Okay, I am trying not to roll my eyes. Growing up in northern Minnesota, I had to walk a mile to school (it was NOT uphill both ways - I'm not THAT old). Mom always said that if it was 20 below, she would give me a ride to school. One day, I remember yelling, "Mom, it's below zero!" Well, it was only five below, so I didn't qualify for a ride. I bundled up in my snowmobile suit, mittens, hat, and scarf, and off I went. The idea of "wind chill" had not reached our area of the world yet.

It was around this time, perhaps about second grade, that on one of my walks home in the dead of winter, I tried to lick the delicious-looking frost from the Mill Street Bridge in Fergus Falls (did I mention the METAL Mill Street Bridge?). I hadn't studied science very extensively yet, and thus was unaware that anything wet would stick to cold metal. I had to yank my tongue off the bridge, and I lost the skin off the tip of my tongue. Owwww! It hurt, and was bleeding profusely. Another drawback to not having studied science yet was that I was certain I would bleed to death before reaching home. I had no idea how much blood ran through my veins. I guess one of these days I should study science.

My girls started classes this morning; an art class and a music class for homeschoolers meeting once a week. Each class had six kids in them. I know, a bit overcrowded but what can you do? :) The boys and I ran errands and then went and hung out at the library while this was going on.

Dh is on a business trip this week, so we are on our own. We were very happy to see Tony Dungy and his team win the Super Bowl this week. I just love how he gives the glory to the Lord!