went to the market.
This little piggy stayed home.
This little piggy had roast beef.
This little piggy had none.
And this little piggy said weee, weee, weee, all the way home!
This Little Piggy
August 23, 2008 by Leave a Comment
OUR Summer Olympics 2008
August 23, 2008 by 2 Comments
With the start of the Olympics, our children have stayed up late to watch all of the Opening Ceremonies, watched at least a half hour of Olympic coverage every night, read factual books about China, watched a video about life in China, and have even been listening to us read about Eric Liddell (a famous Olympian and missionary to China). However, we just HAD to participate in our own Olympics to make the experience come alive!
So, look out world! We have some record breaking Olympians on our hands, right in our own backyard– well at least when it comes to pillowcase hops, spoon and ball races, water relays, and Beanie Baby balancing =)
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The night before, we had each chosen a country to represent. We located these on our globe and colored a flag to wave in our Opening Ceremonies.
We wore another flag from our respective countries on our back as well.(Yes, even the baby.)
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We colored in our Olympic coloring book before breakfast. Then, at our ‘breakfast of champions’, Daddy read some facts about the torch, colors of the Olympics rings, the medals, reason for the games, etc.
We worked on our memory verse throughout the day…
Colossians 3:23-24
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Here are some of our events..
Spoon and Ball Race |
Hurdles |
Balance Beam |
Water Relay |
Pillow Case Hopping |
At the end, everyone was awarded a gold medal for participating with joyful hearts, helping others, being encouragers, doing their best, trying to learn their Bible memory, etc.
And to round out the full experience of the games, we even ate Chinese food for dinner using chopsticks =) A fun day for all!
Here are some more fun links to another family’s Olympics…
The Fairy Olympics
Preschool Olympics – Throwing and Catching
Backwards Olympics
First Day Fears
August 22, 2008 by 1 Comment
Psalm 56:3
When I am afraid, I will trust in You.
When I am afraid, I will trust in You.
When I am afraid, I will trust in You.
Psalm 56:3
I will trust in You!
Since the end of our 3’s school and kindergarten year, my oldest two children had eagerly been asking when we would begin school again. Thoughts of the last three months of our school year would flash through my mind. We had a newborn the last three months of school. Pulling my K student to do school whenever we had some time when the baby napped worked for awhile, but the unpredictability and loss of routine and structure had left me frazzled! So, although the girls were excited, I was experiencing a paralyzing fear. Thoughts of ‘What if I can’t do this with a toddler and baby needing my attention as well? They deserve more – someone more qualified, more knowledgeable, someone with more energy and patience …’
I decided to ask to meet with another trusted homeschool mom (more seasoned than I) to see if I was on track for the type and amount of work I had been planning for the upcoming year and to glean any words of wisdom. She graciously helped me tweak some areas and encouraged me as well.
About a week into our new homeschool year though, I was once again feeling defeated and thinking, ‘I can’t do this.’ I was nearing the point of throwing in the towel before I had even started! ‘The school bus for our district wouldn’t even be coming around for another week or so. There was still time to switch, right?’
Then, at just the right time, God sent two things (literally) to get me refocused. One was a reader’s comment that spoke some calming reassurance to my heart. These weren’t her exact words, but what I heard as I read was, ‘God is sovereign and He gave us our children to raise for His glory. It is our responsibility and blessing to get to train them and to educate them at home. He makes no mistakes. Your little ones are where they need to be.’
The second item God sent was a book that I had ordered a few weeks before school was to start, Lies Homeschooling Mom’s Believe by Todd Wilson. I had first heard of this through the Heart of the Matter Online Devotional Study and knew it would be one that I would want to add to my library. The book was written by the husband of a homeschooling mom to 7 and I found it to be a quick, often humorous, and straightforward read, offering much that I could relate to and needed to hear. (The above HOTM link will allow you to read and get a good feel for what is in the book, so I will not elaborate on that here.) I know I will be referring back to the book throughout this year – as it seems to be an on again, off again battle in my mind to NOT believe the lies. I need to remember that Satan is the Father of all lies and that lies need to be combated by the Truth in God’s Word.
Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Dear Jesus, I will trust in You.
Showing Grace
July 15, 2008 by 1 Comment
My response would have probably been a firm ‘No.’ However, I was not the one in position to execute the decision and so I left it up to him. I heard his voice gently speaking to them. A little later, I heard the clanking of bowls and spoons. Some, looking in on this scene, might have said that he had given in to them and that he was showing them that they could get their way when they complain loudly enough.
But I saw a loving father demonstrating God’s grace in a tangible way.
The loud complaining was a ‘But, Daddy!’ and tears – over something as simple as not being able to have a snack before bed. A request that is sometimes answered by a yes and at other times, due to the lateness or other circumstances, receives a “No, not tonight.” Yes, they responded poorly to our answer and should have been disciplined appropriately and not have been able to have a snack.
And so enters unmerited favor from their daddy. After talking with the girls and explaining that they should not have a snack becasue of their poor response, he then extends grace by forgoing punishment and allowing them to have a small snack.
This showing of grace points me to Christ and His grace that was extended to us. May their earthly daddy’s small acts of grace towards them point our little ones’ hearts and minds to their Heavenly Father as well.
For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith—and this not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and are justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:23-24
Ants! (part 2)
June 27, 2008 by Leave a Comment
Taking our ant problem and making it FUN!
“Ants have three body parts. They have a head, abdomen, and thorax. There is one queen in a colony. They have jaws. They use their antennae to smell. Some ants have stingers. Some ants are brown and some are black. Most of the ants are females. Forager ants collect food. Some of the ants are builder ants. They fix the nest if some of the dirt falls. The male ants meet with the queen. The male ants have wings. After the flighting, the male ants die. The special part about the queen is that she is the only one that lays the eggs.”
by A – age 6
making an anthill with tunnels and rooms for all the ants…
our edible ants….
We also READ a ton of ant books that we gathered from the library, watched The Magic School Bus has Ants in its Pants (way too many times, LOL!), counted out raisin ‘ants’ with tweezers into muffin tins, made a construction paper ant, and read what the Bible has to say about ants …
Proverbs 6:6-8
Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
