Daddy's little helper!

Daddy told Jaden that he could help sweep the fallen leaves off our sidewalk onto the street for the street cleaner to take them away. (Now the street cleaner comes by our house at about 8:00 AM on Daddy's day off.)

So -- of course, Jaden was awake bright and EARLY on Monday morning and the first thing he said to me was, "Mommy, can you help me get dressed? I've got to go outside and help Daddy sweep the leaves!" (Mind you, at this point, Daddy is still in bed.) So we woke Daddy up and got both boys bundled up -- it was pretty chilly on Monday morning!

Here's Daddy's helper - all bundled up with rake in hand.

Both boys worked very hard! They cleared the sidewalk for our neighbors as well.

I think Jaden had a bit of a "mitten malfunction" or something.
Jaden had so much fun helping Daddy . . . although Daddy probably would have enjoyed it more if it had been a little later in the day (and slightly warmer outside)!

Our Thanksgiving school plans

Well, November is upon us and Thanksgiving is right around the corner! (We won't even TALK about how quickly it will be Christmas time!) Anyway, I thought I'd share some of the wonderful books that we will focus on this week. My plan is to focus on the Pilgrims this week and native Americans next week. We will wrap up our Thanksgiving unit on Thanksgiving week as we talk about the first Thanksgiving.

I really love these books about Pilgrim life and the Mayflower. They all are illustrated with photographs taken at Plimoth Plantation and on the Mayflower II, replicas of the original sites. I hope to one day take our children there for a "field trip', but for now, we'll have to content ourselves with the books.

Sarah Morton's Day talks about life for a Pilgrim girl.

Samuel Eaton's Day is the counterpart, sharing what life was like for a Pilgrim boy.

And On the Mayflower chronicles what the journey on the Mayflower was like from the perspective of a ship's apprentice and a young girl traveling without her parents.

I discovered this book last year . . . it's by Patricia Polacco, one of our favorite authors. This book talks about the Jewish holiday of Sukkoth, a celebration of the harvest and thanks to God for His provision.

And then there are the "fun" books -- books we will read as we cuddle up on the couch!
This book is great -- it teaches the chorus of the hymn "Count Your Blessings" and lists things to be thankful for in a style reminiscent of "One, Two Buckle My Shoe".

And this is our new favorite this year . . . so sweet! We've read it several times already!

A lot of what we do this month will be focusing on history -- learning about the Pilgrims and native Americans: what they ate and wore, where they lived and how they spent their time each day. For Bible time, we are working on memorizing Psalm 100 and making "Thankful Turkeys" where we will add tail feathers for each thing that we are thankful for. (I'll try to post a picture of that as we add to it.)

Most of all, I really want the next two months especially to be full of memories we make together. So often, the months of November and December are just a blur of one activity or project after another. I want to SLOW DOWN and savor each moment . . . each book we read, each activity we do, even the silly things my sweet children do. Childhood is so fleeting and they are growing up right before my eyes. I don't want to miss a moment of this precious time by being too busy to enjoy it.

So that's my plan . . . feel free to check in with me and ask me how I'm doing! ;)

Hermit crab habitat renovations

Well, Poppy and Jason have officially been part of our family for one month (Happy Anniversary, guys!) To celebrate, we visited a pet store to pick up some accessories to make their home more fun! Then while Daddy took Lael to ballet class tonight, Jaden and I worked on our pets' home.

Here is my eager assistant, ready to begin!

We added new aquarium stones -- a much thicker layer so they can burrow down in the rocks if they want to (and isn't it a pretty color!). We also purchased the climbing apparatus, a deeper water dish and larger shells for them to move into as they grow.After we put the crabs back into their new home, both of them checked everything out . . . especially the corners (still trying to figure out what's so fascinating there).
Poppy is our climber! Here he is exploring the new climbing apparatus -- he's pretty daring, even hanging over the edge a bit!

Jason enjoyed hanging out at the new water dish. He also spent quite a bit of time rearranging everything we so carefully placed -- I guess he didn't think very highly of our layout design!

We learned a few interesting hermit crab tidbits today, including:

• Hermit crabs enjoy periodic treats like coconut, popcorn and PEANUT BUTTER!
• Hermit crabs like playing hide and seek -- and they need peace and quiet sometimes (not sure how much of that they get around here).
• Some hermit crabs have been kept in homes as pets for over 20 YEARS (our kids will be out of college by then)!
  
  So that's our pet update . . . one month later, and the hermit crabs are surviving and thriving! (Whew!)

Election Day 2008

I have a jumble of thoughts this morning -- Election Day. I've been praying for today for weeks, and now it's here. My greatest comfort is knowing that God is sovereign; my trust is in Him and not in a political candidate.

I am, however, a one-issue voter -- and I'm not ashamed to say it! Now, before anyone leaves a not so nice comment about Christians who only focus on one issue, let me share a couple of my observations.

First of all, most people, no matter their religious convictions (or lack thereof), are one-issue voters in that there is one issue in particular that they are passionate about and that guides their political choices. That one issue may be the economy, foreign policy, the war in Iraq, the environment, abortion, the sanctity of marriage . . . and the list goes on.

Secondly, when it comes to your "one issue", it's very hard to understand why anyone would choose a position other than the one you hold on that issue.

And finally, what makes this election so unique is the number of pressing issues facing our next president. Who really is best suited to take the helm of our nation come January? I know who I am voting for, and here's why . . .

As I have prayed about this election, the Lord led me to a couple of Scriptures that confirmed my choice of candidate. The main one is in Proverbs 14:34, which says, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people." Another version reads, "Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people."

Our greatest need as a nation is not economic stability or victory in the war on terror. What we really need is the restoration of our great nation. We were founded as a nation under God. I realize that for those who don't believe in God, those words are grating, but it does not change their reality. Our pastor (who is also my husband) read a prayer from George Washington's prayer journal this past Sunday -- he was asking God to continue working in his life to help him to walk in personal holiness as he carried out the responsibilities before him.

The reality is that we deserve judgment as a nation because we have strayed so far from righteousness. But as I vote, I will be voting my one issue -- righteousness. Which candidates have shared that they take a stand for the value of human life, the sanctity of marriage and family? Does that mean I agree completely with any one candidate? No. My faith is not in a candidate or a political party, but I do take God at His Word that if we as a nation choose first to exalt righteousness and turn from sin, that He will hear from heaven, forgive our sin and heal our land.

So, it's okay to be a "one-issue voter" -- but if you are a believer in God Almighty and Jesus His Son, remember to check your "one issue" against His "one issue". How does it measure up? But by all means, make sure you vote!

Remember....

If you are thinking of not voting...
If you are thinking the line is too long...
If you are thinking you are too busy...
If you are thinking your one vote will not matter...

Remember...

Just 300 years ago, you would have had no vote.You would have had no say.You were told what to do.You were controlled by someone thousands of miles away.You had no freedom.

Thankfully, a large group of men and women decided itdid not have to be this way. They made the sacrifice sowe could choose who we wanted, what we wanted, and have an influence over our country.

Regardless of party, regardless of political affiliation, let's join together today as Americans and do the #1 right our Constitution gave us...the right to vote.

I read this on a homeschool message board . . . and would add that as believers we have a responsibility to involve ourselves in this process and let our voice be heard!

Anybody thirsty?

Jaden set up a "water stand" today -- we didn't have any lemonade :)

Here he is, ready for business! Note the creative use of his laundry hamper . . .

The best part of this particular stand (in addition to the adorable stand owner)? He provided customers with coins from his own piggy bank to make their purchases! How generous!

He's just too cute!

Fun with friends

We had a visit last week from some special friends! While they were visiting, we did a tissue paper art project . . . lots of fun!

Here are our friends working hard on their projects!

Jaden is busy adding squares of tissue paper to his fall leaf outline that he first "painted" with water.

Once the tissue paper was on and completely wet, we let it dry before removing the tissue paper pieces.

And here are the finished projects . . .

It's looking more and more like fall every day! I'm hoping that we can go for a nature walk at the end of this week and pick up some fall leaves . . . both Lael and Jaden have been fascinated by the vibrant colors we've seen around us so far! Our God is so creative, and He's made such a beautiful world for us to enjoy!

Faith is . . .

Here's a quote I read today by Oswald Chambers:

Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God

whose ways you may not understand at the time.

Praise God that we can have faith in Him, even when our circumstances don't make sense! We can be confident in His character -- His love, righteousness, strength, goodness, mercy, power . . . all of who He is! And that is a comfort in uncertain times!

Our vacation (part 2)

After a delightful time in Ocean City, Maryland, we traveled up the coast a bit to Delaware and spent a night with some of Daddy's family at Bethany Beach.
The highlight of the time (in addition to time with grandparents, aunts and an uncle) was spending the morning at the shore!

We loved digging in the sand . . .

. . . running and leaving our footprints behind . . .

. . . and playing paddleball with Daddy and Grandma!

We saw dolphins swimming really close to shore (but not close enough for me to get a good picture of them) . . . Lael was thrilled as she was hoping to see dolphins while we were away. A little "love gift" from God to her heart! And what trip to the beach would be complete without boardwalk fries and lemonade? (thank you to Grandpa for that treat!)

Before we knew it, it was time to pack up and return home (awww, do we have to go?) Thanks to Uncle Tim and Aunt Cherie for the invitation -- we loved ending our vacation with you!

Our OC, MD Vacation!

The Invisible Woman

I ran across this video today and it really spoke to me . . . reminding me again why I do what I do and challenging me to be purposeful in all I do! Enjoy!

(Before you play it, make sure you pause the music playing on my blog -- scroll down until you see the finetune player located in the right-hand column)

Introducing Poppy and Jason!

We are now a family of five! That's right, we added two hermit crabs to our family while we were on vacation! Lael and Jaden have been wanting a pet for absolute ages -- Lael says for her whole life ;) Anyway, while we were on vacation, we saw these little friends at a store and decided to bring them home with us!

This is Poppy . . . Lael's little buddy

And this is Jaden's hermit crab Jason
They really enjoy it when we take them out of their cages and let them crawl around on the floor. The kids made a play yard with the blocks so their crabs can get some exercise and play together. Jason has already changed shells since we got him on Friday! (But he switched during the night, so we missed it . . . too bad!) Poppy is the more active crab during the day, but Jason is a "night crab" -- doing a lot of his moving around after the kids go to sleep. We are excited to get to know our little friends better in the days to come!

Parenting resources give-away!

Values Driven Family.com is having a give-away of some wonderful parenting resources as well as some that will encourage moms in their own spiritual walk. You can check it out here to find out more (and to sign up for the drawing)!

By the way, check out their website as well -- they have lots of resources of their own. I have listened to several podcasts of their seminars, which have blessed me tremendously.

Make-You-Smile Monday!

Have a great day!

What's going on at GodSeekers Academy this week?

This week we are studying the ocean in preparation for our family vacation which is coming up! (Yay!) We are reading a wonderful book called Atlantic, which is told by the Atlantic Ocean in the first person -- we've had lots of fun discussions about personification with this book! In addition, we've been looking at different shells and seeing their similarities and differences. Hopefully we will be able to add to our shell collection on vacation!

Yesterday we were looking at a book of seascapes by different artists. We really liked this one by Gustave Courbet called Lake Leman at Sunset.

We discovered that Courbet thickened the bright red paint with sand to give texture to his painting and make it look more like waves, so we tried that ourselves.

This is Jaden's painting of a storm "that messed everything up" (his words).

Lael really wanted to put reflections and shadows in her painting like other artists she has seen. If you look carefully, you can see the sun reflecting on the water and the shadow of the boat as well.

And here's Mommy's attempt . . . I really enjoyed using the sand paint; it added fun texture!

Today we're going to do an experiment with evaporation -- which will be a great review of the water cycle that we learned about last year. We are also going to do some salt water painting -- painting with heavily-salted water on black paper, then using a blow dryer to evaporate the water and reveal the salt crystals. The kids can't wait for that!

Trying our hand at still life drawing

As part of our apple week, we've been looking at Still Life with Apples by Paul Cezanne. We thought it might be fun to try drawing our own still life artwork with apples.

Here's Cezanne's artwork:

And here are my little artists -- we chose oil pastels as our medium.

This is Jaden's finished artwork . . . the apple he was looking at was mostly red with a few yellow and green spots, which he so carefully included in his drawing!
Here is Lael with her piece, entitled Apples in a Basket.
Lael and I had fun experimenting with blending colors of pastels by rubbing them together with our fingers!
Lael did another picture which was part still life drawing (the apple) and part drawing from her imagination (the glass of apple cider) -- well, they go together well!

And here's my attempt at drawing a basket of apples -- I'm not an artist, but I had fun trying! (It's actually very therapeutic!)

GodSeekers Academy this week . . .

We are having such a fun week so far! Here's what we have going on:

• We are reading How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman . . . we usually read it every year about this time just because it's such a fun book! We're working on an apple lapbook filled with all kinds of "delicious" information to go along with this great book! We'll also be taking an apple-picking field trip to wrap up our week of learning about apples


• To tie in with our apple book, we've been looking at "Still Life with Apples" by Paul Cezanne, as well as some of his other artwork. This afternoon we are planning to try our own apple still life drawings with oil pastels . . . I'll be sure to post some pictures afterwards!


• Jaden has been enjoying his phonics program so much! I am using the Explode the Code primer series with him, and he is doing so well! The letter of the week for this week is S -- the first thing Jaden asked me when he woke up this morning was if I could print out an S book for him that he could read. (I use Reading A-Z's website for those.) So I printed out his book and he had it down pat before breakfast so he could read it to Daddy!


• Lael started Horizons 2 math today . . . and it was "easy-breezy" (her words)! Today's lesson even had a cross-number puzzle, which was new for both of us -- but lots of fun!

I have some other things I want to do this week, including:

• apple prints -- that's just a classic "must-do" project in fall


• History for Little Pilgrims - continuing on with the history in Genesis, including placing pictures on our timeline for the Tower of Babel and the flood


• writing apple cinquains


• cooking with apples -- maybe some apple bread or apple dumplings (yummy!)