Spring Break

We are on spring break right now. Normally I avoid taking the same week as the local schools, but the children's cousin is off of school and this is when he could come to visit. My Honey took a few days off of work and we had a great time with our family. The weather was beautiful. The children got out the bouncy house and played and played. My husband and father-in-law have been working on our cursed boat...that's cursed not curse-ed, and hopefully it behave for a while. it was nice to hear it running smoothly. My sister-in-law and I made pints and pints of jam. I got to cuddle a toddler nephew as much as he would tolerate. All the children enjoyed playing with, feeding and holding the chickens.

We had a great adventure trying to get to a fun class I had scheduled. It didn't work out.

Tomorrow we will be working on The Great Clothes Swap in between whatever we do for fun. Daddy home on a Wednesday is a rare treat. We have school planned again beginning Thursday, with the class rescheduled for next week. Hopefully I can find it this time, despite Google and its horrible directions.

Please let me know what you would like to see me blog about here using the new Skribit I installed on the sidebar. Now that the coop is mostly finished, I can turn my blogging attention to school again.

The Books of the Bible

Perhaps this will be Term Three's poetry selection...

The Books of the Bible

In Genesis the world was made by God's creative hand;
In Exodus the Hebrews march to gain the Promised Land;
Leviticus contains the Law, holy, just and good,
Numbers records the tribes enrolled, all sons of Abraham's blood.
Moses in Deuteronomy records God's mighty deeds.
In Joshua their rebellion oft provokes the Lord to smite,
But Ruth records the faith of one well pleasing in His sight.
In 1st and 2nd Samuel of Jesse's son we read;
Ten tribes in 1st and 2nd Kings revolted from his seed.
In 1st and 2nd Chronicles we see Judah captive made,
But Ezra leads the remnant back by princely Cyrus' aid.
The city walls of Zion Nehemiah builds again,
While Esther saves her people from the plots of wicked men.
In Job we read how faith will live beneath afflictions' rod,
And David's Psalms are precious songs to every child of God.
The Proverbs, like a goodly string of choicest pearls, appear;
Ecclesiastes teaches men how vain are all things here.
The Song of Solomon exalts sweet Sharon's lovely rose,
While Christ the Saviour and the King the rapt Isaiah shows.
The warning Jeremiah apostate Israel warns,
His plaintive Lamentations their awful downfall mourns.
Ezekiel tells in wondrous words the Kingdom's mysteries,
While God's great Kingdom yet to come Daniel in vision sees.
Of judgment and of mercy Hosea loves to tell,
Joel describes the blessed days when God with man will dwell.
Among Tekoa's herdsmen Amos received his call,
And Obadiah prophesies of Edom's final fall.
Jonah enshrines a wondrous type of Christ, our risen Lord;
Micah pronounces Judah lost - lost but to be restored.
Nahum declares on Nineveh just judgment shall be poured
When Christ our risen Saviour shall come to be adored.
A view of Chaldees coming doom Habakkuk's vision gives,
While Zephaniah warns the Jews to turn, repent and live.
Haggai wrote to those who saw the Temple built again,
Zechariah prophesies of Christ's triumphant reign.
Malachi was the last to touch that high prophetic cord;
His final notes sublimely show the coming of the Lord.
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John the Gospel story give,
Describing how the Saviour was born and died that man may live.
Acts tells how well the apostles preached with signs in every place,
And Paul in Romans proves that man is saved through faith by grace.
The Apostle in Corinthians instructs, exhorts, reproves;
Galatians proves that faith in Christ alone the Father approves.
Ephesians and Philippians tell what Christians ought to be;
Colossians bids us live for God and from all sin be free.
In Thessalonians we are taught the Lord will come from heaven,
In Timothy and Titus a shepherd's rule is given.
Philemon marks a brother's love as only brethren know;
Hebrews reveals Christ's priestly works prefigured long ago.
James teaches without holiness, faith is but vain and dead;
While Peter points the narrow way in which the saints are led.
John in his three epistles on love delights to dwell;
But Jude gives warning terrible of those once who fell.
The Revelation prophesies that tremendous day
When all the kingdoms of the earth with noise shall pass away.
"Even so, come, Lord Jesus."

Party, Party, Party!

I want to spice up our homeschool ala Renee. Therefore, I am going to attempt to work in a party day once a month. I am not a party person. I hate arts and crafts. I dislike shopping. I am trying to avoid sweets most of the time. However, I have children! I have children that are old enough to enjoy putting together a party. They LOVE arts and crafts. They enjoy planning, shopping and decorating. It seems like this might work...

Here's my idea source.



March's party will be in celebration of National Bubble Blowers Week. This will be an easily prepared party, good despite rather short notice. In fact, I have already gathered many links regarding bubbles!

Too bad I missed March 11th...that was Johnny Appleseed Day. That would have been fun!

I have my eye on either the 22nd or the 23rd for April's party (despite having two birthdays that week). Wonder which day the children would enjoy celebrating more?

Among the People

I have been enjoying these stories online with my 8 year old twins. They are short, informative, entertaining little nature stories, filled with rich vocabulary and funny little incidents. They are the highlight of the school week for my son. He and his sister draw a picture of the story after I read it to show their understanding and assist them when they narrate the story later, to Dad or to an older sibling.

I bought the real book from Amazon using some of my latest free Swagbucks gift certificates. Sitting back, cuddling on the couch and reading a real book with real pages is so much better, in my opinion.

An Amazon Order

Here are the books I received from Amazon this week. My "To-Read" pile is growing bigger and bigger! I don't know which to begin with, they are all such good books!

Standard Bible Story Readers

My daughter, Trixie, has taken an interest in the lovely little Bible Readers by Lillie A. Faris. She is working her way through them for her free-reading books. I'm so glad she's discovered them! I love the beautiful illustrations and simple text.

I love even more that she's noticed a few liberties that have been taken with the stories. Yesterday, she asked for details about a story that mentioned Joseph and Mary returning to the first inn they tried to find a place to stay in when they arrived in Bethlehem, and being directed to the stable. She had heard the true story enough to know the Bible doesn't say that they returned to a previously visited inn. We looked to the Scripture and confirmed that is was an addition to the story. I explained that narrated stories sometimes add details that are not in the Bible and to keep an eye out for that. She's becoming a Berean!

Despite this little error, these Readers are well worth finding in their original editions. They are inexpensive, the art is beautiful and the poems, stories and songs are worth adding to your home library.

"It is impossible to mentally or socially enslave a Bible-reading people." -Horace Greeley

Incredible Progress!!

This masterpiece of writing was penned by my darling daughter, Missy. She was participating in our first day of "Sequential Spelling" Vol. 1. The children were writing "We are all beginning to be good spellers." by dictation. This was her surprising version. Isn't it magnificent??!!



Take THAT developmental disabilities!!!