Teaching Notes

The other day while teaching our six year old daughter her reading lesson, we were learning how to pronounce the "ew" in words like blew, drew and screw. I went along explaining the meaning of words. When we got to the word "screw", I said like when dad uses his screw driver. After a second, Iris Anna pipes up, "Also like when you screw up." And then, the almost 16 year old says in the background, "Or when you're screwing around!"

Talking About Eclipses

Today during home school I was talking to our eight year-old son son about lunar and solar eclipses. We were looking at when the next eclipses were scheduled to occur. And then, I shared with him the time when I was in school as a kid and had the opportunity to view a partial lunar eclipse. He said, "Really? How old were you?" I said, "Oh, I was around 10 or 11." "Wow", he said, "that was back in the 1900s." I paused, and then said, "yes, that was."

Free Fare Monday

In our town, the bus service lets you ride the bus for free on the first Monday of the month. So, today, we decided take a break from home school and go on a little field trip. So, everyone got dressed up...well, at least Iris Anna did.

We walked a few blocks to catch the bus.

Iris Anna was singing, "Jesus Loves Me," on the bus.

The man sitting across from her, I could tell, didn't know what to do.

They were all very excited.

Iris Anna borrowed 3-year-old Stavesacre her other
pair of sunglasses to wear while riding on the bus.

4-year-old Peach Blossom was cool enough that he didn't need a pair.

15-year-old Darling Rose hung out with 3-month-old Morning Glory on the ride.

Daddy Rainmaker, who got the day off from work just in case he needed to celebrate a Packer super bowl victory like he did here, hung out next to 8-year-old Dandy Lion.

I should have had them sing, "The wheels on the bus go round and round."

Our excursion took us to Wal Mart where they all got to buy something with a yet unused Christmas gift certificate.

When we got there we noticed that we were on TV.

So, of course, I had to take a picture of that.

So, that's what our family of eight looks like in public.

Don't we look like were having fun?

Well, for the bus trip home...we got to the bus stop seven minutes early and the bus arrived ten minutes late. In short, we were freezing our butts off waiting for the bus...

Here we are still frozen.

But after we got home, I cooked up some pre-frozen ginger cookies

and hot cinnamon apple tea for the kids.

Just the thing on a cold winter's day.

yes, those are multi-colored marshmallows.

Mom, meanwhile, had a home made treat.

Carob peanut butter bars.

The recipe is here.

Hope you all had a wonderful Monday!

Our Eight Year Old Shares The Gospel

I have been wanting to incorporate memory work for our children during homeschool.

This week eight-year-old Dandy Lion and 15-year-old Darling Rose have been working on and successfully memorizing their Bible verses.

One of the reason I picked these verses is that they are the cornerstone for our Christian faith. I explained all this to our two children when I had them memorize them.

Then in church today it was time for sharing time during the church service and Dandy Lion said he wanted to get up and say his verses.

And this is what he said.

"I'm going to say John 3:16-21. These verses are about the after life. They're about what happens to you if you believe on Jesus and what happens to you if you don't believe in Jesus."

And so he begins...

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth 0n him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believeth on the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And this is the condemnation (I think I said that right), that light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."

Darling Rose also can say these verses but in a different version. After only the first week of memory work, I can already see how God can use what is put into our heart for the benefit of ministering to other people.

Guess who laughed today?

Darling Rose told me she saw him do it a few times while I was making supper tonight.

Then, Daddy Rainmaker said he got him to giggle while I was out of the room.

When I returned, sure enough, I heard it.

Then, finally I got Mr. Lovely to laugh, which made me laugh..and laugh...and then made me want to try to make him laugh some more. He only laughed a few times more, but he was looking at me and smiling, and I was loving every second of it.

There was some loud yelling today...

And hand clapping, and jumping up and down...

Every time there was a first down, or better yet a touch down.

It got really crazy when there was an interception.

Go Pack, Go!

Breakfast With Daddy Rainmaker...

Everyone around here loves Saturday mornings because of this...Daddy Rainmaker makes pancakes for the family.

He turns on the tunes and everyone hangs out in the kitchen

to help and to listen...

to listen to Daddy Rainmaker

talk about whatever is on his mind.

And then of course if a good song comes on,

We all are treated

to terrific air guitar in the kitchen.

I mean, really, what can be better than

a rock star

serenading you up close and personal?

See, don't you wish you could spend Saturday mornings with Daddy Rainmaker?