Friday, February 25, 2011
one thousand gifts
I am excited to begin this book. It is the book club book on the incourage website. I think it will be a good challenge and encouragement to me. They are already a few chapter in but I can go back to catch up with thier summaries as I read through the book.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
if you can't beat it...embrace it...
well since the snow has decided to return and remind me that it is ONLY February and still winter, I decided to embrace it...
CO and I went tobogganing today. It was cold! I had to switch to a warmer hat as the wind was blowing through the one I was wearing and into my ears. CO didn't seem to be fazed by the cold. I think he is decided to embrace every moment of winter that he can. He played outside this afternoon for about 3 hours. Digging, swinging, sledding, dumping, etc. He was HAPPY! not so much when I dragged him in for supper...but happy again now as he is snuggled with his 2 duck blankies (he came with one very LARGE one that I cut in half and usually have one hidden away but he spied it going into the dryer and stalked the dryer so he could swoop in and save it once it was dry) and watching mighty machines recycling which is one of the two movies that comes with the garbage dvd
we've only seen it like a million times. It is interesting...and educational and Canadian...which is even better!
I help foster his love of mighty machines by pulling over whenever we are driving anywhere and see something going on so he can watch it in real life. Last week we watched the hydro company cutting down trees. The man was in a bucket which was very fascinating for CO.
CO and I went tobogganing today. It was cold! I had to switch to a warmer hat as the wind was blowing through the one I was wearing and into my ears. CO didn't seem to be fazed by the cold. I think he is decided to embrace every moment of winter that he can. He played outside this afternoon for about 3 hours. Digging, swinging, sledding, dumping, etc. He was HAPPY! not so much when I dragged him in for supper...but happy again now as he is snuggled with his 2 duck blankies (he came with one very LARGE one that I cut in half and usually have one hidden away but he spied it going into the dryer and stalked the dryer so he could swoop in and save it once it was dry) and watching mighty machines recycling which is one of the two movies that comes with the garbage dvd
we've only seen it like a million times. It is interesting...and educational and Canadian...which is even better!
I help foster his love of mighty machines by pulling over whenever we are driving anywhere and see something going on so he can watch it in real life. Last week we watched the hydro company cutting down trees. The man was in a bucket which was very fascinating for CO.
where did spring go?
I have to say...I was very excited that most of our snow melted last week and that there was more green & brown to be seen than white. The thought of an early spring sent thought of gardening and cottaging through my brain. It sent thoughts of outdoor projects that I'd like to do this year.
Yesterday morning....the snow is back. We are back in a white winter world. My son is very happy. He loves snow. He loves shoveling. He loves loves loves it. I think he likes outside no matter the weather but he really loves to shovel so having snow makes it all the better.
Once again my thoughts of gardening, and outdoor projects are on hold.
Yesterday was family day and we got to spend it as a family. My son was in a non-baby proofed house for most of a day and the only thing he got into was he tried using the towel bar in the bathroom as a monkey bar (his plan failed, it fell, he fell, he apologised for breaking it)
I think it is very important to teach him to say sorry when he breaks something. Even if it was a complete accident. It BUGS me when someone breaks something of mine and doesn't point it out or fess up. I have come across some of my things that are broken and someone has just picked up the pieces and pretended that nothing happened under their watch. Which is crazy. I get more upset when I find something broken and placed back together because I wish that someone had just told me it was broken than over the fact that the thing is broken. Yes I have little things all over that are from memories of my life but if they get broken, oh well. I have memories that can't be broken...in my heart and mind.
anyway, that was totally off topic. I need to get the coffee brewing and the oatmeal cooking...
my son couldn't wait, he is out playing in the new snow...so he is going to be VERY hungry when he comes in from shoveling...and the coffee...I am just tired! I lost sleep once again at work on the weekend and last night...had my nose stuck in a book....which I am happy to report is finished :)
It was a good book. I didn't want to put it down. Angela Hunt is good at being creative in her topics that she puts in her book. This one was about a lady whose husband died and the evidence points at her. So the story is mostly about the trial. I recommend this one if you are looking for a novel to read...that has some good spins to it.
Yesterday morning....the snow is back. We are back in a white winter world. My son is very happy. He loves snow. He loves shoveling. He loves loves loves it. I think he likes outside no matter the weather but he really loves to shovel so having snow makes it all the better.
Once again my thoughts of gardening, and outdoor projects are on hold.
Yesterday was family day and we got to spend it as a family. My son was in a non-baby proofed house for most of a day and the only thing he got into was he tried using the towel bar in the bathroom as a monkey bar (his plan failed, it fell, he fell, he apologised for breaking it)
I think it is very important to teach him to say sorry when he breaks something. Even if it was a complete accident. It BUGS me when someone breaks something of mine and doesn't point it out or fess up. I have come across some of my things that are broken and someone has just picked up the pieces and pretended that nothing happened under their watch. Which is crazy. I get more upset when I find something broken and placed back together because I wish that someone had just told me it was broken than over the fact that the thing is broken. Yes I have little things all over that are from memories of my life but if they get broken, oh well. I have memories that can't be broken...in my heart and mind.
anyway, that was totally off topic. I need to get the coffee brewing and the oatmeal cooking...
my son couldn't wait, he is out playing in the new snow...so he is going to be VERY hungry when he comes in from shoveling...and the coffee...I am just tired! I lost sleep once again at work on the weekend and last night...had my nose stuck in a book....which I am happy to report is finished :)
It was a good book. I didn't want to put it down. Angela Hunt is good at being creative in her topics that she puts in her book. This one was about a lady whose husband died and the evidence points at her. So the story is mostly about the trial. I recommend this one if you are looking for a novel to read...that has some good spins to it.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
wondering
what the purpose behind the book of Numbers is? it is SO difficult to resist the temptation to skim the pages of this book rather that 'read' it. I find I am falling behind in my daily reading of the Bible this past week with this book...
**update: so once I forced myself deeper and got past the first few chapters, it is easier reading :)
**update: so once I forced myself deeper and got past the first few chapters, it is easier reading :)
Thursday, February 17, 2011
what I am reading...
I am currently reading this book and I am loving many of the suggestions. I am loosing sleep as in the evenings I have been getting so sucked into it and busy taking notes that I am looking track of time and not turning in until late
I also just finished
which I enjoyed. It was a good book....my biggest complaint...it made me want to eat indian food :)
spring is in the air....
spring is in the air (at least today it is) and that makes me want to open up the house and clean everything (still a little too cold for that).
The cleaning is still going to happen (well some of it) as today Grandpa is off from work so CO is loving being his shadow doing 'mans work'. He is so funny as the two of them are out puttering around the yard in their work gloves. The snow is perfect today for shoveling so my little man is happy with that. That is probably his favorite thing to do in the winter. Our decks have been cleared all winter. Some mornings he had a hard time focusing on breakfast as he wanted to get out and shovel.
I have been immersing myself into researching homeschooling. In my heart I feel that this is what God wants for our family. He has been really speaking to my heart about raising my son to be his steward and when I look at how God has blessed me with the job that enables me to be a stay at home mom Monday-Friday, homeschooling really makes sense. I want to not only instill a love of learning into my child, but I want him to learn all about God and his plan for our lives. I want him to learn to serve daily and to live the life God intended for him. I think this all would be difficult to instill in him if he is away from me 8 hours a day and me away from him all weekend.
There is SO much out there by way of homeschooling. I have been looking and analysing what I think would work best for our family and for my little one. I want it to be fun yet highly educational at the same time. I feel like there is so much more I could have learned in school that I didn't. I want him to know good 'literature' and LOVE to read. But at the same time I want him to 'know' God's creations outside. I want him to know names of trees, birds, etc. I want him to experience and be amazed at how things happen in the world of nature. He is naturally curious about these things already. It often amazes me the things he notices already at only 3.
This year we have been homeschooling to some degree. In September I did a lot of activities to go along with stories we were reading. We focused on a lot of fables and nursery rhymes. He LOVED it! He had his favorites for sure. I would get excited over some of them because I knew he would love the story and I was usually right. The first time I read him the three little pigs, he spent the whole day (and the hour after I tucked him in for the night) saying 'and I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll BLOW your house down'. He loves any stories with the 'big bad wolf'' and more recently a 'troll'. The three billy goats gruff...I think I read it over 50 times in a week. He loved the enormous turnip and every version we came up with of it. One of his ALL time favorite is 'the gingerbread man'. These days are filled with 'fe fi fo fum'. Every morning after breakfast we put the next day up on the calendar and we practice talking about the date. I have it set with the numbers being an AB pattern so we read the pattern and we also practice counting the number of days of the month so far. We've been also having a bible verse each week. I don't expect him to memorize it but it is good practice for us and it is the beginings of putting the Bible into his heart. I often print out the verse so he cuts it into strips and tapes it together. He is a cutter extraordinaire and is happy that I let him use tape for this activity. Also the verse helps practice some pronounciation. We sing songs about the days of the week and we also talk about the weather.
So, as a three year old we do some 'school' now. He has some workbooks that I will drag out occasionally and we will work on thim if he is wanting to. He LOVES crafts and especially painting so I try to do crafts weekly. I think I would enjoy this process more if I had a glass table top for my diningroom table (something I am currently saving up for) as cleanup would be easier. When we painted valentines last week we did potato stamping and by the time we were done, the top half of his body was 75% pink (he paints topless still for this very reason).
I think I have settled for JK & SK we are going to do Sonlight as our core. It has a big literature focus which works well for my little boy that LOVES books. I also like that the theme for those years are 'God's World' so that the books we will be reading will be talking about people and places around the world.
The cleaning is still going to happen (well some of it) as today Grandpa is off from work so CO is loving being his shadow doing 'mans work'. He is so funny as the two of them are out puttering around the yard in their work gloves. The snow is perfect today for shoveling so my little man is happy with that. That is probably his favorite thing to do in the winter. Our decks have been cleared all winter. Some mornings he had a hard time focusing on breakfast as he wanted to get out and shovel.
I have been immersing myself into researching homeschooling. In my heart I feel that this is what God wants for our family. He has been really speaking to my heart about raising my son to be his steward and when I look at how God has blessed me with the job that enables me to be a stay at home mom Monday-Friday, homeschooling really makes sense. I want to not only instill a love of learning into my child, but I want him to learn all about God and his plan for our lives. I want him to learn to serve daily and to live the life God intended for him. I think this all would be difficult to instill in him if he is away from me 8 hours a day and me away from him all weekend.
There is SO much out there by way of homeschooling. I have been looking and analysing what I think would work best for our family and for my little one. I want it to be fun yet highly educational at the same time. I feel like there is so much more I could have learned in school that I didn't. I want him to know good 'literature' and LOVE to read. But at the same time I want him to 'know' God's creations outside. I want him to know names of trees, birds, etc. I want him to experience and be amazed at how things happen in the world of nature. He is naturally curious about these things already. It often amazes me the things he notices already at only 3.
This year we have been homeschooling to some degree. In September I did a lot of activities to go along with stories we were reading. We focused on a lot of fables and nursery rhymes. He LOVED it! He had his favorites for sure. I would get excited over some of them because I knew he would love the story and I was usually right. The first time I read him the three little pigs, he spent the whole day (and the hour after I tucked him in for the night) saying 'and I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll BLOW your house down'. He loves any stories with the 'big bad wolf'' and more recently a 'troll'. The three billy goats gruff...I think I read it over 50 times in a week. He loved the enormous turnip and every version we came up with of it. One of his ALL time favorite is 'the gingerbread man'. These days are filled with 'fe fi fo fum'. Every morning after breakfast we put the next day up on the calendar and we practice talking about the date. I have it set with the numbers being an AB pattern so we read the pattern and we also practice counting the number of days of the month so far. We've been also having a bible verse each week. I don't expect him to memorize it but it is good practice for us and it is the beginings of putting the Bible into his heart. I often print out the verse so he cuts it into strips and tapes it together. He is a cutter extraordinaire and is happy that I let him use tape for this activity. Also the verse helps practice some pronounciation. We sing songs about the days of the week and we also talk about the weather.
So, as a three year old we do some 'school' now. He has some workbooks that I will drag out occasionally and we will work on thim if he is wanting to. He LOVES crafts and especially painting so I try to do crafts weekly. I think I would enjoy this process more if I had a glass table top for my diningroom table (something I am currently saving up for) as cleanup would be easier. When we painted valentines last week we did potato stamping and by the time we were done, the top half of his body was 75% pink (he paints topless still for this very reason).
I think I have settled for JK & SK we are going to do Sonlight as our core. It has a big literature focus which works well for my little boy that LOVES books. I also like that the theme for those years are 'God's World' so that the books we will be reading will be talking about people and places around the world.
Monday, February 14, 2011
The Catcher In The Rye
I just finished reading The Catcher In the Rye. I struggled to get this book done. I think because I questioned the whole time I was reading it 'why was it a classic?' It is a good book in the fact that it isn't dated. It was published in 1945 but it could totally be happening today. I found very little dated it. I think one of the biggest struggles I had was not empathizing with the character but pitying him. Where were his parents and why didn't anyone clue into the fact that most of his problems had something to do with loosing his brother and that he was needing some therapy. and what parents don't know where their kid is for three days...and don't even know that he is missing?
I am glad I read it mostly just because I said that I did. I could have with 99% less cursing.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
once upon a time...
Once upon a time I was good friends with a specific person. But then a bunch of things happened and we weren't. We separated and went our own ways. I asked this person to give me space and to stop contacting me. But she doesn't respect my wishes she bugs and pushes and goes through my family.
I know as a Christian I am supposed to love everyone as Jesus does but seriously I can't...I physically can't be near this person. The thought of it fills me will ill and dread.
I don't speak unkindly of this person. And many people DO choose to have her as a friend. I am just not one of them.
I wish her all the happiness, but I don't want her in my life.
I know that all that I feel is wrong, as a person of my faith and beliefs...but sometimes you feel what you feel...
it really bugs me that she won't stop...that she won't leave me and my family alone...and unfortunately that just makes the healing process take LONGER...
sigh
so feel free to pray for me...
I know as a Christian I am supposed to love everyone as Jesus does but seriously I can't...I physically can't be near this person. The thought of it fills me will ill and dread.
I don't speak unkindly of this person. And many people DO choose to have her as a friend. I am just not one of them.
I wish her all the happiness, but I don't want her in my life.
I know that all that I feel is wrong, as a person of my faith and beliefs...but sometimes you feel what you feel...
it really bugs me that she won't stop...that she won't leave me and my family alone...and unfortunately that just makes the healing process take LONGER...
sigh
so feel free to pray for me...
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