The Mailbox....Magazine for teachers

I've found a great new resource at the library!

 It's called The Mailbox Magazine for teachers. 

There are three different levels. 

Preschool, K-1st, and Intermediate....

I have used the Preschool, and K-1st and really like them. I am not a crafty person by nature, but Reagan loves to cut, paste, create, etc. so this has been a great help in coming up with some new seasonal projects. I would love to get a subscription to this magazine because there are a lot of tear outs and pages that you actually use inside the magazine. I just copied some of them or drew them myself, but this is one I'd like to get. It is a bi-monthly publication and has lots of projects for holidays and special seasonal things like how plants grow in the spring, theme weeks like brushing your teeth,...etc. 

There's my new fun find! Check it out at your local library...

The sink is shined!

I am sooooo proud of myself! :-) I have "shined my sink" every single day this week! I've been looking around the flylady.net website and thought that her tips were great. Although they are all common sense type things, it's good to be reminded to just do it sometimes. 

Dishes are my worst household chore! I hate them. I instantly assigned Josh that job after we got married. He did good with it for several years, but then gave it back to me and now is in charge of the family room. It seems like such an easy job, but I have always hated them. Ask my mom! So I clean my whole kitchen and leave the dishes in a nice little pile in the sink. I have actually gotten better over the past year about always rinsing them so that it's not hard to put them in the dishwasher. What happens though is that I look and see only a few dishes so I think, "Oh, I'll do them tomorrow" or "There's not enough to mess with right now" and then the pile gets big. Then I say, "Oh, there's too many dishes. I don't have time right now." 

Well, FlyLady's challenge #1 was to always "shine your sink" before bed every night. I decided this would be a good challenge for me to take on. I did it!!!! Every single night I've made myself go in and do the dishes before going to bed. It only takes about 15 minutes and makes me feel sooooo good the next morning! I haven't even ran my dishwasher this week. I've just done everything by hand. That way it's all just done right then. There was one night (Wednesday I think) that I was tired and really didn't want to do them. I almost didn't....but then I decided to just do it. It didn't take long and I felt very good about keeping my challenge. 

The whole point of the website is to create daily habits that make life easier. My mom has always been so good at this. She plays the "anywhere you go game" and never leaves a room without doing something. I grew up doing this and I think I revolted for a while. I didn't want to HAVE to do something every time I got up. Then it felt like you where always on a mission. But now I know that little things like that help out so much. 

So habit #1 - Shine sink every night...check!  

This week at school....

This was a good school week...Javon is getting much better at understanding that it is easier to get his work done without complaining. Now that we have a good routine down he knows all the subjects that he has each day. It's been very nice! Reagan was a great little preschooler as well. She did some glue projects that she thought was really fun. :-)

Here's what we did this week:

Monday - Coop (Journey Around the World Class - Russia)

  Art w/ Daddy 

  Math Workpages (counting by 10's)

Tuesday - Friday

Math (NEW Spiderman addition book from Dollar Tree!) He was really ahead in his math. We use ACE and he was on Pace 10 out of 12 already in the 1st grade curriculum soI decided to stop him there and do some extra stuff. More concept math instead of basic addition. We've been working on skip counting, etc. but I couldn't pass up the Spiderman book. He thinks it's pretty cool!

English oo lesson and spelling - Javon did his English work that was mostly spelling this week. It's pretty cool to see him actually spelling words. His work has pictures and then he writes the words under them. He had POT, CAP, CASH, FISH, MAP, etc. There were 10 words that he spelled. It's really neat to see him learning sooooo fast. If you would have asked me in September if he would be spelling words, reading, and doing this level of Math now I would have said NO WAY! We had done preschool last year were he learned his letters, but that was it. The Kindergarten curriculum for this year was basically the same thing of reviewing his letters and doing basic math. I am honestly amazed at how fast he has picked up on this stuff. I know that there are a lot of people who are more of the mindset that it's better to simply allow children to learn from their environment at this age (and I totally respect your style for your family!) but I am more into the get as much into them as I can because this is such a crucial time for language and learning. 

Science - We have been studying the days of creation and then inside of that topic learning about things that relate to each item God created. This week is Day 3 which is land and water. So we have learned about the differences between the ocean, lakes, and rivers as well as mountains, hills, and valleys. It's been neat. 

Spanish - Kids Love Spanish DVD set! They are great. I found them at the library and would like to eventually purchase the 9 DVD set. They are 30 minutes videos that simply use kids to teach basic spanish words. This week we've been watching the FOOD video. I give them a snack and they sit and watch it. Reagan came in yesterday and asked for some Leche (Milk). It was cute! Javon was very concerned about the mispronunciation of Jugo (Juice). It sounds like "H"ugo in spanish and Javon said it should say "J"ugo like it looks. I explained the J/H thing. It's been good though. They are learning without it being a curriculum type thing. It's just a video for snack time to them. 

Nature - We try and get outside every day now that it is nice! The kids wanted to take toys out but I said this was not toy time. They can find sticks, rocks, flowers, etc. and use their imagination. When we first started this a month or so ago Javon said he wasn't into the whole imagination thing and wanted some toys to play with outside. Reagan on the other hand is great at using her imagination! She can sit and play Little Pet Shop for a long time making up creative things for the animals to do. Now though they both really enjoy going outside. As long as it's not raining! This is Seattle, but it has been pretty nice lately. 

Social Item - Last but not least we do a social project every day. This can be absolutely anything! Somedays it's counting money, washing each others feet, doing a rain dance....last week they took a bath outside in a bucket like old-timers. I have a book that has 365 different daily ideas. I use it as a guide and then add some of my own based on what will work for us. 

Music - Morning music "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands" and "Jesus, Name Above All Names" Piano in the afternoon...we usually do piano 3-4 days a week. 

Old Gifts...Bread Maker

So I broke out my bread maker today and we have yummy wheat bread and a house filled with the smell of it baking! Why have I only used it twice in the past 9 years? Why has it sat in the pantry for all these years? Oh yeah, because it was easier to just pick up a bag of bread. But I know all of the ingredients that are in my whole wheat bread today. No extra stuff...just wheat flour, honey, molasses, milk, yeast, and salt. It came out really good. A bit dense, but I think that was because I used all wheat flour. Most recipes call for half wheat/half white flour. I think that would make it a bit fluffier. 

One of the funny things was that I also broke out my back massager last week that Josh got me the first year we got married as well. He laughed and said that it was funny that I had used two old gifts that he gave me like 9 years ago in the same week. I'm not sure why I haven't used either but I needed the massager because my shoulder was killing me. It didn't help much, so I ended up going to the chiropractor and he fixed me up in one session. 

I'm not sure why I decided to use my bread maker, but it sounded good so I thought I'd make some homemade bread. I think that I'll try some recipes out and see how it goes. We eat a lot of bread around here so it should be a family favorite thing to do. Reagan was very excited about putting the ingredients into the bread maker. If anyone has a fabulous wheat bread recipe let me know! :-)

2 great deals!

Hey, I just wanted to share 2 great deals that I found this week! 

Safeway - $2.49 for Arm and Hammer Laundry Soap....36 loads! This is a great deal. It is good through Tuesday. I already picked some up and now I'm debating whether to go pick up some more. Why not? It's always hard to determine how many to get of a great deal????!!!! 

Walgreens - $.25 EcoBulbs....Yes, that is .25 each for a 60 watt 7 year EcoBulb. They have $8.00 coupons on 4 at the register. That brings each bulb down to only a quarter a piece. 

The Usborne Big Book of Things to Draw

I'm a terrible artist and I've always said that I want my kids to be able to draw. :-) Thankfully Josh can draw so him and Javon do ART every Monday. I have checked a LOT of books out from the library and this is my favorite by far. It is a bit more advanced, but has a good variety of things to draw. He especially enjoys the funny faces (pictured above). We will pick this one up to own and use throughout the years!

Seder Dinner in Impact Kids

Today we had our 2nd Annual Seder Dinner in Impact Kids! I love it! It is so cool to remember what God did for His people thousands of years ago and know that we are still celebrating and remembering together in 2008!!! It is a powerful experience. Especially when we took communion together at the end and remembered what Jesus did for us and how our freedom, deliverance, hope, and redemption are just as impacting today (salvation) as the deliverance of the Israelites was in the Bible. 

If you haven't ever done a Seder meal, it is a great experience. I'm glad that we are carrying on with this ancient tradition and understanding it's relevance to our lives today as Christians! 

Blessed be the Lord God Almighty who has freed us from the bondage and slavery of sin so that we may walk FREE and FORGIVEN in Him! 

P.S. Another praise report....on Tuesday I had the privilege of leading a young mom to the Lord. It was amazing and really showed me that we (I) have to step out of my comfort zone and simply ask people where they are with the Lord. This is not about me, but about the power of the Holy Spirit to work in hearts. This gal just came in to use the phone and I was able to see her come to know Jesus. I also prayed for her to get filled with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. She was crying out to God and it was amazing to see. I tried to get ahold of her this week, but was unable to so I've been praying all week that she would be in church today. She wasn't...or so I thought. :-) She slipped in late with her two kids and I was so excited! She went up to the alter and was crying out to God. I wasn't in there because of the Seder dinner but others were able to pray with her. It feels so good to know that someone's life is forever changed simply because I was obedient to the Lord and opened my mouth when I was supposed to! Again, this isn't about me....but the saving power of Jesus! How many times have I remained quite and someone didn't hear the gospel? How many times has God urged me to speak to someone and I didn't? I pray that He will continue to open doors and that I will continue to walk through them. Oh, and it just so happened that we are having water baptism next Sunday so what perfect timing! :-) PTL

Fish Oil

Any thoughts out there on fish oil for kids????

Another busy week on the home front! It has taken me all week to get caught up from last weekends revival, but that's okay. It was worth it! I so love being in God's presence. 

School went really great this week. Javon did FABULOUS all week at getting his work done quickly and without all the excuses that can sometimes be a part of our day. I can actually say that I believe some of it is due to the fact that I've been giving him fish oil. I have heard from several different people how good fish oil is for all of us but especially kids. I didn't want to give it too him without asking his doctor, I asked her about it at his last appointment. (Even though I had done a lot of research on the internet.) She said there are no studies and probably won't be simply because natural food supplements don't get much medical attention. She said that she had heard a lot of good reports from parents. She said to give him a quarter dose of the adult dosing listed. Yesterday was week two of giving it to him and I really have seen a difference in his focus. I know that some might think it's all in my head but I'm going to keep using it. 

Reagan is so funny because she LOVES to take medicine and wanted some as well. So I gave her some and she smelled like a trout for days! Fish smell was coming out of her pores!!! So she only gets it a couple times a week when we aren't going anywhere. :-) 

If anyone has any testimonies or thoughts please let me know. 

My new favorite homeschool items!!!

SMALL WHITE BOARD, dry-erase marker, and a sock!!!

I picked up these little white board from our local teacher's store and I LOVE them! They are 8 1/2 x 11 and Reagan absolutely loves to draw on them while Javon is doing schoolwork. I paid $2.49 each.

The other cool ways that I have used them is for new reading words. I just write one at a time on the board and Javon reads it. It works great. He also likes to do his math problems on it. When he sees a page full of math problems he gets overwhelmed. But I've been giving them to him one at time on the white board and it's no problem at all. After a while, he'll ask how many more and I'll say "just a couple" and wrap it up. 

The sock is a trick I learned from a teacher friend. You put the sock on your left hand to wipe the board. Reagan really loves doing it. It's like a little puppet and she just wipes clean her doodles. 

I've been at revival!

Sorry I haven't posted over the weekend....We were having revival services! The presence of the Lord is so amazing, sweet, and life-changing. 

There were so many good things about this weekend - The power of the Holy Spirit, repentance, challenges to walk closer to the Lord, and the reality that there are people dying and going to hell around me and I don't even take notice. Well, I actually believe that I am aware of it, but by not doing anything about it I am sinning. Lord, help me to walk in the power of Your Holy Spirit and have a heart of evangelism! 

One of the things that I want to begin doing is praying and declaring the Word in my life. 

I know that there is the power of life and death in the tongue and I want my tongue to be used for life! 

Here are a few things that I am going to begin working on more in my life:

I am dead to sin and alive unto righteousness. (Rom 6:11)

I have been set free. I am free to love others, to worship with passion, to speak out without fear of rejection. (John 8:36)

I am a believer - not a doubter! (Mark 5:36)

I know God's voice, and I will always obey what He tells me. (John 10:3-5; 14-16; 14:15)

I love to pray. I love to praise and worship God. I will do it continually throughout the day! (Ps 34:1-3)

If I will humble myself...God will exalt me. (I Peter 5:6)

I am creative and inspired because the Holy Spirit lives and works in and through me! (John 14:26; I Cor 6:19)

I strive to operate in all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are tongues and interpretation of tongues, the working of miracles, discerning of spirits, the word of faith, the word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, healings, and prophesy. (I Cor 12:8-11)

I have a teachable spirit. (2 Timothy 2:24)

I will study the Word of God. I will pray in the Spirit! DAILY - (2 Tim 2:15; Luke 18:1)

I will STIVE to speak words of life; not death! What was the first thing that I said this morning? Was it edifying and uplifting or negative and downcast? I will remember that my words and tone matter and try to be more positive and uplifting in EVERYTHING I say. 

James 3:2 "...if anyone does not offend in speech [never says the wrong thing], he is a fully developed character and a perfect man, able to control his whole body and to curb his entire nature." 

 

The emergence of the public school system... read all the way to the bottom!

"The Little Book of BIG Reasons to Homeschool" by David and Kim d'Escoto is a great read. It is a quick read  (only 70) pages that you can get at the library. It is simply a reminder of why we do what we do with our children....

The first chapter is all about the establishment of the "common" school movement by Horace Mann, considered to be the father of public education. Although claiming to be a Christian, he was a devout Unitarian, a faith that, among many heresies, fundamentally denies the deity of Christ. Furthermore, much of Mann's thinking was steeped in the pseudoscience of phrenology, the study of bumps on people's heads as a gauge of intelligence. 

Another agenda-pusher in the public education movement was John Dewey, a signer and contributor to Humanist Manifest I - a statement of beliefs that parallels in many ways the ideologies of the Communist Manifesto. Humanism discounts absolute truth, regards the universe as self-existing, and rejects the authority of God, replacing it with the belief that man defines his own morality. 

During this era, humanism found its perfect companion - evolution. Like fuel and fire, these two notions combined to ignite a common philosophy that would be branded into the framework of education. Darwin's "theory of evolution" - an idea that reduces man to an animal, evolved by chance, and denies the biblical account of creation - soon became a regular component of public school science curriculum. Darwin himself admitted, "I am quite conscious that my SPECULATIONS run quite beyond the bounds of true science." Nearly 150 years later, evolution remains an unproven "speculation" full of holes. Nonetheless, it is still taught as FACT in public schools today. 

Humanist magazine ran this quote by John Dunphy, "I am convinced that the battle for humankind's future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers that correctly perceive their role as proselytizers of a new faith...the classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and new - the ROTTING CORPSE of Christianity...and the NEW FAITH of humanism." 

What! No seriously...read that again! This is what the public school system was founded on!!! Winning the war of the rotting corpse of Christianity with the new faith of humanism. Need any more be said. 

Romans 12:2 "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you many discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

  

Liberty vs. License

I haven't had much time to post this week! I've been cleaning away...it feels so good! :-) Anyways, here is my quick quote for the day that I thought was fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(One stylish preschooler!)

Give your child liberty; not license. 

Liberty is freedom under authority. 

License is freedom without authority.

Charlotte Mason

More family ideas....

Here's some things we are going to do in April...

April 6-12 - Choice Ingredients

Allow your child to help plan the menu for a special meal for your family. Encourage him to choose an item from each of the food groups. Then take him shopping for the ingredients for the meal. Explain that people make many choices, such as what we will eat or what we will wear. But other choices are even more important. Talk about the choices Jonah made and how they affected him. 

April 13-19 - Forgiveness Walk

Take a walk and point out signs of spring, such as buds and leaves on trees, grass, flowers, insects, and warmer temperatures. Say, "Spring time is a time when things are new. When we forgive someone, we are giving them a fresh, new chance." Encourage your entire family to be forgiving. 

April 20-26 - Bandage Art

Write "God heals" on eight adhesive bandages, placing one letter on each bandage. Help your child arrange the bandages in order on a piece of paper. Read the phrase together.

April 27-May 3 - Reading Corner

Set up a "reading corner" with a blanket, pillows, stuffed animals, dolls, storybooks, and a children's Bible. Set aside time to spend reading daily to your kiddo in this area. Make it a special corner to go and bond. 

A pretty good idea....

So this is a pretty good idea if I do say so myself! :-)

What do you get when you empty one fruit container?

A preschool activity!

I've been trying to come up with ideas for Reagan to do while Javon works on his schoolwork...she colors, draws, looks at books, plays with playdo (on occasion), and plays with her toys in the living room right by us. But I've been trying to come up with other things that she can play with. Sorting is a great preschool activity, but we had yet to try it. So when I say this fruit tray that I was about to throw out, I said "ah-ha"! That would make a great sorting tray. And it did! Instead of boring ol' beans, I put food! I put all the items (marshmallows, raisins, dried mangos, and dried apricots in the middle round container. Then Reagan sorted them all out. She loved it and didn't need any help at all. The best part (for her) was that she got to eat it as a snack when she was done! She kept trying to sneak marshmallows but I told her that was her reward when she was done and then she didn't eat them. After she was done, I congratulated her and then she got to eat her snack. It was a lot of fun. We're keeping this great multipurpose item!!!

Be the Parent....

I just finished a great little book called "Be the Parent - Seven Choices You Can Make to Raise Great Kids" by Kendra Smiley. I would recommend picking it up at the library or bookstore. It's an easy read and has some great advise on Christian parenting. I'm only going to post the main points on the first chapter but there is so much more great stuff. 

Principle #1 - Choose to BE THE PARENT!

Step 1) Admit it when a problem exists. 

"You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32 

Now is the time to not make excuses about your child's behaviors and deal with them. There can be no problem resolution until a problem is identified. This is precisely where you step up and say, "I am the parent. You are the child."

Step 2) Build your CONFIDENCE.

Come back to reality and realize that:

I am the parent...THAT is reality.

He (or she) is the child...THAT is reality.

I am older and wiser...THAT is reality.

God has given me the parenting responsibility...THAT is reality.

He WILL equip me to do the job....THAT is reality

I can have God-given confidence in my role...THAT is reality.

I am the parent!

Step 3) See the VISION. 

"Where there is no vision, the people perish." Prov. 29:18

What is your vision for your child? Write it down, pray over it, speak life into them! This isn't about where you want them to go to college or what profession to choose. This is about what has God placed inside them that you can nurture and foster. Help your children "sing the song God put inside of them." 

Step 4) Develop a PLAN!

 "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines the steps." Proverbs 16:9

1. Give your child the opportunity to know and serve Jesus!

2. Teach them to obey...God, you, and other authority in their lives. With obedience comes             freedom!

3. Give them a routine (security). Children THRIVE on routine. Be flexible, but understand      that children need boundaries and a routine is a great way to keep those in place. 

Step 5) Know that you WILL make mistakes, and keep on learning!

"Let the wise listen and add to their learning and let the discerning get guidance." Prov. 1:5