Beginning Our Bible Bee Study

Our Bible Bee materials arrived recently, and we jumped right in. I was curious to see how the whole "2 cards a week, 20 minutes a day" thing would really work to "equip and encourage a lifestyle of investing in and living out one's relationship with Christ." So far, so good. We're studying II Timothy, a book that's very dear to my heart. We've had our share of suffering over these last few years, so to walk with my children through scriptures urging them not to be ashamed of suffering -- well, that's a joy. Additionally, the book instructs on how to walk through this life as a believer in Christ, it advises on issues of godlessness, it admonishes the verity of the Word, and it urges believers to preach the Word without shame or embarrassment.


We received a Primary level Sword Study for Gracie, a Junior level Sword Study for Bub, and two Senior level Sword Study books for James and I to follow along. We also received a parent manual, two Bibles, a rule book, and two packs of scripture cards for the kids to drill and practice. We ordered two music memory CDs in the Bible version we use (ESV), but the style of music is too unusual for any of us to enjoy or use regularly. Each of the Sword Studies, however, are contemporary and full of excellent instruction. They're laid out well with a variety of alternating activities in each lesson. Gracie and Bub are both attracted to the timelines and other helpful activities. I really like the way the books are laid out for them, and I can tell even this early in the game that they'll enjoy them over the long run.

My only complaint about the curriculum is this: registration is set up in such a way that prevented us from having the kids work in the same book. The divisions are based on age, not on grade level or ability, and that could prove to be a challenge for some. Though they're 18 months apart in age, Gracie and Bub have been at the same level academically for some time now, and we teach them at the same grade level. It's been a while since we've used entirely separate books to teach them anything, so getting back into that mindset and routine has proved to be a slight challenge for me. There's not a significant amount of teaching in this material per se, but I think it would have been nicer to have been able to override the system to move Gracie up to Bub's level, or to move Bub down to hers if that were necessary. Arranging competitors by grade level (as opposed to age) might be more effective method by which to group children according to their actual abilities. My children will do fine where they're placed, but we're on that age/academic line in our home where the difference between study levels is obvious and bears mentioning (in case some sort of override is needed).

Kiddos in Cool New Shirts

Hello, Summer!

My sweet big kids have finished their fifth grade year, and both are officially "middle schoolers." I really have no idea where the time has gone. They completed the last of the computer work for their math curriculum this morning bringing the school year to an official close. After finalizing the gradebook, I dished out ice cream sundaes to celebrate. We then had a homeschool awards ceremony where I hummed "Pomp and Circumstance" while the kiddos (still in their pajamas) received homemade certificates decorated with stickers by their toddler sister. It was such good fun, and now our much needed break ensues.

Homemade Homeschool Awards
We are, however, not planning to take the entire summer off. We're going to try our hand at a bit of year-round schooling. The kiddos and I are going to work on the Bible Bee Summer Program. I've been struggling to teach scripture memory, so I'm super excited about this program. I've heard good things about Bible Bee as a whole, and I hope the program helps us all. The fun summer events planned for us are a real bonus. (Summer registration is open for only a few more days -- sign up now if you're interested.)

In addition to working on the Bible Bee, the kids will continue taking in-home piano lessons through most of the summer. They're also ready to begin working on the French and Spanish language programs we ordered from Bilingual Books at the Arlington Homeschool Book Fair. By the time the Texas heat is too much to bear (early July), I think we'll be back in full swing. My mom will be moving in with us by June 23rd, and the three littlest ladies are still on a fairly regular nap rotation, which means we will spend much of our summer right here at home. We might as well be productive, right? Plus, when extra math lessons are assigned at each "I'm bored," I think the kids will be quick to entertain themselves.

We took a last minute trip to Disneyworld last month, so we're not planning any travel this summer. Despite not having travel plans and working ahead on school, we'll still have a fun summer. We have season passes at Six Flags over Texas, so we'll spend a few days in Arlington. We'll also participate in some reading programs following the Mensa for Kids book list. We'll go to the lake and to the park. We'll do some craft projects. We'll ride bikes and take some long walks. We'll visit the neighborhood pool.

What are your summer plans? Anything exciting?

To Paint Like a Child

"It took me four years to paint like Raphael,
but a lifetime to paint like a child."

-- Pablo Picasso

First Time at Summer Camp

For the first time, Bub and Gracie went away to church camp. Since we're not a sleep-away family in general, they were both excited and full of trepidation before spending time away from home. We prepared by talking about all the fun things that they'd be doing, and by letting them know they could call us anytime they felt especially scared. We got one silly letter from Bub, and Gracie called home twice, but in the end, there were no significant issues with fear or homesickness. Gracie roomed with a good friend from church, and Bub is friends with everyone he runs into. Both kids had compassionate counselors, and they each had so much fun, they hardly missed us at all.

Ready to Go!


Bub, age 10


Gracie, age 9


Gracie's Handmade Camp Hat
(she prepared herself for camp by making crafts in advance)

Sprinkler Fun

Over a weekend break from my summer classes, James and I loaded the kids up and drove to Oklahoma for a quick overnight visit to Marcie's house. We really didn't plan to make the trip, but after a long phone conversation with Marcie on Saturday morning, we spontaneously opted to spend lunchtime and baby naptime driving, putting us in Tulsa mid-afternoon. The grownups guzzled tea while playing cards and dominoes, and the kids played in the sprinklers, ran in and out of the house, ran up and down the stairs, and played dress-up, Barbies and video games. We left late Sunday afternoon and made it home just in time for bedtime. It's always fun to reconnect, even if the trip was random and rapid.

Snow Day 2011 [Day Five] -- A Bit of Building and Melting Away

The sun was out on Saturday morning and the snow began to melt away. Before it was all gone, the kids spent a few more hours out in it. Gracie built a little snowman, and she and Bub helped the neighbor children build an igloo. Though we'd grown sick of the mess it made, the totally disrupted schedule it caused, and how trapped it made us feel, we were honestly a bit sad to see the snow go.

Snow Day 2011 [Day Four] -- A Fresh Batch

Late last night, a fresh batch of snow fell on Texas. The old stuff hadn't melted, but it had iced over and was neither pleasant to look at, nor fun to play in. This new batch is powdery and perfect, and the kids have had a blast out in it. (Mom likes to watch from the window, running out only for photos.)

Snow Day 2011 [Day Two] -- Making Do

We're on day two of snow here in Texas. Because we're (1) unprepared and (2) stuck at home, we're making do on a lot of things. We're making do on the menu because Brystol was sick and vomiting on Monday -- my normal grocery day -- so I missed out on shopping. We have all the basic necessities, but we were running low on some things, and though the storm was eminent, I didn't go out for a last minute grocery run. I think it's silly to go into crisis mode before an inch of precipitation, but we have way more than an inch of snow and I cannot get out of my neighborhood. I forgot how much people eat when they're here all day and all night and there's snow on the ground, and that's a problem when the pantry is already slightly understocked. We have chips with no dip, and other similar issues, so nothing serious.

Really frustrating, though, when you could really go for some dip.

We're also making do with our warm winter gear. Despite the fact that we've consistently had snowy days the last several years, it's hot in Texas about 88% of the year and I've just not gotten into the habit of buying snow clothes and winter boots. I just don't think about them until it's too late. Fortunately, the kids don't mind. They've been playing out in the snow because they're kids and they don't care about frostbite, but I'm all about warmth and safety and keeping fingers in their proper places. How thankful I was, then, when a friend shared an unusual winter tip on Facebook that we tried with success -- put a pair of plastic gloves on between two pair of non-waterproof fabric gloves.

Dry hands are warm hands!

Wherein My Kid Planned an Impromptu Party, Unbeknownst to Me

When Bub came home from school yesterday, he excitedly told me about a party scheduled for later in the afternoon. It was going to be great and all of the kids from his class were going to be there. When I asked to see the invitation, he said it wasn't that kind of party. It wasn't a birthday party -- just a regular shindig -- and oh yeah, he was the party host. What?

We had a long talk about how, when you're a kid, parties should be planned and your mom should be involved in the planning -- a fête on the fly is not a good idea. I sent him upstairs to play with a neighborhood friend and really didn't expect anyone to actually show. Moments later, though, the doorbell rang and a little boy was at the door ready to celebrate.

As all the kids played together, I quickly set up a folding table in the yard and topped it with starry curtain panels pulled from my fabric stash. I used a silver balloon weight with star details for a simple centerpiece. I pulled some red paper plates and cups from the stash of discount party supplies I gather through the year and store in my hobby room. Then, I put together some trays of simple snacks -- pretzel snaps, natural cheese puffs, Teddy Grahams, gingerbread marshmallows, and slices of organic apples. The kids drank lemony tea poured from an unattractive pitcher (one that I wouldn't miss if it ended up being destroyed). Gracie streamed some tunes through the iPod touch she got from HaHa and Uncle Gunk (Jerald) for Christmas.

In the end, only one invited classmate came to the impromptu party (all the other parents knew better -- whew!), but Bub and Gracie enjoyed living it up with him and a few pals from the street.

Resolved 2011: The Potty, the Paces and the Plan for Family Growth

Just like everyone else, I have a number of resolutions for the new year. Some things, like diet and weight loss, aren't even worth discussing. They just roll from year to year, as they do for most adults over the age of 24. Some things, though, are specific to 2011 and bear mentioning here.


Resolution #1: Finish up the Franken-bachelor's. This process is already in progress. I'll graduate from Texas Woman's University this summer with a B.G.S. in English and Sociology. I'll commence in May and finish my final credits in August. After that, who knows? Very likely, a break from school during which I will nap and craft. Then again, maybe not -- I can't stay too still for very long.


Resolution #2: In 2011, I resolve to potty train my youngest child. She's already shown some interest in the potty, but my hope is to have her totally out of diapers by her second birthday in July.

Resolution #3: I resolve to read the Bible in its entirely in 2011. Actually, I resolve to read it within the first 90 days of 2011. I'm taking part in the challenge on the Mom's Toolbox blog. I'm in an accountability group and everything! The study began today with the first 16 chapters of Genesis. It works out to be about 45 minutes to an hour of reading everyday, but that's doable. This is actually something I'm very excited about, and I'm especially excited that James is reading along with me (though he's not in an official group). Maybe we'll read through two times in 2011 -- who knows?


Resolution #4: This is the resolution I hate to share because it will take lots of work, commitment and determination to accomplish, but I resolve to run (not walk) my first 5K in 2011. I'm planning to do the Cool Runnings Couch to 5K program which takes just a few weeks to get even the laziest couch potato race-ready, and while I'd like to be ready for a race before the killer heat of the Texas summer, as long as I run one by December, I'm good. (There's actually a race being held in June that I'd love to run, so I'm really hoping to be ready by then -- fingers crossed and laces tied!)

As if going from the couch to a 5K weren't intimidating enough, I have this whole issue with not feeling my feet that makes me feel very afraid -- afraid of wounding myself again, afraid of another season on crutches -- but I have great footwear and I'm especially good now about looking for potential pressure points. I'm determined not to let this fear be something that keeps me from pressing on towards the goal. The fear is something else to lay down and let go of, I suppose.


Resolution #5: We're planning, once again, to grow our family through adoption. We've been researching this new venture for a while, deciding which path to take this time. We've been in contact with state agencies both in Texas and Oklahoma, we've researched international adoption from the Philippines and other countries, and we've spoken to adoption brokers, advocates, and private attorneys. For now, we've hired a social worker and have begun gathering documents and completing state and federal background checks as part of our official adoption homestudy. We have a some friends lined up as references and have only to complete our official interview.

After all the research and as we began working with the social worker, an opportunity came to us to adopt newborn twins -- a boy and a girl. They were due at the end of January, so we expected to have some time to prepare, but in the case of a premature delivery, the attorney we've been working with told us they could expedite our homestudy process since the adoption arrangement would be private and not agency-based. We got the call on December 30th (while we were in Oklahoma for the new year) that the birthmother was going in for an emergency c-section. She had advancing pre-eclampsia and was very sick. We didn't know what to do! We passed along the message that we were ready to come, but would need driving time. The c-section happened hours later than originally planned, and thankfully, the twins were born healthy and at remarkably good weights. Sadly, we got word the next morning that the birthmother decided to parent because she thought the sometimes-present boyfriend would make a great dad. Days later, we've heard that she's made despondent comments about her life being over. She's very unhappy and the boyfriend is no where to be found. We've again sent word that we're available to meet to discuss adoption options, but really, this is all entirely out of our hands. In our minds and hearts, the door is closed.

On the one hand, I deeply respect her decision to parent. I personally could not make the decision to relinquish my children for even one minute. On the other hand, I'm not super young and unhappy about the prospect of parenthood. I wish she could see all that we could be and do for them. Those babies would be a dream come true for our family, and it makes me so sad to know that they're a burden to her. It breaks my heart, really. All along, though, as we've discussed and prayed about this specific opportunity for adoption, we've prayed for God's perfect will to be done. That is still our prayer. We're trusting her decision to parent is His plan, and in that, He has a better plan to satisfy the longing that remains in our hearts. We were sure hopeful, though, that a little set of sweet baby twins was part of His plan to redeem the years of heartache and loss.

At this point, we have no specific direction for adoption. Neither of us feel comfortable connecting with an agency -- at least, not yet. We're still working on the normally-paced homestudy and hope to have it completed by the end of January. I'm hopeful we'll know how to move forward at that time, and I'm hopeful 2011 will prove to be a year of growth and blessing in the family way.




photo credit:ssu-usa.edu, allwomenstalk

Holiday Fun at the Ho-Ho-Hoedown

The neighborhood school had a "Ho-Ho-Hoedown" open house to celebrate the holidays. Gracie's choir caroled through the halls while I took Bub and Brystol around to participate in some of the activities. We decorated cookies, visited the holiday shop and used pennies to vote for our favorite trees decorated like The Homeless Christmas Tree in the book by Leslie Gordon. Not surprisingly, our pennies went into the buckets for trees decorated by my kids and their classmates. The "votes" will be contributed to the homeless shelter to provide holiday meals for the poor.

Community Group Wrap Party: Summer '09

Our church doesn't have "Sunday School," or a group Bible study on Sunday morning. Instead, we have "Community Group." The concept is the same, only we meet in the evening at someones home instead of on Sunday morning on the church campus. Another difference between Sunday School and Community Group is the fact that CG takes a break for summer, and this week, we wrapped up our group with an afternoon of fun. Kids played, adults chatted, food was cooked on the grill. We ate and enjoyed each other's company, then we took the kids to the neighborhood spray park.

It's amazing how much smaller a church becomes when a select few know you personally and pray for you on a regular basis. It's been such a blessing to our family to "do life" with this group of people this year. While we're sure the group next year will be different -- some families are moving away, others will likely join -- we're excited for what's in store. Love you guys!