Illness Update 1- What’s going on?

 

Our Weekend Routine

 I feel lost & paralyzed without a routine. It gives me direction & helps me feel accomplished when doing it all is completely impossible. Super Dad is very spontaneous, so we had to make our weekend routine very flexible. We decided on some things that matter, then plugged them into 7 big time blocks which can move around as needed. 

Block 1- Friday evening: Movie night. We take turns choosing, going in age order, and I try to have a special snack for the occasion. 

Block 2- Saturday morning: Bfast w/Dad, chores, Mom sleeps in! Thankfully, Super Dad lets me sleep while he takes the kids to breakfast. Then they work on house stuff, & the kids can do their screen time once chores are done.

Block 3- Saturday nap time: Charger (3 yo), Kruiser (6th grader in school this yr) does his homework, Skipper (4th grade homeschooler) entertains himself while Super Dad gets some rest. After sleeping in & downing some coffee, I’m ready to get to work. Taking advantage of the quiet, I try to get as much housework as I can done during nap time!

Block 4- Saturday afternoon: Family activity. We attempt to find something everyone will enjoy based on our energy levels & the weather. Pool in the summer, board games if it’s raining, hiking in the fall, etc. Sat evening we just chill, watch tv, etc.

Block 5- Sunday morning: Church, boys typically do screen time when we get home.

Block 6- Sunday nap time/afternoon: We call this “on your own” time. I have a priority to rest as much as possible on Sundays. The big kids have to entertain themselves during 3yo’s nap. Super Dad will work on house stuff, watch football, play video games, whatever he wants.

Block 7- Sunday evening: Church for kids & date night for adults. We drop them at a church program & have a date. Kruiser has a short checklist to do when he gets home to get ready for the school week. 

The Church of my Past

Ephesians 4:15-16

but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

The Church of my Past

You rocked me and kept me happy while Mom was in the service

Never making it there yourself, an untiring woman of duty

Your preached with such depth and wisdom

I was hooked every Sunday evening

Most kids came for the tootsie pops, I was enthralled with truth

Another teacher so gifted the adults preferred youth service to "big church"

You took a great fall that taught us pain and forgiveness

Maybe bad guys can hide well if they're crafty

But I think Satan just attacks fruitful ministers more ferosciously

You took me in as a daughter like your own

Filling a gap in my life so well

Coaching, affection, conversations that go beyond the shallow

Provided me great security and confidence for the future

You lent me a book that answered so many questions

Motivated me to search and learn, to seek God well

You saw in me things that weren't there

I guess they call that potential

I think it was "calling into existence things that don't exist" (Rom 4:17)

Leaders cheer others on

You were a true friend and never took advantage

You taught me of trust and what true friendship looks like

You set the bar high for any future guy

After all, I could never have settled after knowing you

You were real and authentic and never shied from the truth

Even if you thought it would make you look weak

We're all weak

Better to admit it and cling to God is what you taught me

I look at my present and see similar people- my parents, my husband and friends

But the church of my past is why I am where I am today. 

"How Beautiful is the Body of Christ!"

F is for Frog!

(MFW Kinder, Week 26)

My little froggie

He was setting something up with all his frog stuff.

water beads and plastic frogs sensory bin

This book was from homeschoolshare.com. I tried to find a few harder things for my 1st grader whenever I could.

inside

Life cycle wheel

Life happens...

When you're having headaches for 4 months at a time, you allow some crazy things. The kids wanted to try these. Brought back memories from when I was a kid!

B is for Butterfly!

(My Father's World, Kinder, Week 25)
This was a fun week!

painting caterpillars

our caterpillar & egg crafts

Life cycle of a butterfly from Mailbox

We acted out the life cycle. He's coming out of his chrysalis.

We did a Venn Diagram comparing butterflies and birds.

Cutting out the badge. It said, "Jesus makes me new."

MFW math sheet

We ordered these guys from Insect Lore. It's really easy & fun to watch!

This is like 2-3 days later, I kid you not. These suckers can eat!

After a few days, they attach to the top in a J shape.

starting to emerge

First one's out.

After feeding them sliced fruit & sugar water for a few days, we released them. 4 flew right off.

One had emerged with just one wing, so we transferred him back to the habitat, so he wouldn't get eaten. He only lasted another week. :( The boys named him "Unifly". This was the same one that kept wiggling a lot after I transferred the chrysalises from the cup to the habitat, so be careful with them while they're in that state!

We found this little guy this week! Skipper followed him for awhile. Nature is so fun!

 

Life Happens...

Kruiser with our kitty

The cat wants to do school too!

Where I muse about what we really need

I was going to write another "Things I'm Loving" post, because I truly have been loving a great many things. I was going to tell you about Ellie Holcombe's new album and how you have get it NOW, about this podcast (excellent) and this one (so good), and how much I've learned from them. But I began thinking about why I love these things, and it's just because that's where I'm meeting Jesus. I sit on my porch and pop in my ear buds, and I meet Jesus in the lyrics and the music. "You unravel me with a melody. You surround me with a song." (Shane & Shane) I listen for His voice and sometimes an answer comes later through a sermon or a podcast or through a conversation with a friend. But it's Him that we need. The specifics will be different for each of us. Shane Bernard often asks, "what stirs your affection for Christ?" Answer that, and do those things. I hope you check out my links, but what you really need is what I need, to just sit and meet with Jesus "who fills everything in every way." (Eph 1:23)

R is for Rock & J for Jewel!

(MFW K Units 17-18)

Skipper has been waiting allll year for this unit, as the child is obsessed with jewels!

rocks!

sensory bin: the little stones were on clearance at Target. I added craft jewels, some toy jewelry and later some real arrowheads!

Crystal Mining kit was so fun!

here's what comes in it

more alphabet BINGO

chalk J's

lots of rocks

making jeweled crowns. I also bought some wire & beads for them to make bracelets to send to the women in their lives.

making play-doh rocks

Z is for Zebra

(My Father's World, Kindergarten, Unit 16)

Apparently, I got 1 pic from the Kangaroo unit, so I'm skipping that one. Sorry about that!  

I wanted to add that we have this book from last year's Sonlight, and most of what we learned this year, we hadn't covered last year, so I used those pages that matched each unit to go over with the boys.

painting zebras (pattern)

painting some forest animal plaques from Hobby Lobby

Letter Bingo (MFW)

Life Happens...

Super Dad & I got away for a weekend to the Hill Country for our anniversary.