morning coffee time rabbit trails…

 

 

 

1.  YIKES!  I am glad we took our trip to the States before this level of body searches came into play - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/19/AR2010111904282.html?sid=ST2010111806038

2.  Popular Free Finds for Jr. High / Middle Schoolers  - http://www.freelyeducate.com/2010/11/our-most-popular-free-finds-for-jr-high-middle-schoolers.html

3.  Great literature website shared by a friend -

(found online)
>>>>> http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/
Included on this site are study guides for a lot of middle/high school
literature...you have to make up your own answer keys and tests, but the
discussion questions and activities included are really good. For my 7th
grader, I took several of these study guides and made them into lapbooks,
making minibooks for lots of the information contained in the study guide
(author info, setting info, as well as some book-specific content, like
point-of-view, symbolism, etc.). For my 5th grader (who hates to lapbook!),
I just printed out the study guide and she worked her way through it as she
read the book (we just finished Witch of Blackbird Pond...one of my all-time
favorites).<<<<<<<<<<<<

4.  I love this church’s website – focused on Acts 2:42 -- http://messiahwf.org/

5.  Popular free finds for high schoolers - http://www.freelyeducate.com/2010/11/our-most-popular-free-finds-for-high-schoolers.html

6.  From my friend Terry (too good not to share):

I decided I would plan our Christmas HS and found

the below resources to help me.  Thought you would

like to see them as well.

http://cheeriosunderfoot.blogspot.com/2010/11/christmas-homeschooling-resources.html

http://hsbapost.com/2009/12/08/carnival-of-homeschooling-christmas-ornament-edition/

http://www.takerootandwrite.com/2010/11/holiday-memory-making-and-homeschool.html

http://www.takerootandwrite.com/2009/12/gift-ideas-for-homeschooling-families.html#more

http://www.takerootandwrite.com/2009/12/learning-loving-living-at-christmas.html#more

Encouragement for the HS mom today - so good!

http://www.takerootandwrite.com/2008/12/the-family-christmas-photo.html#more

One of the things we will do FOR SURE is sing a Christmas Carol together each day.

I actually made a Hymn Binder last year and tried to teach the girls a new hymn every

week (we go to a church that sings mostly choruses and my girls didn't like the

hymns because they weren't familiar with them).  We discussed the words and sang

the hymn 2 or 3x that week - and the girls like them more....  Lots of good theology in

some hymns.

Tuesday

Wow, it was cold this morning.  Wes said behind the shop it was –38C.  Luckily the water didn’t freeze again.

1.  Last night Deanna had her dad edit her paper for the Arts Extravaganza.  It was great to see the two of them working together.  Jordan was listening in and commented that dad was a really good editor/writer.  I think Wes is a great teacher.  The whole process inspired the kids to give Wes a run down of the writing class we did with Sigmund Brouwer .  A great “kodak moment”.

2.  The kids spent the morning trying to convince me to go town today.  I was pretty hesitant due to the cold but in the end I gave in.  Deanna went to her volunteer position at the Thrift Store.  Jordan and I ran errands. 

3.  The afternoon was kind of quiet because the internet was down most of the time.  I was able to get a few things done around the house.

4.  Jordan has finished a book called – Horsekeeping on a Small Acreage by Cherry Hill.  (http://www.horsekeeping.com/horse_books/Horsekeeping_on_a_Small_Acreage.htm)

5.  I gave Jordan a new book (it was suppose to be for Christmas) called Knights in History and Legend by Constance Berittain Bouchard. (http://www.amazon.com/Knights-History-Constance-Brittain-Bouchard/dp/1554074800)

6.   There is a choir concert tonight that Wes and Deanna are performing at.  :o)  It is a fundraiser concert.

7.  Who will win Dancing With The Stars tonight?  I think it will be Jennifer, but this year it could be any one of them.

Rabbit Trails today --

1.  That Sinful Church - http://john-caesura.blogspot.com/2010/11/that-sinful-church.html

2.  Canada’s Worst Driver (we watched this last night for the first time, could be an interesting learn driving skills resource) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada%27s_Worst_Driver_6

3.  Jordan is looking for some drawing lessons.  I found this website - http://drawsketch.about.com/od/learntodraw/Beginner_Drawing_Lessons_Learn_To_Draw.htm

4.  Mathematics at about.com - http://math.about.com/

5.  LOVED this!!!   - What is a disciple? - http://www.alanknox.net/2010/11/a-disciple-is/ -- “A disciple is a person who has decided that the most important thing in their life is to learn how to do what Jesus said to do. A disciple is not a person who has things under control, or knows a lot of things. Disciples simply are people who are constantly revising their affairs to carry through on their decision to follow Jesus.”  -- for you mom :o)

6.  World’s most accurate grammar checker - http://www.grammarly.com/?gclid=CJCUid2_sqUCFQNrKgodpWzHZg

7.  Back to the Old Testament - http://eric-carpenter.blogspot.com/2010/11/back-to-old-testament.html

8.  50 Things the Holy Spirit does - http://frankviola.wordpress.com/2010/11/18/50-things-the-holy-spirit-does/

9.  I want to order this for Deanna – Barnyard in your Backyard - http://www.amazon.com/Barnyard-Your-Backyard-Beginners-Chickens/dp/1580174566/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290476657&sr=8-1

Monday

Well this Monday started a little rough (although not as bad last Monday), I woke up to find I had no water, the pipe was frozen.  Luckily I was able to get the pipe thawed and make some coffee before the morning went totally to the dogs.  :o)

Today's adventures have included:

1.  We had a great family discussion about a problem a friend is having with her 15 year old son.  (Update:  a friend has a 15 year old son who is a night owl and she doesn’t want him to be a night owl because it disrupts the family’s daily routine in the mornings and more.  So I read her email to my family to get their input on the situation.)

2.  Wes and Jordan went out to measure for ordering tin for Jordan’s horse shelter.  Plus they ordered the tin which will be in Dec 3.

3.  Deanna made lunch for everyone.

4.  Wes asked us about bookwork.  We (meaning the kids and I) danced around the topic with him, but we do need that extra push from him.  So after lunch the kids and I had a family meeting about how we want to proceed with book work learning now that we have had a push from dad and the snow is here (I have been saying we would buckle down once the snow arrived).

5.  I showed the kids an online grammar game that they are having fun with – GRAMMAR NINJA - http://www.kwarp.com/portfolio/grammarninja.html

6.  I also sent them a page with online math games - http://www.themathgames.com/  (I don’t like the pac-man version.)

7.  Deanna is working on her ARTS EXTRAVAGNZA project today too.

8.  I have a roast in the oven, in smells super yummy!

9.  We watched this video of people doing some amazing (and in my opinion stupid dangerous) things - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo0Cazxj_yc

10.  Jordan’s iPod died.  I think the battery gave up, won’t charge anymore.  So I need to find out where to send the iPod to get a new battery installed.  But Jordan is thinking he is going to upgrade to an iPod touch.

11.  I installed my mom’s monitor on my desk top computer and it seems to be working fine.  So it looks like the problem was my monitor and not my video card.  I need to get a new monitor.

12.  Jordan has taken to teaching Deanna guitar.  Her poor little hands have a hard time reaching and get tired quickly.  :o)

13.  The internet is is working very poorly today, it keeps cutting in and out.  :o(

14.  Tonight is a TV night…. Dancing With The Stars (the finale!!!), Lie to Me and House.

Time to go help make supper (Deanna is working on it right now).  TTYL