Second Week of School

What a crazy crazy summer! We were so busy I had no time to write anything at all~

Here we are now, at the beginning of our school year. It has started off great! R is in Classical Conversations and is doing very well with it. She takes Algebra 1, Latin, Current events, Literature, Science and Logic. She tells me she really is enjoying all of her classes. Before class started she really had a hard time with Latin. She came home the first day (they meet on Fridays only) and she is really excited about it. She has learned so many of the declensions and is actually timing herself to see how many she can get right. Last yr she had a little bit of Algebra but was not ready for Algebra yet. However, she is thinking the right questions now and is enjoying Algebra when before she struggled with just the negatives and positives. Not only does she have a full schedule of school work where she starts at 8am and ends around 230pm she swims 3-4 times a week on a year round swim team, has youth on Wednesdays at church, she will be doing Robotics one of the days during the week. I think this yr will be good for her. To be in some classes that challenge her thinking.

Isaac started school last week. He is also in Classical Conversations in Foundations. www.classicalconversations.com He will be doing a lot of memory work. This week we focus on memorizing counting by two's and three's, the ten commandment, the five groups of animal kingdom, the beginning of Latin, and what a preposition is. While it may seem that this is sorta crazy to be doing, this is the best age for a child to memorize all this information. When Isaac ends up doing multiplication 3 yrs from now he'll know all of the facts just by memorizing. He'll know the foundations for all other subjects before even starting. He is also tackling the phonics groups (last yr we started this but I was not rigorous in my effort since he was in kindergarten). We are working on the phonics OI OY this week. We are studying ancient Egypt too! He'll have the enjoyment of looking at a Pinto Bean and learn the diagram that goes with it. With this said, he is starting soccer on Mondays and Wednesdays with RA's on Wednesday evenings at church.

Hopefully I won't be too busy to write again....

Lots of fun!

This week we started out going to the Library! What a great worth of knowledge for Free! Isaac wanted to get books on earthquakes and volcanoes while Rebekah came up to me with biographies of people. She told me "Mom, I m going to be a historian or an archaelogist and I'll need to know as much about people as possible" I m so glad that she loves to read!

We also got some really cool experiment books. The great vinegar, soap, baking soda and food coloring made a great volcano! Isaac experimented with different colors and we went through lots of vinegar but isn't that what it's about! Getting your children to experience life as learning. Many uses for baking soda and vinegar!

I do not do many crafts however I came across this great recipe for dough that you can bake! The kids made a turtle and a rock with holes in it to hold pencils.

Lots of fun this week!

caterpillars to butterflies

One experiment that we are doing is watching Caterpillars turn to butterflies. It is sooo amazing. Isaac received them in the mail about two weeks ago. We've watched them start off as these little tiny caterpillars to huge caterpillars. Now they have entered the pupil stage. The went up to the top of the container and are now hanging upside down. Some have already turned into Chrysallides. We will be moving them into their habitat shortly! It's going to be pretty exciting to see them break out of their caccoon and into a beautiful Monarch butterfly!

Isaac is now 6

Isaac is now 6 yrs old. I can't believe it! We celebrated his Birthday on Tuesday and Daddy took the day off. We started the day off like we always do by opening our family presents in mom and dad's bed. Isaac was so excited. He got a new bike (which he badly needed), a telescope, some planet glow in the dark stickers that go on your wall, a Mario shirt, a couple of shirts from Gramma and Poppy and a game boy game. We then met with his buddies at Monkey Joes for a couple of hours. Then we headed over to play two games of bowling. We topped off his day with the Piano Cake and his favorite Mac and Cheese (the boxed kind). I think he had a wonderful day. I'll have to post some pictures today.

update on the kids

Gosh it's been so long since I have posted! I've realized that I have not made this our learning blog and I plan on getting back on track.
Today: Isaac did time clocks and addition facts. He is currently in a first grade math book. He read his McGruffey reader and did his explode the code.
Isaac is also playing the piano very well. He started about 2 mths ago. Whenever he has a free moment he gets on that piano to play....It's also nice to listen to...

Rebekah has memorized how to draw the continent of Africa by memory and label the countries and capitals. She is also working on Australia and New Zealand to do the same. She is learning her 3rd and 4th declensions in Latin. She is doing well on her percents in math. She is also writing a character analysis on the main character of The Door in the Wall book. Last thing that she is doing this week is drawing the digestive system by memory and learning about it's functions.

Elsah continues to grow and be nurtured by all of us. Every minute she is learning new stuff.

Characteristics of God Psalms 1-17

"The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times." Psalm 12: 6

Psalm 8: 1 "O Lord, Our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth"
Psalm 8:3-4 "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him? "


Characteristics of God:

-shield about me
-lifts my head
-answers me
-listens to me
-helps me sleep
-sustains me
-Blessed are all who take Refuge in Him
-relieve distress
-makes me dwell in safety
-puts gladness in my heart
-He will hear my voice
-full of abundant love
-He abides forever
-will judge the world in Righteousness
-stonghold for the oppressed
-does not forsake people who seek Him
-He has made Himself known

God's attitude Towards Wickedness:

-Does not like wickedness
-destroys those who speak falsehood
-hates the wicked
-abhors man of bloodshed and deceit
-he tests the wicked
-hates the one who loves violence
-he will rain snares
-fire and brimstone and burning wind

Joel Rosenberg's Weblog

http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/

God's Grace is sufficient

Life is always full of challenges. I am trying to learn how to accept those challenges without being the one in control. Im learning how to take day by day. Have you ever just wanted life to be "just so" . No more cleaning up the kitchen all day long...and I mean all day. Having the laundry done just once a week. Not needing to pick up all the stuff lying around each day. I sometimes wish for this (well maybe more than sometimes). I wish that I could be a mom 24/7. I wish for lots of things. Reality is that's not where our family is. I m learning to accept the challenges in front of me. From homeschooling, to being a mother of three, to being a wife, to being a nurse. The nice thing is is that we all make mistakes and are not perfect. God is gracious and doesn't expect me to be perfect. Sometimes I want to be perfect and that's where my struggle lies. I can't be perfect and won't ever be. I am so glad that Jesus Christ died on the cross for me for that imperfection. He blotted out my sins. By God's Grace I am saved. Im so glad for this because I can be such a impatient and ugly person.

New Yrs Resolution

New Yrs Resolution...
1-to lose at least 5 more lbs. (weight loss is probably number one for everyone)
2-to respond with kindness
3-to inform myself more about what is going on in the world
4-to take a photoshop course
5-to learn the different approaches to cooking with fresh herbs
6-to be better at time management around my house
Finally, the most important ....
time with God to be consistant.

electronic games vs. reading

Rebekah is off to swimming this morning. Elsah is getting into my kitchen cabinets and Isaac wants to play Wii. Get the word ....wants to play. I have really enjoyed wii b/c it lets everyone around interact with one another and compete in all different events. We just received "the outdoor adventure game" and it is awesome. Isaac's favorite is jump roping. Mine too! You definately get some exercise which is good on the cold days. However, I have found that you need to limit all types of "electronic games" to promote healthy growth of the mind and increase awareness of all the wonderful non electronic age activities, like reading. I have found with my kids that when given no other choice but to either read or listen to a book/story on tape while doing something with there hands they learn to enjoy other forms of entertainment. This is where enjoyment of learning starts. If you get them to enjoy reading then they can tackle anything they want to know about.

Into a New Land

Into a New Land. John Smith, Jamestown, The Powhatan Indians, Pocahontas are just the beginning topics of what we'll cover in our new unit. We will be learning many composers as well. The first composer will be Vilvaldi. I was amazed as I started to listen to this music that I remember hearing it at the Fresh Market during the Holidays. Such beautiful music.

We are also starting to read: Call it Courage. Currently, Rebekah and Isaac are listening to Huckleberry Finn on tape. I have found that the library has so many books on tape which are awesome for Isaac. He loves to listen to the stories.

Yes it's been very very busy here at the Luther house. I decided to go international with some of the cookies this yr. from the Food network!
Florentines (Italy)
Kourabiedes (Greece)
These were amazing recipes! I must say that these cookies taste just like store bought but better! I did make a couple of regular christmas cookies like cut out sugar cookies. The kids loved it. They cut them out and then they would decorate them with red or green icing! My other favorites are two that come from the food network.
Paradise Macaroons
Chocolate covered snow peaks

Oh my! These were to die for!

Check out http://www.foodnetwork.com

Water Survey!!

SUBJECT: Help with Water Survey!The Microbots are a First Lego League team from NC, USA with 6 homeschooled team members ranging in age from 11 to 13 yo. This is their third year of competing and each year brings new challenges and learning opportunities. Along with Lego Mindstorm robotics and programming, the First Lego League competition involves a research project based on some topic of interest worldwide. This year the topic is Climate Connections and the project is to identify some way climate is affecting teams' local communities as well as another community in the world, research the problem and come up with a solution. (More about First Lego League can be found at: http://www.firstlegoleague.org/ .)Our team has decided to focus on water conservation in the Cary/surrounding area and in Brisbane, Australia. They have created an on-line survey to ask people about water conservation/water use. The survey is open for 2 weeks (until November 3) and they're hoping to get a large response. You can find the survey link at their website at: http://water4tomorrow.org/ Please take 5 to 10 minutes to help the team by filling out the survey. Thank you! And feel free to pass this email on. The kids are hoping to hear from as many people as possible from around the world. They have a map on their website to check what parts of the world visitors are coming from and it's fun to watch the dots spread!

Meal Plan for week of 9-29 through 10-5

This week is a busy week for us so it's crockpot week!!
The kids really like the first two crockpot meals!! We'll see about tonights..

Sunday: Crockpot Mac and cheese
1 16 ounce box elbow macaroni
1 T vegetable oil
1 can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cup milk
4 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
1/2 cup melted butter

Cook macaroni and drain. Grease bottom and sides of slow cooker. Place hot macaroni and oil in slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients. Reserve 1/2 cup of cheese. Stir gently to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours. sprinkle rest of cheese before serving.

Monday: Crock Pot London Broil

2 lbs london broil
1 can of tomato soup
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 package of Lipton onion soup
Cook 8-10 hours on low.

Tuesday: Left overs

Wednesday: BBQ chicken drumsticks in crockpot
http://www.crockpot-recipes.com/main/bbq-chicken-drumsticks.html

Thursday:
Spaghetti with french bread

Friday: left overs

Saturday: Out to eat

Enjoy!!

Great Deals this week!!

Ok....so I shopped at Lowe's Food this week. This was the last week for there monthly coupons and I was able to use them with the coupons I had too!Here's a run down:

Campbells Bowl of Tomato soup: 2
Lowe's Food Diced tomatoes 28 ounce : 2
Tomato Soup (campbells): 4
Vanilla Wafers: 1
Fruity Cheerios: 4
Spaghetti O's: 2
Sweet and Salty bars (Nature Valley) : 6
Birds Eye Frozen Vegetables: 3
Lowe's Food Hashbrowns: 2
Lowe's Food Potato Fries: 2
Ibuprofen: 1
Electrosal Tablets: 2
Melitta Cone Filter: 1
Sausage Patties: 2
Sausage Links: 2
Hot Sausage Roll: 1
Banana's: 1 at 2.38 lbs.
English Muffins: 4
Lowe's Food Cheese Slices: 2
Eggland's Eggs: 1
Potato: 1
Gala Apples: 3 pound bag
Lettuce: 1
split chicken Breast: 1 package
Pecan Sandies: 1
Taco Bell Kit: 1
Slicing Tomato: 1

Total: 69.38
Saved: 76.45

Delete It

You know how you search and search recipes trying to find the perfect one to make
...well I m back to using my one cookbook Better Homes and Gardens. I've had this cookbook since I've been married. I think my mother gave it to me for a gift and I have used it but I really haven't. So, this weekend I started to search through it. Wow! All the great recipes that I have been searching for are right there in front of me. They have been sitting on my shelf for years. I usually use this cookbook to find substitutions or if I needed to know info about a cut of meat etc...but now I'm looking at it in a new light. ....

Here is my weekly menu plan right from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook...

Monday: Sloppy Joes (fast)
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/beef/sloppy-joes/

Tuesday: Meatloaf with Coleslaw, fruit on the side and a veggie

Wednesday: Super Burritos
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/beef/super-burritos/

Thursday: Sub night at Harris Teeter....1/2 club sandwich for 2.50 not bad!!

Friday: I work so Craig will make something....

Saturday: Chili Pasta Skillet or left overs
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/beef/chili-pasta-skillet/

Sunday: I work...Craig makes dinner.

Triples at HT!

Today was the first day of Triples. I did three total shops and Im done!

Here they are:

Betty Crocker cookie mix: 3
Success Rice : 3
Quaker Oats old fashion 18 oz: 2
Dole Peaches: 1
Ortega soft taco kit: 2
Kikkoman soy sauce: 3
Snyders Pretzel sandwiches: 1
Hormel Chicken strips:1
Ortega Fajita seasnoning packets: 2
French's Fried Onions: smaller size 3

Total before coupons: 63.46 Out of Pocket: 13.86


Tropicana OJ 89 0unce: 3
Quaker instant oatmeal: 2
Pam spray: 3
Betty crocker cookies: 3
Speed stick: 1

total: I can't find receipt but with the OJ alone total would've been 15.00
Out of pocket: around 14.00

Quaker breakfast squares: 1
Chinet plates 25 c0unt: 3
Jello singles: 1
skippy peanut butter: 1
domino sugar 2 lbs: 1
Carnation evaporated milk: 2
coffee mate small one: 1
Jif PB: 1
Chef boyardee microwaveable meals: 9
Ketchup: 1
soft and dri: 1
Colgate toothpaste: 1
Mach 3 shaving gel: 1
Qtips: 1
ANd one other item that is not counted for and is on the receipt but has a wierd name.

Total before coupons: 64.45 total after : 26.69

I am totally thrilled!

We're back!

Wow! It has been two months since my last post! So many things have happened since.

1-We went to Halifax Canada to see Craig's family. We spent two wonderful and pleasant weeks there. While we were there we went to an area called White Point. They had bunnies hopping all over (which is a big attraction for kids) and the ocean ( which was freezing cold to us southerners) You would be amazed. Kids were in the ocean for a longgggg time! Our older two went in for a little bit but we had to take them in the hot tub to warm up.

We all had a wonderful visit seeing everyone! It's so nice to have all the cousins get together to play. Total of 10 right now on Craigs side. On my side we have 6 cousins.

2-We started school back again. Rebekah is in sixth grade this yr and it's going to be demanding. She has been doing pretty well and enjoys her new curriculum. The most important thing is her Lego League which she is involved with. They have a competition to prepare for which is in December. I have a feeling most of her time will be working on the Climate research and the robot runs.

Isaac started Kindergarten as well. He is actually in the "First" grade with the work he is doing. He is doing really well at reading and writing and Math!

3-To top this all off we got a cute little puppy named Indie! Short for Indiana. We got her from an awesome breeder of Labradoodles in Charlotte. She was 8 weeks when we got her on the 31st of August.

So, as you can see it's been sooo busy on our end. I m trying to enjoy the moments I have with the wee little ones and the little puppy. They grow up so fast!

I've been working on meal plans which I hope to put on the blog soon! I tried to do monthly meal plans but that didn't work. Im finding the only one's that work are the weekly meal plans.

some new pics...

start of a new school yr

This has been a crazy and quick summer break! It seems very short to me but we have been off for a while. We started school back last week. My plan is to be on a yearly schedule. Here are some pictures of what we will tackle this year.

http://www.firstlegoleague.org/

Plus A New World Adventure which is a Unit Based study. www.learning-adventures.org Rebekah has thrived on this approach and has begged me not to change. It feels good to start fresh. The kids are rested and ready to tackle big challenges.

My goals for myself:

1-menu planning

2-go to Precepts conference in the next year

3-lose 10 lbs and feel like I'm not depriving myself of any food

4- inductive bible study with Rebekah

5-not to put to much on our calendar

6-Fly Lady www.flylady.com

7-get up at a decent time (preferrably 7am)

8-take time to smell the roses with my children