Thursday, September 27, 2012

Weekly Character Trait: Kindness

Each week as part of our homeschooling, we focus on one character trait. This week it is "Kindness."

Character Trait Kindness

To see all the documents I have available, just click the "homeschool downloads" tab at the top of this post. Or you may easily view and print or download all of my documents by clicking this: cbethblog's Scribd documents.

You may use any of these documents for any purpose as long as you are not selling them or otherwise making a profit from them.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

A week full of changes

Last week was crazy.

Monday I got bad news about a friend who is making some really poor choices. I can't go into more detail than that, but I'm still trying to figure out how to respond.

As I was still mulling over that, I got a call on Tuesday evening from my mom.

"I'm going to tell you something that's going to be hard to hear," she prepared me. "Your dad has prostate cancer."

Ugh. My dad, who is almost 61 and has run multiple half marathons in the last few years, has cancer. The same cancer that took the life of my grandfather (my dad's dad) and my father-in-law (who passed away before I met The Engineer.)

Photobucket

My parents had just gotten the news Tuesday, and they weren't sure yet how bad the cancer was. I felt a deep trust in God when I heard the news, and both of my parents were displaying peace and faith. But I was still stressed and emotional. It was still hard to wait until Thursday afternoon/evening, when my dad would see the urologist and get more news.

Thankfully, the news Thursday was very good! The urologist is 99.9% sure the cancer has not spread. They found it early! My dad has been very consistent with his checkups and bloodwork, paying special attention to his PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) levels. There's a lot of controversy right now about how useful a PSA level is. My dad's was very low, and the doctors did not think he had cancer. But the number was rising, and with my dad's family history, that was enough for the specialist to suggest a biopsy, just in case. Thank God my dad said yes!

So he will have surgery in November to remove his prostate. The doctor expects it to take care of the cancer completely, and my dad has a very good chance of not having any serious side effects. If you pray, we'd love you to join us in praying for my dad (Sam) and my mom (Cathy) during this time!

Let this serve as a reminder to you and those you love--whether you're male or female, get your regular checkups! And ladies, get your men to go in. Make the appointment for them if necessary! Women tend to get checkups more regularly than men, and this needs to change! A couple of years ago, The Engineer started having annual physicals, including bloodwork to check his PSA. When Zoodle gets older, we'll impress on him the importance of regular checkups too.

"It's cancer"--two terrible words. But "We found it early"--those are four words that make the news much easier to take.

So, that's brought us through Thursday of last week. The week wasn't over yet!

When The Engineer and I moved to where we live now, we had already connected with a church. They needed a worship leader, and that's The Engineer's area of passion and gifting. (He plays guitar and sings.) We have been part of that church family for the last 12 years.

And I really do mean that word, family! They were a wonderful support to us during rough times (like The Engineer's brain surgery), and good times (like the birth of our two children and the recent birth of Munchkin, the baby I carried for Ann.)

The church changed through the years, as most churches do. The first pastor moved when Chickie was a year old, and last year the second pastor moved. Through the years people came and went--in fact, The Engineer and I have been at that church longer than anyone else! But with all the changes, it remained our home, our community.

After our last pastor left, things just never really recovered. We called a new pastor but it didn't work out for him to move out here permanently. Many people felt it was time to find new church homes, and our numbers dwindled. Finally, we made a decision last weekend, that it's time to disband this community of believers.

It sounds like sad news, but I'm actually really excited. The gradual decline in numbers over the last year or so was very hard and very sad. But we were stretched in so many ways during that time, and God used it to bless us and grow us. And you know, it's okay for something good to come to an end when it's time for that to happen! It means we are free to find another church where we can grow and serve, to find a new community that, I am confident, will become our family!

And so many of those we've connected with over the last 12 years are still part of our family. The best example is Ann and her husband and kids. Ann and I have been very close for some time now, but when I had the extraordinary privilege of carrying her baby, it knitted our families together in a deep, beautiful way. And there are others, people I know I can call on to share my joy and my pain. We'll keep those relationships, whether or not we share a church with those individuals.

So this ending is really a very cool opportunity to discover a new beginning, and I am excited!

This week there isn't too much going on. Zoodle has a cough. We're studying spiders in homeschool. It's Wednesday morning at 8:30 and we're all still in our PJs. It's been a fairly normal week, and I like it that way!

But life moves forward, and big changes come, whether we like them or not. I'm just glad I can trust a big God to be with me on normal days and days that are full of turmoil. Every day, He is there.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Pioneer Week

A couple of weeks ago, we had a homeschooling Pioneer Week. It was so fun!

My favorite project of the week was making applesauce...only it wasn't actual applesauce, it was pearsauce! I'd gotten a box of apple pears (a.k.a. Asian pears) for a fantastic price from Bountiful Baskets. I used ten of them to make pearsauce and wish I'd used more--it was a big hit! (I used this slow cooker recipe, and have also used it for a bunch of applesauce recently. It's delicious, though I do reduce the amount of water; I use a little more than half the amount the recipe calls for.)

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

The reason I loved this project so much was because I used it to teach every major subject! I started by having Chickie predict what would happen to the pears when we cooked them, and how long it would take them to soften (Science). She wrote down her predictions (English/Language Arts). We talked about pioneers and why they had to make their own applesauce (Social Studies). Before we put the pears in the slow cooker, we counted them by tens, as shown in the photo above (Math). I even talked about healthy vs. unhealthy foods (Health), and I had the kids play outside while I peeled and cut pears, which is practically P.E., right?!

This was the type of project I really looked forward to when we started homeschooling!

We did one other cooking-related project. We made our own butter using these instructions (though, since we were using the butter immediately, we did not rinse it.)

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

It was delicious, and, once again, I had Chickie predict how long the process would take. (With both the pearsauce and the butter, she was very close!)

As a math activity, I set up "Beth's General Store" (an idea I got from this pioneer lesson plan--the same source for the applesauce idea.)


The kids had fun choosing what items they wanted to purchase. We then counted up their totals, and I helped them use play money to pay. Chickie and Zoodle love this type of role-playing, and it makes learning fun for all of us.

The cutest activity we did was making cornhusk dolls, using these instructions.  They turned out adorable! (I'll admit, I had to do the bulk of the work on this project; it requires some advanced fine motor skills. But the kids helped!)

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Ann and I have been coordinating our themed homeschooling weeks--you can read about her Pioneer Week here. We then gather together to do activities related to the theme. Our kids had fun playing marbles and Hoops and Sticks (another idea from this lesson plan.)

Coqui and Chickie both quickly figured out how to use their "sticks" (wooden spoons) to push their "hoops" (offbrand Hula Hoops from the dollar store!)

The next week, we enjoyed the main event--the field trip that inspired our Pioneer Week. Ann and I took our kids (along with others from a homeschool group to which we belong) to a nearby museum made up of all sorts of pioneer-era structures. The kids got to see how people in that day lived, even observing a longhorn bull and a real blacksmith! (Click photos to enlarge.)

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App


(In that bottom-left picture I was comparing my comfy toeshoes to the narrow, painful-looking boots women of that day wore!)

It really was such a fun week. We did other projects I didn't take pictures of. Most of those activities (as well as many we didn't do) are in these Pioneer links on my Delicious bookmarking site. If you're planning a Pioneer Week, I hope you find my links helpful.

Pioneer Week was a lot of fun...and a lot of work! We don't always do such involved theme weeks, but I do like having a theme (complex or simple!) around which to base our lessons each week. It gives me direction as I plan, and it makes things a lot more fun for the kids!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Baby steps

I want to be more environmentally-conscious. In fact, my kids actively encourage me to do so, which I appreciate! I remember to bring my reusable bags into the grocery store a higher percentage of the time than I used to remember. Baby steps, right?

The next step? Cloth napkins. Ann gave me the brilliant idea of buying a bunch of bandanas for $1 each. They come in such cute prints these days! So I picked up 12 at Walmart today. I let the kids each choose two, and I chose the remaining eight (all matching.) I love the adorable owl print!


Assuming we like using cloth napkins, I think it would be nice to make some eventually, with thicker fabric. But for now, these will do just fine. They were inexpensive; they're cute (well, some are gaudy, I admit!), and I didn't have to sew the hems myself!

I like when baby steps are so easy to take! Maybe some day I'll eliminate paper towels in my house too!

Monday, September 17, 2012

Weekly Character Trait: Consideration

Each week as part of our homeschooling, we focus on one character trait. This week it is "Consideration."

Character Trait Consideration

To see all the documents I have available, just click the "homeschool downloads" tab at the top of this post. Or you may easily view and print or download all of my documents by clicking this: cbethblog's Scribd documents.

You may use any of these documents for any purpose as long as you are not selling them or otherwise making a profit from them.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

All About Me lapbooks

Lapbooks are a homeschooling trend. I was going to try to define what a lapbook is, but instead I think I'll just show you the ones the kids made a couple of weeks ago. You'll get the idea!

Our theme was "All About Me." Much of our lapbook design came from the free download at this site.

The kids worked hard all week on their lapbooks. (You can see any of these photos in more detail by clicking on them.)

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Chickie, Zoodle, and Coqui (Ann's son) all did this project. They then presented them to each other.  They each really enjoyed being the center of attention, showing each other what they'd made!

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Here are a few more pics of Chickie's lapbook:

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

And Zoodle's:

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Because Chickie is so interested in anatomy, I wanted to include a fun human body project as part of her lapbook. I drew an outline of the human body (available in PDF below). Chickie then traced it on five pieces of tracing paper. On the original paper, she decorated the body to look like herself, and "dressed" it in her favorite outfit. (Zoodle did this part too!) On each piece of tracing paper, she drew a different body system: Skeletal, Digestive, Nervous, Cardiovascular, and Muscular. These were all stacked and stapled together so that it made a book with "layers" for each body system. She did great--I love how this project turned out!

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Here is the body outline I made. Feel free to use it or share it.

Body Outline

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Weekly Character Trait: Patience

Our homeschooling this week has been so much fun! I'm excited to share more with you soon. But in the meantime, here's our weekly character trait.

Each week as part of our homeschooling, we focus on one character trait. This week it is "Patience."

Character Trait Patience

To see all the documents I have available, just click the "homeschool downloads" tab at the top of this post. Or you may easily view and print or download all of my documents by clicking this: cbethblog's Scribd documents.

You may use any of these documents for any purpose as long as you are not selling them or otherwise making a profit from them.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Weekly Character Trait: Selflessness

Each week as part of our homeschooling, we focus on one character trait. This week it is "Selflessness." Like last week's trait, "Respect," I have plenty of opportunities to reinforce it throughout the week!

Character Trait Selflessness

To see all the documents I have available, just click the "homeschool downloads" tab at the top of this post. Or you may easily view and print or download all of my documents by clicking this: cbethblog's Scribd documents.

You may use any of these documents for any purpose as long as you are not selling them or otherwise making a profit from them.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

5 x 7 = 35

I'm 35 today. Thirty-five! And I'm okay with that. More than okay, I'm happy to claim it, because I was thinking this morning...35 years. And not a bad year in the bunch.

Thirty-five feels like a milestone. As I lay in bed this morning, I considered what "big stuff" has happened in each five-year block of my life. Here's what I came up with.

Ages 0 through 4: Birth. And Imagination.

Well, I guess being born was an important start. Here are my sister Becki and me with our parents.

Photobucket

Of course, I don't remember the birth, so I'll move on! What I do remember from my first five years is that I started to develop an imagination. Becki and I loved playing make-believe. Blankets became princess capes. We had conversations on the red, plastic phone that stuck to the side of the tub with a suction cup. Sometimes our brother Sean even joined in and that made it extra-special! In this picture, Becki and I are pretending a box is a boat.

Photobucket

Okay, we probably weren't pretending it was a boat; we were only 15 months old. But I don't have that many pictures, so you'll have to use your imagination!

Creativity has remained such an important part of my life, even if I'm no longer using blankets as capes (not often, anyway!)

Ages 5 through 9: Faith

When I was five, I decided to follow Jesus. How much can a five-year-old really understand about faith? Maybe not a whole lot, but with the mind and heart of a little girl, I believed. More importantly, I've continued to believe. And my friendship with God...imperfect, at times shaky, and at times strong...has given my life depth, meaning, and direction.

Photobucket
My first day of kindergarten.

Ages 10 through 14: Piano

When I was 10, I started taking piano lessons. I don't write much on my blog about playing piano, because honestly, it's not something I'm passionate about. But I play keyboard nearly every week at church, and when I was young, it was a pretty big part of my life. It was a great way to help develop and exercise that artistic side of my brain.

Photobucket
Me, at 12

Ages 15 through 19: Becoming Me

Of course, I've been "Me" through my whole life. But high school and college were times of big growth for me. I became more and more confident and comfortable in my own skin, and I started to really become the "Me" I am today...someone I really do like.

Photobucket
High school graduation

Ages 20 through 24: Marriage

I started dating The Engineer when I was 21, and we married about a year later. He's a huge part of why I love my life today. He's such a blessing to me!

Photobucket

Ages 25 through 29: Chickie

When I was 28, Chickie was born. Life suddenly developed more depth and beauty. I absolutely love being a mom to my girl.

Photobucket

Ages 30 through 34: Zoodle, and a Special Pregnancy and Birth

Several months after I turned 30, Zoodle was born, completing our family (unless God has any surprises for us!) He is such a source of joy in our home!

Photobucket

And then when I was 34, I had the amazing privilege of carrying my best friend's baby. I expect that when I look back on my full life in future decades, I'll remember my experience of being a gestational carrier as one of the most beautiful and profound times of my life.

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App
Ann and beautiful Munchkin, a few hours after the birth

Ages 35 through 40...Who knows?
I'm excited to see where God will take us in the next five years. I bet it will be wonderful.

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App
Me, at 35