First Lessons

It's been a season of learning obedience in our home - most specifically with our 2.5 year old.  Opportunity to learn obedience arise at every, single nap and bed time.  His smiling face emerges from his room - full of giggles, sure that we will make an exception and allow him to forgo a nap or bedtime, just this once.  I am amazed at how adamant he is about this.  I sat in my oldest's room for one nap and one bedtime before he quickly learned that when we put him in bed, he was to stay put.  The second one took a little over a week of consistently sitting outside his room to insure that he stayed in bed.  All-in-all, relatively painless.


And then there was Trey.  It's been almost 2 months and we still have to be vigilant.

He continues to test us in other areas as well.  He is trying to figure out if we will be flexible on who's in charge.  What this strong-willed little boy does not realize is that he had to get that will from somewhere...  I love him far too much to let him head down this path.

With this season of learning in full swing, I'm reminded of what my mom used to remind parents about all the time:

You can't teach what you can't control. 

If you, as the parent, aren't in charge and if your children don't respect and respond to your authority it will be impossible to homeschool them.  

I was so thankful to come across this wonderful post that served as an excellent reminder and pep talk to lovingly stay true to this very important first homeschool lesson.

Diane from Heart to Heart starts out by saying:

The very first lesson in homeschool is not how to write your name or recognize your ABC’s.  The very first lesson is obedience, because without it, no other lesson works very well... 

If you have young children, I encourage you to read the rest of her article.

Homeschool Blog Awards - 2010

Tis the season for voting...  Every year we get the opportunity to vote for our favorite homeschool blogs!  And it is that time of year again.  Until October 31st, you have the opportunity to nominate your favorites in a number of different categories!  (Info on categories, etc at the bottom of this post)

To nominate your favorites, click on the button below. 

Nominations ~ until Oct 30th

Voting begins ~ Nov 6th

Voting ends ~ Nov 17th

Cultivating Compassion

I have not been able to stop thinking about the concept of explaining poverty and instilling compassion in our children since my post last week on the topic.  Sure it may be a little OCD, but once I'm thinking about something I do so pretty obsessively...

Where does it start?  What are things I can be doing, explaining, living?  Here are some more of my thoughts on the subject:

Starts with Us:
As parents, we have the privilege and responsibility to model compassion to our children.  We get to model a biblical worldview in how we relate to those around us and those around the world.  We are called to recognize that all people are created in the image of God.

Our attitudes and the words we use to communicate thoughts about other people can either build up or tear down the development of compassion.  I'm sobered by this.  What does it mean to love others as Christ loves us?  Do I communicate disdain for or superiority over other people?  Do I respond with compassion and a desire to help when people are down and out?  As a parent, they are watching my every move.  I'm thankful for this because it has caused me to do some hard soul searching and crying out to God that He would give me a heart for his people.

I was convicted a couple of months ago after I had made some comments to my sister about Walmart and  how I wasn't 'like' many of the people that often frequent that store.  Later that evening the Holy Spirit brought conviction.  Those people are 'His' people too.  I was convicted that I felt compassion for the poor in other countries, but felt superiority to the 'caucasion' poor in my community.  Compassion should be universal and color-blind. 

My desire is to consistently love and seek to help both those here in my community and around the world.  My kids see the real me (whether I like it or not) and I want the real me to be a reflection of Jesus.

Starts Locally:

(The two bigger boys working on 'sharing' about three years ago!)

For young children, I think it starts locally.  As with just about everything else in the early years, kids relate first to things that are tangible, physical and close in proximity.  The act of sharing a toy with a sibling or friend or sharing cookies with a friend who does not have any is the start of the process of developing compassion and sharing out of your abundance with someone who doesn't have anything.  

In addition to sharing with siblings and friends, it can be as simple as talking with your child when you see a homeless person or helping kids appreciate the uniqueness of people instead of encouraging or allowing them to gawk at the differences.

While at the park recently with two other families, we noticed a homeless man.  Sadly, my thoughts turned primarily to my children's whereabouts and safety, while my friend asked us if we could stop and pray.  She asked God to make Himself real to that man and provide for him.  Wow.  What a witness to me and how blessed her children are to have their mother model compassion like that to them.

Starts Relationally:
In keeping with making it tangible and concrete, having relationship with those they are helping is important too.  We've found that sponsoring a child is a great way to do this.  It has been helpful to know that the money we raise and the letters we write go to help a specific child -their Peruvian friend, Ittiel.  We talk about how we get to help him have access to food, water, education and most importantly a chance to hear about Jesus.  Instead of there being a sea of unfamiliar faces in need, my boys know that there is one that they can specifically encourage and help. 

What a blessing we have to plant the seeds of compassion into our children!

Family Learning

Some days I just want to pinch myself... 

We get to learn along-side each other.  Yes, in these tender early years, there is a lot of teaching and training that goes on.  But we also get to experience the joy of learning together, as a family! 

I don't know everything and I certainly don't want to limit my kids to learning about things that I already know about...  And that's ok.  In fact, it's more than ok.  I get to model to them what learning looks like because we are all on this amazing journey of learning about this world that God created! 

There is joy in the discovery and sharing those discoveries with those you love the most! 

I continue on the amazing process of counting the many gifts God gives us.  It has been exciting to see how my whole way of thinking has changed.  Viewing the world thru the lens of gratitude for all God has done is simply beautiful!





417. watching my kids discover new things about the world around them.
418. learning new things myself.
419. Sunday afternoon US Geography lessons - aka NFL Football.

420. boys and tractors.

421. talkative boys.  (And to think that I was afraid of being surrounded by silent, uncommunicative boys...)

422. quiet water explorations.

423. cool mornings and open windows.

424. two game nights in one week!  Ticket to Ride Europe rocks! :)
425. ferocious looks on little boy faces as they race on bikes.

426. gift bearing boys

427. gift-borrowing boy.

428. a beautiful morning at the park with the whole family.

429. Those quiet moments of sweet fellowship with God tucked throughout the day in the most unexpected places!

430. Middle of the night conversations with God.  (Goodness, I think He must really be wanting to reach me this week!)

431. The Holy Spirit growing patience in me.
432. Reminders of His past perfect timing which helps with trusting Him with the present.
433. Knowing that God sees the big picture.
434. A tumultuous economy.  I'm forced to the wonderful place of trusting God and recognizing that our provision comes from Him.  God truly is kind to me.

Food and Water

The boys are trying to wrap their minds around the concept of how essential food and water are and how difficult it can be for many people in the world to get these two basic necessities.  The first part was easy for them.  But the second part?

As we talked about how many people don't have access to running water, we went outside and decided to pretend that we needed to go to a local pond:

...and gather water.

 But how to transport it???  hmmmmmmmm. 

 After one attempt at carrying it atop their head like we had seen in a book, we decided to try a new method. 

 They definitely preferred this method.

 If I was a brave momma, I would make them haul their own bathwater upstairs... 

But I am not that woman today.

We've also been discussing the idea that most people in the world don't eat like we do.  Few have choices and certainly don't have the luxury of being picky.  Keegan (4) is still pretty clueless, but Xander (6) was incredulous that there might be people who only get a bowl of rice a day...  Since rice is the mainstay for many in south Asia, we enjoyed learning about how it is grown in the book, Rice Is Life.  This rhyming tale of how rice is grown, while centered in the island of Bali is similar to how rice is grown in other parts of Asia as well.

If the boys were a little bit older, I think I would probably try a day or more of a simple rice diet.  But...  I'd rather not actually create any food battles, especially with the four year old and two year old.  We manage enough of that on our own!

We are in India now and have been really enjoying the video tour provided currently by Sonlight/Mission India.  Today we had a tour of a slum in Mumbai.  This has been helpful as I have been working on explaining the concept of poverty to them.

I'm realizing that this is a lesson we will need to revisit over and over again.  In our comfortable middle-class life even I find it hard to relate sometimes...  And I've been to third world countries and witnessed poverty with my own eyes.  But for now this was a start.

What have you all done to explain this to your children?

Promise Cookies

Call me ignorant, but I didn't realize that fortune cookies weren't 'invented' in China, but instead in California... In fact, when they were introduced to China, they were billed as the “genuine American fortune cookie.”

But I still had my heart set on trying to make some for our recent Chinese dinner.

As I began planning and searching for a recipe, I found myself pondering the idea of a ‘fortune’. What is a ‘fortune’? I usually think of it in terms of things that will happen to a person in his life or as fate, lot and destiny.

I decided to give these cookies a new twist by putting eternal promises inside of them... I included several of Keegan's verses from Cubbies. You should have seen his eyes light up in excitement and wonder as we read them!

Most of the verses or statements had to do with heaven. This one-time cookie event, birthed many discussions of heaven. It was beautiful to listen to their questions come.

And sobering as they inquired about the alternative… I was sobered too. Why don’t we talk about that more?

One of my favorites tucked away in a cookie:

“No mere man has ever seen, heard or even imagined what wonderful things God has for you.”

I Corinthians 2:9

It is amazing to ponder that as much as we can think about it, dream and speculate that it will be far greater than we could ever imagine.

I’m so thankful to have these opportunities tucked away in our day-to-day life to talk about such things. It is good for me to ponder and I’m grateful for the opportunity to talk to my children about eternal matters.

In the end, what else matters.


As my heart fills with gratitude, I continue to peck out my list and make my way towards 1,000.




401. Talking of Jesus with my boys.
402. Relishing the fact that I am a child of God.
403. First heart-felt prayers from my 4 year old last week. (He doesn’t have a people pleasing bone in his body – aka strong willed, so it was such a joy to hear him talking to Jesus of his own accord.)
404. Perspective on suffering that puts my puny complaints in perspective. 
405. Zoo explorations in cooler weather.  (Fall is here - we've dropped below the 100's!)
406. The sight of boys running down shaded pathways.
407. Four year old hugs and declarations of love.
408. Two year old belly laughs
409. Husband passing his Series 7 test on the first go around.
410. Celebrating with him over a birthday dinner.  (yes he had to take that long test ON his birthday)
411. The sound of my niece singing, "A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I, Trey, Trey, L,M,N,O,P..."
412. Slower paced days that inevitably accompany sickness.
413. Sleep, especially when it is uninterrupted.
414. An unexpected call from a college friend.
415. The anticipation of getting to see her and her beautiful children today!!!
416. Reminders to cherish and celebrate the everyday!

Exploring China

On our trip around the world, we are attempting to sweep through Asia.  It is such a diverse continent, that we chose just a few countries to look at in depth: China, India and Israel.  I just keep reminding myself that our purpose it to provide them an overview.  It is so hard to not try and learn about everything.  :sigh:

The boys loved reading books about China and we wrapped up our time there with a special dinner.

In preparation for this dinner, the boys decorated their own paper lanterns.

This certainly is not everyday fare (I was in the kitchen cooking for way to long), but the food was yummy!

I even tried baking the egg rolls intead of frying them.  They were still tasty!

We read the delightful book, The Story of Chopsticks and practiced with some of our own.  Thanks to the tip from a friend, we tied them together which helped the boys actually manage to use them to get food up to their mouths!

Some of our favorite books:

Adventures of the Treasure Fleet: China Discovers the World ~ This was Xander's favorite book.  I have to admit that it was mine too.  The boys are obsessed with maps and loved being able to track the Treasure Fleet's journey on the inside cover map.  I had no idea that China was preparing to colonize long before Great Britain ever set out to become a colonial empire.  It was a great weaving of story with additional facts at the bottom of each page!

Tikki Tikki Tembo~ This classic book has now become a favorite in our house.  I checked it out from the library several years ago and there wasn't a whole lot of interest.  I wonder if it's an age thing since Treyton still isn't that interested.  The bigger boys love to recite Tikki Tikki Tembo's name in its entirity!  Fast, slow, quiet, loud. They basically just love to twist their tongues over it.  And they giggle and protest profusely when I give them looooooooooong nonsense names like Tikki's!

A Panda's World~ The boys L.O.V.E.D. learning about panda bears.  In fact on a recent trip to the zoo, they squeeled for joy when they spotted bamboo and kept insisting that our zoo must have panda's since their was ample food sources for them...  They also loved reading Panda and Polar Bear which even Treyton asked for over and over again!

The Paper Dragon ~ We found this at my mom's house along with some missionary books from China.  The boys loved the pull-out pages and delightful drawings.

You Wouldn't Want to Work on the Great Wall of China!~ Xander really enjoyed reading this book and both boys loved making a long wall out of blocks. 

Hudson Taylor: Friend of China ~ Learning about China opened up a lot of opportunities to talk about idol worship and the fact that many people have never heard of the one true God.  I actually found that we had to be really careful in limiting books with positive portrayals of kids worshiping idols and found this book to be a good balance...

The Silk Princess ~ This was a great story about the discovery of silk.  The illustrations are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!! The boys have been to the fabric store enough with me to remember the dragon brocades and the feel of silk.

Learning in Layers

I've been thinking a lot lately about how learning occurs in layers.  As each layer is placed down, it enriches and enables the next layer to be added.

Layers is the whole reason why we embarked this summer on our study of world geography.  As we studied Native Americans and frontiersmen this last spring, I noticed that Xander was finding it difficult to relate to maps, regions and the concept of travel.  So we decided to lay down a layer of world geography and map awareness.  It's been awesome.

Another layer that we've been exploring is our own bodies!  In an impromptu kind of way!

The boys received this puzzle as a gift. 

It is 5 puzzles in one, that is put together... in layers!  Of course, this makes it too complicated for Treyton (2.5) to figure out.   But Keegan (4) and Xander (6) are loving it and we've been able to talk about the different layers in our bodies!  There is a girl version of this puzzle too!  It looks like they used my niece as the model! :)  I also love the implicit pro-life message in the 'Mother Body' puzzle. 

We loved the book, Me on the Map, and were inspired to make our own map books.  She's written a whole series of books like this.  Including this one on the human body.  There are so many wonderful directions you could go after reading this book.  We could trace our body outline on butcher paper and then draw in organs, muscles, bones...  I have fond memories of the anatomy apron I did as a kid.  For now, I think we'll just settle for the book and our puzzle!  Keeping it simple...