National Geographic's Best Pictures Of The Year: "National Geographic's Best Pictures Of The Year
It’s not hard to see why these amazing pictures were deemed the best of the best."
Click on the article title to go see these amazing pictures - many would make great desktop pictures!
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Beads and Pipe Cleaners
I discovered many years of Cubbies ago - that when little ones are first learning how to string beads, that a pipe cleaner works wonderfully.
The wire is stiff, so no matter what way they handle it and push it through - they can get a bead onto the wire.
There are no dropped needles.
The fuzzy part holds the beads in place - where ever the child puts the bead.
It is short, so they don't have lots of length of string to try to fill up and become overwhelmed.
It is easily reused.
They like it!
Heat Wave
After a very cool and wet May and early June - we have been having a heat wave!
Tim explained that we are caught in a circular twist of high pressure? that refuses to move but acts like a pressure cooker for our area.
UGH.
Actually - Monday was a pretty cool day ... compared witht he last of the week.
And the time on the clock is 2 hours off - it was closer to 3:30.
You know it is hot when you can sit over an AC vent and the air feels barely cool - it was struggling to pump 70 degree air out!
The only cool rooms in the house were the master bathroom and Tim's office.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Favorite Curriculum: Doorposts: For Instruction in Righteousness and Polished Cornerstones
Two of our favorite resources for homeschooling and building Godly character into our two daughters and their friend who schools with us are "For Instructions in Righteousness" and "Polished Cornerstones".
"For Instructions in Righteousness" http://www.doorposts.com/details.aspx?id=15 was compiled during the years that Pam was raising her now mostly grown children - she has 7. The oldest 2 have married and each recently had a daughter. You can read about them here - http://www.doorposts.com/family.aspx
In it, she has compiled verses and Bible stories to aid parents in training their children up in the Word of the Lord. She classifies the sections into areas of sinfulness - but each chapter includes positive verses of reward for the positive behavior as well as the warnings and effects of the bad bahavior or attitudes. With the older girls, we have sometimes had them copy verses listed, choose and memorize verses, and even study whole chapters. Joel is just now gaining from the contents - I go and look for a Bible story and tell it to him to explain the Biblical attitude that I want to see him develop.
The other resource is just for Girls - I guess it is sort of a home-ec and character building curriculum all rolled into one very thick book. "Polished Cornerstones" http://www.doorposts.com/details.aspx?id=18 is based on Proverbs 31 - and covers every subject I could ever dream up and more ideas and resources than I could ever compile for myself. She has so much to offer that you can quickly become quite overwhelmed if you try to do it all. The book is designed to start with very young girls - 5 or so - all the way up to college aged girls preparing for marriage. She organized it to start with verses to memorize and study - as much or as deeply as the age of the girl and the parents choose to persue. The first few items listed are aimed at very young girls and they get progressively more involved and complicated. Worksheets are included in each chapter for some of the projects, and each unit ends with evaluation questions to help the parent think though goals for their girls. The whole thing is completely parent led so you can adjust the work to reflect your own intrests, talents and Biblical beliefs.
She also produced a similar book for boys called "Plants Grown Up" which I look forward to using with Joel and Matthew.
"For Instructions in Righteousness" http://www.doorposts.com/details.aspx?id=15 was compiled during the years that Pam was raising her now mostly grown children - she has 7. The oldest 2 have married and each recently had a daughter. You can read about them here - http://www.doorposts.com/family.aspx
In it, she has compiled verses and Bible stories to aid parents in training their children up in the Word of the Lord. She classifies the sections into areas of sinfulness - but each chapter includes positive verses of reward for the positive behavior as well as the warnings and effects of the bad bahavior or attitudes. With the older girls, we have sometimes had them copy verses listed, choose and memorize verses, and even study whole chapters. Joel is just now gaining from the contents - I go and look for a Bible story and tell it to him to explain the Biblical attitude that I want to see him develop.
The other resource is just for Girls - I guess it is sort of a home-ec and character building curriculum all rolled into one very thick book. "Polished Cornerstones" http://www.doorposts.com/details.aspx?id=18 is based on Proverbs 31 - and covers every subject I could ever dream up and more ideas and resources than I could ever compile for myself. She has so much to offer that you can quickly become quite overwhelmed if you try to do it all. The book is designed to start with very young girls - 5 or so - all the way up to college aged girls preparing for marriage. She organized it to start with verses to memorize and study - as much or as deeply as the age of the girl and the parents choose to persue. The first few items listed are aimed at very young girls and they get progressively more involved and complicated. Worksheets are included in each chapter for some of the projects, and each unit ends with evaluation questions to help the parent think though goals for their girls. The whole thing is completely parent led so you can adjust the work to reflect your own intrests, talents and Biblical beliefs.
She also produced a similar book for boys called "Plants Grown Up" which I look forward to using with Joel and Matthew.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Prayer Requests and Updates
I follow a lot of blogs ... well, not so many as I use to, I've weeded many of them out the last month, not that they were not good blogs - but some had to go due to less and less time and more and more internet complications.
But 2 of the ones that I still visit / read with my Google Reader have very sick little babies right now. Stellan has SVT heart problems. He is 7 months old and the doctors are trying to let him grow enough to have a pacemaker put in. His story is at http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ ... it is a picture heavy site, but the story is full of miracles. He also has 3 older siblings - all 4 and under.
The second one is the 12th child of a missionary family to Mexico. http://lockwoodfamily.blogspot.com/ He was born at 32 weeks and days after returning to Mexico, he was hospitalized with breathing problems. She blogged today that Samuel was home - but still sick, as are many in the family, all with various cold symptoms. The plus side is that the faithfulness that they have shown through their trials seems to be opening hearts to the Word of God.
And in the family news.....
We seem to be adjusting to life again.
Joel has openly accepted having a new "little sister" in the house. It's not always easy - since she tends to get into his toys and is quickly learning how to push his buttons. But unless he is very tired - he tends to react with great patience and is quickly willing to forgive and return to playing. MOST of the time, they do quite well together. Joel contiues to want to learn new things and enjoys a short "school" time each day. He is great on the computer and likes the chance to work on the Kindergarten Reader Rabbit and Jumpstart discs, or Color Phonics, or one of the other 3 Rev Up for .. discs. He also has about a dozen other preschool/kindergarten games to enjoy. He is totally entusiastic about his new little sister on the way - and spends a great deal of his day hugging and kissing and singing to her. Of course now he has a little competition at that chore - and it is so funny to hear him explaining, "Baby Rue is OUR baby. She belongs to all of us." He is such a super helpful litte guy. Just now he came home with Tim with a few groceries. Tim dropped them off at the table, and he has completely put them away all by himself without being told.
Vannan seems to be having some problems with the new asthma dosage. Since they increased it, she has become increasingly fidgity and quite argumentive and less able to focus. So when she told me her skin was crawling and her head was buzzing like a hive of bees, we told her to go back to the lesser dosage 2 weeks sooner than she was suppose to. The wheeze seems to be gone, but it will take another week before we know if this will help. She is having the hardest time adjusting to our new schedules and the extra chores.
Kendra is her normal "water off a duck's back" self. Nothing seems to phase her for very long. Which is not to say that she doesn't feel sad or miss Grammy very much - she just is so happy and optamistic by nature that she doesn't dwell on her loss. During the rainstorm the other night, she told Joel when the lightening was flashing so often - "Don't worry, it's just Grammy using her super camera in heaven to take pictures of the other grandchildren." She is also trying to write up a research paper for a contest where the awards are 3 Laptop computers. Pray she can keep herself concentrated on her efforts. Her chosen topic is "The Eye Must Have Been Designed" basically. The constest is to write a paper showing how a Human Anatomy or Physiology shows/proves Creation. She has nearly finished her Algebra 1 course too. She has greatly enjoyed it the last few weeks - especially learning about using x and y's and two equations.
Tim is still job hunting. He has joined a local support group for job seekers or those helping a job seeker. He is trying to find us a new car ... one that can handle traveling with more than 3 kids - we need room for 5 at least - and could probably use a 7 passenger since we often have some of Karen's kids with us.
My appointment with our midwife went very well. All of the tests came back great. And my blood preasure was an unheard of ... 118/50 - I still am shocked. Baby heartbeat was 158 I think. And I haven't gained any weight in the last 5 weeks. But I am really struggling with the heat and humidity. It is 82 inside the house right now with the AC running it's little heart out. We've got several fans running - but if you walk upstairs, it's like walking into a wall of heat. I'm figuring it is at least 90 closer to the ceiling and up to 2 feet below that. And short as I am, I can touch most of the ceilings. It is 97 outside in the shade. Thank goodness that the humidity is only 41% outside - but sadly almost 50% here inside. So I'm not getting as much outside time or exercise as I should, but I am drinking well over a gallon of ice water a day. .... And I've either got really bad allergies - our yard is FULL of bahayah grass (probably spelled it wrong) OR I've also got a royal cold. Sniff Sniff, Achoo!
But 2 of the ones that I still visit / read with my Google Reader have very sick little babies right now. Stellan has SVT heart problems. He is 7 months old and the doctors are trying to let him grow enough to have a pacemaker put in. His story is at http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ ... it is a picture heavy site, but the story is full of miracles. He also has 3 older siblings - all 4 and under.
The second one is the 12th child of a missionary family to Mexico. http://lockwoodfamily.blogspot.com/ He was born at 32 weeks and days after returning to Mexico, he was hospitalized with breathing problems. She blogged today that Samuel was home - but still sick, as are many in the family, all with various cold symptoms. The plus side is that the faithfulness that they have shown through their trials seems to be opening hearts to the Word of God.
And in the family news.....
We seem to be adjusting to life again.
Joel has openly accepted having a new "little sister" in the house. It's not always easy - since she tends to get into his toys and is quickly learning how to push his buttons. But unless he is very tired - he tends to react with great patience and is quickly willing to forgive and return to playing. MOST of the time, they do quite well together. Joel contiues to want to learn new things and enjoys a short "school" time each day. He is great on the computer and likes the chance to work on the Kindergarten Reader Rabbit and Jumpstart discs, or Color Phonics, or one of the other 3 Rev Up for .. discs. He also has about a dozen other preschool/kindergarten games to enjoy. He is totally entusiastic about his new little sister on the way - and spends a great deal of his day hugging and kissing and singing to her. Of course now he has a little competition at that chore - and it is so funny to hear him explaining, "Baby Rue is OUR baby. She belongs to all of us." He is such a super helpful litte guy. Just now he came home with Tim with a few groceries. Tim dropped them off at the table, and he has completely put them away all by himself without being told.
Vannan seems to be having some problems with the new asthma dosage. Since they increased it, she has become increasingly fidgity and quite argumentive and less able to focus. So when she told me her skin was crawling and her head was buzzing like a hive of bees, we told her to go back to the lesser dosage 2 weeks sooner than she was suppose to. The wheeze seems to be gone, but it will take another week before we know if this will help. She is having the hardest time adjusting to our new schedules and the extra chores.
Kendra is her normal "water off a duck's back" self. Nothing seems to phase her for very long. Which is not to say that she doesn't feel sad or miss Grammy very much - she just is so happy and optamistic by nature that she doesn't dwell on her loss. During the rainstorm the other night, she told Joel when the lightening was flashing so often - "Don't worry, it's just Grammy using her super camera in heaven to take pictures of the other grandchildren." She is also trying to write up a research paper for a contest where the awards are 3 Laptop computers. Pray she can keep herself concentrated on her efforts. Her chosen topic is "The Eye Must Have Been Designed" basically. The constest is to write a paper showing how a Human Anatomy or Physiology shows/proves Creation. She has nearly finished her Algebra 1 course too. She has greatly enjoyed it the last few weeks - especially learning about using x and y's and two equations.
Tim is still job hunting. He has joined a local support group for job seekers or those helping a job seeker. He is trying to find us a new car ... one that can handle traveling with more than 3 kids - we need room for 5 at least - and could probably use a 7 passenger since we often have some of Karen's kids with us.
My appointment with our midwife went very well. All of the tests came back great. And my blood preasure was an unheard of ... 118/50 - I still am shocked. Baby heartbeat was 158 I think. And I haven't gained any weight in the last 5 weeks. But I am really struggling with the heat and humidity. It is 82 inside the house right now with the AC running it's little heart out. We've got several fans running - but if you walk upstairs, it's like walking into a wall of heat. I'm figuring it is at least 90 closer to the ceiling and up to 2 feet below that. And short as I am, I can touch most of the ceilings. It is 97 outside in the shade. Thank goodness that the humidity is only 41% outside - but sadly almost 50% here inside. So I'm not getting as much outside time or exercise as I should, but I am drinking well over a gallon of ice water a day. .... And I've either got really bad allergies - our yard is FULL of bahayah grass (probably spelled it wrong) OR I've also got a royal cold. Sniff Sniff, Achoo!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Hiding
This is Joel's birthday blanket.
It's yellow.
Favorite color.
Favorite blanket.
Let's hide Joel!
Nobody will know we are here.
They can't see us!
Laughing is heard.
So much fun in a simple blanket.
Too Cute for Words
Our new Nephew Joshua
we all went out on Sunday for lunch and got to spend lots of time hugging and snuggling him.
Joel and the highlight of his day - watermellon.
Adorable.
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