Words for the Wise

I've been wanting to make a magnetic word board for quite a while.  After finally finding a second set of Scrabble pieces at a yard sale (for 50 cents, no less), I set out to complete the project.  As is usual, I didn't take pictures of each and every step but I am sure you will be able to figure this one out.  It is so simple!!


Find a child or two to help with this project; they will love it.  
Dump the pieces out and ask your child to sort through,  placing all letters upright so that you can see what you have to work with. 

This is a great time to practice letter recognition with a little one.  Call out a letter and have them find it.  Or, go a step further and ask them to spell out a word while they wait for you to finish with your part. 



Use scissors to cut pieces of the magnet
and stick to the bottom of each Scrabble tile.

I made sure to use several of each vowel and the more commonly used consonants, such as M, N, T, S, P and R . . . .

So far the magnets are sticking pretty well, but I think I will eventually hot glue the magnets to the
back of each tile.



Here is the finished product!
You can see that I used an inexpensive pizza pan which I bought at Target for under $5.

The kids have had such a GREAT time with this.  In fact, my eight year old is playing with it right now.  Her words include Family, Friend, Grace, Laugh, Love and Live along with a few others...

It is so great for encouraging them to practice their spelling words, making up creative sentences, playing a traditional Scrabble game or whatever else they come up with. 

Here is what it looks like hung on our wall.  It would also look great setting on a coffee table. 



This is one time I'm glad 
I was too "chicken". . .

Last night, as I was talking to a friend, at her car, we saw what looked, at first, to be a large spider.  After a closer look, we realized it indeed was an insect of some kind, not a spider.  I knew right away that this bug must come home with me so that the kiddos could see it.  
This is where the problem occurred; I did not have our bug jar with me.  I thought about it for a minute, wondering if I could muster up enough courage to carry him in my hands, as we were only a short walk from my house.  But, as usual, when it comes to creepy crawly things, my courage would not "kick in".  I just could not pick up the thing.  So, I thought about it a little longer and remembered that I had a bobbin case with me, in my bag... whew hew, thanks to crafting, we had a solution!!!

*****************
Easily, I was able to capture the strange looking creature and head home to get him into the jar.  While my husband placed him in his temporary home, we noticed a strange odor.  It was slightly unpleasant but not unbearable, in any way.

Today, the kids and I got busy looking him up; we couldn't wait to find out who he was......

After we searched just a few keywords online, we quickly found our "friend".... a wheel bug.

Here he is.... you'll see why, in a minute, he is called a "Wheel bug".


The above picture doesn't quite show his unique detail, helping to clarify why he has the name he has, so I will include one I found online.


As you can see, the wheel bug has a semi-wheel shaped armor on his back, reminding me of a rotary blade.  I wonder if this armor discourages birds from eating him.

If you look closely, under his mouth, he has a large Fang-like structure.  This would be the main reason for my title.... "This is one time I am glad I was too "chicken".  After researching, we found that he uses this fang to attack his prey and to protect himself when threatened.  He will viciously stab his enemy repeatedly with the fang, injecting them with a paralyzing substance.  Although, it sounds like, for a human, it would not be too harmful, it is said that the "bite" is much more painful than a bee sting and can take a month or more to heal.
OUCH!

However, for a prey, this substance is deadly.  Apparently, the poison will eat the prey from the inside out, leaving the wheel bug to suck out the liquid... isn't that just lovely?



After reading about the wheel bug, I had to convince my son that it was safe to handle the jar.  (Smile!)
He was concerned about the holes in the jar, thinking that the bug may stick his fangs through them.  

This would be why he is holding the jar from the top and bottom; no fear of holes here.  


We said our goodbyes, opened up the jar and let our "friend" go!

As we had read, when he took off in flight, he made a humming, vibrating sound and flew quickly.  

Because of his size, we could see him for quite a while, flying in the sky.  It was quite fun for my son and I.

****************

I think that is what I am enjoying most about our nature studies.  We are finding ways to learn about something new together.  I love that.  

There was a time, I never would have imagined finding such interest in these bugs, but I can honestly say that I am thoroughly enjoying every moment of it.  I believe my kids are as well.  This is what it's all about. 

If you and your child would like to learn more about this interesting insect, here are some links to look up.  They include lots of helpful information and pictures.  
By the way, despite the painful bite and stinky smell, this guy is considered a "beneficial insect", as he will eat other insects that are harmful to your plants, etc...

And check out this unique detail... he has an interesting "thumbprint" sort of detail at the ends of his wings; our guy's were shimmery and metallic in color. 



*** strange name for a site that tells about bugs, but this is correct.

*** this one has some great info and clear pictures.














Changing Mother



I have great need of change;   Praise God, He is doing just that.

Looking back, at the first few years of parenting, I was acting as though the knowledge I had gained from books or classes was enough to help me to function in this role as a mother.  Yes, I knew I needed to be in God's word but it really seemed to be more about what I did right. 
What I had gleaned from these books was that it was important for me to gain respect from my children, expecting "first time obedience" and "cheerful attitudes".  Agreed!
Understanding that these children were blessings, from the Lord, gave me the drive to search out advice from godly men and women who had walked before me.  
My hearts desire was to "do it" right. 

Lately, I believe the Lord is teaching me that this parenting thing is not, at all, about me doing right.  It truly is not about this philosophy or that.  The ideals of another man should never be my basis but rather the truths I see in God's word.
R.C. Sproul Jr. says, " However much God might have gifted any education theorists through the ages, He made none of them inerrant or smarter than Himself. 


As in many other areas, in my life, the Lord is teaching me that it is not about me but rather all about Him. 
In the same light, it is not all about how my children "turn out". 
Do I desire to see my children growing, loving and serving their Lord...absolutely.  
But... 
He placed these precious children in our care, for His purposes.  Plans that I may never understand..
Whether I like the outcome or not is really not the point.

While walking this path of parenting, the Lord is teaching me that my heart's desires must align with His.  His plans WILL come to be; I must walk humbly with that truth in my heart.  
Digging into God's word, studying the "Sunday school stories" of Joseph and Noah, Zacchaeus and Paul leaves one with no way of denying that man does nothing to change what God is doing.  What about Esther and Ruth, did not God have a plan all along that never once was changed by the deeds of a man?  

He, in His perfect timing, is helping my finite mind to see a bit of the truth of His sovereignty. 
Last night, I listened to a message from Romans 11, where God's word says, 
"O the depths of His riches, of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out." 
Clearly I can not understand! I may never fully understand, but I see, much more clearly now, that His will can not be shaken by my mistakes.  How comforting to rest in that.


What a difference it makes in daily life... What calm it brings to this mother's heart.  My children were created By Him, For Him and He will always remain in control.  
Nothing I do, nothing I say can change this.

So then, where does this leave me?  After having walked ten years with the idea that I must somehow mold my children, cause them to desire to love Him, and watch as "MY" parenting is proven right or wrong, I can tell you that I am left with "a peace that passes all understanding". 

He is so good!  His ways I may never understand.  His plans may be different than what I had hoped for.  But, I know I can trust Him.  He is God.  Who am I to think that I can somehow keep what He had planned from happening?

My responsibility, in mothering, is the same as it is in every other area of my life.  I must die daily.  Before anything is cleaned, picked up, sorted or taught, I must die to what I think is needed.  choosing only to honor Him...
seeking to know Him more...
setting my sight "on things above" rather than plans I have here on earth...
praising Him with my lips, my actions, my words, my heart...

Painfully learning... always
resting... yes
understanding.. no
trusting... with HIS doing! By His grace!









What we are enjoying

For fun, I thought I'd post about some things that we are currently enjoying.  This will be list of sorts.  I don't know about you but sometimes I think it is fun to find out about something new or something you had heard of but didn't know whether or not to try.  Maybe this list will help you.  Here we go....

1. Music

***We are currently enjoying these Cd's; although these kids songs have the similar, catchy tunes that others do, they are unlike most children's music in that they teach solid doctrinal truths.  These are not your normal, feel-good, no depth to them, kids songs ( aka . . .  Deep and Wide) but rather, these teach doctrine that sadly many adults don't understand . .  Love that. 

songsforsaplings

2. Books
Recently, my girls and I attended a theater production of The Secret Garden.  What a fun night that was.  We've been reading the book, written by Frances Hogdson Burnnett and have thoroughly enjoyed it.  Although the book and theater version differ quite a bit, we highly recommended both. 

***Our Handbook of Nature Study arrived last week!  How exciting to open up our box and see a thick book full of facts to help us to better understand our finds in nature.   This is not your normal, run of the mill, nature guide but rather a book that fits its title . . . a handbook.  It is FULL of helpful teaching hints, ideas for helping your students look a little bit closer at what they are seeing plus lots of information about creatures and such.   We look forward to putting it to use.


***Currently, I have several books going, although this contradicts what I learned to do in the first one,  
The Well Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer.  She recommends reading only one book, on one subject, at a time, and completely immersing oneself in to understanding that "topic".  I find this very difficult to follow . . . maybe I'll start working on that after I read these . . .  maybe...

***Also by Susan Wise Bauer, The Well Trained Mind, has been quite helpful as I plan our upcoming calendar for what the children will be learning.  As I learn about the Classical style of education, I become more and more interested.  I love that one of its goals is to teach our children HOW to think clearly rather than to teach a bunch of facts in order to see our child get a good grade.  

With that same mindset comes the approach of this next book, A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola.  Although there are some differences in their approaches, I am finding, that for me, I see that a blending of the two styles may be what will work well for our family .  What I enjoy most about her approach to educating a child is that we should be interested in knowing what our children find intriguing, furthering their knowledge in those areas and making sure there is time in their day to pursue those interests WHILE continuing their lessons in those subjects we see as necessary.  

*** Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally.  In her book, Sarah does a wonderful job of combining a fictional story of a princess seeking to follow her father's teaching with a graceful outline of how to seek purity and patience while waiting for marriage.  Sarah was featured on the Duggars this past season, I believe it was.  She seems to truly desire to encourage young ladies to pursue a godly womanhood.  How needful is that?  As the Lord has placed our daughters in our care, we are praying about this whole idea of non-dating (sometimes known as courtship).   Thankfully, we have some time to seek His leading in this area but I am of the thinking "Why wait . . . seek His leading now!"

3. Tasty things


***Blueberries and Blackberries;  I highly recommend getting your family in the car and heading out to a local farm to pick berries.  What a wonderful time it will be.  Be prepared for messy fingers and faces as well.  I recommend your bringing along baby wipes (for wiping said fingers and faces), a stool of some sort to sit on if the bushes you will be picking from are not trellised and a camera for capturing these fantastic memories.    

When you come home with several pounds of blackberries, I highly recommend making freezer jam.   Before you do, go buy some of  these jars, although they are cheaper at Walmart.  They made making freezer jam a cinch; no need for boiling glass jars to sanitize, etc..  Just fill and place on lids and you are done.  My kind of canning.  There is an easy to follow recipe right on the package of the jars. Also, be sure to purchase the instant pectin for no-cook freezer jams. 

***Another great recipe to try is berry butter.  With only two ingredients, this couldn't be easier.  Literally, blend butter and berries together, roll up into a log in plastic wrap.  You can refrigerate or freeze for longer keeping.  It is delicious spread on top of french toast, let me tell you.  Thank you Pioneer Woman for this idea. 

and last but not least......



***My favorite addition to a good book would be Chai Tea.  When a lady from Bible study told me about Chai Latte, I thought I'd give it a try.  Having never been much of a hot tea drinker and having never tried milk in tea, I was skeptical but I am here to tell you, it is delicious.  At least, once a day, I brew myself a mug full or two, and sit back to read or look around online.  So far, this is my favorite brand; I'm always on the look out for a sale. Try it, if you haven't already.  








A Peacock Nature Study

Col. 1:16 says "For by Him were all things created . . . "  
There are so many beautiful things on earth that we can enjoy if we take the time to slow down and look a little closer.  It is our goal to find joy in the things He has created and in this case that was easy to do.

After enjoying a wonderful field trip to a sheep farm, participating in the process of taking wool, freshly sheared, and turning it in to yarn, we enjoying a beautiful walk through the garden.  There was no better way to end the day than a picnic lunch and a nature study.   Having come prepared with our clipboards and pencils, we were excited to see what we could find.  Thankfully, we didn't have to look far because just as we were finishing up our lunches, this beautiful bird joined our fun.  Obviously very used to having children around on the farm, he was very friendly and didn't mind our taking a closer look.



Did you know that the term Peacock only refers to the male bird in this species?  The female is named the peahen.  They are both part of the family of Peafowls.  The male peafowl (peacock) is the one which displays beautiful, colorful feathers, in order to attract the female.  

We also learned that there are three main types of Peafowls: the Green Peafowl, the Indian peafowl and the Congo Peafowl.  When searching for the differences in each, it doesn't take long to find them.  For instance, the Congo Peafowl is much more bulky in size and sports a fluffier white crest on his head.  In this case, we learned that "our" peacock friend is an Indian Peacock.  We could tell because of his crest; it looks like tall sticks on top of his head with blue dots attached.  








Here, you can see his beautiful tail feathers.  I so hoped we would find one lying on the ground to take home and observe more carefully but this wasn't the case. 

 An adult peahen has an average of 200 tail feathers that are shed and re-grown according to answersingenesis.org  .
I recommend reading this article if you are studying peacocks with you child; it is quite fascinating.  



 Once we arrived home, we were able to do a search online to find many beautiful images to observe more closely.  This is one of my favorites.  How can anyone doubt that we have an amazing creator?  In the article I mentioned above you will read about the purposes for the brown coloring around the eye pattern . . . truly fascinating. For me, this type of study proves that when we slow down and become interested in creation, we will quickly be in awe of its creator.  To me, it would be a shame to skim through a quick paragraph or two in a textbook and then move on... so fun to find out more!


Back to the nature study. . .  Before heading home the kids found a quiet spot to sit and observe the peacock as it made its way around the yard.  This is when the clipboards come out.  I'd love to share with you the sketches my children made.  

This first one was made by my younger daughter.  She still has yet to finish coloring in the details but I love the way she captured the eye patterns and the crest.  


Next, is my son's drawing.  The over-exaggeration of key features brings a smile to my face.  Check out the crest on his peacock. 


On our way home, my daughter used the leftover aluminum foil from her lunch to create this.  She couldn't wait to get home to paint her creation.  

We are enjoying our nature studies and look forward to sharing more with you soon.  

Just two ingredients and a bit of time....

Who doesn't love a good fajita or a tasty quesadilla?  This household loves them.  We love just about anything that involves meat, beans and salsa. . . oh, and add in some guacamole and we are set.  But, a year ago, my husband realized that he was showing the definite signs of gluten intolerance. So, our adventure in gluten free eating began.  The following recipe is one that has "saved the day"!
Not long after going gluten free, my sweet guy realized that store bought corn tortillas were "getting old" quick.  Thankfully, soon after, I came across a "recipe" for homemade corn tortillas and thought hmmm, I wonder if they are really any better?  After trying them and seeing my family's response, specifically my husbands, I am here to say, yes, yes they really are. . .that .  .. much . . . better.  Besides, with only 2 ingredients and no preservatives what isn't to love?  If that isn't enough, consider the cost.  For the same price as one package of store bought tortillas, we can make over one hundred of these, so with that in mind, let's begin.


Ingredients are as follows:

2 cups. of corn masa mix
1 1/4 c. WARM water

that's it!!!

Tools needed:

large mixing bowl
dry measuring cup
liquid measuring cup
mixing spoon
rolling pin (or anything to flatten the tortilla, I've used the back of an iron skillet before and that worked fine.)
skillet or griddle*** I prefer the griddle for it's ability to cook several at a time








As you will see, this is a GREAT recipe to get your kids in on.  In this case, my oldest daughter is doing the cooking.  She loves to help in the kitchen.  What I love about this picture is the glam she has going on . . . apparently, no need to remove rings for this one.


 Measure out 2 cups of corn masa mix in to a large mixing bowl. 


Measure 1 1/4 cups of WARM water and pour in to mixing bowl . . . everyone following?  I'm telling you this ones easy!

Mix the 2 ingredients together until fully combined; as you can see from this picture, my daughter decided that the tools God gave her are much better than the spoon. . . my kind of chef!







  This would be the point that little brother woke up and wanted so badly to "help"; thankfully a banana distracted him for a few minutes.












Now, back to work.  After you have mixed your dough, place the ball on to a piece of plastic wrap and roll in to a tube.






You will be cutting this tube of dough in to 16 small rounds, so consider that as you roll it out.  I think ours was about 15- 18 long, I am guessing.









   For an easy and living model of fractions, we used the cutting in halves , repeatedly , method to get our 16 pieces, mostly equal in size.  One piece of dough became two, two then became four, four became eight and finally eight became sixteen.    

Here, you can see her using this technique to cut each equal piece in half again. 


Next, take one piece, at a time, and place between a piece of plastic wrap folded in half, leaving space on either side of round for it to spread out.  Use your hand to flatten into a disk.


As you can see, at this point, her brother was finished with his banana and back to inspect.
Whether you have spectators or not, use a rolling pin, the back of an iron skillet, really anything you can come up with to flatten in to a round shape.


Or, as in our case, whatever shape that is as close to round as you can get.  Thankfully, they taste wonderfully, no matter if they are round , oblong , rectangular. . . whatever works.





 To remove the tortilla from the plastic wrap, gently place your hand on top of the tortilla, flip it over and slowly peel off the plastic wrap.  And there you have it . . . a wonderfully, ready to be cooked , homemade corn tortilla.




  So, now, to the cooking!






Place corn tortilla's on a HOT, oiled griddle or skillet and cook on each side for about one minute.

Once these are cooked, they are, not only, super tasty but they much more pliable than store bought corn tortillas and get a lot more "yums" than they ever did , making them the perfect vehicle for filling with lots of different goodies .

Try them out!  You'll see why making homemade is oh so worth it.  And, despite the fact that my large amount of pics made this post so long, you will see that, once you get the process down, it really is quick and easy and will definitely be worth the fuss.

To complete our meal, my other daughter stepped in and scrambled up some eggs while her big sister fried bacon.  That's all we needed to complete our meal. . . well, that, and a smoothie.  That would be where I contributed.


 Although ending this post with a sideways picture of our complete meal was not in my plan, apparently this will be the case . . . I warned you all, I'm new at this and newbies make strange errors, like posting sideways pictures.  Bare with me.



Weeds?


"Flowers are not made by singing, "O how beautiful" and sitting in the shade.  -Rudyard Kipling

Hard work, hours spent pulling weeds, tending to the soil and pruning away that which is dead... although I do not profess to be any sort of "green thumb", I, well know, that a LOT of work goes in to enjoying a beautiful display in your flower beds.  Thankfully, I have a gifted mother in law who, for mother's day, last year spent time and money helping me to make my flower beds presentable.  I love her, for that, along with many other reasons.
However, in this situation, Rudyard Kipling's quote would be somewhat inaccurate.  This morning as the kids and I ventured outside, the first thing we saw growing along our fence line were these beauties.  Perfect!!! What an opportunity for a nature study. Thank you, Lord.  No textbook needed, no classroom to be used, other than our own backyard. Add a camera, a little bit of online searching (our Nature study book has yet to arrive) a pencil and paper and we were set.  

Whether you are doing your own nature study, or not, I hope you will enjoy what we found today.

This beauty of a wildflower is quite common, in the U.S, specifically the southern regions.  
Coreopsis Tinctoria, more commonly known as Tickweed because of the way their small seeds somewhat resemble seed ticks.  

Although, at first look, the kids thought it resembled a wild daisy of sorts, we then noticed it had curly edged petals.  This will be the perfect detail for the kids to add to their sketches.  
When observing God's creations, in order to sketch and journal what we are seeing, we try to notice dominant features that we can make apparent in our drawings.  That way, we will easily remember what we observed, as we look back in our notebooks later.




We, Americans, specifically, spend so much money and effort to be rid of weeds, which I understand. But, when taking the time to sit and notice the beauty of these wildflowers, I am reconsidering......maybe I'll just embrace the weeds. 






Now, for the fun part... sketching and recording what we saw.  

What my children seem to love most about our nature study, is the casual approach we are taking.  There really are few rules here.  I only ask that they take their time to draw what they find interesting.  Somewhat outside of my normal practice, I try to only point out interesting observations, in this case, the ruffled petals.  That way, as they record what they see, they can include those distinguishable features.  


As you can see, my son began sketching the "action" in this drawing.
 I recently heard a lecture by Andrew Pudewa, explaining the differences in how boys and girls will draw or create images.  It was quite interesting and will be brought up in a later post.  
I love the over-emphasis on the size of the Fly's eyes.  I also love that my son,when asked what kind of eyes the fly has, responds.  . "a bunch of eyes. . . . . 'conpound' eyes";  yes, I know it is spelled compound but ya know, in this case, conpound was more accurate.



As you can see, from this picture, he began his drawing with smooth, rounded petals.  At this point,  I commented, "You know what I find so pretty? ...the way the petals look curled "; he immediately drew this.  


Anyone else smiling now?  Maybe, it's just me.

As we were making our observations, we were able to see something really neat.  Off to the side of the flower and fly, on the chain link fence, was a small string of spider web with a small egg sac attached.




You can see that he drew this immediately.
He's been very interested in spiders, of late.  His favorite book to sit and look at is this one.  Recently,  he was asking his aunt if she had ever heard of the ant spider, the wheel spider or the marbled orb weaver spider.




Here it is, if you look closely, right in front of the chain link fence.  See it?








As I left him to finish his sketch, looking back, I saw this.  I love it.  I love that he is finding enjoyment observing the things our God has made.  "This is the day that the Lord hath made, I will rejoice and be glad in it."

Are you ready?  Here is the finished "work of art"!  I think he did a wonderful job of capturing what his little eyes saw.  Now, to place it in his nature notebook.


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