Another funky rendition of my grandmother when she was young.This was done on canvas and has acrylic paint, fluid acrylics and watercolor and rubber stamps.  

I have been having fun with some funky colors and collage elements.  

Dad & Margaret, here is Lily in the dress you sent her for her birthday. Isn't she a doll? 

Every American Mom knows this guy! 

A contrary path!

My pastor’s wife said something interesting at Bible study the other day:

We were on the topic of our children’s social behavior. She said that the family relationships are the teaching ground of social relationships. As an example she said that a child should not be allowed to be sweetness and light to people outside while being mean and snippy to those in the home. She said children need to learn how to live correctly at home first before gracing the world.

Gotta get it right at home first.

That pretty sums up the philosophy we are following with homeschooling. We believe that we will form our kids to be smart, productive members of society by training them well at home in all area of life, in the security of those that love them the most. I find it interesting that this is contrary to modern educational and child development ideas. The commonly practiced child education in our culture today is based on the belief that the child learns best in a school setting taught by experts and from time spent with peers and away from the family.

Laura says. I'm a person too. Look at me in my Princess outfit.  

While the girls were at the Princess party the boys were at a Karate tournament. A proud Mark watched as Matthew won his first sparing medal. Good Job Matthew! 

Saturday morning. A princess birthday party. Everything pink and pretty. Lily here is doing the princess craft - crown decorating. 

Here is Sabrina, Spanish tutor and the BEST sitter in the world.  

Matthew working on Veritas Press Phonics Museum today. He is doing the comprehension for the story 'Moon Mission'.  

We have an outdoor dining area overlooking the pond. We had lunch with Mark today. The weather has been lovely for April. It reminds me of an Irish summer. Fresh and pretty. 

Laura is working hard on walking! I took this with my new digital camera about 30 minutes ago. I love technology! 

How are we doing so far?

At the end of Spring Break we had a staff meeting. Mark and I spent some time reviewing where Matthew is at in his school work and what we want to accomplish before the summer.

We found that we are further on in some subjects than others. We don’t have far to go to complete the first grade requirements in Matthew’s favorite subjects: Phonics, Geography, Art History and Bible. But we found that we do have more lessons to go in Grammar, Math and Literature than we have time.

(Art we are mid way in the Calvert series… we are not trying to complete that by any date… it is art, there would be something odd about putting that on a schedule. And anyhow we take many detours in art and do lots of additional projects. Why quantify such a beautiful thing?)

We first thought that in order to complete all his first grade course work by June, when my mum and aunt arrive for vacation we would make some schedule adjustments. Essentially we decided to cut Geography back to once a week, do grammar everyday and be diligent about completing 3 chapters of Math U See a week (this in addition to Veritas Press phonics museum, Veritas Press literature, art, art history and Bible).

So we have been doing this for a week now. I realized that even at this pace it will be hard to complete the Shurley grammar by June. I dragged my feet about starting it and didn’t do the lessons daily… so we are behind. Realistically if we take June & July off and do some other fun things I have planned for August we won’t complete grammar until October. Pretty much it is the same story with Math. We did a different math workbook for a few months as I dragged my feet on buying the Math U See Alpha course. Got started late. It has a lot of practice which involves writing. Matthew as a beginner is understandably slow at writing.

The purest in me wants to start second grade for all subjects in September. That would be clean and neat. School like. Familiar.

But…. Shona…. You are homeschooling…. Who says the Cole school should mirror traditional schools?… Who says that we have to do all second grade subjects at the same time…. It’s about learning not slavery to a system…. Freedom!

Mark is a realist – he says I should cut out the overly repetitive practice questions (some of the questions in Shurley Grammar that Matthew is completing are ones that, in a group school setting would be done verbally by different kids in a class – so he is doing more than double what he would be doing in traditional school). Complete the course when we complete the course. Start some of second grade in September while finishing parts of first grade.

So we are going to continue the new schedule and see how it goes. The important thing is that Matthew keeps learning and loves learning.

So far so good.

Matthew has one dog.... will the other get away? 

1pm I make lunch. Before we eat however, we all go to the mail box outside our home to get the mail. I like to read the mail while eating. It is nice to have food ready and waiting when we get back (we have a long driveway and we usually have to pick flowers on the way, chase the dog back into our property or find sticks with which to prod 'fireant mud'). Matthew is in his PJ's, Lily is dressed in a too small princess costume. Laura is in her stroller and I am barefoot. AHHHH.... homeschooling life. 

How perfect is this little girl? 

Doing the Texas thing - Mark with his little girls in a field of Texas Bluebonnets. 

Powerful lyrics

Excerpts from Before The Throne Of God Above
Charitie Lees Bancroft / Vikki Cook

Verse 1
............ My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart ...........

Verse 2
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Verse 3
............. My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high...........

Verse 4
.............. This river's depths I cannot know
But I can glory in its flood
The Lord Most High has bowed down low
And poured on me His glorious love
And poured on me His glorious love

CCLI Song No. 2306412© 1997 PDI Worship (Admin. by Integrity's Hosanna! Music) For use solely in accordance with the SongSelect Basic Terms of Agreement. All rights Reserved. CCLI License No. 2066462

Family Integrated church

My Sunday morning: Lily heavy in my arms. Together - swaying to the music. Matthew’s hand on my shoulder, mouthing the words of the songs. Lily playing with my hair. Sweet like warm honey. My babies. Together. With me. Soaking in the music.

We are at church.

They call us ‘family integrated’.

When I first heard of this model I balked – what, keep my squirmy babies quiet for 2 hours? I won’t get anything out of church. I need to listen. What about me?

With conviction we forged ahead and joined GCC. There was a learning curve for my kids. They were used to going to the church nursery at our old church where they played and watched Veggie Tale videos and colored. When we first attended GCC I packed coloring books, snacks and toys to distract my kids, marveling at the quiet personalities of the other kids who appeared to be paying attention to the service.

Now, my kids are those kids. They have learned to quiet their ids for church. They sing, they listen, they absorb.

It is the sweetest time of our week.

Winners at the First Annual Theodore Roosevelt Field Day held at our house.  

Lining up for the 70m Dash!  

Matthew's best event in Field Day. He got 5 baskets out of 5 shots! Yeah Matthew! 

First Annual Theodore Roosevelt Field Day - April 2

We did spend some of our Spring Break preparing for ‘Field Day’. We had the grass mowed, purchased prizes, made medals, traded emails with moms on what they could bring/how they could help, planned the flow of events.

Matthew was inspired by a children’s book on Teddy Roosevelt to have this Field Day. He planned out 15 events just like Teddy, but somehow I managed to pare it back to 5. We divided the 20 or so kids who were invited into age & sex appropriate groups. The boys took part in basketball, shot putt, crossbow, 70m dash and egg & spoon. The girls did the latter 3.

The day could not have been more beautiful as everyone arrives promptly at 10am. The sun shone, the breeze was cool, the snacks brought by friends tasty, box juices chilled.

We gathered the kids into the study for a reading of the book that inspired the day. Bigger kids sat enthralled by the wonderful tale, the little kids squirmed around listening in patches. With the rules of the day explained the first event was launched.

The kids all tried their best, some kids won many events, some, like my Lily, were just delighted to keep their egg on their spoon for the whole course. She won 3 bonze medals out of her group of 3 little girls. Yeah Lily! Not a competitive bone in her body!

Matthew aced basketball – getting 5 out of 5 shoots. But the pleasure of success didn’t last long as he bombed at crossbow. He held his own in the dash & shot putt and barely won gold in the egg & spoon (those Evans boys are a tough competition).

The Mommas and Pappas cheered, laughed, encouraged and guided their kids through a wonderful day. The kids were enthusiastic for the sport, camaraderie and competition.

We ordered pizza, which arrived promptly and was promptly devoured. Post lunch we had a fast and furious medal ceremony. The kids loved receiving their homemade gold medals as much as they liked the toys (paddleballs, water balloons, bubbles, jacks etc).

I was sad when it was over…. Perhaps we should have done another event…. At least a father son three legged race…. Perhaps a sack race…. Well there is always the Second Annual Theodore Roosevelt Field Day!