Our Curriculum Choices

Several people have asked me what curriculum we've chosen to use. Here's what we've picked....

Age 3
I spent about 15 minutes a day several times a week doing some kind of sticker book like My Giant Sticker Activity Book. We went through it in order. This helps develop just small bits of discipline and helps a child develop a willingness to work through each page to get to the next one he's most anticipating. It's also super-fun and allows kids who don't have well-developed fine motor skills to complete a page without getting frustrated.

Age 4

• Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

Kindergarten

• Saxon 1 with associated manipulatives
• Veritas Press Phonics Museum, K-1 Combo (We got as far through this as we could... about 2/3 or 3/4 of the way through first grade)
• Random science reading and learning, including watching caterpillars grow into butterflies and tadpoles grow into frogs.
• Catechism and scripture memory program we started at Clifton Baptist Church in Louisville

First Grade

• We'll finish up the 1st grade phonics curriculum in July before we get into the school year full-swing.
• Art: Drawing with Children by Mona Brookes; Discovering Great Artists: Hands-On Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters
• Bible: Big Picture Bible Timeline; the catechism and scripture memory program; and scripture reading.
• Geography: Legends and Leagues by Ned Bustard; Geography Songs CD
• Grammar: Shurley English Level 1
• History: Mystery of History, Volume 1 primarily, and The Story of the World, Volume 1 where it fits; Kingfisher History Encyclopedia; The Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History
• Literature: Veritas Press First Favorites 1 and 2 with Comprehension Guides. He'll also read books from the library to support history learning depending on what we're interested in reading more about. I'll use the resource lists in The Well-Trained Mind as a springboard.
• Math: Saxon 2 with associated manipulatives
• Music: We may start piano lessons. In the fall, Ladan will be taking a class called Music in Motion at our homeschool co-op (if he gets his first choice for that hour). A mom will be teaching the children about music and will incorporate physical activities into their music learning. FUN!
• Physical Education: Probably soccer in the fall, and he'll likely take swimming lessons in the winter and spring. We'll see what our options are when we get there. This will also be included in the music class mentioned above.
• Science: Apologia Exploring Creation with Astronomy. If he gets his first choice, he'll also be taking a co-op class where they'll do astronomy experiments and projects as a class based on this curriculum. It will be fun for him to see the results that other kids get, so I love the idea of him doing this with a group of kids.
• Fun extras: Lyrical Life Science; The Farewell Symphony; Bach's Goldberg Variations

There are TONS of really GOOD choices. These are the things that excite us and seem reasonable for us to use. Some families do a lot more of their own curriculum development, which is great. I don't feel like I have time for that right now. Some families are more or less structured than our family.

The key is to find out what the law requires in your state, decide what's going to work for you and at least meet the legal standard. To learn what the laws are in your state, you can go to the Homeschool Legal Defense Association web page: http://www.hslda.org/. We are choosing to do MUCH more than the law requires at this point. We're not even required to school the kids until they're 7. My reasoning for that is the simple fact that kids are sponges at this age, and the better foundation I can give them in a wide variety of subjects, the more they'll have to build on as they get older. Learning is loads of fun for them right now, so it's not like I'm having to act as a slave driver all day long. The great thing is that, while we're incorporating a lot more content hours in a day than public schools do, Ladan gets a LOT more free play time than kids in school do. It's like the best of both worlds. Since we're part of the homeschool co-op on Thursday mornings, he gets a class once a week and gets to hang out with friends then. Nice!

As for scheduling the school year, we'll organize ourselves very similarly to what is described in this blog entry. Obviously, since it's just first grade, there will be LOTS of guidance from me and LOTS of redirection when things get off course... but this is the general idea. Every year, I'll hand over a little bit more of the scheduling responsibility to the kids so that by the time they're in junior high or high school, I'll have some sort of syllabus with due dates, and they'll be dividing up their lessons and determining the best way to get their learning goals accomplished.

So, for those of you who are interested, this is what we're doing for now. Hope it helps!

They're Only Little Once

I just finished kindergarten with Ladan today! He took his last math test this afternoon. He finished his kindergarten phonics/reading/handwriting/art/art history curriculum much earlier in the year and has just a bit of the 1st grade curriculum left to complete, but we're taking a break from that at least until July so we can enjoy the weather and his 6th birthday (June 15). Not bad for a pretty young kindergartener, I guess! And given that we've had quite a few things that have thrown us off course this year so that we squeezed our 176-day school year into 133, I'd say it's even better!

While Ladan celebrated by running through the sprinkler with his neighborhood friends, I was online purchasing next year's curriculum! I can't wait for it all to get here! :) Next year we add grammar, geography, literature, science, and lots more history to the mix. I feel like I'm going to need a month just to get myself organized! It is so much work, but it is SO WORTH IT!!!! I love it! I never thought I'd say that about homeschooling. I never even thought I'd homeschool my kids.

Claire is starting to roll all over the place. She is seriously the sweetest baby I have ever met, and I don't just say things like that about my own kids without warrant. I started to question whether or not I was just oblivious, but it's confirmed by almost everyone who meets her... everyone except the strange still model in Neiman Marcus we encountered a few weeks back when Claire was screaming her face off as we trudged through the store just to get somewhere else. For the most part, she shocks people with her good nature. The first few months with her were VERY hard when she was puking on everything in sight... but she's past that now, and it's just a memory... though sometimes I feel like I'm still recovering!

And Gabe... well, he's just a ball of life. The other night he just wanted to go for a ride in "the white car". He kept saying, "Come on, Mom. Let's go!" I had no idea where he wanted to go, and he didn't either. He just wanted to get out and see something. So I cleaned up the dishes, got Chet settled with Ladan and Claire, and I went for a drive with him. We rolled the windows down and drove into the sunset. No music. Just talking about what we saw and enjoying the night. It was refreshing and amazing! That's what I love about that kid! He knows what he wants, and he goes for it! He's got fire in him! It doesn't always turn out to be very convenient when I want him to do something that gets in the way of his personal plans, but we're getting things figured out slowly but surely.

I made cookies tonight while Chet gave the kids baths. When they were all clean, the boys came running down to me and were so excited about their cleanliness! They just had to show me how nice they looked! Funny! I got them each a cookie, and I probably heard four or five times from each of them how yummy their cookies were. I wish I could describe the look of sheer satisfaction on Gabe's face when I walked toward him with his second cookie. He closed his eyes, smiled as big as he could, drew his hands into his chest, and held his breath until his cookie landed on his plate. Priceless! Neither of the boys really knows how to fake enjoyment, so when they are extra thankful and excited about something I've done, I know it's coming straight from their hearts. Encouragement to a weary mom is what that is!

There is so much work that goes into being a mom, and there are so many things that I would absolutely love to be doing and learning that might seem more fulfilling at certain points. But I'd say that I'm learning all kinds of things right where I am, and I'm fairly certain that there is nothing else I could learn or do that is more fulfilling or rewarding in reality. Not every day feels like a reward. MANY days feel like I'm being hit by a truck and I'm crumbling. But these days. Well, they make all those other days worth it.

Some of My Favorite Products

In no particular order....

OLBAS OIL
It's good for all kinds of things, including congestion, ear infections, coughs, muscle aches and pains, the list goes on.



THE FOOTPRINT TILE
We have gone to a paint-your-own-pottery establishment with each of our kids and made these tiles, including the baby's footprint, name, meaning of name, and a scripture that we're praying for that child based on his/her name.



THE CAMELBAK WATER BOTTLE
Everyone in our family has one. The kids' were in their bedroom when I took this photo, but they have smaller kid-sized bottles with fun designs on them. We all know which one is ours, and we drink lots of water in the day because it's just readily available. We take them everywhere, and they don't spill.



TRADER JOE'S ALMOND BUTTER WITH ROASTED FLAX SEEDS
All I need to say about this stuff is that it is DELICIOUS! Love it!

HAPPY BABY ORGANIC PUFFS

Found at Target, these are fantastic! So much less sugar than Gerber or other brands, and Claire loves them. The Greens variety has spinach, kale, and something else, and she thinks they're great!

PHASE 10 FOR KIDS

This is a simple, yet fun, card game. Fun at home or on the go. I keep it in the diaper bag or my purse, and when we're out and have to wait somewhere, we play the game. I have to say that I had no idea what Yo Gabba Gabba even was until long after we had this game, and I still don't know much about it, so don't read this as a plug for that show.

SNACK TRAP

These little cups are so helpful! They clip to the side of a bag or the stroller with a caribiner, there is a spill-resistant lid as well as an outside sealed lid, and the kids can easily hold them. We've had two of these for nearly three years, and we still use them regularly. They have been very durable. We found them at Babies R Us, but I know they can be found online as well.

STARBUCKS SUMATRA BLEND

Don't need to say much about this.

What are some of YOUR favorite products right now?

Rebellion, Repentance & Deliverance

The boys have been in one of those stages where they argue a lot with each other, me, Chet, their friends... pretty much everyone except for Claire who they still think is the cutest thing on earth.

Tonight we needed to run some errands. Our plan was to eat a small snack on the way to Lowe's, get what we needed there, eat pizza somewhere, and then go the grocery store for a few quick things. Let me just say that they were NOT in agreement with one another as we went through Lowe's. For some reason, and I don't know what it is, they freak out in that store and start arguing with one another about the craziest things... whose hand gets to be on which side of the cart, who gets to touch Claire's cute feet, who gets to hold the roll of tape or bottle of Krud Kutter, etc.. It's ridiculous. And then they want me to take time to let them sit on the tractors/lawn mowers. I had to take a bunch of time to correct them or reign them in about every 29 seconds as we walked through the paint supply section, so they did NOT get to ask for time to sit on tractors.

When we got to the car, I got them situated and then explained that if they argued again or disobeyed in any fashion, they would not have further warnings before consequences would be meeted out. This was serving as their reminder of how they were to behave. As I suspected, a whole minute did not pass by before they were arguing about something silly like who saw the goose on the side of the road first.

So when we stopped at the restaurant, I moved myself to the back of the vehicle and delivered their consequences. This is how Ladan responded (picture him with a very contemplative expression):

"Hmmmm... You HAVE said before that he who hates God keeps right on sinning. And he who loves God turns from his sin and turns toward God. Well, do you know how many more times I'm going to sin? ZERO!"

I explained that this is an excellent thing to strive for. And if we believe and trust that Jesus came to earth, lived a holy life without sin, died to take our punishment and rose again to defeat Satan, then He does deliver us from our sin! And He does give us an opportunity to completely turn from particular sins. However, since we're human, there are new sins that He is faithful to uncover, and this happens for our whole lives. Basically, we we are always in need of Jesus and always in need of His grace.

I could tell by his facial expression that he wasn't exactly sure what to think about that. It was clear that he really wanted to be freed from the desire to sin once and for all. I do too! In the meantime, I praise God for the grace He continually extends toward me. I pray that His grace is extended to all of my children and that they love Him more than anything else. And I look forward to the day when my sins are not only covered by the blood of Christ, but I am finally free of any inclination toward sin at all!

All of this draws me to think about Romans, chapter 8 in the Bible. The entire chapter is worth meditating on, but here are some portions that directly correlate to the discussion Ladan and I had tonight:

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have receied the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

... [W]e ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

(Romans 8:3-17, 23-25)

I'd be curious to know how these big questions of life and eternity impact others. Are you living by the flesh, or are you living by the Spirit? How do you know?

Hummus Recipe

I had some requests for the hummus recipe I use. I don't technically use a recipe and kind of change up each batch just a little bit for variety, but this is the general idea of what I do to make 11 cups of hummus:

Ingredients...

1. 32 oz. dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
2. 1-2 cups lemon or lime juice (divided)
3. 1 cup olive oil (divided)
4. 4-5 peeled and sliced garlic cloves
5. Seasoning Options: sea salt, black pepper, lemon pepper, ground cumin, garlic powder, cilantro, chipotle chile pepper, or anything else you like

Night Before...

1. Sort (pick out anything from the bag of beans that isn't a bean--I don't usually find anything) and rinse 32 oz. dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans).
2. Dump the beans in a large stockpot and add water until the beans are covered by 1-2 inches of water.
3. Bring the mix to a boil.
4. As soon as the water has boiled, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let it soak overnight.

Cooking...

1. Drain the beans and cover with fresh water two inches above top of beans.
2. Simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the beans are starting to soften up a bit (though not squishy), adding water as necessary to keep beans covered. You'll notice the skins peeling off the beans. I pick some of these out as they float to the top, but don't waste time trying to get them all out.

Blending and Seasoning (repeat these steps until you've used up all your beans)...

1. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beans into your blender until the blender is half full (to about the 24 oz marker).
2. Add 1/8 to 1/4 cup lemon juice
3. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil
4. Add 1 peeled and sliced/grated garlic clove
5. Ladle out cooking water from the stock pot and add to the blender until it comes almost to the height of the beans in the blender.
6. Blend on highest setting until smooth, adding cooking water in small amounts to keep the blender from burning up and to thin the beans. If you get it too thin, just add more beans from the pot. You'll get the hang of it after a couple tries.
7. Transfer the contents of the blender into a mixing bowl and add seasonings to taste. The great thing is that you can make up five or six different varieties with one pot of beans. The following are some sample combinations I like (these are all estimates, because I just kind of throw things in):

• 1/2 tsp. sea salt; 2 tsp. McCormick's Grill Mates Roasted Garlic & Herb Seasoning; 1/4 tsp. black pepper; 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt; 1/2 tsp. chipotle chile pepper; 1 tsp. ground cumin; 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt; 1/4 tsp. black pepper; 1 tsp. ground cumin; 1/2 tsp. garlic powder; 1 or 2 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning

You can freeze hummus in glass or plastic containers or Ziploc freezer bags. To use after freezing, just defrost in the fridge and dig in when it's not frozen anymore. Easy enough.

Let me know if you have any improvements or if you find any great seasoning combos!

One Fine Day

Today was the first warm day this year, and it was fantastic! It rained early in the day, but the clouds parted, and the sun came out! Ladan said, "It's sunny! God thought it would make us happy if He made it sunny outside! He had that idea!" You can tell we haven't seen the sun in a while!

We worked on math early, and the boys were outside enjoying the nice weather by 10am. They played while Claire took her morning nap and I cleaned. When Claire woke up, we went for a walk through the golf course across the street from our neighborhood.

We spotted all kinds of birds and a bunch of poop. Yes, that's right. Poop. If we hadn't seen a very brightly colored mallard, I'm pretty sure that the poop would have been the highlight of the walk. And really, the mallard only tied with the poop, I'm sure. The boys looked for poop on the sidewalks. They looked for it in the grass. And they even leaned over the bridge and looked for it in the water. They found it in all of these places, and every time they exclaimed, "Eew! Poop!" Let's just say we saw enough poop today to prove that there are plenty of animals in our area with healthy bowels.

The golf course... and a poop sighting:


After we got home, we ate lunch and all three kids were tired. Gabe and Claire went down for naps. Ladan did some of his reading, but he was out of it, so we saved the rest for later in the interest of a nap for him too! For about 45 minutes, all three kids were laying down quietly AT THE SAME TIME! I cleaned the kitchen in peace. Nice!

Claire is now 7 months old, and to date, she has only eaten solids a couple times with VERY LITTLE success. She also refuses to take a bottle, but that's another story for another post. Two nights ago I tried giving her solids, and she was literally sobbing with huge crocodile tears streaming down her face acting like I was ripping her arm off her side or something. Last night Chet tried, and she didn't scream at him. Instead, she just stared him down with her cute little face and held her mouth shut.

If you know me, you know that when a challenge presents itself, I do not give up easily... and may try even harder. Well, I tried again tonight, and I finally got her to eat about 3 whole tablespoons of rice cereal mixed with pears! I was pumped!

It was one fine day! Thank you, Lord!

Adoption Conference: April 29-30, 2010

With Haiti’s earthquake drawing global focus to the plight of orphans, Christians from across America and beyond will gather in Minneapolis, MN, for the Christian Alliance for Orphans’ Summit VI on April 29-30, 2010. The objective: to inspire and equip Christians to “care for orphans in their distress” through adoption, foster care and global orphan care ministry rooted in the local church.

What you can look forward to:

• Featured speakers will include national champions of orphan care and adoption, including John Piper, Mary Beth Chapman, Tom Davis, Doug Sauder, Stephanie Fast, Jedd Medefind, and Al Mohler. Compelling voices from the global church will join as well, from Africa to Central America.
• Music will be led by Steven Curtis Chapman, Peder Eide, Desperation Band and other artists.
• More than 50 workshops delivering nuts-and-bolts for adoption, foster care and global orphan programs – designed for both laypersons and leadership.
• Orphan care resources for church ministries, as well as personal orphan care and adoption journeys
• Breakouts will also include 5 “Hague Hour” Credits for Adoptive Families.
• Q&A sessions and networking opportunities with respected adoption, global orphan and foster care organizations and veteran ministry leaders.
• For Christians stirred by the plight of orphans, Summit offers the biggest and best opportunity of the year to learn how to act upon conviction. To learn more and register now, visit the Summit website here.

A taste of breakout topics:

• Haiti and the Local Church: What’s Next?
• Bridging the Great Divide: Building Positive Relationships Between Church Ministries and Government
• Understanding Childhood Development of Overseas Orphans
• A Lifelong Love: Keeping the Gospel at the Center of Orphan Ministry
• Church-Based Orphan Ministry 101
• Fundraising for Orphan Ministry
• Starting in the Right Direction: Helping Pre-Adoptive Couples Make Sound Decisions
• Now What? Helping Children Age Out of Foster Care
• The Financial Challenge of Adoption and How the Local Church Can Respond
• Engaging Church Leadership
• A Child’s Journey Through the Foster Care System
• How Does It Work? Models of Global Orphan Ministry Based in US Churches
• Practical Ideas of Orphan-Focused Events
• Understanding HIV/AIDS and the Orphan
• And many more…

And there’s more! Five sessions will provide pre-adoptive families with needed Hague credits.

• Adoption and Orphans: Becoming a Multicultural/Multiracial Family
• Adoption and Orphans: Attachment and Trauma (Part I and II)
• Adoption and Orphans: Grief and Loss
• Adoption and Orphans: Acclimating to a New Family Member

“American Christians are stirring to the needs of orphans both at home and abroad as never before. What’s thrilling is that even small ministries in local churches can make such significant impact. There are millions of parentless children worldwide, but a single statistic matters more than any other: it only takes one caring adult to make a lifelong difference in the life of an orphan.” - Jedd Medefind, President, Christian Alliance for Orphans