Ponderings In The Field of Grace

Can I just say how much I love Hobby Lobby? We went there again today to just browse and I walked out with a ton of stuff at extremely affordable prices. I have been having to go there occasionally to pick up various things for our art curriculum and supplies for history and science projects. Today I picked up craft glue, colored pencils (24), pastel chalk (48), acrylic paints (14 different colors), a large paper mache treasure chest, and some wooden plaques. All for less than $40. M1 and M2 have already started painting on the treasure chest. H got some really cute pics of the two of them painting it.

I am still working on my TOG (Tapestry of Grace) order. I think I have finally got the order for Lampstand (TOG’s ordering company) ready. I am just going to order the first unit of Year 1 Redesigned. I also need to order 4 books, the Lapbook CD template (my kids are really enjoying these), Teaching with Tapestry of Grace CD, map aids, and Yr. 1 evaluations. I think that is about it for them. I am still working on my order of books from Books-a-million. I will hopefully have it done before I go to bed tonight.

I still have to finish my planning for next week’s lessons. I think I just might do that tomorrow, though. I think I will be extending Week 1’s lessons into this week, because there is still so much we can talk about and study. Also, we will have more time to work on our lapbooks and salt dough maps.

On top of all the TOG activities, we will also begin our first project for Science. We are going to do a paper mache model of the solar system. I thought it might be a good way for the kids to remember the names of the planets, and it is one of the suggested activities for chapter 1. The kids are really liking this material, too. They are trying not to confuse Nicolas Copernicus and Galileo Galilei, but I think they will get it eventually.

Well, guess I’ll go for now. Hope y’all have a wonderful weekend!

Well, things have definitely been steady around here. Steady and busy/steady and boring, take your pick. I told H the other day I was exhausted, but I don’t feel like I’ve really accomplished anything. I am still working on getting my home school stuff together. I have managed to keep the house semi-straightened up. I just kind of feel out of sorts though. Don’t know how to explain it.

I have been reading in my Bible, but even that seems like I am just reading. Things just aren’t “speaking” to me the way they were. I know going through times like this are normal, but it doesn’t have to mean I like it! I’ll just keep reading and praying. I know things will be better soon.

L is spending the night with K2 tonight. A is staying with Mom and Daddy. So that just leaves me home with M1 and M2 since H will be working at W’s tonight. (That enough initials for ya? ) I am hoping to borrow Mom and Daddy’s car and maybe take M1 and M2 somewhere tonight just us. We’ll see. That is if I feel like it. I may just want to collapse , who knows?

Well, guess I better get back to school. I need to see what they have to finish before we start on their notebook stuff.

Well, today seems to be my catch-up day. I’ve got to get the grass cut sometime today, so hopefully, I can get the weedeater going after that. Ugh, not looking forward to being outside in the heat and humidity to do all of that! Also, looks like I need to mop again! Have I mentioned how bad I dislike actually doing housework?

So the agenda for today looks something like this:

dishes, laundry, vacuum, dust, trash, grass/yard, school, lesson planning, and Bible Study

Ai-Yi-Yi! I hope I get it all in..

Well, we’ve got a lot to do today between school and around the house. H will be working over at W’s place until late. So, that pretty much leaves me and the kids with a day at home to ourselves. Hope we get a good bit done.

Here’s what’s on the agenda today:

dishes, laundry, finish VBS cards, get order for TOG ready, vacuum, dust, school, check garden, and Bible Study

That is a lot, but I should have time to do it, if I stay on track. Here’s hoping I can get it all done, and get it done before H gets home!

Well here it is after 10pm again and I’m sitting at this computer. At least I have been working some. I’ve spent the better part of the last hour trying to see what I need to order from Tapestry of Grace. It looks like I am going to have to order things sort of piece meal. I can’t even decide right now if I want to order the whole year, or pay a little more and just order the units as I need them. I think I have knocked out the whole “bundle” package they are offering. I just don’t see myself using their Writing Aids right now, so why pay extra to have that included in the package, you know?

I am going to have to bite the bullet and order the CDs for the Lapbooks I think. We started working on our first lapbook ever today and all the kids seem to enjoy it.

As far as the books we will be using, that is what is really eating up my time to figure out. I am having to go to two or three websites and check the prices on each individual book. UGH! Anyway, I think I am slowly beginning to get it.

As I am working through this unit, and really trying to give it an honest attempt I am finding out that I am actually doing the things I hoped to do with Sonlight but never did. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think Sonlight is a fantastic curriculum, but it just never worked the way I wanted it too, and how my kids needed it to. So I am really praying that God will show me if Tapestry of Grace is the right thing for us or not. Right now, I think it may be, but, as I was telling my friend L the other day, I always like a new curriculum when I am first trying it out. I can’t really tell how things are really going to work out until about the third month or so.

Well, I guess I better go. I still need to fold a basket of clothes and take a shower. Maybe I’ll get in bed before 11pm. Hey, I can dream can’t I?

I get the feeling I might have written a post like this one before.

We’re in the middle of our first week of school for the ‘07-’08 school year. All I can say is I am definitely working on a learning curve! So what’s on the agenda for today? A little bit of everything I think.

dishes, laundry, school, sweep, dust, vacuum, trash, clean bedrooms, VBS thank you cards

I think that is enough for now. We’ll see how things go.

Well that went pretty well. I am exhausted though. I didn’t actually finish all of the tasks but got most of the way done with almost all of them. That’s pretty decent I guess…

H called me this morning to tell me he heard Chris Benoit died. Now for those of you who don’t know who Chris Benoit was, he was a Canadian who wrestled for WCW and later WWE. Now I know it isn’t the most popular thing in the world to say you like “wrasslin’” but, hey, I do. Now I haven’t watched it in years, because I like wrestling but not the skin fest they have on cable. Chris Benoit was an actual wrestler. He knew the technical as much as he knew the entertainment aspect of it. I would tend to believe he preferred the technical and tolerated the entertainment.

Now before I start to wax poetic on you about wrestling and Chris Benoit, let me tell you, he wasn’t my favorite wrestler, and I don’t really know that much about him. Unfortunately, I know a lot more about him today than I did last week. Today they released the news that he murdered his wife and son and then committed suicide. The headlines are already screaming ” ‘Roid rage!” Admittedly, that is one of the first things I thought of, but there is so much more here than a homage to Benoit, or a diatribe against the evils of professional wrestling.

Instead it is an observation about life. How sad that a man not only took his life, but that of his wife and child as well. What in him was hurting/angry enough to do something like that? Recently the headlines have been filled with news of husbands and wives killing their families and at times turning the “gun” on themselves? What in the world is so bad that they can not only not deal with it, but think the answer is to take others with them?

I ran across an interesting quote from www.1wrestling.com it said:

Chris hated religion. He didn’t believe in it. I cannot comprehend him putting bibles by the bodies. I am shocked.ö (Note: We have been contacted by other friends of Benoit who say he had recently become a religious person)

Part of the answer may be right there. Maybe he did hate religion. Maybe he was struggling with accepting it. Only he really knows. But it does illustrate a good point. There most likely was a war going on in that man’s soul. Now, given, it was a war others did not see outwardly much, but it was a war all the same.

How sad that now, there are three more casualties of war. I pray there will not be many more, but I fear that is just wishful thinking.

Who knows the thoughts a person has that push them to the precipice of such decisions. I pray others find the peace Chris Benoit may have been seeking, a peace which passes all understanding. That peace is embodied in Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the Prince of Peace. He is the only one who can give that to you. Praying one day we all experience that peace together in His presence.

Praying for the families left behind.

Sam

Ever have one of those days when you just feel like crud, and everything just drives you nuts? I am, today. I woke up this morning congested and feeling like I was run over by a Mack truck. It hasn’t gotten any better. So on top of feeling like this we still have school, and to top it off it’s Therapy Day! (Yes, I was being sarcastic.)

Let’s see what do I need to do today?

laundry, dishes, OT, ST, school, VBS thank you cards, supper

Hopefully, I’ll get it all done. Right now, let’s just say it’s questionable….

WHOO-HOO!!! It’s finally here. The first day of school for the ‘07-’08 school year. The kids will be so glad. I have had to fight them off to keep them from doing their school work early. (I know they’re weird! ) So today should be a busy day.

Here’s the list of need to do:

dishes, laundry, school, sweep, trash, work on playroom or cut grass, vacuum, school planning

We’ll see how it goes. I am praying it will be a great day!

What’s for dinner tonight?

Squash dressing, baked beans, salad, and ?

It’s good to have friends. J1 and J2 came over this evening with their kids. It was so nice to just hang out, let the kids play, and be able to talk with adults. We watched the kids play out in the yard, on the trampoline, ride bikes, and feed the fish. In the meantime, we talked about work, school, kids, life in general, and church. It was just so great having them over. J1’s mom had fixed some brownies that they brought. They were so delicious. She is such a sweet lady, and an awesome cook!á The kids played so well together. The boys did too. I think the biggest hit of the evening was the bike ramp. Almost everyone, rode on it. Even the littlest ones, when they couldn’t get their bikes to do right, just ran over it. They were so cute!

I can’t tell you how nice it is to finally have some friends. H and I have waited a long time to finally find a few people that we really connect with. Honestly, we had begun to believe that there just weren’t any other people out there that we could really be friends with, but God changed our thinking on that. I have to say He has really blessed us with an awesome group of people to call “friends”. The great thing is we all share so many things in common that you wouldn’t have thought we do. It’s so nice not to be lonely anymore.