Turkey Poem

Well, it's December 1st and you know what that means? Christmas is 24 days away! What I want to know is how this happened so fast. I remember New Year's Eve like it was yesterday! It also means that Thanksgiving is behind us and we have fridges full of leftover mashed potatoes, turkey, and green bean casserole. If you're like me, you have a freezer full of turkey pot pies (thanks to my sister!) We had a great Thanksgiving with my sister visiting, and we went to our friends' across the street to eat. Our turkey, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole made it safely across the street, but our other neighbor's sweet potatoes didn't make it, as the dish exploded when it came out of the oven. It might sound mean to say she deserved it, but she did and she knows why! :o) (Little details that won't make the blog, but if it did, you'd get a good laugh, I promise!)

So anyway, I wanted to share this poem that someone posted in a group I'm in. I thought it was super cute, and appropriate for all ages. Enjoy!

Black November
When I was a young turkey,
New to the coop,
My big brother Mike took me out on the stoop,
Then he sat me down,
And he spoke real slow,
And he told me there was something that I had to know;
His look and his tone I will always remember,
When he told me of the horrors of..... Black November;
"Come about August, now listen to me,
Each day you'll get six meals instead of just three,
And soon you'll be thick, where once you were thin,
And you'll grow a big rubbery thing under your chin;
"And then one morning, when you're warm in your bed,
In'll burst the farmer's wife, and hack off your head;
Then she'll pluck out all your feathers so you're bald 'n pink,
And scoop out all your insides and leave ya lyin' in the sink;
And then comes the worst part!" he said not bluffing,
She'll spread your cheeks and pack your rear with stuffing."
Well, the rest of his words were too grim to repeat,
I sat on the stoop like a winged piece of meat,
And decided on the spot that to avoid being cooked,
I'd have to lay low and remain overlooked;
I began a new diet of nuts and granola,
High-roughage salads, juice and diet cola;
And as they ate pastries, chocolates and crepes,
I stayed in my room doing Jane Fonda tapes;
I maintained my weight of two pounds and a half,
And tried not to notice when the bigger birds laughed;
But 'twas I who was laughing, under my breath,
As they chomped and they chewed, ever closer to death;
And sure enough when Black November rolled around,
I was the last turkey left in the entire compound;
So now I'm a pet in the farmer's wife's lap;
I haven't a worry! , so I eat and I nap;
She held me today, while sewing and humming,
And smiled at me and said: "Christmas is coming..."

~Poet Unknown

My Baby Turns 6!

My daughter turned six yesterday and it's about darn time! She is one of those kids that is year older in your head than her actual age, so I've been wanting to call her "six" for a good year now. She asked me yesterday, "are you going to say I'm seven now?" If you knew her, you would understand. She started reading at age 4, so she is a really good reader now, even better than some 7-8 year olds we know. She has always been socially mature. She is into hair, make-up, and fashion. And she has a natural understanding of grown up things that most kids don't have. She is very perceptive, so I have to be very careful what she picks up on if it's an adult topic that I don't want her to be ready for!

So the night before her birthday, she reminds me, "don't forget to set up my birthday table like you did last year, you know, when I got my umbrella?" As if *I* would forget something like that! My mom started that tradition and every year I would wake up with a special table set up with my presents, flowers, etc. I don't think the birthday child should have to wait until a party to get her gifts- she should get them first thing in the morning. Since we homeschool, we didn't have to worry about running late for school. As a matter of fact, we took the day off!

When Anna woke up, she said from her bed, still one eye closed, "Mommy...do you know what T-O-D-A-Y I-S?" (She can spell, too!)

"Thursday?" (Giggles)

We got past the formalities and she got up and went to the table. Our dining/school table was full of schoolwork from the night before, so I had set up a smaller table in the living room. She saw the dining table and I saw the disappointment on her face. She tilted her head in that, "really?" sort of way. "You forgot!" she said.

"Of course I didn't!" I replied and then she decided to look around. Then she saw it and a still-missing teeth grin appeared as if to say, "okay, I still love you."

She had a great day with her brother. They built a fort, and watched Nim's Island underneath it. Birthday calls came in and interrupted the movie over and over. We had lunch at Pizza Hut, her choice. Then she had her good friends (three sisters) come over for a small "Little House on the Prairie" party, where she got a new pink computer from her dad, and her favorite gift, the The Kathleen McKenzie Doll - Life of Faith Series .

I have to brag on my children for a moment. Yesterday I pretty much let them have the day. Except for cleaning up their fort before the party, they did not have any chores or requirements. Last night I was so tired that I went to bed at 9:30. They were both playing on the computer, so I told them they were to be IN BED by 10:00. I had visions of them staying up until 3:00 am like they'd done before and wondered how often I would have to repeat myself before they got into bed. But, they did what I asked! I couldn't believe it. I don't know what time they actually went to bed, because I was pretty out of it. But all was quiet when it was 11-something, so I'm pretty sure they hit their mark. They were probably worn out as well, but I'm going to take it as they just decided to give Mommy a break and obey the first time. I love my kids!

Halloween Costume Contest Winner - Again!

Two years in a row, my son won the costume contest for his age group. First with his astronaut costume, then with his policeman's costume. This year, he had an awesome costume (Darth Vader), but there were three other Darth Vaders! So...we still had a winner this year, with my daughter's Little Red Riding Hood costume! She was so cute. She chose her costume, and I just found it online for her at Costume Express. You never know what the weather will be like on Halloween, and this year it was HOT! At 5 pm it was 88 degrees! It did cool off as it got later, but the parade through main street was at 5:30 and my poor son was dying under his Darth Vader helmet. He took it off when we got to the end where they do the costume judging. His head was soaking wet! We got a laugh out of that. Here are their pictures:

Chaplin Nature Center, Ark City, KS

Recently our homeschool group visited the Chaplin Nature Center in Ark City, KS. It's about an hour from our home and was well worth the drive! If you live in the area or plan on coming through, make plans to check it out!

The project our kids worked on was checking the water quality of the creek not far from the nature center. Their job was to scoop out samples of the muck from the creek bed and investigate the creatures that they found. It was a cool day, and it never occurred to me that a creek would be teeming with such life late in October. But it was! We found lots of baby frogs, and I can't remember for the life of me all the other creatures, but there were tons. Next time maybe I'll take notes! We dug through the muck collected in the nets, some with fingers, some with sticks. The children were given boots to wade out further into the creek, and they had fun doing that. Here are some pics of our group:

You can probably see the various ages in our group and the number of adults there, too. What a difference from "school field trips!" Our guide, Shawn, was very nice and guided us through the project in identifying what we had found. On our hike back to the building, Shawn asked if we wanted to go down to the bridge where we might be able to see a snake. Of course, we did, and we saw a snake! We also saw deer tracks and raccoon tracks. Then we went inside to evaluate using a numerical scale how the water faired. It was "good," I believe. Each type of invertebrate we found was worth a certain number of points. The more and varied the invertebrates are, the higher the point value, the better the water quality.

After our "lesson" we ate a bagged lunch and then let the kids go explore. I plan on going back at some point. I will probably wait until it gets warm again! One thing I forgot to mention is that the nature center building has lots of mounted animals in it that are really cool to look at. There are other activities in there, but the most memorable are the mounted animals that most kids don't get a chance to see up close.

Frugal Tips for Stay at Home Moms

There are a number of frugal things you can do to save money when you are a stay at home mom. My favorites are shopping at Goodwill or consignment sales for children's clothes, and living small. If you don't have a local children's consignment sale, think about starting one. They are usually held twice a year (once for spring/summer, once for fall/winter) and you can get anything and everything a baby or child might need. Sellers tag their own items and drop them off where they are organized by the people putting on the sale. Then you have 2-3 days to shop for things you need. You pick up your items that didn't sell and a few weeks later, you get a check in the mail for what you sold. This is a great way to recycle still-wearable children's clothes. It is a way to make a few bucks AND keep yourself out of the store.

Living small is something that is difficult for families to do these days if they own their home- mainly because it is nearly impossible to sell a home right now! I was able to down-grade when I became a single mom, and our rent is much less, and so are our utilities. Living in a smaller home is also a great way to keep "things" at a minimum. If you don't have room- you don't buy it! And that is an automatic savings plan for you and your family!

For more frugal tips, visit Simply Vicky.

Must See Video on Why YOU Must Vote

I've tried SO hard to keep politics off of my blog. Finally, something came across my path that is non-partisan and very worth sharing here. Please watch this video, and share it!

http://www.valuevotersusa.com/

Scripture Stories- Joseph

As I mentioned before, we use The Story of the World for history. Today, we read about Joseph, and I thought, "hey! I can use my "Joseph" felts to help illustrate the story!" I did and it worked out wonderfully. It occurred to me as I read, just how many times the kids had heard this story. But I also realized that every time we read it, we are using a different version and more details are added in each year. In a couple of years, I will be able to get out the Joseph felt set, and they will be able to tell ME the story! That is sort of how the felts work. Kids can retell the story in their own words, sharing the details they remember (hopefully). It is also a great way to know what they learned and catch the parts they didn't (in "school" this is referred to as "testing" :o)

Hooked on Phonics Coupons

I've decided to update coupons here when I see new ones to help families out with this great program. Right now, through Nov. 30, 2008, you can save 20% on your purchase of $75 or more when you use the coupon code EM4508F2. I will try to keep this post updated with current coupons, but please honor the expiration date given here and don't come after me if the coupon code does not work after that date. While it might still work, don't count on it!

New Members of Our Family

I don't think I've mentioned this here, but back in September, a couple of kittens came up to our back door at 11 pm one night and have been here ever since. They are SO adorable, and I'd be jumping for joy except for one problem: I'm allergic to cats! Well, the other problem is that I was not anticipating having to feed two very hungry kittens, get their shots, get them fixed, etc.

Which brings me to a bit of a sore subject, and I'd like to share what I learned. Because I had to keep them outside for a good part of the day, they brought fleas in. I tried to do the least invasive thing and bought them flea collars. They did not help at all! When I finally went to the vet to get something real, they sort of giggled and I know why. I mean, if flea collars were worth anything, why would all of these other products have come on the market? So the flea collars are in the trash. Sigh. More money down the drain.
Some good news, though. When my allergy symptoms included a sore throat, I began drinking lots of water with apple cider vinegar and honey. (Get Bragg's ACV with "the mother" and raw honey!) Before I knew it, the allergy seemed to have disappeared! The cats are in the house full time now and I've been fine. I've even gotten to love on them lots without sneezing, coughing, or itchy eyes. If you have an allergy, perhaps this remedy will work for you, too!
I'm sharing some of my favorite pics. It is so cute the way they cuddle up as much as they can. And so funny how they fight when they are awake!

Our Chore Chart

Everyone does her own chore chart and has her own philosophy on whether or not children should get paid for helping out around the house. I've come up with something that works for us. My kids get allowance to spend on the things that they want. That money is a "given" and does not change. Out of that money, they tithe, save, and get what's left. If they want to earn more money, they can "work." Each item is assigned certain points, and for each point they earn, they get a play dollar to put in their pockets. One item on their list is "End Argument." My kids fight all the time. Neither of them wants to end it. So it almost always escalates to someone getting hit. So if one of them decides to be the bigger person and compromise or walk away, they will earn a point. As they work on other issues, I will adjust their chart. They also know that if I have to tell them to do it, they don't get a point, unless they do it after being asked the first time, because they also get a point for obeying the first time I ask (another current issue).

Once they have gotten 10 one dollar bills, they trade it in for one 10 dollar bill (Math!) Once they have reached ten $10 bills, they can trade the play money in for real money that they can spend, but only get 50% in real money (More math!). So if they have $100 in play money, they get $50 in real money. I hope that this teaches them the benefits of saving money! This is perfect timing with Christmas fast approaching.

I forgot to mention, there are things that cause them to lose these dollars. For instance, say a curse word- lose a dollar. (Yes, unfortunately, another issue.) If someone hits someone else, they lose a dollar. This has already been effective, since it just occurred to me that I haven't heard a curse word in a while.

Hopefully this will give you an idea of a way to keep checks and balances in your house. While I'd love to be the mom with perfect children who would do everything correctly and smile while doing it, I'm settling for being the mom of kids who need incentive before they learn how good it feels to do right, be right, and live right. I'm still working on that myself...

Learning About Pyramids- and Building Them

Last week we learned about pyramids and how they were built. It never occurred to me before, but what I learned is that during the annual flooding of the Nile, the men would build the pyramids as a service to the pharoahs, sort of like working off a tax or debt. It's really amusing how much work they put into building something that would serve as their burial grounds and a place to hide their "stuff." And yet their stuff (and sometimes their mummies) would get stolen at some point anyway. It's not much different from our government officials doing things that are pretty pointless and getting paid nicely for it.

I have really gotten into learning about creation science and the book of Genesis. It's funny how looking at Genesis differently affects how I look at the new stuff we learn in school. I can only imagine the benefit Christian kids in public school would get if they were taught in this way.

Anyway, at the end of our study on pyramids, we built one with Legos. My daughter and I built the one in the picture, and my son built a burial chamber that was not pyramid shaped, but had guards and other fun stuff. We played Legos for a long time and had a lot of fun.

Printable Halloween Games

If you are having a Halloween party, this might be something fun to consider: instantly downloadable, printable Halloween games. They are super fun and will be the hit of every party this Halloween!

What is the best Phonics Program?

If you are searching for some advice in choosing a phonics program, I have compared two programs on my website, which might help you decide. I wanted to put the information here, but blogger does not like my knowledge of html and Frontpage does. (I know...I know...) Anyway, go here to see some great phonics programs...

Studying Ancient Egypt

Recently while studying ancient Egypt, we made our own clay cuneiform plaques with our names on them. Of course, my daughter and I had to decorate ours with colorful shells and stuff. My son is going to paint his, but right now it's plain. Because hieroglyphs (and later cuneiform) took longer to carve, they used fewer letters than we do today. For instance, "Anna" would have been written "Ana". "Thomas" would be "Tomas." Why throw in the "h" when it's not necessary?

Just before this project, we saw a Little House on the Prairie episode where "Pa" carved someone's name into a rock. Being television, it looked like it only took him a few minutes to carve. I don't think children can appreciate how long it took the Egyptians to carve into rock!

The clay we used was pretty nice to work with. It is the "Air-Dry Clay" from Crayola. It is very similar to the brown clay I used in school that had to be baked, but it is white, and does not have to be baked.

Our next lesson was on mummies. I had bought this book that is SO cool and had to share it. It will be useful for years, as the kids read more and more of the information that is available. There is a lot of information there! Basically, it opens up and each page you turn removes a part of the mummy, until you get down to the actual skeleton and the canopic jars showing the organs in them. The pictures I've taken are just a couple of the pages. Hopefully this is enough to give you an idea of what it provides. The kids loved this book and were eager to get through their lesson so that they could look at it. And that was before they knew what it would do! My son looked at it for an additional twenty minutes or so, mesmerized by everything he could learn! Here it is:

Teaching Creation

We use BJU Press "Bible Truths" curricula and just finished learning about the 6 days of creation. This has become a topic of interest to me lately, since I've gotten my hands on some good science books that come from a young earth perspective. I remember many years ago our Sunday school teacher was heavily into this topic, but I wasn't ready to hear it so I just brushed it aside. Now that I'm learning it for the benefit of my children, I realize that is probably what he was going through since his children were reaching the age of learning it. So now here I am, feeling like a kid again, learning things I should have learned growing up!
Many Christians have tried to mesh two belief systems- the Christian "Bible story" of creation, and the evolutionists' theory that the earth is billions of years old. So we subscribe to the idea that God's "day" could have been a million years long. Unfortunately, most Christians haven't been taught that the science does NOT prove evolution, which is what we are led to believe. (By the way, most atheists or evolutionists know as little as Christians about the science behind evolution. We are pretty much all ignorant!)
Anyway, to make a long story short, I've got something for you, and something for the kids. First, stop by Answers in Genesis Bookstore and subscribe to Answers magazine. It is a great resource for parents, as well as older kids. It does have a section for younger kids, which is useful, so it's really great for the whole family. I found out about Answers magazine from Dr. Jay Wile, who spoke at our homeschooling convention. Great speaker!! I'm so glad I got to hear him and learned so much about apologetics and the best way to teach science.

For the younger kids, here is a great resource to reinforce, teach, and test on the 6 days of creation. It is the Creation set from Story Time Felts. My 7 and almost 6 year old LOVED using the felt pieces. As we talked about each day, we put the appropriate felt pieces up. For "testing" I removed them all and gave them each a few circles to place in the correct spots. Even the "testing" is a great teaching moment. Since I have the felt dinosaur set also, I used that background in particular since we talked about the dinosaurs being one of the kinds of animals that God created on the sixth day. If you didn't know that people and dinosaurs lived at the same time, please subscribe to Answers magazine!