School and Such

One of the things I love most about being out of college is spending time with these four kids...

School and all!

Milk & Cookies

Aren't Christmas cookies just scrumptious?

And baking them with 4 enthusiastic helpers is a blast!!

Though the boys tired of our Christmas baking, the girls were in it for the long haul...

Mixing the icing and cutting out the shapes.

Noah's patented, "Is this going on your blog?" face. :P

And I can say with all honesty, that these cookies were delicious!

Of Cap Guns and HiHo Cherry-O!

While at the Berry's this week, I learned all about cap guns. Who knew that they don't actually shoot anything? Just a little burning smell, after the gun powder ignites. Hmm. In the long run, I think these kids may teach me more than I teach them.

The cap guns

The chamber holding the caps...

While the older kids did their independent reading, Eva, Jude, and I played HiHo Cherry-O! It's a fun, kids game. Hopefully, we'll get to play it again soon...

And in other news, we worked on our geography... And I told the kids my trick for when I had to memorize which states were which... I think Maine looks like a dog, New Hampshire looks like a queen, and Massachusetts looks like a gun. :O)

Jules Verne and Beautiful Weather

Have you ever read Around the World in Eighty Days? To my own chagrin, I never have. But, working with the Berry kids has given me some opportunity to delve into its riches. I sense another book being added to my pile...

And, after school is done, what is better than enjoying God's creation?

Playing with Lava

Remember that game you played as a child? You know the one. The floor was lava, and you had to jump from pillow to pillow, couch to chair, stool to table? Don't touch the floor! Or you'll die. Yep, that one. I got to see it again at the kiddos' house the other day... I've missed that game. :)

Let's Bake a Cake

Happy Birthday, Noah! Baking your birthday cake was loads of fun. :)

And the batter did taste good!

It's all about Maine, ya know

Noah and Maggie continue to teach me how it works being a homeschool teacher. I LOVE it! Their enthusiasm and patience are very much appreciated. 

Geography has never been my strong suit. But, with some maps... I can teach it too! :)

Maggie looks through the 50 states cookbook

"Noah, show me where Maine is."

So, what is the Great Portland fire?

Of course, the kids had some fun too. :)

And I found a new, favorite book. Abigail Adams. What fun.

Just what is a Palisade?

After some schedule rearranging, Cindy and I made a plan to me to visit and work with her kids on History. Though nervous (and excited), I set off praying that my time with the kids would be a blessing to them, a blessing to Cindy, and (selfishly) a blessing to myself.

And the day went beautifully! History was a blast. The lunch conversation was delightful, and the games were fun (at least for me ;).

Noah, Maggie, and I discussed colonial etiquette: "Do not invite yourself to someone's house. Do not give your advice unless asked for, then be brief." Did grammar: Their, There, or They're... And read books.

Evangelia, Jude, and I played the "PEG"gy Back game. Which is now my favorite game.

All of us played Star Wars. But, perhaps not the tradition version. There was discussion of whether Dooku's name was Darwin. :P

And I learned that pretzels are brain food. :)



Vocab for next week:
Palisade - a fence of pales or stakes set firmly in the ground, as for enclosure or defense.
Trencher - a rectangular or circular flat piece of wood on which meat, or other food, is served or carved.
BBLS - DOES stand for barrels.

And what was that other word? Hopefully, the kids will remember.

I apologize for the poor picture quality. I forgot my camera. :(

A Week in Worldview Training

Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their kinsmen were at their command. 1 Chronicles 12:32


Several CHEWV conferences ago, my dad bought Summit ministries worldview curriculum: Understanding the Times. This, combined with a general love for conferences, created our family conference.

"What", you ask, "is a family conference?" Don't worry. You're not the first to ask me that question. My father (and the rest of us) took a week off from the office... and pursued a course of study. Mornings started with devotions and breakfast. Study to begin at 8:30am. We read chapters in the textbook, essays in the student manual, watched lectures, and generally discussed worldview issues all week long. Theology, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, Law, Ethics, Biology, Politics, History, and Economics were the subjects whirling and colliding in our minds.


We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ... 2 Corinthians 10:5




With 4 hours a day devoted to study, we made it through three units: Introduction, Theology, and Philosophy. I LOVED it. It strengthened my faith and aided me in analyzing the "Big 6" worldviews (which, of course, included my own): Christianity, Islam, Secular Humanism, Marxism-Leninism, Cosmic Humanism, and Postmodernism.




And there MUST be a silly photo! :)


See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. Colossians 2:8





I did not agree with everything Summit Ministries proposed, but I would definitely recommend their curriculum to anyone desiring a holistic worldview program.

Oh and PS... Y'all will probably being reading more quotes and ideas from Understanding the Times on my blog in the future...