Messages from God

Do you ever know God is talking right to you through your bible? A few years ago when we still lived in the city I had spent a lot of time searching for answers. I had already become a Christian and had been baptised but was still searching because I didn't think becoming a Christian was enough to forgive my sins, and it was shortly after my baptism that I got pregnant with I, and not with my husband(to whom I had already been apart from for years). I also was feeling like I would never be able to remarry anyone since I was still married and divorce is not exactly seen as okay. I had this devotional book that when you opened it one way it had devotions for each morning and when you flipped it over it had devotions for each night. I read the devotion for the day and was praying over it and decided to randomly open my bible up and knew that the first thing I read would be God speaking to me. So I did so (and really wish I had written down the verses back then), but it really got to the heart of what I was asking. So I shut the bible but didn't feel quite done, so I opened it again. Again it was a different verse and applicable so I shut the bible and once again felt not done. (normally once I shut my bible that is that). SO I finally said Lord what on earth are you trying to tell me? Put it in plain english. I reopened my bible and there in red lettering was the words "You are forgiven". And at that moment I felt done. I knew I had gotten his message loud and clear in perfect english.

Today something similar happened and I am dieing to tell someone. Over the last 3 weeks at bible study we have been discussing keeping covenant practices. There has been a lot of talk about God's promises to us and the differences between a covenant and a promise and how we have to do our part to have God bestow His part onto us. I sit through these discussions feeling sorry for myself. Clearly God doesn't find me worthy of these promises, after all what do I have to offer Him? I am not a good Christian, I waver in my faith every other day, I don't even go to church or pray consistently. I have a short temper, judge constantly, and frankly don't particularily like people. None of these are the hallmarks of one of God's people. But then something was said last night that got me thinking. Many of the people God chose to be His people and bestoow the greatest blessings on were the lowliest and most sinful people that turned things around for Him. So tonight I was knitting granny squares (thanks Imp for telling me yesterday how to do them) and talking to God. I was saying how I knew these covenant were made but how in the heck was I worthy of them when I was such a sinner, such a bad Christian. How I am sick of being without a husband but in order to have one again I would have to chose to sin etc.

I got that feeling in my gut that said put down the sinning and pick up your bible. It fell open to Hosea 2:17-19. Now I have never read Hosea before, those pages were pristine so it wasn't because the bible was used to opening there kwim. I will not type out the whole verse because this post is long enough, but you can look it up. But it speaks of a covenant he will make with Isreal and make her His wife, only I didn't feel it was about Isreal but was about me. I felt it was saying if I did my part the covenant being made was a promise that He would be my husband and take care of me, no need for me to sin to find one here kwim. So then I asked how I know that I am living my part and when I randomly openned my bible it was to proverbs 14. As I am reading it I was thinking that I need a bit more help than that my temper gets the better of me often. I closed my bible, randomly opened it again and it came up to proverbs 15.

I know what I need to do to fullfill my part towards teh covenant with God. A covenant that before tonight I did not feel worthy of because I had nothing to give Him. I have a long way to go to correct my thoughts and actions etc bt I have the path before me now and I know that if I follow it God will provide for me as well as any husband would.  I no longer need to worry about my worth, He sees me as worthy.

 

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Week in Review weeks 3-5

Life has been a little on the hectic side so this is a post about the last 3 weeks all rolled into one.  Extracurriculars have now started in full swing.  C dances in the studio 6 hours a week, Tuesday she does Ballet and Jazz, Thursday is stretch and lyrical, Friday is tap and Saturday she does 2 classes of acro.  Shortly after her jazz class starts I drive A over to cadets, then back to the dance studio and as soon as jazz is over I drive C over to cadets.  It makes for a very long evening for us all.  Thursdays as posted in other weeks A and C have their online poetry class, it ends at 5.  Her stretch class starts at 5, in a town 15 minutes away... you do the math.  Right after her lyrical class(which is right after stretch) we all head to the church so H and I can do kids church, A and C do youth group and I go to the adult bible study.  In all that mix on Fridays right before C's tap class I had her preschool ballet/tap combo class and she has an acro class on saturday sandwiched between C's 2 classes.  All in all it makes for a lot of running around and very little time to update the blog.

Academically the following 3 weeks have been full and yet the list doesn't seem long enough.  A and C have continued to succeed in their online literature class and in their online poetry class.  In the last 3 weeks they finished off the Hobbit and have read 2/3 of the Iliad by Homer.  They have to have it finished for next class.  In poetry they have now studied Alliteration, Onomatopoeia, Assonance, Consonance, Euphony, Cacophony and poems such as The Charge of the Light Brigade, The Highwayman, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, The Bells, All Day I hear the Noise of Waters and several more.

H has continued in his online lit class too.  In the last few weeks he has heard and discussed "The Husband that was to Mind the house" and "The Wonderful Weaver".  He thought the one about the husband was hilarious.  He also said the moral of the story was never switch places with your wife, you can never do her job as good as her.  Smart boy!

As far as other school work goes, we finally got our backordered latin books and physical science kit.  So we did our first experiement from Physical science which had them run a current through copper wires with the energy from a battery and create copper hydroxycarbolate.  They thought this was extremely cool. 

We started Christiana Latina I this past week.  The focus was on goals and an introduction to the history of Rome.  All 3 of the older kids are studying this together.

A and C also worked on their titanic lapbook, completed a winter count craft for their study of aboriginals, worked on spelling, writing, penmanship and math. 

H worked on form drawing, math, roman numerals to 5, reading, writing, penmanship, grammar and like mentioned above latin.

I focused on the story of Super Sam and the dragon.  We prepared for and celebrated Michaelmas.  We were not able to bake the dragon bread in time for the feast so instead we are baking it today to serve with our Thanksgiving feast tomorrow night.  She finished to the end of lesson 12 in language lessons for little ones, did phonics, math and penmanship.

Fun parts of the last 3 weeks...we brought home some new pets.  Zeus and Hera the Syrian tortoises are great fun to have.  We picked up our new car to replace the one that was wrecked in the car accident in August.  Last week the neighbors living behind us invited the kids over to pick apples which they loved.  And of course I have been sending and receiving a ton from postcrossing and swap-bot.

Here are some pictures from the last 3 weeks.

C showing off the goggles that came in the science lab kit

A attaching the wires to the battery

copper hydroxycarbolate on the wire

Watching the progress of their experiement

First ever written lab report

Working on his lab report

I picking apples

C up the tree to get the apples

A had to repair some damage he did to the new car before he could pick apples with the others

Zeus and Hera enjoying the dandelions topping their salad

Zeus and Hera

Week in Review week 2 2012-2013

This week was a weird week for us.  We finally got the rental car, drove to pick up our insurance check, did shopping required, set up a new home for the salamander, did a ton of swaps, worked on renovations and basically had a limited school week.

The big kids finished off lesson 1 in mapping the world through art by creating an edible Babylonian map.  Well technically they were to make a map, instead they made cunieform.  The youngers joined in with the left over dough and just made random pictures.

Their online classes went well.  H's class discussed Aesop's Androcles and though he was really scared to talk into the mic he did a great job participating.  A and C first had their intro to great books class where they discussed the first 8 chapters of the Hobbit.  They are to finish off the book for next class.  The next day they had their poetry class. A was not as into that one as C but they both seemed to get something out of it, and participated in the discussion surrounding the poems studied.

While out yesterday running errands we saw a moose which the kids were very thrilled about.  They are drawing and writing about it in their nature journals today.

After we had picked up the rental car (not easy when the closest rental place is 20 minutes up the highway in another town and we were here without a car, and they don't have pick up for out of town clients), we picked up the materials needed for the slamandar to have a better home than what he was in last week.  He seems to really enjoy it. 

Art this week the kids used a crayola glow in the dark sand art kit.  Very cool, but very messy.  Every surface and person near the table was glowing by the end.

Swap-bot was fun this week.  I got my second package for the candy swap and 4 postcards.  I sent out a stack of postcards and packages as well.  I also joined postcrossing this week so that will be bringing in even more postcards.
We also picked up the large rabbit cage that we will be transforming into a tortoise table and new hanging plants for the livingroom. 

Here are some pictures from this week.  Next week we will be back to a proper school schedule as we will not have nearly as many errands to tend to.

He followed me home! Can I keep him?

 While taking the puppy out for a potty break last night my teens found this little guy next to our front door step.  Welcome Fred the Tiger Salamander to our home! A new terrestrial tank will be set up for him this week, for now he is in a temporary home while we get organized.  I have some peices of drift wood in there for him to hide under and crawl on but removed them for the pictures.

Week in Review week 1 2012-2013

 Every year I start posting weekly reviews and then life gets too busy. Following that pattern here we are again this year.

This first week was different from other years in that I only had my 2 oldest kids home.  The youngers were on a trip to Disneyland with Uncle R and Aunty TL.  As well since we started the day after Labour Day it was only a 4 day week.  We did a half schedule this week and will do so again next week and then onto full schedule starting week 3.

This week I sat in H's online lit class.  It is a parent and child class and though he was on a trip we still needed his homework assignment and to make sure the mic worked etc.  A and C also began their online classes.  They had their first class in both Introduction to the Great Books and Classical Poetry.  They are beginning their study in Introduction to the great books by reading the Hobbit.  This week the first 8 chapters are to be read and ready to discuss in the next class period.  In Classical poetry they are to read the poems assigned as well as the page posted by the teacher about similes and metaphors again ready to discuss and work with for the next class period.

Aside from the online classes the two of them were busy with the basics.  This term math and composition are the key subjects as I am trying to catch them up and solidify their skills in those 2 things.  In math they completed 2 lessons on Khan Academy, 1 chapter in MUS Delta and 2 lessons in jump Math fractions.  They each completed 4 lessons in Meaningful Composition. 

We began our new geography program "Mapping the World with Art".  The first unit focused on ancient maps, specifically Mesopotamia.  This is a map they are comfortable with already thanks to past study of ancient life there.  They did the reading, and drew the map.  We will be baking the edible babalonian map next class as I had run out of cocoa. 

They are enjoying their new science curriculum as well.  They completed 1/2 of chapter 1 in Apologia Physical science.  No lab this week due to the shortened week though.

Of course the usual other topics such as grammar, spelling, penmanship, bible etc were also covered.

I have recently joined www.swap-bot.com  It is great fun to have postcards, letters and parcels arrive from around the world.  This week a parcel with candy from Finland arrived and was greatly enjoyed by all 3 of us.

A and C also learned to bathe the dog without my assistance this week.  Both kids and the bathroom were absolutely soaked at the end, but at least the dog was clean again.

Excited to leave for Disneyland!



Leaving me to head to Disneyland, plane left very early the next morning





Candy from Finland! So yummy!



A created a separate desk space for himself by setting up one of our folding tables

A's map of Mesopotamia

Telephone Museum

It was our first field trip of the new school year today.  We walked down to main street to visit the Telephone Museum.  It is set up to look like an old house with telephones from different eras all over.  In the front lobby there is an old phone booth and operator board.  The best part is it is greatly hands on.

Following the museum we went for a walk around town stopping at this archway for pictures and then on to the piece of heavy artillery on display to honour the veterans. 

As we continued our walk home we came across a fire truck parked in front of a house, the firemen were working on a patient on the front lawn where he apparently collapsed, my guess is heart attack.  As we walked past we heard the ambulance approaching.  No pictures of that since I felt it would be disrespectful. 

All in all a very successful 1st field trip of the year right here in our own little town.