A season is ending.

I guess it is fitting that winter has begun. A season where things are dead, dormant, and transitioning to new life. In a few weeks the kids will be going back to public school and it is bittersweet. I have loved homeschooling and it has been wonderful for us as a family. But, we have finally settled onto a wonderful farm not far from Houston, and the kids have the opportunity to go to small rural school. They are such social buggers! And have really missed being a part of a school community. I am excited for them, but am already grieving the loss of complete family freedom. The freedom to go where we want and when we want. To spend an entire day on one subject. To see them playing amidst the trees and creeks....in the middle of the day!

This new season brings opportunity as well. A chance for them to grow new friendships and bonds. Experience new experiences. To grow and mature. A chance for me to hone some craft projects I have put on the back burner and even progress in new pastures. It is exciting and scary and the right thing at this moment.

So, I lay down the mantle of "homeschooler," pick up the cloak of "afterschooler," and embark on a new adventure!

 

The Edible Cell-Anatomy and Physiology

Here is the beginning of our "edible cell" activity!

Just keeping it real with the middle stage chaos!

Placing the "almost finished" cell in some hot water to loosen the edges.

The one on the right is inverted onto a dessert plate.

Yum!!!!

 

.....and the chaos resumes!

My verision of Accountable Kids! A chore system that works.

I recently came across this book. I really appreciate the depth and thoroughness of the program. As a mom with children with ADHD and impulse disorders I have watched my boys thrive of the stability and consistency this program offers.

 

 

You can buy the whole kit pictured above, but I needed to add my own creative spin on things. I printed off cards from this site http://printable.tipjunkie.com/pocket-chore-cards-printable-chore-charts/ on colored paper. Then I ran them thru my Scotch laminator. My husband bought and cut me 4 wooden plaques for each of the children. Here is what things looked like when I was in the middle of this project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I got to the fun part! I was able to start painting. I love painting and this was so fun to do.

Finally, the finished result. A kid friendly chore system!

My First Holy Week and Pascha!

This post has sat in my draft box for a couple months. Figured it was time to post it!

I cannot put into words what I am going thru spiritually. This has been a roller coaster of journey. Sometimes I think I am crazy, "What am I doing?!" rings thru my head. But there is no going back. Where would I go? Nothing has come close to offering the depth of healing and spiritual life that I have found in the Orthodox Church. For awhile I wondered if we could just adopt some of the ancient faith practices and incorporate them into the Protestant Church. The only problem with that is that it would be another 1500 years before I could experience the deep layers that I can submerge myself in the EO.

This was never more clear to me than on Pascha. Coming into a dark church, processing around the building, and then walking into the brilliant light, bells ringing, chandeliers swinging it was like being transported back in time. A peaceful confidence began to bloom inside my heart, the calm knowing, "I am HOME!"

Here Comes Ages of Grace!

I had just heard of this new Orthodox curriculum as we were wrapping up our study of Ancient History. Truthfully, I was a bit intimidated with the prospect of covering the early church as my perspective on the early church was greatly changing. I needed a little hand holding as we headed into the Middle Ages. Voila! Here comes Ages of Grace (and it just so happens it is starting in the Middle Ages.)

The night it became available, I got it. I was giddy with excitement as I held the crisp pages straight off my printer. Then I sat on my living room floor, organized it into categories that made sense to me, got out my ProClick and the punching and binding began. They turned out lovely! Here is my attempt to show you what is included and how I have organized things.

Total program

Here is what you are seeing. On your right I have put together 3 large notebooks. One contains just the Weekly Lesson Plans. Another, all of the Picture Study, Icon Study, and Theology in Sound. (I have not printed out the actual music sheets for TinS yet. That would make a fourth notebook) The last notebook contains: The Children's Bible Reader Schedule, Prologue Reading Schedule, Reading List, Oral and Written Exams, and Dictation Exercises. To your left I have printed off 4 separate Copywork notebooks for my 4 kids.

Example of Copywork Notebook.

[caption id="attachment_82" align="aligncenter" width="573" caption="Page 1"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_83" align="aligncenter" width="502" caption="Page 2"][/caption]

Each week contains 2 pages of lesson plans.

 

[caption id="attachment_84" align="aligncenter" width="502" caption="Children's Bible Reader"][/caption]

 

Here is the first section of my next notebook. 15 pages.

 

 

[caption id="attachment_85" align="aligncenter" width="502" caption="Prologue Reading Schedule"][/caption]

 

The Prologue Reading schedule is 12 pages.

 

 

 

[caption id="attachment_86" align="aligncenter" width="502" caption="Reading List"][/caption]

 

The next section is the reading lists. The lists are broken into categories such as: Family Reading, Level A, Level B, Level C, and Additional Reading. They are then further divided by Subject (History, Literature, Bible, and Faith) and scheduled for you.

 

[caption id="attachment_87" align="aligncenter" width="502" caption="Oral and Written Exams"][/caption]

 

Again, these are divided by Subject, Level, and Term.

 

[caption id="attachment_88" align="aligncenter" width="502" caption="Dictation Exercises"][/caption]

 

 This is one of the areas where this curriculum is worth its weight in gold! 18 pages with beautiful quotes from Orthodoxy. Since my children are a bit to young for these dictations, I plan on adapting them into more Copywork.

Cover for Picture Study

 

Love these pictures!

 

And here is my favorite part! The Artist study is wonderful. You receive 30 beautiful prints. I laminated mine so the kids could handle them without too much worry. Exquisite!!!

A Broken Vigil Lamp.

A  few days ago I was getting such enjoyment out of watching my children process thru the house. One of my kids even took this little hanging candle holder/vigil lamp and was swinging it like a censer. To cute, right? The game has continued of and on, and occasionally I would warn them to, "Be careful," with the lamp/censer.

Fast forward to last night. Husband and I are getting dinner ready in the kitchen when all of a sudden I hear a CRASH followed by, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" UUUUUUGGGGHHHHHH, honestly some days I do not think I am going to survive getting the twins to adulthood . Yes, twinB had swung the lamp/censer into a door frame. The glass candle holder portion would no longer stay attached to the chains from which it would have hung.
I wish I could say I handled it better. That I was calm, understanding, and soothing, but I was pretty upset! Oh, did I mention that I had just gotten back from the store with the hardware to hang the lamp in our Icon corner?!

Here's where the story takes an up swing. As I was going to sleep last night I realized I could crochet with wire a sort of basket to hold the glass portion to its chains. So, I got up in the morning and did just that. I went to hang it up, but it didn't look quite right. It was hanging to high. But wait! I have wire and the perfect beads to string on the wire. I was able to extend the length of the chain with a beautiful string of beads.

I placed a candle in it, lit it, and stood back. As, I took in the scene I realized something. Aren't we like this lamp? Cracked and broken, sometimes by people who don't even mean to. Then God comes, He doesn't just fix us like we were before. The damage is still there, but under His loving hand we become more. More than we ever were before.

I called my son into the room. "Son, I was able to fix the lamp. See, no harm done." Son, "Mom, you are so creative!"

Now I have a cheap broken hanging candle holder that is more precious to me than anything else in the Icon corner. I also have a restored relationship with my son.

An Orthodox view on Salvation.

I like this video's illustration of salvation. As a contemporary pentecostal believer I already had more in common with the Orthodox perspective, but my husband made note that as a Calvinist, he was raised with the "typical" protestant view of God's wrath and salvation.