Grocery Stats

Was going to post this on facebook, but decided to post it here:

Fun facts from our year's spending (yes I'm a Geek and record EVERYTHING! I like statistics, what can I say?) Here goes with my analysis: I spent as much on butter and vegenaise as I did on beans this year ($170). I spent twice as much on fruit as vegetables (thanks to getting lots of produce from the farm/wish we had mature fruit trees!), if we built a high tunnel for $350 where we could grow bell peppers, lettuce, onions, potatoes, zucchini and sweet potato only, it would pay itself off in a year). I spent as much money on avocados throughout the year as I did on cantaloupe during the summer (around $105) (a result of not having a garden this summer!), if I could make my own tofu, I could save about $100 a year, if I could bake my own bread I'd save a lot of money ($520!) which gives incentive to buy a grain grinder and fancy Kitchen aid dough mixer...but only after I read "Wheat Belly" and decide if I should invest in Kitchen Toys that are mainly used for wheat. If I went oil free, I'd save $200 a year, I spent as much on sea salt as I did on sugar ($62). If David had several hives of bees that were productive and provided us lots of honey we could save $125. We could never grow enough peanuts to satiate our love of peanut butter, nor would it be worth it ($163).

Orion's 6th birthday

December 25, 2013

I know I’m 23 days past due, but I’d like to give a review of Orion’s growth over this past year.

He still plays dolls with Omega but it’s becoming less and less interesting to him. You can tell from the following pictures that it's Omega who usually comes up with the ideas of what to play...

His masculinity is definitely starting to be more noticeable. He loves cars, trucks, tractors and trains. Often on Sunday mornings he’ll say with a sweet yet desperate voice, “Daddy, will you play cars with me?” He has started to notice that he's not quite like Omega and I. He really needs male influences and fellowship. I'm glad David takes his role seriously and makes time to teach him manly things and be a godly role model Orion can imitate.

I'll be honest. David really knows how to help Orion much better than I. I want to get the book "Love and Respect in the Home" by Emmerson Eggerich so I can learn how to show respect to Orion.

This is what he does when he gets to decide what to play.

Little by little he is gaining more independence and personality apart from Omega. So far he’s been her little parrot. We still have a hard time in worship when we ask a question, Omega is first to answer and then he just repeats what she says. When we started homeschooling (translate: Doing one hour of phonics per day), Orion didn’t know what to do with himself. He was unbearably lonely and at a loss for what he could do that would be fun by himself. Now, he’s a little more comfortable without Omega but still definitely prefers to play with her. Bottom line: They're best friends.

Favorites –

• They both look forward to staying in hotels because they like going swimming, and it’s especially fun when Daddy gets to play with them.
• His favorite toys are kiwi’s (little stuffed animals) and cars/tractors.
• He loves riding bikes. We finally got him a bike that fits his legs and which the chain doesn’t fall off. When we went to SOULS they spent the week biking around the loop.
•  One of Omega’s favorite past times is listening to me read her a story. Orion’s not quite as fond of that unless there are pictures. I think the books I’m trying to read are over his head and he can’t follow along. I need to be sensitive to that. But, he does love watching you tube videos with Daddy. They watch the Discovery channel “How It’s Made” a lot. And they watch videos about helicopters and motorcycles too.

Linguistic Quirks–

·         He can say his R’s now. I think this development happened sometime in the summer. So, no more baby pronunciations. Some words are still cute, like “amblueyence” and “breakfrist”

·         Tonight I heard him copying something David says frequently, “Bad day” like in the context of an accident and you say, “Oh…bad day for that guy!” And, I’ve also heard him copy something I say, “Oh dear!”

·         He’s been having more and more control over his emotions and verbal expressions when he doesn’t get what he wants or someone crosses him. More and more he actually pauses and says, “Mom I’m having a hard time with Omega, can you help me?” instead of getting angry. 

·         One of his oft repeated sayings is “Mom, I’m hungry.” (usually about 30 minutes before it’s time to eat)

 Bedtime – Our bedtime rituals have evolved yet again. Usually I read a story on Omega’s bed with my head on the feet side so I don’t get sleepy. They snuggle on each side of me, and they have particular sides they always go on.  After that I have talky/play snuggle time with each of them (5 minutes) and then “huggy/kissy snuggle” where I pet their face and “do their back.” Recently, after I’ve left the room and said goodnight they’ll call me and say they’re scared. I go back into pray with them and lay next to them for a few minutes until they fall asleep. What are they scared of? A few months ago we had an illegal come barreling into our driveway at full speed and circled our house, then weaved around the garage and barn and flew through “garden #2”, breaking several T posts. It was rather frightening for her and ever since then she doesn’t want to go into a room by herself. Our neighbor’s car also got stolen by illegals while they were at church and the intern guys’ house got food and shoes stolen from them while they were at work. We’ve had just a few too many incidents with illegals and we are eager to move. For the play-snuggle time Orion usually wants me to play “Kiwi’s” with him or cars.

Eating habits –

•  He still likes desserts.
• He actually really likes salad too, as long as it has “yeast flakes dressing.” They like that on their rice too (It’s a simple recipe with oil, lemon, braggs, yeast flakes and peanut butter).
• Biscuits and gravy is a favorite food as well as cornbread.
• They both like plain cheerios with soymilk and of course they could eat toast with butter and yeast flakes and fruit for every meal and be very happy.
• They love popsicles, even water popsicles if we don’t have any juice or smoothie.
• He REALLY likes banana ice cream (just frozen banana blended in the Vitamix with no water.)
• He likes helping me in the kitchen as long as I let him taste test things. He’s usually hungry before anyone else and will readily help if he perceives there is something to much on while he does it (especially popcorn on Friday night).
• Lately they’ve really enjoyed eating on the counters. 

I let them sit up there when I’m getting their breakfast ready and sometimes we’ll just stay there and they’ll eat while I clean up the kitchen (I usually eat breakfast before they wake up). Then at supper, since David and I have stopped eating then, they just stay in the kitchen instead of going to the dining room table to eat. It just feels more cozy and laid back to sit on a counter. It’s easier to clean up too.

Last year I prayed that Orion would develop a servant’s heart. I bought him tractor pajama’s because I wanted to be reminded to pray for him to work hard like a tractor. Since then I've become a little more organized in regard to chores. I read a book called “Managers of their Chores” which gave me a little more direction and motivation for how to implement expectations and see them followed through. (“You can only expect what you inspect” was a little gem I picked up in that book!) I need to do a little more tweaking but as far as “chores” go, he makes his bed, gets dressed, puts his pajama’s away, turns off the salt rock night light, unloads the dishwasher, washes dishes, wipes the table, cleans up toys, and helps with meal prep throughout the course of the day. You may read this and feel really impressed, but let me tell you, this too is still a work in progress. It takes a lot of prodding, and a hovering presence to see that it gets done. I’m still learning how to motivate and instruct without getting impatient. Playing while he works is still so irresistible.

One of the activities we came up with to teach work ethic was “Little Helper’s Kitchen.” We basically turned our dining room into a restaurant and sewed matching aprons and a created a menu that people could order from. We have showed it to church family and neighbors and they order a week in advance so I can get the right ingredients. The kids help me make the food and then when the customer’s show up, they open the door, greet them, show them to their seat and fill their water cups. They bring them a menu, take their order and then serve their food. When they are done they clear the table, give them their check and provide change if needed. Then they help me clean up the kitchen when the customer leaves. So far we’ve earned $125 from three sets of customers!

This next year I’m continuing to pray for a strong work ethic. “The very best legacy which parents can leave their children is a knowledge of useful labor and the example of a life characterized by disinterested benevolence” {AH 390.1} If by God’s grace he can learn to work hard and do it cheerfully, without complaining or delaying, I will feel like a very successful mother. I really want to look for opportunities this next year to serve others. My kids MUST experience the joy of service regularly and habitually. I need to make it happen more frequently. 

Christmas afternoon 2013

Oh what fun we had! Here is our afternoon in picture form:

On the way up we noticed Jonathan wasn't behind us anymore. Thankfully he got out rather quickly and we only had to put a plug in his tire.

 The kids were eager to make a snowman.

 And a bigger one somewhere else...

Of course we had lots of snowball fights...

 Sledding down a hill.

 We made a little campfire and ate our lunch, then enjoyed a little hike up the snowy mountain. David stayed back with the kids in the truck because their feet were too cold. I think we'll need to invest in better winter-ware if we wanted to do this more often.

 I just love Omega's toothless grin. There's just something about missing teeth on kids that makes them look adorable. I love that there's no element of vanity at all. She doesn't mind having missing teeth except that it makes eating apples harder if they're not already sliced.

Although it's pink, and it has lamb ears on top, Orion thinks this beanie is a "helmet." He feels quite manly wearing it.

This has been a very happy Christmas. My kind of fun!

Christmas morning 2013

Tis Christmas  morning. I'm the first one up, as usual and I get to sit and think with silence and a warm wood-stove burning. Outside is a clear blue sky with sunshine. It's not too cold outside. I dumped some ashes in the compost and opened the chicken coop wearing just my sweatshirt, pajama bottoms and crocks. Arizona has it's perks. As I sit here and ponder, part of me wishes we made a bigger deal about Christmas. Giving people gifts is fun. Next year I think I'd like to give them each $20 or something and let them buy one member in the family a gift. They've only been in the habit of receiving, but I want them to learn that giving is by far more enjoyable.

News Flash: I just looked at my journal entry from last year and we did 6 out of the 19 ideas I came up with for how I wanted to make this year better, even though I hadn't even looked at the list!

Journal entry from last year:

"Here are some things I want to do differently next Christmas to add a little more festivity:

1.       .  Do an Advent calendar
2.           Read Christmas related stories
3.       . Make glitter playdough
4.          Make prettier snowflakes
5.         Bake cookies to give away
6.          Make Christmas cards
7.          Have a tea party with cider and cookies
8.         Pick a goodie bag
9.         Make an edible gift for birds (pine-cone with peanut butter and seeds)
10.           Go to the snow (if there’s snow somewhere within driving distance) - (We are doing this today)
11.           Sew something to give to someone (maybe some felt ornaments?)
12.         Make a big bed in the living room and we all sleep there.
13.          Give Daddy a massage - (We are going to do this later)
14.     Pick names out of a hat and each person can spend 20 dollars on the person they picked.
15.      Chose a family to do something for (buy toys, clothes, or make them something)
16.      Create a make a manger scene with a star above instead of a tree. We’ll put the gifts around the manger with words on the manger that say, “Whatever you do to others, you have done to me”
17.      Sing Christmas music for worship (Make a Christmas binder ahead of time)
18.      Listen to Christmas music (maybe make a mixed CD from selected songs from i-tunes)
19.        Invite a family over to share the Christmas meal with if we aren’t visiting extended family. 

I was all excited and showed David and he said, "Well that's still not a very high percentage."

"Yes, but 30% is more than 0%, especially considering the fact that I didn't even look at it!!

Ahhh, the difference between optimists and realists.... :)

Speaking of husband. He surprised me with a wonderful, wonderful gift yesterday. He had to leave in the afternoon to help a Farm Box lady build a high tunnel and when he came back he had these:

Yesterday we had some neighbors over for lunch so that was interesting and fun. Her son's birthday is today so I made a carob cake with peppermint ice cream in the middle. We have a lot in common. They are really into organic and self sustained living. David and her husband talked about farming stuff most of the time.

After they left, we cleaned up and watched you tube videos about the origin of Santa and the Christmas Tree. I figured it would be a great social studies lesson. After enough sitting and staring at a screen we played the ladybug game below.

The night ended with Daddy playing cars with the kids in his office. I still have yet to figure out how to "play cars." I can only drive them around the track a few times before getting bored. I just don't understand. I try to "play" but I really wish I could download the mind of a child for play time so that it comes more naturally.

I think reading stories is more my thing. We found a "Christmas in my Heart" story online and really liked it. I asked Angelia to bring one of the books from the Smith's house and we're going to read it while we drive to Turkey Creek to play in the snow today with the interns. :)

 Angelia is bringing soup and I'm bringing sandwiches. I'm sure we'll have a fun time together.

I better get going.

A taste of heaven

Last week we had the privilege of being at SOULS West for a week. David was invited to teach Christian history.

I didn't have to cook or clean for a whole week.

I got to go shopping with Grandma's money (Thanks Grandma!)

I got to be in a place where there are actually trees.

The kids got to ride their bikes every day on pavement, not worrying about popping their tires.

I got to give a worship talk and spend time getting to know students.

 

But best of all, I got a little taste of heaven. If you've ever wondered what heaven will be like, just visit SOULS West for a day. The singing there will get you choked up every time. They had a Talent Show the first weekend we were there and that was really fun.

 

The second weekend they had a banquet which was absolutely delightful. We heard testimonies from students, a song from the choir, a worship talk from Derrick, participated in a foot washing service and ate a very yummy Thanksgiving type meal. The talent, enthusiasm, harmony, love and sincerity during every time we worshipped together surely felt like angels were singing with us. 

 

  

One of the cabins we stayed in was a bit chilly so the kids slept together and what mother can resist snapping a picture of sleeping cuddly children?

The students gave us a toke of their appreciation which included a jar of nuts and tangerines. My kids are nuts about you too!

 All in all, we loved being there. Thanks for the great time SOULS West!



Family Portraits

 Since early March the kids have been infatuated with "kiwis." Not the kind you eat though.

 

They talk about Kiwi's to family on the phone, but the family has no idea what my kids are talking about. So I figured it would be best to introduce you all to them. Kiwi's are the last name of their small stuffed animal families.

 

It started when a friend left a little stuffed animal at our house whose name was Kiwi (The orange-ish orangutan). They started playing with him, and somehow they found other stuffed animals that were similar sizes so they decided it needed to be a family. They kept multiplying until Omega and Orion both had their favorite Kiwi families, complete with a Mom, Dad and 6 kids.

 

Here they are with their names. 

 



 

I forgot to write on the picture that "Kiwi" is the Dad and "Fancy" is the Mom. And, "Skinny" is named that, not because he has skinny legs. It's because it is mostly skin color. I don't know why Apricot didn't get "y" at the end. Oh well. As you can see, most of them are named after what color they are.

They bring them to breakfast, lunch, supper, and worship and have to get them "set up" just so. They bring them in the car when we go to the store. They play with them in the bath, and they create little houses for them in the day.

I can't usually sit on the couch because the Kiwi's have to live in their carefully constructed houses.

This was on a separate day.

I wish I had pictures to show you just how extensive this Kiwi attachment goes. Orion hammered out the "glass" on one of his tractors just so he could fit a Kiwi inside to drive it.

For worship they have to fold the Kiwi's hands and knees for prayer too. And at "snuggle time" they want me to "play" Kiwi's with them.

They really love their Kiwi's.

Does anyone else's kids do stuff like this? I imagine so. I just figured this Kiwi thing would be a phase they'd get bored of. But so far, it's still going strong. Doesn't bother me because it keeps them happy.

Facebook for kids

 I've discovered that Facebook is so popular because there is a desire in the human heart to be noticed. Every little thing we accomplish or unique activity we do, it's rewarding to be recognized and "liked." My kids come to me at least 50 times a day saying "mwatch." That is a slur of the words, "Mom, watch!"

When you're a kid, though, you don't need 50 "likes" to feel satisfied. Just the smile or "wow, that's great!" is all they need from just one person. Me. As annoying as it can be sometimes, (like when I'm trying to get something done and don't want to be interrupted), it's a great honor and privilege. I have to stop and remember that for me to take notice of them is like a deposit of gold into their little hearts.

Right now they really like bike riding. For a while Omega's bike was too big. Because she didn't like crashing on her bike, she chose the tricycle and rode around like this:

As you can see in the video, Orion had a bike that was the right size but the chain kept coming off. So, he would proudly put it back on every couple of minutes (he felt like a "fix it man"). I felt grateful that they didn't complain and still had fun regardless of their less than ideal bikes.

So, finally a year later they both have bikes that work properly and are the right size. We got Orion's bike from Craig's list for $30 and it looks brand new! Needless to say, they are having a grand time.

I've even gone jogging with them and we all get our exercise. I've been looking forward to this moment since they were babies. I've felt like I have given up consistent exercise (or at least always had a good excuse) for the last 7 years because they either had to nap, or they were too slow to keep up, or they just wanted to stop every few minutes to look at a bug, play in the dirt or collect rocks. Now we can actually go several miles together and just stop for water breaks. 

 

Despite my desire to do a quick run over to the bakery (two miles away) for some bread, the kids wanted to bike there. So I drove at a snails pace while they peddled away gleefully. The 15 minute trip turned out to take more like 45 minutes, but they loved it. They need to build strong bones and constitutions at this stage of their life. At this age, the journey is as important as the destination.

 

In this video you'll hear Orion saying, "mwatch" 

 

 The other thing that really excites them right now is their sandbox. It has been without sand for a few weeks because we had to paint underneath to prevent mold and termites and on Sunday we drove (they biked part of the way) to "soft dirt" (an empty creek bed) to get more sand. They did most of the work and can now enjoy the fruit of their labor.

They create entire "communities" of animals with roads and other such things. They never run out of ways to exercise their imagination.

Of course after a while, I hear the siren, "mlook!" (a slur of Mom, look!"

To me, seeing their creations may not be very impressive, but they just spent the last 30 minutes or so developing it and to them, it is delightful.

To me, watching them go in circles around the garage 20 times on their bike gets boring, but each time they come they want me to see how fast they are going or see how they can take their feet off the pedals, or how they can go over a big bump without crashing. If I turn my head for a split second they scold, "Mom, you weren't watching!"

I often have to remind myself of the following concept:

It will pay to manifest affection in your association with your children. Do not repel them by lack of sympathy in their childish sports, joys, and griefs. {CG 264.2} 

"There is danger that both parents and teachers will command and dictate too much, while they fail to come sufficiently into social relation with their children or scholars. They often hold themselves too much reserved and exercise their authority in a cold, unsympathizing manner, which cannot win the hearts of their children and pupils. If they would gather the children close to them, and show that they love them, and would manifest an interest in all their efforts, and even in their sports, sometimes even being a child among them, they would make the children very happy and would gain their love and win their confidence. And the children would more quickly learn to respect and love the authority of their parents and teachers."  {CG 265.1} 

Have you watched someone special to you today? It only takes a few minutes, but it's worth it.

I love road trips

I haven't posted in a while because I've been working on my website, www.christian-courtship.com. All my free time goes to writing more pages. But, just got back from a trip to California so I thought I'd do a little run down with some pictures.

I love when my husband is invited to speak because they pay our traveling expenses. We get to sleep at hotels that have pools, and as a Californian living in Arizona, I miss water. My kids are finally becoming more brave in water and love water as much as I do.

Before we left I had to pull a bunch of weeds (4 hours of pulling weeds in bright, hot sunshine) but not just any weeds. Pigweed, a.k.a ragweed. I happen to be highly allergic and the whole time I had snot running down my nose, I was sneezing, eyes and throat itching, the works. At night my nose had run out of liquid so it was completely plugged up and I had a horrendous night of sleep. I woke up with an awful headache. 

But lo, and behold, the power of refreshing water. After taking 7 chewable low dose aspirin and spending an hour and a half in the relaxing water with my kids, I felt like a new person. The grouchy, tired, exhausted person I was, transformed into a happy, relaxed, eager to embrace our vacation mommy.

David spoke at the SOULS graduation on Thursday evening at the Ontario convention center. We got to see a bunch of people we love and miss and had a wonderful time. Listening to all the colporteur testimonies nourished my soul and poured gasoline on my faith. I truly, deeply, miss my colporteur family. 

I didn't get many pictures except for this last one at the end. I'm thankful that periodically my kids get to play with Amber, Esther, Savannah and Heidi. They are all such good kids and are just delightful to be around. I love being with other moms who have similar values and parenting styles. I'm always so inspired and blessed. 

Omega's 7th birthday

Omega is sitting on my lap right now as we reflect on this last year. In two days she will not longer be 6 years old. How has she grown in this last year. Let's do a little interview and find out. (I answered for her on a lot of these)

Mommy: Omega, what things have you learned this year?
Omega: How to count money, and I can read simple things. I know how to make envelopes and I send mail to people. I can make farm box cookies almost by myself. I can unload the dishwasher SUPER quick now. I can also ride a bike without training wheels. And I don't wear a diaper at night anymore and I hardly ever have accidents except when I eat watermelon for supper.
Mommy: What things do you want to learn while you are 7?
Omega: How to read, how to not be shy when people talk to me,how to have a dialogue on the phone instead of a monologue.
Mommy: What are some of your favorite things to say?
Omega: Always. I tell Daddy, "Why do you always say...." I like to copy Mommy and say, "What in the world?" and "Honkin" and "like" and "Do you wonder what...." or "Something funny...." I also like to pretend I'm Aimee and say, "Like, when I was driving, willow trees happened." "Mom, when I get big, do you know what I'm goin' do?" "Thirty thousand and sixty three".
Mommy: What are some of your favorite things to play?
Omega: I like playing the Ladybug game that Heather Krick gave us. I also like to play in the sandbox when it cools down in the evening. I like to do felt stories. I like to make a fort with the table and chairs and Orion and I put pillows and towels all around and play inside with our little animals. We both have our own Qu-ees and dollies. My dollies names are Savannah, Aimee, Angelia and Amber (used to be Alanda) and Orion has Timothy (used to be Osten), Julian and Bu-ian. I also play with my Koala and Orion plays with the white Teddy Bear. Another thing we still like doing is lining up our cars in a line like a troop of ants.
Mommy: What is your favorite thing to do during snuggle time?
Omega: I always like to pick out a story from Bedtime Stories and I like when you do my back and face.
Mommy: What is your daily schedule like?
Omega: When we wake up, sometimes we snuggle on your lap if we are still sleepy. Sometimes if Orion and I wake up at the same time we start playing. Then we eat breakfast. Then we unload the dishwasher and then get dressed, make my bed and brush my hair. Then we have worship and have a small break and then start homeschool. Right now we are just doing Saxton Phonics. After that we get to play until lunch.When it's hot sometimes we take a bath in the day or find something fun to do. After lunch we clear and wipe the table and counters. We just started learning how to wash dishes. When we are done we play some more and at 5:00 or so we start cleaning up our room and the living room before Daddy gets home. At 6:00 we try to eat supper and then we play in the sand box since there's shade on it at that time. At 7:30 or so we have worship and then give Daddy a hug and kiss, go brush our teeth, Mommy reads to us, does our back and we go to sleep by 8:30. That's my day...except when we go to town or on Sabbath. And on Sunday, Daddy's day off, we usually get to help him do projects or watch him do bees.
Mommy: What are some of the wierd things you do?
Omega If someone is doing something I don't like I'll lick my hand and try to wipe it on them so they will stop.
Mommy: Who are your friends?
Omega: Amber, Esther, Amenity, Miciah, Manoah, and Tiny. Savannah and Heidi. And I like Angelia, Jane, Monique, Laylani, Olivia, and Angel. I know who else I like - Daddy. do you know who else? (points to me and gives me a kiss on the cheek). Do you know who else I like the BEST? Someone you would not guess. Boing (as she points to the sky)
Mommy: Jesus?
Omega: Yeah (as she looks up and pretends to give him a hug) Come here Jesus!
Mommy: When you get big, what are you going to do?
Omega:  Build cars and dig people up and see how their bones look. And....I'm goin to have my own store. And I'm going to work at a restaurant. And I will cut people's hair. And I will work at a hospital. And I will get puffy and strong. And I'm going to go to a place where I can find a nest with a couple of babies and take them and have them for my pet (birds).
Mommy: What kind of store will you have?
Omega: You should know...grocery store.
Mommy: Why do you want to have a grocery store?
Omega: So I can earn so much money so I can do other jobs. I can get sooo rich.
Mommy: Why do you want to be rich?
Omega: So I can buy whatever I need for 63 years. And I can buy my own chapstick which is fruit chapstick.

So there's my interview with Omega. You can probably tell which ones I answered for her and which ones were her actually answering :) 

An observation about countenance

While being at the Homeschooling Conference, I noticed something. There was a certain "look" to many of the home-schooled children. I'm not just talking about how they were dressed. Their faces had similar features. I can't say exactly what because I couldn't just stare at people and study them - that would be rude. But over and over as I would walk past people, repetitively in those quick glances I saw a similarity in their features. To be honest, the only way I can describe it is "the nerdy look."

But I gained a new appreciation for that look. I think instead of it being "nerdy" I'm going to call it the look of purity. Now I don't know any of those children personally, or what their home life is like. But I can assume that they are similar to me just by the fact that they want to home school. The fact that they were there tells me they want to provide a better environment for their children. Their great burden is to instill in their children a love and fear of the Lord and adequately prepare them to be successful missionaries and productive members of society. They care about their children's character formation.

I thought of something Ellen White shares about the change in Satan's countenance.

"Satan was once an honored angel in heaven, next to Christ. His countenance, like those of the other angels, was mild and expressive of happiness. His forehead was high and broad, showing great intelligence. His form was perfect; his bearing noble and majestic." (EW 145.1)

"I was shown Satan as he once was, a happy, exalted angel. Then I was shown him as he now is. He still bears a kingly form. His features are still noble, for he is an angel fallen. But the expression of his countenance is full of anxiety, care, unhappiness, malice, hate, mischief, deceit, and every evil. That brow which was once so noble, I particularly noticed. His forehead commenced from his eyes to recede. I saw that he had so long bent himself to evil that every good quality was debased, and every evil trait was developed. His eyes were cunning, sly, and showed great penetration. His frame was large, but the flesh hung loosely about his hands and face. As I beheld him, his chin was resting upon his left hand. He appeared to be in deep thought. A smile was upon his countenance, which made me tremble, it was so full of evil and satanic slyness. This smile is the one he wears just before he makes sure of his victim, and as he fastens the victim in his snare, this smile grows horrible." {EW 152.3}

The truth being gleaned here is that facial features reflect one's character.

I've seen it happen in students I've known who canvassed and their heart was set on serving God. But over some years they fell away and backslid. I see pictures on Facebook and there is a certain look in their countenance (not just make up or different hairstyle or clothing.) If you covered all that up and just looked at their face, they have a different look to them.

Maybe I'm just imagining it. Maybe they've just gotten older so their faces have changed.

Has anyone else noticed these things?

"I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God" (Ps 42:1)

Debriefing the Homeschooling Convention

I left for two days. Alone. I haven't done that...in...well...7 years I think. Seriously.

Angelia was able to watch the kids on Friday while David worked, and he took over for Friday night and Sabbath. I got a rental car in Tucson early Friday morning and drove up to Phoenix to attend two whole days of inspiring, jaw-dropping, hope filled lectures and peruse a ginormous exhibit hall full of various curriculum's and home-school related ministries.

There was one section of the exhibit hall with "young entrepreneurs" displaying their particular product. I literally started to choke up every time I met these young home-schooled kids because of their impressiveness. One brother and sister had a booth displaying two books they wrote and published about a detective dog (inspired by their own dog). Another teen had a booth offering catering services, displaying his fine cooking skills with pictures and sample of food. Another girl had purses that she made by crocheting plastic bags and lining it with fabric along with appropriate buttons and zippers. Another pair of boys had wooden guns and swords they carved and sanded that exhibited excellent craftsmanship. A teen girl had a rack of super cute aprons along with matching child and dolly sizes. And the way these young people spoke with strangers was also very impressive! They had confidence, courtesy, articulation, smiles and kindness. I hope my kids will turn out that amazing!

So, regarding the lectures - I learned SO much about the brain! I listened to three lectures by Dianne Craft called "Training your Child's Photographic Memory" and "Kids and Teenagers with Focus/Attention Problems" and "Auditory Processing and Memory Problems". She has a Master's degree in Education and Learning Disabilities and she is a Certified Natural Health Professional. I learned that if a kid (or adult!) has inconsistent performance, needs to have someone sit with him to finish work, forgets previously learned work much of the time, has impulsive behavior, easily gets upset and angered when things go wrong, little things bother them a lot like tags on shirts, loud noises or transitions, etc, then all of that can be greatly resolved through targeted nutritional intervention as well as Right brain teaching strategies! What appears to be negative character or personality traits is actually a symptom of nutritional imbalance. It means that one of their 4 learning gates are blocked (1) Visual Processing Gate, 2) Writing Gate (visual motor), 3) Auditory Processing and 4) Attention/Focus/Behavior Gate).

This is great news because I think the information she shared will really help Orion and I! Orion gets easily upset and angered when he doesn't get what he wants. He needs me to stand there and keep him on task when I ask him to clean something up or unload the dishwasher. He is always bringing me scissors to cut the tags off of his shirts, and we are constantly telling him to stop being distracted during worship.

What is happening is it's like an elephant is sitting on his nervous system. Kids who have these symptoms are probably low on zinc and zinc helps to convert essential fatty acids which help the right brain communicate with the left brain.  It's a shoulders down problem not a shoulders up problem. They have an upset "gut ecology" which is causing the upset behavior or learning. She explained that there is a yeast/fungal overgrowth which affect serotonin production.Serotonin is a transmitter chemical which helps to pass nerve impulses from one nerve cell (neurone) to the next over the synapse (gap between two neurones). People call it the "feel good neurotransmitter." Anyway, all of that affects learning. So what makes serotonin is essential fatty acids. She said that boys need 3 times more essential fatty acids than girls and because most aren't getting it, there are more learning problems among boys in America. And hormones run in oils but only the oils that need to be refrigerated. The other oils do not carry electrons. They are dead. (Side note: This was so exciting to me because I have concluded that my PMS headaches are, well, obviously hormone related and I also get fatigue and irritable sometimes because I think my hormones are out of whack. So....this may be the solution to my problem!) So, vitamin E, primrose oil, flaxseed oil and avocado are all great sources of essential fatty acids.Oh, and did you know the brain is 60% fat and 30% of that is in the form of long chain fatty acids. And brain synapses require long chain fatty acids to be efficient. So if you don't have enough essential fatty acids your brain won't work right! That's why walnuts are considered a "brain food" because they have Omega 3's which are an essential fatty acid!

The nutritional plan she recommends is quite easy. Basically she says there is an overgrowth of yeast and bacteria in their gut. So you:
1. Restore Gut Ecology - take a probiotic 3 times a day for 3 months. She recommends Primadophilus by Nature's Way or Healthy Trinity by Natren (more expensive)
2. Natural Anti fungal - GSE tablets 3 times a day for 3 months. She recommended tablets over the liquid because then it won't taste as bad. 
3. Reduce sugar intake - even maple syrup or 100% juice is still considered sugar. Your body sees it the same. It still promotes yeast and fungus overgrowth. A lot of carbohydrates are also considered sugar by your body.
4. Cut out dairy - this is not a problem for us :)

So, this is also great news for me because I've always had athletes foot and now I'm getting warts on my left hand. So, if I were to do this (get rid of the overgrowth of fungus in my body, the athletes foot and warts would go away!)

So, I could go on about left brain and right brain learning but, if you're interested just check out her website. It's AMAZING stuff.

Another dynamic lecture I went to was called "Choosing Curriculum like a Pro" from Jessica Hulcy. I learned that there are 4 types of learners
1. The movement learner - he's "out of the box" (you need to do a lot of right brain teaching)
2. The structured learner - they are "in the box" (traditional leaner - book, workbooks)
3. The analytical learner - they "stare at the box" (can't remember how this differs)
2. The community learner - they "talk to the box" (they like discussion, they learn by telling people information)

She was an excellent speaker, a lot of humor, powerful stories and practical information. I can tell she knows her stuff. I just checked out her website and I LOVE her approach to education. She and a friend created a whole curriculum that is character based, hands on, discovery learning, unit-study approach, and can be good for different age levels at the same time. It's called KONO'S and I'm highly considering it.

Another lecture I really liked was called "Raising Real Men" by Hal and Melany Young (they have 6 boys and 2 girls). I really wanted to buy their book afterwards but figured I better wait till I'm done reading some other books I just ordered from Amazon. They told a lot of really great stories about their boys. One thing that I took from their lecture was the importance of training on three key areas: Laziness, Anger and Lust. Those are very typical character deficiencies that many men share in common. One of the best ways to move a boy into manhood without those three character weaknesses crippling them is by constantly exposing them to heroes in history. They need godly manhood set before them, not just by their father but by other figures in history. They sold Hero Tales from American History that are three CD audio books that are an hour long each with stories that are 7-11 minutes a piece all about American history heroes. (That would be a GREAT birthday gift for Orion!...Dec 2!) Another thing they promoted and sold at their booth was wooden guns and swords for boys. They think it's important to direct boys to feel equipped to protect their families and society. I have to say, their guns that shot rubber bands was VERY accurate (shot the target) and realistic!

One lecture I missed because I was in another lecture was called "Manners Matter and Mean Success". I went to her booth later and saw her "Etiquette Factory" programs. She has a Beginners course (5-8 year olds), an Intermediate course (9-12) and an Master's course (13 and up). I think I'd like the Intermediate course in a couple of years because it is for the children to read and then teach to the family. Instead of the parents being etiquette police, the children will buy into it and desire it for themselves.

When I start doing more history for the kids, I was really impressed with one of the booth's products called "The Classical Historian" This family developed curriculum and some card games for Ancient history, Midieval history and American history. It says it's for ages 3 and up. But to get the full benefit from them, probably more like 7 and up. It looked like it would actually make learning history fun!

Lastly, if the grandparent ever want to get some awesome learning games for the kids, visit www.timberdoodle.com. Can't say yet which ones I'd like, but their whole booth was full of fun looking learning games.

I better get off the computer now. Got stuff to do but I just felt like I had to defragment and organize all that I learned and what I want to refer back to later. Hopefully if you're a homeschooling mom looking for resources, my links will help you.

Father's Day poem "from the kids" to David

I like it when you play with me

You spin me fast on the floor

You chase me around and pick me up

Throw me down and I want more

You fix my toys when they are broke

And work around the yard

I like to watch and help you

You make it not look hard

I like our evening worship

When we build a church with our hands

It’s fun to act the stories out

I’m learning God’s commands

I listen to you preach at church

And in bed on your knees you pray

I see you study on your laptop

So our family does not go astray

You give us rides in the tractor

Help us learn from dirt and bugs

I like to watch nature videos with you

And give you lots of hugs

You are the best Daddy ever

I feel safe and protected each day

From bad guys, Satan and killer bees

You make them go away

You work so hard to pay for the food

And don’t often get to rest

But you deserve a huge thank you

Because I think you’re the best!

Happy Father’s Day