We were up in Eagle River today so we spent a few hours at the Children's Museum. I knew Gabe would love it, and he did--water to splash, a grocery cart to drive, a drum to bang, cranberries to sort.
I wasn't sure how his older brothers would do. Ten and twelve-year-olds aren't usually as thrilled with this place as the young ones. They did fine--crutches to balance on, wheelchairs to race, and my favorite: they went to the dress up room, came out dressed as bandits, and held up the cashier in the play store.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Perspective
Owen: Mom, will you help me with my math? I'm doing really bad.
Mom: Number 15? Is that the one you're having trouble with?
Owen: Yep.
Mom: Umm, this is lesson 67. You're supposed to be doing lesson 47.
Owen: Wow, I'm doing great!
Mom: Number 15? Is that the one you're having trouble with?
Owen: Yep.
Mom: Umm, this is lesson 67. You're supposed to be doing lesson 47.
Owen: Wow, I'm doing great!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Some of the "Been There Done That" part of family life, what a joy!
We've had a couple of typical (for us) weeks, nothing too out of the ordinary on the family front. We went to some football games and enjoyed having Joey and Jamie and Holden visiting for the weekend. Aunt Susie was here for ten days--coloring with Lisa, watching Shirley Temple movies, going to the park, and visiting a cranberry bog. We've done all of these things before, at different times, maybe with different people but we've done them. And we enjoyed doing them again, although they were the same, they were different because something about it was new.
The same goes for one of our off-the-beaten-track trips we took this week. It wasn't a vacation, and hardly even a trip--you'd probably call it more of an "outing".
Ellen had been wanting to have Lisa visit, so on Monday we left Lisa with her and took Susie back to Minneapolis. We drove over to Hastings, crossed the river, and followed Hwy 35 south along the Mississippi River. This is bird migration season and Keith loves to watch birds.
By 4:30 we had reached one of our all time favorite bird migration viewing spots, Rieck Park in Alma, WI. There is a viewing platform with binoculars and spectacular views of resting waterfowl. We saw ducks and pelicans on this trip. Once we managed to time it right and saw hundreds and hundreds of swans.
The park also has one of our children's favorite play parks, so after exclaiming over the ducks and yelling, "Quack, quack!" at them Gabe was delighted to swing and slide and climb. The boys joined him and even Keith became a kid and bounced the boys around on a four-seater "quad teeter totter on springs". I've been to this park four times and, although time doesn't seem to pass for me, I continue to see the toddlers from one trip turn into the bird watchers on the next.
We headed into Alma to see the lock and dam and climb the stairs through the quaint town to a look out point on the bluff.
The leaves crunched, the boys sang to Gabe, and we all enjoyed the fall scene and our time on the trail. The view was amazing and the sunset beautiful. Another lesson was given on the workings of the locks and the river system. We talked about barges and the lack of them on this trip. We pondered the reasons and wondered how the economy is affecting the river traffic. But mostly we ran and played and laughed and explored.
After an all-you-can-eat (and they did) supper and a night at a hotel with a pool (making for two very happy and somewhat wrinkled boys) we drove east to the Horicon Marsh. I admit it, on our first trip to the marsh we teased Keith about the "skies black with birds" that he reported from his readings. We hardly saw anything on that trip. But, it's hard to predict nature and you take what you get. This trip delivered! The skies weren't black, but at any given time we could see up to five flocks of geese in V-formation. We saw ducks, turkeys, and sandhill cranes. We saw a cardinal, marsh wrens, and flocks of birds we couldn't identify.
We visited the nature center and identified the animals we would see on the trail. As we walked the trails and the boardwalk, even our trip to the visitor center didn't prepare us for what we found. It looked like a candy cane shaped sausage, about 5 inches long, with the clear features of a face on one end. We realized it must be the fetus of some animal that had miscarried on the path. The umbilical cord was intact and still bloody. We decided it must be a bear, because nothing else that size would be quite so undeveloped. Then, a quarter mile down the path we found bear droppings. I never thought of bears miscarrying.
We read the signs and learned the names of native plants and trees. The boys were interested and enjoyed every detail of the trip as much as we did. We saw the birds flying, taking off, and landing. We saw them feeding and listened to their calls. We watched them take off over farm fields during the day and fly back to the marsh at dusk. We listened to the sound of hundreds of cranes "cooing" as they settled in for the night.
We've done all of this before, but it was different, and we enjoyed doing it with our three youngest boys, and they enjoyed doing it. For some it was the first time, I hope it won't be the last.
The same goes for one of our off-the-beaten-track trips we took this week. It wasn't a vacation, and hardly even a trip--you'd probably call it more of an "outing".
Ellen had been wanting to have Lisa visit, so on Monday we left Lisa with her and took Susie back to Minneapolis. We drove over to Hastings, crossed the river, and followed Hwy 35 south along the Mississippi River. This is bird migration season and Keith loves to watch birds.
By 4:30 we had reached one of our all time favorite bird migration viewing spots, Rieck Park in Alma, WI. There is a viewing platform with binoculars and spectacular views of resting waterfowl. We saw ducks and pelicans on this trip. Once we managed to time it right and saw hundreds and hundreds of swans.
The park also has one of our children's favorite play parks, so after exclaiming over the ducks and yelling, "Quack, quack!" at them Gabe was delighted to swing and slide and climb. The boys joined him and even Keith became a kid and bounced the boys around on a four-seater "quad teeter totter on springs". I've been to this park four times and, although time doesn't seem to pass for me, I continue to see the toddlers from one trip turn into the bird watchers on the next.
We headed into Alma to see the lock and dam and climb the stairs through the quaint town to a look out point on the bluff.
After an all-you-can-eat (and they did) supper and a night at a hotel with a pool (making for two very happy and somewhat wrinkled boys) we drove east to the Horicon Marsh. I admit it, on our first trip to the marsh we teased Keith about the "skies black with birds" that he reported from his readings. We hardly saw anything on that trip. But, it's hard to predict nature and you take what you get. This trip delivered! The skies weren't black, but at any given time we could see up to five flocks of geese in V-formation. We saw ducks, turkeys, and sandhill cranes. We saw a cardinal, marsh wrens, and flocks of birds we couldn't identify.
We visited the nature center and identified the animals we would see on the trail. As we walked the trails and the boardwalk, even our trip to the visitor center didn't prepare us for what we found. It looked like a candy cane shaped sausage, about 5 inches long, with the clear features of a face on one end. We realized it must be the fetus of some animal that had miscarried on the path. The umbilical cord was intact and still bloody. We decided it must be a bear, because nothing else that size would be quite so undeveloped. Then, a quarter mile down the path we found bear droppings. I never thought of bears miscarrying.
We read the signs and learned the names of native plants and trees. The boys were interested and enjoyed every detail of the trip as much as we did. We saw the birds flying, taking off, and landing. We saw them feeding and listened to their calls. We watched them take off over farm fields during the day and fly back to the marsh at dusk. We listened to the sound of hundreds of cranes "cooing" as they settled in for the night.
We've done all of this before, but it was different, and we enjoyed doing it with our three youngest boys, and they enjoyed doing it. For some it was the first time, I hope it won't be the last.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Small Town
Where else but it a small town would you get this kind of coverage? Troy, Ellen, and Chet, all in one day!
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Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Tangent Teaching
I'm often asked, "How do you homeschool?" I'm tempted to say, "You don't want to know." 'Tangent Teaching' would be a good label, I'm always getting off on a tangent! And today that tangent even involved tangents.
Example: We started the day with our morning Bible reading, Genesis chapter 6. Almost an hour later we were talking about the curvature of the earth in relation to geometric equations (I know, not in the typical syllabus for 7th, 5th, or 2nd grade). And we were only on verse 4.
Even I was perplexed as to how we got so far off track, so we retraced our steps. In verse 4 of Genesis 6 it says, "There were giants in the earth in those days,"....and we were off, in this order:
Bryce said, "Did you know they've discovered the skeleton of a nineteen foot man?" (Don't you love giving credit to the all-knowing "they".)
I countered with, "Where did you get that information?"
We talked about reliable sources, primary sources, error in memory, error in communication. We shared stories of misinformation getting spread, we talked about the believability of a source based on how close it is to the information being given. We talked about how deceived we can be as our memories don't always/often recall things the ways the really were.
I gave them an actual example from our family (about 10 years ago or so) where two different library books gave us different elevations for the same mountain. We compared sources to come up with what we determined to be the accurate figure, but was it? How would we know, or could we know? And how do you measure a mountain anyway?
We know you can't use a measuring tape, of course, so I told them about the geometrical equations used to make such measurements. As a "for instance", we talked about the earliest methods used to measure the distance to the sun. Well, how could I do that without first discussing triangles, and equilateral triangles and the relationships between the angles and the lengths of the sides, and the formulas used to calculate the lengths of unknown sides. We made some finger triangles and varied the lengths of the sides without changing the measurements of the angles.
We discussed the measurements taken in Egypt many hundreds of years ago whereby someone calculated the time that the sun shone directly down into a well and then someone else measured the angle from the earth to the sun at that exact same time from a calculated distance away. We talked about how they used the tangent formula for that angle to calculate the distance from the well to the sun.
In our example, the living room light was the sun, a chair was the well, Lisa was the other measuring point, and the 'sun' was at a 56 degree angle.
However, our discussion wasn't complete until we also discussed the inaccuracy of the measurement of the distance between the well and the other point due to the curvature of the earth, so we had to talk about the mathematic equations that scientists would use to figure out the distance the a straight line would make through that curvature.
I stopped short of estimating the size and curvature of the earth. But, we learned that it can be pretty hard to produce accurate information and we have to be careful to understand where that information came from and how it is passed on and communicated.
OK, four verses read, the fallability of man grossly exposed, on to our 'official' history lesson.....speaking of which, as we read of the Dani tribe in New Guinea in the early 1960s and the governmental involvement of the Netherlands isn't it interesting that it also related to our study of New England and the fact that New York City used to be called New Amsterdam because of the Dutch rule, and the Dutch of course were known for their exploration of eastern Asia, and did you know that Indonesia used to be called the Dutch Indies because of this....and on goes the next tangent!
Example: We started the day with our morning Bible reading, Genesis chapter 6. Almost an hour later we were talking about the curvature of the earth in relation to geometric equations (I know, not in the typical syllabus for 7th, 5th, or 2nd grade). And we were only on verse 4.
Even I was perplexed as to how we got so far off track, so we retraced our steps. In verse 4 of Genesis 6 it says, "There were giants in the earth in those days,"....and we were off, in this order:
Bryce said, "Did you know they've discovered the skeleton of a nineteen foot man?" (Don't you love giving credit to the all-knowing "they".)
I countered with, "Where did you get that information?"
We talked about reliable sources, primary sources, error in memory, error in communication. We shared stories of misinformation getting spread, we talked about the believability of a source based on how close it is to the information being given. We talked about how deceived we can be as our memories don't always/often recall things the ways the really were.
I gave them an actual example from our family (about 10 years ago or so) where two different library books gave us different elevations for the same mountain. We compared sources to come up with what we determined to be the accurate figure, but was it? How would we know, or could we know? And how do you measure a mountain anyway?
We know you can't use a measuring tape, of course, so I told them about the geometrical equations used to make such measurements. As a "for instance", we talked about the earliest methods used to measure the distance to the sun. Well, how could I do that without first discussing triangles, and equilateral triangles and the relationships between the angles and the lengths of the sides, and the formulas used to calculate the lengths of unknown sides. We made some finger triangles and varied the lengths of the sides without changing the measurements of the angles.
We discussed the measurements taken in Egypt many hundreds of years ago whereby someone calculated the time that the sun shone directly down into a well and then someone else measured the angle from the earth to the sun at that exact same time from a calculated distance away. We talked about how they used the tangent formula for that angle to calculate the distance from the well to the sun.
In our example, the living room light was the sun, a chair was the well, Lisa was the other measuring point, and the 'sun' was at a 56 degree angle.
However, our discussion wasn't complete until we also discussed the inaccuracy of the measurement of the distance between the well and the other point due to the curvature of the earth, so we had to talk about the mathematic equations that scientists would use to figure out the distance the a straight line would make through that curvature.
I stopped short of estimating the size and curvature of the earth. But, we learned that it can be pretty hard to produce accurate information and we have to be careful to understand where that information came from and how it is passed on and communicated.
OK, four verses read, the fallability of man grossly exposed, on to our 'official' history lesson.....speaking of which, as we read of the Dani tribe in New Guinea in the early 1960s and the governmental involvement of the Netherlands isn't it interesting that it also related to our study of New England and the fact that New York City used to be called New Amsterdam because of the Dutch rule, and the Dutch of course were known for their exploration of eastern Asia, and did you know that Indonesia used to be called the Dutch Indies because of this....and on goes the next tangent!
Gabe Update
I've had a number of people ask about Gabe, wanting to know how he's doing post-surgery. Here are some pictures of our man taken during the past month. I think you can see that he's doing great. You might not be able to tell that he's gained three pounds in the past three months! His heart was really working hard and burning up the calories. We see the cardiologist tomorrow and I'll publish his medical update then.
Reading with Dana
With cousin Lauren
Riding Bryce
Self feeding is coming along slowly!
"Wha's up!?"
Reading with Dana
With cousin Lauren
Riding Bryce
Self feeding is coming along slowly!
"Wha's up!?"
Monday, October 19, 2009
Relational Weekend
One of the biggest struggles for parents in guiding their family is to create an environment that fosters relationships. There are so many things that can take the place of personal bonding--most typically TV, movies, computers, video games, and sports. We can even do some of those things together with the idea that we're bonding and interacting, but they're often just a poor substitute for real personal interaction.
Friday set the tone for the next three days here. Keith returned from a last minute trip to Texas. It had been a rough three days here without him. I know that we are under the attack of Satan and need to guard against his arrows, but it was one of those weeks where I felt like Satan left me alone, but put a big target on my back and let others take the shots. I was ready to hibernate from humanity and hide away with my family!
Keith brought Aunt Susie back with him and I couldn't have gotten a bigger boost. They are my two biggest fans. All the praise and adoration and encouragement I could want comes from them. Good start to the weekend.
Lisa got a call Friday evening from Mary (our lived-with-us-for-two-years-so-she's-part-of-the-family adopted daughter) inviting her to spend the evening with her (she moved to her own place).
They ate and played and did girl things and Lisa came home SO HAPPY! It's hard to be sandwiched in between five boys at home. (Gotta love Mary's culinary pants!)
On Saturday, the boys all worked with Dad cutting, splitting, and stacking wood, loading and hauling rocks and gravel, and shoveling it into needed areas. It was hard work, but they enjoyed the effort (their words, not mine) and were happy around the supper table.
Susie and I were invited out for coffee with Dana, Coley and Anna Beth (take Susie for coffee and you have a friend for life). I don't really get jealous of the free time the girls have to get together for these outings, but it was really fun to be included with willing boys to watch Gabe for the morning! Later, Susie and I took Goodwill by storm and outfitted her for the winter.
Sunday afternoon Dana joined me in the kitchen (voluntarily) to prepare lunch and we all ate almost an hour after we'd planned because she and I kept getting caught up in conversation.
While we talked, the boys were doing this:
I could here cheering and the sound of a marble rolling, but couldn't have imagined what it was. They were bowling....with marbles.....down an alley lined with blocks. And for pins:
They flattened the bottoms of pieces of candy corn and stood them up. It was tough. After four frames Troy was leading with 17. Shane and Owen were tied with 1.
We sat around the lunch table talking while the uneaten food grew cold, no one in a hurry with no plans for the day. Keith told everyone, "I want you to find a quiet place and spend some time alone this afternoon. You can read, or pray, but spend time with God in quiet." Lisa excused herself and left the room. We were still sitting at the table talking when she returned and whispered to Keith, "I read a verse in the Bible. Can I go color with Aunt Susie now?" Keith decided that was sufficient quiet time for a seven-year-old!
Susie has loved having Lisa's company, and Lisa's loved having a girl to color and talk about princesses with. But, Susie was still delighted to call home and talk with her best friend Joan.
So, it felt like God removed the target for a few days. I was relaxed, and not feeling scrutinized. I was even feeling loved, and enjoyed seeing those around me connecting with each other. But, the final balm came Sunday evening when Keith jr. and Dana sang "I Will Lift My Eyes" at church. This song did two things for me.
First, it comforted me seeing my children sing it. Not because it puffed me up that they were singing, but because it reminded me of the greatest focus I need to have in raising my children--to see them living a life that lifts up Christ. It takes a toll on a mother to hear her family criticized and critiqued. I should be strong, and tough, and focused, and forgiving and, and, and....but sometimes it's hard, and it hurts. Seeing them sing helped comfort me in the knowledge that it's not about me.
Second, the song became a prayer of my heart. I felt a need to lift my eyes to the Maker, to lift them up from the hurts and barbs and from myself. And the realization that God had blessed me with a reprieve from the hurt and had nurtured and cared for my soul, even BEFORE I prayed for the lifting of my eyes to Him was proof again of His amazing care for me. I was awed by His love for my soul and the place of my heart. I didn't need to come to Him first, He came to me, and then drew me to Him.
It was the highest of relationships that was nurtured.
Friday set the tone for the next three days here. Keith returned from a last minute trip to Texas. It had been a rough three days here without him. I know that we are under the attack of Satan and need to guard against his arrows, but it was one of those weeks where I felt like Satan left me alone, but put a big target on my back and let others take the shots. I was ready to hibernate from humanity and hide away with my family!
Keith brought Aunt Susie back with him and I couldn't have gotten a bigger boost. They are my two biggest fans. All the praise and adoration and encouragement I could want comes from them. Good start to the weekend.
Lisa got a call Friday evening from Mary (our lived-with-us-for-two-years-so-she's-part-of-the-family adopted daughter) inviting her to spend the evening with her (she moved to her own place).
They ate and played and did girl things and Lisa came home SO HAPPY! It's hard to be sandwiched in between five boys at home. (Gotta love Mary's culinary pants!)On Saturday, the boys all worked with Dad cutting, splitting, and stacking wood, loading and hauling rocks and gravel, and shoveling it into needed areas. It was hard work, but they enjoyed the effort (their words, not mine) and were happy around the supper table.
Susie and I were invited out for coffee with Dana, Coley and Anna Beth (take Susie for coffee and you have a friend for life). I don't really get jealous of the free time the girls have to get together for these outings, but it was really fun to be included with willing boys to watch Gabe for the morning! Later, Susie and I took Goodwill by storm and outfitted her for the winter.
Sunday afternoon Dana joined me in the kitchen (voluntarily) to prepare lunch and we all ate almost an hour after we'd planned because she and I kept getting caught up in conversation.
While we talked, the boys were doing this:
I could here cheering and the sound of a marble rolling, but couldn't have imagined what it was. They were bowling....with marbles.....down an alley lined with blocks. And for pins:
They flattened the bottoms of pieces of candy corn and stood them up. It was tough. After four frames Troy was leading with 17. Shane and Owen were tied with 1.We sat around the lunch table talking while the uneaten food grew cold, no one in a hurry with no plans for the day. Keith told everyone, "I want you to find a quiet place and spend some time alone this afternoon. You can read, or pray, but spend time with God in quiet." Lisa excused herself and left the room. We were still sitting at the table talking when she returned and whispered to Keith, "I read a verse in the Bible. Can I go color with Aunt Susie now?" Keith decided that was sufficient quiet time for a seven-year-old!
Susie has loved having Lisa's company, and Lisa's loved having a girl to color and talk about princesses with. But, Susie was still delighted to call home and talk with her best friend Joan.
So, it felt like God removed the target for a few days. I was relaxed, and not feeling scrutinized. I was even feeling loved, and enjoyed seeing those around me connecting with each other. But, the final balm came Sunday evening when Keith jr. and Dana sang "I Will Lift My Eyes" at church. This song did two things for me.
First, it comforted me seeing my children sing it. Not because it puffed me up that they were singing, but because it reminded me of the greatest focus I need to have in raising my children--to see them living a life that lifts up Christ. It takes a toll on a mother to hear her family criticized and critiqued. I should be strong, and tough, and focused, and forgiving and, and, and....but sometimes it's hard, and it hurts. Seeing them sing helped comfort me in the knowledge that it's not about me.
Second, the song became a prayer of my heart. I felt a need to lift my eyes to the Maker, to lift them up from the hurts and barbs and from myself. And the realization that God had blessed me with a reprieve from the hurt and had nurtured and cared for my soul, even BEFORE I prayed for the lifting of my eyes to Him was proof again of His amazing care for me. I was awed by His love for my soul and the place of my heart. I didn't need to come to Him first, He came to me, and then drew me to Him.
It was the highest of relationships that was nurtured.
I WILL LIFT MY EYES
By Bebo Norman
God, my God, I cry out
Your beloved needs You now
God, be near calm my fear and take my doubt
Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in
I will lift my eyes to the Maker
of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You
God, my God, let mercy sing
her melody over me
and God, right here all I bring
is all of me
Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in
I will lift my eyes to the Maker
of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You
'Cause You are and You were and You will be forever
the Lover I need to save me
'Cause You fashioned the earth and You hold it together, God
so hold me now
I will lift my eyes to the Maker
of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You
God, my God, I cry out
Your beloved needs You now
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