April Fools!

I did not tell JD that today was April Fools day. He fools around enough during our school days. The Isuzu is still in the shop. I’m hoping for a speedy recovery.

The devotion today was about two highly excited angels. They were watching the scene where the Israelites were at the Red Sea. The water had just crushed down on the Egyptians. God talked with the two angels and wondered why God was sad. God’s response, “The work of my hands in sunk in the sea.” God loves all of His creations and he makes it crystal clear that he wants his children to display that same kind of love, even to the mean and hateful people we come into contact with. It’s not always easy, but it’s right.

In the AWANA book today JD learned that he was baptized by the Holy Spirit at the exact moment he accepted Christ. He also memorized two backup verses for this fact to back up challange 7:2.

The math lesson today was classifying triangles. JD had to identify obtuse, right, and acute triangles. He was all over this since he knows those angles so well. The we learned about similar triangle (one small, one bigger) and congruent triangles (the same size) He scored a 90% on the quiz.

For language arts I typed up the Ireland and Scotland questions and answers just the way JD wrote his answers. I showed JD all the errors (tactfully, of course) and had him edit the paper. He corrected most spelling errors and other items I marked, but not completely. I instructed him to physically highlight all the corrections on the paper I provided, but he didn’t understand and missed many errors. I re-edited it and he completed all the corrections. He did a GREAT JOB!

We did not do science again today. I guess I’m waiting to get a dirt “pH” tester to test our soil before planting seeds. I really need to figure out another science lesson until then.

We also did not do a social studies lesson today either. It’s been THAT kind of week.

The Isuzu is finally back. Don’t ask me what was wrong with it but it’s a miracle that it came back today. I spoke with the mechanic about it earlier in the day and he said the part we needed wouldn’t be here until Monday. (WHAT? Is this some kind of April Fools joke?  'Cuz I'm not laughing.) Anyway the part is installed and I can now take it to get it inspected AGAIN and finally get the tags updated.

We got the truck back just in time to race off to baseball practice.  The team is really shaping up and JD loves it so far.  I think that's because his dad is out there helping him.

I placed a call to both JD's nutritionist as well as his endocrinologist to see if they could answer my questions.  I'm curious what came out of the blood work.  And I'm curious about calorie counts being too low. 

A busy and good day

I’m catching up on my blogs from 29 Mar - 6 Apr. So again I’m unsure of the “kind” of day we had.  I do know that the Isuzu had to go to the vehicle doctor today to find out what's wrong with it. (This ought to be fun.)  I had to drop it off and walk home.  Now we play the waiting game...   

The devotion today was about choices. First it described choices based on our tastes (chocolate or vanilla). Then it had choices based on opinions (greatest baseball player). The last choice was based on right and wrong (like is lying right or wrong). Some things are absolute truths - that means they are true for all people, all places, all times. God has already revealed to us what is absolutely right and wrong.

In the AWANA book today for challange 6:6, JD read three different bible stories to learn about Peter and the lame man, the priest, temple guard, and Sadducees being upset with Peter and John for talking about Jesus, and a husband and wife named Ananias and Sapphira lying about money and dying right there on the spot.

The math lesson today was all about lines. It was a repeat from last year so JD did well. He relearned about parallel lines, perpendicular lines, intersection lines, and skew lines. He breezed right through the lesson and onto the quiz. He scored a 90% on the quiz.

JD did T4L for language arts today. He learned about synonyms. I did not write down what words he learned so I’m sorry I can’t share that with you. (I’m really slipping with this record keeping.

We did not do Science today. (Shame on me…)

For social studies today we went back to www.sheppardsoftware.com and played the map game again. This time we focused on the regions of Europe. There are six and JD was able to tell me that they were: Nordic, Western, Southern, Central, Southeastern, and Eastern. Then, we explored what countries fit into those six regions. All of the counties on that website are said in one voice except one and it cracks us up. So every time we hit the button we say, “Montenegro” like she does. We also crack up when it comes to Macedonia - Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) because they say it really fast. But we’ll never forget where those two are located on the map.

JD and I walked/scooted to my client's house and back while the Isuzu is in the repair shop.  JD read for one hour today while I cleaned my client’s house. The reason is I asked him to read yesterday for at least thirty minutes and he didn’t find time. (I know all about that.) He still reading The Collected Stories of Louis L'Amour, The Frontier Stories.

I called the repair shop at around 2:00 pm today and they hadn't even gotten the truck in yet.  They said, "It's on the rotation for tomorrow."  My very tactful response was, "Well that would have been noice to know earlier.  Then I could have made other plans."  Oh well, walking in the cold rain shouldn't stunt my growth or anything, right?

Car tags due

I counted today as a school day even though we only did one "school" related thing.  The rest of the day were "life" lessons.  JD and I read the devotion and we started reading the AWANA book, but JD just moped around tired.  He complained that the babies kept him awake last night.  I really didn't want a fight on my hands so we showered, packed a lunch, and headed out.  JD and I ran all around Spring Lake and Fayetteville today doing errands galore. 

I got a later start on errands than I wanted to but I managed to run to Big Lots, the Dollar Store, and Wal-mart looking for some items.  After that I went to get my hair cut.  I apparently fried it somehow while in  Europe.  Maybe the converter fried the flat iron, I don't know but my hair feels like a pile of hay.  I didn't get a "short" haircut but I did get alot of bulk cut off. 

Next task...trying to get both the Ford and the Isuzu inspected and tagged.  After about one hour of sitting in the waiting area I received the official score...my Ford passed the North Carolina inspection.  Yippie!  They apologized for the long wait but they had a call into DMV because of some typo on my registration form. 

Now I need to drive to Fayetteville to pick up the Isuzu. It was nice to visit with Jeff for a few minutes.  On the way back into Spring Lake we stopped at an Army recruiters office and asked for posters for JD's room.  They loaded JD up with posters, pens, water bottles, bags, etc.  He was one happy future officer.  

Then, we stopped to help two ladies push thier Ford Expedition off the road.  Turns out the fuel guage stopped working like my Ford did.  I ran and got them gas and pulled into the Jiffy Lube at 4:00 pm. 

I waited in the Jiffy Lube waiting room for 40 minutes for them to tell me the Isuzu did not pass the North Carolina inspection.  It has some kind of emissions leak.  The reason for the delay then was one machine ran out of inspection stickers.  (Um, ok.)  So, I'll take the Isuzu in tomorrow to get it checked out and fixed.  Jeff's tags expire Friday! (Nothing like waiting until the last day...)

Our baseball practice was cancelled for today.  It rained all morning on and off and it's cold.  Hopefully we'll be able to attend practice on Friday.

A productive day

Me and my blooging routine lately

I’m catching up on my blogs (29 Mar - 6 Apr) so my memory is foggy as to the “kind” of day we had and if there was anything special that happened today.) Add to that I am extremely busy doing this and that, so that’s why I’m so far behind. Add to that we have baseball practice twice a week now. (Wednesdays and Fridays)

Our devotion today was about a child who had God standing before him. God said he could have whatever he wanted. The child asked to be rich. Fifty years later they meet again and there is some discussion about riches. God said, “Remember when I gave you the commandment to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God? And remember when I told you to follow justice and do for others what you would like for them to do for you?” Then he said, “That saved you $27,410 you would have paid for a therapist to try to overcome your guilt of treating people unfairly and of cheating them. That doesn‘t even count the money saved not buying sleeping pills and antacids.” (I, Cheryl, love how God answers our prayers.)

Today in the AWANA book JD completed challenge 6:5. First he had to find a pattern or example and print it out or draw it. He chose a bird house plan. This emphasized the need for a good pattern. Then he learned that he needs to use Jesus is his example. He memorized two bible verses to back this fact up.

The math lesson today was about angles. We learned killer terms like: complementary angles (2 angles who measure 90* together), supplementary angles (2 angles who measure 180*), adjacent angles, vertical angles, alternate interior angles, alternate exterior angles, and corresponding angles. (Really? When will I need to know this? Shopping, no…dog sitting…no) JD took the quiz and got 4 out of 5 correct.

Today in language arts I had JD finish answering those questions about Scotland and Ireland. He did well, and his hand writing was better than the other day. There are capitalized letters in the middle of words, misspelled words, and missing punctuation. This is the perfect opportunity to edit his paper.

Did not do science today

For social studies today we went to www.sheppardsoftware.com and played a map game on the countries in Europe. He’s getting pretty good at identifying all the countries.

JD started reading a short story out of The Collected Stories of Louis L'Amour, The Frontier Stories. I’m not sure which story he read or where he’s at in the book. I suspect he jumping around a bit.

A so-so day

Today we got started with school at around lunchtime because I was researching all about calories, foods, and exercises. We had an impromptu health lesson once I found out how many calories JD burns just living, sleeping, and breathing. I cracked up when JD said he should sleep more because he burns 454 calories. I corrected him and said, “In 8 hours you burn 454 calories. But look at the elliptical trainer for 30 minutes…348 calories gone!” Did you know a person can burn 2 calories brushing their teeth, 22 calories showering for 5 minutes, and 194 calories by sitting around? (You’re welcome…)

Today’s devotion was about fairness.  A young girl was overcharging a couple to babysit and therefore lost her babysitting job with them.  God’s command to act justly toward each other can protect us from dishonor and disappointment, and provide us honor and fulfillment.  

We didn’t get much done during the AWANA book lesson. We were working on challenge 6:5 where JD was suppose to identify three people in his life who he looks up to as an example. His response, “I don‘t have any.” He was mad at me for fussing at him earlier. I asked him again and he said, “No, I don‘t have any examples to follow.” It felt like a slap in the face to me.

The language arts lesson was on the fly. I got attitude from JD when I fussed at him during the AWANA lesson. We were “on a rabbit trail” during that specific time. He was laughing when it was inappropriate. I was trying to explain to him about his calorie count and new healthy lifestyle. I didn’t want to yell at him so I sent him to his room and typed up a document for him to rewrite. At the bottom of the rewrite portion I left JD a lengthy note that said (paraphrased) “Both of us would do anything for you. You are very privileged to live in a Christian home. Sacrifices are made in this house for your benefit. Everyone closely surrounding you are wonderful examples to follow. We all want the best for you.” I called him out of his room once I cooled down. JD apologized to me after he wrote the seven sentences and read the note.

The math lesson today was a spin off of Thursday’s lesson. Today the lesson covered interior angle sums for polygons (objects other than triangles.) It gave us a formula to use of : 108* (n-2). What!? For a square: 180* x (4-2), 4-2 = 2 so 180* x 2 + 360*. Easy peezy. JD was having a tough time understanding why we minus two every time. I had no explanation. In the end, I know he fully understood the lesson because he scored a 90% on the quiz.

The last task of the day was reading for thirty minutes.  JD started reading The Collected Stories of Louis L'Amour The Frontier Stories