A good day

The devotion was about reputations. It listed fictional and factual names and characteristics like barbaric, brave, artistic. Then it asked, “If your name were on this list, what sort of reputation would your friends, family, and other identify with you?” JD listed: brave artistic, smart, athletic, and strong. The more important question was will they say you are merciful and kind. He answered, “Yes.”

The math lesson finally helped JD and I understand cylinders. The lesson was about finding the right formula for volume. We learned about rectangle (multiply the three sides), cube (multiply the three sides), and cylinder (too complicated to type) volumes. JD scored 5 out of 5 correct on the quiz.

I had JD sign onto T4l for the language arts lesson. He’s still in the comprehension lesson and will be for awhile. Today he did an interactive lesson on Themes and Main Ideas on fictional stories and passages. There was not a quiz today.

We went to Brain Pop for science today to learn about natural disasters. JD learned about tornados, hurricanes, thunderstorms, winter storms, tsunamis, and wildfires. All of these are relevant and possible in our part of the country. The lesson emphasized being ready for a storm, having a plan, and a safety kit. He only scored a 70% on the test.

We stayed in Brain Pop for the social studies lesson as well. Today JD relearned the continents of the world. JD learned that not everyone agrees on the number of continents. However, most people believe there are seven. The continent with no permanent residents is…Antarctica. Australia is unique because it is the only continent with only one country on it.

We had our Pirate pictures taken today. I should have them back within two weeks.

Monday, May 2, 2011

It was a short lesson day after a refreshing spring break vacation. We only accomplished three lessons today.

The devotion was about a man talking like he was blurred out on TV. He was speaking under the conditions of anonymity. He “borrowed” money from his boss and was a very rich man now. He was caught and promised to pay back all the money. The boss decided the employee was forgiven and did not need to pay back the money. In the reception area of the building this guys see a man that owes him $2000. He asks for the money and the guys say I need a little time. The now free from debt guy refuses his offer and demands his money. The big boss gets word of this and calls the million dollar “borrower” back into his office. The devotion ends with the million dollar “borrower” behind bars in an orange jump suit. The boss originally cut him a break, but when he did not give mercy to the other guy…justice was served. It’s sometimes hard to forgive someone when the offense seems hard, but look at all that Jesus has forgiven of us. If I tallied all my sins for just one day…

In math today we finished the quiz from the lesson on 21 Apr. It was about finding surfaces of objects. It only had five questions and JD scored a 100%. Then we moved onto wrapping those objects with wrapping paper. This lesson was extremely frustrating to me keeping all those formulas straight in our heads. And it showed on the lesson. Together we only scored a 64%. I had JD print two of the formulas so we could look at them during the quiz. I was extremely scared to take the quiz and it took a LONG time. We scored an 80% on the quiz.

I had JD continue with the T4L language arts comprehension lessons. We took two quizzes on the main idea and supporting details on two non-fiction stories. He scored a 93% on the first quiz and an 80% on the second quiz.

We had another baseball game tonight. JD played catcher tonight and he was the only player that got on base with a hit. Unfortunately, they lost this game. Their record is two losses, one win.

Spring Break week

Sunday, May 1, 2011, at 10:39 PM - Justice has been served

I finally have closure in the breaking news that Osama Bin Laden is dead. Because of him I spent 5 ½ months in a tent between Oman and Qatar in 2002-2003. All of you remember this is when Jeff suffered his series of heart attacks and I was sent back to the desert as my own replacement. In 2004-2005 I was deployed to another tent in Iraq for 41 days. And finally in 2007 I deployed to another tent in Iraq for 4 months. All those growing up memories missed with JD, missed Christmas’, birthdays, and wasted time…I finally have closure. I have a book of pictures filled with family pictures. I carried with me during each deployment. It was call “The Reason Why I Am Here.” That was my reminder that I was away from my family to protect them on the terrorist turf and not my own back yard. Am I overjoyed that died, no. Am I happy justice was served, yes.

Monday - Friday, April 25-29, 2011

Spring Break

JD had a wonderfully relaxing Spring Break with included sleeping in, watching TV, and playing in his pool. He’s getting pretty tan already.

I on the other hand worked my butt off. (Oh I could only hope…but my back was killing me the whole week.) I borrowed my neighbors pressure washer and cleaned the entire back deck, back of the house, sidewalk, and two thirds of the driveway. (That took two full days.) I also put one coat of stain on the deck. (Another full day.) We’ve lived here since February 2002, and we’ve never treated, stained, or varnished that deck. It really could use another coat of stain, but I’ll see if I can get away with just one coat for this year. I still need to varnish it though.

I also shovel tilled our garden plot again this year. (I figured I could use the exercise.) I also shopped around and located plants for our small vegetable garden. Last year I planted seeds and I was not happy about the growth.

I also planted more flowers in my flower garden and the boys dug huge holes for our three fruit trees. I accidentally bought two apple trees instead of one apple and one peach tree. Jeff also bought a plum tree. Fruit trees have a short lifespan in our yard. Between cars running over them, boys trampling them, and the knight in shining armor killing them with a sword…I’ll be amazed if these life two years. In years past we’ve tried growing them in the front of the house. This year we planted them close to the woods.

So besides a baseball practice my week was jam packed with work, work, work. I’m looking forward to school starting back up again. (Ugh!)

Monday, April 25, 2011

Pirates vs. the Yankees

We won our baseball game tonight because the Yankees had to forfeit. They didn’t have enough players. We had a scrimmage against them and technically they still won.

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Friday - Sunday, April 22-24, 2011

An Easter visit

Grammy and PaPaw arrived Friday for an Easter visit. And we loved having them. Unfortunately, they didn’t get to see any of JD’s baseball practice on Friday, 22 April. Spring Lake cancelled all practices because of Good Friday. But we had a wonderful day on Saturday. We all watched the kids on their Easter egg hunts. JD’s age group was separated from Suri’s and Isabella’s age group. Suri wasn’t really interested in the eggs until she realized there was candy in them. Oh those Hyder sweet tooth’s. Reuben showed up at church too so we got a family picture in the prayer garden.

Grammy and Papaw joined us for our Easter Sunday service and after lunch they were on their way back to Tennessee.

Museum of Natural Science

We had a field trip today.  We went to the Museum of Natural Science.  We saw the Grossology exhibit. On the way we were listening to classical music making up stories as they sang.  It was very entertaining.  I had to stop it once I got closer to Raleigh because it's difficult to navigate to the museum.  Last time we went we got "misplaced." 

Ever wonder why dogs sniff each other’s rear ends, why cows need four stomachs to digest their food or why cats spit up hair balls? We had our chance to find out! Animal Grossology, took us on an adventure that was unique and scientific.  We saw nature’s slime-making, vomit-munching and dookie-loving creatures.

The grossology exhibit was adapted from the best-selling Grossology children’s book series by author and science teacher Sylvia Branze.  It was oozing with disgusting science and entertaining hands-on learning games such as Blood Sucker Blow-Up.  We saw what happens when ticks and mosquitoes have too much to drink, and Chew Chew Express, a detailed look at the various steps of digestion in cows, one of the gassiest animals on Earth. We also learned how leeches are sometimes used after surgeries to assist in the healing process and why scientists are studying the slime produced by slugs and snails for clues in treating cystic fibrosis. Safety tips were dispersed throughout the exhibit, such as what to do if a jellyfish stings you and how to protect your food at the next family picnic. By the way, do you know what honey really is? How do you feel about bee barf on your biscuit?

The exhibit featured five thematic areas:

Blood Slurpers – Blood is very nutritious (high in protein) and many animals slurp blood for their meals. Sometimes, blood slurpers transmit infectious diseases. This exhibit helped identify those that can be a health hazard while providing information that may keep you safe from Lyme Disease, West Nile Virus and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

Dookie Lovers – Dookie comes in all shapes, sizes and textures, providing scientists with useful answers to many animal mysteries. We learned how some animals depend on poo for survival, and how others, such as the Scarab Beetle, prevent the spread of disease produced from rotting piles of dung.

Slime Makers – Slime is essential to some animals, serving important functions such as facilitating motion, aiding in digestion and acting as a defense mechanism. We explored a plethora of strange underwater creatures and their unique characteristics and we voted for the “King of Slime.”

Vomit Munchers – What has four stomachs, four legs and produces 200 liters of saliva daily? Ruminants, which also produce methane gas, making them belch and toot a lot. Some animals have to barf to eat, while others have to spew after they eat. We discovered how regurgitation is crucial for some animals’ survival.

Other Gross Stuff – We discovered some not-so-familiar animals, including one that lives in an intestine (a 60 foot tape worm.) We explored how animals use common scents for recognition, attraction and defense.

We missed you lots today Grammy.  The butterfly garden just wasn't the same without you. 

A good day

It was another good day for JD and I. I guess because we didn’t do all of our lessons again.

The devotion was about a slave named Androcles. He was hiding in the woods and stumbled onto a cave. He was sleeping in the cave when he was awaken by a roaring lion. The lion was hurt and Androcles went over and pulled out a thorn from the lion’s paw. The lion went out and found food for Androcles day after day until the Roman soldiers found him hiding. His punishment? He would be forced to fight a wild animal in the coliseum. The gate was opened and out came a huge lion. It was the lion Androcles helped. They rolled around in the dirt. Once the crowd heard the slaves story both Androcles and the lion were set free. Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

Today’s math lesson was all about finding the surface area of faces, bases, and curved surfaces. The lesson unfolded objects to make it easier on us. (Yeah right!) There’s a formula for each one. And of course they are all different. First we found the surface area of a rectangle. Then, we figured out a cube and finally a cylinder. I don’t know why we didn’t complete the quiz today other than it was a frustrating lesson. I’m glad this lesson is over and I hope we don’t see it on the assessment.

I had JD sign onto T4L to continue with comprehension. Today he learned to compare and contrast stories through an interactive guided study. He did not do a quiz on this.

I also cleaned my clients house today along with my own because my mother-in-law is visiting this weekend. 

A very busy day

It was a very busy, busy day today. We had almost a full class load and I did many other things during and after school.

The devotion was about the Sesame Street song which one of these is not like the other and then we had to choose which one. The last question said, “Which one of these is not like the other, and listed Mercy, Kindness, Compassion, and Unforgivingness.” Many people fail to show mercy by refusing to forgive each other. Peter, one of Jesus’ disciple once asked how many times he needed to forgive someone and Jesus answered seven times seventy. The Rabbis of that day said three. This shows us Christians that we should never stop showing mercy to others.

In math today we learned about similar pyramids. It was not a terribly hard lesson. (Thank goodness.) There were two triangles next to each other with different size sides but similar. It was JD’s job to find the missing value by cross multiplying, dividing, and reducing. The hardest part of the lesson was moving the object in my mind in order to get them side by side with the corresponding angles. The quiz only had five questions and he got 4 out of five correct.

I combined language arts with the AWANA book today. JD completed challenge 8:7 which was to either talk for five minutes or write a full page on what he needs to know about God. It had to include the verses in the book (Matthew 28:18 and Philippians 2:9-10) as well as two other verses. We looked together and found Romans 13:1-2 and Joshua 1:8. I helped him type it up until the end where he had to write how knowing God affects his life

How he knows God helps him in his life:

1.) I need to read the bible more because god tells me to.

2.) I need to obey my parents more because god tells me to.

3.) I need to help others because god tells me to.

4.) I need to be my brothers keeper because god tells me to.

5.) I need to love everyone I meet because god tells me to.

JD has completed book three in AWANAs and will earn another award. He’s well on his way to earning the Citation award and scholarship money for college.

We did not do social studies today.

In science we learned about water. The lesson taught us about molecules again. They also told us about positive and negatively charged molecules. Did you know water is a universal solvent. I never thought of it like that but it’s true. They taught JD the freezing points of fresh water verse sea water. And JD learned about “hard” water minerals.

I had JD read his Louis L’Amour book for thirty minutes.

We put up our pool today.  It's getting hot earlier and earlier these day and a nice refreshing dip in the pool feels good.  I also built a mailbox flower spot and moved some of my flowers to it.  I cleaned my flower garden of weeds too.  The last task of the day...a baseball game.  Unfortunately, the Pirates lost this game. 

Whew I'm tired!

A much better FULL day

Thank goodness today was a MUCH better day. This enabled us to complete a FULL class load today. I think we’re both anxious for spring break.

The devotion was about the movie Hook. The one where Peter Pan is played by Robin Williams. Peter Pan had the motive and means to kill Captain Hook but didn’t. Peter Pan showed mercy. God values mercy. Both Nehemiah and Deuteronomy describe God as a merciful God.

I had JD finish challenge 8:6 for AWANAs and language arts today. He wrote six more reasons 1.) why he knows the bible is true 2.) things he knows about God, things he knows about Jesus, and things he knows about the Holy Spirit. And it looks nicely printed and spaced. He’s definitely getting better with writing.

In math today JD learned all about circumference and area on those pesky circles again. Ugh! The lesson reviewed the terms circumference, radius, and Pi (3.14). It taught JD to calculate the circumference by multiply the diameter. If the diameter was unknown it taught him to multiply the radius. Then, it taught him how to find the area for the circles. These formulas are making me dizzy.

I had JD go to http://www.yourchildlearns.com/europe_map.htm for social studies today. It was another interactive site to help him remember where each country in Europe is.

In science today we went to Brain Pop and learned about groundwater. JD learned about the system of porous soil and rocks, permeable or porous rocks, impermeable rocks, the zones of saturation, geysers, and hot springs. JD scored a 90% on the quiz.

I had JD continue reading the Louis L’Amour book.

A frustrating day

It was a frustrating day because I didn’t learn anything at JD doctor appointment, math was frustrating, and the AWANA and language arts took so long when it could have been written sooner.

JD had an endocrinology appointment today at 11:00am. The endocrinologist appointment was a briefing about the blood work that they drew 25 March. We did not see the same doctor this time. We saw an older lady that asking all the same questions I’ve answered three times already. Things like diet, exercise, and when this weight issue started. That’s our military medical system for you. The blood work came back with everything within normal limits. And thankfully they’ve ruled out Cushing’s syndrome. He has lost 3 pounds and grown 1 cm since his last appointment.

We got a terribly late start with home school today because of the appointment, so we had a short school day. The devotion today was about Mother Teresa who was nick named the “The Saint of the Gutters.” The devotion was loaded with all the merciful things she did and the mercy she displayed. I could list them all but I don’t have that kind of time. God made it clear long ago that mercy is right. Zechariah 7:9 says…“show mercy and kindness to one another.”

I combined the AWANA book lesson with the language arts lesson. In order to complete challenge 8:6 JD had to write eight reasons 1.) why he knows the bible is true 2.) things he knows about God, things he knows about Jesus, and things he knows about the Holy Spirit. He wrote two sentences for each topic today because he misunderstood my instructions.

The math lesson today was about estimating and calculating the area of polygons. In order to find the area of triangles and trapezoids we had to utilize the specific formula. Then we had to estimate the area of objects using a grid when the object was in net form or unfolded. We counted the full squares and partially filled squared divided by two in order to find the area. Then we relearned perimeters. And the last thing we did was find the area of a square inside of a circle or a triangle inside of a rectangle. See this is my problem with this type of math. At least teach things we’ll use daily.

We did not do social studies or science today.

I did have him read for thirty minutes though. He told me he completed “The 6th shot gun” in the Louis L‘Amour book. Yeah one down, many more to come.