Savoring the Season with Thanksgiving

Nostalgia has been floating around me the last few months. Maybe it was when my oldest turned ten years old that it hit me, or maybe it had slowly been creeping in for a while. What ever way it found me, it has hit me hard. As I have spent the last few months savoring my favorite season- fall, I have also been savoring the season of life that includes these children of mine. I was reminded of just how precious the time we have together is as I was planning school activities for the Month of November; as I thought of how the kids have changed in the 5 short years I have been homeschooling.

Just four short years ago the month of November included Thanksgiving activities like inviting  friends over to dress as pilgrims while we dressed as natives

     
and making shakers

and having a pie tasting to find out what was the favorite type- pumpkin, apple, cherry, or pecan- we then made a chart- aka math .I wish I had taken a picture....... I did get a picture  of the cookie making though:) well Lisa did.

and the feast- my girlfriend Lisa gets all the credit for making the decorations!  

and building a pilgrim village with Lincoln Logs

And of course making a wishbone rubbery using vinegar 

We also watched a virtual field trip/ tour of a pilgrim village and Wampanoag village.

Fast forward four  years and the activities have greatly changed! To start with I purchased the reproducible models packet from Teacher Express through Scholastic online of "The Pilgrims, The Mayflower, and More". Probably the best $11.00 I have ever spent.

http://teacherexpress.scholastic.com/easy-make-learn-projects-the-pilgrims-the-mayflower-more

If you haven't checked it out and you are a homeschooler or a school teacher, you should know that Scholastic has amazing products and Resources online including a Thanksgiving lesson plan and video/ field trips, printables, etc for K-12. I have used it since my oldest was in  Kindergarten.   Amazing!    

http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/



So some of the activities we worked on from the Packet I purchased.......... 

3D model of the Mayflower with fold down side panel so you can see the cargo and passengers on the Mayflower.

This was a cute project! We made this mayflower voyage map and then watched the voyage of the mayflower via scholastic online. The kids moved their paper mayflowers along the route as the video went along with information at different points.

This was a tri-fold of the old and new world so that the kids could compare where the Pilgrims had come from and what the land they were going to was like.

We learned about and compared the ways in which the natives and pilgrims gathered and hunted for food . This was a wrap around that fits a standard metal food can. The other side shows the pilgrims.

and compare and contrast paper villages. It also includes some basic information on plotting a line on a graph

Amazingly enough there are more activities that were included in the packet that we did not get to. I guess that means I have some things for next year already then.


So not part of the packet but another fun thing we did was a gratitude/ Thanksgiving tree. The leaves were purchased at Michael's for only $4.00

This is a beautiful book that we read and is filled with Christian virtues. The story of Priscilla Mullins.

and last but not least a fun craft just because. I went to the dollar store and purchased 3 glass plates, a packet of colored tissue paper, and a strand of fall leaves $5.00 total- we had glue. Flip the plates over and coat heavily with school glue. Then apply any decorations( leaves in our case) next glue on the tissue paper. Allow to dry thoroughly( up to 3 days in some cases) and then trim the edges.

And the result is homemade decorative plates for your wall. The plan is to let the kids make one for each season so the art changes throughout the year.

I can honestly say we have had a lot of fun this year and I have enjoyed watching the kids change but I can not help but miss their younger years a little. I hope that whatever season of life you are  in that you are able to see the beauty of what is in front of you. We are far from perfect but we are perfectly blessed.    
  

Welcome to D-club

Welcome to D-Club!

Q & A

Wait! What is this club? What do you mean? What do you do? What’s it about?

D- club is just like any other club, you get together, you talk.

No, but what’s it like?

Think of it like a train collectors club…..

Like a what?

Lets just say that once you get started you’ll just keep chugging along.

I don’t get it…..

Think math club, calculations, estimations, averages

I don’t think you have convinced me……..

It is sort of like a sports club, you know hoops and goals.

No I don’t know

Well it’s kinda like science club…

Really?

Ya, like you will learn all kinds of scientific words and how to do science stuff.

That sounds interesting. Tell me more

Some of it is kinda like a book club, there’s lots of reading and note taking.

O.K. so how often does this club meet?

Well you’ll participate every day but meetings are every 3 months and we have a really big get together every year.

So, what are the people like?

Well, there are all kinds, from all walks of life, we don’t discriminate and everyone is really supportive, and they will listen to your story, share theirs……..

Oh that’s good!

O.k. What else?

Well, there are dues.

So, how much are we talking about?

A lot……..

How much is a lot?

It depends…..

So if I decide I don’t want to be in the club anymore I can just quit and get my money back?

No, once you're in, you're in, no refunds.

But I won’t know what it’s like until I am in and then it will be too late.

Correct.

Well, I don’t think this is for me.

It’s too late….. You’ve already been signed up……

No I didn’t sign up for anything!

No, no one ever does…… 

Each year 15,000 children and 15, 000 adults and their families become members of  D- club.  

November is National Diabetes Awareness month and so in honor of my son (a Type 1 Diabetic) I am posting today.  

This is our story

Our family with the exception of my youngest had been suffering for about a week with a cold.  That Thanksgiving in 2009 was one where my little boy, age 3, ate nothing, drank excessively, and cried most the night. We assumed he was getting what ever this bug was for days but he never had any cold symptoms. I had grown weary and was growing concerned, he looked awful but nothing was happening and I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it but he seemed thinner- but he’s always been thin. So that morning I called the Dr.’s office to see if they were even open the day after Thanksgiving- thank God they were. 

My father in law who had been with us for the Holiday said he would drive me while the Hubs stayed with the girls- I think he was just as concerned as I was. When we got in I was relieved, we were at the Dr.’s office all would be well. The Doctor would say he had a cold and we would pick up an antibiotic or not and all would be well. We went in and they asked him for a urine sample- no problem, got it. We wait, I am sitting in the room for a few minutes and the nurse says they want to check him for strep even though she doesn’t think he has it. She sticks a large cotton swab down his throat and he doesn’t flinch. Now I am really worried. I hear talking, no strep, now they want a blood sample. Just a finger prick o.k. done- he doesn’t cry or make a sound. I hear them talking outside the door (Dr. and Nurse) and I know that’s not good but I can’t exactly make out what is being said. My son’s Dr. comes in. He looks a little nervous but the guy is funny and I wasn’t sure if he was just being goofy. He says I have bad news- I am still smiling at this point because I could not ever imagined what he was about to say to me. He is Diabetic. Gulp! I don’t say anything but hold up one finger in protest as to scold a child and tears flow. I say (o.k. plead) no, wait I gave him orange Juice right before we came in! He shakes his head at me. We need to go to the E.R. now.

I walk out to the waiting room like someone with shell shock and say to my father in law he is going to be o.k. ( I know now I was saying this to my self)and we need to go to the hospital- I explain in the car and call the hubs to get the kid s ready so we can all drive him in ( I do not recommend this but at the time I wasn’t thinking) we get home which is 3 minutes from the Dr.’s office and less than 5 minutes later we are on the way to the hospital.

When we arrive we are put in a lovely new kids ER with lots of great kid stuff – none of which my son enjoyed. We meet 50 million people- I stand there and answer questions and repeat the story of “what’s going on” to everybody and there brother. They ask me what his glucose level was at the Dr.’s. If they told me I don’t remember. They check him 723. They explain that they are going to start IV’s etc. I nod and just want him fixed (I see the irony of this now).They start 2 IV’s one in each arm and put him in boards to keep him from moving – he never cries and it is almost impossible to keep him awake. They talk to me about swelling of the brain and watching him for 24 hours and a gamut of things that that at the time don’t even seem like they are really happening to you or your child. At this point I am helpless- I just sit by his bed until they move us to the Pediatric ICU. Jason comes in and out of the room trying to balance his desire to be with us and checking on the girls who thankfully were with his dad in the waiting room. We try our best to explain what is happening to the girls and start making calls to family and close friends. The next few days are a blur. Diabetes education, sugar checks, charts with stickers and prizes, lots of crying- not only from my son but from Jason and I. Jason had arranged care for the girls with multiple relatives so he could go back and forth between the hospital and home. They decide to let us go home after 3 days but only after we each could show we know how to give insulin. The nurse hands me the syringe and insulin, no problem after all both Jason and I are RN’s. I decide to do the morning shot and Jason the afternoon. Jason holds our son for his am insulin- I can’t do it. I don’t remember who did because at this point I am crying and when it is all done I go sit on the bathroom floor feeling as though my guts were being ripped out through my stomach. Until then I thought it was just an expression. Jason gives the lunch time insulin with success and I do the dinner –now we go home.

We arrive and the girls have welcome home and get well cards. We have some dinner and put the kids to bed. I know that in the first few months we had calls and friends who brought gifts and family who did all they could to help in anyway they could,  although I don’t know if we even knew what we needed at the time. I read, we cried some more, we heal, we get a taste of what this really means for our family.

It will be 3 years this Thanksgiving since our sons diagnosis.

Which means in the last 3 years he has had somewhere in the neighborhood of 6000 shots and 9000 finger (and toe) pokes.  We are currently at a total of 15, 000 jabs at this point if you are keeping count- he is 6 years old…………

But the story does not stop there. Because in the midst of all of this, there is hope. Researchers around the world work for a cure.  There are medical advances and discoveries being made by leaps and bounds.

But more importantly because with God all things are possible!

So why did I share this? Was it to raise money for research? No.

Although that is a great and noble thing.

    I share this so that you can better understand the reality of what Type 1 diabetes is. Perhaps if you meet a family who has a type- 1 diabetic child, or you meet an adult with type -1 diabetes you will understand them a little better. I share this because if you do not already know someone with type 1 diabetes, you probably will. It may be your child, or that of a friend or relatives.

I share this so that I can share the symptoms of Type 1 diabetes and someone may receive the medical attention they need because you knew the signs.

·        Excessive thirst

·        Frequent urination( in a small child’s case wetting the bed after being potty trained)

·        Drowsiness

·        Fatigue

·        Weight loss

·        Increased appetite

·        Blurry vision

·        Shortness of breath

·        Fruity smelling breath

·        Nausea and vomiting

·        Stomach pain

(The first 7 are the tell tale signs)

These symptoms require immediate medical attention. When my son was diagnosed he was in DKA. Diabetic Ketoacidosis. He was in the Pediatric ICU for 2 days and on the Pediatric unit for one day following the ICU. It is a horrible thing when the hospital requires you to sign a waver that says you know the risks of treating Diabetic ketoacidosis- possible swelling of the brain, coma, and or death.

I share this in hopes that one less blue candle is lit in honor of a child’s life lost to Diabetes.

So because of all this, we blog and we walk the “Walk to Cure”.

Here are a few pictures from this years event

  

The Walk to Cure 2012- I can't believe he volunteered to go up on stage! 

It's finally over

Our team shirt

Left over containers from test strips and a few straws turned into a rocket- I don't know how he ever thought of that! 

Practicing checking blood sugar with RUFUS ( JDRF's official bear with diabetes)

Practice administering shots with RUFUS

A picture of him this last week when he finally learned to ride a 2 wheeler. I have a feeling this is what  it's going to look like when there is a cure.

If you are up for a challenge visit this site where you can see what it is like to be a Type 1 diabetic for a day. Are you brave enough?  

   

http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=117942 

Thank you for taking this ride with us, I know it has been a long one.

Romans 12:12  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer

Falling for fall!

I have decided that I need to move to a state that has "Florida Fall" weather all of the time. As a native Floridian spending all thirty something years of my life here I dislike being cold immensely! That means anything under 70 degrees for a girl like me. But bring on the temps in the mid 70's and I am in heaven! Everything is back in full swing. Morning walks - that do not leave you drenched in sweat, windows open, breezes blowing. Everything is better in fall mentally, physically, and spiritually. 


I get inspired to do things like bake bread

and meringues............ guilty pleasures 

And play hookie so we can do day trips to Sea World.  Do you think I can tie this in with the water unit we are working on  in school? hhhmmm... 

Enjoying the day.......

Admiring a few animals........

Catching a show .....

or two..........







Speak of school, the last two weeks we have been working on the Armor of God in Bible class.
Here are a few pics.

Breastplates of Righteousness......

Shoes of Peace



Some of the "extra's"for our water unit in Science included this cute book from "Clever Calvin"

And a craft where we colored sea salt with food coloring and applied it to the oceans on our maps 

And a craft that broke down the waters of the earth. 1% fresh, 2% Ice, and 97% salt. Dried black beans did the trick and it helps the kids understand just what those numbers really mean.  

Placemat of the water cycle. I found these online and printed them for free. They were a little small so I cut them out, attached them to colored paper and laminated them . If   you are interested: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycleplacemat.html

A rainbow of frozen water. Discussing states of matter: Solid, liquid, and gas. 

We used these to illustrate thermal energy and the concept of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

Of course I think the kids preferred the part when they used them as bombs on the cement, hurling them down,  and watching them explode. Sigh.........


We also used "The Magic School Bus Gets Wet All Over" 

If you head over to the site " Enchanted Learning" than you can also print out a skit  from "Readers Theater Script" for the kids to act out on the water cycle.  

Our school has another student one day a week. A picture of her being so responsible... Look mom! My baby sister. 

Another responsible student, just one with a stuffed monkey sitting on his head because that's how to make math fun. He may kill me when he is older for this picture. 



Fall brings many things; Cooler weather, changing colors, familiar comfort foods, garden harvest , and one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving. And although Thanksgiving is officially in November my heart began giving thanks for the many blessings in my life long before .      




Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. 1 Chronicles 29:13



  
                                                              

A decade passed

One Decade Passed...........



On October 3rd 2002 at 2:42 a.m.  I gave birth to my first child. A baby girl.........
I had no idea how she was going to change my life forever!

As sweet as she appears in this photo at 2 and a half months old, I promise you she was the grouchiest little girl EVER!  But my love for her was already fierce!

By 1 year old her true personality began to shine.... and out emerged the funniest little monkey EVER!
I love this picture because this is STILL who she is today!

At 2 years of age she was still just as spunky but a sweetness began to emerge ....

At 3 years old a rare shot....My girl as a princess and with a baby doll. 

4 years old and already the best big sister....... twice over

At 5 years old she was such a beautiful princess... and although that was the last year of dressing up and being that little girl, she still remains a princess in character and heart. 

No longer so little... At 6 years old she truly became a "Papa's girl"

I love this picture of her at 7 years old, I smile just looking at it. She is so full of life and joy.  

A picture she took of herself at the ripe old age of 8  

9 years old a "rocker" .... I see trouble to come 

10 years old......  Where did the time go? 

Over the last ten years my husband and  I have been privileged to raise this sweet girl. She is funny and spunky. Reserved and thoughtful. Artsy with a brain for science and math. She is kind and loving and loves the Lord  with all of her heart. She is crazy and wonderful and everything beautiful that I could ever want in a daughter. The first 10 years of her life I feel were spent showing her our world. I have this feeling that the next decade will be about teaching her to fly and see the world for herself..........

Behold,  children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward Psalm 127:3  

  

Jelly Nougat

Jelly Nougat...... old timer candy........ my favorite candy..... 

I know Forest Gump said " Life is like a box of chocolates" but I think he was wrong. I think life is more like a jelly nougat........ Creamy soft nougat...... chewy fruity bits. Some bits you prefer more than others but the overall consensus is that it is sweet . And so it is with life.

There are so many things that have happened in the past month that it is difficult to create a cohesive post. I have a feeling that it will be much like my favorite candy, a conglomerate of chewy little bits.

The red jellies are my favorite and so I believe I will start with my favorite thing to share.... our homeschooling adventure. And believe you me it is always an adventure.

The last few weeks we have been working on a unit covering soil    

I found a really wonderful website  full of short videos with printable packets for each video, games, and teachers guide. It also has links for kids to other great sites.

It is called Growing the Next Generation

http://www.growingthenextgeneration.com/

On one of the days that week we used the Discovery kids microscope we have to look at different soil samples and study the differences between them and then discussed what that meant in relation to their ability to hold water and their nutrient levels. If you have children who are young ( elementary level) I highly recommend the Discovery Kids microscope for one big reason. It comes with a cable so that you can hook it into you television and look at your samples on the t.v. This means that the samples are easily seen by multiple children at the same time. 

On another day we discussed how soil can be saved and harmed. To illustrate the idea of how plants save soil we did a little hands on activity that the kids really liked. I wish I had a picture .......

What I did was take pearled barley and poured about half of the bag into a tray. I then turned on the hair dryer-on high- OUTSIDE. The barley flew away. I then poured the other half of the barley into the tray and had the kids imagine that the barley was soil and their fingers the roots of plants. They each dug their hand in and held onto as much barley as they could. Again I turned on the hair dryer and they could see how their fingers/ plant roots kept the barley/soil from being blown away.  They had a good giggle with this. 

I also found two good videos which I strategically played while I was getting lunch ready but helped to reinforce what we were talking about. The "Magic School Bus  Meets the Rot Squad"  how to make rich soil   and "The Magic School Bus Rocks and Rolls" all about  water erosion. By the way if you check out Pinterest they have a pin with lesson plans for every Magic School Bus video there is.

Of note I have to share that my oldest daughter said I was just like Miss Frizzle from the Magic school bus............I was so thrilled- best compliment ever!

We have been up to other things here at our little homeschool. But they get taught by a different teacher......He teaches music and shop class mostly but he has been known to pitch in and lend a hand whenever needed in other subjects. 

Piano! My husband has had many years of piano lessons and is more than qualified to teach them....and honestly he is an awesome teacher! The keyboard can be attached to a computer program and you can get a pedal for it so that it simulates a piano and produces the same sound. The kids have already learned to play a few simple songs. He is trying to teach me- along with the kids but, I may be a lost cause . The kids can play with both hands.........I can not........

This is shop class. Our oldest is working on creating a design she worked on with my husband. She is making a set of game boards that can slide out and be played - checkers, chess, Chinese checkers, etc. Our youngest daughter just finished a barn she and my husband made for her horse figurines and my son and husband are working on a sword. 

Of course life would not be complete without gardening and I think many of you will love this site: The Edible Schoolyard Project. Talk about amazing !  Resources, tools, lesson plans, videos! Every time I read their newsletter I am inspired! 

  http://edibleschoolyard.org/ 

You may also like: Classroom Victory Garden

http://www.classroomvictorygarden.org

My free Victory Garden Poster is already in the mail! 

Oh and I can not forget to mention the Book It Program. Some of you may remember this program from school but the wonderful thing is that it is available to homeschoolers as well.  Pizza Hut will send you the free start up packet. The basic idea is that you and your children set up a reading goal. When they meet it they earn a ticket/coupon that entitles them to up to 1 free personal pan pizza a month. What I love even more about this program is that if you go on the website you can set up an account and under teacher tools their is an online reading tracker that you can set up and customize! The kids read, go to the site, select their name, and drag a button with the number of minutes they read to their name and as your kids progress a small tree begins to grow. My kids are thrilled with this.

   http://bookitprogram.com

O.K. so the red jelly nougat  part was huge but the orange and yellow are shorter...promise...

So The Orange jelly nougat is my second favorite and so we move to gardening. I have learned a lot this season. Like how the pickle worm overwinters in Florida-not good. They ate all 5 of the baby pumpkins I was hoping to have  on my table this fall. Since they are pretty much un-killable- at least organically, I ended up ripping out the pumpkin plants. I planted a later crop last week and because Florida is so warm I think they will be just fine- and we will just have to eat the pumpkins when they are ready.  On a happier note the butternut squash is doing great and so are the loofah's and red beans.

This is a loofah,  also known as Chinese Okra but very similar in look to a cucumber.

 So this is a picture of my newest little experiment. Fall peanuts. I think it may work. I learned that when the peanut blossoms is self pollinates, the petals of the flower fall off, and the remaining stem turns downward into the soil and becomes a peanut . So each flower produces one peanut with the average plant producing 25 peanuts. I was so excited about this info that I just had to call all the kids outside and show them this and explain how a peanut grows. They were absolutely as un-thrilled as is humanly possible. I got a "huh" and then they ran off to play. I guess it's just me who finds that fascinating! 

O.k. jelly nougat number three.....the yellow jelly......... 

O.k. this is really not fair because by no means is what I am going to talk about third but it is a little bit of randomness so .......

 One of the neatest books for girls age 7+

 Every plate is a work of art with this kid. I call him "baby  Joe Bastianich" You foodies will know what I mean .

This thing is one of the best toys ever! The Cranium Fort kit. It is a fort kit but it has directions so that you can make it into a hot air balloon, helicopter, car, or anything you can think of. Hours of enjoyment!

My kids imagination never ceases to amaze me. As I was mopping the kitchen floor they decided they would use the dining room bench as a plank. My little guy is Captain Hook and my sweet girl is Wendy.

Another scene from their Peter Pan play: Wendy telling her little brother a bedtime story...poor dog had to be Nana.

A late afternoon shower that ended with a beautiful rainbow.....

I know everyones life is different and I know that life is hard........mine included, even if that is not what I choose to discuss in my blog......but this blog has made me realize just how sweet life really is if we focus on the positive. And for that I am so thankful. Your life is a jelly nougat...........enjoy it!