Our Passover Unit Study

I decided last Friday to do a unit study to prepare for Resurrection Sunday. I surfed the internet and found a study by Karen Caroe on Passover. We have done other studies she wrote and this one was just as good as the others. :-)

I spent Friday afternoon preparing - printing out coloring pages, deciding how much to do each day, etc. Sunday evening, I was flipping through the TV channels looking for something for the dc to watch to keep them quiet while we made dinner and found a movie on the Hallmark Channel called "In the Beginning". When we turned it on, they were showing Joseph being harassed by his brothers for being his father's favorite. We got to see how the Israelites got to Egypt and then all about Moses.

Monday, we did a quick history review from Creation to Joseph, showing how they came to be Egypt. Then we learned about how Moses mother saved him from death and he became an adopted son of the Princess. We looked up Egypt on the map and colored maps showing Egypt and Israel. Then we learned about how God called Moses to lead His People out of Egypt.

Tuesday, we studied the first nine plagues. Having seen them on the TV movie helped the children remember them. Then we read the Biblical account and discussed how it differed. After that, we learned some about Jewish culture, including learning to dance the Hora! We also learned some Yiddish phrases that are used in American today.

Wednesday, we read Exodus 12 and learned about the Passover. We also discussed the Hebrew Calendar and compared it to our calendar. The older ones worked on memorizing the months of the year and the younger ones on the days of the week. Sarah reviewed "30 days hath September."

Today, we will discuss how Passover is celebrated today. We had a Seder a few years ago, so some of them remember it. We will discuss the Hebrew terms for the various foods served. We will also discuss how leaven compares to sin. Tonight, we will go to our church's Agape Feast to celebrate Maundy Thursday. I am hoping they have Matzoh for the communion bread, as that's what Jesus would have used since He was celebrating Passover that evening.

Friday, we will discuss the symbolism of how Jesus is our Paschal Lamb and it is His Blood that saves us from death.

The Feingold Program

Even before my oldest son was born, he was a handful. We called him Pele, after the famous Brazilian soccer player of the 70's because he "kicked" me so much. After he was born, he remained a very active child. He slept and ate well, but during play times, he was always trying to get into mischief.

By the time he was three years old, I told everyone I was looking for a military pre-school boarding school. As I prepared to homeschool S***, I knew that T*** would be a problem. How would I keep him quiet while I schooled S***? And how would I ever school T*** when I didn't even want to be around him?

The problem was he had no impulse control. He couldn't stop himself from disobeying. No matter how harsh the punishment he had just received, he would do the same thing again.

Around the time I started school for S***, I started to participate on some homeschool message boards. Some of the other mothers mentioned the Feingold Program. It seems their children had shown symptoms of ADHD. Rather than put them on medications, they joined the Feingold Association. By using the Feingold Program, they had given their child the self-control they lacked. So I looked into the Program.

Basically, it boils down to this: many foods contain petroleum (crude oil). Some people are extremely sensitive to petroleum. Eating it makes them lose self-control. Eliminating it from their diet and enviroment gives them back their self-control. Some people are also sensitive to foods high in naturally occuring salicylates and need to avoid or limit these as well.

One of the major benefits of joining the Feingold Association is the Shopping Guide. It lists foods that the Feingold Associations volunteers have researched and found to be petroleum-free. Armed with my Shopping Guide, I can go to the grocery store and buy foods that are safe for my family to eat.

What foods have petroleum in them? Most artificial colors, artificial flavors, and the preservatives BHA, BHT, and TBHQ. The preservatives can bee hidden in ingredients of ingredients. For instance, you may be able to find a loaf of bread at your grocery store that does not list preservatives as an ingredient. However, they may spray a pan spray on the pan to keep the loaf from sticking. This pan spray may be preserved with a petroleum based preservative. This will leech into the food and is enough to cause a bad reaction in some people. So even reading labels is not enough.

To find out more about the Feingold Program or to join the Association, go to http://www.feingold.org

Field Trips

Somedays I feel like we could spend a year doing just field trips and still have plenty of places I would want to go. Yes, my ideal field trip is to the beach. There is so much to study there - ocean animals, seaside biomes, lighthouses, tides, etc. But there is more to life than just the beach (so they tell me).

In planning our trip to NJ, I am planning "lay-overs" to visit family outside Baltimore and Washington, DC. The possibilities for field trips at these two locales seem endless. How do I pick just 2 or 3 things to see in each city? Afterall, we are supposed to be there to visit family - which is another thing I love to do. (Any talk of a family reunion at a beach would be A-okay with me!!)

Then I picked up something about the Appalachain Mountains at a NC Welcome Center. Turns out to be Geotourism MapGuide put together by National Geographic. It lists hundreds of places of interest along the mountains. Battle sites, places to ride steam engine trains, art centers, farms, caverns - the list goes on.

Tomorrow, we are going to the Discovery Place Museum in Charlotte. So today, I am getting ready. I have made extra sandwich rolls to bring with us so we can picnic for lunch. I have made PB Oatmeal cookies for us to snack on. I have washed our field trip outfits (red polo shirts, jeans, yellow sweatshirts - you can't miss us of you try). I have ironed demin dresses and white headcoverings for Sarah and me. It's 2:30pm and I'm ready to go to bed.

I think the idea of taking a year just for field trips is intriging. I think the best way to do it is in an RV. Oh, and bringing a maid would help too! LOL

Homeschool Curriculum

For the first few years of homeschooling, I used the Five in a Row curriculum. It worked well for us. However, my older children are too old for basic FIAR and I don't want to be doing 2 unit studies every day. So I am trying to find something new.

I believe the Lord is leading me to Heart of Wisdom Unit Studies. However, I tend to be impulsive, so I am trying to research this a bit before I buy. Of course, they are having a sale ending March 15th, so I am trying to research quickly. So here is what I have found so far:

Pros:

• Bible-centered curriculum (This alone should get it ++++!)
• Unit Study that can be adapted for multiple ages
• Well reviewed by the reviews I read.

Cons:

• May need more prep than I am used to. I like to prep, but don't always remember to prioritize it.
• May be expensive, but then again we have our tax refund. I don't want to waste it on something we won't use, but will happily invest it in my children's education and spiritual grounding.
• No one on the Homeschool message boards I frequent seems familiar with it. (I did find a review by "Mary Arnold". I have e-mailed the Mary Arnold I know from the FIAR Boards to see if this is her.)

So I pray, consult my husband, and continue to research this.

BTW, I put a picture of my family on my profile page. We are not happy about the composition of the picture - we look like we are about to fall out of the left side of the picture. Also, John should be in back to minimize his, well, you know. And I should have put belts on the boys. But they still are cute, aren't they?

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Trip Planning

I love to plan trips! Of course, I only really enjoy them if I get to go on them. Otherwise, what was the point?

Our next trip is to NJ, Lord willing. We are hoping to go in June - warm enough to not need heat a t night, but not so hot we melt. The motivation for the trip is my father wished to be interred in the garden where my brother is interred. My brother will be taking care of that. Hopefully our trips will coordinate, but his schedule is hard to plan around. So, I have pick some dates and am planning on them until further notice.

I am planning for us to leave June 10th. The first day, we hope to drive to Ellicott City, MD. John's sister just moved to that area. We hope to camp at Patapsco Valleey State Park. We will visit with the cousins and go to church with them. SIL's dh has recently started pastoring a church there - it will great to hear him preach again. We might go to Baltimore while we are there, possibly to the Aquarium.

On Tuesday, we will drive to Glen Gardner, NJ. We hope to camp at Voorhees State Park. We have friends to visit in the area and also hope to visit NYC and the Jersey Shore. On Sunday, we will go to the church John attended growing up - Covenant Chapel. After church we plan to drive to Fairfax Station, VA and visit with John's brother and family, maybe do DC, before driving home on the 20th.

Because of my family's food sensitivities, I will need to plan all our food in advance and bring much of it with us. This should keep me busy for a few days!

I'll try to post more as our plans become more concrete.

My father

My father died 12/21/05. He had been sick and we knew the end was near. Still, I was very sad when my brother called to tell me he had died in his sleep. I had always wanted to have one more chance to see him and tell him Iloved him, as I had done just the saturday before his death.

My mother decided to wait a month for the memorial service, to avoid ruining anyone's holiday. The memorial will be this Saturday. My mother and brother met with the pastor last week to discuss the service. The pastor asked that I e-mail him and thoughts I had to help him with the service. Here is what I wrote:

Dear Pastor,

My brother Greg told me you would like me to e-mail you the things I am grateful to my father for. I hope the following will help you in preparing for Saturday’s Memorial Service.

I am grateful to my father for instilling in me a love of the English Language. I was taught to use precisely and to enjoy its nuances. I was also taught an appreciation for the humor it contained, mostly in the form of very bad puns.

I am grateful to my father for giving me a love of music. God has used music to give me joy, solace, comfort, and strength. My father also gave me the courage to use my gift of singing to bless others.

Mostly, I am grateful to my father for the years of wonderful memories I have of him. I was blessed to know him not just as a father, but as a friend and traveling companion. I will miss his joy at singing along to a good song. I will miss his laugh at hearing a good joke. I will miss his smile and I will miss his hugs.

In closing, I would like to share with you two of my father’s favorite quotes. In speaking of jokes, my father would often tell us, "If you have to explain them, they’re no good!" And the advice I wish I would always remember, "Make sure brain is in gear, before mouth is in motion."

Thank you for the source of comfort and strength you have been to my family during this hard time.

Just a quick note

I have two little blond haired boys sitting by me. One has darker blond hair in unkempt curls. He is quiet now, having just woken up from a nap. He has made a "bed" by my feet with his Maya (blanket), Pony, Baby (doll), and DDY (stuffed dog). He is wearing his new hat from grandmother, knitted with red yarn and with a bell on top.

The other is cranky and loud, having not napped or even eaten his lunch (dreaded potatoes!). His white blond hair has darker undertones. He lies on the couch asking if he can get up yet with his new red hat beside him. It has a silver button on the top.

Blue eyes stare up at me. Some are peaceful, some are red-rimmed. Both fill my heart with love and joy. Two sets of red lips - one making the sucking motion of a tired toddler, one trembling and pouting.

Button noses, chubby cheeks, curly-Q ears, peaches and cream skin. "Children are a blessing of the Lord" Ain't that the truth!

My first post

I have created this blog in hopes that by putting my life out there in cyber-space, I will be more accountable. I am hoping to use you, my viewing audience, to motivate me to do the things I hope to do - have devotions, lose weight, teach school, and be a better Mommy and "Beautiful Bride".

So far today, I have done one thing well. I went shopping at Bargains. 2 carts of groceries for $86. Not bad. The groceries are mostly put away. I'm avoiding the cabinet that has ants in it until dh gets that taken care of.

The dc are now watching Croc Hunter Movie while the youngest naps. I guess their school today is learning about animals in Australia.

More soon.