A New Princess

My cousin Dan and his lovely wife Ngoc have a new baby girl!

Francy Kai Shimooka
Born: Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Time: 11:44pm
Weight: 6 lbs. 3 oz.
Length: 20 inches

Pardon me while I oooh and aaah over her baby pictures!


Moments after her grand entrance.


Hello, Mama. I've been waiting to meet you!


What a beauty!

Elizabeth giggled, "Hey!" and pointed to her beanie. All of our kids wore an indentical hospital beanie. I have pictures to prove it! :-)


Safely home, swaddled in pink (of course)!

Welcome to our family, Francy! We couldn't be more thrilled by your arrival!

"Every child born into the world is a new thought of God, an ever fresh and radiant possibility." ~Kate Douglas Wiggin.

Now....the BIG question. If she is the daughter of my cousin, what does that make me? A second cousin? First cousin once removed? Or can I simply call myself "Auntie Linda"?

"For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13

The Love of God

If you ever spot me on the freeway belting out a song, this is probably what I'm singing.

The Love of God ~ by MercyMe

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell
The guilty pair bowed down with care
God gave His Son to win
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin

Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky

Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!

O love of God
How rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints' and angels' song!

That last crescendo gets me every time.

What song do you belt out when no one's looking?

"To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my defense, my God of mercy." Psalm 59:17

A Profitable Saturday

Challenge: Get the kids to discard their old toys and books with enthusiasm.

Solution: Announce we're having a Garage Sale!

It's been a fruitful week of decluttering and the many ensuing conversations about handling money, entreprenuership and stewardship principles.

The kids woke up bright and bushy-tailed and wolfed down their breakfasts. Alan drove around the neighborhood to put up signs, but came home with a sheepish grin saying that he had locked himself out of the car six blocks away. He grabbed his spare set of keys and rode Jonathan's scooter back to his car.

Meanwhile, the kids alternated between helping me cart boxes out to our driveway and excitedly scoping out the street for the first car to pull up. Alan returned home safely and carried out the heavy stuff.

While I manned the used clothes, books and toys area, the kids were fired up about their Lemonade and Fruitios stand. "Here comes a car!" Money couldn't have bought their ear-to-ear grins when they sold their first cup!


Open for Business!

How interesting it was to overhear the different sales styles of each child!

The Passive Close--also known as "If We Build It, They Will Come."
Jonathan: "Let's not say anything. They'll see our sign."

The Direct Close--also known as "How Can They Resist This Offer?"
Elizabeth: "Hi! Would you like to buy some lemonade?"

The Assumptive Close-- also known as "Of Course You Want This!"
Daniel: (putting the Fruitios in the man's hand) "Here, this is twenty five cents!"

By the time the sun began to blaze overhead, it was time to close shop.

Marketing 101 was a success. They learned that sometimes you have to wait patiently before a customer shows up. They learned that different sales styles work with different customers. They also learned that earning a dollar takes work and effort. And they learned that working toward a goal can be fun.

Elizabeth: "Mom, can we go to a restaurant for lunch?"

Jonathan: "Elizabeth, if we do that we'll spend all our profits!"

"In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty." Proverbs 14:23

A Smokin' Hot Science Experiment

What do three kids + a magnifying glass + chocolate chips = ?

A smokin' hot science experiment!

The summer sun was a-blazing today, perfect for the experiment from our Apologia Astronomy chapter on the sun.

Did you know that over a million earths can fit into the sun? Neither did we until we read this and many more amazing facts about that great ball of fire.

We took a few chocolate chips on a plate outside. Using a magnifying glass, we tried aiming different sizes of sunbeams onto the chips. Each kid had a turn melting the chips. Then it was my turn.

I adjusted the glass so the light beam was as small as I could make it, about the size of a marker tip. I focused it onto the chocolate chip victim and soon it started to burn. First it turned black. Then it started smoking. At that point, all the kids started screaming in excitement. Finally, the chocolate chip was on fire! Jonathan burst out, "Whoa, that is cool, Mom!!" Elizabeth and Daniel hollered in unison, "Do another! Do another!"


Chocolate inferno coming right up!

Pyromaniacs, do not try this without parental supervision.

After all that hullabaloo, we decided it was time to exchange the hot sun for air conditioning and a chocolate chip break. Ahhhh, science can be sweet!

"The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun." Psalm 74:16

Ciao, Italy!

I've been remiss in posting our Galloping the Globe travel journals. Hopefully, fellow globetrotters will accept lazy summer days as a good excuse.

Italy proved to be an incredible stop on our itinerary. There were many places to visit, people to meet and (gluten-free) pastas to sample!

With marinara splattered faces, the kids listened with rapt attention to Papa Picollo, the story of a Venetian cat who adopts kittens and teaches them how to survive in the city of mysterious waterways. I tried my best to read aloud with an Italian accent. Thankfully, the kids didn't realize how odd I sounded. ;-)

We traveled back in time to the Renaissance period and applauded the sacrificial gift of the Clown of God. I would have ended it with a commentary if it were not for the lump in my throat.

Look What Came From Italy amazed us with facts about the origins of Italian creations.


Look what came from Italy--pretzels!

We couldn't visit Italy and ignore her influence on the arts. Our favorite biographies were the Mike Venezia profiles of Michelangelo, Da Vinci and Giotto. We found ourselves in the Louvre staring intently at the Mona Lisa. Jonathan tried moving to the right, then to the left. He confirmed that her eyes seemed to follow him everywhere! She must have been a Mom.


Gelato break!

After enjoying some fruity gelato (aka smoothies), it was time to listen to Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery, a fictional story about the composer from the Classical Kids Collection. It motivated us to listen to other fine works by this musical genius.

Later in our journey we lifted our eyes to the heavens as we read Along Came Galileo, a fascinating biography of Italian astronomer Galileo and his contributions to science. It was the perfect launch for our Apologia Astronomy course. We are enjoying it so far and look forward to conducting many experiments in the spirit of Galileo.

Up next: France!

"Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage." Psalm 84:5

Ch-ch-ch CHEA!

I sold two boxes of curriculum! I could have sold more if I had left them another day, but I wasn't attending on Sunday and didn't want to drive back. I bought about 1-1/2 boxes of new stuff, so the net net is minus half a box.

Announcing the first ever Soli Deo Gloria CHEA Convention awards!

(Disclaimer: Since there were over 100+ workshops, and I could only attend a handful, these are highly subjective. I didn't make it to every booth at the exhibitor hall, either. Gasp!)

Best Comedy:
"Unlocking Your Dynamic Memory" workshop. Rocky Glenn gave us the three keys to memorization--imagination, association and location. He kept us in stitches as he demonstrated how we could memorize the first 9 U.S. Presidents. For example, for eighth President Van Buren, we had to picture a van about to drop a bureau on his head (van-bureau, get it?) and a friendly octopus (eight legs) rescuing him. It's three days later, and I still remember 7 out of the 9. (For retention, he reminded us to review, review, review!)

Best Picture:
"Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" workshop. Carolyn Lebo, who was trained by Dr. Betty Edwards, walked us through drawing exercises and gave us helpful tips on teaching our children how to draw. She said that those who had a hard time with drawing (like me) needed the exercises the most because we were probably too left-brained. She had us draw a picture by Matisse upside down. Mine turned out terrible compared to the original, but it may be the best picture I've ever done which is why I badly need to get the book!

My Best Shot

Best Workshops I Didn't Attend:
The Little Bear Wheeler workshops, which I heard were fabulous. They were scheduled for the same times as others I wanted to attend. Not to fret, as I was able to bring home some of his CDs. I'm excited about The Complete Pilgrim Adventure and the Mary of Plymouth series, which we will listen to when we start Truthquest American History.

Most Inspirational Workshop:
"Godly Goals for our Children." Robin Gammie reminded us to focus on changing our children's hearts and not just their outward behavior. Other golden nuggets from Robin: What God calls you to do may not be the most popular thing among other moms. Do it anyway. Be careful not to set up your kids to fall. Take time out to pray. Don't forget the power of praise. Our children have the education of royalty--customized tutoring!

Best Snack Between Workshops:
Almonds and Dried Cherries.

Most Charming Kids' Magazines:
Boys' Quest, Hopscotch for Girls and Fun for Kidz. I had never seen these before and couldn't wait to show Jonathan the Boys' Quest magazine, which was full of stories, building projects, math puzzles, science experiments and more. He loved it and asked if he could subscribe to it. Who says learning can't be fun?

Best Finds at the Used Curriculum Sale:
Math-U-See; Colonial Days by David C. King; Three Cousins Detective Club boxed set.

Most Drool-Worthy Vendor Booth:
Atelier Art--I checked all the art curriculum booths but this is the one that kept calling to me. I visited it three times and talked with the artist/developer at length. It had everything I was looking for and more--clear lesson plans for fun projects, DVDs explaining art concepts and art appreciation. Alan gave me the green light, so we will be adding it to next year's plans. This will be right up Elizabeth's alley, but I think the boys will also enjoy it.

Heaviest Additions to My Rolling Suitcase:
Rod & Staff hardback storybooks.

Fun-nest Vendor Booth:
The Hero Dads booth carried neat-o toys (errr...learning resources) and gadgets (errr...educational tools) galore! Their motto: "We want to encourage you to grow confident as a non-boring Dad so you can gain the key to your sons' and daughters' hearts, and point them in the right direction...toward the Lord." I brought home some Dad toys for Alan. He was especially excited about the X-Zylo Ultra --"Hey, I had one of these when I was a kid!"

Most Inspiring Artwork:
Johannah Bluedorn's gorgeous watercolor illustrations in the children's books carried by Trivium Pursuit.

Coolest Writing Coach:
Andrew Pudewa of The Institute of Excellence in Writing spent some time encouraging me about teaching writing to boys. He said that they need to build up their stamina and suggested that they be given just a little to write (say, one sentence) several times a day instead of one long session. He even gave me two seminar CDs to take home. Generous guy, that Andrew. I ended up getting the new Poetry Memorization program.

And the most important award!

Best Supporting Spouse:
My husband, Alan, who planned a fun day with the kiddos and kept them well fed, happy and alive while I was gone! More importantly, he works hards so that I can stay home with the kids, and he constantly encourages us in our homeschooling endeavors. Thank you, honey!

"All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children." Isaiah 54:13

Convention Intervention

Blogging has taken a backseat this week to pricing books. Tomorrow is the start of our annual homeschool convention, and I'm bringing four boxes of books to the used curriculum sale. The bookshelves are crying, "Out with the old! In with the new!"

I look forward to the CHEA convention every year. There is something synergystic about being amongst thousands of other homeschoolers. The workshops are instructive and inspiring. The networking is a sounce of encouragement. And the curriculum marketplace is a teacher's heaven (or otherwise, depending on your personality type).

The kids love to pounce on me after I return to see all the books and fun projects I've brought home. That's the highlight of the convention for me--returning home.

Here is what I have planned for the coming year, subject to change after the convention.

Bible:
The Child's Story Bible by Vos
Memorizing Scripture
Catechism
Learning Hymns

Academics:
Spell to Write and Read
Math U See
Truthquest American History
Apologia Elementary Astronomy
Character building studies

Life Skills:
Keeping a home
Handling money
Organizational skills
Social skills
Memory skills

Enrichment:
Field trips
Classical music
I Can Do All Things Art
Poetry
Five in a Row
Japanese
Gymnastics
LOTS of play time

Still considering:
Institute for Excellence in Writing
Piano lessons (Jonathan)
Art lessons (Elizabeth)

It may look like a heavy load, but it's not. We rotate subjects throughout the weeks. And because we do school year-round, we are able to take many breaks.

If you see me at the convention trudging along with my rolling suitcase and notepad, be sure to wave hello!

Fourth of July Celebrations

On Independence Day, our family celebrated two birthdays.

Our lovable mutt turned eight years old.


Happy Birthday, Shadow! Enjoy your doggie cake!

We also celebrated our grand nation's birthday.

Let's sing, everyone! "Oh, say can you see......"


Our two patriotic girls.


Stars and stripes are cool.

We packed dinner and went to watch our city's spectacular fireworks display. What a show! There's something about fireworks that makes me feel like a kid again.

God bless America!

Overheard

Daniel: Mommy doesn't like me. She scolded me.

Elizabeth: No, Daniel! Mama LOOOOOVES you! She is just trying to teach you right from wrong.

"For whom the Lord loves He chastens..." Hebrews 12:6a