Home Schooling is one of the most challenging things I have ever tried to accomplish. It is a test of daily patience and parenting skills as both need to be combined every minute ~ like walking a high tight-rope wire. I’m never quite sure if I should respond as the parent (mom) or as a teacher. It’s tough to balance, and every day seems to bring its own set of challenges as the moods of a daughter swing back and forth between wanting to be snuggled and wanting complete independence. My only chance of surviving this journey with some sense of dignity is to very humbly start each day asking the Almighty God to lead me and to guide me every step of the way. I’m so grateful for this incredibly challenging yet rewarding opportunity and privilege I have to develop this amazing relationship with our daughter.
Reply
Microwave Explosion
Stove-top splatter
1 yolk pretty much missing – exploded
Here is a funny story about Labor Day Sunday at our house. As I was getting ready for church, I heard some commotion happening in the kitchen. Daughter was exclaiming something about NOT eating those eggs that were being prepared in her dad’s jacket. I didn’t fully understand until later. My husband had decided to try an experiment after watching this youtube video: How to Scramble Eggs Inside Their Shell. I failed to take pictures of him actually scrambling the raw eggs in his jacket sleeve (which he may not have performed this correctly) and the appearance of the hard boiled eggs that had cracked in the boiling process. They looked quite hideous! However, later in the day I decided to try to eat one of these disgusting looking eggs. The whites were completely mushy and soggy. Eww! Ugh! But the yolks appeared normal. I test tasted one and it was good. So I proceeded to peel a couple more eggs to eat the yolks and disposed of the whites in the trash. I prefer to eat yolks slightly warm with a tad bit of butter and salt, so stuck them in the microwave to heat – for only 12 seconds!!!! When I opened the microwave door, the one yolk EXPLODED! I mean, it really exploded – all over the kitchen! Pieces of the yolk flew as far as 12 feet across the kitchen – almost hitting our daughter who was standing there. It was hilarious, but what a mess to clean up. If you try this experiment at home, do be cautious and aware of the mess you may need to clean. 🙂
OK, our daughter has been creating and hand-sewing projects for awhile, but I think this is the first one she has attempted doing it correctly. She used the sewing machine and sewed it inside out and then turning it right side out and sewing the hole closed after stuffing it. Not bad without too much direction from me. She used 2 different fabrics – one for each side.
I am so impressed with the summer activities offered at a local park. We heard about this through a friend, and it is a treasure worth finding. This park offers FREE swim, tennis, and golf lessons for kids ages 8-18 years for 7 weeks. The instructors have done an amazing job. We opted to participate in both the swim and the tennis lessons this year going 2 days each week. Some mornings at 10 am, the pool has been quite chilly. Brrr! After 7 tennis lessons, she will earn her own tennis racket. We are thankful for quality, fun and free opportunities.
Our daughter has had the privilege of participating in Bible Quizzing at our church this past year. They studied many details from the book of Acts as well as memorized 20 Bible verses. Then they met with quizzers from other churches in the area for 5 competitions. At this age, every child earns either gold, silver or bronze level based on their personal score. The final competition of the year took place in Indianapolis at the World Quiz. It was a fun experience for her to compete with over 1000 other quizzers at the same time in a room full of 4000+ people. We are so proud of her! She earned silver level at the World Quiz.
Do you ever feel it is difficult to remain focused in your home schooling efforts? It’s so easy to become side-tracked and lose sight of the original purpose and goals of why we started this home school journey. I need to remind myself to take some time periodically to review WHY we do what we do, and then remember to sift all other decisions through that filter. It’s OK to say NO to some great opportunities if they do not help to reach our goals. Take time to STAY ON TRACK !