Living, Loving, Learning by His Grace

Lyrics | Animaniacs – Wakko’s America lyrics

He is the First and Last,
The Beginning and the End!

We had a very productive day today, in my estimation anyway.  I know book learning does not constitute productivity all the time but I’m just as pleased as punch.  I switched some things around. My paper plan has bible study first but since dd was not ready at the same time as ds I started with ds8 b/c he had eaten breakfast, stomach was full and satisfied and he was at his peak attention and energy level…..so I felt it wisdom to go with that   And it all worked out so well!!

Today about 10am I started with ds8 on math and oral reading.  He did very well in both.  I spent a relaxed 35 min. on both those subjects combined.  He asked for more math drill so I gave him more math facts and then I had to stop him so we could go on to reading.  We use his bible storybook and his reading primer and after he read the first story he said he wanted to read another one so he did.  He did wonderful in his reading.  Just a few months ago  was so worried about his attention span and his reading that I considered getting him tested as ADD or some kind of processing disorder.  But I’m learning to work with his personality and with his “natural flow”.  He is a daytime person.  Dd10 is a nightowl…she gets up later than he does and if they do get up together her mind takes longer to get to the “awake and alert” stage.

Then I worked out with dh for about 30 minutes with weights(we worked chest and tricep muscles…yesterday was shoulders and biceps).  All while I was working out kiddos had started on their chores(by me telling them, yes).

After my workout I sat with dd10 and worked on Mccall Crabbs Reading Comprehension.  She did 3 exercises today.  I did not time her.  I let her take as much time as she needed to understand the passage and understand the questions and we talked about why certain selections were the BEST answer.  Drawing inferences seems to trip her up so I’m wondering if I should get a workbook on that to target that area.  We also worked on math(Singapore) on m/km conversions.  She did very well.  I don’t know how long both of those subjects took.  I think at least an hour+.  We took a lunch break around 1:45pm and after lunch I cooked dinner(spaghetti and salad).  I was bushed after that so I had to lay down and rest.  Kiddos finished up chores to music and played.

After about 1 hour rest I was able to reassemble everyone(myself really)  for bible/history study.   Their memory verse is Exodus 20:4.  I am sooooo pleased ds8 is reading as well as he is b/c now I can have them read together and he can keep up…Hallelujah!!!!! Thank you Jesus!!!!!!!!!!!.  He read his bible and she read hers.  I had them read it TOGETHER, out loud, about 5 times then I had them quote it from memory and they remembered it.  Tomorrow they will have copywork of the verse and illustrate the verse in a way that they can remember what verse their picture is referring to.  We then read about God’s call on Abram and how Abram left his family to follow God.  We then recited the books of the bible from Genesis to Proverbs.  Tomorrow is bible drills where I call out a book (from Gen-Prov) and scripture reference and the first child to find it in their bible gets to read it.  Even though ds8 is slower in this he gets such a charge out of the competition.  There have been times, though, where he has gotten discouraged last year so I had to change it around a bit and not have them race.  I would call a child’s name and have them find the verse and then read it.  I then assigned dd  her extra bible reading(before bedtime reading) of Job 32-35.

It was so hot inside everyone seemed to be wiped out(including me) so we took another break.  Dh came home for dinner and went back to work.  I got up about 7:30pm and  I washed dd’s hair and while she sat under the conditioning cap for 20-30 minutes I read the next chapter in Chronicles of Narnia THE HORSE AND HIS BOY to the children.  That is our current literature study.  We work on vocabulary and comprehension from this resource….A CHRISTIAN TEACHER’S GUIDE THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA by Christin Ditchfield.  I also want to introduce the elements of a classic while we are reading this book.  I’m going to use the methodology in Noah Plan Lit Guide and also in 4R Press Products.

So we got accomplished all the book learning that I had put into our new schedule and it got done with me being stressed, irritated, snappy and upset.  We’ll do this for Wed and Thurs.  Fri will be a light day.

Even though I try to establish and learning lifestyle where life becomes the curriculum and not just books, I still get much satisfaction when all the items on my list can be “checked off”.  I tried not to overburden our daily schedule.  It was touchy, off and on kind of day.  We were solid until after bible study.  After that I was so completely exhausted.   I was soooooo tired while I was cooking dinner I didn’t think we’d be able to have our read aloud literature time.  Many times last year I would not take the time to lie down and rest.   I would just push myself and I pushed to exhaustion and irritability.  Bedtime was not a pleasant time around here at one time   but Praise God I can say that God gave me the strength.  I felt renewed after the second break we had and I was able to get dd’s hair all done and all lessons done with energy to write up this blog post.

Isaiah 40:31

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.