Joy in the Journey
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  • Welcome!
    • Quote Page
  • The Blog
    • Joshua >
      • Josh's Words of Wisdom
      • Josh's Reading Log
    • Claire >
      • Claire's Adventures
      • Claire's Reading Log
    • Andrew >
      • Andrew's Fun Times
      • Andrew's Reading Log
    • Peter >
      • Culinary Creations
      • Nature Studies
  • What's Cookin'?
    • The Recipes
    • Reading About Health and Nutrition
  • Homeschool Helps
    • Homeschooling Blogs
    • Great Educational Online Games
    • Homeschool Books
    • Curriculums We Use >
      • Curriculum Plan 2012-13
      • Art
      • Science
      • Social Studies >
        • History
        • Geography
      • Math
      • Language Arts
      • Health & Nutrition
      • Music
Joy in the Journey

A World without walls

everyday life while homeschooling overseas

Happy Heart

9/15/2014

1 Comment

 
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Once a week, I have Claire doing a special class for Peter.  We call it 'babysitting time'.  She is completely in charge of Peter for about 1 1/2 hours.  She's not allowed to ask for assistance, ideas, or help while she is with him.  She can ask for it beforehand, of course, but I try to encourage her to learn how to think outside the box and come up with her own ideas.  I'm still in the house the whole time, so if something disastrous happens, I'm right there, but the idea is for her to begin to take charge and become a good babysitter.  It has become their MOST favorite thing!  When I tell Peter it's babysitting time, his eyes light up and he says, "I'll go find Claire!"  She is really blossoming, as well!  She has done a GREAT job thinking up ideas and activities!  They play kindergarten games together (like Story Cubes, Tell Tale, Letter Bingo, UNO, Millebornes...), make snacks together (like lemonade and fruit salad), and generally have a fantastic time!  Claire actually has not yet asked me what she should do.  They come up with their fun together.  She pays total attention to him the entire time.  He LOVES it!  It's a win-win!

The other day, Claire's big idea was to have a tea party.  They spent almost an hour carefully chopping up fruit.  They made tea.  They put their favorite stuffed animals in 'chairs' (cups, colanders, large mixing bowls, etc.), then sat down and had a High Tea!  It was SO cute!  These are the things that do my heart good.  Such a wonderful experience for my kiddos!  How I love them! :)

1 Comment

WeDo!!

9/15/2014

0 Comments

 
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No, I didn't misspell that.  WeDo is Lego Robotics for the younger set.  I got this so the littles could do some robotics and programming just like their big brother, and they have LOVED it!  Even Claire has jumped on the band-wagon and made some pretty sweet robots! :)

0 Comments

Tasty Ad

9/9/2014

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Mmmm...Now doesn't THAT look appetizing?  :/ 

I don't think the word 'carcass' should be on a grocery ad. 

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Snap Circuits 101

9/3/2014

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Andrew aced his first Snap Circuits test written by Josh.  SOOOOO cute to see this big brother pass his knowledge on to his little brother!  Does my heart good! :)
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Now that we have electricity well in-hand, we'll focus on spelling... :D
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DNA and Wednesdays

9/3/2014

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We've been learning about cells and DNA these first 2 weeks of science.  The kids are so cool--they've now built their own edible cells, know all the parts of the cell, built DNA models, AND they know what DNA stands for!  They keep saying it over and over as they're building things or writing things: "Deoxyribonucleic Acid"  Proud mom, right here!

Did you know that Wednesday comes from the Nordic god Woden?  It used to be Wodensday.  That's why there's a 'd' in the spelling.  Just thought I'd throw that out there.  I thought it was pretty cool.

Wednesdays have to be my new favorite day of the week.  Our days are BUSY BUSY BUSY, as most people around me know.  It's only going to get busier, but that's ok.  We do really well with full schedules.  However, Wednesday is the best. 

On Wednesday early afternoon, I get to go to scripture class with some very lovely ladies where I'm always uplifted!  I love this class!  It is my weekly highlight!!!

The other thing I love about Wednesday is the afternoon classes I have scheduled for my kids.  Josh is an electronics/engineering/robotics fanatic.  Andrew looks up to his brother in all things.  I don't have the first clue how to do any of that stuff, but Andrew needs/wants a working knowledge.  Solution?  Josh is teaching Andrew a class on electronics!  I got a student/teacher manual to go with all the snap circuits we have, and Josh is taking his role as teacher, and Andrew as student, very seriously!  They're having a marvelous time!  Josh gave Andrew his first test today, and Andrew aced it!  I love it! 

While Josh is teaching Andrew, I had to think up something for Claire and Peter to do.  So, I'm having Claire do 'babysitting 101'. :)  She has to come up with ideas of activities/games/crafts, etc., for Peter and herself to enjoy for 1 hour WITHOUT my help or assistance whatsoever!  Peter gets his Kindergarten play time (they've been playing kindergarten math games all afternoon), and Claire is learning how to be more of an independent thinker, which she REALLY needs.  It's a win-win situation! 

Soon, we'll be off to music classes, where Josh is taking violin, Claire is taking flute, and I'm teaching saxophone (of all the things to teach...)!  After music, Josh is going to his very first Boy Scouts meeting, and the kids and I will hang out here and have art with grandma over Skype.  Then, around 10pm, I'll pass out. 

Then, at 5:30am, my alarm will ring and I'll do it all again.  It may sound exhausting, but you know what?  I LOVE IT!!!  I'm SUPER excited to get out of bed every day!  I feel fulfilled and joyful when I see the strides these kiddos are making!  It's not always perfect and full of flowers and rainbows and butterflies, but I'm more than willing to take those cloudy/stormy days along with the ones full of sunshine.

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    Who Am I?

    As a Stay At Home Mom of 4 wonderful children, I have the amazing opportunity not only to home school them, but to do so in many different places!  I am married to the most amazingly wonderful (and handsome) man in the whole world!  Together, we seek out, every day, that Joy in the Journey that makes life exciting!

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    My Favorites


    Daisypath Anniversary Years Ticker
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    A great group for third culture kids!
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    I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!!
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    I contribute to a nutritional therapy blog called Nutritional Therapy and Health.
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    I love to exercise and to run! I've run in a 6K, a 10K and even a half marathon!
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    I play the clarinet. I love music!

    Emily's books

    The Da Vinci Code
    4 of 5 stars
    The Da Vinci Code
    by Dan Brown
    I like that the plot twists and turns a lot...and it makes you think. However, I don't appreciate Dan Brown's endings in his books. I find the endings incongruent with the rest of his stories--why make it a romance for the last chapter...
    Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
    5 of 5 stars
    Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
    by J.K. Rowling
    The Goose Girl
    5 of 5 stars
    The Goose Girl
    by Shannon Hale
    I loved this book. I'm a sucker for fairy tales/fantasy. This was so well written! I can't wait to read all the rest of her books!
    Princess Academy
    5 of 5 stars
    Princess Academy
    by Shannon Hale
    Austenland
    4 of 5 stars
    Austenland
    by Shannon Hale
    I'm reading this one again. I liked it the first time I read it. I'm still liking it for the second time around. I like all of Shannon Hales' books. **Still lots of fun the second time around! I do like this book for a comfortable...

    goodreads.com
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