Friday Favorites : Thomas Jefferson & Breaking the Rules

The question this week is where to begin?

#1 -- The favorite book I'm reading right now is The Real Thomas Jefferson by Andrew M. Allison.  I'm learning so much about Jefferson that I'm seriously considering a series of posts on him.  Stay tuned!

#2 -- Okay - so, high on my list this week is the day out with my amazing husband to see The Avengers.  On an IMAX screen and in 3D.  And just the two of us.  (No kidlets!)

And two words that capped off the day:  Rally's fries.  Yum!


#3 -- Our homeschool co-op has started a weekly park day, so the kids and I got to visit with our friends Wednesday.

I cannot stress the incredible importance of support when you undertake to educate your children.  I know - there are some families that don't want or need outside support, but I am definitely not one of them.  I schooled for a long time without connecting with other homeschoolers, and I know, that for us, meeting occasionally with like-minded moms and kids is vital.

I'm so thankful to be able to meet with them through the summer!

#4 -- Last night, I did a bad thing.  *grin*  I crashed line dance class.  (Don't tell on me, ok?)

I wasn't sure how much I'd be dancing, given that I'm at 26 weeks and definitely feeling very pregnant.  But it was great.  And a bonus?  I can still walk today!  I'm really hoping to get back into attending (like, officially) this fall after the baby is born. 

Also - the class exposed a strange pregnancy conundrum.  Apparently, I can, in the same week, be (relatively) graceful on my feet while dancing and fall over while slipping on my sandals.  I don't know how it can be, but that's my reality right now.

#5  -- We're looking at the end of the school year approaching rapidly.  I think everyone can agree - no matter how much you enjoy education - summer is definitely a favorite!

(Even for those nerds like me who have been compiling literature lists and government class assignments for the fall with entirely too much excitement!)

Linking up with Rachel

 

Tender...

Well, it's actually Saturday, but it's not as if anyone really expected me to post

a Five Minute Friday on Friday, right?

I'll take it, though, considering that it's the only poem I've written for over a month,

and I truly got it down in under five minutes.

And, it's a double deal today, because writing is one of my Favorite Things,

I'm linking up with Rachel at Finding Joy, as well.

Way to go, me!

 

Here are the rules:

Write for five minutes only, on the topic posted by Lisa-Jo.

Link up at The Gypsy Mama.

Spread some encouragement!

Ready?

Here          we          go.



Tender…

tender as a bruise –

the slightest breath of pressure awakening

the pain, the vulnerability beneath –

and my mind constantly awash

with all the dangers

tender as a steak –

pounded thin and spread wider

in new directions than I ever believed possible,

made malleable and accepting

by the heavy steel mallet

of this new situation You’ve put me in

tender as a payment –

the cost demanded for a treasure,

the submission offered up, the sacrifice

made to bring this child into the world,

to bring me to the foot of the Cross,

to You, when I’ve wandered away

Let me know what you think!

FMF : Beyond... & Friday Favorites!!

It's time for Five Minute Friday!

Today we are writing for five minutes flat on the prompt:

beyond...

So, limber up your word-weaving fingers and share some thoughts!

(Don't forget to link up with Lisa-Jo at The Gypsy Mama and then leave some fabulous and encouraging feedback for fellow posters!)

Ready?

Here          we          go.

Beyond…

beyond my expectations –

an awesome morning

at our homeschool co-op today,

with the kids loving their classes

and loving their friends,

and I loving the companionship

of moms who live this same life everyday,

life lived with books on every

available surface,

and math done on couches

and beds and sometimes even

in the aisles of the grocery store,

and big kids helping their littler

brothers/sisters

and beginning to frame up

the dreams that stretch seemingly

forever and will be here

before you can blink,

and amazingly attentive little kids

in my classes today,

bubbling over with joy

at making volcanoes

out of empty water bottles

and one asked,

“where did all these bottles come from?”

{there were 12 or 13}

and I said, “I saved them just so you all

could do volcanoes today”

and her eyes grew wide

with wonder

© Victoria L. Banks

I'm also linking up with Rachel at Finding Joy for Friday Favorites,

because homeschooling, writing,

and enjoying the wonder of children learning

about God's Creation

are all some of my favorite things!

Friday Favorites : Mini-Field Trip!

The kids and I went to the park twice this week to play, now that public school is in session and the playgrounds aren't overrun.  Of course, it was such a nice week that there were a number of moms out with little ones in strollers.  I hate to be an equipment-crasher, no matter how well-behaved my kids are.

What to do, what to do?

We decided to take a nature walk along the "creek" instead.

Where there are floating trees.  {grin}

(It's more like a big drainage ditch that runs the whole width of the park.  But I'm not about to go trekking through the woods in search of something more authentic.)

It was so much fun that we went back today.  This time, armed with cameras!

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It turns out there are a number of little ponds that have formed in the creek bed, between dried out spots.  Little enclosed ecosystems you can look down on from the bank.

We saw lots of minnows.  Are minnows really fish, or just overgrown tadpoles?  The boys had a recurring argument discussion about this as we went along.  (I'll have to google it later.)

According to Wikipedia:
"Minnow is a general term used to refer
to small freshwater and saltwater fish...
it refers to small freshwater fish
 of the carp family."

There you go!
Some of those minnows looked big enough to catch with a hook!

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We also spotted a water snake, hanging out near the edge.  Until he caught our scents.

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Photo from National Geographic.



In one little puddle-let we saw a little creature all curled up on himself.  I thought it was a snake, but the kids got out the nature guides when we got home to prove me wrong.  They concluded that it was a mudpuppy or similar type of salamander.

 (Not my picture, of course, since silly me didn't foresee the possibility that we would be in need of photographic evidence of the critters at the pond in order to categorize them properly.  I only expected some tadpoles.)

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We saw several butterflies which are yet to be identified.

We also hit the library on day two, and all anyone wanted to do when we got home was dig into their new books.  (And eat lunch, of course!)

(This one, my 10yo informs me, is a buckeye.)

Mr. Monarch hung around for a while too.

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On day two, we spotted another water snake, this time in action.  It was swimming into the school of (pretty large) minnows, and caught one!  Very exciting!  He shook it around and then swam back into his home.  We waited a while, but he didn't come back out.

(And of course, I didn't catch him on film.  Although, I did keep my 4yo from ending up in the water with the snake, so I'll call that a victory.)

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photo credit

Later, (meaning: after I had put the camera away) we spotted a woodpecker who looked a lot like this.

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The kids loved it.  Especially the part where we had to climb down into the creek bed and back up the other side.  Boys love their adventures!

Mom, on the other hand, was just glad we didn't meet up with any creepy-crawlies while we were crossing over.

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So what did we learn about on our little adventure?
food chains
snakes
fish
water currents
weird little green tennis-ball-like fruits
tetanus shots
obedience
(as in, No, you cannot pet the snake!)
enclosed ecosystems
life and death in the animal kingdom
patience
weather
attention to detail
teamwork
salamanders
thankfulness
(as in, We're thankful we're not strapped down to a book right now.)

Really, who knows all that they'll take away from this experience?  Maybe in a month, or a year, or when they're 46, they'll remember walking along the bank, feeling the warmth of the sun and the sweetness of the summer breeze, and remember the thrill of watching that snake attack the minnow, and the longing to stay just a little longer, please.

I love books, but hands-on experience is also a very good thing.

All in all, another successful and fun episode of homeschooling!

Linking up with Rachel at Finding Joy for Friday Favorites

Five Minute Friday : Still...

Today is a double-link-up kind of day, I think.
First, I'm linking up with Lisa-Jo again for Five Minute Friday.  Here are the guidelines:



1. Write for 5 minutes flat for pure unedited love of the written word on the prompt, “Still.”
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Get a little crazy with encouragement in the comments of the five minuter who linked up before you.


Here     we     go.

Still…

sitting when I should have been

up already, fixing breakfast

weak and aching after a week

of finding muscles I didn’t know

I’d lost, finding strength in You

believing in happy endings

even in the face of this world

ever more rapidly spinning

into chaos and shadow

unsure where all this is going,

but knowing how it clicks,

all these stolen moments

at the keyboard, all my feeble

efforts to direct the fount of words

You’ve loosed in me

certain of the ending,

no matter how badly I screw up

today (like yesterday),

no matter how the hours unwind

before me—

always, forever, unchanging

You, Lord

and thankfulness for letting me

walk with You

© Victoria L. Banks

7/29/2011

I'm sure this is not a surprise to any of my family who read this, but I've discovered that I love to write.  Even within strictly enforced time limits.  (Actually, the rules make it more fun!)

What about you?  Would you like to join the fun?  Share your own thoughts and link up!

I'm linking up to Five Minute Friday because I love to write,
and
linking up to Finding Joy because loving the Lord through my writing is one of my Favorite Things!

FF: And then it was … s u m m e r

 

I am so thankful that it’s summer!

What have you been up to?

__________

Listening to some great music!

__________

Playing horseshoes

(not my throw, btw – a double ringer by my fantastic husband!)

__________

The boys’ (and my) new favorite board game:

The Settlers of Catan

(I almost won today!)

__________

Welcome home, Fred!

This is the toad that has taken up residence in the old clothesline pole in the backyard.  We don’t know how he got in there, but we like to keep tabs on him.  We thought he’d been blown away in a recent storm, but he was back at his post today. 

__________

More time messing around on the video games—a little bit, anyway!

__________

One of my favorite holidays:  Father’s Day!

__________

Clothes drying on the racks …

outside!

for free!!

I love not running the dryer!

__________

Linking up with Finding Joy

Friday Faves: Busyness & Blessings

This has been a busy week.

I’m one of those people that likes to be home.  A lot.  I would ideally (like, one day when I finally get my act together!) like to be out running errands and “doing stuff” only a day or two a week.

This week, I had something going on every single day:  a “kidswap” for the older boys, a doctor’s appointment, a trip to the circus, a program at the library.  Plus a few extra trips to Wal-Mart because I forgot to get the groceries that were on the list.  (Sheesh….)

So today I’m staying HOME.  We may not even go out in the backyard to play.

But as I reflect on my busy week, I find many, many things to be thankful for.

(Drumroll, please!)

1)  Fantastic homeschooling friends with boys the same age as mine, who share our values (so I don’t have to worry about what the kids will be up to) and don’t mind picking-up-and-dropping-off duty when we swap kiddos.  It’s a wonderful blessing for my boys to have the opportunity to “hang out” with like-minded boys.

2)  Good health.  Going to the doctor’s office stresses me out.  But we aren’t there very often!  Praise God!

3)  CIRCUS!!  We live in a small town, so I’m really amazed at the great performers that the planners were able to book.  The George Carden Circus was really amazing!

4)  The library.  What would we do without it?  This summer they have some amazing programs scheduled.  Yesterday we saw Troy Roark, who performed a Glow-in-the-dark Juggling Act.  He is very talented and hilarious—the kids (and the adults) were cracking up.

I have only two words for you: FLAMING! TORCHES!!

He juggled all sorts of things and spit ping-pong balls into my son’s hat!  (Don’t ask—you just had to be there!)

5)  We are a one-vehicle family—which is a blessing because it frees us from the major expense of keeping another one running…

6)  …however, leaving the house after Dad goes to work means walking.  So I’m very thankful also to Grandma, who never hesitates to provide transportation when we need it.  Thanks, Mom!

7)  I’m thankful for my kids.  They are well-behaved, imaginative, creative, energetic boys.  I love you guys! 

8)  When I’m “on-the-go” a lot during the week, my routines at home seem to slip.  Laundry and dishes tend to pile up; my attitude starts to slip.

So this is a wonderful blessing—I’m cancelling an errand today and staying home.  A day at home…no errands…no appointments…no field trips…plenty of time to clean the house and get things back in order!

Have a blessed weekend!

Linking up with

Light-hearted (& adrenaline-packed?) Friday Fave

Can you guess what the kids and I just finished watching?

The Mythbusters special showcasing the hosts’ 25 favorite moments.
Why do my boys love this show so much?  Explosions, imminent threat of physical harm, firearms of all types and sizes…it’s a little boy’s dream.
Why do I like it so much?  It’s hilarious and entertaining while still remaining (for the most part) clean and inoffensive.  It promotes critical thinking.  It demonstrates the scientific method in action.  Where else can you find out the best way to escape a submerged vehicle or how to clean that hardened concrete out of your cement mixer, all from the safety of your living room?  (Plus, I love explosions and cool weaponry too.  *grin*)

We love Mythbusters.

So in celebration of another dinner spent watching Jamie, Adam, Tory, Grant, and Kari blow things up, crow in success, and high-five each other, here are our favorite quotes from Mythbusters.  Enjoy!

When in doubt…C-4.

Am I missing an eyebrow?

Failure is always an option.

Jamie wants big bang.

I reject your reality and substitute my own.

Time to go full-scale.

This show is 4 minutes of science and then 10 minutes of me hurting myself.

Why do I always laugh when you hurt yourself?

I love destroying cars.

His stomach is in his helmet!

This is why we can never have anything nice.

It’s alive!  It’s alive!

I’m beginning to think this is a bad idea.

Something just touched me!

I’m all right…I’m all right.

There’s your problem.

(I realize I probably didn’t get every quote exactly right, but I tried, and that’s the really important thing, right?)

linking up to Friday Favorite Things at Finding Joy