Andrew's First Reading Lesson

I am learning more and more everyday about Charlotte Mason's method of teaching. I have been reading and studying this week about how to teach Andrew to read. I had first thought that I could teach Andrew just like I taught Sierra.
With Sierra I used "How To Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons". It was a breeze. She knew her letters, then started learning the sounds and was reading within 2 weeks. By the end of the book, she was reading on a second grade level and she was only 5 years old. I have always thought that every child should learn to read by phonics. This is because I didn't learn to read this way and I feel that it has caused me some trouble especially with spelling. Of course, this is when I had only ONE child and she wanted to learn to read at an early age and advanced quickly.
However, Andrew is 7 years old and is in Kindergarten. He has some learning challenges that we have to deal with everyday. In addition to the learning challenges, he also lacks a desire to learn. He could play outside all day and be completely content with not knowing how to read or accomplish anything educational. As of today, Andrew stills does not recognize the lowercase "f", and the letter "Y". He knows about half of the letter sounds. So what made me want to teach Andrew to read now? It was because I have been praying for him.
I found a Bible verse last week during my quiet time (Daniel 1:17) and I have been praying that God would give Andrew knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning just like he gave Daniel.
Yesterday, I just decided to see if what I was learning about reading the CM way would work on Andrew. I honestly, didn't expect much. Oh,what little faith. He completely surprised me. Within 15 minutes, he read a sentence. ( I will post the exact lesson on another post.) Today, we had our second lesson. Again, I didn't expect him to remember the words. But oh, I was in for a shock. Not only did he remember, but he could spell each word. I was blown away. I am not an expert in any way on Charlotte Mason. I most probably didn't conduct a prefect CM lesson on reading, but I tried to model what I have been learning and WOW it worked. THANK YOU LORD !!! ANDREW WANTS TO LEARN TO READ!! PRAYER IS POWERFUL!!

James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." Verse 6 "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt..."

Thank you Lord for pointing me in the direction of Ambleside Online and for equipping me with the knowledge to teach Andrew. Forgive me for doubting that YOU could do a mighty work in Andrew's brain so quickly. Thank you for giving Andrew the desire to read and expanding his mind so that he could comprehend and retain this knowledge. Please continue to give Andrew knowledge and understanding like you gave Daniel. In Jesus' Name, AMEN.

Happy Resurrection Day

I received this as an email this week and thought it would be nice to post to my blog.

May your Easter be filled with rejoicing in the fact that Jesus paid the price for your sin and He reigns!

Names of God
God ~ Supreme, Eternal and Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

(Jehovah): Lord ~ He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow; forever faithful, loving and righteous.

ADONAI: The Lord ~ the One who has authority over us and to whom we owe our supreme love and loyalty.

Rock ~ the Strong One in whom we find our security.

Fortress ~ our Refuge and Hiding Place during the conflicts of life.

Shield ~ the One who stands between us and the adversities of life and the assaults of Satan to protect us.

God is the God of Israel ~ He is our God, the One we worship and serve; the One who transforms us into people who are fit to worship and serve Him.

The God of the House of God ~ the One who is as ready to meet with us in grace today as He was at the time of our highest and greatest spiritual experience.

The Mighty One ~ the One who uses His irresistible power on behalf of His people, protecting them and enabling them to face their enemies.

Strength/Glory ~ the One who gives us assurance that, we became His people who ‘trust and obey’ Him, we can be sure our standing with Him.

Jealous ~ the One who has exclusive claim on our love and loyalty; the One who will not share these with any competitor,

EL SHADDAI: God Almighty ~ the One who is All-Bountiful and All-Sufficient; the One from whom all blessings flow; the One who delights in giving the best gifts to His children.

The Most High God ~ the One who is able to do all He wishes to do as El Shaddai; the One without limitations; the One whose purposes can’t be thwarted.

The Everlasting God ~ the One who is always available, always aware of the facts and always able to guard what His children entrust to Him; the One whose grace is always sufficient to meet any need.

The God Who sees me ~ the One who watches over us and directs our way whenever we are.

The Lord of Hosts ~ the One who commands the angels and who sends them to bring heavenly power to the aid of God’s people.

The Lord Will Provide ~ the One who does more than to provide for our temporal needs; but also provided the Sacrifice to cleanse us from our sins.

The Lord Who heals you ~ the One who heals broken bodies, hearts and souls; the One who ministers to all who ‘trust and obey’, whatever their condition.

The Lord my Banner ~ the One who makes our battles His own and assures us victory by supplying the strength and staying power we need to experience victory.

The Lord is my Shepherd ~ the One who takes complete care of His own.

The Lord who makes you holy ~ the One who makes it possible for us to meet His demands; the One who gives us both the desire and the ability to obey Him.

The Lord is Peace ~ the One who gives us confidence for facing all of life’s battles by assuring us that we come our of every circumstance okay.

The Lord our Righteousness ~ the One who accepts all who are yielded and responsible to Him just as they are and then works in the them until they become what they should be.

The Lord is There ~ the One who is always present with us; who never leaves us.

ABBA-FATHER: Father ~ the One who allows us to enter into the most intimate, privileged, eternal relationship with Him.

HE IS

Genesis ~ He is God, the Creator

Exodus ~ He is the Redeemer

Leviticus ~ He is your Sanctification

Numbers ~ He is our Guide

Deuteronomy ~ He is your Teacher

Joshua ~ He is he Mighty Conqueror

Judges ~ He gives victory over enemies

Ruth ~ He is your Kinsmen, your Lover and your Redeemer

I Samuel ~ He is the Root of Jessee

II Samuel ~ He is the Son of David

I Kings ~ He is King of kings

II Kings ~ He is Lord of lords

I Chronicles ~ He is your Intercessor

II Chronicles ~ He is your High Priest

Ezra ~ He is your Temple, your House of Worship

Nehemiah ~ He is your Mighty Wall, protecting from your enemies

Esther ~ He stands in the gap to deliver you from your enemies

Job ~ He is the Arbitrator who not only understands your struggles but has the power to do something about them

Psalms ~ He is your Song and your reason to sing

Proverbs ~ He is your Wisdom; He helps you make sense of life and live it successfully

Ecclesiastes ~ He is your Purpose, delivering you from vanity

Song of Songs ~ He is your Lover, your Rose of Sharon

Isaiah ~ He is the Mighty Counselor, the Prince of Peace, the Everlasting Father and more

Jeremiah ~ He is your Balm of Gilead, the soothing slave for your sin-sick soul

Lamentations ~ He is the Ever-Faithful One upon whom you can depend

Ezekiel ~ He is your Wheel in the middle of a wheel; the One who assures that dry dead bones will come alive again

Daniel ~ He is the Ancient of Days, the Everlasting God who never runs out of time

Hosea ~ He is your Faithful Lover, always beckoning you to come back when you have abandoned Him

Joel ~ He is your Refuge; He keeps you safe in times of trouble

Amos ~ He is the Husbandman, the One you can depend upon to stay at your side

Obadiah ~ He is the Lord of the Kingdom

Jonah ~ He is your Salvation, bringing you back within His will

Micah ~ He is the Judge of the nations

Nahum ~ He is a Jealous God

Habakkuk ~ He is the Holy One

Zephaniah ~ He is the Witness

Haggai ~ He overthrows the enemies

Zechariah ~ He is the Lord of Hosts

Malachi ~ He is Merciful

Matthew ~ He is the King of the Jews

Mark ~ He is the Servant

Luke ~ He is the Son of Man, feeling what you feel

John ~ He is the Son of God

Acts ~ He is the Savior of the World

Romans ~ He is the Righteousness of God

I Corinthians ~ He is the Rock that followed Israel

II Corinthians ~ He is the Triumphant One, giving victory

Galatians ~ He is your Liberty; He sets you free

Ephesians ~ He is the Head of the Church

Philippians ~ He is your Joy

Colossians ~ He is your Completeness

I/II Thessalonians ~ He is your Hope

I/II Timothy & Titus ~ He is your Faith, Stability and Truth

Philemon ~ He is your Benefactor

Hebrews ~ He is your Perfection

James ~ He is the Power behind your faith

I Peter ~ He is your Example

II Peter ~ He is your Purity

I, II & III John ~ He is your Life, Pattern and Motivation

Jude ~ He is the Foundation of your faith

Revelations ~ He is your coming King!

A Glimpse Into Our House

It is never dull at our house. Tonight was just a regular night. Here is one of our conversations.

Hannah: "Daddy, Daddy" ( Jeff, was outside and Hannah wanted to got out.)
Mommy: "Come here, Hannah, I will sing you your song." (Each of the children have a special song that I have sung to just them every since I have met them.) "I have a baby. I have a girl. I have a baby. The best Hannah in the world."
Mommy: "Now, I will sing Andrew his song." "You are my sunshine. My only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know dear how much I love you. Please don't take my son shine away."
Mommy: "Andrew, have you every heard Sierra's song?"
Andrew: "No."
Mommy: "Well, this is a song I heard while Sierra was in my tummy. I have been singing it to her for 12 years. It goes like this. The moment I saw you, I wanted to hold you and keep you warm on a cold grey morn. The moment I held you, I wanted to kiss you and welcome you here on the day you were born."
Andrew: "Mommy, what is your song?"
Mommy: " I do not have a song. You can find one and sing it to me. It can be my song. You can sing it now and when I am old."
Andrew: " Let me think. Your song can be "Jesus Loves Me."" (This is the only song he knows all the way through.)
Sierra: (She has been listening to this conversation. Without missing a beat, she says...) "Your song should be the "Grumpy Old Lady Who Lives In A Shoe.""
Mommy: (Laughing) "WHAT!!"
Sierra: "There was a grumpy old lady who lived in a shoe, she had so many children that she didn't know what to do. She fed them, spanked them, and sent them to bed. Then the old lady got to rest her weary head!"
Sierra and Andrew: (Laughing)
Mommy: "Sierra, I can't believe you said that. Of all the songs you know, you picked a nursery rhyme about a grumpy old lady. In the nursery rhyme the OLD LADY was not GRUMPY!"
Sierra: "I am just kidding Mom."
Mommy: "Oh, yea!! Now you are trying to make up. You just don't want to be sent to bed."
Sierra: "No, Mom. I was really kidding. You are not GRUMPY. Your song should be "Amazing Grace.""
Mommy: "Okay, Sierra"

Honestly, I should have commented on the "not grumpy" part. I think she was still implying that I was old. :) However, since this conversation went from sweet to somewhat sour and was not looking good for me, I decided that I would just be quiet.
Sierra, is right about one thing. My song could be "Amazing Grace". It is only God's Grace that I make it through each day and remain joyful. Especially, when I have a daughter who has a warped sense on humor.
( I am still laughing!!)

Wordless Wednesday

Naptime in Big Girl Bed

For those of you who do not know, I love to nap with our babies and rock them to sleep at night. I think this is some of the most precious time I spend with them. Well, I have been laying down with Hannah-Faith for the last 23 months with no problems. That is until this past weekend. Every night when I rocked her to sleep, she would point to our bedroom and say, "Nap". I explained that it was not nap time but bedtime. She was up until 11:00 persisting that she go to our bed to sleep. Therefore, today, I didn't lay down with my baby. After much preparation in prayer, I decided to put her to sleep alone in her big girl bed for nap. She still sleeps in her crib at night. I realized that this was going to be a BIG ordeal. I prepared the other children, set up a CD player with soft music in Hannah's room and got her bed ready. I explained what was going to happen right after lunch. About an hour later, off we went to the big girl bed. I read her a story, kiss her, and walked out of the room closing the door behind me. It was not 15 sec. and Hannah was at the door. Long story short, she screamed. I decided I would give this one hour. After an hour, I would go in and sit on her floor. After she screamed, she got out of bed and opened the door. The first three times I picked her up, kissed her, and put her back on the bed. The next 14 times, I just picked her up and put her on the bed. She was crying close to the hour mark. Then her cries slowed, were not as loud and there were breaks in between. After an hour and 5 minutes, NO Crying. I peeked in her room. I could not believe my eyes. SHE WAS STANDING UP LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW. I closed the door quietly and waited for the crying to start again. However, 10 minutes went by and when I peeked in she was sound asleep on her pillow. My baby went to sleep in her big girl bed without Mommy for the first time today. While I stood at the door praying for her, she grew up just a little. :(
I realize that tomorrow I will have to do this all over again and probably everyday this week. I am trusting The Lord that He will comfort my little one (and me) and each day will be easier. During my praying today, I was reminded that I will hold her heart forever but I must let go of her hand just a little today.

Please pray for us this week.

NO MORE MONDAYS

I have decided at our house there will be no more Mondays. On Mondays, Andrew chooses to disobey more than any other day, he refusing to do his work, and therefore I am having to discipline more on Mondays.
Today, Hannah-Faith decided to follow in her big brother's footsteps. She decided to dump all the colored pencils out on the table, then take her hand and push them onto the floor. She was very persistent in the fact that she was not going to pick them up. Therefore, she was sent to time-out. When her time was up, she still refused to pick up the pencils. Of course, she was sent back to time-out. Finally, after the third time she agreed to pick them up. During all of this, there was lots of "No's" and screams. In addition to this display of emotion today, Andrew decides to destroy his work from Friday. So, you guessed it, he had to redo his work. Sierra, is not exempt from Monday misbehavior either. She thinks because all of this is going on that she needs to help me parent. Oh yes, she has to step in and explain things to Andrew and then help Hannah. Of course, I let her know that she needed to sit down and complete her work unless she would like more work to do. It took me an hour and a half to get dinner in the crock pot this morning. We have not gotten any of our books read, and I am not even going to think about getting Math done today. Today, I am having lessons in developing Character.
So as you can see, we do not need Monday's at our house. The rest of the week seems to go fine. There are some misbehavior's and some disobedience but nothing like what happens on Mondays. Because I can not quit this job that God gave me, I am choosing to have 2 Tuesdays at our house. Yes, from now on Mondays are not allowed.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Galatians 6:9 (My encouragement from The Lord.)

If you seem to have Mondays like ours, don't give up. Hang in there. Tuesday is just around the corner.

Wordless Wednesday

Who is Charlotte Mason?

Click on the links below and read about Charlotte Mason and her thoughts on education.

http://higherupandfurtherin.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20CM%20Education

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Mason#Biography

http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~cheps/cmason.html

http://www.classicaleducation4me.com/cminfo.html

Nature Journals

This week the children started their Nature Journals. This is something that I have been wanting to add to our day but I could never figure out how to fit it in. On Monday, the weather was nice and I sent the older two children out with the Nature bag and instructions. Their instructions were to sit outside for at least 20 min. and find something to draw in their journals. It could be as simple as a tree or more complex like an animal. I told them to pay attention to the sights and sounds of things around them and be prepare to tell me about their time outside. I was completely surprised by what Sierra and Andrew drew in their journals. Also, they stayed outside for over 2 hours drawing, writing, and exploring. I am excited about implementing more Nature Study days. If you have every wanted to start a Nature Study or Nature Journal, just do it. I thought about it and made it complicated for way to long. Once, I made it simple and just sent the children outside it fell into place.

This is Sierra's first journal page. She drew the inside and outside of a Black Walnut and she drew a weed by the creek.
This is Sierra's second journal entry. It is a drawing of a wild rose bush.

This is Andrew's first journal entry. He did a leaf drawing and a leaf rubbing. This week we will be researching to find out what kind of leaf he found.

This is Andrew's second journal entry. He drew a walnut and a rock.

This is a picture of the rock Andrew found and drew in his journal.

These are pictures that Sierra took while she and Andrew were outside doing their Nature Journals.

Pictures From The Past Week

New haircut and a beautiful smile.

Hannah is thinking -Now that I have him what shall I do?

Hannah loves a bath.

Andrew is always smiling.

New Hair Styles

Last week, Sierra and I had a Mom and Daughter Day. We try to do this at least once a month. Thanks to my Mom coming to visit, we were able to spend the entire day getting new hair styles and new clothes. Sierra got 10 inches cut off her hair. She is donating the hair to Locks Of Love. http://www.locksoflove.org/donate.html They make wigs for childen who have lost their hair due to illness. I am sure Sierra will post more on this on her blog. I didn't have as much hair as Sierra to cut, however, this is the shortest my hair has been since high school. I thought if I got my hair cut short it would make my face look fatter. However, my stylist assured me that it would be fine. I must say that I really am liking the new style. I have to spend a little more time in the mornings, but that is only because I am trying to straighten some of my natural curl. Below, are pictures of our new hair styles. Let us know what you think.

Not only did I get my hair cut short but I also asked the stylist to cut out a lot of the curl.




I think this hair style makes Sierra look older. She is my beautiful girl.

First Nature Study

Saturday, we did our first Nature Study. We were on the way to get Sierra some shoes, and we stopped by Chick-fil-a. As we were eating our biscuits in the car, we noticed a bird hopped onto the hood of the van. He continued to hop all the way up to the windshield as if he wanted to say, "Hey, my friends and I would enjoy some breakfast." I didn't think Sparrows and or Wrens ate biscuits. However, I was proved wrong. We tossed out bits of our biscuit to watch the birds grab a bite and retreat to the bushes nearby. One bird got a large piece of biscuit and flew further away from the other birds. We guessed that he realized the had his breakfast platter and wanted to eat in solitude. The birds were very polite. You could tell they were not Blue Jays or Crows because they took turns. After about 5 minutes, all the birds were full and our study was over. This study was not planned, we didn't have our camera, or our sketch books but we witnessed nature in action. We could not have asked for a better Nature Study.