"Homemade Lunchable"

What kid doesn't love lunchables?!? I know mine do! So I came up with our own fun and creative version! The kiddos just LOOOOVE it!:-)

And just in case your wondering...The spiffy little storage box is actually a tackle box! Ha!;-)

Exploring Countries and Cultures( Week 1-4)

Whew! We have been having so much fun starting our journey back with My Father's World, so much so I have had a hard time finding time to update this blog!;-) I will try to sum it up in this one post...hehe;-)





We have been learning and discussing different country/people groups and how to best pray for them.

We have discussed different religions:

* Animism
* Buddhism
* Hindusim
* Isalm
* Judaism
* Christianity
and Missionary Kids

The kids also made poster of people from around the world to represent John 3:16 " For God so loved the WORLD that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life"










We have also been reading about different Christian Heros:








Character Traits we learned from this Hero:

" Repentance is not just saying you're sorry for sin, but going in a new direction"

" Boldness in telling others about Jesus comes when you realize that asking Jesus to be your Savior can't always wait until "tommorow"

" Strength is the power God gives you to finish a job, even when you feel weak"





Character Traits we learned from this Hero:

" Compassion is bearing someone eles's burden as if it were your own"

"Joy is a gift from God, a taste of what it will be like in heaven"

" Perseverance is continuing to do what is right, even when you get tired or run into problems"



Since we will be taking a trip around the World this year, the kiddos had to apply for a "passport"








We learned SO MUCH about( Maps and Globes)- Alot of this was review for Morgan from last year..But Maddie and Mason benefited SO much from this review as they both now know all the continents and where they are located!:-)







In Science




We have been learning about...

* Environments
* Seasonal Changes
* Long-term Changes
* Cycles of Nature
* Plant Life
* Deserts
* Animal Life( oh yea we went there..hehe;-)







All of our Library Goodies!:-)






We have especially loved our Missonary Read Alouds! The kiddos love crawling in their hideout and listening about Cam and how God used him to bring His Word to the people of Mexico,Guatemala and Peru through Bible Translation!!:-)






AND now its time for me to go get packed and ready because.....



WE "LEAVE" FOR MEXICO TOMM!!!:-)

Oh how I love..

ORGANIZATION!!! When everything has its home it leaves me with such a giddy feeling hehe;-)... And as we approach the new year and the restart of our school year...I have been working and praying alot lately to create plans for: Personal, Marriage, Family,and School Goals!:-) And this week me and the kids have been working on one of our school goals...Organization!!.. So we decided to start with our school cabinet and art supplies:-)



( I still can't believe I have managed to not have to buy a second cabinet, thank goodness for the kids work pockets that hold their school books, which frees up space in the cabinet our other stuff)




1st shelf includes: Jars for Pens and Pencils, Colored Pencils and Markers and then a bucket containing other supplies( hole puncher, rulers, paper clips, stapler, rubber bands etc)

2nd shelf includes: Our too cute bags from Buckhead Betties( thanks Aunt Angel!) The first one has my teachers manuals, planners etc, Second one holds books for the kiddos, And the third one is jam packed with notebooks and coloring books)

3rd shelf includes: Puzzles! Mason of course loves this shelf hehe;-)

4th Shelf includes: Another cute bag:-) which contains all our English File Folder games and other baggie games:-), A tub full of extra school supplies( can you believe the kiddos got 10 packs of crayons for Christmas?! lol) and then Mason's Pre-school Container which contains all his Activity Bags:-) The girls Math U See blocks are also down there:-)





Aaaaah this makes my brain happy hehe;-)




And then it was time to organize our art supplies, the kiddos received this for their birthday( also from Buckhead Betties, thanks again Aunt Angel!) and I thought it would be perfect for art supplies since its clear and we could see what was in each pocket! Looooooooove that, our old one didn't have clear pockets, so everything was crammed in there:-/



I have to admit, I sat and stared at this for awhile in giddiness hehe:-)


This may sound simple and silly to some, but for a homeschooling mom of four kiddos, simple organization helps in a HUGE way:-)

Maddie's Graduation!

Maddie finished up her Math U See Primer book last week and we had a little ceremony for her! Which included her certificate, handmade cap( hehe) and her NEW Alpha book! Yippeee! I am so proud of her and she is SO excited to get started in her new book!:)







Way to go Maddie!!!:)





Morgan giving Maddie her new book!:)


Sweet Sisters!:)

Pop, Pop, Pop..

There was a whole lot of popping going on at the Shallowford Popcorn Farm yesterday!



Somethings we learned:

•1 Popcorn grows best in rich soil. It is planted in checkrows, rows that intersect at right (90-degree) angles, so that it can be harvested by machine. Hybrid forms of popcorn have been perfected to produce the most grains per ear of corn, flavorful kernels, the correct internal moisture to insure that most of the corn pops, and other market-friendly characteristics. When the ears are ripe, the corn is harvested with either a picker that removes the ears and leaves the stalks temporarily or with a combine that crushes the corn stalks, mechanically removes the ears, and husks the corn. Combines tend to do more damage to the ears of corn. The ears are collected in the field in bins or boxes and moved into steel cribs using mechanical elevators or conveyors.





•2 The ears are dried in cribs that are narrow and have open slots to minimize the time needed to dry them. A crib can be up to three stories high, as long as a city block, and with a capacity of up to 4 million lb (1.8 million kg) of corn. The ears are stored for eight to 12 months to allow them to dry, or in an alternative method, hot air is forced up into the cribs through holes in the bottoms of them to reduce the natural drying time. While in the cribs, the corn is carefully tended until the kernels reach a moisture content of 12.5-13.5% moisture, which is ideal for popping characteristics.





•3 The dried ears of popcorn are then transferred by conveyor belt to the factory and a machine called a scalper. The scalper strips the kernels from the cobs. Simultaneously, a cleaner and de-stoner sort out the shuckings and any dirt or particles by passing it through a series of screens to separate the kernels. They are cleaned and polished in another machine equipped with metal brushes that remove the chaff (sometimes called bee's wings). A gravity separator is then used to separate good kernels from bad; the kernels that have matured properly are lighter in weight, so the bad kernels drop through the bottom of the separator and are recycled for use as seed. The kernels near the two ends of the cob also tend to be either too small or too large to pop properly, and the gravity separator removes them as well.

(Scalper)


(Destoner)


(Gravity Seperator)




•4 Finally, in the portion of the factory called the fanning mill, fans blow dust and other fine material off the kernels, and the kernels are treated with a natural, inert fumigant to eliminate insects. Most manufacturers avoid pesticides altogether during the winter months when bugs are less common, and all must comply with government regulations regarding their use. Now completely processed, the popcorn kernels travel toward storage bins on a conveyor belt; quality-control personnel watch the passing flow and vacuum up bad kernels that may have escaped the previous sortings.

•5 Types of popcorn with no other additives go directly to holding bins to await packaging. For microwave popcorn, measured amounts of salt, soybean oil, flavoring, and popcorn are pumped or dropped into the microwave bags. The bags are not vacuum-sealed, but they are air tight to prevent moisture in the air from affecting the contents.

•6 In the packaging area, popcorn is conveyed from the holding bins to packing machines where it is placed in bags and then boxed for storage or shipment. Usually, the factory will bag a particular type of quantity, say 5 lb (2.27 kg) bags, until it has met its orders plus some for storage. Then the packing line is changed to accommodate different bags and quantities of popcorn.



So if you have ever wondered how you get this:






from this:





NOW YOU KNOW:)..Pretty cool Huh?


*Special thanks to the moms from Triad Homeschoolers who helped provide me with pictures(since I didn't have my camera) and also since pictures were not allowed in the actual factory, props go to yahoo and google images;)

We WILL Survive!!!:)

I just HAD to share this video again since most of us have started a new year these past couple of weeks and for those of you just now starting your homeschooling journey..Take it from someone who has walked before you, I promise you..YOU WILL SURVIVE!!:)

Our First Week!!!:)

We kicked off our year with a field trip to Lewisville to visit an Alpaca farm, we had so much fun learning and meeting up with some of our homeschool friends!:) Fun Times!

The kiddos building a tower:)




Mason with one of his Activities from his Preschool Bags! He LOVES them!:)



The girls doing Spelling( oh how we LOVE All About Spelling!!)






Maddie working on her handwriting( So far we are really enjoying "Handwriting without Tears!)



Morgan working on her Writing Strands work:)





Maddie during her Computer Time:)



Check it out what Morgan made with her Math U See blocks! She is SO CREATIVE!!!:) (yes she does use them for her Math work too! hehe;)

We have been reading "The Secret Garden" during our lunch time and the girls have SO enjoyed this book and even begged me to read it to them at night, and so here they are ready to hear more of the story! They don't know it yet, but I am surprising them with the movie when we are done!!:) LOVE IT!!:)

And can't leave Micah out!..Here is what he spends most of the school day doing..hehe;)

We are having SO much fun this year!!..This week was as near perfect as we can get on this side of heaven, God's presence was so powerful as He poured into me and my children and we are SO blessed! I do believe this is going to be one AMAZING year!!!:)