Week 4 of school

Ethan is loving Kindergarten! We are doing the same Kindergarten book with him that I did with Brittany. It is a bittersweet feeling knowing he is the last in line to do this curriculum.

We had to take some pictures of him for an "All About Me" book

here he is with his favorite toy

Here he is with Mommy!

Kaedra working on some math

Brainy blocks. The kids love these!

Another favorite toy!

Teaching Emily how to play chess

with the rain we had, we found a big frog

Ethan holding the froggie

Our church had a big baptism bash called Lifestock.  They had blow up games and music and lots of baptisms! Ethan wanted to do the rock wall. He has never been up one....

He took a running start

He gets a little confused about the rocks...

He doesn't realize they are the part he is supposed to climb...

so he just uses the rope

but he gets all the way to the top! I was so proud of him... he actually got into the white part. 

we put all of our timeline figures on our timeline.

Another fun week of school! 

Kaedra wants me to end this blog post with 

"The End"

Great week of school

I want to post some pictures and tell about a great week of school. No, it wasn't this week, not last week, and not even the week before. I know, I'm late in posting this. but it has been on my to-do list!

This year we have changed some things up.  The biggest and most dramatic change is that we brought Brittany back into the house. Although she was still homeschooling, she was doing it with a co-op and most of her school stemmed from them.  Although it was a great co-op with great people, she really wanted to do things with the family again and we definitely wanted her home with us!

We are doing The Mystery of History Volume 2 (Middle Ages) as a whole family.  We are loving doing it together. Brittany, obviously, does it at a higher level than the rest of the kids. One of the things I like most is the ability to do it at all different levels.  While Brittany is writing essays, the kids are making cardboard lyres.

We are meeting every Friday with a friend and doing some of the bigger projects with him as well as the map work, games, and tests.  They will also be doing some oral presentations to give them practice with that.  We are doing literature together as well.  April is helping Brittany with Grammar and I am helping Edge with his writing.

I've been taking pictures so I would remember the great times we are having.  It will be great to look back on the pictures and remember the year!

Brittany doing algebra with help from Arwen

Kids cutting up newspaper for paper mache

working on timeline

Brittany learning about world views 

copywork

Em and Ethan doing copywork

drying out our "Dead Sea Scrolls"

starting the paper mache volcano

paper mache volcano fun

goofy Ethan with paper mache volcano

after 1st coat of paper

using clay to make village of Pompeii

walls of Pompeii

coliseum of Pompeii

marketplace of Pompeii

Rise Up

I always get words from God at the beginning of the year.  Last year was Refresh.  This year I have been struggling with getting the word.  I have had a working motto of "Intentional".  It hasn't been quite right and I've been working too hard on trying to get it to fit.  It just wasn't quite *it*.

The other morning, I woke up after singing a song all night long throughout my dreams.  I knew the words but thought the title was "Rise Up." Went online and searched for "Rise Up," found out it was by Chris Tomlin, realized I owned the song myself and went to listen.  Well, it was "Rise Up" but not the CORRECT "Rise Up." Back to google, added a few more words I remembered, and came up with the right song: "Rise" by Shawn McDonald.




That led me to one of my other favorite songs  "Rise Up" by The David Crowder Band



I wasn't even looking for a word anymore. I thought Intentional was the one that I was going to just make stick.  Like I said, it wasn't perfect, but I thought it fit.  However, it was ALL me.  Me trying to get the word to work.

Pretty soon, God was whispering in my ear... "pay attention, my child. Pay attention to this song. Pay attention to the words. Pay attention to what I am telling you."  I did a cursory search on my iphone to see how many songs I had with the title of "Rise" in it.... 37 titles.  THIRTY SEVEN. I think He is talking to me.

So, next step, I went to the Bible... found many verses, but this one is my favorite:

Micah 7:8

Do not gloat over me, my enemy! 

   Though I have fallen, I will rise. 

Though I sit in darkness, 

   the LORD will be my light. 

I'm not yet ready to share all the things that Rise Up mean to me.  So very many.  I will be posting them as the year goes.

Most of my family is sick...

Because of that, at least in part, I have become obsessed with spring cleaning. I haven't done spring cleaning in years! I used to do it every year, but made a cleaning schedule to keep me going through the year and discarded the spring cleaning idea. Now that I haven't been keeping up with the schedule, we've all been sick, the house is somewhat trashed and we haven't even 100% moved in yet, I really want to do it. Oh, and did I mention my parents want to come sometime? That really isn't the driving issue, but it sure does give me extra incentive.

Although I want to do lots of actual cleaning, I also have some other things I want to do

• hang up pictures
• empty boxes
• organize attic
• add flooring to attic
• organize garage
• redo my pantry/laundry room including adding shelves
• do a oamc session
• add a plug to downstairs bathroom
• hide cords in living room
• paint the front door 
• install a peep hole in the front door
• organize junk drawers (make ONE junk drawer)
• plant flowers
• get more lighting for school room 
• purchase bookcases for FAITH library and catalog library
• put screens up for non-screened windows
• put window coverings up for all windows

I'm sure I'll be adding more the list. I know I am forgetting things here but I wanted to get them down while I am thinking of them.  I am planning on spring cleaning taking the whole month of March. Just hoping I can get it done in one month.  

I know, I know... boring post. It's mostly for me anyway. :-P

Psalm 6

Psalm 6:1-10 NASB

"O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your wrath. Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away; Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed. And my soul is greatly dismayed; But You, O LORD-how long? Return, O LORD, rescue my soul; Save me because of Your lovingkindness. For there is no mention of You in death; In Sheol who will give You thanks? I am weary with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears. My eye has wasted away with grief; It has become old because of all my adversaries. Depart from me, all you who do iniquity, For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping. The LORD has heard my supplication, The LORD receives my prayer. All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed; They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed."

See it at YouVersion.com:

http://bible.us/Ps6.1.NASB

Blessings and Joy,

            -:¦:-   ¸.·´¨¨))

                .·´   -:¦:-Kahri ★

        ((¸¸.·´

http://kahri.blogspot.com

Good night?

I reckon it's time for me to go to bed... It's after 3 in the morning.

I don't want to go to bed. It's an admission of defeat:

"Okay, this day got the best of me. I give."

And I don't want to give.

But tomorrow (aka in a few hours) is a new day. And joy comes in the morning.

Let's see.

Unplugged?

I had a blog for many years called: Our Peculiar Life.  It was started to document Kaedra's miraculous life and keep people informed about what was going on with her. After she stabilized and our life became more "normal" the blog morphed into just some this and that about our family. Most of the posts were still put through the filter of who I knew was reading them.  I frequently deleted or never wrote things that I really wanted to because of my audience. They were expecting something out of me, and I didn't always have that something.  Eventually, I gave up on the blog and the pretense that was going on while I was writing it.  It was literally too much work to keep up with keeping the readers happy.

This blog isn't about that.  This is all me.  I'm still peculiar (1 Peter 2:9).  My life is a giant adventure.  I am sitting next to Jesus on a honkingly huge roller coaster and switching between holding on to Him for dear life and raising my hands in the air and whooping with Him.

But this is me unplugged.

un·plug   [uhn-pluhg] Show IPA verb, -plugged, -plug·ging.
verb (used with object) 
1. to remove a plug or stopper from.
2. to free of an obstruction; unclog. 
3. to disconnect (an appliance, a telephone, etc.) by removing a plug: to unplug a toaster. 4. to remove (an electric plug) from an outlet. 


I am removing my stoppers and freeing myself of obstructions. I am no longer clogged by trying to make others happy.  This is me.  

There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
Anais Nin

He is Risen

I wrote this for some friends a few months ago. Found it again today and thought I'd post it here to remind MYSELF.

We've all been going through some rough times right now. Sometimes it even seems impossible that things will get better and it is easy to despair!

Just like the disciples did on Good Friday...... they were giving up...all was lost. They were distraught. They had no idea that people would someday refer to that day as "Good" Friday. To them, there was nothing good about it. Sounds like where we are.... there is nothing good about anything we all are going through. Jesus had said "It is finished." They believed it... all was finished. To them, they had lost the most precious and sacred person they had ever known. The amount of hurt and pain and betrayal was so much more than anything we all are going through....even though we are going through a lot.

Saturday had to be horrible. Looking back from this side, we know that all is not lost. We know that there was hope to be held on to. But imagine being there... your friend, your savior was just crucified on a cross in the most undignified and horrible of fashions. All that you have been living for is gone. All that you believed must be wrong. There is nothing left. Don't we feel like that? With financial worries, worries about our children, worries about jobs...doesn't it seem like there is nothing left? that what we believed must be wrong?

Imagine now, if you can, in the middle of this darkness and utter despair, you hear a voice saying, "He is risen." He. Is. Risen. Hope. Joy. Relief. He is risen. All of a sudden, in those three words, everything that happened the past three days is erased. Joy came that morning. Abundant, overwhelming joy encompassing all the pain and sorrow. There was hope. All was well.

We are almost there, guys. We may be in the midst of Good Friday or Holy Saturday... we may be believing all is finished or everything we believed must be wrong. But joy is coming. Hope is coming. Relief is coming. Don't give up and don't forget that He is Risen! Even in the midst of all that we are going through, those three words should give us joy.... it means that there is something else coming. Everything looks dark and bleak, just like it did on Good Friday. But when Jesus said, "It is finished" he meant that the prophecies had been fulfilled, our sins had been taken away, Jesus had paid our price, Jesus had done ALL. What might have sounded to some like it was the end, Jesus meant as the beginning.

And what might seem to be the end to us, Jesus is going to use as a beginning. We are on the crux of our breakthrough. We are awaiting the Good News... the News that He is Risen but remember, we have the blessing of hindsight! We KNOW that he is risen and we need to keep proclaiming it! Proclaim it and praise God for our savior! Our Savior... He has SAVED us!! Hallelujah and Amen!! I know that we are right on the brink of Easter morning. We will all be able to see the stone rolled away and the hope that came in the empty tomb. We will get the breakthroughs that we all need and we will all be able to run back to our friends and say, "He is risen" and hear each other say "He is risen indeed!"

Just a thought

There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
Anais Nin