raisingthreeknightsandaprincess.com

Science…..

As a fairly unseasoned homeschool mom I’m still so excited when school just happens. Since I don’t like planning and schedules freak me out I do better taking advantage of all that life presents us to teach our children. I definitely look at homeschooling as a way of life instead of something we do for a certain period of time each day.

This week I got a shipment of food from the Schwan’s. They normally deliver to the house but have a new guy and skipped us this week. So they called to see if they could ship the food UPS free of charge to me. “Well sure!”

I wondered how the food would stay frozen and found out they ship with dry ice. I didn’t think about what cool stuff we could do with the ice until my 4 year old kept asking what it was made of. I knew it wasn’t water but didn’t know exactly what it was so I pulled it up on the internet.

What fun we had “doing science” that day. I learned all kind of cool stuff too. Dry ice is 110 BELOW freezing and is made of C2O. (Carbon dioxide) The website we used was www.dryice.com. Check it out.

We put the ice in water and made clouds (or smoke as my kids called it).

Then we put it in a balloon and watched the gas expand and blow up the balloon. I’ve included photos of our balloon and it’s expanding size.

Then we played with the ice on a plate with a fork. When the fork touches the ice it will vibrate and sing because the ice is so cold. It’s really more like a squealing sound. So cool.

Then we put the ice in a Tupperware container and watched it blow off the lid. Since I didn’t have a film canister around (which is what the website recommends) we had to improvise.

What a blast we had. I felt like a real teacher. I know I teach my kids every day but this was so much fun and I was learning too. Is homeschool always so adventurous? We are planning on putting the photos in our notebook so the kids can journal about the day and what each experiment showed us. And I get to tell you guys about it.

Do I sound excited? I am.

Well, that’s our supreme homeschooling moment of the week. Thanks for letting me share. Oh, and please read my next blog entry. I have some homeschool questions I need answered.

IN HIM,

Julie

7 Comments

Posted: January 21, 2006 by Julie |Category: Homeschooling | Tags:

The Pscho Cardinal

(Bird lovers, beware!) Sorry Michelle!

Well I guess it's time to tell the story of the psycho male cardinal, God rest his soul. (Sorry dear hubbie….just had to add it that it wasn't a female.)

I'm not sure exactly how long ago it was. It's been 4 or 5 months I guess. Each morning I would awaken to:

“Tweet”
Blam
The ruffle of feathers
then again…….
“Tweet”
Blam
The ruffle of feathers

There was this insane cardinal who would sit on the railing of the deck outside my bedroom window. When the curtains were closed he would belt out this kamikaze “TWEET”, throw his body into the glass door, fall onto the deck and then do it all over again. Over and over again.

For months I prayed about this bird…..”Lord, what are you trying to teach me with this silly bird?” On lazy Sunday afternoons when I was trying to nap the pscho cardinal would arrive again. I'd lay in bed thinking….this guy is crazy.

A month or so ago the cardinal disappeared and so we haven't heard from him in a while. Then last week I was standing in the cul-de-sac, glanced over at my neighbor's house and what do I see on the window seal of their garage? Our cardinal!! I just died laughing. “So, he's terrorizing the neighbors now! At least it's their garage window and not the bedroom window.”

Then my very SC redneck 15 YO neighbor pops in night before last. What does he say? “You'll never believe what this bird's been doing over at my house.” Well, I laugh and say….”Let me guess” and begin telling him about the cardinal. As he's looking at me all wide-eyed he says, “Well he'll never do it again. I just turned him into a red puff of feathers.”

As much anguish as this silly ole bird caused me I actually felt sad. Our kamikaze pscho bird is no more. Gone to the testosterone of a 15 year old with a shot gun.

1 Comment

Posted: January 18, 2006 by Julie |Category: Other Happenings | Tags:

I caught 'em!!!

I actually caught them ALL together last night on our bed as we watched a documentary about trains on PBS. Because my youngest train lover watches train videos he doesn't understand why the “movie” isn't on again this morning. Well, off to do some school stuff……
Have a great day…..
Julie
PS I just had to come back and say we've finished school. I've found the secret to getting my 5 year old to work….TBONE. It's like rap Christian music and he loves it. So I have to find my inner rap star and jam with him. He gets scripture, writing and spelling done in no time flat. Thank you Jesus!!!!!! (that's him lying on his tummy in the photo)

4 Comments

Posted: January 17, 2006 by Julie |Category: Happenings | Tags:

You gotta see this….bring tissue!

I visited my friends
The Expanding Robertses Website. They recently gave birth to quads. But Little Emily was only 19 days old when she went to live with Jesus. Here's the web link for her memorial. It's beautiful Emily's LIfe. Then click on the Memorial Slideshow and you will see the memorial they mad on her behalf. It's amazing. Bring Kleenix.
julie

1 Comment

Posted: January 15, 2006 by Julie |Category: Happenings | Tags:

Feeling better

Well, I think I'm finally on the upside of this “YUCK” I've had. Praise God. I'm not pregnant. That's a relief and also a “Oh, I love babies.” It's also a confirmation that we heard God correctly when we decided we were done having babies. I had a lot of babies in a short amount of time and my body needs to recover.

We started late….I was 32 when we first got pregnant and within the next few years we had four children under the age of six. At one time we had three in diapers. I know a lot of you with large families or children close together can relate.

My first two are 13 months apart, then there is a 19 month gap between the second and third child and a 26 month gap between my third and fourth child.

I love my kids. I love babies. And I am really looking forward to enjoying the growing time with my kids. I was adopted so I'm open to that too. I have visions of a sweet little bundle arriving on my doorstep one morning instead of the paper. Silly, huh??

I do know that this ole body is tired. I need to rebuild, replenish and enjoy what God has blessed me with.

So here's my youngest son and the always present trains around the house. I think this one is Gordon.

And here's the Conductor of the train and the photographer of Gordon……………(can you say Fake Cheese?)

And here's “baby girl” feeding herself and her baby some eggs this morning…..

Look at that red little thumb. That's the one that sees lots of action in the mouth. She loves sucking that thumb.

Thanks for all you who've prayed for me to feel better. I think I'm finally feeling human again.

IN HIM
Julie

4 Comments

Posted: January 15, 2006 by Julie |Category: Happenings | Tags:

It never ceases to amaze me…

I'm always amazed at the kindness of others. Being kind myself isn't always that difficult. Well, sometimes it is. But other times it just comes naturally out of the JESUS that lives within me.

It's when others go out of their way to help me that I get to experience Christ. These are the times I'm not in control, when I'm receiving, when I get blessed.

Michelle has been “Jesus with feet” to me as she has helped me tweek my webblog (yes, Nancy) and get some of the glitches out. Thanks, Michelle for taking the time to be a blessing to me.

IN HIM,
Julie

2 Comments

Posted: January 15, 2006 by Julie |Category: Happenings | Tags:

Really Exciting

Did anyone see 20/20's STUPID IN AMERICA….How We Cheat Our Kids tonight??? It was all about how our public school system is failing our kids! Yea ABC for showing something worthwhile while NBC was showing that HORRIBLE show The Book of Daniel. Shame on you NBC!!!!!
Julie

2 Comments

Posted: January 13, 2006 by Julie |Category: Homeschooling | Tags:

Still sick and Crooked Ponytails

I hate it when I finish an entire blog and then hit a button that erases it. UGH.

Well, we're on Day 5 of The Funk. May I just go on record as saying I'm tired of feeling sick?

And in an attempt to make myself feel like a human again I submitted to my Taco Bell craving and took “babygirl” with me to eat tonight. And, no, I didn't feed her that junk. We then went by my massage therapist office for a spin on the Chi Machine and a sit in the Infra Red Sauna in the attempt to rid my body of the toxins that are making me sick as well as get rid of that Taco Bell I just ate. Then we came home to an empty home since the boys are all at Narnia again with their dad. So I took a couple snapshots of today's hairdo called Crooked Ponytails. They were just too cute to fix.

And I wanted to show you my favorite part of Danielle's room right now…..the top shelf of the book case. I'm not sure why I like it as much as I do but it makes me feel happy inside.

Have a good weekend.
IN HIM
Julie
Isaiah 30:15….”in repentance and rest is your salvation. is quietness and trust is your strength…”

2 Comments

Posted: January 13, 2006 by Julie |Category: Happenings | Tags:

Please pray

Many of you know I have John Piper's website listed on my sidebar. It's SO wonderful. I just read this today:
http://girltalk.blogs.com/girltalk/2006/01/please_pray_for.html

1 Comment

Posted: January 12, 2006 by Julie |Category: Happenings | Tags:

Answers to TAG and a Waiting Place

First….this thing I thought was a virus is still here. Queezy, wanna throw up, but don't…..food cravings…..and smells drive me nuts! Does this sound familiar? Did I mention my husband's had a vasectomy. We're in the Waiting Place. Too early to tell.

Now, for my TAG answers…..

1. What's the one question you want to ask God when you get to heaven? If he hasn't already said….”Did I do good daddy?”
2. What the one question you think Jesus would ask you were He still here in bodily form? Julie, do you Love me?
3. What do you think heaven will be like? Lots of awesome singing, lots of time with my Jesus, getting to say I love you to my two children that are already there, lots of wonderful, precious, joyful tears.
4. Do you have a desire to be there now or a desire to stay here until the work if finished? Call me nuts but I'm ready whenever He calls. Heaven sounds a lot better than this place. I hate the pain we cause one another. I don't want children to suffer at the hands of adults. I hate child abuse. I think He's made a color just for me……I wonder what it is.