"Once you learn to read, you will be forever free."

"Once you learn to read, you will be forever free."

Frederick Douglass

We have really been struggling to find a way to motivate SC to learn to read.  She does great with CVC words, and the amount of sight words she has goes well into a typical third grade list, but when we sit down to read together, she tends to just shrug her shoulders if the word seems new.  She will typically make a guess based on the picture on the page and the first letter of the word, but rarely guesses correctly.  Then, when encouraged to sound things out, she won't look at the word itself, and then adds other letters in, and finally, shrugs.  

In the fall we are going to give All about Reading Level 1 a try, and hopefully being able to manipulate the letter/blend tiles, as well as officially learning the phonograms and blends (instead of just figuring it out through BOB books) will give her more confidence when we read things other than BOB books.

However, in the meantime, I saw a post about reading challenge charts from Jolanthe at Homeschool Creations and decided we would give it a try.  We have a stockpile of $5 and $10 toys that SC has expressed interest in earning, but we never really came up with a great plan for her to earn them.    We have decided that she will earn 1 point per book read, unless it is the BOB books, and then she has to read 3, or if it is a chapter book, and then she will get 1 point per chapter.  Then, after earning 15 points, she can earn $5 or chose a $5 toy from the stockpile.  After earning 30 points, she can earn $10 or chose a $10 toy (or some combination of $5 and $5 toys).  Finally, after earning 45 points, she can earn $20 or chose a $20 toy (or, again, a combination).  She has to either read the book aloud to AC or I, or at least read it next to us so we can make sure she is reading and not just looking at pictures (as well as be able to offer help if she needs it).

Yesterday she actually went and got a book on her own to read, which was a first.  She has also been rolling through BOB books, which I think is a good thing.  Once we run out of BOB books, she will have to read other books.  I should mention that it seems like I don't like the BOB books very much, and that isn't true.  I think they are great introductory books and they gently introduce letter sounds, blends and sight words in a non-scary way.  However, SC has developed this "safe" mentality when it comes to the BOB books and that is all she thinks she can read.  So, we shall see if this summer reading challenge helps get her comfortable, and maybe we will speed through All about Reading Level 1 in the fall (and I am okay with that) and quickly move to Level 2.

How has your week been?  Are you starting anything new for summer?  Leave a comment, and then check out some other bloggers' at

Thankful Thursday: "Imagination is a force..."

"Imagination is a force that can actually manifest a reality."

James Cameron

This week I am thankful that SC and I got to go visit the Perot Museum of Nature and Science on a very special day - when James Cameron's DEEPSEA Challenger submarine was there.  If you were unaware (honestly, I was until a day or so ago), James Cameron recently set the record for a solo dive to the deepest accessible place on Earth, in the Mariana Trench.  You can read more about it here.

This was a really cool experience, and it gave me the opportunity to learn a little more about Cameron, someone whom I really only know as the director of the movie Titanic, and for the few documentary pieces he has done with regard to the actual Titanic ship.  The Perot Museum had also set up a few experiment stations that pertained to submarines and underwater exploration, and every child who attended got an "experiment in a bag" with instructions to use the items (empty film canister, 2 rubberbands, some coins, some plastic keyboard keys) to create something that would both submerge and then resurface.  SC was a little bored at first with the waiting around, but was very interested once the scientists started talking.  I cannot wait until Cameron releases his 3D film chronicling the experience next April, and am glad we will be able to view it at the Perot in their theatre.

What are you thankful for this week?  Leave a comment, and then check out some other Thankful Thursday posts here: 

"The apparition of these faces in the crowd ..."

In a Station of the Metro

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;

Petals on a wet, black bough.

— Ezra Pound

I spent about an hour last night trying to fall asleep, but struggling, and the oddest thing was on my mind.  I really felt called to write about it, because maybe my little bit of writing might find someone who needs it someday.  What kept me up was the demand on women and teen girls to completely cover their faces with makeup.  

Now, don't get me wrong, I think makeup is fun, and I do wear it (on occasion).  However, I think the relationship that many women and teen girls have with makeup is unhealthy.  Most women and girls wear makeup because they are trying to hide their true faces, because they find them flawed.  They do not like the way they look.  

I used to be like this, too, and the road to self-acceptance was long and difficult.  When I was a young teen, I was horribly awkward looking, having developed the body of a woman already.  However, I had not exactly grown into my features yet.  I was teased and picked on by some very jealous girls, who said some very hateful things that to this day I still remember.  Add some goofy glasses, and I was very uncomfortable with my outward appearance.  I understood that, in the society of middle school, popularity was directly related to how you looked on the outside, and the girls who were the most popular (1) wore the most expensive "fashionable" clothes and (2) wore the most (and most expensive) makeup.  I honestly did not like many of these girls, and I have no idea why I wanted to emulate them, so all I can say is that the middle school years are hard and young teens will try anything to figure out who they really are.

Once I was able to get a job, I worked in the retail environment, selling "fashionable" clothing.  This was another area where outward appearance was pushed heavily, including the style of makeup that the employees wore.  We even had a employee meeting in which one of the managers spent time showing all the other women exactly how their makeup should be applied.  The constant message we received was "you are not good enough to represent the brand on your own - make yourself BETTER."

Why would anyone want women and young adults to think that their bodies are not good enough?  Well, it all points back to the driving force behind the products - money.  If women and teens think they are not good enough, they will spend an exorbitant amount of money trying to make themselves "better," be it through fashionable clothes, expensive accessories, the latest in "change-your-body" tricks and diets, and massive amounts of makeup.  If you aren't sure, take a look at every magazine geared toward women and teens.  They all tell the same thing, that we will be "better" if we just [insert change here], and it almost always involves spending money (usually from the advertisers for said magazine).

After I had SC, I had horrible post-partum depression, and it ended up being a very good thing.  I rarely did my hair (which ended up growing out very long, a look that I now love) and I stopped wearing makeup.  I just never felt like putting myself together.  I also may have spent more than my fair share of time in yoga pants and AC's t-shirts, but that is for another blog post.  

Seeing myself every day without makeup really gave me a chance to get used to my face.  And you know what, eventually I liked what I saw.  I got past the preconceived notions that I had heard from others since middle school and was able to see the real me.  Now, my skin had changed from the hormonal changes of having a baby, so once I got out of my PPD funk, I spent probably two years bouncing from cleanser to cleanser and moisturizer to moisturizer, trying to find what worked for ME (rather than the latest "fad").  Eventually, when AC and I would go out on a date, I wanted to try makeup again, but I was so uncomfortable in it.  I just didn't know what the goal of wearing it was.   I asked myself what my purpose was, and why I wanted it.  I came to realize that I liked to accentuate my features on occasion, but that even doing it for AC wasn't the right reason.  I needed to do it for me, and not because I didn't like the way I looked, but because I liked something so much that I wanted it to stand out more sometimes (like my eyes).

However, I had spent so much time away from doing makeup, I still didn't have the knowledge to find the products I needed to do what I wanted.  So, I spent time researching on the internet and looking at brands and products that I might want to wear.  I read reviews and looked up information about health/safety issues and some of the ingredients in said products.  I spent some time at Sephora getting a "free" makeover, but I didn't let them push me around.  I knew which products I wanted to try out, and I knew which I didn't.  I knew what my goal with wearing makeup was, and it wasn't just to wear makeup.  

So, now, on a daily basis I rarely wear makeup, and when I look at myself in the mirror on the way out the door (and I do look), I like what I see.  Then there are times when I want a little extra oomph and I put on makeup that accentuates what is already there.  So, here are two pics, one with makeup, one without, and I think I look beautiful in both of them.

  
So, ask yourself this question:  Are you wearing makeup to cover-up/mask or define/accentuate?  One of these reasons is inherently negative, while the other is inherently positive.  Whichever reason you are doing it, then ask yourself WHY.  If your answer to why has anything to do with other people or the status quo (because you feel you have to or that society has determined it is what you should be doing or someone has failed to see the real you and asked you to change), try taking a makeup break for a few weeks.  Spend some time finding a good cleanser and moisturizer, and focus on getting used to the beauty that God created.  Then, after some time with the real you, reevaluate the WHY before going back to makeup 24/7/365.

Remember, we are all created in His image (Genesis 1:27), and He is nothing if not beautiful.  I hope that I can pass this message along to SC when the time comes, that she was created beautiful, and that makeup is a fun addition, but by no means a necessary one.

What do you think on the topic of makeup, self-image and beauty?  I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday: "How far that little candle throws his beams!"

"How far that little candle throws his beams!

So shines a good deed in a naughty world."

William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act V, Scene I

This past week SC had her fifth birthday, which I have briefly mentioned already, but so did our Compassion sponsored child, Oneydi, who lives in El Salvador.  We actually sent her a birthday package two months ago in hope that it would arrive in time for her birthday, but I wanted to highlight some of the things we sent for this weeks Top Ten Tuesday.  I know when we first started sponsoring Oneydi that I wasn't sure what kind of things to send (since they all have to be flat), but especially for her birthday, I found a few neat things that I hope make her feel special and loved.

1. Letter

2. Handmade birthday card

3. Photos of SC

4. Name coloring sheet from here

5. Sticker book with hundreds of reusable stickers and scene pages

6. Alphabet and number stickers (above)//Bible stickers, Christian fish stickers, ocean life stickers (see below)

7. Color by number/letter pages, alphabet worksheets and mazes

Also, I tend to find things that would go great in a package for Oneydi when I am just out and about doing other shopping, so I have a box full of stuff just waiting to be sent.  Compassion has a guideline that the package cannot be more than 1/4 inch thick, which means only about 50-60 sheets of paper (or other flat items) can be sent each time.  So, when we maxed out our 1/4 inch for her birthday, we held on to some of the other things we wanted to send.  Last week we got back our first letter from Oneydi with answers to some of the questions we had asked, plus new information.  This letter was all about Independence Day in El Salvador, so we shared some information about American Independence Day. SC spent time painting both an American flag and the flag of El Salvador to send.  I have previously posted that we sent maps so that Oneydi can see approximately where we are (we also made one for SC that she has hung up in her room), but I think sending flags is also a great way to build cultural understanding.  SC had a wonderful time helping look up the flag of El Salvador and then creating it.

8. Original artwork meant for Oneydi (flag paintings this time)

9. Bilingual coloring book ("Jesus Loves Me") with song lyrics

10. Watercolor books with paint on the paper

I like to send things that are bilingual, as I am honestly not sure if she will be taught English (once she gets to school) or things will only be in Spanish.  Luckily, living in Texas, there are ample items that fit the bill.  Also, I have discovered that scrapbooking stickers (see the alphabet ones above in the 1st picture) are great to send, as they are usually more unique than the "kid" stickers.  Many times "kid" stickers include pictures of items I don't know if Oneydi will recognize, as I am unsure of how rural her home is.  I have also had to be careful when sending pages from many of the workbooks because they are geared toward American children and sometimes include pictures that may be unfamiliar.

I have no idea what we will send in a few years once Oneydi (and SC) start to outgrow the worksheets, coloring pages and stickers.  I think it will also be hard as she gets older to keep up with her development, especially with the time it takes to first send a package and letter, and then ultimately receive a response.  Hopefully when that happens SC will have some ideas for us!

What do you send to your Compassion International (or other group) sponsored child(ren)?  Leave a comment, and then check out other Top Ten Tuesday posts here:

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Thankful Thursday: "I got the blues thinking of the future ..."

"I got the blues thinking of the future, 

so I left off and made some marmalade.  

It's amazing how it cheers one up 

to shred oranges and scrub the floor." 

~D.H. Lawrence

 

This week I am thankful that AC fully supports my whims (though this one had been discussed before) and I got to paint the kitchen green over the long holiday weekend, in between celebrating SC's 5th birthday.  I had been in a bummer mood and for some reason, nothing makes me feel as good as the physicality of painting walls.  So, I told AC "you know, what would make me feel better would be to paint the kitchen."  He said okay, and we got a bucket of paint, a new brush (I always need a new brush) and roller cover and spent a few hours applying two coats of paint to the kitchen.  Next I need to recover the valence (not in the picture anymore) and construct new curtains, but I will have to wait until SC's summer classes start up in June.

I am also thankful that God has given us a beautiful, smart, happy little girl to love and raise. I am glad that we were able to celebrate her on Sunday as she turned five years old, and thankful that she has good taste in music as we are going to a concert to see some local bands like The Orbans (one of her favorites - and mine) and Fate Lions, as well as The Avett Brothers, instead of having a party.  What an awesome little girl we have!

 
What are you thankful for this week?  Leave a comment, and then check out some other Thankful Thursday posts here:

 

"One's destination is never a place ..."

"One's destination is never a place, 

but rather a new way of looking at things." 

Henry Miller, Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch 

About two months ago I posted an update that was long overdue, mentioned two upcoming trips, and finished the post with "we shall see what else God sends our way this year."  Well, since it has now been two months since I last posted, I hoped you assumed good things were keeping me away, and you would be correct.  

I had mentioned a trip over Easter weekend to Los Angeles while AC works, one that would include getting to spend time with family, a visit to Disneyland, and time on the beach.  We also were able to drive down to San Diego and spend a few hours at the amazing San Diego Zoo, plus visit the Aquarium of the Pacific, one of our favorite Long Beach haunts.

At Disney this year we brought our camera, but we actually only took a few pictures at the end, when SC decided to stand in line to see the princesses.  

She has been to Disneyland a number of times already, and we really wanted  to just relax and have a good time, and no one had to be "on" for the camera.  Also, she is finally tall enough to ride some of the bigger rides.  Last time we went (she was 3 1/2) she was able to ride the Matterhorn, which is a bobsled-style ride, sitting on my lap.  It has since been renovated and riders sit individually and the seats are apparently very uncomfortable.  Also, she is still so small (even meeting the height requirement) and I feel better if I can somehow hold her head still so it doesn't bobble around.  So we didn't do the Matterhorn, but she did do Space Mountain (which she loved and asked immediately to do again), as well as the Star Tours ride (which has been closed every other time we have been since having SC).  She had recently seen the Star Wars movies, so she was very familiar with the characters and what was going on.  We stayed until the fireworks for the first time, but SC passed out in the car before we even left the parking garage.  All in all, it was a great day.

We drove down to San Diego on a spur-of-the-moment trip to visit the San Diego Zoo.  We were able to stay until the late evening due to the later sunset, and after hours of walking through this amazing zoo, I don't think we crossed any area twice.  I loved that there were animals we had not been able to see in any of the other zoos we had been to (like koalas), and that it took up a large enough area that even with the large number of people who were there (it was Good Friday) it didn't feel that crowded.  We were also very excited that we were able to see the baby panda, which had been born only months before.

Of course no trip to California would be complete without some time spent on the beach, even though the water is always cold, and even more so at the end of March.  We went to the "Dog Beach" at Huntington Beach, because it affords SC the opportunity to spend time with two of her favorite things, dogs and beaches.  We were there for just over an hour and the day was beautiful.  We could see across the coast clearly to Long Beach, and all the way out to Catalina Island.  We also saw a small pod of dolphins come very close to the shore.

Finally, the best part of the trip was getting to see all the family we miss so much when we are at home in Texas.

So, of course, one weekend away couldn't have kept me from the computer for two whole months, so what else was going on?  Well, I did get to travel with AC to London, which was a fabulous trip, but I also got to travel with him to New York City on a last minute trip between the one to CA and the one to the UK.  Though he had to do work during both of these trips, the ability to get some time for just us was wonderful, and I was able to see one city that I have only seen briefly and another country I had never been to.  We didn't take many pictures in NY, but the best sight we saw was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and their exhibit called "Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity."  They had impressionist paintings displayed, and then many of the actual dresses/costumes that were worn by the women during the sitting for the painting.  It was phenomenal.

 

In London I was able to spend a couple of days traveling around on my own while AC worked and saw so much, but have so much left to see in another trip.  Of course I saw Buckingham Palace, walked through Hyde Park and Mayfair, went to the British Museum (though I only got to see half of it!), had high tea at Fortnam & Mason, and ate so much delicious food.  I cannot wait to go back again and take SC with us next time, and hopefully it will be relatively soon.

I am so thankful that I was able to tag along with AC to London and NYC, and that both SC and I were able to tag along to Los Angeles.  Now that we are home from almost a month on the road (and having spent the last month trying to get back to reality), I will hopefully be able to get back on track with blogging and sharing our journey in life and the pursuit of wisdom.

"An unused life is an early death."

“An unused life is an early death. “

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

So, it has been about a month since I posted anything at all on the blog, and life has been pretty busy.  SC has switched to "beginner 1" gymnastics from the preschool level, which is in the evening instead of the mornings.  She is the youngest in the class, which was great in the beginning, but she has made a friend and they frequently get in trouble for being silly.  SC likes to do "cannon balls" into the foam pit instead of whatever cartwheel/round-off move she is supposed to be doing, or will purposely flop onto the ground instead of landing a move in the proper manner.  It has been difficult.  

SC has also started soccer and has practice on another evening.  They have played two games, and though they don't keep score, her team has lost pretty bad each time.  In fact, the first game they lost 20-0.  After talking with some parents from the other team, we discovered that most of those girls had "been together for 3 seasons" already.  We were shocked, as all the girls on our team are only four, and this is the under-5 league.  Our coach did some digging and found out that apparently the league combined the under-5 and under-6 teams because there were not enough, and by luck of the draw, we got put in with the older group.  So, it will be an interesting season, but hopefully playing against the older girls will help our girls figure things out quickly and benefit them in the long run.

 AC has been traveling still, and has spent most of the weekends this past month in Los Angeles.  The one weekend he was home he worked overnight on a project on Saturday, and then we had to travel to Kansas Sunday afternoon to attend his grandfather's funeral.  Grandpa T was 90 years old, a farmer and carpenter, and led an amazing life.  His beautiful wife is still living, and though it was a sad time, it was also a great time of love and family.

As for homeschool, I have discovered we are fairly unstructured and fit well into the "unschooling" category.  We are definitely SC-led, and as things pop up that interest to her, we follow that path.  However, we do try to stick with working on general math, handwriting and phonics skills daily.  

We very recently abandoned Math-U-See because SC was not interested in any way in using the manipulative blocks, and simply wanted to do the sheets.  She has been playing a few math games on the iPad and her addition and subtraction skills have really taken off.  After reading some reviews, we have opted to start Singapore Primary Mathematics Level 1 to see if it is more her style.  I think we will be able to complete all of Level 1A and 1B before next fall, starting level 2 for her official "kindergarten" year.  We are also going to try out Life of Fred, as I have heard great things about it as well, though I am hoping I can check it out in person when I go to the Homeschool Book Fair this May.

We are still slowly working our way through the BOB Books collection 1, though I am pretty sure SC can read more than we have completed.  However, we let her read these at bedtime, and frequently bedtime is one of our most difficult times of day, and SC ends up going to bed without any reward books, including getting to read to us.  However, we work on Explode the Code phonics and A Reason for Spelling during the day.  Explode the Code requires a lot of writing, so we are moving slowly through it.  However, SC's handwriting is getting very readable.  She can correctly write all of her letters, both upper and lower cases, with only a few occasional "oops" (like switching lower-case b and d).

For both science and history, as mentioned above, we have taken a more "unschooling" approach.  I keep reminding myself that SC is not yet even 5 years old, so it is okay that we are still only on week 3 of History Odyssey, but we have had tons of opportunities to talk about more "social studies" type lessons, as well as learning about other cultures as AC travels.  We have also gone to see mummies, which was awesome, and joined the new Perot Museum, which is also awesome.  Though I really like the Apologia Exploring Creation with Astronomy, it was just too much for SC at this age.  We never even made it to the first lab.  She definitely understands many of the concepts, but all the activities are really geared toward a child that is already writing and creating written work on their own, even if simple.

SC's favorite part of homeschool (aside from math) has become reading the Bible.  We have been using Bible Study Guide for All Ages, and I found an awesome coloring book that has multiple scenes of almost every story in the Bible, which she colors on her own as I am actually reading.  It has really helped her to focus.  

This past week, of course, we have been talking a lot about Jesus, Easter, how sad His death is, but how glorious it is that His death paid the price of our salvation.  We sent our sponsored child, Oneydi, a letter specifically about Easter this week (which I realize will probably not arrive until after Easter).  We wrote about who Jesus was, and what Easter means for us as sinners.  We also talked about some of the things we do traditionally for celebrating Easter, like decorating eggs, and the significance of that.  I found these awesome "paint with water" books (similar to these, but Easter themed) that I took apart and sent along.  All that is required is a brush/q-tip and water  -- the paint is included on the paper.  SC actually uses these all the time.  They satisfy her need to paint almost daily, but with much less mess than traditional watercolors or acrylic paints.  We also sent Easter stickers, and I took apart The Very First Easter from the Beginner's Bible series (my first attempt at sending a book).  Finally, we sent an Easter card to Oneydi, as well as one to her family.

So, we are going to keep plugging along in our chaos, enjoying each other, spending some time doing structured school, spending quite a bit of time learning in life, and just living.  We are all traveling to Los Angeles to visit family and have the first real vacation in probably two years (though AC is going to be working Saturday night still) over Easter weekend.  SC is very excited to go to the beach, go to Disneyland, and see our family.  AC and I will be traveling to London together for a work trip of his, and I am super excited to be spending some time alone in this amazing city, seeing the sights, while AC works, and then getting to spend the evenings with him.  And, we shall see what else God sends our way this year.

Though this is more of a monthly wrap-up, check out how some other blogger's weeks have gone here:

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