Thanksgiving Week

We had an awesome, extremely busy and productive Thanksgiving Week!

We started the week with play-dates, catching up with friends we hadn't seen in a while and letting the kids enjoy the much cooler weather.

Also I went grocery shopping with all four kids to three different grocery stores in one trip to get the final touches for our Thanksgiving meal and we all survived.

Wednesday night began our cooking firsts.  Since Chris is now beyond lactose intolerant (i.e. he gets violently ill), I needed to make pumpkin pie with goat's milk.  Unfortunately, I could not find evaporated goat's milk, so I had to make my own.  For those of you who don't know, this is a long drawn out process; two hours in fact of simmering, removing the film/skin and stirring every six minutes.  My biggest fear the whole time was that we would burn it and have to start all over; thankfully that never happened.  Oh, and by-the-way, it made the best pumpkin pie ever!

Early Thursday morning, I began the process of cooking my very first turkey (at nearly 42 years old), to be shared by our family and our close friends. All my life, I have bought the turkey cooked and cut in a box.  Immediately I had doubts, the directions on the turkey and other directions on the turkey bag seemed to be giving conflicting instructions.  Luckily my Aunt Janet had offered to be my "Turkey Hotline" and she was ready for my call.  My loving husband found my confusion so cute that he took pictures to post on Facebook.  Fortunately, Janet's advice worked perfectly; the turkey was so juicy, it literally fell off the bone.  The meal was a huge success with kids and adults coming back for more, so much so we had hardly any left overs.

While the turkey cooked, the kids the played in the backyard until we called them in to watch "The Mouse on the Mayflower"; a great family tradition we shared with our friends this year.  The kids really like watching this every year.  Though, we did have to explain to Titus that the "naked men" were called "Indians", not just "naked men".

At dinner, Chris took a moment to read "George Washington's Thanksgiving Address of 1789" to remind us all of why and for what our government originally set this day aside.  (I'll give you a hint - it wasn't just to watch football.)

We did, however, settle down after dinner to watch some football in our food induced comatose state, or at least the adults did. The kids played football as much as they watched. 

Titus has been asking all year - "When are we going back to the corn maze?". We decided we would make it our family tradition to go the Friday after Thanksgiving this year and in years to come.  We get to be outside, burn some calories and avoid the mayhem of city shoppers.

We brought along my "fourth son", Matthew, and everyone had a great time.  We had planned on letting Matthew and Lance go off on their own but they changed the rules a little this year that kids under 16 had to have an adult with them in the maze.  So I followed Lance and Matthew, and that's really all I did except stopping occasionally so I didn't have to follow them down a dead-end.  Titus joined our team mid-way.  Chris set-off to beat the boys with Jared running ahead and Amber on his back.  

Ironically, after two hours of searching the maze for all the clues, we ended up all finishing about the same time and in the same place.  I was so impressed that both teams had the tenacity to finish the entire maze.  Once again it was amazing to see Jared at the maze running ahead of Chris.  Last year he had to leave early with Grandpa and Titus because he could not walk anymore.  All the boys had great attitudes, Amber had a nice nap in the backpack, we all had a blast and worked up quite the appetite.

After lunch it was on to other adventures at the farm.  Titus was finally tall enough to ride the zip-line.  The boys had it all to themselves for a while and kept running back in line doing it again and again and AGAIN :-)

The last activity was the bounce pillow, this too had been unavailable to the "Mighty One" last year and now was all his to conquer along side his brothers.  The weather was absolutely perfect for our day.  As we left, the boys did the big slide one last time as Daddy and Amber took the tunnel out.

All this and we still had two days to go!

Saturday was two hour baseball practice for Chris and Lance, while the rest of us went to the park.  Afterwards, we (of course) sat down for the Ohio State/Michigan football game.  Thankfully Ohio State won, which makes for a much happier husband (Hee! Hee!).  Then, we started the Christmas decorating.  We actually managed to get down all the decorations and everything put up by Sunday afternoon.  More friends came by in the late afternoon and it was off to play some more.

Sunday, in addition to finishing our decorating (inside and out), we did science experiments, wash laundry, bike maintenance, and finished off our Thanksgiving Feng Shui - filling up the van with boxes of clothes we dropped off and plans to sort and sell other stuff at consignment sales early next year.  Amber even got into the spirit.  When Chris mentioned the dog needed a bath, Amber walked over to the wipes container, got out a wipe and began wiping down the dog :-)

Thanksgiving Feng Shui!

As we approach the Thanksgiving Holiday, gather the troops and take some time to "Feng Shui" the house.  You'll be so glad you did!  Trust me!

What do I mean by "Feng Shui" the house?  Well, let me explain.  My definition of Feng Shui is ridding your house of anything that gives you negative feelings, it can be simple clutter that drives you nuts or that ugly chair from Great, Great, Aunt Agnes.  What ever it is get rid of it!  You'll be amazed at the sense of peace that will slowly fill you the more stuff you get rid of, plus with Christmas around the corner cleaning out some space before more things come in might be a needed exercise.

Here's how I suggest going about it in the macro and micro forms.

Micro First:

EMAIL - Go through your trash folder and unsubscribe from all emails you get that you never read.  If that doesn't work mark them as "junk" or put them on your blocked senders list.  Opening your emails after this will be much more pleasant.

CATALOGS:  Most of us know which catalogs we are going to buy from and many now have online versions of their catalogs.  As you get catalogs this season take a moment, put them in a pile and once a week take a few minutes to call them and ask them to stop sending.  Your mailbox will thank you.

MACRO LEVEL:

Choose a room or choose a drawer....

First question to ask do I need this?  If the answer is "no" get rid of it, in the trash or in a donation box but start it moving out of your house.

If your answer is "yes, I need this?  Then ask yourself "why?"

• If its because its a family treasure but it doesn't fit in with your decor or it gives you the creeps pass it onto a relative who would like it, but pass it on.
• If its because you think you might need it.  Ask yourself if you've used it in the last year?  If the answer is "no" its doubtful you'll ever use it so clear that space, especially if its something you could borrow from a friend or repurchase easily if you ever did need it.
• If its treasures from you or your kids, take out the camera.  My kids have learned to simply ask me to take a picture and then they are happy to part with their latest find or art work.  If you want, you can even take all those pictures at the end of the year and make a scrap-book for each kid (I need to do this some day with my pictures I know the boys would love it).

Now if the answer is still "yes", then ORGANIZE!  Make a special place for it that you can find it when you need it.  This is true of hand-me-down clothes to everything else.  There's no point saving it if you don't know where it is when you need it.

There, now though your belly may grow from all the tasty treats you eat over this yummy holiday (mine always does), you can at least be comforted knowing your house is a little thinner and infinitely more peaceful.

125th Anniversary of Pone de Leon Inlet Lighthouse

On November 1st we invoked on a journey to Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse for "Homeschool Day". 

Prior to arriving I really didn't know what the Homeschool Day would entail.  I couldn't find an itinerary on their website but i did find another website discussing the field trip that said the event involved a lot of workshops for the 10 and older crowd.  Well, since my crew is all under 10, and not of the inclination to sit for hours in chairs during a workshop, I almost backed out upon reading.  However, in the end, I decided that if all we did was tour the grounds and climb the lighthouse the boys would call it a success.

Ponce Inlet is a good 90 minute drive from our house.  I'd like to say I got up the courage to venture out with all four kids that far by myself, but alas I did not, I invited Christina to join us, so glad I did.

When we arrived our packet was waiting for us and Mary walked us to our first activity; "Guess What This is?".  It was a table set up with a variety of useful things from the past that the boys had to guess their use.  The boys really enjoyed this process and the lady attending the table was a incredibly knowledgeable and entertaining.  The activity took place inside one of the permanent exhibits at the lighthouse museum.  I was thrilled to see the exhibit was very baby proof and full of interesting stories about the people who at one time had called the lighthouse their home.  After the activity I took a few minutes to read some of the stories posted around the old house that our guide had suggested reading.

We then proceeded to the other museum house where they had a number of very interesting and informative hands-on exhibits explaining how the shape of the lighthouse glass bent the light just right, how they used a bag/bucket system to rescue people wrecked at see, among other interested exhibits.

Our next workshop was a hands on exercise to teach the children about channel markers and how to calculate a knot. What a hoot!   Lance was the Boatsmans (I think :-), he counted the knots on the rope.  Jared helped carry the rope and Titus was in charge of turning the timer and calling "Mark!".  The kids managed to run 10 knots per hour.  On the way back through the channel to "port" Titus crawled in to help with the boat, which was rather funny since you couldn't see his head above the side.  The couple in charge of this workshop made it not only informative but very entertaining.  I'm sure the boys will never forget how to calculate a knot.  Great tie in to some of the stories of Columbus we read last year.

The final workshop before we took our lunch break was on latitude and longitude; specifically how to use The Mariner's Quadrant to determine your latitude.  This tied in nicely to awesome video we watched last year called "Lost at Sea: The Search for Longitude"; about how John Harrision who found a way to calculate longitude in 18th Century.

After this workshop everyone was ready for a break, so we went out to the picnic tables for a quick snack and then returned for the second half of our day.

First thing boys wanted to do was climb the lighthouse.  Christina was kind enough to offer to carry Amber, which worked out well since the mighty one was fearless on the way up but not so much on the way down.  We had quite a view from the top.

At the top we learned about how a Crystal Radio worked and realized we were at the lighthouse on the exact day of the 125th Anniversary of the original lighting of the lighthouse.  To commemorate the day the last child (now a beautiful woman) to be born at the lighthouse was there to answer questions about what life had been like living at the lighthouse.  I wish we'd had time to just sit, talk and listen to her but sitting still is not one of Amber or Titus' greatest skills yet.  The fact that there was plenty of room for these two to just run around at the outdoor workshops is one of the things that made this day a huge success and enjoyable for everyone.

The final workshop we attended was "Wig Wag Flag Communication", it was lead by an extremely knowledgeable and entertaining gentlemen (both to the kids and the parents).  Again after some back ground it turned into another fun hands on activity of deciphering and then sending their own messages.

During the workshop Titus was getting tired so Christina took him on the nature walk, after which we decided it was time to go home.  Amber was ready for an afternoon nap and everyone was tired after a very educational and entertaining day. All in all it was great day and the staff of volunteers both friendly and informative.  There were still a few things to do but I'll be sure to put it on our calendar again for next year and we'll do them then.  There are other interesting activities at the lighthouse throughout the year so maybe we'll bring Daddy and go back before.

On an aside; when we got home Amber had a belated B-Day gift, her first tutu...

  She was thrilled and pranced around in till Daddy go home.

Birth of Moses to the Mycenaeans

 

These are two of the interesting depictions of Moses being discovered by the princess found on http://freechristimages.org/biblestories/birth_of_moses.htm  Each one is so unique it can lead to a lot of interesting conversations about which best describes the biblical story, why or why not?

One interesting theory I stumbled across was that the princess would not have been heading down to the Nile to bathe in the crocodile infested Nile, she would have had her own bathes.  They believed she was headed down to the Nile to pray to the river god Hapy, who was also the god of fertility since she and the pharaoh had no heirs.  That would explain why Moses was accepted by the pharaoh who had made the rule that all male Hebrew children die.  The baby appearing as she prayed to Hapy would have been seen as a sign from the gods.

1525 BC Moses Birth

• REVIEW:  Student narrate what they remember about Moses Birth and life in Egypt
• Read Exodus 1:1 – 2:25
• Read VJTB  pgs.  51-53
• Art Project – Weave a Basket  http://www.craftstylish.com/item/47658/the-times-they-are-a-changing-how-to-make-a-basket-from-a-newspaper/page/all   I still really want to try this but must admit we never got a chance this week.
• Mark Timeline

c. 1500 Hinduism in India

• REVIEW:  Indus Valley Civilization
• Read “Everything You Need to Know About World History” pgs.  26-27
• Read and look at pictures of Sanchi and Mamallipuram in “Lost Civilizations” pgs. 214-225
• MAP TREK:  Map #19 India
• Discuss how Hinduism differs from Christianity.  Here’s a  link with basic points to aid discussion http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2007/03/07/a-quick-comparison-between-hinduism-and-christianity/
• Memory Narration Points
• It is a polytheistic religion gathered from the beliefs of various tribes in northern India
• None of their god's provide a means of forgiveness (just Karma) and no means of salvation. They must become a god through works alone.
• Reincarnation is fundamental to their beliefs, the goal is to come back as a member of highest level of their Caste system.  Reincarnation is contrary to Christianity where we only have one life to live.
• The Caste system is contrary to Christianity because God warns us not play favorites, especially based on man's social ranking.

1450 BC  Mycenaean Culture replaces Minoan Culture

• REVIEW:  Minoan Culture
• Read “Usborne Internet-Linked Greeks”  pgs. 9-13
  
• Read and look at pictures of Mycenae in “Lost Civilizations” pg. 36-41
• Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdDUDU9qTj8 This video might be more appropriate when studying Troy but it was all I could find and it provided a nice overview.  Reading the Usborne book may have been enough.
• Mark Timeline
• Memory Narration Points
• The Mycenaean culture formed from various individual tribes in the mainland of Greece.
• They are the successors of the Minoan culture on the Island of Crete
• They were a waring people, infamous pirates, and traders
• They are the makers of the Trojan horse 
• Their downfall came from the Dorians whose weapons were made of iron 

Run! Jared Run!

Two weeks after we returned from Boston, Jared had his first visit with our home cardiologist.  It was the standard "Dinner & A Movie" visit i.e. EKG, ECHO and Exam.  We had talked with them over the phone during our stay and after we got home but it was great to talk in person again.  The Doc said they did a "remarkable job"; that's very high praise coming from him.  He told us that there was even a bit of overlap with the cone which would allow some growth to take place in the heart.  Time will tell if its enough but it's very hopeful.  He also said the incision was completely healed and Jared could swim and bathe if he wanted.  He smiled when I said I think I'll stick to the conservative direction of waiting eight weeks, just in case.  He and his head nurse know us well after seven years and its nice.

However, I was more than willing to let Jared start riding his bike again when he reached the six week mark (the minimum wait time for that activity).  He was tired of being left behind or having to walk.  The six week mark happened to fall on a baseball practice night so we even had somewhere to go;  he was so ecstatic!  That weekend, we all rode down to the park and around the lake together as a family to celebrate.  We were all thrilled to be greeted by otters!  In the eight years we've lived here we've heard otters lived near the lake but Chris and I had never seen them.  We actually got to see three; two parents and a juvenile and the juvenile was more than happy to eat some bread we threw it.

Today is the eight week mark, and after golf lessons today I'm sure he's going to turn into a raisin soaking in his first bath in months.  We started golf lessons shortly after getting home. He had wanted to learn how to play golf for a while and it was one of the few activities not on the "to be avoided for six months, till the sternum heals" list.   He and Titus as having great fun.

I never realized how "blue" Jared was till after his operations.  To me he was Jared, my beautiful son and that's just how he looked.  Now that he's "pink", I realize how truly "blue" he had always been.

Another major upside since his surgery is that he now has an appetite.  For years I had crammed his smoothies with all the calories and nutrition I could.  Getting him to just maintain his weight the last year had been a huge struggle, trying to get him to eat something small and high calorie every hour or two during the day.  Chris and I were floored the first time he said he was hungry, he'd never been hungry a day in his life, we jumped up ready to serve him anything he wanted.  In the last eight weeks he's actually gained seven pounds and you can really see the food finally sticking to his ribs.  Yay!  Even his hair has thickened up considerably.

The other major upside is that he can now keep up with his brothers and his friends.  Before his surgery he would run out of breath and energy just jogging to the mailbox (about 30 feet), playground games like tag had always been out of the question for him simply because he couldn't keep up.  That has all changed.  He gives Lance a run for his money literally.  It filled my heart to see him running ahead on our walk last night keeping up with Lance.  Just like it did his father when he took them to the playground and he could actually play tag with the other kids.  In fact this weekend, for the first time I saw him with sweat running down his face he was playing so hard in the backyard.  Who would have thought sweat would look so good.

Sometimes I find myself forgetting to breathe again.  I had held my breathe for seven years and was accustomed to living in fear; its still hard some days to believe he's doing so well. We truly serve an awesome God.