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Showing posts from May, 2010
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. . _ Dot, dot, dash. Do you know what those symbols mean?! According to this reading assessment test , "dot, dot, dash" means that my daughter Norah is reading on a 2nd Grade - Intermediate reading level! She's only five years old! So, I am shocked! I knew our phonics was "working," but I had no idea it was working so well. I expected her to be "ahead," but I thought she'd be K- Advanced or maybe 1st Grade - Intermediate . I never expected her to be 2nd Grade- Intermediate ! So, with these results fresh in my mind (and heart), I feel much more confident about passing along my advice and experience. By doing so, I hope to inspire and help other mom's like me, with limited experience teaching children to read, to feel more confident in their ability to start this journey. First, I'd like to say that it is really, very simple. (That is, assuming your child does not have some very unique need that would totally void the advice I give yo
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I think I ruptured my Achilles, at least partially, during a group fitness class yesterday. The doctor at the emergency room said he isn't sure it's ruptured or if it is ruptured, doesn't think it was a complete tear, since my foot moved when he squeezed the back of my leg??? This "squeeze test" didn't seem very scientific to me, but what do I know? When he told me I had to wait till Tuesday, I asked him hard questions like, "Why can't I see the orthopedic surgeon today? " I wasn't rude to him, knowing that rudeness would grant me no favors and win me no friends. But, I did want to see if he'd give me a reasonable answer. He admitted it was partly because everyone was on vacation, but also told me that the "waiting and seeing" would "help them with the diagnosis." That didn't sound right, since everything I've read online says this injury needs to be dealt with right away. This "waiting and seeing&quo
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Disclaimer: Up till today, I hated decorating... and I especially hated blogs about decorating . (Sorry, ladies who love to decorate and then love to blog about it.) But, I spent a lot of time and energy (and money) on my living room this week and this is "where my treasure is" right now, so I am blogging about it!!! I finally organized my book shelves! I've had them (and I've just been shoving stuff up on them) for about a year now. I purchased these shelves "exclusively" for home school books, but since we don't have that many books "exclusively" for homeschooling, the shelves are still somewhat empty of home school books, for now. But, at this point in our journey, we need as many baskets for toys as we do shelves for home school books, so this is really working for us! And we got a new coffee table... with more baskets! I'm not sure how I ever lived without this thing! The little shelves hold all my piles and both our laptops perfec
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Norah drew this picture of an open Bible. Note the red ribbon bookmark. Very cute. I discovered it in a stack of her random doodles she made during her free time. I like it so much, I think I will use it from now on when I write something "devotional" in nature, like what's below. - What "soundtrack" is playing in your head today? What truths (or untruths) are you dwelling on? We should all make a "play list" of our favorite Bible verses and keep them on "repeat." Here's my current "top five." Notice the theme. I hadn't noticed it until I collected them here. Isaiah 66:2 -"For my hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being," declares the Lord. "But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit and who trembles at my word." Proverbs 1:23 -"If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.&q
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I got this great recipe for Skillet Lasagna from Family Fun magazine's special Dinnertime Edition. Family Fun magazine usually has a little bit of everything like most magazines: some advice, tips, a few recipes, a few stories, some crafts, but this edition has nothing but family-friendly recipes, cover to cover, 98 of them to be exact. It was love at first sight, so I had to buy it. We will definitely make this recipe again and again and again. I make a pretty mean lasagna the traditional way, you know, layer on layer baked in the stove for more than an hour... but this skillet version tastes so good, is so much easier and takes half the time, to be honest, I may not ever make lasagna the traditional way again!
"Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant... There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines." Taken from 1 Corinthians, Chapter 12 It's interesting that this portion of Scripture starts with th
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I don't know who your favorite Sesame Street character is, but mine has always been Cookie Monster. In the old days, when he was in the middle of one of his fits, his eyes would occasionally stick until one or both would wiggle loose again. His body had loose flaps and his "skin" would fly around in his rages. His fur was much more coarse then and I seem to remember his fingers having longer hair sticking off their tips. I liked him better that way- less groomed, a little rugged. The low-budget eyes made him look even crazier, so they made me laugh even harder. These days, though, his fur is real shiny and smooth and his eyes never stick, ever. I suppose it's because the producers have added fruits and vegetables to his diet. Did you hear about that? Along with Ronald McDonald, Cookie was blamed for making American kids fat. Sesame Street has since changed Cookie's image, making him look more healthy and even giving him skits where he teaches kids about a balanc
We were getting ready to walk out the front door for church, but Norah was lingering in the bathroom. I went to check on her and my heart warmed at the sight of her putting in her own earrings. I've been allowing her to change her earrings herself lately without my help or supervision. She does a good job of keeping up with them, so I just let her do it and save myself the trouble now. She seems to want to change them as often as her mood changes, so this works out great for me. I grabbed the camera and filmed her putting the second earring in. You can hear Dwayne and the baby come up behind me in the background of the film. We're all watching Norah grow up so fast!
I showed this to Dwayne and he said, "That wasn't the first time she read that page was it?!" It was. Norah's reading is always improving little by little because we practice so consistently, but lately, she seems to be taking leaps forward by the day. I am very proud of my little reader and you can tell that she's proud of herself.
"I cannot afford to have a thought in my head about me that is not in His." -Bill Johnson This is another thing that God is teaching me right now: how to control my thoughts. But, before I go too far into that, perhaps I should take you back to the very beginning and explain that until recently, I didn't pay much attention to the ideas that were floating around in my mind. I mean, I paid a lot of attention to certain types of ideas. Certain things would always throw up red flags for me and I knew, right away, to be on my guard. For instance, when I've gotten really, really angry at Dwayne... and that's happened a handful of times over the years, believe it or not... but, when I was mad at him, at times, I have wanted to leave for the night... or longer. Now, Dwayne and I don't usually fight like that... you know, really, really bad... but once or twice it's been bad enough that I have wanted to take flight. And, when that idea passed through my mind, I
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My husband told me, "If people didn't know your sweet spirit, they'd mistake your confidence in God for arrogance." Now, I am sure it will not surprise you when I tell you that what he said got me to thinking and thinking and thinking some more. And do you know what verse kept coming to my mind? Numbers 14:11: The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? I can't remember how I came upon this verse the first time. I think I was curious about this section of Scripture after reading the condensed version of the story to Norah from Family-Time Bible by Kenneth N. Taylor. The book is part of her home school curriculum. But, I was struck by the verse above, in particular. I am struck by a lot of verses, you know. But, this one "struck" me in a way that would change my life and redefine, in one instant, how I would r
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My first blog contest is officially over. And the winner is... Congratulations, Joanna! You will receive a free year's subscription to my all-time favorite magazine, Everyday Food! Delivered right to your door! (I am pretty sure that I already have your address, Joanna. I came to that home school meet up at your house on Valentine's Day . But, email me anyway and let me know for sure if that's the address where you want your magazine sent.) Congratulations again! Thanks to all who participated! I am planning to try some of the recipes you all shared soon. And, keep checking in on my blog because as soon as I think of something else to give away, I'll have another contest.
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Overheard #7 - I call this one, "God! Please! Prove him wrong!" A group of old men, talking over lunch. One man says to the others, "They're doing all this talk about 'revitalizing the city.' But, I don't care how much work they do, ain't nobody ever gonna' want to go downtown Waterbury... Ever." It's interesting that I overheard this old man and this quote, in particular, considering what's been on my heart and what I have been praying for Waterbury lately. The city is, currently, a byword among people in Connecticut. When we tell people we live here, they usually say, "Sorry" and if they don't actually say that, they seem to want to. But, I am beginning to really love this city. Dwayne and I don't actually live "in the city." We live outside the area I am praying for in a lovely, safe neighborhood. But, the people who reside downtown are desperate need of a spiritual awakening. Many people literally w
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Overheard # 6 - I call this one, "It's not funny anymore." A mom at lunch with her two boys on Mother's Day. One son was a teenager, the other was probably in middle school, both boys were very, very well dressed, branded from head to toe, noticeably wealthy. The mom said to the boys, "You need to eat something before you go back to your dad. What do you want? Chicken? A burger?" The kids mumbled something and continued staring at their smart phones, neither one of them interested in spending time with their mom. More conversation from the mom that I couldn't make out until I heard her ask in an upbeat, but noticeably strained voice, "So, what are your cell phone numbers?!" That's when my heart sank. I knew right away I'd write about this on my blog, but I also knew it wasn't funny anymore. I can't communicate the pain in this poor woman's voice. It told me in an instant that she was desperate for her children, for the
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A man's work is from sun to sun, but a mother's work is never done. -Author Unknown