November 22, 2004
Swim Fun
The kids just started the third session of their homeschool swim class. Sometimes I swim laps during their lesson and then play with Sophie while the boys play with their friend Caleb. The boys love to build rafts out of floating mats and paddle around.
November 21, 2004
Curtains Away!
Last night when James said goodnight to Sophie, she asked him to say the nursery rhyme "Little Miss Muffet." He obliged and as he was leaving, Sophie stuck the fabric of her bed tent in her mouth and said, "Look Daddy, I'm eating my curtains away too!"
November 17, 2004
ALCOHOL!
Yesterday, I took the kids to the doctor for Matthew and Sophie's 7 and 5 year well-child check-ups. Sophie had to get her 5 year old booster shots -- three of them. The nurse had this plastic disc with little plastic points all over it and a cut-out area for the needle. She put the disc on Sophie's arm and the points distracted Sophie from the needle poke. I've never seen that before! It worked! The MMR booster stung, because the medication itself stings, but Sophie was brave and didn't cry at all. She was enjoying the nice nurse and later told me that she didn't want the nurse to know what she looks like when she cries.
During the vaccination process, the nurse explained to Sophie that she would wipe her arm with an alcohol wipe. Sophie exclaimed, "ALCOHOL!!" ...At the recent birthday party the kids attended, some kids were chanting some little rhyme about "...baby's drinking alcohol!" I told our kids to stop repeating it and had to explain why it wouldn't be good or funny for a baby to drink alcohol. This incident might explain, however, why Sophie calls egg nog "eggohol" and her reaction to the nurse's statement. I laughed!
Bible Study
Last Sunday, I was sick and stayed home from church but took the opportunity to spend the day starting an inductive study on the gospel of John in preparation for a Bible study with a friend. On Monday, I decided to "kill two birds with one stone" and started doing a simplified version of the study with my kids each day. On Monday, I taught them a basic background information about the book, the author, the audience and the purpose which we review each day. I printed out a copy of the first chapter for each of them which I copied off the internet (NASB) and pasted into WordPerfect where I enlarged the font and double-spaced the lines. The kids have been enjoying marking symbols over key words. We will finish that tomorrow (1:1-18) and start making lists of what we learn from the key words. We won't do everything that I've done in my own study, but it is rewarding to teach them some study skills that we can build on. They like it.
November 15, 2004
Latest Sophism
This weekend, our family enjoyed some eggnog: not spiked I assure you. Sophie keeps calling it "eggohol." She just can't remember the right word!
November 13, 2004
Recent Birthday Party/ Game Day
The kids were recently invited to a costume/birthday party/ game day attended by 17 kids total. Here they are dressed up and ready to go:
The birthday boy:
Little party girls:
Six warriors:
Playing "Duck, Duck, Goose":
Playing "Set":
The kids also enjoyed whacking a pinata!
One of the moms who attended the party has ideas for two other group activities. She wants to host a tea at her house in December when she will bring out her fine china and teach the kids about manners. (As I have reminded Evan lately, "If you don't mind your manners, someone else will.") She also had the idea of a "Junior Toastmasters" get-together where the kids will recite a verse or poem or read a selection aloud for each other. I volunteered to host that activity on November 30th.