Here are a few snapshots of a visit with my mom during her recent visit from California.  We are so blessed to have her fly south at least once a year to be showered with love from her Louisiana grandchildren. 

My mom has been visiting us across the country in Tennessee and Louisiana for the past 8 years, yet this was the first time she agreed to spend the night at our place rather than resort to a local hotel.  I confess, I may have lured her in with her own private room, private bathroom and limitless wireless internet .  :-)

During her visit, mom managed to take a few children to storytime, enjoy our family piano concert and join us for our weekly Shabbat (Sabbath) service & feast during her 4 day trip.  And in her own words to a dear friend : “I survived my visit!” (lol)

WE LOVE YOU GRANDMA!

P/S If you want to preivew a few clips from our Family Concert, then click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy5si5-AVEY

Have you ever been called into the principals office during your school years?

 I’m grateful to share that I haven’t either, however I have visited the counselor’s office.  Now it wasn't for what you may be thinking....I wasn’t being “counseled” on behavioral issues, but career choices.  The counselor I met with was a Guidance Counselor who helped me prepare my path for college and beyond.

Well, last week during one of our school days, I ventured upon the rare occasion to emulate my public school experience by setting up a Guidance Couselor’s office for my young students.  I explained to them that  my objective was to help them set their bi-annual goals and develop a strategy for success (more on this process by visiting my vid on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4LZJsld2NA

 Again, I was excited to hear about my children’s personal goals; from learning how to swim to memorizing 2 concertos. I also set several goals as a home educator such as:

1. Scheduling monthly field trips
2. Investing in a museum membership
3. Implementing gardening lessons
4.incorporating annual standard testing. 

When it came to testing, the cost of purchasing 4 testing packages didn’t appeal to my pocketbook, however I did find an alternative by doing a simple google search.  Here is a wonderful link to multiple FREE DOWNLOADABLE GRADE APPROPRIATE TESTS issued by the state of Texas:

http://www.scotthochberg.com/taas.html

(Note: Each grade level includes several dozen pages that require printing, however if you take time to do the math, it should save a few $$’s  and will provide a sample test until you’re ready to invest in another standardized test)

This morning I did my routine big shopping trip to the “city,” yet this time was slightly different.  Now that Spring is around the corner and I'm getting an itch to garden, I was completely grieved by the prices of produce. 

Many know that for years now I have desired and attempted to maintain a productive garden.  Then after my experience this morning, it confirmed my need to diligently pray and prepare for our Spring gardening success.

Several months ago (on our previous blog site,)  I was blogging about some of our gardening endeavors and the success of strawberries, cantaloupe, sunflowers, zuchinni and squash.  I had many other attempts such as medicinal herbs, blueberries, tomatoes, cucumbers and more, but my thumb isn’t naturally “green” so those efforts were short-lived.

Those who know me well can say that I’m naturally optimistic and determined, so I think this year will yield a better harvest.  Occasionally I search online for inspiration and as mentioned before, this local family remains a source of motivation: 
http://www.gofamilyfarms.com/….. Their site also includes great links (some very convicting about the source of ALL our foods.) Recently, I was so happy to get the news that they’ve joined the world of blogging: http://blog.gofamilyfarms.com/ 

I hope to share more gardening updates soon!

Last month our family had an adventurous trek hundreds of miles Northeast.  We were on a ministry mission to fellowship with other Hebrew families across the country from Georgia, Virigina and Maryland.  We had an amazing journey and made some wonderful connections with several families. We also passed through Washington DC in a short drive-thru  tour and managed a quick visit to our National Zoo, (see pictures.)

Those who know me well can say that I like to keep things realitively simple, so when it comes to technology I’m not the first in line to try out the latest and greatest buzz (I’ll leave that to my beloved :-) .)  However, now that Marlon is working in Houston for part of the week, I have stepped out on the edge and into the realm of video calling (I reckon that’s what you call it.)  Basically, I’m now set up to use our web cam and talk to Marlon and others through the computer while watching their images.  How fun does that sound?

I know this technology through Skype has been out for years because Marlon has actually used this feature for work and ministry at least since 2006.  This is comforting to know because now I can depend on him as my personal technical support (another perk in our marriage:-) )

So now that I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone, I may actually be ready to take up the suggestion of my friends and join Facebook in a few more years (lol).  Seriously, I’m not quite ready to take the Facebook plunge yet,  but you can find my beloved there at least a couple times a week. In the meantime I will continue to blog as a means of keeping in touch with you all :-)

BTW, would you believe that my mother and Marlon’s mother both have active Facebook accounts?   Well done Grandmas!

 

Although I wasn’t particularly happy about our “adopted wild chicken” digging up my mini- flower bed, I must admit that I’m grateful for the daily gift she leaves us…..Eggs can’t get much fresher than that!

(Note: I added a few eggs to the batch for the "thrill factor")

Last month we took a quick weekend  road trip to Houston for business as well as pleasure.  Our trip involved a business appointment, a few visits to family and friends and a field trip to  the Medical Science Museum. 

Though I enjoyed every aspect of our trip, the highlight for me was spending time with my late grandmother’s childhood friend who just celebrated her 99th birthday.  Amazingly, this dear friend has been connected with our family since she and my grandmother went to college together in 1930’s.  She had a delightful sense of humor and very sound memory.  I truly cherish her stories and the perspectives from which she shared. I really could have spent the entire afternoon hearing her stories about my beloved grandmother as well as my great-grandmother (born in the late 1800’s). 

I’ve mentioned in previous posts as well as produced a short series about the value of “family heritage.”  Naturally, we’re all busy and can easily overlook tapping into our ancestry.  However, I’ve found there to be great value in taking the time to seek and ask questions from a more experienced perspective. This pursuit of our family heritage is a small gift I can give my children that may open their eyes up beyond the world they’ve grown up in. It has surely expanded my vision and understanding of life. 

A few weeks ago I had the urge to take the family on a Nature Walk outing.  I have fond memories of my mother persistently requiring us to go on family Nature walks at least a few times per week.   Plus I was reading in a manual concerning Charolette Mason homeschooling method and how she encourages Nature Notebooks and Daily outdoor observation.  So we loaded up and sought out some nature trails near Lake Charles.  I must confess, I’ve been a bit spoiled by the beautiful mountains and wooded areas in Northern Cali & Central Tennessee but I’m learning to appreciate the generally flat and swamp-like attributes of Southwest Louisiana.  :-)

Overall, we  all had a great time at the new community park that Marlon discovered:

My how things have changed!  Though I only have a little over 3 decades worth of life experience, I do have fond memories of childhood strolls in the mountains behind our house and long afternoons exploring the creeks and their splendor.  I truly don’t ever remember spending long periods of time in front of the television or being concerned about the passing of time.  I certainly don’t remember being the slightest bit concerned about a possible predator (of the animal or human nature), lurking around.  And now here we are in the 21st century and I can say again, my how things have changed!

Aside from the sheer safety concerns of the times, I also notice that our culture has become far too technical when it comes to entertainment and exploration.  For example, I’ve wanted to erect a playground for some time in our backyard with slides, swings and a treehouse.  In the meantime my children taken their imagination and transformed themselves as the “boxcar children” or a group nature people that climb the trees and live off the land.  Yes, they make mud pies with marigold frosting and pretend to hunt some wild game (which is really our family chickens).  I’ve seen them devise some nifty transport vehicles and pulley systems.  They’ve also planted little pretend gardens and set up homemade tents.  Though it will be nice to having a backyard playground, nothing beats the combination of nature and imagination!

I value the importance of extracurricular activities, as long as they don’t interfere with the peace & function of the home.  I’ve had my share of ripping and running from one activity to the next which left things quite chaotic.  Now we’ve opted toward a more strategic approach to how we spend our “extra” time.

This school year we chose to participate in our Homeschooling 4H club and Local Chess group.  I really appreciate the community service based activities & projects from 4H as well as the socialization opportunities.  Our chess group also encourages friendships and many critical thinking skills that are beneficial for our children.

We’re also active with the Storytime and Book bunch programs at our local library as well as participating with the Book-It Incentive Program sponsored by Pizza Hut (www.bookitprogram. )

I have found that these activities are a good fit for our family and don't cause us to neglect the needful matters at home. 

Below is a short video clip from the 4H “Pet Show” held last month: