Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday, Jesus! Thank you for coming as a baby, living as a man, and loving us so much that you would die for us.
May we worship and adore Him today.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Loads of Video

"Christmas Sunday" at our church is always so special. You can read and view loads of videos here.

Monday, December 12, 2011

The Mikado

 
We had a wonderful trip to NH to see Mikayla play the part of Yum Yum in The Mikado. I wish I could upload the whole thing because all the kids did such a fabulous job! The play was hysterically funny, too. We really enjoyed it. That is a group of TALENTED kids!

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Fall





We have had a lot going on around here, but nothing really momentous. At least nothing that I didn't share immediately on Facebook.
We had a nice time with my bother, Chris, who took a working vacation to come help all the helpless people around here. haha. Those are his words. He built us a beautiful set of steps for the camp, and added a smaller woodstove. We knew that the woodstove out there was in poor shape, but didn't realize HOW bad. ;)
He brought the kids some hats, and took Nathanael and Terry hunting. Nathanael was ecstatic when he shot his first bird.
We had a quiet Thanksgiving with just us as Mom went to visit Jon and his family in SC. We'll make up for that at Christmas when Terry's folks will join us, and the church parties and programs start.
Nate had his first concert with the Bangor Symphony Youth Orchestra. It was a beautiful concert. The videos are long because it really was professional pieces that they played. I posted some on Facebook, but it would take forever to put them here. Nate loves being a part of this, and it is so much better than just the HS band.
Nate and Lanie had a piano recital. They both did quite well. Lanie gets so nervous in front of people, but she did fine. She practiced and practiced knowing that if she did that it would help her confidence. The next Sunday she sang a beautiful solo at church, which I didn't get to video because I was accompanying her. So proud of our miracle girl!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

In Other News



Mikayla was able to come home for a weekend.  When she is home, she always convinces her friends to play both pianos at church during the evening service. So, this past Sunday, two girls were at the baby grand, two more girls played the upright, and one really cute fella played the organ. I wish I had taken video or a picture of it. We miss how she rallies all the teens when she is here. She was here long enough to upload some of her pictures of a seniors only mountain climb and senior slave day at Dublin. The seniors are auctioned off to the highest bidders to raise money for their senior trip. She is having a great year despite having to take Anatomy and Calculus. :)

Laugh Out Loud

Ok, we have cute little things that are said and written around here, such as my Facebook post about the salt mines yesterday, but these take the cake and were so cute that I had to share… If you want a laugh or just a pick-me-up read through these children’s science exam questions and answers. Teachers, Parents and Children’s Writers should all enjoy these along with those that just love children.
These are real answers given by children.
Q:Name the four seasons.
A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar
Q:Explain one of the processes by which Water can be made safe to drink.
A:Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists
Q:How is dew formed?
A:The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire
Q:How can you delay milk turning sour?
A:Keep it in the cow
Q:What causes the tides in the oceans?
A:The tides are a fight between the earth and the moon. All water tends to flow toward the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature hates a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.
Q:What are steroids?
A:Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs
Q:What happens to your body as you age?
A:When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental
Q:What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A:He says good-bye to boyhood and looks forward to his adultery.
Q:Name a major disease associated with cigarettes.
A:Premature death
Q:What is artificial insemination?
A:When the farmer does it to the cow instead of the bull
Q:How are the main parts of the body categorized? (e.go., abdomen.)
A:The body consisted into three parts ---the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain; the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels, A, E, I, O, and U.
Q:What is the fibula?
A:A small lie
Q:What does “varicose” mean?
A:Nearby.
Q:Give the meaning of the term “Caesarean Section”
A:The Caesarian Section is a district in Rome
And,
Q:What does the word “benign” mean?
A:Benign is what you will be after you be eight.
I just thought these were entirely too cute and funny to keep to myself. Enjoy!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Survival of the 70's

This post was sent to me via the "old fashioned" email. I didn't realize that email was considered old fashioned until one of our teens said, " My parents won't let us have a facebook. They make us use just old fashioned email." (insert drooping shoulders, hanging head, long, loud sigh, followed closely by the rolling of the eyes) I decided to pass it on even though I was born in '71.  I just said to my kids not long ago, "When I was a kid, being inside was the same as being grounded. We couldn't stand it. Plus, if our Mom's caught a glimpse of us, they gave us a chore to do. Now, go outside and play before I turn into my Mom!" It worked. ;)
No matter what our kids 
and the new generation think about us,
WE ARE AWESOME !!! 
OUR Lives are LIVING 
PROOF !!!
 

To Those of Us Born
 
1925 - 1970
 :
> 
> 

At the end 
of this email is a quote of the month by Jay Leno. If you don't read anything else, 
please
 
read what he 
said.
 

Very well stated, 
Mr. Leno.
 
~~~~~~~~~
 
TO ALL THE 
KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE
 
1930s, '40s, '50s, 
'60s and '70s!! 


First, we survived 
being born to mothers who may have smoked and/or drank
 
while they were 
pregnant.
 

They took aspirin, 
ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.
 

Then, after that 
trauma, we were
 
put to sleep 
on our tummies
 
in baby cribs 
covered
 
with bright colored 
lead-based paints.
 

We had no 
childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets,
 
and, when we 
rode our bikes,
 
we had baseball 
caps,
 
not helmets, on 
our heads.
 



As infants and 
children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, 
no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes..
 



Riding in the 
back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat..
 

We drank water 
from the garden hose and not from a bottle.
 



We shared one 
soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this.
 



We ate cupcakes, 
white bread, real butter, and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. 
And we weren't overweight. 
WHY?
 

Because we were 
always outside playing...that's why!
 

We would leave 
home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights 
came on.
 
No one was 
able to reach us all day.
 
--And, we were 
OKAY.
 



We would spend 
hours building
 
our go-carts out 
of scraps
 
and then ride 
them down the hill,
 
only to find 
out we forgot the brakes.. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned 
to solve the problem..
 



We did not 
have Play Stations, Nintendos and X-boxes. There were
 
no video games, 
no 150 channels on cable,
 
no video movies 
or DVDs,
 
no surround-sound or 
CDs,
 
no cell phones,
 
no personal computers,
 
no Internet and 
no chat rooms.
 



WE HAD FRIENDS
 
and we went 
outside and found them!
 

We fell out 
of trees, got cut,
 
broke bones and 
teeth,
 
and there were 
no lawsuits
 
from those accidents. 
We would get 
spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping-pong paddles, or just a bare hand, 
and no one would call child services to report abuse.
 


We ate worms, 
and mud pies
 
made from dirt, 
and
 
the worms did 
not live in us forever.
 


We were given 
BB guns for our 10th birthdays, 22 rifles for our 12th, rode horses,made up games with sticks and tennis balls, and 

-although we were 
told it would happen- we did not put out very many eyes.
 

We rode bikes 
or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just 
walked in and talked to them.
 



Little League had 
tryouts
 
and not everyone 
made the team.
 
Those who didn't 
had to learn
 
to deal with 
disappointment.
 

Imagine that!!
 



The idea of a parent bailing 
us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! 




These generations have 
produced some of the best
 risk-takers, 
problem solvers, and 
inventors ever.
 

The past 50 
to 85 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas..
 

We had freedom, 
failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.
 



If YOU are 
one of those born
 
between 1925-1970, CONGRATULATIONS!
 

You might want 
to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids before the lawyers 
and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.
 

While you are 
at it, forward it to your kids, so they will know how brave and lucky their parents 
were.
 

Kind of makes 
you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it ?
 
~~~~~~~
 
The quote of 
the month 
by
 
Jay Leno:
 
"With hurricanes, tornados, 
fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the 
country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist 
attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?" 

For those that 
prefer to think that God is not watching over us...go ahead and delete this.
 
For the rest 
of us..... 
please pass this 
on.

They started us young.
 
Someone must have set me on this trike. I look a little perturbed at not being able to make this thing go.
Is that mud? I remember this ride on. The pedals were so unmanageable that we would kneel on the seat, push off with one foot at the top of our street, and fly down into the driveway. The only way to stop was to steer for the grass and wait for it to stop on its own. No helmet. I wish I could've found the picture of me on the handlebars of my brother's bike. He rode me all over the neighborhood that way whenever Mom made him take me with him. Once, he had me ride on the banana seat behind him. He told me to keep my feet away from the wheels, but I didn't. I got my foot caught in the spokes and took a bite of the ground while being dragged for several feet. I lived to tell about it.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Who Stole My Son?




Ok. It's Nathanael's turn for a post all his own. I would have done it sooner, but I can't find him.  Lately, there's this boy hanging around here that claims to be my son. We've been feeding him in hopes he'll tell us what happened to our real son. 


The kid who's been posing as our son takes a shower every morning without being threatened with bodily harm. He also remembers deoderant, and even adds a splash of cologne. So we know without a doubt that this kid is not the real son.

This kid who's been posing as our son asked and received a "nice" haircut. Our real son was perfectly happy with his Mom's attempts to style ...cough ...chop his hair. He never cared to put comb to follicle, either, so we know this kid is not the real son.

This kid who has been posing as our son has been willingly practicing his music, most of time doing it without being reminded. He has auditioned and won a spot in the Bangor Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. We would be so proud of him if he were ours.

This kid who has been posing as our son begins his schoolwork every day and finishes all assignments in a timely manner. He says that he wants to get it done, so that the rest of the day is his to do with as he wants. Our real son forgets that there are school assignments at all. His papers are lost or wadded up in the back of his desk, so we know that this kid is not the real son.

This kid who has been posing as our son asked to go shopping with his Mom for "cool" clothing. Ok, if we had any doubts up till now, this would be the final thing that would blow all doubt out of our mind. Our real son hates to shop. He protests at the mere mention of shopping and sighs loudly at the entrance of each store. He shuffles disgustedly through the aisles barely able to hold back his impatience. He waits for 10.5 seconds before he asks to go to electronics. He tells you something fits and it's great even if he hates it or it's way too small just so he can QUIT shopping. So, we know this kid is not the real son.

The first photos are of the real son. But the bottom two are pictures of the impostor. One shows the impostor with his arms around his supposed sisters. The other shows him sporting his "cool" clothes. If you see the real son, tell him to call home immediately. We have someone we'd like him to meet.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Never Grow Up!

Great summer memory. If someone could just please invent a pause button that I could install in my children's backs. They are growing up at lightening speed.
And so, just because I'm feeling a bit nostalgic...
Mikayla
Nathanael
  Alana

My little sweeties when I didn't think they would ever be this grown up. :)

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Blogworthy Post in It's Own Right.


This is the post about our journey into the world of boarding school that I said before was worthy of its own post. Last year at this time we were plunging into the unknown, enrolling our eldest into Dublin Christian Academy. I could never have imagined that I would ever want this for one of my kids, nor could I have ever imagined that we could afford it. Well, we couldn't afford it. It's just that the Lord had other plans, and he made it happen. As simple as that. I always pictured our family as a close-knit home school family until graduation. God has a way of  changing minds and hearts and doing things His way.  If you were to ask Mikayla what she thought, she would probably say with all confidence that this was where God wanted her to go. I have never seen a kid throw themselves into school like she has done, scoring a 3.7 GPA while juggling sports, the role of Anne in the play "The Diary of Anne Frank", weekends on a traveling musical and drama ministry team, a chorale tour, state, regional, and then national fine arts competitions, banquets, and just general dormitory living. She has so fully embraced this school and all of its unique culture, that I can only stand by and watch in awe. And so, what was the decision for this year? In Mikayla's mind there was absolutely no question. As a matter of fact, I believe there was some frustration on her part that we would even question if sending her back was the right way to go. But her Mom is just the type that wants only the absolute best for her kids. Nothing else will do, see. So, we prayed about things. I really had a hard time thinking about the expense when she could have taken the credits that she needed at home and worked part time to save for college. But, again, God has things planned out. He worked things out for her to go, and that is that. I can only shrug my shoulders and stand back and watch. He is the one that is so obviously in control here, and although I miss her like crazy, and would kill to have that school about 300 miles closer, I am content as I watch her thrive, absorb, grow, and mature at lightening speed. Is it this way for other Mom's of teens? Do they want to have a pause button installed in their teenagers backs? I have heard it said that we as parents must work ourselves out of a job. I just expected it to take 18 years. But, why am I surprised? Mikayla has wanted to go to college since she was like 6. haha. So, there you have it. God has a plan for our sweet daughter. We just have to learn relaxation techniques. "A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps." "He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good, and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he." and lastly, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." May we as parents rest in that promise of scripture. He has a plan for our children, too, as adopted children of God.

Friday, September 16, 2011

School Schmool!

Getting school books this year has been an adventure. A. They are expensive. B. I needed to try something new with our youngest because she has had learning difficulties with the traditional textbook/workbook way of doing things.  I have already worked very intensely on remedial reading with her. She is now reading on her grade level, praise be. We are still working on fluency, but for the most part, she has come a long way with that. Also, Math was so impossible. It didn't matter how I explained things, it just didn't stick. She would understand right then, but later I would have to start all over. I finally broke down and called a professional that works with dyslexic kids. After informally testing her using this person's online testing site (since her offices are in California), we found that her problems probably do not stem from dyslexia at all, but rather in auditory processing. Suggestions were made for very expensive learning centers, the closest of which is in Boston. Well, she and I would have to move there for 6-8 weeks. Hmmmm. So, I had Terry call the Lindamood-Bell Learning Centers.( I have placed a link to the right for these centers) I was emotional and panicky. In my book, I had failed her. I shouldn't have been that way, but I was. Turns out I was probably panicking way too soon. I am obviously in the wrong line of work and certainly should have gone for a Master's degree in Education. These people get $1,000.00 a week for the type of tutoring she would need. ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!???  And that was with just two hours a day. Do the math on that one! WELL, I had already figured out that she was an auditory learner. That's why I put things like Scripture or times tables to music for her, or let her listen to history on tape. So, after talking things over with these people and finding out some of what they do, researching on my own ( an ongoing endeavor ), and buying ebooks to read along the way, I decided that I would not wait to try and implement what I had learned would help her. If there comes a miraculous day when we can afford the six weeks in Boston, great, but I am not willing to wait. I also calmed down quite a bit after realizing that I was on the right track all along and understood how to do a BUNCH of stuff they do. Praise God for a wonderful, well-rounded education in education!! Thank you, BJU!
 Some of what I have learned led me to the program Earobics, a listening skills computer program made especially for  rewiring the brains of kids with auditory processing issues. We started that immediately. It's a little young, and she hates it, but I have to say, it has helped a great deal. Since, I have found a different program called Hearbuilders that I may invest in to use when we finish with Earobics. I think she will tolerate it better since it is made with an older child in mind.  All of this helped me look in another direction for curriculum as well. Teaching Textbooks for math is is what I decided to try last year. It is done on the computer. It keeps track of where the child is and reviews if they need it. She HAS to listen, and only has to do one problem at a time. She has loved it, and it has really helped her! With the informal testing, I found that she has trouble sequencing. Hmmm, no wonder she has trouble with the simplest math problem! So, we are working on that, but she is in the fifth grade for math and consistently passing each lesson without extra help. HALLELUJAH! Reading has already come up, so she is doing BJU Press Reading 5, and doing great! YAY! History she loves. Science she enjoys. Both subjects are at grade level and her grades have come up in those subjects since her reading is well in hand.  Now, the only things left to tackle are spelling, which up to this point has been a dismal failure, and Writing. She has great thoughts, but since she knows how difficult spelling is, she hates writing. I have decided to really attack the spelling weakness, and knowing what I know about how she learns best, I was able to find the All About Spelling books. It uses the Orton-Gillingham method that is used for dyslexia, but can be used for kids with other issues as well. So far, light bulbs have come on both with her and with me. Several AH HA moments. I think it's going to work. We'll see. Several of these AH HA moments occurred when I realized that I myself have some of the same problems that I apparently learned to compensate for as a child. INTERESTING!!! The same thing happened when we started working on sequencing and auditory memory. No wonder I still struggle with some things. :)Since the decision was made to attack spelling, writing will be put on the back burner for a short time.
All of this sounds like a huge problem, but we have found that with just a few minutes a day working on the problem areas, we have already been able to see a big improvement, and for the most part, she is working at grade level. Thank you, Lord! Alana is a precious gift. She is smart, and has a lot on her heart and in her mind. I am so thankful that I have found ways to help her do better in school.
Meanwhile, Mikayla is off to a wonderful start as a senior at Dublin Christian Academy. Another miraculous journey for our family worthy of its own post. Nathanael is in his first year of high school. We looked into several options for him but came back to the tried and true. A friend of mine supplied me with a complete set of curriculum that she didn't need anymore and all I had to do was order the consumable. As I was doing that, I found that Science has been updated, leaving me unable to buy the consumable workbook for the older edition that I had. That left me in a quandry.  Do I try something new, or deal with the frustration of not having some of the stuff I need in order to save money???---- I got something new. I switched to Apologia for Science. So far, he loves it. There! School Schmool! We got it under control, Dude. With God's help, that is.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

A New School Year







A new school year has begun at Upcott Manor. Nathanael is now in High School. Alana is in 5th grade. Mikayla, who was supposed to have a picture taken of herself on her first day, is a senior at Dublin Christian Academy. The way that the Lord has provided for her to go away to school has been, and continues to be, nothing short of miraculous. I continue to homeschool the other two children. We are praying that the Lord would continue to work in their hearts and lives as the 2011-2012 school year begins.

Packin' in Some Summer

 The Park Loop Road and picnic on the Green overlooking Frenchman's Bay.




 Cadillac Mountian and Sand Beach







We spent most of our summer right at home this year. Gas prices kept us from venturing much further than camp. So, last week we made a point to get away. If only for a day. Then, since we bought a park pass, we went one more day before school started.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Yard Work, Graduation, Band, and Tornados!!!


Upcott manor has been bustling with its recent activities. We did lots of spring cleanup in our yard, knowing that we were going to surprise Nathanael with an 8th grade graduation party. We raked and weeded and mowed and weed whacked and planted window boxes for three days. We finished just in time for a tornado to hit Lincoln. Downed power lines and trees were seen all over town. We were headed to Nathanael's band concert when it started. We dropped the kids off so that we could go find a parking spot and it started to rain. So, I thought it would be a good idea to go and pick up my mom so she wouldn't have to walk in the rain. We drove down the road not able to see because the rain and wind was so strong. I stopped the car right in front of her apartment, and we were stuck there while this thing blew. And, MAN, did it blow!! I know that it was probably small compared to the weather in the south recently, but we are not used to this kind of weather. The wind rocked and shifted our heavy SUV, while hail threatened to break the windshield.  It didn't last long, and we were soon headed back up to the school where we had dropped the kids off.  The power was out and trees were down. I drove through a flooded out part of the road before I realized how bad it was. So thankful for our big SUV!  Inside, we waited with half the town while the school officials debated canceling the concert or not. Once they canceled we headed out to survey the damage around town and check on some of our elderly members. Everyone was fine, and the only trees down were at the church, but they fell away from the building. So, the next day was spent doing more yard work, to get ready for our party all over again. We had to have Nate's help so the poor kid had to clean up for his own party. He was a little miffed, not realizing what all we had in store. haha. The kids had a wonderful time playing games in the back yard and stuffing themselves full of soda, pizza, and goodies. Fun, fun!
 One can't have a party without the DSi making an appearance at least once.
 The cake with both names. We had a girl from church over to celebrate too, since she was graduating too.
 Reading a card from Mama and Papa.


 Nathanael just realizing that people were gathered on the lawn, not for a yard sale like he thought, but for a graduation party for him.

In preparation for a surprise grad lawn party, the girls and I planted window boxes, so our front yard at least looked like someone cared.