Homeschool Mother's Journal: Week 3

What's on my heart...

There is very sick baby named Rain in San Antonio she has Whooping Cough and is in the hospital. Her parents are super adorable newlyweds and this is their first child. Please pray for peace & healing and here are some updates...

From Erin's Facebook - "Rain developed lung failure and heart failure because of her lung failure. She continued to worsen in spite of all of the usual treatments. The doctors said her greatest chance of survival is to be put on a heart and lung machine to give her lungs and heart a chance to heal. This carries risk and the doctors say that once she's on the machine it is a 70% chance of good outcome.We ask you to pray with us for a rapid, complete, uncomplicated healing, for protection from the dangers of the hospital, wisdom and insight for the doctors, and the comfort and presence of God with Rain and her parents." 

from the 17th

Update on Rain:Over the weekend they started dialysis on her. It helped to get the toxins out of her blood, but in the process it threw everything else out of balance. When we came in Monday, she was more swollen than before dialysis. So yesterday was a rebuilding day to recover ground that was lost. Praise God that they have got her "stable" again and mostly back to where she was before. Today they changed out her ECMO circuit and she seems to be taking that really well. The doctor said that over the next few days they are looking to see more of the fluid drain off of her so that the swelling will go down which is necessary to free up the organs so that they will heal and begin to work again. Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement. Please continue to lift her up before God. 

If you only have a little bit of time don't read my post spend it praying for Phillip, Erin & Rain.

What I've been up to...

So over the summer I contacted Kerry Beck and we set up,  this Homeschool Mama's Encouragement Breakfast at a local family integrated Baptist Church. It was such a blessing to sit down with other Mamas and listen to Kerry, a homeschool mama, who has finished the race and glean her wisdom. After her talk, our lively discussion continued and we discussed all sorts of things amongst ourselves and had a very tasty grown-up breakfast!

In Our Homeschool

We enjoyed a day off on Labor Day since Dad was home.

We were back to the grindstone on Tuesday and  have been making very good progress in all of our subjects. I have however been examining our curriculum choices in respect to our transitioning to a much more Classical Education model.I do not expect there to be huge changes, because I found I have a tendency to  but I do see some specific subject areas that may need some alteration.

This is the week we attended our  Homeschool Encouragement ad Academic Fellowship Co-op or HEAF for short. The purpose of our Co-op is for fellowship and academic encouragement. What is meant by academic encouragement is to spur each other on to complete the curriculum we have purchased in a timely manner. Since History, Science and Art often get kicked to the curb when we get busy or stressed but by participating in the co-op we are hoping it will spur each family on to keep plugging away. Plus we do all the dirty stuff like painting, experiments and projects together! Starting this co-op has been the biggest boon for getting our school work done in a prompt manner so we are on the same schedule with our co-op. Additionally, our kids are making great friends.

This week I was in charge of the science experiments and I am proud to report despite my general science apprehension and ineptitude the experiments were completed correctly. This week we were dropping various objects into our "town" to see the results of various size meteorites falling on the earth. Additionally we did a Newtonian optics experiment (which atypically I was very well versed on due to my current reading material) investigating the colors in light. Despite my success this week I am still very worried about the volcano I am suppose to make at home with my family and bring into Co-op in a few weeks, hopefully mine will explode this time.

I am very happy to report that I have completed our homeschool curriculum plans which I will begin to list in our 4 year Cycle with Curriculum Plans page.

What I'm 'Reading' (aka listening to): 

I am still working on the Newton Biography I started last week. It's pitiful that as a  homeschool  Mama I'm still not even able to finish an audio book quickly. But this one has some questionable content specifically about his belief that there  is not a trinity, instead Newton believes there are  3 distinct begins that form the Godhead. Many of my Anabaptist breathern hold this belief also. However, it is not our belief and my kiddos who are for the most part in the grammar stage aren't ready to parse this. But who of us is really ready for a verbal disagreement with Issac Newton? So I have to listen to this when they are otherwise occupied.

I all of you have had a productive week full of discovery and the love of our Lord Jesus!

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