kids bowl free / your area

This message came through my homeschool group.  Sounds great.  Check the website for a bowling alley near you!




Hi All!
 
The Kids Bowl Free program is now accepting registrations for the summer at www.kidsbowlfree.com  Visit the site for a listing of participating centers and their individual program dates.  This will be our second year participating, and it is a great summer program.
 
Just to give you an example, from May 1 - Sept. 3, each child in our family age 15 and under may bowl two free games each time we visit, as often as every day!  We are also offered an unlimited shoe rental card with the program that gets the kids their bowling shoes each visit for only $15 for the entire summer.  So for a total of $45 we have unlimited bowling all summer for three kids.  


There is also an unlimited family pass available for $24.95 that allows all children over 15 yrs and adults in the family to bowl as well.  Shoe rental is extra.  But the $24.95 is a one time charge to cover up to four older children and/or adults in the household.
 
Any additional questions can be answered at the website, if you are interested in this deal.

 
Happy Bowling!
 
Leigh
 

Thrifting fun

During my thrift store trip the other day, I also worked on Mary's spring and summer wardrobe.  Peter scored a couple pairs of jeans, but I couldn't find anything new looking for Paul.  I knew he'd be downcast, so I was delighted to find a fabulous Little Tykes truck perfect for hauling things.  They've been pretending to be farmers and truck drivers, taking farm products from the farm to the factory to the grocery stores.

Daddy needed nice t-shirts for work and I found four brand-new ones, including one featuring a sports team from our area.  Unfortunately, on the back of the shirt, it featured the name of a player who went to play for the Miami Heat, which upset the fans here, who apparently expect absolute loyalty.  The man is hated here, which is probably why the shirt was given to Goodwill, still brand new.  :)  When my husband saw the back of the shirt with the name James, he said he would get a lot of heat from the men at work.  He's tough though--he can take it.  He also wore the sports shirt I bought that said, "Property of Jesus."   

Here are the girls, fresh out of the bath and ready for night church, with their new dresses.

 My silly Paul, being a ham.

Paul and Peter also scored this neat book that teaches kids all about using compasses.

speech timetables and larger life lessons

Thanks to a very sweet speech teacher I've met through this blog (thanks Connie!), I was able to assess where Beth is at in terms of consonant mastery.  She is within normal range, but only because normal range is so wide.  Each child is hardwired to learn language at a certain time, given normal stimulation and a lack of hearing difficulties or other handicaps.

Here is a chart that outlines which sounds should be mastered by what age:

speech sounds

I've listened carefully over the last twenty-four hours and found that she has all these sounds in the initial position:

p, m, b, n, k, g, d, t (still lacking /h/ and /w/)

And yet still, I can't understand much of what she's saying.  She only uses first syllables.

I'm praying about whether to spend the $40 on the Teachmetotalk DVD. Based upon advice from Connie, I've succeeded in encouraging Beth to add some second syllables (just today).

I know how to fill them with language (receptive), but drawing it out (expressive) is harder for me.

Just thought I'd bring you along with me in the process, in case someone out there is dealing with the same issue.

I remember watching Beth walk across a relative's grass when she was just nine months old.  A family party was going on.  Everyone thought the early walking feat was amazing.  I'm sure my cousin-in-law, who had a baby around the same time, wondered why her baby was just learning to sit up.

I kept my mouth shut, not gloating.  I knew that come talking time, my baby would be lacking, and their daughter would probably be flourishing.  They would think--human nature is like that--that I was probably doing something wrong.

Every baby and every family is different, and comparing is never wise.  Nor is gloating.

Their baby ended up walking at eighteen months, just like my cousin--the baby's father--had done.

God plans our paths.  All we can do is educate ourselves and do our best--learning humility in the process.

My part, right now, is to get on the floor and play!  My little one is awake.

Wish me giggles?

for the joyful and the hard

Attempting to meet the needs of all four children, and then later, my husband's needs, overwhelms on some days. Time to give thanks for the joyful moments, along with some hard hallelujahs for the problems.

Monday Gratitude:

- Mary's fun fixation on rhyming words

- Beth's smile

- Beth's joy at being outside

- Brothers playing ball

- Birds flying high overhead in perfectly straight lines, equal distances apart.  Amazing.

- Hospital pictures of a friend's new baby

- Brothers waiting restlessly for the UPS man to deliver their new math program

- Brothers doing math excitedly at 6:30 PM, because the UPS man came at 6:00 PM.

- Noisy din of four children playing hard while Momma cooked

- Boys folding pajamas

- Kids cleaning their playroom cooperatively

- A hard hallelujah for the ADHD son who chews his shirts constantly, ruining them.  God will provide.

- A hard hallelujah for the speech articulation issues in my two-year-old. How will I find the time to get on the floor and play with toys an hour a day, to draw out more words and consonant sounds?  I know that is what's necessary, and it overwhelms me.  I don't play well.  I can read, sing, and dance, give bountiful love, but I don't play, in the traditional sense. Here is some help for me, and maybe you out there?   I'm going to order one of these DVD's to teach me how to draw language out, though play, thereby delighting my toddler and keeping her out of speech therapy.  As she adds longer sentences, it becomes more clear that we have a problem, Houston. We can't understand her!  Therapy would present a problem, since I have no second vehicle.  And I'm too frightened to send my two-year-old on a bus, which is the speech practice in this district for two-year-olds.  With the Lord on my side, I will learn to do this, in my home, and I will love it.  And Miss Beth will thrive.

- A hard hallelujah for my husband's work and personal frustrations.  After a full day and evening of kid issues and homekeeping, I'm out of steam, and that just doesn't work.  Teach me to be gentle and quiet, pouring forth grace--meeting the needs of those around me.

- A hard hallelujah for a nervous disposition, which makes it harder to meet the needs you've presented me with.

- Praises that our family dynamics are a perfect depiction of the Gospel--never good enough, never quite getting there, sorrow over failures, exhausted by attempts at mastery.  Ultimately, needing to fall at your feet and lay down my life, my timetable, my desires, my comforts, for your divine plan.

Dwelling on all these verses this week:

James 1:2-18 (source found here)

Trials and Temptations

 ² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. ⁹ Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. ¹⁰ But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. ¹¹ For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.
 ¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
 ¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
 ¹⁶ Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

nice day

You can take the teacher out of the classroom, but you'll never take the classroom out of the teacher.  That's even more true for us homeschooling families.  

Everyday is a learning day.  Every part of life--laundry, bread-making, Scripture reading, multiplication, gardening--fosters learning.  

Today we planted forget-me-not and morning glory seeds to start indoors. The seed packets recommend starting most flowers indoors 8-10 weeks before the last frost. They'll flower earlier.

The seed packets were a dollar, the biodegradable pots shown here--you put them right into the ground at planting time--were $2.00 at Walmart (36 cups).  Cheap gardening!  

Paul's front teeth are slowing coming in.  His monster grin will be gone soon, and I'll miss it.  Maybe the th sound will miraculously come in then, too?

Today I'm forty-five and although I'm unhappy with the combination of acne scars mixed with wrinkles, I decided today that to completely avoid cameras now, at 45, means that when I'm 55, or even 60, my kids won't have any pictures of me looking younger.  I've avoided the camera for the most part for the last ten years--only taking a few pictures a year.  When I'm 65, 45 will look fabulous to me.  So...no more avoiding cameras.  I need a younger face to look back on when I'm completely shrivelled, to remind me that I had my time....I had my youth.  Time to pass the baton of youth cheerfully. Everyone gets their turn.  

I highly recommend Wildlife Gardening, by Martyn Cox, 2009.  Peter's had it in hand for most of the last week.  He's fascinated by every page, much like he was fascinated by the Backyard Birdfeeders Bible, for several weeks.  Below are some neat pages from the book.  It's full of ideas to attract many different species of animals, including insects, amphibians, and birds.

Yesterday's beautiful snow melted already.  March snow never stays around for long.  The yard is a marsh and the children are already feeling cabin fever. We're limited to just bike rides until the flooding dries up.

The first money that came in the mail for Momma's birthday went to the boys' new math curriculum.  It arrives Monday and we are all super excited (Teaching Textbooks).  The second check that came, I spent at the thrift store today.  Two and a half hours of fun!  By myself!  

I found more classic literature for our home library.  Over the last two years I've collected many, many classics for about $.50 each.

We really needed a pencil holder and all of these Webster resources.  Momma would have done the happy dance right there in the Goodwill, but thankfully......she calmed down in time to avoid embarrassment.

My closet sported three pairs of threadbare jeans--and one remaining nice pair--so I also scored two pairs of famous-maker jeans, like new, and a Talbot petite top for spring, and two flouncy blouses for church, to go with black slacks or my black skirt.  While I don't particularly like wearing polyester, I do see the value in owning it for outings and church.  It doesn't fade, it machine washes, and it doesn't require ironing.  Most people take it off as soon as they get home and don their cottons--me included--but nevertheless, these pieces make sense for busy moms on a budget.

I don't mind cooking at all these days.  I enjoy it in fact, unless my two year old is out of control while I'm busy in the kitchen.  I involve her as much as possible, and that does work wonders.  Anyhow, Daddy thought I shouldn't be cooking on my birthday, so he took the kids to get hot and ready Little Ceasars pizza.  The kids brought home helium balloons offered by the nice staff, and they had a ball playing with them. 

Daddy would have cooked, but he still works 7 days a week.

I wasn't exactly queen for the day, though, in case you're wondering.  The sweeping, dishes and laundry don't go away ever.

For several days seven-year-old Paul kept reminding that I was turning 45 on Saturday.  I kept pleading, "Oh, don't remind me!"  

Finally, after he went on for three days about my impending doom, I taught him this, instead: "Mommy!  You're going to be 29 on Saturday!"

I have so much to be thankful for!  Praise the Lord for family and home!

And for:

- strong husbands

- sweet kids

- friendly storekeepers 

- giggling kids

- thrift stores

- books for a quarter from Amazon

- cameras to capture home and love and learning

- a lot of wrinkles and a bit of wisdom

- impending spring

- flowers

- tiny brown seeds that become beauty

- floors to sweep that aren't earthen

- clean water

- clean clothes

- warm beds

- new jeans

- yummy frozen fruit

- frozen, steam-in-the-bag veggies

- the chocolate cake that I didn't have time to make, but will make tomorrow

- Mary learning her letters and sounds with joy

- Beth learning along with sister