Weekly Homeschool and Life Wrap-up 5/15

Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ

Giving Thanks This Week

~ Stomach virus only lasted one day

~ Mary mastered two more vowel digraphs for All About Reading

~ Weather nice for planting

~ Our new devotional book came and Mary already incorporated the first lesson into her day

~ Nice nurses at the hospital for Beth's infusion

~ Peter explaining Heaven to the neighbor boy he's been witnessing to (9-year-old boy thought heaven was a person)

~ Peter faithfully praying that the neighbor boy will grow in Christ and ask more questions

~ Curriculum sold fast to pay for this year's portfolio review and a Compassion child's birthday

~ Mary tries to read her Bible, but it is a full, NIV Bible, and she is in tears quickly because the reading level is just too high. I looked for a beginning reader's Bible she can read herself, and after researching, I found two. One I bought new, and the other used. They're not full Bibles, but they will work to help her get into the habit of a personal devotional time (we do a lot of family devotions, and I will read the full verses to her too, from the stories these books select)

buy here and see sample pages ($11.99)

This one has easier words than the above.
buy here and see sample pages ($12.99)

~ I tend to over commit myself at church. I was going to go to a meeting Wednesday evening about helping next year in AWANA. However, I got a stomach bug, which hardly ever happens to me, about three hours before the meeting. I already planned to help in this churches' nursery once a month, so the AWANA on top of that would have been too much. God made it clear, I think, that I was about to overextend myself. Hint taken. I believe every mom (or dad) who uses children's ministry should help in some way--10% of the people at most churches do 90% of the work, which is all wrong and unhealthy. But doing my part doesn't mean that as a homeschooling mom with special-needs children, I need to get involved weekly.

Activities this week

Origami, always a favorite with Paul and Mary, was a fine pursuit on a rainy day this week.

Ducks and ducklings

Peter teaching Mary science...here, an experiment

Beth made this contraption as an airplane for her stuffed animals.

Paul continues with his computer programming classes on Khan Academy. Here he created a picture with a moving car, using commands. It's all Greek to me but he loves the challenge. 

Beth sketching birds from online images, because they just wouldn't stay still long enough at our bird feeders.

Planting time

Marigolds (Peter and the neighbor boy he is witnessing to)

Zinnias by the fence, two types of marigolds, morning glories (Mary and Paul)

and radishes and basil (Beth)

More planting will happen this weekend and next with Daddy (tomatoes, yellow squash, sweet banana peppers)

I don't know what else Peter has planned, but there is quite a bit more going in.

Here's my mess as I prepared to sell Sonlight Core F, which went fast

Since we bought the bread maker a few months ago, we've experimented with pizza crusts. Here's a whole wheat and all-purpose flour blend. I use the machine to mix and knead it for about 10 minutes, then I let it rise in a warm oven (about 180 degrees) for one hour. We started out prebaking it for five minutes after rolling it out in the pan, but this last time we didn't do that and it came out better. I still have not mastered the stretching it out, and it is still hard to get a circle or rectangle, but we love homemade pizza!

Paul found a sauce recipe and we just use, so far, lean Italian turkey sausage and mozzarella cheese for toppings. This weekend (we make it every Sunday) I will try a veggie pizza too, which just three of the six of us will enjoy. The others like just meat and cheese.

Middle Grades News (Sonlight Core H, World History, Part 2)

Paul and Peter are still reading Out of Many Waters (shared last week)

I preread the next reader, Stowaway, the day I was in bed with the stomach virus. It is outstanding!

Overview: It is known that in the summer of 1768, Captain James Cook sailed from England on H.M.S Endeavour, beginning a three-year voyage around the world on a secret mission to discover an unknown continent at the bottom of the globe. What is less known is that a boy by the name of Nicholas Young was a stowaway on that ship. Newbery winner Karen Hesse re-creates Cook's momentous voyage through the eyes of this remarkable boy, creating a fictional journal filled with fierce hurricanes, warring natives, and disease, as Nick discovers new lands, incredible creatures, and lifelong friends.

My Thoughts: I think the boys will really enjoy it. Just to give you an idea of how good it was, let me just say that it has 304 pages and I read it from 5 PM to 1 AM. I know...not a good idea to stay up late when one is sick, but I couldn't help myself and my stomach felt all hollow and yucky, so I wouldn't have fallen asleep well anyway.

This book is primarily about a young boy maturing over the three years he's at sea, from ages 11 to 14. Prior to that he was apprenticed to a butcher, who beat him mercilessly. He has scars from it, in fact, about which he remains mum when questioned. Prior to his time with the butcher, he'd run away from boarding school, where he was also beat, so his father, disappointed in him, boarded him with the butcher (giving up on his son's education). Two brothers pleased the father, doing well at school. Nick, the main character, changes from wanting to run away from his problems, to being prepared to take them on with honesty and courage. He also develops a yearning for knowledge, due to the many science observations some gentlemen engaged in on the ship, drawing from sea creatures and floral and fauna. This book is outstanding for all young boys (and girls, too, for that matter).

I've found that a majority of inspiring books for young people are primarily about a female lead. This one presents a nice change from that pattern. It's hard to develop our boys into great leaders without enough role models in modern history and in literature. Jesus is our primary teacher in how to behave, but boys can benefit from other role models as well.

The boy works extremely hard on the ship, which is a good message to all the young men these days who waste so much time with electronic games. I think these games are proving to be the downfall of many a young man, and young fathers too. We all do well to just. say. no. Young people have done well without these games for centuries, and I think historical fiction proves that to young men. Historically, children had much more responsibility and created their own fun in their spare time, which was often just on Sundays.

K and Second Grade News

I had Mary just review this week, reading over a few All About Reading Level 3 stories and going over her phonogram and word cards, to master several new sounds she had trouble with. Next week, we can move forward.

Mary tells me that journal writing is her favorite subject. Like her sister, she has dyslexia, but her strengths are different from Beth's. Dyslexics are good at spatial relationships, and rotating 3-dimensional objects in space, and for seeing patterns and relationships that many of us don't see. Beth is good at all this, but Mary has a different strength known in dyslexics--narrative. Many bestselling and established authors have dyslexia, and Mary has long had this strength, being the best of my children at narrating stories and events.

Paul has a much milder dyslexia, but he has both Mary's and Beth's strengths. Researchers are finding that they can spot dyslexics as much by their strengths, as by their reading, spelling, and penmanship deficits. Even when they grow to read well, they still typically read slowly, and their spelling is usually below average, with sloppy handwriting being common as well (but not universal, as they are still unique individuals).

Both girls still have difficulty writing, and recognizing the difference between, 6 and 9, and b and d. However, they're doing better at writing 7 and 3 correctly. They still don't, when seeing a 31 and 13, or 24 and 42, name it correctly right away. Two-digit numbers may always be a challenge. Even adult dyslexics indicate that telling the difference is not automatic for them.

The general concepts of math don't seem to be a problem, but these aspects slow us down and frustrate them considerably. They do well when I illustrate two-digit numbers with unifix cubes, but that doesn't translate yet into reading them correctly.

Library Books We Enjoyed

My New Granny 

by Elisabeth Steinkellner published 2012

Overview  Fini’s granny has changed. Before, she would comment on Fini’s strange hair styles, help her feed the ducks in the park, had traveled all over the world, and was an amazing cook. Now, Fini’s granny admires wacky hairdos, eats the bread crumbs meant for the ducks in the park, and does not travel or cook anymore. Eventually, Granny has to come live with Fini and her family because she needs to be watched, almost like a little child. She needs help dressing and washing, falls asleep underneath the kitchen table, and has a woman named Agatha that comes to care for her, like a babysitter. Fini is unsure of what to think of this “new” granny—she looks the same but she certainly acts like a completely different person.
My New Granny is a heartwarming and important story about a grandparent who is suffering from dementia and how a grandchild can learn to accept this change in personality in a loved one. With an estimated 5.4 million people affected by Alzheimer’s in the United States, this is an essential resource for many children who may have a grandparent suffering from this disease. Elisabeth Steinkellner’s text captures the thought process of children while Michael Roher’s simple yet evocative illustrations paint a realistic picture of how to cope with dementia in a family.

Draw What You See: The life and art of Benny Andrews

by Kathleen Benson, published February, 2015

Overview: Benny Andrews loved to draw. He drew his nine brothers and sisters, and his parents. He drew the red earth of the fields where they all worked, the hot sun that beat down, and the rows and rows of crops. As Benny hauled buckets of water, he made pictures in his head. And he dreamed of a better life—something beyond the segregation, the backbreaking labor, and the limited opportunities of his world. Benny’s dreams took him far from the rural Georgia of his childhood. He became one of the most important African American painters of the twentieth century, and he opened doors for other artists of color. His story will inspire budding young artists to work hard and follow their dreams.

Sleeping Cinderella and Other Princess Mix-ups

by Stephanie Clarkson, published February, 2015

Overview: Princesses Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Rapunzel swap fairy tales with one another in this hilariously clever new classic!

Once upon a time, four fairy tale misses,
tired of dwarves, witches, princes, and kisses,
so bored and fed up, or just ready to flop,
upped and left home for a fairy tale swap.

What happens when Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Rapunzel get so fed up with their fairy tales that they decide to switch places with one another? Hilarity ensues in this clever, rhyming story about whether the grass really is greener at someone else's castle.

Author Stephanie Clarkson crafts an incredibly witty manuscript, with rhymes that shine and predicaments that will make little girls everywhere laugh out loud, as illustrator Brigette Barrager brings these beautiful princesses to life with her rich, warm colors and charming retro-girl style!

The Alphabet War: A Story About Dyslexia

By Diane Burton Robb, published 2004

Overview: School Library Journal Review: K-Gr 4-Adam starts school, and although he loves stories, he can't seem to get the words to make sense. Over the next few years, he slowly despairs of ever learning to read. Instead, he imagines that he is being held captive by an evil king who torments him with vowels. His parents hire tutors to help, but it isn't until a specialist comes in at the beginning of third grade and diagnoses him as dyslexic that things start to look up. For Adam, it has become a much bigger problem than just learning how to read-he must also find the self-confidence that years of failure have robbed from him. His new teacher helps him see that reading will always be hard for him, but that it is possible. The pastel illustrations adequately convey Adam's emotions. Although the text often tells rather than shows the boy's plight, the subject matter is handled with respect for his feelings at every stage of the process, and does not oversimplify or sugarcoat the difficulties of dyslexia.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

My Thoughts: A valuable book, but since it was written in 2004, there is little about the strengths dyslexics have--that it is a gift, and not just a learning disability. This is more about the struggles than the triumphs, but it will still be appreciated by all dyslexic children.

John Muir Wrestles a Waterfall

by Julie Danneberg, published March, 2015

Overview: School Library Journal Review - Gr 3–5—This attractive picture book retells naturalist and writer John Muir's climb up a steep trail behind a waterfall along Yosemite Falls in April 1871. Danneberg includes information about Muir's love of the outdoors, his house in Yosemite (where he slept in a hammock that hung over an indoor spring), and his exploration of the park's natural setting. Lucid descriptions and the use of the present tense make the story immediate and relevant. Hogan's expressive renderings of the explorer's face are the highlight of this book, depicting the excitement and awe that Muir experienced standing beneath the falls. Many pages include supplemental information about the man and his love of nature. Quotations used in the text are cited, along with suggested readings and pertinent websites. VERDICT This is a solid work, ideal for those looking to add to collections or units on environmental studies, geography, writing, or biography and sure to inspire further interest in Muir.—Patricia Ann Owens, formerly with Illinois Eastern Community Colls., Mt. Carmel

How was your week, friends? Thank you for reading here and have a blessed weekend!

Weekly Homeschool & Life Wrap-up 4/3

I'm starting this week's wrap-up with gratitude. Most of all, I'm so very thankful that He is Risen, and he calls me his daughter. Thank you, Jesus!

I think it was Ann Voskamp who coined the phrase "hard hallelujah". It means giving thanks for something that has added pain or discomfort to our lives. In offering these affairs up with our joyful hallelujahs, we in a sense put them at the foot of the cross, to both be healed and bring glory to God.

It's also a discipline, an obedience, because God commands us in Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Some hard hallelujahs:

~ This picture, taken yesterday, represents the weather and the morning mood around here for some. I had considerable difficulty getting through Mary's reading lesson because of this gray sky and the 40% chance of thunder and lightening. I was kind, but after reminding her of the Lord's goodness and faithfulness, and pointing out all the blessings we enjoy from the rain, I firmly told her she couldn't stop doing her schoolwork every time the sky looked gray--which in Ohio is frequently, although it ain't exactly England. The saying around Northeast Ohio is that if you don't like the weather, wait an hour. It changes frequently.

~ Paul has been having somewhat frequent skin infections, despite daily showers and my use of ointment on cuts. He cut his lip outside two days ago and today it has signs of infection. Because of the frequency of his infections--all of which clear up with a prescription ointment and frequent bandage changes--in the back of my mind I can't shake the thought of diabetes type 1, which is auto-immune. While it is rare for a second child/sibling is get the same autoimmune disease, it is less rare for a sibling to get a different autoimmune disease. If you have the marker in your genes for autoimmunity--and my kids obviously do, or have the potential to, considering their sister's autoimmune arthritis--then you could at some point in life develop one of the many autoimmune disorders.

Type 1 diabetes is not a hereditary disease like type 2, but genes play a part in autoimmune disorders, as they did in Beth's juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. I have two aunts and at least one cousin with autoimmune disorders. It is thought that the genetic potential, along with acquiring a virus to trigger the autoimmune response in your cells, are what precede the development of autoimmune diseases.

Moreover, it's common that your relatives may have a different autoimmune disorder than you end up with. One aunt may have MS, another aunt fibromyalgia, and then you could get type 1 diabetes, or juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, for example. And it's common that autoimmune disorders come in twos in a single person.

It isn't just your typical cold virus that triggers the autoimmune response, but more the pain-in-the-arse viruses, like coxsackievirus B, cytomegalovirus, adenovirus, rubella, and mumps.

Paul's BMI is only a 15, so he's at the border for being underweight--barely reaching the fifth percentile for BMI, although he's eating well. He's also more thirsty than my other children, and needs to snack more frequently. This disease develops slowly, but when all of a certain cell has been destroyed in the body, the symptoms seem to come on abruptly, giving the illusion that the onset was sudden.

This has been on my mind for several months, and it's time to schedule a physical for him and just ask for the simple blood glucose test to put these thoughts to rest. None of my other children have dealt with infected cuts or wounds or mosquito bites. and none of the others have had trouble gaining weight to keep up with their heights, except for a period of low weight for Beth, because of her disease. She is now at a healthy weight.

So, the knot in my stomach formed with Mary's tears and Paul's issue, and my mind wandered to the long, long, spring, summer and early fall we would experience if Mary's storm anxiety doesn't improve, and if Paul gets more skin infections.

The Lord reminded me...if you find your children's behavior stressful, wait an hour. It changes frequently.

And yes, it did. We got through Mary's reading lesson and she perked up and calmed down. I find, though, that my stress level doesn't calm down as soon as their moods do. There is a lingering effect that exhausts me, which is my problem to give to the Lord. The answer almost always is to count my blessings.

Easy Hallelujahs

~ Beautiful kids growing in the Lord

~ The Risen Lord to celebrate and give thanks for

~ Peter began a new OCD medicine earlier this week, and it began giving him relief within two days...Praise the Lord. Could be the placebo effect; I'll know more soon. The Prozac had stopped working after nearly three years, and so he now uses Zoloft, as recommended by the International OCD Foundation. It works on the serotonin balance so the brain's anxiety response calms down, and the patient can work on the therapy techniques being taught. Without medicine, many sufferers find the thoughts and the anxiety they cause are just so strong, they can't employ therapy techniques.

~ I encouraged Mary to go outside and face her storm anxiety (it was just lightly raining). She promptly found a frog to befriend, which cheered her up considerably and reminded her that God loves her and delights in blessing her. She was rewarded for facing her fears.

~ The bread baking is going well and is blessing my family.

~ Beth was supposed to have her eye surgery yesterday, but the cold she caught required a postponement. I list this as a blessing because I had prayed that the doctor would be at his absolute best on the morning of her surgery, which probably wasn't going to be the case and God knew that.

~ Paul loves Kahn Academy and is proving he's quite the self-directed learner. He's the best kind of student for unschooling, which I think works best with kids who don't need to be systematically taught. It isn't really Mom's philosophy which should dictate homeschooling methods, but more the kids' individual learning profiles. Paul has basically taught himself for years (using Sonlight and library books) and in doing so he's been able to work a couple years ahead of his grade level. That would never work for others in this house, though this week, because the kids were sick, I let them concentrate mostly on their interests and their library picks, since the usual stuff is harder to get through when you're a bit under the weather.

~ I love being with my kids, despite the difficult issues.

~ Peter is working very hard in planning his garden, and I've noticed that his ability to plan, organize and prioritize are being sharpened by the process. Gardeners are either planting or planning, all year long. It is detailed work, Peter is finding.

Update on bread making:

The instant yeast, also known as bread machine yeast, has yielded great loaves for us this week. I continue to bake one loaf a day, using the bread machine on just the dough cycle, which mixes it, kneads it, and lets it rise once. I then punch it down, get the air out, and shape it, put it in a sandwich loaf pan, and let it rise another 45 minutes to an hour. It then bakes 26 to 30 minutes, depending on the flour. White albino whole wheat takes 26 minutes, but regular whole wheat needs 30 minutes.

Halfway through the week I switched from albino white whole wheat to regular whole wheat, and found that the dough was stickier and needed another two T flour, and that the baking time increased by 4 minutes too. 

I am learning not to over rise the bread. It is supposed to be one inch over the pan measured at the highest point of the loaf. You are supposed to use your finger, from the tip to the first knuckle. The above picture is just about right, maybe a tad over, but the picture below is definitely over-risen, as you can tell by that stretched look. 

This was the best loaf and quite delicious. Once this week the bread had a hole in it, kind of like a cave. I learned that this can occur if you don't punch out all the air holes after the first rise. It's a good idea to use a rolling pin to go over it before shaping it.

I also learned that my water should be between 95 to 115 degrees for the best results (I started using a thermometer). If some of your ingredients are kept in the fridge, then the higher end water temp is better. The final dough product temperature is important, to ensure the yeast will work and you'll get the rise you need. I keep the flax seed, the vital wheat gluten, and the yeast in the fridge (as specified on the packages), so the warmer water ensures my final dough product is warm enough.

Last weekend the kids woke up to their Easter buckets. For the first time, they got socks and underwear, colored pencils and pads, and less candy. We give the buckets a week early so as not to associate Easter too much with bunnies and eggs and presents. We'll color eggs today, however, because the weather is the best for an outside hunt this afternoon.

We did do reading lessons this week. Mary learned about the uses of /aw/ and /au/, and the boys are reviewing the same thing in spelling. The yellow cards are the phonogram cards, and on the back is what the children need to memorize about the sound. For example, the back of this card states that /aw/ may be used at the end of English words (or in the middle). /Au/, in contrast, can't be used at the end of words because English words cannot end in a "u"

Peter did a lot of baking these last two weeks. Here are his cheese/whole wheat crackers. They were too rich and most of the kids couldn't eat them, but it was a valient effort. He also tried rolls but they didn't rise properly. He will try those again soon. Paul made pumpkin muffins, which all enjoyed.

Peter used his time to spot read several library books about Ohio gardening. He keeps notes about each type of plant and is keeping a calendar to help him remember when to plant which seeds. It has taken him time to become this organized, and I am very proud of him. This is where project learning really benefits kids. They learn to solve problems and prioritize and organize, and pace themselves as well. The goal is highly motivating for him, so he's working through the executive function issues caused by his ADHD.

I am finding that if I give them days to pursue their interests, or just enjoy their library picks, then we actually save money on curriculum because our curriculum will then last longer than a year, and the delight directed learning days help round out their education and their skills. The switch from curriculum days to library material days, or delight-learning days, does not seem to bother them because I keep a structure in place. Without that structure, things fall apart quickly around here.

Paul is determined to study each president of the United States, and the politics surrounding their presidencies, and on library days he goes full throttle with this. Often, too, he does it after school or on weekends. He studies geography too, using various library resources.

Paul and both my girls wanted me to buy them more fabric, put I'd already spent my limit on school supplies, so when I went through the spring and summer clothes this week, I gave them some pieces to work with that weren't good looking enough to give away, but still plenty nice for sewing. They were absolutely thrilled and Mary said, "This is the best day ever!" Mary and Paul taught Beth to use a needle without poking herself, so she can do simple things now. Paul helps her cut the fabric. She makes stuffed dolls and now, between the three of them, I can't keep cotton balls in the house.

It warms my heart to see them relaxing and working together this way, while I'm off washing and drying their clothes and making their meals and their daily bread. Paul is such a blessing to me and he loves the interaction with his siblings.

Peter does very little sewing and prefers his gardening passion, and more recently too, composting.

Threading a needle.

That's our week, with its numerous joys and its low points as well, emotionally and physically. Life is beautiful, full, and if you don't like it one hour, wait an hour. Things will look brighter, thanks to our Heavenly Father, who is full of grace and loves blessing us!

Happy Easter!

Weekly Homeschool Wrap-Up: The One With Cocoa and Bread

This week we took a "spring break" from most regular subjects to learn about the cocoa industry and develop a family mission statement regarding the cocoa industry and our chocolate consumption. 

We also committed this week to learning to bake bread, after the arrival of our bread machine in the mail last week. Read more on that saga below, after the cocoa information.

CNN did a series of reports about the cocoa supply chain in 2012, and followed up on those reports in March 2014. While there are numerous Internet sources of information, we have thus far focused on infographics with accompanying narratives (this linked one is older info. from 2008), and the more recently produced CNN specials, some of which are detailed below.

Here is the word on Nestle:

(From CNN, 2012) An independent investigation into Nestlé's cocoa supply chain has found numerous child labor violations and kickstarted an ambitious plan to eventually eradicate forced labor and child labor in its production cycle.

The study was carried out by the Fair Labor Association with Nestlé's support.

"Our investigation of Nestlé's cocoa supply chain represents the first time a multinational chocolate producer has allowed its procurement system to be completely traced and assessed. For too long child labor in cocoa production has been everybody's problem and therefore nobody's responsibility," said FLA President Auret van Heerden.

It means Nestlé is the first chocolate-maker to comprehensively map its cocoa supply chain – and can work on identifying problems areas, training and educating workers and taking action against child labor violations. Read the rest here.

The story about another major player in the chocolate industry (Ferrero):

(From 2012) Chocolate maker Ferrero has pledged to eradicate slavery from farms where it sources its cocoa by 2020, as part of a growing movement by the multi-billion dollar industry to clean up its supply chains.

The Italian company, which produces Ferrero Rocher chocolates, Nutella spread and Kinder eggs, follows Nestle and Hershey as the third major chocolate manufacturer to announce new anti-slavery moves since September. Read the rest here.

Here is the word on Hershey

The Hershey company, one of the United States' leading chocolate producers, says it's pledged $10 million over the next five years to educate West African cocoa farmers on improving their trade and combating child labor.

The region is home to about 70% percent of the world's cocoa but has also been the source of recent scrutiny over its alleged use of child labor. (More about the issue)

Hershey's announcement Monday heartened activists, who say the company is finally focusing efforts on improving the root cause of the issue.

"It's a start," said Judy Gearhart, executive director of the International Labor Rights Forum. "We see this as a welcome first step toward accountability." Read the rest here.

As I mentioned, CNN followed up on these 2012 segments in March 2014, with this 25-minute documentary.

Here is my take, gathered so far, based upon the research we've done (we're not done researching). Poverty is always a multi-faceted issue. The more you learn about abject poverty, the more you understand there are no simple solutions. I've come to believe that the way Compassion International responds to abject poverty is the best the world has to offer. You have to fight poverty in Jesus' name, one child at a time, through relationship. Otherwise, you can find yourself losing as much as you gain in this fight. Jesus is the answer to real change, both on the physical poverty level, and the spiritual poverty level. While the first world doesn't suffer from abject physical poverty, we definitely suffer from spiritual poverty, which is why we like to spend and keep our money for ourselves, always trying to improve our already-stellar living conditions.

The bottom line in the current cocoa climate is this: The big chocolate companies are now getting involved in improving the cacao farming industry not so much because they care about poverty or children, but because the industry is in trouble. Production is not sustainable under current conditions. Many of the West African trees are diseased and the small family farmers have no capital to put into improvements. Moreover, the price they receive for their intensive labor in growing and readying the beans has gone down markedly from the 1980's. They're barely making it. Many are leaving their farms for the cities, and others are switching to rubber or palm oil farms, which are more lucrative.

Most of the children working on the farms are the children of the farmers, but many are also trafficked from neighboring African countries, like children from families in desperate poverty in Burkina Faso. We have a Compassion correspondent child in Burkino Faso, who before his sponsorship through Compassion, was likely vulnerable to being trafficked to the Ivory Coast. The children are promised good wages and good living conditions, and even school, but instead, they are treated like slaves and often go back to Burkina Faso with barely enough bus money. They use dangerous tools like machetes and handle dangerous pesticides without protective gear, working long hours with little food.

Research and decide how you will change your chocolate consumption and spending habits. That is step one. Another way to do your part is to prevent the desperate situations these trafficked children are in by sponsoring children through Compassion. Above and beyond your $38 a month sponsorship money, try to send your child monetary gifts as often as you can (even $50 goes a long way), to help the family start a small business and/or purchase mattresses and non-leaking roof supplies, and food. All of your family or child gift money goes directly to the child's family. Compassion works with the family to assess their needs, and takes them shopping to spend all of your gift funds. Then, a picture is taken of what was purchased, with the child in the picture, and sent to you in a letter from the child. You will also receive at least three other letters per year from your child, guaranteed, and you are encouraged to write at least monthly.

Just being able to sleep better helps these children perform better in school. Before they receive help from Compassion and from you, most sleep on the ground, sometimes with a leaking tin roof over their heads. Compassion pays their school fees and trains their families in best health practices, provides health care and fosters emotional, physical, and spiritual growth. Most importantly of course, through Compassion's child development centers, sponsored children are taught about Jesus Christ and guided in developing a saving relationship with Him. They are not required to become Christians to be served, however.

The child development centers are run out of partnerships with local churches, using their buildings, with Compassion employees heading the programs. Often the children also attend the partnering church, but some attend other churches, or don't attend church at all. There are no religious requirements--just sound Biblical teaching. The Lord does the work in these children's hearts. Of the Compassion children we write to, I am certain that four of them have growing relationships with Christ.

Parents and high schoolers are also taught vocational skills at the Compassion child development centers, and good students can go to college as part of Compassion's  Leadership Development Program.

Back to the cocoa industry now. We will be continuing to find current information through the weekend, and will hopefully develop a family cocoa mission statement by next week. The problem is not just in the cocoa industry. Child labor is also used in cotton fields and other farming industries, and you probably already know about other evil child trafficking. To prevent exploitation we have to sponsor children so they don't continue in desperate, vulnerable situations. Buying fair trade makes a positive impact, but it needs to be combined with child sponsorship. Otherwise, desperate third-world families will fall prey to some other evil scheme.

Here is more current information about the cocoa situation in West African, from a site called Food Is Power. This site recommends chocolates that are sourced without child labor. It notes that even some fair trade chocolate is not immune to the problem of child labor. It also lists companies that are working on the problem in some way, and those that won't disclose any information. Trader Joe's is one company who would not disclose their cocoa sourcing.

Bread Making at Home...the Beginner's Saga

I mentioned in last week's wrap-up that we bought a bread making machine, as part of "clean" eating. If you've looked at the label on even the healthiest store-bought bread, you're probably convinced that homemade is better, if you've got the time and inclination. We had the inclination and were determined to make the time.

The most important point about eating clean foods is not that they'll possibly prolong your life and make you more comfortable while you're here. That may seem like the point at first, but as I thought about the time involved and as we lived it, something else occurred to me.

How busy does God really want us to be? If we're too busy to prepare real foods, then something is off balance. Cooking and eating together is precious. So much growth and bonding and blessing occurs as we do these things as one unit. Working with our hands and hearts to bless our families is worth our time! And it's worth our family's time to help us in the kitchen, so that many hands make light work.

Now, if you're nursing a new baby or about to have one, enlist all the help you can get but don't worry about revamping your family's food preparation. Love on that baby and pray for an army of help. There are definitely seasons when getting anything on the table feels monumental. I once had four children 7 and under so I know how it goes.

Have I ever mentioned that I am a very determined person? Every good trait has a flip side, and of course I'm also stubborn. Once I have it on my mind that something is important, I brace myself and persevere through trials. Nursing each of my four children was challenging. There were complications ranging from post-partum preeclampsia and babies who took weeks to learn to latch, most likely due to an oversupply of milk and the fact that they were all born a couple weeks early. There were tears and prayers and desperate nights and weeks. It was the most intense time of my life, but each child eventually learned and nursed a long time, ranging from 13 months to 4.5 years (the latter because this child has an autoimmune disease and needed the breastmilk antibodies longer).

As I tried to make yeast bread this week, I thought about my nursing trials. Yes, yeast is that complicated. There are a number of tips out there for novice bakers whose bread won't rise. For half the week I felt like a failure, carrying a scarlet-letter sign: "Certified Yeast Idiot".

Online baking sights, however, were very encouraging, indicating that everyone fumbles at first. I picked myself up and decided that my kitchen would become an everyday bread factory and the only significant thing required was patience...okay, and a little science.

If you want to get it right, you have to become a scientist, altering one thing at a time and recording what you've done, until you get it right. And then, next season, as temperatures and humidity change, so might your ingredients proportions.

I discovered that the bread machine kneads better than a human, but it doesn't bake better. For the best results, use it on the dough cycle and let it do all the hard work for you, and then merely take out the dough, knock it down and shape it, putting it into the pan and letting it rise in a warm oven for another hour or so, and then bake for 30 minutes. 

I've learned that your measuring tools and even your pans have to be precise--we're really talking science here, but don't let that scare you. It becomes second nature soon enough, which hasn't happened for me yet!

Your family, with the delicious bread in their hands, honey dripping, will feel like royalty. Homemade bread is a privilege to make for your loved ones. It's a delicious blessing that goes beyond the taste and lovely texture. It's an act of love. (Made considerably more sustainable with the advent of bread machines)

We got the bread maker last Friday, and it was Wednesday before we had a rise like this, which still wasn't exactly right. I used too much yeast twice, but as I got that right, the machine let the dough rise too long, and it fell as soon as baking commenced. Finally, I decided to let it rise the last time in my oven, allowing me more control over the outcome.

In the summer when I don't want to heat up the house, we'll use the bake function on the bread machine.

Also, at first I was using regular active dry yeast, which stated on the jar that it could be used in bread machines. Turns out, there is an instant yeast that is not necessarily the same as the quick-rising yeast, and it's this instant yeast that is best for bread machines. I bought it tonight and will hopefully get a more even and complete rise tomorrow.

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The bread below was our best so far (with just the active dry yeast), which includes 100% whole white wheat (an albino wheat that tastes less grainy, but is still 100% whole wheat) mixed with a quarter cup of flax seed.

It's still delicious, but you can see that the rise wasn't even. Whole wheat flour makes a denser bread and is harder to work with, requiring more practice time and determination. However, the fiber in our diets is important so it's worth it to learn to work with whole wheat flour. Most of us don't regularly get enough fruits and veggies to meet the 25 to 30 grams a day of recommended fiber (average American eats 15 grams daily). Foods high in fiber include whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

Flax seed hides well in foods, not having much taste on its own. It adds healthy fat (Omega-3) to our diets as well as fiber and vitamins & minerals. You can also try it in pancake batter along with whole wheat flour. The pancakes are delicious.

Flax seed nutritional facts: This food is very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Thiamine and Manganese.

Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3163/2#ixzz3VYfbyx7W

So, our bread saga continues. I'll keep you posted. 

How was your week, friends? Thank you for reading here and have a great weekend!

Homeschool Journal, Spring Books, Recipes

If you're only interested in the spring picture books, scroll to bottom. There are recipes there too.

Outside my window:
The snow melted and the kids are playing outside everyday, finding moths, flies, frogs and beetles, rejoicing at these promises of more spring and wildlife to come. Nothing on the trees yet and the grasses haven't greened, so it's dreary, but my children's happy hearts dress up my world.

I think anyone in the Midwest or East will agree? That was a long, long winter. Our temps have been anywhere from 30's to high 50's this week.

On my mind:
My children are all different, yet I'm reminded this week that they've bonded well and they're accepting of each other. I think family prayer time helps to bond siblings, allowing them to view each other as Jesus does...flawed but precious. I've been counting my blessings as a mother and my heart is full this week. Watching them grow and mature and become who God created them to be is a privilege.

Beth and Paul are rather intellectual and they're both creative. Beth works hard to gather a stack of books at the library and last week she said to me:

"I'm sorry I have so many to carry, but I just really love knowledge." (I laughed out loud at her 6-year-old cuteness.)

She makes up little skits and asks us to be this or that character, and she'll put blankets on her head or special dresses to go with her scene. And dolls! She makes dolls out of everything, but doesn't play with her store-bought dolls much anymore. Stuffed animals are really her favorites; she dresses them and uses them as dolls. Or she'll stuff some socks and glue things on the face and cuddle it like a doll, or make paper dolls from her own pictures and pretend they're real dolls too.  She is never bored and she's always busy.

Paul loves politics and geography and math and writing, so he too, is always busy and never bored. He also enjoys art and creating new patterns and homemade projects like stuffed animals for presents for his sisters. He wishes there were more hours in a day because he always has much planned for his time.

Peter and Mary have similarities too. Neither are intellectual in the traditional sense. They love nature and the outdoors and finding God's glory with their senses. Their bodies need movement. Their minds are intertwined with their senses, and they express themselves orally, not really desiring paper or pencil or books (unless it's bitter winter, in which case they look at and read nature books). When they're outside, they're joyful, and when they're inside, they're restless.

Peter is fully immersed in planning his garden and putting seeds in online shopping carts. He loves this endeavor and starts working on his wish list in January, and he draws up plans for what will go where, and then loses them and starts over.

I'm like Paul and Beth in the sense that I have many plans for my time, and I love reading and writing and thinking. Though unlike them, I'm not creative with my hands. My husband is like Peter and Mary (perhaps more so). He can't stand to be in buildings if he can help it. Daylight savings time is sweet for him because it's still light out upon his return from work at 7 PM (that's coming soon).

Somehow we're all learning to understand and appreciate each other and rejoice in our differences.

I'm Working On:
I'm working on a deeper level of cleaning up our diets--something we began five years ago within our budget constraints. Yesterday I went to two stores, spending four hours total finding better choices, like raw honey, pure maple syrup, less-processed pure cane sugar, organic strawberries, carrots, celery, apples and greens, aluminum-free baking powder, and Jasmine brown rice from Thailand, rather than from the arsenic-rich fields of the American south (though it still needs to be rinsed and cooked like pasta, to further reduce arsenic levels, which permeate rice easily from soil and water).

My shopping trip started at 8 PM and ended at midnight (two stores), and when I came through the door hubby was about ready to call the police. I absentmindedly put my old cell phone that the kids play with into my purse instead of the new one. I told hubby now that I've scrutinized every label thoroughly, all my other trips will be faster.

As I thought, there was no finding a "clean" bread or tortilla brand, and thankfully a bread maker is coming in the mail today, which, I told my hubby, I'm paying for by selling some unused homeschool curriculum.

Fair trade chocolate is available at a very small coop in the college town near us, and we will check it out, but I doubt I can afford it, unless something else goes. We will have to substitute healthy muffins and breads for our chocolate sweet tooth.

Do you find reasonably-priced fair-trade chocolate anywhere?

The budget I'm working with is not any better these five years later, but I'm more committed to finding the money by reducing our milk and meat intake, and by cutting out all commercial bread products. (Shh, don't tell my hubby about the meat). He likes all kinds of foods and perhaps if I concoct new, delectable soups, he won't notice meat's scarcity around here. He, too, cares about eating healthfully but he's very practical (and carnivorous, I might add).

I learned long ago how to make a complete protein when eating legumes (beans, peas, lentils) and grains. It's all in what you combine them with. When we do use meat it will be more to flavor foods, and for homemade broths, and to add some protein, rather than to dominate our main dishes.

The meat and poultry industries lack integrity. Period. And I can't afford the better meats.

Now onto our homeschool photos and some great picture books to usher spring in, plus some whole-food blog links and recipes!

Beth worked on initial blends this week in All About Reading 1.

Mary worked on the sound and uses of /oi/ and /oy/ in All About Reading 2. /Oy/ is used at the end of words, and /oi/ is used in the middle.

This stuffed animal is the famous Sparky from AWANA's Sparky class for grades K-2. The word represents the children being "sparks" for Jesus. (My whole family is loving the new Wednesday night AWANA and the church hosting it...and I made a new homeschool friend!--a real life, non-cyber one even, not that my cyber friends aren't totally real and awesome!).

The friendly Sparky visits each Sparky child's house and is returned back to the AWANA teacher the following week with a journal and pictures of his adventures. He joined us in our homeschool and he'll go to the library with us too.

Sparky is doing some drawing.

Sparky is being read to by Beth and Mary.

Sparky has his glasses on and he's reading himself this time.

Sparky is having a spelling lesson.

Goodwill is wonderful for finding any kind of container. Our drawing books needed a convenient home.

"Recess" included vigorous games of basketball and backyard soccer. 

Some yummy dinner and lunches. Black bean soup above with honey wheat corn bread, and taco soup below.

My girls don't care for math because they have trouble recognizing all the numbers dyslexics typically confuse, so sometimes when motivation is low, I offer one chocolate chip for each problem and the rest if there was no complaining.

Skip counting is also difficult for dyslexics, as is any random sequence they have to memorize, though the fives and tens should be easier than they are for Mary. The pennies help her skip count by herself.

Mary has been doing some sewing for two years now. She made a button hole and button for her stuffy and she was so proud! No, this is probably not a properly done job, but it worked.

She'll sew these pieces together for a tiny stuffed animal. I need to get my children into a sewing class soon.

We tried out Kahn Academy this week and Paul especially loves it!

Our weekly trip to the library (last Fri). We took advantage of hubby's trip to Florida to put my van in our mechanic's shop for a (yikes!) $1,200 rust job. (Yep...no wonder hubby frowned at the bread maker purchase). We picked hubby up from the airport last Monday, and since then we've been grounded during the day, with the van expected to be done on Sunday.

A neat math program at our library, enjoyed this trip by Peter and Paul.

Mary's favorite thing at this computer station is the library's Stellaluna program (one of her favorite books).

I loved this rainbow by Mary.

All About Reading 2, working on synonyms.

The boys began a new Sonlight science selection, having finished Evolution: The Grand Experiment (debunks all aspects of evolution, from a completely scientific perspective), from Sonlight Science G. This is What's Science All About, which they both enjoy.

Tuesday and Thursday for the boys look something like this, with math on the computer and writing or spelling with mom not included on this list. From their perspective, the other days feel lighter.

I put seven nutrition/cooking blogs on my sidebar to peruse for whole-food information and recipes. I found several wonderful recipes to try.

10-Minute Baked Apples from Back to the Book Nutrition

Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes With Maple Cinnamon Butter at The Nourishing Gourmet

Potato-Cauliflower Chowder from 100 Days of Read Food

Sausage, Kale, White Bean Soup from 100 Days of Read Food

10 Recipes for School Lunches from 100 Days of Read Food

100 Days of Read Food offers free meal plans with shopping lists

One Pot Chicken and Brown Rice with Vegetables from Back to the Book Nutrition

Spring Picture Books

Spring brings April showers, rainbows and the promise of new life in the Easter Celebration in Super Gifts of Spring, the third book of a new seasonal four-book series by Dandi Daley Mackall. 

Playful rhymes leap off illustrated pages by Katherine Blackmore and give thanks to God for the wonderment created in Spring. The infectious rhyming prose paired with scriptural passages, give gratitude and glory to God as early learners discover the Super Gifts of Spring. Look out for the next book in the Seasons series, Special Gifts of Summer.

Old MacDonald had a ... garden? Yes! Sing along with young Jo MacDonald as she grows healthy food for people and wild creatures. E-I-E-I-O! Find out how butterflies, bumblebees, and birds help a garden to thrive - and how you can help them too. And keep an eye on one mysterious plant. What will it become? Youngsters learn about garden ecosystems and stewardship through this playful adaptation of Old MacDonald Had a Farm.

Barbara Cooney's story of Alice Rumphius, who longed to travel the world, live in a house by the sea, and do something to make the world more beautiful, has a timeless quality that resonates with each new generation. The countless lupines that bloom along the coast of Maine are the legacy of the real Miss Rumphius, the Lupine Lady, who scattered lupine seeds everywhere she went. Miss Rumphius received the American Book Award in the year of publication.

Violet runs the fastest, sings the highest, looks the fanciest, and talks the loudest. Everyone agrees that she's the best. Except Rosie. Rosie isn't fast, or loud, or fancy, but she's tired of hearing that Violet is the best. When their class grows pea plants, Rosie's and Violet's are the first to sprout! But Violet's is a little taller. So Rosie pushes some soil over Violet's sprout to slow it down. And for a moment, Rosie's plant is the best -- but she feels terrible.

And she feels even worse when she learns that Violet has the chicken pox. So for the next two weeks, Rosie waters her plant -- and Violet's too. She turns them in the sun, and sings them quiet growing songs. And her teacher says that Rosie is the best gardener she's ever had. Definitely the best.

This empathetic story captures every child's desire to be noticed and praised, and the subtle competitions that go on in a classroom. It's a book to swell every shy child's heart. 

A vacant lot, rat-infested and filled with garbage, looked like no place for a garden. Especially to a neighborhood of strangers where no one seems to care. Until one day, a young girl clears a small space and digs into the hard-packed soil to plant her precious bean seeds. Suddenly, the soil holds promise: To Curtis, who believes he can win back Lateesha's heart with a harvest of tomatoes; to Virgil's dad, who sees a fortune to be made from growing lettuce; and even to Maricela, sixteen and pregnant, wishing she were dead.

Thirteen very different voices -- old, young, Haitian, Hispanic, tough, haunted, and hopeful -- tell one amazing story about a garden that transforms a neighborhood.

"As a vacant lot is transformed into a community garden, these vignettes give glimpses into the lives of the fledgling gardeners. As satisfying as harvesting produce straight from the vine." -- School Library Journal

In the Middle Ages, people believed that insects were evil, born from mud in a process called spontaneous generation. Maria Merian was only a child, but she disagreed. She watched carefully as caterpillars spun themselves cocoons, which opened to reveal summer birds, or butterflies and moths. Maria studied the whole life cycle of the summer birds, and documented what she learned in vibrant paintings.

This is the story of one young girl who took the time to observe and learn, and in so doing disproved a theory that went all the way back to ancient Greece.

Lydia Grace Finch brings a suitcase full of seeds to the big gray city, where she goes to stay with her Uncle Jim, a cantankerous baker. There she initiates a gradual transformation, bit by bit brightening the shop and bringing smiles to customers' faces with the flowers she grows. But it is in a secret place that Lydia Grace works on her masterpiece -- an ambitious rooftop garden -- which she hopes will make even Uncle Jim smile.

Sarah Stewart introduces readers to an engaging and determined young heroine, whose story is told through letters written home, while David Small's illustrations beautifully evoke the Depression-era setting.

The Gardener is a 1997 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and a 1998 Caldecott Honor Book.

A funny, accessible chapter-book series about an irrepressible third grader.

Marty McGuire's third-grade class has a special assignment: Save the Earth! Even more exciting, the best project wins a special award. Marty's pretty sure her classmates' ideas won't stand a chance against her plan to turn the garbage from the school cafeteria into fertilizer. All she needs is a little help from her teammate and best friend, Annie -- and the worms in her grandma's garden.

But it turns out that worms are awfully SLOW eaters. And when the critters escape, the whole class starts grumbling. Can Marty save the Earth without losing her friends?

An ode to muddy hands and feet, brown earth, and new grass. Simple text and exuberant illustrations will make children and their grown-up friends want to sink their feet into gooey, gloppy, mucky, magnificent mud.

From Publishers Weekly ; Introduced in Fletcher and the Falling Leaves, the cute little fox Fletcher now discovers spring. Seeing blossoms swirling through the air—Beeke renders them as a flurry of white smudges—Fletcher becomes convinced that the snow has returned. Feeling bouncy [and] full-of-importance, he sounds the alarm to his forest comrades, who are not a little peeved when they realize Fletcher's mistake. All is quickly forgiven as they revel in the glories of the season: The animals scooped up pawfuls and clawfuls of blossoms from the ground, and covered him in a tickly shower of fluttering white petals! The distinctly British lilt of Rawlinson's prose should prove captivating for preschoolers. But it's Beeke who gives this book its reason for being. Working in her signature naïf style, she gives each character a vivid personality (the steadfast porcupine and slacker rabbits are particularly memorable) and conjures up an irresistible forest: bathed in warm greens and yellows, punctuated with impish bursts of color, and just imposing enough to be a suitable setting for adventure. Ages 3–7.

How was your week, friends? Thank you for visiting.