Big Fella

I can't remember exactly when we revamped the fish tank, but it was sometime earlier this year.  After keeping freshwater fish for so many years I feel like I've seen it all, done it all, & was a little bored.  My hubby & I did some homework & we decided to do an African Cichlid tank.  I had kept convict cichlids before, but not Africans.  We got most of the fish from a wholesale store that is open to the public.  It's the same store I bought my 100 gallon tank from many years back. 

When we were picking out fish I really liked this one, just his coloring really stood out to me.  African Cichlids are very colorful & while this one isn't as colorful as some others, I still really liked it.  While I was picking it out my son named it "Big Fella" & the name has stuck. At the time he was bigger than most of the fish we had purchased.  Now that a lot of our fish have grown quite a bit he's not so big anymore, but it's still his name, LOL. 

Big Fella has become the boss of the tank.  And he is extremely intelligent & full of personality.  We have all come to love him as our favorite in the tank.   I had the fish tank prior to marrying my husband.  I brought the tank with me after we married & I moved in.  So for a long time it was sort of 'my thing'.  But my hubby has learned a lot over the years & he helps me a lot with it.  And in letting him landscape it & choose the fish, etc, he now feels like it's 'our thing'.  My hubby is now usually the one who feeds the fish.  And he loves it, he has taught them to eat out of his hand, nibble on his fingers, etc.  And Big Fella is at his cutest during feeding time.  BUT Big Fella knows when my hubby comes home & he will splash loudly to request food.  And while it's hard to explain in words, he interacts with us a lot. 

On Tuesday of this week I walked through the living room into the hallway, passing the back of the tank, & heard a weird sound.  On Monday there had been a frog in our garage & for a moment I thought the frog had somehow gotten in the house, that's what it sounded like.  When I looked more closely I realized it was a fish, on the floor behind the tank.  I had been in the living room for some time & hadn't heard anything at all.  It was only when the fish saw me that he started making noise to get my attention.  I knew only Big Fella was that smart & I was correct.  I quickly got him back in the tank  & pulled him through the water in the net, in hopes to push water through his gills.  When I stopped & let him out of the net he simply fell to the bottom of the tank & lay there on his side.  He didn't look good at all.  And I was very worried that other fish would beat him up & kill him.  My son & I prayed for Big Fella.  And I kept a close eye on him all day.  Later he was sitting upright on top of a tank decoration.  He still looked weak, but better.  And later still he was hovering slightly above the tank decoration.  And then last night he was fully swimming around as if nothing ever happened.  And he still is this morning, thank God.

Many years ago I had a pleco.  I had bought him around 1999-2000ish when he was very young, very tiny.  And when he was bigger he had jumped out of the tank.  I'm not even sure how long he had been out for.  My brother had helped me get him back in & had told me how he once saw a show on TV where they were putting fish (sharks I think) back in water & they were pushing & pulling them through the water, to force the water through the gills.  So we did that, but he still looked terrible.  He just lay limply at the bottom of the tank.  And for many days he couldn't even suck himself to the glass.  He would try & just slide down to the bottom.  It was so sad.  But he did survive & lived many long years, though it took him a while to regain his strength & he always had a scar on his back.  He died a few years ago, in 2008, after there was a fire here in my community & our house suffered from smoke damage--6 houses surrounding ours burned badly, there was A LOT of smoke.  There was a mandatory evacuation & we couldn't even see or enter our house for a few days.  When we finally entered I found the pleco dead.  When I investigated further I found a layer of ash on top of the water in the tank, at least an inch thick.  And the filters had been clogged with ash & were no longer functioning.  I was so sad that I wasn't able to help him or save him. 

I know it's only a fish, but somehow after you've saved it's life like that it feels like you've developed such a strong bond.  I hope my Big Fella lives many more years.

Preschool Devotions

Sometime ago, in June 2010 I think, my stepdaughter had jaw surgery.  It was a long surgery & it was challenging to keep my 1 year old son occupied while we waited.  We took several walks through the gift shop.  My son loves teddy bears, so I bought him one from there that we kept in the car for a very long time.  Since the teddy bear at home needs to be clean so he can sleep with it, etc, I thought it was good to have a travel bear that can go anywhere/everywhere with him in the car.  And my son loved this, until he lost it in a store more recently, now that he mostly walks in stores rather than sitting in carts.  

On one of our walks through the gift shop I saw this book "365 Bedtime Devotions for Little Boys" & I grabbed it.  (There clearly must be a version for little girls because there are some typos in the book where it says girl, she, her, where it should be saying boy, he, him, LOL)   I was reading it to my son at bedtime for quite some time.  I knew it was meant for an older child, but I read it anyways.  

At some point, in some bookstore, I don't really remember where/when, I got "The One Year Devotions for Preschoolers".  At the time my son was too young for it & he was pretty destructive with books, so I tucked it away in his closet.  Well of course I forgot all about it, and then when we started school in August I was going through books, etc & ran across the preschool devotional.  I read it a few times with my son & he was quickly totally in love with the book.  He was asking for it all the time.  I started noticing how much better he was comprehending it than the one we were reading at bedtime, so I decided to read this one, instead, at bedtime & tuck the other one away until he's a little older.  

He loves looking at the pictures & he knows all the characters & their names.  It's amazing to me how much he loves this book.  And right now we're struggling with reading lessons in school & he tells me he wants to read this book as his reading lesson.  So for now I'm gonna use it for his reading lesson & see how it goes.  But I just wanted to recommend both of these books highly.  But the one on the left I recommend extremely highly if you have a preschooler.  You can see in the photo that I had to duct tape the binding & that's not from abuse, simply from being read so much.  

Library Trip

 

Yesterday, November 5, 2013, was my son's very first trip to the library.  I am a total book worm, have been since I was very very young.  And I have a serious passion to instill a love of books & reading into my son.  Not only do I think reading is a beautiful & wonderful experience, but as a Christian I believe it is absolutely essential that we read our Bibles.  And I don't think it's any accident or mistake that there's an anti-book/anti-reading agenda taking place these days.  It's just one more way to weaken God's people. 

 

I realize that many people take their children to the library for the first time when they are much younger than 4 1/2.  But I had a few reasons for wanting to wait.  For one thing, my son is very loud.  It's just him, just his normal voice, etc, is loud.  Yes, I do try to teach him to not be so loud, but some things are just an innate part of us, what we're born with, & you can't just turn them on & off with the flip of a switch.  I also can remember my own very first trip to the library & how excited I was & even what book I checked out!!  So I also sort of wanted it to be a special thing that he might remember as he grows older.  And I also wanted him to understand what a library is & what was going on. 

 

And I am thrilled to report that all of that worked out perfectly.  He understood the need to be quiet & whispered the whole time we were there.  There were other kids being loud & he even told me that that wasn't nice of them.  I was so incredibly proud of him.  He was thrilled even beyond my expectations of going there & seeing all the books.  The one issue we did have is that he wanted to BUY the books, not just borrow them.  And I'm not sure how it's gonna go when we have to return them......I'm hoping I can distract him with the fact that we can check out even more books!  They did have a small bookstore there & they did have a small selection of children's books.  I bought him two books for $1, what a bargain!!  And we checked out 5 books. 

 

All in all it was a fabulous trip.  I live in an area that borders on 3 separate counties, so in time I would like to explore other libraries (nothing is close to me, I have to drive a ways to any of them), but being separate counties I will need a card for each county I guess. 

The 2 books I bought

The 5 books we checked out

Simple Woman's Daybook

Feel free to join in by going here:

FOR TODAY: Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Outside my window...   it's chilly & windy today

I am thinking... about reading lessons for my son & prayerfully considering what to do

I am thankful... for my God, my son, my life

In the kitchen... I have a loaf of gluten free sourdough bread rising, will be baking soon

I am wearing... sweats & a t-shirt

I am working on... my blog at the moment......lots of plans I'm formulating in my mind but never have the time to execute......

I am going... to take Lil J to the library today.....his very first trip to the library

From the learning rooms..... learning about David this week & next week

I am reading... our read aloud book right now is The Little House in the Big Woods; I'm trying to read the book my pastor & his wife wrote, Turn Around at Home I think it's called.....but I have so little time to do anything, including reading

I am hoping... to be able to complete all the Thanksgiving crafts I chose to do with Lil J

I am looking forward to... upcoming events with Lil J--we have lots to do--seeing a model train set up at the fairplex this weekend, going for a ride on Thomas the train the following weekend & we have free passes for Knotts, California Adventure/Disneyland, & a coupon for the Long Beach Aquarium.......lots to do, so exciting, & feeling SO BLESSED

I am learning......... to rely on God to receive the grace I need to be the mother/wife I need to be

Around the house... having a hard time getting cleaning done because I moved Lil J's swim lessons to Monday mornings......next month I'll move it to Friday morning & will have more time to clean. 

I am pondering... how to find time to accomplish all that I want to......

A favorite quote for today... True nobility isn't about being better than anyone else, it's about being better than you used to be

One of my favorite things... cuddling with Lil J

A few plans for the rest of the week: library today, model train this weekend, birthday party this weekend also

I am praying for: contentment with life's circumstances

No comments...........

I am curious........is anyone actually reading?  I never get any comments......I'm just curious.........here I'm trying to participate in NaBloPoMo & possibly no one is even reading..............just wanted to throw this out there to see.............

Living the gluten free life

There are so many details involved in the gluten free life.  I keep on learning & learning more stuff & yet there's still more.  Sometimes I become weary & a tad lazy, to be honest, to continue researching & learning & making changes to my life.  But when the focus is on my son & his well-being (we BOTH have celiac disease) it does help to get me going again.  I do only want what is best for my son.  I don't want him to live like me & cause damage to his body for 40 years before realizing what is going on.

And so the latest big change (an on-going process really) is focusing on topical products.  Some people argue as to whether this is really necessary.  But my son & I have a lot of skin issues that I do believe are connected to gluten, so for us I do believe it's necessary.  The other thing is that with celiac disease, gluten isn't just an annoying thing.  It causes serious damage to your body, internally.  So it's not really something I want to take a chance on.....I already have a lot of damage done in 40 years of consuming gluten & I don't want anymore damage done to my son.  So I'd rather be safe than sorry for sure. 

Some of the products I have been using were already gluten free (like make up, when I do wear it, don't wear it much anymore).  And some I knew weren't.  And most I really wasn't sure. 

I recently learned that Costco's Kirkland brand of shampoo, conditioner, & body wash are gluten free.  If you know me at all, you know how much I love Costco.  And this gives me yet another reason to love them.  Oh Costco, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.......  But I disgress, so I started with that, because those three items that I was using were not gluten free.  Now when I went to Costco I noticed that the shampoo & conditioner are clearly labeled "gluten free", but the body wash is not.  I did email the company just to verify that it was actually gluten free.  And they responded to my email less than 24 hours later, ON A SATURDAY, & said that yes, indeed, it is gluten free.  Did I mention that Costco is amazing??  I have to say that I have been emailing a lot of companies about the gluten status of their products lately & no one has responded that quickly & no one responds on weekends. 

I also needed a gluten free body lotion.  Searching online I found that Everyday Shea's unscented & lavender lotion are gluten free.  The very next day I made a quick stop at Sprouts for baking supplies & they had a huge display of that brand of lotion, so I grabbed a bottle.  I have to say I LOOOOOVE this lotion.  Once you massage it in you don't feel greasy or 'lotiony' at all, just super soft.  Love, love, love this product.

Most of my other products (lip balm, face wash, moisturizer, etc) are already gluten free & I don't need to make any changes.  I am still waiting to hear back from one company & I'm still trying to think of what other products I haven't thought to check on yet.  Mouthwashes come to mind.......I use 3 mouthwashes & don't know the gluten status of any of them!  Like I said, it's a process.  And hopefully someday I'll be much further along in this process. 

Gluten free recipes

I had published this on Saurday, November 2, or at least I thought I had. Somehow it didn't publish & was stored as a draft. 

Just wanted to share that I also have a blog dedicated to nothing but recipes.  Some of the older recipes on there may contain gluten, but all the more recent ones are gluten free.  And most is dairy free.  For anyone interested.......my recipe blog

Homeschool Preschool Unit 12--Samuel Listens to God

 

{I am partaking in NaBloPoMo this year--in which I will post a blog post every day for the month of November}

I am using Heart of Dakota's Little Hands to Heaven, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, various forms of Spanish, & reading aloud from a chapter book for my 4 year old son.

This week focuses on the letter J & Samuel, the last judge.

On Monday we had a very busy morning.  Monday has always been my house cleaning & laundry day.  So it's always been busy, but as of today Lil J is doing his swimming lessons on Monday morning.  So it was even busier than usual, but it went well I must say.  We started off with a new fingerplay.  Then he read the words portion of reading lesson #85.  He only missed 2 words, so he should have those soon & move on quickly to the next lesson.  Then we read in the Bible about Hannah, then we did some discussing of what we read, he practiced writing "J" & "j".  He did 'count on me', where he drew babies in each box & added up each box & then all of them together.  Then he read the sentences portion of his reading lesson.  Then we did Spanish & then our songs--there was no song for today's lesson, but we did the books of the Bible, God made the universe, & the 10 commandments.  Then I read aloud from The Little House in the Big Woods.  (This is the first book in the series & it is my favorite.  I have always dreamed of being able to live as they do in this book--soooo independent & self sufficient.)  And that's a wrap for Monday. 

On Tuesday we continued with our fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #85 & got all the words correct so tomorrow he'll be moving on to lesson #86.  We read in the Bible about Hannah's prayer for a baby being answered.  We did our devotionals & made a play-dough "J" (Lil J rolled out all the play dough by himself & stuck them in the glue that I placed on the paper for him).  {I really need to make some gluten free play dough!  I am using store bought modeling clay & I would imagine that it has gluten in it & I do worry about us getting sick from handling it.  Hopefully today or soon I can make some that's gluten free.}  Then we discussed what we read in the Bible & then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson.  This is the first day he really truly focused & didn't fight about this at all.  I've been working on that for some time now & am so glad to see that my hard work is paying off.  Then we did Spanish & then our songs--a song about Samuel, the books of the Bible, God made the universe, & the 10 commandments.  And then we did a Hannah/Samuel craft.  Later I will read aloud from "Little House in the Big Woods". 

 

On Wednesday we continued with our fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #86.  Then we read about God speaking to Samuel in the Bible.  There was a "math activity" that just didn't have anything to do with math & it required a lot of moving around, which can be a problem with my kid--he will lose all focus when that happens--so I just skipped it & discussed the point it was supposed to be making--that Samuel had to listen CAREFULLY to what God was telling him.  We did 'hide & seek J' & then a Bible activity--the 2 black lines coming down are God's voice, the small green rectangle is Samuel's pillow, the larger blue rectangle is Samuel's blanket.  And the "YES" is Samuel's response to God.  (the bottom right of the photo collage was my example for Lil J to follow & the bottom left is Lil J's work--I thought he did a really good job--he said he wanted his blanket to look 'real' so he was deliberately not drawing a rectangle but a more realistic looking blanket, LOL)  Then we did an extra craft--a heart in a magnifying glass--representing God examining our hearts.  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson, then we did Spanish.  Then our songs--a song about Samuel, the books of the Bible, God made the universe, & the 10 commandments.  Then I read aloud from the The Little House in the Big Woods & that was it for Wednesday.

 

On Thursday we continued with our fingerplay.  He read the words portion of reading lesson #86 (& will be moving on to lesson #87 on Friday).  We read in the Bible about God's people losing the battle with the Philistines. He practiced writing "J" & "j" (& he did "I" & "i" also).  I skipped an activity & chose to just discuss the point of it & did a scheduled discussion & prayer also.  Because this is reformation day we discussed what that means & Lil J colored a picture of Marin Luther--I couldn't find any crafts, just the coloring sheet.  I also read a book aloud, "Mommy, Why Don't We Celebrate Halloween?"  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson.  Then we did Spanish.  There was no song to go with today's lesson, so we just did our usual books of the Bible, God made the universe, & 10 commandments.  Then I read aloud from the little house in the big woods.  And that's all for Thursday. 

 

On Friday we continued with our fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #87.  There was a little struggle with this, but I think it was simply because it was a new lesson & the new words were a challenge for him.  We read about Saul becoming king in the Bible.  We drew Saul's face & anointed it with oil, just as Samuel had done.  It was masking tape J day, which Lil J loves.  We acted out what we read in the Bible.  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson.  Then we did Spanish, our songs (a song about Saul, the books of the Bible, God made the universe, & 10 commandments).  Then I read aloud from The Little House in the Big Woods. 

That's all for this week.....next week we move on to David.............

 

Homeschool Preschool Unit 11--The Time of the Judges

I am using Heart of Dakota's Little Hands to Heaven, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, various forms of Spanish, & reading aloud from a chapter book for my 4 year old son. 

This week focuses on the letter I & Gideon, Samson, & Ruth in the Bible.

First, I must say that on Saturday I realized I hadn't yet set up anything for Unit 11.  I normally do it Wednesday or Thursday.  Somehow I had forgotten.  I was a little under the weather last week, so I suppose that had something to do with it.  So I started working on setting up Unit 11 when I then realized that somehow I completely forgot I had a craft planned for last Friday, the last day of Unit 10.  We learned about God not letting the sun go down, so I had planned a cute sun craft.  This was really fun because it's made using cut outs of Lil J's traced hand prints.  I had 3 extra crafts scheduled last week, whereas I usually have 2.  So I guess that's how I forgot.  After I did 2 I thought I was done for the week.  This week, Unit 11, I have 3 scheduled once again, I'll have to be extra careful & make sure I don't forget any this week.  Anyways, so we did the sun craft on Saturday. 

On Monday we started off with a new fingerplay.  He read the words portion of reading lesson #83.  We read about Gideon choosing his army in the Bible.  We did an activity where Lil J had to show me what body parts I named.  He did very well, except he didn't know 'wrist', 'ankle', & 'waist'.  I guess I don't use those terms much with him.  Then he practiced writing "I" & "i".  He also wanted to write "J" & "j" since they are on the same tracer sheet, but it doesn't show in the photo.  Then we did a strange activity.  It said to draw a blue wavy "water" line across the bottom of the paper.  Then it said to draw a red smiley face on the upper left portion of the paper.  Then it said to trace your hand print on the upper right portion of the paper.  Lil J did all of this by himself.  Then it said to draw a circle around the hand print--I helped out with this.  And the point of all this was that God used the way men drank at the river to help Gideon choose an army.  I don't really see the connection there......but we did this activity anyways & then discussed what we had read in the Bible again.  Then we did an extra craft--making Gideon's torch.  I know our one & only lesson about Gideon doesn't mention his torch, but it was such a cool craft that I chose to include it anyway.  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson, then we did Spanish, & then our songs.  A song about Judges & our usual books of the Bible & God made the universe.  I asked Lil J to bring me his tambourine, but he insisted on only drums today.  He set up both drums, the big one for him & the Indian drum for me.  Later I will read aloud from the Black Stallion & that'll be it for Monday.

 

On Tuesday we continued with our fingerplay, he read (& nailed) the words portion of reading lesson #83 (will be moving on to lesson #84 on Wednesday).  We read about Samson in the Bible.  We had a math activity about weighing stuff.  We managed to weigh a pound of cars LOL!!  He did 'Hide & Seek I', and 'count on me', drawing 2 weights in each box & adding up each box & then all the boxes.  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson, then he colored a picture of Samson while I read to him in Spanish about Noah.  Then we did our songs--one about judges & then books of the Bible & God made the universe.  He again wanted drums rather than tambourine.  Later I'll read aloud from the Black Stallion, I think we'll be finishing it up this Friday & then we'll have to choose a new book.  I'm considering "Little house in the big woods", my fave from the Little House books.

 

On Wednesday we continued with our fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #84, we read about Samson in the Bible.  We made a "bean I"--I put glue in the shape of "I" on a paper & Lil J placed pinto beans on it.  We discussed what we read in the Bible & about Samson's God-given talents & our own God-given talents & we prayed & thanked God for our talents.  We also discussed the need for using our talents to glorify God & not for our own selfish desires.  Then we acted out what we read in the Bible, building pillars & Lil J pretending to be Samson & knocking them down.  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson, then we did Spanish, & then our songs--a song about Judges, the books of the Bible, & God made the universe.  This day he wanted me to use the tambourine while he drummed.  Later I will read aloud from the Black Stallion. 

 

On Thursday we continued with our fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #84 (& will be moving on to lesson #85 on Friday).  We read in the Bible about Ruth.  We did our devotionals & then he practiced writing "I" & "i" & I added on numbers as well.  We discussed what we read in the Bible & made an extra Ruth craft.  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson.  Then we did Spanish, then our songs.  We did the song about Judges, the books of the Bible, & God made the universe.  I also added on a 10 commandments song.  I've been wanting to find one & do it because I think it's an important thing to be memorized & memorization is easiest with singing.  There is a 10 commandment song on the CD set that came with our curriculum but I really don't like it.  So I found one that I like on YouTube.  I am planning to continue doing it daily with our other songs.  And then I read aloud from the Black Stallion.  Tomorrow we will finish up our last chapter of it & then we are planning to watch the movie. 

On Friday we continued with our fingerplay, then he read the words portion of reading lesson #85.  Then we read more about Ruth in the Bible.  We made a wheat stalk on paper, because Ruth collected wheat to make bread for herself & her mother in law.  Of course since my son & I have celiac disease I took this time to talk about that as well.  I am trying to find ways to educate my son on the fact that he cannot tolerate gluten & dairy.  Today was masking tape "I" day, Lil J always loves this day.  He had his cowboy riding on a motorcycle driving all over it.  We discussed what we read in the Bible, then we did Spanish & then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson.  Then we did music--judges, books of the Bible, God made the universe, & 10 commandments.  Then I read the final chapter of the Black Stallion aloud.  We are going to watch the Black Stallion movie today.

I should add that Ruth is not a judge & on Thursday & Friday of this week there was no song to correlate. I did the judges song because A) we already did it Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday & B) I really really like the song.  

 

That's all for this week.......next week we learn about Samuel.

Homeschool Preschool Unit 10--Joshua leads Israel

I am using Heart of Dakota's Little Hands to Heaven, Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons, various forms of Spanish, & reading aloud from a chapter book for my 4 year old son.

This week is a review week, focusing on letters E, F, G, H, the number 10, & Joshua.

On Monday we started a new fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #81, we read in the Bible about Joshua.  Being a review week, we reviewed the E, F, G, & H devotionals.  For week to week devotionals I use both devotionals offered by Heart of Dakota, but for reviewing I only use ABC verses.  Then we reviewed A-H in handwriting, using the tracer sheets I made.  Then he glued 10 men onto his number 10 page (10 men to represent the Israelite men).  Then he read the sentences/paragraph portion of reading lesson #81.  I had to remind him to focus, but he did better than last week I am happy to say.  Today happens to be Columbus Day, so I gave Lil J a very brief run down of what that means & then had him color two pages about Christopher Columbus.  I had tried to find a craft for Columbus day, but only found 2 & while I did like one of them it required 2 milk cartons, which I don't have.  And I didn't want to go spend money on milk just to dump it down the drain in order to make this craft.  So then I looked for coloring pages & liked the 2 I chose.  Then we did Spanish & there was no song to go with today's lesson, but we did sing Books of the Bible & God made the universe.  I do believe Lil J knows both songs all the way through.  I am so proud of him!  Later on we will continue reading from The Black Stallion.

 

On Tuesday Lil J was begging to do school outside.  He's actually been asking for a long time now, but I always forget & he usually remembers half way through our school session & it's just too late at that point.  The weather is gorgeous here right now, so we headed outside & prayed, did our fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #81 (& totally nailed it, moving on to lesson #82 tomorrow).  Then we read about Rahab helping the spies in the Bible, he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson, & then we did Spanish.  Then we headed inside to do our masking tape letter on the floor.  Since it's review week it says to choose a letter from A-H.  Lil J said he wanted to do "G" & he drove one of his choo choos on it.  Then it said to build the wall of Jericho out of crackers & peanut butter.  I happen to have no crackers in the house right now.....and we don't even eat peanut butter.  We do eat almond butter BUT I have very little on hand right now & didn't feel like making another batch right now just for this.  Plus, who's gonna eat all these crackers & almond butter?!?!?!  So I scrapped this idea & we built the wall out of his blocks & added on Rahab's red rope using a red pipe cleaner.  We were supposed to act out what we read in the Bible, but I chose to just discuss it instead.  And then we did our songs--a song about marching around the wall of Jericho, the books of the Bible, & God made the universe.  Since I've been singing those last 2 songs without the CD I've been thinking that a tambourine would sure be nice.  I used to have one, but I think I got rid of it when I moved....about 8 years ago.  Then I remembered that Lil J has one, a small one that came with the drum he got for his first birthday.  I went to grab it but as soon as Lil J saw me using it he wanted to use it.  So I sang & he danced around playing the tambourine.  It was very nice.  Later on I will read aloud from The Black Stallion & that's all for today.

Lil J's version of review week: his Buddy is baby Moses in the basket & the couch is Noah's ark.  So he's got baby Moses in the basket in Noah's ark to protect it from the flood, LOL!!!!

On Wednesday we continued with our fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #82, we read in the Bible about Joshua leading the Israelites across the Jordan river (& God drying up the water for them to cross).  Lil J picked "G" again as his review letter, I put glue on a paper in the form of "G" & then sprinkled baking soda over it.  I used a blue glitter glue, but the baking soda didn't really adhere very well.  Not sure if that's just how baking soda is or if it's because I used a glitter gel glue.  It would've looked much better if I had just done the glitter glue alone without sprinkling anything over it.  We were supposed to act out & discuss what we read in the Bible this day.  We did discuss, but I passed on the acting out.  We've been a little under the weather & just didn't feel like it.  Based on our discussion I could see that he had a good understanding about the lesson anyways.  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson.  Then we did Spanish & listened to our songs--a song about crossing the Jordan river, the books of the Bible, & God made the universe.  As soon as Lil J knew it was music time he ran to get his tambourine.  But this time he wanted ME to play the tambourine rather than himself.  He chose to ride his horse during music time this day.  Later on we will continue with the Black Stallion. 

On Thursday we continued with our fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #82 (& will be moving on to lesson #83 tomorrow), we read in the Bible about the wall of Jericho coming down.  He did 'hide & seek review EFGH' & 'count on me', drawing horns in the boxes & adding up all the horns.  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson. Then we did an extra craft, making a horn, & then we acted out what we read in the Bible.  We built a wall out of blocks & he marched around it 7 times & then blew his new horn & the wall came down.  He really enjoyed this (& even after school was over he kept doing it over & over).  Then we did Spanish & our songs--a song about the wall of Jericho, the books of the Bible, & God made the universe.  Along with the added tambourine by me, Lil J blew his new horn during the songs.  He really enjoyed doing that.  Later I will read aloud from the Black Stallion & that's it for Thursday.

 

On Friday we finished off the week continuing with our fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #83, we read in the Bible about God not allowing the sun to set.  We discussed the concept of time & he watched 1 minute pass on a stopwatch.  We discussed what you can accomplish in one minute.  When I asked which letter he wanted to review for handwriting he wanted "G" (he seems to really love G LOL).  And we did some acting out of what we read in the Bible.  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson, then we did Spanish.  There was no song for today's lesson, so we just sang our usual books of the Bible & God made the universe.  And then he was asking to paint, so I set him up to paint.  I love it when he paints.  Later I will read aloud from the Black Stallion & we'll be done for this week.....

 

.....onward to next week & learning about the time of the judges...........