Garrett's feelings

Garrett crawled up next to me yesterday and stuck his foot right in front of my face.  "Owie on my foot" he said.  I looked at his foot and it seemed to be just fine, so I asked him where it hurt. 

"My feelings hurt" he told me. 

Lavender

I really just quickly have to say again how awesome lavender essential oil is.  Last summer we learned the hard way to keep it on hand.  Afton went outside to play on our monkey bars and almost immediately got stung by a wasp.  She cried and cried for an hour!  I don't know what to do or how to make it better.  The next day the same thing happened again.  We realized that there was a wasp nest in the pipe of the monkey bars.  That time I thought to try lavender.  I hadn't heard to use lavender for stings, but I knew it was the universal oil.  "If you don't know what to use...use lavender."  So I thought we would give it a try.  As soon as I put the lavender oil on the sting, she stopped crying and was all better.  Instantly...that fast!  Really.  I was convinced.  

This year we haven't had as many opportunities to try it.  Thank goodness!  But tonight we got ready to go for a walk and Kensi got stung by a wasp that had been hiding out in the stroller.  I grabbed the lavender and put it on.  Within 30 seconds she had stopped crying and was just fine.  It really is amazing.  I have learned to ALWAYS have lavender with me.  I keep a bottle in the car, one in the house and send one with the boys every time they go on scout camp outs or hikes.  I know for sure that I NEVER want any of us to be caught without it!

Banana Bread

My mom has the best banana bread recipe in the world!  Full of sugar, oil, sugar...oh, and bananas.  So good!  We get compliments from everyone who tries it.   The sad part about it, is that we are trying to eat healthy and so all of the sugar and white flour is off limits.  I have tried several "healthy" recipes for banana bread and well...they are gross.  Dry, flavorless and just plain yucky.  So finally I had a brilliant idea!  Why not take mom's good, tried and true recipe and make it healthy???  So that is what I did.  And it turned out GREAT!  Here are both recipes:

Mom's Regular Banana Bread

3 c. sugar
4 eggs
3 c. buttermilk
1 c. oil
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. mashed bananas
2 c. chopped nuts (optional)
5 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder

Mix all together in a large bowl.  Dump into 3 greased and floured loaf pans and bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.


Jen's Healthy Banana Bread

2 c. honey

4 eggs

3 c. buttermilk

1 c. applesauce

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. mashed bananas

2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

5 c. freshly ground whole white wheat flour

1 tsp. salt

3 tsp. baking soda

3 tsp. baking powder

Mix all together in a large bowl.  Dump into 3 greased and floured loaf pans and bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.

Bon Appetit!  (yes, I did just watch "Julie & Julia"!)

Ice Crackers

Afton, Kensi, Garrett and I went out to lunch with my parents the other day.  We went to a Mexican restraunt and I thought, "this will be good, at least Garrett will eat the chips!" 

When we got there I tried to offer him chips and he wouldn't take them, he kept insisting on "crackers".  There were no crackers around, so I kept pushing the chips.  Finally he reached into Kensi's glass and took a handful of ice and started eating it. 

Then he grinned and said, "ice crackers, see?"

Essential Oils

I have been learning a lot about essential oils in the last year because of necessity.  I have come to understand them and I love to use them.  I had a class at my house in April that was taught by a woman who has been using essential oils for years and is a wealth of knowledge.  Here are the notes I took from that class:

All of the oil blends mentioned below are from the company, Be Young. You can email me if you want to know more about how to get them.

Essential Oils Class Notes

RECIPES:


·         Liver Cleanse:  1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 drop lemon EO (essential oil), 1 drop peppermint EO.  Take 1 dose every morning.  (Unless you have high blood pressure, then use spearmint instead of peppermint)



·         Bath salts: 1/4 c. Epsom salts, 1 squirt of a carrier oil, 3-5 drops of EO.  For healing bath salts add the following oils: peppermint, eucalyptus, rosemary, chamomile


TIPS:

·         EO's like to float of the top or liquids in teas or in baths.  To remedy this in a tea, stir the EO into a spoonful of honey and then add the water.  In a bath, mix the EO with some bath salts (or just plain Epsom salts) and then dissolve it in the bathwater.

·         To help the oils get deep into the muscles, use peppermint oil on it or cover with a moist, warm towel.

·         Less is more.  One drop is often sufficient.

·         Be careful what oils you use in pregnancy.  Especially avoid the hormone blends (Venus & Mars) and peppermint.  If you are unsure, test a small amount on your feet and see how it affects you.

·         The citrus oils (i.e..lemon, orange) will make you burn if you expose the skin where you have rubbed them to the sun.  Be careful.

·         For the milder oils, the best way to take them internally is either by the "lick trick" (put a drop on your wrist and lick it off) or in a small amount of water and then swished around the mouth before swallowed.  Swishing gets the oil 90% absorbed in your mouth vs. the 25% absorption that you would get if you just "chugged it" into your stomach.


AILMENTS:

·         Neck pain: chiro-touch (relaxes) &; physical touch (healing)

·         Headache: Make a small pillow using 2 of 3x7 inch material.  Stuff it with equal parts of rice, flax seeds, lavender buds &; spearmint leaves.  Sew it up and store in a plastic bag.  For a headache, warm it up and lay it on your head.  If the potency of the spearmint &; lavender has faded, add 2 drops of lavender EO and 2 drops of spearmint EO on the bag and shake it around.

·         PMS: Mars & Venus EO blends.  They balance the hormones.  Mars balances testosterone, Venus balances estrogen &; progesterone.   Use one in the morning and the other at night.  (do not use in pregnancy)

·         Infection: Use Spice for Life, Guardian &; Defense blends.  Take internally swished around in the mouth.  Spice for Life in the morning when viruses are easier to kill, Guardian at lunch when fungus is less active &; Defense at night to kill the bacteria.  Use one drop or for more serious infections, 3-4 drops each time.

·         Breathing trouble/allergies:  Use the Breathe blend, peppermint or Eucalyptus.  Rub on chest over the lungs and also inhale deeply.

·         Depression: frankincense, 1 drop under your tongue

·         Heart burn: lemon oil, 1 drop under your tongue

·         Sudden overwhelm or anxiety: Geranium

·         "Baby Blues": Venus blend rubbed on the lower abdomen and frankincense taken under the tongue

·         Sunburn: peppermint &; lavender oils mixed with 4 oz. of water and mist on the sunburn often

·         Hormone imbalance in men: Mars blend or coriander

·         Hormone imbalance in women: Venus or bergamot

·         Labor help: Rose oil will open up the cervix if applied directly.  Loving care blend is good rubbed on the abdomen and thighs.  Basil helps you relax.

·         Breast engorgement in nursing: dill oil rubbed on

·         Stimulate breast milk production: coriander

·         Bug repellent: Lavender, tea tree, lemon, eucalyptus, &; rosemary.  Diluted with water and spritzed on.

·         Adrenal fatigue: juniper berry & geranium oils

·         Urinary tract infection: encapsulate 4 drops each of thyme &; oregano and take 2 times a day.  Rub Juniper berry on the kidneys.  Sometimes UTI's are caused by a blood sugar imbalance, treat for that as follows.

·         Blood sugar imbalance: 2 drops each of coriander, dill &; fennel taken with every meal


OILS and WHAT THEY ARE GOOD FOR:

·         Mars blend: for over aggressive boys.  It will calm the testosterone overload

·         Orange &; Lemon oil:  good for learning and stimulating the brain.  Orange for right brain activities (creativity) and lemon for left brain activities.  Rub the oil behind the ears and on the neck.  Orange is also good to use in water to help the body's cells absorb the water and hydrate the body.

·         Spice for life blend: anti-viral.  Best used in the morning when viruses are easier to kill.  Best if taken internally by the "lick trick" (put a drop on your wrist and lick it off) or in a small amount of water and then swished around the mouth before swallowed.

·         Fennel: digestion and car sickness.  Also can be put in water to help the body's cells absorb the water &; hydrate the body.

·         Brain Gem blend: lazy eye & learning disabilities.  Tells the tissues of the brain to repair themselves.

·         Helicrysm: pulls the poison out of the body, i.e..scorpion bite

·         Lavender or Rose oil: diluted for use on diaper rash, yeast infection, bug bites, & sunburn.  Dilute in water and then put in a spray bottle and spritz on the area needed.  Rose oil will open up the cervix if applies directly during labor.

·         Loving care blend: good rubbed on the abdomen and thighs during childbirth.

·         Basil:  helps you relax during childbirth.

·         Dill oil: will help ease engorgement in breasts when nursing

·         Coriander: helps stimulate breast milk


INTERESTING FACTS:

·         It takes 6,000 rose petals to get 1 drop of rose EO

·         Peppermint is the same frequency as the brain.
·         There are 2 "universal oils" which can be used for almost anything: Lavender & rose oil

*** Oh, and don't forget the "don't take this as medical advice and sue me later" disclaimer.  :)

Quotes by leaders of the church on personal mission and the chosen generation

Gordon B. Hinckley, “‘A Chosen Generation’,” Ensign, May 1992, 69:

"Each time I have stood before such a group, there has come into my mind the great and prophetic statement made by Peter of old. Said he: “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Pet. 2:9.)

"I know of no other statement which more aptly describes you, nor which sets before you a higher ideal by which to shape and guide your lives.

"I return to Peter’s great statement as I make a plea and offer a challenge: “Ye are a chosen generation.” How very true that is. Notwithstanding all of the problems that we have, this, I believe, is the greatest age in the history of the world. And you young people of this generation are a part of it. You are the beneficiaries of it. Its fruits are here to bless your lives if you will grasp them and live worthy of them.

"Truly, my dear young friends, you are a chosen generation. I hope you will never forget it. I hope you will never take it for granted. I hope there will grow in your hearts an overpowering sense of gratitude to God, who has made it possible for you to come upon the earth in this marvelous season of the world’s history.

"You cannot afford to drink beer and other liquors which can rob you of self-control. You cannot afford to smoke cigarettes or use other forms of tobacco and live up to the values which the Lord has set for your guidance. The partaking or distribution of illegal drugs is to be shunned as you would shun a terrible disease.

"You cannot afford to do any of those things which do not square with the precepts, the teachings, the principles which the God of heaven has set down because of His love for you and His desire that your lives be rich and full and purposeful.

"Nor can you afford to idle away your time in long hours watching the frivolous and damaging programming of which much of television is comprised. There are better things for you to do. The world into which you will move will be terribly competitive. You need to increase your education, to refine your skills, to hone your abilities so that you may fill responsibilities of consequence in the society of which you will become a part.

"And so I invite you, every one of you within the sound of my voice, to think for a moment upon why you are here under the divine plan of your Father in Heaven and of your tremendous potential to do good during the life that He has given you."


James J. Hamula, “Winning the War against Evil,” Ensign, Nov 2008, 50–53:

"While God’s kingdom has been established on the earth in times past, the people to whom the kingdom was previously committed were unable to keep it. This time, however, is different. The prophetic promise is that this time God’s kingdom will not be lost but will overcome the world.

"To ensure its ultimate success, the final restoration of God’s kingdom has been commenced with unprecedented spiritual power and is being sustained by that same spiritual power and something more.
"Reserved to come forth in these last days and labor for our Father and His Son are some of the most valiant and noble of our Father’s sons and daughters. Their valiance and nobility were demonstrated in the pre-earth struggle with Satan. There, “being left to choose good or evil,” they “[chose] good” and exhibited “exceedingly great faith” and “good works.” Such are the traits that are now needed to sustain the work of
God in the earth and to save the souls of men from the intensifying wrath of the adversary.

"Now, my young friends of the Aaronic Priesthood, you are these valiant and noble sons of our Father! You are the strength of the Lord’s house, His warriors! You are those who chose good over evil and who exhibited “exceedingly great faith” and “good works.” And because of your personal history, you were entrusted to come to the earth in these last days to do again what you did before—to once again choose good over evil, exercise exceedingly great faith, and perform good works—and to do so in behalf of the kingdom of God on the earth and your fellowman!"


Marvin J. Ashton, “‘Stalwart and Brave We Stand’,” Ensign, Nov 1989, 35:

Here is "a statement of President Benson made to a gathering of youth in Southern California after he became President of the Church:

“For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the Second Coming. Every previous gospel dispensation has drifted into apostasy, but ours will not. … God has saved for the final inning some of his strongest children, who will help bear off the kingdom triumphantly.
"And that is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God. … Make no mistake about it—you are a marked generation. There has never been more expected of the faithful in such a short period of time as there is of us. … Each day we personally make many decisions that show where our support will go. The final outcome is certain—the forces of righteousness will finally win. What remains to be seen is where each of us personally, now and in the future, will stand in this fight—and how tall we will stand. Will we be true to our last-days, foreordained mission?”


“‘You Are a Marked Generation,’ President Benson Tells Students,” Ensign, Apr. 1987, 73–74

“Make no mistake about it, you are a marked generation,” President Ezra Taft Benson told 8,500 seminary and institute students assembled in the Anaheim, California, Convention Arena February 8.

“There has never been more expected of the faithful in such a short period of time than there is of us,” he said.

“Never before on the face of this earth have the forces of evil and the forces of good been so well organized.”

The students had responded to a challenge given by President Benson last April general conference: “I bless you with increased understanding of the Book of Mormon. I promise you that from this moment forward, if we will daily sup from its pages and abide by its precepts, God will pour out upon each child of Zion and the Church a blessing hitherto unknown.” (Ensign, May 1986, p. 78.)

Pointing to the special mission of this generation, President Benson said, “While our generation will be comparable in wickedness to the days of Noah, when the Lord cleansed the earth by flood, there is a major difference this time: God has saved for the final inning some of His stronger and most valiant children, who will help bear off the kingdom triumphantly. … You are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God.”
President Benson assured: “The final outcome is certain—the forces of righteousness will finally win. But what remains to be seen is where each of us personally, now and in the future, will stand in this battle—and how tall will we stand?”

“Wisdom is the proper application of true knowledge,” President Benson said, adding that “not all knowledge has the same worth, nor are all truths equally valuable. The truths upon which our eternal salvation rests are the most crucial truths that we must learn.”

Commenting on the abundance of books available today, he said, “It is a mark of a truly educated man to know what not to read,” noting that “many novels and modern publications are corrupters of morals or distorters of truth.”

President Benson counseled that the best way to increase in favor with God is to ask, “Lord, what will thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6.) He advised that God’s plans for us can be determined from the scriptures, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and personal prayer.

“For the Holy Ghost to be fully operating” in our lives, he said, “we must keep our channels clear of sin.” He warned, “If our channels are not clear of sin, then we may think we have received inspiration on a matter when it is really promptings from the devil.”

President Benson concluded by telling the audience, “You are a royal generation. Rise up, O youth of Zion. You hardly realize the great potential that lies within you.”


Elaine S. Dalton, “Look toward Eternity!,” Ensign, Nov 2006, 31–32:

"Our personal mission began long before we arrived on the earth. In the premortal life, we were “called and prepared” to live on the earth at a time when temptations and challenges would be the greatest. This was “on account of [our] exceeding faith and good works” and because of our “having chosen good.”1 We understood our Father’s plan and knew that it was good. We not only chose it, but we defended it. We knew that our earthly missions would be fraught with temptation, challenges, and hardship, but we also knew that we would be blessed by the fulness of the gospel, living prophets, and the guidance of the Holy Ghost. We knew and understood that our success on this earth would be determined by our worthiness and purity."


Sheri L. Dew, “We Are Not Alone,” Ensign, Nov 1998, 94:

Without the presence of the Spirit, it is impossible to comprehend our personal mission or to have the reassurance that our course is right. No mortal comfort can duplicate that of the Comforter. Said President Hinckley, “There is no greater blessing that can come into our lives than … the companionship of the Holy Spirit” (Boston Massachusetts Regional Conference, 22 Apr. 1995; emphasis added). And yet Brigham Young lamented: “[We] may have the Spirit of the Lord to … direct [us]. … I am satisfied, however, that, in this respect, we live far beneath our privileges” (Deseret News Semi-Weekly, 3 Dec. 1867, 2).

"Is it possible that in this twilight season of the dispensation of the fulness of times, when Satan and his minions roam the earth inspiring deceit, discouragement, and despair, that we who have been armed with the most potent antidote on earth—the gift of the Holy Ghost—don’t always fully partake of that gift? Are we guilty of spiritually just “getting by” and not accessing the power and protection within our reach? Are we satisfied with far less than the Lord is willing to give us, essentially opting to go it alone here rather than partner with the Divine?

"This Church is a Church of revelation. Our challenge is not one of getting the Lord to speak to us. Our problem is hearing what He has to say. He has promised, “As often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit” (D&C 6:14).

School: April 2010

photo credit

Wow, after quite a bit of waiting ....and quite a bit of SNOW, we are finally feeling like it is Spring around here!  April flew by!  How did it get to be May already?  In April we had a few illnesses and quite a few days of horrible weather, but we plugged along.  But we also had some very amazing experiences.  General Conference was in April, BYU Women's Conference was in April, as well as some awesome TJed trainings.  What a great month.  I learned so much.  I have so many notes that I am trying to get typed up so that I can post them and share them.  

This time of year we start to get burned out.  The sun shines every few days and when that happens all we want to do is run to the park to play with our friends!  So that is exactly what we do!  We have been struggling with being gone from home too much, chores and getting along and have realized that we need to revisit the Core Phase for everyone in our family.  We need to ground ourselves again.  So we have started our summer vacation as of May 1st and are doing exactly that...spending the summer months being together, working together and playing together.  Core phase is defined as:

"The Core Phase is the first of the Foundational Phases, and serves as the foundation for all the rest of a child’s life. This is when parents nurture their children in the safe, cozy atmosphere of home and family life. During this period, they get a spiritual education by learning about the difference between wrong and right in the secure care of their mother and father. They are exposed to inspiring music, good books, and an atmosphere of learning through the family culture. 

"Play is a huge part of the Core Phase child’s education. As Maria Montessori taught, a child “learns everything without knowing he is learning it, and in doing so passes little from the unconscious to the conscious, treading always in the paths of joy and love.” Work is another big part of the Core Phase. Children learn what hard work is, and are lovingly instructed by their parents. The time children spend learning how to work and obey parents and rules provide valuable lessons they will use in many circumstances (including later academic work) and through the rest of their lives.  

"A child in Core Phase should:

• Learn the difference between good and bad, and how to make good choices
• Learn how to work, and how to be responsible
• Learn about God and his or her relationship with Him
• Play—which is the best way for a child to learn about the world around him
• Spend most of his time at home with his family, being nurtured and loved"

Here is what we did do for school in April:

Devotionals -

• We spent a lot of time talking about life missions.  It is amazing what the leaders of the church have said about this generation.
• Lessons 2-4 in the Gospel Principles book. 

Math - Individual lessons in Saxon; Kaiden - Algebra 1, Nic - 6/5 , Luke - 3, Afton - 1

Mom school - (where I teach them things that I enjoy learning about)

• We are reading out of the book "On Wings of Faith" written by Marshyl's grandpa, Fred Babbel.  He served at Pres. Ezra Taft Benson's companion and secretary during his assignment after WWII to take humanitarian aid to the members of the church in Europe.  It is fascinating to read about the miracles they received every day.  What amazing heritage we have!  We are marking all of the cities that they visited on our wall-sized map of Europe that we drew.

Words of the week: (We do this to build vocabulary skills for the ACT)

maladroit, dilatory

Family Reading -  We are reading "On Wings of Faith" by the kids great grandpa, Fredrick W. Babbel and the 5th Fablehaven book "Keys to the Demon Prison" (it is awesome by the way)

Individual Reading -

Dad - "Brisingr" by Christopher Paolini

Mom -"Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning" by Oliver and Rachel DeMille
           "Following the Light of Christ into His Presence" by John M. Pontius
           "From Clutter to Clarity: Simplifying Life from the Inside Out" by Nancy Twigg

Here is what everyone else is currently doing:

Kaiden (Love of Learning phase/transition to Scholar) -

•    Book of Mormon daily reading
•    Seminary
•    Weekly trips to the Provo temple to do baptisms
•    Duty to God
•    Piano lessons and daily practice
•    Origami

Nicolas (Love of Learning phase) -

•    Book of Mormon daily reading
•    Faith in God
•    11 year old scouts, working on his First Class
•    Read all of the 5th Fablehaven book "Keys to the Demon Prison"

Luke (Core phase) -

•    Book of Mormon daily reading
•    Faith in God
•    Working on his Bear badge in Cub Scouts

Afton (Core phase) -

•    Book of Mormon daily reading
•    drawing, drawing, drawing

Makensi (Core phase) - 

•    drawing and cutting and gluing...hopefully not to the couch!

Garrett - 

• talking...nonstop.  And we can understand him!  He speaks full sentences and can communicate anything that he wants us to know.

L. Tom Perry quote

I love this...

"Teaching in the home is becoming increasingly important in today’s world, where the influence of the adversary is so widespread and he is attacking, attempting to erode and destroy the very foundation of our society, even the family. Parents must resolve that teaching in the home is a most sacred and important responsibility. While other institutions, such as church and school, can assist parents to “train up a child in the way he [or she] should go” (Proverbs 22:6), ultimately this responsibility rests with

parents. According to the great plan of happiness, it is parents who are entrusted with the care and development of our Heavenly Father’s children. Our families are an integral part of His work and glory—“to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). On God’s eternal stage, it is usually intended that parents act as the central cast members in their children’s lives. Fortunately, there are understudies involved in the production who may step in when parents can’t. It, however, is parents who have been commanded by the Lord to bring up their children in light and truth (see D&C 93:40).

Parents must bring light and truth into their homes by one family prayer, one scripture study session, one family home evening, one book read aloud, one song, and one family meal at a time. They know that the influence of righteous, conscientious, persistent, daily parenting is among the most powerful and sustaining forces for good in the world. The health of any society, the happiness of its people, their prosperity, and their peace all find common roots in the teaching of children in the home."

(L. Tom Perry:  April 2010 General Conference)

School: Feb & March 2010

These past few months have been CRAZY over here...more crazy than usual!  We decided that it is time to sell our house and get into something a little bit bigger and a little further from the freeway.  There were so many projects that needed done around here to get ready to put the house on the market.  Every project we did took 4 times longer than we thought it would!  Of course.  But we finally finished and got the house on the market at the end of March.  It is MLS #951928 if you want to look.  Now begins the waiting game and we really are prepared to be very patient.  Houses in our neighborhood have not been moving...at all.  We just figured that if it is going to take 2 years to sell our house, we might as well start now!  School took a back seat to all of the house projects and the kids were HUGE helps during it all.  This is what homeschooling is all about!

Here is what we did do for school:

Devotionals -

• We spent a lot of time talking about the "Armor of God" and all of the pieces
• We started studying out of the new Gospel Principles book.  We are taking it slowly and spent about 3 days going over each lesson, reading the scriptures and singing songs about the topic.

Math - Individual lessons in Saxon; Kaiden - Algebra 1, Nic - 6/5 , Luke - 3, Afton - 1

Mom school - (where I teach them things that I enjoy learning about)

• We did a study on the Olympics and their history and watched them on TV as much as we could. That ended up only being prime time coverage since we don't have cable.  Then we took a field trip to all of the Olympic sites and museums from the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.  It was very cool!
• We finished up our study of WWII 

Words of the week: (We do this to build vocabulary skills for the ACT) ebb, pandemic, intrepid

Family Reading - started reading "On Wings of Faith" by the kids great grandpa, Fredrick W. Babbel and the 4th Fablehaven book "Keys to the Demon Prison" (it is awesome by the way)

Individual Reading -
Dad - "Brisingr" by Christopher Paolini

Mom -

• "Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning" by Oliver and Rachel DeMille 
• "Following the Light of Christ into His Presence" by John M. Pontius
• "From Clutter to Clarity: Simplifying Life from the Inside Out" by Nancy Twigg

 Here is what everyone else is currently doing:

Kaiden (Love of Learning phase) -

•    Book of Mormon daily reading
•    Seminary
•    Weekly trips to the Provo temple to do baptisms
•    Duty to God
•    Piano lessons and daily practice
•    Origami

Nicolas (Love of Learning phase) -

•    Book of Mormon daily reading
•    Faith in God
•    11 year old scouts, working on his First Class
•    Reading: The Ranger's Apprentice series...I'm not sure where he is exactly, he reads a lot and he reads fast!

Luke (Core phase) -

•    Book of Mormon daily reading
•    Faith in God
•    Working on his Bear badge in Cub Scouts

Afton (Core phase) -

•    Book of Mormon daily reading
•    Learning about being a princess

Makensi (Core phase) - 

•    Learning about being "fancy"

Garrett - 

• drawing all over the walls right after we paint them

Happy 2nd birthday, Garrett!

We love you, Garrett!  Happy Birthday, baby!

The story of my life!

The Importance of Walking  

photo credit

Walking can add minutes to your life. This enables you, at 85 years old, to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing home at $7000 per month.

My grandpa started walking five miles a day when he was 60. Now he's 97 years old and we don't know where he is.


I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.


I have to walk early in the morning, before my brain figures out what I'm doing.

I joined a health club last year, spent about 400 bucks. Haven't lost a pound. Apparently you have to go there.

Every time I utter the dirty word,'exercise', I wash my mouth out with chocolate.

I do have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.

The advantage of exercising every day is so when you die, they'll say, 'Well, she looks good doesn't she?'

If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.

I know I got a lot of exercise the last few years, just getting "over the hill."

AND...

We all get heavier as we get older, because there's a lot more information in our heads. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Kensi's 4th Birthday!

She wanted a parfait like in the "Fancy Nancy" books. This is a BIG parfait! And she insisted that it have brownies in it and cherries on top.

She got some Strawberry Shortcake and Tinkerbell dolls. After perusing the little girl aisle at Wal-mart we are very glad that she is still into Strawberry Shortcake and Tinkerbell and NOT Barbie!

Posing!

Breakfast blueberry pancakes with a cherry on top!

"...everything!"

Kensi's birthday is next Wednesday and today I asked her what she wants for her birthday.  Her reply?  "...everything!"  

Well, there you have it.  That definitely narrowed things down! 

School: January 2010

Well, we all knew it was true, but I was just in denial for a while. It is now fact that I truly am too busy to blog our school by week. Weeks around here fly past so quickly that they are gone with the wind before I even know they have began! So we will try something new and perhaps easier to keep up with...blogging by the month!

The past couple of months have seen us growing and stretching and trying to find where our heart truly is with our homeschooling. We have taken a large leap of faith in following not only our hearts but also the Spirit towards Leadership Education through a Thomas Jefferson Education.  So, what is a Thomas Jefferson Education?

"A Thomas Jefferson Education is the title of the first of three books authored and co-authored by Dr. Oliver DeMille. In it, he describes the kind of education that created some of the greatest leaders in history—Thomas Jefferson being the quintessential example. The American founding fathers, as well as many other great men and women throughout history, were able to truly impact the world around them because they learned using this educational model. This philosophy of education, referred to as Thomas Jefferson Education (TJEd) has a number of key principles and characteristics" such as the four phases of learning,  and the seven keys of great teaching.    You can read all about it at www.tjed.org.   

I first learned about TJed several years ago, and it really hit home with what I wanted for my kids.  But it was hard for me to let go of what I was used to thinking about education having grown up in the public school system.  TJed always lurked in the back of my mind as something that I would try "someday".  The Spirit finally told me that "someday" was now!   The more I learn about TJed, the more I realize that a lot of the things taught are things that we were already doing and have always done.   So here we are, our 9th year of homeschooling, trying a little bit of a different path.  We are also trying hard to incorporate more gospel teaching into our days.  We have always done a bit, but I never felt like it was enough.  Now we spend quite a bit of time on scriptures stories and understanding gospel principles.  We began our new school structure in January and this is how our month shaped up.

Devotionals -

•  "Choose you this day" Mormon Messages video
• Malachi 4:5-6 (the New Era has great scripture discussion pages called "Line upon Line.  This one was found in the May 2008 edition)
• "Pull together" Mormonad poster in the New Era July 2009
• 1 Corinthians 10:13 (Line upon Line, New Era Oct. 2008)

Math - Individual lessons in Saxon; Kaiden - Algebra 1, Nic - 6/5 , Luke - 3, Afton - 1

Mom school - (where I teach them things that I enjoy learning about)

•    We finished up our unit on "Around the World in 80 Days".  We loved reading the book and learning about the geography of the world based on Phileas Fogg's travels. 
•    Now we are learning about WWII so that we can move into a study of the kid's great-grandpa, Frederick Babbel, and his book "On Wings of Faith" which is about his time in Europe after WWII as Pres. Ezra Taft Benson's companion taking humanitarian aid to the members of the church there.

Words of the week: (We do this to build vocabulary skills for the ACT) indolent, deride, quandary, languish

Family Reading - Finished "Around the World in 80 Days" and began "The Mitchells: Five for Victory" by Hilda Van Stockum

Individual Reading -
Dad - "Brisingr" by Christopher Paolini
Mom -

• "Little Britches" by Ralph Moody 
• "Percy Jackson and the Olympians - book 1" by Rick Riordan (horrible, I highly recommend NOT letting your kids read this book, mine for sure won't be)
• "A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion" by Oliver DeMille, Rachel DeMille, and Diann Jeppson
• "Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning" by Oliver and Rachel DeMille 
• "Following the Light of Christ into His Presence" by John M. Pontius
• "From Clutter to Clarity: Simplifying Life from the Inside Out" by Nancy Twigg

At the beginning of the year I sat down with each kid and asked them what their goals are for the year, what things they are interested in and what they would like to learn out in the next 6 months.  Then we chose a few topics and headed to the library. Here is what everyone is currently doing:

Kaiden (Love of Learning phase) -

•    Book of Mormon daily reading
•    Seminary
•    Weekly trips to the Provo temple to do baptisms
•    Learning about engineering, work on the Boy Scouts Engineering merit badge
•    Duty to God
•    Piano lessons and daily practice
•    Origami
•    Reading: "Anne of Green Gables"

Nicolas (Love of Learning phase) -

•    Book of Mormon daily reading
•    Faith in God
•    11 year old scouts, working on his First Class
•    Astronomy merit badge
•    Reading: The Ranger's Apprentice series...I'm not sure where he is exactly, he reads a lot and he reads fast!

Luke (Core phase) -

•    Book of Mormon daily reading
•    Faith in God
•    Working on his Bear badge in Cub Scouts
•    Learning about inventing
•    Reading: a biography of Benjamin Franklin and "The Boxcar Children"

Afton (Core phase) -

•    Book of Mormon daily reading
•    Learning about being a veterinarian and a princess
•    Learning to write in cursive

Makensi (Core phase) - 

•    Learning about being a veterinarian and a princess

Temple in Payson!

Pres. Monson just announced today that a new temple will be built in Payson.  That is exactly (according to Mapquest) 1.79 miles from my house and a 6 minute drive!  We are so excited!

The rains came down...

Kensi was singing The Wise Man and the Foolish Man today and was singing...

"The rains came down and the flowers came up..."

It was very cute!

We did it!

After today, we have visited 11 of the 13 temples in Utah.  Our goal was to get to 10 by the end of the year.  The only 2 we lack are Monticello and St. George.  Both are about 4 hours from us, so they are a little too far to go to on a Sunday afternoon after church!  We will have to shoot for those next year.  Here are the pictures...

Jordan River Temple

Manti Temple

Logan Temple

Ogden Temple

Bountiful Temple

Mt. Timpanogos Temple

Provo Temple

Salt Lake Temple

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

Vernal Temple

Draper Temple

Kids fall pictures

 Kaiden

 

 Nicolas

 

 Luke

 

 Afton

 

 Makensi

 

Garrett

Red Knoll Hike

Today we decided to take advantage of the 70+ degree weather and go for a hike.  We went up to the Spanish Fork Reservoir and hiked to the Red Knoll.  It was a nice short hike and even Garrett was able to do it.  We  had an awesome view of the entire Utah Valley from the top. 

At the bottom getting ready to hike.

Going up.

We had to stop and play in the black rocks. 

The view from the top!

Someone who had been up there before left a pirate flag to mark the spot!

 Garrett & Kaiden had to stop on the way down to throw some rocks down the road.

 

Garrett had a blast and went up by himself just fine.  It was going down that was hard for him.  Kaiden helped him out!  What a good brother.

School: Sept. 21-25

School: Sept. 21-25

Math - Individual lessons in Saxon; Kaiden - Algebra 1, Nic - 6/5 , Luke - 3, Afton - 1

Geography - Politics, Religion, Resources

Science - Astronomy: Constellations

Word of the week: conscientious 

Family Reading - For school, we are reading "Daddy Long Legs"; for fun, dad is reading them "Fablehaven 4"

Individual Reading -
Dad - "Brisingr" by Christopher Paolini
Mom - "A Tale of Two Cities" by Dickens & "No doubt about it" by Sheri Dew
Kaiden - "A Tale of Two Cities" by Dickens
Nic - Ranger's Apprentice 2 "The Burning Bridge"
Luke - Magic Tree House: "Midnight on the Moon"
Afton - Phonics practice readers

They also all do individual Book of Mormon reading and journal writing every day as well as passing off something in scouts or Duty to God/Faith in God for the boys.

Kaiden goes to the Provo Temple each week to do baptisms with a group of his homeschool friends and will also be starting piano lessons next week.

The kids Friday classes are:

Kaiden
P1 Art
P2 Home Economics
P3 Boys Dance
P4 Seven Habits for TEENS
P5 Choir
P6 Creative Writing


Nicolas
P1 Home Economics
P2 Shakespeare for Children
P3 Boys Dance
P4 Reader’s Theater
P5 Sports
P6 Science Lab


Luke
P1 I Love America
P2 Sports
P3 Fifty States
P4 Art
P5 Reader’s Theater
P6 Science Lab


Afton
P6 Choir

On Friday mornings after we drop the boys off at the Charter school, we have Kindergarten for Afton & Kensi with some of our friends. We take turns teaching. Today Jami & Pam taught about the letter A, apples, the book "How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World" and they made an apple pie from scratch. Kelley & I went to the temple. Next week Kelley & I will teach while Jami & Pam go to the temple. We LOVE this!