Today, the discussion has centered around things like can you make armor out of sponges and how thick would it have to be to be effective?  How DOES one even begin to calculate that, anyway?  How about “If there really was such a thing as an e-snail, would e-salt protect your e-mail?”  Maybe.  Of course, the sponge armor might just give the little buggers enough protection to get past the salt barrier?  Who knows.  How about Linux?  Do e-snails prefer it over Windows?  The household Linux debate rages on.

 

I know that I’m not exactly the only homeschooler around here. Do any of the rest of you have to put up with this stuff?

Since I haven’t updated you much lately on what we are up to, you might be thinking that we haven’t been doing much.  Sadly, you might be about half right since we all seem to have a light case of the winter blahs!   However, we actually have managed to keep up with a few things around here.

On the homeschooling front:  Our drawing class this year has consisted mainly of using Bruce McIntyre’s “Drawing Textbook”, some Crayola brand “Doodle Pads”, and Papermate pencils to learn the basics of how to draw.  We chose this particular combination because a) Every item on this list is REALLY cheap and b) It is an activity that all of us can do together (except Eaglewood who just didn’t want to!).  It is going much better than anticipated.  Maybe by the time we finish some of us will be able to draw recognizable objects instead of having everything we sketch look like a cross between aliens and mutant fruit flies.  I’m not naming any names here, I’m just saying…

While language arts, science, copywork, literature, phonics, economics, government, and the many other courses we teach around here have ranged from decent to more than decent and even slightly spectacular in their outcomes this year, we seem to have fallen short in two areas: math and documentation.  I’m open to suggestions for both!  (Please don’t make me beg!)  Since we homeschool year-round, I’m not worried at all about the children falling behind.  We will have plenty of time to catch up.  I am simply looking at my mid-term assessments of what we have been up to and not feeling entirely satisfied with those two areas.  Also, on a basically unrelated note, I can hardly wait for our library’s Spring book sale!

Pookie has recently “discovered” Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” books and is reading her way through those.  She has also discovered my stash of crafting, sewing and doll-making books and started sewing her own soft-sculpture dolls.  Ditto is still reading technical manuals and computer programming books, websites, and anythings.  Sneefert has been enjoying drawing and playing outside.  Puddleglum has been a tad under the weather, but enjoying seeing just what he can get away with and testing my patience.

I am currently reading “Do We Still Need the Ten Commandments: A Fresh Look At God’s Laws Of Love” by John H. Timmerman; “One Blood: The Biblical Answer To Racism” by Ken Ham, Carl Wieland, and Don Batten; and “The Bourne Identity” by Robert Ludlum.  We are listening to a combination of Relient K (a favorite of Ditto’s), Newsboys, Audio Adrenaline, Pillar and REALLY old Bryan Duncan (a favorite of Eaglewood’s).  Why?  I don’t know why.  It just worked out that way this week.

For those keeping track of the saga involving His Royal Furriness Nutter Butter (yes, the cat again), he is improving quite nicely since his last fight with a dog.  I’m thinking he really needs to learn to pick on smaller, wimpier animals for a change and leave the dogs alone!  Can you teach a cat karate?

You Are 76% Texas

Well, knock me down and steal muh teeth! You’re pretty darn Texan. How Texan Are You?

Just grab your imaginary camera and your enthusiasm and join us!   Due to the miserably cold weather and some trouble with scheduling van usage, we haven’t yet started visiting many of the local historic churches.  In the meantime, these local sites might just interest someone.

 

This statue of my great great great great grandfather Governor James W. Throckmorton sits next to the courthouse building in McKinney, TX! 

 

 

 

This horse statue, the name of which I have not been able to learn, sits next to the road not too far from here. 

 

 

 

This is the Historic Round Grove Chapel in Lewisville, TX.  It is a cute and popular place for weddings.

Mr. Right Meme

Okay, it might just be the sound of antiquated computer components complaining about their disruption, but “crackling air” sounds more exciting and a tad less… explosive… don’t you think?

After many a year of cobbled together computers made up of random stray parts, bubble gum, elbow grease and fervent prayer, I am pleased to announce (on behalf of all of the insanely joyful inhabitants of Eaglewood’s Nest) that we will be getting a new (er/ish?) computer today!  It certainly isn’t the latest or the greatest thing to happen in the computer world, but this little computer will be more than adequate for our little family.  Needless to say, great is the rejoicing here at Wings And Prayers for this is, indeed, an answer to one of our family’s prayers!

I shall soon depart my throne (or computer chair, if you prefer) on behalf of the cleaning crew who will be dismantling, dusting, scavenging and purifying the seat of power (or desk area) for its new inhabitant (both the computer and Eaglewood who will be installing stuff for quite awhile, I imagine!).  Prayers for Eaglewood’s continued sanity and for Ditto’s patience with the less “computer-minded” are always appreciated!
 

I have been pondering of late just what direction my blog posting should take.  The question of “does a new blog site necessitate a new blog direction?” has taken over my thinking.  Quite frankly, I’m not even sure how my blog would be categorized to begin with.  Is mine a homeschool blog, a family blog, or perhaps just another mommy blog?  I don’t know.  So much has changed in the past three years that I am just as uncertain about myself at times as I am the classification of my blog.

I don’t often blog much about the things I think about most.   I don’t write about faith, not because I do not have a deep and abiding faith in my Savior, but because Eaglewood, Heidi, Jimmie, Patrick Mead, Serena, MileHiMama and others do it so much better!  I don’t talk about economics, government and current events because others like Triton, Erik, Digital Brownshirt, Difster and others cover those things so well already.  Should I review books, movies, software, music and other items aimed at families, homescholars, children and anyone else with even a little money to spare?  True Anomaly, Why Homeschool, Mommy Life, Mommy Brain and others do that so well already.  Homemaking skills?  The Common Room, LikeMerchantShips, The Lazy Organizer and others have it more than adequately covered.  Besides, hyperactive people with ADD might not be the best organizers to begin with…   So?  What direction should my little bit of the blogosphere take?  I still don’t know.

If I were to be completely honest, the questions and thoughts that dominate so much of my thinking are much the same as those that dominated my thinking almost a year ago on the day that our Samuel was stillborn.  (No, don’t panic, it isn’t what you probably think!)  On that day, as a parade of people came through my hospital room sharing both tears and efforts to cheer, the question of “why?” was asked again and again.  We all strove to understand how such a thing could possibly happen.  How could a loving G-d allow it?  My sister-in-love, Kaylaugh, and I found ourselves sharing a few tears and pondering the flip-side of that question together.  “Why NOT me?”  Big question that.  It takes you in uncomfortable directions and leads you into deep places you might not be prepared to travel.  At least we both knew, oh so well, that we wouldn’t be traveling those paths alone.  You see, Kaylaugh has MS and is losing her sight.  For a photographer and scrapbook artist to lost her sight is a mighty powerful loss.  Kaylaugh has always shared her faith and her heart through visual means.  So, there we sat pondering the imponderable together…  Crying together.  Wondering together.  Like wayward children wanting to play in a busy street, I think in the end it doesn’t even matter whether or not we will know or even understand the “why” and the “why not” this side of Heaven.  It really only matters that we obey and follow the Heavenly Father that loves us more than we can fathom and who sees what we cannot.

When it comes to my blog, I’m open to suggestions.  My faith, on the other hand, is both settled and growing.

I was on my way to pick up Eaglewood at work today when, while I was sitting at a light, about 15 teenagers pretty much took over the intersection and kept everyone waiting while they slowly made their way across.  I was there for a couple of green lights myself.  I couldn’t help thinking of just how selfish of them it was to take over an entire intersection and keep people waiting while they socialized and took their time, but I also couldn’t help but think that I wouldn’t have been nearly so bothered by their little social event if I hadn’t been so selfishly focused on getting where I wanted to go and doing what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it!  Ever feel like that?