Things Boys want to know

At the aquarium on tuesday they told the boys they have started feeging the octopus by putting its food in a jar so it has to hunt for food. They said to check out youtube. Here it goes.

They have loved the Christmas Drummer boy song performed and filmed by Sean Quigley of winnipeg

Stories of our season - parents to three active boys

On Saturday, Jeremy and I both felt unwell with colds apparent in our sore throats, headaches, fatigue, and a chesty cough. Although what we really wanted was to curl up and sleep the winters day away, this is not our season for doing such things. Our three active boys bounced, pounced and lept through the house, coliding with each other, walls and furniture. Although they had had a full day they still had not expended sufficient energy to make quiet time enforceable. So we all bundled up and off we went. I tried to tell myself I really wasn't feeling that bad. As I push Hudson up the little hill on our street I felt like it was everest. Had someone re soled my shoes with lead? I could barely lift my feet. While at the park in the cold with night drawing near the boys still played with enthusiasm and tried to learn new stunts they could do on the playground including, back bends on the ladders, spining in the swings so they looked like they were spining while skydiving, and launching boots randomly while swinging; to name a few. Noah's favorite was the upsidedown headfirst approach to riding the tall slide. Dismounting the slide on his back head towards the ground looking at the dark sky. It did look like a good thrill especially as the slide had a good angle to it. I am so scared of hieghts but these boys have no fear!! Jeremy encouraged Noah that headfirst, although fun was dangerous because if he was to hit his head he could break his neck and his legs and arms could stop working. "You mean like be in a wheel chair?" Jer "Yes, not just for a little while but forever" Noah "Well just here on earth because after I die and go to Heaven I will get a new body that will be perfect and an NEVER get hurt!" Jeremy "Yes, but it would be a long time to wait for a healthy body" --After this followed a lengthy discussion about nerves, brains, boadies and how they work.

- What else can you say?? If fear tactics don't work on him at age 5 how will we ever convince him to do anything when he is a teenager? He is an excellent problem solver. No obstacle is too big. He is determined. If there is something he wants to do he will find a way to do it.

Noah had seen an ad about an IMAX of the everest Expedition and was full of questions. Insesently infact. "Dad are you going to climb it? "

Jarom loves talking, pretending, telling stories and acting out fighting, killing, stabing and hurting. It always amazes me how he is able to take any conversation and have it include this awful subject. I gathered the boys at Breakfast to try and get us back into the routine of morning scritptures, prayers, devotional since we moved (Last month this seemed to disapear in all the chaos) So, with it being december I started to Read from Luke, they were surprisingly attentive and we described and discussed words they did not understand. As I read of the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night, Jarom pounced! "How did they protect sheep?" "What weapons did they have?" "Did they stab the wolves?burglers?" And this is where I lost them! Really this is where my favorite carols are coming to mind and my heart is sofenting, and my heart full but not today as they began enacting deffending sheep from various threats. I tried to pull it back with the idea of protecting sheep frieghtened because of lightening or thunder in a storm. They humored me and let us try an experiment to see how the shepherds knew the voices of each of their sheep and they knew his voice. They closed their eyes and we took turns saying hi and they saw they knew us by our voices. But as soon as the guessing game was done there was kicking and jabbing at the air once again. Yes a perfect start to the day!

I have to be honest that although I want to encourage a love and excitement for the scriptures this isn't excatly how I pictures our scripture study going. Was this the perfect start to the day - SMILES I am reminded of Elder Bednar's talk - it is the pattern that counts right!?

JArom is a darling boy, So generous, kind, willing to share. He is gentle with Tessa and adores her as much as she adores him. He is a good little snuggler. He is a great stroy teller and is loving his first set of swiming lessons at the new pool. He still loves books and being read to. He is very easy going and is willing to do whatever plan Noah suggests. He doesn't like negative feedback and will seek negative attention just to get more attention. He took on the job of orienting Hudson to nursery heplping him find all the best toys. At first he didn't want Hudson to come he has always had the space to himself but once he had this job he was so kind and generous. I love watching him manuever the little wagon down the driveway stearing it from inside the wagon as it rolls down the incline. He is so happy and full of life. He still knows how to scream and throw a good fit but more and more he is learning to talk when he is mad or frustrated. He went to the dentist for the first teeth cleaning this last week and he did great. He screamed and cried in the waiting room when they wanted him to go through the doors. I held him and hugged him and told him that we had come for the dentist to look at his teeth and that was what we were going to do, that having a fit would not change that but if he wanted to tell me if there was something that he wanted that would make it better or done different he just needed to tell me what it was. He rallied and went in to look at the new office as the assistant suggested. We sat on the chair and I told him I had a surpise " Can you lean this chair back ? I asked and sure enough they could we lay all the way back and then he could see the tv. We had a little hug and then I slipped out from under him once he had his sunglasses I sat at his feet and watched him happily have his teeth cleaned and insepected! Noah did great too. " The best kid all week by far" his assistant had told me. "Mom we should do this regularily" Noah said as we left thrilled to have been to the dentist and no cavities just 2 6year old molars for our 5 year old boy - He is convinced that they are 5 year old molars as the dentist said the ycould re-name them.

I wanted a few moments to myself this afternoon and thought a little journaling would be good. As Noah tried to lure me away and engage in an art project with him he came over and sang with a very sweet voice up close to me " Go do what the Lord has asked you to do. Do it for the Lord" I couldn't help myself from giggling ' What Noah?" Mom do the right thing that the Lord has asked you to do. " Well Noah I am listening to church music that helps me think of Jesus. I am writtig in my Journal and thinking about you" .... If I hadn't been so tired and lazy I would have chossen the better part and followed him as he was right playing with him to make a hardcover book from recycling, paper and staples and pens was worth engaging for. How come Children are so wise. Yet I am still so tired and now he is upstairs playing Lego while I type in a blog I never intend to publish. I just don't sleep enough to store anything in long term memory so I want to write pieces down yet on the other hand how much better to make one more memory as this time will pass so quickly. Balance is key.

My little electricians!

The other night we told the boys that saturday was going to be a special day, pancakes for breakfast and decorating the Christmas tree. Jeremy promised to set it up the night before and then we would all decorate it when they woke in the am. Well That night mom arrived and surprised us be giving us a couple hours to go on a date. We went out for appys and enjoyed the quiet and company. Going to bed late we ddin't get the tree up but I am usually up at 5am these days with Hudson so I figured we would do it together before the others boys woke. WEll sat am arrived. I woke to hear happy boys downstairs. I knew they would b anxious to get started but they sounded like they were palying happily. When I came down they had decorated the small dying Fig tree plant in our living room with decorations and little white lights. They had also riped open the outdoor light boxes ( I had thought to return them -old-glass style) well now they were ours. And they were wrapped around the kitchen, dinning room, living room diving wall. WE praised them for the beautiful job they had done and Jeremy reminded them that using the plugs was for adults only. A little while late as I was thanking them for working together and helping each other make sucha nice surprise Jarom informed me that Noah was so kind to help him know the right way to turn the lights " Leftie loosie, Righty Tighty" !!!! They had startes with plain cables that they had screwed every bulb on the 50ft of string into. Wow Good Job! YIKES Scream! What if they had pluged the cord in first before trying to put in the bulbs? What if.... the ideas run... Noah the questions start and noah clarifies "Mom we didn't plug them in until the lights were ALL in or that would be playing with electric and that would be dangerous!" Yes that would but ....

I am so glad they have proved to have good instincts or vigilient gaurdian angels, or both.

The week we moved was busy boxes stacked in our living space, the kitchen in disarray, the boys needing more attention and having less space to play in and less toys to play with. I had a technician trying to tlak to me about a complicated quote for fencing in the coop units backyards. To get away from the noise I went on the back steps and shut the door to finnish the call. When I was done. I turned to go in the house only to find the door locked and Noah and Jarom no where to be seen! I knocked without any response - no giggles or attention of any kind. They had disapeared well all but Hudson Icould see him clearly, he took a chair from the table and pushed it to the stove and proceeded to dismantle it. Removeing all four elements and then strated on the drip trays! As he was doing this I began to pound on the door. I knew the stove was off and he was unlikely to hurt himslef but his fear of the stove was quickle fading. I NEED him to be scared of it. Quick boys Quick open the door. I banged, knocked, hollered, and fianly one of them appeared and I motioned to them to unlock the door. They seem perplecked at my urgency. As I reassembled the stove I noticed both the boys putting on their boots and heading outside. "Where are you guys going" they responded " Ot help Jared build" "He isn't outside" "Yes he is we heard him hamering" " NO, that was ME trying to get you to let me back in because YOU LOCKED ME OUT!" Well needless to say the kitchen is no longer an okay space for Hudson to be in, I don't talk on the back steps ( I don't have any) and the boys know not to lock me out of the house.

It's Begining to Look a lot Like christmas

Christmas crafts

Snowflakes of Borax Crystals!

see link

My Homeschool resources

I decided I should put links to the resources I already have and add to it as the months pass. I have so much available to me. I just need to remember to use it.

Sidney:

Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre - Open daily 10- 4:30

- Tot tuesdays - craft and story time starts at 10:30

- would they do homeschool program? I could ask?

I love this place. It is kid friendly the volunteers are amazing and so knowledgable and the kids can't break anything or escape, and there is a touch pool.

The Peninsula Gallery in Sidney

Island Blue - Gives 10% discount to VHLN members

- Also offered art classes

"Airplane Museum" British Columbia Aviation Museum

The Sidney Museum - Has before and after activities - free admission open 10-4 daily

Spitfire grill is a great place to eat and fun for watching planes

The Airplane Park - Tulista Park, walkway, beach, boat launch, planes overhead, trucks passing by, a range of different equipment for different ages, Heaven for my Boys

The sidney waterfront walk and pier

Holiday events:

Remembrance day parade

Sail past - Christmas

Panorama Recreation Centre -

Skating! - Sticker skate 2-7 year old tot & parent drop in wed am 9-9:50

Brentwood:

Library playground

The Boulders - climbing gym

Butterfly world -

Butchart gardens - kids entry $2-3 for 5-12years depending on season

Saanich:

Falcon Gymnastics - Home school drop in Wed 11:30-12:30

Victoria:

Library - Emily Carr is closest to us we also use Nellie McClung and Brentwood's :

Scout's Canada - Beavers

Music Together - Roxy teaches this program and is awesome with the kids

Playgrounds - Awesome website that reviews parks in the greater victoria area. Swings and Roundabouts, maps and pictures.

Strong Start: Preschool activities

George Jay - 8:45- 11:45

Mondays - Gym Day

Thursdays - Pan perdida

GeoCaching - Try this?

Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary - Biology Buddies (ages 4-6), they also have nature explorers and home school science,

Art Gallery of Greater Victoria - Studio classes offered allow children to use the art in the galleries to inspire their own creations. Noah loved the 1 week class he took this summer. He kept asking if he could do it again. When we told him they cost lots of money he started counting his money and hoping he would have enough to start again soon!

Royal British Columbia Museum - See there kid pages, print ahead do some of the activites. also check out their calendar for tours and lectures.

Beacon Hill Children's Farm - The petting zoo at Beacon Hill Park will re open March 9th 2012! it is closed in the winter and open for spring, summer and fall.

Langford:

Paint your own pottery - need to try this out!

Going North:

Goldstream Provincial Park - Nature House, Slamon Run, Family 5km walk/run, Eagle Watch, waterfall, camping, hiking

Things to participate in:

The Shake Out - Earthquake awareness day Third thursday in October

View Royal Fire Department Open House - Sat Oct 15th 10-2

Annual Victoira Christmas Bird Count - they also have a bird feeder count The birds list can be cliked on to view pictures of the same. Find a checklist for the birds in your area!

You tube:

Finger Knitting -see how

- "Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it

will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." - Albert Einstein

This NEW Journey - they call Home Schooling

This has not been so difficult to decide as my decission to leave nursing ( I do look back and wonder how I ever questioned it...) I feel that in time this will look similar. I am more balanced now it does not feel like quite so wighty of a decission and I don't feel quite the same intense aproval after making it. More even keeled this time.

I am listening to beautiful music on the Holy Experience web page. I have been uplifted and edified as I have read from this womans blog. She writes so beautifuly and speaks to my hear with photographs my expression of art. It shows a love of motherhood and womanhood that feels so close and real that it is like having a heart to heart and knowing you have someone that understands you. I found it it is "The Gift by David Nevue from the album O Come Emmanuel

Ann Voskamp writes about homeschooling

"He called this family to take up the road less traveled, the one marked “Home education.” Though many had gone before, winnowing a worn and true path, I confess, we felt like pioneers, forging new ground. (But isn’t each family pioneers in their own right? We are each father, mother for the first time, traversing the parenting prairie with these children for the first time. Where are we going? How do we get there and what do we need for the trek? Raising up children is new territory for each of us.) You wrote, asking for some markers we found on our homeschooling trail? I can share guideposts we found along our journey, but I understand that you begin from a different destination with a different past….and you may have different vistas in mind…so yes, use the postcards of our journey only to inspire your very own. ....

"He called this family to take up the road less traveled, the one marked “Home education.” Though many had gone before, winnowing a worn and true path, I confess, we felt like pioneers, forging new ground. (But isn’t each family pioneers in their own right? We are each father, mother for the first time, traversing the parenting prairie with these children for the first time. Where are we going? How do we get there and what do we need for the trek? Raising up children is new territory for each of us.) You wrote, asking for some markers we found on our homeschooling trail? I can share guideposts we found along our journey, but I understand that you begin from a different destination with a different past….and you may have different vistas in mind…so yes, use the postcards of our journey only to inspire your very own."

- Ann Voskamp

What have I felt? Lead? Guided? Moved... I remember my feeling around having a homebirth. Feeling so strongly about it but being so scared to do it on my own knowing I needed Jeremy's support to know we were in it together - no pointing fingers if something "went wrong". I again needed this love. His faith in me, in us, in God who would deliver us.

I often have people comment on my hands beeing full as I juggle groceries a baby on one hip two boys swing at the end of thecheckout and me fumbling through my purse. "Three boys?! "

Oh how I love them. Oh how tired I am tofya. How spent I am. I wish I had more to give one more kiss for their foreheads one more laugh for the little one who has learned to escape ffrom his bed one more smile for an excited son who just wants to build one more ship with his lego. A caress of my baby's forehead and sweeping of his golden locks when he wakes in a few hours when I am just starting tothink this will be the night that he sleeps through until morning. My life is busy it is full. But was it ever empty or easy? When I had one I was over my head. When Noah was born my world changed and I became truly aware of my frailty of my humaness, my weakness, birthing was beautiful and empowering, but motherhood is such an enormous undertaking. I can not do it alone there is this little person that depends on me and reminds me how much I need help from on high to raise him healthy strong kind honest ready to serve the Lord.

I remeber when we lived at my parents the entrance to our suite was through the workshop. Noah was surrounded by tools, "the Tractor" our broken down ridem lawn mower. As he was just learning to walk he would toddle over the cement or uneven grass with srewdrivers in his hands. I just kept praying he would keep those beautiful blue eyes because no matter how many times i took them away there were always new ones to find. How to keep him safe how to teach him right?

My mind races is so many directions that I find it hard to right anything of value. I wish I could just slow things down and be able to do justice to the good in my life of the trilas of this journey of the making of a mother a family a friendship of the truest kind a love that binds us.

I just responded to a crash of splintering glass. Was that outside or downstairs. I headed down Noah was in the bathromm standing at the toilet

"Sorry mom" He spoke gently

" I didn't know it was breakable. I was just looking if there were any treasures in the garbage."

The shards of glass from a burnt out bulb all over the floor.

thanks you for enough love to wipe up the broken glass and speak softly about not searching for treasures in the bathroom garbage or garbages period. A fatal error I made this summer was reading : Ben's Robot by Robin Stevenson 2010

I flush the toilet after him which he forgot to do again and do not mention it or scold him. Good night. Please go to sleep so I can too.

I decided to homeschool.. NO ...WE decided to homeschool. It was after an emotional rllercoaster of a conversation but it ended well. It s kindergarten . I'm sure Noah or Jarom could start 1st grade right now and be alright - so no stress ... right...

I'll write more soon

Bottom line thank you for tender mercies, good firends, and sunny days at the beach with the boys when schools in.

Small and simple things

Alma 37:6

"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by bsmall and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise"

Deciding this month to focus on the small and simple things we have been reading scriptures during breakfast together. Just a verse or two. Memorizing, discussing, review other scriptures we've learned, marking them in the boys books, and relating other stories that share similar morals. It has also become a stepping stone for the rest of the day as we lead out focusing on an attribute of the saviour that we would like to emulate.

We have used this story:

"Oftentimes we are like the young merchant from Boston, who in 1849, as the story goes, was caught up in the fervor of the California gold rush. He sold all of his possessions to seek his fortune in the California rivers, which he was told were filled with gold nuggets so big that one could hardly carry them.

Day after endless day, the young man dipped his pan into the river and came up empty. His only reward was a growing pile of rocks. Discouraged and broke, he was ready to quit until one day an old, experienced prospector said to him, “That’s quite a pile of rocks you are getting there, my boy.”

The young man replied, “There’s no gold here. I’m going back home.”

Walking over to the pile of rocks, the old prospector said, “Oh, there is gold all right. You just have to know where to find it.” He picked two rocks up in his hands and crashed them together. One of the rocks split open, revealing several flecks of gold sparkling in the sunlight.

Noticing a bulging leather pouch fastened to the prospector’s waist, the young man said, “I’m looking for nuggets like the ones in your pouch, not just tiny flecks.”

The old prospector extended his pouch toward the young man, who looked inside, expecting to see several large nuggets. He was stunned to see that the pouch was filled with thousands of flecks of gold.

The old prospector said, “Son, it seems to me you are so busy looking for large nuggets that you’re missing filling your pouch with these precious flecks of gold. The patient accumulation of these little flecks has brought me great wealth.”

This story illustrates the spiritual truth that Alma taught his son Helaman:

“By small and simple things are great things brought to pass. …

“… And by very small means the Lord … bringeth about the salvation of many souls” (Alma 37:6–7).

Brothers and sisters, the gospel of Jesus Christ is simple, no matter how much we try to make it complicated. We should strive to keep our lives similarly simple, unencumbered by extraneous influences, focused on those things that matter most. " - Elder M. Russell Ballard

from Elder Ballard's april 2011 talk, since conference to teach our boys. I evn found gum that came as flecks of gold and used it as an object lesson giving them just one fleck to stat and then another and another seeing that they added up to be delicious gum. This movie was just done. i will use it tomorrow

The prophet speaks on service

This week we are participating in the BC food drive it is one of the big outward ways to give. I give selfishly as I always feel renewed when I give. I am trying harder to give selflessly here at home in the wee hours of the morning, when my patience is running thin, when there are only angels to witness the kind acts that pass seemingly unnoticed and unremarkable. where it counts focus on what matters MOST.

elder holland on the role of teachers

Even with the scripture study our kids are still energetic, still fight and still try my patience but I am becoming more grounded and feel inspiration come quicker as I try to teach and guide my little ones.

book cover sewing project

Try this for a quick easy return to the sewing machine project

The homeschooling debate

Here is an article I just read that sums up four main pros for homeschooling

A few sites of intrest:

Natural Life magazine

Homeschooling a to z ...

Teaching from a gospel persepective

I Love Learning

I Love Teaching

I want to learn to teach better

Home school or not to home school is the question of the day, month, quarter. Still no decission but probably an answer always there : ) I know what I want to do I just don't know how to do and be happy and balanced. So I will search for answers

I can't sleep it is 1:24 am I went to lds.org and stumbled quite by accident on this talk by Jeffery R. Holland.

Highights included:

In times like ours we all need what Mormon called “the virtue of the word of God” because, he said, it “had [a] more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them.” ¹⁷ When crises come in our lives—and they will—the philosophies of men interlaced with a few scriptures and poems just won’t do. Are we really nurturing our youth and our new members in a way that will sustain them when the stresses of life appear? Or are we giving them a kind of theological Twinkie—spiritually empty calories?

During a severe winter several years ago, President Boyd K. Packer noted that a goodly number of deer had died of starvation while their stomachs were full of hay. In an honest effort to assist, agencies had supplied the superficial when the substantial was what had been needed. Regrettably they had fed the deer but they had not nourished them.

When Nicodemus came to Jesus early in the Savior’s ministry, he spoke for all of us when he said, “Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God.” ¹

Christ was, of course, much more than a teacher. He was the very Son of God, the Holy One of the eternal gospel plan, the Savior and Redeemer of the world.

But Nicodemus was starting about the way you and I started, the way any child or young student or new convert begins—by recognizing and responding to a thrilling teacher who touches the innermost feelings of our heart.

No eternal learning can take place without that quickening of the Spirit from heaven. So, parents, teachers, and leaders, we must face our tasks the way Moses faced the promised land. Knowing he could not succeed any other way, Moses said to Jehovah, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.

This comes from last sundays New TestamentGospel Doctrine Lesson - it was a lesson that was taught with great sincerity and yet had some major faults in the doctrine taught by the teacher so I thought I'd review the lesson as found in the manual and I found this jewell of a question to think on:

•

How can we, like Jesus and his Apostles, live in the world and be “not of the world”? (John 17:14; see also verses John 17:15–16).

Elder M. Russell Ballard said:

“In the Church, we often state the couplet, ‘Be in the world but not of the world.’ As we observe television shows that make profanity, violence, and infidelity commonplace and even glamorous, we often wish we could lock out the world in some way and isolate our families from it all. …

“Perhaps we should state the couplet previously mentioned as two separate admonitions. First, ‘Be in the world.’ Be involved; be informed. Try to be understanding and tolerant and to appreciate diversity. Make meaningful contributions to society through service and involvement. Second, ‘Be not of the world.’ Do not follow wrong paths or bend to accommodate or accept what is not right.

“We should strive to change the corrupt and immoral tendencies in television and in society by keeping things that offend and debase out of our homes. In spite of all of the wickedness in the world, and in spite of all the opposition to good that we find on every hand, we should not try to take ourselves or our children out of the world. Jesus said, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven,’ or yeast (Matthew 13:33). We are to lift the world and help all to rise above the wickedness that surrounds us. The Savior prayed to the Father:

“‘I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil’ (John 17:15)” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 101; or Ensign, May 1989, 80).

Butterfly Fun

Noah' sfascination with ctterpillars....

Butterfly activities

Butterfly craft -so simple but fun

jut do it!

Butterfly color song

Gardening 101: a few things I'm learning

Daffodil Care after blooming - 1. dead head 2. leave leaves and stems alone for 6 weeks before cutting (don't tie in knots!) 4. fertilize plants after dead heading 5. If there are bunches that didn't bloom dig up and seperate ( most likely too close together, bulbs don't have enough space to grow!)

DayLillies - Only bloom for one day! Remove old blooms daily for longer blooming period and nicer looking plant