NXT Robotics Competition

Will's love for Legos has taken on a new dimension as he's been learning about and working with Lego NXT Robotics. A fellow homeschool mom and I have been mentoring a group of kids as they've prepared for a competition where they had to build and program a robot to run a prescribed course outlined ahead of time. The challenge was to send your robot into a mine that collapsed, through the fallen debris (Lego Duplo) and collect the trapped miners (Lego men). Each team was encouraged to win "team spirit" points by making a poster, brochure, business cards - whatever! A lot of work was involved! Saturday was the big day and Will's team won the challenge in their age category. The day was exhausting but a lot of fun. The win was unexpected but a great way to end not only the day but the months of effort and hard work.
In the You Tube video, the first robot and team pictured is Will's. 

These are the days of our lives

I follow the Simple Mom blog and have enjoyed reading their series of "a day in the life of a homeschool family". They're having a linky tomorrow so I thought if would be fun if I documented one of our days. 
There is no right or wrong way to home educate and it can look completely different from one home to the next. Depending on the number of children, one or both spouses working out of the home or from home and a myriad of other possibilities, it develops a personality right for that family. 
While our days can vary in many ways, some things stay consistent. Most of our mornings remain fairly predictable but the afternoons differ from day to day. This was Wednesday, February 1st.

Will is the first up at 6:30am. He worked this time out on his own. He finds this gives him enough time to lounge in jammies and play of bit of Lego before getting to work. 
My alarm goes off at 7am. At 8 when I emerge from my room, Zanna has already eaten a bowl of cereal and wants me to help her change her calendar to February. At this she realizes that it's her birthday month and she starts to plan!
Will has completed his math test and waits for me to check it. He's also read two chapters in his book about Hudson Taylor. He's currently working on my computer and using the World Book Encyclopedia to fill in his Eastern Hemisphere Explorer. We're studying China these days. 
The kids follow me into the kitchen and beg for waffles. I start on this as they empty the dishwasher. 
8:15 - Waffles in the waffle maker so I check the math test. Will's back to EHE until I call him in for breakfast. Zanna has gone into detail on what she wants her birthday cake to look like so I have her draw it for me. 
8:30 - eat, clean up kitchen, check email
9:05 - up in the playroom/schoolroom, Will and I work through his early confirmation curriculum "Faith Foundations". We're on the 6th commandment (the adultery one). Awkward. Shouldn't this be daddy's job? I power through and try to stay calm and normal. 
9:40 - moving on to spelling with Will. Meanwhile Zanna is at her desk working on her handwriting.

10:15 - Zanna's back to playing and I go over the days assignments with Will. He's to come up with a key word outline for a paragraph I give him, pick a poem to copy in his very best cursive handwriting and read two more chapters in Hudson Taylor book (missionary to China).
10:30 - Wayne and kids are off to the retirement home for the Wednesday morning church service. I'm off to the grocery store.
11:30 - Wayne and kids beat me home and Zanna's helping Wayne shovel the driveway. Will's back to work upstairs. I unload groceries and reheat some homemade chicken noodle soup from the other day. 
11:45 - lunch, clean up
12:15 - read to both kids on couch our ancient China book and the chapters in "What the World Eats" that has a Chinese family in the city and country and what they eat in a week. 
12:45 - read to Zanna our Five in a Row book for the week "Katy and the Big Snow". We discuss responsibilities. 
1pm - quiet time. Kids are in each of their rooms. Will has borrowed my iPod and is listening to "Treasure Island" while playing Legos. Zanna plays quietly with her dolls. I'm in the family room for my Bible reading time. I read today's reading from "Treasury of Daily Prayer", read a chapter from "Christ" and start my new book "The Narrow Lutheran Middle". 
1:40 - quiet time normally goes until 2 but gotta go! Zanna has gymnastics at 2 we have to get to. Will stays home with Wayne and finishes his quiet time. He gets to his assignments I've given earlier and goes for a walk with Wayne after he finishes. Watches a bit of "Muppet Treasure Island" on video. While Zanna has gymnastics from 2 - 3:30, I chat with the other homeschool moms. 
4pm - get home. I ask Will questions about the book he's reading, he reads his poem he copied, and I look at his outline. He and Zanna watch an episode of "Phineas and Ferb". 
4:25 - leave for Will's violin lesson. Zanna stays home with Wayne.
5:10 - back home and I start supper. Kids are at the table drawing.

Zanna is making her own version of a Jackson Pollock painting and Will is drawing a maze. I make shrimp stir-fry.

6pm - eat, devotion, clean up.
6:45 - bath for Zanna. Will's back to listening to "Treasure Island"
7pm - read to Zanna in her bed. Goodnight at 7:30.
7:30 - downstairs on couch with Will. I read "Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze".
8pm - American Idol. I read "Eric Liddell" (missionary to China) during commercials.
8:30 - Will to bed. 
That's it! I don't do much between then and 11pm when I usually go to bed. This night, Wayne is feeling like he's coming down with a cold and goes to bed early. I try to read some more until my eyes sting and I give up. 

Getting my Craft On

My mother gave me a job in anticipation of the England family reunion and that was to come up with a craft. Since it was over/around Christmas, I was originally thinking of an ornament we could make together commemorating our time there. But I had been holding onto 5 of these things not knowing what to do with them but not able to throw them away because they're made of wood. 

So what they actually were are the containers the Melissa and Doug wooden magnetic dolls come in.  Zanna has gotten quite a variety of them over the years and they're all a bit different. But they come in really annoying colours like yellow, pink, purple, etc and I was using a few of them as drawer dividers. 

Out went the ornament idea and in came a new one (scary, I know). While the weather was still nice enough (otherwise known as "before the snow flies") I had my hubby spray paint them all dark brown.  Yes, I could have spray painted them myself but I had a willing and able helper and I wasn't going to say no to that. Plus he's better at it than me. Loved the look of the brown and it was starting to come together - memory collages. 
Mom and I picked out scrapbook paper, stickers and all that fun stuff when we were together in the fall and I packed it in my suitcase for the UK. 
Having one for each family, I encouraged everyone while touring around to be collecting ticket stubs, brochures, trinkets whatever to add to their collage along with pictures to be added later when developed. When the appointed craft time came, it took all of about an hour and we each had something to hang on our wall!

It was fun to see everyone's personality show through on their collage. Kind of thinking that the woman would do it while the men smoked cigars outside, I had forgotten that it's my brother who's the crafty one and Brenda (his wife) out smoking a cigar with the guys!

This was Reid and Brenda's collage in the making.

I finished up mine once I got home and got some pictures developed but I'm really happy with how it turned out and love how I have something to hang on the wall to remember our trip. And I'm thrilled I found a use for those things (I don't know what to call them). Here's the one now hanging in our home -

5 Years ago Today

Hosanna's here!

Ok, the moment I'm sure you've all been waiting for I can only describe as unbelievable. We watched as 14 familiies and 15 babies were "delivered". Yes, that's right, someone had twins! Zanna's reaction at first was quiet but as I held her she was shaking. I knew it was a matter of time before the dam burst and when it did it lasted for about 4 hours until she fell asleep about 15min ago. The girl has some lungs on her. She is obviously teething - one little tooth is poking through and she looks for things to chew on. Gave her a bit of Tylenol to help. She seems to be in good health although has a bit a congestion in her sinus and lungs. But it's also obvious she is grieving. She calls for Mama and is quite simply scared. And we were also given an extremely precious gift - pictures from her foster family and a personal letter to "Rou Rou" from her foster mom who is also grieving. It's plainly clear our prayers were answered in that she has been well taken cared for and LOVED. It's also to be expected that it will take some time for her to grieve but we are assured by experts that this is a good thing - if she has bonded with someone before, she will again. For now, she clings to me and checks Wayne out. There was no man in the pictures we were given so this might be new to her. There was an aunt, grandma and older sister as part of the foster family so I know she will enjoy her big brother being around!
She is truly lovely and now we pray for the day she will bond with us and that we will be able to bring a smile to her face. Poor thing, she's so scared and who can blame her?
Tomorrow morning we will complete paperwork to make the adoption final. She is currently in our care for a days duration of what is called a "Harmonious Period" - not too much harmony going on here but we'll keep her nonetheless. Please pray for peace and comfort for her and patience and wisdom for us - and anything else you think of that might come in handy! Love to all. Hugs and kisses for Will!!!

repost from January 15, 2007 in Guangxi, China

Look, kids - Big Ben!

On Boxing Day, our family left for a 10 day trip - courtesy of my parents - to England! We were celebrating 40 years of their wedded bliss and visiting my sister Rebekah and her husband Tom (who's from there). Brother Reid flew in from Texas a few days before we did with his wife Brenda.

Here's the happy couple who brought us all together! Aren't they cute?


So this trip was definitely the gift that kept on giving for 10 whole days. There are so many - God is good - that reminiscent of my summer memories I give you ... drum roll ... our England holiday gifts:


Safe travels (cause, gosh - if that ain't a gift?)    A 6am flight (up at 3)     running through the Toronto airport hearing your flight's last call and still making it on time and hitting duty free right next to our gate     our lovely 2 bedroom flat complete with kitchen right on the English channel    Falling asleep to the crashing of waves 


   Hugs from family seldom seen (unless you count Skype)    double decker buses (Zanna always had to sit on the top, front seat)   hour long train rides to London

  Many, many meals - the Ploughman, Bangers and Mash, Fish and Chips, Fish Pie, curry, pints of beer    wandering up and down the aisles of Marks and Spencer (grocery store)    the towel rack warmer in our flat   Family togetherness

  
   Taking 3 weeks off of school but learning more than you ever could sitting in a desk    London Bridge

Touring London Tower    our Beefeater guide    the detailed description of beheading    watching history come to life    imagining kings and queens   rainy, inside days    hours of hand and foot and beating the guys    Wallace and Grommit    Zanna being "backed up" and miserable and oh, the sweet relief and happy dance    Buckingham palace

Remembering the wedding, the waves, the kisses

One last wistful look

Lunch with Tom's parents    one last family meal    Spongebob cards and playing with Uncle Reid    purchasing little mementos to remember this trip    the London Eye

Lovely - taken by Rebekah

standing in line in the rain     getting under the shelter just as it really comes down    the subway   mind the gap    the Brighton pavilion tour    Crummy soup at the Crypt and Will promising to cherish my soup more in the future     Insults for being an American and then revealing we're Canadian and suddenly we're their best friends ....

realizing that my mother and I bought the same dress in the same colour from the same place to wear for Christmas on 2 different continents     Reading the Help   watching the movie on the plane    the Churchill war museum    reliving what it must have been like

Will's Churchill t-shirt (I should get a picture of that one)    Touring Westminster Abbey   remembering wedding, funerals, coronations        seeing the tombs of kings and queens from history    putting it all together    living  His-story and being amazed 

 watching A Christmas Carol in London   a one man show    New Years with family and watching the fireworks display in London on TV where we had just been the night before    Will getting to sleep over with Auntie and Uncle and play the Wii    tea parties with Opa and Zanna (more like hot chocolate) 

 the countryside   hiking a bit and then a visit to the pub    encouraging a fellow Christ follower on a bus and being encouraged     A family worship (like the Springfield days)  with our own personal pastor    communion with God, communion among each other    laundry all over the place    Bekah and Tom's curry     Hot date night at the Plough    Lamb burger with stilton cheese and burping up that gift all night (sorry - TMI?)     Bisto gravy   M and S soup   a real British tea with the ladies   Mom and me both finding fabulous new coats - half off!    Getting everything back into the suitcases    Tic tack toe, tick tock tack    Our personal chauffeur Tom    The memories we'll always have

A New Year

  

Advent in our Home

Advent started with "Advent by Candlelight" hosted by the lovely ladies at St.Paul downtown. An evening for ladies only, it's an opportunity to fellowship and worship Jesus in service and song.  Each table is beautifully decorated by a hostess and dessert and small treats are served along with coffee and tea. We are reminded of the true meaning of Christmas - Christ born among us, come to earth to save mankind. 

Here's the lovely table I sat at! It was a much needed evening for me as I was already caught up in the shopping, baking, packing lists. Tis the season for list making and sure failure - either to put it on the list in the first place, forgetting to look at the list or running out of time to do what's on the list. Thankfully, I was reminded that the lists don't really matter. I forget. I admit it! I get soooo distracted! Why do I think Christmas can be bought, baked or packed? Christmas is given in grace. Christmas comes to remind me (because I get distracted) that God saved me - out of his love for me, despite me! That's the gift - unwrap that!

I have several Advent wreaths I rotate yearly depending on my mood. Here's one given and made by my friend and fellow pastor's wife Karen. It's a lovely wreath with 4 votives glued on and a plaid bow. I pop Rowe pottery with the angel cutouts (given to me by another dear friend) in the middle. We have our Advent devotion every night after supper as that's what works for us usually. We're doing a Jesse tree again from here. I like that it goes back to all the familiar Bible stories like Jonah, Noah, Rahab, etc and answers the question - what does this have to do with Christmas? But we've also done "Celebrate Jesus at Christmas", "Countdown to Christmas" and "Family Countdown to Christmas". And a friend recently mentioned to me that Thriving Family  from Focus on the Family has a free one to download on their website. Maybe we'll try it next year! 
I've been personally enjoying "Martin Luther's Christmas Book" for the second year in a row. It's a lovely read on the different aspects of the nativity with profound insight. It has enhanced my appreciation for the ordinary people God chose to involve in the sending of his son to earth. 

Of course, the children have their favourite books too! Some are "relics" from my childhood and others have been added over the years. I was reading "The Miracle of Jonathan Toomey"to Zanna yesterday and started weeping when ...... well, I won't ruin it for you. And good golly, when I read "The Fir Tree" I better have a kleenex box nearby. 
Advent seems to have been taken over by the secular as the season for getting ready for Santa coming. We try our best to stay focused on getting ready for Jesus' birthday!
On a completely unrelated note, our new IKEA store (the biggest in the country) is totally awesome and we also went to see the new Muppet movie and it's hilarious! I loved 80's robot and the 80's music played throughout the movie:)

A tour of the village

When I was growing up, my siblings and I would receive basically 3 items in our stockings on Christmas morning - a bag of M&M's, an ornament and a piece of a collection that the folks had started for each of us and added to every year. My sister had an angel collection, my brother had nutcrackers and I had the Dept 56 Snow Village.  My mother enjoyed the benefit of these collections of ours as she would use them in her yearly decorating. She was devastated enough to start her own Snow Village collection after I moved out and took my pieces with me! Each piece reflects a part of my life, a place we lived or something I was interested in. 

Have to have at least one church in a village! I'm sure it's Lutheran although it doesn't say (haha). The nativity goes next to it. 

This would be the parsonage and there we are at our arrival - The new pastor, his blond wife and baby (Will was 2 but go with me on this). 

Here we have the movie theatre playing "It's a Wonderful Life" and the all important Starbucks. I got this one in it's early days of popularity. Who'd have thought I'd have a Starbucks hot chocolate in China's  Forbidden City?!!

The flower shop is from the year I was married. I also have a hair salon my mother tweaked the sign on to say "Rachel's hair salon". 
I bought the Chinese restaurant 2 years ago on eBay for a steal and it's definitely one of my favourites! 

Here's the music studio - notice the violin playing snowman? Love it! 

This is the limited edition year 2000 house which was the year we had Will. Notice the moving van pulled up to it? Story of my life moving an average of every year and a half growing up. 
I don't have a picture of Graceland but that one is for the time we lived in Memphis, TN. 
Carrying on the tradition for Will, he has a nutcracker collection.

We try and read the story of the Nutcracker every year and have even seen the ballet a few times. 
I have not started a collection for Zanna yet. I'm not sure what to do, but I have a year to figure it out. Any suggestions?