Online Classes

Most people who have never seen an online class can not wrap their minds around how it works. Now that my son is taking a couple I thought I could go through it from a teacher and student perspective. First, from a teacher. I am loving it. The personalities of these young children are ringing right through their voices. It is so much fun when a 9 year old is so excited about the lesson or the book we are reading that you can hear the laughter in their voices. I have to say I have a great group of kids. They seem to love the subject matter and what 9 to 11 year old is not going to sit on the edge of their seats to wait for their turn to talk on the microphone or type in the chat box. As much as I am enjoying this, it is a lot of work. More work than I was prepared for. This is the first year VP offered classes for this age group. I do not think anyone was prepared. Not only do I have to study and be prepared, I have to create a power point visual for almost every point I am making. I think I will lose them quickly if I do not have something different for them to look at on the screen every few minutes. It is great that it is on line though, because I can bring in anything from the Internet. In that way I feel like my son, at least, is learning more than he would from me if I were not teaching the class. I know from past experience I would not do all of the fun internet research I am doing now and I certainly was not making up all of the games and visuals that he is getting from this class. So, while it is a lot of work, I am having fun and learning a lot. I also keep thinking that if I can get through this year, next year will be a breeze. The work will already be done. Now I just have to remember to back it all up in case my computer crashes. There has been talk of me teaching another class. You all will have to remind me of the word no when it comes time for commitment.:)

From a student perspective. Isaac is loving it. I think he thinks this puts him a little closer to being a teenager. Isaac is also into anything having to do with the computer. I switched him to Math U See this year and he pays much more attention to Steve Demme on the DVD lesson than to me. I have found this to be true for his on line classes as well. A good on line teacher will have constant class interaction to keep their attention. He loves it when they will tell the students who are not talking to just type in the answer. It keeps them busy, helps them practice their typing skills, and lets the teacher know they are getting it. He is always listening to make sure he does not miss his chance to talk or type. If he is having an off day, no problem, the classes are being recorded. We can go back and listen again.It is also another person to be accountable to besides me. He has homework after every class and he knows it has to be done. There are no excuses. It also keeps me on my toes. We can not get behind in Grammar, Latin, or History.

Yes, we are loving it. I kind of feel like we are having the best of both worlds. I love that we are home together and that we are doing most of the teaching. But, I also love that we are getting some help from those who are more specialized in the subject matter than I am. With the number of small children I have and the craziness of our life, it is great to have quality help.

This Week's Menu

In the name of getting back to routine, I am doing menu planning again. I actually like to menu plan. I like to think that when I get home from the grocery store I do not have to go back for another week because I planned so well. It never works that way, though. It seems no matter how much I buy we ALWAYS run out of milk and bread. I have also started trying to cook and freeze meals. Since I started teaching online, the dinner hour sneaks up on me and we have to order out or have a late dinner. Well, with the thought of all of the legal bills we are acquiring right now, my husband has put a ban on ANY unnecessary spending. Thus, the frozen meals. Every other Friday afternoon I try to put 3 meals in the freezer. I look at what meat is on sale and then find recipes to go with that. So, anyway, here is my menu for the next week. Or until Thursday. That is my shopping day.

Saturday- Pork Chops, Apples,and Sour Kraut in the crock pot, mashed potatoes, green beans.--This is a great fall meal and very Lancastrian. I had never heard of it until we moved here.
Sunday- Barbecued sandwiches (Freezer Meal)
Monday-Marinated Grilled Chicken
Tuesday-Pot Roast
Wednesday-Black Beans and Rice (Freezer Meal)
Thursday- Ham loaf (Freezer Meal) Another Lancastrian dish.

Bed-time Stories

So, I am teaching an on line history class this year. It is Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation. I am having a lot of fun preparing. It is only two days a week, but the prep has been outrageous. Part of the reason is I have some very bright students. I am getting emails asking theological questions pertaining to that time period that I know I did not think about until I was an adult. I am learning a lot, though. But, that is not what this post is about. We are reading Beowulf in the class. The regular literature and the historical lit are a little much for Isaac(Who is taking the class.). So, I have let him listen to Beowulf on CD. A friend asked how his insomnia was coming. I told her it was better. He was listening to Beowulf in bed and it helped his mind calm down enough to fall asleep. I thought nothing of it, but she laughed at us. The thought of Beowulf being calm enough to put someone to sleep was strange to her. I wonder what she would say if she knew that my husband told stories from the Wanderings of Odysseus as our bed-time stories? I think we might be weird.

Routine

I am a person who loves routine. The problem I find myself having is that I constantly am thinking, "When this is done we will get back to our routine." I am always wishing away our time for the sake of things getting back to normal. Though I wish we were not in the situation we are in right now, I am feeling the need to get on with life. I think my trouble in doing this is somehow wrapped up in my inability to give all of this stress to God. When I look back over the last several years there is always something. I am coming to the reality that I am wasting mine and my children's lives waiting for things to "return to normal." My oldest is struggling with something right now. It is pretty serious and we are losing a lot of sleep. I am home from church because he was a wake until 2 am with insomnia. He could not shake all of the thoughts going through his head. My prayer for him is that he would see the beauty in the life God has given him, give his anxiety over, and move on. As I prayed this over him in the middle of the night I immediately realized what a horrible example I have been to him. Could his anxiety stem from watching me deal with the stress in our life? So, my prayer for myself is the same as mine for him. I need to realize we live in a fallen world, which means there is always going to be stress and heartache. I need to give mine to God and get back to our "routine" even in the midst of trials. I have to stop waiting for everything to "get back to normal." This is the normal God has given us for now. So, my goal for each day is to seek God's help in not living in fear of what may happen in the next few months, but instead be thankful for what I have that day and continue in our routines.

Giveaway

There is a great giveaway going on here.I have been wanting a Skirty for Sarah.

Bad News

I have been avoiding writing this post because I do not know what to say. Our adoption is being contested. For reasons that I can not go into in such a public forum, it is necessary to give this a good fight. We need wisdom and God's guidance. We are trying to make the right choices and not ones based on emotions. We also are praying that everyone involved will see what is best for Micah. Please pray for us as we try to function as a normal family with this cloud hanging over us. We do not have a court date yet, but think it will be in November. I know people set up blogs for things like this to keep friends and family up to date on what is going on. I do not feel comfortable with that. I will more than likely not blog about it other than asking for prayer from time to time. It is just too public. Maybe I am being silly, but I do not think you can be too careful when you are fighting for your child. Thank you for the support you all have already given us.

From the Mouth of Babes

We are a very open and honest family. Maybe too much so. We are usually pretty forth coming about things our family needs to pray for.(We keep it age appropriate, of course.)So, there is this person who is the thorn in our flesh right now. Things are happening that make it impossible to hide it from the kids. Sarah's prayer today really struck me. She said, "Thank you Jesus for ______. Please help him/her to stop doing _____ so he/she can love you." We have prayed for protection, for God's will, etc. but never that God would change this person. Again, I am wishing for the innocence that my children have.