Modern and Classic

I have kept excess technology out of this home for many years. A laptop was added a few years ago. The Man and I broke down and got smart phones two years ago. We allowed Levi to buy a tablet last summer. I finally bought a tablet after Christmas. 

Parameters have been given and we guard time as much as possible.

I supplement math with an online program and Elisabeth and I used the tablet for her math today. There were a couple of rocky spots but very convenient for sure.

This afternoon, Benjamin and I went to the Children's Museum for a field trip with our home school program. He had fun.

This pic is why I try not to ask Benjamin to look at the camera. He doesn't do posed pics well. But, he is my Buddy.

A Two Crock Pot Kind of Day

Today is one of those days that require some planning ahead to get dinner on the table. Tonight's pre-planned menu was Taco meat, refried beans and Mexican Rice and I will be out of the home most of the afternoon. I am so thankful for the ole crockpots.

The beans are cooking in this crockpot.

Meat and rice are in various stages in the crockpot with divider pans. 

I am also thankful that for many years I held fast to our days at home. Now we have the bigs and the little guy. 

Today Benjamin has a preschool field trip to the Children's Museum(2-3) and then Judith has swim practice(4-5) and Benjamin has swim lessons(5-5:30).  Wowers, I get tired just thinking about it all and I am thankful that our schedule is not like this every day, just today. 

Scripture Sunday

I John 5:19-21
And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. Bible.com/app

Trailguide to Learning Paths of Progress Unit 3 Science, Gear video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odpsm3ybPsA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Trailguide to Learning Paths of Progress Unit 2 Science

A great video for pulleys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfAdmRJDKIc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Monday and Tuesday

Daddy was home on Monday. Here he and Benjamin color Benjamin's Frontline page. The girls and I went for lunch at a friend's home so this was the only picture of the day.

Tuesday was back to school after a long weekend.

Benjamin worked on handwriting.

The temperature was crazy mild so we went sledding after lunch.

I was walking over to where the kids were sledding when Judith drove up. She came home to get a sweatshirt as her coat was too much and she was hot. Yep, it was rather warm. 

Arriving at the top. 

The big kids had Benjamin on a snow board. 

Benjamin and I were sledding buddies, we would sles in tandem.

The kids launching Mom. 

Judith 

After we returned home and hot cocoa was being consumed I spotted a moose, which ended up being two. A cow and a calf were eating their way around the perimeter of our yard.

I am thankful for a warm January day to sled and play out of doors.

Weekend

Friday was a slow day with a little school but not tons.

Benjamin worked on this while Judith and I worked on math.

Benjamin and I 

We had a lunch date with our Pastor's wife while the other family members went trapping. 

After lunch we picked up a few things at the local grocery store. A visit to the toy aisle was a must.

Benjamin made the cookie part for oatmeal cream pies and Elisabeth made the filling. 

Thursday

Thursday was the busy day away from home. We left home around 9:30am and returned home around 4:30pm.

We began our day with piano lessons.

Next, we had to meet the production guys at the library for one last filming of Levi. 

While sitting at this traffic light I realized how this angle of the overpass reminds me of big city driving. Thankfully, this is not big city driving. 

After Levi finished we were all starving so we went to Sam's Club for a cheap lunch. 

After lunch and some shopping we were off to the last scheduled event, Leadership meeting for the bigs. The temps were mild so Benjamin and I just hung out in the parking lot and I knitted and he played games and took pics with my phone. 

Here is one of the pics with some effect, he likes using the effects. Sam's cups, knitting supplies and pattern. 

After a dinner of leftover soup, grilled cheese and fruit salad Daddy, Levi and Elisabeth worked on building mink boxes for the trapline. Yea, I cannot explain what they are doing.  They built the boxes outside then brought them in to do the finish work because, well, it's dark outside. 

I do know that the boxes are designed with these notches to hold a connibear trap, maybe a 110? 

And Benjamin helped 

I spent the evening on school prep and planning.

We made it

We made it through filming but the day was not over. I took a fifteen minute power nap and we were off to Judith's swim practice and swim lessons for Benjamin. 

Elisabeth and I worked on detangling this yarn mess during swimming. 

We arrived home to a crockpot full of vegetable moose soup with barley. 

And then we were off to church. 

We were home most of the day and what we were doing was enjoyable so it wasn't a tough day just a full day. 

Our Wednesday

Today a couple of young guys came over with our contact teacher and early education coordinator to film a commercial for our homeschool program's website. 

Judith got a quick pic of me while the guys were setting up. 

The Blessings being filmed while "working"

Listening to directions.

They finished up the day filming with a turtle. 

Meet Crusher

More Monday

Benjamin at skating. He wasn't a huge skating fan, fifteen minutes and he was finsihed. 

Clouds rolled in and warmed things up from forty-four below to twenty-two below. Much better.

When I walked into the pool to take Judith to swim practice there was a sign on the door that there were open slots in Benjamin's age group. I signed him up and went home to pick him up for lessons. 

Between his home exercise circuit, skating and swimming Benjamin was worn out. 

You know you live in Alaska and homeschool when...

...your son does an exercise circut in your family room, during school, in his shorts when it is -20to -30.

...after he wrote his name and drew a picture.

...your week is busy and the only menu you can eek out is a quite scrawl on the back of last week's menu.

...this one has nothing to do with Alaska but my jeans are a little long so they are rolled up while I am working at home. The length isn't too horrible with shoes on but maybe these need hemmed. 

...when you woke up and the temperature was -44 and you are glad when you see the temperature warmed up to -22 so homeschool ice skating isn't cancelled. 

Off to the rink for us. Good afternoon!

Saturday

Saturday was a swim meet day, so bright and early we all went to the pool. Daddy and the boys went home for a couple of hours since Judith swam in Event 7 and didn't swim again until event 35.
Upon their arrival home they were greeted by this bull moose. The moose then walked through our yard. Pretty neat since we haven't seen a moose around here for a while.

The screen shot picture is a sun dog. I have no idea why it is called a sun dog or why this occurs. I did not take this picture but screen shot it from a fellow Fairbanksan and swim parent's facebook page. The sun dog looked like a big rainbow around the sun. Such a welcome sight in the middle of January.

Following a Man

OI am a follower of God, not man.

I am a member of a Church but I follow God. I have a wonderful Pastor but I am a follower of God. My Pastor is an Over Shepherd to our flock but he follows God.

As a follower of God I must be careful who or what I listen to, purchase from and follow.

I began writing this post a couple of weeks ago after reading about the shut down of a business and the confession of the married business owner/pastor??? of his long term relationship with young woman.

I am thankful for the womanly instincts that God has given me. Since I was young I have been able to see and pick out men who are not what they publicly profess to be. Not as in able to walk into a room and immediately parse out the men into two categories but in knowing something was not right. Jimmy Swaggert, yep. Jim Bakker, yep. Men I knew personally, yep. Honestly, I have always had my guard up where men are concerned until the man made just for me walked into my life. That's a whole other post.

Back to the subject of following God and not man. I almost forgot about this post in my draft folder until my Pastor was preaching tonight. He is going through a series about the history of our church both the actual inception and historical history but also the affiliations and changes and such. Tonight he shared things I was hearing about for the first time in all our years at our current church. About movements that were man driven and preaching about man's preferences and not expository Biblical preaching.

You see when we follow a man (or woman) we can be led astray because they are flesh and flesh is sin cursed. I am sharing my personal thoughts to possibly help someone else along the way. The interwebs are full of advice, Bible studies, teachers, preachers, cooks, homeschool moms, childcare opinions, home decorating, etc. Be careful who and what you listen to and follow. I add non-biblical items to the list because often we get caught up in the latest fad online and get our focus completely off of God. Just beware.

I used to be a chronic book buyer, especially children's books and Bible study books. I have mended my ways and have really chosen to go for quality in my book purchases. I will wait to purchase a book until I am confident that the book is a must have and tested true.

Also remember that online people project the image, product they want you to see and often are out there to make money. I am not saying stop supporting these people just choose wisely. I am  not saying they are wrong or unjust I am just speaking the reality of life online.
Avoid bandwagons, they are usually bumpy rides.

Traps, avoid them.