End is in sight

The end of first grade for Ian and third grade for Nadia is definitely in sight. They both have three lessons left in math. For Nadia it means completing the third grade book, and for Ian it will mean he did 2/3 of the second grade book. We'll take a break from math while we're in OH/IL/IN, and then when we get back we'll be doing math flashcards every day (all four operations) for two months. Nadia in particular is very excited about having a four month break from doing math pages, as it's her least favorite subject (to Paul's dismay).

Nadia wrapping her friend's gift for her sleepover birthday party tonight.

We already finished spelling and handwriting several weeks ago. We've been doing more work with writing and vocabulary, and I plan to keep doing that curriculum for another two months with them. We'll have a complete break from school work for two months, but until the middle of June I'll still expect the kids to read from a chapter book, practice the piano, do math flashcards, and do some work on writing/vocabulary each day. We wrapped up our social studies curriculum this week also. We've been learning about Ancient Greece the last several weeks.

After we get back from our trip we'll have one more chapter left in the astronomy curriculum, and then we'll take a four month break from science. I overheard Oliver say today that he was "Asteroid man" so you can tell that he overhears some of what we're talking about in science. Today Nadia and Ian each wrote down five points in the debate regarding whether or not Pluto is a planet. They both want it to be considered to be a planet, but I had Nadia write a defense of the view that it's not a planet since Ian took the other side.

I'll also give Nadia a break from keyboarding and Spanish starting the first week of May. We won't take a break from field trips or me reading them chapter books though! We are currently reading The Battle for the Castle and next up will be The Golden Fleece. Although our official last day of school will be April 28, I already have field trips scheduled for May and in the summer. I am not sure how long it will take us to finish reading the Old Testament. When we get back from Chicago we'll still need to read Micah through Malachi and Isaiah through Ezekiel. Then I will have read the whole OT to the kids although we did skip some chapters that just listed lots and lots of names and I also skipped Song of Solomon. It might take us until the middle of June to finish the major prophets. We shall see! We'll start the New Testament when they start 2nd and 4th grade sometime near the end of August. We also need to do several art projects in May and June.

The kids are very excited about our spring break. We've never taken one this long before. On April 6 we're doing a four hour Wonders of the Wild program put on by Penn State at Bald Eagle State Park, and then on April 7 we'll visit the Great

Lakes Science Center in Cleveland and spend the night with one of my cousins in Ohio.

The highlight for the kids is that they'll be spending time with their cousins in Chicago. They've never been in Indiana or Illinois before. Our trip will end with seeing some of my cousins in Indiana. I have several field trips planned for April once we get home including Reptiland, the Ephrata cloister, Everhart museum, Owens sheep farm, etc. The soccer games were supposed to start on April 1, but the start date was pushed back to April 22 because of the snow storm last month. This means the boys will miss two practices but not any games. Nadia won't miss any practices, but she'll miss one softball game while we're away.

So long, bedding!

Yesterday was a rainy day, which meant that Nadia's softball practice was cancelled and our tour of an alpaca farm was postponed one week. So I decided after dinner to make a quick trip to Lewisburg. We were gone for a little over an hour and during that time we went to the library, got gas for the van, donated some things at Goodwill, and shopped for a few things at Walmart. We had two things on our list for Walmart #1 a birthday gift for Grace's birthday party (Friday night) and Ian wanted to buy a Lego set with some money his grandparents gave him recently. I made two other unplanned purchases. First, a hat for next year for St. Patrick's Day for 75 cents and also a yard of Steelers fleece material for the guinea pig cage. I had planned to buy some fabric at a fabric store, but that hadn't happened yet so I made a spontaneous decision as we walked by the fabric. One yard was enough to fit in the cage three times. We still had half a bag of bedding left from the bag I bought three months ago, but the bedding was driving me utterly crazy.

The bedding was ending up ALL over the house, and I was vacuuming the family room more than once a day and sweeping the kitchen even more often than I already did. The hay spills out a little from the cage, but the bedding was the number one annoyance of owning guinea pigs. I also put a Yankee Candle fragrance sphere beside the cage. I had been changing the bedding once a week. I am thinking I'll change it every 2-3 days now. I'll shake it outside and then launder it. Hopefully this will work out much better because finding bedding all over the house was very undesirable.

A few weeks ago I tried to attend a new Sunday School class on marriage, but I was told as I tried to enter that I couldn't attend because my spouse wasn't with me. This past Sunday I attended a class that was just starting a series on parenting. I really like the class I usually attend (we're doing the Gospels right now), but I am planning on attending this parenting class for the next couple of months. The homeschooling mom I sat next to in that class said they got guinea pigs for the first time in January, and she told me they also have a dog and the guinea pigs are much more work than a dog.

I'm not 100% sure if I agree with that considering guinea pigs don't have to be taken for walks every day even when it's cold outside, but I will agree they have created more work than I had anticipated. I am hoping that using the fleece instead of the wood chips will be a big help. I told Nadia that when she turns nine the guinea pig cage will become her responsibility. It's my responsibility as a mom to work myself out of my job.

I have been working on going through the kids' clothes and adding some short sleeve shirts to their dressers. I noticed that Oliver's 4T long sleeve dress shirts were getting really tight on him (especially too short for his arms), and wouldn't you know but the 5T long sleeve dress shirt fit him perfectly this past Sunday. My baby is growing up so fast! Speaking of babies, Wendy's youngest turned four today. There are now three cousins who are four years old (Julianna, Grace, and Oliver). We can't wait to give her a belated birthday hug on Saturday in Chicago!

I've embedded below a video of Nadia saying some verses. We still need to work on them some more before AWANA this evening, but this shows some of what she's been memorizing lately. In the photo above Jenna was chilled out on Nadia's lap while Nadia was doing Rosetta Stone Spanish on our laptop computer this morning.

Thankful Tuesday

1. Ian enjoyed going to one of his basketball teammates' 6th birthday party in the afternoon on March 19. I had never taken the kids to Bloom Bounce because of the cost, but that's where the birthday party was held. Nadia is very excited about going to her very first sleepover this Friday night. Grace, a friend from church, is turning nine next week, and she invited Nadia and Claire over for her birthday. I am so grateful the kids are getting some invitations to birthday parties as fewer invitations to birthday parties was on my list of one of the "cons" of homeschooling.

2. Nadia is enjoying softball thus far. I found out the games are two hours long. Wow. That's twice as long as a soccer game. There were 16 games on the initial schedule, and then one was cancelled. At the moment I am thinking that she will miss somewhere between 2-5 of the games. She wishes I would buy her a bat. Maybe that will be a birthday gift for her in June if she continues to love the sport. We already paid for a batting helmet, facemask, mitt, and a $20 softball clinic at the high

school that she attended for 3.5 hours on Saturday. At least she already owned cleats from soccer.

3. The kids enjoyed doing a variety of activities about water at the Children's Museum on Wednesday.

4. Some men carved the kids' cars at AWANA on Wednesday night. One man took Nadia's home and worked on her guinea pig car some more. Of our neighbors who attend that church delivered it to us on Sunday afternoon. Ian asked for a bullet from Mario, and he painted it yellow. Oliver asked for a pencil, and he painted the pencil green and the eraser red (his choices). Nadia hasn't painted her guinea pig car yet.

5. I got some photography books through interlibrary loan that have been helpful, and I'd rather borrow a book for free than buy one. We love libraries! Paul took the kids to a Lego animation program put on Box of Light at a library on Friday evening. Ian wants to try to make a movie at home using Legos and an app on the iPad.

6. The kids and I enjoyed a production of the Cat in the Hat at Bucknell on Saturday afternoon.

7. I attended a Winter Jam concert at Penn State with my friend, Cheri, on Friday evening. The music was louder than I was expecting, but a man next to me gave me a pair of earplugs which helped. I doubt I'll return until my kids are older, and I'm going with them. It only cost $10 for the evening and included many different artists. We left a little after half- way through the concert because we had already been there for more than 3 hours and knew we'd be too tired to stay until the end. Some of the artists we liked (such as Tenth Avenue North and Colton Dixon) and others we were definitely not crazy about to put it mildly. My favorite song was "Arise my love" by Newsong. I hadn't seen my friend in several months so the highlight for me was
probably just being able to chat with her on the way to and from Penn State.

9. I worked on our taxes awhile ago and had the federal and state completed with the exception of one form I was waiting for from Kennedy Concrete. After I got the form and went to enter it, I discovered we'd have to pay $50 to file the taxes through that site because of that form. So I went the free fillable form route on the IRS website instead of going through a company. I wasn't exactly thrilled at the notion of entering the W2s and such a second time, but it was worth it to save $50. That project was finally completed this weekend. We owed almost $1K to the IRS. At first that sounds like it should be bad news rather than good news considering we usually get a refund, but it means Paul made more money in 2016 due to getting paid by two employers for 3.5 months. Next year we'll go back to getting a "refund" from the IRS (the term seems inaccurate to use because we will get money from the IRS even though we haven't paid them a dime during the year), but in reality it's better to make enough money that you actually have to pay some taxes. So I'm thankful that in 2016 that was

the case albeit sending Uncle Sam money isn't my favorite way to spend money.

10. We don't have the money to pay for things like airfare or tickets to Disney this year because Paul's car needs to be replaced sometime in the next year or two (I'm praying the battery lasts that long because it's been having some issues, and a battery on a hybrid is super expensive so we're hoping to trade the car in before the battery dies). Due to having relatives who live in Chicago and Long Island, the kids and I are going to have two different one week vacations this year that will be very affordable due to being able to drive there, enjoy free lodging, and use the museum membership that we have to get into multiple museums for free. It's been ten years since I was on Long Island. I am looking forward to spending that time with my Aunt and enjoying her cabana at the beach with the kids, etc. It is possible to go on vacations even on a limited budget. Yay!

11. The kids and I enjoyed a production of Dinosaur Zoo live at the Community Arts Center last night. Their tickets were free.

12. I absolutely loved "All Glory Be," the anthem the choir sang on Sunday by Phillip Keveren . It was one of those I know would have given my mom goosebumps. I wonder if she gets goosebumps in heaven?

13. I wasn't sure if the kids would enjoy The Children's Homer, which is a simpler version of the Iliad and the Odyssey, but they did. They actually asked me if I would read the other two books the author wrote! I have decided to read one more to them - The Golden Fleece: And the heroes who lived before Achilles. I had purchased a copy of The Children's Homer, but our library has a copy of The Golden Fleece. Right now we are reading the Battle for the Attic, which is certainly an easier read than Greek mythology.

14. Paul completed one of the items on the honey do list on Sunday! He had bought the

wood in August, and now I have two more shelves in our closet. Yahoo!!!! I appreciate it soooo much!

15. It was warmer out yesterday! Last Thursday the boys and I came home during Nadia's softball practice because it was chilly out, but yesterday they enjoyed playing on the playground during her practice.

Summer Plans

Technically spring began on Monday, my mom's birthday. It didn't feel like spring outside that day, but it did feel like spring on Tuesday. Most of the snow melted on Tuesday. Then it was cold again yesterday and felt like winter with highs only in the 30s. Even though it still feels like winter, I know that summer is just around the corner and we'll be enjoying the swimming pool, playground, amusement parks, etc. I discovered last night that I screwed up, and we won't be getting our free tickets to Six Flags this summer. They changed the program this year and homeschool teachers no longer get a free ticket. We had gotten free tickets the past three years. I will hopefully do a better job next year because it will be the first time Oliver will also be eligible for a free ticket. Even if I have to pay for my ticket, it's a good deal if all three kids get in free. In November I purchased Black Friday specials for Dutch Wonderland and Idlewild. We've been to Dutch Wonderland once, but we've never been to Idlewild. So even with skipping Six Flags this year, I think we'll likely go to Knoebels four times (twice for free and the other two times we'll go on 50% off days), Idlewild once, Dutch Wonderland once, and DelGrosso's once. We didn't go to DelGrosso's last year. We're skipping Sesame Place and Hershey Park this year as we did those two parks last year. Since we have seven trips planned to a total of four different amusement parks, I think you can tell we love amusement parks! At some point we'll also have to give Dorney Park a whirl. The last time Paul and I went there it was before we were married so we haven't been there in quite awhile.

The 15 biographies arrived in the mail this week. Nadia loves this series!

I haven't scheduled the kids swimming or tennis lessons yet, but the summer calendar is definitely filling up quickly. In many cases it involves not only choosing what TO do but also what we will skip this year because of either schedule conflicts or financial reasons. Nadia really wanted to be in a musical. Last year I remember telling myself I did not want to do all that driving that I did for her to be in the Little Mermaid, especially when I saw how tiny her part was compared to how much she had been involved the previous year in "Annie." They are doing "Music Man" this year, but I stuck to my guns and passed on that (the registration deadline is today). Instead I'm signing her up to be in Madagascar. The one I am choosing is $25 more expensive and isn't a Christian program like the group doing the Music Man, and this one isn't actually closer (albeit a totally different direction from our house). The main reason I'm giving this a whirl is it involves less than half as many trips (only 6). So we shall see. I also am going to sign her up for a week of a Junior Actors class at the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble. It will include acting and improvisation games and focus on how to create characters in a living story. I know of four different places that offer theatre camps for kids within 45 minutes of our house, and these will be the third and fourth ones we've tried. Who knows which we'll pick next year, but this summer she'll be doing Madagascar, Jr. at the Millbrook Playhouse (they'll give three performances at the end of the week) in August and also the class at BTE. I hope that experiences like this will make it more likely that she will be chosen for a part the next time she tries out for a production at the Community Theatre League in Williamsport.

As for camps, Ian said he didn't want to go to Camp Susque. Sometimes he has to be forced to try something (only to find out he loves it) because his common reply is that he would miss his Legos too much, but considering camp costs hundreds of dollars, I decided not to press him on it this year. Nadia of course really wanted to do another full week of girl's camp at Camp Susque. We're skipping the horse back riding camp this year. I had signed Nadia up for two days of kayak camp, but I'll have to call and cancel that because I signed Nadia and Ian up for another week of painting and drawing camp at the Children's Museum like they did last year. It costs about 1/4 of what the art studios around here charge for a week of art camp. I also signed them up for a week of Maker Camp there which will focus on problem solving through imaginative design, using 3D Printing, circuits, drills & hammers, and other tools to bring their creations to life. Last year Ian did one week of Camp Good News (a day camp put on by CEF). This year Ian and Nadia should have two weeks at
Good News camps, and Oliver will be joining them for one of the weeks. It will be his first experience with any kind of camp!

I also might sign all three kids up for a four nights baseball/ softball clinic in Sunbury like Nadia and Ian did last year. I am hesitating because the last night conflicts with the day we plan to go to DelGrosso's Amusement Park and going the third night would mean missing another summer musical rehearsal at the Alliance Church. I'll decide when it gets closer. Whether the kids are in the musical at that church will depend on when the performances are. The first four years it was the weekend around August 12. If they pick that weekend this year we'll won't participate because it will conflict with my Dad's wedding. last year they did it around the 19th so that would work for us if they pick that weekend this year. Last year Nadia and Ian did a history day camp at the Joseph Priestley House. I might sign them up for a history day camp this summer at the Taber Museum in Williamsport, if the dates work out for us. They haven't posted the information for this year's day camps yet. The kids will go to three weeks of VBS, at least that's what I have scheduled thus far. It's possible I could add one more week of VBS at some point. Plus I have scheduled in some other one day events and theatre productions along the way. I'm going to take them to see one new release movie this summer, and I might take them to some of the $1 movies depending on what they're showing this summer and how it fits with our schedule.

Here's an overview of some of our summer plans thus far. The things in red will be first time experiences for us.

May: soccer practices and games, softball practices and games, two days at Knoebels, Daniel Boone Homestead, Soul Patrol musical performances, homeschool Art Day, and watching a production of Little Red Riding Hood

June: my Aunt Janet will visit us twice, Idlewild and Knoebels amusement parks once each, Montage Mountain water park, PA Wilds Child (one day), Fancy Nancy Musical, painting and drawing camp, one week of VBS, Summerfest at the State Park, swimming lessons, tennis lessons, Trolley Station and Museum, and Bees Backyard

July: See Despicable Me 3 movie, spend a week on Long Island with my Aunt, which will include going to the beach, Long Island Science Center, Long Island Children's Museum, and New York Hall of Science; Nadia and Ian attending a five day Maker camp, Junior Actors class at the BTE for Nadia,

 seeing a production of the Prince and the Pauper, Nadia and Ian attending five days of Camp Good News day camp, two weeks of VBS, Lake Tobias, Pirate Adventures in Annapolis, Del Grosso's, and Nadia starts her week of girl's camp


August: Nadia finishes camp on August 5, Lycoming County Fair, West End Fair, National Night Out, all three kids at Good News Camp, my Dad's wedding in Virginia, Luray Caverns, Junior Theatre Camp for Nadia from August 14-19, and one day at Dutch Wonderland Amusement Park

I found this picture on the PBS website earlier this week.

Thankful Tuesday

1. I'm so grateful for the 71 years of life God granted my mother and for the knowledge that she is in Glory, and I will be reunited with her some day.

2. The five of us enjoyed going to dinner at Applebee's last Wednesday.

3. Ian and Oliver enjoyed spending Saturday at Grandma and Pop Pop's house.

4. Nadia and I enjoyed our girl's day of shopping, lunch at Subway, and seeing the movie Beauty and the Beast on Saturday.

5. Ian and Nadia enjoyed the Upward Basketball award program on Saturday night.

6. All three kids sang in the kids' choir in both services on Sunday, and Ian did a great job on his brief solo.

7. Yvonne gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Wesley Jayden on Friday night. We look forward to meeting our new nephew/cousin this summer!

8. It usually takes me almost an entire year to get enough Coke points for a canvas from Shutterfly, but thanks to codes from Paul's parents and also some trades I made on Facebook with a couple of ladies, I was able to earn enough points on Monday to redeem for a Coke canvas. I just made it under the wire as the last day of entering Coke points is tomorrow. Whew. Now to decide what picture I will pick for the canvas. Hmm...

9. I got a hair cut on Saturday! I was long overdue for one (had been almost 4 months), and I had to try a new hairstylist, but I am pleased with what she did. Whew. That is a relief as over the years I have had plenty of haircuts I didn't like.

10. I love the $1 matching sweaters I got the kids and myself. I wanted to take some photos on Sunday afternoon when the temps were in the 40's and the sky was blue (and the time was right as far as the location of the sun in the sky), but Nadia said, "let's wait until tomorrow." Well I wish I had pressed the issue because it was

cloudy all day on Monday, but I gave it a whirl anyhow. I like the pics I got although a blue sky would have been even better. Oliver's size 4T sweater is snug so it is not going to fit him next year. The sweaters Ian and Nadia were wearing were a little big on them. Ian's would have fit Nadia perfectly. I plan to take more pics in future years with these sweaters once Oliver grows big enough to wear the one Ian was wearing yesterday as I got another one for Ian to wear (I bought 4 sweaters for my 3 kids). It was a very well spent $5, in my opinion!

10. Since Nadia had softball practice yesterday (on the blacktop since the field was still covered with snow), the boys played on the playground. Normally they'll have soccer practice while she has softball, but their soccer practices haven't started yet due to the snow. I don't usually take them to a playground when there is snow on the ground, but we came prepared with snow pants, coats, and boots (although Oliver forgot his gloves). They had fun during her practice. Hopefully it will be warmer by the time they

have their next practice (on Thursday).

11. I am still ever so thankful for my camera and lenses and for my three beautiful children whom I love to photograph. Nadia asked me yesterday if I could teach her how to be a photographer. Sure!!! When I look back at my pictures I wish my learning curve had been quicker, but better late than never!

12. Yesterday one of my aunts called me twice to check on me to see how I was doing since it was my mom's birthday. I was really touched by that. She has really been there for me over the past eight months since my mom passed. I have greatly appreciated her listening ear and love. Similarly, my siblings and I have had more contact with each other over the past 15 months. Uncle Maurice is going to be a guest speaker for our social studies unit on Ancient Greece (he is getting his master's in art history and archaeology in Texas and is doing his thesis on Ephesus).

First birthday in Heaven

Dear Mom,
Today would have been your 72nd birthday. I think of you every day, but I have thought of you even more often the past two months. First, because of Dad's engagement to Margie, and second because I knew your birthday was drawing ever closer. People talk about how holidays can be difficult after you have lost a loved one. Thanksgiving wasn't a challenge, and I don't think Easter will be either. Christmas definitely was a challenge emotionally. I didn't even want to decorate our house our put up our Christmas tree this year, but I did for our kids' sake. I had figured that my birthday, March 20, and each of my three kids' birthdays would be the times that would also be challenging. You made birthdays so special for us over the years. You cooked our favorite foods, gave us thoughtful gifts, etc. I am ever so grateful I was with you last year for your final birthday here on earth. It was hard to make it special since food was totally unappealing to you at that time, but it meant the world to me that I was

there with you on your special day. Although I was praying for a miracle, in my heart I believed it was your last birthday on earth, and unfortunately I was right. As sick as you were, you still made my birthday special last year. I remember getting an email from you that you had ordered some things online to be shipped directly to me, and I was so touched that you still were trying to make my birthday special even through all you were going through physically at the time. Although I feel sentimentally attached to many of the gifts you and Dad gave me over the years, I feel all the more so about the items you gave me last year. I think of you every time I look at the drapes hanging in the kitchen, use the frying pan or spoons you gave me, etc. Because of this, I was almost wishing I could hit a fast forward button and skip the months of March and April this year, but that's not how life works.

I don't only think of you in relation to Christmas and birthdays. I miss being able to talk to you on the phone. I miss your newsy, daily emails. I miss your words of encouragement. I miss your hugs. I miss your helpful advice. I miss your listening ear. I miss your thoughtful

gifts and gracious hospitality. There are so many times when you are the first person that comes to my mind such as when I see snow falling, I remember how much you loved snow. I bought the boys each a snowman necktie on Saturday afternoon, and my first thought was, "my mom would have loved these ties." When I'm rehearsing a song in choir that I know you would have loved, I think "this would have given my mom goosebumps." When the children make progress on the piano, I want to be able to call you so you could hear them play. Ian named his guinea pig that he got for Christmas after your cat, Patches. When I paint the walls of a room, I want to be able to show you what they look like. But those days are in the past now. Those things seem so petty in comparison to the fact that Yvonne had her eighth baby on Friday night. I've experienced carrying babies in my womb that I didn't get to meet here on earth, but I never experienced giving birth to a baby with the knowledge that my mom wouldn't be able to meet my child here on earth. I know you are in a far better place. Seeing how you suffered for 6.5 months, I am grateful that your suffering came an end on July 12.

I do know some things about Heaven, but there are so many things I don't know about it. I wonder things like do you know Yvonne gave birth? Have you met the babies I lost in Heaven? Did you know Nadia was baptized last fall? I know you're not omniscient, but it seems from the passage in Hebrews that you are at least at times aware of things happening on earth.I do know that you are in Heaven, and some day I will be reunited with you there. What a glorious day that will be. I can't wait to give you a big hug and hear your voice again.

Well as you know I can be rather long winded at times. I will close

this by saying - Happy birthday, Mom. Thank you for being my beloved mother and a wonderful Grandma to my children. I miss you, and I will love you forever.

XOXOXO,
Ruth