January 30, 2013

Great post Ali! 🙂 Enjoy the reblog friends.
God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

It's a God thing...

Ever met anyone whose favourite expression is ‘I’m sorry’?

Some might consider it an admirable trait to be perpetually penitent.

And certainly humility is a good thing, as is taking ownership when we really have done something wrong. But to be continually self-deprecatory? To constantly assume we’re the ones in the wrong?…

Some people seem to be almost apologising for their existence. And when you’ve had parents who’ve put you down, and made it hard for you to prove your worth in their eyes… well, it’s easy to then assume the worst about yourself in every situation.

To take on the default stance of ‘I’m sorry’ indicates a mindset that everything is always your fault. Or that perhaps you desperately need to maintain the image of being kind, compliant, easygoing. Or maybe, as in my case, you’re avoiding conflict. Ensuring I take credit for mishaps that might be another person’s…

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A Late Crafty Monday: Time Machine Studies:1950-1975

In this Post: The golden age of the 50’s, the 60’s and being hippies, and a Hawaiian party. Several crafts and fun ideas.

Hello friends! I hope you are well :). Last week we did our third quarter study of the twentieth century. We set the time machine for 1950 thru 1975. I was very excited about this era because it has some of my favorite music.

It just so happens that segregation ended and the civil rights movement occurred during this time. Also, we were able to study this during Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. So they went hand in hand. Michael watched “Perfect Harmony”, a sweet family movie about civil rights. This week Michael read a “Star Trek” book since it came out in the 60’s.

One of my Mom’s favorite cartoon/claymation characters became popular in this era, Gumby.

We bought a Gumby model and Michael made his own Gumby with play dough. He also watched the cartoon.

This is Gumby on the Moon. He was given to Mom (Nana).

I made a timeline of Disney movies. Michael stacked the movies in the order they came out from the 50’s.

Chris used the globe to talk to Michael about the Korean war.

We ate at a diner and then Michael and I put together this classic fast food sign. We used tissue paper for the lettuce and rice for the sesame seeds.

I may frame this. I love it!

We watched videos of Elvis and listened to 50’s music all day. We talked about the history of Rock n’ Roll and the pros and the cons. Michael drew this guitar with my instructions.

Michael listened to this video of my grandmother (Dad’s mom…my Mema). She talks about when her Dad came home from the war and also when she met Elvis after winning a dance contest. Remember Email subscribers, please come to my blog to see the links 🙂

Video of Mema and her life in the 40’s and 50’s

So “The Cat in the Hat” came out in 1957, the year my Mom was born.  Pardon my scary morning face. I  just had to read the book in my hat.

So then came the 60’s! Michael watched clips from the movie “Hairspray” (newest one) because it showed how people marched for civil rights.

video- “Welcome to the 60’s” from Hairspray

Chris and Michael put together this model car.

I stayed up late the night before Tye-dying Michael’s shirt.  He made our beads that morning. I think we looked far out :).

To show Michael hippies, I let him watch “The Wonder Years” season 2 episode 14 “Bright Wing”. It’s about Kevin’s sister who is a flower child. Michael and I discussed what the hippies stood for (some good and some bad). We also learned that hippies were called Flower children because they sometimes would hand out flowers for peace.

Speaking of flowers….we listened to and discussed the song “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”  It shows the cycle of war. We talked about Vietnam and why people protested it.  We listened to another protest song “Hey stop, what’s that sound?”  We watched The Wonder Years season 2 episode 10 “Walk Out” about students protesting Vietnam.

Wednesday we talked about the founding of N.A.S.A. and the first man on the moon. So we did this trick I’ve seen on Pinterest. It wasn’t as glorious as we thought it’d be. Michael colored a paper into a rainbow. I painted it with black paint and then when it dried Michael scraped a picture into it.

It’s a rocket ship on the moon.

The Big Mac came out in 1968 so we split one. I think it was Michael’s first one. He said it was awesome lol! In 1969 we got the first man on the moon. We took a trip to the Space and Science Center. It just so happens that Sesame Street also came out in 1969. We had planned on watching it and by providence the Space Center was playing a Sesame Street movie in the Omnisphere theater. Big Bird and Elmo taught us about the Moon and Stars! 🙂

Pics from the Space Center

Our “groovy” Scooby Doo tattoos…

Hawaii became a state in 1959. So for our party we used a Hawaiian and Rock n’ Roll theme. Michael made a Hawaiian flag which was actually his idea. We found Hawaii on the map.

The decor was easy. I bought Luau & 50’s stuff from Party City. I just hung up these plastic pictures and Michael was impressed :). Mommy score!

I had no idea what to use for the party until that day. But I thought Hawaii is tropical so something fruity would be good. So I bought what we needed to each make our own banana pudding. I prefer to do the pudding this way (pudding cups, vanilla wafers,whip cream & banana slices). Then I got Hawaiian Punch and V8 Splash Smoothies Tropical Colada . We got into the 50’s & 60’s candy we got from Cracker Barrel. The boiled peanuts just looked good so I figured they’d add something salty.

Michael, Mom (Nana), and I cut out flowers for leis. Michael wore a straw hat and Mom got to wear the grass skirt. She didn’t know that when she stopped in from work that she would be drafted for a party lol.

I just found a flowery skirt to wear.

Me and Mom.

Boiled Peanuts and banana pudding with whip cream….yummm

Michael and Nana enjoying the dessert.

So we put on 50’s music. I tried Hawaiian radio first but it wasn’t fun enough. Michael is doing the “Monkey” and Mom is doing….ummm I’m not sure what it’s called….swimming? surfing?

I’m doing the “Monkey” and Michael is doing the “dive”.

Don’t you just love crazy hair moments!

Michael was SO hyped up on sugar!

Nana caught sneaking more pudding!

After dancing I pulled out a glass coke bottle. We played “Spin the Bottle” first by blowing kisses or kissing on the cheek. Then Nana changed the rules and whoever the bottle landed on had to answer a question. I threatened Michael if he ever played the real spin the bottle with a girl lol! I like Nana’s version better.

Then we got bored and tried a new bottle game…who can toss the dime in the bottle. Yeah, Michael cheated and it was hard…so we moved on.

Limbo!

Limbo!

If you want to see our time lines and craft inspirations please check out my Pinterest at this link:

Next week please come back to see our last Time Machine study 1975-2000.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Time Machine 1925-1950:

Crafty Monday: Time Machine Studies:1925-1950 & Italy Country Study

Time Machine 1975-2000:

Crafty Monday: Time Machine Study: 1975-2000 & My First Big Peg Doll

My Family Rocks! Sunday: Meeting of the Dolls January 27, 2013

Hello dear ones, this will be short and sweet for once. 🙂 Last weekend, my American Girl dolls met my B.F.F. Hannah’s little girl’s AG doll. I’ve had my Samantha and Molly dolls since middle school I think. Any who, they finally got to meet Caroline (Olivia’s doll). We are planning a tea party in the future.  I’m glad to have a purpose for my dolls now. I’m a super big kid. Here’s a picture of the momentous occasion.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

See a Need Fill a Need January 25, 2013

Hello dear ones, I usually don’t write these kinds of post but my heart was moved. There are so many ways one person can change lives. One of those ways is to donate to a good cause and it’s super simple with the internet. I know it’s hard to know who to trust.  LOL this sounds like a sales pitch. Seriously, no one paid me to say all this.  Anywho, I know a couple of organizations that are legit and are really making an impact in people’s lives. I encourage you to help when you can.

1. https://www.worldvision.org/ (It’s pretty awesome keeping up with a sponsored child and know that you’ve changed their life. There are also other ways to donate if you can’t commit to a monthly donation. Please check out their list. It’s amazing all the things World Vision is doing. It ranges from helping sexually exploited girls, disaster relief, feeding kids, to teaching the impoverished to farm and create small business.)
2. http://www.persecution.com/  (Christian persecution didn’t stop in Roman arenas. It still happens today and all over the world. It broke my heart tonight to read a story & see pictures of several Christians in Nigeria that had their limbs hacked at by Muslim extremist.  The Voice of the Martyrs is giving prosthetic limbs. They help persecuted Christians all over the world. You can help provide for many needs. You can even send encouraging letters and plead for governments to release Christians imprisoned for their faith.)

Here is a video from Voice of the Martyrs. This man’s faith is amazing.

Jesus told us that the world hated Him so it will hate us as well. The servant is not better than the master. Praise God for peace and joy even in this dark world.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Inspirational Wednesday: My Confession & Shutting my Mouth January 23, 2013

In this Post: My raw confession, hope for us both, and links to help.

Ephesians 4:24-32 KJV

^24″And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

²⁵Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

²⁶Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

²⁷Neither give place to the devil.

²⁸Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

²⁹Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

³⁰And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

³¹Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

³²And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

I have a confession…a raw and bleeding confession.  I have been mean and my words have been poison.

So I have laryngitis or something. I can’t do more than whisper and I deserve it. I’m not saying that God is punishing me with sickness. Now is he using something bad to teach me an important lesson….definitely.

I could spout a dozen excuses…sickness, my son’s disobedience, being home 24/7, and that I’m teething (yeah, my 2nd wisdom tooth is coming through. I can’t seem to shell out the money to get rid of it.) But the TRUTH is….I’ve just been taking my anger out on everyone and especially Michael.

Now, I am thankful that my son does not hide his emotions. He will very clearly and tearfully state “Mommy, you are being mean!”.  All the reasons I picked on him fade away….all the anger over small things that annoyed me go away. I look at my son’s face and my heart breaks.

What have I done? What words have I said that I can NEVER take back?!

So I let Michael cry a bit in his room….give him a few minutes. Then I do what has to be done. I repent. I confess my sin to God and then I own up to my sin by talking to Michael. I admit that I was wrong and *gulp* tell Michael that yes, I was being mean. That Mommy was being bad and I should have never talked to him that way. That he’s a good boy and I shouldn’t take my anger out on him. I beg forgiveness and I’m so glad my son is merciful. We hug each other. I probably apologize ten times. I say that I’m going to do better and ask if we can start over again. Things do get better but we both have a painful memory, all because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut….

Thankfully these painful moments of the sinful tongue don’t happen that much but they happened twice this week 😦 . So today I can’t speak above a whisper. I’m having to face my short temper head on and think of  better ways to get my point across rather than raising my voice.

It’s been sort of hilarious. I’ve given him notes, made hand gestures, and since I don’t have a bell, I’ve resorted to clapping and snapping to get his attention. I handed him a warning note to stop playing in the bathroom or we would cancel our field trip. He came and asked what “cancel” means. So I made an “X” with my fingers. “Huh?” he said. Then I made a cutting motion across my throat. “Kill?” he asked. I shook my head “no” then motioned for him to come close. I whispered that it mean’t we wouldn’t go on our trip.  There has to be an easier way.

That’s the thing….sometimes the better thing is not easy. It’s easy to give in to anger and shout. It’s harder and nobler to find a better solution. It means I have to stop and think. There are days when I’m tired and I don’t WANT to think. But I’m not here to whine and whoever said life was easy?

People who act in anger are cowards and I’m not going to point because I know I am that coward many a time. So it’s time to be BRAVE….to be WISE.

Proverbs 15:1-2

^“1A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

²The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.”

James 1:26

^“26If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.”

OUCH!

Words can be sweet honey but they can also be poison. God, may my words be sweet and healing today. Please take away the poison of bitterness and anger. Help me to tame my tongue now and always….especially when I can shout again.

Dear ones, I praise God that we have such a merciful savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is  not by my righteousness that I am acceptable before Him. My righteousness and yours as well is dirty rags. It is only by Christ’ righteousness, the blood he shed on the cross in my place, that I am justified before God. God’s forgiveness does not give us the right to willfully sin but Father God knows we are made of the dust. He understands our struggles. We are to always try to walk Holy and that becomes possible only by abiding in Christ. Still Father God always blesses a truly repentant heart.

Maybe you are in the same situation as me? Your heart is hardened by bitterness or maybe you’re just irritable from stress. No matter the cause…your heart is full of poison and your mouth is explosive. The only hope for us both is first to surrender to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and secondly to repent. Clear the clutter that may add fuel to the fire. Maybe it’s what you watch or maybe you just have too much on your plate? Maybe your priorities are out of order? What’s more important? the dishes or relationships? Cut the poison off at the source and then abide in Jesus because He is the source of life. Then life will flow out of your mouth.

I’m in this boat too. I’ve got to sit back and evaluate myself and what needs to go in my life. What is making things worse? Some things we just have to deal with….sickness…finance issues….traumatic memories. But that’s where abiding makes all the difference. It is always critical to abide in Christ. You HAVE to have His life. Have no doubt….we must ALWAYS abide. When we are bleeding emotionally, spiritually, mentally, physically….then we must cling even tighter to Jesus for life Support. You are already in a time of weakness and the enemy is ready to pounce. In these times, choosing fluff over God is absolutely dangerous. It is spiritual suicide. I am speaking to myself. Sometimes we don’t realize we are doing this until we’ve almost bled out. We thought we were okay…..ignore God a couple of days….watch more t.v. , no problem…then boom…sin and it’s consequences slaps us upside the head.

Maybe you are like me? I hope not. You see, sometimes I forget that I’m in a battle and that Jesus is my life support. I kind of go in this zombie mode….complacency. I fall asleep in enemy territory and awake surprised when I’m tied up and being poked with pitchforks by little people. NEVER go to sleep during a battle! Don’t just take it from me, the dunderhead that’s learned from experience, read it in your Bible. We are at war!

Refining Fire

Ephesians 6:10-13

^“10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

¹¹Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

¹²For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

¹³Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

Here are some great links to help us parents. (Come to my blog if they don’t show up in email. Thanks!):

This one really spoke to my heart.

http://theresurgence.com/2012/04/09/10-ways-for-moms-to-respect-their-sons

http://creativewithkids.com/10-dangerous-thoughts-for-parents-who-want-to-stay-calm/

http://www.raisinggodlychildren.org/2011/12/8-ways-parents-provoke.html

http://www.gracelaced.com/2009/11/24/10-things-to-remember-when-your-child-is-disobedient/

I love # 9 “It’s not good behavior you really desire…you want his heart.”

Isn’t that exactly what Father God wants as well? Once he Has our heart then goodness and Life will flow out of it.

http://www.raisinggodlychildren.org/2012/06/10-habits-to-develop-for-correcting.html

http://www.raisinggodlychildren.org/2012/09/10-practical-tips-for-dads-in.html

http://www.raisinggodlychildren.org/2013/01/39-lessons-20-tips-and-10-donts-for.html

I really like 4 & 5:

4. Our task list is not as important as our children’s thought life.
5. Preach the gospel of grace, not self-discipline.

I like these stop signs. I think they can work for parenting too 🙂 Pic on my Pinterest below:

http://rockandteach.blogspot.com/2012/08/monday-made-it-part-4.html

I pray God will help us all tame our tongue. God bless & remember the High King is slow to anger, rich in love, quick to forgive, and He LIVES! ~Amber Dover

FlyLeaf- Again (music video)

PS: please don’t use my artwork but you can share this link. Especially don’t use the picture of my big mouth lol! 😛 seriously!

January 22, 2013

Hello dear ones! Thanks for all the comments. It really makes me smile when I know people are reading. Well, MLK day has passed but I wanted to post this reblog anyways. Last year we did a couple of Civil Rights crafts for Black History Month. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of my heroes and has been since I was a kid. I have his picture in my hall. We are learning about the 50’s in our Time Machine Unit so Michael and I had a talk about MLK. It was perfect timing. Maybe you can use some of these craft ideas in February since I’m posting early 🙂 God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

amberdover

Hello friends and welcome to Crafty Monday. Today I’m going to show you a few of the crafts we’ve been doing for Black History Month. This has been fun for me because I’ve always been very passionate about Civil Rights. We’ve read some neat books on Civil rights and also on Slavery. A good book is “Almost to Freedom” by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. It tells the story of a girl’s escape on the underground railroad, from the perspective of her doll. Another good kid’s book is “My Dream of Martin Luther King” by Faith Ringgold.

Moving on….I got the Martin Luther King hands and the Peacock ideas from: http://elementaryartfun.blogspot.com/

and I got the Civil Rights hands with the heart idea from:  http://art-paper-scissors.blogspot.com/

#1 Martin Luther King  Hands- mixing colors with love 🙂

this is how we did it:

mixing colors with love 🙂

that’s my awesome Mom (Nana)

Voila! :)…

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Crafty Monday: Time Machine Studies:1925-1950 & Italy Country Study January 21, 2013

In this Post: We craft and learn about the Great Depression & WWII, our homeschool group learns about Italy, and my Tinkerbelle peg dolls. Also, a tutorial on how to make a pretend t.v.

Hello dear ones and chin up :). We started a Time Machine Unit in January. It is a study of the 20th century broken into quarters. I built a time machine for us to use. The links don’t always show up in email so please go to my actual blog to see them.

First, here is a pic of my Tinkerbelle and Terrance peg dolls that I promised a friend. I have them set up in my kitchen window. I hope to add other fairies. Click on it to see a larger pic.

Pics and info from the first quarter, 1900-1925 is found here at these two links:

amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/01/08/a-late-crafty-monday-the-time-machine1900-1925/

Crafty Monday: Snowflakes, the Teddy Bear Jazz Ball, & the Homeschool Room Mural

My Pinterest Ideas are found here:

I decorated the Time Machine with old news articles and a WWII map Chris colored for me. The links are here:

WWII map:

Click to access 1576901009_225-226.pdf

WWII alliances:

http://www.proteacher.com/redirect.php?goto=5588

WWII Newspapers:

http://www.archives.com/genealogy/newspaper-genealogy-world-war-2.html

http://www.grahamcounty.net/vetweb/newspaper/np01.htm

http://www.grahamcounty.net/vetweb/newspaper/np02.htm

WW II Ration Books:

http://www.grahamcounty.net/vetweb/newspaper/np18.htm

So this week we studied the second quarter, 1925-1950. We didn’t do much from the late 1920’s. But we did take a trip to Cracker Barrel to look for old candy. They had tons of nostalgia candy from 1960 and on but little from our time period. We did however find Bubble gum that came out in the late 1920’s. On the day of our party, Nana (my mom) came over and we attempted to blow bubbles. We had several pop in our face but I decided not to post those pictures :).

Bubble Gum was invented in 1928

Mom’s Bubble

Michael and Mom reading the comics that come in the gum wrapper. Do you remember those?

Michael began reading an American Girl book about the 1940’s (Molly). So my American Girl doll, Molly came through the time machine.

We watched the Kitt Kitredge Movie as we learned about the Great Depression. We didn’t stay in the Depression long because….well it was depressing.

We  dressed up as Hobos the best we could and played pretend.

We learned about Hobo code and used chalk to draw the symbols everywhere.

We also had a Depression store with 1930’s prices. I had Michael calculate how much change he owed me and also he checked if I had given him the right money. A few times I asked him what I could get for a certain price. Chris visited the store too.

Then we moved on to the 1940’s and WWII. I was super excited about this study but I had a lot to relearn. Thankfully Chris had just taken a semester of World History. So my hubby explained to me exactly the why’s and the who’s. I had to do several hours of research just so I could simplify it for Michael.

I read “Number the Stars” to Michael each day. I was happily surprised to find that Lois Lowry, who wrote “The Giver”, also wrote “Number the Stars”. She is one of my favorite authors. “The Giver” changed my life.  Anywho, by the end of the week Michael finally remembered that Annemarie was the blond danish girl and that her friend Ellen was the dark haired Jewish girl. He kept getting mixed up. Each day Michael drew and colored a picture under where I had written a summary. I got the summary from someone else.

We did a Winnie the Pooh craft because it was written in 1926.

We ate at the Steak n Shake which came out in 1934.

Homeschool on the move

We also went to the museum and looked at old inventions and toys from the time period.

A painting symbolizing the struggles women went through.

Old Toys

Old Army tent

We watched a video about Amelia Earhart. She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean (1932) and she disappeared in 1937. We still haven’t put together the Wright airplane model that we got. Hopefully I can show you a pic of that next week or two.

Here are the time lines I made. One goes from 1900-1950 and the other one is a 20th century time line of movies (mainly Disney and Cartoons).

Michael had fun with these puzzle boards my sister gave him.

I explained to Michael who the allies and the axis powers were. We used pins to see where everyone was on the globe and how the Nazis invaded Europe and then how later the Allies liberated Europe. I also explained how the Soviet Union switched to our side after Germany attacked them.  And how we went to war with them afterwards (The Cold War)  and only worked with them during WWII because we had a common enemy. It really made sense seeing it on the globe. I finally know and remember what D-Day stands for and Michael remembered too when I asked him (Dooms Day). I also explained that we, the Americans, were fighting a war on two fronts because we were also fighting Japan.

This interactive map helped me a lot. The link is here:

http://c3.ort.org.il/Apps/WW/page.aspx?_item=0e45a1be-144c-4dee-b919-4e2ba98c7aad&_pstate=item&box=e4b8e529-3402-411d-bb44-57b80f06af12&page=c1133131-9b1b-469e-a08e-0ae9eb685f98&ws=496fe4b2-4d9a-4c28-a845-510b28b1e44b

Red pins for the Nazis, blue & purple for the Soviet Union, and Green for the Allies. A yellow pin on Japan.

The Allies liberate Europe!

We were able to pin point Denmark to go along with our book, Number the Stars. It was great to be able to see how close Sweden was to Denmark, since the Jews escaped to Sweden. Afterwards we pinned Afghanistan and Iraq so Michael could see where his Dad went years ago (Iraq) and to remember to pray for Uncle Wesley in Afghanistan.

Rice Krispies came out in 1927  so Michael had them for breakfast. We also did a War Ration Book for the week. Michael had three meals a day, a snack, and an extra sugary drink each day. I stamped and stickered each time he had a meal. If  he had extra snacks then that would take away from the next day. This helped a lot with him whining every 5 minutes for food even after big meals (growth spurt?). There were times that I let snacks slip just in case he was feeding someone he was hiding from the Nazi’s. Michael thanked me for being secretive lol.

Wednesday Michael became a British child during the war when the children were being evacuated to the country. Don’t praise me yet. I didn’t come up with the idea. I got it here at this link:

http://www.proteacher.com/redirect.php?goto=1040

So we watched the first part of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when the children are being bombed and have to go into their bomb shelter. Then the children are sent on a train to stay with the professor in his big country house.

Michael wrote a list of what he would need for his train trip. He made sure to include a gas mask.

Then he packed his bags.

We made a propaganda sign for sending children to safe homes. I explained to Michael that there is good and bad propaganda and how governments try to influence people by using the media. We looked at pictures of real WWII propaganda for the poster ideas.

Michael made himself a name badge. He had to put something nice about himself on it so the foster family would pick him.

Our couch became the train. I was the conductor and we made several stops before a foster mom picked him. Sadly some kids were not picked in real life and some of them were abused by their foster parents. There were many children though that saw the journey as an adventure and enjoyed their stay during the war. I know it had to be heart breaking for the moms to send their children off.

Thursday we did an Italy Country study with our homeschool group. That was great because Italy was one of the Axis powers in WWII, though they later joined the allies when we invaded and liberated them.

Everyone made an Italian dish. I made spaghetti. A mom asked if it was homemade. I use canned sauce but I spice it up with fresh basil, garlic, onion, red wine, and sugar. Usually I add diced tomatoes and squash but was out. I’m glad she couldn’t tell it was from a can :).

Hannah showed us a map of Italy. We learned about Venice.

Then we made a gondola in a diorama. We found a gondolier online and set him up in the gondola.

Michael was such a gentleman. He helped Maggie, Rachel’s daughter, with her chair.

Maggie’s diorama was awesome. They used a scrapbook paper image. By the way, these pictures are courtesy of Rachel. I left my camera and craft stuff at home so she took pics for me. We had to do our diorama at home.

We also forgot our passport. We will have to get it stamped next time.

When we got home we finished our diorama. Then we read a few books about the Holocaust. Two books were ones we had read during our bug study of Butterflies in May. “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” is a collection of poems and drawings from children at the Terezin Concentration Camp. “The Butterfly” is based on a true story of a girl and her mother that help a Jewish girl to freedom. It’s such a sweet story and with great pictures.

Michael watched a clip from “Life is Beautiful” since it is about an Italian Jew during the Holocaust. So lil man learned how to read subtitles. Then he watched all of “The Sound of Music”. I caught a picture of him smiling and laughing during the song “Favorite Things”.

We ended our studies with an army or “war” party. Nana came over to hang out. I had bought army stuff at Hobby Lobby.

Michael and I got fake military tattoos. Mine still hasn’t come off.

We enjoyed Subway sandwiches on army plates with tank tooth pics in them. My AG doll, Molly, also attended.

I finished reading “Number the Stars” to Michael and Mom. Then Michael finished the drawings. We used the drawings and summaries to make a pretend T.V.

I was surprised by how many people that had not made these t.v.’s. So I will give you a short tutorial.

1. Gather supplies (an old box the shape of the t.v. you want. We used a skinny cereal box to be like a flat screen, tape, glue, and/or staples, 4 old pencils, paper, and writing utensils.)
2. Cut your writing paper to the shape of your t.v. screen. Then write and draw a story on each page. Number the pages to keep them in order.
3. Attach each page to the one above it. It will be like movie film.
4. Then you cut out the screen size (a bit bigger than your paper) in your box.
5. Then you put a pencil on each side at the top and then each side at the bottom.
6. Tape the pencils at the top together and then the same with the bottom ones.
7. Now, tape your first page or title page to the top pencils.
8. Tape your last page to the bottom pencils
9. Now you can use the top pencils to roll the film forward and the bottom pencils to rewind.
10. You have a pretend t.v.!

I gave Michael a code to decipher “from” Sir Winston Churchill. I addressed him as a soldier. We have been learning about the Resistance all week so this activity went with it. I filled in the cipher key to make it easier and helped him on a few lines. He is only six. I briefly told him about the Navaho code but we didn’t learn any.

The Code is found here:

Decoding Nazi Secrets

http://www.proteacher.com/redirect.php?goto=1577

Answer Sheet:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/education/activities/2615_decoding.html#answer

I stamped Michael’s ration card for the last time, we took Molly back in the Time Machine, and we were thankful the War was finally over! Hmmm I wonder what will happen this week?

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

PS: Join us next week for 1950-1975 Lord willing.

Time Machine 1950-1975:

A Late Crafty Monday: Time Machine Studies:1950-1975

My Family Rocks! Sunday: Thankful Moments & Everyday Delights

In this post: Keeping record of your blessings, fitting in the homeschool extras with Hodgepodge, and Winter experiments & freebies with Meet Penny. I’ll post pictures and captions between my story.

Hello friends and I hope you’ve had a great week! You may have noticed that I haven’t posted as many week day posts. Well, we’ve been busy with this Time Machine Unit in Homeschool and plus my buddy Hannah got me hooked on a Korean drama (which is so bad for a person with OCD…I can’t multitask because I have to read the subtitles!). Anywho, that last one wasn’t a good excuse but I hope to start doing more than Sunday & Monday Posts in the near future. I’ve had an inspirational post in my head for weeks.

Michael and I enjoying the big chairs at Sweet Frog

So last weekend was super simple and nice.  We went to the park and walked a mile and a half on the trail. Yaaa me! Maybe I’ll walk the Color Me Rad 5k after all :). Then we went to Sweet Frog for Yogurt and at the shoe store I tried on those funny toe shoes like what Chris has. They are supposed to be better for your feet. Maybe I’ll get some…

Toe Shoes

Me and Little Man at Sweet Frog for Yogurt (Chris took the pic)

There is this idea going around that a person has to jam a dozen activities in a day to enjoy life. Not so and it’s a lesson I’m still learning. Often the simple things are what we remember and cherish. These things usually happen amidst the day to day.

Michael and I soaking up the sun at the park (like Timothy Green)

One of my fondest memories with my Dad was helping him with his late night paper delivery. My Dad was a genius but he switched jobs a lot because he got bored (seriously). He truly was a jack of all trades. I liked the delivery job the best because sometimes I got to stay out late on a school night. We would pick up papers after midnight. I would fold the papers and put a rubber band around them while my Dad practically drove 100 miles per hour (he loved to speed). Then my Dad would quickly pull up to a mailbox and if it was on my side I had to throw the paper in before  Dad drove off and clipped my hand. It was a bit exciting.

We sped down several dirt roads and sometimes spiders would spin these huge webs across the road. Dad would grab a can of spider spray, spray the spider, and as soon as he saw it drop he would speed through. He was like super man!  Many a night we would eat at the Huddle House afterwards. I liked to get a hamburger and listen to songs on the Jukebox. So we weren’t at Disney World and I was helping my Dad work…but that’s one of my favorite memories. It’s because I got to spend time with my Dad and chat. We were like partners in crime, except without the crime.

I can say the same with my Mom and there are too many to name…..Pizza and a movie on Fridays, dancing at the park, riding bikes together, walking on dirt roads during an Indian Summer night, and sitting quietly during a thunderstorm so we could hear God’s wonders. My Mom truly knew how to cherish the simple things and I can say the same for my Step Dad Kim, who was with us on many adventures. We really liked exploring in the woods. But it’s probably easier to treasure the simple in a small town. We didn’t get a Walmart til I was in High school. The city I live in now isn’t huge but there are always things to do if you look. I have to remind myself to slow down and embrace the simple delights.

The Cardboard Box- best toy ever!

Michael made it a space ship for the Avengers

Enjoying the simple has to be cultivated...especially in this day and age. We live in the time of the microwave, fast food, and Tivo. We have to deprogram ourselves and our kids. When I was a kid I would sit with my Papa as he counted how many cars went by our house. Sounds boring but man….how peaceful. It’s got to be good for our health. Stress is a killer. I hope we can deprogram together. Please send me comment love on how you slow down and enjoy the simple :).

So I started writing down my thankful moments and every day delights, in a book my sister got me for Christmas. I’m trying to write in it every day or every other day. Sometimes I forget. When I’m depressed I really struggle to find the good things….so very small things count as good (like a kind word after a rough day with a family member). I added colorful stickers..because they make me happy. It’s almost like that song in the Sound of Music..these are a few of my favorite things. The idea is that this book will help me become more thankful and unlike my prayer journal which is often brutally honest, this book has just the positive.

Some of the entries:

• Michael was asking what to get me for my birthday. I told him all I needed was his love. He said he’d probably get me love or chocolate! LOL!
• Mom visited. 🙂
• The story of Jonah reminded me that I should make God and people my priority…not my schedule.
• Me and the guys finished watching Season 2 of The Avengers.

Things I need to write down include spontaneous tickle fights, eating Ramen noodles while having a late night Korean Drama marathon, and eating Hannah’s blueberry cake. Seriously, all they do is eat noodles in the Korean shows I’ve seen. So I end up getting these cravings. Thankfully I have a whole box of Ramen packets. I won’t be offended if you tease me, Rachel ;).

Moving on, I’ve got some great links to share and I hope you can see them. If not, come to my actual blog page and they will show up. I really enjoy HodgePodge’s blog. She is a seasoned homeschool mom and she always has great ideas for making school fun and relaxed on top of truly learning. Many of her ideas I’ ve been incorporating or already did.

Most of our unit studies are extras and then we have our main studies that are the bones of our day (like what she says).  I usually just share our extras on here, like the Time Machine Unit. Honestly the regular studies don’t take long if Michael is in a good mood. We can finish devotions, reading, language arts, math, and science in two hours if we don’t dilly dally. Since Michael is my only student I can focus on helping him and we have plenty of time. Now this doesn’t always happen. Usually we have errands, chores, and other things that pop up in between. Michael may twiddle his pencil for ten minutes. Those days do happen. But when we can finish early then we have plenty of time for extras.

Fitting in the Extras with Unit Studies:

http://www.hodgepodge.me/2013/01/how-to-fit-in-the-extras-with-unit-studies/

My whole life I’ve gotten an F in time management. So I may succeed at starting early twice a week….maybe thrice. Sadly, that’s an accomplishment. I hate mornings. But I do acknowledge the benefit of starting school early. We are working on that…

Time Management:

http://www.hodgepodge.me/2013/01/how-to-fit-in-all-the-homeschool-extras-with-time-management/

Organizing Homeschool Extras:

http://www.hodgepodge.me/2013/01/the-homeschool-extras-within-sight/

An Extra’s Day:

http://www.hodgepodge.me/2013/01/declare-an-extras-day/

I enjoyed the video in this post. It’s so true that we must teach our children about Christ, because the world will not. Often they will teach against Jesus. We have to set the example.

Mini Cherry Pies- one of my favorite desserts!

Pointing Our Kids to Christ:

http://www.simplylivingforhim.com/2012/03/pointing-them-to-him.html

I’ve just started reading Penny’s blog. She has so many neat things.

Winter experiments with Meet Penny:

http://www.meetpenny.com/2013/01/winter-snow-science-experiments/

Daily Saver with Meet Penny (I like the Love Scavenger Hunt. Good deals!):

http://www.meetpenny.com/2013/01/daily-saver-january-18th/

Cookies:

http://www.meetpenny.com/2013/01/4-convenient-mixes-for-homemade-cookies/

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Crafty Monday: Snowflakes, the Teddy Bear Jazz Ball, & the Homeschool Room Mural January 14, 2013

Hello friends! I hope you are well :). We took a break last week from our Time Machine studies. We did however finally have our Teddy Bear Jazz Ball (for the 1920’s) Friday. We also learned about snowflakes at our homeschool group where my bestie Hannah hosted. I painted a mural in the homeschool closet turned nook. Meanwhile, our family rested and healed from sickness. I am doing so much better…hardly any nose issues. Michael hasn’t coughed and the cat’s foot is great.  The kitty is just miserable being inside. We have to get him fixed. He’s driving me crazy with his whining. Chester is part Siamese and VERY vocal.

Here is a video with proof. This is just a taste of what he does morning and night. Email Subscribers: you’ll have go to my actual blog site to see most links.

Chester, my vocal kitty

So last year I did a post on converting Michael’s (recalled) crib into a school desk, magazine rack, and shelf.

Said post here:  https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/crafty-monday-new-use-for-that-recalled-crib-pom-pom-sundaes-homemade-welcome-rugs/

That worked for awhile but Michael outgrew the desk and it became a place for clutter. We still have the magazine rack but the desk and shelf (which was falling down) were thrown out.  So I had to rethink the closet corner. I wanted it to become a nook where Michael could put his headphones on, sit on his beanbag, and do school. Thus came the mural of faith and comfort.

I noticed that there was a crack in the wall that made a cross. So I drew an outline with crayon and painted the wall with kid paint. I used a permanent marker to write the verses. After that, I bought rolling plastic drawers, threw out old craft stuff, workbooks, and papers, and then set everything up leaving the center open. Now I like to stay in that area!

Enjoy the pics 🙂

This week was laid back with just our regular workbooks and Michael played math apps. My buddy Hannah hosted our group and taught the kids about snowflakes. She read a cute story about how we are all different, like snowflakes.

She also told us about Snowflake Bentley, a man (with my birthday Feb 9th) who was the first person to take magnified pictures of snowflakes.

We then looked at pictures of snowflakes up close.

Hannah showed the kids how to make a snowflake mobile.

We finished ours at home.

Then we ate these lovely snowflake cookies Hannah made.

I decided to make Borax snowflakes and sugar crystal candy.

The borax snowflake came out good. The sugar crystals haven’t formed yet. I think it takes longer….unless I did it wrong.

Michael was so excited to get his first mp3 player. I put several Christian kid songs on it.

Friday we finally had our Teddy Bear Jazz Ball that goes with our Time Machine Study of the 1920’s. We dressed up a bit…sort of. I made a few invitations. My symmetry is off lol. Michael said they looked like mice. Michael got the big one and the rest went to teddy bears and dolls.

Michael helped me set up the china. We had cookies and lemonade while the dolls and Teddy Bears had chicken, steak, and a mix of things. We had extra food so more “people” were invited.

Apparently Sheep eat chicken. Tiger is hungrily staring at the other guests. Uh Oh…

The mood was set with 20’s music (mainly jazz). We conversed with our guests then had dancing.

Samantha got to stay in the 21st century a bit longer. After the Ball she went back in the time machine and to the early 1900’s.

Barbie had to use a stepping stool to dance with the army doll.

Michael and I attempted to learn the Charleston. I got the hang of the first part but Michael was frustrated. So we danced freestyle most of the time.

Charleston tutorial here:

By the way, all the videos that I talked about in last Monday’s post can be found on my Pinterest here:

Well, God bless and remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Time Machine: 1900-1925 Part 1:

A Late Crafty Monday: The Time Machine:1900-1925

Time Machine 1925-1950:

Crafty Monday: Time Machine Studies:1925-1950 & Italy Country Study

My Family Rocks! Sunday: Warner Robins Museum of Aviation January 13, 2013

Last weekend, Michael and Chris took one of their firsts guy trips together. They went to Warner Robins, Ga to the Aviation Museum. It was supposed to be a field trip to go along with our Time Machine studies but I was sick and sent them off happily.  I will let Chris take over from here and give descriptions for the pictures. Enjoy!

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Pics from the Museum of Aviation

The first aircraft you see when you arrive, the Boeing B-1 Lancer. It’s a long range bomber from the mid 80’s.

This is the first jet on display when you walk into the south Entrance. It’s an f-15 Eagle.

This is a P-51 Mustang, the fighter plane of World War 2. This one says “Furious Frankie” on the nose.

This is an old MB. Produced by both Willys and as the Ford GPW, it became the known as the Jeep.

Michael looking at some of the flight gear worn by pilots during WWII.

Michael standing beside a squadron guidon, or banner.

This is a P-47, another fighter plane from WWII.

My Grandpa flew at this position as a tail gunner in a B27 during WWII. ~Chris

This is a Cessna aircraft that was converted during Vietnam as a light attack aircraft.

Another Cessna aircraft used for attack runs on enemy targets.

This was a flight trainer cockpit that was used for the f-14.

Michael standing next to a model of one of the earliest airplanes. It’s not the Wright airplane, because the Wright airplane had skids, not wheels.

This is a larger model of the small one that Michael was next to.

This is a mannequin of one of the astronauts from Skylab, the first long-term space station.

This is an MH-53 helicopter that is used by the Air Force. Note the 6-barrelled GAU-17 Minigun. (Note from Chris, A very comforting sight and sound when under attack and this weapon starts firing from above.)

It’s Snoopy!

Michael posing next to the top bubble turret from a B-25 Flying Fortress Bomber. It has two M2 .50 Caliber machine guns.

Michael next to an early jet fighter.

A mannequin of LTG Benjamin Davis, one of the original “Tuskegee Airmen”, an African American fighter squadron in WWII.

A Bell Helicopter.

Michael standing next the propeller of a large cargo plane.