Weekly Wrap-Up: The One With Some Early Mornings AND a Reading Milestone

Our week was good.... Christmas decorations are up, children have learned a lot, and we're not behind the 8 ball this weekend. Ever since we started homeschooling (over a year ago now, which is hard to believe) my workouts have gone by the wayside. I had high hopes of the kids working out with me at the YMCA, but for some reason that just didn't materialize. SO, my husband has started adjusting his morning schedule and going to work a bit later a couple mornings a week so I can work out first thing. This morning and Wednesday morning my alarm went off at 5:15 a.m (ouch) and I was working out by 6:00 and home by 7:15. While I don't love getting up at that hour, it does feel so good to get the exercise, and I feel like I'm exploring a new world that early in the morning. My husband has really inspired me because he's lost some weight and is feeling stronger. He has always played racquetball and worked out, but recently he got SERIOUS about it.

I've been mostly walking on the treadmill, but once I get a little more in shape I'd love to get back to swimming laps. Throughout my childhood I swam competitively. I have such wonderful memories of those days, and I love watching the high school students at our YMCA in the morning at their swim team practices, too. I did swim last weekend for about 30 minutes, and my arms were very sore. When the kids and I go to the YMCA we usually swim, so then I can get in a few minutes swimming here and there. I'm hoping all of this physical activity will become a habit going forward.

Let's see -- schoolwork. Math, Grammar, Keyboarding, Burgess Animal Reading and Reading continued as usual for both kids. A highlight of our week was finishing clay pottery. We are so fortunate to have a studio nearby that offers homeschool art classes. The teacher is wonderful.... two weeks ago she taught the children how to make several different things from a piece of clay. Miss B made a huge mug, and GMan made a shaker. This week they painted and glazed and we will pick up the finished product next week.

Reading was huge in the house this week! Congratulations to GMan, who voluntarily sat down and read an entire Magic Treehouse book by himself this week. We pulled out his sister's collection and he has them in a stack on his table and wants to read them all. Hooray!

Miss B finished a cute Christmas book by Cornelia Funke ( we love her books!), When Santa Fell to Earth.
She had nothing but high praise for the book and it was a quick read, so we recommend this one.

For read-alouds this week we started The House at Pooh Corner for both children. GMan is loving Winnie the Pooh, and Miss B remarked, "The books are so silly that they are funny." Even a nine year old loves this "bear of very little brain".

Getting to the end of this Sonlight Core, Miss B and I also started Calico Bush this week. We are only 50 pages into the book, but I can tell it is going to be
wonderful. Yesterday morning we put a log in the fireplace and just laid on the sofa and read. It was one of those mornings that I just thanked God for the opportunity to homeschool my children.

We are looking forward to working on our Jesse Tree in the coming week and also doing some baking, crafting, and lots of reading. The tub of holiday books was pulled out of the attic yesterday and we will make our way through that a little each day. It is such a wonderful time of the year!

How was your week? Stop by and see what other homeschoolers are up to this week at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers!

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How the Jesse Tree Has Gotten Me Thinking....

This week we have started our own Jesse Tree.... we downloaded everything from A Holy Experience. (Would you believe I didn't even know what a Jesse Tree was until just recently?!?!) I look forward to fully teaching the true meaning of Christmas this year. We have always been what you would call a "religious" family, but I think now that we have time with our children (through homeschooling) and are seeing so many of God's blessings on us, we have grown in our walk with God.

In my Christian upbringing, we were very subdued (I grew up Lutheran, and we are famous for our lack of evangelistic qualities). After I moved to the deep South I met so many people who were so open about their faith - it was comforting to me and gave me the courage to be more bold in my own faith. And yes, even the Lutherans in the South seem a little more bold to me. I'm trying to be more demonstrative about my faith, especially with my children. I have a long way to go, but that's the great thing about our walk with God - it never ends.

Back to the Jesse Tree devotions:

The reading from the very first day of Advent was this:

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him -
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Isaiah 11:1-2 (NIV)

This reading has really stuck with me during the first part of this week. I keep thinking about the words wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear. Those are some powerful words.... and while I can't write nearly as well as so many bloggers out there, I just want to express to my readers what an incredibly huge and wonderful shoot this was that came from the stump of Jesse.

As we are reading this week, we are taking the journey from NOTHING to the birth of Jesus. And that's what we would all be without Jesus - NOTHING. As I look around and see people scrambling to buy gifts, get their decorations up, mail their Christmas cards, I wonder how many of those people really stop to think about what Christmas really means. How many people are celebrating (in quite a GRAND way) the birthday of Someone they don't even know? How many years did I celebrate in this way? Yes, I've always celebrated the birth of Christ at Christmas, but I know many years it was all about Santa, the gifts, etc... etc.... It is my prayer that this year I can stay focused on the season of Advent, and on the true gift of the season.

In the car today running errands we were listening to Christmas music. The song, "Do You Hear What I Hear" came on. I love this song, and my daughter pointed out that this song "was actually about Jesus". What a keen observation on her part. I think we'd heard so much Rudolph and Frosty type music that she was just expecting more of the same.... and while I don't have a problem with non-religious holiday music, I want to be sure that there are more religious hymns and carols in our house this year than ever before. Here I was in my van, with tears streaming down my face - I guess because the true gift of the season really hit me (funny it was through the voice of Perry Como!).

I came home and found the very version we heard on Youtube. Listen carefully to the words.... I especially love the ending -

"He will bring us goodness and light"

It also dawned on me that it's all about making OPPORTUNITIES to be peaceful and quiet to reflect upon the anticipation of this season. Do I reflect on God's word each day? Do I make time to be alone with God in prayer each day? Do I try to enjoy each day and just take things as they come, rather than being frenzied and short with those around me? A dear friend and I are sending emails back and forth during Advent to keep each other accountable.... today I told her I lightened up on the schoolwork (and if you know me, I'm really hard on myself and my kids when it comes to schoolwork!) and made preparations to have my sweet father-in-law over for dinner. He has been a widower for six years now, and the holidays are difficult for him. If my children learn a lesson in compassion through preparing for Granddaddy to come over, then I have done my job today.

This post is linked to Rebecca, at Mom's Mustard Seeds. Head over to her site and see what other people are saying about God's word today!

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