Monday, October 23, 2017

SL Core H Week 30 "A" Oct.15-21. 2017 Endoscopy and Under the Egg

SL Core H Week 30 "A"
(Core H is Sonlight's Part 2 of a 2-year program on World History.  We are in Week 30 of a 36-week program, which has taken us 57 weeks to do because we like to add things in and slow things down to our pace.)
Oct.15-21. 2017 
Endoscopy and Under the Egg




Hello, Friends!
Our homeschooling week was quite un-normal!  I had some medical things to sort through and the weather has finally realized it should be colder!  


Attic:
I brought down all our winter clothes boxes--something like six boxes!!!  Wow!  To make room in my tiny closet for the winter clothes I had to box up as many summer clothes as I could, which was only three boxes.  You can tell I am over-prepared for winter!!!  Boy, my bedroom, living room, and dining room were a disaster with all the boxes and clothes everywhere!  I was so glad to not have any unexpected visitors witness our total chaos for three days!!  It does feel so much better to have all our coats and other warm things ready.  Also--I found my two hummingbird feeders! Finally!!!


Veg Garden/Bugs:
Once again I spent too many hours picking worms off my kales and Brussel sprouts.  I hate to admit this, but at night when I lay down and close my eyes I see those worms!  This is proof I've spent way too much time with those worms!  I have gotten faster at picking off the worms, placing them in a bucket, and giving them to the chickens.  The worms had skinned a lot of kale (Dinosaur kale variety), so I picked the blighted leaves and chopped them into tiny pieces and gave to chickens.  They normally get all the stems from the kale I use for my morning green smoothies, but this week they really got a lot more than normal due to the activity of the worms.  Maybe I got ahead this week? and perhaps next week won't have as many?!?


Canning for the week- for this last batch of sauce I added some carrots to the tomato sauce I was cooking down in the crockpot.  This added a different flavor to the paste that is similar to the tomato soup Dh makes us.

Flower Garden:
This week I worked on transplanting some of the front flowers into the big hole that I created when I dug up the ugly bush near our front door.  The bush that I hurt my back removing!!  Now I will have some peonies, coneflower, and (I think) some foxgloves!  yay!  I think I'm done with that for the fall.  I mowed twice this week and could still probably do some more if I find the time.  This weather has been perfect for grass growing!


I've been rearranging the inside coop to see what works best - each setting has it's advantages and disadvantages.


Chickens/Ducks:
My quest to feed my chickens and ducks as many greens as I can continue to be a bit of a hardship and a blessing.  I have found a big patch of duckweed down in our woods, which is a bit of a walk to get to, but that is also why it is a blessing!  



I really have enjoyed walking down into the woods, especially with all the beautiful fall colors!!!!  So lovely!  God has found a way to get me down into the woods to enjoy His beauty!  So glad!  Sometimes I get too busy working and don't stop and enjoy as much as I should.  The Buff Orpington's (light yellow/orange birds) are still growing in new feathers and look a bit pitiful.  "Broody Brenda's" comb has been pale so I've been feeding her extra.  Last year she got really broody and I had to bring her into the garage and hand feed her, but this year I am keeping an eye on her and feeding her extra before she gets bad.)


Giz: MIL after surgery recovery
Giz has done well so far.  We are still hoping that another shoe doesn't fall and catch us off guard.  So far, so good.  Prayers Appreciated.


Health:
My long awaited procedures with my gastroenterologist finally arrived; an endoscopy (scope down your throat to look at all your upper plumbing) and a colonoscopy (scope...other end).  I would love to say it had little effect on my week, but I did find it made for a week out of whack.  The good news was that everything came back normal, though we are still waiting on the Celiac test.  I'm glad all the bad things that could have been wrong were removed from the equation.

Music:
Dd has been really enjoying her violin, violin lessons, and playing the violin in the orchestra.  Also, she has been playing Christmas music on the piano, which makes me SO HAPPY!!


Auto Repair:
We still only have two of our four pitiful cars running, but Dh has made great strides on the broken truck.  He spent hours at a local junkyard finding parts that he needed to repair the truck, plus the bonus of other parts for the other cars too!  He thinks by next week at this time the truck will be back running.  I think he had to take out and replace the power steering in the truck, and a few other easier things.


Kittens:
Our two new kittens, Dickens and Honeysuckle, are doing great.  Agnes is slowly getting better with the kitties, more so Dickens than Honeysuckle.  I think it might be because Dickens is a boy?  We still ache with missing our Sophie, but the kittens are a lovely distraction.



Wrapping Up Core H:
After we finish our readers for this week we will only have: I Am David, Chu Ju's House, and The Breadwinner left to complete our Core H!  We are really getting close to finishing this core and I need to start planning our next core!

Academic Steps This Week:

Bible:
We are continuing on with reading the New Testament with the help of the Integrated Bible that tells us the order so I can read that with our Bible.
The Parable of the Sower: Luke 8: 1-3
Jesus and Beelzebul: Matt 12:22-29
Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law: Mark 3:20-27
Jesus and Beelzebul: Luke 11:14-22. Matt 12:30-32, Mark 3:28-30, Luke 11:23, Matt 12:33-37
The Sign of Jonah: Matt 12:38-45
Jesus' Mother and Brothers Matt 12:46-50, Mark 3:31-35

Jesus' Mother and Brothers: Luke 8:19-21


Church:
Church, Sunday School, Youth Program, and volunteering 1:30 hours for the Olympians program (like Awana).

SL's Bible, Student Reading:
2 Corinthians 4 and 13
Galatians Ch 3, 4, and 5


Daring To Live Life On The Edge: The Adventure of Faith and Finances by Loren Cunningham:
Ch's 11, 12 & 13



Math: 
Saxon Geometry through Grace HS Academy:
Lessons 21-24 and 1:30 hr class
Dd is still struggling with the limited explanations and 'teaching' she is getting in her class, BUT, she has found Saxon's book to be a good resource.  When Saxon asks a review question they also include the specific lesson that taught that bit and she can flip back to that page for a little refresher.  Both MUS and TT didn't do this as well as Saxon does.  She is finding the book to be her favorite math program yet.  BUT, she still has questions and needs time with her friends, or parents, to have some parts explained, so it must not be perfect!  I was hoping for a better class experience and for Dd to feel comfortable asking the teacher questions during the week (instead of needing to outsource her help).



History Reader 1:
The War That Saved My Life 
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley: In Process
Goodreads Summary:
An exceptionally moving story of triumph against all odds set during World War 2, from the acclaimed author of Jefferson’s Sons and for fans of Number the Stars.
 
Nine-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him.
 
So begins a new adventure of Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother?
 
This masterful work of historical fiction is equal parts adventure and a moving tale of family and identity—a classic in the making.


History Reader 2:
It's A Jungle Out There 
by Ron Snell: In Process
Goodreads Summary:
Book One of the Rani Adventures begins with Ron Snell's birth as the eldest child of missionary parents living in the rainforests of Peru. Colorfully depicting what it was like growing up in such surroundings, Snell has captured a wide-ranging audience ranging from homeschool children to senior citizens. "I wouldn't trade my childhood for any other," Snell writes. "Conceived in the Amazon rainforest, I learned to walk and talk among the Machiguenga Indians who, to this day, call me "Rani." "The 'Machis' were my first babysitters and friends. From them I learned to tie a house together, eat monkeys and macaws, and make dugout canoes. They laughed at my log rides down rampaging rivers and caught exotic pets for me. Life was one great adventure after another. After all, what could be more fun than perching in thorn trees at night to escape a herd of stampeding pigs? "The Machiguengas adopted me and my family into theirs. As they touched our lives we discovered what it would cost us to touch theirs. "I hope this first book of the Rani Adventures will bring you laugher, tears and a new perspective on the old cliche: 'It's a jungle out there!
I'm still finding wild grape vines to feed them.



Fun Reader:
Breaking Dawn: In Process


Family Read Aloud:
Under The Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
Dh finished our family RA this week, and boy, did we enjoy it!!!!  Ah, if you are looking for a fun, lighthearted, hard to put down book---this is a great story!  I'm so glad we fit it in, even though it wasn't in either of the two versions of Core H we have been using!
Goodreads Summary:
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler meets Chasing Vermeer in this clever middle-grade debut.

When Theodora Tenpenny spills a bottle of rubbing alcohol on her late grandfather’s painting, she discovers what seems to be an old Renaissance masterpiece underneath. That’s great news for Theo, who’s struggling to hang onto her family’s two-hundred-year-old townhouse and support her unstable mother on her grandfather’s legacy of $463. There’s just one problem: Theo’s grandfather was a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and she worries the painting may be stolen.

With the help of some unusual new friends, Theo’s search for answers takes her all around Manhattan, and introduces her to a side of the city—and her grandfather—that she never knew. To solve the mystery, she’ll have to abandon her hard-won self-reliance and build a community, one serendipitous friendship at a time.




Geography:
BiblioPlan Advanced Mapping: (I finally found where I had put this book!)
Map 12: Middle Colonies, Map 13: China, Map 14: Sealing Off England

Seterra: Online Geography quizzes
https://online.seterra.com/



Science:
Apologia Physical Science: Completed
Mod. 13: Forces In Creation



Art Classes:
Painting Studio: Oil Painting: 2:00 hr class
Botany Art Class: 2:00 hr class
Drawing during the Week: 2:00 hours



Home Economics:
besides basic chores, Dd made a wonderful Potato Salad!!! Yum!



Music Classes:
Intermediate Band: Alto Sax: 1:30 hours
Intermediate Orchestra: violin: 1:30 hours
Piano lessons with Wendy: 30 min
Violin lessons with Christie: 30 min

This week Dd brought out her flute and had fun doing the music to Polar Express with it.  She practiced her piano, violin, and sax during the week.



Dd did a really good job mostly working independently this week.  She is improving in her educational independence---thankfully!  She has been working on going through all her clothes and sorting out the summer clothes and the ones she no longer wears; which is a big job!  

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Free & Fun: Geography Games on Seterra

Geography:

Seterra:

We have no connection to any of the books, programs, or any curriculum that I share.  I'm just sharing the things we are using and if we like them!  One site that we've used, off and on, for years, is Seterra.  I even use it to keep my geography knowledge from getting dusty!

Sunday, October 15, 2017

FODMAP Diet for Digestion Issues

FODMAP Diet for Digestion Issues

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Back in September, after waiting six months to get into a gastroenterologist, the doctor gave me one sheet of paper on the FODMAP diet.  I have to say this diet has greatly improved my digestion issues!  It isn't perfect, but it has improved my quality of life greatly!  I've ordered another book on FODMAP from our library that should come in this week.  I read a lot online, but the book I posted at the top has been terrific.
FODMAPs are a collection of short chain carbohydrates and sugar alcohols found in foods naturally or as food additives. FODMAPsinclude fructose (when in excess of glucose), fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), lactose and polyols (eg. sorbitol and mannitol).
You can Google "FODMAP diet" and get more info.  Here are a few links:
http://www.ibsdiets.org/fodmap-diet/fodmap-food-list/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fodmaps-101#section1

The gist of it is that certain foods ferment and become difficult for some people to digest, so those specific foods are to be avoided.  This is similar to anti-inflammation diets and low acidity diets that I have researched in the past. 

There are a few foods that are especially difficult to give up: broccoli, Brussel sprouts, celery, dried fruits, apples, many varieties of beans....etc.  But, once I figure out how to do a complete week or two of complete elimination of those foods then I can try bringing back some of those questionable foods one at a time as an experiment to see how those foods affect me.  I did this "Elimination Diet" years back when I was testing my body for allergies.  So, perhaps I won't have to give up all the foods that are on their list.

I just thought I would share this random information b/c I've been really struggling with GERD, reflux, and "other" issues for years now and wish someone had introduced me to the FODMAP diet before!!!  You'd have thought someone over all these years would have brought this diet up to me!!  Gas, bloating, and digestion has improved SO much--not perfect, but greatly improved!

Saturday, October 14, 2017

SL Core H Week 29 A Oct 8-14, 2017

SL Core H Week 29 A 
Oct 8-14, 2017
Trip to Indy-Giz has Surgery
Dd finished her first oil painting.  It is Anne and Diana walking together; from Anne of Green Gables, one of Dd's favorite series.


Hello Friends!

Zeus, keeping an eye on me!

We started our week, Sunday, driving up to visit Giz in the hospital.  We returned back home Tuesday--and our normal homeschooling classes and work. After Giz was rushed to the hospital last Friday to heal her latest infection, she stayed there until her scheduled operation on Monday.  We had packed, cleaned, cooked, and got a babysitter for our critters all prepared last week for this upcoming trip.


I didn't find time to make any birds last year, so I am getting an early start for this year's Chrismas lavender birds.



 I started my Christmas felt birds, stuffed with lavender, while we took turns with our new Read Aloud: Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald.  



 On Sunday morning we woke up and loaded up our van and headed south to Indiana.  I woke up with a headache and was glad Dd and Dh could do the driving for me. I did 90% of the driving on the way home while Dh read our new RA for us (Under the Egg by Laura MarxFixgerald--loving it!).


Ms. Lemon

The drive went fairly well, though there was lots of construction; especially in Indiana.  We eventually made our way to Giz's hospital--IU Medical Hospital in Indy.  It was very difficult finding a parking spot that was free, but we managed with help from Grampy over the phone!  He had all the streets memorized and was a big help.

Don't these two girls look like they are up to some serious chatting?!  Good chums!

Giz looked pretty good on Sunday night, I think we arrived around 3:30pm.  She had been on her IV antibiotics for two days and had the infection knocked out so the surgery was still on for Monday morning.  We got to meet all the nursing staff that had been helping take good care of Giz over the weekend.  I think the weekend staff seemed nicer than the weekday staff.  
One of the three new kale spots, this is the second best spot.  On the right, flowering, is the Cilantro.  On the left of the baby kale is another variety of kale that I've been putting in my morning smoothies too.



After visiting for a few hours Grampy took us to the hotel for dinner.  We warmed up the ribs and pork Dh grilled/smoked for Grampy.  He really enjoyed all the food we made (Dd made potato salad and egg salad for the trip). 
Left is Merry and on the right is Pippin...two adventurous boys.



 Grampy said he had eaten out all but one meal for the past week and was glad for some family food.  Dh had made a cinnamon GF coffee cake that Grampy enjoyed for a dessert.  After dinner, we all loaded back up and headed back to the hospital to visit with Giz a few more hours.  

Merry, looking cute!

Uncle Greg called to say he was going to come up and spend the night in Grampy's hotel room, on the pull-out sofa bed.  It was a good thing he did because Grampy had left his suitcase at home! So, Greg went over and got Grampy's clothes before driving up! Greg missed dinner with us but met up with us all at the hotel around bedtime. 

The Buff Orpington's are all molting and growing new feathers!  Even the Black Sex Link are molting now!  It is interesting seeing the new feathers coming in.

The short, extra dark feathers are the new ones.

Nervous:
Giz was nervous about the big surgery in the morning and would make conflicting comments--half the time saying we should go back to the hotel and gets some rest, but whenever it looked like we go she would draw us back to stay.  Eventually, she started falling asleep and we slowly worked our way out.  I don't think any of us got much sleep though, we were all worried about the upcoming day and didn't get much rest.


If only I ever sat in the hammock this summer!  Too busy! It looks welcoming though!

Giz's Surgery was Successful:
We set our alarms for 5:30 am on Monday morning, to get to the hospital early enough to be certain to get to see Giz before they were scheduled to take her.  We didn't know it, but she didn't actually get taken back until much later than they had scheduled, I guess the patient before her took a lot longer than they had anticipated.  
Our very last potatoes of the year!  I really dug out the potato areas to get every single one, no matter how small!!



Uncle Jeff and Kate made it to the hospital before we did, so Giz had all three sons with her in the hours before her surgery.  Eventually, they took Giz back and our time in the waiting room began.  We spent from 10am to 3:30 in that area, and it dragged on and on!  I had plenty of time to catch up on my reading lists, though the waiting room wasn't very quiet.  I think I re-read some paragraphs four times because of all the distractions there!!!  I read the other Reader that Dd had just finished: Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan and then started Escape From Warsaw by Ian Serraillier.



Then I read her second Reader: Escape From Warsaw.  It was hard waiting for so long, but the doctor did come out and share such fantastic news with us---He said that he "FIXED" her problem!!!!  "FIXED!!!"  We were so glad!!  


These Amber Links are such sweet girls!  I think they may be the nicest birds we have.

Then we all moved back to her hospital room, crowded all in!  Giz was beyond thankful for the success of the surgery.  She asked us all to join hands and try to sing, "God is So Good."  We didn't get to our hotel until around 9pm, which made for such a long day.  The good results of the surgery sure did wonders for all of us getting such a good nights sleep!  I slept so soundly!  What a huge relief that Giz will be fine!!  


The tomatoes are showing little signs of slowing down! Too bad there aren't as many red tomatoes on the vine these days.


Tuesday we got up early and packed up all our stuff and put it in our van.  We checked out of the hotel and rode to the hospital with Grampy.  To get back to our van we called the hotel's shuttle service which took us through Indy on a lovely sightseeing tour of the town before finally dropping us off back at our hotel.  I think we finally got on the road around 1pm.  Giz was obviously doing great and looked very good!  It is amazing how quickly she rebounds!  We made it back home around 6:30pm on Tuesday evening.  We were so glad to be back home with all our critters.  It felt like we had been gone for a week!  

Poirot (Black and White Bantam rooster) and Ms. Lemon (black and gold Bantam hen)

Wed: WMHFA Orchestra & Band
Wednesday was fully scheduled---Intermediate Orchestra at 8:30, piano lesson at 10:30, Intermediate Band at 11:30---they are working on the Hot Chocolate song from the Polar Express movie!!!  They sound great!!!  After our classes, we had Olympians at church from 6:30 to 8:15!  What.a.day!


This kale has been so easy to pick, strip, and put in my smoothie blender in the mornings.  If only the worms didn't like it so much!

Fri: Grace & Girl's Club
Friday was Dd's Grace Academy classes starting at 10am.  She had her Painting Studio, then Botany Art class, and finally her Saxon Geometry math class.  Afterwards, Dd went home with Lexi.  Lexi was hosting a Girl's Club--a campfire and roasting hot dogs.  Then they spent the night our in their camping trailer for extra fun!  They had a great time together!




I canned this week's green beans so Dh can bring them along for his lunches.  He wouldn't take a quart of green beans, but he would a pint!

Canning:
I managed to can 8 pints of green beans this week.  Tomato paste is about ready to can.  I've been adding and working on the mixture in my crockpot.  Saturday night I finally got the tomato/carrot sauce canned!  After stewing in the crockpot for three days it was really cooked down and flavorful.


Garden:
This year celery really was much more successful.  I moved it to shady garden spot and kept it fairly moist.  Far to the left, in this shaded bed, is the new kale that is getting eaten by slugs.


The new kale is coming in very well in this bed, the best of the new, but in one of the other beds something is eating it...perhaps slugs?




The garden was getting hit by worms again on the Brussel sprouts and kale, but I worked really hard to pick off as many as I could before I left for Indiana.  I thought I got them, but as soon as I walked out to check the garden when we got home on Tuesday night I could immediately see all the damage that had been done in the three days away!!!!  It amazes me just how quickly those worms can clean out leaves---big ouch! 


Our Brussel sprouts are almost fully grown.  I don't think we will grow these next year.  I also think I will skip the cabbage too.  They take too long, attract too many bugs, and we could use the space for veggies that we can eat on more often.  



 Luckily the weather continues to be very good for our garden and the tomatoes are still turning red, just not nearly as fast as when it was warmer.  


Chickens/Ducks:
Nothing new to report---they are all doing really well.  I struggle to try to bring in as many greens and vegetation as I can to feed them.


  
I am not letting them free range anymore, as they had been preyed upon when out, so I have been foraging for them most days and bring the greens to them inside their runs.
Agnes and Dickens sharing a window together!  This is a first!



Kittens:
They are doing great and getting bigger each hour!  


Academics for the Week:

Bible:

Sunday we drove to Indiana, so we all missed going to church this week.  It was very unfortunate as this Sunday was our special Strings Group's presentation that we didn't get to be in.  I'm sure they did great without us!
Beets still growing well!


We are continuing to read the New Testament in chronological order with our new Integrated Bible.  I use the Integrated Bible to give us the sequence, but then I read the passages in our normal bible.

The Faith of the Centurion: Matt 8:9-13 & Luke 7:8-10 & John 4:50-54
Jesus Raises a Widow's Son: Luke 7:11-17 & Matt 11:2-3 
Jesus and John the Baptist: Luke 7:18-21 & Matt 11:4-19 & Luke 7:22-35
Woe on Unrepentant Towns and The Father Revealed in the Son: Matt 11:20-21 & Matt 11:22-30
Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman: Luke 7:36-44
Jesus Anointed at Bethany: Matt 26:6-13 & Mark 14:3-9
Jesus Anointed at Bethany: John 12:1-8 & Luke 7:45-8:3
See the mounts of dirt---that is from all my digging up of potatoes!
Olympians at church: 
Dd volunteered to co-lead the Games portion on Wed night (1:30 hours)  The kids in the group have been acting a bit unruly so Dd and her co-leader met up at our house on Thursday night to discuss tactics on how to handle and move forward towards improved behaviors.


SL Bible: Daring to Live Life On the Edge: Ch's 7-10



Bible Reader: 1 Corinthians Ch's 12 - 15


Read Aloud:
Under The Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald: In Process
I am loving this book!!!!  We read it in the van on the drive to Indy and back!  Such a fun RA!  Dh is also enjoying it!

I dumped some of the grass from our yard for our chickens to eat.  We don't add any chemicals to our grass so this is great for them to peck at. 


Reader:
Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan: Completed
I also read this one---really fun easy read!  


Math:
Saxon Math through Grace Academy:
Lessons 17-20
*still very difficult, the teacher isn't helping explain these lessons any more than just reading the chapters out loud in class.

Zeus and his girlfriend!

Science: 
Apologia Physical Science Student Notebook:
pgs 126-134

Here Zeus's girlfriend is pecking at his beak...she loves him so!

Home Economics:
Dd made a special Lemon Cake with lemon juice frosting...yum!


Music Classes:
Violin Lesson with Christie: 30 min
Intermediate Band: Alto Sax 1:30 hours
Intermediate Orchestra: violin: 1:30 hours
(we had to miss Strings Group b/c of Driver's Education class)



Art:



Doesn't this odd potato look like a Henry Moore sculpture!!!

Drawing: 2 hours
Painting Studio (Grace Class) 2:00 hours
Botany Art Class (Grace) 2:00 hours

Molting Petal

Girl's Club: Friday
campfire, games, hot dogs, and spent the night!


We definitely had fewer red tomatoes this week.


I've added some carrots to this weeks tomato sauce.  Dh makes a wicked Tomato Soup that consists of tomatoes, carrots, and celery that is one of our family favorite meals.  I thought adding some carrots would give a different tone of flavor on some dish in the future.



Isn't this a pretty spider on our kale?!


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