Friendship 7 and Summer’s Digital Report

Yesterday we had family movie night and watched Hidden Figures. Half way into the movie KJ left the room to watch something else but Summer baby hung in there the entire movie. 

This morning we talked a little about it and headed to the computer to do a little fact checking. We used Prezi for her presentation she choose the pictures, text colors and she even typed up most of the report. 

At one point I couldn’t deal with the one finger typing and had to take over but we had fun. Enjoy the final presentation below. Make sure to leave a comment so baby girl can read them. 

Building Block Fun

Every now and then I like to shake things up and have a game day with the kids. On game day we focus on our learning objectives through play. This game is great for critical thinking, following directions, and spatial perception. For smaller children this would also be a great activity to further develop fine motor skills.

This activity was really simple to execute. I found some cheap blocks online and built various structures. I then took pictures of each structure and had them printed at my local drugstore. Drug stores always have great deals on prints so I snagged a coupon online and paid a few bucks for about 20 photos.

I gave the kids the photos with the easiest structures first and then the more difficult structures at the back of the pack. The kids enjoyed building to the exact specifications. Below are the pictures I used along with a picture of the blocks that I bought online. Feel free to download these pictures and print them out for your kids.

The Nurturing of Weeds

 

I was growing a weed. I am not saying that a weed sprouted up alongside my plants I am saying I watered, tended to and actively grew…a weed. In an effort to grow some peppers and cucumbers from seed I mistook this innocent looking weed as the start of a pepper or even a cucumber plant.

Let me back up a bit a weed as defined by a gardening friend as a plant you did not intend to plant, growing.  In other words, this was a weed because it was not bearing and would not bear the fruit I intended it to.

You know God showed me myself.  The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such, there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 I had to stop, meditate, and examine my fruit. I was not actively watering plants that would lead to this fruit. In my absentminded apathy, I’d begun to water and nurture some weeds. 

I’d begun to compare my actual husband to my perfect imaginary husband. The fruit was frustration and bitterness. My kids were too much. Too loud. Too busy. Too kid-like. The fruit was impatience. I was too busy to read the word, too busy to take time to hear from God, too busy to be grateful.  The fruit was sternness.

I’d realized what I was doing by examining the fruit of my weeds. I was taking time, energy, and intention to care for these weeds. My husband was not going to get away with not meeting the impossible standard set in my mind. My kids were going to learn to act like 30 maybe 40 years olds with good sense instead of the 6, 4, and 1 year old they are. I was going to look like I had a lot going on even IF God intended I be still after all I need to keep up appearances.My weeds were bearing fruit and they needed to be uprooted.

The next part was simple. Repentance.

God uproot these weeds! I had to intentionally pull every one of them. When I started to day dream about what perfect husband would say or do. I replaced that thought for the gratitude of what actual husband did. When I started to get impatient with the kids I would try to savor the moment and appreciate the innocent way they see the world and I would be intentional. I would be intentional in my spiritual growth. I would seek out Gods presence and study His word. When I failed at this…I would repent again because a garden full of weeds is not an option.