Spring Snow

Spring snows are wet and cling to everything!

They are very unpredictable.

The weatherman was still predicting a slight chance of snow with zero accumulation when it looked like this outside.

It blew under the awning.

Eventually the city had to get the snowplows back out.

My DH says 3 or 4 inches of snow is more beautiful than 12 inches. Especially if you have to shovel. Spring snows only last a couple days and then they melt off.

They sure are beautiful why they last.

This brief blog is for our Filipino family, lest they forget what winter is like!

~Mom

Various Thoughts

This winter we had the most gorgeous ice storm. I took pictures of it and posted them in an earlier blog. Tonight I am posting what it looked like a couple days later when the sun came out. I really couldn't believe how long the ice stayed on the trees. It was really beautiful. Our God is the most awesome Creator.

What have the Mangos been doing? Yes, we spend a lot of time working on speech and debate. I end up assisting and critiquing the children as they prepare. Our next tournament is April 7-8th. We are looking forward to it. Monday nights, Roger usually takes the three almost oldest children to the club meeting. The rest of us stay home and have some quiet together. What did we do tonight? Joan studied her macroeconomics as she has a CLEP test on Wednesday. T-Bob worked on dishes while he listened to 'With Wolf in Canada', a G.A Henty book that we have on CD. He loves the Henty books and is always reading or listening to them on CD. It is amazing how much history he learns this way. Elizabeth and I played games on the computer and read some books. We played Poppit and Sara's Cooking Class. We 'baked' a Chicken Pot pie and a carrot cake. She is much better and faster at working the mouse for these games than I am.

We are now into our third and final semester of school. We hope to be done before the end of May. I will write up our study plans for this semester as a separate blog post. Everybody seems to be coming along well. T-Bob is especially enjoying his reading books this semester. He enjoyed 'Little Women' so much that we have moved on to 'Little Men'. I find it harder to build up their love of reading with all the technology around. It was so much easier when the other children were young. I do sit and read with Elizabeth quite a bit which we both enjoy. She has finished 'Farmer Boy' and now we are working on "On the Banks of Plum Creek'. She also really likes 'Paddle to the Sea' by Hollings Clancy Hollings (What parent would ever name their child that, REALLY?!!). She is a big poetry fan. Her current favorite is A.A. Milne. (Of Christopher Robin and Pooh fame).

If I want them to read, I have to set them a good example. I have been reading more lately. Some just for pleasure, light stuff and some more profitable. A book I got for Christmas was 'Love and Respect' by Dr. Eggerich. It is a book that I wish I would have read 24 years ago. I am planning to give it it's own blog post. I also am reading 'Large Family Logistics'. I am almost finished with it. I will probably blog about that also. (Can you blog about a book that was really written as a series of blog posts originally?) My reading tastes are varied. I enjoyed a book called 'Dead Men Do Tell Tales'. It is a book by a forensic anthropologist. He tells about a number of different crime skeletons that he was involved in solving the cases for, Even when they attempted to destroy the body. If you are a CSI fan, you would really enjoy this book. Crime is not always pleasant, but it isn't too graphic and there are no language issues. I am currently reading a missionary biography about the Logan family in Africa. As my DH says, "This was when men were men, nothing wimpy about those missionary guys!" This is one I will probably read to the children. I have been rereading for the umpteenth time my Stephen W. Meader books. They are such great stories. Very collectible because they were the favorite books of so many of us in our youth. I especially love his historical fiction. I have read (or reread) a couple G.A Henty lately. A well written children's book is a great way to spend an evening.

I am excited because I recently bought a new memory card for my camera. I am hoping to be able to do a bit more videotaping of the children's speeches as well as taking more photos without having to stop and download them to my computer.

My parents are in the Philippines and my Dad promptly got bronchitis which turned into pneumonia after he arrived. He also had a bad fall in the San Francisco airport. A little old Asian lady was dragging her suitcase behind her and then quickly cut across right in front of him. He took a tumble and ended up with bruised wrists, hip and very sore ribs. Nothing broken, but when you have very sore ribs, pneumonia and coughing is just that much worse. He went and had blood work and chest x-rays in Manila. The total bill was under $20. Of course you had to pay at the time of service. Please pray for my parents, that they would recover and be able to enjoy their remaining four weeks there.

~Mom

Speech and Debate Tournament

This past year we have joined a Speech and debate team. This was mostly driven by Thomas's passion. The team we are part of is under the auspices of Christian Communicator's of America (www.ccadebate.org) a Christian homeschooling debate group.

(Our Team: Michelle is the tallest girl on the left, Thomas is the short guy in the front and Paul is on the most far right)

Most states have their own chapters. Each team competes in their own state group or in combination with a neighboring state. Our state also competes with Michigan.

There are many things we have come to appreciate about the CCA. The Christian label is not just taped on, it is foundational. They have points in their statement and Glorifying God is number one. They really follow through with this. Competition is point number five. It is really a family oriented activity. They limit the yearly tournaments to four so that it is not to heavy a weight on the families and so that as many dad's as possible can be involved. Our team has really strong Dad involvement. We have also been pleased by the emphasis on developing a godly character. Competition gives lots of learning opportunities in this area.

Paul competes in the team debate. This is open to youth 14-18, ie high schoolers. He also competes in Impromptu Apologetics. They are given a long list of questions before each tournament that they might be asked, that they can prepare for. At the tournament they are given a question and then they have three minutes to prepare a seven minute speech. Apologetics is the skill of being able to biblically defend your faith.

Thomas also does the Impromptu Apologetics category and prose interpretation. In Prose Interpretation they have 10 minutes to present a prose (or story) piece. Thomas is doing the Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry. Thomas is not old enough to do debate this year, so he is working on three different speeches.

He is also doing Rhetorical Criticism. This is a memorized 10 minute speech in which they apply some system of evaluation to an auditory artifact. He applies Monroe's Motivated Sequence to the Carbonite Ad. If you want to know what this is, you'll have to google it or come to our next tournament.

They also have speech categories for the younger children (9-12). T-Bob is also doing a prose interpretation. You can see he was pretty relaxed before his speech. All the young men are expected to wear suits throughout the tournament.

T-Bob's Prose piece is a Homer Price chapter on 'The Super Duper' by Robert McCloskey. He does a really nice job.

They even have a junior division for 5-8 year olds. Elizabeth competed in this one in the last tournament. All the Junior competitors got little trophies. She did a prose interpretation of 'A Bargain for Francis'.

The first tournament, only the older two boys competed. After watching it the other children all came and asked if they could do it also. I didn't get a picture of Michelle competing, but she also did a prose piece. She did an excellent job despite her speech issues. It is exciting to see the growth in the children fr4om participating. Their comportment is maturing, their speech is more clear and thoughtful. They are becoming more critical thinkers and evaluators. The younger ones are really learning from watching the older ones. They are having a good time at the tournaments and making good friends. I am really glad this has become a part of our family culture.

Thomas, because he is competing in three different speech categories is doing 'Sweepstakes'. This is really a rigorous endeavor as each speech is about ten minutes long and must be given three times, usually on the same day. Because of the challenging nature of 'Sweepstakes', all competitors who complete it are given acknowledgement on stage. Thomas is on the far right.

Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

~Mom

I Had a Wonderful Birthday!

Spring arrives on the same day that I was born. I love spring flowers, especially daffodils. The winter was long and cold and snowy this year and so the only flowers in bloom are the crocuses.

My girls fixed me a beautiful breakfast tray for me to enjoy in my room. It was delicious!

Orange juice, hot tea in a new super size mug with whipped cream, cold strawberry soup, scrambled eggs, bacon, and delicious homemade cinnamon raisin bread. It was an amazing breakfast!! No, I wasn't able to eat it all. I saved most of the soup for an evening snack.

We had a really nice lunch also. It was nice to have the family around for a quiet afternoon.

Michelle made me tapioca pudding for my birthday dessert. It was yummy. We had cut up fresh fruit with homemade granola to go on top.

Michelle and Paul

Who's this guy? Not a Mango. He is one of Paul's best friends who was up visiting from North Carolina.
This is his younger brother who is good friends with Thomas and T-Bob. They are two very pleasant young men to have around.

Thomas

It was a great day.

Elizabeth sure enjoyed her dinner.

T-Bob and Elizabeth gave me dark chocolate bars for my birthday.

Michelle made and decorated this chalkboard for me. I will hang it up in the kitchen and take down the electronic dartboard that doesn't work. She made all the flowers that are on the one corner too.

I am blessed with a wonderful family!!

~Mom

A Stop at a Resale Shop- for Books of Course

Last night we had a good foot of fresh snow arrive. I am longing for spring flowers, especially daffodils, which are my favorite.

However that has nothing to do with this blog post, just my state of mind.

The other week, actually my terrible Friday a week and a half ago, I stopped at the resale and picked up some children's books.

Here's what I found.

1. Around the World in a Hundred Years, From Henry the Navigator to Magellan by Jean Fritz. Jean Fritz writes a lot of history books for the 3-6th grade crowd. They are simple and well illustrated. If you see them pick them up for your collection.

2. White Snow Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt. This book is a children's classic for the preschool crowd. It tells the story of a snowstorm, preparing for it, living in it, getting tired of it and then welcoming spring. I am ready for that part. I picked this up in hardback, but I have a paperback copy that I will send to someone who leaves a comment. Yep, a giveaway. Put comment in by 6 PM on Saturday Feb. 26th.

3. The Little Naturalist by Frances Frost, Illustrated by Kurt Werth. This is an older book (copyright 1959) that has some simple poetry. My Elizabeth loves poetry so this book is a hit with her. She can read it herself, although she prefers to read poetry with someone. Here is the first poem in the book

GREEN HILL NEIGHBORS

When I look at our green hill,

I think of all the wild

Small hearts that live inside it:

The woodchuck's chubby child,

Rabbits with busy whiskered faces

Peering out of rocks,

The big-eared meadow mouse, the dainty

Gold-eyed baby fox.

When I look at our green hill

Beneath the sunny sky,

I'm pleased to have such friends inside-

And glad I live nearby!

4. Dick Whittington Retold by Kathleen Lines. This is the classic story of Dick Whittington and his cat. It is illustrated by Edward Ardizzone. The story takes place in the middle ages. The style of the illustrations are soft and gives you more a feel of the time period than some other versions of the story do. I really enjoyed it. It is more of a 1-3 grade story than the pre-school version.

5.Fish Head by Jean Fritz. The story of a cat that is ragtag and scratching out a rough living on an island until he accidentally ends up going to sea and discovers life at sea. This is a children's picture book.

6.The Sunsets of Miss Olivia Wiggins by Lester Laminack. This is a beautiful picture book that is by an author I have never heard of before. The story is about Olivia Wiggins who is an old woman who lives in a nursing home. She does nothing but "sit and look at nothing and at everything all at the same time." Her hands are "fragile, frozen, folded in her lap." She is treated well by the staff and her family visits. She is unable to communicate. Each event in her life triggers memories in her mind that the author allows us to be part of. She is still the same person. I think it would be helpful to read to a child before a visit with an older person. I know it was a good reminder to me. It is a bit of a tear jerker for adults, but light enough to still be enjoyed by children. I am really glad I picked this one up.

~Mom

Ice Storm

Last night we had an ice storm. It left the world looking like a fairy land. Yes, there were a few tree branches and wires down, but it was so beautiful. This is our rhododendron bush.

An evergreen tree with frozen ice jewels hanging from the branches.

The neighbors little pine tree.

A lilac that will have beautiful purple sprays come spring is now encapsulated in an icy garment.

It runs off and looks like a frozen waterfalls.

The gooseberry bush rests in its icy splendor.

The blueberry bush was highlighted by the silvery ice.

The rhododendron got so heavy that the branches bent leaving the icicles to form curls at the end of their tips as gravity moved them to the horizontal. It stretches my mind to see the icicles almost totally horizontal.

I think that ice storms are one of the most beautiful things in God's creation! Especially if I don't have to be outside driving in it. All you warm weather friends can enjoy our winter vicariously. We are having a good time, but longing for a little more sunshine!

~Mom

A VERY Long Day

Some days are really sweet. Some are not. Yesterday was in the latter category. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it. ( 1 Corinthians 10:12-14)

Yesterday was our tri-monthly trip to Amish country to see patients and procure food for the homestead. I brought the two older girls along and a friend. It promised to be a delightful day. The sun was shining and the roads were clear. The first two house calls went well. Got in and out of the long FLAT lane no problem. Last time we were there we got stuck and ended up denting the siding on one of their out buildings and dinging the van. No problems yesterday. We had to drive past our favorite resale shop. We decided to stop in and drop some things off and see what they had that we needed. We were in the store about 20 minutes - we hurried you see. When we came in I turned the key in the ignition and NOTHING happened. One quiet click and that was it. Tried again a couple times and then decided to see if we could find someone to give us a jump. There was someone right there with a big F10 pick-up that came right over and hooked us up. He revved his motor and we tried several times to get our big van to start, nothing but the almost silent click. The lights came on and the buzzers were working, but the engine wouldn't start. I called my DH and asked his advice. "Call AAA and see if they can tow you somewhere that can work on it right away. Have someone check the starter. He gave me detailed instructions on how this should be done. Let me call your brother the mechanic."

I did call AAA and somewhere along the way I must have hit a wrong button or two. Suddenly, I was listening to a "dirty" phone call. The fantasy she was talking about was not a AAA cruise trip. Yuk!! I hung up and tried again. This time I got an old guy who wanted to know the location of where my vehicle was. I told him the road and the place. He wanted to know the crossroad. I told him there was only one crossroad in this town and I didn't know the name of it. He persisted in asking and I told him he should be able to figure it out as there was only ONE in the whole town!! Finally, I sent JoAn into the store to get the address. He said a truck would be out there in an hour and a half. I needed to be on the road sooner.Someone else came along and tried to jump start the van, but that didn't work either, needless to say. What to do.

I thought harder and remembered a farmer up the road and decided to call him to rescue us four damsels in distress. He was willing to come, but reminded me that he was a farm mechanic and not a fancy car mechanic. I decided to take the chance. Joe (his real name) came and did all the things my husband had told me to have done without my saying a word. This gave me confidence. He then checked out the starter. "Yup, the starter's bad, the whatever won't move, gotta have a new starter." He called the closest NAPA store and sure enough they had the part. He took his little boy, the Jr. Mechanic, and drove off to NAPA. He brought the new starter back and put it on in about 10 minutes. He said, "It was as easy to do on this big van as it used to be on my Daddy's old pick up." (His voice sounds just like Jimmy Stewart) I turned the key and it worked. Hallelujah! God bless farm mechanics! Joe is one of my new heroes.

We were so relieved to be on our way after a more than two hour delay. We hurried through our next couple errands. We made a house call on a icy hilly driveway that had some steep turns. When we were ready to go we knew that we would not be able to easily back through the maze. We decided to drive down to the barn and turn around. Key word there is 'down'. Now how to go back up to turn around. We were stuck. We tried for about 10 minutes pushing and rocking trying to get the beast up the hill backwards. The farmer came along and moved some obstacles so we could get to some clear concrete. It worked. We got enough momentum to get the behemoth up the hill and into a spot to turn around. We were once more on the road.

By now the farmer at the next stop was calling to make sure we would be there soon. He was waiting on us to milk. We were hurrying our fastest. It was after 5 when we arrived.

This stop was blissfully uneventful. We hurried on. We were so late that the next stop had rescheduled and the butcher was closed. We will need to do some changes in the menu plans

I was a little worried about the next stop which was a house on a hill. I planned carefully, like a general going to war. We made it in and out without a hitch. Yippeeee!

The temp was dropping as the sun was down and things were freezing hard. The next driveway was pretty flat, but at the end there was a slope down to the barn. JoAn and Michelle went in the milk house and got the yogurt while I turned the van around. Rats! Stuck again. We jockeyed around trying to find someplace without ice and where we could get some traction. After about 10 or 15 minutes we escaped, with the girls help in pushing. My nerves were beginning to get a little frazzled. In the meantime our poor friend riding along discovered that she was ill to her stomach. She said that she hadn't vomited since grade school, but apparently we bring out the best in people. :-( We stopped along the road, next to a fence post. The trip was getting longer by the minute.

The next stop was a drop off at someones house. Never had been there. The house was on a hill (aren't they all in Amish country?!!) with a long straight steep driveway. We pulled up as far as we could until the van could go further no more on the ice. I got out and banged on windows and doors. There were coats and boots lying all over the house and lights on everywhere, but not a person to be seen. I knocked until my knuckles were sore. I went back to the van and looked for the phone. I was standing beside it when all of a sudden it was sliding down the ice down toward the road. I didn't want to get knocked down, so I jumped in. I got it started and put it in drive before a calamity could happen. Can you say seriously stressed? I was. Only one more stop to go.

It was now 8:45 and we were getting tired (er). The mom had kept her baby up so that she could have her adjustment. She was telling us about the way she had helped her daughter's therapist out of the snow when she got stuck, by putting down ashes. Did I mention that this house was down a hill? I had never gotten stuck here before. I even bragged about how well I could back out of her driveway. "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty heart before a fall." You would think I would learn. I knew that if I stopped I wouldn't be able to get up the hill. I kept going- right off the driveway and almost hit the pasture fence. I was in the deep snow. Once more the girls got out and shoveled and pushed, to no avail. Then Martha, ( her real name), came out with her buckets of ashes and helped push out the van. Back downhill first and then up the hill. We learned yesterday, that what goes up must come down, but not necessarily the same way. LOL We were back on the road and heading home.

Now I was beyond tired. But the trip home should be easy. Things were going along fine until we came to the detour sign. What, a detour? Surely it must be for something just beyond the main road we were turning down. Alas, no, it signified the closing of the entrance ramp for where we wanted to go. I was thinking that maybe they put it up just for me. No sign of construction or anything. Just an electronic flashing ramp closed sign. I wonder if they moved it after I went by. Fortunately, I know my way around, and was able to drive through the city without getting lost or too delayed. We were on our way at last.

The last thing that happened was that as I was merging onto the interstate a pickup pulling a trailer came by. He didn't have any traffic next to him or even close. He wouldn't move over and let me on. He forced me onto the berm. My DH says that I should have thrown an egg at him from the back, but I think he was kidding. I am afraid that I did yell at him and call him an "idiot!" . I think it may have been accurate.

I did make it home safely at a little after 11. It was a very LONG day! Over 14 hours. I am taking it easy today and trying to recuperate. Life is never boring at the Mangos.

Grandparents Day at our Homeschool

This fall, the concept of Grandparents Day crossed my personal radar in regards to schools. I really liked the idea. Public and private schools have them at least once a year. I started to think that it would be nice for our homeschool to do it too. I pondered and researched what was involved and it wasn't that hard. For years my Mother in Love would come in August and we would go over what I was planning to do with the children that year. It was such an encouragement to me. I have missed that as my in-laws are no longer able to travel up to see us.

Grandparents have always played an important role in my life. I think it is so important for children to have lots of interaction with older adults. (think grandparents). Grandparents give them the extra time and loving that parents sometimes miss. It is important for children to learn their spiritual heritage.

But what if you don't have any local grandparents? If you have a Home school grandparent's day you have a limited pool to invite unless you think big. We invited some of the grandmas and grandpas from our church and a others that have played a role in our family life. I wanted them to see a home school in operation and to appreciate what the children are learning and doing. For many it is a relatively new concept. I wanted them to see this important part of our life and become more comfortable with it. We ended up with six grandparents present. That fit neatly into our schoolroom along with myself and the children.

So what did we do? Here's a general outline...

1. Clean house so that everything looks presentable!

2.We started the morning with an overview of our homeschooling philosophy and how we arrived there ( Charlotte Mason and her ideas, Not just doing 'school' at home, I forgot to talk about the importance of discipleship with your children- something for next year!)

3. We then went through a slightly abbreviated typical morning for us. We shared prayer requests and prayed together, We read our chapter of scripture, We then sang a hymn for the grandparents.

4. I asked both of my parents to share their testimonies with the children.

5. The children each recited a chapter of scripture individually. We memorize a chapter every semester, so they just brushed up on one.

6. We had a little break and served tea and a coffee cake. During the break the children stood by their books which we had set our on different tables through out the house. The guests went around and looked at them and asked them questions.

7. The children also recited some poetry which we had learned.

8. The children went over some of their lists and Paul finished up by reciting the Gettysburg address. (I know it's not a list, but that's where it gets included in our memory work.)

9. The two older boys then gave an overview of their debate cases and Paul explained how their debate teams and tournaments work.

We started at 9:30 and finished up at noon. We did make invitations and gave them out ahead of time. The invitations stated that the children would be available for lunch dates on that day. (hint hint). Those that didn't have to run off took the children altogether to Chipotle for burritos.
I gave the children the afternoon off from their schoolwork. We ended up going sledding. The children proclaimed the day a success and are more than willing to do it again another time. I must commend the children, they did what they were asked and had good attitudes! It was a positive experience for all. The grandparents came away with a new appreciation for what we do and for the children.

The highlight of the day for me was my Dad's parting comment. He said that he wished he was little again and could be homeschooled in a school like ours. He said he wondered how much more he could have accomplished in his life. Thanks Dad! That meant a lot!

~Mom

Life Happens, Even when I'm NOT blogging

This is a bit of a 'stream of consciousness' blog.

We had a lovely New Years Day with lots of family and friends. It was a planned potluck. Mom and Dad made their traditional pork and sour kraut. Everything was yummy. We had about 35 people for the day. It was a lot of fun. I missed a bit of it as I was recovering from a bad stomach flu.

JoAn turned 20 this year. We are so blessed to have her in our family. She is working hard at college and will have gotten 30+ semester credits since October. The family she works for as a 'mother's helper' is pregnant with twins. Now that's job security. She is still teaching at a Children's Evangelism Fellowship after school club as well as AWANA at church. She is a real peach! I am glad she has chosen to stick around. She is a real positive influence on the other children.

Mr. Boots, who we will call Paul from here on, is now 18. Not sure how that happened so quickly. He is a big part of the reason this blog has slowed down lately. He is on my computer ALL the time. He is really enjoying playing volleyball on a church league. He is growing up so well. We have decided that he will school at home for another year. There are a lot of good reasons for this. It is because he is doing so well, not because there are problems, that we have made this decision. He still picks up his violin and plays it for church. He is starting to grow and has passed me up by over an inch.

Here is Paul in his birthday suit. Yep. He and Thomas have joined a Speech and Debate team. He was required to have a suit for it. He and his partner won the Best novice team award for their club round robin. The big tournaments start in 2 weeks. This club involves lots of studying and research. I can really see it bringing a big change in both boys. Their comportment and clarity of thought is really improving. But it does hinder my blogging efforts, as he uses the computer in my office all the time.

We have made several trips to a local sledding hill. The children love it. We have had a cold snowy winter. We have kept both wood stoves going 24/7. They do a good job keeping us warm unless the temperature drops into the teens consistently. The basement, family room and bedrooms are warm, but the living room, dining room, and kitchen didn't get above 52 degrees today. We thank the Lord for warm sweaters and a big wood pile.

We are homeschooling and working hard at many things. Keep following this blog as you never know what you will learn soon.

~Mom