The Thomas Family

Today is day 12 of our 90 day Zeal For Life Challenge! (www.thecatalyst.zealforlife.com)

We are enjoying every ounce of summer!

The other day, Will (4) came up to me and said, "Mommy, did you know that some people don't know me?" I burst into laughter with all three of my kids and we laughed and cuddled and laughed some more...sweet summer memory.

Our baby girl is 9 months already! She fills our days with joy!

We are learning about the letter "L" and about "leaves" this week. Our theme is " I will live and grow in Jesus". My Father's World is a great curriculum and the kids love it!


We did a leaf dance, talked about the seasons (fall mostly), collected various leaves, sorted them, arranged them from smallest to largest, and traced them onto paper. All of these activities were accompanied by the song "Leaves are Falling" from one of my Music Together CDs. The kids then went to the top of the stairs and dropped the leaves one by one and let them float to the ground.

I like the easy structure of MFW and I enjoy the creative nature of FIAR. I am finding that the balance between the two is good for the kids and good for me.

Our FIAR book this week is "Who Owns the Sun?" by Stacy Chbosky. This is the kids first introduction to the issue of slavery.

I love seeing my little ones love to learn. Their excitement is contagious!

This week we are "rowing" the book Lentil by Robert McCloseky. This book takes place in a fictional town in Ohio. We will be learning about Patriotism, Ohio, Things of the Past, Musical Instruments, Fractions, and Disagreeable People (this theme made me laugh).

• Patriotism rings true in our family. My husband, father, father-in-law, grandpa, uncle, and cousin all served in the United States Military. My grandfather essentially lost a lot of his life after his experience in the Korean War. My father-in-law's cancer was due to his exposure of different elements/potential chemicals during his deployments. Both gave up their lives for the freedom of this country. We are proud citizens and love our country. This week we are going to talk about freedom. We are going to commit to praying for our country so that we can continue to have this freedom.

• I know very little about Ohio so I am looking forward to learning about this state!

• Things of the Past....Simpler times.

• Musical Instruments are a hit at our house. Being a former Music Together teacher has been helpful in this arena! I have tons of instruments and music is a very big part of our lives.

• Fractions using fruit! Pictures to come!

• Disagreeable People...yep! I know of few of those! ;-)

I really am enjoying this homeschool journey. Yes, it has only been 1 week, but I feel like I am also learning and engaging in the great curriculum.