Astronomy class.

Jupiter.. and its Big Red Spot!!, The craft:

Make a hurricane!..It was really fun... they could have spent hours turning it over and over and over again racing with each other to see which one wins. And they are very excited every time we get together to learn Astronomy, which is good, because S. wants to be an Astronaut and M an Astronomer!...

Our life

Piano recital!... M. playing "Fur Elise" and "Minuet" and S. receiving the applause proudly after playing "Snake Charmer" and "Rain Dance"

Here, I'm trying to beat my boys in hockey!!... ha!.. They had mercy on me and I was the only one allowed with a stick! they were playing with No sticks and they still won!.

My two treasures at the "Biodome" in Montreal.

Astronomy class.

The Mars project was really fun. They had to create an artificial ecosystem to be able to live in. All they had to work with, were boxes, masking tape, aluminum foil, and plastic containers... and this is what they made with their friends!!.They are covering their mouths, because they are outside and there is NO OXYGEN!!. It has solar panels and windows to look out into space! ,and it is REALLY big!!!.. it takes over my basement!

baby shower

Here is a picture of the cake from the baby shower.... it is a basket with baby stuff "inside". It turned out to be amazing!. The daughter of a friend came to decorate it... I loved it so much.. I can't wait to decorate one on my own! The centre of the table, has a real basket (not edible) filled with small blue balloons and baby toys inside. The punch bowl, had the "special baby shower punch" with ice cream and a baby duck floating (it looked like a baby bath).. It was really cute!.

James 2:10

The difference between the humanistic point of view taught at schools these days and the christian way of educating our children, is that their purpose of education is to train up a servant of man alone, and someone who answers only to man for their actions. Where we as Christians, our purpose is completely the opposite... Servants of Jesus and answer to God for our actions. Therefore, both are 2 competitive powers against the heart of our kids. No wonder Christianity is under attack.

We need to train our children to interpret everything they learn through the eyes of the Scripture to develop a strong character, teaching them that everything they learn, every subject, every concept, should be put to the test against the Scripture.

But our view of success is so switched even in christian homes. Go to school, so you can go to university, so you can get a job, so you'll make lots of money, so you can buy a big house, a nice car, nice clothes.... so you can be happy. when the purpose of being successful is nothing even close to that. Every commandment is broken and promoted to be broken.

ONE: You shall have no other gods before Me.

Friends, popularity, video games, sports... are some gods promoted right and left. From an early age it has been taught for many years, that the world is a chance, not created, just a product of... a lot of luck!. Therefore.. there is no God.... you are free to do as you please and for us to govern ourselves as we please.. (you decide your destiny).. people make rules inspired by lust and try to gain the power that does not belong to us. And people are convinced that they have the control... blinded to the reality happening around them. The god of people is people itself.

TWO: You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me,

Everyone worship something ... putting themselves above the God who is jealous, and teaching them that they are accountable to no one except themselves. They fear not for the generations after them... they are too worried satisfying their own desires...they live for the now and today. Kids are being "trained" to reject the Lord directly or very softlyin a very seductive manner.

THREE: 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.

This holy and perfect name is misused many times in one sentence. And  it does not offend us anymore. 

FOUR: 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Less and less, kids are being taught to give one day of the week to the Lord, going to church is not "cool". The things taught at church are irrelevant for life, they say, forgetting that they are full of wisdom. Soccer practices, swimming lessons, and games are held on Sundays, leaving church attendance for others.

FIVE: 'Honor your father and your mother.

Kids are disrespectful to their parents.. their first role model becomes the peers at school speaking about their parents as if they were fools. Parents are afraid of their kids, they do not discipline them, and kids run the house. By the age of 10, kids feel they know more than their parents, books they read and movies they watch, are full of kids dishonoring their parents. And that becomes the role model for them.

SIX: You shall not murder.

Kids are allowed to do as they please, they can destroy any one's reputation, they are not careful with their mouths, the law of the strongest one will win at any cost is applied in every school. Abortion is taught as a valid and personal choice, as if there is nothing wrong in the murder of an innocent life in the most incredible, cruel, horrific and painful possible way... for the sake of "pro-choice".

SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.

Now a days, the schools and society, knows nothing on this topic. Kids at alarming ages are being raped of their innocence. In our own home they are being attacked by pictures, movies, cartoons, books,... by training kids as early as possible to a liberal society where God is not "allowed". There is a war against God, trying to train people to believe that there is NO God..... how foolish!.

EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.

If you can get away with it, good!.. that is the new way of thinking. As long as no one knows, you are OK. As long as you stay out of jail, your actions are just funny or daring or even we are bold enough to say they are brave!, cool, and popular. If you are only answerable to yourselves, then anything goes.

NINE: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Then again... if it will keep you out of trouble, do what you have to do. Spreading lies about others just because you heard them and makes you look better than that person, it is taught by example over and over again by parents, teachers, peers and TV. To not refrain your tongue from evil, is a very odd thought. Speak that what is right and thinking of other higher than yourselves, is view as wrong. But the idea of indulgance because "you deserve it" is the new rule.

TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.'

Go to school, so you can go to university, so you can get a well paying job, so you can get a big house, a nice car, a boat, nice expensive clothes, ... why?... because we want what others have. We covet. The rat race is a never end story.. poor people want what you have and you want what richer people have...It is a training process that has taken years to "perfection", people live in debt to get to their material goals, greed rules our society! ...for kids it is: to have the toy, the computer, the cell phone, the video game, to watch the latest movie, to go to a sports event, a concert, to read the new book, to wear certain brand, to act in a certain way, to..., to,... And for adults.... not too different!, or no different at all.

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. James2:10

Happiness is found in nothing but the Lord Jesus Christ and knowing that my sins are forgiven.

Lion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adYbFQFXG0U
An incredible story!! A friend passed this to me and I loved it!

Apple picking

A beautiful place called OKA. You need to take a ferry to get there, and once you are in the town, everywhere you look there are apple orchards. The one we went to, you can take a wagon ride to the type of apples you want to pick.

It was fun.

Some of our homeschool days...

The Solar System/ Astronomy :





The Sun:
... yes, those are fingers marks that enjoyed part of the experiment..


A cell (membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus):


yummy!. We'll do another one soon with more "parts of the cell"... they can't wait. M.. wanted his to look more "realistic" with out the bag.. where S. wanted the membrane to be seen (with the bag).

Fall !!

Fall has finally arrived!, the leaves are changing and the weather is getting colder. I love the views of fall, but is a reminder that winter in coming!.... And raking..... a never end story. And also a time to create memories for this family, playing in the BIG pile of leaves filling up endless number of bags, turn on the fireplace and yes..... pumpkin pie!



My dear husband and I were talking to the kids about the beautiful place where we live now, and the horses around and corn fields every where...... but you sometimes get the smell of........ MANURE!! when they spread it on the fields..... well, I just hope that when the kids grow up and smell manure when they are out in the country or far from home that it will hopefully bring good memories to them of when they were kids, just like fresh baked apple pie to some, the smell of manure, will smell like.....mmm, home!.

Son S.. is 8!.

Younger Son S!... Now is 8 years old.. goes faster and faster every year.

What a fun kid he is!!!. From the moment he was born I new he was special. He is the type of kid that is fun to be with. He will think of something funny to say, he laughs all the time with this loud contagious laugh. He is the one who loves to hug you as hard as he can. who rub your back as often as he can and moves in the middle of the night (if he can) to crawl in bed with you.

Those eyes speak for themselves. You just want to hug him and kiss him all day.

It is a joy to be his mom.

I am thankful to the Lord for the gift of his life.

Love you S.

Mom.

Back in 1865

Upper Canada Village http://www.uppercanadavillage.com/. We were transported for 2 days to the year 1865. We dressed up from the time and did activities according to the time.

Here we are at school. They had to copy something from the board, and read the fable of "the fox and the goat" all together.

First time milking a cow!!!. Odd feeling, great fun!!.

Picking beans from the garden:

At the Blacksmith. Son M.. made a "J hook" and a "S hook":

baptism

3Jo 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

This Sunday (the last day of Summer), both my boys got baptized!!. It was a great thing for us as parents, to witness a very special time in their lives after a few years of being asking to be baptized, finally the desire of their heart was answered.

There are a few things that are important in life as it is the soul of our boys, and seeing them walking in the truth I can truly say: I have no grater joy than this. And to have the blessing of having the sign over them and being part of the family of Christ.

God blessed us greatly with an amazing church, a God fearing church where God clearly brought us here for His good purpose. For His glory and His fame. So that we could learn to fear and to honour Him. To grow and to change.

There is nothing I can ask for. My kids are growing in a committed church where the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is not taken lightly, where the new covenant is a covenant of grace, better and bigger. Where my kids can grow up with their eyes in the pearl of great price and expect to be accountable for their actions. Where their faith is something you should see, not just something you talk about.

Their baptism was special. Was the desire of their heart which is God's work alone. And also the inclusion of them as covenant children.

Is there anything better than this? Is there anything I should wish for more than to see that my kids are walking in the truth?

To God be the glory!.

socialization.

Socialization: Homeschooling vs. Schools
By Michael F. Haverluck
CBNNews.com
May 2, 2007
CBNNews.com - It was Theodore Roosevelt who said, "To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society."
Many homeschoolers share this sentiment when it comes to public schools, believing that the moral relativism, violence, peer pressure, drugs and promiscuity found inside their gates provide an inadequate setting to properly socialize their children.
CBN NEWS:States Get Graded on School PerformanceYet 92 percent of superintendents believe that home learners are emotionally unstable, deprived of proper social development and too judgmental of the world around them, according to a California study by researcher Dr. Brian Ray . What makes homeschool socialization such a hot topic?
With approximately 4 million children currently being homeschooled in the U.S., along with a 15- to 20-percent yearly growth rate, many professional educators and school boards are concerned that this exodus will keep funds from entering the public education system.
Many teachers also believe that successful home instruction by uncredentialed parents undermines their expertise and jeopardizes their jobs.
CBN NEWS:State Strives to Recapture HomeschoolersQuestions about inadequate socialization are often brought up as a means to disqualify homeschooling as a viable alternative form of education, but are the arguments valid?
A look at the research on this socialization debate shines further light on the issue.
There's no place like home
Why is there such a dichotomy in the socialization experienced between homeschoolers and conventional students? It all has to do with the learning environment.
The National Home Education Research Institute disclosed that the 36 to 54 hours that students spend in school-related weekly activities make peers and adults outside of the home the primary influences in children's lives - not the parents.
Realizing the harm that this constant exposure can produce, especially if it's not countered by involved parenting, most homeschoolers are well aware of their children's need for close one-to-one contact throughout the education process. Jesus understood the importance of continual intimate contact with His students, as He ate, slept and fellowshipped with His disciples 24 hours a day. It is unlikely that Jesus would have entrusted their training to strangers.
So how do these different settings affect children? Dr. Thomas Smedley believes that homeschoolers have superior socialization skills, and his research supports this claim. He conducted a study in which he administered the Vineyard Adaptive Behavior Scales test to identify mature and well-adapted behaviors in children. Home learners ranked in the 84th percentile, compared to publicly schooled students, who were drastically lower in the 23rd.
Welcome to the real world
Many school socialization advocates argue that homeschooling precludes children from experiencing real life.
Instead of being locked behind school gates in what some would consider an artificial setting characterized by bells, forced silence and age-segregation, homeschoolers frequently extend their everyday classroom to fire departments, hospitals, museums, repair shops, city halls, national parks, churches and colleges, where real community interaction and contacts are made.
Dismantling the stereotype that home learners spend their days isolated from society at kitchen tables with workbooks in hand, NHERI reports that they actually participate in approximately five different social activities outside the home on a regular basis.
Furthermore, researcher Dr. Linda Montgomery found that 78 percent of high school home learners were employed with paying jobs, while a majority engaged in volunteering and community service.
Research presented at the National Christian Home Educators Leadership Conference divulged that homeschool graduates far exceeded their public and private school counterparts in college by ranking the highest in 42 of 63 indicators of collegiate success. They were also ranked as being superior in four out of five achievement categories, including socialization, as they were assessed as being the most charismatic and influential.
Biblical or worldly socialization?
When most home educators and school administrators speak of successful socialization, are they referring to the same thing?
Education researcher Dr. Michael Mitchell found that being popular, aggressively competitive, materialistically driven and self-confident are traits promoted in conventional schools.
His study shows that these campus ideals are discouraged by Christian home educators in favor of building their children's character and dismantling selfish ambitions. Integrity, responsibility, respect for others, trust in God, biblical soundness and an amiable disposition topped the ideal social qualities they desired their youth to embody.
Many Christians who homeschool believe that the greatest socialization their children can have is to be trained to emulate Jesus, who is a servant of man. Home educators examined by Mitchell strive to dismantle any selfish ambitions and self-aggrandizement seen in their children, as opposed to cultivating them.
Getting ahead of one's peers is not consistent with Jesus' urging in Matthew 20:25b-28, which calls for Christians to seek a lowly and servile role to those around them. However, this does not mean that Christians are called to underachieve, as Colossians 3:23 exhorts readers to push for peak performance in every endeavor, but for the glory of God rather than for selfish ambition.
Pride is also promoted in the public schools. It is often repackaged as self-esteem in programs such as "Here's Looking at You, 2000," in which education researcher Dr. Amy Binder reports that students are instructed to believe that they are "the most important person in the world."
Many Christian home educators assert that the kind of pride being taught in the schools is discouraged throughout Scripture by Jesus and Paul, who preach against lifting oneself up or putting oneself first in favor of assuming a lowly position among others, as seen in Luke 14:10-11 and Romans 12:3.
They often contend that traditional students are driven to achieve high marks in order to attain lucrative and prestigious jobs that can lead to lives of self-indulgence, while the Bible calls man not to be overcome by material concerns.
Even though God enjoys prospering His children, He also warns us in 1 Timothy 6:10 that "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
Negative socialization
The mass socialization conducted within schools has brought about a proliferation of delinquent behavior within this nation's youth, reports education researcher, Dr. Michael Slavinski. He notes that student bodies are increasingly riddled with violence, drugs, promiscuity, emotional disorders, crime, contempt for authority, desperate behavior, illiteracy and peer dependency - just to name a few.
Today, parents are not as surprised to see reports of fifth-graders having sex in class; hear about school shootings; find drugs or condoms in backpacks; receive phone calls from the police and principals; or witness defiant, apathetic and unrecognizable tones in their children's voices.
"Live and let learn," say many parents. Most home educators are fine with this, as long as their children's learning comes from mature, seasoned and embracing adults who have the children's best interests at heart - above political or economic agendas. They believe that such training shouldn't come from peers either, which amounts to the blind leading the blind.
When the Direct Observation Form of the Child Behavior Checklist was administered by education researcher Dr. Larry Shyers to identify 97 problematic behaviors in two groups of children, traditionally schooled students exuded eight times as many antisocial traits than their homeschooled counterparts. This lies in direct contrast to claims by public school advocates that exposure to campus life leads to proper socialization.
Light of the world
Many Christian parents are concerned that homeschooling would not allow their children to fulfill the great commission of sharing the gospel with non-believers. They often site Matthew 5:14-16 about being the light of the world.
Some Christian homeschool parents argue that even though young believers are to reach out to the lost, they are not called to immerse themselves daily in a hostile setting that constantly works to influence them in the ways of the world. They recognize that those with strong Christian upbringings are still vulnerable to the ungodly climate of the schools.
In Proverbs 4:11-15, King Solomon realized the vulnerability of his son, proclaiming his responsibility to train him in godly teachings and keep him from stumbling over the vices of this world.
Just as parents know that children are not prepared for war, many Christians believe that youth are not equipped to fend for themselves in the spiritual warfare taking place within schools.
A nationwide survey conducted by The Barna Group shows that 80 percent of Christian families send their children to public schools where their faith is attacked. Based on the study's findings, it appears that their kids are the ones being "evangelized" by the religion of secular humanism. More than half of their Christian teens believe Jesus actually sinned and only nine percent hold to moral absolutes, while 83 percent of children from committed Christian families attending public schools adopt a Marxist-Socialist worldview, reports the group.
Consistent with these figures, Christian producer and occult expert Caryl Matrisciana reports that 75 percent of public-schooled American youth brought up in Christian households disown their Christian faith by the first year of college. NHERI finds that this is only true for less than four percent of homeschooled youth.
Most home educators would not trade the blessings that homeschooling brings their families and society for the world.

comic...

great book!!

I am reading this book.
These are some things he says, that I loved:
1. We should teach our kids to obey and do things, not moved by the mood of the moment, but by the principle.
2. There are no parents that do not train. All parents train in some way. The problem is that much of it is poor training.
3. Discipline is a rescue mission.
4. Teaching your children to live for the glory of God must be your overarching objective.
5. When parents require obedience because they feel under pressure, obedience of children is reduced to parental convenience.
6. Selfishness is not outgrown. Rebellion against authority is not outgrown. These are not outgrown because they are not reflective of immaturity but rather of the idolatry of your child's heart.
7. The question is not "will my son worship?" It is always "Whom will he worship?"

Any ways, I could quote the whole book.. It is very good!

When daddy is off work...

What do we do when daddy is on vacations?


.....Well, having V_ home was nice, the boys and I enjoyed him 100%. We were planning to go camping for a few days, but I hurt my finger and we were worried it was going to get infected with the sand and dirt from the campsite. Instead, we decided to do day trips to different places.

FIRST, We visited Omega Park:



Then, we went to a canoe trip and fishing:




Then to a beach and a beautiful hike!!:


Then we went to the zoo and a water park:





An other day we stayed home , we went to Ottawa. And last but not least, we closed our holidays with Arbraska.... the zip lines and tree top hike.

Our big adventure!

40 feet high and a bit more than 2 football fields long. That is how big was the zip line we went on!. At first I was really scared, until I did it a couple of times before I knew how to do it and get the courage to jump. The hardest thing was seeing my two kids doing it !!! They had to hook themselves to the zip line, jump and unhook and hook again to the next tree. VERY SCARY!!. They were not as scared as we were for them. M_ would go first, V_ was second to ensure son M was hooked properly and receive son S_. I was last so I could help son S_ to hook properly before jumping, then I would go for the next jump.

I am glad I tried.. even though I thought I was not going to be able to do it after the first try, I really wanted to get down.. but I decided to try just once more... the bridges were no as scary as the zip lines.. and it was because I had to jump and trust that the pulley was going to be strong enough to hold my weight.

It was fun... I will do this again!!.