hello again

I know it has been awhile.  Life has been busy and by the time I have free time in the evenings recently, after schooling most of the day, or cleaning or cooking, I am ready to crash and have no energy for blogging.  

We are taking an official Spring break next week, when all the area schools have off.  We are not really going anywhere exciting (or warm!) but over to South Lyon to visit my parents for Easter weekend.  But just not having to worry about school will be nice.  

I have started babysitting Jason's cousin's son before and after school on Tues., Thurs., and Fri.. His name is Logan and he goes to Kindergarten 2 1/2 days a week.  I take him and pick him up from school.  It is nice for the kids to play together.  And I get a small weekly fee, which is always nice.

Today I took Anya and her friend, Lydia, to Calvin College for a concert featuring Bach songs, just for 3rd and 4th graders.  It was a free program and they had kids up there playing piano pieces by Bach, and a guy playing the organ, which I just love.  There was nice variety, and the kids enjoyed it.  Lydia's mom, Jennifer, stayed at my house with my other kids and her 2 others, and then we had Subway for lunch.  Always nice when I don't have to cook!

Maiah and Anya just got back from an open swim at the middle school, with Lydia's family.  It is nice that my big girls are old enough to go do fun things with friends sometimes.  Especially b/c we don't often get to do much, since spending money for 7 people to do anything is often too expensive.

That is all for now.   

Skype

Have you heard of Skype?  I don't quite get it, but it is something like a chat application, but you can also "call" people.  My daughter has a friend in Latvia (a boy, no less) who wanted her to get it, so they could chat.  Maybe they don't have iChat over there, who knows.  So Jason looked into it and we downloaded it a few weeks ago...nice thing, it is free.  Today was the first time Maiah and Harry skyped...another funny verb that comes from technology.  They were on for over an hour...I realized that since it was almost 3pm here when they finished, it was almost 10pm there, since they are 7 hours ahead.  I guess he had to go to bed.  Weird to think that my 11 year old daugher is interested in boys...though she is really just interested in Harry.  We met his family at our church in Louisville.  They came for a year from Summer '06 to Summer '07 so Harry's dad, Martin, who is a hand surgeon could learn stuff or something.  Louisville is apparently a good place to get hand surgery, should the need arise.  So they are reformed Christians, which is nice (they don't necessarily have to be reformed, though that is nice, but the Christian part is key.)  Harry is 12, will be 13 in June, so the age is OK, too.  He is a cutie, too.  He looks like the kid in the American Girl "Kit" movie, the boy hobo.  You can send pics over it, or files, too.  So they were sending pictures back and forth.  It is so nice that they can continue their friendship in this way, which works better than actual letter writing, I am sure.  They have written letters before, but they are few and far between.  So if you have Skype, I think our name is Rop or Rop Family.  

Facebook

Don't you just love Facebook?  It has been so fun connecting with friends, even some from elementary school, which was like, 8 houses ago for me!  I joined this summer, I forget why, or who prompted me.  I don't do much with the "extras" like games and sending people different things (ornaments or snowballs or stickers etc).  Don't really have the time for that.  But I love to find people and read how they are doing.  I recently added photos, which I finally figured out how to do.  I am getting so computer savvy!  I got Jason to join, though he does almost nothing with it. He thinks I have an insane amount of friends (just over 200) and can't believe that "friend" has become a verb, as in, "Hey, two people friended me today!"  Too funny.      

Merry Christmas (a little late, I know :))

The Holidays were a busy time, hence my lack of posts.  Hope y'all had a safe and fun and meaningful time celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Every year, we read the children's book, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" by Barbara Robinson, about this awful family of 6 kids, the Herdmans, who have never heard the REAL Christmas story and take over all the lead roles in the Sunday School pageant.  I get choked up at the end each time (for I am the designated reader), but this year for the first time I outright cried, so Maiah finished reading it for us.  It has a great message and really makes you think about Jesus' birth from a new perspective....one of the Herdman kids wants to know why they wrapped the baby in "wadded up clothes" and the ones playing the Wise Men want to know what will happen if they DON'T go back home a different way to avoid Herod, and "Mary" screams at the shepherds not to touch her baby.  Not your typical pageant, but funny and heartwarming and meaningful all at the same time. As you start this new year, don't forget to think about the greatest gift that is Jesus.        

Sunday School Christmas Pageant

I am sure a lot of you have this annual tradition...watching your kids in their Sunday School Christmas pageant.  Ours was last night at the evening service.  All 5 kids had parts.  The 3 oldest were in the play, "Born for You and Me" and the 2 youngest were among the littlest ones who each recited a verse from the Bible passage Luke 2:4-7.  The oldest kids all got to read their scripts, but the youngest had to memorize b/c they can't read.  It went well.  Olivia memorized her line and spoke it loudly into the microphone and did great.  But Tristan had never wanted to practice his line and would never say it at any of the practices.  And we thought the same was going to happen last night, as he hid in the back behind the other kids and wouldn't come up to the microphone when it was his turn to say his line.  So the girl after him went (she was also the last person to go).  When she was done, and there was a lull btw. the end of that and the singing of "Away in a Manger," Tristan comes running to the mic and yells out "It was a boy!"  That was his line and he said it perfectly, though so fast that most people didn't understand him.  It was, of course, in the wrong place, but at least he said it.  Jason and I were dying laughing, as was the woman who had coached the little kids, b/c we all knew how stubborn Tristan had been.  And we all understood him, b/c we knew what his line was.  It was so cute and funny and we were so proud of him b/c he said his line.  Hope your pageants were as eventful as ours.  :)    

Homeschool mom's devotional

The first time we homeschooled (when my now-6th grader was in 1st grade) I looked for (and found) a devotional book written expressly for homeschool moms.  We have our own unique problems and triumphs and I thought it would help me to have better ways to turn to God and better things for which to pray.  And a good support system, too.  The book I found (there are probably others) is called "101 Devotions for Homeschool Moms" by Jackie Wellwood.  She has 7 kids that she homeschools.  Incidentally, all their names start with "J."  I just remembered about that book a few weeks ago, found it on our book shelf, and pulled it out and put it on my bedside table.  I read one devotion every night (well, almost every night:)) at bedtime.  They are encouraging and concise and even have a few thought-provoking questions at the end that you can answer...preferably not out loud or you might freak out your husband.  So far, I have been able to personally identify with most of the devotions.  It is always an encouragement to know we aren't alone in our struggles.  If y'all have a good devotional, let me know.  I am sure there are other good ones out there.      

House

Here a few pictures of our house

Geo Bee

Maiah and Anya are participating in the homeschool geography bee.  The winner will participate in the Grand Rapids regional bee.  They missed one practice, b/c we didn't know about the bee, but went to one in Nov.  Now the one in Dec. is cancelled b/c of a family emergency, so there isn't another practice before the Bee on Jan. 5.  At the one practice they attended, they had to label on a map the countries and capital cities of Central America and South America.  How many of you could do that?!?!  Before this, I could've told you most of the countries of both places, but pretty much no capitals.  But now I have been helping them study, so I know them all.  At the practice that has been cancelled, they were supposed to know the countries and capitals of Africa and Asia.  Wow, that is a lot to know!  We are working on those.  I am thinking they did Europe and the US at the first practice we missed, but those the most familiar to me, so it is easier to help with those.  I think this is a great experience for the girls.  A great way to learn geography, which is a favorite subject of mine.  I will let you know how the Bee goes. 

Sick!

The Rop household is a bed of germs this week.  It started at 1am early Mon. morning when Tristan threw up all over himself and his bed.  It was really quick, though, and after that he didn't throw up again, though he had a tummy ache all Monday.  Also, Anya felt bad Mon., with what I think is the same bug but manifested differently.  She had a stomach ache and head ache and fever, but never threw up.  Then Tues. Maiah had the same as Anya.  And Jason stayed home from work Tues. b/c he felt lousy...also no throwing up, just upset stomach and nausea.  Well, here I am thinking the rest of us escaped it, when at 5am today Isaac throws up all over his pillow and bed.  I so far have been OK...maybe just a touch of a stomach problem, but not like the rest.  I almost never get sick when the kids do, so I think that is God's mercy, b/c someone has to nurse all the sick ones!  I'd much rather play nurse than be sick!  Jason has to go to court this morning, but is still feeling bad, so is coming home after that.  Olivia seems fine so far, but I am expecting her to be sick sometime this week, as well.  At least it is before Christmas!!    

Homeschooling, anyone?!

I really like homeschooling, which is probably b/c I was a teacher once upon a time.  I love lesson planning and talking with the students (which now happen to be my kids, so the stakes seem higher) and seeing how much they learn as we go along.  It really helps to have a great curriculum and we have found one in the form of Tapestry of Grace.  It is a Christian, classical, academically rigorous curriculum that fits us perfectly.  And the biggest benefit...it was designed to teach multiple ages.  The kids learn the same stuff, but fit for their grade level.  I think God had in mind all along that we would homeschool, preparing me by calling me to the teaching field.  My least favorite part is teaching my kids to read...not that I don't love reading to my kids and spending the time with them, but this is the area where I feel very inadequate.  I failed with Anya 4 years ago, when she was in Kindergarten...when Maiah and Anya went back to school for that 2nd semester, she was really behind.  She caught up during the semester and ended up at the top of her class, b/c she is smart, so that was good.  Maybe if we had stuck it out for the year, it would've worked itself out, who knows.  Now Olivia is in Kindergarten, and so far I think we are maybe doing OK, but it is hard to tell.  We are using the "Explode the Code" primer books and she likes those and is learning her letters and sounds.  Plus we are enforcing the letters with her Handwriting book.  I pray that I am doing well enough!