On a day like any other, strolling down pleasant lane, I was tapped lightly on the shoulder. Turning to see who it was, I was hit so hard that I barely knew when my body hit the ground. Shock raced through me like a wave, as I rolled down off of my mountain top, down to my valley. I looked up to see my offender, realized it was trouble... Satan himself. He smiled as he watched me, unable to stand. I struggled... cried and couldn't believe that I didn't see the Father beside me. I thought for certain that He had abandoned me there, to die... alone.
My life had been a pretty cozy one ...spiritually. No huge twist or turns, pitfalls or stumbles. Just a pleasant stroll on the mountain top. I had married, gave birth to beautiful children and tried my best to walk the walk.
Though I knew the Word does not come back void and trouble was eventually going to find me... I didn't quite count on it knocking me down so violently.
Trouble came from whence I least expected and I felt completely and utterly abandoned by God. Why did it come this way Lord? Why no warnings? Your word say's that You will never leave or forsake, but I could not see/feel You in my troubles.
Job 3:26
I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
I have no rest, for trouble comes.”
My faith was shaken and I was left confused. How did I study the Word for so many years and yet be unable to be comforted by them in my day of trouble?
Job 4:3
Surely you have instructed many,
And you have strengthened weak hands.
our words have upheld him who was stumbling,
And you have strengthened the feeble knees;
But now it comes upon you, and you are weary; It touches you, and you are troubled.
Though I am far from recovered, I have accepted. I know that God had not abandoned me at all, I had just refused to see him in my troubles.
James 5:10
My brethren, take the prophets,
who spoke in the name of the Lord,
as an example of suffering and patience.
Indeed we count them blessed who endure.
You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
The children and I are back in Maine... I have missed this place almost as much as I am missing Nicaragua and Costa Rica. I think of the kids at New Hope daily and miss them most of all.
The first week of Homeschooling went just as expecting with lots of sighs, moans and complaints, but underway never the less. We have a packed schedule of classes, part time jobs and puppies on the way!
Though I am still weary, I am upright and making my climb out of the valley. I will not stay there long...
More to come...
Expat Blog
Showing posts with label Homeschool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homeschool. Show all posts
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
How are you feeling today?
I'm not feeling very well today. It reminded me that I have blogged about a lot of the good and none of the things that make it a bit difficult to be on the mission field here in Nicaragua. For one, drinking the tap water will make you sick. Go the the bathroom 10 times a day kind of sick. That would also include drinking fresh juice made with said tap water (just ask Tony).
We have encountered things that I never even given a second thought to like Scabies, chicken pox, lice and dengue fever. The kids have had conjunctivitis, sore throats and coughs on and off for about 3 weeks until we finally took some antibiotics. Not to mention the possibilities of parasites that we will take pills for.
The amazing thing is that the work that God is doing here far outweighs the negatives. There are creams, pills and shampoos for those ailments but the seeds that are being planted in these children are for eternity.
As I type I am siting in the house that we have rented, fully furnished thank goodness.
We are literally across the street from the school and a 1 minute walk to the orphanage. Daily I watch as Tony walks out of his classroom and is greeted by many of the children with smiles and hugs.
We have shifted into a routine since the beginning of the school year. Kids and I are up at 5:45am. (There really should be a law against having to wake up that early...good grief!)
School starts at 6:50am and they walk out the door at about 6:52am (sigh)
I get the two youngest of my children up and we head out to daily prayer at 8:30am at the orphanage. I usually stick around after prayer to help out with the babies and whatever else needs to be done. Tony teaches classes throughout the day but comes to the house during his breaks. The children get out of school at 1:20pm and we all have lunch back at home around that time.
I head back to the orphanage around 2pm and help out until about 4pm if needed. My children are cleaning up and working on homework at this time. I decided that I wanted them to continue with their Teaching Textbooks math and Apologia science so they work on that after school related homework and chores.
We have dinner at about 6:30 and head out to nightly devotions at 7pm. (I have included a link to the video of Ruby dancing during devotions.)
http://laurenedinborough.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html
The day is pretty much done after that so they are in bed about 9:30-10pm while I sit around with Tony and we talk or read.
There have been a lot of things going on here in El Crucero and I am so happy to be here at this time in our lives. I don't know how long we will be here for but I am certain that God has it all under control.
Pray for our health, pray for our safety and most of all pray that the Lord has his way! Amen.
More to come...
We have encountered things that I never even given a second thought to like Scabies, chicken pox, lice and dengue fever. The kids have had conjunctivitis, sore throats and coughs on and off for about 3 weeks until we finally took some antibiotics. Not to mention the possibilities of parasites that we will take pills for.
The amazing thing is that the work that God is doing here far outweighs the negatives. There are creams, pills and shampoos for those ailments but the seeds that are being planted in these children are for eternity.
As I type I am siting in the house that we have rented, fully furnished thank goodness.
We are literally across the street from the school and a 1 minute walk to the orphanage. Daily I watch as Tony walks out of his classroom and is greeted by many of the children with smiles and hugs.
We have shifted into a routine since the beginning of the school year. Kids and I are up at 5:45am. (There really should be a law against having to wake up that early...good grief!)
School starts at 6:50am and they walk out the door at about 6:52am (sigh)
I get the two youngest of my children up and we head out to daily prayer at 8:30am at the orphanage. I usually stick around after prayer to help out with the babies and whatever else needs to be done. Tony teaches classes throughout the day but comes to the house during his breaks. The children get out of school at 1:20pm and we all have lunch back at home around that time.
I head back to the orphanage around 2pm and help out until about 4pm if needed. My children are cleaning up and working on homework at this time. I decided that I wanted them to continue with their Teaching Textbooks math and Apologia science so they work on that after school related homework and chores.
We have dinner at about 6:30 and head out to nightly devotions at 7pm. (I have included a link to the video of Ruby dancing during devotions.)
http://laurenedinborough.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html
The day is pretty much done after that so they are in bed about 9:30-10pm while I sit around with Tony and we talk or read.
There have been a lot of things going on here in El Crucero and I am so happy to be here at this time in our lives. I don't know how long we will be here for but I am certain that God has it all under control.
Pray for our health, pray for our safety and most of all pray that the Lord has his way! Amen.
More to come...
Friday, January 14, 2011
A day in the life of_________
A few weeks ago I asked a few homeschooling friends to share with me a day in their life. I hope that this will bring encouragement to someone out there. During the first years of schooling it is easy to feel like you are just not doing it properly, but to read someone else's day can provide a bit of encouragement, as there is no right or wrong way as long as the children are learning.
A day in my life is nothing like it used to be. My full speed ahead engine ran out of steam years ago. We go with the flow these days and the Lord has been faithful in helping them to pick up exactly what they need, when they need it. I no longer spend hours doing flash cards and reading lessons with the 5-6 year old, yet the 3 year old is reading on his own. How did that happen? I couldn't explain it if I tried, it is the Lord. The teens basically work independently as they are given a weekly schedule that outlines all assignments due.
I would say that our main focus these days are on learning Spanish, geography of Central and South America and the history behind these countries. The constants are math and science as we do Teaching textbooks and Apologia.
We bought home 3 adorable chirping chicks the other day. Even the teens couldn't wait to hold them.
I assigned the younger 4 children with 2 weeks of chicken unit study including online research and experiments. It's amazing what a difference having the actual specimens in the house does for their enthusiasm. Hopefully we can keep them around long enough to observe them grow and lay eggs. : )
Now for some other perspectives:
A day in the life of Lorri in Brunswick
In eight years of homeschooling, there was never a typical day. And perhaps that is one of the reasons we were homeschooling in the first place - our unpredictable lives filled with pagers, and travel, and the precipitous joys of autism. Eventually, though, we found that daytime was playtime at Kettle Cove or Fort Williams or on the slopes at Sugarloaf, or on the shores of China Lake, and at work, and in the quiet and dark of midnight, no matter where were were, we began the school day. Some years, school was centered on the pottery wheel or origami. Other years we'd be up to our ears in text books and tomes of literature, including mountains of graphic novels and comic books. In many ways our homeschooling life was more typical of the earlier 'dark ages' of homeschooling, those years in the seventies when we ran free, found mentors in the community of curious souls, and hid out in the dark, star gazing and swatting mosquitoes away from our flashlights and midnight snacks.
I homeschooled/unschooled my son through grade ten, five years of that as a single mom. At age fourteen son entered a public alternative high school. He graduated two years later, with honors, and is now matriculated in Maine's University System.
I homeschooled/unschooled my son through grade ten, five years of that as a single mom. At age fourteen son entered a public alternative high school. He graduated two years later, with honors, and is now matriculated in Maine's University System.
A day in the life of Shari P.
So we typically start the morning about 8:00ish --well John does (12yos) since he does math with Dad before Dad goes to work. Two times a week Sarah and I leave to go to the gym while Dad is teaching math. Then by the time we get home the boys are typically eating breakfast (or not). John is pretty motivated so he just continues on to the next task he knows he must do. Andrew tends to get distracted and is often found "playing" if Mom is not looking :)
We try to keep mornings "sacred" in that we don't have too many outside commitments in the morning... except piano once a week and co op every other week. After they get Math and piano done then I go to our together work- Tapestry readings, read alouds, science, etc. I try to do as much as possible with the boys together.. more fun for both of them. I also teach a bi-weekly writing class for the middle aged (11-12yo) cousins - while the younger ones are taught music by yet another Auntie.
SarahBeth on the other hand does most of her work independently- I give her a planning sheet for two weeks and she just buckles down and does it- I do the correcting of math and working through Tapestry questions. Must say I do inspect ( you get what you inspect not what you expect - my borowed motto)Fortunately she is taught science by my sister in law and also has an outside writing tutor. She is pretty busy since she also does Chorus twice a week at the local Christian school, violin and voice lessons. PHEW- so glad she can drive herself now. :)
When Dad comes home at night we typically eat dinner together and have a Bible time. The older two kids have their own personal devotions daily.
This fall Dad also ran a weekly robotics club -- our team took first place for accomplishing missions!! :)
My husband makes this whole homeschool thing possible... without him I think I would be bald :) I should also praise God for the wonderful family community I have- we all work together amazingly well.
We try to keep mornings "sacred" in that we don't have too many outside commitments in the morning... except piano once a week and co op every other week. After they get Math and piano done then I go to our together work- Tapestry readings, read alouds, science, etc. I try to do as much as possible with the boys together.. more fun for both of them. I also teach a bi-weekly writing class for the middle aged (11-12yo) cousins - while the younger ones are taught music by yet another Auntie.
SarahBeth on the other hand does most of her work independently- I give her a planning sheet for two weeks and she just buckles down and does it- I do the correcting of math and working through Tapestry questions. Must say I do inspect ( you get what you inspect not what you expect - my borowed motto)Fortunately she is taught science by my sister in law and also has an outside writing tutor. She is pretty busy since she also does Chorus twice a week at the local Christian school, violin and voice lessons. PHEW- so glad she can drive herself now. :)
When Dad comes home at night we typically eat dinner together and have a Bible time. The older two kids have their own personal devotions daily.
This fall Dad also ran a weekly robotics club -- our team took first place for accomplishing missions!! :)
My husband makes this whole homeschool thing possible... without him I think I would be bald :) I should also praise God for the wonderful family community I have- we all work together amazingly well.
A day in the life of Laurie B.
Our day is pretty basic. We are at the table to get to work by 8:30. The younger kids do their quiet time (they need help with reading,etc.) Then they work on their Awana verses. Then the academics they can do on their own. Lydia(gr. 7) works on math. (saxon 7/6) and Jensen's grammar. Zach (gr. 6) works on Spectrum math and grammar. Luke (gr. 3) does Horizons math and copywork. Jake (gr. 1) does math and has a reading lesson. (The Reading Lesson by Michael Levin and Charon Langton) We do science (Jeanie Fulbright, Physiology and Anatomy) and Mystery of History together.(Linda Hobar) We also do Sequential Spelling and dictation. And When all goes smoothly, and Sadie (5) Chloe (2) and Natalia (3 weeks) are content , we read aloud. Older ones read to the younger ones a lot.
Emily (gr. 9) is on her own with Biology, Jensen's grammar, Algebra 1 (teaching textbooks) a lot of historical books (studying ancient times) plus all the handwork amd knitting she does.Abbie(gr.11) has been part time at the high school to take advantage of the Honors classes, Latin, and music. She is excelling and this has gone well.
Afternoons are free for reading and creating and experiments. I have several musicians and we do soccer in the fall plus church activities. Also our co-op which focuses on science, history, and music.
That is a basic outline of our day. We try to be flexible but focused on our morning routine.
Four different ways, yet these children are all excelling and enjoying their learning experience. If you are not homeschooling and you are reading this blog, consider it, you never know how the Lord may use it for the good in your life.
More to come...
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Hola Morena!
December 15, 2010
I did it. I went to the fiesta with the ladies from church this past Saturday! It was awesome. I spent an entire Saturday with about 22 woman of which not one of them spoke English. Well, you know what that meant, I spent my day butchering Spanish. I was anxious that whole morning while I prepared to go. I showered, pressed, dressed and headed out the door reciting memorized words over and over again in my head. As I turned the corner of our gate I waved to our Tico neighbor who called out “Hola Morena!” (Does that mean that I have been accepted as Latina? Probably not, especially since he has never heard me butcher his native tongue).
I walked down to the bus stop and was happy to see a few familiar faces there to greet me. We waited another half hour or so for the rest of the ladies and a few babies to show up and we boarded the next bus. I still had no idea of where we were going but I knew this bus and its route so at the moment I was relaxed. We rode all the way to San Jose and got off together. The woman took turns holding the 3 babies that were with us, giving the moms a break. There were merchants everywhere selling every and anything. Watches, gloves, toys, dvd's, food and kitchen sinks...literally.
We made our way through the busy streets and met up with a few other ladies and hopped on another bus. This time the ride was shorter and when we got off I was certain I had no idea of where I was. I followed the woman past stores, bakery’s and a playground that I swear looked exactly like the one I frequented as a child.
When we arrived at our destination I was starving but knew that the chit chatting was about to begin, so I sighed and thought... bring it.
After reading a few passages from the bible and praying together the Pastor's wife arrived, she announced that we would be pairing up in twos to get to know as much as we can about each other then standing in front of the other ladies to report our findings.
Amazingly I carried on a conversation. I learned that my sister in Christ Haylee lives very close to me with a gorgeous view of a waterfall behind her home. We talked about our family's and where I lived in the US. As my confidence grew, I stood and spoke to the other woman about her.
We were served a delicious meal of grilled chicken, sausages, steak, rice and black beans. My foolish eyes said that I could finish the whole plate while my conservative belly begged to differ.
As I stuffed my face I could hear one of the babies getting fussy in the corner. Her mom was eating and she was being held by another one of the mothers in the group. Her mom looked over at her shrugged and said that she might be hungry and without blinking an eye the other woman whipped out her breast and fed the baby. Now, I am a huge advocate of breast feeding but I have never seen a woman breastfeed another woman's baby! Sure, moms and I have joked about it..but there it was in broad day light. Ha! I love these people.
After eating and playing a few more games which were all geared towards teaching us to work together, we enjoyed cake and coffee.
The day was winding down and I truly felt like I was connecting with these woman. I didn't feel like much of an outsider, just someone who needed ever word articulated...and...said...very...slowly.
I shared a cab home with 3 other ladies and was happy to have had the experience I had. I was able to see these woman in a more relaxed environment and I dropped the constant worry of saying something wrong. I just spoke and when I was unsure I asked and they helped.
Back on the homefront, Christmas is creeping up on us and we are so unprepared. We finally have a tree, a live one I might add, but I have no idea what we'll do for presents. We have prepared the children to receive less this year so that we may have more to give to others to which they were less than thrilled about. I'm pretty certain that the Lord will direct us, even if its on the 24th...
Homeschooling has taken on a mind of it's own as I went from a classical educator to an eclectic homeschooler.
My kids have been doing what some may call un-schooling. I wouldn't call it that as I still give weekly assignments, but if they have an interests that I feel is relevant and will keep them engaged in learning they are encouraged to pursue it. That doesn't override all essential learning such as math, literature and science but I have definitely taken a more relaxed teaching style this year. Next blog post will include a “Day in the Life of ” just for homeschoolers. That was always very helpful to me as a new homeschooler and I hope that it will help, encourage or drive fear into someone out there... (smile)
more to come...
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Saving a buck or two...
I really didn't have much to talk about this week. Things were pretty normal and I spent lots of time keeping house. I shopped, cooked, cleaned, homeschooled, bathed children, kissed booboos and entertained guests from the states.
Last night I went to church with the children, Tony had not gotten home from the cafe in time to go with us. I knew that the women were expecting me at a function next Saturday but I prayed that they would not try to ask me questions about it without Tony being there to help me with words I didn't understand. Well, right in the middle of service I heard my name and looked up at the woman at the podium asking if I would be there on Saturday. I quickly ran the days of the week through my head, smiled and said "Si, Sabado."
After church one of the ladies came to give me some more information to this event that I was clueless about. All I could catch was, San Jose, McDonalds, party, taxi or bus, 2 not 11, and will be fun. I thought that it was in the catholic church in Guatuso at 11am?!? Oh boy, once again I smiled and said "Si, Sabado." I will not cower behind my Spanish/English dictionary (Tony). I will go on Saturday and sit next to all of my sisters in Christ, smile and try my best not to say anything stupid, so help me Jesus!
Since we have been here, our whole motto have been to live on a shoe string. No extravagances like we had in the US and absolutely no complaining about it out loud. My children have adapted very well to my surprise, even commenting on how clean they are able to get their socks by washing them by hand. (Is it weird to love seeing them scrub their socks in the laundry room sink?)
We came up with lots of ways to save money and not all include manual labor. We downloaded Skype and have used it daily as a tool to keep in contact with friends and family members. What an economical way to keep in touch. No cost involved other than your internet connection. We also purchased a device called Magic Jack. Now, I'm going to tell you all right now. I paid a minimum of $39.95 per month before taxes and fees for telephone service back in Maine. This was with the promise of caller ID and unlimited long distance. Magic Jack cost $39.95 for the purchase of it with the first year being free. After that you pay just $19.99 per year. It took literally 5 min to install and I was able to make my first test call to my mom in Florida who asked "Where are you calling from with that 305 area code?"
Nothing else is needed but your home computer and a phone. What a whopping amount of money I could have saved if I had not been too afraid to switch from AT&T and try a different company. (Don't worry, I have already taken the liberty of kicking myself.)
There are many different ways we have significantly cut down on our cost of living. We no longer have vehicles, we take the bus like most locals and the cost just cannot be compared. We can get from our home to the major city of San Jose for less than .45cents, not to mention the exercise that our bodies so desperately craved.
We hang our clothes out to dry on a line after washing which saves on electricity costs. Our cell phones are now powered by pre-paid cards with an average cost of $10 per month. We have become accustomed to eating the local food here which is very economical. (Rice and beans, fresh fruits and veggies, fresh baked bread, coconut water which seems to be all the rave in the US now, fish and unbelievable coffee.)
We have ditched the television and though we have a small flat screen sitting in our linen closet, the kids barely remember that it is there. We do love movies, always have. We used to have cable until we found out that Netflix offered instant movies online and lots of them. We ditched the cable a few weeks before we came and do not have any plans on having cable here.
When the mood strikes, we all sit around together and watch a show/movie online with our $8.99 per month membership.
If you enjoy books like I do, you can download kindle for PC from Amazon.com on your computer for free, then download a ton of free books.
Now I know that some of these money saving ideas are not possible or realistic in the US, but a few certainly are. Give one or two a try, thank me later and save a buck or two...
more to come...
Last night I went to church with the children, Tony had not gotten home from the cafe in time to go with us. I knew that the women were expecting me at a function next Saturday but I prayed that they would not try to ask me questions about it without Tony being there to help me with words I didn't understand. Well, right in the middle of service I heard my name and looked up at the woman at the podium asking if I would be there on Saturday. I quickly ran the days of the week through my head, smiled and said "Si, Sabado."
After church one of the ladies came to give me some more information to this event that I was clueless about. All I could catch was, San Jose, McDonalds, party, taxi or bus, 2 not 11, and will be fun. I thought that it was in the catholic church in Guatuso at 11am?!? Oh boy, once again I smiled and said "Si, Sabado." I will not cower behind my Spanish/English dictionary (Tony). I will go on Saturday and sit next to all of my sisters in Christ, smile and try my best not to say anything stupid, so help me Jesus!
Since we have been here, our whole motto have been to live on a shoe string. No extravagances like we had in the US and absolutely no complaining about it out loud. My children have adapted very well to my surprise, even commenting on how clean they are able to get their socks by washing them by hand. (Is it weird to love seeing them scrub their socks in the laundry room sink?)
We came up with lots of ways to save money and not all include manual labor. We downloaded Skype and have used it daily as a tool to keep in contact with friends and family members. What an economical way to keep in touch. No cost involved other than your internet connection. We also purchased a device called Magic Jack. Now, I'm going to tell you all right now. I paid a minimum of $39.95 per month before taxes and fees for telephone service back in Maine. This was with the promise of caller ID and unlimited long distance. Magic Jack cost $39.95 for the purchase of it with the first year being free. After that you pay just $19.99 per year. It took literally 5 min to install and I was able to make my first test call to my mom in Florida who asked "Where are you calling from with that 305 area code?"
Nothing else is needed but your home computer and a phone. What a whopping amount of money I could have saved if I had not been too afraid to switch from AT&T and try a different company. (Don't worry, I have already taken the liberty of kicking myself.)
There are many different ways we have significantly cut down on our cost of living. We no longer have vehicles, we take the bus like most locals and the cost just cannot be compared. We can get from our home to the major city of San Jose for less than .45cents, not to mention the exercise that our bodies so desperately craved.
We hang our clothes out to dry on a line after washing which saves on electricity costs. Our cell phones are now powered by pre-paid cards with an average cost of $10 per month. We have become accustomed to eating the local food here which is very economical. (Rice and beans, fresh fruits and veggies, fresh baked bread, coconut water which seems to be all the rave in the US now, fish and unbelievable coffee.)
We have ditched the television and though we have a small flat screen sitting in our linen closet, the kids barely remember that it is there. We do love movies, always have. We used to have cable until we found out that Netflix offered instant movies online and lots of them. We ditched the cable a few weeks before we came and do not have any plans on having cable here.
When the mood strikes, we all sit around together and watch a show/movie online with our $8.99 per month membership.
If you enjoy books like I do, you can download kindle for PC from Amazon.com on your computer for free, then download a ton of free books.
Now I know that some of these money saving ideas are not possible or realistic in the US, but a few certainly are. Give one or two a try, thank me later and save a buck or two...
more to come...
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Getting to know you...
So it's been almost a month here in Costa Rica and yes, I still love it. Don't get me wrong, there have been hiccups. The church that I wrote about last post supposedly started at 1pm, right...Wrong! Either the neighbor gave us the wrong information or we just didn't understand what he was saying but we were just shy of 3 hours late. Ha!
On a positive note, we absolutely adore this little Pentecostal church called "Eglesia de Guatuso". The beginning of every service (4 days a week) consists of 45 min of prayer. Yes, I said it, 45 minutes of non-stop, get on your feet or stay on your knees, kneeled at the altar or in your seat prayer! Yes!
Everyone and I mean everyone comes over and kisses you on the cheek with a "Dios Vendiga" (God bless) after service. They are very friendly, so if you are not the touchy type.... stay clear! Two nights ago we had the Pastors over for coffee and I actually got the kids to come out and sing for them in Spanish. Ok, so I paid them 100 colones each, but it was worth it. (smile)
What a blessing it is to know that the family and fellowship of Christians can be found no matter where you set your feet... Amen!
Water is shut off here every once in a while for various reasons. We didn't know this until we turned on the faucet to have some tea and realized... oh, just like that huh? I thought, no problem. Landlord said that we have a reserve tank, that should get us through. Tony went out back to check it and yes, you guessed it, empty. Water must have been out for a while and we used up all of the reserve.
"No prob" said our friendly neighbor the next morning. He told Tony to follow him to his house and he can use all the water he wanted from his faucet out back.
"Gracias Senor! You are so kind." and hence came our water for the next 2 days.
If anyone is wondering, we do not have a washing machine as of yet. I can't really blame anyone but myself since I would never buy one brand new and used ones on craigslist seem to go pretty quickly. So, I have learned the art of handwashing. Thank goodness for a lovely, bright laundry room with a built in washing bin and a covered area for the clothes to hang. Honestly, a little bit of music in my ear and willing kids to hang the clothes makes the chore... not so bad.
There is no doubt that things are different here. Portions are much smaller at the grocery stores. I have seen just one gallon of milk since I've been here. All the rest are sold in quarts. No huge tubs of butter or half gallons of creamer. Neither are there huge boxes of laundry detergent or gallons of fabric softener.
The first time I purchased bananas at the farm stand I asked for 12. The young man behind the counter opened his eyes wide and said "doce banana?!?" I felt odd, so I explained to him that we have 8 children. He then smiled and shook his head ok. Now, they are happy to see us coming down the hill with our shopping bags.
As we become more and more familiar with the merchants here, they are eager to help us learn the language while learning a bit of English themselves. My spanish is still pretty rough, but at least now I can go out alone and not feel totally lost in translation.
Homeschooling is up and going. Kids are back into the swing of things and hating it! Ha! I try to tell them that they have it easy. I only require Bible study, journaling, math, literature, writing, science, history and a generous amount of Costa Rica study which can all be done in their pajamas. Younger kids spend a lot of time outdoors discovering new bugs, plants and birds. The worst has been a big black hairy spider that I dare call a tarantula. Yuck!
I'm ready to be settled so we can begin some missions work. I know that the Lord has the timing in his control and when we begin, it will be amazing!
More to come...
On a positive note, we absolutely adore this little Pentecostal church called "Eglesia de Guatuso". The beginning of every service (4 days a week) consists of 45 min of prayer. Yes, I said it, 45 minutes of non-stop, get on your feet or stay on your knees, kneeled at the altar or in your seat prayer! Yes!
Everyone and I mean everyone comes over and kisses you on the cheek with a "Dios Vendiga" (God bless) after service. They are very friendly, so if you are not the touchy type.... stay clear! Two nights ago we had the Pastors over for coffee and I actually got the kids to come out and sing for them in Spanish. Ok, so I paid them 100 colones each, but it was worth it. (smile)
What a blessing it is to know that the family and fellowship of Christians can be found no matter where you set your feet... Amen!
Water is shut off here every once in a while for various reasons. We didn't know this until we turned on the faucet to have some tea and realized... oh, just like that huh? I thought, no problem. Landlord said that we have a reserve tank, that should get us through. Tony went out back to check it and yes, you guessed it, empty. Water must have been out for a while and we used up all of the reserve.
"No prob" said our friendly neighbor the next morning. He told Tony to follow him to his house and he can use all the water he wanted from his faucet out back.
"Gracias Senor! You are so kind." and hence came our water for the next 2 days.
If anyone is wondering, we do not have a washing machine as of yet. I can't really blame anyone but myself since I would never buy one brand new and used ones on craigslist seem to go pretty quickly. So, I have learned the art of handwashing. Thank goodness for a lovely, bright laundry room with a built in washing bin and a covered area for the clothes to hang. Honestly, a little bit of music in my ear and willing kids to hang the clothes makes the chore... not so bad.
There is no doubt that things are different here. Portions are much smaller at the grocery stores. I have seen just one gallon of milk since I've been here. All the rest are sold in quarts. No huge tubs of butter or half gallons of creamer. Neither are there huge boxes of laundry detergent or gallons of fabric softener.
The first time I purchased bananas at the farm stand I asked for 12. The young man behind the counter opened his eyes wide and said "doce banana?!?" I felt odd, so I explained to him that we have 8 children. He then smiled and shook his head ok. Now, they are happy to see us coming down the hill with our shopping bags.
As we become more and more familiar with the merchants here, they are eager to help us learn the language while learning a bit of English themselves. My spanish is still pretty rough, but at least now I can go out alone and not feel totally lost in translation.
Homeschooling is up and going. Kids are back into the swing of things and hating it! Ha! I try to tell them that they have it easy. I only require Bible study, journaling, math, literature, writing, science, history and a generous amount of Costa Rica study which can all be done in their pajamas. Younger kids spend a lot of time outdoors discovering new bugs, plants and birds. The worst has been a big black hairy spider that I dare call a tarantula. Yuck!
I'm ready to be settled so we can begin some missions work. I know that the Lord has the timing in his control and when we begin, it will be amazing!
More to come...
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Wrapping up the summer
Well, the inevitable is coming. School! Unlike those who send their kids to public or private school, that word means something totally different to a homeschooling mom. School means; Late night planning, early morning motivations, reading out loud, family bible study,watching the dog chew on math blocks, math lessons, reading lessons, disciplining the young ones, checking up on the older ones, changing the baby/toddler, stopping for lunch, history lessons, handwriting, grammar, more disciplining, watching the house turn into a forest of scattered papers..... wait, that may all just be my house. I'm certain that your home runs as smooth as a well oiled machine. Your kids sit quietly at the table and complete all of their work in a timely manner. The dog plays happily outside and never steals the toddlers snack and most of all the house is immaculate by the time dad gets home and he raves of how much you've accomplished. If that's the case, I'll gladly trade mine for yours. (smile) Just kidding. I love these rugrats that the Lord has entrusted to me and it is a joy to teach them.... is what I tell myself daily... (smile) As we prepare to embark on this adventure to Central America I can only imagine what the Lord will teach us. If we did nothing but love on everyone we came into contact with (and a little math on the side) I will feel accomplished. We will be going down for our first visit in a few weeks to find a home, I trust that the Lord will lead us to the exact place he wants us to spend this year. My prayer is that through the difficult times and the wonderful times of homeschooling we can all know that God is in total control. If all else fails, it doesn't matter where you begin, just begin!
More to come...
More to come...
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