Do you have a plan?

Last night a group of us attended an emergency awareness/preparedness mini seminar. Mr. Charles Sturrock did an outstanding job and we appreciate him taking time out of his busy schedule to teach us about being prepared in severe weather and other emergencies.

I thought I would post the Emergency Supply List that he gave us--this is good info that everyone needs.

Food and Water
3-day supply of non-perishable food that needs no cooking
hand-operated can opener
plastic plates, cups, utensils
2 gallons of water per day for each person,
to last 3 days for drinking and sanitation

First Aid
First-aid kit
Backup prescriptions for essential medications
Doctors' phone numbers

Personal Hygiene
Hand sanitizer or disinfectant wipes
Toilet paper, paper towels, garbage bags
Dental care and vision products
Travel-size soaps and other personal items

Clean Air Items
Nose and mouth protection masks (N-95 rating)
Plastic sheeting, duct tape

Baby Items
Formula, bottles, powdered milk
Diapers, wipes, diaper rash ointment

Lighting
Flashlights for each member of the family with extra batteries
Fluorescent lanterns for each common area
Waterproof matches or a utility lighter

Communication
Portable, battery-operated radio
Land-line phone with long cord
Extra batteries for flashlights, lanterns, radio
Extra cell phone battery or car charger
Whistle

Family Safety Items
Smoke detector with battery for each floor
Carbon monoxide detector with battery backup
Fire extinguisher
Non-scented bleach for sanitization
Sunscreen, insect repellent
Shovel and basic tools

Transportation Items
State and regional road maps
Basic repair items (tools, tire patch kit, engine oil)
Games, books, puzzles

Pet Needs
3-day supply of non-perishable pet food and water
Pet medications and pet first-aid kit
Current photo in case you are separated
Cat litter and box
Pet bed, toys, carrier, leash

Identification
Drivers license, passports, Social Security cards

Documents
Insurance, financial statements, property, vehicle

Phone Numbers
Family
Friends
Neighbors

Are we done yet?

After 3 days of 'follow along as I read the directions to you...did everyone get answer A in sample C? Do you understand? Are there any questions?, You may begin' I can say we are DONE! And all the students shouted WOOHOO!!

I had a top notch group of 4th and 5th graders this week taking their standardized tests. We were all so happy to finish today. It has been a good week. Even though I might have 'complained' a few times about getting up and being somewhere so early I kind of enjoyed being back in the classroom this week. The students were great! We took plenty of breaks, played outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather we have been having.

Snacks were also provided...I'm still a little grossed out by the 1st grader that said "Here Mrs. G taste this." After 20 years (give or take a year off here and there) of working with children I should know to never taste anything a 6 year old gives me...that child had had that piece of chex mix in her mouth...hmmm...

Enemies, Hate, Distrust and Idiots--Friends, Love, Trust and Wisdom

Are all things that we have discussed this week. There's no getting around it--Bryan is still deeply affected by the past few years. Enemies are not people I do not agree with. Enemies are people who plot and plan my destruction at every turn. Hate is not something you do when someone disagrees with you. Hate is, not caring for someone. Who do I trust? Is it okay to distrust someone? Absolutely! Well I distrust Ms. so and so because she never listened when I told the truth. She always believed the liars. Ok, you've recognized a pattern and you know that even telling the truth doesn't matter to this person so you cannot trust them with it(truth). Idiots, yes, unfortunately they are out there...so watch out!

There is someone who may or may not be an enemy. Who can I trust? Have I really stopped caring about people...hate...it's such an easy word to throw around. Do we really mean we hate someone? Idiots...there's always one and a lot of times they seem to be in charge of something...How do we deal with them when they hurt us, our friends, mess w/our livelihoods and mess things up in general?

God is still in charge. Yes, we have a real enemy. His name is Satan (of if you are my friend Jan, his name is Satin) At some point you will be faced with a human enemy. They are probably being used by Satan. God will give you strength. Remember David and Goliath? Who won that one? What a friend we have in Jesus. He understands and knows us like no one else. God gives us discernment to know who to trust. Listen to God. It's okay that we don't like everybody but God wants us to show love and compassion. God forgives us so we need to forgive others. God loves idiots.



Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.

Put away perversity from your mouth;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

Let your eyes look straight ahead,
fix your gaze directly before you.

Make level paths for your feet
and take only ways that are firm.

Do not swerve to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil.

Proverbs 4:23-27

The past week

What have we been doing?

Let's see we celebrated Easter. I can never come up with the right words to describe how I feel about Easter. It either seems over the top or not quite enough. The older I get the more meaning it has for me. God sent His son to this earth to die for my sins. To die for my sins...It's a hard concept to wrap around my brain that Jesus loved me so much he would pay the ultimate price. I am going to get to enjoy eternal life--free of sins, hurts, illness--I get to live happily ever after!! For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life John 3:16

We did the traditional dying of Easter eggs. I know some folks get worked up about that but we don't. We enjoying dying the Easter eggs. I think this might be our last year though--Bryan is trying his best to grow up on us! I was thankful that he understands what Easter is all about. One of his eggs he wrote 'King of Kings'. I had a happy little parent moment when I saw that one:) Then the next one said 'Tough dudes wear pink'. That one made me crack up. I love seeing his sense of humor shining through more and more each day.

That evening we watched an amazing movie: Faith Like Potatoes
(http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/article_info.php?articles_id=6109). I get emails from christiancinema.com with recommendations. This was on the week before and it sounded interesting. I think it touched all of us and challenged us to always have faith in God, no matter what the circumstances are. I won't give any details--you'll just have to see it for yourself. I wouldn't recommend it for the very young--10 and up should be able to handle it. There are a couple of very intense scenes.

As far as school goes we are moving right along. At this point I am almost certain we will still be doing some school through the month of June. I believe we will be doing year round homeschooling next year. A lot of veteran homeschoolers agree that this is the way to go and it helps the child retain the most information. I think it will work out nicely with our schedule. Year-round doesn't mean 24/7 365 days a year--at least not in my book ;)

In Math we have just finished up division of decimals. Tomorrow we will start multiplying and dividing fractions. In English, Bryan is working on a research project. He chose to research J.R.R. Tolkien. So far, he has learned how to pick out appropriate sources, take notes and work out an outline. He's doing really well with all the note taking. We finished Belles on Their Toes last night. I don't know I feel about finishing it--I wish it could have gone on forever. It was fun to sit back and peek into the lives of the Gilbreth family. Somedays I wish we had 12 children...most days I'm glad we don't. History has been very interesting as we have concluded our textbook study on WWII. I am however thinking of extending it just a little longer. There are so many aspects to cover and Bryan seems genuinely interested in learning more about the War and the people. We will begin reading Yellow Star next. It is about a little girl that survived the Polish Ghetto. There is also a movie coming on Sunday night that will tie in nicely with the book. I can't remember the name right now but it's about a lady that rescued people from the Polish Ghetto. Yesterday we talked about quite a bit about Oskar Schindler, Corrie Ten Boom and Anne Frank. We were looking at book that Anne and Margot Frank's school pictures in it. Bryan was looking through them and then asked, 'How come the pictures stop in 1942?' I know he has a hard time understanding how one day everything is fine and then all of a sudden you are completely stripped of everything you have ever had or known...The U.S. may be in a mess right now, but thank God we live where we are free! In Science we have moved on to habitats and the food chain. We talked about all the habitats that are just in our backyard--ants, wasps, rabbits, squirrels, the list was endless.

Next week we'll be up at the school doing the SATs. This was Bryan's favorite week when he was in school. He's already looking forward to it! I'm not--but only because I have to be up at the school by 8 everyday...

Enjoying the beautiful weather

Yesterday we 'took the day off' and went on a field trip with the school that I work for. One of the families at the school has a farm and invited everyone out for an egg hunt, hayride, lunch and an overall fun day.

It's always good to take a little break now and then and this time of year is the perfect time to step away from the books :) The wind was a little low but Bryan finally got his kite going. I think he enjoyed riding the horse and egg hunt the most, though.

Today we did homeschool 'lite' and then went out in the backyard and flew the kite again. The wind was perfect today! Bryan was able to keep the kite going for about 20 minutes.

Homeschooling and Springtime--does it get any better than this?? :D

Charlotte's Web

We ended our week by going to see Charlotte's Web presented by the A.D. Players in Houston. They did an outstanding job!

This story of friendship and dedication is timeless. No matter what your age, it speaks to all of us. Rory read this book to Bryan probably 5 or 6 years ago. I've read this book to several classes. The end is always the same--we cry but we come away with a better understanding of what true friendship is all about. I hope we all have a friend as loyal as Charlotte was to Wilbur.

"Why did you do all this for me?" he asked. "I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you." "You have been my friend," replied Charlotte. "That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die... By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heavens knows anyone's life can stand a little of that." Charlotte's Web by E.B. White 1952