It was nice to get back to a relatively normal school routine this week. Last week, I felt like I was up to my ears in hot dogs and jerky. Nearly 50 lbs later, the butchering is all done.

Toddler Highlight

The little people in our house get to be part of the fun, too. Elisha has taken his education into his own hands of late. Did you ever get frustrated when your toddler repeats everything you say? Why are they doing that? Well, they are trying to coerce you to teach them. They want you to repeat them so they know if they are saying it right. For example:
Elisha: wauuuu
Mommy: water
Elisha: wauuu
Mommy: water
Elisha: wauur
Mommy: water mayim (mayim=water in hebrew)
Elisha: miauuu
Mommy: That’s right Elisha. Water. Mayim.

We have been playing this game all week with every word from nose to dog. His vocabulary is really skyrocketing. I wouldn’t say his pronunciation is perfect yet, but he is producing words on his own now. He also is developing quite the personality. He is completely taken with this hat (love the flower) and acts so silly when he has it on. It’s like he knows how cute he is!


Babylon
It just so happens that we studied Babylon this week in history and in Hebrew Life and Times.

We talked about the Tower of Babel, and how it was essentially a high place for pagan worship. I never thought about it like that before. I also began writing easy to read summaries of our history lessons for Naomi. I want to give her reading practice wherever I can, with varied content. She read through it with just a little help. Babylon kept throwing her. She thought it should say baby-lon. She then wrote a sentence about Babylon all by herself. I then helped her correct any mistakes. This is the beginnings of real writing for her. I’m excited to see how well she is doing.

We also did some map work. They have done alot of copywork and labeling in the past. Normally, I write down the words on a scrap of paper and they copy it. This time I orally gave them one letter at a time. They did very well.

Quotes from the week

• Naomi: “A burger without pickles is like a girl without a skirt.”  
• Holly: “I want to see the world! Maybe when I’m ten, I can go places all by myself.” 

What I learned this week

• Sourdough needs to be fed every day, or there are consequences.
• Some of our children need more help than others.
• We must equip our children for life in this world, rather than shield them from it. See this article   
• Good communication can solve many of the little problems in life.

It’s been a good week! Have a wonderful Shabbat!