Just One Thing

I keep thinking back to the writer's conference and what I could take away from it.  Do you know why?   I don't want to waste the learning.  If I don't think about it and write about it, and keep the notes ready...then in three months it won't have mattered that I went...and wouldn't that have been a waste of hard-earned dollars!?!?!  Not my thing at all!

I keep coming back to a line I kept hearing.  Set a goal, just a singular goal.  Just change ONE thing.  Don't do more than that.  Just one thing, one style, one character, one setting, one social media.  Learn to do that one thing and do that one thing well.  Then do one more thing.

So instead of looking at five things you want to do and (or in my case a million and a half things)....and feeling totally overwhelmed and stumped.   You break that down into ONE thing.  And yes, try to keep it to the ONE thing.  And yes.. I know .. it's really hard to do that.  Perhaps we can practice together?  :)

Work I Do

"Work your fingers to the bone at the lonely Star Cafe. Money I make drives me through the week.  Pay the rent and the telephone, and buy my cigarettes, and I got a little left over to go dancing Saturday night"  Anyone know who sings it???   Cause I've been searching for all the lyrics without success...

I saw word work that song immediately popped into my mind.  

Another song that pops into my head is this one.
"I've been working on the railroad, all the live long day! 
I've been working on the railroad just to pass the time away.
Don't you hear the whistle blowing
Rise up so early in the morning,
Can't you hear the captain shouting..
Dinah Blow your horn!"    

I know I know, lyrics stick in my head.  Sometimes I have them right, sometimes well.. I can be so UNBELIEVABLY wrong I shake my head at my foolishness when I learn how wrong I've been.  :)

Hymn Study: Send the Light

I'm so thrilled today that I was able to quickly find a hymn that went with today's word prompt LIGHT.   The hymn is called "Send the Light".   It was written by Charles H. Gabriel, who wrote it while a choir member at the Grace Methodist Episcopal Church in San Francisco, California.

Review: This Way Watson!

Are you wanting to teach your children how to read a map and follow directions?   This way, Watson is a delightful book to amuse and help your children learn some map reading skills. (and have fun while doing so).

The Flip Side of Giving

When I took a moment today to consider the word give, all I could think about was if you give something, you deny something else.  There's always a flip side to giving.  Made me wonder, is it the flip side that stops people from giving freely?

Friday Fun: Math in the Kitchen with free printable

One of the most enjoyable ways I know of to do math is using food.   

When my lad was young we used skittles and m&m's to count and subtract.  We broke hallowe'en candy down into groups and numbers, seeing how it all went together and what not.   We've done gummy bear math, lego math, and math blocks.  Lots of fun in many different ways.  

As he gets older I find it harder to make math fun, but I've also discovered my lad finds new food FUN NOW!!   Gack!   Can you imagine it?   This super picky boy likes experimenting with food now!  

Have you discovered this?

Discover Defined
 - find (something or someone) unexpectedly or in the course of a search.
 - Divulge (as in a secret)

Proverbs 16:19-21

¹⁹ It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor
    than to divide the spoil with the proud.
²⁰ Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,
    and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
 

²¹ The wise of heart is called discerning,
    and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.

Pearl Seeker: Seek to be Thankful

This chapter was quite simple.  We live in a land of plenty, a land of ease, do we understand how blessed we are?

With that blessing, do we take time to say thanks?

Today I was Brave

Guess what... today I was brave.
And the whole time...

I was quaking in my shoes!

Art Book: Art Up Close

Wow! I really like this art book. It's called Art Up Close. Despite the fact that it has no art to draw or to inspire, my lad even likes it! 

I have to tell you all the details about this marvellous book, and truly it is a GOOD book.

Share, it's a thing to learn

What does it mean to share?  

It's odd how some things stick with you for years.  I remember when my lad was a wee youngster and we were trying to be part of a play group and they had this rule that if a child was playing with something, and another child wanted it we needed to teach them to share, so child one would have to give up the toy so that other child could have it.  This rule was enforced and it bothered me mightily at the time, and I guess it still does.  All those toys my lad was forced to give up...for another child's selfishness...I WANT DAT!  and so my lad would kindly give it up...  seemed so dreadfully unfair.

I suppose it's a hard balance ... to teach sharing without encouraging selfishness. We didn't last in that play group as the balance just wasn't there.

Review: Family at Large

A homeschooling friend wrote this book and I told her I'd put a blurb about it up on the blog.  :)  If you review books, you gotta do things like this eh?  :)

Seriously though, good book, you aught to get yourself a copy.

Canada Book: Canada the Culture

 Canada the Culture, the book I looked at is one of the original books in this series.    In this book we are invited to see Canadian culture in it's many different facets.

This Garden Grows

but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 

 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

 we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ

Four Sources of Poetry for Middle School and High School

As a reader on my blog, I'm sure you've come to realize that I like poetry, I like writing it (it's fun for me), and I often times like to read it, though not always... (sorry being honest).

I Read

Today's word prompt is read, bringing to mind one of my favourite activities of the day.  Reading with my lad.  Our current read is called "out of time", a marvellous fiction book that has my lad daily clamouring "read more, read more".

A Pondering on the Word Remain

I do a hymn study on Sundays, I have to admit, the word remain is proving to be elusive   You don't find many, if any, hymns with the word remain in them.   I did find a scripture song that had the word remains in it, but it's so new the copying the lyrics here could be problematic.  So nix that idea eh?

Review: Sled Dog School

You know how people often can write best the life that they know? Author Terry Lynn Johnson has owned a team of sled dogs for years so writing a book with sled dogs is a natural fit for her.

The book starts off with Matt, an 11 year old boy, trying to get mail from the mailbox while his younger sister tags along.  He learned he needs to do an extra credit project in order to bring up his grade in school.   School is not a pleasant place for Matt, often teased for being different than the other students, with the smell of the wood burning stove on this clothes.  Matt enjoys the time he spends with the family's sled dogs.   Matt decided for extra credit he would start Matt's Sled Dog School.

The rest of the book is filled with how Matt ran the sled dog school, how he learned to deal with difficult people, learn to run his dogs and learn how to actually run a business.  The practical application of doing math, and the help of a friendly bus driver, helped him to learn to do math better, and to see the need to get help in understanding math all the more. 

Try it, Just try it

You know one of the things I really love?   When my lad grabs hold of an idea, even a half formed idea, and simply runs with it.   It's just fascinating to sit back and watch him.  His willingness to try new ideas has just exploded over the past year and I so often sit back amazed at where it's taking him.

Invite: Something should change

 I'll be making some changes to the blog, so I invite you to stay tuned... Change is good you know?  Keeps a body on their toes. :)  In the meantime, let me tell you about a meal I had tonight and thoughts I had regarding it.