Knots

Last week started off on a fun note. The rest of the country was off school celebrating Presidents' Day. This included my sister's children. She is considering homeschooling them next year, so we invited them over for a day of school with us. Okay… it wasn't really a day of school. It was more like an hour of mostly academic time, but hopefully it gave them an idea of what school looks like for us. One of the  best parts of homeschooling is that it can look different for every single family because the needs of each family are so different. So for one hour, they got to glimpse what school looks like in our house. I'm not sure if it encouraged her to try homeschooling or discouraged her from homeschooling, but the kids had a lot of fun. :)

The boys and I read in our Story of the World book about Ashurbanipal and the Assyrians. We learned about how they built siege towers to defeat cities. Then we used Legos to build siege towers, complete with battering rams. Then we put them to good work knocking over Lego walls. It was a great lesson for a group of boys.

While the boys were conquering cities it the other room, my sister and her Little Miss were playing with pom-poms. Sorting colors and using tweezers to put them into an egg carton helped build some academic and fine motor skills. But dumping the entire bag on the floor was just pure 2-year-old fun!

On Wednesday, some friends came to do school with us. Their oldest learned a lot about knots from his dad, so he came and did a lesson on tying knots for my boys. We learned two different kinds of knots and how to coil the rope when you are done. It was so fun to do school with such great friends. But it was also a little chaotic. Thus, I have no pictures to document it, but trust me, it was fun.

We ended our week early as we headed out of town for a much-needed visit with sweet, sweet friends. The 5 hour ride was SO worth it for a weekend of fun, fellowship, encouragement and edifying conversation. I had no idea how much I needed that time with those friends. I came home refueled. Though I have to admit I also came home sad that we don't live next door so we could share life together. But I know God has us in different places because He can use us more effectively. I know that I love my comfort and ease, and I imagine if we lived next door to those sweet friends, I would spend my life enjoying their sweet fellowship and never stepping out of my comfort zone into the world around me.