Love

Well here we are, it's Montessori Monday and I still can't get the pictures off my phone so I thought I would share with you one of my focus areas for 2013.  I know it is late for all of the New Years Resolution type things but I need time to think and not react to a tradition of goal setting.  So I have thought and I will be thinking and praying some more but for now I want to share about love.  Love as a focus area? Dosen't loving my family come easily, they're little ones, don't you love them?  Of course I  love them.  However, do I love them the way the Lord says to love them and do they love one another the way God wants.  I'll be honest, I have to say NO I don't love them and they don't love one another according to God's word.

I know what I want it to look like and this is it:

Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.
------- 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

When I measure up love next to these words, I don't love even though I want to in my heart.  So in 2013 I am focusing on this verse for myself and my family.  I know where I want to go but I don't know how to get there, I guess God will have to guide me on that one.  So for now I wrote 1 Corinthians 13 out on our kitchen chalkboard (I'd show it to you but the whole phone thing ya know), I'm praying it daily and we are all memorizing it.

I have a Valentine's Day Pinboard where I am pinning my favorite ideas to put love in action as well as just fun V-Day activities if you want to check it out and here are a few of my favorites that I hope to do in the coming weeks.

Put notes on everyone's doors to tell them why I love them (there was no link when I checked back on pinterest). I want this to be a habit more than just a holiday to do.

I love this idea by the dating divas

This blog, Little Wonders,  has several posts about how to tell your children you love them on the cheap:

So for now would you please specificly pray for me, my family and yourself to love the way the Lord describes in 1 Corinthians 13.

I'm linking up with Living Montessori Now.

Geometry

Hi everyone, thank-you for stopping by to see what is happening here at the Middle of Somewhere.  In my last math update I said I wanted to share more about geometry and fraction work and that I shall do starting with geometry.  Our children had an introduction to geometry last year so we started out with a review of the geometric solids.

E is matching solids and 3 part cards.

K is matching solid pictures and word cards. I read the word cards and she did the matching.

A is sorting pictures of objects that are in different geometric solid shapes.

I set up a lot of the review in center type activities that the children rotated through and they seemed to really enjoy this way of practicing the work.  It gave the children choice of what order they completed the work but allowed me to facilitate what I wanted them to work on.

Here is a great post at Living Montessori Now for DIY geometric solids and solid activity ideas.  Our solids are a combination of items I found amongst the children's toys and a basic wood set I purchased off Ebay.  Our three part cards are from Montessori Print Shop. Also from Montessori Print shop are our solid sorting cards.

After our review we moved onto Polygon work. We started with this free set of lessons that used both objects from home and the geometry sticks. I loved the lessons, they were simple and well laid out and the sticks were such an interest catcher for our children. I purchased the sticks from Kid Advance Montessori and cork board squares from either Target of Walmart.  We just worked our way through the lessons and I added in other activities when appropriate.  We also went through this little booklet about polygons from Montessori Print Shop. When we pick up geometry again in January we will continue to work our way through the other booklets that Montessori Print Shop has to offer on triangles, angels, circles and lines.

E matching up geometric pictures to the number of sides they have and their names.

K is using the geoboards to make geometric shapes.

 

 

 

 

 

K using geometry sticks to make a triangle.

A using the geometry sticks to make the polygon of his choice.

As you can see I have used both a combination of free and purchased materials.  Here are some links to free downloadable materials that may be helpful as you put together your own lessons:


Montessori Materials

Wikisori--scroll down to the geometry section

Cultivating Dharma

The biggest help I had in planning our lessons was this post from Making Montessori Ours.

Today is Montessori Monday and I am linking up, go visit and check out what others are doing at home to make the Montessori style of education attainable to all.

You Can't Change Them

I learned something the other morning--you can't change your children.  No, I don't mean trade them in for another model, variety or version but really, you can't change them.  I mean, I know all about don't expect your husband to change, he is who he is, and all, that but I never applied it to my children.

Looking at butterflies near Crater Lake

I came to this realization yesterday morning when it was chore time and 2 of my children, the girls, were busily working away to earn their quarter per chore.  My son had disappeared upstairs and was very quiet.  I assumed he was also busily working away on chores, I was wrong.  45 minutes later I called for A and he answered back, "I'm almost done with my card."  What? 45 minutes on a card that I thought you had already finished and left on the table.  What? you have not been working on your chores.  I was angry to say the least.  I have been fed up with this child's "when I get around to it" manner of working.  I have tried everything from taking away computer time, to room time, to more work, setting a timer and even more chores but nothing moves this child any faster.  At the same time all of this was going on, I was preparing us for a much anticipated day at the beach and we need to be out the door in 15 minutes.  So, A's basic chores were not even completed and as he moved to do the extra chores, ignoring the basics, because he want to earn money, he breaks down into tears as I tell him he doesn't have time and must finish the basics.  Well, I was not gracious and may have been yelling at the poor boy and hubs, who had thrown in his 2 cents during my tirade but praise the Lord I could still hear His voice.  That was when it hit me or shall I say God shouted at me.  "He's not going to change."  A is not going to change, he is who he is--slow, relaxed, casual, focused, disinterested, bored, lazy however, I want to put it, he is  God's wonderful creation given to me as a blessing and reward.

A--@ Grandma's house

So in that moment, I realized that I had been parenting for 10 years and had been trying to change my children into the personalities I think they should be.  My real job is to love these dear children not change them.  These children are not my creations or inventions but an expression of God's love to me and the world.

E--camping @ Jackson Meadows

So what am I to do with those irritating and frustrating personality traits that are there but I really wish were not?  God spoke again straight from his word-- bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).  This verse is specifically directed at fathers but I think it is also good advice to us moms.  So I can't change their personalities, that is not my job.  However, I can train and instruct them in the Lord.  So if what they are doing is of no biblical merit them I best learn to shut my mouth.  But, if what they are doing is out of line with God's word by all means I should train and instruct. My instruction should be done gentley as stated in 2 Timothy 2:25 so that they can be lead to repentance and knowledge.  Some things are my job and some things, like deep personality issues are better left to God. My children belong to the Lord and he is not finished with them or me, for that matter, yet.

K--Donner Lake

This may be one of those duh posts for you, but for me it was a big moment leading to a fresh appreciation for the work of God in all of our lives.

B--Camping @ Crater Lake