Friday, October 7, 2016

Bible Geography

     This past Summer, Elisha and I started studying from Genesis using Grapevine's Stick Figure Through the Bible. As you can see from my review of the curriculum, we really enjoy this study. I plan to do one lesson over two days, but, most times, Elisha does not want to stop in the middle and we end up spending a good hour to hour and a half at one time.
     For a long time, I have wished I had a map showing all the different journeys occurring in the bible. And this bible study with Elisha made that desire even stronger, especially with Elisha loving geography so much. Well, I found a wonderful book which is so fit to our needs, and we found it at our local library!    
     Children's Atlas of the Bible is the one. Tonight, as Elisha and I sat down with this book, we were so mesmerized that  we didn't even realize it was past her bed time. Being able to trace Abraham's journey, Joseph being taken to Egypt, Exodus, desert wandering, Israelite's conquer of Canaan....it made everything we have learned from the bible study, Story of the World,  and Classcial Conversation (CC) come alive.
     This is one of the books I would like to purchase and keep on our bookshelf someday. There goes my Christmas wishlist, honey!

TAPO

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Thousands of Marbles

     That's what Elisha said during the science experiment time at last week's Classical Conversations meeting. The experiment was about orbital speed, and they used marbles on a cake pan. The tutor told the kids how they can easily do the experiment at home if they have a marble and a cake pan, and one of the children, Hunter, said 'I don't have any marble at home'. That's when Elisha blurted out 'I have thousands of marbles at home'.
     She does have a lot of marbles, but not thousands. Maybe a few dozens at most. 'Thousands' was an exaggeration, far from the truth. Where there is an exaggeration, there certainly will be drama as well. Most of all, I believe exaggeration is a lie. CJ & I agreed trimming is necessary.
     CJ talked to Elisha that exaggeration is a lie and how God hates a lying tongue. I sat down with Elisha and we decided to give Hunter some marbles so that he can do the experiment at home. Elisha picked several marbles and put them in a cute little bottle, which is ready to be delivered to Hunter when they meet next time. I really hope the lesson is learned and impressed in Elisha's heart.

TAPO

Saturday, October 1, 2016

4 a.m. Sticky Fingers Love

     Deborah has been waking up around 4 a.m. I feed her some milk while she is still in daze, but after burping, as I put her down to change her diaper, she comes out of the daze and smiles at me. My logical mind tells me to put her down on the bed and help her to go back to sleep, so that I can rest too. However, we end up playing - tickling, giggling, peekaboo-ing for another hour while everyone else is fast asleep.
     I know my body desperately needs the sleep, but those sticky little fingers on my face are too sweet to let go. Those giggles and cooing are too precious to shush. I know I will miss this wee early morning silliness.
     Kids grow too fast. Time flies too fast. My heart aches to know that I cannot slow down the time, let alone stop it. Tomorrow, I am going to kiss them more, hug them more, and laugh with them more.

TAPO

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Passing on TAPO Spirit

     If you know me, I take promises very very seriously and I despise empty promises, broken promises, forgotten promises...Very often, instead of giving a definite promise, I would rather say 'I can't promise that, but I will think about it'.
     Last year while I was on bed-rest with twins inside me, I had promised to Elisha that I would join her to Aquatica & SeaWorld 'sometime after twins are born'. CJ & Elisha have annual passes (they got their passes when they were for BOGO sale!), but I don't. However, a few times a year, annual pass holders get a chance to 'bring a friend' for free. This month we received a day pass for both Aquatica & SeaWorld, and I was on a mission to fulfill the promises I had made.
     Last weekend, we all went to Aquatica and enjoyed a beautiful, not-so-crowded day. I got some mosquito bites, but the trip made twins very tired and they slept a lot for the next two days. Best of all, it felt so~ good to finally keep my promise.
     Yesterday was SeaWorld day, and Elisha and I made a late afternoon trip. We arrived there around 4pm, and soon we were met with thunders with dark, heavy clouds over our heads. We were told that all the shows were cancelled due to the weather, and we had no choice but to leave....BUT I really wanted to honor the promise I had made to Elisha last year, and decided to talk to the guest service if it's possible for me to get a day pass to come back another day.
     When we arrived at the guest service, there was a long~ line of people and it was very hot and humid out there. In addition, Elisha thought it was nonsense to ask for another free pass. For a brief moment, I thought about turning around to go home, but then I realized it was a great teachable moment. It was a chance to teach Elisha the TAPO spirit: tenacious, assertive, persistent, obnoxiously patient spirit.
     After a long wait, I was able to talk to a staff at the guest service. In Elisha's presence, with respect and clarity, I explained the situation and made a request for another day pass, and guess what!? They gave me a rain day pass which I can use sometime within a year! Elisha was super surprised. Was she proud of mama? Yes! Did I set a good example for her? Yes! Would I be able to fulfill my promise on a cooler day? Yes!

TAPO

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Put Your Money to Work


Image result for put your money to work
     With such a low interest rate, it feels so lame to let the money just sit in the checking or savings account. I want to see my money go around the town and bring in more its kind.
     This past summer, CJ & I put our money to work, and the outcome is quite significant. Chase bank offered $300 for $500 direct deposit every month. We need to keep this minimum 6 months. Citi Bank offered $400 for keeping $15,000 balance for the 1st month and $10,000 for the next two months. Both CJ & I took advantage of these offers, which means we made $1,400.
     We just found out that HSBC is offering $350 for keeping a balance of $1500 for 6 months, and both of us plan to take advantage of this as well.
    Having extra 6 bank accounts can be overwhelming, so we plan to close them whenever the minimum time requirements are fulfilled. In order to keep things organized and to remind us when we are going to close those accounts, CJ put the dates on the google calendar.

     Where do we get these information? From here.

TAPO

Friday, September 16, 2016

Mother's Helper

     A mother's helper is different from a babysitter. Babysitters are expected to work independently and often to work in the absence of the parents of the child/children. A mother's helper is rather expected to provide an extra pair of hands to a busy mom, and she works with/alongside the mother. It's a great concept for a person like me who is reluctant to leave kids with another person other than my husband.
     With twins, we hired a mother's helper. Sophia stayed with us for the first two months. She was referred to us by someone at our church. She is 13 years old and is one of the 11 children in her family, bringing a lot of experience taking care of her younger siblings. She worked 5 hours a day for 6 days each week, and we paid $200 per week.
     Her work included feeding babies, changing diapers, washing and sanitizing bottles, folding laundry. During the first two months, twins slept most of the day, so Sophia also took Elisha outside for half an hour each day to fetch mails or to walk to the playground. She was free to read books or study when there was nothing to do. I left kids with Sophia once a week for an hour so that I could see my physical therapist, but CJ and I have never left kids with her for an extended amount of time.
     After Sophia left us due to her family's busy schedule, we hired another homeschooled girl, Mercy. She comes 3 days a week for 5 hours each time, and we pay $100 per week. Now that twins do not have to be fed so often, she spends the extra time to help Elisha with her memory work for Classical Conversations. Also, she just started teaching Elisha violin whenever her hands are free.
     Before we hired Mercy, I had interviewed several other girls. One of the biggest challenges was to find someone who will set a good example for Elisha who is very observant. So the one who showed up with not much clothes on, another 13-year-old girl who was wearing lots and lots of makeup, and a 14-year-old girl who watches TV until 4am...they did not get the job. Oh, and the high school senior who we test-hired for a week, just because she was referred to us by someone in our homeschool coop...I had to ask her to stop coming because she was on her smartphone ALL the time. As you see, there was quite a drama until we found Mercy.
     For pay-wise, we are paying more than the going rate in and around our neighborhood. However, both CJ and I think it's a fair rate considering the peace and rest our family gets to enjoy by having Mercy.

TAPO

Friday, September 9, 2016

Back to work after 7 years of staying home!

     The last time I had gotten a paycheck was January 2010, and right after that last check, CJ and I moved to Seoul, Korea for CJ's job with US Army Corps of Engineers. So, it has been a little over six and a half years since I was a part of the US workforce.
     I am now back to work...I mean back into an official payroll system. It has been two weeks since I started teaching ESL classes at Alamo Colleges' Palo Alto campus. With three kids taking up my mind and body most of the day, I did not have much time to ponder about what it would be like to go back to work after so many years. I just had to jump in. There was no moment to enjoy that nervousness, excitement, and the kind of feelings people usually experience in situations like this.
     I am having fun teaching my hardworking students, who come to 6pm-9pm classes three times a week after a long day at work. I respect them, and I want to contribute to their growth and success.
     Considering how much time I spend to prepare lessons, the hourly rate is pretty small, but I am thankful that I can close up the six and a half year gap in my work history. Also, it is enough to pay the mother's helper who helps me and CJ on the days when I work. Also, CJ says this will help with my social security paycheck later on.

 TAPO   

Curriculum Update as of September 2016

     Classical Conversations Cycle 2 is starting in a few days. During this past Summer, Elisha and I spent at least one and a half hours each weekday reviewing what she had learned during Cycle 1. It was a way for me to spend a quality time with Elisha, and Elisha finished notebooking geography (two times!), history (two times!), English, Latin, Science.
     Right now, we are doing two math lessons 4 days a week and about two lessons of Grapevine bible study each week. Mercy, a 14-year-old homeschooled girl who works as a mother's helper for us has been teaching Elisha violin, and I am hoping to start teaching Elisha piano soon. Also, today was our first day of meeting up with a Spanish-speaking family to learn Spanish (I will write more about this later).

Here are the curriculum we are using as of September 2016.

1. Math - Saxon Math 2
2. Phonics, Reading - All About Reading III
3. Spelling - All About Spelling II
4. Spanish - Language exchange
5. Science - Nancy Larson Science 2
6. Bible - Grapevine's Stick Figure Through the Bible
7. Classical Conversations - Notebooking for each of these subjects: History, Math, Science, Latin, Geography, Fine Arts, English
8. Cursive - Elisha has fallen in love with cursive writing this past Summer. Praise God! We will continue to incorporate cursive handwriting practice into her notebooking time.
9. World History - Continue with Story of the World audiobooks
10. Classical Music Appreciation - Classical Kids (It is a collection of CDs)

TAPO

Saturday, August 27, 2016

Stick Figure Through the Bible

     Who can be more passionate about my child's soul than me? I have been searching for a good, a real good kids bible study/devotion idea for a long time. We have tried a few kids' devotional books and bibles. They were okay, but not great. I have been anxious to find something that will help Elisha and myself to dive deep into 'studying' the bible, instead of just 'reading' the bible. I did not want anything that makes bible sound as if it is another fairy tale or fiction. And we found one!
     It has been about 3 weeks since Elisha and I have been studying Stick Figure Through the Bible. We are working on the first of the Old Testament Series:Creation to Jacob, and oh, how much we love it! It is very engaging for both of us, and we get so excited that we often spend over an hour. An hour each day for a bible study is a lot for a 6-year-old, but time flies when we are working on this bible study. As we study, Elisha and I experience the joy and sadness felt by the characters and God in the bible, and we often laugh, cry, and get upset with them.
     It is such a simple bible study curriculum, but there is something, something powerful that makes the bible so real to us.
     Right now, we are studying about 4 lessons each week, but once Classical Conversations starts next month, that might need to change a bit.

TAPO

Monday, July 18, 2016

Nancy Larson Science Review

     This past Summer, Elisha started Namcy Larson Science 2. We did not do Nancy Larson Science 1, and the reason we skipped level 1 is because a huge chunk of the level 1 is dedicated to human body science, and Elisha has already studied human body science with the cute little My Body.  Actually, we covered My Body twice. So, we decided to forgo Nancy Larson Science level 1.

     Regarding level 2, this is Elisha's first complete science curriculum and we both love it. It is very thorough and easy to teach for me, and over and over I find that if I enjoy a curriculum, Elisha ends up enjoying it as well. I like how it comes with fun, easy experiments. I also very much appreciate how they let me know a few lessons in advance if there needs some special materials. For example, for the Rocks and Minerals lessons, the teacher's manual noted 3-4 lessons beforehand to start collecting various sizes of rocks. I asked CJ to get some rocks during his lunch break at work, and it was so nice to have those rocks ready on the day when we needed them!

TAPO

Monday, July 4, 2016

Wabi Steam Sterilizer and Dryer

     With our oldest, we boiled bottles after each use. However, this time with twins, we are using Wabi Steam Sterilizer and Dryer. After feeding, we wash the nipples & lid parts of Playtex Bottles and put them in the Wabi Sterilizer and Dryer, which will steam them for 15 minutes and then hot-air-dry for 45 minutes. What a time and labor-saver! We use this machine also to sterilize toothbrushes and toys. We love this light-weight, easy-to-use machine and I think it is a brilliant invention.

TAPO

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Playtex Bottles with Drop In Liners

     With our oldest, my husband and I were very particular and with her being the first and only child, we could afford it both time-wise and money-wise. Well, with twins, things are much different and we are forced to choose the most efficient ways instead of the most health-conscious ways.
     So, with twins, we are using Playtex bottles with drop in liners instead of fancy glass bottles, and we love these! These bottles are so much more time-saving and lighter for my hands than the glass ones. I probably would have used glass bottles if we had just one baby, but, with twins, it is better for me to spend time interacting with them rather than washing bottles. 

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

From 3 to 5

We just welcomed twins into our family! They came out about 3-4 weeks early, but, thankfully, both are healthy. I had hyperemesis for 8 months just like 6 years ago when I was pregnant with Elisha, and it was very tough time, especially with another child to take care of.

However, there is a small testimony I would like to share. Being so not functional for such a long time, many days and many times I doubted if the pregnancy was right decision or not. Being unable to take care of Elisha as I used to made me feel very frustrated and, often, depressed. CJ and I had decided to have more children for the sake of Elisha, but many days during the pregnancy, I felt like we made a wrong decision. As she saw me throwing up day and night for 8 months, Elisha often covered her ears and cried she didn't want me to be pregnant, that she didn't want any brother or sister. I had asked God if we made the right choice, if we were doing good to Elisha...it was not even a prayer. I was just venting out.

Then 5 days before the C-section, Elisha came up to me and said 'Mommy, at CC (Classical Conversation) last time, all my friends were holding hands with their brothers and sisters but I didn't have anyone to hold hands with'. I asked Elisha how she had felt about it, and she said she had felt very lonely. Oh, the joy and tears! Just 5 days before we welcomed twins into our family, God made it very very clear that we had made the right decision for Elisha. It released me from all the doubts and burdens I had been carrying all along the pregnancy and...5 days later, our family became from 3 of us to 5 of us. Isn't God awesome?

TAPO