First Day of Homeschool

Weston working hard!

We had a good first day. I decided on a place for our school. We'll sit at the family room table. There is a long bench seat, so that Sierra can sit on one side of me and Weston on the other. The bench seat has storage so I put the materials in to plastic baskets and stored it there. I have two baskets, one basket for before "recess" and one after.

I made little placemats and laminated them with contact paper. They have the schedule for the day so they can check of the boxes and help keep me on track!

We do one harder thing, like writing and then something fun like reading together or art. It is a nice pace and not too serious, I'm trying to make it fun so that he loves learning and school. :)

Mycamera is fixed!! Yay. Here are some pics from our first day.

(Moms, You can click on the pictures to make them bigger and to print/save if you want too.)

Peter is playing guitar at church

Here is Peter playing Amazing Grace and singing it in Mongolian.
Our friend Monkbold really likes this song and asked Peter to play it!

3 more days

The countdown begins. It is time to start homeschooling in earnest. Next week, we'll do full time homeschool. That really means 8:30-1 with planned breaks and fun activities also.

Will you pray for me? I so need the motivation and organization to do well. I want to provide the kids with the best I can give them. I know it is best for them. I know God has equipped me to offer more than the public school could here or there and it is probably what we would decide in the US as well, since private school is not an option for us.

So Lord help me to "Do my best and play my part and have a kind and loving heart." My dad always says that, and now I do too. I don't even remember what it is from, but I say it almost everyday. I love you, dad!!!

Preschool English Teacher?

There is a new private school here. It is really nice, kind of state of the art for here. It is preschool from three years old and up to fourth grade. They have really nice classrooms and building. They put in radiant floor heat and nice bathrooms for both the preschool and elementary school. They imported all of the school supplies so they are very good quality. They will also teach English and Russian there. They have been advertising on TV. Much different than our neighborhood school, which is in a ger/yurt!

This is interesting though- school starts next week and they have NO TEACHERS. No preschool teachers, no elementary teachers, no Russian teacher and no English teacher!!! It is not that strange in Mongolian customs. They are looking this week for teachers, while they are taking enrollment and finishing the building.

I have wanted to put the children in some type of school a few mornings a week, but also be on campus, so that I am with them. So I went and toured the school with Enkee and Ariunna. Enkee immediately enrolled her daughter Ariuka who will be starting first grade, because it is such a nice school.

Well, the moment they see me, they think, "Oh, she is coming to teach English." So we toured the rooms. They want me to teach 12 hours a week, which is not a possibility for me with regular cooking, cleaning, washing, and homeschooling. Then they say, "OK 10 hours a week." I am worried. I cannot make this kind of commitment to the school. They have enrollment and have promised English instruction. It is not a flexible position. If my kids are sick I cannot commit to be there. So we talk back and forth. They agree on six hours a week 3 mornings a week. We tell them we'll let them know.

It would be nice if it worked out. If both kids like it and make friends and learn to speak Mongolian, and we all have somewhere to go in the winter it would be a great solution. BUT that is a long shot! It is not like preschool. It is more like daycare and not too interesting. The morning hours will probably be filled with eating breakfast and drinking tea, washing their hands, brushing their teeth, and maybe some play time. It is not the same as what one would expect from a US preschool. So if my kids don't like it, I won't make them go. They can always wash their hands here! ;)

So we talk. I am worried because the director of the school is not one to take no for an answer. I am not good at saying no. Everything is so up in the air, they don't even have books yet. I DO NOT want to make up curriculum for six classes. My kids may not like the school experience and if they don't I can't continue to teach. I don't want them to be counting on only me, since my first job is to take care of my family and homeschool.

Sierra would be in the 3 year old class and Weston would be in the 4-5 year old class. Just because the building is nice doesn't mean the education will be good. I can't be sure who their teachers will be and if they are gentle kind of teachers or not. Their teachers would not speak English and so it is tiring for them to have our kids in their class. Weston is getting easier and more social, but Sierra is still so small and really just wants her way.

I feel too conflicted to say yes, so I said no. I'm sure this is not the end because they really need a teacher, but I am not the teacher they need, for now I am just a mom.

The day before school starts, I'm sure they'll be asking again. :)

Puppies

Our dog, Sam, had puppies yesterday. She had been looking ready for a couple of days. She was just laying around looking ready to pop! The day before yesterday she started digging. Then yesterday she settled on a spot in my cold frame. She dug and dug and got all settled. We covered it with some cardboard to keep her cool and covered that with plastic to keep her dry.

Yesterday morning she buried her breakfast- so we knew she was going to have babies soon. All afternoon we watched her in her little cave, no puppies.

Then I came out again to visit the "powder room" as I like to call it, and there she was with 6 puppies! Over the next hours she had two more, eight in all.

She is a very good mama dog. She took care of each pup and cleaned them up right away. They are all nursing away and they are so cute. She really didn't need any help from us and prefered us to stay away. There are five that are black and 3 that are colored like Sam.

I will post pictures soon. I took my camera in to be repaired. There is a really nice Canon store in UB and they called me today and told me they repaired my camera. I'll believe it when I see it. ;) But for now, I am really happy. Sharon is still down there and will swing by and pick it up for me.

A small miracle happened here:

I was washing our sheets and after the washer started, there was a banging noise inside the washer. I stopped the machine and was trying to find what had fallen inside. There was nothing. So I just let the washer run. When I went to take out the sheets and drain the water, there was my cell phone sitting at the bottom of the washer, filled with water.

SAD!! I had it under my pillow the night before, because that is my clock as well. I must have swooped it up with the sheets.

I took it all apart and left it to dry for a day and night. Then I put it back together and plugged it in. It didn’t work, of course. I said a little prayer and then I went along with my day.
In the evening Peter said, “Your cell phone is on!” It works fine and smells clean like soap too!!!
Thank you Lord!

in UB again...

I am on another unexpected trip to Ulaanbaatar. I drove some friends down here to help them get a student visa and to help Sharon to pick up her twin sister at the airport. Peter is at home with the kids because his classes are over.

Peter wrote this to me in a message...
Hi Becca, I'm going to bed. Drive safe to the airport. so I was just laughing at one of my conversations for the day.

Weston asked me, "can I run faster than Randal?" I ignored him, he asked again "Do you think I can run faster than Randal?" "Whose Randal?" I replied. "From Monsters In." He answered. "OH, yeah you can run faster than him." I said, hoping it would dissuade any fear of Randal catching him. Then he says "Why?"
"What do you mean why?"
"Why can I run faster than Randal?
How do you answer that question...Why can you run faster than a make believe disappearing 6 legged salamander that's 6 foot tall...
"You just can, you're a fast runner." That seemed to satisfy Weston and he went on to talk about running faster than Randal for quite a long time.
Anyway, remembering it made me laugh. Love you good night.

More thinking...

I have been thinking and thinking and thinking. I can't stop, which is good. This is thinking that should have been going on for a long time.

This isn't terribly organized because my mind is still working through it. But here it is...

Colossians 3 has been coming to mind again and again. How funny because when I was 18 I memorized this passage, it is really part of my heart and keeps coming to me.

The circumstances of life don't really change my true life... my life is hidden with Christ in God.
"For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory... Col 3

This passage begins with:
"Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set you minds on the things above not on earthly things." The things above are real life, eternity.
That is much longer than the dot of this life that passing flower here today and gone tomorrow.

It ends with
Therefore, as God's chosen people holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. .... Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you where called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you... whatever you do whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Maybe this is how to live this life that is really eternal... to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus and in his strength.

The circumstance of life are just a passing thing. I could be living in a mansion on the hill and experiencing the same type of doubt and emptiness about life.

God knew that I wouldn't ever see my need though if I were there. I had to be here, with the different circumstances of life thrown in my face, the the pace of my life at a grinding halt with nothing to distract my mind, with more chores than I can do and the failure of my housekeeping thrown in my face, with the poverty of my neighbors so terrifyingly real, with my little children needing direction and constant supervision and the fact that I am so selfish and just want my own time and space, and the lack of a tongue that can speak this language well enough to have a close friend.

This is where I needed to be to hear the whisper of God calling to me... Thanks be to God that I finally heard, that somehow I understand that my life is not this or that. It is Him. Although that is undefined about what that actually means, I am grateful to know it. May I learn to say with Paul, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want, I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Phil 4

Things I am learning

I am doing good and having a time of deep thinking as well. That is rare for me because I am not a deep thinker. I think after 2 months of being here, I am finally able to reflect on our time in America.

It was great, yet too stressful and in some ways unhealthful. I am realizing that I am not good at this life of transition. I don’t turn to the Lord like I should and I am glad to know that so that I can change. I turn to other things to comfort/distract me. That is one reason why I gained 40 pounds last year. I really have a problem and am seeking to change for good. God is graciously calling me to Him and He is my true help and Savior.

I realize that I am having this problem that I feel like I am just surviving and not really “living.” Deut 30:20 was a real eye opener…"For the Lord is your life." And these verses came to minds--- He came to give us life... When, Christ, who is your life appears...

I don’t know how to cope emotionally with the life God has called us to. But suddenly these verses made it so clear… this is not my home, America is not my home. My life is Him. My home is Him. He is THE constant and everything else are just circumstances.

I am also starting to realize the transitional lifestyle we have, is part of my call. I have been trying to stop the changes and trying to control them. I realize that we have been called to a life like Moses in some ways to wander and follow Him throughout the wilderness.

I guess to sum it up, it is a season of dying to self.

NO ELECTRICITY

We are on our third or fourth day with no electricity, it does come on at night! I was a good sport at first, but now I am SICK of it. They are installing light poles on the road here, so I guess that is good, but I wish they were done already!

I love electricity... if I were a poet, I'd write a poem about all of it's great wonders. I am so thankful every night at 6 when it clicks back on and we are bathed in fake light again, when the TV come on, the music, my laundry machine, vacuum (my dark green carpet cannot go a day with out it!)the stove, coffee pot.... oh the things electricity can do!

So I'm sitting here on battery power clicking away, but soon I will need to turn it off and do something else. Which is probably good, I guess.

My Hands Are Burning

When will I learn? I roasted chillies today and then skinned them with my bare hands...20 minutes later- my hands are burning. I did this last year too! Foolish.

Last year I accidently scratched my eye and the chili oil under my nail got into my eye!!! I thought my eye would explode!! I'm learning I guess, because I didn't do THAT this year! :)

We will be having some yummy chili relleno casserole this winter though and that makes every bit of burn worth it!! Yum

We had a GREAT lo cal dinner tonight. It was healthy and sooo good. I thought I'd pass it on to you.

Mediterranean Chicken and Veggies
2 pounds chicken
2 T oil
1 medium onion sliced or chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 14 oz can stewed tomatoes undrained
1 small eggplant cut into 1 inch chunks (I didn't have this)
1 med zucchini cut into 1 inch chunks (I used more)
1 med bell pepper
1 t oregano
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Also called for 2 oz can of sliced olives I didn't have that. (My motto- if you don't have half of the ingredients- make it anyways! :) )

Skin chicken and cook over hot oil for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove chicken. Fry onion and bell pepper. Add in all the other ingredients and return chicken to pot. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 35-40 min until chicken is done.

I had cooked shredded chicken so I just started with the onions and bells in oil. Then I tossed in the chicken with all the other ingredients and cooked for 15-20 min.
245 calorie- 6 servings (Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

It says to serve over couscouse or orzo pasta if desired so that doesn't count in the calories. I served over fresh rosemary pasta. Yum

A time for everything under heaven...

It is time to start processing veggies. My garden was a bit of a flop this year... sad. However the Mongolian gardens are going well. I have been buying the veggies at the zak and putting them in the freezer. Yesterday I did 4 big bags of brocolli. Today I hope to do a lot of freezer pickles and some roasted chillies.

Weston and Sierra are doing well. Weston is really flourishing at school here. He can write letters now without tracing and he is starting to draw. He LOVES science so that is fun to let him ask 25 million questions about our reading! He likes listening to me read too. So far everything that I purchased is a good fit for Weston.

Guess what his first word that he read and wrote was? Abby... he loves his cousin. I was trying to have him read and put the letter sounds together. He knows a, b and c the best so far. Then he said, "That spells Abby! Now I am going to write Abby." Then he did. He loves his cousin!

In UB

I'm in UB and we have had a good trip so far. Yesterday we took my friends son to the airport. I got home and laid down with the kids to help them fall asleep in a new bed and house and I fell asleep too. We all slept from 8pm-6:30 with a few wakes ups around 4am. I haven't gone to be that early since I was a little kid!

Today we started slowly. Sharon woke up feeling a little sick so I took the kids on a walk. My double jogging stroller has really proved itself here as we bump over everyimaginable surface together. I can push both of them with hardly any effort on flat ground, and a little uphill!! The stroller and the kids weigh almost 100 pounds together! So we got some fruit for breakfast. I got the "golden" grapes. I call them that because they are so expensive. Today they looked so good and were HUGE, but they were a little sour!

After that we came back to pick up Sharon and got into the car and drove to the auto parts store. I got a new oil filter, oil and a headlight for the truck. Yet another thing I've done in the Mongolian language!

Then we headed over to a friends home and we dropped off some things for friend and chatted with the Sprengers. It is always encouraging to visit there.

Then we went to Weston's favorite restaurant BDs grill. It is like a Mongolian BBQ from the states. It is actually a US franchise and the quality of the food is really good. They cook the food on the grill and we watched as the cook started a really big fire (for entertainment) and tossed a few pieces of broccoli up into his hat. Weston loves that part. He ate a huge amount of veggies and meat today!

Then we came home and tried to have nap time for a while. Finally, when I was about to give up, Sierra fell asleep and so we waited a bit longer. I read to Weston. We are reading Apple and the Arrow. It is the story of William Tell. It is good, a little difficult to understand for Weston, but we have enjoyed it. Sierra woke up and then we went out the playground here. They played for awhile and then we took another walk.

We found some nice tomatoes and cucumbers and headed home for dinner. We had a light dinner. It is the kind of dinner Weston calls a snack dinner, pb bread, hardboiled eggs, tomatoes, and a couple of noodles. He likes that and so do I D They took a bath and then watched the first 20 minutes of the Little Mermaid. Now they are trying to fall asleep and I am typing this. :)

I did eat all fruit and veggies today and yesterday. I did have a little salad dressing and today at BDs my veggies were cooked, but besides that I have stayed on my "detox." I can't say whether or not I feel detoxed, but it has been interesting! I have two more raw detox days. I will not continue to only eat raw, but have learned that I like veggies and will be eating more of them. ;)

To UB

In the morning I am heading to UB. I found out the final plan, which included me as the driver tonight! That is how things go here, everything is last minute.

So I made Peter a few casseroles to eat while I am gone. He can come home and heat up some good dinner after a long day of work! I packed up the kids and Peter is putting ALL the stuff in the car. Bringing the children=a lot of STUFF! I got the house at least partially in order and finished all the laundry too. I even washed my floor today, a chore I despise! Yay for me!

I ate all raw food today too. Interesting! Much easier to NOT overeat. There is something about a salad with no dressing that is easy enough to STOP eating. I don't think I'll eat raw for the rest of the week now that I am going to UB. It's too nice to go out to the restaurants there! Maybe just all salads? Maybe raw food for two meals and a nice meal out. We'll see. I'm not going to stress it--- that is for sure.

Detox and wanderings

I am doing a seven day raw food detox. Interesting. It starts with a 24 hour water fast and then for the rest of the week I am supposed to eat only raw fruits and veggies. It seemed like a good fit for me for this week, in this season! It is nice to have all the fresh veggies now at the end of the summer. The website it rawdivas.com ;). So I am eating like a monkey this week. I do feel better. It seemed balanced enough, not asking for any crazy changes just eating fruits and veggies until satisfied. Sounds doable at least for a week.

Last year I let myself go WAY too much. WHY? WHY? I am so foolish. I have made so much work for myself and endangered my health. But today is a new day and the first day of the rest of my life, right? I am finally feeling settled again and motivated to change! Oh how I wish for a true change of habits and lifestyle that really only comes from the Lord.

The flu bug is gone here! Yay. I was thinking Sierra would wake up sick but she is OK.

I am reading an interesting article about money and missions. It is such a struggle to be a "poor missionary" in America, but a "rich foreigner" overseas. It is something that is so hard to deal with that I spend a lot of time thinking about it. This month there is an article about it in a magazine I receive. I am so thankful for it so far.

I think it's gone

I think the flu is gone. I think it has gone through our family. Sierra and Peter didn't have it. Whew! Let hope tomorrow is another healthy day.

Today is a day for putting things back in order. It is amazing how messy things get when mommy doesn't keep cleaning constantly. So that is my goal for the day. :)

I there is a flu bug within 1,000 miles of our home...

I'll get it! I've had the flu for two days and now Weston has it. Sad.

There are a few things that don't go well with no indoor plumbing, flu and potty training come to mind. Doing these things at the same time are never a good idea. I'll just keep the hose running in through the window and keep my laundry machine going!