Rewards & Consequences

Lately there have been a few things going on in our house that is making me want to pull my hair out. The first thing is the constant state of the playroom. I don't mind the kids playing and having a great time, but do they really have to dump every toy they own out into the floor. One of the rules that David and I have been trying to install in our home is that the boys clean up before bedtime. This hasn't been going so well.

Another thing that drives me crazy is that they think I am made of money and can buy them toys every time we go to the grocery. So what do I do? Do I get a babysitter every time I need to shop? But that won't really teach them the lesson they obviously need to learn.

The last thing is the lack of brotherly love. Yes, there has been fighting amongst the siblings, imagine that.

This past Saturday, David and I started a new system that we are praying could be our answer, a rewards and consequences chart. Here's the deal, the boys have certain chores that they can do during the week to earn money. From now on, if they want a toy they need to do their chores and save their own money. That is the reward section. The chores are simple and age appropriate. They both have to clean their playroom and bedroom before bedtime, they both have to complete schoolwork, Judah must feed the hermit crabs, and Kaleb must feed Lady. Once a week, to earn a little extra, they can help me water plants, clean the hermit crab tank, and help me give Lady a bath.

For the consequences, I have a "naughty jar" in the kitchen with prices for bad behavior. If you are caught doing something bad like not listening or fighting for example, you must pay the piper. Let me tell you, the boys do not like loosing their money!

So far the system is working brilliantly. The boys are excited to do their chores and earn money. They have both picked out toys that they want and are counting how many weeks it will take them to earn enough money to buy them. The playroom and bedrooms have stayed clean! Mainly because they now realize they are the ones that are going to clean the messes. They now only pull out the toys they want to play with and put them back when finished. Plus they have done their best to be on good behavior because they now realize that they will loose money and ultimately put them behind on reaching their goal amount for their toys.

We had our first major consequence last night. I was giving the boys a bath using a brand new bottle of shampoo. I walked out of the room to go get them clean underwear and clothes and when I came back the entire new bottle of shampoo was dumped into the bath. I made them both put money in the jar to pay for the shampoo. It was very traumatic for them to loose $1 each, but ultimately they learned a lesson about being wasteful.

David and I are learning that once you say something you must stick to it!

Hidden Salvation Message

OK, can you tell that I LOVE homeschooling yet? When David and I decided to home school, one of the things that was really important to us was to include studying the Bible. And where do you start when studying the Bible? Genesis, of course! To start our study of Genesis, I ordered a book called Genesis: Finding Our Roots by Ruth Beechick. We have been so happy with this book, so many fascinating lessons. I am actually learning stuff and I have been raised in the Word!

One of our recent lessons really interested me. As many of you know I am a big advocate on the meaning of names. David and I really prayed and took interest in what to name our children because we believed there is something to the meaning of your name. And now I have proof to back up our belief. Did you know that God placed the salvation message in the meanings of the names of the first ten generations from Adam to Noah? Here, take a look.

Adam - Man
Seth - Appointed
Enosh - Mortal
Kenan - Sorrow
Mahalalel - The blessed God
Jared - Shall come down
Enoch - Teaching
Methuselah - His death shall bring
Lamech - The despairing
Noah - Comfort, Rest

Now connect the meanings and say it all together.

Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow (but) the blessed God shall come down teaching (that) His death shall bring the despairing comfort and rest!

Awesome!

Our Science Project

For science, I like to try to find as many hands on learning experiences for Judah as I can. I have several science project books, but most of the projects haven't really interested him so far.

One thing is, Judah loves bugs! He loves to go outside and catch as many as he can. So I decided that we could study the bugs he catches using a book called the Handbook of Nature Study. A couple of weeks ago he found a brown and furry caterpillar and brought it to me. Immediately we went to the handbook to look up our new creature. Turns out is it called a Woolly Bear and under the picture was a poem that Judah was memorizing for grammar.

Brown and furry,
Caterpillar in a hurry,
Take your walk
To the shady leaf or stalk,
Or what not,
Which may be the chosen spot;
May no toad spy you,
May the little birds pass by you;
Spin and die,
To live again a butterfly.
- Christina Rossetti

So in one moment we have now combined Judah's interest with a science lesson and a grammar lesson. But that's not all! Guess what the Woolly Bears become? An Isabella Tiger Moth! Many of you know that I lost a little girl last December that we named Isabella. So now our project has taken on new meaning. We have learned what to feed our Woolly Bear and how to care for it until next spring when it will spin it's cocoon. The whole project has been fascinating and has really jolted Judah's interest in science.

The Adventures of Homeschooling

I am doing it, I have taken the plunge and I am homeschooling Judah! Last winter I read the book A Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. We started with a trial run of her suggestions for one week this summer to see if it would be something we would enjoy and we loved it.

For the time being, I am only homeschooling Judah because of Kaleb's great need for the speech therapy that he receives in his preschool. I love the therapist that works with him at the school and am so excited about the progress she is bringing forth in him. Also, Kaleb has a more shy disposition that I believe he also needs the social aspect of being in preschool. That said, I have ordered him books to help supplement the education that he is getting in preschool. He enjoys having "homework" like his big brother.

In preparation for our school year, I totally revamped the playroom by getting rid of toys, adding in several book shelves, decorating the walls with posters of the United States, the alphabet, our schedule, etc. I also set up a desk organized with pencils, paper, and craft supplies.

Our first few days were good, we bumped around a little until we eventually found our groove and a schedule that works for us. I am someone who has to have organization and thrives on schedules. Here is what school looks like for us so far:

8:30 wake up and have breakfast
9:00 Start School

• 15-20 minutes of Spelling - I am using Spelling Workout Level B
• 15-20 minutes of Grammar - I am using First Language Lessons by Jessie Wise
• 20-30 minutes of Reading - Our first reading assignment is Adam and His Kin by Ruth Beechick
• 10-20 minutes of Writing - I am using Writing with Ease by Susan Wise Bauer
• 30-60 minutes of Math - I am using A Beka Books Arithmetic 1
• 60 minutes of History -Mon,Wed,Fri - I am using The Story of the World Vol 1 Ancient Times by Susan Wise Bauer
• 60 minutes of Science- Tue & Thu - I am using several books for this the main one being The Usborne Live World Encyclopedia
• 60 minutes of Art -Mon,Wed,Fri - I am using Drawing with Children by Mona Brookes
• 60 minutes of Music -Tue&Thu - I am using The Usborne Piano Course Book 1
• 20-30 minutes of Bible - I am using Genesis: Finding our Roots by Ruth Beechick
• 20 minutes of Italian - I am using the Rosetta Stone Level 1 for Homeschool

Again, we are only in our third week of lessons and are still learning about what works for us. One thing I have noticed with Judah, is that he loves projects! So things like creating rain gauges in science or making our own cuneiform tablets for history really helps him with connecting with what he is learning. And who doesn't love a good project? The challenge is keeping learning fun and engaging.

One of my favorite things about this homeschooling adventure is the time I get to spend with Judah. Kaleb came along the day after Judah's second birthday and has never been shy of demanding my attention. This is becoming a wonderful way for me to connect with Judah and really pour into his life. I hope he will look back on this years from now and think of it as a fun and special time.

Did I mention that we also signed him up for Cub Scouts? More to come on that later...

Operation Sweet TEA (Trementozzi's Ethiopian Adoption)

As many of you may or may not know, David and I have started our first steps toward adopting from Ethiopia. David and I both have backgrounds in missions and have visited overseas orphanages in several different countries. Because of this, international adoption has always been something we have talked about even before we married in 2000.

I recently had a wake up call while taking my boys to see the movie Up. (Spoiler Alert!) In the movie, the couple who are unable to have children, have a dream to move to South America. The beginning shows a montage of them over the years saving then spending then saving the money needed for the move. As time passes by they grow older and the wife becomes very ill and passes away never living her dream to live in South America. My first initial reaction was, "Lord, what are you doing to me? I had just lost two babies and I am watching a movie about a woman who could not have children die and never see any of her dreams fulfilled?'' It was then that I was reminded of our dream to internationally adopt and then the thought came to mind, "Would this be something we always talk about but never see to fruition?"

I discussed it with David and he also felt like it was time to move forward. In the past it always seemed something that would be so daunting; Where do you start? What country do you choose? How do you pay for all the fees? We spent the next month researching and praying about what directions to take. Ethiopia was the country that we felt an immediate peace over. We both have always had a heart for Africa. David spent time in Africa, David's father spent three years in Africa in the peace core, my grandparents have been on missions there, my father has been involved in missions to South Africa, and I have always dreamed of going on a missions trip there. This could be something the whole family could get behind and I could see my dream of traveling to Africa when we go to Ethiopia to pick up our new little one.

After several recommendations from neighbors and friends we decided to go with FTIA (Families Through International Adoption) out of Evansville, Indiana. We submitted our applications during the last week of July and was approved to move forward with the home study process. We are going with Catholic Charities out of Owensboro, Kentucky for our home study. We had our first meeting at our house on August 17th and it went very well.

We have also scheduled our first fundraiser, an indoor garage sale/ bake sale/ mum sale in the basement of the Christian Assembly on September 19th.

I will be posting all of our progress on this blogspot so you can stay up to date with the process.