My Strength

This week I am supposed to write about where my strength comes from. My physical strength comes from my work with the Medicine and Kettle balls, push ups, sit ups, and other muscle building activities. My spiritual strength, however comes from God. Through him I get my willpower and mental strength to make the right choices.

My Journey of Faith

Today, I am supposed to write about my journey of faith and what the wilderness could b trying to teach me. From the way I look at it, it seems as though its trying to teach me to put my trust solely in God and do exactly as he says. He will provide for me and my family and that's all I have to know. He will take care of everything else.

Also, I need to write about the Ten Commandments. They gave me some questions in my book, so I am going to type them out and then answer them:

Why does man need the law to live by: Because without it we would be a terrible people, with no order to what we do. We would be vile in the Lord's eyes and he would ignore us until we went back to Him.

What was the purpose of the law: To give men something to live by. It created a limit as to what we are allowed to do.

Christ said He came to fulfill the law. How did He do that: He was the sacrifice to pay for our sins. God said we would have to sacrifice lambs to pay for them, but Jesus, as the Lamb of God, paid for our sins, both past and present.

Can I fulfill the law: As Jesus did, no. But I can keep to the laws the Lord has set before us so that I am pure is His eyes.

MY BIRTHDAY

I'm 15 today!!! I can't believe it. I have been alive for 15 years.

This morning, Mom made me chocolate chip pancakes, each with 15 chocolate chips in them. :) Evyn, Ethan, and Amber all gave me their gifts this morning. They paid for the gifts with their own money, so they were really special. Amber gave me a Milky Way "Nothin but Caramel," Ethan gave me a Three Musketeers and a Fuji apple (one of my personal favorites), and Evyn got me my own steering wheel for Mario Kart Wii. It is missing the top part and looks kind of like a race car/airplane wheel. It's also blue, which makes it even more awesome. I can't wait to use it later. From Grandpa John and Grandma Val, I got a card with a Red-eyed tree frog and a $25 dollar check to go towards my iTouch. As soon as I cash the checks I have, I will be $99 dollars away from it. I can't wait.

Later this afternoon, Aaron and Samantha are coming over to play Wii bowling (as we couldn't go to the base) and have pizza and ice cream. We might just have to play Mario Kart so I can use the wheel.

Looks like I am going to have a great birthday.

Nov. 17, 2010 night

Samantha and Aaron came over. We had pizza and breadsticks from Pizza Factory, and Mom made a really awesome pyramid cake. It was hollow and inside was . . . a treasure trove of chocolate kisses and Rolo candies, and a Shrinky Dink Itouch. Mom and Dad promised to cover the last of what I need for the Itouch when I go to get it. I could have gotten it tonight, but I am waiting for it to go on sale on Black Friday because anything left over from what they give me will be used to buy an iTunes card. Now that I couldn't turn down. Also, they got me the Pirate of the Caribbean sound track, which we listend to through the rest of dinner. Samantha got me a Barnes and Noble gift card for $20. Now I want the new Eragon book to come out. Aaron brought me a card with $10 in it, which I will be using to buy the Itouch.

After dinner was over, Amber went to dance and we played Smash Bros Brawl since that's the only game we have that can play with five people (in rotation). We played that until Samantha's Dad came to pick her up, after which we played an infinite time game until Aaron had to go. It was an awesome birthday.

Indus Valley closing

Well, it's Friday and, as my study of the Indus Valley and the Harappan civilization is only a week long, today is my last day studying it. I did an abstract this week (also known as a precis) on the civilization. For crafts, I am working on a seal for myself. I have to wait for the plaster of Paris to dry before I can carve it. Also, I get to make a relief map of the area with salt dough. That I think is going to be fun. I am waiting for Dad's permission to use a piece of wood he has in the garage. Can't wait to get working on it. I may have to get some more salt first. I will have pics up in a bit.

The Harappan Style of Living

This week I am studying life in the Indus Valley. The civilization is that of the Harappans. They lived in small houses with blank windowless walls that faced the streets. I personally feel safe with having a fence around my house and a lock on the doors, but no windows seems a bit extreme. I would never want to live in a house no windows. Without windows, I would feel imprisoned. Granted, having windows with bars on them wouldn't be much better. The Harappans seemed to live well with these conditions. They kept themselves safe this way. They may have liked it, but I, nor anyone in my family I think, would ever want to live in a house like theirs'.

Why God Chose Moses

God chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt because of his faith in God. He knew that Moses would do as God asked him to do even if he had other thoughts. I think Moses was the right man for the job because of the same reason God did: his faith. He was also a good leader. Moses felt he was not right for the job because he couldn't speak well. He thought the Israelites wouldn't follow him because he wouldn't be able to convince them.

Mesopotamia

Well, I am starting to study something besides how to study Ancient History. First stop in the timeline, Mesopotamia. The most fun thing so far is the projects I am getting to do. Unfortunately, we don't have some of the supplies and need to go shopping. A few of the projects that we need the supplies for are:

Make a wheel like the Sumerians did

Recreate the Royal Standard of Ur on fabric

Make a copper picture on copper sheeting

The Standard of Ur is probably going to be the most fun of the three.

However much fun the activities are, the map study is the most fun thing this week. I have been looking through the atlas and putting the ancient ruins and areas on there for the Ancient World map study. And for the Modern World, I got to work on the plastic overlay to put current countries of the area in. And through it all, Joule sat by my side as I laid on the floor looking stuff up. Sometimes she actually looked at the book with me, as though she was interested as well.

What I Have Studied in History in the Past

I don't remember every civilization and era we have studied in the past, but I do remember a few rather well. We have studied Egypt and its culture, the time of the dinosaurs, Colonial America and America during the Civil War, Native American Indians, the time of the first Olympics, and we have touched bits of Israel. Ones I have yet to study are Ancient Rome and Greece, Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and the world in World War 1 and World War 2.

I think the importance of studying history ties in with knowing how we came to be and why the world is the way it is today. It can lead us as to how people survived back then, what they did, and how their overall lifestyles were.

My favorite period in history is Ancient Rome and Greece. I have always enjoyed reading their myths and how they fought. They were some of the best warriors and athletes ever. Their plays are fun to read, and some of their stories are very good.

First Day of September

Happy September 1st. It's back to school. But this week I only have a half week. Dad, Evyn, Ethan, and I are going to Scout Family Camp. But on to business. This week, one of m assignments is to answer som questions about the library.

Our library does have an inter- library loan system. To get a book, all you have to do is put a hold on a book and specify which library you want to pick your book up at. It's extremely easy.

Here are the questions I had to answer this week.

What are the hours of your local library? Monday-Wednesday 10:00am - 8:00pm

Thursday 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Friday 10:00am - 6:00pm
Saturday & Sunday 1:00pm - 5:00pm

How many books can you check out at a time? As far as we know, as many as you can carry out.

What is the fine for overdue books? 25 cents per day

What are the names of the librarians who will help you find books and resources? Any of the librarians will help.

What upcoming events are sponsored by the library? Pirate Murder Mystery Day

End of the Week

Well, the first week of school has gone by without too many problems. I looked at the next lesson as a head's up and I think I will be a lot busier next week. The new curriculum is a lot of fun and I am really enjoying it.

I had to write two essays today. One on my academic and personal goals for the year and one that was a letter to the Lord after I studied 2 Timothy 3:12-17. It was kind of weird at first, but after the first few sentences, the writing became easier, like I was praying on the computer. It felt different, but in a good way. It is hard to describe, though I don't know why.

My highlights of the week are I got my swap kit from HSKS11. Though this has nothing to do with school, this is a journal, so I can write what I want. My other highlight was that I found a frog with only one eye. I could tell he was born that way. I got a few photos, so maybe I can get one on here later.

Thursday

Today was a rather easy day in school overall. I only had about eight problems to do in Algebra, and History of the World was a little writing, look at the vocabulary words, and journal. So after this I guess I am done for today with school.

However, I have to go mow the neighbor's lawn later. It's good way for me to earn some summer cash. I don't know what I am going to do this winter when all it does is rain. Unless it snows, which would be nice. I could shovel snow and play in it. A win-win situation.

Well, I think I am going to do some art to finish off the day. Drawing is one of my favorite past-times and I am semi-good at it.

Wednesday

Well, it's half-way through the first week of school. It is still a little bumpy with the new curriculum, but it is better. I think next week will be pretty smooth.

Today I had to look up stuff that had to do with centuries. One of the things I learned is that B.C. and A.D. are not the only way to label years. B.C.E. (Before the Common Era) and C.E. (the Common Era) are also used, but they have nothing to do with Christianity. Another part of the activity was to look up things that happened last century this year. The first item on my list is Boy Scouts of America was formed! I also found out that Henri Fabre was the first to fly a seaplane and Glacier National Park was established in Montana.

High School Goals

This year, I am hoping to pull my grades up from where I left them last year. I would like to learn more about the Greeks. I have always loved mythology, but now I want to learn more about their culture and what brought about the myths. I am planning on doing some more hands on work with my English and art maybe try a few plays. It would be awesome to turn them into movies with the video camera, and use the green screen.

For work, I am hoping to do some more volunteer work at one of the nursing homes. Then I can get my citizenship ribbon for Boy Scouts. Any other work that comes my way, especially if it has pay included in it, will be on my things to do list.

First Day Back at School

Well, it's back to school. This year I am doing Konos History of the World. It requires me to have a journal, so I am doing it here, hence the title. Today was a pretty easy day, because I only had to get ready for the upcoming year really. A bit of Bible Study, some Vocabulary, and then projects. I have to get my supplies box done. That's the first thing on my list. After that, I have a couple writing assignments. After I get into the swing of things, I will get to move to Mom's office/my school room. That will give the others more room and me more room. It will also be a little quieter. If it gets too loud, I might grab my ear plugs. We'll just have to wait and see.