Early Sunday Described

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Today is a lazy Sunday morning.  Let me describe it for you.   
I got a full night's sleep and am still the only one awake.  Bradley is sleeping somewhat upright on the couch, because he's still sick and sleeping upright helps him breathe.  Bryan is still asleep in his room and has never been an early morning person.  Emily also is enjoying the morning stillness.
Our fish tank is gurgling away as water drops from the filters back into the tank. ( I've never heard the fish make a single sound, ever!)  The birds in our mango tree are all chirping, cooing and such and it can get quite noisy (in a pleasant way though) in the mornings.  The sun is just beginning to warm our roof, so as it expands there's the regular pop of the wood beams expanding.  That sound used to scare me as a kid.
I'm sitting here in the corner, in my favorite spot, on my lazy-boy recliner and every now and then the well worn leather creaks to my movements.  I've finally got the chair warmed up to my body temperature and it feels cozy and comforting.  
Ha!  One of our pet rats (we have 2) just started snoring little rat snores!  It's so cute!  I always laugh at the way they sleep, sometimes curled up in a ball with their forehead on the floor between their legs.  The cage is near my chair so the air is filled with the smell of their redwood/cedar chips.  Nice and clean smelling because Bryan cleaned their cage yesterday.  
The house is in our typical lived-in clutter state.  Family pictures on the wall, lots of light houses about (we were collecting them at one point)...
(Bradley woke up)
Well Bradley has just woken up and his first question out of the blue was "You know E.T.,  The Extra Terrestrial?  Do you know what the inner planets are called? (answer: Terrestrial)"  He then went on to describe the most Earth-like of the planets (Mars) and how if we ever have to leave Earth we'll probably go there.  Good to know.
Thus ends my morning reverie.  The troops are stirring and will soon be hungry.  Sunday has started.  Have a great day!
Peace Love and Relaxing Sundays,
Rich

Life is Full,... and good

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Hey Everybody,

Just wanted to check in and catch you up on what's happening here at the Fewell's.

Bradley just turned 12 on April 4th.  This will be our last year before we have only teen-agers!  We are so blessed by our boys.  I used to dread being the father of teens, but so far I am mostly filled with appreciation and pride for my sons.  They mean the world to me and I am enjoying having a front row seat to watch them develop into men of character.  Nothing could make a father happier!

Our business is humming along.  (FuelUpHawaii.biz).  I have to say that it is amazing how much having these shared dreams and goals have brought Emily and I closer together.  We both have really caught this concept and are enjoying the ride.  It IS a lot of work for now and we are doing our very best with it.  We keep our eyes on the goal of freedom of finances and time and know that all this will payoff for our family in the future.

Emily and I are about to embark on another challenge too... P90X!  It is a workout commitment for about an hour every day for 90 days.  It is a little extreme and we are hoping for some extreme results too.  We start (the whole family) tomorrow morning!  There's no doubt in my mind that I will be sore for the next 90 days!  We've taken our measurements, "before" pictures, baseline fitness tests and we've got our equipment.  We're full of enthusiasm now, but tomorrow will be the real test of our resolve!  Every morning at 4:30am!  We're ready to BRING IT!

On a completely different note, I've been learning and playing with the Linux operating system lately!  It can get a little confusing and as my friend said, "... you have to be willing to get your hands dirty." in a digital sorta way.  Command lines, terminal, ssh, wget, and all manner of new terms are becoming a part of my vocabulary!  The reason I've taken the plunge is I have just become the owner of my own ham radio IRLP/Echolink node.  It is basically VOIP for radio.  It only runs on Linux.  I've lost some of you haven't I?  Suffice it to say I'm enjoying a greater degree of involvement with my ham radio hobby and leave it at that!

Our family has added a new member today!  We now have the rat called "Happy" as a part of our family.  The Mannings have had Happy for a while, but in light of their upcoming departure from the islands, she is joining our rats.  Happy is an all brown rat, unlike the "hooded" ones we've had all along. So far her integration seems to be going smoothly.

That's about it for now.  I just need to read a little before bed then get right to sleep for our workout tomorrow.  I'm trying to make a habit of reading every night.

Peace, Love and "Happy"-ness,

Rich

(P.S. Interested in any smoothie recipes you like!  I'm thinking of having one every morning after my workouts!!)

"What a Sight" by Bradley

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Hi friends!

Bradley, my youngest son, turned 12 this month! I can't believe it. Time does indeed fly by!

One of the highlights of last year was our backpacking trip through Haleakala. Recently, for school, Bradley had to write a freeform poem, and he chose to write about our trip. I think it is EXCELLENT and I wanted to share it with all of you.:


What a Sight
By Bradley Fewell

Eager to go we packed our bags.
We were ready for the hike.
Our bags filled with only necessary items.
We set off to Haleakala.
Our first day was the longest of them all.
Three hours in I was tired and hungry.
All twenty-five pounds of my bag were weighing me down.
Although the pain was unbearable,
I still had time to enjoy the desert look of the scenery,

What a sight.

After a while the terrain turned from desert to forest.
The birds made it seem nicer.
Soon enough it was raining harder than you can imagine.
We finally arrived at the first cabin.
Nine miles in we weren’t turning back.
When it got dark the stars were amazing,
It was like you could see every one.

What a sight.

The second day was the easiest day of all,
only six miles of straight flat terrain to the next cabin.
We started off,
all we could see was sand and rocks as far as the eye could see.

What a sight.

Every so often you would hear a Nene goose honk.
Silver Sword littered all over the land.
We finally arrived at the second cabin.
We thought we could explore the caves before dark.
When we were in the caves,
we couldn’t see our hands in front of our face.

What a sight.

From the roof of the cave twenty feet above our head,
to having to crawl on our bellies.
We thought we would be out before dark,
we were wrong.
We were lost and cold.
Without streetlights it was completely black.
About thirty minutes later we saw the lights of our cabin.

What a sight.

The next day was the last day of our hike.
With our feet aching there were only four miles left.
The only problem was it was all uphill.
When we got to the top the view was amazing.
You could see everything,
from the desert, to the forest, to the plains, to the mountains.

What a sight.


The End


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Union Mall,Honolulu,United States

2 strange dreams

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Weird night last night. 2 strange dreams.

In one I was being followed by 2 would-be robbers in a Mexican train stop, but I turned on them and gave them a piece of my mind and scared/shamed them into retreat.

In the second, I was with my family in the deep woods and we were detected and then stalked by an angry grizzly. I found an emergency kit which had pepper spray in it (convenient!) and I confronted the bear, squirted the most manini amount of spray into its eyes and it ran off into the woods.

In both instances I felt good about defending myself and standing my ground and being brave even if at first I was scared. Weird, huh? I don't know what my subconscious deems a threat but let the speculation begin! This time I don't know the right answer.

Happy Monday! Take a stand today!

Still Around

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Anybody still out there? I'm still around! Life is good, AND very busy. Much of my time is spent at work, and much of the rest is spent with my family building our small business.

I remember the blogging days. I think they are gone for me now. Too much time.

Hope you are all well!

Peace, Love and Aloha!,

Rich


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Keaolani St,Mililani,United States

GO SCIENCE! A TOS Review

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The TOS Homeschool Crew was pleased this month to have the opportunity to review Go Science DVDs, created by Mr. Ben Roy.  


Go Science is a creation-based DVD series offered by Library and Educational Services (LES), a wholesale supplier of books, CDs and DVDs and more, which are available for purchase by schools, libraries, churches, educators (home schoolers), and resellers. LES has been committed to excellence in customer service and product selection for over 30 years! When you call them, a real person answers the phone! 

I have been purchasing Adventures in Odyssey from LES for decades! I have also purchased many books and school supplies from them over the years.

To see my links below on the LES website you might need to create or log in to your LES account.


LES offered the TOS Crew the opportunity to select two DVDs (per reviewer) to use with their families to review.  The available Go Science DVDs are: Volume I: Motion: Discovering the Laws of Gravity and Motion; Volume 2: Simple Machines: Sound & Weather; Volume 3: Magnetism, Electricity, Engineering and Design; Volume 4: Chemistry, States of Matter, and Life Sciences; Volume 5: Air Flight, and Volume 6: Water, Space, and Solar System.  


For my son's interests, I chose Volumes 3 and 4. Volume 3 has 14 experiment segments in it, and Volume 4 has 11 experiment segments in it. All the information on the various DVDs is at the LES website through the links above to each volume.


Go Science DVDs are promoted as being appropriate for ages 6-14. The purpose of Go Science DVDs is to present science to children in a manner that will help them know and understand that science is cool, and it was created by our wonderful Creator! 

The subject matter contains experiments and subject matter that can hold the interest of these ages, even down to the interest level of a 2 or 3 year old!

However, I would say the presentation and demeanor of Mr. Roy lends these videos as being more appropriate for pre-school through early elementary than upper elementary through middle school. It would take a very tolerant 14 year old to sit through these demonstrations, where there are conversations like this: "Glendy, can you tell the boys and girls what this object is?" Glendy: "A light bulb." Mr. Roy: "That's correct! It's a light bulb! How many of you have light bulbs around? Oh, yeah! Lot's of people have light bulbs around..." Or, "Hey, have you ever heard sound?"

Mr. Roy is enthusiastic, but he seems to talk down to a pre-school level in these DVDs. For this reason, I think these DVDs will more easily hold the attention of kids 3-9 years old. There is material in these DVDs that can't be duplicated at home that is great for 10-14 year olds to be able to see, but I just wish he wasn't presenting it the way he does. I can't get my 12 year old to tolerate it.
About these DVDs:

•  This series was created for a television show called "Learning Time", and because of this each video clip stands alone. They strike me as clips that are also best viewed alone. Because each clip has a similar introduction and conclusion (like a television show does), these introductions and conclusions become redundant if you sit and watch the entire 25 minute DVD in one sitting.
• For some reason the volume level at times varies from one DVD clip to the next, which is another reason watching just one clip at a time makes sense.
• The experiments in these DVDs can't be duplicated at home. Because of that I consider the DVDs to have value for the students. My recommendation would be that a fun day's science could be created around each DVD clip (by the parent) so that the days science would consist of watching the Go Science movie clip for the day, and then the mom could present the students other hands-on experiments of a similar nature for the kids to do that day to complete the science class.
• Each movie clip ends with Ben Roy's wrap-up statement that, "Every time we learn something new about science, we learn something new about our Creator, God!" I appreciate Mr. Roy's heart for bringing children to God, but I don't feel this line is tied in very well. When the six year old learns that red and blue mixed together make violet, she doesn't necessarily know anything new about her Creator, just something about His creation... Maybe I'm just contrary... But if a program is going to end with that statement, it is my opinion that it should also include the statement of what today's experiment(s) demonstrated about the Creator. 
• Mr. Roy says, "I find that interesting!" to such excess that I find him disingenuous...

I find Go Science to contain great materials and great experiment demonstrations, but I find Mr. Roy difficult to listen to for very long. (I had a similar reaction years ago to a certain purple dinosaur... ) However, I know that there are other folks who like purple dinosaurs, and there are folks who like Mr. Roy and Go Science! So I want to make it clear that my personal preferences should not be your sole factor that you use to base your decision on as to whether or not to invest in some of these DVDs. Here's an idea... Watch this video clip and get a sample on your own to see what these DVDs are like:
Go Science DVDs are available through LES for $8.97 per DVD, or for $$47.95 for a six volume set.
Disclaimer:I received two Go Science DVDs in exchange for my honest review of the product. I did not receive any money for my review. To see more TOS Crew reviews of Go Science, go to the TOS Crew Page HERE.This has been a TOS Homeschool Crew Production. Please let me know your thoughts!

CapJaxMathFax - A TOS Review

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I have a son that generally does very well at math. He is advanced. I do not push him; he has just always been advanced. In Kindergarten, in Sunday School, the teachers would hand out pictures for the kids to color, and my son would turn the paper over to the blank side and write out addition problems and their solutions on the clean side. 
Nevertheless, even though he is good at Math, it has gotten to the point where he hates it. (If you've read my other posts, he actually hates most everything right now, especially if it wasn't his own idea, but more on that in another post.) Setting his learning issues aside, I was concerned about his Math because, although he generally does quite well, I had become convinced that he really doesn't have those Math facts down... not really.
I learned in March that the TOS Crew had the opportunity to try out CapJaxMathFax, and I jumped at the chance. 
CapJaxMathFax is a software program available from Starboard Training Systems, which is headed by Jack Fretwell. Jack Fretwell is Capt. Jack, although it appears to be a title as in captain of his sailing vessel, not a military captain. From their website's "About" page, Mr. Fretwell "earned a Master's degree in Educational Technology and has spent over thirty years in education and computers." 
Mr. Fretwell has been heading up CapJaxMathFax for ten years, and under his leadership many children have developed stronger Math skills, and corresponding confidence in Math. "Starboard Training Systems' goal is to help organizations that teach, train and mentor" children, so that not one is without basic math abilities. (That means they also want to help home schoolers.)  I like that goal!

So, what's so special about CapJaxMathFax that you should choose them? Well, here's what I know:

• CapJaxMathFax works with your student in a way that leaves them feeling fulfilled, with a sense of success and achievement;
• CapJaxMathFax is systematic, in a way that takes the student from beginning skills to mastery in all four basic operations. It simultaneously determines the student's level and objectives for practice, and then leads the student to success working independently at his or her own pace.
• CapJaxMathFax accomplishes its goals in a way that leaves the student feeling good about the process. There is a balance between challenge and success, pressure and achievement.
• CapJaxMathFax has a good feedback and evaluation system. Not only does the student receive feedback of his or her own progress, but also the parent/educator receives progress reports, so the "independent" work can be monitored by the mentor.

So a snapshot of the program:

1. Uses a computer to provide drill and practice so that practice time is not limited by teacher availability.
2. Automatically generates exercises. Teachers don't prepare quizzes. They merely provide the parameters for them.
3. Builds exercises for any of the four math tables (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) or any combination of tables.
4. Guarantees student success by taking small steps through levels of
   difficulty.
5. Can focus practice at a single level of difficulty or may review earlier levels.
6. Randomly generates problems without repetition.
7. Allows variable numbers of problems in an exercise.
8. Reduces learner stress by timing facts individually.
9. Provides immediate positive feedback for correct answers.
10. Provides extra reinforcement for fast, correct answers.
11. Displays an overall performance report at the conclusion of each exercise.
12. Prints reports for teacher review and for use as certificates of achievement.
13. Displays and prints item diagnostic details.
14. Uses a rating system that allows students to keep personal scores and
    set goals.
15. Charts student rating progress graphically.
16. Maintains a database of student activity over time.

Oh, I thought this was fun:
To add special interest, praise messages that appear at the end of rating sessions sometimes include a bottle icon.
So, here are the particulars:

• CapJaxMathFax is a downloadable math facts program available to you for $29.95. This fee pays for a license fee to use the program for 12 months.
• You can order a Free Evaluation Package to try this product out before you buy.
• My son didn't love it. (Don't be alarmed. He hates most things. Given more time, he will probably warm up to it.)
• This supplemental program will help your student memorize their math facts, which will help them in their required Math program at home and at school.
• This program adapts to the student, so your student can begin it at any age, any grade, and it can be beneficial for students from 1st grade (K, even) through high school, depending on the situation.

Disclaimer:I received a 6 month license key to CapJaxMathFax in exchange for my honest opinion in my review; I did not receive any pay.

This has been a TOS Crew Review. To see more reviews by other TOS Crew members, go to the TOS Crew Blog page for this review, HERE. I always welcome your comments on my reviews and other blog entries, so feel free to comment.