love

I am attending the CAPE convention this weekend (Christian Association of Parent Educators).    It is surprisingly inspiring and uplifting to be surrounded by so many like minded families.   I take great joy in seeing well rounded, wholesome, and polite teenagers walking around helping as volunteers.   It reminds me that we aren't necessarily leading our children down a road of being socially awkward and strange.  There are so many talented, wonderful children out there.    I left the convention last night feeling exceedingly blessed to be able to school our children at home.  

Hello All~
I wanted to share a few pictures from the month of April.  I have already emailed several of the Easter ones to family.  I have included a few of Aria's latest recital and other randoms as well.    Aria's recital was titled "American Kid."  She did more of a jazz number this time.     There are descriptions on each of the pictures.    It is such a busy month for us over here... and we are not even half way through it.  More pics to come!   Love to you all!

SJ

An interesting study was recently published... Although it was a fairly small test group, their findings are a bit of a no-brainer. Narcissists love Facebook. But stop and think for a moment - who do you know that's like this? Don't feed their dysfunction! I think, like anything else, if you know something is enabling a loved-one's unhealthy behavior - don't encourage it! What that means for you is not my call, though.

Every week I try to figure out how to cook healthy, easy, and yummy stuff.   I go back and forth between my old favorites and trying new recipes.   Brendan is my food critic (in a good way!).    I usually botch at least one dinner, end up making something fantastic one time a week, and almost always "edit" recipes to make them fit what's in my fridge.  In general, I shoot for a meat, fresh/steamed veggie, and perhaps a rice or bread.    Anyhoo... here is this week's dinner plans: (leave a comment if you want the full recipe)

Old but interesting news... I saw this article about an interesting method for controlling a dangerous pest in Guam. A news broadcast about this is linked to the left.

Well it's hard to believe but we are already at the end of January of the new year.   How time flies when you're having fun!    We have had a great month at the Johnson household.

Well, it's Friday.

fun fun fun fun

Another story of a family surviving disaster, which always tugs my heartstrings. A family in a sightseeing plain crashed and were immediately rescued by various good samaritans. The father expresses his gratitude to the people who saved then, rightly so. My first thought when watching the video, however, is not a reaffirmation of humanity but of God's hand in our lives.

Hello all!

We had a great first semester of kindergarten! I am still trying really hard to make sure we are doing the right curriculum and it seems like I daily second guess myself.   Aria is learning primary math and reading (thanks in many ways to my mom in helping me with the reading)  She is also doing: history, English, timeline (see below), Latin, bible, geography, science (we just completed the human body (It was literally like a mini college course on anatomy!!), music (theory and tin whistle and yes I hate teaching this part and pretty much rely on our group and Brendan for help with it!)  We dance around the kitchen constantly and do lots of wiggling in hopes of getting our jitters out.    She continues to study dance and is currently taking ballet and jazz.   We wanted to share just a little bit of what she is learning with those that we love.

Sarah Melissa Johnson (Ingersoll) is my wife. I've begun to realize how important it is for a person to openly confess their love for their spouse on a regular basis. Something more than an arm around the shoulder or a kiss on the cheek. So I want to tell you about Sarah, and what a beautiful person she is. This is a little scattered, but I have to finish it before the end of the day :)