Narnia Update

This semester I am teaching two classes at the kids home school co-op. They are both classes about C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. One is for first through third graders the other is 4th through 6th graders. Last week the family was ill so other parents filled in for my classes. This week I am having the older class do an art project. I am going to have each student draw title art for one of the chapters in Lion Witch and the Wardrobe. For the younger class we are going to make Reepicheep masks based on one of the most endearing characters from the series.

While I am very creative with words and ideas. I am not exactly what you would call artistic. Teaching a craft/story class has definitely been out of my comfort zone. For the older students it has been more along my comfort level. But to challenge the students and myself I have had 3 projects (1 writing, 1 drawing and 1 acting) along side the regular course work. Students (and teachers) all have different strengths and weaknesses. By giving myself and the students opportunities inside and outside are areas of comfort and expertise I think we are learning more than what we may have signed on for.

Happy Birthday Charlie! I Miss You Keith!

Today my son turns 8. It's an exciting day for me and also a difficult one. This is the first day of my Brother's birth month. He would have turned 39 this year. He died in April. I have blogged extensively about it here.



I have decided to celebrate my brother's life in a small way by separating all my posts this month by 39 hours. I will not be blogging about Him each time but He will definitely be on my mind. I will interrupt that cadence on Midnight November 11th (his birthday) to share little remembrances every 39 minutes. It is the kind of mathematical pattern that I think Keith would enjoy. To my facebook friends and family who remember Keith I encourage you to send remembrances to me and I will include them in my salute. I'll edit the montage afterward and make it available to you in a more accessible format.



Now back to my birthday boy. Let me give you a couple connections he has to Keith. Like Keith he is very logical and loves strategy games like Chess and Risk. Charlie was the last of my children to see my brother alive. I brought him to visit Keith and Keith helped him with his Chess Homework.



Charlie is in the same Cub scout pack as his cousin Bobby. I am taking them both together so Bobby has a male influence there. I hope to have a good picture of the both of them soon in scout uniform but here is one of Charlie for the time being.


Happy Birthday Charlie! I miss you, Keith! I Salute you both!

Pictures from captivity

Some pictures from our recent illness.

The past week the kids and I have been sick. Even though I hear some coughing in the background. We all seem to be for the most part well.
I thought I would just share a few pictures of the week that was.





Emma and Lucy baked cookies over the weekend. Lucy wanted one at bedtime. She fell asleep with it.

Here is a closeup.










On Wednesday the kids called me into Charlie's room. Here is what Charlie had picked out to wear.









Here is how I looked after being basically locked up with 3 sick kids for a week.









Here is how I felt.







So that's our week. I am glad we are all finally well and that I lived to tell the tale. I showed my face again this week. Now it's time for you to head over to Show my face dot com for more 6 word Saturday.

Next Time: Celebrating Charlie and Keith

The Most Wonderful Thing About Tiggers

Fits me to a T.

My Life in T-Shirts

When I was in college, my sister bought me a real cool Tigger shirt. I won't describe the front as you should be looking right at it. But the back had the Tigger song printed on the back: You know the one . . .

The Wonderful Thing about Tiggers

Is Tiggers are wonderful Things

Their Tops are made out of Rubber

Their Bottoms are made out of Springs

They're Bouncy, Trouncy, Flouncy, Pouncy Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun!

But the most wonderful thing about Tiggers is, I'm the only one.

It continues (although I'm not sure it continues on the shirt)

Tiggers are wonderful fellas

Tiggers are awfully sweet

Everyone ellis is jealous! That's why I repeat repeat

I loved that shirt. That shirt got through college, made it through 2 years in Russia. There's a picture of me wearing it in my yearbook from seminary. My wife wore it on a missions trip to Turkey in 2000. Sometime after that it came up missing. It had a long and storied life so I didn't grieve too much for it, but I sure do miss it. It would have made quite the adult t-shirt turned kid's pajamas.

This post is one in a series of remembrances of t-shirts past. Some people may wonder why I'm so nostalgic about t-shirts. The truth is, I'm nostalgic about everything. I'm nostalgic about the future. Here is a quick ditty I just composed to the Tigger tune that may explain my love for t-shirts.

The most wonderful thing about t-shirts

Is t-shirts are quite fun to wear

They're great to roll up your sleeves in

They help you let down your hair

They're cool, they're stylish, some think they're childish and while I will not bicker

the most wonderful thing about t-shirts is they're frontwards bumper stickers!

Well that's it for me for today. I like t-shirts. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Head on over to Half Past Kissin' time for more fragmented Friday fun.

Next Time: Pictures

3 Things This Thursday

Thursday is here again. It is so punctual. Here are 3 Things . . .


1. We've had sickness here for about a week. Amy has been well and working. But the rest of us have had flu like symptoms. I don't think it's H1N1 but we've missed church, Awana, dental appointments (scheduled for 3 months and rescheduled in 3 months) and our weekly home school co-op just to be sure. Charlie is still sick and his birthday party is this Sunday. Friday we'll decide if we need to reschedule. By now we are having some pretty good cabin fever. Hopefully, everybody will feel better soon.

2. White Collar (USA)

My wife told me about a show that premiered last week called White Collar. She said it was kind of like Numb3rs without the math. Like Numb3rs and the Mentalist the show revolves around a government agency and an unusual type of analyst they bring in. The analyst in this case is a convicted fraudster played by Matt Bomer. I was familiar with Bomer's boyish good looks, charm and charisma and realized I've been watching him for the past 2 years on Chuck as he played Super Spy Bryce Larkin.

I like this show. I like the chemistry between Bomer and his FBI associate. Their chemistry reminds me of a similar show I used to watch with my Dad in the mid 70's called Switch starring Eddie Albert as the cop, Robert Wagner as the con, and a young Sharon Gless as their secretary.

3. What's wrong with the Church?

A few months ago I got a great title for a blog feature. The problem has been I have not really been able to blog about it successfully. I am having a little trouble fleshing it out. I'm not in my 20's or early 30's anymore so I am no longer trying to describe and solve all the worlds problems. I hope this segment despite it's title is more cure and less diagnosis.

For today let's just say that I'm what's wrong with the church. As a result of the fall there is only one thing that I can do really well. Sin. Anger. Pride. False humility. Jealousy. That's what I bring to the table. Now, the triune God I serve can cover all those things, easy. But when "I" go to church and not "a little Christ" as Christian can be defined, that's when we've got trouble. I know I'm not the only one who can screw up the church but I'm the one I can do the most about.

Let me ruminate more on this and I'll be back again to tell you what else is wrong with the church and what I think can be done about it. Until then, that's 3. I have to go check on the troops.

If you'd like to join in this week please do. Just click on Mr. Linky.




Next Time: The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers

Facial Hair Survey

Beard or no beard. You decide.

I have been growing beards much of my adult life. 15 years ago at 30 I noticed a little grey in my beard and I thought it was distinguished. This may have been because the grey was limited to my beard and was about 5-10 strands in total.

After Amy and I got married and we started having kids I developed a beard system. I would generally stay clean shaven during the pregnancy and would stop shaving once the baby was born. I would then keep the beard until the child's first birthday and shave it off. When my oldest turned one, she was asleep when I shaved my beard and left for work. When I came home she literally did not know who I was. When I spoke, her expression changed from "who is that strange man in my house? (Do expressions come in quotes?) to "Ah, that strange man in my house is Daddy.".

My youngest turned 1 almost 3 years ago and I have gone pretty much beardless since. This year since by birthday was a multiple of 5 (Hint: in paragraph 1, I said 15 years ago I was 30.) I decided to try out the old beard again.

Have you ever noticed that in before after photographs the subject is always better dressed, better groomed more spruced up then in the before pictures? Sure, you have.Not here at Home School Dad. We don't play that way.

Here I am a few weeks ago right before I started growing the beard.








And here I am a few weeks later with the beard.


So what do you think beard or no beard? Let me know.


I literally showed my face today. You don't have to show your face to participate in Six Word Saturday. Just shoot on over to Show My Face Dot Com.


Next Time: What's wrong with the Church?