Language Arts was a bit different today.  I read an article about an upcoming Dr. Phil show that portrays homeschoolers in a very unfavorable way.  My kids were outraged as well, and thus their response was just like Mama--"We should write somebody a letter!"  One wrote to Sean Hannity, one to O'Reilly and one to Rush Limbaugh.  Now they have a little contest going to see who might get a reply-- or better yet, some action.... You never know...  Check this out:

http://localhs.com/scuttle/2006/10/great-school-debate.asp   and after you can see the promo for Friday on Dr. Phil's web site.

I guess better late than never.  I've been absent for a long time and have all but abandoned my blog-- & everyones!  So RESOLUTION:  I promise to try to sort of maybe update my blog on a weekly or semi-weekly basis-- or more-- or less--  but better than seasonaly.  *bg*

So where have I been-- some of you have asked?  I didn't die-- OK, I almost did.  It's a very long story that started out with a cross country road trip, a site seeing blister and then a long stay in a Kansas hospital with a very dangerous blood poisoning.  Anyway, I think I'm finally fully recovered.  We started school late and I feel as though I've been scrambling to get back on track ever since.  As you can see, blogging was very far down on my list of priorities.  But I do miss you-- some of the friendships I was beginning to share-- and I miss the little escape of almost journaling.    So, I'm back!  I'll write more really soon...PROMISE!!  I might even post a picture or two if I can remember how-lol!

OK-- The water is perfect and the kids are getting excited-- so the date has been set for this Wednesday!  No sunscreen necessary-- just pop on over to my blog and we'll introduce the kids to each other.   Please tell all your friends, --the more the merrier!  We're making homemade ice cream and strawberry lemonade.  See you then!

The POOL PARTY is coming soon!  If your kids have a blog here and are interested in "meeting" other kids-- leave me a comment.  I promise not to hit you with any water balloons! @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Do your kids have a blog?  Mine are new at this and just getting their "feet wet"-- so I thought why not throw a pool party and make some new friends!  If your kids have a blog and want to join the fun, leave me a comment with the link-- post it on yours too, so we can get the word out and then next week sometime we can make a big splash! 

Head on over to historyJonah and see if you can post the correct answer to his history question.  Poor little guy is a bit discouraged as nobody ever visits his blog-- but we're new at this.  I'm trying to encourage him to hang in there!  As a bonus, we'll send a Jonah original civil war drawing to whoever posts the correct answer first!  Thanks!!

I was visiting 4evrHischild and loved her idea of blog hopping, going to a friend and then a friend of that friend and so on.  Anyway I had a lovely time visiting a friend of my good friend, Gabalot.  Her friend, kindredspiritmom truly lived up to her name, I went on to ReneeM and then to Faithinlove-- two more pleasant stops, and then duty called.  But what a fun afternoon.  It was almost like going to tea with old and new friends.  Thanks ladies!

The kids played Iron Chef again last night.  The secret ingredient....

HAMBURGER!!

Look at the variety...  beautifully plated lemon and mint patties with goat cheese, a stuffed pasta shell with meatballs and Italian Wedding soup, and a twist on a classic-- a burger with spicy ranch dressing, jalepenoes and avocado.   ...And I didn't have to lift a finger-- well not until time to clean up anyways.  All in all it was a GREAT time and well worth the mess!

After making paper poppies in children's church, I challenged the kids to give the flower away and ask, "Who will you remember?"  Memorial Day is so much more than a white sale or a chance to sleep in- after all.  I am blessed to be able to remind my own kids of how fortunate they are to live in America and to instill in them the grateful attitude that we need to have for those who put their lives on the lines in defense of our freedoms.  But my heart goes out to the children in our liberal northern CA town-- who get the opposite message.  It's exciting to have opportunities like this to possitively influence.

So who did you remember?  Of course I think of the boys I know from our church who are currently fighting-- and thanking God for protecting them.  But I also think back in time to all the soldiers of past wars, from the beginning of this great nation to the war between the states and the war to end all wars.  I remember with pride the stories handed down of how my great grand pappy rode with Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders up San Juan Hill.  I'm in awe of what it took to become and sustain America.  It isn't just a dream, but the blood of many who cared enough.  A speaker at the Memorial Day service challenged us to stand tall in defense of America.  All we face is the harsh criticism and biting verbal attacks of the politically correct... but look at the very real and deadly bullets that our soldiers are willing to face.

Who did you remember?

Danny is out of critical care.  The swelling on his brain hasn't gone down yet but he can speak and remember and walk...  God is watching over him for sure. 

He was just in a serious car accident.  Thanks everyone!!!!

Sometimes I think God should just whack me on the side of the head until I get it...  (but I'm glad He doesn't).  I just finished hosting a home school tea at my church.  This was something I definitely felt He was calling me to do.  But in April we all got sick.  When the date was postponed until May-- I thought, "Terrific, I'll have plenty of time to promote this!"  But you know how life sometimes gets in the way...  I missed a couple of deadlines for publishing the event.  Then our town didn't hang the banner I had made.  I even had a hard time getting people to put up flyers in their store windows-- but we finally got about a dozen up.  Needless to say, I was discouraged.  I'm married to a promoter, but I couldn't promote my way out of a box!  I felt that I was letting down our Pastor's wife who was co-hosting this with me; and I felt that I was letting down God. 

But, you know, I'm thanking Him, that He finally helped me to give this project back to Him.  It would be whatever it was He wanted it to be.  Six of us sat down to tea together-- not the grand event I had first envisioned, but oh so grand in its own way.  This neat little group with two major things in common-- a love of God and a love of the children He blessed us with-- were able to sit down together and really talk about all the different ways we could educate our children.  Maybe I didn't "win masses over" to the calling of home schooling; but that's not what was in His plan.  Maybe just a few more families will be blessed as abundantly as our family has been, and maybe they will go on to touch others lives and so on and so on. 

I have learned a lot at this tea party.  I can't wait until next year's.

When I think about a root canal-- and doesn't everyone like to contemplate this? -- I think about all of the crud and gunk that is scraped away in order to make room for a stronger more durable substance that will save the tooth and make it usable.  I recently read an article in Home School Enrichment, "The Necessity of Replacing Evil with Good"  that really hit it.  Maybe everyone else had this figured out, but it was new to me.  Basically, what I learned is that true repenting involves not only stopping the offensive behavior but REPLACING it with good.  If I am quick to anger then I need to not only work on stopping the temper tantrum, but praactice replacing this with loving and kind words, patience and peacefulness. 

So many times, as Christians we just want to eliminate that which offends from our lives.  One example in the article was of a person replacing the horrid music with perhaps Christian music-- we shouldn't just stop listening to music altogether.  This leaves a hole to be filled.  Our family hates what is currently on tv and in the movies (except the food channel, history channel and fox news...  but even then...?)  We replace this "entertainment" with old movies and more book reading, game playing etc.  

We can use this replacement to help our kids in their daily walk.   Teach them to not just say, "sorry!"  when they hurt a sibling, but then require that they spend time going out of their way to do kind things for that sibling. 

The article offers so much more.  I highly recommend it.  Maybe you can read it in the waiting room of the dentist's office.  It will take your mind off the root canal!

ps-- It's good to be HOME!! --even if I do have a pile of laundry again!!

It's odd to not be on a computer for over a week!  I'll blog later on the incredible adventure but for now-- I'm attemting to spread the word of this contest:

Spunky is giving away a Benz Microscope and Apologia Biology Set this week. Click Here to get the details.

Not very often, but every once in a while I question myself regarding children's church.  I teach every week a group of kids from ages 4 to 12;  it can be anywhere from 5 to 25 kids.  The past few months I began giving myself one week off/month to be in the "big" church worshipping with my family.  I figured that this would protect me from burn out-- and once a month the kids get a chance to worship with their own families, model the parents, attempt to sit still, help God teach the parents a lesson in patience...etc.
 
So now and then I ask myself, "Why am I doing this?"  Yes.  I know why... but usually it is 10:30 on a Saturday night when I have yet to figure out what I'll be teaching.  Who is my audience?  How many will there be?  Will I have more 5 year olds this time?  What if the pre-teens show up?  
 
...And wouldn't you know it?  This will generally be the Sunday that God blesses me with a whack to the side of the head or a GIANT, shining light bulb-over-the-head-AHA moment.  

 On Palm Sunday I got up early and headed out to church in the rain-- 26/27 days of straight rain?  I got the palms out of the refrigerator to prepare for the parade.  I put the sign up to collect coats to lay down and then later gather up and donate somewhere.  I found the construction paper and taped together six crosses-- for a worship project.  Church began.  I ran forward, gathered the kids, took them out the side door, handed out palms with about 17 brief explanations, ran around to the front of the church and helped the children parade throughout the coats up and down the aisles waving their palms-- and passing more out to the congregation, and all the while-- did I mention that the button had broken on my skirt and it was threatening to slip off through this whole ordeal?

 No problem.  If you've read this far, let me attempt to reward you.  Why do I do it?  I was reminded long after the children were home.  I stayed to finish gluing the crosses together and hang them in the "big" church.  We did a thing I found called the colors of the cross.  The children wrote out notes of worship about the different colored crosses:  the red cross for the blood of Jesus, the black for our sin, the white for redemption and heaven, the purple for royalty, the green for our growth in our Christian walk and the blue for baptism.
 
As I'm gluing the notes along with scripture verses on the various crosses, I notice one in the blue cross pile that says, "I'm not baptized yet, but I will be."  I have no idea which child wrote it.  It's California.  We get different kids coming quite often-- that maybe come once or twice --and then I don't see them again.  But oh my!  How pure and sweet and simple...what childlike faith.  ...I will be...  This is why I do it.  I get to be used by Our Father! What greater privilege is there?

I'm sitting here at the computer and a parade of stuffed animals is coming in bring gifts of ding dongs, cheetos and the likes!!  I honestly thought that my sweeties were making me a birthday breakfast-- like they have all the past years!  Where is my coffee????  The pile is so high now I can hardly see my computer screen!  Sigh...  Where is my coffee?!!  My one dear son says, "It's hard to believe you're 29, Mamma!"  I told him that I agree-- as it gets harder to believe each year!  lol--WHERE's my COFFEE?!!

My mom  is incredible.  Not only that, but she is probably one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.  She is always smiling.  She never complains.  She never has anything bad to say about anyone.  She looks for the good in everyone and always gives the benefit of the doubt. 

Yesterday I got out of the house for a bit after being cooped up with three sick kids for a week, and nothing but rain.  It still rained-- but I got out.  My hubby stayed home with the kids and sent me to Coldwater Creek to find myself a birthday present.  He wanted me to try on and set aside a few things that he might go back later and "surprise" me with... but with everyone under the weather... it made more sense just to buy my own present this year.

So I was talking to my mom on the way to Coldwater and we were remembering past shopping trips-- we've always birthday shopped together for as long as I can remember.  It was my favorite escape from life with four brothers.  Usually we would cap it all off with a hot fudge sundae!  I was missing her company on this trip as she has recently had foot surgery and it's pretty difficult for her to get around.  But does she complain?  No.  She comes up with the fun idea of shopping together over the cell phone! 

I kid you not!  I brought the phone in the dressing room and described various outfits.  She is better at coordinating things than I-- and remembers what I already have that might match... etc.  I have no idea what the other people in the dressing rooms thought-- but it was SO MUCH fun!!  

And--  she KNOWS me!   She said if there are two things that I can't choose between-- to buy them both and one could be from her.  She's the best.  We didn't get to spend the day together in person-- and there was no hot fudge, but I know I will never forget this particular shopping trip.   ...And THAT is why I want to be just like my mom when I grow up!

...we're busy studying."  That's what our answering machine says.  My dear v.l. friend (who I love so much) thinks we should change this to "we're busy blogging"!

I must confess this has consumed most of the last couple of days here, partly because the dc are all sick and I'm suffering from cabin fever, but mainly because it's all so NEW!!  I'm sure the novelty will wear off and I'll be back to our normal routine and just using this as a tool to keep me writing and to record the life of our little homeschool-- but for now?

It reminds me of my first homeschool convention, CHEA in Ontario, CA.  I was awestruck!  There were over 5000 people there all doing the same thing I was about to do and for primarily the same reason!  They all had heard God's call too!!  Is that amazing?

Sometimes we feel so alone in our little homeschool and in our little walks with God-- and then He blesses us with something like this.  I love hitting the random blog button because you never know what will come up or who God will use next to encourage and inspire. 

There has been much talk lately about our boys of today and their "failure to launch."  I'm supposing some of the current discussion stems from the movie with the same name-- and, hey the movie wasn't made before the 50's so I haven't seen it-- but that's another blog.  Anyway, apparently this young man moves back in with his parents and has no ambition whatsoever.  Now all the psychologists, sociologist, and radio talk show babblers are noticing the trend and asking, "WHY?"  There is even a topnotch board of experts forming project boys to study the matter.  Not  to lessen their efforts, but, come on... it isn't rocket science. 

Just take a look at our media-- #1 --and see what we've done to the male role model.  The average  guy on tv is a dork.  The kids and wife are always smarter.  He's just a bumbling fool. 

#2-- and this is why we homeschool-- look at what they are teaching America's kids.  The textbook publisher's requirements are astonishing.  Illustrators of the textbooks in California-- (and that is the market all publishers work for)  cannot include pictures of a man in a position of authority or strength.  Doctors must always be women.  Grandmothers cannot be shown in a rocking chair, with glasses reading to their grandchildren....  The list goes on.Check it out: http://www.homeschoolchristian.com/Features/BannedWords.html These might seem subtle-- but that's the trick.  Of course the obvious curriculum maladies of systematically destroying all of the male heroes from Jefferson to Reagan, from Custer to Bill Gates. (Again-- that's another blog!)

#3 They keep telling us that girls and boys are the same-- They're not..  God made us with differences, and we should celebrate this.  It's not a bad thing.  I'm glad that I'm not as strong as my husband.  I'll gladly have him lift the water jug on the dispensor-- because once I start doing it myself-- he's no longer needed. 

Which brings me to-- why should these boys launch.  The girls are in the workforce, the men are no longer needed and the feminist left has made that their goal.  With all this that our boys are up against (not to mention all the talkshow phsycobabble about getting in touch with their feminine side)  it's no wonder they won't go out and have a life and be the men God intended them to be.  I'd be hiding under the covers!

I truly thank God that I can homeschool, and somewhat shelter them from these undue influences.  I also thank Him for John Wayne movies and Errol Flynn!