Little Women
• Dec. 14, 2009 - City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Rushed with holiday chores
In the air there's a fearing of Christmas.
People honking, children whining,
Meeting elbows and a sneeze,
And on every street corner you hear:
"Hurry up! This takes too long!
I can't believe all this traffic!"
Beep-beep-beep, I'm so busy,
Soon it will be Christmas Day! (sing last line with hands tearing out hair!) |
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• Dec. 14, 2009 - When what "everybody knows" might not be true
• Nov. 19, 2009 - Mary versus Martha--a stunning realization
Most of us, of course, have read the story of Mary and Martha. I think most of us would love to be like Mary, too--but real life calls. I'm sure some are less practical than I am, but really, SOMEBODY had to feed those men--at least 14 of them (Jesus, 12 disciples, Lazarus, and who knows how many besides).
I mean, sitting around, listening to Jesus would be awesome! I would love to be able to just sit and do that. But doesn't someone have to cook a meal?
I have thought this way for years, until yesterday. I was reading "Choosing the Better Part," by Joanne Calderwood, in Home School Enrichment magazine. She just casually referred to this, as it she didn't realize how earth-shattering it was. But what she said was--
Martha did not "have to cook the meal." Who was she cooking for? Jesus--the guy who could feed 5000 people on 2 fish and a little bit of bread! Martha was all caught up in "I've got to provide for everybody," and she totally missed the fact that the provision was not her responsibility, at all.
Not that Jesus couldn't have asked her to feed them. He certainly did use people's gifts, and ate what they served. But He didn't NEED Martha to provide for His needs.
I haven't fully digested all the ways this works itself out, yet. It's clear, though, that this impacts a lot of the stuff I do--it's not me finding the perfect curriculum, or helping out X person, or doing whatever that meets the needs. It's all about Jesus. |
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• Nov. 16, 2009 - Biblical issues with Augustus Caesar's World
For those who care--Augustus Caesar's World does NOT do a good job of presenting topics related to Biblical history. I understand that these ideas are fairly common, but I was very surprised to find them so very badly handled in this book, which is extremely popular in the homeschool world. I can't believe nobody is mentioning them, at least as a caution. (For those who don't know me, I do NOT typically go off the deep end about stuff. I just think people should be saying something like "this book is good for XYZ areas, but warn your kids about how she handles the Bible." Better yet, make it a read-aloud, so you can discuss it on the spot.)
p. 186ff There is a big section about the Jewish law. It starts with the somewhat typical "most of the OT was written after Babylonian captivity." (I wasn't really expecting this, from a book written as long ago as Foster's books were, I think.)
It continues with the idea that, during their time in Babylon, the Jews view of God changed from a vengeful God of war to a God of righteousness and justice.
Then it goes even further, stating that when the Jews were "just shepherds roaming the Arabian desert (???)", their god was just one of many "strange spirits which seemed to people the desert world about them," and asserts that as they traveled around, they sacrificed their children to this god, "for their protection"!!! Then, "fearing that their desert god would have no power in this land of green pastures and villages, they adopted the local gods of the Canaanites." I gather this is supposed to be said of Abraham, as it goes on with "later....they accepted the gods of the Egyptians."
It goes on to say that Moses "brought them to the worship of one God, whose name was Jahveh "the thunderer," whose dwelling place was the volcano Mt. Sinai...." Etc.
p. 279
- Jesus' name meant "helper of God."
- The 2 stories telling of his birth do not agree--"not a great surprise , for they were not written until after eighty or ninety years had passed. Seen through the distance of so many years, facts lose their sharp outlines and often appear strange and mysterious"
- Matthew was a Jew, "so he connected the birth of Jesus with old King Herod, who in the Year 1, had been dead four years." This, despite her having just said that Jesus was probably between 4 and 8yo, by year 1!
p. 286, a youthful Jesus is supposedly musing about the law and the prophets. OK, he probably DID think about them, and at least this is respectfully done, until the end: "How did they know what God wanted them to say?...But who was to judge whether a prophet was true or false?" Implies that one cannot know.
p. 287 states that the prophets were interested in only one question "How can we live in this world with other people and be happy?" !!!
p. 289 Amos is stated to be the first book of the Bible actually written down.
p. 290-291 Hosea and Micah "saw [God] as more gentle and loving than Amos imagined him." "And, just as they had feared, the blow fell first upon Israel." (That's more an implication, rather than stating outright the idea that they were just speaking out based on reading current trends.)
p. 293-294 the Jews learned in Babylon (from Zoroaster) the ideas of paradise, angels, and the devil; "it was to be a heavenly kingdom...ruled over by some celestial being."
p. 303-304 Jesus in the temple, stated to be at age 12 in Matthew, 14 by Luke's count, for some inexplicable reason. Then, "Confused and puzzled over many things he had seen and heard, he found many questions he wished to ask the teachers in the Temple. They could tell him, he felt sure..."
p. 319, after several lengthy quotes picked and chosen from Jesus' teachings, "Each human being then holds the key to the Kingdom of Heaven, for it lies within."
p. 324, speaking of Paul, "He was on his way to Damascus....when, suddenly along the highway, he fell. And as he lay their in the dust and heat, he had a vision. Jesus seemed to speak to him..." (Here, it's an implication, clearly, that he just fell, maybe hit his head or something, rather than that he saw a light and Christ, and therefore fell.)
p. 325 speaking of Paul in Rome, "because of Paul's teaching, the belief that Jesus was the Messiah or Christ, though it died out among his own people, spread ...through the Roman world." (This is not historically true. It was as common among Jews as among Gentiles until the Roman Emperor took it for all Rome, and then persecuted Jews.)
I haven't read the book thoroughly. My 15yo was horrified, so she showed me the first section; then I looked through the other sections that seemed to relate to Biblical teaching.
I must say that it makes me question how much she understands of other world events, given how little she seems to understand of the Bible. (Even if she takes it from a liberal perspective, still she is not letting it speak for itself as a source.) |
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• Jul. 1, 2009 - Using a timeline with primary children
I've seen this question a few times, and realized I had figured out a way to help kids understand what a timeline is, and how they work. I thought it might be helpful to others, as well.
I have a little spiel I run through with my kids, the first time. It never has taken us very long, but if my child were getting bored, we'd leave parts for another day. (I've done this 3 times.)
This is a book that helps us remember when things happened in time.
You were born on [April 3, 2002, eg]. Let's write that right here. Here are the dates for this page, so right HERE, we'll write your name and birthdate.
Now, if we go back a few pages, we come to the dates when Mommy was born. It's between these years (show markings at the top), so we'll write Mommy and her birthdate here.
And here's Daddy's, [January 15, 1963, eg].
If we keep paging back, we come to your grandparent's birthdays, so let's put them in here. [Grandma X is right here: October 5, 1940; Grandpa X.... etc.]
What do you suppose happens if we page way, way back, even to HERE? This, right here, is when Jesus was born. Let's write that in. [Depending on child, they can draw a Christmas tree, etc.]
So now we can see when Jesus was born, when Grandma was born, all the way to when YOU were born.
What other things do we know of, that happened a long time ago?
[They might bring something up, or I might remind them of somethings we've recently been discussing, like the Fourth of July, or Columbus Day, or whatever.]
Let's find out where that goes. Oh, here it is. Let's write that in.
Then, for the next several times we get out the book, I find what they've put in before, and do a quick reminder. Then we add, "so, today, we read about so-and-so. He lived around this date, so let's add him to our book."
With this method, even little kids can often get an idea of how the book works. You could do this with a wall-based timeline, too.
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• Mar. 25, 2009 - balance between obedience and child's needs
I seem to be on a roll, today, with the "helpful philosophical" posts.
This one was posted elsewhere, originally, in response to a question about a 6yo who is struggling with "obeying" during reading time, sitting still to do work, writing when asked (as opposed to just when she wants to), etc. I thought there was a lot here that could apply to other similar situations, as well. Hope it helps someone! :)
There is a balance at issue here, I think.
On the one hand, you do need her to obey. Some kids are really challenging, and we have to stay on top of this. It makes homeschooling hard, but it also makes us do what we would really NEED to figure out a way to do, anyways--deal appropriately with our child's behavior.
On the other hand, she is only 6yo. Many 6yos have a hard time with a variety of things, from sitting still to writing much to paying attention.
--most kids go through a time while learning to read when they CAN read, but it's really, really hard for them
--most kids find that the excitement of what they WANT to do carries them through hard things like writing, but without that excitement, it's too much
--many kids have trouble with things like lighting, too much excitement, too much of little brother running around playing, etc
Even for me, if something is really hard (like balancing the checkbook) I tend to put it off as long as possible. If something is hard but interesting (maybe reading a good book, or going to the zoo even though I know I will be very tired afterwards), I will push through and do it anyways. If I've been out under store lighting, with loud music, or too much kid-noise, I cannot function well.
I don't see that as an obedience issue. I see that as "let's learn to do what we need to" but also as "let ME be sympathetic to something that is genuinely hard for you."
My 2nd was my biggest struggle in this regard. I learned a couple things, over the years.
--at 6yo, she could do 45 minutes of seatwork. It could be anything from math to science, but after 45 minutes, she was DONE. She just couldn't handle any more
--I followed someone on here's advice and we did EVERYTHING orally, except hand-writing itself. If the purpose of the page wasn't handwriting, we did it orally. For her, that was HUGE. (For other kids, it might not be, but you might find some-thing else that would be good for yours.)
--I learned when she was getting upset, to stop and give her a hug. This was hard for me, because I was thinking "discipline," but what she needed (as God showed me, when I finally asked!) was love. After a bit, she can settle down and do her work. She was well past 6 before I learned this, but I think it would have worked sooner, as well.
--My sister pointed out--there is no reason to fight a 6yo over learning to spell "CAT." They will figure it out by 3rd grade or so, anyways, so why waste the effort! 
For what it's worth, I think 6yo is the HARDEST age to teach. We start feeling like they need to buckle down. We wonder if they will EVER learn to read or sit, and our own reputation feels on the line. We think, "it's time NOW," but often, they are just not ready.
It is a balance, though, which you have to find for yourself, through prayer.
I'm not sure I've got it right, for us, yet. |
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• Mar. 25, 2009 - Things I've learned about dawdling and indepencence
What do you do with a dawdler? How can you help your kids be more independent? Very common questions amount homeschoolers, especially when the kids are between 7 and 10 or so.
We expect our preschoolers to need help and time. Most of our teens have gotten some independence (as long as we check up on them!). But we keep thinking our elementary kids SHOULD be doing better--and why aren't they. It would free us up so much, if they would just do what they know they should......
Kids are so different in when they can handle this. My 1st did pretty well with a list at about 8yo. My 2nd was more like 11! Eight years old seems to be the minimum age for most kids to start being more independent, but a lot are much later.
When my oldest was 8yo, the first thing I tried was a list. For some reason, this really clicked with her. She had really thought that, when she finished one thing, I would just give her another, so why rush? When she saw that there was a specific list, and a few days later, when she figured out that as soon as she finished it she was DONE, it was a huge thing for us!
My second had a much harder time, as she continued to get distracted from the list. She was probably 11 before she could really go through a list reliably. For her, I found a timer to be very helpful. I would set the timer for 20 minutes, then give her another 10 if she wanted it. After that, the subject was over, and she moved on to the next thing. At the end of the day, the rest was "homework."
Oh, how she hated homework! It doesn't make sense to me as an adult, but it felt very different to her. She might have taken 20 minutes to do 5 problems during school time, but as "homework," she could do the remaining 20 problems in 5 minutes! It may be that giving her mind a break helped her. It also, I think, was that it was so obvious that it was her own time she was wasting!
Eventually, we invested in a 3-light timer, that switches from green through yellow to red, which helped her a lot. She learned to pace her work better, and to be more aware of it passing. She loved this, until her little sister poured water on it. Sigh. (They cost $40, and I don't think she really needs it any more, so I may not replace it.) For the couple of years she used it, though, it was WELL worth the money to us.
Of course, the dawdling versus independence problem exists in other areas, as well.
We have successfully used the Managers of their Chores idea, where you put each chore on a little card, then tuck them into a plastic cover that clips onto their clothes. (These are like the ones used as nametags sometimes. I think you can get them at an office store.) They are easy to stick the cards in and out of, though. The kids are reminded by the feel of the chore-pack on themselves, and they just flip the card they are using to the back when they are done. My older kids prefer a checklist, but since we have just changed their jobs around, and they weren't doing very well at getting to them, I am insisting on the chore-packs for several weeks. Once they get all the parts down, I won't make the older 2 use them.
The latest thing we are trying is the workbox method. (Chores are still on the chore-pack for all kids, but 8yo has workboxes.) I used magazine boxes (about $6 or so for 3-6 of them at IKEA), on her desk. She does one, then moves to another. A couple of them have fun things. This is really helping my 8yo. My older 2 weren't interested--they are used to the checklists by now.
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• Mar. 9, 2009 - Can't sleep; might as well organize!
I had trouble sleeping tonight (not unusual for me), so I finally decided to get up and try a few things.
I had read earlier today about a method for organizing your child's school day by putting each item into shoe boxes, on a neat rack. Here's the basic system: http://www.workboxsystem.com/ And here are some pictures of what it looks like in the end: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LeslieNelsen (Look for March 4 and again March 8.) It looks like a really cool idea, but I didn't want to just run out there and buy a bunch of stuff that I won't use. (Starting and organizing things is easy for me, but actually DOING it is a lot harder.)
So, I looked around the house to see if I had something I could "try it out" with. I found a bunch of magazine racks (cardboard, from IKEA, very inexpensive). I grabbed them and put them in a row across my 3rd grader's desk. There turned out to be 9 of them, plus 2 notebooks. The "system" suggests 12, but that's what fits.
I was able to fill them easily: Awana and Bible in one; a sheet with a song she loves to sing with me in the next; a card to send our state legislator; her language arts book; her math book; a jump rope; etc. I think she'll have fun with it. It's a good visual to see where she is in her day.
Now, to figure out how to sample the idea for my K! I need more magazine boxes, or some such!
Earlier in the evening (when I was supposed to be awake, I revamped our Managers of their Chores chore cards. The 3rd grader had lost 1/3 of hers, and I needed to see if the other ones were still the jobs I wanted them to do. I got all the new lists made of what each person should do when (including ME!), though I only got the cards made for 3rd grader. K cards are still about right, though, and they are the 2 who most need them.
Now if I could just find a store that sells persistence, discipline, and keep-pushing-to-the-end-ability, we'll be in FINE shape! :) |
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• Mar. 6, 2009 - praying for the President
I just found out that the Presidential Prayer team does still exist. ( www.presidentialprayerteam.org )
(For those who read my previous post, I had lost touch with them and thought they did not exist, so I was hoping to post weekly prayers. However, I ran out of ideas and it became "pray again for this....." and then I ran out of computer time. I was, however, still praying.)
Let's not forget to keep President Obama in our prayers--he (and we all) desperately need it! |
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• Nov. 27, 2008 - praying for leaders
I have been spacing the blog for a bit, but still praying. For this week, let's
pray that Pres-elect Obama's team will come together well.
Pray for unity when working on things that are godly, and that they will not be able to work together well on anything they shouldn't be doing (which, from past history, WILL come).
Pray that they will learn the things they need to about their upcoming jobs, and prepare for what they will need to do.
Pray for President Bush's exit, as well, for wisdom for the last few months, and for a good transition out of the presidency.
Blessings! |
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• Nov. 21, 2008 - boldness before God
Moses may have been humble, but he was also bold.
At Mount Sinai, we see Moses, after the fiasco with the golden calf, going back up the mountain. God had said (Exodus 3:3-5) "Go up....But I will not go with you, because......I might destroy you on the way. Now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do with you."
After some time, it seems, Moses approached the Lord. He asked for 1. someone to go with him (since the last thing God said was that He would not go; 2. to be taught God's ways, so he could know God and find favor with Him; and 3. that God would remember that the nation was God's people. Moses even said, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send usup from here. How will anyone know that you are please with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" (V12-16)
So God agrees to this.
Then Moses says, "Ok, now show me your glory." (v18--not a small request, when just a minute before he was begging for God's presence, at all.
And the Lord responds, v. 19: "And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."
So, when the Lord shows his back to Moses, when he comes to Him and shows Him who He is, here is what he tells/shows Moses. This is the essentialness of God: (Ex 34)
5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his
name, the LORD. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD,
the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,
7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does
not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of
the fathers to the third and fourth generation."
8 Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. 9 "O Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes," he said, "then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance."
Then we skip over to Numbers 14. A few weeks or months later, Israel arrives at the edge of the Promised Land, but they refuse to go in. By this point, God's anger is really kindled--
11 The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they."
Moses' response was 2-fold:
1. Lord, your honor is at stake. Everybody knows what you did. If you slaughter them in the desert, they will all think you couldn't fulfill your promise. Your reputation is in danger.
but moreso, Moses takes what God told him, previously:
2. "Now may the Lord's strength be displayed, just as you have declared:" [you told me you were this way, Lord, now carry through]
18 'The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does
not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third
and fourth generation.' 19 In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people,
just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now."
And the Lord forgives them, as Moses requests. To be sure, there are still consequences, but God does as Moses asks.
Moses has begged God to show him the essence of His character, and God does so: He is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, yet He does punish sin.
And Moses turns around and throws it back up to God, later: God, you said you would be this way; now show this character that you proclaimed for yourself, in this situation.
There is a strong reliance on God's word, there, but none-the-less, an incredible boldness, to cast God's own words almost against Him. Yet there's also a trust in God's character--the faith that God will back up who He has claimed to be.
Much to ponder, there--much room for my faith to grow.
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• Nov. 7, 2008 - what we need to do, now
I've been thinking a lot after the recent elections, and various postings I've seen on other forums.
One thing I think we ALL have to find a way to do now is to work together.
I am saddened by the massive divisiveness this election has brought, with hard feeling on so many sides. I hope Black Americans will be able to get beyond the victim mentality after this, and will not feel so disenfranchised, but I think we conservatives have to work on the same things. Eg, we have complained that the media focused only on the negatives of our country. Now we are on the other side, and we need to find a way to focus on what is good, what God is doing, and how we can be involved. (Not that we can't be the opposition when needed, but we need to show the example of how we wish we had been treated over the past 8 years.)
We are in difficult times right now in a lot of ways, and our own infighting is not going to help anybody. There seem to be pluses and minuses to every situation, and we need to be much in prayer for our government.
Indeed, we needed to be much more in than we have been over the past few years, I think. It is one of about 3 commandments specifically given to us in Scripture about how we are supposed to relate to our government, but I think that as long as things seem to be going "reasonably" well, we forget about this. I was so disappointed when the Presidential Prayer emails stopped, right after the last election. I think it's a matter that we should all be concentrating on, a lot.
I have said before, and think it must be true, that we are better off with a "bad" President and the people of God praying, than we are with a "good" President and the people of God complacent. (I am not saying that either Bush or Obama are either "bad" or "good," but I do think that we have fallen down badly in our job of praying for our leaders.)
I don't have the contacts the Presidential Prayer list used to have, re. specific items on the President's schedule, but I would like to try to make a prayer list each week. Even if it winds up somewhat repetitive (most of our problems do seem to persist), I am hoping it will remind us all to be in prayer for our President and other leaders. (And, if I forget, please, somebody, remind me! :) )
So, to get us going, let's us pray, this week, for:
President Bush: for a good wrap-up, and wisdom in the last 2 months
for godly leadership and setting up a smooth transition
for understanding of how to move on from here
for wisdom in dealing with our current financial situation
President-elect Obama: For wisdom in choosing counselors
to continue to think about reaching across the aisles
for a smooth transition
for wisdom in dealing with our current financial situation
For our other leaders:
For Democrats: for wisdom and godly decisions about what to focus on now
to understand what is truly important for our country
For Republicans: for wisdom in understanding what went wrong
for a re-focusing on what is truly important
for leadership that can explain their positions to others
For the media: (who are our leaders, though we may not think like that)
to focus on what is important and godly
to know when to holler
to help bring unity back to our country
For all of our country: to heal the wounds of the last years (from 2 to 100, depending which)
for economic stability
for kindness to one another
to be drawn, through it all, to the God who loves us, in truth |
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• Oct. 28, 2008 - How my carpet reflects the broader economy
You can learn a lot about our economy, by looking at my carpet.
When we bought the house a few years ago, we knew the carpet wasn't new. However, it took some time to show up the shape it's really in. No investments have been made in it's infrastructure for quite some time. Only the parts that show were done with good quality carpet, in the first place. The rest was pretty cheap, as it wasn't that important.
No problem--we had a home equity line on our mortgage, and could get it fixed at any time. Life was pretty good, and very busy, so we didn't worry a whole lot about things like this. The basics were OK, at least, and we didn't really have time to deal with it, right now.
Until the day the bottom fell out of the housing market, and the post office lost one check. We had fixed the problem within 2 weeks, but because of the tight credit market (caused by the poor lending practices of the bank where we obtained the loan), they yanked the home equity line of credit. They gave us back the late penalty, because we were good payers, but the HELOC was gone for good.
So, here we sit, with an uncleanable, crumbling infrastructure of carpet, caught in limbo by the current credit crunch, and the carpet-sellers and installers are out a fair amount of work, as well.
On the other hand, it saved us from putting $10,000 on our home loan debt, which is probably a good thing in the long run.
(How was that for the "blogger challenge" of writing about carpet? :) That was pretty fun, actually.) |
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• Oct. 4, 2008 - Great ways to THINK you are saving money, when you really aren't
Our local paper had an article, quoting Good Housekeeping research on saving money. They came up with several recommendations, some of which make a lot of sense, but others don't.
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_10613242?IA...www.sltrib.com
1. Lower your thermostat 2 degrees and save a whopping $40 per year. (That wouldn't pay for the extra sweater you'd have to buy!)
2. Replacing 5 light bulbs with CFLs will save you $35 a year. (OK, you might save more if you did all of them.) I don't know if they counted the cost of the light bulbs, first, but I doubt they figured in the cost of toxic cleanup if you drop one. Nor the cost of taking them somewhere appropriate (hopefully without breaking them in your car, either.) Still, that's what they said.
3. Save $36 per year by using a dishwasher instead of hand washing them. (Unknown how much prior scrubbing is OK before you put them in, nor whether it makes a difference how much soap or running water you use by hand. Nor, for that matter, does it say whether they factored in the cost of a new dishwasher ($500 every 10 or so years would negate the savings entirely, especially if it leaks and wrecks your floor, as ours did.....) )
4. Line drying your clothes (1/2 the loads you do each week) would save $32 per year. Unknown how much they allowed for the chiropractor.
5. Save $37 by installing dimmer switches (unknown cost and time value of that work) on the following lights: three bulbs in the family room, two in the dining room and one each in three bedrooms (lighted four hours a day). Walk around in the half-darkness, and save a bit. It'd probably be enough for ambient light, but wouldn't do much for tasks. Unknown how much they allotted to see a psychiatrist for the depression you get from by the dimness. Also, according to a friend, you cannot use dimmer switches with energy saving bulbs. They will die instantly. (So, for the first year, while you figure that out, you will be spending MORE money on bulbs.)
So, if you did ALL of these, without any adverse consequences (like buying a sweater or replacing a dishwasher), you'd save about $15 per month. Not that $15 per month is useless, but it's not as much as you'd think, and if you do have other consequences it wouldn't save anything at all!
Then there's the first one: " Drink tap water instead of bottled. Savings: About $1,250 a year if you normally buy 16 20-ounce bottles a week costing $1.50 each. The savings are bigger for a family." You could save even more--don't drink water at all--tap water tastes gross, anyways. Even if you do drink bottled water, a gallon costs about a dollar, here, most of the time. Or buy a case of bottles, 24 for about $4. That would be $208 per year, so you're already saving over $1000.
Sigh--I hate "save money" articles that don't wind up saving. (Especially since they often try to sell the magazine with them. How about this headline: "Save money now! Don't buy this magazine--read it at the library!") |
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• Sep. 8, 2008 - more thoughts on SL, TOG, and other stuff
Back in 2006, I wrote a comparison of Sonlight and Tapestry of Grace. ( http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/My4LittleWomen/121639/?#c1142552 ) I've gotten a few questions lately about what I'm doing now, and why I'm doing what I am right now, so I thought I'd post again, and explain.
A few years ago, I was really struggling with Sonlight. Since I started with my oldest, I was too far ahead for my 2nd, and I had 2 little ones coming up. I couldn't figure out what I was going to do with them, or how I was going to fit them all in. At that point, my sister said I should look into Tapestry of Grace. I really liked the multi-level approach, and I spent a lot of time comparing, contrasting, and thinking about each. I also did about a month of TOG, before I wrote my blog article, though the article was mostly based on what I was figuring out through looking at various books, comments by those using TOG, etc. (This was all at the end of the year, as I was looking forward to and planning the next year.)
During that summer, "life" intervened. We wound up moving that fall, having a lot of long-term company due to a family member's health problems, and I-don't-remember-what-all else. We decided we needed an "easier" year, one which would allow us to do school, without being consumed by it.
I had previously purchased Further Up and Further In (FUFI), a unit study based on the Chronicles of Narnia, which we all loved. This study is geared for grades 4-8, and I had, at that point, a 7th grader, a 5th grader, a 1st grader, and a 3yo. I thought "if I'm ever going to do this unit study, now's the time." So we wound up stopping both TOG and SL, and doing Further Up and Further In. This was a great study, and we really enjoyed the philosophical discussions we had, such as "what political events around the time Lewis was writing played into the character of Uncle Andrew (The Magician's Nephew)?"
However, some of the parts were less deep that we were used to, and we wound up doing several other things in addition. Because some areas were very well covered by FUFI, I purchased a few subjects separately, using more of a text/workbook approach. Much to my surprise, I found that we did WELL with different texts for different children! We had always done the "group" method, but I found my oldest LOVED the freedom of going off on her own, with her books, and the younger ones liked the closure of knowing what to do, and when they were done. (The younger 2 also enjoy workbooks, as an end in themselves--NOT what was "supposed" to happen according to all my high-falutin' homeschool theories! LOL!)
So I thought, and I pondered, and I cogitated. Then I thought some more. (Man, this multi-child stuff is TOUGH! And then when you get it figured out, they grow!) Among other things, I have thought a lot about book-based vs traditional, subjects vs a united whole, and what depth of philosophical "putting it all together" I expect of my high schoolers. The process has taken me over a year, and I'm still not certain I'm through, but I have figured out some things:
1. I do not want to gear most of my high school around 4 years of in depth history and philosophy. I do want to hit a fair amount of it, and I certainly will bring in some art, literature, Bible, etc, in studying history. I just feel that, for us, a 4-year focus on that is too much. (Some of the courses I have seen, really, are more likely a college minor in philosophy or history, at least.)
2. My kids do well with certain textbooks or workbooks. They're not for all subjects, and not for all the time, but there are times when they are the best option for us.
3. My kids do best if they are NOT all doing the same thing. Again, some things together are great; others not. Even "using different books but the same topics" isn't always best for us, right now.
Because of all this, I'm thinking I won't really use TOG OR SL through the high school years. I have several texts I've seen that I really like, and will certainly support them with additional literature, but I'm not planning on basing the high school years around either. (I still think they are GREAT programs, though--very useful for some families, and I would highly recommend them. They just aren't what's best for us, for now.)
All that said, I still have my Sonlight Core 5, which is a wonderful year of geography, which we only got started with 3 years ago. I still really, really wanted to use it, and it will still leave room for the other high school classes I want my oldest to have over the next 4 years. So, this year, we are enjoying Sonlight Core 5 for the older 2, with some additions for my 9th grader, and using Galloping the Globe for my youngest. (The third, whom I thought would prefer Galloping the Globe, is actually enjoying Sonlight core 5, for now, so she may do that, or go back and forth.)
I hope this makes sense, to those who have read the other post, and wondered.
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• Aug. 16, 2008 - Reading between the lines
I don't watch much TV, but I do love the Olympics--the grace of the gymnasts, the tenseness of beach volleyball, the speed of the swimmers! But one thing has caught my eye this year, more than ever before.
Perhaps I am reading into things a bit here, but I can see it in the eyes of Michael Phelps' mother. Fifteen years ago, she was a single mother, raising 3 children. One of these was a son with an enormous amount of energy. I can see her in my minds eye, trying to deal with such energy day after day, probably after a long day of work. I can imagine fairly stressful parent-teacher meetings, maybe questions about referrals for help with sitting still all day. My mind sees her wondering how on earth she will cope with this child, growing up in today's world with boundless energy and not being quite like the other kids around. I would be worrying about what would happen as he grew up, and would he ever settle down. He'd be bigger than she is, soon.
They finally chose a sport, in an attempt to use some of that energy in positive channels. Here he meets a coach who can see the neediness in this young boy, and puts time into him, in and out of the pool. And Phelps succeeds!
I see his mom wondering, remembering, every time, "How did we ever come this far? If I had known then, what I know now, that this boundless energy would be controlled to a purpose......!" The relief, the pride, the joy is all there, right on Mrs. Phelps lovely, smiling face--so proud of what her son has become.
And I think the rest of us, who struggle day to day with a child who has way more energy than we do, who may be a bit different from the others, needy in some way, can take a lot of encouragement from her story, as well as his. |
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• Jul. 22, 2008 - plans for 2008-2009
This is my first year for all FOUR to be in school!!! YIKES! Here's what we're planning, though of course, our abiltiy to get it all done may vary!
9th grader:
Sonlight Core 5, plus Runkle World Geography text (not workbook), using older Eastern Hemisphere Explorer, because it's harder
Apologia Biology
Teaching Textbooks Geometry
Learning Language Arts Through Literature, Silver
Bible: Remembering God's Awesome Acts
needs to do Spanish, probably with dh's old books, as I can speak it to teach it
SAT prep or thinking skills workbooks
7th grader:
Sonlight Core 5, using newer Eastern Hemisphere Explorer
Apologia General Science
Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra
Learning Language Arts Through Literature, Green
Bible: Remembering God's Awesome Acts
needs to do Spanish, probably with dh's old books, as I can speak it to teach it
thinking skills workbooks (the ones Sonlight sold a few years ago)
3rd grader:
portions of Core 5, including parts of new Eastern Hemisphere Explorer with my help
portions of Galloping the Globe, along with my K
Apologia elementary science, Botany (to start with, at least)
Horizons 3
Learning About God From A to Z (old Sonlight 4, but I still have one)
Learning Language Arts Through Literature, yellow
Spanish? She wants to, and I have the "complete" workbook that you can buy at Walmart
for younger grades
K:
Galloping the Globe, including some FIAR books, as they fit, and a bit of SLK, where it fits naturally
Leading Little Ones to God
ETC workbooks and CLP beginning reading set
Math thinking book from Critical Thinking (can't remember exact title)
will also start Miquon Orange (this child loves math and workbooks! )
sits in on read-alouds for older kids, but I'm going to try to give her her own RA's, too, when I
can fit them in.
Galloping the Globe will also be mostly for her. |
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• Jun. 4, 2008 - things about me
My sister sent this to me, and I thought, rather than sending to a bunch of friends who might not want to post, it could be an optional tag--if you like it, copy it onto your blog and post what you like! :)
> Welcome to the 2008 edition of getting to know your friends. Change
> all the answers that apply to you, and then send this to your friends
> including the person who sent it to you. The theory is that you will
> learn a lot of little things about your friends that you might not
> have known!
>
> 1. What time did you get up this morning?
7:30
> 2. Diamond or pearls?
Am I the only one? Pearls!
> 3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Veggie Tales pirate movie
(and the ones I WANT to see are Expelled and Prince Caspian)
> 4. What is your favorite TV show(s)?
I don't watch TV much. I do want to watch the Olympics
> 5. What do you usually have for breakfast?
Cereal most weekdays; pancakes most Saturdays
I also love waffles with strawberries on them.
> 6. What is your middle name?
Jo
> 7. What food don't you like?
There's not much I don't like. I'm not fond of highly spicy food, though.
> 8. What is your favorite CD at the moment?
Hm......we've been listening to my Michael Card collection a lot lately.
I like Chris Tomlin, too.
> 9. What kind of car do you drive?
Honda Odyssey
> 10. Favorite sandwich?
Ham or Turkey with cheese and tomato is good. So is BLT.
NO Avocado!!! :)
> 11. What characteristic do you despise?
unkind speech
> 12. Favorite item of clothing?
Birkenstocks; capris
> 13. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?
Guatemala, Denver, Indiana
> 14. Favorite brand of clothing?
I'm not too particular, here. I'll go for whatever I like at the time.
> 15. Where would you retire to?
Haven't thought much about that. I'd like to travel around, I think.
> 16. What was your most recent memorable birthday?
30 was big--Mom and Dad came from another state, and hubby had a surprise party for me.
> 17. Favorite sport to watch?
rhythmic gymnastics, regular gymnastics, swimming, diving
> 18. Furthest place you are sending this?
(who is farthest away, here?)
> 19. Person you expect to send it back first?
since I'm not really sending it OUT......
> 20. When is your birthday?
I'll never tell! :)
> 21. Are you a morning person or a night person?
daytime
> 22. What is your shoe size?
10
> 23. Pets?
2 cats, but I'd love a dog, too
> 25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us?
hey, is this some secret plot to get me to reveal something?
> 26. What did you want to be when you were little?
nurse, teacher, Spanish major probably working with international business(in high school)
I don't think being a wife or mom really ever entered my head.
> 27. How are you today?
tired--we just got back from camping
> 28. What is your favorite candy?
Snickers
> 29. What is your favorite flower?
carnations
> 30. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
the day we hear about hubby's new job possibility
> 32. What is your full name?
more secrets.....
> 33. What are you listening to right now?
The computer humming
> 34. What was the last thing you ate?
chicken with sauce (leftover from camping trip), rice, broccoli
> 35. Do you wish on stars?
No, but I like to see them shoot!
> 36. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
no clue--I don't do things like this!
> 37. How is the weather right now?
light rain all day
> 38. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
my cousin
> 39. Favorite soft drink?
Dr. Pepper
> 40. Favorite restaurant?
Ruby River with hubby; Mimi's by myself
> 41. What color is your hair?
Mouse brown, sprinkled with gray
> 42. What was your favorite toy as a child?
according to my baby book, "anything [sister] has!"
> 43. Summer or winter?
Spring!!
> 44. Hugs or Kisses?
hugs (dd will take the candy kind!)
> 45. Chocolate or Vanilla?
chocolate, duh! :) What'd be the point?
> 46. Coffee or Tea?
Tea, preferably iced or spiced
> 47. Do you want your friends to email you back?
Yes
> 48. The last time you cried?
A couple of weeks ago, but I don't very often
> 49. What is under your bed?
dust bunnies? kitty cat looking for solitude?
my inline skates
> 50. What did you do last night?
unpacked car after camping; went to bed
> 51. What are you afraid of?
trauma happening to my kids
> 52. Salty or Sweet?
sweet, but according to the dr, I'm supposed to say salty
> 53. How many keys on your key ring?
3
> 54. How many years at your current job?
17 as wife and homemaker; 14 as mom; 9 as homeschooler
> 55. Favorite day of the week?
any day I can go do something fun
> 56. How many towns have you lived in?
17 or 18
> 57. Do you make friends easily?
Yes
> 58. How many people will you send this to?
don't know, yet (just trying to get the answers done! :) )
probably just post it here
> 59. How many will respond?
a few
> 60. What happened to 24 & 31?
since they tell us later, I won't bother
> *24.* If you received a phone call from Jesus and were granted 1 question, what would you ask Him?
I think my questions would be irrelevant! I would hopefully just worship.
> *31.* If you could remove one thing in the world what would it be?
pollution
(though sin and selfishness are probably better choices) |
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• Apr. 30, 2008 - a lesson in giving
The BFS assignment reminded me of a story from my own life, but it isn't exactly what BFS suggested. None-the-less, here's my story:
My husband, M, has a friend who has had some really hard times (some due to his own fault, but still, he needed a helping hand). M, of course, is always willing for me to get rid of some clutter, :) so he suggested that I give his friend, N, some of my kitchen things. Having just cleaned out the kitchen a few weeks earlier, and made a trip to the Salvation Army, I was NOT HAPPY about this, but the Lord kept pointing out to me that I had two pancake turners.
"But I NEED two pancake turners, Lord! What if I make pancakes and eggs at the same time?"
"Give him one of your pancake turners."
"But M and I don't eat the same type of eggs, so even if I just make eggs, I still need a second pancake turner."
"Give him one of your pancake turners."
Sigh. I was still not happy about it, but I gathered together several kitchen items, including one of my pancake turners. I was still murmuring about having "only" one pancake turner.
The following week, a sweet friend who was moving came over. She surprised me by bringing in 2 good-sized boxes. She said, "I have been collecting china for years, now, and I wound up with 3 sets, my moms, my wedding china, and a set I collected from the grocery store in high school. I used to stand outside the store and ask people if they were going to use their china coupons. I cannot move all 3 sets, and the Lord reminded me of your two teacups. The set I got in high school matches those, so I am giving you that set." (This is beautiful, Havelin china, from Germany.)
Friends, she gave me a complete service for TWELVE, including the teapot, soup toureen, and ice cream dishes!!! The two teacups I had were my grandmother's. She had given one to each grandchild, but I somehow wound up with 2. I was way too far down the line for the rest of her china. (As far as I'm concerned, I do have my grandmother's china.)
So here I was, holding onto a plastic pancake turner, and the Lord was holding in reserve a whole set of china.
And I just realized while typing this, that about a year ago (5 years, at least, after the pancake turner incident), another friend gave me a pancake turner!!! (Not that I hadn't eventually gotten a second one, again, but that God, in His time, gave me back a free turner, as well! :) ) |
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• Apr. 29, 2008 - do you want to become famous? 4yo knows how
Yesterday, my 4yo was walking around singing Steve Green's song from Philippians (or is it Colossians?):
Do everything without complaining.
Do everything without arguing,
So that you may become FAMOUS and pure....!
I wish I had been fast enough to stop the 14yo from telling her it was wrong!!!
Then today, I was putting cream cheese on crackers:
"Mommy, can I butter my own cracker."
"No, it's cheese."
"Well then, can I cheese them?" :) |
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