Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. In our home, Thanksgiving is about getting to spend time with our family -- either immediate or extended. All of the trappings of other holidays are set aside for Thanksgiving. There is no emphasis put on gift giving/receiving so we aren't going broke and aren't feeding the greed machine that Christmas and birthdays can easily feed. It's in the Fall (my favorite time of year). Here in Texas the weather is usually gorgeous. You might want to wear long sleeves but a jacket is usually not absolutely necessary. The young ones (and old ones if they want) can play outside without freezing or sweating. It's just a good holiday at a good time of year. I love it!
We have entered into a phase of our lives that makes celebrating Thanksgiving as a family challenging. We have a son and daughter in-law that live on the west coast, a son going to school on the east coast and we are in the middle. We have not been completely together (our immediate family) in a few years. Last year, we were missing both of those on either coast. It really saddens me that we no longer have the flexibility to get together like we used to.
This year, the son on the east coast is driving in to spend Thanksgiving with us. There will be one other event added just before Thanksgiving. I will be spending 3 or 4 days with my sister while she recovers from surgery. So, with my east coast son and myself coming home the day before Thanksgiving, I decided I needed to get organized.
Some year, in the recent past, I wrote down a menu and a list of what I needed to do to prepare the Thanksgiving meal. I have hung on to this list and referred to it ever since. For a meal that is basically the same every year, it seems smart to not "reinvent the wheel" every time it rolls around. So, I'm going to put my plan on my blog so I can refer to it even if I'm not at home. I plan to include recipes where they are needed.
Our family has a feud every year over which Sweet Potato Casserole to make. Danny and I like the one we picked up when we were living in Mississippi (brown suger/pecan topping), the boys like the one Danny and I both grew up with (marshmallow topping). They are both good but since there are more boys around here than the 2 of us, we'll probably do the marshmallow topping again this year.
The Menu:
Tony Chachere's Creole Butter Turkey
Mema's Cornbread Dressing Mom's Homemade Yeast Rolls
Janet's Sweet Potato Casserole
Emeril's Scalloped Potato
James' Favorite Green Bean Casserole
Susie's Shoe Peg Corn Salad
Cranberry Salad
Iced Tea
Chocolate Pie
Apple Pie Pumpkin Pie
The Shopping List:
turkey
corn meal
eggs
milk
refrigerator (canned) biscuits
flour
margarine
sweet potatoes
brown sugar
chopped pecans
green beans
cream of chicken soup
french fried onion topping
shoe peg corn
fritos
red/green/yellow pepper
jalapeno peppers
purple onion
sharp cheddar cheese
miracle whip
sugar
cranberries
vegetable shortening
unsweetened chocolate squares
apples
cinnamon
pumpkin (fresh or canned)
evaporated milk
tea bags
ice (preferably from Sonic)
The Plan:
Monday:
Go to the grocery store
Thaw turkey if it is frozen
Clean out refrigerator -- we'll need the space on Wednesday.
Tuesday:
Cook pumpkin (this year mine is already frozen and ready to go)
Cook sweet potato
Triple the recipe -- Cook 2 pie crust shells for chocolate pie
Prepare 3 for pumpkin pie
Prepare 1 for pecan pie
Prepare bottom and top crust for Apple pie
Save scraps for the kids to make crust cookies
Prepare Betty Crocker's chocolate pies (at least 2) refrigerate after cooling
Prepare pumpkin pies (at least 3)
Prepare apple pie (just 1)
Put together casseroles (sweet potato and scalloped potato) refrigerate
Make cranberry salad -- refrigerate
Cut veges for shoe peg corn salad
Make Tea
Thursday:
Start Turkey Start rolls - this should be done at least 3.5 hours before eating time.
Set table
Prepare coffee so it can be turned on when needed
Put dressing ingredients together -- begin cooking about 1.5 hours before eating time
Prepare green bean casserole -- begin cooking about 1 hour before eating time
Prepare shoe peg corn salad -- refrigerate -- don't add fritos until just before serving
Turkey should be done
Bake rolls
Carve Turkey
Turn on Coffee
School has been going on for 4 weeks now. Everything is running smoothly and we are very busy. One thing that really helps is the menu. I've done this off and on over the years and every time I get back to it I wonder why I ever let it slide.
I make a 4 week menu that we repeat every month. This allows me to have one less thing to think about. I make my grocery list from the menu each week and cook from it as well. This also eliminates the need of pricey convenience foods for the quick lunches we so desperately need. There are usually leftovers that we eat at lunch. By the end of the week, there is usually a selection of leftovers that keeps everyone in the house happy.
There are some recipes that I cook in bulk and freeze so I just have to make the mess and take the time to prepare occasionally. These are mainly the recipes that call for hamburger meat. I will also freeze beans. I buy the 10 lb tube of ground chuck for these meals. One week, the "tube of meat" made 5 meatloaves. Another week it made 4 recipes of chili. I made 3 recipes of taco meat out of one of the "tubes of meat". One "tube of meat" was browned and frozen in 1 lb portions to be used with spaghetti, casseroles or whatever else I might want browned ground meat for. I used a chuck roast to make a large batch of beef stew (I froze half).
Here is the menu as it stands now. There are only a few meals that we eat more than once in the month. There are occasional nights out that we either eat at a restaurant or at someone's home.
Saturday, August 29, 2009 - First Step -- Schedules
We are about to start school for the year. One of the most important things I have to do (for my sanity) is to get schedules ready for the kids and myself. I think I have come up with something workable. There doesn't seem too be too much free time but who said life would be leisurely? I will post them here for 2 reasons: someone might be interested to see what we do at or house and if they ever get lost around here, I'll know where I can find them.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009 - It's Time To Be Thinking About School
It is that time again. I'm finding it a little difficult to settle down and get myself ready. With one son living in CA and another going to school in FL, I find myself more distracted than I did when they were all little and under one roof. This year I will have 4 students. My youngest is 6 so he will be considered a full-fledged home schooler. I will also be teaching son #3 for his last year at home. The other two are 13 and 8.
This year we will participate in a Charlotte Mason co-op. This is our 4th year to participate. It has been a blessing in many ways. We study Latin, Shakespeare, Art, Nature and Great Literature. The younger 2 boys have not been old enough to participate until this year. We are adding classes for the little brothers/sisters of the older kids as well as grandkids of some of the moms already involved. The little kids will be studying Latin, Shakespeare, Drawing, Art/Crafts, Nature, Violin and Art Appreciation. All of this will be done in short segments (Charlotte Mason style) so the little kids will be done in about 2.5 hours. The older kids will be in class for 4.5 hours.
I will be teaching a String Orchestra again this year. This is our 4th year for this as well. Last year, there were about 30 students involved. I'm not sure of the final count yet this year. There will be 3 groups meeting at 12:00 (1st year), 1:30 (2nd year) and 3:00 (3rd year and above). I do know that there will be 3 bass players in the 1st year group. That's a lot of big deep instruments. So far, there is 1 cello and 3 violins. The other two groups should remain pretty much the same.
Other things we're going to be doing this year? Andrew and Timothy will continue their instrument making (Luthier) lessons. Andrew finished his mandolin and Timothy finished his violin. Andrew has already started work on a 5 string viola. Timothy has been learning how to rehair bows (we've had several around here for him to practice on). He hopes to make a cello but will probably work on another violin.
Benjamin and Jonathan are working on learning the piano and will be learning violin in the co-op. Benjamin still needs work on his reading skills. Jonathan wants to learn about inventors. We'll probably start off the year with a study of Benjamin Franklin. Then, if the interest is still high, we'll study Thomas Edison.
Timothy needs to officially start his high school career this year. He's done a few high school level classes but this year, it's for real. He'll be doing Alg 1, Biology, English (Gray book from LLATL), History/Geography of the Bible and the stuff from co-op. He will be learning the bass (one of the 3) in the 1st year orchestra, playing viola in the 2nd year orchestra and cello in the 3rd year orchestra.
Andrew is the one finishing his high school career this year. He is going to finish the Writing Strands series, Apologia's Physics, Notgrass Government, work on clepping out of some college classes, take his SAT and do the stuff from co-op. He will also be in the orchestra. He's going to learn violin with the 1st year group, bass with the 2nd year group and viola with the 3rd year.
So, what am I going to do this year? Other than facilitate all of this activity, I will be teaching Bible class twice a week (early elementary), I have a "how to teach Bible class" session planned in a nearby town in September, teach private violin lessons, and attempt to keep my house in some sort of order.
Now that I've written it all down, maybe I'll have the strength and courage to get it going. Our official start date for co-op is Sept 1, for orchestra is Sept 14 and for school is probably going to be Aug 31. Where did the summer go?
Wednesday, July 22, 2009 - The First Home School Mom I Ever Knew
Here is a note I wrote for Facebook. I thought I would share it here as well:
My mom made a comment on my most recent status that got me thinking. She made the comment that she wish she had home schooled us kids. Thinking back on our school years, Mom was the first home school mom I knew. No, we didn't stay home from public school, but that didn't stop her from teaching us at home.
My first memory of mom teaching me was when I was 3 years old. Mom took a poster board and drew a music staff with all the notes on it. She sat us down in front of the poster and proceeded to teach us to read music. I don't know how often this happened or how long we did it but I learned to read music when I was 3 years old. That is a skill that has brought me much joy and even extra spending money throughout my adult life.
I also learned to read early because of Mom. She must have Read Dr Seuss a hundred times. I remember sitting on the couch in our house in Pampa. My 2 sisters were at school. I guess my little brother was taking a nap. I was trying to read one of Dr Seuss' books (Are You My Mother was my favorite). I would read a word or 2 and hop down off the couch, run to the kitchen where mom was and ask her what a word was. I would go back to the couch, read a couple more words and go back to ask mom what a word was. She was always patient with me, told me what I wanted to know and let me go on trying to do it by myself. I remember people listening to me read and commenting that I was lucky I had learned to read with phonics. I didn't learn to read with anything except a mom that loved to read and read and read to me -- no fancy curriculum.
I recall Mom always being willing to help me with my homework. I was the kind of kid that loved math, loved school, loved home work. What I wanted from Mom was for her to write out math problems so I could do practice my math facts at home. She didn't need a fancy computer or a workbook to help me with this. I would get a piece of paper and a pencil and while she was fixing supper ask her to write down math facts for me. She stopped what she was doing and wrote out a page of math facts. She wasn't one that loved math but I did and she encouraged me to do well in it.
Mom didn't limit her "home school mom" tendencies to book work. She believed in teaching us or finding someone else to teach us life skills. I remember going to JC Penneys one evening a week and learning how to knit. She taught me to crochet. She was always willing to buy me some fabric and a pattern so I could sew. It didn't bother her that I was going to be using her sewing machine. She didn't mind if I made a mess. She didn't even care if I finished the project or not. She encouraged me to try something new. In my adult years I have sewed for fun and profit.
Even though Mom didn't technically home school us, she definitely has a home school mom's heart and probably her willingness to teach us what she knew or to find someone else to teach us what we wanted to know planted that first seed of a desire to home school in my own heart.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - We Hit The Flooring Running...or Was It Creeping?
Yesterday was our first official day of school. We actually started Monday with our co-op but that was not as hard to start as yesterday was. Monday night, after co-op, I took a long bubble bath so I could do some hard thinking about the rest of our school year. I came out very relaxed and slightly motivated to get going.
As I mentioned in my last entry, I have a scheduling conflict on Tuesday mornings so we didn't get started until after lunch. I was okay with that. In fact, I am not a morning person, so it worked great for me. My kids, who are not morning people either but also don't like change, were not as thrilled. We started at 1:00 and finished a little after 5:00. We got almost everything done and a few new things added as well.
One thing I accomplished yesterday that I never seem to have time to do was teaching my 2 youngest their piano lessons. That always seems to get pushed to the side. I really want to make sure they get regular lessons from now on. They are both ready and willing.
Today, we're going to start at 8:30 (10 minutes from now) and probably finish by lunch. That is, I will finish by lunch. They may have other work to do.
So, we hit the floor creeping yesterday and are revving it up to a solid run this morning.
Monday, December 29, 2008 - In between The Holidays
Here I am smack dab between two of the biggest holidays of the year. Christmas is behind us, New Years is ahead. I don't have a thing scheduled to do and I am taking full advantage of it.
For the first time in our 17 years of home schooling, we took the month of December off. I hadn't planned it that way, it just kind of happened. I just couldn't see us really getting anything done. At least, not done well. We were expecting #2 son home from college. I knew once he walked through the door life would not be the same around here. We were busy with holiday festivities and besides all that, I was tired.
Do you ever just get tired of home schooling? I do. I did. In times past, I would just keep on going. Trying to get things done even though my heart wasn't in to it. I would end up getting frrustrated and so would the kids. I was too tired to deal with a bunch of frustrated kids. So, we took the month off. I'll let you know come May and probably even June if we'll ever do that again. The reason I never took December off before is because I knew that once June got here, I wouldn't want to be doing school anymore. Ever since the kids have gotten in the upper grades and are fully aware of the PS schedule, they don't want to do school in the summer. I've tried doing school through the summer but I didn't like it either. There was always just too much going on to try and do school. So this time we'll see if we can get it all done by the end of May or not.
One thing this December break has done for me is to give me a chance to start again come January. We were having a great year. There wasn't really any problems but now we'll get to start again and even have a different schedule or change of strategy if necessary.
One thing I plan on changing is another thing I've never done before. I've been on Weight Watchers since June. It has been very hard for me to keep motivated since school started in September. I was attending meetings on Tuesday mornings during the summer. I really liked going then. The only other time to go in this area is Monday night. Since school started, I had decided to start going on Monday night. That meant I had to stay in town after being there all day with co-op and orchestra activities. Every other week I couldn't stay for the meeting because I had a ladies' Bible class. It was hard.
So, my new plan is to go to Weight Watchers on Tuesday morning and start school after lunch. We did it a couple of weeks in November. The boys weren't too excited about it but I really need to do this for me. I might even try to get the grocery shopping done before I get home. But then, I might not. That would end up taking the whole day and we wouldn't get school started until 3:00. I don't think that would work.
My schedule starting January is:
Monday: Co-op Day
10:00 teach Latin
10:30 enjoy the other mom's company at co-op while kids take classes (or go run some errands)
1:30 teach beginning string orchestra
3:00 teach advanced string orchestra
4:30 go home
Tuesday:
9:00 AM Weight Watchers
10:00 AM Go home?
11:30 AM lunch
12:00 start school
3:00 or 4:00 finish school
Wednesday:
8:30 Start School
12:00 Lunch
3:30 Possibly start 2 new piano students
7:00 Bible class
Here is a family favorite of ours. It comes from the kitchen of my husband's grandmother (Meme).
Pan of cornbread (I use the one in Better Homes and Garden Cookbook)
Can of Buttermilk Biscuits (cooked)
1 1/2 bunch Green Onions -- Cut up
2-3 stalks Celery -- Cut up
Salt/Pepper (to taste)
1+ Tablespoons Sage (I use at least 2)
2 cans chicken broth (I use broth from roasted turkey)
4 eggs (beatin)
1 cup milk
Crumble breads in bowl.
Mix in Vegetables and seasonings
Bring broth to a boil -- Add to bread
Stir broth, eggs and milk into bread mixture.
Cook in 350 oven stirring every 15 minutes for 1 hour
If dry, add more milk, If too moist add more bread
I am probably the world's worst about over scheduling when it comes to home schooling. I know I'm not alone. I hear moms talking about what all they're doing in a year and I know they are over doing it. I have even tried to talk customers out of buying curriculum because they are trying to do 2 or 3 math curricula at the same time, or they want to do 2 or 3 different language arts curricula at the same time. It is so tempting. There is so much good stuff out there to do. We don't want our kids to miss out on anything so we over schedule.
This year, my 7 year old is going to do some US geography. Now, in years gone by, I would've been determined that this little guy was going to learn all 50 states and he was going to do it in one school year. I would've planned all kinds of outings, meals, books, movies and crafty things to go with each state. I would've started the year off with lots of enthusiasm and zeal. By the second week, after many tears and arguments, I would've given up on US geography. Then I would've gotten really upset at myself for not getting it all done.
One of the nice things about home schooling for so many years and with so many children is that I get a chance to do it over. This year will be different. I plan on studying US geography with my 7 year old. Instead of barely touching on all 50 states, we will be looking at 7. We will have the opportunity to do this at a more relaxed pace and get more in depth. Hopefully, we'll maintain enthusiasm and minimize the tears.
So, how do you choose 7 states out of 50? Well, the first one is obvious -- Texas. It's not just because we live here. Texas is a really cool state to study. It has some great stories to read about, some great food to eat (like we don't eat it all the time) and a recognizable shape that should be easy to spot anywhere. Okay, enough about Texas. What are the other states? He has one brother that lives in Florida and one that lives in California. We'll do those states as well. Then, we'll do the states that border Texas -- New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. Now those 7 states look much easier to handle than all 50 states.
So, I've learned my lesson about over scheduling and will never do it again, right? You should see what I have scheduled for the other kids. I'll write all about it in a future post. Until then, don't over schedule!!!
Monday, August 11, 2008 - Godless China vs Christian USA
The Olympics are here. I have always been fascinated with the Olympics. It is amazing what all those people from all over the world can train their bodies to do. On thing I've always wondered is how each sport chooses the type of clothing they will wear.
Why, for instance, does the men's volleyball team wear shorts that almost touch the knee and a shirt while the women's volleyball team wears short short shorts and skin tight tops that only cover what is absolutely necessary.
Why does the men's gymnastic team wear long pants with their tank top while the women wear a bathing suit?
Why, all of a sudden, are the swimmers wearing more clothing than most of the other sports?
I've heard discussions about sports in clothing. I hear people say that they need to make sure that they don't wear anything that will cause them to lose speed, strength, momentum etc. If this were true, then aren't the men's volleyball teams and the men's gymnastic teams giving themselves a disadvantage by wearing too much clothing? It must be something else. There must be some other reason they all dress as they do.
I'm straying from the topic in my title. I was watching the women's volleyball the other day. There was the US team in their "barely there" shorts and skin tight, skimpy tops, bouncing all around the court. The reporter began discussing the fact that China was pretty new to the sport of volleyball. He went on to say that China was having the most trouble adjusting to the dress of the sport. The screen then switched to the Chinese team. Now, keep in mind, these people do not claim to be God-fearing. They do not even try to pretend to be Christians. What were they wearing? They had shorts that went just past their knees and a tops that not only looked more comfortable but covered up everything. There was a short clip of a Chinese girl saying that she would not even think about wearing the clothing the other teams were wearing. It was too immodest.
Hmmm.....
Godless China wearing modest clothing vs Christian USA dressed in nothing more than colorful underwear. I am ashamed of our Olympic teams for their lack of dress.
Back to the men vs women clothing issue. Why would they choose to dress the way they do? Is it because the men can compete better when they have more clothing that might hinder their strength, speed or momentum? Are the women really at an advantage with the clothing they wear? Or is it all about sexual appeal. Our society expects women to flaunt their bodies. There is no reason why the women gymnasts can't wear proper modest clothing like the men. There is no reason why the women's volleyball team can't wear proper modest clothing like the men.
What about the swimmers? Why are they all of a sudden more modest this year than in years gone by? In the past I've been afraid that the suits the men were wearing were going to come right off? Remember Mark Spitz? Scientist have now discovered that more covering is better than less in the water. In fact, the swimmers are breaking world records right and left because of the new swim suit. Of course, they aren't dressing more modestly for modesty's sake but it is nice to watch the swim team compete without seeing so much bare skin.
Just a side note: I've read a discussion recently online about modesty that states we should dress according to the dress of all those around us. If we are at a ball park and everyone is wearing shorts, it is perfectly acceptable to wear shorts. If we are at a swimming pool and everyone has on swim suits, it is perfectly acceptable to wear swim suits. The Chinese girls' volleyball team didn't go along with this way of thinking. They stood out a little at the Olympics. In fact, they got world wide TV coverage because of their modest dress. Some would say that was immodest of them to stand out that way. I don't think so. If our modest dress makes us stand out in the crowd, so be it. We are to be different from the world. We are to be a peculiar people.
When people hear that you're homeschooling, there are questions that immediately pop into their head. These questions are pretty much the same across the board. For example: Is it legal? What about Socialization? What about the prom?
Well....What about the prom?
There are several reasons we home school. One of them being to protect our children from immorality. The schools are filled with filthy language, sexual promiscuity and immodest dress, etc. We have been blessed, for the most part, to have home school friends that have the same values as we have concerning these issues. There is one exception -- the prom.
Home school families that won't allow their children to watch any (or much) TV, attend the public school or date at an early age, are planning proms for their teenage children. My first question is: Why? Why should we try to copy what the public school does? Why do we want to put our children in compromising situations that either encourage illicit behavior or, at least, leaves the impression that what goes on at proms is a good thing?
Here is my perception of a prom from what I hear from others, see from TV and remember from my youth. I never did attend a prom, but being a product of the public school system, I definitely knew what was going on there. A prom is the one night of the year for teenagers to pair off as couples, spend lots of money on tickets, flowers, clothes and transportation, dress immodestly (either not enough clothes or drawing attention to oneself), and dance.
What's wrong with pairing off as couples? The whole idea is that boy/girl friends are going to a party/dance. This either encourages kids to "pair off" with someone they may or may not have any true feelings for and act like a couple while doing it. Acting like a couple means different things to different people, but if you hear the talk amongst high school students it usually involves intimacy that should be reserved for married couples. In fact, the latest fad seems to be getting yourself a "prom baby". Girls are actually wanting to get pregnant on the night of the prom. Not because they're in love with the guy, not because they're looking forward to getting married, not because they want to be a mother. It's because they want to have the status symbol of having gotten pregnant the night of the prom.
One more thing about couples....where does that leave the rest of the kids. If the prom is a night to get together and enjoy each other's company, what about those that don't want to date or don't get a date? They are left out. Doesn't sound like something promoting togetherness amongst a group of teens, does it?
How about all the money that is spent? It is unbelievable (at least to me) how much money is spent for proms. The tickets themselves can be prohibitive for many kids. The clothes they are expected to wear are so expensive. It's not the adult planners that expect these kinds of clothes. It's the kids themselves. Who can go to the prom in anything less than the best? Many kids are renting limousines or other expensive transportation to and from the prom. Their parents are actually encouraging this type of extravagant behavior. What message are we sending our kids when we encourage them to spend money on such self-gratifying items and services. Teenagers tend to think "it's all about them". This sort of extravagance confirms what they think.
What about the immodest dress? I just don't understand how a mom and dad can encourage their daughter to go out at anytime but especially to a prom dressed like these girls are dressing. Their parents can't be unaware of what is on the mind of kids that age. We encourage them to be chaste, to act properly, and then dress them in clothes that have no backs, no straps, are low-cut revealing way too much of the body. What exactly is the purpose of this type of dress? Does it promote good thoughts in the girl? Good thought in her date? Good thoughts amongst others at the prom? When a girl is dressed in such an immodest way, she is advertising to the world that she 1) doesn't respect herself -- thinks that revealing herself to others will cause them to like her and 2) that she will do whatever it takes to keep people liking her. In the case of the girl at the prom it may and many times does end up in "the couple" committing fornication. Last of all, she doesn't think of her body as the temple of God. If she did, she would protect her body and her reputation.
Not enough clothing isn't all there is to dressing immodestly. I've heard girls say that they want heads to turn when they walk into a room. While there is nothing wrong with dressing in a way that is appealing (and I don't mean sexually here), there is a big difference in that and wanting everyone to notice "me". A Christian should not want to draw attention to his or herself. To want "heads to turn" is immodest. Of course, immodesty doesn't stop with the girls. Girls and boys are going to the proms dressed to make statements. They are coloring their hair, wearing things that are not "traditional " prom wear. Why would they dress this way? To draw attention to themselves.
I haven't even talked about the dancing yet. What about the dancing? Is there anything wrong with a couple of teenagers standing front to front with the girl dressed in such a way as to reveal much of her body, swaying back and forth, or worse, to romantic, seductive music? What if they were doing this standing in the middle of Wal-mart? What would most people think? In any situation except a dance (in this case the prom) this would be considered lewd behavior that should not be carried out in public. At a dance, though all the rules change. The movements that are not acceptable in public are now encouraged by parents, teachers, principles, etc. The kids are expected to rub their bodies against each other and then at the end of the night, give a peck on the cheek and happily go home. Slow dancing is nothing more than foreplay. And our young people are encouraged to do this and to do it in public.
I know, not all dancing is slow dancing. There are some kids of music that encourages dancing that does not involve such intimate touching. This type of dancing involves movements that can be quite appealing to young men when the girls are dressed in such immodest clothing. What teenage boy wouldn't want to see his date dancing around and possibly/probably showing even more of herself than the parents at home had intended. The movements involved in this more active dancing can be downright obscene. With the popularity of the TV show Dancing With The Stars, I'm sure the teenagers are trying to mimic what they see the stars doing. What did one judge say about one of the dances she saw on TV recently? She said that watching it was better than good sex. I think that just sums up the whole reason for such dancing.
If any home schooler that is protecting their children from bad language, Godless curricula/classrooms, disrespectful and illicit behavior send their child to a prom, then why are we home schooling. Now I know that you are probably saying that "nothing like that goes on at our prom". You may be right, but by encouraging and allowing your child to go to the prom, any prom, you are trying to get just as close to the fence without actually stepping over. We all tend to be so protective of our kids in so many things and then just let our guard down because we want to be like the public schoolers.
What to do instead? Will it harm your child mentally, physically, socially, spiritually if they don't go to the prom? No. I didn't go to my prom. My husband didn't go to his. My kids have never been to a prom. Life goes on. After the "big night", it's over. All the money, all the heartache over whether or not you have a date, all the extravagance, all the promiscuous behavior....it's over. One night of putting my child in temptation, of giving my child just a hint of what life is like in the world, of encouraging my child to think "it's all about him" is not worth the damage that can be done.
One thing I like to do for my kids is decorate their birthday cakes. The best compliment I've ever gotten was, "Mom, your cakes are better than the ones at my friends' birthday parties". I guess I've spoiled them. The first one I ever decorated was for my 21 year old's first birthday. That was back before digital cameras, so it's hidden away with some photographs somewhere. Since we've been taking digital pictures, I have all of them in the recent years on my computer. I thought I would share them with you. If you'd like to see one larger, or longer, just click on the picture.
It's been a while since I talked about the string orchestra I teach. We've been very busy this year. I have a great group of kids to work with. They (for the most part) work hard and want to do a good job. Last month we had a concert at our local library. There was probably about 70 in the audience. Both groups played and did a great job. I finally figured out how to upload videos to Youtube, so you get to hear and see us perform.
The first year orchestra has been playing since September. We played:
Can-Can
Mozart Serenade -- Mozart
French Folk Song
Theme to Master Piece Theater
Bach Musette -- Bach
William Tell Overture -- Rossini
Polly Wolly Doodle
Before playing, scroll down and stop the audio feed of the quartet I have playing in my right menu bar, or you'll have 2 things playing at once.
The second year orchestra has been playing for 18 months (started last September). They played:
Yankee Doodle -- Traditional
Beauty and the Beast -- Alan Menken
Trumpet Voluntary -- Clarke
Classical Bash
Pomp and Circumstance -- Elgar
"Finale" from the First Symphony -- Brahms
Before playing, scroll down and stop the audio feed of the quartet I have playing in my right menu bar, or you'll have 2 things playing at once.
Here are photos of the groups so you can see their shining faces.
Our co-op just had it's Latin Banquet. This co-op is patterned after Charlotte Mason's teaching style. The kids study Latin, Shakespeare, Art, Nature, Great Books, and Speech. Most of them are involved in a string orchestra as well. The Latin banquet was a lot of fun. Everyone dressed in togas and we had a great meal. The slide show below will let you know what all we did. Sorry for the poor quality of pictures. I'm not a photographer. :)
Sunday, January 13, 2008 - Chore and Menu List Progress
My last 2 entries have been about getting our chores and our meals a little better organized. We've been at it a week and I thought an update was in order.
First of all, the chores have definitely caused us to have a cleaner house. Of course, having company last night helped also. I've found that having company is a wonderful motivator for house work. I need to have another pow wow with the boys and let them know some areas that need improvement, but all in all, I'd consider it a successful week.
The menu list has been a little harder to get in to. I need to buy ahead so I'll the food (especially meat) on hand when it comes up in the list. The meals I had planned this week weren't necessarily on sale, so I didn't do them. Steak was on sale and I bought enough for 1 meal. I would normally cook it up right away, but I put it in the freezer so we could have it when it is scheduled. On the upside of the menu list. We didn't eat out at all and had food for the whole week with only additional trip to the grocery store.
W'er going try to have everything on week 2 this week. We had pizza for the company last night and stew instead of chili this week. I don't know if we'll have these again (to keep on schedule) or have the chili and spaghetti we had planned for last week.
What does your family like to eat on a regular basis?
Saturday, January 5, 2008 - It's Time To Clean The House
Along with starting my 4 week menu plan (mentioned below), I am once again trying to get better organized with house cleaning. I've got 5 boys at home, 3 of which are very capable of doing anything I can do in the cleaning area, and 1 that is always wanting to do what his big brothers do. The youngest is still too young to be given too much to do without me being right there, so he's my right hand man.
I typically give each boy a room to clean, but lately (for the past couple of years), they seem to have "forgotten" how and what to do. My plan is to post each of these lists in the kitchen so they will have no excuses. The lists will also alleviate any "misunderstandings" about what they are expected to do.
I plan to assign one boy to the living room, one to the kitchen and dining room (I help a lot in there), and one to the bathroom and laundry room. The bedrooms will be expected to be done by all of them. I haven't gotten brave enough to assign each boy a day to do his laundry, so I'm still the main instigator behind getting it done, although they know they are to help when asked.
So here's my room cleaning lists:
Living Room Everyday
Straighten music
Straighten piano music
Straighten DVD/videos
Straighten entertainment center
Straighten both small tables
Pick up stuff from floor, couches and chairs
Straighten puzzles
Twice a week (usually Thursday and Saturday)
Dust all furniture
Dust mini-blinds
Dust window sill
Dust light fixtures
Dust pictures
Vacuum all the carpet in living room and down the hall
Clean under couch and chairs
As needed
Clean tree (take outside and clean with hose)
Clean floral arrangements (wash in bathtub)
Clean carpet
Change light bulbs Dining Room
Twice a week (Usually Thursday and Saturday)
Wipe applicances with damp cloth
Wipe window sill with damp cloth
Swiffer
Wipe inside of fridge with damp cloth
Wipe inside of microwave with damp cloth
As needed
Clean inside of toaster
Straighten inside of cabinets
Clean cabinet doors
Clean out fridge
Laundry Room
When asked
Fold clothes
Help Jonathan put his clothes away
Put your clothes away
Straighten up
Change light bulbs
Sweep/Swiffer
Bathroom
Everyday
Wipe out sinks
Put dirty clothes/towels/cloths in hamper
Straighten counter top
Check toilet tissue
Twice a week (Usually Thursday and Saturday)
Sweep/Swiffer
Scrub counter
Clean mirror
Scrub toilet
Scrub tub
Wipe down window sill
Dust pictures
As needed
Wash shower curtain
Straighten linen closet
Bedroom Everyday
Make bed
Pick up clothes
Straighten games and computer area
Put up books
Pick up toys
It's that wonderful time of year that we can start everything new. One thing that I have done in the past, but for some reason haven't done lately, was to have 4 weekly prepared menus for the family. I sat down the other night and wrote new menus that I thought we could stick with. When I put together these menus, I don't say we'll this one Monday and this on Tuesday. Instead, I say that we'll have these 7 meals this week. That way I have a little freedom and flexibility, which is very necessary around here.
Now I know that there are some of you that are going to think we should be eating better food than this. Sorry, this is what we eat. We love our red meat, chicken and ham. I try to fix the meals in a healthy manner, but I don't alter them so much that they aren't recognizable anymore. When I say we're having hamburgers and fries, we're having beef patty hamburgers and frozen (usually) fried french fries from Ore-Ida.
I don't list vegetables and side dishes in this menu. We usually have a 1 or 2 vegetables and if bread is not included in the main dish (pasta in spaghetti) I'll add some sort of bread. One goal I have this year is to try and eat more whole wheat products. I love whole wheat anything, but I've got a family that thinks if the bread is brown it must have gone bad.
When I have something on the menu like meatloaf, I'll usually quadruple the batch and freeze 3. That way, I don't have to make meat loaf for another 3 months. There are several dishes I do this with. It is really a time saver. Hopefully there will be some left overs which will be eaten at our noon meal. If not, we'll have sandwiches or something similar for lunch.
Here's what you've been waiting for....the Dow's 4 Week Menu Plan:
Week 1
Hamburgers
Chicken/Beef Enchiladas
Chicken/Beef Fajitas
Ham
Chili
Hamburger Patties
Spaghetti
This article appeared in our local paper -- The Lufkin Daily News. It tells the history of our holiday season landmark -- Rudolph the red-nosed pumping unit. It was written by Bob Bowman, a local historian. I bet you can't find another Christmas decoration like this anywhere else.
CELEBRATING HOLIDAYS WITH
LUFKIN'S RED-NOSED PUMPING UNIT,
RUDOLPH
If you drive through Lufkin during the holidays, be sure to take notice of one of East Texas' most unusual Christmas decorations. For decades "Rudolph the Red Nosed Pumping Unit, the creation of Lufkin Industries, Inc., the inventor of the balance-type oilfield pumping unit, has helped East Texas celebrate the season.
Rudolph, named for the reindeer made famous by the Gene Autry song,m is a fully-operational pumping unit standing about 45 feet high. For about four days before Thanksgiving, an electrician installs 1,000 seven-watt lights on a selected unit. Another work crew spends another two and a half days putting Rudolph together at his holiday home on the parking lot of Lufkin Mall beside Loop 287 and US 59.
Rudolph is actually a full-operational Lufkin Mark 640 oilfield pump painted red for the season. At his holiday home, he is pulling a 38-foot dump trailer, also made by Lufkin Industries, carry Santa Claus and a pile of Christmas gifts. Rudolph, naturally, sports lighted antlers and a red nose.
On each Saturday before Thanksgiving , East Texans gather by the thousands at the mall, Santa Claus arrives, a local band and choir fills the air with Christmas music, and cookies and milk are passed out to the children on hand. Lufkin Industries selects a person or group each year to be the official lighter of Rudolph. The crowd shouts out a countdown, a button is pushed, and Rudolph comes to life.
The origin of Rudolph goes back to the days when Guy Croom, a Lufkin Industries employee, heard the Gene Autry song and decided to decorate a small pumping unit with a red electric light bulb and a red ribbon around his neck. The Christmas decoration was placed at the back entrance of a company machine shop where people driving down Raguet and Angelina streets in downtown Lufkin could see Rudolph bobbing up and down. The site of Rudolph was often changed each year until it found a permanent home beside Loop 287 in south Lufkin.
At the end of each holiday season, Rudolph is dismantled, repainted and sold to an oil producing customer somewhere in the world. The trailer is also sold to a customer to carry goods across America. The same will happen to Rudolph this year and it's not unlikely that he could be placed in a foreign country where Christmas as we know it, is not celebrated.
Monday, December 10, 2007 - Let's Go To The Movies
You may remember this song -- LET'S GO TO THE MOVIES. It comes from the movie ANNIE. It's such an upbeat song that you want to just pack up the family and head out for an evening at the movies. For years, the movies have been a great place to take a date, entertain the family and even drop off the kids while mom and dad are busy doing other things.
I'm sure it's not news to anyone that things have changed. These days, before we take the family to see a movie we have tp analyze it to see if it's appropriate. This change has been gradual but very noticeable. GONE WITH THE WIND comes to mind. It is a great movie, but it was the first to dare to use the "d'" word. Since then, movies have used shocking language just for that -- the shock value. No longer is it enough to use the "d" word. New movies have to push the limits and as I've heard many actors say, take people out of their comfort zone.
Because of the corruption of movies, we have come to rely on a rating system. We as parents have some idea of the level of corruption a particular movie has. While a noble idea, this rating system has been created by worldly people. It catches the big no-no's such as violence, sex and drugs, but what about other things that a Christian should stay away from. What about blasphemy, sacrilege, disrespect for parents and using God's name in vain?
The first movie that pops in to my head is THE GOLDEN COMPASS. It is rated PG-13, so many parents will feel comfortable letting their children see it. According to the rating system, it it appropriate for children over 13. There has been much written on this movie warning parents not to take their child to see it. So what's the problem? Blasphemy. This movie is written with blatant blasphemy as its basis. The world doesn't see blasphemy as a serious issue.
Another movie that comes to mind is EVAN ALMIGHTY . This one gets a PG rating by the world's standards. This sacrilegious movie puts a new slant on the story of Noah by poking fun of it. This story that shows us the power of God and His love for man, for obedient man, has been reduced to a comedy. What's the harm? It's all done in fun. We all know the difference in a movie and the Bible. Do we? This movie has been brought up by 2 different students in 2 different class session while we were reviewing the story of Noah. This sacrilegious movie is what pops up in the minds of these children when we are discussing the story of God's destruction of evil in the world.
The movies mentioned above are just a smattering of what Hollywood has offered us lately. Movies are powerful. They are larger than life and louder than life. When you sit in a theater to watch a movie you are totally surrounded by the images and the sounds. They are so commanding that you can't think of anything else. What you see is unforgettable. When a child or a person with a weak faith sees these powerful images, their whole idea of who and what God is can be altered.
These movies (and many like them) chip away at our faith. A little chip here and a little chip there doesn't seem to make much of an impact at the time. Multiply those chips by all the other things in life that try to hinder our faith and eventually there is great damage done. THE GOLDEN COMPASS presents God as weak and fallible. Our souls are portrayed as something that lives separate from us. Everything the Bible teaches is twisted and distorted. It's done in such a dramatic and enthralling way, that anyone (especially impressionable children) can't help but walk away with images and thoughts that tear down our belief in God.
After watching movies such as these, there will be a permanent link between what Hollywood wants us to think of the Bible and God and what God wants us to think. It takes a strong, mature person to break this link. The fact that my students brought up Evan Almighty during Bible class demonstrates that this is true. We need to protect ourselves and our children from blasphemous and sacrilegious entertainment.
In the words of the Statler Brothers:
Everbody knows when you go to the show You can't take the kids a-long You've gotta read the paper and know the code of G, PG and R and X You gotta know what the movie's about Be-fore you even go Tex Ritter's gone and Disney's dead The screen is filled with sex.
Friday, November 30, 2007 - Consistency, Consistency, Consistency
We've been home schooling for 16 years now. I've seen a lot of people that tried home schooling for a time and then gave up. I've seen a lot of people that home schooled but never quite seemed to get the job done. I've seen a lot of very successful home school families.
Those that have been successful at home schooling have come from very different backgrounds. The parents' education has varied. Their philosophy of education has varied. In fact, the one thing that I can think of that they all have in common has nothing to do with how much money they put into their home schooling or what curriculum they chose. It all seems to come down to one thing -- consistency.
A lot of people have big plans. They are willing to spend lots of money for that perfect thing that will make their kids soar. They may have the perfect school room, the perfect family situation. Everything seems to be going their way. I've seen a lot of these same people either give up their home schooling thoughts or flounder around not getting anywhere in their child's education. What's the problem? They aren't consistent.
The successful home schooling family will have a simple, easily followed schedule and stick with it. It's not the marathon school days that educate our children. It's not the expensive curriculum. It's not even the well stocked school room. Success for our kids depends on the day to day, consistent home schooling.
There are times that I get to thinking we aren't accomplishing much. it doesn't seem that one lesson a day in particular subject is moving very fast. It doesn't seem that the book we're reading aloud is ever going to end. It doesn't seem like the children are making any notable progress. When thoughts like this start to cloud my mind, it helps to do an inventory of what we've studied so far. When I look back over the past few months, I realize that we have done a lot of learning.
Now, don't get me wrong. We take off a day here and there. We've gone a few field trips. We've had some interruptions that made home schooling for a day or two impossible. The key is to keep consistent. Then when those little surprises or even planned events come along, there's time to enjoy them. In fact, they are treasured. We all need a break now and then. Just make sure that the breaks are the exception and not the rule.
Eighteen years after sitting my 5 year old down for his first day of school, we're still at it. We've graduated 2 and have one ready to graduate this year. Three more are working slow and steady at learning what they need to know to be the kind of adults God wants them to be.
Laundry Room
Everyday![](<img src="http://lufkin.com/images/rudolph-s.jpg">)
