Stepping Heavenward The greatest danger for most of us
is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, |
Blogging
I am going to stop blogging for awhile. I need to focus more on my family and spend less time online.
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| Confitebor tibi Domine in toto corde meo, | I will thank the Lord with all my heart |
| in consilio justorum et congregatione. | in the council of justice and the assembly. |
| Magna opera Domini: | Great [are] the works of the Lord: |
| exquisita in omnes voluntates ejus. | [they are] sought out in all his goodwill. |
| Confessio et magnificentia opus ejus, | his work [is] confession and grandeur, |
| et justitia ejus manet in sæculum sæculi. | and his justice remains forever. |
| Memoriam fecit mirabilium suorum, | His miracles were made into legends, |
| misericors et miserator Dominus, | the merciful and gracious Lord, |
| escam dedit timentibus se. | he gave food to those who fear him. |
| Memor erit in sæculum testamenti sui; | The memory of his promise will be forever; |
| virtutem operum suorum | the goodness of his works |
| annuntiabit populo suo, | he will announce to his people, |
| ut det illis hereditatem Gentium; | thus let him give that heritage of the Gentiles; |
| opera manuum ejus veritas et judicium. | the works of his hands [are] truth and justice. |
| Fidelia omnia mandata ejus; | All faith [is] entrusted to him; |
| confirmata in sæculum sæculi, | and established forever, |
| facta in veritate et æquitate. | made in truth and equity. |
| Redemptionem misit Dominus populo suo; | The Lord sent redemption to his people. |
| mandavit in æternum testamentum suum. | he commanded his covenant forever. |
| Sanctum, et terribile nomen ejus; | Holy and frightful [is] his name; |
| initium sapientiæ timor Domini. | fear of the Lord [is] the beginning of wisdom. |
| Intellectus bonus omnibus facientibus eum; | A good understanding to all of them who act; |
| laudatio ejus manet in sæculum sæculi. | the praise of him endures forever. |
| Gloria Patri, et Filio, | Glory to the Father and the Son |
| et Spiritui Sancto. | and the Holy Spirit. |
| Sicut erat in principio, | As it was in the beginning, |
| et nunc et semper, | and [is] now and always, |
| et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. | and [will be] forever. Amen. |
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Category: Christian Walk
Friend's Don't Let Friends Not Drink Tea
Jul. 24, 2008
A family friend is competing for a $20,000 scholarship in the National Calm-a-Sutra of Tea Competition. Good luck Connor!
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Category: Miscellaneous
On the Reading of Old Books
Jul. 23, 2008
"There is a strange idea abroad that in every subject the ancient books should be read only by the professionals, and that the amateur should content himself with the modern books. Thus I have found as a tutor in English Literature that if the average student wants to find out something about Platonism, the very last thing he thinks of doing is to take a translation of Plato off the library shelf and read the Symposium. He would rather read some dreary modern book ten times as long, all about "isms" and influences and only once in twelve pages telling him what Plato actually said. The error is rather an amiable one, for it springs from humility. The student is half afraid to meet one of the great philosophers face to face. He feels himself inadequate and thinks he will not understand him. But if he only knew, the great man, just because of his greatness, is much more intelligible than his modern commentator. The simplest student will be able to understand, if not all, yet a very great deal of what Plato said; but hardly anyone can understand some modern books on Platonism. It has always therefore been one of my main endeavours as a teacher to persuade the young that firsthand knowledge is not only more worth acquiring than secondhand knowledge, but is usually much easier and more delightful to acquire.This mistaken preference for the modern books and this shyness of the old ones is nowhere more rampant than in theology ... Now this seems to me topsy-turvy. Naturally, since I myself am a writer, I do not wish the ordinary reader to read no modern books. But if he must read only the new or only the old, I would advise him to read the old. And I would give him this advice precisely because he is an amateur and therefore much less protected than the expert against the dangers of an exclusive contemporary diet. A new book is still on its trial and the amateur is not in a position to judge it. It has to be tested against the great body of Christian thought down the ages, and all of its hidden implications (often unsuspected by the author himself) have to be brought to light. Often it cannot be fully understood without the knowledge of a good many other modern books. If you join at eleven o'clock a conversation which began at eight you will often not see the real bearing of what is said. Remarks which seem to you very ordinary will produce laughter or irritation and you will not see why—the reason, of course, being that the earlier stages of the conversation have given them a special point. In the same way sentences in a modern book which look quite ordinary may be directed at some other book; in this way you may be led to accept what you would have indignantly rejected if you knew its real significance."
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Category: Books
Wordless Wednesday
Jul. 23, 2008
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Category: On Having Boys
Curricula for 2008-2009
Jul. 16, 2008
Here is an overview of our curricula for this upcoming year:Together:
Bible & CatechismJohn:
History: Winter Promise: American Story 1
Science: NOEO Science: Chemistry I: Bubbly, Sticky, Bouncy and Icky!
Noah:
Math: Singapore Math 4a & 4b; Saxon Math 65
Spelling: Rod and Staff: Spelling Grade 4
Grammar: Rod and Staff: Building with Diligence: English 4
Penmanship: Rod and Staff: "Penmanship for Christian Writing" Gr. 4
Memorization: Year Three Memorization
Reading: Sonlight: Readers 3 Advanced Package - Five Day
Latin: Classical Academic Press: Latin for Children Primer B
Math: Singapore Math: 2a & 2b; Horizons 3
Spelling: Rod and Staff: Spelling Grade 2
Grammar: Rod & Staff: Preparing to Build: English 2
Penmanship: Zaner Bloser: Handwriting 2 M
Poetry: First Year Poetry Memorization
Reading: Sonlight: Readers 3 Regular Package - Five-Day
Latin: Classical Academic Press: Song School Latin
Next on my homeschool to-do list? Figuring out which subjects demand my complete attention and which subjects are mostly independent or require only a little supervision for each child. Then, I can create a workable schedule for each child that allows me to work one-on-one with one while the other is working on independent work.
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Category: Homeschooling
Memorization
Jul. 16, 2008
With our new school year just around the corner, I'm getting in to planning mode. {grin}For our memorization time, Noah will be memorizing our First Year Poetry Memorization poems.
We've switched gears for memorization with John this year -- most of the things he'll be memorizing relate to what he and Noah will be studying in History this year.
1) The Books of the BibleRather than memorize one piece a week (like he's done in the past & like Noah will be doing), John will be working on one piece a month. I think this list is a little ambitious, but completely do-able. As it is, it is only enough material to get us through March, so even if a few pieces take us longer, we'll have three months of wiggle room.
2) The Mayflower Compact
3) American Wars from Colonial Times to 1850
4) Opening to the Declaration of Independence
5) Preamble and Outline of the US Constitution
6) The Bill of Rights
7) The 50 States
8) The First Twenty American Presidents
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Category: Homeschooling
It's Time for Some Campaignin'!
Jul. 16, 2008
Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!
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Category: Our Constitutional Republic
Build a Wiffle Ball Field and Lawyers Will Come
Jul. 11, 2008
When I read Last Child in the Woods, I thought it was a little melodramatic. After reading this story, I guess I was wrong.
After three weeks of clearing brush and poison ivy, scrounging up plywood and green paint, digging holes and pouring concrete, Vincent, Justin and about a dozen friends did manage to build it — a tree-shaded Wiffle ball version of Fenway Park complete with a 12-foot-tall green monster in center field, American flag by the left-field foul pole and colorful signs for Taco Bell Frutista Freezes.
But, alas, they had no idea just who would come — youthful Wiffle ball players, yes, but also angry neighbors and their lawyer, the police, the town nuisance officer and tree warden and other officials in all shapes and sizes. It turns out that one kid’s field of dreams is an adult’s dangerous nuisance, liability nightmare, inappropriate usurpation of green space, unpermitted special use or drag on property values, and their Wiffle-ball Fenway has become the talk of Greenwich and a suburban Rorschach test about youthful summers past and present.
Of my goodness! "Inappropriate usurpation of green space"! Call in the National Guard! Those boys should be home playing video games! They most certainly should not be out building a wiffle-ball field in an empty lot owned by the city full of "weeds, brush and poison ivy!" Playing? Outdoors? In a non-adult organized and supervised activity? What is this world coming to????
< / sarcasm off >
By the way, we picked up a great "boy" movie at our Boy Scout office last week:
We watched it together as a family movie Saturday night and everyone, including Dave and I, enjoyed it! It follows the life of a man, Lem Siddons, who leaves his traveling jazz band to 'put down roots' in the quintessential Small Town, America. We laughed and cried our way through this movie .... and the boys have asked me every day since to watch it again. Definitely two thumbs up!
HT: Neptunus Lex
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Category: On Having Boys
Beginning to Plan for this Fall
Jul. 8, 2008
On Saturday, I bought a new bookshelf for our bedroom, which allowed me to move our original bookshelf into the boys room, which allowed me to move half of the books from the schoolroom to the boys room, which allowed me to ~finally~ move all of our new curriculum from the living room into the schoolroom. :-) Yay! It was so much fun looking over everything again. Shiny new books are so exciting, LOL!I can't believe that this summer is going so fast. It's already July 8th! The boys are in baseball camp until the last week of this month, and then we'll have 3 or so weeks before we start up school again. As of right now I'm planning to start school August 18th. I would like to get more done before our Christmas break this year, so our start date is a little earlier than last year. Here's the tentative academic calendar I came up with:
The little red numbers correspond to the week of school; vacation weeks are in solid red. This calendar is super easy to alter if you have Excel.
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Category: Homeschooling
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Hi ... I'm Heather! I have been married for ten years and am a stay at home homeschooling mom to three boys. My blog title is taken from the book 'Stepping Heavenward' by Elizabeth Prentiss. We live in the wonderful state of Wisconsin.
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