Description
Musings of a relaxed, identity-directed homeschooling mum in New Zealand.
My Links
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Current Reading
Me - Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
Real Food by Nina Planck
12 steps for the recovering Pharisee - like me by John Fischer
12 Ordinary Men by John McArthur
Home Educating with confidence by Rick Boyer
Son 1 - The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis
Exploring the World of HIstory by John Tiner
A couple of library books about orca whales
Son 2 - a couple of Ralph Moody books
Rifles for Watie
Mountain Valor
Son 3 - Henry Huggins
A few 'My Story' books
Books from 'the Caroline years' and the 'Martha Years'
Daughter - Goodnight Mr Tom
Tirzah
Stories from Grandmas Attic
'the Caroline years' and "martha years' books
Read-Alouds
The thinking toolbox (couple chapters/week)
The mystery of the periodic table
The twenty-one balloons
Amos Fortune, Free Man |
Posted: 8:00 PM, May. 4, 2008 |
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Driving
If my hair suddenly starts to go even greyer than it is you will know it is because we have reached a new stage for the first time - DRIVING!!
At a time when everyone is concerned about the planet and global warming and encouraging the use of public transport and all that - we have increased our familys fleet to two. Thats not counting my husbands work van.
Son number one has saved enough money to buy a second hand vehicle that he can learn to drive in. Our family vehicle is automatic and he wanted to learn in a vehicle with a manual gearbox.
Lesson one was yesterday. Several stallings, kangaroo hops, anxious nerves (both him and me!), but we survived. He has realised that it is not going to come naturally, and will take some time to get used to, he was a bit over-confident before I think. I am looking forward to the weekend, when the teaching will fall to his Dad. I drove manuals for years, but have only driven the automatic for the last few years, and it is going to be different having to switch between both sorts.
I think we are in for an interesting "ride" - should be fun!!! |
Posted: 5:18 PM, May. 1, 2008 |
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A Whole Other World
Imagine a world where there are only one or two TV channels, when if there is a programme you want to watch and you happen to be out - tough, you missed it!! Whats more, TV is only on for a few hours a day, certainly not in the morning or overnight. Imagine the only movies you can watch are at the theatre, and then there is a choice of only one.
Imagine a teenager going out, or away, and the parents having no way of contacting him. And if he wants to contact his parents he needs to find a phone booth and have the correct change. For that matter, imagine a teenager going away with his family and still not having daily contact with his friends.
Imagine actually having to go to a bank to get some money if you need to buy something. If you don't have the money in your wallet - you don't buy the goods. If you spot something in an overseas magazine you need to get a money order and post it off, and wait for its arrival weeks or months later.
Imagine being only able to shop on weekdays with a late night Friday. No Saturday or Sunday trading.
Imagine having a question you want to research. You have to wait until you get to the library, then you have to flick through a pile of file cards to find the number or title of book that may possibly have the information in it.
Imagine having a foreign penpal, actually writing a letter with pen and paper, posting it then having to wait weeks for a reply.
Imagine your friends and confidants, your support network, being only people that you have actually physically met and talked to.
Just imagine .......
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Posted: 4:39 PM, Apr. 29, 2008 |
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A Recipe for Torture
As we head into winter one of our family favourites comes into its own. Soup. We all love it, especially the real thick, hearty soups made with bones, either chicken or beef.
One evening I was with some friends and they were all commenting on how many men did not like soup, including their husbands. I was amazed considering how our family drools over it. When I discussed it with my husband he said it was probably because they hadn't had the thick meaty soup we eat. Honestly, it would be hard to think of a more nutritious cooked meal to feed a family, and it is economical as well.
When I get my bones on the stove boiling away, my teenage boys moan and groan that I am torturing them. I get the bones boiling the day before we actually eat it and the house smells so amazingly good, but they can't eat the soup until the following day. Torture to hungry teenagers.
Here's a bit of a run down of my soup making method. Its not a recipe, because it is different each time.
For chicken soup, buy frame or necks, these are cheap, place them in a big pot with whatever leftover chicken bones are in the freezer, add lots of celery leaves, some garlic cloves, couple of onions and carrots - don't worry about peeling. Throw in some parsley, bayleaves, peppercorns, a splash of vinegar. Keep on low boil for most of the day.
Next day ( this is the worst bit) strain stock out, pick over bones and save meat. I usually save 2 litres to freeze for another time. Discard bones and veges, unless you want to briefly boil for a second 'extraction'. Add chopped vegetables, lots of them, I usually use about 4 onions, several celery sticks, 5 or 6 carrots, a couple of kumara, and my husband loves potato in soup, so 4 or 5 of them. I have got a big soup pot though. Add brown rice or lentils if there is plenty of liquid, they will absorb a lot. Often though, we just have the vegetables and no grains. Add any frozen gravies you happen to have in the freezer, keep on low boil for a few hours, add the meat. Season well, lots of salt and pepper, I used to use soy sauce but have been avoiding it lately so I use Braggs instead.
There it is. Serve and watch it disappear.
For beef soup, it can be done exactly the same way and it will be great. But for the last few years I have been charring the bones in a roasting dish in an extremely hot oven for about an hour, then using these as the basis for soup. Wash the roasting dish with fresh water a couple of times and use the 'washings' in the soup. This makes a really dark, rich stock.
An interesting note - one of my downfalls with soup was that I loved to eat it with bread. Usually more bread than I normally ate. I have started eating it without bread, and have found myself just as satisfied, for as long.
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Posted: 4:03 PM, Apr. 26, 2008 |
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What Lies Beneath
We have just had an experience of 'appearances aren't always what they seem' in our family.
My older brother, my 'big brother', appears a happy family man. He is on a six-figure salary, huge house, buys his vehicles new, is considering expensive private schools for his children. He has everything intelligence can get someone. Except faith.
We just realised over the weekend that things have NOT been going well after all. We had no idea. He and his wife always appear to have everything together, their lives revolve around their children and their activities, which concerned us a bit, but they seemed really fine. It appears for a long time that he has been hiding information from our side of the family, and now it has all blown up in his face. His marriage is over by all accounts, another woman is involved. A lot of his 'business travel' has been a cover for other activities.
Our family is really rocked. You hear of this going on all the time but to someone else.
Sin is so ugly, and affects so many people, its ripples are far-reaching.
This is such a lesson to me. We as children were always brought up to honour intelligence. To get a good career and have a secure life. My dad grew up through the depression, so this was the way many of his peers brought up their children. I have sub-consciously admired my brother for his success and lifestyle, forgetting that we are all equal before God and our earthly 'stuff' counts for nothing.
I had a chat to my son yesterday. I told him that I would rather he lived in a little shack, working in a rubbish dump, if he lived his life with honesty and integrity.
The order in the bible is faith, virtue, knowledge (2 Peter 1:5). Faith first, then virtue or character, knowledge and intelligence a very low third. We need to determine to not get it around the other way.
A good thing is that this may be a chance for God to intervene in my brothers life. I have always felt that for God to touch him he would need to be bought to the end of himself, his intelligence and self-sufficiency has stopped this so far. |
Posted: 7:48 PM, Apr. 14, 2008 |
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Wedding Anniversary
19 years today.
Happy Anniversary to US!!
Looking forward to many more years of growing in grace and knowledge of Him together. |
Posted: 7:46 PM, Apr. 14, 2008 |
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A Life of Privilege
Does this sound familiar?
She rises in the morning at a time she determines best for her family. She runs her day according to her family schedule, she is not at the mercy of imposed timetables. She can pick and choose activities that will be of benefit to her family.
She doesn't feel she has to live up to a certain image. No one minds much if her hair turns a little grey, or her clothes get a bit frumpy. She can spend all day in her favourite pair of cosy slippers.
She spends all day with some of those who mean the most to her, her children, her favourite people. She doesn't worry about 'quality time' with her children, she is just with them. Working, discussing, growing, they are just together.
There is great room for intellectual stimulation. Maths, science, history become fascinating as they all point to the creator who is 'before all things, and in him all things hold together'.
If life starts to feel a bit stale she is free to pursue some creativity of her own. Writing, music, art, gardening add to the beauty of her home and life.
She lives a life of nourishment. Physical nourishment of herself and her family, she pays attention to their nutrition, ensures they get adequate rest and exercise. They are nourished through relationships, with each other and the friends and family they welcome into their home. There is spiritual nourishment too, as they learn about their creator together.
Every need is met. She has a husband who works hard to support his family. Sometimes it takes a bit of ingenuity to make ends meet, but she is never ultimately without or lacking.
She knows time is short, so she determines to make the most of it. She realises todays challenges will be tomorrows memories, or even family jokes, so she savours each stage, knowing it will be all too fleeting.
She walks the path of grace, there is ample room for her to make mistakes, to fall flat on her face again and again, and rise knowing that she is not the one in ultimate control.
She doesn't look elsewhere to try to 'find herself', for she has realised that it is in 'losing herself' that the greatest joy lies.
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Posted: 7:16 PM, Apr. 6, 2008 |
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Challenges
We have had a few 'challenges' lately with one of our children. He is the most wonderful character when he is out, very responsible and a pleasure to have, so the parents of his friends tell us. He managed to get a good job recently, with a company who doesn't usually employ people as young as him, when I went along to meet his employer he was full of compliments. But at home, he has been challenging for us. I won't go into details but it has filled me with uncertainties and wondering how to manage it and what we had done wrong.
I woke early to pray about it a few days ago. I wanted to gain God's perspective on the situation, to pray for wisdom and guidance of how to handle things. Well I ended up repenting myself, not for what I had done so much, but for the expectations I had for him.
I read a lot of homeschool books. There are such a large number of great books out there. But, somehow in all my reading, I had built up a picture of the life he should be leading. You know the picture - family oriented, not selfish, stay pure before marriage, diligent and hardworking, evangelical ... ...
Now none of these are wrong. In fact they are all very desirable and admirable. But if they come from some sense of 'right', then they are empty. Mere externals are religion. What am I going to raise? A Pharisee. And how long has it taken for me to even begin to realise that I myself are a Pharisee, in great need of God's grace - a lifetime.
We, and our children, are on an equal footing - empty sinners before God's throne of grace.
I found myself praying, not for wisdom for myself, but for God to reveal himself to my son. To speak to him directly, to touch his heart, so whatever good he does, it is a response of a grateful heart, joyful in what God has done for him.
There is a place in our children that only God can touch. No amount of parenting will convict our children of their sinfulness, their emptiness without Him, they need to come face to face with God themselves, to see their state without Him. They need to see Jesus, who he is, what he has accomplished. They need the Holy Spirit guiding them into all truth.
God is well able to capture our childrens hearts. He will bring them to a desire to know Him. He will bring them to a place where what they DO (or don't do!) is a reflection of who they ARE - in Him.
Yes, it is important to bring them up in God's ways, to shelter them from evil, to teach them God's word, to pray with and for them, to build relationship with them. But the most important task we have as parents is handing our children over to their loving Father, leaving them in His hands. |
Posted: 6:09 PM, Mar. 29, 2008 |
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Our cat is "Left-Pawed"
So my daughter informs me after intensive observations and testings. I think her research may have been slightly biased though, she is left-handed herself.
Poor creature!! |
Posted: 8:15 PM, Mar. 28, 2008 |
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Educated? Schooled?
Theres a difference. A big difference.
My eldest son is 15. And if he was at school he would be starting to collect the wonderful certificates that say he is "educated".
Several homeschoolers I know put their children in school at this age, so their children can get these certificates, we almost did ourselves, but after prayer and other circumstances realised it wasn't right for our family. Others turn to the correspondence school so their child can remain home and gain these certificates.
I have lately had a bit of a crisis of confidence about all this. My son really wants to pursue building as a career, and would like this year to be his last of homeschooling so he can do this. My main reaction has been fear. Yep, fear, I admit it. Fear that he won't have the certificate he needs, fear that he will have gaps. What about the chemistry I never got round to teaching him? What about the literature he hasn't studied yet?
I was talking it over with him this morning, and it occurred to me that I had once more turned to a 'schooling' attitude. I want all the i's dotted and the t's crossed. I had a list of 'stuff' I wanted him to learn and had this urge to put it all before him and demand it be done by years end.
So I am taking a step back, looking at the big picture. I am feeling challenged to put the emphasis on being educated, not merely being 'schooled'.
Schooling involves getting through the curriculum, taking the test and promptly forgetting what is learned. Education is knowing how to search our information for yourself as you need it, actually having researched, and owning the result yourself.
Schooling is measurable, graded by tests and marks, education is less tangible.
Schooling comes to an end. Education has no end, it is lifelong, there will always be more to learn.
Schooling is comfortable, it would be nice to say my son has a certificate in academics. Education puts more of an emphasis on being able to get along with others in life, of working hard, being a good citizen.
Schooling is about filling in notebooks, answering someone elses questions, being able to interpret what someone else expects of you. Education is knowing how to ask the questions, and dig out the answers yourself. It is also knowing how to apply the knowledge you have gained.
School has an agenda, and it's someone elses. Education gives room for learning what is important to you.
Schooling is about head knowledge. Education is about relating to others in meaningful relationships.
Could he get educated at school? Possibly, in spite of the system. I don't think I was well educated for life, though I had no problems fitting the system.
I need always to be aware of the danger though, of having him at home, and merely aiming to have him "schooled."
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Posted: 7:23 PM, Mar. 18, 2008 |
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Motivations
1 Thessalonians 1:3
"We continually remember before our God and Father
your work produced by faith,
your labour prompted by love,
and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."
Paul wrote this to encourage the new christians in Thessalonica, but it struck me as a verse easily applicable to homeschoolers, an encouragement to 'keep up the good work'. It is also a reminder to keep our motivation right. I find it easy to slip into a teeth-grinding attitude of "this is the right thing, I must keep going at all costs", which is not healthy or good, and doesn't have any sort of stickability if the going gets tough.
Three motivations in this verse:
Work produced by faith - sometimes all we have to lean on is our faith in a Big God, and the knowing that he has called us, and therefore will enable us.
Labour prompted by love - we do what we do because of love. Love for God and our families.
Endurance inspired by hope - our hope is not a vain one, it is in a real person - our Lord Jesus Christ. This is what keeps us going.
Faith, love, hope - the same 'big three' of 1 Corinthians 13, in a different order. Paul says there that the greatest is love.
His love for us, our love for Him, and His love for others through us.
What a wonderful set of motivations. |
Posted: 6:36 PM, Mar. 10, 2008 |
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Settling in to a new routine
Since this is a homeschooling blog I will take a few posts to discuss - surprise, surprise!! - Homeschooling.
We have been back to 'schooling' for a few weeks now, and are starting to get a bit of a feel for a gentle routine that will be manageable and simple and hopefully not to stressful on everyone.
It will basically be:
Get up, morning chores.
9ish, read bible together and discuss, work on memorising bible verse. Then read together, Mondays "the thinking toolbox", other days whatever the current readaloud is - currently "Amos Fortune".
Older children do independent work, handwriting, typing, while I work with the youngest on reading, sight words and phonics.
Morning tea break then maths at the table, hopefully I can keep an eye on everybody at their different levels. Youngest does less maths, a bit of printing then goes and plays.
Older children do some form of writing, copywork, dictation, own choice - I like to mix it up a bit. Then three days a week spelling and two days some language exercises.
After this the children do a bit of research work, read non-fiction library books.
We have lunch and a bit of peace and quiet afterwards. On Mondays we have swimming lessons, Tuesdays and Thursdays I am doing a bit of informal science (chemistry), Wednesdays we have an outing of some sort, often the library. Friday is sports for the older children every second week, or visiting or just staying home.
My oldest son is becoming a bit more independent, he will be working about 20-30 hours at a local hardware store, so has a certain amount of work assigned to him each week he needs to accomplish at his own pace. My second son has different needs as well, he does a bit of economics.
Hopefully we get time for more reading, some puzzles and some board games, and some fun sort of activities outside, but this is a basic framework. Of course, there is always 'incidental' learning going on, just by living life together and talking through out the day.
Now this all sounds nice and orderly and calm and peaceful. But I live in the real world. This is the ideal and it often doesn't go all as planned. Sometimes my home resembles a zoo more than a homeschool. I have squabbles to sort, attitudes to address, laziness to motivate. It is nice though, to have a bit of a pattern to our days, it helps us function a lot better. |
Posted: 7:04 PM, Mar. 2, 2008 |
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150 Healthiest Foods on Earth
Last week at the library I picked up this book: 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth - the surprising, unbiased truth about what you should eat and why by Jonny Bowden.
It is absolutely gorgeous. I have left it lying around on the coffee table and it has been nice to see my children browsing through it.
It is well researched, and talks about the various properties of these 150 foods. Cancer preventing, fat busting, antioxidants, cleansing, heart-disease prevention. At first glance many of the foods were a bit beyond our reach, and some I have never heard of. But many of the foods are those we eat everyday, and have been enjoying for some time.
It has been a great read for me. Admittedly, it is only one persons opinion, but the research is there to back up the various claims.
Some changes I can realistically do:
Eat more nuts - they are a bit expensive but don't need to eat many at all to benefit from them.
Not worry so much about eating frozen foods, like peas and blueberries, they are just about as good.
Add more onions and garlic to our cooking, I already buy bulk onions at the local market and add them to most meals.
Do some more sprouting, I have dabbled with sprouting seeds from time to time, but reading about the incredible health benefits has got me motivated to get a bit more serious.
Eat more beans, we used to eat them more often but I have got a bit slack.
Increase my intake of green tea, and make ginger tea for an alternative.
Eat more fish, canned sardines are a superfood!!
Encourage the kids to eat snacks of seeds, peppers, carrots and other veges.
Hey, there's heaps more. But these are a few of the more realistic changes I can make NOW.
I recommend the book, it seems to be easily available in libraries. And its also on Amazon or Fishpond.
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Posted: 6:09 PM, Feb. 25, 2008 |
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A piece of pi
I had one of those wonderful homeschooling "AHA" moments just the other day. It was one of those moments when the lightbulb just went on and I could see clearly something I had missed for a lot of years.
But I will back-track a bit. I was a reasonably well accomplished student in high-school. I didn't have a great deal of motivation to learn anything for myself, but coped well academically. I was great at maths, until the upper echelons of calculus and trigonometry that seem to trouble most people. But get this - I just did it. I did not have to undestand anything, just followed the formula and did it.
One of these AHA moments happened a few years ago when I taught my son adding and subtracting using re-grouping and borrowing and carrying. I could see why I was doing it. I actually had an understanding. I have also had some of these moments doing history too, I love it now because it is interesting to me, when I had had no appreciation of it in the past.
This weeks AHA moment was this: I got an understanding of pi. You know the formulas for circles, circumference (circumference = diameter x pi) and area (Area = pi x radius squared). I could see how they sort of worked, and could even diagram it out for my son so he could understand too. I love visuals - charts, diagrams - thats how I learn best, so I was really excited.
Skip this if you are a mathematician or you're not interested, I won't be offended. If I could do diagrams on the computer I would do but I will explain as best I can.
Draw a circle, with a square around it, touching on the top and bottom and sides. For circumference, look at the length of the diameter, it is the same as the side of the square. Now the perimeter of the square is four times the diameter. The circumference of the circle comes inside that, so its obviously going to be less than four. Thats where pi comes in - thats the measurement that some clever person figured out we times the diameter by.
Now for area - draw a straight line for the radius, from the middle of the circle straight to the right to the side of the square. Now square it - shade in one fourth of the circle, the square is made up of four of these 'radius squared'. The circle comes in smaller than four times this - so enter our friend pi again!!
Now I think that is so cool. That would have helped me back in the eighties at high school. I don't think my son was as impressed as I was, but it helped him.
I am sure I am learning as much as my children, seeing what I missed first time round. Thats one reason why I love homeschooling!!
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Posted: 6:29 PM, Feb. 19, 2008 |
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That time of year again
Every year, about this time, we try to make the decisions about what extra-curricula activities to get the children involved in. Having five children, the potential for family blow-out is enormous if we try to fit a few activities in for everybody. Yet, conversely, the potential for frustration and 'missing out' feelings if we do nothing.
Even though winter is a few months away, a lot of clubs take registrations now for winter sports. We need to approach schools if there is not a club programme available in their particular sport.
Talking to other parents about this decision making process, I have had a few mums now, talk about how few activities their children do. But in talking to them further, their children do ballet, music lessons, girls brigade, plus their sporting interests, not to mention their church/Sunday school. Aaargh!!
For our own decision making, I tend to err on the side of doing less rather than too much. It is a priority to me to keep the family sane and peaceful. I am convinced that God has placed us in our little cul-de-sac and it is nice to be home here and not forever running around like a headless chicken. Our children have a lot of unscheduled time to 'just be'. Another priority is cooking nutritious meals economically from scratch.
The sheer financial cost of some activities seems prohibitive to me as well. I simply cannot justify spending so much money, when we are trying to live on a budget and cut our mortgage down asap. I am a bit uncomfortable too, about children thinking the world revolves around them as they get driven from place to place. I heard of a bumper sticker that said "If a womans place is in the home why am I always in the car?!!" That sums up how I don't want to be.
We don't do nothing, far from it, we do swimming lessons as part of the homeschool week, and at times have used the homeschool group for other sports, some drama (last year they were involved in a movie of Romeo and Juliet), and outings. My daughter had a year of dancing, but has no desire for more, so thats fine. The children that have wanted to have played soccer for several years. The children attended Sunday School, that may stop this year, we are praying about that involvement (a whole other blog entry!). I encourage them to play music, but use bought curriculum at home instead of expensive lessons. If they show musical aptitude I will reconsider lessons, but my aim is merely to introduce music at this stage. My oldest son is able to bike about the city, so he is involved in a few more activities, such as a boxing gym, some youth group activities, he also has 'adventures' with his friends, like boogie boarding down the river, and camping out on an island.
I have made some errors in the past in involvement. One year I enrolled the oldest three boys in expensive art lessons. At the end I concluded that I should have used some of the same money, invested in a book like 'the Usborne book of art skills', some art supplies, scheduled a bit of time for art, not minding the mess, and we would have been much better off. It would have been working smarter, not harder.
I feel like I am battling feelings of inadequacy, missing out. That is me though, I am not accountable to the mothers of two who are never home, or the mothers whose children are musical, sporting, arty, and community orientated all at once. It is up to our family, before God to decide what is best, and to trust Him that these are His children, and He wants the best for them, they will not be deprived from what they NEED.
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Posted: 7:20 PM, Feb. 10, 2008 |
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Back Home
We have just had a lovely week visiting with family up north. Lots of swimming in the sea and even a dip in the pool at the bottom of some waterfalls. Trying to make the most of this lovely summer while it is still with us.
While we were there we held a family celebration for my husbands "Big 4-OH". Its great to have family, I just love watching the cousins play together enjoying each others company, despite only seeing each other a couple of times a year. We were truly blessed too, we got the most awesome chance to share the gospel with my unbelieving in-laws, spent an evening just talking the things of God. My husband has been reading Watchman Nees 'the Normal Christian Life', and has been really impacted by it, so he had lots to share. As we travelled home he remarked how awesome it had been to share and how he would be surprised if he had such an opportunity again.
After our arrival back we were supposed to start pretty much straight in to the homeschooling. Well, it hasn't quite worked that way. I hadn't got as much planning done before we left as I hoped, and had not even thought about it for the week, so it will take a bit longer. Went to the library this afternoon so that will kick start something hopefully. I must admit it is nice to have the neighbourhood children back at school, its a lot quieter and more settled during the day. |
Posted: 5:29 PM, Feb. 7, 2008 |
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My Garden
It is not very big. But a year ago we looked out our kitchen window onto ugly brown dirt piles. And if it had been raining we looked out onto ugly brown mud puddles.
Now out my kitchen window I can see some trellis my husband put up, to separate the nicer outdoor living area from the back yard. My petunias are absolutely covered in flowers, and my salvias are just starting to show their red blooms. My sons sunflowers are doing ok, they had a rough start to life - we thought they were supposed to be planted 5cm deep, but it was actually 5mm. About half of them finally emerged and they aren't as tall as expected and the first flower looks a bit small for something called a "Russian Giant", but they are taller than my son so thats good. My impatiens are doing great, I love the red and white and pink. The lobelia I have in pots looks good too, as does a pink plant my mum gave me, can't remember its name.
In this 'nice' area there was a spare patch of garden I didn't know what to plant. I am not used to flowers. So I planted some veges here, some tomato plants and courgettes, and dwarf beans. This was a bit of an after-thought, an extra bonus.
Down the back, where the sun is most of the day, I have a variety of tomatoes in pots too. They are the ones that were planted earlier, so I could keep them sheltered by moving them around. These are the ones that I am starting to harvest. The flavour of home grown has no comparison to store bought.
Around the other side, by my clothesline so I can keep an eye on it, is my salad garden. Based on the SFG system, but my adaptation. Lots of lettuces, silverbeet, spring onions, celery and parsley. And my pride and joy - 12 rhubarb plants, in their own patch alongside the house, they started out about 5 cm tall, but are now huge, totally covering over the lettuces I planted in all the space in between, hopefully they will keep us going for a long time. We love rhubarb, especially on our weet-bix.
I can't wait to develop more areas, and plan some winter plantings. But we are taking it slowly, keeping it manageable. I have not been too good in the past at keeping a garden, but then I haven't enjoyed and appreciated it this much before either. I am in awe that these plants, these seeds, actually grow, and grow well. It amazes me to see flowers blooming and showing off their colours, in spite of me, their very inexperienced carer. |
Posted: 12:22 AM, Jan. 20, 2008 |
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Heroes
The news in NZ has this week been dominated by the death of Sir Edmund Hillary, at the age of 88. Along with his achievement of climbing Mt Everest for the first time, and his expeditions to the Poles, he was also a humanitarian, especially helping in Nepal. There has been a lot of talk about how all NZers can take inspiration from him, and aspire to do ‘great things”.
My family was discussing this, and talking about achievement and what we value in life. Everything we do on this earth, if it does not include Jesus Christ, it is empty and has no value in eternity. This is not to diminish in any way the achievements of Sir Ed, but the reality is, that climbing a mountain, helping others, having adventures, they all count for Nothing in the light of the eternal.
This week in the mail I received a magazine from the organization “Voice of the Martyrs”, an organisation that helps the suffering church, which was formed by Richard Wurmbrand. Everyday there are people who lay their lives down to share the good news of the gospel of Christ. We don’t know their names, or their stories, but to my mind they are the true heroes. Their hearts are set on eternity, not on what can merely be accomplished on this earth.
I am challenged to continue placing ‘Heroes’ before my children, to continue sharing their stories. This is a common homeschool theme that I really think is important. Many children know more about Britney Spears or Paris Hilton than they do about Jim Elliot, Mary Jones, Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael …. I want my children to be inspired by those who gave their lives to share the gospel, not those who just happen to be famous because they are wealthy or can sing and dance well(?).
But the greater challenge is for me, to live my life in light of the eternal. To not be distracted by the temporal that will soon pass away. To live life well and openly, in the grace of Jesus, the greatest hero of all.
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Posted: 12:09 AM, Jan. 20, 2008 |
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The Stationery Addict
| I think I must be a stationery addict as well. It seems to go nicely with being a curriculum junkie. Its summer holidays here, and about three weeks from schools going back. My favourite shopping time. The shops are filling up with, ahhhh, stationery. Blank pages, writing implements, low prices - dangerous combination. |
Posted: 2:24 PM, Jan. 7, 2008 |
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Mmmmmmm
This probably sounds a bit odd if you happen to be reading this in the northern hemisphere, but ....
I ate my first homegrown tomato of the summer yesterday.
It was a cherry tomato, so it was too small to share, and it wasn't much of a mouthful, but the flavour was amazing, unlike any tomato you can buy in the shops.
Its a few more days until any more are ripe, and my children are hanging out waiting for them as well, so I'm still faithfully training and watering my plants, expectantly watching. |
Posted: 7:35 PM, Jan. 6, 2008 |
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