Monday, April 14, 2008
I guess this is the last blog....
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Well, this is it. The blog that I've put off writing for a long time. I am making my last post as a homeschool mom on this blogger. Recently, we enrolled our kids in public school. I just wanted to let you all know how much I appreciate and respect the task you are undertaking....and I will continue to be a huge prayer warrior and outspoken advocate for the homeschool families out there. Thank you to all who have kept tabs on me...a complete stranger. It would be hard to explain it all, but there is more information is on our xanga page at momtofive xanga site. |
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Thursday, February 7, 2008
Gimme a "T"
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About a week ago (or maybe longer?) Tammy at Encouragement Along The Way tagged me. My apologies for not getting this done sooner - but better late than never, right? Thanks for thinking of me, Tammy.
Use the first letter of your name and find words with that letter.
Tori |
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Tuesday, February 5, 2008
time to think...
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I haven't been blogging for the past couple of weeks. There has been a lot of stuff running through my head, but none of them seem to be something that can go in a blog. Today I stood here and wondered what I could type that wouldn't seem like rambling. The last several weeks have been very trying for our family. The details are not something to be written in a blog, but life continues to move on. I don't know if you'll understand what I mean, but sometimes when you're going through some trials you feel like life should just stand still. Like everything else should stop moving so you can deal with the current crisis. I am a very regimented person normally, as I know I have blogged about before. I always do laundry and ironing on Monday and Thursday, and if I can't do it on those days I get it done the day before - not after. I pay bills on Tuesday and make phone calls on Wednesday. Friday we run errands and Saturday we work around the house. Well, right now I have a huge pile of laundry, my bills are overdue and the house has piles everywhere that I should be putting away. Where is the homemaking fairy that arrives to take care of those things when you're in crisis management? :-) UPDATE - started this blog last week (January 30th) - finally getting back to it today, February 5th. I don't want to give the impression we're falling apart...we're actually doing better. This week, for the first time, we're getting some things back on track. I actually cleaned our garage yesterday. And it was scary. Why does the garage always seem to collect so much junk? I put stuff in there, and then end up giving or throwing it away after a couple months...should just do that in the first place. I'm going to post a blog I put out there last week concerning Valentines Day, and then try to post some more of the positive events and pictures from the last month. Thank you so much to those who have written asking how we're doing. It means so much to me that you would take the time to do that. February
The month universally set aside to celebrate love. You can't avoid the candy hearts, over-supply of flowers and abundance of mushy cards. I’m not a particularly sentimental person, so I don’t always deal well with deep emotional topics. For some reason, though, I was thinking the other day about how weird love is. Really. If you try to define it then you either sound sappy or cynical. As I continued to think about it, the words of this blog started bouncing around in my head. I’m probably ruining my reputation for not being gushy or overly-romantic, but I thought I’d send this out anyway.
We all have different experiences with love….some positive, some painful. This is one way to describe love: "Love is a canvas pattern furnished by nature, and embroidered by imagination." “To love a person is to learn the song (anonymous) Now isn't that sweet? Makes ya feel all warm and fuzzy inside, doesn't it? Another person portrays love this way: “Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe we should be just friends' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love.” (Neil Gaiman) Now there is a person who's been burned more than one time. I would suspect that most of us fall into the middle of these two quotes. This next quote seems to express it best. “But some emotions don't make a lot of noise. It's hard to hear pride. Caring is real faint - like a heartbeat. And pure love - why, some days it's so quiet, you don't even know it's there.” (anonymous) Most days, love is simpy there. It's not something we consciously think about - it just exists. We don't operate based on a clinical definition of what love is, it's something that comes out in the actions we show towards those around us. But go back to the first time you realized you loved someone. You were so aware of what you were feeling at that time. There was this rush of emotion that was almost too big to handle. You didn't know whether to jump up and down and holler or fall on your knees and cry. Even better was the first time you realized the object of your affection loved you in return. It was not one-sided or held in secret...it was out there - both of you knew that your lives were going to be greatly affected by the other and living a life without that person would leave either big holes or painful scars. Few times in our lives do we get to feel that rush of emotion. You can't manufacture it by falling in "love at first sight", and you can't replace it with empty relationships that fade after the first wave of feelings are over. It is built over time and experience, trust and appreciation. Pretty soon you look at that person and think, "How did I ever NOT love them?" There may people who have never felt love this strong – but I would guess that either they are going to experience it in the future when they meet the right person, or they have closed the emotional fountains in their lives and haven’t been able to receive what someone has tried to give them. If the first reason is true, then be excited for what the future has to hold. If the second reason is holding you back, then let go. Let the bitterness, anger, resentment or pain wash away and open up to someone who is waiting to give you love that is so tangible you can almost reach out and touch it. I am lucky - I have felt that emotion. I have experienced the tingle that goes up your arm when you brush hands for the first time. I have enjoyed the exchange of glances when you know someone is excited to see you. I have stood next to someone and felt their arm go around my shoulder. I have been nervous and excited for the first kiss, and then relieved when that kiss was everything you anticipated. But most importantly, I have shared some of my most personal thoughts and feelings with someone who I had learned to love enough to trust completely. So…enjoy this month. Go ahead and decide to show love to someone. Give them what you can - and always accept what they offer to you. Accept flowers. Buy cards. Kiss a little more often and squeeze their hand just for the fun of seeing their reaction. Whether it's words, actions, time, gifts or touch...it really makes no difference. Just enjoy the feeling that someone loves you. Not just for today or this week, but a love that is lasting. Even when you don't deserve it, or when you can't feel it, it will be there. Happy Valentines Day…. |
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Tuesday, January 1, 2008
for the Pastor's wives...
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As I read through the blogs on HSB, I was struck by how many Pastor's wives are out there. Two of them, Diamonds In The Rough and Encouragement Along The Way have become blog friends and I love reading about their experiences and thoughts on raising kids and homeschooling while also being a Pastor's wife. Both of them seem to balance those roles very well. I am not a Pastor's wife, I'm a Pastor's kid. This post is not a about how tough the ministry is, although I know it is at times. This post is meant to give you a perspective as a PK of how we look at the church and our parents and will hopefully give you some encouragement if you feel like you are pulled in too many directions. My mom felt that pull as a Pastor's wife and mom. She wasn't perfect, but looking back I know my brothers and I feel she was close. Mom made it her mission to keep the family in tact, and she tackled that mission with everything she had. So often I see Pastor's wives who are so busy teaching Sunday School, visiting people, playing the piano, etc, etc, that their schedule at church resembles a full-time job -- only they aren't getting paid. :-) I'm not saying any of those things are wrong, but time and time again their kids grow up resentful of the church because the kids feel it ALWAYS took priority over the family. My mom was busy...typed the bulletins, taught SS at times, sang in the choir, and helped where needed, but somehow she conveyed a love of mothering and home. She made sure we were in bed on time instead of falling asleep in the church pews. She allowed us to call my dad right in the middle of deacon's meetings to say goodnight (I chuckle thinking of all those men listening to my dad say goodnight to a chatty daughter). She made dinner every night and we ate as a family, even if my dad had to leave again later. She expected us to be in church faithfully. She did not complain about people in the church or criticize them when they were hurtful to my dad. She was hospitable to any missionary or special speaker that came through our churches, and through that gave us kids a chance to talk personally with many Godly Christian workers. We saw what God was doing all over the world and found out that there is a common bond in the Lord with complete strangers who are trying to serve him. She got angry and frustrated like any other mom, but never let it last long. She desired a peaceful home and would not let us treat each other disrespectfully as brothers and sisters. She insisted that we support each other in whatever was going on. If my brothers were playing a basketball game, we all went and cheered them on. If I was playing the piano in a concert then my brothers were there to support me. If my dad was speaking somewhere, we all went and listened. As I grew older and we transitioned from mother/daughter to mother/daughter/friend she would tell me of the stories from our first churches. I couldn't believe some of the things they had gone through without us knowing. She has been a tremendous support to me as a mother, and is very close to my brothers and their wives. It's not that my dad was neglectful or disconnected. Quite the contrary. But like most Pastors, he had a job to do and he was doing it for the Lord. He has poured his heart and soul into ministry and God has used him mightily. I respect him and love him and we have a great relationship. I'm not writing this to make you feel pressured, but to tell you from a PK's perspective how much you shape and mold the family while working to be your husband's help meet. Don't put the church first, that's the ministry God called your husband to do. God called you to be his helper, and I can think of no better way to help a Pastor than to keep the home going strong. Titus talks about teaching the younger women to be a keeper of their home - to love their husbands and children. My mom definitely showed me and so many other women how to do that. Tori Note: my mom has a website if you're ever interested in some of her writings. She's down to earth and practical - always telling it like it is. sallyjoy.com |
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Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Christmas 2007
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Our Christmas was quiet, but good. On Christmas Eve we ate dinner as a family, then watched the Broncos get slaughtered by the Chargers. Despite my emotions over Jay Cutler (Broncos quarterback) learning to run while protecting the ball, we decided to venture out and take a walk. Every year there is a street in Brawley that goes all out on Christmas decorations. Although the lights are interesting to look at, my favorite part is Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve all of the houses turn off the lights and line their street and driveways with luminaries. It's very peaceful. We parked our 'burb and walked up and down the street. It was great. Our good friends, Carter and Sandra live on that street and we stopped by their home for a minute to say hello. While there, another family we are close to, Sean, Jennifer and Sidney stopped by. It was good to see everyone. Christmas morning we got up and opened stockings, then ate homemade waffles for breakfast and opened the rest of our presents. This was one of those years where I felt like we scored big with almost all of the presents. The kids spent the rest of the day playing with their new toys. After our prime rib dinner, we spent the evening watching some old family videos and trying to relax. The pictures will do the rest of the talking...here are a few of my favorite - .         The Schrock side of the family is very expressive, and it's not very often that you wonder what we're thinking. The Rollins side, however, is a little more reserved. I have given J presents that I was just sure he would be nuts over and he has responded with a flat "Wow, that's nice, honey." It's become a family joke. This year, I guess J decided to try some emotion while opening his gift from me. The sarcasm is dripping....
     Yeah, all that expression and he hadn't even seen the gift. Uh, huh.
I knew this gift was a winner - and his real response was anything but flat.  Yep, that's real emotion from J. Guess it took Glenn to bring it out...
  Really, what more can you say about that picture?
Kraig loves cell phones and keys. First thing he does anytime J comes home is ask for his cell phone. Braden decided to give Kraig his own phone for Christmas and it was big hit.
 In this next picture he's calling very loudly, "Paaapaaa! Paaapaa! PAPA!"
   I hope you all had a good Christmas!
Tori |
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Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Gone fishin'...
 If you give a child a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a child to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. But if you teach a child to learn, you feed him for a lifetime and he doesn't have to just eat fish. (author unknown)  |
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Friday, December 7, 2007
Friday Funnies
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Ignoring the noise... www.momtofive.com Alyssa at Live and Learn started a Friday Funnies post. I thought it was so cute that I asked if I could join. Finally, three weeks later I'm getting to post some of our funnies...and it's actually going out on Friday! Our four-year-old, Caleb, is always providing funny moments in our home. We often say that he is missing the valve that stops the thoughts in his head from coming directly out of his mouth. What he thinks, he says. Any of you with more that two children probably have one like this. One morning he was very crabby. He had been warned, spanked, reprimanded, spanked, cuddled, spanked again and finally I sent him back to bed under much protest. When he woke up a couple hours later, he walked down to the bottom of the stairs and sat down. "Mom," he said, "you know....after I sleep, I just get nicer and nicer and nicer!"  "Why?" I asked. "Because I love you." "Wow, Caleb. That's very nice." "Yep, that's why I'm your favorite!" he called back as he skipped out of the room.  "Do you understand?" I asked. "Yes Maam." he said. But the twinkle in his eye as he stood there at my desk told me there was something else. I waited for a few seconds as he hung on my knee. "So go play." "Ummm," he said with with a smirk, "you didn't say I couldn't bother you!"  |
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Sunday, November 25, 2007
My Thanksgiving List....
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Ignoring the noise... www.momtofive.com I've thought a lot this weekend about what I'm most thankful for. God has been good to me in many different ways: my husband, my kids, my family and friends...a beautiful home and a vehicle that runs...living in America... The list could go on for a long time. But there is a deep gratitude that stems from a gift given when someone doesn't expect it, deserve it, or have any way to repay it. Having said that, this year, I am most thankful for unending grace and mercy. Without it, there is no hope.
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Friday, November 23, 2007
Thanksgiving....
 (around the table clockwise: Kraig, our friends Kelly and Jake, and my dad and mom)Well, I am happy to report that Thanksgiving went well, and I even took time to enjoy some of it! I'm figuring a lot of you must have said a quick prayer for my attitude. My apologies to Alyssa at Live and Learn for the lousy pictures, but I was trying to take them quickly before the food got cold. Afterward I wished I had Alyssa here to photograph this moment for me! :-) For any of you who haven't seen Alyssa's amazing photography skills, you should check out her blog. So back to Thanksgiving... After writing the last blog, I decided to change my attitude and make the holidays nice, but keep it simple. Brenna and I worked on the menu Wednesday and I had a lot of fun showing her how I go about planning, checking if I have the ingredients, and writing down the grocery list -- separating it according to the aisles at the grocery store. In fact, we were doing so well, that she and I went ahead and planned out the menu and groceries through next Saturday! Wednesday afternoon I took Brenna - by herself - to the grocery store. For the first time, I left all four of the boys home alone. Tanner is 12 1/2, Braden is 10, Caleb is 4 and Kraig is 1. I have left them to just run to the post office or mini mart really quickly, but the big grocery store is about 25 minutes away, and since I was shopping for almost two weeks I knew it would take me a while. I know the boys are capable... and they are so good with the little boys...but still, J and I were both at least 30 minutes from home in the case of an emergency. Everything went smoothly, and when Brenna and I arrived home three hours later (it's another story as to why it took us so long), Kraig had taken a nap, eaten lunch, and had a bath! Yep, a bath. Caleb had watched a movie, eaten lunch, played with the big boys, and was up in his room for his break time (when my kids grow out of a nap they go in their rooms for 1 hour to play quietly by themselves - we call it their break, but you all know it's actually my break!). How cool to have babysitters that know the little ones so well!!! Ok, that was not really the point of this post, other than to tell you that having the boys do such a tremendous job really lifted my spirits on Wednesday. And in case anyone is curious, I hadn't promised to pay them anything - and I didn't end up paying them anything monetarily because I didn't want to ruin the genuine satisfaction they were feeling for a job well done. I did give them lots of praise and thankfulness...which was easy because I was so blessed. Thursday morning I got up, made the pumpkin pie and put it in the oven, started my first batch of rolls, and then made a bit breakfast of pancakes, eggs and sausage for the family. The rest of the morning and early afternoon I spent cooking and baking. I had forgotten how much I enjoy cooking when I'm not trying to do fifteen other things at the same time. It was very enjoyable. I even had little helpers in the kitchen while I was making the apple pie and they didn't "get in my way". I had to laugh when I turned around and Caleb was sitting on the kitchen floor with the spatula in hand and apple filling bowl in his lap trying to clean out every last drop.  (Caleb and Brenna - my little helpers) We had dinner around 4:00 p.m., with my parents and some other friends in attendance. The meal was great and the rest of the evening was very relaxing. We started a puzzle. I love puzzles...a little too much. When my kids saw what we were doing they started laughing and said, "Oh no! Mom's doing a puzzle! Now we'll hear '"Just one more piece kids and then we'll leave for the store or church or errands. Or just one more piece and then....'" We all got a good chuckle because it's true. Whenever J leaves for a long deployment or exercise, I pull out a huge puzzle to work on. It's relaxing for me. I have to put a time limit on it, though, or I really can spend a half hour saying, "Just one more piece!"  (clockwise: our friends, Kennadi and Andrew, and my big boys, Tanner and Braden)We watched a lot of football (our whole family likes football - except my mom, who has endured it for so many years that she is immune to the noise), snacked through the evening, had a really nice visit with my parents after everyone else left, and ended the day spending some time together as a couple. So...Thanksgiving was a good kickoff to the holiday season and I know I need to make the necessary adjustments to make Christmas special, too. Hope everyone else had a relaxing Thanksgiving and a special time with their family and friends. God is good...all the time. He never gives up on me. As the psalmist says, "His love endures forever.." And that is what I am most thankful for this year. |
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Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Am I really a scrooge or just plain lazy?
Ignoring the noise... www.momtofive.com J and Brenna putting the angel on the tree last year...Now it is my turn to be the memory maker. And I'm figuring out that I'm lousy at it. I'm a practical person...many times too practical. I gain great enjoyment from cleaning out a closet and creating a chore chart. I try to maintain order and calm. It's important to me that our home is clean and organized enough that we can find what we need when we need it. I do not enjoy glitter, playdough, or paints. Because I love my children, I endure those banned items occasionally, but not with the enthusiasm some of you possess. Unfortunately, I am discovering this year that I feel the same way about the holidays. I endure them and try to go through some of the traditional motions because I think it is good for the kids, but I have come to the sad realization that most of my fond holidays memories from childhood required a lot more work for my mom! Cold weather meant wet, cold boots, hats and mittens that were either missing their pair or laying all over the house. No school meant my mom had to find things for us to do and keep us from fighting. Presents meant making a list, budgeting, shopping, worrying about the budget, wrapping, and worrying about the budget. Big meals and potlucks meant lots of planning, shopping (again), cooking, serving, cleaning up, and worrying about the budget. Social activities meant dressing up, keeping the kids in line, monitoring the candy intake and staying out way too late. Plays and pageants meant rehersals, costumes, makeup, and refreshments. Now I'm the mom! I'm the one who coordinating all the work to make the holidays memorable. I'm not afraid of hard work...not at all. I'm just not a fluffy, frilly, bells and whistles kind of person. I have a close friend who will take a weekend and paint a room complete with a sky on top and flowers going around the bottom. I would take that same weekend and clean our garage. Every year I think I'm going to be smarter through the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. I'm going to stop our regular curriculum and concentrate on holiday activities, and I would say no to many of the holiday parties so we could actually enjoy the few we attended. I'm going to go easy on the presents, concentrating on things made with your hands instead of things bought in a mall. I'm going to bake cookies, sing at a nursing home and take bread to a needy family. Yep, that's right. That's what I intend to do with all my spare time that I create in November and December. Uh huh. So here I am at the precipice of another holiday season, and I'm trying to figure out how to make all of those goals come true. We're starting tomorrow. My only daughter and I are going to plan our menu, go shopping and bake pies together tomorrow. She is elated. The boys are equally excited because I actually (gasp, choke) canceled our schoolwork so I would follow through with the baking idea. That's a start, right? I will try this year. I will to embrace the activities instead of enduring them. I love my children and want them to grow up with fond memories of the holidays and not a picture of mom scowling and grumbling. Maybe I'll even pull out some craft proje.....uh....wait a minute....I think I'm getting a little crazy there.....I take that back. We'll just deal with the cooking first and consider the crafting later. I have other plans. This year is the year I'm going to make them happen. I think. |
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Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Teaching Textbook vs. Chalkdust Company?
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Ignoring the noise... www.momtofive.com Thanks to those who responded to my question about 7th grade math. I really appreciated the suggestions and it gave me some places to start researching. It sounds like a couple of you have been really impressed with Teaching Textbooks and I went through all of their material. I really liked it and thought the material was well done. In researching, I also came across Chalkdust Company. It is also a video math curriculum, but there is a real person teaching in this program. Does anyone use Chalkdust or have an opinion on that curriculum vs. Teaching Textbooks? At this point, I think I'm going to go with Teaching Textbooks because it comes recommended by you guys who are actually using it AND it's about half the price of Chalkdust. But I just wanted to know if someone had tried Chalkdust and what they thought. It's the part of my personality that "can leave no stone unturned". Thanks again for your time! Tori |
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Friday, November 16, 2007
Ron Paul - more politics (for those who can stand it)
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Ignoring the noise... www.momtofive.com My friend commented on my last post and asked me what I thought about Ron Paul. I figured I would respond in a post so everyone can have the information for themselves. Although Ron Paul has some conservative views I agree with, he has some libertarian views that would prevent me from voting for him. He is very pro-homeschooling, promotes Christianity in the schools (teaching creationism as an option and school prayer), and has been consistently pro-life. That is all great, but for the reasons listed below, I think someone should look twice before endorsing Paul as the best candidate for the next four years. First, he opposes the war in Iraq and wants to bring our troops home immediately. This is a personal subject in our home, since my husband is an Intelligence Officer (Major) in the United States Army and just returned from 9 months in Afghanistan. Moving our troops out of the middle east would spell disaster at this point, and put our country in danger. Even knowing that my husband could end up back over there I am in full support of the war. Paul also opposes increasing the size of our military, holding the opinion that "military agressiveness weakens our national defense". Second, he has been consistently in favor of legalizing marijuana. His opinion is that the "Just Say No To Drugs" campaign was a failure and has only increased drug use. Therefore, we should legalize drugs and quit spending billions of dollars to fight it. Third, he is neutral on the issues of gay marriage and gay rights. While he voted against gay adoptions, he also voted against a constitutional amendment to define marriage as "between one man and one woman" and also voted against an amendment banning same-sex marriage. Fourth, although some people have wanted to label Paul anti-semitic, it is more accurate to say that he opposes defending Israel than to say he personally opposes Israel. He doesn't believe in getting involved in wars outside our borders and interests. In his opinion, when Jews were being slaughtered in Germany during World War II we should not have gone in because the Germans were not hurting us. This doesn't make him anti-semitic in my opinion, but it also doesn't hold to the Biblical standard of protecting God's chosen nation. Finally, he opposes the death penalty. His reasoning is that too many mistakes have been made in the process and prisoners have been executed when they were not guilty. It should also be noted that Ron Paul does not take a strong stance against illegal pornography. Well, there you go. It's probably more than my friend asked for, but if you read my previous post then you would know that I really do think it's important to study out the candidates on issues. There is so much information out there, but I encourage you to check out the websites of each candidate you consider endorsing, as well as some neutral sites that have all of the voting records, such as OnTheIssues.org . You can find out very detailed information on the actual voting record of politicians...not just everyone's opinions of their voting record. Another site with a much more brief overview is 2008 Presidential Election Candidates . Another way to find out how strong a candidate is on a topic, is to do a google search for what the opposition to that candidate is saying. In other words, what do the teacher's unions say about your favorite candidates position on homeschooling? Are they up in arms or do they consider that candidate "not a threat". How about checking out how the gay rights movement feels about your top pick? Searching backwards gives an interesting perspective on how outspoken or effective a candidate has been on an issue. Hope this is helpful to anyone interested - |
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Friday, November 16, 2007
Politics...
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Ignoring the noise... www.momtofive.com I admit it. I watch the news. I follow politics. I care deeply about the issues. I don't know that I would go as far as to call myself a political junkie, but if it counts that I have watched major portions of most of the presidential debates for the 2000, 2004, and 2008 campaign, then I guess I might be bordering on "junkhood". Thanks to 24 hours news channels and XM radio news stations, I have listened carefully to many of the candidates as they push themselves and talk about the issues. Frankly, so much of politics is junk, that I think the phrase "political junkie" is just a play on words. I'm watching the Democratic Presidential Debate on CNN right now. I am always surprised at how self-serving people can become in a presidential campaign. There are seven candidates standing up on the stage and each one of them touts themselves as right on all issues, absolutely right on all of their plans, and positively right on what everyone else is doing wrong. This is not isolated to the Democrats. Republicans, Independents, and all other party candidates unashamedly and unequivocally sure that they have all the answers. While it is important for us to know where people stand on the issues (hence, my inability to turn the debate off), I wonder how people can go about selling themselves with such incredible self confidence. I've not had one day in my life when I thought I was right on everything and that I had the answers to all of the world's problems. Ok, scratch that, I've probably had those days, but I can still taste the crow that was jammed down my throat in short order. How can someone watch the political system for two minutes and think that they can "pull everyone together" in a matter of weeks after taking office? I'm not sure there is any "pulling together" in our nation's future. I would be considered on the far right side of the political pendulum. There is no "pulling together" with someone on the far left who thinks our nation's pledge should remove the words, "under God". Where do we settle in the middle on that issue? Would it look something like, "One nation, under God, or Mohammed, or Allah, or the god that lives within you personally, or no god at all, indivisible, with liberty...." There is no "pulling together" with someone who does not believe in the sanctity of human life. You won't convince the pro-choice left that life begins at conception and is therefore protected under our country's laws. And you won't convince me that each of my children were "only a fetus" until 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks, 39 weeks, or until their first breath outside the womb. "Pulling together" is impossible on issues like illegal aliens undocumented workers. You can not call them illegal and then offer them driver's licenses or ID cards so we can assure they are driving safely and we can track where they are. Does that sound ludicrous to anyone else? If we were talking about any other illegal activity and someone suggested a way to find all of the perpetrators and actually know where they were, wouldn't you be screaming for our government to uphold it's laws and prosecute the offenders? There is not one democrat on that stage that doesn't scare me. For example, Gov. Richardson and Sen. Biden want mandatory preschool and all day kindergarten. Sen. Clinton and Obama want to pull back the tax cuts. Sen. Edwards thinks that universal healthcare will improve our health system. Sen. whats-his-name- that-I-can't-remember (another gray-haired gentlemen in a suit) thinks the way to win in Iraq is to negotiate and teachers should not be monetarily rewarded based on their performance. Oh yeah, Dodd is his name. And Dennis Kucinich, well....he might just be the only one up there that I think is actually telling the truth all the time. But still....he's Dennis Kucinich. He's like a liberal libertarian. ALL of the candidates promise to pull our troops out of Iraq in very short order. ALL of the candidates support gay unions/marriage, abortion, and sex education and birth control in students as young as eleven. ALL of the candidates love to talk about global warming and how we need to change our lifestyles to fight it (while they travel around in their jet planes and limos) . Unfortunately, many of the Republican candidates look different than the candidates above but are just as hard to believe. Although he is strong on security, I'm not sure there is a big difference between Rudi Guiliani and Hillary Clinton on most of the social issues. At this time in the race, I am tentatively impressed with Mike Huckabee, Gov. of Arkansas. I say that after listening to two debates, two hour-long interviews (and not with just fluffy questions), reading through his website and weighing his moral character against that of the other choices. He is a Christian and strong supporter of homeschooling. I also say that with the understanding that there is still a long road to the elections and I need to pay close attention to all of the possible candidates Ok - I really need to get back to curriculum study. I guess I just want to encourage everyone to pay attention. There are some scary issues out there. You should not blindly vote for the candidate who is "most electable" or has the most name recognition. On some level, you need to pay attention and get involved with the political process. If you want to know how crazy this country could become if we don't pay attention, then look at the insane laws and initiatives being passed in San Francisco. |
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Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Question about video math courses and ACE math users...
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Ignoring the noise... www.momtofive.com My oldest son has been using ACE for math for the last six years. He is starting the 7th grade, but I was disappointed to find out that the 7th grade math hasn't been updated like 1st through 6th was. I have three questions: 1. Has anyone else used 7th grade ACE math and did your child struggle with going back to the older version? 2. If you switched your child from ACE math to anything else, what did you use? 3. Do you know of any good video math courses for 7th grade? (either DVD or online) Thank you - Tori |
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Sunday, November 11, 2007
Help with HSB template...
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Ignoring the noise... www.momtofive.com I need help with the templates on homeschool blogger. How do you all add different music boxes or tickers to your sites? I know how to make those items (I use them on Xanga all the time), but I'm not familiar with how to put them into the template on this site. So many of you have very cool additions to your side bar and the top of your page. I'd like to learn how to do that. Thanks! Tori |
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Friday, November 9, 2007
November already?
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Ignoring the noise... www.momtofive.com [Note: Several hours of sitting and picking away at this post made it quite lengthy...anyone who gets to the end of it should get some kind of prize. I don't actually have a prize, but isn't the thought that you deserve one the important part?]
I can hardly believe it is November 9th. When I was little, all the old people would tell me that times moves faster as you get older. I would respond with a skeptical look but decided not to argue.I must be old now. Because time seriously flies by. I'm sitting here at the kitchen table while Brenna is taking a Math test, Tanner and Braden are studying for a Grammar test, Caleb is having his computer turn, and Kraig is sleeping. I figure I have about ten minutes until something or someone needs attention. Of course, since I'm old now, ten minutes will seem much less. Our week was full of ups and downs. I thought it was going to be a slower pace, but I was sorely mistaken. I had a couple doctor appointments (girl doctors....no detail needed) and today I have an eye doctor appointment. I'm not sure how all of that ended up in one week. Anyway, we also had Awana, youth group, Brenna's Daisy group, worship team practice and haircuts as well as soccer and football games. School went really well this week -- one of those times you see actual progress. We're working on Tanner's reading speed and comprehension with a program called "The Reader's Edge". It is interesting how it works and he doesn't mind it very much. It's not that he doesn't read well, but I call him a magazine style reader. Lots of pictures and short clips of information. His comprehension is great, but he gets intimidated by a lot of chapters. I know a lot of adults who are this way. Right now periodicals are the majority of my reading just because when I get involved in a good book I end up reading at the expense of laundry, cooking, sleeping, caring for the children, paying attention to my husband....you get the picture. But I do want Tanner to be able to read longer pieces...it's vital for college and there are so many good books out there. My husband isn't a big reader - he said he was burned out in college. Twenty-four credit hours each semester at the AirForce Academy will do that to you, I suppose. So all that to say, I'm glad we got Tanner started on this program and I hope it gives him more confidence to tackle the books. Brenna is funny. She's so smart, but man she can dilly-dally. I wouldn't push her schoolwork at this age, but I'm finding for issues of character I have to give her a more challenging set of goals. Learning to apply herself and complete a job in a reasonable amount of time is my goal. The other day, she had a math page of two-digit subtraction. She played with her pencil, talked to her brothers, played with Kraig, tried to get a snack and only a couple of math problems were done in about 20 minutes. I told her she had ten minutes to finish the remaining problems (I think there were 25 total) or she would be disciplined. She started to whine and pull out the poochy lip to convince me that was impossible, but I ignored her. I am not kidding... FOUR MINUTES LATER she showed me the completed page - and every problem was correct. Even she started laughing when I pointed out the minute hand on the clock. (big pause here - had to grade grammar tests, find Tanner's protractor, listen to Braden's poem and help Brenna divide her money into Tithe, Save and Spend.) Braden had a lesson in humility this week. On the way to Awana Wednesday night he bragged to the family and one of Tanner's friends who was with us that he had never gotten less than a B+ on a test. We scolded him at the time for boasting, but life-lessons are so much more effective. The next day he took a Math test...he scored 70%...C-. Isn't that great? You wouldn't think that a good homeschool mom would be thankful for the C-, but I know the character lesson was way more important than the academic lesson. It wasn't that he didn't know the material, he had completely skipped two problems and one whole section, then made a few silly errors on other problems. He was genuinely upset - quietly asking me if he would still maintain an A average. That made me chuckle. By the way, he re-took the test without getting to see his errors, and scored a 92%. Both scores will go on his report card. This morning we went over to the football field at the school to join the elementary and Junior High students in a Veteran's Day Ceremony. I was singing the National Anthem with one of the teachers at the school who is a personal friend. The ceremony was well done and I think it's great that the principal stresses a holiday that is often over-looked. The principal heads up a Cadet Corp for the Junior-Highers and it is great to see the kids learning the silent rifle drills, presentation of colors (the flags) and how to stand at attention for long periods of time. I would love for my boys to be involved in that. It's cloudy today. I love it. For those of you in colder climates I know you think I'm crazy, but when the sun shines 362 days out of the year, the few days of overcast skies are a nice break. Our weather has been warmer than usual, still getting up to the mid 90's, so I am loving today. I think the high temp is supposed to be 84 degrees. Tanner had quite a struggle last night. He has been quarterback on his football team all year, but after they lost a couple games he got frustrated. In his mind, it is never his fault. In his opinion, the refs didn't call it right, the coach didn't give the right plays or the receivers weren't catching the ball. His coach sensed his bad attitude and pulled him out of the QB position half way through the last game and put him at wide receiver. In our minds, that was a good thing. At the time, his team was down 20 to 0, and with a different quarterback throwing to Tanner and the other wide receiver, our team came back and tied up the game by the end. You'd think this was good, right? Nope. Tanner was not happy. Then last night at his practice the coach flat out told him that he was moving him out of QB for a while. Tanner came home very upset. Now, I'm not telling you this because I'm proud of my son's attitude and actions. But this is one of the "downs" in our week, and if I only share the "ups" then I'm not being real. We could tell that Tanner was totally wrong, and after trying to discuss it with him for a minute, J sent him downstairs to eat his dinner and then take a shower. In the mean time, J called and talked to Coach. Coach was gracious, but said flat out that Tanner had changed some of the plays in the huddle, walked through the routes during practice, and left the practice early. J asked the Coach if he wanted Tanner off the team and the Coach said no, so J and Coach agreed to work together on Tanner's attitude. When we confronted Tanner later he was defensive and again tried to blame everyone else. But it got really funny when I asked Tanner what HE thought he had done wrong. Looking down at his feet he begrudgingly replied: "I argued with my coach." "What else?" I asked. "I was lazy during practice." "Uh, huh, what else?" "I was disrespectful" "Yep...anything else?" "I wasn't a good leader to my team." "Ok, Tanner," I replied, "would you want a kid like you on your team??" "Nope." he responded. I would like to tell you at this point that Tanner was totally repentant and contrite, but that would not be true. He continued to try to argue that he was trying to do what the coach said and coach kept changing his mind. We didn't buy it, but told him that he could consider this a life-lesson and coaches, bosses, spouses and friends will not always be fair. Tanner is not one to be mad long, so he woke up more cheerful this morning, but he is grounded from his favorite computer games for a week, he has to do ten laps around the field for being lazy, and he has to sincerely apologize to his coach for his attitude on Monday. If he can't apologize sincerely or he stands on the side line with a bad attitude, then we'll increase the discipline. Bottom line is that he has to learn to respect authority, regardless of whether or not that authority is always right or always fair. So, after telling you that ugly story, I'll end on some up notes:
Ok, this book really needs to come to an end. I hope everyone else is enjoying November and gearing up for the Holidays. |
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Monday, November 5, 2007
Just in case....
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Ignoring the noise... www.momtofive.com If something ever happens to me and I am not able to be home for an extended period of time, will someone please inform my family of the following items? 1. There is not a dish fairy that magically moves the dishes from the sink to the dishwasher. 2. Only one child needs to be in the bathroom at a time. Ever. 3. The washing machine does not turn socks, pants or shirts right-side-out. 4. When the toilet paper runs out on the roll, you really can replace it with the spare rolls under the sink. 5. It really is necessary to clean your rooms occasionally. 6. And change your sheets. 7. And dig out whatever is growing underneath your bed. 8. Kids, when you can't find your shoes, it is not acceptable to just decide you're going without them. 9. The same is true for your underwear. 10. Kids, brush your teeth, comb your hair and wash your face. Often. 11. If they're not put away, DVD's get scratched, shoes get lost, bikes get stolen and toys lose their parts. 12. Brothers can be the best of friends, or the worst of enemies - the choice is yours. 13. These things are non-negotiable: attending church, doing your schoolwork and helping with chores. 14. All other things are negotiable when and if your dad feels like negotiating. 15. It is your choice - fold and iron the laundry OR look sloppy and wrinkled. There's a reason I fold and iron twice a week. And that reason is not because I love to fold and iron. and finally.... 16. Your wife and mom loves you. In spite of the fact you leave dirty socks, golf clubs and empty Pringles cans all over the house. |
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Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Milestones....
Ignoring the noise... www.momtofive.com
I'm supposed to be paying bills and balancing the checkbook right now. I do that every Tuesday. Really. Every Tuesday. Monday and Thursday are laundry and ironing, Tuesday is finances, Wednesday is phone calls and appointments, Friday is the day to run errands (we only school 4 days a week) and Saturday is lesson planning for school. If I stick to this schedule, then I know each week I get the major things accomplished. Meals, diapers, housework, church, sports and activities fill in all the other holes. It's a good schedule. It's predictable and easy to remember. If Monday night comes and I'm not done with laundry and ironing until midnight, I work until midnight so I know that I will not get behind. So now it's Tuesday. And I'm supposed to be doing finances. But I'm not. I don't want to. My rebellious spirit is rebelling against my own rules. That is sad - and could possibly require some therapy. No wonder my parents spent a lot of time in prayer for me. To ease my guilt meter, I'm going to use the excuse that I have pictures to blog. I think that is important. Ok, maybe "important" is a little bit of an over-statement. In the military, anything important gets an acronym. So here is my acronym for blogging: FAFRT. Yep, you go it, FAFRT. Family And Friend Reconnection Therapy. FAFRT. Hmmm...if I say that fast it sounds a little like a word that makes my boys giggle. By now I'm sure many of you (and especially my mother) are wishing I would have stuck to paying my bills. But this is certainly more entertaining than staring at a stack of bills sitting next to my computer and trying to figure out how my Quicken Bill Pay can spontaneously deposit extra income into my account. This post did have a point when I started out. I should get to it. I've lost many readers by this point and the pictures are what make blogs cool anyway. We've had some milestones in the month of October. Overall it was a good month. We always have bumps in the road, but that is NOT the point of this post. Awana, soccer, football, Braden's coin club and Brenna's Daisy group all started up again. I've been to Victory Ranch in Hemmit (about 2 1/2 hours away) to attend the Ladies Retreat as a camper, to the Men's Retreat to play on the Worship Team, and this weekend we're going to an all-day meeting at the camp to play music again. One weekend J had Reserves in Arizona and took the three older kids with him. J and the big boys attended the Men's Retreat. J had two more doctor appointments and one more surgery in San Diego - Kidney stones are gone - yeah! We've been up there six times in the last two months for appointments and surgeries. I like San Diego, but I told J the next trip we make there really should be for something fun like the beach or Sea World. Anything beats sitting in waiting rooms watching CNN all day. Side note here: it's a Naval hospital...what happened to Fox News? Umm...let's see....what else was there? Oh yes, I tried to walk backwards and talk at the same time. It didn't work. My husband says I could talk standing on my head, but apparently I can't do it while walking backwards. I managed to sprain my ankle at the Ladies' Retreat. After attempting to use crutches (and failing miserably...in front of all my friends - and everyone else laughing while I tried to figure it out), I just ended up wearing an aircast for a couple of weeks. Life just keeps moving on - and my kids keep changing. Sometimes the changes happen so slowly that you barely notice, and then other times the changes seem to come out of nowhere. All the sudden you realize that the kids have moved on...past one stage and into another. Milestone #1: Kraig moved from a highchair to a booster at the table. He was so excited about that.  Sittin' next to Dad
   Here he is trying to figure out how to use a fork. I'd like to say Kraft paid me for this placement advertising, but instead it's just bad photography.  A few months ago Kraig started pointing like this. He closes his fist and pulls his shoulder up to his chin. It's really funny.  I just had to include this picture. Remember that sitcom when we were growing up with the rich dude that adopted the three black children? The younger boy (and I can't remember his name right now for the life of me) used to make this face and say "Watcha talkin' 'bout Willis?" to the older brother. I started laughing when I saw Kraig's expression and it matched that little boy.
Oh yes, "Different Strokes". That's the name of that sitcom. Milestone #2: Tanner caught up to me in height. Scary. In one of these pictures I look taller, but it's really only the magic of great hairspray making my hair poofy. It was weird...in September Tanner was still shorter than me. Then he came downstairs to give me a hug one morning and I realized we were looking at each other eye to eye! Wow...it really took me back. I remembered my little five-foot-tall grandmother who still maintained the honor and respect of her four adult boys. She would stare up at them and wag her finger in their face. Anyone of those boys were almost twice her size, but they would have done anything they told her because she was the BOSS. I've got my work cut out for me.    Milestone #3: Braden's hands are the same length as mine. I think he has unusually long fingers. Well, unusual for J and I at least. We both have pretty stubby hands. Braden's hands and feet look like my brother, Travis'. Long, skinny and rather bony.   My photography skills need work. I just realized in these pictures that you can really only see my freckled, weathered, stubby hands instead of Braden's long fingers. Oh well, you can tell the size comparison.
Living where it gets insanely hot, Kraig has worn mostly one piece rompers. They are cool and easy to move in. A friend graciously gave us some hand-me-downs and there were a couple pairs of pants. Kraig was so delighted -- he walked around picking up his leg to show the brothers and Brenna his jeans.Milestone #4: Kraig got his first pair of jeans.
   What a little man! He transitioned from baby to toddler with one change of wardrobe.
Well, there were a couple more milestones to share, but I really need to get to bed. Since I didn't get Tuesday's job done, I have my work cut out for me tomorrow! I'll finish the rest of the milestones the next time I have time to FAFRT...whoops, that even made me giggle. I have to come up with a better acronym. (it's ok, mom. Most people won't read this far anyway...) | ||
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Sunday, October 28, 2007
sittin' here mindin' my own business...
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Ignoring the noise... www.momtofive.com I am on the worship team for our church. It's a great group of people...guitars, keyboards, drums, vocalists and power point presentations. Although we have had ups and downs like any ministry in a church, the current team of people have a heart for facilitating worship...not becoming the focus of worship. Our goal is to be almost invisible. We rehearse - not so we can be so great, but so we are able to avoid mistakes or bumps in the music that might distract people from the real point of the worship time in church. I have been humbled and thankful for the times when my heart attitude was less than desirable and the friends on the worship team have pointed me back towards the Lord. So this morning at church I was once again enjoying the ministry that God has given me in our church. My heart was full as we sang, "And Can It Be", "O Worship The King" and "To God Be The Glory". Music is powerful - a gift from the Lord. Just like the color of tulip fields or smell of warm cinnamon rolls, music is received through the sense of hearing but blankets our entire outlook on life. The next two songs, "Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus" and "Hail Jesus, You're My King" were sung with enthusiasm by the congregation and ended with a round of applause and hearty "Amen's!". When the head deacon came up to give the announcements I was sitting at the keyboard with a smiling heart and excitement for what God would do in me and everyone else through the rest of the service. Then, just as I was sitting the mindin' my own business, it happened. My focus completely shifted. I become irritated by a woman in our church who was giving an announcement. Yep, isn't that spiritual? I let a minor personality difference cloud my whole attitude. For the record, my husband, who is rarely bothered by anything, was irritated at the announcement as well, but still...it wasn't worth my whole attitude shift. To make matters worse, the deacon giving announcements made one particular statement that was discouraging to me. It's not important that you know what the announcement was, but if you've spent any time in church then you know there are times when you feel a sense of apathy that is disheartening. I was struggling within myself. Sitting up there on the platform, in front of the church, smiling and nodding when appropriate, watching the gentleman giving a special presentation, and all the while having an internal battle. Part of me was almost enjoying the irritation...a satisfying sense of self-righteousness. The other part knew that I was out of line and needed to get my heart right before the next song. I could tell the excitement of the first five songs was quickly diminishing. I started praying that God would change me. In those few minutes, I had a complete conversation with the Lord...and asked that He would keep my focus off of men and onto Him alone. The next song we started playing was "The Battle Belongs To The Lord". Wow! When we practiced this during the week I didn't anticipate how much I would need that song right at that moment in the service. I was reminded that Satan is prowling (like a lion) trying to weaken and discourage Christians. Where else on Sunday morning would he be working if not in our churches? How naive of me to think that I was immune because I was on a platform. As I closed my eyes and continued to focus on the words (the chords are easy...although I probably make our guitarist nervous when I'm playing with my eyes closed), the irritations and selfish attitude began to disappear. I was no longer there to facilitate the rest of the congregation's worship service, I was there, on that piano bench, because I needed to start the changes in myself. The next song was "Our Great God". I'm putting a video of the song in this post. This particular clip is my favorite because the focus is not on a performer, but rather on the song. The words are so powerful - To end the worship service we did a duet of the song "People Need The Lord". A classic. Timeless in it's message. And once again, I was put in my place. Here I was being totally distracted by an irritating announcement-giver while there are people all over (and probably in our church pews) who don't have the saving knowledge of Christ. So I thank the Lord today for not giving up on this selfish and trivial female. I thank him for the reminder that our emotions are easily swayed, but His truth - whether expressed in Word or in song - is unchanging. |
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Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Seven true things about myself...
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Ignoring the noise... www.momtofive.com Well, I've been tagged by Tammy, another mom to five. I'm supposed to write seven true things about myself. I don't mind doing the assignment, but I want to know when someone is going to ask me to write seven UNtrue things about myself. Now I could have a lot of fun with that post. So here we go.... 1. I got married on my birthday -- my 22nd birthday to be specific. (Isn't he handsome???)
2. I have moved six times since we were married 13 1/2 years ago, and twelve times since I was born. (Daughter of a pastor and wife to a military dude) 3. I get an unusual amount of enjoyment from cleaning out a closet or cupboard. 4. My smallest baby (#5, Kraig pictured below) weighed 8 lbs 4 oz, the largest was 10 lbs 2 oz. Ironically, the smallest ended up being my only C-section.
5. My favorite books of the Bible are Proverbs and James. 6. I struggle to keep a regular exercise program. Oh wait...these are supposed to be true things....so....I fail to keep a regular exercise program. 7. I really like coffee. Really, really like coffee. I think it's bordering on an addiction.
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