Jun. 6, 2009 - "Beware of the man of one book." -Anonymous
If you love books and reading as much as I do then you probably also know what it is to be reading 4-5 or more books at the same time. There just is not enough time in the day, week, month, year to read all of the books I want to. There is nothing like a good and challenging book - I find it so exciting to read the thoughts, the beliefs, the convictions, the truths that others have come to. I love when a new idea challenges me to think, to chew on something new or to reconsider my current view of issues.
So, what are my current thought-provoking reads?
The image is of the original version of this book first published in 1964, but I am reading the updated version titled None Dare Call It Treason - 25 Years Later. Wow! This is a well documented book about the uinderground movement to bring communism to America. What do you think....are they succeeding?The author, John Stormer, has also written a must-read book by the title NONE DARE CALL IT EDUCATION.
May. 1, 2009 - I Choose Liberty.....Do You? Part 1
All types/forms of government fall somewhere on a very simple government spectrum. At one end you have tyrrany (total government control) and on the other you have anarchy (no government control). In the middle of the spectrum you find a balance of control and freedom called self-government. But since anarchy always leads to tyrrany, it becomes even more simple as it boils down to two choices: govern yourself or be governed. Either you be responsible for you or the government is responsible for you. You can either be dependent on the government or on yourself.
It's funny how this seems so simple until you are actually living it out. I think most individuals would choose to be responsible for themselves initially until they start seeing what all that entails. The Israellites, when in bondage to the Egyptians, cried out to God to deliver them. God heard their prayers and raised up Moses to be their deliverer. Everyone is familiar with this part of the story and know the happy ending as the Israellites traversed through the middle of the sea towards freedom. What a happy moment for them when the sea closed up behind them and they could finally breathe easy and enjoy the liberty they had just been handed. How many know the rest of this story though? The Israellites quickly realized that freedom takes hard work, character! It was not an easy road. Many began to clamor to go back to Egypt. They had become too dependant in character.
I wonder what we Americans would do if we were given back that total responsibility for ourselves. I think we don't even realize how dependant in character we, like the Israellites were, are. There has been a recent movement of the American people crying out for smaller government; wanting to get back to the nation we began as. "Let's get back to the Constitution" we cry! Have you ever thought about what that would really look like? Our Founders believed that the sole purpose of civil government was to protect those who were obeying the law from those who were not. To protect the natural rights of every citizen; the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. So if we want to get back to these basic roles, all of the social programs that you and I benefit from would be cut. What social programs am I referring to? Take a good long look at this enormous list (scroll down a bit to get to the beginning of the list)! A little overwhelming when you see all of the social programs that we, the taxpayers, pay for, isn't it?
So what do you think? Do you want to continue to hand all of this responsibilty for you over to our government or are you ready to cut out the middle man and take back those responsibilties for ourselves? Stay tuned for part 2 where we will consider the cost of being dependant on government and part 3 where we will discover the character it takes to live in liberty and to maintain that liberty.
Apr. 9, 2009 - One of Education's Greatest Assets
As a teacher to my children for the past 11 years I have learned many valuable lessons about education. God has been slowly defining what education is and what it is not for me using experience coupled with His manufacturer's manual, the Bible. I have learned that education takes place every second of the day from the time we wake up to the last waking moment as we snuggle down in our cozy beds each evening. Education is taking place when my children delight in the woodpecker pecking into a nearby tree or as they observe a fuzzy caterpillar crawling up a twig. Learning is taking place when we share the responsibility of feeding, watering and cleaning out the pen of our new baby chicks, or when we share in the daily chores of maintaining our home and yard. It happens when we are learning patience standing in line at the grocery store, or as my children see me calculating which is a better buy. Education happens when helping a neighbor in need by taking a meal or mowing a yard.
I have learned that money spent does not equate a good education. Many of the very best lessons in life are free for the taking. In fact I have discovered over the years that one of the most valuable and often overlooked assets we have to learn from are right under our very noses and completely free. They are just waiting for someone to come enjoy and absorb the wealth of wisdom and knowledge that experience has taught them. They are a treasure trove of gems and nuggets gleaned from their own trials and triumphs, failures and victories.
If you have not guessed it already, I am speaking of the elders that are all around us, in our communities and our churches, in our families and in our local rest homes. These are the people who have raised their own children and are now in the empty-nest stage of their lives and beyond. They have so much to offer to our children and ourselves and we are missing out if we do not seek out what they have to share with us.
I can't write up lessons that parallel what the elders in our life have taught us. Here are just a scattering of examples.
-We have a couple in our church who have a passion for botany and were so gracious to invite us to their house last fall and to teach us all about the plants and herbs in their yard (they used to run a green house where they sold these herbs). The wife was also so very happy to accompany us on a nature walk around our house where she taught us all about the weeds and plants right here in our neck of the woods. We were thrilled to learn about the many edible and medicinal plants there are all around us. She also taught us what kind of traits to look for when seeking to identify plants. And guess what? She also knows how to dry these different kinds of plants and makes the most beautiful baskets out of them! And what's more? She is happy to teach us how!
-We have a neighbor lady that lives just down the road from us. Last summer just shortly after we moved in, she was so sweet to invite us to come and pick cherries and raspberries from her yard and we were happy to accept. When we got there she first invited us in for a bit of conversation. As the conversation began to unfold we learned that she had grown up in the very house that we were now living in and that when she was little, her three bachelor uncles had built the house themselves. She had so much to share with us about growing up out here - memories of making apple cider, of climbing Tekoa mountain and looking down over their farm from up on the hillside, and even of a local huckleberry patch that they used to pick from. We hope to locate it!
-Last fall as we were visiting with with my grandparents one evening, my grandpa started telling the kids about a pet monkey named Jake that he had when he was in the Phillipines serving our country during WWII. The next thing I know he was pulling out a picture album, that I didn't even know existed, of pictures he had taken while over there. Amazing photos depicting Grandpa's life during that time. Photos of Grandpa and Grandma as young newlyweds just before Grandpa's deployment. Photos of Grandpa and his brother Glen in their uniforms - so handsome! And yes, even a few pictures of Jake! This led to a discussion about the war. Pretty soon Grandma joined in and the account they shared of what it was like back then was amazing to listen to. The emotions, the patriotism and courage, the fear and heartbreak were still present as they recounted the different memories they had. I learned more from that conversation than I had ever learned about the war throughout my own education, and all the while my kids were listening and learning as well.
My Dad used to catch and collect butterflies with some of his buddies when they were little and he still remembers so much about what he learned doing this 40 years ago. For Christmas my parents got nets and a butterfly guide for the kids with the promise that they would take them bug and butterfly hunting this summer. This will be a wonderful lesson in entomology that can't be found in a textbook.
My mom has spent many days baking with my children. She also knows how to make reed baskets and is excited to do this with us!
My best friend in high school has an amazingly talented mom. She was so sweet to offer an art class to my kids and I where she taught us how to make Pisanki Eggs.
Some friends of ours had a dear sweet lady that loved to spend the day sewing with their two young girls, teaching them all she knows.
I could go on and on about the amazing talents and knowledge that surround us just waiting to be passed on, and I can't think of better examples of outstanding character that I would want my children to spend large amounts of time around.
I truly believe that this is what God intended when He told us.....
"He that walketh with wise men shall be wise" Proverbs 13:20
Apr. 3, 2009 - I dont believe people should be able to own guns. Barrack Hussein Obama
"I don't care about crime, I just want to get the guns." - U.S. Senator Howard Metzenbaum (D-OH), 1994.
Wow! These are bold statements! I think it is important to take a good look at the consequences of gun control and then decide if that is what we want for our nation. Here is an excerpt from 'Where Does Gun Control Lead?' by Hal Lindsay. I have shared this here before but I think it deserves repeating.
The Turkish Ottoman Empire established gun control in 1911. It then proceeded to exterminate 1 and a half million Armenians from 1914 to 1917.
The Soviet Union established gun control in 1929. Subsequently, from 1928 to 1953, 60 million dissidents were imprisoned and then exterminated.
China enacted gun control laws in 1935. After the communist takeover, from 1948 to
1952, 20 million Chinese, unable to defend themselves, were murdered.
Nazi Germany fully established gun control in 1938. That helped the government to round up 13 million defenseless Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, mentally ill and impaired human beings. Many were imprisoned in concentration camps, then destroyed.
Guatemala passed gun control laws in 1964. Then, from 1964 to 1981, 100,000 defenseless Mayan Indians were exterminated.
Uganda established gun control measures in 1970. Predictably, from 1971 to 1979, 300,000 defenseless Christians met a similar fate.
Cambodia established gun control measures in 1956. Subsequently, from 1957 to 1977, 1 million Cambodians met their deaths.
Our Founding Fathers had good reason to include in the Constitution "the right for each citizen to bear arms." They came to this country with vivid memories of what an all-powerful government could do to its defenseless citizens.
In America, the following evidence clearly demonstrates the impact upon criminals that armed citizens have. Vermont has a genuine right-to-carry law. That means no permit is required. Yet Vermont boasts the lowest crime rate in the nation. Nationwide in the USA, concealed-carry laws have resulted in a drop in crime rates. A comprehensive national study in 1996 determined that violent crime fell after states
made it legal to carry concealed firearms. The results of the study showed that states, which passed concealed-carry laws, reduced their murder rate by 8.5 percent, rapes by 5 percent, aggravated assaults by 7 percent and robbery by 3 percent. By extrapolation, if the states that do not have concealed-carry laws had adopted such laws in 1992, approximately 1,570 murders, 4,177 rapes, 60,000 aggravated assaults and 12,000 robberies would have been avoided yearly.
"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." -George Santayana
Mar. 27, 2009 - Could any of us have graduated 8th grade in 1895?
Got this off of a homeschool loop I am on and had to share:
What it took to get an 8th grade education in 1895...
Remember when grandparents and great-grandparents stated that they only had an 8th grade education? Well, check this out. Could any of us have passed the 8th grade in 1895?
This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina , Kansas , USA . It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina , and reprinted by the Salina Journal.
8th Grade Final Exam:
Salina , KS - 1895
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph
4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of 'lie,''play, ' and 'run.'
5. Define case; illustrate each case.
6 What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic (Time,1 hour 15 minutes)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. Deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. Wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1,050 lbs. For tare?
4. District No 33 has a valuation of $35,000.. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find the cost of 6,720 lbs. of Coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft.. Long at $20 per metre?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt
U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton , Bell , Lincoln , Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.
Orthography (Time, one hour)
[Do we even know what this is??]
1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.' (HUH?)
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis-mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane , vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks
and by syllabication.
Geography (Time, one hour)
1 What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas ?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia , Odessa , Denver , Manitoba , Hecla , Yukon , St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.
Notice that the exam took FIVE HOURS to complete.
Gives the saying 'he only had an 8th grade education' a whole new meaning, doesn't it?!
Mar. 19, 2009 - St. Patrick (ca. AD 377)
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
Feb. 26, 2009 - Great Movie Recommendations
I don't know about you all but we are forever searching for really good movies with a really great message. This can often be a daunting task as we try to wade through a plethora of absolute garbage in the entertainment industry. Well, I am glad to report that we have come across some really fantastic movies lately dealing with courageous individuals fighting or trying to escape communism. Will make for some really great discussion in your homes! (warning - some of the content might be a bit too scary for little ones around preK-2 or older depending on your child)
In the fall of 1979, one of history's most ingenious and courageous flights to freedom took place when two families fled from Communist East Germany to the West in their own handcrafted hot air balloon. Starring John Hurt (HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE), Jane Alexander (THE CIDER HOUSE RULES), and Beau Bridges, Walt Disney Pictures brings to the screen this remarkable true story of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families and their daring, death-defying escape.
Here's the uplifting, true-life story of how one Danish family risked their lives in the remarkable effort to save thousands of their Jewish countrymen. To protect Denmark's Jews from the horror of Nazi concentration camps, the Christian Koster family attempts to save their neighbors. Hendrik (Justin Whalin -- SERIAL MOM, TV's LOIS & CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN) and his doctor father (Sam Waterston -- TV's LAW & ORDER, THE KILLING FIELDS) begin the dangerous task of deceiving the Nazis and hiding Jewish families. When the Koster men must themselves go into hiding, Justin's sister and his mother (Mia Farrow -- MIAMI RHAPSODY, HUSBANDS AND WIVES) are left to face capture by the suspicious Gestapo. This gripping historical drama combines with a triumphant celebration of the human spirit for a family adventure you'll never forget.
David's entire twelve-year life has been spent in a grisly prison camp in Eastern Europe. He knows nothing of the outside world. But when he is given the chance to escape, he seizes it. With his vengeful enemies hot on his heels, David struggles to cope in this strange new world, where his only resources are a compass, a few crusts of bread, his two aching feet, and some vague advice to seek refuge in Denmark. Is that enough to survive?
David's extraordinary odyssey is dramatically chronicled in Anne Holm's classic about the meaning of freedom and the power of hope.
Feb. 21, 2009 - Did I mention how much we love Paula Deen?
My 5yo son just came up to me and in a very sad voice lamented,
"Ohh - I wish we could go to Paula Deen's house."
"But honey, she has not invited us over" I explained.
"She hasn't?"
"Nope."
He thinks about it for a second and then asks "If you have her phone number could you call her sometime?"
"I'm sorry honey but I don't have her phone number."
"You don't?"
"Nope."
And, sadly, he walks away, really bummed with the fact that he may never get invited over to Paula Deen's house. 
So Paula, if you are reading this my little boy would really like to come over to your house for a visit.
Feb. 8, 2009 - Your Story Hour Free!!!!!
I was so surprised to find this site with a free weekly broadcast of our favorite audio stories. If you are unfamiliar with Your Story Hour audios, then I urge you to go and listen - they are fantastic! We have several of the sets in the Bible Comes Alive series that my kids listen to at bedtime.
Feb. 7, 2009 - I Love Books!
"Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them!
How I need them!
I'll have a long beard
by the time I read them."
~Arnold Lobel
