May. 23, 2009 - Happy Memorial Day!
Feeling Patriotic In Spite of It All
We're just hanging around enjoying the feeling of patriotism and Gary being home on Monday. He's relaxing trying out the new steering wheel the boys got for their X-Box. It's like really driving a car. Wow, how thrilling that must be for him. Patrick thinks he already knows how to drive because of all the driving games he has played. I wonder how he will do in Driver's Ed. in a couple of years.
I Won Even Though I Didn't Win the Contest
I went ahead and bought the Jesus Bible Storybook I wrote about earlier. I didn't win it, but it's okay. It was definitely worth the price. I read the first couple of stories to the twins and then Fiona took it upstairs and asked Anna to read it to her each night at bedtime. It is very nicely done. Anna enjoys reading it to her.
Wrap-Up of 40 Days for Life Spring Campaign
The 40 Days for Life campaign went so well that it is going to the next level. They are going to be able to do much more, thanks to much new funding. The number of babies saved through the spring campaign ended up being 433! Since they started 40 Days for Life 2 years ago, there have been 1,561 babies saved! There's a really good video that shows many prominent people in the pro-life movement endorsing 40 Days for Life. You can watch it here:
vimeo.com/4651969
They are gearing up for their fall campaign which will take place Sept. 23 - Nov. 1. I hope that even more people will participate and that eyes will be opened and hearts changed by God's transforming love.
I Love My Life
Though it is far from perfect, I wouldn't have my life any other way. I struggle with wishing I was like other people, especially when it comes to organizational skills, but I am thankful for the ways that God made my heart soft toward Him and made me with a desire to serve Him and love Him with all my heart. I feel that He has taught me so much in the last several years.
It would take long, uninterrupted hours to write everything I would like to write, but I don't have them right now. For now, I will say trusting God is the best way to live. He's a wonderful Daddy. He provides all that we need. He takes care of us emotionally when we go to Him with our needs. He makes us strong when we need to be strong, and He removes us from the fray when He knows we're too weak. I have come to know Him as my Daddy through trial and loss in the last few years. My walk with Him is closer. My heart for Him is purer. I've loved Him and trusted Him even when I couldn't understand why He was letting hard things happen to me. Sometimes I didn't feel very well taken care of. But God was always taking very good care of me and my family. There were times when it felt like we were drifting around without a plan, without a purpose and without hope, but that was not true. We kept putting our hope in Him and He kept providing the next thing that we needed.
We are in another season of transition. We are praying more specifically than ever now. We are all tired of drifting around without a place to call home. We really want God to plant us in the place that He wants us to take root and to help establish His Kingdom in the earth. As I write this, Emma is crying at my knee for no good reason. She woke Abby up from a nap, so I disciplined her, and now she thinks she has a right to cry and get on my lap. I can't hold her while I type. I will when I get this done. No, my life is not perfect, but that's okay. What in this life is???
I love my life.
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Feb. 19, 2009 - Family Read-aloud Comes Full Circle
I have always been the one to read aloud to our family. I enjoy it. I've read many, many great books to my oldest kids. They have enjoyed it, too. The first chapter book I can remember reading to Shawn was Tarzan of the Apes. A friend had told me it was a really good story. I was kind of skeptical. But I realized how important it is to read aloud to kids to model the enjoyment of reading to them, and I wanted Shawn to want to read. He didn't want to learn that or anything else for the most part. He pretty much wanted to play video games all the time. So I checked out Tarzan of the Apes at the library and started reading it to him. He loved it! He did his other school work more readily when he knew I would read Tarzan to him after he finished. He said that he could really picture what Tarzan looked like as I read the story to him. He was amazed at the power of the words and the story to draw him in and make him want to know what was going to happen next. After that he wanted to learn how to read, because he knew it was fun and enjoyable - as good as video games!
Now he is a very well-read, extremely intelligent young man who knows lots of stuff I don't know because he's read everything he could get his hands on. Not only that, he learns things so thoroughly that he remembers them forever.
He has learned a lot from science books and Usborne books and historical fiction, but he also learns from audio books about Sherlock Holmes, The Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and other classics.
He has turned on many audio books to listen to and we've all ended up listening along with him. Homeschool Radio Shows has had many audios that we've enjoyed listening to together. Audios by Jim Hodges have been very inspirational and informative, especially his readings of G. A. Henty's books. Then Shawn found Project Gutenberg. He went crazy finding every story there that sounded interesting and listening to them. Many of us listened in to at least parts of many of these stories. Gary gets so involved in the stories, he acts them out - especially the fight scenes!
Well, Shawn found Tarzan of the Apes on Project Gutenberg. He listened to the story, and we listened along with him. It brought back to my memory how that story inspired him to want to learn to read. After we finished Tarzan of the Apes, the first book of the series, I remembered that there were more books in the series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. He tried to find audios, but couldn't. I suggested getting the books from the library. I found several titles in the library and brought them home. Now, Shawn is reading aloud The Return of Tarzan to the rest of us. I can listen and peel apples or potatoes or sew something or hold a baby without balancing a book in the other hand and trying to read aloud to everybody while nursing, etc. I can just sit and listen to my boy read to the family. Isn't that wonderful? I think it's a blessing. I'm very thankful for the family I have and for the way we are as a family. God has made us this way in answer to my prayers. He has caused us to be a close family that enjoys each other and enjoys learning together.
I still enjoy reading aloud and that is the main part of our "together school". But it's nice to have another reader in the family so I can just sit back and listen sometimes. I never would have thought it would be Shawn, the one who never wanted to learn to read. I guess I should praise the Lord for Tarzan, but is that kosher? Maybe it would be better to praise the Lord for the inspiration He gave me to read that book to Shawn. That was the start of big things for Shawn and for much more enjoyable school times for both of us.
The whole concept of reading aloud became my main mode of teaching school after that. Reading aloud is one of the most bonding things we do together as a family. We repeat lines that are funny or memorable in some way as they come to mind during the day. We discuss things that happened in the story as we consider people and events and eras and countries different from our own. We learn about history and discuss what has happened when certain courses and philosophies were followed and what has worked well and what hasn't. We have explored the causes of wars. We have learned about what influenced the rise of certain ancient civilizations and then what led to their fall. We have read Biblical fiction and understand the culture and customs of the land of the Bible better than we did before. My kids are learning so much in a painless - dare I say - fun way? They learn so much more than facts. They learn about life, relationships, cultures, and how much fun it is to learn (and to read!
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Yes, I heartily endorse Family Read-aloud time. If you don't like to read aloud, maybe your husband would like to or maybe one of your kids. You never know until you ask!
