Sallie Hagen, CPA and Christian homeschooling mother of six, shares parenting and homeschooling insight, life experiences, and various hobbies including gardening and quilting. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Sun, 4 Oct 2009 00:40:00 -0500 Sun, 4 Oct 2009 00:40:00 -0500 Come visit me at my new site! http://www.mypatchworklife.com "Encouraging and Equipping Today's Proverbs 31 Woman."   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/733074/ Sun, 4 Oct 2009 00:40:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/733074/ April 11   We finally received a letter from David. And much to my relief, it seems that basic combat training is going mostly smoothly, so far. He says the physical training has been “a breeze,” which doesn’t surprise me considering his excellent physical condition when he arrived. He thought Victory Tower was fun and is actually helping the DS train the platoon on combatives since he’s learned it before from Steve-O.   John and I both expected the mental component to be the more difficult aspect for him, and it does appear that is the case. He misses Carly and his family very much and generally “hates the place with a passion.” Luckily, he does like his three roommates who happen to all be married, mature and intelligent. He’s gotten into a few tussles with other recruits and they hazed him on his birthday, but he doesn’t seem too upset about that.   Here’s a funny for you. He told us how he posted up the other recruits in his Punishers’ Platoon while they waited in line together to go into the gas chamber. Once he got inside though, his mask wasn’t sealed and he had to breathe the gas for the full three minutes instead of the twenty seconds they were supposed to. He felt pretty stupid when he came out in a MESS! Oops!   He’s gotten one chance to make a 30-second phone call (to Carly). It should have been longer, but the DS hung up the phone when he saw that David had removed his protective eye gear to read the calling card. To make matters worse, he was sobbing on the phone and the men were teasing him about it until they had THEIR calls home and ended up crying like schoolgirls too.   As of yesterday, he has been in Basic for two full weeks. The initial reception phase only lasted for three days, so it’s been a total of 17 days. According to the graduation date I was given, he’s got 56 more days, so it really is just the beginning.   Boots. There was something wrong with his boots when he got them and his feet started bleeding in the first five minutes. He was able to swap them out, but his feet have been messed up ever since.   He says the food is terrible. I wonder if it will get any better, or if he’ll get used to it over the next several weeks. Well, he will never take my home-cooked meals for granted again.   In his letter, he refers to the other recruits as “men.” I know this is a subtle thing, but I think it is interesting that he does not call them “guys.”   I have read his letter several times. We’ve all written to him too, and I hope they mean as much to him as his letter does to me.   We miss you and love you David. You make me proud. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/678278/ Sat, 11 Apr 2009 18:08:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/678278/ Early March   I forgot to blog this unexpected event. We got a call from the Army asking us “Why did we homeschool David?” Later, we got another call asking us to please submit a “Statement of Homeschooling” which they explained was required by law for all home school Army recruits. Well, I certainly didn’t want to rock the boat with respect to David, so I complied. This statement of homeschooling had to include several elements.   Here’s the verbiage from their e-mail to me:   UNCLASSIFIED////     Statement from the parent that is signed by the parent containing the following information: a) Statement from the parent that clearly states that the parent provided the instruction for the homeschooling of the applicant.   b) Statement from the parent indicating that the applicant has been homeschooled for at least nine months prior to graduation.   c) Contact information for the parent both work and home.   d) Reason for home schooling the applicant.   e) Number of days per year the student attended   f) Number of hours per day the applicant attended class.   g) Identification of the curriculum that was used. If the home school parent's home school curriculum closely followed the local school district's curriculum, then the parent needs to state that. If they used Alpha Omega then they need to state that.     I think item G could be an encyclopedia, but I kept it as simple as possible. They thanked me for my quick compliance and that was all I ever heard about it.     March 27th   David was able to sneak a quick call to Carly last night. He said he was sleep and food deprived, but he was all right. They gave him new boots and he already had blisters. He thought he was supposed to start Basic Training today (Friday), but I suspect it’s actually just the next phase before actual BCT called “Forward Deployment.” I am thrilled he was able to call, and I’m not surprised he chose to call his sweetie-pie. He had to get off the phone quickly as he was only left alone for a moment. I was surprised his phone hadn’t been confiscated yet, though I’m sure that the phone and all his civvies will be taken in the next phase. David shared a story about one recruit who had already been sent home on the first day. The kid apparently went to the infirmary and got some medicine and then tried to sell it to the other recruits. What an idiot!   I think about David everyday, all day. I’m not worried, but I just want to reach out and give him a hug and tell him I love him and I’m proud of him. I’ve gone many days before without talking to him, but there is something much different about having him join the Army and knowing that I can’t talk to him and share what he’s going through. He was able to buy some stationery, so I’m sure he’ll be writing as soon as they let him.  I promise to share when I get a letter.       http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/673387/ Sat, 28 Mar 2009 01:42:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/673387/ Before Basic Combat Training Early-February   I wish I had written down the date. David called to say he had met with an Army recruiter, withdrawn from his classes at college, and was going to join the Army. I didn’t know whether to cry or congratulate him or both. Although he has plenty of brains and bravado, it’s true he hasn’t shown the proper effort at school this past year and a half. I asked him what caused him to make such a big decision, and he said it was something I said a few weeks ago. Something about thinking about his future, deciding what he wanted to do, and taking the steps to get there. Sounds like a typical mom-chat to me -- nothing out of the ordinary. But apparently, this time he was primed, and I struck a chord. Just for the record – I never once suggested the military. Although I know freedom isn’t free, I was content with it being someone else’s son going off to protect us.     Mid-February   David went to take the ASVAB on a Tuesday, I think. The Sergeant dropped him off, intending to come back in a couple hours. David finished the test in 45 minutes and aced it. He scored a couple points shy of a perfect score. I was so proud. That means he can go for any job in the Army. The recruiter says David is a 5-star recruit, though he figured he must have a record or not be able to pee clean. Thank goodness, he has no worries there.   David had his physical exam and all went well there. The doc said he hadn’t seen a recruit come through with that high of a test score in a year. That’s a shame.   After much urging from me to go for an intelligence position, David has decided to go for a Haz Mat position called Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Oh my goodness! I tried to talk him out of it, but the recruiter and his best buddy won out over my motherly protestations. I’m glad to hear the training will last an entire year since his job will be to blow up enemy bombs.     Sat Mar 7   David met with a bunch of recruits for a training/competition today. He had to shoot and run around. I don’t really understand what they did, but he won the competition and ended up with a nice, little plaque and two bags of Army gear for his prize. He gave all the Army goodies to his little brothers, which I thought was very sweet.     Thurs Mar 19   This afternoon I had a visit from David’s Sergeant at the house looking for him. Seems he couldn’t get a response on the phone from him. I was quite surprised. It’s not everyday some military guy shows up at the house looking for my son. David was sleeping at his apartment. No big surprise. He decided to join the Army so he’d get a kick in the rear. I suspect he’ll get one. The Sergeant was very nice and said he didn’t want to get David in any trouble. He just needed a bank form filled out for direct deposit.   “Ha, ha,” I joked. “He’s 19 and he doesn’t get in trouble around here anymore.” But of course, as soon as the Sergeant left and I got a hold of David, I let him have it! “What? Sleeping while the Army is calling you on the phone in the middle of the day? Are you kidding me?” I shed a few tears as the reality and enormity of his decision hit home.   Ah, well, he went and saw the Sergeant and got the paperwork done. In my heart of hearts though, I think, well, this is exactly what he needs (if he can stay safe, of course).     Sat Mar 21   David passed his PT test today. He ran two miles in 14 minutes, which wasn’t perfect, but good enough to pass. He got 100% on the rest of the test, so that’s all good. That means he’ll enter Basic with a rank and pay increase.     Sun Mar 22   David is leaving for Army Basic Training in Fort Jackson on Tuesday. He’s also turning 20 in a week. Today is his girlfriend’s 19th birthday, and his best friend turned 21 a month ago, so we had a big family birthday/sendoff dinner at the Japanese steakhouse. It was a great evening. Afterwards we took a few pics outside his apartment building and everyone got hugs.   David called me at 10 o’clock to tell me that Carly had given him a Mohawk for fun. They took some pictures, but then they went ahead and shaved his whole head.       Mon Mar 23   I got to see David with no hair today. It was much better than I expected. He just looked like a big strong military guy. It was quite amazing. He has been wearing his hair shorter and shorter over the last several months, though he wore it pretty long in high school.   David should have moved out of his apartment yesterday, but he’s 19, and as such, he would gladly delay any important task until the last possible minute (or later). He was supposed to check in at MEPS by 5:00 pm, but he had to call his Sergeant to let him know he was just finishing clearing out his apartment and taking stuff to our house. His Sergeant was very sweet about it, which surprised me. Dave got all his stuff stowed in the attic, gave me his bank info so I could pay his bills for him while he’s at Basic, gave me a hug, and took off in his girlfriend’s car for MEPS.   However, he was only gone long enough to get on the freeway before I realized he had accidentally grabbed the car keys for his car that he was leaving for his little brother Taylor. Oops.   Somehow, it all worked out. He made it and no one even yelled at him – yet.     Tues Mar 24   David called me from a layover in Cincinnati this afternoon. He flew out with two other recruits for Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina today. He was put in charge of the official docs for the three of them, with some kind of threat of pure purgatory if he got his bag lifted. Now I’m doubting my decision to send copies of his original birth certificate and diploma with him. They had the originals at Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS), but who knows how many more red tapes he has to plow through.   I was glad he still had his cell phone, though he probably won’t after tonight. They’re catching a flight to Columbia and then a shuttle from there to the base. I found it interesting to learn that he’ll be in “Reception” for up to two weeks before Basic Training even begins. But reception itself is no cakewalk; he’ll be sleep-deprived and learning to follow orders from day one.   He jokingly told me, “Mom, they call this place Relaxin’ Jackson! I can take anything they dish out. I’m used to it from you.”   Yikes! Surely, I’m no Drill Sergeant! Something tells me he’ll be thinking I’m a milkshake on a sunny day after a few days….     http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/672312/ Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:27:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/672312/ Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be A 90-Day Guide to Living the Proverbs 31 Life by Donna Partow A Book Recommendation   This is a daily Bible study and devotional that helps women to memorize Proverbs 31, piece by piece, and apply it to their lives. Each day's entry includes scripture, guided prayer, personal anecdotes and a practical application. To be honest, I have to admit that it has taken me well beyond the 90 days to work through the book, however, because oftentimes the practical application is something that takes more than a day or two to implement.   During each week there are five daily devotions, a weekly checkup on Saturday, and a weekly reflection on Sunday. Weekly topics include faith foundations, godly habits, healthy eating, strengthening your body, management tools, financial planning, personal appearance, home enterprises, household management, family relationships, the ministry of the home, retirement planning, and finish strong.   This is an excellent book, both for individual and group study. Over the past several months it has transformed my life in many ways, and I highly recommend it.     ;-) Sallie http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/662540/ Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:40:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/662540/ Write for the Right Reason   Welcome to those of you visiting my blog today after reading my Gardening Basics for Beginners article in the January/February issue of New Harvest Homestead!   I’ve been struggling with blogging of late, since most of my writing time is spent working on assignments for the Christian Writer’s Guild (CWG). The word assignments conjures up dreams of paid work, doesn’t it? Well, in a sense it is paid, though I pay them for a writing mentor and I get two plus years of bi-weekly writing assignments. It’s been quite an experience though. I highly recommend it for those of you who want to learn to write for the right reasons and develop your craft in a variety of genres.   I’ve been taking CWG’s Apprentice Writer course since April of 2008. Not surprisingly, that was the last time I posted blog entries with any regularity. However, I am now determined to end the silence on the blog set.   My promise to you – I will always post interesting, informative, and/or thought-provoking blog entries so bookmark this page now and come back often. No mindless twaddle or boring entries about running out of cat food.   Also, note you can use links on the right to access my posts on a particular topic.   Last, but not least, please let me hear your comments and questions about Gardening Basics for Beginners.   Hugs,   Sallie http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/649274/ Fri, 23 Jan 2009 07:49:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/649274/ A Mother’s Back to School Prayer   “Be very careful, then, how you live- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” Ephesians 5:15-17   If we just hope for the best, flying by the seat of our pants, we are not being careful how we live. How, then, do we be careful how we live? In a typical day, we are faced with dozens of decisions that affect our lives in great and small ways. How we approach these decisions, even the seemingly unimportant ones, matters greatly. Big results come from little decisions. The Lord’s will is found in prayer and quiet meditation upon God’s word. Prayer must be the foundation of all Christian endeavors.    As I prepare for the coming school year, I am thankful that I don’t have to do it all by myself. God is there to help me; to plan, prepare, teach, lead, and evaluate our progress. I must lean on Him, for the responsibility is weighty, and he will carry me, if I only ask.   In 2 Corinthians 5:7 God tells us to “live by faith, not by sight.” I don’t have all the answers, but I know the One who does.    Lord, please help me to know your will for our homeschool. Please guide me as I plan subjects and set goals. Lord, please use me to instill your word in my precious children’s hearts. You love my children even more than I Lord; please direct me in their education. I prize Your wisdom and wish to walk in Your counsel. Lord, help my words be a blessing to those who hear it. Please let no polluting language, evil word, nor unwholesome or worthless talk ever come out of my mouth. Help me to control my anger and frustration Lord, please direct me that I may not sin in my anger. I receive your infilling of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for the innumerable blessings you have bestowed upon our family. “….Let me throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let me run with perseverance the race marked out for me. Let me fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my  faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. I will consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that (I) will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3. In Jesus’ precious name, I pray. Amen.     http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/573856/ Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:51:01 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/573856/ Floodwaters Still Rising in Iowa: God Help Us   Our flood-ravaged Iowa is bracing for historic floodwaters still to come. Throughout Iowa, rivers are swollen and topping levees, reservoirs are filled to capacity, farmlands look like lakes and low-lying city areas are rapidly disappearing under murky sewer-contaminated water. All of this continues as rain is still pouring over Southeastern Iowa.   Our home is along the Middle River, one of the many smaller tributaries of the Des Moines River. Yesterday it was amazing to see the river rise over three feet in a few short hours and flood the surrounding fields for the second time in the past week. Already challenged by wet weather conditions throughout the spring, farmers were forced to delay planting by weeks and now face massive crop devastation. It is certainly reasonable to predict that corn, soybean and pork prices will rise quickly due to the inability of Iowa’s farmers to meet demands, both here and abroad. Sadly, I also believe that many small family farms will not weather this extraordinary storm, referred to as a five hundred year event by Iowa Governor Chet Culver. Although Iowa’s people have a tremendous resilient spirit, that alone will not pay the mortgage.   In Des Moines, there is an eerie calm. Residents have been assured that the city’s water supply is safe and that shored up levees will hold. However, the cities of Cedar Rapids and Iowa City are inundated with water and still rising.   Please join with us here in Iowa to pray for relief from the massive statewide flooding.   “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.” Psalm 69:1-2   “But I pray to you, O Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O god, answer me with your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. Come near and rescue me; redeem me because of my foes.” Psalm 69:13-18   In Jesus' precious name we pray, Amen.   by Sallie A. Hagen http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/546923/ Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:42:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/546923/ Spring Purge: One Bag per Day Spring break is almost upon us, the ice and snow are melting and I went outside without a jacket today for the first time in months. Never mind that the basement was flooding and I was out digging drainage trenches in the ice to direct the snowmelt from the hill away from the house. It was still good to be outside. We tore up the basement rooms - moved furniture,  pulled back carpet and sucked 30+ gallons of water from the concrete floor.  But my heart is still thankful.  I can take the flood.  I just can't take moving junk.  And so the real harbinger of spring begins: glorious, but onerous, spring cleaning. Here's what I told the kids: Starting tomorrow, every person is responsible for taking one bag of junk out of the house every day. That will mean the 1945 encyclopedias, the VCR tapes, the old paperbacks, the drawer full of sample size toiletries, the clothes that don't fit, the clothes that don't get worn, the games that the children have outgrown, and the rest of the junk that is stashed away in almost every room of this house.  I get overwhelmed thinking about it, but I think I can handle one bag per day, for a while, at least. We'll sort everything into three categories: throw away, give away and sell.  John and I picked a date for the garage sale and I have exactly 6 weeks to purge, purge, purge.  So pray for us, brothers and sisters. We will need to suppress the foolish sentimental attachments, ditch the "But I'll use it some day attitude" and completely forget what we paid for everything.  For now, I must go check on the seeping water in the basement, check on the cost of installing drainage tile and decide what goes in the bag tomorrow.  One bag, one day, one person.  I think we can do it. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/497639/ Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:44:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/497639/ Click here to read The Egghead Report- Vol 1, Issue 1. March 3, 2008 The Egghead Report is a newspaper written entirely by my writing students, ages 12-14.   Enjoy! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/494728/ Fri, 7 Mar 2008 23:37:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Patchworklife/494728/