Dec. 5, 2008 - Thanksgiving Week
Hi Everybody,
I thought I'd do today's entry, (In Pictures,) of our Thanksgiving Week. A few days before my family arrived from Louisiana, we made Blackberry Jelly. Yummy
Squeezing out all of that juice.
The finished product. We ended up with 20 pints. Anyone for fresh jelly on toast?
On Tuesday, we loaded everybody up in two cars and headed off to The Adventure Science Center in
Ryan and Celeste getting the feel of what it's like to be "weightless" on a spacecraft. 
We stopped off at the creek but was unable to get wet cause the water was freezing. We did get to take some beautiful pictures though.
This first picture is of me and my children. Elgin Paul, Sarah, Me, Jordan, Sandy and Celeste
This is my oldest daughter, Sandy and her children, Mitchell Jr. Hannah, Sandy and Heather. Sandy's husband was offshore working and couldn't be with us.
This is my son, Elgin Paul, his wife Rene', Elgin Paul Jr. David, Austin, Alice, Chase and Christan.
This is Celeste and her husband Ryan.
This is my "Maidens of Virtue" Sarah and Jordan
Here we have me and all 9 of my grandbabies.
This is Rene' with a dear friend of our family, Sherri.
Our day ended when a friend of the family called and invited our family over to his "lake house" for a ride in his "Huver craft"
We had a wonderful time. Throughout the day, my thoughts would think of
Gotta love a man who's not ashamed to wear an apron. 
I have enough left over food in my freezer so I won’t have to cook for the rest of the year. With so many “helpers” here, we made a list of things that needed to be taken care of around the house and they got taken care of. My van is also finally in the shop being fixed for the 4th or 5th time. (Hopefully it’ll be the last time) My girls and I have been using our Pastor’s car for about 4 months now. Please keep our Pastor in your prayers. When I ask for prayer for my pastor it's because the man really needs it. We've had a number of deaths and sicknesses in our church and church family and he's been running around in so many directions that somedays it really takes a toll on his physical body.
My girls and I are preparing for an "Open House" which is being held at "The Old Red Store" that is located in Appleton, Tennessee. We're going to be selling our aprons, jellies, Sarah's Herbal Salve, Cajun Pecan Pralines, Amish friendship bread and other homemade goodies. Please be in agreement with my girls and I that we can sell all of our stuff and can continue to get more orders.
My girls put up our Christmas Tree today. I really have no desire to do any decorating this year, but Jordan and Sarah wanted to at least put up a tree, so I'll let them decorate as much as they want to. I'm really going to have to force myself to get through Christmas this year. I know that I kind of sound like a broken record, but I want to once again say, Thank You!!!
Josephine
Dec. 4, 2008 - Communication Corner ~ Day 9 "21 Days to More Godly Communication"
Today's scripture is from Proverbs and is related to my previous post. When we speak, we need to do so respectfully.
will have the king for his friend." -Proverbs 22:11
Why does the Lord tell us to speak respectfully and in grace? Because the Lord knows that you get more bees with honey than you do with vinegar! Why?
* Being right may make you wrong!
You may be telling the "God's Honest Truth", but if you do so disrespectfully and without grace, nobody will care! Being right about something doesn't make you effective when you discuss it with someone. Good communication skills do! Nobody will be willing to hear you out if they feel they are being spoken to disrespectfully. Even if they do hear you, they will not listen. Lastly, if they do hear you, listen, understand and agree, they may not be willing to admit it-even to themselves!
* Few will forgive intent.
Sometimes it isn't what we say but how we say it that communicates the most. People can forgive someone who misspeaks. What they have a hard time forgiving is intent. The way in which we approach someone shows our intent. Did we simply use the wrong word or did we INTEND to accuse you of something. That is the question.
* Words live on after you speak them.
Once words are spoken, they have a life of their own and cannot be taken back. You may be able to apologize for poor word choice, but you will have a hard time obtaining forgiveness for a disrespectful intent to mock.
* Grace is more effective.
God knows that sharing something in grace has a much better chance of yielding results. Have you ever had to tell someone something that you were afraid they would take the wrong way? It needed to be said, but you were afraid of how they might react. Perhaps to your children? Whatever God puts in your heart to share with someone has a much better opportunity to be taken well if it is said in grace. At least if the person disagrees with you, they know you had meant it in love.
* Your words and intent behind them can show God's love.
If we speak in grace and out of love for one another, we show God's love and grace and mercy. Even man knows this to be true: "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Dale Carnegie
If we speak in grace respecting that each individual has his own mind and a right to decide for himself, we show respect for him. He, then, is more likely to show respect for us and for our ideas. We may not always agree with our friends and leaders, but we can begin to dialog with them, creating alliances with those who can help us.
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JoJo Tabares holds a degree in Speech Communication, but it is her humorous approach to communication skills which has made her a highly sought-after Christian speaker and writer. Her articles appear in homeschool publications, such as Homeschool Enrichment Magazine and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, which also endorses her Say What You Mean curricula. You can also find JoJo on web sites such as Crosswalk.com and Dr.Laura.com. For more information on communication FUNdamentals and Christian-based communication studies for the whole family, please visit http://www.ArtofEloquence.com
Dec. 3, 2008 - Homeschooling Through High School - Getting the Most from the Season: Flexibility
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I have to admit that ours was a bit bumpy with stomach flu going through the house, and celebrating on Friday instead of Thursday. My poor husband was so disappointed that the feast had to be postponed. "It's the biggest feast of the year," he said. BUT, it tasted just as good the following day and I'm happy to report that we are all on the mend. That being said, not only did we have to show some flexibility with regards to our Thanksgiving plans this year, but I was reminded again, that flexibility with our homeschool schedule is also possible AND important.
Those of us who are homeschooling high school students, realize that with the end of the year approaching, we are quickly approaching the end of the semester as well. For me, this is always a good time to stop, observe and adjust. Recently, I realized that we had gotten ahead on some subjects and needed to put some extra time into some other subjects in order to stay on schedule. Thus, our daily schedule of "classes" and assignments were adjusted. Flexibility! YEA!
In addition, with the approach of Thanksgiving I realized that we had some holes and some foggy memory regarding some of the specifics of the Thanksgiving season and the holiday itself. (Don't tell anyone!) Once I realized this, we flexed again, and went online, found some resources to help us, and revamped and adjusted our approach to history leading up to Thanksgiving. Once again, I was reminded that it is important to always keep the desired "end result" in mind. To have those desires written down so that I can refer to those goals frequently and be reminded of where we are on track and where we may be missing the mark and need to adjust in order to reach our goal.
As an example, part of the result John and I desire, is that our children really understand the spiritual heritage they have in America's founding. Knowing that, when we realized that there was some confusion on the specifics of Thanksgiving, we felt it absolutely necessary to use the ideal time of Thanksgiving week to focus on reinforcing those specifics and meeting that goal. At the beginning of this semester, I spent several weeks talking about "beginning with the end in mind" and how to set goals for your child and for your school year.
However, it's hard to hit a goal if you forget what your goals are. I used to hear someone say quite often, "If you don't know where you are going, you will end up where you are headed." In other words, you better know your desired destination and keep focused on it, or you will get caught in a bunch of U-turns and deadends.
May God keep the goals clearly fixed in our minds and may WE stay flexible enough to adjust to meet those goals. For more on this subject, please be sure to listen to my recent blogtalk radio interview with Diana Waring of Diana Waring Presents/History Alive. She spoke about this in many areas of our homeschool lifestyles and philosophies and I know it would be a great encouragement to you. Just visit: www.blogtalkradio.com/theendinmind
Faith and Courage, Lori Lane
Lori is married to the love of her life John and together they have four sons ranging in age from 22 down to 10. She is the author of “Beginning With The End In Mind”, a frequent speaker on home education, family and the arts, as well as serving as the Executive Director of The Artios Academies. (www.artiosacademies.com) You can see some of the pictures of their home in the central Colorado Rockies by visiting Lori’s website at www.theendinmind.net where you will receive encouragement for the journey.
Dec. 3, 2008 - Home Where They Belong ~ Kindergarteners - A Whole School Load of Them
A public school dedicated to just kindergarten. The idea of kindergarten being vitally important to every child's educational career is growing. Along with that idea is that the state is the one who needs to be in control, making sure every five year old is up to their academic standard before they head off to 1st grade. Then, when they don't accomplish that goal, they will set up all kinds of remedial helps that wind up tearing a child down when all they needed was just a little more time, a little more patience, and a whole lot less pressure. Keep them home, where they belong.
Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB
Dec. 2, 2008 - Christmas Solitude Contest on the Porch!
Be sure to go check out the latest contest on the HSB Company Porch! Two winners will receive a Christmas Solitude CD. Find out more HERE.
Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB
Dec. 2, 2008 - Kindergarteners - A Whole School Load of Them
A public school dedicated to just kindergarten. The idea of kindergarten being vitally important to every child's educational career is growing. Along with that idea is that the state is the one who needs to be in control, making sure every five year old is up to their academic standard before they head off to 1st grade. Then, when they don't accomplish that goal, they will set up all kinds of remedial helps that wind up tearing a child down when all they needed was just a little more time, a little more patience, and a whole lot less pressure. Keep them home, where they belong.
Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB
Dec. 2, 2008 - Christmas Solitude Contest!
Christmas Solitude is one of the most beautiful music CD's you can have in your collection. The music of our very own Steve Sensenig is perfect for creating that holiday atmosphere that brings calm to our souls and praise to our King.
You can read an interview I had with Steve last year HERE and listen to several tracks from Christmas Solitude CD HERE. When the music began playing my son stopped doing his math, looked up and said, "I like that. It's pretty." Be sure to listen to I Will Never Be the Same. Steve's wife Christy joins him with her beautiful voice in this one song.
This contest will have TWO winners. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below with your email address or a link to your blog where your email address is available. You must be at least 18 years of age and live in the U.S. You can read full contest rules HERE.
Winners will be notified by email only. If winners don't reply within one week of the email being sent out, a new winner will be chosen, so please check back here to see if you are a winner! If you are, but haven't received a notification email, please check your trash/SPAM folder.
This contest will close on Dec. 8th!
Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB
Dec. 2, 2008 - Taming the Chaos ~ Making Time for God
Busy homeschool moms need time for prayer and scripture, but what does it look like in your day?
Some do best rising early and giving the first portion of the day to the Lord. Unless I’m too short on sleep, morning is best for me. (If I’m sleep deprived, mid-afternoon is a better bet.) A friend of mine knows that trying to focus in the early hours would be giving God her worst. She’d never try to have an important conversation with anyone else within an hour of rising while her brain is sluggish, so she gives time to God in the evening when she’s at her best for Him. Find a time that works for you, and fit it into the routine. Often when I get bogged down I forget to carve out a quiet little niche in my days, and unfortunately, that usually makes me even more bogged down.
There are a days when in-depth study eludes me–days when my brain is just not able to study as seriously--then I try to take a bit of time to just soak up a piece of scripture. On those days I just read a passage, or even listen to audio. There are fantastic audio bibles. We have a CD collection of the entire Bible, and the children and my husband love it! We also have a wonderful little gizmo called a GoBible. I like it so muchI blogged about it on my personal blog. Most days I love to sit down with my chain referenced, leather covered, real-paper-paged Bible and dig in, but some days are for feasting, and some for grazing and snacking.
Whether it is a day for Bible snacking or Bible feasting, my prayer is to ponder and digest what I’ve read through the day, striving to pray continuously and meditate on some small treasure in scripture as "background music" to my every task. It isn’t a goal I achieve fully–some days I don’t come even close, but I yearn for the day when my life is prayerfully lived moment-by-moment.
Tame the chaos–starting in your own heart, by seeking a quiet, peaceful niche in your day to focus on the Highest priority.
Domestic Chaos Tamer and Homeschool Mom of Five, Dell writes about home, heart and hearth.
Dec. 1, 2008 - Craft Corner ~ Crazy Quilt Ornament
As I was decluttering in my bedroom today I came across a stack of paint samples. I started to toss them since we were no longer considering any of these colors but then decided to try to use them in some sort of craft instead. I thought up this craft and I think it looks pretty darn adorable!!
SUPPLIES:
Paint sample books or cards (from home improvement stores)
Card stock
Fine point black Sharpie marker
Stencil
Glue
Scissors
Hole punch
Yarn, string or ornament hanger
Take a stencil in whatever shape you prefer, I used a star but I think a heart would look great, too. Really, just a square will wind up looking just as nice. Use the marker to trace the stencil onto the card stock.
If you press hard enough the marker will just barely bleed through onto the back of the paper which will make it easier when time to cut it out. If it doesn't bleed through, you can just retrace the stencil on top of the paper scraps later.
Cut the paint samples into various sizes, try to keep the edges very straight. Lay the scraps onto the cardstock until you have a design you like. Start gluing the scraps being careful to not let any of the cardstock show through the cracks and make sure you completely cover the stencil lines.
Once you have it the way you like it, let the glue dry if necessary. If you can see the lines on the back of the cardstock, follow them to cut it out. If you can't see it, then simply retrace the stencil on top of the scraps and cut it out cutting inside the marker line so it doesn't show on the finished ornament.
Use the marker to make a variety of stitch marks everywhere the papers meet up. A crazy quilt uses a variety of decorative stitches, so have a lot of fun with this.
Draw a straight stitch all around the outside edge of the ornament, this really makes it look nice. Turn the ornament over and do these same stitch marks on the back. In the center, write your name or greeting and be sure to date it.
Punch a hole near the top edge of the ornament and tie on some yarn or string. Now it's ready to hang on your tree.
Dianna enjoys coming up with craft ideas using found objects. There is always some sort of project going on in her house, usually on the kitchen table. You can check out her other blog here. Dianna and her family are in their 5th year homeschooling.
Dec. 1, 2008 - Classical Education ~ Traditional Classical Education -- Pt. 2
Last week I wrote about Traditional Classical Education and how it differs from Neo--Classical. The big difference is that Neo--Classical uses the Trivium (grammar, logic and rhetoric) as academic stages, whereas Traditonal regards the Trivium as subjects, not stages.
The problem with Traditional is that there isn't too much written about it. There isn't a blueprint of what subjects to teach and when to teach them as there is in Neo-Classical. This makes teaching a bit vague. There is a website called Circe Institute that aids classical schools as they travel down the road of giving their students a classical education. This organization is a help to homeschoolers as well.
The Circe website is a tad convoluted in its set-up. There are quite a few different terms that make understanding difficult. Each time I have gone through the site, I have come away from it with a bit more understanding than when I started. Patience is important when dealing with this website.
According to the Circe website, classical education is the cultivation of wisdom and virtue. This happens through nourishing our soul with all that is good, true and beautiful. In a pracitical sense, this plays out by using Great Books and works of art. Through the Great Books you expose the student to Great Ideas. They are able to meditate on these ideas and then act on them through service. Pieces of art show the students all that is beautiful in the world. Beauty can also be shown in the natural world through God's creation.
To know what to teach, the teacher focuses on the Seven Liberal Arts. This translates into the Trivium (grammar, logic and rhetoric) and the Quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy.) These 7 subjects are the basis of a child's education. After the child is exposed to these liberal arts, then the sciences may be introduced. When I say sciences, I mean natural science, humane science (history and literature), philosophical science and theological science.
As each subject is taught, they share the same strand as to how they are taught. Each subject should be taught using the three columns (hold on to your hat because this is where it gets tricky.) The first column of teaching any subject is to communicate information to the student and then make sure that the student has retained this information. The second column is where the teacher makes sure that the student grasps the ideas that are being taught. This is done through discussion. The third column includes skill. The teacher attempts to train the student in an intellectual or physical skill. This is where the teacher coaches or mentors the student.
In order to make sure that the student is grasping the idea or skill that the teacher is attempting to teach, there are two modes of teaching that need to take place: the didactic mode and the socratic mode. I won't go into those right now as I am afraid that I would truly lose you. I might try to tackle the two modes later on but for right now I think it is interesting to just ponder the three columns of teaching. That is huge on its own.
If you are interested in traditional classical education, I encourage you to wander through the Circe Institute website. There is alot of information to digest there. Not only does Circe have the website, they also offer yearly conferences. They use these conferences to encourage the classical teacher, be it a school teacher or a homeschool teacher. It doesn't matter. Both kinds of teachers come away from those conferences refreshed and rarin' to go for the next year. For the many of us that cannot afford to go to the conferences, Circe offers CD sets of each workshop. These CD sets are amazing. I bought my first one earlier this spring and I learned quite a bit about traditional classical education and how to effectively teach it to my children.
Julia lives with her husband on the Canadian Prairies homeschooling their 3 children (9,7.5,) attempting to give them a classical education. You can read more at http://homeschoolblogger.com/Juliainsk
