A little break

I was hoping to set up a cache of blog posts to last through the trip I am planning out of town for a long weekend.  Illness, however, has changed my plans.  So, there will be a break in posts for about a week.

 

I pray you all stay healthy and joyful, and I ask prayers for my own family for health, safe traveling, and healing for my brother-in-law.  My hero-husband is turning 40, so prayers and thanksgiving for him are also welcome!

God bless and see you in February!

Knowledge

This is what we want to give our children, yes?  Knowledge.  Of the world, of our Lord, of themselves…  Most of us want our children to be academically equipped, socially aware, spiritually alive, financially savvy, culturally discerning…  The list goes on, but basically, we want our kids ‘in the know.’

How do we impart to them all that we want for them to know in such a short time?  —as time passes, we all realize that 18 years just isn’t enough for some of life’s lessons!  We can’t.  It is impossible.  But with God all things are possible.  Through Him and with Him, we can achieve the tasks and goals He sets before us.  If you get into the Word, you will see there is little doubt that one of His goals for parents is to raise them up the way that they should go.  In fact, He promises in Proverbs 22:6 that if we do our part in training them, that our children will come back to that training.

My children and I are reading 1 Kings right now, and we just finished the passage where God comes to Solomon to offer him whatever he wants.  What an opportunity!  But Solomon doesn’t squander it.  He asks for wisdom.  The Lord is pleased with Solomon’s request and grants wisdom to him, but also piles on long life and riches for good measure.  That is how God is.  He is good. 

While God doesn’t play the genie role too often—I believe for our own good—we can still ask for wisdom today.  There is really no greater gift.  With wisdom we know what else to want.  We know what to go after, and what to let fall by the way side.  We know the path.  And if we know all that, we can lead our children in the same way!  Ah!  Maybe this task is doable after all!

Call on a friend

God is so good to us and it is a blessing of grace untold that we are given the opportunity to speak directly with the Maker of all things.  His Son offered the greatest gift ever when he reconciled us through redemption.  We now get to live eternally with our Father God!  Praise be!

He made us for relationship.  Relationship with Himself and with others.  He designed things so that each of us should be born into a ready-made family.  He created us with longing in our hearts to be with others.

Friendship is another great gift from our Lord.  I have heard and experienced the notion that some friends are for a moment, some for a season and some for a lifetime.  I praise the Lord for each and every friend I have had, for however long I was blessed to be in that particular relationship.

If you are looking for friends—for yourself or your children—who will be with you for this time of homeschooling, a homeschool support group may be just what you need.  I encourage you to seek out a local group that gathers regularly for fun and learning.  You don’t have to go it alone!

Just Pretend

As I was making breakfast, I overheard my daughter playing with her dolls in her home-made doll house.  I am so proud of her for making a two story house using a box and other things from around the house.  She is creative and innovative!

I begin listening a little more carefully.  The mother is encouraging her children to get up, or they will be late for school.  What?  They need to hurry because it is picture day.  What?  How does the girl who has only homeschool, and can’t even remember the word public school (for a while she called it preschool and now she calls it high school) play about missing the bus and picture day?  I don’t get it.

This is not the first time my kids’ play has perplexed me.  In the past I have seen them play ‘house’ where both parents work and they need to find babysitters or day care.  huh?

Now, I don’t have a problem with any of these things per se.  But I just thought kids played what they knew.  My kids don’t know from any sort of first hand experience about catching buses, picture day, or day care.  Babysitters are even quite rare. 

I suppose it goes to show just how pervasive our society is!

It’s my birthday!

I am enjoying a down day with my kiddos.   Hope your day is equally blessed!

 

My daughter brought me breakfast in bed and had a big box full of stuff for me to open.  She is a lovely young lady who loves with her whole self.  Since I don’t remember my own, I told each kid his and her birth stories.

Newspaper Tour—and an Assignment

Our tour was fantastic.  One of the best ever, in my humble opinion.  And we received an assignment!  Kids interested in sending submissions is welcome to do so.

The kids have an opportunity to choose ‘what the readers need to know.’  Have your kids use pictures, drawings or words on any topic that they deem newsworthy.  The writing can cover the five Ws (Who What When Where Why) or be a short story (100 words or less).  Pictures can be candids of people or of a scene.  People in pictures need to be labeled.  When you submit the work, have the author’s name and age.

Submit to me via email or to me in person (under my doormat if I am not home) or snail mail.  The deadline for submissions is January 31. 

Happy reporting!!

100 Days of School

Do you celebrate the hundredth day of the school year?  Have you even heard of it? I hadn’t until a few years ago and it wasn’t something I had ever done when I was a kid.  I think it primarily for the younger set so that they get an opportunity to have concrete examples of just what the number 100 represents.  When my niece attended public school, she needed to bring 100 of something to class.  The students showed rocks, pencils, hair bows, beads, stickers, beans, toys, etc.  I remember her having a lot of fun with it.

My kids are a little older, but we are going to celebrate our own hundredth day this year.  While I have never been opposed to doing it in the past, our school year tends to be more on the lackadaisical side, and I never knew just when we had done one hundred days!  This year, my record keeping method happens to lend itself to day-counting a little better, and I realized day 100 was fast approaching.  So I thought, “Why not?”

I haven’t figured out all that we will do to mark this day, but I am looking forward to doing something new.  So, have you ever honored the hundredth day?  What did you do?

Time to be me

I was listening to a friend today talking about how great it has been since she has been going regularly to the gym.  It was evident the benefits went beyond physical health or even the satisfaction over her accomplishments.  She was getting something special from just having that time to be herself.  Another friend shared that she bumped up bed time for her kids so that they go read quietly and she gets a breath to herself.

I have heard it said (and preached) that this ‘time to myself’ was wrong.  Selfish.  I can see some merit to the idea that we need to give ourselves, our time, in service to the Lord.  But I must remember that even Jesus went off alone to pray. 

I think there is something good and right about quiet time, especially when the job in question is not one with a time card to punch.  Some call it ‘me time,’ some say they need to unwind.  Others need to recharge. 

So, do what do you do to keep yourself fresh? 

Going on a Tour tomorrow!

I am so excited about our tour tomorrow to the newspaper office.  For one, we haven’t been to the newspaper since our very first year with KidsROCK, and I am excited for my kids to learn more now that they are older.  For another, I feel like it has been a LONG time since I’ve seen many in the KidsROCK family!

See you tomorrow!

God’s Perspective

Do you ever dread anything?  I do.  Big and small.  In fact, you could probably take my vitals and not be able to tell the difference when I feel apprehension over a little nothing or something of substance.  My feelings are strong either way.  I am an expert dreader. 

Just the other day, there was something I did not want to do.  But as I was preparing, I took a deep breath and said, ‘this will be done.’  God can see me AFTER the incident as clearly as he could see me in the moment preparing for the incident.  In time, each thing I dread does come to an end.  My mom’s phrase was, ‘this, too, shall pass.’

There is comfort there.  The largesse with which I view an event I dread brings to mind that melody  dunn, dunnn. DA-DUNNNN! You know, the theme from 2001 Space Odyssey?  I can hardly see anything else; I lose perspective. 

It was a real gift when God reminded me that it was already done in God’s eyes—and really, who else’s matters?

Leadership

My kids were playing a computer game together the other night.  One kid on a computer in another room, the other in the front room.  They use the telephones like walkie-talkies to coordinate their moves.  But there was a problem.  My more experienced son kept running off and leaving the new-to-this sister floundering on her own.  Both of their voices held tension, blame and impatience as they spoke.  Frustration grew with each passing moment.  We brought the game time to an end and called them together to find the source of the breakdown.

When I asked my son why he kept running off, he said that he thought that his sister would just follow him.  This gave us a wonderful teachable moment about leadership.

I started by telling how a following car can lead a car in front of it.  The car behind would need to slow long before an approaching turn and use the turn signals earlier than normal.  The car in front needs time to read the signs and respond before the ‘lead’ car ever has a chance to make a turn.

Jesus came to serve. But he is our leader.  We can learn to lead by being last, bringing up the rear to assure that no one is left behind. 

There is a false idea that one can only be either a leader or a follower.  It is quite possible to be neither.  Someone who's running off to wherever assuming that others will (or want to) trail along and keep up is not a leader at all.  Neither is one whose sole act of ‘leadership’ involves giving orders or corrections.  Just because he is unwilling to follow doesn’t not automatically make him a leader.

A true leader has a heart for the individuals and the group as a whole.  His is a difficult job, being ever watchful of dangers from the outside and problems on the inside.  He must be last in to be sure no one is left behind, and the first to step into the unknown.  He loves his people too much to risk any one of them.

There is a reason why there are more lone wolves and followers than there are true leaders.  It is not an easy job.  But it is a noble one when it is Christ that the leader follows.

A prayer for the homeschooler

In response to the post arguing both sides of the school tears, a cherished KidsROCK member suggested prayer.  How blessed I am by these lovely ladies who remind me to take all things to Him in confident humility—knowing beyond doubt that he can handle all things better than I can.

So I pray.

Father, please come alongside every homeschooler this morning.  Nudge the teachers with your loving presence.  Wash your Spirit over us, so that we might bear your fruit of patience (and love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.)  Help us to lead by example.

Give us wisdom to know when to push, when to relent, when to change tack and how to reach each very special child in our care. 

Thank you for the gift that is our little people.  Thank you for the privilege to raise them and teach them.  Please bolster our family to continue on the path you’ve set before us.  Please save us from distraction and worry.  Help us to leave our worries and burdens at your feet.

In your Son’s holy name, Amen

A New Endeavor

I recently got my hands on a reading the Bible in a year program coupled with a devotion/journaling method.  I have never been faithful enough to finish all the way to the end a Bible-in-a-year plan, nor to journal with any consistency. 

But I don’t want to give up just because I haven’t ever done it before.  the only method that has been of relative success is this blogging.  SO, I have started a new blog for my devotion!  I pray it offers the same incentive to faithfulness that this blog has.

If you’d like to join me in the readings and share your own comments, I would be doubly blessed.  The blog’s title is SOAP-Bible.  The SOAP is an acronym for Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer.

I don’t do well with playing catch-up, so I am just starting right where I am: Jan 10.  If (when?) I fall behind, I will just pick up where I left off.

The School Tears—or, Need a Hand?

I always struggle with this one.  I can argue both sides so expertly, it becomes quite a challenge to stick to one thing and follow through.  What am I talking about?  School-tears.  You’ve experienced these, yes?The tears that well up when a child is challenged, and can bring the entire day to a teeth-grinding, blood-curdling screeching halt?  Or is it just me?  What to do? 

On the one hand, challenge is a good thing.  We all must face challenges, and it is good to gain skills of perseverance and humility to continue trying when something is difficult and even when we fail.

On the other hand, I don’t want to push something that can be learned with ease later.  Why fuss and ruin the subject in her perception when I can wait a year and she’ll pick it up in a snap?

On the other hand, what do I do when that year becomes another year, and that one becomes two more?  How long does it take for it to become a snap, exactly?

On the other hand, I want to instill a sense of joy for learning.  How can I do that when there is all this drama coming down around my ears??

On the other hand, what are we teaching when we stop lessons because of tears?  Might I, in my earnestness to train a lover of learning, in fact be training a master manipulator?  DUN DUN DUNN.  (That is my scary music.)

On the other hand, what good am I doing pushing a subject level that is clearly too challenging?  Won’t I create mental and emotional blocks or scarring in my child?

On the other hand, if it isn’t challenging, what the heck are we doing here anyway, huh?  How are they to improve if they never, ever try anything above their current level? 

On the other hand, homeschooling isn’t just about an individual.  It is about the entire family.  And when this one cries—oh!  You should hear it!  What am I saying?  You probably DO hear it!  The whole family suffers because of stinkin’ copy-work!  Is it really worth it?  I mean, doctors are famous for having bad handwriting!

On the other hand, what are we coming to when we rationalize our way out of every uncomfortable situation.  As homeschoolers, we are bringing up the WHOLE child.  There is a point when the lesson is less about math and becomes solely about obedience.

On the other hand, technology is booming.  How important is math and handwriting when there is a calculator on every phone, spellcheck on email—and texting is changing the face of spelling? hmm?

On the other hand, should we be teaching our children such a heavy reliance on technology?  Is that best for the future we can’t even see?  Wouldn’t it be wise to teach some of the ‘classics’ like math and spelling?

*sigh*  I’ve gotten a little dizzy and my kid just ran off to play with the dogs.  Crisis averted?

What does your home/school look like?

We’ve established that we shouldn’t expect a homeschool day in one home to look like a homeschool day in another.  But what about the actual homes?  Do they have anything in common?  Maybe a little more than the actual activities, but not by much.

You can peg some homeschool homes before you barely get your foot in the door.  Bulletin boards on dining room walls, sagging bookshelves, oddly accessible crayons and glue, marked up maps, and paper, paper, paper everywhere!

But I have also entered the homes of friends whom I know homeschool and couldn’t tell by looking around.  That can mean they have an area of the house set aside especially for homeschooling, they school in a manner that doesn’t call for all the trappings of a ‘class room,’ or they are just a lot cleaner than I am!

I had one friend who had a converted bedroom with sweet little desks set in a row facing a giant white board and all four walls packed with supplies.  The door leading to the room had my friend’s name on it—as in Mrs. Teacher!  The first time I entered, I was speechless.  It was so different from my mish-mashed house. 

Yet again I was humbled and thrilled by the differences between my friend and I.  As our friendship blossomed, the way we both chose to educated our children changed.  We influenced one another without pressure, but by just being ourselves.

As you homeschool, have fun being you.  Ask friends what their day and homes look like.  This is a time when stealing ideas can be a good thing!  But be cautious about emulating at the expense of your own family’s personality.  If you erase yourself from your own day, how on earth will you ever shine for others?

And if you don’t have any friends who homeschool, seek out a homeschool group.  Every major homeschool association and network, whose existence is to support homeschooling families in their noble endeavor include joining a local homeschool support group on their short list of how to get started!

How do you School? 2

I read a blog post the other day discussing what school ‘looks like’ in homes.  He was commenting on photos he was seeing of kids gathered round the dinner table with pencils in hand.  His own homeschool memories had more to do with the couch that any writing surface. 

The post got me to thinking about all the wonderful ways in which homeschooling is achieved.  We have a KidsROCK member who converted an upper floor into a school room.  I can’t imagine even the most die-hard unschooler not drooling just a little at the vision of her brightly painted room with subject areas marked with cheerful signs.  And I can’t imagine even the most reticent unschooler not cringing at the thought of schooling on a strict schedule the way this member does.

That is the beauty of homeschooling: the diversity!

We have members who use curriculum-in-a-box programs, executing every subject from a prescribed lesson plan.  Little planning or preparation is needed before diving into the school day.  Other members do most of their teaching on the computer—meaning they take a hands-off, child-directed approach.  Still others choose a totally child-directed approach, allowing the interests of the child to spark inspiration for activity.

Some do gather round the table to finish worksheets.  Some pile onto the couch to listen to stories.  My own kids have been known to hang upside down from the couch or computer chair, play quietly with manipulatives and color while I read.  There are families with kids who set up workstations at their desks.  A number of families do the majority of their lessons all together, and other families individualize activities to each child.

I delight in these differences.  I have seen families ‘try on’ the different homeschooling looks for size.  Some do so experimentally, while others do so because they think they are doing the proper thing.  I see those families who try desperately to fit into an image of homeschooling  flounder in frustration and even give it all up. 

I wish I could reach all homeschoolers and prospective homeschoolers with the message that homeschooling has no one single look.  Stop trying to school like the Joneses.  Try things out, be ready to change and have fun!

How do you school?

Once the decision to homeschool has been made, a family may think they are set.  It wasn’t easy to gather all the data, to weigh the information and finally commit to schooling the kids at home.  Surely all the heavy lifting is over, right?

Eh…not so much.  You spent time on the ‘if’ and the ‘why;’ now it is time to concentrate on those other “W” words.  Who will teach which subjects?  When will you introduce new concepts?  What standards will you meet and how will you gauge progress? What will your average day look like?  What is your teaching style?  What is your child’s learning style?  How will you meet special needs and abilities?

Overwhelmed yet?  No kidding.  But you don’t need to be.  Homeschooling is beginning its fourth decade of growth, which qualifies those of us who homeschool as a bona fide market!  What does that mean?  That there is a target on our wallets?  In part, yes.  But it also means that there are more resources for homeschooling than you will ever need.

And what does that mean?  It means help is out there, my friend.  There are lessons, supplies and curricula that you can buy in total, or piece together to expertly tailor to your family.  There are aids to help you meet areas of special needs and challenge areas of exceptional ability.

Most importantly, there are others just like you!  Get into a group to meet veterans and newbies alike.  This is an essential part of gaining realistic expectations, because this isn't the easiest road we've chosen.  Find some companions to make the journey together.

In the mean time, while you are figuring things out, you have your kids!  Talk with them.  Love on them.  Listen to them. Enjoy them.

Just 4 Fun

Have you seen the movie Cool Runnings?  It is about the Jamaican bobsled team going to the Olympics for the first time.  It is a fine movie, but my favorite part is really just one line that one character uses a few times throughout the show.  “Ya dead?”

I think this often, like when I haven’t heard from someone in a while.  But I am afraid to use it because I might be right sometime and that would not be funny at all. 

Another favorite line I think without saying is from the Princess Bride.  It is when the giant and Spaniard reunite and they are in a hurry moving through a crowd.  Fezik says, “EVERYBODY MOOOOOOVE!”  I love it!  But I don’t say it.

The Gift of Friendship

Just as parents emulate some of the attributes of God the Father to their children, I think friends do the same in shining Jesus, our friend, and the Holy Spirit, our councilor.  Friends are companions, sounding boards, consolers, fellow-rejoicers, encouragers, helpers…the list goes on. 

Since the Lord created us for fellowship, there is something quite natural about seeking friends.  It happens at a young age, and the need for friends doesn’t abate in our waning years.  There seems to be few other gifts more cherished than the freedom to be ourselves with another person.  It is wonderful to have friends who let you be you, in all your different forms: silly, scared, cuddly, serious and adventurous.

Think about those wonderful friends who are there in bad times or when you are in need.  What a blessing!  We have had our share of rough times and I have been truly amazed by the wave of people who’ve swooped in to help whenever a trial presents itself.

When we first moved to town, we were broke, had a six month old baby and my husband was working all sorts of funky hours.  But friends took care of us.  A new girlfriend taught me how to grocery shop wisely, how to make bread and jelly and where to go for Bible study.  From the move in to equipping our new home with a fridge, firewood and the awl with which to chop it, we had every provision through the acts of loving friends. 

And those friends are all the more cherished for being around for the good times, to celebrate the good.  I will never forget my full house when my husband threw a surprise birthday party for me.  Then a few years later, my sister did the same.  Looking around the room at all the faces who came for ME took my breath away and humbled me beyond words.

Then there are those gems who are there for the mundane; I personally consider these people who are there for laundry, hanging out, and chatting to be among the most precious.  After all, most of life in our current time and place is lived in that middle place. 

Hopefully, you aren’t living from crisis to crisis.  And as exciting as it might seem, living triumph to triumph can wear one down quickly.  But day in and day out, friends who call or drop by just because you are friends are precious literally in deed. 

If you have a friend who is there for you with constancy, I think you are blessed with a glimpse of heaven.  And if you happen to be one of those friends, then I pray the Lord bless your socks right off!

What do you think?

When the year 2000 arrived, there was a big discussion about what to call the next ten years.  So, what shall we call these new years?  Obviously, in a few years we will be in the teens. 

So, does that make us in the tweens?

Spring Club PALS

The new twelve week length of this class makes the commitment (and even the opting out) a bigger deal.  I’d like to give some more information on the class so that your decision is as informed as possible. 

Spring 2011 session of Club PALS is 12 weeks running roughly from March through May and we will be exploring the character trait of Awareness.  The first week will be the Shin Dig!/Training Day.  This is the mandatory day where everyone gets books, hears about Club PALS in general and this session specifically.  It is at this meeting that the delegation of centers takes place, as well.

Weeks two through eleven are standard classes.  The time begins with an opening circle that includes reviewing the definition and manifestations of Awareness, hearing a story from History, Nature, Bible or Literature and the public speaking opportunities of Show and Tell.  Then the group breaks up into center time.  We provide activities in the subjects of PE, Arts, Language Arts and Science (hence PALS).  All of the lessons deal in some way with our theme of Awareness, and relate more directly to the day’s theme introduced in the opening circle time story.   Next comes what is arguably the best part of Club PALS: Free Time!  This is child-directed learning at its best when several choices are arranged around the room for the kids to explore freely and parents get to catch up with one another as grown-ups.  We end the day with a closing circle that includes a concluding story, prayer and music.

Our final week of this session will hold the Closing Ceremonies.  We will have a cotillion—a formal party!  The kids will dress up and use the manners they’ve been acquiring through the session to show the value in others.  We will have awards, food and music!

So that is an overview of the whole session.  Let me give you a little more information about the lessons of Awareness offered. For circle time, we will pull from history, literature, the Bible and God’s creation to demonstrate how important awareness is.  We will talk about Samuel the prophet as a boy, hear about the Country Mouse and City Mouse, learn about Helen Keller and when it is proper to NOT be aware.

For PE, we have games of tag, movement exercises and square dancing!  This session introduces a full art program, teaching kids the various elements in a comprehensive method that will culminate in putting it all together by the end of the 12 weeks.  For Language Arts, we will be exploring poetry, performing a skit, and practicing advanced writing elements.  Finally, our science program will be traveling through our senses, with experiments and demonstrations to deepen understanding of both our bodies and awareness.

If you are interested in participating, our early bird registration deadline is this Friday, the 7th.  Our final, full-cost registration is January 28th.  You may register or ask questions through our website link.

Daddy God

I remember when my kids were little how my understanding of God the Father expanded.  My dad didn't play the role of a biblical father in my life, so I always thought my grasp of God the Father was pretty good--since I so desperately needed a daddy.

But new lights came on in my heart when my kids were born.  I came to know love in a far deeper way.  I became intimate with the feelings that come when watching someone you love unconditionally resist wise guidance and behave with destruction in his or her heart. 

My husband tells a story of our son knocking over a trash can and strewing its contents around the floor when he was two, (of course).  My husband told him no, and helped set the trash back.  My son responded immediately with a quick tug on the side, dumping everything out.  My husband slapped his hand and made him clean it up.  Without missing a beat, that boy reached for the trash again.  My husband anticipated the move and scooped him up to take him to his room.  My son screamed as though dying, wriggled from his captor and streaked over to the trash and put all his strength into a rousing kick!

How often do we fight to play in the trash?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope and pray this year is full of bountiful blessings from our Lord!