Cool new blog is hosting a giveaway!

A new home schooling blog has launched this week called Simple Homeschooling. They are hosting a giveaway that looks really great. Just click here to sign up!

Among the piles of things I hope to mark "Done in 2010" are several books, many of them started, but never finished. Here is the first to put on the list: Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit is written by Teri Maxwell. It has been on my "want to read" list for years. I was recently fortunate enough to run across a local, fellow home educator who had a copy and loaned it to me (and therefore part of the impetus to finish it to be able to return it). It sure seems as though the battle to have such a spirit has been greater since finishing it. This book was a good reminder of some important points, and brought up a few that were new or stated in a different way than I have previously heard them expressed. There were good chapters on disorganization, fear and worry, anger, and hard work/dying to self.

A note on books: Having read a plethora of books on parenting and then on home educating as we entered these phases of life with our first child, most every book since then has been more of a reminder, than some new revelation. Not that the more recently read books aren't as good or better than the earlier reads, but what was written years ago is still true today: "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9 So for me there got to be a point where reading was not giving me much that was "new", though still good, important, and much needed reminders. There comes a point when it is purely a matter of application. I need to stop reading and start applying truth that God has revealed to me through His Word, and sometimes through the insights and experiences of others, shared in books. It is also true that each family is unique and we can come to depend on books and methods instead of on God for leading and support in raising our families.

I'm taking the long route to saying that this was a really good book. I would recommend it if you are needing some reminders and encouragement in your home schooling and parenting efforts. If you have a lot of good Christian parenting books on your shelves already, you might re-read one of them instead, and/or see if you can find someone to borrow this particular one from. (This is coming from a perspective of feeling like we have way too many books already, and trying to limit buying more, but still wanting to benefit from books we don't own.)

New Year's intentions...

...NOT resolutions.

The start of another year always leads me to think of things I'd like to change or do better in life. I gave up on "resolutions" a few years back though knowing that approximately 3 days later, they have been forgotten and little or no progress made.

The areas where it would be nice to see growth in my life this year are pretty much the same as previous years. There is the desire to read more, write more letters, stay on top of Bible study and scripture memory, improve many areas of my parenting abilities, eat better, exercise more, etc., etc., etc.

One of those "same old" areas, is the matter of keeping of the home. My intentions for this month and on are to get back to reading and applying the daily emails from FlyLady.

Another one that has been more of a struggle this fall than in the past (though there is always more to do than there is really time for) is getting to all of our school every day. Steve and Teri Maxwell from Titus 2 ministries will be speaking to our local homeschool group this month and I'm really looking forward to it, and hoping that it will be motivational and helpful in this area. Their book, Managers of Their Homes, has been on my wish list for a few years and I'm hoping to get a closer look at it at the meeting.

On more of a "fun" side, I'd like to try out more new recipes this year, and at the moment, Italian is on my mind. The stash of ingredients around here for making various Asian dishes needs to be used and cleaned out as well. It would also be great to be able to blog more consistently, keep up with the POW (Page of the Week) project, and knock off some of the sewing projects stacked up around here, but that's getting ahead of things a bit now, isn't it?

Here's a completed sewing project from the past few weeks. Miss B has been asking for an apron for a few months now (though she got a nice one last year for her birthday from a friend), so this was one of her birthday gifts:

Another inspiring blog to check out

Sally Clarkson has written several books, primarily directed towards home schoolers, and the ones that I have read, are so encouraging and inspiring. For a few months now, a friend has been sharing tidbits she has gleaned from Sally's blog and today was the first time I thought of it while at the computer and tracked it down. I was blessed just in skimming the first post here on friendships and making time for them. Hopefully there will be 5 minutes to read it later today, (though not likely).

Due to a variety of circumstances, it is likely that I will be even scarcer than usual around here for a while... Maybe not, but probably. :)

Yes, you can teach your child to read!

For several weeks, it has been on my mind to share about this resource as a blog post. There are multiple resources for teaching children to read (as well as theories as to how...the best way). One of the more popular ones has been Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. But when it was time to teach my first born to read, this is what we went with: Phonics Pathways by Dolores Hiskes was recommended the The Well Trained Mind. Fortunately, the local library had a copy of this book, and after reading about it in the Well Trained Mind, I was able to check it out and give it a test run before buying it. I had a copy of ...100 Easy Lessons, but found that it was more complicated, distracting, and time-consuming than the format of Phonics Pathways. Our 4yo is about 1/3 of the way through it and our copy is getting quite dog-eared from nearly daily use in teaching three children to read over the past 6 years.

I highly, highly recommend this book for teaching little ones to read (or for helping anyone learn to read). It is very easy to "teach" or more specifically lead the child in using. There is basically NO teacher prep and it is up to you and your child how much time you spend on it each day. We usually do a page a day, which takes from 5 to 15 minutes depending on how well she is concentrating that day and how much is on the page. It is very simple - black and white without a lot of pictures - which some might find "boring," but in my opinion, it cuts down on distractions. While there are areas of learning that we have not done the best at around here, reading is one area that has gone fairly smoothly, thanks in large part to Phonics Pathways.

Our latest and most likely last budding reader, emulating big sis:

Lent Activity resource

This activity guide for Lent looks great!!! Just the brief opening information was educational for the kids and I! And I love that the author gives grace by noting not to get hung up on doing an activity every day. If the link is closed, it is available (at no charge) on the author's website under "Easter Devotionals."

Considering homeschooling?

If you are considering home schooling, you might check out Homeschool Freebie of the Day today. Click on the link to the Middle Ages resource. When you get to that page, scroll down and see the offer for the free trial subscription to "Homeschooling ABCs." I'm not really familiar with it, but it sounds like it could be a potentially helpful resource.

On the other hand, this one is definitely a keeper.

We are about a third of the way through this one, and highly recommend it. Lots of details accompanied by plenty of photographs to keep the kids focused while listening. It is an Usborne Internet-linked book so you can enter the corresponding page number into their website and find further pictures and information.I don't remember much history from grade school days. This book is opening all of our eyes to the horrific nature of the first World War (we haven't gotten to the second WW yet). It seems like one hears much more about WWII, and I'm learning a lot about WWI along with the kids!
This is a little hard to see, but B is making a model of trench warfare using "Moon Sand" (her idea, not mine).

Ferris wheel history

The current read-aloud book for our home school curriculum is The Great Wheel. When we get through everything that is scheduled for a day, it can easily add up to 2+ hours of me reading various books/subjects aloud to them, and they can sit better if they are doing something with their hands while listening. G pulled out some K'nex and made a model for the story.

Sometimes Geoff will jump in on the reading.This Ferris wheel is complete with motor. He attempted to give ridesto Little Ponies, but alas, the Pony's head whacked the floor every time it went around and had to be removed from the ride.As for the book, I/we love these historical fiction books that are a part of our home education. This one is hitting a wide range of topics from engineering to immigration. The Great Wheel was built by Ferris in Chicago in 1893, was 250 tall, and was meant to rival the engineering success of the Eiffel Tower.

Ramblings from a home schooling mom, part 4

Though it ended well enough, this past week was a challenging one, mostly in parenting-related ways

A few days ago, while commiserating with another mom about school-related issues at home, she made a comment, which has unfortunately mostly escaped me now, except for the phrase:

"RESOLVE TO ENDURE"

OK. I know there are possibly a few of you out there who read this and home school who just "love" it and every day is a glorious treasure (uh oh, my sarcasm is creeping out). Around here though, some days are treasures, but many of them are not.

Thus enters the "resolve to endure." For us, at this time, we are convicted that this is the best for our family, even though it is NOT an easy road by any means, and is subject to change. And sometimes that "resolve to endure" is what gets us through to the end of the day.

Yeah, I'd love to...

• have a break from my role of policeman, judge and jailer for a few hours once in a while.
• go to the bathroom by myself on occasion.
• spend uninterrupted time in prayer and Bible study.
• talk to someone on the phone for more than 10 seconds without resorting to the first point on the list.
• be able to go to the grocery store (Geoff would love that too, since he is delegated errand boy).
• clean my house...all of it at once...and then for it to last a few minutes.
• do something I really WANT to do.
• interact with other adults from time to time.
• not have to "crack the whip" all day to keep little people progressing in their education.
• get paid to work full time.

But for now, those wants and desires are set aside to hopefully build a lasting legacy in these three little people (though I often wonder if the long-term results are going to be any different than if I weren't home schooling them) and protect them from and prepare them for a world that is set against, and doing all it can, to undermine and cause them to question everything we believe. (Many people do this well without home schooling.)

The idea of "resolve" and what people can do when they have it was on my mind as we finished Moccasin Trail today - the sheer determination of the people going west in covered wagons and pushing, pulling, scraping, and whatever else it took, to get them over the high mountains into the Willamette Valley. Yes, some times parenting (and home schooling) is like that.

Ramblings from a home schooling mom, part 3

These "ramblings" seem to have the theme of stemming from conversation with others. This one began to mentally develop after someone brought up the topic of the home school "look" Sunday morning. I want to approach this subject carefully, because ultimately, the goal is to honor God in all things.

"But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7

And now having typed that verse in, nearly all the thoughts I had with regards to the topic seem superfluous or irrelevant. (And it may have something to do with only 5 hours of sleep last night.) Perhaps this topic will be revisited.

Freebie of the Day for parents

Even if you don't homeschool, you might find something you can use on the Homeschool Freebie of the Day, and they are offering some of their past selections for the Labor Day weekend. There is such a variety of things - audio stories and songs, laundry tips, creative lunch ideas, etc.
Anyway, just a reminder to check them out if you haven't already!

Edited to add:

They have several videos up now that are great. Go check them out. Show your kids the time lapse seed growth and the slow-motion water balloon explosion. Some funny, some educational. Don't miss the one about the "homeschool family" to the tune of the Addams family, and if you've never seen the Anita Renfroe what-a-mom-would-say-in-2&1/2 minutes to the Willam Tell Overture...well...now's your chance.

First week down! Wahoo!

Well, we survived the first week. It went pretty well apart from the first day which I think was just a shock to the system for some people. It has left me more drained in the evenings than usual, which has led to some musing on the non-stop nature of parenting and home schooling. I don't go home at night from this job! And for the most part, I am the only one responsible for the training of these little people. For me, it is a constant challenge too, to resist the urge to compare myself and my children to others and their children (one of those "not-to-dos" from the article mentioned in the previous post). Another topic I could go on about, but not for now.

We are LOVING this book:
I will "review" it when we finish, but you can read other's thoughts on it here. So far I pretty much agree with what all the other reviewers wrote, and would especially recommend it for young boys in the (roughly) 8-13 year old range (to read on their own maybe a little older - it contains words like lugubrious - now a new favorite around here). If you click on that word, see especially the Webster's definition after you scroll down the page a bit. Here's a lugubrious self-portrait of little G.
Wanted to include this bit from what I just read this morning:

"I have heard that nobody can hope to be voted in as president of the U.S.A. if his or her TV personality isn't warm and beguiling. Where are the truly educated citizens who can direct the future of our countries by their wise choices? We don't seem to have people who have considered the consequence of wrong ideas. They seldom look to principles that are right, but rather to personal peace and affluence. They don't see themselves in a flow of history; they are isolated. They don't understand that all matters are interrelated." -
Susan Schaeffer Macauley in For the Children's Sake

BOX DAY!

As previously promised...

The "backbone" so-to-speak, of our curriculum arrived last week. This is known on the curriculum message boards as "box day." This includes history, read-alouds, and readers that all tie together, and which at this point, little G and B are both doing. Since we use a "literature rich" program, this involves a lot of books! This is only about 1/2 of them!

One of my projects after our visit to the farm is to completely overhaul some of our bookcases to prepare for this coming school year.

Anyway, when the box arrives, everyone is excited to dig in! First we open it and the kids pull out all the packing paper and do things with it, like dress up in it...

Then we pull each book out and check it off the packing list and look at it. It is a little like Christmas for bibliophiles.

We piece the rest of the subjects together from various sources. This year little G will be doing Horizons math, Easy Grammar, The Complete Writer, and B will be doing Miquon math, First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind, and the Complete Writer. Together we hope to work through Prima Latina, ARTistic Pursuits, science, Bible study, and a variety of other random things. I suspect most home schoolers have some form of "box day" when they order the majority of their curriculum for the coming year.

Just a quick peek into one little aspect of home schooling.

My blogging time seems more and more limited all the time lately...and I'm not really accomplishing anything else either!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

life is full

Geoff mentioned a while back that we were probably better suited for living in an era 60-100 years ago. That comment came back to mind today. There are so many choices - in every area of life - and so many voices - telling us we should do this or that or that one way is better than another. Neither of us deal well with large amounts of chaos, and the world of this day and age feels very chaotic.

I feel a little overwhelmed right now with decisions and figuring out things as a parent and not feeling like I make the best choices or respond in the best way 9 out of 10 times in a day/week/month/year. Though fall and the start of school and extracurricular activities is still a few months away, sign up deadlines are already here, and curriculum needs to be chosen and ordered. There's the opinion that kids benefit from various activities, and giving them opportunities to try different things enables them to find their niche in time versus the opinion that kids these days are overstimulated and pushed to be in too many activities. Or the opinion and research that shows it is good to start children early in learning (which I read about when mine were very young and consequently followed), versus the opinion that they do better when started later (which I read a little about this week, and now wonder if I made a big mistake in doing the other). AGH!

Then there is this expectation, real or perceived, and perhaps more self-inflicted than anything (though I do believe it exists), that as a family in ministry, and one who is home schooling, our kids should be model citizens and godly saints. But in our family, that is not the case at this point. Hopefully someday. But definitely not now.

A more personal note: Little G seems to have reinjured the wrist/arm he fractured a year and half ago (doing the same thing - roller blading). He didn't say anything at the time it happened (Sunday afaternoon), and just this afternoon really made a point of it not feeling right. After checking it out, it looks like we'll be going in for an x-ray tomorrow. Would appreciate your prayers for this situation...

Since homes are not air-conditioned here in our mountain town, the way to stay cool is to open up all the windows all night, shut them when the sun comes up, and not run things that heat the house up. Which basically means a ban on baking anything for about 3 months. The one alternative is to bake late at night, and to make the most of it when the oven is hot. So here is what I did last night:


This is a bit of nostalgia. My mom made both forms of this pie from time to time when we were growing up. Rhubarb once or twice a year, when it was in season in our garden. And peach when they were in season. BTW, they're supposed to be that dark.

PEACH/RHUBARB CUSTARD PIE From Tiffani’s mom
Cut up peaches/rhubarb to fill a pie shell.
Custard:
1 c sugar (1 ½ for rhubarb)
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs
Beat custard until somewhat smooth. Pour over peaches. Bake at 375F for about 40 min. Done when knife inserted in center comes out clean. (Top of pie is usually pretty brown. Can substitute rhubarb – increase sugar to 1 ½ c.)

And my favorite banana bread:

I often double this recipe have substituted canola oil &/or applesauce for the margarine

WHOLE WHEAT BANANA BREAD
From: Pillsbury Country American Cookbook
Makes: 1 loaf (16 slices per loaf)
1 c. sugar

1/2 c margarine, melted

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 c. (2 to 3 med.) mashed bananas

1/3 c. water

1 c. all-purp. or unbleached flour

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c chopped nuts

Heat oven to 350F. Grease bottom only of 9x5” or 8x4” loaf pan. In lg. bowl, blend sugar and margarine. Add eggs, bananas and water; mix well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In med. bowl, combine flours, soda and salt. Add dry ingreds. gradually to banana mixture, mixing until well-combined. Fold in nuts. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350F for 55 to 65 mins, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 mins., remove from pan. Cool completely.
High altitude. no change. One slice: 200 cals, 9g fat, 3g prot, 27g carb, 210mg sod, 115 mg potassi

Ramblings from a home schooling mom (part 2)

Another mom who is seeking what to do for school next year was asking questions that got me thinking along this line again. Sometimes it is hard to talk to others about "school." Every family, every person, every situation and personality, and mix of all those things, is so different, that it is hard to relate or compare from one house to another. What works one place may be a total disaster somewhere else. I have also found this to be a highly divisive subject - nearly everyone has a strong opinion about why one should or shouldn't home school, public school, private school, etc., and often, though not always, a tendency to judge those who are following different paths, usually without knowing their situation or where they are coming from (I confess to being guilty of this from time to time, especially in the past, though not so much anymore).

I realized after the conversation with her that there are also a lot of hopes and expectations that many of us tend to have before we venture out into homeschooling that are not likely to turn out the way we envision them, and maybe don't need to.

For example, "Homeschooling will need to be more 'fun' than going to school." She made the point that I don't have the "accountability" of my kids having been in school and having that to compare to their experience at home. Sometimes I wish they could go for about a month to just get a taste of how good (I perceive) that they have it at home! But her concern is that her kids love going to school, especially the social aspects of it, and that she has to replicate or improve upon that if she brings them home, and that they will need to get out of the house every day for social time because they are used to it.

This is where it is hard to compare. To start with, personalities are so different. I don't mind (and am finding that the kids prefer as well) if we don't go anywhere for days at a time, and at our house, "school" (I'm going to start using "HS" to refer to school at home and "school" to refer to school outside the home) goes better if we don't run around too much. Since most of our extracurricular activities have ended, other than church, we've only gone somewhere in the car about once every two weeks, and not one of them has asked to go more.

It seems like I've read some good threads with lots of input on this adjustment topic on the Sonlight forums. There are also lots of great discussions about various curriculum choices (something I am trying to finish sorting through right now for the coming school year - more on that soon).

As far as HS being more "fun" there are strong opinions about this as well. There are books and books about how school at home should not replicate school at school. That the kids shouldn't just be sitting and doing workbooks all day is more or less the point I believe, and that it should all be enjoyable - they will just love to learn. And for those parents who have the energy and gifting to make nearly all of their children's' academic learning a rich, highly involved, hands-on, interactive situation, it is a great idea - go for it. I do not fit in that category. And I think it is possible to still have a good learning experience following a set or standard curriculum of some sorts. I try to bring in some crafts and other experiences to enrich what we're studying, but I would be in the looney bin for certain if I tried this approach full-on, and there would be no systematic learning. But that is due to my inadequacy and not any fault of that approach to teaching.

There was more to this discussion and it sparked some other thoughts, but that garage sale (and the kids) is still needing my attention - 30 hours from now it should be all wrapped up!

Ramblings from a home schooling mom (part 1)

Some recent conversations have triggered the thoughts leading up to this musing. Perhaps it will become a series because there is a lot rolling around in my head on this topic.

There is much value in having variety in life. It is good for me to interact with others who aren't walking the same path of educating our children at home that we are currently on, to be reminded that we all face unique challenges in parenting and in life, and that the grass isn't necessarily greener on either side. God uses different situations in each person's life to remind us that we are sinners and need His grace and the redemption found through Jesus alone. But it definitely seems like parenting (including schooling them) is an area where my inadequacies and shortcomings are frequently revealed.

These pictures show the rare (at our house anyway), idyllic type of home school moment, the children cuddled up with me listening intently as we read a book about George Washington, and sitting peacefully reading on the couch together of their own accord. The reason we have pictures of these moments is because they are so surprising when they happen!
Some people do experience that kind of idyllic situation, and it was my dream until discovering that our families personality mix (my laid back, inconsistent, low-energy, etc., teaching/parenting style, each child's unique abilities and "gifts" and learning styles, etc.) has not, to date, led to that picture perfect scenario on a very frequent basis.

There are lots of reasons why we have chosen to homeschool but the two big, main reasons are spiritual and academic. (Last we read, our state was ranked 49th in the nation academically.)

Unfortunately, I fall into sinful patterns and habits, and am easily distracted from keeping their spiritual growth and discipleship as the focus and priority. It is much easier to check off academic accomplishments and lists for the day than to hone in on their hearts and souls and what is really most important. God uses this avenue of teaching my children to remind me again and again that I am a prideful sinner, incapable of doing this and getting the results I want in my own power, and yet I continue with that struggle. Hopefully one day before my children are too much older, I will get it - figure out how to follow and look to Him completely in parenting and educating them, and for their futures.

This turned out much more random that I had hoped it would. Definitely a subject to revisit again soon.