A Day In The Life

I have struggled to write to you about what a day in the life of our homeschool family
looks like. That is because so much varies from day to day and from year to
year. I am also concerned that there are those of you who will read about our
family, decide that this is the way homeschooling should be, and adopt our
lifestyle for your own when that is not what would work best for you. I
understand the desire to find the “right” way to do this so you don’t mess up
your kids’ lives, I’ve been there, but with homeschooling the only right way is
the way that works best for your family at this time.
When we started homeschooling, my husband and I talked about what we wanted to
accomplish. We were pulling our child out of public school for two reasons. She
was ahead of much of the class in reading and math and the schools had just
implemented a sex ed program that would start in Kindergarten and not include
abstinence. Our goals for the year were to meet her needs in providing a more
difficult reading and math curriculum and to teach her what the Bible says
about being a godly woman. This was accomplished easily with traditional
Christian textbooks and daily family devotionals. I would sit down on Saturday
and assign her work for the week that she was free to finish early if she
desired. Most weeks she did so that she could have a friend over to play and
spend the night. We joined a support group that met weekly and things worked
out well this way for many years.
Princess is now grown and gone, but four more have taken her place in our homeschool.
What worked well for her wasn’t right for Dude and Sir. They rebelled when it
came to learning to read and Dude couldn’t seem to sit still for a full 10
minutes. Changes had to be made in our schedule. We spent more time doing hands
on activities. We built things, observed, experimented. We went to every story
time that I could find and I read to them faithfully hoping to spark that
desire to read. Little time was spent pouring over textbooks and worksheets.
Now Mo and Squishy have joined our ranks and they are all middle school and above. We
are back to incorporating traditional textbooks, but also use online classes
and dual enrollment to round out our school day. This means that we are more
structured because Dude and Sir must be at the college at certain times. Most
of our academic school day happens in the mornings. Three of them are up early
for track practice anyway so it is easier for them to start right after showers
and breakfast. The other has baseball practice in the afternoons, so he needs
to be done by then. Dude and Sir also have outside jobs that they need to work
around. They are all pretty independent learners at this point so my job is
more to be available for guidance, answer questions, and review papers before
they are submitted to college professors.
Every family, every child is different. That means that every homeschool is
different. You may be very structured or you may be a go with the flow kind of
teacher. You might be the kind of person who wonders what God was thinking when
he created 8AM or you might be one who loses steam by 3PM. The most important
thing to remember is that God gave these children to you, not to anyone else.
He did that because you were the one who was best equipped to help them become
the people He intends for them to be. I can’t tell you what your day should
look like only that you should find what works best for you right now, but be
willing to change it when it doesn’t fit later. Happy Homeschooling

Free Birth Control for All

I've been listening to the controversy over President Obama's health care plan that requires employers to provide free birth control for their employees. It seems that Catholics and some other religious groups are unhappy with this mandate. I fully support providing free birth control for employees. I think that all employers whether public or private, religious or secular ought to insist on free birth control for all employees, male or female. I think that free birth control ought to be given out in every school in our country. In fact, it is my feeling that not insisting on free birth control is one of the serious problems we face in America today.
Of course, my idea of free birth control and that of our President differ. I think that birth control should be free. I don't think the people should have to pay for it, nor should insurance companies, or our government. After all, how much does it cost to say "no"? Abstinence is the lowest cost, most effective birth control that we have ever come across and it is readily available to all. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, young or old, male of female. Abstinence works for all. In fact, there is only one reported case where abstinence has failed to keep an unwanted pregnancy from happening.
So, what is all the hoopla about? We already have free birth control, and it is truly free. Maybe instead of our government worrying about how to help Americans as they continue to wallow in their sinful lifestyles, it should focus on the job of government. If we had to live with the consequences of our sin, we might begin to think twice about some things. The results of our sinfulness are there to remind us of our desperate need of a Savior, and that Savior is certainly not the American government.

If I Could Do It Over Again

I was talking with a sweet lady that I have been homeschooling with for over 15 years the other day, and we discussed the advice that we would give to new homeschoolers. Our
number one? Take those early elementary years to do all the fun things that homeschooling is all about. Need some examples?
1. Make puppets and let your kids perform a skit or fairy tale at the family Thanksgiving dinner.
2. Head to the park once a week to learn or practice some new skills (skipping, throwing a football, jump rope, kicking a soccer ball, hitting a baseball)
3. Science experiments. Any and all. There are so many books around with good, easy science experiments. I like Jan VanCleave and Backyard Science
4. Write books. Let your child dictate the story to you, then let him illustrate it. Then, let him practice reading it to a little brother or grandparent.
5. Plant a vegetable garden. Even if you don't get much food, you will learn a lot and it will be worth the time and effort.
6. Try geocacheing or letterboxing.
7. Play Yahtzee to practice adding.
8. Learn to sew, knit, woodwork, or any other hands on craft
9. Cook together.
10.Make and use homemade play dough, paints, glitter and other art items.
11. Visit historical reenactments.
12. Take field trips to anyplace and everyplace that will let you in.
13. Visit nursing homes to share your homemade cards and pictures.
14. Read aloud every day. ( The Chronicles of Narnia, Children’s Pilgrim Progress, and the Kingdom series by Chuck Black are our favorites)

Now is the time to do all of these things. Let up a bit on the bookwork. You will be giving your children an invaluable gift that will last their whole life. They will realize that learning can be fun, and they can learn from everything they do. You will also get to know your kids. This is going to help you as you move into more structured teaching. You will know their gifts and how they learn best. Take the time now to do these things. You will be so glad you did. If I could go back and do it all again, this is what I would do.

Real Marriage is For Real

Mark and Grace Driscoll have graciously stepped into the ring and turned the spotlight on their own marriage in order to minister to the untold number of couples who are currently need in of some straight talk about real marriage. I have been married for thirty years and have read quite a few marriage books in that time. I have never read a book that has been as open and honest as this one. Mark and Grace don't have a perfect marriage, but it is better than it was, and they willingly discuss the biblical principles that have helped them.
I found this book to be great biblically based marriage advice. Others may feel it is a little "TMI"(too much information) concerning the sexual aspect of marriage. I would urge those who feel that way to remember that God created sex for marriage and our society does just about everything possible to ruin this beautiful gift. The only way that Christians can reclaim this beautiful gift is by understanding what the Bible teaches.
This is a good book for those considering marriage or for those who have been married for a while. I think that many marriages would take a turn for the better if couples would seriously consider the advice in this book.
I received this book for free as part of a book review program in exchange for giving my honest opinion.

The Blessing of Children

I recently read an article about the unintended consequences of China's infamous "one child" policy. It seems that the first wave of these only children are now grown, married and starting their own families. Since the husband and wife are both only children, these families are eligible to have two children. The problem is that many of them are choosing to remain childless, and a majority of them are opting for only one child. The reason they give? Children consume time, money and energy that they would rather spend on themselves.

In contrast I was thinking of an American family that was in the news quite a bit recently. The Duggars lost their 20th child not too long ago. This is a family that understands the cost of children in time, money and energy, but sees that they are worth the sacrifice. From their point of view, giving yourself to others is a privilege.

I have to wonder about the fate of these two societies in years to come. Which will be the more empathetic, caring people? I wish I could say that it would be the Americans, but I am not totally convinced that most Americans see the opportunity to serve others as a blessing like the Duggar family. I hope it is us. I hope we continue to decide that children are worth it because we will miss out on tremendous blessings otherwise.

Lefoland: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I took the kids to Legoland this last week. We had a field trip scheduled with our homeschool group. It was a beautiful day out, and we enjoyed spending time together. Legoland had its pros and cons.

Legoland bills itself as being geared to the 2-12 year olds. That seems to be pretty accurate. The had plenty of rides for kids that would be ideal for that age range. There were four roller coasters, but none went upside down, did crazy twists or were in the dark. There were plenty of other rides that would greatly appeal to those ages. There were also several shows in multiple venues offered throughout the day. These all looked to be aimed at entertaining the target audience; although, we were impressed with the atheletes who were water skiing while wearing the big Lego heads. Our favorite area was Miniland where several US cities are represented in miniature in Legos. Food in Legoland was abundant and varied. Yes, there are burgers and fries, but you can also opt for asian fusion, paninis, all-you-can-eat pizza, and more. Kids meals run about $5.50 and adult combos seemed to be in the $10 range. The pizza buffet ran a little higher.

The day we went the park was only open from 10-5. If we had paid the full price for our tickets ($75 for adults and $65 for kids), we would have felt cheated. With all of the shows and lines for rides the two day ticket may be an option for some ($90 for adults). Even though we went on a lot of the rides, there really wasn't much that appealed to my thrill junkies. We did take a walk through Cypress Gardens, but that disappointed. Almost nothing was in bloom, but being winter we expected there wouldn't be much. The creek was bright green with algae and there were two large areas where grass had been dug up in one open area. Signs gave the names of various plants but no other information, and there were no workers or guides around to answer questions.

The cost, target age, and two hour drive all combine to make this a one time trip for our family. If you have children that are 2-12 or are die hard Lego fans, you might want to plan a trip to the newest of the Florida theme parks. If I had younger children and lived closer, I would look in to the cost of an annual pass.

All I Want for Christmas

If you knew for sure that you would get it, what is the one gift you would want for Christmas? That question was brought up in our sermon yesterday, then I spent the afternoon watching various "Christmas" movies concerning people making, granting, and receiving their wishes. Most of the movies showed people wanting love, family, peace. Some people wanted success, fame and fortune, but then realized that those other things were more important. Plenty of mushy, feel good sentiments for the day.

As I thought about it, I think that deep in our hearts most of us really want the same things. We want everyone to have enough to eat, be healthy, have peace, be happy, feel loved and life to be fair. That is what so many politicians make promises about. It is what so many people protest for. These things are the gift that was given to us by our Creator that very first Christmas.

As He promised long before that night, God sent us a Savior. His name was Jesus and He came to save His people from their sins. Saving us means that we now have a relationship with God that allows us to be with Him forever. Sending Christ means that God is about the work of restoring His creation to its original glory, to perfection. Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Christ, but it is also about reminding us that God is working to give us the thing that we most desire. When Christ came, lived a perfect life, died and rose again, He defeated Satan and began the work of restoration. That is the gift I long for as do so many of you. Now, I just wish that He was working on my time table and not His. So, here is to the hope we have in the restoration of all things and the joy we will share together will all who believe the Truth.