Month: May 2010

Where are the best apples?

This is doing the rounds on Facebook but it’s too good not to share. Not one word of it is mine but I don’t know it’s original source. It’s a good word picture to share with your children.

Girls are like apples…the best ones are at the top of the trees. The boys don’t want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they just get the rotten apples that are on the ground that aren’t as good, but easy. So the apples at the top think there is something wrong with them, when, in reality, they are amazing. They just have to wait for the right boy to come along, the one who’s brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree…

Isn’t that encouraging? It made my day to read it. 😉

Now we’re going to talk about what it means to be an apple on the top of the tree. I’m going to list some qualities that I think are important:

Must honour both God and her Christian brothers in what she wears and how she acts
Respects her mother and father
Doesn’t put others down by her words, but builds them up so that they can join her at the top of the tree
Is patient when things don’t go her way (working on this…)
Understands that her purity is not a thing to give away freely, but a priceless gift addressed only to her future husband
Understands the difference between vanity and looking pretty.
Love the Lord her God with all her mind, heart, soul, and strength, and will not let anything get between them.

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

I’m praying that this generation of girls can make a difference and show people that we know what’s important: loving God, and living a life energized by that love.

Back in the land of the living

Whoa, what a week! I’v been sick with a horrid flu for one week… barely able to get out of bed. Body aches, fever, chills, coughing, headache and everything else that goes with the flu. There was a 3 day period that has totally escaped me. I was so out of it that I just don’t remember it at all. Sadly Miss A had the same flu at the same time so all we could do was moan and groan together. All I longed for was Vegetable Soup made with fresh chicken stock… so what’s a mama with a sick daughter to do but make it herself? Problem was it took so much energy to just make the stock that it took another day before I had the strength to make the soup… and even that took John to prepare all the veggies! On top of it all, we had a minor family crisis involving a female family member during the weekend and a special occasion occurred for Master C.

Master C attended his first Air Force Cadet Bivouac! It all happened so quickly! I had taken pictures on my phone but in my semi delirious, sick state I have lost or deleted them. The previous weekend we had attended the open day at cadets and watched Master J do his ‘thing’. John is now getting involved as an instructor at cadets and this is such a blessing. He is over qualified for the task but is looking forward to spending more time with the boys. Anyway with John all signed up as an instructor the other leaders all agreed that Master C need not wait the extra few months and that eh could join immediately. Well, this just made Master C’s week! He was so excited as he’s been patiently waiting for this day. So, Friday was spent packing all his camping gear and getting ready… but both boys had a cold and I was worried that ti would develop into the same flu that I had. It was against my better judgement that they attend…

They had a blast. The bivouac was only on base so it was perfect for Master C’s first one but he had a ball. He’s been quietly devouring every scrap of information that Master J brings hoe every week so was fairly well mentally prepared. But nothing much prepares a young man for his first biv. All I can say that already he seems to have developed more confidence, is talking more and is talking louder… which is great.

On top of all this I learned that the house we rent has been put up for sale! We were expected to have an evaluation inspection last Friday but we had to cancel. It is now scheduled for this coming Friday but with being sick all week I don’t know how I’m going to get the house in order… especially seeing that the vacuum cleaner has given up too! It has died. Argh, does it ever stop? Apparently we will have to be ready for open inspections, photography sessions (for the house) and all that palava. The house we live in is small, therefore crowded and cluttered. It’s not easy to keep clean although we try. I simply am not up to all the work needed to have this house on the market. Oh Lord, please be my help in this matter.

Anyway, I had taken a leave of absence from Facebook but may head back once I start to get better. Before I go any further I will confess my dirty little secret. I play a few games on facebook! Yes it’s true. This homeschool mama likes a few online games. So when I announced that I was leaving FB a few people suggested that I stop the games… Problem with this assumption is that they assumed that I was not coping with facebook time management which wasn’t true. I actually enjoy my few minutes each day on each game and I don’t have any issues or problems with it. My issue was, however, one of privacy. No, not even privacy for I have my FB settings to the highest. Rather it was the fact that I have a few contacts on facebook that are part of our style of evangelism- relational evangelism but I fail to see the relevance of having X amount of ‘friends’ if I only have the same 20 people relating back and forth with me regularly. If you’re not on facebook you probably don’t know what I’m talking about or don’t see the difficulty in this issue and that’s okay. Suffice to say that it was an issue that was wearing on me. So I needed time out.

I hope to be around the forums and blogs a little more in the next few days. If I owe anyone an email, please just bear with me and email me again. I haven’t meant to ignore anyone… was just totally out of it.

Love to all my blogging buddies!

Stop the excuses… Just Do It

A few years ago, when I was doing Heart of Wisdom Unit studies and helping others to start homeschooling I found myself repeating the same phrase over again.

Just Do It

I know that a blogging friend also likes and uses the same catchphrase so I guess I’m in good company. 😉

Children… oh my dear children are you reading this? Maybe not, I’ll post it on Facebook for them to watch.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obdd31Q9PqA&feature=player_embedded

I Don’t Want Kids

But I love my children!

So what is it? I use the term teen but don’t call my children ‘kids’. I guess I would not blame anyone for thinking I’m off the planet and contradictory. But in my reasoning it all makes perfect sense.

Yesterday I wrote about the ideas behind the words. The word ‘teen’ is in the numbers from thirteen to nineteen. So using the word teen is fairly logical to me. The idea behind those teenage years need not be ones of rebelliousness, irresponsibility and such. They can be years of developing maturity, responsibility, developing character and more worthwhile traits. As parents we can set high expectations for our teens… if they are to rebel let them rebel against the low expectations that society as set!

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary has a listing for ‘teen’
TEENS, n. [from teen, ten.] The years of one’s age reckoned by the termination teen. These years begin with thirteen, and end with nineteen. Miss is in her teens.

Which brings me to the word, ‘kid’. Webster’s 1828 also has an entry for kid:

KID, n. [L. hoedus; vulgar.]

1. A young goat.

2. A f*ggot; a bundle of heath and furze.

KID, v.t. or i. To bring forth a young goat.

1. To make into a bundle, as f*ggots.

KID, v.t. To show, discover or make known.

The 1913 addition included:
2. A young child or infant; hence, a simple person, easily imposed on.
[Slang] Charles Reade.

(* edited for discretion)

So the term teen was around long before the term kid was being used. However, when I think of ‘kid’ I think of a baby goat. Frolicking around, butting heads, escaping the yard, being stubborn, etc. What do you think of when you use the word ‘kid’? One only needs to go to the store to see children running amok as if they were mountain kid goats rather than well disciplined children. When my children were younger I did call them kids. I’d just never thought about it. After taking Miss A to preschool and observing how many parents referred to their children as ‘kids’ I felt that they had low expectations for their kids. It didn’t set a high bar. It just didn’t seem respectful to me. So I stopped using the word kid and changed to children. (all except in my blog name which was our previous business that we purchased). However, to be fair a dear friend of mine uses the term ‘kid’ regularly and they are very deliberate as parents- in fact I’m sure they are more strict and consistent than we are! Which is why I’m asking in this post… and not telling.

Some believe that the term kid comes from the word ‘kinder’, the German word for children. I’ve seen that some people prefer to use the term ‘lambs’ when referring to their children. Whilst this is a much gentler word picture I just don’t understand why the word children isn’t applicable. Feel free to educate me on the matter, if you’re a reader who uses these terms. To me, it is all slang and whilst I have been known to use more than my fair share of slang, idioms and colloquialisms I want more when I’m referring to my children.

Years ago, this was a slang term… not used in the media or in any professional manner that I remember. Nowadays, it is the norm! Look around news articles, informative magazines, professional documents at the doctor’s office, etc. Kids, kids, kids! Even in our churches!

Whilst I’m all for rebelling against the world’s standards for teenagers, I can’t take to the popular concept of calling my children kids. But maybe you think I’m now majoring on the minors.

So tell me, what do you call your younger children… and why?

Baby Photo Used in Scam

Just in case you needed a reason to NOT post photos of your children online, take a look at this news article from August 2009! A Massachusetts mum finds out someone is using her baby in an adoption scam.

I recommend using a free or premium service like photobucket or flickr to host your photo’s as you can control the privacy settings. However, as much as many people don’t like or trust facebook, they can be used to securely (as secure as anything ever is on the Internet) host your flicks. Just remember that there are 22 privacy settings to date so be mindful to go through all your privacy settings.

If using wordpress or blogger you can also upload your photo’s but post them in a password protected post.

It may not be of great concern if your photo’s aren’t direct head shots of your children… it’s up for you to decide. But please, just be careful and deliberate about all that you do on the Internet.

No Teens Here

There was a time when I banned the word ‘teen’ from our home. Being that the concept of ‘teenagers’ is a relatively new phenomenon we wanted to avoid the whole drama that seems to be synonymous with those teenage years. But you may have noticed that I have changed. I dont’ avoid the word teen. I use it. What changed?

Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen and nineteen.

Teen is in the word.

We have never embraced the typical teenage stereotype. It is and excuse to avoid maturity and responsibility and we don’t want to enable that. But being a teenager is more than chronological age… it is an attitude! But a true teenage attitude is a far cry from what society tells us it is. Avoiding a word isn’t going to make an awful lot of difference, in my opinion. Rather addressing the modern attitudes that define a ‘typical teenager’ will.

Today’s typical teenager will:

rebel against their parents and all authority
avoid responsibility
forms stronger ties with friends rather than family
and more. Much, much more.

And we, society, have come to accept this as normal. When and where did our expectation change? Society has adopted such a ridiculously low expectation of teenagers… this isn’t a word, it’s an attitude! We need to have higher expectations for our children during their ‘teen’ years and teach them that they can indeed rebel. They can rebel against the low expectations set by society!

Rather than tell my teens that they ‘can’t do this and they can’t do that’ I tell them what they can do – and the list is so much bigger!

I’ve had my eldest child join The Rebelution and now my 15yods is reading Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations. As my children got older and became teens I’ve tried to spend less time majoring on the words and more time discussing their purpose and possibilties with them. If you want to know more, you can start here with The Myth of Adolescence.

The bottom line for me is to call my children by terms that have high expectations… and after discussing what it truly means to be a ‘teen’ I feel quite comfortable in calling my young adults as ‘teens’. Barb Shelton has an interesting post on this topic. Check it out.

For me, the emphasis is on Concepts, not words. Ideas, not labels. Opportunities not avoidance. Possibilities not fear.

What about you? What terms do you use and why?

Rubbish!

This week I purchased a new tool for the home. No unfortunately it wasn’t a new printer, computer or anything cool like that. Instead it is a tool that has been on my want-to-buy-essential list for awhile now. What is it? A paper shredder! Not all that exciting, is it?

Last week we received a letter from our bank. It was fully addressed to my husband so naturally I tore it open. (I open all the mail as I am the one that pays the bills) The contents revealed a keycard… one of those debit cards that can be used online. However, it was not our card, nor was the letter attached to the card addressed to us! In effect, I had in my possession a debit/credit card that could be used online as well as the full name, address, DOB and bank details of another person!!! Oi Voi! How scary is that? I have since returned it to the bank, informing them of their mistake and expressing my displeasure with the whole things – especially seeing that we bank with them too? Which bank? 😉

This started me thinking about online fraud and identity theft.

A day or two later a facebook friend mentioned that their wheelie bin was stolen and some random fellow knew a lot of their details as he had found their rubbish, including papers. Then, the council issued them with an ultimatum – go pick up all the rubbish or pay a hefty fine!

This got me to thinking about the details that could be learned from a rubbish bin – where we shop and what we purchase, where we purchase our fuel, friends, banks, and many more details.

Suffice to say, this is the reason that we purchased a shredder. Apparently the best ones to buy are cross cutters. These cut the paper into teensy weensy squares so that they can’t be put back together whereas many paper shredder simply cut the paper into long strips. This isn’t as effective. The one we have is an ugly pink colour but it also shreds credit/key cards and has a letter opener. Best of all, it wasn’t expensive- not for the peace of mind of protecting our details.

I know I’m probably behind the eight ball on this… but just in case there is someone else out there who doesn’t use a paper shredder I thought I’d post and encourage you to consider it.

Qualities of an Educated Person

Yesterday I posted the 12 Things You Might Not Have Learned in a Classroom by John Taylor Gatto. I was actually looking in my computer for the 20 Qualities but couldn’t find it. But now I’ve found it!

The Twenty Qualities of an Educated Person
by John Taylor Gatto

1. A broadly knowledgeable mind
2. Self confidence
3. A life purpose
4. A touch of class
5. Good leadership skills
6. The ability to work with a team
7. Patience
8. Good public speaking skills
9. Good writing skills
10. Resourcefulness
11. A desire for responsibility
12. Honesty
13. A public spirit.
14. The ability to work well alone
15. An eye for details
16. The ability to focus at will
17. Perseverance
18. The ability to handle pressure
19. Curiosity
20. An attractive personal style

What do you think of this list? Agree? Disagree? Or maybe you have compiled your own list of qualities. if so I’d love to hear more about it.

12 Things You Might Not Have Learned in a Classroom

Many years ago I read something else that John Taylor Gatto wrote… I printed it out and stuck it on the wall. But many house moves later and I have lost it, which is a shame. However, whilst searching for it I came across this post.

Higher Education: 12 Things You Might Not Have Learned in a Classroom

You won’t find “takes honors classes,” “gets good grades,” or “attends only Ivy League schools” on John Taylor Gatto’s list of qualities of an educated person. Gatto taught in New York City schools for 30 years and was named New York State’s Teacher of the Year, but his experiences convinced him that what students need is less time in classrooms and more time out in the world. Building character and community, Gatto argues, is more valuable than learning from tired textbooks and rigid lesson plans.

Really educated people …

Establish an individual set of values but recognize those of the surrounding community and of the various cultures of the world.
Explore their own ancestry, culture, and place.
Are comfortable being alone, yet understand dynamics between people and form healthy relationships.
Accept mortality, knowing that every choice affects the generations to come.
Create new things and find new experiences.
Think for themselves; observe, analyze, and discover truth without relying on the opinions of others.
Favor love, curiosity, reverence, and empathy rather than material wealth.
Choose a vocation that contributes to the common good.
Enjoy a variety of new places and experiences but identify and cherish a place to call home.
Express their own voice with confidence.
Add value to every encounter and every group of which they are a part.
Always ask: “Who am I? Where are my limits? What are my possibilities?”

This list was adapted from John Taylor Gatto latest book, Weapons of Mass Instruction(New Society Publishers, 2009) for Learn as You Go, the Fall 2009 issue of YES! Magazine. Gatto was a New York State Teacher of the Year. An advocate for school reform, his books also include Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling.

And another quote from John Taylor Gatto

“Whatever an education is, it should make you a unique individual, not a conformist; it should furnish you with an original spirit with which to tackle the big challenges; it should allow you to find values which will be your road map through life; it should make you spiritually rich, a person who loves whatever you are doing, wherever you are, whomever you are with; it should teach you what is important, how to live and how to die.”
~John Taylor Gatto

So, what do you think? Agree? Disagree? Something to add?

Finally… a homeschool post!

This is, after all, a blog by a homeschool mum eh? There’s not been much posting about homeschool related matters lately though. Okay, time to update on what the boys are doing for their ‘lessons’ lately. If you’ve known us for awhile, you’ll know that we believe all of life is curriculum and that we fluctuate between some bookwork and natural learning. In other words… a lifestyle of learning! However, sometimes it’s nice to read what others are doing so with that in mind here goes:

Master J is 15 years old

(only just 15)

Maths – Math-U-See

English – Copywork (Copying the book of James) and a Project on ANZAC Day

Vocabulary – List of 10 words per week

Literature – The Book of God by Walter Wangerin

Science – Apologia General Science

History – Story of the Word Vol 2

Health – Abeka 7: A Healthier You

Personal Development – Do the Hard Things by Alex & Brett Harris

Football training twice a week
Cadet training twice a week plus one weekend a month

Master C is 13 years old

Maths – Lessons from Maths Online

English – He is having a break from copywork

Vocabulary – List of 20 words per week

Literature – Little Britches by Ralph Moody

Science – It Just Couldn’t Happen by Lawrence Richards

History – Just finished Story of the World 1 and has started SOTW 2

These are the subjects that boys do daily and totally independantly from me. If (and that is a big if) we get around to doing other subjects, it is a bonus… but at least they cover those subjects.

Next term they will rotate some subjects or the focus will change slightly. I may add in another subject whilst dropping another… I’ll wait and see how they are going at the time and what I sense they need.

There you go! Formal homeschooling in our house. Is it what you expected? 😀

Try, try, try again

April 29th 2009 was when I started my Fit n 40 quest. How did I go? Well, I gained strength and fitness so I definitely gained some health. I even managed to play softball again. I went from doing circuit training to lifting heavy weights… and then somehow, somewhere, I managed to do a knee injury. I delayed going to the doctor’s which was really quite silly as my health and fitness started to decline. I went in and had my knee operation and then the long recovery and re- strengthening process began.

True Confession

I’ve not been real well lately – physically and mentally. I’m headed to a dark place where I do not want to go. I’ve been there before and I’m headed there again. Yes, my iron and B12 stores are very low. My cardio fitness is near zero. I have no strength and no motivation for anything. I do not want to go back to that place again. I’ve been very tired lately (iron and B12 deficiency kicking in) and not pleasurable company. I’ve been stressing over every thing yet not able to be proactive about the things causing me stress.I do not want to go back to that place again.

I’ve been planning to do a fitness program at home but it’s getting cold and we don’t have room and… and … and … well, you get the idea. It’s all too hard. Finances have prevented me from going back to the gym. But I know that my mental state is connected to my physical state. I can work on the mental state but unless I also work on my physical state I am fighting an uphill battle. This, I have learned through experience. Another thing I know about myself is that I am not likely to feel more positive and better as the next few months roll on. I hate cold weather and I feel the cold starting to bite at me and it’s only May. Cold is just another reason for me to stay inside, hibernate and go further down that hill.

Today I made a decision. And I acted upon it. No more procrastinating or reasoning.

I joined the gym again!

I start tomorrow. I know I’ll have to manage my knee properly and I realise that I can’t just pick up where I left off (speaking as to the state of my fitness) but I am going to start at the beginning again. I have to. For me. For my man. For my children. For my home. For God, so that I can serve others to His glory.

It’s a long road back again… B12 injections, iron supplements, vitamin/mineral tablets, water intake and food intake but I am determined to get healthy, fit and strong again. Hey, I did it once I can do it again. Right?

A new Bible reading plan

“The goal of this system is simple, and twofold: To know scripture, and to love and obey God more!“

I want to share a really cool Bible reading plan. At the beginning of the year when it is customary to begin all new things, many people were posting their new plan for Bible reading. Well, too many times I’ve spoken or written of my plan only to find that a few months later I have not stuck to it. I sometimes feel like a fraud. This taught me not to speak to quickly with my plans. I’ve learned that it’s better for me to speak about only the things that I actually have done rather than my plans of what I will do, for I don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

Being a believer for over 20 years means that I have tried all sorts of Bible reading plans (I link to many plans in this post) from chronological (which I love) to book-by-book reading and following the life of a character or event. They’re all good! But I was hankering for something new, something different, something I hadn’t done before. Now I realise that there is nothing new under the sun but this plan was new to me! So, what is it?

Prof. Horner’s Bible-Reading System

Professor Grant Horner’s Bible-Reading System is challenging and life changing. It is unlike most other plans I have seen! It is not an in depth study nor a word study yet neither is it a speed reading plan. I have been gob smacked at how the readings speak into my life and illuminate God’s story of His plan and purpose for man. This plan lights it up and helps me to connect the dots!

Who devised this plan? His name is Professor Grant Horner, associate professor at The Master’s College–specializing in the Renaissance and the Reformation. He is also the Chair of Humanities at Trinity Classical Academy.

10 chapters a day from 10 different sections of Scripture! If this plan is used yearly, one could read through all the Gospels four times, the Pentateuch twice, Paul’s letters 4-5 times each, the OT wisdom literature six times, all the Psalms at least twice, all the Proverbs as well as Acts a dozen times, and all the way through the OT History and prophetic books about 1 ½ times. I have found that the inter-weaving allows the Bile to be its own commentary! It doesn’t tell me which Bible I must use, which is a good thing I believe. And it isn’t all laid out- I physically have to flick through my Bible, thus creating a greater awareness of where each book is. (Unless of course I’m using and online or computer Bible)

Each Bible reading time I read one chapter from each list in order. Yes, that is 10 chapters per day. However, unlike many other plans I’ve started or attempted I do not feel lousy or guilty if I miss a day or two. I simply pick up where I left off! Sometimes I break it into two sittings – 5 chapters in the morning and the other 5 chapters at night. On day one, I read Matthew 1, Genesis 1, Romans 1, and so forth. On day 2, I read Matthew 2, Genesis 2, etc.

All Bible reading plans are good but I like this system as it is achievable, flexible and illuminating, bring God’s word alive to me.

Want more information? You can see the Facebook page and/or download the pdf here.

What would happen if we treated our Bible like our cell phone?

This did the Internet rounds a few years ago and I shared it then… but it’s too good to not share again.

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell Phones?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?

What if we gave it to kids as gifts?

What if we used it as we traveled?

What if we used it in case of an emergency?

What if we upgraded it to get the latest version?

This is something to make you go…hmmm…where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don’t ever have to worry about our bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill!