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Wherefore art thou?

Susan O Susan! Wherefore art thou, Susan?

One day I’m blogging daily like a mad woman and the next I seem to have dropped off the planet. So much for my new found commitment to blogging regularly again.

A few weeks ago, my Father-In-Law passed away. Naturally, that took precedence and we gathered together with family to mourn his passing.

Then my health went downhill. Regular readers will know that my health is an uphill battle. A few visits to the doctor left me more frustrated than ever. I was appalled by the doctor’s treatment, or lack thereof. On my first visit, the female doctor (I chose a female doctor for a reason!) only made eye contact with me once. And that was while she was giving me instructions on using the strong medication she was prescribing. She tapped away on her computer keyboard the entire time! This left me feeling like she didn’t care a jot about my condition, how I felt or me as a person. Anyway like I good little girl, I took the medication. But now I’m wishing that I didn’t.

I had been on the medication for 3 days when I awoke one night at 2am with the most burning, raw, stifling pain in my throat. I have never experienced anything like it before. Probably didn’t help that I didn’t know what it was- fear of the unknown does tend to scare the wits out of me. 😉 My throat started to swell up and I couldn’t talk and was having difficulty breathing. John thought it was reflux… and he would know having suffered with gastric and digestive problems a lot due to medication over the last few years. The next day was Sunday and after church we went back to the doctor to receive the test results. While I was there I asked her if the medication could have caused such a reaction. She looked back at the medication she had prescribed and said, “Oh yes, it probably would have – antibiotics with antivirals certainly would!”. Well gee, thanks for telling me beforehand! As it turns out, I had absolutely no need for either medication. Argh!

I rarely go to the doctor’s… only when absolutely necessary. This whole episode confirmed to me my reasons. I don’t believe that the general practitioner is overly concerned with health and how to get better. I often get the distinct impression that many of the are in it for the money- from seeing patients and prescribing unnecessary drugs. Now I know that there are many good doctors out there and I’m really happy for those that have found them. Sadly, it is not my reality.

I understand that doctors are not perfect beings and I don’t expect them to have all the answers. I wonder if a lot of CFS and other auto-immune syndrome’s are simply what a doctor diagnoses when they have no answers. I am sick and tired of how GP’s frown upon natural health practices and just try to shove toxic substances down my throat… when they can’t even give me a straight answer! They don’t look outside the box. They don’t look at the person as a whole person. They don’t connect the dots. They simply look at the test results on paper and match it up with the information in their books. Doesn’t matter if a thyroid level has been on the low cusp for years- it can’t be hypothyroidism until it goes into the red zone. Doesn’t matter that that red zone is 0.01 below my low reading! Argh!

SuperMoon

SuperMoon in March 2011

Anyway on to other things… aside from all that things are pottering along. John’s fatty liver hasn’t completely gotten better yet so we’re still doing green smoothies, a little juicing, and incorporating more fresh foods into our diet. Stress plays a large factor in fatty liver and aside from his father’s death, work isn’t stress-less at the moment. The boys are continuing with their lessons and Cadets and astronomy. Miss A had her 20th birthday last week… we went to the Coffee Barun for a scrumptious breakfast.

That’s about it! Now it’s time for me to pop around to some blogs and catch up.

God has taken my salvation out of my hands into His, making it depend on His choice and not mine, and has promised to save me, not by my own work or exertion but by His grace and mercy.
~ Martin Luther

A Week of Green Smoothies

Monday: Purple Smoothie
✩✩✩✩✩

Handful of frozen red grapes, a banana and mixed berries (all frozen)
2 glasses of cold water
Handful of cos lettuce
Handful of baby spinach
0.5 Tsp Vital Greens

** Caffeine: only 4 cups of tea or coffee for the day.

Tuesday’s Green Smoothie was even better!
✩✩✩✩✩

Handful of frozen banana and 2 handfuls of frozen grapes.
Handful of cos lettuce and baby spinach.
1.5 glasses of cold water
0.5 Tsp Ultimate Greens
Half teaspoon honey

** Caffeine: only 4 cups of tea or coffee for the day.

Wednesday’s Smoothie
✩✩✩✩✩

2 apples (peeled and cored)
2 handfuls grapes
2 handfuls baby spinach and 2 handfuls of cos lettuce
0.25 avocado
1 tsp Ultimate Greens
1tsp honey
1.5 cups cold water

** Caffeine: only 4 cups of tea or coffee for the day.

Thursday’s Smoothie
✩✩✩✩✩

2 handfuls frozen grapes
2 plums
1 handful baby spinach
1 handful cos lettuce leaves
1 tsp Ultimate Greens
Splash lemon juice
1 tsp honey

Friday’s Smoothie
✩✩✩✩✩

Handful of frozen banana and 2 handfuls of frozen grapes.
2 cups of Carrot/beetroot juice
Handful of cos lettuce and baby spinach.
1.5 glasses of cold water
0.5 Tsp Ultimate Greens
Half teaspoon honey

Weekend Smoothie
✩✩✩✩✩
2 handfuls baby spinach
2 handfuls full grown spinach
2 stalks celery
2 handfuls grapes
2 kiwi fruit
A splash of lemon juice
0.5 tsp Ultimate Greens

Bookwork Learning Through OAC

Master J is enrolled with OAC this year. There were a few reasons for this decision… but it wasn’t one made lightly. I believe we shoulda/coulda/woulda done this last year but, but, but…

For some time now I have wanted to simply be his mum! I have, at times, found it difficult to be stern enough with him to get his academic work done and yet a few moments later be the one to whom he turns for a heart-to-heart chat. Relationships comes first in our home yet the logistics of me being his primary educator were working against that. Now I am free to support him, encourage him, guide him, listen to him without nagging, setting deadlines or being the hard task master (or is that mistress?).

I want him to be accountable to someone else for his academics. This is an important step in him taking responsibility for his own education. Deadlines are set by his class teacher and he has to meet them. There’s no excuses if he doesn’t meet them.  All too often I have let him off the hook because we’ve had an exceptionally busy week or other life happenings. But deadlines are a part of living in this world! Just because I, as a SAHM, don’t have too many deadlines doesn’t mean that he won’t. He isn’t always going to be 15 and at home. He will be a man. In charge of his own own family and life. I don’t want my weakness (lack of consistency) to be his downfall.

I desired to see his horizons broadened without going to school. In a perfect world I’m sure we could have facilitated that without the need for OAC but we don’t live in a perfect world, regardless of how idyllic the homeschooling life appears. For a large part of the time I am without a car or my health hasn’t been good or we’ve been moving…

I had to let go and seriously consider what are the needs of this child. How can I best meet the needs of this young man? As much as I love his company and having him home this is not about me – it’s about him.

So, how does this OAC thing work? We are finally starting to settle into a routine where he knows how to use the online system and the phone system and has all his books in order. Again, it was me who had the most difficulty with this as I have to find activities to do that are quiet while he is on the phone attending his class. Classes are held over the phone. He calls the number and is connected to his classroom where he attends the lesson with the other students. Sometimes a lesson takes 30min and other times it can take an hour. Many/most times he will be on the phone listening and talking whilst also studying from his online textbook. Other times he will attending the lesson on the phone whilst also logged into the virtual classroom. The classroom has a whiteboard and chat facility and is very similar to a real-time classroom setting. Some kids muck up. Some kids talk. Some kids doodle. Some kids work. So far, he is enjoying it.

Classes
Monday – Maths and SOSE
Tuesday – Health/PLP
Wednesday – German and Science and IT
Thursday – English
Friday –

During the rest of the day he works on completing assignments and studying.

Bookwork learning for 13yo

Subject and resources for Master C, who is 13 years old.

ENGLISH
o Copywork and Dictation, Poetry, Writing and Writing Guides.
o Jump In by Sharon Watson
o Basic Skills English Workbook Grade 9
o Shakespeare Stories by Lamb and Garfield. (Reading the story, do activities with mum, then read the play and watching an appropriate movie version)
o Wide range of age appropriate fiction and non fiction
o Cyberguides to be used with selected literature.
o Writer’s Inc.
o Basic Skills- Developing Your Thinking Skills
o Walker Book of Classic Poets and Poetry

MATHS
o Math U See – Epsilon and Zeta
o Mathsonline (for reinforcement and review)
o Life of Fred- Fractions by Stanley F. Schmidt

SOSE
o Living books, TV, Movies, general community, museum trip, art gallery trip, Internet research.
o A Child’s Geography: Explore the Holy Land – by Ann Voskamp & Tonia Peckover
o Australia, The Wide Brown Land for Me! by Linda Maher
o Special days, public holidays, Christian holidays, festivals, community events, etc.

HEALTH & PE
o Discussion
o Appropriate movies and TV with discussion
o Appropriate fiction/non fiction books
o Abeka Health Semester 1
o Home and community
o Air Force Cadets – drill and activities.

DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY
o Fixing computers.
o Caleb maintains a web-log where he records his thoughts and daily activities as well his observations from his hobby, Astronomy.
o Continue proficiency in computer usage and various programs such as MS Word, Excel, WordPress, PowerPoint presentations, etc.
o Photography Unit Study from CurrClick
o Continue with photography, editing and uploading of images.
o Father (John) is a Fitter/Turner Cert IV Mech Engineering and OH&S Rep in the Defence Force.

THE ARTS
o Wide variety of music is listened to in the home where we use narration and discussion to analyse, interpret and simply enjoy the style.
o Various artists are studied each year, where we learn a little about the artist’s life, completing a biographical sketch of their life and view several pieces of their work and learn a little about the techniques used and discuss our thoughts on the piece.

SCHEDULE… on a bookwork day.
o Maths – MUS – daily
o Maths – Life of Fred – once per week
o English – copywork, literature, poetry, and workbook – daily.
o Shakesepare stories – one story per term
o Geography – 1 chapter per 2 weeks
o Logic – Develop Thinking Skills – one page per day
o Science – Basic Science Mysteries – daily
o Science Astronomy books – free time
o Art/Music Appreciation – once per week
o Bible reading – four times per week
o Chores – daily
o Exercise – 4-5 times per week

It all looks rather official, doesn’t it? It sounds like a lot of bookwork but it isn’t really. It is simply part of our life, documented and set out in such a way as to meet any state or legal requirements.

A Shiny Sink

The view in my kitchen this morning at 9am.

Click for larger image

It has only taken me over 20 years but finally am able to manage a clean and shiny sink most days of the week. Yes, this has been regularly happening since before Christmas but I didn’t want to get overly excited too quickly and have egg on my face. But it’s been a few months now and I love it!

How did this happen?

1) My children grew up! No longer do I have toddlers, rather children who can contribute to the running of the home and do chores.
2) Clearing off most of the benches in the kitchen. I don’t know why but having a clear kitchen makes me more likely to go in there.
3) Getting rid of the dish drainer! The dish drainer was always full of clean dishes, just begging to be put away. But we never did. Put them away. We simply used the drainer as more of a second cupboard. So I got rid of it by hiding it in the cupboard. Now it only comes out for special occasions like a large family meal. So my mother as right all along. Who woulda thunk it? She always told me to dry the dishes as soon as you wash them. There, it’s quite simple really. Pffft! Easier said than done. Of course it also helps having a dishwasher.   :yes:

An apology

To the mums of younger children – I apologise. If I had read a post like this a few years ago I would probably have wanted to spit chips. But please don’t be cross with me for sharing my little celebration with you. One day…. a few years from now, you too may have a clean, tidy sink. Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it’s just a hangup of mine. 😉  I remember often feeling that while the years seemed to fly by the days seemed to drag- nappies, mess, meals, laundry, etc. the never-ending-ness of it all is quite wearing. But… take heart, this too shall pass! Enjoy the journey, whatever stage you’re at.

Disclaimer

I don’t believe it is possible to be a homeschooling mum of more than one young child and have a clean, tidy sink. If you do- you need to stop fussing with the sink and go and be with your children!

Motherhood Matters

I have been chewing over an article by Mary K. Mohler, wife of Albert Mohler. The topic is Motherhood Matters. It is very encouraging and I urge all my friends to read it. I love her perspective. She is an older woman who has traversed the road of womanhood (being a wife and a mother) and is writing from her experience based on her life as a believer.

Think about what it must have been like for Eve. She could not consult the ever-popular volume What To Expect When You’re Expecting. She had no mother or mother-in-law to consult. Ponder that! No one could tell her horror stories about labor. She only had Adam to confirm that she was getting quite pudgy around the middle. Finally, she gave birth to the first baby. What a moment that must have been!

Yes, motherhood is God’s idea. No improvement is needed. He purposefully created women to carry, give birth to, nurse, nurture, teach, and tenderly love our children in a way unique to our gender.

Lest you fear that I am about to beat up on mothers who work outside the home, let me be clear in stating that there is no biblical mandate that requires women to be at home full-time. We know Leah, Dorcas, and Priscilla were employed in some form. It’s a personal decision and should not be made in haste.

If you are a stay-at-home mom—live up to the title and don’t make it an oxymoron! If you find yourself in the car, at a meeting, at a practice, at a game, at a lesson, at a performance, or at a church event so often that you seem rarely to be at home, there is a problem. Families thrive on routine, structure, and schedule. Family meals should not be an event and should not be centered around the drive through at the local restaurant. Just because you are not employed, don’t fall into the pit of being so busy doing good things that you miss God’s best things about being at home.

Motherhood is all about balance. These are complicated issues. No matter where you come down here, we all want to be, by God’s grace, the best mom we can be. I don’t know any mother who says, “I want to be a mediocre mom.” How do we really strive for excellence?

  • First, be a lover of God’s word.
  • Second, we must be women of prayer.
  • Third, we must remember that we are called to be godly wives first.
  • Fourth, we should be students of motherhood.
  • Fifth, make every day count.
  • Sixth, pace yourself!
  • Lastly, resist the temptation to compare your personal motherhood philosophy with others, either in a superior or inferior way.

Don’t let the mundane get you down. Right now in your home, there may be dishes piling up, pesky socks that don’t match, a potty training set back, lunches to pack, and a long list of things to do. We start thinking that our job as mothers is little more than one menial job after another. Don’t forget that today has also been full of monumental opportunities. Did you take advantage of them?

Motherhood matters because it’s God’s idea; because he wants us to train the leaders of tomorrow; and because he has lots to teach us as moms as we allow him to teach our children with excellence.

Mary K. Mohler is the wife of seminary president R. Albert Mohler Jr. and the Director of the Seminary Wives Institute at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

But please, go and read the entire article or download it via pdf to print and read later.

Homeschool Mother's Journal

In my life this week…

I don’t have a car. A car that works. So I don’t go out. At all. This makes for a slightly frustrated mumma come the weekend. not saying that I need to get out for ‘me time’ rather just to go to the grocery store and pick up fresh ingredients so that I can get an early start with tea. As it happens, I haven’t been getting to the store until after 4.30pm, then home again to star tea… not eating until late which means I leave the kitchen cleanup for the morning!! Shock! Horror! But who likes jumping out of bed in the morning to be greeted by a messy kitchen?

In our homeschool this week…

For the first time in thirteen years we have applied to the Ed. Dept for an Exemption of Attendance from School. Yes, remember my I-will-never post? This was one of the lessons I’ve learned. Anyway, it took some sorting out to get all the paperwork assembled and written (remember we’ve been Delight-Directed, Relaxed, Semi-Unschoolers for years) and then to go to the local school and enroll the boys whilst also asking for a Principal’s exemption just in case this whole process took longer than four weeks.

Anyway, the visit happened and that is a whole ‘nother story in itself. The *guy* wasn’t real interested in hearing about Master J as he is enrolled with Open Access College (herein referred to as OAC)  and doing all his lessons through there. He was more interested in Master C. Funny thing is that Master C has been doing a lot more bookwork and learning with his homeschool program that Master J. Oh well, I guess it’s that enrollment and proper education that matters, eh? [sarcasm over]

My favorite thing this week was…

Aside from being with family (duh!) I enjoyed the most delicious, richest, chocolatiest, Italian Hot Chocolate that I’ve ever had when we went shopping.

Watching the DVD presentation, Indescribable by Louie Giglio. Not only does this video fit in with our Astronomy theme and 2011 being the Year of the Solar system but it is simply a powerful message. I loved it because he wasn’t preaching at me. He didn’t feed me a bunch of rules or a list of things I must do as a Christian. Rather he showed the works of God… he showed us how big God is. How can I not be totally in awe of God after catching a tiny glimpse of His awesome majesty?

What’s working/not working for us…

x Having the house we live in up for sale! All these house inspections are doing my head in. We have another one on Monday. I want to get into planting autumn veggies and ripping out the front garden to make way for some floribunda roses but the open house days means I can’t.
x Health. My health, my body is not working as it should, hence my need for a detoxification of caffeine and some healthy green smoothies. John has also been unwell with a fatty liver (an ongoing syndrome that we usually manage through diet and exercise).
✓ Thursday was THE most amazing night for star gazing and using the telescope. Okay so *I* don’t exactly do any star gazing but John and the boys do. This however excites me.
✓Master C devised his own ‘lesson’ schedule and he sticks to it! I’ll share this is another post.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as if they were great and noble.” ~ Helen Keller

Life skills

OAC lessons

God’s desire is not to make us happy, but rather to make us holy ~ Israel Wayne

Web Wanderings 5-3-11

Sunset Beach by Diane Romanello

Freebies

NASA has a four Solar System Math lessons available for free download.
Solar System Math – http://quest.nasa.gov/vft/

Remember when I raved on about the Wives of King David series? Well, if you have an e-reader you can download the first book, Michal, for free! What? Don’t have a Kindle? Neither do I! But you can download a kindle app to read on your iphone, computer or android phone? Just do a google search for ‘kindle + your system‘ and you should find it.

Christian reading

How to make your child a false convert

We haven’t even got the foundation straight by Paul Washer

Signs you are growing in grace

What Life In Jesus Looks Like

Homeschool

Khan Academy
A library of videos covers K-12 math, science topics such as biology, chemistry, and physics, and even reaches into the humanities with playlists on finance and history. Each video is a digestible chunk, approximately 10 minutes long, and especially purposed for viewing on the computer.

The Relaxed Homeschooler – Mary Hood’s blog
I’ve read a few of Mary’s book and my favourite is The Joyful Homeschooler.

Chris Davis from the former Elijah Company has a blog! Although not every one agrees with him, he writes with insight and perspective. Interesting reading. He has done a 10 part series called ‘Please Don’t Homeschool Your Children’. Part One starts here. Once there you can follow along through the ten posts- http://chrisdavis.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/please-dont-homeschool-your-children/

Humour

The Manslater

Caffeine confession

Just in case anyone ever thought that I had ‘it’ all together this is one of those posts that you’ll want to read.

I fail. Consistently. I throw myself into a new project… and then drop it after awhile.

Confession One
I stopped juicing.

Confession Two
I stopped making green smoothies.

Another confession
I’ve stopped exercising.

Expense. Time. Mess.
All these things combine together and gradually I just stopped making these healthy drinks. Instead I reached for a cup of tea or a coffee. Problem is, those aren’t just quick fixes – they get soaked up by my caffeine addicted body and slowly tear it apart.

I’ve been feeling so lousy that I was forced to do a stocktake of my body and its health. Sadly, I am consuming anywhere from 8 through to 12 cups of black tea per day. On top of that, I have two milk coffee‘s per day but have been noticing that some days I have had FOUR! And it’s not even winter yet.

I’m scared. I know what I’m like in the colder months. I sit in front of the heater and drink caffeine, in its different forms. And way too much milk.

Oh! On top of the daily caffeine intake is the social caffeine drinking- a latte or cappuccino with friends or family.

I can’t even imagine what my insides must look like! But I’ve been feeling tired, not just tired but very fatigued. I’ve been quite light headed, which I mistake for hunger so have a milk coffee. (Yeah I do know how stupid that is) And I feel bloated. So bloated.

Energy Friends has told me that it will only take 543.99 cups of Instant Tea to kill me. Shocking! Maybe not true… but this site has some good info on caffeine in foods and drinks.

Jo (Princess Warrior) has, like me, had health issues for years. She is kicking the caffeine habit. I am inspired by her posts. I’ve been concerned about my caffeine habit for awhile and thinking I need to do something about it… and Jo has been posting on her blog and on Facebook which has motivated me to go beyond the thinking stage.

John would love me to get back into juicing and smoothies… my own health needs me to… so it’s about time I got off my butt and did something about it. Next week, I know I will be a cranky mumma for a few days while I deal with this addiction, but I have to do it. Goodness, I’ve done it before I can do it again – before winter.

Exercise? Gosh, one thing at a time, eh?

Any tips? Ideas? Thoughts? Have you ‘been there, done that’ and have anything to offer me?

Homemade Yogurt is EasiYo

Don’t you just love yogurt? We do. I don’t like paying the exorbitant prices for it though, even though we only buy the natural yogurt it is still expensive enough for me to ration it out for the children. Unless… I make it myself! John takes a small tub of yogurt with him to work… and the boys snack on it during the day. Usually I don’t add sugar or honey to it before putting it in the Easiyo maker as I like the yogurt to be as natural as possible – when it is out and in the bowl for eating it can be flavoured according to individual taste. I put a teaspoon of raw honey into each bowl or container and then I also add frozen fruits like blueberries or mixed frozen berries. Even a teaspoon of apricot or raspberry jam is quite nice. And who doesn’t love homemade muesli with spoonfuls of yogurt rather than milk?

easiyo yogurtNo added sugar. No added preservatives. No added flavours. Have you looked at the container of store bought yogurt? It has either sugar or worse still artificial sugar (poison) as well as preservatives and artificial flavourings. How is that good for the human body? I’m not a food purist but with something that is so easy and inexpensive to make at home it doesn’t make sense to buy store bought.

I used to make my own yogurt from scratch… but honestly, who has time and energy to do that when it doesn’t always turn out perfectly? Not so with EasiYo satchels.And if you keep a few tablespoons of the natural yogurt as a starter you can make another batch just using powdered milk! (See recipe below) How cheap and easy is that? I do understand that for some this method is not the most natural or organic or pure… but for me it is a matter of sometimes second best is really THE best.

Aside from it being fairly healthy, I can have a batch of yoghurt to go in 12 hours, flavoured to taste but the best part is the cost. It is SO much cheaper than buying store bought yoghurt! Apparently, it can keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge but I really couldn’t say… one litre doesn’t last more than 48 hours in this house.

Our favourite everyday salad dressing uses unflavoured yogurt:

Delicious Dressing

    • 1/4 cup Olive Oil
    • 1 ts Balsamic vinegar
    • 1 TB Dijon mustard
    • 2 TB Plain, whole yogurt or Greek yogurt
    • 1/2 glove garlic or sprinkle of garlic powder
    • 1TB (or to taste) Orange Juice
    • 1ts Maple syrup or honey

Homemade Yogurt using an EasiYo yogurt as a starter

  • You’ll need an EasiYo Maker
  • 2 cups milk powder (either full cream or skim)
  • 2 tablespoons natural yogurt from previous batch (this is the starter)
  • Cool water (not too cold- room temperature is fine)

Half fill the EasiYo maker with cool water, add the milk powder and the 2 tablespoons natural yogurt. Put the lid on and shake well to combine. Make sure there are no lumps of milk powder left. Fill the jar to the top with more water, seal and shake well.

Place the EasiYo container in the EasiYo thermos. Pour boiling water around the jar until it reaches approximately 2/3 of the way up the sides. Put the lid on the thermos, sealing it tight.

Set aside for about 12 hours, depending on how thick you like your yogurt. Once it has reached the consistency you like, place the jar of yogurt in the fridge to cool.

Save 2 tablespoons of the unflavoured yogurt to act as a starter for your next batch.

Sweeten to taste with sugar or honey, maple syrup, jam, fruits, etc.

 

Do you make yogurt at home? If you make it differently I’d love to hear about it.

Zucchini Pasta with Marinara Sauce

I’ve posted a few Zucchini recipes before but this topic came up recently on the AussieHomeschool forum and so I shared a recipe that I tried and to my surprise most of the family loved it.

Marinara Sauce
Food processor or blender (blender is smoother: food processor is chunkier)

4 slice of Tomato
1/2 cup Tomatoes, Sun-dried
1/2 of Bell Pepper
1 cloves Garlic Clove
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 1/2 tsp Basil, Dried
1/2 tsp Spices, Oregano Leaves
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 medium Zucchini (raw)

Don’t be put off by the sound of cold zucchini strands- this dish really is delicious! However, I do cheat a little. I warm the zucchini pasta and sauce up just a little bit. When the sauce was ready, I just threw the zucchini into the wok, stirred it around for a few seconds, threw in the sauce just to heat it up.

Zucchini Noodles with Parmesan Sauce
from the Reluctant Entertainer

12 small zucchini
2 T. olive oil
salt and pepper

Sauce
10 garlic cloves, pressed
2 T. olive oil
2 cups whipping cream
1 cup fresh, grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

With potato peeler create long, wide zucchini ribbons by starting at the top of each zucchini and peeling down the length of it.

Heat a large skillet and add the olive oil and ribbons. Saute for approx. 2-3 minutes; do not overcook. Salt and pepper to taste.

In a saucepan, saute the pressed garlic in olive oil. Add the whipping cream, turn the heat to high, and sir until it begins to boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes; Add the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Pour over the noodles and serve.

 

Don’t these dishes just sound divine?

Liver long and prosper

We have a family member who suffers with liver problems… including a fatty liver. There is way too much information available on the Interwebs and some of it is just plain wrong! In a nutshell though, it can be described as NASH, which stands for Non- Alcoholic Steatorrhoeic Hepatosis or Non-Alcoholic-Fatty-Liver-Disease (NAFLD) simply put, the liver is being invaded with fat! Fatty liver or NASH, is very common in overweight persons, over the age of 30.

We have a few books by Sandra Cabot, the Liver Doctor and we use fresh vegetable juicing as part of the cure during a flare up. We always plan to continue with the juicing during maintenance but it gets so expensive and time consuming that sometimes it just falls by the wayside. Here are a few recipes that we use for liver cleansing.

Fatty Liver Juice

½ whole lemon or grapefruit, peeled
2 carrots peeled
1 clove garlic or ¼ red onion (optional or use less if it is too strong)
1cm slice fennel
Half cup chopped parley
1 red radish and tops
1 cm slice of fennel
¼ beetroot peeled
2 dandelion or 2 rocket or 2 cabbage leaves

*I add some celery as John feels its benefits immediately.
**Apples may be added to improve the taste

Liver Cleansing Juice

2 dandelion or 2 rocket or 2 cabbage leaves
½ cup broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets 2 large brussel sprouts
1 clove garlic or 1 small radish
½ cup chopped parsley
1 whole red apple

*Drink 500 ml to 1 litre daily.
**Juice may be sweetened by adding one or two of the following: strawberries, grapes, carrot or beetroot.

Liver Tonic Juice

1 carrot
125 grams asparagus
125 grams cucumber with skin on
1 apple 2 dandelion or cabbage leaves

You can learn heaps more here at Dr. Sandra cabot’s website, the Liver Doctor as well as read through a quick checkup guide.

Homeschooling is…

Homeschooling is…

Monotonous. Complicated. Draining. Being loved. Discipline. Curriculum.  Open. Hard. Honest. Real. Brutal.

But

Homeschooling is also…

Life. Meaningful traditions. Radical. Loving. Relationships. Caring. Simplicity. Books. Teaching. Learning. Nurturing. Friendship. Observing. Mentoring. Freedom. Sharing. Memories. Reading. Fun. Cooking… and Eating. Purpose.  Spontaneous. Grassroots. Community. Delightful. Energising. Interests. Discipleship. Beautiful. Privilege. Legal. Responsibility. Laughing. Love. Family.

Web Wanderings 23-2-11

Calvary Chapel has updated their site and are also in the slow process of updating their free, Bible curriculum. Do zip over and check them out.

MODSQUAD is an encouraging blog for Mothers of Daughters.

It’s a few months old now but I was interested to read this article, which is an interview with Bono about Grace over Karma.

Why Brad Pitt can’t come to grips with God. And I mention this not because I follow Brad Pitt but because there are many friends of mine who grapple with the same thing.

Sally Clarkson wrote a lovely, short post over at I Take Joy.

Saying No. Does it mean you are lazy?

Dominant home cleaning products– I used to use these superb products many years ago but after 9 house moves in 10 years I gave up trying to keep my contacts up to date. But my dear sister-in-law is a supplier and so I have gone back to using them. I almost forgot how fantastic (as in excellent and economical) they are. I love the All Purpose Cleaner.

Ending homeschool stereotypes – American girl wins Miss America pageant.

Bored? Got some time to do some blog reading? (I haven’t but maybe you have) Check out the Top 50 homeschool blogs.

How to address the issue of modesty… in the Church.

Math-Aids is a free resource for teachers, parents, students, and homeschoolers. You can make an unlimited number of printable math worksheets for children.

Scott Foresman Free Grammar and Writing handbooks. I’ve linked to these before but they’re too good to miss.

Just Reading to Them? A, encouraging, informative post from A Thomas Jefferson Education.

I frequently link to Sheila’s blog and this week is no exception. She writes on ‘Do our Kids mature too slowly?‘. Love the quotes excerpt from a book she is reading.

“We place kids in schools together with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of other kids typically from similar economic and cultural backgrounds. We group them all within a year or so of one another in age. We equip them with similar gadgets, expose them to the same TV shows, lessons, and sports. We ask them all to take almost the exact same courses and do the exact same work and be graded relative to one another. We give them only a handful of ways in which they can meaningfully demonstrate their competencies. And then we’re surprised they have some difficulty establishing a sense of their own individuality.” And we wonder why it’s taking so long for them to mature.
~ Joe Allen – Escaping the Endless Adolescence

Over Population? Is it a myth? Check out the website.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUY4ztwIVfA

Where have you been around the web lately? Any interesting sites or articles to share?

Homeschooling grows…

Sibling Love

Homeschooling  grows…

Strong family relationships, highly valued home and family life; happy children who love learning; happy adults who love learning!

Web wanderings 15-2-11

Sunset Beach by Diane Romanello

  • Dr. Albert Mohler wrote The Marks of Manhood, (When does a boy become a man?) which I think is great.
  • Last year we bawled through, er watched the made-for-tv movie, Gifted Hands, the story of Ben Carson. I might be the only adult believer who hasn’t read the book yet… and I am asking myself why this is so. I cannot believe I haven’t read this inspiring biography. If you haven’t watched this movie with your children then please, run out to the video store and hire it. You will not be disappointed. And if you are, well I won’t say anymore.   This movie has affected me so profoundly… but time will tell, won’t it. (Maybe I’ll write how this movie and book has affected our parenting and homeschooling style)
  • And lastly, I’m sure you all know about this movie review site but just in case you don’t I’ll mention it again. Plugged In Online is a fantastic review site. It is a sister site of Focus on the Family and it is my go-to site for reviews of movies. Why? because it doesn’t tell me what I should and shouldn’t watch. Rather it gives me the details of the movie without revealing the spoilers. It details the positive elements, the sexual, violent, drug/alcohol and language content, and lets me decide from there.

Crockpot Lasagne

Fee from On Being Single asked us to share a favourite crockpot (slow cooker) recipe so here’s ours. Being that we are Italian I usually make all our Italian dishes from scratch. I put off making this dish for years because I thought it sounded horrid. But time and necessity got the better of me…and would you believe the whole family loves it! Including full blooded John!

Crockpot Lasagne

(Family size)

  • 500gms minced meat (beef, kangaroo or other… a combination of veal and lamb is also very nice)
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 800 mls can tomato sauce (we use home made but store bought does fine…even diced tinned tomatoes)
  • 200 mls can tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 375 gm package lasagna sheets
  • 375gm container Ricotta or cottage cheese (I use a Bechamel sauce if need be)
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat cook the ground beef, onion, and garlic until brown. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt, and oregano and stir until well incorporated. Cook until heated through.

In a large bowl mix together the Ricotta or cottage cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, and shredded mozzarella cheese.

Spoon a layer of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the crock pot. (I lightly butter bottom of Crockpot and add a spoonful of the meat mix). Add a double layer of the uncooked lasagna sheets. Break to fit sheets into crock pot.

Top sheets with a portion of the cheese mixture. Repeat the layering of sauce, sheets, and cheese until all the ingredients are used.

Cover and cook on low heat in crock pot for 6 to 8 hours.

Serve with a tossed green salad and crusty bread.

I also like to finish the top off with extra Mozzarella & Ricotta (I’m a cheese nut). this is a good recipe for children to make and to experiment with.

I heard of this Crockpot Lasagne and scoffed at it. There is no way I would ever do that, I said. I would sometimes prepare the lasagne ahead of time but even if I pre-baked it I’d still have to put it in the oven for 40 mins once we got home from shopping meaning that our hungry bellies were still a good 45 minutes away from being satiated.

So I tried the Crockpot Lasagne. I told my family what it was. I made no bones about the Australianising of it. I told them it was either this for tea or our all-too-often “CatchWhatYaCan” meal. They didn’t complain. In fact, everyone enjoyed it. It isn’t authentic…but it’s still very filling and very nice and very easy. Anyone can prepare it  in the morning, put it on and as soon as we get home we can eat! This is why it is quicker than a traditional lasagne.

Web wanderings: 12-2-11

Benefits of reading the Bible: Consistently ’grazing on the Bible’ helps give us our sense of identity as Christians. It is an irreplaceable source of nourishment, correction and transformation for every Christian.

How to Study the Bible from Logos.com
All Christians who open God’s Word and read it bring with them the forestructures of their lives formed by their history, their language, and their culture in which they live, therefore it is imperative upon every reader to capture the original intent of the author. Since no one can approach the text without presuppositions, then one must exercise every safeguard to interpret the Word of God correctly.

Going bananas for granola from DeliciousByNature; yummy granola that I’m going to try one day.

Secret Detox Drink from Dr.Axe: [Apparently] Dr. Axe’s secret detox drink recipe not only tastes great, it will help you burn fat, lose weight, balance blood sugar levels, and get your body healthy! (I haven’t tried this yet. Any feedback readers?)

Photography Tips from National Geographic

Fantastic site- An ABC 3D documentary presentation about WW1 ANZAC landing at Gallipoli

What happens when you fall out of love with homeschooling? From Special Needs Homeschooling

Dominating the Homeschool Circuit at the HomeSpun Life
There are Christians, and then there are ‘Christians’. The ‘Christians’ do more harm to one another than anyone else I have ever known. And yet there ARE Christians who are very loving, grace filled people. I like these kind of Christians.

Grammar Mudge: Operated by a retired editor/English professor, the ad-free site focuses on discussions of English grammar, language, and writing but also contains essays on a variety of subjects.

FreeListens: publishes weekly reviews of free human-read audiobooks available on the web. In my reviews, I try to avoid any spoilers beyond what you’d read on the cover of a paperback. Realizing that these books are being given away for free, I try to be not too harsh on the reader but still point out any aspects that may turn off some listeners.

E-learninglinks.com has links to free resources, crossword puzzles, worksheets, and lists of names, dates, and books to read for teaching history!

How to Create a Culture of Accountability in Your Home from Empowering Parents

Gentlemen in a Digital Age from SoloFemininity
The fine folks of Jane Austen’s world might strike us today as being a bit rigid in their manners. But they demanded character and accountability even among the limited relationships of a small town. How much wiser would we be to honor the same practices in a world without boundaries.

That’s where I’ve ended up this week around the ‘net. How about you? Found anything interesting to share?

I Will Never

I will never send my children to a public school.

Our children will not ‘date’… they will ‘court’.

We will never eat… pork.

We will never sing choruses.

I will never have XYZ [insert medical procedure] done.

We will never use workbooks in our homeschool.

No child of ours would ever disobey me. Our girls will never wear shorts, pants, t-shirts, etc.

My child will never do drugs, drink alcohol, smoke, swear … [or XYZ].

Have you ever heard those type of definitive statements before? Maybe you’ve uttered those type of statements before. I have.

But life… the experience of life is teaching me to never say never, especially with things that are not within my own control. Not the easiest when, for many years, I strove to get ‘in control’ of my house, my behavior, my children, etc.  What I failed to understand was that I cannot and should not be controlling my children’s every action, thought or attitude, especially once they get older and into their teen years.

When we first started to home educate I loved the lifestyle. I loved what it did for our family. I searched the Scriptures and could see how the family was the model or institution that God had designed for life long learning. In my haste and naiveté, I remember proclaiming, “Our children will never attend a school!“. Oh dear, if you know God and His nature you can well imagine the lessons He had in store to teach me. Fast forward a few years and one of my children asked to go to school… keep fast forwarding and you’ll see that she started at a private, Christian school and ended up at a public school.

In our homeschool adventure, we had learned the value of living books and the Charlotte Mason method and I recall thinking, “Oh, we will never use workbooks ever again.” Oh dear, you can see here I was headed. Fast forward a few years and the boys learned a lot through their time on ACE Paces.

Then came the upper or teen years. You know the ones where girls start noticing boys and boys start noticing girls. Well, we had read and researched all about ‘courtship’. And being that we ourselves didn’t practice ‘Christian dating’ thought it a wonderful idea. Certainly none of our children would have a ‘boyfriend’ or ‘girlfriend’. Surely not! Surely…. Surely? Oh dear. I think you’re starting to get the picture. 😉

Why am I so slow to understand and apply the lessons the Lord wants to teach me?

Yes, I am Susan and I’m a control freak. Actually I now think of myself as a recovering control freak. I may always have those tendencies but I’m learning to deal with them properly. I liked to think that I could control things… things which, as a Christian, seem okay to control like my children, our homeschooling, etc. But I’ve learned that my control freak tendencies grew like tendrils of a weed … seeking to climb over flowering plants and eventaully drown out the sun (or is that Son?) .

My prayer from 2007… and is still my prayers today.

God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.

Latte

December 2010.

I love coffee: latte’s, cappuccino’s, espresso’s, chai latte’s… they’re all for me. And having a daughter who is a competing Latte Artist I have plenty of opportunity to practice taking photo’s.

On a date with my man… and a yummy latte.

Latte: edited

Latte: edited

Wanderings round the web 8-2-11

There are a few reasons that I stopped blogging.

1) Felt the need to protect my children’s privacy and not write about their lives so much
and
2) I’m ashamed to say that I used Facebook instead. It’s just so easy to share links and things on FB.

Now I’m not going to give up on FB but I am going to try and share links and anecdotes again here on the blog. So along those lines, here are some links to things I’ve been reading online lately.

LINKS:

Free Maths – A collection of Math lessons: 76 pages Offering inspiring, practical, classroom-tested ideas for helping students learn mathematics through problem solving.

Slow Down and Really Live on the Down to Earth blog.

Ruby wrote and interesting and honest piece over at Mumma’s Place in Learning About Me.

Jeanne’s peaceful home was water logged and many of their possessions destroyed in the recent Victorian floods. Her daugher is away at the moment, during the crisis, yet she still manages to share a little humour in The (water) Closet Reader.

What’s a Young Woman’s Responsibility in the Dating or Courtship Process? by Voddie Baucham is providing some food for thought.

I love the way Sheila writes about things so close to my heart. Here she shares why their family chooses to watch some movies but not others. She thinks just like we do… only she writes it all better in Profanity vs. Biblical World View in Movies.

How Sin Kept Me From Sinning – the liability of a Christian upbringing: This is an area that I have tried to teach my children… it can be an issue for those who have been raised in a Christian home.

The Beast File: Woolies and Coles a $100 billion a year duopoly with a retail market share unmatched in the developed world. And they have their fingers in a lot of other pies too.

Gardenate is a site that tells you what to plant when in the garden- for Australians!

Photos: In case you haven’t see our photo album, you can grab a quick look here at our life in Jan as seen through my eyes.

MY PROMISE TO MY CHILDREN: I will stalk you, flip out on you, lecture you, drive you insane, be your worst nightmare & hunt you down like a bloodhound when needed…..because I LOVE YOU! When you understand that, I will know you are a responsible adult. You will NEVER find someone who loves you, prays for you, cares about you, & worries about you more than your Mum. Feel free to re-post if you love your children. ♥ ♥

I spent an hour at the online chat room of Rainbow Diva’s and the National Homeschool Network in An Afternoon with Beverley. Beverley Paine is a long term, South Australian homeschooler and homeschool consultant. We had a lovely afternoon and I’d encourage other Aussie homeschoolers to check it out. Hope to see you there next month!

A South Australian local tv channel aired an interview/article on homeschooling. You can see it here on youtube. I enjoyed the article… considering the length and scope of it. With something like that, there is usually limited time to go into detail about the finer points of home education. I see these as more like a quick advert for home education rather than an informative article. The article was a good, positive piece which will hopefully do the rounds of the Internet, and contribute towards the education of the broader community.

Personally, I had heard about home education very briefly but a few times before I started to ponder the idea more carefully. Many people are like that- they simply need to hear it more regularly and more often and if they want to, they will investigate it as an option. If that was the aim of the article then I think they hit the target 🙂

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NuvYow3PXU

“God must begin the work of grace in a person’s heart, or else a person will never be saved. Christ must first choose us and call us by His Spirit, or else we shall never choose Christ. Election to eternal life, is a truth of Scripture which we must receive humbly, and believe implicitly.”
~ J.C. Ryle

Delight directed learning and family update

It’s been awhile since I posted a family update and truthfully, so much has happened that I barely know where to start, which is why I haven’t written. You know what it’s like when you leave a job till later on and then it seems like it becomes bigger than Ben Hur and you don’t know where to start? That’s how I’ve been with blogging. But like my husband is fond of saying, “How does one eat an elephant? One bite at a time”.

We had a wonderful break over the Christmas period. Much to my disappointment, we didn’t have our typical softball holiday and I missed it terribly. We have been doing the softball trip for nearly 10 years now to watch Miss A represent the state in the National Softball Tournament but alas, this year she was too old for the U/19s and whilst she does play in the Open Women’s team they go away every month for an extended weekend and it’s just not the same for John and I. So we stayed home this time. However I noticed some good things from staying home. While we love going away for a week or two, we did notice how we felt much more rested. This isn’t a surprise as I often feel like I need a rest after going away on holiday – they’re such hard work 🙂

We also have developed a few new hobbies in the family. John has always loved watching and studying about the stars. He has always wanted a telescope but it’s just never been a priority. Until now. It all started after we watched the very interesting DVD, The Star of Bethlehem. John started researching telescopes, sold a few things on ebay, and then we bought a second hand telescope. It all sounds so easy and uncomplicated but let me assure you it was anything but! John has a tendency to get slightly obsessive with his interests and passions. This hobby is no different. Except for the fact that Master C also started showing an interest. Oh, I neglected to mention that John’s initial interest is in building his own telescope! Not, one is never content to simply purchase one and use it. One must know how and why it works and endeavour to build one’s own! Of course. However, in order to fan the flames of interest with Master C it was thought that we could purchase a ready made telescope for him to use now whilst together they set about building one. This building of one is a work in progress- starting with researching and collecting information.

We had many family get together’s over the holiday break and some of these included the children’s *friends*. Yes, it’s no longer just John, myself and four or five kids but when we all get together there are now ten of us! And it’s great fun. I love having everyone over for a meal. We also had a day trip to Victor Harbor where I got to practice a little of my new hobby. Photography! I have been so inspired by my dear friend, Urban Daisy and her photo blog that I decided to pick up our family camera and start to learn about it. Whilst I’ve been inspired by Urban Daisy’s blog I am motivated by my family. I want to learn how to take good photo’s of my children and one day, my grandchildren, God willing.

Over the past few months our family dynamics have changed quite dramatically (which naturally happens as the children get older anyway) and this has led me to sit back and re-evaluate some of my activities. We have some ‘okay’ photo’s of our family but we don’t have any real lovely ones. I want to change that. So learning about my camera and how to take photo’s is the first step. John wants to save and buy me a groovy camera but I’m quite content with the little one we have for now. It’s a good starter camera (Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd) and I can always upgrade later on down the track. For now I have no idea what I am doing. I am learning- teaching myself something new! And yes, I am having trouble with the technical side of things. I practice a few times per week, whenever I can really. I don’t have that natural knack of being able to naturally ‘frame’ my shots or get the best angles… I’m hoping that will come with practice. I’m also having difficulty in getting clear pictures… I need to learn more about the manual settings rather than the auto function. And lighting- I know it is so important but I need more practice. I’m really enjoying the Digital Photography School articles and getting a lot out of them. You can see some of my recent efforts in our kerugma photo album (2011) .

Regular readers may remember that we have lived in ten homes in the last 10 years, although living in this current home has put a halt to our record. What began as a one year posting has turned into a three year post. And we will be here at least for the next 3 years. So, for the first time in a long time I am beginning to garden again! I have prepared some of the ground in the backyard and will plant some vegetables and herbs and in the coming months I want to rip out the front garden and start from scratch again. Defence homes are so boring. Practical, but dull. I’ve been busy reading through my old gardening books and magazines, refreshing myself with all things mulchy and earthy 🙂

In January, Master J went on a two week promotion course with the Air Force cadets.  He passed well and has now been promoted! He’s also looking for a part time job so is considering not playing football this year.

Academics? Homeschool matters? Oh yes, that. I almost forgot. We are homeschoolers! 🙂 It seemed a shame to stop the delight directed learning that the boys (and John) were involved in just to get back to starting lessons so we didn’t! Once John went back to work, we slowly started a few lessons, easing back into our ‘working rhythm‘. Master J is enrolling in Open Access College as a home based student and once he settles into that I will post updates of what subjects he is doing. Master C is continuing on with his plan, much the same as last year. I didn’t quite get around to setting his schedule up on paper and he rather likes one so he amended the one from last year and set up his own! I’ll post his schedule in a separate post.

Miss R celebrated her 18th birthday in January. She doesn’t live with us at home but it was lovely to have a small gathering of family and friends over for a BBQ.

Miss A is still as busy as ever. No, even more so! She has decided that she doesn’t want to work as a Personal Trainer at the moment. She simply loves being a Barista and doing her Latte Art work. Between work and softball there is hardly any time left but she is managing to find some to spend with a ‘special someone’ in her life.

Well, that’s about it for now. The post that I just had to get out of the way so that I can start blogging again.

The Shocking Youth Message

I have previously linked and recommended an online sermon by Paul Washer… called the Shocking Youth Message (called such by others, not by Mr. Washer).

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cncEhCvrVgQ&feature=video_response

But I think it’s also really good to watch this short video which explains the background setting of that sermon.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrCvO8Elsis

If you enjoy messages such as these, head over to HeartCryMissionary to hear and read more!

18 Years Old

Someone turned 18 the other day. A great cause for celebration in our home.

When Joking Hurts: A Lesson from Proverbs

I’ve often been asked to share what our Bible study looks like using our methods as outlined in a Bible Based Education. Here is a quick lesson. Bear in mind that I didn’t write this lesson plan before hand…I was reading it in my Bible during my quiet time and thought it was too good (read: relevant) to not share with my children. 😉
Some times we go more in depth with our study and at other times this is it! It isn’t about the time spent nor the amount of work covered – it is a heart issue. So, here’s a lesson from Proverbs.

Verse:

“Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I am only joking!”

Proverbs 26:18-19


“Ha, you’re hair looks real ugly like that sis!” followed by “Nah…only joking.”

Ever heard this kind of thing? I’ve heard it in my own home. I used to think I was just old fashioned or prudish but then I read Proverbs 26 and saw that I wasn’t alone! God has thoughts on it too! So I decided to share this lesson with my children. I’ll try my best to write it out as it happened, using the 4 step process. It isn’t word for word but I’m sure you’ll get the gist of it.

Four step Lesson Process – learn more here

Introduce

We’re all sitting around the kitchen table. I grab my Bible and say, “Hey guys, let me share this with you…what I was reading this morning.”

I read Proverbs 26: 18-19.

Then I ask them “Can you imagine what it would be like to have a wild man, a lunatic, running around shooting people with a gun? Horrendous! Can a mere ‘joking’ excuse that lack of self control?”

Digging Deeper

We use words, tone of voice and facial expression to convey a meaning. Are we guarding our tongue if we just let all manner of dribble spew forth and then think we can excuse it by adding a quick “only joking” at the end?

Read the passage 3 times, in different translations.

Discuss: Our words can be ones of comfort and encouragement or ones of hurt.

Cross-reference by using your concordance to look up other passages on ‘the tongue’. (We use my Thompson Chain Reference)

Share your findings.

Expand & Elaborate

Choose an activity from the Activity Sheets: e.g. Copy the proverb out in your best writing or- What can you learn from this story/book/passage?

Remember our family saying: If it’s not fun for all, then it’s not fun at all. Discuss further.

Application

Write in your Devotional Journal.

Is there an attitude or behaviour that I should avoid? Share.

Pray that Father God will help us to guard our tongue as we seek to glorify Him in all things.

Notes: The children narrated the passage to John over the evening meal. Later on in the afternoon, without making mention of this mornings lesson, I related the story about the boy, the fence and anger issues.

I also strewed the ‘Watch your words’ quote on the fridge.

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

I use the 4 step lesson process very naturally. You can download lesson templates and more in the download section.

Which Bible?

Which Bible do we use?

Quite a few! Some are better than others for reading or studying. What am I able to read and understand? What will I actually read, as opposed to leave sitting on the bedside table?  The Bible has been translated into over 75 different translations! Many countries don’t have a Bible in their own language. But before we go there, let’s take a quick look at the different types of translations.

Some people are confused by the various translations on offer. In summary, there are two types:

Actual Translations.
These are translated from the Hebrew test of the Old Testament and the Greek text of the New Testament. These are Bible such as, King James Bible, Revised Version, and the Revised Standard Version. Then, there are other translations which were very carefully translated such as, The New English Bible, The Good News Bible, and The New International Version.

Paraphrased Translations
Paraphrased Translations such as the Living Bible, The Message and the Amplified Bible can be beneficial for understanding the richness of God’s Word by using modern vocabulary, but not for study. Don’t use these types for Bible Study.

Types of Bibles:
Each translation comes in different formats. There are Study Bibles, Devotional Bibles, and more. A Study Bible has notes and explanations which can be very helpful. Some Bibles have a concordance built in with it. Many Bibles contain historical and geographical maps but these individual reference books can also be purchased separately.

stack_biblesWant more? Read on…

When translating from the original language (Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek) to the Receptor language (in our case, English) there are three ways in which translators go about it.Translators, theologians, clergy and laymen have been debating for centuries over which approach is most accurate in communicating the message of the gospel. I find it helpful in using more than one translation and in our studies we will often three translations – one from each translation theory group.

Translation Types:

  • Dynamic equivalence translation:  A “Dynamic Equivalent” attempts to used the original language as a guide in translating, and then “elaborates” to enhance understanding.  The aim is to convey the ‘thought’ of a text. (Thought-for-Thought)
  • Formal equivalence translation (similar to literal translation: word-for-word) Some translators use the formal correspondence approach, translating word for word. This may sometimes cause a sentence to sound a little awkward but it is a word-for-word translation. A “Word-for-Word” translation attempts to add the fewest number of additional words to the translation, and when they do, the generally place the added words in italics.
  • Idiomatic, or Paraphrastic translation. A “Paraphrase” simply attempts to put the meaning of the text into modern day English

Word-for-Word Translations

  • The American Standard Version, (ASV) also known as the Standard American Edition, Revised Version, is a revised version of the KJV. It was completed in 1885 and newly edited by the American Revision Committee in 1901.
  • The Holman Christian Standard (HCS) is a highly readable, accurate translation written in modern English. It is published by Holman Bible Publishers.
  • The English Standard Version Bible (ESV) is a relatively new Bible translation that combines word-for-word precision and accuracy with literary excellence, beauty, and readability.
  • The King James Version (KJV) is the first version of Scripture authorized by the Protestant church and commissioned by England’s King James I.
  • The New American Standard (NAS)  is written in a formal style, but is more readable than the King James Version. It is highly respected as the most literal English translation of the Bible.
  • The New King James Version (NKJ) is a modern language update of the original King James Version. It retains much of the traditional interpretation and sentence structure of the KJV.

Thought-for-Thought

  • The Good News Translation (GNT)  was first published in 1976 by the American Bible Society in a “common language.” The simple, everyday language makes it especially popular for children and those learning English.
  • The New Living Translation (NLT) uses modern English. The translators focused on producing clarity in the meaning of the text rather than a word-for-word text. They wanted however, to remain faithful to the original texts.

Combination of Word-for-Word and Thought-for-Thought

  • The New International Version (NIV) offers a balance between a word-for-word and thought-for-thought translation and is considered by many as a highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English.It reads more smoothly than most translations and scholars praise it for its accuracy. It was put together by a large team of well recognized Bible scholars.
  • The New Revised Standard (NRS) is a popular translation that follows in the traditions of the King James and Revised Standard Versions. It was written with the goal of preserving the best of the older versions while incorporating modern English.
  • The Revised Standard Version (RSV) is a revision of the King James Version, the Revised Version, and American Standard Version. This text is intended for both private reading and public worship.

English Paraphrases

  • The Message (MSG)  is a paraphrase from the original languages written by Eugene Peterson, a Presbyterian pastor and an excellent writer. It’s great for light reading. Actually, that’s what it id designed for…no verse marks so it’s easy to just pick up and read. However, I believe that Mr. Peterson takes great liberties with words/sentences in his attempt to effectively communicate the thoughts of Scripture(Thought-for-thought, paraphrase)
  • The New Testament in Modern English by J.B. Phillips. This is, In my opinion, one of the better paraphrases. This version translates some of the Greek puns and word plays that are sometimes lost in word-for-word translations.especially handy when reading letters written by Paul.
  • The Living Bible (LB),is a paraphrase of the American Standard Version. It is easy to read and was my first ever Bible!

:star: The important thing to remember is that the central theme of the Bible is the coming of Jesus Christ, his ministry, death and resurrection. This page is not designed to be authoritative or exhaustive on the subject (far from it) but to give a general idea of the different types of versions/translations available today.

:star: The key is: JUST DO IT! The gospel [the good news of Christ and His work on the cross] is the power of God for salvation. You won’t be saved by which translation you read, so go on…grab a translation or two and read it…today!

Further reading:

Download the ebook, How to Study the Bible, by Rev. Geoffrey Bingham

How the Bible Came to Us by Meryl Doney

The following is a chart comparing the different English translations of the Bible. I hope this helps you in selecting a translation.

Bible Reading Plans

“I am much afraid that the schools will prove to be wide gates to hell unless they diligently labour in explaining the Holy Scriptures, engraving them in the hearts of youth.  I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount.  Every institution in which men are not constantly occupied with the Word of God must become corrupt.”
~Martin Luther

Here are a few different types of Bible reading plans. Most are printable but a few (as marked) are received via email.

Regardless if you use a plan or what type of plan the most important thing is to Read God’s word. Study it. Pray it. Live it.

Biblical Principles of Parenting by John MacArthur

What we desperately need is a return to the biblical principles of parenting. Christian parents don’t need new, shrink-wrapped programs; they need to apply and obey consistently the few simple principles that are clearly set forth for parents in God’s Word, such as these:

  • Constantly teach your kids the truth of God’s Word (Dt. 6:7).
  • Discipline them when they do wrong (Pr. 23:13-14).
  • And don’t provoke them to anger (Col. 3:21).

Those few select principles alone, if consistently applied, would have a far greater positive impact for the typical struggling parent than hours of discussion about whether babies should be given pacifiers, or what age kids should be before they’re permitted to choose their own clothes, or dozens of similar issues that consume so much time in the typical parenting program.

~  John MacArthur

Gazania

Gazania
Many, many years ago… in the age of dial-up connection. Remember that?

Process of Learning: How Do You Learn?

How do you learn?

Who I am, how I learn, what I believe makes up who I am as a parent, and therefore a homeschooler. There have been occasions where I’ve heard a snippet of an idea about something but I don’t have much interest so I don’t investigate. I may almost tune out to a person if they’re talking to me about it. I just don’t have a base of knowledge from which to hang further knowledge upon. Many months might go by and I’ll hear of that idea again. I might start to ponder it or ask myself, “What on earth are they talking about? Maybe I should find out!” but I may still just put it on the back-burner of my mind until I hear something of it again. Usually by this time, I am curious enough to go and find out a little about it.

I might use the Internet to learn the basic who, why, what, where and when of the idea. This alone doesn’t give me much though. It only gives me information, certainly not knowledge nor understanding. So I start to dig deeper. At some point this will usually involve me getting my hands dirty and actually *doing something* with the information I have gathered. Invariably doing this process I will make mistakes, I will have failures. Then character comes into play. I can either let these failures win and I can quit or I can learn from them and have another go. (Sometimes it is that I want to have another go but higher priorities take precedence but that’s what it’s all about- real life)

young_girls_28485_mdI recall hating Yr 10 at high school. I wanted to know why I just couldn’t study my subjects at home. Mum said, “Because you can’t. You have to go to school.” So I believed that. Then, a few years later I vaguely heard about the notion of NOT attending school and learning at home. I ignored the idea. A few years later, I heard of it again.This time, (after the seeds of idea had been planted in my mind) I started to actually think about it and ask those important questions – why do we go to school? Why do I have to learn between these certain hours? Who said I need to? Who said I have to learn THAT? and so on… It was during this time that I started noticing a lot of things that indirectly related to homeschooling. I was questioning. As the ideas swirled round my mind so did more questions and more seeking of answers.

After my mind was stimulated with these ideas I started to then seek out information. I started to delve deeper into the idea of home-based-learning. Then we made the decision to homeschool. It was during this time that I started to examine and elaborate upon that knowledge. See I couldn’t have expanded upon my knowledge earlier as I didn’t have enough information to draw upon and I hadn’t yet begin to *do* it- I hadn’t yet got my hands dirty. But as I incorporated my learned knowledge with doing I was in fact, learning! It is in APPLYING that learned knowledge that develops and furthers the learning process.

So how on earth does this make any difference to our homeschool? Plenty! My children can read all the good books found in the library…they can do all the worksheets I can print out but unless they have real life experiences in which to *do* (read: apply) then they will be stuck in the first few stages of learning. It is vital that our children learn to apply the knowledge they’re learning. It is vital that we give them real life experiences. Homeschooling affords us that yet do we make the most of it?

To learn we must create an interest. We can use books, real life, movies, hands-on activities- anything to create an interest. Then we have to help our children to investigate. But sometimes we can get in the way. Sometimes we have preconceived ideas of *how* this learning should look. Sometimes we can stifle their learning because it doesn’t look the way we think it should. When we do this, we interfere with their motivation. Yet motivation is essential for continued learning! What comes first in true learning: seeking the knowledge or motivation?

Asking questions is the best motivator for learning! When we use my lesson format (IDEA) I use the first step: Introduce: to introduce a topic and create an interest. Most times, this happens in the form of a question. I’ll ask a question, relating it to something the children may already know a little about. But other times, I won’t be the initiator. Every time a child asks that beautiful question, “WHY?” he has actually started his own lesson!!!!! From here the rest of the learning process can be expanded.

Have you ever put away the workbook or the daily lesson structure just to jump off and explore a topic when your child has asked ‘why‘? If not, I’d encourage you to do so. Just for one day, just try it! If you have, why don’t you share how that went for you? Did you learn anything about your children? Did you have fun? Did the process strengthen your relationship? Did you see any evidence that your child learned anything? Have you experienced how valuable ‘experience’ or doing is in the educational sphere of your child’s life? Please share, I’d love to hear from you.

You might also like to read Stages in the Learning Process.

Consider Our Ways this New Year

Consider your ways!
(Haggai 1:5)


bible_roses

Life… it’s full of new beginnings! Unlike yesterday, today is the beginning of a new year. Who knows what this year will bring each family? God, the author and finisher of our faith does!

I love a new year. I like new starts. Maybe that’s why I get itchy feet and don’t mind moving regularly, I don’t know but I love fresh beginnings. Each new year reminds me of a time way back, before the history books began, even before Creation – to when Christ was.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
John 1:1-2

I love my husband and my children. I love my dad. I love my friends. However, they too, like me, are flesh and blood. I do not know for how long I will toil upon the earth nor how long my loved one will either. I cannot trust in them for everything- for my safety, provision, joy, happiness nor salvation. But I can trust in Jesus… who was the Word and was with God and was God.

God has a plan, a purpose for every single life. Moses, John the Baptist and the Apostle Paul were no doubt men of God but were they exceptions? God gave them specific missions. But are we not sent from God also? Do we not have a message to share? Am I doing what He wants me to do each day? Am I living with a sense of purpose? Am I living intentionally?

How To Find Purpose

There have been countless books with with much pop psychology for eager persons to devour…but they make much out of something quite simple… that which may not be easy (because we so often live by the flesh) but simple. I will find my work, my mission, my purpose, by living in obedience and submission to the Father! He does the preparing of me… He will lead me into that purpose in the right time. My duty is to keep obedient to Him and submit every part of my life to Him. He requires me to act justly, to love mercy and kindness and to walk in constant, sweet fellowship with Himself.

Do I know what my purpose is? Have I set my goals and plans for 2011 according to His ways, to His plan?

Looking Ahead

his_steps

It’s the last day… of the year 2010 and this is a re-post from last year with a few updates.

I’ve reviewed the year…various aspects of our life and family. Yes, I’ve taught manners, English, Maths and Science. I’ve taught life skills, domestic skills, health, fitness and Bible study. It’s been a pretty good year for us in terms of academics and growth. But it’s also been a hard year, filled with ups and downs, hurts, disappointments- in general this year has been a hard slog. But there’s little to be gained from bemoaning all that… tis better to look ahead!

Do you love me?

But what of these are my greatest passion to share? Have I shared my greatest passion with my family? What is my passion? I can say it but is it true? Is my greatest passion truly Christ? Do I love Him before all else?

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”

He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
John 21:15-16

Feed my lambs

Have I fed the lambs that God has entrusted to my care? Have I fed them Christ Himself? Have I opened up God’s word and shown them Christ… have I taught them to love God, to trust Him and to do His will by way of a living example?

Feed the lambs… tend the sheep. Have I loved the children with a shepherd’s love? Love, protection, guidance and provision of needs is very important but they also need Soul-Food … the pure word of God.

Follow Me (v19)

Evaluation, assessments, outcomes all look for fruit but the truest form of learning in the life of a believer is to follow Christ. Knowledge, even of spiritual matters, may have some value but it does not attain for us that much needed salvation. The outcome of seeing and knowing is living and doing.

All year I have seen Jesus through the gospels. I’ve read His words. Now I need to follow Him. This past year with all its ups and downs cannot be changed. And whilst this past year has been quite a difficult one for our family we are still here, walking the road one step at a time, thanks be to God. I want to learn from my mistakes but I also know that regrets are a waste of time and energy.

However a New Year is upon me. The only way for it to be better is by following Christ more closely – to go where He leads, without questioning or rationalising. I don’t know what 2011 will bring for me or our family. It may be a year of struggles, of trials, of suffering or it may be a year of joy and peace…it may be a year of all! That is not mine to question – my only duty is to obey and follow Him.

As I close this year on my blog I’ll enter a new one – 2011. I want this next year to be fruitful, peaceful and beautiful…not by my circumstances or my surroundings but my walk with Jesus.

 

Free Bible Tools

links

The Canadian Bible Society has some freebies: Bible Quiz, e-cards, Daily readings, History Bits and more, but I really enjoyed the e-scriptures; interactive Flash scripture movies. Available in English and French.

You won’t want to miss these if you are teaching younger children:

Free Bible Story Activity Ebooks. Each story includes a coloring page, word-search, crossword puzzle, and Bible quiz with memory verse.

OT Volume 1: 30 Bible Stories from God?s Creation to the Golden Calf (180 Printable Activity Pages) http://tinyurl.com/ymfyqj

OT Volume 2 : 30 Bible Stories from God Led Them to Wind & Chaff (188 Printable Activity Pages) http://tinyurl.com/ybzbay

NT Volume 1: 30 Bible Stories from Zacharias to Sabbath Healing (154 Printable Activity Pages) http://tinyurl.com/yht4u3

NT Volume 2: 30 Bible Stories from Lost Sheep to Day of Pentecost (158 Printable Activity Pages) http://tinyurl.com/yeqxrg

And His Name Shall Be Called…

C’mon, you seriously didn’t think that Christmas could go by without some mention of it on the blog, did you? Of course not! Friends know I always have something to say. 😉 However, I’ve said/written it before and I really don’t like the sound of my own voice that much so instead of boring you all to tears I’ll just link to previous posts where I share about how, when and where we remember the details of the Christmas story.

Note: Many of the external links on the following pages may be out of date. I apologise in advance but I’m not going to try and keep up to date with them. There is new material coming out all the time so make google a good friend utilise him wisely. 🙂

Previous Posts

To celebrate or not to celebrate: http://susanpriolo.com/to-celebrate-or-not-to-celebrate-2553.htm
and
Who, why, what, when: Christmas in our home: http://susanpriolo.com/who-why-what-when-christmas-in-our-home-2559.htm

My Greatest Joy

baptism

Is there anything better as a parent, than to witness one’s adult child profes their love for the Lord? I don’t think so. 🙂

All my children professed their love for the Lord from a young age and whilst I took great delight in it I always felt that the true measure of their faith is told once they mature and become adults or reach an age of accountability. And so it was with just a touch of pride that I witnessed my eldest daughter get baptised yesterday. We have never pushed baptism as we don’t believe it is a decision that anyone else can make for another person. It is an individual choice and declaration. What a blessing and an honour to observe this young lady grow and mature over the last few years… she has sought after God and has a a heart that seeks to honor the Word of the Lord.

Afterwards, we all shared a meal together and broke off into small groups to have a time of fellowship and sharing.

I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
3 John 1:4

Wifey Wednesday: Ways of Connecting

Last week Sheila introduced the idea that women, being relational and emotional, often need to talk before moving on to *other things*.

I can totally relate to the imaginary story she wrote about- thinking of milk and cleaning the fridge. Why I don’t even like cleaning the fridge yet it has been known to spring to mind! One thing that I’ve learned is that whilst we both have different needs and different ways of expressing ourselves there is a time for both. There are times when we have been separated due to work and, being a woman, I needed to connect with my husband in an emotional way before anything else. However this was not quite how he felt! I’ve learned that this isn’t wrong. he isn’t treating me as an object rather it is his way of connecting with me. For me, emotional connectedness and relating ideally come before any physical intimacy yet this is not often the case for males. By having an attitude of serving and giving I’ve found that both our needs can be met- just not at the same time. When a husband has a similar attitude then it’s likely that he’ll reach the same premise. It’s quite logical to accept that emotional and physical connection doesn’t happen at the same time. The circumstances often dictate which happens first but I’ve found that it’s quite possible for both needs to be met.

They key, for us, is to each look to the needs of each other first and have an Ephesians 5 mindset.

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.

But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife , and the two shall become one flesh . This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.
Ephesians 5:21-33

I am putting more emphasis upon our mariage as our children get older. Whilst not wishing the time to pass quickly until they leave home, I am aware that one day the children will have left the nest and be out in the world- leaving just John and I. I look forward to that time but don’t want to be like many marriages that fall apart once the children have left, simply because the couple forgot how to communicate and got on with living their own lives, neglecting the importance of togetherness. As regular readers know, when I focus on an area in my life it is bound to show up on my blog. 🙂

Wifey Wednesday: Greeting Him

For awhile now I’ve wanted to take part in the Wife Wednesday meme but Sheila posts on Wednesday  US time, which is Thursday here in Australia. I’ve contemplated a few ways to get around it but the easiest way is for me to post on last week’s topic. So that’s what I’m going to do!

Last week Sheila wrote about saying hello and greeting one’s husband.

John’s homecoming from work is a pivotal point in our day. Our other activities hinge around this point. Being a SAHM has allowed me to prepare for John’s arrival from work. Since we’ve been back here in SA he has to travel an hour to and from work on a very windy and dangerous road. I like to have the kettle warmed and something to eat for him. I try to look fairly presentable and not to be too busy with my own things for when he gets through the door. Doesn’t always happen and he is fine with it, but it is my focus point.

Throughout the years his homecoming has looked different but that’s because family life always looks different, depending upon the season of life we’re in… and the ages of the children.

Currently, we (those who are home) zip around the house and do a quick tidy about 4.30pm. John gets home about 5pm and the boys go outside and help him in with his stuff. I greet him at the door and we share a quick kiss while the boys make us a cuppa. Then we all tend to congregate in the lounge-room and share about our day. This is quite possibly my favourite time of the day. I want home to be a special place, a place where family members love to be and greeting them is an important part in building this.

When the children were little I encouraged each child to think of something special that only they could do for daddy.  It was to be their job for when he got home. This wasn’t done in a slavish way instead I used it as a training opportunity… to teach the children how to show appreciation and how to think of others. One of the girls would make the cuppa’s while the other would make sure that John’s chair and ‘area’ were tidied. Now that the girls are older and either left home or not home when he gets home it is the boys turn. It isn’t about being male or female, it’s about showing appreciation and serving one another.

I try to ask John how his day has been and give him plenty of room to talk before I start blabbing on about my day. Of course being the talker that I am this doesn’t always work. Sometimes it seems that he doesn’t even want to talk about his day and – maybe he doesn’t! Other days he does. It’s all fine with me… I have come to accept that he doesn’t need to flap his gums as much as I do.

This might all seem a little extreme to some but I know what I like and don’t like when I’ve been out for a few hours or even away from the home. It’s nice to have my loved ones take a little effort and let me know that they missed me and that they think I’m a bit special. And my man is special… I enjoy showing him my love and appreciation.

Appreciating the value of natural learning

Just a really quick post today. I’m not going to flesh it out or even over-think it but I wonder…

Do we (students and parents) more fully appreciate the value of natural learning once we have experienced the force feeding of academics? In fact, is it a prerequisite to fully appreciating the beauty of natural learning?

When we first started the home based learning journey, we started with a school-at-home approach. That is what I knew so I tried to reproduce it. As is often par for the course, I started studying educational philosophies and learned about unschooling and natural learning. As I learned concepts and heard ideas I shared them with the girls. They embraced the notion of Natural Learning very well and to this day are still self directed, natural learners.

We decided not to use the same approach with the boys, allowing them the freedom to learn naturally, preferring to focus more heavily on training their character and life skills. We knew there would come a time when academics would need to become of greater importance- we weren’t dissing it, rather trying to balance it in a wholistic way. I’ll admit, it wasn’t (or isn’t) an easy task to teach the boys self direction or self discipline. Even at their ages, it is constant. Periodically I raise the bar with regard to their academic requirements. Just recently I have been motivated to raise the bar much higher, to the extent that the workload is quite confronting for them.

They boys grew up with natural learning and unschooling being a part of their lives. This rigorous season of academics is something new to them. You might think they are bucking against it, but they aren’t. Not at all. In fact, Master J and I had a great discussion recently on the human brain and its capabilities. We spoke about how we learn and how revision is so important. Bearing in mind that most young people change their minds about career choices (as they should- it’s all part of learning about new interests and discovering new experiences) he exclaimed that he might want to be a doctor! Previously he has shied away from things requiring so much academic disciplne because he didn’t think he  was able to achieve. But I’ve changed a few things in the home and this change in attitude and thought has been one of the results. (I hope it continues!)

Getting back to my point… Master J has had a lightbulb moment! He says that he can see the value in delight-directed education and the value of academics and trying hard. Prior to this season, he hasn’t really appreciated his [natural learning/unschooling] childhood to this extent… I wonder if it is because he has also experienced the rigors of academic study.

What do you think? What is your experience?

In But Not Of

Be in it but not of it.

It is 10min long but grab a cuppa and be prepared!

Internet Reading

Two weeks down… four weeks left! Till what? Till my man comes back home. He’s been away on a work exercise… and we all miss him terribly.

My internet reading for the week has led me only to a few places, but these sites were too good to not mention. I haven’t been doing much blog reading at all so these are just ones that I’ve stumbled across. In case you haven’t noticed I’ve done a little house/blog redecorating. Yes, some readers could be forgiven for thinking that I change my design as often as I clean the kitchen but it’s not true. I redecorate my blog more often! 😀 But I like this. I’m happy with it and will stay with it awhile.

  • Ria (an Aussie living in the UK) writes about “First came love, and then came marriage“. It’s not a pleasant topic but Ria managed to articulate thoughts that I’ve had for a few years yet been unable to write. *~ It seems as though Ria has deleted or unpublished this post. ~*
  • DanisDelights has written a blog post on The Power of Kindness.
  • CrossExamined.org looks like a great site… one that I haven’t fully read or exhasuted yet. I’ll get back to this site when I’m home from hospital.
  • Downloadable guide to family worship is worth a read.
  • Tim’s wife, Aileen writes to women on Challies.com. (NOTE: Not for little people’s eyes)
  • Also on Callies dot com is a wonderful article about ‘Solomon on Social Media’. You really should check it out. It’s great.

    • If Solomon were alive today and we were to ask him how we are to relate to one another in this digital world, if we were to ask him how we can honor God in our use of all these social media available to us today, here is how he might respond.

  • And here’s one to share with the children – a sound clip on Biblical Prosperity Teaching for Kids

    • When God addresses children directly in Ephesians 6, He gives them an amazing incentive for obedience. Here’s the deal: If you honor and obey your parents, you’ll enjoy a long, fruitful life.

  • I’ve been reading about (which usually means reading and not doing) raw foods with Ani Phyo. I want to try the Coconut Cake with Nutella Chocolate Hazelnut Sauce and Cashew Kream which you can see in the video to the right. I’m not a raw foodist… not by a long shot. However I find that I really need to focus on it in order to improve my diet and consume more fruit and veggies. Without this focus I will simply eat nothing but grain, carbs and starch. (Ohhh, but they’re soo yummy!) Doesn’t this Cauliflower Mash & Mushroom Gravy sound divine to you?
  • I’m on the lookout for a vegetable spiralizer as can be seen here. I’m keen to try a raw Angel Hair type Pasta with Marina Sauce which uses zucchini as its [counterfeit] pasta. C’mon, most of you know my surname. We’re Italian… there is no way at all that I can truly call spiralled zucchini pasta, but I’ll give it a go for the health of my family. I mean, call it anything else but pasta? What an insult. I am a very good pasta and pasta sauce cook. It’s one of the very few things that I do well in the kitchen. So I like it. But let’s get one thing straight. Zucchini is not and never will be pasta.

    • Homeschool Phony

    I am a homeschool phony.

    Or rather that was how I felt. About five years ago one of my daughters approached me and asked THAT question. You know the one… that one question that can evoke more emotions than I care to count: hurt, fear, anger, sadness, a sense of betrayal…
    Boom. Boom. Boom.

    How could such a question come from MY child’s mouth? Surely if she understood how much sacrificed, how much I’ve invested into her she wouldn’t be able to ask THAT question. Surely?

    But she did. And not once. Not twice. Repeatedly.

    You know the question, don’t you? I’m sure I’m not the only one who used to dread it.

    “Can I go to school”?

    How can those five little words carry so much weight?

    [I wouldn’t have minded so much if it were my decision (remember me- the control freak?) but.. but.. but..that’s another story for another time]

    So to cut a long story short, this beloved daughter eventually trooped off to school. It’s been a few years now and I’ve had lots of time to ponder why my reaction was so deeply emotive. There is no one reason. It’s not that simple. It is enough to say that along with the fear, anger and hurt were also issues of pride. Oh my, what would people say? Would they be shocked? Surprised? Would they look sideways with that knowing glance that shouts, “I knew it wouldn’t last”? Oh dear, what would other homeschoolers think? Have we let the homeschooling community down?

    A few years later and I can honestly say that only some of my initial feelings were valid. Most of them were selfish and sinful. And God has been revealing them to me- showing me the ways in which I tried to camouflage and hide them. But they can’t be hidden from God. And honestly, we do nobody any favours when we try… least of the very parents that we often want to help the most.

    Fast forward a few years and here I sit… still homeschooling my younger two children (The eldest has graduated. She is now 19). I am so thankful for the opportunity to be at home with my children and to have contributed to the AussieHomeschool community. I love homeschooling! I believe in it! Can you tell? However, there are so many myths that surround homeschooling. I don’t mean the average, run-of-the-mill myths that society believes. I mean the myths that we (as homeschoolers) buy into. We buy into them because we want what we believe it will deliver. And, like many people who invest greatly into something, we will work hard to justify that investment. But in doing so we can hurt each other by perpetuating the myths. It has to stop. We have to stop. We’re hurting our own.

    As a parent with a child who has been to school I have seen all kinds of parents. Most parents I have met all have one thing in common. They all want the best for their children! But school parents have one thing that we (as homeschool parents) do not. One thing that we can learn from. They are not afraid to share the turmoils. They don’t seem to be afraid of other parents. They don’t have an overwhelming sense of judgment and condemnation from their fellow parents. I envy that.

    As I have shared about my teen’s rebellion and difficulties I have had many others share with me privately. And let me tell you, there are heaps of Christian, homeschool parents who are going through similar things with their teens but they are scared to speak it out loud. They often thank me for doing so… but they fear the condemnation and sense of judgment and it prevents them from sharing about it! How sad is this? How wrong is this?

    Not everyone travels a rocky path with their teen. My 19yo daughter transitioned from childhood to puberty to adulthood with only a few potholes along the way. She has fully accepted Christ as her Lord and Saviour and is a lifelong learner. My two boys? Ask me again in a few years. 😉 However, I know that everyone’s journey is different and that’s the way it should be. There is no one right way to homeschool. There is no one perfect example of a homeschool student. It’s a myth. One of many.

    Not everyone wants to share their journey. I get that. But I am a sharer. I love to share. But I have wrestled with sharing my journey as it affects more than just me. It affects the child and all the others in the family as well. I’m not about to start going into graphic details. No one needs details…   I just want to be honest about our ups and down of the homeschooling journey (and the parenting journey). I don’t want to wear a mask or a protective, flame-retardant suit. Then again, I’m not about to be stark naked either- after all, this is a public blog open to all.

    So there you have it. For a few years I felt like a homeschool phony. It truly knocked my confidence. But a few things have happened since the beginning but since learning that many of my previous beliefs were ‘homeschool myths’ I don’t feel like a phony anymore. I am free.

    Day One of Three~ Juice Fast

    Today was the first day of my three day juice fast. As you might remember, I had a flu for over four weeks and even now I still have a cough that I cannot shake. It’s driving me nuts but I am thankful to be better, at least.

    We’ve been enjoying fresh veggie and fruit juice again ever since we splashed out and purchased a new juicer. Previously we owned a Breville Juice Fountain. Golly, that thing is a pain to clean.

    The positive points about it are:

    • Can juice whole fruits or at least large pieces of fruit
    • Its fast

    The negatives are:

    • Painful to clean
    • Messy
    • Loud – very loud
    • Looks clunky
    • Inferior juicing method which yields a lower quality juice meaning that it is best consumed immediately.
    • Cannot do wheatgrass and other leaves.

    compact masticating juicer

    Now we have a Masticating Juicer.

    What’s the difference? Basically there are three types of juicers: Centrifugal, Masticating and Triturating juicers. I’ll leave you to do your own research if you want to know the differences. Alternative, if anyone really wants me to outline those differences just leave a comment and ask.

    I like my Masticating Compact. It’s special. However, there are a few downsides to these types of machines, which I’ll list here.

    Negatives

    • Produce needs to be in smaller pices
    • It is slow. It takes me nearly 20min to extract 2 litres of juice.

    But the benefits of this juicer and others like it are:

    • It’s fairly compact and a little easier to clean than the Breville.
    • It is quieter than the Breville.
    • it is cleaner than the Breville. Less mess all over the place!
    • Superior quality of the juice. It gently crushes and squeezes the produce which generates minimal friction heat. The higher the friction heat the more nutrients are destroyed. The Compact gives up to 60% more nutrients than say, the Breville.
    • It yields more juice, which is more bang for my buck! I think it has something to do with the extraction process but this juicer gives me a greater quantity of juice.
    • Because of the process used, the juice remains more stable. I keep the juice in a sealed tupperware container for 2 days, if it lasts that long.
    • It does lots of other things too! I just haven’t bothered with all that yet.
    • It juices wheatgrass, celery leaves, sprouts and spinach.
    • It makes nut butters, pasta and sausages! (Think back to an episode of MasterChef where they used a Compact)

    Why juice and not green smoothies? They are very different and have different benefits. After being sick for over a month I need to give my body as many nutrients as it can get while resting my digestive system. Not everyone agrees with the different theories behind juicing vs. green smoothies but from my knowledge of the digestive process it makes sense to juice for healing.

    What did I drink on Day One? Yesterday afternoon I made a juice containing, Carrot, Green Apple, Cucumber, Ginger and Celery which I drank for breakfast and lunch today. I also drank filtered water and had two cups of green tea. After lunch I made another batch of juice, this time with: Carrot, Beetroot, Watermelon and Apple.

    I always try to have more veggies than fruit- to a ratio of approximately 60% veggies to 40% fruit… less fruit if I can stomach it. When I use strong veggies like Spinach or Beetroot I find I need a little more fruit whereas when I use a lot of Carrot and Celery I can get away with less fruit.

    How I managed today: I don’t usually feel hungry. When I do I simply have a cup of tea and I that satisfies me for a few hours. That’s part of the problem though as I don’t eat properly and so suffer many deficiencies. But today I was hungry although I think it was all in my head. What is worse is the throbbing headache that I’ve had since lunchtime. It’s caffeine related so don’t feel sorry for me. Otherwise, I’m good.

    My reason for doing this is two fold:

    1. For my own health

    2. I’m also using this time to pray especially for two dear friends and fellow homeschool mums who are struggling with their health. Father God knows who they are so if you’d like to join with me in prayer, that would be fantastic!

    There is no doubt in my mind that raw juicing can save your life. I have seen it work miracles.”
    Dr. Sandra Cabot

    So how about you? Do you juice? How often do you drink fresh juice? Have a favourite recipe you’d like to share?

     

     

     

    Monday Meanderings

    Here are my links of my meanderings around the Internet this past week. I’m a bit late with this post today as I’ve been out all over the weekend and today. Yes, it’s softball season! Yahoo! and I am so glad.

    96 Essential Sites & Blogs for Gifted Homeschoolers

    100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart (Free memory verse cards)

    Weston A Price Guide to Superfoods

    Cyber Hussies from Christian Women Online

    Ruth Beechick writes for Homeschool Today.com on all those “How To Start Homeschooling” books.

    Author Lenore Skenazy on the 7.30 Report
    Do you ever…let your kid ride a bike to the library? Walk to school? Make dinner? Or are you thinking about it? If so, you are raising a Free-Range Kid! Free-Rangers believe in helmets, car seats, seat belts — safety!

    Helping Your Teen to Connect podcast with Mark Gregston.
    Making an effort to talk with your kids is a good start. But unless the conversation eventually comes around to your teenager’s thoughts, passions and goals in life, they’re left feeling disconnected.

    11 Rules Your Kids Did Not and Will Not Learn in School at the HomeScholar.

    I hope you enjoy some of the links. Do you agree or disagree with any of the opinions expressed in the links?

    The control freak returns

    As the children wave goodbye to their father a monster returns. The motherly Control Freak.

    This is just how you picture me, isn't it?

    On Friday I drove my husband… to work! He always jokes that I drive him mad but I only drove him to work 😉

    He is part of an exercise that is heading away up north for six weeks. They are driving heavy duty trucks. 76 of them! I wouldn’t want to get stuck behind them on the highway as they have a speed limit of 75km/h. Yesterday the convoy drove for 12 hours and travelled a whopping 450 kms. Glad I’m at home. They are taking one week to get to their destination, 4 weeks there and another week to get home. I hate it when he goes away, I feel like half of me is missing. Plus, he’s getting too old for all this. He enjoys working in his workshop and doing all that he does but the adrenalin rush of these exercises wears a bit thin after the 100th time.

    The other day the children and I were discussing the fact that Dad was going away for 6 weeks and I asked them a question.

    Me: “You know what it means when dad goes away, don’t you?”

    Master J replied, “Yes Mum, it means the house goes into lockdown.”

    Hehee, I had to laugh. I can see why he would say that.

    When I am responsbile for everything in the home I do things differently to John. Last time he went away for some length of time I wrote about my thorn in the flesh and how I handle (or struggle) with things. I sometimes struggle with law and grace when I have responsibility on my shoulders.

    This ‘lockdown’ involves more rules. It’s how I cope. Quite possibly I have control freak tendencies, which is not good. Needing to control everything is not a biblical attitude. When this spills over to wanting to control my children then I am in dangerous waters. I have often thought though, that many homeschool mums are prone to this way of thinking though. Oh I believe it comes from a pure motive – we desire the very best for our children… but that control freak attitude is something that God wants to deal with.

    I like to control things. I like to feel like I am in control of my family, of my homeschool. As the children get older, I see that this can lead to some problems if we continue in these thoughts/ attitudes. We cannot and should not control our children’s thoughts. Controlling their environment to the point where we are controlling their attitude is not healthy and does not raise adults. It raises mini children, incapable of truly thinking for themselves but parroting the things they believe we value. Control cannot achieve what we want it to. reaching the heart is a more scary way to go about it. But that means giving up our need to control.

    Husbands carry a lot of weight on their shoulders. They bear a lot of responsibility. As a wife it can be easy for me to not recognise this and just keep piling more things on his shoulders. Times like this can show me exactly how much my husband carries and I become really thankful and appreciative of him. I can’t wait till he comes home again.

    Cyndi's Bread ~ help?

    Just a quick plea for help…

    Has anyone had much success with the bread recipe in Cyndi O’Meara’s book Changing Habit’s, Changing Lives? I used to make it a few years ago but stopped making it. I’ve made up the Super Mix again and have tried a few loaves but they’ve been to moist. I do remember that years ago I modified the recipe but with 3 different houses in between that time I can’t find my modified recipe.

    If you make this bread and have success with it, please let me know.

    Bread has become a tool for medicating the population.
    ~Cyndi O’Meara

    Cyndi’s Bread

    1 1/3 cups water
    2 1⁄4 cups of flour
    1 cup Super mix (see below)
    2 Tbs sugar (I like to use raw)
    1 1⁄2 tsp salt
    1 tsp yeast
    1 Tbsp oil
    Bake on a large whole grain setting, about 4 hours. Cool on a wire rack, covered in a clean tea towel.

    Cyndi’s Super Mix
    2 cups rolled oats
    1 cup sesame seeds
    1 cup sunflower seeds
    1 cup maize flour (or polenta)
    1 cup of almond meal (I often substitute LSA mix)
    1 cup soy flour (this acts as the bread improver)

    You can vary these with other flours such as:

    quinoa (rolled or flour) amaranth (puffed or flour) millet flour, rye flour.
    1 cup linseeds
    1 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
    1 cup besan flour (chickpea)
    spelt flour, barley flour, lentil flour

    Monday Meanderings

    I’d like to share some links of my meanderings around the Internet this past week.

    Some ask why more families don’t follow this Formula. Most parents are uncomfortable with the unconventional ideas. They teach as they were taught, unaware that such methods are responsible for many of today’s school problems. So they pay heavily for books which tie them, and their children down and burn them out.

    There are several enemies of reading in the lives of boys. The educational system is largely feminized, and boys are often not challenged. We must remember that boys have always been boys, as the saying goes. There is nothing in the constitutional makeup of boys that is opposed to reading. Generations of boys grew to love books and lost themselves in stories, adventures, historical biographies, and the like.

    Back to basics homeschooling

    back to basic homeschool image

    I’m so glad that I’m not beginning the homeschool adventure now. When I started it was a tad lonely. All networking (if it could be called that) was done via word-of-mouth and (gasp!) old fashioned letter writing and monthly newsletters! I remember fondly hearing of a family in Adelaide who homeschooled… so I hunted them down. 🙂 The family didn’t mind at all as they also liked getting together with other’s to talk about home education. Can you imagine my delight when I found out that this family also had a homeschool supply business, mainly supplying good living books? Oh my! I was in heaven.

    Back then, there wasn’t a load of information available. Various families would share all the scraps of information they had. Homeschooling books would be mailed all over the country, from one family to another as they were simply hard to come by. I was part of a family based newsletter. Once a year it was our turn to write the newsletter – describing activities we had participated in and resources we were using and good books and finds throughout that year. I printed about 34 copies of the newsletter and sent them to each family on the mailing list. It was such a delight to receive a family newsletter once a month. I would eagerly tear open the envelope and sit outside in the sun with a fresh, hot cuppa to devour the newsletter. Now many of you may laugh at how primitive it all may seem but there were some advantages to this simple, basic style of homeschooling.

    I didn’t know a lot about ‘learning styles‘. I didn’t know much about scope and sequences or anything else. I had a few workbooks. Ewww yuck! But before you exit the page let me tell you what was so good about those days.

    Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!
    You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
    These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
    You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
    You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
    You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
    DEUTERONOMY 6:4-9

    Not having multiple resources for each topic within a subject meant that I had to use whatever was available to me- regardless of if it suited our learning style, teaching style or even our beliefs! I had to make do. I had to get between the resource and the child. In other words, I learned to naturally adapt the material while teaching each child. I didn’t need to read a book or do a course on learning styles. By interacting with my child I naturally learned how they learned best. It was truly a natural process.

    One child preferred a just-the-facts-ma’am style book while another preferred living books. One child narrated back easily while the other struggled. As a parent who is concerned for her children I simply naturally addressed those needs. I was very aware of those needs because of the close, one-on-one interaction I had with each child.

    Many teachers in a school setting don’t get to choose their materials and even when they do, they still must use the curriculum as a tool, as they cater to a wide variety of learning styles. I believe that attitude, motivation and teaching the child how to be a self directed and lifelong learner is much more important than learning styles and finding the perfect curriculum or resource.

    One thing I taught my children early on is to have an “I Can”, “I Will”, “I Ought” motto. I don’t want to hear any excuses like, ‘it’s too hard’ or ‘can’t I use another resource?’. Adaptability, diligence, perseverance, self control, thankfulness and hard work are just a few character traits that can be learned throughout the process of tending to lessons.

    I have learned that my children will do just fine without the latest curriculum or program. They can still thrive even though I’m a far-from-perfect mother… so long as I am *with them*- sharing my life with them. Want more reading on this? Read the article series by Robin Sampson.

    Back then, we didn’t ‘do’ homeschooling. We simply learned things together. Homeschooling is a natural extension (continuation) of parenting.

    I had very few homeschooling resources. I had less distractions.

    Now, I have far too many resources. And many, too many distractions.

    I’m quite glad that I’m not a homeschool newbie. It all looks too overwhelming for me.

    Healthy in spirit but un…

    C’mon now ladies, tell me I’m not alone here. Can anyone relate to this?

    Last week I was studying health and nutrition, which is a passion of mine. (Application of learned knowledge is another story) I was up to my eyeballs in health/nutrition information… so immersed in the topic that I didn’t quite get around to cooking tea… so we had pizza that night! Of course, what goes with pizza like a hand to glove?

    Coca Cola of course!

    There, just in case you were beginning to think I was doing a good job of being healthy. 🙂

    I'm baacckkkk

    New mercies

    My blogging sabbatical started by choice but it ended up being enforced, by illness. I’ve had a flu for 4 weeks and even though I am still not better I am on the mend and starting to resume to my normal duties. Four weeks ago I started getting sick but I didn’t take the rest: I had things to do, places to go, people to see. I got sicker. Every weekend I’d just start to feel better and within a day I’d get sick again but with slightly different symptoms. The flu symptoms moved from my head to the chest to the throat to the sinuses. I don’t recall ever being that ill with the flu.

    Our family has been under stress for a few years now. The stress peaks and flows depending upon life and family circumstances but has increasingly peaked over the last few years. I believe that this stress has contributed to the lowering of our immune system, which is why we have gotten so sick and why we’re having such troubles recovering from it. However I have been proactive in trying to recover and build our strength. We’re juicing fresh fruit and vegetables, trying to eat healthier food and be more regular with taking our supplements. We will get better… it’s just a matter of time.

    The next two months aren’t likely to be easy for our family as we continue to build strength but John also goes away for the month of October. He’s been working very long hours (14 hour days) at work, even though he too is recovering from the flu. Suffice to say that we are really looking forward to Christmas holidays!

    Thank you

    I want to thank each of you who prayed for me and for our family. Thank You! Despite the heaviness of the sickness I know that God is in control of our lives. Thank you also to those two lovely ladies who phoned me, just to say hi and to pray with me. You both know who you are but what you don’t know is how much your calls meant to me. They came at a time when I was feeling quite low in spirit. I was sick of being sick and feeling a bit lonely. Those phone calls, enquiring after me and praying with me really lifted my spirits. Thank you for reaching out to me. We started out as online friends but we know that we are more than that for we are Sisters in Christ.

    I’m back to writing! I have missed it. I have so many things I’d like to share but as I’ve often found, when I have time, I have nothing much to say. When I have something to say, I lack time to write. Ah, what a quandary! Four weeks of being sick, watching tv, reading snippets of books and lots of time to think has meant that my mind is bouncing like the ball in a pinball machine. However I really must get my home back in order. Surely you can imagine what four weeks of Mumma being ill will do to a place, regardless of how great and helpful the children are! It is enough to say that I need to spend some focussed energy and time on the house and laundry.

    Looking forward to re-joining the blogosphere!

    I Am Empty

    I’ve been busy with all sorts of projects. Been having a ball. I didn’t plan to have a blogging break but it just happened. I’ve got some blog posts but they’re all in my head. They probably won’t make it to the screen but that’s okay… the blogosphere will carry on just fine without me. 😉

    And just now I’ve had a huge shock. A shock that will ripple through out whole family and cause distress and hardship. If I haven’t been writing over the last 2 months then I’m not about to pick it up again soon. I’m empty: I have nothing physical or emotional left. And whilst my faith in our wonderful great God hasn’t wavered my emotional and physical energy levels has.

    If you are so inclined, please pray for our family. Father God knows our needs but intercessory prayer is always a beautiful thing.

    Composition, the HomeGrownKids way

    Originally posted in Jan, 2006

    Writing Strands, Write with the Best, Institute of Excellence in Writing…do we need a text or curricula in order to instill a love of writing in our children? Do we need to use it every week, every year? Surely there’s an easier way?

    A lot of homeschool curricula available turns writing into a totally separate, and sometimes scary, subject, where one is asked to write on topics such as, “My Summer Holiday” or “A Pencil”. (And I’m not kidding!) When I was in grade school, at the beginning of each new school year, I was supposed to turn in a paper titled, “My Summer Holidays”. Well, I couldn’t even remember or talk about something so broad and vast, let alone write about it. Consequently, I was often told that I ‘couldn’t’ write. Many years later, I have found that this simply isn’t true! I know that now but it has taken me years to realise that I love to write, when I have a topic that I’m interested in. I certainly do not want to burden my children with similar experiences. I write because I want to – I feel I have something to say (whether or not you agree with me, the point still stands eh?) A child has to want to write! A child must have something to write about! Most children love to talk, yet they often dry up when we put a pencil in their hand. My goal is to try and capture some enthusiasm for a topic and help them so that they can taste success and feel a sense of achievement at seeing their own real words in print.

    I haven’t taught any formal writing skills in the home yet. I have embraced Charlotte Mason’s philosophy when she says that teachers shouldn’t burden students by drilling or repetitive exercises in writing or composition. Just because a child is in a certain grade or is a particular age has very little to do with ‘readiness’ or development. I don’t expect my children to just ‘be’ great writers. I do want to provide an atmosphere that will nourish their minds with ideas and vocabulary, provide generous exposure to great books and to be a good writing’ model, while offering encouragement to my own children. My goal is to have children who love to write and who are able to communicate their thoughts, feelings, convictions and beliefs so that readers will understand what they are saying. I would like my children to be able to communicate descriptively, persuasively and informatively. Volume One- Home Education by Charlotte Mason has examples of how not to teach composition. (p. 244-247)

    I believe that oral narration is the beginning of composition! I don’t require any [creative or individual] writing until a child is somewhere between the ages of 10 and 12, depending on each child’s individual development. Nevertheless, the child is learning the basics of composition through the art of narrating. When they are ‘ready‘ I start the transition from oral to written narration. By this time, they’ve heard copious amounts of quality vocabulary, punctuation, grammar and sentence structure by listening to good books being read aloud- either by a family member or books on tape. They have practiced these skills via copywork and dictation.

    Narration is more intellectually powerful than any curricula and it is never too late to start! You can see the narration prompts (now called my Activity Sheets) and use them orally to encourage thinking and verbal skills. Even though we ‘can’ use a book to learn and practice many things, (narration, copywork, grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc) we can still have a holistic approach. I try not to compartmentalise English or Language Arts and composition is a part of this. It needn’t be broken down into indigestible pieces that the child isn’t able to use in his own real world. The effectiveness of this model follows in the literary steps of the great writers.

    Language begins with imitation – from infancy onwards… imitating talk and then from good books written by great writers. There is nothing wrong or un-original in studying and copying the ‘greats’. This is the modeling process. It is this process that will give a child a wonderful, rich foundation in which he is free to develop his own literary style. (Karen Andreola talks of this in The Charlotte Mason Companion on p 144). As the budding writer continues this form of imitation, copying from many of the ‘greats’ then his own writing will be influenced and he will begin to develop his own original flair.

    I’ve found that the early stage (aged approximately 6-10 years) is a time to focus on oral narration. In the later years is when I spend some time in the transition period from oral to written) and then later again I try to teach some further basic and helpful skills, such as note-taking, outlining, summarising, etc. In the last few years, we’ll be focusing more on essay and report writing. Marilyn Howshall has separated the development stages by calling them the following:

    • Collecting stage
    • Processing stage
    • Communicating stage

    chbiblestoriesIn the Collecting Stage, we focus on copywork and oral narration. The children will copy and write thank you and birthday cards, letters to friends and relatives and do selections of copywork from our copywork binder. They start with a basic journal in which they record their chores and lessons completed, daily habits and the weather. They may progress to writings some of their thoughts. I’ve found that a scrapbook or notebook can be a wonderful way to simulate interest in recording and writing but I try to let the individual do this and not force it upon them. We try to do a little something each day that we do lessons. I will have the children give an oral narration from their lesson books which will be either the Bible, history, geography, nature study, science or literature (fables, poems, short stories, etc.) When I am scribing for them, I will have them narrate paragraph by paragraph. This collecting stage is where the child is collecting images, thoughts, ideas, vocabulary and knowledge. Miss Mason writes a section on composition and the younger child here in Volume 6, p.190

    chbiblestoriesThe Processing Stage is often an area where some homeschoolers start to look for curricula as they feel a need for ‘structure’. But is it really necessary? I once thought so and went through a spending spree on writing curricula. Now though, I actually find it easier to transition from oral to written narration rather than scheduling in another workbook. I think this is the most exciting stage of all! Here’s how we’ve tried working within the transition stage. (transitioning from oral to written narration)

    I explain to the child the what, how and why of what we’re trying to do- telling him that I’d like to see him try to put pen to paper. I might ask him to rewrite in his own words (narrate) a Bible passage, poem or fable. And of course, I try to offer lots of praise and encouragement!

    On another day, we might try another way: I’ll have the child narrate to me as I scribe or type and then he will rewrite or copy it out from my copy. We may or may not edit this together. This is the child’s words- their own writing!

    I’ll have the child narrate from such books as, Just So Stories, Parables of Jesus, or Aesop’s Fables as these are filled with metaphors (word pictures) which are wonderful for a child’s imagination and stimulating creativity, which in turn, is good for developing writing style.

    Then, the child may try to put his thoughts or narration of the story on paper all by himself. It is during this, that I expect narrations to be short and disjointed but I try to be patient. This is comprehension and sequencing (processing, sorting) hard at work!

    Also during the Processing Stage I’ve also found it very beneficial to have the children write as much as they can in a non-pressure, informal way – write down shopping lists, birthday cards, letters to friends and relatives. The reason that I have put the birthday cards and thank you’s here is that some of my children have put themselves under immense pressure with writing cards and such, thus ending in tears. In the earlier stage I have them write these things from copywork. I’ll write the appropriate greeting on paper and then copy it onto the card with my help. Also helpful has been a blog. Yes, each of my children have a blog. Receiving comments is a positive encouragement and the children just soak up that positive reinforcement. Again, this comes back to the principle of modeling. Our children will copy what they see as important to us. Do my children see me reading and writing?

    After this is where I’ve had my child just write anything…just get the thoughts flowing onto the paper. I try to aim for writing like this three or four times a week. I’ve since learned that Julie from BraveWriter does this and has given it a name. She calls it Freewriting.

    Also during this stage, I teach the child to use the various handbooks and guide that we have. This is part of handing their education over to them- it starts to become their education. Here, I also incorporate a few lessons from Write with the Best as well as I teach a basic unit on writing a project – (now called Observation Sheet) Often my children have enjoyed doing their project and having something nice to keep in their binder. I also start to teach basic outlining, project writing and mind-mapping which are a basis for good study skills.

    It is also during this time, that I try to select a varied genre for copywork and books to read aloud. Who knows what may stimulate an interest? We may read a genre that we haven’t previously read yet but it will introduce the child to a different style and unusual vocabulary- all of which they can imitate and add to their writing foundation.

    I will start dictation toward the latter part of this stage, as I sense the child is ready. We’ll try to do copywork twice a week and then I’ll dictate the same passage twice a week.

    Written narration is a skill and it isn’t necessarily an easy one to master although it will come with practice. Sometimes this transition period can be hardest on the parent. Frustration could be an issue for both child and mother! I try to relax and remember that this journey is a marathon, not a sprint. When we’re working through a transition period, I try to scale down requirements in some other areas, allowing them to focus and really apply themselves without getting overwhelmed. Often I’ll require less in a subject that they continually struggle with. This is also an important step for me. I don’t need to be stressing over everything but I do want to be patient and encouraging during this time. I try to remember that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step I don’t want to be overly involved and correct every little error as I feel that may have a negative effect on the student. Nevertheless, there are some basics that I ask the children to keep an eye on:

    • Use complete sentences (I also remind them of this before an oral narration)
    • Use of capitals, full-stops, comma’s, etc.
    • Use of descriptive words.

    I write these points in the front of their writing book so they can refer to it often and they use this to edit their work before submitting it to me. I also ask the child to read aloud to themselves before submitting their work. Often one of my children will pick up many errors (punctuation, grammar, spelling, word usage, sentence structure) when reading it aloud. They can edit their work before handing it to me. I don’t use a red pen or completely edit their work…it wouldn’t be THEIRS then, it would be mine! (Besides that, it can be pretty scary to throw your heart into something to have someone critique it…that can be difficult for authors and writers and we’re still trying to encourage our young ones at this stage). Sometimes, I will use a pen and often I will go through the most obvious ones (and the ones that they haven’t picked up when proof-reading) orally – teaching and explaining as I go. I have taught the girls to use a handbook for easy reference. (Learning Grammar through Writing by Sandra Bell)

    chbiblestoriesThe Communicating Stage is actually where my eldest daughter is at present. What an interesting stage this is! She is fairly comfortable with putting he thoughts on paper. It’s now time for her to learn a few various forms of writing – argument, persuasive and reasoning forms of writing. I believe this can all be done across the curricula (or Key Learning Areas), although history is the subject that she favours writing about. We’re also reading about the History of Literature in our Arthur Mee Children’s Encyclopedia.

    By this time, my girls have read and heard a great deal of vocabulary and so they seem to be fairly comfortable with using the medium of writing to convey their thoughts. Hopefully through minimal correction and involvement combined with the exposure to fine literature, writing with good language is not so daunting for my boys also.

    At this stage copywork is optional but my eldest daughter has decided to continue with it, although not daily. as she can see how beneficial it is. Dictation is a tool that starts to take the place of copywork to a large degree.

    While composition has largely come from the child’s literary readings, the narration/writing prompts are also a way to introduce a type of creative writing.

    While a good amount of grammar is learned through this holistic approach, I also use Winston Grammar with my children. This program appeals to a range of learning styles and the reason that I like it is that I don’t have to teach grammar every day, week, month or year! It also doesn’t take a lot of preparation time.

    Next on the list to learn is writing a business letter, expository and persuasive essays, speeches, and book reviews. I used to think that book and movie reviews were not difficult thereby being unnecessary to teach but, after reading various reviews at Amazon.com, I’m now convinced that it is a necessary skill. The method that I’ll use is still one of imitation and living books. Presently I require a minimum of one written page per day and 2 pages if it is typed on the computer. I’m also keeping an eye on each child and if I sense a keen interest or ability in language skills, we will be looking for a public speaking or debate group.

    I’ve found that journaling has been useful also. At times I’ve had a child journal their thoughts from their Bible reading. This is reflective and shows that the child is growing in many areas. This type of journaling (along with some narration prompts) require the child to think deeply in order to express their thoughts and beliefs, which are being internalised throughout this whole process.

    If at any stage I sense my child is not ready in any way I simply back off. I believe that encouragement, time, and exposure to good literature will help them to develop so that we can, one day, move ahead again. If one of my children should display a dislike of writing, possibly because of previous experiences and/or lack of confidence, they may benefit from revising Stage One but with different (higher level) reading matter such as, Parables of Nature, Pilgrim’s Progress, Guerber’s Histories, etc. I would then keep a note in my diary or planner of when we started the revision so that I could see the progress in three month’s time.

    This is how composition has been approached in our home. Some days it feels like we’re stuck in Suesville and other days I’m amazed at the quality of writing my children produce. Throughout it all I keep telling myself that this is a process…a little here, a little there… through copywork, dictation, literature and narration.

    Hope you find this helpful.

    Parenting Today's Teens

    I’m always on the lookout for helpful, proactive sites that encourage me in the role of parenting. Many sites are great but they don’t necessarily reach me, where I’m at… nor speak to our family and where we’re at. Some sites are beautiful to look at and are highly idealistic but I come away feeling inadequate or like I failure… as though we have fallen short. But I have been meaning to share a site that is not like that at all. It offers daily inspiration and tips and is one of the most practical sites I’ve seen in some time. It isn’t primarily for those picture-perfect homeschool families although they will still get a lot out of the daily tips.

    Heartlight Ministries is written by Mark Gregston, the Founder and Executive Director. Heartlight Ministries is a Christian residential counseling program for struggling teenagers, located in East Texas. The Heartlight Ministries blog has a brief daily podcast which every parent will find helpful. If you’re on Facebook you can also like their page and will receive the tips via your newsfeed.

    Click here for the Parenting Today’s Teens facebook page.

    But wait! There’s more!


    You can download the free, 107page ebook. But wait! There’s even more!

    Another Free E-Book! Developing Rules and Boundaries for your Teen.

    Why do I like this so much? Because it is *so* good. Here’s the message for today, which you can find here.

    Teens Finding A Place Of Peace

    Your home should be a retreat for your teenager from the pressures of their life, not a place of conflict and anguish.

    With all the stresses on teens today, your home needs to be that one place where your teen can find peace, encouragement and unconditional love. It should be a refuge, where they gladly return for refreshment.

    If it isn’t, they’ll seek refuge in other places, like the home of their peers. They’ll hang out with friends for as many hours as they can. And they’ll participate in whatever their peers are doing, just to fit in.

    Parents, your most powerful tool against negative peer pressure is to have a home that your teen loves coming home to.

    Go on, visit the site today… sign up to receive the emails and download the ebooks.
    http://www.heartlightministries.org/parentingtodaysteens/
    http://www.heartlightministries.org/e-book.html
    Heartlightministries.org/troubled teens warning signs

    Get out of their faces and…

    ‎”Let your eyes light up when your children are around. Laugh more. Tell them how empty and quiet it is when they’re not there. Enjoy the things they bring to your life. Attend their activities, not as if they were compulsory for parents, but throw yourself into their lives.”

    Valerie Bell
    Getting Out of Your Kids’ Faces and into Their Hearts

    Parenting Pain

    I remember when my children were little and we would be at the playground. The children would be running around, jumping, shrieking with delight, skipping and climbing the playground equipment. On more than one occasion would one of them fall and scrape their knee, which would result in a mass of tears. As a parent I would watch the children carefully, almost anticpating a fall. And then splat!… it would happen! I’d see it happen, as if it were in slow motion. I knew it was happening yet was not able to prevent the fall and subsequent wound. As the fall or tumble was occurring I would hurt. I felt pain.

    It was as if I could feel it in my own body. My knees would jar sharply or my ankle felt twisted, depending upon what type of tumble or scrape the child incurred. Within seconds the tears, screams or sobs (depending upon the child) would ensue. I would take the child into my arms and whisper very quietly. The whisper was usually one of a prayer- asking God to take away the pain and replace it with His peace and joy or some such similar request. I loved that moment… where they loved being in my arms and comforted by me.  Where my words were helpful and comforting and offered assurance. Where we were connected as mother and child. For some parents, this heart connectedness stays this way all the way through until adulthood and even beyond, which can be healthy. For some others, this doesn’t happen at all and children become disconnected. Some children disconnect well before they reach adulthood. Just as parents of toddlers experience pain when their child is bruised or scraped so do some parents expereince pain when a child disconnects.

    I know because that parent is me.

    I feel intense pain in this step of my parenting journey… for one of my children has disconnected well before they are ready. The child is bruised and hurting, therefore I am too.

    I hurt in many ways… I grieve for the loss and pain that I see my child in and for the possible pain I see that they are headed for. But I also hurt in other ways.

    I feel alone. I’m going through all this with my husband (Thank you Lord!) but I mean, in a sense, that ‘we’ feel alone. I’ve tried to reach out to others. I’ve tried to find parents in similar situations but it seems that there aren’t any others. At times I feel like we are the only Christian, homeschooling parents to go through this. I know for a fact that this is not true… but it feels like it.  Maybe others are too busy, maybe they don’t know what to say within a situation that doesn’t seem to change with every passing week. And then, there is the occasional parent that looks at me with a shocked expression and starts asking a few questions… but they’re asking the wrong questions! The questions they ask aren’t necessarily for my benefit or my child’s… rather for themselves. I can sense when someone wants to know details only for their own benefit… so that they would not make the same mistakes that we did. If it were all so cut ‘n’ dried then I would be marketing the formula instead of writing a blog post!

    I don’t ask God, “why?“. Well, in all honesty I have done so in the past but I don’t anymore . Oh,I have screamed at God at times; cries wanting to know why, what I had done (as though it were all about me- how ego-centric), etc? But praise Him, He is so much bigger than my ego for He didn’t shoot me down with a bolt of lightning or anything like that. But no, He didn’t answer me either. He has never condemned me for asking a heart question… He just may not answer. And, He is, after all… God. He can do that!

    However, I digress… back to the point. Better questions that I do believe God answers are ones such as,

    “Where do I go from here?”
    “What can I do now to redeem the situation?”
    “How can I serve the needs of my child in this situation?”
    “How do I show love without condoning their behaviour?”

    This stage of the journey, for me, is a difficult and tiring one. I don’t want simplistic formulas which don’t hold up… neither do I need a theology of clichés. Therefore I cannot write about formulas or clichés. But I can write about the things that I do know. They may not always sound theologically correct to others and for that, I apologise in advance. I wish to lead no one astray yet I desire to share what I am learning, not just in my bookish learning of the Bible but in my relationship with the Lord God. Sometimes I write before I have completely processed my thoughts. Sometimes my posts will sound all garbled. Despite my best efforts, I will get it wrong. [Apology over] So keep reading at your own discernment.

    I do know that God indeed has a plan!

    A plan and purpose for mankind, for me and for my child! He has promised to finish what He started in me… and He uses painful experiences to grow me in endurance and patience. He also uses these trying times to reveal my flesh, the flesh nature which may have been slightly buried in my clean-living and cosy life.

    And I know that I am never alone.

    This journey is plunging me into a relationship with the Lord God that I have not known previously. I can say that I’d rather live a life of hard times with the Lord God, my Father,  than a life of ease and comfort without Him.

    Jesus said that He will never leave or forsake me. And I know it. I don’t just believe it. I know it.

    Narration ~ Discussion ~ Debate


    Todays blast from the past was written in Jan, 2006. The daughter that I talk about is now 19 years old.

    Narration and discussion have been a cornerstone of our family’s learning style and I just wanted to share something that happened the other day.

    Miss A (14 yodd) came to me yesterday as she wanted to ‘discuss and debate’ some lyrics of an album that she wants to purchase. Miss A has learned that lyrics and a performer’s lifestyle are very important to me- I look at more than the genre of music.

    As we sat and discussed the lyrics of some songs I asked her if we could read some hymns out loud, to which she happily agreed. The difference that she could see is that the hymns are straight out- one doesn’t have to ‘read between the lines’ in order to grasp what is being sung whereas her songs had a special meaning that could be ambiguous UNLESS you knew the story behind the songs. She then went on to research articles, interviews and quotes from the band, which proved to be very beneficial to both of us. (I can see that some songs are performance based, while others are more directly for worship – participatory, not performance)

    Not only could this be documented as an academic lesson (worldview, research, debate, reasoning, etc) it was more a life lesson as well as relational building. It drew us closer together so that she continues to feel free to bring anything to me (her words). Throughout this she is learning how to apply God’s Word to her daily life! I’m seeing that she is allowing God’s Word to shape her worldview. Wahoo! is anything more exciting than that?

    I’m convinced that the early years of narration, leading on to discussion has helped keep our lines of communication open and in turn, allowed her to verbalise her thoughts as she goes through a thinking process.

    Just wanted to share this little happening with you all and encourage you to keep focusing on narration and discussion with your children.

    A sad but historic day for our nation

    Oh Australia! What is there left to be said?

    Today I am reminded of the biblical story of Deborah… a woman who exercised public office in the Old testament. She judged Israel. But this is not a scenario for us to emulate. Because of Israel’s evil deeds, “The Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin.” Deborah led the nation of Israel which was under God’s judgement.

    Then there is Miriam who at one time rebelled against the leadership of Moses and she ended up with leprosy and was awfully humiliated.

    God will use women in leadership if He so chooses but what a shame that our new Prime Minister was not elected in… it was back-biting and treacherous activity that sees her hold the position. Can I rejoice and be glad that a woman usurped the Australian leadership?

    As a homeschool mum I am teaching my children (the very little) that I know about the situation. How about you?

    I know diddly-squat about politics but today, I am saddened.

    Chosen!

    Ephesians 1:4-6
    For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will– to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
    NIV

    Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!)
    The MSG

    John 15:18-19
    “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
    NIV

    “If you find the godless world is hating you, remember it got its start hating me. If you lived on the world’s terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But since I picked you to live on God’s terms and no longer on the world’s terms, the world is going to hate you.
    The MSG

    John 6:44
    “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
    NIV

    You’re not in charge here. The Father who sent me is in charge. He draws people to me—that’s the only way you’ll ever come. Only then do I do my work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the End.
    The MSG

    Romans 8: 29-30
    For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
    NIV

    God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.
    The MSG

    1 Peter2:4
    As you come to him, the living Stone–rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him
    NIV

    Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor.
    MSG

    1 Peter2:9
    But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
    NIV

    But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—
    The MSG

    Can you tell that I’m doing a little word study on ‘chosen‘ and ‘chose‘ lately? It’s really interesting. Of course in this post I have just plucked a few out but already it builds a story, doesn’t it?

    God chose Moses to lead the Israelite’s out of Egypt. God chose Israel to be His chosen people. He chose the nation of Israel to be the people through whom Jesus Christ would be born. God chose David to be a King of Israel. God chose Mary to be the earthly mother of Jesus.

    I don’t have the answers to everything. I could not get into a lengthy and deep debate for I do not have all my theological ducks in a row... but I do know this:

    That before the creation of the universe God thought of me! For some reason known to himself, He chose me to be on his team. He didn’t choose me because I had made a decision (for I was dead in my sin when I realised that I was on God’s team). He didn’t choose me because I am holy or righteous. Rather, that through Christ I might become holy.

    All that I am is grounded in the fact that God freely chose me. What then do I have to boast about except His goodness, His mercy, His grace?

    Obedience or Relationship

    In the beginning, in the garden, what do you believe The Father most desired – obedience or relationship?

    Is obedience all that God wanted? Is it possible to obey God yet not trust Him thus missing out on a relationship with Him? Can we trust without obeying?

    Pondering this quote from Catherine Marshall in Beyond Ourselves

    By giving humans freedom of will, the Creator has chosen to limit his own power. He risked the daring experiment of giving us the freedom to make good or bad decisions, to live decent or evil lives, because God does not want the forced obedience of slaves. Instead, he covets the voluntary love and obedience of sons who love him for himself.

    Share your thoughts with me… I’d love to hear them.

    Home-Based-Learning: Boybarians

    A Bible study for teenage boys

    Homeschool Boys ~ What is a homeschool? An education… a journey… an adventure… a lifestyle of twists, turns and trails. If your sons are like mine…. they are 4 wheelers and are always heading OFF trail. That is where this site comes in. Find here information and encouragement for moms of boys from a mom of all boys.
    I know this ‘mom’ from an online forum. She knows her stuff!

    How should we homeschool boys? Anyone who has ever been a parent to a little boy can tell you that they are generally louder, more energetic, and more physical than little girls. So when we homeschool boys, why do we think we can use the same teaching methods that we use for girls?

    Homeschooling Boys.com has 3 pages worth of articles that you’ll want to bookmark!

    From the above site the blog post, How Boys Learn

    Homeschool-Curriclum-For-Life has a page of encouragement

    Homeschool-Living.com has a few pages on boys:
    http://www.homeschool-living.com/homeschooling-boys.html
    http://www.homeschool-living.com/homeschooling-boys-II.html

    Suzanne from BlessedAmongMen shares her tips for homeschooling boys

    Heart of the Matter Online has a blog post on a day in the life with boys

    An insightful discussion took place at Simply Charlotte Mason on homeschooling boys:

    Articles by Douglas and Nancy Wilson

    Future Men
    Hard Work
    The Long March
    Manners for Boys
    Boyish Imagination
    Mothers in Proverbs by Nancy Wilson (wife of Douglas Wilson)

    No Greater Joy has heaps of posts and articles on raising boys

    Books for boys, reluctant readers, and why reading is so important

    Homeschooling Boys by Pattie Curran

    APlus Homeschooling has a page on boys too

    My own few posts on homeschooling our boys

    A Few Books

    Dangerous Book for Boys
    Young Man After God’s Own Heart
    Do The Hard Things
    Preparing Sons to Provide for a Single-Income Family Steve Maxwell
    I Kissed Dating Goodbye Joshua Harris
    Raising a Modern Day Knight, Robert Lewis
    Future Men, Douglas Wilson
    Raising Boys, Steve Biddulph
    Wild at Heart, John Eldridge

    Do you have any articles, blog posts or worthy books to add to the list?

    MacArthur… on parenting

    We’re certainly not to think that God’s sovereignty in salvation means the way we raise our kids is immaterial. God often uses faithful parents as instruments in the salvation of children.
    ~ John MacArthur

    Proverbs 31

    Originally posted in Jan, 2006.

    This isn’t an original idea but something that I have just printed up and put in my kitchen. The idea was one of Christa. Christa doesn’t have a website but she shares on the FamilyLife Fellowship board. Thanks Christa!

    She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.
    Prov 31:27

    WATCHES

    W – Water and weight
    A – Adoration (time with the Lord)
    T – Teaching
    C – Celebration (something special for someone or all in the family)
    H – Home Blessing (cleaning)
    E – Exercise and Eating
    S – Study God’s Word

    Leaving a legacy?

    Friday, from the archives.

    Driving in the car…washing dishes…sweeping the floor, preparing a meal…reading a good book…visiting the new neighbour…running errands and paying bills. What do these have in common? These are a few things that I have had opportunity to do this week…to do with my children. And it is through these tasks and delights that I have opportunity to share the good news of God with them.

    One of my favourite verses in God’s word is Deuteronomy, chapter 6. I particularly like Chapter 6: but that’s only because of the surrounding verses. The writer of these verses is Moses.

    Moses went to Egypt and led the Israelites out of Egypt. They wandered around in the wilderness for 40 years. So close yet so far away from the Promised Land. During all this time the people of Israel had fallen away form the Lord and the teachings of Moses. Moses goes to Mt. Sinai and receives the Commandments from God. I often need to remember why the Law was given. It was given to reveal divine holiness! It showed who God is… His standards of righteousness. When I look at the commandments I can see how far short I have fallen…and how I can never attain adherence to them of myself.

    I was intrigued to learn that it took the Israelites about 40 hours to get out of Egypt but it took 40 years for the Israelites to find the promised land- or as I’ve heard is said somewhere before, “It took 40 years to get Egypt out of Israel.” However, the other interesting point is that Moses didn’t get to enter the promised land. Only two of the Israelites who were taken out of Egypt got to enter it and they were Joshua and ‘Master C’ . Al the others had died and there was a new generation.

    Just before his death, before the entrance to the promised land, Moses gave a final word of admonition and exhortation or additional instruction. (Interestingly, Jesus also quotes this verse)
    Moses was their leader. He helped them to live godly lives amongst heathen nations. As THE Word was taught to us, so we must teach it to our children.

    God knows that our teachings, lives and beliefs can influence future generations. He wants us to think this way. How many generations can you see in the verses? Three! That means me, my children and my grandchildren!

    I’ve heard many people say that they wish there was a handbook or guidebook for this whole parenting caper. And there is! It is the Bible!

    So, what are we to pass down to the generations- to our children. Head knowledge? It may start there but it must be more than that. It must be in our lives. The word must change us. Along with a knowledge of God we must also have a fear of the Lord. It starts with love. Otherwise, all we have is religion.

    I wasn’t raised a Christian although my mother converted before I came to know the Lord so I say that my mother is the first generation Christian. It began with her.  She started to live out her life in God in front of me…and I picked up on that passion. I think that a possible danger for me is that I may become complacent in the living out of my faith and thus my children will become that way or even acknowledge God’s commands but not live in the fear or love of the Lord. Oh Lord, create in me a clean heart…keep my heart drawn to you.

    Am I excited about what God is doing in my life or has done for me? Do I share my walk with them? How are they to ‘catch’ my passion if I don’t share it with them?

    Grace: Received, Not Achieved.

    What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
    1Corinthians 4:7

    Why, oh why do I (man) like to think that I have something, just a little something, to do with my salvation. Do I not realise that in thinking this way I am blaspheming? I had nothing, NOTHING, to do with my salvation. God has given me all things richly to enjoy. Everything created by God is good. Every good giving and every perfect gift comes down from the Father God.

    For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
    2 Corinthians 8:9

    In this passage, Paul means ‘you were poor’ and ‘without strength’. He means that I was totally impoverished, wholly weak. I could not lift a finger, nor raise a whisper to effect my salvation… in any way! I was a sinner, with no way of escape and I deserved nothing – certainly not mercy nor grace. Yet God not only loved me freely but through the act of grace He redeemed me. Did I deserve it? No way! Did I help the process along? Of course not! From the Cross flowed the grace of God.

    Maybe there was something about my actions or attitude that moved God to grace? Eek! No! God can not be manipulated! It is sheer favour on His part. Only God could turn the heart of this sinner toward Himself. I didn’t deserve to be shown grace or favour. I could not obtain nor procure this grace… there was nothing I could do to warrant this grace – it flowed from God. It still flows from Him. No sin that that I commit lessens His grace from being poured out and any good works do not procure more grace from Him. It was grace. It is grace and it flows abundantly from the Father all the time.

    God showed me His grace by giving me gifts; the gifts of repentance, faith and forgiveness. I didn’t find the Lord. He sought me and found me! I didn’t make my decision for Christ! How could I when I was dead in my sins? How could I convert from sinner to saint? Only by His grace. As Jeremiah said:

    Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored!
    Lamentations 5:21a

    Gymming it again

    I love fresh starts… and I’m about to embark on yet another one. yet again, I struggle to find the ever-so elusive self discipline but again I will try.

    Why bother? I will try again not only because it is an example to my children to try, try, try again but also because I know how good I was feeling before my knee injury. I want to get back there again!

    I have weighed in this morning and whilst it isn’t that good that I’m going to reveal the numbers on my blog (are you crazy?) I will say that it isn’t the heaviest I have been in the last 12 months nor is it as depressing as it could be.

    Last year before my knee injury I was really getting somewhere. I was getting fit and strong and having a lot more energy. I was really feeling the benefits! So I’ve done it once… I will do it again!

    I have joined the gym again.

    Now before some of you (like Jacqui) will feel a compulsion to slap me I have to tell you why I have rejoined Contours. Yes, I know I did say it was soft and I wanted to go to a ‘real gym’. Girls, if I offended you then all I can do is to ask for your forgiveness. And yes, you can cyber slap me, just not too hard. :struggle:  So I am back at Contours and really enjoying it.  I am aiming to go to the gym 4 days a week, possibly on Monday & Tuesday and then again on Thursday & Friday. I will continue to work on the rowing machine after the circuit. I do wish that at some point,  I will be getting one of those rowing machines for home, then I’ll be the best shape of my life. They even do Zumba classes now but seeing as how that is an extra fee I won’t be rushing off to wiggle my jiggly bits just yet. They also offer a weekly kickboxing class which I am really keen for but I just want to strengthen my knee a little more before doing that.

    But back to my point… why did I go back to Contours after being at a ‘real gym’?  Have you ever noticed that each gym seems to have its own emphasis or culture? Well, they do! Contours feels feminine but the emphasis isn’t about getting to the point where you can strut your stuff in lycra. It’s more about being strong and toned and healthy. I’ve been to two gyms in the last 12 months and well, suffice it to say that I haven’t seen silicone where it shouldn’t be whilst at Contours. The other emphasis that Contours has that many other gyms don’t have is that of stretching. We all know that stretching is really important but many gyms don’t breathe this as a culture. In fact, you can feel like a real noob if you want to stretch after a workout. Not so at Contours because it is part of the circuit routine. As women, this is vitally important and a component of my workout that I did miss when I went to a ‘normal’ gym.

    I had my biological age testing done. Well, you all know that I’m 40, turning 41 in a few months. I didn’t expect to have a biological age of anything under 45 (due to my health issues) but imagine my disappointment when my bio age came back at 48. Oi voi! I can and will reduce this. I will. (Although I’m not doing the 6 week challenge)

    So there you go. I’m back on my Fit n 40 Quest although I am now 40 so will change it to ‘the 40’s’. I want to be fit throughout my 40’s.

    Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.

    What Do You Use To Measure

    Friday: From the Archives

    Each Friday I plan to post a previous post from the archives. Hope you enjoy it!

    What’s your measuring stick?

    (Originally posted here in Nov, 2005)

    What do I use as a yardstick to measure my family’s growth by? I think a lot of us can fall into this trap of listening to others. Sometimes this ‘others’ can be friends or it can just as easily be the local support group, or email group/message board or curricula. I think the key is that peer pressure of the homeschool variety can happen whenever we take our *seeking* eyes away from God and look to others. Ultimately, it isn’t about what everyone else is doing or using or how they home-school as that is all external- it should be about us and the work of God in our hearts.

    I think that this homeschool peer pressure is real and it does exist. I think a lot of us have been taken in by peer pressure at some stage or another. Sometimes it takes us to hit the (home-school) pit or rock-bottom (burnout for some???) to realize that we are all individual and need to put our eyes back to God. In this home-school journey where a lot of our results are not directly seen, we look for reassurance as this provides a certain measure of comfort. We do this because we no longer have delegated the responsibility of teaching academics to a school or teacher and that responsibility is ours now and we don’t want to muck it up. However, using the person next to you, or another family is not THE measuring stick we should be using. We need to go to God and allow Him to direct our path.

    Lord, draw us to you. Bring our hearts back to you and show us when we are using something else as a yardstick.

    Parenting – for whose sake?

    To go along with the quote I posted reviously, here is another one. Ouch! Yes, God I know… but isn’t it enough already?

    The challenges of raising a child are as much for the sanctification of the parents as they are for the benefit of the child.
    ~ Bryan Chapell

    God’s Hidden Agenda

    I know, I know… I have quoted this saying so many times that many of my friends are probably sick of hearing it. But it seems to be my life motto  so I have to share it again.

    “God’s initial goal for Christian homeschooling families is not the raising of godly children. Instead, God’s wonderful, but subtly hidden agenda is that the homeschooling experience be so challenging for the parents that they feel the need and hunger for a closer walk with their heavenly Father.”
    ~Wisdom’s Way of Learning by Marilyn Howshall

    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!

    Facebook security check

    Just a quick note: to all my friends who do use Facebook you’ll know that I often post links or tips to help you keep up to date with Facebook happenings and Facebook security. Here is a neat little application that will check your privacy settings for you. It takes about 2 minutes and will let you know where your security weaknesses are. Take a minute and check it… please. For your sake, not mine.


    http://www.reclaimprivacy.org/facebook

    And another tool is the Facebook Sanitiser, which does a lot of the work for you… but I prefer the first link.
    http://facebooksanitizer.com/

    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!

    What about my rights?

    “To be broken means to have no rights before God and man. It does not mean merely surrendering my rights to Him but rather recognizing that I haven’t any, except to deserve hell. It means just being nothing and having nothing that I call my own, neither time, money, possessions nor position.”

    ~ Roy Hession, The Calvary Road

    How to eat an elephant

    One bite at a time!

    Where to begin? It’s been over one month since I last posted! I have heaps to write about but very little time in which to do so. I could have logged on and just written quick snippets but I keep holding out for the time to write that long, descriptive, captivating, interesting, catch-up yet elusive post. So here I am today, not even bothering to attempt to catch up everything but just trying to get this first post out of the way so I can get back to my normal irregular posting.

    We went away for Easter! Well most of us did. Miss R stayed here in Adelaide with friends as she had to work. She is an apprentice chef, have I told you that before? John, Miss A, Master C and I left late on the Thursday evening and arrived in Victoria 10 hours later. Yes, you guessed it- we were there for a softball tournament. Miss A played, I coached and John umpired. I think he worked harder than any of us as he did 4 games every day! Anyway, we had to leave Master J at home by himself on the Thursday night as he was leaving the next day on a plane to go to Puckapunyal. He had been selected to be part of a SA Fieldcraft Competition team for Air Force Cadets. Yes, we trusted him to stay by himself and lock the house up totally before leaving. ‘Twas a bit scary from our point of view but upon our return he had done a great job of locking up and doing a quick tidy before he left. He had a great time, learned a lot and his team came 2nd in the whole competition! WhooHoo!

    We returned home on Easter Monday and life has been go-go-go ever since! Softball apparently winds down at this time of year but in doing so there are heaps of presentation nights to attend. Miss A received a few awards such as: A Grade Softballer of the Year for the club, MVP for the SA U/19 State team and was selected in the SA Team of the Year as Pitcher! (She was also the Captain for the SA 19 State team and they played in a premiership, although they didn’t win.) All in all a good season for Miss A, despite a dislocated thumb and nasty 6″ x 6″ gravel burn that got infected.

    Miss A has been selected in the Invitational Team (U/23) to represent Australia. This isn’t the same as being in the Aussie Squad rather the aim of the event is to develop players at this age group to enhance their skills and give them a greater opportunity of stepping up to the senior state and potentially national level, which is what she is working toward. So, she is training daily and I’m helping her. It’s been a few years since I coached her and whilst I love it, it does take approximately 2 hours per day.

    Since then John has been very busy at work, sometimes leaving home at 6am and getting home at 5pm… but I think the most tiring part of it all is the 1 hour drive to and from work. Master J has started his first ever season of football and he’s doing quite well so far. He takes himself off to training twice a week and the rest of us love to watch him play on Sunday afternoons. It’s quite different for us, just sitting, watching and cheering as opposed to being at softball where we’re always working. Master J also celebrated his 15th birthday yesterday and continues to eat us out of house and home. We are very proud of him and it is lovely to watch him maturing into a godly, mature young man.

    Last night, over tea we recalled his birth story. He was born early in the morning (as were all my children) and he was pretty big… not my biggest but my second biggest at 10 pound, 7 ounces. From my waters breaking to delivery of that sweet little bundle was about 90 minutes. All went well with him except that I struggled to keep him awake long enough to feed so he was not regaining his birth weight. When he was 10 days old, the doctor was concerned about a possible heart murmur so sent us to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital where he had a load of tests done. All the tests came back fine but he still wouldn’t wake up, feed or gain weight. One experienced nurse listened to me as I shared about his birth and she said that he might very well just ‘wake up‘ on day 14 as she had seen it a few times before with big babies and quick labours. Well, would you believe it but exactly on day 14, my little boy woke up, started screaming for food and hasn’t stopped since!

    I’ve been slowly getting better with my knee. I started walking and cycling on the bike but as typical of me I went a bit too gung-ho and set myself back a little… must learn to pace myself.

    Other than knee recovery, softball presentations, softball training, homeschooling, football games, website development, enjoying family and home duties I guess that about sums up my happenings!

    Now, back to my ever-irregular blog posts…

    Unschooling or School At Home. So which is it?

    If you’ve read my blog over the years or my forum posts you may be excused for wondering what type of homeschoolers we are! One month we seem to be favouring an unschooling approach and another month we seem to be doing school-at-home! Looking at our homeschooling timeline may not help clear the issue either.

    So which is it?

    Neither and all!

    We have seasons. I don’t like labels as they are too constricting. Rather we go with the flow. So we have had times when we have fully unschooled, but then our life has changed a little and a new season begins so unschooling stops. Because this is following the natural rhythms of our family it is easy for the children to adapt- it is natural.

    Therefore I cannot say that we are unschoolers, or natural learners, or anything really… other than home-based-learners. I find it difficult to truthfully answer questions like this. I want to answer but even if I respond by painting a picture of what our homeschooling season looks like now, in a few months it will have changed and that picture will no longer be an accurate portrayal of our life.

    I know that doesn’t help new or inquiring homeschoolers much (when they really want a concrete picture) but it is the truth. Over the years we have just done what needed to be done. Sometimes this has meant formal spelling lists and at other times it has meant NO spelling focus at all.

    There is a time for everything. Observe your family rhythm. Observe your children. Be decisive in your course of action. Embrace each season. Live together, play together, pray together, love.

    What is the Chief End of Homeschooling?

    We started the learning-at-home adventure toward the end of 1996, so this is our 13th year. Over that time I have been bamboozled, ferhoodled, and lacking in confidence through to confident, visionary and fulfilled. I have gone through a many seasons, each bringing their own emotions, ups and downs. On the AussieHomeschool forum, a dear lady asked the following questions:

    Come on ladies, tell me – who has some secrets for keeping your cool? How do we get a grip on those flaky days? Any overcomers out there?

    It’s not often that I get to answer in the positive in things like this… but I’d really have to say that after 13 years of home based learning and raising 4-5 children, I am an overcomer! I am surviving and so are the children!

    rp_forgiven.jpg No, it’s not because I am perfect or that I have it together– because nothing could be further from the truth. So, what is my secret? Can others experience this peace too?

    Trust. Surrender

    Knowing that this journey is also about me. Knowing that this journey is more about relationships than academics.

    I have a temper. And a short fuse although, by the grace of God and learning to practice the presence of God, it is lengthening. I also have a potty mouth. I have been known, in the past, to speak in a way that cuts people to the core, leaving them drowning in a pool of blood. I hated myself. I hated my actions and the complete lack of self control I had over my emotions and my tongue. And yes, sadly, my older children do remember my propensity toward uncontrollable, verbal rage. I am thankful for the Cross, and its power to heal. My journey does not end there, That was who I was, not who I am.

    • I have learned that homeschooling is not about perfection or anything closely resembling it, but it is about developing relationships.
    • I’ve learned that homeschooling is an extension of parenting and this is still the same whether or not my child attends public school, private school, homeschool books or unschooling.
    • I’ve learned that homeschooling is not a goal… it is a process. I’ve learned that the children growing up to *look like* a perfect homeschooler is just nowhere near good enough.
    • I’ve learned that this homeschooling journey isn’t about academics, nor is it even about character, for character will not get anyone into heaven!

    The goal of this homeschooling business is that I should become so dependent upon God that I fall onto my knees daily, seeking His face, hungering after a touch from Him. Parenting should drive me to my knees!

    What does this practically mean when I’m knee deep in laundry and eating cereal or toast for tea? It means that there is an eternal reason for all this mess, untidiness, and constant training. That reason is that God wants ALL of us- our entire life. Our goal is to love God and glorify Him forever – in the midst of spilled Weetbix and poopy nappies and children that can’t spell.

    I know this isn’t the most practical advice you’ve ever heard but in all honesty, it is truth and reality for me. I’ve tried everything over the years. I’ve tried great schedules, quiet times, days off, and all those other things but for me, they are all temporary reprieves. Seeking after the heart of God in earnest, before ALL other things is the only way I have been able to flourish, not just survive.
    The only practical thing I can offer is that this too shall pass. Things do get easier. As the children get older, as they invariably do, things will get easier. I promise. Of course, the developing ages bring their own unique set of curve balls but again, it’s back to the beginning…

    What is the chief end of man?

    Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

    Photo credit: Forgiven by Greg Olsen Art

    Michal: first wife of King David

    Knowing I was going to be laid up recently I had been on the lookout for a new fiction book. I don’t remember how I came to find out about this new series but I’m glad that I did. I have been wondering if I’d find a series to enjoy as much as I loved Gods and Kings… and this is looking promising.

    The series is The Wives of King David by Jill Eileen Smith. The first book is Michal and whilst it is fiction I did gain a deeper insight into the life, times and culture of this era. I still don’t understand how David had many wives but this book gave me some thoughts to ponder.

    The author’s research for The Wives of King David series was broad and in-depth, spanning Bible commentaries, Bible encyclopedias, Bible dictionaries, archaeological magazines, books on manners, customs, and life and times of the Old Testament eras. She searched websites for Bible places, Hebrew words, and interesting tidbits, studied maps and photos of Israel, made idea boards where she “cast” models and actors into the novel’s starring roles to help her “see” her characters, read books on women of the Bible, Bible cookbooks, and tried some of the recipes. As a final research tool, she traveled with her husband to Israel, giving her a final hands-on feel for the place.

    I don’t know about you but that sounds like a *living book* to me!

    I’d not read much about Michal before (unlike my studies of Abigail) but this book has gotten me into the word again. Funny, isn’t it… how facts when placed in a novel can really make a story come alive.

    Interested in reading the first chapter? Head to the books website: Michal and download Chapter 1.

    Suffice to say that I’m reading through the books of Samuel whilst I wait for the next book, (Abigail) to arrive.

    Kneeding to rest

    Well, I’m in and out. Had the knee surgery and am on the mend. The surgeon found that the problem wasn’t as much with my meniscus cartilage as much as it was Joint Surface Damage. There was a bone flap that was sticking out and causing the pain and trouble. So he cut it off, filed it down and it should settle very quickly. He shaved off a little of the remaining meniscus cartilage but I still have a little of that left on the inner side of the knee. However weighted squats and lunges are off the weight training agenda for me, which is downer but at least I will be largely pain free and ready for softball next season!

    Okay, so it’s not really called a bone flap but that’s what it looked like when the Dr. drew a diagram. It’s actually called Joint Surface Damage and it could happen playing sport with twisting or lifting too heavy a weight- which is what I think it was with me. Properly named chondromalacia or chondral fracture can occur the same ways that ligament tears happen. It can degenerate over time with incorrect mechanics of an activity or it can be damaged instantly.

    I went in at 7am last Friday morning and was home by 3pm! I had a great sleep that night, even slept on my tummy and it didn’t hurt the knee. Over the following 2 days I felt pretty good so I pushed it a bit much. I had to go back to resting more and it seems to be slowly getting stronger. I have a follow up appointment with the surgeon next week and I hope to find out when I can go back to exercising.

    John has had all this week off work and it’s been great- although we haven’t gotten much done. We’ve had all week off lessons so will resume next week when life returns to normal. (Huh? What is normal?)

    Thanks to all those who have prayed for me and a speedy recovery. Much appreciated. :pray:

    Kneeding surgery

    Well hasn’t it been a busy week? With taxi-ing children to their activities, upgrading websites, building new ones, housekeeping, softball, phone calls and forums there’s little time left over for blogging!

    Who remembers that I injured my knee late last year? Actually it’s the second knee injury I’ve sustained. I tore the meniscus cartilage 6 years ago and had to have surgery to have the right side of the cartilage cut back and shaved.  I knew how I did that injury though- I did a softball movement and felt and heard a distinctive “pop”.

    Not so this time! I thought at first, that I had injured it again at softball but the more I’ve thought about it I believe it happened at the gym. I tried to go too hard at an exercise which strained the muscles and ligaments around the knee and then without giving it sufficient rest I used a machine which should never be used with those who have knee problems. I felt a little ‘pop’ but nothing major. However continuing to exercise hard and play softball aggravated it and made it worse until I tore the cartilage severely.

    It took me awhile to go to the doctors to get a referral to the specialist because I knew it would mean surgery and I was too busy! C’mon surely other homeschool mum can relate to that?

    Eventually I went. My surgery was scheduled for the 26th March. Eek! This would be cutting it fine as exactly 7 days later I was due in Melbourne to coach an U/19 Women team. Thankfully the assistant had put me on the cancellation list. Last week I received a call from the surgeon’s office asking if I wanted to come in early. Oh yeah! so, tomorrow is the day!

    Miss A and I will leave home at 6.30am and John will pick me up after work later on in the evening. Miss A will then head back home and oversee the boys doing their household chores and lessons. Then they’ll head out and do the grocery shopping. She even hopes to have a meal cooked but i think she may be guilty of over scheduling. 😉

    I don’t know how long recovery will be as it depends upon what the surgeon has to do. From the x-ray it looks like he will have to cut back the left side of the meniscus which will leave me with no meniscus cartilage but the worst part of that is a dull arthritic pain which I get now anyway. So I’m not fussed, there’s people all over the world a lot worse off than me. It will be lovely to not be in constant pain though – I am looking forward to that.

    I’m also looking forward to getting back into exercise! Wow I have missed it. I’ve also felt it in my body too. At first I thought that I could keep exercising my upper body but the reality is that constant pain just wore me down and I have barely been making it through each day. The thought of trying to exercise is just way too much at this stage. But soon… soon I will be back on the bike and treadmill and lifting the weights!

    Anyway, that’s my bit of news for the week… how’s life at your place?

    No Power

    I hope my dear blogging buddies aren’t hanging out for an enlightening post… as this will just be a quick update on our week, or part thereof.

    The week has been all over the place! We received notice that our electricity supply would be cut off on Tuesday for line maintenance. Fair enough. And so it was from 10am until 11pm. Longer than expected.

    It went off on Wednesday unexpectedly… so they (electricity people) finally got the street running on a back up generator. Then at 8pm, it went off because they had come to work on it. We were without power until midnight when it went back on the generator.

    All day yesterday I expected the power to go off again while they took us off the generator and tried to fix the problem but it didn’t happen. Until last night at 6.30pm. (Just when people get home from work and want to cook tea) Power went out again and didn’t come back on until midnight (on the generator).

    I wouldn’t mind so much if they would do a quick letter box drop and let us know. I mean they know it’s going to happen so at least let the street now, right? I can’t figure out why they don’t fix it during the day- why at night?

    Our whole neighbourhood is in an uproar… except us. We’re not too fussed. I mean, it can’t be helped so no point in whinging. We see it as a chance for adventure and for character development… and the opportunity to discipline ourselves to ‘make hay while the sun shines‘. Hmmm, thing is we’re doing alright with the attitude stuff, just not with the discipline of making hay.

    So if I have been a bit quiet, that’s why.

    More later…

    5 Reasons Why Websites Make Changes

    Facebook recently changed their whole layout. As is typical on Facebook, a large number of groups and pages were created by users to express their anger and frustration. Groups such as “I hate the new FB. Give us back the old layout!” and other such titles. The number of comments from people who logged on to the FB account, saw the changes and whined annoyed me. People asked (well, they posed it as a question but I doubt they really want to know the answer) “Why does FB have to change all the time?“.

    Now I don’t know much about FB or why they do what they do. But I do know a little about website development, albeit on a much smaller scale than FB. Security, cutting down on bandwidth, advertisers, cosmetic appearance and usability are all some of the reasons that I know of for changing a site’s layout and setup. They may have other reasons yet again but these are the ones that I can think of…probably because they’re the reasons that I have when changing AussieHomeschool’s site layout and functions.

    Security is paramount!

    Surely no one would disagree with this. Well, just as hard as site owners work there are sick hackers who work harder, seeming to get pleasure from defacing (at the least) and hacking into sites. Website security and patches moves at such a ridiculous rate… it’s hard to keep up, but we must. And sometimes, not every time, but some times a complete layout is needed to fit in with the security updates.

    Bandwidth: an issue for everyone.

    Just because I might be have a great broadband connection doesn’t mean that I should strive to make my website and bandwidth friendly as possible. Did you realise that your Facebook is free? Yup, you didn’t pay for it. In fact, any surfing of FB that you do comes out of your monthly bandwidth limit. But did you realise that FB also has to pay for a bandwidth limit so it costs them bandwidth every time we (users) download or view a page! Same with AussieHomeschool- it doesn’t cost the user to view the site but we pay our monthly bandwidth fee as part of our account. The bigger the page the higher the bandwidth. So the more streamlined and smaller each page can be, the better for all of us! (however I’m sure that FB doesn’t struggle to meet its payments like most smaller websites).

    Advertisers

    Layout changes occur because of the bandwidth issue and streamlining of pages but also to accommodate the needs of advertisers. Well, someone has to pay, don’t they? FB is a free service but they largely depend upon advertisers. And as with most forms of media, a great deal of weight is given to advertisers. It’s just how the world turns! Same with our non profit sporting club – we give as much credit and weight as we can to our sponsors and donators, for they help keep the club alive. That’s fair, isn’t it?

    New features and functions

    Sometimes the layout changes occur because of the advancements in website design. New features and functions are constantly being developed and these changes are most often for the user’s benefit. If there were no change, there would be no Web2.0. We’d all still be reading text from static HTML pages! Imagine life with no status updates, no interactivity. Oh my!

    Browsers

    Other times changes occur in order to keep up with modern browsers. All web browsers read and render information differently. Most browsers adhere to web standards but not all. AussieHomeschool and this site were built according to web standards. At the time of initial publication of each template used the sites adhere to web standards but Internet Explorer 5,6 and 7 do not read websites the same as other modern, functioning browsers. Therefore, as the IE browser upgrades changes, adaptations are made to sites and components used so that it can attempt to accommodate IE. Not easy.

    Firefox

    Some seem to complain for the sake of complaining. Seems to me that some people updated their status indicating their dislike for the new layout before even having a play with it. In fact, the whole layout is easier. It is more compact yet more comprehensive. Previously, every corner of the FB screen contained links: Top left, top right, bottom left and bottom right. Hmmm, quite a scroll to get to the bottom at times. However now all the information is found at the top of every page: top left and top right hand corner. In most cases it may only be one click extra but it’s all in the one place. This is clever site design.

    Developing character

    I was bemused to see the amount of younger people griping about the new layout and how much they hated it! Some were swearing in protest and saying they would leave FB.   🙄 Wow, if they can’t handle a little thing like layout changes then how will they handle the lemons that life may throw their way? We do well to model and teach our children to be flexible and adaptable in this modern, technological age. They have a distinct advantage over the previous generation when it comes to technology… let’s hope they make the most of it!

    Lastly I had to spare a thought for the older generation. People like my dad! My dad will probably read this post… but he won’t comment. :-*  I hope that one day he will, but for now he is on a huge learning curve, just by owning a computer, learning to turn it on, open a browser and find his way around google and my website.  He is doing such a great job and I am so proud of him! It is no easy feat learning about modern technology when one hasn’t grown up surrounded by it. We can learn a lot from the older generation – namely the flexibility, adaptability, love of learning, zest for life and patience that our younger ones (myself included) need to develop.

    Next time a website changes (and most sites change layout and appearance at least annually) spare a thought for the site owner. There’s usually a good reason for it. At the very least, go download yourself a proper browser… you’ll be amazed at the difference!

    Daily Quiet Times

    I’ve always felt a bit like a loner when a discussion turns to ‘Quiet Times’. I usually offer my thoughts as they relate to me and my relational walk with the Father. But my thoughts seem somewhat different to many other Christian women. Why? Am I a freak? I know I don’t have all my theological ducks-in-a-row but I know my Father.

    Sometimes life feels as though it is against me. Dare I say it? Sometimes it feels as though God is against me. Yet I know this is not true. God isn’t my personal fairy God-father. rather, He is God and He allows the processes of  life to cause me pain but He has not, and will not ever abandon me.

    However, I’ve learned that I don’t have to try to have a relationship with my Father…He reveals Himself to me and reveals things about myself to me. He’s real in my life, whether or not I have a devotional time in the morning, the evening or in the shower!

    I don’t want to play the game of religion. I don’t even want to play the game of Christianity. I want to know God and I want to walk with Him. There was a time when I felt secure in my life because of certain ‘religious’ activities, but God has been pruning these things out of my life, showing me how unimportant (and sometimes detrimental) they really are to relational living with Him. Instead of filling week nights with ‘worship’ practice, worship nights, writing Sunday School curriculum, leading Kids Club, being a puppeteer and a handful of other activities I am re-learning how to live in His love, to follow His voice and totally depend upon Him.

    This is what it means to me when I say I am a believer, a follower of Christ. It means relational living with God, not one day a week nor several days a week at activities. Every decision I make centres around the Lord. Yet that is not to say that I get it right- far from it! But He knows my heart.

    So why do I feel like an odd ball when talking to other Christians about my ‘ daily quiet time’?

    I have never been one to use devotional aids. I find them contrived and largely artificial. I’m not one who religiously reads several chapters every day before breakfast. But in keeping with breakfast and eating, my ‘quiet time’ is akin to my diet. I simply don’t recall what I ate for breakfast 6 months ago. But I know it was nutritious and healthy and strength giving! If my diet goes downhill then so does my physical status after a time. Soon afterwards I’ll pick up again with my vitamins for it is this buildup of nutrients that will keep me strong and healthy – even in times of famine. (Not that we experience famine in the true sense of the word)

    My Bible reading is similar: I may not read three or four chapters every day. I may not remember what I read several months ago…but reading the Bible is is pure nourishment for my soul. It is this buildup of nutrients that keeps me strong – even in times of famine or the dry, hard times.

    Is anyone else an odd-ball or am I the only one?

    My Internet Reading

    What do you read when reading it quickly: GODISNOWHERE ?

    Now read it again. Slowly. What do you read now? 🙂 Hmmm, the placement of a space really makes all the difference eh?

    Well, I don’t have an awful lot to say at the moment. 😯  Actually, that’s not true at all. 😮 I always have plenty to say but I have neither the time to spend composing a message or it isn’t right for me to say at this time or in this place. However, I’d like to point you to a few links of interesting sites that I’m reading at the moment.

    An article called Higher Education by John Taylor Gatto
    12 Things You Might Not Have Learned in a Classroom
    I’ve linked to this before but I’m re- reading it. I always find something new to give me some direction or focus with my young adults.

    Part One of When Home Becomes A Dirty Word
    I’ve known Maria in the cyber world for about 10 years or so. She is a lovely, smart lady who is very real and down-to-earth.

    Also love this quote that is on Maria’s blog.

    Live your life from your heart. Share from your heart. And your story will touch and heal people’s souls.
    ~ Melody Beattie

    Amy over at Marigold Cottage asks about schoolwork and sick children.
    I plan to offer her my response… one day. :idk:

    Mom2Three is a darling gal who I’ve known online for a few years. I’ve been able to watch her process life’s circumstances and come to discern the Lord’s will for their family. (Sorry about the poor grammar but I have never met her husband but I know he’s involved in their decision. Hence why I fluctuate between ‘her’ and ‘their’). Her recent blog post, Seasons of Life and Change really leapt out at me especially where she talks about the positive changes around the dinner table.

    After school and evening time with family takes on an entirely different importance. Dinner conversations are more lively and exciting as we all fill each other in about our days, sharing the high points, and the low points. (Before, dinner conversations were mainly filling in dad, as he was the only one who didn’t know what had been happening.) Now, I look forward to what my kids share that goes on in “their world”.

    Even though my children aren’t at school the two girls work outside the home so I can relate to this too.

    Just in case you can’t find it with google here is 100 Excellent Online Resources For Christian Homeschoolers contains some great links.

    That’s all for now until I share about the program I’m using for my Bible reading.

    Quick Catch Up

    A quick catch up is better than no catch up eh?

    John is back at work and he leaves tomorrow morning at 5am…he returns on Friday. He will have to be away a lot this year. I don’t mind it so much while he’s gone. It’s the preparing to go and the first day that I hate.

    Miss A (18yo) is working two jobs but still only working between 10 – 20 hours a week. She’s a bit frustrated with it but is trying to practice trusting in God. Of course, she is still working out at the gym, doing heaps of training and studying for her Cert 3 in Fitness.

    Miss R (17yo) is doing well with her apprenticeship. She’s a few months into now and seems to be enjoying it more each week. Next month she is to spend in at a fancy hotel for her training so that will provide her with a change of scenery. It’s a bit of a learning curve – from school to the adult working environment, but I think she is slowly getting the hang of it.

    A few months ago, before Christmas, I told the boys to pack up their computers into boxes. They thought it was punishment but it wasn’t. However they can have them back (maybe) once they show me that they can  manage their time more wisely. It’s been about four or five months since they’ve had their own computers… and whilst they have missed aspects of it hasn’t been as bad as they imagined it might be.

    Master J (14yo) has transferred to a different cadet unit. Last year he was doing an extra evening of cadets as he was in the drill team. He enjoyed the unit and it is closer and more convenient for us logistically so he has transferred. We are all slowly easing back into some formal bookwork although true learning hasn’t stopped. We haven’t much to report about homeschool curriculum or changes as we tend to pick up where we left off.  Master J is doing Math-U-See and Apologia General Science, with loads of literature. When I get around to it I’ll put up his current schedule. I’m planning for him to go through Open Access College in either 2011 or 2012 so we’re working toward that. I’ve always said that the boys cannot get a job, leave home or go to Uni until they have satisfied my academic requirements… so we’d better get a move on eh?

    Master C (12yo) is continuing on with his lessons. He too is using MUS for maths and is reading through “It Just Couldn’t Happen” for science. Yes, we tend to focus more on science and maths for the boys. I don’t know why but it a prompting from the Holy Spirit and I’ve learned to not bother arguing with Him.  We’ll also be trying to focus more on physical activity, especially for Master C as he has a typical endomorph body type and tends to get pain and stiffness in his hips and lower back.

    I have gone and injured my knee – even more than before Christmas. I knew then that surgery would be required. I injured it further on the weekend by playing softball. I was in lots of pain on Saturday and couldn’t sleep so took a few pain relief tablets in the morning and slept most of Sunday! Miss A drove me to the doctor this morning where he told me the inevitable – surgery… again. I was just trying to get through to the end of softball season and then go in and have the surgery, but it is so painful at the moment that I cannot even perform basic household tasks. I have the specialist appointment on Feb 19th so will find out more then. I do hope that the meniscus cartilage simply needs a good clean and scrape and that’s all. But I’ll know more after the 19th.

    I haven’t been to the gym for ages! I’ve really missed it too. I’ve started to feel it in my back and upper body so had resolved to head back this week- even if I can only do upper body and core, it is better than nothing at all. That was before my knee has acted up. I’ll take it a day at a time and get to the gym as soon as I can.

    Last week I was so blessed and delighted to catch up with Bec! I love catching up with people that I have a little history with. For other nomads you’ll know what I mean but for those with their roots planted firmly in the one place I’ll explain. I know many people… many, many people. But we move around so much that it can be difficult to get to know people in depth. Bec is someone that I’ve known for over 10 years (and even then we both grew up in the same town).  We both shared our early years of the learning at home journey together. I recall many a spontaneous get together where our children would run wild in the backyard. Or I would leave my children at her house for a couple of hours while I did the shopping or zipped through and did the housework…then the following week her children would come to my place.  We have history. She knew my children when they were still in nappies (or should have been, as she recalled a fond memory). It was such a beautiful day when she drove all the way to visit and take me out for lunch. We went to Soul Food cafe and had a Warm Chicken Salad and 3 cappuccino’s, made by a Latte Artist – Miss A. 🙂  Next time I hope to see her children as well.

    We had a new look on AussieHomeschool awhile ago but for some reason it is acting up. Particularly with Internet Explorer. Of course it will play up with IE because IE refuses to adhere to web standards like all quality browsers do. I despise IE, I really do. Anyway, I’ll be back to working on it and sorting out the javascript problems, which will mean a slightly new look yet again, which will in turn mean many complaints from people. Oh well, I suppose my pay can be docked eh?

    So there it is- our quick update. I’ve enjoyed trying to keep up with blogs and websites but I haven’t done much in the way of commenting or responding, but that’s simply the season of life that I’m in at the moment. I’m sure at another time I’ll be back in full force, posting and commenting and driving my blogging friends nuts again. :clap:

    Avatar Movie…an interesting teaching tool

    Ah, well I offered my thoughts (in the form of a comment) on a Jeanne’s blog post so thought I might as well as post it here as well. Why not, it is my blog after all.

    Regular readers of my blog will know that we’re a Sci-Fi lovin’ family. We get to explore all sorts of concepts without the bias that often comes from a real world scenario. So suffice to say that I couldn’t wait to watch this movie. Now, my disclaimer is that we watched the film at the drive-in… not in a 3D at the cinema. I’ve heard that the movie *must* be watched in 3 D so maybe my opinion is coloured by that…

    It just didn’t deliver!

    Maybe I’m getting old, I don’t know but it just didn’t cut it for me.

    Sure the graphics were amazing but I want more story, more plot, more character development than graphics. I just don’t get amazing computer generated graphics- I prefer the real thing. God’s creation (nature) is mind blowing and yet we still need to dress it up with even more colour in these movies? I just don’t get it. Visually it was a little overwhelming for me…but that’s probably just me. I get sensory overload easily….

    Using the movie as a teaching tool allowed us to show the boys how pantheism (faith equating nature with God) can look and how it contrasts with a biblical worldview. We also contrasted the view of a biblical worldview with that of animism, which is the belief that ‘spirits’ are everywhere and are in everything (remember this in The Lion King?) Don’t get me wrong: we use all sorts of movis as teaching tools…I just don’t get the hype about this one. Epic? Classic… what like the Lord of the Rings Trilogy? I don’t think so. Not even close. As much as I love Middle Earth and Hobbiton I’ve not known of anyone who became depressed or suicidal because it was fantasy world… unlike the story which CNN reports here.

    The plot was totally predictable, with very little character development. A lot of cultural, spiritual and political opinion resonates from this movie. In fact, I thought it was Pocahontas meets John Smith redone! Although I did giggle at some of the political comments like, “We will fight terror with terror.”

    Give me a good old drama anyway- one with twists and turns, character development, an interesting plot, real scenery and real flesh & blood.

    For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
    Romans 1:22 – 25

    The Work of a Teacher

    “The actual work of the teacher consists of the awakening and setting in action the mind of the pupil, the arousing of his self-activities… All explanation and exposition are useless except as they excite and direct the pupil in his own thinking…We are now ready to state the law of teaching: Excite and direct the self-activities of the pupil, and as a rule tell him nothing that he can learn for himself.”

    ~John Milton Gregory
    ~The Seven Laws of Teaching, p.84

    When To Start Homeschooling

    “When a baby is picked up, spoken to, and loved, he is starting his education as God planned it. For all our lives we are human beings, in an active state of learning, responding, understanding. Education extends to all of life. In fact, an educational system that says, one bright summer’s day in the dawn of my youth, ‘There. Now you are educated. This piece of paper says so,’ is doing me a gross disfavor. The truly educated person has only had many doors of interest opened. He knows that life will not be long enough to follow everything through fully.”

    ~Susan Schaeffer Macaulay~ For The Children’s Sake p. 8

    True Education

    “True education is a kind of never ending story – a matter of continual beginnings, of habitual fresh starts, of persistent newness.”

    ~J.R.R.Tolkien~

    Top Posts of 2009

    Best of 2009

    Y’know I never can tell how to best write these sorts of posts. Do I count the top 10 as the ones I enjoyed writing the most or the ones that received the most comments or…you know, it’s all rather relative to the individual eh?

    Top 12 posts (according to comments received)

    Homeschooling isn’t about education
    Parent of best friend?
    My domestic science routine
    Before… and during (health & fitness)
    Thoughts on blogging… but what to blog?
    Blender dilemma solved – green smoothies
    11 weeks of exercising
    Yes! I’m throwing a temper tantrum
    Do you tweet?
    Is my freedom your bondage?
    Mini master chef– our lasagne
    The Shack

    Yet the above list differs a lot from the next list. Below are the posts that I enjoyed writing or that were close to my heart.

    January

    My confession– ducks in a row
    Good works – relationship over religion
    Which Bible to use?

    February

    Our family principles

    March

    How we parent

    April

    Our lesson on Proverbs 26:17
    Choosing
    Reposting of my thoughts on the Passion of the Christ

    May

    Forgiven much
    Living by grace… or Law
    Cows and codes
    My exercising epiphany
    Exercising my options
    My thorn in the flesh
    Only but not lonely (my childhood)

    June

    Delight Directed Learning
    Our Story: Beginning to homeschool
    Something missing…
    Mapping the course- as the pilot
    Getting the direction – as co-pilot
    Developing the vision
    Putting it together

    July

    Surviving a book fair

    August

    New season of learning

    October

    Using the 5W’s and a H to teach

    November

    My lesson for today

    December

    To celebrate or not to celebrate…
    Who, why, what, when and where of Christmas in our home

    or… you could just visit the archives 🙂 Leave me a alink to your top 10 so I can visit or better yet, pop over and leave your link at the AussieHomeschool Blog- Best of 2009