Relax

Today I'd like to share this wonderful video by Todd Wilson, "The Family Man" and his wife.  Mr. Wilson has a great sense of humor and his family is so cute (so "good looking" as us Texans like to say). I always look forward to reading his column in The Homeschool Minute. Btw, if you live in or around the Houston area he will be speaking at the THSC Southwest Convention & Family Conference (Homeschool Convention).



Monday Prayer

Father, I praise You. Enable me to rest in You today. To relax. To be peaceful. Grant me a quiet and gentle spirit. Enable me to take joy in my children and in homeschooling. Both are a joy and a privilege and I am so grateful. So very grateful. No other life Lord do I wish...And Lord, help me to love on my husband...in whatever way he needs it. Help me to see him and meet his needs even (before) as I meet the needs of so many others. Enable me to love as You love. Open my eyes to the needs around me. Make my hands and feet Your hands and feet. And Lord, if you could remind me to put Ben on the potty and place it upon his heart to tell me when he needs to go - I'd so appreciate it. Thank you. Blessed be Your Name. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Ben's 18m Routine

I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I’ve been “pondering” (and putting into practice) the difference between a schedule and a routine. Right now I’m still not ready to share my final thoughts on what I believe the difference to be but since I was typing out Ben’s Daily Routine for myself I thought I’d go ahead and share it.

Ben’s Daily Routine – 18 months

Morning

Rise and Shine
Read with Mom
Breakfast
Free play or assigned activity with Aaron
Play yard
Snack
Video in chair
Lunch
Nap

Afternoon

Read with Mom
Snack
Free play or assigned activity with Bethany
Play yard
*Free play with Bess/time with Mom
*Video in chair
Dinner
Bath

Evening

Free play with Caleb (or assigned activity)
Play yard
**Free time with Family
Snack/dinner with Family
Free time with family
**Chair
Bedtime

You probably noticed that all the activities repeat. That is because it is easy for me and creates a sense of routine -constancy - for Ben. In other words, he knows what to expect when. In my mind consistency, order and routine = peace of mind for both of us. First we do this, then this, then this and it repeats three times a day. The actual time of day (as in the hour) does not matter as much as that things are relatively the same most days.

Now you are wondering about the older children’s assigned activities and what they are? The activities vary depending on the child, but basically each child (Aaron, Bethany, Caleb) is required to read to Ben (2 books a day) and to do a specific activity with him each day – play catch, stickers, blocks, coloring, puzzles, etc. The activity varies and is assigned weekly. They do the same activity with Ben each day all week although they are free to be creative (within reason). They are also assigned words to teach him. For example if their activity is to play ball with him, then their word for the week is “ball”.

Ben “talks” a lot and in what sounds like complete sentences, but none of his “talking” until this week has made any sense. This week he said his first real word, “uh-oh!” He says something like “mumm, mummm” for mom or sometimes "maaa, maaa, maaa". He does not say "da,da". Yesterday he spoke to me for a full minute - a long string of sounds but none of it made any sense. He was looking at me and pointing at something as well, but...it is almost as if he has created his own language. His brothers and sisters all talked -at least one or two words- and signed by 15 months. Ben knows a few signs as well. But, he doesn't use them consistently - which is more my fault than his.

A Few Final Thoughts and Notes:

I do have a few "almost" non-negotiable times that I follow - nap is at 11:30 am and bedtime is 8:00 pm. (Ben's naptime will change as he gets older. Right now he is still transitioning from two naps to one so an earlier nap works best. Eventually his nap will start around 12:00 or 1:00 pm. Naps usually last for 2-3 hours.) The "almost" refers to life happening. I no longer worry about my babies missing a nap because we are out or at church or because we had lunch later than normal. I just go with the flow and the baby naps as soon as we get back from wherever we went or finish whatever we were doing. I've also come to believe that it is important for children to learn to sleep in different locals - other than their crib. This makes trips and times when the child needs to nap away from home a much more pleasant experience.)

*These two activities might switch depending on the day and how busy I am.
** As time allows or as needed to calm down and get ready for bed.

School

"Mom, look! Here is the picture of the cat I was telling you about."

Diligence

1. School resumed yesterday (Monday).
2. I will not be posting very often – once a week at most (unless I find myself with more time than I expect to have).
3. So far I have been unable to finish all of our planned school work. There is just so much I’d like to do and get through…
4. It feels good and right to get back into the swing of things.
5. I’m not stressed about not finishing the work. I’ve learned that I’m not in control of anything.
6. Crock pots are wonderful. They save so much time.
7. In a previous post I joked about the Flylady, but implementing some of the habits she suggests has made my life easier and my husband a happier man. It is my prayer that I will be able to keep "Flying" as the year progresses.
8. My “words” for this year are self-discipline and relaxed. (I know those two concepts seem to be at odds with one another, but somehow they work together for me.

I’ll try to explain.

Self-discipline is about me. It is about me getting up and doing what needs to be done to start school on time, and to stay off the computer until I have the right –as in everything is done- to be on it, cutting back on expenses, planning meals, caring for my husband, children and house, etc. i.e. being consistent to do all that needs doing first. Btw, I do feel that I am free to be on the computer now. I did do all the “needful things” (not all that needs doing, but all that I feel God has called me to do so far today).

Relaxed has to do with my attitude and can be thought of as the opposite of stressed. Relaxed is how I feel when all my work is done and when I’m doing all that I’m called to do. It is knowing that I’m in the place where God wants me to be. When the sink is overflowing and I have children asking me for their work which I haven’t planned out and I have a baby crying to be fed relaxed is not how I feel. Relaxed is what comes when things are done right and in order…it is a feeling of peace. It is also “resting in God” or “resting on God” and not worrying about all that I did not accomplish…it is trusting that if I’ve done all my hands find to do – that I feel God has called me to do in a day (and yes, you know what that is…if you’ve been busy about your work and it is still unfinished, then you are there; if you’ve been busy about pursuing your own interests and ignoring the work that needs to be done, then you are not).

9. I am almost finished reading “Tending Your Garden” by Denise Sproul. Can I say, “I loved it!” I did. I did. So far Chapter Five is my favorite and the section within Chapter Five entitled Growing Peace had me saying, “Amen!”

10. Here is a wonderful download to listen to…

-Noel Piper on Sarah Edwards

Oh, and a little bonus…here is a link to Bellissima! a very cute homegrown shop for women and girls who desire to dress modestly. I discovered these sweet girls at the Texas Home School Convention. The beautiful girl pictured on the website checked me out.

And last but not least, my verse for this year…

So shall my Word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall accomplish that which I purpose and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. –Isaiah 55:11

School - What Works 1

Preschoolers and Peace is one of my favorite blogs. Kendra Fletcher has so much wisdom and practical knowledge to share. If you haven’t visited with her in awhile, you might want to head over there. She has a post up about school planning. If you are anything like me, then this is where your thoughts are turning as we wind down our school year and begin to look forward to the year ahead.

More later.

Ordinary Day

Today has been a rather ordinary day. By ordinary I simply mean we didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. I like ordinary. I like a slow easy flow to the day. I like knowing I don’t have to rush to go anywhere. I like being at home. I like home. Ordinary = a day at home, school, chores, every day stuff.

A small glass jar sits in front of me. It holds three red ladybugs, a few clovers, a large leaf (which according to Aaron has aphids on it), and a small prickly stick. It’s Aaron’s jar. He has a fascination with bugs and likes to collect them. I wonder how many other ten year old boys are still fascinated with bugs? It seems a bit old fashioned to me, but I’m okay with old fashioned. After Aaron found the bugs I suggested that he finally start the Nature Journal he has wanted to start forever. He did and is excited to continue this endeavor. I’m happy because it is an easy way to get him writing (which he hates). I have to remember to keep him writing though. I tend to have great ideas and then forget them the next day. Lol.

Here is a little about Auditory Processing Disorder and digit spans. Aaron has been working on digit spans daily and he has gone from being able to do only four numbers to being able to do five. He still struggles on certain number spans, which is really weird and baffling (he misses the same numbers over and over), but he is making progress so I’m happy. If we keep this up, I think he will be up to six digits by the summer. His goal is ten digits.

Earlier this week Caleb made this insightful comment, “Mom, is it all about God or is it about money?” Ha! Isn’t that the question! Convicted by a six year old. He also surprised me by picking up First Steps (a Pathway reader) and promptly reading (on his own) through it in two days, and then through Days Go By (book two) and now he is reading More Days Go By (the last first grade reader – his official grade is K, although I have him doing some first grade work). It’s nice to be surprised.

As soon as he is able to keep it himself, a nature-diary is a source of delight to a child. –Charlotte Mason

Ladybug Family - Coccinellidae

Aaron holding the Scout Flag (Colors)

Aaron receiving his Webelos Badge

The "Dad and Scout" cake. (It should have won first place ;)

Just in Time for Christmas

The Twelve Days of a Large Family Christmas



Can I relate? With five of my own? You bet!

Should we (home schoolers) be afraid?

This is a bit long, but it is worth the read.

I don't know about you, but this is an issue that I am really, really concerned about. I have a real sense of dread in my heart that a lot of the freedoms that have been gained by and for home schoolers in previous years will be lost in the years to come. (Mark and I have even joked about what country we are going to move to when home schooling becomes illegal. Pray it doesn't come to that.)

What Can We Expect Under an Obama Administration?
by Michael Farris, President Home School Legal Defense Association

Since the election of Barack Obama as U.S. president, HSLDA has received more than a few calls from both members and nonmembers. Some are quite concerned about the future of homeschooling under an Obama presidency.

First of all, let us always remember that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). He also instructs us to be wise, plan, and be prepared in everything we do.

Despite HSLDA’s efforts prior to the election to get an official statement from the Obama campaign regarding their position on homeschooling, we received no response.

So where does that leave us?

We do know that the Democratic Party has an official position of supporting public education. The National Education Association (NEA), which is the national teachers union, is a major supporter of the Democratic Party. We know that the NEA’s position is that every child should be either taught by a certified teacher or supervised by one.

Additionally, their position is that the curriculum used by all homeschoolers should be approved by the state, and children should only be able to continue to be homeschooled based upon systematic evaluation by the state.

It is important to remember that under the United States Constitution, the federal government has no authority over private and home education. This is not to say that they will not attempt to exercise authority in these areas. And whenever private educators accept grants and benefits, there are conditions to receiving those benefits, including being subject to regulation.

Just because the federal government has no constitutional authority over home education, however, doesn’t mean that federal bureaucrats or legislators might not attempt to impose some form of regulation over private and home education. We saw this back in 1994, when the reauthorization of the Secondary and Elementary Act (H.R. 6) contained an amendment which would have conditioned funding to the states for public education to require that all teachers be certified in every subject area they teach.

The homeschool community rose up; over a million phone calls were made to the U.S. Congress, and the amendment was defeated. During that process, Representative Dick Armey from Texas introduced an amendment which stated that the federal government and Congress have no authority over private and home education. This protective language was passed by the House of Representatives.

With your help and the help of homeschoolers all across America, we will vigorously resist any effort on the part of the federal government to regulate home education. Obviously, this will take resources—which come from our membership—and we would encourage our current members to continue standing with us, and encourage others to join us.

An immediate concern to watch is the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Although we do not know what Barack Obama’s specific position on the treaty is, we know that future Vice President Joe Biden has publicly indicated that this UN Convention should be ratified by the United States.

It does appear that we will soon have the challenge of keeping the UN Convention from being ratified by the U.S. Senate, ratification requiring a two-thirds majority to pass.Should the UN Convention be ratified, it would impose the United Nation’s view of children’s rights on America. Under the U.S. Constitution, treaties become the Supreme Law of the land, taking precedent over state laws and state supreme court decisions.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is not in the best interest of parents or children, as it would undermine the parental authority that our laws currently recognize. For further information on the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child visit ParentalRights. org.

To summarize, homeschoolers should not live in fear, but we do need to be wise, and we will need to be vigilant to protect parental rights and homeschooling freedoms in the future. We stand prepared, with your help, to do that as we’ve done for 25 years.

So what can we do? First - follow Michael Farris' advice and trust in God; Second - Pray; Third - join the HSLDA and/or your local homeschool legal defense association. Btw, if you live in Texas and you homeschool, do yourself a favor and subscribe to the THSC newsletter. It will keep you up to date on all the political (and other) issues that are important to you as a home schooler.

You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. -Isaiah 26:3-4