Heard this week...

In a house of small(ish) children you just never know what you are going to overhear or be told.  And this week was a week where it seems everyone had something to say...

1.  At DQ after a ballgame, during a lull in the conversation my mom (!!!!) says "So all the orcs are dead now!"  And the conversation picked up like this was perfectly normal and she was commenting on the weather.  As a side note, she is watching thru the LOTR for the first time and likes to discuss it with the King to make sure she is understanding it all right.  :)

2.   On the way home from an essential oil party I pulled out in front of a semi and a passenger in the car said "Um, that's a semi"  so this statement didn't exactly come out of nowhere since I almost got us all killed however, she said it with the excitement one might say "Um, there's a turtle"  Thankfully, our guardian angels were working overtime and we avoided the accident.

Now on to the kids who are usually the stars in this kind of thing....

M: "Mom, someday when I'm a daddy, I"m going to have 2 sons.  I will name them Frodo and Bilbo"
Me: "Well, I hope your wife is wiser"
(maybe we should watch less Hobbit and LOTR)

and at another time:
the King: "Baby, are you ready to get out of the tub?"
L: "Yes (she always says yes, never yeah", daddy.  Wanky Mangers"  (the g in mangers is a hard G)
the King (to me):  "L has wanky mangers, mommy"
L:  "Yes, look mommy, wanky mangers"

for those who don't translate toddler well wanky mangers equals wrinkly fingers  :)


And on the way home from church:

A: Grandma S is crazy!
Me: She is nice and likes to be a part of things.  You should be nice.
A:  No, mom she is CRAZY just like Aunt H.
Me:  HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA! (dialing my phone to call Aunt H and tell her what A said-He is in TROUBLE!)
G or M:  Aunt H laughs like Nanny.  huhuhuhuhu.
Me:  HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH!  (it is funny cause I laugh just like them too but the kids don't seem to notice)  :)

And that closes this episode of "heard this week".....I'm sure there will be a chance to write it again.

The rooster named Ethel!

We had Ethel years ago....and were not sad to see her/him go. But the story has been requested and so I'll tell it as best as I remember it.....

It all starts with the nature of chickens.  When starting a new clutch of chicks there are occasionally some stumbling blocks.  We mail order our chicks most often and with this group we'd ordered mostly hens and one rooster.  When we picked them up at the post office and got them home it was clear one of our hens was damaged in shipping....she had a broken leg.

She quickly fell behind the others in growth because she was unable to fight her way to the feed as well with the broken leg.  This introduced another aspect of a group of chickens (especially hens)...the "pecking order."   With hens, this is very literal.  And the bigger hens were pecking the gimpy hen to death....literally.  Now, I may be weird (well, I am weird but this may add to it) but I love my chickens.  And I didn't like this little chickie getting pecked to death.  It is a horrible form of bullying and we have zero tolerance for bullying around here - whether man or fowl.  So we brought her in the house and got her back on track.  She lived in a rubbermaid in my living room.  Her name was Gladys.  She grew well and thrived while being babied in the house.

This is where Ethel comes into the story.  See, a classroom somewhere had incubated eggs as an end of the year project or something.  I'm not really sure of the details of this part of the story.  But apparently only one chick hatched and survived.  They were just going to let it die after school was out since chickens do not fly solo.  My dad heard about this little chick and said we were raising a small chicken in our living room and we would take it.  (Ethel was behind the stage of most of the others and was therefore small and the bullying would have just ensued again had we put her/him out with them).  So, we added the little chickie to our rubbermaid and dubbed this hen Ethel.  Gladys and Ethel were good buddies.  They got along great.

Then, it became clear that Ethel was a rooster.  Well, shoot.  Another aspect of chicken raising is that ONE rooster is really enough for a small flock such as we have.  And we already had a rooster.  He was big, brawny and manly.  If he had a name it would have been Gaston, or Rocky, or the Hulk.  And Ethel was, well, Ethel.  He was everything you'd expect a rooster named Ethel to be.  Small, not much crow, and utterly defiant.  You've heard of cock fights....we had them.  Except Ethel was just not up to scruff.  It was awful.  I was ready to wring his neck myself just to put him out of his misery.  Except that he and Gladys were still good buddies and kinda hung out together (except when he was trying to defend his manliness) so we waited to see what would happen.

It didn't take long for Ethel to change his tactics.  He could not beat big, manly, Rocky rooster so he turned his tails and starting attacking ME!  I would go out to hang clothes on the line and Ethel would chase me.  We would go to the van and Ethel would chase me.  I didn't always run.  I mean he was just a puny rooster after all....but when he took me by surprise or I was carrying a kid (which is often), I ran for the house (FROM a chicken!!!!)  Well, that was that.  Ethel was going to meet his maker...by my hand or someone else's-- I sure didn't care.  I was not going to be chased by a chicken (more than once or twice-oh the shame!).  Plus I was afraid that he would get one of the boys.  They weren't big enough to outrun him or kick him across the yard if they needed to.

At the very last moment some friends of ours discovered our dilemma and said they were without a rooster and would take him.  Because they don't free-range (and have no children), they weren't concerned about his "little rooster named Ethel" complex.  So they came and got him and that was all she wrote.  Apparently, he did very well there without a big, manly rooster with which to compete.  And he lived happily ever after!

.....And we have never had a rooster since.  :)

Bad Words of Homeschooling: Part 1

This little series (at this point it will be 6 parts) was prompted by a text conversation I had with one of my best friends this week.  It went something like this....

Friend:  "Are you 33 yet?"

Me:  "Thank you so much.  I turn 34 in a couple weeks."

Friend:  "I don't even know how we are even friends then since we aren't the EXACT same age"

Me:  "I know.  It is amazing I can tolerate your unbelievable immaturity!  So, what started this anyway?"

Friend: "I was talking to someone about homeschooling who is hesitant because of socialization and that there weren't any kids in the area EXACTLY her kids ages"  

(again this is my paraphrase of this converstation---if it is wrong my friend can correct me)

But it got me to thinking, there are several "bad words" that people use that make homeschoolers with ANY experience want to roll their eyes (at best) and figuratively smack some sense into the other person (at worst)

So, today I write about the first "bad word of homeschooling"  THE S WORD!  = socialization.  Oh, how I HATE that word.  First, in true school ma'am fashion lets define it.  

Definition of SOCIALIZE

transitive verb

1

: to make social; especially : to fit or train for a social environment

2

a : to constitute on a socialistic basis <socialize industry>

b : to adapt to social needs or uses

3

: to organize group participation in <socialize a recitation>

intransitive verb

: to participate actively in a social group

Source

So I'm not sure which of these definitions of the s word people are referring to specifically, but I'm going to guess it is the VERY last one :to participate actively in a social group.  And I'm going to address WHY this word used in this context (as well as some of the others) is frustrating, judgmental, and makes us want to scream.

First of all let me count the ways that my kids participate actively in a social group....just to put any nay-sayers doubts to rest.  This is MY family's list....and I think there are other families who are way more social than mine.  In short, I think you would be hard pressed to find a homeschool mom (with a year or more under her belt) that worries about socialization.  Well, that's not entirely true.  I think several of us worry that we won't be able to keep our homeschool schedule because of socialization.  Off the top of my head I can think of MANY MANY MANY instances of true and healthy socialization that my children experience regularly....

play with friends at homeschool play days....where kids from 5-15 (or older) may arrange, play, and referee their own game of kick ball and play without trouble.  I think one day this spring there were something like 40 kids there (very rough estimate)

momma play days....where a couple of my close friends come over (or we go there) to visit and/or sew and all 10 of our children play together despite the fact that their ages range from 4 months-11 years (admittedly the 4 month old doesn't get in on much of the action) - sometimes there are more ladies/kids and sometimes kids bring friends too.  And during the summer, we add public school kids to the mix.  We offer equal opportunity fun!  ;)

they order their own meals at restaurants interacting with waitresses and service staff.  they also chose, check out and pay for things they'd like to spend their money on working with the cashier (with my help) to get the correct change.

library days, organized field trips, lunch with daddy at his office, visiting with grandparents (and great grandma).  

Baseball, soccer, basketball camp, tai kwan do (we will be starting this soon). 

church and sunday school, Awana, VBS (at several different churches), church camp.

And the list goes on and on and on and on.  The biggest risk for us (and most families would agree I think) is buckling down and saying no to the many opportunities to socialize and getting school work done.  My children are able to socialize with people despite the fact that they aren't in the same grade or even classroom.  It matters not what anyone's name is or if they wear the "right clothes".  It also doesn't matter if they are public schooled, private schooled or homeschooled (although they are often frustrated with the rigidity of the public school schedule :)  )  My kids are incredibly social.

This question also raises the apparent thought that public school socialization is better and somehow more desirable for children.  I, most emphatically disagree (and I think most other homeschooling families would as well).  It implies that my child is awkward and without friends and they would be better off in a public school setting.  But is that true?  We all know of "that kid" who is mercilessly bullied or labeled (sometimes by staff) as the bad kid.  I ask if it is possible (or even likely) that my slightly aggressive, likely ADHD kid with sensory issues is at risk of being the target for such things.  And I'll answer and say I think it is not only a risk but likely.  He reacts to any little taunt and it is fun for some to get a rise out of him....until he gives them a bloody nose trying to defend himself.  (should have seen that one coming) The King was "that kid" as well.  Picked on relentlessly in school because he didn't come from the "right family" or wear the "right clothes."  We also want to protect them from becoming the bully.  We want to protect them from evolutionary science and safe sex talks.  We don't want them threatened on the school bus (and I've heard horror stories) or to learn language that would make a sailor blush.  We don't want them to feel like having a girlfriend in 3rd grade and sex in 8th grade is normal. (Disclaimer: Our oldest has had a couple "girlfriends" but since he has never spoken to any of them we think we're safe on that front-HA!)   These are not the social skills we want our children learning....ever.

So we keep them home, with us.  And we teach them, not only their studies but how to interact with people of all ages, backgrounds, and with all variety of experiences.  We try to teach them manners and respect (sometimes I feel that I am failing horribly at this but I love them so I keep at it-YIKES!)

We're the parents, that's our job.  And your job as parents is to do what is best for YOUR family.  Although it may seem as thought I am judging public school parents....I am NOT!  I am, however, judging what I believe to be a failing system.  As a homeschool parent, I feel judged often.  I sympathize with those who are struggling to help their children while in that system (and I think most homeschooling families do).  School should be a safe place where kids can learn....but sadly it isn't always that.  Because of this, the negative socialization found in an institution like public school is part of why many homeschoolers do not concern themselves with worry over it.  I see the struggles that so many post about on facebook. If the "s word" is a genuine roadblock to a family's choice to homeschool then PLEASE talk to a homeschool family.  Friend me on facebook and ask me as many genuine questions as you'd like.  I will answer them.  I can tell the difference between a genuine question and an attack disguised as a question. :)

I'm going to throw in ONE SHORT thought about the first definition (short only because I don't think this is the concern of most who hide an attack in this question)  The definition is :to fit or train for a social environment.  Quite frankly, I don't want my children to "Fit" into this world.  As a Christian, we believe that we are called to be set apart, that is different, from this world.  (Romans 12:2-read it here).  I am training them to "fit" into a Christ centered life, fitting in with Jesus...that's the kind of "fitting" I want my children to learn.  Not the kind that "Mr. Abercrombie" preaches or the kid on the school bus or the playground...but the kind that they will learn spending time in their Bibles and with other Christians.

One last thing, if your cousin's wife's next door neighbor was homeschooled and socially awkward and that is who you are basing your opinion on, then I'm sorry for you (and for that child).  There ARE socially awkward homeschooled kids.  There are also socially awkward public school kids.  And socially awkward adults.  It is a part of this world....and not exclusive to homeschooling.  So please don't judge all of us on account of the one socially awkward homeschooled person you know of. 

And although my texting friend from the initial conversation is not old enough to be in my class, I think I'll still let her come over and hang out.  :)

And for the record, most of us also have a rather well developed sense of humor (or we're going crazy-it's a fine line)....check this little bit by my good buddy Tim Hawkins and I'll prove it.  :)


I hope to address the next homeschool bad word next monday.....somebody remind me.  I might have trouble getting it done cause we're being very social this week.  :)

  

2 Week Menu

I haven't posted any menu plans for a looooooong time.  Not for any particular reason.  I've still been planning our menus before I go grocery shopping which I do twice a month (the 1st and 15th-ish).  At the changing of the seasons I always get a little antsy about what we are eating and think I need to overhaul the whole thing....which never actually works all that well.  But I try.  The last grocery trip I spent frantically figuring out the next 2 weeks in meals and working in something new.  I'm SOOOOO tired of the same old stuff all the time.  I scoured pinterest and found new recipes.  I made a list and organized shopping cards (for each recipe) so if I couldn't find on ingredient for a new recipe I wouldn't buy all the other ingredients to be wasted.  And then I went shopping and had great luck.  We got everything put away and I decided to choose our meals for the next week.  (My 2 week plan is usually just a list of 14 meals which we arrange as we go).  And that's when I realized I lost the paper(s) I'd used to do the original planning.  So what exactly was that can of rotel for (Answer: I have NO idea- NONE!).  Still we ate and it's all good.....but now it is coming on to the 15th and I've gotta go grocery shopping again.

This time I am doing it differently. Baseball season is upon us and we have 2 boys on teams.  Yes, teamS.  They are in separate leagues and play on different teams.  That means twice the time at the ballpark....kinda. Their games do overlap a lot which presents both pros and cons.  I am not a good baseball mom and I don't much like going to the ballpark.  And my attention span lasts thru about the first inning.  Ugh.  Anyway, I digress.

Back to our menu...So there are some nights that we have to be at the ballpark shortly after the king gets home from work (and there are those nights he will just have to meet us there).  I can't just choose meal and then plug them into the calendar later.  I have to have meals where the timing is going to be feasible.  Beacuse of this I actually printed out a calendar (this one - the one labeled "list at the top")  On the list area above I am making breakfast, lunch and snacks lists.  On the calendar squares I wrote in ballgame times and then filled in our menu.  It is all planned out thru the end of may.  And just in case I lose it all (again!) I am going to post it on here.

Starting tonight (May 12-Happy mothers day)

5/12 - eggs and toast
5/13  - homemade pizza & salad
5/14 - fish, potatoes, and cole slaw
5/15 - we will be shopping all day and will likely be forced to eat out. maybe twice  :(
5/16  - salad bar
5/17 - sloppy joes, mac n cheese, and cauliflower poppers
5/18 - spaghetti
5/19 - burgers on grill, corn on the cob, garlic grilled potatoes & carrots
5/20 - chicken fried rice
5/21 - tacos
5/22 - breakfast for dinner (I'll let the kids pick which one)
5/23 - pizza & salad
5/24 - probably going to eat out :(
5/25 - my neice's first birthday party - gonna eat there  woohoo!
5/26 - chicken pot pie (crockpot)
5/27 - fish, cole slaw, corn
5/28 - enchiladas

As of 5/29 we will have one kid at church camp, the king will be leaving to do ministry, and I will be getting ready for a craft booth at a local festival.  I have no idea what we will eat or when but we'll be chasing our tails so much that I am not planning.  It will likely be things like hot dogs, pb&j, and "fruity" meals (all favorites of the children remaining under my roof) or leftovers that I've frozen just for a time like this.

Tomorrow I will be planning, pinning and blogging Breakfast, Lunch, and Snack plans....stayed tuned.  HA!

THE GROWING PROJECT

You know how when you fill a soft shell taco that you start with just a little meat so you can have enough room for the rest of your toppings and yet the stupid thing just keeps growing and the shell busts all up anyway and you end up with a huge, beautiful, and still fabulous taco salad. Well, that makes me think of the project we just completed.

It started by moving the big guy's bed into a corner of the living room cause he hated sharing with his brothers (one snores and the other has night terrors, so who could blame him).  The intention was to slap up some temporary walls to create him a little cave.

The couch marks where the new wall will be.  It is tiny but he is happy. (this is not big guy and the dog somehow snuck in the house)  :)

Then we decided we may as well do a good job on the walls.  There are 4 kids in this house and I'm guessing this cave is going to be THE room for a while.  But we weren't sure what to do about the nasty carpet.  I've wanted to rip it out for a while (I HATE CARPET!) but the King has been hesitant to spend the moolah to get it done.  After all one room is just going to lead to another and we are TRYING to get debt free (a la Dave Ramsey but that is another post entirely).

....Then we started added all those yummy toppings and the little taco turned into the HUGE taco salad. This is how it happened.....

Thursday, April 18: The King went and got his haircut (which does tie into this story).  He was talking to his hairdresser who is also a good friend of the family and mentioned that he is so tired of everyone having coughs.  She answered that they have been so surprised at how little they cough now that they are in their new house with NO carpet.  (God Bless her!)  He came home ready to at least do some shopping.

Friday, April 19: We went to Menard's and found wood laminate on sale!  We waited and thought about it over the weekend (no impulse shopping here) and decided to go for it.

Monday April 22: Since he works near Menard's, he just picked up all the supplies over his lunch hour since we had already chosen exactly what we wanted.  Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I emptied the front room of all its furniture.  Seriously, I moved every single piece of furniture in the house I think.  I had to make room for the living room furniture and still make the house livable.

our kitchen is clearly not meant to be an eat in kitchen....but we made it work.  The boys are still doing school work. :)

Then I decided to see how hard it would be to rip up the carpet.  It turns out it is not hard at all!  (past the point of no return now right?)  Seriously, patience just isn't one of my strong points.  I had it all ripped up before he came home from work.  But for future reference it may be wise to cut it into sections as you rip it out.  It is REALLY heavy.

not hard to rip up at all.  :)  see that dirt...it is disgusting.  And the Kirby guy JUST showed us what an awesome vacuum he has.  Pffft!  Whatever!

Just keep going. just keep going.  just keep going.

and the carpet is GONE!  This is one of the rare times my kids have voluntarily picked up a broom.

This is the pile of dirt we found under the carpet. I vacuum.  I try to keep a clean house.  This is disgusting. This is why I hate carpet.  

As you look at those pictures, do you notice the paint?  It is a gold, kinda mustard-y yellow with a chocolate brown accent wall.  I really liked those colors when we put them up.  But the paint was getting chipped and scuffed and we were shrinking the room and the dark was just too dark.  Plus how silly would it be to NOT paint while there are no floors down.  So I begged my mom to help me so we could do it while the King was  at work.  He was not keen on the idea of painting and holding up the project.

Wednesday, April 23: Mom and the kids and I went back to Menards to pick out paint colors.  The walls will be Dutch Boy Homespun Linen and the trim in Superhide White.  Accent colors will all be "beachy" yellows, bright blues, with a little gray thrown in.  The King knew I was doing this and he was cool with it under 2 conditions 1: Don't ask him about the color choice.  He doesn't care.  and 2: (this was unspoken and assumed by me) He isn't helping with it.  ;)  Oh since I decided I wanted to paint all the trim I took it all down too (note to self: number trim as you take it down next time)

all the trim laid out and ready to paint.  

Thursday April 24:  daytime: Mom and I do a first coat on the walls.  I am convinced the change made angels sing.  :)
                               evening: the King and I build the stud wall for the big guy's room (remember that is what started this whole thing)

here is the new stud wall. All done and ready for paneling (which I haven't selected yet).  The first coat of paint is on and I promise it is not yellow.  the color is bad in this picture.

Friday April 25: morning: I did the first coat of paint on the trim.  (note to self: just buy white trim next time)  I also let all the kids paint a picture on the subfloor.  A "time capsule" of sorts.  

one of the pictures

the other time capsule paintings

                         afternoon:  Mom came down and we did the second coat on the walls.  Then since she is earning her sainthood she helped (by helped I mean did it for me) the second (and third) coat on the trim.  Hallelujah!
                       
Saturday, April 26: we cleaned up the floors, swept and swept and swept (you can not believe the amount of dirt and staples there still were).  We reinstalled the ceiling trim so we would be dragging a ladder across brand new floors
                             lunch: we started installing the new floors.  It took 8 hours and was SO beyond worth it.

first went in the underlayment for insulation, moisture and sound protection

just getting started

installed the last piece....perfection.  

Sunday, April 27:   The King had ministry in Indiana and my mom (God Bless Her!) offered to take all the kids to church with her so I spent the day putting things back where they belong and rearranging (of course). The walls on the big guy's room are clearly not finished.  I hadn't decided what I wanted up there....but now I know.  We'll be getting them later this week.

Big guy in his room  He's so excited and it is just stud walls for now.

My new room as it stands now.  That gold chair in the corner is gonna be recovered (it is falling apart) My rocker in the foreground will also be recovered but only cause I have the perfect fabric for it.  :)

My finished room from the "new hallway"....clearly no matter how nice things are I can't keep toys under control  LOL. 

And I'll be moving on to the decorating.  First thing hanging a shelf and some pictures once there is paneling.  Then reupholstering that gold chair.  Fabric is on its way!  :) I'll post updates as I get it done.

And that is why sometimes letting a little project grow and get out of hand turns out awesome in the end.  And we are having tacos for dinner tomorrow night....I think I'll make a taco salad  ;)                  

What is sin? And who are sinners?

I asked my older 2 boys to define sin and these are the answers they gave me...

-lying, doing bad things to other people, like calling them names, and bullying

-like, lying.

I looked in up the dictionary and this is what I found...

1a : an offense against religious or moral law

b : an action that is or is felt to be highly reprehensible <it's a sin to waste food>

c : an often serious shortcoming : fault

2

a : transgression of the law of God

b : a vitiated state of human nature in which the self is estranged from God

When asked who sinners are they answered

-person who does bad things

-someone who does bad things and calls people names

The Bible tells us that sin is anything that separates us from God.  Sin cannot be near Him.  And this is what I thought about as I read the articles concerning the Boston Marathon Bombings.  The 2 suspects are sinners.  They've intentionally killed, maimed, and otherwise traumatized a nation.  There is no doubting it.  And I hate them for it.  And that, right there, is the hang up.  I hate them for what they've done to my country.  Many think, and I can't say that I disagree, that they deserve hell.  In one of the articles I read, their father says that "all hell will break loose if his other son is killed" and one of the comments by a reader was "No sir, all hell will not break loose, it will only be a little more crowded"  and I laughed.  I laughed as I thought about these young men going to hell because of what they have done.  That is hatred.  And that is sin.  And it is no longer funny.

It is easy to point fingers and blame when the sin is blatant and horrible....like a bombing or a shooting.  It is easy to judge that sin.  But what about "everyday" sin.  "Little white lies" (there are no such thing), laziness, bad language, lust, drunkeness, gossip, gluttony, or hatred.  Those sins are easy to hide, to justify, to ignore, or even to convince ourselves that they are ok.  As humans, it is easy to qualify sin.  Put it in a list of ok, bad and worse.  God does not do that.  Sin is sin is sin.  There is no qualification.  He can not abide any of it.  It all separates us from Him.  

1 John 3:15 reads "Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him."  Notice this verse does not say he is LIKE a murderer....he is a murderer. And there is no eternal life in him.  Hatred is a sin.  End of story.

Or try 1 John 4:20 "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen."  - We can not love God and hate another at the same time....that makes us a liar.  Double whammy.  Hatred and lying...sin and sin. That's bad news too.

And if that isn't enough.  Read the sermon on the mount.  Jesus talks about  -Murder (Mathew 5:21-26) and likens it to anger.  OUCH!

-Adultery (Matthew 5:27) and likens it to looking lustfully at another who is not your spouse.  Oops!

-judging others (Matthew 7:1-2)

By these standards I am guilty of murder DAILY as I am angry about something in some way almost every day.  SIN!  I am guilty of adultery any time a new Avengers movie comes out because I just love watching those superheros.  SIN!  And I am guilty of judgement more often than I can count....from the Boston Bombers to the lady yelling at her kids in Walmart or the guy who cuts me off in traffic.  Plus, by the standards of 1 John 4:20, not only am I a murderer (for hatred) but also a liar because I also claim to love God (which the Bible clearly states is not possible).  SIN!  I am occasionally lazy, gluttonous, and I gossip.  SIN, SIN and SIN!  As I make this laundry list though I can be confident that God does not have this list of my daily shortcomings....

He tells us not to worry, to love our enemies, to quietly pray, fast, and give to the needy.  He tells us to turn the other cheek when someone hurts us.  Am I doing all these things?  In a word, NO.  And what does that say?  I. am. a. sinner.  This should not be a surprise, and its not.  I've never considered myself perfect (nor would I want to attempt it....just too much stress since it doesn't come naturally).  But it does kinda sting to feel myself being compared (even in my own mind)to the likes of a person who would willfully and with intent blow up a bunch of people.  Or with the abortionist who murders babies every day.  Or with any other more "publicized" form of sin.  And yet, I am just like them in my sin.  I am a sinner and I am in great need of the saving grace of a Lord and Savior...just like them. 

There is one major difference.  I have accepted the saving grace of the Lord and Savior and I can call Him mine.  Because of that, I do have eternal life within me.  Not because I am not sinner.  Only because I am saved by His grace.  This does not excuse my sin.  With the help of the Holy Spirit residing in me, I become more like Christ each day, in spite of my sinful nature.  I can say that I will never set a bomb off or go on a shooting spree, but I will still fail my Lord each and every day.  A personal relationship with Him and His forgiveness are the only things that saves me.  It is not and never will be my lack of sin.

So I am going to try something.  As I pray for the victims, I am going to pray for the bombers, and the abortionists, and sinners (myself included).  Because although I hate their (my) sin I am told to love them (Matthew 5:43-48).  I don't yet love them.  (It is easier to love myself because I rationalize my sin away)  But in prayer I hope to learn to love them and admit/change my own sin.  I do not think it will be easy but it what Christ called us to do.  Love our enemies.  And my sin is not "better sin" than theirs.  Sin is Sin is Sin and apart from the saving grace of Jesus, which everyone is free to accept, we are all condemned to the same fate.  

Greater Homeschool Convention Cincinnati!!!

Just got back from the homeschool convention.  I go each year, usually with girlfriends and NO kids!  Of course, there are a ton of kids there but none of them are my responsibility!  And absence does in fact make the heart grow fonder!  :)

I left with a friend on Thursday morning and we drove for Cincinnati.  On Thursday evening we went to a session by a woman named Dr Kathy Koch (pronounced Cook) on teaching to the 8 intelligences and it changed everything for the whole conference for me.  I had gone through the book and selected many sessions to attend on discipline and teaching obedience and things of that nature.  We have been struggling SO much with school work and defiance that I just wanted to whip them into shape (figuratively, of course). But I went back through and made sure I was going to ALL of Dr. Koch's sessions.  Yep, I became a groupie.  And proud of it!  Check out her website here

And then I realized maybe discipline isn't the problem....maybe these kids aren't ME (duh!) and I need to come around to their way of thinking better.  I mean I only have 2 doing "real school."  The princess is "just" creating confetti and other messes.  And Little Boy is doing some light school work.  Even when all four are in the trenches, won't it still be easier to teach them how they learn rather than how I do.  Talk about a lightbulb moment.

So I chose a different history curriculum...one that teaches to all 8 intelligences.  I love our science curriculum so I just need to actively DO the projects instead of dropping them all the time.  We are sticking with our handwriting program.  It works well and uses Bible verses.  We are also sticking with our math program (it ROCKS!) We aren't even finishing the grammar that we've been using this year.  It is dry and boring and no one is learning ANYTHING!  I bought a hands on grammar program for next year.  Hopefully, it will be better.  Plus, we're adding a activity based US geography program I think we will all enjoy.  Spelling will be done on the iPad (can I get a woooohooooo!)  And sincve writing is such a challenge because they are boys and HATE the mechanics of putting pencil to paper, they are doing a typing program.  I think that covers it.

Little Boy will continue with phonics.  And he and the Princess will be doing a literature based program, as well as sit in on the big boys stuff and pick up what they can.  I am excited!

Here is our list:
Math - Math U See
Science - Apologia Swimming Creatures
Social Studies - History Revealed : Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries
Grammar - Applied Grammar
Spelling - Sequential Spelling (for iPad)
Phonics - 100 Easy Lessons plus a teacher Created Resource for Phonics (wkbk)
Typing - Typing Instructor
Handwriting - A Reason For Handwriting
Geography - Trail Guide to US Geography                  
For the little- Five in A Row

I think that covers it.  :)

So we are also in the process of moving school to the dining table.  I want cubbies for them all to keep their supplies in and found an awesome shelf at IKEA.  But I am cheap at my core and would rather spend that $90 on something else so I've taken a bookshelf that we already have and weren't using.  I turned it on its side and it is the perfect size.  Just need to buy a few brackets and ready made shelves at Menards to make the cubbies and then probably paint it.  I'll post pictures when its done!

So that's the convention report.