Field Trips

My sister and I have decided that we're going to take the kids to a different place each week on her day off. This week we planned to go to the St. Louis History Museum and the Art Museum. We only made it to the History Museum, but we had a marvelous time!

We spent most of our time in two exhibits. The first was called Currents. It was about the past of St. Louis. There were several 'hands on' things in it. The kids got to see what types of things were used by people from up to three centuries ago. From traps to clothing to fireplaces, old fashioned telephones, washboards and washtubs, old fashioned irons.

We also got to go into an exhibit on Grant and Lee which today was free. There were other exhibits on the World's Fair of 1904, Charles Lindberg, the history of flight, and several others.

I have pictures, but for some reason, I'm having trouble uploading them. I'll see about uploading them later.

Montana - Here We Come

It's official. We just purchased our airplane tickets to....







HELENA, Montana!

Of all the trips we've taken, this one excites me the most! Also, we're spending a whole week there, as a vacation of sorts. We haven't had a real vacation as a family in about five years. The kids and I have been studying Montana in school and have really been enjoying it. We fly out of St. Louis on August 29th and fly back on September 5th. I'm so excited about this trip now that it's finally on the books!

Memorizing the Bible

My older children and I have memorized about 1/4 (so far) of the Westminster Shorter Catechism by using Holly Dutton's Westminster Shorter Catechism CD's. I really love them, and so do the kids. If you are interested in helping your children memorize the Catechism, that is a great help.

Today, I stumbled upon another great FREE website. Bible2Music.com has about 220 FREE Bible passages set to music. Most of them are piano or guitar with no drums. Check it out.

Jamie Soles

On one of our regular visits to The Family Vision Library, we checked out three CD's by Jamie Soles. They are great listening for Christian families. I need to give the disclaimer, that there are a couple of songs that have a little more beat than I care for, but overall, I have loved his music! We have kept one of his CD's going almost constantly since we brought them home. My favorite album of the three is "The Way My Story Goes".



Check out his music at www.solmusic.ca. Enjoy!

Six Flags

Through a reading incentive program, Ian and Jordan earned free Six Flags tickets this past spring. As their teacher, I also got a free ticket. We purchased a ticket for Steve and we all went to Six Flags together this past Saturday. The four of us rode Evel Knievel Ian's and Jordan's first roller coaster ride), the Flume (or log run twice), the train, and the ferris wheel. Ian, Jordan, and I rode the scrambler also. Ian and Jordan rode a whole lot more kid rides. Here are some pictures.











Though there were enjoyable parts to being at Six Flags, Steve and I agreed that the best part of the trip was the picnic in a quiet state park on the way home.

Kevin Swanson

When I was at the CHEF (homeschooling) conference, I attended a workshop provided by Kevin Swanson. Kevin Swanson is a Pastor and puts on a daily radio broadcast via the internet. He has a book called The Second Mayflower which I am eager to get my hands on. His radio program today was wonderful. If you get a chance check him out here.

Current Book - Maidens of Virtue by Stacy McDonald

I'm currently going through Maidens of Virtue, a book by Stacy McDonald, Co-Author of Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God.

If you are a conservative Mom - and I do mean very scripturally conservative (some may even say excessively so), not politically conservative. This book is an excellent resource for you to read yourself when your girls are younger 6-12 to help you see possible trouble areas ahead and try to head them off yourself before they happen. Once your girls reach somewhere between 12 and 14, it is an excellent reference for the two of you to go through together to discuss what is currently or may happen in your daughter's heart as she gets closer to the age where she can leave your home to transition into her husband's home.

I appreciate the Bible references liberally placed through out the book so that you know what she says isn't just from herself, but from scripture. The examples and stories she uses are excellent to point girls to scripture and to examine their hearts in light of those (and all) scriptures.

This book covers topics including dealing with desiring to be like/look like/act like the world and the effect this has on our girls especially; what a maiden looks and acts like; being called to be a homemaker (which very well may include not going to college), the problem with self-esteem, learning to practice hospitality, caring for little children, how should a Christian girl adorn herself, and much more.

I would challenge all moms - those who haven't thought through these topics biblically - those who think they have Biblical reasons for disagreeing with these topics - those who agree with these topics -- I would challenge all of you to read this book, search the scriptures (this book has a great number of Biblical references in each chapter), and see for yourself what the Bible says.

A Most Precious Sound

Ian, Jordan, and I have been working on memorizing Matthew 5:1-16 - The Beatitudes and Similitudes. Yesterday, while we were quoting them at breakfast, I heard a familiar sound, and there sat Shannen, our two year old, quoting much of it along with us! What a blessed sound it is to hear her quoting scripture with us.

Botanical Gardens

Last Saturday while Steve headed to New Mexico, I headed to the Botanical Gardens with the kids and my parents. A great time was had by all!

This is my parents and my four kidlets through the really beautiful fountain.

They currently have these 'sculptures' for lack of a better term all over the garden. Most can be climbed on and so many are very beautiful!

Not the best picture, but we all made it on the wagon together.

Ethan's first ever slide.

Shannen would have gone down the slide all day if we had let her.

These two had an absolutely blast on the water playground!

So did these two.

If you look really closely, Ian and Jordan got eaten by this giant skull.

I found these beautiful plants in so many varieties that I lost count of. They are both called Coleus. It is a mostly leafy plant, but the leaves are all sorts of vibrant colors! I fell in love with it. If we move anywhere where the water level is normal to moist, I will absolutely use these in my garden. The only downer is that they are annuals instead of perennials.

Just a Thought

I watched this You Tube video that my friend Kate posted a link to on her blog. I found myself longing to live in moments like the pictures that are shown, and I realized that God surrounds us with moments like that all the time. Often times, we're just too busy or we're moving too fast to realize they are there and to really stop and enjoy them.

Possible Solutions

After really thinking this over and talking with Steve, we decided our answer to the problem is two fold. First off, when our older kids have 'rest time' each day, for half of it, they will take school books and will need to read. There's another half an hour of school per day. After their rest time, they will be allowed to play with a quiet toy or color in our back room and we will put in an audio CD or tape for them. We have a set of 18 tapes each about a different composer's life. Each one also contains the music of the composers. We also have the Bible on CD; two volumes of Lyrical Life Science; the Westminster Catechism on CD, Phonics songs, hymns on CD, various audio books. We are also considering getting The Story of the World on CD. Between all of those, we will easily be able to keep them happy (because they can play also) and we will get in another hour of school. Both my older kids love to listen to things and retain them SO well. These two things together will give us another hour and a half of school per day. That will definitely help!

We most certainly will count our field trip time also. Thanks for the suggestions. Feel free to shoot any more our way.

Homeschool Hours Struggle

I have been told by people both in the non-religious home school setting as well as in the religious home school setting that in Missouri, you count an hour of instruction as anything from 20 minutes to one hour. In Missouri, 1000 hours of instruction are required to fulfill the law. If it were merely 1000 'class hours' of 20 minutes to one hour that would be easy. On the other hand, I have a friend who told me that someone from the Home School Legal Defense Association asked how legally a person would be able to defend that position.

Also I purchased Edu-Track. While I love it for the ability to put my assignments in and be able to print out a days worth of assignments, it logs your minutes for each subject, not "class instruction hours" of 20 minutes - 1 hour. I had quite an eye opening experience when after two weeks of logging my school hours (which are very difficult for me to get in), and I am only averaging about 16 hours a week. In order to make it through school in the approximate 36 weeks, I would have to be schooling about 28 hours a week.

Okay, call me crazy, but that just doesn't seem possible! 28 hours a week is between 5-6 hours a day. With two other children under the age of 3, I don't see how I could not neglect my little ones and school for that amount of time. Even with great curriculum, if I filled 5.5 hours a day, my school aged kids (6 years old) would be absolutely bored to tears and would learn nothing because all they could think about is getting outside to play.

When I taught 6th grade, there was no way I actually taught those children for 5.5 hours a day. When you take out 45 minutes for lunch, sixty minutes of an activity, forty minutes for recess, they received maybe 3-4 hours of instruction per day.

While I want to obey the law, I also want to do service to my children and their needs. If my children would learn more by being schooled for 2 hours in a day than they would for 5.5 hours a day, as a parent, I think that's a good thing.

Change in Schedule

Last week, I finally had it. I end up staying up so late at night (even 11pm is late for me) and end up getting up so that I don't get even seven hours of sleep some nights. I had made a comment in Bible study last week that (and I admitted that I was completely guilty of this myself) that so often we get less sleep than we need resulting in us being less effective in our dealings with our family and others whom are in our circle of influence. Well Wednesday evening, I decided that enough was enough. I was in bed by 9pm. Now, granted, I was up at 4:30am which was excellent. With the exception of Friday night which I blogged about already, I have been in bed between 9 and 9:30 pm and been up by 4:30 am. It has been such a welcomed change!

It's interesting. I, like most people, work hard all day. I school our kids, I feed and take care of the family, clean house, do laundry, wash dishes, and do all the other things that most moms do. By the time the kids go to bed, I'm ready to relax. When I do this, I either don't get things done that need done - like menus and grocery lists or I play for a bit and then try to tackle the necessities of life in our house, resulting in staying up much later than I should.

When I go to bed early, I am in the best state of relaxation there is - sleep. I get up early, ready to go because I feel well rested because I got at least 7-7:30 hours of sleep. It has resulted in a much more consistent worship time, in daily record keeping strides in schooling, in daily ironing being done, and then in another activity being accomplished whether that's correspondence or mending or menus, etc. I am much more productive!

If I just try to go to bed early, I can't do it because I come back down stairs after putting the kids down and then get entangled in something. If, however, I just decide not to come back downstairs after the kids go to bed, I don't have to worry about anything drawing me in so that I don't get to go to bed early. It's been a real blessing.

Devotional Living - Entitlement Attitude

In general, we, as a people, believe in entitlement. I can understand how a man who works hard making money for his family would want to come and feel like he deserves to relax. I can understand how a mom who works really hard all day long with her little children, feeding them, washing their laundry, keeping the house relatively clean, giving hugs and endless 'owie' kisses feels like she deserves to veg in the evenings.

Last night I went to the hospital to spend a little time with Steve. My sister so very kindly kept the kids. I came home about 9, and she and I ended up talking for over an hour. I had wanted to walk on the treadmill yesterday (my goal is 16 minutes 3x a week). When she left, I hopped on and walked my mileage. Our latest Netflix was North and South, I had watched about 45 minutes of it on Tuesday of this week. I wanted to send it back and since the house was quiet, it seemed like a good time to finish off the last 45 minutes. By the time I had gone upstairs and showered, it was 12:30 before I crawled into bed. At 6:15 this morning, I was awakened by a child yelling for Daddy. It was all downhill from there. The kids (especially the younger ones though they can't voice it) really miss their daddy.

That doesn't make it easy on a Mommy who needs 8 hours of sleep and who is going on less than 6 hours instead. I finally gave up trying to keep the kids in bed, and earlier than any other day this week, everyone was downstairs. Ethan and Shannen have yet to learn to play together well. Screams from the living room were a commonplace thing. I sat in the back room and while I was completely under control, that didn't stop me from fuming in my head because I deserved some quiet. After all, I having had the kids by myself for over a day, and with anyone with four children would tell you it is doable, but not always easy. While I sat in the back room and inwardly fumed, I asked myself why I was so upset. "Because I deserve more sleep, because my kids are fussy, because I 'need' some quiet!"

In the moment that I stopped the Lord spoke to me about two things. First off, the ONLY thing that I, or anyone else for that matter, deserve is death in hell. Screaming children, lack of sleep (which is totally my own fault!), squabbling older siblings is SO much better than death in hell. It made me stop and thank the Lord for my screaming children, lack of sleep, and no longer squabbling older kids. I am a rich woman. The other thing that the Lord convicted me of was Philippians "Do all things without murmurings and disputings." But I Thessalonians 5:18 "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

So today, with me, give thanks for those things in our lives that we would otherwise find irritating at best. They sure beat death in hell.

Surprise

I just got a call from my dad. Steve's surgery went well; they were able to do the less invasive procedure. We were surprised to find out, however, that Steve will be kept overnight. We were previously told this was outpatient surgery. I need to get the kids up. We're going to go visit Steve in the hospital as soon as we find out the room number.

Little Time

I have so much I want to say today, so much on my heart. I have very little time, however, so I will have to content myself with saying, it's hard to give something you love - or more specifically someone you love to the Lord. Steve is having surgery today, albeit minor, but surgery nonetheless. At 4:45 this morning, I kissed Steve, and he and my father who is taking him to the surgery center left in the car. Do I expect everything to go right? Yes, I do, but still, especially after losing Meagan, it's just hard to place him in the Lord's hands. I've had to remind myself that he's always in God's hands. This is absolutely no different, but probably because while he drives every day, he doesn't have surgery every day (thankfully!) that this *feels* (not is) more real as a way of putting him into our Loving Father's hands. Again, here's that prayer I have prayed often, "Lord, help me to act as I believe. I believe that you are in control. Help me to act that way."

Six Months

On January 9, 2008 we decided to get rid of our TV. It's been six months since we did, and I can happily report that Steve and I both agree that it was one of the best decisions that we have ever made. Now let me put a disclaimer on this. We do still have about 15 DVD's to watch on the computer and a Netflix subscription of 1 at a time; however, Shannen and Ethan don't watch any, Ian and Jordan watch no more than one DVD a week. Steve and I sit down and watch a video about every other week.

Over the six months many things have changed around the house. These things have not happened all at once, and it has definitely been much more of a process than one time occurrence. The changes that have happened over time which we attribute to having gotten rid of our TV are: (1) we are consistently doing family worship in the evenings (2) We spend time outside each week together as a family (even Ethan and Shannen are safely penned in on the porch)with the rest of us working on our yard. (3) We read a lot more together than we used. (4) I've personally become a book worm and have been devouring what seems to be a lot of books. (5)We spend more time together as a family. (6) I've spent more time on activities with the kids during the time Steve is at work. (7) We have gotten more of a vision for who God wants our FAMILY to be, not just each individual member. (8) We are planning steps so as to move our family more in the direction that we believe God is taking us.

If you have ever considered getting rid of the TV, I would highly encourage you, as a family, to oust the thing - with your husband's blessing of course. I do not believe that you will ever regret it!

A Most Amazing Thing

Earlier this week, the kids and I went to Lowe's to return some unused materials from having part of our back room fixed from all the water damage from the leaky roof earlier this year. When we returned the materials, we decided to use the rebate for some more plants for our rather colorless front flowerbed. In the fall, it will look beautiful with mums and burning bushes, but right now, it's all green! We bought some yellow coreopsis, which sparse at the moment, they are supposed to mound and fill in beautifully. After planing the pots, I decided that we needed to water them so that they would take root in our soil. That necessitates the sprinkler for a good soaking. I got the sprinkler out while Ian and Jordan were playing in the front yard. As I pulled it out of the garage, Ian asked me if they could run through the sprinkler. An absolutely amazing thing happened. I said, "yes." Unfortunately, I am not the master of 'yes' very often. It was nice to break from tradition for a change. Here are some pictures of their lark.

Finally - A Sight for Sore Eyes

I have been loathe to visit news sites recently. Even the Christian ones have been mostly gloom and doom - the regular news ones always have been. If it weren't for the fact that we don't have a TV and I can't get news any other way, I may just not check them out except for the weather. Tonight, however, I came across a great sight. "Constitution Party to Appear on Missouri Ballots". You can find more information on the Constitution Party here.

Welcome Home Daddy - Lorrie Flem

I had some impetus to complete the last of the three books that I borrowed from The Family Vision Library because we were going on to a barbecue there tonight. I wanted to have it done so that I could return it.

This book Welcome Home Daddy - Traditional Values for Modern Mothers by Lorrie Flem was a great jewel of a book! Unfortunately because I have turned it in, I cannot give you a run down on the chapters, but they were all wonderful and encouraging. Several topics really hit home to me. First off, she put an emphasis on making Daddy's homecoming special. I have to admit, I'm guilty of playing 'hide and seek' per se with Steve at least in that he oftentimes has to come and find where I am currently working when he walks in the door. She gave a line to the effect of 'heaven forbid that Randy [her husband] get a better welcome from the dog than from her'. I know when I'm engaged in getting dinner, it's very easy for me to just stay at my post even when it isn't absolutely necessary.

She also put an emphasis on making your table look nice. She suggest getting pretty fabric, hemming it, and putting a clear piece of plastic over it so that you can have a nice table cloth for a small price and keep it looking nice easily. It's also easy to change that way. It was a good idea. Nature can provide items for your table to keep it looking nice. Don't hesitate to look to God for pieces of His beauty to adorn your table. She suggested that we pay attention not only to what we cook, but to its presentation on the table and even on the plate.

Another area in which she put emphasis was on dinner time itself. She made tons of suggestions on games and dinnertime conversation starters that would endear themselves to the family. She gave suggestions on dinner themes and on how they would play out. I really enjoyed her ideas which included, "I Spy God" where the family takes turns talking about a situation in which each person saw God. "Talk Till You Drop" which is taking turns having one member talk through dinner. It gives each family member a chance to talk about whatever is on their mind and heart, to tell jokes, to enjoy their chance to have others listen to them. "Joke's on Us" where you can take turns telling jokes or reading jokes from a joke book. "Family Memories" where you just share memories of your family or from your (as a Parent's) childhood. "Fact or Fiction" where a person tells three things about themselves, two true and one not. The other people in the family have to guess which is not true. She gives many other great ideas.

She also has a chapter on praying with and for your family. She suggests the "Five Finger Prayer", praying through the days of the week for your husband, and ideas of things to pray for your children.

The book is an easy, enjoyable read. It was a wonderful. This is one I would really like to own one day!

The Heart of the Matter

Because of some of the comments (which I have not published), I know that there are people out there who do not agree with what I have to say. I don't mind you not agreeing - not at all. What I do not believe, however, is that those who don't agree with me understand my heart.

Let me put try to put it in perspective with this analogy. Suppose there is a man who through a series of events got decided to get his doctorate in math. His math work is ingenious. He understands logarithms, derivatives, integrals, differentials, and other higher math functions. He can perform all of the above wonderfully with one flaw. He cannot do his addition facts. If I were his teacher, I could do several things. I could ignore the problem. After all, his ability in higher maths is amazing! He will still be able to make significant contributions to the field of mathematics despite his problem with the most basic of math functions. Secondly, I could mention it casually in conversation that I have noticed a slight problem, but still pass him with a wink, believing that he will take care of it on his own in time. The last option would be to make him aware of his problem and with care talk to him about how, while all these other things he can do are wonderful if he cannot or will not fix the problem with his addition facts, that he will not graduate because I know something he may not realize at that moment. I know that in order to graduate he has to pass both written and oral comprehensive exams. While he can use a calculator for much of math, during his oral comprehensive exams he will not be able to have a calculator at his side. I know the professors which make up his examination board. I know that all three of them will fail him if he doesn't know his addition facts.

What is the loving thing for me to do? As his teacher, it is not loving to not say anything because I don't want to hurt his feelings. As his teacher, if I mention his problem in passing, but do not fail him in my course until he gets this under control, I am not being loving. The loving thing to do is to let him know where his problem lies and how to fix the problem.

Whether or not you agree women should stay home or homosexuality is wrong; whether or not you will acknowledge man's need of a Savior because we (and this SO includes me!) are radically depraved and left to ourselves we have already and will continue to degenerate into not acknowledging our sin as sin and as an offense to a holy and just God; whether or not you agree with me, you must realize that I write what I write because I do not want anyone who reads this blog to EVER EVER go away thinking that we, as a people are, or she as an individual is alright. I do not want anyone reading this blog to leave without having a taste of the fact that we are sinners, but that there is THE ANSWER. His name is Jesus. If you realize that you are sinful -- can you even go for an hour without a hateful thought? - I can't! -- that there is a Savior who loves you, who says that "the wages of sin is DEATH, but the GIFT OF GOD is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 3:23. He also says that "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved, for with the heart man believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Maybe you are thinking that you do a lot of good things. Well, just because the man in my illustration could do integrals and differentials but not addition doesn't mean that he will pass. Just because you do good things doesn't mean that you get off the hook for doing the one thing that really matters - accepting Jesus as your Savior. What about, well that may be true for you, but not for me? The Bible says in John 14:6, "I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me [Jesus]." He isn't ONE way; He is THE way. He isn't ONE truth; He is THE truth. He isn't ONE life; He is THE life. Check out scripture, look with an open heart at what is there. Do you want to gamble your eternal soul on the prospect of not wanting to believe the truth? What if, just what if you were wrong and there was only one way to Heaven after you die? Where would that leave you?

Whether or not you agree with me, know that I say what I say because I so want people to realize that there is hope out there for the sinful problems which ail this world, the people (including me) of this world! There is HOPE! His name is Jesus. The angel Gabriel said to Joseph, "And she [Mary] shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins."

If you want any further information, feel free to leave a comment. If you don't want it published, just say so, and I won't.