"The Nation Comes From the Nursery" ~Samuel Smiles

Barack Obama is trying to make the US a more socialist state

2012-01-30T20:59:00.000-08:00

Go read this article and then give me a loud AMEN!

My Name is Asher Lev

2012-01-27T12:17:00.001-08:00

My Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Chaim Potok is amazing at opening his characters and allowing the reader to inherit their perspective and struggle. This is not a smooth easy read type of novel. It is a rip-your-beliefs-apart-and-explore-weather-or-not-they-can-tumble-back-together type of novel. I appreciated the introspection and enjoyed a closer look at my own greatness and abilities in relation to my religion.

Asher is a boy with a gift. He is a child prodigy. He is his art. Asher is a boy with a problem. He is a Hasidic Jew. Many Hasidic Jew do not embrace or value art. His father shares this opinion. Asher must find a way to reconcile himself with the world within and the world he belongs to.

While I do not necessarily agree with Asher's choices, I am grateful to accompany him on this journey.

View all my reviews

Did you know about Italy?

2012-01-20T13:51:00.000-08:00

If you did, what kind of friend are you for not letting me know?

If you don't know what went down in November, then you are not alone.

Italy has appointed a Prime Minister. Not elected. APPOINTED. His name is Mario Monti and this is what Wikipedia has to say:

On 9 November 2011, Monti was appointed a Lifetime Senator by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano.^[13] Mario Monti was seen as a favourite to replace Silvio Berlusconi to lead a new unity government in Italy in order to implement reforms and austerity measures.^[14] On 12 November 2011, following Berlusconi's resignation, Napolitano invited Monti to form a new government.^[15] Monti accepted the offer, and held talks with the leaders of Italy's political parties, saying that he wanted to form a government that would remain in office until the next scheduled elections in 2013.^[16] On 16 November 2011, Monti unveiled a technocratic cabinet, and was officially sworn in as Prime Minister of Italy.^[17] He also appointed himself as Minister of Economy and Finance.^[18]^[19]

So the leaders of Italy have decided that a Technocratic government is the best. Here is a bit from Wikipedia about Technocracy:

Technocracy is a hypothetical form of government in which science would be in control of all decision making. Scientists,engineers and technologists who have knowledge, expertise or skills would compose the governing body, instead ofpoliticians, businessmen and economists.^[1] In a technocracy, decision makers would be selected based upon how knowledgeable and skillful they are in their field. ...Technical and leadership skills would be selected through bureaucratic processes on the basis of specialized knowledge and performance, rather than democratic election by those without such knowledge or skill deemed necessary.

This is for real. This is really happening in our day and age. Freedom is slipping away and we are headed back to a pre-WWII view. Made worse by our entangled global markets.

I makes me sick that this has not been plastered on every wall and shouted from the roof tops. Italy is the first, but it will not be the last. Communism (that is really all this is with a fancy name) is evil and it breeds evil. It will not be happy to stay in one place and allow people to govern themselves. Have you read about Europe before WWII? Do you remember that desperate people do desperate things? What makes us immune?

Buckle your seat belts everyone ... we are in for a wild ride!

A Lantern in Her Hand

2011-12-30T19:21:00.000-08:00

A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I LOVED this book. I follows a pioneer woman through her life as she contributes to building our nation. Yet, more importantly, it shows a person living her life and doing the simple things to build her own family. Sacrifice and love are major themes in this book, as they should be in every mother's life. It is nice to see a woman struggle, grieve and age. To see aging from the perspective of the older person that we knew when she was young. To see how maturity comes to a person with strength and character. I highly recommend this book to mother's and father's alike.

Life with a side of education.

2011-12-20T20:20:00.000-08:00

*I apologize in advance for the terrible quality photos. Maybe Santa will bring me a decent camera this year!

Using this blog as an avenue for a small part of my personal educational journey I don't always like to post about what the kids are doing. We are very eclectic in our methods of educating. They look nothing like public school and I know that such things throw people off. But every now and then I just have to share.

I am always being asked how we could possibly home school with twins. Parents of multiples especially understand this challenge. Honestly, I hate to think about how are lives would look if we embraced the public school model.

This is what school looks like for us:

We host an art coop at our place once a week. Spencer really enjoys artist
Frederic Remington. Although his favorite media is chalk in mouth
(an up and coming art form he is perfecting), he can be persuaded to use
crayon on window, while pencil on new piano bench
is his most noteworthy masterpiece to date.

And this:

The babies teach tolerance and flexibility as well as many other lessons that are
worth so much more than the lessons we sit down to learn.

And this:

Grovin' to western music while studying western artist Remington

And this:

Lily holding Annie and Alex amazed at all he is learning in the background.
Wait. No. This is where learning happens and they don't even
realize it. I love that. They do too.

Previous "this" up close:

This is our new pet anole, Annie, that we picked up from Home Depot.
Yep, you read that correctly. She came on one of our fruit trees in the fall.
We really like her and like learning more about her and where she grew up.
She likes to model for close-ups.

And this?

Did you know that Abbi is taking acrobatics?

It is so nice to have the freedom to mold our lives around each other and to embrace the chaos that is homeschooling with five very different children with very different needs. It is nice to know one another intimately, better than anyone else save God. To share our joys, our pains, and our triumphs. To work along side one another. I know that this won't last forever but the feelings of closeness will go with our family through out our mortal years and into eternity. That is the type of goal that makes the craziness of this journey so worth while and enjoyable.

December 15 Center on Education Policy report

2011-12-15T17:44:00.000-08:00

Click here for the December 15, 2011 Center on Education Policy report reviewing public education. Then please forgive me if I completely ignore, or rudely laugh at, the next person who questions if we should be homeschooling.

I will guarantee that there are families that home school who shouldn't be but I will also guarantee that 48% of home schools are not failing. If we were anywhere near that number federal marshals would be knocking down our doors.

Republican 2012 Presidential Nomination

2011-12-10T18:42:00.001-08:00

If Newt Gingrich receives the nomination I will completely divorce the Republican Party. Right now we are suffering a strained separation but I was hopeful that we might be able to resolve our differences. This presidential race will probably sign the divorce decree. Blah!

Last one for today.

2011-12-04T19:38:00.001-08:00

I'm liking this Remy guy!

2011-12-04T18:56:00.001-08:00

Oh so true!

2011-12-04T18:51:00.001-08:00

There is always more to a story

2011-11-23T06:55:00.001-08:00

Pepper spray at OWS event

The economy for real

2011-11-14T19:17:00.001-08:00

Learners Who Act

2011-11-08T06:46:00.000-08:00

"Young people increasingly need to be learners who act and thereby receive additional light and knowledge by the power of the Holy Ghost—and not merely passive students who primarily are acted upon (see 2 Nephi 2:26)." ~Elder David Bednar, October 2011

2 Nephi 2:26 And the ^aMessiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may^bredeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are ^credeemed from the fall they have become ^dfree forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the ^elaw at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.

Goodreads: Hunger Games

2011-11-03T20:37:00.001-07:00

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Update: After thinking about these books for two days straight I went back and reread the ending. I still agree with everything I wrote below. I am frustrated with the patch-up job done at the end. I feel like there could have been a whole other book about how Peeta got better, how the Capital reacted to Katniss assassinating the new president, where the other characters ended up and how they got there and dialogue between Peeta and Katniss would be nice. I even find myself wondering about little Rue's family.

That being said, upon reflection I think this might be the Jane Eyre love story of our day. Collins is no Bronte, but the love story is just as compelling and dramatic. Peeta and Katniss are just as real to me as Jane and Mr. Rochester. Gale throws a bit of a twist into the comparison but honestly, when we are reading the books, I don't think Gale is ever a real contender. The last paragraph says it all when Katniss says she has enough of her own fire and what she really needs are the dandelions. That realization is so spot on.

I'm glad I went back and reread that little bit more slowly than I had the first time through. It helped me see some of the finer details that I had skimmed in my haste to know the ending. I am still at a loss as to how many stars I should rate this book.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am writing this review for the complete Hunger Games series because I just read them in 3 days and they are inseparable in my mind.

I have to say that these book are completely compelling. I was up for 24 hours strait reading book 2 - completely drawn into the story. I would have finished the book quicker but I do have a family to care for. :) The author is fantastic at drawing in her audience and painting a world that is believable and tangible. The books are horrifying and graphic but also tell a story of love. A deep passion that drives characters to face suppression and brutality in the hope of caring for those they love.

Here's the thing ....

Books 1 & 2 are graphic and deep but oh so clear. As we read book 3 all clarity washes away. I understand this is a device the writer uses to show the strangling mental effects of the revolution. As plots unfold and betrayals are revealed it is not surprising that things can get foggy. The author does a great job at producing the surreal, out-of-her-mind effect.

That being said, I cannot forgive the author for not having more substance between the lead characters as they begin their new lives together. We were with them when they were up all night hearing a competitor being eaten alive but we are left in a fog when they are supposedly living their happily ever-after. The reader is supposed to take the authors word for it that life becomes bearable again, but that good life feels so much further away then the life full of graphic violence. It feels like Katniss is begging us to believe life can be good, even with the scares from the past, and I am asking myself, "Is she trying to convince me or herself?

I really don't like the way Peeta is brought back in the end either. He is so good and I fell in love with his devotion and pure intentions. Than I morned after his mind had been altered by the enemy. His hatred just as pure as his love had been. Those are very real and tangible Peeta's painted. When things get foggy for Katniss they also get foggy regarding Peeta. We are not quite sure he will ever come back. And then he comes back. And that is it. No dialogue from Peeta, no emotional scene where he just holds Katniss steady. Peeta is the rock and I need tangible evidence of that to feel closure. I feel betrayed when all I get is a fog.

FYI: This book is terribly graphic for being labeled Juvenile fiction. I would say it is suitable for older teens and up. There is also some bed sharing by the main boy and girl characters. This was tastefully done is not sexual in nature. I can completely understand Katniss and Peeta needing one another's comfort in the desperate dark hours. Yet, how many teenagers really know that type of need and can lay together without a slip-up. Such scenes in books might reinforce the idea that laying together is no big deal and should be discussed.

View all my reviews

Irony

2011-11-01T23:03:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading The Hunger Games. All three books in three days. They were intense.

After I finished writing my review of the series on goodreads.com I thought I would look for the movie trailer on youtube. The trailer didn't show many characters so I clicked on a side link that was the official character release video. These were simply the names of the actors with head shots and then the name of the characters they will portraying.

I find it very ironic that The Hunger Games points out the ridiculous opulence of the "Capital" when compared with the struggling districts, while the head shots of the actresses and actors show a ridiculous opulence that pervades Hollywood during a time of economic struggles in the real world.

Interesting.

"Safety"

2011-03-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

I read two articles this morning that may not seem connected, but they are.

Here are the links (I will include the articles in their entirety at the end of this post for my own personal record):
Rear Facing Until 2
New Cribs Required

Two words jumped to mind when I read these articles: POWER GRAB

Those who support taking parent's rights away are not having much success with the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and over regulating families is another way to discourage parents from making their own educated choices. I have a family that includes 5 children, all of them young. With all of the new regulations and standards there is no way I could afford to raise my children, and that is with a well paying job. That does not even touch the issues of young, poor, parents of which we were for a very long time.

These regulations are going to hit the middle class the hardest. With the current economic conditions recommending that everyone go get a brand new crib seems VERY irresponsible. When we started our family everything we had was used. Either bought at garage sells, thrift stores, or given to us by generous friends. To make people guilty who share cribs and help each other out is not going to hurt the rich families with one child. It is going to hurt families who are doing their best to make it in tough economic times. It is also going to hurt families that have multiple children.

Now with car seats .... *SIGH* ... I have a few kids. My children are young. We have worked to stay out of debt and to live responsibly. We want our children to be safe. We instal car seats properly and we use boosters. We have a mini-van. The more they regulate car seats and such the fewer kids we need to have. Or we can get a larger car, which would be ideal with the amount of room the kids will take as they get older. Oh wait ... What is the price of gas? What are we doing to reduce the price of gas? Has anyone even looked into an affordable electric or alternative fuel source for large families? A larger car will mean that we are evil, gas, gobbling, greedy americans, who want to ruin the earth. Ahhh! GLOBAL WARMING!!! Really gas prices should be high to keep people like us in our place. Because we are just evil capitalists. Not to mention how inconsiderate, and even down right evil, we are for contributing to over population. Someone, do something about the crazy Christian family who just can't stop reproducing! I know what they can do ... they can regulate cribs and car seats and other day to day items to the point that it will be impossible to have more than one kid. Oh wait! Isn't that exactly what they are doing?

I am sorry about all of the sarcasm but I am so sick of the government telling me that they are regulating something for my own good or for my children's safety. I AM THEIR MOM! No one loves them more than I do, besides their dad and their Heavenly Father. Between the three of us I think we have it covered. Thanks Mr. Government man, now you can go back to creating war, imprisoning us with debt, and doing all you can to ruin the future that I am working so hard to build.

AAP: Toddlers in rear-facing seat until 2
By Sasha Emmons, Parenting.com (as found on CNN.com)
March 21, 2011 7:37 a.m. EDT

(Parenting.com) -- In a new policy statement published in the April 2011 issue of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics now advises parents to keep toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they exceed the height or weight limit for the car seat, which can be found on the back of the seat.
Previously, the AAP advised parents to keep kids rear-facing as long as possible, up to the maximum limit of the car seat, and this has not changed.
But it also cited one year and 20 pounds as the minimum for flipping the seat, which many parents and pediatricians interpreted as conventional wisdom on the best time to make the switch.
The new policy clarifies the AAP's recommendation, making age 2 the new guideline -- a real game-changer for parents of toddlers.
A 2007 study in the journal Injury Prevention found that children under age 2 are 75 percent less likely to die or to be severely injured in a crash if they are rear-facing. Another study found riding rear-facing to be five times safer than forward-facing.
"A rear-facing child safety seat does a better job of supporting the head, neck and spine of infants and toddlers in a crash, because it distributes the force of the collision over the entire body," said Dennis Durbin, M.D., F.A.A.P., a pediatric emergency physician and co-scientific director of the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and lead author of the policy statement and accompanying technical report.
Recall Finder: Check if your child's car seat has been recalled
Parenting talked to Ben Hoffman, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and a child passenger safety technician, to get answers to parents' most pressing questions about the new policy.
Although the new baseline is now age 2, the AAP has advised parents since 2002 to keep kids rear-facing until they reach the height or weight limit of their car seat. Why are parents so eager to turn their car seats?
"Parents are interested in milestones, and the minimum of one year and 20 pounds has been interpreted as gold standard instead of the minimum," says Hoffman. "Parents are always looking for the next stage of development because in every other scenario, that's a good thing. With car safety seats, however, that's often not the case."
But isn't forward-facing easier for everyone?
Yes, it's easier to interact with your child when she is facing forward, and less awkward to get her into the seat. But safety should be the main concern. "I would ask parents to consider the protection of the child in addition to comfort," says Hoffman. "It's minimally acceptable to change to forward-facing at a year, but parents can do better than that."
New infant and convertible car seats to keep your child safe
What about squished legs?
Kids who have been only rear-faced will most likely not be bothered, since they don't know anything else. And it's completely fine for their feet to touch the seat back, or for their legs to bend. "Once you make the switch, it's hard to go back, so try not to ever switch them before they are ready," says Hoffman.
Why are so few parents aware of even the older guidelines that say kids should stay rear-facing as long as possible?
There may have been some confusion with the message, with many parents mistaking the minimum for the ideal age to make the switch. The AAP hopes that by making age 2 the new guideline, the message will be less confusing for parents and for pediatricians.
If my child turns 2 before he reaches the height or weight limit for the seat, should I keep him rear-facing?
Yes. The safest decision is to keep him rear-facing until he reaches the height or weight limit for the seat.
10 Car Seat Mistakes You May Be Making
If my child reaches the height or weight limit for my seat before age 2, what should I do?
Once your child exceeds the height and weight limit of his infant car seat, purchase a convertible car seat with a higher height or weight limit (most go to 35 pounds rear-facing) and continue to use it rear-facing until age two, or until your child hits the height or weight limit for rear-facing use. At that point you can make the switch to forward-facing-- or you can purchase a convertible car seat with a higher weight limit for rear-facing (some go up to 45 pounds). "That's a very personal decision for the parent," says Hoffman, one that may also be influenced by the size of your car, the arrival of a younger sibling, or your budget.
What should I do if I've already switched my under-2 child for forward-facing?
The best advice is for parents to consider switching their child back to rear-facing. But the next best thing is to, at a minimum, make sure you correctly use the seat you have: Make sure the seat is harnessed tightly to the vehicle, that the harness is snug over the child and the chest clip is in the correct position, and that the seatbelt or LATCH system are installed correctly.
Why didn't my pediatrician tell me about this?
"Pediatricians should be talking about this," says Hoffman. "But given everything else that needs to happen in a well-child visit, sometimes this message gets left behind. I would love to see a day where every family-care health provider knew the best possible advice and shared it with their patients."

The New Crib Standard: Questions and Answers
By CPSC Blogger on March 4, 2011

Since CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) approved a new crib rule, your questions have been flowing into us. While most questions have revolved around the drop side, it’s important for you to know that the new standard affects far more than the drop side. A crib’s mattress support, slats, and hardware are now required to be more durable and manufacturers will have to test to new more stringent requirements to prove compliance.

Here are some of your questions along with answers:

GENERAL QUESTIONS

What is the new standard for cribs?
Beginning June 28, 2011, all cribs manufactured and sold (including resale) must comply with new and improved federal safety standards. The new rules, which apply to full-size and non full-size cribs, prohibit the manufacture or sale of traditional drop-side rail cribs, strengthen crib slats and mattress supports, improve the quality of hardware and require more rigorous testing. The details of the rule are available on CPSC’s website at www.cpsc.gov/businfo/frnotices/fr11/cribfinal.pdf.

The new rules also apply to cribs currently in use at child care centers and places of public accommodation. By December 28, 2012, these facilities must use only compliant cribs that meet the new federal safety standards.

When will the new, safer cribs be available for purchase?
Beginning on June 28, 2011, all cribs sold in the United States must meet the new
Federal requirements. After that date, it will be illegal to manufacture, sell, contract to sell or resell, lease, sublet, offer, provide for use, or otherwise place in the stream of commerce a crib that does not comply with the CPSC’s new standards for full-size and non-full-size cribs. This includes manufacturers, retail stores, Internet retailers, resale shops, auction sites and consumers.

What if I need to purchase a new crib prior to June 28, 2011?
Some compliant cribs may be available before the required date. However, you will not be able tell if the crib is compliant by looking at the crib. So, you may want to ask the retail store or the manufacturer whether the crib complies with 16 CFR 1219, the new federal standard for full-size cribs or with 16 CFR 1220, the new federal standard for non-full-size cribs.

Is this new regulation simply a ban on all drop-side rail cribs?
No, these are sweeping new safety rules that will bring a safer generation of cribs to the marketplace in 2011. CPSC’s new crib standards address many factors related to crib safety in addition to the drop-side rail. A crib’s mattress support, slats, and hardware are now required to be more durable and manufacturers will have to test to the new more stringent requirements to prove compliance.

Are all drop-side rail cribs “recalled” because of the new regulation?
There has not been a specific “recall” of all drop-side cribs due to the new regulation. Instead, some manufacturers recently have recalled their cribs in cooperation with the CPSC because a specific defect or risk of harm has been discovered relating to a particular crib. Although these recalls are separate from CPSC’s new crib standards, traditional drop-side cribs will not meet the new crib standards that will take effect on June 28, 2011, and cribs with traditional drop-sides cannot be sold after that date.

CONSUMERS

As a consumer, what can I do if I have a drop-side crib?
Some drop-side crib manufacturers have immobilizers that fit their cribs. Drop-side crib immobilizers are devices that are used to secure drop sides to prevent dangerous situations in which the drop-side either partially or fully separates from the crib. As part of a recall, CPSC staff works with companies to provide fixes, or remedies, for products. For drop-side cribs, that remedy has been immobilizers.

Check the CPSC’s website for companies that have recalled their cribs and are providing immobilizers to secure the drop-side on the cribs. These immobilizers were evaluated and approved by CPSC staff for use with these particular drop-side cribs.

If your drop-side crib has not been recalled, you can call the manufacturer and ask if they are making an immobilizer for your crib. Remember, though, that those particular immobilizers have not been tested or evaluated by CPSC staff for use with your specific crib.

Note that a drop side crib, even with an immobilizer installed, will not meet the new CPSC crib standards.

Is a sturdy, non drop-side crib okay for a consumer to use?
It is unlikely that your current crib will meet the new crib standards. The new standards require stronger hardware and rigorous testing to prove a crib’s durability. If you continue to use your current crib, you are encouraged to check the crib frequently to make sure that all hardware is secured tightly and that there are no loose, missing, or broken parts. Note that after December 28, 2012, child care facilities, family child care homes, and places of public accommodations, such as hotels and motels, must provide cribs that comply with the new and improved standards.

My drop-side crib has not been recalled, but I am worried about using it with my baby. Can I return it for a refund?
Manufacturers and retailers are not required to accept returned drop-side cribs or to provide a refund. However, individual retailers and manufacturers may conduct promotions or incentives for their customers.

Is it okay for me as a consumer to resell, donate or give away a crib that does not meet the new crib standards?
A consumer should not resell, donate or give away a crib that does not meet the new crib standards, such as trying to resell the product through an online auction site or donating to a local thrift store. CPSC recommends disassembling the crib before discarding it.

Is the answer different if a piece (“immobilizer”) has been added to my drop-side crib to prevent the side from moving up and down?
Consumers should not sell or give away a drop-side crib that has an added immobilizer because it still will not meet the new crib standards.

If I am unable to purchase a new crib, what can I do to keep my baby safe?
If you continue to use your current crib, you are encouraged to:

a. Check CPSC’s crib recall list to make sure that your crib has not been recalled.
b. Check the crib frequently to make sure all of the hardware is secured tightly and that there are no loose, missing, or broken parts.
c. If your crib has a drop-side rail, stop using that drop-side function. If the crib has been recalled, request a free immobilizer from the manufacturer or retailer (particular immobilizer will vary depending on the crib).
d. Another option is to use a portable play yard, so long as it is not a model that has been recalled previously.
CHILD CARE CENTERS AND HOSPITALS

My child care center still has drop-side cribs. Are they in violation of the regulation?
No, child care facilities, family child care homes, and places of public accommodation, such as hotels and motels, have until December 28, 2012, to ensure that the cribs used in their facilities meet the requirements of the CPSC’s new crib standards.

After this date, places of public accommodation may no longer use traditional drop-side cribs or noncompliant cribs and must use cribs meeting the new federal safety standards.

Parents should talk with management about the new standards and the facility’s plan of action for replacing the cribs. Parents also should make sure their baby is not being placed in a recalled crib.

Note: Child care facilities, family child care homes, and places of public accommodation should not resell, donate or give away a crib that does not meet the new crib standards, such as trying to resell the product through an online auction site or donating to a local thrift store. CPSC recommends disassembling the crib before discarding it.

Are hospitals required to provide cribs that comply with the CPSC’s new crib regulation?
The CPSC crib rules require only certain facilities to provide cribs that comply with CPSC rules. Those places include child care facilities, family child care homes, and places of public accommodation such as hotels and motels. Hospital cribs are regulated by the FDA, and are thus considered to be medical devices. Cribs used in hospitals as medical devices are not required to comply with the new CPSC crib standards.

However, a child care facility that is owned or operated by, or located in, a hospital is required to provide cribs that meet the new crib standards by December 28, 2012.

If you have additional questions, please e-mail them to feedback@cpsc.gov.

Alex and Kindergarten Spelling

2011-03-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Alex brought me a piece of paper with letters on it that he had written. This is pretty common, he is currently loving letters. It goes with his obsession with the alphabet that has been going strong for about two years. (Thank you Aunt Leah for the ABC singing Elmo that he still plays every night before bed!)

The paper read:
CPD

Alex read it to me: "Com-pu-der"

That is what we call kindergarten spelling. Very exciting! (Next will just have to work on pronunciation! ;) This just shows that no matter how much you ignore your child's education if they have the right tools they will learn. He is learning much better without my help then the girls ever did with my help! :)

Sir Ken Robinson on Homeschooling

2011-02-18T05:30:00.000-08:00

Joseph's Coat

2011-02-02T11:52:00.000-08:00

We are still loving The Story of the World and the suggested activities!

Lily

2011-02-02T11:40:00.001-08:00

Spicing Up Copy Work

2011-01-25T18:30:00.000-08:00

Not on the Test

2011-01-13T19:02:00.000-08:00

"Not on the Test" is a great song by Tom Chapin, go check it out.

Reading Lists

2011-01-06T18:14:00.000-08:00

You might have wondered what the deal with my previous random postings of reading lists were all about.

It really is simple.

I am asked all the time what books I am reading and where I get my suggestions. I am VERY eclectic. With the kids' schooling we pull from many different sources. With my own reading I jump around working to fill in the holes of my own education. It is a process. The lists I have put here are a few of the lists that I use as reference guides. They are not exhaustive, but they do serve as a jumping off point.

I also read works friends suggest (goodreads.com is a great outlet for sharing), stories that are referenced in stories I am reading, and I love to read books from my tried and true authors. Some of the most fun that I have had recently included my exploration of English literature beginning with the Bronte sisters. It was neat to think about how different the sisters were and how they influenced each other. It was fascinating but not something that I have found on any reading list.

I am thinking about posting some more of the reading lists that I have found for the kids. We'll see how long I'm on the computer tonight. :) At least you will know what is going on next time a book list pops up.

DeMilles' Classics List for Children, Youth, and the rest of us

2010-12-31T17:39:00.000-08:00

Classics List for Children and Youth

Source: Appendix B of Oliver Van DeMille's A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a New Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-First Century, ©2000.
**For a PDF version go here. And for a live link go here.

Classics to Read to Young Children
Classics for you to read aloud to young children.

~Aesop’s Fables - Aesop
~Andersen’s Fairy Tales - Hans Christian Anderson
~Beauty and the Beast
~The Bible
~The Blind Men and the Elephant
~“Casey at Bat”
~Charlotte’s Web - E. B. White
~Chicken Little
~A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
~Cinderella
~Dinotopia series - James Gurney
~Dr. Seuss series
~The Emperor’s New Clothes
~The Fourth Wise Man
~The Gift of the Magi - Carol Lynn Pearson
~The Giving Tree
~“God Save the Flag”
~Goldilocks and the Three Bears
~The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg
~Grimm’s Fairy Tales - Wilhelm & Jacob Grimm
~“The Highwayman”
~Hansel and Gretel
~Jack and the Beanstalk
~Just So Stories - Rudyard Kipling
~The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
~“Lincoln, The Man of the People”
~“Little Boy Blue”
~The Little Engine that Could
~The Little House on the Prairie series - Laura Ingalls Wilder
~The Little Red Hen
~The McGuffey Readers
~Mother Goose’s Nursery Rhymes
~“Paul Revere’s Ride”
~Peter Pan - J. M. Barrie
~Peter Rabbit - Beatrix Potter
~The Pied Piper of Hamlin
~Pinocchio, The Adventures of - Carlo Colladi
~Pollyanna - Eleanor H. Porter
~The Princess and the Pea
~Puss-in-Boots
~Rapunzel
~Riki Tiki Tavi
~Rip Van Winkle
~Robin Hood, The Merry Adventures of - Howard Pyle
~Rumpelstiltskin
~Sleeping Beauty
~The Song of Hiawatha
~Snow White
~Tales of the Arabian Nights
~The Three Billy Goats Gruff
~The Three Little Pigs
~The Ugly Duckling
~Tom Thumb
~"Twas the Night Before Christmas"
~The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
~Winnie-the-Pooh series - A. A. Milne
~The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Frank Baum

Classics for Youth
For older youth to read and discuss with their mentors.

~Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
~Animal Farm
~Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
~The Anne of Green Gables series - L. M. Montgomery
~The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
~“Battle Hymn of the Republic”
~Ben Hur: A Tale of Christ - Lew Wallace
~The Bible
~Brightly of the Grand Canyon
~Black Beauty - Anna Sewell
~The Black Stallion series - Walter Farley
~The Chronicles of Narnia series - C. S. Lewis
~The Collected Verse of Edgar A Guest
~“Concord Hymn”
~A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court - Samuel Clemmens
~The Constitution of the United States
~David Copperfield
~Davy Crockett Legends - Irwin Shapiro
~The Declaration of Independence
~The Deerslayer
~Don Quixote de la Mancha - Miguel De Cervantes
~Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
~The Dred Scott Decision
~The Education of Henry Adams
~Eight Cousins
~Emily Post’s Etiquette
~Ender’s Game
~“In Flanders Fields”
~Flatland
~The Foundation series
~Frankenstein
~“The Gettysburg Address”
~“Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death”
~The Great Brain series
~Gulliver’s Travels - Jonathan Swift
~Hamilton’s Mythology
~Hamlet
~Heidi - Johanna Spry
~The Hiding Place - Corrie Ten Boom
~History Reborn
~Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of - Mark Twain
~“I Have a Dream”
~Ivanhoe - Walter Scott
~The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
~Island of the Blue Dolphins - Scott O’Dell
~Joan of Arc - Mark Twain
~Jo’s Boys - Louisa May Alcott
~A Journey to the Center of the Earth - Jules Verne
~Julius Caesar (Shakespeare)
~The Jungle Book
~King Arthur and the Round Table - Thomas Malory
~Laddie - Gene Stratton Porter
~The Last of the Mohicans - James Cooper
~“Let America be America Again”
~The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
~The Little Britches series
~Little Lord Fauntleroy - Frances Hodgson Burnett
~Little Men - Louisa May Alcott
~Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
~The Lonesome Gods
~Lord of the Rings series
~“The Man with the Hoe”
~Mathematicians are People, Too (2 volumes)
~Moby Dick
~Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
~National Velvet
~Noah Webster’s Original 1828 Dictionary
~North to Freedom - Anne Holm
~“O Captain! My Captain!”
~“Old Ironsides”
~Old Yeller - Fred Gipson
~Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
~On Numbers - Isaac Asimov
~Paul Bunyan - Esther Sheperd
~The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster
~“The Present Crisis”
~“The Road Not Taken”
~The Real Benjamin Franklin
~The Real George Washington
~The Real Thomas Jefferson
~The Robe - Lloyd Cassel Douglas
~Robinson Crusoe - Daniel DeFoe
~Romeo and Juliet - Shakespeare
~The Sackett series - Louis L'Amour
~The Saxon Math series
~The Secret Garden - Francess Hodgson Burnett
~Shipwrecked
~Soldiers, Statesmen, and Heroes - Jay A Parry
~Sonnets of Shakespeare
~Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers - Patrick Kavanaugh
~Stuart Little - E. B. White
~The Summer of the Monkeys - Wilson Rawls
~The Swiss Family Robinson - Johaan Wyss
~Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of - Mark Twain
~Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson
~The Trumpet of the Swans - E. B. White
~“Ulysses” - Alfred, Lord Tennyson
~The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle - Hugh Lofting
~The Walking Drum - Louis L'Amour
~Where the Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawls
~White Fang - Jack London
~William Tell
~The Yearling - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

100 Classics Lists

One Hundred Selections from the George Wythe College Required Classics List

Source: appendix A of Oliver Van DeMille's A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a New Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-First Century, © 2000.

~Acton, The History of Freedom
~John Adams, "Thoughts on Government"
~Aquinas, "On Kingship"
~Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics
~Aristotle, Politics
~Aristotle, Rhetoric
~Augustine, The City of God
~Aurelius, Meditations
~Austen, Pride and Prejudice
~Austen, Sense and Sensibility
~Bacon, Novum Organum
~Bastait, The Law
~Bastait, "What is Seen and Not Seen"
~Benson, "The Proper Role of Government"
~The Bible
~Boethius, The Consolidation of Philosophy
~Bronte, Wuthering Heights
~Bronte, Jane Eyre
~Carson, The American Tradition
~Capra, The Tao of Physics
~Chesterton, Orthodoxy
~Churchill, Collected Speeches
~Cicero, The Republic
~Cicero, The Laws
~Clausewitz, On War
~Confucius, Analects
~The Constitution of the United States
~Copnicus, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres
~Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
~Dante, The Divine Comedy
~The Declaration of Independence
~DeFoe, Robinson Crusoe
~Descartes, A Discourse on Method
~Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
~Dickens, Great Expectations
~Douglas, Magnificent Obsession
~Durant, A History of Civilization
~Einstein, Relativity
~Emerson, Collected Essays
~Euclid, Elements
~Frank, Alas Babylon
~Franklin, Letters and Writings
~Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents
~Galileo, Two New Sciences
~Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
~Goethe, Faust
~Hobbes, Levathan
~Homer, The Iliad
~Homer, The Odyssey
~Hugo, Les Miserables
~Hume, Essays Moral, Political, and Literary
~Jefferson, Letters, Speeches, and Writings
~Keegan, History of Warfare
~Kepler, Epitome
~Martin Luther King, Jr., Collected Speeches
~Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
~Lavoisier, Elements of Chemistry
~Lewis, Mere Christianity
~Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
~Lewis, The Weight of Glory
~Lincoln, Collected Speeches
~Locke, Second Treatise of Government
~Machiavelli, The Prince
~Madison, Hamilton and Jay, The Federalist Papers
~Marx and Engels, The Communist Manifesto
~More, Utopia
~The Magna Charta
~Mill, On Liberty
~Milton, Paradise Regained
~Mises, Human Action
~The Monroe Doctrine
~Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws
~Newton, Mathematical Principles
~Nichomachus, Introduction to Arithmetic
~Neitzsche, Beyond Good and Evil
~The Northwest Ordinance
~Orwell, 1984
~Plato, Collected Works
~Polybius, Histories
~Potok, The Chosen
~Plutarch, Lives
~Ptolemy, Algamest
~Shakespeare, Collected Works
~Skousen, The Five Thousand Year Leap
~Skousen, The Majesty of God's Law
~Skousen, The Making of America
~Smith, The Wealth of Nations
~Solzhenitsyn, "A World Split Apart"
~Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago
~Sophocles, Oedipus Trilogy
~Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin
~Sun Tzu, The Art of War
~Thackeray, Vanity Fair
~Thoreau, Walden
~Tolstoy, War and Peace
~Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian Wars
~Tocqueville, Democracy in America
~Washington, Letters, Speeches, and Writings
~Weaver, Mainspring of Human Progress
~Wister, The Virginian

The Best History EVER - Ours!!!!

2010-12-19T19:34:00.000-08:00

We have, and love, The Story of the World (We are studying Ancient Times this year) for history. My kids get into the stories and I love that it works for kids at different academic levels.

Yet, the thing that I love the most is that it started with personal and family history.

It has been so much fun for my kids to call grandparents and ask them about their childhood. It is fun to watch the generations connect. My kids love the stories of their family, and these are stories that become a part of our everyday lives. My children love a good fairy tell, but even better are the stories from their heritage. These are the stories that tell them who they are and where they come from, and they cannot get enough.

It helps that my parents are serving a mission for our church at the Genealogy Library located in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Watching my parents serve has increased the kids desire to learn about their past. (This was also helped by our trip to Nauvoo, IL a couple of years ago.) My mom and dad have been very vocal about the stories they are finding and my mom writes to the kids about their ancestors - It has been a huge blessing and a choice experience for us.

During the personal interviews with grandparents I have learned a thing or to as well... I never knew that my dad didn't have running water in his house until he was 14-15 years old. We have known all along that my father-in-law was in German occupied Holland as a boy, but we were able to get him to share a few good memories and that has been rare.

Long story short ... Interviewing grandparents has been a blast and we highly recommend it!

~The questions we asked were about their house growing-up, their school, and their favorite memory, but as we asked the formulated questions the conversation took many turns. I would highly recommend recording the conversation either with just audio or with video. I'm kicking myself that we didn't.

Classical Christian Education Support Loop: 100 Great Books List

2010-12-02T07:27:00.000-08:00

Classical Christian Education Support Loop: 100 Great Books List

100 Great Books List Contents:

Using the List
Ancient & Classical Great Books
Medieval & Renaissance Great Books
Colonial & Enlightenment Great Books
American & Modern Great Books

Using the List

The 100 Great Books list posted here is not quite 100 Great Books, as we are still reading. However, most of the selections on the list are typical of those found on most 100 Great Books of Western Literature lists.

We have posted this list as a place to start, not necessarily as a place to end; since many of us did not have the benefit of being educated with the Great Books in our own childhoods and education.

The fact that most of us did not read these in our own educations presents a dilemma. They are considered too hard for regular folks to read without a university professor or some other great mind as a guide, explaining what is meant by it all. But I disagree. I think that anyone that can read and understand the Bible for himself can read and understand any of these books for himself. These books were originally written, for the most part, to be understood by the intelligent layperson of the day, after all. In reading them without a university professor or a guide, you might come to a different conclusion of what you’ve read than the “experts” might have you draw. That is no loss. Take from them what speaks to your own heart, your own mind. Cherish what rings true, discard what doesn’t. Savor the beauty and poetry of the language, the elegance of thought. Enjoy meeting the minds that have contributed to Western Civilization. Have fun! You can’t ruin it because you aren’t an expert. Some books you probably won’t care for; others you will love, and return to again and again. That is as it should be.

Be that as it may, some people will just be more comfortable tackling these books with a guide. If that is the case, these are the guides we recommend:

Invitation to the Classics by Louise Cowan and Os Guinness provide readable and enlightening introductions, essays, and discussion questions for 75 classics of Western Civilization written by the best Christian literary scholars of our day.

The Company of the Creative: A Christian Reader’s Guide to Great Literature and Its Themes by David L. Larson, Professor Emeritus of Preaching at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, points out the great themes, philosophies, and spiritual undercurrents present in hundreds of the West’s greatest works of philosophy, history, literature, and poetry.

Realms of Gold: The Classics in Christian Perspective by Leland Ryken, Professor of English at Wheaton College, examines 9 great texts of Western Civilization. If this book is out of print, search for it at Bookfinder.com, AddAll.com, or eBay Books.

We have not attempted to divide up the list into grade levels in any way. The books are listed chronologically, to our knowledge. Wes Callihan, of Schola Classical Tutorials, an experienced and qualified literature and Great Books instructor, believes that many of the Great Books require a rhetoric level of maturity in order to glean the full benefit from reading them, therefore his Great Books program is four years, meant for 9th through 12th graders. Fritz Hinrichs of Escondido Tutorial Service, an equally qualified instructor, has a six-year program of Great Books instruction, designed for 7th through 12th graders. We really feel it is up to the individual parents to decide when to begin the Great Books with their children, taking the experience of these experts into consideration. Some of us start earlier than others, but we all agree that the Great Books need to wait until the dialectic and rhetoric stages. We also believe there is benefit in reading them chronologically, in order to better realize the development of the Great Discussion over time.

However, we do realize that reading 100 books of the depth and length and breadth that these books represent, in six years, for teens, is not a realistic possibility. Therefore, we have enlarged and bolded the 20 books out of the 100 that we feel are foundational to all the others. It is a place to begin, and the choice of these 20 is completely subjective. It was based on reading and teaching these books with our teens: what we felt was within their reach and understanding, and what they grasped well; what we felt was particularly important and foundational even if it was hard; what we felt is necessary to think about, to wrestle with, and to understand to be an educated and mature individual and Christian in today’s society. We do feel that reading all 100 is of great benefit; and some were particularly hard to leave out of the top 20: Thucydides, Livy, Augustine, Dante, Calvin, Spenser, Milton, Bunyan, Pope, Paine, Austen, Newman, Dostoyevsky, Orwell, and Solzhenitsyn. Well, there is a list of the next most foundational 15. :) But reading and savoring all 100 of these books, and rereading them, is the pursuit of a lifetime, and we and our children will have the rest of our lives to be engaged in it.

In addition, some of the titles on the list are in smaller, lighter print, beginning with Rene Descartes (1596-1650) Discourse on Method. The reason for this is that it seemed to us that books found in the Great Books lists at universities diverge at that point, and two paths may be discerned. We are not expert, but we feel this divergence begins (or at least, begins to be noticeable) with Descartes and the other books in small print which follow in that path. Where the path ends up, with Darwin and Nietzsche and Marx, seems to us to not be Western Civilization, but something else. Something else characterized by authoritarianism, socialism, despair, death, hopelessness, futility, vanity, ruin, foolishness. In any case, that is our opinion; we are not experts on these matters, and we welcome you to judge for yourself about them.

We believe daily and consistent reading and Bible study to be necessary for all of life, including the years spent studying the Great Books. The books listed are offered in addition to the Bible, the greatest Great Book, but certainly never in replacement of it.

Ancient & Classical Great Books

OLD TESTAMENT of the Holy Bible

HOMER (12th - 9th c. BC) Iliad, Odyssey

AESCHYLUS (525-456 BC) Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, Eumenides

SOPHOCLES (497-406 BC) Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone

HERODOTUS (480’s-420’s BC) The History translated by George Rawlinson

THUCYDIDES (460-400 BC) History of the Peloponnesian War

PLATO (428-348 BC) The Apology, Symposium, The Republic

ARISTOTLE (384-322 BC) Poetics, Metaphysics, Ethics, Politics, Constitution of Athens

VIRGIL (70-19 BC) The Aeneid

CICERO (106-43 BC) Orations

LUCRETIUS (95-55 BC) On the Nature of the Universe

PLUTARCH (46-120 AD) Greek and Roman Lives

LIVY (46-120 AD) History of Rome

TACITUS (?-117 AD) Annals, Histories

NEW TESTAMENT of the Holy Bible

CLEMENT (Bishop of Rome 88-97 AD) Exhortation to the Greeks

MARCUS AURELIUS (167 AD) Meditations

EUSEBIUS of Caesarea (263-399 AD) Ecclesiastical History

ANTHANASIUS (297-373 AD) On the Incarnation

AUGUSTINE (354-430 AD) Confessions, City of God, On Christian Doctrine

Medieval & Renaissance Great Books

Beowulf (600-700's AD, epic poem of Germanic life)

BEDE the Venerable (673-735 AD) Ecclesiastical History of the English People

ANSELM of Canterbury (1033-1109) Proslogium, Monologium, Cur Deus Homo

BERNARD of Clairvaux (1090-1153) On Humility & Pride, On the Love of God

Song of Roland (1100’s; epic poem of peer of Charlemagne)

MAGNA CHARTA (1215) encoding the rights of English freemen

AQUINAS, Thomas (1225-1274) Summa Theologica

DANTE, Alighieri (1265-1321) The Divine Comedy

CHAUCER, Geoffery (1340-1400) The Canterbury Tales

THOMAS a KEMPIS (1379-1471) On the Imitation of Christ

da VINCI, Leonardo (1452-1519) Notebooks

MACHIAVELLI, Niccolo (1469-1527) The Prince

ERASMUS, Desiderius (1469-1536) The Praise of Folly

MORE, Thomas (1478-1535) Utopia

LUTHER, Martin (1483-1546) 95 Theses, Answer at Wurms, Commentary on Galatians, Table Talk

CALVIN, John (1509-1564) Institutes of the Christian Religion

MONTAIGNE, Michel Eyquem (1533-1592) Essays

SPENSER, Edmund (1552-1599) The Faerie Queene

BACON, Francis (1561-1626) Novum Organum, New Atlantis

SHAKESPEARE, William (1564-1616) Plays

Colonial & Enlightenment Great Books

BRADFORD, William (1590-1657) Of Plymouth Plantation

DESCARTES, Rene (1596-1650) Discourse on Method

HOBBES, Thomas (1588-1679) Leviathan

MILTON, John (1608-1674) Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, Poems
Preface to Paradise Lost by C. S. Lewis

PASCAL, Blaise (1623-1662) Pensees

BUNYAN, John (1628-1688) Pilgrim’s Progress

de SPINOZA, Benedict (1632-1677) Ethics

LOCKE, John (1632-1704) Two Treatises, Essay Concerning Human Understanding

SWIFT, Jonathan (1667-1715) Gulliver’s Travels

POPE, Alexander (1688-1744) Essay on Man

MONTESQUIEU, Charles de Secondat, Baron de (1689-1755) Spirit of Laws

VOLTAIRE, Francois (1694-1778) Candide

WESLEY, John (1703-1791) Journal

HUME, David (1711-1776) An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

ROUSSEAU, Jean (1712-1778) Social Contract

WOOLMAN, John (1720-1772) Journal

SMITH, Adam (1723-1790) Wealth of Nations

BLACKSTONE, William (1723-1780) Commentaries on Law

FRANKLIN, Benjamin (1706-1790) Poor Richard’s Almanack, Autobiography

BURKE, Edmund (1729-1797) On Conciliation with America, On the Revolution in France

PAINE, Thomas (1737-1809) Common Sense, The Crisis, The Rights of Man

American & Modern Great Books

AMERICAN FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENTS:
The Mayflower Compact
Declaration of Independence
Articles of Confederation
The Constitution and Bill of Rights

HAMILTON, A.; JAY, J.; MADISON, J. (1788) The Federalist Papers

GIBBON, Edward (1737-1794) Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

BOSWELL, James (1740-1795) Life of Samuel Johnson

AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817) Pride and Prejudice

NEWMAN, John Henry (1801-1890) Apologia Pro Vita Sua

de TOCQUEVILLE, Alexis (1805-1859) Democracy in America

MILL, John Stuart (1806-1873) On Liberty, The Subjection of Women

BASTIAT, Frederic (1801-1850) The Law

LINCOLN, Abraham (1809-1865) Speeches and Letters

DARWIN, Charles (1809-1882) Origin of Species

KIERKEGAARD, Soren (1813-1855) Fear and Trembling

THOREAU, Henry David (1817-1862) On Civil Disobedience

DOSTOYEVSKY, Fyodor (1821-1881) Brothers Karamazov

NIETZSCHE, Friedrich (1844-1900) Thus Spoke Zarathustra

WASHINGTON, Booker T. (1856-1915) Up From Slavery

CHURCHILL, Winston (1874-1965) History of the English, History of the Second World War

LEWIS, C. S. (1888-1968) Collected Works and Essays

TOLKIEN, J. R. R. (1892-1973) The Lord of the Rings

ORWELL, George (1903-1950) Animal Farm, 1984

SARTRE, Jean Paul (1905-) No Exit

WEAVER, Henry Grady (1947) The Mainspring of Human Progress
If out of print, try The Discovery of Freedom by Rose Wilder Lane (yes, THAT Rose Wilder!)

WEAVER, Richard M. (1948) Ideas Have Consequences

SOLZHENITSYN, Alexander (1918-) One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch, Nobel Lecture

KING, Martin Luther, Jr. (1929-1968) “I Have a Dream”, Strength to Love

SCHAEFFER, Francis (1912-1984) Trilogy, How Should We Then Live?

FAVORITE READ-ALOUD BOOKS

2010-11-30T21:08:00.000-08:00

FAVORITE READ-ALOUD BOOKS

by Karen Kindrick Cox

I've written many times about Literature Time, and even mentioned a few books we love, but I decided to take a poll among my children to learn which books stand out as the ones they loved best. Literature Time was a beloved time of the day and continued through high school and beyond. Homeschool provides the freedom to set aside hours of reading time beyond what would normally be possible. All the children, including older teens, had many Inquiry or personal projects that were perfect for creativity work while listening. Even today my grown children AND my husband and I read aloud together.

I called each of my children to discover which books they most enjoyed out of the hundreds we read. Each had their own favorites to add to the list and some were mentioned several times. The books are from different age levels and each applied to one of our EPIC Adventures. Of course, I could recommend so many wonderful ones, but I limited this particular list to the ones that appeared to be all-time favorites. Here they are:

Howard Pyle's The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Howard Pyle's King Arthur Books
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Jane Eyre
Little House on the Prairie series (read several times through the
years)
Mark Twain's Joan of Arc
A Girl of the Limberlost
Sherlock Holmes
Robinson Crusoe
The Secret Garden
A Christmas Carole
The Story of the Trapp Family Singers
The Agony and The Ecstacy (needs some editing, which I did as I
read)
Where the Red Fern Grows
The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh
The Wind in the Willows
The Bronze Bow
The Hiding Place
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Johnny Tremain
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Carry On Mr. Bowditch
The Real...(George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin
Franklin)
Original versions of Fairy Tales, (Perrault's Fairy Tales), Italian Fairy
Tales
Our Hearts Were Young and Gay
The Three Musketeers (needs some editing, which I did as I read)
The Haunted Showboat
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Time Machine
Mathematicians are People Too #1
Mathematicians are People Too #2

Howard Pyle's King Arthur Books

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WANT TO PUBLISH THIS ARTICLE ON YOUR WEBSITE OR EZINE?

No problem! You are welcome to publish this article as long as it is left in its entirety and here is what you MUST include:

Karen Kindrick Cox, creator of the EPIC Pattern of a Scholar TM, has presented Heart-Firing, Brain-Firing how-to's to homeschool mothers, since 1989. She currently runs the online EPIC Adventure Academy and offers workshops and materials to help homeschool mothers ignite passionate learning and heroic living, visit www.courageousbeings.com.

The Bitter Homeschooler's Wish List

2010-09-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

by Deborah Markus, from Secular Homeschooling, Issue #1, Fall 2007

1 Please stop asking us if it's legal. If it is — and it is — it's insulting to imply that we're criminals. And if we were criminals, would we admit it?

2 Learn what the words "socialize" and "socialization" mean, and use the one you really mean instead of mixing them up the way you do now. Socializing means hanging out with other people for fun. Socialization means having acquired the skills necessary to do so successfully and pleasantly. If you're talking to me and my kids, that means that we do in fact go outside now and then to visit the other human beings on the planet, and you can safely assume that we've got a decent grasp of both concepts.

3 Quit interrupting my kid at her dance lesson, scout meeting, choir practice, baseball game, art class, field trip, park day, music class, 4H club, or soccer lesson to ask her if as a homeschooler she ever gets to socialize.

4 Don't assume that every homeschooler you meet is homeschooling for the same reasons and in the same way as that one homeschooler you know.

5 If that homeschooler you know is actually someone you saw on TV, either on the news or on a "reality" show, the above goes double.

6 Please stop telling us horror stories about the homeschoolers you know, know of, or think you might know who ruined their lives by homeschooling. You're probably the same little bluebird of happiness whose hobby is running up to pregnant women and inducing premature labor by telling them every ghastly birth story you've ever heard. We all hate you, so please go away.

7 We don't look horrified and start quizzing your kids when we hear they're in public school. Please stop drilling our children like potential oil fields to see if we're doing what you consider an adequate job of homeschooling.

8 Stop assuming all homeschoolers are religious.

9 Stop assuming that if we're religious, we must be homeschooling for religious reasons.

10 We didn't go through all the reading, learning, thinking, weighing of options, experimenting, and worrying that goes into homeschooling just to annoy you. Really. This was a deeply personal decision, tailored to the specifics of our family. Stop taking the bare fact of our being homeschoolers as either an affront or a judgment about your own educational decisions.

11 Please stop questioning my competency and demanding to see my credentials. I didn't have to complete a course in catering to successfully cook dinner for my family; I don't need a degree in teaching to educate my children. If spending at least twelve years in the kind of chew-it-up-and-spit-it-out educational facility we call public school left me with so little information in my memory banks that I can't teach the basics of an elementary education to my nearest and dearest, maybe there's a reason I'm so reluctant to send my child to school.

12 If my kid's only six and you ask me with a straight face how I can possibly teach him what he'd learn in school, please understand that you're calling me an idiot. Don't act shocked if I decide to respond in kind.

13 Stop assuming that because the word "home" is right there in "homeschool," we never leave the house. We're the ones who go to the amusement parks, museums, and zoos in the middle of the week and in the off-season and laugh at you because you have to go on weekends and holidays when it's crowded and icky.

14 Stop assuming that because the word "school" is right there in homeschool, we must sit around at a desk for six or eight hours every day, just like your kid does. Even if we're into the "school" side of education — and many of us prefer a more organic approach — we can burn through a lot of material a lot more efficiently, because we don't have to gear our lessons to the lowest common denominator.

15 Stop asking, "But what about the Prom?" Even if the idea that my kid might not be able to indulge in a night of over-hyped, over-priced revelry was enough to break my heart, plenty of kids who do go to school don't get to go to the Prom. For all you know, I'm one of them. I might still be bitter about it. So go be shallow somewhere else.

16 Don't ask my kid if she wouldn't rather go to school unless you don't mind if I ask your kid if he wouldn't rather stay home and get some sleep now and then.

17 Stop saying, "Oh, I could never homeschool!" Even if you think it's some kind of compliment, it sounds more like you're horrified. One of these days, I won't bother disagreeing with you any more.

18 If you can remember anything from chemistry or calculus class, you're allowed to ask how we'll teach these subjects to our kids. If you can't, thank you for the reassurance that we couldn't possibly do a worse job than your teachers did, and might even do a better one.

19 Stop asking about how hard it must be to be my child's teacher as well as her parent. I don't see much difference between bossing my kid around academically and bossing him around the way I do about everything else.

20 Stop saying that my kid is shy, outgoing, aggressive, anxious, quiet, boisterous, argumentative, pouty, fidgety, chatty, whiny, or loud because he's homeschooled. It's not fair that all the kids who go to school can be as annoying as they want to without being branded as representative of anything but childhood.

21 Quit assuming that my kid must be some kind of prodigy because she's homeschooled.

22 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of prodigy because I homeschool my kids.

23 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of saint because I homeschool my kids.

24 Stop talking about all the great childhood memories my kids won't get because they don't go to school, unless you want me to start asking about all the not-so-great childhood memories you have because you went to school.

25 Here's a thought: If you can't say something nice about homeschooling, shut up!

LOVE IT!!!

2010-06-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

Problems and solutions with math text books.

2010-05-29T16:36:00.000-07:00

Babylon ruins torn between preservation and profit - Boston.com

2010-05-10T06:59:00.001-07:00

Babylon ruins torn between preservation and profit - Boston.com

This is a really interesting article about the rebuilding of Babylon. Anyone up on end times theology? Interesting implications in so many areas.

Nicholas Nickleby

2010-03-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I love reading Dickens! He is so moral. The good guys get what they have earned and the bad guys get what they deserve.

As with all of the Dickens I have read, there were part of this book that were hard to read. The abuse of the Yorkshire school and the treatment of poor Smike are awful! Yet, somehow Dickens adds just enough satire and comic relief to make the story bearable.

Speaking of comic relief ... the names in this book are priceless. Some examples are:

Wackford Squeers as the evil school master.
Miss Knag as the berating overseer.
Mr. Hawk as the predatory suitor.
The Cheeryble brothers as the happy go lucky heros.

As characters are introduced it was fun to guess what their role would be merely by evaluating their names.

There are times during the book that Nicholas' pride had me outraged! Between he and his mother there were times that I thought their follies would keep them from all happiness. I guess that is one thing that Dickens does so well, his characters are very real and pride is a real issue.

Speaking of Mrs. Nickleby ... she drove me nuts! Her inconsiderate self-aggrandizement was so hard. She was so easily manipulated and thought only of her own feelings. It is so hard to read those characters, but we all know them in real life. I feel like the love and patience her children show her was a great example.

In closing I want to add a quote that I loved from the book. This is part of a proposal in a twilight romance and I love the way it is worded.

"Let's be a comfortable couple, and take care of each other, and if we should go deaf, or lame, or blind, or bed ridden, how glad we shall be that we have somebody we are fond of always to talk to and sit with!"

View all my reviews >>

Disturb Us, Lord

2010-02-28T07:51:00.001-08:00

Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst for the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.

We ask You to push back the horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future in strength, courage, hope and love.

~Sir Francis Drake

Your Life Will Change When…

2010-02-25T22:25:00.000-08:00

…you spend more money and time on books than you do on entertainment.

…you stop waiting for others to solve the problems you notice.

…you trust your intuition more than the “wisdom of crowds.”

…you muster the courage to venture inside yourself and discover your intuition in the first place.

…you accept that problems aren’t “out there”; they’re in your own heart.

…your vision of yourself and your life becomes more compelling than your fear.

…your commitment to truth becomes stronger than your attachment to beliefs.

…your desire to love becomes stronger than your attachment to ego.

…you realize that you can’t effectively influence others until you know yourself.

…you value the freedom of forgiveness over the prison of blame.

I copied this from an e-mail newsletter I subscribe to from The Center for Social Leadership. It was written by Stephen Palmer, and it describes exactly what we are aiming for in our household.

When I read this list I am reminded of how far we, as a family, have come over the last few years. We have really changed and it feels so good to see and feel the progress. We still have a ways to go, but it is nice to know we are on the right track and progressing in the ways we want to be.

When I was talking to a friend about the future and where different choices are leading our country, she said she gets scared. What I have found is that a superficial knowledge of the economy and history really can be scary, but the more time we invest — the deeper we delve — the more peace we can find.

Every problem we have in our country, in our world, was created by men and men are weak. Heavenly Father is strong and He has given solutions to every single challenge we face. By embracing a strong program of study, both spiritual and secular, we can all find our peace and the way that we need to contribute to His plan.

The most amazing thing ... each plan is INDIVIDUAL. We must all find our life's path that will maximize how we can grow and serve our God. This unique offering is so personal and so original to our own purpose. No person can fill our place or write our plan. We must write it with our creator. There are no short cuts. Anything different and we sale ourselves short.

Once we have faith in that plan it becomes "easy" to do the hard work. It is a relief to find a grander purpose in life.

I am still such a work in progress! Yet, it is nice to be doing the necessary work and not feel like I am just spinning my wheels. It is my journey to fill my life with "thick" things and not to fall in to the trap President Thomas S. Monson discussed when he said;

"We become so caught up in the busyness of our lives. Were we to step back, however, and take a good look at what we’re doing, we may find that we have immersed ourselves in the “thick of thin things.” In other words, too often we spend most of our time taking care of the things which do not really matter much at all in the grand scheme of things, neglecting those more important causes."

An amazing reminder to focus on the BEST and not settling for what is merely good!

Read

2010-02-23T20:57:00.001-08:00

"The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."

Mark Twain

2010-01-31T10:49:00.000-08:00

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."

William Butler Yeats

Homeschooling Family Granted Political Asylum

2010-01-26T22:07:00.000-08:00

Immigration Judge Says Germany Violating Basic Human Rights

In a case with international ramifications, Immigration Judge Lawrence O. Burman granted the political asylum application of a German homeschooling family. The Romeikes are Christians from Bissinggen, Germany, who fled persecution in August 2008 to seek political asylum in the United States. The request was granted January 26 after a hearing was held in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 21.

“We can’t expect every country to follow our constitution,” said Judge Burman. “The world might be a better place if it did. However, the rights being violated here are basic human rights that no country has a right to violate.”

Burman added, “Homeschoolers are a particular social group that the German government is trying to suppress. This family has a well-founded fear of persecution…therefore, they are eligible for asylum…and the court will grant asylum.”

In his ruling, Burman said that the scariest thing about this case was the motivation of the government. He noted it appeared that rather than being concerned about the welfare of the children, the government was trying to stamp out parallel societies—something the judge called “odd” and just plain “silly.” In his order the judge expressed concern that while Germany is a democratic country and is an ally, he noted that this particular policy of persecuting homeschoolers is “repellent to everything we believe as Americans.”

‘Embarrassing for Germany’

“This decision finally recognizes that German homeschoolers are a specific social group that is being persecuted by a Western democracy,” said Mike Donnelly, staff attorney and director of international relations for Home School Legal Defense Associaton. “It is embarrassing for Germany, since a Western nation should uphold basic human rights, which include allowing parents to raise and educate their own children. This judge understood the case perfectly, and he called Germany out. We hope this decision will cause Germany to stop persecuting homeschoolers,” he added.

The persecution of homeschoolers in Germany has been intensifying over the past several years. They are regularly fined thousands of dollars, threatened with imprisonment, or have the custody of their children taken away simply because they choose to home educate.

The Romeikes expressed relief when they heard the decision.

“We are so grateful to the judge for his ruling,” said Uwe Romeike. “We know many people, especially other German homeschoolers, have been praying for us. Their prayers and ours have been answered. We greatly appreciate the freedom to homeschool we now have in America and will be building our new life here,” he added.

Donnelly testified at the hearing on January 21, telling the immigration Judge that homeschoolers are persecuted all over Germany.

‘Ignoring the Truth’

“There is no safety for homeschoolers in Germany,” Donnelly said. “The two highest courts in Germany have ruled that it is acceptable for the German government to ‘stamp out’ homeschoolers as some kind of ‘parallel society.’ The reasoning is flawed. The fact is that homeschoolers are not a parallel society. Valid research shows that homeschoolers excel academically and socially. German courts are simply ignoring the truth that exists all over the world where homeschooling is practiced. They need to look beyond their own borders.”

In 2003 the highest administrative court in Germany, which interprets its federal Constitution, ruled in the Konrad case that it was permissable for parents who have jobs that require them to travel—such as circus performers and musicians—to homeschool, but homeschooling was prohibited for parents who wanted to for reasons of conscience. The highest criminal court said in the Paul-Plett case in 2006 that the government was allowed to take custody of children whose parents want to homeschool for reasons of conscience.

Donnelly challenged the reasoning of the German courts.

“It is ridiculous for German courts to say that homeschooling is allowed if you have practical reasons but disallowed if you have conscientious reasons,” Donnelly said. “This is simply about the German state trying to coerce ideological uniformity in a way that is frighteningly reminiscent of past history. Homeschooling is a growing social movement all over the world, and the Germans want to stamp it out based on a fabricated notion that homeschoolers are a ‘parallel society.’ Germany’s treatment of homeschooling families is worthy of condemnation from the international community. I am proud that a United States immigration judge recognized the truth of what is happening in Germany and has rendered this favorable decision for the Romeike family.”

German homeschoolers have been organizing and trying to draw the attention of German politicians. It has been difficult. Juergen Dudek is a homeschooling father who had been sentenced to 90 days in jail for homeschooling, but whose sentence was reduced to a $300 fine. He noted that officials in Germany have no appreciation for homeschoolers who think differently than the state.

‘Send a Loud Message’

“It is incredible to me that these officials give absolutely no weight to our faith or other conscientious objection to attendance at the public schools,” said Dudek. “We have had a number of families who are not homeschoolers, but who know that the German school system is failing, who called us to encourage us. In our re-hearing the judge issued a decision reducing our sentence from jail to a fine but was totally dismissive of our reasons for wanting to homeschool. We have always been encouraged by the support of American homeschoolers, and we hope that this decision will send a loud message to the German people that what our country is doing is wrong.”

A board member of the Netzwerk Bildungsfreiheit, an organization working for freedom for homeschoolers, said that the ruling would be helpful to homeschoolers in Germany.

“This decision reveals to the rest of the world that the German state acts outside the mainstream of Western democracies. Germany is in the company of countries like China, North Korea and others where fundamental human rights are not respected. Germany’s behavior exposes the totalitarian character of the German school law that takes away a parent’s right to educate their children. A decision on behalf of the Romeikes puts blame on the German government and is a serious warning to Germans officials to change their policies and further accept the rights of the parents. We hope that the decision will send a clear message to authorities in Germany to make changes right away!”

Mike Smith, president of HSLDA, also applauded the decision.

“It’s recognition that the German state is persecuting homeschoolers,” he said. “We are pleased to have been able to support this courageous family, and we hope and pray that this decision will have a decisive effect on German policy makers who should change their laws to recognize parents’ rights to educate their own children.”

Originally found at http://www.hslda.org/hs/international/Germany/201001260.asp

Homeschooled

2010-01-17T23:19:00.000-08:00

I found the following list here.

Constitutional Convention Delegates

* Richard Basseti – Governor of Delaware
* William Blount – U.S. Senator
* George Clymer – U.S. Representative
* William Few – U.S. Senator
* Benjamin Franklin – Inventor and Statesman
* Alexander Hamilton – Lawyer and Economist
* William Houston – Lawyer
* William S. Johnson – Columbia College President
* William Livingston – Governor of New Jersey
* James Madison – 4th President of the U.S.
* George Mason – Justice of Virginia County Court
* John Francis Mercer – U.S. Representative
* Charles Pickney III – Governor of S. Carolina
* John Rutledge – Chief Justice U.S. Supreme Court
* Richard D. Spaight – Governor of North Carolina
* George Washington – 1st President of the U.S.
* John Witherspoon – President of Princeton
* George Wythe – Justice of Virginia High Court

Presidents

* John Adams
* John Quincy Adams
* Grover Cleveland
* Jefferson Davis (the only president of the short-lived Confederate States of America)
* James Garfield
* William Henry Harrison
* Andrew Jackson
* Thomas Jefferson
* Abraham Lincoln
* James Madison
* James Polk
* Franklin Delano Roosevelt
* Theodore Roosevelt
* John Tyler
* George Washington
* Woodrow Wilson

Statesmen

* Henry Fountain Ashurst
* William Jennings Bryan
* Winston Churchill
* Henry Clay
* John Dickinson
* Pierre du Pont
* Benjamin Franklin
* Patrick Henry
* William Penn
* Daniel Webster

Military Officers

* John Barry – Senior Navy Officer
* George Rogers Clark – Revolutionary War hero
* Nathanael Greene – Revolutionary War hero
* Nathan Hale – Revolutionary War hero
* Stonewall Jackson – Civil War General
* John Paul Jones – Father of the American Navy
* Robert E. Lee – Civil War General
* Douglas MacArthur – U.S. General
* George Patton – U.S. General
* Matthew Perry – U.S. Naval Officer
* John Pershing – U.S. General
* David Dixon Porter – Civil War Admiral
* Joseph Bradley Varnum – Revolutionary War hero

U.S. Supreme Court Judges

* Charles Evans Hughes
* John Jay
* John Marshall
* John Rutledge
* Sandra Day O’Connor

Religious Leaders

* Joan of Arc
* Dietrich Bonhoeffer
* William Carey
* Jonathan Edwards
* Philipp Melancthon
* Dwight L. Moody
* John Newton
* John Owen
* Hudson Taylor
* John & Charles Wesley
* Brigham Young

Explorers

* William Clark – Lewis & Clark Expedition
* Meriwether Lewis – Lewis & Clark Expedition
* John Wesley Powell – Colorado River Expedition
* Sir Ernest Shackleton – Antarctic Expedition

Scientists

* Wilson A. Bentley – “The Snowflake Man”
* George Washington Carver – agricultural research
* Pierre Curie – discovered radium
* Albert Einstein – theoretical physicist
* Paul Erdos – Hungarian mathematician
* Michael Faraday – electrochemist
* Pierre-Gilles de Gennes – French physicist
* Oliver Heaviside – electromagnetism researcher
* T.H. Huxley – biologist, zoologist, Darwinist
* Ruth Lawrence – mathematician
* Gilbert Newton Lewis – physical chemist
* Ada Lovelace – founder of scientific computing
* Benoit Mandelbrot – pioneer in fractal geometry
* Blaise Pascal – French mathematician
* Joseph Priestley – father of modern chemistry
* Samuel C. C. Ting – Chinese American physicist
* Konstantin Tsiolkovsky – Russian rocket scientist

Inventors

* Alexander Graham Bell – invented the telephone
* John Moses Browning – firearms inventor/designer
* Peter Cooper – built the first modern skyscraper, the first commercial locomotive, and patented the first gelatin dessert which was later named Jell-O
* Thomas Edison – invented the stock ticker, mimeograph, phonograph, and electric light bulb
* Benjamin Franklin – invented the lightning rod
* Elias Howe – invented sewing machine
* William Lear – airplane creator
* Cyrus McCormick – invented grain reaper
* Guglielmo Marconi – developed radio
* Eli Whitney – invented the cotton gin
* Sir Frank Whittle – invented turbo jet engine
* Orville and Wilbur Wright – brothers who built the first successful airplane

Artists

* William Blake – painter, engraver, poet
* John Singleton Copley – American Colonial painter
* Evelyn De Morgan – Pre-Raphaelite painter
* Christian Grew – American Painter
* Donal Hord – San Diego sculptor
* Akiane Kramarik- 10-year-old art and poetry prodigy
* Claude Monet – French Impressionist
* Grandma Moses – American folk artist
* Charles Willson Peale – American portrait artist
* Lu Pinchang – ceramic sculptor
* Leonardo da Vinci – Renaissance artist, sculptor
* Andrew Wyeth – American realist painter
* Jamie Wyeth – American realist painter

Composers

* Johann Sebastian Bach – Baroque
* Irving Berlin – Patriotic
* Anton Bruckner – Symphonies
* Noel Coward – Musicals
* Felix Mendelssohn – Romantic
* Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Classical
* John Porcaro – Experimental
* Francis Poulenc – Choral
* John Philip Sousa – “March King”

Writers

* Louisa May Alcott – author of Little Women
* Hans Christian Anderson – fairy tale writer
* Margaret Atwood – Canadian novelist, poet
* Fawn M. Brodie – biographer
* Pearl S. Buck – Nobel prize-winning author
* William F. Buckley, Jr. – conservative writer
* Willa Cather – American novelist
* Agatha Christie – mystery author
* Samuel Clemens – a.k.a. Mark Twain
* Charles Dickens – British novelist
* Robert Frost – Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
* Charlotte Perkins Gilman – early feminist writer
* Alex Haley – African-American novelist
* Sharlot Hall – poet, writer, Arizona historian
* Joshua Harris- pastor and author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye
* Bret Harte – frontier California journalist
* L. Ron Hubbard – science fiction writer
* Helen Keller – blind and deaf author and lecturer
* Rose Wilder Lane – journalist, ghostwriter, daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder
* C.S. Lewis – Christian writer and apologist
* Amy Lowell – Modernist poet
* Gabriela Mistral – Nobel-prize winning Latin American poet
* Sean O’Casey – Irish author
* Thomas Paine – political writer during the American Revolution, author of Common Sense
* Christopher Paolini – teen author of Eragon
* Isabel Paterson – conservative political author
* Beatrix Potter – author of Peter Rabbit Tales
* Jedediah Purdy – author of For Common Things: Irony, Trust, and Commitment in America Today
* Kenneth Rexroth – poet, translator, critical essayist
* Carl Sandburg – American poet
* George Bernard Shaw – Irish-born playwright
* Mattie J. T. Stepanek – 11-year-old author of Heartsongs
* Rosemary Sutcliff – historical novels for children
* Rabindranath Tagore – Bengali poet, essayist, dramatist, songwriter
* Leo Tolstoy – Russian writer
* Mercy Warren – American Revolution eyewitness
* Phillis Wheatley – African-American poet
* Walt Whitman – American poet
* Laura Ingalls Wilder – children’s book author
* Virginia Woolf – English novelist

Educators

* Amos Bronson Alcott – innovative teacher, father of Louisa May Alcott
* Catharine Beecher – co-founder of the Hartford Female Seminary
* Jill Ker Conway – first woman president of Smith College
* Erik Demaine – associate professor of Computer Science at MIT
* Timothy Dwight – President of Yale University
* William Samuel Johnson – President of Columbia College
* Horace Mann – “Father of the American Common School”
* Charlotte Mason – Founder of Charlotte Mason College of Education
* Joyce Reed – Associate Dean of the College, Brown University
* Fred Terman – President of Stanford University
* Frank Vandiver – President of Texas A&M University
* Booker T. Washington – teacher and founder of Tuskegee Institute
* Noah Webster – “Father of American Christian Education”
* John Witherspoon – President of Princeton University

Medical Practitioners

* Clara Barton – started the Red Cross
* Elizabeth Blackwell – first woman in the U.S. to receive a medical degree
* Florence Nightingale – Nurse
* Susan La Flesche Picotte – first American Indian woman physician
* Albert Schweitzer – Physician
* Mary Walker – Civil War physician; recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor

Business Entrepreneurs

* Andrew Carnegie – wealthy steel industrialist
* Amadeo Giannini – Bank of America’s founder
* Horace Greeley – New York Tribune founder
* Soichiro Honda – creator of the Honda automobile company
* Peter Kindersley – book illustrator and publisher
* Ray Kroc – founder of McDonald’s fast food restaurant chain
* Jimmy Lai – newspaper publisher; founder of Giordano International
* Dr. Orison Swett Marden – founder, Success magazine
* Adolph Ochs – New York Times founder
* Joseph Pulitzer – newspaper publisher; established Pulitzer Prize
* Colonel Harland Sanders – started Kentucky Fried Chicken
* Dave Thomas – founder of the Wendy’s restaurant chain

Others

* Abigail Adams – wife of John Adams; mother of John Quincy Adams
* Ansel Adams – photographer
* Susan B. Anthony – women’s rights leader
* John James Audubon – ornithologist and artist
* Alyssa Buecker – director, Milbo Productions
* John Burroughs – naturalist
* Jennie Chancey – historical costumer
* Davy Crockett – frontiersman
* Edward Curtis – photographer
* Robin Lee Graham – youngest person to sail around the world at age 16
* Alex and Brett Harris – twin teen writers and conference speakers for “The Rebelution,” a Christian ministry/youth organization
* Eric Hoffer – social philosopher
* Sam Houston – lawyer; first leader of Texas
* Abraham Kuyper – Dutch politician, journalist
* Mary Leakey – fossil hunter
* Charles Fletcher Lummis – journalist, historian, photographer, founder of the Southwest Society
* Harriet Martineau – first woman sociologist
* Margaret Mead – cultural anthropologist
* John Stuart Mill – free-market Economist
* Charles Louis Montesquieu – philosopher
* John Muir – naturalist
* Raymond Parks – Civil Rights activist, husband of Rosa Parks
* Sofia, Susan, and Judit Polgar – chess masters
* Bill Ridell – Newspaperman
* Will Rogers – Humorist
* Eleanor Roosevelt – wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt
* Bertrand Russell – Logician
* Drew Ryun – co-founder of Generation Joshua, director of Jim Ryun Running Camp
* Ned Ryun – co-founder of Generation Joshua, president of American Majority
* Deborah Sampson – female soldier in the American Revolution
* Emerson Spartz – 12-year-old internet entrepreneur (MuggleNet)
* Herbert Spencer – philosopher, sociologist
* Gloria Steinem – founder of Ms. magazine
* Timmy Teepell – chief of staff for Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana
* Lester Frank Ward – Father of American Sociology
* Martha Washington – wife of George Washington
* Frances E. C. Willard – educator, temperance leader, and suffragist
* Frank Lloyd Wright – architect
* John Lloyd Wright – architect, toy designer, inventor of Lincoln Logs
* Sho Yano – gifted child prodigy
* Elijah ben Solomon Zalman – Jewish scholar

This list was compiled by Compiled by Teri Ann Berg Olsen, author of “Learning for Life: Educational Words of Wisdom”

8-Year-Old Suspended From School for Jesus Drawing

2009-12-15T20:06:00.000-08:00

WRITTEN BY THOMAS R. EDDLEM
TUESDAY, 15 DECEMBER 2009 16:00

Taunton, Massachusetts, public school officials suspended a second grader for drawing a stick figure of Jesus on the cross after his teacher instructed the class to draw an image that reminded them of Christmas. The eight-year-old special needs boy was then required to undergo violence counseling before officials allowed him to return to school.

According to the Taunton Gazette, the boy had just days earler visited the local Catholic shrine National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, and the image of the crucifix was fresh on his mind when the teacher gave the assignment. The Attleboro, Massachusetts La Salette shrine is a seasonal tourist attraction for many Boston-area Catholics, as it includes more than 300,000 Christmas lights as well as numerous crucifixes.

The image of the crucifix was deemed too violent in the current age of "no tolerance" for violence. Some have speculated that the teacher brought the drawing to the attention of administrators because he drew the letter X over the eyes of Jesus in the stick figure drawing. The incident happened on December 2, and the child was allowed to return to school December 7 after receiving counseling.

“As far as I’m concerned, they’re violating his religion,” the incredulous father Chester Johnson told the Taunton Gazette. He added that his son has never been in trouble at the school. “He’s never been suspended,” Johnson said of his son.“He’s 8 years old. They overreacted.”

Even the social worker consulted by the family in this case has protested this extreme reaction to a student's drawing. “When I got that call, I was so appalled that I had to do something,” Toni Saunders, of the non-profit Associated Advocacy Center told the Taunton Gazette. “They weren’t looking at the fact that this is an 8-year-old child with special needs,” she added. “They made him leave school, and they recommended that a psychiatrist do an evaluation.”

“I’m sure they expected Santa Claus or a reindeer, but that’s not where this child’s mind was,” Saunders told the Boston Herald of the child. And that's just the problem with the public schools, not just in Taunton or the state of Massachusetts, but nationwide. They can't teach about the most important things in life.

Some have argued that a crucifix was more appropriate for a Good Friday or Easter image than Christmas. But the purpose of the nativity was so that Christ could die on the cross and redeem the world from sin.

For Christians, Christ's death on the cross and resurrection is not just an important part of most people's lives, it is not even the most important thing in the lives of Christians. Christ's actions on the cross, Christians believe, is the reason for life.

What does it say when an eight-year-old special needs student understands this, but the collective wisdom of the public school system — with their masters degrees and doctorates — does not?

Thomas R. Eddlem is a Taunton school teacher ... but he teaches in the Catholic school system.

http://www.thenewamerican.com/

Villette

2009-12-13T22:34:00.000-08:00

Villette by Charlotte Brontë

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I honestly do not know how to rate this book. I am torn.

Lucy Snowe must decide if she is going to live, or merely survive. She takes great risk only to settle for monotony. There are many times while reading that I want to shake dear Lucy to wake her up!

The passion, longing, and hidden raging in Charlotte Bronte's characters is strong enough to bring the dead to life! And yet, their lives can be so hum-drum. Argh, the agony-to feel the passion without the action!

I love this book and I hate this book, which is part of the genius behind it. But you must read to understand.

View all my reviews >>

1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation Issued by President George Washington

2009-11-26T10:51:00.000-08:00

PROCLAMATION by the President of the United States of America:

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor - and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be - That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks - for his kind care and protection of the People of this country previous to their becoming a Nation - for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war -for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed - for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions - to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually - to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed - to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord - To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and Us - and generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.
GO. WASHINGTON.
[Source: The Papers of George Washington]

Joan of Arc

2009-11-19T23:06:00.000-08:00

Joan of Arc by Mark Twain

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have always known of Joan of Arc, but have never really known about her. This book is an amazing tribute to a girl who followed God's promptings, saved her country, and was repaid by treachery and ingratitude. The injustice that falls upon this young child is heart wrenching and just plain wrong. This is a great book to bring history alive and to help see what true character is made of.

Religious Freedom Under Attack

2009-10-25T10:48:00.001-07:00

"The law is too clumsy an instrument to govern all aspects of personal behavior."

2009-10-13T21:41:00.001-07:00

asamom.ning.com

2009-10-02T23:16:00.000-07:00

If you are a mommy patriot who has felt alone in your concern about the direction our country is going in and frustrated with other moms who seem more concerned with footwear than freedom then asamom.ning.com might be just the place for you. Check it out.

What is communism?

2009-09-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

The word “COMMUNIST” has such a heavy presence in our current national debates. One side is accusing another of being communist while the other side vehemently denies any such notion. It is hard to know what the truth is.

In my quest for answers I turned to the standard of the communist party and compared that to what is going on in our country.

Here are some main points regarding communism:

*Unless otherwise noted all quotes are taken directly from the Manifesto of the Communist Party (also know as The Communist Manifesto) written by Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels and published in 1848.

◆The main goal of Communism is the abolition of private property.

“In short, the Communists everywhere support every revolutionary movement against the existing social and political order of things. … In all these movements they bring to the front, as the leading question in each, the property question, no matter what its degree of development at the time.” Pg 77

“In this sense, the theory of Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property.” Pg 52

“In one word, you reproach us with intending to do away with your property. Precisely so; that is just what we intend.” Pg 54

◆Communism is an antagonist of religion.

“All religions which have existed hitherto were expressions of historical stages of development of individual peoples or groups of peoples. But communism is that stage of historical development which makes all existing religions superfluous and supersedes them.” ~Engels, www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/06/09.htm

“The charges against communism made from a religious, a philosophical, and, generally, from an ideological standpoint, are not deserving of serious examination.” Pg 58

◆Communism is anti-family

“Abolition of family! Even the most radical flame up at this infamous proposal of Communists. … Do you charge us with wanting to stop the exploitation of children by their parents? To this crime we plead guilty.” Pg 56

“All children will be educated in state establishments from the time when they can do without the first maternal care.” Engels, www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/06/09.htm

Compare those words with this quote from Ezra Taft Benson:

“It is a fundamental truth that the responsibilities of motherhood cannot be successfully delegated. No, not to day-care centers, not to schools, not to nurseries, not to babysitters.
“We become enamored with men's theories such as the idea of preschool training outside the home for young children. Not only does this put added pressure on the budget, but it places young children in an environment away from mother's influence. …
“It is mother's influence during the crucial formative years that forms a child's basic character.   
“Home is the place where a child learns faith, feels love, and thereby learns from mother's loving example to choose righteousness.   
“How vital are mother's influence and teaching in the home—and how apparent when neglected!” ~Ezra Taft Benson, "The Honored Place of Woman," Ensign, Nov. 1981, 104

Marx & Engel’s 10 Planks (pg 60-61)

These points are the stated purposes for communism, and have relevance to socialism and marxism.

1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.

◆Our property taxes act as “rents of land.” Every year we must pay taxes on property, no matter what, and if we do not the federal government will come and take our homes. So if there is an old grandma that has lived in her house her whole life the bank can be completely paid off but the government will never be. She can loose everything if she cannot pay her property taxes. This provision hurts the poor because no matter how they scrimp and save to buy a home they will always be under the thumb of the government.

2. A heavy progressive or gradual income tax.

◆The more you make the more they take!

◆A graduated, or progressive, income tax is a tax where the percentage you pay in taxes goes up with as incomes go up. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_tax_in_the_United_States for income tax bracket information in the United States.

If you make $400,000 you pay 35% ($140,000) in federal income tax, 1.45% (5,800) to Medicare, and 6.2% -the limit is $106,800 so it would be 6.2% of $106,800 ($6,621.60) to Social Security. That makes your take home about $247,578.40 – oh, but wait, these are just the “straight forward” federal taxes. There are property taxes, other federal taxes and state taxes and on, and on, and on. These numbers really begin to add up. It is almost like there is a penalty for making money.

◆Remember the extreme tax imposed on CEO bonuses and the proposed cap on certain salaries? This is all a part of the communist plan.

◆Originally, Social Security benefits were not taxable. However, in 1983, Congress passed amendments to the Social Security Act that would consider 50% of benefits to be taxable income for beneficiaries with a total income that exceeded an established limit. This amount was increased to 85% in 1993.” www.wisegeek.com/what-is-fica.htm

We are even getting to the point where we are being taxed on the money dispensed by the government?! Can that really be good fiscal policy?

3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.

◆“The Estate Tax is a tax on your right to transfer property at your death.” http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=164871,00.html

4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.

◆While vacationing in California this summer we stayed on a lake. The rangers were very clear that if we were found fishing without a license the fee would be steep, but they would also take any equipment used, the boat you are found on and the car the pulls that boat. Due process is ignored and you are out of luck.

This is one example of how agencies like the I.R.S., O.S.H.A., E.P.A., B.L.M., and drug enforcement agencies can confiscate property without due process from citizens that are considered rebels.

5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly.

◆We’ve done even better than Marx and Engels could have dreamed. In this country our credit is centralized in the hands of the Federal Reserve Bank, which is not federal. The “Fed” is actually privately owned and they charge the people of the United States for the privilege of printing our own money, something Congress should be doing.

6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the state.

◆The Federal Communication Commission (FCC), The Dept. of Transportation (DOT), The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and don’t forget public television and radio stations.

◆Additionally, have you heard about the bill drafted by Sen. Jay Rockefeller that would give the executive branch “emergency” control over the internet?

7. Extensions of factories and instruments of production owned by the state; the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.

◆I think we are all aware of how the government has taken over factories and instruments of production. Are we tired of hearing about GE, GM, and all the others? Sure we are. But this is why we cannot stop listening, because the more the government dips their hands into industry the closer to Communism we slide.

8. Equal liability of all labour. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.

◆There are theories about industrial armies, but I am not even going to go there.

9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equable distribution of the population over the country.

◆I got nothing on this one. Any takers? Anyone … alas this is an area I am not informed in.

10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children’s factory labour in its present form. Combination of education with industrial productions, etc.

◆Read my previous post taken from the Homeschool Legal Defense Fund about home education in Switzerland specifically and Europe in general. Under the UN Rights of the Child Treaty the right to homeschool is being stripped from parents.

◆Reading John Taylor Gatto’s book Weapons of Mass Instruction I found this wonderful tidbit:

“In the industrial state which emerged rampant in the wake of the Civil War, the entrepreneurial egalitarianism of the original American design was put to death by factories and licensing laws, government interventions and requirements and eventually by forced schooling.”

◆If you want a nice picture of the correlation between industry and education read one of John Dewey’s original works regarding education. No abbreviated textbook answer will do here. It is a complex issue with a complex background that takes time and consideration.

Engels and Marx had a lot to say in addition to the 10 planks. The following correlates to what Benson said about communism quietly taking hold.

◆When asked, “What will be the course of this revolution?” Engels replied;

“It is impossible, of course, to carry out all these measures at once. But one will always bring others in its wake. Once the first radical attack on private property has been launched, the proletariat will find itself forced to go ever further, to concentrate increasingly in the hands of the state all capital, all agriculture, all transport, all trade. All the foregoing measures are directed to this end; and they will become practicable and feasible, capable of producing their centralizing effects to precisely the degree that the proletariat, through its labor, multiplies the country’s productive forces.

Finally, when all capital, all production, all exchange have been brought together in the hands of the nation, private property will disappear of its own accord, money will become superfluous, and production will so expand and man so change that society will be able to slough off whatever of its old economic habits may remain.” ~Engels, www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/11/prin-com.htm

Knowing what communism is and how the programs work is essential in the debates we are having. It is also important to remember that Engels clearly pointed out that one program leads to another before we even realize what direction we are being taken in. This is why it is crucial to question EVERYTHING and not to take any sign of government goodwill for granted. Please note: I am not saying left or right, Democrat or Republican. No party lines should exempt any person from being questioned and held responsible.

So now when a person says that they are not socialist and do not believe in socialist or communist policies you have a litmus test. You can ask where they stand on property ownership. If they truly abhor socialism then they should be for eliminating property taxes, graduated income taxes, and estate taxes. They should be for families and they should be fighting any program that threats the parental rights to raise our children. This is just a beginning.

Many politicians say they are not socialist when in fact they are. (Again, this is both sides of the aisle.) It is up to us to ask the hard questions and get real answers about where these people stand. To get beyond rhetoric it is important to look up voting records to learn what is really going on when our representatives are vacationing in Washington. The most important thing is to start educating ourselves and stop taking anything for granted.

You don't have to take my word for it ...

Quotes from General Conference on communism:

“We again warn our people in America of the constantly increasing threat against our inspired Constitution and our free institutions set up under it. The same political tenets and philosophies that have brought war and terror in other parts of the world are at work amongst us in America. The proponents thereof are seeking to undermine our own form of government and to set up instead one of the forms of dictatorships now flourishing in other lands. These revolutionists are using a technique that is as old as the human race, — a fervid but false solicitude for the unfortunate over whom they thus gain mastery, and then enslave them.
They suit their approaches to the particular group they seek to deceive. Among the Latter-day Saints they speak of their philosophy and their plans under it, as an ushering in of the United Order. Communism and all other similar isms bear no relationship whatever to the United Order. They are merely the clumsy counterfeits which Satan always devises of the gospel plan. Communism debases the individual and makes him the enslaved tool of the state to whom he must look for sustenance and religion; the United Order exalts the individual, leaves him his property, "according to his family, according to his circumstances and his wants and needs" ( D&C 51:3), and provides a system by which he helps care for his less fortunate brethren; the United Order leaves every man free to choose his own religion as his conscience directs. Communism destroys man's God-given free agency: the United Order glorifies it. Latter-day Saints cannot be true to their faith and lend aid, encouragement, or sympathy to any of these false philosophies. They will prove snares to their feet ( Jer. 18:22).” Heber J. Grant April 1942

“Communism introduced into the world a substitute for true religion. It is a counterfeit of the gospel plan. The false prophets of Communism predict a utopian society. This, they proclaim, will only be brought about as capitalism and free enterprise are overthrown, private property abolished, the family as a social unit eliminated, all classes abolished, all governments overthrown, and a communal ownership of property in a classless, stateless society established.
Since 1917 this godless counterfeit to the gospel has made tremendous progress toward its objective of world domination.” Ezra Taft Benson October 1979

"I have been preaching against Communism for twenty years," said President Clark, over twenty years ago. "I still warn you against it, and I tell you that we are drifting toward it more rapidly than some of us understand, and I tell you that when Communism comes, the ownership of the things which are necessary to feed your families is going to be taken away from us. I tell you freedom of speech will go, freedom of the press will go, and freedom of religion will go.
"I have warned you against propaganda and hate. We are in the midst of the greatest exhibition of propaganda that the world has ever seen, and all directed toward one end. Just do not believe all you read" (Conf. Rep., October 3, 1941, p. 16 and Ward Teaching Message, July 1961).

How the world sees us.

2009-09-09T20:19:00.001-07:00

My grandpa sent me the following e-mail and I thought it was too interesting not to share.

I checked this out on Snopes, and it's true...I wonder when the American people are going to wake up and demand term limits for Congress and other things to reduce the power of special interests...

Subject: Fw: From "PRAVDA" the Russian newspaper

The irony of this article appearing in the English edition of Pravda (Russian on-line newspaper) defies description. Why can a Russian newspaper print the following yet the American media can't/won't see it?

American Capitalism Gone With A Whimper

It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American descent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people.

True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists.

Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters.

First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas than the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a Burger King burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our "democracy". Pride blind the foolish.

Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different "branches and denominations" were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the "winning" side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the "winning" side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America.

The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America's short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Weimar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe.

These past two weeks have been the most breath taking of all. First came the announcement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax system, by the very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, losses, and swindles of hundreds of billions of dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look little more than ordinary street thugs, in comparison. Yes, the Americans have beat our own thieves in the shear volumes. Should we congratulate them?

These men, of course, are not an elected panel but made up of appointees picked from the very financial oligarchs and their henchmen who are now gorging themselves on trillions of American dollars, in one bailout after another. They are also usurping the rights, duties, and powers of the American congress (parliament). Again, congress has put up little more than a whimper to their masters.

Then came Barack Obama's command that GM's (General Motors) president step down from leadership of his company. That is correct, dear reader, in the land of "pure" free markets, the American president now has the power, the self-given power, to fire CEOs and we can assume other employees of private companies, at will. Come hither, go dither, the centurion commands his minions.

So it should be no surprise, that the American president has followed this up with a "bold" move of declaring that he and another group of unelected, chosen stooges will now redesign the entire automotive industry and will even be the guarantee of automobile policies. I am sure that if given the chance, they would happily try and redesign it for the whole of the world, too. Prime Minister Putin, less then two months ago, warned Obama and UK's Blair, not to follow the path to Marxism, it only leads to disaster. Apparently, even though we suffered 70 years of this Western sponsored horror show, we know nothing, as foolish, drunken Russians, so let our "wise" Anglo-Saxon fools find out the folly of their own pride.

Again, the American public has taken this with barely a whimper...but a "free man" whimper.

So, should it be any surprise to discover that the Democratically controlled Congress of America is working on passing a new regulation that would give the American Treasury department the power to set "fair" maximum salaries, evaluate performance, and control how private companies give out pay raises and bonuses? Senator Barney Frank, a social pervert basking in his homosexuality (of course, amongst the modern, enlightened American societal norm, as well as that of the general West, homosexuality is not only not a looked down upon life choice, but is often praised as a virtue) and his Marxist enlightenment, has led this effort. He stresses that this only affects companies that receive government monies, but it is retroactive and taken to a logical extreme, this would include any company or industry that has ever received a tax break or incentive.

The Russian owners of American companies and industries should look thoughtfully at this and the option of closing their facilities down and fleeing the land of the Red as fast as possible. In other words, divest while there is still value left.

The proud American will go down into his slavery without a fight, beating his chest, and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is. The world will only snicker.

Stanislav Mishin© 1999-2009.. «PRAVDA.Ru». When reproducing our materials in whole or in part, hyperlink to PRAVDA.Ru should be made. The opinions and views of the authors do not always coincide with the point of view of PRAV DA.Ru's editors.

27.04.2009

Source:Pravda.Ru

URL: http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/107459-american_capitalism-0

Arne Duncan's Goals

2009-09-04T05:56:00.000-07:00

Many of you know of my passion for education. I truly believe that the way that our children are educated will decide the course of our country. I also believe that the way our country looks at our children will influence the type of future we are to have.

In a presentation to the Center of American Progress Arne Duncan, the US Secretary of Education, spoke very openly of his goals in education, as supported by the current administration.

Here are a few points that I agree with Duncan on:

*Parents know intuitively what the best learning environment is for their children.
*We have to reach outside or comfort zones to receive a great education.
*We need to dramatically improve the quality of education in this country. (Duncan says “for children” and I say for all.) We can’t wait, we can’t be passive.
*We need choice and competition.

As Duncan states, we have an unprecedented amount of money in education, so let’s investigate what our money is going to be spent on.

*TIME – “Our schools need to be open 12, 13, 14 hours a day, 6-7 days a week, 11-12 months out of the year. … The more schools truly become the centers of the community the more students engage there, the more they are safe, and not on the streets, the better they are going to do.”
-Here is something revolutionary … How about we let families be the center of the communities? How about we stop pulling families apart to serve the insatiable desires of the “community?” Even if the argument is made that kids parents are not stepping up to the plate, what about the teachers and administrators that will have their life sucked out of them by this huge institution of education? What about those kids who have their parents at least for a bit now? Instead of family dinner, which studies have shown to improve grades and lower substance abuse problems among teens, and improve language development for younger children, we are going to have community dinners which will … who knows what they will do? They definitely won’t help support and encourage familial responsibility and relationships!

*Every state should have a comprehensive tracking system that tracks “every single child from the time they enter until the time they graduate,” “every child to their teacher,” and “teachers back to their schools of education.” Every child should have a student identifier that follows the student through school up through college.
-Hello big brother! This type of thing is just asking for trouble. Pair this with the Health Care Reform idea of tracking each patient with identity cards. Tracking systems begged to be used inappropriately and are a set up for corruption. If they are not misused now then they will be in the future.

*Every state should not have their own standards. We should have common college ready, career ready, international benchmarks. We need to raise the standards and then put supports under some of the children. “These aren’t national standards, they aren’t mine to come up with.” Not national, but international standards.
-Um, if the Secretary of Education in this country wants to defer to the international community to set our standards we should get rid of them and find someone who knows how to work in the frame work of our own national identity. WE ARE THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, we know about excellence, we have a history saturated with excellence. It is about time we stop bowing to the international community and do what is right within our own borders. We will earn much more respect by standing for what is right than by adjusting our standards to meet the approval of international crowds. And if we don’t earn respect, who cares! Does education system need to be improved in our country? Yes! But we should do it on our own terms using our intuition as parents and guardians of the future of freedom!

*”No Child Left Behind” was too loose on its goals. We need to tighten the goals be give people the chance to be innovative.
-Those are two contradictory agendas. We cannot create a system of innovation through tight regulations it simply will not happen. And the biggest problem with “No Child Left Behind” is the whole thing! Standardized testing is not a good indicator of learning. Testing distracts and takes time from what children really should be doing to learn-Namely; playing, discovering, and exploring their world through hands on activities and personal open-ended analysis. Please spare us from anymore “goals” set by the federal government!

*Reward excellence by putting a lot of money on the table. Pay math and science teachers more.
-John Gatto (a highly decorated and honored teacher with 30 ears of experience), in his book Weapons of Mass Instruction, points out that giving incentive pay to teachers creates resentment among colleagues and drives a rift between those who should be working together to serve our children. New, inexperienced teachers are left with undesirable classrooms and undesirable students because those teachers that are established get to pick and choose where they are located and who they work with.

*”What we lack in this country is the political will, the courage, but we have a great opportunity now.”
-What does politics have to do with education? Unfortunately, way too much! Do we have the courage to make the correct changes DESPITE POLITICAL ASSOCIATIONS?

*Mayoral control enables businesses and others in the community to “gather around education.”
-Giving mayors control of education is a great example of how this administration likes to put decisions in the hands of the executive branch.

*Every single child in this country has to have a great education.
-The thing is, we cannot force people to receive a great education. They must want it and they must be willing to put in the work to receive it. There is the Law of the Harvest to take into consideration. No person reaps what they do not sow. It is faulty and unnatural thinking to expect otherwise. We all have the education we have chosen.

I am fully aware that my educational philosophy is radical. It goes something like this:

We are all unique and precious children of our Heavenly Father. We have all come to this earth with specific missions and the tools necessary to complete these missions, or in the very least the power to develop those tools. Some children read early and some read late; some children are physically coordinated at a young age, some are not; as individuals our unique qualities are not a fault they are a blessing! Those things that make us different from all others are those things that will lead us to the important work we have to do in this life.

We come to this life being able to distinguish truth from error. The more we become puffed up with pride and self-importance the further we get from the truth. Brigham Young stated, “A child can tell you the truth, in childlike language, while falsehood requires the lawyer and the priest to tell it to make it at all plausible; it requires a scholastic education to make falsehood pass for truth.” Are we using our educations to justify falsehoods? What about with our children? How does straying from the truth detract us (and our children) from our own special missions and unique goals that Heavenly Father had laid out for us? These are questions we must ask because no one in the local school is going to.

The more simple education is the better it is. The more complicate education becomes the harder it is to feel like a real education is attainable. Take history textbooks as an example. Can we all say BORING?! We are given bits and pieces of things that happened in a way that makes me think that the writers are trying to discourage developing a real passion for history. By reading real literature and real accounts of what has gone on before we enter this world we can find adventures, excitement, despair, anguish, real soul searching people who change our world. This makes history a part of who we are. We become active seekers of knowledge as opposed to passive recipients of what someone else deems it is necessary for us to know. This is just one example of how the world can come alive when we break from the drudgery that is “learning” in our current educational system.

When it comes to teachers John Taylor Gatto’s words are important to remember, "I dropped the idea that I was an expert, whose job it was to fill the little heads with my expertise, and began to explore how I could remove those obstacles that prevented the inherent genius of children from gathering itself." What an outstanding way to celebrate our unique individuality. I am also drawn to the words of Joseph F. Smith who stated, “Any man who will question the divinity of the mission of the Lord Jesus Christ, or will deny the so-called miracles of the scriptures is unfit to be a teacher of Latter-day Saint children.” (Improvement Era Vol. 21, p. 104) Are we ready to use this litmus test on the people who spend so many hours in a room with our children? Do you know about the faith of those teaching your children?
Now consider the words of Arne Duncan, “Raise the standard and then put supports under some of the children.” This does not sound like highlighting and exploring our own unique missions and purposes. This is all about conformity and making sure that all children are on the same level. The saddest part is that children are taught that others holding them to certain standards is what is important, as opposed to holding themselves to their own levels of excellence. It has been shown many times that those children who are allowed to direct their own course of study retain more and are more passionate about what they are learning than children who are forced into the culture of sameness that we have in our educational system. We should not be surprised when kids lose what they have crammed into their heads when they are given the freedom of summer vacation. Those things were only learned to pass a test and please the teacher.

We do need a change in our schools but not toward higher regulations and international standards. We need to focus on individual and personal standards, we need to bring God back into our educations, and we need to support and lift families. Until we do these things, there is nothing the institutions of learning can do that will change our national outcomes and the disgrace of our falling literacy levels. Please consider that an "unprecedented amount of money" has been allotted to keep us from these goals.

Our society will not stand if our families continue to fall.

The happiest time of the year!

2009-09-01T04:42:00.000-07:00

I love the fall! I love the excitement in the air and the new focus that ending a fun summer of running around can bring. And I have to say that the beginning of this school year, when the neighborhood kids went back to school, I felt nothing. Last year at this time I was nervous and questioning my decision to keep the kids home. This year the things going on around us are interesting to watch but they simply have no bearing on our lives, besides the fact that our friends are more busy now. If anything, watching and listening to the goings on of the public school make me so happy that we are doing our own thing.

That being said; we are officially "in school" again. That basically means that I don't answer the phone during certain times of the day.

Last night Jeff gave us all a beginning of the school year blessing. (Abbi was very confused because the year started back in January and we have just continued to do our thing. So surly there is something wrong with calling this the beginning of the school year!)

Yesterday we put together simple folders that we are using for incentives this year. A little background might be in order; my kids are Core phasers with my oldest beginning the Love of Learning Phase. Last year we were getting off the conveyor belt and I was focused on my own learning. We had school, but the boundaries were really loose. I was afraid of my own tendency to push the kids too hard so I backed off. Fast forward to this year were Lily (my 5 year old) wants to do "homework" and play at doing school and Abbi (my 7 year old) is reading for hours a day. I needed something to help me keep track of progress. I know the kids are fine, but it is fun to see how far we have come. So we have little sticker charts that they get to fill out when they think they have done what is necessary for a day's work. Yesterday, Abbi kept asking me if she had done enough in her math workbook to merit a sticker. I repeatedly assured her that she gets to decide when she has earned her sticker. It is not easy for me to let go of telling them what to do all the time, but I think it will be so rewarding for them to set their own goals and reach them.

I have also stated having a weekly mentor meeting with each of the kids to see where they are and what they want to learn for the week. Lily's included a lot of playing, swimming, park time, etc. :) But she also included cutting activities and some other areas she is working on. Abbi went through and listed very specific things she has in mind. I am excited to see them fulfill their goals and learn the value of presiding over their own education!

Open source learning

2009-09-01T04:25:00.000-07:00

The kids and I were hanging out outside yesterday. I took out a blanket and read while the kids played. At one point Abbi (7 years old) was drawing on the blanket next to me with some double sided twistable crayons. The color of the crayon was "Slimy green lizard." Abbi made a comment about how lizards aren't slimy and I said,

"They [the crayon makers] should go back to school to learn about lizards."

Abbi, not skipping a beat, replied,

"Or they could just touch a lizard."

Talk about an innocent exchange showing many truths!

I have been programed to think that we somehow need school to learn. Even though I know better at this point, I still fall back on that programming without even realizing it. Luckily, my kids have no such misconceptions. They are unspotted from the misgivings of public school and have retained the ability to be their own best source of learning. They are the best reminder of why it is that we homeschool-they remind me what is important everyday.

I think these crayons also show an important reminder. There are so may little falsehoods out there in the word that are simple enough. Yet, it is so important to be close to our children so they can engage in a dialogue with us when they have questions as to reality and fiction. Defining those lines are one of the most important things we do for young children.

Health Care Reform Opposition-Not just for the inflamed masses part 2

2009-08-28T00:49:00.000-07:00

I’ve been going over the House’s healthcare reform bill because I am not satisfied with merely listening to the rumors flying. In the following post I am going to quote the actual bill and add my commentary. This is going to be a bit overwhelming, but hang in there. If I can make 33 pages of preliminary notes (Don’t worry, I am not going to post them all!) then you can make it through a long post. I pray that there is at least one thing that will touch you and encourage you start to question what is really going on in this country. Don’t take my word for it, search for yourself. Please use the references and look them up for yourself. I am no lawyer, and I do not know every detail of this bill, but there are some very blaringly obvious details that should be questioned.

Let’s start with the Health Benefits Advisory Committee. These are the guys and gals who will be running the show.

•Pg 30 (2)CHAIR.—The Surgeon General shall be a member and the chair of the Health Benefits Advisory Committee.
(3) MEMBERSHIP.—The Health Benefits Advisory Committee shall be composed of the following members, in addition to the Surgeon General: 9 members who are not Federal employees or officers and who are appointed by the President.
(B) 9 members who are not Federal employees or officers and who are appointed by the Comptroller General of the United States in a manner similar to the manner in which the Comptroller General appoints members to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission under section 1805(c) of the Social Security Act.
(C) Such even number of members (not to exceed 8) who are Federal employees and officers, as the President may appoint. Such initial appointments shall be made not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

So these guys come from a variety of sources, right? Well, the Surgeon General is appointed by the President, 9 members are directly appointed by the president, the Comptroller General-who is appointed by the president-appoints 9 members, and the president will appoint another 8 directly.

Another big player that is pointed out latter in the bill is the Secretary of Health and Human Services who happens to be in the Presidential Cabinet.

Hmmm, seems like the president has quite a bit of influence over this committee.

Now let’s address the statement that “you’ll be able to keep your health care”

• Page 42 (1) INGENERAL.—The Commissioner shall undertake activities in accordance with this subtitle to promote accountability of QHBP offering entities in meeting Federal health insurance requirements, regardless of whether such accountability is with respect to qualified health benefits plans offered through the Health Insurance Exchange or outside of such Exchange.

Sure, “you’ll be able to keep your health care” but only if the committee deems it appropriate. They don’t really care if you like it or not.

And if you were thinking that maybe your company still might be able to do their own thing without getting involved in the Exchange, take this into consideration:

•Pg 149-150 An employer that has an annual payroll exceeding $400,000 gets to make a “contribution” of 8% if they choose to not use the Exchange. Smaller companies can make smaller “contributions.”

Companies will be financially punished for trying to keep out of the government’s Exchange!

Well, so the committee can regulate plans even out of the Exchange but at least you will have lots of choices-right? Choices are what the Exchange is all about...right?

• Pg 73 (c) EXCHANGE-PARTICIPATING HEALTH BENEFITS PLAN DEFINED.—
In this division, the term “Exchange-participating health benefits plan” means a qualified health benefits plan that is offered through the Health Insurance Exchange.
• Pg 84 SEC. 203. BENEFITS PACKAGE LEVELS.
(a) INGENERAL.—The Commissioner shall specify the benefits to be made available under Exchange-participating health benefits plans during each plan year, consistent with subtitle C of title I and this section.
•Pg 97 (3) AUTOMATIC ENROLLMENT FOR NON-MEDICAID ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Commissioner shall provide for a process under which individuals who are Exchange-eligible individuals described in subparagraph (B) are automatically enrolled under an appropriate Exchange-participating health benefits plan. Such process may involve a random assignment or some other form of assignment that takes into account the health care providers used by the individual involved or such other relevant factors as the Commissioner may specify.
•Pg 341 (iv) AUTHORITY TO DISQUALIFY CERTAIN PLANS.—In applying clauses (ii) and (iii), the Secretary may determine not to identify a Medicare Advantage plan if the Secretary has identified deficiencies in the plan’s compliance with rules for such plans under this part

Wait a minute …Where is the choice?

If the government has the say in what we can chose from, that is taking away choice, not expanding it. And is it me, or does “The Secretary” have an awful lot of authority for one, unelected, person?

That is disconcerting, but surely there will be checks and balances. That is a solid principle that has been employed from the time of our founding, that will help curb the power in this one committee over the people.

• Pg 124 (f) LIMITATIONS ON REVIEW.—There shall be no administrative or judicial review of a payment rate or methodology established under this section or under section 224.

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." (Lord Acton) If that is true for great men then what will happen with the substandard folks we have in Washington now?

Maybe that tax will similar to this tax described under another section:

• Pg 203 The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax.

What the …? That is absolutely absurd! The people writing these types of thing are suppose to be trusted making decisions about our health care?

They will be given power to make decisions about doctors and how much they are paid.

• Pg 241 Service categories ($$$$$) established under this paragraph shall apply without regard to the specialty of the physician furnishing the service.
•Pg 253 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a process to validate relative value units under the fee schedule under subsection (b).
(ii) COMPONENTS AND ELEMENTS OF WORK.—The process described in clause (i) may include validation of work elements (such as time, mental effort and professional judgment, technical skill and physical effort, and stress due to risk) involved with furnishing a service and may include validation of the pre, post, and intra-service components of work.

Under this system there will be no benefit for going through more schooling to become a surgeon or specialist. That would undoubtedly lead to shortages in care providers.

The Commission will also be meddling in medical decisions.

• Pg 298 (C) applying a payment reduction for physicians who treat the patient during the initial admission that results in a readmission

After the Commission is done telling your doctor how much they should make (because we all no doctors are all evil villains out to suck blood and feed off the poor and indigent.) They are going to tell your hospital that there is no room for growth.

•Pg 317 (C) PROHIBITION ON EXPANSION OF FACILITY CAPACITY.—Except as provided in paragraph (2), the number of operating rooms, procedure rooms, or beds of the hospital at any time on or after the date of the enactment of this subsection are no greater than the number of operating rooms, procedure rooms, or beds, respectively, as of such date.
•Pg 321 (i) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish and implement a process under which a hospital may apply for an exception from the requirement under paragraph (1)(C).
(ii) OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNITY INPUT.—The process under clause (i) shall provide persons and entities in the community in which the hospital applying for an exception is located with the opportunity to provide input with respect to the application.

Hospitals waiting for this exemption to expand will have to wade through loads of red tape. Let’s say that an area’s population is increased dramatically because gold is found. That new population is going to need expanded medical care but the hospitals will not be able to rapidly expand to suit the needs of the community. Bureaucratic red tape wins again and the people this bill is suppose to help go home without adequate care.

Much has been made of Sarah Pallin’s comments on “death panels” that may decide to limit care for those with special needs. That might come from this section:

•Pg 354 SEC. 1177. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY OF SPECIAL NEEDS PLANS TO RESTRICT ENROLLMENT.

There is a whole section giving authority to restrict enrollment of those with special needs! The section is convoluted and honestly, I’m not sure what is in there but the title sets off red flags.

With all of this authority in the hands of a few, and with no way to fight if you have been wronged, I am ending this post with a few provisions that take away our privacy and our autonomy.

The government should never be allowed to amass the types of information these sections require on its people. Somehow Washington has it in their heads that we are under them, not that they work for us. This sort of thinking is dangerous and it puts the people under the thumb of a few.

• Pg 59 (D) enable the real-time (or near real-time) determination of an individual’s financial responsibility at the point of service and, to the extent possible, prior to service, including whether the individual is eligible for a specific service with a specific physician at a specific facility, which may include utilization of a machine-readable health plan beneficiary identification card;

If the government is going to make sure everyone gets what ever they need why would there be exclusions to whether a person is eligible for care or not? Anyone who needs the care should automatically be considered eligible if the government were being truthful about its intentions.

• Pg 195 Such return information shall be limited to—
(i) taxpayer identity information with respect to such taxpayer,
(ii) the filing status of such taxpayer,
(iii) the modified adjusted gross in-come of such taxpayer (as defined in section 59B(e)(5)),
(iv) the number of dependents of the taxpayer,
(v) such other information as is prescribed by the Secretary by regulation as might indicate whether the taxpayer is eligible for such affordability credits (and the amount thereof), and
(vi) the taxable year with respect to which the preceding information relates or, if applicable, the fact that such information is not available.

They just get to know everything about your finances and family but hey, that’s all.

• Pg 503 (E) encourage, as appropriate, the development and use of clinical registries and the development of clinical effectiveness research data networks from electronic health records, post marketing drug and medical device surveillance efforts, and other forms of electronic health data.

Our medical records are going to be going every which way. Then, when they get each kid tracked through school (Now I am obligated to post on education and good old Arne Duncan to explain the kid tracking thing.), and each person tracked through health care – where are we?

•Pg 621 (2) QUALITY MEASURE.—The term ‘quality measure’ means a national consensus (So are we all going to vote on the standards?) standard for measuring the performance and improvement of population health, or of institutional providers of services, physicians, and other health care practitioners in the delivery of health care services.

• Pg 623
(c) DEVELOPMENT OF QUALITY MEASURES.—
(1) PATIENT-CENTERED AND POPULATION-BASED MEASURES.—Quality measures developed under agreements under subsection (a) shall be designed—
(A) to assess outcomes and functional status of patients;
(B) to assess the continuity and coordination of care and care transitions for patients across providers and health care settings, including end of life care;
(C) to assess patient experience and patient engagement;
(D) to assess the safety, effectiveness, and timeliness of care;
(E) to assess health disparities including those associated with individual race, ethnicity, age, gender, place of residence or language;
(F) to assess the efficiency and resource use in the provision of care;
(G) to the extent feasible, to be collected as part of health information technologies supporting better delivery of health care services;
(H) to be available free of charge to users for the use of such measures; and
(I) to assess delivery of health care services to individuals regardless

• Pg 518 (A) INGENERAL.—The Commission shall consult with patients, health care providers, health care consumer representatives, and other appropriate stakeholders (who are these guys and why leave it so open?) with an interest in the research through a transparent process (Because “transparency” has worked so well with the TARP money and other government programs.) recommended by the Commission.

Is anyone still with me? If you are you win a prize! I know that this is a lot of information. Trust me, I know.

The important thing is to take one or two points and start researching and questioning like mad why those would be included and what they detract from our freedom.

My biggest question is that if the government is really only trying to help poor people receive insurance why does the scope of the bill reach so much further than that? Why does every single insurance option have to be Ok’ed by one committee? Why can’t we leave at least a few free of all of this regulation?

Friends, there is a strong disservice being given to the American people-you and me. We have a government who is feeding off of the compassion and good nature of the people in this country to line their pockets and give themselves powers that can only become oppressive to the very souls of whom helped them get where they want to be. If we truly want to show our charity and compassion for those around us we will fight to save them from the tyranny that, if left unchecked, will only lead to disaster.

The Man Without a Country

2009-08-22T00:22:00.000-07:00

The Man Without a Country and Its History by Edward Everett Hale

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a little book with a huge message. I did not expect to become emotionally involved, but I did.

Originally written in 1863, Dr. Hale formed a tale of patriotism in a unique and clutching way. The hero of the story, Philip Nolan, as a youth stated to a judge while on trial, "I wish I may never hear of the United States again!" and the judge granted him just that as his sentence. Nolan was to be treated with respect and every human kindness aboard sailing vessels, but those around him were held to a strict standard of silence when it came to the U.S.

Originally I doubted the effect this could have on a person, but upon closing the book I second Nolan's dying words. "There cannot be a man who loves the old flag as I do, or prays for it as I do, or hopes for it as I do." Brings home the old adage that "we don't miss something 'till it is gone."

One of the prevailing themes in this book is justice versus mercy and what happens when bureaucrats get involved in decisions about a man's life without knowing him. The men transporting Nolan asked for orders regarding Nolan and of course Washington told them to use their own judgement which Hale points out means merely, "If you succeed, you will sustained; if you fail, you will be disavowed." Things don't change much when it comes to government do they?

This is a quick and powerful read that I highly recommend.

No TV?

2009-08-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

We have started a new babysitting co-op for Friday night date nights since our sweet friends we were trading with before left the state. We have traded two times now and I am really excited about this new grouping. The kids are very similar ages with similar interests and the same genders as my 3.

We totally love and trust this new family, which is saying a lot! Plus we just really like them. We have ended up talking for as long after the dates as the dates lasted (I might be exaggerating, but only a little) and the kids are so happy to be together that they don't complain about being up WAY pass their bed time.

But, we do things a little differently. Here is an example:

Their little girl Lily's age, we'll call her Mary to keep things confidential and simple, comes up to me and asks, "Do you have a TV?" with a very perplexed look upon her face. And I say, "If we had a TV all our books would be lonely." Mary looks around the living room where we have 4 bulging bookcases and says, "You have too many books!" (Little does she know that we need more bookcases because I have boxes of books in the attic - all archived and listed in an excel worksheet of course!) To which I respond, "You can only have too many books if they are not good books and these are all good books." Little Mary proceeds to a bookcase with a skeptical look on her face and pulls out a book. Excitement flushes over her face as she exclaims, "It's a bunny book! I like bunnies!" Jeff then sits on the floor and the kids have an impromptu reading time.

Oh how I love books!

*I have to note that little Mary is one of the smiliest and fun little girls so while her comments might be construed as a bit snipish, she is so smiling and sweet that the whole exchange was a delight to have.

Health Care Reform Opposition - Not just for the inflamed masses!!!!

2009-08-12T22:41:00.000-07:00

Since Health Care Reform is such a loaded topic I felt it deserved its own post for explanation.

Let me begin by explaining that I have been studying the Founders and Constitution for over a year now. Not nearly as long as I wish with such issues at hand, yet I feel I can reasonably say that I have not been blindly lead into action or thought by some Right Winged loon. I do not own a TV that receives transmission nor do I listen to the radio during the day because I have my children with me from sun up to sun down. Anything we listen to resembles Mozart, Bach and that crowd. Therefore, I have done this research on my own, with my own brainpower.

I respect those who disagree with me. I welcome dialogue. But I will not be written off as someone who cannot think for herself merely because I hold a differing point of view.

This is part one of two posts I will write (a girl has to sleep sometime! ☺)

I hold a staunch view of the U.S. Constitution that is best stated here.

Keeping that in mind-

• I could never support a bill so complicated and pushed so quickly that our representatives don’t have the time to read and understand it. As shown here.

“The more simple anything is, the less liable it is to be disordered, and the easier repaired when disordered.” ~Paine

“Immediate necessity makes many things convenient, which if continued would grow into oppressions. Expedient and right are different things.” ~Paine

• We do not even have the senate bill yet. We are debating with half of the information.

• There is no money and Congress seems to be in denial. Watch this for an example.

It is immoral to leave our children enslaved by debt. We have already run the deficit to a point that we may never recover. This bill is not going to help ease the burden on our progeny.
This is long but goes with what I have been saying:

• Why has Congress exempted themselves from the purposed changes?
Rep. Manzullo, IL shows how Congress voted down amendments to the HC bill to include Congress and to state that the government won’t dictate how a provider provides medicine.

“[Congress] … can make no law which will not have its full operation on themselves and their friends, as well as on the great mass of society. This has always been deemed one of the strongest bonds by which human policy can connect the rulers and the people together. It creates between them that communion of interests and sympathy of sentiments, of which few governments have furnished examples; but without which every government degenerates into tyranny … If this spirit shall ever be so far debased as to tolerate a law not obligatory on the legislature, as well as on the people, the people will be prepared to tolerate anything but liberty.” ~James Madison

“Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent; selected from the rest of mankind their minds are early poisoned by importance” ~Paine

• Why lie about the make up of the crowds at the town hall meetings?
I know the people going to these meetings. I am attending a meeting tomorrow night. There might be some people who are rude, but the exaggerations and "angry mob" bit is insulting. The only violence I have been able to find was against a man who was against HC reform.

This is how “The Progress Report” characterizes those attending town hall meetings:

“These encounters are being orchestrated by the same lobbyist-run groups -- Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks -- that brought together the tax day tea parties in April. While trying to give the appearance of a "grassroots" uprising, the demonstrations are cover for a corporate-lobbyist engineered harassment strategy … Having successfully delayed a vote until after the August recess, lobbyists are seizing on town halls to ambush lawmakers in an attempt to fool them and the greater public into thinking there is wide opposition to health care reform.” ~The Progress Report
“These health insurance companies and people like them are trying to load these town halls for visual impact on television." ~Sen. Durbin, IL

****I am not being paid to have an opinion. I belong to no special interest group. I am a concerned citizen who resents the implication that I do not know how to be fed up with the government all on my own. The people I know who are going to town hall meetings feel the same way. Republicans and Democrats alike are questioning the wisdom of such a huge undertaking by a government that has clearly shown a lack of ability to govern such programs. The reason Medicare and Social Security are at risk is because they are government run.

“As to government matters … the business of it will soon be too weighty, and intricate, to be managed with any tolerable degree of convince by a power, so distant from us, and so very ignorant of us.” ~Paine. If Congress is not willing to take part in their own legislation, and if they are in the top 5% income bracket I would venture to suggest that they are as far from us as England was during the time of colonial governance. They have created their own little crowd of aristocrats who are apparently above the people.

• I went to:
whitehouse.gov; http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/
and out of Mike Strautman, Kavita Patel, Matt Flavin, Christina Romer, Robert Kocher, Linda Douglass, and Melody Barnes, Ms. Barnes was the only person who actually quoted the legislation.

I do not want people who obviously have political motives telling me what this bill contains without specific references. I want facts, data, proof. If politicians are going to say something I want them to reference where, specifically, in the Bill that statement is found. The only thing I take on faith in this world is my God, other than that I want documentation and lots of it.

The next post I do will be a more complete reference to the actual Bill itself. I call for proof and documentation on both sides and I will post my documentation and proof regarding and referencing the actual Bill in the next couple of days.

*The quotes from Thomas Paine are from "Common Sense" and the quote from James Madison is from his "Writings."

Cash for Clunkers Disclaimer at cars.gov

2009-08-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

“This application provides access to the Department of Transportation (DoT) CARS system. When logged on to the CARS system, your computer is considered a Federal computer system and is the property of the United States Government. Any or all uses of this system and all files on this system may be intercepted, monitored, recorded, copied, audited, inspected, and disclosed to authorised CARS, DoT, and law enforcement personnel, as well as authorised officials of other agencies, both domestic and foreign.

“By using this system, the user consents to such interception, monitoring, recording, copying, auditing, inspection, and disclosure at the discretion CARS or the DoT personnel.”

This was the disclaimer car dealers received when submitting information to cars.gov. It is wrong on so many levels. There is a reason the Founding Fathers did not want, and feared, a government bigger than what they specifically constructed. (And some were terrified of even that power) Something too big is just so easy to corrupt. And they hide that corruption in the folds of all of the bloated government programs.

I also love the "mob" portrayal that government officials, including the Commander in Chief, gave of concerned citizens who disagree with Health Care Reform. Apparently open discussion and dissent are now ways to get labeled as a terrorist in this country. Goodness forbid you ever vote third party, that would be so ... extreme.

The Founding Fathers argued and hammered and pounded ideas and, who knows, they might have even punched each other they felt so strongly when they were forming our country. They felt passionately and they worked their tales off to compromise and give us the greatest document, next to scripture, in the history of the world.

Truth does not fear discussion. But apparently our government now does. Be very aware of anybody who shuts down discussion. They do not love truth and they are the shame of our country, no matter what side of the aisle they sit on.

No Time for Twilight

2009-07-23T23:54:00.000-07:00

"The library of Congress has over 27,000,000 volumes. If you were to read a book a week for 70 years, that would be roughly 3,500 books.

What does that tell you?

Don't waste any time reading the wrong things, watching the wrong shows, visiting the wrong websites...there's just not time for that. To grow your testimony, sometimes you have to weed your brain!"

~Elder Joe J. Christensen

2009-07-17T21:10:00.001-07:00

I just listened to FDR's Economic Bill of Rights on YouTube. Here is a bit I copied from what he said:

"Security and prosperity can be established for all…

The right to a useful and remunerated job in the industries, or shops, or farms, or mines of the nation.

The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation.

The right of farmers to raise and sell their products at a return which will give them and their family a decent living.

The right of every business man large and small to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad.

The right of every family to own a decent home.

The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health.

The right to adequate protection from economic fear of old age and sickness and accident unemployment.

The right to a good education...

All of these rights spell security"

The first thing that popped into my head was:

"THOSE WHO SURRENDER FREEDOM FOR SECURITY WILL NOT HAVE, NOR DO THEY DESERVE, EITHER ONE." ~Thomas Jefferson

Reason 2876 why I like to homeschool...

2009-07-09T00:23:00.000-07:00

This started as a "favorite homeschool memory" for my post over in the Trenches but it became much too long and very sentimental so I have moved it over.

This is our first year homeschooling and so every memory has a special place in my heart. I find myself saying, sometimes out loud, reason #... that I'm glad we home school.

For instance; When there was a freak tornado that came right next to the school, which was on lock down (meaning no kids out, no parents in), right as school got out (picture cars lined up full of parents and siblings out in the storm with no where to go). And the kids were not in a shelter but in a big foyer surrounded by glass and stairs and such. I was very thankful that even though we watched that same tornado out or window, my kids were with me and we were able to shelter down with our 72 hr kits, fruit snacks, and flash lights. What scared many people became a lesson of faith in our little home, as we sang songs to soothe our troubled hearts and said prayers of protection followed by joyful prayers of gratitude when we knew the storm had passed.

Homeschooling has instilled a stronger bond between my children. They help each other, play together, and have become so close.

I love homeschooling because it means not rushing my kids in the morning. If my four year old wants to spend 20 minutes playing in the mirror each morning she can go right ahead and do that.

While other kids sit in class, my kids get to have picnic lunches and outings on a whim. If the current course of study isn't working for us we can always pickup and move somewhere else or turn to some other activity or book. We live by no one's schedule but our own.

When we have guest come we can stop everything and focus our attention and our time on them. There is no need for homework when uncles are in town. And what better time to go on a few field trips?

I love homeschooling because it enabled us to pick up and leave town to see family in the middle of the school year. Cheap tickets, lots of fun, and we got to see this little cutie's first steps.

And I love that homeschooling means that when one, or all, of us get sick that world doesn't end. Nothing stacks up but the laundry. We have room in our lives to be human.

A little over a year ago, when we were decided whether or not homeschooling was something we wanted to do, a little boy at church died suddenly and tragically. We were not close with the family but it had a huge impact on my life. The little boy was just younger than my own little man and watching his family grieve his passing really made me reevaluate my priorities.

Having read DeMille's book before that summer I was already primed for change, but I was so scared. After this little guy died I realized I did not have time to be scared. Life is so precious. Every moment is so valuable. Even if nothing tragic ever happens in our family, as a mother I feel like my time of influence is so small in my children's lives and I want to have their full attention as we go over the things that are the absolute most important. I don't want to have any regrets or to feel like I gave away precious time the Lord has given me because of societal pressure.

Does that mean that just because we home school everyday is a picnic and we always get along. Goodness no! But it does mean that the ratio of good interactions to bad interactions is much better simply because we have more time to develop the good and shake off the bad. We can do that because we don't have homework or other outside sources getting their fingers on our private time.

Those are a few reasons I get emotional when I talk about homeschooling. It is never something I thought I would/could do. Through this journey I have learned, yet again, how the Lord can take a weak and simple soul and use her for His purposes. I am grateful that He has been willing to show me just how He makes weak things strong and how, despite all odds, He has saved our family and given us the best gift - Each Other!

Summer School?

2009-06-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

I have been asked if I school my children in the summer. Are you kidding? Who would be so cruel as to make their children sit through school in the summer?

Instead we have been:

Reading- lots of reading.

Gardening and learning about botany.

Learning about bird nesting habits, classification, how each species raises its young, different species personalities and habits.

Classifying frogs and toads and learning species habits, call patterns, habitats, and meals choices.

We have also enjoyed marine mammals and ocean creatures (inspired by our trip to Sea World, Abbi can now answer any question on dolphins and other creatures), water cycles (rain, rain, and more rain earlier this summer opened up a lot of questions about water), U.S. geography (traveling and beyond), how the body functions (Alex is beginning to potty train himself), responsibility (Abbi now has her own toilet brush and she uses it every Monday- she does a pretty good job), art and entomology (our backyard is a gold mine of insects and the kids catch them to keep as pets-but we have to look up what they need to survive).

So of course we aren't doing summer school. If we did we wouldn't have time for all of our learning!

Yes, I am always home.

2009-06-16T18:36:00.000-07:00

A newly discovered, old friend called multiple times last week because of a thing we were doing. After multiple calls she asked if she was calling my cell number.

She wasn't.

She was SHOCKED that she could get a hold of me so easily at home.

I was tickled that someone noticed!

I am home on purpose. My kids don't do electronic gadgets on purpose. I LOVE IT when my kids come to me and say they are bored because I know that they on the verge of the best discoveries! The discoveries that they find without my help that develop their little minds into the great thinkers of the future.

Dumbing Us Down

2009-05-23T10:07:00.001-07:00

Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling by John Taylor Gatto

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow! Gatto is an award winning, time tested teacher who writes with amazing and shocking honesty. To hear someone put their ideas out there, with the research to back them up, and then challenge the world to a long and meaningful conversation/debate about education is so refreshing.

There are so many quotes I love from this book (I could have highlighted every page, as it is I took eleven pages of notes!), but here are just a few:

"Genius is an exceedingly common human quality, probably natural to most of us."

"It is the great triumph of compulsory government monopoly mass schooling that ... only a small number can imagine a different way to do things."

"The truth is that reading, writing, & arithmetic only take about 100 hours to transmit as long as the audience is eager and willing to learn. The trick is to wait until someone asks and then to move fast while the mood is on."

"The lessons of schools prevent children from keeping important appointments with themselves and with their families to learn lessons in self-motivation, perseverance, self-reliance, courage, dignity, and love - and lessons in service to others, too, which are among the key lessons of home and community life."

"The truth is schools don't really teach anything except how to obey orders."

"In their ability to think, children schooled at home seem to be five or even ten years ahead of their formally trained peers."

"Private time is absolutely essential if a private identity is going to develop ... Children and families need some relief from government surveillance and intimidation if original expressions belonging to them are to develop. Without these freedom has no meaning."

"Turn your back on national solutions and toward communities of families as successful laboratories ... Don't be panicked by scare tactics into surrendering your children to the experts ... That certified teaching experts like me are deemed necessary to make learning happen is a fraud and a scam."

View all my reviews.

The Secret Garden

2009-05-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

My Abbi has begun to read chapters at a time of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This story has really sparked her willingness and interest to read on her own. There are very few pictures in the book (maybe 5 total) but she is so captivated by the story she doesn't need pictures anymore. This also reaffirms to me the need for quiet time. It is when she is board and doesn't have her younger siblings around that she turns to her new friends. After quiet time she recounts what she has read to Lily and I to keep us up to date. It is so neat!

Creating

2009-05-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

I had a feeling that I needed to create something for someone. I fought it tooth and nail and in the end I made a very humble attempt at a poem. I just pray that the Spirit conveyed to the person who it was written for what she needed to hear.

Child of light we welcome you,
We promise to instruct and lead you through
Life’s struggles, which help us grow,
And teach us all we need to know.

Young son, we will speak of your brother who came before.
Our first born whom we still adore.
He was our light, our love, our joy,
He was our sweet and crazy little boy.

We would wrestle, giggle and roll on the floor
And when we would read he’d always want more.
Sweet one, we miss him, our hearts are still sore.
To have one more hug would be walking through Heaven’s own door.

We feel his presence; the veil between us is thin.
Oh, but what joy to have him in our arms again.
Dear one, we love you and want you to know
That he is still with us and watching us grow.

Our love for him does not diminish
How happy we are not to be finished
With giggles, and hugs, and sloppy baby kissing,
Our hearts have more room for what we’ve been missing.

So please forgive us when, during times of exquisite joy,
We shed a tear for our other little boy.
We miss him so much.
The smell of his hair - his sweet gentle touch.

It does not mean we treasure you any less.
With your life, as well as his, we are continually blessed.
To hold you in our arms and caress your soft little toes
Will be more wonderful than anyone knows.

Little one, we know you are sent from above,
And we welcome you with our hearts full of love.
We also look forward to that great day
When, with your older brother, you will be able to play.

That is the day that, at Christ’s holy feet,
Our first little boy, his siblings will meet.
As we watch our family grow, we are excited
For the time when we will all be reunited.

A Book, by Edgar Guest

2009-05-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

“Now” - said a good book unto me -
“Open my pages and you shall see
Jewels of wisdom and treasures fine,
Gold and silver in every line,
And you may claim them if you but will
Open my pages and take your fill.

“Open my pages and run them o’er,
Take what you choose of my golden store.
Be you greedy, I shall not care -
All that you seize I shall gladly spare;
There is never a lock on my treasure doors,
Come - here are my jewels, make them yours!

“I am just a book on your mantel shelf,
But I can be part of your living self;
If only you’ll travel my pages through,
Then I will travel the world with you.
As two wines blended make better wine,
Blend your mind with these truths of mine.

“I’ll make you fitter to talk with men,
I’ll touch with silver the lines you pen,
I’ll lead you nearer the truth you seek,
I’ll strengthen you when your faith grows weak -
This place on your shelf is a prison cell,
Let me come into your mind to dwell!

If it is not one thing it is another ...

2009-05-01T22:54:00.000-07:00

Since 2002, agency officials have routinely collected blood samples from all babies in Texas at time of birth and stored those samples or “spots” indefinitely at the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health for purposes of undisclosed research unrelated to the purposes for which the infants’ blood was originally drawn, without the knowledge or consent of the infants’ parents. And they continue to do so. So far, they have collected about 4.2 million samples, and collect about 375,000 each year.

Genetic testing has been done on the samples and who knows what else and it is connected to the baby. All without consent. It is amazing that they can find the money for this but not for DNA testing in rape cases. I had 2 babies in Texas and it is all I can do not to go down there and demand what is ours.

Constitution

2009-04-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

If you have not read the Constitution lately I would STRONGLY recommend it. In Article I alone there are so many things that need to be attended to.

Different Drummers

2009-04-25T23:26:00.000-07:00

If I do not want what you want, please try not to tell me that my want is wrong.

Or if I believe other than you, at least pause before you correct my view.

Or if my emotion is less than yours, or more, given the same circumstances, try not to ask me to feel more strongly or weakly.

Or yet if I act, or fail to act, in the manner of your design for action, let me be.

I do not, for the moment at least, ask you to understand me. That will come only when you are willing to give up changing me into a copy of you.

I may be your spouse, your parent, your offsping, your friend, or your colleague. If you will allow me any of my own wants, or emotions, or beliefs, or actions, then you open yourself, so that some day these ways of mine might not seem so wrong, and might finally appear to you as right -- for me. To put up with me is the first step to understanding me. Not that you embrace my ways as right for you, but that you are no longer irritated or disappointed with me for my seeming waywardness. And in understanding me you might come to prize my differences from you, and, far from seeking to change me, preserve and even nurture those differences.

Cartoon from 1934 Chicago Tribune

2009-04-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

Questioning

2009-04-10T20:34:00.000-07:00

This was written by a high school senior in Alton, Illinois, two weeks before he committed suicide (copied from John Taylor Gatto's site):

He drew... the things inside that needed saying. Beautiful pictures he kept under his pillow.
When he started school he brought them...
To have along like a friend.
It was funny about school, he sat at a square brown desk Like all the other square brown desks... and his room Was a square brown room like all the other rooms, tight And close and stiff.

He hated to hold the pencil and chalk, his arms stiff
His feet flat on the floor, stiff, the teacher watching
And watching. She told him to wear a tie like
All the other boys, he said he didn't like them.
She said it didn't matter what he liked. After that the class drew.
He drew all yellow. It was the way he felt about Morning. The Teacher came and smiled, "What's this?
Why don't you draw something like Ken's drawing?"
After that his mother bought him a tie, and he always Drew airplanes and rocketships like everyone else.
He was square inside and brown and his hands were stiff. The things inside that needed saying didn't need it
Anymore, they had stopped pushing... crushed, stiff
Like everything else.

"Who are the villains, really, but ourselves? People can change, but systems cannot without losing their structural integrity. Even Henry Ford, a Jew-baiter of such colossal proportions he was lionized by Adolf Hitler in Mein Kampf, made a public apology and denied to his death he had ever intended to hurt Jews—a too strict interpretation of Darwin made him do it! The great industrialists who gave us modern compulsion schooling inevitably found their own principles subordinated to systems-purposes, just as happened to the rest of us." ~Gatto

"Take at hazard one hundred children of several educated generations and one hundred uneducated children of the people and compare them in anything you please; in strength, in agility, in mind, in the ability to acquire knowledge, even in morality—and in all respects you are startled by the vast superiority on the side of the children of the uneducated." ~ Count Leo Tolstoy, "Education and Children" (1862)

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

2009-04-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, after a couple of hours of reading, we finished the C.S. Lewis book The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. What a wonderful story! The children really enjoyed it. Lily (4) was the most attentive she has been to any chapter book. She instantly picked up on the Christ imagery. When the Witch killed Aslan Lily was sad and then said, as her face brightened, "But he will come back alive. Wahoo!" Lily also brought up how Edmond should not have kept meeting the Witch a secret. The kids loved Mr. Tumnus and the other exotic creatures, especially the unicorns. We couldn't start the next book quickly enough.

While I have read this book multiple times, I couldn't believe how much I had forgotten. The books move quickly and are written to keep a young audiences captivated - Not just interested but mesmerized. I was concerned about the violence, but when Lily needed to leave the room (when a scene got too intense) she did. C.S. Lewis is a master story teller and it is no wonder he is so beloved.

Abbi's Story

2009-04-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time the wus A Prinses And a Dragin. And the Prinses Ate the 2 Dragins For Diner And She Loved it.

the end

They really do listen.

2009-03-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

Abbi (6 years old) was killing some time on a Sunday in January and this is what she created. This board summarizes the basic beliefs of our faith.

Here is a close up with short explanations. (Just click on the picture to be able to actually see it.)

I was astonished. We work with an "inspire not require" attitude and I am surprised everyday at how well my kids learn when they are not force feed information. They pick up on what they are ready for. And Boy! The retention is amazing.

~Often, especially recently, Abbi is asked what she is doing in school. Her answer is usually, "we play." But today, while on the phone with Aunt Cheryl she said, "We play a lot. But, we are learning while we are playing." Perceptive.

Kitchen Math

2009-03-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

Today Abbi was helping me cut veggies and mix dressing for a salad. I needed 2 Tbs of vinegar and got a 1 Tbs measuring spoon. As I measured Abbi says, "Wouldn't it be funny if you got the 1/2 Tbs. Then you would need 4 instead of 2."

Right on little lady!

Honesty

2009-03-02T20:57:00.000-08:00

I cut Lily's bangs and I did a horrible job. She is excited to have bangs, and I am excited for her not to always have her hair in her face. But man, did I do a bad job! I don't know what I was thinking!

So people look at my sweet four year old and assume she took the scissors to her own hair. The first time this happened I almost let it go. It would save my pride and what does Lily care. Then it struck me like a ton of bricks ... Lily deserves more respect than that. She is a good kid and knows better then to cut her hair. How could I let people think wrongly of her? So I sheepishly told the truth - I am the one that should be kept from scissors! It feels so good to be 100% honest and to save my sweetheart's good name. Now to get some hair cutting lessons! :)

Book group

2009-03-02T20:31:00.000-08:00

We (meaning the girls and I) had a book discussion group for Caddie Woodlawn. It was a lot of fun. We had treats and talked about the book and the girls really got into it. I am constantly amazed at the retention level Abbi maintains. She remembers, comprehends, and can develop her own thoughts regarding our readings to generalize to her life. I think that she was born with the natural capacity to love literature.

Lily surprised me with the depth of her involvement in the discussion. While Lily is always around when we are reading she is a mover. She does not usually like to hold still, and there are times I have to ask her to leave my lap while I'm reading because she is moving so much I can't see the book. I have not worried because I know kids learn differently and develop at different rates.

Yet, she was a great participant in our discussion. She remember specific events, developed opinions about characters, and had a lot of insights. Wow! It just goes to show that even when we think our kids are not listening they are little sponges thirsty for knowledge.

Lily is growing up a lot lately. She has requested to learn to read and we are working that, she is making her bed without being asked - most days, she is helping around the house and working on obedience. It is neat to see her try so hard.

Even though she is moving in to a different developmental stage ,she is still my little firecracker! It is fun to see both girls growing into themselves. They are both wonderful people. Fun, intelligent, good, and oh so different - but that is what keeps things fun!

I love Oklahoma!

2009-02-21T19:01:00.001-08:00

And this is one reason why:

Oklahoma to feds: Don't tread on me

State House defends its sovereignty from D.C. intrusion
Posted: June 16, 2008

Steamed over a perceived increase in federal usurping of states' rights, Oklahoma's House of Representatives told Washington, D.C., to back off.

Joint House Resolution 1089, passed by an overwhelming 92-3 margin, reasserts Oklahoma's sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and, according to the resolution's own language, is "serving notice to the federal government to cease and desist certain mandates."

The Tenth Amendment states, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."

Traditionally, this language has meant that the federal government is limited in its scope and cannot usurp the sovereign powers of states. In recent decades, however, as the size and reach of the federal government has expanded, many have come to question whether Washington has stepped on states' rights and gotten too big for its breeches.

Charles Key, the Republican state representative who authored the resolution, told WND that he introduced it because he believes the federal government's overstepping of its bounds has put our constitutional form of government in danger.

Oklahoma State Rep. Charles Key
"The more we stand by and watch the federal government get involved in areas where it has no legal authority, we kill the Constitution a little at a time," he said. "The last few decades, the Constitution has been hanging by a thread."

Specifically, Resolution 1089 says the following:

"The State of Oklahoma hereby claims sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the Constitution of the United States."

The resolution resolves that Oklahoma will "serve as notice and demand to the federal government, as our agent, to cease and desist, effective immediately, mandates that are beyond the scope of these constitutionally delegated powers."

It also instructs that "a copy of this resolution be distributed to the president of the United States, the president of the United States Senate, the speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the speaker of the House and the president of the Senate of each state's legislature of the United States of America, and each member of the Oklahoma congressional delegation."

The resolution does not, as some have speculated, amount to secession, but it does send a warning signal to Washington: Oklahoma does not intend to be bullied by big brother government.

© 2009 WorldNetDaily

Standing up for states’ rights

Rep. Jason Murphey
The Edmond Sun

The steps taken in the past few days by Congress to give the federal government nearly $800 billion worth of increased power reminds me of a column I wrote last November. In that article I wrote about the expected expansion of the federal government and how I felt the issue of state’s rights once again could be a significant issue in the Oklahoma Legislature this year.

It is important to note that in comparison to state governments, the federal government was created by our founders to be small and limited. This is because the people have a much stronger voice at the state level, whereas the ability of people to effect change is greatly limited at the federal level, and nearly non-existent on the global level of government.

Both political parties have used the expansion of the federal government as a tool to accomplish their various agendas. Now a group of aggressive liberals can use that power not only to move America to the left but to build upon itself and increase in size, making the federal government more expansive and powerful than ever before.

As a result, a bigger federal government likely will be most responsive to those only with enough money and influence to use that power to benefit themselves. This will leave the responsibility for paying for big government to the average taxpayer who cannot afford to invest in lobbyists and politicians in order to manipulate the system for their benefit.

This means that we can expect the federal government to reflect the desires of powerful special interests, liberal politicians and their support groups like ACORN — the possible recipient of $2 billion because of the stimulus bill.

This week the Oklahoma House of Representatives Rules Committee voted unanimously to support House Joint Resolution 1003 authored by state Rep. Charles Key. Key’s proposal should now be headed to the floor of the House where I look forward to supporting it.

HJR 1003 seeks to reassert Oklahoma’s sovereignty under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and according to the resolution’s language, serves as “Notice and Demand to the federal government, to cease and desist, effective immediately, mandates that are beyond the scope of these constitutionally delegated powers.”

The 10th Amendment states: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”

Key has made it clear that during the past few decades he believes that the Constitution has been hanging by a thread.

While a similar resolution passed with the support of the Oklahoma House during the last session of the Legislature, it appears to have failed to receive a hearing in the Oklahoma Senate. This year, with new leadership in place in the Oklahoma Senate, I am hopeful HJR 1003 will receive a fair hearing.

I consider it an honor to support Key’s efforts in this regard. But, it also is going to be important for the state to refuse to participate in new inappropriate federal programs such as the apparent expansion of the welfare program included in the stimulus bill. No doubt advocates of Oklahoma’s participation in this scheme will say that we must bring in new federal dollars by adding more welfare recipients. I say it is time to stand up to the federal government and its latest expansions.

REP. JASON MURPHEY represents House District 31, which includes all of Logan County and a portion of northern Edmond. He may be reached via e-mail at jason.murphey@okhouse.gov.

Caddie Woodlawn

2009-02-18T20:28:00.000-08:00

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink

rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent book! Same vein as the Little House books - but I liked it better. (Ssh, don't tell Abbi!)

My favorite quotes:

“Folks keep growing from one person into another all their lives, and life is just a lot of everyday adventures. Well, whatever life is, I like it.”

“It’s a strange thing, but somehow we expect more of girls than boys. It is the sisters and wives and mothers, you know, Caddie, who keep the world beautiful. What a rough world it would be if there were only men and boys in it, doing things in their rough way! A woman’s task is to teach gentleness and courtesy and love and kindness. It’s a big task, too, Caddie-harder than cutting trees or building mills or damning rivers. It takes nerve and courage and patience, but good women have those things. They have them just as much as men who build bridges and carve roads through the wilderness. A woman’s work is something fine and noble to grow up to, and it is just as important as a man’s. But no man could ever do it so well. I don’t want you to be the silly affected person with fine clothes and manners whom folks sometimes call a lady. No, that is not what I want for you, my little girl. I want you to be a woman with a wise and understanding heart, healthy in body and honest in mind. Do you think you would like to be a growing up into that woman now?
… Something strange happened to Caddie in the night. When she awoke she knew that she need not be afraid of growing up. … It was a responsibility, but, as father spoke of it, it was a beautiful and precious one, and Caddie was ready to go and meet it.”

To Be "Modern"

2009-02-16T17:31:00.000-08:00

Posted on one of my yahoo group,. I think this question is very relevant in today's world.

Hi All Moms out there,
Just a little background. My six year old is obsessed with Hannah Montanna. We don't have cable so she only sees her on Sat. Cartoons on occasion and she has a CD given to us by a family friend. She loves her music, look, style and is obsessed.
I find myself going back and forth on the issue. I had my "heroes" as a child and favorites, this just seems a little young for me for her to look up to such an older and more mature rock star.Her music is very clean, everything is G rated, so am I being nuts to care?
She is a darling child and just wants to fit in and all her friends have the dolls, posters, movies, etc. So any suggestions or mom advice (good or bad or I am being way too protective?)
Also, email for kids? What age and what do you think of it? Cell phones, my space? I need some ideas on what your family thinks.
Thanks for it

My response:

Oh Hannah Montanna! I watched a couple of the shows and I object to the subjects that were being introduced considering such a young following. My 6 year old doesn't need to be exposed to boy obsessions and such frivolity.

My 4 year old daughter also likes Hannah and every time we pass the stuff in the store she points out the fine qualities of each item. I say, "That is fun" and keep walking. I don't want to devalue her opinion, but I won't be buying any of the stuff.

That being said, it is a very personal choice. I am not concerned if my children are the only ones who don't have ... fill in the blank with any trendy item. And I have found that after the initial disappointment from being told "no" there is no permanent damage! Quite the opposite really!

E-mail and other technology is also a slippery slope. My 6 & 4 year old daughters like to e-mail their cousin, so they use my e-mail to do that. For another cousin we have started letters back and forth through the mail. This is such a neat way to do a fun grammar lesson without anyone knowing they are learning! I much prefer the snail mail version and they really enjoy getting their own mail.

With Myspace and other networking sites I like to look at them through the eyes of my child. I currently started using Facebook and I really enjoy meeting up with old friends. But man — have you seen the ads on the sides of the page? Not all of them are bad, but it's the same old song and dance that sex sells.

I have a friend who let her two children, ages 10 & 12, get facebook accounts after viewing both FB and MS. She reasoned that FB is safer with fewer opportunities for predators. Yet, after viewing the kids profiles I found something really disturbing in one of the 10 year old's boxes. I contacted the mother and she didn't even know it was there and she is very vigilant. I just think it is really easy for Satan to sneak things in, especially when children are so young and impressionable. There is also a lot of talking back and forth on younger sites that is done in play that is down right rude. Not to mention the ranking of friends and all of the other nonsense that can contribute to the already hard years of adolescence. I figure when my kids are old enough to be away from home they are old enough to use such sites responsibly.

And cell phones - Oy Vey! There are teens in the halls at church texting and it makes me cringe. At what point do we allow the quiet in our lives to allow the Lord to speak to us? Do we really want our kids to never learn how to be quiet and peaceful? Keep in mind that we are a pretty gregarious household. It is not like I think we must be sedate all of the time. Yet, I think technology can be so intrusive if we let it be.

Can you tell I feel strongly about this topic? ;) I really feel like this is such and individual decision, but I also feel like as we follow Christ there are going to be things that make us very different from the rest of the world. Something to pray and ponder!

2009-02-13T19:53:00.001-08:00

Eric Hoffer said,

In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.

Stimulus??????

2009-02-11T00:46:00.001-08:00

This is a great link for some real talkin' about the "stimulus" package.

Do you pay rent to the government?

2009-02-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

What happens if you owe $200 taxes on a billion dollar house. The government can come in and take your house. You will NEVER own anything in this country free and clear. And hey, the government is even going to be taxing you, or rather your assets, when you are dead. So how does that feel? Doesn't really feel like freedom to me. George Washington is probably hiding his head in shame!

I highly recommend reading the Communist Manifesto. I think you will be surprised at how close the things we have been taught in school, and even at home, line up with Marx. I was shocked! I was shocked that my own thinking has been skewed for so long. I have a lot of un-learning to do!

After you get a wake-up call, I suggest reading the founding fathers. Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, etc there is a reason they are considered among the GREATEST. De Tocqueville is also a great resource for democratic thinking. We have a lot of work to do if we plan to get our country back to it's roots. Nice roots like democracy, free enterprise, and moral leadership.

The Federal Reserve

2009-02-02T19:28:00.000-08:00

I've been doing some reading on economics. Do you know what the Federal Reserve is? Yeah, you know - those people with billions upon billions of your money.

Democrats Dennis Kucinich even consented that, "The Federal Reserve is no more federal than Federal Express. It is a private organization." This is who determines interest and inflation in the U.S.? A private organization? What ever happened to Free Enterprise?

The "Fed" has way too much power and should be eliminated.

Karl Marx called for all resources to be controlled by the government. We've gone one better and given most of the power to a private organization.

This is almost as astonishing as watching Harry Reid claim that our income taxes are voluntary. It just hurts when people are so deceived!

National Organization for Marriage

2009-01-23T22:53:00.001-08:00

Look at: NOM Headlines | National Organization for Marriage

Laura and Mary's Little School on the Prairie

2009-01-21T19:00:00.000-08:00

While our schooling does not really have anything "typical" about it there are somethings that make it "school."

Our kids begin their morning with their dad and they are expected to do 5 things before he leaves for work:
1. Make bed
2. Say personal prayers
3. Get dressed/brush hair
4. Eat breakfast
5. Brush teeth

With Jeff we say family prayer and sing "Skidamarink" as he drives away. Then school starts with our opening.

Our opening consists of:
1. Singing a song ("A Happy Song", it is in The Children's Songbook)
2. Saying a prayer
3. "What I love about you ..." (we take turns saying one thing - or more depending on the mood - that we love about each other. This started as me telling each of the kids at least one thing that I love about them, but they wanted in on the fun!)
4. Pledge of Allegiance and the pledge to the Oklahoma state flag
5. Recite our motto: "THE STORM STOPS HERE!" (Referring to the storm of sin that rages outside of our homes in today's world - we will not let it in to our home) Alex can even sign this using ASL (American Sign Language).
6. Read from the scripture readers. We have the Book of Mormon, Old Testament, and Doctrine and Covenants readers and the kids really love them. Their comprehension of the scripture stories is really remarkable.

After opening we do... whatever. The scripture readers usually lead to a discussion and then we read more in the scriptures or journal what we talked about. Journaling consists of pictures and dictating a caption to mom - although Abbi is all about doing her own writing and just asking here and there how to spell difficult words.

If the kids are not interested in carrying on with that course of action then it just depends on what is going on. For the last week or two Abbi has been loving science experiments, so we have done a ton of those. Drawing and creative art is always a big hit. Abbi has even recently started writing to a couple of her cousins - one through e-mail and one through snail mail - she looks forward to their responses like she does Christmas! She came up with the idea herself and I just giggle inwardly at how she is developing her own curriculum with an appropriate use of skills that in school would probably be drudgery. Abbi hates busy work and sees right through it so there is none of that here.

Mostly, school time is mom time. If you ask the kids what school is, it is when I am around. So if we are playing legos for "fine motor skill development" and all of the other stuff that legos are good for, mom is playing legos too -building, creating and trying not to curse when Alex sneaks up and tears everything apart. If the kids are painting for school then we are all painting - fingers, mess and all.

This has actually been really hard for me. I spent so many years needing to be "grown-up" that it was really hard, and still is at times, to let go of my pride and be engulfed in the simple pleasures of childhood. The greatest thing about it is that I am right there with my kids feeling the same feelings they are and loving them in so many different ways. And there is no better way to heal an interrupted Core Phase than to relive it with your own children. It is good all the way around!

The most important things are the discussions. Open ended activities lead in so many directions that I could never think up and we are able to discuss the things that the kids are interested in and wondering about. Lily is still pretty fixated on death and loss and I am so glad to be the one teaching her the Plan of Salvation as she asks questions in the middle of something I think is unrelated.

Abbi seemed to be frustrated that her reading abilities stalled. She can read, but she is very self-conscience and does not want to be helped. In watching her struggle I began to wonder. As we cuddled during quiet time the other day I offered to help her through the McGuffey Readers. (We tried this before, in the summer, and she was simply not ready. She was still detoxing from school-there are still days when she needs to simply play, and that is OK, as a matter of fact that is great! Ideally, everything we do in school is play, but I digress ...) Abbi jumped at the chance to work through the readers! She has brought them to me everyday and is plowing through the primer. Today I even introduced some spelling words, and she was cool with that. It helps that she is OBSESSED with writing in script. She will write and work on anything if I give her a quill pen! I wrote the words in both print and script and let her choose which she wanted. There she was, loving every minute of a spelling lesson! Everyone who knows my past can understand how huge this was for me! Spelling was awful for me, and honestly I still struggle. To watch my girl love it was so good for my soul!

Singapore Math is a program that I love. It teaches mathematical thinking, nothing like what I learned in school. Abbi goes in spurts. Sometime she is in math mode and when she is she usually does 6 or 7 lessons at one time. Then, she seems to get her fill and she puts it away for awhile. Today we pulled out the M&Ms and that is always a fun math lesson waiting to happen! I'm really excited to get a soroban (a Japanese abacus) and start playing with that. You can Youtube some pretty amazing examples of how kids benefit from having such a tool handy - so much better than a calculator! This is a 3 minute video explanation. And this is some quick calculating!

Other things we love include anything U.S. History, specifically the Colonial and Revolutionary Era, Civil War Era, and not forgetting Westward Expansion. We have some presidential flash cards that the kids pull out and play with a bit, but we still like learning the prophets more! I just ordered some more materials for our U.S. studies and I am really excited to get those. Our library also has amazing materials about unknown and well known heroes. Books ranging from simple picture books too more complicated chapter books. Abbi loves the true stories. Today we read from a Dear America book a young girl's account of the soldiers' bloody feet as they finished their march to Valley Forge. There was a silent reverence that was tangible in out home. Lily and Alex were still and quiet - very rare with those two! How grateful we are that our forefathers fought and sacrificed for us! Makes our sacrifices today look pretty meager. It also makes me so mad to see the Constitution being given lip service by men and women who have sworn an oath to protect it! But that is another post!

Speaking of posts ... this one was much longer than I intended! I guess that happens when you leave things open ended!

February Colloquium

2009-01-20T18:53:00.000-08:00

Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody

Laddie: A True Blue Story by Gene Stratton-Porter

These are both excellent books that I recommend whole heartedly. We are reading them for our February colloquium, and if you are looking for good reading then please join us.

Laddie is long, but not difficult to read. It is a story of a family told from "Little Sister's" perspective. The lessons of love, repentance, family unity, civic responsibility, and many more moral lessons are woven into this family's every day living. Quite a lesson.

Little Britches is a quick read with an impact I will guarantee you will not soon forget. I dare you to read it without a shedding a tear - I don't think it is possible. Yet, the lessons in this book are also very valuable. We see how trials and hardships, along with joy and freedom, shape a young boy's character and make him into a man.

Leadership Education

2009-01-11T11:18:00.000-08:00

I've always wondered what made our founding generation great. What was it about those men and women at that time that inspires them to change the world in such a drastic way? I've always known that our country was founded on inspiration from Heavenly Father, but what were the other keys?

Imagine my astonishment, delight, surprise and gratitude when I read a book that answer these questions. A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-First Century authored by Oliver De Mille was the book that would change my life. De Mille spent years studying first Thomas Jefferson, and then others who had great educations. There were similar patterns to the way that these men and women were mentored and the path their educations took.

I am going to a quick overview of the principles but you can also link free chapters of the book here, just look at the left of the page for free PDF downloads, no strings attached.

The basic structure of Thomas Jefferson Education (TJed) is supported by the fact that children learn differently than adults. Piaget and Erickson are the main theorists sited, but they are not alone in their support of viewing children and adults differently, especially in the way that they learn.

The first step in a leadership education is to get off the conveyor belt. A conveyor belt in education is the expectation that every child be at the same place at the same time. There is not a whole lot of fudge room for differences in children. This is where standardize testing checks off whether or not children are accomplishing what is expected.

In contrast, TJed supports and holds dear that each person is different. We all have a mission we were sent here to do and each mission requires different skills and development. As a parent it is my responsibility to expose my children to a wide variety of experiences and classics (more on classics later) to help them develop the missions they were sent here to accomplish.

There is a way that this exposure happens, it is through the KEYS TO GREAT TEACHING which are (definitions are De Mille's);

1. Classics not Textbooks

A classic is a work worth studying over and over again, because the student learns more each time. Virtually every subject is most effectively learned directly from the greatest thinkers ... and their original works. Great works inspire greatness.

2. Mentors, not Professors

The mentor finds out the student's goals, interests, talents, weaknesses, strengths, and purpose, and then helps him develop and carry out a plan designed to effectively develop his genius and prepare him for his unique mission.

3. Inspire, not Require

You can [either] inspire the student to voluntarily and enthusiastically choose to do the hard work necessary to get a great education, or you can attempt to require it of him.

*If you "require" the lessons do not seem to stick, they are more superficial. While inspiring may sound hokey - it is hard work. To truly inspire you must know the students on a very deep level - there is nothing superficial about this step.

4. Structure Time, not Content

Great mentors help their students establish and follow a consistent schedule, but they do not micro-manage the content... [they] allow young students to follow their passions and interests during study time and inspire them as needed to take on areas they may not initially recognize as interesting and desirable.

5. Quality, not Conformity

6. Simplicity, not Complexity

The more complex the curriculum, the more reliant the student becomes on experts and the more likely the student is to get caught up in the requirement/conformity trap... Education means the ability to think independently and creatively, and development of the skill of applying one's knowledge in dealing with people and situations in the real world.
Keeping it simple=students study the greatest minds and characters in history in every field, write about and respond to what he is learned in numerous settings, and apply it in various ways under the tutelage of a mentor.

7. You, not Them

Focus on your education, and invite them along for the ride... The effect is so much better when a mentor is not only passionate but prepared, and constantly expanding his ability and repertoire.

8. Secure, not Stressed

Find true security by knowing (1) that what you are doing is right, and (2) that you are doing it effectively

*We find this security in our family life and through the Spirit.

These keys are not just for home schools!

This is where I am coming from as I approach my children as a mentor. It is imperative that I also know where the kids are coming from and what is appropriate for their developmental stages. Since Adults and children learn differently, it is important to understand when shifts occur, what to look for, and how to help the student successfully negotiate a new phase in learning.

The phases we use in learning are as follows:

CORE PHASE:
Core phase is about getting a great moral foundation to our lives. “'Curriculum' for core is right/wrong, good/bad, true/false, relationships, family values (especially spiritual culture), family identity (including family history and mission), family routines and responsibilities, accountability, the value and love of hard work and play." To evaluate where you want to start in this phase you can ask yourself one thing; “If my child could do or know one thing, what would it be?”

LOVE OF LEARNING PHASE:
Love of Learning is about the child taking responsibility for personal decisions. Personal accountability should be stressed and respected. "The need to relate the child’s daily experiences and study with the rest of the body of human knowledge and achievement makes obvious the need for the parent to put a great deal of energy into his own education rather than making the child 'the project.'" Too many outside activities can interfere with the natural learning process at this stage. Home life and time should be as uncomplicated as possible. "The time spent at home in simple, homely activities is irreplaceable and needs to hold the greatest priority. We will see great strides in our young children's education (and the peacefulness of the family and home) when we re-enthrone free play to the prominent place it should occupy in a child’s life."

SCHOLAR PHASE:
This is when the student forms the foundation for their intellectual education. Although each education should be tailored to meet each specific person’s mission, there are also basics that every person should learn. This is a time to make vital discoveries in an environment where we can make mistakes, learn from them, and keep growing. Great peer support, outside mentors, projects, and constant family love and guidance will aide the development of the scholar.

DEPTH PHASE:
This is when scholars go into real depth in their areas of strength and passion. It is a time that young people prepare for their life mission and focus.

MISSION PHASE:
Building a family and an organization to contribute to society.

IMPACT PHASE:
Changing the world to be whatever it should be for your grandchildren and their children.

Most of the wording above was taken from Oliver and Rachel De Mille from their book, Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning, although some of the words are my own.

So this is our vision. This is why we do what we do how we do it. There are ways to apply the Leadership model of education in public schools, that is what I thought I'd do in the middle of the last school year. But for us, it was just to hard to apply the essential principles while juggling all of the other side jobs that seem to come with school. Now we decide what our schedule is and whether or not an activity is worthy of our time. If I am going to be held responsible by the Most High Judge for what my children learn, and the scriptures say that I will, than it follows that I am going to work to be able to report that I did everything in my power to bring His children back to Him complete and whole with their missions fulfilled.

You be the judge ...

2009-01-06T21:43:00.000-08:00

Samuel Adams, February 12, 1779:

A general dissolution of principles and manners surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when they lose their virtue they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader ... If virtue and knowledge are diffused among the people, they will never be enslaved. This will be their great security.

2009-01-02T19:55:00.000-08:00

Tonight, at the temple, I was reminded of something I was taught during Stake Conference. Our temple president, President Gillespie, spoke about how we are taught in the temple. To paraphrase, he said that in the temple everything is symbolic. As we grown our understandings of The Kingdom of Heaven grow. Our understanding widen and the Spirit teaches just what we need at that time. What we are prepared for, what the Lord needs/wants us to know. We also receive revelation pertaining to the questions we have. In that way the Lord mentors us, through the Spirit, into the His presence.

That is my desire with my children. To reach them all as individuals, according to what they need at that particular time in their lives. To know each of them so personally that I can guide them as a mentor spiritually/emotionally/socially/academically/personally.

Last night I was also reading a church publication about teaching our children about intimacy. It hit me as so profound when it stated that the relationships we establish with are children when they are young are to help us be close to them are the go through courtship and prepare for marriage. Those are times of great temptation and children need a close relationship with their parents to overcome temptation and to have a shoulder to lean on.

I did not have that and I want that for my children. To teach them that the most pure and wonderful passions between husband and wife are strengthen with time and are so sweet and beautiful that it is worth waiting for. Worth being selective about the spouse you choose. Worth shaking of selfishness and protecting yourself from the world's view of intimacy to be worthy of.

As my children grow I am so grateful that the Lord can guide me to such beautiful truths so that I can in turn help my children benefit from being taught by the Spirit.

My Work In Progress!

2009-01-01T18:43:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking of starting another blog for a while. A place where I can post the deeper changes happening within my soul.

I feel like our family has had some hard choices to make and challenges to face. As we have met these head on and counseled in the Lord we have grown. This is a series of changes that have enlighten and enriched our lives and I wish to share them with those who are interested.

Not low on the list of changes this year has been our decision to home school. It is amazing the sweet spirit we have invited to stay with us as we continue to simplify our lives and rid ourselves of the world's influence. I am realizing now, to some small degree, what it means to live in the world but not of the world. How empowering to take on my full stewardship as the mother to my children!

Since home schooling is one of the results of our journeys I am going to post some reasons why we home school. I post these unapologetically. While I know we all have different missions for our families, I will not apologize for the decisions we have made. We are not ashamed and we will not hide our heads — if you do not like what you read it is for you to work out with your own conscience.

Ezra Taft Benson

"It is a fundamental truth that the responsibilities of motherhood cannot be successfully delegated. No, not to day-care centers, not to schools, not to nurseries, not to babysitters. We become enamored with men’s theories such as the idea of preschool training outside the home for young children. Not only does this put added pressure on the budget, but it places young children in an environment away from mother’s influence... It is mother’s influence during the crucial formative years that forms a child’s basic character. Home is the place where a child learns faith, feels love, and thereby learns from mother’s loving example to choose righteousness. How vital are mother’s influence and teaching in the home—and how apparent when neglected!" (Ensign, Nov. 1981, p. 104)

"[We should] reassert the primary right and responsibility of parents for the total education of their children, including social values, religious convictions, and political concepts... Parents should stand firm on this and not be intimidated by professional educators."(An Enemy Hath Done This, p. 231)

"From the 5th grade through the 4th year of college, our young people are being indoctrinated with a Marxist philosophy and I am fearful of the harvest. The younger generation is further to the left than most adults realize. The old concepts of our Founding Fathers are scoffed and jeered at by young moderns whose goals appear to be the destruction of integrity and virtue, and the glorification of pleasure, thrills, and self-indulgence." (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p 321)

Jeffrey R. Holland

"I am making an unabashed appeal for a distinctly LDS approach to education." (Educating Zion, p. 156)

Bruce R. McConkie

"Education is gained primarily from the Spirit of the Lord by revelation and secondarily by study, research, and investigation." (Mormon Doctrine, p. 214)

Spencer W. Kimball

"Parents should not leave the training of children to others. There seems to be a growing tendency to shift this responsibility from the home to outside influences such as the school and the church and of a greater concern, to various child care agencies and institutions… Constant training, constant vigilance, companionship, and being watchmen of our own children are necessary in order to keep our homes intact and to bless our children in the Lord's own way. The Doctrine and Covenants makes it very clear. It is the responsibility of the parents to teach their children. All other agencies are secondary. If parents do not teach their children - THEIR children — they will be held responsible." (Ensign, May 1979, p.5)

David O. McKay

"Character is the aim of true education; and science, history, and literature are but means used to accomplish the desired end. Character is not the result of chance work but of continuous right thinking and right acting. . . . True education seeks, then to make men and women not only good mathematicians, proficient linguists, profound scientists, or brilliant literary lights, but also honest men, combined with virtue, temperance, and brotherly love -- men and women who prize truth, justice, wisdom, benevolence, and self-control as the choicest acquisitions of a successful life. . . . It is regrettable, not to say deplorable, that modern education so little emphasizes these fundamental elements of true character. The principal aim of many of our schools and colleges seems to be to give the students purely intellectual attainments and to give but passing regard to the nobler and more necessary development along moral lines." (Gospel Ideals p. 440-441)

Marion G. Romney

"We are not only to teach purely gospel subjects by the power of the Spirit. We are also to teach secular subjects by the power of the Spirit, and we are obligated to interpret the content of secular subjects in the light of revealed truth. This purpose is the only sufficient justification for spending Church money to maintain this institution [BYU]." ("Temples of Learning," BYU annual university conference, September 1966)