This is Real Life
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Sunday, June 03, 2012
Home Education, Part 2
By the way, the subtitle of this book is "Training and educating children under nine". This is not strictly a home schooling book. Charlotte Mason herself was a teacher in what might be called a public school in today's terms.
Part II - Out-of-door life for the children
Or, the indoors are over-rated.
"Perhaps a Mother's first duty to her children is to secure for them a quiet growing time, a full six years of passive receptive life, the waking part of it spent for the most part out in the fresh air. And this, not for the gain in bodily health alone - body and soul, heart and mind, are nourished with food convenient for them when the children are let alone, let to live without friction and without stimulus amongst happy influences which incline them to be good."
Are you ready? I am!
"...for of the evils of modern education few are worse than this - that the perpetual cackle of his elders leaves the poor child not a moment of time, nor an inch of space, wherein to wonder - and grow."
Me??? Cackle???
Ah-hem.
Yes, the indoors are overrated, my friends. We have created such comfortable, climate controlled environments in our homes that going outside can seem too much trouble. Such a hassle. Too dirty. Too hot. Too humid. Too wet. Too cold. Too windy. Not as important as doing the dishes ... or scrubbing the toilet. Pack up everything? Be gone how long? We seriously spend too much time inside. This is something that I now realize is way easier to do before your children are in third grade. Then it really becomes a tug of war between what does the older child need versus what do the younger children need. Charlotte gives many suggestions as to the ins and outs of how you should spend your outdoor time. Also she says to not "send" them out, "take" them out.
"the flowers, it is true, are not new; but the children are; and it is the fault of their elders if every new flower they come upon is not to them a Picciola, a mystery of beauty to be watched from day to day with unspeakable awe and delight."
(I was so excited to actually know what she was talking about when she mentioned Picciola!)
"All this is stale knowledge to older people, but one of the secrets of the educator is to present nothing as stale knowledge, but to put himself in the position of the child, and wonder and admire with him;"
I struggle with this. I just simply find it challenging to put myself in their position. I am always needing to be reminded of this.
There is a lovely quote from Audubon, the American ornithologist, that is just lovely and inspiring. I won't share it now but will in a future post.
More CM:
"Most children of six have had this taste of a naturalist's experience, and it is worth speaking of only because, instead of being merely a harmless amusement, it is a valuable piece of education, of more use to the child than the reading of a whole book of natural history, or much geography and Latin. For the evil is, that children get their knowledge of natural history, like all their knowledge, at second hand. They ate so sated with wonders, that nothing surprises them; and they are so little used to see for themselves, that nothing interests them. The cure for this blasé condition is, to let them alone for a bit, and then begin on new lines. Poor children, it is no fault of theirs if they are not as they were meant to be - curious eager little souls, all agog to explore so much of this wonderful world as they can get at, as quite their first business in life.
'He prayeth best who loveth best
All things both great and small;
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all.'"
There is so much truth in this one paragraph. I think there are much fewer children now, even at the age of six, who have such experience with nature. Babies are placed in front of Baby Einstein videos, first graders are given their "lessons" on iPads, any leisure time is spent on the computer or in front of the tv. I have by no means "arrived" in this area. It's just something I feel very strongly about. We live is a "virtual" culture, and what is real is continually being replaced by something that is not. Don't get me wrong. I love my iPhone, I love Google, I love Pinterest, enjoy keeping in touch on Facebook, I realize these are good things. What I am saying is that we don't always choose what is best. And simply because something is good doesn't mean it is the best choice. Am I making any sense?? CM is saying natural history books are good. But they are not necessarily the best choice for your little ones. Your little ones don't need to look at a tree in a book. Not that in and of itself is bad. They need to go look at a real tree. They need to feel its bark, see how its branches grow. Notice the shape of its leaves, see how the tree changes through the seasons. And so on and so forth. They need to be aquainted, personally, with the natural world.
"Let them once get touch with Nature, and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight through life. We were all meant to be naturalists, each in his degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things."
After all, God did create this world for us to live in.
"Reverence for life, as a wonderful and awful gift, which a ruthless child may destroy but never can restore, is a lesson of first importance to the child:-
'Let knowledge grow from more to more;
But more of reverence in us dwell.'
The child who sees his mother with reverent touch lift an early snowdrop to her lips, learns a higher lesson than the 'print-books' can teach."
More is caught than taught!
"For it is a law of the mind that what we know, we struggle to express. This fact accounts for many of the aimless questions of children; they are in quest, not of knowledge, but of words to express the knowledge they have."
"The evil of the ready-made life we lead is that we do not discern the signs of the times."
What I particularly like about this chapter are all the ideas she gives in spending time outdoors. Things I would never have thought of. I also appreciate her articulating how to let the children alone. Of course, not the one-year-old. But there are so many things that can be taught to the children while outdoors, i.e., not during "school".
I have heard that spending much time outside and nature study is a "Holy Grail" of sorts. I can see why, and have not really found a solution for our family yet. I think it is a process, and different things have to be tried until you get into a routine that fits. For me, I have to see in my head how it will work before I attempt to try. But like I said, I feel very strongly that it is more important than ever to get outside in order to be in touch with nature and real things. Everything else is slipping away into a virtual reality that I find quite frightening.
Part II - Out-of-door life for the children
Or, the indoors are over-rated.
"Perhaps a Mother's first duty to her children is to secure for them a quiet growing time, a full six years of passive receptive life, the waking part of it spent for the most part out in the fresh air. And this, not for the gain in bodily health alone - body and soul, heart and mind, are nourished with food convenient for them when the children are let alone, let to live without friction and without stimulus amongst happy influences which incline them to be good."
Are you ready? I am!
"...for of the evils of modern education few are worse than this - that the perpetual cackle of his elders leaves the poor child not a moment of time, nor an inch of space, wherein to wonder - and grow."
Me??? Cackle???
Ah-hem.
Yes, the indoors are overrated, my friends. We have created such comfortable, climate controlled environments in our homes that going outside can seem too much trouble. Such a hassle. Too dirty. Too hot. Too humid. Too wet. Too cold. Too windy. Not as important as doing the dishes ... or scrubbing the toilet. Pack up everything? Be gone how long? We seriously spend too much time inside. This is something that I now realize is way easier to do before your children are in third grade. Then it really becomes a tug of war between what does the older child need versus what do the younger children need. Charlotte gives many suggestions as to the ins and outs of how you should spend your outdoor time. Also she says to not "send" them out, "take" them out.
"the flowers, it is true, are not new; but the children are; and it is the fault of their elders if every new flower they come upon is not to them a Picciola, a mystery of beauty to be watched from day to day with unspeakable awe and delight."
(I was so excited to actually know what she was talking about when she mentioned Picciola!)
"All this is stale knowledge to older people, but one of the secrets of the educator is to present nothing as stale knowledge, but to put himself in the position of the child, and wonder and admire with him;"
I struggle with this. I just simply find it challenging to put myself in their position. I am always needing to be reminded of this.
There is a lovely quote from Audubon, the American ornithologist, that is just lovely and inspiring. I won't share it now but will in a future post.
More CM:
"Most children of six have had this taste of a naturalist's experience, and it is worth speaking of only because, instead of being merely a harmless amusement, it is a valuable piece of education, of more use to the child than the reading of a whole book of natural history, or much geography and Latin. For the evil is, that children get their knowledge of natural history, like all their knowledge, at second hand. They ate so sated with wonders, that nothing surprises them; and they are so little used to see for themselves, that nothing interests them. The cure for this blasé condition is, to let them alone for a bit, and then begin on new lines. Poor children, it is no fault of theirs if they are not as they were meant to be - curious eager little souls, all agog to explore so much of this wonderful world as they can get at, as quite their first business in life.
'He prayeth best who loveth best
All things both great and small;
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all.'"
There is so much truth in this one paragraph. I think there are much fewer children now, even at the age of six, who have such experience with nature. Babies are placed in front of Baby Einstein videos, first graders are given their "lessons" on iPads, any leisure time is spent on the computer or in front of the tv. I have by no means "arrived" in this area. It's just something I feel very strongly about. We live is a "virtual" culture, and what is real is continually being replaced by something that is not. Don't get me wrong. I love my iPhone, I love Google, I love Pinterest, enjoy keeping in touch on Facebook, I realize these are good things. What I am saying is that we don't always choose what is best. And simply because something is good doesn't mean it is the best choice. Am I making any sense?? CM is saying natural history books are good. But they are not necessarily the best choice for your little ones. Your little ones don't need to look at a tree in a book. Not that in and of itself is bad. They need to go look at a real tree. They need to feel its bark, see how its branches grow. Notice the shape of its leaves, see how the tree changes through the seasons. And so on and so forth. They need to be aquainted, personally, with the natural world.
"Let them once get touch with Nature, and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight through life. We were all meant to be naturalists, each in his degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things."
After all, God did create this world for us to live in.
"Reverence for life, as a wonderful and awful gift, which a ruthless child may destroy but never can restore, is a lesson of first importance to the child:-
'Let knowledge grow from more to more;
But more of reverence in us dwell.'
The child who sees his mother with reverent touch lift an early snowdrop to her lips, learns a higher lesson than the 'print-books' can teach."
More is caught than taught!
"For it is a law of the mind that what we know, we struggle to express. This fact accounts for many of the aimless questions of children; they are in quest, not of knowledge, but of words to express the knowledge they have."
"The evil of the ready-made life we lead is that we do not discern the signs of the times."
What I particularly like about this chapter are all the ideas she gives in spending time outdoors. Things I would never have thought of. I also appreciate her articulating how to let the children alone. Of course, not the one-year-old. But there are so many things that can be taught to the children while outdoors, i.e., not during "school".
I have heard that spending much time outside and nature study is a "Holy Grail" of sorts. I can see why, and have not really found a solution for our family yet. I think it is a process, and different things have to be tried until you get into a routine that fits. For me, I have to see in my head how it will work before I attempt to try. But like I said, I feel very strongly that it is more important than ever to get outside in order to be in touch with nature and real things. Everything else is slipping away into a virtual reality that I find quite frightening.
Home Education, Part 1
I am blogging from my phone today so I can't link things like you can on the full blogger website. Ceridwen, who is a Very Great Friend of mine, and I are reading through Charlotte Mason's first book entitled "Home Education". You can get a copy from your library or purchase one or go online to read it at www.amblesideonline.org .
Part I - Some Preliminary Considerations
"It is a great thing to be a parent: there is no promotion, no dignity, to compare with it."
From page one she wakes you up to the magnitude of the responsibility given to parents, to mothers. It may feel like a thankless poop patrol, vomit patrol, laundry patrol, spills and crumbs everywhere kind of a job. Oh, but it's more.
"And they will take it up as their profession - that is, with the diligence, regularity, and punctuality which men bestow on their professional labours."
Sideways glance here. What we don't have to do we tend not to do or put off for as long as possible. The thought of it is much worse than the actual doing it. What we are fighting here is our own sinful selfish nature. It's the part of growing up that's so hard - we think it will be great to not have someone telling us what to do all the time. And it is great. Until we realize how hard it is to make ourselves do what we ought.
"To give reasons to a child is usually out of place, and is a sacrifice of parental dignity;"
The above quote is under the heading, "They must perceive that their Governors are Law-compelled."
"Children's faults are serious.... To laugh at ugly tempers and let them pass because the child is small, is to sow to the wind."
What comes to mind is Proverbs 31, "she girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms."
"Do not let the children pass a day without distinct efforts, intellectual, moral, volitional; let them brace themselves to understand; let them compel themselves to do and to bear; and let them do right at the sacrifice of ease and pleasure:"
What more can you add that? I'll just say that it is apparent in our society and culture that not enough parents are doing this.
Part I - Some Preliminary Considerations
"It is a great thing to be a parent: there is no promotion, no dignity, to compare with it."
From page one she wakes you up to the magnitude of the responsibility given to parents, to mothers. It may feel like a thankless poop patrol, vomit patrol, laundry patrol, spills and crumbs everywhere kind of a job. Oh, but it's more.
"And they will take it up as their profession - that is, with the diligence, regularity, and punctuality which men bestow on their professional labours."
Sideways glance here. What we don't have to do we tend not to do or put off for as long as possible. The thought of it is much worse than the actual doing it. What we are fighting here is our own sinful selfish nature. It's the part of growing up that's so hard - we think it will be great to not have someone telling us what to do all the time. And it is great. Until we realize how hard it is to make ourselves do what we ought.
"To give reasons to a child is usually out of place, and is a sacrifice of parental dignity;"
The above quote is under the heading, "They must perceive that their Governors are Law-compelled."
"Children's faults are serious.... To laugh at ugly tempers and let them pass because the child is small, is to sow to the wind."
What comes to mind is Proverbs 31, "she girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms."
"Do not let the children pass a day without distinct efforts, intellectual, moral, volitional; let them brace themselves to understand; let them compel themselves to do and to bear; and let them do right at the sacrifice of ease and pleasure:"
What more can you add that? I'll just say that it is apparent in our society and culture that not enough parents are doing this.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Winding Down
Two days of school left. Everyone is ready for a break. I'm already planning next term (for us, beginning July 1), because June is going to be A Busy Month, and because the planning part of school is so fun and full of possibilities. I have a huge sense of accomplishment right now in finishing up this school term. It is a nice feeling. So much of the time I am always thinking about what I didn't get done each day -- and there's plenty of that to go around in the school department -- but right now there is A Happy Place and A Bright Spot for the end of school. (And you can tell because I am capitalizing everything.)
I finally got to go visit my parents, and for those of you interested in keeping up with what's going on with my dad, my mom started a blog to keep everyone informed. It's www.sightisprecious.blogspot.com . He has had retinal detachment in both eyes since April, and three eye surgeries. It was a busy, special, eventful 10 days. I cried when I first saw my dad, he was just pitiful. But I feel like he made some real progress during the course of time we were there. I think homemade butterscotch pudding had something to do with it. But it was nice to be there and feel like I could actually do something to help, and also just get in some visiting which has been very limited in the past few weeks. The original 6 of us were together for the first time since this all began, and it was nice.
I finally got to go visit my parents, and for those of you interested in keeping up with what's going on with my dad, my mom started a blog to keep everyone informed. It's www.sightisprecious.blogspot.com . He has had retinal detachment in both eyes since April, and three eye surgeries. It was a busy, special, eventful 10 days. I cried when I first saw my dad, he was just pitiful. But I feel like he made some real progress during the course of time we were there. I think homemade butterscotch pudding had something to do with it. But it was nice to be there and feel like I could actually do something to help, and also just get in some visiting which has been very limited in the past few weeks. The original 6 of us were together for the first time since this all began, and it was nice.
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Rainy Day
Happiness
by A. A. Milne
John had
Great Big
Waterproof
Boots on;
John had a
Great Big
Waterproof
Hat;
John had a
Great Big
Waterproof
Macintosh -
And that
(Said John)
Is
That.
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Happenings
This week is finally falling into place, now that it's almost over. I decided to finally take Josie's pacifier away. I made this decision on Sunday, planned to do it Monday, and didn't get around to doing it until Tuesday at nap time. My plan was to snip a little bit off her pacifier every few days until there was hardly any left and she didn't want it anymore. I used this method with Jack, and it worked fairly well. So, I snipped a small piece off the end of her pacifier to break the ice a little. I put it in her mouth. It promptly came out of her mouth. She hated it. So she cried and fussed her whole nap time on Tuesday. She was perfectly pleasant the rest of the day, however. The rest of us were rather weary of having to listen to her, though. She fell asleep Tuesday night fine. Wednesday she again cried and fussed through her entire nap time. Again she was pleasant the rest of the day, but fussed a little more than usual at bedtime. Today - hallelujah! - she took a nap! Joel had taken to hibernating in the garage to get some peace and quiet, so he is very thankful. I knew exactly how he felt and just let him stay there. Hopefully reposing to the garage will no longer be necessary. I must say, though, that Little Miss is not happy about this, as one might expect. She is ticked. When I laid her down tonight, she turned her head away from me on her pillow, didn't want her blanket, didn't want her Lambie. Sorry, honey.
I have embarked on a new plan to actually clean my house. Let's just say it hasn't been a priority lately. Since the move I have come up with several plans to try, but not one has panned out. This week my latest plan has been working. In the afternoon when school is done, I generally have a small amount of time. It's not enough time to really get into a project, but it's also too much time to just take a break. So I decided to take 30 minutes after school work is done to clean. So Mon-Fri for 30 minutes after school I clean. I broke the rooms of the house down so that I wouldn'tpurposely avoid certain rooms forget anything, printed up a list and it's now on my fridge. I have had a good first week with it, although tomorrow will be awash, but I don't feel bad about it. If I can keep up with this plan it will all get done in time. It has actually been a good stress reliever. Scrubbing sometimes has that effect.
Ever since Easter I have been trying to dye eggs with the boys. I decided to silk dye eggs this year because of a great blog I found. It hasn't been high on the priority list, though, so they are still not done. However, this week we finally blew the eggs so that our beautifully dyed eggs could last a long, long time. This was a first for me. If you've ever done it before, you know what it's like. We didn't have any sort of tool to blow the eggs with, so we did it the good old fashioned way. It's gross and hilarious all at the same time, and it made me think of childbirth the whole time we did it. It was very odd. James was the best blower, but he blew so much he made his throat sore. Joel blew so hard he made himself light headed. Jack enjoyed it the most.
I am now off to hang a shelf above my faux night table so that I'm not constantly trying to avoid knocking down stacks of books when I make my bed or grab the diaper bag. It will also be useful in keeping little fingers from pulling bookmarks out of place, and grabbing pencils and the like.
Our house came with three tires filled with mosquito infested water on the side of the house. I almost got rid of them, but then googled what things we might be able to use them for. This is what happened to Tire #1:
I have embarked on a new plan to actually clean my house. Let's just say it hasn't been a priority lately. Since the move I have come up with several plans to try, but not one has panned out. This week my latest plan has been working. In the afternoon when school is done, I generally have a small amount of time. It's not enough time to really get into a project, but it's also too much time to just take a break. So I decided to take 30 minutes after school work is done to clean. So Mon-Fri for 30 minutes after school I clean. I broke the rooms of the house down so that I wouldn't
Don't worry, it's just mud.
I am now off to hang a shelf above my faux night table so that I'm not constantly trying to avoid knocking down stacks of books when I make my bed or grab the diaper bag. It will also be useful in keeping little fingers from pulling bookmarks out of place, and grabbing pencils and the like.
Our house came with three tires filled with mosquito infested water on the side of the house. I almost got rid of them, but then googled what things we might be able to use them for. This is what happened to Tire #1:
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Assigned Reading
When we first moved, one of the first things we did was go get Library Cards. I could hardly contain my astonishment when my mother-in-law pointed to a flyer and said, "Oh, look at that!" There was a flyer for a Jane Austen Book Club!!!!! It meets once a month on a Saturday morning, which means Jason is usually able to watch the kids. I tried to go earlier this year when they were discussing Sense & Sensibility. I even read the whole book so I could really be a good book club member. Then something came up and I couldn't make it to the meeting. I kinda gave up on going, but then realized on Thursday that it actually would work out for me to go on Saturday! The discussion was going to be on Pride & Prejudice, which I have read before. But just be sure I downloaded it from Librivox and listened to the first 11 chapters Friday night (which is basically the first VHS video of the BBC 6-tape series). I was relieved when pretty much everybody there hadn't read P&P during the past month because they had read it recently or once before, etc. There were 8 people there including myself, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Librarian/Moderator gave a fun quiz at the end which I won! There wasn't a prize, but I didn't care. We were sent home with the book for next month's meeting: The Independence of Miss Mary Bennett by Colleen McCullough. I've only read the first chapter and I hate it. Literally. But I'm going to press on and maybe I won't view it as a waste of my time once I'm finished. I will read it to remain relevent in my new book club if nothing else. I'm just saying at this point I wouldn't recommend it to anybody. One of the ladies who is a member of the JA Book Club moderates the Classic Literature Book Club at our Library, too, which meets just prior to JA Book Club so I might try to do both. Anyway, she sent me home with the book they are reading - Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty. I've never heard of it before so we'll see how it goes. In the meantime I'm going to finishing P&P, and continue CM's Volume 1 with Ceridwen. I am quite out of breath.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Back in the Saddle, Again
The kids and I took a trip to DFW recently, and I was able to be immersed with CM homeschoolers, which was wonderful. Lots of deep and thought provoking conversations, and I have come back really ready to take it all on. On the top of the priority list: Math. There is this central theme which haunts my thoughts, but has actually made me have greater purpose -- not "ugh, do we really have to do math now?" -- DO NOT GET BEHIND IN MATH. Next on the priority list: Get back to doing Morning Time. Lynn Bruce introduced me to MT last spring, and sent me Cindy Rollins' way, which made a huge difference in how things were going with me/us schoolwise at the time. Towards the end of the year I shifted gears a little in order to do some catch up work with Joel, and we hadn't gotten back into the habit. I have been wanting to begin morning time again, but it's just like any other habit - hard to get started. I finally realized that I would just have to sit down and PLAN it out or I'd never begin. I did, and we are back into it. It is really such a wonderful concept. I love, love, love it. A sample of what MT looks like with us is this.
Sing (Hymn of the month, Patriotic songs, folk song, anything else the kids want to sing. They love this part, which is why I start with it. They are always ready to get started.)
Pray
Bible (We alternate between OT and NT each day, reading small sections at a time. I have one of the boys narrate, not both older boys)
Artist Study (once a week)
Literature selection - this is when we do Shakespeare, Pilgrim's Progress, D'aulaire books, James Herriot, etc. And I'm really stoked because between now and June, we will be able to work through THREE, yes, three Shakespeare plays. Only reading two pages at a time! It's just wonderful. (Caitlin, Joel likes your Shakespeare book better than ours, we have the Nesbit one. I think I agree with him.) Again on these I only have one child narrate, not both on the same passage. That is just better for us. Or I have them narrate later, privately.
Poetry - one selection for each child
Composer Study, when I play our selected composer in the background while we read
That's it. It usually lasts between 40 minutes and an hour. It doesn't seem like that long while we are doing it, but it takes so much time to do anything with four kids, that the time really flies by. It is a pretty intense time, just keeping everyone's attention, and keeping everyone's arms and legs to themselves. But it is so worth it. I love what my children learn in MT, and in MT I make sure we do what I love about the Ambleside Online curriculum.
Sing (Hymn of the month, Patriotic songs, folk song, anything else the kids want to sing. They love this part, which is why I start with it. They are always ready to get started.)
Pray
Bible (We alternate between OT and NT each day, reading small sections at a time. I have one of the boys narrate, not both older boys)
Artist Study (once a week)
Literature selection - this is when we do Shakespeare, Pilgrim's Progress, D'aulaire books, James Herriot, etc. And I'm really stoked because between now and June, we will be able to work through THREE, yes, three Shakespeare plays. Only reading two pages at a time! It's just wonderful. (Caitlin, Joel likes your Shakespeare book better than ours, we have the Nesbit one. I think I agree with him.) Again on these I only have one child narrate, not both on the same passage. That is just better for us. Or I have them narrate later, privately.
Poetry - one selection for each child
Composer Study, when I play our selected composer in the background while we read
That's it. It usually lasts between 40 minutes and an hour. It doesn't seem like that long while we are doing it, but it takes so much time to do anything with four kids, that the time really flies by. It is a pretty intense time, just keeping everyone's attention, and keeping everyone's arms and legs to themselves. But it is so worth it. I love what my children learn in MT, and in MT I make sure we do what I love about the Ambleside Online curriculum.
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
A Story In Pictures
These chopsticks have been sitting in the drawer or in a box for years now. I thought we would use them some day. But were they worth keeping until then? I mean, are we really going to eat chicken curry with chopsticks? What a mess. Enter: Jason and goldfish. Yes, Pepperidge Farm goldfish.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Thank you, Rudyard Kipling
I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.
I send them over land and sea,
I send them east and west;
But after they have worked for me,
I give them all a rest.
I let them rest from nine till five,
For I am busy then,
As well as breakfast, lunch, and tea,
For they are hungry men:
But different folk have different views;
I know a person small -
She sends 'em abroad on her own affairs,
From the second she opens her eyes -
One million Hows, two million Wheres,
And seven million Whys!
-from Just So Stories, The Elephant's Child, by Rudyard Kipling
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.
I send them over land and sea,
I send them east and west;
But after they have worked for me,
I give them all a rest.
I let them rest from nine till five,
For I am busy then,
As well as breakfast, lunch, and tea,
For they are hungry men:
But different folk have different views;
I know a person small -
She sends 'em abroad on her own affairs,
From the second she opens her eyes -
One million Hows, two million Wheres,
And seven million Whys!
-from Just So Stories, The Elephant's Child, by Rudyard Kipling
Monday, March 19, 2012
I'm not too good at this...
I finally finished my post about books read in 2011, but it's posted according to the date I originally began writing it. Don't know how to change that, but you can look in my archives (ha!), or go here if you want to read it. It's real short.
I have realized how illiterate I am with computers in coming back to the cyberworld. Sigh. It's just one more thing I don't have time for. Sigh. I am not giving up.
In other news, I have decided to rename the blog. Look for changes soon. I am taking inspiration from a Christmas card a year or two back from one of the dearest of friends. This card remains on my refrigerator to remind me every day. I have never loved the name of my blog anyway, but I love this.
I have realized how illiterate I am with computers in coming back to the cyberworld. Sigh. It's just one more thing I don't have time for. Sigh. I am not giving up.
In other news, I have decided to rename the blog. Look for changes soon. I am taking inspiration from a Christmas card a year or two back from one of the dearest of friends. This card remains on my refrigerator to remind me every day. I have never loved the name of my blog anyway, but I love this.
Friday, March 02, 2012
For Joel's Birthday
This blog post is for those wondering what Joel needs/wants for his birthday. You know who you are. Invitations are going out next week, but just so you know the party's on the 17th.
Clothes/Shoes
Jeans (size 8 reg)
Khakis, or dress pants
Longhorns t-shirt
Flip flops (size 2)
Books
Anything unabridged by Howard Pyle, such as The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, Men of Iron, Otto of the Silver Hand. Also illustrated by Pyle is a plus. Hardback. Used is a plus.
George MacDonald books; We already have The Princess and the Goblin, but there are plenty more.
Abraham Lincoln by Edgar & Ingri D'aulaire
Any of the Little House books, especially Farmer Boy
Other
Pocket knife
He loves gift cards
Art supplies and books as seen here (having trouble with the link, here it is: http://www.squidoo.com/artsuppliesforkids), especially the Drawing with Children book, and You Can Paint Pastels book.
Anything to do with bugs, animals and birds. He loves bug farms, i.e. growing ladybugs, raising butterflies, etc.
A large magnifying glass
Critter keeper, preferably not plastic
He really doesn't need a lot. No toys, please. We have too many toys.
Clothes/Shoes
Jeans (size 8 reg)
Khakis, or dress pants
Longhorns t-shirt
Flip flops (size 2)
Books
Anything unabridged by Howard Pyle, such as The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, Men of Iron, Otto of the Silver Hand. Also illustrated by Pyle is a plus. Hardback. Used is a plus.
George MacDonald books; We already have The Princess and the Goblin, but there are plenty more.
Abraham Lincoln by Edgar & Ingri D'aulaire
Any of the Little House books, especially Farmer Boy
Other
Pocket knife
He loves gift cards
Art supplies and books as seen here (having trouble with the link, here it is: http://www.squidoo.com/artsuppliesforkids), especially the Drawing with Children book, and You Can Paint Pastels book.
Anything to do with bugs, animals and birds. He loves bug farms, i.e. growing ladybugs, raising butterflies, etc.
A large magnifying glass
Critter keeper, preferably not plastic
He really doesn't need a lot. No toys, please. We have too many toys.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
It Never Stops Nor Slows Down
Today we had internet service installed in our new place. Yea!!! It's been two years since I've been online with this computer. It's good to be back.
We have been in our new place a week and a half now. I think we are doing a fair job on unpacking, not that it really matters - it is what it is. Last Friday night we were involved in a auto accident, and now two of the kiddos have had a stomach virus. Translation: huge mess. No, Huge Mess. Hmmm. HUGE MESS. I am so thankful for washing machines and dryers and chlorine bleach and vacuum cleaners and insurance and leftovers and donation-pick-up-trucks.
Yes, for a moment amidst the HUGE MESS I am very thankful.
Friday, February 03, 2012
Now I Know
A great book to read to your kids is "They Were Strong and Good" by Robert Lawson. The boys and I always get a kick out of the names of the dogs in the story: Sextus Hostilius and Numa Pompilius.
I never knew that those dogs were named after real life famous Romans.
For several months now I have felt the need to go ahead and begin reading Plutarch, and all Shakespeare that I haven't read. I have already begun reading more Shakespeare with the help of Librivox. Even I can see how and why Shakespeare is so important. I suppose whatever happened to Plutarch's Lives is what is slowly but surely happening with Shakespeare. It is becoming obsolete. Will Shakespeare ever be obsolete? No, not really. Just like Plutarch isn't obsolete. But fewer and fewer people know his works, fewer and fewer people understand even their own language in his writings, and it's simply not valued by a huge majority in our society. So yes, I personally can see the same thing happening with Shakespeare as has happened with Plutarch.
I have a few friends whose children are older than mine, and so have already begun working through Plutarch's Lives. It's not easy. But I really believe that if I become familiar with it, it will make the way much easier.
I read Edith Nesbit's Macbeth (Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare) last fall, and I was reading for the first time in addition to reading it aloud to Joel. Can I just recommend that if you plan to read Shakespeare to your kids, you read it yourself, first? Some of the plays are just downright hard to follow. It can be a huge help to familiarize yourself with the story beforehand. I have been learning the stories right alongside Joel, but I can see how it's much easier to read these stories with James just because I know them now. And I think I could've done a better job with Joel had I prepared myself better.
(As a side note, this week we read in Genesis about the death of Sarah, and Abraham asks the children of Heth for a burying place for Sarah. In his narration, Joel called them the children of Macbeth.)
So I've got Plutarch on my reading list for this year.
BTW, the reading list from last year is in the works, as is the plan-to-read-this-year list.
I never knew that those dogs were named after real life famous Romans.
For several months now I have felt the need to go ahead and begin reading Plutarch, and all Shakespeare that I haven't read. I have already begun reading more Shakespeare with the help of Librivox. Even I can see how and why Shakespeare is so important. I suppose whatever happened to Plutarch's Lives is what is slowly but surely happening with Shakespeare. It is becoming obsolete. Will Shakespeare ever be obsolete? No, not really. Just like Plutarch isn't obsolete. But fewer and fewer people know his works, fewer and fewer people understand even their own language in his writings, and it's simply not valued by a huge majority in our society. So yes, I personally can see the same thing happening with Shakespeare as has happened with Plutarch.
I have a few friends whose children are older than mine, and so have already begun working through Plutarch's Lives. It's not easy. But I really believe that if I become familiar with it, it will make the way much easier.
I read Edith Nesbit's Macbeth (Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare) last fall, and I was reading for the first time in addition to reading it aloud to Joel. Can I just recommend that if you plan to read Shakespeare to your kids, you read it yourself, first? Some of the plays are just downright hard to follow. It can be a huge help to familiarize yourself with the story beforehand. I have been learning the stories right alongside Joel, but I can see how it's much easier to read these stories with James just because I know them now. And I think I could've done a better job with Joel had I prepared myself better.
(As a side note, this week we read in Genesis about the death of Sarah, and Abraham asks the children of Heth for a burying place for Sarah. In his narration, Joel called them the children of Macbeth.)
So I've got Plutarch on my reading list for this year.
BTW, the reading list from last year is in the works, as is the plan-to-read-this-year list.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
The Evolution of Menu Planning
Sunday is my menu planning/grocery list making day. In the afternoon or evening when we've settled down from the day's activities, I pull out my cook books and wrack my brain coming up with seven breakfasts, seven lunches, and seven suppers for the week. Plus snacks. Plus fit the budget. Plus be somewhat interesting. It really is gruelling, and I don't highly recommend it. But it works for me. I actually hate doing it. It's just one of my jobs that I don't really care for. The plus side is, however, quite wonderful. I don't have to think about what I'm doing for meals for the rest of the week. So instead of agonizing over meals daily, I just agonize of them once a week and have done with it.
Menu planning may not stay this way for ever, but I don't foresee a change any time soon. I have found something that actually works for me/us for now. As life changes, I'm sure it will change though. I began by just writing down on my calendar each week what we'd have. But somehow it never had a grocery list to go along with it. Then there were the times that I didn't calculate the prices of my groceries too good. I took cash to force myself to stay in budget, and embarrassed myself a number of times by having to tell the cashier to pull back groceries that had already been scanned in order to get back to my price limit. Anyhow, it took me several weeks, but I finally managed to end up making a plan and working the plan. I am probably way behind in this area. I think that most people probably do this, or have been doing this masterfully since their first weeks of marriage, and I didn't begin until way into our 9th year. I do wish I had begun sooner. Like before kids, or at least before four kids. But for better or for worse, here I am doing it. Hating it and loving it all at the same time.
I have found that forcing myself to make a menu has made me be more creative. For awhile I tried a new recipe every week. That can tend to be expensive, so I slacked off on that for awhile. Staying here at my in laws, I am using my mil's cook books, so I am again trying new recipes. It's really a lot of fun, and helps to vary the menu. Jason and I tend to like a variety of foods. There aren't many meals that we like to have every week. Well, maybe not any plain and simple ones that we are familiar with (except crunchy tacos). Since I haven't always been creative with the menu, I have burnt us out on quite a few things. We can only eat these a few times a year (this is tongue-in-cheek, or course. We make do with what we have). Such as chicken and rice. Josie is the only one who LOVES chicken and rice. She missed out on the chicken and rice marathon. I guess that's the only dish that we really got burnt out on. That I remember. But things like oatmeal, spaghetti, beans and cornbread, split pea soup. If you possibly can, they need some creativity to put smiles on our faces. Cook books help a lot with that.
A friend at church told me that she lets her children plan one meal's menu each week, and has them find the items needed for it as they are doing their weekly grocery shopping. I have just now tried to begin doing that, and I let Joel plan a supper menu this week. (All of our boys are really into food, probably because Jason and I are really into food. As in Food Network junkies, basically). So he tells me, "bacon, ham, sausage, hamburgers, hot dogs, eggs, biscuits and gravy." Okay, you can only pick one meat, honey. We don't buy that much meat for a whole week. So he picked ham. Thursday's supper will be ham, eggs, biscuits and gravy. And I will have him help me cook, too. I snuck to the grocery store tonight while Jason was at home just to have a little break from the usual Monday show down. So Joel didn't pick out his menu items, but there will be plenty of other times for that.
I am now thinking of Benjamin Franklin's father and mother, who raised 17 children, and taught them to be content with little, and a simple diet. That is truly something to aspire to.
Menu planning may not stay this way for ever, but I don't foresee a change any time soon. I have found something that actually works for me/us for now. As life changes, I'm sure it will change though. I began by just writing down on my calendar each week what we'd have. But somehow it never had a grocery list to go along with it. Then there were the times that I didn't calculate the prices of my groceries too good. I took cash to force myself to stay in budget, and embarrassed myself a number of times by having to tell the cashier to pull back groceries that had already been scanned in order to get back to my price limit. Anyhow, it took me several weeks, but I finally managed to end up making a plan and working the plan. I am probably way behind in this area. I think that most people probably do this, or have been doing this masterfully since their first weeks of marriage, and I didn't begin until way into our 9th year. I do wish I had begun sooner. Like before kids, or at least before four kids. But for better or for worse, here I am doing it. Hating it and loving it all at the same time.
I have found that forcing myself to make a menu has made me be more creative. For awhile I tried a new recipe every week. That can tend to be expensive, so I slacked off on that for awhile. Staying here at my in laws, I am using my mil's cook books, so I am again trying new recipes. It's really a lot of fun, and helps to vary the menu. Jason and I tend to like a variety of foods. There aren't many meals that we like to have every week. Well, maybe not any plain and simple ones that we are familiar with (except crunchy tacos). Since I haven't always been creative with the menu, I have burnt us out on quite a few things. We can only eat these a few times a year (this is tongue-in-cheek, or course. We make do with what we have). Such as chicken and rice. Josie is the only one who LOVES chicken and rice. She missed out on the chicken and rice marathon. I guess that's the only dish that we really got burnt out on. That I remember. But things like oatmeal, spaghetti, beans and cornbread, split pea soup. If you possibly can, they need some creativity to put smiles on our faces. Cook books help a lot with that.
A friend at church told me that she lets her children plan one meal's menu each week, and has them find the items needed for it as they are doing their weekly grocery shopping. I have just now tried to begin doing that, and I let Joel plan a supper menu this week. (All of our boys are really into food, probably because Jason and I are really into food. As in Food Network junkies, basically). So he tells me, "bacon, ham, sausage, hamburgers, hot dogs, eggs, biscuits and gravy." Okay, you can only pick one meat, honey. We don't buy that much meat for a whole week. So he picked ham. Thursday's supper will be ham, eggs, biscuits and gravy. And I will have him help me cook, too. I snuck to the grocery store tonight while Jason was at home just to have a little break from the usual Monday show down. So Joel didn't pick out his menu items, but there will be plenty of other times for that.
I am now thinking of Benjamin Franklin's father and mother, who raised 17 children, and taught them to be content with little, and a simple diet. That is truly something to aspire to.
Friday, January 27, 2012
A Good Season
Jason was remarking last night that he feels that the Lord is giving him/us "a good season". It's been a hard few years, and things *seem* at this point to be making a turn for the better. Not that we aren't working hard anymore, have gotten rid of all our problems, or have all the money we will ever need. But our familly is together again, and that is very, very good.
Let's see....
I've had a cup of coffee with Jason every morning before he goes to work. The boys sometimes wake up early enough and see him before he goes to work. He's come home at every lunch time. And we've had supper together every evening. It's surreal. He has been putting the kids to bed, and my mother-in-law has been washing the dishes every night (because I do the cooking since she's working full time, and she says if you cook you don't have to do the clean up. Sweet!)
Last week Jason and I decided to begin looking for a rent house. We liked the first house we found, and are signing a lease on it today. We liked it for a few specific reasons. First of all, it's .6 miles from Jason's office. It's 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage and it is just well laid out. Spacious bedrooms and closets! The kitchen is smallish, but I think we'll be able to manage fine as there is a nice size pantry. Also, there is no carpet in this house which some people may not like, but we love. We can bring our dog, and the price is just right! We just felt like what more could we ask for? So we put in an application and here we are signing the lease. Yea! I get giddy thinking about where we're going to put furniture!
The kids are adjusting well to the move. They have made friends with the kids in my in-law's neighborhood and are learning about the do's and don'ts of living in the city. For the first time yesterday they played a long time in the backyard contentedly. They are used to much more space, so they have come in quite a lot asking to go out front or just not knowing what to do in the space they have. Joel has been finding snails, and that has helped a lot.
Don't know a good way to end the post, except with one of my favorite poems.
Keepsake Mill by Robert Louis Stevenson
Over the borders, a sin without pardon,
Breaking the branches and crawling below,
Out through the breach in the wall of the garden,
Down by the banks of the river we go.
Here is a mill with the humming of thunder,
Here is the weir with the wonder of foam,
Here is the sluice with the race running under--
Marvellous places, though handy to home!
Sounds of the village grow stiller and stiller,
Stiller the note of the birds on the hill;
Dusty and dim are the eyes of the miller,
Deaf are his ears with the moil of the mill.
Years may go by, and the wheel in the river
Wheel as it wheels for us, children, to-day,
Wheel and keep roaring and foaming for ever
Long after all of the boys are away.
Home for the Indies and home from the ocean,
Heroes and soldiers we all will come home;
Still we shall find the old mill wheel in motion,
Turning and churning that river to foam.
You with the bean that I gave when we quarrelled,
I with your marble of Saturday last,
Honoured and old and all gaily apparelled,
Here we shall meet and remember the past.
Let's see....
I've had a cup of coffee with Jason every morning before he goes to work. The boys sometimes wake up early enough and see him before he goes to work. He's come home at every lunch time. And we've had supper together every evening. It's surreal. He has been putting the kids to bed, and my mother-in-law has been washing the dishes every night (because I do the cooking since she's working full time, and she says if you cook you don't have to do the clean up. Sweet!)
Last week Jason and I decided to begin looking for a rent house. We liked the first house we found, and are signing a lease on it today. We liked it for a few specific reasons. First of all, it's .6 miles from Jason's office. It's 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage and it is just well laid out. Spacious bedrooms and closets! The kitchen is smallish, but I think we'll be able to manage fine as there is a nice size pantry. Also, there is no carpet in this house which some people may not like, but we love. We can bring our dog, and the price is just right! We just felt like what more could we ask for? So we put in an application and here we are signing the lease. Yea! I get giddy thinking about where we're going to put furniture!
The kids are adjusting well to the move. They have made friends with the kids in my in-law's neighborhood and are learning about the do's and don'ts of living in the city. For the first time yesterday they played a long time in the backyard contentedly. They are used to much more space, so they have come in quite a lot asking to go out front or just not knowing what to do in the space they have. Joel has been finding snails, and that has helped a lot.
Don't know a good way to end the post, except with one of my favorite poems.
Keepsake Mill by Robert Louis Stevenson
Over the borders, a sin without pardon,
Breaking the branches and crawling below,
Out through the breach in the wall of the garden,
Down by the banks of the river we go.
Here is a mill with the humming of thunder,
Here is the weir with the wonder of foam,
Here is the sluice with the race running under--
Marvellous places, though handy to home!
Sounds of the village grow stiller and stiller,
Stiller the note of the birds on the hill;
Dusty and dim are the eyes of the miller,
Deaf are his ears with the moil of the mill.
Years may go by, and the wheel in the river
Wheel as it wheels for us, children, to-day,
Wheel and keep roaring and foaming for ever
Long after all of the boys are away.
Home for the Indies and home from the ocean,
Heroes and soldiers we all will come home;
Still we shall find the old mill wheel in motion,
Turning and churning that river to foam.
You with the bean that I gave when we quarrelled,
I with your marble of Saturday last,
Honoured and old and all gaily apparelled,
Here we shall meet and remember the past.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
2011 Books
So here's my list of books read in 2011. This is taken from memory, so I could have left something out or gotten the timing wrong on a few. Some I began last year and finished up during the first two weeks of this year so I am including them. On one hand I think it's pretty meager, and on the other hand I think, "not bad, considering". You can decide for yourself.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Persuasion by Jane Austen (another great reader)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - the boys and I listened to this together. I had never thought of reading it to the kids, I just thought Dickens was (for the kids) ... out there ... still ... for now. I was wrong. I have to credit Brandy at Afterthoughts (see blog roll) for giving me the idea, as she reads it to her kids annually during the Christmas season.
Julius Ceasar by the one and only - William Shakespeare
Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
The Man Who was Thursday - my first Chesterton. Loved it. Wild.
The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson
Parents and Children (CM's Volume 2), just half of it.
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
A New Year
We are moving in two weeks so this will probably be the last you will hear from me for awhile.
There's so much I want to write about, but just can't right now. Also I know that once we move I can blog with an actual keyboard!
I really want to blog about what I read in 2011, something that I think is a lot of fun to reflect on, especially since 2011 was an especially difficult year.
So until we meet again.... Love from the J Crew!
There's so much I want to write about, but just can't right now. Also I know that once we move I can blog with an actual keyboard!
I really want to blog about what I read in 2011, something that I think is a lot of fun to reflect on, especially since 2011 was an especially difficult year.
So until we meet again.... Love from the J Crew!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)