Qualify

I recently posted some quotes from some home schools books I have been reading. I thought I should give some explanations as to why these quotes stuck out to me. They basically stuck out to me because I battle with pride, self-righteousness and sinful comparison and I felt like these quotes touched on how these sins could easily come out for me in the education realm.

For example, the tendency to compare my children to someone else to see if they are "on track." This could be in something educational or in something behavioral. The question for me to be constantly asking myself is, "Am I setting the standard for my kids or myself based on what I observe in others and/or their children or am I trying to obey what God has called me to? Am I walking in faith toward the Lord, seeking his approval or am I seeking the approval of others?"

So the quote about educational testing is simply a good reminder to me of what is really important- not that my kids are "smarter" than other kids or even "just the same" as others but that we are seeking to grow in what God has called us to, whether that be reading, math or the pursuit of the spiritual disciplines. I do understand that educational testing has a place and I don't plan on not testing my kids when needed and or required. But I hope when I do I am able to hold onto the big picture and not lose sight of what matters most.

The other quote on fragments of information is healthy reminder to me that I don't know anything. Even as I read all these books on parenting or home schooling, I have only just skimmed the surface and I have so much to learn, understand and apply. I truly need to grow in applying humility in my life and not thinking I pridefully "know" something because I have read a book or two, seen a documentary, or read an article.

And the reason I am posting on this now is because, frankly, I am likely to reread those quotes in a few months and forget why they were important to me.

Tree Pollen

One of the things that Jotham has inherited from his granddad is his allergies. Poor boy does not do well in tree pollen season. Last year, his eyes were swollen for weeks and his entire body was a rash- a really big rash. This years, his eyes are swollen and itchy (but not nearly as bad)and his rash is mostly on his legs (totally scratched up from his itching). Here is a picture of him at the allergist the other day. The most humorous (at least to us) part of his allergies is his sneezing. Everyday, a little after he wakes up he sneezes 18 times in a row. It is gross but pretty funny with how many times he actually sneezes.

On an update note- Jotham has been doing "his duty" on the potty. Not all the time but enough that I am encouraged that with some effort on my part he might not be 16 and need a diaper change.

Homeschool Quotes

From the Clarkson's book, Educating the Whole Hearted Child:

Talking about current educational testings:

"The problem with all this measuring is that is has convinced us as a culture that we should compare our children to other children when it comes to learning. That is not only an unfair burden on your children, it is a poor measure of true education. The true test of a child's education is not what he or she knows at any on time relative to what other children know. It is whether or not the child is growing stronger in all of the most important skills."

From Susan Schaeffer Macaulay's book, For the Children's Sake:

"Our generation is prone to amuse itself with fragmentary information and resources. We flip on the TV for brief programs, and then we think we know about the subjects they dealt with. A few paragraphs in a magazine, and we think we've formed an opinion. What is happening so often is that we are merely forming a habit of amusing our interest, and then forgetting the fragments. This is not education."

Spring

Another great thought on Spring from a favorite blogger of mine. Wondering how am dieing today so that HE might live?

Homeschool Books

When I posted a quote from a Homeschooling Book recently I had a lot of requests for books on Homeschooling that I have read. I am clearly no expert in the area of homeschooling and I am sure there are others who could give better recommendations but since several of you asked here they are:



General Homeschooling Books:

The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jesse Wise

For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

Educating the Whole Hearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson

The Spiritual Power of a Mother by Michael Farris

The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Debra Bell

The Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola (just got- haven't yet read)

For the Family's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay (just got- haven't yet read)



Homeschooling Websites:

Trivium Pursuit-scroll down and you can download several audio messages:

The Seven Undeniable Truths of Homeschooling

A Less Hurried Approach to Homeschooling

Ambleside Online- a Charlotte Mason Website has some good articles



Specific on Reading (not just homeschooling)

The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading by Jesse Wise

Phonics that Work by Janiel Wagstaff



Parenting Books (there are links to all of these on my sidebar):

Shepherding a Child's Heart

Don't Make Me Count to Three

Hints on Child Training

Everyday Talk

There are lots others but these are the 4 I tend to go back to over and over.

Jimmy Cone

It is always a sure sign that Spring has arrived when our local ice cream shop opens for the season. They don't have a huge selection but it sure is cheap and the kids love it.

Jotham needs to make sure he gets it ALL in.

A Huge Thanks

This is a special thank you to all of our dear friends who helped me last week with surprising Erik. If you know Erik you know he LOVES surprises and he is extremely hard to surprise because he is always guessing exactly what has been planned. So last week he was away all week at the Together for the Gospel Conference. We have been wanting to paint our office since we moved in but have not had the time. So while he was away I recruited some excellent help from our dear friends to paint it. Orginally I contacted one of them, Denny, and asked him if he could help me paint. I don't what I was thinking. There is NO way that Denny and I could have done it on our own. Denny, being the smart man that he is recruited lots of other friends and I got a few others (care group leaders) to help prep and paint the whole office. Needless to say, Erik was VERY suprised and EXTREMELY blessed. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture before we started so I only have one from before we moved in. You can see the beige paint everywhere and the wallpaper. The office is now yellow, gray and white (thank you Denny for picking the colors). It looks fantastic! A special thanks to both Denny (who helped me plan everything and organized the work) and John (who can back on Wednesday by himself while I was a cg ladies meeting and but second and third coats on the white and yellow- making the room look MUCH better). I never could have accomplished this without these dear friends and their wives who released them to come help.

A New Favorite Spot

A few weeks ago I was going to take the kids down to DC for the Kite Festival during the Cherry Blossom Festival. After seeking some counsel and just evaluating the situation I realized it would just not be a good idea for me to do something like this without Erik. I figured I would either lose on of the kids or I might be tempted to leave one of them behind (just kidding), I did realize that 3 kids, 1 Mama, a cold day, the metro, in a busy city is probably not the best combination for me. Anyway, I had told Karis that we were going to do something special that day so I felt like I needed to come up with something. That something has now become one of our favorite spots to visit.

Black Hills is a local regional park that has a "lake" and trails and also a really nice playground. The kids LOVED gathering rocks and throwing them in the water. In fact Jotham loved it so much that when I went to the playground the other day and not the water he was crying.

I didn't take any pictures the day I went alone with the kids but Erik and I brought them back a few days later and I snapped that day. It was really warm and Karis couldn't resist putting her feet in.

This is the "baby" pinecone that Jotham found and was quite attached to. He was so sweet with it. He gave it some of his orange juice to drink and took care of it - till he smashed with his love.

On another note, little Cia has finally made the transition to being a walker. It is so cute to watch- one of my favorite early childhood developments.

Quote

Since we someday plan on homeschooling our children I have been asking Home school Moms that I know what "general" home school books they have found helpful. A friend recently gave me The Spiritual Power of a Mother by Michael P. Farris. There was lots of good stuff in this little book, chapter 9 was particularly good. Anyway, a few quotes I liked.

"Your children need a sane mother far more than they need a support group."

I thought I could change this to many different things:
Your children need a sane mother far more than they need to go to story time at the library.
Your children need a sane mother far more than they need a clean bathroom.
Your children need a sane mother far more than they need to eat homemade bread.
The list could go on but I think it is helpful for gaining perspective.

Just a paragraph later he writes:

"Academic success goes hand in hand with the personal sanity of the teaching parent. Successful moms are happy moms who have established real priorities for themselves and their children."

Later in the book he talks about complaining. Since I am such a complainer at heart (and my kids have inherited my sin) I liked this one:

"A complainer is attempting to take control of the situation. A complainer is demanding a solution...becoming a complainer drags you away from the key to your joy- that is, contentment."

Our Little Prairie Girl

Karis loves Little House. This past summer my Mom bought her this hat in Williamsburg and she quickly started calling it her night cap. Tonight when I went in to "peak" at her I thought she looked so cute I had to snap a picture.

Spring

Yesterday started off pretty yucky here but by the afternoon the warm sun was shining and it was a beautiful Spring Day. The kids had a great time playing outside for a long time. At one point, I just took a deep breath, is it me or is it just nicer to breath in the Spring.

On an update note: Mercia had her 15th month appointment last week. She "looks good." She weighs 21 1/2 lbs, which puts her in the 25-50% range. She is 31 inches tall, 50-75% range. She still has a small head 45 1/2 cm, 25%, but a friend recently told me that people with smaller brains are smarter. I thought that was good to know, since she isn't walking yet, I don't think her athletics are going to get her into college.