Happy Thanksgiving!

From our home school family to yours, may you have a blessed holiday, full of love, joy, and gratitude to our Father in heaven.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
2 Corinthians 9:15 (NIV)

Making it Fun Through Poetry

We engaged in a little silliness this week, using our imaginations and what we know about poetry.... The assignment was to write a poem using a real word that is difficult to rhyme, making up silly words to complete the task wherever necessary. Following were the results:

Rhymes with Orange By Zach

Tell me now, what rhymes with orange?
All this thinking is just simply borange.
Saying "hellorange" to you is not "how do you do";
But orange is still a nice word, think you?

Broccoli
By Jenna

I hate broccoli.
It is so snoccoli.
It looks like a froccoli.
It is so roccoli.
I hate broccoli.

See what creativity abounds when you think outside the box?! These works got an "A" from this teacher.

Carpe Diem!

Opportunity. It is everywhere everyday. The opportunity to encourage. The opportunity to set an example. The opportunity to bring significance to what might otherwise seem insignficant. The opportunity to see God in the ordinary.

That's what we have, first as Christians, and second as home schoolers.

Opportunity is everywhere when we are willing to see it. It is in the quiet moments before the kids rise in the morning (see below: Psalm 46:10). It is in the difficult moments (I Peter 1:6,7), the happy moments (Philippians 4:4), the despairing moments (Lamentations 3:32).... God's grace is all around us, and He has given us unlimited opportunities to teach our children about Him as we go through our day, as we deal with the difficulties, as we enjoy the blessings.

My prayer today is that we don't miss even one opportunity to reveal God's love or grace or mercy to our children. Seize the moment! Seize the day!

Carpe diem!

"Teach me your way, O LORD , and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." Psalm 86:11

--------------------
Psalm 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God..."

1 Peter 1:6,7
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

Philippians 4:4
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"

Lamentations 3:32
"Though He brings grief, He will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love."

Cut Yourself Some Slack!

Bad days are inevitable. Every now and then you'll wake up feeling physically ill or emotionally worn out. Or your kids will be over-tired from the previous day's activities, or a late night, or an illness. All that is normal.

Take today at our school, for instance. I woke up with a sinus headache and Zach, our sixth-grader, has a nasty cold. I could've forced myself to buckle-down and accomplish the "to do" list for today. And I could've insisted that Zach do the same. Or, I could say, "You know what? We've done a great job of staying on schedule this entire semester, (we're even a little ahead of schedule thanks to our road trip), and we're going to take today off." And that's just what I did!

Instead of pushing the envelope and making everyone more miserable, I saw past the checklist and saw our need. And that was the best thing for us today.

Every now and then it's okay to cut yourself (and your kids) some slack. It's not only okay, it's good!

Addendum: Actually, we did manage to get some basics done after all--journal entries, spelling words, math, and cursive. So even though we didn't take the whole day off, we were able to check a few things off our list without over-taxing ourselves. One of the most significant keys to home schooling is flexibility! Do what works for your family... Your kids will get the education they need and everyone will be happier about it!

Juggling!

No, this is not a new extracurricular activity in our household! The juggling I'm referring to is that of all the numerous things we home school moms have to keep up with. Not only do we have to plan our children's studies, direct their studies, and assess their work, we have to shuttle them to and from piano lessons and karate lessons and choir rehearsals. That's on top of all the other things we, as wives and mothers have to manage, like: laundry, grocery buying, house cleaning, bill-paying (for some). And let's not forget that our children still want fun, quality time with us, and our husbands, well, they want their share of us too! Then if we're lucky--and really good at juggling--we can have a social life as well: time with friends and extended family members is important too.

The cherry on top (for me at least) would be some quiet time alone or lunch with a friend--which is almost unheard of these days!

Though it sounds like I'm complaining, I'm not, really. I guess what I'm trying to accomplish here is a validation process that what we (as home school moms) do is substantial! While we most always answer "no" when asked do we work, (meaning, do we work at an outside a job where we get to wear nice clothes, be around grown-ups all day, and get a paycheck for it), no, in all honesty we don't work in that sense. But we do work! And very hard, at that.

At least, at the end of the day, when there's more work to be done than there is time to get it done in, we can (hopefully) look into the sweet faces of our children and know that, while we may not be finding a cure for cancer or advising the President of the United States, we are shaping the lives of some pretty important people. And who knows, someday maybe they will find a cure for cancer or be the President of the United States!

No, what we're devoting our lives to is not an insignificant thing. Ours is a worthwhile "profession" if ever there was one!

So next time you feel a bit overwhelmed by all the "balls" you have to juggle, try looking into the eyes of your children and see what really matters most. (Excuse me while I go take my own advice...!)

Know the Requirements

It's important as we home school to know what our state's requirements are in regard to educating at home.

Since we live in Oklahoma, there are few requirements, thankfully! (Our's is the only state with a constitutional provision guaranteeing the right to home school!)We are required to fulfill 180 days of schooling with no requirements for teacher certification, inspections, or standardized testing. Required subjects are: reading, writing, math, science, citizenship, U.S. Constitution, health, safety, physical education, and conservation.

Of course, even with these limited requirements it is always a good idea not only to keep accurate attendance records, but also to keep sufficient records of subjects studied, test scores, and samples of each student's work. We keep all of each student's work throughout the year (filed by school term in large three-ring binders) just in case there is ever a question.

The Home School Legal Defense Association has a list of requirements for every state. They provide both a general synopsis of each state's requirements (in layman's terms) as well as a legal description of the state's laws regarding home schooling. If you don't know what your state's requirements are, visit their web site to find out.

Evaluate, Evaluate, Evaluate!

Every now and then I come to a place of what can only be referred to as "floundering." I begin to question if what I'm doing with my children (in regard to home schooling) is the right thing. Am I doing this right? Does what I do every day matter at all? Am I blowing it with my children?

As a result of this floundering I become discouraged, unmotivated, and hyper-critical of myself. I begin to worry and fret.

Over the years as I've encountered this phenomena repeatedly I have discovered the best response to this floundering is to focus. Instead of feeding the list of questions that only fuel doubt, I focus instead on the questions that bring my mind and heart back to the foundational truths (for our family) that led us to home school in the first place:

Why do we home school?

What are the goals we're working toward?

Are we meeting those goals?

Where do we have gaps? And how do we begin to fill them in?

The difference between the first set of questions and the second is significant. The first set focuses on how I'm feeling based on an emotional reaction to the stresses of home schooling. The second set of questions puts aside the feelings, for the moment, and brings clarity to the facts.

The first set fuels my insecurities. It reverberates with all the doubts of my detractors, those well-meaning people who are convinced the only effective educational system is institutional schooling. It waters the seeds of dissatisfaction and despair that lurk like weeds among the golden harvest of my goals.

The second set of questions brings me back to the priorities. Like the magnifying glass through which the sun's brilliant rays penetrate to set ablaze the dried leaves of dailyness, drudgery, and discontent, these questions bring things back into perspective.

The first set of questions castigates. The second set of questions evaluates. Castigation only leads to feelings of failure, while evaluation puts things in perspective, motivating me to get back on track to meet the prescribed goals.

One is ineffectual, the other productive.

If you're like me and the daillyness of home schooling gets you down occasionally, take a step back and do a little evaluation. Then set your eyes on the goal and finish the race strong!

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..." Romans 12:1 (NASB)

Posted by The Teacher at 09:18 AM

A "God" Moment...

As a Christian and a home schooling mom, God continues to teach me, to refine me, and to reveal Himself to me in some of the most astounding ways.

Yesterday was one of those days.

We usually begin each school day with a devotion, taking a few minutes to focus on God's Word or His character, etc. Well yesterday, instead of doing a traditional devotion, I opened my mouth and out came the most beautiful lesson not only for our children, but for me as well.

I began by encouraging my children to spend time in the Word with God every day (on their own). I told them I wouldn't make them do that because God never makes us do the right thing. He tells us or shows us what the right things are and leaves the choosing up to us.

I told them about how so many times we, as Christians, will go to God day after day asking Him to meet our needs, giving Him our list of people and things to bless or problems to fix, but how often do we ask Him what's on His heart? How often do we go to God and say, "What can I do for You today?"

Because Christianity is a relationship, not a religion, we need to treat it as such. I used the example of their dad...How if they were grown up and lived somewhere else, what would their relationship with him be like if all they did was send a list of things for him to accomplish for them? I can tell you it would be pretty lame. But, because they love their dad, because they value their relationship with him, hopefully they will want to talk to him, to tell him about what's on their hearts and to know what's on his. The same is true of our relationship with our Heavenly Dad.

The beautiful thing about this impromptu "devotion" was that it was exactly what I needed to hear yesterday! I didn't plan it, but God saw an opportunity as I opened my mouth and He filled it up with what was on His heart...that being a closer relationship with each one of us!

What an awesome God we serve! And how gracious He is to look beyond our agenda and give us what we need the most!

But as for us, we will bless the LORD
From this time forth and forever.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 115:18 (NASB)

Our Civil War Study

Yesterday was a busy day! We did a lot of reading and attempted to get back on track. It was difficult, as I suspected, but went well, considering.

We're still in the thick of our Civil War study. The things we're learning are fascinating! I knew this would be a great topic. The kids started on their Civil War notebooks (i.e. research reports). They have until December 12th to complete them. To round out my own study of the period I am reading Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.

One of the things we discussed was "the power of the pen" in relation to shaping or turning public opinion--as in the case of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Because of this book more people (especially in the north) were informed about the treatment of slaves and it increased their sympathy for them--as well as their hatred of slavery. For both our children it was an example of what one person can accomplish. For our daughter, the impact was heightened because the author of this particular book was a woman--long before women were recognized as having great minds!

In an effort to teach our son to think for himself, and not be swayed by the "power of the pen", we have given him the task of analyzing current events from a national newspaper. Our encouragement to him is to not merely believe everything he reads, but to be on the lookout for bias and to search for the facts. This has turned out to be quite a challenge for him--and for my husband and me as we attempt to guide him in this process.

Also, to supplement our study, we watched Gone With The Wind, one of our all-time favorite movies! As we have studied the Civil War, Zach and Jenna have overwhelmingly favored the Union over the Confederacy. Our hope was that in seeing the war from the perspective of the south in this movie they would gain a little clearer view from the Confederate standpoint--even though much of the movie is far from factual.

As our web site declares: teaching at home is a learning experience.... We are all learning as we tackle these topics. But I can't think about that today.... I'll think about that tomorrow... ;-)

Back to the Grindstone!

The road trip is over. The getting-assimilated-to-home-again is over. Now it's time to put our noses to the grindstone. We have some loose ends to tie up where the trip is concerned, then it's back to business as usual. (We actually have some catching up to do with our reading... I just couldn't take all the books that were listed on the curriculum.)

My primary job for the day is to keep the main thing the main thing. For starters, that means I need to remember that...

"This is the day the LORD has made; [I will] rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 (NIV) :-)

Super-Duper Travel Discovery

One of the better discoveries we made on our recent month-long school-on-the-road trip was that of audio books. On one of our many Cracker Barrel stops we discovered they carry a wide selection of audio books. What made this discovery even better was learning that once you purchase the audio book, you may return it to any Cracker Barrel store and receive a refund of the balance of the book less $3 per week.

On Sunday (in Virginia) we purchased "The Wide Window", the third book in the Unfortuante Series of Events stories by Lemony Snicket. We took two driving days to listen to the three cassettes and returned it back home at our own local Cracker Barrel, receiving the promised refund.

The other nice thing that makes this such a great find is that Cracker Barrel stores can be found in most of the 48 contiguous states. On our trip we found one in nearly every substantial city along the interstate.

Audio books make the time on the road pass so much more quickly and pleasantly, plus they provide plenty of material for discussion afterward. We had a great time with The Wide Window and look forward to making this a family tradition on future road trips.

There's No Place Like Home!

Yes, it is true... We are home again!--and so happy to be here!

I have much to write about to put some closure on the trip, but it is late and I am tired from another day of traveling today, so it will have to wait until tomorrow.

I have already been formulating some assignments for our children, however, to help them process our month-long trip:

First, we will trace our journey on a U.S. map with a highlighter. (This will be especially good for our 3rd grader who is still learning the states and where they are.) I will also print thumbnail photos of each location and have Jenna put them on the map where they belong.

Second, they will be instructed to put a closing entry in their road trip journal, writing about those experiences that impacted them the most.

And finally, we will work on a family scrapbook together, complete with their comments and artwork. (That one may take some time!)

My husband has suggested I write a short book about our road trip experience. I will have to give that some thought...!

Our last morning just before leaving for home

Posted by The Teacher at 11:33 PM | Your Comments (2)

Road Trip - Day 31: Going Home!

The past couple of days have been spent driving...west...toward home! Yesterday morning we left Durham, NC, heading south and west to Knoxville, TN where we spent last night. (The Appalachian Mountains were beautiful!) This morning we left Knoxville, crossing Tennessee and half of Arkansas. Tomorrow we will be home, Lord willing!

We decided to cut our trip a little short. We have all grown incredibly weary of the road and have been longing for home.

We had initially planned to stop in both Nashville and Memphis as there is so much to see in those cities. But the only stops we made were necessary ones.

Tonight, we drove west of Little Rock, and found restaurants and a hotel in Conway, Arkansas. Tomorrow we will complete our journey as we travel back toward central Oklahoma.

Last night was one of our worst nights on the road. We stopped at yet another Red Roof Inn where we asked for a non-smoking room as usual. (I'm very sensitive to the smell of cigarette smoke, and it usually gives me a really bad headache.) Anyway, late in the evening we began to smell smoke in our room. Joel called the front desk and was told our room was right next door to a smoking room. I took some sudafed and melatonin hoping that would help me to sleep. But at around 2:20 a.m. I finally gave in. I wasn't sleeping and wasn't going to. I took the blanket off our bed and went to the van to sleep. But I couldn't sleep out there either. I came back in a while later and Joel went to the front desk to get another room away from the smoke. We didn't want to wake the kids, so I went up there by myself.

Thankfully, the staff at the Red Roof understood and not only did they not charge us for the second room, they gave us a discount on the first room. Both Joel and I were really tired today due to the lack of sleep, but at least the financial end of it turned out okay.

It was a long day of driving, but we passed the time by listening to another of the Myst audio books, and the kids played Nintendo and watched SpongeBob on the DvD player.

It's been a great trip. We've seen some incredible things--inspiring things, beautiful things, things that increased our patriotism, and things that will continue to impact our lives for years to come. It may take a while for us to process all the things we saw, but as Joel told the kids tonight, this trip will be one of those things that will be a topic of conversation even as their lives continue to unfold.

As for school, the kids did their usual schoolwork yesterday morning, and they did today's schoolwork last night to so we could get on the road quicker. I told them in celebration of our last day of traveling we would take a day off of school tomorrow. (That got a jubilant rise out of them!)

I feel incredibly thankful for the opportunity we've had on this trip. Not only for the impact upon our lives through the things we saw and experienced, but for the time we had together. Before the trip we were a bit concerned about being together 24/7 for a month, but I can honestly say we had very few truly tense moments, and much less irritability than I expected! (Just goes to show you the power of prayer! We've had a lot of people praying for us.)

So, that's the update for now. Lord willing I will be writing my next blog entry from home tomorrow night! :-)

Road Trip - Day 29: Kings Dominion

We all woke up early this morning, after a fitful night of sleeplessness. Jenna was cold, I'm not sure what Zach's problem was, Joel complained that the dog kept him awake, and I was "the princess and the pea" incarnate. The mattress pad on our bed kept getting bunched up because the sheets wouldn't stay tucked. Every little lump woke me up. (Add to that Joel's snoring and breathing in my face, and well, you've got a night of tossing and turning and very little sleep!) Needless to say, we were all tired today.

The kids and I went to breakfast while Joel packed us up and loaded the van. He opted to skip breakfast 'cause pancakes make him sleepy, and we were on our way to the theme park.

Kings Dominion was just a few miles down the road. We put Socrates in the kennel. (He was not a happy puppy watching his "pack" walk away while he was incarcerated in a strange cage....) Poor baby. :-(

We made it into the park just after 10 o'clock, I think. It was the last day of the season today, so we expected there to be quite a crowd, but it actually wasn't bad.

The first thing we did was the SpongeBob 3-D show. I sat in the stationary seating because the simulator rides wreak havoc with my neck. Joel and the kids sat in the simulator seats for what turned out to be a pretty wild ride. It was really loud and there was lots of screaming going on. As we left the theater, Zach let us know how much he did not enjoy it. Jenna loved it, however. (...Opposite ends of the spectrum...) To each his own.

After that, mostly because I think he was so tired from not sleeping last night, Zach opted out of the rides. With my neck problems I knew I wouldn't be riding rides, so Joel and Jenna were the coaster kids today. For the first time Jenna got to go on some really big coasters, even some that did loopty-loops and corksrews! (She is so brave!) She screamed, of course, --I could hear her from where we were waiting!--but she wanted more! So for the next four hours or so, Joel and Jenna rode rides while Zach and I waited.

It probably would have been more enjoyable, too, had it not been so hot today! It was in the 80's with no breeze, so it got pretty warm.

Anyway, we left around 2 o'clock, stopping down the road at Cracker Barrel for a late lunch. It was 3:30 or so by the time we got our food, so we called it dinner. (The kids had a snack before bed.)

Because we are pretty much spent, we decided that perhaps we should shave a couple days off our trip and try to make it home a little sooner. Zach is really getting homesick and we are all weary of motel rooms and museums and historic sights, etc.... Bottom line: I think we're just ready to be home.

So tonight, we are sleeping in Durham, North Carolina at another Red Roof motel, and tomorrow we will begin our jaunt across Tennessee. Lord willing we will be home before the weekend! :-)

Road Trip - Day 28: Carmel Church, VA

Carmel what? Yup. It's Carmel Church (near Doswell). (Joel calls it "church on a stick." Isn't he cute?)

We left Arlington, VA this afternoon. Joel was headed for the Interstate when I reminded him we hadn't been to Arlington Cemetery yet. On the way to the cemetery we stumbled upon the Iwo Jima Monument. We had to stop there!

While we were there, an older gentleman walked up to us holding some pamphlets, maps etc. As it turned out, he was a volunteer at the park and he was actually at Iwo Jima when the flag was raised on the highest peak of the island! He served 12 years with the Marines and was part of the ground troops that invaded and captured the island. We talked to him for a while. He told us lots of interesting things about that time and about the raising of the flag there. It was really awesome hearing his stories. (I don't know that I've ever met a veteran of WWII before, and I was so proud I wanted to hug him!)

Arlington National Cemetery was just south of the monument, so he gave us a map and showed us where to find JFK's grave. We didn't realize how far it was going to be or I don't think we would've made the trek. The temperature this afternoon was a hot 80 degrees, and we walked probably close to a mile just to get to JFK's memorial--most of it uphill. I didn't know if poor Socrates was going to make it or not. His tongue was hanging out so far I thought he might trip on it! (Well, not really, but it was really hanging out there!)

The kids and I were complaining too. Joel was the only one who packed shorts for this trip, so he fared better than the rest of us!

Anyway, we finally reached JFK's memorial, took a photo or two, and started the long walk back to the car.

After we rehydrated ourselves and Socrates, we jumped on the Interstate and headed south toward Richmond. We stopped a little while later when we saw a sign for On The Border--Joel's favorite restaurant! We stuffed ourselves like we'd been stranded on a desert island! It was just so good to have a taste of home!

We had a hankerin' for ice cream after the spicey Mexican food, and there just happened to be a frozen custard place around the corner. We enjoyed our ice cream, then Joel walked to one end of the strip mall to a software place, and I went next door to PetSmart to pick up a new toy and some treats for Socrates. (Yes, he's incredibly spoiled! I felt he deserved a little something extra after the long hot walk earlier this afternoon...)

By this time it was 4 o'clock and we still had 50 miles or so to go before arriving at our next destination. We are planning to go to Kings Dominion (theme park) tomorrow, which is just a few miles down the road from Carmel Church.

Joel asked me this morning if I would be willing to give blood tomorrow in order to get in Kings Dominion free.... The Red Cross is doing a blood drive for the last day of the park's season tomorrow, so they're offering free tickets to those willing to donate a pint of blood. (I told Joel I would get some good mileage out of that on the blog....!) Of course he said he wouldn't make me give blood, but he asserted that it would save us $35 each.... (You do the math!)

We got settled in our 5th or 6th Red Roof Inn, Jenna read aloud to me, then a little while later we played the Scrambled States game again. The kids are really learning a lot about where the states are on the map, their capitals, and nicknames. (What a great way to learn geography!)

We'll only be here one night before moving on. Currently we're not sure if we will stick with the schedule and go to Lynchburg, or if we will try to shave some travel time off our return. We are really road-weary, hotel weary, etc. and ready to be home! Even Zach said today he is ready to go home.... This has been a great trip, but we are ready for a rest!

The funniest moment of the day was watching Socrates "Who's the boss?!" the kids. What a hoot!!!

The second funniest moment was when an older man at the park asked if we had dyed Socrates' head! What?