It seems that six weeks have gone by quickly. We have made good progress in many areas especially reading. The kids really enjoy Texas geography. The only thing that we have been slackers in is quilting. (I think that is because it is such a steep learning curve for me.) This past week we have been reviewing our elements (arsenic, iron, calcium, chromium, and potassium), our big fat lies (earth is millions of years old, church is a place, you need to be like everyone else, people get to decide what is true, and religion needs to stay private), our traits of the wise (discipline, industrious, prudent, humble, and justice) and the Panhandle Plains region of Texas. They are supposed to tell Dad this weekend what they remember as a sort of "final".
Now we will have two weeks off. As a reward to ourselves we are planning to go swimming in one of the area lakes and going to Arlington Gem and Mineral Show. We are also hopeful that at least few of the chicks will hatch. The two weeks gives me time to plan the next 6 weeks and to edit our video yearbook for last year.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The World's Biggest Mushroom
OK. . . Maybe that is an exaggeration. It is certainly the biggest one that I have ever seen. My kids and I took the liberty of pulling it out of a neighbors yard. It turned out to be two that had grown together. It was very hard to pull up because there was grass growing through it. Anyway, the picture is on a dinner plate for scale.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
College
Though my kids are quite a few years from college, I still find discussions on the topic interesting. Randy Alcorn has a post today about choosing a college that is worth the read. Here is the part that I want to emphasize.
When our daughters were considering a college, we told them, "Judge everything you hear by the Word of God, like the Bereans in Acts 17:11." There will be disagreements with faculty and students, of course, but that's healthy as long as people are appealing to a common authority, God's Word. But when they aren't, that's where the trouble begins. I would far rather send my kids—or go myself—to a school that has certain doctrines I don't embrace but that believes God's Word, than to one I cannot trust.
There is a Christian college (which will remain nameless) that some years ago was a great place to be challenged in the Word and meet God-fearing people who took the Bible seriously. I recently had a conversation with one of their alums. She said that the focus has all got to "academics" (what the world calls smart like evolution) and sports and things to make the college as "normal" as popular so that more students would be attracted.
It kind of reminded me of many congregations' mentalities of we need to be attractive to the masses by dumbing down the Bible and standing for virtually nothing. It seems to me that this method creates a bunch of weak Christians or short-lived Christians.
So I completely agree with Mr. Alcorn. If a school is professing Christianity, they darn well better be willing to stand on the Bible to make their arguments not just in science, but in economics, business, etc.
When our daughters were considering a college, we told them, "Judge everything you hear by the Word of God, like the Bereans in Acts 17:11." There will be disagreements with faculty and students, of course, but that's healthy as long as people are appealing to a common authority, God's Word. But when they aren't, that's where the trouble begins. I would far rather send my kids—or go myself—to a school that has certain doctrines I don't embrace but that believes God's Word, than to one I cannot trust.
There is a Christian college (which will remain nameless) that some years ago was a great place to be challenged in the Word and meet God-fearing people who took the Bible seriously. I recently had a conversation with one of their alums. She said that the focus has all got to "academics" (what the world calls smart like evolution) and sports and things to make the college as "normal" as popular so that more students would be attracted.
It kind of reminded me of many congregations' mentalities of we need to be attractive to the masses by dumbing down the Bible and standing for virtually nothing. It seems to me that this method creates a bunch of weak Christians or short-lived Christians.
So I completely agree with Mr. Alcorn. If a school is professing Christianity, they darn well better be willing to stand on the Bible to make their arguments not just in science, but in economics, business, etc.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The Neighbor
In a comment on a previous post, a reader pointed me to this article that compares the local government school to a "neighbor". It makes some really good points. I encourage you to read the whole thing. Here is a quote to wet your whistle.
Now, time you used to spend together in the evening is spent alone. Your children's free time is taken up working on projects your neighbor has asked them to do. Even your weekends are interrupted by games and parties your neighbor has planned for them without consulting you. To make matters worse, your neighbor has begun to ask you to chip in for the expenses he has had as a result of your children's visits.
This is one of the things I enjoy about homeschooling. When school is done, its done. And we can work school around our activities, parties, etc. instead of working those things around school/homework.
Now, time you used to spend together in the evening is spent alone. Your children's free time is taken up working on projects your neighbor has asked them to do. Even your weekends are interrupted by games and parties your neighbor has planned for them without consulting you. To make matters worse, your neighbor has begun to ask you to chip in for the expenses he has had as a result of your children's visits.
This is one of the things I enjoy about homeschooling. When school is done, its done. And we can work school around our activities, parties, etc. instead of working those things around school/homework.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
5 Words
One Mom has given me 5 words to write about.
Church- I spend more time then the average "lay-person" thinking and reading about church. One book that I read recently about it is So You Don't Want to Go to Church Any More by Wayne Jacobsen. This book gave me a lot to think about. One of the main themes is: Do we put more emphasis on going to church than being the body of Christ? Another aspect of the book is community. Several years ago, I did a study (by that I mean read and thought about the entire New Testament and much of the Old) to further understand why the early Christians got together. That study lead me to believe that the main reason was fellowship (forming friendships around the cause of Christ). Community is something almost non-existent in many congregations. Worship (demonstrating your love and devotion to a deity) is something that our daily lives are to be about much more than singing in a large assembly.
Texas- Secretly, I have never liked Texas too much. If I had my way, I would live in Oregon. That being said. . . There are some advantages to living here. Such as family (see word 5) and freedom (as in little homeschool regulations and concealed carry) and we are at a church where I am able to serve in many ways. The Dallas/For Worth area is good for homeschooling as it has great libraries, many museums, zoos and wildlife parks. There are homeschool groups and enrichment classes galore. Texas is a very vast and diverse state. My kids and I are taking a whole year on Texas geography. There are not too many states that have prairies, deserts, forests, mountains, and coastal areas.
Education- My main principle regarding education is this: Education is the domain of parents not the government. I think that if the government is going to have schools they should be public like the library is public. And parents should be "allowed" to participate as much as they want including sitting in on classes. I believe that education is never world view neutral. Parents should be able to recognize the lies that surround our kids and counteract them with the truth.
Landscape- I assume OneMom gave me this one because I used to be a landscape architect (in training, that means degree but not licensed). Basically landscape architects do the construction drawings (blueprints) for everything outside of the building. This can include sidewalks, plants, drainage, irrigation, fences, berms, etc. The father of landscape architecture is Frederick Law Olmsted who is the designer of Central Park in New York.
Family- My extended family can be described as concentrated. From my grandparents down they are concentrated geographically living withing a 200 mile (approx.) radius of Abilene, TX with many of them living there. The are concentrated vocationally. Every female from my grandmother down (except me) is or was a public school teacher. They all also went to the same college (except me, one uncle, and my mom's husband,and my husband). My in-laws on the other hand are far-flung. They live in TN, FL, GA, TX and maybe another state that I am not remembering. They are professors, computer people, counselors, farmers, nurses, etc. Those who went to college went all over the nation. The grandmother (who passed away recently) was very smart but lived in a time and place where girls only needed an eighth grade education. Her grandson, on the other hand, has several degrees. My nuclear family is great (though maybe a little heavy on the animal side). We have fun going on adventures together and learning new things. We are especially glad to be on a journey with God together.
Church- I spend more time then the average "lay-person" thinking and reading about church. One book that I read recently about it is So You Don't Want to Go to Church Any More by Wayne Jacobsen. This book gave me a lot to think about. One of the main themes is: Do we put more emphasis on going to church than being the body of Christ? Another aspect of the book is community. Several years ago, I did a study (by that I mean read and thought about the entire New Testament and much of the Old) to further understand why the early Christians got together. That study lead me to believe that the main reason was fellowship (forming friendships around the cause of Christ). Community is something almost non-existent in many congregations. Worship (demonstrating your love and devotion to a deity) is something that our daily lives are to be about much more than singing in a large assembly.
Texas- Secretly, I have never liked Texas too much. If I had my way, I would live in Oregon. That being said. . . There are some advantages to living here. Such as family (see word 5) and freedom (as in little homeschool regulations and concealed carry) and we are at a church where I am able to serve in many ways. The Dallas/For Worth area is good for homeschooling as it has great libraries, many museums, zoos and wildlife parks. There are homeschool groups and enrichment classes galore. Texas is a very vast and diverse state. My kids and I are taking a whole year on Texas geography. There are not too many states that have prairies, deserts, forests, mountains, and coastal areas.
Education- My main principle regarding education is this: Education is the domain of parents not the government. I think that if the government is going to have schools they should be public like the library is public. And parents should be "allowed" to participate as much as they want including sitting in on classes. I believe that education is never world view neutral. Parents should be able to recognize the lies that surround our kids and counteract them with the truth.
Landscape- I assume OneMom gave me this one because I used to be a landscape architect (in training, that means degree but not licensed). Basically landscape architects do the construction drawings (blueprints) for everything outside of the building. This can include sidewalks, plants, drainage, irrigation, fences, berms, etc. The father of landscape architecture is Frederick Law Olmsted who is the designer of Central Park in New York.
Family- My extended family can be described as concentrated. From my grandparents down they are concentrated geographically living withing a 200 mile (approx.) radius of Abilene, TX with many of them living there. The are concentrated vocationally. Every female from my grandmother down (except me) is or was a public school teacher. They all also went to the same college (except me, one uncle, and my mom's husband,and my husband). My in-laws on the other hand are far-flung. They live in TN, FL, GA, TX and maybe another state that I am not remembering. They are professors, computer people, counselors, farmers, nurses, etc. Those who went to college went all over the nation. The grandmother (who passed away recently) was very smart but lived in a time and place where girls only needed an eighth grade education. Her grandson, on the other hand, has several degrees. My nuclear family is great (though maybe a little heavy on the animal side). We have fun going on adventures together and learning new things. We are especially glad to be on a journey with God together.
Critter Corner v. 6 The Circus
Last night (thanks in part to the Fort Worth Library Summer Reading Program), our family went to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The first thing that we saw were some animal rights protesters.
We had gotten there early so we got to view the animals up close in the animal menagerie. They all looked sleek and well cared for. They had signs around the room that told when the various elephants Ringling owns had been born and what their names are. My husband and I thought it was funny that the baby boy elephant born in January '09 was named Barack. (Don't they know the elephant is for Republicans?)
Then we went to the pre-show show where you could go down to the floor and see everything up close. This is one of the best parts of the circus.
Then the real show began. It was a good one. My favorite parts were:
1. 7 motorcyclists riding around inside a steel ball
2. contortionists
3. the elephant that could do a head/trunk stand
My kids favorite part was: saving up their money to buy a souvenir. (Last year I told them all that stuff was ridiculously expensive and they would have to save their money next year if they wanted to buy something.) My daughter bought a big pink and black hat with cotton candy for $12 and my son bought a plastic sword with a sheath for $17. After the souvenir, they both liked the animal parts.
We had gotten there early so we got to view the animals up close in the animal menagerie. They all looked sleek and well cared for. They had signs around the room that told when the various elephants Ringling owns had been born and what their names are. My husband and I thought it was funny that the baby boy elephant born in January '09 was named Barack. (Don't they know the elephant is for Republicans?)
Then we went to the pre-show show where you could go down to the floor and see everything up close. This is one of the best parts of the circus.
Then the real show began. It was a good one. My favorite parts were:
1. 7 motorcyclists riding around inside a steel ball
2. contortionists
3. the elephant that could do a head/trunk stand
My kids favorite part was: saving up their money to buy a souvenir. (Last year I told them all that stuff was ridiculously expensive and they would have to save their money next year if they wanted to buy something.) My daughter bought a big pink and black hat with cotton candy for $12 and my son bought a plastic sword with a sheath for $17. After the souvenir, they both liked the animal parts.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Home Visitations
I am still very concerned about section 440 of the Health Care Reform Act before congress. All of this section is supposed to be voluntary, but it concerns me that the goal is to have all families that are expecting children or that have young children in these programs. From page 838. . .
the gaps in home visitation in the
17 State, including identification of communities
18 that are in high need of the services;
This is talking about States that want to get grant money from the federal government. Call me extreme, but of course there should be gaps. Should the government be trying to coach any new or expectant parents, let alone all of them? Communities. . . hmm. . . that could be poor communities or black communities or homeschool communities. Either way, do we really want certain "communities" being highly encouraged (I would probably feel pressured) to have these home visits? "High need of services". . . I assume that this means that this means something benign like past history of abuse or something, but could it eventually become (or already be intended) any group that doesn't parent as the state sees fit? Like "fundamentalist Christians" who condone swats or families that have "overly strict" dress standards for their kids.
in supporting home visitation pro11
grams using funds provided under this section,
12 the State will promote coordination and collabo13
ration with other home visitation programs (in14
cluding programs funded under title XIX) and
15 with other child and family services, health
16 services, income supports, and other related as17
sistance;
18
This section is talking about what is required of the State once it receives the funds. Again, call me an extremist if you must, but here I see the State including home visit recommendations as part of your regular doctor visits ("health services"). That would mean that if everyone is in the health services system, every new parent "should" be visited by the state. That just makes my skin crawl.
in supporting home visitation pro11
grams using funds provided under this section,
12 the State will promote coordination and collabo13
ration with other home visitation programs (in14
cluding programs funded under title XIX) and
15 with other child and family services, health
16 services, income supports, and other related as17
sistance;
18
And as if the government won't have enough fingers in your life, they want to use these visitations as ways to refer you to yet further government services and programs.
God has given parents the responsibility to raise children, not the State. If parents need help, it is the place of family and church and community to help them, not the State.
The government has it's place and this is not it.
the gaps in home visitation in the
17 State, including identification of communities
18 that are in high need of the services;
This is talking about States that want to get grant money from the federal government. Call me extreme, but of course there should be gaps. Should the government be trying to coach any new or expectant parents, let alone all of them? Communities. . . hmm. . . that could be poor communities or black communities or homeschool communities. Either way, do we really want certain "communities" being highly encouraged (I would probably feel pressured) to have these home visits? "High need of services". . . I assume that this means that this means something benign like past history of abuse or something, but could it eventually become (or already be intended) any group that doesn't parent as the state sees fit? Like "fundamentalist Christians" who condone swats or families that have "overly strict" dress standards for their kids.
in supporting home visitation pro11
grams using funds provided under this section,
12 the State will promote coordination and collabo13
ration with other home visitation programs (in14
cluding programs funded under title XIX) and
15 with other child and family services, health
16 services, income supports, and other related as17
sistance;
18
This section is talking about what is required of the State once it receives the funds. Again, call me an extremist if you must, but here I see the State including home visit recommendations as part of your regular doctor visits ("health services"). That would mean that if everyone is in the health services system, every new parent "should" be visited by the state. That just makes my skin crawl.
in supporting home visitation pro11
grams using funds provided under this section,
12 the State will promote coordination and collabo13
ration with other home visitation programs (in14
cluding programs funded under title XIX) and
15 with other child and family services, health
16 services, income supports, and other related as17
sistance;
18
And as if the government won't have enough fingers in your life, they want to use these visitations as ways to refer you to yet further government services and programs.
God has given parents the responsibility to raise children, not the State. If parents need help, it is the place of family and church and community to help them, not the State.
The government has it's place and this is not it.
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