Category: Home School

Posted in Believe it or not!, Home School, Who's the mom here?

Are You Cheerful? Hmm.

Posted on by Katharine
Cheerful Givers at the Walk For Justice 2006
Cheerful Walk (Photo credit: Mykl Roventine)

I woke up determined to be cheerful.

It’s a great goal, and I’m still workin’ on it.

However, I checked on the news. One whiff was enough to derail.

Our Supreme Court wants to nix home schooling.

Yep. It’s too obvious.

Of course we always knew they hated us and we always knew why, but for some reason, they are feeling super-empowered lately.  Heh, heh. Probably because so many, even on the inside, are taking pot-shots at the U.S., that it appears ripe for a take-over and they think they will end up on top.

And I’m still working on the cheerfulness. Sighs.

It all began when a Christian family in Germany wanted asylum here after being harangued, harassed, punished, etc., for home schooling their children in Germany.

Oh, yeh, they were sort of breaking the law. So was Anne Frank. So was Schindler. So was Corrie ten Boom. So were Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, et al. Anyway, the German family got all the way over here, seeking and receiving asylum, when someone APPEALED it.

Can you imagine? Any druggy who crosses over can live here illegally all he wants, but these people trying to do things right are getting an awful run around. Our government SO does not want them here, that they have bent and rearranged our laws — and it could be, and has been, argued: our Constitution — to the point they have struck a blow at home schooling, itself, just to keep them out.

And it doesn’t end there. Either they are maliciously attacking “we the people” or else they are too unknowledgeable to realize: their wording also attacks private schools. We’re all in this handbasket together, friends, and where do you think we are going?

I am grieved. Okay. I’m not cheerful.

I read a cute saying on Facebook not long ago about women being crazy because men are stupid. Not nice things to say, true. But when the Supreme Court takes on about a million home schooling moms . . . ? Not to mention private schooling families? And the entire issue of education is supposed to belong to the States? Huh.

I’d laugh, but . . . I think I’m about to be expelled.

Posted in Health, Home School, Inspiring, Who's the mom here?, Wisdom

Intrinsic.

Posted on by Katharine
Intrinsic
Intrinsic

At times far more effective than words, an adult’s body language helps a child develop intelligence.

Instead of saying “good job,” the mother reaches for her tiny fingers, slightly presses her forehead to the little girl’s and gives her a pretend smooch.

The action is simple, but it communicates her tenderness and support effectively.

Read more here!

And KNOW: You CAN get beyond just wishin’!

Posted in Home School, Inspiring, Wisdom

A Home-School Poem

Posted on by Katharine
Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope (Photo credit: rubyblossom.)

Hey, everyone!

I’ve been out, in case you dd not notice. Technical difficulties, partly. But also partly supervising the removal of the last of the kid stuff from my house.

Oh, I have a Grandmother toy box, educational games, and color books still lying around, but the closets reserved for my own children’s collections are empty.

And in the process I have found so many odd things:

  • The mosquito netting for our cradle
  • The other set of guest bed sheets
  • The shower curtain the sellers left in our previous house
  • A kaleidoscope
  • Our gallon of exterior yellow paint
  • A small vial filled with unpolished hematite pebbles
  • A long-lost issue of the magazine I once wrote for
  • My old art portfolio, AND
  • A home-school graduation program with the following poem:

It is a holy thing to teach a child,
A holy thing to take the wild
And tame it for the LORD.

It is a holy thing to love your own,
A holy thing to stand alone
And be the three-ply cord.

It is a holy thing to stay behind,
A holy thing to never-mind
Things you cannot afford.

It is a holy thing to work for good,
A holy thing to take for food
His righteous, written Word.

It is a holy thing to read and run,
A holy thing to rest when done
And take the good reward.

It is a holy thing to put to flight
Ten thousand with a little might,
And then lay down your sword.

Can I get a witness?

Posted in Guest Post, Home School, Inspiring, Wisdom

Guest Post: The 20,000th Visitor!

Posted on by Katharine

Cristina from The Homeschool Mom Blog  left a “like” here, yesterday, and started the bells ringing and whistles blowing, as she was our 20,000th visitor.

I am sure she felt surprised, as I was not certain if, or how, I should commemorate this fact, or even if I might not wait all day for one more visitor and have her arrive tomorrow. So I hadn’t announced or warned anyone about it.

However, as the morning progressed I felt more sure, and DID manage to catch that tiny click that started it all.

Since Cristina is a home-educating mom, I asked her if there were anything she might like to write for us, here. Her answer?

“What don’t I like to write about!”

Without further introduction, here is her fine essay:

The Pathway Home

When we first delved into the fascinating world of marriage, I soaked up every book I could get my hands on. I read about how relationships ought to work, how I could do this better and that better, and what was best for our children.

It didn’t take me long to realize I was getting overwhelmed. Whose advice should I take? Did I need to use this method of education or that? What type of routine did I need to be on?

The Lord very clearly spoke to me with this important thought, “You only need to follow Me.” I didn’t need to worry about what other people were doing. I only needed to focus on the path He was setting before us and then follow it.

Narrow path to the right way

For us, our path led home.

In our home, we homeschool. Keeping our children at home isn’t about being scared of public school, it is about the building of our relationships and keeping our family centered.

In our home we cook. It isn’t just about eating healthier, it is about creating memories and bonds that will remind our children of where they came from.

In our home we work. My husband is self-employed and is here as often as possible. It is frequently challenging, but the rewards of being together are worth it. Our children will always remember their pop being around.

In our home we disciple. The morals of our children should first and foremost come from us. We are responsible for teaching our children about God, not someone else. The training of our children needs to start with us.

The center of all we do revolves around our home and the center of our home revolves around our saving faith in God.

Our home may not look like anyone else’s, but it shouldn’t. Our home may not be someone else’s ideal, but it is God’s ideal for us.

Our home may not be perfect, but it’s ours and after all . . . Home’s Cool!

_____________________________

Thanks, Cristina, for these encouraging words! I know they will find ready hearts among readers.

Everyone go visit her site and thank her for this great post! 🙂

Posted in Health, Home School, Inspiring, Wisdom

Did You Learn to Swim in a Sewer?

Posted on by Katharine
English: Mind that Fence. As the sign says at ...
Mind that Fence. As the sign says at Maltby sewage works, ‘Health and Safety is no accident’, perhaps the loose temporary fence panel could learn a lesson from this.

They say life out there is sink or swim.

They say we learn to socialize by socializing. You know — make enough social errors and you’ll learn, eventually.

What if our children are, instead, just learning to like the smell of sewage?

Or that it is good?

I never could get used to it.

People kept splashing sewage all over me.

Told me I was too sensitive.

Sighs.

I kinda wish more were. How about you?

Anyway, I found a Stream of Water that is Alive and cordoned off the section of sewer where it was entering, for my children to learn to swim.

Also gave them swimming lessons, instead of just throwing them in and hoping.

Made more sense to me.

How about you?

____________________

photo credit: Wikipedia