Every Mother Must Know This: You Must Be What you Want Your Children to Be
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Kelly reminds us here.
And this being…it is constant, with no reprieve. Which is, in fact, the heart of the matter…that you are always transferring who you are to your children and so it matters who you are–who you are becoming, far more than it matters what you mean to teach them.
Certain is it that there is no kind of affection so purely angelic as of a father to a daughter. In love to our wives there is desire; to our sons, ambition; but to our daughters there is something which there are no words to express. ~Joseph Addison
So we are at the end of week one. We spent this week really trying to find our groove. I'm enjoying the Charlotte Mason method, and wholeheartedly agree with her philosophies. I think we've finally found our niche!!!
The readings have been challenging, fun, and inspiring. Our complete curriculum is on the left side-bar. Like I said, we are still trying to find our rhythm for the year. But this is going to be a much better year than last year.
School year 2010-2011 was not our best year. The unexpectedly tedious and painstaking process of trying to teach my twins the 3R's (to nearly no avail) left me depleted physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. I spent most of the year in frustration and feeling overwhelmingly defeated; which is why I haven't done a year in review, I just didn't want to relive it. Kyle did ok, we didn't finish as many books as we usually do. I have an unfavorable opinion about his handwriting; and his math speed increased less than minimally. I think the hardest thing about being "the teacher" is that I feel like everything is "my fault". I make no allowances for natural weaknesses, boredom, distractions, dislikes, a bad day, a bad week, a bad year. I nearly smothered in my own guilt and insecurity last year. I was wrong on so many fronts. I was prideful, unfaithful,impatient, neurotic (is that a sin)? But...joy does come in the morning!!!Now, I am in a better place. I really have made peace with where they are, and where they are not. I love them and enjoy them, and will perservere with them. I am learning that I need the fruits of the spirit more than ever. What a wonderful classroom when mother has a plentiful abundance of love, joy, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, goodness, GENTLENESS, FAITHFULLNESS, and self-control. The fruits in bold are the one's I am particularly praying for daily. How wonderful that God uses my chidren, and homeschooling to help me draw closer to Him. I think few things are more humbling than teaching your own children.
Just like this.
Thoughts for Young Men is a phenomenal little book. I wish it were titled thoughts for young people instead, because the problems and solutions he suggests are easily applicable to both genders.
Proverbs 1:8...and do not forsake your mother's teaching
The implication is clear, mother's are teaching their children, presumably, to fear and love the Lord; obey his commands and walk joyfully in truth and light.
So here is what I'm teaching my boys right now.( Thoughts for Young Men) I pray that they won't despise it.
Please take a little time and read this short book this week, whether you have boys or not. I have printed the book and put it in page protectors to be enjoyed for many years to come.
I'll probably put their list on spelling city this week, for some more fun.
Some Great Media:
Liberty Kids I might actually invest in this series. It is very good, and repetition is the mother of skill.
America the Story of Us We have this on Netflix. Seems very good so far.
Mom Dad and Me Aprendemos Espanol This one is a family favorite. We have this at our library and have checked it out frequently over the last two years.
Great Composers Mozart We haven't actually watched this one yet, but got it from the library. We color a picture of Mozart today and listen to some of his music.
Kason and Kendal started their Doman reading program today. Of course Kason cried for more, like any good two year old should do!!! And I didn't give him more, which was so hard to resist. But building anticipation is key. We got in all five sessions a total investment of 25 seconds!!! Kyle said, how are they going to read like that. I said, well they're smarter than we are. We'll see I guess...
Today we got organized which was fun. The kids picked out notebooks and lables for their notebooks and stickers to decorate their notebooks. Everyone has a narration and nature notebook. The twins have a spelling notebook and Kyle has a vocabulary notebook.
In other news: I forgot to report some summer milestones
Kason is potty trained!!!! Whohooooo
The twins learned to tie their shoes!!!! Yeahhhhh
Sacred Influence Maybe the best marriage book I've ever read!! It is way at the top of my list with Created to Be His Helpmeet.
Author: Rachael Jankovic
Everywhere you go, people want to talk about your children. Why you shouldn’t have had them, how you could have prevented them, and why they would never do what you have done. They want to make sure you know that you won’t be smiling anymore when they are teenagers. All this at the grocery store, in line, while your children listen.
The truth is that years ago, before this generation of mothers was even born, our society decided where children rank in the list of important things... Children rank way below college. Below world travel for sure. Below the ability to go out at night at your leisure. Below honing your body at the gym. Below any job you may have or hope to get. In fact, children rate below your desire to sit around and pick your toes, if that is what you want to do. Below everything. Children are the last thing you should ever spend your time doing.
If you grew up in this culture, it is very hard to get a biblical perspective on motherhood...
Do we believe that we want children because there is some biological urge, or the phantom “baby itch”? Are we really in this because of cute little clothes and photo opportunities? Is motherhood a rock-bottom job for those who can’t do more, or those who are satisfied with drudgery? If so, what were we thinking?
Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps. It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for.
Christian mothers carry their children in hostile territory. When you are in public with them, you are standing with, and defending, the objects of cultural dislike. You are publicly testifying that you value what God values, and that you refuse to value what the world values. You stand with the defenseless and in front of the needy. You represent everything that our culture hates, because you represent laying down your life for another—and laying down your life for another represents the gospel.
Please read the entire article here!!!
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Hurricane Update: No major damage to the house, a lot of fallen limbs and branches. Still without electricity and phones.
My best friend and I have been working like mad-women creating bits of intelligence and reading programs for our tiny children, Yes your baby can read! And wants to read! (Although this isn't the reading program or the point of this point) It has been soooooo much fun!!!! Time-consuming, but so much fun. I wish I had time to explain all the wonderful things I've learned from reading Glen Doman's books, and convince you that we haven't gone off the deep-end and become one of "those moms". But I'm working on finte time, the baby is sleeping. Suffice it to say, we're not crazy; well we're crazy about our kids, and husbands, and this amazing calling God has given us. But we're not crazy in the sense that we're trying to produce abnoxious, prideful, genusises; or feed our overachieving, homeschool-mom ego. We're on a mission, an experiment of sorts. We hope to write a book next year chronically our journey and how each of us have adopted the Doman method in our homes.
Here is a sneak peak of what we've been working on. Introducing...Bits of Intelligence.
Later I will explain Glenn Doman and his book How to Give Your Baby Encyclopedic Knowledge. We have also started a blog where we will house all of these "bits" for any mother and child who wants to use them. I can't wait to explain more!!
Life was still drumming peacefully along.
This summer our womens ministry leader is doing a summer series for moms of daughters based on the book: Five Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter. This is so special, because she has raised three faithful daughters, who are all married with daughters of their own. We are learning so much from her and I appreciate her desire to share her wisdom with us.
Another whirlwind week, by Saturday it is such a stretch to remember all that happened.
Continued studying the human body, we focused on reproduction this week. We read several books on how living things reproduce; plants, chickens, dogs, and people. We talked in detail about human reproduction. How glad I am to be the teacher and teach God's design for sex.
Kyle learned how to swallow pills this week. Wow! Just one more reminder how big he is getting. He also took his Grade 3 end of year test. He took the California Achievement Test. I was shocked at the content of the test. It is very basic, and I feel not representative of everything he learned in 3rd grade, but it is one of the tests the state accepts. This is our first year testing, so it was a good and gentle introduction to testing. We practiced, by taking the VA SOL tests in English and Math. He also took the California Standards Test for practice. Ironically while he was taking his test I was reading blogs and came across this post: Are We Slaves to the Test?
Kendal became an expert crawler and learned how to pull up on things this week. He is so sweet and soft and cuddly. He makes us melt like butter, everytime we look at him.
The twins learned to read a new Bob Book this week. I think they read book six and seven from the level 1 readers. I plan on trying Alpha Phonics with them this week to see how they like that.
This week I officially finished Level 1 Worship Guitar Class DVD. She is a phenomenal teacher! I love this DVD! I have actually learned how to play guitar in my home for a fraction of the cost of taking lessons. I inquired about lessons last year and it is more than $100 a month at the cheapest. When I put the kids to bed, many nights I pull out my guitar and practice. I also practice a lot in between lessons. Worship guitar has been a very peaceful addition to my day.
I've also been listening to the Duggars new book on audio: A Love that Multiplies You can download it free, with a trial subscription to Audible. Wonderful, wonderful, book. I'll probaby get the book in print as well. The first part of the book was mostly information from what I'd already seen on their show, but the second part of the book really gets into the nuts and bolts of how they homeschool, how they implement their faith, how they train their children, etc. It is very refreshing and inspiring. I am learning a lot from Mrs. Duggar and I am gaining helpful hints and insights for next year.
The kids did Bible School all week and it was great!! They had so much fun and the program was really nice. I thought I might have a "break" for 3 hours each day, but the time was quickly eaten with shopping, bible-studies, discipling/mentoring, cleaning, and laundry. It was a neat feeling to clean in the morning and have it stay clean.
I signed all the kids up for the library's summer reading program and we began reading our books. I'm excited for the twins they're slowly getting through their "Bob Books". I'm definitely learning to loosen up in regards to my expectations for them. It really has taken me all year to come to peace with their academic "time-table". I don't think Kyle has read as much has he has in previous years. Now that he is reading chapter books, they take longer so his Reading Log isn't as long as previous years. I should have had him read more non-fiction books as well. Currently he's finishing up Pilgrims Progress, Hardy Boys, and Little House on the Prairie. For the summer reading program, every five books, he gets a prize. It would be too discouraging to have him wait to read 5 chapter books, so I'm letting him read any non-fiction books and books in Spanish.
After church Wed. night I caught fireflies with my daughter. We put them in a jar and she named them and they slept in bed with her.
My wonderful mother exerts herculean effort to make my life easier. Her latest conquest: Mt. Laundry. And her weapon is called the Flip fold.
Who knew laundry could be so much fun?
Who knew laundry could be so much fun?
This week we're working on the human body. Everyone drew a torso and cut and pasted organs to it.The heart couldn't go in between the lungs b/c of how the page printed. Oh well.
We focused on recognizing and learning the brain, heart, lungs, stomach, large and small intestines, pancreas and spleen. We did lots of coloring pages and read library books. We've also been working on our human body model.
Unfortunately my grandmother had a pacemaker and heart defibulator put in this week. We've spent time helping her, and used it as a teaching lesson for the kids. We went over Kason's heart disease and the device that is in his heart as well.
We had a bible study with friends this week. The kids all played well. I ended the week yesterday with a trip to the ER for a UTI. So today I'm resting and drinking a lot of cranberry juice and water. My husband has so lovingly served me yesterday and today, taking care of all of my and the children's needs.
The kids had an award banquet and got their first trophies for playing soccer. It has been fun watching them play and enjoying the fresh air together.
I signed them up for vacation bible school, which I am insanely nervous about. Our church has a camp, but its 6+ hours away, but we know a lot of other homeschoolers from different churches so we signed them up. The whole feeling of dropping them off for three hours is unnerving. But I've been praying a lot and I may end up staying there the whole time, or not, we'll see.
I'm reading the book of Jeremiah. I started the read the Bible in 90 days. This is the second or third time that I've started it, and fell off after about 6 or 7 weeks. I have read the bible cover to cover, but I've yet to stick to the 90 day regimine. Anyway this week, I picked up where I left off. I'm also reading Your Boy, Family Driven Faith, and the Excellent Wife.
Mondays are easily my favorite day of the week. After the weekend, I am ready to get back to routines and I am quite energized. Not because I rested all weekend, but just because I'm ready to get back in the swing of things.
We all woke up late this morning, around 9:30. We ate breakfast. We're studying anatomy this summer. We're doing a human body lapbook from homeschool share, listening to Lyrical Life Science Human Body, and building the human body using a model. We have lots of library books. We'll also be covering reproduction, puberty, and purity. Nana gave them life-sized paper so they drew themselves; tomorrow they'll be putting in the organs. After our group study, Kyle started math: mixed fractions, converting decimals to fractions, reducing fractions, elapsed time, and testing practice. I'll do a review soon on IXL math. It's the best math tool we've ever used. The twins read two Bob books; an extraordinary feat for them!!!! They're also working through Kindergarten homework packets. I googled Kindergarten homework packets and found a whole years worth online. We babysat a little friend today and taught him how to color. Then they all read in bed for an hour and a half while I visited my grandmother.
I then made dinner and most everyone was cranky. We started devotions. We're listening to Douglas Bond read Thoughts for Young Men on YouTube. We discussed it. Peyton and Kason fell asleep. I illustrated the point about how when a tree is a sapling a child can easily bend it, but when it is a full grown tree; a hundred men can't move. We talked about the importance of the formation of Godly habits when young. I took the kids outside to show them a tree that grew crooked because it wasn't properly staked when it was a young tree. I explained that mommy and daddy are stakes for all our young children, and we will guide them so that they grow up straight and not crooked. While outside I noticed my neighbor cutting the yard, so I decided I better cut the yard too. My oldest and I tackled that. Then we all ate dinner, did showers, folded laundry, watched the Jesus movie, and went to bed.It was a good day of learning, working, serving, worshiping, and playing together. We are more blessed than we deserve to be.
I saw this at a friends house...
1 Corinthians 13 for Homeschool Moms
Though I teach my children how to multiply, divide, and diagram a
sentence, but fail to show them love, I have taught them nothing.
And though I take them on numerous field trips, to basketball practice
and flute lessons; and though I involve them in every church activity
but fail to give them love, I profit nothing.
And though I scrub my house relentlessly, run countless errands, and
serve three nutritious meals every day but fail to be an example of
love, I have done nothing.
Love is patient with misspelled words and is kind to three-year-old
interrupters. Love does not envy the high SAT scores of other
homeschool families. Love does not claim to have better teaching
methods than anyone else, is not rude to the fourth telephone caller
during a science lesson, does not seek perfectly behaved geniuses,
does not turn into a drill sergeant, thinks no evil about friends'
educational choices.
Love bears all my children's challenges, believes all my children are
God's precious gifts, hopes all my children establish permanent
relationships with Christ, and endures all things to demonstrate God's
love.
Love never fails. Where there are college degrees, they will fail;
where there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and
we teach in part. But when the trials of life come to our children,
the history, math, and science will be done away and faith, hope, and
love will remain; but the greatest of these is love.
author unknown(to me anyway)
1 Corinthians 13 for Homeschool Moms
Though I teach my children how to multiply, divide, and diagram a
sentence, but fail to show them love, I have taught them nothing.
And though I take them on numerous field trips, to basketball practice
and flute lessons; and though I involve them in every church activity
but fail to give them love, I profit nothing.
And though I scrub my house relentlessly, run countless errands, and
serve three nutritious meals every day but fail to be an example of
love, I have done nothing.
Love is patient with misspelled words and is kind to three-year-old
interrupters. Love does not envy the high SAT scores of other
homeschool families. Love does not claim to have better teaching
methods than anyone else, is not rude to the fourth telephone caller
during a science lesson, does not seek perfectly behaved geniuses,
does not turn into a drill sergeant, thinks no evil about friends'
educational choices.
Love bears all my children's challenges, believes all my children are
God's precious gifts, hopes all my children establish permanent
relationships with Christ, and endures all things to demonstrate God's
love.
Love never fails. Where there are college degrees, they will fail;
where there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and
we teach in part. But when the trials of life come to our children,
the history, math, and science will be done away and faith, hope, and
love will remain; but the greatest of these is love.
author unknown(to me anyway)
