Things are changing! Life is not what it once was…carefree and gluttonous.
I am sullen, and sulky…and groggy. I am cranky and unmotivated….
I have a headache and I feel a little sick……
I feel like the opening paragraph in the terrible no go horrible day book……
I am detoxing from sugar…..Great Scott it is the scourge of the earth.
Pray for me….First week is a bear. Why do I do this? I get off sugar and caffeine and feel great, and then slowly I say, oh it is no big deal, and then one day I realize I want dessert for breakfast lunch and dinner, and then here I sit having to control myself and say NO, NO, NO.
Paul, I am getting you man…”do what you don’t want, don’t do what you know you should” stuff is discipleship 101. So I am submitting what I put in my mouth to the master King and asking for help.
A good discipline for sure.
Peace to those conquering their addictions!
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January 4th, 2009
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Well, I have had a nice little blog/online break. We have slept in, and spent tons of family time, as my husband has been home for the last two weeks. We watched a few family movies and just generally relaxed with not much schedule.
I did some much needed reorganizing around here. Cleaned my desk area of junk mail etc., cleaned out my hard drive of all the junk you accumulate over a years time, got a stack of papers ready for the kids to shred, organized my year of photos worth keeping and ruthlessly pitched deleted the rest, reworked my photography site online, cleaned out one child’s closet, got several boxes together to go off to goodwill, and last but not least thought through some things I want to add to our homeschool in the Spring. I guess I do my spring cleaning….in December.
Last night Mike and I went out for a date and saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I read the short story almost a decade ago and due to having all of these children, and my old age;-) I could barely remember the story. I did, of course take along my camera to grab a few night images.
So, I am off to enjoy my last vacation day. Next week back to my normal schedule.
Grace and Peace to all this year~
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January 2nd, 2009
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Hi All~
I am doing some light housekeeping online. Things I have put off until I have a break from the normal routine and a husband home to help with the kiddies. I will be back in the New Year!
Everyone enjoy your holiday, see you in 2009.
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December 30th, 2008
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Here is a rare image of me in a coat, scarf and mittens taken by my wonderful husband. He is pretty handy with a camera too.
I spent some time with my better half and our stunning offspring the past few days, in a cold and beautiful campground in a rustic cabin just steps from the Suwanee River with no tv, no phones and no Internet access. We have started a beautiful and new family tradition. We hiked, and roasted marshmallows, went canoeing, sat on the fire hearth and warmed our toes, played backgammon and read long leisurely passages aloud of The Wind in the Willows. It was glorious.
So how is the weather where you are at? Give me your best shot.
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December 26th, 2008
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Well, we are back from our family camping trip. It was a wonderfal time with lots of photos and stories to come. Until then, I just wanted to stop by and leave you the words to my FAVORITE Christmas Carol. Listen here on You Tube. It is so prophetic, and captivating and powerful. I get teary every time I hear it.
1. O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Refrain
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel1
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
2. O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free2
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory o’er the grave. Refrain
3. O come, Thou Day-S pring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight!2a Refrain
4. O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery. Refrain
5. O come, O come, Thou Lord of Might,3
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the law4
In cloud, and majesty, and awe. Refrain
We are living a beautiful story people. Peace to all who have been rescued this day!
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December 25th, 2008
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There are days, I can’t get out to shoot anything new. My kids are well over me shooting them with my camera, but I still have an itchy trigger finger. At this point, I usually open my fridge and see what there is to see. I start to build things, usually out of food on my dinning room table and see what happens.
Here is my still life photo stream. You can find tons of still life groups on flickr and one of my favorites is Simply Breakfast and Before and After. It is amazing what beautiful art you can create right in your own kitchen.
Peace to all food stylists today~
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December 19th, 2008
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Why spend gobs of money on fancy toys that fall apart 3 days after Christmas? Here are the best tried and tested gifts that will give them hours of imaginative play. Trust me, they are all kid tested and Mother approved, at least in our house. Give them a try, you will be pleasantly surprised.
- an empty box
- a box of band aids
- a roll of tape
- a ball of string
- a bag of balloons
There you have, an amazing day for under 5 bucks. Now, don’t say I never gave you anything.
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December 17th, 2008
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apparently I have nothing pithy to say, so here are 5 little things about me, you may not know…..
- I never watch Oprah. Nuf said.
- I have gone years on end without watching tv. Currently we are on a tv/video game fast “round he-ah” and it is oh so good. We did rent Robin Hood yesterday to correspond with Our Island Story Ch 33 reading. That Errol can act.
- I totally love Over the Rhine and am still pissed Nickle Creek disbanded. I know, I know, I have to let it go. On the up side, we just scored tix to Death Cab. Mute Math,Public Enemy and others are opening for them. Oh yeah - SCORE! (Anyone want to go with us…it is in March?)
- I love leading worship via guitar, but am back to playing the drum and I can’t take it anymore. I just want to beat that thing all day long. Anyone want to come over and jam?
- The funniest thing I heard this week from our little ones after watching Robin Hood, “The Normans have no manners.” Seriously hysterical coming from this crew, you’d think they are first generation descendants of the Vikings.
Okay now your turn, tell me 5 little things about you and leave em right “he-ah” in that little old comment section. Oh you know I am silly today, I am even typing “slant”.
Peace to all Vikings and wanna be Vikings this day~
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December 15th, 2008
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The older I get and the older our children get, the more I remember how much I LOVE to play. I got my SCUBA diving license when I was 10 or so and started my private pilots license when I was 16. I worked my tail off in high school to pay for those two things. I still need to finish my private pilots license. College, then marriage, then kids have taken all the extra funds needed to accomplish such a feet. There is still time. Some golf when they retire, I will fly…and I think it will be a lancair when I do.
One of the things I love about homeschooling, is how it gives everyone room to dream. Even Mommies who are relearning along with their children. We get a big do over, and we get to do it with our kids. It is just such a beautiful gift for those called to it. After watching this today, and seeing a lady tear it up, I thought, I want to do that. So I think I will. What new thing do you want to learn in 2009?
Peace to all dreamers today~
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December 14th, 2008
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Show me what you are making this time of year. It is all sorts of handicraft craziness around here today. My flickr is uploading as I type.
Wishing you all a warm and sweet Christmas.
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December 12th, 2008
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In all of the picture cacophony around here, I realized, I have no pictures of me and my beautiful works of art. I have them and everyone else in my family in their natural state, but I am kind of lost behind the lens. So I was inspired by my blog friend who has a stunning series of herself and her kids on her flickr. I just had to follow suit, and get a little bit of me in the action. I typically hate being in front of the camera, but it was fun to get my kids involved. Kinda….I will through the outtakes up on my flickr so you see we all are not airbrushed around here;-) I was stunned at how much they understood and some of the technical lingo they were throwing around. They really do pick up WHATEVER you have floating around in your environment.
This is our youngest, the future worship leader/comedian. He keeps me on my knees. Many say he looks like me, but that is because they have never met my brother. Good Night, this child takes me back to my childhood. It is fascinating to me.
This is our oldest, the spitting image of my husband in almost EVERY way. He does have my chin though. He longs for righteousness and wants to make sure we all are following the rules. I am learning how to give him more responsibility and treat him like a big kid. He lost another tooth yesterday. He is growing up and FAST!
This is my mini-me. She is like me in EVERY good and not so good way. God teaches me how to let go through her. She also lost her first tooth yesterday. She was so proud and finally felt like a big girl. I cried! They grow so fast. She cried when she thought she had to give it away for the possibility of money from the tooth fairy. She decided against it, and kept it, just like her older brother. She said later, “Mom the tooth fairy isn’t really real, is she?” I said, “What do you think?” She said, “No, I think it is just you who take my tooth and I want to keep it.” So, she did.
So there you have it, a little piece of us, now held fast in time, so when they are 16 and out and about working and such, I can look back and smile.
Go take a picture of you and your offspring today!
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December 11th, 2008
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Today we had a little tea, these three and I. Our oldest read a part of the Christmas Story, I read some poetry about “tea time”. Our youngest poured hot tea for the first time successfully, our middle sipped through the new hole in her mouth were her first baby tooth used to be. We listened to Handel’s Messiah playing in the background.
This has been a family tradition since they were tiny little guys. We do not have it scheduled, it just happens spontaneously. We sit and read a little poetry, or invite Great Grandparents over to share a little time with us. We say please and thank you, we let the ladies go first, we try not to slurp our tea. We feel so special. You know how you feel when you put on a pretty shirt and fix your hair just right. It is the same thing. They feel so special when we put away all that darn plastic ware and give them pretty plates and tea cups and let them have a go at working with the adult things.
We got a full size tea set last year for Christmas, because the tiny play one we used to use, was just too tiny. They feel like grown ups, I feel like I am having a special time to just give them a lesson on manners without the rush of dinner, and tiredness falling down upon us.
Just 15 minutes, breaking up the day, allowing for a special space to open up right before us. Then they clean it all up and the normal roar starts up again, trucks zooming away, board games resumed, the “Mom can we….” converstaion about whatever thing they just can’t let go of. Oh how I love the tea that calms the storm. Now I have to go and sweep the dirt up on the back patio from the plant that has just been knocked over and used to fill up a dump truck.
Peace to all and a good cup of tea.
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December 8th, 2008
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So I did it. I survived, I never looked back. I didn’t walk a step, I just started and never stopped until I saw the finish line and then I sprinted the last 100 feet to make it before the time clock clicked another minute, finishing at just under 2:25 minutes. Not quite 10 minute miles but who cares. At about mile 10 my knees were a little sore, but I knew at that point I am just training my feet and joints for longer runs. I just buckled down and pushed on, and by 12 they didn’t hurt anymore. I felt really great and strong the whole way.
At mile 3 Mike kissed me and said, “Go for it honey, I will see you at the end.” He slowed down to find our friend who was also running and then I was all alone, in a see of thousands, just plodding along one foot in front of the other. Some funny things I saw, heard and smelled along the way. A man behind me for about mile 4-6 I believe had turrets. He talked randomly to himself the whole way. It made no sense. It was strange. 2 women wearing pink lingerie on the outside of their running gear, someone else in a tiara, a European man who must of bathed in colon in case he was going to pick his next date up at mile marker 8.7’s wacky water stop, and lastly a whole crew of friends who ran and talked the whole way.
The running skirt was wicked fabulous. I will never run in anything but that again. The ipod tunes were nice but I almost didn’t notice, my mind was racing along and there was so much noise the whole way. Oatmeal was a winner, ibuprofen was super helpful and running with your own energy drink on board saves you time at all those water stops. Some people wear crazy belts that hold your bottles, I just carry mine in my hand, it feels better to me. Plus their gatorade mix was way too strong. The last mile, almost on cue the lost by cold play started its rhythmic tune, and I hustled in.
I wasn’t lost, I was right where I was supposed to be. I will race again, that is a given. It was way too much fun. I have no picture for you today, just imagine me… a hot mess, running along in my snazy skirt.
Peace to all athletes today!
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December 7th, 2008
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- Set list prepped and ready to play. (I can use an ipod in this race although some you can’t)
- ipod charged, enough juice for 2+ hours of running.
- proper shoes, broken in yet not worn out. These kicks will get me through at least 2 more months.
- Energy drink, ready. One to drink pre-race, one to bring during the race.
- One energy bar to carry in my amazing running skirt. If you are a lady and you like to run or are thinking about running any amount of mileage, get one of these bad boys. You will thank me. If you are a dude and you really want to wear one, I wont stop you, but peeps may think you are a bit strange.
- Ibuprofen out and ready. One pre race, one post race. (my brother who runs triathlons recommends this to keep inflammation down during the race. I will trust him on this one and just do as he says.)
- Oatmeal cooked and ready for the am. Supposedly oatmeal gives you energy to run, and is still soft and light enough to run with in your tummy. Trust me…it ROTS hard core to run on a full stomach. Again, my bro recommended this, I hope he is right.Thankfully there are many porta-johns along the race course in case we may need them. Kinda gross but a common issue during marathons. I have heard of dudes running with TP in their pocket. YO! That is too much info I think….moving along.
- Running numbers pinned on jersey with emergency info written on the back in case something bad happens along the way then they can find my Mommy. Does any other adult still, by reflex when asked for emergency contact info write down their Mom? Ummm, at 4am tomorrow, I will want my Mommy to tell me I can do this. What they heck am I THINKING????????????
- Microchip is tyed to my shoe and will give me my final numbers.
- Alarm set…4a.m.
- Temperature slated for 50 degrees, so I have a trashed sweatshirt that I will wear until I can bear it no longer, and then I will throw it on the ground along with thousands of others. They will then all be collected, washed I hope and given to charity. Mike is just gonna be cold. He does not want to mess with the sweater deal. He is tougher than I am, I hate being cold.
Race begins at 6am, we should all be finished by 9 at the latest, hoping for 8:20 although with 15k people running this race, the first mile will be a fast shuffle so that may slow our times down, but honestly who the heck cares. We just want to finish. Mike and I were talking about tomorrow. “Are you nervous?”he asked. “Ya a little are you?”… “Honestly, it will be relaxing to just go run without anyone yelling at me, or deadlines to meet, or people wanting anything from me. I can just zone out with my ipod and run.” So know I am wondering, what kinda crazy life we live that we have to go run a marathon to chill out.
It has been so much fun just working towards this and even more fun that I get to do it with my husband. I have wanted to do this for almost 15 years, and just now I have the courage to give it a try again. Last time I started training, I got injured, then tried again and got pregnant, and tried again and got pregnant again and tried again and got pregnant again….well you get the drift. Now, a full marathon will be on the slate for next year and maybe a tri. Yeah I know I am nuts, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you are up at 4am tomorrow, pray for us, we would really appreciate it. So never give up on things you want to do. Just keep shooting for it, one day you will hit it.
See you all at the finish line~
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December 6th, 2008
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Some of the most memorable images tell a story. They tickle your imagination, they take you to another place. One of the things I love about shooting portraits of people, is getting to tell their story. Show them who they are, little things that they can’t or don’t see in themselves.
Every time, I walk into a photography situation, where people have commissioned me to tell their story, I pray. I pray that God would give me his eye for them. That He would be present in a special way, and that those I am working with would feel a special sense of the one who made them, the original artist. Good photography takes a lot of technical skill, but takes even more letting go. The more you let go, the better you are. Then you wait, for just the right moment, and then “click” there it is, a story in just one image.
This family wanted a “secret garden” theme, with dress up and princess and glam galore for their 3 sweet girls. We did that, actually we hit that out of the park. Dang, I felt like I was on the set of Lord of the Rings. And yet, I watched their oldest, sweetly comply, to honor her Mom, yet sit right on the edge of saying good bye to dress up and fairy tales, looking forward. Looking past those fairy tale dress up moments, out into the big wide world with just a faint sense of wonder. She is growing up, and when I see this image I get a little teary. It is lovely and bitter sweet all at the same time.
So show me a story today. Give me your best shot. Leave it on your blog or flickr and tell us the story.
Peace to all artists today!
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December 5th, 2008
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Today, I woke a few minutes before my run to get my head screwed on straight. I mean come on when you wake up at 5:20 what is the big deal waking up at 5. Really is 20 minutes more sleep all that helpful?
20 minutes early to just breath deep, pray, lay my day at the one who made me. Quakers call it “centering down”. Dang new agers co-opted the term and now you say that and people think you are chanting omes or something. For the past few months I have been up early, running, listening to worship music and praying all throughout my run, but it just isn’t the same as taking the first 10 minutes before your do anything else to sit still and listen…lay it all down before you ever pick it all up.
I have a fun day planned and a neat Advent activity. The kids are settling down, I am settling down, life is good, all is well, cinnamon is simmering on the stove….You’d almost think it is getting close to Christmas around here.
Peace to all who need to “center down” today!
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December 3rd, 2008
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Song to listen to while reading this post: Enya Silent Night
I am in the midst of learning to be still…rest…..listen. Dagnabit, if I am not ALWAYS in this season to one degree or another. Isn’t it beautiful how Advent takes you right out of the commercial mess of this season, into the quiet place of waiting? All of this turmoil I have been feeling with homeschooling and somehow messing up our children, has FORCED me to lay down and rest before the Good Shepherd. For that I am so thankful.
Daddy rescued our little flagging ship last night with a wonderful family meeting. He laid down the law in a splendid way with these young charges around here. Funny thing is, he said the exact same thing to them, that I say over and over daily, and somehow, they got it in a deeper way. Isn’t it beautiful how a Daddy can just get it done in only the way that He and no one else can. When the Mommy is with the children 95% of their daily time, you start to sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher, but when Daddy says it, it breaks through those little skulls of theirs and registers somewhere in their grey matter.
I have revised what is expected in the way of house chores. They are no longer young toddlers who are not capable of certain things. They can and should do more, and now thanks to our family meeting…they are. Good grief in pioneer times, 7 year olds were hunting and junk, so ya think they could clean the toilets without mishap. Part of the problem is, you get into a routine and then you forget that as they grow you need to revise it.
Thank you sweet heart, for coming to our rescue, for seeing that we needed a little tune up, for jumping in and tightening down the rigging of our little ship, setting us back on course, for saying you believe in us, and for showing our 7 year old that it is okay to do older things. Somehow it took the pressure off of me in all the right ways, letting me rest and enjoy this process of training up this little punks children.
Maybe we should make a very unobtrusive signal to each other so that you know when I need it. Like, waving a white flag as you walk in the door. I will make it all cute and stuff. I may even put some music on and dance right up to you as you walk in the door.
Peace to all who need to wait and know what it means to be rescued today!
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December 2nd, 2008
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I have been in a home school tailspin the last 2 weeks. There are days you feel like you are not moving forward, like you are standing still, repeating yourself over and over again. I loose a little focus, combat thoughts of irreversibly screwing my kids up, and wonder if I am giving them enough food for thought. This is a VERY common phenomenon among homeschooling moms. I steered clear of this my first year, but mid way through my second I have walked headlong into the “swamp of despond”. I used to hear Mom’s who homeschool say this, and wonder about it. From my take, their kids were great, well adjusted, and well rounded, from their take, they were missing the mark.
Little clue phone about me. I like doing things “right” and I like it even better when I do them well. So lately I’ve been hearing the Holy Spirit knock on my heart about this whole homeschool thing. Would I be willing to lay it down, if He said so. What? That was a something shocking for me to hear. Then over the past few weeks, God has been reminding me that this is his journey with the kids that is a gift to me. NOT something that I can “hit out of the park” so to speak.
I get to be a part of watching them unfold before him, I get to pray into it, I get to let them make mistakes, and learn how to be okay with things not being perfect. I get to listen to the Father every day, and follow his lead, not my plan for them. I let go of having a clean house years ago, marriage and kids forced me to do that, but now I am letting go of having perfect kids, and the reality is, there is NO perfect homeschool.
Ahh, yes I said, I am not perfect, they are not perfect, my lesson plans are not perfect. I have loud kids and my boys are ALL boys. They climb, they wrestle and punch. I have no yard for them to go dig, we don’t live on a farm, so the hours of day that are not filled with school time, are filled with me working on how to engage them without having a farm to do it in. Most days I fail miserably at it. A girl can only drive around so much taking her kids to a park to play. I am tired of the pressure I put on myself for how my kids, especially my youngest should act. It is hard being the youngest in every situation he is ever in. Church, family life, school etc. The further I go down this home school path, I realize it is so much more about me than it is about them. If I am willing to be stretched and change and trust God in this whole process, then we all will be better for it on the other side.
I am re-reading my homeschool philosophy and letting God speak to me in those places I want to control. Ouch! I am letting go, I am giving myself grace, I am loving my kids right where they are, and I am trusting that God has my back.
Grace and Peace to all Homeschool Mom’s today.
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December 1st, 2008
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I want to travel the world on an all expense paid trip with ALL of my children to Hawaii and stay in a 5 star hotel, go skiing, go to the Grand Canyon and who knows Paris next.
Apparently, all I have to do is have 8 or more children, call TLC and ask them to do a reality show about my family. Oh wait, I think they need to be multiples, so we can have a cute name. Maybe we have to be super extreme, grow our hair long and have 17 kids or something, have all their names start with a “J” and show how we get it done at the grocery store.
Oh no, I am not cynical. Hey I don’t blame them for “pimping” their family to give them what most average family in America would never have in a whole lifetime. I will parade my parenting for millions of people to see every week, if you will just give me that darn trip to Hawaii, because I want to renew my wedding vows too.
I gather TLC is picking up on the fact that America and the world really, is fascinated with family life. Healthy family life, that supports the idea the children are a blessing from the Lord. That there are parents who DO really love each other and want to stay together even when things are hard. Somehow they just don’t believe it, so they have to make it into a real life tv show. Of course we all know “WHO” is at the center of their family life, but they keep all that on the”down low” so they can air it on tv. You know political correctness and all.
I am writing a test pilot. What do you think? Dang, I just don’t think I have enough kids to make that fly. 3 is just too normal, just too average! Well, that kills that plan, now how are we going to get to Hawaii?
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November 29th, 2008
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There is a whole flikr group of people who never look through the view finder. They shoot from the hip. It can be fun to see what you get by shooting from the hip.
My husband took this with our point and shoot yesterday on our Thanksgiving day excursion. My flickr tells the whole the story.
Have a great day!
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November 28th, 2008
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Enjoy your family and friends today.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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November 27th, 2008
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We are home from a long weekend away, reconnecting with extended church family from our sending church in Gainesville, FL. I am cleaning, and restocking items from suitcases, creating grocery lists for Thanksgiving meals and feeling that tender feeling creep over my whole being. Maybe you know the one. There is something in the air…underneath all of the lights and tensile, under all of the consumer junk that is flashed before our eyes urging us to buy, buy buy….. underneath the cookie exchanges and the overeating. That tender, new hopeful thing that is birthed every year, as God’s people remember who they are and in whom they are made and held together.
So, now we prepare, our hearts and minds with all the turkey blur. We traditionally set up our tree on Thanksgiving day, and I begin the Advent calender with the children. I did not grow up with a liturgical background, but somehow I LOVE the Advent tradition. I love what it does for me, and hopefully some of that slips off onto the kids. Maybe not, maybe they are just full of expectation for glorious gifts.
That’s okay. I expect the Holy Spirit to ignite a depth of love in them in due time, as he has done in me. I can’t explain it, but I truly am like a little 5 year old full of awe and wonder at this most glorious gift. I will probably post a bit less this next few weeks, and keep my flickr stocked full. There is so much to see and inhale in the natural and in the spirit that I am at a loss for words and can only respond with an artful response.
Song to Listen to: Sing to Jesus by Fernando Ortega
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November 25th, 2008
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One of the things that will take your photos to the next level is how you choose to crop the image. At first you may want to do this after the fact in an editing program. It is a good way for you to train your eye to see things naturally. Pull up any old image and start cropping the heck out of it and see what you like. You may even develop a bit of a style that is all your own.
Here is the first shot. The lighting is nice The composition is okay, but you don’t really appreciate the main subject, the flower, because it is lost in all the clutter.
So get a little closer. Make the main thing the main thing. Open up your aperture a little bit to create that fuzzy background otherwise known as bokeh. (If you are using a point and shoot, trick you camera by shooting in landscape mode, and make sure you focus on the object in the foreground) This is getting better, but it is missing a little something.
Now, swing it around a little, crack that baby wide open. On a standard kit lens, you can get down to a F3.5 so go as low as you can go. Offset your main subject to one side. This will create even more bokeh. I always tend to gravitate towards landscape layout over a vertical layout. As time progresses you will train your eye. You will start seeing stuff like this all the time. Your eye will be drawn to all that yummy light, you will look at the ordinary just a little differently and viola….art for your home.
Now, Give me your best shot! Whatever you like and want to share, no theme this week. Leave a link to your image on your blog or flickr in the comments, and go visit the other links and leave a nice little piece of encouragement for all our artist friends!
Have Fun!
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November 21st, 2008
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A Charlotte Mason education has a few distinctives. Here is a great little summary for you if you are new to the philosophy of CM education. We don’t really use workbooks, and narration is a STRONG component of what we do. If you have done any research about it, it can be a bit daunting trying to pull all that off by yourself. That is why I am indebted to the folks over at Ambleside Online. A few Homeschool Moms got together about 10 years ago, and started putting things together for their own families, and just kept on going, keeping track of what they were doing all along, and offering it free for others to find them on their own homeschool journey.
Part of the homeschool process for me, really steamed from my own childhood. I was dreadfully BORED in school and then had a few teachers who just didn’t seem to like me in the 4th and 5th grade (hard to imagine, I know!) and from those 2 things I developed a loathing for school until I reached the collegiate level. When I did get to the collegiate level, I realized some dreadful holes in my understanding of the world, its history and the relationships between how things worked. And I went to one of the top 5 highschools in the nation. I know some of that was because I was being taught to pass tests and not to have a holistic understanding of the world.
So fast forward 15 years, and you can see why some things are very important for me. I really wanted a classical approach with a strong emphasis on history as a whole, not just random little parts that rarely flowed together, and an appreciate for great literature, art, poetry and music. Not just modern things but through the ages. Charlotte Mason filled the bill for me, and now here we are. I literally can’t wait to see what we cover next. It is all so much fun and fascinating, and our kids beg us to keep reading. “DON’T STOP!” is a common phrase in our house, but alas, I do, because it keeps them hungry for more. A love of learning for life is what we are going for, and I see it blooming in the smallest and sweetest way in these early years. I can’t wait to see how it matures through the years.
So here are a some of the questions that Christine asked and I thought I would answer here in case any one else is in her boat.
- Our DC are 12 & 10 (7th & 5th). This is 2nd year HSing 10yr old and 1st year with 12 yr old. Do you think Ambleside is something that they could just get into with no prior use of CM?
- Absolutely! A CM approach is very different from traditional schooling and workbook driven curriculums. It may take a bit of detox from the way they are used to schooling but give them space to transition. Children are brilliant and if we give them good stuff for their little minds to engage with, they take off and soar. I think they can transition over beautifully. AO is set up in years, yr 1, yr 2 and so on. Those do not mean school years. So a 5th grader coming out of 5th grade traditional school, may need to do yr 3 or yr 4 based on what they can handle. This is where the flexible part comes in. The language component is challenging and it will take a bit for them to get used to the literature readings, and the concept of narrating. One way to check where they should start is by going to a given year and look at the free reading books. Check one out from the library and read it aloud as a family. Track where they are with it. This will tell you if you need to pull back a year or two. There are many 3rd graders coming out of traditional school starting with yr 1. You have to start thinking holistically and not by years. My children are not yet at the age of being able to read their own literature on their own. My 7 year old is in love with Shakespeare. He couldn’t read King Lear on his own, but boy does he LOVE it when I read it to him. It does not mean they can not engage with it beautifully, they just need a facilitator, me. I read aloud, and bit by bit I am transitioning the reading over to them. By yr 4 they should be doing most of their reading on their own. In the beginning you may read a ton with them, even at their age. Just like riding a bike with training wheels, you will see when they can go it alone.
- Also, one of our DC is VERY right brained, visual, Will Ambleside work for him?
- Yes, you may have to think a little differently. They will have to begin to visualize the story in their brain. You may need to have a notebook handy during the readings, so they can draw out the characters and their interactions. You will also create a Book of Centuries which is a very visual way to keep track of what you are studying. My oldest is very visual too. That is why we LOVE Math U See, it works splendidly for him. You can also incorporate some pbs movies about certain things you are learning about, Shakespeare etc.
- Is there workbooks or is it pretty much reading?
- I use 3 workbooks, one for Handwriting, one for phonics and one for Math. Other than that, they are creating their own narrations and work, based on how they narrate to me. I don’t ask them leading questions, because it makes them sloppy in their thinking. I read, they listen and then tell me back to the best of their ability. With one of our selections I started asking leading questions and I am paying for it now. With mine, I read one paragraph and ask them to tell me back to the best of their ability exactly what they heard. This is how they are picking up great grammar, vocabulary and how to make the connections in their brains and then give it back to me. It is a hard discipline, and you should not expect them to master it right off the bat. Your age would be giving a written narration. Mine are still orally narrating. I also “test” in this way. They don’t know it is a test, I call the “Oral Reviews” and they go something like this….”Tell me everything you can about…”.
- What are the pros/cons of Ambleside?
- Pros - it fits all of the things we wanted in an education for our children. I love that it is gentle and challenging at the same time. The information you cover over the 12 years is amazing. The advisory suggests that once a child has moved through year 7 work, they have gotten the equivalent of what a traditional highschool senior would have.
- Cons - Not many, however you may not be “down” with every book selection for different personal reasons. I have no issues with them, but some parents do. Again, be flexible and substitute a great equivalent. They offer suggestions in those areas. Some Moms on the email loop are HARD CORE and can at times put pressure on you to do what they are doing. If you know what you want and where you are going, you will be able to stir clear of that. Comparison is bad stuff, so stay away from it:-)
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November 20th, 2008
7287pwkr
In case you have not noticed, I LOVE homeschooling. I was also terrified before I jumped in. I know for as many of us that choose to home school, there will be just as many who feel led to go public or private school, or do not have the choice to be home because they are single moms or can’t afford for the Mama not to work. My way isn’t necessarily the right way for you, it is just one method out there and I hope you are encouraged by it. DON’T compare yourself in anyway, just take what you need and leave the rest.
I have friends in every camp: public, private and at home varying between unschooling to Abeca workbook style learning. There is something for everyone, if you look long enough. My hope is that in all these little glimpses of my real life, you would stop and think and pray and ask God how you can more deeply engage in your little tribes life where ever you may be, whether you stay home or are the chief PTA’er at your child’s school every time the doors are open.
I had a commenter specifically ask about our method, so I thought I would take a minute and address it here. In case any of you want a Charlotte Mason style education or love the idea of “classical education” and you don’t have a clue of where to start, you might find it helpful. I first read the book For The Childrens Sake by Susan Schaeffer McCaulay. I couldn’t stop, I just kept reading and dreaming. At the time I was heavily influenced my the Montessori method (I am big on methods:-) and was bringing the kids home and didn’t know where to start. I started to poke around, ran into a few homeschool bloggers who where giving me the Charlotte Mason vibe and the rest is history.
I do not have the time or energy to reinvent the wheel and create my own curriculum. Everyone says that is so simple, but that overwhelmed me. Kudos to you who do, you are my “sheros” . I really believe their is freedom within structure, so when my blog friend directed me to Ambleside Online, I felt like I had fallen in to a pool of women who knew what the heck they where doing, who spoke my language about developmental learning, giving me a road map to move forward yet the freedom to do what was best for our brood. I like big picture stuff, and I got to see the whole educational thread for 12 years laid out. I could see where it was all going, and I liked what I saw. Ah, niiiiccccce, not to mention it is a free curriculum and you can find most of the classic literature at the library or free online as ebooks. Now you are talking my language.
We supplemented a little Math-U-See with Mr. Steve (Love ya Mr. Steve!) got a few packs of lined paper from Walmart, downloaded our free ebooks and just got going. So, I will have to tell you a little more tomorrow. This post is already long enough and besides I have some killer shots of a super flexible kid that just have to go with these posts;-)
Sorry Christine, come back tomorrow and I will try and flesh it out more for ya. I want to go play with my kids.
Peace to all who want to play today~
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November 18th, 2008
7287pwkr
A little meditation on the wonders of God to start the week out right. I left 2 translations. I always love reading scripture in a few translations. It gives me a deeper hold of its beauty. Have a great day all! See you tomorrow.
NIV
Psalm 111
1[a] Praise the LORD. [b]
I will extol the LORD with all my heart
in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
2 Great are the works of the LORD;
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
3 Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
5 He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works,
giving them the lands of other nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
8 They are steadfast for ever and ever,
done in faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He provided redemption for his people;
he ordained his covenant forever—
holy and awesome is his name.
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.
The Message
Psalm 111
1-10 Hallelujah! I give thanks to God with everything I’ve got—
Wherever good people gather, and in the congregation.
God’s works are so great, worth
A lifetime of study—endless enjoyment!
Splendor and beauty mark his craft;
His generosity never gives out.
His miracles are his memorial—
This God of Grace, this God of Love.
He gave food to those who fear him,
He remembered to keep his ancient promise.
He proved to his people that he could do what he said:
Hand them the nations on a platter—a gift!
He manufactures truth and justice;
All his products are guaranteed to last—
Never out-of-date, never obsolete, rust-proof.
All that he makes and does is honest and true:
He paid the ransom for his people,
He ordered his Covenant kept forever.
He’s so personal and holy, worthy of our respect.
The good life begins in the fear of God—
Do that and you’ll know the blessing of God.
His Hallelujah lasts forever!
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November 17th, 2008
7287pwkr
There are some benefits to running 25 miles a week.
Not only that, but I wanted to capture that morning light, the chocolate brown and teal blue with my favorite dish towel. Really, I love shooting still lifes and tablescapes. When you are thinking about things you want to capture with whatever camera you have, think composition and natural lighting. You can put a Tupperware container containing some fresh tomatoes or fruit in the natural light, compose it artfully, stand above it and take a picture, and you can hang that shot in a museum. Maybe not the MOMA but a kitschy touristy museum. You get my point!
So now I have an idea for you dear readers, but it will only work if you comment and participate. Could I drop any more of a hint with that one. I was thinking a photo Friday every week. Post our favorite pic of the week on your flickr or blog, and leave a comment and link here so we all can see. Then we can all go and leave comments for you, you little artist you. I am finding that blogging is so much more fun when people participate. So comment away and pull out that point and shoot or SLR and give me your best shot.
So let’s try today, totally random and not planned but let’s just see what happens. I am kinda like that, just pull a wild hair out and go for it type gal.
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November 14th, 2008
7287pwkr
Our middle child is a girl bookended by brothers. She is tough and can throw down with the best of them. I work hard at taking her on “princess” dates and doing special little things so she can see through modeling that being a girl is great. I understand that she will learn about her femininity through watching me. She does like to wear dresses and look pretty, just not overly girly in anyway.
We enrolled her in ballet, so she could have girl time, and be prissy and wear pink etc. You know a break from all this boy stuff around here. The testosterone, drowns us out at times. Guess what. She could care less. In fact, she doesn’t really ever want to go, and would rather stay home and play soccer with her brothers. I do have a loose game plan on things that I am exposing her to, and working with her on in regards to the wonders of being a woman but I am now seeing that ballet doesn’t have to be one of them.
Here is the reality. She is just like me. She doesn’t really like pink, she told me the other day she doesn’t like princess stuff. It is “dumb”, a word we don’t use so I am sure she really meant it. The other night we were sitting outside playing and she asked if she could get the skate board to skate. The hysterical thing is, it is her brothers and he never touches it. She is rockin’ on it. Honestly, she is a total athlete, even over the boys. The boys are athletic and do well at athletic things, but she is a natural at almost everything and has crazy spacial awareness.
So I gotta say, I think it is totally RAD to have a skater chic for a daughter. We are discontinuing ballet. I agree that we should require children to do certain things even if they don’t like it because it is good for their character training…like cleaning their room, and eating their vegetables, not something that we are stretching to pay for and she isn’t really diggin’. We are rethinking something else I can get her involved in that would nurture her feminine side, that she will be down with.
Any ideas for an athletic, rad, little 5 year old who thinks she is invincible and can do anything she puts her mind to.
Dang, I want to be like her when I grow up!
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November 13th, 2008
7287pwkr
So is your music study a little dusty? Maybe you are wondering how in the heck do I teach my children music at home if a) I am not a musician and b) we have no instruments and c) I don’t know where the heck to start.
Well, my friends have no fear. Most Parents can get their kids through the first 2 years of general music instruction on their own with a few good resources and then, if they see that their child is leaning in a given direction, save their pennies for private lessons…cuz Lord knows they are CRAZY expensive. I called the other day for a violin lesson quote and I almost choked over the phone with the dear woman.
Now, I studied violin and piano growing up. I was one of those kids who kept asking and asking to learn, not every kid is like that. Later in life, I taught myself guitar. Once you have the basics of one instrument you can kind of figure things out on any instrument if you want to. I have always sung and eventually started leading worship in college, owned a music and movement business for 8 or so years and taught hundreds of kids and their parents basic music and then stopped because I got burned out and wanted to be with my own kids not everyone else’s and well, the rest is history. Music is a huge part of our families life. I would not say we are musicians per say, we are worshipers who can get around on a guitar and use it to facilitate worship. Even if your child is not drawn to it, it would still be valuable to require them to learn basic knowledge of a given instrument. It is kind of like new foods. How do you know if you are going to like them if you don’t try them.
Why am I writing all of this? Because I have been letting music study slide in our little homeschool. I taught music for so many years with other peoples kids, I just kind of wanted to not go there right now. Shame, shame on me. This is how it works at our house, tons of varied music on all the time, kids seeing Mommy and Daddy lead worship with a guitar, piano at home that kids are getting comfortable with. Oldest - could care less (or so I thought), our middle (interested but not as interested as she is in sports) and our youngest ( sang before he could talk, asks routinely for lessons, works with a drum or the glockenspiel daily and lays his body flat on anything vibrating so, as he says “he can hear the rhythm”.) So I have the whole spectrum.
Here is my game plane, and you can join me if you wish. Maybe we can keep each other accountable:-)
A Piano resource I am going to use is - Pianimals. Hey if you don’t have a piano, check Craig’s List we got a used one super cheap, but a keyboard could do in a pinch. If you can’t even do that, you could ask around and see if a friend or neighbor has one that you could use once a week. We use the classical composer study available for free through Ambleside Online to make sure we are listening to new and different things.
This last week a friend gave our oldest a recorder. Well, Hallelujah, he is finally interested in all things music. So I am going to use Young Beginner Recoder book for our introduction to recorder. Another homeschool blog I read recommended it, so I thought, why reinvent the wheel, I will use that. I mean it is a recorder people, not the harp. I just want to start something.
Pre step - before step 1 - Pray that God would bless your simple heart to infuse the sound of music and worship into your little crews life. He will surely bless it. You never know, you may have a Handel on your hands.
Step 1 - Turn off the TV and turn on the music. Come on you can do it , we won’t die:-)
Step 2 - Leave some “musicky junk” around the house. Recorder,small hand drum, glockenspiel, rhythm sticks. Hey take a field trip to a music store and wet their appetites. Give a kid a pair of rhythm eggs and they will be set for hours.
Step 3 - SCHEDULE IT! Really people, I am talking to myself, I need to plan that sucker in, or as history proves, it wont happen.
Step 4 - Download some good classical stuff to mix into all your current contemporary stuff. Get a good spectrum except for heavens sake country, don’t expose the kids to that junk. (I am kidding, if you all like that sound go ahead, I wont penalize you. I wont understand you, but I wont penalize you:-))
Step 4 - Relax, have fun, don’t stress about it.
Okay, Ready, set…GO!
There are my pithy tips for today. I know mind bending right.
Keepin’ it real peeps - Blessings to you and your crew today!
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November 11th, 2008
7287pwkr
If you have not done this, you should check it out.
We toured a candy store today. They showed us how to make different types of chocolate candy, many of their cool tools and machines and learned that water is the number one enemy of chocolate. It turns it into taffy like a tootsie roll.
They even let us paint some chocolate portraits with food coloring.
The kids were very polite and well behaved. We left the store standing in one piece and took home a few bags of handmade candy. The owner of the store used to be a teacher for 22 years and then opened this store so she was very hands on. She mentioned how she didn’t know how we did it. How we could teach our own kids. I remember thinking the same thing, until I tried it. Now I couldn’t imagine letting someone else do it, at least not right now. This is my season, and I am taking them to candy store on my terms people!!!
Phew, I am glad I got that off my chest, I couldn’t really give her my home school 411 then, so I just smiled and nodded.If you homeschool, what do you say when people say that to you?
Peace to all who love them some chocolate in large handmade quantities.
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November 7th, 2008
7287pwkr
I just love it. I get to stand outside, another person or families life, and capture their story and then show it back to them in some of its simplest beauty. I’ve been a little busy with some post editing work, and schooling and training for a marathon. I am moving through my to-do list. I hope to finish much of it tonight and then get back to some real writing.
Until then, just relax. Imagine what it feels like to not have a care in the world, not worrying about what you would eat or what you would wear, or if you had any money, feeling completely safe and loved with the ability to explore endlessly?
Imagine you could live your life just like her. Well, that is what I am going to do anyway. I am going to go play at the beach with my kids. I may just play with my camera and tell my own story……my poor flickr has been neglected.
Peace to you,
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November 6th, 2008
7287pwkr
Well just because I can be goofy and I have no time to write anything well thought out, but feel this crazy urge to create something….. anything…words, pictures, tooth pick figures. I know it is strange. Maybe it is more of me wanting to play and be a little kid today.
1. I got a new hair cut….. I am working my way short again.
2. I love chartreuse…..I believe I would like a wall that color in my home.
3. I HATE having doors left open. I have to go and shut it if I see it open, I know it is strange. I can have a weeks worth of crumbs on my floor by by goodness if a door is left open, I can’t rest until it is closed.
4. I deeply wish to have a tattoo and a nose ring. Alas, do to a metal/ink allergy I can not. I can’t even wear earrings unless they are pure gold…therefore I wear none.
5. If I could do anything in the world, just by blinking my eyes, I would give myself a pre-pregnancy stomach.
6. I like my eyes. I am in a new stage of finding things I like about me. I feel like ever sense I was 12 I have focused on the imperfect in me, instead of the beautiful. Darn first born tendencies. Great Scott, doing a selfie (self portrait) with a 60mm is a bit tricky.
7. I typically have outbursts of laughter at suddenly funny things. At times I have liquid in my mouth and spew it everywhere. Nice I know.
8. I am ticklish, freakishly so.
9. When I get angry, I cry, when I am happy I cry, when I am moved by something amazing, I cry. I am a cry baby.
