Search This Blog

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Island Girl

I just finished reading this book today.  http://www.amazon.com/Island-Girl-Lynda-Simmons/dp/0425237249

I don’t read many novels, but this one pulled me in quickly and kept me glued to the story and the characters.  I really loved all three of the main characters – Ruby, Liz and Grace.  They were so real to me, so flawed, lives so messy.  They felt like they could have been family.  Smile 

The book came to me via a comment on a website about having the right to choose death for oneself in critical health conditions.  Ruby, the mother in the story has early onset Alzheimer's and she won’t have no disease dictate to her the kind of life she will live.  But her family is broken and she desperately wants to make things to her liking before it is too late. 

Each of the characters must heal various relationships… with others… with themselves.  By the end, I was in tears.  And I don’t cry easily. 

Saturday, November 2, 2013

When you decide to hate someone you automatically begin digging two graves:

 

Marc and Angel Hack Life - Practical Tips for Productive Living on Facebook

When you decide to hate someone you automatically begin digging two graves: one for your enemy and one for yourself. Hateful grudges are for those who insist that they are owed something. Forgiveness, on the other hand, is for those who are strong enough and smart enough to move on. After all, the best revenge is to be unlike the person who hurt you. The best revenge is living well, in a way that creates peace in your heart. - via:  http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/05/12/7-behaviors-to-stop-tolerating-from-others/

Thursday, October 24, 2013

the man who quit money

The man who quit money from Sacred Resonance on Vimeo.

 

http://vimeo.com/65171169

the three hardest tasks in the world

What Jesus Taught Me About Walking Away From People

http://storylineblog.com/2013/10/24/what-jesus-taught-me-about-walking-away-from-people/

People don’t like love…

"People don’t like love, they like that flittery flirty feeling. They don’t love love - love is sacrificial, love is ferocious, it’s not emotive. Our culture doesn’t love love, it loves the idea of love. It wants the emotion without paying anything for it. It’s ridiculous." ― Matt Chandler Parsons

Because it can feel like that: When you are giving everything you have, you can only take so much.

If you Need a Therapy that Really Calms the Heart -- http://www.aholyexperience.com/2013/10/if-you-need-a-therapy-that-really-calms-the-heart/

Thanks to God is what that calms the wild heart.

Anger makes us sick and weak and bound and the therapy is in the thanks.

Thanks therapy is God’s prescription for joy. 

This isn’t trite — this is treatment.”

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

always live for the little things in life

"Someone once told me to always live for the little things in life. Live for 5am sunrises and 5pm sunsets where you'll see colors in the sky that don't usually belong. Live for road trips and bike rides with music in your ears and the wind in your hair. Live for days when you're surrounded by your favorite people who make you realize that the world is not a cold, harsh place. Live for the little things because they will make you realize that this is what life is about, this is what it means to be alive" ― Anonymous

I am INTJ

Humanmetrics Jung Typology Test™
Your Type
INTJ
Introvert(67%) iNtuitive(12%) Thinking(25%) Judging(67%)
You have distinctive preference of Introversion over Extraversion (67%)
You have slight preference of Intuition over Sensing (12%)
You have moderate preference of Thinking over Feeling (25%)
You have distinctive preference of Judging over Perceiving (67%)
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Sundre Community Choir Blog/Website

I put together this blog/website to give the choir a presence on the web. A place for choir members and others to find out more information about the choir, upcoming events, videos and pictures. Please feel free to share the web address with friends and family. http://sundrecommunitychoir.blogspot.ca/

Saturday, September 21, 2013

An open letter to my non-homeschooling friends

"Homeschooling, like motherhood, has altered my relationships with friends in ways I did not initially expect." -- http://simplehomeschool.net/an-open-letter/

Friday, September 20, 2013

A little fun on Facebook today:

Pamela Schrock

It's international book week. The rules: grab the closest book to you, turn to page 52, post the 5th sentence as your status. Don't mention the title. Copy the rules as part of your status.


"I felt humble, one more set of footprints on a dusty well-worn path, discovering something new that's not new at all, and I was thankful."

Word Play Wednesdays

I am planning to try daily themes in our home school this year.  The other day on Bravewriter’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/bravewriter?hc_location=stream&filter=1), someone asked the question about Word Wednesday’s.  What a great theme!  So I am going to collect the ideas here to be able to reference later.

WORD PLAY WEDNESDAYS!

-  poetry fridge magnets

Holly Dong I don't know what Word Wednesday is, but we play a word game where you select a category (say animals) and the person has t name one using the last letter of what you said. So for example, "cat," next person says, "tiger" using the t. I didn't think my son would like it, but he did. When he was younger we used to play "Fortunately, Unfortunately" where you spin a story, one person saying only fortunate events and the other only unfortunate. Mostly we do them in the car or waiting in line though.

Melissa Rhymer Here are 2 we played all the time when my kids were younger and they still reasurect them as teenagers. We played in the car on our weekly trips to the city. 1) story crafting :we tell stories one sentence at a time each person taking a turn to add the next sentence. You NEVER know how these stories are going to end up! 2) sentence structure : each person picks a part of speech 1st person chooses a noun, 2nd. Chooses a verb 3rd chooses a prepositional phrase and together you have a silly sentence. You could add adjectives foe the noun for more people. It might look like this "The balloon catapulted around the bend" it was always challenging to find great verbs and to make our choices work with the other choices. Helped with tenses and such

Michelle Oliver I don't know what Word Wednesday is either, but we play some word games at poetry tea times. Here are a couple examples: Each person writes down 10 words, put them all in a "hat" and then everyone draws 10 and arranges them into a random poem-like piece. Each person writes a sentence on a piece of paper, folds the paper so you can only see the last word and the next person writes a sentence beginning with the word that shows. Mad libs are always fun. Play the "teapot" game, where one person leaves the room and the others think of a word that they then substitute with the word "teapot" and use in sentences when the "it" person re-enters. "It" tries to guess what the actual word that was chosen is. Lots of word games like this can be found. Even versions of Boggle and Spill and Spell are really fun...scrabble, upwords, etc. Gee..think we need a game night!

Katharine Wise We used to play I Spy but incorporate some phonetic clues. We'd also build on the clues as they guessed. For example: I spy something that rhymes with red. Is it Dad's head? No, it's brown. Is it...? No, it starts with /b/. The mixture of clues allowed all ages to play. If they didn't yet know letter-sound correlations they'd figure it out based on the other clues but start to become familiar with the sounds. We might also have played this as "I'm thinking of something..." that wasn't actually present (eg, a bear).

Shalynn Burnham Wilson Here's a link to a totally free book called Word Play Cafe. It has some fun ideas.http://dogfoose.com/wordplay-cafe/

WordPlay Café

dogfoose.com

This one’s for the teachers. Within the last few years, we’ve been stretched quite thin when it comes to budgetary matters, and very few sectors of our economy have witnessed as dramatic a cut in s...

Kiersten Pasciak If you have devices with apps, "Seven Little Words" is a fantastic app! There are 2 versions now, with one meant for younger kids. My kids love playing both versions with me.

Kiersten Pasciak Word Pirates, Appletters, Bananagrams, Pairs in Pears, Quiddler, Scrabble Slam, Pictionary Bend a Clues, Hangman, and Scattergories are some more good games for playing with letters and words. You can modify most games to be cooperative and play face up if you have younger kids playing
With Apples to Apples, we had my emerging reader play with us and just swap cards with the box if she couldn't read one of the cards in her hand. We helped with any words she didn't know when she was the judge. If we only had 3 players, we added a random card from the box each time to give the judge more answers to pick from. That makes the game sillier sometimes too There are younger versions for the game too, including a 7+ version and a 9+ version. We also play so that when the game ends, you read whatever green apple cards are in front of you and those "describe" you. It lightens the mood for the non-winners.

Anne LaFleur 1. We used to play a round of Boggle and then write stories using as many of the words on our lists as we could. 2. We still play this game, a poetry version of "Exquisite Corpse": First person writes two lines of a poem, then folds the paper so only their last line is showing and hands it to the next person. #2 player then writes two lines, folds the paper so only their last line is showing and hands it to the next person. After 3 or 4 stanzas you unfold and read the poem. 3. Make a birthday card for someone by writing "Have a very ________ Birthday". Fill in the blanks with lots of words you cut out from magazines. You could also do a self portrait poem this way, cutting words from magazines. I hope this helps.

-_______________________________________

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

The truth must be presented in ways that others can accept.

Sometimes we speak clumsily and create internal knots in others. Then we say, "I was just telling the truth." It may be the truth, but if our way of speaking causes unnecessary suffering, it is not Right Speech. The truth must be presented in ways that others can accept. Words that damage or destroy are not Right Speech. Before you speak, understand the person you are speaking to. Consider each word carefully before you say anything, so that your speech is "Right" in both form and content.
~Thich Nhat Hanh from The Heart of the Buddhas Teaching

 

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Spaghetti Squash Casserole (came to me via Facebook)

 

Spaghetti Squash Casserole
1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 cup (8 ounces) 1% cottage cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons seasoned dry bread crumbs
Preheat the oven to 400
Coat a 13" x 9" baking dish and a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Place the squash, cut side down, on the sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a sharp knife. With a fork, scrape the squash strands into a large bowl.
Meanwhile, warm the oil in a medium skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and basil. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft. Add the tomatoes. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the mixture is dry.
To the bowl with the squash, add the cottage cheese, mozzarella, parsley, salt, and the onion mixture. Stir to mix. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and bread crumbs.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbly and heated through.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

creative consequences for kids

Excellent article to read.  Check out the comments section too.  :o)

creative consequences for kids 

http://www.notconsumed.com/2012/05/02/consequences-for-little-hearts/

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Still working on plans for the school year…

I am putting together a notebook that can travel back and forth between my house and Chris’s mom’s house that will keep Chris on a predictable school routine at both homes.  This is what I came up for a daily routine…

 

DAILY ACTIVITIES

  1. READING – Read for a minimum of one hour a day. This could mean reading one book for an hour OR could be broken up into smaller portions. For example reading 2 books for 30 minutes each or maybe reading 4 books for 15 minutes each. Extra reading is encouraged and is a great activity when you find yourself bored.

  2. WRITING - Writing can include copywork, practising your handwriting, dictation, making lists, writing in a journal, writing a letter or a note to someone, a writing workbook page, writing lessons, practicing spelling words, writing a story or a poem. There are lots of ways to include writing in your day. Each day you need to have completed at least 3 writing activities.

  3. MATH - Each day will include at least 2 kinds of math learning. One will probably be a Teaching Textbooks lesson. Some of the other math activities may include – base ten blocks, flash cards, worksheets, educational website or iPad app, a computer program, books/stories or a game.

  4. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY - The Public Health Agency of Canada recommends children and youth accumulate 60 minutes of physical activity per day to achieve optimal health benefits. Some ideas to be active include – walking, running, riding your bike, playing at the park, exercises such as sit ups/jumping jacks/push ups/etc, sword fighting and so much more. The 60 minutes can be broken down into smaller portions. For example doing 30 minutes of bike riding and then 15 minutes of sword fighting and then 15 minutes of running.

  5. PRACTICING A SKILL - Put together a list of skills you want to develop. Work towards one of your goals by practicing a skill for 20 minutes. (Some kids want to gain skills in piano, basketball, guitar, or typing – each child has their short list of skills they want to develop. What are some of yours?). Your teachers (Mom, Auntie Pam or Uncle Wes) will also have some skills they know you need to develop.

  6. HELPING TAKE CARE OF THE HOME AND PETS - At Auntie Pam's house this includes feeding and watering the pets, bringing in the mail, keeping your room clean, doing your laundry, and any other tasks Auntie Pam may have for you day to day. ***At Mom's house this includes _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

  7. EXTRAS - This will include the daily theme activities, and/or working on the ranch with Uncle Wes.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

A notebook I am putting together for Chris

CHRISTOPHER'S LEARNING LOGBOOK

Each day take some time to write your learning activities and experiences in your learning logbook. Both Chris and Mom or Auntie Pam can record things but this should be mostly Chris's responsibility. There are different pages to record the variety of learning possibilities. These pages are titled:

  • Books read independently by Chris

  • Audio books listened to

  • Family read alouds

  • Games played

  • Writing (letters, blog, email, journal, greeting cards, reports, etc)

  • Other reading (Magazine or newspaper articles read, game instructions, etc)

  • Movies / Videos / Documentaries / TV shows watched

  • Websites used

  • Math resources

  • Ipad Apps

  • Classes taken

  • Projects (stuff from Make something Mondays, science experiments)

  • Tuesday Teatime poems / songs

  • Driver's Seat – what did Chris get to teach?

  • Field trips

  • Discussions

  • Character training

  • Skills observed / tried / learned

  • Physical Activity

  • Miscellaneous (anything that did not fit in any of the other pages)

  • WONDERING list (write down things you wonder about, questions you have that you want to find the answers to)

By taking the time to record all of the learning activities and experiences that you have, you will see that learning is something that can happen anytime or anywhere. Learning is much more than just “school”.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Well it is that time of year again…

… time to plan out a new home school year.  I just finished putting together the program plan for our facilitator.  I have decided to do something new this year with the weekly routine, I am planning themed days.  I think this idea will help with some of the boredom we experienced last year with each day looking the same.  Here is what I have some up with so far:

_______________________________________________________________

WEEKLY LEARNING LIFESTYLE ROUTINES:

***REMEMBER*** that we are not doing a public school education at home, we are facilitating an intentional learning lifestyle with the focus on DISCOVERY APPROACH LEARNING, which means we focus on the learning, not a product, not what grade the student is in, or what age they are.

DAILY: arithmetic, reading, writing, discovery (strewing).

Once the daily work is done, move onto the weekly theme activities ---

MONDAYS: Make something Mondays! Make a craft, a recipe, build something, Lego, etc.

TUESDAYS: Tuesday Teatime! Share a poem or song lyrics over tea and a yummy snack.

Also we can have Take a Trip Tuesdays! Take a field trip (virtual or real), maybe go to a movie theatre, a museum, take a nature walk, go to the park or some other fun outing.

WEDNESDAYS: DEAD (Drop Everything And Draw) Wednesdays! Check out the drawing pinterest board for ideas, freestyle, or check out a drawing book for ideas.

Also Wednesdays would be a great day for your student to take the DRIVER'S SEAT – have them teach you! They could teach you about a favorite topic, movie, character, how to play a game and so much more.

THURSDAYS: Thinking Thursdays! Go to the library and check out some new books and videos that interest you. Do some research online. Look over your “wondering” list. Do a science experiment. Spend some time on educational websites.

FRIDAYS: Fresh and Fun Fridays! Do a fun idea from Pinterest. Have a friend over. Watch a movie in the afternoon. Play a board game or video game together.

SATURDAY: Ketchup Day! Use this day to catch up one any daily work you might have missed (get it... catch-up day!) :o)

Familiarity breeds insensitivity

Familiarity breeds insensitivity -- http://blog.bravewriter.com/2013/08/31/familiarity-breeds-insensitivity/

I am guilty of this –> “There are some remarks parents don’t realize are insensitive. When a child is hurting over a rejection, suggesting the child examine her behavior for how she might have alienated the friend can feel like piling on.”

Why is parenting so hard????  Sigh.

Friday, August 23, 2013

I am tired…

Quick Black Forest Torte

 

Quick Black Forest Torte  (found on Facebook)


If you need to make a great dessert in a pinch here is a good one that always ends up all gone before you turn around..
Ingredients:
4 cups mini-marshmallows
1 chocolate cake mix
1 can cherry pie filling
1 large container of Cool Whip (or 2 cups whipping cream) (light)
Method:
Pour four cups of mini-marshmallows into a greased 9x13 inch cake pan.
Prepare chocolate cake mix according to directions on package. Pour over marshmallows.
Spoon cherry pie filling evenly over cake.
Bake at 350°F for about 50 minutes...or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool.
Top with whipped topping. (If using whipping cream, whip 2 cups of cream with 3 Tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until almost ready to form peaks.)
Serves 15.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

So I am thinking Chris may have ADHD…

So I am thinking Chris may have ADHD.  It has been asked of me before if I thought he may have it but I always dismissed it because he is not hyper like other ADD kids I have known.  But information has been coming across my desk lately that has made me reconsider.  From one info graphic I found it seems there are kind of three branches of ADHD.  Here is the info graphic (I don’t remember the source but I will try to find it and put a link up here to it).

2f1c96bf49424d25a2ab6b742417afd6

 

Now according to this chart, I think Chris mostly fits into the second column.  Many of his behaviours are a form of being hyper I guess.  So now I am trying to figure how to proceed from here with this new found knowledge.

One blogger is doing a series on ADHD.  Here are her posts:

1.  5 Days of ADHD Awareness: ADHD Defined  -- http://www.benandme.com/2013/08/5-days-of-adhd-awareness-adhd-defined.html

2.  5 Days of ADHD Awareness: ADHD, Lying, and Your Child's Heart -- http://www.benandme.com/2013/08/ADHD-Lying-Your-Childs-Heart.html

In the comments section of this post, there is a chart that a mom uses with her son to help him calm down. 

“1) It's not so bad.
2) Breathe slowly. Relax your shoulders. Count to 10.
3) Don't beat yourself up. Hit a pillow - anything besides YOURSELF
4) Meditate and pray, chant for peace inside your head. Sing our song. (we do this together)
5) Tell your story - slowly.
6) Take control. 'I am in charge of my own choices and perception'
7) Find small physical distractions. Squeeze a stress ball. Pet our Dog.
8) Talk. Be respectful though. Don't suffer in silence.
9) Tell how you want to turn the situation around.
10) You're not always going to get your way, so don't expect to. Don't plan on everything to come out perfectly

my blog: http://homeschoolandwork.blogs...

3.  5 Days of ADHD Awareness: Angry, Frustrated, and Hurt, oh my!  --  http://www.benandme.com/2013/08/ADHDEmotions.html

4.  5 Days of ADHD Awareness -- To Treat or Not to Treat, That is the Question  --  http://www.benandme.com/2013/08/ADHD-Treatment.html

5.  5 Days of ADHD Awareness: Focus vs. Hyper-Focus  --  http://www.benandme.com/2013/08/ADHD-Focus-Hyper-Focus.html

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Have you heard about Knighthaven?

My son Jordan is part of this group.  It is all his boyhood dreams come true.  Smile

 

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Information and ideas for Ashton’s home education year

 

1.  Amazing Airmen: Canadian Flyers in the Second World War  -- http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/amazing-airmen-canadian-flyers-in/9781554884247-item.html?ikwid=Canadian%2520Flyer&ikwsec=Home&gcs_requestid=0CNj8_PD-yLgCFQQq5wodTlYAAA

 

2.  A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story Of Combat And Chivalry In The War-torn Skies Of World War II  -- http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/A-Higher-Call-An-Incredible-True-Story-Of-Combat-And-Chivalry-In-The-War-torn-Skies-Of-World-War-Ii/9780425252864-item.html?ref=item_page:richrel:rr-carousel-small:json1

 

3.  Night Fighters: Stories from the Flyers of Canada's All-Weather Fighter Force Canada and Europe 1953 to 1984  --- http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/night-fighters-stories-from-the/9781926962214-item.html?ikwid=Canadian%2520Flyer&ikwsec=Home&gcs_requestid=0CNj8_PD-yLgCFQQq5wodTlYAAA

 

4.  Raf Bomber Crewman  -- http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Raf-Bomber-Crewman/9780747807964-item.html?ref=item_page:richrel:rr-carousel-small:json1

 

5. Helicopter Flying Handbook: Faa-h-8083-21a

  --- http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/helicopter-flying-handbook-faa-h/9781560279570-item.html?ikwid=Helicopters&ikwsec=Books&gcs_requestid=0CMj3hp-DybgCFctJ5wod0y0AAA

 

6.  The God Machine: From Boomerangs To Black Hawks: The Story Of The Helicopter  --  http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/The-God-Machine-From-Boomerangs-To-Black-Hawks-The-Story-Of-The-Helicopter/9780553383522-item.html?ref=item_page:richrel:rr-carousel:json2

 

7.  English Language Arts -- http://education.alberta.ca/media/645785/grade6.pdf

Daily Grams Grade 6
10-minute, daily lessons.
180 Daily Reviews: capitalization, punctuation, grammar and other concepts including analogies; spelling; phrases and clauses; dictionary skills; difficult words; sentence types; letters; prefixes, roots, and suffixes; sentence fragments and run ons; simple, compound and complex sentences; synonyms, antonyms and homonyms, etc.

  (http://www.canadianhomeeducation.com/products/34594-daily-grams-grade-6.aspx#.UfBD8EG1HoI)

 

 

8.  Grade 6 science topics

A. Air and Aerodynamics
B. Flight
C. Sky Science
D. Evidence and Investigation
E. Trees and Forests

http://education.alberta.ca/media/654825/elemsci.pdf

http://www.canadianhomeeducation.com/category/910-flight.aspx

Air and Water Power Science Kits -- https://www.ads-academic.com/shop.php?area=item&sku=102215

Air Stream Machines Science Kits -- https://www.ads-academic.com/shop.php?area=item&sku=102779

 

 

9.  Social Studies

Democracy: Action and Participation
6.1 Citizens Participating in Decision
Making
6.2 Historical Models of Democracy:
Ancient Athens and the Iroquois
Confederacy

http://education.alberta.ca/media/774369/ss6.pdf

A Call to Battle, I Am Canada Series -- https://www.ads-academic.com/shop.php?area=item&sku=102661

Behind Enemy Lines, I Am Canada  --  https://www.ads-academic.com/shop.php?area=item&sku=102482

 

10.  HEALTH AND LIFE SKILLS -- http://education.alberta.ca/media/313382/health.pdf

 

11.  INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY -- http://education.alberta.ca/media/453069/pofs.pdf

 

12.  Mathematics -- http://education.alberta.ca/media/645594/kto9math.pdf

Teaching Textbooks -- http://www.teachingtextbooks.com/

Quarter Mile Math -- http://www.canadianhomeeducation.com/products/40225-quarter-mile-math-levels-1-2-3-bundle.aspx#.UfBGuUG1HoI

 

13.  Home School Boards -- http://www.canadianhomeeducation.com/topic/15-school-boards.aspx

 

14. 

Friday, July 19, 2013

There is always love to give

Pamela Schrock shared Marc and Angel Hack Life - Practical Tips for Productive Living's photo.

If you’re feeling pain, don’t take action that creates even more pain. Don’t try to cover darkness with darkness. Find the light. Act out of love. Do something that will enable you to move forward toward a more fulfilling reality. There is always something good you can do. There is always love to give. Fill your heart with it and act in everyone’s best interest, especially your own. - via: http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/07/07/5-unique-ways-to-forgive-and-let-go/

Friday, July 12, 2013

COMMUNITY

The Canadian philosopher and humanitarian, Jean Vanier, once said that “Community is a sign that love is possible in a materialistic world… It is a sign that we don’t need a lot of money to be happy–in fact, the opposite.”

http://eartheasy.com/blog/2013/06/five-ways-to-build-community-this-summer/

Friday, July 5, 2013

Pride = relationship killer

"Now humility is essential to unity. Pride lurks behind all discord, while the greatest single secret of concord is humility. It is not difficult to prove this in experience. The people we immediately, instinctively like, and find it easy to get on with, are the people who give us the respect we consider we deserve, while the people we immediately, instinctively dislike are those who treat us like dirt. In other words, personal vanity is a key factor in all our relationships. If, however, instead of maneuvering for the respect of others (which is pride) we give them our respect by recognizing their intrinsic God-given worth (which is humility), we shall be promoting harmony in God's new society."
John Stott

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Advent of Google means we must rethink our approach to education --- We have a romantic attachment to skills from the past which are no longer relevant on a curriculum for today's children

Free Range Learning posted on Facebook:

The algorithms that make Google possible are not taught to children. Instead, they are told: "Google is full of junk." In school examinations, learners must reproduce facts from memory, solve problems using their minds and paper alone. They must not talk to anyone or look at anyone else's work. They must not use any educational resources, certainly not the internet. When they complete their schooling and start a job, they are told to solve problems in groups, through meetings, using every resource they can think of. They are rewarded for solving problems this way – for not using the methods they were taught in school.

 

Read the post here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/jun/15/schools-teaching-curriculum-education-google?INTCMP=SRCH

Thursday, June 13, 2013

INTERVIEW WITH DEANNA

 

Registered Student from 2002 to 2013.

Attended the River Valley Public School from kindergarten till the end of grade 2.

A traditional home education student with Families Learning Together September 2005 till June 2013.

I interviewed Deanna on June 13, 2013 using the graduation interview format shared by Wes Beach at his website - http://www2.cruzio.com/~beachhi/graduation.html.

“There is no graduation from education.” ~Greg Denning

_______________________________________________________________

  1. Why do you want to be done with high school? Why do you think you will be successful even though you haven't done all the usual courses associated with high school learning?

    I want to be done with school because realistically I know what I need and when I need to know more, I will learn it then (referencing book / academic learning).

    It is my belief that all the classes a person is suppose to take in high school are BS, and one does not need them unless the person wants to become a scientist or a doctor or whatever. I don't need the book learning that is required in public school for everyday life.

  1. What are your plans for the next few years? You don't have to have everything planned out; just tell me what plans you do have, even if they are very vague.

    I plan to move out, maybe move to Red Deer. I want to get married and have kids... be a stay at home mom. I want to get into breeding dogs as a hobby. I would like to get a pig again. And I plan to get piercings and tattoos.

  1. Do you feel you know your own capabilities well? Are you confident in yourself? Are you reasonably certain you can follow through with the plans you talked about in the previous question?

    I think I know my capabilities pretty well. At work I am confident and with my group of friends I am confident, although I do still have a shy side. I also aware that in new situations that I get very nervous but with time and experience become comfortable and confident. I am the type of person who knows what I want and I have the gusto to follow and pursue what I want.

  1. Why do you think you deserve a diploma? What do you think your diploma should be based on?

    I do not care about getting a diploma. To me a diploma is a “shiny” piece of paper , but in the end it is still just a piece of paper.

  1. Tell me about your past educational experiences.

    I went to public school, finishing grade 2. Then I was home schooled. I have done some other learning experiences including – a week long art course at Red Deer College, work experience at the vet's office, dog training and experience with Liz at the Red Deer dog show.

5a. What are some of your favorite home school experiences / moments?

When we took the writing classes with author Sigmund Brouwer. The themed fair's that Lori Desrosiers hosted every fall – I loved making the boards for them. And that time you played classical music to help us with math but instead we made up great stories to match the music.

  1. What skills do you think you possess? Of course there is the typical math and reading. But what about researching necessary information, dealing with people, setting up opportunities for yourself? Tell me about any special skills you have.

    I like to research things. Like the other day I wanted to know more about Rottweilers and Auntie Tracy gave me questions to figure out the answers to. It was fun.

    I think I am a nurturing person. I like to stand up for people – root for the underdog.

    I am good at communicating via writing but not that great in conversation.

    I am a good listener.

    I am computer literate.

    I am good at multitasking.

    I am great at remembering numbers.

    I like working through conflict, not ignoring it and hoping it will go away like some people I know.

    I love planning and organizing.

    I am pretty good at problem solving.

    I am okay working in small groups but find that too many people overwhelm me.

    I am not good at being flexible with plans. I like plans to be set in stone or to follow a predictable pattern.

    7. What are some of your passions?

    I have been told I am a passionate person but that I hide that part of myself in large social situations but that in a more personal setting, it is very obvious.

    I am very interested in animals, poetry, writing, kids (I hope to adopt one day), and self expression (using clothes and make up to make a statement).

  1. List any life experiences that have enabled you to grow into a more mature, wiser and accomplished person.

    My whole life has been an experience that has made me grow into the person that I am. My crappy life and relationship experiences these past 2 years have changed me. I find that my opinions have changed a lot in this same time period, due to new people in my life. I now find myself being openly different where as the previous version of myself felt different from everyone else but I didn't express it openly. And because of my journey to this point in my life, I find that I am more accepting of different viewpoints (like those who are emo, punk, Scientologists, gay, etc), those people who are considered outside the cultural norm.

Anything else you would like to include?

    ~ I love to do paperwork. I think I would like to do some kind of desk job.

    ~ If I had been in public school, I think I would have like 2 classes the most – English and Social Studies, because you get to read things and then express your opinion in written form.

    ~ I find that I am different than a lot of other teens because of my experience of home education. I find that I have better work ethic and a better grasp of life knowledge.

    ~ I have thought enviously about what it could have been like if I had lived in the city and gone to public school --- I would have been able to see my friends daily and could have went to parties and such. But I also realize and appreciate how I was raised and the life I do have.

    ~ I crave social interaction. In my dream world, I would like to be able to have lots of money so that I could have the social life that I want for the next year and a half instead of feeling the need and the pressure to step into an adult role sooner than I want to or feel that I should have to.

** Who do you look up to (people you know in person and people you may not know but admire because of their work in life, etc)?

~ I look up to my friend Caralyn because even though her life is hell, that when life pushes and she pushes back! I envy how she is not scared to go after what she wants and that she is not shy.

~ A person that I look up to that I don't know personally is Onision. I like him because he is not afraid to share his opinion and doesn't care what others think about him or his opinion. I like that he is making a life outside all of the BS. (http://www.youtube.com/speaks ) (http://youtube.wikia.com/wiki/Onision )

~ I look up to and envy my brother Jordan. Life does not seem hard for him. I realize that this is only my perception of him. I like how he has his life together and how he has accepted adulthood. I like what he has done and accomplished at his age and I hope to do the same in my own life.

Home Education Report for CHRISTOPHER

 

June 12, 2013

Christopher has been living with us for a year now. We were granted guardianship of him at the end of October 2012. We chose home education for him to provide for him a steady and predictable environment for him to live and learn in with the hopes of helping him overcome some of his obstacles he was experiencing the the public school setting.

When Christopher was first here, he presented himself as one who did not like to learn or to read, and thought of himself and not very smart. He was having trouble socially – interacting with other kids and adults as well. He was needy with kids own age (wanting attention and to control the interaction with other kids). He was also struggling at controlling his anger. He would to turn to anger when a situation did not go his way or as a way to manipulate people. He also was turning the anger towards himself (saying things like - “I am stupid!”, “I should just run away.”, “Maybe I should just kill myself.”)

So our approach to this home school year was less about academics and more about helping Christopher become a steadier, happier, and a well adjusted kid. And I am happy to report he has made many improvements this past year.

He is interacting, in groups of children without incidents of anger and control. He is able to control his anger in situations that previously would have had him flying off the handle. He will go and play by himself in his room or outside (something he would not do in the beginning). He loves to read! He loves to learn. He is more positive about himself now. He does sometimes revert to previous thoughts/behaviors if he gets disciplined for something, but this doesn't happen very often anymore.

So I am happy to report that it has been a very successful year. Our relaxed approach to learning and steady and predictable parenting style has helped Christopher become a typical 8 year old boy – full of energy and enthusiasm.

_________________________________________________

Academic Report:

Reading: Christopher has improved by leaps and bounds in reading. I remember when I first took him to the library last summer – he complained about how boring and babyish books were. He wasn't interested in anything I tried to share with him. Compare that to today where just yesterday I returned 30 books to the library for him. When I first started him on reading, he would only read the beginner reader type books (Steps 2 and 3). Now he is reading chapter books by the dozen... plus anything else that crosses his path (food labels, newspapers, magazines, and more). Reading is one of his “go to” independent activities.

Arithmetic: Christopher has been working his way through Teaching Textbooks 3. (http://www.teachingtextbooks.com/v/vspfiles/tt/Math3.htm) He really likes doing math on the computer with this program.

Some things I have observed about Christopher when it comes to math:

  • he relies heavily on manipulatives to find answers (fingers, drawing counters)

  • he does not commit math facts to memory

  • he does not retain the lessons for very long. For this reason a program like TT3 is great for him because it provides constant review.

We have also used card games, flash cards, iPad apps and more to help with math learning in a different format.

Writing: Christopher did not do much writing this year. He does print very well. His spelling is very good for his age. He has trouble with wanting his writing to be perfect which then halts the desire to get words and thoughts down on paper. I just recently went to hear Julie Bogart from 'Bravewriter' (http://www.bravewriter.com/ ) speak and I now have some great ideas and tools to help Christopher become a writer in the coming years.

Writing in cursive was high on Christopher's priority list for grade 3, so he has been working through the “Hand Writing Without Tears” workbook. ( http://shopping.hwtears.com/product/CH/HWT )

He has done some copywork lessons, and he likes to leave me notes on where he is going on the farm.

Learning opportunities experienced this past year:

  • Simple and Motorized Machines Lego class

  • Introduction to Art class at the Sundre Library

  • Ceramics painting with Hot Pots studio

  • Minecraft of the iPad

  • Personal tour of The Guzoo

  • Building with lego (another one of his 'go to' independent activities)

  • Working on the ranch with Uncle Wes

  • Fire Safety concert in Red Deer

  • Watching TV programs such as “How It's Made”, “The Dog Whisperer”, and some of the PBS educational kids shows

  • Reading Eggspress Website

  • Movies (Dolphine Tale, Where the Red Fern Grows, Bridge to Teribithia, The Hobbitt, Big Miracle, Nim's Island, etc)

  • Community Choir Concerts (Spring and Christmas)

  • Home School Plays (Tumbleweeds and Shakespeare Comes to Calamity Creek)

  • Trapping moles

  • Games (Rush Hour, Battleship, War, ...)

  • Watched the complete Magic School Bus Series

  • Built a bird house

  • Watched “March of the Penguins”

  • Reads “Owl Magazine” -- a gift subscription from friends

  • Participating in “Little Passports”, a geography program. ( http://www.littlepassports.com/ )

  • Strewing --- I leave interesting things for him to discover. ( http://christopherjas.blogspot.ca/2012/12/more-information-about-strewing.html )

  • iPad learning apps

  • Learning activity task cards

  • Sword fighting training with Jordan

  • Lots of bike riding with his new bike

  • Book series he likes to read – Geronimo Stilton and Magic Tree House

Home Education Report for DEANNA

 

June 12, 2013

Deanna is finishing up her final year as a registered home school student. She has decided instead to pursue employment and a variety of learning experiences that may come her way in the future, but no longer wants to be a full time student.

Deanna is a very creative and passionate person which shines in her pursuit of art, poetry, animals, people and friendships.

This past year has included many life learning experiences that are in her areas of interest:

  • She attended a week long art course at the Red Deer College last August called Summerscapes.

  • She worked at our local vets office as a volunteer for February, March and April.

  • She volunteered with Liz T. at the Red Deer Dog Show.

  • She was a member of the Sundre Community Choir and performed at the Christmas concert here in Sundre as well as the Festival of Trees in Red Deer.

  • She performed with her dad recently at the Senior's Tea here in Sundre.

  • She has become a member of the medieval group Knighthaven in Red Deer.

  • She writes poetry all the time.

  • She has temporarily closed the door on her ownership of animals. She found homes for all her pets in the fall so she could pursue a job in town.

  • She passed the learners licence test. And hopes to get her drivers licence in September.

  • She put together a resume for herself. She completed three job interviews and successfully landed a job in the paint department at our local Home Hardware.

  • She is passionate about human rights.

  • She continues to work on the family ranch as well, helping out mostly with calving season which continues to be her favorite season of all.

  • She loves to write. She keeps a blog and journals on a regular basis.

  • She attended a Medieval Feast called Pillage the Village in Olds. A fundraiser for the Olds public library.

  • She has read a variety of books for school and for pleasure. She mostly uses the internet for pursuing the topics she is interested in.

NOTE: I plan to do an interview with her like I did with Jordan when he decided he was done with his formal education years. I will forward it to you when it has been completed.

Loving the Hard to Like --- We know about loving our friends and our enemies, but what about the people in-between?

Read the post here -- http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/whole-life/loving-hard

Sound bites from the article:

  1. “Love does not mean you are filled with warm, fuzzy feelings. It is not a big purple dinosaur dispensing free hugs and sing-along songs. True love goes against our very nature.”
  2. “The real challenge of love is that it requires us to be selfless when we are all selfish by nature. Love, then, is a defiance of our own instinct.”
  3. “What love does is a direct result of what love is.”
  4. “Love is not a feeling—it is an act of valuing others as much as we value ourselves.”

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

The Truth About Sexual Desire

“But we seem to have confused sex and love—you can have one without the other. In our world today, there is a surplus of sex and a deficit of love.”

quotes from The Truth About Sexual Desire at http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/church/truth-about-sexual-desire

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Independent Learning…

 

I am not sure if I have shared this video before, but even if I did it is worth a second look.  

What if students designed their own "school"?

 

Isn't this the truth….

“I’m not your Friend, I’m your Mother!”

This article has made me rethink the above statement.  http://suepatterson.wordpress.com/2013/05/29/im-not-your-friend-im-your-mother/

A portion of the article to ponder…

“Friends trust each other, share information about what they’re doing, who they’re with, what they’re trying – why would a parent not want that? If you have your child’s trust, you will be in so much better position to guide or offer advice from your experience. As parents, you will be able to react to situations with less anxiety, if you have spent time developing that relationship. Building trust takes time, and how we parented them when they were younger will have a direct effect on the relationship we have with them as teenagers.  When parents find themselves pulling The Mom Card, often what they are saying is that they want blind obedience.”

All sin is a result of not loving.

“All sin is a result of not loving. When husbands look at pornography, they are not loving their wives. When children disobey their parents, they are not loving their parents or God. When you are anxious and worry, you are not loving God for God said that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments and He tells us not to worry but to trust.”

http://lorialexander.blogspot.ca/2013/06/not-loving-enough.html

75 Happiness Quotes to Live By

http://www.marcandangel.com/2012/07/04/75-happiness-quotes-to-live-by/

Thursday, May 30, 2013

What was it that brought you to faith?

Prodigal Magazine

"I did not eventually grab the outstretched arm of God because I was so afraid of hell. No, I held onto it because I was so incredibly hungry for heaven."
http://www.prodigalmagazine.com/fear-to-faith/

quote from the post that spoke to me:

 

Let us speak of that Love on earth.

Let us use it to erase the tracks of fear.

And as we ponder where we will go after we die, let us focus also on what Love we can spread while we live.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

technologies that allow them to pursue self-directed learning on their own terms and on their own time schedules

Project Based Homeschooling shared on Facebook:

“I think the potential is really there for us to be raising a new generation of young people who have grown up with technologies that allow them to pursue self-directed learning on their own terms and on their own time schedules.
This is very different from how kids learn in school, where they’re handed a set body of knowledge that they’re asked to master and the expertise really resides in the teacher.
When kids go online in these more informal contexts where they’re pursuing their interests, they can really go, look around, and connect with knowledge, people, online communities that really enable them to tailor and customize what they want to learn, when they want to learn it.
And that is tremendously empowering for kids and motivating for them to learn.” — Dr. Mizuko Ito

Savor the stuff that gives me joy…

263226_621140941230312_676694581_n

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

I think the love we build is much more reliable than the love we feel. Feelings are weather.

Donald Miller posted on Facebook:

I think the love we build is much more reliable than the love we feel. Feelings are weather.

some comments…

Sarah -- Yep. Feelings are like internal weather patterns just passing through, neither good nor bad, and not necessarily full of meaning. Love is always available regardless of what the "feelings" radar reads.

 

Sam -- Too many of us think of love as a feeling, and feelings come and go too easily.

Rhubarb Dump Cake

 

Rhubarb Dump Cake
More like a crisp than a cake, but it doesn't get much easier or yummier than this!
Rhubarb Dump Cake
1 pound rhubarb, cut into 1/4 inch pieces (between 3 and 4 cups)
1 cup white sugar
1 (3 ounce package) strawberry jell-o
1 package yellow cake mix
1 cup water
1/4 cup butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread the rhubarb evenly in the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle the sugar over the rhubarb, followed by the jell-o, and finally the cake mix. Pour the water and melted butter over the top. Do not stir. Bake for 45 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender.
for more great tips and recipes feel free to join us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/weightnomorewithsara/

I don’t want to read the Bible anymore…

This author is being transparent while on his faith journey…  good stuff.  http://deeperstory.com/read-the-bible/

More by Micah:  http://deeperstory.com/author/micah/

About the author:

About Micah: Once upon a time Micah knew everything there was to know about God, the Bible, and how the universe works. Then one day he found himself admitting that, despite having all the answers, he barely believed in God anymore. With the few shreds of faith he had left, he clung to the hope that God was searching for him, and that he would someday be found. Being found is more of a journey than a destination, and this is where you’ll find Micah today. Slowly picking through all the broken pieces of failed religion, looking for Jesus in the midst of it, being found by Him more and more each day. When he’s not chasing his two small boys around the house, riding motorcycles with his wife, or overdosing on coffee, Micah attempts to scrawl out the words of this unfolding story on the pages of the internet.

Your “calling” is closer than you think…

This post is great.  http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/practical-faith/your-calling-closer-you-think

But this brought it all home…

“This is how I've started looking at calling.

It takes an extraordinary amount of discipline and maturity to live in today, walking step by step doing whatever I'm supposed to do today. It takes discipline to say "I don't know." It takes faith to trust in one-day-at-a-time. It requires me to lay down my desperate, freakish desire for control and trust He is at work.

He knows the reason I was made. If I walk in step with Him every day I will walk into the reason. Maybe I'm here for something big and meaningful, or maybe I'm supposed to pick up rocks so the tractors don't break.

My "calling" is every day.”

Some thoughts about walls

http://www.alanknox.net/2013/05/some-thoughts-about-walls/

“Because God loves people, and God sends us to people… whether they are inside walls or outside walls.”

What is the Story God Sees Happening in the World?

http://storylineblog.com/2013/05/28/what-is-the-story-god-sees-happening-in-the-world/

 

Liked the above post.  Go back and reread it.  Smile

 

Liked this advice from the post:

“Here’s a way to think about it that is complicated but has helped me: The “Image of Godliness” is always Satan while “Godliness” is always Jesus. Never trust anybody projecting an image of any sort. Period. Truth projects nothing. Truth simply is. Truth has no agenda. If you sense an agenda, walk away. Somebody is manipulating you.”

Sunday, May 26, 2013

People are drawn to black and white opinions because…

Donald Miller posted on Facebook:

People are drawn to black and white opinions because they are simple, not because they are true. Truth demands serious effort and thought.

The Single Defining Characteristic of a Manipulator

http://storylineblog.com/2013/05/23/the-single-defining-characteristic-of-a-manipulator/

"Okay. I have grace. What now?"

Serena Woods posted on Facebook :

I had the best time this weekend with the ladies of Northampton College Church.
Question/Answer time was my favorite. Best question was probably:

"Okay. I have grace. What now?"

My answer (roughly): "Worship. Make your life your very own expression of the overflow from what's happening in your heart. Love people out of that worship."

Friday, May 17, 2013

Because the innocent deserve better. And we, as a society, have failed them.

"I want to live in a world where you can go for a test drive with people interested in buying your truck without getting kidnapped.
I want to live in a world where a teenage girl can accept a ride from a friend’s father without winding up a captive for ten years.
I want to live in a world where you can send your children to kindergarten without worrying that they will be shot.
But we don’t live in such a world, because we are far more concerned with rights than we are with public safety."  
(read the whole article here)--- http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2013/05/public-safety-should-come-first/

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Success vs Significance --- Choose Significance

“I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.” – Leo Rosten

Great advice in this post –> http://www.becomingminimalist.com/stop-chasing-success-seek-significance/

Monday, May 13, 2013

A homeschooling habit.

Wonder Farm explains how they home school -- http://patriciazaballos.com/how-we-homeschool/

“I think it’s the same for my kids. Gathering in the kitchen at 9:30 or 10:00 each morning for tea and a snack is their cue to start thinking, start bouncing ideas from their heads to the ceiling to the yellow counters and back again. I’ll often throw out a few suggestions, depending on what they’re working on, but more often than not, they have their own ideas.”

Becoming a writing mentor for your child…

When it comes to your kids and writing—particularly if you homeschool—you have a choice to make: do you want to be a writing teacher to your child, or a writing mentor?

http://patriciazaballos.com/2013/02/28/become-a-writing-mentor-to-your-child-part-1-teacher-or-mentor/

You can read all posts in this series here. (http://patriciazaballos.com/become-a-writing-mentor-to-your-child/)

The Dictation Project

“One of the hardest parts of taking dictation from a kid can be getting started. If you sit down at a table with a pencil and a piece of blank paper and say, “Tell me a story and I’ll write it down,” you might get lucky, and you might [...]”

http://patriciazaballos.com/category/the-dictation-project/

“some of the best life advice we've ever come across…”

“In 2005, author David Foster Wallace was asked to give the commencement address to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College. However, the resulting speech didn't become widely known until 3 years later, after his tragic death. It is, without a doubt, some of the best life advice we've ever come across, and perhaps the most simple and elegant explanation of the real value of education.
We made this video, built around an abridged version of the original audio recording, with the hopes that the core message of the speech could reach a wider audience who might not have otherwise been interested. However, we encourage everyone to seek out the full speech (because, in this case, the book is definitely better than the movie).”
-The Glossary

 

Saturday, May 11, 2013

parenting… failure was certain…

"That first long night in the darkened hospital room, my hand traced the fingers and toes of this new little person.

How could I do this?

The lump in my throat grew.

Failure was certain.

I was going to let this little boy down. Parenting is an experiment in radical grace and the work of every parent is to fully give to the child. And it’s the work of every child to fully forgive the parents.

Would he?" 

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/05/for-the-mother-who-fears-failure/

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Estate Planning is a Gift

estate planning is a gift

http://celebrateeverydaywithme.com/2013/05/a-simply-organized-life-estate-planning-is-a-gift.html

Estate Planning is a gift to those you leave behind. It is time to get your estate in order  (<< Tweet This).  Whether we’re talking children and guardians, spouses or extended family, you can take steps now to leave less of a headache to those remaining.”

Thursday, May 2, 2013

He invites us to live side by side as a family

http://www.alanknox.net/2013/05/he-invites-us-to-live-side-by-side-as-a-family/

WHY DON’T CHRISTIANS PLAY NICE? on learning putting our need to be right second to our call to love

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/church/why-dont-christians-play-nice

Love this blog title and tag line…

LIFELONG LEARNING

FOR US, IT'S A LIFE FULL OF SATURDAYS…

“And at this moment, on a warm California evening, I am reading this list and wondering . . . who do I want to be going forward?”

A Deeper Family (on Facebook)

"I want to send roots deep into the beauty of life, to stand in slack-jawed joy at the wonder of it all.
I want to be brave and kind and encouraging.
I want to admit my flaws, own up to the messiness, look in the mirror without hesitation, and tell the ugly voices within to shut the hell up — because that’s exactly where they come from.
I want to raise my hands to heaven with gratitude at least a hundred times as often as I raise my fists in frustration.
I want to lean into the future with anticipation, come what may. I want to own my wrinkles and my cellulite, to celebrate the long life that has thinned my hair and thickened my waistline, to embrace the inevitable losses because of the inestimable gains.
I want to stand there when I’m 78 or 88 or 98 (really???) and look back at 68 and say: That was a great decade, wasn’t it?
I want to live until I leave."

Read her story here -- http://deeperstory.com/11658/

Sunday, April 28, 2013

documenting your work & life outside of college:

Zero Tuition College (on Facebook)

Here's a great example of a simple online portfolio for documenting your work & life outside of college: http://jlkauffman.com/goals/

Thursday, April 25, 2013

drink deep of God’s pure kindness

Wayne Jacobsen (on Facebook)

For those who think we need to be shamed into righteousness or fear God to find holiness consider this: "Drink deep of God's pure kindness. Then you'll grow up mature and whole in God." I Peter 2:3 (The Message)

Is there a better option than inviting new believers "to church"?

Good post (read the comments section too…)

The Assembling of the Church (on Facebook)

Is there a better option than inviting new believers "to church"?http://bit.ly/rt5jqP

Power based on love…

Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.

Mahatma Gandhi

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/mahatmagan395453.html#loX7kpK1f3yigjkm.99

Julie Bogart shares what her home schooled kids are doing now…

What are they doing now?  -- http://blog.bravewriter.com/2013/04/25/what-are-they-doing-now-caitrin/

“Just a couple days ago, Caitrin made a great comment about homeschooling. She said she’s realized that the main thing she got from her home education is a craving to learn. She told me that she measures herself by how much she’s learned, not by grades, not by meeting requirements. She knows that’s different than many of her peers and she credits homeschool with that quality.”

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

New idea… do you think it will fly? Suggestions/feedback?

Recess = a temporary withdrawal or cessation from the usual work or activity; break.

What is the one favorite activity of public school kids?  Recess!  So I figure, why not have one for our homeschooled kids as well.


I invite you to come to RECESS in (my town) on Wednesday's at the  Park from 1pm to 3pm.

In the words of the very wise Joyce Fetteroll, “Teaching is putting information in; learning is drawing information in.”

Teaching vs Learning -- http://aradicalpath.com/teaching-vs-learning/

When we are open and honest about our messy spirituality–It encourages others who may be feeling everyone else has it all together.

“In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others.” ― Brennan Manning, Abba’s Child

 

Robin’s story -- http://heartofwisdom.com/blog/working-harder-is-not-the-answer/

Wow…. beautiful!

There is a tribe in east Africa in which the art of true intimacy is fostered even before birth. In this tribe, the birth date of a child is not counted from the day of its physical birth nor even the day of conception as in other village cultures. For this tribe the birth date comes the first time the child is a thought in its mother's mind. Aware of her intention to conceive a child with a particular father, the mother then goes off to sit alone under a tree. There she sits and listens until she can hear the song of the child that she hopes to conceive. Once she has heard it, she returns to her village and teaches it to the father so that they can sing it together as they make love, inviting the child to join them. After the child is conceived, she sings it to the baby in her womb. Then she teaches it to the old women and midwives of the village, so that throughout the labor and at the miraculous moment of birth itself, the child is greeted with its song. After the birth all the villagers learn the song of their new member and sing it to the child when it falls or hurts itself. It is sung in times of triumph, or in rituals and initiations. This song becomes a part of the marriage ceremony when the child is grown, and at the end of life, his or her loved ones will gather around the deathbed and sing this song for the last time.

Quoted from Jack Kornfield,
A Path with Heart (Bantam Books, 1993), p. 334

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

a quote that sheds a light on my home education goals for Chris

AhaParenting.com (on Facebook)

"Deep down, we know that math scores aren’t what will carry our daughter through the trial of a breakup, that physical agility or prowess on the violin won’t help our son as he negotiates a conflict at work. For such challenges they will need not test scores and physical strength, but emotional integrity and skills."

Wonderful article by Natalie of Feeleez, writing at Nathan McTague's (@nmmctague.cpcc) terrific blog "A Beautiful Place of the World"

http://locallocale.wordpress.com/2012/09/18/building-an-emotionally-safe-household-parenting-advice/

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Liked this quote in the comments section

from this webpage -- http://thegodjourney.com/2013/04/19/the-conversation-of-community/

One Response to “The Conversation of Community”
  1. kent says:

    4/19/2013 at 6:02 am

    Wayne, when you mentioned “seeding community” near the end, a beautiful image came to mind that I think about often and personally hope my life daily mirrors in the communities I live. It’s the words by John O’Donohue that close out a film he did.

    “My hope is that these words and images have been a kind of casting of seed into the soil of the heart, and that someday when the bleakness or the storm comes that we might be gently surprised that a tree has grown inside where we can shelter and find relief and renewal to continue our journey.”

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Friday, April 19, 2013

End child nagging & negotiating with just three simple words

http://www.positiveparentingsolutions.com/parenting/end-child-nagging-negotiating-with-just-three-simple-words

Great Kids Have Parents Who Seem To Do This Well

Great Kids Have Parents Who Seem To Do This Well --> "Great kids come from families in which parents are real about their shortcomings. They come from families who live and believe in grace." -- http://storylineblog.com/2013/04/18/great-kids-have-parents-who-seem-to-do-this-well/

Help for the hard times…

How did David handle the seasons of darkness in his life? And can we learn from him?


“Here’s how he survived the dry and torturous moments when he could have sworn God had left him. Quite simply, he would take a mental journey into the past. According to his own personal journal in Psalm chapter forty-two, verses five and six— written in conjunction with his chief songwriters— he would intentionally recall those times in his past when God spoke, intervened, provided, answered, and protected in undeniable ways. By journeying into his past, he revisited God’s fingerprints that were all over his life. He reviewed the evidence that God had faithfully been present in his life. And, as you can understand, these remembrances assured him that even though God might seem distant or silent at any given moment, He really hadn’t gone anywhere. He was still presently active in David’s current circumstances. Always had been. And always would be. These remembrances gave him hope. And I’ve said all that to say this— each of us needs to nail down every God-known intervention, every protection, every revelation, every encouragement, and every answer in our past as a recognized memorial, a memorial that we can go back to over and over again as a reminder of His faithful involvement in our life. Such memorials will help us survive those dark, lonely, and scary days that we’ll inevitably face." --Arthur, Randall, "Forgotten Road"

 

_________________________________________________________

FOR WHEN YOUR DAYS ARE HARD -- http://www.notconsumed.com/2012/09/12/for-when-your-days-are-hard/  Create a wall of encouragement!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Monday, April 15, 2013

LOVE this… I can see something like this at the King’s Place

 

________________________________________________________

Living Together -- http://8thday4life.com/2013/04/15/living-together/

quote from the “Living Together” post – “An interesting paradox exists today.  In a recent documentary, Happy, the filmmakers identify elements that contribute to human happiness, drawing from cultures all over the world.   A sense of community ranked in the top five, along with other interesting characteristics not foreign to genuine expressions of Christianity.  While humans crave this, our culture has all but lost it.  Substitutes for real community, such as social networking, do attempt to fill a need – yet don’t require much in the way of the hard work that goes into living in close community.  We can turn it off – shut it out – hide the bits we don’t like.”

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Generational Blessings

Read this today - Generational Blessings (http://notquiteamishliving.com/2013/04/generational-blessings/). 

I love the family culture of a multi-generational home life.

“Whenever I visit an Amish family, I’m taken with the generational living arrangements. At one home, the mother and father and children still living at home have the big house and one of the married sons and his young family live in the dawdi haus (grandfather house). At another, an older daughter and her family live in a house on the same property. And at another home, the elderly grandmother and grandfather live in the attached dawdi haus.” (quote from posted blog)

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Brennan Manning

http://brennanmanning.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brennan_Manning

Donald Miller on FB said:  “Brennan Manning was scandalous the way Christ was scandalous. The grace he taught was just as controversial. It still is.”

“In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others.”
― Brennan Manning, Abba's Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging

 

"God loves you as you are, not as you should be."-Brennan Manning

 

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle," Manning has said. "That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." Manning contrasts the brutality of the institutional church with Jesus' treatment of the adulterous woman of John 8:1-11 and of his meeting of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17). He proclaims Jesus as "the human face of God."

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

How One Woman Created a Community Out of a Neighborhood

http://storylineblog.com/2013/01/30/a-community-out-of-a-neighborhood/ –>

“She told me that every year she chooses a theme word, and that her word for 2012 was COMMUNITY. She decided that instead of talking about community in some vague but well-intentioned way, her specific goal would be to gather 500 people around her table in 2012, one meal at a time.”

click the link above to read the whole story…

We all naturally gravitate toward people like ourselves—but what if we widened our inner circle?

 

 

5 Types of Friends Everyone Should Have -- http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/relationships/5-types-friends-everyone-should-have

 

 

quote from the article --

“Yet the problem with defaulting to doppleganger friendships is that shared interests can only take a friendship so far. They can even stop short at companionships of convenience that mask a lack of true intimacy. For intimacy, in fact, has less to do with shared interests and more to do with shared vulnerability, and above all, a commitment to growth. This is where the best friendships thrive—in a mutual commitment.”

I have come to learn this lesson…

Forgiveness does not always equal reconciliation.  Jessica shares her heart about this here - http://deeperstory.com/when-peace-is-a-burned-bridge/

Come to the table…

 

A New Approach to the Table

“In the last couple years, I’ve found that many of the most sacred moments of my life have taken place around the table. Young or old, male or female, married or single, I think the table matters for all of us. And I think the table matters whether we’re talking about a formal dining room set with matching china or a beat-up coffee table in a first apartment. What matters isn’t the food or the table or the settings. What matters is that we create spaces to see and hear one another, to learn one another’s stories, not just the textable sound bytes.” 

click on the link to continue reading… http://storylineblog.com/2013/04/10/a-new-approach-to-the-table/

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

a trail I have been following today…

1.  Bearing with one another in love - http://bohemianbowmans.com/bearing-with-one-another-in-love/

2.  Rick Warren’s Horrific Tragedy & The Sickening Response of Some “Christians”  -- http://frankviola.org/2013/04/08/rickwarrentragedy/

3.  Warning: The World is Watching How We Christians Treat One Another  -- http://frankviola.org/2013/01/14/warning/

4.  On Rick Warren, Tragedy, and Prodigals  -- http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2013/04/on-rick-warren-tragedy-and-prodigals/

 

“When we have prodigals in our families, we should not assume that this reflects badly on the parents. Kids make their own choices. We all have free will.”  ~ Sheila Wray

 

“If Christians cannot extend grace through faithful presence within the body of believers, they will not be able to extend grace to those outside.”  ~ James Davison Hunter

 

Gandhi’s famous line  --- “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ” . . . If it weren’t for Christians, I’d be a Christian.”

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Jason Gray sings "The Name Of God Is The Sound Of Our Breathing”

Movie To Watch on Netflix

AMAZING LOVE -- When five teenagers embark on a youth group weekend camping trip, a confrontation occurs between two of the teens, giving the opportunity for their leader to share the touching Old Testament story about the prophet Hosea.

http://www.christianmovies.com/amazing-love-movie-dvd/

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Love this quote --

“In the meantime, I’ll be at the table, allowing God to break His bread and pour His wine; inviting whomever God wants to take a seat, and together we will remember. We will commune.  We will tell stories of change and altering our perspectives and we will pass those on.  But not the blueprints… for my friends, my children, the generations to come need to know that God is not finished yet.  They will need to build their own homes…we all do.”

found at the end of the post here - http://deeperstory.com/easter-snow/  (actually the WHOLE post is awesome! – you should go and read it) 

from “PRODIGAL MAGAZINE”

"All I have to do is show a bit of interest in a perfect stranger, and most of them will talk to me like I’m their therapist or pastor. They’ll speak in hushed tones, so the other passengers don’t hear, like they’re telling me a secret. I just keep asking questions, keep tugging on the little thread until their whole story comes spilling out."
~
Matt Appling, Writer
READ MORE: Permission to Tell Your Story
http://www.prodigalmagazine.com/permission-to-tell-your-story/

Sunday, March 24, 2013

found on Pinterest–so many great boards!

Homeschooling Divas -- Welcome to Homeschooling Divas! We are a Worldwide "Online" Homeschooling Community! Please visit us on Facebook to see daily updates! Also remember to "like" our page so you will never miss a thing!  http://pinterest.com/HomeschoolDivas/