Try out this link to a great article about socialization of homeschooled kids. I think it's great!
http://www.nhen.org/nhen/pov/editors/default.asp?id=157
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Monday, July 09, 2007
Book reviews - July 9
As you can probably tell from my changing reading list, I have been doing a good bit of reading lately. I must say that reading real books is so much more interesting than only reading medical journals and medical charts. I have finished two more books recently, so I'll share my thoughts on them.
How Now Shall We Live? by Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey
This is an excellent book on Christian worldview and I highly recommend it. I can't say that there was a lot that was new for me, but I did get a new perspective on things. The book is split into five parts: Worldview: why it matters, Creation: where did we come from and who are we?, The Fall: what has gone wrong with the world?, Redemption: what can we do to fix it?, Restoration: how now shall we live?.
The authors make a good case for the encouragement of Judeo-Christian values throughout our culture. They also make a strong argument for our working to develop these values in ourselves, our communities, and our nation. They don't just say to get involved in politics, but say to get talking to our friends and neighbors (sounds a lot like the Great Commission!).
The one thing in the book that challenged me was their assertion that "the medium is the message" meaning that the media of pop culture (TV, videos, contemporary music) make it easy for us to become lazy. We have a hard time focusing on anything for any length of time. So, many very intelligent people don't read books because they can't/won't focus for long enough to really read anything. Our music, even Contemporary Christian, is so simple as to allow us to listen and only feel without any thinking. Now, I'm not ready to give up my CCM music, but I did take this as a reminder of the importance of having a wide variety of music in our home. So, today I put on a classical music station (I normally play classical music when the kids are doing schoolwork, but today I had it on while I was cleaning) and Wild Man sat down and just listened. Then, Mr. Math Teacher said, "The bad news is that our son is a head-banger. The good news is that he's head-banging to Beethoven!" Indeed, Wild Man was enjoying a Beethoven trio.
Reading isn't an issue in this house. We use Sonlight curriculum, which is literature based, so we read out loud every day. We also read out loud even when we aren't doing school work (we're waiting with bated breath for the next Harry Potter book!). But, I did realize that one result of our "do everything quickly" culture is that we spend very little time in devotional time. So many Bible studies are advertised as "learn this topic in as little as 15 minutes per day". If you study history, though, the people who really made a difference for Jesus spent hours a day in prayer, meditation, and studying Scripture. I'm still struggling to get in a total of 30 minutes. So, it's important to help our kids develop the habits of reading and praying in more than a cursory fashion.
My conclusion is that this is an excellent book about worldview. I think everyone will be challenged on some level, even if you are familiar with most of the material.
The Creationists: The Evolution of Scientific Creationism by Ronald Numbers
One of the first things that I noticed about this book was in the introduction. Dr. Numbers was raised as a Seventh Day Adventist, but when he was exposed to evolution, his faith didn't have good answers for him. Consequently, he is now an atheist.
That being said, he is very sympathetic to his subject and treats it fairly. Basically, the book traces Creationism (generally, literal young-earth 6 literal day creationsm) from the time of Darwin to the 1980's. It was a little difficult at times to really get engaged in the book when there were names of different men from different universities who were starting different organizations. But, I did get through, and I'm glad I did.
One of the most interesting things that I noticed was that the tenets of Young-Earth Creationism developed along with other Fundamentalist ideas, specifically premillenial dispensationalism. That isn't to say that there were no YEC'ers around before Darwin (think Ussher), but it had never really been a big deal and wasn't discussed very often. But, since many Christians saw where Darwinism leads (naturalistic materialism without a need for God), they went to Genesis and read the first several chapters very literally. The YEC thought went very nicely with those who read Revelation very literally. So, for the Fundamentalists, there was no room for a discussion of the types of literature they were reading. They read it literally, took it at face value, then went to find science to support it.
I also have concluded the importance of teaching our children real science and getting them prepared for the real world. Now, I hold to an "Old Earth Creationist" view (although this view has it's problems, too), but my kids need to know what the theory of Evolution is about, what support there is for it, and what science says that does not support it. When they start to hear evolutionary theory in college or wherever, I want them to have enough understanding to know that scientifically intelligent people can and do disagree on this topic. In addition, I want my kids to have a real relationship with Jesus - something that you don't just walk away from. I think it is very sad that learning about evolution can drive someone to atheism.
I really recommend this book for anyone interested in the creation/evolution debate. Understand that it's not really exciting, but it is very illuminating.
How Now Shall We Live? by Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey
This is an excellent book on Christian worldview and I highly recommend it. I can't say that there was a lot that was new for me, but I did get a new perspective on things. The book is split into five parts: Worldview: why it matters, Creation: where did we come from and who are we?, The Fall: what has gone wrong with the world?, Redemption: what can we do to fix it?, Restoration: how now shall we live?.
The authors make a good case for the encouragement of Judeo-Christian values throughout our culture. They also make a strong argument for our working to develop these values in ourselves, our communities, and our nation. They don't just say to get involved in politics, but say to get talking to our friends and neighbors (sounds a lot like the Great Commission!).
The one thing in the book that challenged me was their assertion that "the medium is the message" meaning that the media of pop culture (TV, videos, contemporary music) make it easy for us to become lazy. We have a hard time focusing on anything for any length of time. So, many very intelligent people don't read books because they can't/won't focus for long enough to really read anything. Our music, even Contemporary Christian, is so simple as to allow us to listen and only feel without any thinking. Now, I'm not ready to give up my CCM music, but I did take this as a reminder of the importance of having a wide variety of music in our home. So, today I put on a classical music station (I normally play classical music when the kids are doing schoolwork, but today I had it on while I was cleaning) and Wild Man sat down and just listened. Then, Mr. Math Teacher said, "The bad news is that our son is a head-banger. The good news is that he's head-banging to Beethoven!" Indeed, Wild Man was enjoying a Beethoven trio.
Reading isn't an issue in this house. We use Sonlight curriculum, which is literature based, so we read out loud every day. We also read out loud even when we aren't doing school work (we're waiting with bated breath for the next Harry Potter book!). But, I did realize that one result of our "do everything quickly" culture is that we spend very little time in devotional time. So many Bible studies are advertised as "learn this topic in as little as 15 minutes per day". If you study history, though, the people who really made a difference for Jesus spent hours a day in prayer, meditation, and studying Scripture. I'm still struggling to get in a total of 30 minutes. So, it's important to help our kids develop the habits of reading and praying in more than a cursory fashion.
My conclusion is that this is an excellent book about worldview. I think everyone will be challenged on some level, even if you are familiar with most of the material.
The Creationists: The Evolution of Scientific Creationism by Ronald Numbers
One of the first things that I noticed about this book was in the introduction. Dr. Numbers was raised as a Seventh Day Adventist, but when he was exposed to evolution, his faith didn't have good answers for him. Consequently, he is now an atheist.
That being said, he is very sympathetic to his subject and treats it fairly. Basically, the book traces Creationism (generally, literal young-earth 6 literal day creationsm) from the time of Darwin to the 1980's. It was a little difficult at times to really get engaged in the book when there were names of different men from different universities who were starting different organizations. But, I did get through, and I'm glad I did.
One of the most interesting things that I noticed was that the tenets of Young-Earth Creationism developed along with other Fundamentalist ideas, specifically premillenial dispensationalism. That isn't to say that there were no YEC'ers around before Darwin (think Ussher), but it had never really been a big deal and wasn't discussed very often. But, since many Christians saw where Darwinism leads (naturalistic materialism without a need for God), they went to Genesis and read the first several chapters very literally. The YEC thought went very nicely with those who read Revelation very literally. So, for the Fundamentalists, there was no room for a discussion of the types of literature they were reading. They read it literally, took it at face value, then went to find science to support it.
I also have concluded the importance of teaching our children real science and getting them prepared for the real world. Now, I hold to an "Old Earth Creationist" view (although this view has it's problems, too), but my kids need to know what the theory of Evolution is about, what support there is for it, and what science says that does not support it. When they start to hear evolutionary theory in college or wherever, I want them to have enough understanding to know that scientifically intelligent people can and do disagree on this topic. In addition, I want my kids to have a real relationship with Jesus - something that you don't just walk away from. I think it is very sad that learning about evolution can drive someone to atheism.
I really recommend this book for anyone interested in the creation/evolution debate. Understand that it's not really exciting, but it is very illuminating.
Public Service Announcement
Disclaimer: I got this idea from another blog - http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/93/2392/ten-things-to-person/.
I was going to write a top ten list of things not to say to someone with chronic migraines or other chronic illness, but I couldn't come up with ten. Then, I decided that I needed to also add what you could say that would be helpful instead of hurtful (or frustrating or just disheartening). I think people mean well but just don't know what to say to someone with chronic illness. What often comes out is not supportive. So, here's something to help you.
1. Don't they know what causes it yet? Yes, it's called migraines, and there is no cure, just treatments. Yes, I have had my head scanned and no, I don't have a brain tumor.
2. I heard about (this, that or the other) on/in TV/magazine/internet. You really have to try it. (Variations: My family member/friend tried so&so and it really worked for them, or you should really try some diet modification since that works for some people.) Yes, I've heard and read about a zillion different treatments, and I've tried lots of them. If there was a miracle cure for migraines, my doctor and I would have come across it.
3. You have to come see my (doctor, dentist, chiropractor, etc.). I'm sure they can help you. Thank you for the thought, but I've already seen three neurologists, a couple of chiropractors, and have read everything I can about my condition.
2. I'm so sorry you're still not feeling well. May I (bring you a meal, help clean your house, do some laundry, whatever you can offer)? Be prepared to follow through because I may take you up on it. But, if things are going pretty well right now, I might not. So, it's OK to ask again another time.
3. I'm so sorry you're still sick. I read about someone who was chronically ill but God really used them through their illness. I thought about you, because I can see God working in your life. Believe it or not, someone actually said this to me. I was walking on air for a day or so. Of course, don't say it to someone about whom it's not true. But, if you do see God working in someone's life, go ahead and tell them. This comment really put a lot of stuff into perspective for me.
I was going to write a top ten list of things not to say to someone with chronic migraines or other chronic illness, but I couldn't come up with ten. Then, I decided that I needed to also add what you could say that would be helpful instead of hurtful (or frustrating or just disheartening). I think people mean well but just don't know what to say to someone with chronic illness. What often comes out is not supportive. So, here's something to help you.
Top Three Things Not to Say to Someone with Chronic Migraines
1. Don't they know what causes it yet? Yes, it's called migraines, and there is no cure, just treatments. Yes, I have had my head scanned and no, I don't have a brain tumor.
2. I heard about (this, that or the other) on/in TV/magazine/internet. You really have to try it. (Variations: My family member/friend tried so&so and it really worked for them, or you should really try some diet modification since that works for some people.) Yes, I've heard and read about a zillion different treatments, and I've tried lots of them. If there was a miracle cure for migraines, my doctor and I would have come across it.
3. You have to come see my (doctor, dentist, chiropractor, etc.). I'm sure they can help you. Thank you for the thought, but I've already seen three neurologists, a couple of chiropractors, and have read everything I can about my condition.
Top Three Things to Say to Someone with Chronic Migraines
1. I'm so sorry you're still in pain. I will pray for you. And, then, pray for the person.
2. I'm so sorry you're still not feeling well. May I (bring you a meal, help clean your house, do some laundry, whatever you can offer)? Be prepared to follow through because I may take you up on it. But, if things are going pretty well right now, I might not. So, it's OK to ask again another time.
3. I'm so sorry you're still sick. I read about someone who was chronically ill but God really used them through their illness. I thought about you, because I can see God working in your life. Believe it or not, someone actually said this to me. I was walking on air for a day or so. Of course, don't say it to someone about whom it's not true. But, if you do see God working in someone's life, go ahead and tell them. This comment really put a lot of stuff into perspective for me.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
She's going to camp!
Today is the day that Ga'Hoole Girl leaves for Girls' Camp. She is, understandably, quite excited about it. This is her 5th year going to camp, her second at Girls' Camp (they have the Girl's Camp for Junior High girls separate from the main camp, at a more "primitive" location). It's been interesting to watch Ga'Hoole Girl grow up these last few years. This year she didn't need any help packing, although she did ask me to "help" her, which involved sitting on her bed and talking to her. Her camp goes from Saturday to Friday. She is going to stay at a cottage near the camp with her friend and her mom on Friday night and then they are going to wash clothes on Saturday morning. Next Saturday, the rest of us will go up for Family Camp and meet her there. So, she will be away from the family for only a week, but away from home for two weeks.
The new Harry Potter book comes out the day that we come back from Family Camp. I have a copy on order at Amazon! Mr. Math Teacher and his mom are going to go to her house for a few days, so we have only four days in which to read the book. But, I'll bet we can do it! We always read these books out loud as a family - and no reading ahead!!
Book reviews:
Disciplines of the Home by Anne Ortlund
I have read good reviews of this book and I really enjoyed The Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman when I was younger. Her previous book was rather detailed about which disciplines are important, ad how to get started doing them. This book, though, is much more general. She gives two important "don't's" and 10 important "do's". The things that made the most impact on me were the recommendations to "slow down" and "cocoon". Slowing down is hard for me - I have absorbed a lot of the performance orientation of our society and am having a hard time working out of that. But, to that effect, I reduced the 4H projects that the kids are signed up for, they are each taking just one dance class next year, and I'm going to get very selective about outside activities. My goal, though, is not to isolate them, but to give them unstructured time to develop their creativity, learn things in which they are interested, and get to know our neighbors. Cocooning is also not supposed to be synonymous with isolation. Instead, it is making home the focus of the family's life. We already do a pretty good job of that. I want to be careful that we don't lose that focus when Mr. Math Teacher starts student teaching in the fall and eventually gets a job.
The Price of Privilege by Madeline Levine, PhD
I read about this book on a website and thought it would be good to read. Indeed, I highly recommend it. She talks mainly about the difficulties that affluent families have in raising children. Now, it's hard to call us affluent at this time in our lives, but she makes a number of points that are helpful for all parents. One of the biggest problems for parents in affluent communities (and for parents who are achievement oriented) is that they can be emotionally disconnected from their kids (preteens and teens) but overinvolved in certain parts of their lives. So, they may never sit and chat with their kids about life but they are certain to know exactly what their grades are and to tell them exactly which classes to take. Dr. Levine recommends really spending time with our kids and spend more time helping them develop autonomy and be less enmeshed in every activity of their lives. It is also important that kids learn that there is more to life than good grades and getting into a good college. There is a whole world out there that kids need to be free to explore. She also reminds us that the values of the affluent society are very materialistic. It is extremely important that children learn values besides materialism; this book is not written from a Christian perspective, so she doesn't talk about Christian values, but I think it is clear that, as Christian parents, the best thing we can do for our kids is help them know Jesus and develop Godly values. I highly recommend this book for all parents, not just those who can say they are "affluent".
The new Harry Potter book comes out the day that we come back from Family Camp. I have a copy on order at Amazon! Mr. Math Teacher and his mom are going to go to her house for a few days, so we have only four days in which to read the book. But, I'll bet we can do it! We always read these books out loud as a family - and no reading ahead!!
Book reviews:
Disciplines of the Home by Anne Ortlund
I have read good reviews of this book and I really enjoyed The Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman when I was younger. Her previous book was rather detailed about which disciplines are important, ad how to get started doing them. This book, though, is much more general. She gives two important "don't's" and 10 important "do's". The things that made the most impact on me were the recommendations to "slow down" and "cocoon". Slowing down is hard for me - I have absorbed a lot of the performance orientation of our society and am having a hard time working out of that. But, to that effect, I reduced the 4H projects that the kids are signed up for, they are each taking just one dance class next year, and I'm going to get very selective about outside activities. My goal, though, is not to isolate them, but to give them unstructured time to develop their creativity, learn things in which they are interested, and get to know our neighbors. Cocooning is also not supposed to be synonymous with isolation. Instead, it is making home the focus of the family's life. We already do a pretty good job of that. I want to be careful that we don't lose that focus when Mr. Math Teacher starts student teaching in the fall and eventually gets a job.
The Price of Privilege by Madeline Levine, PhD
I read about this book on a website and thought it would be good to read. Indeed, I highly recommend it. She talks mainly about the difficulties that affluent families have in raising children. Now, it's hard to call us affluent at this time in our lives, but she makes a number of points that are helpful for all parents. One of the biggest problems for parents in affluent communities (and for parents who are achievement oriented) is that they can be emotionally disconnected from their kids (preteens and teens) but overinvolved in certain parts of their lives. So, they may never sit and chat with their kids about life but they are certain to know exactly what their grades are and to tell them exactly which classes to take. Dr. Levine recommends really spending time with our kids and spend more time helping them develop autonomy and be less enmeshed in every activity of their lives. It is also important that kids learn that there is more to life than good grades and getting into a good college. There is a whole world out there that kids need to be free to explore. She also reminds us that the values of the affluent society are very materialistic. It is extremely important that children learn values besides materialism; this book is not written from a Christian perspective, so she doesn't talk about Christian values, but I think it is clear that, as Christian parents, the best thing we can do for our kids is help them know Jesus and develop Godly values. I highly recommend this book for all parents, not just those who can say they are "affluent".
Sunday, July 01, 2007
The cat and the string incident
So, Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Math Teacher was at the coffee shop with a friend, who is a vet. The kids and I sat on the sofa and were playing with Sophie, one of the cats, with a piece of yarn. Now, I have all my knitting stuff out in the living room and none of the cats has ever played with any of it, eaten it, or otherwise done anything with the yarn. So, I didn't worry about playing with a piece of yarn with the cat. She played for a while, then jumped off the sofa. A minute or so later, I looked at her and saw that she had the last inch of yarn sticking out of her mouth (it was about 12 inches long). I chased her, but by the time that I got to her, she had swallowed the yarn - EEK! The good news is that it was cotton yarn, so I wasn't worried about her getting something non-organic in her system.
I called Mr. Math Teacher, who asked his vet friend what we should do. He recommended that we give the cat some hydrogen peroxide to make her gag. So, with Ga'Hoole Girl sitting on the sofa in great distress, I took the cat in the bathroom and tried to get some peroxide down her - with very little luck. Mr. Math Teacher and his vet friend came home and the vet got some peroxide down the cat's throat. Despite this, the cat refused to gag or vomit!! The vet gave her several doses without any luck. Two days later, while changing the cat boxes, Mr. Math Teacher found documentation that the string has passed. Thanfully.
The rest of life has not been nearly that exciting. The bathroom is now painted seafoam green. Wild Man doesn't like it. I think it looks really nice with the grey tub, sink, and toilet. Ga'Hoole Girl got 1/4th of one wall painted last weekend. We'll get her room painted next, and then the stairwell and hallway.
Wild Man has been asking for his own baseball helmet for awhile now. So, he bought one yesterday with his own money (along with some baseball gloves). Mr. Math Teacher and I sprung for a new bat (his old one was way too small). Anyway, the boy loves the new helmet. He wore it all around the house yesterday, and I found it in his bed with him last night! What a silly boy!
Fireworks are tonight. The fairgrounds are just two blocks from here, so we are going to walk over. We can see the high ones from the house, but it's not much of a walk to get to see all of them.
I called Mr. Math Teacher, who asked his vet friend what we should do. He recommended that we give the cat some hydrogen peroxide to make her gag. So, with Ga'Hoole Girl sitting on the sofa in great distress, I took the cat in the bathroom and tried to get some peroxide down her - with very little luck. Mr. Math Teacher and his vet friend came home and the vet got some peroxide down the cat's throat. Despite this, the cat refused to gag or vomit!! The vet gave her several doses without any luck. Two days later, while changing the cat boxes, Mr. Math Teacher found documentation that the string has passed. Thanfully.
The rest of life has not been nearly that exciting. The bathroom is now painted seafoam green. Wild Man doesn't like it. I think it looks really nice with the grey tub, sink, and toilet. Ga'Hoole Girl got 1/4th of one wall painted last weekend. We'll get her room painted next, and then the stairwell and hallway.
Wild Man has been asking for his own baseball helmet for awhile now. So, he bought one yesterday with his own money (along with some baseball gloves). Mr. Math Teacher and I sprung for a new bat (his old one was way too small). Anyway, the boy loves the new helmet. He wore it all around the house yesterday, and I found it in his bed with him last night! What a silly boy!
Fireworks are tonight. The fairgrounds are just two blocks from here, so we are going to walk over. We can see the high ones from the house, but it's not much of a walk to get to see all of them.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
She got a blue ribbon!
Ga'Hoole Girl entered the 4H Clothing Revue for the first time this year. She modeled an outfit that she put together for her Consumer Savvy project and won a blue ribbon - her first 4H blue ribbon!! She bought her skirt and blouse from Goodwill here in town (total of $11). She accessorized with jewelry and shoes that she already owned. Then, she added a hat "that has been in the family for several years", which is translated "was Mom's a long time ago and has been in the dress-up box for as long as I can remember"! The only other person in her group was one of her best friends, J. J had purchased a lovely purple dress. Both girls were awarded blue ribbons. We were so excited!
Summer is pretty busy around here. Wild Man is taking swimming lessons every morning. He objected at first, but has gotten a little more motivated now that he has friends who all swim out in the deep water. We go to the pool a couple of times a week, and Wild Man usually finds a couple of guys that he knows from baseball or summer school. Speaking of which, baseball continues to go well for him. He is really improving both his hitting and his fielding. He often plays infield (first or second base or shortstop) which makes him happy.
Ga'Hoole girl finishes summer school this week. She has really enjoyed her three weeks. I was really worried when she came home one day and said that she needed to know exponents for the next day. I was concerned that she isn't far enough along in math (you know, the whole "am I teaching enough?" that homeschooling moms deal with). But, Mr. Math Teacher taught her exponents that night in about 20 minutes. And, a couple of days later, Ga'Hoole Girl came home and said that she was the only one in her class who could really do fractions. So, it appears that she may not have been exposed to everything yet, but she knows what she knows very well.
Ga'Hoole Girl is also taking an art class this summer. It is taught by the husband of one of her previous dance teachers out at their studio (dance upstairs and art downstairs). So far, they have done figure drawing. This week, they will do still life. Next week, they will probably do landscapes. It is really good for her to be working with a real artist. She is signed up for painting and drawing for the Fair in August, so I hope that she either does a project that she can enter in the Fair or learns something new that she can use when she does her project.
We are still doing some school this summer. The deal is that we do "real school" on the weeks that we don't have other things going, like summer school or piano camp or the Fair. Wild Man has been just doing reading and math. Ga'Hoole Girl will be doing grammar and math next week. I think we'll get back to Sonlight in August, although I'll probably not add in all their subjects until after the Fair. Ga'Hoole Girl plans to sew as well as do art for the Fair (and show her cat). I think I have found a grammar book that will work well for her. It is Easy Grammar Plus. Ga'Hoole Girl enjoyed doing Daily Grams, and this is by the same author. I don't have her just doing Daily Grams, though, because there are things that she still hasn't learned. This way, she will get a comprehensive grammar course over the next couple of years.
We have lots of great homeschooling moments around here. Last night, Wild Man and I were cooking spaghetti sauce. I cooked the meat and drained off the liquid, which was water and oil. So, we had a discussion of oil and water and that they don't mix. Ga'Hoole Girl was in the other room and provided some additional info when asked. We colored some water blue and tried to mix oil with it so he could see that they didn't mix and that the oil is less dense than the water. Then, we weighed a cup of water and then a cup of oil. There is not a huge amount of difference in weight, but there is a little bit, so Wild Man could really see that they have different densities. We haven't discussed the difference between weight and mass, but we did discuss density. Tonight, we talked about how meditating on God's Word is like chewing on it. The kids had a lot of fun with that analogy, and I think they got it.
I have also been thinking some about how the hardest things about homeschooling are also the best parts of homeschooling. I am trying to teach Ga'Hoole Girl about persistence right now - sticking with a project until it is done. This, of course, leads to conflict between us. But, working through the conflict is strengthening our relationship. If I just sent her off to school, we would lose that valuable opportunity. Wild Man has some issues with boredom this summer. So, we play a few games together. But, the rest of the time, he and I have to work out how much of his boredom I am going to try to relieve and how much he has to deal with on his own. And, if he gets too bored, I have all kinds of work to be done around the house ;-) When all is said and done, getting through the hard stuff is the best thing for all of us. So, I'm glad that we're sticking with it right now. (This is not to say that school may not be the right option at some point, but right now homeschooling is working for us on many levels.)
"You are not a bad mother; you are a barking lunatic!" Spoken by Hugh Grant in the movie "About a Boy". The movie is OK, but that line still makes me laugh. I stress occasionally about whether or not I'm a good mother, but at least I'm not a complete lunatic. Mr. Math Teacher says, though, that he has to come up with other ways to encourage me; every time he says, "You are not a bad mother", I'm going to think he means, "you are a barking lunatic"!
I've been doing lots of reading lately, but I'll post reviews and comments about them later. I'm working my way through Desiring God by John Piper right now. It is not a really easy book, but I think it will be worth it. One of the interesting things is that Piper is a pretty strong Calvinist. We were in a Reformed Church back when we got married, but have since been in Evangelical churches. I'm still thinking about Calvinism. According to Al Mohler, the Southern Baptist tenets are based on the Westminster Catechism - I didn't know that. I thought that Southern Baptist tended a little more toward the Arminian view of things. More on all this later. I'm enjoying reading Piper's stuff right now.
Summer is pretty busy around here. Wild Man is taking swimming lessons every morning. He objected at first, but has gotten a little more motivated now that he has friends who all swim out in the deep water. We go to the pool a couple of times a week, and Wild Man usually finds a couple of guys that he knows from baseball or summer school. Speaking of which, baseball continues to go well for him. He is really improving both his hitting and his fielding. He often plays infield (first or second base or shortstop) which makes him happy.
Ga'Hoole girl finishes summer school this week. She has really enjoyed her three weeks. I was really worried when she came home one day and said that she needed to know exponents for the next day. I was concerned that she isn't far enough along in math (you know, the whole "am I teaching enough?" that homeschooling moms deal with). But, Mr. Math Teacher taught her exponents that night in about 20 minutes. And, a couple of days later, Ga'Hoole Girl came home and said that she was the only one in her class who could really do fractions. So, it appears that she may not have been exposed to everything yet, but she knows what she knows very well.
Ga'Hoole Girl is also taking an art class this summer. It is taught by the husband of one of her previous dance teachers out at their studio (dance upstairs and art downstairs). So far, they have done figure drawing. This week, they will do still life. Next week, they will probably do landscapes. It is really good for her to be working with a real artist. She is signed up for painting and drawing for the Fair in August, so I hope that she either does a project that she can enter in the Fair or learns something new that she can use when she does her project.
We are still doing some school this summer. The deal is that we do "real school" on the weeks that we don't have other things going, like summer school or piano camp or the Fair. Wild Man has been just doing reading and math. Ga'Hoole Girl will be doing grammar and math next week. I think we'll get back to Sonlight in August, although I'll probably not add in all their subjects until after the Fair. Ga'Hoole Girl plans to sew as well as do art for the Fair (and show her cat). I think I have found a grammar book that will work well for her. It is Easy Grammar Plus. Ga'Hoole Girl enjoyed doing Daily Grams, and this is by the same author. I don't have her just doing Daily Grams, though, because there are things that she still hasn't learned. This way, she will get a comprehensive grammar course over the next couple of years.
We have lots of great homeschooling moments around here. Last night, Wild Man and I were cooking spaghetti sauce. I cooked the meat and drained off the liquid, which was water and oil. So, we had a discussion of oil and water and that they don't mix. Ga'Hoole Girl was in the other room and provided some additional info when asked. We colored some water blue and tried to mix oil with it so he could see that they didn't mix and that the oil is less dense than the water. Then, we weighed a cup of water and then a cup of oil. There is not a huge amount of difference in weight, but there is a little bit, so Wild Man could really see that they have different densities. We haven't discussed the difference between weight and mass, but we did discuss density. Tonight, we talked about how meditating on God's Word is like chewing on it. The kids had a lot of fun with that analogy, and I think they got it.
I have also been thinking some about how the hardest things about homeschooling are also the best parts of homeschooling. I am trying to teach Ga'Hoole Girl about persistence right now - sticking with a project until it is done. This, of course, leads to conflict between us. But, working through the conflict is strengthening our relationship. If I just sent her off to school, we would lose that valuable opportunity. Wild Man has some issues with boredom this summer. So, we play a few games together. But, the rest of the time, he and I have to work out how much of his boredom I am going to try to relieve and how much he has to deal with on his own. And, if he gets too bored, I have all kinds of work to be done around the house ;-) When all is said and done, getting through the hard stuff is the best thing for all of us. So, I'm glad that we're sticking with it right now. (This is not to say that school may not be the right option at some point, but right now homeschooling is working for us on many levels.)
"You are not a bad mother; you are a barking lunatic!" Spoken by Hugh Grant in the movie "About a Boy". The movie is OK, but that line still makes me laugh. I stress occasionally about whether or not I'm a good mother, but at least I'm not a complete lunatic. Mr. Math Teacher says, though, that he has to come up with other ways to encourage me; every time he says, "You are not a bad mother", I'm going to think he means, "you are a barking lunatic"!
I've been doing lots of reading lately, but I'll post reviews and comments about them later. I'm working my way through Desiring God by John Piper right now. It is not a really easy book, but I think it will be worth it. One of the interesting things is that Piper is a pretty strong Calvinist. We were in a Reformed Church back when we got married, but have since been in Evangelical churches. I'm still thinking about Calvinism. According to Al Mohler, the Southern Baptist tenets are based on the Westminster Catechism - I didn't know that. I thought that Southern Baptist tended a little more toward the Arminian view of things. More on all this later. I'm enjoying reading Piper's stuff right now.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
I'm an aunt - again!
My brother and sister-in-law had their second baby on Saturday - another boy!! We are all excited! Her first birth - 5 years ago - was a very difficult birth. The baby was 10 pounds and she had a really hard time. This time, though, the baby was 7 1/2 pounds and it was a much shorter and more manageable birth. The kids are pretty excited about a new cousin, as well.
I'm not going to write much right now because we are pretty busy, and because our internet connection is freaking out. I hope that this gets posted without too much trouble. The tech decided that it is on the ISPs end of things, so they are coming out on Monday to try to sort out the problem.
In the meantime, Ga'Hoole Girl turned 12 yesterday. Her party is this weekend - she and her friends are going to paint her bedroom. EEK! We also bought some fabric to make a curtain around her bed, so I'll be working on that. She is also signed up for the 4H clothing revue next week. She has cut out her PJs that she's making, but still has to sew them. She also has to purchase an outfit for her Consumer Savvy project. We are off to Goodwill later today for that.
Wild Man has been fussing about reading lessons and the fact that I'm making him do reading and math every day. But, he keeps asking for help in reading the dialogue on his video games, so he has some motivation to keep moving on the reading, at least.
More later. Hopefully, the computer stuff will be resolved very soon.
I'm not going to write much right now because we are pretty busy, and because our internet connection is freaking out. I hope that this gets posted without too much trouble. The tech decided that it is on the ISPs end of things, so they are coming out on Monday to try to sort out the problem.
In the meantime, Ga'Hoole Girl turned 12 yesterday. Her party is this weekend - she and her friends are going to paint her bedroom. EEK! We also bought some fabric to make a curtain around her bed, so I'll be working on that. She is also signed up for the 4H clothing revue next week. She has cut out her PJs that she's making, but still has to sew them. She also has to purchase an outfit for her Consumer Savvy project. We are off to Goodwill later today for that.
Wild Man has been fussing about reading lessons and the fact that I'm making him do reading and math every day. But, he keeps asking for help in reading the dialogue on his video games, so he has some motivation to keep moving on the reading, at least.
More later. Hopefully, the computer stuff will be resolved very soon.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Recent Events
I'm not blogging anything deep or profound tonight - just an update on what's been going on around here. I've had a migraine all day, so I'm not even sure this will be coherent!
My parents came to visit us about 2 weeks ago and stayed through last Saturday. While they were here, the kids had their dance recital. Ga'Hoole Girl was in five dances for each of three shows: jazz, tap, ballet, 2 daddy-daughter numbers. Wild Man was in only one dance, but still for all three shows. He was in a jazz class this year.
The week before the recital was hectic, as usual, but it was nice that the kids could keep track of their own shoes, dance bags, etc. All I worried about was making sure that they had all the stuff they needed before we left the house. We live about 45 minutes away from the city where they dance, so there would be no coming home for missed items!
Of course, the recital was wonderful. Ga'Hoole Girl outdid herself this year. The jazz class really stretched her, but she was up for it. She has never had jazz before, but she was in the advanced (child) jazz class this year. So, she had a little learning to do. But, since she has been taking ballet for so long, she already new a lot of the moves - she just had to learn how to incorporate them in to jazz. For example, she can do a pique turn and a pirouette from her ballet class. A jazz pirouette is a little different from a ballet pirouette, but the idea is the same. Since she is already comfortable with spotting, etc., a lot of the jazz moves weren't difficult for her. Her tap class danced to music from "Pirates of the Carribbean". They didn't purchase costumes, but made them up themselves. Ga'Hoole Girl wore black pants and a white shirt with a velvet coat dress (Talbot's - got it at Goodwill for $6!) and a belt along with a hat. The tap dance was just amazing - and the kids had such fun with it! Ballet was, of course, just beautiful. They danced to "Christofori's Dream". Her class had 6 girls in it, and they usually danced in pairs, but they used up the entire stage. What a change from 6 years ago when she was in her first recital doing tap and pre-ballet numbers when she was 5!
Wild Man was in one jazz dance this year. It was really fun because he was already good friends with 3 of the other 4 class members. He and his good friend were the two boys. My best friend's daughters were two of the girls. But, they made friends quickly with the third girl. They danced to "Sharp-Dressed Man" by ZZ Top. Talk about fun! The kids had a great time on stage, and they really did well. Their dance was pretty complicated for a beginning jazz class, but they pulled it off. What was really cool was to see how encouraging Wild Man could be to the rest of his class. He helped the lady who sold flowers get her stuff from her van, so she gave him a free flower, which he gave to his grandmother. Then, he kept asking Mr. Math Teacher for money to buy flowers for all his friends - "So and so doesn't have a flower, so can I buy one for him/her?" It's nice to see that he thinks of other people.
The day after dance recital, Wild Man had his first baseball game. He was wonderful! His team won by a very large margin, in spite of the other team having some real sluggers. Wild Man's team can be pretty inconsistent. They have some kids who are still learning the basic rules and then kids like Wild Man who are ready for more intense stuff like "who covers first base when the first baseman is fielding the ball", stuff like that. During the first game, it was pretty chilly (low 60s). Wild Man had another game this week and it was about 88 degrees out during the game. They won that game as well. More importantly, Wild Man seems to be really developing his skills. It's also really nice to see how much he cheers on teammates that have done a good job instead of being jealous.
My parents stayed here with the kids while Mr. Math Teacher and I went up north to a cabin on a private lake for our 15th wedding anniversary. It surely does not seem like that long! We had 3 1/2 glorious days of reading, talking, listening to audiobooks or music, knitting (for me), carving (for him), and walks by the lake. Unfortunately, we got a flat tire on our way home (about 1/2 mile away from the house!). Mr. Math Teacher was able to get the tire changed and we made it home. That night, we had a little birthday celebration for Ga'Hoole Girl (a little early) and the grandparents took the kids swimming.
This week has been busy but fun. Wild Man took a one week long nature course offered through the public school. When all was said and done, he had made several friends (one of whom he sees at the pool regularly), learned some stuff about nature, and made several crafts. Ga'Hoole Girl is taking some enrichment summer school classes which last for three weeks. she is doing cooking, PE, Math Mania, and board games. She has also really enjoyed it. She still has another two weeks of school left. She is also doing art classes with the dad of the other girl in Wild Man's jazz class - is that totally confusing, or what? In any case, this girl's mom was Ga'Hoole Girl's ballet teacher for the previous two years, and her dad is an artist. He was interested in setting up some art classes, so we go to his studio every Thursday night for four weeks. There are another four girls and the teacher's daughters in the class. They did figure drawing this week and will continue next week. Then, they will go on to still life and landscape, I believe.
The swimming lake (not a pool, it has a gravel bottom, but it is filtered, even if it's not chlorinated) opened this last week. I signed Wild Man up for swimming lessons. He objected, but then went out into the deep water with his friend yesterday with only a swimming noodle to support him. EEK! So, he's a little more motivated to learn to swim because he can't go in the deep water unless he can swim (pool's rules - although they are our rules too). I took them swimming twice this week. There is limited shade around the pool, so it's not real comfortable for me to go with them. And, I find the water still a little chilly for my taste this time of year. In any case, the kids have fun. And, Mr. Math Teacher took Wild Man to the pool to swim with one of his friends from summer school yesterday. They certainly aren't deprived of pool time around here!
I finally finished painting the living room. It is definitely mauve, but it really make the wood frames and baseboards stand out. I'm very pleased with it. My next project is to do the hallway in a sage green. I think I'm going to do all the brushwork, then move the furniture and take down the pictures and roll the rest. I hate dealing with rollers, but it's the only way I'm going to be able to get to the top of the stairwell. In any case, I have lots of time, and don't need to worry about it right now. Mr. Math Teacher's mom is coming in July and going to camp with us. After that, she is taking the kids on a lighthouse tour of Door County. So, I have a lot of books about lighthouses that I want to look at with the kids. We were going to do it yesterday, but Wild Man went swimming. Then, today I had a migraine and slept a lot. Maybe we'll look at some of it tomorrow. Ga'Hoole Girl is signed up to make some PJs and have them ready in a week and a half for the 4H clothing revue. Unfortunately, she is such a perfectionist that she wants to quit whenever it gets hard. So, the pinning of the pattern to the fabric is done. Now, I need to help her get through the cutting. And, it's her project, so I'm not doing it for her, but I may need to hold her hand for the first one!
Mr. Math Teacher had been quite the handyman lately. He has done almost everything on the "ToDo" list. The rest either needs my input or money that we don't have! When he's not working on handyman stuff, he's helping a friend set up his computer and working on his carving. He had a new project - making a chain long enough to go around someone's neck all from one piece of wood. He's having to be very careful, though, that he doesn't damage the wood in the process. I'm pretty impressed!
So, that's life at the moment. I'm hoping to feel well enough tomorrow to straighten up a little bit and to finish some laundry. But, right now I'm exhausted. So, off to bed. Sleep well, everyone!
My parents came to visit us about 2 weeks ago and stayed through last Saturday. While they were here, the kids had their dance recital. Ga'Hoole Girl was in five dances for each of three shows: jazz, tap, ballet, 2 daddy-daughter numbers. Wild Man was in only one dance, but still for all three shows. He was in a jazz class this year.
The week before the recital was hectic, as usual, but it was nice that the kids could keep track of their own shoes, dance bags, etc. All I worried about was making sure that they had all the stuff they needed before we left the house. We live about 45 minutes away from the city where they dance, so there would be no coming home for missed items!
Of course, the recital was wonderful. Ga'Hoole Girl outdid herself this year. The jazz class really stretched her, but she was up for it. She has never had jazz before, but she was in the advanced (child) jazz class this year. So, she had a little learning to do. But, since she has been taking ballet for so long, she already new a lot of the moves - she just had to learn how to incorporate them in to jazz. For example, she can do a pique turn and a pirouette from her ballet class. A jazz pirouette is a little different from a ballet pirouette, but the idea is the same. Since she is already comfortable with spotting, etc., a lot of the jazz moves weren't difficult for her. Her tap class danced to music from "Pirates of the Carribbean". They didn't purchase costumes, but made them up themselves. Ga'Hoole Girl wore black pants and a white shirt with a velvet coat dress (Talbot's - got it at Goodwill for $6!) and a belt along with a hat. The tap dance was just amazing - and the kids had such fun with it! Ballet was, of course, just beautiful. They danced to "Christofori's Dream". Her class had 6 girls in it, and they usually danced in pairs, but they used up the entire stage. What a change from 6 years ago when she was in her first recital doing tap and pre-ballet numbers when she was 5!
Wild Man was in one jazz dance this year. It was really fun because he was already good friends with 3 of the other 4 class members. He and his good friend were the two boys. My best friend's daughters were two of the girls. But, they made friends quickly with the third girl. They danced to "Sharp-Dressed Man" by ZZ Top. Talk about fun! The kids had a great time on stage, and they really did well. Their dance was pretty complicated for a beginning jazz class, but they pulled it off. What was really cool was to see how encouraging Wild Man could be to the rest of his class. He helped the lady who sold flowers get her stuff from her van, so she gave him a free flower, which he gave to his grandmother. Then, he kept asking Mr. Math Teacher for money to buy flowers for all his friends - "So and so doesn't have a flower, so can I buy one for him/her?" It's nice to see that he thinks of other people.
The day after dance recital, Wild Man had his first baseball game. He was wonderful! His team won by a very large margin, in spite of the other team having some real sluggers. Wild Man's team can be pretty inconsistent. They have some kids who are still learning the basic rules and then kids like Wild Man who are ready for more intense stuff like "who covers first base when the first baseman is fielding the ball", stuff like that. During the first game, it was pretty chilly (low 60s). Wild Man had another game this week and it was about 88 degrees out during the game. They won that game as well. More importantly, Wild Man seems to be really developing his skills. It's also really nice to see how much he cheers on teammates that have done a good job instead of being jealous.
My parents stayed here with the kids while Mr. Math Teacher and I went up north to a cabin on a private lake for our 15th wedding anniversary. It surely does not seem like that long! We had 3 1/2 glorious days of reading, talking, listening to audiobooks or music, knitting (for me), carving (for him), and walks by the lake. Unfortunately, we got a flat tire on our way home (about 1/2 mile away from the house!). Mr. Math Teacher was able to get the tire changed and we made it home. That night, we had a little birthday celebration for Ga'Hoole Girl (a little early) and the grandparents took the kids swimming.
This week has been busy but fun. Wild Man took a one week long nature course offered through the public school. When all was said and done, he had made several friends (one of whom he sees at the pool regularly), learned some stuff about nature, and made several crafts. Ga'Hoole Girl is taking some enrichment summer school classes which last for three weeks. she is doing cooking, PE, Math Mania, and board games. She has also really enjoyed it. She still has another two weeks of school left. She is also doing art classes with the dad of the other girl in Wild Man's jazz class - is that totally confusing, or what? In any case, this girl's mom was Ga'Hoole Girl's ballet teacher for the previous two years, and her dad is an artist. He was interested in setting up some art classes, so we go to his studio every Thursday night for four weeks. There are another four girls and the teacher's daughters in the class. They did figure drawing this week and will continue next week. Then, they will go on to still life and landscape, I believe.
The swimming lake (not a pool, it has a gravel bottom, but it is filtered, even if it's not chlorinated) opened this last week. I signed Wild Man up for swimming lessons. He objected, but then went out into the deep water with his friend yesterday with only a swimming noodle to support him. EEK! So, he's a little more motivated to learn to swim because he can't go in the deep water unless he can swim (pool's rules - although they are our rules too). I took them swimming twice this week. There is limited shade around the pool, so it's not real comfortable for me to go with them. And, I find the water still a little chilly for my taste this time of year. In any case, the kids have fun. And, Mr. Math Teacher took Wild Man to the pool to swim with one of his friends from summer school yesterday. They certainly aren't deprived of pool time around here!
I finally finished painting the living room. It is definitely mauve, but it really make the wood frames and baseboards stand out. I'm very pleased with it. My next project is to do the hallway in a sage green. I think I'm going to do all the brushwork, then move the furniture and take down the pictures and roll the rest. I hate dealing with rollers, but it's the only way I'm going to be able to get to the top of the stairwell. In any case, I have lots of time, and don't need to worry about it right now. Mr. Math Teacher's mom is coming in July and going to camp with us. After that, she is taking the kids on a lighthouse tour of Door County. So, I have a lot of books about lighthouses that I want to look at with the kids. We were going to do it yesterday, but Wild Man went swimming. Then, today I had a migraine and slept a lot. Maybe we'll look at some of it tomorrow. Ga'Hoole Girl is signed up to make some PJs and have them ready in a week and a half for the 4H clothing revue. Unfortunately, she is such a perfectionist that she wants to quit whenever it gets hard. So, the pinning of the pattern to the fabric is done. Now, I need to help her get through the cutting. And, it's her project, so I'm not doing it for her, but I may need to hold her hand for the first one!
Mr. Math Teacher had been quite the handyman lately. He has done almost everything on the "ToDo" list. The rest either needs my input or money that we don't have! When he's not working on handyman stuff, he's helping a friend set up his computer and working on his carving. He had a new project - making a chain long enough to go around someone's neck all from one piece of wood. He's having to be very careful, though, that he doesn't damage the wood in the process. I'm pretty impressed!
So, that's life at the moment. I'm hoping to feel well enough tomorrow to straighten up a little bit and to finish some laundry. But, right now I'm exhausted. So, off to bed. Sleep well, everyone!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
More Musings about Faith and Safety
KC's comments are very much appreciated. I agree that Christianity in this culture is being treated appallingly, especially for a country that was founded by Christians. Chuck Colson does a great job of writing about the current political and social situation. I have read some things by David Limbaugh and also been quite impressed. That being said, our level of persecution is very low compared with almost any other country in the world today. Chuck Colson's Breakpoint Commentary from 6/10 (http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=462) comments on true martyrs as well as the political correctness in our culture that keeps us from addressing it. The consequences that we face for standing up for our faith are miniscule compared to the rest of the world, though. PrisonerAlert.com has listings of people who have been imprisoned for years simply for attending a church service or having a Bible. In our country, we face the loss of position, short jail terms, or loss of job, but nothing like in other countries. Unfortunately, our culture is declining, so there is the potential that we could face further overt persecution in the future.
I am not unaware or unconcerned about the status of Christianity in our culture. And I agree that Christians must be proactive about positively affecting our culture. Social and political action by Christians should be a normal part of life. That being said, I stand my my conclusion that the American church remains very privileged.
I am not unaware or unconcerned about the status of Christianity in our culture. And I agree that Christians must be proactive about positively affecting our culture. Social and political action by Christians should be a normal part of life. That being said, I stand my my conclusion that the American church remains very privileged.
However, I am most concerned about my own propensity for safety and comfort, particularly in light of Jesus' command to daily take up our cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). The first century people to which he was originally speaking understood that "taking up one's cross" meant dying. I am concerned about this from a personal point of view - am I willing to follow Jesus even to the point of death? Our cultures values of "personal peace" and "affluence" (per Dr. Schaeffer) are in direct contradiction to the commands of Christ.
So, my conclusion is that this is an area of my life that needs some work. I need to daily strengthen my walk with the Lord so that I am willing and ready to do whatever He calls me to do - from the simple stuff like being more available for my kids to the harder stuff like reaching out to my neighbors to the even harder stuff like giving up my own dreams and plans and comfort to be where God wants me to be.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Faith and Safety
I finished reading How Should We Then Live? by Francis Schaeffer this week. Basically, Shaeffer starts with Ancient Rome and traces the effect of Christianity on philosophy, art, music, and culture until the mid-1970's (when the book was written). The first 10 chapters are historical in nature, and are quite interesting. Starting in Chapter 11, though, Schaeffer starts to critique our own culture; the result is convicting.
In Chapter 11, Schaeffer asserts that "As the more Christian-dominated consensus weakened, the majority of people adopted two impoverished values: personal peace and affluence." The values of personal peace and affluence are everywhere. We don't want to do anything that will "rock the boat", whether or not it is right or Godly. We will do anything to make sure that we are "comfortable". I am afraid that many political decisions these days are made with reference to making us comfortable and happy and have very little to do with Godly values.
Affluence as a value is all around us. It is becoming expected that we will have a large home, new cars, and lots of cool toys. But, God calls us to a deeper life than just having "stuff". Jesus didn't even have a home. As a society, we have developed social structures just so that we can keep up our level of affluence. It is the norm for families to live on two incomes. Kids are sent to school when parents would prefer to homeschool because of the financial implications. [Of course, it is easy for me to talk about this right now since we haven't actually been forced to live on just Mr. Math Teacher's salary yet.] Our family has started down the road of becoming less dependent on our stuff. Our current home has only one bathroom and no dishwasher. We just gave up cable (ouch!). We now have the chance to spend more time on relationships - with family members but also with our neighbors.
The message at church this morning was the beginning of a series called "Architecture of a Movement" in which the pastors will be teaching about the Church - it's beginnings, where it is headed, and where our local church should be headed. One of his main points today was that Christianity is not "safe". In this country, we experience very little persecution for our faith. This is in serious contrast to many other countries. Check out Voice of the Martyrs for some stories of modern day martyrs and people who are currently imprisoned for their faith. If our faith is "safe", then we aren't really living it out. We should be willing to risk our "personal peace" and "affluence" (as Schaeffer puts it) in order to make a difference in our world.
What does this mean for me and my family? It means that we need to get more aggressive about getting our debt paid off and using our money in a Godly way - supporting missionaries and ministries right now. It means taking my kids to the nursing home and/or nutrition center regularly to minister to others in our community. It means a more concerted effort to get to know our neighbors and be a blessing to them - even at the expense of schoolwork or housework. It means daily reassessing our values - how does this action further the kingdom of God? Is this the best thing for me to do today/right now? How can I model love and giving to my kids? How can I be the love of Jesus to my neighbors?
In summary, I highly recommend that you read Schaeffer's book. Chuck Colson has written How Should We Now Live? which is supposed to take up where Schaeffer left off. I'll let you know what I think when I'm done with it. In the meantime, I have found plenty to chew on from Schaeffer's book.
P.S. Check out "Me and Becky" by Chris Rice. It's a musical treatment of leaving our comfortable Christian confines to really impact the world.
In Chapter 11, Schaeffer asserts that "As the more Christian-dominated consensus weakened, the majority of people adopted two impoverished values: personal peace and affluence." The values of personal peace and affluence are everywhere. We don't want to do anything that will "rock the boat", whether or not it is right or Godly. We will do anything to make sure that we are "comfortable". I am afraid that many political decisions these days are made with reference to making us comfortable and happy and have very little to do with Godly values.
Affluence as a value is all around us. It is becoming expected that we will have a large home, new cars, and lots of cool toys. But, God calls us to a deeper life than just having "stuff". Jesus didn't even have a home. As a society, we have developed social structures just so that we can keep up our level of affluence. It is the norm for families to live on two incomes. Kids are sent to school when parents would prefer to homeschool because of the financial implications. [Of course, it is easy for me to talk about this right now since we haven't actually been forced to live on just Mr. Math Teacher's salary yet.] Our family has started down the road of becoming less dependent on our stuff. Our current home has only one bathroom and no dishwasher. We just gave up cable (ouch!). We now have the chance to spend more time on relationships - with family members but also with our neighbors.
The message at church this morning was the beginning of a series called "Architecture of a Movement" in which the pastors will be teaching about the Church - it's beginnings, where it is headed, and where our local church should be headed. One of his main points today was that Christianity is not "safe". In this country, we experience very little persecution for our faith. This is in serious contrast to many other countries. Check out Voice of the Martyrs for some stories of modern day martyrs and people who are currently imprisoned for their faith. If our faith is "safe", then we aren't really living it out. We should be willing to risk our "personal peace" and "affluence" (as Schaeffer puts it) in order to make a difference in our world.
What does this mean for me and my family? It means that we need to get more aggressive about getting our debt paid off and using our money in a Godly way - supporting missionaries and ministries right now. It means taking my kids to the nursing home and/or nutrition center regularly to minister to others in our community. It means a more concerted effort to get to know our neighbors and be a blessing to them - even at the expense of schoolwork or housework. It means daily reassessing our values - how does this action further the kingdom of God? Is this the best thing for me to do today/right now? How can I model love and giving to my kids? How can I be the love of Jesus to my neighbors?
In summary, I highly recommend that you read Schaeffer's book. Chuck Colson has written How Should We Now Live? which is supposed to take up where Schaeffer left off. I'll let you know what I think when I'm done with it. In the meantime, I have found plenty to chew on from Schaeffer's book.
P.S. Check out "Me and Becky" by Chris Rice. It's a musical treatment of leaving our comfortable Christian confines to really impact the world.
Blessed be the name by Tree63
What a wonderful song and video. We sang this song this morning in church. I particularly appreciate the part about choosing to bless the Lord even during our suffering!
Friday, June 08, 2007
Friendships
I have been reading a wonderful blog called "Making Home" at http://http://www.makinghome.blogspot.com/. She has been writing recently about women and friendship - I find her comments insighful and important.
I developed the best friendship of my life in college with D. She and I lived together for three years in the dorms at LSU. We had a blast! But, we also came to love each other dearly. We have led very different lives, though. She got married right after college and is a stay at home mom to four boys in the suburbs. I am a former physician who is staying at home with my two kids in a very small town. But, I got to go visit D for her fortieth birthday this year. What a special time that was! We got to reminisce, share stories about our kids, and just "hang out". We still just chat when we get a chance.
After college, I had several good friends in medical school, but not close ones like D. I got married after my second year of medical school, and Mr. Math Teacher and I became friends with several couples, but I wasn't particularly close with any other women. The same was true in residency. In large part, I just didn't have time. There are only so many hours in the day, and I was working most of them! The rest of my time was spent with my husband.
In the time since residency, though, I have developed some friendships with other women, and have been much better because of it. Generally, it has been pretty informal. My best friend, S, became my friend because I helped her take care of her kids when she was sick. Since then, our friendship has deepened and we have shared lots of good and bad things together. At one point, I was also leading a small group for women who were hurting. It was a nice, safe place for us to share our struggles and to study what the Bible had to say.
Right now, I have several close friends - and I cherish them all. A few weeks ago, Mr. Math Teacher and I wanted to go to the big city to visit a friend in the hospital. I called S the night before and asked if she could keep our kids for the next day, and she said "yes". I'm sure it was a little inconvenient for her, but she didn't hesitate at all. We have kept various combinations of her kids over here when she would go out of town for a weekend. Another friend asked us to keep her son for the week so she and her husband (one of our pastors) could go to a conference. I can call either of these women (as well as several others) if I need to talk, vent, or need a favor.
Most of these friendships have not developed out of formal events, but just out of living life. I have some friends that I got to know first through church, others through homeschooling, and others through working. My one concern right now is that I don't have any older women friends who can act as a mentor for me. Titus 2:3-5 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. As women, we should have older women who can help us through our struggles while we help the younger women. So, while I'm not out recruiting, I am looking for a woman older than myself to be a different kind of friend - someone to walk with me through this middle age part of life.
I developed the best friendship of my life in college with D. She and I lived together for three years in the dorms at LSU. We had a blast! But, we also came to love each other dearly. We have led very different lives, though. She got married right after college and is a stay at home mom to four boys in the suburbs. I am a former physician who is staying at home with my two kids in a very small town. But, I got to go visit D for her fortieth birthday this year. What a special time that was! We got to reminisce, share stories about our kids, and just "hang out". We still just chat when we get a chance.
After college, I had several good friends in medical school, but not close ones like D. I got married after my second year of medical school, and Mr. Math Teacher and I became friends with several couples, but I wasn't particularly close with any other women. The same was true in residency. In large part, I just didn't have time. There are only so many hours in the day, and I was working most of them! The rest of my time was spent with my husband.
In the time since residency, though, I have developed some friendships with other women, and have been much better because of it. Generally, it has been pretty informal. My best friend, S, became my friend because I helped her take care of her kids when she was sick. Since then, our friendship has deepened and we have shared lots of good and bad things together. At one point, I was also leading a small group for women who were hurting. It was a nice, safe place for us to share our struggles and to study what the Bible had to say.
Right now, I have several close friends - and I cherish them all. A few weeks ago, Mr. Math Teacher and I wanted to go to the big city to visit a friend in the hospital. I called S the night before and asked if she could keep our kids for the next day, and she said "yes". I'm sure it was a little inconvenient for her, but she didn't hesitate at all. We have kept various combinations of her kids over here when she would go out of town for a weekend. Another friend asked us to keep her son for the week so she and her husband (one of our pastors) could go to a conference. I can call either of these women (as well as several others) if I need to talk, vent, or need a favor.
Most of these friendships have not developed out of formal events, but just out of living life. I have some friends that I got to know first through church, others through homeschooling, and others through working. My one concern right now is that I don't have any older women friends who can act as a mentor for me. Titus 2:3-5 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. As women, we should have older women who can help us through our struggles while we help the younger women. So, while I'm not out recruiting, I am looking for a woman older than myself to be a different kind of friend - someone to walk with me through this middle age part of life.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Perfect bread! (and some reviews)
I finally made "perfect" whole wheat bread!! It was delicious. The trick, it appears, is to add gluten. Normally, my bread is heavy and rather dry. With the added gluten, the bread rose nicely and is wonderfully soft. My kids usually like bread right out of the oven, but they also like this bread for sandwiches. They previously would only eat the homemade bread as toast, but now they will eat it for everyday things, making it a money-saving venture. Hurray!
My parents are here visiting this week. This weekend is the kids' dance recital. Tonight is one of Ga'Hoole Girl's dress rehearsals. The others are tomorrow before the Saturday night show. She is in her three dances plus the two daddy-daughter dances. Wild Man is in one dance. I am trying to not go too crazy. The good news is that Ga'Hoole Girl is old enough now to manage most of the costume change stuff. She still needs me to help her with her hair, but that is far less stressful than trying to keep up with all the costumes, etc.
It feels very busy because of recital and the extra people in the house, but we are actually doing less than usual. We are done with schoolwork until July (we'll do a couple of weeks in July and a couple of weeks in August). Ga'Hoole Girl and I need to go buy some fabric to get her started on her 4-H projects. I want to get back to painting next week. That's an adventure because I can only paint for an hour or so each day otherwise I get a bad headache. So, it takes about a week to do one room! It will get done eventually, I'm sure.
Movie review: One Night With The King - based on the novel Hadasseh: One Night with the King by Tommy Tenney.
This movie tells the story of Esther from the Bible. It actually starts with King Saul and his disobedience to God by not killing all the Amalekites immediately as directed by God. Samuel, the prophet, confronted Saul about this and killed Agag, the Amalekite king, himself. There is a rabbinical tradition, apparently, that Haman was a descendant of Agag and that explains his hatred of the Jews. Interesting. The acting, costumes, and sets were all just wonderful. The movie took some license with the story itself, but this isn't surprising. One of the things that I found interesting was that the story took place during the time of Xerxes (who is the same as Ahaseurus, apparently). This is cool because we have been studying the Greeks and just watched a History Channel show on the Battle of Thermopylae (which included a lot of background info on the conflict between the Greeks and the Persians). Knowing that the story of Esther occurred during the time of Xerxes really helps to put it into history for me. I highly recommend this movie for adults. Kids over the age of 8 can probably watch it, too.
Book review: Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray
This is a children's book that Ga'Hoole Girl will be reading a little later in her curriculum. It is the story of the son of a minstrel in medieval England who gets lost and spends several months trying to get back to his father and his dog. I most enjoyed the descriptions of life in that day and place. I highly recommend it for older elementary age and up.
My parents are here visiting this week. This weekend is the kids' dance recital. Tonight is one of Ga'Hoole Girl's dress rehearsals. The others are tomorrow before the Saturday night show. She is in her three dances plus the two daddy-daughter dances. Wild Man is in one dance. I am trying to not go too crazy. The good news is that Ga'Hoole Girl is old enough now to manage most of the costume change stuff. She still needs me to help her with her hair, but that is far less stressful than trying to keep up with all the costumes, etc.
It feels very busy because of recital and the extra people in the house, but we are actually doing less than usual. We are done with schoolwork until July (we'll do a couple of weeks in July and a couple of weeks in August). Ga'Hoole Girl and I need to go buy some fabric to get her started on her 4-H projects. I want to get back to painting next week. That's an adventure because I can only paint for an hour or so each day otherwise I get a bad headache. So, it takes about a week to do one room! It will get done eventually, I'm sure.
Movie review: One Night With The King - based on the novel Hadasseh: One Night with the King by Tommy Tenney.
This movie tells the story of Esther from the Bible. It actually starts with King Saul and his disobedience to God by not killing all the Amalekites immediately as directed by God. Samuel, the prophet, confronted Saul about this and killed Agag, the Amalekite king, himself. There is a rabbinical tradition, apparently, that Haman was a descendant of Agag and that explains his hatred of the Jews. Interesting. The acting, costumes, and sets were all just wonderful. The movie took some license with the story itself, but this isn't surprising. One of the things that I found interesting was that the story took place during the time of Xerxes (who is the same as Ahaseurus, apparently). This is cool because we have been studying the Greeks and just watched a History Channel show on the Battle of Thermopylae (which included a lot of background info on the conflict between the Greeks and the Persians). Knowing that the story of Esther occurred during the time of Xerxes really helps to put it into history for me. I highly recommend this movie for adults. Kids over the age of 8 can probably watch it, too.
Book review: Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray
This is a children's book that Ga'Hoole Girl will be reading a little later in her curriculum. It is the story of the son of a minstrel in medieval England who gets lost and spends several months trying to get back to his father and his dog. I most enjoyed the descriptions of life in that day and place. I highly recommend it for older elementary age and up.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Kid Comparisons
My kids played in their annual Piano Guild auditions last week. Being their mother, I think they are brilliant when they just take a breath. Despite that, they both played quite well. Wild Man had a great day and received a "Superior" rating. Ga'Hoole Girl had a more difficult time, but still received an "Excellent" rating. We were so excited when we got their scores since they both got "Excellent" ratings last year.
I find a disturbing tendency within myself, though, to compare my kids to other kids. I rarely compare Wild Man to Ga'Hoole Girl because they are so different. But, I do find that I will subtly compare my kids to other people's kids. For example, when I hear another child play piano, I think deep down about whether or not my kids are better pianists. It can go even further. When kids get to misbehaving, I find myself thinking that their parents are the ones who are actually to blame. And well-behaved kids must have stellar parents.
This is all part of a deeper pathology in which I am responsible for every action, good and bad, that my child does. If my child is "successful", it is because I am a good Mom. If my child is not the best, it is because I am a bad Mom. Do you see where this is going? It isn't good, is it?
Scripture tells us that we are responsible to teach our children right from wrong, but we must remember that children will still make their own choices. The Bible also shows the children of Godly parents who make abysmal choices - David's son Absalom, Solomon's sons (take your pick). Proverbs 22:6 tells us to "train up a child in the way he should go" but also says that "when he is old he will not turn from it". There isn't any implication that great parenting automatically produces perfect children who will never disobey. Proverbs 23:13 and 29:15 also tell us the importance of providing discipline for a child. But, again, our children are not trained animals - they can and will make their own choices, especially as they grow older.
[On a practical note, God places people in the families where he wants them. I have absolutely no right to judge a parent who has a child who is more curious or active than my kids. I have been blessed with generally compliant children, but I know families that have one or more kids that are just "high-maintenance" from the time they come out of the womb. Those parents need extra encouragement from those of us with easier kids, not condemnation. I also don't read that Scripture gives us "one" way to raise kids. It is clear that we are to provide discipline and training, but that can (and probably should) look different in each family. I have great suspicion for those people and books that claim that "if you do X, your children will do Y". There's no support in Scripture or in my experience.]
What does this have to do with me as a parent? Plenty. I cannot base my self-worth on my children. I am responsible to obey God. My children's future is determined by God, not by me. In the final analysis, this comes back to a reminder that I can't compare myself to other people to see if I measure up, either. I can't try to decide if I'm a "good enough" Mom based on how my kids behave or how clean my house is or whether my kids read early enough, etc. My worth is found in Christ alone (see previous post!!). Eph 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 2 Tim 1:9-11 who has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. God loved me enough for Jesus to die for me. That is what is important. And, as a Mom, I want to teach my kids to lean on this truth and not on the "stuff" they do. God loves me. That is enough. That will get me through any struggle I have and will get my kids through their lives.
Blue cornbread
You saw that right! I made blue cornbread last night. When I was in the organic section of the grocery store last week, I picked up a package of blue cornmeal - it has more fiber than regular yellow cornbread. I was a little concerned about how it would turn out, but it ended up being very good! It was a little salty compared to other cornbread that I've made, but otherwise fine. We could tell that it is a little more substantive than other cornbread, but it was also nice and moist.
You can probably tell from my blog that I have signed up for YouTube! I'll try to not be too annoying with posting music videos, but I think it will be fun to share music that has been meaningful to me.
I'm making another change to my blog. From now on, my kids will be known as Ga'Hoole Girl (my almost 12 year old daughter) and Wild Man (my 9 year old son). My husband will be Mr. Math Teacher. Using letters was driving me kind of crazy!
Today is the beginning of the last week of dance rehearsals. Today and Wednesday are stage rehearsals. Friday night, Ga'Hoole Girl has one dress rehearsal. The other dress rehearsals are on Saturday afternoon. I'm excited about the Saturday dress rehearsals. Every other year, the dress rehearsals start in the morning, but the show isn't until evening. This is a problem because we live 40 minutes away from the theater. So, we don't get to come home between dress rehearsal and performance. Granted, this was much more of a problem when the kids were younger, but I'm still glad that we only have to stay in the city for the afternoon. It's going to be a busy week, but it is fun. We will do a full school day tomorrow, but then just do math and reading the rest of the week.
Ga'Hoole girl is really getting into origami these days. It's amazing what she can do with paper. Both kids are excited that their grandparents (my parents) are coming tomorrow. The kids love having grandparents around for things like recitals. The kids also have a list of what they want to do with the grandparents while they're here. And, Mr. Math Teacher and I have a short anniversary trip planned - time for the kids to play with the grandparents and time for my husband and I to be together alone!
I have been having some thoughts about kids, performance, and comparing our kids to other peoples' kids, but they will have to wait for a while. I need to get the kids something to eat so we can leave for dance. Mr. Math Teacher will be happy because my headache has calmed down enough for me to be able to take the kids today - I didn't have a great morning. Anyway, I'm off to feed a couple of kids.
You can probably tell from my blog that I have signed up for YouTube! I'll try to not be too annoying with posting music videos, but I think it will be fun to share music that has been meaningful to me.
I'm making another change to my blog. From now on, my kids will be known as Ga'Hoole Girl (my almost 12 year old daughter) and Wild Man (my 9 year old son). My husband will be Mr. Math Teacher. Using letters was driving me kind of crazy!
Today is the beginning of the last week of dance rehearsals. Today and Wednesday are stage rehearsals. Friday night, Ga'Hoole Girl has one dress rehearsal. The other dress rehearsals are on Saturday afternoon. I'm excited about the Saturday dress rehearsals. Every other year, the dress rehearsals start in the morning, but the show isn't until evening. This is a problem because we live 40 minutes away from the theater. So, we don't get to come home between dress rehearsal and performance. Granted, this was much more of a problem when the kids were younger, but I'm still glad that we only have to stay in the city for the afternoon. It's going to be a busy week, but it is fun. We will do a full school day tomorrow, but then just do math and reading the rest of the week.
Ga'Hoole girl is really getting into origami these days. It's amazing what she can do with paper. Both kids are excited that their grandparents (my parents) are coming tomorrow. The kids love having grandparents around for things like recitals. The kids also have a list of what they want to do with the grandparents while they're here. And, Mr. Math Teacher and I have a short anniversary trip planned - time for the kids to play with the grandparents and time for my husband and I to be together alone!
I have been having some thoughts about kids, performance, and comparing our kids to other peoples' kids, but they will have to wait for a while. I need to get the kids something to eat so we can leave for dance. Mr. Math Teacher will be happy because my headache has calmed down enough for me to be able to take the kids today - I didn't have a great morning. Anyway, I'm off to feed a couple of kids.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
My splint
I now have a splint in my mouth to try to help with my headaches. My dentist thinks that this might help - in fact, he offered to make me the splint and I pay for it only if it works. I'll be thrilled to pay if it works!! So, today is the second full day of wearing it. It is really annoying, and it's too early to tell if it is helping. But, I'm praying.
I have been painting our living room "dusky rose". L doesn't like it - she says that she just doesn't like pink. It is really more of a mauve color, but she's not convinced. I chose the color based on the fabric that is on my dining and kitchen window treatments. I took some of the extra fabric and I'm making table cloths for the end tables in the living room. Unfortunately, I can't quite get the bobbin threaded in the sewing machine, so I have to wait for L to get home. She doesn't sew a lot, but she can thread the sewing machine!!
As you can probably tell from the changes on my blog site, I have discovered some fun resources. My blog is now part of the CWO (Christian Women Online) blog ring. I have had a great time reading some of the other blogs that are part of the ring. They also have the daily Scripture, etc. that I have added to the site. I hope they are encouraging for you.
I have been painting our living room "dusky rose". L doesn't like it - she says that she just doesn't like pink. It is really more of a mauve color, but she's not convinced. I chose the color based on the fabric that is on my dining and kitchen window treatments. I took some of the extra fabric and I'm making table cloths for the end tables in the living room. Unfortunately, I can't quite get the bobbin threaded in the sewing machine, so I have to wait for L to get home. She doesn't sew a lot, but she can thread the sewing machine!!
As you can probably tell from the changes on my blog site, I have discovered some fun resources. My blog is now part of the CWO (Christian Women Online) blog ring. I have had a great time reading some of the other blogs that are part of the ring. They also have the daily Scripture, etc. that I have added to the site. I hope they are encouraging for you.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
In Christ Alone
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand
Lyrics copyright 2001 Kingsway/Thankyou Music
We sang this song this morning in church. It was especially moving today. I was particularly struck by the line that "sin's curse has lost it's grip on me". It's hard to feel that, but the truth is there. Jesus' death paid for all of my sin - and I no longer live in bondage to it.
Another interesting event in church today: I spoke to one of the nurses who cared for me when I was in the hospital back in 2005. First, a little background: My migraines really got terrible in August 2005. I had 2 hospitalizations in August to try to break migraines. During those stays, we tried DHE and some other unpleasant meds. In September, the family and I went to a medical conference for a few days. We left early because of my migraines. When we got back in to town, I called my partner on call (it was Saturday) and he suggested that we try hospitalization with an iv narcotic drip. I thought this sounded great because I needed to get back to work Monday (crazy, huh?).
During the night that I was on the narcotic, I stopped breathing and the nurse who found me called a Code Blue. I recall waking up to hearing the voice of the ER doctor saying, "Prepare for cardioversion". What!? I felt this terrible heaviness in my chest and shortness of breath. I opened my eyes and saw a heart monitor that showed supraventricular tachycardia with a rate of about 170. I realized that I was the one on the monitor! Surprisingly, I vividly recall that I had a very coherent thought: "Cough. Cough to convert back into sinus rhythm and they won't have to cardiovert." I have no idea how I could think something that made so much sense. Anyway, I started coughing, and then the doctor and nurses encouraged me to continue. Within a minute or two, I had converted to sinus tachycardia at about 140. They quit talking about electricity - thank you, Lord! Anyway, the next few minutes were taken up with getting ABGs drawn and a CXR done. I kept telling them to call my husband, but they wouldn't call him until things were pretty settled down - i.e. when I was on my way to the ICU.
After a few minutes, they wheeled me to the ICU (it's a 40 bed hospital - the trip to ICU is very short, and there are only 4 ICU beds). When we got there, I started to pray and asked if anyone could please pray with me. My nurse was trying to get stuff hooked up, but she finally said, "OK. How about if we say the 'Our Father'?" That was fine with me. I was scared, P wasn't there with me, and all I wanted was someone else to pray with me. So, we did the "Our Father" together. P arrived soon after, and he spent much time in prayer!! The official cause of my apnea was narcotic overdose, but the dose of medication wasn't very high. Now that I know about my sleep apnea, I suspect that I became apneic at a lower than expected dose because of the obstructive sleep apnea. When I was coded, they gave me lots of Narcan, and I think that caused the SVT. In any case, I spent the next day in the ICU getting intermittent doses of Narcan. My headache came back, so they let me have some oral meds. It turns out that I had aspirated during the event, so I had a couple week recovery from that. I took a three month leave from work for headaches, etc. I only went back to work for three months before I had to quit for good.
What does that have to do with church today?? The nurse that prayed with me in the ICU goes to our church, although she goes early so I rarely see her. She told me today that my time in the ICU was the first time that she had ever prayed with a patient - she had always been taught to separate faith from work. Now, she often asks patients if she can pray with them, especially when she is working med flights. She also said she thought I was very brave - I wasn't really, but I'm glad she thought so. Anyway, I do not want to relive that event, but I was excited to hear that it had a positive impact on someone else's life - and through her, other people's lives. Isn't God totally cool?
"Here in the power of Christ I stand" is my prayer.
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand
Lyrics copyright 2001 Kingsway/Thankyou Music
We sang this song this morning in church. It was especially moving today. I was particularly struck by the line that "sin's curse has lost it's grip on me". It's hard to feel that, but the truth is there. Jesus' death paid for all of my sin - and I no longer live in bondage to it.
Another interesting event in church today: I spoke to one of the nurses who cared for me when I was in the hospital back in 2005. First, a little background: My migraines really got terrible in August 2005. I had 2 hospitalizations in August to try to break migraines. During those stays, we tried DHE and some other unpleasant meds. In September, the family and I went to a medical conference for a few days. We left early because of my migraines. When we got back in to town, I called my partner on call (it was Saturday) and he suggested that we try hospitalization with an iv narcotic drip. I thought this sounded great because I needed to get back to work Monday (crazy, huh?).
During the night that I was on the narcotic, I stopped breathing and the nurse who found me called a Code Blue. I recall waking up to hearing the voice of the ER doctor saying, "Prepare for cardioversion". What!? I felt this terrible heaviness in my chest and shortness of breath. I opened my eyes and saw a heart monitor that showed supraventricular tachycardia with a rate of about 170. I realized that I was the one on the monitor! Surprisingly, I vividly recall that I had a very coherent thought: "Cough. Cough to convert back into sinus rhythm and they won't have to cardiovert." I have no idea how I could think something that made so much sense. Anyway, I started coughing, and then the doctor and nurses encouraged me to continue. Within a minute or two, I had converted to sinus tachycardia at about 140. They quit talking about electricity - thank you, Lord! Anyway, the next few minutes were taken up with getting ABGs drawn and a CXR done. I kept telling them to call my husband, but they wouldn't call him until things were pretty settled down - i.e. when I was on my way to the ICU.
After a few minutes, they wheeled me to the ICU (it's a 40 bed hospital - the trip to ICU is very short, and there are only 4 ICU beds). When we got there, I started to pray and asked if anyone could please pray with me. My nurse was trying to get stuff hooked up, but she finally said, "OK. How about if we say the 'Our Father'?" That was fine with me. I was scared, P wasn't there with me, and all I wanted was someone else to pray with me. So, we did the "Our Father" together. P arrived soon after, and he spent much time in prayer!! The official cause of my apnea was narcotic overdose, but the dose of medication wasn't very high. Now that I know about my sleep apnea, I suspect that I became apneic at a lower than expected dose because of the obstructive sleep apnea. When I was coded, they gave me lots of Narcan, and I think that caused the SVT. In any case, I spent the next day in the ICU getting intermittent doses of Narcan. My headache came back, so they let me have some oral meds. It turns out that I had aspirated during the event, so I had a couple week recovery from that. I took a three month leave from work for headaches, etc. I only went back to work for three months before I had to quit for good.
What does that have to do with church today?? The nurse that prayed with me in the ICU goes to our church, although she goes early so I rarely see her. She told me today that my time in the ICU was the first time that she had ever prayed with a patient - she had always been taught to separate faith from work. Now, she often asks patients if she can pray with them, especially when she is working med flights. She also said she thought I was very brave - I wasn't really, but I'm glad she thought so. Anyway, I do not want to relive that event, but I was excited to hear that it had a positive impact on someone else's life - and through her, other people's lives. Isn't God totally cool?
"Here in the power of Christ I stand" is my prayer.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Reviews
I have been doing a good bit of reading and watching some videos, so here are my reviews. (Disclaimer: This may be a little bit clouded by my headache.)
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
This is a great book about an amazing woman from Somalia. It chronicles her life story and journey from Somalia and Kenya to The Netherlands and the US. What is more fascinating is her intellectual journey from radical Islam to atheism. Ms. Ali is best known as the woman who collaborated with Theo Van Gogh on the film "Submission". Van Gogh was murdered on the street in The Netherlands. Ms. Ali has been in Parliament in The Netherlands, and is currently a fellow in the American Enterprise Institute in the US. You can watch "Submission" on YouTube - I didn't link to it because it is somewhat explicit.
What I liked most about this book, and the reason that I recommend it, is that it portrays Islam as currently practiced in the Arabic world from the perspective of a woman - a woman who held to Islamic beliefs until 9/11/2001. I have read other books about the beliefs of Islam, but this was the first that demonstrated so clearly how Islam plays out in people's life. Ms. Ali, unfortunately, went from Islam to atheism. She says that Islam went against everything that her conscience told her. It appears that she has had contact and dialogue with Christians, but has not (yet) chosen that path.
There are some things with which I disagree. She talks about Islamics changing their beliefs to be more consistent with Western beliefs. What doesn't make sense, though, is that Islam is based on the belief in the Koran as the word of Allah. It doesn't admit room for change. In the same way, Christianity may look a little different in different societies, but the essential beliefs are unchanged since Jesus. So, I don't think asking Islamics to change what they believe is at all realistic. As a Christian, I pray that Muslims will see the truth of Christianity and meet Jesus.
Ms. Ali also tried to change the Dutch law that allowed private and homeschools because of the teaching that occurs in the "madrassahs" - the Muslim schools. Unfortunately, requiring that all children have a secular education isn't any better. In a free society, families must have the freedom to educate our children as we see fit. Our response to radical Islam must be to love them and to help them choose to integrate into society.
I could write for hours about this, but I hope I have given you enough to get you to read the book. Again, I don't agree with all her conclusions, but I have great respect for her courage and intellect.
Beyond Survival by Diana Waring
This is a wonderful book for homeschooling families. We use a curriculum, so I didn't need a lot of the stuff about how to teach different subjects, etc. But, I did find that it was a greatly encouraging book. She talked about how her kids are so different, but that they are learning and thriving in their home environment. I strongly recommend this book for anyone homeschooling or considering homeschooling.
What in the World is Going on Here? tape series by Diana Waring
I really liked Diana Waring's book about homeschooling in general, but I really disliked this tape series. This series is an attempt to look at world history through the lens of Christianity. I can handle that she is a young-earth creationist and takes the first several chapters of Genesis extremely literally. I had problems with a number of other items, though. In one place, she talked about the concepts of Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age being incorrect because she believes that God gave humans everything we needed to develop civilization from the time we were created. She uses a verse in Genesis 4 to support this - the verse states that a certain person was skilled in the working of bronze and iron. First of all, the dating of the first 11 chapters or so of Genesis is rather problematic. Second of all, one person being skilled in bronze and iron doesn't mean that the societies as a whole had learned to use them. I also have a problem with just brushing off such established ideas as the developing of society through certain "ages" - we clearly are in an information age that took several millenia to get to. Our society would not be here without having already gone through the industrial age, etc. There is more to which I object, but I'll leave it here. Obviously, I'm not going to use this resource with my kids.
"The Midwife's Tale" - DVD from PBS
This movie is based on a book, which is a historical evaluation of the diary of Martha Ballard, who lived during the time of the American Revolution. I didn't find the movie terribly exciting, but the story was pretty interesting. Mrs. Ballard practiced midwifery in addition to raising her own family. She delivered over 1000 babies and never lost a mom due to childbirth. What was rather sad, though, was that her own children treated her so poorly when she reached old age. Martha and her husband were finally able to build their own home when they were about 60. Soon after, Mr. Ballard was taken to debtor's prison for about a year. During that time, her son and his family just moved in with Martha, relegating her to a single bedroom. According to her diary, she felt that she was treated very poorly. After such a long and productive life, I can't imagine being treated so badly by one's kids. The diary itself is rather sparse, though. It's never clear whether or not the family was happy at home. Martha tended to just keep a record of what she did, when she delivered babies, other medical care she provided. It was only near the end of the diary that her own feelings were allowed to show. I would recommend this for adults. C watched it with me and was bored, but it wasn't inappropriate.
"Xanadu" - movie with Olivia Newton-John with music by ELO
This was a walk down memory lane for me. I had seen the movie as a teen and even owned the soundtrack. I chose it for the family to watch because we are studying Greek myths, and the premise of the movie is that a muse is sent to help a struggling artist. We all really enjoyed it. Some of the dancing was suggestive and some of the costumes were questionable, but it wasn't too bad for our kids. P also used the movie to talk about how we are inspired by the Holy Spirit, and not by a muse or other being. I highly recommend this movie for kids above about age 8.
"Civilization and the Jews" - DVD
This is another PBS movie. There are three parts to it, each with three episodes. So far, we have only watched the first two episodes. They fit very nicely with our discussion of ancient history. The point of the movie is to show the history of the Jewish people and their impact on civilizations. I recommend it to supplement world history curricula for older elementary kids and up.
That's all I have to write at the moment. I'll update my knitting situation later.
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
This is a great book about an amazing woman from Somalia. It chronicles her life story and journey from Somalia and Kenya to The Netherlands and the US. What is more fascinating is her intellectual journey from radical Islam to atheism. Ms. Ali is best known as the woman who collaborated with Theo Van Gogh on the film "Submission". Van Gogh was murdered on the street in The Netherlands. Ms. Ali has been in Parliament in The Netherlands, and is currently a fellow in the American Enterprise Institute in the US. You can watch "Submission" on YouTube - I didn't link to it because it is somewhat explicit.
What I liked most about this book, and the reason that I recommend it, is that it portrays Islam as currently practiced in the Arabic world from the perspective of a woman - a woman who held to Islamic beliefs until 9/11/2001. I have read other books about the beliefs of Islam, but this was the first that demonstrated so clearly how Islam plays out in people's life. Ms. Ali, unfortunately, went from Islam to atheism. She says that Islam went against everything that her conscience told her. It appears that she has had contact and dialogue with Christians, but has not (yet) chosen that path.
There are some things with which I disagree. She talks about Islamics changing their beliefs to be more consistent with Western beliefs. What doesn't make sense, though, is that Islam is based on the belief in the Koran as the word of Allah. It doesn't admit room for change. In the same way, Christianity may look a little different in different societies, but the essential beliefs are unchanged since Jesus. So, I don't think asking Islamics to change what they believe is at all realistic. As a Christian, I pray that Muslims will see the truth of Christianity and meet Jesus.
Ms. Ali also tried to change the Dutch law that allowed private and homeschools because of the teaching that occurs in the "madrassahs" - the Muslim schools. Unfortunately, requiring that all children have a secular education isn't any better. In a free society, families must have the freedom to educate our children as we see fit. Our response to radical Islam must be to love them and to help them choose to integrate into society.
I could write for hours about this, but I hope I have given you enough to get you to read the book. Again, I don't agree with all her conclusions, but I have great respect for her courage and intellect.
Beyond Survival by Diana Waring
This is a wonderful book for homeschooling families. We use a curriculum, so I didn't need a lot of the stuff about how to teach different subjects, etc. But, I did find that it was a greatly encouraging book. She talked about how her kids are so different, but that they are learning and thriving in their home environment. I strongly recommend this book for anyone homeschooling or considering homeschooling.
What in the World is Going on Here? tape series by Diana Waring
I really liked Diana Waring's book about homeschooling in general, but I really disliked this tape series. This series is an attempt to look at world history through the lens of Christianity. I can handle that she is a young-earth creationist and takes the first several chapters of Genesis extremely literally. I had problems with a number of other items, though. In one place, she talked about the concepts of Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age being incorrect because she believes that God gave humans everything we needed to develop civilization from the time we were created. She uses a verse in Genesis 4 to support this - the verse states that a certain person was skilled in the working of bronze and iron. First of all, the dating of the first 11 chapters or so of Genesis is rather problematic. Second of all, one person being skilled in bronze and iron doesn't mean that the societies as a whole had learned to use them. I also have a problem with just brushing off such established ideas as the developing of society through certain "ages" - we clearly are in an information age that took several millenia to get to. Our society would not be here without having already gone through the industrial age, etc. There is more to which I object, but I'll leave it here. Obviously, I'm not going to use this resource with my kids.
"The Midwife's Tale" - DVD from PBS
This movie is based on a book, which is a historical evaluation of the diary of Martha Ballard, who lived during the time of the American Revolution. I didn't find the movie terribly exciting, but the story was pretty interesting. Mrs. Ballard practiced midwifery in addition to raising her own family. She delivered over 1000 babies and never lost a mom due to childbirth. What was rather sad, though, was that her own children treated her so poorly when she reached old age. Martha and her husband were finally able to build their own home when they were about 60. Soon after, Mr. Ballard was taken to debtor's prison for about a year. During that time, her son and his family just moved in with Martha, relegating her to a single bedroom. According to her diary, she felt that she was treated very poorly. After such a long and productive life, I can't imagine being treated so badly by one's kids. The diary itself is rather sparse, though. It's never clear whether or not the family was happy at home. Martha tended to just keep a record of what she did, when she delivered babies, other medical care she provided. It was only near the end of the diary that her own feelings were allowed to show. I would recommend this for adults. C watched it with me and was bored, but it wasn't inappropriate.
"Xanadu" - movie with Olivia Newton-John with music by ELO
This was a walk down memory lane for me. I had seen the movie as a teen and even owned the soundtrack. I chose it for the family to watch because we are studying Greek myths, and the premise of the movie is that a muse is sent to help a struggling artist. We all really enjoyed it. Some of the dancing was suggestive and some of the costumes were questionable, but it wasn't too bad for our kids. P also used the movie to talk about how we are inspired by the Holy Spirit, and not by a muse or other being. I highly recommend this movie for kids above about age 8.
"Civilization and the Jews" - DVD
This is another PBS movie. There are three parts to it, each with three episodes. So far, we have only watched the first two episodes. They fit very nicely with our discussion of ancient history. The point of the movie is to show the history of the Jewish people and their impact on civilizations. I recommend it to supplement world history curricula for older elementary kids and up.
That's all I have to write at the moment. I'll update my knitting situation later.
I got it - Hey Fightin' Tigerrs!!
Guess what?! I just got the coolest ringtone for my cell phone!! When I was visiting a friend in Houston, he had "Hey Fightin' Tigers" (LSU football song) as his ringtone. I have been trying to get hold of that ringtone since then, but haven't had luck. Today, though, P was helping L get a ringtone for her phone (we are completely wireless so everyone has a phone now) and was using a service that I hadn't tried. So, I checked this service and they have it! So, now my ringtone is "Hey, Fightin' Tigers", L's ringtone is "Pirates of the Caribbean", P's ringtone is "God of Wonders", and C's ringtone is "Get Your Head in the Game" from "High School Musical". Are we connected, or what?
We also just got Xanadu from Netflix and are about to watch it. We have been reading Greek Myths, and I thought that Xanadu was perfect to reinforce it!! Yes, it's silly, but my children must be exposed to campy, 1980s musicals and a tenuous connection is a great reason. We also have Cats, but we're not watching that till tomorrow and it doesn't fit our "curriculum" although L is dying to watch it.
I still have the headaches, but my emotions are coming under some control. We've had a pretty stressful week. Yesterday, we went to the big city VA hospital (2+ hour drive) because one of our pastor's (and Patrick's dear friend) was sent there with angina. They put in a stent yesterday afternoon and he was feeling pretty decent when we saw him yesterday. I started the day yesterday with a wicked migraine, but it was gone by the time we left for the hospital (I slept most of the morning). I had insomnia last night, but I was able to finish painting our sunroom today. Unfortunately, we have a weather front coming through, so I'm pretty headache-y right now. Yuck.
Well, off to watch Xanadu!
We also just got Xanadu from Netflix and are about to watch it. We have been reading Greek Myths, and I thought that Xanadu was perfect to reinforce it!! Yes, it's silly, but my children must be exposed to campy, 1980s musicals and a tenuous connection is a great reason. We also have Cats, but we're not watching that till tomorrow and it doesn't fit our "curriculum" although L is dying to watch it.
I still have the headaches, but my emotions are coming under some control. We've had a pretty stressful week. Yesterday, we went to the big city VA hospital (2+ hour drive) because one of our pastor's (and Patrick's dear friend) was sent there with angina. They put in a stent yesterday afternoon and he was feeling pretty decent when we saw him yesterday. I started the day yesterday with a wicked migraine, but it was gone by the time we left for the hospital (I slept most of the morning). I had insomnia last night, but I was able to finish painting our sunroom today. Unfortunately, we have a weather front coming through, so I'm pretty headache-y right now. Yuck.
Well, off to watch Xanadu!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Angry at God
Yes, I am angry at God. I realize that this is a little dangerous, with Him being armed with lightening bolts and all, but there it is.
I have had a terrible two weeks - that's the reason for no blogging -it isn't really that we have had such a boring life! Two weeks ago I stopped my last migraine prevention medication. It was an antidepressant. EEK! The first week was particularly bad. I had forgotten what all those emotions feel like. By the third day, I was having regular crying spells, including getting really mad at God. It didn't help that the headaches seemed to have gotten worse for this two weeks. So, on the fourth day, I went in to see my counselor. I told her about my crying spells and how I had gotten so angry with God the day before. Being a counselor, she said, "Really? I've been wondering if we need to talk about anger." EEK! EEK!
So, I know that I am allowed to have angry feelings and to question God. But, that doesn't mean that I have to like it. I thought that I was OK with my new life as a stay at home mom, etc. Apparently, though, I failed to mention it to my emotions. There is a part of me that really didn't want to give up practicing medicine. OK, a big part of me. And, I still have the headaches, so I have been feeling very guilty about not getting as much homeschooling done as I would like.
The emotional ups and downs are getting better over the last couple of weeks. I still feel like "it's just not fair" sometimes. The logical part of me says that God doesn't have to be fair, and, besides, I have migraines, not cancer or lupus. This could be a lot worse.
I also have a certain picture of homeschooling that I am just not able to live up to. I would like to spend lots of good time with my kids, discussing events and ideas, doing projects, involving them in things around the house. What has happened is that L has just gotten further behind on her writing and math (I'm not worried about her science and social studies since she learns so much from just reading). When I haven't felt well, very little got done. Yes, she reads a lot, but there is a certain amount of stuff that she should be learning at this age. P and I have had lots of discussions the last couple of weeks about how to handle the schooling. P is concerned that I left the full-time practice of medicine for the full-time job of homeschooling mom. We have discussed everything from sending L to school, to online school, to changing our homeschool routines. What we have settled with right now is that L has a certain amount of work to do each day. If she gets this done in less than four hours (or if I'm not available to help with the stuff she can't do on her own like spelling), then she spends the rest of her four hours of "school" doing more math, Spanish, typing, etc. So far, so good. Although, the threat of school was pretty big for her. She likes her one art class per day and has no interest in going to school all day!
I really don't like all the things that I've had to give up. I'm trying to paint some of the house, but I can't just paint one room in a couple of days. I get so sore and headache-y that it has taken me 4 days to do half of one wall. I am eating much better these days, but it hasn't helped the headaches or fatigue yet. I even gave up my Diet Pepsi (although I do indulge a couple of times a week if I'm really stressed!). I'm frustrated that I can't always have a clean house. Of course, I would probably drive the rest of the family nuts with my perfectionistic tendencies - maybe it's better this way. Mostly, I'm tired of my head hurting. I hope that it will at least calm down to baseline over the next week or two. The one advantage to stopping all these medications is that I'm not near as hungry!!
I'm reading the book of Matthew again - planning to go through all the Gospels. Jesus was never stressed and never got behind. I am convicted about how much Jesus prayed - and he was God!! If God the Son had to spend so much time with God the Father, I'm sure I need to spend even more time. Some days, though, I feel like all I do is tell God how bad things are. How do I reconcile these crazy emotions with what I know to be true? God loves me - so much that Jesus died for me. God is in control of everything. God works everything out for his glory. All I can do anymore is pray.
I have had a terrible two weeks - that's the reason for no blogging -it isn't really that we have had such a boring life! Two weeks ago I stopped my last migraine prevention medication. It was an antidepressant. EEK! The first week was particularly bad. I had forgotten what all those emotions feel like. By the third day, I was having regular crying spells, including getting really mad at God. It didn't help that the headaches seemed to have gotten worse for this two weeks. So, on the fourth day, I went in to see my counselor. I told her about my crying spells and how I had gotten so angry with God the day before. Being a counselor, she said, "Really? I've been wondering if we need to talk about anger." EEK! EEK!
So, I know that I am allowed to have angry feelings and to question God. But, that doesn't mean that I have to like it. I thought that I was OK with my new life as a stay at home mom, etc. Apparently, though, I failed to mention it to my emotions. There is a part of me that really didn't want to give up practicing medicine. OK, a big part of me. And, I still have the headaches, so I have been feeling very guilty about not getting as much homeschooling done as I would like.
The emotional ups and downs are getting better over the last couple of weeks. I still feel like "it's just not fair" sometimes. The logical part of me says that God doesn't have to be fair, and, besides, I have migraines, not cancer or lupus. This could be a lot worse.
I also have a certain picture of homeschooling that I am just not able to live up to. I would like to spend lots of good time with my kids, discussing events and ideas, doing projects, involving them in things around the house. What has happened is that L has just gotten further behind on her writing and math (I'm not worried about her science and social studies since she learns so much from just reading). When I haven't felt well, very little got done. Yes, she reads a lot, but there is a certain amount of stuff that she should be learning at this age. P and I have had lots of discussions the last couple of weeks about how to handle the schooling. P is concerned that I left the full-time practice of medicine for the full-time job of homeschooling mom. We have discussed everything from sending L to school, to online school, to changing our homeschool routines. What we have settled with right now is that L has a certain amount of work to do each day. If she gets this done in less than four hours (or if I'm not available to help with the stuff she can't do on her own like spelling), then she spends the rest of her four hours of "school" doing more math, Spanish, typing, etc. So far, so good. Although, the threat of school was pretty big for her. She likes her one art class per day and has no interest in going to school all day!
I really don't like all the things that I've had to give up. I'm trying to paint some of the house, but I can't just paint one room in a couple of days. I get so sore and headache-y that it has taken me 4 days to do half of one wall. I am eating much better these days, but it hasn't helped the headaches or fatigue yet. I even gave up my Diet Pepsi (although I do indulge a couple of times a week if I'm really stressed!). I'm frustrated that I can't always have a clean house. Of course, I would probably drive the rest of the family nuts with my perfectionistic tendencies - maybe it's better this way. Mostly, I'm tired of my head hurting. I hope that it will at least calm down to baseline over the next week or two. The one advantage to stopping all these medications is that I'm not near as hungry!!
I'm reading the book of Matthew again - planning to go through all the Gospels. Jesus was never stressed and never got behind. I am convicted about how much Jesus prayed - and he was God!! If God the Son had to spend so much time with God the Father, I'm sure I need to spend even more time. Some days, though, I feel like all I do is tell God how bad things are. How do I reconcile these crazy emotions with what I know to be true? God loves me - so much that Jesus died for me. God is in control of everything. God works everything out for his glory. All I can do anymore is pray.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Dandelions on the Trampoline
L: Mom, C put dandelions on the trampoline and won't take them off.
(I had seen the dandelions on the trampoline, but I just figured they would take them off when L came out to jump. She is allergic to them.)
Mom: L, go tell your brother that "Mom said" to take the dandelions off the trampoline.
2-3 minutes later:
C: Mom, why do we have to take the dandelions off the trampoline?
M: Because I said so. Your sister is allergic to them.
C: But, we were having fun jumping with them on there.
M: But, they can't be on the trampoline when L is out there jumping.
C: But, we were having so much fun!
M: Take the dandelions off the trampoline! Now!
C: (pouting) OK. . . . What is allergic?
I would never have thought that this is the type of conversation we would be having about the trampoline. Well, C took the dandelions off the trampoline. Five minutes later, the entire incident was forgotten.
On Sunday, both of our pastors who preach were out of town at a conference, so they had asked a member of our church to speak. This gentleman, prior to retiring, was a full professor of cell biology at the state university. He was widely published and was part aauthor of a major textbook. The current series is on Tough Questions. The speaker had the topic of Creation and Evolution. Since this is a topic of interest to me, I can't say that he said anything particularly new to me. But, I loved how he put it together. He did an introduction, then he stepped to the right of the stage and put on a hat with a C for Creationist and went into character to present the Creationist position. He then moved to the left of the stage and put on a hat with an E and did the same thing for the Evolutionist position. Then, he moved toward the center and put on a hat with an ID and discussed the intelligent design position.
He did not have enough time to discuss in depth the differences between Young-Earth Creationists (YECs) and Old Earth Creationists (OECs) or the position of the Theistic Evolutionists. But, he did comment that these differences are there. He had a list of resources for those of us with further interest in the topic.
What I really liked about his presentation was his conclusions. He rejected atheistic naturalism or naturalistic materialism because of their rejection of God. But, from there he did not make a definite conclusion from the pulpit - I know he has one. He reminded us the importance of being ready to provide an answer for our faith and to do this with gentleness (1 Peter 3:15-16 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.).
Another conclusion was that children should not be shielded from the concepts of evolution. They are going to come across them in high school or college (or with friends and neighbors) so they need to understand the philosophical underpinnings, at a minimum. He did agree, though, that this is something that kids aren't ready to wrestle with until junior high or high school.
The last conclusion was that, as Christians we bring faith in the Lord and trust in the Bible to our discussions. What can be better than that? So, wherever on the spectrum we land about origins, we must remember that the most important thing is that we are to always be working to bring people to meet Jesus.
TV review: "The Mormons" on PBS.
I only watched the last hour of the first part of this Frontline series on PBS. It is a four hour series that traces the history and explores the beliefs and social setting of the Mormons. I really enjoyed what I watched last night. About 40 minutes of what we watched was about polygamy (or "plural marriage" as some call it). They discussed the history of it - how it was "revealed" to Joseph Smith to be the will of God and how the head of the church around 1900 had another "revelation" that it was not the will of God. Interesting. They also had interviews with families who currently practice polygamy. One of them was, externally, pretty normal. There was a husband, three wives, and eleven children. Of course, during the TV show, everyone seemed to be getting along just fine. Polygamy, though, has caused lots of family problems in many other families throughout the history of the practice. Currently, few families practice it and it is illegal. They tend to only prosecute those who do things like take young girls for wives. Apparently, the whole show will be available on the PBS website as of noon today. I'm really interested to see the rest of it. This is an interesting topic, anyway, but it is taking a more central role because of Mitt Romney's entrance into the Republican fray for the presidential nomination.
(I had seen the dandelions on the trampoline, but I just figured they would take them off when L came out to jump. She is allergic to them.)
Mom: L, go tell your brother that "Mom said" to take the dandelions off the trampoline.
2-3 minutes later:
C: Mom, why do we have to take the dandelions off the trampoline?
M: Because I said so. Your sister is allergic to them.
C: But, we were having fun jumping with them on there.
M: But, they can't be on the trampoline when L is out there jumping.
C: But, we were having so much fun!
M: Take the dandelions off the trampoline! Now!
C: (pouting) OK. . . . What is allergic?
I would never have thought that this is the type of conversation we would be having about the trampoline. Well, C took the dandelions off the trampoline. Five minutes later, the entire incident was forgotten.
On Sunday, both of our pastors who preach were out of town at a conference, so they had asked a member of our church to speak. This gentleman, prior to retiring, was a full professor of cell biology at the state university. He was widely published and was part aauthor of a major textbook. The current series is on Tough Questions. The speaker had the topic of Creation and Evolution. Since this is a topic of interest to me, I can't say that he said anything particularly new to me. But, I loved how he put it together. He did an introduction, then he stepped to the right of the stage and put on a hat with a C for Creationist and went into character to present the Creationist position. He then moved to the left of the stage and put on a hat with an E and did the same thing for the Evolutionist position. Then, he moved toward the center and put on a hat with an ID and discussed the intelligent design position.
He did not have enough time to discuss in depth the differences between Young-Earth Creationists (YECs) and Old Earth Creationists (OECs) or the position of the Theistic Evolutionists. But, he did comment that these differences are there. He had a list of resources for those of us with further interest in the topic.
What I really liked about his presentation was his conclusions. He rejected atheistic naturalism or naturalistic materialism because of their rejection of God. But, from there he did not make a definite conclusion from the pulpit - I know he has one. He reminded us the importance of being ready to provide an answer for our faith and to do this with gentleness (1 Peter 3:15-16 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.).
Another conclusion was that children should not be shielded from the concepts of evolution. They are going to come across them in high school or college (or with friends and neighbors) so they need to understand the philosophical underpinnings, at a minimum. He did agree, though, that this is something that kids aren't ready to wrestle with until junior high or high school.
The last conclusion was that, as Christians we bring faith in the Lord and trust in the Bible to our discussions. What can be better than that? So, wherever on the spectrum we land about origins, we must remember that the most important thing is that we are to always be working to bring people to meet Jesus.
TV review: "The Mormons" on PBS.
I only watched the last hour of the first part of this Frontline series on PBS. It is a four hour series that traces the history and explores the beliefs and social setting of the Mormons. I really enjoyed what I watched last night. About 40 minutes of what we watched was about polygamy (or "plural marriage" as some call it). They discussed the history of it - how it was "revealed" to Joseph Smith to be the will of God and how the head of the church around 1900 had another "revelation" that it was not the will of God. Interesting. They also had interviews with families who currently practice polygamy. One of them was, externally, pretty normal. There was a husband, three wives, and eleven children. Of course, during the TV show, everyone seemed to be getting along just fine. Polygamy, though, has caused lots of family problems in many other families throughout the history of the practice. Currently, few families practice it and it is illegal. They tend to only prosecute those who do things like take young girls for wives. Apparently, the whole show will be available on the PBS website as of noon today. I'm really interested to see the rest of it. This is an interesting topic, anyway, but it is taking a more central role because of Mitt Romney's entrance into the Republican fray for the presidential nomination.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Sunday morning
Sunday morning, Diet Pepsi, and sunshine. Does it get much better than this? Friday evening was the kids' homeschool play performance. They did a wonderful job! The singing was excellent; the costumes and set were just beautiful; and the comedy was hysterical. L and C are natural performers, so this is a great outlet for them.
In the middle of May, they have piano auditions for the Piano Guild. L is pretty much ready. C still needs some practice. I don't know if they are having a spring piano recital, but I suspect that they will since their teacher is retiring. L is going to piano day camp this summer and I hope we can find a teacher there for the kids. It will be a longer drive for lessons, but I think L really needs higher level teaching. A University student or teacher will be good for both kids.
The first part of June is the dance recital. This is a big deal for all of us. C is in one dance this year, but he is in all three shows. L is in three dances (not to mention the daddy-daughter dances) in all three shows. She will be pretty well wiped out afterwards, but she loves to perform and she learns so much from these shows. There are four families from our church with kids in the shows this year. I don't know how much that will help with driving for dress rehearsals, though. All the kids still want/need parental involvement in getting their costumes, hair, and makeup right.
P and I (OK, mostly P) spent yesterday cleaning the garage. Now, the garage would have room for a car in it except that we have all the boxes for the garage sale sitting in the middle of it!! In any case, a lot of stuff has been thrown out, and the rest sorted and put away. We have to do the basement and finish the kids' rooms this week. I hope we can get most of it done. If we don't, I don't mind taking the stuff to Goodwill. The rummage sale is nice to give us a deadline, though.
Last night, we went to the neighbors house to watch a movie and have dinner. They are an older couple, but are very active and fun. We watched a video of a show in Branson. It was really quite good. I'm not a huge country music fan, but they sang lots of old country stuff that I know and kind of like. They also did a number of Southern Gospel songs. I don't really like to listen to Southern Gospel music much (I prefer CCM), but they sang some hymns and older songs which was nostalgic. I grew up listening to Gospel (pre-Amy Grant!). We didn't get home till late, but we went right to bed. It was nice that we just had to walk across the street to get home!
C turns 9 on Tuesday - EEK! Where did my baby go? He's all excited because he gets to open a couple of his birthday presents that day. I also told him that I'll make chocolate chip muffins for breakfast since we won't have cake until Saturday. He also has dance class Tuesday - I'm pretty sure he'll be just walking on air all day.
C's birthday party is Saturday afternoon. The rummage sale is Saturday morning. Yikes! I've asked a friend to come over that day to help in case I get overwhelmed. We invited some friends of ours who are moving (back) to the US from Venezuela. The husband is from this area and was a missionary in Venezuela. His wife is Venezuelan and worked at the Ranch where he worked. They are hoping to come to the birthday party and to be at church Sunday am. I planned C's party so that I don't have to feed the kids lunch or dinner, just cake and ice cream. I told our friends that they can stay for dinner, though. If the weather is nice, I'm hoping that we can grill.
Book Review: The Great and Terrible Quest
This book for preteens is about a young man in medieval England who gets involved on a quest with an injured knight who has lost most of his memory. It isn't a long book, and I finished it in 2 days. It is a page-turner! It makes a point that honor and "knightly-ness" are based on behavior, not position. Enjoy!
Movie Review: "The Life of Birds"
The Life of Birds is a three DVD set narrated by David Attenborough. There are a total of 10 episodes. I chose for us to watch this because we are studying birds in Science. It took us about 3 weeks to finish the set. The footage is just spectacular and the information is unmatched. The only problem is the evolutionary point of view. He did not bother to argue for evolution - he simply assumed it as fact. My kids are learning to be discerning about things like evolution and creation, so I used these DVDs as another opportunity to discuss design versus naturalistic explanations for biology. Overall, though, I would highly recommend them.
In the middle of May, they have piano auditions for the Piano Guild. L is pretty much ready. C still needs some practice. I don't know if they are having a spring piano recital, but I suspect that they will since their teacher is retiring. L is going to piano day camp this summer and I hope we can find a teacher there for the kids. It will be a longer drive for lessons, but I think L really needs higher level teaching. A University student or teacher will be good for both kids.
The first part of June is the dance recital. This is a big deal for all of us. C is in one dance this year, but he is in all three shows. L is in three dances (not to mention the daddy-daughter dances) in all three shows. She will be pretty well wiped out afterwards, but she loves to perform and she learns so much from these shows. There are four families from our church with kids in the shows this year. I don't know how much that will help with driving for dress rehearsals, though. All the kids still want/need parental involvement in getting their costumes, hair, and makeup right.
P and I (OK, mostly P) spent yesterday cleaning the garage. Now, the garage would have room for a car in it except that we have all the boxes for the garage sale sitting in the middle of it!! In any case, a lot of stuff has been thrown out, and the rest sorted and put away. We have to do the basement and finish the kids' rooms this week. I hope we can get most of it done. If we don't, I don't mind taking the stuff to Goodwill. The rummage sale is nice to give us a deadline, though.
Last night, we went to the neighbors house to watch a movie and have dinner. They are an older couple, but are very active and fun. We watched a video of a show in Branson. It was really quite good. I'm not a huge country music fan, but they sang lots of old country stuff that I know and kind of like. They also did a number of Southern Gospel songs. I don't really like to listen to Southern Gospel music much (I prefer CCM), but they sang some hymns and older songs which was nostalgic. I grew up listening to Gospel (pre-Amy Grant!). We didn't get home till late, but we went right to bed. It was nice that we just had to walk across the street to get home!
C turns 9 on Tuesday - EEK! Where did my baby go? He's all excited because he gets to open a couple of his birthday presents that day. I also told him that I'll make chocolate chip muffins for breakfast since we won't have cake until Saturday. He also has dance class Tuesday - I'm pretty sure he'll be just walking on air all day.
C's birthday party is Saturday afternoon. The rummage sale is Saturday morning. Yikes! I've asked a friend to come over that day to help in case I get overwhelmed. We invited some friends of ours who are moving (back) to the US from Venezuela. The husband is from this area and was a missionary in Venezuela. His wife is Venezuelan and worked at the Ranch where he worked. They are hoping to come to the birthday party and to be at church Sunday am. I planned C's party so that I don't have to feed the kids lunch or dinner, just cake and ice cream. I told our friends that they can stay for dinner, though. If the weather is nice, I'm hoping that we can grill.
Book Review: The Great and Terrible Quest
This book for preteens is about a young man in medieval England who gets involved on a quest with an injured knight who has lost most of his memory. It isn't a long book, and I finished it in 2 days. It is a page-turner! It makes a point that honor and "knightly-ness" are based on behavior, not position. Enjoy!
Movie Review: "The Life of Birds"
The Life of Birds is a three DVD set narrated by David Attenborough. There are a total of 10 episodes. I chose for us to watch this because we are studying birds in Science. It took us about 3 weeks to finish the set. The footage is just spectacular and the information is unmatched. The only problem is the evolutionary point of view. He did not bother to argue for evolution - he simply assumed it as fact. My kids are learning to be discerning about things like evolution and creation, so I used these DVDs as another opportunity to discuss design versus naturalistic explanations for biology. Overall, though, I would highly recommend them.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Bonding in the Closet
Intriguing title, huh? L and I had a pretty good time cleaning out her closet last night. I never would have thought it. We got rid of clothes that don't fit and that she doesn't wear, put doll things in a corner, and put books in another corner. L put on some music, so we were dancing around and cleaning. It is a walk in closet, but it is in the eaves, so there's only about 3 feet by 8 feet where I can actually stand up! It was fun (and productive - shhh!).
Today is the first performance of the play. The kids are doing it at the library. The weather is just awful, but I figure that more kids might come to the library since they would have played outside if the weather was nice. In any case, the rehearsals are done, costumes are put together, and the kids are ready.
We are making progress on cleaning out the house. I am finding it very therapeutic. Unfortunately, it does not agree with my head! Last night, I had a migraine. So, I do a little bit at a time. Tomorrow will be cleaning out C's room and, perhaps, finishing cleaning L's room. Next week I plan to spend most of the time getting ready for the rummage sale and birthday party, although I hope to do a little bit of schoolwork to keep some consistency.
Today is the first performance of the play. The kids are doing it at the library. The weather is just awful, but I figure that more kids might come to the library since they would have played outside if the weather was nice. In any case, the rehearsals are done, costumes are put together, and the kids are ready.
We are making progress on cleaning out the house. I am finding it very therapeutic. Unfortunately, it does not agree with my head! Last night, I had a migraine. So, I do a little bit at a time. Tomorrow will be cleaning out C's room and, perhaps, finishing cleaning L's room. Next week I plan to spend most of the time getting ready for the rummage sale and birthday party, although I hope to do a little bit of schoolwork to keep some consistency.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Elijah
Last night, our Bible reading was about Elijah being carried up to Heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:1-14). It is a wonderful story. We then, took out our Rich Mullins DVD and watched him sing "Elijah". It was a nice time.
The Jordan is waiting for me to cross thru
My heart is aging I can tell
So Lord I'm begging for one last favour from You
Here's my heart
Take it where you will
This life has shown me how we're mended
And how we're torn
How it's O.K. to be lonely
As long as you're free
Sometimes my ground was stony
And sometimes covered up with thorns
And only you could make it what it had to be
And now that it's done
If they dressed me like a pauper
Or if they dined me like a prince
If they lay me with my fathers
Or if my ashes scatter on the wind
I don't care
When I go I wanna go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won't break my heart to say goodbye
There's people been friendly
But they'd never be your friends
Sometimes this has bent me to the ground
But now that this is all ending I want to
Hear some music once again
'Cause it's the finest thing
That I have ever found
But the Jordan is waiting
Though I ain't never seen the other side
Still they say you can't take in
The things you have here
So on the road to salvation I stick out my thumb and
He gives me a ride
And his music is already falling on my ears
There's people been talking
They say they're worried about my soul
Well I'm here to tell you i'll keep rocking
Til I'm sure it's my time to roll
When I go I wanna go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won't break my heart to say goodbye
from "Elijah" by Rich Mullins
Rich Mullins was killed in a car crash in 1997. He was ejected from his vehicle and died immediately.
It has been a busy week already. The homeschool play is this week, so I have been working to finalize costumes, etc. Last night, after dance, L and I went to Goodwill, Target, and KMart, and couldn't find a shirt for C. P is going to look after his tutoring today. Today was dress rehearsal #1. Thursday am is the second dress rehearsal. They perform at the library Thursday afternoon and at church Friday pm. So far, the only schoolwork we have done has been a little Bible and watching bird DVDs. Tomorrow, we'll work on some history. The other thing we're working on is getting stuff ready for the rummage sale in 2 weeks. I have worked in both kids rooms a little so far. I don't know how much they're going to be willing to part with. Well, we'll make it work.
I am currently reading The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. What a great book! In it, he has a bus that runs from hell to Heaven and back in a loop. His main character is observing what is happening. The sinners in hell are allowed to take the bus to the outside of Heaven. There, they are met by souls from Heaven who try to convince them to come to Heaven. Most of the souls from hell, though, can't get into Heaven because they won't let go of something that is keeping them from God. One woman claims that she loves her son, but the saved soul from Heaven tries to tell her that she has to learn to love God more than her son, but she isn't willing to even try. It's just a wonderful story.
The Jordan is waiting for me to cross thru
My heart is aging I can tell
So Lord I'm begging for one last favour from You
Here's my heart
Take it where you will
This life has shown me how we're mended
And how we're torn
How it's O.K. to be lonely
As long as you're free
Sometimes my ground was stony
And sometimes covered up with thorns
And only you could make it what it had to be
And now that it's done
If they dressed me like a pauper
Or if they dined me like a prince
If they lay me with my fathers
Or if my ashes scatter on the wind
I don't care
When I go I wanna go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won't break my heart to say goodbye
There's people been friendly
But they'd never be your friends
Sometimes this has bent me to the ground
But now that this is all ending I want to
Hear some music once again
'Cause it's the finest thing
That I have ever found
But the Jordan is waiting
Though I ain't never seen the other side
Still they say you can't take in
The things you have here
So on the road to salvation I stick out my thumb and
He gives me a ride
And his music is already falling on my ears
There's people been talking
They say they're worried about my soul
Well I'm here to tell you i'll keep rocking
Til I'm sure it's my time to roll
When I go I wanna go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won't break my heart to say goodbye
from "Elijah" by Rich Mullins
Rich Mullins was killed in a car crash in 1997. He was ejected from his vehicle and died immediately.
It has been a busy week already. The homeschool play is this week, so I have been working to finalize costumes, etc. Last night, after dance, L and I went to Goodwill, Target, and KMart, and couldn't find a shirt for C. P is going to look after his tutoring today. Today was dress rehearsal #1. Thursday am is the second dress rehearsal. They perform at the library Thursday afternoon and at church Friday pm. So far, the only schoolwork we have done has been a little Bible and watching bird DVDs. Tomorrow, we'll work on some history. The other thing we're working on is getting stuff ready for the rummage sale in 2 weeks. I have worked in both kids rooms a little so far. I don't know how much they're going to be willing to part with. Well, we'll make it work.
I am currently reading The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. What a great book! In it, he has a bus that runs from hell to Heaven and back in a loop. His main character is observing what is happening. The sinners in hell are allowed to take the bus to the outside of Heaven. There, they are met by souls from Heaven who try to convince them to come to Heaven. Most of the souls from hell, though, can't get into Heaven because they won't let go of something that is keeping them from God. One woman claims that she loves her son, but the saved soul from Heaven tries to tell her that she has to learn to love God more than her son, but she isn't willing to even try. It's just a wonderful story.
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