I'm currently exploring the topic of spiritual disciplines. I want to learn more about the role of the disciplines in my spiritual life, but I particularly want to learn about meditation, silence, solitude, and fasting. Being a lifelong Protestant, I have been taught about the importance of Bible study, Scripture memory, corporate worship, and prayer. But, I think that many Protestant denominations overlook some of the older disciplines. I don't think I have ever heard a sermon or other Bible study lesson on meditation or fasting. What role do these things play in our lives? Are they just for the monastic types or are they for everyone?
Our twenty first century lives focus so much on productivity and activity, even within the church, that I am afraid that we don't know how to really be with God. I'm not even very good with just being by myself! Of course, my years in training and practice as a physician were also times in which being busy was prized. Rest and meditation were ignored if not outright scorned.
I have been meditating for the last week or so on Isaiah 30:15: This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation,in quietness and trust is your strength." Getting to repentance, rest, and quietness is a challenge. I am currently reading The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard and am really enjoying it and learning quite a bit. I'll write more as I go through it.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
NaNoWriMo and more
November is National Novel Writing Month, so we are changing our language arts curriculum for the month to writing novels. Obviously, you can't write a decent novel in a month - and I'm not sure I can write a decent novel at all - so the goal is quantity, not quality. Check out the NaNoWriMo website. This looks like a lot of fun - and a nice change of pace for a few weeks.
Today was the annual candy craziness known as Halloween Trick or Treat hours. Ga'Hoole Girl went out dressed as a travelling minstrel and played her ocarina. Wild Man was a pirate - big surprise! We live right on the main drag of our little town, so we got lots of kids. We ran out of candy again this year, but at least not until near the end. The kids went out with friends, so Mr. Math Teacher and I got to stay home and give out candy to the rest of the kids.
Next Saturday, our homeschool group is doing a culture fair. Our family signed up for Venezuela, so we will be studying everything Venezuela this week. We have our display board and lots of books.
Other interesting things in our lives: My shingles came back for a third time so I went back to the doctor and we decided that it's probably not shingles. It's gone now and my Lyme test was negative. If it comes back, I may end up going to the dermatologist. I'm pretty stumped. Derm was never my strong point.
Ga'Hoole Girl is almost finished with this quarter's art class and then she's done with art for this year. She really enjoys the class, but having to be at school first thing in the morning is really hard because of her dance classes. One of the reasons that we homeschool is so that our kids can get enough sleep and not have to follow the crazy schedules of the schools.
Today was the annual candy craziness known as Halloween Trick or Treat hours. Ga'Hoole Girl went out dressed as a travelling minstrel and played her ocarina. Wild Man was a pirate - big surprise! We live right on the main drag of our little town, so we got lots of kids. We ran out of candy again this year, but at least not until near the end. The kids went out with friends, so Mr. Math Teacher and I got to stay home and give out candy to the rest of the kids.
Next Saturday, our homeschool group is doing a culture fair. Our family signed up for Venezuela, so we will be studying everything Venezuela this week. We have our display board and lots of books.
Other interesting things in our lives: My shingles came back for a third time so I went back to the doctor and we decided that it's probably not shingles. It's gone now and my Lyme test was negative. If it comes back, I may end up going to the dermatologist. I'm pretty stumped. Derm was never my strong point.
Ga'Hoole Girl is almost finished with this quarter's art class and then she's done with art for this year. She really enjoys the class, but having to be at school first thing in the morning is really hard because of her dance classes. One of the reasons that we homeschool is so that our kids can get enough sleep and not have to follow the crazy schedules of the schools.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Others First!
I have borrowed this slogan from our pastor who uses it to help his kids learn to be unselfish. Starting now, we are an "Others First!" family. The kids have been having a terrible time with poor attitudes, complaining, not wanting to work, etc. Basically, they are just being kids - normal kids with sinful natures. But, God is calling us all to love others the way that Jesus loves us. For us, that means "Others First!" I have started by limiting their media time to weekends only, except for DVDs and TV shows that I have them watch for educational value (their attitude seems to be worse with more media). I made signs with the "Others First!" slogan and a scripture verse on each sign and placed them around the house. Mr. Math Teacher and I are going to work on our own attitudes. We are also going to start a zero-tolerance policy for negative attitudes and complaining with the kids. Consequences will generally involve running around the house or up and down the stairs. I'm hoping to also come up with some kind of fun things to encourage us to do things for others. Maybe we'll do things like have one day to specifically encourage one person or do secret things for each other. We'll see how things go. So, as of tomorrow, we are "Others First!"
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Shingles - Take 2
Monday morning, I woke up with terrible pain where I had had shingles several weeks ago. When I went to the shower, I saw that the rash was back - just like it was before. EEK! I have been feeling kind of "ill" because of the shingles (nausea, fatigue, etc.) and have had more headaches because of it. In addition, my new insurance hasn't come through yet, so I'm on acyclovir for the shingles instead of Valtrex. Acyclovir has to be taken every four hours. I'm starting to think I'm chained to a medicine bottle. We have gotten very little schoolwork done this week, but I think we're just going to write it up to a sick teacher. What a week!
He's reading!!
Wild Man is sitting on the sofa reading a book to himself! This is a big deal to any family, but it is especially important for us because Wild Man is dyslexic and homeschooled. While the NEA wants us to think that only trained professionals are able to teach children to read, homeschool families all over the country are doing a great job teaching them at home. Of course, Wild Man has dyslexia, so he does get help from a "trained professional" once a week, but the majority of his reading education has come at home. It's so cool to see that he's reading the book, but it's really fun to see that he's enjoying it. He really loves stories, so reading will open up a whole new world for him. I'm sad that he has had to work so hard to learn to do something so many of us take for granted, but I hope that he will enjoy his reading and make great use of it!
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Geaux Tigers!!
Yes, I am an unashamed LSU fan. Mr. Math Teacher and I were at LSU from 1985 to 1990 - we were present (but not together) at the 1988 game in which the cheering was strong enough to register as an earthquake on the geology departments seismograph. Since LSU was ranked #1 according to the AP poll this week, our family naturally had to watch the game. And, this week they played Florida. I grew up in Florida but have always been an LSU fan. When I was growing up, this meant that I was swimming against the tide. Tonight we had a little LSU football party with just our family - it's hard to find LSU fans around here! Ga'Hoole Girl didn't get really interested in the game until the very end. Wild Man, though, watched every second, giving running commentary.
And, what a game it was! Yes, LSU won, but they were never ahead until the last few minutes of the game. And the last minute was quite a nail-biter - hoping that Florida would not be able to pull a touchdown out under the pressure.
Mr. Math Teacher's would be very proud of Wild Man's enthusiasm. The last time that we saw Paw Paw was on a trip to Baton Rouge a few years ago. We went to LSU and saw Death Valley and Mike the Tiger V. It turned out that we were there on Mike's birthday and the local TV station was out doing a story. They interviewed PawPaw for the story because he remembered Mike I. The story aired that night, and we watched it in our hotel room. Paw Paw died the next night. It's really special for the kids that their last activity with their PawPaw was visiting LSU and Mike.
Another very interesting thing about this game is that the Florida quarterback was homeschooled through high school. Florida passed a law in 1996 that allows homeschoolers to participate in public school athletics. Tim Tebow played football in Florida and signed with the University of Florida after he graduated. He is a great quarterback and had us very worried tonight that he would help his Gators pull out a win. Thankfully, the Tigers held them off.
I hope that this kind of thing will give positive publicity to homeschooling. There are places where homeschoolers are not allowed participation in any athletics or other extracurricular activities. I'm not sure about the law in Wisconsin - Wild Man is still several years from high school. We have had Ga'Hoole Girl taking an art class at the local middle school and have been very happy with the outcome. It is unfortunate that some homeschool families are denied this possibility because the school systems are convinced that the system will be abused. In any case, it reflects well on his family and homeschooling that he is doing so well.
And, what a game it was! Yes, LSU won, but they were never ahead until the last few minutes of the game. And the last minute was quite a nail-biter - hoping that Florida would not be able to pull a touchdown out under the pressure.
Mr. Math Teacher's would be very proud of Wild Man's enthusiasm. The last time that we saw Paw Paw was on a trip to Baton Rouge a few years ago. We went to LSU and saw Death Valley and Mike the Tiger V. It turned out that we were there on Mike's birthday and the local TV station was out doing a story. They interviewed PawPaw for the story because he remembered Mike I. The story aired that night, and we watched it in our hotel room. Paw Paw died the next night. It's really special for the kids that their last activity with their PawPaw was visiting LSU and Mike.
Another very interesting thing about this game is that the Florida quarterback was homeschooled through high school. Florida passed a law in 1996 that allows homeschoolers to participate in public school athletics. Tim Tebow played football in Florida and signed with the University of Florida after he graduated. He is a great quarterback and had us very worried tonight that he would help his Gators pull out a win. Thankfully, the Tigers held them off.
I hope that this kind of thing will give positive publicity to homeschooling. There are places where homeschoolers are not allowed participation in any athletics or other extracurricular activities. I'm not sure about the law in Wisconsin - Wild Man is still several years from high school. We have had Ga'Hoole Girl taking an art class at the local middle school and have been very happy with the outcome. It is unfortunate that some homeschool families are denied this possibility because the school systems are convinced that the system will be abused. In any case, it reflects well on his family and homeschooling that he is doing so well.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Reviews - September 26
With our schoolwork going in earnest now, I haven't had quite as much time to read as previously. However, I have finished a few books and watched a few movies that I thought I'd review here.
Will God Heal Me? by Ron Dunn
This is a rather short book intended for people who are dealing with illness. Dunn starts by addressing why we suffer and affirming God's sovereignty. He then moves on to a crash course in Biblical hermeneutics - how to interpret Scripture properly. This section includes a rebuttal of the "health and wealth" teaching so prevalent today. The last section is about how to find God's good in our suffering. I found the entire book very good and very useful. I had come to many of the same conclusions as Ron Dunn, but it was good to see them supported by someone else. Dunn concludes that there are some things that are better than healing; it is better to suffer and to really know God than to have an easy life far away from God. I strongly encourage everyone to read this book - it is useful for those dealing with chronic illness, but also for their friends and family.
Help for the Harried Homeschooler by Christine Field
This is a very good book about how to live life as a homeschooling family. I didn't finish it, though, because it really didn't meet my needs. I would say that I'm something of a harried homeschooler, but I don't need more advice about how to be organized, etc. I am naturally organized. My problem is that I can't do what I plan out because my illness intervenes. Nonetheless, I do recommend this to other homeschooling families. The advice given is sound and the book is easy and pleasant to read.
Desperate Pastor's Wives by Ginger Kolbaba
The premise of this novel is that five pastor's wives from a small town meet every other week in a different small town for lunch. During these meetings, they share the struggles of life as pastor's wives. I enjoyed this book, but, as a novel, it really isn't all that high-quality. The author does, though, give us some idea of the difficulties that women who are married to clergy face. In addition to the usual marriage and life issues, they are faced with their own and/or their husbands' and/or their congregations expectations. They all have some spouse issues, whether lack of time, lack of attention, differences of opinion about employment, etc. By the end of the book, everything is neatly and predictably wrapped up. This was a pretty easy read and I would recommend it.
Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
I read this because Ga'Hoole Girl will be reading it later in the school year. It is a young adult reader about a girl growing up in thirteenth century England. It is written in diary format. The heroine is entertaining and always getting herself in to trouble. There is a good bit of sexual innuendo with remarks about girls "getting bedded" and "there will be many babies this next spring." I didn't find it too disturbing, but I know that other parents have been concerned. I anticipate some interesting discussions because the main character is Ga'Hoole Girl's age and is planning her wedding! But, that was medieval Europe.
Mary, Bloody Mary by Caroly Meyer
This is another reader for Ga'Hoole Girl, this time about Mary Tudor. It is written in first person and covers Mary's life from about age 10 until age 20. It is well-written and I really enjoyed reading it. The author does a good job of giving a real feeling for what court life must have been like. In addition, she is very sympathetic to Mary and her disasterous family life. I recommend this for young adults.
Will God Heal Me? by Ron Dunn
This is a rather short book intended for people who are dealing with illness. Dunn starts by addressing why we suffer and affirming God's sovereignty. He then moves on to a crash course in Biblical hermeneutics - how to interpret Scripture properly. This section includes a rebuttal of the "health and wealth" teaching so prevalent today. The last section is about how to find God's good in our suffering. I found the entire book very good and very useful. I had come to many of the same conclusions as Ron Dunn, but it was good to see them supported by someone else. Dunn concludes that there are some things that are better than healing; it is better to suffer and to really know God than to have an easy life far away from God. I strongly encourage everyone to read this book - it is useful for those dealing with chronic illness, but also for their friends and family.
Help for the Harried Homeschooler by Christine Field
This is a very good book about how to live life as a homeschooling family. I didn't finish it, though, because it really didn't meet my needs. I would say that I'm something of a harried homeschooler, but I don't need more advice about how to be organized, etc. I am naturally organized. My problem is that I can't do what I plan out because my illness intervenes. Nonetheless, I do recommend this to other homeschooling families. The advice given is sound and the book is easy and pleasant to read.
Desperate Pastor's Wives by Ginger Kolbaba
The premise of this novel is that five pastor's wives from a small town meet every other week in a different small town for lunch. During these meetings, they share the struggles of life as pastor's wives. I enjoyed this book, but, as a novel, it really isn't all that high-quality. The author does, though, give us some idea of the difficulties that women who are married to clergy face. In addition to the usual marriage and life issues, they are faced with their own and/or their husbands' and/or their congregations expectations. They all have some spouse issues, whether lack of time, lack of attention, differences of opinion about employment, etc. By the end of the book, everything is neatly and predictably wrapped up. This was a pretty easy read and I would recommend it.
Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
I read this because Ga'Hoole Girl will be reading it later in the school year. It is a young adult reader about a girl growing up in thirteenth century England. It is written in diary format. The heroine is entertaining and always getting herself in to trouble. There is a good bit of sexual innuendo with remarks about girls "getting bedded" and "there will be many babies this next spring." I didn't find it too disturbing, but I know that other parents have been concerned. I anticipate some interesting discussions because the main character is Ga'Hoole Girl's age and is planning her wedding! But, that was medieval Europe.
Mary, Bloody Mary by Caroly Meyer
This is another reader for Ga'Hoole Girl, this time about Mary Tudor. It is written in first person and covers Mary's life from about age 10 until age 20. It is well-written and I really enjoyed reading it. The author does a good job of giving a real feeling for what court life must have been like. In addition, she is very sympathetic to Mary and her disasterous family life. I recommend this for young adults.
Friday, September 21, 2007
In, not of
I've been considering what Jesus meant when he said that we are to be in the world, but not of the world. Last week, Ga'Hoole Girl went to Junior High group at church - one of her favorite events of the week. They played a game where they put a card on their forehead that had a name that they were supposed to guess. Ga'Hoole Girl couldn't guess the person on her card because it was someone from American Idol, and we watch very little TV so she hadn't even heard of the person. It wasn't earth-shattering or anything, but the event has gotten me to think about how we relate to "the world" as Christians. This was a Christian event, and my daughter felt out of place because of how we structure our lives.
Mr. Math Teacher and I have been very clear to try to be part of our culture. We don't want to get so involved in the Christian subculture that we are no longer able to impact the rest of the world for Christ. To that end, we read Harry Potter, watch some popular movies, etc. We have not often been accused of being overly protective of our children in this regard - in fact, we are considered rather "liberal" about such things in our homeschool group. But, we rarely watch network TV. For one thing, we don't have much time. We spend our evenings reading, playing, or other such things. But, we also limit our kids' TV exposure because of the advertising. We enjoy watching Packer games, but Mr. Math Teacher and I are quite often having to talk to the kids about the commercials that they see. Not only does the advertising by it's nature encourage consumerism, but many of the commercials are just horribly sexual or have other negative aspects. But, even in "Christian" groups, it appears that we are not as "in touch" with the culture as we thought.
We aren't concerned enough about this to start watching TV every night or anything drastic like that. This incident, though, has gotten me and Mr. Math Teacher to again raise our awareness about how involved in our culture we need to allow and encourage our children to be. I have no interest in raising children who can't or won't interact with people who are different from them (i.e. public schooled, non-Christian, etc.). But, we have to balance that with encouraging Godly influences on their lives. Where is the balance? It appears that this is something that we have to re-evaluate regularly. [Deep sigh]
Mr. Math Teacher and I have been very clear to try to be part of our culture. We don't want to get so involved in the Christian subculture that we are no longer able to impact the rest of the world for Christ. To that end, we read Harry Potter, watch some popular movies, etc. We have not often been accused of being overly protective of our children in this regard - in fact, we are considered rather "liberal" about such things in our homeschool group. But, we rarely watch network TV. For one thing, we don't have much time. We spend our evenings reading, playing, or other such things. But, we also limit our kids' TV exposure because of the advertising. We enjoy watching Packer games, but Mr. Math Teacher and I are quite often having to talk to the kids about the commercials that they see. Not only does the advertising by it's nature encourage consumerism, but many of the commercials are just horribly sexual or have other negative aspects. But, even in "Christian" groups, it appears that we are not as "in touch" with the culture as we thought.
We aren't concerned enough about this to start watching TV every night or anything drastic like that. This incident, though, has gotten me and Mr. Math Teacher to again raise our awareness about how involved in our culture we need to allow and encourage our children to be. I have no interest in raising children who can't or won't interact with people who are different from them (i.e. public schooled, non-Christian, etc.). But, we have to balance that with encouraging Godly influences on their lives. Where is the balance? It appears that this is something that we have to re-evaluate regularly. [Deep sigh]
Friday, September 14, 2007
God is laughing
God is laughing at me and my schedule - I'm sure of it. Things went pretty well Monday and Tuesday, but they fell apart starting on Wednesday. Wednesday and Thursday, I had a bad migraine (although, is there ever a good migraine!). The kids did some work those days, but we did lots of "unschooling". Before the headache got real bad on Wednesday, we walked to the coffee shop downtown. We did some schoolwork there, but we had to leave because my headache was getting worse.
The gas company came by on Wednesday to deliver our fuel oil. Of course, since being homeschooler, Wild Man and I asked the guy who was delivering the oil all kinds of questions. Today, Wild Man and I checked out the web to learn how they get fuel oil and gasoline from crude oil.
Today, the kids watched "Antz" because we're studying ants - I'm sure it's educational somehow! Then, we discussed metric vs. English measurements and put together little conversion pyramids that I printed off a website. I wanted to do a really cool hands-on activity with colored water, etc., but my head still hurts today. Instead, they are making cookies to work on their measurement skills. Actually, this could be very good because they can't find the one cup measure, so Ga'Hoole Girl said they will measure without that measuring cup. I also gave them a writing assignment with measurements: they need to each write a short story that uses volume, length, and mass measurement. Ga'Hoole Girl will use metrics and Wild Man will use English measurements. Yes, it's a sneaky way to get them to write, but I think it will work.
I think we're on track with our Core studies, as long as I get them to do one or two notebook pages before Monday. This week, we learned about ancient North and South American Civilizations and started our study of Rome. I ordered "Spartacus" from Netflix. It's rather violent, but I think it gives a good view of some aspects of Roman life.
We are not on track in science, but that is OK because we have been reading up on Whooping Cranes and ants. The kids are going to do short presentations for me and Mr. Math Teacher and each other about ants. Wild Man is going to talk about ant anatomy. Ga'Hoole Girl was going to talk about the gel used in Antworks, but she couldn't find much information. I'm not sure what she's going to choose now as her topic, but she's got till 5pm.
We had an interesting science discussion at the dinner table the other night. Ga'Hoole Girl asked whether one could make a solid into a liquid by grinding it into incredibly tiny particles. This led to a discussion of phase change and energy requirements. Then, we talked about boing point and pressure changes (Boyle's law, basically). She wants to be able create non-heat energy so that she can make a solid into a liquid without heat. Although, she may have abandoned this idea when we told her that she needs to study more physics!
I got a new math book for Wild Man. He finished Singapore 2B, but still has some trouble with word problems and measurement. I got the 2B Intensive Practice book for him. It looks like I'll probably have him do most of this book - it looks really good. Ga'Hoole girl is still working on fractions, but is just about done with her book. She'll go back to Singapore next week. I really want her to get to decimals soon because her life with metric measurement will be much easier once she knows how to manage decimals.
So, my schedule is completely shot. I think I'll have to think about my schedule the way the pirates in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies think about the pirate code: they're more like guidelines, really.
The gas company came by on Wednesday to deliver our fuel oil. Of course, since being homeschooler, Wild Man and I asked the guy who was delivering the oil all kinds of questions. Today, Wild Man and I checked out the web to learn how they get fuel oil and gasoline from crude oil.
Today, the kids watched "Antz" because we're studying ants - I'm sure it's educational somehow! Then, we discussed metric vs. English measurements and put together little conversion pyramids that I printed off a website. I wanted to do a really cool hands-on activity with colored water, etc., but my head still hurts today. Instead, they are making cookies to work on their measurement skills. Actually, this could be very good because they can't find the one cup measure, so Ga'Hoole Girl said they will measure without that measuring cup. I also gave them a writing assignment with measurements: they need to each write a short story that uses volume, length, and mass measurement. Ga'Hoole Girl will use metrics and Wild Man will use English measurements. Yes, it's a sneaky way to get them to write, but I think it will work.
I think we're on track with our Core studies, as long as I get them to do one or two notebook pages before Monday. This week, we learned about ancient North and South American Civilizations and started our study of Rome. I ordered "Spartacus" from Netflix. It's rather violent, but I think it gives a good view of some aspects of Roman life.
We are not on track in science, but that is OK because we have been reading up on Whooping Cranes and ants. The kids are going to do short presentations for me and Mr. Math Teacher and each other about ants. Wild Man is going to talk about ant anatomy. Ga'Hoole Girl was going to talk about the gel used in Antworks, but she couldn't find much information. I'm not sure what she's going to choose now as her topic, but she's got till 5pm.
We had an interesting science discussion at the dinner table the other night. Ga'Hoole Girl asked whether one could make a solid into a liquid by grinding it into incredibly tiny particles. This led to a discussion of phase change and energy requirements. Then, we talked about boing point and pressure changes (Boyle's law, basically). She wants to be able create non-heat energy so that she can make a solid into a liquid without heat. Although, she may have abandoned this idea when we told her that she needs to study more physics!
I got a new math book for Wild Man. He finished Singapore 2B, but still has some trouble with word problems and measurement. I got the 2B Intensive Practice book for him. It looks like I'll probably have him do most of this book - it looks really good. Ga'Hoole girl is still working on fractions, but is just about done with her book. She'll go back to Singapore next week. I really want her to get to decimals soon because her life with metric measurement will be much easier once she knows how to manage decimals.
So, my schedule is completely shot. I think I'll have to think about my schedule the way the pirates in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies think about the pirate code: they're more like guidelines, really.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Structure and Schooling
So, how much structure should our "school" have? I'm not the only one asking that question based on the topics on some of the homeschooling forums. The range of possibility is huge - from unschooling to having every 15 minutes planned out. What is the right amount of structure for us? That's what I'm trying to sort out.
Unschooling is appealing to me because it allows kids to be creative and research and learn what interests them at the moment. Unschooling is basically allowing a child to study whatever they feel like today. There is usually very little direction given by the parents. But, it is very parent-intensive. In unschooling, the parent works to help the child learn what they want. The parent and child(ren) go to the library, search the Internet, go on field trips, etc. Younger children require more help than older ones.
There are definite downsides to unschooling. While the working of parent and child together provides great opportunity for bonding, it also means that this is a labor-intensive way of schooling for the parent. You can't just give a kid a workbook and tell them to go work. This is an issue for me because of my headaches. I can't be there with them to research things, etc.
I also don't agree with the entire premise that children instinctively know what is best for them. Many unschoolers take this premise to (what seems to me) an unacceptable end and they engage in "unparenting". On one of the unschooling forums parents were discussing how to help a four year old decide whether or not to go to school ("I want it to be her choice") and how to handle the fact that other people (who are from authoritarian families) think that their children are disrespectful because they yell at their parents and demand their own way. Clearly, kids need parents for discipline, direction, etc. This is true in spiritual development and character development but also in school. I'm pretty sure that my kids will manage to convince themselves that they never need to learn to write properly if no one requires it of them. I believe that God intends for us to direct our children's education as well as their moral, spiritual, physical, and emotional growth. As they get older, the parents should naturally back off and have them make more of their decisions. But, I think that parents must be somewhat directive if we are to be good parents.
Then there is the other side of the coin: the parent who schedules the day in 15 minute increments and rarely varies from it. There was a time when this would have been my preferred way of doing everything. When I was in college, I would make color-coded schedules down to the half-hour - and stick with it. Not any more. First of all, life is too unpredictable to make such a detailed schedule. The kids' chores may take longer today than usual if they're not feeling well or if the trash can was unusually heavy, etc. The child may not understand a math concept and need more time right then (not later in the day). But, a big reason that detailed scheduling doesn't work well for us is my headaches (big shock). 1-3 days of our week are significantly limited because of my headaches. Wild Man doesn't yet read independently, so I can't just send him off to do schoolwork by himself (except for a couple of workbooks and some computer programs). Working around my headaches doesn't seem to have gotten much easier, despite our experience.
Here is my current plan (as of this minute in time): scheduled work for three days of the week and "unschooling" for two days. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, we will work on a list of schoolwork for each day. Some of the work is independent, but two days we work together on history (and other social sciences) and one day we work on science. The other two days will be workbook work (math and language arts) and computer work (Spanish and typing) along with "unschooling". Our definition of unschooling is that the kids will do educational work that Mom has not scheduled. If I have a headache, the kids do work that doesn't require my help (watch educational DVDs, computer programming, educational software, read a book, do an art project, etc.). If I'm feeling OK, then we may do something together (that they suggest) or I might just sit and read for a few hours.
Here's what the week might look like:
Monday - PE in the am, unschooling after lunch, dance in the late afternoon.
Tuesday - assigned schoolwork until mid-afternoon, when I take Ga'Hoole Girl to a friends' to go to dance class, Wild Man and I go grocery shopping, then Wild Man and I go to the dance studio for my dance class.
Wednesday - assigned schoolwork
Thursday - Women's Bible Study in am, Wild Man's reading lesson in early afternoon, unschooling the rest of the time.
Friday- assigned schoolwork
I'm also trying to figure out how to organize my work for the week. I'm still rather frustrated by the fact that things get completely out of whack when I have a headache. But, I think I'm going to set up a schedule and work around it when I don't feel well.
Monday - desk (bills, organize papers, etc.)
Tuesday - bake bread, clean living room, grocery shopping
Wednesday - laundry, mop
Thursday - clean living room (again)
Friday - clean bathtub
We'll have to see how this works out. Hopefully, I can find a balance that gives us enough structure to get done the basics and enough flexibility to have fun!
Unschooling is appealing to me because it allows kids to be creative and research and learn what interests them at the moment. Unschooling is basically allowing a child to study whatever they feel like today. There is usually very little direction given by the parents. But, it is very parent-intensive. In unschooling, the parent works to help the child learn what they want. The parent and child(ren) go to the library, search the Internet, go on field trips, etc. Younger children require more help than older ones.
There are definite downsides to unschooling. While the working of parent and child together provides great opportunity for bonding, it also means that this is a labor-intensive way of schooling for the parent. You can't just give a kid a workbook and tell them to go work. This is an issue for me because of my headaches. I can't be there with them to research things, etc.
I also don't agree with the entire premise that children instinctively know what is best for them. Many unschoolers take this premise to (what seems to me) an unacceptable end and they engage in "unparenting". On one of the unschooling forums parents were discussing how to help a four year old decide whether or not to go to school ("I want it to be her choice") and how to handle the fact that other people (who are from authoritarian families) think that their children are disrespectful because they yell at their parents and demand their own way. Clearly, kids need parents for discipline, direction, etc. This is true in spiritual development and character development but also in school. I'm pretty sure that my kids will manage to convince themselves that they never need to learn to write properly if no one requires it of them. I believe that God intends for us to direct our children's education as well as their moral, spiritual, physical, and emotional growth. As they get older, the parents should naturally back off and have them make more of their decisions. But, I think that parents must be somewhat directive if we are to be good parents.
Then there is the other side of the coin: the parent who schedules the day in 15 minute increments and rarely varies from it. There was a time when this would have been my preferred way of doing everything. When I was in college, I would make color-coded schedules down to the half-hour - and stick with it. Not any more. First of all, life is too unpredictable to make such a detailed schedule. The kids' chores may take longer today than usual if they're not feeling well or if the trash can was unusually heavy, etc. The child may not understand a math concept and need more time right then (not later in the day). But, a big reason that detailed scheduling doesn't work well for us is my headaches (big shock). 1-3 days of our week are significantly limited because of my headaches. Wild Man doesn't yet read independently, so I can't just send him off to do schoolwork by himself (except for a couple of workbooks and some computer programs). Working around my headaches doesn't seem to have gotten much easier, despite our experience.
Here is my current plan (as of this minute in time): scheduled work for three days of the week and "unschooling" for two days. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, we will work on a list of schoolwork for each day. Some of the work is independent, but two days we work together on history (and other social sciences) and one day we work on science. The other two days will be workbook work (math and language arts) and computer work (Spanish and typing) along with "unschooling". Our definition of unschooling is that the kids will do educational work that Mom has not scheduled. If I have a headache, the kids do work that doesn't require my help (watch educational DVDs, computer programming, educational software, read a book, do an art project, etc.). If I'm feeling OK, then we may do something together (that they suggest) or I might just sit and read for a few hours.
Here's what the week might look like:
Monday - PE in the am, unschooling after lunch, dance in the late afternoon.
Tuesday - assigned schoolwork until mid-afternoon, when I take Ga'Hoole Girl to a friends' to go to dance class, Wild Man and I go grocery shopping, then Wild Man and I go to the dance studio for my dance class.
Wednesday - assigned schoolwork
Thursday - Women's Bible Study in am, Wild Man's reading lesson in early afternoon, unschooling the rest of the time.
Friday- assigned schoolwork
I'm also trying to figure out how to organize my work for the week. I'm still rather frustrated by the fact that things get completely out of whack when I have a headache. But, I think I'm going to set up a schedule and work around it when I don't feel well.
Monday - desk (bills, organize papers, etc.)
Tuesday - bake bread, clean living room, grocery shopping
Wednesday - laundry, mop
Thursday - clean living room (again)
Friday - clean bathtub
We'll have to see how this works out. Hopefully, I can find a balance that gives us enough structure to get done the basics and enough flexibility to have fun!
Saturday, September 08, 2007
September 8
I got my tap shoes yesterday. I had a wicked migraine Thursday night and was pretty tired and moderately headache-y yesterday, but I had to try them out for a few minutes. So far, so good. I just love them. I love to dance around and make such fun tapping sounds. This is going to be quite an adventure. Today, I didn't practice my tap dancing at all because I've had something of a headache and I've had lots of muscle pain. But, I'm hoping for a better day tomorrow.
Of course, you may be asking what business someone with chronic headaches has taking a tap class! I'm not sure. I talked to the teacher the first day so that she doesn't worry if I miss classes. This is the only serious commitment in my schedule - I have a back-up plan for everything else for headache days. But, my doctor has been really encouraging me to get regular exercise. Most of the time, I go on the treadmill. Since we got rid of cable, though, the treadmill is not as much fun. So, even if I miss an occasional class or don't practice every single day, I still get the benefit of regular exercise. Of course, right now I'm also dealing with shingles. Yesterday, Mr. Math Teacher and I walked the 1/2 mile to the library and we had to stop for a break about a block before we got there. Today the pain hasn't been as bad, so maybe it's going to ease up soon.
Knitting update:
Here are the socks that I recently finished. Aren't they fun? I made them out of left-over yarn from a sweater project. I am probably going to wear them as slippers around the house. I am currently working on a pair of socks for a woman who I met on a homeschooling forum. Other than that, I have a few projects, but I can't mention them because the potential recipients are readers of my blog - now I've got you guessing, huh!!
Of course, you may be asking what business someone with chronic headaches has taking a tap class! I'm not sure. I talked to the teacher the first day so that she doesn't worry if I miss classes. This is the only serious commitment in my schedule - I have a back-up plan for everything else for headache days. But, my doctor has been really encouraging me to get regular exercise. Most of the time, I go on the treadmill. Since we got rid of cable, though, the treadmill is not as much fun. So, even if I miss an occasional class or don't practice every single day, I still get the benefit of regular exercise. Of course, right now I'm also dealing with shingles. Yesterday, Mr. Math Teacher and I walked the 1/2 mile to the library and we had to stop for a break about a block before we got there. Today the pain hasn't been as bad, so maybe it's going to ease up soon.
Knitting update:
Here are the socks that I recently finished. Aren't they fun? I made them out of left-over yarn from a sweater project. I am probably going to wear them as slippers around the house. I am currently working on a pair of socks for a woman who I met on a homeschooling forum. Other than that, I have a few projects, but I can't mention them because the potential recipients are readers of my blog - now I've got you guessing, huh!!
Book reviews:
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. This book was written before (and takes place before) The Da Vinci Code. This is another real nail-biter. The whole book takes course in the place of about 24 hours. The setting is Vatican City. The plot centers around a secret anti-Catholic group called the Illuminati. Again, there are codes, symbols, and lots of Medieval/Renaissance art and history references. There's also plenty of intrigue. I found myself having trouble putting the book down; I wanted to know what happened next. Dan Brown's apparent anti-Catholic bias comes out again in this book. The climax of the book is essentially a revelation of serious hypocrisy in one of the characters (read the book to find out which one!). So, I recommend it if you can read past Dan Brown's view of the Catholic Church. Remember, the book is fiction; Dan Brown is not God!
My reading has been rather curtailed lately because of the start of doing schoolwork with the kids. I have found myself at the computer for hours setting up the year's schedule. I hope that the schedule is pretty much in the computer so that I can spend my free time reading and scrapbooking. But, because of my homeschool planning, I have two other books to review:
The Cambridge Music Guide This book is used as a textbook in some university Music Appreciation classes. I'm using it as a "spine" for music history. We are studying world history over the next two years, and I'm trying to add art and music history, not only to learn the history but also to learn how art and music affect history and vice versa. The first part of the book is about music notation and instrumentation. The second part is music history starting with Medieval times. I don't really like that they don't address Ancient Music at all, but it's already a pretty hefty book and the information available about Ancient Music is limited. So, I'm using internet sources for the time being. I will probably assign some of the first part of the book, particularly parts about instruments, during the time before we get to Medieval history. This book is written at an adult level, but I think that Ga'Hoole Girl will do just fine with it as long as I don't expect her to read too much at a time. I will also need to pre-read to verify that the assigned passages are appropriate. Overall, I think it will be an excellent resource.
The Usborne Internet-Linked Introduction to Art This is the book that I'm using as the art history "spine" for Ga'Hoole Girl. It starts with an introduction to art then moves on to art history. There isn't a huge amount of information about art history, per se, in the book, but it provides an internet site with lots of pertinent links. So far, Ga'Hoole Girl has done just a few pages in the book, but seems to like it. The reading level is geared for about middle school. So far, this also seems to be a good resource.
Movie Reviews:
Breakfast at Tiffany's - Believe it or not, I had never seen this movie. Part of the reason that I watched it was just for cultural literacy! I enjoyed it, although not as much as some others. Audrey Hepburn is, of course, amazing. The plot was quite interesting and full of surprises. The acting was very good. The movie is unrated, so I let the kids watch part of it with me until there were just too many s*xual innuendos. I recommend it for adults.
The Mirror Has Two Faces - This movie stars Barbra Streisand and Jeff Bridges as university professors who marry, but not for love. Of course, things get complicated when love does show up - but I won't tell you when or where! This movie was very good: the acting was top-notch, the plot was interesting, the characters were (for the most part) well-developed. There is some s*xuality in the movie, but it's not excessive. Overall, I highly recommend this movie for adults.
The first week . . . or two!
Well, we are done with the first week of school - although, technically, it's the second week. In any case, week 1 did not go well, so we had two days of unschooling and got back to our regularly scheduled schoolwork this week.
We actually managed to finish everything on the schedule for this week and even to start some of next week's work. We just finished Week 7 of Core 6 which is Ancient Greece. The kids each did a notebook page on The Trojan War and a page on Alexander the Great. We had some trouble with the map and timeline work. I hadn't cleaned the Mark-up Map since last year and the stuff that's written on it won't come off. So, one of my jobs for this weekend is to get the map cleaned and ready to use.
For grammar, Ga'Hoole girl is supposed to memorize the 53 most common prepositions. She asked for my help, so we came up with some rather fun ideas. I wrote the prepositions on index cards and had her alphabetize them. Then, we mixed them up and played a game where each player, in turn, has to pick a card and them use letter dice to spell the preposition on the card. The player gets points based on the numbers on each letter die (kind of like Scrabble). Ga'Hoole girl really likes the game because we played it Thursday with M&Ms - one M&M/point. Of course, she beat the pants off me.
The most interesting thing that Ga'Hoole Girl came up with is for me to write the prepositions in Gnommish and for her to translate them. Gnommish is a made-up language from the Artemis Fowl series of books. The first time we did this, I wrote the prepositions by hand (only the first 11). But, I found out about a really cool website from a homeschooling magazine: http://www.omniglot.com/. this website has alphabets from lots of "real" and "pretend" languages. So, they have Gnommish, Hylian (from the Zelda video games), Romulan, Klingon, etc. Now, I can make her worksheets very quickly and easily. And, she really likes it.
We are still working through Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day of Creation for science. But, I have added in some other science activities to provide some interest. We are using the Journey North website (http://www.learner.org/jnorth/) to study whooping cranes and monarchs and their migration patterns. We are also going on a field trip to the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo in a couple of weeks. The last time we went there was about 5 years ago so we are looking forward to getting to see it all again. We also got an Antworks ant farm. The kids are really excited about it! Their science assignments next week are for each of them to research a topic on ants and then present it to the rest of the family at the end of the week. [I'm not a fan of complete unschooling, but I do like to follow their interests when possible.]
Ga'Hoole Girl is still working on her video game program. She has also started her art class this week. Tuesday was mostly paperwork, and they started linoleum after that. Unfortunately, she is frustrated with her project and with a few of the other kids (one of the boys is particularly annoying, she says). We live a few blocks from the school, so she walks or bikes to and from class. She is there from 8 to 8:40 every morning. I also had her do some art history this week. She looked at Ancient Greek art and decided to make a piece of pottery for her art piece this week (every couple of weeks I have her make a piece of artwork in the style we're studying).
Wild Man is coming along very nicely on his reading. He reads several pages each day out of his reader, along with a few pages of Explode the Code. Then, he and I use letter dice or something else interesting to go over any new concepts or words he's having trouble with. Wild Man is supposed to go to Singapore 3, but I ordered the intensive practice book to go with Singapore 2B. We're going to use that to go over some of the concepts again. One of the issues I've noticed is that his math skills are great, but his language skills don't always connect. When I read a word problem to him, he can often figure out the answer in his head and can give me the answer, but can't tell me how he did it. He can calculate, but has trouble getting information from the math part of his brain to the language part. He also tends to mix up the order of things. For example, I read a word problem to me and he told me that the answer is 8. But, he had real trouble telling me that the equation is 32 divided by 4. He wrote 4 divided by 32 - but, after he looked at it for a minute or two, he figured out that it wasn't right. Anyway, I'm going to be working with him on the language part of math.
When he has been playing outside, he has been playing Greek Soldier. Actually, he occasionally is a Trojan soldier, but more often likes to be a Spartan. He used an old ice cream bucket to make himself a helmet. Then, he used paper to make a red "horse hair" fringe on the top of the helmet. It is really cool to watch him. If anyone were to ask, I'd have to call his playtime part of school since he's playing Ancient Greek soldiers! Next week, we start learning about Rome. I'm sure he'll want to be a Roman soldier then. Homeschool PE starts on Monday, so Wild Man is excited about that. Ga'Hoole Girl doesn't go all the time. This week, they are going to play soccer, so Ga'Hoole Girl will probably stay home.
On Thursday, we went to the first Women's Bible Study of the year. Ga'Hoole Girl is their babysitter. This was her first time all alone with the baby and she did great. She even changed his diaper all by herself. The study itself is a Beth Moore DVD study on the fruit of the Spirit. I had a really good time. I just have to pray that Beth Moore and her big hair don't drive me too crazy (let's just say I'm NOT the big hair type!!).
So, my house is a disaster, but we had a pretty good week of school. Today is supposed to be house cleaning, but my head hurts some, and my hip (shingles) hurts a lot. So, we have a messy house again next week. Ah, well. The kids are learning, so we're doing OK.
We actually managed to finish everything on the schedule for this week and even to start some of next week's work. We just finished Week 7 of Core 6 which is Ancient Greece. The kids each did a notebook page on The Trojan War and a page on Alexander the Great. We had some trouble with the map and timeline work. I hadn't cleaned the Mark-up Map since last year and the stuff that's written on it won't come off. So, one of my jobs for this weekend is to get the map cleaned and ready to use.
For grammar, Ga'Hoole girl is supposed to memorize the 53 most common prepositions. She asked for my help, so we came up with some rather fun ideas. I wrote the prepositions on index cards and had her alphabetize them. Then, we mixed them up and played a game where each player, in turn, has to pick a card and them use letter dice to spell the preposition on the card. The player gets points based on the numbers on each letter die (kind of like Scrabble). Ga'Hoole girl really likes the game because we played it Thursday with M&Ms - one M&M/point. Of course, she beat the pants off me.
The most interesting thing that Ga'Hoole Girl came up with is for me to write the prepositions in Gnommish and for her to translate them. Gnommish is a made-up language from the Artemis Fowl series of books. The first time we did this, I wrote the prepositions by hand (only the first 11). But, I found out about a really cool website from a homeschooling magazine: http://www.omniglot.com/. this website has alphabets from lots of "real" and "pretend" languages. So, they have Gnommish, Hylian (from the Zelda video games), Romulan, Klingon, etc. Now, I can make her worksheets very quickly and easily. And, she really likes it.
We are still working through Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day of Creation for science. But, I have added in some other science activities to provide some interest. We are using the Journey North website (http://www.learner.org/jnorth/) to study whooping cranes and monarchs and their migration patterns. We are also going on a field trip to the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo in a couple of weeks. The last time we went there was about 5 years ago so we are looking forward to getting to see it all again. We also got an Antworks ant farm. The kids are really excited about it! Their science assignments next week are for each of them to research a topic on ants and then present it to the rest of the family at the end of the week. [I'm not a fan of complete unschooling, but I do like to follow their interests when possible.]
Ga'Hoole Girl is still working on her video game program. She has also started her art class this week. Tuesday was mostly paperwork, and they started linoleum after that. Unfortunately, she is frustrated with her project and with a few of the other kids (one of the boys is particularly annoying, she says). We live a few blocks from the school, so she walks or bikes to and from class. She is there from 8 to 8:40 every morning. I also had her do some art history this week. She looked at Ancient Greek art and decided to make a piece of pottery for her art piece this week (every couple of weeks I have her make a piece of artwork in the style we're studying).
Wild Man is coming along very nicely on his reading. He reads several pages each day out of his reader, along with a few pages of Explode the Code. Then, he and I use letter dice or something else interesting to go over any new concepts or words he's having trouble with. Wild Man is supposed to go to Singapore 3, but I ordered the intensive practice book to go with Singapore 2B. We're going to use that to go over some of the concepts again. One of the issues I've noticed is that his math skills are great, but his language skills don't always connect. When I read a word problem to him, he can often figure out the answer in his head and can give me the answer, but can't tell me how he did it. He can calculate, but has trouble getting information from the math part of his brain to the language part. He also tends to mix up the order of things. For example, I read a word problem to me and he told me that the answer is 8. But, he had real trouble telling me that the equation is 32 divided by 4. He wrote 4 divided by 32 - but, after he looked at it for a minute or two, he figured out that it wasn't right. Anyway, I'm going to be working with him on the language part of math.
When he has been playing outside, he has been playing Greek Soldier. Actually, he occasionally is a Trojan soldier, but more often likes to be a Spartan. He used an old ice cream bucket to make himself a helmet. Then, he used paper to make a red "horse hair" fringe on the top of the helmet. It is really cool to watch him. If anyone were to ask, I'd have to call his playtime part of school since he's playing Ancient Greek soldiers! Next week, we start learning about Rome. I'm sure he'll want to be a Roman soldier then. Homeschool PE starts on Monday, so Wild Man is excited about that. Ga'Hoole Girl doesn't go all the time. This week, they are going to play soccer, so Ga'Hoole Girl will probably stay home.
On Thursday, we went to the first Women's Bible Study of the year. Ga'Hoole Girl is their babysitter. This was her first time all alone with the baby and she did great. She even changed his diaper all by herself. The study itself is a Beth Moore DVD study on the fruit of the Spirit. I had a really good time. I just have to pray that Beth Moore and her big hair don't drive me too crazy (let's just say I'm NOT the big hair type!!).
So, my house is a disaster, but we had a pretty good week of school. Today is supposed to be house cleaning, but my head hurts some, and my hip (shingles) hurts a lot. So, we have a messy house again next week. Ah, well. The kids are learning, so we're doing OK.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Autumn
This is the poem that my daughter wrote for her creative writing assignment today.
Autumn
Red gold leafs, drifting, drifting
Crisp cool winds, blowing, blowing
And as leafs drift and as winds blow,
I watch the people 'round me grow.
Leafs of Youth, drifting, drifting
Winds of Time, blowing, blowing
And as leavs drift and as winds blow,
I watch the people 'round me grow
Tap Class
Tuesday night was my first tap dance class. Ga'Hoole Girl has ballet from 5:30-6:30 on Tuesday nights. My class is at 7:00 at the same studio. Normally, I will just take her to her friends' house and they'll ride together - we live 45 minutes from the dance studio. Then, Wild Man and I will come at 7 for my class. But this week, I went to the studio for Ga'Hoole Girl's class, so Wild Man was at the studio for a full 2 1/2 hours.
I, however, had a blast Tuesday night. There are 8 people in the class - lots of folks for a beginning adult tap class. One of the people in the class (not teaching, but taking the class) is the advanced ballet teacher. Now, you have to understand that dancers from the advanced classes in this studio go to major universities as dance majors. This teacher danced professionally in New York. Ga'Hoole Girl took a Ballet 1/2 class from her a few years ago. She is really, really good - at ballet. She is a complete novice to tap - just like me! Actually, I have watched enough dance classes that I knew in my head how a number of the moves went. Of course, I don't have near the control over my body that this dance teacher does.
The class is 45 minutes. That is quite long enough for me. I was really tired after the first day. Of course, it didn't help that it had been 90 degrees earlier in the day and it was quite humid. Our class was downstairs, though, in the basement so the heat wasn't as bad as upstairs. But, it was a workout for me. And, it did make my hip hurt pretty good (where the shingles are). I think I'm going to have lots of fun this semester.
I ordered my tap shoes Tuesday night when I got home. I had been hoping that they would have some at the studio that fit, but they only go up to size 7 1/2. I got an email Wednesday morning that the shoes aren't available and they are on backorder. I called the company and we had to go through several brands of shoes before we found one that they had. In any case, I should have a nice pair of split sole tap shoes on Friday. Then I can practice in the basement!
I, however, had a blast Tuesday night. There are 8 people in the class - lots of folks for a beginning adult tap class. One of the people in the class (not teaching, but taking the class) is the advanced ballet teacher. Now, you have to understand that dancers from the advanced classes in this studio go to major universities as dance majors. This teacher danced professionally in New York. Ga'Hoole Girl took a Ballet 1/2 class from her a few years ago. She is really, really good - at ballet. She is a complete novice to tap - just like me! Actually, I have watched enough dance classes that I knew in my head how a number of the moves went. Of course, I don't have near the control over my body that this dance teacher does.
The class is 45 minutes. That is quite long enough for me. I was really tired after the first day. Of course, it didn't help that it had been 90 degrees earlier in the day and it was quite humid. Our class was downstairs, though, in the basement so the heat wasn't as bad as upstairs. But, it was a workout for me. And, it did make my hip hurt pretty good (where the shingles are). I think I'm going to have lots of fun this semester.
I ordered my tap shoes Tuesday night when I got home. I had been hoping that they would have some at the studio that fit, but they only go up to size 7 1/2. I got an email Wednesday morning that the shoes aren't available and they are on backorder. I called the company and we had to go through several brands of shoes before we found one that they had. In any case, I should have a nice pair of split sole tap shoes on Friday. Then I can practice in the basement!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Shingles
I'm 40 years old and I have shingles - EEK!. I always think of shingles as an "old person disease" (although I have certainly seen younger people with it) and I'm feeling kind of old right now!
When I went to the doctor for my headache on Tuesday, we noticed that I had a rash on my hip. It wasn't painful, though, so the NP and I really didn't think it was actually shingles - although it does not cross the midline of my back. Then, last night, I started having actual pain and a new crop of lesions (although they're not really blisters) developed in a lovely dermatomal line. I saw a different NP today and she agreed that it looks and acts like shingles, so I got Valtrex, Lyrica, and lidocaine patches. I have a patch on right now - it's not perfect, but it helps.
I had a wicked headache again yesterday so we did unschooling. Ga'Hoole Girl worked for several hours on her computer game that she's programming. Wild Man made a "Master Sandwich Shop" in which he serves meals and snacks. Payment is by rupees - an imaginary kind of money from the Zelda games. Wild Man, who doesn't typically enjoy writing, wrote up 5 or 6 signs to show what he was selling. We watched part of a movie about Ancient Greece while the kids painted. It was a highly educational day, despite the fact that I can't cross anything off my schedule!! I have been thinking about scheduling and how much structure the kids should have during the day. There is a thread on Sonlight Forums about unschooling, so I'm interested in seeing other people's ideas.
Well, the kids have dinner ready - pizza from the Master Sandwich Shop - so I'd better go sit down for dinner!
When I went to the doctor for my headache on Tuesday, we noticed that I had a rash on my hip. It wasn't painful, though, so the NP and I really didn't think it was actually shingles - although it does not cross the midline of my back. Then, last night, I started having actual pain and a new crop of lesions (although they're not really blisters) developed in a lovely dermatomal line. I saw a different NP today and she agreed that it looks and acts like shingles, so I got Valtrex, Lyrica, and lidocaine patches. I have a patch on right now - it's not perfect, but it helps.
I had a wicked headache again yesterday so we did unschooling. Ga'Hoole Girl worked for several hours on her computer game that she's programming. Wild Man made a "Master Sandwich Shop" in which he serves meals and snacks. Payment is by rupees - an imaginary kind of money from the Zelda games. Wild Man, who doesn't typically enjoy writing, wrote up 5 or 6 signs to show what he was selling. We watched part of a movie about Ancient Greece while the kids painted. It was a highly educational day, despite the fact that I can't cross anything off my schedule!! I have been thinking about scheduling and how much structure the kids should have during the day. There is a thread on Sonlight Forums about unschooling, so I'm interested in seeing other people's ideas.
Well, the kids have dinner ready - pizza from the Master Sandwich Shop - so I'd better go sit down for dinner!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Reviews - August 29
More book reviews for your reading pleasure.
The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau
This book is a sequel to The City of Ember which I previously reviewed. The premise is that the people from Ember have found their way out of their underground city and have come to the city called Sparks. While the people of Ember were living underground (for like 200 years), there were several disasters that ravaged the Earth and demolished the population. The book chronicles how the small village of Sparks (of 300 people) works to acommodate the 400 people from Ember. Suffice it to say that things don't always work out smoothly, but the ending is happy. I highly recommend this for family reading or for young adults.
A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver by E.L. Konigsburg
This story of Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of the Core 6 readers, so I was prereading it. Eleanor is in Heaven waiting for her husband, Henry II of England, to come Up and join her after his time in Hell is finished. During the wait, she talks with several friends and family members who help tell the story of her life - her marriages to two kings and being mother to two other kings. Clearly, there are theology issues, but the Heaven/Hell thing provides a nice framework for the story. As far as I can tell, the history is accurate as well. It is a children's/young adult book, so it is a pretty easy read. Despite that, it was quite fun. It gives a nice glimpse into medieval court life, including the intrigue and danger. I highly recommend it.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
I had read this back in college or high school. I don't recall that I read it for school - I think I read it out of interest. This is one of the big "anti-utopian" novels (another of which is 1984, which I have also read recently). In Huxley's "utopia", the state has ultimate authority and spends its time making people productive and happy. When someone is unhappy, they take "soma" or engage in some entertainment. Children are not "born" they are "decanted" from test tubes. Serious genetic engineering occurs to ensure that those who are intended for the upper classes get the best prenatal treatment and those destined for the lower classes get less treatment. The idea, though, is that everyone should be engineered to be happy in their place in life. Then, we are introduced to the Savage who was raised on a reservation - where life is still primitive, children are born, families exist. His discontent and his desire to be discontented are confusing to the rest of the people of the city. Well, suffice it to say that Huxley is clearly pointing out that removing all stress, unhappiness, etc. from our lives does not produce superior human beings on any level. This book is a classic and I think everyone should read it in high school or college.
1984 by George Orwell
Can you believe that I never read this book, even though I graduated high school in 1985? For some reason, the regular English classes read this book, but the Advanced class didn't. Did they assume that we'd already read it? Oh, well. This is another of the classic "anti-utopian" novels. But, this one is really quite different. In this case, the Party is the controller of all of life. The Party members are expected to conform radically to all of the Party's rules and regulations. Failure to do so ends up in torture, "re-education", and even death. In addition to the Party, though, are the "proles" which I assume means proletariat or working class. This class is provided plenty of entertainment to keep them from thinking too much. One of the Party's main functions is to control information. The job of the main character is to read news clippings and change past events to match the current events. In this book, state control of information is key. Not only are there news releases, but every Party member's house has a telescreen that monitors the person's every movement and word. In addition, turning people in to the Party for deviant behavior is encouraged. This is a provocative and important book. I think everyone over high school age should read it and take to heart the importance of free spread of information.
The Summer We Got Saved by Pat Cunningham Devoto
I love novels about the South. I used to think that my family was quirky, but I have decided now that my family is just normal "Southern"! This novel is about Civil Rights, voting rights, friendship, and family. There are three storylines, which wouldn't be too bad except that one story line doesn't start till the middle of the book and another storyline stops for almost half the book. But, they all meet up at the very end. The story takes place in Alabama and Tennessee during the 1950s or early 1960s (whenever George Wallace was running for Governor in Alabama). Two of the major plot lines consider a white family in a small town in Alabama. The aunt from California (who is, of course, eccentric in the eyes of her family) takes the two girls from the family up to the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee (a retreat for Civil Rights activists). The family thinks they are going to visit friends and have no idea about the whole Civil Rights thing. Later in the book, the father of this family gets involved with a candidate for governor who favors integration - much to the distress of some of the rest of the family. The third storyline is about a black girl who has recovered from polio who comes to a tiny black church just outside the town where the other main characters live. She sets up a voting class that eventually has six members. Of course, they don't learn as much about voting as she would like, but she does teach them enough reading to vote, open a bank account, etc. I won't say how this whole book wraps up, but I will say that it is surprising but satisfying. When all is said and done, the main characters have all learned a lot about themselves, about people of other races, and about the world. This book is very good for older high school and adults.
Movies reviews:
The Hours
This movie intertwines the stories of Virginia Woolf in the 1920s, a suburban housewife in the 1940s, and a city dweller in the 2000s. The film makers did a great job showing all three story lines without getting things confused or muddy. It was a sad movie - all three women are depressed and two characters commit suicide. But why? There is really no answer. The sadness of the movie is that there seems to be little hope. I enjoyed the movie, but it is clearly only for adults (there are several gay/lesbian characters). My overwhelming thought at the end of the movie was, "How different it could have all been if they had known God!"
The Royal Tenenbaums
What a strange movie!! The main idea is that the father of this family has deserted them and wants to come back into their lives. So, what would any logical person do? Fake a fatal illness. But, the family figures this out and kicks him out so he has to go get a real job. The characters are all very odd. Some are likeable - others are just too weird to be liked. In any case, the idea of restoring family relationships stays central to the movie. The characters do not act in any "normal" sort of way, but the family comes together at the end. This movie is rated R and I would agree that it is not for kids or teens. I'm not sure that I recommend this movie much at all. There are positive aspects to it, but it's not well-paced and the language/sexuality is a little much. So, I wouldn't waste my time with it if I had to do it over.
Well, more later. I'm currently working on The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner, Without God, Without Creed by James Turner, Mary, Bloody Mary (can't recall the author right now) and a book by Dallas Willard (although this one is for teens, so I may return it and get one of his other books).
The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau
This book is a sequel to The City of Ember which I previously reviewed. The premise is that the people from Ember have found their way out of their underground city and have come to the city called Sparks. While the people of Ember were living underground (for like 200 years), there were several disasters that ravaged the Earth and demolished the population. The book chronicles how the small village of Sparks (of 300 people) works to acommodate the 400 people from Ember. Suffice it to say that things don't always work out smoothly, but the ending is happy. I highly recommend this for family reading or for young adults.
A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver by E.L. Konigsburg
This story of Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of the Core 6 readers, so I was prereading it. Eleanor is in Heaven waiting for her husband, Henry II of England, to come Up and join her after his time in Hell is finished. During the wait, she talks with several friends and family members who help tell the story of her life - her marriages to two kings and being mother to two other kings. Clearly, there are theology issues, but the Heaven/Hell thing provides a nice framework for the story. As far as I can tell, the history is accurate as well. It is a children's/young adult book, so it is a pretty easy read. Despite that, it was quite fun. It gives a nice glimpse into medieval court life, including the intrigue and danger. I highly recommend it.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
I had read this back in college or high school. I don't recall that I read it for school - I think I read it out of interest. This is one of the big "anti-utopian" novels (another of which is 1984, which I have also read recently). In Huxley's "utopia", the state has ultimate authority and spends its time making people productive and happy. When someone is unhappy, they take "soma" or engage in some entertainment. Children are not "born" they are "decanted" from test tubes. Serious genetic engineering occurs to ensure that those who are intended for the upper classes get the best prenatal treatment and those destined for the lower classes get less treatment. The idea, though, is that everyone should be engineered to be happy in their place in life. Then, we are introduced to the Savage who was raised on a reservation - where life is still primitive, children are born, families exist. His discontent and his desire to be discontented are confusing to the rest of the people of the city. Well, suffice it to say that Huxley is clearly pointing out that removing all stress, unhappiness, etc. from our lives does not produce superior human beings on any level. This book is a classic and I think everyone should read it in high school or college.
1984 by George Orwell
Can you believe that I never read this book, even though I graduated high school in 1985? For some reason, the regular English classes read this book, but the Advanced class didn't. Did they assume that we'd already read it? Oh, well. This is another of the classic "anti-utopian" novels. But, this one is really quite different. In this case, the Party is the controller of all of life. The Party members are expected to conform radically to all of the Party's rules and regulations. Failure to do so ends up in torture, "re-education", and even death. In addition to the Party, though, are the "proles" which I assume means proletariat or working class. This class is provided plenty of entertainment to keep them from thinking too much. One of the Party's main functions is to control information. The job of the main character is to read news clippings and change past events to match the current events. In this book, state control of information is key. Not only are there news releases, but every Party member's house has a telescreen that monitors the person's every movement and word. In addition, turning people in to the Party for deviant behavior is encouraged. This is a provocative and important book. I think everyone over high school age should read it and take to heart the importance of free spread of information.
The Summer We Got Saved by Pat Cunningham Devoto
I love novels about the South. I used to think that my family was quirky, but I have decided now that my family is just normal "Southern"! This novel is about Civil Rights, voting rights, friendship, and family. There are three storylines, which wouldn't be too bad except that one story line doesn't start till the middle of the book and another storyline stops for almost half the book. But, they all meet up at the very end. The story takes place in Alabama and Tennessee during the 1950s or early 1960s (whenever George Wallace was running for Governor in Alabama). Two of the major plot lines consider a white family in a small town in Alabama. The aunt from California (who is, of course, eccentric in the eyes of her family) takes the two girls from the family up to the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee (a retreat for Civil Rights activists). The family thinks they are going to visit friends and have no idea about the whole Civil Rights thing. Later in the book, the father of this family gets involved with a candidate for governor who favors integration - much to the distress of some of the rest of the family. The third storyline is about a black girl who has recovered from polio who comes to a tiny black church just outside the town where the other main characters live. She sets up a voting class that eventually has six members. Of course, they don't learn as much about voting as she would like, but she does teach them enough reading to vote, open a bank account, etc. I won't say how this whole book wraps up, but I will say that it is surprising but satisfying. When all is said and done, the main characters have all learned a lot about themselves, about people of other races, and about the world. This book is very good for older high school and adults.
Movies reviews:
The Hours
This movie intertwines the stories of Virginia Woolf in the 1920s, a suburban housewife in the 1940s, and a city dweller in the 2000s. The film makers did a great job showing all three story lines without getting things confused or muddy. It was a sad movie - all three women are depressed and two characters commit suicide. But why? There is really no answer. The sadness of the movie is that there seems to be little hope. I enjoyed the movie, but it is clearly only for adults (there are several gay/lesbian characters). My overwhelming thought at the end of the movie was, "How different it could have all been if they had known God!"
The Royal Tenenbaums
What a strange movie!! The main idea is that the father of this family has deserted them and wants to come back into their lives. So, what would any logical person do? Fake a fatal illness. But, the family figures this out and kicks him out so he has to go get a real job. The characters are all very odd. Some are likeable - others are just too weird to be liked. In any case, the idea of restoring family relationships stays central to the movie. The characters do not act in any "normal" sort of way, but the family comes together at the end. This movie is rated R and I would agree that it is not for kids or teens. I'm not sure that I recommend this movie much at all. There are positive aspects to it, but it's not well-paced and the language/sexuality is a little much. So, I wouldn't waste my time with it if I had to do it over.
Well, more later. I'm currently working on The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner, Without God, Without Creed by James Turner, Mary, Bloody Mary (can't recall the author right now) and a book by Dallas Willard (although this one is for teens, so I may return it and get one of his other books).
Survival
We started school on Monday. It is now Wednesday. Things are still not going well. I have had a migraine since Saturday night. I actually had Mr. Math Teacher take me to the doctor's office yesterday for an injection. It worked really well until about noon today. Mr. Math Teacher started his week of preparation for student teaching this week. I was not as prepared as I would have liked to have been, but I think we might have done OK if I didn't have the bad headache.
Monday we were plagued by bad weather and bad attitudes. But, we got most of the work done without too much whining. Tuesday was the day of the bad headache. I called a Code H. This is based on the medical "Code Blue" for medical emergency. Code H is headache emergency. In this case, the kids are responsible for doing all the schoolwork they can do independently and then watch the educational DVDs (I have some planned for every week) or work further in a workbook or on Spanish or typing. They are also responsible for keeping the kitchen straight and getting dinner going. Well, Mr. Math Teacher was around for yesterday afternoon, so he took care of dinner. The kids didn't do as much work as I would have liked.
Today, though, was the real kicker. We got up early to take Grandma to the airport. We left at about 8:05 - right on time. We got Grandma to the airport successfully (despite the construction). No problem, right? Well, I was going to take the kids for breakfast at Wendy's, but they don't serve breakfast. So, I decided that we would do the Food Court at the Mall. This sounded like a great idea because they could get something from McDonalds (makes them happy) and we could get some schoolwork done before we did the rest of our errands (Sam's club doesn't open until 10, so we had time to kill). Ga'Hoole Girl was decidedly against this plan, but, I read history to them while they ate. When they were done eating, I pulled out some workbooks and had them working in the workbooks. Everything was going so well that I decided to go get me a little something to eat. The Food Court is nice and open, so the kids were always in my sight. When I got back to the table, the kids told me that some adults had apparently walked by and commented on how terrible it was that they were already starting schoolwork. They didn't stop to talk to the kids - good thing. I wish I had been there to run interference. The adults didn't stop, so the kids didn't say anything, but it seriously reinforced Ga'Hoole Girl's idea that doing schoolwork in the Food Court is a bad idea!
I really could not believe that this actually happened. I wish I knew what those people were thinking. Did they think that I'm a terrible homeschooling mom for starting the kids so early (the public schools here start on Tuesday - although in some states, kids have been in school for several weeks)? Did they think that I'm some psycho mom who makes her kids do schoolwork before school starts so they are "ahead of the game"? Who knows? But, it is really the first seriously negative comment that we've ever had about homeschooling.
Next, we went to Sam's Club. The kids were happy because I bought some school supplies - a small whiteboard for me with a package of all kinds of fun whiteboard markers. Math and memory work are going to be colorful now, if nothing else. I also got the kids spiral notebooks and clipboards. I only make them sit at the table or desk for handwriting. Now they can take their workbooks around the house without pulling all the big books off the shelf to use for writing on.
Then, I tried out a new yarn shop. The prices are reasonable, and the owner wound my hanks of yarn into balls. Actually, she got it set up and let the kids spin the little machine. The shop is right near Wild Man's reading lesson - probably dangerous! The reading lesson went quite well. Wild Man is really reading and using some expression in his reading. Totally cool.
But, we got home and my headache just exploded. The kids were being crabby (tired from getting up early) and I felt rotten. So, I put on a DVD (Walking the Bible) which ended up providing lots of fodder for good discussion. Anyway, I eventually went upstairs to take a nap. Things have been better since then, although my head still hurts.
So, my plan now is to lay off the academics for the next two days and organize the school room and finish my lesson plans. I'm sure the kids will be just thrilled to help me clean the school room!!! But, we'll restart Tuesday and finish this week's worth of work next week. I think we'll survive - but there are no guarantees!
Monday we were plagued by bad weather and bad attitudes. But, we got most of the work done without too much whining. Tuesday was the day of the bad headache. I called a Code H. This is based on the medical "Code Blue" for medical emergency. Code H is headache emergency. In this case, the kids are responsible for doing all the schoolwork they can do independently and then watch the educational DVDs (I have some planned for every week) or work further in a workbook or on Spanish or typing. They are also responsible for keeping the kitchen straight and getting dinner going. Well, Mr. Math Teacher was around for yesterday afternoon, so he took care of dinner. The kids didn't do as much work as I would have liked.
Today, though, was the real kicker. We got up early to take Grandma to the airport. We left at about 8:05 - right on time. We got Grandma to the airport successfully (despite the construction). No problem, right? Well, I was going to take the kids for breakfast at Wendy's, but they don't serve breakfast. So, I decided that we would do the Food Court at the Mall. This sounded like a great idea because they could get something from McDonalds (makes them happy) and we could get some schoolwork done before we did the rest of our errands (Sam's club doesn't open until 10, so we had time to kill). Ga'Hoole Girl was decidedly against this plan, but, I read history to them while they ate. When they were done eating, I pulled out some workbooks and had them working in the workbooks. Everything was going so well that I decided to go get me a little something to eat. The Food Court is nice and open, so the kids were always in my sight. When I got back to the table, the kids told me that some adults had apparently walked by and commented on how terrible it was that they were already starting schoolwork. They didn't stop to talk to the kids - good thing. I wish I had been there to run interference. The adults didn't stop, so the kids didn't say anything, but it seriously reinforced Ga'Hoole Girl's idea that doing schoolwork in the Food Court is a bad idea!
I really could not believe that this actually happened. I wish I knew what those people were thinking. Did they think that I'm a terrible homeschooling mom for starting the kids so early (the public schools here start on Tuesday - although in some states, kids have been in school for several weeks)? Did they think that I'm some psycho mom who makes her kids do schoolwork before school starts so they are "ahead of the game"? Who knows? But, it is really the first seriously negative comment that we've ever had about homeschooling.
Next, we went to Sam's Club. The kids were happy because I bought some school supplies - a small whiteboard for me with a package of all kinds of fun whiteboard markers. Math and memory work are going to be colorful now, if nothing else. I also got the kids spiral notebooks and clipboards. I only make them sit at the table or desk for handwriting. Now they can take their workbooks around the house without pulling all the big books off the shelf to use for writing on.
Then, I tried out a new yarn shop. The prices are reasonable, and the owner wound my hanks of yarn into balls. Actually, she got it set up and let the kids spin the little machine. The shop is right near Wild Man's reading lesson - probably dangerous! The reading lesson went quite well. Wild Man is really reading and using some expression in his reading. Totally cool.
But, we got home and my headache just exploded. The kids were being crabby (tired from getting up early) and I felt rotten. So, I put on a DVD (Walking the Bible) which ended up providing lots of fodder for good discussion. Anyway, I eventually went upstairs to take a nap. Things have been better since then, although my head still hurts.
So, my plan now is to lay off the academics for the next two days and organize the school room and finish my lesson plans. I'm sure the kids will be just thrilled to help me clean the school room!!! But, we'll restart Tuesday and finish this week's worth of work next week. I think we'll survive - but there are no guarantees!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
The Baptism and the Fair
A couple of weeks ago, our church held it's annual picnic and baptism. Since we live in the Great White North, we only do baptisms once a year and then in August so it's not too terribly cold. But, this year, it was 60 degrees and rainy the weekend of the baptism. Mr. Math Teacher is an elder so he was in the water for all 22 baptisms. The most exciting thing, though, is that Wild Man was baptized this year. He said it was quite chilly, but one of the ladies gave him a cup of hot chocolate as soon as he got out of the water and wrapped up in a towel. We were all thrilled about the event!
The Fair has also been a big deal here. Ga'Hoole Girl was in four different Fair events. In June, she won a first place in the Clothing Revue for her purchased outfit for the Consumer Savvy Project. Three weeks ago, she showed two of our cats at the Cat and Small Animal show. Both of them won seconds. Sophie might have gotten a first if she hadn't hissed at the judge!! Two weeks ago was Foods - I showed a picture of her cupcakes in one of my recent posts. Last week was The Fair. Since we don't have livestock (thankfully), Ga'Hoole Girl just entered some artwork. The only one I have a good picture of is her origami. That piece won a third place (although I thought it was amazing!). Her painting (sunset) and drawing (owl) both won seconds. The kids went on the Midway on Saturday afternoon. I'm glad I didn't go since my headache started Saturday evening (and it's still not gone - Yikes!).
One of the other exciting things about Fair Week is getting to see how well our friends do. My best friend and her girls spent Wednesday through Friday nights with us - generally from about 10:30pm to 6am. We live close to the Fairgrounds so it is easier for the girls to get up early and get to the Fairgrounds to do chores first thing in the morning. What is really cool is that their goats did very well and one of the girls who shows dairy cows also did quite well. Overall, it was a good week!
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Updates - August 18
Knitting update:
I have been really enjoying my summer knitting. Here are some pictures of the clothes I made for my new nephew and the bath mitt I made for his brother. I described these in a previous post.
I have two current knitting projects. I am working on another little rug - this one to go underneath my foot warmer which is in front of my rocking chair. This rug is made from strips of denim from some old jeans and an old shirt. This knitting is harder than T-shirt knitting, so I can only do a few rows before my hand starts hurting. I'll post a picture when I'm done, which should be soon.
I am also working on a pair of lace socks. The pattern is from the blog "Writing and Living". I am using leftover cotton yarn in both purple and teal. The toes, heels, and top band are teal, while the rest of the socks are purple. I really enjoy working on a lace pattern.
My next project is probably going to be a pair of felted. I have never felted before, so it will be interesting. The other thing I want to make is a lampshade. I found a lovely pattern that uses cabling and short-rowing. I have learned to do short-rowing from the socks I'm making, but I need to learn to make cables.
Kid update:
The kids had a blast on their little vacation to Door County with Grandma. They took a few pictures, but lots of video. They both learned a lot about lighthouses since they toured almost all the Door County lighthouses. It sounds like one of the most memorable events was the ferry ride to Washington Island and the boat ride to Rock Island. I really missed them, and I'm glad they're home. Of course, things aren't nearly as quiet now!!
Ga'Hoole Girl did the 4H Foods project today. She only did one entry this year - decorated cupcakes. She was judged only on the decoration, so I made the cupcakes yesterday afternoon. Last night, she colored the frosting and decorated the cupcakes. She won a first place!! She wasn't the "first" first - the one who was eligible for Grand Champion. But, we are all thrilled for her. The rest of the Fair starts on Wednesday. Ga'Hoole Girl has two art entries.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Review - August 17
Another really headache-y week. Yikes. I was hoping things would get better soon. The kids have been on vacation this week with their grandmother, so the house has been quiet. The downside is that I have done very little useful work. I have been entering lesson plans into Homeschool Tracker and I've gotten to Week 22. Mr. Math Teacher and I have also been watching lots of movies and I have been reading a good bit.
Movie Reviews:
Raising Helen - excellent movie. I highly recommend it. Basically, a young New York career girl gets left with her 3 nieces and nephews to raise after her sister and brother-in-law are killed in an accident. It is rather formulaic, but not so much that it's obnoxious. The kids seem like real kids. Helen really changes for the better throughout the movie. And, of course, I have to like a movie that truly celebrates motherhood.
Flushed Away - I was pleasantly surprised by this. I thought that there would be more "bathroom humor", but it really was just a cute movie. The characters were believable and fun. There was a real support for family in this movie. I recommend it for kids on up.
The DaVinci Code - Yes, we watched it. Actually, Mr. Math Teacher and I both read the book a couple of years ago. Dan Brown is a very engaging storyteller. Unfortunately, he has represented some patently false information as true, and people have believed it. The movie was excellently done. I think it was faithful to the book, but I don't remember all the details of the book. The cast was amazing - Tom Hanks is truly an amazing actor. The character of Silas was truly creepy. And, I loved the settings. The downside is simply that they present an alternative history of the church as truth (or at least, plausible). In doing so, they seriously misrepresent the facts. In one place, Teabing says that the canon was set at the Council of Nicea, as was the divinity of Christ - WHAT? Take a look at the history of the Council of Nicea. Certainly, they opposed the Arian heresy (that Christ was not divine), but there was more to it than that, and the Arian heresy was not "widespread". In addition, Dan Brown (and, consequently, the movie) gives the impression that the Gnostic gospels are as factual as those included in the canon, but they were suppressed by the Church for political reasons. Again, the facts are far different. There has been a lot written out there about this stuff. Start with christianitytoday.com if you are interested. So, my final analysis is that this is a very well-done movie of a well-written book, but you need to watch it knowing that it is completely fiction, including the stuff about church history.
Beauty Shop - Actually, we have watched all but the last two scenes of this movie because the Netflix movie is scratched. So, we'll watch the end of it later. It is really funny! That being said, it is not remotely appropriate for children. There is a lot of sexual humor. In addition, there is a lot of racial humor and innuendo that kids won't get - and shouldn't get. Unfortunately, we don't life in a color-blind society, so there is fertile ground for misunderstanding among the races. This is a topic that should be explored with kids in a more appropriate manner than this kind of movie. But, there are some good things. Queen Latifah is a very good actress. She makes her character truly believable - and likable. Kevin Bacon is beyond hysterical!! The characters are fun but real. Very few are truly bad - most are a mixed bag - kind of like real life. So, I recommend the movie for adults when you just want to laugh.
Just Like Heaven - This is a cute movie about a woman who thinks she still lives in her apartment and the man who has rented the apartment. The plot revolves around figuring out if the woman is dead and then resolving things with the apartment. This was a movie that I could really relate to. The female lead (Reese Witherspoon - excellent as usual) was a medical resident who worked long hours and had no life outside of the hospital. I got married while in medical school, but I could definitely relate to the pressures to be "married to medicine" during med school and residency. The male lead (don't recall his name) was also a very good actor. There was a lot of comedy based on the fact that he could see and talk to her, but no one else could. So, it was a nice, light romantic comedy - classic "chick flick". I recommend it for adults, especially if you are looking for a little romance.
The Terminal - I had seen this several years ago, but we watched it again with Grandma. Tom Hanks is an amazing actor. He completely makes you believe that he is Victor Novorsky (just like I believed that he was Robert Langdon in The DaVinci Code). There are definite serious themes in this movie, but there isn't anything inappropriate for the kids. The premise is that Victor flies into the airport in New York and, while he's been in the air, there was a coup in his country, so he can't go back, but he can't go into the US. So, he is stuck in the airport. This is a great story about how this man makes do for nine months in the airport and how and why he finally gets into New York. It is a touching, sweet movie. I highly recommend it for adults and teens. Kids can watch it, but they'll probably be kind of bored.
Man of the Year - Robin Williams plays a television political comedian who decides to actually run for president. And, he actually gets elected! But, should he have? That's the story of this movie. It was really something of a surprise. I thought it was going to just be a funny movie about a funny guy who becomes president, but it is far more intricate. And, in the end, the main character has to make a critical choice which demonstrates his own character (or lack thereof). This is really a funny movie. Robin Williams is funny, as always, but not as "out there" as he sometimes is. The serious issues that this movie addresses really add depth to the whole experience. I very highly recommend it for adults. There is inappropriate humor for kids.
Book reviews
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau - We got this book from the library to read as a family after Mr. Math Teacher read about it on a website. The city of Ember is running out of things - food, clothing, etc. - and the generator (which makes electricity from the river) is breaking, but no one seems to know why or how to fix it. The people of Ember know about nothing but their own city - no one has ever been outside of Ember. But, two kids are about to change that. They make some important discoveries and have to make a final choice that will affect themselves and the city. Everyone in our family loved this book. It is a real page-turner. We were up till 10pm the night that we finished it. We just got the sequel from the library today - and, there's a prequel that we're going to read, too. This is highly recommended for about ages 8 on up.
Truth War by John MacArthur - You may recall that I recently reviewed Brian McLaren's A New Kind of Christian. I wasn't quite sure what to make of the Emerging Church movement. I'm still not. But, I feel quite sure that MacArthur's reaction is extreme, to say the least. MacArthur uses the book of Jude as his basis for discussing apostasy and heresy. He considers the Emerging Church leaders as apostates and their teaching as heresy. Not only do I disagree with his assessment, but I find that his book is extremely uncharitable to the point of being nasty. It was a difficult book for me to finish because his attitude was so unloving and unbecoming of a Christian. I have done more research on Emerging Church theology. There is some stuff with which I do not agree, but I cannot find that they are teaching a "false gospel". MacArthur comes down on Ron Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan, so I went to the church's website. They don't have a statement of faith like I'm used to with different points laid out in order. Instead, they have a narrative. But, it is completely orthodox. There is nothing heretical about it. I understand MacArthur's being uncomfortable with how the Emerging Church expresses itself - I tend to be a little more linear and "modern" myself. But, that discomfort does not mean that the Emerging Movement has gone across to heresy. That is a serious charge to make and it is completely unfair. I may disagree with the Movement in some important ways, but there is no evidence that the entire Movement is heretical. So, I don't really recommend this book. Read what the Emerging Church has to say about itself and compare that to Scripture.
Movie Reviews:
Raising Helen - excellent movie. I highly recommend it. Basically, a young New York career girl gets left with her 3 nieces and nephews to raise after her sister and brother-in-law are killed in an accident. It is rather formulaic, but not so much that it's obnoxious. The kids seem like real kids. Helen really changes for the better throughout the movie. And, of course, I have to like a movie that truly celebrates motherhood.
Flushed Away - I was pleasantly surprised by this. I thought that there would be more "bathroom humor", but it really was just a cute movie. The characters were believable and fun. There was a real support for family in this movie. I recommend it for kids on up.
The DaVinci Code - Yes, we watched it. Actually, Mr. Math Teacher and I both read the book a couple of years ago. Dan Brown is a very engaging storyteller. Unfortunately, he has represented some patently false information as true, and people have believed it. The movie was excellently done. I think it was faithful to the book, but I don't remember all the details of the book. The cast was amazing - Tom Hanks is truly an amazing actor. The character of Silas was truly creepy. And, I loved the settings. The downside is simply that they present an alternative history of the church as truth (or at least, plausible). In doing so, they seriously misrepresent the facts. In one place, Teabing says that the canon was set at the Council of Nicea, as was the divinity of Christ - WHAT? Take a look at the history of the Council of Nicea. Certainly, they opposed the Arian heresy (that Christ was not divine), but there was more to it than that, and the Arian heresy was not "widespread". In addition, Dan Brown (and, consequently, the movie) gives the impression that the Gnostic gospels are as factual as those included in the canon, but they were suppressed by the Church for political reasons. Again, the facts are far different. There has been a lot written out there about this stuff. Start with christianitytoday.com if you are interested. So, my final analysis is that this is a very well-done movie of a well-written book, but you need to watch it knowing that it is completely fiction, including the stuff about church history.
Beauty Shop - Actually, we have watched all but the last two scenes of this movie because the Netflix movie is scratched. So, we'll watch the end of it later. It is really funny! That being said, it is not remotely appropriate for children. There is a lot of sexual humor. In addition, there is a lot of racial humor and innuendo that kids won't get - and shouldn't get. Unfortunately, we don't life in a color-blind society, so there is fertile ground for misunderstanding among the races. This is a topic that should be explored with kids in a more appropriate manner than this kind of movie. But, there are some good things. Queen Latifah is a very good actress. She makes her character truly believable - and likable. Kevin Bacon is beyond hysterical!! The characters are fun but real. Very few are truly bad - most are a mixed bag - kind of like real life. So, I recommend the movie for adults when you just want to laugh.
Just Like Heaven - This is a cute movie about a woman who thinks she still lives in her apartment and the man who has rented the apartment. The plot revolves around figuring out if the woman is dead and then resolving things with the apartment. This was a movie that I could really relate to. The female lead (Reese Witherspoon - excellent as usual) was a medical resident who worked long hours and had no life outside of the hospital. I got married while in medical school, but I could definitely relate to the pressures to be "married to medicine" during med school and residency. The male lead (don't recall his name) was also a very good actor. There was a lot of comedy based on the fact that he could see and talk to her, but no one else could. So, it was a nice, light romantic comedy - classic "chick flick". I recommend it for adults, especially if you are looking for a little romance.
The Terminal - I had seen this several years ago, but we watched it again with Grandma. Tom Hanks is an amazing actor. He completely makes you believe that he is Victor Novorsky (just like I believed that he was Robert Langdon in The DaVinci Code). There are definite serious themes in this movie, but there isn't anything inappropriate for the kids. The premise is that Victor flies into the airport in New York and, while he's been in the air, there was a coup in his country, so he can't go back, but he can't go into the US. So, he is stuck in the airport. This is a great story about how this man makes do for nine months in the airport and how and why he finally gets into New York. It is a touching, sweet movie. I highly recommend it for adults and teens. Kids can watch it, but they'll probably be kind of bored.
Man of the Year - Robin Williams plays a television political comedian who decides to actually run for president. And, he actually gets elected! But, should he have? That's the story of this movie. It was really something of a surprise. I thought it was going to just be a funny movie about a funny guy who becomes president, but it is far more intricate. And, in the end, the main character has to make a critical choice which demonstrates his own character (or lack thereof). This is really a funny movie. Robin Williams is funny, as always, but not as "out there" as he sometimes is. The serious issues that this movie addresses really add depth to the whole experience. I very highly recommend it for adults. There is inappropriate humor for kids.
Book reviews
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau - We got this book from the library to read as a family after Mr. Math Teacher read about it on a website. The city of Ember is running out of things - food, clothing, etc. - and the generator (which makes electricity from the river) is breaking, but no one seems to know why or how to fix it. The people of Ember know about nothing but their own city - no one has ever been outside of Ember. But, two kids are about to change that. They make some important discoveries and have to make a final choice that will affect themselves and the city. Everyone in our family loved this book. It is a real page-turner. We were up till 10pm the night that we finished it. We just got the sequel from the library today - and, there's a prequel that we're going to read, too. This is highly recommended for about ages 8 on up.
Truth War by John MacArthur - You may recall that I recently reviewed Brian McLaren's A New Kind of Christian. I wasn't quite sure what to make of the Emerging Church movement. I'm still not. But, I feel quite sure that MacArthur's reaction is extreme, to say the least. MacArthur uses the book of Jude as his basis for discussing apostasy and heresy. He considers the Emerging Church leaders as apostates and their teaching as heresy. Not only do I disagree with his assessment, but I find that his book is extremely uncharitable to the point of being nasty. It was a difficult book for me to finish because his attitude was so unloving and unbecoming of a Christian. I have done more research on Emerging Church theology. There is some stuff with which I do not agree, but I cannot find that they are teaching a "false gospel". MacArthur comes down on Ron Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan, so I went to the church's website. They don't have a statement of faith like I'm used to with different points laid out in order. Instead, they have a narrative. But, it is completely orthodox. There is nothing heretical about it. I understand MacArthur's being uncomfortable with how the Emerging Church expresses itself - I tend to be a little more linear and "modern" myself. But, that discomfort does not mean that the Emerging Movement has gone across to heresy. That is a serious charge to make and it is completely unfair. I may disagree with the Movement in some important ways, but there is no evidence that the entire Movement is heretical. So, I don't really recommend this book. Read what the Emerging Church has to say about itself and compare that to Scripture.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)