Memorization for Two

For the past couple of years we've enjoyed the benefits of the Scripture Memory system from Simply Charlotte Mason. I began this year with a new card box for daughter and recently began to realize that there might be a way to improve things.

I ended up combining the kids' boxes together. I color coded daughters much fewer cards, interspersing them with sons many, many cards. I imagine that they'll eventually have mostly the same verses & things memorized, so this should be a time saver. The cards that son has absolutely mastered, I'll mark with a different marking or color. Son may just have to practice his older verses more often, or at least hear them more. Well, hearing more scripture never hurt anyone!! They will still both have verses unique to them daily, but I may try to make all new items for both of them.

We do our memory time together ever since I found out that son was not really "memorizing", but reading quickly through! Uh-huh. So, now we gather together and have a bit of a competition and a game out of it. We spend 10-15 min a day. Son, who's 9 does not want to be out done by his 5yo sister and she wants to be "better" than him at everything. Boy! Does that make things interesting at our house.

I will add that after 2 years of this, son is more interested in choosing his own things to memorize, which is encouraging. I'll have to see how all the wrinkles come out in the fire.

Tweet, Tweet!

I took the plunge and joined Twitter (It's all Renae's fault!). I was very skeptical and unsure, but right away I liked it. It's a neat way to keep up with folks in a more personal way than just blog reading and commenting. So, if any of you are signed up, or want to, you can find me here. NOTE: BetweenTHEtrees was NOT available (someone else!), so I'm just BetweenTrees! It's fun :)

You can see my updates in my sidebar...but you can't participate unless you join!

Do You Read?

Since I'm on the topic of books... I read this over at Scraps and Snippets a while back...

Harvey Mackay posts interesting statistics in the article:

51 percent of the American population never reads a book more than 400 pages after they complete their formal education.

73 percent of all books in libraries are never checked out.

The average American watches 32 hours of TV every week.

The average American reads only eight hours (books, newspapers, magazines, Yellow Pages, etc.) every week.

More interesting statistics from Mackay:

If you read just one book per month for 12 straight months, you will be in the top 25 percentile of all intellectuals in the world.

If you read just 15 minutes a day -- every day, for one year -- you can complete 20 books.

15 minutes a day...20 books in a year. Food for thought as the time is fast approaching to make goals for the new year.

This Charlotte Mason thing has me on fire! I'm re-tuning our school room for better "book access" which means cleaning, purging, reorganizing. That should be a good thing, but right now I'd rather eat chocolate and crochet by the fire. Maybe I'll look to that as my reward!

Book Lists 2008

Here is the list (not absolute by any means!) of books we read this year. Titles highlighted in red were exceptional standouts and I can't recommend them enough!

Family Read Alouds:
* Swiss Family Robinson, by Johann Wyss
* Uncle Tom's Cabin (Young Folks Edition), by Harriet Beecher Stowe
* Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
* Robert E. Lee (Sowers)
* The Story of Ulysses S. Grant (Signature)
* Two Little Confederates, by Thomas Nelson Page
* Iron Scouts of the Confederacy, by Lee McGiffin
* Noah Webster: Master of Words, by David Collins(Sowers)
* Amos Fortune: Free Man, by Elizabeth Yates
* We Were There at the Opening of the Erie Canal
* Santa Fe Trail (Landmark), by Samuel H. Adams
* Burgess Bird Book, by Thornton Burgess
* Birds Build Nest, by Yvonne Winer
* Heroes of the Western Outpost, by Edith McCall
* The Kingdom's Edge, by Chuck Black
* The Story of John J. Audubon, by Joan Howard
* The Story of Davy Crockett, by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft
* Johnny Appleseed: John Chapman, God's Faithful Planter, by David R. Collins
* The Lamplighter, by Maria Cummins
* Away Goes Sally, by Elizabeth Coatsworth
* The Golden Thread by Norman MacLeod
* The Journey That Saved Curious George, by Louise Borden
* Milly-Molly-Mandy Stories, by Joyce Lankester Brisley
* Jessica's Mother, by Hesba Stretton
* Little Jonathan, by Miriam Mason
* Jessica's First Prayer, by Hesba Stretton


Books boy read on his own:
* Story of the Great Chicago Fire
* Story of Annie Oakley (Signature)
* Story of the Homestead Act (Cornerstones of Freedom)
* Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
* Story of Gen. George Armstrong Custer (Signature)
* We Were There With the California 49er's
* By the Great Horn Spoon
* Gold Rush Adventures, by Edith McCall
* Soft Rain: A Story of the Cherokee Trail of Tears, by Cornelia Cornelissen
* We Were There With the Pony Express
* We Were There at the Alamo
* We Were There at the Opening of the Erie Canal
* Big Birthday Surprise: Jr. Discovers Giving, by Dave Ramsey
* Careless at the Carnival: Jr. Discovers Spending, by Dave Ramsey
* Prince Caspian, by C.S. Lewis
* Hunters Blaze the Trails, by Edith McCall
* Jeb Smith
* Hardy Boys and the Case of the Twisted Claw, by Franklin Dixon
* Kit Carson, Pathfinder of the West, by Nardi Reeder Campion (A Discovery Bio)
* Jim Beckwourth, Adv. of a Mountain Man, by Louis Sabin (Troll)
* Davy Crockett: Young Rifleman (COFA), by Aileen Wells Park
* Johnny Appleseed, by Reeve Lindbergh
* The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure, by Hans Magnus Enzenberger
* Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi, by Cindy Neushwander
* Ahyoka and the Talking Leaves, by Peter & Connie Roop
* The Lone Hunt, by Wm. O. Steele
* Pioneer Girl: The Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder
* The Ox-Cart Man, by Donald Hall
* Adventures on the Waterways, by Edith McCall
* Pioneers, by the Gorslines
* Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Dead Eagles, by Donald Sobol
* If I Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln, by Ann McGovern


Books I read:
* My Father's Daughter, by Gene Stratton-Porter
* The Beckoning Road, by Caroline Dale Snedeker
* Michael O'Halloran, by Gene Stratton-Porter
* Seventh Day, by Bodie & Brock Thoene
* The Harvester, by Gene Stratton-Porter
* Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, by Rachel Field
* Lorna Doone (This was horrible & I couldn't finish it), by R.D. Blackmore
* Keeper of the Bees, by Gene Stratton-Porter
* Created to Be His Help Meet, by Debi Pearl
* Laddie, by Gene Stratton-Porter
* Mark's Story, by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins
* The All New Square Foot Gardener, (a re-read) by Mel Bartholemew
* Edge of Darkness, by Tim LaHaye and Bob Phillips
* Song of Redemption, by Lynn Austin
* The Big Book of Breakfast, by Maryana Vollstedt
* King's Arrow, by Douglas Bond
* The Prophet, by Francine Rivers
* John's Story: The Last Eyewitness, by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins
* Gods and Kings, by Lynne Austin
* Duncan's War, by Douglas Bond
* Healthy Foods, by Leanne Ely
* Busy Mom's Guide to Bible Study, by Lisa Whelchel
* Eulalia! by Brian Jacques

Books Impact: Gene Stratton-Porter

I just spent some time looking over the list of books I read this year and a few things struck me. I didn't read nearly as many books as I have in past years. Probably because of my growing family staying up a bit later and thus my personal reading time being shortened. I would like to find more time to read, but then...who wouldn't?!

My list truly serves as a memory of times and events. Books impact our lives! "The All-New Square Foot Gardener" lead to our first ever vegetable garden, which in turn supplied us with many fresh veggies over the summer.

"Created To Be His Help-Meet" was such a fabulous (albeit controversial) book. I cannot even begin to tell you how this book has changed my perspective, my marriage, but mostly my relationship with my Heavenly Father.

But it was one special author that shared most of my year: Gene Stratton-Porter. Never have I come across a stack of books that has meant this much to me from a literary perspective. They are just the most amazing books written by a native of my own state. It's been pretty obvious that her eternal perspective was Biblical. Her characters stir me. I don't say that lightly. Whether we're talking about Little Sister in "Laddie"(I wrote about it here) or Mickey in "Michael O'Halloran"...so different, so sweet and honorable and honest and real!

Her books are about real life. They are about relationships that are awe inspiring. They are about nature and our life amongst it. They are also about God and His Providence in all things. She weaves love, loss, mystery and redemption in a way I've never read, and I've read quite a lot. She champions nature in a pure and Godly way. She tells of history and of science.

Stratton-Porter wrote about nature from a Creationist perspective, too, and her books educate. In "Keeper of the Bees" a small child, Scout, tells a veteran, Jamie, about bees...and about God. It's the most beautifully written pages describing bees, and the evidence of God, that you'll ever read. In the chapter entitled "Because of God" we read,

"First question I ever asked was, 'Why is the bee garden blue?' And I'll have to tell you the answer because you would never guess it in a thousand years. The answer is, 'Because of God.'"

"Yes," said the little Scout. "That's what makes bees so interesting. About half the things you'll have to learn are because of God, and why the bee garden is blue is the very first thing. Now, you listen and I'll tell you the reason."

Scout goes on to teach the grown up about God's perfect design for all living things, and specifically bees. The skeptic is soon awed and the Scout concludes by telling him...

"One time I asked the Bee Master if I couldn't see God and if I couldn't touch Him, how I was going to know that He was here. And he said, 'Because of the hair on a bee.' So that's one of the ways you can know."

At the end of the chapter, the Scout addresses books...and Darwin! Love this!:

"I don't know as I've told you so very well. In there in the library you can find the books like I showed you that tell what people used to think. The books that are the bunk. Then you'll find the books like Lubbock and Swammerdam, which have the wonderful pictures, that will tell you what really happens. Then there are the books like Fabre and Maeterlinck that the Bee Master says are three things at one time. First they are the truth, and next they are poetry, and third they are the evidence of a Master Mind that plans every least little tiny thing. He says the only name for that Master Mind is God. He doesn't see any use in trying to dodge God and side-step Him and call Him 'the Spirit of the Hive' and Instink and Nature and things like that. He says a great scientist, one of the best, almost went crazy trying to do that very thing. His name was Charles Darwin and the Bee Master sayd C.D. would have been a heap bigger Injun if he'd been willing to put God in where He belongs. He says when God does anything 'with such care, and puts so much thought in it, and deals out such splendid justice' as there is in a beehive, that a wise man will just take off his hat and lift his eyes to the sky and very politely he will say, 'Just God.'" (bold mine)

And this book says it was published in 1925--a year after her death.

To say I'm hooked on this author would be an understatement. Each story has captured me and moved me to laughter and tears. These are books to own! To read again and again and to pass down. These are books you only loan out to your nearest and dearest for fear they'll disappear. These books go in the "grab in case of fire" pile!

The hunt for many of these books published around the turn of the century, is just now starting to get fierce. The most popular (of course) were easy to find, many still be published by Indiana University Press. But they are mostly the titles she wrote about Indiana, while living in Indiana. Surprisingly, I found a couple of goodies at the library: Birds of the Bible (a nature book). I glanced through it and it's amazing! FULL of scripture. I look forward to reading through it. I also found "The Magic Garden" which is next on my list.

Stratton-Porter spent the last part of her tragically shortened life in California and it was there that a dear friend found another title for me, "My Father's Daughter". I'm reading it now and though it is excellent again, here she deals with a stronger than usual topic--bigotry. I look forward to seeing how she resolves the issue with her characters.

Here's the list I've read in my order of preference:
1. Laddie
2. Keeper of the Bees
3. Girl of the Limberlost
4. The Harvester
5. Michael O'Halloran
6. Freckles
7. My Father's Daughter

You want to read these books! You really do.

PS. They actually made paper dolls of Gene Stratton-Porter!

Living Math Resource

In planning out the rest of our school year, I realized that daughter's math lessons would not take every day. What to do with the other days? I could skip 'em...

OR WE COULD READ SOME LIVING MATH BOOKS!

You'll never guess which I chose!! :)

I immediately turned to this great site for direction. The fact that a homeschooling mom put this together just awes me! I printed out this list for my 5yo daughter and we will work through the list (which we've already read some of!).

I just love resources like this.

They save me so much time and energy. I just can't tell you--well, maybe YOU know! :)

This site also offers many other great resources including articles, lesson plans, game lists... You just have to see it to believe it.

Merry Christmas!

On Copywork

Copywork is one of those things that I never "got". As much as I would want my children to have perfect handwriting, forcing son to write has never accomplished much. BUT, that is NOT what copywork is for (alone) and THAT is what I missed in my understanding. Here is a wonderful series on copywork at Understanding Charlotte. If copywork has baffled you, like it has me, read and think it through once more.

The Owl Encounter

This morning we were reading (imagine that!) Jim Arnosky's "All About Owls" (great books by him, by the way!) and I remembered something that happened a whole year ago and I NEVER TOLD YOU! This is too good not to share, but at the time, the only pictures were on my husband's phone. This morning I asked him if he would email them to me, which he did.

What you are about to see is incredible! Especially if you've never seen a real owl up close. You see, my husband grew up out in the country where his mother still lives. Lots of open spaces and old fencing. One night last December, husband was out there with his brother and his mom told him she heard screaming all night long the night before. She thought it was an owl, but was so amazed at the screaming and how long it screamed. Husband and BIL went out to investigate and found this Great Horned Owl stuck in a fence...dead.

You can see the size of this beautiful creature and imagine how sick we all were to realize it had been stuck in that fence, dying all night. There wasn't a mark on it.

Isn't it amazing how alive he still looks?! The colors were just amazing.

Whooo's looking at you! Sorry...couldn't resist! :)

So BIL wrapped him up and put him in the freezer and started making calls. You see, when you live in a TINY town out in the boondocks, you KNOW people! So he called a sheriff friend who said that it couldn't be avoided, the DNR would have to be called in. So, after much prayer and hoping that we'd be able to have him stuffed and mounted, we called the DNR. They immediately came and confiscated him. BOO HOO! We were so sad. They are protected (of course) and apparently there is a huge waiting list of schools wanting such a speciman. WE'RE a not huge school wanting him!!! Drat!

So there you have it. The owl encounter.

Well, it's ridiculously cold out and everything's covered in ice. These pictures inspired some art, so here's what we got:

So here's daughter's drawing. She had been particularly interested in the claws when we read, so she drew them with special care.

And here's son's. He's really improving (drawing has never been his strong suit, or even his interest--but that is changing!).

AND THEN! We used our Paper Toys links to make this beauty!

James Whitcomb Riley Home

We finally made it to one of the James Whitcomb Riley Homes in Indiana.

We had so much fun reading his poetry a few months back! What incredible storytelling coming through "the Hoosier Poet". Son proudly remembered this memory work:

On Any Ordinery Man in a High State of Laughtur and Delight

As its give' me to percieve,
I most certin'y believe
When a man's jest glad plum through,
God's pleased with him, same as you.

Shamefully, I didn't get a picture of the whole house--what was I thinking?! However, I did get these outdoor pictures. It was very crowded indoors (free day!), and taking pictures was not prudent. I will say it was an amazing preservation of his home of 23+ years...that he didn't even own, but rented a room in...for 23+ years! Astounding. Apparently, in that day and age (around the turn of the century) a single man did not live alone for no respectable woman would come work for him. So they would take up residence in the homes of families they knew. This home, where he died in 1817, was only preserved as the owners had no children to pass it on to. We really enjoyed the tour and I purchased a beautiful hardbound, illustrated copy of "The Raggedy Man"! Love it.

My two kids are the two farthest on each side.

This poem (that was apparently turned into a song at some point) of his adorned the walls outside the bedrooms:

The Perfect Prayer

Dear Lord! kind Lord!
Gracious Lord! I pray
Thou wilt look on all I love,
Tenderly to-day!
Weed their hearts of weariness;
Scatter every care
Down a wake of angel-wings
Winnowing the air.

Bring unto the sorrowing
All release from pain;
Let the lips of laughter
Overflow again;
And with all the needy
O divide, I pray,
This vast treasure of content
That is mine to-day!

I'm sure we'll eventually get to his other home (his childhood home) which is not too far from some friends house. His grave is also in town, so when the weather permits, we should probably go there too...just for fun...'cause cemetaries are fun...right?!! :)

Oh! The Birds!

We live in an unusual area. It's a fairly new, large neighborhood on a golf course with numerous ponds. In other words, large open spaces with no trees...and with water. As a result, we have unusual bird situations. Too many geese to imagine--flying, honking, honking flying. Then, there are the cow birds.

We don't like the cow birds. Cow birds are not our friends. Cow birds hog the bird feeders and keep other birds away.

They did, however, provide us with this fairly unusual (to some) sight the other morning. We've seen this often, though I know of one friend who was mesmerized by this sight--I guess that gives it higher ranking!

Out our front window...our little bitty pear tree.

Our road and across the street.

Startled! As they fly over, the room goes dark. Quite the cloud!

Paper Fun You Shouldn't Miss

I'm a cuttin' fiend. Yes. I cut out 500 zillion Civil War paper dolls soldiers and a mega-plethora of girly paper dolls (past & present!) and I've cut out at least a billion pictures to scrapbook. There is nothing quite like the feel of a wonderfully sharp pair of Honey Bee Scissors. I have one scissor challenged child, and one who always cuts perfectly (girl!). Loving those scissors and cutting is both a blessing and a curse!

I've always loved intricately cut things like snowflakes, and winter is one of those times where cutting paper, is the most fun. So here are a few of our favorite links. We've used these goodies for history, geography, and even science. We also just make 'em for fun!

If you haven't heard of the Toymaker, you're missing out. This link will take you to all her paper toys, which are extraordinary. Be sure to check out the Christmas "toys". Sign up for her newsletter to receive the latest greatest.

There are some really cool items in several categories (science!) here. Their volcano was particularly useful!

How about a paper models of important places like the US Capitol building. Here's an absolutely unbelievable list of goodies, including a nativity I'm printing out right now!

Now here's something son particularly enjoys: Paper airplanes galore! We mustn't forget this really cool rocket either!

As you can see, the possibilities are endless. BE AWARE however, that content on some of the sites DOES CHANGE so if you see something you think you'll use, go ahead and print it out. I've missed a few goodies by holding on to the link. A link for nothing, gives you NOTHING!

AND USE CARDSTOCK!

AND HAVE FUN!

Deciding Bible

Because I'm a bit ridiculous when it comes to order, I'll tell you that after reading so much about Charlotte Mason, and more to the point, determining that things in our lives need to change and CM is a part of it, I naturally must begin with the beginning. And that is Bible.

Bible lessons up till this year, have been our favorite. We've had three wonderful years with Biblical Principle Approach (BPA) and Judah Bible, however...this year I have found it lacking. Too much repetition for my ideal study. That makes me nuts because we've so enjoyed it and learned so much as the Holy Spirit has guided us through these lessons.

I will tell you, and many of you know this from hanging out here, the lessons are intricate, time consuming to prepare, and time consuming to deliver. Of course, there can't possibly be anything more worth while to spend our time on, so that doesn't so much matter. What does matter to me at this point is (and please excuse the analogy) that we don't keep Jesus on the Cross.

Scripture is God's whole story. Meaning "whole", as in "don't leave anything out". I've most assuredly been convinced that we don't want to miss a thing in God's Word. At the same time, I'm no genius and trying to figure out what to do has been a chore.

The Simply Charlotte Mason forums allowed me to get one answer that was broad, but covered the entire Bible in a six year rotation. (See below) It still didn't give me enough detail to know how to do it. Then there is a wonderful list that Penny Gardner made for OT and NT. This list is very useful as the scriptures are broken down into segments perfect for short lessons.

The biggest difference to me, method wise, and apart from the "short lesson" idea, is that Bible is studied concurrently with History and Geography. While that sounds great, we already have four years invested in a chronological history beginning with the Explorers and American History (I do not agree with teaching small children ancient history before teaching them a foundation of Biblical truths and principles. This article explains this to my liking.)

Here is the six-year rotation from Sonya at SCM:
1. Genesis-Deuteronomy
2. Joshua-Malachi
3. Matthew-Acts
4. Selected epistles
5. Selected epistles
6. Rest of epistles & Revelation

Then for older children, more focused studies:
1. Mosaic Law
2. Proverbs
3. Romans
4. Various Bible Study methods
5. Doctrine study
6. Doctrine study

I like this and find that we would be around year 3-4, and not ready for the older set in-depth, though we've covered some of it.

A few thoughts on what I want to do each week:
1. Read God's Word together! (15-20 minutes/day)
2. Begin Bible Drills with son (finding passages in scripture) once or twice a week. (5-10 min./wk)
3. Continue practicing the memorizing of the books of the Bible. (A couple of minutes at a time.)
4. Include Biblical Principle examination. (5-10 min./day where applicable)
5. Include Character trait focus. (5-10 min./day where applicable)
6. Continue hiding God's Word in our hearts with memory boxes. (10 minutes/a day--during a separate set-aside time)

It's funny to see what appears to be so little time set aside for things that are so vital, yet that's really all it takes to introduce an idea that remains with a child the rest of the day, week...his life. We don't stop talking about a lesson when the lesson is done! This is the part that this super-planning Mama forgets and begins to force scheduled time to the point of bitterness.

It occurs to me, as I think this through, that the problem with using anything but just the Bible for Bible lessons is that anything less than the whole involves an agenda. Whether it's Judah Bible, that I've used, which pounds home seven very important principles over and over, or a purchased workbook/focus study. That makes the CM philosophy of reading the whole Bible and the Bible alone (for Bible) very appropriate, encouraging and appealing.

Using the NT list, we'll get through the gospels by spring. I used excel to list out the lessons by approximate date. It's also a nice "coincidence" that we started it this week with the nativity stories. Works for me! I also took our "Child's Story Bible" (which we love for historical content, relevance and connectivity to the rest of scripture) and cross-referenced the index with the scripture passages.

One last thing I'll mention is "Discovering Doctrine" from SCM. It is an ebook for notebooking Bible according to ten doctrines that every scripture applies to at least one: Bible, God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Man, Sin, Salvation, Angels, Church, Future Events. This, like Biblical Principles, is a great way to facilitate discussion of Biblical truths.

There you have it: Bible via Charlotte Mason. At least for this CM beginner!

Thou Shalt Not Steal!

Last weekend my husband discovered that some unaccounted for charges had appeared on his credit card.

Upon further checking, it became apparent that the card number had been stolen. Immediately the bank was on it, but we also did a little digging ourselves. First there was a couple of charges to Greyhound for bus tickets. So after calling Greyhound, we were given a name. Later, Greyhound, not wanting to give out further information to the people who had been stolen from, "refused" to cooperate and produce a phone number. Oh, but they did tell us our home address was on the tickets. You see there was another charge to a internet phonebook/people finding service. How nice for the thief!

Anyway, Greyhound did tell us when the tickets were for and to where. We know it's someone local now and we know they've already gone to Atlanta and should be back here on Dec 20 at such-and-such pm.

It's hard not to imagine a little confrontation in a bus depot over hundreds and hundreds of dollars stolen. BUT, the bank is taking care of everything. Supposedly they cut off the card immediately when we called, though the charges have continued to roll in. The thief bought a $400 Iphone yesterday. And paid their exhorbitant cable bill. Isn't that special?! And ironic, as we have no tv! I really wish I knew that they prosecuted these people. It seems like it would be fairly easy for this one to be caught. Down with thieves!!

It's amazing how violated something like this makes you feel. Yet, being the opportunistic home educating family that we are, we've had a few conversations around "Thou shalt not steal". The main thing with this situation is that we won't lose any $ (I'm pretty sure) and that it's really out of our hands--we're busy with other things on the 20th!

We have NO idea how the thief got our card number. Topping our list is some sales clerk somewhere, or waiter at a restaurant. We also considered trash as possibility. So keep watch over your accounts...careful watch.

Lose the Clock, But Not the Timer

I'm a scheduler. There. I said it.

I've done MOTH (Managers of Their Homes). I've done 'em all. I DO learn something new each time. Sometimes I RE-learn those forgotten lessons... Like the one that says, "Do NOT put times on your schedule! YOU'LL BE SORRY!" But no. Gotta learn it the hard way, even if I learn it quick.

This time all it took was a trip to the bathroom. Yep. Son needed a rather l o n g break in the restroom, but THAT wasn't on the schedule! You gotta love cut and paste on Excel; particularly CUT. DELETE. It's outta there! The times column is gone. Replaced by a nice limit as to how long to spend on each item. That would be SHORT limits, as in "Short Lessons" which Charlotte Mason advocates and may very well be the thing that sets us free from "I HATE SCHOOL" .

This was my first step: re-create the schedule. After total chaos in the day, order seems appropriate. Especially order that brings joy and productivity. When you focus on "short lessons"--anywhere from 10-40 minutes, depending on age--it's amazing the things that you can fit in a day! We can do art again. And spend time drawing. And time outside. It's amazing what you can do when you get math done before dark! Oh. And there's music and ALL the wonderful things I'd dropped because I was "doing too much" and making the day too long. Now they are all on the schedule throughout the week and we always get done with our main subjects by 12:00 or 12:30.

Now I don't do them the same, and some I've had to discard the previous curriculum, but the point was to learn them, not choke on them! We've brought back some wonderful old favorites such as reading and studying the hymn writers using the Mr. Pipes series. No one ever says they "hate" that!

Ordering the day is the perfect ideal. It is one of the things that first attracted me to MOTH: the idea that you can make a list of everything that you'd WANT to do in a day, then schedule it. The fact that you may not be able to get those three hours of math in can be tough! But 30 minutes can work too! Heehee! :)

The truth is, we are doing a 15 minute lesson, with 15 minutes starting on problems. Then later, he has another 15 minutes to finish. He really likes this much better and seems to remove a lot of pressure. If he still can't get it done, it doesn't feel as if he hasn't done a thing, wasted a lot of time, and it's the end of the world, if you know what I mean.

I can't tell you the burden that has been lifted.

We still must continually work on breaking our old habits and establishing our new ones, but we'll get there.

So far, so good!

Charles Dickens

It's time to move on to our next poet and according to my "list", the next poet is Charles Dickens. I didn't even know that he wrote poems, (you can find them here) and haven't been able to find that many, however, he did write one of my very favorite books; and it's not "A Christmas Carol", but "Great Expectations"! Really, good book.

Interestingly enough, what started only as a new addition to our Poet-a-Day read, has grown. We've decided to read "A Christmas Carol" (even though I'm not a big fan of Christmas things that are not reflective of Christ alone). It's been a long time since I've read the book, but fully expect we'll get some pretty decent character studies from it. I'm sure son will also be thrilled that we will actually be reading something with ghosts in it! Let's face it. There's nothing like great literature. That said, after listening to my Chiropractor's painful telling of the story to my children, I realized it was time to get out my mother's treasured copy of old and have at it (as soon as we finish "Swiss Family Robinson!")

Of course, I also have the movie tucked away for "after", as well as the Focus on the Family Radio Drama (of which we've loved every one). Today I was happy to hear that Homeschool Radio Shows is having a "Dickens Christmas Festival" starting with a wonderful audio book, "Cricket on the Hearth". The accompanying ebook has beautiful black and white illustrations useful for coloring.

Our first "poem" is actually this prayer, which son is using for copywork (more on that soon) and memory work. Son asked me if he was a believer...not sure we have an answer to that one, though his writings do seem to purport some knowledge of God &/or scripture. Of course, back then, most had more knowledge than they do today, regardless of whether they chose to follow Christ. The biographies I've read have been somewhat sketchy in details about his spiritual life and tend to focus on the break up of his marriage, an affair, and then there's the "mesmerizing"?? I left those details out of the lesson! Regardless, God once again used the talents of one uniquely created to tell a story.

A CHILD'S HYMN

by: Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

HEAR my prayer, O heavenly Father,

Ere I lay me down to sleep;

Bid Thy angels, pure and holy,

Round my bed their vigil keep.

My sins are heavy, but Thy mercy

Far outweighs them, every one;

Down before Thy cross I cast them,

Trusting in Thy help alone.

Keep me through this night of peril

Underneath its boundless shade;

Take me to Thy rest, I pray Thee,

When my pilgrimage is made.

None shall measure out Thy patience

By the span of human thought;

None shall bound the tender mercies

Which Thy Holy Son has bought.

Pardon all my past transgressions,

Give me strength for days to come;

Guide and guard me with Thy blessing

Till Thy angels bid me home.

When Mama Ain't Happy...

Our first month of school was great this year. Excitement, order...nice weather. Everything ordered up in such a way to provide maximum learning. Yet, as the shine began to dull on our new year, the clock ticked faster, the storm clouds came closer and joy was lost to pressure. I ruminated for a couple more months; making a change here, or there. Trying this...or that. Staring at the piles of curriculum and planning notebooks which left a choke-hold on my heart.

Not one good attempt went un-punished. They all seemed to make matters worse. It was then, in the midst of more crisis, that God made it pretty clear He had a few things to teach this 'ole gal. And, being Sovereign (over ALL) He decided to teach me a WHOLE bunch of things ALL at once. To some people, the urge to run stark naked down the street, with hair afire, might be a consideration at such times. But my Father knows me and He had other plans.

Isa 64:8 But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.

The molding...the refining...not so fun. However, the things of God ARE. So. I began to listen and as I did, God began to change my heart about many things. One of them was what our homeschooling should look like. The information; the ideas, were not new. As a matter of fact, it was more my focus that was off. That, and my memory. Memory plays tricks on us. Maybe that is why we so often repeat our past mistakes. My memory was telling me that we had "moved on" from things we had enjoyed because boy is older and thus "no longer interested" or worse yet, "there is no longer TIME."

Compromise. One after the other. Result: No. Joy.

Alright. So, what am I really talking about? I read this post over at Sprittibee and after a couple of emails, I began doing some reading. Interestingly enough, I'd already read some of the material before, but it fell on deaf ears and a hardened heart. Have I now decided that Charlotte Mason is the end all, beat all? Not to the exclusion of ALL else. But, I get it now! I really do.

I had but to begin reading about CM, then discussing it with hubby (often in front of the kids) and an incredible transformation began to take place. It would take many paragraphs to tell you all the little things that began happening. God's little miracles of hope. Little ears perked up and the conversations were amazing!

Wasn't it just about two weeks ago that we were spending 3-4 HOURS daily on math? The math that had required us to drop all other subjects but spelling. The math that left us with depression, sorrow, anger and restless dawdling. The instigator of "I HATE SCHOOL!" Wasn't it that same two weeks ago that I yelled at my boy for sketching a picture while looking out the window? Wasn't it me who told him, "but the sketchbook away and DO. YOUR. MATH!"

That was me. Shame. On. Me. And it's happened more than once.

Let me make this clear: Math is not the problem. Habit is. That's changing already and a subject for another post, but let me just say new habits are easy; breaking old ones is TOUGH!

I felt as though I single-handedly destroyed all love of learning or joy in any subject. I began to see the deterioration of my relationship with my son and the corruption of attitudes in all of us. In other words, Sat*an was having a hay day.

So you're about to hear more about this journey back to joy. What it's not about is perfection, or smooth sailing. It's not about some new shiny model (or method). It's hopefully about the things of God; our unique family, and what God desires for us to do with our time together.

There is a lot to tell! Stay tuned!

The Problem

The problem with having to set blogging aside for awhile, is that when you're able to finally share again, it's SO hard to know where to start!

There's the whole "why" of being gone...and the whole build up of incredible experiences and hardships and answered prayers and new ideas and learned wisdom...bunches.

There is also wanting to share "everything" and having the understanding and discernment to know that would not necessarily be profitable.

Regardless, I did need to set things aside and tend to the urgent matters put before me. Many of you have inquired as to my well-being and I greatly appreciate your prayers and concerns.

I do have more time to share with you now and BOUNDless things to blog! Gettin' busy with it!

One last thought to share before I move on to all things homeschooling...NEVER underestimate the power of prayer. Specific prayer. Prayers of many. Your own prayers.

Pray without ceasing.
I Thess 5:17