Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Homeschool Planning

Here it is 20 days before school starts and I'm not anywhere near to being finished pulling together our homeschool plan for this year. I have many notes, notebooks started and several different schedules that I tote around awaiting a lull in my day. But it's not not done yet!

My goal this week is to complete six weeks of lesson plans for history (detailed with all the copies). Pray for me guys.

I'm baking bread



Okay, I've made two different batches of bread with a very simple recipe I got from a friend. The first time I was ecstatic. The bread actually looked and tasted like real bread.

Just yesterday I made my second try at loaf bread. My mom was here to offer guidance and this one tip that made all the difference in the world. She suggested I do my kneading on top of a large kitchen plastic bag instead of the counter top. Oh how much easier it made the task.

Moms truly do know best.

The second try with the easier kneading technique produced a really high loaf of bread. It was a very happy occasion. My mom and the rest of the family loved the bread and cinnamon rolls.
We used one loaf today to make a PB & J sandwiches for lunch.

Making bread is really fun!!

Sunday, July 29, 2007

My daughter belongs to Jesus

My daughter was baptized at our church this Sunday. She spent the last 3 weeks in baptismal class with other children all desiring to make their walk with Jesus known publicly.

Our hearts are leaping for joy at our daughter's decision. She's only seven and she already knows that she loves the Lord and that He loves her.

We invited family and friends over for cake and ice cream to help us celebrate. Written on her cake was a testimony to her faith. "She belongs to Jesus".

Sagging Pants - Help a parent out

This post warranted a review.

The last two days have been intense to say the least. What in a person's right mind would allow them to go against all codes of decency and self-respect to want to wear Saggy pants. Boundaries have long been set in our home, but with the Summer visitation of my teenage nephew , my son must have had a case of amnesia when he put his clothes on this morning. Not that he needed any motivation to be defiant, it just gave a little oxygen to what has been smothering underneath.

Now, let me not paint a sordid picture of my nephew, he is very respectful, sweet young man. He takes AP classes, makes good grades, is on the football team and makes friends easily. He just happens to have that teenage problem of wanting to fit in, and in today's culture that means that he "sags". Oh, he wears Tall T's to cover it up, but it's still sagging to me. I mean, why could he just not roll one pant leg up, wear different color socks or the starched Levi's, an Oxford shirt with Penny loafers, like we did- those were true fads.


I'm convinced that this sagging thing is not just a fad, but instead, it's a totally affront to modesty, parental boundaries and just plain common sense. It is so powerful that it has branded the Hip Hop sub-culture as the only "dope" dress fare for the really cool or "baaadd".


It's more than just a fad, when in just about any city you can be pulled over by the police, "profiled" for what use to based on ethnicity, but now includes clothing attire. I have done my research here. My husband and I spoke with a police officer, on their beat, with our son while we were doing some shopping. We wanted our son to know how ethnicity, one's company and dress all play together in the eyes of the law. The police shared with our son, better than we could have ever tried to, how they "spot" out possible problem situations. The precursor was almost always how they were dressed or the combination of colors they were wearing. The Tall T's (some language) that my nephew obliviously wears, and my son desires to wear are known for concealing weapons or "five finger discounted" goods. Yes, I do say , it's more than a fad.


Be it an ill thought out fashion statement, my opinion, or as claimed by manufacturers, a result "social economics", it is not what we, as parents, desire of the young in our home to wear.


So, where do we go from here? Ideally I would think mass letters, emails or phone calls would be a good start. My research has determined that they are too large to respond to letters, emails or phone calls. No, that would not work. But, if we as parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends stopped giving these things as gifts or stopped allowing those that we love to buy these things we would be off to a much better start, with a greater economic impact. I feel we are as much to blame in the degrading of our young men as the manufacturers. For too long we have resigned to throwing up our hands and talking to the backsides of our young men as they walk away from our sound judgement. It has to start with us; start with code of dress for our families. We have got to set the boundaries and not cower down and allow those boundaries to erased by the culture.


Some things that may be helpful to ask your children in rhetorical questions or as interactive questions may start like this:

1. Where can you wear sagging pants after graduation?

2. Have you ever thought that someone could come and pull your pants to your ankles?

3. How do you like the stereotype that your sagging brings?; What are the stereotypes?

4. Is sagging okay if you have a tall T to cover the sagging?

5. Who do you think would be hired at a bank, Pepsi cola, Frito Lay, Walmart, Lowes, you, sagging or another boy your age, wearing fitted clothes?

6. How do feel wearing a fashion that originated as prison clothes with a definite gay connotation?

7. Did you know that you cannot enter a court room with saggy pants?

8. What gives you your self esteem? clothes, cell phone?

9. What does modesty mean to you?

10.How are you being identified?

11.When there has been a crime the perpetrator is identified by what he wore, had or physical characteristics. Do you understand what profiling is?

12. Did you know that in some cities, groups of people are profiled by the car they drive, what they have on or the activities they participate?

13. Have you ever stop to think what defines you? Is it your character , your dress, or what you own?

14.What does God want to define us?

15. In the statements, association brings about assimilation, or you are define by your peer group, both equal in meaning; What do they mean to you?

Friday, July 27, 2007

Family Vacation Day 4 & 5

Day Four, Grand Prairie, Texas- The Wax Museum and Ripley's Believe It or Not &
Plano, Texas- Planet Pizza (Indoor pizza and amusement park)


We all got a little later start this morning. It was okay since we only had to travel to Grand Prairie. Our first stop was the wax museum. On the trip there I decided to do brain teaser. I read several famous quotes and we played a game to see who knew the answer. I also asked them about several inventions and who was the inventor. Each one of my kids as well as my husband really surprised me with their knowledge. It was great for boosting my confidence in continuing to read and expose them to things that sometimes seem above their heads. The kids are really listening and absorbing. I was pleased.

After the Grand Prairie trip we trekked across Dallas all the way to Plano, Texas for a visit to Planet Pizza. The children had visions from the Toy Story movie when Woody and Buzz went to Pizza Planet. They were very impressed when they saw all the indoor rides and video machines. We stayed there for more than three hours.

We called it a day with some Ben and Jerry's and headed back home.

Day Five, Dallas, Texas- Bahama Beach

Here was again, another perfect day for being outside ALLLLL Day loonnggg. After a relaxing lunch at Joe's Crab Shack we applied the sun block and headed to a nearby waterpark. All I can say is FUN, FUN, FUN. I have never played in so much water- all day long. Lots of slides and lazy floating in their lagoon.

We had so much fun that we left the park to come home and walk the dog only to return to park for a movie on the lawn. It was a pleasant experience for the whole family right here in our own "neck of the woods".

Summing it all up, this was a wonderful family vacation shared with the one's I love most. Friday came all too soon.

Family Vacation- Days 3




Day three-Roanke, Texas- Heneritta Farms &
Fort Worth, Texas-FW Science Place and Museums

On day three we set out for a shorter road trip. It was only around one hour, just past Fort Worth. I had found an online farm with over 700 hybrid breeds of apple trees and some peaches. The apples were ready for picking. We had missed the peach picking season. I had planned to read more from "Paddle to the Sea" and our adventures in "20,000 leagues under the Sea"; however, my husband being moved by the Holy Spirit felt a deeper prompting and in the garage before pulling off he lead a mini study time covering our assurance of salvation. He read from Jude.

Since our daughter is getting baptized this Sunday, we go some good feedback from the younger two. Staying in the same vein, no fiction today, I read from a Bible storytime book that my daughter had brought for the road trip. The short story was about giving from your best, not the left over. Even our oldest participated during the question time. It was beautiful! We'll see if they, as well as us (dad and mom), remember this principle as time goes by.

The farm owners definitely practiced giving their best. They opened their land and cook house to us, perfect strangers. They taught us how to pick the apples without hurting the tree or being wasteful. Picking the apples and romping around on the farm was picture book quality. All three kids enjoyed looking for the just the right apples to pick. We saw famailiars like Galas and Granny Smiths and many, many hybrids. We were allowed to taste them right off the tree. They were delicious.

My husband told us stories of picking peaches in his grandmother's backyard. We were all mesmerized by God's nature all around the farm. We even learned that the loofa sponges we have in our bathrooms do not grow in the sea but actually grown on a tree. It was amazing to see the over foot long loofas hanging from an enormous tree that resembled pictures I'd created in my mind after reading Jack and the Beanstalk.

We then loaded our apples in the wagon in the back of the van and headed off to Fort Worth to visit the FW Science Museum which was featuring a Star Wars exhibit. It was a personal pick from my husband.

My husband took so many pictures in the Star Wars exhibit that he batteries ran low on the camera. My oldest son is so into the mechanics of how things work that he took right away to one of the stations set up to build a magnetic car. We all tried but naturally his was the only one to really work properly.

We finished up with a walk through the Cowgirl museum and lots of experiments with different accounts of perception. I think my husband and our oldest son enjoyed this one the more than the rest of us. I got dizzy around the third experiment.

We had a wonderful third day of our vacation at home.

Family Vacation Time- Days 1 & 2

The past four days have been filled with different adventures. This year's plan was to stay based at home and each day take a day trip to a different adventure in the big, vast state of Texas. This plan worked exceptionally well this year as it allow us to see our beloved golden retriever each day.

Day One: Grand Prairie, Texas- Six Flags over Texas

We have thanked God for the perfect, overcast day that we spent at Six Flags over Texas in Grand Prairie, Texas. We enjoyed the Marvel comic theme as well as the Looney Tunes characters. My husband relived days of his youth with our thirteen year old as they rode the Batman and Flashback. We all (except the thirteen year old- he didn't want to get wet) enjoyed most of the rides that get you good and wet. It's really the only way to do a theme park in a Texas summer.

I was really pleased that I had choosen to bring and read "Paddle to Sea" on our way to the theme park. So, when we rode the logs at Six Flags we all talked about being just like Paddle to the Sea in our log traveling the sea. It was a really proud homeschool moment to make the connection and have the kids use their imaginations.

We bypassed the burger and fries at the theme park and opted for a familiar taste with Panda Express. We were happy they added this favor to the park. We had a perfect day!!!

Day Two: Waco, Texas- Cameron Zoo and Dr. Pepper Museum

We were off today on a real driving trip. We mapped the trip on mapquest and it would take 1 1/2 hours to reach the zoo. We packed our food bag and our organic tea bottles for our drinks and the it seemed like we got there in no time.

The zoo was like none other that we had ever seen. There was a path that creatively took us though rainforests, marsh lands, sandy beaches and more. It was very real and kids made all sort of learning connections from their book knowledge to real life. They were so in to it all that we ditched the contents of our one of our many plastic ziplocs to start collecting "nature" as they called it. Yet another proud homeschool moment.

After the zoo visited the Dr. Pepper Museum that was real nostalgic for my husband and me. Since we are not soda drinkers, the real joy for our kids was when we got to drink soda floats at the small counter shop after our tour. The kids got to see a real well that when well to create a visual for stories that we have read.

I read the first chapter of "20,000 leagues under the Sea" on the way back and all of us, except my dear husband took a nap on the way back home.

Why so many different math tools?

I was recently having an online conversation with someone from one of my many Yahoo groups and they asked me about possible overload from my choices of math tools for my thirteen year old son.

Our plan is to use Saxon grade level math:Algebra 1/2 along with "Keys" to fraction and decimals and some Math U See. The later two being primarly for review and remediation.

My reply:
I'm really not sure about the overload factor. I know we need to cover for mastering and recall.

The Algebra 1/2 starts off with similar review. I wanted to have different approaches to cover that review, just to be certain that I've offered different modes of learning styles to my son. We are still exploring how he learns best.

The small chunks from the Keys and hand-on from Math U See may be a break through for him to hit the Saxon textbook with added confidence.

We are learning that Homeschooling is a process with many different paths. It takes lots of prayer, willingness to try different, custom paths and lots of room for imagination/creativity from both the parent and child.

Previously, in my career life of mortgage banking, I've always told my team that I'm not looking to re-invent the wheel, but in this season of my life, I hold in the back of my mind the words of Robert Frost when he explained the less traveled path he took. He said, "...that has made all the difference."

As a mother of a thirteen year son who has not yet begun to imagine the possibilities of our learning days at home, I have to be the one uncovering the paths on the road. I do believe from listening to all of your journeys that one day he will pull me aside and say something like, "Mama, I really would like to try to learn this by doing it this way." Eureka!, I'm hopeful for his imagination and creativity.

I love listening and talking to you and others about the nature of homeschooling. I try to keep my mind wide open to piggy back on those things that may stimulate our homeschooling journey. Thank you for holding me accountable.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Memories, our belief system (Right or Wrong?)

Part 2

Our memories, a wicked self -preservation.

We spoke of a self - preservation that leaves one feeling rejected, vulnerable and discounted. This type of self' - preservation becomes unforgiving in relationships when one person's belief system, based on their memories and their right and wrong, are forced upon another. During this type of disharmony each one is waging memory against memory all in the name of right or wrong -- their own self-preservation.

Equally painful and discounting are the sneers, jeers and accusations of self seeking participants in this war of memories as they too use their own belief system for their own validation. It's the perfect crescendo, their chiming in to the existing disharmony, that will add fuel to each one's cause.

Memories - our belief system, is it right or wrong? A few self- examining questions could restore harmony.

1. Can my memory be confirmed in a tangible way by another or evidence?

2. Am I isolating my memory to empirical evidence alone, or am I using interpretation to form a memory?

If restorative actions are required after finding Biblical answers to the questions it is appropriate to seek or give forgiveness and restitution to a person's "personhood".

Enjoyed "self-preservation" can only by obtained in truth. "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32

Memories, our belief system (Right or Wrong?)

Part 1

We all have been shaped by our genes, environment, past and convictions. Our molding is predicated on that belief system that formed from that shaping. We see our moldings from our belief system as right or wrong; albeit right or wrong.

From earlier on in our character formation we accept or reject those things from our lives and past and claim them as a part of our "personhood". I see this in my own children.

It's those aspects of our moldings that determines our memories. Yes, what we accept as right or wrong will be what defines us and what our memories are comprised. It is our memories that hold or define our pursuit for maintaining or claiming who we are. This too, I see in my own family. Please follow me on this.

When the memories that have been branded as our personal banner serve as our validation those aspects of our "personhood" becomes our reality. Those realities may be far from being validated and/ or it may be full of omissions by those who would know best. Nevertheless, we hold on to those memories as our own self-preservation. The funny thing about self-preservation is that everyone does it.

When driven on memories, many times within families this self-preservation creates disharmony. Furthermore, the case for preserving each one's personhood never preserves bilaterally. While one has victory in self-preservation; someone else is left with a unsettled resolve of not being validated, rejected, discounted and vulnerable. All for the sake of memories, what each has chosen to remember. Is it right or wrong?

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Wheat Rolls - Yum, Yum


The smell that permeated throughout the house was delightful. It was the buttery, nutty smell of fresh baked wheat rolls. I found a recipe that immediately took the intimidation I felt about baking bread away. It said, "90 Minute Rolls". I thought, "I can do that".

I tweaked the recipe a bit by substituting the butter for olive oil and used whole wheat flour for the last 1/2 cup of flour. The changes worked out fine and the family loved the rolls.

Next time... I'll go for making a loaf.

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Grace and Mercy

A Mediation and Motivation for today on God's Grace and Mercy

Ephesians 2:1-10

2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Today's motivation will be from meditation on God's Grace and Mercy.


Sunday, July 1, 2007

Reminds me of Grandma - Cherry Tomatoes

I just picked a few cherry tomatoes today and they brought back my fond memories of MoMo's garden in Southeast Texas.

All the rain we've gotten here in Dallas was just what my cherry tomatoes ordered. The tomatoes plants are more full than before of yellow flowers and nice promising tiny, green tomatoes.

The taste of fresh picked tomatoes are indescribable. But, I'll try. The color was a deep red that only hinted of the soft ripeness that held it all together. I remember all the rows of tomatoes plants my Grandmother tended to along side of fence by a once used clothes line. They were always painted the deepest red and just bursting of ripeness.

My small boxed garden is just that, small, when compared to the tomatoes, okra and all sorts of peppers that my Grandma, MoMo would plant in her garden each year. I love to look out of my kitchen window and remember times of looking out of my MoMo's kitchen window at her garden and the family's big pecan tree that stood tall and strong yielding bowl after bowl of giant pecans. I think MoMo would be proud of me with my small garden.

As I tasted the soft, tiny, red cherry tomatoes it brought back so many happy, large and colorful memories of MoMo - and her garden.

Welcome!!!

It's not a coincidence. I truly believe you were meant to be here. Thank you for spending some time with me discovering the small but important things. In this blog I share my thoughts on family, friends, trials and triumphs. You will find links and thoughts that are dear to my heart as I grow daily in being a Godly wife, mother, daughter, grand-daughter, sister, home school novice and friend.