The Gift Outright

The land was ours before we were the land’s.
She was our land more than a hundred years
Before we were her people. She was ours
In Massachusetts, in Virginia,
But we were England’s, still colonials,
Possessing what we still were unpossessed by,
Possessed by what we now no more possessed.
Something we were withholding made us weak
Until we found out that it was ourselves
We were withholding from our land of living,
And forthwith found salvation in surrender.
Such as we were we gave ourselves outright
(The deed of gift was many deeds of war)
To the land vaguely realizing westward,
But still unstoried, artless, unenhanced,
Such as she was, such as she would become.
~Robert Frost

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On Mother’s Day this year, a dear friend’s father was taken up to be with Jesus. He left behind a loving and Godly wife, 4 beautiful and loving daughters, and a loving son on earth. I heard about the accident the day after it happened, but when I heard about it my heart broke and I wept for them! I have really never had to go through the trauma of losing a loved one, Thank God! But my heart is really breaking for my dear friends.

During this time of grieving, I have been researching sorrow and joy in the Bible. One that really is comforting in this time is:

Psalm 30:5
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

One of my favorite worship songs is Trading My Sorrows. It is such a comforting thought to know that though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we can fear no evil because Jesus is there. It is so great to rely on the fact that though we walk through the valley at night, that joy comes in the morning!

Another verse that reminds me that sorrow does not last forever is:

John 16:22
And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

It is so relieving to know that when our joy does come, NO ONE can take it from us! A lot of the time we overlook joy in our lives. I think we worry too much on things that are a burden and we simply take the joy out of our lives. When we do that, it is a sorrowful place, because it is almost as though we have taken Jesus out. Jesus is Joy!

Finally, what joy we can have in knowing that:

Revelation 21:4
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Oh what a day of joy that will be! No more sorrow, no more death! I am anxiously awaiting that day, because sorrow takes a lot out of you! I am so happy for my friends because when that day comes, they will be able to see their “daddy-pops” again!

Remember this week as you go along your life, that though there may be sorrow in your life, that it only lasts for a season, and then the joy comes!

Please remember to pray for my dear friends. They are hurting, I know and would really appreciate your prayers. Nothing will take away the pain they are feeling but Jesus. Let’s cry out to Jesus for them!

Love you, Mrs. L, Sandy, Celeste, Jordan and Sarah! HUGS!

Also, remember the Steven Curtis Chapman family. The family lost their youngest daughter when the oldest brother hit her with their suv. Please please pray for them! What a sad loss this is, especially for the oldest brother.

Prayers and Blessings,

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I am so happy that spring has finally come! what a glorious time it is to see all of God’s creation come to life and bloom in His beauty!
I have recently decided I love spring almost as much as I love summer. It is so awesome to see the grass turn green, the trees get their leaves on the branches, the flowers bloom, and the fruit trees blossoming with beautiful flowers that will turn in to delicious fruit!

I was a little stuck as what to do today, but then I thought that I hadn’t really done any poetry. I am not a big poem fan, so its not something I think of! haha!
Here are some poems for your pleasure on the beauty and loveliness of spring!

Two Tramps in Mud Time
The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You’re one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
A cloud comes over the sunlit arch,
A wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you’re two months back in the middle of March.

by Robert Frost

A Prayer in Spring
Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year. Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees. And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid-air stands still. For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.

by Robert Frost

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant.
If we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.

by Anne Bradstreet

If Spring came but once in a century, instead of once a year,
or burst forth with the sound of an earthquake,
and not in silence, what wonder and expectation there would
be in all hearts to behold the miraculous change!
But now the silent succession suggests nothing but necessity.
To most men only the cessation of the miracle would be
miraculous and the perpetual exercise of God’s power
seems less wonderful than its withdrawal would be.”

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Nature: April
An altered look about the hills;
A Tyrian light the village fills;
A wider sunrise in the dawn;
A deeper twilight on the lawn;
A print of a vermilion foot;
A purple finger on the slope;
A flippant fly upon the pane;
A spider at his trade again;
An added strut in chanticleer;
A flower expected everywhere …”

Emily Dickinson

Flower in the Crannied Wall
Flower in the crannied wall,
I pluck you out of the crannies,
I hold you here, root and all, in my hand,
Little flower–but if I could understand What you are,
root and all, all in all,
I should know what God and man is.”

by Lord Alfred Tennyson

Sonnet 98
From you have I been absent in the spring,
When proud-pied April dress’d in all his trim
Hath put a spirit of youth in every thing,
That heavy Saturn laugh’d and leap’d with him.
Yet nor the lays of birds nor the sweet smell
Of different flowers in odour and in hue
Could make me any summer’s story tell,
Or from their proud lap pluck them where they grew;
Nor did I wonder at the lily’s white,
Nor praise the deep vermilion in the rose;
They were but sweet, but figures of delight,
Drawn after you, you pattern of all those.
Yet seem’d it winter still, and, you away,
As with your shadow I with these did play.”

by William Shakespeare

The Year’s at the Spring
The year’s at spring
And day’s at the morn;
Morning’s at seven;
The hill sides’s dew-pearled;
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in his heaven -
All’s right with the world!”
by Robert Browning

April
For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
the flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the singing of birds is come,
and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.”
- Song of Solomon ‘Tis the noon of the spring-time,
Yet never a bird In the wind-shaked elm or the maple is heard;
For green meadow-grasses wide levels of snow,
And blowing of drifts where the crocus should blow;
Where wind-flower and violet, amber and white;
On south-sloping brooksides should smile in the light,
O’er the cold winter-beds of their late-waking roots
The frosty flake eddies, the ice crystal shoots;
And, longing for light, under wind-driven heaps,
Round the boles of the pine-wood the ground-laurel creeps,
Unkissed of the sunshine, unbaptized of showers,
With buds scarcely swelled, which should burst into flowers!”

by John Greenleaf Whittier

Lines Written in Early Spring
Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
The periwinkle trails its wreath;
And ’tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes. The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure;
But the least motion which they made,
It seemed a thrill of pleasure. The budding twigs spread out their fan,
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can
That there was pleasure there. If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature’s holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?”

by William Wordsworth

Beneath these fruit-tree boughs that shed
Their snow-white blossoms on my head,
With brightest sunshine round me spread
Of spring’s unclouded weather,
In this sequestered nook how sweet
To sit upon my orchard-seat!
And birds and flowers once more to greet,
My last year’s friends together.”

by William Wordsworth

Spring is the Period
Spring is the Period
Express from God.
Among the other seasons
Himself abide,

But during March and April
None stir abroad
Without a cordial interview
With God.”
by Emily Dickinson

I hope you enjoyed these. I did. Take time this spring to smell the flowers, watch the clouds and love the creation that God has given us!
Prayers and Blessings!

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With the site redesign and move, we’ve had some problems with our RSS feed. If you’re a current Homeschool Blog Awards subscriber, please take a moment to update; if you don’t currently subscribe, now is the perfect time!

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There are almost 6000 Yahoo Groups under the Homeschooling category. You will find groups for all different formats, ages and sects of homeschooling. Some require membership to view posts and participate, and some are public forums. Once you sign up for membership, you can read through posts, post questions and meet other members who homeschool the same method or age of children you do.

I do not belong to each of these groups so I cannot personally endorse them. These are examples of some that you may be interested in. You can search for a group in your own interests by typing search words into the box on this page.

You will also find a host of blog carnivals listed below.

Some that I found in HOMESCHOOLING are:

bookroom

1182 Members, Archives: Membership required

The Bookroom is for homeschooling families using “living books,” the very best children’s books both in-print and out-of-print. We typically keep textbooks and “junk” reading to a minimum, encouraging our children to choose books that engage their minds, inspire their imaginations, and thrill their hearts! Book reviews, notices of helpful web sites, reviews of curriculum guides, and any other discussion directly related to a living books education are welcome! All homeschooling families are …(more)

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Homeschool_SpecialNeedsKidz

1526 Members, Archives: Membership required

THERE IS HOPE! This is a support group for those who live mainly in the USA who are homeschooling a “special needs” child, ages preschool to 19. Whether your child has ADHD, a learning disability (LD), dyslexia, emotional or neurological disorder, bipolar,tourette syndrome,deafness,autism,anxiety disorder, oppositonal defiance disorder, blindness,any type of emotional or physical handicap,etc, then this group is for you. We all have our own individual needs and problems, yet we all do share a …(more)

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homeschoolingboys

2927 Members, Archives: Public

BOYS… whether you have one, two, three or more — this is the spot to discuss their special needs. You know, like LEGOS! Click HERE for our website! (www.homeschoolingBOYS.com) To join our group you should be PERSONALLY homeschooling 1 or more boys (parent, grandparent or legal guardian), seriously considering home education, or intending to begin soon. Parents of pre-school children who intend to KEEP homeschooling are, of course, welcome. And you need to be able to identify what phrases …(more)

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BasicallyBeechick

1617 Members, Archives: Membership required

Homeschooling…Ruth Beechick Style! Ruth Beechick Style Homeschooling is an Eclectic approach which focuses on natural learning through Real Books and Real Life. BasicallyBeechick is a Christian homeschool support group to discuss the methods and ideas of Dr. Ruth Beechick. Other authors whose ideas mesh well with Beechick’s will be discussed as well. These authors include (but are not limited to) Susan C. Anthony, Rebecca Rupp, Jean Soyke, E.D. Hirsch, Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer, Harvey …(more)

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FreeHomeschoolTools

1527 Members, Archives: Membership required

This list was designed with Freecycle rules in mind. We are not associated with Freecycle-we abide by the same type of rules, which means if you can’t do it there, you can’t do it here! All offers of any kind of Homeschooling materials should be FREE with the exception of *actual* postage/handling. Most items on this list can be sent Media Mail. If you have a need for any kind of homeschooling materials, do not hesitate to ask. Members are welcome to go to the “Links” section and add any FREE …(more)

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SecularCM

264 Members, Archives: Membership required

Have you been looking for a group of like-minded home schooling parents using Charlotte Mason’s home schooling philosophy in a secular manner? Welcome. This list is is for those of us who would like to discuss and share ideas for using Charlotte Mason’s ideas secularly, whether or not our home schooling is faith-based. Topics might include adapting the information found on the Ambleside Online website, finding “living books” on particular subjects, or including some aspects of the Charlotte …(more)

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AmblesideOnline

3902 Members, Archives: Membership required

Ambleside Online is a support group for families using the Ambleside Online Curriculum, which is designed to be as close as possible to the curriculum that Charlotte Mason used in her own PNEU schools. This list is exclusively for homeschool parents to discuss the implementing of this curriculum. You may not join this list to sell your product or advertise your business. THIS IS NOT A GENERAL CM LIST, nor a general homeschool list . Posts must be restricted to focus on AO’s specialized purpose. …(more)

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CMcurricula

1067 Members, Archives: Membership required

WELCOME! This list is for the buying and selling of resources (biographies, poetry and art books, teacher resources, etc.) that are in conformity with the Charlotte Mason “twaddle-free” philosophy. All transactions are between the buyers and sellers personally–the owner assumes no responsiblity and/or liability for any sale transactions. Please limit posts to 3 per day. **** PLEASE: Note posting of links to ebay auctions, or other groups and websites (even in signature lines) is prohibited! …(more)

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RobinsonUsers4Christ

2291 Members, Archives: Membership required

This group is for Bible and Trinity-believing, God-fearing, “Jesus-Plus-Nothing-Else” Christian families using or investigating the Robinson Curriculum. All homeschooling families using or investigating the Robinson Curriculum are welcome to join , with notice that the group is first and foremost a Christian group. Single parents and large families are encouraged to investigate this curriculum. We share ideas and provide support. We discuss day-to-day issues faced by homeschooling families, and …(more)

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College4CathHS

210 Members, Archives: Membership required

We Catholic homeschooling parents need to help our children navigate the college selection/application/preparation process. We’ll discuss colleges, Catholic and secular, and keep in mind all kinds of majors. We’ll share what we know of a college’s environment in terms of morals (e.g., dorm life), spirituality (e.g., Masses, confessions, devotions), classroom environment (i.e., tolerance for truth vs. politically correct discussions). We’ll also discuss how to prepare our homeschoolers for …(more)

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unschoolingcheap

559 Members, Archives: Membership required

Unschooling ? Homeschooling in a more relaxed way? Want to discuss ways to do it and not have to hock the family farm? If your looking for a list that will help you find cheap and free homeschool resources, but arnt interested in more worksheets, quiz makers,or textbook swaps, then this is the list for you!!! Everyone is welcome, so please be respectful of others. We all do things in ways that suit our beliefs and fit in with out lives, so remember whats right for someone else might not be right …(more)

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hstlessons

928 Members, Archives: Membership required

This group is designed to be a place to store NON-Copywrited lesson plans for homeschooling use. These are files that can only be opened using Homeschool Tracker PLUS. This program can be purchased at www.homeschooltracker.com PLEASE remember to not save any copywrited information as this will get deleted. KT has given us some guidelines on what is acceptable. “Mostly - you want to avoid plans like Sonlight where the resources are readily available from the library, but the way in which they go …(more)

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AbekaHomeschool

44 Members, Archives: Membership required

Welcome to Abeka Homeschool! Abeka Homeschool is an email support list for those Christian homeschoolers who are using either part or all of Abeka curriculum in order to home educate their blessings. This list has been created for support, fellowship, encouragement, prayer and general advise in using the curriculum. Our email list participates in a Topic of the Week, Member of the Week (to pray for) and a bi-yearly Book Discussion! You are also welcome to post Abeka ONLY items for sale or trade, …(more)

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RodandStaffHomeschool

30 Members, Archives: Membership required

Welcome to Rod and Staff Homeschool! Rod and Staff Homeschool is a Christian email support list for those homeschoolers who are using either part or all of Rod and Staff Curriculum in their homeschool. This list has been created for support, fellowship, encouragement, prayer and general advise in using the curriculum. Our email list participates in a Topic of the Week, Member of the Week and a bi-yearly Book Discussion! You are also welcome to post Rod and Staff ONLY items for sale or trade, at …(more)

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Teachers_Editions

422 Members, Archives: Membership required

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU FOUND US!! This is a discussion group for those of us who BUY AND SELL textbooks and *gasp* Teacher’s Editions. Come here to discuss your ideas without the PINKS (eBay spies) listening in. Regular, polite netiquette will be observed. ****IMPORTANT**** In order to have your membership approved, YOU MUST INCLUDE YOUR EBAY ID OR WEBSITE URL IN THE COMMENTS SECTION WHEN YOU APPLY TO JOIN THE GROUP. Your user ID is NOT used for any purpose other than to verify that you buy and …(more)

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HomefiresJournal

2166 Members, Archives: Membership required

DO YOU WANT HELP HOMESCHOOLING? Our friendly, all-inclusive, non-sectarian community provides free curriculum ideas, activities, resources, humor, support and thought-provoking discussion in a forum that welcomes and respects you no matter what method you choose. We especially recognize the importance of providing encouragement to families who homeschool independently (without government assistance) - beginners and veterans alike! This List is owned by veteran homeschool mom, writer, and …(more)

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moms_homeschool_friends

223 Members, Archives: Membership required

Salutations, homeschooling moms… Grab a cup of coffee and jump in the conversation! We’re here to support your homeschooling endeavors and to converse about anything (homeschooling or not) that comes up. WARNING: While homeschooling is a topic we are always happy to discuss, often conversations here stray from that discussion. This list is, for many of our members, one of the few “adult socialization” opportunities that they have in their busy days of educating children. If you are seeking a …(more)

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If you would like to check out some interesting homeschool blogs, here are some carnival links for this month:

Carnival of Homeschooling

April 15 - Nerd Family
April 22 - Principled Discovery
April 29 - HomeSchoolBuzz.com

The Charlotte Mason Carnival

March 31  One Child Policy Homeschool
April 15   In the Sparrow’s Nest

Carnival of Education

April 9    The Elementary Educator
April 16  The CEA Blog

The Homesteading Carnival

April 14   Diary Of One
April 21   Seeking Rest in the Ancient Paths
April 28   The HomeSpun Life

Carnival of Family Life

April 7     My Two Boys
April 14   On the Horizon

A Teacher’s Life Blog Carnival

April 1   Lesson Plans And Other Resources For Teachers And Homeschooling!
May 1    Lesson Plans And Other Resources For Teachers And Homeschooling!

Learning in the Great Outdoors

April 1   The Heart of Harmony
May 5   10,000 Birds

Carnival of Notebooking

April 22  Notebook Learning

Thank you for joining me for Memo Monday! Have a super week!!

Wow! There’s a lot going on at the HSBA. Originally just a location for hosting the annual awards, now it’s much more. We offer daily posts to keep you abreast of what’s going on in the blogosphere; introduce you to fellow homeschool bloggers and past award winners; and provide tips to enhance your blogging experience. We even host a monthly/bi-monthly swap. As our new motto states, our goal is to encourage, inform, and connect the homeschool community.

We have just added 5 new authors and are in the process of a total site makeover. Rebuilding takes time, so please be patient while we work. The winners lists are being added back to the sidebar, one link at a time. If you are a past winner, please give us a few days to complete these updates, and then check your link. If the link is faulty, let us know. The navigation bar at the bottom of the header has a link to our contact form.

How do you like the new look? You can view the site in your choice of 4 colors (links at the bottom of the header). Feel free to grab the button code in our sidebar to spread the word about the HSBA on your own site. Have a blessed day, and be sure to subscribe to our feed (big subscription link at the top of the sidebar) to stay updated on all the exciting things going on at the Homeschool Blog Awards!

Blessings,

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OK, so this is a teaser - but you’ll have to forgive me… I was on a field trip from 5am until 6pm and I HAVE to get in bed by 11 or tomorrow’s school day will be toast. So I’m going to let you guess at who these great ladies are. You probably already know them from their books or blogs! Chatter amongst yourselves in the comment box while I get some beauty rest. Hopefully we’ll have a full fledged introduction soon (they are writing their biography posts as we speak!)… and we will have one more little surprise for you here at the HSBA some time very soon as well.

Sign up for our email or rss updates so you won’t miss anything!

In Him,

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Welcome to another start to your homeschool week with Memo Monday!

This week we have plenty to participate in, peruse, ponder and even to purchase! If that isn’t enough, we also have some things to pray for. Have a great week at home with your kiddoes, and I hope the weather is nice where you are and you get to get out and enjoy it!!

To Participate In:

Attention Moms and Daughters!! GGM Mother’s Day Appreciation Contest is for your daughters, eighteen and under. One winning article will be chosen to be featured in May’s issue, but all participant photos will be featured in honor of your moms.

SisterLisa is hosting the Share Your Faith Carnival: Homeschool Edition at The HomeSpun Life. Submissions are being taken for this carnival until April 2nd, and the carnival will begin on April 5th. So get yours in TODAY!

If you missed last week’s POLL (which is kind of ironic, considering the poll question), be sure to vote in it!! It is in last week’s issue of Memo Monday.

To Peruse:

The Carnival of Homeschooling this week is at Why Homeschool.

Growing in Grace April Issue comes out tomorrow, April 1st!
In it you will find great articles for moms and girls, recipes, celebrations and fun.

The Homesteading Carnival is up this week at Laura William’s Musings.

The current issue of The Charlotte Mason carnival (Mar 18, 2008) is up at Hearts and Trees
The next issue (Apr 01, 2008) will be held at One Child Policy Homeschool

Henry Cate of Why Homeschool has the current edition of Good News Thursday up.

Top 100 Educational Websites of 2008 as announced by Homeschool.com

 

To Ponder:

Martin Luther:
I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the heart of the youth.

Mark Twain:
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”

Beatrix Potter:
“Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality.”

 

To Purchase(or even get for free):

The current FREE Ebook at CurrClick is Tea Time by Amy Puetz.
This is a very short e-book about cooking during the Victorian era. It contains three recipes and a brief description of how to serve an afternoon tea.

I know, I know, I mention the Old Schoolhouse Magazine on Memo Monday all the time. Only because I believe it to be the best all-around resource for homeschool families.
And now, you can get it on your computer digitally. Really. Check it out. The special pricing lasts through April 8th.
You can get a full subscription plus a free issue for $14.95.
If you like the good old hard copy (like I do), you sill can’t beat the price for a full year subscription!

 

To Pray For:

Amanda has a Page devoted to Prayer Requests.

Matthew 18:20
“For where two or more are gathered together in My name, there I am in the midst.“

Please continue to pray for Ami. “We just received word from our closest and dearest friends in Israel David and Leah Ortiz, that their son, Ami, was seriously injured by a bomb at their home in Ariel today. Apparently some one left, what looked like, a Purim Basket outside their door. Ami, 15 years old, was holding it when it exploded.”

Blessings!

Today we’re interviewing 2005 winner Mental Multivitamin. “Mental multivitamin was established in October 2003 for readers, thinkers, and autodidacts. It is an attempt to write across the “curriculum” of this reader-thinker-autodidact (and unabashed generalist); to synthesize what I am learning about astronomy and history and ornithology and current events and literature and technology and art and, yes, about myself, my family, and the world.”

1. Please tell us about your family and your home-life.

There are five people in my family, and there’s not one of ‘em I’d swap.

Seriously, check out my reply to Question 3. I think everything anyone needs to know about our group is captured in those linked entries.

2. How and where did you grow up? What did you aspire to be when you “grew up” as a child?

I was born and raised on the Jersey Shore in a newer suburb in which “all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.” To the question “How did you grow up?” I’d reply, “Slowly.” To the question “Where did you grow up?” I’d say, “Well, I began growing up in earnest the day I got married, so the answer is South Jersey.” (Since beginning my own family, I’ve lived in South Jersey, Southern California, and Chicago.)

As for what I wanted to be when I grew up… well, although I toyed with the idea of becoming a teacher or an interpreter for the United Nations, I always knew I would be a writer.

And for twenty-six years, that is precisely what I have been.

3. What is an average homeschool day for you and your family?

Check out these entries: A typical day and night here, Let’s go, and Morning meditation: What I lived for. Although they’re a couple of years old, they really speak to what our days look like and what we’re all about here.

I would only add my children are now 18, 12, and 10.

4. When did you decide that homeschooling was for your family and what method did you use?

Grab a cup of coffee (or a bottle of Mountain Dew) and sit back. This is the longest of my replies.

As an admissions counselor — first for a private junior college and then for a large university, both in Philadelphia — I traveled to public and private high schools throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware in the late 1980s. For the most part, I did not like much of what I saw, particularly the lack of zeal that seemed to define most students’ interest in their studies. I was particularly unsettled by the afternoon I spent at the high school from which I had graduated six years earlier.

By that time, my husband and I had already talked about having children. Where will they learn? I wondered one evening after a particularly unsatisfying day at the local high schools. I spent some time at the public library, researching alternatives to traditional schools, and came across John Holt’s Learning All the Time. While we do not subscribe to the radical unschooling approach Holt espoused, his book is all but completely responsible for making me believe that homeschooling was not only a viable but also a practical alternative to the conventional classroom model of education.

Even so, we did not homeschool at first. By the time our oldest was three, we were living and working in So. Cal. and had an excellent relationship with the staff of the child-study center at the university where I had earned my master’s degree, so our son attended the school-day program there. Then we moved to Chicago and were fortunate to find an excellent private school for Pre-K/K. It was one el stop from my office, so I walked him to school every morning, spent many lunch hours folded into a too-small chair at a too-small table, and rode home with a companion bursting with stories about trips to the museums and parks, visits from musicians, and myriad projects. A parochial school admitted our son to first grade a year early, and all continued to go well: He had been an early reader; he had a precociously large vocabulary and was socially adroit; and he was, by all accounts, a born leader.

In second grade, however, he met his match in an older teacher who prized unquestioning obedience and standardized testing. Oh, the stories I could tell!

But I won’t. I’ll skip to the end: School ended in late May, and we spent the summer between second and third grades visiting the city’s parks, museums, zoos, libraries, theaters, and more. We took long walks and short naps. We discovered that our son needed eyeglasses. How had he seen the boards during second grade? we wondered. As it turns out, he hadn’t. So the ophthalmologist ordered glasses, and I ordered a math program, and on a particularly hot day in August, I said, “Hey, dude. Let’s get to work.”

We never looked back.

He is now a senior in high school. By the time he was sixteen, he had completed all of the conventional requirements for high school graduation (apart from driver’s education) and was using texts from my undergraduate and graduate studies in English, psychology, rhetoric, and linguistics and texts from his aunt’s undergraduate studies in physics and chemistry to further his studies. We moved out of Chicago in 2004, but in the two years before we moved, he took classes through the city college system. This year, he simply enrolled as a full-time student at the local college, taking advantage of the dual enrollment program to earn college credit while “finishing” high school. He is awaiting an admissions decision from [insert institution name here]. Frankly, after completing said institution’s arduous application process, we are all awaiting an answer.

Our daughters, unlike their brother, have never been to school — and they don’t need glasses.

Let’s see. In 2001, I read Jessie Wise’s The Well-Trained Mind. As I said, I had first been motivated to homeschool by the seeming lack of zeal that I had encountered when visiting high schools. Later, our philosophy was shaped by the idea that the conventional classroom does its best to encourage academic competence, but academic excellence? Not so much. TWTM offered one blueprint for achieving academic excellence, and I have culled many ideas from the first edition of that resource, including the idea of teaching history in three four-year cycles.

That said, I use only one “program” — a math system that I have used since we began this journey. The rest of our studies I cobble together based on need (theirs), interest (theirs and mine), and books I admire and/or appreciate (e.g., White’s books on philosophy for young people, Copi’s logic text, Horner’s Rhetoric in the Classical Tradition, and Gombrich’s The Story of Art). We study year-round, and our music, Latin, and math studies give each day its basic shape.

5. What does your homeschool/work space look like? Can you show us a picture?

Check out this entry for a glimpse into our home.

6. How long have you been blogging?

I have been blogging for about 4.5 years. In fact, M-mv will celebrate its fifth anniversary in October.

7. Why did you come up with the title “Mental multivitamin”?

When I started “Mental multivitamin,” I had only one idea… to chronicle my studies; to write across the “curriculum” of this reader-thinker-autodidact (and unabashed generalist); to synthesize what I am learning about astronomy and history and ornithology and current events and literature and technology and art and, yes, about myself, my family, and the world. Okay, I had two ideas: Given the glut of “mommy blogs,” I wanted my blog to do and say something else, something not that, if you know what I mean. The title, then, was meant to convey that M-mv was a place for readers, thinkers, and autodidacts.

8. What was the first blog you read online?

I think it was One-Sixteenth.

9. What do you like to blog about the most?

Books and the reading life… and the synthesis, synchronicity, and serendipity that define my own reading-thinking-learning life.

10. What are some hobbies you enjoy?

I tend not to think of my pursuits as hobbies but rather as studies. For example, I have been studying piano with my daughters since October 2006 — we’re preparing for our second recital. And I am taking a correspondence course in bird biology through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Thanks for joining me for Winner Wednesday! I have some more great bloggers on the roster in the coming weeks!

Blessings!

Today is my Dude, Paulie’s 18 birthday. Please go to his blog and tell him Happy Birthday!
But I am very excited about what I have for you because I was so excited when I found them and knew right then that these would be perfect for Saturday Scripture today!

The other day I was in my room going through an old Bible I used to use when I was a child and it was so neat to see some of the Scriptures I had marked as my favorites. There were A LOT of treasures I had forgotten and was so excited to find them.

Old Testament

Job 19:25
For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Psalm 68:6
God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

Psalm 84:10
For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Proverbs 1:7
The to dwell in the tents of wickedness.fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 6:16-19
These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him. A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief. A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Proverbs 13:3
He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

Proverbs 22:1
A GOOD name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

Ecclesiastes 7:9
Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

Isaiah 9:6-7
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 55:8
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Amos 3:3
Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Malachi 3:6
For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

New Testament

Luke 6:45
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

John 5:30
I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mineown will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

John 8:31-32
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 8:34-36
Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

1 Corinthians 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

2 Corinthians 4:8
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

2 Corinthians 12:8-10
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Galatians 5:1
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled againwith the yoke of bondage.

Ephesians 5:15-17
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Philippians 2:14
Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Philippians 4:19
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

I hope you have enjoyed reading these Scriptures. I love finding treasures that you once loved and then find out you still do!
Be encouraged!

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