Harvest Academy

Christmas Countdown: Day 21

2010-12-21T22:07:00.000-07:00

Christmas Countdown: Days 4-20

2010-12-21T01:24:00.001-07:00

I am not very good at blogging in December. Okay, I probably could have stopped after the word "blogging", but in December it is especially hard for me. There is just so much to do and to enjoy, that it is hard to find the time to get on the computer. I'm sad that I haven't taken more pictures over the month, but I thought I'd include a little bit of what we've been doing this Christmas season.

Sleeping next to the the Christmas Tree.

Sitting on Santa's lap at our Church Christmas Party. That night when putting Little C. to bed, she told her dad, "Sorry I freaked out on Santa's lap dad." She was really worried she was going to be put on the "naughty list" after that. We had to assure her that Santa understood. How cute are 3 year olds?

Making gingerbread houses with Grandma.

Attending the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. That was a highlight of the month so far. The music was beautiful, the spirit was so strong, and Doug and I had a wonderful evening with H-Man, and I-Mac. I'm so grateful we were able to get tickets this year.

There have been so many more things we've enjoyed this month, but unfortunately that is all I have captured on camera.

I love Christmas time.

Christmas Countdown: Day 3

2010-12-06T22:37:00.001-07:00

I started this month with great expectations of documenting all of the wonderful moments and memories of this Christmas season in words and pictures, but here it is the 6th of December and I only have one day to report on. We have been battling major illness in our household for the past month. H. Man has had it the worst and I think he is just finally turning the corner on a three week battle with bronchitis. We're praying that we are all healthy by Christmas and that we have paid our dues this last month so we can stay healthy the rest of the winter.

I decided to start a couple of new traditions to help us to enjoy the true spirit of Christmas a little more this year. The first thing I did new this year was to find 24 Christmas books, wrap them, and place them under the tree.

Each morning one child gets a turn to pick a book to open, and we read it together as a family. There are a mixture of fun stories like The Night Before Christmas, and The Polar Express, but I tried to make the majority of them ones that exemplified the true meaning of Christmas, like Christmas Day in the Morning, and A Christmas Bell for Anya. We have been loving this addition to our Christmas traditions. Each child can't wait until it's their turn to pick the book for the day and I love the mood it sets for the rest of the day as we start the morning cuddle up together on the couch reading stories about Christmas.

The other new thing we have done this year is that I made a Christmas Activity Advent for the kids. I got 24 bags at the craft store and filled each one with a treat for each child and an activity for the day. I hung them all up on our banister and each child takes a turn opening a bag for the day.

I had wanted to photograph and document us doing each of the activities, but I have only remembered to pull out the camera for one so far, and that was for our trip to see the lights at Temple Square on Friday night.

We all bundled up (although the weather was quite pleasant for December at 40 degrees) and headed downtown to take in the sights.

C. Bear was mesmerized by all of the lights.

The boys favorite thing was the life sized nativity. Little C. loved everything and Doug had to carry her or she would have spent the entire night wandering around, enjoying it all at her leisure.

After looking at the lights, we headed to a nearby café for hot chocolate and treats.

It was the perfect ending to a perfect night.

Wordless Wednesday: Face First Snow Angels

2010-11-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday: 8 Months Old!

2010-11-17T17:08:00.001-07:00

The Greatest Man I Know

2010-11-15T22:35:00.001-07:00

I was reading in my journal last night about when Doug and I started dating. We were so in love, and I trusted completely in the fact that he would be able to make me happy for the rest of my life. Although it's funny to look back and realize how little we really knew each other, I was absolutely right about that fact. He has never stopped making me laugh, filling me with joy, or being the man of my dreams.

I thought he would be a wonderful father, but little did I know then how much our children would idolize him and try to spend as much time with him as they possibly could, even as they entered the teenage years. I thought he would be a good example to me and my children, but little did I know how often I would turn to him for guidance and direction with questions and decisions I faced and trust completely that the answers he gave me were right. I thought that he would always love me and help me feel good about myself, but little did I know that after 5 kids, and 17+ years of marriage, he would still make me feel like there was no other woman who could ever hold a candle to me in his eyes. I thought I knew the happiness I would have if I married him, but I never could have imagined the joy it has been to be married to my best friend and the greatest man I know. I trust that in another 17 years I will look back on today and realize that I had no idea how good it could really get.

My Candy Store

2010-11-08T22:02:00.001-07:00

There is something about a library that stirs my soul. I love to wander down the aisles and just soak up the atmosphere, especially when I don't have something specific that I am looking for. I love going to the library. I always have.

In July I got to spend a week in New York with my husband. It was my first time. He was there on business, so each day I would wander the streets of Manhattan reveling in the sights, sounds, and the culture in that vast city. I saw many amazing things, but one of my favorite experiences was the morning I spent browsing the New York Public Library. O.k., so it's not your average public library. It is everything I ever dreamed a library could be.

It is historic,

it is beautiful,

it is full of books.

After wandering the building, I sat down in this room with a book, and just relished the moment.

It was a fabulous morning.

Today I went to the library to pick up H. Man who had been there with a friend. I was in a hurry to get somewhere, but once I walked through the doors, I couldn't help lingering over a few displays of new and seasonal books they had, and then of course I had to take a quick look at what books they had on sale today. As we left and I remembered what a hurry I was in, I had to try to define what exactly this hold is that the library has on me. Then it dawned on me. It's the possibilities. There are thousands of books on the shelves there, just waiting to be read. Waiting to change my life. You never know when you pick up a book, where you will end up when you put it down. The possibilities in a library are endless. It's magical, and it keeps calling me back for more. I wonder where I'll end up next.

"How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book." ~Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Back to Nature

2010-11-05T22:30:00.001-06:00

We missed out on Nature Study last year because I suffered so much from morning sickness, and generally feeling lousy during my pregnancy. I was determined that we would add it back into our studies this year, but I have yet to do it until today. It was a gorgeous fall day, and I wanted to get out and enjoy it with the kids before all the colors and leaves were gone. We went to my favorite nearby place to do nature study, a local river trail, and it didn't disappoint. There is something about the flow of a river and the vegetation that grows near it, that is soothing to the soul.

When we arrived, we were greeted by this little guy, which caused quite a bit of excitement for the kids.

We decided to go down by the water to skip rocks

and enjoy the view.

Little C. had fun collecting rocks and leaves

and posing for pictures.

There was so much beauty to capture.

I just wish my camera battery would have been charged. Instead I had to make do with the camera on my phone. At least I had something.

We stopped to play at a park on the trail,

and then headed home for more fun in the sun on this beautiful Fall day.

Don't you just love Autumn?

Disillusioned

2010-11-03T22:58:00.001-06:00

This iPhone app image got me thinking about our recent experience with my husband's campaign. No, we are not heading to Washington D.C.. There never was any thought that we would be. As a "third party" candidate, the cards are too stacked against you to ever make that a possibility in the near future. I debated about wether to post this or not, because I knew it would probably sound like sour grapes, but we really weren't concerned with "winning or loosing" and we gained such interesting insights into "how to play the game" that I just had to share. We have learned so much and have had a lot of positive experiences as we have met other patriotic, and like-minded people who are willing to do the work necessary to restore the freedoms we have lost in our country, but it was also a lot of work, and time, and frustration as we saw so many more people who don't know, and/or don't care about the detour we have taken as a nation. The frustrating thing to me is that so many people seem to think the problems have all been fixed now that the "Grand Ol' Party" has had such sweeping victories. What they fail to realize is that the detour we have taken didn't happen 2 years ago when Barack Obama took office, but over 100 years ago, and has been perpetuated by both parties ever since.

We have been asked if we will continue down this path and try to run for office again in the future. The answer right now is no. There are too many things about the game of politics that we found distasteful. We saw many of these things before running, but they were brought into the spotlight over the past eight months. For now we are content to leave the campaigning to those who are comfortable with having their name and face displayed everywhere around town, and have no problem wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars of special interest group campaign contributions in order to purchase things like "campaign vehicles", and advertising so that they can essentially buy hundreds of thousands of votes. It has never been as clear to me as it is now, how much our public elections are like the superfluous student body elections of our high school days. It almost always comes down to who has the most money, and the most impressive signs (or commercials), and the greatest number of them, and who is the smoothest and slickest of the bunch. We say we are fed up with career politicians, and yet we continue to elect them and feel good about it, just because they are backed by the "tea party", or are really good at regurgitating the "I believe in the Constitution" rhetoric.

Case-in-point: Utah's Senatorial Elections. Mike Lee was the poster boy for the tea parties this year. He was the master of Constitutional Rhetoric. He was constantly spouting his desire to help the country "return to the constitution", while in the same statements he would raise the call for amending the constitution to impose term limitations and balancing the budget. Although these are popular ideas right now, they are dangerous ones. The founders considered both of these ideas when they originally framed the constitution and opted not to include them because of the negative ramifications of each. (ex., If we are forced to balance the budget most politicians are more likely to just raise taxes, not cut spending.) These are band-aids, not cures to our current problems, and I find it troubling that someone so highly acclaimed and so supposedly knowledgeable can't see this for himself. These are not the only affronts to the constitution that Mike made while running either. He supports government mandated health care reform, just not "Obama Care", among other things. Mike Lee raised almost 1.5 million dollars for this campaign, and he spent most of it. To put this in perspective, his Democratic opponent raised less than $300,000 dollars, and the only true defender of the constitution running, Scott Bradley, raised much less than that. How can anyone hope to compete with that?

So what are our options? Education. Education. Education. That was the only goal of my husbands campaign. He knew he couldn't win against an incumbent republican, in the most republican district in the country, with over $500,000 dollars to spend on his campaign. His only goal was to reach as many people as he could with the message of true liberty and the proper role of government. We had many rewarding experiences in cottage meetings and other gatherings around the state as he was able to share this message with others. Many people are searching for this message right now, as evidenced by the growth of the "Tea Party" movement, but unfortunately many are being deceived into thinking that the answers can be found in the current establishment. The answer isn't in our politicians, it is in "We the People". Until we educate ourselves and our neighbors, and read and re-read the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence and their supporting documents, and above all, until we return to God and recognize Him as the Author of our liberty, nothing will change.

Tag, I'm It

2010-10-07T23:41:00.000-06:00

Dana at Noggins & Nonsense tagged me in a blog "getting to know you" game. Since I haven't posted in over a month, here is some proof that I'm still around. The questions she asked were:

• What is your favorite thing about being a MOM? (This is a tough one. There are so many things that I love, but I have to say that one of my favorite and most rewarding things, is being able to watch my children learn and grow. It is so awesome and overwhelming to see their strengths and talents being developed and to recognize the amazing potential they have. I feel blessed to be a part of it.)

• What part of homeschooling your family makes your heart sing? My answer to this goes along with the first one; watching them learn new thing. I love that I get to be a part of all the "awakenings" in their educational lives. There is nothing like seeing the excitement in a child (especially your own child) when they learn something new. From first learning to read, to making connections with exciting events in history, or discovering the "veins" in a leaf. That wide-eyed wonder is magical.

• If you could have any dessert right now what would it be? ( I just made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with Little C. tonight, and they really hit the spot. Anything with chocolate is usually a safe bet.)

• What is one thing about yourself that you’d like to change? (I would like to stress less. I often worry too much about things that in the grand scheme of things aren't really that important. I wish that I could give that up.)

• What are some talents you’ve been blessed with? (I’ve been blessed with faith. There are definitely times when I don't trust the Lord enough, but generally speaking, I know that He is there and knows what I need and is waiting to bless me with that if I just trust in Him. I am so grateful for that gift in my life, and the peace it brings.)

• What is a weakness you struggle with? (Not worrying about what others think. You wouldn't think I would have a problem with this since I homeschool, have home-births, am in the Constitution Party, etc., etc., but I often have to stop and ask myself if my motivation for doing something is because it's the right thing for me to do, or because I am worrying about what someone else will think. It's silly, and I am getting better, but I wish I was more like my husband in this area. He just knows what he has to do and does it, and doesn't worry about what anyone else thinks.)

• What book (just for you) have you enjoyed lately? (This is sad. I really love to read, but I don't think I have finished a book for me in 6 months. Right after C. Bear was born I read a few books just for me, and one of the ones I really enjoyed was The Keeper of the Bees, by Gene Stratton Porter. I love her books! I can't wait until I can find more time to read again. I have been itching for a good book lately, and some time to read it in.)

• What is something you would like to learn how to do? (Sew. My mother was/is a wonderful seamstress, but she never taught me how to sew. I always bring my sewing projects to her and she does them for me. It is wonderful, but some day I would like to buy a sewing machine and learn to sew. Some day. . .)

Now I am supposed to tag some people and ask them eight questions of my own.

Here are the questions:

• What are your top 5 favorite books?

• What is one of your favorite scriptures?

• What is your favorite homeschool curriculum that you have used?

• What led you to homeschool your children?

• If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?

• If you had one day all to yourself, what would you do?

• What is your favorite food group?

• What is something that your child(ren) did recently that made you laugh out loud?

The people I am tagging are:

Cellista @ La Scuola d'Argento

Meg @ Journey, Discover, Gather

Wendy @ O'Neil Oasis

Sea Star @ Sea Star Academy

You! If you want to answer any of these questions, leave a comment with a link to your blog, and I would love to read it.

Thanks for playing!

1 Down 179 to Go!

2010-08-23T22:52:00.000-06:00

(First day of school 2010)

We did it! We officially completed our first day of the new school year! We started a little earlier than normal because we will be taking off a week and a half in September to go to California. I felt so underprepared heading into today that I was rather nervous and stressed out last night, but now that the day is over I think things went pretty well.

Little C. started school with us today and was incredibly excited for her first day of "school". I am doing Before Five in a Row with her, and started the reading game I made and used for all of our kids (I'll post more on that later). She just turned 3 last month, but she so wanted to do school with us this year, that we are just going to take it slow and have a lot of fun. I can tell it will be a good thing for her to get this special one-on-one time during the school day because she was able to play on her own so much better today after having her time with me. I was able to focus more on the boys and not have to spend as much time worrying about keeping her busy and happy. Hooray!

G. Diddy isn't thrilled about starting school, and we had our battles today, but he did a great job on his Math-it game and it was fun to see his sense of accomplishment in that. I-Mac wishes summer wouldn't end, and just can't wait for our California trip to come, but he is so easy going that he just does what we ask without complaining. We are reading some fun books together right now, so that is always a draw for him. The three of us will be studying about American History this year (my favorite subject) so we should be reading a lot of interesting books this year, which we are all looking forward to. If everything goes as planned, we will be taking a trip to Washington D.C. at the end of this school year to wrap up our history studies. Everyone is excited about that prospect.

H. Man was excited for school to start today. He is entering his "Middle School" years this year, and that is one of the main reasons I have been so stressed. His work load is a lot heavier this year, and I'm not sure I'm fully prepared with what I need to do on some of his courses. Luckily, most of his work is done independently and he is a very motivated student so hopefully everything will go smoothly.

Although I have thoroughly enjoyed our summer, and it didn't seem to last long enough, it is exciting to be starting our new learning adventures this year. It is so fun to watch the light bulbs turn on as a child grasps a new idea, to learn about people and places you've never heard about before, to feel the wonder with your children as you ponder on the many amazing things God has created for us. For these reasons and so much more, I am grateful for the blessing and challenge of homeschooling my children. Here's to hoping I can remember to savor those moments all year long.

She's Three!

2010-07-03T13:38:00.001-06:00

After patiently waiting through her three older brother's birthdays last month, Little C. finally had her day in the sun. She was so excited for her birthday all week, that I think she was a little overwhelmed when the day finally arrived.

We started the day with presents from her brothers and her choice of breakfast; Coco Puffs. She loved the little presents from her brothers and the outfit from mom and dad. We probably could have stopped there and she would have been thrilled.

She was very anxious for me to make her cake, so when C. Bear went down for her nap we made her Tinkerbell cake. It was a little more work than I was anticipating, but she loved it so it was worth it.

Dad came home from work early and we went to the lake to swim and play at the park.

We ended up not being able to swim because the water was contaminated, but everyone had fun climbing on the awesome jungle gym at the park.

C. Bear even had fun hanging out in her chair while everyone played.

After that we went to Grandma's for Little C's birthday dinner (pancakes and eggs), presents,

and cake.

Little C. is such an amazing girl. She has such a love of life and of people. We love her so much and hope she had a wonderful day!

Happy Birthday Little C.!

Birthdays, and Blessings, and Baptisms, Oh My!

2010-06-07T15:03:00.000-06:00

This has been one full and amazing month for our family! It started with Claire's blessing,

and was followed by G. Diddys birthday a few weeks later.

This was the birthday he has been waiting for forever. He turned eight and got to start scouts and get baptized! (More photos are coming of that event.)

The next week was H. Man's birthday.

This was also a "big" birthday for him. He turned twelve and got to receive the priesthood!

We were so proud of him. It was so awesome to watch him as he worthily passed the sacrament this Sunday. I can't believe we have a twelve year old child!

The week after H. Man's birthday, G. Diddy was baptized.

He was so excited! The day was awesome and he just radiated joy all weekend. I've never seen him behave so well in church. He read his new scriptures through most of sacrament meeting, and bore a wonderful testimony.

The final event is I. Mac's birthday today!

He turned 10 and is an amazing child. We're getting ready to go swimming this afternoon and have his birthday dinner at Grandma's this evening.

The overwhelming feeling I have had over this past month is how much Heavenly Father loves His children. I have been struck by the fact that although these are my children here on earth they were His first, and it is my responsibility to do all I can to help them get back to Him again some day. I am so blessed to be the mother of these wonderful children. I hope I can be the mother they deserve.

Global Warming?

2010-05-24T14:27:00.001-06:00

It's four weeks past our average last frost date. I thought I was safe when I planted our summer veggies last weekend. Apparently not. I am in mourning today over my lost "crops", including:

- 6 tomato

- 8 pickling cucumber

- 4 slicing cucumber

- 4 bell pepper

- 4 jalapeño

- 2 basil

- 2 eggplant

- 4 cantaloupe

- 1 zucchini

- 2 banana squash

Luckily I hadn't yet planted my pumpkins, and a few other squash. I also had two leftover jalapeño plants that I hadn't given away yet. I have been sick about it all day though. I am trying to take solace in all the spring veggies I have growing that don't mind this cold too much. I hate the thought of having to buy all those replacement plants, but I hate the thought of not having all those wonderful fresh veggies this summer even more. Maybe I can find them on sale somewhere? Wish me luck.

2 Months

2010-05-17T21:40:00.000-06:00

I can't believe our little C. Bear is two months old today. It's hard to believe that two months ago I felt like I would never be able to get on top of all of the house work and gardening again. Well, I'm a far cry from being on top of things, but I did get to spend several hours working in the garden this weekend, even though Doug was gone for most of it. After a rocky start, she has finally settled into a decent schedule. I'm able to put her down for naps in her own bed several times a day, and she even sleeps for a good 6 hour stretch at night and then another 4.

She has gotten to be so much fun too. She gives you the biggest, brightest grins at the slightest urging, and loves to carry on conversations with anyone willing to coo-along with her. The boys are convinced that she can say "hi" already, and I have to admit that when you say, "hi" to her, it sure sounds like she is saying, "hi" back. She has the most kissable chubby cheeks you ever saw, and although we may be biased, around here we think she is the most adorable little ball of chub we ever saw.

Blessing Day

2010-05-02T21:34:00.001-06:00

We blessed our beautiful C. Bear in church today. It was a wonderful experience. The dress she wore was my great-grandmother's blessing dress. Little C. was able to wear this dress on her blessing day too and it was so neat. Events like baby blessings and baptisms always seem to heighten my knowledge of the importance of family. It makes it even more poignant to have my babies wear this link to past generations of my family.

I always worry that my baby will be good and not cry during the blessing. C. Bear slept for most of the meeting, but when Doug took her to go up to the front of the chapel for the blessing she woke up. I was a little nervous, but the neatest thing happened. The entire time Doug gave the blessing she just stared at him with a huge, beautiful grin on her face. Doug said it was an amazing experience. It was as if she was connected to him, and on some level understood what he was saying and was feeling and recognizing the spirit that was present. She was perfect the rest of the meeting and there was an incredible spirit the rest of the day. We were blessed to be able to share it with our wonderful family and friends.

I am so thankful God gave us families. My family is truly the most important thing on earth to me. I am grateful for the glimpses into Heaven I get through my experiences with them.

Week in Review

2010-04-18T22:29:00.001-06:00

This was a great week! That probably stands without saying, because I'm not likely to be posting about it if it wasn't, right? Anyway, this was our second week "back to school" since C. Bear was born, and things really went pretty smoothly considering. We finished our family read-aloud, Just David, this week and the kids loved it. I read this book on my own a couple of years ago and posted a review about it here. I was excited to share it with the kids and was glad that they enjoyed it as much as I did. We were all sad when it was done. It was one of those books where we felt like we were saying good-bye to a good friend when it was over.

For our character training this year we have been reading from the book Created for Work during our "School Opener" and we read a couple of great chapters from it this week. You never know how much your children retain from things like this, but it is good to see them making connections with great ideals and you hope that through repeated exposure they will eventually incorporate them into their lives.

We purchased a new camera this week so that H. Man could be Doug's "Campaign Photographer". In addition to his regular studies H. Man has spent the week learning everything he can about photography. He read the entire camera manual in two days and has taken hundreds of pictures. He really is showing a lot of talent, and I am now constantly asking him how to do "this" or "that" on the camera. Here are some of his candid shots of our school week. I hesitated to post them, because I don't like seeing pictures of me, but they give a good taste of our school week, so here they are:

(Writing time. In my defense, this was our transition from snack time to writing time.)

We did spelling every day this week, which is a real accomplishment since we have had the tendency to skip it on hectic days. We have loved The Writing Road to Reading this year. Not only has the boy's spelling improved a lot this year, but I-Mac's reading ability has really flourished as well. For those of you who don't know, I-Mac is dyslexic and we have tried so many different things to help him learn to read proficiently. This program is the first that has really seemed to click with him.

We are reading about The Renaissance and The Reformation in history right now. The kids loved the chapter about Michelangelo and DaVinci in A Child's History of the World. We spent some time after reading, looking up various works by each artist and we all hope we can get to Italy some day to see them in person.

G. Diddy did a great job of sitting still and paying attention during our reading times this week, which is a huge achievement, because he's our child that I'm sure would have been labeled with ADHD and been medicated, if we had put him in the Public School system.

I. Mac on the other hand gets tired of listening to Mom lecturing. ; ) Actually, I think this was exasperation because H. Man was taking his 50th photo of him for the day.

In addition to school work, we spent lots of time outdoors in the beautiful spring weather, working in the gardens and just having fun.

We even fit in a field trip to the park this week.

H. Man also got to take a "field trip" with his dad this week to Fillmore, Utah to hear him speak at the Millard County Constitution Party Convention.

H. Man got his first experience as Campaign Photographer,

and they met some wonderful people.

Granted, our house could be cleaner, and the laundry is piling up, but we accomplished a lot this week. With a new baby I find the need to take joy in the things I am able to do, and try not to worry about the ones I'm not. That could be a good formula with, or without a baby. I just hope this next week can be as productive.

Tribute to an Amazing Friend

2010-04-16T17:30:00.000-06:00

I had been lamenting the fact that I was not likely to have a garden this year because despite all of my wonderful plans, life with baby was not shaping up to allow me to do the work that needed to be done to get things weeded and planted. I made the mistake of mentioning this to a friend of mine last week, and being the amazing person she is, she snuck into my backyard while we were gone for the afternoon and weeded 5 of our 6 garden boxes. She tried to do it anonymously, but it wasn't hard to figure out who did it. How many people do you know who would willingly weed 5 garden boxes that looked like this?

Pretty scary huh? Now, thanks to this amazing friend, we have 5 boxes that look like this,

and are full of all sorts of wonderful spring vegetable seeds, just waiting to sprout and bring joy to our table for the next several months.

I can't say enough words of praise for this friend. She is constantly looking for ways to serve others and doing it. She is an amazing example to me. After she did this for us I came across this quote from Marjorie Pay Hinkley that summarizes the kind of woman I think she is and the kind of woman that I want to be. “I don’t want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk’s lawn. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor’s children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone’s garden. I want to be there with children’s sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.” Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-14T16:55:00.001-06:00

He Lives All Blessings to Impart

2010-04-11T16:13:00.001-06:00

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

Text: Samuel Medley

I know that my Redeemer lives.

What comfort this sweet sentence gives!

He lives, he lives, who once was dead.

He lives, my ever-living Head.

He lives to bless me with his love.

He lives to plead for me above.

He lives my hungry soul to feed.

He lives to bless in time of need.

He lives to grant me rich supply.

He lives to guide me with his eye.

He lives to comfort me when faint.

He lives to hear my soul’s complaint.

He lives to silence all my fears.

He lives to wipe away my tears.

He lives to calm my troubled heart.

He lives all blessings to impart.

He lives, my kind, wise heav’nly Friend.

He lives and loves me to the end.

He lives, and while he lives, I’ll sing.

He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.

He lives and grants me daily breath.

He lives, and I shall conquer death.

He lives my mansion to prepare.

He lives to bring me safely there.

He lives! All glory to his name!

He lives, my Savior, still the same.

Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:

“I know that my Redeemer lives!”

He lives! All glory to his name!

He lives, my Savior, still the same.

Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:

“I know that my Redeemer lives!”

I love this song! Today was my first day back to church since C. Bear was born, and we sang this for our closing Hymn. I couldn't keep the tears from flowing as I contemplated the truth of these words. All Jesus has ever done, and ever will do, He does to bless me and each one of us. So often I get caught up in the things that are going wrong in my life, and wonder why He is withholding His blessings from me, but "He lives to bless in time of need". If I am experiencing challenges in my life it is because of one of two things, either I do not have the faith to receive the blessings He is so ready to give to me, or this thing that seems like such a trial is really here to bless my life. Either way, it takes an increase of faith to go through the storms of life, trusting that the Lord will provide all that we need. I am so grateful for my knowledge of a living Savior who is there to hear and answer my prayers whether I am complaining, or praising; who grants me not only my daily breath, but grants me patience and peace and even all the little things I ask Him for; who has not only provided a plan for me to return to Him again, but who will help me daily along the path as I try to follow that plan; who is not only my greatest friend, but who loves me to the end, even though he knows me perfectly, including all of my many faults and imperfections. I know that He lives to bless me with His love. I hope that I can always remember that and have the faith to do as He pleads with us to do in Doctrine and Covenants 6:36 “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.”

Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:
“I know that my Redeemer lives!”

Books and Babies

2010-03-29T21:17:00.001-06:00

The title of this post pretty much sums up how I have been spending my time for the last week and a half. I haven't had much sleep. It is hard to find time for the little things, like eating, taking a shower, going to the bathroom. . . My mom has been nice enough to take the kids during the day since C. Bear was born so I have had plenty of time to get to know and enjoy this cute, chubby girl,

and since I can hold her in one arm, and a book in the other I have gotten in plenty of reading too. I finished two fun books and have started on another. I have been sticking to lighter reads, since there are plenty of interruptions with a newborn baby. The first book I read was one I was actually surprised that I hadn't read yet. It was Little Men, by Louisa May Alcott. I love Little Women, but for some reason I have never felt compelled to read Little Men. Although it is not as good as Little Women, I really enjoyed the book. It is very idealistic and and somewhat moralistic too, but there were so many great bits of parenting wisdom in it. I hope I can be as wise and patient a mother to my crazy boys as Jo was to hers. The other book I finished was by one of my favorite authors. It was The Keeper of the Bees by Gene Stratton-Porter. If you have never read any of her books, I highly recommend that you do. She has some beautiful insights into education, and our relationship with God, nature, and our fellowmen. This book was no exception.

While we're on the topic of books, Meg posted a list of 10 books she loves to read today and invited others to do the same. She has a great list, and I have a few books that I think I will be tackling next thanks to her. Here is my list of 10 books I love (in no particular order).

• Laddie: A True Blue Story - Gene Stratton-Porter

• Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe

• Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

• Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

• The Hiding Place - Corrie Ten Boom

• Approaching Zion - Hugh Nibley

• Mere Christianity - C. S. Lewis

• A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

• An Enemy Hath Done This - Ezra Taft Benson

• Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

I hope you'll post yours too. . .

Easter Thoughts

2010-03-28T11:52:00.069-06:00

I am home from church today with C. Bear and wanted to add some spirituality to my day, so I was reading this month's Ensign. Since Easter is this month, much of this issue is on the atonement, crucifixion, and resurrection of the Savior. One of the talks I read referred me to Elder Holland's talk from last April's General Conference. It is one of the most beautiful talks on this subject I have ever heard. I highly recommend reading the entire talk, especially in preparation for this Easter week, but here is a wonderful video of a portion of the talk .

It is impossible for man to fully comprehend the magnitude of the gift that the Savior has offered to each one of us, but as we use the blessing of the atonement more readily in our lives we will see more clearly the love and peace He is waiting to bless us with if we will but turn to Him. I hope that in return for this matchless gift I can always answer the challenge presented by Elder Ballard: "As we approach this holy week—Passover Thursday with its Paschal Lamb, atoning Friday with its cross, Resurrection Sunday with its empty tomb—may we declare ourselves to be more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word only and not only in the flush of comfortable times but in deed and in courage and in faith, including when the path is lonely and when our cross is difficult to bear. This Easter week and always, may we stand by Jesus Christ “at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death, for surely that is how He stood by us when it was unto death and when He had to stand entirely and utterly alone. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Be the Change You Wish to See

2010-03-24T13:54:00.002-06:00

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." ~Thomas Paine

A little over a year ago I wrote this post about why I was supporting the Constitution Party, after a lifetime of voting Republican, in the upcoming elections. It was clear to me then that our two party system was destroying freedom in America. That fact has only become more clear to me over the past year. While admittedly the most sweeping and radical moves toward statism have been sponsored by the Democrats, the Rebublicans have voted for and even sponsored many bills themselves which take power from the people and place it in the hands of the government. It is a troubling trend. One that gratefully many Americans are beginning to wake up to and resist, but if we are going to restore this country to the Provident freedom it once enjoyed it is going to require change much greater than "flipping the house" is going to provide. I have felt so frustrated and hopeless about the state of our nation recently. I have had a strong desire to do more about it, but haven't know what I could do. Little did I know what was to come. . .

Last week, the day before C. Bear was born, my husband and I were approached by members of the Utah Constitution Party asking my husband to run for Congress. Our first reaction was, "There is no way." We had a list of excuses a mile long. Among the top reasons why this was an unreasonable request were:

•We were about to have a new baby.
•My husband is incredibly busy at works right now, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.
•My husband has a very demanding church calling right now.
•We don't have the money to successfully run a campaign.
•What was the point? There was no way a third-party candidate was going to win against a heavily favored Republican, so why try?

We had two days to let them know. At first "no" seemed like the only logical answer, but through prayer we were both brought to realize that we couldn't keep complaining about the state of things in this country if we weren't willing to pay some price to try to make it different. This quote by Edmund Burke, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." kept coming to our minds and we knew what our answer needed to be.

Last Friday my husband drove to the State Capitol and filed his candidacy for Utah's Third District Congressional Seat. He started setting up his website over the weekend, and I encourage you to take a look at it here. If you like what you see, pass the word along. We want to get the word out to as many people as possible. If you would like to contribute time or resources to the campaign, we would love the support. If you don't live nearby we encourage you to find and support candidates in your area that honor and uphold the constitution as it was intended by the founders of this nation. Who knows what this year will hold for us, and what the fruits of this labor will produce, but at least we can say that we have done something to try to prosper the cause of freedom.

Welcome Baby!

2010-03-21T12:44:00.001-06:00

After a long wait C. Bear finally made her appearance into the world at 4:13 am on March 17th. She was a whopping 10 lbs. 14 oz. and 22 inches long. Amazingly enough hers was my easiest birth. I was in labor for only 2 hours and I would say only 15 to 20 minutes of that was really painful. I guess she made up for all the torture she put me through those 10 extra days she decided to wait before being born.

We had a bit of a scare after her delivery though. My water broke right before she was delivered and there was a lot of meconium in the fluid. When she was born she went limp and wouldn't breath. They had to perform mouth to mouth right away and got her breathing. I was terrified. Luckily Doug was calm and said he knew everything was going to be alright. They then inserted a tube down her throat and sucked out a tube and a half of green fluid. She started breathing and crying a little more normally, but we had to give her oxygen for about a half hour. Thankfully, after that everything seemed fine. She started eating and probably could have done that for the rest of the day if I let her. We had to watch her closely for the first 24 hours, but she has been thriving since that first scare.

The kids came to see her a few hours after she was born and were so excited. They all love their new baby sister, and can't get enough of her, which sometimes drives mom crazy. They have been such big helpers though, getting me food and water and diapers and whatever else I need. H. Man even did two loads of laundry for me yesterday which was such a help and so needed.

Little C. is a little jealous and bothered by the fact that mom can't do all the things with and for her that she normally does. She still loves her baby sister though and wants to hold her as much as I will let her, despite the fact that she tried to pull a handful of C. Bear's hair yesterday. Hopefully this phase will pass quickly.

Doug has been amazing as usual. He has been such a great help and comfort, doting on his new daughter and I and making sure the house stays clean and we all get fed. He is the greatest husband and father I could ask for. It will be hard to have him go back to work tomorrow.

We are just grateful to have C. Bear here and healthy and to have the opportunity to embark on this new journey as a family.

Gratitude

2010-03-08T22:51:00.001-07:00

Doctrine and Covenants 59:21 And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.

I typically find it easy to recognize and acknowledge the Lord's hand in my life, but somehow whenever I am pregnant and my due date approaches, or passes by unheeded, my "woe is me" attitude kicks into hyperdrive. I assume that many of us tend to have times in our lives when everything seems to be going wrong and we start to wonder what we've done to "deserve" this. I have to admit that I have been feeling this way for the past week or so. I could (and usually would) choose to look at my life and be grateful that my husband has a job that brings in enough income to provide for our needs and allows me to stay home with our children, that I have family (namely my brother) kind and generous enough to donate 2 months of daily work to building our basement, that I have had a healthy pregnancy so far with not much more than the common discomforts that naturally accompany it, etc. Instead, for the past week or so I have too often chosen to dwell on the fact that my husband was supposed to get a raise a year ago that still hasn't materialized, that our basement was supposed to be finished a month ago, but realistically won't be for at least another month, that I am one day passed my due date and am begrudging all the women that I know who have never delivered their babies later than a week or more before their due dates, etc.

I was feeling really sorry for myself yesterday (my "due date") as I headed into church to face the many sympathetic comments like "Oh, I'm sorry you're still here." or, "Isn't your due date really soon?" I especially felt cheated when someone shared in "The Good News Minute" that a woman in the neighborhood, who's due date wasn't for 3 more weeks, had her baby on Friday. I almost wished I would have stayed home for all of church with my sick and ornery 2 year old, instead of trading off with my husband so we could both attend some of our Sunday meetings. Luckily we had a great lesson which brought the spirit to soften my heart, and then Heavenly Father allowed my softened heart to be humbled a little more by prompting a friend of mine to share with us that she found out last week that she has cancer. Despite this terrifying news she bore her testimony of how blessed she is and how much she has seen and felt Heavenly Fathers love and peace in her life over the past week. There is nothing like seeing the problems of others to put our own shallow worries in their place. I came home with a greater resolve to look at the good in my life, and accept the challenges that Heavenly Father allows me to face with more gratitude and humility.

President Monson gave a wonderful talk on gratitude in the October 2008 LDS General Conference that helps remind me what is truly important in life, and how truly blessed I am. In it he quoted Sarah Ban Breathnach saying, "Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend … when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.” This is such a beautiful truth. No matter who we are, or what our circumstances may be, we can find numerous blessings in our lives, or numerous problems, it depends on what we choose to focus on.

So tonight as I try to sleep with my aching back, and when I wake up once again at 2:00am with unbearable heart-burn, I will try to focus instead on the fact that I have a warm house and a soft matress to sleep on, and that I have a loving and supportive husband next to me who will do all that he can to help me and provide for me and our family, that God loves me enough to bless me with the four amazing children we have and another child that will inevitably arrive any day, and that most of all he has provided a way for all of us to be together with him for eternity, if we but choose to follow Him and endure well to the end.

Great New Blog

2010-03-05T20:28:00.000-07:00

I just found out about this great new blog for LDS Homeschoolers, and I though I'd share. It's called Latter-Day Homeschooling, and it is filled with lots of great resources and wonderful articles like this one, written by LDS homeschooling mothers. I think it is wonderful that this resource is here, and I look forward to reading more. Check it out, and while you're there, enter their grand opening giveaways!

Waiting for Baby

2010-03-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks I have had plenty to occupy my time, and attention. Between trying to finnish our basement, school, trying to get the house ready for a baby (despite all of the construction) and being sick with a severe head-cold for a week which then morphed into bronchitis that lasted for another week, I have had plenty to keep me from going too stir-crazy waiting for the baby to be born. Unfortunately things have calmed down a bit now. I am healthy again, and I think I am as ready as I am going to be for the baby; I have a freezer full of meals for after the baby is born, all the baby's clothes are washed and ready, and the house is as organized as it is going to be until the basement is finished. Now all I have to do is wait, and that is one of the hardest things to do when you get to the "I'm too miserable to bear another minute of pregnancy" state that I have now reached. My husband keeps trying to console me by saying that since my due date is less than a week a way, we know that at the most I will have the baby within three weeks, but when a day feels like a week, that is little consolation.

I thought I would pass some of the time by sharing some of the things I've learned over the past few weeks. Here they are, in no particular order:

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 2 tablespoon honey, heated and mixed with 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper is a good natural remedy for sore throats. Gargle a bit and drink the rest. It didn't even give me heart burn. . .
• That same 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 tablespoons honey heated, minus the cayenne pepper, can help sooth a cough, but not always . . .
• Eating an apple is a great natural way to get rid of heart-burn. It has worked for me every time. Even with the really bad cases that wake me up at 2am.
• These are great freezer recipes. Double or triple the recipes and make some for dinner tonight and put the rest in foil baking dishes in the freezer for another night when you can't, or don't feel like cooking and you won't have to do any extra work to fill your freezer with food.
   Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
   Vegetable Enchiladas
   Lasagna Primavera
   Vegetable Chowder (I froze this and the next recipe in gallon freezer Zip-Lock bags)
   Tomato Soup
I also made and froze meatloaf, and spaghetti sauce, but those are recipes I have to type up if I find the time.
• This is not a great freezer recipe (or regular recipe for that matter). Unfortunately I didn't find that out until after I made a double batch. . .
   Mandarin Orange Chicken
In all fairness, I did recently find this recipe in its original form, in the book Once a Month Cooking. It looks like their instructions would have corrected many of the things that caused the recipe to be so terrible, but I don't think I will give it another try.
• Babies come when they're ready, and no amount of wishing otherwise will change that. Once they are here you forget all about the waiting and have a whole new set of joys and challenges in your life, so you might as well enjoy the moment. (Well this is one I am still trying to learn, or at least remember.)

Mission Complete!

2010-01-28T08:34:00.000-07:00

I finally completed the gargantuan task of copying all of my posts from my two older blogs into this one! I have wanted to do this since I created this blog, but it took so much effort, I just hadn't gotten around to it. Now I can finally get rid of the other two blogs. If you are on my RSS Feed, that is the reason for the sudden deluge of new posts. Sorry. I, however, have enjoyed the trip down memory lane. I can't believe I have been blogging (off and on) for two years now. Where does the time go?!

Garden Dreams

2010-01-22T00:07:00.002-07:00

Something must be wrong with me. It is the middle of January, there is snow on the ground, we are in the middle of a huge home-renovation project (ie, finnishing two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a family room in our basement, not to mention painting the main-floor of the house), and I have a baby due in 6 weeks. Yet for the past month or so, I have not been able to stop dreaming up plans for my garden. I keep trying to tell myself that I needed to be prepared to go simple in the garden this year. Last year I added a paver patio, a fire-pit, an herb garden, planted 7 fruit trees, 50 strawberry plants and added about 30 feet of garden space for summer and winter squash to my already existing garden space. I will have plenty to do with a new little one on my hands, trying to keep up with the work I created for myself last year, but it's never enough. There are projects that I wanted to get to last year that I wasn't able to, like:

building and planting a grape arbor over our sand box,

building a chicken coop

and getting some chickens to go in it,

and starting some back-yard beehives.

To top it all off I just finnished reading this book.

I don't know if you can see the subtitle, but this dangerous little tome is temptingly titled: The Backyard Homestead: Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre! I don't know if that title is tempting to anyone else, but to this frustrated would-be Laura Ingles Wilder, living on a quarter acre lot, it sounded like mana from heaven. Much of the book was just a review of things I already know, and do, or have wanted to do, but I now have a few things I have added to my list like:

growing a hardy kiwi-vine along one open stretch of fence in the backyard,

trying to scrounge up some more space in my yard to grow oats and corn for the future chickens to feed on,

and tearing up most of our front garden and replacing existing plants and bushes with some of these:

alpine strawberries

tricolor ornamental peppers,

red currant bushes,

Nanking cherry bushes,

Juneberry trees,

and maybe some beach plum bushes.

That's not too much to try to accomplish in one summer with a newborn baby, is it? Well, for now I can at least dream about it . . .

What's Wrong with this Picture?

2010-01-18T22:02:00.000-07:00

When my oldest child was in the Public School System, I never really gave much thought to who decided what he was going to learn in each subject. I guess I just assumed that there was a standard store of information that every schooled person had to learn before they were declared "educated". In retrospect it is amazing how many things I never really thought about in my own and my children's education.

Since I began homeschooling one of the big questions I am constantly asked is "How do you make sure your children are learning everything they are supposed to be." This question assumes my early outlook that there is a certain amount of information that has to be gathered in specifically measured increments, or else your child will be "behind". If they fall behind, good luck ever catching them up again. The longer I have been homeschooling the more I have come to realize that education is a life-long endeavor, and no grade or certificate can identify a truly educated person. The highest goal of any "teacher" should be to teach their students to love to learn and how to teach themselves. Once that is accomplished the path is paved for life-long learning and you will have gotten them as close to success as any "third person" can. Remember the adage, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." A great teacher makes that water look so good that their students naturally want to drink and never turn back.

Unfortunately that is not the case with our current education system. For some reason, the prevailing philosophy is that we can make a student drink and we need to shove it down their throats and make sure they can spit the right information back up when it's asked for. Learning isn't looked at as an exciting adventure, with different treasures to be found by each individual who determines to seek for them. Instead it is something the teacher holds in her hands and rations out to each individual in equal proportions at the same time, whether they are ready for it, or are even interested in it or not.

Yesterday I came across this article that reflects how truly arbitrary and ridiculous educational "standards" are. I had never really thought about it until last night, but it struck me how silly they are when I realized that a handful of "experts" in Texas (each with their own political, social, religious, and educational agendas mind you) are deciding what every child in the country is going to have to "learn" each of the 13 years they spend in a Public School Classroom. Even if they are "experts" (please define that for me), and even if they aren't swayed by personal agendas (which they most certainly are. Who isn't?), how could they possibly know what my individual child needs to learn, with his varied interests and abilities? The answer is, they couldn't. It's hard enough for a teacher of 25 students who spends 9 months with her class to figure that out, let alone for some removed group of people. It is hard enough for me as a mother of only 4 who spends practically the entire day, every day of the year with them, to know that. Luckily I realize I don't have to know. I just have to help them acquire the tools they need and spark the fires in their minds and stand back and watch them go.

In the words of Plutarch, "The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled."

If all of us interested in educating children would spend more time trying to kindle fires, than attempting to fill vessels, this world would be filled with many more truly educated people. Heaven knows we could use them.

1010 Challenge

2010-01-02T19:24:00.007-07:00

This week I realized I had not done as much reading on my 999 list as I would have liked so I decided to start The Scarlet Pimpernel and finnished it on New Years. I can't believe I had never read it before. I thoroughly enjoyed the read, even though it was very predictable. I hadn't added up the number of books I read last year until today, and interestingly enough, I ended up reading the same number as I did in 2008; thirty three. Even though I have yet to come close to the reading goal for these challenges, I have really enjoyed having some direction for my reading. I still tend to read way more from the classics category and struggle with getting through books in the non-fiction categories, but at least these lists remind me to branch out a little more. I sat down today to see if there was a 1010 challenge and was pleased to find one hosted here. The thing I love about this challenge is that the only requirement is to pick 10 categories to read from in 2010. The number of books you read from each category is entirely up to you. No guilt! That was right up my alley with a new baby and major house renovation on the horizon this year. I think I will start with four books in each category to see if I can break that 33 barrier, and then go from there. Wish me luck. Here are my 2010 selections so far:

I. Spirituality

   1. The Book of Mormon
   2. Each Ensign from cover to cover this year. 3 of 12 completed. (I need to get back to doing this. 2 years ago when I accomplished this it made such a difference in my life.)
   3. The Old Testament
   4. Gospel Principles
   5. Faith Precedes the Miracle *

II. U.S. Government/History

  1. The Making of America: The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution

2. An Enemy Hath Done This

3. The Federalist Papers

4. Democracy in America

III. Education

1. The One Minute Teacher: How to Teach Others to Teach Themselves

2. When Children Love to Learn: A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason's Philosophy for Today

3. Righteous Influence: What Every Leader Should Know About Drawing on the Powers of Heaven

   4. In My Father's House: The Years Before the Hiding Place
   5. Classical Writing Aesop and Homer

IV. Motherhood

   1.Created for Work: Practical Insights for Young Men
   2. Arming Your Children With the Gospel: Creating Opportunities for Spiritual Experiences
   3. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families
   4. Mothering with Spiritual Power: Book of Mormon Inspirations for Raising a Righteous Family

V. Book Club Books

   1. Mafia to Mormon: My Conversion Story
   2. Faith Precedes the Miracle *
   3. Mandy
   4. Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
   5.
   6.
   7.
   8.
   9.
   10.

VI. Family Read Alouds

   1. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

   2. Just David
   3. Mary Poppins
   4.
   5.
   6.
   7.
   8.
   9.
   10.

VII. Classics

   1. The Keeper of the Bees
   2. Little Men
   3.
   4.

VIII. Health/Fitness

   1. The Diet Solution: Weight loss, Wellness, and the Word of Wisdom
   2.
   3.
   4.

IX. Home & Garden

   1. One Year to an Organized Life: From Your Closets to Your Finances, the Week-by-Week Guide to Getting Completely Organized for Good

   2. The Bacykyard Homestead: Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre!
   3. Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens
   4. All New Square Foot Gardening
   5.

X. Other

   1.
   2.
   3.
   4.

Books I am currently reading.
Books I have completed.
* Books that overlap categories.

'Tis the Season For . . .

2009-12-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

Christmas parties,

making gingerbread houses,

and cookies,

and reflecting on Santa Claus.

After attending our church Christmas party a couple of weeks ago, which featured an appearance by Santa Claus, all the kids were talking about who it was that was "dressed up" like Santa. G. Diddy came home and asked me "Mom, is Santa real." Being a cautious mother I answered with a question (He is only 7), "What do you think?" His answer, "Yes, but you'll tell me when I get older if he's not, so I know if I need to buy my kids presents or not, right?" Luckily my back was to him at the time because I had to try hard to stifle my laughter at his too cute answer. That answer so beautifully captures the innocence and belief of children, and I have been enjoying it over and over for the past couple of weeks.

Ringing in the Season

2009-12-14T09:03:00.003-07:00

This weekend was a busy, but festive one for our family. Thursday, H. Man, I. Mac, their Grandma and I rode the train down to Salt Lake to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert.

It was 10 degrees outside when we arrived downtown and the walk to the Conference Center was quite cold and miserable. The performance was well worth it though.

The guest singer for the evening was Natalie Cole, and the guest narrator was David McCullough. They both did a fabulous job.

The boys favorite part of the performance though was the Chrismas Around the World number. They performed six different Christmas songs from around the world with dancers in costumes from those countries, and then at the finale they pulled a giant Christmas Tree out of the floor with a huge cable. It really was breathtaking.

My favorite number was an organ solo of Good King Winceslas performed by Richard Elliot. He started out with a slow, classic rendition of the song, and then on the second verse he began to weave it together with selections from the Nutcracker Suite. It was amazing. I am hoping that a video of it comes out on U-Tube soon so I can see his hands and feet up close. It didn't seem possible for one man to produce so much sound at once.

The evening was truly magical. Music is one of my favorite parts of the Christmas Season. Nothing seems to capture the spirit and magic of this time of year like music can. It was a great way to hasten the Christmas spirit for each of us.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were each filled with activities and celebrations as well, but I will have to post more on those events later, as we are off to do more celebrating today. I love this time of year!

What I've been up to lately . . .

2009-12-09T17:23:00.000-07:00

I was realizing today that it has been a month and a half since my last post. I used to apologize when I went a while without posting. I have now come to terms with the fact that I am an inconsistent blogger, and I'm okay with that.

One of the things that consumed all of my free time last month was the fact that I got it into my head to make our family Christmas Stockings this year. Now this may not seem like much of a feet to those of you who are blessed with the gift of "craftiness". However, my crafting resume consists of . . . well, nothing. I have attempted a few craft projects that were sponsored at church activities, but they always turned out as complete failures, so I never saved a single thing. I have never sewn anything, unless you count tying quilts, which I have done a few times (with help). I am just not blessed with this gift, nor do I usually have a desire to be (which may account for some of my deficiency in the area). So why then was I possessed with the bug to make Christmas Stockings this year; 7 of them?

For one thing, our old stockings got ruined by a flood in our basement 2 summers ago, and for another we needed a new stocking for Little C. and for the new baby that is on the way. I tried to find stockings last year, but have you ever tried to find 6 (now 7) stockings that match, but have a different design on each one? I decided last year that it couldn't be done. At least not in a price range I could stomach.

When I was little my mom made my brothers and I stockings with personalized felt designs on them. I always loved my stocking and thought it would be neat if I could do the same thing for my kids, but I never got up the gumption to try it until this year. I guess the old saying is true, necessity is the mother of invention. I scoured the internet and found several different stocking designs that I liked and thought that I could possibly recreate (mind you, none of these came with patterns). I then had my kids pick their favorite. Next, I traced the designs off the computer. Then I begged the help of my mother, who luckily is a gifted seamstress (unluckily she didn't pass any of it on to me). We headed to JoAnn's to try to find the right materials to make them all come together. After several hours of work, here are the fruits of my labors . . .

It was actually kind of fun bringing my ideas to fruition. There were some set backs, and none of them turned out as perfect as they were in my mind, but I made them with my own two hands, so I feel a sense of accomplishment in that. The baby's stocking is all cut out and ready to assemble, but I ran out of steam, and my back couldn't stand hunching over the kitchen table any longer, so it will have to wait for next year. I realize they are not professional looking, but the kids sure were excited when we hung up their stockings this year, and hopefully they will be for years to come . . .

Snow Day!

2009-10-27T16:01:00.000-06:00

We started school today, but the prospect of snow was in the air and it was hard to keep the boys on task. They kept running to the window to see if it was snowing yet. Once the snow started to fall, we of course had to take a break to try to catch some of the first snowflakes of the season. The snow wasn't sticking yet, so we were able to squeeze in a little more work. Once the snow started to stick though, I knew there was no use resisting. I could make them sit and listen, but their minds were on the snow outside, not on nouns and adjectives. Why fight it? We called it a snow day, donned our winter gear and headed outside for some of this . . .

There's nothing quite like the first snowfall. I'm glad we could take the time to enjoy it.

Another Reason to Homeschool

2009-10-20T17:21:00.001-06:00

Whenever I get into a conversation with someone about the fact that I homeschool our children, I inevitably hear something along the lines of, "Oh, I could never homeschool, it would be too much work." or "too overwhelming", or "I'm not organized enough." I've always thought those arguments were irrelevant, not because they weren't true, but because the benefits of homeschooling far outweigh the price we have to pay to do it. Today, however, I had a conversation that changed my perspective completely.

I was talking to a friend who has nine children, seven of whom are in a K-9 charter school, the other two are in High school. She was expressing the stress she experiences daily trying to help her children complete all of their homework. She described a typical evening having to stay up until midnight or later trying to correct problems, or answer questions, or generally keeping her children on task. Now, I probably see the pros of homeschooling and cons of public schooling a little more exaggerated than some, but I have often thought that homeschooling would be a little more difficult for someone with 7+ kids. It dawned on me however, as she was talking, that rather than making her life harder, homeschooling would actually make her life simpler. Yes, she would be responsible for teaching her children every day, but she is already doing that. What she wouldn't have to do anymore is; worry about the expectations of 9 different teachers with completely different teaching styles, help her children to remember to finish their homework each day, get all nine children, up, fed, dressed, with lunches in hand, and back packs filled with all the necessary paperwork by between 7:00 and 7:45 each morning (after having stayed up until midnight the night before), not to mention all the social and emotional dramas that have to be dealt with on a regular basis because of events at school.

Granted, I only have 4 children to worry about at the moment, but we wake up the kids at 6:30 each morning so they can exercise, eat, dress, practice piano, and read their scriptures before we start school at 8:30. We then "do school" until noon, when we eat lunch and have an hour break. Some days, if we have had a late start, or a heavier load, we will then do some work from 1-2, or we will go to the library, or on a nature walk. We clean the house together from 2-3 and then we are all free to do whatever we like for the rest of the day. No "homework" (we've been doing that all day), no lessons to practice, nothing but play or reading (for fun), or riding bikes, or drawing, or whatever we like. Fridays we don't do our "normal school". That is our field trip, or service project day so we have even less to worry about then. We are looking forward to adding another child to the mix in a few months, but rather than worrying about how we can keep homeschooling with one more little one, I realize that as our family grows, our kids age and are more able to work independently on their own education, and help more with their younger siblings and other duties around the house. Rather than segregating them from their family all day long, they work with each other all day and learn valuable lessons from doing so.

I will admit that my house is probably messier at 2:00 p.m. than it would likely be if I had no children filling it up all day long, but think of all the fun, and love, and learning (mine and theirs) I would miss out on if they weren't. There is a peace and joy that I get from homeschooling that I can't imagine I could find if my kids were only my own from 4:00 p.m. until bedtime every day. I still think the benefits of homeschooling far outweigh the price we have to pay to do it, but I am beginning to see that the price we have to pay may not be too high after all.

Our Homeschool Week

2009-10-10T08:17:00.012-06:00

We completed our 7th week of school this week and I have to say it was one of the most productive weeks we have ever had. We took the week off last week since we were half way through our semester to clean house and so that I could can our tomatoes and other vegetables before it froze.

Maybe the break was just what we needed to give us the energy to accomplish what we did this week. We have made a curriculum switch this year. Because I am having a baby in March I felt like I needed something that spelled it all out for me and the kids a little more this year. I decided to give Sonlight a try because they are very literature rich and seem to mesh well with the Charlotte Mason approach to education. We have been very happy with the move so far.

I. Mac and G. Diddy are working together doing Core 1+2 which is a one year condensed introduction to world history. It has been fun working together with the boys and we have been learning a lot together. Here is some of what we learned about this week.

History: We read about the Mycenaeans, the Trojan War, and about the Canaanites and Philistines. The boys loved the story of the Trojan horse. The book talked about how no one is certain whether the story is fact or fiction. I. Mac was so interested to know that he said he couldn't wait to get to Heaven so he could ask Heavenly Father if it really happened or not. . .

Geography: Our focus this week was on Southern Europe. I. Mac particularly is getting really good at locating different countries on the map. We studied specifically about Albania, Bulgaria, and Greece. It is sad to realize how little I know. The nice thing is that through homeschooling I am gradually filling in the gaps in my own education. I didn't know that Albania and Bulgaria were communist countries from the 40's until the 90's. It is always interesting to note that when a country becomes communist, one of the first things they do is outlaw religion. It also baffles me that there are so many countries who have tried the communist/socialist "experiment" throughout history and in every case it has ended in complete failure. The majority of the citizens are reduced to abject poverty and a few elite live in luxury. Why is America so anxious to give away our freedoms and try this same failed system again? It's chilling to think about.

Literature: We read a couple of Aesop's Fables this week. Our favorite was probably "The Travelers and The Purse". We also read two poems by Robert Louis Stevenson. He is one of our favorite poets. We finished reading Ginger Pye this week. This was deffinately a favorite. The boys fell in love with Jerry and Rachel and Uncle Bennie and were anxious for the safe return of Ginger. It was one of those books that we were sad to see end.

Independent Reading: G. Diddy and I. Mac have both been working on lessons in The Writing Road to Reading, using Teaching Reading at Home as a guide for their spelling and reading instruction. For those of you who don't know, I. Mac is dyslexic and has struggled so much with learning to read. It has been hard for him, but we just switched to WRtR this year and he seems to be improving in leaps and bounds. They finished List H this week. I. Mac began reading The Matchlock Gun for his "Free Reading" and G. Diddy is reading The Big Balloon Race. The fact that I. Mac is reading a book like this is proof that his reading is improving dramatically. I think he is really feeling good about his progress too.

H. Man is doing Core 6 this year. It is the first year of a two year study of world history. It has been nice, because so far he and his brothers have been studying the same time period. Here is some of what he accomplished this week.

History: He study about Ancient Greece, their alphabet, the olympics, their Gods, and about life in Athens vs. Sparta. Athens and Sparta interested him most. He decided he definitely would not have wanted to live in Sparta and started a new game of Civilization where he was the city of Athens. He is also reading an Historical Fiction called Theras and His Town, about an Athenian boy who is taken to Sparta after his father is lost at war and has to adjust to life as a Spartan.

Current Events: I have started having him read a news magazine with the intent of having him do a weekly report on something of local, national, or international significance. The problem was that too much of it wasn't making sense to him because there were so many terms he didn't recognize. We are a politically active family and have many discussions about government and politics, and H. Man is a very bright boy, so I assumed he just knew the things we knew. But we finally picked an article to read and discuss together, and I had to explain things like ACLU, NRA, McCain-Feingold, Labor Unions, etc. Even if no reports are written and all we do is read and discuss an article each week, I can tell this will be a very fruitful endeavor.

Literature: H. Man and I are reading together a couple of pages of poetry each day from Favorite Poems Old and New. We are also reading God King, which is about a young Egyptian Pharaoh who has to escape from Egypt because there are people in his government trying to kill him. This is during the Kushite Dynasty when the Assyrians are at the hight of their power and are taking over all of the surrounding countries. It has been a fascinating read. This is one aspect that I really like about Sonlight. Even though H. Man could easily be reading these books on his own, they schedule Read-Alouds so we have the chance to read and discuss things together.

Math: He did four lessons in Saxon 7/6. He does these mostly independently with the D.I.V.E. cd's.

Latin: We are two weeks behind in Latin, so we completed lesson 5 this week.

Writing: He did two assignments in Writing Strands this week. Writing has always been the one subject H. Man has resisted, but he successfully completed a creative paragraph this week, and although their was some frustration to begin with, I think he felt a sense of accomplishment once he was finished.

Together as a family, we continue to do our "School Opener" which consists of reading from the Book of Mormon (we read what is being studied in the LDS seminary for the year), memory work (we are following this memorization program this year and are loving it), and a family read aloud, which right now is The Secret Garden. Our family read alouds, continue to be one of my favorite aspects of homeschooling. I think it is the boys' too, because they are constantly trying to make "deals" with me, such as they won't do any schoolwork unless I read another chapter, and other creative attempts to lengthen our time spent reading together. We also finally got out together on a Nature Walk. Although I realized yesterday that we forgot to do science this week, it felt good to get as much accomplished as we did. Now if only all weeks could run as smoothly as this one. . .

Outdoor Hour Challenge: Autumn Series-Cattails

2009-10-08T22:28:00.004-06:00

I have been missing Nature Study with the kids, and finally decided we needed to make room for it again in our busy schedule. We chose to start with the first of Barb's Autumn Series Challenges and study Cattails because I was certain I knew where to find some. Our search didn't prove to be as prosperous as I had hoped, but we had a wonderful time nonetheless. We went to one of our favorite nature study locations, our local river trail.

For some reason I was under the impression that I knew just where there was a large patch of Cattail growing. We got to the spot and there were no cattails just lots of these plants. I'm not sure what they are, but they are pretty.

We continued up the river, but never did find any cattails. We saw lots of golden grass,

and these prickly plants,

but no cattails. We got to a bend in the path where I told the kids we would turn around if we still didn't find any cattails. There weren't any there, but we did find a little side path that led us right down to the water's edge.

The kids were thrilled. Skipping rocks is better than cattails any day. . .

Once the boys depleted the supply of skipping-quality rocks, we headed back. At the very top of the hill, quite a ways from the water, we finally found one small patch of cattails.

Of course we had to take home a souvenir of our find.

All-in-all it was a very rewarding day. Spending time in the crisp Autumn air, playing with rocks, searching for an elusive treasure (a.k.a. cattails). What better way is there to spend a beautiful October afternoon?

Wordful Wednesday: Six Little Words

2009-10-07T21:22:00.001-06:00

I haven't participated in Wordful Wednesday's for a while, but this one sounded intriguing and fairly simple. The assignment was to describe your life in six words. It is a lot harder than you might think to sum up your life in six words, but here's what I came up with:

"Following Christ, treasuring marriage, cherishing motherhood."

If you want to participate, or see what others had to say click here.

Come Listen to a Prophet's Voice

2009-10-04T21:14:00.000-06:00

This weekend was the 179th semi-annual conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We got to spend 10 hours (counting last Saturday's session for the women, and this Saturday's session for the men), being spiritually fed by the leaders of our church. Conference Weekend is always something that I look forward to with anticipation and am sad to see it end. This weekend was no exception. I don't have much time to expound right now, but I just wanted to share a few of my thoughts from this Conference.

There were two over-arching messages that I took from this Conference. The first was the importance of personal revelation from the Lord in our lives. So many of the messages seemed to emphasize our need to learn to receive and rely upon insight from the Holy Ghost. Heavenly Father has given us a marvelous gift to allow us to know His will for us in our lives, and to ultimately help us to return to Him someday. It is vital that we learn how to use it to guide us through our earthly journey. The second main message I left with was the necessity of teaching our children. We can't leave anything to chance in the raising of our children, if we want them to be able to grow up faithful in this increasingly troubled world. The talk by Elder Christofferson in Sunday afternoon's session was one of my favorites. In it he warned us of the need to provide constant daily spiritual experiences for our children. He cautioned that "the adversary is not neutral in his approach with our children" so we can not afford to be neutral in our teachings of our children.

I also thoroughly loved President Thomas S. Monson's Sunday Morning talk. It was all about service. The main message of the Savior's earthly ministry was of love and service. If we are to be true disciples of Him, we must learn to love and serve our fellow-men. Service and love seem to be the legacy of President Monson's life as well. I feel a renewed desire to find ways to serve others around me more often and to help my children to do so as well.

I love conference. I love the opportunity it gives me to gain insight into the areas I need to improve on in my life right now. I love that the "main messages" others received from this conference will be different that what I received because of what the Spirit emphasizes to each of us as the most important things for us to learn and do to help us become what we need to be right now. I love that Heavenly Father still loves and speaks to us and has provided a Prophet to lead His children today as He did in the past. I love the peace and hope I feel as I hear the words of the Lord's chosen servants. I can't wait to re-read and ponder all that was said this weekend. Until then, if you want to listen to it, you can go here.

Lessons From the Garden

2009-06-25T13:51:00.000-06:00

School is out! Our whirlwind Family-Reunion trip to Yellowstone is over. I'm officially done teaching piano lessons for the summer! Now that the commotion is settled a bit, it's time to try to organize our crazy life. This week we are focusing on weeding our back-yard gardens. They have been somewhat neglected in this last month's push to get everything done. The kids have been troopers, weeding every morning for an hour or two.

Today was our fourth day working in the yard and with the heat of summer finally arriving, it was a bit harder getting I-mac motivated to work this morning. I had been thinking about how, even though our yard still needs a lot of work, because of the efforts we have made this spring, it looks so much better than it did last year. I thought about how that was like life, we are never perfect, but the more we work at improving, the better we get, and the easier it gets to do what we should. I thought I would entice I-mac to work by asking him to help me think of ways that gardening is like life. Believe it or not, there is little he likes more than philosophizing about life with an interested adult. My enticement worked and he was soon working beside me, enlightening me with his insights into weeds and life. Here are some of the lessons I learned from him today:

1. We are the plants. Like plants, we need good things in our life to help us grow and become what we need to be. Some of those good things include reading the scriptures, praying, going to church and making good choices.

2. Weeds are like sin. When they come into our life they choke out the good things in our life. If we don't get rid of them they will eventually kill us (spiritually speaking). Some weeds (ie. sins) are harder to get rid of than others. It's important to get rid of them when they are little or they can be nearly impossible to get rid of later. Morning glory is easy to pull, but it grows fast and quickly chokes out the plants. I-mac thought this was like t.v. or other things that aren't necessarily sins, but don't really help us to be better. When we do them too much they cover up who we really are and it is hard for us to choose to do the good things we need to grow.

3. Weeding is like repenting. As we repent, we remove the bad things from our life. We can't do the weeding ourselves, we have to turn to the Savior for repentance. He is like the gardener in our life. He fills us with the good, and allows us to get rid of the bad. It is important to get the roots out or the weed will just keep coming back. This is the part of the repentance process where we turn from our sin and promise never to do it again.

4. The soil is like the gospel. Plants in good soil, grow stronger and bigger, and the weeds are easier to get rid of. These are people with the gospel in their life. Plants in poor soil are smaller and the weeds are really hard to pull. These are the people without the gospel.

These are just a few of the ideas that he shared. This kid never ceases to amaze me. He thinks so deeply. He often comes up with things that I never thought of before. What a blessing it is to be taught by our children.

Always Serene

2009-06-24T13:41:00.000-06:00

Madonna Del Granduca by Raphael

I have probably mentioned before that I love Charlotte Mason's philosophy of education. She places a lot of emphasis on atmosphere being vital for a child's education. I have been thinking a lot lately about how to improve the atmosphere in our home and recently came across this quote from Charlotte Mason's School Education, the third volume of her Home Education series. This idea really resonated with me, it is a long quote, but very worthwhile, so bear with me.

“It is not for nothing that the old painters, however diverse their ideas in other
matters, all ﬁxed upon one quality as proper to the pattern Mother. The Madonna,
no matter out of whose canvas she looks at you, is always serene. This is a great truth,
and we should do well to hang our walls with the Madonnas of all the early Masters if
the lesson, taught through the eye, would reach with calming inﬂuence to the heart. Is
this a hard saying for mothers in these anxious and troubled days? It may be hard, but
it is not unsympathetic. If mothers could learn to do for themselves what they do for
their children when these are overdone, we should have happier households. Let the
mother go out to play! If she would only have courage to let everything go when life
becomes too tense, and just take a day, or half a day,
• out in the ﬁelds,
• or with a favourite book,
• or in a picture gallery looking long and well at just two or three pictures,
• or in bed,
without the children, life would go on far more happily for both children and
parents”

Virgin of the Lillies by Bouguereau

I realized long ago that the oft quoted saying "If mamma aint happy, aint nobody happy." was more than a trite phrase. There is much truth in this saying. I know that I hold the key to the emotional atmosphere in our home. Too often though I am anything but serene. I tend to stress out when there is too much going on, and there is almost always too much going on in our lives. This is something I have been praying for help with for quite some time. I do think I have seen some improvement and I hope it continues.

The Sketch of the Head of Madonna by Leonardo Da Vinci

I decided to search for paintings of Mary and have included some of my favorites here. My two favorites are probably The Virgin of the Lillies; it is just so beautiful and truly "serene", and the sketch by DaVinci because she looks so tender and full of love. It was true, that in all the many paintings I looked at of Mary, the adjective that would best describe Mary's disposition is serene. Now I realize that these are just paintings, and we don't know that Mary was truly always serene, but I believe in the ideal. I know that we may never achieve the ideal in this life, but it is important to have that goal to reach for. I believe that the closer we can get to that ideal the better and happier we will be.

The Madonna and Child by J0rg Breu the Younger

I love the idea of surrounding ourselves with the ideal so that "the lesson, taught through the eye, will reach with calming inﬂuence to the heart." I think that is why the leaders of our church stress the importance of having pictures of the Savior and The Temple on the walls of our home. I also think that is why it is important to read as many uplifting books and articles on the ideals of motherhood as we can. I recently reread one of my favorite talks on motherhood by Julie Beck called "Mothers Who Know". There are many things she talks about that I know I am falling short on, but I love her talk because it paints the picture of the ideal mother and gives me something to work toward.

The Nativity by Carl Heinrich Bloch

I also see the wisdom in "going out to play!" It is important to find joy in life. Finding time to do those things that fill our reservoirs is necessary for keeping our sanity. Spending time with a good book, enjoying the peace and tranquility of nature, and riding my bike are all things that help fill me up and give me the energy to keep doing the things I need to to be a good mom. I also think that in this day and age too many parents spend too much time focusing on "me time" and too little thinking about what is best for their children. It is a difficult balancing act. One I am always trying to discern if I've got right. I think sometimes when "life becomes too tense" it is also good to "just take a day, or half a day,
• out in the ﬁelds,
• or with a favourite book,
• or in a picture gallery looking long and well at just two or three pictures,
• or in bed,
with the children." Sometimes what we really need is to reconnect with our children and strengthen our relationships with them. Go out and play with them! When we do that it can help remind us of the joy of being a mother and give us the energy we need to keep doing all the many little things that are required to keep our homes and children "running smoothly".

Madonna Adoring the Child with Five Angels by Sandro Bottecelli

Hopefully as I strive for balance, working toward the ideal, relying on the help of the Lord, I can become at least a more serene mother, if not "always serene".

Character Training

2009-04-03T10:36:00.000-06:00

Ever since I began homeschooling I have heard quite a bit about "character training". All the homeschooling books talk about it, there are even entire character curriculum's out there that you can purchase. I have never really worried about it though because I felt that our scripture study and family home evenings were covering that material. A few months ago I read a book called "Help for the Harried Homeschooler" and the section on character training really impacted me. I realized that I had a very specific set of goals for my children's academics, but I was leaving their character education somewhat to chance. I decided to make a list of Character traits found in the scriptures that I wanted my children to develop in their lives and then we would spend one week to one month focusing on that trait. Here is the list I came up with:

From the 13th Article of Faith

-Honest

-True (Integrity)

-Chaste

-Benevolent

-Virtuous

-Doing good to all men (Service)

D&C 4

-Faith

-Hope

-Charity

-Love

-Eye single to the glory of God

-Virtue

-Knowledge

-Temperance

-Patience

-Brotherly Kindness

-Godliness

-Humility

-Diligence

President Hinkley's Be's

-Grateful

-Smart

-Clean

-True

-Humble

-Prayerful

-Positive

-Still

-Involved

We decided to start with President Hinkley's Be's. The plan is that when we first introduce the virtue we will be focusing on we read what President Hinkley had to say about it from Way to Be! in our morning devotional. Then each day for the next couple of weeks (depending on how long it takes for the principle to sink in) we will memorize a scripture or two about that virtue and read stories or poems about it each morning in our devotional.

We have made it all the way to Be True so far and I think it has really been beneficial for our family. We have had some good discussions and been able to focus more specifically on areas we need to improve on. Over the next few days I will try to share some of the scripture and story resources I have found to go along with each of these character traits. It is quite easy to do though. I just search on lds.org for the virtue we are studying and use the resources that are most applicable to our family. This has been one of those things that I have wondered why I didn't think of it sooner. Oh well, better late than never, right?

Book Reviews

2009-02-17T15:07:00.000-07:00

I thought I would review the books I have finished so far for my 999 challenge.

The first book was a family read-aloud, The Wheel on the School. We loved this book! It was a wonderful story of how a dream can become a reality if we dare to believe in it and are willing to work hard to make it happen. It illustrates the beauty of human relationships and the fact that we all need each other and everyone has something to give. It was also just a wonderfully written, fun, and often suspenseful story. I highly recommend this book.

The next two books were Honey for a Child's Heart, and Honey for a Woman's Heart. These were both books about books, one of my favorite subjects. =) The author of these books, Gladys Hunt, shares my heart for reading. Throughout the books she gives reading recommendations, but she intersperses these suggestions with thoughts about books that capture my feelings for them and the joy they bring to my life perfectly. Two of my favorite quotes from a Child's Heart were, "Books are no substitute for life, but a keener pleasure comes to life because of books." So true! In speaking about the value of good books for children she says, "...by continual exposure to a variety of people and experiences, (in books) the real values of life are taught most profoundly. What we are doing is helping our children collect "bits of perfection" of ideas and values on which to build their lives." I couldn't agree more. Aren't books wonderful!

Just after beginning this post I had a fun experience with books that I just had to share. G. Diddy was having a rather trying day. One thing after another was causing him to burst into tears. I tried sending him to bed for a nap, but that wasn't going to fly, so I had the thought that I should go in and read with him on my bed. I picked "Where the Wild Things Are", and "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day". They seemed to fit his mood for the day. First I read "Where the Wild Things Are". He enjoyed it and of course, wanted me to read it again. Then we read "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." He hadn't read this book before and it definitely resonated with him. We read it twice too and then I asked him if he was having a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day. He admitted that he was and so I asked him if he was thinking about moving to Australia (if you haven't read the book you need to to understand the question). He laughed and then squeezed me so tight for about five minutes. It feels good to think that someone understands us, and that we are not the only one to feel the way we do. I think this book helped him to feel that way. Throughout the day, he still struggled with his moods, but whenever he would get upset I would ask him if he was thinking about moving to Australia and he couldn't help but smile. I love how books help us to communicate and understand each other in new ways. That little phrase now means so much to us can help conjure up those good feelings of time shared together and a sense of being understood. The power of books is immeasurable.

999 Reading Challenge

2009-02-13T14:50:00.004-07:00

Last year Cellista posted about the 888 challenge (read 8 books in 8 categories in 2008). It looked like just the thing for me, so I decided to take the challenge. I was just browsing her blog today and noticed she has a list for the 999 challenge now (same idea as above, just add one to each of the numbers). I realized that it has been a while since I updated my 888 list, and since 2008 has been over for a month and a half, it would be a good idea to take an inventory of how I did. The final tally was 33 books read. That doesn't count all the ones I read that didn't fit into any of the categories I had chosen, or that I just forgot to record. . . I definitely could have done better, especially in my history and spirituality categories, but it was honestly more than I expected. I have felt like my reading has really taken a back seat to all of the craziness in my life this past year. I miss reading ravenously, but I realize that there is a time and season for everything in life. Acknowledging that I only met 1/3 of this years challenge last time, I am going to give the 999 challenge a try. It helps to have some focus to my reading and a goal to help me reach a little farther and stretch my self in areas I don't naturally gravitate to but know I should pay more attention to.

So here's the official rules: "9 books in 9 categories in 2009, 9 can overlap, 72 books total" We'll see how I do. . . .
Books in blue are ones I am currently reading, books with an * are the "overlapping" books, and the books with a √ are the ones I have completed.

My current choices are:

I. Government/History (We'll give it a try again. I really need to do better in this area)

1. 1776 * √
2. The 5000 Year Leap: A Miracle That Changed the World √
3. The Making of America: The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution
4. An Enemy Hath Done This
5. The Federalist Papers
6. Democracy in America
7. The Law
8.
9.

II. Education

1. Revealed Educational Principles & the Public Schools: A look at principle-centered education through the prophets and LDS educational history √
2. The Underground History of American Education: A School Teacher's Intimate Investigation Into the Problem of Modern Schooling
3. The One Minute Teacher: How to Teach Others to Teach Themselves
4. When Children Love to Learn: A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason's Philosophy for Today
5. Righteous Influence: What Every Leader Should Know About Drawing on the Powers of Heaven
6. Home Education: Volume I of Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series
7. In My Father's House: The Years Before the Hiding Place
8. The Latin-Centered Curriculum √
9. Pajama School-Stories from the Life of a Homeschool Graduate √

III. Motherhood

1. Created for Work: Practical Insights for Young Men
2. The Parenting Breakthrough: Real-Life Plan to Teach Kids to Work, Save Money, and Be Truly Independent √
3. So You Want to Raise a Boy? √
4. Raising Your Spirited Child Rev Ed: A Guide for Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, and Energetic
5. The Organized Homeschooler
6.
7.
8.
9.

IV. Spirituality

1. The Book of Mormon √
2. The Doctrine and Covenants √
3. Each Ensign from cover to cover this year
4. Holy Temple
5. Hearing the Voice of the Lord
6. The Temple: Where Heaven Meets Earth
7.
8.
9.

V. Book Club Books

1. A Tale of Two Cities *√
2. 1776 * √
3. The Last Lecture √ (My review)
4. I Am David √
5. And Then There Were None √
6. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich *√
7. These is My Words √
8. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency √
9. The School of Essential Ingredients √

VI. Family Read Alouds

1. The Wheel on the School √ (Read the review)
2. A Little Princess √
3. The Secret Garden √
4. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow √
5. The Little Prince √
6. By the Shores of Silver Lake √
7. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
8. A Christmas Carol √
9.

VII. Poetry

1. Now We Are Six √ (If you haven't read A.A. Milne with your kids or just for yourself, you don't know what you're missing. . . )
2. When We Were Very Young √
3. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Selected Poems
4. John Greenleaf Whittier: Selected Poems
5. The Collected Poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar
6. Rhymes and Verses: Collected Poems for Young People
7.
8.
9.

VIII. Classics

1. Persuasion √
2. Les Misérables (I've also read this one before, but it's been at least 15 years and after reading A Tale of Two Cities I had a desire to read this again.)
3. North and South √
4. The Keeper of the Bees
5. The Scarlet Pimpernel √
6. A Tale of Two Cities * √
7. The Taming of the Shrew *
8. A Midsummer Night's Dream *
9. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich *√

IX. Other (I decided to leave this category open so I had somewhere to put all the miscellaneous books I pick up and read on a whim. . . )

1. Honey for a Child's Heart √ (Read the review)
2. Honey for a Woman's Heart √ (Read the review)
3. Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary √
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Joy in the Journey

2009-01-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

I was sitting in church today, struggling with our extremely active Little C. As the sacrament was being passed I thought about how I used to enjoy reflecting on my week during this time, thinking about what went well, and what I could improve upon. It was always such a peaceful and spiritually renewing part of my week. Now, in order to keep the peace, I am usually searching for numerous ways to keep Little C. distracted and happy so that I can at least stay in the chapel. As I was longing for the time to rerturn when I could focus more on my spiritual growth, I was struck with the thought that this was my mission right now. Loving and enjoying this prescious child of God is most important for me right now, and will ultimately bring me the most spiritual growth. It seems simple and obvious, but I love it when the Spirit brings things into focus for us when our expectations get a little off the mark. Motherhood is the greatest sacrifice, the most difficult challenge, and the most sweetly rewarding endeavor we could ever undertake in this life. In many ways, the work we do as mothers, as we lovingly and submissively give our lives (through our time, energy, sleep, pursuits, and hearts) for our children, we come closer to emulating the life of our Savior than through anything else we could do. The Savior spent time studying the scriptures, but the bulk of his life and ministry was spent teaching, loving and serving the people. It was a sweet experience today to be reminded of this fact and rather than feel guilty that I couldn't sit quietly and focus completely on the speakers or ponder the feelings and thoughts of the spirit, I held my baby and thanked Heavenly Father for the opportunity to be a mother and be taught a little more about what it means to loose myself in the service of others.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Catch-Up #36

2008-12-02T21:04:00.000-07:00

It always seems like I am playing catch-up with my Outdoor Hour Challenges, but this time I really got them done on time, I just haven't been able to post them because I couldn't get my pictures off my camera! Little C. sucked on the cable that attaches my camera to the computer and it stopped working, so I haven't been able to download any pictures for about a month. It has been driving me crazy. I was so upset about not being able to post about these Challenges too, because we were just getting into the swing of things and making some really great connections with our studies. Well, I finally picked up a new cable so I can post about our challenges now. Better late than never, right?

Challenge # 36 was a seasonal tree study. We were supposed to pick a tree back in the summer time and study it in each of the four seasons. Well, we never picked our tree this summer. We had an awful year for trees. My four favorite trees in our yard died this year (two peaches and two redbuds. . .), and I was too depressed about it to pick anything this summer, but fall was the perfect time to begin our tree study. We surveyed the neighborhood looking for just the right tree to study. We finally settled on this tree.

I still haven't figured out what type of tree it is, but it was so interesting that the vote was unanimous.

We especially loved the leaves. They look kind of like needles, but were softer than needles. We loved how they were an orangy-red, with the little bits of green.

When we came home all of the boys actually made entries in their nature-journal!

I was thrilled.

They had all gathered a couple of leaves and did leaf rubbings when we got home.

They also drew their own interpretations of the tree.

They're not Rembrandts yet, but they're on their way. . . .

I will post challenge #37 in a separate entry, but we have really loved this tree focus!

Blessed By Books

2008-11-26T08:11:00.001-07:00

Last night while I was reading I was suddenly overcome by an immense feeling of gratitude for the books God has placed in my life. I knew that I wanted to post about it today, but then I remembered that today was Wordful Wednesday and I had wanted to participate this week. Lucky for me, the topic for today is: "I am Grateful". The list of things I am grateful for is quite long, but today I will focus on this one. I am grateful for books. Books have been the catalyst for change in my life more than probably any other factor. I love this quote about the work of books in our lives.

"A book must be an ice-axe to break the seas frozen inside our soul." ~Franz Kafka

I have found this to be so true in my life. Obviously, the books that have had the most profound influence on my life have been the scriptures. The Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price are my foundation. Reading from the scriptures daily gives me the strength and perspective I need to get through each day. They center me. I love the way that every time I read them, I can find something new, not because the words have changed, but because they have changed me, and I am now ready to receive additional light.

"Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled "This could change your life."" ~Helen Exley

My life has been changed considerably by the reading of a book. I was led to home school through the reading of a book. I never would have considered it before I read "The Well Trained Mind". Reading that book altered my perception of what my children needed versus what they were getting from their education, and helped me see how I could give them better. As doubts arose, I was led to read "Dumbing Us Down" which helped me see the wisdom in keeping my children home, not just for the academic benefits, but for the social as well.

"I suggest that the only books that influence us are those for which we are ready, and which have gone a little farther down our particular path than we have yet got ourselves." ~E.M. Forster, Two Cheers for Democracy, 1951

It has been amazing for me to recognize, that as my mind and heart have been prepared to receive the "next thing", God has placed the right book in my path. With homeschooling I was led to "A Thomas Jefferson Education" when my children and I were beginning to burn-out with The Well Trained Mind. Once I gained a greater perspective of making learning a more natural part of home life, I was prepared and was led to read, "A Charlotte Mason Companion", and then Charlotte's own writing on education. Her "gentle approach" to learning was just what we needed. Just recently I have been feeling another push to get me moving out of my comfort zone. I went to the library yesterday to pick up some books I had wanted to read, and happened upon a book I had never heard of before, but it was calling my name. It is called "Help for the Harried Homeschooler". I probably don't need to explain why it was calling my name, it has me written all over it, but what I found inside has been quite unexpected and just what I needed. The section on Character Training has been very enlightening (I will share more about that in a later post).

"How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book." ~Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Homeschooling books aren't the only ones that have changed my life, there have been "spiritual books", like "Approaching Zion" and "Mere Christianity". Although I consider every book that changes me to be spiritual on some level. "All things are spiritual to God." There have also been "political books" such as "An Enemy Hath Done This". All of these books and many more have shaped me into the person I am today. I am so grateful for the great minds that have gone before and have shared their wisdom in a book.

"Books are the compasses and telescopes and sextants and charts which other men have prepared to help us navigate the dangerous seas of human life." ~Jesse Lee Bennett

My Thanksgiving Menu

2008-11-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

I love Thanksgiving! I love that it ushers in the Christmas season, allowing us the opportunity to reflect on our many blessings, hopefully giving us the perspective we need to more fully rejoice in the true meaning of Christmas. I love that it is a time for celebrating with family. I love the family football games and (this year) 5k runs. I love the post-Thanksgiving "redemption" bike rides. But I have to admit my favorite thing about Thanksgiving is the food! A few years ago we started a new tradition. Since we always spend Thanksgiving day with our extended family we never got any leftovers, and in my opinion, Thanksgiving isn't Thanksgiving without Turkey sandwiches and all the other delicious leftovers. To remedy this situation we decided to have our own Thanksgiving meal on Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. A couple of days ago I went shopping for our Thanksgiving dinner, so I thought I'd share our menu. Every year I do a Spice-Cured Turkey. The recipe says to let it cure for 24 hours, but I do it for 72 hours. It is the best! They're always moist and very flavorful. Rather than using the Apple-Chestnut Stuffing in the recipe, I use a Cornbread, Apple, Cranberry, and Sausage Stuffing. (Recipe is at the end of this post.)

It is my husband's favorite. I like to experiment with new recipes, but he won't let me touch the stuffing!

For side dishes this year we will be having Butter-Pecan Sweet Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts with Vinegar-Glazed Red Onions, and Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes. For dessert this year I was asked to bring pies to my family's on Thursday, so we will have those leftovers with our dinner on Saturday. I'm trying two new recipes and one tried and true one. The two new ones are Pumpkin Maple Pie Supreme, and Pecan Pumpkin Pie.

The other is one of my favorite fall pie recipes. It is Autumn Harvest Pie.

The combination of sweet and tart wrapped in a pate brisee crust is divine! I'm getting excited just typing this! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We will have two!

Cornbread, Apple, Cranberry and Sausage Stuffing

Cornbread (recipe follows) 1" cubes

1 lb. sweet Italian Sausage

4 red onions, chopped

1 c. dried cranberries

1/2 c. chopped fresh sage

1/2 c. butter

8 celery stalks, chopped

1 1/2 C. half and half

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cornbread cubes on baking sheet. Bake until dry, about 20 minutes. Cook sausage in large sauteé pan over medium heat. Put in small bowl. Melt butter in same pan. Add onion and celery, cook over medium until onion is translucent, 10 -15 minutes. Add apples and cranberries, stir. Cook until apples are soft. Add half and half and cook for three minutes. Place in large bowl and add sage, cornbread and sausage. Cool completely. Can be refrigerated 2 days before stuffing in bird. Fills 16-20 lb. bird.

Cornbread

2 T. butter (for pan)

1 1/2 c. cornmeal

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/4 c. milk

1 egg

1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. course salt

1 T. molasses

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter 8x8 pan. Mix dry ingredients. Combine remaining ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients just until combined. Pour into pan and bake until golden about 25-30 minutes. (This is a very dry cornbread. Not one you would want to eat, but perfect for stuffing.)

Change of Course

2008-11-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to post about this for a few weeks, but haven't been able to find the time to do so. For that matter, I have been meaning to post about a lot of things that I haven't. Someday life will slow down, right? Anyways, four weeks ago, (we were then in our 8th week of this school year), I decided rather impulsively that we needed to change our course work for the year. Living Books Curriculum was having a big 50% off sale and I liked what I saw on their sample pages. I have loved the literature selections on Ambleside Online, but I have had a hard time filling in some of the gaps on my own. I like that LBC focuses on American History and world history every year and they seem to add in more living books in history, especially in 4th and 5th grade. I also like that they include a lot of hands on activities and and map work (with maps that they provide). I still prefer some of AO's book selections to LBC's, so I am in the process of coming up with my own combination of the two plus a little bit of my own. Our first few weeks of this new plan have been very successful. I think the kids and I have really been enjoying the change. Here is a look at our new basic daily schedule.

I will try to post a copy of our course work once I've finished compiling it. I think the best part of this whole transition is that it has gotten me to take a fresh look at our approach to education and make efforts to get rid of what wasn't working and add things that we were lacking. That is one of the great things about homeschooling, you have the ability to tailor things to meet your children's needs.

So, what are your favorite educational resources?

What was he thinking?!

2008-10-30T13:27:00.000-06:00

So, today G. Diddy came to me with grey sticky stuff all over his cheek and eye .

Me, "G., what is all over your face?"

Him, "Gum."

Me, "How did you get gum on your face?"

Him, "I put it there."

Me, "Why?!"

Him, "I didn't know it would get stuck."

I had to laugh! He is 6 1/2. I thought we were beyond incidents like this. Apparently not... Thank heavens for peanut butter. It got off most the mess.

He is missing half his eyelashes on his right eye though. Kids!?!

Wordfull Wednesday: Politics

2008-10-28T21:52:00.000-06:00

Yes, I am going to tread into the political realm again. Chocolate has been doing these Wordfull Wednesdays for a while and I have wanted to participate, but keep forgetting. This week's assignment was to pick the most important issue for you from the following list and write about it. The choices were Abortion, Economy, Education, Immigration, Marriage (just between one man and one woman or should gays be allowed to marry?) ,War (Iraq, Afghanistan, or war in general). I love that she chose this topic and that such varying views are being expressed. I believe that one of the biggest reasons that we are in the current political mess we are in in this country is that we have stopped having healthy political discussions with people of varying political persuasions. We take too much information from the media and "Party Propaganda" and spend too little time researching the issues for ourselves.

As for the topics, these are all important issues for me, but I can't really say that one is most important. As I have studied our country's history and have gained a greater understanding of our divinely inspired constitution, I have realized that all political questions can best be answered by looking at the proper role of government. One of my favorite guides to understanding what that proper role is, is this article by Ezra Taft Benson. If you have not read this, please do, even if you don't espouse all of Benson's political ideals. This is a concise and well reasoned view of government that every person should read.

With an eye to this standard, I will attempt to express my ideas about the issues.

Abortion: “Are there not, in reality, underlying, universal principles with reference to which all issues must be resolved whether the society be simple or complex in its mechanical organization? It seems to me we could relieve ourselves of most of the bewilderment which so unsettles and distracts us by subjecting each situation to the simple test of right and wrong. Right and wrong as moral principles do not change. They are applicable and reliable determinants whether the situations with which we deal are simple or complicated. There is always a right and wrong to every question which requires our solution.” (Albert E. Bowen, Prophets, Principles and National Survival, P. 21-22) Taking the life of an innocent being who has no choice in the matter is not "freedom of choice" it is wrong. As many have said before me, I believe in freedom of choice. A woman has the freedom to choose whether or not to participate in an act that can lead to pregnancy. Once she heads down that path she has made her choice and must live with the consequences.

Economy: I agree with Crabapple Farm in that the economy is best left in the hands of the people. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, "This government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way. IT does not educate. THE CHARACTER INHERENT IN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAS DONE ALL THAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED; AND IT WOULD HAVE DONE SOMEWHAT MORE, IF THE GOVERNMENT HAD NOT SOMETIMES GOT IN ITS WAY. For government is an expedient by which men would fain succeed in letting one another alone; and, as has been said, when it is most expedient, the governed are most let alone by it." (Quoted by Clarence B. Carson, THE AMERICAN TRADITION, p. 100; P.P.S.N., p.171) There are so many things that have contributed to our current economic situation, but most of it can be traced back to the federal government meddling in affairs that it has no right to be involved in. I whole-heartedly agree with President Benson's

"A FORMULA FOR PROSPERITY
The principle behind this American philosophy can be reduced to a rather simple formula:

1. Economic security for all is impossible without widespread abundance.
2. Abundance is impossible without industrious and efficient production.
3. Such production is impossible without energetic, willing and eager labor.
4. This is not possible without incentive.
5. Of all forms of incentive – the freedom to attain a reward for one’s labors is the most sustaining for most people. Sometimes called THE PROFIT MOTIVE, it is simply the right to plan and to earn and to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
6. This profit motive DIMINISHES as government controls, regulations and taxes INCREASE to deny the fruits of success to those who produce.
7. Therefore, any attempt THROUGH GOVERNMENTAL INTERVENTION to redistribute the material rewards of labor can only result in the eventual destruction of the productive base of society, without which real abundance and security for more than the ruling elite is quite impossible."

Education: I love this quote by Max Victor Belz, "I don't want my children fed or clothed by the state, but if I had to choose, I would prefer that to their being educated by the state." I am in total agreement. The government is notorious for making worse, anything it tries to tamper with. I found this website that says it perfectly. "For more than three full lifetimes — the 220 years from the 1620s to the 1840s — most American schooling was independent of government control, subsidy, and influence. From this educational freedom the American Republic was born.
Now, after 150 years of tax-financed schooling, we see more and more children failing to grow into responsible, caring, competent adults. A movement is growing to reclaim the American tradition of family responsibility in education by returning to the separation of school and state." One last quote by Sir Walter Scott, and I'll leave well enough alone. "All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education."

Immigration: “The end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom. For in all the states of created beings, capable of laws, where there is no law there is no freedom. ” (John Locke, Two Treatises of Civil Government, II, 57: P>P>N>S., p.101) I believe the freedoms of our country should be available to all who wish to enjoy them, but there is a right and lawful way to obtain that freedom. Those wishing to reap the benefits should be willing to pay the price and go through the proper methods to do so.

Marriage: I refer to the quote in abortion. I believe that "Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God." (The Family: A Proclamation to the World) Anything else is wrong, and makes a mockery of this divinely mandated institution.

War: This is one area where my views have changed dramatically as I have studied the intent of the founders of our nation. I used to believe the rhetoric that it was our duty to "promote the cause of freedom" in foreign lands. I now appreciate the comments of John Quincy Adams when he said, "[America] goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. She will commend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example. She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom." We can plainly see the wisdom of his statements as we calculate the needless loss of life in our most recent "war" that has no foreseeable end in sight, and whose merits are much less clear than they seemed to be at the outset.

I realize this post is rather long winded, but I am passionate about the cause of freedom. Our country has strayed so far from the principles of freedom established for us by God through the "Founding Fathers", but I have hope that we will soon wake up and see the error of our ways. I have seen many encouraging signs of this in my travels through the "blogosphere". The real answers lie in us, as a people, becoming educated in the principles of freedom.

I'll leave you with one last quote from President Benson, "An ounce of energy in the preservation of freedom is worth a ton of effort to get it back once it is lost. Today you cannot effectively fight for freedom and not be attacked, and those who think they can are deceiving themselves. While I do not believe in stepping out of the path of duty to pick up a cross I do not need, a man is a coward who refuses to pick a cross that clearly lies within his path.

A man must not only stand for the right principles, but he must also fight for them. Those who fight for principle can be proud of the friends they’ve gained and the enemies they’ve earned. We face days ahead that will test the moral and physical sinews of all of us. Those who hesitate to get into this fight because it is controversial fail to realize that life’s decisions should be based on principles, not on polls.

The basic purpose of life is to prove ourselves, not to be
with the majority when it is wrong.

In due time, when each of us has had a chance to prove himself, including whether or not we are going to stand up for freedom, God will interject himself, and the final and eternal victory shall be for free agency. And then shall those weak-willed souls on the sidelines and those who took the popular course lament their decisions.

(Anyone) who retreats from this battle jeopardizes his life here and hereafter. Seldom has so much responsibility hung on so few, so heavily; but our number are increasing, and we who have been warned have a responsibility to warn our neighbor. The fight for freedom cannot be divorced from the gospel. "(Pres. Ezra Taft Benson - CF Apr 1967)

Outdoor Hour Challenge # 33, #34, & #35- Oaks, Maples, and Apples

2008-10-23T13:21:00.000-06:00

I am obviously having a hard time staying on top of these challenges, but I am so grateful for them. The fact that we were behind on these challenges was nagging at me so I decided we should call grandma and go for a hike in our beautiful mountains this week to get caught up. I am so glad we did! It was such a beautiful day and we had such an enjoyable time enjoying the beauty of the changing leaves, the clean mountain air, and the exercise.

The first trees we encountered, and by far the most abundant on our hike were oak. I don't know if this is the official name, but they are called "scrub oak" here and they grow like weeds.

Their leaves were a variegated yellow and green or orange and brown. I love the distinctive shape of the oak leaves. The scrub oak does not have an acorn, that I am aware of, but they were beautiful.

We also saw a few maples among the oak. Their leaves had the most brilliant color.

Next we came to this beautiful stream surrounded by aspens. We stopped to catch our breath and enjoy the sights and sounds of the stream.

The boys were fascinated by this leaf that appeared to be suspended in mid-air. It was actually being held aloft by a spider's web.

We loved the huge roots of this tree. The perfect spot for another rest...

After working up a decent sweat, we finally made it to our destination. The reservoir was beautiful!

We could have stayed here all day, but we had one more stop to make.

We still hadn't seen any apple trees, so we made a stop at Farnsworth Farms. They have an apple orchard where you can pick your own apples.

Unfortunately we were about a week too late, but they had plenty of apples that we could buy. They also have their own cider press and sell the most delicious fresh cider ever.

We also picked up a couple of pumpkins from their pumpkin patch.

The kids brought home several leaves from our hike, and we all brought home memories of a wonderful day spent enjoying the beauty of God's creations.

Wordless Wednesday: Memories of Summer...

2008-10-22T22:04:00.000-06:00

The Lesser of Two Evils...

2008-10-17T08:02:00.000-06:00

Over the past couple of months I have received a barrage of e-mails, phone calls, and fliers urgently proclaiming that the upcoming election is the most important one in recorded history. They all have this basic message in common, "If the liberals win the upcoming election, America as we have known it will no longer exist." My question when I hear something like this is, "So how will it be any different if a Republican wins?" Don't get me wrong, I have been a "faithful Republican" all my life. I have never not voted Republican. I had these feelings of "gloom and doom" eight years ago when George Bush ran against Bill Clinton. I remember anxiously staying up all night on election night waiting to see the final results, feeling certain that if Bill Clinton won we would be ushering in the Second Coming. However, over the past few years I have begun to realize that the Republican agenda is not that different from that of the Democrats. If you look at the outcomes the results are typically the same, no matter who is in office. What we end up with from either party is more government "programs", with a bigger National debt as a result, and more government control of our lives. We can see that thanks to President Bush things are just as bad as they would have been with Clinton, if not a little worse. He has single-handedly taken away more freedoms from the American People than any President before him, violated the constitution over and over again, and left us with a country that is teetering on the edge of collapse. In regards to this election, and many before this, I have heard a number of people express the sentiment that although John McCain isn't the ideal choice for President, in this case "you have to vote for the lesser of two evils." My contention is, the lesser of two evils is still evil. This is the President of the United States we are talking about. This is supposed to be the most venerated secular position known to man. To think of settling for "the lesser of two evils" in choosing who should hold this high office should be reprehensible. In fact, there is a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants that addresses this way of thinking. D&C 98:9-10 "Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn. Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil."

President Ezra Taft Benson expounded on this scripture saying, "Now that is a commandment to his Church and to his Saints. To me it means that we have a responsibility as Latter-day Saints to use our influence so honest men and wise men and good men will be elected to public office in the community, in the county, in the state, and in the nation. To me this commandment of God is just as binding upon the Latter-day Saints as is the law of tithing, or the Word of Wisdom, or any other commandment which the God of heaven has given us.

As I read that for the first time some years ago I thought, "What an indictment of corrupt would-be political leaders in many parts of the world—demagogues who deal in half-truths, innuendos, and falsehoods! Here the God of heaven has pointed out the type of men he wants elected to public office among his people." It is not enough, my brethren and sisters, just to stand on the sidelines and criticize what is taking place, and to point the finger of scorn at some political leader. It is our job, our duty, and our responsibility to take an active interest in these matters, and carry out the admonition and the commandment which God has given us to see to it that men of character—good men, as measured by the standards of the gospel—are elected to public office." ("Our Duty as Citizens" 920, 922)

This is a sobering thought. We can't afford to compromise. There is too much at stake. I contend that whether you vote for John McCain or Barack Obama, the results will be pretty much the same. Neither of them are committed to, or have a history of upholding the divinely inspired Constitution of our country. Both of them will continue to squander the resources that we have been blessed with. Neither of them will do anything to restore the freedoms that have been taken from us, and both will likely continue to take them away in the name of "the greater good". That is why I am looking elsewhere when I cast my vote next month. I will be voting for the only man running who is committed to God, the Constitution, and Freedom. For the first time in my life I will be voting my principles rather than my party. I will be voting for Chuck Baldwin. I have heard the argument that if you don't vote for one of "the two parties" you are throwing your vote away. I maintain that any vote that is not in keeping with your principles is a wasted vote. In the words of John Quincy Adams, "Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost."

Most Americans will admit that we need a change, yet we keep looking to the same sources for that change. It is time to look somewhere else. To again quote President Benson, "Not cheap politicians but statesmen are needed today. Not opportunists but men and women of principle must be demanded by the people. In this time of great stress and danger we must place [in office] only those dedicated to the preservation of our Constitution, our American Republic, and responsible freedom under God. "Oh, God, give us men with a mandate higher than the ballot box." This was never more true than it is today. It is my prayer that we might use wisdom as we vote and that we might find and elect men of wisdom to lead this great nation that it might remain great.