Halloween

 Happy Halloween..Harvest fun dress up and eat candy day?

Oh....Halloween. To celebrate, or not to celebrate. That is the question.  Or is it? I think the real question, about Halloween and really everything, is to glorify God, or not glorify God?

Candy is not, apart from the terrible amount of sugar, evil. Costumes, in general, are not evil. Pumpkins with little toothy grins are not evil.  Dressing up and being festive with our neighbors is not, necessarily, evil. But, oh how quickly those things can be corrupted.  Zombies, ghosts, witches, vampires, murderers, psycho possessed dolls that give you nightmares for years...not so good. Halloween is one of those events that can very quickly escalate into tolerating (if not celebrating) things that do not glorify God.  

The line is so easily blurred on this. On one hand, we tell ourselves that we aren't really celebrating the bad part of Halloween. It's just fun to dress up and get candy on a night where everyone else is doing it, too. It's so cute to see little kids dressed up as pumpkins, and monkeys, and princesses.  But on the other hand, we have to ask ourselves how going out among people who ARE glorifying demons, and satan, and characters that directly oppose everything God is and stands for and just letting it all slide for our own fun is good?  Is there really such a thing as a neutral activity? Doesn't everything we do say something about who we are and what we believe in? 

But what if we used this night as an opportunity? What if you dressed up in character to be able to open the door to make a difference? It could be a tract, but it could also just be having a great conversation with someone about what the Lord has done in your life. I guess what I am saying is, take an honest look at your priorities.  Do you (and your desire for fun and free candy) come first, or does glorifying God come first?  You need to talk to Him about how that looks. I'm not going to do that for you.

As for us,  two little princesses will be handing out candy at our church booth at the town Safewalk.  We have decided that our family is going to make the most of every opportunity. There are going to be a lot of things we have to explain to our children, but they are going to grow up knowing that we don't stand with our toes on the line. We are going to make every effort to glorify God, even if we are only a very tiny light in the darkness.

I know that won't be a very popular opinion, but there it is anyway. I hope you will at least think about it.   Blessings!

THM for Life

I alluded in my last post to how busy I had been this summer. It's true: there was so much going on, but a lot of it I can't share with you right now.  What I can share with you though, is the discovery of the greatest book ever written. Well, that may be taking it a little far since the Bible already holds that title, but I will say it is a book that has changed my life forever. 

As I had mentioned a long while ago, I have been struggling for a long time with my weight. I would cut calories, exercise like a maniac (like I was doing 8 miles on the elliptical daily. Seriously, ain't nobody got time for that) and I was struggling to lose even a pound. It took me half a year to lose about 30-ish pounds. It was torturous, and I was tired, and I was ready to give up. Then I found the book.

Trim, Healthy Mama is a book by Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison.  They are two fellow homeschooling Moms who did a crazy amount of research, tested their findings on themselves, and came away with the  most balanced and Biblical approach to food I have ever seen. When I tell you I have found freedom from my relationship to food because of this book, I am seriously understating it.

I am not going to give away too much of the book's secrets ;) but I will tell you that it is a healthy way of eating that does not cut out any macronutrients and works to stabilze blood sugar/glucose.  It. Is. Awesome.  It's awesome because you never go hungry, and  you never feel deprived. You eat satisfying, yummy foods and heal your body at the same time.  Curious? Check them out on Amazon. They are relaunching their website very soon, but until then, just look at the reviews on Amazon.

I have lost 55 pounds since December. I have lost two clothing sizes since I started THM in late July. I have gained great confidence and a better body image, and best of all, very good health.  No more pain in my feet,  much more energy, and the petichae I had on my legs for 8 years is disappearing.

I heartily recommend this book. Anyone can do it; men, women, and kids, and I promise you won't be disappointed.  I will be sharing my meal plans from time to time on here.  The meals and snacks will be labeled according to the catgegories in the plan, and quite a few of the recipes can only be found in the book, so you won't be able to cheat and skip buying the book. You can always get the e-book or PDF version if that floats your boat, but you will have to anty up and pay these lovely ladies for all their incredible work.  Keep your eyes peeled: I'll be posting my first menu very soon!

Making a Choice on Curriculum.

      It's been about 6 months since I last blogged. So much has gone on this year, but this last six months has been absolutely jammed.  I did end up doing a very light, abbreviated version of school for the kids. We also spent quite a lot of time running in the sprinkler, swinging on the swing set, visiting the library, and doing a lot of art projects.  There were also a lot more movies than I allow during the school year. Summer is our wet season in the waaaay south, and it rains like clockwork every afternoon, if not all day.  We would get outside while the weather would allow, but we had to entertain ourselves indoors a lot. Raise your hand if you know how hard it is to keep a three and four year old inside 24/7. Bless your heart, I feel your pain. ;) But in all seriousness, while it was a challenge, it was also a lot of fun.

Fall arrived (on the calendar anyhow) and with it, the official start of school. While I have been using Sonlight K loosely for my four year-old, I have been doing all sorts of things with my baby (well, she's three but she is my baby). Like I mentioned in the previous post, I ordered a Letter of the Week curriculum for her. She flew through that so fast she was finished with it by the end of the first quarter. Honestly, I was thrilled and horrified. I love that she is so bright, but I was really frustrated that I'd picked the "wrong" curriculum again, and that she was finished with it already.

But wait; isn't this homeschool thing about making the choice that is best for your individual child? My kids have loved their school time, and they don't seem to think I made the wrong choice. Little Girl loved every minute of her LOTW curriculum, she just mastered it much more quickly than I had anticipated. So, where did this "wrong" label come from? Oh,  yeah. Me.   There is this huge pressure out there to make sure we do it all just right and, if we are honest with ourselves, we will own up to our own role in it.  I have never once had someone question my curriculum choice, or if Big Girl and Little Girl are learning enough. I have never had anyone tell me I am a failure as a mother or a parent because I homeschool. No one has ever said that my kids have to learn faster or more than the homeschool families on the Internet forums. There is a little competition on some of those forums, but I really think it is our own faults. We lay that guilt trip and that pressure on ourselves. Once we realize that, there is this beautiful freedom to be had. 

So once we have that freedom, what do we do with it? You make the choice that is best for your family. You do it thoughtfully, and reasonably, and you walk in the freedom that you are their parent and you know how they will learn better than anyone else in the world.  Other than Jesus, of course. ;)

I want to share some tips for planning your school year and choosing curriculum. Hopefully it will help you as much as it is helping me.

1: First step in planning and choosing: Don't!  

I don't mean don't pick anything at all, of course, but I do mean don't think you have to plan and pick everything for the whole year at once.  Who said you have to buy all your work in August? Yes, it's exciting and those curriculum companies are so good at calling you right up and helping you pick everything you "need", but just don't.  When you buy everything at once you feel like you have everything you need AND that you you have to fit it all in.  I don't have to tell you that your child is unique and special and marches to the beat of their own drum.  Just plan the first quarter, and see how it goes. You will  have to adjust the plan, and that's okay!!

2: Be Honest with Yourself!

 

Take a really good look at how your family functions.  How does your day unfold?  Are you the kind of family that likes to rise and shine early in the morning, or would you sooner blow someone up for talking to you before you've had your coffee? Do your little ones like to get out and run off their energy a bit before you start your lessons, or do you find that if you don't start right away you'll never get their attention back?  What kind of climate do you live in? Is it so hot in the afternoon that you can't play outside after 10 am?  Is it too cold to play outside until 3 pm and you have to keep everyone indoors until then? How long can your kids sit still without getting the fidgets? Do they like workbooks, or would they rather you read to them all day long?  Do crafts make the lesson sink in or does music?  Maybe it's videos or computer games that make the concept stick. Chances are, you've already been organizing your day in the way that is best for your family. If you struggle to function before ten, and your little ones really really love to watch Peg+Cat on PBS, why on earth would you pick to organize your school day to start at 8 and require you to teach math concepts before the caffeine has wakened your brain? Start when it's best for everyone. You're homeschooling: you can do that. :)  If your little one loves writing in workbooks, like mine do, then feel good about using a workbook based curriculum.  If they thrive on unit studies, awesome!  Pick that.  Do what your family loves, and own it.

3: Be realistic!

When considering what you are going to do that year, consider what you can realistically accomplish.  If you are on a very tight budget, understand that you might not be able to do field trips to the zoo and the aquarium, buy a cupboard full of art supplies, and still afford a bookcase full of reading material.  But you could visit a local farm, the fire station, and the local historian instead, buy a few really good art staples, and become best friends with the public Librarian. You'd be surprised at the books you can get your hands on for free.  Also, be realistic in how much you can accomplish in one year. Be flexible with your kids and yourself.  See step one: If you plan a little bit at a time, you will have a much better grasp on this.  I also have to stress that you don't make lofty goals just because you are certain that you can rise to the occasion.  You probably could do it for awhile, but you will wear yourself out. Just be realistic, stretching yourselves just a little at a time. You can accomplish so much if you just keep taking small steps.

I hope that saves you a little bit of trauma and drama. What kind of tips or questions do you have?