Feeling Fabulous

I wrote in a previous post how this past summer had been a stressful one.  I think most of the time we don’t realize how detrimental stress is to our health.

I spent the summer (starting in May, actually) working a part-time job away from home.  I had worked this same job from home for three years.  The company I worked for was sold, and the new owners would not allow me to work from home.  This meant a lot of changes for our household.

Just being absent from home two days out of the week meant that I had seven days of home management to cram into five.  I came up with a schedule of how to get everything done.  It was tough and often meant running late at night.

Still, there were some things that were unavoidable with my absence.  The biggest of these was missing family time with my children and grandchildren.

And then, there was my health.  I spent the summer losing two pounds, gaining two pounds, losing two pounds, and gaining two pounds.  I was not able to exercise as often or at optimal times.  Often, I was running later at night which meant trouble sleeping that night.  There were times that I just didn’t feel up to par or felt that I was not getting the nutrients my body needed.  My last visit to the dentist started out with, “Have you been clenching your teeth again?”

However, it was not a total loss.  I was forced to find more efficient ways to do things around the house.  I found an awesome system for our homeschool that is working fabulously for us.  I also had to figure out how to prepare salads in a jar and other snacks that I could take on the run.

I had absolutely no complaints about my job or the people I worked with.  In fact, it was easy money.  Still, I had to let it go.  It was not something I wanted to do.  The extra income was nice.  I loved the people and the industry I worked in.  However, it was not worth the stress it was causing at home and the time I was missing with my family.

My last day of work was November 26, and I’m already enjoying the benefits.  My home is more relaxed and less stressful, I’m spending more time with my children and grandchildren, I’m running or going to the gym six days a week, I’m drinking lots of juice, the needle on the scale is steadily going down, and I feel fabulous!

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Back to Homeschool

All across America, whether you have school age children or not, this time of year is often thought of as “back to school.” We had the recent sales tax holiday where many school supplies were tax free for a weekend. We’ve all been inundated with “back to school” ads from various retailers, and most of us are once again seeing the yellow school buses in and around our neighborhoods.

Most homeschools also experience a “back to school” transition this time of year. Even those that homeschool year round often take a shortened summer break or go with a lighter schedule during the summer. Sometimes the transition back to spending more time every day doing school work can be difficult for the whole family. Here are some things you can do to help make that transition smooth and peaceful.

Start your school year in the middle of the week. By starting your school year off later in the week (let’s say Wednesday), you will only have three days of school before the weekend is here and you have a break again. You can make it an even lighter transition, by starting your school year the Wednesday before Labor Day, taking the weekend and Labor Day off, and then you will only have four days of school your second week of school. Even if you don’t start the week before Labor Day, you can still take the next Monday off.

Regardless of when you start cracking the books open again, you most likely will find that there are some supplies that you forgot to purchase. The fast approaching three-day weekend will give you a chance to go out and purchase those supplies that you find you need.

Make your first day of school a day of fun. Instead of cracking the books open right away, take some time to play some educational games. If you use binders or notebooks, let your children make covers for them. Take pictures and record some vital statistics such as your children’s height and weight. Have your children fill out an annual survey asking about all their favorite things. Do very little bookwork on this day. Let your children review and get excited about the materials you plan to use this coming year.

Also remember that you do not have to start all subjects on day one. Another way to transition into the school year is to start with a few subjects and then add a subject or two each week. This method can help the whole family transition back into a regular routine.

Regardless of how your school operates, remember that it’s your school and it is up to you to customize it to fit your family. If something isn’t working (and you will have something that doesn’t), change it or get rid of it. There is nothing that says that you must educate your children Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Education can happen any time of the day and any day of the week, so take advantage of it and do what best fits your children and your family.

AP makes one million minutes of historical footage available on YouTube

An incredible, FREE resource for homeschoolers!

LONDON — The Associated Press and British Movietone, one of the world’s most comprehensive newsreel archives, are together bringing more than 1 million minutes of digitized film footage to YouTube. Showcasing the moments, people and events that shape the world, it will be the largest upload of historical news content on the video-sharing platform to date.

The two channels will act as a view-on-demand visual encyclopedia, offering a unique perspective on the most significant moments of modern history. Available for all to explore, the channels will also be powerful educational tools and a source of inspiration for history enthusiasts and documentary filmmakers.

The YouTube channels will include more than 550,000 video stories dating from 1895 to the present day. For example, viewers can see video from the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, exclusive footage of the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, Marilyn Monroe captured on film in London in the 1950s and Twiggy modeling the fashions of the 1960s.

via AP makes one million minutes of historical footage available on YouTube.

Why Does Common Core Require Teaching Islam? ⋆ The Constitution

If this won’t convince you to homeschool, I don’t know what will.

However, Common Core really originated from the Connect All Schools program, which is part of the “One World Education” initiative orchestrated by Qatar Foundation International (QFI). The director of QFI’s Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics is Tariq Ramadan, grandson of Hassan al-Banna who was the founder of The Muslim Brotherhood.

via Why Does Common Core Require Teaching Islam? ⋆ The Constitution.

The Homeschool Diploma

Homeschool diplomas are not only valid—they often signify an exceptional education.  

Michael Farris

Your Right to Homeschool

“No parents have ever prevailed in any reported case on a theory that they have an absolute constitutional right to educate their children in the home, completely free of any state supervision, regulation, or requirements,” the ruling stated. “They do not have an ‘absolute constitutional right to home school.’”

– via www.rawstory.com

All homeschool parents should know and understand this statement.  Our government believes that you do not have a constitutional right to homeschool free of government regulation.  The government will always have their fingers in homeschooling.  It is important for the citizens to follow  their state laws for homeschooling and stand up to the government when needed so that the laws don’t become more restrictive, or even worse, for homeschooling to be outlawed.

If you read the article this quote comes from, it is about a family who removed their children from government school and then let the children do as they pleased all day every day because they believed they were about to be raptured.  It really irks me that the parents and the author of the article calls this homeschooling.  This is NOT homeschooling.  This is educational neglect.  Yet, those that oppose homeschooling are quick to use examples like this as reasons why homeschooling should be more heavily regulated.

Homeschooling has a plan and a direction.  Homeschooling requires planning, effort, and then the actual doing on everyone’s part.  Letting your kids sit in a garage strumming their guitars all day just to keep them out of your hair is not homeschooling.  Homeschooling requires parental involvement of some sort.  There clearly was not any here.

Let’s call it what it is.  These children were not being educated, period.  Their parents pulled them out of government school because they thought they were about to leave this earth.  They believed there was no reason for their children to continue to be educated in any way.  To keep their friends and relatives in the dark and from reporting them, the parents claimed they were homeschooling.  The government doesn’t want to admit that they had no clue that these kids weren’t being educated, so they kept the lie going and also called it homeschooling.  Better to make homeschoolers in general look bad than for the blame to go directly and solely where it should–the parents.

My Apple Store Experience

I paid a visit to a local Apple Store last week.  It was the first time I had been to an Apple Store.  The whole experienced knocked me off my feet.

When I went inside, there was someone there to greet me.  I just said hello and went over to look at the MacBook Pros.  (I’d been dreaming of buying one for quite some time.)  I had looked at ordering one online, but then decided I wasn’t sure what size I wanted.  That is what prompted my visit.  I decided that a visual comparison was in order.

I immediately noticed that the store was packed.  Not only with customers, but employees.  There was about a 1:1 ratio of employees to customers.  You certainly don’t see that in any other retail store.  Everything in the store looked bright and shiny.  There were rows and rows of Apple products ready for you to put your fingers on–literally.

After doing a little browsing I walked up to the genius bar and asked for someone to assist me.  Within less than a minute, I had someone by my side.  I don’t know how they select who is going to help you, but it was a perfect match.  I know Apple sometimes has special events at their store, so I asked if there was a special event going on or if the store was always like that.  I was told that this was business as usual.  Wow!

The person that helped me was friendly, patient, and answered all of my questions.  He never acted like he was in a hurry or that I was a bother.  If I asked a question he didn’t know the answer to, he quickly got the answer from another employee.  What really astonished me was that he never, and I mean never, asked me if I wanted to buy something–not even a hint or insinuation.

Finally, I did decide to buy the computer I’ve been dreaming of!  I figured I could either take one home right then, or I could go home and order one and wait.  He pulled out his handheld device that looked like a phone, and I purchased it right there on the spot.  There was no problem with the educator discount.  All I had to do was show my homeschool membership card, and it was accepted.  As soon as we started the transaction, another employee brought the computer out to us. Once we were finished with the purchase, he asked me if I would like help setting the computer up.  I didn’t see any reason to say no, so we took it out of the box right there and went through the setup process.  It took about 15 minutes.

Apple has certainly figured out what customer service is all about.  With their quality products and excellent customer service it is not a surprise that Apple is doing such a bustling business.

Another Reason to #Homeschool: The Love of Learning

(Photo credit: Luca Barcellona – Calligraphy & Lettering Arts)

In general, home educators try to give their children a well-rounded education.  This can be done by teaching various subjects, going on various field trips, etc.  At the top of our list, is reading.  If a person can read, they can learn anything.  Underneath it all, I want my kids to love learning and have the desire to continue to learn throughout their lifetime. Without the love of learning, there will be no desire to do so. Without the desire to learn, one will never become a mature christian.

Unfortunately, our government schools don’t always foster this love for learning. Some of the local schools here have begun requiring homework for kindergartners. I can’t help but wonder what they do in class all day if they are now sending homework home. Those that appear to be bright are encouraged to go through testing to determine whether or not they qualify for the “gifted” program. The kids and parents are put under a lot of pressure by the school officials and told that this is a big deal. If the child misses qualifying by a few points, they are pressured to take the test again.

This is done all at the age of 5 or 6, and for many it is their first experience in a school environment. Why would any of these kids want to go back to school? Why would any of them have a positive impression of learning?

Thankfully with home education this can all be avoided. Children can be encouraged to learn at their own pace. Each student can have their own specialized program tailored just for them and not worry about being in special ed, the gifted program, or anything else. They are accepted as the beautiful individual God created them to be, while being stretched and pushed a little by their teacher who knows them better than anyone else in the world. They can actually enjoy learning and develop a desire to learn throughout their lifetime. With that, the possibilities are endless.

Remembering a Dear Friend with Handicrafts

I like making these trivets as wedding gifts.  They are quick, easy, beautiful, and will last longer than many marriages.  Many couples register online anymore, which makes it a snap to go online and see what dishes they select.  Using that information, I can choose the two complimentary colors for the trivets.  So far, they have always been received well.

Under the guise of “there is nothing new under the sun,” I have a dear friend that showed me how to make these years ago.  Whenever I make these, I can’t help but fondly think of her.  We had a rift at one time but were able to patch things up.  I was blessed to be able to serve her and her family in her last days as she was battling cancer.  It does my soul good to know that all was well between the two of us when she passed.  That experience has made me more conscious and more deliberate of mending fences or at least doing everything I can to mend fences as misunderstandings occur.

These days, handicrafts are more of a hobby than anything else.  Still, they are great skills to teach in your homeschool.  They can lead to inexpensive gifts, a customized cover or case for that gadget, or even a home business.  Who knows, it may one day become a family heirloom.

Words Have Meaning: Two Whole Eggs

It struck me as humorous and also a little odd that the ingredients needed to add to a brownie mix would include “2 whole large eggs.”  Not that I find anything wrong with adding eggs to a brownie mix, but is it really necessary that I be told to add whole eggs?  I realize that some recipes call for egg whites or egg yolks, but they simply say so in the list of ingredients needed and in the instructions.  They don’t say, “two partial eggs.”

Now, this brownie mix was purchased at my local bargain basement store.  Perhaps its executives think that their clientele needs to be reminded that these are whole eggs.  Then again, do you ever put the whole egg (which would include the shell) in anything?  Words have meaning, but we are becoming too dumb to know and understand the very meaning of the words we use.