Okay, so that doesn't describe me entirely, but I thought it would make a really good blog title. I'm more of a, "Mama Thrown from the Train" kind of person. Not because someone would like to throw me from a train, I hope, but I'm just more of the sort that has already been thrown and in a state of suspended panic. (Before anyone tries to correct my movie titles, I do know how they are suppoed to be, I'm just playing with the words.)

Still, I can be cool. When my son asked me, "Where are we going?" I answered, "Dude. Just enjoy the ride."

I can be calm. I was once faced with a room full of panic stricken ice cream eaters at a Baskin Robbins. This big, ugly thing was flying all around and going beserk. I calmly reached out and caught a preying mantis and let it go outside. I was treated as a hero and given a free ice cream.

I can be collected. Just ask Dear Man. He'll tell you I collect all kinds of things from junk to trash. If you didn't want it, I probably have it. You'll have to wait, to ask him though, until I can find him. I probably put him somewhere safe.

It's hard to believe that we are once again nearing Thanksgiving Day.  Wow!  It seems like it was just a few weeks ago that I was preparing last year's dinner!  I must say, time does seem to find a way of getting away from me at times.  I only tend to realize that when I come up for air and notice the date on the calendar, though.  Whew!

Of course, the snow that's been flying and the frigid temperatures gave me a clue, too, that we are heading out of Autumn and getting ready for Winter.  Brrr!  Deer hunting season (with firearms) begins next Monday here in West Virginia, and I know the hunters are glad to see some of the snow.  Problem is, in the mountains where most of the major hunting goes on, they've seen well over a foot of snow already and more coming down!  Not good for deer hunting from what I hear!  To my understanding, the hunters prefer a light coating of snow to make it easier to track their dinner and then drag it out afterwards.  Oh, well, best of luck to them!  This is a big season here in the state--millions of dollars pour in from hunters around the country.  They just seem to like our deer and our mountains.  Of course, Snowshoe Ski Resort is opening (its either today or next Friday--I forget which one now), and they've had a wonderful natural snow pack falling.  Added to it is their manmade snow and the slopes are more than ready! 

I'm out of school for the next week and will be spending time preparing my home for guests, and doing the prep work for our big meal.  I've done this for so many years its become quite easy to me.  I don't have to think about it anymore--I just do it.  However, I'm teaching my grandchildren about it, so thought I'd share a bit with you here.  (I'm also working on the Nuggets of Wisdom Newsletter!  Hopefully it will be out in the next few days!)

I remember well the first year I was married to the father of my children.  We were married on November 10, and Thanksgiving Dinner was in our home just a couple of weeks later!  His sister and her family came, and I know I was in a panic!  You see, I'd spent my whole life around wonderful cooks who always prepared the meals for each holiday.  My precious Mama had restaurants down around Beckley when her natural children were small, and they all grew up in her kitchens.  By the time I was adopted, they took care of everything major like holiday meals.  However, I am a master of observation, and much of my learning came through that means.

That first holiday meal was somewhat simplified, compared to what I fix now, but it was quite good.  I already knew how to prepare the stuffing (that was always my "job"--helping Mama make the stuffing each year), mashed potatoes, the veggies, the gravy, and the pies.  Our dinner rolls that year were store-bought (yikes!), but they were quite good (if I remember correctly, they came from Publix's Danish Bakery which is known for its wonderful breads!).  However, that blasted turkey threw me!  I read the directions, and yes, was a bit stumped when it said to clean the bird.  Well, like any good daughter, I called my Mama!  She came right over early that day and showed me how to wash out and clean the bird, stuff it, butter it down, and roast it.  It turned out excellently and I still prepare it the same way today!

Except for my new sister-in-law telling me that I should use white pepper instead of black pepper in my mashed potatoes (yes, I still use black pepper--I don't care for white pepper!), the meal went off without a hitch.  However, after eating, things were quite a bit different from what I was used to. 

As I said earlier, I have a very large family.  My precious Mama had 8 natural children and then adopted me later in her life.  Her children were nearly all grown and out on their own by the time I came along (except for my special sister who was still at home and in high school), so holiday dinners were always large.  Everyone pitched in and cooked, and afterward, plates were scraped, stacked, and washed while others put the food away.  By the time the dishes were washed, the food was divided up and ready to go home with everyone, and then we all pitched in to dry and put away the dishes.  The floors were swept and the kitchen was tidy once again.

Not so after that first "guest dinner" in my new home!  Noooo--after eating, everyone headed to the living room and left me alone to clean up.  Oh, my!  Well, I once again felt overwhelmed, but managed to get through it and go to bed that night with a spotless kitchen. 

What brought all of this to mind today was an article I came across online.... http://housekeeping.about.com/od/cleaning101/a/bigmealcleanup.htm

How I wish I'd had that article back then!  It really is quite good, and I plan to print it off and put it in my homemaking binder.  I'll simplify it a bit to use while teaching my grandchildren this year, but keep in mind that they're 6 and 8 years old!  Old enough to learn, but young enough for simpler instructions. 

I do hope this article helps you, especially if you're a new homemaker facing your first big holiday meal.  It really isn't hard--just take the time to plan your work and then work your plan.  I'll be writing a few more entries here over the next couple of days about surviving a big holiday meal when its in your home, and I pray they help you this year!

In the meantime, have a lovely weekend, and don't stress yourself out.  Just remember...plan your work and then work your plan.  Simple!

Hugs,

Cynthia Robin

A couple of years ago we thought it would be fun to have all homeschool blogger businesses in one spot to make it easier to find them for the holiday shopping season. It was such a big hit, it's been decided to do it again! If you listed your business in the previous Shop with the Bloggers promo, please note that you will need to do so again. We're starting with a clean slate. Also, if you have the Shop with the Bloggers button on your blog sidebar, please replace with the new button below as the source page is now here on HomeschoolBlogger.com.

Instead of fighting the crowds at the malls and shopping centers this year, wouldn't you rather support your fellow bloggers home businesses?  Many folks want to shop with home businesses rather than the big superstores, but sometimes it's just harder to find them. Never fear though, we decided to make a list of these businesses to make your online shopping easier.

If you have a business and would like to share it with the blogosphere, please do the following:

• Add the name of your business in the Mr. Linky box HERE.

• Link it to your business website. If that's your blog, GREAT!

• Leave a comment telling us about what you have to offer or any specials you might have.

• Copy the shopping button code below to add to your sidebar or website. Even if you don't have a business, you can use the button to support our bloggers with home businesses.

• ~Note, this is a family-friendly website. Any links deemed inappropriate will be deleted.~

Whether you are a shopper or home business owner, feel free to add our Shop with the Bloggers button to your sidebar to support our fellow bloggers!

If you can stand the inane chatter, you can watch a recent program of The View on YouTube video over at Extraordinarily Ordinary. Comments on Joy Behar's contradictory thought processess are being discussed there as well.

Joy comments that homeschoolers are, "demented," and don't get enough socialization. A fascinating thing for her to say in my mind, seeing as she is pitching for the Obama family to teach their daughters from the White House. When called on to state how the Obama girls would get their socialization, Joy says that they can invite their friends over.

Sounds vaguely familiar, I can't quite put my finger on it. . .oh yeah, homeschooling!

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

World Net Daily has the story on how a homeschooling family from Germany has requested political asylum in order to homeschool their children here in the U.S.

Germany's laws against homeschooling were set in place by Hitler. He fully understood that the best way to bring the children of a nation under his authority and to train them to his way of thinking was to place them in the schools his government controlled.

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

D.C. buses will soon be sporting a new ad letting people know that there's no need to believe in God, all you have to do is be good. So how would they define what is good? Some cultures believe it's good to take the life of others. Some people believe there is nothing wrong with an adult having sex with a child.

In Florida, one student took the life of another, right in the school hall, because she felt it would be good for her friend to feel pain just like herself.

Supporters for the ad could argue that the laws of our country set up boundaries for what is good. They would be missing the obvious, those laws were set up by men who got their definition of what is good from the Bible. They also forget that in order to just be good  you have to know what is evil. How would you define evil?

History has proven that man can't be good. It's why Jesus had to die on the cross.  

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

It's that time of year again, elections! You didn't honestly think they were over did you? Did you think you could now move on with the season, forget your wretched ballots, and wait to do it all again in another four years? Wrong, wrong, wrong!

It's time for the Homeschool Blog Awards and you need to go vote! I will even shamelessly ask you to vote for the fantastic, informative, fun, and peaceful On the Company Porch blog in the Best Curriculum or Business Blog category! 

Don't you think that lovely apple graphic would look real nice on the Porch sidebar? Of course there are other categories to vote in and some of your favorite blogs are sure to be there. So go vote!

A big THANK YOU to those who nominated this blog for the Best Curriculum or Business Blog category. That was mighty sweet of you!

It's that time of year again, elections! You didn't honestly think they were over did you? Did you think you could now move on with the season, forget your wretched ballots, and wait to do it all again in another four years? Wrong, wrong, wrong!

It's time for the Homeschool Blog Awards and you need to go vote! I will even shamelessly ask you to vote for the fantastic, informative, fun, and peaceful On the Company Porch blog in the Best Curriculum or Business Blog category! 

CONCLUSION

            “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”  (Proverbs 22:6) 

            As Christian homeschool parents, the above Scripture is a basic guideline.  It points us to God’s attitude, methods, and principles. 

            “The words train up are not framed as a mere suggestion.  They are a command…In the original Hebrew, train up means ‘to touch the palate.’…Hebrew mothers would feed their children by first chewing their own food very carefully and, then, touching a little of it to their child’s palate.  With that intimate sharing, the mother would instill in her child a taste for the very same foods she enjoyed. To translate the metaphor educationally:  parents are to instill in their children a taste for their own delights by enjoying things together with their children.  By working together, studying together, playing together, and simply living the Christian life together, our children develop…a deep inner yearning, an appetite…These tastes will form the basis for their lifetime of joyful obedience to the Lord.”[1]

            Gregg Harris goes on to explain that “in the way he should go” describes that the kind of training our children are to get is training in righteousness.  No public, government-funded school will allow that.  It doesn’t fit the “I’m OK, you’re OK” lie.  Unfortunately, when someone lies someone has to be wrong – whether it hurts the feelings of another or not.  Hell is far more to worry about than hurt feelings.  By understanding that there is a right and a wrong – again, which public schools are loath to teach – it may be the difference between eternal hell and separation from God forever or salvation through a saving knowledge regarding the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s only Son.

            And it seems that this train of thought brings us back to the favorite verse among homeschoolers, Deut. 6:4-7, in reminding us to teach God’s truths as we talk to our children in the home, and as we are walking along the way, and as we lay down at night telling stories, saying prayers and having wonderful bed-time conversation…only to rise up the next morning to start the whole cycle of teaching and demonstrating God’s truths as life is lived. 

            Homeschooling is a calling of God, for the training up of our children.  It is a commandment of God, as we are with our children nearly every hour of the day.  It is a revival of God, in that a remnant has been called to breathe fresh wind on a spark and watch it fan into flame across the land.  It is the truth of God, in an educational system dying from lies and deceit.  It is the tie that binds, when so many in the educational system are trying to divide children from parents.  It is a battleground, in the fight for our families and the minds and souls of our children and teens.  It is touching the palate, to taste and see that the Lord is good.

Kim Wolf <><