~*~ Musings of a Mother ~*~
• Oct. 5, 2006 - Rambling Rose
As you can see, I haven't been posting here much lately. But that doesn't mean I haven't been posting. Three blogs have proven to be too confusing for me to keep up with, so I have decided to stick with my original blog, Rambling Rose, which I started almost three years ago. I would be honoured if you would stop by and visit me there....
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• May. 26, 2006 - Blessed is the Man
I promised Lynda that I would post on my blogs when my BITM arrived. And guess what?
Drum roll please... 
MY BITM HAS ARRIVED!!!  It's been a long, long wait, but it is here at last, in plenty of time for me to use it in the coming school year. 
BITM stands for Blessed is the Man, which is the companion volume written for boys, of the Far Above Rubies curriculum for girls. Both are unit studies designed to cover two to four years of home education in every subject except math and language arts, at the high school level. My girls have passed the age where they will most benefit from Far Above Rubies as it was primarily intended to be used, but we are using it anyway, because it's a well planned, wonderfully well-rounded program which is useful and valuable well behind high school. But I have three boys who are young enough to gain much benefit from the curriculum. I am very much looking forward to using it for years to come.
Thank you, Lynda!!  |
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• May. 17, 2006 - Birthday Girl
You would never know this from my silence
of late, but... I had a birthday last Wednesday. I was the first child,
and born two weeks early on May 10, 1953, so I made my mother a mother
on Mother's Day. Two years later, not to be outdone, my brother Jim was
born on Father's Day!! And according to prior plan, I was named for my
mother, and he was named for our father.
Wednesday was warm, sunny and calm... nice after several cool, wet,
windy days. We took our jackets along but didn't need them. Ian's
mother had sent us a joint birthday card a few weeks earlier, with a
cheque inside to spend on ourselves. Ian cashed the cheques and put the
money away to take me out for dinner on my birthday. He took the whole
day off and we left for the city in the early afternoon.
We got to the Olive Garden before the supper rush, and didn't have to
wait in line at all. The place
filled up slowly over the hour or more that we were there, but the
atmosphere remained pleasant and homey, and relatively quiet.
Our waitress was Missy, a young, vivacious gal with a dusky complexion, dark hair, and a ready smile. She brought us lemon
water, garlic bread sticks and a large Greek salad. Only three olives,
and as many hot lime green peppers. Hot hot hot!!! When I eat hot food,
that's all I can sense from then on... I can't discern different
flavours. I ate about half of
one pepper in tiny bites, each hotter than the last, until it got too overpowering.
Ian ordered a new dish with some unpronounceable name, consisting of
chicken with angel hair pasta. I ordered the Italian feast with
generous samples of three different dishes... lasagne, ravioli and
chicken parmesan. Ian shared his
chicken with me, and I shared all three dishes with him, and ended up giving him
half my lasagne and most of my ravioli.
I ordered a coffee and a slice of chocolate lasagne for dessert... and
Missy brought us two forks so we could share. It was a triangular
shaped confection consisiting of layers of chocolate cake,
vanilla custard and whipped cream, topped with chocolate shavings and drizzled
liberally with rich chocolate sauce.
Missy found out just before we left that it was my birthday. "Why
didn't you tell me??" she gasped. "We sing to birthday people! Let me
go get my singers!" She came back a few minutes later with half a dozen
waiters and waitresses. Missy announced to everyone that it was
"Willena's birthday today", and had everyone join with them in singing
to me. Don't ask me how many people sang to me, because I did not look
around to see! :oP
We spent a couple of hours
in Chapters, browsing through the books. I had several in mind I wanted
to buy, knowing I had to choose just one of them. It wasn't an easy choice. The Mind
Mapping Handbook by Tony Buzan looked wonderful, with lots of mind
maps not in the book I have from the library right now. Any one of
several books by Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way
would have been great... or Betty Edwards' Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain... or How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, by
Michael Gelb's da Vinci book. After much deliberation, I decided that Michael Gelb's book
would be more useful all around, as it has the art course in the back
of it as well as an abundance of ideas designed to help with freedom
of expression.
Before we went to watch our movie, we went upstairs to Silver City, the
expensive theatre, just to see what was playing there. Irene had
already told us there wasn't much, and we found that to be true.
Besides, we were too late for the current playing, and the next ones
wouldn't start till 10 or 10:30. We were more than an hour from home,
and Ian had to get up early the next day to go to work.
But our trek up to Silver City was not wasted. That is where the huge
dragon resides up under the ceiling... the dragon that breathes fire
every so many hours each day. As we stood there looking at the movie
menu, we became aware that the dragon, usually still and silent, was
beginning to rumble and twitch. We watched, transfixed, as it built up
over the next several minutes, fascinatingly, horrifyingly real as its
tail and body moved and twitched and billowed. Rumblings became muted
roars, which grew louder... it swallowed a few times, and then -- with
a tremendous roar, it belched a gigantic ball of fire that filled a
huge section under the ceiling and heated us up thirty feet below.
That wasn't the first time I had seen the dragon... I'd seen it on at
least one other occasion. But wait! One doesn't "see" the dragon... one
experiences it. It is akin to standing on the bridge in
Georgetown watching the train come rushing down the track from the
station a mile away. I knew it was coming... I could see it coming... I
knew it wouldn't hurt me... yet no matter how many times I stood there,
as a child or an adult, a huge adrenalin rush of fear and excitement
would overtake me every single time as the monster roared beneath my feet.
It was the same with the dragon. I knew it wasn't real... I knew it
wouldn't touch me... I knew the fire would not come near me... yet it
was so big and REAL writhing and twisting up there. I groped for Ian's hand and
stood close to him. I clung to him, unable to stay the rush of fear as
the dragon built up and up to the climax and it finally erupted.
Several people stood in front of us, also watching. One young woman
with a camera went up to the balcony to get a better view -- and when
the ball of fire rushed toward her, she jumped back, breaking out in a
sheepish laugh joined in by all those standing nearby. I said to Ian I
was glad to see I wasn't the only one :oP He, of course, was
unaffected. Never jumped or moved a muscle the whole time.
To experience the adrenaline rush and all other aspects of danger, yet
with no real risk... I think that's the allure of the roller coaster. I
doubt if I shall ever have the courage to go on one, though. I would
love to, just for the huge thrill... but I think it would be too
intense. And should I want to escape, I would be trapped. The dragon is
a different story... plenty of room for escape with the exit right behind me.
Thursday we celebrated at home as a family. I don't think our birthday/anniversary tradition of everyone praying
except the one being honoured, will ever become boring and commonplace
to me. What a wonderful blessing to be surrounded by my loved ones,
each of whom in his or her own way thanks the Lord for me.
We had homemade pizza made with Ian's famous biscuit dough for a crust,
with hamburger, cubed ham, broccoli, green onions, celery and other
veggies for toppings... and tomato sauce and melted cheddar cheese. They made four huge
pizzas, and each was more than
an inch thick. We had the usual potato chips in various
flavours, but also, at my request, a big tossed salad. While we ate, we
watched my choice of movie... Sleepless in Seattle. This of course was
followed by gifts and ice cream and cake.
All in all, I had a very nice birthday this year, and I feel
ve-e-e-e-e-r-r-ry blessed. :-D
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• Apr. 28, 2006 - Vortex
One thing and another
downward spiral
ever faster...
Out of control.
Vicious cycle
spinning, spinning
stop! slow down! break in!
Can't control.
Day to night, afraid to sleep
warm and wet
shock and shame.
No control.
Early to bed
can't wind down
faulty walls erected.
Leave me be! I'll do it my way
Early to rise
slow, ambiguous heat
walls crumbling
fusion of desire and repulsion...
Go away!
Hope deferred, heart sick
another day, another vacuum...
Aching void.
Hours fly swiftly
like an eagle
minutes sift through my fingers
like sand in an hourglass
can't hold onto them
never enough of them...
Yet still they are squandered.
Duty calls from all sides
no space, no time
boundaries breached
abandoned
furry, cotton, anaesthetics
drifting, chasing dots
daily grind grinds daily
wearing, wearying
nasty headache.
Leave me alone to think my own thoughts!
Whirlwind
lost in the vortex
searching, seeking...
No peace within.
Ah! to capture the doodle bug!
and break these cursed bonds!
let loose! burst the dam!
attain! accomplish!
reach out! release!
When will the sun shine again?
Just for today I will
eat what I want
when I want
how much I want.
Just for today I will
do what I want
write what I want
sleep when I want.
Tomorrow is a new day.
Tomorrow I will change.
But tomorrow...
Never comes.
~ Willena Rose
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• Apr. 26, 2006 - More Progress
I showed the boys an example of "mirroring" and told them to do the same sort of thing with their poem chosen from the two examples given. At first they were mystified, but after several explanations -- plus a war between the two boys that ended in one of them being sent to work in the living room -- they settled down to work. As per my instructions, they showed me their work when they were four lines into it, so I could see if they were doing it right. Tomorrow we need to discuss the figures of speech and other devices we learned about during this unit and see if they can't incorporate some into their poems. But other than that, I think their poems are actually pretty good for the first attempt. I hope the facilitator thinks so too.
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• Apr. 23, 2006 - Slowly Making Progress
Yesterday I printed out the poetry glossaries with examples, and cut them apart so the boys could match the definition with the example. That simple exercise showed quite a difference between the two boys. Andrew had been told to do his chores first, but he disappeared to do something else I had told him to do earlier. So he was otherwise occupied for the next hour with those two things. Timothy, in the meantime, sat down at the table and slowly, methodically spread all the bits of paper in front of him, and studied them carefully. This was no easy task, as the boys are not familiar with the terms or of what they look like in a poem. And I, being only semi-familiar with them, didn't necessarily choose the best example for each. To further complicate matters, some of the examples could have been used correctly for several of the definitions. Thus he needed some help -- but he did quite well, all things considered.
Andrew, on the other hand, thinks very literally, and has a hard time understanding anything poetic. The example I chose for internal rhyme was excellent, and I thought he would hear it immediately on reading the poem aloud. But he fumbled and stumbled so badly that it was garbled and hidden. Only when I took the piece of paper from him and read it aloud to him, was he able to hear it. He just didn't get it... none of it clicked... even the difference between rhyming poetry and free verse was not readily obvious to him. And this is just plain too fast for him... we should be spending several weeks on the poetry unit. It has come to the point where I am pushing and driving them just to get it done to the school's specifications, and I don't care that it won't stick. Tomorrow is a new day... next year is a new year....
I have poured all my time and energy into the language arts portion of the boys' school work, and turned a blind eye to what else was being done in school. I spoke to the girls a number of times about their FAR units, and they assured me they were working on them. I assumed everyone was more or less keeping up on their math. Well. Guess what? Timothy informed someone yesterday that he is no less than forty days behind in his math... Andrew is almost as far behind... and so is Raewyn. Only Vicki is where she is supposed to be according to the month-at-a-glance plans I did in January. The value of those plans is that I know where we should be, and how much damage has been done.
From the original spreadsheets on my computer, I copied and pasted and modified so I have two sheets per child, each showing five weeks, for a total of ten to the end of June. Ten weeks. I have decided we will focus on family worship, shorter catechism, math, grammar and language arts. And, since the girls are clear on the principles but foggy on the practical when it comes to FAR, I will resume the responsibility of planning their units for them... at least the skeletal structure, giving them choices of how to fill in the details.
The one thing I am happy about is that everyone has been reading a lot. Sure, it's fiction, but for now I am happy that they are reading for enjoyment.
Andrew is not a hopeless case... he just has a different sort of brain. He's like the brother of Ian's friend Gilbert. Richard, a Wycliffe Bible translator in Guatemala, has an extremely high IQ, and is a walking dictionary and encyclopedia. But he doesn't know which end of the hammer to use. According to Ian, that is no figure of speech... he really doesn't know, and is as impractical in many other areas of life. Well, I am hoping we can keep Andrew a little more firmly established in the real world than that, but Ian says he definitely has an engineer's brain. He thinks too literally, and drives us all nuts with his questions. "Oh Andrew! Don't be so technical!!" is a common refrain heard in our home.
Nor is Raewyn a hopeless case. She hates algebra, and she lacks self-discipline, but she loves to read anything and everything she can about the body, the brain, energy therapy, herbs, etc. She also loves the classics and various nonfiction books Ian has handed to her. My only problem with her, other than getting her to do something she doesn't want to do, is to make sure she is filling in enough of those gaps in her education to satisfy the facilitator and justify our accepting funding for her schooling.
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• Apr. 20, 2006 - Poetry
Now that the boys' language arts package has been mailed to MCS, we have moved on to their poetry unit. We have never studied poetry before, and it looks like it is going to take more than the week I originally projected for it. The assignment has three parts... poetry response, an original poem that mirrors another, and a glossary of poetic terms. We were given two poems from which to choose for doing the first two parts, and that won't take too long unless they meet up with mental blocks on the original poetry part of it. But the glossary is another story. Even I don't know the definitions for the majority of the twenty-four terms (twelve terms each). They muddled their way through with the dictionaries for a couple of hours yesterday before I decided to take the sane way out by copying and pasting from dictionary.com. Their definitions have to be in their own words, but this gives us something workable to start with. Today we will sit down together and talk about each of the terms with examples so they understand a bit better... and I hope it doesn't come up on any of their testing. They get two marks per definition, and one per example. The latter is going to be the really tough part, as I have no idea where to look to come up with examples of each. I have lots of school readers and a few poem collections here at home, but it's not like they are categorized and titled according to assonance, paradox and synecdoche. :-/ If they are going to be so particular, the least they could have done was suggested a textbook for ME!!
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• Apr. 18, 2006 - Creativity
I found a discarded pad of scrap paper on the school table this morning that proves the creative juices are flowing, if in the wrong channels. This is in one of the boys' handwriting, though I don't know which. Andrew's, I think. And don't ask me what it means!
Go do that nose thing looking in the mirror
You look just like an oger/orc (monster) (ugly!)
Yoo look like your blushing!
yoo do DUPEE won!! Dupee un!
(I'm actuly starting to get the hang of reading that stuff)
Isn't It funny watching people from the side, drone on and on staring at nothing?
You look like an idoit
Each "sentence" is underscored so it looks like it is in its own box, separated from the others. The bottom fifth of the page is covered with "cursive handwriting" that would have to have been done by Nathaniel. I am trying to picture when and why it was written, and what it means.
And the whiteboard... You know, we bought that thing because Andrew Pudewa said we needed it for teaching Excellence in Writing. I can count on one hand the number of times I have used it. But it is never blank, as every other member of the family has used it to enhance our lives with artwork and goofy quotes. This morning I thought I had better copy the story written there before someone decides it's been there long enough and should be erased.
In the top left hand corner of the board is written in red, "add a word..." Stretching along the top is a sketch of a castle, in black. The following story is written with many colour changes, each one denoting the change from one author to another, as it is a joint effort of four or five people.
add a word... [pic of castle]
Once upon a time a green dragon ate a brown beef cow [pic of cow saying mooo] and coughed on a castle, the people got mad. A knight was sent to Casablanca, where he saw the king. [pic of smiling king]
The king said, "Hi. Who are you?"
"I am Sir Balleik" he thundered in his mighty voice.
"Don't shout" said the king. "Why are you here?"
"I have come to slay the dragon!" he bellowed proudly in a monotone.
[pic of flying green dragon]
The king said, "Yay! You are here to rid us of that dragon!" he exclamed merrily as he cleaned the ear wax, from the noise, out of his ear.
"I suppose," said the king, "that you will want some kind of a reward."
"Sir! I'm a knight!" [map of Morocco, showing Casablanca]
"Oh yeah" said the king.
"Now where is the food? I'm starving!"
The servant informed the king the dragon had just eaten it all.
"So sorry."
"How dare that dragon eat my noodles! The ostentatious runt!"
Meanwhile, the dragon used a handy fence post to pick his teeth as he threw the noodles bag away.
"Now for a drink," he said.
Not bad, I say, for so many authors. Now if only I could get those creative juices flowing in the right channels, maybe I could get the boys moving on their poetry assignment (three parts, will take at least a week), their persuasive essay (at least a week) and their research assignment (complete with graphics, presentation, hands on project, etc., will take possibly three weeks). It's going to continue to be a scramble to get it all done by the end of May.
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• Apr. 7, 2006 - A Withered Hand
In family worship on Sunday evening, we continued our study in the book of Numbers. Ian talked about Moses' rod and brass serpent, and how it is a picture of Christ, as anyone who looked at it in faith would be healed of the fiery serpent bites. Andrew asked what happened if someone was blind... how could he look at the serpent? Some people might answer by saying either one of two things might have happened... God might say, "You sinned, and you can't see the serpent, therefore you die!" Or He might have mercy on the man and save him anyway.
I don't think it was physically "seeing" the serpent that counted, but rather the intent of the heart, the act of faith in looking toward the serpent as if he could see it, in obedience to the Lord. The man could have said, "I can't!" and not even bother to try, and the Lord might then have said, "Too bad for you then!" But if he did what was commanded despite his inability, I believe the Lord would still use his faith as the means for healing him.
The picture that came to my mind was that of the man with the withered hand. Christ told him to stretch forth his hand. I will never forget Paul Maxwell at Prairie Bible Institute telling us the man couldn't stretch forth his hand without the the Lord's enabling. But Christ commanded him to do it without the enabling. The man could have said, "I can't!" And the Lord could have said, "Goodbye then." Instead the man made as if to stretch forth his hand despite his inability, and Christ rewarded his faith by giving him the necessary enabling, and healed him.
ADD is a handicap that keeps me from doing all that is required of me as a mother, and as a Christian. But the very fact that those things are required of me by God is an indication that in Him I can do it, if I look to Him for strength and clarity of mind. I don't expect Him to heal me the way He did the man with the withered hand, but the principle is the same. Do what I can to minimize the counts against me and develop my natural strengths, and look to Him to enable me to honour and obey Him by paying attention in church. And no, I don't expect to do it as well as the average person, but I do expect to see a significant improvement.
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• Mar. 25, 2006 - Overheard a few minutes ago...
Irene: You guys had better be memorizing your catechism! Nathaniel... what is the chief end of man?
Nathaniel: Um... the end of the chief man is to glorify God and enjoy Him!
That's almost as funny as Andrew when he was the same age...
Mom: What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him?
Andrew: The word of God, which is attained in the crispers of the Old and New Testaments...
Or Timothy when he was four...
Us: ♫ And all he doth shall prosper well.
♫ The wicked are not so;
♫ But like they are unto the chaff,
♫ which wind drives to and fro.
Timothy: Mom, who is Ollie Doth?
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• Mar. 23, 2006 - A Little Bird
I so often feel like a little bird in a cage... fighting and railing against the bars, and failing to see that all I need is right there. But be those bars ADD, menopause, a cramped home, lack of finances, or difficulty in accomplishing the task at hand, I am precisely where I am supposed to be because He put me here, for my sanctification, His glory, and the good of everyone involved. Fact is, it isn't a cage at all... it is my little corner of His vineyard... it is where I belong... it is my place to shine for Him for the benefit of everyone around me.
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• Mar. 22, 2006 - Stopped in My Tracks!!
In a language arts assignment Timothy (12) wrote, "And if you do get [pregnant] and don't want him/her, give him/her up for adoption, there's tons of people who can't have children but want one. don't abort a baby." I said I think it is wrong for a girl, even though she isn't married, to give her baby up for adoption, because to do so is to abandon the baby.
Irene (23) didn't agree with me, because often it is not best for the baby. I told her I do believe that many Christian girls who give their babies up, aren't doing it of their own volition, but because they have been persuaded to do so by the adults in their lives. I believe it is equally, if not more, wrong for those adults to counsel girls that way, rather than rallying round in support, and helping her raise the baby. I said that in many areas, if we don't do well at something, it is good and right to delegate a task to someone else, but we remain in charge of the situation...
For instance, if there were a Christian school around here that we could afford, and that we could count on to teach the kids according to what we believe, it would be right and good for me to delegate that job to them, especially given my track record in homeschooling. I started to say that when a mother gives her baby up for adoption, she is not merely delegating, but gives up all rights to that child and has no say in how he is being raised. But I didn't get finished. James (21) heard the part about my track record, and said, "What track record? One kid graduated from college and another one half way through?"
He said more, but I didn't hear it. He totally stopped me in my tracks, and humbled me. All I could say was, "Thank you, James!"
"Well, it's the truth!" he said as he went downstairs to his room.
It's more than the words he said... it's the way he said it. It was a lovely means of validation at a time when I really needed it.
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• Mar. 15, 2006 - I think...
... that if ever I could get completely organized, with study areas, curriculum and expectations all in place, I wouldn't do half bad as a homeschooler. Have I ever told you I hate being packed like a sardine into a tiny, 900 square foot house? And if only I knew what was expected of the kids.... I have the requirements in front of me. I have asked the facilitator questions. But all I get is, "Don't worry... just do what the list says." Uh huh. Tell me to write a children's book, and you could mean anything from Berenstain Bears to Anne of Green Gables. I don't know what they want, and likely won't until we have sent some assignments in and gotten feedback. That's why Andrew is still not finished his short story he was supposed to have done on Feb. 25. That's why we have hardly scratched the surface of the language arts stuff to be handed in. Can you tell I am pushing the panic button here?
Okay, I'll stop pushing it. Sigh. Back to work here....
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• Mar. 14, 2006 - Homespun Humour
Nathaniel continues to amaze me with his vocabulary and the concepts he puts into words. I still think of him as the baby, probably because he was alone in the capacity for so long, and because he doesn't pronounce or enunciate very well yet. It takes a conscious effort on my part to remember he is six years old and has mind is quite capable of coming up with what any other six year old can. So it is a surprise when in family worship he prays "for our financial situation." That's on his better days. Other days he gives up on all the requests we discuss ahead of time and says, "Dear God, I pray for all those things we were just talking about..." One day in January he was on the way into the washroom as I passed him in the hallway. He looked at me and said in all seriousness, "I have to have an experience with water." I was too busy to stop to find out just what he meant by that, even though it didn't sound good. I don't even remember what it was now, but he was playing some kind of game in the bathroom sink which necessitated the liberal use of towels later....
Another day he said to Ian, "Dad, say something neutral." Then he filled in the blank himself by saying, "The chair is beside the table." Okay.....
The screen savers on two of the computers in the living room is a continuous slide show consisting of all the pictures in our collective photo files. One day not long after we found Snook, Nathaniel saw one of Snook and Miss Mew, and covered his eyes, saying, "Oh! I can't stand the cuteness!" I thought he was being silly, but Timothy went back to the picture several times and Nathaniel became increasingly agitated till I realized he was serious, and told Timothy to stop.
A week ago last Sunday we were on our way home from church, and Nathaniel was taking his sweet time eating his. After the rest of us had finished ours, Ian tried to speed up the process by telling him, "There might be something else when you're done." He said it was "incentive" for Nathaniel to hurry up and eat that apple, and then he asked him if he knew what the word means. Nathaniel said no. Ian said, "If I say I'll spank you if you don't do something, that is incentive to encourage you to obey me." I challenged him on that, saying I thought that was the negative of which incentive was the positive. It didn't help. Raewyn said, "He's licking it like a lollipop -- no wonder it takes so long to eat!" But after a while, she said, "Wow! He took a bite of an apple! I will be stunned for a week!" Eventually he finished eating half the apple, as per Ian's requirement, and we were all treated to chocolate covered granola bars.
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• Mar. 8, 2006 - Am I Having an ADD Day?
Go downstairs to unlock Vicki's computer. Remember to do some laundry. Set reading glasses down on dryer. Empty dryer, but load in washing machine doesn't smell fresh, so run it through again. Get berries and other fruit from freezer. And soup bones for making broth. And a container of beans to add to soup. Add all to basket, and carry upstairs. Put basket on kitchen table to take fruit, bones and beans out. Ignore full bladder. Sit down to check emails. Search frantically for reading glasses. Send kids looking for reading glasses. Ten minutes later, put on glasses, only to remember fruit thawing on counter. Take glasses off so you can see four feet in front of your face. Go to kitchen and start making protein shake. Ignore full bladder. Open cupboard and discover everything is coated in honey from container not cleaned off by the six people who used it since I last used it. Forget momentarily the yogurt bucket sitting open on the counter, lid turned downside up in front of it. Take everything out of cupboard one item at a time, washing all honey off. Wipe honey and brown sugar crumbs off shelf. Dig crumbs of brown sugar out of butter dish. Dig longish black object out of bottom of butter dish and try to ignore the fact that it is a piece of hamburger from last night's supper. Assure self that everyone in the family is old enough and smart enough to have recognized it had they been the ones to see it... and be thankful you are the only one blind enough without glasses NOT to recognize it, and glad you didn't unwittingly put it on your own food. Tell Irene that yes, she may have some protein shake when you are finished making it. Finish making it. Ignore full bladder. Call Andrew to take berries back down to freezer. Fill a cup with protein shake for Irene. Put a spoonful into each of three small scoops and add Ambrotose, then call three boys to come and eat it. Put lid back on yogurt and put it away. Wash off small section of counter to put breakfast allotment of supplements. Take to desk, along with protein shake. Scoop some Ambrotose onto top of shake. Go to sit down. Remember items sitting on counter waiting to be put back into cupboard. Put them back. Order kids not to use honey any more. Assure them they may still have herb tea, without honey. Further assure them they *will* get used to it. Sit down to drink protein shake. Remember bladder is about to burst. Take care of that. Sit down. Remember beef bones on counter. Ask Vicki to put them on as soon as she is done eating. Sit down again to drink breakfast protein shake. Ignore fact that it is now 12:15 and no longer breakfast time.
Am I having an ADD day??
I knows this is probably called multi-tasking by most homeschooling moms, but I call it a nightmare... especially as the whole time my mind is NOT taking it all in, but is spinning like a top in confusion the whole time it is happening, as I struggle to recall why I am doing this or that.
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• Mar. 4, 2006 - An 8th Grade Education in 1895
Remember when grandparents and great-grandparents stated that they only had an 8th grade education? Well, check this out. Could any of us have passed the 8th grade in 1895?? This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, Kansas, USA. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.
Here is the actual 8th Grade Final Exam-Salina, KS, 1895. See you how your would score...
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph
4. What are the principal parts of a verb Give principal parts of "lie," "play," and "run."
5. Define case; Illustrate each case.
6 What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.?
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
4. District No 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find the cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per metre?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt
U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.
Orthography (Time, one hour)
1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, subvocals,diphthong, cognate letters, inguals.??
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.'
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.
Geography (Time, one hour)
1 What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas??
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.
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• Feb. 28, 2006 - A Lesson Learned from a Little Brown Dog
We found Snook in the ditch down the hill toward the slough just north of here. He must have been hit by a car and thrown.
As Raewyn and I walked down the road on Saturday afternoon, for one last look at our little brown dog, I marvelled at how he could be hardly more than a stone's throw from the house and yet no one could see him. There is very little traffic on our road, but those who do drive by are Ian, Irene, and our nearest neighbours, all of whom knew the little dog was missing and knew what he looked like. Yet no one noticed him.
On Thursday afternoon Raewyn, Vicki, Timothy and Nathaniel all walked right past him in both directions when they went looking for him. I had told Raewyn to check the ditches as she went. But somehow she missed that message and thought only of watching for signs of a live dog. Yet how could all four children and the several dogs who accompanied them, all have missed him both ways?
On Saturday, Ian saw "something" on his way north to talk to all the neighbours, but it wasn't till he came back again that he slowed down for a better look, and recognized him. I asked him where he found the little dog, and while Raewyn and I were waiting for Irene to get ready to take us to the city for a previous engagement, we took a walk down the road.
Even though we knew exactly where he lay, we could not see him until we were almost there. It is a broad, shallow ditch, with very little grass. He was in plain view, his dark coat in stark contrast to the snow and light brown grass, and only partially hidden by a blanket of snow. And yet we didn't see him. Why?
One might ask the same question about Christians and how they can go for years walking with the Lord and yet missing what is taught clearly in the scriptures. In fact, I have often considered that very question in relation to myself, over the years. Sometimes it takes me so long to see what is there. It isn't that these things are hidden... they are right there, in plain view to those with eyes to see.
To those with eyes to see. Therein lies the key. It is the reason the unbeliever does not understand the Bible. And it is the reason it takes us as believers so long sometimes to learn our lessons. We don't have eyes to see. Perhaps it is because we don't *want* to see, or because something obscures our view. Perhaps we are preoccupied, or we don't quite know what we are looking for. Or perhaps it would be harmful to us to see, and God has blinded us till the time is right.
Although it would have been nice to learn of our little dog's fate on the third day instead of the fifth, I can think of many possible reasons why no one saw him there until Saturday afternoon. But whatever the real reason was, it was not God's timing before then.
I rest in His wisdom. And I thank Him for the lesson.
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• Feb. 23, 2006 - UP
I don't know who came UP with this, but it's pretty good....
There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meaning than any other two-letter word, and that is "UP."
It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we waken in the morning, why do we wake UP?
At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?
We call UP our friends And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.
At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.
To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.
And this UP is confusing:
A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.
We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.
We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!
To be knowledgeable of the proper uses of UP, look UP the word in the dictionary.. In a desk size dictionary, the word up, takes UP almost 1/4th the page and definitions add UP to about thirty.
If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.
When it threatens to rain, we say it is
clouding UP . When the sun comes out we say
it is clearing UP.
When it rains, it wets UP the earth. When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.
One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP,
for now my time is UP, so.............
I'll shut UP 
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• Feb. 22, 2006 - Snook
No one has seen our little dog, Snook, since early yesterday morning,
and we are worried about him. Yesterday all four boys went out looking
all over our property and over at the neighbours' place, and there was
no sign of him. Ian saw him at 6:45am when he was leaving for work. The
neighbour says he saw both of our dogs in our pasture with his cows
around 10am. But none of the rest of us have seen him since we put him
out for the night on Monday night. We are finally getting the snow
we've been waiting for all winter, and it's only getting in the way.
Any tracks made by one little dog are gone now.
Everyone in
the family loves animals, but Timothy has always had a special affinity
for Snook and Miss Mew. Numerous times yesterday he expressed his worry
and concern for the dog, because it is not characteristic for Snook to
leave our property, and he has never stayed away for even a few hours
before. Late last night he asked, with a long face, "Am I the only
person in this family who is worried about Snook?" But I didn't know
how deeply affected he was until a few minutes later when one of his
big sisters came to tell me he was really upset... crying quietly in
the darkened bedroom. I went in to him and asked him if he would like
me to pray with him. We held hands and prayed, and then he clung to me
as I hugged him.
I didn't sleep well last night... and each
time I got up I checked the door for our missing dog. At 11:30 am there
was still no sign of him. It had been more than 24 hours. James,
Timothy, Nathaniel and I tramped around the uneven, snow-covered ground
in and around the trees across the road for an hour and a half, to no
avail. We were no closer to knowing where he is, or whether he is dead
or alive.
I don't know what could have happened to him, but it
can't be good. The worst thing about it right now is the not knowing.
Did someone steal him? Not likely. Is he dead? Possible. Is he lying
injured somewhere? Possible, and perhaps the most disturbing of the
possibilities.
Maybe it's silly to be worried over a mere dog, but... there are those of us who love him and miss him.....
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• Feb. 17, 2006 - Crazy Days
Today was a little better than yesterday, though it didn't start out
that way. The computer woke me up this morning. Yes, the computer. I
was too late going to bed. Three hours later I awoke to the faint but
persistent sound of an electronic beep. I wouldn't have heard it all if
I had been lying on my right side, for my left ear was totally plugged,
as it is every morning now. I followed the sound to the living room,
and realized it was coming from the computer the modem is in. Oh great.
This has happened before, so I knew the routine. You can't turn the
computer off the conventional, "safe" way, because it is frozen. You
have to turn it off manually by pushing the button on the front of the
computer. But which of those two towers standing side by side, was
which? One of them is Ian's computer, which has no monitor, so he
"borrows" one of the other two sitting on the desk in front of the
window.
By
the time I had figured out what was going on and which computer to turn
off, I was thoroughly awake. I went back to bed, but only dozed a
couple of times. Now I was lying on my right side, so I was lying in a
cushion of silence, and didn't even know when Ian got up. I finally got
up at 6:30.
We have been puzzled by another sound the past
couple of days, and since none of us had any idea what was causing it,
we didn't know if we should be alarmed or what. It came from the
hallway by the back door, and sounded like the popping of canning jar
lids when they are sealing. It was just as loud, and would happen
anywhere from once in an hour to three times in as many minutes. Vicki
and I were both perplexed and annoyed as we eliminated one after
another possible culprit. She even opened the big can of applesauce,
thinking it was that. We were on the right track... it did have to do
with a closed container near both the heating vent and the back door.
But it was Timothy who finally figured out what it was. There were
several small plastic coke bottles lying empty with their lids on,
under the shelves, almost on top of the heating vent. They must have
been expanding and contracting with the furnace coming on and the back
door being opened occasionally. We haven't heard that sound since he
tossed them in the garbage bag on the deck.
Between Andrew
Pudewa and Steve Plog, they are rapidly destroying my ideas of what and
how children are supposed to be taught. Andrew Pudewa, instructor of
Excellence in Writing, our language arts curriculum, denounces the
teaching of a grammar curriculum, saying it is useless beyond the very
basics -- torture at worst and busywork at best for the kids. I don't
agree, but at least he is giving me an excuse not to feel guilty for
not teaching Easy Grammar so far this year.
And Steve Plog is
the guy who refuses to see ADD as a handicap in any way, choosing
instead to see it as the best gift God has given him. He seriously
downplays the focus on getting good grades (at least to the detriment
of really learning your stuff) and says Einstein got where he did
because he wasn't made to "show his work" all during his math years.
Apparently doing it one's head is a distinct advantage, especially for
the ADD student. He says it's harmful to place the emphasis on the D's
on the kid's report card while downplaying the A's. If he is talking
about having a better balance between the two, I can see it, but it
seems more like he is saying the ADD child needs a total paradigm shift
on the part of his teachers. He is probably right, but I am not ready
yet to give up all my pet ideas -- even if I am not succeeding at
carrying them out!
To balance what I've just said, and probably
portray what he said more accurately... he is saying to focus on our
strengths and manage our weaknesses. In other words, as Dr. Ed
Hallowell says, I should not try to be organized like some of my
friends, but rather learn to be "just organized enough" to function
well. Or he might say I should not try to be the world's best
homeschooler, but be "just good enough" that my kids learn what they
need in order to function well in society.
I do like his view of
ADD as a gift, and a handful of lemons we compensate for by making
lemonade. I wish I could see it that way. I would love to be able to
look at it more positively and rejoice in the strengths I have because
of ADD.
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